Bollywood gossips - News - Movie reviews and lots of fun...

Salman Khan proposes KATRINA KAIF

2008-07-18T10:42:00.001-07:00

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif to marry?

One of Bollywood's most eligible bachelors, for over 2 decades, could soon tie the knot with his gorgeous girlfriend Katrina Kaif.
Katrina turned 24 on 16th August and to celebrate her birthday, Salman Khan threw a huge party which was attended by the biggest names from the film industry - Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Aamir Khan, Imraan Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. Katrina's mother and sister were also a part of the show.
During the bash Salman went down on his knee's and proposed to Katrina, while the Mujshe Shaadi Karogi song from one of Salman's films was playing in the background. Katrina was shocked beyond words.
"She didn't know how to react with Salman's gesture" says a source who attended the party.
But Salman on his blog declared "There is a saying, 'Shaadi woh ladoo hai jho khaye woh bhi pachtaye jo naa khaye woh bhi pachtaye. And I don't like sweets, so it doesnt concern me."
Wonder if Salman will ever marry? What do you guys think?

Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. IM anytime you're online.

Bollywood Gossip - Kismet Connection Vs Contract

2008-07-16T08:24:00.002-07:00

After last week's releases, which include Mehbooba and Mukhbiir, proved to be damp squibs at the box office, Bollywood trade circles have now set their eyes on Kismat Konnection and Contract that are releasing this Friday.

After the poor performances of Good Luck and Rituparno Ghosh's Khela as well, both the new movies are worth looking forward to because two fine directors, Aziz Mirza and Ram Gopal Varma, are at the helm.

While Mirza is known for making light-hearted romantic fare, Varma scores when he makes gangster movies dealing with subjects related to the underworld.

As Mirza has returned to direction after five years - his last directorial venture was "Chalte Chalte" - so has Varma visited a gangster movie to direct after six years since "Company" in 2002.

Kismat Konnection has generated a lot of expectations also because this is Shahid Kapur's second release after last year's hit Jab We Met, in which he was paired with his ex-love Kareena Kapoor.

Will his kismat (luck) stays with him through the release of Kismat Konnection, sans Kareena? For Shahid-Kareena made a fantastic pair in Jab We Met. Will his pairing with Vidya Balan in Kismat Konnection work equally well for the both?

"Comparison is uncalled-for, because both Jab We Met and Kismat Konnection have approached romance in different ways. All three are good artists, but there are roles in which some fit and others do not. Vidya fits in the role of Priya she has done in my film," said Mirza.

The other attractions of the movie are the boisterous presence of Juhi Chawla and the voiceover given by Shah Rukh Khan.

Contract, on the other hand, has no stars to boast of other than the director himself. Newcomer Adhvik Mahajan is playing the main lead in it.

Since Varma finds himself in his element when he directs gangster films, Contract is expected to be a hard-hitting movie like his previous hits - Satya and Company.

But, according to Varma, Contract is not exactly a gangster movie. It is mainly about the underworld's links with terrorism told through a terrorist who is well aware of the gangland activities.

After the lukewarm response to Sarkar Raj, will non-star-cast Contract succeed at the box office?

"Since it is a theme-based film, it will be a slow-starter, but eventually may do well through word-of-mouth publicity," said a trade analyst.

Some distributors of Contract reportedly, had suggested Varma to defer the release till August in order not to avoid clash with Kismat Konnection. But he refused to oblige them, reasoning that the two are diametrically opposite movies.

Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. IM anytime you're online.

Bollywood Gossip - Another reality show gone wrong

2008-07-16T08:24:00.001-07:00

Fear factor Khatron ke Khiladi turned really dangerous in this Madhya Pradesh city when a 22-year-old participant fainted under water during the thrill-packed game.

He is now struggling for life in a hospital, police said on Monday.

Anzar, a resident of Sagar, who had come to Indore with his friends on a private visit, went to participate in the reality show, organised by the Candid Marketing Co for Colors TV channel at Treasure Island, late Saturday evening.

"Participants were supposed to remain under water in a tank (for few seconds). Anzar also did the same but he fell unconscious. When he did not came out for about 10 minutes, his friends raised an alarm," said police officer D S Baghel.

"The organisers instead of rescuing him fled the scene. Later the people witnessing the show brought him out of the tank and rushed him to a nearby private nursing home," Baghel said

The police have registered a case against Kunal, Ravi and Ajay of the Candid Marketing.

However, according to Baghel, Kunal has informed the police that no such incident occurred in their presence. The police are investigating the case.

Anzar whose lungs were filled with water is critical, said Baghel.

With Windows Live for mobile, your contacts travel with you. Connect on the go.

Aamir and Imran at Salman Khan's Dus Ka Dum

2008-07-16T08:23:00.001-07:00

Old Buddies together: Aamir Khan and Salman Khan will be seen together on screen at Salman Khan's Dus Ka Dum after a gap of 14 years.

Stay in touch when you're away with Windows Live Messenger. IM anytime you're online.

Bollywood Gossip - New man in Sonam Kapoor’s life

2008-07-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

Bollywood Gossip : Looks like Bollywood Actress 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 Dia 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.

Time for vacation? WIN what you need. Enter Now!

Bollywood Gossip - Dance with Malaika Arora Khan

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

Malaika will be judging the reality dance show titled Zara Nachke Dikha on a popular TV channel.The show will have small screen's hot gals competing with hot dudes.

With Windows Live for mobile, your contacts travel with you. Connect on the go.

Sarkar Raj Green Carpet

2008-07-07T05:53:00.001-07:00

Perfect Bollywood couple: Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan with his wife and fellow actor Aishwarya Rai at the premiere of their film Sarkar Raj in Bangkok.

Making the world a better place one message at a time. Check out the i'm Talkathon.

India’s first crorepatni - Prajyoti Samal

2008-06-22T19:55:00.001-07:00

Meet Prajyoti Samal from Bhuvaneshwar who remarks that she is quite literally from many places in India! She is the first woman to win a crore on a reality show on Indian television that too in SRK's Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain.

Born in Bhuvaneshwar, Pragjyoti has studied under many South Indian teachers, works in a software firm in Kolkata and has auditioned for Paanchvi Pass from Bhopal.

Her diverse background has helped her learn many languages which she uses in her everyday conversations and now her family and friends are quite used to it.

Pragjyoti, who is single, was one of the zillions of contestants who'd SMS to the question that flashed on the screens to gain entry to Paachvi Pass. "All contestants had to appear for a test on the phone, followed by a written test as well as camera audition rounds."

The contestant has not yet decided what she will do with the prize. The cheque will be hers after the episode airs. "It has yet to sink in… maybe after the telecast it will. As they say: I will cross the bridge when I come to it."

Samal is a big SRK fan now.

While talking to press she told, "Initially, I was nervous. But when I met him, he made me very comfortable. I felt he was a friend, who I'd met weeks ago. I never felt that I was meeting the Badshah of Bollywood. Now, I am a big fan of him and respect him even more".

We hear that Shah Rukh Khan's game show may go off air as early as by the end of July. In TRP terms the game show was never good enough for King Khan. Its TRP never went beyond 4.

Earn cashback on your purchases with Live Search - the search that pays you back! Learn More

Bollywood Gossip - Aishwarya Abhishek buy a home in Dubai

2008-06-07T12:23:00.001-07:00

Bollywood Gossip : Former Miss World and now the top Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai seems to have just bought a love nest in Dubai along with her actor husband Abhishek Bachchan.

The home seems to be under the development stage by the Sanctuary Falls Development and the estimate cost would be around 20 to 35 millions of rupees. The house is said to be fully ready for the first bollywood couple to welcome only by 2010.

Abhishek and Aishwary at Dwarkadhish Temple

Enjoy 5 GB of free, password-protected online storage. Get Windows Live SkyDrive.

Bollywood News - Big B, Ash Unveil ‘Sarkar Raj’ Game

2008-06-04T03:13:00.001-07:00

Bollywood Gossip : Amitabh Bachchan along with his actress daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attended the Mauj – 'Sarkar Raj' press meet held at the JW Marriott. Wireless solutions provider Mauj launched a mobile game on the soon to be released 'Sarkar Raj'.

Instantly invite friends from Facebook and other social networks to join you on Windows Live™ Messenger. Invite friends now!

Bollywood Gossip - Punishment SMS from Shah Rukh Khan

2008-05-23T04:25:00.001-07:00

New Delhi, May 21: The Kolkata Knight Riders owner, Shah Rukh Khan, may not attend the team's next (and last) match at home, against Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, too. He was not present at the Eden last night either.

Shah Rukh has, among other things, conveyed that to the team via an emotional, highly motivational and lengthy SMS this afternoon. He also dismissed talk of differences between him and captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Buchanan.

The team is in the capital for tomorrow's Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against the Delhi DareDevils.

The following is the SMS, forwarded to The Telegraph by a member of the Knight Riders squad:

"Story time boys... I told you if you keep losing you have to bear with my long, boring msgs.... This is your punishment.... Many times I have made movies which don't do well.... When I'm doing them, of course, I don't know they won't do well.... The story is written by somebody else and I just do my bit as an actor. But I have a way of dealing with flop stories..., I try my best to keep my character in the film at a level that it makes a failed story also special for me....

"I enjoy the work.... I make jokes about the failure.... And, of course, feel awful about it too.... So, right now, all of us have become part of a failed script... A bad IPL script.... Let's try and keep our characters worthy of still looking back at this story and remembering it as a special story becos we all worked very hard at this....

"So, chin up and don't spoil yr character in the next two games.... Let's go out with a bang and not a whimper.... In films, we say u r only as good as yr last film.... So let's make the whole world know how good we r in the last (maybe not) two games...

"Also, do ignore all this bit about Dada, me and John having issues.... It's a normal thing in the world.... People like to hit you when u r down.... So, we will be hit.... No stress.... It will make us stronger.... The only way to avoid this is to win.... That's one of the reasons why everybody likes to be a winner....

"On the other hand, the beauty of failure is that it brings people together.... So, let's stick this out together.... You know me well enuff to know I am not the kind of owner who has issues with the team 'cos of losses... I am too much of a sport myself to get beaten by defeats.... Like you guys are.... Like Dada and John....

"I am still trying to understand the code of conduct expected of me at the matches of the IPL.... ICC... Etc.... After I understand it, I will decide whether to accept it or not.... Till such time, I will be with you guys at the hotel... in the meetings etc., but won't come for the matches.... So, please don't ever feel it is anything to do with us as a team....

"I am as dedicated to my Knights as I am to my kids.... Only, I won't be coming to the class room till the headmaster's rules are understood by me.... I am a bit anti-Establishment kind of a guy, so I apologise for this quirk to u all.... So, head's up.... Have a good match and let's make 200 runs tomorrow.... This 150 seems to not work any more....

"We have nothing to lose now, except our character.... Let's not lose that.... Lov... SRK."

Bollywood Gossip - New man in Amisha Patel's life?

2008-03-15T01:33:00.002-07:00

Posted: 14 Mar 2008 03:00 PM CDT

Bollywood Gossip - Bollywood actress Amisha Patel, who recently broke off with her director-boyfriend Vikram Bhatt, was spotted with a tall, young man, rumoured to be her new boyfriend, on the first day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) here.

The Bollywood actress attended style guru Namrata Joshipura's and designer duo Gauri and Nainika Karan's show on Wednesday.

The actress, flaunting a bright orange knee-length dress, wasn't present at the WIFW for any specific designer or fashion show.

"I think all designers are equally good and I am not here for any particular designer," she said.

However, before she could complete her sentence, her new escort pulled her away.

The couple was seen cosying up during the show.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Nadiadwala takes Akshay Kumar to Hollywood

2008-03-15T01:33:00.001-07:00

Posted: 14 Mar 2008 02:20 PM CDT

Bollywood Gossip - After doing back-to-back comedies last year, it looks like Bollywood's star Akshay Kumar is hell bent on making 2008 his year of actioners.

Nadiadwala takes Akshay Kumar to Hollywood

In producer Sajid Nadiadwala's 'Kambakth Ishq', he plays a Hollywood stuntman and it will be shot in Universal Studios.

"This would be the first Indian film to be shot within Universal Studios. We've got the permission not only to shoot within the studio but also to use their logo. Akshay plays a stuntman from Universal Studios. We also had amazing superstars from Hollywood. We're working out the legal aspects," Nadiadwala said.

Apart from that, Akshay would be seen in Nikhil Advani's full on action flick 'Chandni Chowk to China'.

'Kambakth Ishq' is to be shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and the producer has roped in a new director Sabir Khan to helm the film.

"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."

Nadiadwala agrees shooting 'Kambakth Ishq' in Hollywood won't be an easy task.

"It will be expensive, yes. We'll have 40-50 crewmembers 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 joked.

This is Nadiadwala's most ambitious film to date with a budget of Rs.600 million. 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 is 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."

Recently, the producer has been signing a lot of new directors.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - I may flaunt but I'm just a Desi girl

2008-03-11T02:42:00.001-07:00

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 02:16 PM CDT

Bollywood Actress Celina Jaitley is all set to stage her grand come back with Ganesh Acharaya directed film, 'Money Hai To Honey Hai', after having disappeared from the scene for some time with her International project 'Love Has No Language'.

When I meet her for this interview at her spacious, but well decorated house in the suburbs, Celina talks in length about the film, and says that it is a story of six friends, who are strugglers in their own respective fields.

"I play a fashion designer, Shruti Pandey who has graduated from NIFT and yet struggles while trying to sell a pattern of her own to export houses", Celina quips at the outset.

The film "Money Hai To Honey Hai", Celina Jaitley states, sets out to drive home the subtle message that today's education system really sucks and how.

"It is a comical representation of today's education system and stars besides me, stars like Govinda, Aftab Shivdasani, Upen Patel, Manoj Bajpai, Ravi Kishen and Hansika Motwani. Each of us has a different background as a struggler in the film".

Yet another film with which Celina is quite excited is Subhash Ghai's 'Hello Darling' in which she plays a young catholic girl called Candy Fernandes. "Candy is a little dumb when people try to talk in double language to her.

The film dwells at length about how it is wrong on the part of people in society today to judge a woman on the basis of what she is wearing. It is a chic film and I enjoyed working with Isha Koppikar and Gul Panag", says Celina.

The actress then hastens to clarify, "Just because there are three women in Hello Darling like there were in Charlie's Angels, it does not mean that you should jump to the conclusion that Hello Darling is a rehash of Charlie's Angels".

Celina states that she can identify herself with the role in Hello Darling completely.

"People feel that I am anglicized and cannot talk in Hindi when the fact is that I am from a Hindi medium school background and very good in Sanskrit and Hindi.

I may flaunt blood costumes on the screen, but am conservative at heart and a very simple and down to earth girl who is rooted to the family".

Celina is happy that she gets to play a comic role in Golmaal Returns. "I am a young well educated girl who is doing her graduation in Microbiology.

Just as Kareena Kapoor's character is named Ekta Kapoor, my character is named Mira Nair, though it has got nothing to do with filmmaker Mira Nair. I have been teamed opposite Shreyas Talpade in the film.

The best thing about Shreyas and me is that we have very good timing to carry off the comedy scenes. I have been a great fan of Sridevi as far as comedy roles are concerned", states Celina.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Lara Dutta sheds her inhibitions

2008-03-11T02:39:00.001-07:00

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 02:28 PM CDT

Bollywood Gossip - Model turned Actress Lara Dutta is on a fast track now. There's a new determination in her to overcome her inhibitions, whatever they might be worth.

While she prepares to do her first ever avant-garde film Devdas with Sudhir Mishra where she intends to change her entire image and get-up to play a modern-day Paro, in a new sporty film entitled Blue Lara has gone several steps further.

She has actually managed to overcome her fear of the underwater to do some serious scuba-diving with the ever-sporty Akshay.

For years now Lara has been petried of taking the plunge. Akshay urged her to not only accept a film that needed her to go against her ingrained fears, but also helped her out of the dive-despair.

Laughing throatily Lara admits she has gotten over a lifelong fear. "But I can't speak about what it is. Yes, Akshay's natural sporty spirit is highly contagious. And it did help me to take the plunge."

She reminisces fondly about Akshay. "He was my first co-star in Andaaz and very very helpful. Then we did Bhagam Bhaag when he was fully into comedy.

I didn't know I had a comic streak in me until then. Now that he's returning to action, I'm also moving on from comedy to action big time."

Man's world is show -world. Even a free-spirited actress like Lara Dutta has to follow in the leading man's footsteps.

- SantaBanta

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood News - B'wood wary of strong leading ladies

2008-03-10T06:44:00.001-07:00

Posted: 09 Mar 2008 11:32 AM CDT

In Balu Mahendra's Sadma and Shashilal Nair's Grahan, Sridevi and Manisha Koirala played women who surrendered to men, almost regressing to being children. In this era of women-in-charge it's difficult to find real life women immersing themselves in such surrender but not in films from Bollywood, which still shy away from strong women protagonists.

Oh, how we love to watch women weep on the floor and dance on the rooftop. But what about women of substance - do we ever embrace them without fear? And do filmmakers ever take to them without a backward glance at how the male members of the audience react to their assertive women?

In Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate, for instance, Bipasha Basu got into an executive suit and played the male game in the corporate world. Finally, though she ended up taking the rap for her man and goes to jail to save his cowardly skin.

An instant and immediate hark-back to Nutan in Bandini 45 years earlier when the actress goes to jail for love. Of course, Nutan wore a crumpled sari, not a chic suit and Bandini was no chic flick. But under the apparel has the leading lady really changed?

The woman of substance seems to have drowned in acres of skin show. What would Nutan think of her niece Tanisha romping around with nothing much on besides the I-pod in Neal n Nikki? Who was the last truly dignified woman we saw on screen and what was she thinking?

Nostalgia isn't the only reason why we find women from the past so appealing. Nargis in Mother India and Meena Kumari in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam were removed from one another by almost a generation. And yet they were equally enchanting portrayals of the Indian woman in all her splendour.

In the 1980s Shabana Azmi did a series of films about contemporary women. Among them was Mahesh Bhatt's Arth. The modern but maudlin saga of a deserted wife had major impact - but not on men. It was women who repeatedly saw Arth and made it a hit.

Shabana's other, more bravura, effort at portraying a deserted wife in Pravin Bhatt's Bhavna went unnoticed. She becomes a call girl to bring up her son - the archetypal fallen woman rising to become Mother India. Cut to Pradeep Sarkar's Laga Chunari Main Daag where Rani Mukherjee becomes a prostitute to support her family. The audience rejected both the films.

Gradually in the 1990s female-oriented cinema lost its sheen. Outstanding films about the Indian woman's sexuality like Aruna Raje's Rihaee, Ketan Mehta's Mirch Masala, Shyam Benegal's Zubeida and Madhur Bhandarkar's Satta bombed.

Only Yash Chopra's Chandni and Bhandarkar's Chandni Bar clicked.

When was the last time you saw a female oriented film doing well?

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood News - Govinda is eager to work with David Dhawan

2008-03-08T05:29:00.001-08:00

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 05:34 AM CST

Bollywood actor Govinda is very excited about getting together with David Dhawan and producer Vashu Bhagnani again and says he will create something thoroughly entertaining.

'We've created quite a sensation in the past with 'Hero No. 1' and 'Coolie No. 1'. We'll definitely create full entertainment again. Yes, it'll be a comedy. I'll try my level best that we come back with a film that will do justice to all three of us,' says Govinda.

Bollywood Star Govinda says he owes his comeback to David Dhawan.

'It's something I learnt from Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan. When he needed to make a comeback, he called Yash Chopra for 'Mohabbatein'. Similarly, when I needed to come back I rang up David and he gave me 'Partner'.'

Govinda has no qualms in admitting he was influenced by the Big B.

'Yeah, I copied Mr. Bachchan. I'm not anything like Mr Bachchan, but why shouldn't I copy a man as great as him? If he can reach out to a filmmaker, why can't I? David is such a big man. Today, if he asks me to do another film with him, I don't even need to think about it - I will do it blindly.'

Bollywood actor Govinda has never been more charged about his career.

'I don't really care what people say about me. All I know is I'm doing my work with sincerity. And I've become very punctual. I reach my sets on time. I'm not here to create any problems for anyone. If I'm doing my work quietly, why are some people troubled by it? But I'm not going to get rattled.'

Govinda, who joined politics and earned a lot of flak from colleagues in the party, has no regrets.

'I don't regret anything, not even my entry into politics. I respect politicians because they are doing their jobs very efficiently. But the fame and fortune I've got has come through Mata Saraswati, my art (movies). No one has the right to eye my career and try to ruin it.'

Kumar Mangat, producer of Govinda's 'Money Hai To Honey Hai', added: 'A miracle happened during the shooting. We finished Govindaji's work in 60 days when we had reserved 85 days for him. In Mauritius, where we shot most of the film, Govinda was the first of the cast to wake up.

'In fact, he'd wake me up and we'd have our morning tea together. I remember we had to shoot at a discotheque in Mauritius. We had to reach at 8 a.m. and all we saw were the janitors at work. That's how punctual Govinda has become.'

In fact, Mangat is planning another film with Govinda this year.

'He's a pleasure to work with,' the producer said

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossips - Is Bebo toooo thin ???

2008-03-08T05:28:00.001-08:00

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 05:13 AM CST

It's been six months since the new slim Kareena hit the screen in Jab We Met. But dismayingly, for her latest cover shoot in Vogue, she 'easily slips into Size 0 dresses', says the accompanying article.

Size 0. With vital stats of 31 and #189;-23-34 inches it is the equivalent of a Size 4, UK.

It's the size of Nicole Richie, a size that's sparked off so much debate abroad. Worse, according to Delhi's leading dieticians, an increasing number of young girls want to become as thin as her.

Doctor speak Says, dietician Dr Seema Malik of Eleganza Rejuvenation Clinic, "If you're 5 ft 5 you should weigh between 58-61 kg. You can't attain a Size 0 without a detoxifying diet and fat burners.

In the long run they have side effects like bone disorders, heart problems and weakness." According to yoga guru Bharat Thakur with whom Kareena has been working to lose weight, Kareena's diet doesn't involve starving to burn calories, but rather, eating healthily.

"She's also been practicing yoga for the past year for 90 mins everyday. She can easily reduce to whichever look she wishes to, be it Size 0 or Minus One, that too in a healthy way.

" Media frenzy Health problems or not, media's loving her new look. According to ad guru Prahlad Kakkar, "She can never attain Size 0 look.

She was a hatti katti punjaban. Now she looks more attractive.

She has broken her golu image and now looks like a woman. She doesn't need to put on weight or else she will again look motu.

" Photographer Daboo Ratnani has been shooting Kareena for more than a decade. "She has never looked better," he says.

"The weight loss suits her because her features come out really well, so one gets a stronger pictures with all expressions visible."

C'mon frendzzzzz its time to loose some workout!!!

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Kajol to promote toothpaste

2008-03-08T05:27:00.001-08:00

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 01:19 PM CST

Bollywood Gossip - After promoting Whirlpool appliances and Tata Indicom, now Bollywood actress Kajol will now be the new brand ambassador of Anchor White toothpaste.

Commenting on her new role, Kajol said: "For me, my family always comes first. Becoming a mother has made me very conscious about my family's health and oral care needs. I am proud to be their brand ambassador."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Bollywood actors Abhishek - Aishwarya refused to represent LG as brand ambassador

2008-03-08T05:26:00.001-08:00

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 01:48 PM CST

Bollywood's hottest couple Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai refused to represent LG as brand ambassadors for all their products across-the-board.

The company had made them an eye-popping offer.

Reason? He didn't want to be even remotely unfaithful to another cell-phone manufacturing company.

A source close to the Bachchans said: "LG was very keen to have Bollywood Actors Abhishek and Aishwarya to endorse their entire range of products across the line. It was a tempting and lucrative offer.

"LG's range of products included cell-phones and Abhishek is already endorsing Motorala cell phones. So he had to decline the offer. But he has received a letter from the company saying they would love to have him and his wife as brand ambassadors any time they so wish."

The Abhishek-Aishwarya pair won't be seen in any advertisement at the moment, but they are coming together in Mani Ratnam's next venture that goes to the floor as soon as Abhishek returns from Miami after filming Karan Johar's home production, Dostana.

The film is being directed by Tarun Mansukhani and also stars Priyanka Chopra and John Abraham.

At the moment Abhishek is working 20 hours a day to wrap up Rakeysh Mehra's Delhi 6, which completed a two-month schedule in Jaipur and is now being shot in Mumbai.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Manisha Koirala, the new item girl!

2008-03-03T19:32:00.001-08:00

Posted: 03 Mar 2008 10:25 AM CST

Guess who is sizzling in an item number for Telugu film 'Nagaram'? It is the 37-year-old royal beauty from Nepal, who has once been voted as the most beautiful actress of the Bollywood - Manisha Koirala.

It is not unusual today for successful heroines to appear in a guest role or an item number crossing linguistic borders. Those are bygone days, when a heroine had to worry for her 'image' before taking up such roles.

However, that be, it is quit hard to believe that the actress who did serious bollywood movies like 'Bombay', 'Khamoshi', 'Dil se' under the directions of giants like Maniratnam, Sanjay Leela Bansali etc and nominated six times for the Filmfare award, is doing an item number.

Since 90's though there have been many such heroines from the Bollywood attempting to win the hearts of the viewers at south, all of them have not easily been accepted here. But very few of them certainly made an impact. Talents like Tabu, Ash and Manisha Koirala have created a special aura as well as a pretty circle of fans for themselves.

It is not a long way back; Manisha had impressed the south with bollywood blockbusters like 'Bombay', 'Indian', 'Mudalvan' etc. She even reined the Indian cinema for almost a period of 8 years. The dazzling beauty has a diploma in film making from U S A and is a member of the Independent film makers' society.

She is also a goodwill ambassador for UNFPA and actively involved the struggle for women's rights. Over all these things Manisha is well versed in Bharathanatyam and Manipuri dances.

Acted in over 60 films Bollywood Actress Manisha, suddenly became unseen on the silver screen for a few years. She had been totally sidelined from the publicity as well as the industry.

It is said that late night parties, drinking, and the emotional turmoil she suffered due to the broken relationships debilitated her.

Now the princess wants to come out of her self imposed exile and striving to present the best in her acting career. Any way she definitely has the God gifted talent and beauty, for what the audience love her for ever.

BollywoodGossips.NET wish success for her second innings.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Saif and Deepika are eagerly waiting for Christmas 2008

2008-03-03T07:20:00.001-08:00

Posted: 02 Mar 2008 02:19 PM CST

It's Saif all the way.

In real life, he has been having a great time with Kareena Kapoor. Meanwhile on screen in RACE he has much to look forward with his 'Touch Me Touch Me' girl - Katrina Kaif. Well, this is not all, as his eyes would soon be set on another beauty -Deepika Padukone - as he gets ready to face the camera for his next film, which would be directed by Imtiaz Ali of JAB WE MET fame.

A romantic tale which pairs the two much-in-demand actors for the first time ever, this yet untitled film would be shot in India as well as abroad. What makes it further special is the fact that the release plan for the film has already been base lined even before as the shoot is yet to begin.

As of now, Thursday, 25th December, is the D-day for the film to arrive. With the success of WELCOME, Christmas season has become hot favorite for popular films to arrive and with a combination like Imtiaz-Saif-Deepika, it indeed would be Merry Christmas for everyone involved with the project.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Kareena to sizzle with Aamir Khan!!!

2008-02-29T00:41:00.003-08:00

Posted: 28 Feb 2008 01:31 PM CSTShe is the undisputed 'Queen' of Bollywood! She is also known as the 'Endorsement Queen of Bollywood'! Yes, we are talking about the gorgeous Bollywood Actress Kareena Kapoor who is growing from strength to strength as she occupies the No.1 Status with series of big banner films in her kitty.

Bollywood Actress Kareena Kapoor is now on course to set the record books on fire as she is to become the 'only' actress in the new generation of actresses to share screen space with the 3 biggest 'Khan's in the industry..

Having worked with big names like Bollywood Actors Salman and Shahrukh Khan, the actress has now signed a film opposite Aamir Khan! The film to be directed by 'Munnabhai' series director Raju Hirani, will have Aamir-Kareena jodi sizzle on screen.

With a series of films like 'Tashan' with Yashraj, 'Agent Vinod' with Saif, 'Golmaal returns' with Ajay Devgan, 'Kambakth Ishq' with Akshay Kumar, a film with John Abraham and a film with Karan Johar production, Kareena is surely the Number 1 Actress in Bollywood.

Kareena Kapoor [ Exclusive Bollywood Photo Gallery ]

Apart from films, the 'Enodorsement Queen' has some high profile brands like Globus, Anne French, Emami, ICI Paints, Vivel of ITC soaps, Head & Shoulders, Boro plus cream, Citizen watch, Perfume, a Jeans line with her.

Holding the tag of being the highest paid actress in Bollywood, Kareena Kapoor has also dominated the Award Season this year, with Star Screen, Stardust and Filmfare awards placed in her Trophy stand.

A perfect blend of talent, grace and 'Charisma', Kareena is right there at the top in Bollywood!!

Best of Luck Kareena!!

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood News - I am just using cricket says SRK

2008-02-29T00:41:00.001-08:00

Posted: 28 Feb 2008 01:40 PM CST

Bollywood News - Actor Shah Rukh Khan, who owns the Kolkata team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), on Wednesday said he opted for cricket because it is commercially viable for him and not because he favoured the popular sport over other disciplines.

"Commerce and business are very important in today's world. Cricket is commercially viable and we need to make money from this sport," Shah Rukh said in Pune.

However, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi appealed to the superstar to share his celeb status with other sports also.

"I am very happy with Chak de India and the work you did for hockey. But I'm disappointed you went back to cricket. I want you to be made the ambassador of the Commonwealth Games and Olympic sports in India," said Kalmadi at the inauguration of the Abhijit Kadam Memorial Football Cup.

Shahrukh Khan [ Exclusive Bollywood Photo Gallery ]

"There are around 10 nations playing cricket at the moment and over 200 countries competing in Olympic sports. Cricket has many fathers and I would love to have you as the brand ambassador for the Commonwealth Games," he added.

However, the comments did not go well with the actor, who took a jibe at Kalmadi.

"Please don't feel bad that I am backing only one sport. Sports should be part of our second nature and I am a sportsperson by heart."

"I have played hockey and a bit of cricket. I have something to clarify to Kalmadi also... please don't feel bad that I am backing the cricket team. I need to make money from this sport and then move to other sports," added Shah Rukh.

Shah Rukh said he believes that the next step for sports-loving persons like him is to take the money he earns from IPL to other sports.

"My next step would be to take the money earned in IPL to hockey, football, kho kho, also kabaddi and gulli danda," he remarked.

The film star said one should not look down upon any sport and added he wants to see the football team playing in the World Cup.

"We should not look down upon any sport. We need to use this sport to uplift other sports."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossips - I Love You too, Deepika declares to Ranbir

2008-02-29T00:40:00.001-08:00

Bollywood Gossips - I Love You too, Deepika declares to Ranbir

Posted: 28 Feb 2008 01:46 PM CST

Bollywood Gossips - The backstage of the53rd Annual Filmfare went on fire suddenly, when eavesdroppers heard the stunning Deepika Padukone softly declare "I Love You" to Ranbir Kapoor.

This bit of news was thousand times spicier than what was happening on stage. The eavesdroppers blessed their luck on witnessing the soft romance between the "oh so in love" couple. Looking deep in her eyes, Ranbir first confessed his love by saying, "I love you", and then Deepika responded shyly.

Reports say that after the romantic declaration, the lovey-dovey couple left for Farah Khan's party, where they were seen holding hands and even kissing.

Earlier, Ranbir had refuted the entire romantic link-up between him and Deepika by stating that, "We have been friends. Then she was busy with her first film`s release and I was busy with mine. Recently we were shooting in Australia and became friendly again. She`s an amazing, caring girl. I enjoy spending time with her."

Sources say that cupid struck during the shoot for Siddharth Anand's film in Australia. Since then, they've been pretty much together and have often been seen in public. The duo was recently seen in a highly entertaining advertisement, which also features SRK as Deepika's brother.

It seems that our worthy cricketers (read Yuvraj and Dhoni) have been stumped in favour of "Saawariya" Ranbir. Never mind guys, better luck next time!

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Hrithik Roshan is thankful to Shahrukh

2008-02-26T09:09:00.001-08:00

"I am thankful to Shahrukh Khan. By accepting to do an item number for my father's film, he had showed his respect towards him" said the stylish and dynamic actor Hrithik Roshan as Shahrukh accepted to do an item number for Krazzy 4, Rakesh Roshan's next big venture. He wants SRK to do an item number for his film and SRK had accepted full heartedly. On his acceptance, Hrithik and Mr. Roshan thanked him.

Rakesh Roshan usually cast his son Hrithik in the lead roles. But this time it is something exceptional. In Krazzy 4 he had stored an item number for Hrithik. Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Dia Mirza, Rajpal Yadav, Suresh Menon, Rajat Kapoor, Zakir Hussain, Juhi Chawla are the main star-cast of the film. SRK had already done an item number in Kaal and Heyy Baby and he is now looking forward to a new item number.

The most interesting fact is that in the item song Shahrukh will team up with the sexy gal, Rakhi Sawant. Superhero Hrithik Roshan's track will serve as a promotional video where he will introduce the four male protagonists of the film. Needles to say that the presence of two superstars will add up to the glamour and expectation of the film. Rakesh Roshan had created a lavish set for this thrilling item number. The movie is slated to release on April 2008 and it is the one of the most awaited film among the cine-goers.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Shoaib Akhtar meets Salman Khan

2008-02-26T09:09:00.000-08:00

Bollywood is a big world in itself. It has not only made the Indian people go crazy about it but our opponent country Pakistan is also a big fan of this tinselville. Pakistan's pace bowler, Shoaib Akhtar is a big admirer of Hindi Cinema and wish to act in Bollywood. His interest in films has driven him to Salman Khan's residence, Galaxy at Bandstand.

Shoaib, however had missed the opportunity to act in Mahesh Bhatt's Gangster but he was not heart broken about it, instead looking for another chance. As Salman is very well known for his helpful nature and always stood by the side of any new comers, Shoaib has decided to take suggestion from him. Any new debutante feels comfortable working with Salman as he is very cool and easy going person. Looking at the helpful nature of Salman, Shaoib has gone to his rescue.

The fast pacer is looking for a good launching pad and for that reason he is meeting various filmmakers and stars. Salman has given Shoaib some useful tips about acting and all. Their meeting lasted nearly two hours. Lately, Shoaib has signed the IPL deal with Shahrukh Khan with a whopping price and now he is heading towards Bollywood. Hope, in films too, Shoaib will be able to clean bowl his contendant.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Saif-Kareena locked inside ladies restroom?

2008-02-26T09:08:00.002-08:00

Love birds Saif-Kareena is moving round like an inseparable soul these days. They never missed the golden opportunity of spending quality time with each other. When they are not out of town for any shoot they manage to remain very closely connected. They were spotted together in various awkward circumstances as well. Now, news is spreading far and wide that that they were caught red-handed inside ladies restroom.

Recently, the news of the two being locked in a bathroom was all round the corner and now their ladies restroom incident is spreading like a wild fire. When Saif and Kareena were dinning at a famous hotel and Kareena went to the ladies rest room to freshen her up, Saif immediately followed her, went inside the room and locked the door from inside. When the hotel attendance banged the door they did not open it and just responded that they were busy.

Saif and Kareena's love story started during the shooting of Tashan. She took very little time to separate from her long time boyfriend Shahid Kapoor and has formed a very intimate relationship with Saif Khan. Saif has gifted her with a Sapphire and now planning for a diamond Jhumka for his sweet heart.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Hrithik impresses Big B...

2008-02-26T09:08:00.001-08:00

On seeing Hrithik's performance in Jodhaa Akbar, Amitabh Bachchan has become a great fan of him and singing his praise. He has been totally impressed with Hrithik's hand and feet movement in the song Khwaja Mere Khwaja. According to Big B, the movement was quite difficult and Hrithik has performed it extremely well.

On the other hand, Hrithik is overwhelmed on receiving compliment from Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan. Hrithik has expressed his view point regarding the dance step and said that to dance in a trance was not an easy task and he was totally baffled as how to do it. When Ashutosh Gowariker explained him that it was the moment when Akbar connects himself with divinity, he was able to correlate himself with the scene and acted upon.

Jodhaa Akbar is a great historical epic. The film has received good remarks from every corner. The star cast of the film has also received great accolade for their stupendous performance. People liked both Hrithik as Akbar and Aishwarya as Jodhaa. Ashutosh Gowariker masterpiece has been appreciated by all.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Amitabh, Rekha together again!

2008-02-26T09:07:00.001-08:00

The electrifying jori of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha is expected to hit the silver screen after a long gap of 27 years. This sizzle pair will again come together in Sujoy Ghosh's Alladin to entertain the mass who are longing to see them jointly. The film will also star Sanjay Dutt, Saahil Khan and Riteish Deshmukh. Big B will play the role of a genie and Riteish will be playing Alladin. Rekha will have an equally important role in the movie.

Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Suhaag, Mr Natwarlal, Ram Balram are some of the films that always remind us how successful has been Rekha-Amitabh's pair. Their love triangle Silsila is believed to be the story of their own life. The film proved to be a super duper hit. After Silsila, Rekha-Amitabh pair has just vanished in a smoke and they were seen nowhere on the on-screen. As they will be paired again after a long time, excitement among the viewers is brewing enormously.

The shooting of the film will start from next month. Rekha and Amitabh are not available to comment on their new paired film. But the news about their pairing in Alladin is confirmed by a close source of the film. So, we can say that days are not far when Rekha and Amitabh will hit the silver screen jointly again.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Aishwarya to reveal Salman’s secret

2008-02-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is all set to unfold many untold and unheard happenings of her life. She is going to write a book on her life story with the help of her mother Vrinda. Her book would reveal many unknown facts of her life. The book will also speak about secrets of her relationship with Salman Khan.
Few years ago, the news of Salman Khan making Aishwarya's life nothing less than hell had flashed in various media. Salman was once in love with Ash but their relationship did not worked out. Her name was also linked with actor Vivek Oberoi. Vivek once declared that Ash is his love partner but their alliance has also turned out to be void.
Aishwarya finally tie the knot with Big B son's Abhishek Bachchan. Though the pace of her career was slow in the beginning but soon she caught the train of success. Today she is the most demanding actress of Bollywood and has also good number of Hollywood films in her kitty. Her international project has also done good business. Like her films, her book is also assumed to be a big hit. So, hold your breathe because Ash is going to disclose many unknown facts. No doubt that once her untitled book is available in the market, it will be a bestseller.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood News - Shahrukh Khan and Kareena bags Filmfare Awards 2008

2008-02-26T09:05:00.001-08:00

Posted: 25 Feb 2008 12:47 PM CST

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan set the tone for the evening when Bollywood's who's who walked the red carpet for the 53rd Fair One Filmfare Awards 2008 at Yashraj Studios.

Shah Rukh Khan won the Best Actor Award for his outstanding performance in Shimit Amin's super hit 'Chak De', while Kareena Kapoor bagged the Best Actress Award for her spirited performance in Imtiaz Ali's 'Jab We Met'. As was Aamir Khan whose 'Taare Zameen Par' got the Best Director, Best Film and Critics'Award for Best Actor for star kid Darsheel Safary.

Rishi Kapoor, who received the Lifetime Achievement Awards from his first co-star, the stunning Dimple Kapadia, was joined on stage by lovely wife Neetu Kapoor. Rishi dedicated the award to her and his grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor. However, his moment of glory came when his son Ranbir Kapoor won the Best Debutante Award in the male category. 'Om Shanti Om' star Deepika Padukone bagged the Best Debutante Award in the female category.

Filmfare Awards 2008 [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi and Himesh Reshammiya entertained, while Karan Johar along with Vidya Balan made a desperate attempt to upstage SRK and Saif but in vain.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Sushmita Sen at "Samsara" DVD Launch

2008-02-26T09:04:00.001-08:00

Posted: 25 Feb 2008 12:31 PM CST

The DVD of director Pal Nalin's critically acclaimed aand commercially successful film 'Samsara' was launched with a bash at Rock Bottom Bollywood's sexy and sultry actress, graced the do along with Anurag Kashyap and Gary Richardson.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Happy Birthday Shahid Kapoor!

2008-02-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Posted: 25 Feb 2008 12:09 PM CST

Bollywood's 'Chocolate boy' Shahid Kapoor must be definitely rejoicing this 27th birthday in high spirits. This young man has enough reasons to jamboree for his career heading northwards after his back to back solo hits VIVAH & JAB WE MET and prestigious films in his kitty playing lead roles with some of the bollywood's big brands like Yashraj, Vishal Bhardwaj, Boney Kapoor productions, Aziz Mirza etc.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood News - Ash wants to write autobiography

2008-02-25T13:20:00.005-08:00

Bollywood News - Ash wants to write autobiography

Posted: 21 Feb 2008 11:53 AM CST

Mumbai: She is only in her early 30s and already talking of writing an autobiography! Yes, we are talking about Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The buzz in Mumbai is that Ash has grabbed the pen and started working on her autobiography. She was apparently planning to take up the project for sometime now. According to reports, mother Vrinda Rai will be assisting her on this project.

Ash, who has acted in only about 30-odd films till date, is currently in news for her sterling performance in the Bollywood Film Jodhaa Akbar.

She has gone on record saying she is serious about the autobiography project and that she would like to do it on her own instead of giving it to someone else.

A Mumbai tabloid quoted Ash's manager Hari Singh as saying that Ash has always been fond of making notes about events in her life in a personal diary and she would now like to put it down in an autobiographical format.

"She wants that the material in her diary be given the shape of an autobiographical book," the tabloid quoted Singh as saying.

Fortune turned for the doe-eyed beauty ever since Aishwarya Rai won the Miss World title. After joining the film industry, she has carved a niche for herself, starring in some of big hits of Bollywood and also stealing a role in Hollywood.

In her personal life, though, Ash went through many upheavals before finding the man of her dreams in hubby Abhishek Bachchan.

- IBN Live

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Tulip Joshi turns into a bar dancer

2008-02-25T13:20:00.003-08:00

Bollywood Gossip - Tulip Joshi turns into a bar dancer

Posted: 21 Feb 2008 11:42 AM CST

Tulip Joshi

Bollywood Actress Tulip Joshi is all set to step into the dancing shoes of a bar dancer in a film, tentatively titled, Highway. The film would be directed by a newcomer, Suneel under a new production banner.

After performing some unconventional roles in Dhokha and Matrubhoomi, she seemed to be very excited about her role and said that this film gives her an opportunity to dance, something, which she hasn't done in any of her previous films.

The producers of the film are in talks with big corporate houses, informed Tulip, in order to reach out to the market since the cast and crew are entirely new.

Shoonya and Hostel are some of her other films scheduled for a release in 2008.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

UTV reportedly signs Ashutosh Gowarikar for their next project

2008-02-25T13:20:00.001-08:00

UTV reportedly signs Ashutosh Gowarikar for their next project

Posted: 21 Feb 2008 10:56 AM CST

f the trade mills are to be believed, then, UTV has repeated Ashutosh Gowarikar for their next project. When Bollywood Hungama spoke to Siddharth Roy Kapoor, EVP- Marketing, Distribution, Syndication, UTV Motion Pictures, he was very upbeat about the success of their magnum opus Jodhaa Akbar.

Siddharth said "It's a stupendous number actually, wrt to the Box-Office collections of Jodhaa Akbar. We are very, very upbeat about the sustained performance of the movie. We are all very proud and happy about such a positive reaction from our audiences, both in India as well as around the world." When asked about the initial apprehensions and the risk factors involved in making a historical saga, Kapoor said, "Obviously, you do consider many aspects very carefully in any movie that you commit to making. But in this case, we knew the capabilities of Ashutosh as a director. We also knew that if there was anyone who can translate the vision of Jodhaa Akbar onto screen, then, it's him. We were very confident about that."

Lastly, on UTV's next with Ashutosh, he said, "I would rather wait till we make a formal announcement about this together, which will happen in the next few weeks."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Juhi Chawla turns into a gypsy for Kismet Konnection

2008-02-25T13:19:00.004-08:00

Juhi Chawla turns into a gypsy for Kismet Konnection

Posted: 21 Feb 2008 11:11 AM CST

Business partners or not, stars never leave their 'Konnection'. Although Dreamz Unlimited, a production house jointly owned by Bollywood Actors Juhi Chawla, Shah Rukh Khan and Aziz Mirza, may have bombed, they are still very much together.

While SRK and Juhi have joined hands for the IPL, she will be a surprise package in Aziz Mirza's Kismet Konnection. She is to play the role of a gypsy fortune-teller, which would mean a complete makeover for Juhi. She has to be dressed in loud, gaudy, and glitzy clothes. This transformation will surely be worth the wait.

- Bollywood Hungama News Network

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Abhishek-Aishwarya to star in Mani Ratnam's next ?

2008-02-25T13:19:00.003-08:00

Bollywood Gossip - Abhishek-Aishwarya to star in Mani Ratnam's next ?

Posted: 21 Feb 2008 11:28 AM CST

It had to happen. After Guru the movie-making maverick, Mani Ratnam, was bound to return to his favourite actor. It comes as no surprise to know Bollywood Actors Abhishek Bachchan and Mani Ratnam will team up again for their third film together.

After the terrific tuning that they shared during Yuva (which Bollywood Actor Abhishek describes as his career's first turning-point) and Guru (which he acknowledges as his second turning-point), it doesn't require much calculation to see the creative and commercial viability of the Mani-Abhishek pair. Abhishek's better- half too is back in the Mani- fold.

Coming out of his bereavement (Mani lost his brother earlier this year), Mani Ratnam is all set to announce a supple romantic film featuring filmdom's foremost marital pair. Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan will come together in Mani Ratnam's film that starts shooting in September.

According to a source very close to the project, "It's going to be a very intense love story. Where Guru was more a bio-pic with a cavalcade of characters claiming screen space, this film will focus primarily on the romance. It's a very intense film. Mani's most romantic film to date. And yes, it's again based on real life characters."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

UTV reportedly signs Ashutosh Gowarikar for their next project

2008-02-25T13:19:00.001-08:00

UTV reportedly signs Ashutosh Gowarikar for their next project

Posted: 21 Feb 2008 10:56 AM CST

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Photo Gallery - Aishwarya Rai in Pink SARI

2008-02-25T13:17:00.003-08:00

Bollywood Photo Gallery - Aishwarya Rai in Pink

Posted: 19 Feb 2008 12:20 PM CST

Grand Premiere Of 'Jodhaa Akbar'

Aishwarya Rai flaunts a pink sari at the premiere of 'Jodhaa Akbar' in Mumbai. Here is a peek into the awe inspiring six-yard drapes Aishwarya has chosen to flaunt at different events.

Jodhaa Akbar Premiere Photo Gallery

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Ayesha Takia to play an alien

2008-02-25T13:17:00.001-08:00

Bollywood Gossip - Ayesha Takia to play an alien

Posted: 19 Feb 2008 11:53 AM CST

Nikhil Advani and Mukesh Talreja, Director of Orion Pictures Private Limited, announced a slate of six films to be produced by them in the next twelve months, on February 18, 2008. The company is all geared up on the production of these six films, two out of which are already under production.

While the prestigious 'Chandni Chowk to China' presented by Warner Brothers and their big animation project 'Ab Dilli Door Nahi' is already on the floors, Orion Pictures has now commissioned four more projects that are slated to go on floors in the next few months. The third film from the Orion bouquet of films to hit the floors in April / May 2008 would be Milap Zaveri's 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai'!This film would mark Milap Zaveri's debut as a director after a number of successful films as a writer, such as 'Heyy Babyy', 'Masti', 'Jhankaar Beats', and 'Kaante'.

Ayesha Takia [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

"There are lot of love stories between rich and poor, caste and creed but nothing that is out of the world. So, I came up with a twist to the popular concept of 'Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus'. I kept the man from Earth and the Woman from Venus," says Milap Zaveri on the venture. Riteish Deshmukh plays the guy from planet Earth while Ayesha Takia is the girl from Venus. Weaved around the concept of an alien searching for love from an Earthling, the story is written with a lot of good humor and emotions that the young generation of today can connect with. The film also stars a promising new comer, Ruslaan Mumtaz. "At Orion we are looking at working with a host of fresh talent including new directors. There is a huge untapped talent in the country. And we believe that a successful writer like Milap will prove to be a very talented film maker with a bright future," said Mukesh Talreja.

The other three films form an interesting package, which we intend to make public soon, and shall go on floors in the next few months. This would include a film to be directed by Nikhil Advani, Vikramiditya Motwane and Shivam Nair. The details of which will be announced at a later date. Nikhil Advani emphasizes, "Entertainment is what we intend to focus at Orion. We intend to make quality films with new talent as well as the existing talent. Our emphasis will be on making films of all genres, which will satiate the palette of all kinds of audiences."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Deepika, Ranbir and Shahruk Khan unite together for Pepsi Ad

2008-02-25T13:15:00.001-08:00

Deepika, Ranbir and Shahruk Khan unite together for Pepsi Ad

Posted: 18 Feb 2008 02:19 PM CST

Deepika Padukone

Bollywood Gossips - It has been a great experience working with SRK and Deepika in the new Pepsi Ad," said Ranbir, who debuted with 'Saawariya' last year, in a press statement.
Pepsi has roped in Bollywood newcomers Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone as brand ambassadors. They will be seen with superstar Shah Rukh Khan in its first campaign this year.

"It is a privilege for me to join Pepsi's league of such eminent achievers. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Deepika as Pepsi's new brand ambassador.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Sherlyn Chopra to do a hot Kannada item no.?

2008-02-25T13:14:00.001-08:00

Bollywood Gossip - Sherlyn Chopra to do a hot Kannada item no.?

Posted: 18 Feb 2008 12:27 PM CST

Bollywood bombshell and Outrageous bikini babe Sherlyn Chopra is going to set the Kannada and southern film industry on fire. Other established southern sirens had better watch out, for Sherlyn is determined to leave no stone unturned to give them a run for their money.

"When I do something I give it my hundred per cent. I will do what ever it takes to be the best and make an impression in Tollywood," says a fiery Sherlyn when asked how she would compete with the existing lot. Sherlyn is known for her uncanny ability to look sexy in anything she wears, whether it's a skirt or jeans or her trade mark G-strings.

According to reliable sources, Sherlyn Chopra will be seen gyrating to a steaming hot item number in the Kannada movie titled MADEHSHA starring Shivraj Kumar, son of Dr Raj Kumar. The lead heroine is not yet finalized, but sources said that Sherlyn was the most likely choice for the lead.

Sherlyn Chopra [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

MADESHSHA is directed by Ravi Srivatsa and is produced by Govardhan Murthy. Sherlyn is expected to shoot the sizzling hot item number in Bangalore during the second or third week of March this year. The item song will be choreographed by Imran Sardhariya and is expected to be one of the most expensive productions ever made in the Kannada film industry.

Many other Bollywood actresses including Malaika Arora Khan and Sameera Reddy were approached for this item number, but Sherlyn Chopra won hands down for her Outrageous and wild, devil-may-dare image, curvaceous body and great dancing feet.

Sherlyn when contacted refused to deny or confirm the news. "My manager is talking to them, we are discussing certain issues, you can ask him if it's confirmed or not," was all that the sex bomb would say.

Insiders say that Sherlyn Chopra is being paid Rs 35 lakh for doing the item song. Apparently, the producer-director duo were so keen on having Sherlyn do the item number that they agreed to pay her the outrageous sum, even though other well-known girls in the industry were quoting only half of Sherlyn's price.

Her music video and album Outrageous was showcased to a standing ovation in Barcelona, Spain at the Global Mobile World Awards. Sherlyn Chopra is slated to be working on a couple of Hollywood projects as well.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Karishma back to Bollywood?

2008-02-25T13:13:00.003-08:00

Bollywood Gossip - Karishma back to Bollywood?

Posted: 18 Feb 2008 12:07 PM CST

Mumbai 18th Feb, 2008: She came, she mingled, she vanished. Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor made a fleeting appearance on Saturday to campaign for better immunity for Mumbai residents, and it seemed only appropriate on this occasion to urge her to share her own health tips."I eat every thing and I am not choosy-that is the secret of my health. If our immunity is strong then we won't fall ill or suffer stress," she said.

Karishma Kapoor [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

That hourglass figure, the peaches-and-cream complexion very much in place, it's a shame she doesn't seem to want to return to the movies. Clearing the air on that, Karisma said a return to the studios is imminent. But not just yet.
"Every body asks me when I am returning to films. I have been getting a lot of offers and there are lot of scripts coming my way. When I feel I can leave my baby, home, husband and get back to the studio then I will surely do a film," she said.
Until she gets back to the song and dance routine though, she seems content tasting the joys that motherhood and domestic life have to offer.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Every day with Abhishek is Valentine's Day: Aishwarya

2008-02-25T13:13:00.001-08:00

Bollywood Gossip - Every day with Abhishek is Valentine's Day: Aishwarya

Posted: 18 Feb 2008 10:08 AM CST

Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS) : Valentine's Day didn't turn out the way Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan had hoped for, but they are not complaining. For the couple, every day is full of romance.

'What a wonderful Valentine's Day gift (the premiere of 'Jodhaa Akbar'). Everyone who has seen 'Jodhaa Akbar' feels it is the perfect love story. And it doesn't really matter if Abhishek couldn't make it. For us, every day is Valentine's Day. Every time we're together, it's Valentine's Day,' Aishwarya told IANS.

Eyebrows were raised and whispers began when Aishwarya showed up with her in-laws Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan for the premiere of Ashutosh Gowariker's epic romance Thursday. There was no Abhishek. He arrived at the end of the event because of a delayed flight.

Aishwarya admits that spending quality time with her husband is a problem.

Aishwarya Rai [ Exclusive Bollywood Photos ]

'His schedules are gruelling and so are mine. We're trying to spend as much time together as possible. Whenever I've some time off I join him wherever he is shooting. I've been to Jaipur where he has been shooting for the past few months,' the actress said.

'We make time. We find time for one another. We need to be happy with whatever is available. Just how happy or unhappy we make the situation is entirely in our hands,' she added.

Abhishek compensated for his absence on Valentine's Day at the Delhi premiere of 'Jodhaa Akbar' Friday. He was by his wife's side before flying back to Jaipur to join Rakeysh Ompraksah Mehra's 'Dilli 6' unit.

In Delhi, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Hrithik Roshan were an inseparable threesome, laughing joking and basking in the success of the movie.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - No Entry for Bipasha in sequel

2008-02-25T13:10:00.003-08:00

Posted: 17 Feb 2008 01:25 AM CST

Bollywood Gossips - Boney Kapoor is all set to start his No Entry sequel this year finally. "The film will be called No Entry Mein Entry. We are currently working on its script. And will soon start the project", confirms Boney Kapoor

The original blockbuster directed by Anees Bazmee had an ensemble starcast of Bollywood Actors Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Anil Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Esha Deol, Celina Jaitley and Bipasha Basu in lead roles. Will the same cast be repeated in the sequel? "Well, more or less it will have the same star cast", says Boney. When we prod him more he adds, "Salman will surely be there. So will be others, except Bipasha Basu".

Bipasha Basu [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

But why is only Bollywood Actress Bipasha being left out? Does it have anything to do with Bollywood Actor Salman Khan who shares cold vibes with John Abraham? Rumours say Actor Salman doesn't want to work with John's girlfriend Bipasha now.

Is that the reason, we ask Boney? "No it's not true. Bipasha is not cast in the sequel because her chapter was closed in No Entry itself. We are working on a new story and once we are done with that we will be able to announce the final star cast", clarifies the producer.

Meanwhile, Bollywood Actress Bipasha Basu seems to be unaware about the sequel and has no idea why she hasn't been approached for No Entry Mein Entry.

- INDIATIMES MOVIES

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Deepika’s beau trouble?

2008-02-25T13:10:00.001-08:00

Posted: 17 Feb 2008 01:11 AM CST

Its confirmed, at least for this week, Deepika Padukone's boyfriend is Ranbir Kapoor. Rumours linking her and her various men change faster than box office collections on a Monday morning.

Last week, we heard that Deepika is back to her old boyfriend Nihar Pandya! However, we say Deepika and Ranbir are very much together and are enjoying each other's company. The romance that flourished in hot, sunny Australia on the sets of Siddharth Anand's next for Yash Raj is only getting more intimate here, in Amchi Mumbai!

Deepika Padukone [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

Ranbir and Deepika have also recently shot for a Pepsi commercial with Shah Rukh Khan. People present on the set inform us that Ranbir and Deepika were very much comfortable together. In fact they enjoyed the shoot and loved spending quality time with each other. That's not all, the couple were also spotted chatting and exchanging sweet nothings at a suburban coffee shop in Mumbai! And it was a really long coffee break as it spilled over to four hours.

It can be recalled that Deepika has chosen to keep mum about her affairs whenever asked. Whether it's Nihar, Ranbir or Yuvraj Singh, this OSO girl has been linked up many times but more than explaining her side she has preferred to be silent!

But now we realize that her dimpled smile is speaking much more than her ...

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Aamir loses Faisal's custody

2008-02-25T13:08:00.001-08:00

Bollywood Gossip - Aamir loses Faisal's custody

Posted: 16 Feb 2008 02:24 PM CST

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan lost the legal battle for custody of his mentally ill brother Faisal Khan.

The local court held that Faisal need not be in anybody's custody and can live anywhere he wants. But he requires regular medication, Bandra metropolitan magistrate's court held.

Faisal, a onetime actor himself, is suffering from schizo-affected psychosis, according to government-run J J hospital's report. But the report did not say that he could not live on his own.

Faisal's mother had filed a police complaint last year when he went missing. He was found in Lonavala.

Then both Aamir and his father Tahir Hussain filed separate applications in the court seeking his custody. Tahir Hussain later withdrew his application.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip - Sanjay, Manyata marriage put on hold

2008-02-25T13:07:00.003-08:00

bollywood Gossip - Sanjay, Manyata marriage put on hold

Posted: 16 Feb 2008 02:19 PM CST

Bollywood Gossips - Goa authorities have kept the marriage proceedings of Bollywood Actor Sanjay Dutt and Manyata on hold after Margao division administrative officer suspended the residence certificate issued to Manyata.

"All the marriage registration proceedings are kept in abeyance pending further orders," said Sub Registrar, Chandrakant Pissurlekar, who had accepted the declaration of marriage.

Pissurlekar said that they will not allow the final signature on the marriage, which has to be done within 90 days, till the Mamlatdar (senior administrative officer in district collectorate), clears off the suspension of the residence certificate.

Manyata had attached a residence certificate of a local panchayat, recommended by a talathi (revenue officer) in South Goa Collectorate.

The district administration has already suspended the talathi for recommending the issuance of the residence certificate without verifying whether Manyata really stayed in the area for last six months.

Sanjay and Manyata's declaration of marriage was submitted in the sub registrar's office on February 7.

Authorities state that if second signature is not executed within 90 days, the marriage would be "null and void".

There is no legal validity for the marriage until second signature is done on the declaration, they said.

The sub registrar also stated that Manyata will have to
submit her decree of divorce before doing the second signature on the declaration.

"The decree has to be submitted before final declaration of marriage and till now she is yet to submit it," Pissurlekar said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Shantaram Naik has asked the Goa government to enact a legislation to regulate the procedure of issuing resident certificates in the coastal state.

The issue of resident certificate came into focus after the state government raised questions on the certificate issued to Manyata.

The certificate is mandatory to register a marriage in the coastal state, according to the provisions of the
Portugese Uniform Civil Code prevalent here.

The Portuguese law requires attested xerox copies of
Birth Certificate, Ration Card and School Leaving Certificate or any other document as proof of residence, the MP said, adding that the genuineness of the document produced by the actress needs to be examined properly.

The Rajya Sabha member from Goa, said the recent incident in where Manyata allegedly obtained a resident certificate on grounds that she was residing for more than six months in a house in Margao and subsequently, made a declaration before the Sub-registrar for getting the marriage registered, should be an eye opener to the state government, when, in fact, the actress has never lived in the town for the said period.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood News - Gowariker must change script: Rajputs

2008-02-25T13:07:00.001-08:00

The alertness of a sales executive at a suburban mall led to the arrest of three persons who allegedly tried to use Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's credit card to purchase clothes, police said.

Three individuals -- Vinay Tambe, James Perenal and Shekar Jadhav, were arrested by the police in the north east suburb of Mulund on February 11 when they attempted to make purchases using Shah Rukh's credit card at a mall there.

"The three persons, who are all unemployed, have claimed that they found the credit card lying on a road in suburban Santacruz a few days earlier and took it to the mall to buy some clothes," a senior police official at the Mulund police station told PTI.

It has been verified that the credit card belonged to the actor, the official said, adding they were presently investigating how the trio had found it.

The trio purchased clothes worth approximately Rs 25,000 and one of them produced the Bollywood star's credit card at the time of paying for the garments, he said.

The sales executive who saw the transaction slip in the actor's name realised something was wrong.

- Press Trust of India

Bollywood News - Gowariker must change script: Rajputs

Posted: 16 Feb 2008 02:14 PM CST

Jaipur Feb 16, 2008 : Unwilling to give way, a Rajput group opposing Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar said it will not allow the film's screening in Rajasthan until he apolgises to the community and changes the script deleting portions of "distorted historical facts" from it.

"We will not allow screening of Jodhaa Akbar till the makers of the film submits a public apology for hurting the sentiments of the Rajputs," Karni Sena patron Lokendra Kalvi, told a news conference.

He further laid down the condition that "he must be ready to change the film's script".

He cited an NCERT plus-two history text book on 'Medieval India' by Professor Satish Chandra that Jodhabai was the wife of Saleem (Jehangir), son of Akbar the great, in support of their contention that the film distorts history.

"None of Akbar's 34 wives had the name, surname, nick name, or alias of Jodhaa. How could one change it now," Kalvi said.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

ood News - Eros' impressive line up for 2008

2008-02-25T13:05:00.001-08:00

ood News - Eros' impressive line up for 2008

Posted: 16 Feb 2008 01:19 PM CST

Eros Multimedia P. Ltd. has emerged a major player and their line up of films in 2008 is surely impressive. Have a look:-

* The Great Indian Butterfly : 29th Feb (Subject to change - may push to 28th Mar) Starring: Aamir Bhasir/Sandhya Mridul/Koel Purie/Barry John; Directed by: Sarthak Dasgupta

* Black & White : 7th Mar
Starring: Anil Kapoor/Anurag Sinha/Aditi Sharma; Directed by: Subhash Ghai

* 1-2-3 : 21st Mar (Date can be revised)
Starring: Upen Patel/Suniel Shetty/Tusshar Kapoor/Paresh Rawal/Esha Deol/Tanisha/Sameera Reddy; Directed by: Ashwani Dheer

* Mr White Mr Black : 29th Mar
Starring: Suniel Shetty/Arshad Warsi/Ahishka Khosla/Rashmi Nigam; Directed by: Deepak Shivdasani

* U, Me Aur Hum : 11th Apr
Starring: Ajay Devgan/Kajol; Directed by: Ajay Devgan

* Pankh : 2nd May (Subject to change - may push to June)
Starring: Bipasha Basu/Mahesh Manjrekar/Lilette Dubey; Directed by: Sudipto Chattopadhyay

* Mehbooba : 6th June
Starring: Ajay Devgan/Sanjay Dutt/Manisha Koirala; Directed by: Afzal Khan

* God Tussi Great Ho : 27th June
Starring: Salman Khan/Priyanka Chopra/Amitabh Bachchan; Directed by: Rumi Jaffery

* Money Hai Toh Honey Hai : 11th July
Starring: Govinda/Aftab Shivdasani/Upen Patel/Manoj Bajpai/Celina Jaitley/Hansika Motwani; Directed by: Ganesh Acharya

* Hal-e-dil : 25th July
Starring: Nakul Mehta/Amita Pathak; Directed by: Anil Devgan

* Drona : 1st Aug (subject to change)
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan/Priyanka Chopra; Directed by: Goldie Behl

* Roshan : 29th Aug
Starring: Bobby Deol/Kangana Ranaut; Directed by: Sameer Karnik

* Had Bahedi : Sept
Starring: Rishi Kapoor; Producer: Kaleidoscope Ent. Pvt. Ltd.

* Yuvraaj (Diwali Release) : 24th Oct
Starring: Salman Khan/Katrina Kaif/Anil Kapoor/Zayed Khan; Directed by: Subhash Ghai

* Toonpur Ka Superhero : Nov
Starring: Ajay Devgan/Kajol; Directed by: Kireet Khurana

* Alladin : 21st Nov
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan/Sanjay Dutt/Ritesh Deshmukh; Directed by: Sujoy Ghosh

* Kambakht Ishq : 5th Dec
Starring: Akshay Kumar/Preity Zinta; Directed by: Saabir Khan

* Saif Ali Khan/Deepika Padukone film (Christmas release) : 25th Dec (Thursday)
Directed by: Imtiaz Ali

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossips - Neha Dhupia undermines her beauty!

2008-02-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

Having won the 'Fa' Femina Miss India title long back in 2002, Bollywood Actress Neha Dhupia is indeed a beautiful lass and one among the pretty ladies in Bollywood today. Although Neha Dhupia has failed to leave an impact on Bollywood, she has left the imprint of being a sexy lady among the audience. Her beauty and sex appeal is not only a topic of discussion among her directors, but also the audience! But here is the anti-climax; Neha does not consider herself to be beautiful at all!!

Believe it or not, Neha Dhupia does not consider her to be beautiful, but says that she is average-looking. Neha says, "I don't consider myself to be beautiful and my appearance is like the other girls in general. According to me, Lisa Ray and Aishwarya Rai are beautiful women." Recalling an incident of her childhood days, Neha says, "I was so fatty during my school days that no boy used to talk with me. Neither did anyone present me any gift. A reason for this could be that my father, who was in the Army, and my elder brother always protected me like bodyguards."

Neha Dhupia [ Exclusive Photo Gallery]

All these notwithstanding, winning the Miss India title, Neha has proved to the world that she is not only beautiful, but also intelligent. Anyways, it seems that the boys at Neha's school must be repenting now. Had they presented Neha Dhupia with gifts then, it might be possible that they could win her heart then!

Well, after learning about Neha's story, we have begun wondering if the fantasy stories being shown on Indian television these days are inspired from her life. Many of these soaps storyline revolves around beautiful girls who either resemble superstars or are maids waiting for the prince charming to come and propose their hands. Don't you too think in a similar manner?

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Shilpa Shetty promotes Romanov Vodka

2008-02-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

Shilpa Shetty promotes Romanov Vodka [ Watch more photos of this event ]

Vijay Mallya, MD of UB Group introduced Shilpa Shetty as the new brand ambassador of Romanov Vodka in India yesterday. Shilpa Shetty looked gorgeous in silver short dress and striking earrings as she spoke about her association with the brand Romanov and her forthcoming movies

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip-Kangana Ranaut's ‘wardrobe malfunction’

2008-02-10T10:50:00.001-08:00

Curiosity around the sets of Madhur Bhandarkar's much hyped, eagerly waited Fashion grows as breaches in security leak information and generate rumours. The director is concerned that someone else could beat him to the story. Going by Bhandarkar's thematic preoccupations – taking digs at the media in Page 3, business houses in Corporate, and organized begging in Human Traffic –it isn't so hard to predict that Fashion is going to be a critique of the burgeoning fashion industry in India. He has the entire crew sworn to secrecy. When the new kid on the block, Neil Mathur, visited the director on the sets, speculations were rife about his involvement in Fashion. Later, the actor confirmed that it was just a casual chat.
Fashion is constantly in the news for all the tense secrecy shrouding it, where any piece of information leaked to the press (like a shot detail) turns up in print. The director is also worried that all this hype and unwanted attention could kill the film's chances at the box office, or worse, have a rival movie on the fashion industry come out before his.

Kangana Ranaut [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

Kangana Ranaut's now famous 'wardrobe malfunction' (the actress' slip falls down) as she walks down the ramp in a scene from Fashion, has already generated huge talk. Ms. Ranaut's boldness – basically, consenting to do this herself rather than a body double – is being seen by some people as brazen. However, Bhandarkar is determined to push ahead with filming, hoping for a grand, overwhelming reception unsullied by hype.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossips - Saif denies nikaah with Kareena

2008-02-10T10:49:00.001-08:00

Bollywood Gossips - A Mumbai tabloid had reported that Bollywood Actor Saif Ali Khan and Bollywood Actress Kareena Kapoor have married, and a nikah ceremony was held at Saif's residence on 6th of February, 2008 Wednessday but that Saif Ali Khan himself has denied this as a bollywood rumour.

CNN-IBN's Rohit Khilnani gets us the word from the horse's mouth
Rohit Khilnani: Saif Ali Khan a newspaper got you married so was that news for you?
Saif Ali Khan: Yes, it was news for me and I would just like to clarify that I was smiling about it earlier but these kind of rumours are quite disturbing particularly for our families. I don't like some of the things that have been written. As it is, it has been disturbing that things have been written about us constantly and we don't like being in the press everyday for every small thing, but I suppose it is their territory.

Saif Ali Khan [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

However, when they bring families into it and start writing things like that, it is really disturbing and annoying. I would just like to clarify that we are not married, not engaged neither living together. We are right now both focusing on our careers as that is the most important thing in our lives.
Rohit Khilnani: So the whole thing about the ceremony and that some astrologer spoke to the paper was wrong.
Saif Ali Khan: I have spoken to the astrologer as well and he has strongly denied it. He says that words have been put into his mouth. I just heard him on TV and I think that he is enjoying a little bit of publicity, which I really don't blame him for. But he has made it quite clear that there has been marriage or engagement.
Rohit Khilnani: So when the two of you decide to get married then you will come out in the open.
Saif Ali Khan: We will definitely come out in the open and I look forward to that day. I am extremely committed and we are both very mush happy together. I would please like to request the press to give us a little bit of break and as it does get a little stressful for our families when things like this are written about us.
Rohit Khilnani: Best of luck, thank you very much.
Saif Ali Khan: Thank you.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Shilpa Shetty learns yoga from Baba Ramdev

2008-02-10T10:46:00.001-08:00

A yoga camp in Mumbai saw Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty learning a few yogic asanas (postures) from the popular yoga guru, Baba Ramdev.

Baba Ramdev organized the yoga camp on Wednesday in which thousands of people including Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty participated.

Yoga, an ancient school of Hindu philosophy, prescribes physical exercises and mental disciplines for securing a sound body and mind and also attaining spiritual bliss.

Apart from helping one lose weight, yoga has also been known to benefit one in various aliments like blood pressure, arthritis, regulating blood sugar and even in heart ailments.

Shilpa, a self-confessed fitness freak said, she had been performing yoga for long but was quite oblivious to the numerous benefits it offered.

Shilpa Shetty [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

"I started performing yoga because I'm suffering from cervical spondylosis which I developed during weight training. I've been doing yoga from a long time but I didn't know that benefits of yoga were so vast," said Shilpa.

After the yoga session, Shilpa Shetty presented Ramdev with one of her fitness DVDs called `Shilpa's Yoga`, which has already created waves in the United Kingdom.

'When are you getting married,' was Ramdev's first question to Shilpa when she met the Yog Guru at his camp.

'As soon as she gets a suitable match', Shilpa replied promptly.

Shilpa, a self-confessed fitness freak said, she had been performing yoga for long but was quite oblivious to the numerous benefits it offered.

Ramdev has popularized yoga across the world with claims of the ancient knowledge curing illnesses ranging from cancer to AIDS through breathing exercises and traditional medicines.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossips-Salman's too expensive

2008-02-07T00:57:00.001-08:00

A buzz was doing the round that Salman Khan had charged producer Vivek Galani a whooping sum of Rs 35 crore for Veer! Well, to give you a background, Veer is director Anil Sharma's (of Apne fame) next venture and will be written by none other than Sallu boy himself. Now considering he is acting as well as writing, the sum isn't unthinkable. And the same bee that buzzed about Salman's amount buzzed noisily that Anil himself has charged Rs 7 crore. This would mean that the producers would be spending 42 crore on just Salman and Sharma!
But on asking, Sharma gets defensive, "Not at all. Our scripting has just been finished. Salman and I have worked day and night in getting it perfect. But it's way too early to discuss the final figures yet," he said. Yet, it's tough to believe that. Salman being Salman would not write an entire script without

Salman Khan [ Photo Gallery ]

having the figures known, if not cleared. We probed more. "See Salman has become very attached to the story and is personally involved in everything about the film. He would not possibly charge such a massive amount. He can't be so impractical," he retorted.
Anil gushed further saying, " The way he has visualised the story is brilliant. His seniority and experience shines through. I am very confident that the film will do well!" Well, we wish so too. Amen.
- AOL India

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip-Shahid pays tribute to Aamir ?

2008-02-07T00:56:00.001-08:00

Is that a Bollywood News, Gossip or Scoop ??

Seems like Bollywood Actor Shahid Kapur / Kapoor pays tribute to his favourite actor Aamir Khan by playing a teacher who helps a group of troubled young students in his new movie Paathshaala.
The similarities between Bollywood film Taare Zameen Par and this film are striking.

Choreographer-turned-producer and Shahid's close friend Ahmed Khan doesn't deny the fact that Taare Zameen Par has made a huge difference to the way we look at movie entertainment and at the parent-child relationship.

'I would happily admit that Paathshaala is inspired by Taare Zameen Par, except for the fact that 'Paathshala' was conceived and written a year ago. It's about a sensitive teacher's interaction with a group of kids,' said Ahmed.

Shahid Kapoor [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

'I've signed some really talented kids like Sweeney Khare from Bollywood movies Cheeni Kum, Ali Haji from Fanaa and Dwij Yadav from Nanhe Jaisalmer. We're really fortunate to suddenly have so many talented kids in our cinema. So why not put them to creative use? It's about time we addressed issues regarding children in a serious but entertaining way,' said Ahmed.

Interestingly, Ahmed has selected some of the most extraordinary child actors to come into the film industry in the last couple of years.

'And on top of that, let's not forget I was once a child actor myself,' laughed Ahmed who played a child in Mr India.

'Shahid too was a child actor. So we're all putting our minds into making a film about the mind of a child and the child within the man.'

Ahmed has directed two films, Lakeer and Fool N Final. However, Bollywood film Paathshala is being directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali's assistant Milind Ukey.

Shahid Kapoor [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

About Fool N Final, Ahmed said: 'Please don't blame me. Blame the producer. For the first time in Paathshaala, I'm doing a film straight from my heart.'

The set representing the school where 'teacher' Bollywood Actor Shahid does an Aamir has been erected in Film City.

'We even have a basketball court as part of the school set,' said Ahmed proudly.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood Gossip-Deepika, Sonam disqualified!

2008-02-06T15:26:00.001-08:00

While the bollywood film industry is abuzz with bollywood rumours of VJ Bruna being cast opposite Bollywood Actor Hrithik Roshan in his next, the film's director Anurag Basu is only too amused. Not only does he deny the reports, he maintains that even Bollywood Actress Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone do not fit the bill.

When asked to clear the air, Anurag Basu said, "I am still searching for a girl. In fact, we have been auditioning really hard for a perfect girl. I don't understand how Bruna's name cropped up considering that I have definitely not signed her yet and she is not the only girl to have auditioned!" So what exactly is he looking for in his heroine? "The film requires a Spanish speaking girl who can dance well," said Anurag Basu. "That's the reason why we are having so much of difficulty in finding the right girl," he added. Then what about the reports that Anurag had also approached the current sweethearts of the industry - Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone?

Anurag rubbished the claims saying, "As I said I am looking for a girl who speaks Spanish, they immediately disqualify." Interestingly, amidst this entire hullabaloo, a source very close to Bruna still holds by the claim that she has actually been signed up and they are maintaining a low profile as of now.

"She has been signed, but probably has been asked not to talk about it as yet," said a source. Waits to be seen who will finally win the race to be Hrithik's arm candy in this one.

- AOL India Editorial

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

I would never Kiss or Strip-Ayesha Takia

2008-02-06T15:25:00.001-08:00

She said no to Nagesh Kukunoor, the guy who gave her career's best bollywood film Dor.

"I just couldn't do the kissing scene in Aashayein. We tried to find a way out. But it didn't work out for me.

Fortunately for me, Nagesh is a dear friend. He didn't hold my no against me. We completed Tasveer with Akshay Kumar in Canada. And there was nothing there to make me uncomfortable."

Bollywood Actress Ayesha Takia is aware that her more uninhibited colleagues are making hey-hey-hey while she refuses to get bold on camera.

"But I don't mind losing out on roles. At least ten years from now I don't want to look back and cringe at anything. I've a family and a boyfriend. And I don't want to embarrass anyone."

Ayesha Takia [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

Ayesha has an exciting year ahead with films with big-league heroes. "I'm working with Actor Ajay Devgan in Sunday, Akshay Kumar in Nagesh Kukunoor's supernatural-psychological thriller Tasveer. We shot it in one stretch in Canada.

Then I've Prabhu Deva's Wanted, an action film with Bollywood Actor Salman Khan. Here I don't have much to do. I hang around doing whatever leading ladies do …sing, dance and purse my lips when the hero fights," she says with disarming honesty.

Candid in her self-assessment, she sees a boyfriend as no impediment to her career.

"In fact I'm so glad Farhan is no part of the industry. And that he's a self- made man who loves me for whom I am. I don't think having a boyfriend is any problem for a career.

The only annoying part of having a boyfriend is that every time I've a release I'm informed by the press that I'm getting married in two months. It irritates me. When I get married I'll announce it from rooftops. I'm proud of my boyfriend." says Actress Ayesha Takia

Boyfriend is no problem. But her selfcensorship code does hamper her onward progression. "There're things that I wouldn't do, like kiss and wear certain kinds of clothes.

And yes that does put me at a disadvantage. But I'm very happy with the work that I'm getting. After Dor I'm being taken seriously as an actress. "

Last year she had a patch of rough whether when Salaam-e-Ishq and No Smoking bombed. "Everyone kept asking why I reappeared in No Smoking in a double role.

Ayesha Takia [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

I'd like all questions about that film to be directed to the director Anurag Kashyap. please. I've no clue.It was small role, just ten days' work I'd do another film for Anurag anytime. He's a friend.

-

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

King Khan learning French kissing

2008-02-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

Being a versatile actor Shah Rukh Khan has played a variety of characters, but has been most popular in romantic roles. Everyone, including the directors and the audience are aware of this and they know how effectively King Khan can express love through his telling eyes. What is, however, significant is that despite acting in numerous romantic films, Shah Rukh has never done a kissing scene!It is not that King Khan was never offered a kissing scene, but the fact remains that our Bollywood icon cannot endure witnessing him kissing on screen. However, it seems that it is time that Shah Rukh will break the legacy as he has himself confessed recently that he is so influenced by French kiss, that he cannot express it in words. Believe it or not, Shah Rukh says that during his childhood days he used to secretly watch French films just to see those exciting and intimate French kisses! In those days itself, our Bollywood icon had decided to learn the art of French kissing some day or the other.
King Khan humbly says that while he has managed to master the art of acting to a certain extent, he is yet to learn the art of French kissing. Although it's entirely a personal affair to know on whom he has practiced the art of French kissing, we presume it must be his better half Gauri.
Shah Rukh is keen to experiment new roles each time and so, we are of the opinion that there is nothing to be surprised if someday we see him plant a French kiss on screen on any of his heroines. Now who can have any objection if King Khan breaks the rules he has set for himself? Now the question is whether King Khan will plant the French kiss on his heroine with the same passion that he expresses his love through his eyes for his leading ladies on screen.
- Glamsham Enfotainment Magazine

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Kareena is engaged to Saif?

2008-02-06T15:23:00.001-08:00

Recently Kareena Kapoor unveiled the latest issue of Filmfare, at an event that featured the undisputed Queen of Bollywood on its cover. Kareena was also found sporting a huge diamond solitaire on her left hand, which led to a lot of speculation of her engagement to Saif Ali Khan, amongst a section of the media.

But a friend close to her clarifies "Bebo always had the ring and had been wearing it for some time now. And Kareena is in the best phase of her career and has exciting projects on hand. And she has no intention of getting married for the next five years. Both Saif and Kareena are enjoying and focusing on their respective career and have no intention of settling soon."

Kareena is considered as the undisputed claimant for the mantle of numero uno Actress in Bollywood with her slew of her forthcoming films like Tashan with Yash Raj, Agent Vinod, Golmaal Returns, Kambakt Ishq, film with John Abraham and a film with Karan Johar, etc.

Kareena Kapoor Photo Gallery

Besides her films which will consolidate that position, 'Brand Kareena', like 'Brand SRK and Big B, is also known as the 'Endorsement Queen' in the endorsement bandwagon. Kareena's high profile endorsement brands consists of Globus, ICI Paints, Head and Shoulders, Boro plus cream, Citizen watch etc.

Kareena is truly riding the high waves of Bollywood!

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Bollywood News - Raj rage on Bachchan

2008-02-06T15:22:00.001-08:00

Mumbai, Feb. 2: Amitabh Bachchan might be freezing in Shimla, but the heat is on the actor in Mumbai.

Bachchan has been caught in a political crossfire with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray accusing the star of taking more interest in home state Uttar Pradesh than Maharashtra, and the Samajwadi Party's Amar Singh responding in kind.

"The whole country loves superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Even I admire him as an artiste. But when he got an opportunity to contest elections for the first time, he chose Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh over Mumbai. When it came to promoting a state as its brand ambassador, he chose Uttar Pradesh. When it came to acting in non-Hindi cinema, he chose Bhojpuri films," Raj asked at a party meeting last evening.

The Shiv Sena rebel, who has been toeing his parent party's Maharashtra-is-for-Maharashtrians line, added: "If such a big star is so fond of his home state, why can't Raj Thackeray love his Maharashtra?"

Hours later, Amar dismissed the tirade as a publicity gimmick.

"He is taking the name of a big person for stunt. Neither is he a national leader, nor does he hold any constitutional post. By taking the name of Bachchan, he is popularising himself," the Samajwadi leader, who calls the star his elder brother, told reporters.

A handful of Navnirman supporters stormed the news meet and began chanting slogans. As they were forced out, Amar brushed aside the interruption and continued with his spirited defence of north Indians in Mumbai.

"If they stop working, taxis in this city will stop. If they stop working, milk won't be distributed and people will not find vegetables. They don't need Raj Thackeray's permission to come to Mumbai. The Constitution gives the right to citizens to earn a living anywhere in the country."

Amar urged the state government to take cognisance of Raj's comments.

Amitabh Bachchan [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

State Congress chief Gurudas Kamat condemned Raj's "disparaging" remarks. "We have urged chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and deputy chief minister R.R. Patil to take the strictest possible action against Thackeray," he said.

Raj's growing intolerance towards north Indians echoes the sentiments of uncle Bal Thackeray, from whose party he had split following differences with cousin Uddhav.

Raj ad earlier this week raised objections to Chhat puja celebrations in the city. It evoked sharp protests from north Indian leaders, including Lalu Prasad. Ram Vilas Paswan today demanded Raj's arrest.

The nephew, however, found support in his estranged uncle's party. Sena MP Sanjay Raut told news channels in Pune that his party agreed with Raj that as a Mumbaikar, Bachchan's loyalties should lie with Maharashtra.

The Sena stand might surprise Bachchan, a close friend of the party boss. The actor had on January 19 launched a music album based on the poems of Thackeray's grandson Aditya.

There was no reaction from Bachchan, who is shooting in snow-laden Shimla.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Preity, Amrita at a joint birthday party

2008-02-06T15:21:00.003-08:00

Preity Zinta shared her birthday on January 31 with Amrita Arora. Preity was also the surprise guest at Amrita's theme party on the night of Jan 30. The two Aquarian girls even cut a cake together.

Says Preity, "Amrita is a really sweet girl and she has been inviting me every year in order to celebrate our birthday together. This year I said I had to go. Besides it was a theme party…wigs and hats. And I love hats. I am a very hat person. So I went in one of my favourite hats. Thank God I didn't wear the big blonde wig as I was planning to. Because the whole industry was there. How would I've looked?"

The fun-loving Aquarian side to Preity remains predominant. "All us Aquarians are gregarious and hassle-free. Maybe Abhishek, Urmila, Amrita, and I can have a collective birthday party next year. We are all chatterboxes. But I'm now learning to listen more carefully." Preity remains intact although she's now, in her own words, a better listener. "I have to be. I'm in all these board meetings for my cricket deal. And there I better shut up and listen. There's so much to learn."

Preity Zinta [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

Preity was in fact in a series of meetings on the eve of her birthday. "But on my birthday I've just decided to chill out. I'm at home watching a DVD, relaxing sleeping. Last year was a sad birthday for me. My dog had died. This year I've lots to look forward to. And I'm happy. The only thing that irritates me is the constant reference to my age from media persons."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

I don't like being told what to do - Shah Rukh Khan

2008-02-06T15:21:00.001-08:00

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has taken another dig at Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss for the latter's quit-smoking-on-screen appeal to him, saying he does not like anyone telling him what to do and what not to.
Shah Rukh Khan on smoking

"I do not endorse smoking and I do not like anyone telling me personally what to do and what not to do," Khan said in an interview to a news channel.

"You cannot tell me how to earn a packet, you cannot tell me what to eat and what to wear, what not to say to my wife, these are personal things. So, I guard that very jealously," he said.

Ramadoss had, earlier this week, said Khan should not have smoked in the stands while watching a cricket match in Mumbai and that he and Amitabh Bachchan can learn a thing or two from superstar Rajnikanth regarding smoking on screen.

But Khan had this piece of advice for everyone. "I tell children all the time, please do not smoke because it is the worst. If I do not smoke, I would be a big movie star for many, many years to come or maybe I won't be because I smoke that is such a bad thing to do. Do not do it," he pleaded.

Khan (42) has earned the ire of anti-smoking groups on different occasions for lighting up in public in violation of a 2004 ban.

In October, the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication slapped a legal notice on him asking him to explain his actions after he was spotted smoking at a cricket match and at a media conference.

On rumours of his entry into politics, Khan said despite having a good relationship with the young scions of the Gandhi family, there is no question of joining politics.

"Half of the people think that I am very close to the Congress and am going to join politics. I am very close to Priyanka, Robert and Rahul. I tell everyone, I say this whenever I meet them. Why don't you ask them, are you going to join films," the actor said in the interview to be telecast on Saturday.

"I have another friend who is a software engineer. That does not mean I can design softwares like Azim Premji. So, these are my friends but what they do as a job is incidental to my relationship with them."

Khan, who set a new trend of sporting six-pack abs which he adorned in his last film "Om Shanti Om" said his son prompted him to go for the new look.

Shahrukh Khan [ Exclusive Photo Gallery ]

"My son told me Papa, you're fat... Though I wasn't, I didn't think I was fat. And I told him that, listen dude, I am not fat, I am okay.

"But he said no, you are fat papa... So I said okay give me some time and as this film required it..."

On his plans this year ahead, Khan said, "This year I would like to dedicate myself to make movies for kids, not childish movies but movie for kids, take technology of Indian cinema further. So I set parameters for myself and I try to work towards that."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Hrithik to star with VJ Bruna?

2008-02-06T15:19:00.001-08:00

he thrills behind the thriller that Anurag Basu is making for Rakesh Roshan with Hrithik in the lead are getting more thrilling than the film itself. The hunt for the leading lady for Hrithik is getting more intense. Several names had been put forward. Apparently Rakesh Roshan who is very close to Anil Kapoor and very fond of Sonam wanted to cast her. But Sonam, frightfully conscious of her conservative image begged off. The role requires the girl to get seriously sexy with Hrithik.

Says Hrithik, "I'd love to work with Sonam. But not on this project. The role doesn't do justice to her. We're looking at someone from abroad, someone Latin American or Brazilian. So yeah, in that sense this would be my first international project." Director Anurag Basu says Sonam doesn't suit the role. "We've looked at many names, known and unknown in Bollywood. But that 'it' factor eludes us. I am getting quite jittery. The girl's role is extremely bold. Actually we've decided to cast someone international, preferably Brazilian, because that's the personality and profile of the leading lady in my film." According to reliable reports, the girl chosen for the part is the Channel V model Bruna Abdullah. Child of an Arabian mother and Brazilian father Bruna has been stationed in Mumbai waiting for Bollywood to happen. She performed an extremely bold item song for Anubhav Sinha's Cash recently.

Says a close friend of the Arabian-Brazilian veejay-dancer, "Bruna is extremely uninhibited before the camera. That is why she was brought into Channel V who needed a girl to rival the international looks, personality, and body language of MTV's veejay Mia. Bruna has her eyes set on Bollywood. Anubhav's item song was her stepping-stone. Anurag's film with Hrithik is her next big move." However the director denies Bruna has been penciled in for the Hrithik project. "I don't deny meeting her, like we've met so many other girls for the part. But Bruna hasn't been finalized. But it'll surely be an international face." Adds Rakesh Roshan, "It'll be a Spanish -speaking girl. We want to show love has no barriers."

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Shaadi mein to abhi 5-6 saal hain - Kareena

2008-02-06T15:18:00.001-08:00

Kareena has been flashing a huge diamond ring on her hand for a while now which led to the speculation of her marriage with Saif Ali Khan. Obviously the love smitten couple gave enough fodder to the gossipmongers over the weekend.

Kareena, unlike Saif, had been keeping mum about the affection she felt for him, finally decided to put a full stop on wild gossip of her marrying the star.

Ending weeks of speculations of her marrying Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor said that wedding bells can wait for 5 to 6 years, she is not in a hurry for any decision.

"Shaadi mein to abhi 5-6 saal hain" said Bebo told media persons today.

The actress, who was earlier involved with Shahid Kapoor, has however made no secrets of her relationship with Chote Nawab.

The love that blossomed on the sets of their upcoming film 'Tashan' matured into an affair to watch out for when the Prince of Pataudi decided to wear his heart on his sleeve. The famous tattoo "Kareena" on Saif's arm was followed by a dazzling diamond ring on Bebo's ring finger, sparking rumours that the two were engaged.

Our sources tell us that it is her mother Babita, who is holding Kareena back from making any commitments.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Shahrukh Khan receives French Honour

2008-02-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khanreceived the coveted French honour Officer dans l'Ordre des Aris et desLettres (Officer of the order of Arts and Letters) by the Ambassador ofFrance in India, Jerome Bonnafont, at a special ceremony at the GrandHyatt.

With this honour, Khan joined the ranks of Hollywoodstars like George Clooney, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, MerylStreep, Bruce Wills and Leonardo Di Caprio. Arundhati Roy is the otherfamous Indian recipient of this award.

The honour is given bythe French government to people excelling in the field of art,literature and/or influencing the art and culture of France.

A French delegation was also present on the occasion, for the first Rendezvous with French Cinema in India.

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! MSN Messenger

Hrithik's sister, Sunaina, enters Bollywood

2008-01-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

The Bollywood bug seems to have bitten a new Roshan. After Hrithik, his sister Sunaina will be making her debut in films. Well, not as an actor, but as a producer. “Sunaina is co-producing Krazzy 4 with me,” informs Rakesh Roshan.Krazzy 4 has two of Bollywood's superstars SRK and Hrithik doing item numbers. “We just finished shooting Shah Rukh's item number. Hrithik will shoot for his item number on February 15”, states Rakesh Roshan. “The film is about four mentally unstable people who escape from the mental hospital in order to explore the world. They are out on a one-day trip. The film goes on to show if these four characters are crazy or is it the world that is actually crazy,” narrates Roshan.He further adds, “Krazzy 4 features Arshad Warsi, Irrfan Khan, Rajpal Yadav and Suresh Menon as the crazy characters while Juhi Chawla plays a psychiatrist. The film also has Dia Mirza and Rajat Kapoor who is Juhi's husband in the film.”Krazzy 4 is directed by Jaideep Sen and is slated to release in the month of April. Its theatrical promos will be showcased along with the screening of Sunday.

Bollywood turns patriotic on Republic Day

2008-01-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

On Republic Day, patriotism is running high in Bollywood. The stars share some of their favourite patriotic films and songs:

Priyanka Chopra: My favourite patriotic song will have to be Mile sur mera tumhara. Every time I'd see all the stalwarts of the country from Lataji to Pandit Ravi Shankar to Shabana Azmi come together on television to sing that song, I'd get goose bumps. My favourite national figure is late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was a truly remarkable visionary. He dreamt of taking India into the new millennium but couldn't live to see that dream come true. Believe me, we haven't even realised 10 per cent of our full potential as yet.

JP Dutta: My favourite patriotic song is Hum laayen hain toofan se kashti nikal ke from the film Jagriti. My favourite patriotic film will have to be my own Border. And I'd say the true national figure is the soldiers of the armed forces. They represent the true spirit of India.Shabana Azmi: Favourite song has to be Kar chale hum fida from Haqeeqat Favourite national figure? Undoubtedly, Mahatma Gandhi. Though Nehruji was also a remarkable visionary.

Hema Malini: My favourite patriotic songs are the national anthem and Lataji's Ae mere watan ke logon. And Bapuji is my favourite national figure.

Himesh Reshammiya: Favourite patriotic film Upkar and song Ae mere watan ke logon. National figure? Gandhiji, of course!

Rahul Khanna: I thought Chak De! India was incredibly patriotic. My favourite song is predictably our national anthem. It's a truly beautiful piece of music and verse. My favourite national figure is Indian soldiers who toil selflessly at the border to protect our country.

Bhavna Talwar: My favourite song is Ae mere pyare watan from Kabuliwala. Though many great patriotic films have been made, I'd choose my own "Dharm" for its message of national integration at a time when rappers are singing about hatred. My favourite national figure is former president APJ Abdul Kalam.

Ravi Kishan: My favourite song is Mera rang de basanti chola from Shaheed. And my favourite national personalities are Anna Hazare and Sunil Dutt.

Suneel Darshan: I'm a big Manoj Kumar fan and my favourite film is Upkar; favourite song is Hai preet jahan ki reet sadaa from Purab Aur Pachhim.

Mahesh Bhatt: Favourite patriotic song would have to be Kar chale hum fida by Kaifi Azmi. And favourite film is Chetan Anand's Haqeeqat. My favourite national figure? Rabindranath Tagore.

Imtiaz Ali: Favourite patriotic film Rang De Basanti, favourite song Rahman's Vande mataram. And the national figure? Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Boman Irani: Without a doubt my favourite patriotic song is Ae mere pyare watan by Manna Dey. I sing it all the time. It just makes me cry. It's a song dedicated to the country.

Aishwarya to pair with Rajnikant in 'Robot'

2008-01-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

Finally it is Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan! The glamorous actress is to star opposite Tamil film icon Rajnikant in sci-fi film "Robot" though there is no official confirmation from either the producer or director.

In other words, you can define it as a Bollywood GossipAishwarya told the media that she would be pairing with Rajnikant in the movie being directed by Shankar. This will be her second project with Shankar after "Jeans", which released in 1998. She had starred opposite Prashant in "Jeans".Two weeks ago, Shankar had signed up superstar Rajnikant for the lead role in "Robot". Since then, the media has speculated on Aishwarya or Deepika Padukone for the lead opposite Rajni.

According to the film industry sources, Shankar was in Mumbai with the script and the former Miss World responded positively after "having gone through the script thoroughly".Even for Shankar's "Sivaji: The Boss", rumour mills had predicted Bollywood Actress Aishwarya as the female lead opposite Rajnikant, but low-profile Shriya Sharan was roped in at the end.One of Rajnikant's daughters is also named Aishwarya.After the success of "Sivaji: The Boss", Shankar announced that he will repeat the 57-year-old actor in "Robot" - a Rs.1 billion film, which the industry predicts will be a greater success.Both Rajni and Shankar are reportedly keen on "Robot" becoming an international success.

Maestro A.R. Rahman will compose the music. The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages and will be distributed by London-based Ayingaran International.

Twist In The Tale Of Karisma’s Marriage With Delhi-Based Industrialist Sanjay Kapur...

2008-01-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

It is heard from insiders that there’s a twist in the tale of Karisma’s marriage with Delhi-based industrialist Sanjay Kapur. Although Karisma and Sanjay seem to have worked out their marriage, we heard that Sanjay can’t get along with mum-in-law Babita. This is surprising, considering Sanjay’s mother and Babita are close friends. The story goes that Karisma came to Mumbai for the delivery of her baby in 2005 and stayed with her mother (Babita) and sister (Kareena) in Babita’s flat at Hill Road, Bandra. However, about six months ago, she bought a flat of her own in Mayflower building opposite Olive in Bandra and moved there. According to our well-placed source, the reason behind the move was that her husband Sanjay couldn’t get along with her mother, and so didn’t want to visit his family at Babita’s place. Yet he wanted to have some time alone both with Karisma and his daughter Samaira. So he asked her to set up house separately in Mumbai.
Karisma, says that, had no choice but to move out of Babita’s flat to allow Sanjay to spend some quality time with Samaira. Sanjay and Babita hardly talk to each other. However, after Karisma shifted to Mayflower, Sanjay started visiting her once a fortnight. He generally comes over on alternate weekends.They visited Mayflower building last Saturday to confirm that Karisma was indeed staying with Samaira at Mayflower, and that Babita and Kareena were not staying with her. The watchman on duty at the building told us that Karisma, Sanjay and Samaira form a happy family on weekends. He said that Randhir Kapoor, Babita, Kareena and Sanjay visit Karisma, but none of them stay here permanently. Sanjay stays here for about two days whenever he is here, and He saw Karisma, Samaira and Sanjay going out together.

Kunal Khemu plays a double role in Super Star

2008-01-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

He plays the title role as well as the role of a junior artiste in the film. Anyway, doing a double role can get quite messy, especially for the make-up man who is shuffling between one look and another. Kunal tells us that it was quite a challenge to get into two different moods because both the characters are poles apart in looks, hairstyle and body language. In fact on two occasions, my make-up artiste got so muddled that he prepared me for the role of the super star when the shot required me to be the junior artiste. After spending an hour getting ready, his director told me that he was to play the ‘other guy’ and so he had to spend an extra hour removing the make-up and sat patiently through the second get up. And this is no made-up story!

Parents react on Amisha's break up with Vikram Bhatt

2008-01-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

After she started living-in with Vikram Bhatt, Amisha Patel had publicly severed all relations with her mother Asha and father Amit. But now that she has split with Vikram (they called off their relationship, one month back), Asha and Amit are ready to accept her back, if Amisha decides to return. When contacted, Asha tells us that Amisha is my daughter and she is free to comeback. In fact, she is more than welcome.
However, for Amisha’s mom, Asha, it is still a sensitive issue. She has still not called up Amisha. Asha adds that she got to know of Amisha’s break-up from the newspapers. We didn’t know that she had split with Vikram. We have just returned from Dubai and have read about it now. The concerned mother makes no bones about the fact that her relatives and family-friends are relieved about the break-up. She revealsthat she has been flooded with calls ever since she landed. Everybody is happy about the break-up. Naturally, Asha still does not think highly of Vikram Bhatt. Talking further about Amisha and Vikram, Asha said that she always knew that the relationship would not last. Everybody knew it was a mistake. It should be recalled that Vikram left his first wife for Sushmita Sen. People used to ask me why Amisha was doing this. But she is a grown-up girl and I have left it to her to understand life. Amisha’s relations with her parents had turned sour a few years back over monetary issues when she had complained that her parents had misappropriated her funds. She had served a legal notice on her parents asking them to return her money

Salman’s wax statue at Madame Tussauds

2008-01-26T14:04:00.002-08:00

Surrounded by fans, Bollywood actor Salman Khan unveiled his wax figure at Madame Tussauds earlier this week. Salman beat nine other Indian mega stars including Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Lata Mangeshkar, Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, Rani Mukerji, Karan Johar and Kajol, to win a place at the world famous waxworks museum after a public poll conducted last summer. Salman’s statue stands in a special Bollywood section alongside those of three other Mumbai greats — Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. The museum hopes the installation of the new statue, reflecting Salman’s popularity in the West, will attract many more South Asian and British-Asian visitors. The heartthrob actor was measured and photographed by expert sculptors in Mumbai last October to kickstart painstaking work on his wax double. He personally chose and donated clothes for the figure to wear. Salman, who has starred in over 55 films since his 1988 debut film Biwi Ho To Aisi made it to the central London attraction.
More than 10,000 people voted in the poll to choose the “Next Bollywood Star” conducted last August. Ben Lovett of Madame Tussauds said recently that the Asian market is critical to our attraction and our association with Bollywood, particularly the launch of Shah Rukh Khan, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of Asians, from both the UK and abroad, visiting and enjoying Madame Tussauds.

Aamchi Mumbai not for Madonna

2008-01-26T14:04:00.001-08:00

Even as there are miscellaneous reports doing the rounds about Madonna’s so-called secret visit to Mumbai, a source revealed that the pop star did indeed make a quick visit to Mumbai last week, along with husband Guy Ritchie and adopted son David Banda. Since she didn’t want any media attention, she made a hurried back-door entry into the hotel where she was staying. But things didn’t go down too well with the singer in aamchi Mumbai, and she shortened her already-short trip to Mumbai. Apparently, Madonna was put off by the dirt and pollution in Mumbai, which also made her son unwell, and she left almost immediately for Rajasthan, where she has been touring since the past week. Meanwhile, another source revealed that the short n’ sweet dance session — the cha-cha-cha and the waltz — that she had with choreographer Sandip Soparrkar in Jaisalmer on Sunday was a super success.
But it wasn’t just all dancing, there were serious moments too when Madonna and Sandip sat down and had a chat about children and adoption (Madonna adopted one-year-old Malawian boy David Banda and Sandip adopted Arjun, becoming the first single father in India).

Neil compares Hrithik

2008-01-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

Neil Mukesh is hot, handsome and very happening, grandson of legendary singer Mukesh and son of singer Nitin Mukesh is all over the place these days. The hottie is seen launching products, attending premieres... basically basking in the glory of his debut film Johnny Gaddaar.Apparently Neil has made a record this year of appearing in almost every calendar that has launched except for the 'Kingfisher calendar'!
Many people keep telling me that he looks like Hrithik and he takes that as a compliment. He has become a pinup boy indeed! He has been featured in almost every calendar that has been launched this year! He missed out only on the Kingfisher calendar but that too because they needed female models! He thinks it's quite an achievement for him that said Neil.

Bollywood Gossip - Kareena Kapoor thrown out

2008-01-25T01:56:00.000-08:00

If the rumors in the industry circles are to be believed, despite here resounding success during 2007, especially ‘Jab We Met’, and hiked performance price, Kareena Kapoor has been dropped from director Imtiaz Ali’s next film.Rejecting Kareena for a role in his film, Imtiyaz Ali has chosen the currently hot Bollywood glamour girl Deepika Padukone for the film.Worse still, in a recent interview, director Imtiyz Ali has told a magazine that he had taken Kareena Kapoor for ‘Jab We Met’ even without liking the actress’ acting qualities and he stressed that Kareena is not a good actress at all.Incidentally, Imtiaz Ali, who was the director of ‘Jab We Met’, has even ignored the recommendations of Saif Ali Khan the hero of his next untitled film, and rejected his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor to opt for Deepika Padukone.

More interestingly, Saif Ali Khan is not only the hero of the film, but it is going to be Saif's first film production!Sources said that Saif Ali Khan had recommended Kareena Kapoor for their new film, but the director rejected Saif’s pleas.Going by the standards in Bollywood, this is something significant as normally the directors seldom have the guts to ignore the requests of the hero and more so when he is also the producer of the movie.But many here would want to know if the director would have the same guts to reject a request either by Shah Rukh Khan or Aameer Khan!

Did Abu Salem love Sushmita ...?

2008-01-25T01:53:00.000-08:00

While this has been confirmed from the intelligence records of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, the police have said that the actress had no connection whatsoever with the gangster’s business.However, Abu Salem has told the police that he has high regards for Sushmita Sen. The two met several times at different places and on different occasions between 1999 and 2000, but the actress refuses to tell anything on this.

Child actors are victimised in Bollywood....

2008-01-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

What can you say about a child of eight, a star overnight, when he refuses an award bestowed on him for his brilliant performance in a difficult role on grounds that he was the 'hero' of the film and not a 'child' actor? The electronic media went wild right across television channels the other day closing in on this wonderful little boy whose instant stardom has clearly gone to his head. Darsheel Safary, the wonder kid of Taare Zameen Par, insists that he is the hero of the film so why should he be chosen for the 'Best Child Actor' category by a weekly trade paper for its annual film awards this year? Shoma A Chatterji tries to find out whether the child actor is a hero, a victim exploited by his family and the film's publicity machine, or an unwilling martyr to media-hype...

It is amusing to discover the contradiction. A boy who does not understand what 'jury award' means refuses 'the best child actor' award. Is his response spontaneous? Or did his parents and family doctor it? Why weren't they questioned about the child's decision? Where were they when the boy, whose final exams are round the corner, was being interviewed by every news channel that jumped on the story for its 'man-bites-dog' element of sensation? Darsheel has been the media's favourite lollipop ever since Taare Zameen Par hit the screens across the country. He has been giving television and press interviews left, right and centre, appearing at press conferences and generally having a whale of a time. Shouldn't he be getting back to where he belongs - to his parents and his school and his games of football and cricket? Should he be questioned about whether girls' attitudes toward him have changed? Or, whether he likes girls or not, again and again? By the simple logic of a child's mindset, Darsheel ought to have been thrilled by the twin awards bestowed on him for his first ever film role. But no sir, he is not a normal child. The media has seen to that. He insists by suggestion that he would have been happy had he won the Best Actor award that went to Shahrukh Khan! The media just laps it up in sound bytes that may have overwhelmed you had you not been so shocked at its blatant violation of the simple ethics of letting a child remain a child.

Maddy approaches Shah Rukh

2008-01-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2008
Om Shanti Om directed by Farah Khan with Shah Rukh and debutant Deepika Padukone in the lead roles was declared as one of the greatest hits of last year. The success of this film has led many film makers from other languages to consider remaking the same in their own language and there seems to be stiff competition among them to buy the rights. From Tamil film industry

Maddy was supposed to be very keen to remake the same in Tamil and has approached the King Khan. Even though, the rates quoted by Shah Rukh were said to be astronomical, Maddy is very eager and firm about bringing Om Shanti Om to Tamil. An official announcement is in the offing and we will keep you informed…

Aishwarya Rai signs for Robot

2008-01-24T09:53:00.003-08:00

January 24, 2008

A couple of days back, we had mentioned that Shankar was in Mumbai to hold talks with Aishwarya Rai to cast her in his prestigious project Robot. Now it is confirmed that he has been successful with regard to roping in former Miss World in his mega budgeted film Robot. Ms Rai has signed on the dotted line for a jaw dropping sum of Rs 1.5 crore to play the lady lead for Super Star in the

film. Insiders reveal that this could be the highest paid salary for any heroine in the South Indian film industry. This Science fiction film will be produced by Karunamoorthy for Ayngaran International and is expected to be made simultaneously in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu.

Alibaba to be launched soon

2008-01-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

January 24, 2008
In Kollywood, there seems to be a trend of brothers of directors smearing the grease paint. Following the brothers of Lingusamy and Boopathy Pandian, director Vishnuvardhan’s brother Krishna will be making his Kollywood entry through a film called Alibaba to be produced for Talking Times Movies Private Limited by S G Sekar, Vijayraghavan and Sanjeev Kapur.

This film will go on floors next month and it will be directed by Vishnu’s associate Neelan. Cinematography will be taken care of by Vel Raj and Vidya Sagar will be scoring music. According to the unit the film fill focus equally on romance, action and music. Currently the director is in Mumbai to finalize a heroine for Krishna.

Irrfan tries being Shahrukh

2008-01-24T09:50:00.001-08:00

Irrfan Khan is more known for his tremendous acting skills and he had the audiences floored with his performances in Metro and The Namesake.
When it comes to acting Irrfan can surely give any star a run for his money. Unfortunately Irrfan doesn’t hold the star power that Shahrukh Khan does. Does that bother Irrfan ? We wouldn’t really know but Irrfan has surely taken up the task of imitating Shahrukh.
In Rohit Shetty’s Sunday Irrfan plays the character of a struggling actor who mimicks Shahrukh at the auditions of Don 3.
We wonder why everyone in bollywood seems to be breathing down Shahrukh’s neck so much; be it the character of a monkey in Hanuman that spoke like Mr.Khan or the constant taunts about Shahrukh’s six pack. In any case let’s hope that Irrfan doesn’t upset Shahrukh and don’t be surprised if you hear of Irrfan gearing up to achieve those faboulous six pack.

Mixed verdict for Fardeen Khan in drug case

2008-01-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

Actor Fardeen Khan Thursday received a mixed judgement in a drug case when the court acquitted him from the charge of procuring nine grams of cocaine but said he would be charged for attempting to buy one gram of the drug, which attracts lesser penalty. Additional sessions judge P N Deshmukh discharged the actor from the offence of allegedly procuring nine grams of cocaine about five years ago, which would have invited stringent punishment. The judge, however, held that Khan would be charged for conspiracy of attempting to buy one gram of the contraband. Khan was caught here by the police while attempting to buy cocaine from a drug peddler in 2002. Nine grams of cocaine was seized from the peddler. During the trial, the actor told the court that he was attempting to buy only one gram of the drug and hence should not be charged for more quantity.

Aishwarya Rai becomes the Indian Mona-Lisa

2008-01-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

Queen of Hearts, Aishwarya Rai, has seen it all. From winning the prestigious title of Miss World to even having a Tulip named after her in Amsterdam, Madame Rai has been there and done that.
But wait there's more to her crowning glory. 72 year old painter Ratan Parimoo (actor Lalit Parimoo's uncle) had an exhibition of his paintings this week titled 'Iconography of a Nayika' at Mumbai's famous Jehangir art Gallery.
The paintings depict the archetypal female across cross-cultural boundaries and needless to say Aishwarya Rai was the painter's muse as he showcased the actress' various moods and moments combining it with his own imagination.
But probably the ultimate tribute to Madame Rai is this painting in which the former Miss World has been painted in a Mona-Lisa like pose, thereby combining the beauty and grace of two really well known female characters from both European and Indian art history.
The event had quite a few prominent tele and theatre personalities like Mukesh Khanna, Lalit Parimoo, Mauli Ganguly , Ananya Banerji , Amisha Mehta , Anil Dharker in attendance. As for Ash, she may not have been physically present but she was seen flashing her million-dollar smile from the paintings that adorned the walls of this gallery.

Sallu becomes sardar for Heroes

2008-01-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Salman Khan may have almost finished two decades in the film industry but he still keeps bettter with age.
The handsome actor who has played a variety of characters in his films would now be doing something which he hasn't done before. He will be seen playing a sardar for the first time in his upcoming film Heroes directed by Sameer Karnik.
Apart from Salman, the film in question, stars Sohail Khan, Vatsal Seth, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Preity Zinta, Amrita Arora, Riya Sen and Mithun Chakraborty. Sallu plays a military official in this road-trip film which is apparently inspired by the cult classic The Motorcycle Diaries. In fact, to make the look more authentic, Sallu even grew his own beard for three weeks and has really worked hard on getting the look right.
One thing is for sure, when the film hits the box-office, die-hard Sallu fans will surely queue up to see their favorite hero in his brand new look.

‘Ash, Hrithik wore 300 kg of gold in Jodhaa-Akbar’

2008-01-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Two hundred craftsmen worked for 600 days, moulded 400 kg of gold and precious and semi-precious stones to recreate jewelleries of Mughal era in Ashutosh Gowariker's historical romance Jodhaa Akbar, releasing Feb 15.
Tanishq, the leading jewellery brand, unveiled the jewellery worn by Aishwarya Rai, who plays the Rajput princess Jodhabai, and Hrithik Roshan, who plays Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Akbar, in the movie.
The exquisite pieces include sarpech (feather pin), archer's ring, arsi (mirror ring), bhor (head jewel like in Indian tika) and hansali (choker).

"The wedding set, which Aishwarya wears in the film, is very heavy. It weighs around three-and-a-half kg. It was difficult for her to wear them. In fact, in the interviews she said the hardest part was to wear the jewellery,” said Alpana Parida, head marketing & merchandising at Tanishq. “But that was how women lived those days and it is authentic."
A blend of Mughal and Rajasthani designs, the handcrafted jewels on display in Delhi are breathtakingly beautiful and give an insight into India's glorious past.
"I think if everything is put together then the total weight will be about 300 kg and it's a huge investment on the part of the company,” said Parida. “We have made 13 ensembles for Aishwarya and eight for Hrithik. We have used gold and gems like emeralds, pearls, ruby, tourmaline and jade."
However, she refused divulge the budget.
This is Tanishq's second film venture. Earlier, they collaborated with Shah Rukh Khan for his home production Paheli.

Amitabh Bachchan shooting in snow covered Manali

2008-01-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is presently in a picturesque tourist town, Manali shooting for Sujit Sircar's Shoe Bite.
Bachchan arrived here late Tuesday by road from Chandigarh, as his plane could not land due to bad weather in Kullu Monday.
The resort town of Manali received heavy snowfall this year and sources said Sircar has short-listed a host of locations here to shoot for the film.
Actor Diya Mirza is also joining the unit in a couple of days, the sources said.
According to hotel sources, Bachchan is scheduled to stay for five days in and around Manali and then move to the Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla, 280 km away, for more shooting of the same film.

John's diary: I know I have put my career on the line

2008-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

The downside of being on the road all the time is that I never get to read the same newspaper every day. I get bits and pieces of news from friends and on the Internet, but I do feel quite cut off from the world. I begin to wonder how other people in my industry stay in touch: to stay real with the times and to the audiences that they serve.
On the other hand, every time I am back in Mumbai, I find the city and the country has moved forward a little more than the last time I was there. The fact that there is a perceptible change within weeks and months is in itself a wonder.
A greater acceptance of diverse ideas has steadily taken root in Indian film-making. There is a new adventure in the industry that is fed with new blood. Films are being made to lead public sentiment, rather than to follow it.
Leadership is never easy. Somebody has to be the first to seek out new audiences, forge new routes into the wilderness. There will be poison berries along the way, as well as exotic fruits. There have been path-breaking directors like Guru Dutt who have forged new paths and paid the price for their enterprise.
There is a clutch of young film-makers today, who are going against the grain of established norms in the industry. They are laying the path for others in the future.

Sanjay Dutt may have married Manyata

2008-01-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

A prominent half-page colour advertisement by Sanjay Dutt and Manyata in a Marathi newspaper Wednesday, greeting Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on his 82nd birthday, indicates that the troubled film star may have tied the knot with his live-in companion, an indication confirmed by Bollywood sources.
The advertisement has been released in the 88-page special edition Saamna newspaper. Below a large photograph of a reclining Thackeray is the revealing caption: "From Sanjay Dutt and Manyata Dutt".
According to Bollywood sources, the duo had a low-profile registered marriage in the presence of a few family members and close friends.
Though his sisters Priya, Namrata and other family friends remained unreachable on their mobile phones, sources told IANS that the marriage has been kept under wraps since Dutt has been sentenced to a jail term. He is presently out on bail.
"It would appear inappropriate to celebrate a marriage with him behind bars," one of his Bollywood friends said.
Dutt was always expected to tie the knot with Manyata alias Shehnaaz Shaikh, once an innocuous Bollywood item girl, who has been seen with him during the highs and lows in his personal and professional lives.
Ever since the star, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case, was released from his latest jail stint in November last year, Manyata has been constantly seen with him at all public events, including his film shoots.
Manyata has reportedly become so possessive of late that not only Dutt's friends, even his sisters cannot walk into his apartment and talk to him without her remaining within earshot.
Sources said the couple is now planning to shift out of their Mumbai apartment building Imperial Heights to guard their privacy.

Spot the new 'Gabbar' in town

2008-01-24T05:39:00.000-08:00

Veteran actress Tanuja will be seen stepping in Gabbar's shoe and counting on men "Kitne Aadmi the', unerringly the way Gabber did for the TV serial 'Babban Bhai V/s Bimla Tai'.
"Tanuja ji is a complete sporty lady and did not show paroxysm for getting in to Gabbar's character", says Yash Patnaik, show's producer. "She loves to experiment with her own looks and is very co-operative", adds Yash.
"Everybody on the sets simply adore her and is very fond of her", chirps the producer. To sum it up in a few words "Tanuja ji is a part of the family, a wonderful actor to work with and an awe-inspiring human being", adds Yash Patnaik.
Well Gabbar's in awe for sure!
Adds Tanuja, "I always kept receiving a lot of offers. They were all saas-bahu sagas where I had to play the head of the family. I cannot see myself doing these soaps that go on and on. When I was offered the role I like the concept. When I heard about the character I was to play, I freaked out. I thought to myself, what can I do with this character that imparts a social message in a funny way.
I was happy that I would be doing something to make people laugh. Besides the interesting role, the producers agreed to all my terms and conditions. What's more it's a weekly which suits me fine. It's great fun doing this serial."
Talking about her films, she says, "I have three films on hand. One is being directed by Satish Kaushik, it is untitled yet and there's Halle Dil. I am also acting in one Bengali film."
She is also keeping her fingers crossed for U, ME AUR HUM which features her daughter Kajol along with son-in-law Ajay Devgan. She reveals, "Ajay's been inviting me to see the rushes but I have told him I will watch it when it's complete and in the theatre on the day of the premiere. I can wait till then."

Preity rubbishes rumours of split with boyfriend Ness

2008-01-24T05:35:00.000-08:00

Preity Zinta is currently concentrating on changing her image in bollywood, she has now moved to doing more serious roles as she has reached a different stage in her career. However there have been rumours that Preity has lately been very busy with work and hence she hardly has time for boyfriend Ness Wadia. Some sources had claimed that the two were even having problems in their relationship. But Preity claims "We are happy and there are no problems between us."Preity Zinta is making a conscious decision to move away from her glamorous roles right now. She is currently doing a strong role in Deepa Mehta's film where she plays a battered Punjabi wife. Recently there were rumours that all is however not well in Preity's personal life. She was shooting for Deepa Mehta's film in Toronto and boyfriend Ness too had accompanied her to spend time with her. However since Deepa is a tough taskmaster, there were reports that Preity hardly had time to spend with Ness and this apparently led to an argument between the couple. Sources claimed that after the showdown between Ness and Preity, an upset Ness returned to Mumbai and Preity was once again immersed with her shoot. However Preity denies the entire story, terming it rubbish. Preity said "I don't know where these stories originate from. A few months ago it was being said that Ness and I were getting married and now it's being said that he and I have split." Preity obviously was not too happy with the media intrusion into her personal life. But she nonetheless said "Ness and I are happy together, thank you very much." Preity will also be seen in a serious avatar in Heroes. In fact she had recently also joined Anupam Kher's acting school to brush up on her acting skills.

Sanjay Dutt shoots a music video for 'Woodstock Villa'

2008-01-24T04:40:00.000-08:00

Sanjay Dutt has discovered several musical bones in his personality. After crooning for the album "Asha & Friends" and the film "Zinda", he now features in a music video for the movie "Woodstock Villa". In the debut vehicle of Kirron and Anupam Kher's son Sikandar and Neha Oberoi, Sanjay enacts a song performed by the band Aryan. Sanjay Gupta, who has directed the musical piece, says the song has turned into one of the film's highlights."When Sanju performs a song, it's not just a star lending his name. He feels the lyrics, their pain and passion and projects them on screen. That's what makes the sound so special," Gupta told IANS.Sanjay Dutt apparently was moved to tears by the evocative lyrics.

Amitabh Bachchan shooting in snow covered Manali

2008-01-24T04:39:00.000-08:00

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is presently in this picturesque tourist resort shooting for Sujit Sircar's "Shoe Bite".Bachchan arrived here late Tuesday by road from Chandigarh, as his plane could not land due to bad weather in Kullu Monday.The resort town of Manali received heavy snowfall this year and sources said Sircar has short-listed a host of locations here to shoot for the film.Actor Diya Mirza is also joining the unit in a couple of days, the sources said.According to hotel sources, Bachchan is scheduled to stay for five days in and around Manali and then move to the Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla, 280 km away, for more shooting of the same film.

Did Abu Salem love Sushmita

2008-01-24T04:37:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the gangster Abu Salem, now undergoing imprisonment in an Uttar Pradesh jail, has confessed that he was smitten by actress Sushmita Sen the very moment he saw her in Dubai in 1995?The story goes back to 1994 when Abu Salem was organizing shows in Dubai where Bollywood stars were regular performers. It is during one of these shows, that he met the former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen in 1995. It was a time when Sushmita had just entered the film industry and was introduced to the gangster by her friend Amir Shaikh from Bahrain. And Salem was charmed by the actress. The two first met in person in a restaurant Wadi Kabir in Muscat in 1999 for a show there and again in Chicago after Abu Salem moved to the US in 2000. However, the gangster’s first wife Samira Jumani did not like of his association with Sushmita and they often quarreled over his relation with the actress. However, he clarified that he did not have an affair with the actress.While this has been confirmed from the intelligence records of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, the police have said that the actress had no connection whatsoever with the gangster’s business. However, Abu Salem has told the police that he has high regards for Sushmita Sen. The two met several times at different places and on different occasions between 1999 and 2000, but the actress refuses to tell anything on this. -Chandan Das

At last, Aamir kicks bad habit

2008-01-24T04:36:00.001-08:00

Bollywood actor-turned-director Aamir Khan, whose directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par' has become a box-office hit, says that he is extremely tired and badly needs to unwind himself.'My God! The past few months have been quite a ride. And the last month the most exciting, nerve racking, exhausting, rejuvenating, draining, enriching. Am I ever going to recover?' Aamir noted in his blog this week.'I feel like I've been stuffed into a washing machine, which doesn't have an off button. After this I really need to be put out to dry in the sun and left alone. But no such luck. I start shooting for 'Ghajini' on Jan 22,' he penned.Hence, the multifaceted actor would take 'baby steps' towards recovery.'First things first... I have just smoked my last cigarette before sending this post. Yes, I have finally kicked the bad habit! I know I know I can already hear all of you all scream and shout. I was supposed to give up on Dec 31. But I didn't (which is one of the reasons I was avoiding posting).'I tried my best... but I am sorry I couldn't then... but I have now... so please don't give me grief... instead support me now.'Second step: get back to sleeping early. Third: work out religiously.Fourth: get back on my healthy diet. Fifth: just stick to the above four for a while before taking the fifth step,' he explained.And while the actor shoots for 'Ghajini' his to-do list includes: Work on the DVD of 'Taare...', work on the release plan of 'Jaane Tu...', Aamir Khan Production's next release, supervise preparations on 'Delhi Belly,' which starts shoot in March.'Start preparation work on the other one that Aamir Khan Production is producing later this year yet untitled. Make innovations and progress on this site. Clean my study and my cupboard. So much junk has piled up in my rooms. Everyday I look at the mess and promise myself I'll get down to it at some point.'Overwhelmed by the Indian cricket team's historic win in Australia last week, Aamir, a sports buff, said the victory tastes sweeter after beating an 'arrogant' team.'In the meantime let us celebrate India's win over Australia. What a glorious win! Sweet and well deserved. We would have won the earlier test as well had it not been for remarkably bad luck with the umpiring.'The victory is the more satisfying because we beat a team, which is unfortunately very arrogant and decidedly badly behaved on the cricket field.'My sincere apologies to any fans of Australian cricket but I fail to understand why arguably the best team in the world has to behave so badly on the field.Or why this team feels the need to use excessively aggressive heckling to try and win a match. Can't they just play better?'Incidentally, Aamir, a more-than-decent tennis player and admirer of Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, said that cricketers must take a lesson from tennis players.'I don't see Federer or (Andy) Roddick misbehaving with each other or anyone. I wish the Indian team didn't get influenced by the childish display and respond in kind. We should just quietly play better and win... or lose, as the case may be. But play with dignity.'

A fan just pierced my thigh...

2008-01-24T04:33:00.000-08:00

By Subhash K Jha"There's a very thin line dividing adulation from abuse. Those who adore us stars can also get excessively insistent and abusive," says Anupam reacting to Govinda's violent outburst.Anupam has his own horror story of excessive fan zeal. "Recently in Baroda while I was moving through a crowd a man just pierced my thigh with a bobbin. I was stunned and bleeding. Luckily I had the presence of mind to catch the man's hand. I asked him just one question. 'Why?' The man just looked at me scared and confused. Fans sometimes don't know where to draw the line. With the heroines it's even worse. On so many occasions while shooting in public places the crowd has got over-familiar and started passing filthy comments about actresses.Why is that a mob incites to behave badly? I'm sure those molestors on New Year's Eve at Juhu would've remained civil if they hadn't been together in a crowd." Recalling another incident nearer home Anupam shudders, "I was caught in a Ganapti procession in Mumbai. First the passersby just saw me in my car, smiled and waved. As time passed they got aggressive and began to pound on my car windows and jump on my bonnet.It was really scary. At times like these it's very difficult to keep your cool."For all those who have been wondering where Anupam Kher has been after the Govinda slapping incident broke out, the man for the first time in his career has been unreachable on the phone."I'm shooting in Madhya Pradesh for me and Satish Kaushik's production Hawai Dada. And there's no network here. I came to know about Govinda's only on Friday morning. It's unfortunate. I'm against physical violence of ant kind. But let me also add that Govinda isn't the kind of person who loses his temper easily.I've shot innumerable films with him. I've seen him remain calm through the worst of crisis. The provocation has to be really severe for him to have reacted the way he did. Having said that I repeat, resorting to violence is no remedy specially when you're in the limelight.I learnt this the hard way."Anupam recalls his own much-quoted incidence of physical violence against a journalist many years ago. "It was a very unfortunate incident, and I apologized publicly. No matter what the provocation it's wrong to get physical."

'Save me from female fans!!!'

2008-01-24T04:32:00.000-08:00

'Save me from female fans!!!'

An intense scene where Divyanka aka Vidya of ‘Dulhann’ was all out to confront Sindoora (Kamya Punjabi), while she puts Sagar (Sharad) on phone was ready for shoot, but due to some error, the phone gets disconnected and Sagar returns the call on Sindoora’s handset. Since nobody was carrying their handsets on the shooting floor, director Inder makes the call on behalf of Sharad on Sindoora’s cell. Now, this scene was flashed all out on the television screens, which lead to endless calls on director’s handset thinking it is Sharad’s number. The director is still flooded with bizarre calls from male and the female fans of Sharad. It is reported that he is just not able to concentrate on his work since then. God save him!