MOVIE REVIEW: I Hate LUV Storys

The first thing that attracts you to I HATE LUV STORYS is its title. Let's face it, we adore love stories... at least I do. We idolise the characters decades after the movies have come and gone. The songs that come on our lips instantly while playing a game of antakshri are romantic songs as well. In fact, the biggest moneyspinners, let's face it, have been love stories, right? So how can we 'hate' a love story?

No matter how mushy or cheesy they are, we find love stories irresistible because of the tremendous rush we experience at the end. Some of us are big suckers for love sagas, aren't we? That's precisely the reason why this title [I HATE LUV STORYS] nagged me no end every time I watched the promo of this film.

Helmed by first-timer Punit Malhotra, I HATE LUV STORYS is typical candyfloss romance with a story that's not jaw-droppingly different, let me forewarn you. But if you're young at heart or a diehard and hopeless romantic, you'd lap up I HATE LUV STORYS like a kid laps up his fav candy.

Now to the vital question: If I HATE LUV STORYS rests on a thin plot, what is it that drives the film for the next two hours? My answer to that is, four factors: The fresh pairing and chemistry between the lead cast, tremendous youth appeal, terrific music and magical moments that make a love story work.

Final word? The makers have never claimed that I HATE LUV STORYS will change the face of Hindi cinema. Nor did they ever claim that I HATE LUV STORYS will change the mindset of the viewer towards romantic films. So let's sit back and enjoy the fun ride. This one's by the youth, for the youth. It's this age-group that would come out smiling, cheering and rooting for this prem kahani.

'I hate love stories' is the maxim Jay [Imran Khan] lives by. But as an assistant director to Veer [Samir Soni], the most famous romantic film-maker of Indian film industry, Jay has little option but to live with larger than life, glossy, cinematic love on an everyday basis. Things only get worse when he is made to work under the new production designer on the film, Simran [Sonam Kapoor], with whom he shares the strangest first encounter.

Simran loves love stories, so much so that even her life has begun to resemble one. With her ideal job and the perfect boyfriend Raj [Samir Dattani], she lives a blissful, dreamy life. One that is rudely interrupted by Jay's cynicism.

Writer-director Punit Malhotra wins Round 1 by casting the right actors in the roles of Jay and Simran. In fact, it wouldn't be erroneous to state that the casting is the trump card of this film. But what Punit ought to know by now is that every story ought to have a strong grip to keep your attention arrested for the next two hours. In this case, the film rests on a waferthin plot, with not much movement in the story in the first hour. In fact, the story barely moves in the first part.

Yes, post-interval, the story does gather momentum and though you're well aware of the journey and what the culmination will be like, you don't mind the ride because you can't take your eyes off Imran and Sonam. Also, a love story works if one pines for the on-screen lovers and in I HATE LUV STORYS, you genuinely want the duo to sort things out, which means that you're involved in their lives. Even the finale - it won't be fair on my part to reveal how this movie concludes - may be filmy or cliched, but let's face it, it works.

Let me draw parallels with another love story, also starring Imran Khan. Recall the finale of JAANE TU YA JAANE NA, which had Imran riding a horse to reach his sweetheart [Genelia] at the airport. I distinctly recall, a lot of people found the end bizzare and rightly so. Can you imagine anyone galloping to the international airport in Mumbai? But I was truly surprised when I learnt that the youth were whistling and clapping all through. The finale is different here [no horses, please] and you exit the auditorium with a smile on your face.

Director Punit Malhotra is heavily inspired by Mills & Boon novels and several Bollywood films... love stories all. But like I pointed out earlier, Punit needs to polish his writing skills, although the director in him bails the writer out and takes the film to a different level. The sequences between Imran and Sonam are well penned, but the ones between Sonam and her parents or Sonam and Samir Dattani are half-baked. Directorially, Punit shows super-confidence in moulding the two actors in their respective parts, so much so that you get sucked into Jay and Simran's world after a while.

A love story ought to be embellished with a lilting score - that's a compulsion - and Vishal-Shekhar are in true form this time. The score is trendy, energetic and beyond fantastic and what's more, it's already a rage. In fact, the musical score only takes the movie a step ahead. Ditto for Salim-Sulaiman's background score, which matches the mood to the T. Ayananka Bose's cinematography is awesome. The ace DoP proved his credentials in KITES recently and with I HATE LUV STORYS, he should find himself entrenched in the top bracket. The styling [Manish Malhotra] is top notch.

Imran enacts his part effortlessly. Though the role doesn't demand histrionics, you keep reacting to Imran because of the magnetism he radiates. The devilish streak in his character is sure to appeal to the youth. Besides, Imran has been photographed and presented very well. Sonam is a revelation. From salwars [SAAWARIYA, DELHI 6] to skirts in I HATE LUV STORYS, Sonam finally gets a role that does justice to her as an actress. The ease and class with which she carries off the glam look is fantastic. She's like a whiff of fresh air and you actually wonder, is she the same girl from SAAWARIYA and DELHI 6? In fact, I HATE LUV STORYS will only multiply Imran and Sonam's fan base manifold.

Samir Dattani is decent, although his role gets sidelined as the story moves forward. Samir Soni's character reminds you of a certain hi-profile director and he plays the part extremely well. Kavin Dave, as Imran's buddy, is first-rate and steals the show in several scenes. Aamir Ali is perfect, while Pooja Ghai doesn't get scope to deliver. Bruna Abdullah looks sensuous and adds to the glam quotient. Ketaki Dave [Sonam's mother] is wasted. Anju Mahendru [Imran's mother] is adequate.

On the whole, I HATE LUV STORYS is a young and vibrant love story with tremendous appeal for the yuppies. The fresh pairing and the on-screen electrifying chemistry, the lilting musical score and the magical moments in the film should attract its target audience - the youth - in hordes. If you're young or young at heart, this one's for you!

RATING: 3.5/5

Kurbaan - Movie Review

Post 9/11, there's anger, distrust, suspicion, uneasiness all around. Not a day passes when you don't hear of terrorists killing civilians in the name of religion.

Many storytellers have, in the past, narrated stories about terrorists and their nefarious and despicable plans. But let me state one thing categorically. You haven't watched a more profound, a more thought-provoking, a more dramatic story on this subject before KURBAAN. It's not just the most powerful film to come out of Dharma Productions, it's the most powerful film to come out of the Hindi film industry this year, thus far.

KURBAAN tries to penetrate into the psyche of not just the terrorist, but also someone who has been a helpless spectator all this while. This film is sure to spark off discussions and debates, although it must also be noted that it doesn't take sides or gets preachy.

Rensil D'Silva has chosen a burning issue for his directorial debut, which is a complete departure from Karan Johar's earlier films. For some inexplicable reasons, parallels are being drawn with FANAA [Aamir Khan, Kajol] and NEW YORK [John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Katrina Kaif], but the fact remains that barring the backdrop of terrorism, there's no similarity with those films.

I've often felt that certain films are beyond box-office. Movies are not meant to merely entertain, but enlighten and educate as well. They need to prick your conscience and in the process, make an attempt to make this world a better place. KURBAAN does just that and for this very reason, it deserves a double thumbs up.

Final word? Drop everything else you're doing to watch KURBAAN. Movies like these need to be made, encouraged and lauded.

Avantika [Kareena Kapoor] is a teacher at a university in Delhi. She has come back from New York where she teaches, because her father [Aakash Khurana] has suffered a heart attack. During this period, she meets a Professor called Ehsaan Khan [Saif Ali Khan]. Soon, they begin seeing each other and love blossoms.

A few months later, Avantika receives a call from her university in New York, asking her to come back. Avantika breaks the news to Ehsaan. He, in turn, tells her he doesn't mind coming to the States with her. But first they need to get married.

Soon after the marriage, they leave to start a new life in New York. They buy a house in an Indian neighbourhood and move in. Just as they are setting up home, their conservative Muslim neighbours invite them over for dinner. The next morning, Salma [Nauheed Cyrusi], one of the women Avantika met the night before at the dinner, visits her under the pretext of gifting her sweets.

When Avantika invites her in, Salma tells her that she is in grave danger. Nothing is what it seems. Salma pleads with Avantika to help her. What follows next is a series of incidents that sucks Avantika into a vortex of danger and intrigue. As her life spirals out of control, Avantika realizes that she is a pawn in a huge game.

KURBAAN has two stories running concurrently - the love story between Saif and Kareena and the story of Islamic terrorists. Rensil sets the stage in the initial 15 minutes itself, after which there's a twist in the tale every 15-20 minutes, which catches you completely unaware. Rensil doesn't borrow from the past, which makes the proceedings thoroughly captivating.

The highpoint is the 35-minute climax, which leaves you spellbound. The culmination to the story shakes you completely, largely because it's pragmatic and has been executed most logically as well. In fact, filming the climax at the various underground tube stations must've been the toughest challenge for the director.

On the flip side, KURBAAN caters more to the intelligentsia or the thinking viewer and might not be lapped up whole-heartedly by those who survive on the staple diet of hardcore masala fares.

Some of the finest technicians in the business are associated with KURBAAN. Hemant Chaturvedi's cinematography is super. The film bears an international look all through. Salim-Sulaiman's music is well integrated in the narrative. At least two tracks merit a mention - 'Shukran Allah' and 'Ali Maula'. Anurag Kashyap and Niranjan Iyengar's dialogue are superb. The lines enhance the impact of several sequences. Thrills are, again, in sync with the mood of the film.

KURBAAN is embellished with superlative performances. Saif is extra-ordinary in a role that only proves his versatility once again. If he won your heart with a winning performance in LOVE AAJ KAL a few months ago, you need to watch this supremely talented actor underplay his part so beautifully in KURBAAN. As for Kareena, KURBAAN reiterates one fact yet again: She's the best in the business. No two opinions on that! Watch her get those emotional sequences right, it's incredible. Here's a performance that truly merits the highest praise and admiration, besides fetching her awards and accolades.

Vivek Oberoi is fantastic. Matching Saif and Kareena at every step, KURBAAN should be the turning point in Vivek's career. It's a difficult role to portray and only an actor with a wide range could've portrayed this part so effectively. Om Puri is top notch and so is Kirron Kher. Kirron is marvellous, especially in the penultimate scene. Dia Mirza, Nauheed Cyrusi and Kulbhushan Kharbanda lend credibility to their brief roles.

On the whole, KURBAAN is the most powerful film to come out of the Hindi film industry in 2009, so far. The film has a captivating plot, gripping screenplay, super performances and a climax that shakes you up completely. Watching this movie should be on top of your agenda this week.

Karan ki Kurbaani

Both Kurbaan and New York are about terrorism, but that doesn’t mean they have the same story.

The backdrop of global terrorism is the common factor, but the narrative structure and the characters are very different in the two films. Adi and I are best friends so we aren’t stupid to make films with the same story. I hope audiences like Kurbaan,’ clarifies Karan Johar.

Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna in 2006 was the last film KJo directed and MNIK is now in post production to release in 2010. In the meanwhile, Wake Up Sid! and Dostana were only produced by him and directed by newcomers Ayan Mukerji and Tarun Mansukhani respectively. ‘Tarun, Ayan and Siddarth Malhotra have assisted me on my films. So I know them. I always choose my ADs after immense consideration because I don’t want people simply occupying space in my office. They have to be talented and they have to stay. I don’t want them to do one film with Dharma and leave. I am only going to work with new directors and some of them have a three-film contract with Dharma. I don’t want to work with established directors,’ he says, adding, ‘I am very happy with the results of Wake Up Sid! and Dostana and excited about the upcoming films.’

Karan had the plot of Kurbaan ready way back in 2001 and the film was going to be called Kaal. Sanjay Dutt, SRK and Tabu were to be part of it but the film never materialized. ‘That Kaal never got made. I shared the story idea with Rensil and he built a screenplay around it, which resulted in Kurbaan starring Saif and Kareena. From the onset, we wanted them to star in it. I love the way the film has turned out,’ comments Karan.

About Kurbaan’s director, Rensil D’silva, KJo says, ‘Rensil and I first interacted on the screenplay and story of Kurbaan. I felt that he had a desire to direct a film and I respected his aesthetics and writing, so that is how Kurbaan happened.’

'Wake Up Sid' wakes up the box office

Ranbir starrer sidelines Govinda’s ‘Do Knot Disturb'

Debutant director Ayan Mukerji's charming "Wake Up Sid" about a young man and a woman five years older has not only wowed critics but pulled in the crowds too, sidelining the Govinda starrer "Do Knot Disturb".

The box office received a shock with Ashutosh Gowarikar's "What's Your Raashee" that released on Sept 25 but proved to be tedious for audiences with its length and 13 songs.

But the buzz is back with "Wake Up Sid", starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma, that released on Friday (Oct 2) along with "Do Knot Disturb".

"'Wake Up Sid' is doing extremely well. We've had an occupancy of more than 90 percent across 17 shows over the initial weekend and it is still going strong while 'Do Knot Disturb' had only a two-day run with close to 75 percent despite 16 shows," Amit Awasthi, manager (programming and operations) of Spice Cinemas at Noida, told IANS.

"We are expecting 'Wake Up Sid' to continue a good run at least until the Diwali weekend, which has major releases like 'Blue', 'Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna' and 'All The Best'. Though we have 'Acid Factory' on Oct 9, we are sincerely doubtful about its future in multiplexes," he added.

Made at a budget of around Rs.15 crore (Rs.150 million), "Wake Up Sid" has been produced by Dharma Productions Pvt Ltd and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures with around 700 prints worldwide.

"'Wake Up Sid' has had a very good occupancy and opening over the first weekend. It is a different movie for different people and is totally a multiplex movie. It is going to have an extended play," said a source from PVR Cinemas.

"It has done what 'Rock On!!' did last year... it has evoked people's hidden past and is so associative. While 'Do Knot Disturb', despite having almost the equal number of shows as the former (around six each per property) did have a good opening, but it fell flat in no time," the source added.

"Do Knot Disturb" has been co-produced by Vashu Bhagnani and Big Pictures and directed by David Dhawan. Released across 1,060 screens worldwide, it stars Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh.

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, however, thinks it is too early to tell.

"We kept around 10 shows each for both the movies across different properties and the result has been around 60 and 80 percent respectively for 'Do Knot Disturb' and 'Wake Up Sid'," said Raizada.

"The response for the latter has been very good and this one is in fact sustaining too but, as far as the long run is concerned, nothing can be said as the business has mostly been done during the initial weekend," he added.

Wake Up Sid - Movie Review

Recall those years when partying hard was the only agenda on your list. Recall those years when staying awake at nights, chatting away with friends became a habit. Recall those years when bunking college and sneaking into movie halls was more exciting than books. Recall those years when you were completely clueless and aimless about the vocation you wanted to pursue once you graduated… That indecisive phase when you were hesitant to take that first big step in life can never be erased from your memory.

WAKE UP SID, directed by debutante Ayan Mukerji, is like revisiting those years that lay at some remote corner of your mind, after you moved on in life.

Actually, WAKE UP SID is a slice of life film. It's not merely real in concept, but has also been told most realistically, so much so that you can't help but draw parallels with your life or with someone you know. But what really makes WAKE UP SID most believable is Ranbir Kapoor, who's mastered the craft at such a young age.

Verdict? WAKE UP SID mirrors those years with flourish. This one's a simple story that strikes a chord instantly. Strongly recommended!

WAKE UP SID tells the story of Siddharth aka Sid [Ranbir Kapoor], a lazy, unmotivated slacker from Mumbai whose life undergoes a series of changes after taking his final year college exams. Sid's world is breezy, carefree and without any true responsibilities.

Sid thrives around his two best friends, Rishi [Namit Das] and Laxmi [Shikha Talsania], very rarely communicates with his mother Sarita [Supriya Pathak] and takes his father Ram Mehra [Anupam Kher] and all his hard-earned wealth for granted. Despite all these traits, Sid is an honest boy; sweet, funny and above all, a good friend.

Aisha Bannerjee [Konkona Sen Sharma], an aspiring writer from Kolkata, learns this soon enough when her path crosses with Sid's on her first day in Mumbai. Ambitious, well-read and driven, Aisha has come to Mumbai to realize her dreams as a writer. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sid becomes Aisha's first friend in the city.

As Aisha sets up her life in Mumbai, with the help of Sid and his gang, Sid allows for time to fly by over long drives, parties that stretch well into dawn, and endless hours doing absolutely nothing. But a series of circumstances and events compel him to take stock of his life and take a hard look at himself.

Let's not compare WAKE UP SID with anything you've watched before. Not DIL CHAHTA HAI. Not LAKSHYA either. Debutante director Ayan Mukerji narrates a story that you can relate to instantly and treats it with utmost care. A few moments linger in your memory and evoke bitter-sweet memories.

The first hour, right till the intermission, sweeps you off your feet. You get drawn into Sid's world instantaneously; you react to everything he does. But the post-interval portions slackens, courtesy the writing. The Rahul Khanna track, for instance, looks half-baked. Also, the story stagnates after a point and hence, the pacing gets very slow. It's only towards the finale that things perk up. Ideally, the film could've done with some trimming in this hour.

Ayan Mukerji packs in a solid punch in most parts of the film. The emotional moments especially gets you all moist-eyed. The humour too is well integrated in the sequences. Even the confrontation between the father and son is superb. Prior to that Konkona's birthday sequence is amongst the finest sequences of the film. Music [Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy] is melodious. Anil Mehta's cinematography is top notch. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are just right.

There's no denying that Ranbir Kapoor is a supremely talented actor, but in WAKE UP SID, he proves that he's amongst the best in the business today. No one could've portrayed Sid as effectively as Ranbir has enacted, that's for sure. This is an award-worthy performance.

Konkona is natural to the core and the best part is, she's so effortless. Here's another winning performance from this incredible performer. Anupam Kher is wonderful. Ditto for Supriya Pathak. Both shine in their respective parts. Namit Das and Shikha Talsania are perfect. Rahul Khanna doesn't get any scope.

On the whole, WAKE UP SID is a well-made film that should strike a chord with the youth mainly. A metro-centric film, the film should attract its target audience and should also prove to be the first choice of the elite/urban audience this Friday. Its distributors [UTV] have very rightly released the film at plexes of metros and mini-metros [instead of flooding the market with physical and digital prints], which in turn should only make this small film talked-about in days to come. Thumbs Up!

Kurbaan - First Look

Rains stop Khan

The downpour in the city yesterday forced Karan Johar to cancel the day's shoot of My Name Is Khan. The director has put up an elaborate set at Film City for the last schedule of the film.

KJO on a social networking site says, "Shooting held up because of sudden rain and thunder. Waiting for it to stop!"

In Pics: My Name Is Khan On Sets

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Cast of 'Agneepath' remake not yet finalised

Karan Johar clarifies status of project

There have been speculations about who will play the male lead in the remake of the 1990 hit "Agneepath". While the names of Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan popped up, filmmaker Karan Johar clarifies that no one has been finalised to play the part Amitabh Bachchan immortalised in the original.

"I haven't made any statement whatsoever around the man who would eventually be playing the role of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan that was made iconic by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. All I have said is that, yes, we are going ahead with a remake of 'Agneepath' and that's about it," Johar told IANS.

Whether it is Hrithik, Abhishek or someone else, Johar must be having a wish list?

"Well, the wish list is to get the screenplay right. For the moment nothing else is more important than that," he said.

Even though the film is being produced under the banner of Dharma Productions, Johar won't be going behind the camera for the movie.

"True, I would be stepping aside and the film would be directed by Karan Malhotra, who has assisted me on 'My Name Is Khan'. That's the only thing which has been finalised... everything else you hear is mere speculation. We will finalise the cast once the script is locked. Currently, it is still in the process of being written," he added.

Malhotra is not really a novice when it comes to filmmaking. He has earlier worked as an assistant director with Ashutosh Gowariker on "Jodhaa Akbar", Farah Khan on "Main Hoon Na", Farhan Akhtar on "Lakshya" and Raj Kumar Santoshi "Lajja and Pukar" amongst others.

Since it is close to two decades since the release of "Agneepath", would the remake have a different milieu to it?

"Certainly! We are adapting the film from the original, but ours would be a New Age version that would fit in well with today's time. We really hope that we are able to do justice to the original and make the remake exciting for today's generation," Johar said.

Dharma Productions, meanwhile, has as many as seven films that are in different stages of production. These are "My Name Is Khan", "Wake Up Sid", "Kurbaan", "Koochie Koochie Hota Hai", remakes of Hollywood flick "Stepmom" and "Agneepath" and "I Hate Love Stories".

How is he managing it all?

"Believe me, it's not difficult at all. All you have to do is to follow a three-point mantra - delegation, outsourcing and trust. Along with that, if you have the right vision and infrastructure in place, which we do have in Dharma Productions, it isn't difficult to crack it all.

"That's the way you manage things and I have been fortunate enough to have a team with which it has become possible to helm a number of projects at the same time," said Johar.

Among the seven films, three are ready to hit the screens.

"'Wake Up Sid' is all set to arrive on Oct 2. 'Kurbaan' will come in late November. Other than that, we are looking at an early 2010 release for 'My Name Is Khan'. Yes, these have been busy and really exciting times," the filmmaker said.

Karan wakes up with Ayan and Ranbir

Producer Karan Johar talks about Wake Up Sid!, young director Ayan Mukerji and working with Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma.

“Wake Up Sid! is a very special film. Ayan took some time off to write the film. He called me one day and narrated it to me. He told me it wasn’t the quintessential Dharma Production film and I loved it because I wanted to break out of that mould anyway. Ayan’s film is small, special and simple. It is a film with its heart, gut and soul in place. It is not screaming opulence and melodrama. It’s a slice of life and coming-of-age story. It’s about characters, people and the city of Mumbai. All this has been woven into a film with a lot of heart. Each character in the film and the situations are very identifiable,” says KJo.

“There is a Sid in every home, there are parents who are concerned about their child’s potential and future and there is a girl who is trying to find her bearings in the glorious city of Mumbai. Ayesha represents that angst of wanting to prove your mettle in a city like Bombay. Ayan has beautifully integrated all these moments and characters in Wake Up Sid. I am very excited because it marks a new beginning for us at Dharma, a new age of cinema, cinematic space and me branching out,” says Karan as he explains the characters.

“It is the only Dharma film that has been shot entirely in Mumbai. So I won’t get the question of whether this film is targeted at the NRI audience,” he jokes.

“I have had no input whatsoever in Wake Up Sid! It is completely Ayan’s vision and baby,” he clarifies, adding, “I consciously decided to keep out of it. He is a decade younger than me. He has a different energy and sensibility. I decided I would be the wrong person to offer any input to this film, be it the music, execution or narrative. I think I am too old to be part of Wake Up Sid!”

About the stars of the film, he says, “I haven’t worked with Ranbir and Konkona before. When you see the film, you don’t think you are watching people act, you think you are watching people in a real situation. Ranbir is young, new, today, fresh and amazing in the film. He has it all in his DNA.”

Saif and Bebo's lovemaking sequence in Qurbaan might overshadow the rest

Rensil D'Silva, who's now working on the final schedule of his directorial debut Qurbaan is afraid that a love-making sequence between Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan might become the central point of interest for his film, overshadowing the powerful theme of a terrorist's road to atonement.

"That fear is there, I can't deny it.

The love-making sequence, though absolutely essential to the film is explicit and honest enough to become a focal point of interest for the audience. There's enough sexual repression in our country.

A section of the audience might decide to see the film only to see the real-life couple making love on screen. It would be tragic."


Kareena and Saif's love-making sequence incorporates the longest kissing sequence of their individual careers.

So far Kareena's sister Karisma holds the record for the longest kissing sequence on screen with Aamir Khan in Raja Hindustani. Will Qurbaan break that record?

"I don't know," shrugs Rensil. "I wasn't clocking the kiss or the length of the lovemaking scene.

Nor have I seen Raja Hindustani. But I do know Kareena and Saif were thorough professionals and were able to do the difficult scene so smoothly because of their comfort level."

The set had been cleared of the entire crew except the director and cameraman. "It was not an easy sequence to shoot. It was an aesthetic experience. And I hope the audience treats it that way."

Dostana makes it to New York Fest

Even months after its release, Dharma Productions’ path-breaking commercial film, Dostana, directed by debutant Tarun Mansukhani continues to make news. It has been selected as the opening film for the iView Film Festival in New York.

Dostana will be screened at the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts on the 28th and 29th of this month. It is the first Hindi film to be screened at the iView Film Festival.

Director Tarun Mansukhani, who is currently scripting Dostana 2, is absolutely thrilled. On his Facebook and Twitter pages, he said, '(Tarun) is happy to say that DOSTANA is going to be screened at the Lincoln Center, New York as the opening film for the iView Film Festival on 28th & 29th August.'

When Tarun spoke to StarBoxOffice, he said, "The iView Film Festival is about human rights, relationship and oppression of any kind around the world. It is amazing that a film like Dostana has been chosen to be screened there because for the first time an Indian movie has been chosen to be screened at the fest and at the Lincoln Theatre which is a dream venue for any filmmaker."

"I got the call about the selection a week ago and we were working out the logistics and now everything has been confirmed. They saw the movie a few months ago and talks were going on. At that time, homosexual was illegal and a criminal offense in India. We are happy that a film like Dostana has been chosen because usually they play serious films and documentaries at the festival."

John, Boman and Kirron will attend the fest with Tarun. "We are going to be in New York from the 27th to the 30th. Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra are shooting so they will not be able to come."

Tarun has also asked all his friends and people who liked the movie in New York to join the Dostana cast and crew there.

Dostana has already won the Screen Award for Best Jodi for John and Abhishek, the IIFA award for best performance in a comic role for Abhishek Bachchan and the IIFA for best choreography for Desi Girl for Farah Khan.

Fox STAR Studios to distribute Shah Rukh's 'My Name Is Khan'

Actor-producer Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker Karan Johar have inked one of Bollywood's biggest deals with a Hollywood studio. Fox STAR Studios will finance and distribute their forthcoming film "My Name Is Khan", reportedly spending Rs.100 crore (Rs.1 billion / $20 million) in the process.

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In Pics: Fox Star Studios' Press Conference for 'My Name Is Khan'

Fox Star Studios' Press Conference for 'My Name Is Khan'

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