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Friday 15 July 2011

Bollywood Flop Movies of 2008

Bollywood gave some of the disappointing worst movies this year, 2008. The dusky beauty Priyanka Chopra is responsible in giving four of the biggest flops of 2008. Thank God, Fashion proved to be a saving grace.
Here is the list of Bollywood flop movies 2008:
1. Tashan: Director Sanjay Gadhvi showed that Dhoom series was a fluke as he completely made mincemeat of the movie Tashan. The movie was one big size zero, nothing in the movie impressed. Everyone in the movie looked like having an attitude problem and Anil Kapoor was difficult to understand than a Mission Impossible plot. Read review of Tashan
2. Love story 2050: Love Story 2050 released as a contender to Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na on July 4, 2008. While Jaane Tu skyrocketed, Love Story 2050 went down to pits. Perhaps no movie in Bollywood has such a hackneyed and foolish second half as Love Story 2050. Come to think of it, something was definitely wrong in her pretty head, when Priyanka Chopra said it was a great movie. We certainly hated her as a red haired moll. Her man...sorry Harman Baweja looked like a boy lost in the woods.
3. Drona: Another crap flop movie featuring Priyanka Chopra. Drona was touted as the next big superhero movie starring Abhishek Bachchan. Almost every movie critic thrashed the movie Drona left, right and center. With Abhishek Bachchan looking like a junior artiste, this superzero film made everyone rush out of the cinema. Read review of Drona
4. Kidnap: Sanjay Gadhvi has proved that Tashan's flop status was not a fluke. The movie lost focus on the story and trained its lens only on Minissha cleavage. So much to the extent that the candy floss lover Imran Khan was also shown ogling at Minissha's cleavage. What about the story? Forget it, the audience was held at ransom. Read Kidnap review.
5. Mission Istanbul: Mission Istanbul looked like a B-grade movie with Istanbul as a backdrop. Pathetic direction, lousy performances, irritating screenplay, nothing went right for Mission Istanbul. At no point could the audience relate to what was going on. Read review of Mission Istanbul.
6. Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic: Since the time Aditya Chopra decided to put bikinis and scantily clad women as the centrifugal force in his films, his movies have only succeeded at the groin level. Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic will go down as one of the worst children's movie. In fact, it is an insult to call it a children's movie when we have the very developed in the right places Amisha Patel strutting her stuff in a yellow bikini and enjoying some lazy lamhe on the side. And have you seen a sardarni angel? That's Rani for you. Read review of Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
7. God Tussi Great Ho: Another Priyanka Chopra flop, this time she shares the honor with Salman Khan. The movie a very poor rip off of "Bruce Almighty"(even though the maker lied by telling it wasn't) certainly left a bad taste in the mouth. Total bore and a waste of time, everything in it was second hand as Priyanka Chopra's old nose ring.
8. Chamku: Priyanka Chopra's one more meaningless contribution to the box office. I am sure the lady will blush while reading this, she certainly has to differentiate between a good script and bad script. At least, she can choose a director with a better track record if she cannot judge a script. Anyway Chamku had Bobby Deol playing the wrong character 252nd time. Of course, what do you expect the audience to do?
9. Money Hai toh Honey Hai: Money Hai toh Honey Hai was rubbished by critics and audiences alike. It looked like the director Ganesh Acharya tried making something to fill in between the song videos.
10. Krazzy4: The producer Rakesh Roshan became poorer by 4 crores before the movie could even release, thanks to the music copyright infringement case filed by Ram Shankar. Krazzy 4 had three item numbers by Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Rakhi Sawant which were the only saving grace in the film. Among the above list of top 10 flops in Bollywood 2008, this is the only one which was marginally passable to watch.

Bollywood For Beginners

New to Bollywood? Appreciating its artistry is simply a matter of understanding India's unique way of filmmaking. Our primer explains the basics:
What is Bollywood?
Bollywood is a term that refers to the Hindi-language film industry based in the Indian city of Mumbai, which used to be called Bombay. Bombay + Hollywood = Bollywood. The term is believed to have been coined by a Western journalist in the 1970s. Many Indians take issue with the word because it implies that Bollywood is a lesser offshoot of Hollywood, when in fact, India produces far more films annually that attract far greater audience numbers globally than the U.S. And, the Indian film industry is older than Hollywood-by one year.
Are all Indian films produced by Bollywood?
No. Bollywood is only one of many film industries in India. Imagine if the U.S. had a thriving Spanish-language film industry that gave Hollywood a run for its money, or regional film industries in Chicago, Atlanta, and Seattle that rivaled L.A.'s. That's how it is in India. The various Indian film industries are both language- and location-specific. They include Kollywood, which refers to Tamil-language films made in the Kodambakkam district of the city of Chennai; Mollywood, which is Malayalam-language cinema from the state of Kerala; and Tollywood, which refers to both Telugu-language films from the state of Andhra Pradesh and Bengali-language films made in the Tollygunge neighborhood of Kolkata.
While Bollywood and India's other film industries primarily produce commercial movies, India also has a strong and respected art-film tradition, which is referred to as "parallel cinema." The delineation between commercial and art film in India is stronger than it is in the U.S. However, that line is beginning to blur as Bollywood is delving into artier projects and Indian art films are aiming for broader appeal.
Are all Bollywood films musicals?
Most Bollywood films include musical numbers. Today's movies generally have fewer musical numbers than older films. While 10 musical numbers in a film wasn't unusual in the past, four to six are more typical today. And more and more Bollywood movies don't have any musical numbers at all.
It's important to remember that Bollywood films are not musicals in the American sense. Bollywood has more in common with opera than with Broadway. The main function of musical numbers in Bollywood films (and operas) is to express emotion. Broadway musical numbers, on the other hand, primarily drive the plot. While Broadway musical numbers are integrated into the narrative, Bollywood musical numbers usually are not. Rather, they're metaphors, removed from the plot, that show how a character feels, not what the character is actually doing.
Do the actors sing the songs?
Very rarely. The vast majority of film songs are sung by playback singers, who are famous in their own right.
The movie and music industries in India are inextricably interlinked. Nearly all Indian pop music comes from movie soundtracks.
Why do so many Bollywood actors have the same last name? Are they all related?
Nepotism is common in Bollywood and many actors and filmmakers come from family dynasties that have been in the movie business for generations. However, there are many celebrities with the same common surnames, particularly Khan and Kapoor, who are not related.
How come there's no sex in Bollywood movies?
Two reasons: social and artistic. Onscreen physical intimacy is frowned upon in India-even kissing is fairly rare. But more importantly, Indian filmmakers are masters of the art of seduction. There may not be any sex in Bollywood movies, but they sure are sexy. In fact, it's precisely because there's no sex that they're filled with so much incredible tension, which is missing entirely from Hollywood movies these days. In the words of film critic Roger Ebert, "it is less erotic to snoggle for 60 minutes than spend 60 seconds wondering if you are about to be snoggled." He was talking about Bollywood.
Sometimes Bollywood musical numbers act as a substitute for sex, depicting it not in any crass, overt way, but implicitly, even metaphorically. The characters are often so carried away with passion that they suddenly appear in exotic locations around the world-the pyramids of Egypt, the canals of Venice, the mountains of Switzerland-places that have nothing to do with the plot but have everything to do with the limitlessness of fantasy.
Why are Bollywood films so long?
For starters, Indians are used to longer forms of entertainment. Cricket matches last for days. So do Indian weddings. A three-hour movie isn't long at all in comparison. Also, Indians tend to be value-conscious. They expect a full afternoon or evening of entertainment for the price of a ticket.
But the biggest reason Bollywood films are long is artistic. The time commitment required of the audience heightens their emotional investment in the story. (The same is true of operas, which are often as long or even longer than Hindi films.) The effect can be powerfully moving, even for Americans accustomed to shorter films.
Bollywood movies are getting shorter, though, mostly because there are fewer musical numbers than there used to be. While three and a half hours was once typical, three hours or less is now the norm.
What's the biggest artistic difference between Bollywood and Hollywood?
In a word: "masala." The concept of masala is key to understanding Bollywood films. It's a culinary term that means "spicy mixture." Masala filmmaking combines more than one genre in the same movie, blending elements of comedy, romance, action, and drama. The goal is to appeal to as many people as possible. That way there's something for everyone in every film-the grandparents, the parents, the teenagers, the little kids-because Indians often go to the movies as a family.
Hollywood filmmakers do the opposite-they do super-narrow niche marketing to target the demographic groups they think are the most profitable (and then ignore everyone else). One exception to this might be the James Bond movies, which have been enormously successful for decades. There's action, of course, romance, some campy comedy, and even a little melodrama when James feels bad about his best friend betraying him or his latest lover dying in his arms.
That's not to say that all Bollywood films are masala. Many strictly fall into one genre or another, but even then, there's often a dash of masala thrown in.
Do Bollywood actors work in Hollywood?
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is the first Indian actor to significantly crossover in the West. She appeared in The Mistress of Spices (2005) with Dylan McDermott, The Last Legion (2007) with Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley, and Pink Panther 2 (2009) with Steve Martin. She has also garnered more high-profile publicity in the West than any other Bollywood actor, having appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Show with David Letterman, and 60 Minutes.
Two Bollywood actors appeared in the Oscar-winning British film Slumdog Millionaire (that's right, it's a British film): Anil Kapoor, who played the sleazy game-show host, and Irrfan Khan, who played the police interrogator. Kapoor has since appeared in the hit American television series 24, which stars actor Kiefer Sutherland. Kapoor played a Middle-Eastern leader in the show for one season. Prior to Slumdog Millionaire, Khan appeared in the English-language films The Namesake (2006), A Mighty Heart (2007), and The Darjeeling Limited (2007).
Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat will star opposite Avatar actor Laz Alonso in the upcoming Hollywood political comedy, Love, Barack. Sherawat will play a volunteer coordinator on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, who falls in love with her counterpart on John McCain's campaign, played by Alonso. Sherawat is also appearing in another upcoming Hollywood film, Hisss, along with Irrfan Khan.
Do Hollywood actors work in Bollywood?
Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards made cameo appearances in the Bollywood film Kambakkht Ishq in 2009.
British actor Sir Ben Kingsley-best-known for his Oscar-winning performance as the famous Indian independence leader in Gandhi (1982)-appeared in his first Bollywood film, Teen Patti, in 2010.
Western musicians are breaking into Bollywood, too. American rapper Snoop Dogg performed on the title track of Singh is Kinng in 2008 and Australian pop star Kylie Minogue performed a song in Blue in 2009. Senegalese-American music star Akon is reportedly recording a song for the soundtrack of the upcoming Bollywood superhero action film Ra.One.
Does anyone outside of India watch Bollywood movies?
Yes! Bollywood has fans all over the world. It's big in other parts of South Asia, of course-Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka-as well as the rest of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Bollywood is beloved in Australia, the home of director Baz Lurhmann (of Moulin Rouge fame) who's a Bollywood filmmaker in spirit! Bollywood movies are routinely in the box-office top 10 in the U.K. And Bollywood is all the rage in Brazil (thanks to a hit Indian-themed television show there, called Caminho das Indias.) Finally, Bollywood is huge in Canada, particularly in Toronto, which has a large Indian population. And Americans are finally starting to catch on to what the rest of world already knows-that Bollywood is fantastic!
Why don't more Americans like Bollywood movies?
It's human nature to mock what we don't understand. Americans are used to watching Hollywood movies, which reflect our cultural values, traditions, and storytelling techniques, and Bollywood movies reflect another culture's values, traditions, and storytelling techniques, which are unfamiliar to us. We've unfairly maligned Indian cinema because we can't take it for granted like we can our own. We actually have to do a little thinking when we watch them. Some people find thinking fun; some don't.

Biggest and Top Bollywood Movie Hits of 2008

All ye' Bollywood fans and Bollywood lovers are interested in knowing which indeed was the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008. Is it Ghajini or Golmaal Returns? Or is there other clear winner? What do trade guides show? Which Bollywood movie truly rocked 2008? Is the most successful Bollywood movie of 2008, also your favorite movie?
Presenting here are the hits, superhits and blockbusters Bollywood movies of 2008, including a brief review. The movies are arranged according to their time of release.
1. Jodhaa Akbar : Released on February 15' 2008, Jodhaa Akbar, directed by Bollywood most prolific director Ashutosh Gowariker, was a semi hit. It went on to do a business of Rs. 62 crores. Hrithik Roshan was the USP of the film, he played Akbar so well that the historic figure is now synonymous with the actor.
2. Race: Released on March 21' 2008, Race was the first big hit of 2008. An edge of the seat thriller, the movie directed by Abbas-Mustan was full of twists and turns. As of May 30, it grossed Rs.63,67,00,000 ($14,886,600) in India, and $9,505,321 in other parts bringing a worldwide total of $24,391,921. Race is actually the fifth biggest hit of 2008.
3. Jannat: Jannat, directed by Kunal Deshmukh, was a Mukesh Bhatt film, released on May 16. Based on cricket betting, the movie extracted the career best performance of Emran Hashmi. Debutante Sonal Chauhan made a pretty picture in the movie. Jannat grossed 32,47,00,000 in 5 weeks, quite higher than its cost of production.
4. Aamir: One of the dark horse hits of 2008, Aamir directed by Raj Kumar Gupta released on June 6. The movie starring Rajeev Khandelwal was a story about how an innocent man gets trapped in the hands of religious extremists who want to bomb the city. An interesting premise, the movie did good business.
5. Sarkar Raj: Sarkar Raj, directed by Ram Gopal Verma released on June 6 2008. The movie was a semi-hit; people compared Sarkar Raj to its prequel Sarkar, and found that the sequel was not as effective as the first one. Nevertheless, it grossed 34 crores in India in its first two weeks and over $1 million in the USA.
6. Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, released on July 4 2008; directed by Abbas Tyrewala and produced by Aamir Khan, was the iconic movie of 2008. The movie was a blazing hit and it is still the favorites of the youth segment, which forms a major part of the movie going audience. The youthful movie had a cliched but entertaining story with fantastic music by A.R.Rahman. in 5 weeks, it earned approximately 52.96 crores.
7. Singh is Kinng: Singh is Kinng was a movie, all Akshay Kumar fans were waiting for. Released on August 8, 2008; the movie recorded the biggest advance booking in the history of Bollywood, second only to Ghajini. With a fantastic figure of Rs.44 crores in the first week, Singh is Kinng was the fourth biggest hit of Bollywood 2008. By September, it had already earned Rs.73 crores.
8. Bachna Ae Haseeno: Released on August 15, 2008, Bachna Ae Haseeno proved to be a solace for Yash Raj films which had only given flops before this, in 2008 like Tashan and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. Made on a budget of Rs.18 crores, this Ranbir Kapoor earned Rs.31.20 crores in its second week, and was declared a semi hit.
9. Phoonk: Phoonk directed by Ram Gopal Verma was probably the least expensive movie, which did good business. The movie based on black magic was a success because of the subject.
10. Mumbai Meri Jaan: Mumbai Meri Jaan, released on August 22' 2008 was a movie based on 7/11 bomb blasts. A slightly documentary style film, it focussed on the repercussions of the bomb blasts. The movie was an an above average hit. The USP of the film was a power packed performance by Paresh Rawal and Irrfan Khan.
11. Rock On!!: Rock On (released August 29' 2008) , directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Farhan Akhtar, was another youth favorite, like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Based on friendship and rock music, Rock On was treated like a sequel to the cult movie Dil Chahta Hai. It made singer-actor-producer-director (phew!) Farhan Akhtar, a household name.
12. A Wednesday: A Wednesday, released on September 5 2008, is the dark horse success of 2008. A powerful script, impeccable dialogues and a unique treatment by director Neeraj Pandey, made this probably the most watchable movie of 2008. Naseerudin Shah proved that he is inimitable when it comes to stellar performance.
13. 1920: A spooky movie directed by Vikram Bhatt (released Sep 12' 08) was high on horror around a haunted palatial house. Newbies Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma gave a spirited (no pun intended!) performance. The fantastic English locales and visual effects proved to be the USP of the film.
14. Welcome to Sajjanpur: Welcome to Sajjanpur, released on September 19 2008 was director Shyam Benegal's entry to commercial cinema. The movie shot in rural set-up brought back memories of Malgudy Days and fared well at the box office.
15. Fashion: Fashion directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, gave a push to Priyanka Chopra who went down-slide with four back to back flops in 2008. It appealed to the youth and the upper crust and did good business.
16. Golmaal Returns: Released on the same date as Fashion (October 29' 2008) , Golmaal Returns was a run-away super hit. Though marred by critics, it was declared a huge success by the masses. It surpassed the first day totals of Om Shanti Om, last year, by collecting 22.03 lakhs on day one. This Rohit Shetty venture earned Rs.48 crores in the first week, making it the third biggest hit of 2008.
17. Dostana: Dostana directed by Tarun Mansukhani for Karan Johar released on November 14' 2008. The story of two men Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, who pretend to be gays, and fall in love with eye-candy Priyanka Chopra made the box office smile. By December 12, it had already earned Rs.80 crores.
18. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: One of the much awaited movies, the Shahrukh Khan starrer Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, released on December 12'08. Made on a modest budget of Rs.22 crores by Yash Raj standards, Aditya Chopra directed this movie to success. The movie also featured debutante Anushka Sharma. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi earned 7.5 crore net all over India and by day 1, and earned Rs.44.5 crores by week 1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the second biggest hit of 2008.
19. Ghajini: The most awaited movie Ghajini, proved to be a record breaking success. The most successful movie of the year and perhaps one of the all time big hits, this Aamir Khan movie directed by A.Murgadoss proved recession cannot beat quality. Released on December 25, 2008, this remake of the Southern movie of the same name is running quite strong, thanks to the Aamir Khan brand power. On Day 1, Ghajini earned Rs.33 crores, (compared to Rs.18 crore of Rab Ne) worldwide, something which is unheard off. Ghajini is all set to pass Rs.100 crores in three weeks, overtaking the lines of previous two years biggies Om Shanti Om (Rs.80 crores) and Dhoom 2 (Rs.85 crores).
Conclusion 2008: Ghajini has proved to be a big money spinner for Bollywood. The year 2008 has pooled in 15 percent or Rs.900 crore more than last year. Call it the Pareto Principal, if you will but Rab Ne and Ghajini have added another 20 percent more to the box office collection of movies preceding them. Masala films and movies based on 'terror issues' dominated 2008.
So, here is the countdown of the top 5 films of Bollywood 2008:
5. Race
4. Singh is Kinng
3. Golmaal Returns
2. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
1. Ghajini

Bollywood Actresses Who Went Nude

Bollywood, the biggest film industry in the world, with respect to the number of films released, has been fairly conservative with regards to love-making scenes or nudity. Due to the cultural upbringing and conditioning of India, sex was more or less a taboo and nudity has been something that has been kept off limits. The mindset has slowly and steadily been eroding since the 2000 and the industry has been become more liberal due to the young generation. However complete nudity is still not accepted and can take controversial proportions.
Bollywood actress and models have gone without clothes for magazines, for a movie scene or just for a lark. Sometimes, the clothes have dropped from their body in a classic case of wardrobe malfunction. For instance, Dimple Kapadia's towel slipping act in Saagar, was perhaps the beginning of wardrobe malfunction, long before Janet Jackson's nipple gate happened. So here are some of the controversial and rare instances where Bollywood actresses went nude for the camera:
1. Zeenat Aman was shown topless, draped in a see though flimsy saree which exposed her voluptuous charms in the movie Zeenat Aman. Raj Kapoor, the legendary director who was rumored to have a fetish of big breasts, said, "You will come to watch Zeenat's tits but will forget about them and remember only the movie by the time you leave the theater" This was way back in the 70s when such kind of exposure was looked upon with shock.
2. Mandakini bared her breasts the 1986 film 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' through a white transparent saree, as she bathed under the water fall. This movie was also a huge hit and people download and watch Mandakini's legendary waterfall scene that created history.
3. Mamta Kulkarni went topless for Stardust in the 90s and this cover page exposure took on the shape of a big controversy. Negative publicity is always good in media and the magazine sold many copies
4. Kashmira Shah: Kashmira Shah was shown nude from behind,and a part of her breasts were shown on camera, much to her chagrin in the movie Revathi.
5. Madhu Sapre: Madhu Sapre, the model faced a lot of controversy and ire when she posed nude along with her then boyfriend Milind Soman for Tuff Shoes

Height of Bollywood Stars

In India, even outside India there are lot of Bollywood fans.
One question that comes to your mind will be how tall are our Bollywood stars? Everyone is interested in knowing how tall are Bollywood stars, actors and actress. Every Bollywood fan wants to know Bollywood Stars height, actors and Bollywood Actress height. Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan are the tallest in the actors and Sushmita Sen in the actresses.
There are many peoples, who want to make their carrier in Film Industry or in Bollywood, who are worried about their height but not every actor is taller like Amithabh or Akshay Kumar. There are many film actors in Bollywood whose height is even less than 5 feet 8 inches, like Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Irfan Khan etc.
We did a lot of research and put our best efforts to make the information more trustworthy but still nobody cant give same opinion about the heights even the actors and actress don't reveal the truth.
If you think that you have more accurate information than we had published then feel free to share it with us.
Height Of Bollywood Actors:
Aamir Khan - 5'6"
Abhishek Bachchan - 6ft 3 inch
Ajay Devgan - 5ft 8inch
Akshay Kumar - 6ft 0inch
Akshaye Khanna - 5'9"
Amitabh Bachchan - 6ft 3inch
Anil Kapoor - 5'11"
Arjun Rampal - 6' ft 0inch
Bobby Deol - 6ft 0inch
Emraan Hashmi - 5'9"
Fardeen Khan - 5' ft 11inch
Govinda - 5 ft 8inch
Hritik Roshan - 6 ft 0inch
Irfan Khan - 5.0
Jackie Shroff - 6'0inch
John Abraham - 6' 1inch
Ranbir Kapoor - 5' 11inch
Rishi Kapoor - 5 fut 7 ½ inch
Shahid Kapoor - 5 fut 9inch
Saif Ali Khan - 5 ft 8inch
Salman Khan - 5 ft 7 inch
Sanjay Dutt - 6ft 0inch
ShahRukh Khan - 5 feets 8inch
Shatrughan Sinha - 6 feet 1inch
Sunil Shetty - 5':11 ½ inch
Sunny Deol - 5:: 11inch
Uday Chopra - 5 fit 7.5inch
Vinod Khanna - 6 foots 0inch
Vivek Oberoi - 5 feets 10inch
Height Of Bollywood Actress::
Aishwarya Rai - 5 ft 7 ½ inch
Aditi Govitrikar - 5 ft 3inch
Amisha Patel - 5.4
Amrita Arora - 5 ft 4 ½ inch
Bipasha Basu - 5-ft 8inch
Bhoomika Chawla - 5.ft 3inch
Deepika Padukone - 5.ft 9inch
Diya Mirza - 5 ft 3inch
Isha Koppikar - 5 ft 7inch
Jaya Bachchan - 5 ft 2inch
Juhi Chawla - 5 ft 5inch
Kajol - 5 5"
Kareena Kapoor - 5'-5"
Karishma Kapoor - 5 ft 6inch
Katrina Kaif - 5 ' 8 ½ inch
Lara Dutta - 5 ' 8inch
Lisa Ray - 5.5 feets
Neha Dhupia - 5.6
Madhuri Dixit - 5.5
Mamta Kulkarni - 5'5"
Malaika Arora - 5-5
Mona Chopra - 5.6"
Pooja Batra - 5-' 9inch
Height of Preity Zinta - 5' 4inch
Height of Payal Rohatgi - 5.6
Priyanka Chopra - 5: 7 ½ inch
Raveena Tandon - 5: 7inch
Rani Mukherjee - 5:: 3inch
Reema Sen - 5 feet 5inch
Rekha - 5: 7inch
Riya Sen - 5foot 1inch
Shamita Shetty - 5 fit 6 ½ inch
Shilpa Shetty - 5 ft 8inch
Sherlyn Chopra - 5 feet 6inch
Sonal Chauhan - 5feet 6 ½ inch
Sonali Bendre - 5foot 8inch
Sridevi - 5feet 7inch
Sushmita Sen - 5 ft 9 ½ inch
Tabu - 5 - 8inch
Height of Twinkle Khanna - 5ft 6inch
Urmila Matondkar - 5' 4inch
Yukta Mookhey - 5' 11inch.

Bollywood Movie Releases of 2009, Hindi Films of 2009

Here is the list of Bollywood movies releasing in 2009. Akshay Kumar has quite a good line up of films in 2009 while Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan have a film each, apart from their special appearances in three films. Among the actresses, the three Ks-Kangana Ranaut, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif look set to have a good year.
* Victory: Victory starring Harman Baweja, is one of the most expensive movies of 2009. The story is about a boy from a small time village in Rajasthan who fulfills his father's long cherished dream of being an acclaimed cricketer at the national level. There are cameo appearances by many international cricketers as well. Anupam Kher and Amrita Rao costar in Victory.
* Acid Factory: Acid Factory, a Sanjay Gupta film has an elaborate start cast of Dia Mirza, Irrfan Khan, Fardeen Khan, Manoj Bajpai, Aftab Shivdasani and Danny Denzongpa. Acid Factory is about a group of people, whose sense of past has been erased from their memory. It is a high octane thriller, making the bad and evil relish-able. Dia Mirza plays a bad woman for the first time. The music of Acid Factory has been give by many music directors, including Sandeep Chowta, Anand Raj Anand, Mika Singh. The director of Acid Factory is Suparn Verma.
* Raaz-The Mystery Continues: Director Mohit Suri attempts to show in this sequel to Raaz, that no one is good or bad totally; every one has their own demons to fight. Raaz-The Mystery Continues is a story of three people. Emraan Hashmi an artist, visualizes and prophecies the brutal death of Kangana Ranaut. Kangana's beau (reel and real life) Adhyayan is determined to save her at any cost. The movie under Mukesh Bhatt's Vishesh Films releases on January 23, 2009.
* Chandni Chowk to China: Director Nikhil Advani is back with a prized Akshay Kumar starrer-Chandni Chowk to China. The story is such that Akshay Kumar works at a roadside foodstall in Chandni Chowk, cutting vegetables and dreaming of a better life. He consults astrologers, tarot readers and the lot, believing in everything but himself. His redeeming moment comes when two strangers from China claim that he(Akshay) is a reincarnation of a war hero and takes him to China. Akshay moves along with Ranvir Shourey in a bid to realize his brave past. Along the way he meets Deepika Padukone and they set off in a series of adventures.
* Billu Barber: If Aamir Khan adapted a movie Ghajini from the south last year, Shahrukh Khan does a similar thing this. Billu Barber produced by Shahrukh Khan is loosely based on the friendship between Kishen and Sudama and also borrows from the Malayalam superhit Kuselan. Shahrukh Khan plays himself in the movie(call it an extended special appearance) while Irrfan Khan, who is the protagonist plays a small town barber. Whatever the fate of the film, one thing is for sure: you will blown away by the performances of two of the best actors of Bollywood.
* Delhi 6: The best director of 2006 Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra produces and directs this film. It is an autobiographic take on his growing days in Delhi. The film should be the trump card for actress Sonam Kapoor. It also stars Abhishek Bachchan. There is a huge expectation from the director who started a revolution with Rang De Basanti.
* Delhi Belly: Imran Khan who had played two distinct roles in hit Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and flop Kidnap, comes back in a frothy comedy, to be made by the best producer in Bollywood, yep you guessed it right, Aamir Khan. There is buzz that Delhi Belly is an adult comedy with 'strong language' and sexual innuendos. The movie Delhi Belly is being marketed as an adult copy, appealing to a niche audience and international market. The film is directed by Abhinav Deo.
* New York: Kabir Khan who surprised us pleasantly with "Kabul Express" comes back in 2009 with a taut thriller called 'New York' . New York stares Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham who has stripped himself to the buff(rejoice girls!) for a particular sequence of the film. New York is a contemporary story of three friends whose lives are scarred events beyond their control.
* Luck by Chance: The man of multiple talents Farhan Akhtar stars in what could be one of the finest Bollywood movie release to 2009.The star studded release include Hrithik Roshan, Rishi Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Dimple Kapadia, Isha Sherwani, Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Kapoor. Luck By Chance is a take on the aspiring actor with stars in his eyes, who wants to get a foothold in the Bollywood industry. It is a movie about how much of an impact does luck play in Bollywood.
* 8 x 10: This will be Akshay Kumar's first 'non-filmi' movie if one can use this term. In a relatively low budget film directed by the ever dependable Nagesh Kukoonoor and produced by Percept, it will portray Akshay Kumar as a man who can look into the past of dead people by touching objects that belonged to them. Inspired lightly by 'Sixth Sense,' this film is a must watch.
* Alibaug; Directed by Sanjay Gupta, it has a bevy of actors: Sunjay Dutt, Sanjay Suri, Diya Mirza, ROhit Roy and Maushmi Makhija. The story deals with nine youths who have just graduated from college and are looking at the real world that awaits them.
* Alladin : Alladin is an interpretation of Arabian Nights. It stars Riteish Deshmukh as Alladin and Amitabh Bachan as the genie. Expect a lot of special effects in this funny tale. Sanjay Dutt also stars in the film as a villain called Ringmaster, directed by Sujoy Ghosh.
* Ajab Prem ki Ghajab Kahani: Raj Kumar Santoshi, one of the prolific directors of Bollywood, attempts to bring the magic of Andaaz Apna Apna once again with a comic caper cum love story, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. The movie has a simple story of Ranbir Kapoor who moves around in his life, aimlessly. He keeps on fooling around till he meets Katrina Kaif and falls in love with her. After that the fun and madness begins.
* * Aashayein: Aashayein directed by Nagesh Kukunoor stars Ayesha Takia and John Abraham. John Abraham plays a compulsive gambler suddenly discovers that he is a victim of terminal illness, and that he has only 90 days to live. He is admitted to a hospital where he discover love, companionship and the beautiful meaning of life.
* Kambhakkt Ishq: One of the most talked about movies, Kambhaqt Ishq has beeen in news since 2008. Kambakth Ishq has cameo roles from major Hollywood stars including Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Akshay Kumar who plays stuntman, will be back in his action avatar, doing dare devil stunts. The movie also stars Aftab Shivdasani, Amrita Arora and is directed by debutant Sabir Khan. Kambakth Ishq is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.
* London Dreams: London Dreams, one of the most expensive movies of 2009 stars Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Asin. London Dreams is a story about two pop stars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan who fall in love with a South Indian girl, Asin.
* Rensil D' Silva's next: Rensil D'Silva who was Rang De Basanti's screenplay writer become director with this film. It is a thriller with global terrorism in the background. The movie stars Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi and Kareena Kapoor. Karan Johar is the producer.
* Hissss: Hissss is synoymous with Mallika Sherwat. Hollywood collaborates with Bollywood to produce Hissss. Mallika plays a snake who is on the way to seek vengeance. An American visitor steps into the jungles of India and kills the female snake's mate which makes her seek revenge. Expect a lot of special effects in this flick. Apparently Mallika Sherwat who is dressed in a painfully heavy snake costume(she couldnt even go to the loo for 10 hours flat while shooting for this film) has no dialogue to mouth in the film.
* De Dhana Dhan: Priyadarshan is back with his style of comedy with De Dana Dhan. The movie stars the current hot onscreen pair-Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar. Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal also star in the film, hopefully to recreate the Hera-Pheri magic, 9 years ago. De Dana Dhan is a story of two broke guys who are in search of big money, to prove a point to their girlfriends. The movie also stars Sameera Reddy and Neha Dhupia.
* What's Your Rashee: Director Ashutosh Gowariker tries a love story with What's Your Rashee? starring lovers Priyanka Chopra and Harman Baweja. The movie is an adaptation of a Gujarati novel by Shri Madhu called Kimbali Ravenswood. The romantic movie is a story about how Harman Baweja has just ten days to win over the love of his life, Priyanka Chopra.
* Kaminay: One of the most prolific directors, Vishal Bharadwaj comes back with a bang in Kaminay, starring Shahid Kapur, Priyanka Chopra and Amol Gupte(the creative director of Taare Zameen Par). Easily one of the awaited films of 2009, you will see Shahid Kapur in a double role here. The look of Shahid is going to be totally different for Kaminay and it is reportedly kept under the wraps. The movie is supposed to be a comedy with a difference.
* Imtiaz Ali's next film: Imtiaz Ali, who had given the saccharine sweet Jab We Met, two years ago, comes up with a romantic intense tale, which stars Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan. Though the story is kept under wraps, it will be a true-blue love story of 2009.
* Wake Up Sid: Call it unconventional romantic pairing, but we have Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor starring in Wake Up Sid, directed by debutant Ayaan Mukherjee. It is a Karan Johar production. Will be interesting to see how people from two different genres, Konkona and Ranbir do with this one.
* It's My Life: The sweetheart of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na(2008) pairs up with Harman Baweja in the movie Its My Life. The movie is directed by the director with the superhit track record, Anees Bazmee.
* Wanted-Dead or Alive: Starring the muscular Salman Khan and the voluptuous Ayesha Takia, Wanted-Dead or Alive should be the first big hit of the most under rated performer of Bollywood, Ms. Takia. Prabhudeva's first Bollywood directorial venture is a remake of his Tamil-Telugu blockbuster Pokiri. The pairing of the two beautiful actors is wonderful and the chemistry is going to sizzle the screen.
* Blue: Blue, one of the most expensive film of Bollywood ever(budget more than Rs.100 crores), has Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Lara Dutta and Zayed Khan in lead roles. The action film is shot in Bahamas and is written by American writers Joshua Lurie and Bryan M. Sullivan. The movie has a lot of underwater scenes and dare devil stunts by Akshay Kumar. A.R.Rahman has given music for the film. Australian singer Kylie Minogue has been reportedly paid 1.5 million dollars to sing for Rahman, Antony D'Souza is to direct the film.

The Changing Role of Grandparents in Today's Society

Almost 5 million children under the age of 18 are being raised by grandparents.
An increasing number of grandchildren rely on their grandparents for food, shelter, clothing and emotional support. For these grandparents, raising another family wasn't part of the plan. They were looking forward to retirement, hobbies, travel or just taking it easy.
Many of these grandparents are in their 50's and 60's, and facing health problems that often come with getting older. For some, starting over with children means the retirement they were looking forward to won't happen for several more years.
What about the financial stress? Most of us didn't include raising children when we were budgeting for our senior years. There are programs that provide financial assistance at the state level, 'if you qualify'.
For some this is a hard avenue to take even if they qualify. We've worked and taken care of our responsibilities for years and now the thought of public assistance is a hard pill to swallow..
It doesn't seem fair to now have to be the disciplinarian instead of the one who gets to spoil these children, but what are the alternatives? If it wasn't for the grandparents stepping up and taking responsibility, most of these children would end of in foster care and where there are two or more they are very often separated.
There is a wealth of information on the web. You can start by searching the sites for your local state, county or city. Also there are senior associations that have some valuable information. Many churches offer help and there are support groups available.You can go to your search engine and type in keywords that will take you to informational sites. Some suggestions would be grandparents, parenting grandchildren, extended family, raising grandchildren--these are just a few suggestions.
If you go through your search engine, a good suggestion would be to bookmark the search engine results page and then go back and click on each site. You can save the ones that appear to be relevant to your situation by bookmarking them.
When you have saved several sites, then go back and study each one and take note of the information that addresses your situation. This may seem time consuming and it is but it will be worth it in the end.
Also look for blogs. I found several good ones by using two searches. In your search engine type in grandparenting/blog for one and raising grandchildren/blog for another. Both will get you excellent results.