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“Some friends are too good to be shared” – A tag line like this makes you wonder what the movie Cocktail is all about. The first promotional trailer of the film has been released on the internet. In fact, the movie title itself suggests a heady mixture and that is exactly what the trailer showcases.

Starring actress Deepika Padukone and actor Saif Ali Khan in their third film together after Love Aaj Kal and Aarakshan, an interesting blend to the already sizzling chemistry is new-comer Diana Penty in the subdued role of Meera.

The perfect blend of love, drama and friendship, Cocktail is a completely refreshing film – a movie for all ages and one for all seasons. Each character is well-defined and seems to hold their own. A modern romance with a twist of the traditionalist, fun, and most importantly high-spirits!

Cocktail is directed by Homi Adajania, of Being Cyrus fame, under Saif Ali Khan’s banner Illuminati Films. After an overwhelming response to the trailer that was launched midnight yesterday, the movie promises to be an entertaining one.

In a surprising development, megastar Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit’s wax statues will not be appearing at the world tour of Madame Tussauds Bollywood superstar collection.

However, statues of four other superstars namely Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor, will be travelling to Hong Kong and Bangkok among other world cities to be announced shortly, as part of the museum’s plan to tap the Bollywood fan base at these places, reports Daily Mail.

At Hong Kong, the statues will be showcased in the museum’s World Premiere Zone alongside the wax figure of Amitabh Bachchan. Since Big B already has a wax statue in Hong Kong, his statue at London won’t be travelling to the Asian city, the report adds.

“It’s just been a little over four years, when Salman’s wax statue was inaugurated with much fanfare at Madame Tussauds. Moreover, it’s been a favourite among fans and also known to be one of the most photographed there, at par with the ones of Shahrukh, Hrithik and Mr Bachchan. Strange, that it’ll be missing the world tour,” remarked Bollywood publicist Dale Bhagwagar.

“This will be a big disappointment for Salman’s fans across nations,” he added. It sure would be, considering Salman has now emerged the biggest of the three reigning Khans at the box-office, with huge hits like Wanted, Dabangg, Ready and Bodyguard under his belt, while his contemporary Shahrukh has given duds like Ra.One.

Wonder why Shahrukh Khan has received preferred treatment over Salman by Madame Tussauds inspite of his brand being tainted by controversies off late. First, was the brawl with Farah Khan’s husband Shirish Kunder. And now, we have the controversy about his tussle with security at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the IPL cricket matches, allegedly invoking a five year ban on SRK by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – New action movie “Battleship” collided with Iron Man, The Hulk and the rest of “The Avengers” this weekend at movie theater box offices, and the super heroes came out on top.

“Avengers” from Walt Disney Co’s Marvel Studios added an estimated $55.1 million to its U.S. and Canadian ticket sales and held the No. 1 box office spot for the third straight weekend, according to studio forecasts on Sunday.

The strong performance left big-budget “Battleship,” which launched in theaters on Friday, drifting in second place with $25.3 million. Final figures will be released on Monday.

Since it opened overseas in late April, “Avengers” has dominated movie theater box offices worldwide. Global sales for the film that unites a squadron of Marvel super heroes in a battle against evil reached $1.18 billion through Sunday, making it the biggest Disney release ever, the studio said.

Steady interest in “The Avengers” likely took business from “Battleship,” an effects-filled $209-million production inspired by a Hasbro board game. Ahead of the weekend, box office forecasters projected at least $30 million for “Battleship” in its North American (U.S. and Canadian) debut.

“We’re disappointed obviously, there are a lot of factors going into this including the juggernaut ‘Avengers’ … it’s taking a big chunk out of the marketplace,” Nikki Rocco, president of domestic distribution at Universal Pictures, told Reuters.

“As a studio, it’s not a disaster but as a domestic opening, it’s softer than we could have hoped for … the (audience) attention span is unfortunately altered when you have a juggernaut like ‘Avengers,’” Rocco added.

The movie stars Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgard as Navy officers engaged in a battle at sea against alien invaders. The U.S. Navy provided ships and crew members for the film.

Universal Pictures released “Battleship” overseas weeks ago. International sales since the April 11 debut reached $226.8 million through Sunday, the studio said. Combined, global ticket sales for “Battleship” stand at $252.1 million.

In third place for the weekend, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen‘s satire, “The Dictator,” earned $17.4 million domestically over the weekend. The movie opened on Wednesday last week, and its five-day total came in at $24.4 million.

“We’re ecstatic about that result. It’s a fantastic start for us and we couldn’t be more pleased … for us to think we could beat ‘Borat,’ that was a pretty high goal … hopefully we have a shot getting to ‘Borat’ numbers based on the opening,” Anthony Marcoly, president of international distribution at Paramount, told Reuters.

OPPRESSIVE LEADER

In the film, the irreverent Cohen, whose first film “Borat, Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” earned $128 million during its run in U.S. and Canadian theaters, again plays for laughs in “The Dictator.

This time Cohen portrays an oppressive leader of a fictional north African country. The movie cost $65 million to produce and Baron Cohen has been capturing headlines with high profile publicity stunts in the United States, London, Germany and Cannes, ahead of the film’s release.

Marcoly added that they will be pushing the film into Southern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia this summer, focusing on its comedic value in those markets, rather than Baron Cohen‘s star status.

“Dark Shadows,” a horror comedy starring Johnny Depp, ended its second weekend in domestic theaters in fourth place, falling from the No. 2 spot last week. The movie pulled in $12.8 million, for a total of $50.9 million to date.

In fifth place, comedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” took in $10.5 million. Based on a popular pregnancy advice book, the movie stars an ensemble cast including Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Chris Rock as soon-to-be parents.

Lions Gate, Alcon Entertainment and Phoenix Pictures produced the movie with a budget in the high $30 millions, reducing their risk with partnerships and foreign pre-sales.

Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp, released “Battleship.” Lions Gate Entertainment Corp released “What to Expect.” “Dark Shadows” was distributed by Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros studio. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, released “The Dictator.”

(Reporting By Lisa Richwine and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Vicki Allen)

CANNES, France (Reuters) – Danish director Thomas Vinterberg burst on to the scene in Cannes in 1998 with the acclaimed “Festen”, and critics say he is close to his best again this year with “The Hunt“, a shocking take on child abuse and its impact on a small community.

Unlike some movies on the same theme, The Hunt leaves no doubt as to the main character’s innocence.

Lucas, played by Danish star Mads Mikkelsen, is a nursery school teacher adored by the children and an integral part of a closely-knit circle of friends.

But when he is accused of sexual abuse by the young daughter of his best friend, smarting after he disciplines her for being over-affectionate, most of his colleagues and loved ones quickly assume the worst.

Events spiral out of control as the besmirched Lucas fights a lonely battle to prove his innocence and work his way back into a society that may never truly accept him again.

Rather than running away, he decides to confront his doubters, leading to tense standoffs and explosions of violence, invariably ending in humiliation.

Vinterberg portrays adults’ desire to believe children and protect them at all costs.

“In Denmark we have a saying that children and drunk people always tell the truth,” he told reporters ahead of the red carpet world premiere in Cannes on Sunday. “Yes, we are claiming that this is not always the truth.”

“OUR OWN SICK FANTASY”

The director said he researched many child abuse cases in order to make his movie.

“Frighteningly enough there are a lot of these cases. Early in the project (we) had to step out of real life and into drama so this is fully fiction and our own sick fantasy you could say.”

He called the community he portrays as a “microcosm” of a wider phenomenon – the speed and ease with which false rumors can spread and harm reputations in the age of the internet.

The Hunt is one of 22 films in competition in Cannes, which ends with an awards ceremony next Sunday where Mikkelsen is seen as a contender for the best actor award.

Up against popular entries like Cristian Mungiu’s “Beyond the Hills” from Romania and Austrian auteur Michael Haneke’s well-received “Love”, may be a long shot for the coveted Palme d’Or for best picture.

“I’m trying not to participate in this kind of handball or football game,” he replied, when asked how he felt about competing for awards in Cannes.

“This festival for me is the only festival in the world that protects the small, the pure and personal film and yet has the same strong amount of glamour around it.

“Of course, we’re part of the competition, of course I would love to bring back some gold, but I truly feel that the mission is completed already.”

One critic questioned the plausibility of elements of the plot, and amid loud applause there were a few boos after a press screening of The Hunt, but reviews have praised its gut-wrenching power.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White Editing by Maria Golovnina)

CANNES, France (Reuters) – It is a subject rarely tackled in cinema, but Austria’s Michael Haneke forces us to confront the reality that will befall us all – the end of life – in “Love”, his beautiful and devastating film at Cannes.

The French-language feature “Amour” follows an elderly married couple, former music teachers, who are enjoying a comfortable retirement in Paris before Anne, played by Emmanuelle Riva, suffers a stroke.

“It’s a very powerful film and it’s a very sober film. It might almost resemble a documentary on this terrible and very painful event,” Riva, best known for 1959′s “Hiroshima Mon Amour”, told a news conference.

“It’s tremendously simple and because it’s so simple it’s so powerful,” she added, speaking in French.

Tears flowed at the press screening ahead of the film’s red carpet world premiere on Sunday, and judging by critics’ enthusiastic tweets and blogs immediately afterwards, Haneke is the early frontrunner for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or.

Anne’s loving husband Georges, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant, admirably struggles to adapt as Anne’s situation deteriorates, but Haneke is unsparing in showing us the banality and sadness of a daily routine that defines their new life.

We see Georges helping Anne get out of the bed into her wheelchair, go to the bathroom, or with monotonous physical therapy, and with each, the viewer is sucked into their world, painfully aware that death is approaching.

“None of that deserves to be shown,” Georges tells his daughter Eva, played by Isabelle Huppert, as Anne’s speech deteriorates into incoherent mumbling.

OUT OF RETIREMENT

Haneke convinced veteran actor Trintignant, 81, to come out of retirement for the role of Georges. Trintignant won the best actor award at Cannes in 1969 for political thriller “Z”.

“I suffered greatly but … I’m very pleased by our work,” Trintignant said. “It was painful but very beautiful at the same time.”

Haneke, winner of the Palme d’Or for “The White Ribbon” in 2009 and a Cannes regular, said his new film is not a commentary on the elderly, or society’s treatment of them.

Rather, he said, he was proud to make a “simple” film about a relationship and its inevitable end.

“I never write a film to show something,” Haneke said, speaking in French.

“Once you reach a given age of necessity you have to contend with the suffering of someone you love … it’s inevitable. That’s what gave rise to this project, I was not trying to say anything about society per se.”

The director is known for being demanding on his actors. But a pigeon with a cameo appearance was also on the receiving end of Haneke’s orders.

“So long as he didn’t get what he really wanted, he (Haneke) made the pigeon do things again and again,” Trintignant said. “In fact there were two pigeons, because one of them gave up.”

“He didn’t think the pigeon was very good.”

(This story is corrected in graf 13 to show Haneke spoke in French)

(Reporting By Alexandria Sage; Editing by Maria Golovnina)

Coldwar between Aamir and SRK is known to all. Aamir took a dig at SRK when he mentioned in his blog that he calls his dog by the name of Shahrukh. For which SRK reacted saying he takes Aamir’s comment in good humour. Not only this, when Aamir rated SRK as No. 2, SRK reacted positively saying that he takes Aamir’s comment as a compliment. Also during recent promotional event of much talked about TV show, Satyamev Jayate, Aamir praised all shows and the hosts (Salman-Dus Ka Dum and Amitabh Bachchan-Kaun Banega Crorepati) but didn’t even mention Shahrukh and his shows (KBC or Kya Aap Panchvi Paas Se Tez Hain).

Once upon a time, Salman and SRK were best buddies. The rivalry started when SRK declined to do a cameo in Mr and Mrs Khanna. Under the influence of alcohol Salman has also termed his show was a flop. Things became serious during Katrina Kaif’s birthday party in 2008, when SRK made some out of line comments on Salman’s ex-girlfriend Aishwarya Rai which irritated Salman and he said further that he and SRK can never be friends. Also, Salman took a dig at SRK, during Mukesh Ambani’s birthday bash in Sachin Tendulkar’s honour.

Farah Khan and SRK were once very good friends but their friendship soured after he refused to do Shirish Kunder‘s Joker, which is also a reason for SRK and Farah’s husband Shirish enemity. According to reports, during Sanjay Dutt’s Agneepath bash, Shirish followed SRK and irritated him. Irritated Shah Rukh Khan assaulted and slapped Shirish. Previously Shirish took a dig at SRK by calling Ra.One as a “150 cr firework fizzle”.

When a person becomes successful, controversies surround him. And King Khan is not an exception to this. Shahrukh Khan is always in news for one or the other reason. In recent times, King of Bollywood has become the King of controversies! He has many friends and foes in the industry and outside. He has been criticised for his ‘King’ like attitude by many. Let us have a look at few of his controversies:

SRK-IPL: On Friday, May 18, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) banned Shahrukh for five years from entering Wankhede Stadium for his misbehaviour after the KKR-Mumbai Indians match on Wednesday. Earlier, Shahrukh was seen smoking at Sawai Man Singh Stadium on April 8, during an IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, and was summoned by Jaipur court.

SRK-Priyanka Chopra: He was also linked-up with his “good friend” Priyanka. It was said that they were getting cozy during the shoot of Don 2. Gauri Khan was upset and completely avoided Priyanka. Not only Gauri, many industries biggies like Karan Johar also avoided her. She was given a royal ignore in many parties and events.
This is not the first time he is linked to an actress. He was previously linked to Kajol and there was also a buzz that Ajay Devagn doesn’t want his wife Kajol to work with SRK.

SRK-Gauri Khan: SRK was in again in news when Gauri Khan was seen missing in the recent IPL matches. Gauri used to accompany Shahrukh in the previous IPL matches. Now, missing of Gauri Khan is creating a rumour about a trouble in their relationship. At Bandra nightspot, SRK was spotted with his sister Shenaz and children sans Gauri.

SRK-Abhijeet Bhattacharya: In an interview, the singer, Abhijeet, slammed SRK and said that SRK should apologise to him as he didn’t give him due credits for his works. He was hurt when his name appeared at the end, during the end credits of Main Hoon Na.

SRK-Shiv Sena: When SRK expressed his wish of Pakistani cricketers to participate in Indian Premiere League, they threatened to halt the film’s (My Name Is Khan) release.

SRK-Airport: SRK was detained for two hours at the White Plains Airport by the immigration authorities, when he was on the way to give a lecture at Yale University. “I was really hassled at the American Airport because of my name being Khan…It was absolutely uncalled for…I felt angry and humiliated,” a source quoted Shahrukh as saying. He was also detained at the Newark Airport in New Jersey (2009), and was questioned intensively.