Host of cool flicks on TV to cool one up this summer

New Delhi, June 11: Those forced to remain in the confines of their homes amid the sultry weather and scorching heat of the summer, now have something to ''cool them up''! For a host of ''cool'' flicks, catering to the kids as well as the grown ups are all set to be aired on the small screen this summer to provide some succour to the ''home-bound'' from the sizzling heat.

This summer, the Star television network is to telecast some latest 'cool' Bollywood films on its various television channels.

Premiering today on Star Gold is Anant Mahadevan's 'Aksar', which has had people of all ages swaying to its superhit songs like 'Jhalak Dikhla Ja', 'Laagi Laagi' and 'Soniye' set to music by the current ''Bollywood popstar'' Himesh Reshammiya who has also sung 'Jhalak' and 'Laagi Laagi'.

One of this year's big hits on the silver screen, 'Aksar', starring Emraan Hashmi, Udita Goswami, Dino Morea and Tara Sharma, will be telecast on Star Gold at 2000 hours today.

It is a romantic thriller dealing with human relationships and the mind games between three people.

Next week will see the premiere of Rohan Sippy's 'Bluffmaster' on 'Star Plus'. Starring Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra, 'Bluffmaster', one of the hits last year, will be telecast on Star Plus on June 18 at 1200 hours.

Said Ajay Vidyasar, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communication,''the satellite premiere of 'Bluffmaster' is yet another endeavour on our part to offer viewers the most compelling entertainment on television. And this is just a start. In the coming months, Star Plus viewers can expect to watch the satellite premieres of some of the very biggest blockbusters of recent times.'' In fact, sources in Star say the coming months could also witness telecast of recent blockbusters like Rakeysh Mehra's 'Rang De Basanti', John Matthew Mathan's 'Shikhar' and Milan Luthria's 'Taxi No 9211' on Star Gold.

Not wanting to be left behind, Zee TV, the number two television channel behind Star, has lined up several films for telecast in the coming months. Lined up for a premiere on the channel are films like Indra Kumar's 'Pyare Mohan' and Raj Kanwar's 'Humko Deewana Kar Gaye'. This Summer will also witness the English Movie channel HBO telecast the Hollywood film 'Hellboy' as its ''blockbuster of the month'. Starring Ron Perlman as a comic book hero Hellboy, the film, dealing with the adventures of this hero who loves to eat pancakes, smoke cigars, loves cats and whittles his horns down so he will look less frightening, will be telecast on HBO on June 23 at 9 pm.

The channel yesterday telecast '13 Going On 30', a hilarious comedy set in the 1980s and which revolves around Geeky Jenna (Jennifer Garner) who wants more than anything else to be popular.

She gets her wish fulfilled when an accidental sprinkle of magic dust transforms her from a gawky 13-year-old to a successful 30-year-old magazine editor with a live-in boyfriend.

June 17 will see the premiere of 'Peter Pan', dealing with adventures of Wendy Darling (Rachael Hurd-Wood), John and Michael, Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter) and the fairy Tinkerbell (Sagnier) who go on a trip to Neverland. Once there, they become embroiled in the ongoing war between Peter and his archenemy Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs).

'White Chicks', starring Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans premieres on the channel on June 24 at 9 pm.

This summer also sees Cartoon Network host the Indian television premieres of two high quality Indian animation features - 'Son of Alladin' and 'The Legend of Buddha'.

While 'Son Of Alladin', a 3D animation action adventure thriller about the Prince of Basra, Mustafa, who is hunted by the evil sorcerer Zee Zee Ba, premiered on the Cartoon Network yesterday afternoon, 'The Legend of Buddha', a 2D animation feature dealing with the inspirational story of the journey of Prince Siddhartha of the Kingdom of Kapilavastu, who is prophesised to abandon his opulent life for one of asceticism and spirituality.

UNI