Bollywood stars celebrity

Sonum Kapoor Like Bikini

2010-07-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

Sonam Kapoor firmly established herself as a hot-dresser, with plenty of spunk and chutzpah, and an actress who can hold her own in front of formidable co-stars. She hasn’t looked back after that! With some impressive projects in her kitty, Sonam is now awaiting the release of Aisha, a film produced by her kid sister Rhea. An excited Sonam speaks to NT about sibling revelry, her “dance dilemmas” and future projects.

‘My job's over!’
With Aisha being a family project, isn't she worried about the over-expectations from all quarters? Sonam replies in a cool-as-a-cucumber tone: "Frankly, my job as an actress is over! Now it's the producer's and director's call. But, I really had a great time during the shoot and now I'm very relaxed. So, no fears!”

Bonding time!
But, Rhea being the producer of the film, did badi didi have to toe the line of her younger sis? Getting into a protective mode, Sonam replies: "Rhea knows her job and together we had a blast. As it is, we don’t tread on each other’s toes and seldom have any fights." And what about her brother Harshvardhan? "He's a baby and studying filmmaking abroad." So, will the B'town see the three siblings joining hands for a particular film? The big sis says: "Who knows! But first, Harsh has to finish his education because that's very important."

‘I only compete with myself!’
Sonam’s known for her poise and down-to-earth approach. How does she handle the reports of competition between her and Deepika Padukone? "I only compete with myself! So, I don't pay heed to such reports," says she. But then, why is it that two actresses of same genre, can never be lasting friends. The lady says: “Maybe because they don't have time for each other! That's why all my friends are non-filmi people!"

Looking ahead!
The actresses who's currently shooting in Edinburgh for her film Mausam with Shahid Kapoor, says she’s in love with the Highlands. "The weather in Scotland’s amazing and Shahid’s a superb co-star, who makes you very comfortable. I'm also looking forward to Thank You with Akshay, which’s a fun film."

Style mile!
Her costumes in Saawariya had failed to impress the glamour-hungry tinseltown. Ask her, how did she manage to become a style diva in such a short span, and Sonam replies with a laugh: "I took all the criticism in my stride and worked on my look. Since I love make-up and clothes, it was a cakewalk! I’m happy when people appreciate my dresses, my earrings or hairstyle."

‘My regret!’
Not many know that this glam babe loves to “gate-crash parties" too. She says with a giggle: "Sadly, I don't get to indulge this sport these days!" And what are the other passions that make her go? "I love ballets. Being a trained Kathak dancer, it's unfortunate that I haven't been able to showcase my art in any of my films," she laments.

Bindaas babe!
And what about the reports of “food-stealing sessions” that she, Lisa Haydon, Ira Dubey and Amrita Puri indulged in recently at Rishikesh? She replies rather sheepishly, "Yes, I stole food and sneaked it in my hotel room. Since I didn't have to wear a bikini, unlike other girls, it was OK to binge on food." Does that mean she's averse to wearing bikinis in her films? The lady replies nonchalantly: "I don't mind wearing a bikini, provided the role and the script require it, but not for the heck of it!"

Why King Khan is Losing His Friend Salman

2010-06-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

While a major chunk of the filmdom is quite evidently divided into the respective camps of Shah Rukh and Salman, the latter seems to be winning the ongoing cold war between them. If the latest reports are to be believed, SRK has apparently lost some of his closest friends to Sallu’s league!

Last year, friends-turned-rivals Shahrukh and Salman shared some hot arguments on Katrina's birthday party.Commenting on Sharukh's TV shows 'Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain', Salman abruptly said that although Shahrukh is a superstar, he didn't succeed in making shows popular.

Shahrukh, who was present in the party along with his wife Guari Khan and friend Karan Johar, didn't react on Salman's teasing. On getting irritated, SRK too commented on Salman's ex girfriend Aishwarya.

But sources familiar with the matter have revealed, “SRK is busy in holidaying with his family in Turkey, and his friends just casually hang out with Sallu bhai.”

Bollywood Hero Imran Khan Love Romantic Comedy

2010-06-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Imran Khan looks every bit a chocolate boy, a tag that he has been given and lived up to in his first film "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na". Up next is another romantic comedy "I Hate Luv Storys" and the actor says he loves doing love stories as they are great fun and also provide greater scope to showcase his acting skills.

"As an actor when you are working in a romantic film, it's more fun. In action films, there is very less acting. There we are usually running, fighting, jumping or falling... so very less space for acting is left," Imran told IANS in an interview.

"But the romantic and comedy films are more dependent on actors - how you say a particular line with correct expression is important. So there is more acting involved," he said.

After playing a loveable character in "Jaane Tu...", a kidnapper in "Kidnap" and a gambler in "Luck", the 27-year-old will be seen as a womaniser in his forthcoming movie.

Produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, "I Hate Luv Storys" has been directed by debutant Punit Malhotra.

Though in real life he is a one-woman man, Imran didn't find it tough playing a casanova.

"It was not tough because the script was very nice and Punit Malhotra had given me a thorough character sketch. So for me, it was not a hard role. The humour in the film is cheeky," said Imran, who is engaged to long-time sweetheart Avantika Malik.

Imran says most of his movies have been with first-time directors.

"I have done six films till date, only three have released. Among those six, four were with first-time directors. When I work with new directors, we think on the same lines... and we speak the same language. Punit is two years older to me; so when I met him I felt that his thought process, his tastes match mine...This is a young film for people of our age," he said.

Releasing July 2, the film revolves around Jay (Imran) and Simran (Sonam Kapoor), who are complete opposites when it comes to romance. While Jay doesn't believe in love, Simran swears by it and is quite 'filmy' about the idea of romance. In the film, both of them work for a well-known director (Sameer Soni) who specialises in grand romantic potboilers.

"Sameer's character is somewhat inspired by Karan Johar," said Imran, who wanted a Hindi title for the film.

"I always felt that it should be a Hindi title. I told Punit and Karan to give some Hindi title to the film so that it reaches a bigger audience, but we could never find a good title in Hindi," he said.

Asked how much influence uncle Aamir Khan exercised in his life, he said: "As a person he has influenced me a lot. He is very particular that he must do the right thing. But he has always said that I have to learn by myself - make mistakes and learn from it and when you succeed yourself, it will be better. "

Imran's next, "Break Ke Baad", is also a romantic movie for which he has teamed up with Deepika Padukone.

"It's a romantic film but not like 'I Hate...'. It's about romance and growing up. It shows how a young couple matures in love and their life when they are adults."

Priyanka will join the team of RACE2

2010-06-21T03:03:00.000-07:00

The sexy star Priyanka Chopra is also going to join the team of Race 2 very soon.

On the replacement of original stars Katrina and Bipasha, a source said, “Katrina’s not being in the film was almost certain as she was shown dead in the earlier film. But, the reason behind Bipasha’s replacement is not evident yet.”

According to a close friend of Priyanka, “At present, Priyanka needs to complete her film Saat Khoon Maaf by Vishal Bharadwaj. Then she has pending work of Don 2 and the TV series ‘Fear factor 3’ in Colors. However, she is very excited about her role in Race 2 and is trying to set dates for it.”

The sources say that directors Abbas-Mustan and producer Ramesh Taurani are trying to make the sequel sexier than the first movie. However, Taurani denied any such plan.

Well, the presence of Bollywood’s two hottest heroines already makes the film a hot pick. We just hope that both the ladies gel well with each other in the film forgetting their past bitterness so that the audience can get to see a good chemistry between them!

Latin Pop Singer Shakira Entered in Bollywood

2010-06-20T21:43:00.001-07:00

Bollywood seems to be attracting musicians from abroad.

Samantha Fox did it in Rock Dancer in 1995. Kylie Minogue did it in Blue. Akon will be seen soon in Ra.One and now you can add one more name to the list of Western artists making appearances in Bollywood. The latest is the Waka Waka sexy singer Shakira who is all ready to shake her famous hips in B-Town.

Shakira is no stranger to India. She had performed live in Mumbai and other cities back in 2007. She also has repeatedly expressed her desire to be a part of Bollywood.

Bollywood famous musician Salim & Sulaiman who are currently enjoying fame and adulation for their composition for the World Cup opening ceremony will be composing the track for Shakira. And if the buzz is correct we will see Shakira shake those adored hips for a cabaret song.

According to the song will be shot on South African Playboy queen & model Candice Boucher for the film featuring the IPL owner and entrepreneur Sachin Joshi. The film is expected to be recorded in the next couple of months.The lyrics would be in English with a smattering of simple Hindi.

The film will be shot in Germany, Prague, Morocco and China. Percept Pictures are looking to release the film in the summer of 2011.

Salim has confirmed the news. 'It would be a very sensuous, cabaret kind of a song,' the website reported him as saying.

Sanjoy & Maanyata is Going to Parents

2010-06-10T03:46:00.000-07:00

Bollywood superstar Sanjoy Datta & his 2nd wife Maanyata is gona be Parents.Sanju receive a confirmation that his wife Maanyata had conceived.

However, the couple didn’t want the news to leak because it was just the initial phase of the pregnancy. Now an insider confirms that Maanyata is three months pregnant.Its been for nearly a year now, Sanju and Mana have been wanting a baby & they had been praying sincerely for an addition to the family.

However, its found that during the last six months, the superstar-wife has been staying indoors under the doctor’s advise. Once she conceived, she decided not to travel at all because it would get too hectic for her in this condition.

Apparently the bollywood actor is indulging his wife a lot these days. Insiders say Maanyata has been craving for different cuisines every night and Sanju has been ordering everything she asks for.

Sanju’s have one daughter,named Trishala, from an earlier marriage. Trishala is studying criminal law in the US.

Bollywood Stars at IIFA Green Carpet

2010-06-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

Despite controversies and boycotts, the 11th edition of the IIFA Weekend kick started in Sri Lanka with the host country rolling out the red carpet for glamorous Bollywood actors. The ceremony has been boycotted by the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce as a mark of protest against the alleged mistreatment of the Tamils in the country. Bollywood biggies like the Bachchans and SRK are also giving the extravaganza a miss. While Big B is currently shooting in Gujarat, Abhishek is in Istanbul for a film shoot and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai is in Paris to promote a brand. SRK is busy with the post production details of his forthcoming ‘Ra 1’.

Stars such a Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha, Lara, Neha, Kangana, Dia, Jacqueline, Riya, Sophie and many more were given a warm welcome by the Lankan fans as they arrived at the Bandarnaike International Airport.

Check out the glittering and dazzling stars as they attend IIFA red carpet on June 5, 2010.

For Why's Priyanka Feeling 'So Unhealthy'

2010-06-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

Priyanka Chopra's been saying for a while now that her role in Vishal Bharadwaj's 'Saat Khoon Maaf' is her most challenging yet. And looks like the challenge extends to her weight as well. The actress had to put on a lot of weight for the movie, and now that the shooting is almost done, she's in a rush to lose it all.

Priyanka confessed on her Twitter page, "I've been on a put-on-some-serious-weight kinda diet for SKM..yuck!I feel so unhealthy! Now that the films almost over, I plan on hitting the gym with a vengeance.. And coming from me that's a feat in itself.. Cuz I hate gyms!! Aaaarrrggghh!!"

So how serious is PC about this 'Let's hit the gym and lose weight' resolution? "Just up!! It's 4 in the morning..ive hardly slept man! Back to the spooky room in my hotel.. And I went to metropole last nite and ate n ate." Not the best of starts, Prinks. But we wish you luck for the future!

Why Salman Snub to Vivek?

2010-06-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Vivek Oberoi rubbished reports of Salman Khan snubbing him at the ongoing International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, saying there were better things to talk about during the ceremony than just spread rumours out of the blue.

"Who told you this?" questioned Vivek when asked what he had to say about the whole episode.

On the inaugural day on June 3, Vivek was the host of the "IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza" with Dia Mirza.

There were reports that Salman refused to be introduced by Vivek, the anchor of the night, and got Anil Kapoor to introduce him instead.

"'Aap log kyun itni chhoti si baat ka itna bada issue bana rahein ho?' (Why are you making fuss about such a small incident)" Vivek asked reporters in Colombo.

"Even when I will be a 70-year-old man, you will ask me such questions that have nothing to do with me or you will create situations to write about it," he added.

The actor said the media should concentrate on so many good initiatives and talks taking place at IIFA and not on such silly stuff.

The war between the two actors started when Vivek called a press conference in 2003 to announce that he had been receiving threatening calls from Salman over Aishwarya Rai. Vivek was dating Aishwarya that time.

Ever since that episode, Salman has not forgiven Vivek despite several public apologies by the latter.

Shilpa's Birthday Celebrity

2010-06-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra has planned a surprise trip for his wife's birthday June 8.

An ecstatic Shilpa wrote on her blog: "Glad Raj is back to celebrate my 1st birthday after marriage on the 8th of June. He has instructed my manager to keep 7th, 8th, 9th free to surprise me with a break (Yes, he's full of surprises! He's made arrangements for a trip but I have no idea where to... too sweet, all very exciting)."

Shilpa got to know about the location early on June 7 though. She posted on her Twitter page, "Too early barely slept on the flight with excitemnt, landed in HK now taking a Chopper to ...MACAU :) yippppppeeeee!! Finally nw I know;)"

Meanwhile, the actress re-lived her good old filmi days during the shooting of dance reality show 'Zara Nach Ke Dikha' when the female participants paid tribute to her by performing on her songs.

"The girls performed on a medley of my songs for an act and in similar costumes that I wore in my songs... made me very nostalgic and brought back some beautiful memories that made me a tad bit emotional (don't know why) in a good way," she added.

Watch Video: 3 Idiots Sweeps IIFA Awards

2010-06-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

'3 Idiots' that created history by becoming one of the most successful films in Hindi cinema walked away with 11 trophies at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards that concluded in Colombo with a flourish early on June 6, being declared the Best Film, while the Best Director award went to Rajkumar Hirani and the Best Actress award to Kareena Kapoor for the same movie.

Kareena shared the award with Vidya Balan, who was honoured for perfectly portraying the role in 'Paa' of a single mother whose son is suffering from progeria.

Sanjay Dutt, Bollywood's affable Munnabhai, walked away with the Best Comic Actor trophy for his rib-tickling performance in 'All The Best', while Boman Irani received the Best Actor in A Negative Role honour for his brilliant portrayal of an eccentric professor in '3 Idiots'.

Sharman Joshi, who played Aamir Khan's friend in '3 Idiots', won the Best Supporting Actor award, while Divya Dutta received Best Supporting Actress honour for her performance in 'Delhi 6'.

In the special award category, well-known Hindi filmmaker J. Omprakash and Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan's maternal grandfather, who made films like 'Aap Ki Kasam' (1974) , 'Aasha' (1980) and 'Aas Paas' (1981), was honoured for his outstanding contribution to cinema.

Versatile actor Anil Kapoor, who made his mark in the international arena with British filmmaker Danny Boyle's multiple award winning rags-to-riches drama 'Slumdog Millionaire', was honoured for outstanding achievement by an Indian in international cinema. And yesteryears glamour girl Zeenat Aman was honoured for Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema.

While Bollywood heart throb Salman Khan was given the Habitat for Humanity award, his not-so-good friend Vivek Oberoi, who has been in the news for all the wrong reasongs ever since he arrived for the IIFA awards, was honoured with the Panasonic Global Green award.

Pritam Chakraborty won the Best Music Director Award for composing lilting numbers for 'Love Aaj Kal' and Swanand Kirkire bagged the Best Lyrics Award for the super-hit movie '3 Idiots'.

In the playback singing category, the Best Female Playback Singer award went to Kavita Seth for crooning 'Ik tara' in 'Wake Up Sid' and the Best Male Playback Singer Award went to Shaan for the hit number 'Behti hawa sa thaa wo' in '3 Idiots'.

Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who made her Bollywood debut with 'Aladin', was declared Star Plus Debut of the Year (Female). Apart from Jacqueline, Mahi Gill, who played the modern age Paro in Anurag Kashap's new interpretation of 'Devdas' titled "Dev D", too bagged the Star Plus Debut of the Year (Female) award.

'3 Idiots' fame Omi Vadiya, who had people rolling in the aisles with his antics in the super-hit movie, received the Star Plus Debut of the Year (Male) award along with Jackie Bhagnani - the young actor who made his debut with the not-so-successful movie 'Kal Kissne Dekha'.

Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra received the Best Story Award for penning the interesting tale of '3 Idiots'.

'3 Idiots' baggged the maximum technical awards. The film won the Best Sound Recording Award for Nihar Ranjan Samal and Sachin K. Sanghvi. The Best Sound Re-recording went to Anup Dev, the Best Song Recording Award went to Sachin K. Sanghvi, the Best Background Score Award went to Sanjay Wandrekar, Atul Raninga and Shantanu Moitra, while C.K. Muraleedharan received the Best Cinematography Award for '3 Idiots'.

Bosco Caesar won the Best Choreography Award for directing popular dance moves in 'Love Aaj Kal', the Best Costume Design Awrard went to Anahita Shroff and Dolly Ahluwalia for the same film, which had Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles.

Sabu Cyril won the Best Art Direction Award and Charles Darby won Best Special Effects (Visual) Award for Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Aladin'.

For designing mindblowing action sequecnes in the crime thriller 'Kaminey', Shyam Kaushal was honoured with the Best Action Award and the Best Makeup Award went to the international make-up artists Christien Tinsley & Dominie Till for giving a progeria patient look to Amitabh in 'Paa'.

Priyanka Playing the Games!!!

2010-06-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

By Hindustan Times

Mumbai, June 7 -- Here comes Madhu my Mottu Maid, minus my icy Kiwi Mojito. Ask her about it and she's insisting that I hear this tiddy-bitty on Priyanka Chopra first. Since she won't let me breathe in peace, I give in to her demands.

I'm informed that apni Priyanka is hooked on to the games on her mobile, and whenever she gets any time off, she instantly starts playing the games downloaded in her handset. Can't blame her for indulging herself actually, reasons Mots.

Kyun? Kyunki she's shooting for Vishal Bhardwaj's Saat Khoon Maaf in Coorg, and the network around the location is really bad. And if that's not enough, she has to keep her mobile in silent mode on the sets. So akele akele aise hi baith ke kya karegi bechari, sighs Mottu. Hmm, if you insist, I shrug. Now go and get my Kiwi Mojito, pronto, I fire her.

Sanju Declared The Best Comic Actor at IIFA

2010-06-07T03:09:00.001-07:00

Colombo, June 6 (IANS) Sanjay Dutt, Bollywood's affable Munnabhai, walked away with the Best Comic Actor trophy for his rib-tickling performance in "All The Best", while Boman Irani received the Best Actor in Negative Role honour for his brilliant portrayal of an eccentric professor in "3 Idiots" at the International Indian Film Academy Awards here.

Sharman Joshi, who played Aamir Khan's friend in "3 Idiots", won the Best Supporting Actor Award, while Divya Dutta received Best Supporting Actress honour for her performance in "Delhi 6".

In the special award category, well-known Hindi filmmaker J. Omprakash and Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan's maternal grandfather, who made films like "Aap Ki Kasam" (1974) , "Aasha" (1980) and "Aas Paas" (1981), was honoured for his outstanding contribution to cinema.

Versatile actor Anil Kapoor, who made his mark in the international arena with British filmmaker Danny Boyle's multiple award winning rags-to-riches drama "Slumdog Millionaire", was honoured for outstanding achievement by an Indian in international cinema.

Bollywood heart throb Slaman Khan was given the Habitat for Humanity Award.

Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra received the Best Story Award for penning the interesting tale of "3 Idiots".

The Best Comic Actor Declared at IIFA is Sanjoy Dutta

2010-06-07T03:09:00.000-07:00

Sharman Joshi, who played Aamir Khan's friend in "3 Idiots", won the Best Supporting Actor Award, while Divya Dutta received Best Supporting Actress honour for her performance in "Delhi 6".

Bollywood heart throb Slaman Khan was given the Habitat for Humanity Award.

Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra received the Best Story Award for penning the interesting tale of "3 Idiots".

Sherlyn Chopra to Pose for Playboy?

2010-06-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sherlyn Chopra is perhaps the boldest babe in Bollywood. Her sexy photo shoots for PETA made the guys feel weak in the knees. As if that’s not enough, she is going to adorn the cover of the men’s magazine Playboy. It is said that Sherlyn has received a call from Hugh Hefner’s office with the offer.

Buzz up!“I have never posed nude therefore I was a bit apprehensive about the offer. But I got a photographer friend to do a few test clicks and I loved the results.” The actress who is a regular with hot yoga says that her body is super flexible and that, “I can do positions which the magazine would love,” Indiatimes quoted Sherlyn as saying.

“I wanted to meet him for a long time and the time has finally come. I will be going to his mansion. I have heard so many interesting stories about him and now it’s my chance to know him up, close and personal,” she added

The call from Hugh Hefner’s office to appear on the Playboy’s cover must have been a dream come true for the bold girl because she had earlier expressed her desire to adorn the magazine’s cover and make India proud.

Lara Attends IIFA with Mahesh

2010-06-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

Lara and Mahesh at the Filmfare awards

After attending the Filmfare awards together, actress Lara Dutta and tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi gave another hint of their relationship by together attending the fashion extravaganza at the ongoing International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend in Colombo.

The couple looked very much in love while walking the green carpet on June 4. While Lara looked ravishing in a black and white short dress, Mahesh was dressed in blue jeans and white shirt with a dark blue blazer.

The couple earlier denied reports of their affair, but their recent appearances together have cleared the air regarding their relationship.

Lara, riding high on the success of her recently released film ‘Housefull’, will be comparing at the IIFA Awards main night along with Riteish Deshmukh and Boman Irani. The event is being organised by Wizcraft.

Was 'Raavan' Team Scared of Tamil Protests?

2010-06-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Reufting reports that 'Raavan' director Mani Ratnam and actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai skipped the IIFA event here because of the Tamil protests back home, Nikhil Dwivedi said on June 4 that this was just not true.

'Raavan' was supposed to be screened at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Colombo and the director not only cancelled the screening but also refused to attend it, citing work pressure.

"It's not true that Abhishek, Mani Ratnam and Aishwarya didn't come here because of the Tamil protests. Govindaji will be here. I'm already here, so I think it should put the rumours to rest that the 'Raavan' team is not here because of the protests," Nikhil said.

"We should take Mani Ratnam's word when he said that he is busy with post-production work. Any filmmaker will be madly immersed in his film just two weeks before its release. Other team members are also busy with some or the other things. That's the only reason behind their absence," he said.

Back home, Tamil groups were not in favour of IIFA going to Sri Lanka and asked everyone to either boycott it or change the venue. According to them, Sri Lanka needed to be shunned as its military had killed Tamils in large numbers last year in the war that led to the bloody decimation of the Tamil Tigers.

The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce announced a boycott of Colombo by southern actors and filmmakers and said it would boycott the Bollywood stars who went to Sri Lanka as well as their movies.

The 31-year-old Nikhil, who has worked in films like 'My Name is Anthony Gonsalves' and 'Khallbali - Fun Unlimited', will be seen as Abhishek's younger brother in 'Raavan', which is scheduled for a June 18 release.

"It was an absolutely marvelous experience. I got an opportunity to work with Mani Ratnam very early in my career and I feel I'm very fortunate," said Nikhil.

Talking about his co-stars, he said: "It was great shooting with Abhishek and Aishwarya. Abhishek made me very comfortable on the sets. I had a great time. I'm really looking forward to working with them again."

'Raavan', shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi, is said to be a modern day version of the Indian epic Ramayana.

Salman Stands by Decision to be in Colombo

2010-06-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Bollywood stars who have flocked to Colombo defying calls to boycott Sri Lanka over the killings of Tamils say they have no regrets.

Leading actors and singers attending the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards event say their Sri Lanka visit does not mean they support the government here or any ethnic community.

Salman Khan said the threat to ban films of stars just because they showed up in Colombo was absurd.

"This way we won't be able to visit Kashmir, Gujarat or Afghanistan. If our people are in difficulty, we should not abandon them," said the actor who enjoys a huge fan following in Sri Lanka.

When Sri Lanka was declared the venue for IIFA 2010 by Wizcraft, Tamil groups started a protest and asked everyone to either boycott it or change the venue.

According to them, Sri Lanka needed to be shunned as its military had killed Tamils in large numbers last year in the war that led to the bloody decimation of the Tamil Tigers.

The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce announced a boycott of Colombo by southern actors and filmmakers and said it would boycott the Bollywood stars who went to Sri Lanka as well as their movies.

The threat did work.

IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya as well as Shah Rukh Khan -- among the biggest names in Bollywood -- have stayed away from the event.

Salman, the brand ambassador of IIFA's charity initiative, feels the Bachchans should have made it to Colombo.

"Everyone who belongs to the film industry should have attended IIFA. They could have come together to extend help to Sri Lankans," he said.

Others echoed his sentiments.

"Cinema is all about human relationships and we as artists stand in bridging gaps... The idea of creating more gaps is not the right thing," Oscar winning Indian sound designer Resul Pookutty told IANS.

Said Boman Irani: "I can't compel people to try and understand what we are trying to do here. Nothing is permanent, so I'm sure everything will be fine."

Singer Mohit Chauhan agreed: "Music and art do not recognize the barrier of politics. Art and creativity are free from such shackles. As an artist, I believe we should be allowed to travel all over the world."

Actor Sharman Joshi explained why he was in Sri Lanka.

"I understand there were protests. I understand many lives were involved and it's a very sensitive issue. At the same time what's very important is the quickest and fastest possible way of creating that bond again."

The organisers say they did no wrong in picking Sri Lanka as the venue for IIFA for an annual event that in the past has been held in Malaysia and South Africa.

"We would not have been here today if we didn't know (that) IIFA would help bridge the gap (between warring groups)," said Sabbas Joseph, one of the directors of Wizcraft.

The IIFA main event will be held on June 5.

Bollywood Focuses on Priyanka, Katrina, Vidya

2010-06-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

Women-centric themes seem to have caught Bollywood's fancy yet again, whether it is Priyanka Chopra's ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’, Sonam Kapoor's ‘Aisha’, Kareena Kapoor-Kajol's ‘Stepmom’ remake or Rani Mukerji-Vidya Balan- starrer ‘No One Killed Jessica’.

After a long break, Bollywood divas will get an opportunity to play characters rich in performance and not just be presented as mere decorative pieces to fulfill the glamour quotient of a Bollywood movie.

Vishal Bharadwaj ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’ is based on Ruskin Bond's story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands', about a woman who bumps off her seven spouses. Priyanka Chopra will play the protagonist in the film.

Sonam's 'Aisha', an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel 'Emma' about the perils of misconstrued romance, too revolves around the female protagonist's life.

Then there is Karan Johar's remake of Hollywood movie 'Stepmom', a heart-warming tale of two women. The Hindi remake stars Kareena, Kajol and Arjun Rampal in the lead and is being directed by Siddharth Malhotra.

Mani Ratnam's much awaited film 'Raavan' stars two men - Abhishek Bachchan and southern star Vikram. But it is Aishwarya Rai who is being described by her co-stars as the "hero" of the film.

One-film old Rajkumar Gupta's 'No One Killed Jessica' has also hogged the media limelight. Starring Vidya and Rani, it is inspired by the 1999 murder of model Jessica Lall.

It can be recalled that we have had women-oriented films in the past; however, most of them were either arty or starred character artists. Very seldom did we see a mainstream actress play the protagonist’s role and have the entire plot revolve around her. Even if we take a look at our recent films, all that the actresses are required to do is wear gorgeous outfits and look exotic. But not anymore, as lead actresses like Priyanka, Katrina, Kareena, Vidya and others are inspiring filmmakers to weave stories around them.

But the big question is will these movies go on to become hits. The battle is now between the divas and the plain Janes. What will the Indian audience choose in their film: A gorgeous looking eye candy or a simple beauty with a strong character sketch? Only time will tell...

Kareena cannot do Barbie Doll Roles Anymore

2010-06-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

Kareena Kapoor a.k.a. Bebo has been one of the reigning actresses in Bollywood since the past few years. She has proved herself to be a versatile actress with a wide range of roles that she has performed in space of these few years.

The actress feels that she has now entered a much more mature stage of her career. The news of Mani Ratnam reviving his film Lajjo, which was earlier shelved have surfaced recently. The buzz is that Kareena and Aamir Khan will be playing the lead roles in this movie.

Apparently, Kareena will be one of the happiest persons around if Lajjo is made. She claims that she would rather do challenging roles than the ‘Barbie Doll’ ones. She has come to realise that she enjoys doing diverse roles as an actor now.

Bebo feels that she can no longer do the singing and dancing kind of girlie roles which she had essayed earlier. And she believes that these roles fail to bring out the actor in her. She has been able to win the hearts of many with her uniqueness in Kurbaan, Jab We Met, Omkara and others.

Currently, Kareena has quite a few promising roles in her kitty. Reportedly, she will be playing the role of a mother in Ra. One. She will be acting as a step mother in the Bollywood remake of Step Mom too. The role that was originally played by Julia Roberts.

Well, it looks like Bebo’s come a long way from ‘Pooh’ of K3G and has matured to ‘Dolly’ in Omkara.

Katrina’s Barbie Moment Revealed

2010-06-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif is unbelievably proper, the kind of person who thinks it is better to be polite than to be politically incorrect. The kind of person who expects men to be gentlemen. The kind of person who gets treated like a wind-up toy! It was quite a sight to see Katrina’s ‘Raajneeti’ co-stars Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal joke around with her at the Ramee Royal in Dubai. They pretended like she was one of those toys you have to insert a coin in, and Kat took it look a sport. She talked about her experiences on the male-dominated sets of the political drama and shared a lot more. Over to Kat!

Abhishek's Celebrity Hairstylist Revealed

2010-06-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

It wasn't any celebrity stylist but National award winning filmmaker Mani Ratnam himself who gave superstar Abhishek Bachchan his military-style crew-cut for the upcoming film 'Raavan'.

The haircut was a result of a long standing promise that Abhishek made to Ratnam a few years back while shooting for 'Yuva'.

"Mani Ratnam wanted Abhishek to cut his hair for 'Yuva’. But Abhishek ended up keeping his own hairstyle with a promise in store that one day he 'will allow Mani Ratnam to cut his hair'. And so on the first day of the shooting in Kerala on the sets of 'Raavan', Mani himself gave Abhishek the ‘Beera’ hair style," said a source.

Abhishek usually spends a lot of time detailing the look for his characters. While he had put on several kilos to look the part of Gurukant Desai in 'Guru', he shed a lot of weight for 'Raavan'.

Co-produced by Reliance BIG Pictures, 'Raavan' is set for a June 18 release. It also features Aishwarya Rai, southern star Vikram, Govinda and Ravi Kishan.

Saif and Kat soon to come together in a romantic film

2010-06-03T00:02:00.000-07:00

Saif Ali Khan has worked with most of the b’wood babes which includes Deepika, Kareena, Bipasha. Now according to the latest gossip in the industry Saif might team up with Katrina for a romantic movie.

Grapevine is that Priyanka is also a strong option for the role. But Kat has more chances of getting through.

Salman, Aish and Vivek Come Together Finally

2010-06-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

The upcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards 2010 is turning out to be interesting for more reasons than one. If cricket fans are eager to watch the charity cricket match between Indian celebrities and Sri Lankan cricketers, many must be very eager to know the coming together of Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi at the film festival to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 3 to 5 June.

Salman had earlier revealed that he would perform at the event. He will also play the charity cricket match along with Dino Morea, Vinod Kambli, Kiran More and others. Vivek too will attend the film festival to restart his Project Hope to help in the reconstruction of a village in Sri Lanka.

Adding more spice, Amitabh Bachchan, the brand ambassador of the event, had earlier revealed that his daughter-in-law Aishwarya would attend it.

It is common knowledge that Salman, Ash and Vivek have not talked to each other ever since the love triangle happened a few years ago. Ash is now happily married to Abhishek Bachchan; Salman is going not so steady with Katrina Kaif and Vivek has revived his career, though not very lucky with his love life.

Katrina Visits Ajmer Sharif to Pray for Success of Rajneeti

2010-05-31T03:03:00.000-07:00

With her forthcoming film Rajneeti all set to release,Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif is keeping her fingers crossed for the film's success.And so what better than god's blessings to bring her wish true.Katrina on Friday visited the famous shrine of a Sufi saint,Khwaja Mouinuddin Chisty,Ajmer Sharif in Ajmer to seek blessings,ahead of her film's release.Draped in a white coloured traditional salwar-Kameez,the actress offered the religious Chaadar (Blanket) on the mausoleum of the Sufi saint and prayed for the success of her movie.

‘Hyderabadi Damaad’ Proves to be Sania’s Worst Nightmare

2010-05-31T02:43:00.000-07:00

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: Controversy doesn’t seem to leave Sania Mirza alone. The tennis star, who has been in news over her much rusher marriage to Pakistan’s cricketer Shoaib Malik, is now tending to a headache of a different kind. Nevertheless, it’s her marriage that is at the centre of this mess too.

News has it that ever since Sania has been informed about a certain filmmaker making a film on her life and the controversy surrounding her marriage, the tennis star has lost her sleep.

And why? Well, the film is called ‘Hyderabadi Damaad’ and the director has not asked for any kind of permission from Sania.

According to sources, the film stars Amar Upadhyay, Ali Merchant and TV star Debina Bonerjee (as Sania Mirza). The flick was launched last week in Mumbai and is produced by PD Garg and directed by Jaiprakash (Market).

The film revolves around the drama surrounding Sania’s marriage to Shoaib Malik. And that’s not all. The film also intends to explore the circumstances leading to Sania’s break-up with her former fiancée Sohrab Mirza.

Speaking to a news daily, Sania voiced her anger, “I was surprised to read in newspapers that a director is making a film on me and my marriage. I think that a commercial movie based on my personal life is hardly relevant, but I hope that the concerned director will make it clear to his viewers that the film is merely a fictional account based on his imagination.”

“It is intriguing that I haven’t even been approached (by the filmmakers) regarding this. Very few people in the world would know the real Sania Mirza. It’s a shame if the director is relying on distorted information he’s picked up through inaccurate media coverage,” she sates.

Lara Dutta Starts Voice Blogging

2010-05-31T02:37:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2010

New Delhi, Actress Lara Dutta is following in the footsteps of megastar Amitabh Bachchan by launching her own voice blog.

“Hey! I just started Voice Blogging, you can dial *5148* from your Airtel number to listen to me. Catch you all there,” Lara posted on her microblogging site Twitter.

Meanwhile, the actress is set to co-host this year’s International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Colombo June 3-5.

“I am not performing this year but will be hosting the show along with Boman Irani and Riteish Deshkmukh,” Lara, who was present in the capital for the launch of an international clothing brand Zara, told reporters here Friday.

Lara has also been roped in to star in Farhan Akhtar’s “Don 2″ alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Arjun Rampal.

Shahid doesn't want to Leave Priyanka

2010-05-30T03:14:00.000-07:00

It seems Shahid Kapoor is too emotional at times. So much that he cannot decide on buying a new property just because he doesn't want to part ways with his best pal - Priyanka Chopra who is his neighbour too.

According to latest reports, Shahid Kapoor wants to buy a bigger apartment but is delaying the move since he�s worried about parting ways with his best buddy Priyanka Chopra. So, purely for this reason, Shahid has put the plans of buying a new property on hold.

Well, looks like Shahid's friendship with Priyanka is actually stronger than what we thought. So, let's see which new level it touches with the passage of time.

Shahrukh & Aishwarya not Reuniting

2010-05-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

Well, who doesn't want to see the two highly regarded luminaries world over - Shahrukh Khan & Aishwarya Rai Bachchan coming together for a film. But mere speculating and floating baseless rumours wouldn't do any good!

Recently a few reputed publications reported that Bollywood's premier production house Yash Raj Films is planning to reunite the duo for a movie. Not only this, it further stated that Aditya Chopra even had telephonic conversations with both Shah Rukh and Aishwarya trying to coax them to do a project under their prestigious banner. Whenever this jodi came together, they did wonders at box-office. Be it JOSH, MOHABBATEIN or DEVDAS - all have been huge blockbusters. Infact MOHABBATEIN was produced under YRF banner and directed by Aditya Chopra.

However, YRF have denied all such reports. A spokesperson from the production house clarified, "The latest news which appeared in a publication about YRF trying to convince actors Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to reunite for a movie is baseless. No such project is being planned which has the two of them paired together. Also, our next set of scripts are still under finalization and as and when the cast for each of them is locked, we will be more than happy to make the announcements."

Wish it had been true! Meanwhile, we wouldn't complain if other filmmakers are considering to pair-up the duo.

Salman Avoids Katrina

2010-05-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

Though Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif have not parted ways in their personal life, but the two are not exactly sharing the same old chemistry which at one point of time was exemplary.

Buzz is that Salman recently avoided meeting Katrina at a marriage ceremony giving rise to speculations about their relationship. In the recent past too there have been occasional rumours that all is not well between the two, but Katrina has denied such rumours flatly.

So, what could explain the latest incident of Salman and Katrina avoiding each other in public then? Well, we are not saying anything, but it seems all is not surely well in Sallu-Kats paradise.

Salman Khan's Game for a Backlash!

2010-05-30T01:33:00.000-07:00

Actor Salman Khan, who played a friendly cricket match against Pakistani celebrities in Dubai sports city on Thursday - to raise awareness for his charity Being Human - admits he won't be surprised if he faces a backlash from right-wing groups in Mumbai now.

"We might get hammered when we go back," Salman said. "But that is the chance we have taken. We, as India and Pakistan, have to show (we) are together. Only a few elements have a mudda."

Salman's brother Sohail captained the Indian team while Shoaib Akhtar was the Pakistan team's captain. Riteish Deshmukh and Sania Mirza were also present at the match, which the Indian team won.

Kareena Not Playing Truant for 'Milenge Milenge' Promos

2010-05-29T10:30:00.001-07:00

New Delhi, The makers of "Milenge Milenge" have denied reports that actress Kareena Kapoor is playing truant with producer Boney Kapoor in doling out shooting dates for the promotional video and publicity shoot of the film.

"Milenge Milenge", which is believed to be a remake of "Serendipity", is being produced by Boney Kapoor and directed by Satish Kaushik, under the banner of S.K. Films.

S.K. Films insists that the stories floating around the film are baseless and untrue.

"Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor inspite of their busy schedules have completed the entire dubbing of the film in time for the release and have given appropriate time for the promotional campaign," it added.

"Shahid has completed his portion for the promotional music video and Kareena will be doing hers shortly as she was busy shooting in Goa."

"Milenge Milenge" is in making since 2004 and is now slated to release July 9. The first teasers of the film have already hit the television screens.

Aamir Khan Upset With Sharuk Khan?

2010-05-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Mumbai, May 29 -- At long last, the weekend is here and I'm so glad I can get away from the shor-sharaba of the shaher for the next couple of days. What are your plans, my sweetums? Before you wonder if I'm going to go on and on about my chuutti with Madhu my Mottu Maid and Rapchik Rajni, let me share with you some of the garma-garam gup that everyone in tinsel town is shupping about.

For starters, I've just been informed that Aamir Khan is upset with Shah Rukh Khan. I had gone to see a special screening of Prince Of Persia

Lara Dutta to co-host IIFA awards

2010-05-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Bollywood actress Lara Dutta will co-host this year's International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards at Colombo June 3-5 along with Boman Irani and Riteish Deshkmukh.

"I am not performing this year but will be hosting the show along with Boman Irani and Riteish Deshkmukh," Lara told reporters here Friday.

The actress was in the capital for the launch of international clothing brand Zara's store at Select Citywalk, Saket.

The actress looked stunning as she posed for shutterbugs in a short blue dress paired with pink sandals and a pink clutch. She has also given up her long locks for a shorter hairdo.

Also, Lara's face lit up at the mention of "Don-2" but she refused to divulge any details about her role in the film.

"Right now I can only confirm that yes, I am a part of 'Don-2' and I am really looking forward to working with Farhan Akhtar and Shah Rukh Khan. As for my role you have to wait and watch," Lara added.

Kareena not delaying Milenge Milenge

2010-05-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

The makers of Milenge Milenge, starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, have issued a press statement, which is being reproduced verbatim:

"It is mentioned that Kareena has been playing truant with producer Boney Kapoor in doling out shooting dates for the promotional video and publicity shoot. S.K. Films wishes to clarify that there are many stories floating around the film, which are baseless and untrue.

"Though the film has been in the making for some time now, the delay has been due to certain unforeseen factors and not because of any hesitation or reluctance from the actors to complete the film. Rather, Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor, in spite of their busy schedule, have completed the entire dubbing of the film in time for the release and have given appropriate time for the promotional campaign.

"Shahid has completed his portion for the promotional music video and Kareena will be doing her's shortly, since she was busy shooting in Goa."

Aishwarya, Kareena and Preity will Come Together for SLB’s ‘Heera Mandi’?

2010-05-27T23:23:00.001-07:00

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has long time back announced his plans to make a film titled ‘Heera Mandi’, apparently based on the famous red light area in the walled city of Lahore. However, he had later shelved the idea, but the grapevine has it that Bhansali has now decided to start this project soon and the lead roles in the movie will be played by the cream of Bollywood- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Kareena Kapoor. Sanjay had initially wanted Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukherjee and Sonam Kapoor for lead roles.

Sanjay will start working on the film as soon as he wraps up with his ambitious project ‘Guzaarish’ starring Hrithik and Aishwarya. With three beautiful and very talented actresses sharing the screen space, the project definitely seems to be a promising one!!!

Shahrukh Always Misses Working with Juhi Chawla

2010-05-27T23:10:00.000-07:00

Bollywood superstar Sharuk Khan misses working with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza with whom he teamed up in the initial days of his career.

Shah Rukh gave hits like “Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman” (1992), “Yes Boss” (1997) and “Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani” (2000) with Juhi and Mirza.

“Last night (I) was thinking wot (what) beautiful times I had making ‘Yes Boss’…’Raju Ban Gaya (Gentleman)’…’Phir Bhi Dil Hai(Hindustani)’… missing Aziz (Mirza) and Juhi (Chawla),” Shah Rukh wrote on his twitter page.

The 44-year-old was last seen with Juhi in Amitabh Bachchan starer “Bhootnath”, a comedy directed by Vivek Sharma.

Shah Rukh also started a production house called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi and Mirza as partners and produced films like “Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani” and “Chalte Chalte” under the banner.

Shah Rukh is the most popular Bollywood celebrity on Twitter with more than 400,000 followers.

Katrina n Arjun Love Making Scene in ‘Rajneeti’ was Essential

2010-05-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

Bollywood upcoming movie “Raajneeti” has finally got a UA certificate but not without some vital scenes, including Arjun Rampal and Katrina Kaif’s “aesthetically shot love making scene” that director Prakash Jha says was “absolutely essential”, being edited out.

“It was a very aesthetically shot love making scene. Arjun and Katrina are two very beautiful people. And they made love to the camera. The Tribunal (Film Certification Appellate Tribunal) felt it was a bit too explicit for a ‘UA’ audience. I didn’t argue,” Jha told IANS.

Jha’s weeklong battle with the censor board ended Wednesday with the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi viewing “Raajneeti” and granting it a ‘UA’ certificate.

The director had challenged the censor board’s decision earlier last week to grant “Raajneeti” an ‘A’ certificate with cuts.

Jha sees the reduction of the Katrina-Ranbir love making scene as a blow.

“The love scene was absolutely essential. Unlike other directors I had not shot extra footage so that the censors could take away whatever portion they liked. I had shot the love making scene exactly the way it was meant to be. I’ve had to reduce it by half.

“It’s a disappointment to all of us. I’ve also had to beep out the F… word uttered by Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in two different places in the plot. Ex-justice Usha Mehra, who headed the Tribunal, requested me to do away with the F… word. But it didn’t make a difference,” he said.

Ajay Devgn, Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar and Manoj Bajpai too will be seen “Raajneeti”. Releasing June 4, the political thriller will be the behind-the-scenes look at politics, strategies behind election campaigns, scandals and much more.

Apparently, the censor board had earlier objected to two sequences – one showing the rigging of elections by fitting ballot boxes with specially designed gadgets and the other showing a female politician offering sex in exchange for an election ticket.

“An ‘A’ certificate brings on a specific mindset on the audience. They think the film has sleazy content. So I preferred to let the film be referred to the Tribunal,” said Jha.

Also Arjun’s volatile character in “Raajneeti” shouts lurid and graphic expletives Hindi at a police officer. These remain intact while the ‘f’ word is gone.

Several recent Hindi films like “Omkara” and “Ishqiya” were plastered with expletives but got away at the censors with an A certificate.

‘Dum Maaro Dum’ Movie to Release in February 2011

2010-05-27T01:00:00.001-07:00

New Delhi, The Abhishek Bachchan-Bipasha Basu-starrer thriller “Dum Maaro Dum” will release Feb 4 next year, its producers say.

“We are hugely excited about ‘Dum Maaro Dum’. It has a great script. It is vibrant and contemporary and we expect the film to appeal to a wide audience. The February timing is perfect and it is strategically timed just before the cricket World cup,” Vijay Singh, CEO of Fox Star Studios India, said in a statement.

Fox Star Studios India is co-producing the film with Ramesh Sippy.

“Dum Maaro Dum” will be Fox Star’s third outing to release in the same period. The studio released multiple Oscar-award winning “Slumdog Millionaire” in January 2009 and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “My Name is Khan” in February this year.

“The window of late January and early February works for us also as we are familiar with the release environment during that period”, said Singh.

Ramesh Sippy echoed similar sentiments. “The film is shaping up very well and the audiences should get ready to enjoy a gripping, moving film with great visual appeal, coming their way on February 4,” he said.

Directed by Rohan Sippy, “Dum Maaro Dum” is an action-thriller with Abhishek playing a fearless cop. The movie races through India’s largest tourist destination Goa and also stars Aditya Panscholi and Pratiek Babbar. Telugu star Rana Daggubati makes his Bollywood debut with the movie.

After completing the first schedule of the film in Goa, the cast and crew will start shooting for a second schedule in Mumbai next month.

Katrina Kaif Still Undecided About Home Production

2010-05-27T00:52:00.002-07:00

Media reports hinted that Katrina Kaif will start work on her first production venture after the release of her political thriller “Raajneeti”, but her spokesperson says that the reports are not true.

“Katrina is just going over details and is in talks regarding her debut production but nothing has been finalized as of now,” says the actress’ spokesperson.

There were also reports that Katrina will play an army recruit in it.

“There is no truth to the news that Katrina will be playing an army recruit. It is too soon to talk about it as nothing as been finalised as of now,” said a source close to the actress.

“When the time comes an announcement will be made about her debut production project. As of now Katrina is just in talks and toying with ideas,” added the source.

Sensuous selected Lara in ‘Don 2′

2010-05-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

The sensuous Lara Dutta is the new face among the gang of Farhan Akhtar’s Don 2 that will hit the box office this December.

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan are tight-lipped about the actress’s joining to the team, but reports says that the actress has been roped in to play a femme fatale in the movie.

A source revealed that Lara is a completely a new addition to the cast with an entirely new defined part written for her and has not replaced Esha Kopikar.

The source also revealed that, the role will require Lara to learn some form of martial arts and the actress is excited to do an action role.

This is the second time after Andaaz (2003), when both Lara and Priyanka will be teaming again and that too against a solo hero.

For Why Big B Congratulated SRK

2010-05-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

Amitabh Bachchan, who joined Twitter some time ago, congratulated Shah Rukh Khan for having over 400,000 followers on the site.

"Congrats!! you crossed 400,000... meri gaadi thoda dheeli chal rahi hai (I'm at a slower pace at the moment)," the 67-year-old posted on his Twitter page.

Amitabh, who has become a regular on the site now, presently has 98,228 followers. While he writes on his Twitter page couple of times during the day, he also has a blog, a voice blog and a mobile blog.

As of now, he is following just five people on Twitter - Shah Rukh, son Abhishek, Sachin Tendulkar, Shammi Kapoor, and Suhel Seth.

Katrina Kaif Beats Sharukh Khan and Aishwarya

2010-05-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif is the most searched celebrity on mobile phones and has beaten the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Aishwarya Rai, as per recent research by a company.

The research was conducted by mBit Infotech, a Value Added Service(VAS) provider.

Among Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities, Katrina is on the number one spot followed by Angelina Jolie, Kareena, Shah Rukh, Salman Khan, Bipasha Basu, Aishwarya, Monica Bellucci and Aamir Khan.

Commenting on the results, Raghavendra Agarwala, CEO of mBit Infotech, said: "It is amazing to see that Katrina Kaif is ruling the charts with a major slice of the pie, presumably implying that her popularity is mounting for both national and international audiences."

The research is based on the searches performed by over 120,000 users of mBit in the first quarter of 2010 (Jan to April).

Salim-Sulaiman to Perform at FIFA World Cup

2010-05-25T01:04:00.000-07:00

Indian music composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant, who collaborated with South African singers Loyiso Bala and Eric Wainaina to record the anthem for FIFA World Cup 2010, will perform at the opening and closing ceremonies of the football event.

"It’s definitely an honour to get the opportunity to perform at such a huge platform. In fact, besides this anthem, we are also going to sing our song 'Shukran allah' from 'Kurbaan' with Loyiso and Eric. Music knows no boundaries," said a delighted Salim.

Later the duo will also perform for the fund raising concert for Nelson Mandela Foundation, a trust that is actively working towards providing medical assistance for corrective surgery of cleft lip and palate.

The opening ceremony of the football World Cup will be held June 10 at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Indo-Asian News Service

Deepika's Need a Protective Hero

2010-05-25T00:58:00.000-07:00

Deepika Padukone says that her co-star in Pradeep Sarkar's 'Lafange Parindey', Neil Nitin Mukesh is so protective of her that he gets tense every time she has to perform a stunt sequence.

"It's very sweet of him. But I insist on doing what I want to. Neil does get tense," she said.

The actor has so impressed her that she cannot stop praising him.

"Neil is such a well brought-up guy, absolutely impeccable in his manners. Besides being a brilliant actor, he's also a great technician. I see him turning director soon. My other co-star Imran Khan in 'Break Ke Baad' is great fun too. We shot in Delhi and bonded immediately," she said.

Speaking of Imran, there was talk of Deepika deliberately working with Ranbir Kapoor's immediate rival after their break up.

When asked about it, she flared up.

"No one tells me what to do and what not to do. My personal life has nothing to do with my professional one. Imran is a wonderful co-star. I like working with actors who are fun yet professional, like Akshay, Imran, Neil and Abhishek Bachchan."

When asked about her linkup with liquor baron Vijay Mallya's son, Deepika sighed, saying: "Can't I be seen with the people I'm working with without being linked to them? Not too many people know this. But Siddharth Mallaya actually runs the whole IPL (Indian Premier League) show for his father. So it was natural for me to celebrate with him when our team won a match. Anyway, the IPL season is now over. So I guess that rumour will end."

Deepika is very happy about her roles so far.

"Housefull was a new experience. I had to do comedy. Like Akshay Kumar, I chose to do a more subtle comedy in Housefull. For me being funny doesn't mean screaming and rolling my eyes. Now I've three films that are about to be completed -- Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Khelenge Hum Jee Jaan Se', Pradeep Sarkar's 'Lafange Parindey' and Danish Aslam's 'Break Ke Baad'. Let's see which comes next."

‘Kites’ Grosses Rs.65 Crore Worldwide in Opening Weekend

2010-05-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

The Hrithik Roshan-Barbara Mori starrer “Kites” grossed over Rs.65 crore in its opening weekend worldwide, according to its distributor.

“Kites” released across 2,000 screens in India and across 500 screens overseas Friday.

The film has been distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures and produced by Hrithik’s father Rakesh Roshan. Directed by Anurag Basu, it is a love story between an Indian man and a Mexican woman.

An international version of the movie titled “Kites-The Remix”, edited by Hollywood director Brett Ratner is also releasing worldwide May 28. Kites weekend box office collection are very good as some review are negative.

Aamir Khan’s Surprise to Visit His Assistant Wedding

2010-05-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

Bangalore, Bollywood star Aamir Khan along with his wife Kiran Rao paid a surprise visit to Channarayapatna town here Monday to attend the marriage of his trusted assistant Sudhakar.

Kiran was seen participating in several events of the marriage. The fact that Aamir Khan came all the way from Mumbai to Channarayapatna, 160 km away from Bangalore, had even the media persons in the town surprised.

Most of the TV channel reporters were caught unawares and had to rush to the marriage hall to shoot the couple. Fans were thrilled to see the top Bollywood star blessing his assistant.

Sudhakar, who hails from Channarayapatna town of Hassan district, has been working in Aamir Khan’s office for more than 15 years along with his father Kushe Gowda. Sources said that Aamir and his family members were impressed with Kushe Gowda and Sudhakar’s honesty, integrity and dedication to work.

Aamir and Kiran Rao, who hails from Bangalore, did not want to miss out attending the marriage. They flew from Mumbai Sunday evening and stayed at Hassan Sunday night. They reached Channarayapatna at noon Monday and went straight to the marriage hall. The people of the small town were thrilled to see Aamir Khan and his wife.

Sudhakar and his wife Mamatha were very happy to have them at the function. Sources said Aamir Khan has donated a car valued at Rs.15 lakh to Sudhakar. Kushe Gowda, who is also working in Aamir Khan’s office, revealed to media persons attending the function that the actor had even financed the construction of a house for his son.

Katrina Kaif is the Most Searched Celebrity on Mobile Phones

2010-05-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif is the most searched celebrity on the mobile phones and has beaten the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Aishwarya Rai.

The research was conducted by mBit Infotech, a Value Added Service(VAS) provider.

Among the Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities, Katrina is on the number one spot followed by Angelina Jolie, Kareena, Shah Rukh, Salman, Bipasha, Aishwarya, Monica Bellucci and Aamir Khan.

Commenting on the results, Raghavendra Agarwala, CEO of mBit Infotech, said: “It is amazing to see that Katrina Kaif is ruling the charts with a major pie, presumably implying that Katrina’s popularity is mounting for both national and international audiences.”

The research is based on the searches performed by over 120,000 users of mBit in the first quarter of 2010 (Jan to April) and it also found out that “sex” is still the most popular searched keyword followed by music where mostly international music icons like Akon, Linkin Park, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rihanna and Michael Jackson top the list.

Katrina Says Thank You but not to Anees

2010-05-24T03:07:00.000-07:00

The Kumar - Kaif duo has sizzled on the screen quite a few times in films like Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, Namaste London, Welcome, Singh Is King and De Dhana Dhan and are known to be one of the most enviable couples on screen. Their chemistry on screen is worth watching and has created hits every time. But recently Katrina had to turn down a film with Akshay.

The film Thank You was offered to Katrina by Anees Bazmee, but the lovely lass turned down the offer politely as she is already working with Akshay Kumar in Tees Maar Khan and could not manage two Akshay Kumar flicks together. Tees Maar Khan will be directed by Farah Khan and apparently the Akshay-Farah duo is the reason for the fall out between SRK and Farah.

The shoot for Thank You is ongoing in Canada and Anees is still hopeful of casting Katrina in his film. He sends a representative to meet Katrina almost every day in order to somehow work out the dates and at least make a guest appearance in the film.

Thank You will also star Sonam Kapoor opposite Bobby Deol. Anees has mentioned that casting Sonam was not for the sake of personal relationships with the Kapoors but keeping in mind her fresh face and her raw talent.

The search for a leading lady for Akshay still continues. Anees might just convince Katrina to do a cameo. Whether she will be seen with Akki in this flick is something to wait and watch!

Shahrukh Khan to perform at IIFA 2010

2010-05-24T03:04:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will perform at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards being held in Colombo June 3-5.

“This year Shah Rukh Khan will be performing at IIFA,” Sabas Joseph, one of the directors of Wizcraft that organises the gala, told reporters here.

This quashes rumours that Shah Rukh is in a cold war with IIFA brand amabssador Amitabh Bachchan.

Shah Rukh, who last came for the Amsterdam IIFA in 2005, will also participate in a charity cricket match between Indian celebrities and Sri Lankan cricketers. The proceeds from this will be used to help rehabilitate former Tamil Tiger child soldiers.

Bollywood celebrities like Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Riteish Deshmukh and Vivek Oberoi will also be performing at the award function.

Apart from the main award ceremony, a global business forum, a fashion extravaganza, a film workshop and premieres of upcoming films will also be held.

The award ceremony is said to be hosted by Boman Irani and Riteish once again, along with Lara Dutta.

KAREENA:Size Zero Became Like the Sensex

2010-05-24T02:53:00.000-07:00

picture: Getty Images

Kareena Kapoor, who made size zero the talk of the town, says she is "round and healthy" but admits her figure got the nation's attention much like the Sensex.

"The size zero did become a brand... it became like the Sensex, people were discussing it," Kareena said via video conferencing from Mumbai Sunday night at the Quick Heal NDTV Tech Life Awards 2010.

"But now I'm more round and healthy," said the 29-year-old, who was named the celebrity brand ambassador of the year.

Kareena endorses Sony Vaio's Size Zero laptop.

A common phrase in the fashion industry, size zero means being really slim.

'Kites' Grosses Over Rs. 21 Crores on Opening Day

2010-05-23T04:59:00.000-07:00

Hrithik Roshan-Barbara Mori starrer 'Kites' grossed over Rs.21 crore on its opening day and has become the second highest opening-day grosser after '3 Idiots', its distributor said Saturday.

'Kites' released with 2,000 screens in India and across 500 screens overseas on May 21.

The film that has been distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures is a love story between an Indian guy and a Spanish girl. Directed by Anurag Basu, the film has been produced by Hrithik's father Rakesh Roshan.

The movie has also caught the fancy of the American media, making it perhaps the most reviewed Bollywood film on opening day by so many US critics. The New York Times considered it "all completely loony, but the stunts are impressive, the photography crisp and the leads so adorably besotted that audiences might as well check their cynicism at the door."

"A lovers on-the-lam blast of pure pulp escapism. Directed by Anurag Basu with a finger in every genre jar, 'Kites' caroms from car chase to shootout, from rain dancing to bank robbing with unflagging energy," it said.

In Times' view Bollywood star "Roshan requires viewing uncut: writhing on the dance floor or just gazing into space, the man was made to drive women crazy, one movie at a time."

Calling it "A romantic adventure!", Los Angeles Times noted "the love story draws from westerns, musicals, film noir, chase thrillers with stunts so preposterous they verge on parody - and it gets away with everything because of Basu's visual bravura and unstinting passion and energy."

While the movie was seen as "An exhilarating escapist entertainment that plays out like a violent and floridly poetic allegory," the two top stars got noticed for their looks. "Mori has a sultry gorgeousness that at times recalls Ava Gardner. Roshan has the dashing, chiselled looks of a silent movie matinee idol."

To the New York Daily News it was "An engaging Bollywood tale! Melodrama, romance and action are cheerfully jumbled together ."

"You'll get more than your money's worth," said Newsday describing it as "A boldly old-fashioned, I'll-die-without-you, nobly self-sacrificing movie romance. Gogeously photographed. The story is the stuff Old Hollywood tear-jerkers are made of."

Variety magazine found it "Deliriously entertaining!" The film, it said, "owes more to Hollywood than Bollywood, though director Anurag Basu borrows plenty from both, aiming to give Indian song-and-dance pics the same sort of crossover success 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, did for Asian martial-arts movies."

"Indian star Hrithik Roshan makes a striking international debut in an ambitious Bollywood crossover film. Grand, action-packed love story set amid the garishness of Las Vegas," said The Hollywood Reporter.

"'Kites' flies! Entertaining and lovely to look at! It works perfectly well on its own terms," said the Film Journal.

"Roshan and Mori are as beautiful as human beings can be, and the love they depict is as high-flown as you'll find in a movie," said the San Franciso Chronicle suggesting, "Go in smirking, but by the time it's over, you'll believe."

Philadelphia Inquirer found it "Preposterously entertaining!" Chicago Newcity called it "a glory of delirium. Anything can, and does, happen. I long for an Amer-Indie movie with the same lunatic verve. As curry-dusted popcorn goes, 'Kites' is savoury distraction."

'Raajneeti' Has Now Landed in Censorship Trouble

2010-05-23T03:51:00.001-07:00

picture: Getty Images

After being dogged by a slew of controversies, Prakash Jha's upcoming political drama 'Raajneeti' has now landed in censorship trouble. The censor board is still undecided whether to give it a U or U/A certificate.

Jha has also quashed rumours that his movie title was lifted.

"There is a (censor) board category dispute going on whether a U or a U/A certificate is to be given to the film. There is a difference of opinion there for the voting of the category of the film," Jha told reporters in New Delhi today (May 20).

Jha was at the PVR Cinemas, Select Citywalk, Saket, to promote the movie. Also present with him were the cast of the film Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Arjun Rampal.

'Raajneeti' also stars Nana Patekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Devgn and Manoj Bajpai.

"It is a difficult film and it took time to make it, so it will take some time for them (censor board) too," he added.

The 58-year-old slammed the claim by filmmaker Kamaal R. Khan that his movie title has been lifted. Khan has claimed that the title was registered under his name for he last five years.

"There is no problem with the title. We have it since the last nine years. We'll soon come out of it and everyone will see... it is just that someone is trying to cash in on our name," he said.

Meanwhile, Arjun and Katrina, who play politicians in the movie revealed who they admire most among the real-life politicians - it's Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

"Among the emerging politicians our eyes are all set on Rahul Gandhi. He is doing great work and I was very happy when he took Bill Gates to Amethi and made him meet people there," said Arjun.

Added Katrina, "Rahul Gandhi is doing a fantastic job. It costs a lot to put yourself in the line of fire and he is doing a good job."

Bollywood Actress Susmita Now Wants a Biological Child

2010-05-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

picture: Getty Images

After adopting two children, former Miss Universe and actor Sushmita Sen now wants to give birth to a child.

"I will go for biological baby because the clock is ticking for me," Sushmita, 34, told reporters on the sidelines of a preparatory workshop for the 2010 Miss Universe pageant.

Sushmita’s production company Tantra Entertainment was awarded the India franchise to select participants by the Miss Universe Organisation.

The Hyderabad-born actress ducked questions about her marriage.

"I said the clock is ticking... I never said anything about marriage," she snapped when reporters asked whether marriage was on the cards.

"Every girl wants her prince charming. I have stopped thinking about it long back but still I want it," said the actress.

Sushmita adopted daughter Renee in 2000 and another girl Alisah in January this year.

Anushka Sharma’s Hottest Film Is Yet To Come

2010-05-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

We all know that she was the simple and rather somber girl in ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’, but Anushka Sharma’s compensating for it in full measure by turning on the heat with her revealing attire in ‘Badmaash Company.’

Close insiders, however, squeal that the Yash Raj Films flick is but a precursor to what follows next.

Reportedly, Anushka has flashed plenty of skin and has gone all out to revv up her sensuality quotient for Nikhil Advani’s ‘Patiala House.’

A close source insists that ‘Patiala House’ is her “hottest film”, as yet.
Coming soon to scorch at a cinema near you.

Katrina Kaif Turns Down Akshay Kumar

2010-05-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

Our sources reaveal that, Akshay-Katrina, might have sizzled on the silver screen a lot many times, but this hasn’t stopped Kat from turning down an upcoming film with the hunk. Reports reveal that Katrina recently chose to opt out of Anees Bazmee’s ‘Thank You’, also starring Akshay Kumar, who has also been her lucky mascot. Our sources inform that Katrina turned down the offer politely as she’s already working with Akshay in ‘Tees Maar Khan’ and could not manage two Akshay flicks together.

According to an industry insider, the shooting of ‘Thank You’ is currently going on in Canada and Anees is still trying hard to get Katrina on board. Grapevine has it that the filmmaker sends a representative to meet Katrina almost every day in order to somehow convince the actress to at least make a guest appearance in the film.

‘Thank You’ will also star Sonam Kapoor opposite Bobby Deol. However, now that Kat has declined the offer, the search for Akshay’s leading lady in the venture is still on!

‘Kites’ Not to Release in Karnataka

2010-05-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

Bangalore, The much-awaited movie “Kites”, starring Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori, slated to be released all over the world Friday, is not to be screened in Karnataka, the state’s film association has said.

In a special executive meeting, the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) Thursday night decided that “Kites” will not be screened in any theatre in Karnataka.

Basanth Kumar Patil, president of KFCC, told IANS that the executive meeting decided against allowing the film’s screening because its makers have “violated the regulatory principles of the chamber”.

“The film’s release will be detrimental to the interest of Kannada cinema if it is allowed to be screened all over,” Patil said.

All single screen and multiplexes are members of KFCC.

No representative of Reliance was present at the meeting Thursday evening. Big Pictures owned by Reliance Group is releasing the film.

Kannada film producers and film distributors of all languages who are members of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce have protested against the film as it was slated to release in more than 90 theatres, exceeding the limit of 24 theatres stipulated in the state.

Patil had earlier said that many big Hindi films starring Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan like “3 Idiots” and “My Name is Khan” have been released in fewer than 24 theatres and the distributors of these major films complied with the KFCC orders.

Akshay Hired a Private Jet for Friends for T20 World Cup Finals

2010-05-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

Akshay Kumar recently took a break from his hectic shooting schedule and flew to Barbados in a private jet to enjoy the T20 World Cup finale between England and Australia.

His friends coaxed him to take a break to catch the match and celebrate the success of his last release “Housefull”.

“Akshay flew his friends in a private charter for a four-day-long all guys vacation where they stayed at a friend’s bungalow on Bridgetown beach,” a source close to the actor said.

The star made sure he and his pals got the best seats in the stadium.

“Seated in the most expensive seats in the stadium, they cheered their hearts out during the England v/s Australia final at Barbados and were seen having a riot of a time,” the source added.

England lifted the World Twenty20 beating Australia by seven wickets in the final Sunday at the Kensington Oval.

Soon after the match, Akshay flew to London in a private jet to shoot for Nikhil Advani’s “Patiala House” since all flights to and fro to London were cancelled due to volcanic ash.

“Yes, Akshay did take a private jet since he wanted to reach London on time for the shoot schedule. He has always been a thorough professional,” Akshay’s spokesperson said in a statement.

Apart from “Patiala House”, the actor is also working in Farah Khan’s “Tees Maar Khan” and Anees Bazmee’s “Thank You”.

Aamir Khan-Teaching should be the Highest Paying Job

2010-05-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

Mumbai, Actor Aamir Khan, who has raised pertinent questions about the education system through his applauded films “Taare Zameen Par” and “3 Idiots”, believes that teaching should be made the highest paying job in India to encourage the best brains to join the profession.

“By and large, people go for teaching who don’t find jobs elsewhere. So if I don’t find a job elsewhere I will get into teaching. Therefore the cream of minds from every field end up going into business or something else to achieve success in their lives. The reason is that our teaching jobs don’t pay much.

“For me as a part of society, we give maximum value to the teachers, which mean the teaching jobs should be the highest paying. So after getting an education of higher level, a student should feel that his first choice should be to be a teacher because they will feel much more respected, will have a better pay scale, a better life,” said Aamir at the 1st anniversary of Forbes India magazine here Thursday.

Aamir maintains that students should be encouraged to enjoy education and eventually grow as good human beings.

“I think we need to teach them to think for themselves, to explore. We need to allow them to challenge. So if a child gives an answer, which sounds incorrect to us, we must not put that child down, we must encourage him to think for himself and question us and encourage him to discover, search, enjoy and grow as a good human being,” he said.

Asked what is that one idea that would change the world, he said: “For me education is the big idea. When I say education, I mean education for all. I also mean not just teaching one particular subject to the children but rather allowing them to bloom by recognizing the uniqueness of children. Reaching education to each child… know India is a vast country but that would be the big idea.”

Aamir also said that that teaching profession should be given more value in Indian society to increase the quality of education.

“It’s not just about giving education but giving quality education. And by quality I mean the quality of teaching we do, and I think for that it is up to us how much value as a society we give to teaching. If we give lot of value to teaching then the quality of teaching also improves,” he said.

Why Suspect Sanjay Dutt’s Career Finished?

2010-05-20T03:48:00.001-07:00

There are 5 steps for suspected Sanjoy Dutt's Career Finished:

Weight Issues
He was super slim in Rocky, lean and mean in Khalnayak and super hot in Kaante. But looks like his toned and muscled days are behind. In All The Best he had to tie a scarf around his neck to hide the flab. And now he is no longer able to regain his fit and fab bod as and when he wants.

Poor Politics
He may have been Munnabhai but he could not fall back on all that goodwill when he tried his hand at politics. Also his departure from the Samajwadi Party and Indian politics showed his political immaturity and proved that he was in it cause of Amar Singh and not because of any desire to serve the nation. He has also provided his support to Indian origin politicians in the UK.

Jail Time
His repeated stints in prison have done long-term damage to him. For one, each visit has understandably aged his face. But the other more serious fall-out is that in his absence others have stepped in to fill the gap and he has found it increasingly difficult to bounce back into B’wood.

Other Heroes
In an age when SRK, Salman and Ajay Devgn are considered the older heroes, Sanjay Dutt is almost a dinosaur and thought of in the same vein as Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff. Which means all he is being offered nowadays are dad roles – stylish dads, but dads nonetheless.

Interfering Wife
Manyata Dutt has systematically alienated all the people who have been a part of Sanjay’s success. While she is definitely managing his money better now, unfortunately the directors (like Sanjay Gupta) who have given him his biggest hits are no longer part of the Dutt inner circle and this is harming his career.

Ajay Devgn Caught Smoking in Public Again

2010-05-20T03:41:00.000-07:00

uld be punished for his second violation

A tobacco watchdog organisation on May 19 asked the health authorities to fine Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn for smoking in public while on the sets of his film 'Golmaal 3' in Goa.

In a complaint to the state tobacco control cell and the union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) general secretary Shekhar Salkar has said that Devgn, who was fined once for smoking in public in Chandigarh, deserved more stringent action as he was becoming a habitual offender of the 'no smoking in public' rule.

"This being the second violation by Ajay Devgn, we feel that the punishment given to such type of habitual law breakers is too meagre. In view of this, we strongly feel that the penalty under section 4 of the COPTA (Control of Tobacco Products Act) law for both one who violates the law and one who allows violating the law should be increased," Salkar said.

Local newspaper flashed photographs of Devgn smoking on the sets of 'Golmaal 3' Tuesday with the film's director Rohit Shetty standing an arm's length away.

The general secretary of NOTE, which has in the past dragged Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to court for directly or indirectly promoting smoking, has also said that habitual violators of the COPTA law should be jailed.

"Fine for the first offence should be Rs.500, for the second it should be raised to Rs.5,000 and for the third offence an imprisonment for a period of 6 months, in addition to a fine of Rs.5,000 should be imposed," Salkar said.

Devgn is the third Bollywood actor to be caught smoking in Goa this month.

Earlier this month, actors Tusshar Kapoor and Arshad Warsi were hauled up by NOTE for smoking during a film shoot in Margao, 35 km from here.

King Khan Now Endorses Pepsodent

2010-05-20T03:39:00.001-07:00

After endorsing brands like Hyundai Santro, Linc pens, Navratna Oil and Tag Heuer, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will now endorse Pepsodent toothpaste.

In the ad campaign titled “Papa & Pappu (P&P)”, Shah Rukh will be seen playing a doting father, while child artist Keval will play his son Pappu.

“Shah Rukh Khan is the best choice for ‘Papa’ in the campaign as the super successful actor also practices what he preaches. He is the perfect role model of a father who finds ways to spend time with his own children away from his active schedule and stardom,” Srinandan Sundaram, Category Head – Oral Care, Hindustan Unilever Limited said in a statement.

Shah Rukh and his wife Gauri have two children – son Aryan and daughter Suhana.

‘Kites’ will be the Business Successor of ‘3 Idiots’

2010-05-20T03:33:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Super duper hit and the successor of “3 Idiots” is how multiplex bosses predict the future of Hrithik Roshan-Barbara Mori starrer international love story “Kites”, which is releasing Friday.

“We have very high expectations from ‘Kites’ as after ‘3 Idiots’ this will be the biggest release. We are going to have 13 shows per three screen and 14 shows per four property respectively for the movie,” Deepak Taluja, senior vice president (business and operations) of Fun Cinemas, told IANS.

“In terms of paid previews, as of now we just have one show (for Thursday night) but if (booking) response will be good, we’ll look for more,” he added.

A senior executive from PVR cinemas said on condition of anonymity that “Kites” has a very good pre-release buzz. “And after ‘3 Idiots’, we have very high hopes with this one. If all goes well, this could anywhere be the successor of ‘3 Idiots’.”

“On an average we are keeping around 10-15 shows per property for the movie. The advance bookings have already opened and it’s picking up well while the paid preview bookings for Thursday is decent so far,” the source added.

Produced by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Anurag Basu, “Kites” is a mega-budget venture worth Rs.150 crore in three versions – English, Hindi and Spanish. While the Hindi version will hit screens Friday, the crisper and racier English version, edited by Hollywood fame Brett Ratner, is scheduled for a May 28 release.

The film also stars Kabir Bedi and Kangana Ranaut in cameos.

Releasing simultaneously on more than 2,300 screens worldwide, including over 500 overseas in over 60 countries, it is being distributed by Reliance Big Pictures.

Shot in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Santa Fe, “Kites” is a love story about an Indian man and a Latin woman who fall in love without understanding each others’ languages. It is about their thrilling journey filled with precious moments and unexpected betrayal.

To cash in on the unprecedented buzz and hype, Amit Awasthi, manager (programming and operations) of Spice Cinemas, has big plans.

“We are looking at ‘Kites’ as a super duper hit. We are going to have 33 shows per day for the movie with the capacity of 8,600 seats per day and we expect a mass footfall because of its successful commercial banner and huge star cast like Hrithik and Barbara,” Awasthi said.

“3 Idiots” grossed about Rs.400 crore, making it Indian cinema’s highest earner.

“‘Kites’ will repeat the big bang theory in cinema. We are going to have on an average 15 shows per property and around three paid previews Thursday night. Hrithik and Barbara’s chemistry is going to scorch the screens,” said Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas.

Director Basu says with its international appeal, “Kites” will take Bollywood globally in the true sense.

Priyanka Chopra: No Cricketer Wants to Work with Me

2010-05-19T03:32:00.000-07:00

No cricketer wants to work with Priyanka Chopra in her TV debut with ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ season 3, which means the show is in trouble.

The list includes players of international circuit, such as Yuvraj Singh, Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee, who are not interested in the show and have not signed the project. These cricketers were supposed to accompany Priyanka Chopra in Brazil for the show.

“Talks have been on with cricketers. Ever since Priyanka was announced as the show’s new host two months ago, negotiations have been on, but no player is on board yet. Several names were to be picked from the various IPL teams. But the happenings towards the end of the tourney threw everything off-gear,” a source informed.

The reason for their denial could also be the fact that Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lambasted the fellow teammates for not concentrating hard on themselves during the Indian Premiere League.

‘Kites’ Successful in Accessing People's Heart: Hrithik

2010-05-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

Hrithik Roshan is a guys' guy and, obviously, a ladies' man. It's not just the looks and the voice, the irony, the charm, the political and social awareness and the unphoney compassion - an Indian who isn't an embarrassment to India; it's the whole package.

He must be too good, surely, to be true? The Hrithik effect is even more astounding. You can attract your own little fan club just by announcing that you are off to interview him. Within minutes you start receiving comments from friends on Facebook. Girls label him as a 'Greek God', Boys call him 'The Italian Stallion' and I call him 'The sexiest man alive'. He is like a rare Siberian tiger.

He is being firmly guarded by his film and personal PR execs when I arrive for the interview in his vanity van. India's busiest star has just had three changes in a photoshoot and I am waiting for him to unwind before he calls me in his private room inside his van. But as soon as I clap eyes on him, and take in that kittenish smile, the tousled, leonine eyebrows and - of course - the lush whip of unwashed curled up hair, all that instantly vanishes. Roshan is calm, polite and pleasant: heaven on a stick. UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent meets the man who is flying high, who is on cloud nine but yet rooted to the ground when it comes to his acting prowess - Hrithik Roshan. In this interview Hrithik talks about ‘Kites’, the belleza Barbara Mori, father-producer-director Rakesh Roshan, the temptress Kangna Ranaut and the new man inside Film Kraft - Anurag Basu.

Hrithik Roshan is a rare example of what I consider a successful interview for any journalist.

Yes, I agree I am a rare find because I am not easily accessible. I regard that as my short coming. Other actors are able to do what I do, plus do the other social and media responsibilities. I can't. I can't do two things at the same time when I am trying to give a hundred per cent to one thing. It becomes a distraction. The kind of roles I am doing are too different and it makes me immerse into the world completely. I don't see the point of being in the news and on the face of all covers just for the heck of it. It makes sense when I have something to talk about.

So you're like the joker of The Dark Knight. You get sucked into your characters?

huh? (laughs) Not really. I am not that crazy. It's not about my character sucking me in. It's also about my personality. I've always been shy. I don't interact too much.

You've been flying high in the sky more than the Kites do. But how does it feel to be up there on cloud nine?

Never knew I completed a decade in acting. I am very happy standing on the ground than flying high. Feeling good about wherever you are is more important than thinking that you will feel better if you're up there. I've been through failures and successes, and have understood that there is no bad experience in life. Every experience is good. My mission in life is not money, fame or to be the best. It is to evolve as much as one can on a personal level as a human being.

Will Kites be used as a teaching tool when it comes to romance in films? Is it going to re-invent romance?

I don't think anything that is creative can be taught. But I think Kites might prove to be successful in accessing peoples mind and heart. An honest space is the source of all creativity. Kites is honest when it comes to every single frame we've shot, every single aspect of its making, every single twich, etc.

You debut as a singer in Kites too.

Yes, I have tried. When my director Mr. Anurag Basu told me to sing in the film, we all sat and thought that we were stuck. I mean, we thought that if my character sings, it had to be my voice. You can't fake that. So, I went through two weeks of training and that's all they gave me (laughs).

Is the writer a better of his film or the director or both?

Wow! I always feel that it is the brain that gives birth to the germ. If it's the writer's conception and if it's coming from that heart, he can convince me or anybody. It usually seems to be that the person who writes is the best person to express it. Fortunately for us, Anurag Basu is the writer and the director of Kites. So far in my life, whoever I've worked with, it seems that makes the best combination.

How tight is the screenplay of Kites?

I don't believe in such words. They are manipulative. If a scene requires a certain pace, then that's the pace. If the scene requires a certain sensibility, so be it. The audiences liking it or not isn't the question. The story you're expressing has to be expressed in complete sanctity. I don't think there is any right kind of filmmaking. You have to be convinced, inspired and enjoy what you're trying to do.

How objective and critical do you get when it comes down to playing your characters?

Up until Kites, everything I did was very well graphed out and calculated. Kites was all about unlearning that. Kites needed a space where you just felt like you were seeing that moment happening for the first time. To achieve that, I had to let go of all my past conditioning as an actor. My approach to my art completely took an extremist kind of a shift and that got pushed even more because of my co-actor in the film Barbara Mori. I was very influenced by her. We Indians are very happy in a small pond of acting but the people from the West with whom I've worked in the film live in a vast ocean. I let go and dived into the ocean. I never saw the reproduction of my takes in the video assist. I never wanted that safety net. I instructed everyone around me that if anyone saw me sneaking a peek, they had to stop me. That was me being critical.

Did you ever land up in a debate over Kites with your father and uncle (producer and music director of Kites)?

At every juncture. Every single decision was either agreed instantly or discussed and argued out. It was about the process of convincing each other about the better thought. There was the fourth head too, my director Anurag Basu. I cherish all arguments we had. We work without egos. It's not 'my thought' or 'your thought'. The moment one person was able to convince the others; it was readily accepted and celebrated without one feeling lesser of himself that his thought was not the successful one.

Film Maker Pradeep Sarkar Gifts iPads to Deepika

2010-05-19T03:10:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar have gifted iPads to Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone, who play lead roles in his new film "Lafange Parindey", after the shooting was completed.

Deepika wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter: "Pradeep sarkar gifted me the ipad on completing 'Lafangey'... yyiiipppeeee!!my new toy!!"

Neil also tweeted: "My director Mr. Pradeep sarkaar gifted me the "ipad" on completing" 'Lafangey Parindey'."

Made under the Yash Raj Films banner, the film is a gritty romance set on the streets of Mumbai. It is rumoured to be about bike gangs of Mumbai. Neil and Deepika will be seen doing daring stunts in the film.

Katrina Kaif Ignores her Security,Hails Local Cab

2010-05-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif is said to be becoming a security hazard to herself, and her latest disregard for all rules of self-preservation takes the cake.

On Monday morning when Katrina was required to fly to Bangalore for an event with her "Raajneeti" co-star Ranbir Kapoor, she just hopped into a taxi with her hand-luggage and took off. Much to the shock of the cabbie who had no clue about the 'star' passenger he was carrying until he looked into his rear view mirror.

"But what's the big deal about hopping into a cab to rush to the airport? Thousands of girls do it all the time. What's there to get hyper? My driver was late because he got caught in a traffic snarl," Katrina, 25, told IANS.

"If I had waited any more, I would've missed my flight. So I waved for a cab hopped in and zipped off."

While Katrina cracks up at the recollection of the moment when the cabbie spotted her in the rear, her "Raajneeti" crew were far from amused when they saw her hop out of a cab unaccompanied.

Ranbir and director Prakash Jha were seen soundly ticking her off for her disregard for security rules.

Releasing Friday, multi-starrer "Raajneeti" is a dark political thriller that will highlight behind-the-scenes happenings in the corridors of power.

In fact, Katrina has always disregarded security threats.

Some time ago when hordes of young and old people had descended on her at a public gathering, she had fobbed off the security arrangements made by the organisers, arguing: "They love me. They can never harm me."

The actress has been indulging in such reckless security-adventures much too often these days. According to a close friend, she takes off on her own, usually accompanied by her trusted driver and no other companion just for a spin far away to drive off loneliness.

What concerns people close to Katrina is her utter obliviousness to obvious security dangers.

"Katrina doesn't realise the effect that her solitary presence in crowded places can have on people. Hopping into a cab early morning in Mumbai when there are no cops around is just not done. But she refuses to believe anyone would harm her," a close friend said.

The British actress lives on her own here and her latest adventure-ride to the airport on her own has left her family far from amused. Her youngest sister Isabel, who has been studying cinema in the US, may cut short her acting course to join Katrina in Mumbai.

It seems Katrina's days of zipping off on her own are nearing an end, thanks to the timely intervention of her family.

Bollywood Superstar Katrina Tired of Gymming!

2010-05-19T02:56:00.000-07:00

Guess what? Looks like Katrina Kaif has had enough of kasratbaazi while shooting for Tees Maar Khan, says Rapchik Rajni as she sashays her way into my study. What now, I wonder and she says that the adakaara has stopped working out every day at the gym, lately.

Kyun? Kyunki, she was tired of the strict diet and exercise regime she had to follow because her character in the Farah Khan movie demanded a certain kinda look. But now that the shoot has wrapped up, Kat, who hates doing regular workout, has cut down her visits to the gym to just twice a week, Rajni informs.

According to her, Kat's mantra for her gorgeous looks is to follow a proper diet and the right kind of lifestyle, and not going overboard with exercising. Chalo, good for her.

Salman Khan and Sanjoy Datta Hand-to-hand Combat

2010-05-18T01:13:00.000-07:00

Salman Khan in Dabangg and Sanjay Dutt in Knock Out, both actors will be seen in hand-to-hand combat with their adversaries in the climax of their films

Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt are racing towards the release of their action dramas at around the same time. While in Abhinav Kashyap's Dabangg Salman does some of the most intense action scenes of his life, Sanjay Dutt has pulled out all stops in Knock Out with action scenes that are bone-breaking real.

Interestingly, the climax of both Dabangg and Knock Out show Salman and Sanjay locked in a hand-to-hand combat with their adversary.

While in Dabangg, Khan fights Sonu Sood, in Knock Out Dutt is locked in a photo-finish fight with the British choreographer Joey Ansah who directed stunts for Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum. Initially Ansah was only supposed to direct the climax.

Bash like Bourne
Says a source, "Sanju Baba wanted the fight to be as hard-hitting and real as the one between Matt Damon and Joey Ansah in The Bourne Ultimatum. So he suggested to director Mani Shankar that the adversary fighter in the climax should be Ansah himself."

Almost 18 kilos lighter, Dutt has done the most intricate wrist-supported somersault-in-the-air seen in Indian cinema in Knock Out. Ansah has also smashed empty bottles on Dutt's head.

Breaking bottles
Says the director, "Sanju insisted on letting Joey Ansah break bottles on his head. We had ordered special bottles made of brittle glass from Los Angeles but still it was very painful."

So whose hand-to-hand combat would have that optimum impact? Salman's or Sanju's? Wait and watch.

FACT Abhishek Bachchan too has a bloodied hand-to-hand combat with Southern star Vikram in Mani Ratnam's Raavan.

"Kites" May Open Global Skies for Indian Movies

2010-05-18T01:10:00.000-07:00

Set for simultaneous release Friday on over 2, 000 screens worldwide, including 200 in North America, "Kites", starring Hrithik Roshan and Mexican star Barbara Mori, may well open the global movie market to Indian films.

"If 'Kites' does even five percent well of what we have thought, well, we have opened the door, not for me and my film, but for many young filmmakers in India, " producer Rakesh Roshan - and Hritik's father - told in an phone interview from New York.

"They have good ideas, but they are not as good as producers because they are scared that 'No, no, this will not work', " he said. "So once you have a bigger territory globally and have an audience to see it, then you can take a chance to make a film like that. "

Shot completely on location in Las Vegas, Sante Fe and Los Angeles, a re-worked English language version of "Kites", presented by A-list Hollywood director Brett Ratner, will open in several major markets for the Memorial Day holiday weekend beginning May 28.

Ratner, who offered to re-edit the English version of the film to attune it "to US sensibilities" after watching the print after a casual dinner conversation at his house in Los Angeles, "made the film a little crispier, a littler racier and a little faster", said Roshan.

He said it was all his idea to cast Barbara Mori, "a very good actor, a very fine looking girl, a very stunning looking girl" after watching "My Brother's Wife", a Mexican film that he "loved very intensely".

So director Anurag Basu and Rakesh Roshan went to Los Angeles to meet her. "She was very excited about the script and the screenplay. And then she was there in the film, " said Roshan, who thinks she's par excellence.

Casting Barbara was no gimmick for Rakesh Roshan. He would not comment on "those films" where foreign actresses were just one of the characters. "But here my leading lady is the main protagonist of the film. Getting some girls and some character actors in one reel or two scenes will not really make a difference. "

He also dismissed the controversy about some explicit footage in the English version of the film in Indian media. "No, there is nothing. When I told them there is no topless scene, they printed one photograph of a backless scene, " Roshan said. "A backless and a topless scene are two different visions absolutely. "

So how did he think of "Kites"? To make a film to release globally "I thought the best story to pick up is a love story. And when kites fly they don't know who is holding the string - an Indian, an American or a Mexican".

The Mexican kite girl and the Indian boy "don't speak each other's language and still they fall in love and we show that language is no barrier. Love has no language".

Roshan thinks "Kites" will do well among non-Indian audiences too. "My gut feeling is that whenever you go out in a different path and make a film and make it honestly and put your heart and soul in it, audiences do accept it. "

With many Bollywood films tackling unusual subjects, Roshan thinks Indian audiences have "grown up". "What has happened till now is that most of the filmmakers underestimated the audience. They feel, 'No, they will not understand'. But I feel today's generation is far ahead than what we think. "

Roshan, who has for once handed over the directorial reins of a film starring his son to another director, said: "It just happened on the spur of the moment. "

He liked Basu's "Gangster" and wanted him to make a film with Hrithik.

Basu thought Rakesh Roshan was joking when he asked him to direct the movie "because I have nothing to prove. The only thing is we have to make a good film for Hrithik. It's my banner. So either I direct it or you direct it. "

And does he see Hrithik crossing over to Hollywood? "I haven't made this film to launch him in Hollywood. I have made the film to show the global world how good an actor he is, " Roshan said.

"And if a good character or a good role comes to him by a good director.... doing an Indian film or doing a Hollywood film is one and the same thing. "

What Aamir Khan Learnt from Arnold Schwarzenegger

2010-05-18T01:09:00.000-07:00

Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who sported an eight-pack look for his blockbuster film "Ghajini", has a suggestion for those wanting to go for body-building -- read "The Encyclopedia of Body Building" by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"One book I would strongly recommend to anyone who is training is 'The Encyclopaedia of Body Building' by Arnold Schwarzenegger, " he said on Facebook.

Aamir says he wants to take fitness more seriously now and has created a group on his Facebook page to encourage even his fans to stay healthy.

"Let's make a group, who decides to live healthy. Anyone who wants to join can. Each one of us is responsible for figuring out a diet for ourselves, a workout/sport/walking schedule, and a rest schedule.

"You decide what is good for you and stick to it and every night on Facebook, I'll post how I fared that day and in response you comment on my post. That way all the comments are tagged together to my post in one space, and so it will be easier for all of us to stay together on this one topic. If one of us is finding it tough the others can encourage, " Aamir posted on his blog.

The 45-year-old also shared his knowledge on how to be fit and maintain a healthy and toned body.

"Let me share with you what I learnt in the last few years in the process of building a physique, losing weight etc. Three things are most important, a healthy and balanced diet, exercise and rest, " he revealed.

Aamir informed that an average person uses around 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day. In order to lose weight one simply needs to take in less than one spends. So it's better to consume less than 1, 800 calories in 24 hrs. But the less calories one intakes need to be divided into fat, carbohydrates, and protein. A balanced diet is generally 1/3 fat, 1/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein.

"The best way to get a healthy and balanced diet for yourself is to visit a qualified dietician. Not the dieticians who put you onto new fad diets, like high protein diets, low carb diets, blood group diets, 'don't eat carbs at night' diets, Atkins diet, Santa Barbara diets, 'have this pill' diet, 'eat only this one day and that on another day' diet, falana diet, dhamkana diet etc, " said Aamir.

"You need to visit a qualified dietician, who gives you the good old fashioned calorie count diet, " he said, recommending Mumbai-based doctor Dhurander in Santa Cruz.

Aamir also stressed on the importance of proper exercises and work out sessions for the desired results.

"For general fitness, walking, jogging, swimming, or playing a sport are all great exercises. So if you are not looking for anything particular then choose one. Yoga is great too. In case you are interested in body building, building muscle, shaping your body etc., then what worked for me is weight training, " he said.

"For that, you need the right equipment and a good trainer. So the easiest would be to join a gym and use one of the trainers there. If you can't afford that then do free hand. Pull ups, push ups, crunches etc, " he added.

Finally, Aamir wrote about the benefits of proper rest to stay fit and healthy.

"The importance of rest is often underestimated. No matter how hard you train, if you don't rest your body, it will not respond as well. During 'Ghajini' as a rule, I slept for eight hours (at least) every night, " he informed.

Akshay Khanna is no Hurry to Get Married

2010-05-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

shay Khanna, bollywood actor, is one of the most eligible bachelors in Hindi (bollywood) film industry.However Akshay Khanna is still not in the mood to get married.

Akshay Khanna has acted well in his latest bollywood flick, “Mere Baap Pehele Aap”.Though he sounded to be a non-believer in the custom of marriage, he did not completely rule out getting married.

“I have decided not to get married,” he joked recently, but then, keeping the hopes of Akshay lovers alive, he said, “as of now, I have not decided on marriage. I don’t see myself getting married soon. Frankly, I am not in love with the very concept of getting married. But, that’s for now. Maybe that would change with time. For marriage, meeting the right person is very important and that has not happened with me so far, nor am I looking forward to that either. When it has to happen, it will happen.”

Bollywood Top 10 Celebrities in 2008 Google Searches

2010-05-18T00:57:00.000-07:00

Google Zeitgeist 2008 has been released and this includes the list of top 10 bollywood celebrities that the Indian people are searching through google. Google is the world’s most popluar and widely used search engines. The top 10 rankings are infact an indication of the popularity of these Indian celebrities among the internet using community in India.To generalize, this could be taken as the list of favourite bollywood celebrities among the rich and upper middle class society in India.

Top 10 Bollywood celebrities:

Here goes the list:

Katrina Kaif was the undisputed No.1 and her name infact figures at No.3 in the ‘Fast Rising Searches’ category and at No.10 in the ‘Most Popular Searches’ category. In fact she is the only human to feature in the Top 10 ‘Most Popular Searches’ category which otherwise features keywords as diverse as orkut, gmail, Yahoo, Google, youtube, Yahoomail, indian railways, rediff, and cricket.

Aishwarya rai continues to remain popular among the Indian cyber crowd. This aging beauty is already a legendry Indian lady and bollywood celebrity. Salman khan is another aging male celebrity who continues to attract the cyber ladies and men in India. Shah rukh khan , surprisingly figures at a low No.8.

Though Kareena Kapoor has gained popularity in 2008 for all known reasons, Saif Ali khan fails to enter the top 10 list.But Kareena’s ex boy friend shahid kapur figures at No.6. Deepika Padukone is still no match for Aishwarya Rai. The young lady who was compared with Aishwarya rai, during her bollywood entry has a long way to go before she could get as attractive as Aishwarya. Infact, she may never experience the kind of popularity that Aishwarya enjoys.

Mallika sherawat, the glam doll of bollywood is at No.9. The Indian sex queen seem to have lost a bit of her search popularity.However, the biggest surprise among the top 10 is Genelia d souza.

Though she is only ranked No.10, She is making great progress as a searchable bollywood celebrity. Genelia d souza has been around for a few years now in Kollywood and tollywood.However, this charming young lady seem to be gaining considerable momentum in her popularity, ever since she entered bollywood recently.

Congragulations to the top 10 cyber queens and kings from bollywood

Farah Khan goes from Salman to SRK

2009-08-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Bollywood choreographer-director Farah Khan says it was a conscious decision to start her new television chat show with actor Salman Khan and

Salman Khan

his mother Salma, who has never given an interview before.

And interestingly, the "Tere Mere Beach Mein" series ends with none other than Shah Rukh Khan.

"It was a joint decision taken by the channel and me. They felt that the episode turned out to be very candid and since Salman has never come on a chat show before, it could be a nice way to hook on the audience to the show. So we start with Salman and end it with Shah Rukh," Farah told IANS.

She said it wasn't difficult at all to convince Salman and his mother to be her first guests on the show that starts Sunday.

"Salman has never come on a chat show - neither 'Koffee With Karan' nor 'Oye! It's Friday' and not even 'Rendezvous with Simi Garewal'. It's for the first time he's come on a chat show. His mother has never in her life come on a TV show or even given a print interview. And I just had to tell them once. It was very easy to convince them to come," said Farah.

The filmmaker managed to get several celebrities on her debut chat show but couldn't get her dream guests - former railway minister Lalu Prasad and singer-actor Himesh Reshammiya.

"I really wanted to get Lalu-ji and Himesh together for my show. But he (Lalu) had a cataract operation and so things couldn't work out. But I really hope these two people come to my show, if I have a second season," said Farah.

To give her chat show a twist, Farah has a separate theme for each episode. She brought Salman to talk about being a 'Mamma's boy' and Shah Rukh Khan as a henpecked husband. She had Priyanka Chopra talk about her struggle as an actor.

Asked what the theme for the Lalu-Himesh episode would have been, she said: "I wanted to get them in a category of 'I don't care people'. And these two people are such that no matter how much people imitate them, ridicule them or mimic them, they just don't care. They only do their work."

Other guests on her show will include Hrithik Roshan, Asin Thottumkal, Deepika Padukone, Abhay Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kareena Kapoor and cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan.

What Kangna dreads the most...

2009-08-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Kangna Ranaut may be known for her bindaas ways, both on screen as well as off

Kangana Ranaut

screen.

And while nothing seems to faze this sassy actress, what with Kangna having pulled off some of the most daring scenes on camera with much ease, there is one thing that gives her nightmares — getting on stage.

Admitting to her stage fright, Kangna says that having to face the audience on stage is what she dreads the most. “Yes, nothing ever makes me nervous except speaking on the stage. I still get jitters when I have to do that, even if it’s just to say a thank you,” confesses the actress.

Take your brain along for Kaminey: Priyanka

2009-08-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

Since moviegoers in India today are exposed to world cinema in a big way, Priyanka Chopra is surprised that quite a few Bollywood filmmakers

Priyanka Chopra

still follow the escapist route.

But she says her new film "Kaminey" doesn't fall in that category and audiences should come with their thinking caps on.

"Isn't it surprising that whenever there is a Hollywood film playing, we go all ga ga over it, especially when it follows an unconventional narrative? We ask each other when they can do it, why can't we? We are so much in awe of their cinema," Priyanka told IANS.

"However, when it comes to our own movies, we try to play safe stating that we are doing this for our audiences. Come on guys, it's the same audience we are catering to, so why not give them something really new and different to relish?

"Frankly speaking, I don't like it at all when we keep making such statements as so and so film doesn't require audiences to wear a thinking cap," she said.

The actress asks a series of questions regarding the intelligence of the audiences.

"My question is -- why should we underestimate the intelligence of Indian audiences? Why do we believe that they want everything on a platter? Why don't we make a cinema-going experience so exciting and engrossing for them that they actually go on to exclaim 'wow'?" the actress said.

Releasing Friday, "Kaminey" is a dark thriller that revolves around gangsters, rebel soldiers, rogue politicians and crooked cops. Directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, it features Shahid Kapoor in a double role.

Priyanka observes that while good films are working, bad films, despite top star casts and huge budgets, are being rejected by the audience.

"It's as simple as that -- garbage in, garbage out," she said. "Thankfully India is changing for the better and there are some brilliant films being made today."

Ask her to give a few examples and she responds in a jiffy, "Movies like 'Dev D', 'Jodhaa Akbar', 'Rock On' and 'A Wednesday' have worked because they had an original script and were treated so differently and innovatively. These were all intelligent films and not made for kindergarten kids. No wonder audiences grabbed them all in a big way."

She doesn't forget to mention her own movies from 2008 that saw her marching back into the reckoning.

"Both 'Dostana' and 'Fashion' were made within commercial parameters but still had a very good story to tell. These were not frivolous at all. That's the reason they succeeded."

"In fact, the last film that really impressed me this year was 'New York'. Kudos to Yash Raj Films for backing such a subject and making such a good topical entertainer. It was a sensitive story to be told and Kabir Khan treated it with utmost maturity. Hats off.

"These are the kind of films that make you believe that Bollywood is indeed seeing a new direction for better", she said.

Do not disturb Big B, The Actor!

2009-08-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Amitabh Bachchan seems to be in no mood to return from his much-deserved vacation to shoot for Pritish Nandy’s

Actor

An over-worked Amitabh Bachchan has been enjoying a well-deserved, but enforced sabbatical. His friend Amar Singh’s illness has prompted Mr Bachchan to take a long-overdue sabbatical from his work. And now he seems to be in no mood to return to work in a hurry.

For the first time in so many years, Mr Bachchan is really taking it easy, and that too at a time when he can ill afford to do so. But then Mr Bachchan is very clear about one thing. He has gone to Singapore to be by his friend’s side.

One of the producers awaiting Mr Bachchan’s return is Pritish Nandy. In Nandy’s film Actor he portrays just that, an actor. It is the first assignment that Mr Bachchan will take up after he returns from Singapore.

The film is set to go on the floors. Pritish Nandy, who recently visited Amar Singh and Mr Bachchan in Singapore, says he was pleasantly surprised by how relaxed Mr Bachchan seemed. Nandy tells us gladly, “Amar Singh has recuperated as much he could, considering the seriousness of his illness. But Mr Bachchan seems in no mood to leave his friend’s side right away. It’s almost like he has withdrawn into a cocoon for a while. And we at Pritish Nandy Communications have no problem waiting for Mr Bachchan. It’s wonderful to see him so relaxed and stress-free after years.”

It isn’t certain at the moment how long the sabbatical will last. According to those close to him, Mr Bachchan is completely enjoying his time off. And surely, he has earned himself this holiday from work.

Pantaloon's Femina Miss India'09

2009-04-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

Pooja Chopra from Pune, who has been crowned Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2009 is on the top of the world after. All geared up for the journey ahead, Pooja shares her excitement...

SRK: "I am a fantastic person"

2009-03-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ghajini’s bigger success at the box office than Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi left tongues wagging about how Aamir has finally overtaken the BO king Shah Rukh. What followed were Aamir’s innumerable statements that described SRK as a manipulative and pompous star who praises no one but himself.

However, in spite of nursing a shoulder injury, Shah Rukh turned up at the Filmfare awards recently only to say how stars should be ‘sportive’ about other’s wins as well. Without paying heed to Aamir’s allegations of labelling SRK a narcissist, Shah Rukh praised himself by saying, “I always feel that I will win the Best Actor award.” The award eventually went to Hrithik for Jodhaa Akbar and even then the Baadshah was seen enjoying the evening...

Taunting Aamir for not showing up at award functions, SRK said, “An actor has to be sportive about other’s wins as well. I love attending award functions as they honour those who’ve worked hard on their films.”

Shah Rukh’s patch up with the Bachchans is another signal of him showing Aamir and Salman that he still is the best when it comes to maintaining relationships within the industry.

“People call me a good PR but more than anything I am a fantastic person,” said SRK at the recent Amrita Arora wedding too!

So, if you think the lukewarm response of Rab Ne and Billu or even the shoulder injury has calmed down our confident SRK, the answer is no. He is in fact busy silencing Aamir!

Filmfare Awards: A glittery affair

2009-03-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

At the 54th Idea Filmfare Awards, the night was forever young at Yash Raj Studios — even at 1.30 am yesterday when the dance floor pulsated with

the energetic feet of GenNext’s stars , Ayush Khedekar, Tanmay Chheda, Azharuddin Mohammed, Ashutosh Lobo, Rubina Khan and Tanvi Ganesh. Recognise them?

The Slumdog kids of Mumbai, new to Bollywood, but world-weary already after their trip to Hollywood for the Oscars. All smiles and bubbling with enthusiasm, they had superstar Shah Rukh Khan earlier describing them as the fresh and new talents of Bollywood’s future”. The Bollywood Badshah generously included emcees Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan, who replaced Karan Johar and himself at the glittering function, in his felicitation of the Slumdog Millionaire team and said pointing at the duo, “They are the future, we must nurture them.”

You could see that onscreen rivalry was replaced for Bollywood bonhomie at the 54th Idea Filmfare Awards. Ranbir and Imran, with a wicked sense of humour, ran through the audience like liquid fire, poking fun here, making a jibe there, pulling a leg, raising laughs all the time. When they hit the ‘gay’ note, Dostana filmmaker Karan Johan joined in, with the stunning Deepika Padukone and Konkana Sen Sharma adding the glam bit to the onstage compereing. But it wasn’t only about fun. There were feel-good themes and moments — the need of the recession-hit hour. Hope was the underlining theme and underdogs really stole the show.

Hrithik Roshan and the most deserving Priyanka Chopra bagged the Best Actor and Best Actress award respectively, and Jodhaa Akbar was declared the Best Film, but small budgeted films like Mumbai Meri Jaan (Best Film for Critics Award and Best Screenplay), Oye Lucky Lucky and Rock On also made the grade and took away several honours. Then there was Oscar winner and veteran costume designer Bhanu Athaiya going up at 82 with much grace to collect the Lifetime Achievement Award. “It’s better late than never,” she smiled adding, “costume designers were never taken that seriously in Bollywood even after we got the Oscar home. But young designers are changing that.” The Lifetime Achievement Award was also given to Om Puri by Amitabh Bachchan. And Puri, on a emotional note, recalled his days as “scrawny, long-haired, funny-looking fellow” who dared to dream.

The nail-biting moments onstage were challenged by scenes offstage that couldn’t be caught by the camera or emcees. Like the Bachchan clan walking in majestically and heading for the front row where already was sitting Bollywood’s grande dame Rekha! And Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan discreetly going backstage when Shahid Kapoor stepped out front to dance; then, sneaking out when he returned to his seat after the performance. Also, the audience thinking Kangana Ranaut in her Best Supporting Actress speech meant boyfriend Adhdhyan when she mentioned “someone special”... only to find the hot actress was describing her sister Rangoli!
Performance wise, Abhishek Bachchan, the lovely Katrina Kaif, newcomer Jackie Bhagnani and Shahid Kapoor set the stage on fire. Bipasha, Rekha and Katrina complimented Shahid. “You rock,” Bips told him. And Rekha added, “You’ll come to collect your Best Actor Award in ten months’ time.” The entire audience put in a performance for double Oscar winner A R Rahman by giving him a standing ovation: he won the Filmfare Award for Best Background Score. Anil Kapoor missed the event but daughter Sonam made up as she came, gave an award and quietly left.

Shah Rukh Khan summed up the feeling of the moment at the 54th Idea Filmfare Awards when he said, “Om Puri recalled his struggling days, and I remember my days when I was also scrawny, long-haired and funny-looking ... but we dared to dream and we made it. So there’s hope for everyone who dreams.”

Ash the criminology expert!

2009-02-26T07:16:00.000-08:00

Yes, Slumdog Millionaire bridged the gap between East and West, and back home Aishwarya Bachchan is doing the same thing, what with her Pink

Panther stint.

Well, the film that’s set to release soon is quite the topic of convo these days, and people are dying to know if Ash has a prominent role in it, or is it really a blink-and miss kinda thing.

But Ash isn’t a worried woman. As tongues wag, she’s busy playing Sita in Kolkata for Mani Ratnam’s Raavana. “Ash does not play a miniscule role in the motion picture as assumed by many. She plays a criminology expert and has done her job quite well,” we’re told. Now, as to who leaked out this little bit of info, well, we’ll just leave that for the experts to find out.

Slumdog was unstoppable: Anil

2009-02-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

We are on top of the world! When we stood on the podium, having bagged the Best Motion Picture Award, no one in the audience seemed

disappointed.

It was as if they all knew that Slumdog Millionaire would have a clean sweep at the Oscars, which, let me reassert, is the most unpredictable of all awards. From my side, I never had sleepless nights before the ceremony. I was rather composed. Irrfan, Dev, Freida and I told each other that we needed to enjoy every moment of it. The Oscars don’t happen to everyone everyday.

While we were at the awards, we were anxious about how many awards we would win. But after the first two, it was like a never-ending series. SM was unstoppable. Rahman was holding the two awards as if they were his babies. He showed his aggressive side while performing the two numbers. It was really awe-inspiring.

Right now, we are in a celebratory mood. We’ve already been to three parties and are attending the fourth one at the hotel. We have all the Hollywood greats joining us. We’ll be rocking till six in the morning. Life is one big party at the moment.”

Katrina might just join a political party

2009-02-20T23:31:00.002-08:00

In life, they harassed her by making her Congress president and almost the Prime Minister of India; now, even on screen, there is going to be no

Katrina Kaif More Pics

peace for Sonia Gandhi.

The latest bit of news to cause the Congress bahu to go into a deeper frown is the one from Bollywood that compares Katrina Kaif to her in looks. The beautiful actress, flattered by the comparison — no doubt, is not anxious to take it further despite the obvious comparisons to Soniaji in Prakash Jha’s film Rajniti.

“She is definitely a powerful person but I’m not emulating her,” Katrina clarified to BT. However, for her role in the political film, the actress did do a lot of research on how politicians go about the process of campaigning, how they deliver speeches before crowds of thousands, and how they grow into powerful orators. And for which she happily faced the camera sans makeup and in simple cotton sarees!

Katrina is also pleased that she can finally prove those critics wrong who branded her as a glamourous doll. “I have got to another level with this film. People will now know that I can do other type of films as well. I have been part of successful films and now I’m glad I’m doing substantial roles,” said the proud actress, adding that she can identify with the character she’s playing. “She is a free-spirited girl and she knows what she wants. She has no ego hassles... it’s her determination that I could relate to,” said Katrina.

Strangely, for somebody who didn’t follow politics, Kats is now showing a healthy interest in the job of the politician. “Prakash Jha understands politics and he gave me an insight into the functioning of the system. Now I find it quite interesting,” said Katrina from Turkey where she is shooting for Rajkumar Santoshi’s film. So will she stand for elections if offered a ticket? “Never say never. There have been many things in my life that I thought I could never do, but they’ve happened. If a political party that I believe in approaches me, I might just join them,” said Katrina, showing that reel might become real for a change.

Family man in Bollywood

2009-02-20T23:31:00.001-08:00

Remember the likes of the golden boy of the Sixties, Rajesh Khanna. He stormed into the hearts of women with his soul stirring films like Anand.

Shah Rukh Khan More Pics

His films that went on to become silver and golden jubilees, had women queuing up at his residence and flooding the actor with marriage proposals. The actor supposedly got letters written in blood threatening suicide if he didn't agree to marriage to that particular woman. Even as Khanna's personal life made for juicy fodder to a celeb hungry nation, its populace swooned when he declared marriage to a sixteen-year-old Dimple Kapadia.

A decade earlier, it was the light-eyed Raj Kapoor, ruling the hearts of billions. His films were treated as extensions of his personal obsession of the female form. And Kapoor never believed in holding himself back. His much married status not withstanding, the hot blooded Kapoor had torrid affairs with all his leading ladies and those he decided to launch.

Cut to present Bollywood. The current crop of actors, much married and relishing every moment of their stardom refuse to step around in the industry, sans their better halves. Gone is the time when our very own Ghajinji aka Aamir Khan kept his marriage a secret to avoid ruining his chances of making it as the next Bollywood sensation. Today the Khan lights up everytime Kiran Rao, his wife is brought into a conversation. He also speaks about his children and confesses he misses playing dad to them all the time. Talk of the Khans, and who can forget the much smitten junior Nawab, Saif Ali Khan. Married to yesteryears actress Amrita Singh, who was a decade older to the Khan and then divorced, Saif is taken over by the dewy eyed, Kareena Kapoor. In almost all interviews, Khan blushingly confesses he wants to settle down with her all over again.

So what exactly is happening in B-town used to a hush hush policy when it came to their personal lives? Generations down, actors pledge their loyalty and openly flaunt their 'commited' status. No longer is the grapevine goes on an overdrive alleging relationships about an actor. Says film analyst, Amod Prakash, "The concept of looking at films has changed over a span of time. Earlier, films were looked upon as means to easy money, lavish expenditures and leading a flamboyant lifestyle. People who were associated with the industry relished such a life and yes after some time, the fame, the adulation went to their head. Then it became really tough to lead a simple life anymore."

Look at poster boy Farhan Akhtar. Despite creating waves with his debut film, the guy goes about announcing that he is married and father to two lovely daughters. Shilpa Shetty is gifted the IPL by her business man beau Raj Kundera who is Shetty's latest arm candy. Are better halves now more conspicious today because they all have very strong identities of their own? The demure Sussane Khan Roshan reveals, "I believe in doing my own thing and I am a success at it. Its great to be known for my own abilities and ofcouse, even as I am proud of everything that my husband has achieved, I take pride in whatever I have achieved. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that at the of the day I am enjoying everything that I do."
The trend in the industry is to wear your heart on your sleeve and take pride in doing so. A case in point being newbie Deepika Padukone who followed in the steps of Saif Ali Khan and tattooed her beau Ranbir Kapoor's name on her shoulder. Kangana Ranaut is also making headlines for her much talked about 'committed status' with new comer Adhayaan Suman. Psycholohgist Suchita Paul points out, "In the early days, the more the number of affairs, the greater a star's desirability factor. But now, everyone just wants to work and keep themselves grounded. People have realized the value of life and how important it is to spend quality time with your near and dear ones. One more thing is that women have become independent, they have begun to step out and thus they demand their glory under the Sun. So everyone has realized the importance of respect that both partners need. It helps to cement bonds and makes you want to stick around with your man/woman."

Says actor Sammir Dattani, "Relationships are for keeps for everyone these days. Being public figures, everything we do happens to be in the public glare. There are so many questions that we are asked, but then that is part of our profession. How one handle these queries depends on the individual. Also it's no longer about being single or committed in the industry. What matters is whether you are doing good work and only that can get you recognition."

Director Mohit Suri, who directed Emraan Hashmi in Raaz 2 insists that it's because of the audience's acceptance that film makers can experiment more and more with their scripts and characters. "If you look at the actors today, they are much fitter than what they used to be atleast a decade before and they are all raring to go. Do they look their age? Infact they work so hard to get into the skin of the character, such that the association is built with the audiences. Viewers today don't want to know if the actor is married or not, they root for him anyways."

No wonder then that SRK networks with his children and wife around him. Something that even advertisers have spotted given the infinite number of family products that he endorses. Advertising professional Mohit Desai suggests, "Actors have become extremely image and brand conscious. The kind of products they endorse is directly linked to their public image. The moment that is tarnished, they know that they will be dropped as brand ambassadors. So it forces them to stick to their a squeaky clean images. Even an actor like Akshay Kumar, who was notorious for his affairs more than his films, is slowly cleaning up all the mess he made in his younger days. Today he is the most sought after actor not just in Bollywood, but also in the ad world who want to cash in on this image of his."

Aarti Khanna, a die hard fan of Shah Rukh Khan states, "I just love the man. One never hears any controversy about him, he is always accompanied with his wife and speaks openly about his children. He isn't restricted as an actor, he is also a business man and a complete charmer." Point taken. So it does seem that it is as much the moolah as it is a conscious shift in focus towards a healthier lifestyle for our entertainers in the industry.

Is King Khan lonely at the top?

2009-02-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

The public adores him. They stand in droves outside his house everyday and they come in hundreds to visit him on his birthday. He is also the golden boy of the industry; they too visit him in droves every time there is a crisis in his life like his recent surgery and attend his parties with much gusto.

He is Shah Rukh Khan.
He is a man who has every reason to smile and make merry. Why then does he confide more in his computer than in his family and why does he only work within a very small circle?

As he stays at home for two months after his anthroscopy, it is time to introspect.
The list of actors he has estranged grows each time he opens his mouth. From the Bachchans to the three contenders for the throne, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, they all hate him despite the photo-op displays of camaraderie. Amitabh Bachchan has had a bone to pick with him ever since he followed in Big B's illustrious footsteps and signed Kaun Banega Crorepati. Salman Khan and he had a very public fight reportedly over an old flame of Salman's but that was only the last straw. Despite SRK's visits to the Salman Khan home, there had been animosity brewing between them for a long time.

Aamir Khan of course cannot stand anyone who says anything even marginally negative about him whether it is critics, co-actors or rivals. SRK's digs at Aamir have not gone unnoticed leading Aamir to blog the famous sentence about his dog called Shah Rukh.

With Akshay the open rivalry is relatively new. Till last year they were on the point of announcing a film together, today they barely greet each other civilly when they meet. While SRK's camp pray that every film of Akshay should bite the dust, Akshay's coterie send out SMSes when an SRK film hits the theatres saying that the film is not doing too well, even when the collections are respectable.

One very successful actor was even overheard saying that from now on every time SRK made a crack at his expense, he would respond in kind. Obviously SRK's somewhat wacky sense of humour, which can be funny when directed at himself but hurtful when directed at others, has not gone down well with his rivals. After his stint as compere of last year's Filmfare awards during which he and Saif Ali Khan made fun of everyone and everything, this is even more obvious.

Things are no better with directors. Mani Ratnam, for example, who loves to repeat the actors he is comfortable with has not repeated SRK after Dil Se. Vishal Bharadwaj has been peeved with him ever since SRK offered suggestions on a Vishal script that Vishal was keen on making with him. The 'I know everything' director took offence to it and started criticizing some of SRK's past work. SRK did to take this lying down and returned all this criticism with interest. The Omkara director was shocked and later realised the gravity of the situation and wanted to mend things with SRK. He approached Gulzar to mediate between the two of them. Gulzar tried his best to pacify SRK but SRK declined the offer to work with Vishal anymore.

Mahesh Bhatt though, who last directed him in Duplicate, and has not gone back to him for a film, thinks SRK is more grounded than most. He says, "I only see a wiser and quieter man, somebody who is very clear and sorted. He read out some extracts of his autobiography to me, they were heart-breakingly true. Here is a man whose humanity is still intact. He is one of the few people who has his feet firmly planted on the ground."

On the other hand SRK can be the staunchest and most loyal of friends. His friendship with Juhi Chawla has stood the test of time and even today he is a regular visitor to her house when he is in town. In fact during his one day recent stay at hospital, his food came from the Juhi household.
SRK now works with only a very select group of people which includes Yash and Aditya Chopra (and the films they produce), Farah Khan and Karan Johar. Most of the time he is not even available to listen to a narration by other makers. This definitely limits his choices.

Mushtaq Sheikh, an ex journalist and close friend of ShahRukh who has documented SRK's life in his book Still Reading Khan says, "Why does it become a wrong choice? You don't question the decision of the biggest star that India can ever know. The decision has worked for him. He is a man for whom friends are his world. His comfort zone is important to him. He worships his work, and if you worship your work, you obviously want to do it with the people you are comfortable with; people whom you feel are on your same wavelength with you. That's exactly why SRK is able to pull off film after film for more than a decade now. It doesn't get bigger than Karan and Adi does it? SRK has the best and the biggest. Maybe Bollywood will have to wait if they want to be friends with him or respect his space if they want to work with him."

Brave words these, defensive too but also very revealing. SRK has painted himself into a corner and hurt or annoyed most of the film industry. While he and his friends may like to pretend that this is all very well and so long as the public love him all is fine with his world, the fact is that at 43 he has limited choices. The old adage which says you need to be careful of who you offend while on the way up, because these are the same people you will meet on your way down, will come back to haunt Shah Rukh Khan, once the darling of the industry but today the most detested.

Kareena Kapoor goes international

2009-02-19T08:18:00.001-08:00

The actress who’s on a film-signing spree at the moment seems to be sharing that success rate even when it comes to signing brands. And the latest buzz on the Kapoor babe is that she has now been signed on by an international clothing brand. An insider revealed, “The company had considered several of the top actresses of Bollywood, but zeroed in on Kareena.” Seems like Kareena’s popularity is already reaching out across the seven seas. So, will we see her shining on the Hollywood billboards next?

8 Filmfare nominations for ‘Rab ne..’, 6 for ‘Ghajini

2009-02-17T10:54:00.003-08:00

After months of speculation, the Filmfare nominations are finally out. Time to see who will take the 'beautiful dark lady' home this year! Will

Filmfare nominations

it be King Khan’s simpleton Suri act in Rab ne.., happy and 'gay' Dostana or 8-packed Aamir Khan?

Even as the stars get ready for the big night, stay glued to get all the inside dope and starry controversies surrounding the event. So, who are you betting on this year?

THE NOMINATIONS ARE...

Best Film
Dostana
Ghajini
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Jodhaa Akbar
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Rock On!!

Best Director

A.R. Murugadoss: Ghajini
Abhishek Kapoor: Rock On!!
Aditya Chopra: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Ashutosh Gowariker: Jodhaa Akbar
Madhur Bhandarkar: Fashion
Neeraj Pandey: A Wednesday

Best Actor (Male)

Aamir Khan: Ghajini
Abhishek Bachchan: Dostana
Akshay Kumar: Singh Is Kinng
Hrithik Roshan: Jodhaa Akbar
Shah Rukh Khan: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Naseeruddin Shah: A Wednesday

Best Actor (Female)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Jodhaa Akbar
Anushka Sharma: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Asin Thottumkal: Ghajini
Kajol: U Me Aur Hum
Priyanka Chopra: Fashion

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male )

Abhishek Bachchan: Sarkar Raj
Arjun Rampal: Rock On!!
Prateik Babbar: Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Sonu Sood: Jodha Akbar
Tushar Kapoor: Golmaal Returns
Vinay Pathak: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female )

Bipasha Basu: Bachna Ae Haseeno
Kangna Ranaut: Fashion
Kirron Kher: Dostana
Ratna Pathak Shah: Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Shahana Goswami: Rock On!!

Best Music Director

A R Rahman: Ghajini
A R Rahman: Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
A R Rahman: Jodhaa Akbar
Pritam Chakraborty: Race
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy: Rock On!!
Vishal-Shekhar: Dostana

Best Lyrics

Abbas Tyrewala: Kabhi kabhi Aditi (Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na)
Gulzar: Tu meri dost hai (Yuvvraaj)
Jaideep Sahni: Haul –haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)
Javed Akhtar: Jashn-e-bahara (Jodhaa Akbar)
Javed Akhtar: Socha hai (Rock On!!)
Prasoon Joshi: Guzarish (Ghajini)

Best Playback (Male)

Farhan Akhtar: Socha hai (Rock On!!)
KK: Khuda jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
KK: Zara si dil mein (Jannat)
Rashid Ali: Kabhi kabhi Aditi (Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na)
Sonu Nigam: Inn lamhon ke daaman mein (Jodhaa Akbar)
Sukhwinder Singh: Haule haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Best Playback (Female)

Alka Yagnik: Tu muskura (Yuvvraaj)
Neha Bhasin: Kuch khaas hai (Fashion)
Shilpa Rao: Khuda jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Shreya Ghoshal: Teri ore (Singh is Kinng)
Shruti Pathak: Marjaawa (Fashion)
Sunidhi Chauhan: Dance pe chance (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Who is Priyanka bonding with?

2009-02-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

Priyanka Chopra and Scottish actor Gerard Butler are bonding over lunch, regular phone-calls and SMS

It’s raining men in

Priyanka Chopra's life. After her on-and-off relationship with Harman Baweja, and, rumours of her growing closeness with Shahid Kapur, there are murmurs in the industry that Priyanka is bonding big time with Scottish actor Gerard Butler (of 300 and P.S. I Love You, f a m e ) . Priyanka and Gerard first met at the inauguration of Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai’s latest iconic luxury resort, in November 2008. The two have been in regular touch with other. A friend of Priyanka tells Mumbai Mirror, “Since November, Priyanka and Gerard have kept in touch via phone calls and SMSes.”

According to sources, Priyanka and Gerard had actually hit it off at the party hosted by Shah Rukh Khan in Dubai, soon after the inauguration of the luxury resort. Today, Priyanka and Gerard share a deep bond.

Priyanka’s official spokesperson did not deny the ‘dostana’ between Priyanka and Gerard. She said, “Priyanka and Gerard hit it off really well in Dubai and have maintained their friendship ever since.’
Buzz is that Priyanka and Gerard recently had lunch and coffee together in Chicago where Priyanka was shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Rashee? Though Priyanka’s official spokesperson refused to confirm this, a friend of Priyanka tells us that the couple did spend some quality time together. “A couple of Priyanka’s cousins who stay in Chicago accompanied Priyanka and Gerard.”

Preity Zinta's nominated

2009-02-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

Preity Zinta nominated for the 29th Genie Awards for her performance in Heaven on Earth

Preity Zinta is carving a niche for

herself globally. After winning the Best Actress Award at the Chicago Film Festival last year for her portrayal of a battered Punjabi wife in Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on Earth, Preity has now earned a nomination at the 29th Genie Awards.

She has been nominated under the category, ‘Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role’. What makes this nomination even more special is that Preity is the first Indian actress to have earned this nomination. The Awards will be held on April 4 at Ottawa in Canada.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT) announced the nominations recently. This year, other nominees in the same category are Susan Sarandon for Emotional Arithmetic, Marianne Fortier for Mommy is at the Hairdresser’s, Ellen Burstyn for The Stone Angel and Isabelle Blais for Borderline.
The call from the official representatives of the 29th Genie Awards informing about her nomination caught Preity off guard. A source close to the actress said, “The news took Preity by surprise. She is delighted.”

On a high after being nominated, Preity said, “I am super excited. I have crossed my fingers and toes and everything else. I cannot stop smiling as Susan Sarandon and Ellen Burstyn have been nominated under the same category as me. They both are Oscar winners. It is an absolute honour for me to find myself amidst such achievers. I cannot stop thanking Deepa (Mehta) for making me part of Heaven on Earth.”

Katrina Kaif to talk in Hindi

2009-02-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

We hear, Katrina’s role in this movie has been inspired by Sonia Gandhi, while Ranbir Kapoor’s role seems to be inspired by Rajiv Gandhi. Now, if Kat is going to be a political personality, too, she obviously is required to deliver long speeches to crowds, and that’s going to pose a great challenge to the actress.

For this, we are told, Kaif has been attending voice modulation classes. Let’s hope she can get rid of that English twang soon.

I’m no pompom girl: Shilpa Shetty

2009-02-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Now that you are part-owner of the Rajasthan Royals what plans do you have for the team?
Shilpa Shetty: If you're asking me this to find out how keenly I'm interested in this new venture then let me tell you I'm hands on into it. When Raj Kundra and and I decided to take the plunge into the IPL, we did it with our eyes open and after much deliberation. In hindsight, it appears uncanny because among all the IPL teams I've always felt the most connected with the Rajasthan Royals.

What would your contribution to the team be?
Shilpa Shetty: Well I am not going to bullshit myself into believing I've been brought in for my business acumen. The team had it all. They needed the glamour quotient and for that I am here. But please, I am not going to be one of the pom-pom girls on the field, if that's what the spectators expect. I'm certainly not going to be the eye candy of the venture.

So where will your glamour quotient come in?
Shilpa Shetty: In the music video, to begin with. Our next move is to shoot a music video. We want it to be the slickest and the best. Of course, I'll be in it. Isn't that a given? I've so many commitments in the coming months including my two films; Sunny Deol's "The Man" and R. Sarath's "Desire" to complete. I'm not signing films crazily. So I can devote the time I want for the IPL.

So you're ready to bounce again?
Shilpa Shetty: (Laughs) You could say that. Doing it for my own venture would be a pleasure.

Will Raj direct the music video?
Shilpa Shetty: Ah, that would be telling. Let's see. Raj is a crazy cricket fan. And why shouldn't he be? He's an Indian who lives in England. All Indian men are crazy about cricket. And everyone knows cricket was born in England. So Raj has a double reason to buy a part of the IPL.

What about you?
Shilpa Shetty: I love cricket. I've inherited it from my father who's the craziest cricket fan I've ever met. The Rajasthan Royals is my gift to my father.

I thought it was Raj's Valentine gift for you?
Shilpa Shetty: Please! I'm sure there're other gifts awaiting me for Valentine's Day.

Like a marriage proposal?
Shilpa Shetty: That's mine for the asking anytime. Now that Raj is shifting business interests in India we just need to find the right moment to take the plunge.

The Bollywood-cricket merger seems to be expanding?
Shilpa Shetty: It had to be that way. Shah Rukh Khan and then Preity Zinta went for the IPL. For me, the right moment to do so was when Raj was ready for it. Now I must make sure I've enough time to devote to the Rajasthan Royals. I'll be there for their first match in March and all subsequent matches. Yeh mera vada hai (I promise that).

Asin keeps the boys waiting

2009-02-08T09:41:00.000-08:00

The Ghajini girl has a life outside of

Asin

Bollywood.

For starters, the girl is a bookworm! “I used to have a huge library at home, so reading has been a habit since childhood. And even today, I just can’t do without a book...,” said Asin when we met her recently. So the girl is ‘booked’ in some sense of the term... but about being booked in real life, love still hasn’t happened to Asin.

The hooking and booking may have to wait for a while she tells us. As she is more engrossed in books and films, the boys will just have to wait. And we are sure they’d be willing to wait for this hottie.

SRK: A cut above the rest

2009-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

Aggressive marketing seems to be the mantra of filmmakers today.

Shah Rukh Khan More Pics

If Aamir Khan got barber’s to give the ushers at some multiplexes a buzz-cut, after his own style, to promote Ghajini, Shah Rukh Khan has gone a step further. SRK has planned to invite about 400 barbers, from across Maharashtra with their families, at the premiere of Billu Barber.

Director Priyadarshan confirmed the story and said, “Instead of having celebs over for the premiere of Billu Barber, Shah Rukh has planned to invite 400 barbers and their families to the premiere. His idea is to welcome barbers for the premiere on February 12, as the film revolves around Irrfan Khan, who plays a barber. Things are just getting organised for the première and the office is also in talks with the barbers’ association to get everything sorted for the big day.”

Red Chillies’ Billu Barber revolves around the story of two childhood friends, one a poor village barber, played by Irrfan Khan and a superstar (Shah Rukh Khan) and the equation between these friends from diverse backgrounds. The characters are based on Lord Krishna and Sudama.”

Hrithik's kite is flying high

2009-02-06T00:37:00.000-08:00

Hrithik Roshan’s Kites has reportedly struck a new high in the Indian film industry.

Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori in Kites More Pics

The film industry is abuzz with the news that the film has been bought by Reliance Big Pictures for almost Rs 150 crore. And this in the times of recession. The film is produced by Rakesh Roshan, directed by Anurag Basu and stars Hrithik Roshan, Kangana Ranaut and Barbara Mori.

Our industry source says, “Every major corporate house in the industry was looking to get the rights of Kites. The deal has been closed at over Rs 150 crore. The deal includes worldwide rights, along with overseas, music, satellite and video rights. However the deal is only for a certain period with a minimum guarantee amount. This amount is over Rs 150 crore.”

The amount is so big that now Reliance will hold all the rights. Trade experts affirm that only that can make it a feasible option, although the risk of such a huge price cannot be ruled out. Some of the recent big deals have been struck for Singh Is Kinng (around Rs 70 crore) and Om Shanti Om (around Rs 60 crore). Kites surpasses both by a long shot.

When contacted, Rakesh Roshan said, “I cannot comment on the amount. The deal is of a completely new structure, not tried out here before, and the amount can even go up to Rs 200 crore. The fact is that the deal has been divided into two structures all over and the film has been made in two versions — one for the Indian market, the other for the overseas market.”

Roshan revealed his strategy, and said, “I was playing the waiting game, for I wanted to see who would take the initiative. I think the vision of Big Pictures matches my vision — about the film’s international appeal.”
Roshan gave the credit for the deal to Hrithik, and his banner Filmkraft. He said, “This time our film has an appeal not only for Indian viewers and NRIs, but also for an international audience.”

Speaking about the two versions of Kites, he said, “English is the most common language all over the world. The Indian version has more Hindi dialogues, while the overseas one has more of English. However, essentially it is a Hindi language film.”

Rajesh Sawhney, official spokesperson, Reliance Big Pictures, says, “We (Filmkraft and Reliance Big Pictures) will mutually arrive at a figure closer to the release date. I think it is a great script and a great cast with international potential. That’s why we have struck this deal.”

When asked if the huge price is justified, trade analyst Amod Mehra said, “If Ghajini can make more than Rs 100 crore, why not Kites?

The film is scheduled for a Diwali release.

Shah Rukh Khan and his many facets!

2009-02-06T00:35:00.001-08:00

Dressed in a crisp white shirt and a chic black suit with neatly cropped hair, the 43-year-old actor spread cheer among the 200-plus crowd, including many kids, at the Emporio Mall in Delhi where he played the brand ambassador for Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer on Wednesday.

From his famous cold war with Aamir Khan to his love for dear wife Gauri and his political plans... SRK was at his wittiest best as he went around answering the many questions hurled at him. We give you a dope on all that happened at the event.

‘Most actresses cannot be perceived as friends' - Katrina

2009-02-06T00:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys ‘n’ dolls. I’ve just met a ‘crab’ who ain’t gonna scurry off the beach when the tide ebbs. Or when predators and rivals challenge her turf. Katrina Kaif is one Cancerian who’ll use those claws to good defense. So be it Deepika’s innocuous remarks that upset her, or a so called cold war with Asin. Or even her relationship status with Salman Khan - Katz simply smiles that lovely moony smile, speaks sensitive words of diplomacy and snaps your head off. So, read between the lines here dahlings - it’s a Katrina kayo!

Working in Pink Panther was a joy: Ash

2009-02-05T04:23:00.000-08:00

Much has been written about Aishwarya Rai's so-called minuscule role in Hollywood film "Pink Panther 2". While the actress admits it is an

Aishwarya Rai

out-and-out Steve Martin film, she maintains she signed it for an enriching experience and not for extra footage.

"It's a bit silly and exhausting to even talk about the length of my role based on what's seen in the trailers. Did anyone question my role in 'Khakee' when there was only one shot of me in the promo? Isn't that a very myopic view of contemporary acting? In my very first film 'Iruvar', I thought I transcended this footage fetish," Aishwarya told IANS.

Aishwarya, a former Miss World, doesn't regret doing the film.

"I didn't work in 'Pink Panther 2' because it was an international project. I got the script. I happily chose to be part of the film. They shot exactly what I was offered. I don't need to work with stardust in my eyes.

"Of course, 'Pink Panther' is a Steve Martin vehicle. Is that something to question? All the rest of the wonderful cast including Jean Reno and Andy Garcia play supporting roles. I treasure the experience of working in 'Pink Panther 2'."

Aishwarya says footage is not a burning issue for her.

"The choices I've made in my career aren't just about footage but an opportunity to work with actors, directors and technicians who enrich my life. Believe me working in 'Pink Panther' was a joy.

"It was a wonderful experience working with a stalwart like Steve Martin and the rest of the cast and crew. Why spoil it by questioning how much footage I have? So many Indian actors have worked in international ensemble casts."

The actress attended the film's premiere in New York Tuesday along with husband Abhishek Bachchan.

"They wanted me to be here for the film's promotion from earlier on. But I couldn't because of my prior commitments in India. We've a series of premieres lined up, which started in New York on Feb 3. From there it's a crazy whirlwind trip that will take me to several countries and continents from Paris to Berlin to Moscow to Madrid.

"The final destination for my 15-day trip will take me to a screening at the Berlin film festival. Then I'm back and I go straight to resume Mani Ratnam's film."

It is a double celebration for Aishwarya in New York this week. First is the premiere of "Pink Panther 2" that is followed by Abhishek's birthday Thursday. The couple plans to celebrate his birthday in style.

"Abhishek is in New York with me. But he won't be able to accompany me for my other premieres because he has to be in India for the promotion of 'Delhi 6'," said Aishwarya, who returns to India Feb 14.

Interestingly, Aishwarya was offered the lead opposite Will Smith in "Seven Pounds" which opens in Mumbai this week.

"Will Smith and I will work together for sure," laughed Aishwarya. "There have been a number of offers. Dates just don't work out. If he's keen to work with me, so am I," said the actress.

Family dramas now passe in Bollywood?

2009-02-03T07:15:00.001-08:00

Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Maine Pyar Kiya, Baghban, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai....all these titles remind us of opulent Bollywood

The secret formula for success in the film fraternity seems to have undergone a sea change

family sagas.

Several marriage and festivity sequences, mushy, romantic numbers and heated tussles between families for the sake of pride, all these family entertainers were loaded with enough masala to lure the masses.

No wonder, all of them scored phenomenally well at the box office. However, off late, the secret formula for success in the film fraternity seems to have undergone a sea change. Freshness in content and experimentation in terms of treatment is what the junta desires.

With this shift in the preference and attitude of viewers, as well as the filmmakers, is the concept of family dramas now a thing of the past?

Time to change
With several fast-paced movies releasing every Friday, the struggle for survival and success is tougher in today's Bollywood. Thanks to the concept of multiplex movies, all films get the opportunity to reach out to the audiences. If the content of the product is appealing it will definitely click with the people.

Director Kunal Kohli, known for his hit romantic flick Hum Tum says, "Serving the same concept repeatedly with similar storylines is like underestimating the intellect of your audience. In case of family entertainers, if you can come up with a fresh plot and can deal with it intelligently, viewers will surely like it. For an individual, more than the genre, it's the content of the movie that matters more."

Praveen Suri, a marketing professional says, "These days, to churn out a hit movie, you really need not have a joint family backdrop, extravagant sets and an over emotional story line. Family dramas have ruled Bollywood for long, but nowadays viewers expect the film-makers to go a step ahead."

Viewer's choice
Realistic and hard-hitting films like A Wednesday, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Dasvidaniya may have been low on star value and publicity, but had a good plot and thus did well at the box office too.

Ritika Tyagi, a media person tells, "I am a huge admirer of Shah Rukh Khan and was in college when Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge released. I might have seen the movie around fifty times in that one year. However, if somebody tells me to watch it once again, I will get bored half way. I am habituated to treat myself with different type of movies today. Apart from that, Bollywood should always keep in mind that they are dealing with a much more mature and demanding audience."

Ravi Chopra, director-producer says, "The number of movies now being churned out in India is much more than before. To have an edge over the others, directors are adopting different themes. The number of family dramas hitting the silver screen may have come down, but the concept will always survive. We only need to keep the rule of revival in mind and keep track with the changes in society."

Is the family saga concept ebbing?
Director Kunal Kohli defends the genre by saying, "Television has become a thriving medium today and has over loaded the audience with family dramas. Many of them even draw inspiration from films. However, it doesn't mean that the concept of family entertainers is losing its sheen on silver screen. If you deal with the subject creatively, then whether it's an action movie, romantic or family drama, it will strike bull's eye."

Ranjan Shahi, a television director and producer observes, "Our country is known for its cultural and family values. Most of the television serials survive on the concept of family dramas and these seem to be hitting jackpot with the audiences. The peg of your story might be different, but family dramas are a part of all the shows on-air at the moment."

Change is the only thing constant
Filmmakers claim, family dramas still work. They just need to be treated differently so that they fit into today's lifestyle and the audiences can relate to it. Director Imtiaz Ali did the same and became the proud owner of the movie, Jab We Met .

Ali says, "We live in a modern society so the family values, lifestyle and standard of living has changed and so has its portrayal onscreen. That is why the stories today are more personal and individualized. I recently saw Dev D , it's the latest version of Dilip Kumar's Devdas . The original flick was a contemporary family drama, Dev D is on the same lines and the configuration of relationships is same in the film, only that it is portrayed differently. The language is chic and it's set in today's environment."

Komal Nahata, a trade analyst states, "You can't imagine any individual without a family. We might have become modern today, but we all love our parents the same way. So family dramas will always be a part of Bollywood in some form or the other. If some films like Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi didn't score well at the box-office, then it was the plot that contributed to its failure. The recent Yash Raj film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi was a family entertainer too, but it went down well with the viewers. Most of the people prefer such movies when they go out with their clan. So family sagas are here to stay."

When I marry, the world will know: Katrina

2009-02-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

After spending six years in Bollywood, British-born actress Katrina Kaif has learnt to handle rumours and criticisms. While she rubbished

Katrina Kaif More Pics

reports of her marriage to Salman Khan, she also denied speculation about her sister Isabel entering the Hindi film industry soon.

"It's complete rubbish and the paper (Saamna) is denying it. When I marry, the world will know. Right now I've no such plans," Katrina told IANS.

Commenting on speculation about her relationship with Salman, she said: "That's bound to happen. If you're a public figure and if neither of the party is clarifying anything, there's bound to be a lot of speculation and unnecessary comment. But I'm not going to get provoked into giving explanations. Because once they start, they never end."

Asked about a picture that showed her entering her birthday party last year, Katrina said: "That wasn't when I entered the party. The picture was taken while we were leaving. I was tired and, yes, I was disappointed. I didn't want it to be turned into tamasha (drama)."

Salman and Shah Rukh Khan had a war of words at the birthday bash that was widely reported in the media.

Talking about her sister Isabel's Bollywood plans, Katrina said: "That was something completely blown out of proportion. At the moment she's too young to take up an acting career. In fact, my sister is off to drama school. Something I never got to do, and I wish I had. Not being a trained actress bothers me and I'm happy that my sister is taking that route.

"I realise I can't be talked about only for my work. You can't have things exactly the way you want them to be."

Although Salman and Katrina are a real life couple, they have not been able to form a saleable pair on screen. Katrina had hoped "Yuvvraaj" would work so that she and Salman would be a saleable pair and filmmakers would sign her with Salman as eagerly as they do with Akshay Kumar.

But the film sank without a trace at the box office. Apparently, a major drawback was that director Subhash Ghai kept writing the script as the film progressed.

"I'd like to stick to a bound script from now on. The time has come for the entire film industry to get completely organised. A script helps both the director and the actor to connect with each other and with the plot. I'm not going to be shy about insisting on a script," the actress said.

Katrian admitted she had very little space in "Yuvvraaj". "Yeah, that was something I grew gradually aware of. I didn't have that much to do. But that's okay."However, not attending acting school doesn't make Katrina feel inadequate as an actress.

"I think I had to undertake my own journey and do things my own way. I learnt on the job. I think I've acquired knowledge of the camera on-camera. So no regrets about not attending any acting school. If I had regrets about any aspect of my career, I'd be the most ungrateful person on the planet. Look at the level of acceptance I've received in so little time. Some people don't get this kind of success after working all their lives," she said.

The 24-year-old ventured into Bollywood in 2003 and was instantly written off because of her strong British accent. But after five years of hard work and determination, she is one of the most sought after actresses in the film world.

After the failure of "Yuvvraaj", Katrina is no longer considered a lucky mascot for a film, but she is nonchalant about it.

"I think that's just people talking a lot of nonsense. Actors far more intelligent and talented than me have had to deal with ups and downs. Sooner or later I'd have had to deal with failure. No point brooding about it. I've learnt my lessons from the 'Yuvvraaj' experience," said Katrina.

Between 2007 and 2008 Katrina delivered six back-to-back hits - "Namastey London", "Apne", "Partner", "Welcome", "Race" and "Singh Is Kinng".

Aamir Khan’s up for sale!

2009-02-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

Pleased with the success of Ghajini, the makers of the film have found a unique way to share it with the fans — they can now take Aamir Khan in

Aamir Khan.

his muscled Ghajini look home.

Well, not the real Aamir, but his figurine that is. An insider informs, “It was producer Madhu Mantena’s idea to make the Aamir Khan-Ghajini look into a collector’s item.” It’s common knowledge that Aamir had worked out for over a year to acquire his hulk-like physique.

A source close to Aamir confirmed, “Great pains have been taken to capture Aamir’s exact muscular texture and structure in Ghajini.” Well, Aamir’s kiddie fans will certainly throng for this one. After, all what better way to pocket your favourite star, right Aamir?