‘Drona’ vs ‘Kidnap’: The Race Begins?

Upcoming Bollywood movies, ‘Kidnap’ and ‘Drona’ go head to head during Eid festival. The two big budget films involving big names will hit the screens before the Eid vacation starts in India. So, both the films will have about four days vacation to bring the moviegoers to the cinema halls.

During the festival season in India, big budget, multi starrer movies get involved in a race. Last year, Saawariya, and Om Shanti Om involved in a tussle during Diwali festival in India. This time, Imran Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Minisha Lamba starrer Kidnap will take on Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra starrer Drona.

Both the movies are important for their directors and the protagonists. Drona is the second directorial of Goldie Behl after his directorial debut Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai in 2001. So, director Goldie Behl’s career prospect as a film director now largely depends on this big budget supernatural movie. Moreover, the movie is also very crucial for actor Abhishek Bachchan who could not churn out a big hit since 2007 hit Gugu. Since Guru, Abhishek Bachchan starrer big banner movies also fell at the box office. Yash Raj Films’ ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’ and ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’ failed to rock the box office, while ‘Sarkar Raj’ saw average success. So, a big hit has been due from Abhishek Bachchan who plays a superhero role in the movie Drona. The character Abhishek Bachchan plays in the movie tries to save the world from an evil magician (played by Kay Kay Menon). The movie involves a number of action stunts and special effects. Priyanka Chopra and Jaya Bachchan also play two important roles in the movie.

‘Dhoom’ and ‘Dhoom 2’ fame director Sanjay Gadhvi has to give a stern test with his upcoming Eid flick Kidnap. In fact, this is his first project outside Yash Raj Films. Having seen extensive success with ‘Dhoom’ and ‘Dhoom 2’, Sanjay Gadhvi is now keen to produce another chartbuster for the Bollywood moviegoers.

Most importantly, Bollywood’s new heart throb Imran Khan will find the movie crucial for his rising career. The actor impressed all with his goodie, down-to-earth, soft image in his debut movie ‘Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na’ which did very well at the box office. Imran Khan himself also received much accolades for his sensual performance in the movie. However, in Kidnap, Imran Khan deals with a different role which is very much opposite to the one he played in his debut movie. In Kidnap, the actor plays a character who kidnaps a girl (played by Minisha Lamba) due to his old foe with her father. So, Imran Khan turns out to a kidnaper in the second movie after doing a soft-hearted role in hid debut film. Bollywood fans are eagerly waiting to see Imran Khan in a new look. Now, question is that if Imran Khan will be able to bring out success with his new angry-man avatar too. Time will answer it. The movie also stars Sanjay Dutt who plays the role of the girl and Vidya Malvade who will be seen in the role of the girl’s mother.

Drona will hit the screen on 2^nd October, just the day after Kidnap gets released. Bollywood fans are eagerly waiting for the two much-awaited movies. Both the movies have huge potential in terms of success in the box office. Now, let us see how Bollywood fans react to ‘Drona’ and ‘Kidnap’ once the movies get released world wide.

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Kay Kay Menon Hopeful About Upcoming Movie ‘Drona’

Kay Kay Menon, who plays villain in the upcoming Bollywood flick Drona, has said that people will react well to the movie Drona which will get released worldwide on 2 October. Asked if audience will accept supernatural fantasy film Drona as reality films have worked well lately at the box office, Kay Kay Menon has said that people are matured enough to accept all sorts of movies.

Kay Kay Menon has also talked about his role in the fantasy film Drona. Directed by Goldie Behl, Drona tells the tale of a young man, Aditya/ Drona, protagonist in the film (played by Abhishek Bachchan). Based on comic books, graphic arts and Indian mythology, the movie portrays a young man who has royal inheritance, but he does not know about his true identity. Once he realizes his identity as part of a royal family, a royal responsibility of saving a precious thing from an evil magician comes to him. In the end, he confronts the magician, who wants to gain immortality by capturing that precious thing. Kay Kay Menon plays that villainous role of the magician in the movie, while Abhishek Bachchan plays the role of that young man. Priyanka Chopra plays a bodyguard of Abhishek, while Jaya Bachchan portrays the role of a queen who turns out to be the mother of that young man.

Kay Kay has admitted that he never played a role like that in the past. He says that he did the role because that attracted him and he thinks, an actor should not be stick to a certain kinds of roles in the name of creating image. Rather, Kay Kay, who has a MBA degree in his academic career, feels that an actor will get recognition only if he possesses talent. Kay Kay has been in Bollywood arena since 1996 when he was launched by Saeed Mirza's movie Naseem. However, the versatile actor rose to stardom nine years after his arrival in the industry through the Sudhir Mishra directed 2005 movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. Since then, there is no looking back for the actor and his career wheel is rolling on. Now, let us see if Bollywood moviegoers accept Kay Kay Menon in his new avatar in the movie Drona.

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Priyanka Chopra’s Phobia About Horse in the Movie ‘Drona’

Priyanka Chopra has done a lot of dangerous stunts in the past. Specialy, in Shah Rukh Khan starrer Don, she had to do a number of action stunts. In the upcoming film, Abhishek Bachchan starrer, Drona will also feature Priyanka Chopra in a number of action stunts. Priyanka will portrays the role, Sonia, the bodyguard of central character Aditya/Drona (played by Abhishek Bachchan), in the movie. She was reportedly comfortable while doing the stunts and she was well-prepared for that. However, it was not until when director Goldie Behl approaced Priyanka to do a stunt in which she required to ride horse.

It was found out that the Bollywood beauty has a phobia about riding horse. In the end, she could do the stunt and director Goldie Behl was very happy with the performance of Priyanka Chopra. Goldie Behl said that no one could realize she was sacred of the horse sequence once the camera roll on.

Bollyspice reported:

Director Goldie Behl explained to IANS, “Since the day we started shooting the film, Priyanka was very confident about all her action scenes. She was very confident until we started shooting for a scene where she was supposed to ride a horse. She suddenly got very edgy with the idea.”

Behl added, “The horse sequence was very prominent for the scene. After a creative discussion, she actually shot for the entire sequence. Once the camera rolled no one could make out that she was scared and she shot like a pro.”

The movie Drona will hit the cinemas on 2 October 2008 during Eid festival. Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Kay Kay Menon and Jaya Bachchan, Drona is expected to be a bit hit of this year.

Record 400 ‘Drona’ Prints to be Released in Overseas Market

Upcoming Eid flick, Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra starrer, Drona is expected to be a big hit of the year. Goldie Behl directed Drona will hit the big screen on 2^nd October 2008 worldwide. Now, reports have it in the media that Drona is going to make a new record as Eros International is planning to release 400 prints of the movie in overseas market. Currently, Shah Rukh Khan starrer Om Shanti Om holds the record of selling highest number of prints in overseas market. During Diwali festival last year, Om Shanti Om was a big hit both in India and the movie worked very well in overseas market too. This year, Akshay Kumar’s Singh Is Kinng also did very well in abroad.

If the reports out in the media are to be believed, then Abhishek Bachchan’s Drona will rewrite the record within very short time. After Guru last year, Drona is expected to be Abhishek Bachchan’s next solo hit. Abhishek Bachchan plays a super-hero character in the movie. In fact, the story revolves around the character Aditya/Drona that Abhishek Bachchan portrays. Kay Kay Menon and Jaya Bachchan also play two important roles in the movie. Music by debutant music director Dhruv Ghanekar, the movie has lots of special effects.

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Fiorentina vs Steaua Bucharest Champions League 08-09 Preview

Italian club Fiorentina is going to welcome Steaua Bucharest tonight at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy. Fiorentina started their Champions league campaign with a 2-2 draw away at Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon), while Romanian club Steaua Bucharest started their Europe mission with a 1-0 home defeat to favorite Bayern Munich. So, Steaua Bucharest can not afford to suffer another defeat in their pursuit to reach the next round of the competition, while Fiorentina will look to continue their winning run in Europe, despite a sluggish start in Serie A.

Match: Fiorentina vs Steaua Bucharest (Bucharesti), Group F, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008

Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Fiorentina has so far been unimpressive in Series A, having played five matches. With two victories, two defeats and a draw, Fiorentina has managed only 7 points and currently stands 12^th in the league standing. Steaua Bucharest, on the other hand, has had a better domestic form as the Romanian club occupies third place in Liga 1 (Romania’s top football league) with 20 points from 9 matches. In their recent league schedule, Steaua Bucharest drew against defending champion Cluj. However, Steaua Bucharest must win at least a point in their visit to Florence as they lost all three points in their opening match against Bayern Munich.

Both the sides have some injury woes. Fiorentina player Manuel Pasqual will miss tonight’s encounter against Steaua Bucharest. However, Alessandro Gamberini is expected to be available after recovering his dislocating shoulder injury two weeks ago. Moreover, Gianluca Comotto might also be fit in time to face the Romanian club at home.

Steaua Bucharest needs to contend with the injury news of Emeghara and Plesan. Both the players have been ruled out of the match with injury. However, Banel Nicolita will be back in the line up after serving a match ban. The visiting side has no other injury woes ahead of the match.

Fiorentina may have a poor domestic form, but Steaua Bucharest can not relish on the recent form of Fiorentina. Rather, Steaua Bucharest will have to face very hard challenge from Fiorentina. For Fiorentina, it is a must win match, considering the fact that they are taking on the seemingly weakest side of the group at home. The Italian club still has away fixture at Bayern Munich and at Steaua Bucharest later on. So, Fiorentina will play for all three points, while Steaua Bucharest might be happy with a point from the match.

Fenerbahce vs Dynamo Kiev (Kyiv) Champions League 08-09 Preview

Turkish giant Fenerbahce will take on Ukrainian club Dynamo Kiev tonight at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Kadıkoy-İstanbul, Turkey in a Champions league meeting. The Group G encounter will see out-of-form Fenerbahce hosting in-form Dynamo Kiev. Fenerbahce has been unimpressive so far this season. With six points from five matches so far, Fenerbahce recorded their worst start to Super League in 20 years. The Turkish club secures 10th place in the point table. Moreover, Fenerbahce started their Champions league campaign with a 3-1 away defeat at Porto. Dynamo Kiev, on the other hand, managed to clinch a point from their Champions league opener thanks to their 1-1 home draw against English giant Arsenal. So, confident Dynamo Kiev will face Fenerbahce who are yet to appear with their prime form this season.

Match: Fenerbahce vs Dynamo Kiev (Kyiv), Group G, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Kadikoy-Istanbul, Turkey

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

Fenerbahce lost four out of their last seven matches overall. The Istanbul based club has received another blow recently as they were beaten by Sivasspor 2-1. However, Coach Luis Aragones thinks that his side’s poor domestic form will not affect his players in Champions league because he feels Champions league is a different motivation. Well, the Turkish club has a fearsome home record in Champions league. In their way to quarter final in Champions league last season, Fenerbahce won every match they played at home. At the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, they are currently on 14-match unbeaten streak since November 2004. So, Dynamo Kiev can not fancy at Fenerbahce’s poor league form. However, the head to head record favors Dynamoo Kiev. The two sides faced each other twice in 2006 in Champions league with Kiev winning at home 3-1, while sharing points at Fenerbahce thanks to a 2-2 draw.

Dynamo Kiev may have good domestic record so far as they are leading the point table with 22 points from 9 matches. Moreover, they will look to build on their recent 3-0 league victory over Kryvbas in the upcoming Champions league meeting with Fenerbahce. However, here I want to mention one thing about Kiev’s recent from of Champions league. Though Dynamo Kiev started off well in Champions league with 1-1 home draw against Arsenal, the fact is that the point they won against Arsenal is the first point they have won in their last eight group stage Champions league encounters.

Fenerbahce striker Semih Senturk is doubtful for the showdown against Dynamo Kiev. New signing Juan Pablo Josico, midfielder Gokcek Vederson and defender Edu Dracena are doubtful for tonight’s encounter. Last but not the least, Captain Alex De Souza, the star midfielder of Fenerbahce side, might also miss the match with injury. However, the good news for the Fenerbahce fans is that striker Daniel Guiza might be available for the Kiev match as the players is expected to recover fully from his injury problem.

Dynamo manager Yuri Semin does not need to contend with any major injury problems like his counterpart Luis Aragones needs to do. Yuri Semin is happy with the way Dynamo Kiev started their Champions league campaign. Dynamo might feature the same squad that faced Arsenal at home in the opening match. Midfielder Roman Eremenko played very well against Arsenal, while scorer Ismael Bangour also threatened to Arsenal defense many times throughout the match. Attack midfielder Oleksandr Aliyev has been in excellent form and scored two goals in Friday’s confidence-booster 3-0 league victory.

I think, Fenerbahce will be strong enough to be broken by Dynamo Kiev, even though the Turks are not at their prime form now. Dynamo Kiev will face hard challenge from the host side. Fenerbahce will also be motivated to pull off a resounding victory against Dynamo Kiev in order to compensate their domestic form. Moreover, after losing the first match to Porto, Fenerbahce need to come out with three points from this match in their pursuit to get into the round of 16 in Champions league.

BATE Borisov vs Juventus Champions League 08-09 Preview

Italian giant Juventus takes on Belarus club BATE Borisov today (30 September 2008) in the Group H Champions league encounter. The match will take place at the Haradzki Stadium, Borisov, Belarus. Juventus is yet to return to their prime form this season, even though they remained unbeaten after 5 games so far in Italian Serie A. The Turin based club now occupies seventh position in the league table with 9 points. However, they started their European mission with a victory over Group H opponent Zenit St. Petersburg. That 1-0 home victory over Russian champions must have given some confidence to the old lady of Turin, because with two victories and three draws, they hardly have anything in their league performance to inspire themselves.

Match: BATE Borisov vs Juventus, Group H, Champions League 2008-2009

Date: 30 September 2008, Tuesday

Venue: Haradzki Stadium, Borisov, Belarus

Kick off: 19:45 BST (British Standard Time)

BATE Borisov has been in excellent form in Belarus premier league. Having played 23 matches so far this season, they are undefeated and currently leading the point table with 53 points. Juventus must be careful against BATE Borisov, because their home performance shows that they are pretty much consistent and defensively very well. However, BATE Borisov got off to a bad start in their Champions league mission as they were defeated by Spanish champions Real Madrid 2-0 in the first match. No doubt, BATE Borisov is underdog in Group H in the presence of Real Madrid, Juventus and Zenit St. Petersburg. However, if they have any hope of getting into the next stage of Champions League then they can not afford to suffer any more defeat. However, today they face Juventus in front of the home fans. So, they will have the home advantage in the match.

Juventus player David Trezeguet will miss today’s affair against BATE Boriso as the French international has been out of action until next year with knee injury. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and defender Christian Poulsen have been ruled out of their trip to Belarus as both of them are recovering from minor knocks. However, the good news for Juventus is that Nicola Legrottaglie will be available for the trip as he has recovered from injury problem. BATE Borisov will miss veteran midfielder Aleksandr Ermakovich as the player underwent a knee surgery recently and will not be able to return to action until next year. Except this, BATE Borisov has no other major injury problem.

Though BATE Borisov lost to Real Madrid, the Belarus club looked impressive at Bernabeu. This indicates that Juventus will face strong challenge away at BATE Borisov. Moreover, Juventus’ recent form is unimpressive as the Italian giants failed to score in their last two matches. So, it is pretty sure that BATE Borisov is going to take a stern test of Juventus.