Michael Jackson And Bollywood

Michael Jackson's death has left a huge dent in Bollywood. The legendary king of Pop and a performer par excellence inspired numerous actors and musicians the world over, including Bollywood. Be it his trademark fashion sense, his groovy dance steps and his attitude-all of them caught the frenzy of Bollywood.

* People like Mithun Chakraborty and Govinda were the 'desi Michael Jacksons' in the early part of their careers thanks to their dance themed films which had moves that were lifted from MJ's videos. Michael Jackson in a way, had contributed to the career graphs of many Bollywood actors who emulated his style and moves.

* Michael Jackson's visit to Mumbai,in the year 1996 was met with a super reception. None of the international performer in India have been able to replicate and whip up the frenzy which Michael Jackson had created.

* Michael Jackson inspired Bollywood comedian Johnny Lever to create numerous parodies on the musical genius. In fact, Johnny Lever's best act is a take off on 'they don't really care about us' from MJ's album-History

* The video 'Thriller' which has won numerous awards and is easily the best music video ever(without special effects, mind you) inspired quite a few horror scenes and horror sequences in films, both Bollywood and Hollywood. Thriller went on to become the biggest ever music album with records that cannot be surpassed.

* The song 'They Don't Really Care About Us" with its thumping beats and procession based video inspired numerous songs and videos in Indian films. For example, A.R.Rahman's music and the video of 'Maro Maro' from the movie Boys (Telegu film) is a tribute to 'They Don't Really Care About Us"

* The song 'In the Closet' which is easily the sexiest song of Michael Jackson featuring Naomi Campbell was copied in the form of 'Ding Dong Bole' for a Tushar movie 'kuch toh Hai'

* The song 'The Way You Make Me Feel' was an absolute 'tapori' song that has been replicated in numerous Bollywood and South Indians songs with the same moves.

Career Blunders in Bollywood, What Bollywood Actors and Actresses Missed On

Let us look at how rejects of some actors made stars of others!

Pradeep Sarkar was miffed over Vidya Balan having rejected Konkona Sens' role in Laga Chunari Mein Daag. The smart girl stuck to her role in Heyy Babby and rejected LCHD. The verdict was out: Vidya Balan had a cent percent success rate in Bollywood for 2007 with hits like Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiya . Good for her that she did not do LCMD! Now let us look at some of the career blunders, mistakes that actors and actresses of Bollywood have made. Let us look at the original choices of the hit Bollywood movies which were to star with actors who eventually walked away! Though they may say that bygones and bygones, they cannot refute the fact that these movies would have definitely made them bigger stars if not legends:

Shahrukh Khan: Rejected Lagaan and Munnabhai MBSS. Wonder how bigger he'd have risen if he had been a part of these movies. Unfortunately SRK was busy to allocate time for Lagaan and he was unsure about how the first time Raj Kumar Hirani would direct the film. Shahrukh Khan also rejected the role of flight lieutenant Ajay Rathod because he found that the role did not have sufficient depth and also because of the fact that he did not want to play second fiddle to Aamir Khan in Rang De Basanti. The role eventually went to Madhavan. Imagine how Rang De Basanti would have looked if Aamir, Shahrukh and Hrithik were in the movie! But the most commendable thing is Rang De Basanti still emerged a huge hit and a cult favorite even without star power of Hrithik and SRK.

Aamir Khan: Rejected Darr because he was conscious of the negative image and he was also denied a joint script reading with Sunny Deol. This really turned SRK's career on the upswing as he won the confidence of the Yash Chopra camp. Movies like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Dil Toh Paagal Hai, Mohabbatein and the ilk are the pleasant aftereffects which SRK relished.

Salman Khan: Rejected Baazigar because he thought it wouldn't work. In a humorous dig, Salman Khan has also commented had he starred in Baazigar, he'd also have built Baazigar. Rejected Kal Ho Na Ho(which ultimately went to Saif Ali Khan). Rejected Chak De India. He wanted a high amount of money for Chak De India

Kareena Kapoor: Though she is famous, she'd have got have easily been a top bracket star. Look at the movies that she dropped out of: Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Page 3, Kal Ho Na Ho. All these three movies were written with Kareena Kapoor in the mind but she had other priorities. Kareena Kapoor reportedly told Karan Johar in Koffee with Karan that she regretted missing out on Kal Ho Na Ho. Most of her reasons for not doing these movies were monetary.

Hrithik Roshan: He dropped out of Bunti aur Babli because he was busy with Koi Mil Gaya. He missed out on three good movies: Rang De Basanti, Dil Chahta Hai and Swades. Hrithik Roshan was to do Siddarth's role in Rang De Basanti. But Hrithik wanted to do Aamir's role. Rakesh Roshan on the other hand stated that Hrithik Roshan could not do the role because he was busy doing Krrish. There was another actor who walked out of the role due to creative differences. Read on to know more. Hrithik Roshan was also offered the role of Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hain which he did not do. Saif's career skyrocketed from Dil Chahta Hai. Hrithik Roshan also could not do Swades because of date problems.

Aishwarya Rai: Aishwarya Rai was the original choice for the movie 'Chalte Chalte' SRK's home production. She had even shot for some scenes. However there was always problems on sets due to intervening of Salman Khan while his then girlfriend Aishwarya Rai would work. There was an instance when Salman pursued Ash all the way to the sets and created a ruckus. SRK did not take this too politely and removed Ash from the movie. In walked Rani Mukherjee as Ash was shown the exit.

Vivek Oberoi: He walked out of Hum Tum because he thought he was worth a lot for the role The film eventually went to Saif Ali Khan. It is Viveik's biggest career regret because Saif Ali Khan got the Filmfare best actor in a comic role and also the National Award for the Best Actor.

Twinkle Khanna: Rejected Kuch Kuch Hota Hai thinking it was a minuscule role. Though the role was small, I am sure it would been impactful than the entire set of sloppy movies the actress did in her career!

Bipasha Basu: She was the original choice for the Dhoom babe, the role which eventually went to Rimmi Sen.

Akshay Kumar: Lost out on a dream debut 'Phool Aur Kaante' which went 

Bollywood's Impact on Indian Lifestyle

Cinema is said to be the mirror of society but it itself is quite influential and has deep impact on the minds of the viewers. We follow movies ardently and even carry them into our lives using services like Bollywood mobile sites and widgets on our cell phones. There are several things that we take from movies and make them a part of our lifestyles, knowingly or unknowingly.

Lots of people use a particular brand of soap, shampoo, car, mobile or clothes just because their favorite Bollywood actors advertise them. And this is not the only way Bollywood impacts us. We even like to copy the stars' fashion statements and styles from their popular movies. And these are just a few of the many visible or invisible influences that Bollywood has on our lives.

Movies like Babul raising issues of widow-remarriage or those like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham reasserting Indian cultural values of respect for parents' views, tend to make us wonder whether Bollywood is merely about entertainment. Rang De Basanti brought forth the very sticky and political issue of MIG crashes that was pushed into oblivion. It was only after the movie that people started demanding accountability.

There are several medium budget movies, especially from the new generation directors like Madhur Bhandarkar and Prakash Mehra, which call for rethinking of the lives around us. They not only force us to question the establishment but also make us aware of our rights and obligations, which generally remain unnoticed, even despite government awareness programs. The movies have also acted as eye openers for public by bringing forth socio-political issues, for instance in movies like Rann, Gulaal and Corporate.

The new wave of Indian cinema has more arduously started experimenting with new subject matters that are closer to our lives. So, if your son has come back after watching 3 Idiots and has decided that he does not want to be an engineer anymore, you will understand how this age of bollywood mobile is getting into your lives for real.

Shahrukh Khan, How Became King Khan

Shahrukh Khan is perhaps the most loved Indian actor alive. From the most sought after actor to the most influential pop culture icon, the story of king khan is an inspiration to thousands of aspiring actors. Born on 02 November, 1965 in New Delhi to a middle class Muslim Family, Shahrukh never thought he would become one of the most popular men in the world. Both his parents migrated from Pakistan to India during the partition of Indian sub-continent in 1947.

Shahrukh Khan studied at St. Columba's school in New Delhi. He was not particularly good in studies but he was very much involved in extra curricular activities like sports and drama. Shahrukh Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991 to pursue a career in Bollywood. He had already done a few television series in Delhi and though he was not a household name at that time but he wasn't a nobody either. The same year even before sigining up a single movie in Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan married Gauri Chibber. Gauri Chibber belonged to a Hindu Family and neither she nor Shahrukh changed their religions. The wedding was performed as a traditional Hindu wedding.

Before landing in Mumbai, Shahrukh had already done his homework. He learned acting while working with famous theatre director Barry John's Theatre Action Group. After that in 1987 he debuted on television by appearing as commando Abhimanyu in t.v. series Fauji. Later he worked with Aziz Mirza for the tv series Circus. Shahrukh's bollywood debut movie was Deewana released in 1992. It was a box office hit and Shahrukh's career launched with a great success, however his next film Maya Memsaab didn't do that well on the box office. In 1992, Shahrukh Khan appeared in two very similar roles of an anti-hero in two different movies Darr and Bazigar. Darr was produced and directed by Yash Chopra one of the most successful Hindi film directors of all time. Both these movies did great business, not only these movies established Shahrukh Khan as the most popular new actors in Bollywood, they also had huge influence on the popular culture.

Looking at King Khan's career one would notice that Shahrukh worked with some directors more than others. He worked in several movies with Aziz Mirza, Yash Chopra and his son Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Farah Khan, etc. He has very good friendship with all these film makers and many claim that these friendships helped Shahrukh a lot in his career. His performances are often compared with fellow actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. He has won Padma Shri one of the highest Indian civil awards for his career.

In the past decade Shah rukh Khan diversified his career a lot. He hosted TV show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati", appeared in advertisements, signed brand ambassador deals with world famous brands, produced big budget Bollywood movies, and bought a cricket team Kolkatta Knight Riders. He lives with his wife and two children in his house called "Mannat" which is situated in Bandra and is worth more than USD $27.5 Million.