I'm Back To Save the Day

I apologize for the long absence, but something has brought me out of hiding. Something so insidious that it needs to be addressed immediately. Before I get to it, however, quick summary of events since we spoke last: Bohemia's album sucked, 8x10 Tasveer failed at the box office, DJ Desiplaya is a pretty awesome DJ, and the Bollywood strike is pissing everyone off.

Now, to the important stuff. Buzz18.com published an article yesterday entitled "Akshay Needs to Start Worrying!" It harped on his recent box office flops and asserted that he was "arrogant" and made people in the industry "cringe."

Let's start with the first point - the flops. CC2C and 8x10 flopped, no arguments there. They were not necessarily bad box office performances, just not as good as he usually does. However, to use this and say it is the "beginning of the end" of his career is absolute rubbish. Even the great Amitabh Bachchan has had flops, yet he has the status he does. The industry has ups and downs for everyone, that's the way it works. You can't name one actor that hasn't had at least a few failures at the box office. His upcoming films, such as Blue, Kambakkht Ishq, and De Dhana Dhan will almost certainly get him back on the winning streak.

The claim they made of Akshay being so arrogant that he make's people cringe is baseless. Any interview of people that have worked with Akshay, including directors, producers, and co-stars, have nothing but pleasant things to say about him. They all feel that he is professional and a pleasure to have on set. Check out Stardust. Check out Filmfare.

Buzz18.com is ignorance at its best.

Tracks to End March with a Bang

As March comes to a close, I thought I'd let everyone know what they should be bumpin'.

AG Dolla just released another single off of his upcoming album, Mr. Shah, entitled "Here Tipsy." I've got to say, I really love AG's constant sampling of Bollywood tunes. He's done a few from Devdas, and now he took Lata Mangeshkar's beatiful vocals from Guide's "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki."



RDB has released another track from their free album, RDB Exclusives, this time a remix of Lil Wayne's "A Milli," entitled "Paisa (A Milli)." This track is ten times better than the original song and has some hard hitting bhangra beats I've been wanting to hear for a while. They even resampled the voice saying "A Milli" repeatedly to be Desi. Keep it comin', fellas, although I hope the entire album isn't just Weezy remixes. Download the track for free here.

Up and coming Vancouver based artist Aman Panesar has done a track called "Nakhre" with some MCs named EV, Advo, Faze, and Tumbiwalla. The song is over the "I Need A Girl Part II" beat and is straight up addictive. It reminds me a little bit of the P. Nox produced "Pyar," where G-Deep flowed over Baby Bash's "Suga Suga" beat. The MCs in this tune are pretty decent, but the Punjabi vocals are what make it worthwhile.



By the way, hasn't this 50 Cent and Rick Ross thing gone way too far? If you're unaware of the situation and have absolutely nothing else to do, take a look at this for a recap. It basically started with a Rick Ross song calling out 50 Cent in January, which led to a response by 50, and the feud has gone on til now and is really just a waste of time. Both parties are even making horribly unentertaining cartoons to take shots at each other, and it's just proof of where hip hop lies. Instead of making good music, they're putting their time into something so utterly juvenile.

Go Get the 8x10

We've finally got the soundtrack of Akshay's upcoming thriller, and my first impression was that the music was very fitting to the movie in the sense that it is experimental. This is not your average Bollywood soundtrack, and that's because this is not your average Bollywood movie.

We start with "Nazaara Hai," performed by Vishal Dadlani, and it's got a hard rock tone to it, reminiscent of Lucky Ali's "Maut" from Kaante. Interesting sound and deep lyrics make this a memorable one.

We move on to the romantic "Haafiz Khuda," sung by Mohit Chauhan & Tulsi Kumar. It's an extremely relaxed song, not for the clubs, but definitely for the living room.

"Aaja Maahi" by Neeraj Shreedhar and Tulsi Kumar is a beautiful tune, something on the calibre of Aladdin's "A Whole New World." I'm of the opinion that any Neeraj song has got to be a keeper. Play this one when your girlfriend is in the car (or the couch).

Next is Bohemia's "I Got the Picture." You already know my feelings on this one, and if not see an earlier post entitled "Bohemia & Akshay At It Again." Excellent song with excellent lyrics, although I still wish Akshay rapped in it as well. Good career choice for Bohemia, especially before the April 9 release of his third album, Da Rap Star.

Another duet from Mohit and Tulsi, "Kuchh Is Tarah," brings a feeling similar to "Haafiz Khuda." Definitely sets a chilled out atmosphere.

The rest are remixes, give them a miss. Keep an eye out for the film though, releasing on April 3. The soundtrack has got a variety, from a hip hop tune to an adrenaline inducing hard rock jam. Worth the purchase.

Bobby Deol's Ek: The Power of One

The new Bobby Deol starrer, Ek - The Power Of One, is set for realease on March 28. Bobby Deol hasn't had the best time, box office-wise, in the last few years, but I still think he's an excellent actor. His performance in Soldier with Preity Zinta made the movie as entertaining as it was, along with good action and a killer soundtrack. But seriously, I'm tired of Bobby Deol's name being dragged through the mud. Movies like Bichoo and Baadal had good roles by Bobby as a solemn, angry, protagonist. I suppose in recent years he hasn't had the best movies, but I believe Bobby has potential. Apne was a damn good movie, but I think his choice to do the guest appearance in Dostana was a bad idea. Everyone wanted Priyanka to end up with either John or Abhishekh (I know I did), so he set himself up for hatred by coming in the middle. That wasn't necessarily because he's Bobby Deol; I think anyone in that role short of Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, or maybe Hrithik Roshan would have been the subject of hate.

In any case, Ek's soundtrack is pretty good. We start off with "Sambhale" by Sunidhi Chauhan and Sukhwinder Singh, which sounds like it should be exemplary but is unfortunately average. The disc says rap by URL. I think it's safe to say we could have gone without URL's contribution.

Not to worry, we move onto Shaswati's "Sona Lagda," a really sweet tune that makes you forget all about the previous one. I'd pass on the "Kilogram Mix" that comes later, though. It's full of cheap lines like "Make me hot...all night long..." and ruins the beauty of the original.

"Tum Saath Ho" by Abhijeet and Shreya Ghosal (who's song "Jaddhu" by Shayal I've been playing nonstop) is also a nice number, and something about Abhijeet in this song brings me back to the 90s.

I think "Bang Bang" is the track to remember from this flick, with a feel in the spirit of the Rock On soundtrack. In any case, take a look at the trailer and let me know what you think.

Snoop Dogg Fails To Deliver A Second Time

After the success of "Singh Is Kingg," Snoop Dogg decided to ride on the success of Slumdog Millionaire for his new track, "Snoop Dogg Millionaire." I'd say the only positive thing on this track is the background vocals by Tanvi Shah. Producers Chase & Status failed to produce even a halfway decent beat -- it's actually abysmal, especially on the chorus. Even though Snoop's flow is pretty good, the horrible beat removes any chance this track had of becoming a success. Good thought, though, Snoop. Maybe next time.

Bollywood Beats

Mehul Shahs' Bollywood Beats is set to premiere on March 29 in Dallas. The film features music by The Bilz & Kashif, including the oh-so-addictive "Turn The Music Up" from their upcoming album, Breaking Barriers. From the trailer, looks like we can expect a fairly entertaining flick, reminiscent of American Desi and American Chai. I don't think any Desi crossover film has been able to touch American Desi, though, except maybe for Dude, Where's The Party? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for supporting these crossover endeavors, but movies like Green Card Fever and ABCD are really just abysmal attempts at cinema. Bollywood Beats looks good enough for at least a few chuckles, though. What do you guys think?

Bohemia & Akshay Kumar At It Again

The 8x10 Tasveer title track just released, this time with rapping solely by California based Desi Hip Hop artist Bohemia. While it is an excellent song with a catchy beat and lyrics that fit well with the psychological thriller idea of the movie ("Aadmi khilona duniya ke khel mein"), I can't help but be disappointed by one factor - why don't Akshay and Bohemia rap together? Their first collaboration, "C C 2 C" from Chandni Chowk To China, was basically a solo Akshay Kumar performance (although there is a separate version rapped by Bohemia). Then this track comes along, rapped solely by Bohemia and lip-synced by a pretty hardcore looking Akshay Kumar in the music video. Why don't the music directors ever have them rap two verses in the same song, similar to the "Singh Is Kingg" formula with Akshay and Snoop Dogg. Both are skilled in Punjabi rapping, and they have good chemistry, so it only seems logical that they would rap together on the same song. Maybe next time.

The video has Akshay proving once again that he moves with the times and pulls it off better than any Bollywood star of his generation. Poor Bohemia was not to be seen in the video, maybe because of the seizure he looked like he was having in the "C C 2 C" video. He looks normal in his own music videos, and as soon as he gets a chance to be in a Bollywood video, he acts like he has epilepsy; he was trying to hard to be a "gangsta," and looked like those annoying Desi kids who wear clothes ten times bigger than their actual size and walk like they have a limp. Anyway, check out the track and let me know what you think.

Shayal Makes Magic With Shreya Ghosal

Coming off of the success "Dil Deewana (Baby)" with Ginuwine, producer Shayal proves that he's not simply a one-hit wonder with "Jaddhu," featuring the angelic voice of Shreya Ghosal. This tune is demonstrative of Shayal's versatility, as it moves away from the club feel of "Dil Deewana (Baby)" and has a slow, romantic vibe to it, reminiscent of Raghav's "Humarahee" or Navin Kundra's "Tere Liye." Check it out and let me know what you guys think.

RDB Lets It Rock

Up for free download today is the exclusive RDB remix of Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock," called "Sher Punjabi (Let It Rock)." The original bhangarage producers put Kevin Rudolf's addictive beat to good use, with NS Chauhan's vocals alternating with Kevin Rudolf's. The track has even got an intro from Lil Wayne, biggin' up RDB. Looks like Weezy is branching into the Desi scene after signing Jay Sean, although I don't think we should let him (for those of you that don't know, I utterly detest Lil Wayne and his elementary, mediocre, nonsensical lyrics). Nonetheless, the remix is excellent, and RDB brags that it was done in a matter of 20 minutes. Impressive, fellas. Everyone download it now and tell me what you think!

This track is the first of many to be released one by one each week for a new album called RDB Exclusives: The Biggest Club Mixes of 2009. After their awful performance on the Aloo Chaat soundtrack, RDB has regained my respect.

Swami Releases Electro Jugni/She's Mine EP

Swami's long awaited EP, Electro Jugni/She's Mine, finally released today, and was certainly worth the wait. We haven't heard them since Equalize, but the band has delivered a unique sound once again. The first track is "She's Mine," which is an all new spin on "Electro Jugni." There's a lot more English, and rapper S-Endz a.k.a Turi delivers some hard-hitting rhymes that tear the beat up. Next we have "Electro Jugni," which we all know and love from Equalize. The new track here, which I think is excellent, is called "Ching," and features a reggae artist called Spee who's actually quite good. There's two versions of the song, one with a heavy, club feel to it and the other a bit more relaxed. Suffice it to say Swami has delivered once again. You can purchase the EP for $3.96 on iTunes or Amazon.

Speaking of swamis, U.K. based rapper Swami Baracus has announced a solo album to be releasing soon produced by none other than Kami K. We always get quality Desi hip hop from Mr. Kami.

Looks like Holi proved a very auspicious time for Anoop Dogg, who made it past elimination last night. Let's hope he takes his new chance seriously and brings it hardcore next week.

Happy Holi!

I would like to wish all my readers a very happy Holi, which is the Hindu festival of colors for any non-Indian readers. Next to Diwali, Holi has got to be the biggest celebration in India, and definitely my personal favorite. Nothing gets me in the mood to play Holi than some good old Holi songs! Bollywood has given us plenty over the years. Here are a few of my favorites to help you celebrate! Enjoy!

Rang Barse - Silsila

Ang Se Ang Lagana - Darr

Holi Ke Din - Sholay

Do Me A Favour Let's Play Holi - Waqt

Looks Like Anoop Might "Beat It"

The theme of American Idol tonight was Michael Jackson, and Anoop Desai decided to sing "Beat It." After an energetic performance, he was trashed by all four judges. Paula Abdul said that it was a song that shouldn't have been messed with, and that he sound too karaoke, while Simon Cowell went so far as to call his performance horrible. Cowell even regretted increasing the Top 12 last week to the Top 13 to keep Anoop in the show. Even Randy Jackson told him that it was the wrong song choice. My little sister had a good point when she said he would have been better off doing some obscure Michael Jackson song, so that the judges wouldn't have anything to compare it to.

I thought Anoop did a pretty decent job, and "Beat It" is one of my favorite songs. It was better than the Fall Out Boy version, anyway. The hope that Anoop gave everyone last week may be turned to shreds soon enough. Let's hope Anoop Dogg makes it to the next round to show the judges what he's got. We'll find out tomorrow at 8:00 on Fox. What do you guys think about Anoop's rendition of "Beat It?"

Akon Loves Going Desi

After lending his vocals to Kidd Skilly's "Ni Sohniye,"R&B star Akon has collaborated with another Desi artist, Bobby Moon. The song, "She Got Me High," looks like an effort to break into the mainstream R&B scene after the release of his first album in 2006, The Rising. Akon's vocals lend a good flavor to the song, but his lyrics get inappropriate. At least Bobby Moon is keeping it real by singing in Hindi. The catchy lyrics and smooth flow just might make him the next Desi R&B star to get signed to a mainstream American label. Akon's vulgarity will cost the song many Indian fans, but it seems to be teens (whether Desi or not) that Bobby is targeting. Tell me what you guys think.

Akshay Kumar's Top 10 Stunts

In the spirit of Khiladi Kumar's 160 foot cliff dive in 8x10 Tasveer, I decided to put together a list of his top ten most dangerous and death defying stunts. Anyone who grew up in the 90s knows Akshay as one of the few (if maybe the only) Bollywood actor who does all his own stunts.

10. Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi - At the end of the film, our hero lifts the 350 pound Undertaker after beating him senseless. A true display of strength, proving he is the "the strongest man in the industry," as Sunil Shetty describes him.

9. Keemat - To save his damsel in distress, Raveena Tandon, Akshay lights his legs on fire in response to a pack of goons carrying sharp objects. He's done this on a few occasions, once in the title song of Barood and once at the unveiling of his new Levi 501 Jeans line. Forget Kevin Rudolf, Akshay brings the fire.

8. Mohra - Akki seems to have a knack for jumping from ridiculous heights, as he jumps from a building to avoid being shot. The stunts and action in this movie are what really marked his arrival in Bollywood, not to mention "Tu Cheez Badi Hai."

7. Insaaf: The Final Justice - As a breathtaking opening to the film, Akki refuses to let his villain escape. To capture him, Akshay lowers himself on a rope from a skyscraper. Later on, Akshay did it live in Kolkata from a 90 foot building as a publicity stunt for Thums Up.

6. Sapoot & Sabse Bada Khiladi - Determined to catch the villain at the end of both films, Akki hangs onto the skids of a helicopter, and at a point hangs only by his legs.

5. International Khiladi - After his future wife, Twinkle, is pushed out of a plane, Akshay jumps out and skydives to catch her. While a bit of greenscreen was used, most likely for Twinkle's sake, There are shots of Akki clearly skydiving solo.

4. Khiladi 420 - After his dame is pulled into a hot air balloon by the diabolical villain, Akshay gets on the wing of a small airplane, and in midflight climbs to the top and straps himself on, standing. He then jumps from the plane onto the hot air balloon and does what he does best - beat the crap out of the villain to save the heroine. When the movie came out, stunt coordinators said in interviews how ridiculously dangerous this stunt was, but Akki refused a stunt double.

3. Singh Is Kinng - There was a lot of hype about this one, because Akshay jumps from one elevator to another in a shopping mall at a height of 110 feet. Here's the shocking part - there was no harness net.

2. Blue - Although this is for an upcoming film, I thought it deserved mention. Akshay swims 75 feet underwater with about 35 sharks. Seriously. While these sharks are tamed, there was a mishap on the sets and Akki accidentally hit his head on some rusty ship wreckage. When his blood began to seep into the water, the tamed sharks became wild. Luckily, he was able to avoid them long enough for help to arrive.

1. Singh Is Kinng - To save Katrina Kaif, who has been abducted into a helicopter. Akshay must ride a jetski up a ramp and then tilt it in midair for it to go right next to the helicopter rotors without touching them. Akshay had been quoted at the time as saying this is his most dangerous stunt yet, as there was a high probability of a mistake.

I tried my best to put together a video montage, but Windows Movie Maker is giving me a lot of grief. Give me your thought's on Akki's stunts, and your thoughts on what to do about Windows Movie Maker.

8x10 Tasveer to release April 3

Akshay Kumar's next movie, 8x10 Tasveer is set for an April 3 release and looks like a promising psychological thriller. In the film, Akshay's character has the ability to enter any 8x10 photograph and see the past. Through this ability, he discovers his father was murdered, and that's all the information released about the film's plot thus far. With music done by A.R. Rahman and a title song marking the second collaboration of Akshay and Bohemia, a lot is expected.

The action scenes seem pretty intense, judging from director Nagesh Kukunoor's interview with Stardust, in which he stated Akshay insisted on performing death defying stunts. At the very end of the trailer, there's a clip of him jumping from a cliff - that was real, and Akshay jumped from the 160 foot cliff even after suggestions from Nagesh to use a shorter cliff and let special effects take care of the rest. Akshay is holding true to the promise he made his fans to do at least one action film a year, and in style, might I say. Tell me what you think.

New Jay Sean Track, "Still Love You"

A new track just leaked by the man of the moment in the urban Desi scene, Jay Sean, called "Still Love You." Pretty decent tune, and it sounds like Jay is using the Vocoder from Pro Tools, following in the footsteps of T-Pain, Kanye, etc. Jay probably got the idea from his new cronie, Lil Wayne, who seems to enjoy it quite a bit. It also features an MC named Tinie Tempah who has some halfway decent punchlines. Jay's older featured MCs like Sway and Chipmunk are better, though.



Speaking of Vocoder, this seems like a good time to voice my opinion that it was really popularized (and perhaps first used) by RDB. Listen to the old Danger albums; their old singers such as Gubi Sandhu and Herbia Sahara are undoubtedly using it. Two examples that come to mind are "Teray Meray Pyar Dian" from Danger 2 and "Lal Ghagra" from Sahara's album, Undisputed. RDB was producing these tracks way before T-Pain was even on the scene, and I think they deserve the credit. Check this out.

Lal Ghagra - Sahara

Aloo Chaat needs a bit more masala.

Aloo Chaat was a highly anticipated soundtrack, especially because it marks RDB’s next Bollywood venture after the success of “Singh is Kinng” with Akshay Kumar and Snoop Dogg. Let’s see how it turned out.

1. “Aloo Chaat (Title Song)” – This is the track that got all the hype because it was done by RDB and their newcomer, Nindy Kaur. Pretty average tune, especially for RDB. We definitely expect more from an RDB track besides an extremely annoying voice that sounds like a mix between Fat Man Scoop and Lil Jon, and a random, mediocre MC named Smooth. Nindy Kaur’s vocals sound fairly promising for the future, but this song was a bad launch for her career.

2. “Dhadke Jiya” – Another Bollywood tune from Xulfi of Call the Band. Xulfi set the bar high for himself with Ek Chalis Ki Last Local’s “Laree Choote,” and recently dropped another nice song in Aasma called “Yeh Pal.” He delivers again on Aloo Chaat with “Dhadke Jiya,” and I’d go so far as to say it’s the best song on the album.

3. “Aloo Chaat” – Another version of the title song by Kailash Kher. It’s got an upbeat tempo, Kailash Kher’s amazing voice, and I could say I enjoyed it more than the RDB version, but that's not saying much.

4. “Boliyaan (Gidhaa)” – RDB and Nindy Kaur return with this tune, but unfortunately do not redeem themselves. It’s definitely a decent boliyaan, but once again, we don’t expect decent from RDB.

5. “Life is a Sizzling Aloo Chaat” – After simply reading the title of this song, I didn’t expect much. However, Kunal Ganjawala gives us a pretty good song minus the chorus. I actually really enjoyed this one, so it goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Tracks six through eight are remixes of “Dhadke Jiya,” “Aloo Chaat,” and “Boliyaan (Gidhaa).” I feel like every Bollywood soundtrack these days includes a few remixes at the end for filler that are mediocre at best. They’re pretty pointless, actually, unless on occasion you get one by a known deejay like DJ Suketu. That wasn’t the case here, so skip the remixes.

With such a stellar recording team, including RDB, Xulfi, Kailash Kher, and Kunal Ganjawala, I expected more from Aloo Chaat. The only song that’s worth the listen is the Xulfi track, otherwise you could give this one a miss. Buy “Dhadke Jiya” on Itunes and call it a day.

2009 UKAMA Winners

The UK Asian Music Awards went down last night, now let’s take a look at the winners.

Best Album went to Jay Sean, and I’m not going to argue with that. The only nominee that gave him competition was Reloaded by DJ H & Rags, but Jay’s been riding pretty high this year, especially after signing with Cash Money Records. I was disappointed he didn’t win at the MOBOs, so I’m happy he took this one home.

Best Male Act belonged to Jay Sean as well. Also nominated were Jazzy B, Jassi Sidhu, H-Dhami, and Raghav. Jazzy B and Jassi, while being quality artists, both released fairly average albums earlier in 2008. I think H-Dhami and Raghav were fair competition for Jay, but Raghav’s only riding on two singles from his next album (“My Kinda Girl” and “Humarahee”) and H-Dhami, while emerging onto the scene with a boom, doesn’t have anywhere near the fan base that Jay Sean has. Jay most certainly deserved it.

Best Female Act went to M.I.A., and out of the nominees, she definitely deserved it. After all the Slumdog Millionaire success, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone that she had the award in the bag. I was disappointed, however, that Panjabi Hit Squad’s Alyssia wasn’t nominated, with a voice as angelic as hers. Speaking of Panjabi Hit Squad, Ms. Scandalous must have been fuming over the nomination of Hard Kaur and not herself, especially after recently releasing an album, Aag.

Best Club DJ went to DJ Vix, and while he is an excellent DJ, the award clearly should’ve gone to Panjabi MC, especially after the recent release of his new album, Indian Timing.

Best Newcomer has got to be the award I’m most bitter about. Last year, H-Dhami received it and deserved it, but this year it went to Juz Dhami. I’m not criticizing him, but among the nominees were Holland based rapper AG Dolla and our next Raghav, Navin Kundra. AG Dolla released a mixtape called My Life in Rhymes a while back, with some pretty serious tunes, including “Arranged Marriage” and “Daydreamer.” He just gained a little more fame on the urban Desi scene on D-Boy’s track, “Loveless,” and his upcoming album Mr. Shah. He’s an extremely talented lyricist, especially on the love songs, and definitely deserved the award more than Juz. Navin Kundra was more deserving than Juz as well. “Love Thing” was a better tune than any on Juz Dhami’s entire album.

Best Producer went to Rishi Rich, who had some stiff competition from Aman Hayer and Panjabi MC among others. He was nominated for H-Dhami’s Sadke Jawa, and I think it’s fair that he got it. There was some pretty damn good production on that album, especially on tunes like “Mitrran Di Jaan” and “Akh Lad Gayee.”

Best International Act went to Miss Pooja, who’s pretty much a Bhangra album whore, figuratively speaking. Within the past two years she’s collaborated with just about every male in the Bhangra industry. She’s undeniably got some good songs, but her voice gets annoying after a while. This award should have gone to Atif Aslam, a much worthier nominee. Atif’s voice never gets annoying.

Best Radio Show went to Bobby Friction, and I’ve got no complaints there.

Best Alternative Act went to Nitin Sawhney, when Swami was in the same category. I like Nitin a lot, but let’s be honest, Swami deserved it. They brought serious tracks like “Electro Jugni” and “Hey Hey” on their last album, Equalize. The members of Swami are masters of music fusion, and they were clearly more deserving of the award.

Jay Sean wasn’t nominated for Best Act, but H-Dhami took this one, and rightly so. I’d call him the man of the year in the Bhangra world.

Best International Album went to Gurdas Mann. Trust me when I say I love Gurdas Mann and have immense respect for him as an artist, but once again this should’ve been Atif’s Award for Pehli Nazar.

Best Urban Act went to Jay Sean, who I don’t think had any real competition except for M.I.A. Bravo, Jay.

Best Video went to Jazzy B for “Rambo,” and I’ve got to agree. Rambo’s an average tune, but Jazzy B has always brought us interesting videos. You’ve got to remember “Dil Lutiya” and “Romeo,” or at least his outfits in them.

After cleaning up at the Oscars and winning a Filmfare Award, our boy A.R. Rahman got a UKAMA as well, and no one in the world could say he doesn't deserve it. Keep on truckin’ A.R.

It's safe to say that Jay Sean is our man of the year on the urban Desi scene, so let's hope he represents us well in America after being signed to Cash Money Records. A lot of awards here were undeserved, though. That's my opinion at least. What do you guys think?

My DesiHits brethren were at the ceremony and got some good interviews, check this out.

Love may be mera hit hit, but not Billu Barber

You're going to get quite a bit of Bollywood banter on this page, so let me start here. After the mediocre box office performance of Chandni Chowk to China, many a sour Shah Rukh Khan fan were laughing at Akshay Kumar, as it broke his streak of hits. (For further reference, see the movie review I wrote on DesiHits). I am elated to announce that Akshay Kumar fans now have their turn to laugh: as per the reliable Box Office Mojo reports, Billu Barber's performance thus far shows that it will fall BELOW that of Chandni Chowk.



Oh, how the mighty have fallen. To bounce back, Akshay Kumar has some good projects on the horizon, including Kambakht Ishq with Sylvester Stallone and Blue, with a number by Kylie Minogue. The only thing that may save the fallen Khan is his upcoming My Name is Khan, where he will resume his role as one half of his and Kajol's legendary jodi.

Spring Break...Broken

So my spring break trip to Acapulco next week was recently canceled. Apparently, Mexican drug Cartels are trying to make up for money lost on their drug trade by kidnapping tourists and holding them for ransom. There's been a lot of rumors going around and a lot of hearsay, so I did some research to find out what the real deal is over there.

Last week, on February 27, the Boston Globe reported that universities around the country were warning their students not to go to Mexico because of the recent surge in killings and mayhem. The Miami Herald beat them by a day.

Apparently, the action is mostly in border towns, according to the official travel alert from the U.S. Department of State issued on February 20, like Tijuana. There have still been killings documented in Cancun and Acapulco, both popular spring break getaways. The August 2008 report by the Dept. of State said that there was a rise in street crime and kidnapping in Acapulco and a few other locations. Last year in Mexico, there were 6,000 drug related killings.

Both the Globe and the Herald had a statement from Tom Mangan, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives: "We have had documented violence, attacks, killings, shootouts with the drug cartels involving not only the military but law enforcement personnel. It is indiscriminate violence, and certainly innocent people have been caught up in that collateral damage."'

Attorney General Eduardo Mora of Mexico told the Associated Press that "There is no major risk for students coming into Mexico in general terms. It is always important to advise the youngsters to behave."

Does Sr. Mora has a hidden agenda there? After all, 80% of tourists in Mexico come from the U.S., that's a lot of money to lose.

I can honestly say that after some serious googling, I haven't found much about the kidnappings of late. I guess the warning is enough though. Who needs the sandy beaches and clear skies of Acapulco when I can go from the cold of Boston to the cold of New York? Lovely.



Out of curiosity, who had trips planned to Mexico and canceled them because of the warnings as well?

Welcome to The Khiladi Zone

What's up all you happy people? Your boy Khiladi finally got a blog, where I'm going to be bringing you some good info on everything that concerns me. There's no real focus or purpose here, it's just a place to drop by and have some fun; definitely a place to get a few laughs while you procrastinate. I welcome comments on everything, both positive and negative. I'll be posting about my life, entertainment, and any random stuff I think will hold your attention. Anyway, watch this space.

Check me out on Facebook and DesiHits.

If you're going to add me on Facebook, please include a message with it as to why. I can't tell you how many friend requests I've gotten from the most random people in the most random places, and it really pisses me off.

Feel free to hit me with questions or comments. Remember, I'm just your friendly neighborhood Khiladi.