FILMY KHABAAR

What makes Kareena a true Diva?

2009-04-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

She already has Bollywood in awe of her looks and attitude and now Kareena is all set to take the west by storm with her forthcoming flick ‘Kambakkht Ishq’.

It is believed that Bebo will be seen playing her real stylish self in this super stylish flick. The only difference between the real and reel Kareena is that she will be seen playing a Hollywood diva. Kareena’s character will be high on fashion as she plays a supermodel.

Reportedly, her makeup and hair has been done by Hollywood make up artists and hairstylists. Since she has a super glam look in the film, designer Akki Narula has designed her attires. Aki Narula had earlier designed her super hot, super trendy look for Tashan. Those who have seen the rushes of ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ feel Bebo looks simply superb.

Is Hollywood taking note of our Bebo?

What makes Kareena a true Diva? Comment below.

Her beautiful looks
Her sexy figure
Her attitude
Her fashion sense

Kat wants young co-stars!

2009-04-04T03:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry dudes ... we don’t’ mean to offend ya, and we know you guys are ruling the roost, but the lovely Katrina Kaif wants to work with 20 somethings, too. When we asked her how she felt about finally getting a chance to work with stars of her age (John and Ranbir), she replied, “At the start of my career I’ve worked with the best and the biggest of stars like Akshay and Salman.

My best friend is Boney Kapoor’s son Arjun, we hangout with David Dhawan’s son, and we’re all friendly with Ranbir too. I have the best of all worlds. I’m excited about Rajkumar Santoshi’s film with Ranbir; as I am about Priyan’s De Dhana Dhan with Akshay.” It’s exciting alright. We heard that RK ended up hurting her while doing an action sequence. Now we know why Akshay is her favourite co-star. Though we have to admit ... Ranbir is the cutest lover-boy on-screen. And we guess off-screen, too (how would you know?). Well, Ms. Padukone could tell you more if you want. Not that she’s dying to!

'Unbutton' act at LIFW may land Akshay in trouble

2009-04-04T03:51:00.001-07:00

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar may land himself in the soup as city police have started inquiry into his alleged obscene "unbutton" act during the Lakme Fashion Week here.

We are conducting an inquiry into Akshay Kumar's alleged obscene acts during Lakme Fashion Week held here recently after we received a complaint from a person called Anil Nair, a police officer said.

The complainant raised objections on Akshay's unbutton act in public, the officer said.

On Monday, mid-way between his ramp walk, Akshay Kumar walked towards his wife Twinkle Khanna, who was seated in the front row and allegedly asked her to unbutton his jeans during the fashion show.

Asked if a police case is likely to be registered against Akshay and the organisers, the officer said, if the inquiry finds them guilty of obscene act, they will register a case against the actor and the organisers.

Ajay Devgan back with Kajol on Birthday

2009-04-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

Ajay Devgan celebrates his 40th birth anniversary today, April 2, 2009. From shooting for his home production All The Best ’ at Lonavala, he will be coming back to Mumbai to spend some quality time with his family. There are no big party plans as Ajay simply wants to chill with wife Kajol, daughter Nysa and close family members.

Here’s wishing the actor a very happy birthday as we go on to list some of the major achievements in his professional and personal life.

Ajay Devgan’s real name in Vishal Devgan. Interestingly his character was named Vishal in several films including Bhoot, Deewane and Kanoon .

For his very first film Phool Aur Kaante, he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. Much against his unconventional looks, he made his mark with a powerful performance and kick-started his career with action.

He won his first National Award in Mahesh Bhatt’s last directorial venture Zakhm. Ajay Devgan won acclaim for his stirring performance in the film, much against his initial action-star image.

After dating actress Kajol for around five years, the duo got married on February 24, 1999. Kajol subtly expressed her love for Ajay Devgan in a public event when she received the Best Actress Award for Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge . She dedicated the award to an anonymous person shooting in Darjeeling. Later it was known that Ajay Devgan was shooting in Darjeeling.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was one of his finer performances where he played a husband who helps her wife find her first love. With the film, Ajay Devgan also entered into distribution business.

Ajay Devgan won his second National Award for The Legend of Bhagat Singh , a biography on the legendary freedom fighter of India. By now he was already established as an actor of high caliber.

His latest achievements include U Me aur Hum , a film that he has written-directed and acted with wife Kajol. His sensitive direction and heart-rendering performance established him credentials as a promising filmmaker as well.

Katrina: I'm a hopeless romantic

2009-04-04T03:43:00.000-07:00

At times she’s a phataka, at other times, she’s a pure ‘Barbie’ babe (no barbs intended here). And at times (when the flashbulbs are off, and the media is at safe distance) she’s her sweet, simple, giggly self. The twenty-something, ‘kool Katz’ supposedly takes her work far too seriously, Something she says herself; so, in one casual moment, we couldn’t resist asking her what her trigger of release was? What actually pressed her buttons? Bursting into an energetic smile (we wonder where she gets so much of that from; Sallu, maybe?) she replied, “Playtime! Yaay! Not having makeup on. That thrills me. I started modeling when I was 14-years-old. So I do miss having time for myself. I miss having pani-puri on the streets, and doing such things by myself. Also, I’m a huge movie fan. Especially of grand, sweeping, romantic classics like Casablanca and Gone With The Wind. I can watch those movies over and over again. I guess I’m just a hopeless romantic. I am a Cancerian, na?” Well, well! How one wishes life was one romantic fantasy. We’re sure Katz agrees? Gottit Sallu? Now take a cue from this Barbie...

Arbaaz’s new female interest?

2009-04-04T03:42:00.000-07:00

And while big bro Salman has been all over the place for his quotes, escapades and autorickshaw rides, bhaiya Arboo (cute name, haan, Malaika?) has been working hard like a silent warhorse too. And the results are now there for all to see. Believe it or not, besides the couple of good movies he’s signed, he has also launched his own production house (which will hopefully see a big launch with bro Sallu and Katz in his first venture) and now he’s gotta brand new lovely lady in his life as well. Hold your horses Malaika, we only meant leading lady. Apparently Arbaaz has been going all out to promote a hottie model from Bangalore, Madhuri Bhattacharya, who co-stars with him in two movies, Prem Ka Game and Bachelor Party. Arbaaz who plays an outrageous flirt in the movie (a married one that too), gets to romance the newbie on-screen, but off-screen this happily married man is damn clear about one thing, “For me portraying infidelity is only for the screen. Never in real life” says Arbaaz. Wah ustaad....we like this andaaz. He could well be missing his bachelor days (now is there one married man who doesn’t?) but with a super-sexy gharwali like Malaika, who would care about a baharwali. Right, Arboo?

Shah Rukh Khan: I terminate my rivals

2009-04-04T03:41:00.000-07:00

Mr Bionic Man is at it again. With even more ‘titanium’ (and various metallic parts) inside his body, Shah Rukh Khan actually laughed aloud when we called him ‘Terminator’. “Yes. I’m a Terminator. I terminate my rivals. I terminate obstacles and I’m now even more ‘bionic’ than before” he told us. And all the ‘metal’ is probably putting more steel in his spine too, when it comes to dealing with ‘shouldering’ all his roles and responsibilities. In fact, he’s hit the floor running - from walking the ramp, to shooting for Karan’s film, to planning his cricket strategies to shooting videos ... Phew! Now isn’t that too much bojh on his brand new shoulder? Well, it’s only because his recently operated shoulder is still in the healing process. Otherwise our King Khan can stalwartly carry the cross of Bollywood on his big, broad shoulders, hai na? And while his whirlwind activity is on, we heard that Gauri and buddy Karan Johar have been tut-tutting and are becoming overly protective about that still ‘sore’ part of him. He’s shooting for My Name Is Khan, and Karan’s been overtly careful to shoot only some easy portions with SRK, no heavy-duty stuff for him for sometime. Hmnnnn. Does this also mean that he won’t be jumping on some cricketer and wrapping himself around him...a la Shoaib Akhtar last year? Hmnnn and double hmnnnn!

'Cheers...' celebrates Dharmendra's 50 years in B'wood

2009-04-04T03:24:00.000-07:00

After "Apne", Sunny Deol is once again teaming up with dad Dharmendra and younger brother Bobby for "Cheers - Celebrate Life". The actor-filmmaker says the film is a celebration of his father's 50 years in Bollywood.

"Dad (Dharmendra), Bobby and I are doing a great film with Sangeeth Sivan called 'Cheers - Celebrate life'. Actually, we are trying to celebrate my dad's 50 years in the industry with the film," said Sunny.

"We are going to start shooting next month onwards now that dad is fine after the knee surgery (last year). Hopefully, we will release it this year itself under our banner Vijeta Films so as to keep fresh the essence of his 50 years," he said.

Besides "Cheers", Sunny is also busy wielding the megaphone for his second directorial venture "The Man" in which he stars with Shilpa Shetty.

"'The Man' is the key thing that I'm working on as of now and it's going to be a good film ... that I can promise the audience. I directed a film called 'Dillagi' earlier and it didn't do well business-wise, but people loved it. Obviously now with my next film that I'm directing, people are going to check if I still have got it (in me) or not," he said.

Considering his diminishing on-screen presence, is the action star now shifting gears to don the director's hat?

"I don't know. I can't say anything right now because things change so rapidly. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow. All I know is that there are lots of things to do," said Sunny, who was last seen in "Heroes" in 2008.

He may not be sure of his future directorial ventures, but he is confident that he wants to produce "good cinema" under his banner.

Apart from his Bollywood career, Sunny, a "fitness freak", has also associated himself with a health club chain - Club Fitline. He was in the capital recently to launch its first centre.

Sunny has been away from the limelight but feels that brother Bobby and cousin Abhay have been making their screen presence felt.

"Abhay is doing very well in his career. Unfortunately his earlier films didn't bring him that popularity, but people who saw him were always fond of him because he did great work from 'Socha Na Tha' (2005) itself.

"Bobby's career is doing pretty well too. It's just his bad luck. He is a great actor and a very goodlooking boy with a great personality. It's just sometimes things don't fall right. Otherwise he has done good cinema," the actor said.

Sunny has no plans to launch his sons in the near future and says he is happy giving his sons Karan, 18 and Rajvir, 14, a chance to "pick their own space".

"They are still young. I want them to study as of now and have their own space. I'll let them grow up to be wanting to be something and then whatever they decide to take, I'll definitely be with them," he said.

Apart from "Cheers" and "The Man", Sunny's other projects include "Right Ya Wrong" and Bhushan Kumar's next project with Kangana Ranaut.

Ayesha Farhan to tie the knot by February end

2009-02-09T01:55:00.000-08:00

The latest buzz doing the round of Bollywood is Ayesha Takia and her restaurateur boyfriend Farhan Azmi will finally get married by February end.

The couple was supposed to tie the knot last year on Christmas Eve but they postponed following the terror attacks in Mumbai on 26/11.

Apparently Ayesha who broke down completely after the Taj attack decided to delay her marriage. Apart from that Farhan’s father Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi was in a hospital recuperating after an operation.

According to a close friend of Ayesha, wedding will take place in Mumbai. However the actress is frantically running around shopping for her trousseau.

Being a professional Ayesha will complete Revathy's film which is woman oriented film after marriage.

Kareena refuses to talk about katrina

2009-02-09T01:53:00.000-08:00

Kareena refuses to talk about katrina

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor is not vying for the crown of Bollywood queen despite her hit performances and high profile brand endorsements because she feels that kings and queens only exist in a pack of playing cards.

"I think kings and queens are in cards, not in Bollywood, " Kareena told reporters at an event here Saturday.

On being asked her opinion about Katrina Kaif as an actress, Kareena bluntly said: "I don't talk about other actresses in press conferences."

Kareena was present in the capital to promote a new initiative by hair removal cream brand Anne French.

She is looking forward to the release of a number of films in her kitty including Rajkumar Hirani's "Three Idiots" and Sajid Nadiadwala's "Kambakkht Ishq".

In "Three Idiots", she stars opposite Aamir Khan. In "Kambakkht Ishq", she will be sharing screen space with Akshay Kumar for the seventh time.

About working with the two actors, Kareena said: "I pick up the best from whoever I work with. When you are working with someone, you kind of get tuned to the way that actor is working. I would like to pick up all the best qualities from both these people."

The actress also spoke about her experience of working with Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone and Brandon Routh in "Kambakkht Ishq" and said it was "an honour".

Aishwarya gains a lot from her Rajini Sir!

2009-02-09T01:49:00.000-08:00

Ash got special treatment while shooting for 'Endhiran' with Rajinikant. It's not just the big bucks that she's earning from the film.

The film also called 'Enthiran' or 'The Robot' has been shot in undisclosed areas in and around Chennai. They also shot in Vellore or Ennore amidst tight security.

Now whenever the Southern superstar is shooting in Chennai, he gets to eat homemade food prepared by his wife Latha and this piping hot and tasty food is delivered by his aide at the shooting.

And benevolent Rajini shared his lunch with Aishwarya Rai, Shankar, and some other unit members. Ash is a fan of South Indian food and has been asking Rajni's aide as to how each dish is prepared and the right way to pronounce its name!

Rajini also shared books on philosophy with Aishwarya and Shankar! Well, so apart from the big bucks Ash also got lots of knowledge about philosophy, theology and South Indian food thanks to Rajini!

Let's Kiss: Kareena and Saif finally lock lips

2009-02-09T01:47:00.000-08:00

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are sharing a happy moment on screen. They are kissing onscreen for the first time for their untitled film directed by Renzil D'Silva for Dharma Productions.

A source has confirmed the intimate scene, "Last week, Saif and Bebo shot for their kiss in a Chembur studio. The kiss is part of a song.

The actress who has done kissing scenes on screen before was quite comfortable with the idea of lip-locking with her beau. She even was seen calmly discussing the angle and the intensity with the director."

An insider adds, "At one point it was discussed if the scene was necessary and it looked like the couple had their doubts about the screen smooch.

Rensil looked unhappy and had a word with Saif. The director convinced him to do the scene. Saif in turn made Bebo understand that it was necessary and she agreed."

It took just about five takes to get the kiss right.

John is like my brother, why would he refuse me

2009-02-09T01:43:00.001-08:00

We read about John Abraham sportingly pitching in with a song and dance for Bipasha Basu and his newly-found sibling Neil Nitin Mukesh's sake in new director Jehangir Surti's Aa Dekhe Zara.

Nothing there that was hard to believe. After all, John did a walk-on appearance in John Mathew Mathan's Shikhar, for Bipasha's sake.

Couldn't have been for the film's leading man since Shahid Kapoor and John, as we all know, couldn't see eye to eye, thanks to Kareena Kapoor.

But with Neil Nitin Mukesh it was different. John apparently dotes on the younger actor. When they were shooting in Philadelphia for Kabir Khan's New York they were so chummy they became inseparable twins, gyming swimming and bonding in the freezing cold and flourishing fabulously on a fish diet.

John, in fact, urged Bipasha to work with Neil in Surti's Freeze, now entitled Aa Dekhe Zara. Bipasha too is very fond of Neil.

So it came as no surprise to know that John had agreed to do a song and dance in Aa Dekhe Zara, for his mashuka and chote bhai's sake.

But here comes the clanger. John is no longer doing that song. Why this change of plan, and that too at the eleventh hour? Has John opted out?

According to Neil John's presence didn't fit into the song. "John has not opted out of the song. It so happened that the song didn't fit in correctly. But it was sweet of him to have agreed.

Like I said John didn't fit into the film's situation. He had agreed. And there was no reason for him to opt out. There's Bipasha and now there's me, his younger brother. He'd have gladly done the song for us."

However Bipasha tells another story. "John was never supposed to be part of any song in Neil and my film Aa Dekhe Zaraa. That was wrong news."

Even my Bikinis and zero figure make news: Kareena

2009-02-09T01:40:00.000-08:00

Even my Bikinis and zero figure make news: Kareena

Her confidence and attitude might reflect on her face but Kareena Kapoor seems to claim that she's not arrogant at all.

She's said, "The world is yet to understand what is it like being Kareena Kapoor. They are busy making speculations. Let them do so."

She makes it clear that she's not happy about the fact that her flop films make a lot of unnecessary news.

She's said, "When any of my film flops, every news channel would run it as a ticker. I guess the case is that I was never an underdog.

People and media like those who come from small towns and make it big. They don't like people who are something and manage to achieve bigger things in life. We have to keep innovating ourselves constantly but they enjoy running us down."

She's proud of 'Tashan' for which she flaunted her size zero look throughout 2008.

She says, "Irrespective of the fact that the movie worked or not; every single bachcha knows about the film — my bikini shot, orange juice diet and… zero figure. Even my daughter will know about the film."

Only talking about the love of her life Saif warms her up.

She says, "He is too relaxed. He is in his own industry. Saif will never sign a film until it interests him to the core. Not even, if it calls for sitting idle for a year. He only works in films he believes in. And one of them is the upcoming Saif's home production, directed by Sriram Raghvan where we'll act together."

Come what may and whatever the world says, this gal loves to pull a Kapoor and flaunt her attitude every single time. That's Kareena Kapoor for you.

Size doesn't matter to me!!!

2009-02-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

It would be a double celebration for Aishwarya and Abhishek in New York this week.

On 3 Feb it was the premiere of her latest international film Pink Panther 2 followed by Abhishek's birthday two days later. The couple plans to bring in his birthday in style.

In New York, Aishwarya is looking forward to the release of her film.

"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 beginning with the one in New York on 3 Feb.

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 of the film at the Berlin film festival. Then I'm back and I go straight to resume Mani Ratnam's film."

Aishwarya will be returning to India on Feb 14. "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."

A part of the press has been writing about how minuscule Aishwarya's role is in Pink Panther.

Sighs the diva, "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, "

She makes it crystal clear thar 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."

Getting somewhat indignant Aishwarya Rai, "I didn't work in Pink Panther 2 because it was an international project. I got the script. I chose to be happily 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."

Interestingly Aishwarya was offered the lead opposite Will Smith in 7 Pounds which opens in Mumbai this week.

"Will Smith and I will work together for sure, " laughs 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."

I am a very sexless person: Kangana

2009-02-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

I am a very sexless person: Kangana

In all her movies she has exposed and stripped with no inhibitions. From 'Gangster', 'Woh Lamhe', 'Metro', 'Fashion' to her latest 'Raaz', Kangana has effortlessly done that.

So it's but natural if people think that Kangana wishes to flaunt a blatant sexy image. But the dame begs to differ.

She's been saying, "Even though I have worn fewer clothes, I don't think I look vulgar. I am a very sexless person. I have never tried to create a sexy image of myself. From the very first day, I have been clear about my objectives. I am an actress and I am here to do my job."

So basically she means to say that though she sheds her clothes, she doesn't compromise with her acting.

That's not the only thing that Kangana denies. She says that there are no differences between her and her boyfriend Adhyayan's dad Shekhar Suman.

She's said, "Nothing serious happened on that particular day and the media has just spiced up the entire issue. The argument took place between Shekhar and Mohit and the media had unnecessarily drag her name to make the news spicier." Kangana sure knows how to be a part of controversies and spice up her life.

She's already done a good job of it. No wonder she's survived so well in B-Town.

Me married to Salman? What rubbish: Katrina Kaif

2009-02-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

A report in a Marathi paper that she's married has the actress incredulous with disbelief.

"It's complete rubbish and the paper is denying it. When I marry the world will know. Right now I've no such plans."

But she isn't denying that she's with Salman. In fact one of her abiding regrets is that she and Salman have not been able to form a saleable pair on screen. Katrina had hoped Yuvraaj 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 and Ranbir Kapoor.

Apparently Subhash Ghai kept writing the script as the film progressed.

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

Tell her she had very little space in Yuvraaj, and Katrina admits, "Yeah, that was something I grew gradually aware of. I didn't have that much to do. But that's okay."

Katrina's sister Isabel is not getting into Bollywood. Not right now.

Says Katrina, "That was something which was blown out of all proportions. 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 me and I am happy that my sister is taking that route."

However, not attending 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."

Katrina is nonchalant about not being considered a lucky mascot any more after the failure of Yuvraaj. "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 in brooding about it. I've learnt my lessons from the Yuvraaj experience."

Commenting on the constant speculation on their relationship Katrina says, "That's bound to happen. If you're a public figure and at the end of the day 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."

What about that damning picture of Katrina with her face covered as she entered her birthday party last year?

"That wasn't when I entered the party. The picture was atken was while we were leaving. I was tired….and yes, I was disappointed. I didn't want it to be turned into tamasha. It wasn't meant that to be.

I realize I can't be talked about only for my work. You can't have things exactly the way you want them to be. You can't have fans and now get blown away by the breeze once in a while."

Don't cook up controversies about my past: Preity

2009-02-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Don't cook up controversies about my past: Preity

Does Preity have a British ancestry? A story doing the rounds on websites that Preity Zinta is of British parentage has the actress who turns a year older on Jan 31, completely flummoxed.

But this isn't the first time that Preity's lineage is being questioned. "Some years ago there was this rumour that I was related to Dharmendra. I didn't mind that at all since he's so goodlooking."

The bit about the Brit has Preity less amused. "I don't know where that come. I'm a full-on pahadi girl. Both my parents are from Himachal Pradesh. I'm a complete Rajput girl. And yet I've been flooded with inquiries about my 'British blood'. Arrey yaar, who's spreading these strange rumours? And they erupted so suddenly. I wonder who's responsible."

A section of Preity's supporters see this as a ploy to discredit her lately-vocal tirade against the vote-politics of the nation.

Preity wants to stay away from politics of every kind. "For those who feel threatened because they feel I'm getting into politics let me assure them I've no intentions of getting into yet another alien territory. Movies are my life. And now there's cricket and the IPL. Politics is not my scene at all. There's no need to cook up controversies about my past."

I hate Valentine Day : Neha Dhupia

2009-02-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

When all are gearing up to celebrate this beautiful day, Neha shocked us by saying that she hates Valentine Day. She informs that V day is just another day for her. Interestingly Neha has been dating her childhood buddy, a famous squash player Ritwik since long time.

But then what is the reason to hate such a lovely day? “I think it’s really stupid concept. I don’t understand why do we even need to celebrate that day? It’s not a festival to celebrate?

I don’t see the significance of that day? No one knows who was Valentine, was he a man or priest? We still celebrate it so blindly. I am not doing it.” She reacts.

Is that the reason for not celebrating such a beautiful day? Neha recalls a funny memory related to this day. “I was very fat when I was in school I was very ugly. On every Valentines every girl used to get chocolates except me. That’s how I hate V Day.

Now all those boys must be regretting for not giving me gifts on that day.”

I was physically abused: Neetu Chandra

2009-02-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

"What does it take for a woman in the film industry to work with her dignity intact?" asks the anguished actress Neetu Chandra who last month was allegedly, brutally abused and manhandled by Telugu director Rajshekhar and his producer-wife Jivitha Rajshekhar.

And now Neetu has hired the services of a Mumbai lawyer Jamshed Mistry to fight for what she thinks is her right to work with dignity. She has sent strongly-worded letters of complaint to Women's Rights and Human Rights commission and is all set to meet the Commissioner of Police in Hyderabad to apprise him of this situation and of her further, legal, actions.

Neetu says she's suing the director and his wife for "Threatening to kill...mental torture, physically (sic) hitting and abusing, defamation, harming my work..."

According to Neetu, while working for a Telugu film Satyamev Jayate, the lead Rajshekhar and his director-wife Jivitha tortured and threatened Neetu, physically abused her and insulted her in front of the unit, made her work for inhuman (15-20 hours) per day and forced her to shoot when she could hardly stand.

Things came to a sordid head on December 22. "My left eye turned blood red because of lack of sleep, stress and strain, and I contacted the director informing her about this.

Jivitha herself gave me a doctor's number in Hyderabad. We were shooting in Ramoji Rao Film City, which is 90 minutes drive from Hyderabad. I tried dragging myself to the shoot as much as I could and the call time still remained early.

We shot till 2:30 at night again with that infected eye and by this time I was down with fever too. Before the pack up when I asked my director Mrs. Jivitha Rajshekhar about the next day's schedule, she said, 9:00 A.M. sharp."

However, Neetu was in no condition to shoot the next morning.

"Four days of round-the-clock shooting had completely exhausted me, working for 18-20 hours a day was inhuman and my body could not take it any further because of the infection in my left eye, and I was also suffering from fever.

I was shivering and literally shaking. I kept on dragging myself for my shots, so as to not cause any further delay, as it was also the last day of my schedule.

I reached the sets on December 23rd morning at 9:00 A.M., but the shoot started again after 2-3 hours. By 7:00 P.M. I informed the director Jivitha that I was sinking and I could not drag myself further."

Neetu suggested the unit use a body double.

"It has been used for almost every other actor in this film in the past but never for me because I was always there... Mr. Rajshekhar gave me a few drops of some medicine as he's a naturopath but there was no improvement in my condition. However, every time I told her this, the director Jivitha said we will finish it soon. "

The situation snowballed at 12:30 A.M. "My body just gave up and I could not stand. I had two Crocins and my assistant Shravan kept me covered with a shawl.

I tried my level best to stand up for couple of hours. Mr. Rajshekhar, as usual kept on joking around with other co-actors, taking his sweet time in his make-up and hair setup.

I remember while I could hardly stand and still was trying my best, Mr. Raj Shekhar took 10-15 shots for one dialogue. And with every shot, he use to spend at least 5-10 minutes, instead of learning the dialogues well in advance.

He was the only one who completely neglected me whereas, other co-stars of mine including Shivaji, Shiva Reddy and Sherryl Pinto and the whole unit, kept on insisting I rest. I kept on telling my director that I was sinking. After telling her repeatedly no one listened to me, I had no option but to rush to my room... I felt that I was about to faint."

That's when the physical abuse started. "The moment I reached my room, instead of calling me on phone, at-least 7-10 men with Rajshekhar and his wife Jivitha barged into my room, hitting my assistants and threatening me and screaming at me.

He said, 'Who do you think you are?' And Mrs. Jivitha threatened, 'We will make you stand. How dare you?' When I protested Rajshekhar threatened, 'Don't argue and you better stand before I change from a man into something else.'

I was highly unwell, scared by seeing so many people pushing my assistant and threatening me and my staff and Mr. Rajshekhar screaming at the top of his voice which was uncalled for."

That's when the Rajshekhar got really violent with Neetu. "As I started moving out of my bed, Raj Shekhar HIT ME FROM BEHIND. Rajshekhar said, 'You better start moving fast.' He hit me from my room till the lift on the floor, and he kept on threatening to kill me.

Raj Shekhar said, 'I will kill you. You don't know me. What can you do?'When I reached the hotel portico down, I was physically hit and abused in front of the hotel staff, guard and all the others standing there. My body had completely given up.

All these people were standing in the corner waiting for my car. When the car arrived, Rajshekhar again pushed and threatened me and said, 'you don't know what I can do to you.'

I sat in the car and reached the set. I somehow finished the shoot and he kept on screaming and insulting me on the sets in front of the whole unit. The moment I finished, it was around 2:30 A.M., one of the assistant directors came to say that I was done. I quietly got up and left for the hotel."

Neetu was petrified. "All my staff from Mumbai who came with me were so scared knowing that Rajshekhar carries a gun and that he is a local from Hyderabad and we don't know anyone there.

We escaped at around 2:45 A.M. from my hotel. My flight was at 9:00 in the morning and we had to wait for 5 hours at the airport. But we felt safer and secure there.

I took a 9:00 A.M. flight and reached my parents and after that I was under treatment for a week. I was in a state of shock. My mind completely stopped working and now that I feel little better I would like to file a case against both Mr. Rajshekhar and his wife Mrs. Jeevitha Rajshekhar."

Ends Neetu, "I've worked with the biggest of filmmakers Priyadarshan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Dibakar Banerjee, Rahul Dholakia, Raj Kanwar and Vipul Shah. They've all treated with great dignity. This incident has scared the hell out of me. Would Mr. Rajshekhar and his wife dare to behave this way with a male actor?"

Deepika is just another girlfriend in Ranbir's life

2009-02-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

Deepika is just another girlfriend in Ranbir's life

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone came together quietly under dramatic circumstances more than a year back. There were talks that Ranbir was seeing his first co-star Sonam and Deepika was oscillating between Yuvraaj Singh and M.S Dhoni after her break up with Nihar Pandya.

They have been officially seeing each other for a while but there have been some uncertainties.

Of late there have been talks about Ranbir getting close to his new co-star Katrina Kaif and Deepika being spotted with some mystery man.

In the beginning, Neetu Singh seemed to be confident about her dear Ranbir's relationship with Deepika. Both Rishi and she seemed to have accepted her as their bahu.

In fact, she was even spotted with Deepika at the Lakme Fashion week and caught the attention of all and sundry.

But now things have changed. Because of the differences they too are uncertain about what the future holds for the young couple.

Neetu has recently said, "Deepika is just another girlfriend in Ranbir's life. Both of them are very young. It's a long way to go before marriage. No one knows what the future holds for them."

The bad thing is that both of them are busy and don't have enough time to sort out things. We too wonder what the future holds for the young love birds.

Has Minissha replaced Katrina in Bollywood?

2009-02-04T17:53:00.000-08:00

It seems Katrina’s place has taken by Kidnap girl Minissha Lamba. No we are not talking about Salman and Katrina’s love life neither she has replaced Katrina in any film.

If rumours are to be believed Minissha has got some well wishers in Bollywood who are trying to help her to save her dying film career.

According to an industry insider Akki who used to recommend Katrina to the producers, is now recommending Minissha’s to his producers.

Interestingly both haven’t worked together in single film. Reportedly Minissha’s Kidnap co actor Imran Khan has also recommending her to some producers.

Though helping co actors to make their career is not new in Bollywood. Reportedly Salman and Akshay have done it before for their co actresses. We hope Akki and Imraan’s recommendations will save Minissha’s dying career.

The Salman-Katrina marriage sham

2009-02-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

'Saamna', the famous Marathi daily which also happens to be the Shiv Sena mouth piece had claimed that Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif were married which of course came as a piece of shocking news, no less.

Now the news has been refuted by Salman's father Salim Khan who was reported to have said it.

The interview was for the special supplement to commemorate Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's birthday on Friday. During his conversation, Salim Khan had talked about the secular values of his family and their cool attitude towards religion.

He'd said, "I mentioned how Arbaaz was married to Malaika, a Christian, Sohail to Seema, a Hindu, and Salman's girlfriend Katrina is a Muslim."

Salim said he was misquoted by the newspaper and clarified, "The reporter has translated my comment into Marathi saying that Salman was married to Katrina.The Marathi word "jar" (if) was missing in the operative sentence, which wrongly gave the impression that the two are married"

A senior journalist with the newspaper called it a printing mistake on the condition of anonymity.

Katrina's spokesperson termed the report as "baseless" and he said they will be sending a notice to the newspaper demanding a formal apology.

She's said in an interview, "I definitely think that Saamna should issue a clarification if not an apology because it's not a small thing. It's not the news of a movie or some endorsement that one has signed. It's a big think to make a mistake about somebody's life like this.

And I think a clarification is a must because I know for a fact that Salim sahab has definitely not said anything and one should be careful while reporting for such a major newspaper and while writing articles.

My managers have spoken to the editors at 'Saamna' and they were assured of a corrigendum. People who read 'Saamna' are regulars so when they open the paper tomorrow, there should be a clarification in the paper. They should say that they were misinformed or the misprinted and that's it. I think the matter should be ended then and there."

Katrina sure knows what she wants! It's definitely not marriage or talks of a marriage at this point!

Has Minissha replaced Katrina in Bollywood?

2009-02-04T17:37:00.001-08:00

Akshay Kumar under threat

2009-02-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

'Chandni Chowk To China' sank without a trace and many felt that Kinng Kumar's golden streak has come to an end.

It's being said that his well wishers are asking him to not try comedy again.

A source has said "Akshay Kumar has become progressively active in the process of writing scripts and shooting films. He freely makes suggestions some of which, I've to admit, are good.

But quite often he wants to take over the project. When I went to him with another project he offered to co-produce it and to get someone to re-write portions. It's obvious a lot of scenes in Chandni Chowk were re-written. The result shows."

The inside buzz is that 'Chandni Chowk To China' writer Sridhar Raghavan was persuaded to continuously change the scenes until the writer who has good screenplays to his credit in Raj Santoshi's films was a helpless puppet propelling the plot to destinations-unknown.

But friends like producer Sajid Nadiadwala whose 'Kambhakht Ishq' he's doing aren't worried.

He says, "It's an out-and-out rom-com with stunts of an international order. And why are we jumping the gun just because one of his films hasn't lived up to expectations? There could be so many reasons for it. Why should Akshay be blamed for it? Why so much negative criticism about him? Is he the first superstar to fail at box office?"

He doesn't care about the comic element being there or not.

He's said, "The film is what it is. I don't work with my actors based on how their last film did. 'Kambhakht Ishq' will have a lot to offer."

One huge challenge though is that Akshay's pairing with Kareena Kapoor hasn't always done well with duds like Suneel Darshan's 'Talaash', Dharmesh Darshan's 'Bewafaa' and Yash Raj's 'Tashan'.

Vipul Shah's film with Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai which is to be launched in March has no comic element either.

He says, "I don't think the failure of 'Chandni Chowk To China' means that audiences have rejected him in the comic avatar. The backlash is totally uncalled-for. And it looks motivated by reasons other than the box- office. A lot of people have been waiting to pounce on Akshay. This is their opportunity."

Only Priyadarshan's 'De Dana Dan' is an out-and-out comedy but Govinda's buffoonery would be more visible there.

Other than that, Akshay's forthcoming projects will not have much of comedy.

Well things change for better or worse with time. Looks like the hit machine has learnt it well enough by now.

Salman-Shah Rukh clash avoided

2009-02-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

Shah Rukh and Salman Khan had a big fight mid last year at Katrina Kaif's birthday party which turned really dirty. After much mud slinging, they have made it a point to avoid events where they might bump into each other.

Now both the big Khans were invited to Preity Zinta's home for her birthday party on Saturday night. Shah Rukh reached the party early and when Sallu heard about this, he decided to not attend PZ's party.

He excused himself by saying that he was shooting but he wanted to avoid any unpleasantness by coming face-to-face with Shah Rukh.

An eye witness says, "Preity had invited Salman since they are good friends but he told Preity that he was shooting in Panvel for Main Aur Mrs Khanna and that he wouldn't be able to make it.

At Milind Deora's reception, where both SRK and Sallu were present, it was easy to avoid each other as it was a big affair but Preity's bash was an intimate gathering of about 20 close friends and it would have been impossible to avoid eye contact. Salman didn't want an awkward situation again and opted out."

There were many other interesting guests at Preity's party like Akshay and Twinkle, Arjun Rampal and Mehr Jessia, Amrita Arora and her fiancé Shakeel Ladhak, Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder, Sanjay and Maheep Kapoor, Chunky and Bhavna Pandey, Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh and Farhan Akhtar.

It was good that another big Khan fight and a huge tamasha was avoided right there.

But there were some other spicy sightings. Dino Morea came minus girlfriend Lara Dutta and was seen chatting merrily with ex-girlfriend Nandita Mahtani. Looks like Dino has forgotten how Lara had walked out in a huff when Nandita had sat on Dino's lap and flirted with him at a party sometime ago.

Akshay Kumar made a quick exit after wishing Preity to catch an early morning flight to Delhi. Shah Rukh and Akshay didn't chat with each other. Kinng Kumar's hit machine status might be in trouble after his latest film proved to be a big dud, but there still seems to be some tension with King Khan.

Must say B-Town events never fail to interest all and sundry.

KARISMA - KAREENA TOGETHER FOR 'GOLMAAL RETURNS'

2008-10-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

They haven't shared space on the big screen but Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor will finally share screen space together on television. The siblings will feature together in an episode of Star Plus' 'Nach Baliye 4' on which Karisma is one of the judges alongside Arjun Rampal and Farah Khan.

Kareena is likely to shoot for the episode in Mumbai on Monday 20th October. She will be the celebrity guest representing the entire cast of her forthcoming comedy, 'Golmaal Returns'. It is believed that Kareena may even dance to the chartbusting 'Tu Saala Kaam Se Gaya' track from 'Golmaal Returns' and Karisma may shake a leg with her.

The episode is slated to air on October 24, days before the theatrical release of 'Golmaal Returns'.

It is learnt that when Kareena was informed about the plan, she was thrilled and agreed without even a moment's hesitation. She maintains that she had a blast shooting for 'Golmaal Returns' and wants all her fans and the audience to have a blast watching the keenly anticipated comic caper this Diwali!

Golmaal lads Cross Dress!!

2008-10-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

Golmaal Returns lads Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade cross-dress on Director Rohit Shetty's call!!! There was a scene in the film that required the guy gang to dress up like women. And it happens to be a Women's day so they dress up like women to enter the mall, as only women were allowed to enter on that particular day. No wonder the guys got some strange looks from the women folk around, but then no complaining when you are the centre of attraction, right guys?

Rohit Shetty shares, "I was quite taken aback when Ajay (Devgan) agreed to this scene in particular. He was very gung-ho to go ahead with the scene!! Infact none of the guys had any reservations, which made it one of the best scenes in the film."

The film also stars Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Celina Jaitley &Anjana Sukhani, and is produced by Shree Ashtavinayak's Cinevision Limited. The film will hit the theaters this Diwali on 29 th October'08.

This one will surely grab the eyeballs to say the least!!!

SYNOPSIS of "EK VIVAAH AISA BHI"

2008-10-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

SYNOPSIS of "EK VIVAAH AISA BHI"

At times the simplicity of a relationship is what makes it so special. Prem (Sonu Sood) & Chandni (Eesha Koppikhar) are very much in love. Their relationship symbolizes an idealism hard found in today's society where values are taken as obsolete.

Prem, a sole heir to a flourishing business family, is an aspiring singer. Caught between a demanding yet loving mother and an undying ambition to sing, Prem falls in love with Chandni and senses the crescendo of his life's song.

Chandni, a bridge between her kid siblings and a widowed father, considers singing as a spiritual deliverance. She falls in love with Prem over various music rehearsals for a national competition.

The parents are ecstatic and decide to engage Prem & Chandni. As fate would have it, Chandni loses her father on the eve of engagement. The loss comes as a shock to both the families and grief takes over elation.

This fairy tale love story suddenly faces the grim reality of life...the wedding, consequently, is called off..

In such testing times even the close relatives turn a blind eye towards Chandni and her kid siblings; Anuj and Sandhya. A bubbly and vivacious girl who was weaving dreams of a fulfilling matrimonial life has to now adapt her existence towards playing a parent to her siblings. She is constantly being pulled in two directions by her promise of marriage to Prem & an unstated responsibility towards her siblings. Her worries compound as the responsibilities mount; both moral & financial.

At such a stage of life, she takes a stand that emancipates the feminine. She tells Prem to carry on with his life as she is unsure of the time it would take to secure the children's future and she would not want Prem to renounce the bliss of youth and sacrifice his family's wishes. She requests Prem to end this relationship where there are no rights possible over each other.

Prem is moved by her decision and asks Chandni for just one thing -"A right to wait for her".

From setting up a music school to support the education of her siblings & thus ensuring their respectable future to being a sole inspiration to Prem's songs enabling him to become a singing sensation of the country - Chandni epitomizes womanhood like none other - playing a friend, a mother and finally a wife, exquisitely.

Thus begins the journey of a couple who are wed - not by the norms of the society, but by the sheer reason why the institution of marriage should exist; the values of truth, friendship, responsibility and of course... love.

Asha Bhosle's daughter in ICU

2008-09-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

Legendary singer Asha Bhosle's daughter Varsha was early Tuesday admitted to hospital here after she took an overdose of medicine.

Varsha, 51, was rushed to the Jaslok Hospital at 4.30 a.m. by a family member.

"It is not a suicide attempt. She took an overdose of some medicine. She is now in the ICU," a senior police officer told IANS.

Varsha, a journalist, is a divorcee.

J.D. Sonawala, the doctor who is attending to her, refused to comment on the matter.

My name was never Roshan: Shiney Ahuja

2008-09-09T23:32:00.000-07:00

Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja of 'Gangster' fame has denied that his name was ever Roshan Ahuja and that he changed it to Shiney for his foray into filmdom.

'I don't know where that has come from now. Roshan is not my name. My parents named me Shiney and that has been my name all my life,' Shiney said while he was in conversation with a radio jockey of 94.3 MY FM.

Shiney was in the capital to promote his film 'Hijack', which has failed to woo audiences in the first week after its release.

Talking about his role in the movie, Shiney said: 'I play the character of Vikram Madan, a maintenance chief of Chandigarh airport, a man who has a hero in him and who never gives in.'

The film, also starring Esha Deol, tackles the subject of hijacking.

Shiney began his Bollywood career in 2003 with 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi' and continued doing serious roles in films like 'Gangster', 'Woh Lamhe' and 'Khoya Khoya Chand'.

But the actor says he is not choosy about the genre of films that he has done in his five-year-old career.

'I don't really have any specific genre. My genre is a film's script. If I like the script and if it excites me, then I do it. It's that simple,' Shiney said.

'I've never said that I do only intelligent films. I do those films that I believe in and if I like its script. If the movie has a soul, it can be intelligent or unintelligent, I would still go ahead with it,' he added.

It is apparently the script alone that drives Shiney to zero in on his films. He said: 'Good scripts are my success mantra. If you like the movie, if it interests you, if it moves you when you read it, chances are you will perform well in it and that is what makes it a success.'

Its A Hat Trick For Bollywood

2008-09-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

A good Hindi film release is a common thing in India now. Every Friday bollywood releases lots of film, but it's surely surprising for bollywood lovers this time, three films with good content released in continuous three week. It's a hat-trick for bollywood. Two Friday before PHOONK, then ROCK ON and last week A WEDNESDAY.

All three films are different from each other; PHOONK speaks about the Black Magic, this time RGV proves that how genius he is. Direction, camera, cast, background score- entire team work is fantastic and the subject of the film itself is a star.

ROCK ON is an encouragement for all dreamy people, ROCK ON a film that makes you understand the true meaning of friendship. It's not only a music or band based film, every body faces lots of complications in there relations, ROCK ON captures it beautifully. You can relate yourself with the emotions, characters, moods, the egos and these are the features that attract people to the theaters. Music of the film is also great, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is totally sync with the mood of the film. Screenplay, cinematography, cast all are remarkable. The best part is excellent performances and the superb execution of the subject. ROCK ON is a great experience.

Last Friday A WEDNESDAY released, a film based on terrorism, although main platform of the film talks about the power of an ordinary man. A WEDNESDAY is one of the finest films of 2008. From the script to execution every part of the film is commendable and when two genius talents of our film industry sharing the screen space, it only increases the interest. It's not an entertaining film at all so may be it will not work on box office but A WEDNESDAY is film at its best.

Three great films in three weeks, it proves that bollywood is doing great. 2008 is one of the most highpoint times for bollywood. We can say bollywood on right track, nice scripts, cast, technicians, creatives are now in our industry.

Katrina wears sari in Egypt

2008-08-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Singh is Kinng

Remember "Suraj hua madham" from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham shot at the breathtaking locales of Egypt on Shahrukh Khan and Kajol? What about it? Well director Anees Bazmee has shot a romantic song at the same location with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif for his forthcoming flick Singh Is Kinng. What's noteworthy is that this is for the first time that Katrina has shot an entire a song wearing a sari.

A source close to the actress, 'All popular songs that Katrina has done so far in her films have either had her in casual or formal wear, this is for the first time that she shot a song in a sari.'

For Katrina, shooting a song wearing a sari was an experience she will never forget! ''I thoroughly loved it! A sari makes a woman look so graceful and feminine.''

Katrina adds, 'Anees Bazmee was very clear that he wanted me to have an Indian look for the song. And what can make me look more Indian than a sari! Also, the song is Akshay's imagination of me and him dancing in the mysterious locales of Egypt. Manish Malhotra is the designer of my spectacular saris. This is for the first time that Manish has designed a costume for me. And his creations are just wonderful!'

Shilpa proved her detractors wrong

2008-08-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

Shilpa Shetty

Nothing succeeds like Success for Shilpa. Yes, Shilpa Shetty's new found success has wiped the smile off her detractors' face.

In fact, the last four years have been extremely lucky for Shilpa. The actress won the Big Brother reality show. She beat top celebrities that too under circumstances where the chances of winning were slim. There was no looking back after that. Shilpa's victory at the Big Brother reality show opened new doors and avenues for her. She was instantly roped in for the lead in London's Broadway play that broke all box-office records.

Besides material success, there was spiritual progress too. Shilpa became the first Indian actress to start her own Yoga DVD to share the benefits of age old Indian therapy and its healing powers with all the people of the world.

Back to Mumbai from London, Shilpa flagged off her production banner S2 stands for but of course, Shilpa Shetty, much to the envy of her rivals. The actress is all set to launch her production's first venture and which is expected to hit the floors soon.

Nothing succeeds like success they say and the adage seems absolutely apt for Shilpa!

Katrina doesn't want to talk about Salman

2008-08-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

World's sexiest woman Katrina Kaif is not at all feeling sexy these days. The reason being that whenever, wherever she goes, she's just been asked to comment on the famous Shahrukh Khan - Salman Khan spat so that the news channels get a good piece of information and poor Katrina gets into trouble.

Katrina, who became sandwich between Salman and SRK, is now finding hard to cope up because the 'Two Khans' have almost disappeared after the incident and left the poor Sandwich girl to handle the media all by herself.

At a recently held press conference, Katrina was yelling at one of the reporters saying that she is haunted by this question wherever she goes. Katrina has now made it clear that from now onwards she will only answer professional question and no more of Salman - SRK spat to be asked to her. She expresses her desire not to talk about Salman Khan at all.

For the sake of saving her professional career this hot babe surely have a reason to react in a hot mood towards media after been kicked out by Shahrukh from Temptation Reloaded tour.

Shilpa Shetty makes TV debut with Bigg Boss E-mail

2008-08-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

Shilpa Shetty hosts Big Boss Season 2

Mumbai (ANI): Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty is all set to make television debut as a host with a reality television show Bigg Boss. The show Bigg Boss is India's take on the reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother. The announcement that 33-year-old actress had agreed to host the second season of the reality show was made at a party hosted by newly launched television channel Colors on Wednesday. The reality show Bigg Boss requires a set of celebrities unknown to each other aiming to stay under one roof for 85 days without accompaniments of normal life. In January last year, Shetty beat 13 Celebrity Big Brother contestants, including television personality Jade Goody and some other housemates whose treatment of Shetty generated thousands of complaints, dominated headlines and even prompted a sponsor of the show to pull out.

Speaking to the media about her participation in Celebrity Big Brother show Shilpa said, "I went (to participate in Big Brother) with a mindset that I have nothing to fear and what''s the big deal, whole life I have been an actress and I have been in front of the cameras and I have nothing to hide. Honestly I also felt that I''ll be eliminated in the first round and I still lasted I don''t know how. But I feel being in Big Brother house teaches you a lot."

However, about her television debut Shilpa added, "See I will be able to empathize with the people in the house better because I have been through the experience and I know what they will be going through at that point of time. So I think it will be easier for me to relate to them and we are all human beings so I think I''m going to try and make it (hosting of the Bigg Boss show) entertaining with a human touch."

The Indian version Bigg Boss, which was first aired on popular Indian channel in November 2006, follows the international format of the reality TV show. Participants from Bollywood and television industry spend several days cooped up in a specially designed house under 24-hour surveillance, with no access to telephones or television. Each week, one of them was voted out and Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi hosted the first season of this show. Second season of the reality show Bigg Boss would premiere on a private channel in August this year.

The perfect contract for Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan

2008-08-14T16:18:00.001-07:00

Aamir Khan

Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood, Aamir Khan was given a 25 page contract while signing the film Three Idiots. The meticulous actor was surprised by such detailing gone into the contract.

Aamir is known for being very finicky when it comes to clauses in a film contract. But he was left stumped when producer of 3 Idiots Vidhu Vinod Chopra went to him along with th director of the film, Rajkumar Hirani (of the Munna Bhai series fame) with the film's contract. Aamir it is learnt didn't have any apprehensions about the contract clauses mentioned in such finely detailed manner. That including a special clause that clearly stated that he must not interfere in the filmmaking process. Now everyone knows how Aamir Khan gets involved during the making of the film and can't resist giving a tip or two or his valuable suggestions to the filmmakers which at times are accepted and if not then how it leads to tension on his film's sets. Chopra and Hirani seem to have played a smart card by clearing this out once and for all well in advance with Aamir! But, Aamir didn't have any complaints this time and he signed the contract without any hassles bringing a sigh of relief on both Chopra and Hirani's faces. 3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan along with Kareena Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi and Boman Irani. Based on the best seller by Chetan Bhagat, Five Point Somone, 3 Idiots tells the story of three IIT graduates played by Aamir, Maddy and Sharman respectively. The principal shooting of the film has begun recently along with the supporting cast of the film. Aamir, Sharman and Madhavan shall join the team in early September. The film is scheduled to be shot in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Ladakh and is expected to be wrapped up by December 2008. Music has been given by Shantanu Moitra and lyricist of the film is Swanand Kirkire.

Padosan remake to finally take off with Sanjay, Ritesh and Paresh

2008-08-14T16:17:00.001-07:00

Sunjay Dutt in Padosan remake

There were reports few weeks back that the remake of the evergreen musical comedy Padosan was stalled forever. Sanjay Dutt had been signed on for playing not his father, late actor Sunil Dutt's role in the original but that Kishore Kumar. Ritesh Deshmukh was finalised for Sunil Dutt's role and Paresh Rawal in Mehmood's role. The film had got stuck even before taking off after Sanjay Dutt's date dairy bungled up.

But now according to our sources, Sanjay Dutt has given the makers a go ahead and the shooting is about to commence from early 2009. Neeraj Vora shall be writing and directing this remake. But the only glitch now remains is finding a suitable lead actress to reprise the role of sensous Saira Banu. There have been a few top names discussed but again their date problem is being a hurdle. The makers are considering Mallika Sherawat for the part, but she hasn't been formally approached as of yet. It would definately be a laugh riot to watch out for what with Ritesh playing the simpleton Bhola madly in love with his Bindoo. His music teacher friend, played by Sanjay Dutt teaching him ways to win her heart. But with a mighty opposition like the South Indian music teacher of hers played by Paresh Rawal.

Hattrick- Shahid Kapoor's three back to back hits

2008-08-14T16:16:00.001-07:00

Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor sure has reason to celebrate.

And that's why.. Shahid, who rarely sticks around at parties, was seen having a ball of a time till wee hours at a bash thrown by producer Ramesh Taurani.

Taurani threw an impromptu informal get together at his home recently. It was the producer's way of thanking the cast and crew of Kismat Konnection for giving their best for the film that had opened to full houses in all multiplexes and theatres. The party was on in full swing when Ahmed Khan, to add some more josh to the bash, told the DJ to play the Kismat Konnection songs.

And the crowd just went berserk when the DJ played the hit Aye paapi number. It was here that the unit members attempted to pull Shahid on to the dance floor but the shy Shahid refused. Ahmed Khan intervened and dragged Shahid who finally relented. Ahmed danced with Shahid initially. But as Shahid began getting more and more engrossed in the Justin Timberlake dance steps, Ahmed quietly walked out leaving Shahid to himself. And boy! Shahid was so absorbed that he did not even notice Ahmed's absence and had the entire audience in attention.

Producer Ramesh Taurani confirmed that Shahid did dance to Aye paapi at the informal do held at his place. "Shahid is not a party person. He comes like a breeze and whisks away like breeze. But at this bash he was the there till the very end. Shahid enjoyed dancing to the Aye paapi number."

With lady luck showering her affection, Shahid is enjoying every bit of his success. After all he is the only actor to have had three back-to-back hits viz, Vivah, Jab We Met and now Kismat Konnection. Shahid ki to kismet khul gayi yaar! What say!

Maan Gaye Moghall-E-Azam release postponed?

2008-08-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam

The famous industry statement, 'Fortunes change every Friday' holds perfectly true in case of Mallika Sherawat. She was flying high almost taking it for granted that her new release Ugly Aur Pagli having her in solo lead would become a hit at the box office. But all her hopes came crashing down on the release date itself when the film opened poorly. Its target audience, the multiplex going public gave the film a complete cold shoulder. The makers of her next release, Maan Gaye Moghall-E-Azam, had not finalised the price deal for selling their film but had already gone ahead in announcing 22nd August as their film's release date. They were expecting Ugly Aur Pagli to do well so that they could extract better terms and conditions from distributors and make more profit but that was not meant to be. They are left cursing their luck as suddenly with the flopping of Ugly Aur Pagli, MGMA is no longer looking exciting for buyers. The price offered to the makers of MGMA is very low now and perhaps they might have to end up compromising on what is being offered. Had they sold off their film before the release of Ugly Aur Pagli they would have got a much better price. But greed knows no bounds in Bollywood. There are chances now that the film might get postponed by one week.

As also the multiplexes were in a fix as to where can they slot the upcoming Mallika starrer as on the same date (22nd Aug) more films of varied genres such as C-Kkompany, Mumbai Meri Jaan and Phoonk are releasing too! Plus there is expected a huge response to films like Singh Is Kinng, Bachna Ae Haseeno and God Tussi Great Ho, all of which big budget extravaganzas.

Shahid Kapoor's real Kismat Konnection

2008-08-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor during the making of his debut film Ishq Vishq (2003) had got himself injured during first schedule of the film itself. This romantic musical directed by Ken Ghosh went on to become a big success. Shahid too went on to win many Best Debut Male category awards at various Awards functions. When the same team of Shahid Kapoor - Ken Ghosh came back together for the second time for Fida (2005) again during the first schedule of the film, Shahid got injured. The film got together Shahid - Kareena Kapoor for the first time. It was on the sets of this very film itself that the couple ended up coming closer and even before the shooting of the film would be complete they were into a relationship.

Now as Shahid and Ken Ghosh have come for the third time together Shahid has ended up injuring himself one more time on the sets of their latest film together tentatively titled, Yahoo. The makers are already rejoicing saying an injury on the sets for Shahid's film directed by Ken Ghosh is definately a lucky sign! When Shahid got injured for the first time on Ken's film's sets his film Ishq Vishq went on to become a super hit. Second time, he got Kareena Kapoor as a girl friend and now as he has completed his hat-trick of getting injured the success of this film is bound to happen!

Well truely, there seems to be some Kismat Konnection with the injury prone Shahid!

Secret of Kareena and Ileana's beauty

2008-08-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

Kareen Kapoor and Ileana are two of the most beautiful women in the film industry today. The two do not do anything specific to keep their figure in shape. Kareena revealed that she eats mini meals at regular intervals and eats up to eight times in a day. She also does yoga twice every day. Ileana does not follow any particular diet regimen but she does not have a sweet tooth. Otherwise she eats just bout everything. Ileana attributes the secret of her good looks to her mother. She says that she got her good looks from her mother. She lso goes to the gym whenever she finds the time.

Now Amitabh plays Abhishek's grandad!

2008-07-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Amitabh Bachchan is known to sign on unusual roles and the latest is that the superstar will play his son Abhishek's grandad in Rakeysh Mehra's forthcoming 'Dilli 6'.

Mehra's semi-autobiographical film has Abhishek playing the lead and also stars Sonam Kapoor, who made her debut in 'Saawariya'. He also roped in Amitabh to play a specially written cameo.

Confirming the news, Amitabh said: 'I play Abhishek's grandfather in Dilli 6.'

Interestingly, the film already has veteran actress Waheeda Rehman. And one of the Big B's incentives for stepping into the picture so late is to share screen space with his favourite actress.

Amitabh has earlier worked with Mehra in 'Aks'. And with 'Dilli 6' almost complete, Mehra already has plans of casting Amitabh in his next film unusually titled 'Paanch Kaurav'.

'It's too early to talk about 'Paanch Kaurav'. But it's in the caper-adventure genre. And it would be my third film with the Big B. I couldn't get luckier. I've also done three films with Abhishek,' chuckled Mehra, whose last film was 'Rang De Basanti'.

'I was supposed to do Abhishek's launch film 'Samjhauta Express' and then we were to do 'Bhairavi' (with all the three Bachchans including Jaya). We had gone so deep into the discussions that we both feel we've already worked in those two films together. So our comfort level in 'Dilli 6' is as high as it would be for any director-actor team that has done three films together,' the director said.

Salman khan Shahrukh khan fought at Katrina's birthday bash

2008-07-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif's birthday at Olive Bar and Kitchen, Bandra on Wednesday brought out hidden hostilities between Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan out in the open. An eyewitness at the party reveals, "Salman was already high when SRK and Gauri walked in. After downing a few more drinks, Sallu started picking on SRK."

Apparently the host was upset with SRK because he turned down Sallu's request to do a guest appearance in Main Aur Mrs Khanna, which is being produced by Salman and Sohail. Salman felt snubbed as he has always gone out of his way for SRK, whether it was appearing on KBC with girlfriend Katrina, or dancing for SRK's home production Om Shanti Om. The resentment was bubbling under the surface, and under the influence, Salman dropped the faÃ§ade and began lashing out at SRK.Name-callingThe Khans were sitting across each other, surrounded by a few close friends, who quickly moved away when things started getting heated.

Shah Rukh, who is famous for his hot temper, didn't react to Salman's outburst initially but when the abuse continued, he began trading insult for insult. The source continues, "Sallu told SRK, 'Your show Paanchvi Paas is a big flop and now you are trying to sabotage my show. You are a matlabi insaan. You only call people when you need them, and then don't keep in touch.' SRK not one to take name-calling lightly, told Salman, 'No one wants to watch your show, or be friends with you'. At this point, Salman told SRK to keep quiet or he would beat him up."Shah Rukh, who often describes himself as 'Delhi Ka Goonda' laughed and told Salman, 'Tu kya marega? Tu haath toh utha, main maroonga tujhe. Woh bhi teri party main, aur tere doston ke saamne.' The two men stared at each other and would've come to blows within minutes had Gauri not intervened and told SRK that she wanted to leave.

SRK allowed his wife to take his arm and the duo left the party. Salman didn't try to stop them.Pehla jhagdaSalman and Shah Rukh's first panga goes back a long way when they fought during the shooting of Chalte Chalte (2003) which was being produced by SRK. At that time, Salman was dating Aishwarya Rai who was acting in the film. A high Salman had barged on to Shah Rukh's sets to meet his girl and disrupted the shooting.

An upset Shah Rukh replaced Aishwarya with Rani Mukerji. The two Khans stopped speaking to each other.They patched up at Farah Khan's sangeet on Dec 8, 2004. Salman went up to SRK and hugged him emotionally and a truce was called.

'Voice of India' Ishmeet Singh drowns

2008-07-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

Indian celebrity singer Ishmeet Singh drowned in a Maldivian resort on Tuesday. Singh, 20, had been frolicking in a shallow pool meant for children. Later he jumped into the deep-end of the main swimming pool and had immediately run into difficulty, an official of the Dhonveli resort said.

"We understand that he did not know how to swim and had been advised by his friends not to get to the deep end," a hotel official said.

He arrived in the Indian Ocean atoll nation early on Tuesday to sing at a musical concert on Friday. He had won the "Voice of India" singing competition organised by the Star Television Network and shot to stardom in November last.

Ayesha Takia to get rid of her breast

2008-07-16T08:04:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous Ayesha would soon be losing the assets she has been known for. This Bolly-babe is having a lot of problems due to the b**b job which she had done few years ago. After this surgery this gorgeous gal surely gained plus sized breasts but the actress is now thinking of reducing it back to normal. Sources reveal that due to heavy sized breasts she is having a lot of pain on her shoulders. This is the reason why doctors have advised this diva to go through a surgery and reduce her bust size. The actress may have won best debutant award in 2004 for Tarzan: The Wonder Car, but in her long career of four years it’s only 2006 release Dor that her acting talent were been appreciated by both the critics and masses. We would have to wait and see whether this surgery would bring luck back to her or it would affect the beauty and career of this wonder girl in some other way. Meanwhile the surgery is scheduled to take place in next month at Lilavati hospital. Hope Ayesha has consulted her boyfriend Farhan Azmi before signaling green to the doctors.

Kunal Kapoor’s gal needs to be sweet and hot

2008-06-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

Q. Your girl should be...

A. Real to me. I like her because when she smiles at me, she really means it. That’s a beautiful line from a movie. I feel so because I would want someone who is real. There is already enough drama in life and being real is a must.

Q. From the film industry or outside?

A. That’s not a criterion. A real person can be from anywhere? From the industry or not doesn’t matter.

Q. Sweet or hot?

A. Actually, a combination of the two. I know it’s very rare and would consider myself very lucky if I find her.

Q. Simpleton or modern?

A. I think both the things should come together. A simple girl with a modern approach and vice versa.

Q. Housewife or working woman?

A. Of course, a working woman. Because in today’s times, when there are so many opportunities for women; it would be sad to see someone not exploring the possibilities and not being a part of the exposure.

Q. Docile or dominating?

A. It should be something in-between because I wouldn’t be able to take an excess of either.

Q. Inner or outer beauty?

A. Outer beauty, actually. I wouldn’t care about beautiful looking lungs and liver!

Q. Would you cook for her?

A. Well, I would love to. But she has to like whatever I cook. That’s the point!

Q. What gift would you expect from her? A. A Ferrari would be great!

Not so funny after all?

2008-06-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ayesha Takia

Ritesh Deshmukh being branded as a comic hero has caused a sudden dearth of actresses who are willing to star opposite him in a romantic lead. After the success of his comedies Apna Sapna Money Money, Heyy Baby and De Taali, Ritesh has been tagged as the quintessential comic hero.

Ayesha Takia, who happily played his friend in De Taali, has refused to play the alien who becomes his love interest in Milap Jhaveri’s Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai.

Although Ayesha suddenly opting out of the film comes as a big blow, Ritesh has no grudges against Ayesha.

Ritesh Deshmukh

Commenting on why she opted out of Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, Ayesha Takia says, “I can’t do Milap Jhaveri’s film because the schedule got delayed by two months.

I had already given dates to Nagesh Kukunoor’s Tasveer and Prabhu Deva’s Wanted and had no option but to opt out of Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai.”

Ritesh says, “I’m aware that in our films, actors who have a romantic image are considered conventional heroes. I tried to do a serious role in Cash, but it didn’t work. Despite my debut as a conventional hero in Tujhe Meri Kasam followed by Vashu Bhagnani’s Out of Control, people still think that I am best for only comic roles.”

“I again play a comic role in Sajid Khan’s Housefull. After Heyy Baby, Sajid plans to pull out all the stops in this comic film along with Akshay Kumar,” he adds.

Even Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladdin, where Ritesh plays the title role has a comic element. “Although I play the title role in Aladdin, it is Amitabh Bachchan who is the focus of the film,” says Ritesh.

I’m aware that in our films, actors who have a romantic image are considered conventional heroes. I tried to do a serious role in Cash, but it didn’t work – Ritesh Deshmukh

Love Story 2050 team looks for luck in diamonds

2008-06-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

When it comes to promoting their film, the team behind Love Story 2050 is leaving no stone unturned. Quite literally.

After marketing soft toys and bed linen with the film's logos, the team is tying up with a diamond jewellery brand.

And when you have a pink teddy bear grabbing the spotlight on stage, who needs a hero?

“I don't think Harman will look nice with ear-rings. So I came,” said Priyanka Chopra.

As they say no such thing as too much publicity. With the film inching towards its release date, it's no wonder there's been a promotional overdrive

Kahani ghar ghar ki

2008-06-26T21:23:00.000-07:00

Sridevi and Boney Kapoor

Boney Kapoor's parents have moved out of his bungalow, and moved in with Anil Kapoor. No, they aren't choosing between their sons. It's just that the lease on Boney and Sridevi's bungalow in Juhu has expired on June 28, and their new house in Lokhandwala is still under construction.

Meanwhile, their parents are put up at Anil's house. Boney and Sridevi have themselves shifted to Sridevi's flat at Green Acres (Lokhandwala). Says a source close to Anil, “The Green Acres flat isn't big enough to accommodate the entire family. So the parents are staying with Anil.” Will they go back to stay with Boney and Sridevi? “Of course, once the Lokhandwala bungalow is ready, they will all shift there,” adds the source.

Ash-Abhi not so ‘happily married’?

2008-06-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Be it award functions, film promotions or press conferences, the gorgeous Bachchan bahu is evidently quite happy whenever seen with family. Recently, Ash’s usual over the top behaviour became a cause for embarrassment for hubby Abhishek. The couple lately had a heated argument, on their way to attend the IIFA ceremony, when the actress was getting a little too loud and Abhi wanted her to just be soft in her expression.

As the couple was proceeding to attend the award function, with actor Kunal Kapoor, Ash got too loud and vocal, while Abhishek subtly asked her to keep her voice low. Understanding the need of the situation, Kunal promptly left the place in order to stay out of their marital spat.

However, reports reveal that the actress in spite of being warned by hubby couldn't maintain a low profile. Abhishek then took wife to the hotel lobby, made her sit peacefully and had a word with her to make himself clearly understood.

According to sources, things did not work out for them and Ash continued auguring at the top of her voice, and which is when Abhi completely lost his temper and ended up telling his personal security guards to escort his wife to her room.

Now, does that imply that the couple has finally outgrown the so very ‘happy-happy’ beat of their marriage? We definitely hope not.

A Producer asked me to sleep with him

2008-06-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Her maiden film as an actress - Hum Sey Hai Jahaan bombed at the box office, but then pretty, dark and smart Vishakha Singh is not unduly perturbed by the fate of the film for the simple reason that even before Hum Sey Hai Jahaan was complete, she had bagged two more films - Abhijeet Sengupta's Do Aur Do Paanch and Venkatesh Naidu's Coffee Shop, which are also being readied for an early release.

Born and brought up in Abu Dhabi, Vishakha, who was the cultural captain while she studied in school, is a beauty with brains, having graduated in Business Administration in New Delhi. Vishakha confesses that it was sheer boredom with her internship in a couple of ad agencies that prompted her to try her hands at modeling.

Vishakha continues confessing that her acting stint had actually started right from home when she had lied to her strict father that she wanted to go to Mumbai to do theatre because he was not in favor of letting her act in films.

Vishakha concedes that though it is easy to get offers to act in ad films after giving the auditions, to face the camera and emote and lose one's inhibitions to a blank lens which is just a piece which does not respond to you is quite a tough task.

"Though I did not learn acting by joining any acting academy, I am glad I was able to understand the medium by facing the camera for ad films.

Though as far as acting was concerned, I was 10 when I embarked on a career in acting, today I feel I can rate myself 4 out of 10, " Vishakha quips.

Though Vishakha has not acted in any TV serial till date, she says that all the credit for having made her an actress ought to go to Balaji Telefilms which had auditioned her for a role in their popular serial Kasauti Zindagi Ki.

"I was given a two page long dialogue for the scene in which Prerna loses her son. After I had done the scene, I went on crying and was asked to report for the shoot from the next day.

However I decided that I could not suffer doing such scenes for 25 days every month and politely declined the role of Aparna who ends up marrying Mr Basu, " explains Vishakha.

However, Vishakha says that she does not regret having said no to act in TV serials.

"TV is a very open medium. Touchwood, if my films do not do well at the box office, I am one hundred per cent confident that television is one medium which would still welcome me, with open arms.

I do not mean to look down upon TV. It is just that as of now I want to concentrate all my attention on making a career as an actress in Bollywood, " Vishakha explores her world of hope.

Whether in Hum Sey Hai Jahaan or Do Aur Do Paanch or for that matter Coffee Shop, Vishakha says that she has made it a point not to expose at all, though it is the latest mantra in Bollywood.

"Losing one's inhibitions does not at all mean that one should bare one's clothes but emotions. It is only the director and the script which can convince me as far as agreeing to expose on the screen is concerned, " bold goes the rising star.

What is Vishakha's take on exposure? I ask Viashakha. She shoots back, "I have a lot of pride in me.

When I saw Esha Deol appear in a skimpy bikini in Dhoom, my heart sank, because I realized that I stood no chance of saying no to getting into a bikini, if Esha who is from the film industry had to do it. I am not at all a prude.

Though I had turned down Arjun Sablok's offer to cast me in Niel N Niki in the role in which he had eventually cast Tanisha, because he could not convince me to expose my cleavage almost throughout the film, I'd readily do a lip to lip kissing scene like Rani did in Black if the scene changes the entire narration like it did in Black."

Is she scared of the syndrome of the casting couch? I ask her.

Without batting her eye lids, she replies, "I am not scared at all of the casting couch, because I'd slap the person if someone makes an attempt, though I do not deny that it does exist.

A Telugu film producer told me on my face to sleep with him if I wanted to act in his film, but he was lucky because I had politely walked out, since I was new then, long before I bagged the offer for my first film."

In Do Aur Do Paanch, Vishakha plays a typical tapori girl since the film, in her own admission, is a take off on Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, a comedy action film, which has Salman Khan doing a special appearance though the flick has no love triangle at all.

In Coffee Shop, Vishakha plays the role of a painter. "It is about the struggle of the girl who wants to go to the New York School of Fine Arts. Though in real life, I also dabble with painting as a hobby, I am not a M. F. Hussain in real life, though I could identify with the journey of the character that I am playing in Coffee Shop to a large extent, " Vishakha casts light on her character.

When she met Mashoor Amrohi who has not only played the leading man in Hum Sey Hai Jahaan but also produced, directed, written and choreographed the film, Vishakha says that she could easily gel with him because they belonged to the same age group and there was no communication gap.

"I was relieved to make my debut with a banner which was known to present women in a dignified way", Vishakha quips and adds that it was a big advantage to her that Mashoor, besides being the leading man, was also the director of the film since she did not have to necessarily look tom the director behind the camera.

Inrterestingly Vishakha's name was suggested by the unit of Chak De India after she had been rejected by Shimit Amin when she auditioned for the role eventually played in the film by Vidya Malavade, because Shimit did not find her suitable for the matured character.

Vishakha says that her wish list is to act in films like Black and Cheeni Kum since she is a die-hard fan of Rani Mukerjee, Kajol, Tabu, Vidya Balan and Minissha Lamba ("I like Minisha's choice of films") as far as actresses are concerned though her staunch favorite among the actors is none other than Hrithik Roshan. "I dote on Hrithik Roshan because he is so devoted to his work", she concludes.

Twinkle spies on Akshay and Katrina

2008-06-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

Twinke Khanna made a sudden entry on the finale day of the IIFA 2008 event. Was it to check on her husband since Katrina and Akshay were performing together and there was no sign of Salman around? She clung to Akshay throughout and made sure he never left her side even for a few moments or even attend his calls. There were talks going around that Katrina was trying to call up Akshaye frantically before the performance but Akshay didn't pick up the phone. Was it because Twinkle was sitting with him?

Kat baby got so pissed off with all these stories that she decided to give to give it back, "People need to stop imagining so much. This is pure imagination on someone's part. Akshay Kumar came in for the show in the night and left right after as he had a flight to catch. I had dinner with Twinkle and some of her friends after that and even my mom was with me. So what's with these stories?"

Aamir Khan invites bigwigs for 'Jaane Tu' premiere

2008-06-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Himself a big star, Aamir Khan is going all out to invite the bigwigs of film industry for the premiere of his nephew’s first film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na .

Having already called the film – launchpad of Imran Khan – his “gesture of gratitude” towards uncle Nasir Husain, Aamir is working overtime to ensure a star-studded premiere of ‘Jaane Tu’ in the opening days of July. The movie will hit the theatres on July 4.

Among the people Aamir has invited are Amitabh Bachchan (including the entire Bachchan khandan), Shahrukh Khan and the superstar of South, Rajnikant .

It is learnt that instead of calling Rajnikant on phone, Aamir chose to fly to Chennai to personally invite the megastar for whom Aamir has “great respect”.

Aamir has been after the Bachchans for a long time to watch his film Taare Zameen Par . But now, he has insisted that Big B grace the premiere of ‘Jaane Tu’ with his presence.

As for SRK, Aamir says he continues to remain friends with the superstar despite all that media has written about them. And about his dog blog, Aamir says it was written in good humour and SRK understands this.

Well, it would be quite a sight to see Aamir, SRK and Big B together under the same roof.

Katrina baby... Learn from Kareena!!!

2008-06-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Once it comes to the Bollywood nights people can easily visualize the jingling dances, dazzling appearances and giggling gags. Coming to the last section, our cool dudes Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh tickled all the heads around. But exceptions are always there. Guess what!

Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh made the IIFA 2008 night all the more interesting with their good sense of humour.

The funny guys who made fun of almost everything and everyone under the sun became the reason for celebrities grumbling under their breath. They performed a gag in which they showed their own versions of the best film nominations like Partner, Jab We Met etc was really funny and had the entire audience in splits.

But there were few who didn’t seem so happy with these guys making fun of their films and amongst them was Katrina Kaif!

The sweet charmy was gloomy all the while the males were cracking on the IIFA stage. Seemingly, Kat was carrying a Sallu affected image.

But see, in the same space Bebe was all so cool and enjoying cracklings all through their performance. Katrina should take a lesson from Kareena.

The latter was laughing even though Riteish and Boman didn’t shy away from making Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan a happy couple after showing Kareena eloping with Riteish and Boman.

Well, it would be interesting to see whether Kat’s angry boyfriend Salman takes all these sportingly or else both Ritiesh and Boman would have to face the same fate as Vivek Oberoi, who is struggling for films after his problems with Sallu Miya came out in open.

Sameera visits manexplorer.com

2008-06-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

At last the sizzling Bolly doll has opened her heart about her 'wished to be partner' and the qualities the lucky champ should possess...

Q. One quality you would like your man to possess?

A. There are not one, but far too many qualities. My wish list is quite big!

Q. And they are…

A. He should be confident and very sure of himself. He should be fantastic at his job and also as hardworking as I am. Then he should love to work out and should have very good family values. And most important, he should smell very good and be a real good soul!

Q. He would be from Bollywood or outside?

A. I will definitely not go for someone from the film industry. I want someone from outside.

Q. You go for internal or external beauty?

A. He should be beautiful inside out. Well, I guess that matters the most.

Q. He should be brainy or brawny?

A. Definitely brainy.

Q. Is a sense of humour a must?

A. Well, yes, I won’t miss on that one either. That way he can keep me entertained in the most boring situations.

Q. How important would calls and SMSs be in your relationship?

A. Well, yes, it’s very important. But I would like him to call me more than I do!

Q. What do you think of metro-sexual men?

A. Well, they are just okay but they shouldn't overdo that thing. They shouldn’t end up being girly.

Q. How long would you wait to take your relationship to the next level?

A. Next level, as in marriage, for me, won’t take very long. The moment I see him for the first time I would know this is it. He is the one and won’t keep waiting after that.

Sonam Kapoor finds her new love

2008-06-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Looks like Sonam Kapoor has found her new love in Kunal Kapoor. This Bollywood Kapoor Jodi is nowadays often scene roaming around coffee shops, malls, etc with hand in hand. Looking at the recent happenings in both the stars life they really could heal each others broken heart.

Where Ranbir Kapoor dumped Sonam for hottie Deepika Padukone, Kunal Kapoor too had a break up with gorgeous Diya Mirza. So the couple could surely understand each other's situation and try to bring happiness on their respective lives. Especially, Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam was so depressed after her break up with Ranbir that she went for a 2 months hideout.

But we would like to warn this emotional girl about Mr Kunal who has not only ditched Diya Mirza but also has an flirtatious history of dumping Raima Sen. Being an emotional girl we would recommend Sonam to think twice before moving ahead in her relationship with this flirt natured guy.

Bollywood stars and lucky charms

2008-06-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Bollywood has become quite progressive in terms of its story lines and technical aspects. Nevertheless, when it comes to belief in superstitions, there is no leaving behind the stars. With rising competition in the market, one cannot really blame them but then isn’t canceling ones shoot owing to a superstition, taking it too far? We asked a bunch of actors if they had any blind belief in things or had any lucky charms and here is what they had to say:

Shaahid Kapur: “While I don’t believe in lucky charms, I am particular about the way I wear my shoes. I will always put my right shoe before the left one.”

Vidya Balan: (Always seen with a bag gifted to her by Aziz Mirza’s son) “I think whatever gift is given with a lot of affection is always lucky. I can’t a name a tangible luck that the bag has brought but it has definitely brought a lot of positivity.”

Adhyayan Suman: “I am very emotional about the armlet I have. It was given to me by my parents and I love it.”

Amita Pathak: “The armlet that I wear was given to me by my brother. I make it a point to always wear it. Once we had to go to Ladakh for shooting and forgot my armlet in Mumbai. I refused to shoot till I got it back.”

Nakul Mehta: “My parents’ good wish is my lucky charm.”

Akshay to Romance Denise Richards

2008-06-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala declares that it is easier to meet Hollywood stars for roles than our actors back home. So he met 'Superman' Brandon Routh and Denise Richards and has finalized them for his $20 million project 'Kambhakt Ishq,' which also stars Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Nadiadwala is toying with the idea of dubbing the film in English for a global audience.
Nadiadwala is also in talks with actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger for the film, which revolves around Akshay, who play a Hollywood stuntman in the film. Beisdes all of these Hollywood stars, Nadiadwala has also managed to sign on 'Terminator' heroine Linda Hamilton for his film. All three stars are expected to sign up by early next week. While some of the Hollywood actors have walk on parts, Richards has a far more substantial role. She plays Kareena's rival and has quite a few romantic scenes with Akshay. Nadiadwala reveals that his film will have many more Hollywood actors, "about a dozen, who'll do walk on parts." Despite his tall claims about Hollywood stars being more accessible, Nadiadwala did come across some obstacles while trying to sign on these Hollywood icons. But thankfully, they were only those of fiscal conversion. He laughingly claims that he is still getting used to converting rupees into dollars. Though the producer in him feels that these stars are expensive, as a fan, he feels money is of little consequence. "The important thing," says Sajid, "is that the presence of Hollywood stars in Kambhakt Ishq is not a gimmick. The hero is a stuntman in Hollywood. So the stars all fit into the plot." Nadiadwala, who shot his Salman Khan and Akshay starrer, Jaan e Mann in New York, will shoot Kambhakt Ishq in Los Angeles from June 27th. Following that, there is a 20 day schedule in Italy. Kareena will be flying in from London, while Akshay is coming in from the Bahamas The next five months promise to be grueling.

Maturity matters, actors doing better at their 30s

2008-06-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

The success stories of puppy fat and pimply romance are gone. It’s the more mature guys who are making the adrenalin rush now. Gone are the days when we used to watch ‘puppy-love’ movies like Bobby, Prem Rog or Love 86 with teenage lead pairs singing and running around the trees and trying to hold their hard-beating hearts. The focus from lead actors in their late teens or early 20s has shifted to more mature looking heroes and heroines especially while they are in their 30s. And all those Rishi Kapoors and Kumar Gauravs with puppy fat and chubby cheeks have given way to more seriously ‘men’ lookers like Hrithik Roshans and Abhishek Bachchans. And even these superstars of the transition period have earned their place under the sun after years of struggle. In other words, by crossing the lean phase of their 20s!

In 2000, when 26-year-old Hrithik Roshan blazed up the Indian screens with Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai, critics and audiences alike felt that a new star was born. But when his releases, thereafter weren’t received as positively, he was quickly written off as a one-film wonder. The success of Koi...Mil Gaya in 2003 made his detractors say that the light-eyed actor only excels in his dad Rakesh Roshan’s films. But 2006 changed all that. Krissh, Dhoom: 2 and the multicrore deal with Adlabs pushed Hrithik to the Most Wanted league. And he is also now considered as a versatile actor who excels both in positive and negative roles. Critics have somersaulted and now say that it was only Hrithik who could have made “two scriptless films” reach the target of over Rs 100 crore in the 2006. The actor, now all of 33 years, is being christened “the most valuable person in the industry” and “the sexiest man alive”. For Hrithik Roshan, the 30s have obviously been a magic phase.

For Bachchan Junior, too, things haven’t been different. Audiences, which had rejected Abhishek in his prime 20s in film after flop film, are now accepting his movies with open arms. A movie critic, who once ridiculed him, saying, “Since the time Abhishek Bachchan has started acting, every roadside loafer now thinks he can be a hero,” must have been regretting his words after watching his mind-blowing performance in Guru.

Saif Ali Khan’s story is another who fumbled into the 30s and only then earned his spurs. Even having the status of Sharmila Tagore’s son couldn’t stop people from writing off the Chhote Nawab after a score of flops in a row. For years, the media awaited his announcement to retire hurt when most of the producers refused to sign him for any of their movies. But one Dil Chahta Hai was enough to silence everyone. With his solo act in Hum Tum and the national award for best actor thereafter, he further consolidated his position. Now he is considered an able actor along with being a bankable star with eye-catching performances in films like Salaam Namaste, Race and of course Omkara.

So what made Saif the Waif a superstar? “Times have changed. Saif has become mature; he gave his first hit when he had just crossed 30. He is now 38 and in last seven years, he has been an integral part of around 10 films which rocked the box-office,” says a producer on whose door Saif used to religiously knock for a film. “In fact, all the heroes — Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, John Abraham, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Abhishek Bachchan and even Shiney Ahuja — are considered 30-plus hot commodities. Actually, you learn a lot about the rules of Bollywood, from acting to presentation to marketing as you get older playing the game here,” he continues. Like, the same Saif now doesn’t even answer his phone calls!

While the BO and the producers are favouring more mature actors, the guys who are in their 20s like Shahid Kapur, Kunal Khemu and Zayed Khan are either not offered any leading roles or even if they get any, their movies are washouts. Shahid’s Vivah got its moolah only in small towns. He though tasted success in Jab We Met. Kunal’s Kalyug and Traffic Signal was greeted with mixed responses both by cine-goers and critics while his last release Superstar proved to be a disaster at the box office. Zayed Khan has not given a hit in ages. Maybe they are awaiting their 30th birthdays more eagerly than any other.

This trend was not as visible before 2000. Every other film was either based on the life of college kids or was a love story involving pimply youngsters who couldn’t get married because of their parents blocking their path. Probably these kind of films got outdated as the actors who played these characters grew older. They started preferring characters they could fit into properly, rather than standing up top and be taunted for their younger roles (we are not talking about Dev Anand, of course). Aamir Khan, who was once a teen idol, started accepting serious films like Akele Hum Akele Tum, Sarfarosh and Lagaan. His success inspired the other Khans to exit from the boy-next-door image and to experiment with new ideas and stories. Shah Rukh excelled as an actor in Devdas and Salman was appreciated in the awesome hit, Tere Naam.

The emergence of the multiplex phenomenon has also played a prominent part in creating the present scenario where mature actors are acknowledged more (after the initial period of the giggle gaggles munching on their caramel popcorn and cooing over caramel cine-stars). Today, if a viewer spends Rs 250 for a movie, then he wants value for that kind of money. The audiences now choose movies carefully, or so it seems, at least. The viewers want more than just a teenybopper love story. They don’t have any qualms about accepting ‘different’ films like My Brother...Nikhil, Omkara and Rang De Basanti.

“Basically, with the actors, the audiences have also matured. The liberty that viewers today have was not found in their counterparts who used to go to theatres before this millennium. A common Indian has the option of seeing all kinds of movies, whether masala mainstream, hoary Hollywood or classic European-style movies. Simply put, the audiences are more exposed today to better and diverse cinema. The mature actors are not shying to experiment with their looks and characters. In his late 30s, Arshad Warsi has become a bigger star by doing supporting roles than he was doing 10 languishing years ago. Now every director wants him in the movie. Writers are crafting parts exclusively for him. He, like many of his colleagues, only accepts a comic or an offbeat role now,” asserts Homi Adjaia, director of Being Cyrus, the only Indian English film that grossed more than Rs 20 crore.

Does that mean that the era of romancing around trees is over? Film critic Mayank Shekhar differs. “The concept of young romance is not going to die. Sooraj R. Barjatya tried to keep it alive by featuring Shahid Kapur and Amrita Rao together in Vivah. Earlier the competition was not that tough and actors were getting things easily. But now the whole scenario has changed. There are too many cute faces coming in and to get the right one is a tough job. In the 70s and 80s, there was a demand for fresh faces, which has now faded away. Only a few directors are willing to take chances on a newcomer and that occurs only if he or she is a star-son,” he analyses.

“At a macro level it looks perfect, but when observed at a micro level, even this trend has its holes. To get a hit film today, the entire packaging is important; the audience would accept you as a superstar only if you are ‘worth’ it. The Munna-Circuit hit pair of Sunjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi was not enough to save a mundane film like Anthony Kaun Hain? The actors are only accepted if they give good performance in outstanding films. It does not matter if you are Saif or Shahid,” adds Mayank Shekhar.

Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy concludes, “Maybe the people don’t have good scripts and subjects that can present teenagers in a better way. But there are a few people like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who is made Saawariya with Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam and Neetu and Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir Kapoor. There are no rules in the game of BO Success. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio were very new and created history after Titanic. To change and adapt is a law of nature and if the audience change, cinema has to adapt to the changes.”

Preity Zinta: angry young woman

2008-06-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time Amitabh Bachchan had the total copyright over the anger matters. Later on heroes like Sunny Deol and Ajay Devgan shared few bits of the losing control.

On screen sweeties like Salman and Chichi have even created off screen hungama either by knocking ladies’ doors or by slapping news guys. But sweet babies ire-ing and firing in the industry is quite an offbeat catch.

Though hard to believe but it’s true that it hardly takes few seconds to ignite anger in Priety. We all are aware of this tamed lioness’ angry side. Once this pretty actress gets angry then she is not the one who would back out from the fight.

Recently producer Tito Juneja’s son Sonny Juneja had to face the storm from this lady when he dared to throw comment on Priety’s acting capabilities while she was dubbing for Tito’s film Har Pal.

Priety got so bugged up with the continuous comments from Sonny that she decided to quit dubbing session and took a seat in a nearby park. In the end director Jahnu Barua had to arrive on the sets to convince the angry actress for resuming the dubbing.

Preity did so but only after Sonny was asked to leave the studio. Whether reports of cold vibes between films cast Shiney Ahuja and Preity Zinta or Shiney’s balding problems, Har Pal has always been associated with these kinds of negative stories. But as you say in Bollywood, negative or positive, B-town personalities always welcome free publicity. Maybe the uncontrollable anger fuming in the babe is just a part of that!

Aur kya karoon, darling ?

2008-05-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

Aur kya karoon, darlings? If I hear one more tidbit about Kareena Kapoorand Saif Ali Khan, I'm gonna scream my lungs out. Aieeeeeeeeee. Sainnf is now being called Mary's little lamb, as he follows the gorgeous Kareena Kapoor all over town and countryside. He scooted off with her to Goa where she's shooting for GolmaalReturns and now he's accompanying her to Australia for the shoot of Mr and Mrs Khanna in which she teams up with Salman Khan. So, why should I be concerned, no? Simply because Sainnf 's launching his own home production on June 1... so er... shouldn't he be ensuring that all goes well etc and more etc.

Chopke Chopke

2008-05-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

Funniest confirmed rumour of the day Seems Saif Ali Khan is very upset that as many as 25 of his scenes were edited out from the final print of Tashan. Even Akshay Kumar is believed to be upset that quite a few of his scenes were also chopped out. Really now, both Saif and Akshoo should thank their stars, shouldn't they? Imagine, what if the public had seen any more of Tashan! Anil Kapoor is the only one who isn't complaining. But I am. What Uncle AK said by way of dialogue needed subtitles... Unfazed by the Tashan debacle, AK is believed to have hiked his fee to Rs 8 crore...

Impressed

2008-05-11T04:27:00.000-07:00

Its about Upen Patel whom I may have erased from rny memory files.
Yeah, naturally but it seem this Patel boy can't get Tabu out of his mind and yaks, and yaks, and yaks about how wonderful it has been... What wonderful? What is this it? What's he talking about? Mottu just rolled her eyes and has gone off cackling fiendishly But then, such is life dearies.

Deepika replacing Katrina?

2008-05-10T09:01:00.001-07:00

Anees Bazmee’s Welcome released at the end of last year was a super hit at the box-office and therefore it came as no surprise when the director declared plans for the sequel Welcome Back. The film will star Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor but leading lady Katrina won’t be a part of it.

Deepika Padukone is expected to replace Kat while Mallika Sherawat is expected to get a much important role in the sequel. A close source to Deepika told us about her involvement in Welcome Back.

“Firoz Nadiawala had approached Deepika for this film while shooting for Chandni Chowk to China. She has not yet made up her mind about whether she might do a role in sequel of Welcome.”

“She is very busy with Chandni Chowk to China which is about to finish in few weeks. Deepika had seen Welcome and she had liked the movie so she hasn't said yet no to them,” says the source.

Speaking more about Chandni Chowk to China, the source tells us that for the first time “Deepika will be doing some great stunts matching with Akshay Kumar.”

It seems none of Akki’s leading ladies can get enough of him. First Katrina couldn’t stop being paired with the khiladi and now Deepika is the next. After Chandni Chowk to China she will be also seen in Sajid Khan's Houseful with him and Welcome Back if she is to give it her nod.

Females only for Akshay Kumar’s 'Fear Factor'

2008-05-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

Akshay Kumar is becoming a ladies’ man for his first TV show, ‘Fear Factor’.

Yes, all the participants short-listed for the show are females. Not even a single male is part of the show. Talk about male chauvinism!

The ladies who will be participating on the show are: Yana Gupta , Anjana Sukhani , Sonali Kulkarni , Payal Rohatgi , Meghna Naidu , Pooja Bedi , Sayali Bhagat , Aditi Govitrikar , Tapur Chatterjee, Nethra Raghuraman and Dipannita Sharma .

Akshay will be the host of the show ‘Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi’ that will be telecast on a brand new channel Colours that was launched in Bangkok on Monday.

The launch had Akshay showing his machismo as he made a spectacular entry on a mobike, shattering a huge glass. And on stage when Akshay was asked about his fear factor, the actor silently walked to one of the tables and held a python in his hands. For the rest of the show, Akki kept the python on his shoulders.

When asked about the 13 ladies, Akshay gave a gummy smile and said: “I feel when it comes to facing one’s fears, women can be no less than men. I take pride in training these ladies.”

By the way, in an entirely unexpected development, Akshay will be conferred an honorary doctorate on May 9 by the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Well, shall we call him Dr. Akshay Kumar from now on!

Chak De India Now, Yashraj Films plan a movie on cricket?

2008-05-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Their sole hit last year, Chak De India , flanked by a series of flops before and after, Yashraj Films is now rumoured to be returning to sports-based theme.

With their latest film Tashan being thrashed by critics and rejected by audience, Yashraj Films has added to the list of their unsuccessful films since last one-and-half years. Now, the production house is apparently planning to play it safe by making a sports-based movie.

If rumours are to be believed, YRF plans to make a film on women’s cricket team. Though it seems the idea is to cash in on the ‘Chak De’ formula, grapevine has it that the film’s story will be completely different.

Reports say the production house (read Aditya Chopra ) has zeroed down on Rani Mukherjee to play the captain of women’s test cricket team.

Rumour also has it that Aditya Chopra will not direct the film but will rope in someone whom he trusts and deems fit for the job.

Aditya is presently focused on his next directorial venture Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with Shah Rukh Khan in lead role.

Meanwhile, Rani will be seen in the next YRF release Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic opposite Saif Ali Khan .

Aishwarya Rai looking forward to 'Pink Panther 2'

2008-05-10T06:25:00.001-07:00

The gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who recently completed Sarkar Raj with her legendary father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and husband Abhishek Bachchan , is now looking forward to her Hollywood release Pink Panther 2 .

Ash is quoted as saying in a news report that what was nice about her role in the movie was that it was not culture-specific.

“What makes my role special is that they haven’t specified my nationality. Nor have I been made to put on any accent. In fact, every other character is culture-specific. Except mine. That was really nice. We all have done our best. And when we started shooting in Paris, Abhishek was with me, so it was very nice,” Ash said.

Ash also praised Hollywood actor Steve Martin saying, “He’s fantastic. An institution. He has unbelievable comic timing and such energy. It’s incredible how hard he works at his age on the physical comedy. Just like Pa! Pink Panther 2 is completely Steve Martin’s film.”

However, Ash refused to admit that ‘Pink Panther 2’ being an international project was extra special to her.

“I’m not one to compare assignments. For me Chokher Bali in Kolkata was as precious as ‘Pink Panther 2’ in Boston. But, yes, Gurinder Chadha ’s Bride and Prejudice and her husband’s Mistress Of Spices had a lot of Indians in the crew, so I felt at home.”

And to set the record straight, Ash said, “ The Last Legion with Sir Ben Kingsley was my first fully-fledged international project. It was such a fantastic experience.”

‘The Pink Panther Deux’ is a sequel to the 2006 film, ‘The Pink Panther’. The film was first titled ‘The Pink Panther 2’, later renamed The Next Pink Panther and now the official title is ‘The Pink Panther Deux’.

Ash signed for the female lead as criminal expert, Sophie Solandres.

Kajol not impressed by new movie offers

2008-05-10T06:24:00.001-07:00

Kajol has still not found the script that will make her say yes to a new film immediately.

Ever since she made her comeback in Fanaa , Kajol has made no secret of the fact that her baby is her first priority and films come later. Even though she worked in hubby Ajay Devgan ’s directorial debut U Me Aur Hum , the actress has been turning down offers from many big banners, including a film by Rajkumar Hirani. She also hasn’t yet given her final nod to good friend Karan Johar who plans to cast her opposite Shah Rukh Khan in his Khan .

The reason why Kajol hasn’t signed any new film is because nothing has interested her so far.

“The roles that are offered to me are not so great. I won’t accept an offer just because it comes from a big banner or has big stars. For me, the story in its entirety must make sense,” Kajol is quoted as saying.

So what’s her new project?

Kajol says she is working with Ajay again in the animation film ‘Toonpur Ka Superhero’. In the film Kajol will be dubbing for an animated character based on herself.

Neil Nitin Mukesh does his first Ad

2008-05-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

Neil Nitin Mukesh is going places. Apart from the handpicked films that he is doing he's also done his first ad. "It's for a sports brand called Sparks . And boy, did the sparks fly during the shoot! We shot almost non-stop for three days. At the end of it, I was completely exhausted. Since it was an ad for sports shoes, we wanted to make it as outdoor and sporty as possible. So we shot with me doing the most serious hi-jinks possible. To be sure it was my first brush with big-time stunts. And I enjoyed myself."

There was just one hitch. "Those three days were really taxing on my energy. So at the end of each day the last thing I wanted to hear was my trainer telling me to do my cardio exercises. I begged and pleaded to be let off. But there was no respite. I think I must've lost quite a bit of weight during that ad."

Bangalore model opposite Shahrukh in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

2008-05-10T06:21:00.001-07:00

Bangalore model, 19-year-old Anushka Sharma has been identified to play the female lead opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Aditya Chopra’s third film as director RAB NE BANA DI JODI. Said Yash Chopra, "We were looking first and foremost for someone who could truly embody the spirit of small-town Punjab and we know we have found her in Anushka. And while she has no previous acting experience, we have seen that unique spark in her that makes us confident that she will be a standout even opposite Shah Rukh."

RAB NE BANA DI JODI will go on floors on 16th May and will hit theatres worldwide on 12th December.

Disastrous phase continues!

2008-05-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

The dull, disturbing and disastrous phase at the domestic box-office continues! Almost every film is getting the royal ignore from the audiences, but it's foolhardy to blame the IPL [cricket matches] solely for the chaotic situation we are in. The quality of films is equally pathetic.

The traders are yet to recover from a debacle called TASHAN. Even though the issue with multiplexes has been settled, it hasn't helped the film at all. The word of mouth has been outright negative and the occupancy, therefore, is equally disheartening. Equally sad has been the outcome of the three new releases -- MR. WHITE MR. BLACK, ANAMIKA and PRANALI - THE TRADITION.

Of late, comedies have had a dream run at the turnstiles, but not all comedies have worked. Although aggressively promoted prior to its release, MR. WHITE MR. BLACK found very few takers on Day 1 itself. The teaming of Suniel and Arshad for the first time [no casting coup this!] didn't help. As for the content, the less said the better. My friends often chide me for sitting wide-eyed through the worst of films. But it really got unbearable during the second hour of MR. WHITE MR. BLACK. The ticket sales reflected the audience's apathy towards the film. And I am not surprised!

ANAMIKA is the new addition to the long list of also-ran films. I genuinely feel that Ananth Mahadevan knows the grammar of thrillers right, he knows how to treat a mystery well, how to create the eerie atmosphere, but his movies run out of steam while reaching their culmination. ANAMIKA suffered for this reason as well. It went awry during the post-interval portions. Its box-office fate was at par with Ananth's previous outing, VICTORIA NO. 203. The plexes bore an empty look, you could actually count the people inside an audi.

The cast plays a vital role in prompting you to dig into your pockets and shelling out Rs. 200 on a ticket. However, even if the face-value isn't interesting, the word of mouth as also the reviews are the deciding factors. ANAMIKA suffered on all three counts.

As for PRANALI - THE TRADITION, I am genuinely impressed with the enthusiasm displayed by its debutante producer [Nikhil Mathur], who left no stone unturned to promote the film. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts, the paying public wasn't enthusiastic about this film. Its fate was also evident on the day of its release!

But let's not lose sleep over the failures. Let's hope that the tide changes for better with BHOOTHNATH and JANNAT. Let's hope for the best!

Priyanka Chopra colours her hair Red for Love Story 2050

2008-05-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

Many of us must have by-hearted the idioms and phrases that were taught to us in our school days. But Priyanka Chopra is one such Bollywoodian who did not by heart the phrase 'Dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others', but has lived up to it and with great élan and style.

The dedication level of this chic is so very extraordinarily high, that it can actually give many others a huge complex. The recent example of the Chopra girl's commitment came in the forefront while she shooting for the 'futuristic' blockbuster Love Story 2050. The shot required her to sport red coloured hair. And guess what! Priyanka actually went ahead and dyed her hair red in colour, instead of opting for the easy way out - sporting a wig, like many others.

The 'hands and brains' at work included the ace make-up artist Mickey Contractor, Director Harry Baweja and celebrated hairstylist Thea, who spent a whopping six months finalizing on the right look. Harry Baweja said that the call of the situation was such that it required Priyanka to look like someone from the future, at the same time not look like an alien. And Baweja was so very touched with Priyanka's dedication towards her role because it was not once, but thrice that she changed the colour of her hair. The first time it was red, then, black and then back to red as she is playing two roles in this film.

With so much dedication flowing from Priyanka Chopra, we just feel that Harry Baweja is simply sitting on a 'futuristic' goldmine.

Kareena admits enjoying Saif's love

2008-05-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor's reel life romance failed terribly with Tashan going down the drains. But this hot couple still manages to stay in the news. Now, Kareena has revealed that Saif makes her happy.

Saif showed his love for Kareena by tattooing her name on his arm. It is also rumoured that he cut his wrist to show that his love for her is real. Bebo is aware of all his acts. She said that she enjoys his style of expressing love for her but at the same time scared, as it could hurt himself.

Well, Saif surely knows how to make his girl happy!

Priyanka Chopra gets pregnant

2008-05-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

After a bountiful 2006 (Krrish and Don), last year was quite downbeat for top Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra with films like Salaam-E-Ishq and Big Brother failing at the ticket window. To add to that, she was away from the limelight or as they say, out of circulation! But that had more to do with her personal and legal problems related to the differences with her ex-secretary, Prakash Jaju.

However, there is good news for the fans of Priyanka Chopra as the current year is sure to set the record straight. With projects like Goldie Behl's Drona, Harry Baweja's Love Story 2050 and Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion, the future appears bright and it seems that Priyanka is all set to regain her top position. Coming to Bhandarkar's (famous for cashing in on topical subjects) Fashion, the film is already hogging the headlines. The reason for the above is Priyanka's controversial pregnancy scene in the climax. The said scene is deliberately being publicized as being inspired from the real life of a top model, but that is only a publicity stunt. One has to commend Priyanka for going public with the fact that the said scene is of utmost importance to Fashion's climax and is not based on anyone's personal life.

The girl indeed has guts. Kudos and all the best to you Priyanka!

Bollywood hunks Akshay, John together!

2008-05-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

Akshay Kumar and John Abraham -- the combo that featured in the Priyadarshan hit Garam Masala -- are expected to share the screen space yet again. This time, the project will be produced by Studio 18 and directed by Anees Bazmee. Although the production house hasn't signed the stars yet, there's a strong possibility that the two actors might feature in the film.

"Right now, we've signed Anees Bazmee for the project in question. We've also locked the concept. But we haven't confirmed the star cast yet," Preeti Shahani of Studio 18 sets the record straight, "Once the script is okayed, we will we move on to the next level -- of finalizing the cast. Things should be crystal clear once Singh Is Kinng is released."

Well, there's a strong possibility that Anees and Akshay, the winning combination of Welcome and the soon-to-be-released Singh Is Kinng, will team up for the third time. Watch this space for more updates!

I’ll enjoy failure also - Shah Rukh Khan

2008-05-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

Shah Rukh and success have become quite synonymous with time proving the winning mettle of the King Khan in Bollywood. The star has now become an ideal for youth struggling for winning a place not only in the film industry but also in other sectors. Let us know about the recipe of success from the King Khan himself. Is it ‘luck’ or ‘hard work’ that is required for attaining success?

“See, success, with me, looks easy as I always prefer to stay smiling. Actually, while pursuing success, one always has to keep in mind the negative outcome of his effort. Now, take for example a bad guy. While he does something for his business, does he think of it as executing bad things? Not at all. Actually, he looks out for his justification and then never feels bad for anything he does. In the same way we also can do anything keeping in mind the positive aspects of the matter but at the same time we cannot forget the disarraying aspects the project can lead us to. You must witness the increment in your confidence while you convince yourself for something positive. Being so positive, you do perform better, too. We always try to make things better in our lives despite knowing the fact that we all are going to die one day. Every morning we get up from the bed thinking about getting better things, then, can’t we follow the same process in our job also? If we can do something with this intensity success will never be a far cry. As far as the role of luck is involved, I would like to say that hard work is needed to satisfy luck, also” explains Shah Rukh.

In addition to incorporating hard work and luck for getting success, Shah Rukh knows very well that Bollywood is the place where combination of beauty and talent produces the best result. But while Shah Rukh entered this industry the most industry guys found it hard to see beauty in him. That’s the reason behind his success being known as that of real ‘Baadshah’! How does Shah Rukh accept the fact?

Shah Rukh takes few moments and then replies, “People say that my luck plays a big role in getting me success. But I feel that I am not at all an important person. Yeah, seven or eight years back, I felt like a real special. But whatever I have achieved after that period were only due to the love of my audience.”

Still embracing the ‘Kindergarten’ award, he got at the age of two and half, Shah Rukh always dreamt about winning in life. Along with winning millions of hearts, Shah Rukh won the Filmfare award as the best newcomer for his character in “Diwana”. Since then Shah Rukh has proved example in winning at every step of his life. Now the question arises as what is his inspiration of having so much faith in winning!

He looks little serious and says, “truly speaking, it’s very easy to play blasphemous after winning in life. There are examples of many people who cannot win despite working very hard and the sole responsible behind their losing remain circumstances. Every human being leaves his bed in the morning thinking of winning only. Many amongst them get the chance to win and I am just one of them. There’s nothing extra-ordinary about it. I would tell you only that as I am enjoying my success, I’ll enjoy the moments of my failure also.”

We will talk about your failure later but, for the time being; let us talk about your success mantra only. Shah Rukh concludes saying, “I am pretty scared of these things. Recently I have gone through the Economy Times describing that Shah Rukh is an excellent businessman. But I never felt like that. I am still the same person as I was years ago. Still, my family is my only priority.”

"Why target Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan" - Anubhav Sinha

2008-05-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

Anubhav Sinha is amused that Health Ministry may actually be looking at banning on-screen drinking. He is particularly flustered that Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are being targeted as they are supposedly contributing to the 'bad habits' like drinking and smoking.

"First of all, we must remember that cinema and society borrow from each other. It must have been the society not the movies that started smoking and drinking first. Cinema and society reflect each other. So both must take the onus. If no nation in the world can 'afford to' ban smoking or drinking, we must accept that we need to learn to co exist with both", argues Anubhav Sinha.

He further questions, "Does the government have the authority, reason or control or courage if I may to tell 'the nation' to stop drinking or smoking? Then what gives them the authority to tell Shah Rukh to stop smoking or Amitji to not drink in the movies?"

Reflecting on the political scenario in the country, Anubhav goes on to add, "We know our health minister mostly for the digs at the film industry while we know Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav for the complete and continuous changeover in the Indian Railways. I recommend him to actually contribute to the average and basic health of an average Indian than getting published for mediocre reasons."

So where he does he feel that celebrities could come in handy to spread the message? "I might as well request and mobilize celebrities to adopt X number of patients every year and mobilize treatment and education for them. At least it will serve a purpose and generate respectable news", suggests Anubhav.

Going back to Amitabh Bachchan, Anubhav says, "While we over-hype the bad effects of smoking and drinking in the movies, we must remember that the nation is fully aware that Amitabh Bachchan himself quit smoking forty years back. That should be inspiring enough."

How about Shah Rukh Khan, "Come on, Shah Rukh Khan repeatedly mentions that smoking is a terrible habit and he is trying his best everyday to quit. The audience knows this as much as it knows that he smokes. Let's stop cracking jokes man and get on with work. There are far bigger things to actually worry about."

"In Karna, my character has feminine side yet she also kicks butts" - Koena Mitra

2008-05-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

She is one of the hottest Bong beauties we have in Bollywood. While her moves and grooves in the sizzling item number in Musafir had everyone asking for more, her con-girl act in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena did surprise quite a few. Her last film release Apna Sapna Money Money did make quite a lot of money at the Box-Office but since then we haven't seen much of her. Yes, we are talking about the sizzling hot Koena Mitra who is back with a bang with a line-up of exciting releases this year. In this no-hold barred interview with Bollywood Hungama, Koena discusses her plans for 2008 and much more.

It's been a while since one has heard from you… How has been the New Year so far?
New Year has been good. It started out well. On New Year's Eve I was performing in Sahara Star. Every New Year a lot of people prefer partying and getting drunk, I don't say that's wrong but I don't really have to find a particular day to party. Moreover, if I'm at work and making money out of it and doing something that I love what better way to start the New Year. In fact, Tanushree and I were performing together and after the show got over we went to Mount Mary Church and it was really a beautiful experience. So, the year took off really well and this year, I have couple of exciting projects that I am looking forward to.

You last film release Apna Sapna Money Money released way back in Nov 06? They say out of sight is out of mind…Don't you think you have been missing for a long time now?
I don't really think so because to do good things you need to have patience. Things happen overnight for few lucky people but for others like me, there is a lot of hard work to be done and I don't see anything wrong in that, because at the end of the day it gives you immense satisfaction when your work is appreciated after all the effort you have put in. A lot of people ask me that why you always take time to decide on projects? I always feel that it's better to learn from other's mistakes rather than your own mistakes. Hence, I would prefer working with good banners and good directors even if it takes time, as long as it benefits me at the end of the day.

I would prefer working with good banners and good directors even if it takes time, as long as it benefits me at the end of the day.
Have you made a conscious decision to distance yourself from the media?
Not really. I have never done that. I have always been nice to the media when they have come to me. At times they write without knowing the fact. They do write certain stories which are not true but you cant jump and answer them every time, you can't be doing that all your life. So I take myself, far away from them and I give them the liberty to write what they want. Because I believe good story or bad story, nothing is going to affect your career. It cannot make you a star and cannot destroy you. So I think they are doing their job and I'm doing my job. It's a part and parcel of every celebrity's life. One has to learn to accept it and live with it.

This year is also special considering you have your first international project Karna coming up. Could you tell us a little about the film?
Yes, Karna is one of the most exciting projects that I have been a part of. I have done months of rigorous training and preparation and I'm sure its going to pay off. The best thing about the role is you see a feminine side and yet she is doing action, martial art, kick boxing etc. So this mix of my character having a real feminine side, yet kicking some butt makes her look really sexy and interesting.

In Karna my character has a real feminine side, yet kicking some butt makes her look really sexy and interesting
What is your character in the film and how did you bag this film?
I play a village girl who is born with superpowers, so the director basically wanted an Indian face who would look equally sexy as a village girl and even when she later on becomes a superwoman. So as a village girl you will see me in a look that is very earthy with really beautiful jewellery etc and at the same time she is completely in shape as the superwoman.

How was it working with an international cast and crew?
It has indeed been a great opportunity for someone like me. The people who trained me on this film are the ones who have worked with Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill series. The special effects team has done some really big Hollywood films like Ghost Rider and Matrix etc. The camera person who shot my portfolio on location of the film has worked with one of the biggest fashion magazines called Vanity Fair. So its indeed been a great learning experience for me and I am lucky to have grabbed this movie which if I may say in true Bollywood style is a solo lead film(for me)

The people who trained me on Karna are the ones who have worked with Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill series.
Who all form rest of the cast in the film?
As of now, they are in talks with some big names in Hollywood like Orlando Bloom. There are a team of 3 directors working on this film. One of them looks at the drama and dialogues, the other team which looks at the special effects is from Hong Kong and the action team has worked on some big Hollywood films. There are also 3 producers and PNC is one of the producers who have taken the charge of releasing the film in India. However, it's going to release only in English and not in Hindi.

So when is Karna going to release?
I think its going to take some time. We recently shot 4 promos and to shoot 4 promos it took us a lot of time with the special effects and the post production etc. There is a lot of detailing in the film. We have shot in very big croma studios in Hong Kong, China. Over here we at times finish 4 scenes in one day but for one scene in this film we had to travel to three different countries. That's the difference and that's why it's taking a lot of time. Even their post production will also take a lot of time. I feel either this year end or probably early next year they would release. It's almost a 130 crore project so it's huge.

One of your films which brought you into the reckoning Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena is now being released in its animated version EKEH 2.0? You played a con-girl posing as a shrink in that one….so would your role be the same?
EKEH 2.0 is going to be really cool. My character of a con-girl who poses as a psychiatrist will be much better this time around. I don't know many details yet but the director told me that my character (Natasha) would be the biggest surprise of the film. As of now they are busy with the sketches of the animated characters and they look so very cool

The director told me that my character (Natasha) would be the biggest surprise of the film EKEH 2.0.
So what would be your input this time around apart from giving the Voice-over for the character?
Yeah apart from giving the VO, what they would be looking at is promotion. I am not sure as to how they are going to plan the promotion of the film but I would do my bit in promoting EKEH 2.0.

Will the animated movie also have songs and music which featured in the original film, considering the music of Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena was quite a rage.
I don't know if they are planning to have songs in EKEH 2.0. However, I wish they have the boxing song ('Saara Jahan'). That is my favorite song in the film and I am sure it will look all the more cute now (laughs)

You recently were seen sizzling on the cover of Gladrags magazine in its January issue this year…You sure seemed at ease even wearing the bikini…So what is your fashion mantra like and are you a fussy dresser?
I am not a fussy dresser. I experiment a lot with my dresses. At times, I'm in a mood to wear track pants, a cap, torn jeans , sneakers, so I wear that and at times I prefer wearing a simple kurti with denims. For special occasions like award functions, I would love to wear a Saree. In dresses, my favorite colors are Black, Red and White. I don't really follow any fashion trends. I am fond of cool and comfortable clothes which suit my style.

In this day and age when stars really need to be fit as a fiddle, you are among the trendsetters…. So what is the secret to your fab figure?
Its sheer hard work and people can call it crash dieting and starving or whatever but I would want them to go and try out if those methods work. If you want to make your body look good, nothing can work better than hard work. You have to be in the Gym and you need to understand what form of work-out your body likes. It could be plain cardio or it could be kick-boxing or it could be even a dance form like Salsa. As long as you are putting in the effort and enjoying what you are doing, the results will show. I personally prefer weight-training and I like it when people compliment me for my body. It gives me that push to work out harder.

I personally prefer weight-training and I like it when people compliment me for my body. It gives me that push to work out even harder.
In B-town, the popular saying goes that two actresses can never be friends; Yet your friendship with Tanushree Dutta is quite the talk of the town….How did the two of you connect?
I think at times when we lose something, we gain something. Tanushree and Riya were best friends. I didn't know Tanu at that time. I was good friends with Riya during Apna Sapna Money Money. However, Tanu and Riya had a fall out and then for some stupid reason Riya and me had a fall out. It was then that I started to know Tanushree. I found her to be a very strong girl. We were traveling for quite a few shows together and since we are both Bongs, we kinda connected.

So do you girls have the same likes and dislikes?
No (laughs) as a matter of fact we realized that we are two completely different people. We don't think alike, we don't do similar things; we are absolutely two opposites which makes it all the more interesting. Even if the two of us are put in a situation and asked to react, we would have totally different point of view.

Do you discuss work with each other?
We hardly discuss work. There are lots of interesting things to talk about. She is somebody who is very well read and has a lot of knowledge and even I like to pick up and learn interesting new things. Moreover, we both are single, so we can sit and discuss a lot about men. Again her choice of men and her take on relationships is completely different from mine. So it's a lot of fun

Apart from Tanu who are you other friends in the industry?
I do have a very good relation with all the producers, directors and actors whom I have worked with. From Sanju to Ritesh, all of them have been really nice whenever we bump into each other.

Tanushree's choice of men and her take on relationships is completely different from mine. So it's a lot of fun
Bong babes continue to rule Bollywood…How does it feel?
It feels great. I think there are 14 of us now (laughs) and people always have so many expectations from us, so living up to that is a real challenge. But I love it.

What surprises are in store for all Koena fans?
There will be many. Sometimes surprises come all of a sudden in the middle of the night and it is really exciting. You have to take life as it comes. For me, each and every thing that I am doing is exciting but I hope that my fans will like the work that I do this year.

Any message to your fans at Bollywood Hungama.
Till date I have got great support from my fans. They have shown a lot of warmth whenever I have interacted with them or met them. At times, they have even surprised me with the smallest of things. Every year you grow and your fans grow, so I hope I continue getting the same love and support from my fans.

Together for the third time

2008-05-10T06:04:00.001-07:00

Actor-director Kabir Sadanand is ready to strike back! His directorial debut, POPCORN KHAO MAST HO JAO, went unnoticed at the box-office, but Kabir didn't lose hope. “I didn't want to repeat the same mistakes. I wanted to be doubly sure of my new script before I announced my next film,” Kabir states.

The actor/director has teamed Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia for his next project. “It's a slice of life film,” he states, “It's a love story essentially. We plan to begin shooting by the end of this month.” Nikhil Panchamiya, who had produced DIL MAANGE MORE and ANTHONY KAUN HAI, will produce this project. The makers have also signed Rehan Khan and Shifaali Shah for pivotal roles.

This is the third time Nana and Dimple have been teamed in a film, after PRAHAAR and KRANTIVEER.

August is crucial

2008-05-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

August is a crucial month and those who've films confirmed this month are hoping that their great run continues. The Akshay Kumar starrer SINGH IS KINNG, slated for release on 8 August, is carrying excellent reports and has been sold for a record price to Studio 18, who, in turn, have sold various territories for astronomical prices. Akshay is expecting SINGH IS KINNG to cement his status as a superstar.

Abhishek Bachchan is keeping his fingers crossed for DRONA, which arrives on 15 August. Reportedly, Sunil Lulla of Eros, who holds the global rights, saw the rushes of the film recently and couldn't stop raving about the film as also Abhishek's performance in it. '”DRONA will be a huge hit. Abhishek is simply outstanding,” Sunil informs me. Such glowing words from a seasoned player like Sunil Lulla means a lot.

It's an acid test for Ranbir Kapoor, whose BACHNA AE HASEENO also arrives on 15 August. After the disaster called SAAWARIYA, Ranbir is hoping that he finally sees a hit. The question on everyone's lips is, will Ranbir deliver? Or will he be a one-film wonder?

Aamir Khan's nephew Imran is also keeping his fingers crossed, what with KIDNAP releasing on 22 August. Incidentally, KIDNAP also happens to be Sanjay Gadhvi's first film outside Yash Raj. Farhan Akhtar too is hoping that his acting debut, ROCK ON, rocks the box-office. The film is confirmed for release on 29 August.

Kareena Kapoor takes some 'Time Out'

2008-05-10T05:58:00.001-07:00

An Englishman once said to his beloved that "I love you not because you are beautiful, you are beautiful because I Love you." We are sure of the fact that if the same man must have seen the sizzling Kareena Kapoor on the cover of the latest edition of the leading magazine Time Out Mumbai, his mind would have simply stop functioning before even coming up with such words. Because of the only reason the name Kareena is good enough for someone to fall in love with instantly!

Kareena Kapoor Videos | Saif Ali Khan

Well, we are indeed talking about the ever-so-sizzling diva of good looks and romance Kareena Kapoor, in (one of her vivacious best) gracing the magazine cover. Needless to say that the cover itself is so inviting that you will curse yourself for having not got a copy of the same!

What's so special about this interview is that Kareena speaking about her childhood days with sister Karisma, how they used to travel by school bus and local trains. Their mother Babita's single handed upbringing, and even about Saif that he has to come to meet her as she is too shoestring tied about time. We do not blame you for that, Kareena. Everyone wants to have a little of your Tashan in their lives.

One last piece of advice to the Englishman to please rephrase his words as the following: "Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for Beauty is God's Handwriting."

Aishwarya enters the good book of Ramu

2008-05-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

Ram Gopal Varma doesn't know who Rebecca Mark is or what Enron is. Rebbeca had resigned from Enron in 2000 after a series of failed infrastructure investments that eventually cost the company more than $2 billion.

Enron's Dabhol project in Maharashtra was the centre of a major controversy and grabbed headlines.

In a chat with Ramu we catch up on what Rebecca Mark means to Ramu and why Ash stunned the filmmaker:

The buzz is that Aishwarya's character in Sarkar Raj is based on Rebecca Mark of Enron.

I have no idea what Enron is. I thought it made pens, because my knowledge of such things is limited. I have no idea what Rebbeca was doing.

Just because Rebecca is a woman in some project it's simpler to put her as some character in Sarkar Raj. In the film we are dealing with a family that deals with politics and rules the state.

Obviously there are going to be strong references to issues that the government deals with like industries, projects, slums - so whatever it is there is bond to be some reference there.

The story is fictional and has nothing to do with anything happening now or what has happened before.

Among the three Bachchans who is the best in the film?
I take both Amitabh and Abhishek for granted so for me, Aishwarya came as a complete shock. I never thought she was a good or bad actress. Her beauty comes so much in the forefront that you don't tend to see beyond it.

I needed someone with her looks for the role and I was sure I could make her act. But I was completely taken aback when I saw her on the sets. She completely fit into the rugged, raw realism of the character, almost like a fish takes to water. I am personally most impressed with her.

Sarkar was based on Godfather. Is SR based on Godfather 2?
No. Sarkar Raj has got nothing to do with Godfather 2. The original Sarkar was definitely influenced by Godfather. Sarkar Raj is about how a man like that, over a period of time, becomes part of so many complex situations.

It's also about incidents that happen and how he deals with them. I would call it the further adventures of the Nagre family. It's like watching an Ekta Kapoor serial where you don't compare episodes - once you get hooked on to the characters you flow with them. The scale of SR is much larger and not so simplistic as the first plot.

Are you nervous about Sarkar Raj?
I never get nervous or excited about any film that I make. My job as a filmmaker is to do it the best way I can. If you keep being sensitive to what all everyone's saying, then it's very difficult to survive or exist. The moment the mixing of the film is over, I don't think about that film - no matter what!

Deadly trio of Bollywood return for good

2008-05-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

Priyadarshan, Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal had quite some fun working together in Hungama and Hulchul. And though Paresh Rawal continued to be in the scheme of things for Priyadarshan (Bhagam Bhag, Bhool Bhulaiyaa), there was a little gap before Akshaye returned to have some more 'masti' to his name. Come June and the trio would be setting the house on fire with Mere Baap Pehle Aap which is already creating some curiosity, courtesy with it's catchy title.

Why a title like Mere Baap Pehle Aap?

Says our source connected to the film, "The film is about this bachelor boy, played by Akshaye Khanna, who loves his widower father (Paresh Rawal) to such an extent that he wants him to get married again. Such is the relationship he shares with his father that he wants the latter to get married even before he himself finds his lady love. Hence the call of 'mere baap pehle aap'."

She adds, "In spite of an age difference between the two, they had an amazing comfort level working with each other. Complimenting each other on their scenes together, they ensured that Mere Baap Pehle Aap was an experience worth remembering. You would agree after watching the film that the camaraderie they share is simply phenomenal."

There are also talks about Om Puri doing an item song in the film. How much of that is true? "Yes, Om ji has donned gone all out in making sure that his item number stands out. In any case, whenever he has come together with Priyan, there is an extra zing in his performance. Remember Hera Pheri and Malamaal weekly? Even though it is not the first time that Om ji has done an item number (he had put his dancing shoes on for King of bollywood), the one that he has done for Mere Baap Pehle Aap would be remembered for quite some time."

Coming back to the lead protagonists of the film, audience is expecting nothing but the best considering Priyadarshan, Akshaye and Paresh are coming together after a hiatus. Giving a vote of approval, the source says, "Audience can be rest assured that they would have all the fun the moment film's screening begins. The camaraderie shared by Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal is phenomenal. Their relationship is so real and yet it brings on so much laughs."

Exclusive: Sarkar Raj Movie Preview

2008-05-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

“Power cannot be given…it has to be taken,” says the punchline of Ram Gopal Varma’s film ‘Sarkar Raj’.

The movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in leading roles.
Don’t miss the film’s slideshow (story in pictures) at Sarkar Raj .

While Sarkar was inspired from Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Godfather’, ‘Sarkar Raj’ has nothing to do with ‘Godfather 2’. It also does not take off from where ‘Sarkar’ ended. In Ram Gopal Varma ’s words, ‘Sarkar Raj’ is about a new episode, full of political adventure, in the life of the Nagre family.

Characters:

Amitabh Bachchan as Sarkar
Big B plays Sarkar or Subhash Nagre, whom the people regard as their messiah. Having come up the hard way, he knows the pulse of his people and does what he thinks is best for them…law and system be damned.

Abhishek Bachchan as Shankar Nagre
Shankar is a management graduate from the US. He has been helping his father (Sarkar) in his services to the people. He is shown in the film as a sophisticated individual with leadership skills in politics. He desires to bring business and prosperity to his land and the common people.

Aishwarya Rai as Anita Rajan
Anita is an aggressive and highly ambitious business woman from London. She will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She unwittingly unleashes a vicious war between the forces of tradition and progress.

Synopsis:

The film is an intense political drama and is essentially a study of power. It explores the politics of development and takes a fresh look at the tradition versus modernity debate.

When Anita Rajan (Aishwarya Rai), CEO of Sheppard Power Plant, an international company, brings a power plant proposal to set up in rural Maharashtra before the Nagres, an insightful Shankar (Abhishek Bachchan) is quick to realize the benefits the power plant can bring to the people.

After convincing Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan), who is against it for various reasons, Shankar undertakes a journey along with Anita to the villages of Maharashtra to mobilize support from the masses.

However, things are not what they seem to be and Shankar’s dream project gradually becomes a political minefield.

It is against this backdrop, evil forces mightier than ever, gang up together to bring down the regime of Sarkar and obliterate Sarkar’s name from political horizon.

‘Sarkar Raj’ is Ash and Abhi’s first film together after their marriage last year. Incidentally, the film’s first look was unveiled on April 20, 2008, which was also their first wedding anniversary.

Interestingly, Ash and Abhi are ideologically pitted against each other in the film. He believes in making money for the people. While Aishwarya’s character believes in making money from the people.

‘Sarkar Raj’ is produced by Praveen Nishcol and Ram Gopal Varma. The film’s story is written by Prashant Pandey and its music is by Bappi-Tutul. The background music is by Amar Mohile.

‘Sarkar Raj’ is set to release in June, 2008.

"Sikander Has To Work Hard " – Aishwarya Bachchan

2008-04-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

It is a known fact that the Bachchans and the Khers have a very cordial bonding and that the young blood of both families, Abhishek and Sikandar are thick friends. Knowing all this, it certainly was no surprise that the 'Bahu' of Bachchan household, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan took centre stage at the party organized to celebrate the debut of Sikandar in Bollywood with 'Summer 2007'..

She took it upon herself to introduce the new star-son to the media gathered at the party and in total 'Filmy Ishtyle', the talent of tomorrow Sikandar came into the limelight amidst a dark patch of smokeVeteran directors, Sudhir Mishra and Satish Kaushik were also present to wish Sikandar the best of luck for his future endeavors.

All eyes were on the promo stills shown in the party wherein glimpses of Sikandar's acting talent came to the fore. Talking of Sikandar, the gorgeous actress remarked, "I know Sikku as a person since a long time, but I really felt nice to see him as an actor, he is full of energy. It was good to see that he has been successful in transforming the same kind of energy in his reel life too".

Narrating her first experience with Sikandar on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, Ash says, "Sikku was employed as Sanjay's assistant director in Devdas. I felt him to be a hard working, clean hearted and sincere guy. But the day I started knowing him personally, I realized that along with all these qualities he is professional too".

As the Kher family pins their hopes on Sikandar, it is no different for the Bachchans as well. Talking on behalf of them, Ash opines, "I am happy to find Sikku entering the world of Bollywood. But now onwards he would have to really work much harder to earn the fame". The Diva giving out Abhishek's part of the speech too said, "Abhishek has even told Sikku that he would stand alongside him so that he doesn't have to face the problems which a newcomer does in this industry. Sikku has got acting in his blood as his parents Anupam and Kiran are proven versatile actors". Stating the reason for the conspicuous absence of the rest of the Bachchan family, Ash said that they were busy with prior commitments and were not able to be here at the function.

May the Grace of his parents and the Bachchan household make Sikandar the true 'Sikandar of Bollywood'!!

SRK and Hrithik give their best shot for Krazzy 4 title track

2008-04-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Krazzy 4 is certainly turning out to be a full package of entertainment with the right dose of comedy and sizzling numbers in it! Soon after Rakesh Roshan roped in the King Khan for a sizzling item number in the film, it's now the turn of 'Daddy's Son', Hrithik Roshan to groove on the same item number.

Well, a record in the making as the film will have item numbers from not one, but two big superstars and what more does the audience need? They even have an item number from the sexy seductress, Rakhi Sawant. As Hrithik shakes his legs on the same title track 'Breakfree', the promos of his sensational moves to the song will start airing this week.

Says Jaideep Sen, the Director of the film, "It was a delight to direct SRK and I must say the song is getting popular day by day. Hrithik's song is on the same tune but there is a slight change in lyrics. He has danced brilliantly as usual and it shows!!…I am very lucky that two mega stars have danced to my title song for my debut film…. Also Rakhi Sawant's song is for the masses as she has a certain amount of class and is famous through her item songs. It was a great working experience with her as well!"

Krazzy 4 stars Arshad Warsi, Rajpal Yadav, Irrfan Khan and Suresh Menon along with Juhi Chawla. Releasing on April 11, 2008, it is directed by debutant Jaideep Sen and produced by Rakesh Roshan under his banner FilmKraft.

Saif Hits the Bull's Eye!!!

2008-04-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Saif Ali Khan, the fourth Khan in the list has finally arrived!! The macho man and Style Icon Saif has made it big in Bollywood with 'Race' and this probably has put the icing on the cake when it comes to the actor's long list of projects where he has time and again proved his versatility and that he is second to none! Name it and the actor has done it!! Whether it is the intense character in Ek Haseena Thi, the funny and adorable guy in Dil Chahta Hai, the angry man in Omkara, the confused character in Being Cyrus, the insecure lover in Parineeta, Saif has excelled in all the roles and this indeed speaks volumes for the actor's talent!

Noted trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, "The industry has always spoken of the three Khans when it spoke of star power — Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman. Then Hrithik Roshan made it to the premium list and also Akshay Kumar. These five actors called the shots, commanded the best fee, while their films fetched incredible prices. Post RACE, Saif Ali Khan has joined the club".

Saif's talent has been accepted and acknowledged post his sparkling performances in earlier films, but Race has cemented his position as a star with tremendous following. According to Taran Adarsh, "Saif is the perfect combination of a stylish star and a versatile actor and has worked with the most diverse set of directors like Sriram Raghvan, to Kunal Kohli to Farhan Akhtar, Pradeep Sarkar to Homi Adajania to Abbas- Mustan".

Well, talking about the power-packed response that 'Race' has garnered, business reports have it that Race has captured a whopping Rs. 22 cr in just three days coming close to Om Shanti Om that had opened to that kind of massive collection. Further, Race is expected to garner 35-40 crore nett by this weekend.

Saif Ali Khan is now geared up for more action as the actor has a series of big banner films awaiting him. The actor who has recently launched his production brand, Illumnati Films has been roped in by A-grade directors, Shriram Raghvan, Imtiaz Ali and Homi Adjania for their next ventures. . In fact Raghvan will soon embark on Agent Vinod that has Saif in the lead. Plus there's Karan Johar's untitled venture with Kareena.

Well, there's surely no stopping for Saif, as he aims to go higher and higher..

Start your Summer with 'Summer 2007'

2008-04-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

Get ready this summer for the debut of yet another actor-son, Sikandar. Yes, we are talking of the much-talked film Summer 2007 which ironically releases in the year 2008.

The film will see Sikandar, the son of Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher stepping into the shoes of an actor for the first time! Giving him company are sensational actress Gul Panag and the girl from Television, who charmed all hearts with her small performance opposite the King Khan in OSO, Uvika Choudhury.

The story of the film revolves round five medical students from a capitation fee college in India to whom, Xbox and Formula One racing means life. Well, as they say, All's in the Game, and a game costs them very dearly and as an outcome, they land up in one of the most deprived villages in Maharashtra. Their rural posting turns into a soul searching journey where they are forced to confront their own apathy, their own fears and their strange complicity in the circumstances of the village.

Before they can run from there, they get sucked into the whirlpool of counter currents. Each of the five undergoes different kinds of catharsis and in the end, have to make a choice. Do they leave the mess just as they had found it and get away from there…or do they choose to get involved?

Wait on, as the summer will begin with Summer 2007 in May.

Wedding talk upsets Shilpa Shetty

2008-04-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Shilpa Shetty is shocked to hear that she is married. A report on a website has published a picture of Shilpa’s visit to the Shirdi’s Sai Baba Temple this week along with her family and boyfriend Raj Kundra, thus raising speculation that the actress has secretly married him.

This is what Shilpa’s spokesperson had to say when contacted, "It is not true. Apart from misreporting, the piece is accompanied by dirty and derogatory comments by various surfers on a discussion board below the write-up, adding insult to injury for Shilpa. Many of these comments are lewd and bring shame to our culture. It is surprising how a respectable website has allowed such vulgar comments to be put up without scrutinising them."

Seeking an apology from the website, the publicist has already intimated the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell and added that Shilpa may file a case for defamation if prompt action is not taken by the website.

Ash-Abhi planning to start family!

2008-04-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Every time Abhishek Bachchan and wife Aishwarya Bachchan visit a temple, rumours of them starting a family erupts. It was earlier reported that the couple were expecting twins but it was not true. Once again, speculations are on that they must be planning to start family early next year.

The grapevine is abuzz with the news that Abhi-Ash are looking forward to start a family by March next year. It seems Ash has even told the makers of superstar Rajinikanth's Robot to complete its shooting by March 2009. It is said that she had even told the producer of the film to consider another actress in case the shooting of the film is not completed within the scheduled period.

Well, it's time for the couple to start a family.

Deepika - Ranbir get intimate in public

2008-04-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Expect anything from lovebirds Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone because they are madly in love. They were caught exchanging sweet nothings at the recent Filmfare award function and later declared that they were in love. The latest we hear is that they were walking together holding hands on the streets near Bandra restaurant.

The couple are slowly coming out of the cocoon. They handle limelight and media hype quite well though they are young. In fact, they seem to enjoy the attention. And they have proved that they make a cool couple by appearing in public with their hands clutched tight.

Watch out for more from this hot couple!

Katrina Kaif gets 'Hotter' by the day!!

2008-04-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif, the only actress to have achieved four back to back successes last year in Namastey London, Apne, Partner and Welcome has surely started 2008 with a bang!! The actress is going steady in her 'Race' and the two hot and sexy numbers 'Touch Me' and 'Sexy Lady' in Abbas Mustan's film 'Race' has already caught the attention of public. The songs have now topped the music charts and Katrina is surely in the reckoning for bigger achievements now!

Abbas-Mustan, having decided to cash on to the success that the pair, Saif-Katrina have got, have added another happening number in the film and the song now finds a place in the audio tracks too.

To add on to everything, Katrina's Rs 6 cr deal with Studio 18 has generated interest amongst other A-list production houses who want to crack a similar contract with her.

Well, well, Katrina is surely going places now!!!

Sophie replaces Arora sisters in the item number of 'Kidnap'…

2008-04-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

The news of seeing the sexy sisters, Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora together in an item song has now bit the dust as the duo have been replaced by the gorgeous Sophie Choudhry. Yes, we are speaking of Sanjay Gadhvi's film, 'Kidnap'.

A very delighted Sophie acclaims, "Sanjay Gadhvi and I have been good friends! He had spoken to me about this song three weeks ago. I usually have refrained from doing item numbers, but I could not say no to this one asit was for a crucial part of the film. The song appears during the pre-climax of the film. It is great being a part of a film in such a big way. Also it involved Sanjay Dutt and I'd do anything for a respected and adored actor like him".

Sanjay Gadhvi who was earlier keen on casting the Arora sisters for the item number now says, "The personality that Sophie has is in sync with the look and the song. I could not have wanted anybody else for this number".

Sophie who had won all hearts for her number in Pyaar Ke Side Effects adds on, "I am doing the song now and that is a fact! I am not aware whether Malaika and Amrita were to do it. I was not in country when the news that Malaika and Amrita were to do the number splashed out in the media. I don't even care about it."

Shilpa Shetty, the true 'Beauty with Brains'

2008-04-12T08:10:00.001-07:00

The graceful Diva, Shilpa Shetty is surely on a mission, as she enrolled herself in the 'Dove Self-Esteem Fund' campaign this week in UK to raise the self-esteem of youngsters all over the world.

The actress took the first initiative as she joined an educational workshop called BodyTalk at Sebright Primary School in London and as she delivered a personality development lecture to the youngsters there, she says, "There have been moments in my career where I have struggled with self-esteem, so I'm really pleased to be doing this workshop. As a person in the public eye, I understand the important role I can play in making a difference to the way young people feel about themselves".

A very popular personality in UK, following her success at 'Big Brother', the actress used her intellect in the right direction and inspired the future generation to move ahead and face the world.

Deepika Padukone is madly in love

2008-04-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Bollywood's latest sensation Deepika Padukone is madly in love. She was overheard whispering 'I love you' to her boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor at the recent Filmfare Awards function. Once again, she was heard whispering this three-word-sentence to Ranbir at an airport.

The news is doing the rounds that the lovebirds had a long chat while Deepika was waiting for the plane to take off. It is said that they expressed their love over the phone. Then Ranbir picked her up at the airport and zoomed off. The couple are in Goa to attend a wedding party.

Well, Deepika and Ranbir are having good time in Goa. Give the couple a chance!

Hrithik has no words to thank Shahrukh

2008-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Shahrukh Khan went out of his way to accommodate the Roshans by shooting an item song for their production Krazzy 4, and Hrithik can't thank the busy Khan enough. "I'm doing the song for my own home production. But Shah has gone out of his way to accommodate the project because he respects dad. His gesture has touched all of us. It's very kind of him. He doesn't need to dance."

Hrithik can't stop raving about the item song. "It's the best dance track I've ever performed. My uncle Rajesh Roshan has outdone himself. And Vishal Dadlani who has sung the number has also been extremely gracious. He didn't accept the cheque that my dad gave him after the song. He did it for my dad and uncle. As a family we Roshans are overwhelmed by the respect that has been shown by everyone associated with the item song."

Tell him it's because of the respect his dad's banner commands and Hrithik corrects me. "No I think it's more to do with the kind of person my father is. If he wasn't the person he is, Shahrukh, Vishal and everyone else wouldn't have gone out of their way to accommodate us, no matter how successful we may be. I think my dad has earned the respect he gets. He doesn't command it."

Hrithik further informs, "Shahrukh's version of the song will be part of the main movie, while mine will be used in the end titles, also on MTV, Channel V and other promotional campaigns for television."

The triumphant Jodhaa Akbar behind him Hrithik is now looking forward to starting his next film with Anurag Basu. "That's one film I'm really looking forward to. I'm a big fan of Anurag's cinema. I think he's a very sensitive director. He's really going to be doing something different with me. I can't say much about the subject. But it will be a different experience for me, though something right up his alley."

The industry was abuzz about Sonam Kapoor being Hrithik's leading lady in Anurag's film. "Both Dad and I think Sonam is wonderful. But she was never considered for Anurag's film. The role requires someone from abroad. So yeah, I'll have an international co-star in Anurag's film."

Hrithik and Aishwarya looked pretty international in Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa-Akbar. "I can't dispute that. It's so true. Ash and I share a fabulous rapport. It's always fun to work with a co-star who isn't selfish. We both gave so much of ourselves to Jodhaa Akbar. Aishwarya has been one of my most helpful co-stars. I really cherish working with her. She is an incredible actor and an even better co-star. And since all three of us-Abhishek, Aishwarya and I-are friends; we've great fun even when not shooting."

Hrithik craves for the perfect chemistry with his co-star. "I don't think it's possible for me to give my best if my co-star isn't doing the same. I try to surround myself with like-minded people. And I think I've found the right people operating at my frequency to work it, be it Ashutosh Gowarikar, Sanjay Gadhvi, Aditya Chopra or my dad. I'm fortunate, I guess."

Aamir Khan just a call away

2008-04-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Samsung telecommunications India (STI), a design and technology leader in the Indian mobile market, today, announced the appointment of actor Aamir Khan as its brand ambassador for Samsung mobile phones in India.

Announcing Aamir Khan as Samsung's ambassador for mobile phones, stated Mr. H. B. Lee, president & CEO, Samsung southwest Asia headquarters, "The Samsung brand stands for qualities of innovation, change, discovery, self-expression, and excellence in performance. And these very same qualities are epitomized by Aamir Khan, whose quality and depth of work as well as versatility as an actor, have made him a much loved and respected actor in India today. We are indeed very proud and privileged to have him as our brand ambassador."

The company plans to leverage Aamir in its brand advertising as well as product advertising for mobile phones. In sync with its thrust on introducing innovative products, Samsung today announced its new brand positioning for Samsung mobiles, which is reflected in its new, spunky, tagline - 'next is what ?' being used in all its communication material for mobiles .

Living up to its promise of 'next is what?', Samsung today announced the launch of five new, sleek and stylish Samsung mobile phones that exemplify cutting edge technology and design innovation. The new handset range targets consumers across the multimedia (imaging and music), business lifestyle, and popular segments.

Akshay Kumar plays a Hollywood stuntman

2008-04-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

It looks like Akshay Kumar is hell-bent on making 2008-09 his year of action films. In maverick producer Sajid Nadiadwala's Kambhakth Ishq, he plays a Hollywood stuntman. "This would be the first Indian film to be shot within Universal Studios. We've got the permission not only to shoot within Universal Studios, but also to use their logo. Akshay Kumar plays a stuntman from Universal Studios. The film will also have some big Hollywood icons making their appearance in the film. We're working out the legal aspects," informs Sajid.

The entire film is to be shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles. "It'll also star 12-15 leading actors from Hollywood in various parts. It's a candyfloss, 'safe' film. We had to bring in an extra gloss in the backdrop. That's why Hollywood. When I produced Mujhse Shaadi Karogi it was the first beach film in Bollywood. After that, we had dozens of beach films in Hindi. Likewise, my Jaan-e-Mann was the first romantic-comedy with visual effects. While making full-on commercial films we need to change the backdrop." Sajid agrees shooting Kambhakth Ishq in Hollywood won't be an easy task. "It will be expensive, yes. We'll have 40-50 crew members flying to LA. We're thinking of chartering a flight from Mumbai. It'll be more economical. Or maybe we should just buy a jet," he jokes. This is Sajid's most ambitious film to date with a budget of Rs. 60 crores. Kareena Kapoor plays a brand model.

Why a new director for such a lavish film? "Sabir Khan has grown up in front of me. He assisted in my production Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. He's very hardworking. And if you're suggesting that I should've first let Sabir make a smaller film then let me say, I don't make small films. I've dreamt 70mm dreams from before that format was invented." Sajid has been signing many new directors. "After a lot of introspection, my company has decided that we need to continue making commercial films but with a little deviation. That's where my three new directors Sabir Khan, Siddharth Anand and Imtiaz Ali come in. They have the discipline of commercial cinema and the ability to take cinema further. Siddharth's film (which will probably star Saif Ali Khan and Ranbir Kapoor) isn't the routine candy floss film. We start at the end of 2008. Siddharth wants to do something different. So do I.. It's a film set against Mumbai. It isn't a dark film. But not frothy either."

Imtiaz Ali will first direct a film for Saif's production house. "After that in March-April 2009, Imtiaz will make a film for me. I think his forte is romance. We'll go by that. Though I'd like to take a little risk with the successful directors." Pushing the envelope isn't seen as a healthy trend in some quarters of Bollywood, if we go by the opposition to Ashutosh Gowarikar"s Jodhaa Akbar. "No," Sajid protests. "I think Jodhaa Akbar was commercially viable from the start. Not a single critic questioned Ashutosh for making the film. The promos weren't that good. But in 5-6 places in the film we stood up and clapped." Siddharth will direct for Sajid this year and Imtiaz Ali comes in next year. How does Sajid pick his directors? "I don't look at the directors' success graph. In 2006, I gave a break to Shirish Kunder (in Jaan-e-Mann) when he was a film editor. In 2008, I took on Sajid Khan who had no background in movies. In fact, he was a stand-up comedian and a critic. To put a commercial 45-crore project on his shoulders needed some guts and vision. Though Jaan-e-Mann didn't do well I'm proud of it. My biggest blunder was to release it alongside another big commercial film Don. It was one of the biggest blunders of my career. I failed with my release strategy. I take full responsibility. Lagaan and Gadar - Ek Prem Katha had done well on the same Friday. But two films with over a 1000 prints each was wrong. The economics were wrong. Eventually, many people saw Jaan-e-Mann on satellite television and loved it."

Why isn't Kunder making his second film with Sajid? "He needs to start his own production house. Maybe he feels producers become a hurdle because they bring in a business factor. I don't know why bringing the topic of commerce into cinema is considered cheesy. The minute you talk commerce to a filmmaker he falls back on creativity," Sajid says with uncharacteristic sarcasm. He then grows retrospective. "This is my 54th year in the industry. I must've inherited the filmy genes from my father. I do feel alone. I wish I had a sibling or a partner. My son is just a child. Yes, I've a first-cousin Feroz Nadiadwala who's also a very successful producer. I did work with him for two years. But we chose to work separately."

Why not direct his own film? "I do a lot of homework on all the scripts that I produce. But I'm too sensitive and shy to instruct a hundred people on the set. I won't be able to shoot with an actor I don't like. I'm an escapist in real life. Maybe I can direct a good escapist entertainer."

Saif too old for Kareena thinks mom

2008-04-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Saif and Kareena may be the hottest couple in the tinsel town but there relationship is not approved at home, by none other than Kareena's mom Babita. The actress of the yesteryears is not to happy with her daughter's choice as she feels at 37 Saif is just too old for her daughter. Babita is however friendly with Saif and has never shown her displeasure towards him in the couple of meetings that they have had.

Babita is also not happy with the fact that Saif has two grown up children from his previous marriage with Amrita Singh. Sources close to the family say that like any normal mother Babita does not want her daughter to get married to a father of two. She uses every opportunity in trying to convince Bebo to change her mind.

Babita is often said to consult astrologers trying to find out the outcome of Kareena's relationship with Saif. Both Babita and Kareena's father Randhir approved of her relationship with ex-beau Shahid Kapoor. They liked him and he had become very close to her parents. Kareena however is hopeful that her mom will eventually accept her relationship with Chhote Nawab.