BLUE MOVIE REVIEW

Review by : Harish V Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta, Rahul Dev, Zayed Khan. Direction: Anthony D'Souza Music: A R Rahman. Production: Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd. Blue, one of the most anticipated movies of the year has finally hit the screen. Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan and Katrina (spl Appearance) are all geared up to entertain you. But will they? Ashtavinayak after the Kidnap and Luck debacle was expected not to come out with another high budgeted action thriller but they ended up making the mother of all action movies in terms of budget. This stylish underwater thriller is made at a budget of 95 crores, the highest in Indian film industry till now. Will this high priced risk payoff? The movie is about a 60 year old treasure which has been lost in transit from Britain to India near the Bahamas. Aarav a rich businessman in Bahamas is always behind his friend Sagar who works for him about the treasure of the Lady in blue. Sagar has a secret and he is not ready to share it even with his wife Mona and his brother, Sam. But when Sam gets into trouble with a mafia gang and is being demanded a pay off of $50 million in two days, all hell breaks loose. Sagar now has to come out of his shackles

to save his brother. What's the secret? Can Sagar save Sam's life? Is Aarav the man who seems so perfect is actually perfect? Find the answers in a theatre near you. The first time director, Anthony D'Souza has come up with a nice concept and even though his amateurish direction comes to fore in many scenes, he does pull it off all together. Many underwater scenes with minimal to no dialogues have been taken brilliantly, and the work they have done in almost all the chase sequences, especially the bike sequence in Bahamas, is worth mentioning. The movie's climax is half baked. If only the climax is treated properly, the movie's impact would have been much better. Apart from that, there are few effects which confuse you and the abrupt song inclusion in the narrative doesn't help either. But this movie is not to put your brains to work but to give you a theatrical experience, which Indian action movies have yet to capitalize on. Technically the movie is brilliant with spectacular camera work by Laxman Utekar, especially the way the underwater sequences were shot. Never before seen stunts underwater is a joy for any action lover. Though Rahman fails to create his usual magic in the music, which still is hearable, he has taken the background score to the next level. Editing is done stylishly with fast cuts which make this 1 hour 54 minutes movie go rapidly. Special effects and visual effects are one of the highlights of the movie as it takes the graph of the movie to new heights. Akshay Kumar enjoys his work and his amazing screen presence scorches the screen. Sanjay Dutt is brilliant as usual but has minimal expression needed in his palette this time around. Lara Dutta oozes sensuality and her trimmed look goes well with the bikini. She has no scope of acting. Zayed Khan again overplays his role but fits the character. Katrina Kaif has little to do but does that with confidence and her outfits looks amazing too. Kiran Bedi has no-role to rave about. Overall a wondrous experience that has to be cherished. A roller-coaster ride which is sure to win big bucks at the box-office. Please catch this movie in the theaters which possesses high end sound quality and enjoy the marvel of motion pictures. Verdict: Cherish-able theatrical experience

Courtesy:behindwoods.com

Blue to wash over overseas

Come Friday and the place will just be coloured Blue!  Releasing this 16th, Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd’s ‘Blue’ is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. ‘Blue’ is tagged with a U/A certificate by the Censor Board. Directed by Anthony D’Souza, this under-water adventure-thriller includes Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta and Zayed Khan. One gets to enjoy a bonus with Katrina Kaif in a cameo role here. The music is already making waves, thanks to AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty, who handled the sound.

‘Blue’ is not only going to hit the nation but also the international screens. The movie will be screened across USA and Canada. Over the movie’s board, there is Hollywood cinematographer with Pete Zuccarini, who had worked on movies like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Deep Blue Sea’. And, not to forget, the special number by singer Kylie Minogue. So catch the ‘Blue’ fever this Friday folks!

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

Blue for Diwali

Now we have another contestant to compete in the Diwali race. ‘Blue’ is flushing all the way from the North to spread the colour and refreshment to South. Know who brings ‘Blue’ to Chennai? It’s none other than our Kalaipuli S Thanu. So, along with ‘Aadhavan’, ‘Jaganmohini’ and Peranmai’ we will have this Akki starer to entertain Chennaiites this festive season.

Releasing this 16th, the film is one of the most anticipated Bollywood movies of the year. ‘Blue’ is tagged with a U/A certificate by the Censor Board. Directed by Anthony D’Souza, this under-water adventure-thriller includes Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta and Zayed Khan. One gets to enjoy a bonus with Katrina Kaif in a cameo role here. The music is already making waves, thanks to AR Rahman and Resul Pookutty, who handled the sound.

Courtesy:indiaglitz.com

BLUE gets ‘U/A’ certificate

It’s ‘season of blue’ all over the town with everyone overwhelmed with high expectations on this Diwali release.  Produced by Shri Ashtavinayak Cine Vision banner, the film has been given ‘U/A’ by the officials of Censor Board.

Directed by debutant Antony D’Souza, the film is slated to bring you the crème de la crème quotients or stunning visuals of underwater ambience unforeseen in any Indian Cinema. Apart from carrying the A-one category of star-casts Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif and Zayed Khan, the film boasts about going inclusive of world’s top-charting technicians.

Cinematographer Pete Zuccarini, who enthralled us with his spellbinding visuals in ‘PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN’ and ‘DEEP BLUE SEA’ along with Laxman Udaykar has cranked the camera on eye-catching visuals across Bahamas and Bangkok. A.R. Rahman's musical score is already a stunning charbuster across the global audio markets.

This underwater action-adventure centers on complex relationships between friends on the pursuit of lost treasure.

Courtesy: indiaglitz.com

It's also Rahman versus Pritam this Diwali!

Bollywood's uncrowned number one composer, Pritam, is a die-hard fan of music maestro, A. R. Rahman, and swears by his music. We all know how Pritam acknowledged in an interview (on our very own portal) that JTYJN was the music of the year for him and that "Kabhi Kabhi Aditi" was such a brilliant composition that it was worth its weight in gold.

However, this Diwali, Pritam is pitted against Rahman, as his ALL THE BEST...FUN BEGINS is facing serious opposition from BLUE, Rahman's first Bollywood music album after the Oscar triumph. At present the situation is that Rahman has won hands down (not that Pritam will mind at all!) in this battle, as BLUE is currently the top seller in the market, across all stores in the country and even Overseas, while ALL THE BEST... FUN BEGINS is in hot pursuit! 


No doubt Rahman's name sells, as is evident from the fact that BLUE has overtaken ALL THE BEST...FUN BEGINS, despite the presence of quite a few chartbusters in the album. As Diwali nears, the competition will naturally hot up and we can only say who won in the end when both the films release on 16th October.

In the clash between Pritam and Rahman, one name we forgot to mention is that of composer duo, Sajid-Wajid whose latest album, MAIN AURR MRS KHANNA (which too is a Diwali release), is selling quite well and the film may attract the family crowd, who wish for some wholesome 'mushy' entertainment.

As of now, it's Rahman all the way! So cheers, Rahmaniacs!


Courtesy: glamsham.com

Akshay Kumar and John Abraham team up for a midair action thriller

Blue director, Tony D'Souza, is not letting the grass grow under his feet before launching his next action film, headlining Akshay Kumar who has wowed the director.

The debutant director is bubbling with excitement, and as with Bluethinking big, he plans breathtaking midair stunts in the deserts of Las Vegas for his next project. Taking a cue from what we have heard about Blue, the audiences can look forward to an exhilarating adrenalin rush from the director and two of Bollywood's best action heroes.

The action lover Akshay has been on board for this project right from its conception. Tony visualizes Abraham to be a perfect fit for this kind of action film.

"Akshay was on board for this project right from the start. After Blue, I couldn't dream of making a film without him. As for John, with his physique and body language, it's strange for him to have not done a full-on action film in all these years," said Tony.

Blue producers, Shree Ashtavinayak, will produce the film. AR Rahman, who has scored music for Blue, has consented to team up with Tony again.

The film will go in pre-production next year.

Courtesy:sawfnews.com

Blue -- shaken, stirred and stylish

This is undoutedbly one of the most-awaited albums this year, and AR Rahman [ Images ] goes all out to make the wait worth it.

Blue, the 70-crore multi-star extravaganza has a soundtrack that not only features Kylie Minogue [ Images ] in a casting coup of sorts, but also gives you Shreya Ghoshal [ Images ] as never before -- shaken, stirred and stylish.

Unfortunately, you may be a little disappointed with the first and the most high profile songs currently on air. Chiggy Wiggy featuring Kylie Minogue and Sonu Nigam [ Images ] is an elaborate composition with surprisingly pedestrian lyrics and a predictable melody. It is however painstakingly crafted and as you move from the sparse arrangements of Kylie's sections to that of Sonu's Bhangra pop, the canvas is suddenly a riot of mustard yellows and halwai oranges. It is a catchy dance track and there is not much more to that.

Quickly hop over to Aaj Dil, which is a fire and ice duet featuring Sukhwinder Singh [ Images ] and Shreya Ghoshal. Nothing is predictable about this song which draws inspiration from jazz, Carnatic, funk and what have you! Shreya Ghoshal gets into on a smouldering, sensuous avtar as she croons to Mayur Puri's evocative lyrics, ably supported by Singh. What also stand out are the guitar and bass lines. The pace, groove, melody and the vocals come together by design in Aaj Dil to make you go 'ooh yeah!'

Fiqrana again is an unpredictably built song, which progresses with great energy soaring sky high with the chorus. It is a tad lyric-heavy and a little too long but Vijay Prakash and Shreya Ghoshal do justice to this inspirational number.

If Bhula Tujhe harks back to Jaane Tu [ Images ]...Ya Jaane Na blame it on the credits. It has lyrics by Abbas Tyrewala and is sung by Rashid Ali who lent his voice to Kabhi Kabhi Aditi. It is a sad song, backed by an extensive western orchestra (Rahman's favourite Chennai String Orchestra) which gives it a 'big' sound. Guess now we know why Rahman picked up Rashid from a gig in London [ Images ]. He does not have a conventional, easy-on-the-ears voice, but a certain expression and timbre which will remind you of Rahman himself. And perhaps why the maestro gives him one of the more emotionally charged, melody-driven tracks in the entire album.  

The Blue Theme by Blaze, Raaqeb Aalam, Sonu Kakkar and Jaspreet is dark blue with its mean-street origins in rap with a dash of electronica. The track ends with a plunge into deep seas, thanks to some clever sound design.     

Up next is one of my favourites from the album, Rehnuma. Though the opening bars will definitely remind you of the title track of Jaane Tu ... (this too has lyrics by Abbas Tyrewala) with its slow jazz buildup, buckle up for Shreya Ghoshal. The girl is white hot and silken smooth in this killer track straight out of a 007 flick. Close your eyes to Rehnuma and you'll see slithering cocktail gowns and slim cigarettes, jet skis, limousines and smoking guns. And when Ghoshal goes for the kill in the chorus Qaatil adaa, she hits the spot, and how! Killer track.
 
The album ends on a disappointing note however with Yaar Mila Tha, featuring Udit Narayan and Madhushree. This folk pop track is conspicuous by its jaded lyrics and treatment, and probably not something you'd look forward to on the screen either. 

Blue is not your run-of-the-mill assemblage of hummable songs with catchy riffs and melodies. The music is as global in its influences and execution as can be expected from Rahman and the scale of the film. You cannot use conventional wisdom to analyse it.
   
Blue also helps us rediscover the incredibly talented Shreya Ghoshal, who was lost somewhere in the cacophony of the mindless, assembly-line romantic duets. Thanks to Rahman, Ghoshal rises to the occasion. All guns blazing.

Rediff Rating: 

Courtesy: rediff.com

Music Review: 'Blue'

Music maestro A.R. Rahman is back with another soundtrack after composing the tunes to "Delhi-6." For his next gig, he has chosen something different to work with, namely the action-thriller "Blue." The news that A.R. Rahman worked on "Blue," and teamed up with Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, has caused a lot of buzz lately. Hopefully fans will appreciate this soundtrack since it offers a different sound and takes some time to get used to.

What We Think:
This soundtrack may not be one of A.R. Rahman's best work, but the tracks are somewhat enjoyable. The songs "Aaj Dil Gustakh Hai" and "Fiqrana" are definitely likeable - both tunes have a surprisingly different sound that makes their harmony romantic. "Rehnuma" is another romantic duet, performed by Sonu Niigaam and Shreya Ghoshal. But it may not stay with the listener for long. A.R. Rahman brings back Rashid Ali from "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na" for the track "Bhoola Tujhe" and it brings back the original sound of the music composer. "Yaar Mila Tha" is a full-on masala party track performed by Udit Narayan and Madhushree. It sounds different from anything that Rahman has done before. As for "Chiggy Wiggy," any composer could have created it, but listen to it two-three times and you'll be addicted! The only thing that grabs your attention is the chemistry between Sonu Niigaam's bhangra portion and Kylie Minogue's Australian accent. We end the album with the track "Blue Theme" which gives lots of high Punjabi energy, complete with a lively orchestra and great vocals.

Best Tracks:
"Aaj Dil," "Fiqrana," "Bhoola Tujhe," "Yaar Mila Tha"

Worst Track:
"Chiggy Wiggy"

Final Verdict:
"Blue" is not a path-breaking soundtrack, but it is thoroughly enjoyable and beautifully orchestrated. A.R. Rahman's experiment with different sounds definitely gives it a good vibe.
 

Courtesy: desihits.com

Kylie Minogue Goes Bollywood With "Chiggy Wiggy"

Early this year the Bollywood musical style rolled into the pop charts when the Pussycat Dolls collaborated with A.R. Rahman on a version of the Academy Award winning song "Jai Ho!" from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Now one of the world's biggest pop stars, Kylie Minogue, is collaborating with producer A.R. Rahman and singer Sonu Nigam on her own venture into Bollywood music making. Kylie Minogue is credited with worldwide album sales in excess of 60 million as well as seven #1 singles in the UK, two top ten singles in the US and a Grammy Award. The song "Chiggy Wiggy" will be included on the soundtrack for the upcoming film Blue which is due in theaters in October 2009. Check out the video below with one of the film's stars Akshay Kumar. 

Courtesy: about.com

AAJ DIL Song Promo - BLUE - A.R RAHMAN

Courtesy: www.youtube.com/user/BestOfARrahman

Kylie Minogue's 'Chiggy Wiggy' For the Film 'Blue'

We have all been waiting for the collaboration between Kylie Minogue and A.R. Rahman and now it's finally here!
The two music celebs have worked together on the underwater adventure "Blue." and the promo for one of Kylie's tracks in the film has finally been revealed. We're dying to show it to all you viewers!
The tune, interpreted by Kylie Minogue and Sonu Niigaam, shows Kylie at a club dancing in a flashy dress while Akshay Kumar drops onto the stage and dances with her. So without further ado, check out the song promo entitled "Chiggy Wiggy" and tell us if it gets you moving to the beat.

Courtesy: desihits.com

Kylie Plunges Into Bollywood

The first clip of Kylie Minogue’s appearance in the A.R. Rahman-directed film Blue—which, according to the trailer, will be “India’s biggest underwater thriller”—has come out. “Chiggy Wiggy,” from what I can tell from this all-too-brief clip, is very very catchy, the sort of song that I can see inspiring multiple YouTube bedroom-dance tributes. To round out this post, and in the spirit of an August Friday, here is a Tweet in which Kylie posts a picture with her dog. 


Courtesy: idolator.com

BLUE - TRAILER

Courtesy: behindwoods.com

AR Rahman unveils first glimpse of underwater action film 'Blue'

Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman unveiled the first glimpse of first underwater action adventure extravaganza 'Blue'.
 Anthony D Souza's directing the film produced by Dhillin Mehta.

Film stars Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, who has sung two songs in the film, along with the Indian cast comprising Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta, Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan.


 Resul Pookutty who won the best sound-mixing award at the Oscars for the film 'Slumdog Millionaire' said that for the first time underwater sound was captured for the film.



"We are going to explore the audio of this movie, something which has never been done in Indian cinema," he added.



D'souza said that his idea was to make an international looking film.



"As far as the looks go we had a plan in mind to make it a western international looking film and we hope that the people like to see Hollywood kind of film with Bollywood actors in it that has been our endeavor in making of this film," he added.




Courtesy: newstrackindia.com

Rahman waits for Farhan to sing!

Shooting for Kartik Calling Kartik and hunting for exotic locales for Don 2 is keeping Farhan Akhtar so busy that he is unable to find time to record a song for Blue with AR Rahman. 
The song will be filmed on Zayed Khan. Rahman, who is scheduled to return to India from the US next week, has the option of scrapping the song or recording it with a different singer. But the composer is willing to wait as he is keen to work with Farhan. He says, “It’s not just his voice.

It’s the attitude that he extends to his vocals. I thought Farhan sounded terrific in Rock On!!. But the song I have in mind is totally different. I am against talking about something which is uncertain. What if the time factor plays villain? No point in jumping the gun.” 


Courtesy: indiatimes.com

Feeling Blue: Will Rahman work miracles?

Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd is getting jittery about their next release 
Blue. 


Blame it on the shocking failure of their multi-starrer, adventure-caper Luck in which they had pumped in a reported Rs 35 crore. Luckily for them, the film was bought over from them by Studio 18 at the last minute. Studio 18 lost approximately Rs 15-20 crore on Luck.
   
But now, with Blue lined up for release on October 16, it’s unlikely that TV 18 or any other major corporate studio will come forward to buy this exorbitant underwater adventure.
   
A source said, “The budget of Blue has shot up to more than Rs 70 crore for various reasons, including Sanjay Dutt’s dates. It would require a miracle to recover that kind of money. So before the release, the producers plan to pump up the star value as much as possible.”
   
Apparently, the film’s makers are also planning to cash in on Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif’s collective star power in Blue, though the two are not paired up. Katrina only has a guest appearance, but she is considered super-lucky after the success of New York and her string of successes before that. Akshay Kumar has a negative role, but has been asked to perform an extra song for the film. In fact, the film’s music composer A R Rahman, who’s currently down in India, has been busy putting together a song for Akshay.
  
Director Tony D’Souza confirms this last-minute embellishment. He said, “We have a song to shoot with Akshay. We’re waiting for him to find time to shoot it. It will be played with the film’s end credits. Akshay prefers the British Bhangra band, RDB. But in Blue, we’re giving him a Rahman track to jive to. Now that’s an offer Akshay cannot resist.”
   
By the time Akshay returns from London, it will be too close the release date. So the star is expected to fly down to Mumbai for a couple of days this month, to shoot for the song and then return to London 


Courtesy: indiatimes.com

First promo of 'Blue' will be unveiled with 'Kaminey'

The coming weeks will witness the release of some hugely-anticipated films. The first promo of ‘Wanted’ has met with tremendous response, with the aam junta greeting the promo with rare enthusiasm. This writer is confident that the first promo of Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision's ‘Blue’, directed by Anthony D'Souza, will also be welcomed with whistles and claps. In fact, the first promo will be unveiled on 14th August with ‘Kaminey’.

While on ‘Blue’, a section of the industry feels that the film won't make it in Diwali since the actors have yet to dub for the film and also A.R. Rahman has not recorded the background score yet. It's far from true, since Akshay Kumar has already completed his dubbing, while Sanju and Katrina are expected to dub in the forthcoming week.

Also, the maestro, Rahman, has started recording the background score in Chennai. Sure, the CG work will take time, but the makers are 100% sure that ‘Blue’ will hit the screens on the scheduled date, on 16th October. That should put an end to all speculation vis-à-vis the release date of this biggie.

Courtesy: indianexpress.com

Rahman to compose world artiste album

AR Rahman is now busy with the compositions for Blue and Couples Retreat. His next assignment is composing an album for some internationally acclaimed artists.





Though, Rahman didn’t spill the beans yet, he says “It is one of my biggest international challenges.”


Rahman has taken two weeks break from his busy schedule to be with his family.


He is very proud of his son Ameen’s singing a song in Couples Retreat. But as a loving father, he leaves the choice of taking up singing as a career up to the little one’s choice.


Rahman is now dividing his time between Chennai to Mumbai to London to Los Angeles.


Courtesy: duniyalive.com

When Rahman rubbed shoulders with Michelle Obama

Being voted one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine has seen his popularity soar. Oscar-winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman not only got an opportunity to share the same platform with US First Lady Michelle Obama, he also had the whole audience in New York chanting “Jai ho”.

“At the function I was on the same table as Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and the CEO of Time magazine. When I went up to the stage, a chant of ‘Jai ho’ (the Oscar-winning song from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’) went up in the house.”

The music maestro, who won two golden statuettes for his compositions in British filmmaker Danny Boyle’s underdog drama, says the awards have had a huge impact on his life.

“The impact of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has been tremendous. The western perception of Third World countries has changed. Earlier when some of the most talented musicians of Asia would approach western companies, they’d encounter stumbling blocks. Today that has changed. The west is ready to listen to us,” Rahman told IANS in an interview.

Rahman admits that dealing with the huge amount of attention after the Oscars has been unnerving.

“Yes, the Oscar changed my life. I can’t even attend places of prayer without being recognised. Even when I’m at malls in the US, kids freeze in recognition when they see me. I need to concentrate on my music. I’m not the kind of guy who can pull himself away from my music, attend functions, give interviews and get back to what I’m supposed to do. It’s like entering and leaving new cities,” he said.

Ever since the Oscar happened, the music maestro has been doing extensive travelling.

“It’s been a full roller-coaster ride for me in the past week… from New York to Dubai to Calicut, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai… every day I’ve been in two cities. Can’t be helped. Everywhere they want to felicitate me and I can’t say no. How can I? Everyone was excited about my Oscar and wanted to share their excitement with me,” said Rahman, who will be conferred an honorary doctorate by the Aligarh Muslim University June 7.

He admits he is not able to spend time with his children.

“Luckily all three of my children are into music. So my kids and I are on the same wave-length. My wife dreamt of walking the red carpet with me to the Oscars. She can now dream of walking to the Oscars with our children,” said the 43-year-old.

“I’m slowly getting back to normal now,” said Rahman, now blocking away the Oscar euphoria to focus on his current work.

His forthcoming films are “Blue”, “London Dreams” and S. Shankar’s Tamil film “Endhiran”, which has Aishwarya Rai and Rajnikant in lead roles.

Rahman’s Blue on T-Series

The music of the mega-budget Blue has been bought by T-Series (Hindi language rights). The film is produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. and directed by Anthony D’Souza.

This action-packed adventure movie stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Zayed Khan and Rahul Dev. Katrina Kaif and Kylie Minogue make special appearances in “item” songs.
The music is by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Mayur Puri, Abbas Tyrewala.

Courtesy: screenindia.com