I am working in Bollywood as per my plan: Madhuri

Actress Madhuri Dixit, who will be seen in two upcoming Hindi films, is happy to work with a new crop of talented actors and says she has been working in Bollywood as per her own plan.

Madhuri is set to stage a comeback in Bollywood after a gap of six years with two projects - Vishal Bharadwaj's home production Dedh Ishqiya and Anubhav Sinha-produced Gulab Gang.

She has also done an item song in Karan Johar's home production Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which released today.

"I don't why people call it a comeback... It is a mystery to me. Everyone works according to their plan. The vibe from industry people is positive... People love me and are waiting to see ,Gulab Gang and Dedh Ishqiya," Madhuri told.

After her marriage in 1999 to a US-based surgeon, she did Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas in 2002. She then took a break and staged a comeback with Aditya Chopra's home production Aaja Nachle in 2007.

Despite missing from the silver screen, the 46-year-old filmstar was very much present on small screen. She appeared as one of the judges in TV dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa in season four and five. She will be again judging the show in its sixth edition that starts from June 1.

After marriage, Madhuri relocated to US for almost a decade. But in 2011, she shifted her base back to Mumbai along with her family.

Gulab Gang, directed by newcomer Soumik Sen, also stars Juhi Chawla, Mahie Gill, Shilpa Shukla and others.

"I have done everything in this film - fight scene, dancing and singing. It is an entertaining film. We are saying quite a few things through this film but in an entertaining way. It is not a heavy film which delivers sermons. It was good working with a new crop of actors. They were full of energy, have ideas and are confident. It was wonderful working with talented actors," she added.

In the late 1980s and early 90s, Madhuri and Juhi Chawla were considered on-screen competitors. But now, they are working together on Gulab Gang, loosely based on a group of women fighting against social injustice.

"I have worked with Juhi for the first time (in this film) and she is a wonderful co-star. We have some niceinteresting scenes together," Madhuri said.

For Gulab Gang, Madhuri did sing a few lines with her mother Snehlata. "They wanted a voice for a particular sequence, not a proper song. With a couple of instruments playing in the background, they wanted the actress (Madhuri) to break into a song. They wanted to make it realistic, so when the director asked me, I thought about it and agreed." Madhuri said the artistic talent in her is because of her mother, who has interest in music.

"My mother couldn't learn dance but made her daughters learn it. We got those things from her. I took her aside and asked her to sing one line for me (for 'Gulab Gang' song). She sang and I was like "mom you have made your debut at 80," she said. Her other project is Dedh Ishqiya, directed by Abhishek Chaubey. The first part (Ishqiya in 2010) got rave reviews and healthy box office collections.

For the sequel the makers have retained lead actors Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. Madhuri is expecting positive response to the sequel as well.

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Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Music Review

Ratings:3/5  Review By:  Anand Holla  Site:Mumbai Mirror

Ever watched a funny movie, only to find that the promos had exhausted its best jokes? To a considerable extent, Pritam's latest album recreates that disappointing deja vu as its two tracks, which have been coming out of our ears, are easily the finest of the eight-piece tracklist.Flanked by two trump cards, the album mostly falters, partly recovers.

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Ratings:4.5/5  Review By:  Radio Mirchi Site:Times of India

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD) is a delightful collection of breezy upbeat numbers, with an emphatic stress on the arrangement, which really takes the compositions to another level altogether. And if you thought the YJHD album is only about foot-tapping tracks like Badtameez Dil (which is already a declared hit), think again. Kabira brings in a sense of melody with a semi-urban touch, backed by absolutely marvelous instrumentation. Subhanallah too celebrates that softness, which is such a characteristic of this composer.

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Ratings:4/5  Review By:  Rafat  Site:Glamsham

Summing up, the audio of YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI is indeed very good, and two songs, 'Badtameez Dil' and 'Balam Pichkari' are already chartbusters and our pick as well, but still that real blockbuster album (with every track outstanding, a la Pritam's JAB WE MET ) that one felt was in the offing is missing. Nonetheless, the popularity of the audio will surely translate in the film opening to bumper houses when it releases on 31st May all over.

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Ratings:4/5  Review By:  Bodrul Chaudhury  Site:Bollyspice

To sum up, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is a delicious album that will surely satisfy your musical needs. Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya have carved a splendid soundtrack, which will certainly go onto become one of the top Bollywood albums of 2013. There are a range of amazing songs in this album that contain the right ingredients which will ultimately enthral you. Therefore, make the time to listen to Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. You will be a fool to miss out on this one!

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Fast and Furious 6 Movie Review

Anupama Chopra didn't review Fast and Furious this week
Ratings:3/5  Review By:  Rajeev Masand  Site:CNN IBN (IBNLive)

Like a well-oiled engine, the Fast & Furious series can be counted on to deliver what it promises on the box: gleaming cars, thrilling chases, and buff stars who look like they’ve stepped out of the pages of a fitness magazine. The new installment, Fast & Furious 6 is just as dumb as the previous films, and its action scenes so furiously edited that it’s hard to tell who’s doing what, and to whom. But, as we’ve come to learn, that’s the charm of these movies…the stunts are outrageous, and the plot basic enough for an eight-year-old to enjoy.I’m going with three out of five for Fast & Furious 6. It’s loud and noisy, and a lot of fun even if it doesn’t make much sense.

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Ratings:3/5  Review By:  Bryan Durham Site:Times of India

Clocking in at over two hours, the film is filled with all the high-octane speed chases and close combat scenes we've come to expect from the franchise. And while it doesn't disappoint in the outrageously and shamelessly fun bang-em-cars, road rage and the cheesy humour departments, it does drag by taking "detours" and self-discovery trip subplots that could easily have been done without. The girl-on-girl fight scenes are actually more kick-ass than the ones with the guys. That being said, this one's purely for fans of the franchise and action junkies alike.

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Ratings:2/5  Review By:  Raja Sen Site:Rediff

The Fast And The Furious 6 isn’t about niggling details like plot and character as long as the stunts can be amped up -- and this time they reach a level so ludicrous that the film ends up like an animated film. Without heart but with a whole lot of sparkle, and even more volume. Physics? How dare you, sir?There’s lunacy. And there’s energy. And while this is an utterly stupid film that seems almost proud of being unmemorable, it mostly amuses. Oh, and Gina Carano is awesome.

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Ratings:3/5  Review By:  Tushar Joshi Site:DNA

There is a proportionality between the size of Vin Diesel's biceps and the number of car chases in Fast & Furious 6. As the films gets older, the characters get bulkier and the story line thinner. Fans of the series who loved the repertoire between the characters about engine specs and rev speed, might be disappointed as majority of the story focuses on family ties and Dom's revived loved life. The second half puts the adrenaline rush in third gear and takes the story line beyond the rubber burns and skid marks. Lin focuses on the emotional bonds between the characters making them more than just steroid studs. But there are moments when you feel that how many more explosions and chases do you have to sit through? Also, you sense a bit of haste and hurry as Lin tries to wrap up the climax which has a giant airplane in the centre piece.

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Ratings:2.5/5  Review By:  Khalid Mohammed Site:Deccan Chronicle

It’s time to fasten the seat belts, gulp at the screeches and slam-biff-kapows, and pray hard that all the guys and gals out there in Fast and Furious 6, survive yet another edition of hell on wheels. Despite the cornball storyline and that extreme sense of deja phew, this addition to the 12-year-old franchise, still has you fixated – a guilty pleasure, perhaps, of watching a galaxy of high-end car brands –a Dodge Challenger, Nisaans and Aston Martins – vrooom right before your eyes for a length of 130 minutes.Overlong that, especially for an actioner on speed. The upside is that you do get your ticket money’s worth.

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Ratings:3/5  Review By:  Malvika Rao Site:Bookmyshow

Those who have followed the series will enjoy the comfort and camaraderie that the ensemble cast share. But for first timers, even though the relationships from the previous films are not explained, the humor makes up for it. Apart from fast cars & action, the hand to hand combat moves away from the beefy bald men to the tough ladies. The emphasis on family, loyalty and friendship are endearing and familiar for fans of the series and double up as good leverage to alienate the scheming bad guys with no scruples against the good guys.Verdict: An explosive evolution of the F and F series. Includes all the ingredients that make the film go “Boom”.

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Ratings:--  Review By:  Neil Genzlinger Site:New York Times ( NDTV)

That provides just enough plot to propel the movie from car chase to car chase. These flashy smashies and a climactic sequence, in which the good guys try to prevent Shaw from taking off in an airliner by tethering their cars to it, make the movie a satisfying thrill ride, at least on a par with the earlier installments. A nice twist near the end is well disguised, and a coda hints at what’s to come in Part 7.

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Ishkq In Paris Movie Review

Anupama Chopra didn't review Ishq in Paris this week

Ratings:1.5/5  Review By:  Rajeev Masand  Site:CNN IBN (IBNLive)

Writer-director Prem Raj (formerly Prem Soni, who helmed that forgettable Salman Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Main Aur Mrs Khanna) piles on the clichés, slipping into a quicksand of regressive ideas and over-familiar stereotypes. The film becomes increasingly soppy in its second half, but never in a way that you truly care for its characters. And how can you anyway? Ishkq in Paris is a misguided, overwrought affair that feels way longer than its 96 minutes. I’m going with one-and-a-half out of five. Watch it if you can muster up the courage.

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Ratings:2.5/5  Review By:  Taran Adarsh  Site:Bollywood Hungama

What goes in favor of ISHKQ IN PARIS is the vibe and the chemistry between its lead actors. The love story has its moments, the humor is subtle and believable. On the flip side, the writing meanders from stimulating to wishy-washy. There are times when the film tries to be different from movies of its ilk, but doesn't really thrive. Sure, it begins with a bang, but it continues to taper as it moves forward. The director uses melodrama to depict anxiety and trauma, but the trouble is, haven't we watched it all in movies earlier? On the whole, ISHKQ IN PARIS is a decent fare, but its fate depends on word of mouth completely, for the film to carve a niche for itself. The delay in release [the promos had been on air for quite some time] coupled with lack of strong face-value might mar its prospects!

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Ratings:2/5  Review By:  Karan Anshuman Site:Mumbai Mirror

The problem with Ishqk in Paris is that it is too convenient a love story and ends on a faux note that is simply not who the characters are no matter how much the circumstances might've changed overnight for them. It is a lamentable moment for Priety Zinta, now in her twilight years as a lead actress in an ageist, unkind industry, that she has to choose a path of safety and ends up with a movie that needs a Salman Khan item. This film could've been so much more honest, real, gritty even. That would've been a worthy, valiant last stand.

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Ratings:2.5/5  Review By:  Meena Iyer Site:Times of India

Nearly one half of the film is wasted, doing precious nothing. When your patience starts to wear thin, you're told the reason why the beautiful Ishkq is against commitment is because her French mother Marie (Isabella Adjani) has been ditched by her Indian father (Shekhar Kapur) when she was just seven. This Indo-French girl therefore lives in a cocoon; hates marriage and fears divorce. Preity Zinta's maiden production has its aesthetics in place. Paris is enchanting. The actress is good but there ends the show.

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Ratings:1/5  Review By:  Raja Sen Site:Rediff

Maria, while beautiful, is clearly a hack, for the love story she describes is so unbearably generic that the script could have been assembled by putting together the outtakes from any number of romantic movies. Young fellow meets Manic Punjabi Dream Woman (ahem) in Paris, they Before Sunrise it for a night, and then Salman Khan pops up for a song. Textbook, truly.Ah, but even this hunk-less hunky-dory state can’t last forever. In a laughably bad heel turn, the hero goes from sap to scumbag in the space of one scene, going from cooing to cursing and berating the heroine’s family. “This is a rubbish love story,” Zinta says in the film’s most honest, self-aware moment. “I need a drink.”Ditto, miss. And you best be buying.

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Ratings:2/5  Review By:  Shubhra Gupta Site:Indian Express

This is Preity Zinta's own production, and she could have created for herself a character that would have hewed closer to where she is right now. There are moments where you feel she was ready for it, and then the desperate-to-come-off-winsome-yet-vulnerable character takes over. So does the mandatory item number, featuring the one and only Salman Khan, whose moves could have been better. Just like the film.

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Ratings:2/5  Review By:  Tushar Joshi Site:DNA

Ishkq works in the first half with lighthearted repartee between the lead actors. The stand up act where they mimic their first date is witty and entertaining. So are some of the pick up lines and dialogues. But the second half and the climax are so predictable that you know the end before the supposed 'change of heart' rolls in. Watch Ishkq if you are a die-hard PZ fan. Otherwise rent the Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy starrer Before Sunrise and experience the true essence of an European setting for a romantic film.

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Ratings:--  Review By:  Komal Nahta Site:ETC

The story fails to involve the audience as the two friends behave like one-day friends and refrain themselves from getting attracted to one another, physically or otherwise. Even the comedy between Ishkq and Akash is more in dialogues and that intermittent comedy will also appeal only to the class audience. The characters of Ishkq and Akash are so unbelievable and plastic that the audience fails to connect with them.On the whole, Ishkq In Paris is a dull love story which will fail miserably at the box-office and not only because of the dull promotion and poor initial.

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Ratings:4/5  Review By:  IANS (Subhash K Jha) Site:NDTV

Preity, Paris and Prem Raj whip up a souffle romance. Fresh, frothy feel good and, yes, look good, and with a solid undercurrent of emotional frisson to guide the love story to its heart-warming culmination Ishkq In Paris makes you thankful for that thing called love. The tone of narration is unmistakably European. Welcome back, Preity. And yes, bon appetite to all moviegoers. Go, tuck in.

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Ratings:2/5  Review By:  Mohar Basu Site:Koimoi

What’s Good: Romantic Comedies are warm and fuzzy. What’s Bad: An overstretched story invokes a grumbling effect for the entire second part. Watch or Not?: Though I swear by romantic comedies, Ishkq In Paris did not leave a fulfilling impact on me. Despite crisp editing, it is the loose plot, not so compelling story and mostly the unconvincing chemistry which are the film’s primary drawbacks. Unless you are Priety Zinta fan, you can easily give this one a miss!

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Hum Hai Raahi CAR Ke Movie Review

Ratings:1.5/5  Review By:  Taran Adarsh  Site:Bollywood Hungama

HUM HAI RAAHI CAR KE has its moments, but, frankly, what could've been a comic saga with pulse-pounding adventure and thrills loses its sheen soon after a promising start… sorry, runs out of fuel would be more appropriate for this 'car'naama… Like I stated earlier, the film starts off with gusto, it has a lot going for it since one can relate to the theme, but the barrel of laughs ought to be chock-a-block to sustain audience interest. In this case, the laughs become scarce and sparse after a point and though the makers and the on-screen characters do make a sincere attempt to make you grin or break into a guffaw, you don't! On the whole, HUM HAI RAAHI CAR KE is below par.

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Ratings:1.5/5  Review By:  Karan Anshuman Site:Mumbai Mirror

Unfortunately, all that Hum Hain Rahi Car Ke has in common with the film it puns its title on is, well, the pun on the title. Otherwise it is about as unmemorable a movie you're going to watch this summer. Hum Hain Rahi Car Ke is super tacky in all departments. Loud, horrendous overuse of sound effects, and a plastic-y visual quality as if the whole movie has been green screened. If you don't have the money, don't be ambitious with locations and look. You could do a lot more with a lot less if you invested in the right places, like paying good writers.

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Ratings:1.5/5  Review By:  Renuka Vyavahare Site:Times of India

Unfortunately, within few minutes, you realize the film has no story in the first place. The journey gets unbearable for you as an audience as there is nothing funny or adventurous about anything or anyone here. The film fails to qualify as a comedy to begin with. The jokes won't even make a 5-year-old laugh.However, the two cannot do much, given how silly and 'wannabe funny' the film is. Making a 'comedy' is not everyone's cup of tea after all.

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Ratings:--  Review By:  Komal Nahta Site:ETC

Probably, the biggest drawback of the drama is that although it is a youthful love story, the audience doesn’t root for the principal characters of the love drama. In fact, there is nothing in the script which makes the characters of Shammi and Priyanka endearing to the viewers. Also, the shortcoming of Priyanka does not seem to be such a big disability that her overcoming it would gladden the hearts of the viewers. Actually, the script is so structured that there is hardly any romance in the film. Comedy is enjoyable only at places. Emotions are conspicuous by their absence. Drama is minimal. On the whole, Hum Hai Raahi Car Ke is entertaining in small parts only but dull otherwise. It will, therefore, fail to make any mark. The poor initial of the film will only add to its tale of troubles.

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Ratings:1/5  Review By:  Laxmi Negi Site:Rediff

It would be wrong to call this movie a romantic comedy. The story moves forward without any clear direction and comes to an abrupt end because, you know, it HAS to end somewhere.Don't be surprised if you can't recall the film's name even as you come out of the theatre. There is nothing worth remembering here.

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Ratings:0.5/5  Review By:  Mohar Basu Site:Koimoi

What’s Good: Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Dutt prevail in their endearing stints. What’s Bad: Everything.Watch or Not?: Crammed with ridiculousness, Hum Hai Raahi CAR Ke impersonates stupidity. Signing the film off absolutely, I had a hard time waiting for the film to give me reasons to like it. Unfortunately there were none. Filled with boorish vagary, there is no excuse why you should traumatize yourself with this film.

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