It's all about making a sweeping statement

The red carpet at the Emmys saw the usual glitz with a trail of couture creations.
Forget the short dresses you can barely sit down in, this year's Primetime Emmy Awards were all about the sweeping floor length gowns - with plenty of cleavage on show.
Ultimate curvy actress, who would probably make a bin bag look ravishing - Christina Hendricks showed exactly how to look fabulous in an elegant long dress with lace detail sleeves - but it wasn't her dress which had everyone talking.
She had her famous assets on show in her designer frock - and it seems the rest of TV land followed. From baby blues to deep maroons, the stars followed Christina's lead.
Stylish Brit Cat Deeley showed off a wealth of side boob in her black backless gown. With her famous honey blonde hair slicked back the former CD:UK (remember that?!) presenter looked more Hollywood than some of her US counterparts.

Benegal’s new khoj

Mirror visits the sets of filmmaker's second TV show after Bharat Ek Khoj--this time on the drafting of the Constitution.

Just before the camera begins to roll, 78-year-old Shyam Benegal spots a glitch. The top button of a junior artiste's kurta is undone. That may seem like a minor issue, but an open collar would have been scarce on the day the Indian Parliament adopted the Constitution in 1950. This is quintessential Benegal, a filmmaker famous for the 53-episode television saga of the '80s, Bharat ek Khoj, based on Jawaharlal Nehru's seminal 1946 book Discovery of India. The septuagenarian is hard at work when Mirror visits the Film City set of his second television venture Samvidhan, a 10-part series on the making of the Indian Constitution.
It was during his stint as a Rajya Sabha member (between 2006 and 2012) that the New Cinema filmmaker first thought of recreating the birth of the Constitution on celluloid. "The Constitution has a direct impact on our lives yet we do not know much about the text or the men who wrote it. This is an attempt to bring those details to life," says Benegal, who has collaborated with long-time associate, screenwriter and art director Shama Zaidi.

Things have changed since Bharat Ek Khoj, made in 1988 and aired on Doordarshan - television has now changed beyond recognition, from one primary entertainment channel to hundreds, from author-backed dramas to voyeuristic reality TV.

What has Benegal envisioned for his latest offering? "I have always maintained that the making of the Constitution should be part of our school and college curriculum and I want the youth to watch this series. Popular sentiment dictates that young people are not interested in history but that is untrue in my opinion," he says.

The series, slated to be aired on Rajya Sabha TV channel will be shot over the following two months. The cast is impressive, and the hair and makeup department has been hard at work to make the characters convincing. Those growing up in the late 80s envisioned India's first prime minister as a handsome actor called Roshan Seth - this era will visualise Nehru as Dalip Tehil, instead.
Tahil, who also played Nehru in the recent biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, is on a macrobiotic diet and acupuncture regime to get lean. Tom Alter plays Maulana Azad and Sachin Khedekar, who sports a faux paunch, plays B R Ambedkar, who led the team of statesmen that drafted the Constitution.

As soon as Benegal calls 'Cut', Alter bounds off with a wave to Benegal. This sudden departure sets people talking, the day's shoot is not over and how does one explain a missing Maulana? Alter had a flight to catch and it is now up to the cameraperson to cover over the gap between Nehru and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, where the actor was seated.

It is well past two and the clamour for lunch grows louder among a group of women wearing tricolour saris waiting to be called upon for the next scene in which the assembly stands up for the rendition of the national anthem. A rather raspy version of Jana Gana Mana rings out and after the chorus, the words are surprisingly unfamiliar.

One of the show's assistant directors, Satyen Bordoloy offers an explanation - Benegal acquired the tape that was played during the actual 1950 ceremony and the anthem as we know it, is a product of many nips and tucks since.

After the anthem scene is shot, lunch is announced. Everyone, troops out for a spread laid out under a tent. Rajeshwari Sachdev's three-year-old son keeps the cast and crew entertained.

Sachdev plays Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, who along with Hansa Mehta and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was among the handful of women in the assembly in 1950.

In one of the episodes, she and Hansa Mehta (played by Illa Arun) discuss women's rights and the need for them to be enshrined in the text.

"This is an instance of the relevance of the series today, because we are still grappling with the same issues that plagued us when our country became independent," says Arun, who sports a shiny brooch throughout the series, a signature element of her character's appearance.

These are names which not many of us are aware of, such as K T Shah (played by Paresh Ganatra), an educationist and playwright, who suggested the most number of amendments during the drafting of the Constitution. He later stood for the 1952 presidential elections, but lost to Dr Rajendra Prasad.

Thanks to Benegal, Shah and other unsung heroes will soon make their way into our drawing rooms and our Samvidhan may finally get its due.

Maulana Azad played by Tom Alter

Sardar Patel played by Utkarsh Majumdar

B. R. Ambedkar played by Sachin Khedekar

C Rajagopalachari played by Amit Behl

Acharya Kriplani played by Rahul Singh Mahiarya

Pandit Nehru played by Dilip Tahil

Govind Vallabh Pant played by Atul Tiwari

K M Munshi played by K K Raina

K T Shah played by Paresh Ganatra

When the sapnon ki rani went missing...

Forty-four years have passed, but desi Romeos still pursue their lady loves in their preferred mode of transport- train, bus or car-crooning Mere sapnon ki rani kab ayegi tu like Rajesh Khanna did in Aradhana (1969). But according to producer-director Shakti Samanta's son Ashim who attended the shoot during school vacation, the song was picturised in Darjeeling over four days without Sharmila Tagore, who'd dropped out at the last minute to report for Satyajit Ray's Bengali film. "Dad canned Rajesh Khanna and Sujit Kumar's portions, shot some back projection plates and returned to Mumbai where he put up a set with an identical railway bogey at Natraj Studio and put Sharmila in it. He used the plates to simulate the passing Darjeeling landscape seen from the other window as the train chugs along and finished the song," informs Ashim.
Aradhana had been planned with Bengali actress Aparna Sen, but she had other commitments so Samanta signed Sharmila with whom he's done three films, Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Sawan Ki Ghata (1966) and An Evening In Paris (1967), convinced she'd be able to convincingly play a mother. Rajesh Khanna was cast as the father and son after Samanta saw portions of Nasir Hussain's underproduction Baharon Ke Sapne (1967).

Samanta was working on a bigbudget film, Jane Anjane, with Shammi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna. The script had been locked but Shammi had put on a lot of weight and requested some time to shed off the kilos. "But he just kept piling on more and the film kept getting delayed. So dad decided to make a small-budget quickie with relative newcomers.

Aradhana was a superhit , Jaane Anjane (1971) a debacle," Ashim says. He also recounts a conversation between two strangers chatting over a poster of Jane Anjane - both were of the view that Samanta made Jane Anjane to adjust the profits made from Aradhana and Kati Patang (1970).

He however admits that the response to Aradhana at the Delhi premiere was lukewarm. But collections picked up with each show and the film opened to full houses in Mumbai a week later. "And Kishore Kumar became the No 1 singer after Mere sapnon ki rani, but the first choice was Mohd Rafi who was abroad on shows. So composer Sachin Dev Burman suggested that Kishore Kumar sing it instead," reminisces Ashim. "Dad thought for a few minutes and agreed and the rest is history."

Awara’s colourful return

  "Rishi was keen on a remake to save the copyright of the film, with him playing Prithviraj Kapoor's character and Ranbir reprising the role played by Raj Kapoor. But Ranbir was against the idea as he thought that the classic should remain untouched," said the source.

And buzz is the family is now planning on the best way out, a coloured re-release which will also mark the first release of the production house in the past twenty two years.

"The family wants to get the colouring procedure done at a top studio abroad. It's a classic and they want the best. And if all goes per plan the film will also mark the revival of the RK Banner," added the source.

When contacted, Randhir Kapoor said, "Yes, I am aware that Awara is more than 60 years old. We are thinking what to do. We haven't yet taken the final call, though." The 1951 classic Awara may soon reappear on a screen near you, this time with a dash of colour.

The Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer celebrated its 60th anniversary a couple of years ago and the decision to re-release the film stems from the fact that the copyright term of a cinematic work ends post 60 years of its release, after which it passes into the public domain. And the Kapoor family is keen to retain the rights with their banner RK Films.

A source close to the development, told Mirror that Rishi Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor have been deliberating on a remake for quite some time now.

Karan plays the blitz

Anurag Kashyap's upcoming film will have a character loosely based on.

Karan Johar is playing an influential media mogul in Anurag Kashyap's upcoming film Bombay Velvet and the character is apparently on the lines of Rustom Khurshedji Karanjia, popularly known as Russi Karanjia, the founder-editor of Blitz, India's first weekly tabloid.
According to sources, Karan plays Kaizad Khambatta -- a quick-witted, impeccably dressed flamboyant journalist with a devil-may-care attitude. There is an uncanny resemblance to colourful and controversial newspaper baron who ruffled quite a few feathers with his fearless exposes and had the wit and gumption to feature an actress nude on the cover of the very first edition of his entertainment magazine, Cine Blitz.

Historian Gyan Prakash in his book paints him as: "He brashly promoted himself and his paper. During his long editorship of Blitz, he took many controversial and unpredictable positions. He railed against the powerful but was not averse to cozying up to those at

Radcliffe may live the 'Queen' life in Freddie biopic

Daniel Radcliffe is reportedly being rolled in to play famously British musician Freddie Mercury in an upcoming film, based on the early days of Queen. A source told an entertainment daily that the Hollywood bosses are ready to spend a fortune on the Harry Potter actor if he agrees to do the role.
Despite his youth, the 24-year-old star, who is a gay advocate, impressed movie bosses with his portrayal of gay poet in the movie Kill Your Darlings, the source asserted. The insider added that Radcliffe is closer in height to Freddie than Sacha Baron Cohen, who turned down the role due to "creative differences" with the producers, and can really sing too.

Emma is iconic beauty

The 23-year-old actress chosen for her quickry yet classic British look
British actress Emma Watson has been named as the iconic British beauty of the decade in a new survey. The 23-year-old, whi rose to fame after playing the nerdy witch Hermoine Granger in the "Harry Potter" franchise, has own the title in a survey commissioned by beauty brand, reported an online entertainment magazine. "Emma is the perfect British beauty icon...she has that quintessential British look, classic, yet quirky," said a company official.
Athlete Jessica Ennis came second in the list, followed by Michelle Keegan.

It’s my duty to revive Alibaug: Sanjay Gupta

 Ask him about the portions that he's reshooting and the escalation in cost, Gupta says, "That's okay. There is not too much that has to be reworked." But how does he intend to reshoot, considering Dutt's imprisonment?

"I don't plan to touch Sanju's portions . These are scenes with the rest of the cast," he says. The cast of the film also includes R Madhavan, Dia Mirza, Sanjay Suri, Gul Panag and Mandira Bedi. The film is expected to release early next year. Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta is ready to revive his pet project Alibaug, years after it was left in cold storage owing to differences between him and it's lead actor, Sanjay Dutt.

Although he has announced two films, Mumbai Saga(with Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpai) and Khotte Sikke (with Tusshar Kapoor), Alibaug will be his next film to hit the theatres. When contacted, Gupta said: "I feel it is my duty to complete Alibaug. Post Shootout at Lokhandwala, there were some issues between Sanjay and me, but all of that is behind me now."

When asked whether it is a commercially viable decision to redo a film that has been in the cans for a while, he says: "The film is absolutely fresh and doesn't look dated."

Fukrey star in Fast lane

 You co-star with Vin Diesel. How was the experience?

Vin Diesel is a very kind man and very professional. He also told me he wants to visit India soon.

Does the story of Fast & Furious 7 have an Indian connection, apart from you?

No, the story has no Indian connection apart from me.

What about the buzz that Indian actresses too are vying for a role in the film?

Ibelieve many actresses were. It was all over in Indian newspapers, wasn't it? It was a global search, I guess.

Any plans to stay put in Hollywood?

I intend to do films, Hollywood or Bollywood is a matter of choice and emotion. But Indian cinema is my first love.

What about your Bollywood projects?

My film Baat Bann Gayi is releasing on October 11 and I am currently finishing Rohan Sippy's film where I play the lead. I have also signed two more projects. Life is going to get a little busy over the next few months. Ali Fazal talks about landing a role in Fast & Furious 7 and his Bollywood projects.

How did you bag a role in Fast & Furious?

I was auditioned and they liked it a lot.

What is your role in the film? Buzz is, you play a crazy business tycoon...

I can't talk much about the role yet. I haven't finished shooting- but it is a fun role and different from anything I have ever done.

Sonam needs more space and finds it close to home

For several months now, Sonam Kapoor was on a hunt for a residential property, preferably close to her Juhu residence. After considering various options, she has finally zeroed in on a 2500-sq-feet house on the 10th road of Juhu Scheme. At present, she stays with her parents on the 7th road.

Apparently the actress was keen on having a place of her own. However, she has no intention to leave her parent's house and relocate to a new apartment.
A source told Mirror: "Sonam was looking for a spacious apartment where she can meet the filmmakers, go through the scripts and rehearse for her roles. Also, it can easily double up as a venue for parties and events. The apartment is huge and meets her needs."

The actress has been riding high post the success of Raanjhana and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and will soon start working on her next project Khoobsurat which will be produced by her sister Rhea Kapoor.

The source added: "Sonam has finalised the property and the deal is in its closing stages. Her father, Anil, is glad that she has been able to buy a property on her own steam. Sonam will also oversee the interior decoration of the house." When contacted, Sonam confirmed the story.

The hairy details

In Lunchbox, the clothes are as much in conversation as the people. And the most talkative are Saajan Fernandez's (Irrfan Khan). He starts off in drab shirts with collars that give away the decade of his youth. Some are in a colour Malayalees sentimentally call sandalwood. His set of home clothes is one, an unchanging routine in an unchanging routine. His hair is neatly parted and combed into submission, but the first curl breaks loose when he tastes Ila's food. Soon he's standing at the door of the train, wind in his hair.

As a sign of renewed interest in his job and life (on the day he is to meet Ila), he puts on a tie. Tiny checks creep into his shirt. The colours are a softer blue and lavender. But this is not only Ila's (Nimrat Kaur) influence.
Fernandez and Aslam Shaikh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) clothes have more intimate conversation. At first, Shaikh's checkered shirts are a chaotic contrast to Fernandez's calm and colourless solids. Fernandez must have noted and disapproved of his garish silver belt buckle. As they grow closer, Aslam shirts become quieter and more like his mentor's. The signs are all here that he and Fernandez are more in sync than Fernandez and Ila.

Fernandez does not influence Ila like this, indicating she is dearer to him faster than he is to her. She's stuck at home, wearing darkcoloured salwar suits without duppattas that get in the way of housework. She has stopped threading her eyebrows and her nails are stained with mehendi. Romantic optimism springs up in the form of fresh suit-withdupatta she puts on when her husband comes home; the imitation kundan jhumkas she swaps for her daily gold hoops. Her honeymoon salwar-suit has a hint of silver, reflecting the hope of those days. But under it, the underclothes are black. This is a crucial detail.

Sophisticated women know skin-matching inners become invisible under whites. The middle-class housewife's options in underclothes are black and white, and she wears whichever is dry. It's a detail costume designer Niharika Bhasin Khan relied on in The Dirty Picture too. In the end, Ila sells her glittering gold to buy gleaming hope.

Poster coloured

Phata Poster Nikla Hero has the earnestness of the intellectually unambitious. It's an unpretentious entertainer that speaks in recognisable symbols.

Facial hair plays a supportive comic role. The bristly mooch of the bugle blower heralds the hilarity as our hero bungles up a physical examination. The doctor's facial hair is assaulted by a drunk lawn mower; his patience, by Vishwas Rao (Shahid Kapoor).

Viju Khote's detachable mooch is linked to Golmaal, which also influences Vishwas Rao's (Shahid Kapoor) 'Ram Prasad' diction. Gundappa's (Saurabh Shukla) ring of frazzled hair places him as a corrupt version of R K Laxman's Common Man. With hair like that, he can only be as menacing as the director's Crime Master Gogo.
The Villain supreme wears the international uniform of the truly evil -- dark trench coat, gloves and a clutch of grey hair. In contrast, Vishwas is two people -- around his mother, he wears school-boyish halfsleeved shirts or khaki. Away from her, he wears an attention-grabbing red shirt. Savitri should have guessed his true ambition when she hands him a white and navy cap (like Aamir Khan's in Dil Hai ke Manta Nahin).

Other touches complete the characters - Kajal is (Illeana D'Cruz) a traditional heroine, so it is just that her princess waves stay put through scooter rides and fist fights. Pens line up in Guruji's (Sudhir Mishra) pocket to arrest stories that escape him. Three appearances of the Being Human tee could be Salman Khan's fee for a special appearance.

Rajkumar Santoshi made a comedy, but costume designer Preeti Sharma leaves us with a mystery -- why does the photographer who clicks Vishwas' portfolio wear a tiger stripe turban and jacket?

What’s the Oscar fuss?

The independent Gujarati film called The Good Road was announced as India's official entry for the best foreign film at the Oscars 2014. The film was selected over 21 films including titles like The Lunchbox, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Ship of Theseus, English Vinglish, Malayalam film Celluloid and Bengali movie Shabdo. However, as soon the official announcement was made, the online media was flooded with posts criticising the decision. The popular sentiment was hugely in favour of the Ritesh Batra-directed The Lunchbox.

When Mirror contacted Gyan Correa, the director of The Good Road, which had earlier won the National Award for the Best Feature Film (Gujarati), he said the criticism was unfair. "Most of the people venting their discontent over the selection are the ones associated with The Lunchbox. The Good Road has won the National Award, and it has been picked for the Oscars by accomplished filmmakers. I think it stands a big chance at the Oscars," he said.
Justifying the decision, filmmaker and chairman of Oscar selection committee of Film Federation of India, Goutam Ghose said: "There were other strong contenders but after a four-hour deliberation, the jury unanimously decided on The Good Road mainly because of its content and form.'' Batra, the director of The Lunchbox, seemed disillusioned. "The global response to my film has been unprecedented. Is the fraternity telling us not to make good films in the country? Then the next best option is to make films outside India," he said adding: "If The Good Road doesn't get short listed, the film federation should be held accountable".

As soon as the official announcement was made, the presenter of the film Karan Johar and co-producer Anurag Kashyap took to twitter and vented their dissatisfaction. Johar said, "I have not seen the Gujarati film, but I am just deeply disappointed that The Lunchbox was not selected. A film that already created a buzz at every international festival, a film that had an international studio ready to go all the way with it, a film that has the best reviews by our critics--if such a film is not sent then it is unfortunate. We might have just lost our chance at the Oscars."

An evidently upset Kashyap said: "For the first time I really cared for it and hoped for it because of the American press and Sony pictures Classic and their opinion on it. But it was not to be.'' He stressed the need for a clear selection policy, an opinion that was seconded by fellow filmmaker Anand Gandhi of Ship of Theseus fame.

However, many are slowly coming out in support of Correa's film. Gauri Shinde, director of English Vinglish said: "I can't wait to watch The Good Road. If it's the committee's selection, I'm sure it must be a gem of a film." Prasoon Joshi, who penned Bhaag Milkha Bhaag said: "I think we should celebrate the fact that Indian cinema is being talked about on a global platform. Gyan is an extremely talented filmmaker, and we must all support his film."

Ad man, Rahul da Cunha, one of the few who has seen both the films, pointed out that although The Lunchbox is a brilliant film, it would be fair to watch The Good Road before passing a judgement. "Come to think of it, we were spoilt for choice, which is extremely rare. It's unfair to criticise The Good Road without having seen it. For all we know, the result could surprise us," he said with a note of optimism.

Emraan’s Shaatir move

 But what about the fate of Badtameez Dil then? When contacted, Tanuj Garg, CEO Balaji Motion Pictures said, "The script is still being worked on and we are marginally delayed because of a few creative changes. We will still release next year as per plan." Deshmukh had planned to start the first schedule of his film early next year, but seizing the opportunity, he has brought forward the date of the project.

"Kunal is now gearing up to start the film next month around first week of October. The film will start in Mumbai and then take off to three different countries, London, Sydney and South Africa. The first schedule is a two month long schedule and going by that logistics, Emraan will continue shooting till the end of this year with Kunal only," the source added. Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor's co-production Badtameez Dil was to go on floors towards the end of September in Delhi but the much hyped project has been postponed. And now KJo and Ekta's loss has become Kunal Deshmukh's gain. Badtameez Dil's leading man Emraan Hashmi, who had given the film bulk dates, has now decided to allot the same to Deshmukh's Shaatir.

Meanwhile a source close to the actor told Mirror, "Emraan was gearing up to shoot for Badtameez Dil but due to certain circumstances; the film is not starting as planned in the end of September. This left Emraan free."