Smash it with Selena!
Sonakshi, you have competition. Selena Gomez proved she’s the Queen of Dubsmash when she appeared on The Tonight Show with host Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night, scoring three out of three. The smash-off between the two started with Fallon lip-syncing to the 800-588-2300 jingle for the floor and carpet installation company Empire Today. Selena immediately jumped in with a popular clip from The Lion King. Fallon’s turn again and John Travolta’s Adele Dazeem (instead of Idina Menzel) moment from the Oscars popped up. Selena, Taken in by Liam Neeson, then baritoned out: “I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” The 4:04 clip is the week’s biggest at 1,555,696 smashes and counting!
The Great Khali weighs in
The Great Khali is the new face — and body — of Ambuja Cements... and scores in his very first ad. Playing out over a minute, the ad has Khali talking about his tough times — how his height (7’1”) and weight (157kg) prevents him from leading a normal life. No building is strong enough for him to live in, no chair big enough for him to fit in — and even the ceiling comes crashing on his head one day. Till the time he discovers Ambuja Cement... and Khali’s house becomes strong enough for him. The ad, now gone viral, scores for its humour and Khali’s childlike presence and has clocked 1,291,439 push-ups on YouTube.
Raita Phail Gaya: SHAANDAAR
Alia Bhatt plus Shahid Kapoor equals quirky steps. All set to become a dance-floor scorcher, this daaru song from October 22 release Shaandaar — perfect at weddings — comes with some fun lyrics: “Gulzar ke geeton mein jab Yo Yo Honey Singh ghus gaya, toh raitaa phail gaya,”... for which Amitabh Bhattacharya needs to be thanked while Amit Trivedi provides the musical mojo. Of the two versions that have been shot, the video with the entire cast has been chosen over the one with only Alia and Shahid. By the way, Pankaj Kapur too can shake a leg. 1,155,598 hic, hic, hurrays so far.
Creepy Qawwali, AIB STYLE
This one is hilariously creepy! The fun guys at All India Bakc**d (AIB) have joined hands with dating app TrulyMadly to come up with a 4:55 video that every Indian girl can relate to — what about Indian men puts them off. Wrong English, foul language or cheesy pick-up lines... it’s all there in the list. What we loved most? The format of the video is in the form of a qawwali in which two women — one of whom is actress Shweta Basu Prasad (in picture) — sing out these put-offs, which they describe as the messages they receive in their ‘Other’ folder on Facebook. Super fun and yet so real, the video has 920,041 wah-wahs.
Bang Baaja Baaraat
They are the guys who gave us the Ranveer Singh-Anushka Sharma hit Band Baaja Baaraat. Now Yash Raj Films turns its own film on its head to give us Bang Baaja Baaraat, as part of its Y-Films Original Series initiative. Out on November 4, the trailer of the short film is already a winner on YouTube — and it sure is a lot of fun. Starring Ali Fazal and Ayesha Raza as a couple in love who have two very different families — her parents are super modern, his mother doesn’t let the pallu of her sari slip off her head even for a moment — and find their relationship tested... with hilarious results. Directed by Anand Tiwari — Byomkesh’s Ajit in Dibakar Banerjee’s Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! — BBB has 176,131 LOLs to its name.
AbRAm THE DANCER
This is nine seconds of Cuteness. AbRam has been grabbing eyeballs on the Hyderabad sets of dad Shah Rukh Khan’s Dilwale. Now, a clip of the two-year-old dancing in the backseat of a car driven by SRK is being shared extensively on YouTube. What we loved most about the AbRam show: that he’s got the moves, just like his dad. Total awwws: 174,130.
SPECIAL MENTION
Debi
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s (Tony) homecoming short Debi — celebrating the spirit of Durga Puja and the need to be in touch with one’s roots — has become a hit on YouTube, with more than 200,000 views within a week of its release. Narrating a mother-daughter story spanning two generations, the 15-minute film is set against the backdrop of Durga Puja. Single-mom Anuradha (Ananya Chatterjee) brings her daughter Lali (Monali Thakur) to her maternal home for the first time after years of estrangement following her decision to marry a man from another community. Lali is a rootless young girl till she discovers her late grandmom’s recipe book and bonds with her family over Puja. “I am overwhelmed by the fabulous response. People from Calcutta to California have connected with the film on different levels and they were really moved by the homecoming theme.... Now they are even quoting lines from Debi,” said Tony.
Watch it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=815&v=koO5-AWq5Es
