There’s plenty to look forward to in 2014 with best of Bollywood pitted against each other. But before all else,there is the 20th Annual Life Ok Screen Awards.
It was with no small degree of shock that one received the news of actor Farooque Shaikh passing away.
India collectively remembers him as the affable guy in a few of our best loved middle-of-the-road films by Hrishikesh Mukherjee,Sai Paranjpye,Satyajit Ray among others.
While the loss of such a fine actor and a superlative gentleman is an occasion for grief,his admirers can take some solace in the fact that his last innings went off quite well.
A little earlier in the year,’Chashme Buddoor’,one of the many classics that he was part of,was re- leased along with a remake of the same film! The new redux version by David Dhawan earned well,but it was the original that reminded us that timeless classics are considered classics for a good reason.
The finely crafted and brilliantly performed film continues to occupy a place in the annals of the best of Indian cinema.
‘Club 60’,a film about the loss of a child and coping with life,was well appreciated among critics.
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But a little earlier this month,he performed his much admired play,a love story ‘Tumhari Amrita’,at the Taj Literary Festival against the backdrop of Taj Mahal,that ultimate homage to love.
Who would have known that it was to be his last performance and yet,what better place than the immortal symbol of love to stage your life’s last act.
Last year,the industry received a setback when they and mil- lions of cinegoers bid farewell to King of Romance Rajesh Khanna and film-maker Yash Chopra the eternal romantic.
Goodbye sirs,you will be sorely missed in the new year and beyond.
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And yet the circle of life goes on,till eternity with the old order continually making way for the new.
The New Year,2014,gleaming with the promise of positive change,hope and progress,has arrived and the entertainment industry hopes to continue its impressive run.
Reinventing themselves,re- working the formula or breaking all rules,the film industry is quite in the mood to raise the bar.
Be it in terms of business,templates or the boundaries of their own star power,these are good times.
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The matrix of Indian cinema is certainly changing and 2014 is likely to be yet another link in this process of evolution.
Salman Khan’s ‘Jai Ho’ opens the year with a January release while Aamir Khan’s television show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ which opened a can of worms in Season 1,forcing us to face some ugly truths is back for seconds! Besides he has ‘P.K.’ with Rajkumar Hirani that is keenly awaited.
Amitabh Bachchan is ready to surprise us too with his first foray in TV fiction and his films too. It would be interesting to watch him on small screen.
Shah Rukh Khan promises another entertainer in ‘Happy New Year’; Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Jagga Jasoos’,his first as a producer-actor would be interesting to watch out for.
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Hrithik Roshan is back to action,literally,with ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘Shuddhi’ while Saif Ali Khan goes into the comedic space with ‘Humshakals’.
Newbies Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh are said to be spectacular in ‘Gunday’. Sushant Singh Rajput,that other new talent on the block has two challenging films namely ‘Paani’ and ‘Detective Bymokesh Bakshy’ lined up.
It would also be interesting to watch how Deepika Padukone who has taken a lead among actresses,maintains it. She has ‘Finding Fanny Fernandes’ this year which could be interesting.
Kareena Kapoor has ‘Shuddhi’ opposite Hrithik Roshan; the duo will come together after a really long time and Rohit Shetty’s next.
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Priyanka Chopra’s outing as ‘Mary Kom’ is yet another act to watch out for,as are Katrina Kaif’s action films ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘Phantom’.
Alia Bhatt has an interesting year ahead too with ‘Highway’ and ‘Two States’,as does Parineeti Chopra.
Screen Awards on January 14.
Clearly 2014 looks poised to be yet another year with the biggest stars and finest talent having a go at creating some magnificent movies.
But before all else,to celebrate the best efforts of 2013,there will be the 20th Annual Life Ok Screen Awards on January 14.
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In this edition,we have rolled out the nominations for the Popular Choice for Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) while the Jury nominations will be out next week.
Vote for your favourites and watch this space for all the excit- ing news in days to come.
And yes,here’s to a very Happy New Year.
