First Look: Ankur Arora Murder Case

Vikram Bhatt and Hot Paoli Dam join hands again after the super success of 'Hate Story'. This time they both come together for a medical thriller called Ankur Arora Muder Case which is also said to be based on a True Story.

The film is directed by Suhail Tatari and is written and produced by Vikram Bhatt. According to sources, The film takes up an urgent and disturbing issue of death during surgery and is based on a real-life incident where a boy dies on the operation table due to medical negligence.

Apart from Paoli Dam, The cast of the film fills with talented names such as Kay Kay Menon, Tisca Chopra, Harsh Chhaya and Arjun Mathur. Producer Vikram Bhatt thought to shoot the film in the same hospital in Delhi where the case happened.

The shooting of the film started after nearly one year of research and similarities to real life are in this case. The film is expected to hit the cinema halls in February 2013.

read more...

10ml Love - refreshing potion of entertainment

Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Purab Kohli, Tara Sharma, Koel Purie and Neil Bhoopalam 

Director: Sharat Katariya

Rating: **1/2

"10ml Love" is writer-director Sharat Katariya's take on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". It is a well adapted and simple contemporary story set in an Indian milieu.

The film opens with a bunch of Ramlila artistes rehearsing for a show, and slowly merges into the world of the three main couples in the story. The lives of the three couples are smoothly interlocked and connected by the celebrations of Shweta (Tara Sharma) and Neel's (Purab Kohli) impending wedding, pretty much as in Shakespeare's play.

Ghalib's (Rajat Kapoor) Ammijaan (Sarita Joshi) hands over a 10 ml magical potion - 'Josh-e-Jawani' - to her son to help him woo and win back his wife Roshni (Tisca Chopra). The potion creates havoc in the lives of the three couples for one night. The 10 ml love potion sorts out their lives, enabling each one to get back to the real love of their lives, albeit after a night of complexities and confusion. 

Neil Bhooplam as Peter Periera, a conscientious, god-fearing Christian, who leaves everything to God, is the show stealer with his superb performance. Koel Purie as Mini, the girl who madly loves Neel, essays her character with panache. Especially commendable are her expressions, fraught with surprise and frustration, in the climax scene, where both men are chasing her.
Tisca Chopra as the suppressed Muslim wife is convincing. Rajat Kapoor, as her suspicious shauhar, who is a quack hakim selling home-made remedies gives a splendidly restrained performance.

Tara Sharma looks pretty, but is her usual screechy-self. The Punjabi relatives at the wedding are an entertaining trio, so typical of ladies at such weddings. Manu Rishi Chaddha deserves kudos as the man marooned in a boat after an incredible nocturnal escapade with an unknown lady.

Sharat Katariya's story is well-crafted and delivers several punches. The ensemble cast, mainly from theatre, packs great entertainment, each one rendering a superb performance. A rare combination of a good script based on an adaptation, with realistic performances. 

The music and background score by Sagar Desai is intriguingly pleasant. Neeraj Sahay's cinematography though simple, stands out in the climax, where the characters enter a dreamy field. This scene is interestingly done. It has a magical quality about it with silhouettes, et al making it surreal.

Though the film seems slightly amateurish and theatrical in its treatment in the beginning, it soon gets a good grip and keeps you engaged. The climax is hilarious and well-executed by the actors. 

"10ml Love" snugly fits into the small 'budget' wonder. Go for it!

read more...

Love in a bottle

Love can't be quantified, but in a new film based on William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, 10ml Love, Rajat Kapoor and Tisca Chopra try to spread the emotion via a magic love potion called Josh-e-Jawaani 

If you get your hands on a love potion like Josh-e-Jawaani in real life, who would you try it on?
Tisca: I am blessed with a lot of love in my life. But if something from the film is left over in my real life (laughs), I would distribute it freely in the film industry - directors, to be precise; so they would cast me in more films.

Rajat: A lot of people - starting with Katrina Kaif, my wife, and Scarlett Johannson. Also, my English teacher in school. I was 15 -16 and she was 21. If I could go back in time, I would just give her some Josh-e-Jawaani. And I will give it to my producers, so they can say - 'Rajat Kapoor, I love you; I want to make a film with you.'

How would you use 10ml love judiciously - would you use the full bottle on one person, or distribute 1ml each among 10 different individuals?
Tisca: Considering how potent this potion is, 10 different people.

Rajat: You can't be in love with too many people at the same time; two-three people are manageable.

In the film, the potion is used during a wedding, and it leads to crazy antics. What is the craziest thing that you have done at a wedding?
Tisca: Getting married in itself is a crazy enterprise. I had suspenders on my wedding lehenga because it was so heavy! There was craziness all around.

Rajat: In North India, everybody falls in love with everybody else at weddings. There could be some cousin you have a crush on... the craziest thing a person can do in a wedding is shout out loud - Yeh shaadi nahin ho sakti' or 'Main tumhare bachche ki maa banne wali hoon.'

The film is inspired by Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Which is your favourite part in the play?
Tisca: I love my character. In the original she is the fairy princess, Titania.

Rajat: I love it when everyone in the woods is suffering from this potion; they have forgotten who their real partners are and are in love with everybody else.
If you could store love in a bottle, do you think it could solve the world's problems? You could just open a bottle and splash it around? 
Tisca: I would certainly love to use it on the warring countries of the world. I would like to feed it to a few presidents and prime ministers; make the world a far better place.

Rajat: I would give it to Hitler.

Rajat plays a character who is suspicious of his wife. What is the best way to get rid of a spying husband?
Tisca: Make his worst dreams come true. You might just get rid of him.

How do you deal with jealousy?
Rajat: Jealousy makes you miserable, and you make your partner miserable too. I have some friends who are jealous. Fortunately, I am not that kind of a person at all.

If not love, what would you want available in 10ml bottles?
Rajat: People would make so much money with a youth potion. Nowadays they make so much money through anti-ageing creams.

Tisca: All actresses would welcome youth in a bottle. I would also like a lot of energy in a bottle. And yes, time! Compressing spare time so that you can spend a few days within 24 hours would be great. 

read more...

No rubbish for Tisca Chopra

Tisca Chopra, who has balanced her acting career with a mix of small budget entertainers as well as commercial films, says the audience will never find her doing any "rubbish" projects.

"There should be a balance of both commercial success and critically acclaimed (films). I want to do commercial, but sensible films. I can assure the you that audience will never find me doing rubbish roles. I will never do things which I can't relate to," Tisca told.

All that she wants to do is something "different" all the time.

"I don't want to repeat myself. I would like to play roles of some great Indian women like Indira Gandhi amd Sarojini Naidu or if there is any role like that of a journalist like Barkha Dutt or an athlete like P.T.Usha, I would be more than happy to do those roles," said the 39-year-old, who has featured in movies like "Taare Zameen Par", "Firaaq", "Mirch" and "Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji".

Tisca is glad that she is a part of showbiz at a "beautiful time" for Indian actors.

"I am doing a film called 'Anukur Arora Murder Case'. It is an international film. I am doing very women-centric films these days. It is a beautiful time for Indian actors. "

"We have some different looking people like Nawazzuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan and Adir Hussain... people are loving them and loving their performance because they fit their roles," she said.

Tisca is currently busy promoting her next film "10 ml Love". Directed by Sharat Katariya, the movie, releasing Dec 7, also features Rajat Kapoor.

read more...

I have my good and bad foodie days

Tisca Chopra believes that indulgence in moderation can do no harm. The lady who's learnt to control her dietary habits does have the occasional craving for chaat and cheesecake

“I have my good and bad foodie days, ” says Tisca in a philosophical tone to CS who caught up with the talented actor at a weekend brunch in town:

Healthy eating
Well, I like good food but I do exercise some moderation. Most of the days, I am a healthy eater. You won’t find me straying from my diet too often. But there are some days when I just have to indulge myself. And no amount of restraint works that time.

I love chaat. I enjoy bhelpuri, sevpuri, panipuri, etc. Food wise, chaat items are my biggest weakness. I like cheesecakes too. Every week I treat myself to one piece of cheesecake.

High on Thai
My favourite cuisine is Thai. I love the spicy and tangy taste of Thai dishes. Whether it’s the salads, curries or appetizers, Thai cuisine has something for any taste bud. I have also learnt a few Thai dishes that I prepare at home.
What’s cooking?
I am blessed with a fabulous cook at home. Touch wood. I don’t like making the usual rice, dal, roti, etc, and prefer more exotic stuff. I can make some really good soups, salads and baked dishes. My friends love my lotus stem dish that’s accompanied with fruit sauce. I also prepare baked chicken or fish.

Monsoon meter
Though the idea of fried snacks in monsoons is tempting, I have learned to control myself. Nowadays, I indulge in small snacks like bits of Lavash bread, cucumber or carrot sticks dipped in yogurt. If I want something more filling then it’s an egg or salad sandwich.

Romantic meal
My husband Sanjay is a pilot. Sometimes, I travel with him just to eat at a particular place. There is this restaurant called Rosa Mexicana in New York. I remember once travelling with Sanjay to NYC just to eat at that place. It was one heck of a food trip.

read more...

Tisca Chopras wish list!

Tisca Chopra, who is known for her versatility in her roles, recently shot for a commercial with Shahrukh Khan. The shoot went on smoothly and the whole town is buzzing about her fabulous chemistry with SRK! The beautiful actress had a secret wish list of working with certain actors, which is almost complete. The top contenders of the list were SRK and Aamir Khan.

The talented Tisca was last seen in Aamir’s home production “Taare Zameen Par’ as the loving mother of Darsheel Safary. She had an amazing and an enriching experience working with him. That’s not all; she is one of the few actresses who have worked with both, Shahrukh and Aamir Khan. The actress now wishes to do a film with Shahrukh and the next person on her wish list is none other than Mr. Bachchan. Well we just hope that all of Tisca’s wishes come true!

read more...