Vidya clears air about Shahid

Vidya clears air about Shahid

As Vidya Balan turned a year older on New Year's day she brought in her birthday the way she liked best… in the company of her family.She was In Delhi visiting her sister. Her parents joined the sisters. And Vidya had herself what she considers a perfect birthday."I've great faith in myself. I'm happy to get what I do.Of course there're tough times. But God has brought me to them he'll take me through them. That's what keeps me going. Last year there were lessons to be learnt.Professionally I've learnt to say no to projects I don't want to do. I'm no longer apologetic about voicing my opinion.I guess I've become more confident and herefore assertive. At times I didn't know how to say no to a filmmaker.I'd wonder how they'd react to me rejecting their creativity. Now that painful process has become less difficult. If I say no to a project I don't see that as a rejection of an inividual's creativity. I just see the project as as being non-relatable with me.In 2008 Vidya is looking at something different to do. "At the same time I want to have fun. My two releases in the first-half this year Halla Bol and Lucky Charm are very different from one another. For this year I've only signed a Bengali film so far.I like where I am."She laughs her musical laughter when her Lucky Charm hero Shahid is mentioned. "I've been linked with practically every co-star I've worked with.I get along famously with all of them. And I am single. So people are looking for masala to make my life and theirs, more interesting," she laughs heartily."Spice apart, I got along very well with Shahid during our schedule in Toronto. People just wanted to say there was more to our dosti than meet the eye. Honestly even I like to gossip. Most of us enjoy it.Someone must have reported that we laughed a lot together on the set. It's like saying, 'If an actress gives a really good performance she must be having an affair with the director.'Likewise if Shahid and I were having so much fun we must be a couple."So what is Vidya's rapport with Shahid? "The way Aziz Uncle (director Aziz Mirza)'s team worked was very very friendly. Everyone in the unit went for dinner together..
All of us went for walks together. I guess the two of us were high-profile. So….But Shahid never shared confidences with me."What about Vidya playing hostess to Shahid's screenings of Jab We MetzVidya groans loudly. "Oh God! I went to one screening of Jab We Met. Over there I met my Heyy Babyy writer Milap Jhaveri and had chai nashta with him.The next day when reports of Shahid and me came out Milap wondered how this could be true when I wasn't anywhere near Shahid throughout the evening."

Saif jumps from 22nd floor!!!

Saif Ali Khan has turned action king for his forthcoming film "Race". And though actors are known to use body doubles for complicated and dangerous stunts, this actor refused to do so."Race has many dangerous stunts and all of them had to be shot in such a way that it looked dangerous as well as real.In one of the scenes Saif had to jump down from a 22-storey building and he refused to use a body double for the scene. He wanted to do the scene himself," said director duo Abbas-Mustan, who are directing the film.Although Saif was tied to a harness, it was very dangerous to jump down from a skyscraper."We are thankful to Saif for doing the stunt. He did it thrice just to okay the shot. Everybody on the sets would get frightened and our hearts would stop beating as soon as he jumped down," said producer Ramesh Taurani.However, the producers had taken all precautions while shooting the scenes. A doctor and an ambulance were kept ready on the sets as part of precautionary measures.And here is the rest of it.

Kareena's Rani Love is a surprise

Ever since they did Hum Tum and Tara Rum Pum together Rani and Saif have shared a very special platonic friendship."Rani is one co-star I can open my heart to. She's a pal. And she truly listens," says Saif.Rani and Saif had plenty of time to bond even better in the weeks that they spent together in Bangkok shooting for Kunal Kohli's new untitled film where Rani plays a nanny to Saif's character's kids.Says a source close to both the actors, "Since Rani doesn't have more than one costume change in the film there was plenty of extra time to converse with her co-star. Saif and she were constantly huddled together.And their topic of conversation? Kareena! Being away from Mumbai Saif was missing his lady-love all the time. He couldn't help talking about Kareena all the time.And Rani was attentive and sympathetic. She not only gave Saif a sympathetic shoulder she even convinced Saif of what a wonderful girl Kareena is… not that he needed convincing."
.Rani's new fondness for Kareena is a surprise, considering their long-standing hostility.The two leading ladies started off as pals during the shooting of Kunal Kohli's Mujhse Dosti Karogi. But somewhere down the line, like all filmy friendships among female actors, the Rani-Kareena dosti soured.Hence there was a collective gasp of surprise when in a recent interview Kareena singled Rani out as a good actress.Says a source, "Kareena has lately softened towards Rani. This change of heart was because of the way Rani heard Saif out on his love."With so many filmi friendships going phut, here's one renewed bonding between the two Bollywood beauties worth celebrating.

Punish those dirty molesters: Bipasha Basu

Bipasha Basu: "Those dirty hooligans who apparently molested two women on New Year's day should be punished so severely that no pervert would dare to try these dirty ugly acts ever again.The offenders should be tracked down and disciplined publicly. I've been a single woman in Mumbai and used to be proud of the city.But cheap and filthy men like the ones who struck on New Year's day are destroying the city's safe reputation.And why should only cops be responsible for the law and order? Even the man on the road should help in such a situation. Ultimately it's the people who define a city.Shabana Azmi: "Take Back The Night was a slogan coined by a the women's movement to demand basic security for women. Every rule of civilized society demands that security should be provided for women.We used to pride ourselves on Mumbai being a safe city. Surety of punishment for the offenders is a more effective deterrent than the severity of punishment."Vaibhavi Merchant: "Going to any public place on 31 st December is scary specially in Mumbai. This incident only verifies my worst fears about the city.Only the cops can keep the city safe. It's really sad the such an incident went unnoticed. They should've thrashed the shit out of those drunken louts.

"However Mumbai cannot be called unsafe because of some hooligans.This incident should serve as a wakeup-call for 2009.Sushmita Sen: "It's a repulsive incident. I feel very violated and upset when humanbeings relinquish their human qualities and begin to behave like beasts. It's not a question of Mumbai alone.It's not a geographical issue. Disgraceful people like these molestors make the world an unsafe place. I pray these offenders are caught and punished severely.My heart goes out to both the couples.Hema Malini: "I thought Mumbai was the safest city in the world. This incident has shocked me. Those men should be punished right away, and that too in public. And the cops how did they allow it happen?I feel parents with daughters should be careful on nights like these when men are drunk.Malaika Arora: "I've always considered Bombay to be a safe place for women. But not any longer. I'm sure most women in the city feel the same way after the shocking barbaric incident.Mahesh Bhatt: "Mumbai has always been unsafe. My wife was once molested way back in the 1980s and had to fight her way out of a mob. The media is now spotlighting the average Indian's repressed sexuality.

Arbaaz Khan: "Mumbai is surely one of the safest cities in the world. However some recent incidents are alarming and cause for worry."Raveena Tandon: "I wouldn't say Mumbai is completely unsafe. But it's getting there. The authorities should punish the offenders so severely that it sets an example for future. No one should dare to do what happened with those two women on New Year's.Koena Mitra: "Why only Mumbai city? No city is swafe any more for women. I feel for the two women who were manhandled on New Year's even. Poor things! My soul trembles at what they must have gone through.Nobody is safe anywhere. All us showbiz girls like Bipasha, Tanushree and Celina are out of towners. No matter how much security we have we're still not safe.We really need much harsher punishments for eveteasers. Punish them so hard, cut off their limbs, so they wouldn't dare to misbehave with women again."Amrita Arora: "I think New Years nite is pretty unsafe. People are drunk and behave in a weird manner. There must be much more cops and security in crowded places during such occasions."Priyanka (Nisha) Kothari: "That such a thing can happen in Mumbai is really shocking.. One always thought the city was absolutely safe for girls. But I don't feel the same way any more..

Now you can wear Kareena's clothes

Having virtually given up films for family or ‘choosing her roles’, Kareena Kapoor is now all set to design clothes for the brand she is currently endorsing.While many Indian actresses have taken up other vocations after quitting movies, with this move Bebo becomes the first Indian actress who will be designing her clothes.A little birdie from Bollywood whispers, "Kareena has a very good sense of dressing and loads of style that is in vogue and liked by the youngsters.In fact, our Bebo baby has set a new trend after she wore a Patiala salwar along with a T-shirt. Now most teenagers and youths keen to sporting that ll, though not doing too many films right now, Kareena is lways in the news. Currently, she is the talk of the town for her much-publicized ir with Saif Ali Khan.Such free fame has encouraged the designer company endorsed by Kareena to ask her to design her own clothes hoping that it will hit the market like a thunder.


For the initiator, this particular clothing line for which Kareena will be designing clothes will be launched sometime in July or August next year.We are told that Kareena, who is well known for going into the details of the roles she performs on screen, will now go through each and every step of designing the clothes and approving them personally.
Bebo has made it clear that she will be the only person to decide the material as well as the work to be done on this line of garments, which will include accessories also.So, even without too many films in her kitty, Bebo will be all busy this year. She has lots and lots of work to do. She will be designing clothes, promoting ‘Tashan’ and look after the ‘Golmaal’ returns.Interestingly, ‘Heyy Babyy’ director Sajid Khan has also signed Kareena up for his next venture and she has also bagged a role in ‘Kambhakt Ishq’ opposite Akshay Kumar.Meanwhile, Bebo’s rival Bipasha Basu’s beau John Abraham too has managed to get a successful clothing line to work for him for his designer jeans and accessories..

Deepika is demanding 1 crore

Having got her big break opposite Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Om Shanti Om’, Deepika Padukone will now be seen with Sharman Joshi in Rakesh Roshan’s unititled next celluloid venture.Incidentally, the success of ‘Om Shanti Om’ has sky-rocketed Deepika’s demand among the Bollywood crop of directors and now we learn that the lass is demanding a whopping Rs one crore fee for each film that she is signing!If both the news makes you raise your eye-brows, we have more for you. We are told that when Rakesh Roshan decided to take up the new venture, he had thought of casting a more popular face as the film’s hero.However, as it is basically a heroine-oriented film, no actor worth his name or value was willing to oblige the senior Roshan. Hence, he had to settle on Sharman Joshi.Meanwhile, industry sources say that despite being a heroine-oriented film, the venture may prove to be detrimental for Deepika at this nascent stage of her career.
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They argue that heroine-oriented films are neither given much importance by the Bollywood crowd, nor are they great crowd pullers at the box office.Interestingly, these days even the women in the audience are not too fond of heroine-oriented films.Now what remains to be seen is how the new celluloid pair fares at the box office.The audience as well as those in the industry not only has great expectations from Rakesh Roshan, whose all previous films have been super-duper hits, but also on Deepika.We earnestly hope and pray that this film also proves to be a boon for Deepika, for Bollywood has the unique reputation of elevating a non-entity on Cloud 9 in one movie and then tumbling them to obscurity in another.We sincerely hope that this does not happen to Deepika.

Bollywood stars light up Zee TV's 15th anniversary bash "Photos"

9 January 2008 Some of Bollywood's greatest, past and present, rubbed shoulders at Zee TV's 15th anniversary bash at Taj Lands End, Bandra, Mumbai, Sunday, January 5, evening.Rekha and Simi Garewal exuded poise and grace, looking heady and good to sip if not quickly devour.The Kool Khan Klan - Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh - were all there - casually attired and Kool. Talented PYTs Katrina Kaif and Kangana Ranaut glammed up the show as did the not so talented ones like Tanushree Dutta and Koena Mitra.As far hunks go the spectrum of starlight ranged from Jeetendra to Ranbir Kapoor.And here is the rest of it.

Celebrity Watch "Vivek Oberoi" plays rock star

9 January 2008 Vivek Oberoi is all set to promote a fizzy drink through a music video that is 'hatke' not just because Vivek plays a singing and cavorting rock star in it but also because he uses an empty bottle of the soft drink to create his music.The three minute video, directed by Vivek's cousin Anand Oberoi, was shot at Pawan Hans (Juhu Aerodrome), Tuesday, January 8, night. An edited version of the video will be used as a commercial for the soft drin"It will be a complete three- minute fun and dance sequence. We will edit it and use it as commercial," Anand told Mumbai Mirror.Vivek's forthcoming films include Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istanbul. Some of the other films that may feature the 31-year-old actor are UTV's next 7G Rainbow Colony to be directed by South director Selvaraghavan and Sanjay Gupta's Shootout at Parliament..

Vidya clears air about Shahid

As Vidya Balan turned a year older on New Year's day she brought in her birthday the way she liked best… in the company of her family.She was In Delhi visiting her sister. Her parents joined the sisters. And Vidya had herself what she considers a perfect birthday."I've great faith in myself. I'm happy to get what I do.Of course there're tough times. But God has brought me to them he'll take me through them. That's what keeps me going. Last year there were lessons to be learnt.Professionally I've learnt to say no to projects I don't want to do. I'm no longer apologetic about voicing my opinion.I guess I've become more confident and herefore assertive. At times I didn't know how to say no to a filmmaker.I'd wonder how they'd react to me rejecting their creativity. Now that painful process has become less difficult. If I say no to a project I don't see that as a rejection of an inividual's creativity. I just see the project as as being non-relatable with me.In 2008 Vidya is looking at something different to do. "At the same time I want to have fun. My two releases in the first-half this year Halla Bol and Lucky Charm are very different from one another. For this year I've only signed a Bengali film so far.I like where I am."She laughs her musical laughter when her Lucky Charm hero Shahid is mentioned. "I've been linked with practically every co-star I've worked with.I get along famously with all of them. And I am single. So people are looking for masala to make my life and theirs, more interesting," she laughs heartily."Spice apart, I got along very well with Shahid during our schedule in Toronto. People just wanted to say there was more to our dosti than meet the eye. Honestly even I like to gossip. Most of us enjoy it.Someone must have reported that we laughed a lot together on the set. It's like saying, 'If an actress gives a really good performance she must be having an affair with the director.'Likewise if Shahid and I were having so much fun we must be a couple."So what is Vidya's rapport with Shahid? "The way Aziz Uncle (director Aziz Mirza)'s team worked was very very friendly. Everyone in the unit went for dinner together..
All of us went for walks together. I guess the two of us were high-profile. So….But Shahid never shared confidences with me."What about Vidya playing hostess to Shahid's screenings of Jab We MetzVidya groans loudly. "Oh God! I went to one screening of Jab We Met. Over there I met my Heyy Babyy writer Milap Jhaveri and had chai nashta with him.The next day when reports of Shahid and me came out Milap wondered how this could be true when I wasn't anywhere near Shahid throughout the evening."

Celebrity Watch "Vivek Oberoi" plays rock star

Celebrity Watch "Vivek Oberoi" plays rock star

9 January 2008 Vivek Oberoi is all set to promote a fizzy drink through a music video that is 'hatke' not just because Vivek plays a singing and cavorting rock star in it but also because he uses an empty bottle of the soft drink to create his music.The three minute video, directed by Vivek's cousin Anand Oberoi, was shot at Pawan Hans (Juhu Aerodrome), Tuesday, January 8, night. An edited version of the video will be used as a commercial for the soft drin"It will be a complete three- minute fun and dance sequence. We will edit it and use it as commercial," Anand told Mumbai Mirror.Vivek's forthcoming films include Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istanbul. Some of the other films that may feature the 31-year-old actor are UTV's next 7G Rainbow Colony to be directed by South director Selvaraghavan and Sanjay Gupta's Shootout at Parliament..

"Madhuri Dixit's no show for next Bollywood film"

9 January 2008 Madhuri Dixit has declined to visit India during February for scripting sessions for a film by the producer - director duo of Ashok Thakeria and Indra Kumar citing date problems, lending credence to reports that the actress is ready to abandon her comeback effort.Following the lackluster performance of Aaja Nachle at the box office there were reports that the star had called it quits.Dixit's business manager, Rakesh Nath is categorical that Madhuri is not coming in February as originally scheduled."Madhuri right now has no plans at all of flying down to the city next month to meet with various filmmakers for script sessions," he says.However, he is ambivalent about the star's long term intent.

"There are date problems. Madhuri can't come down to Mumbai when Indu plans to shoot. But she hasn't said 'no' to him yet. We're still trying to work out things," he told HT.Madhuri is known to have good relations with the filmmaker duo having worked with them in Raja (1995) with Sanjay Kapoor, Beta (1992) with Anil Kapoor and Dil (1990) with Aamir Khan.Prior to the release of Aaja Nachle there were reports that Madhuri will do more films under the Yash Raj banner but there has been no movement on that front since then.Talking about the prospect of another film with the Yash Raj banner Nath says, "Yashji hasn't contacted me. So I don't think so." .

"Aishwarya" and "Hrithik" wow at 'Jodhaa Akbar' music launch "Photos"

10 January 2008 Music for producer director Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar, starring Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, was launched at Grand Hyatt, Kalina, Mumbai late Wednesday evening, January 9.Maharani Padmini Devi, who is a direct descendant of Princess Jodhaa of Amer was present on the stage, as were Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Javed Akhtar, Ashutosh Gowarikar and AR Rahman. Other cast members present included Punam S Sinha, wife of actor-MP Shatrughan Sinha who plays Akbar's mother in the film, Kulbhushan Kharbanda who plays Raja Bharmal and Sonu Sood.Also present were Amitabh Bachchan, who provides the voice over, Shatrughan Sinha, Hrithik's wife Suzzane, her actor brother Zayed Khan, father Sanjay Khan and uncle Akbar Khan. The musical scorefor the period dram has been composed by AR Rahman and is being released under the newly launched UTV Music label. It consists of five songs that capture the essence and opulence of the Mughall era.

Gowarikar denies two songs were cut from the film to keep its length under 3 hours. The joint appearance by Aishwarya and Hrithik at the event put to rest rumors of a rift between the co-stars who wowed viewers as an on screen couple in Dhoom 2.Dismissing tabloid speculation that the two have not been getting along lately Gowarikar says:"Absolutely untrue! Aishwarya and Hrithik get along really well. Even at the wrap-up party they were fine with each other. There was no rivalry between them."Fans can expect to see the two make more joint appearances during the lead up to the release of the film.“We now have a publicity plan for them,” Gowarikar adds. "The music of Jodhaa-Akbar can't be bhangra and hip-hop. Just because the film has Aishwarya, please don't expect an introductory song-and-dance. It's not a star vehicle. It's about the characters. I'm showcasing Jodhaa and Akbar," says Gowarikar.Gowarikar also confirmed that the film will be released on February 15, refuting reports that there may be yet another delay. .

Aishwarya" exudes Mughal opulence and serene beauty at "Jodhaa Akbar" music launch

10 January 2008 Dressed in a glittering ethnic churidar dress Aishwarya Rai exuded Mughal opulence and serene beauty at Jodhaa Akbar music launch at Grand Hyatt, Kalina, Mumbai late Wednesday evening, January 9.Aishwarya, 34, wore a cream brocade short silk kurta with jeweled neckline and cuffs.The golden studs accented the entire kurta. The matching duppata also had a heavily jeweled borders and she carried it elegantly, hung neatly over the left shoulder and thrown over the right arm.The plain cream color churidar was perfect as it accentuated

her heavily jeweled ankle strap high heels.Her jewelry was as royal as her dress. She wore heavy studded chandelier earrings with a matching bangle and various stone studded rings in both the hands.Her shoulder length hair were softly curled and there was a glow on her face that could either be attributed to excellent makeup or…biological changes?.

Ajay Devgan at "Halla Bol" premiere in Delhi

10 January 2008 The film Halla Bol was premiered in Delhi Tuesday, January 9. The film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi features Ajay Devgan, Vidya Balan and Pankaj Kapoor in lead roles.Devgan plays Ashfaque, a small time actor, who starts off acting in street plays but goes on to become a flamboyant superstar. His rise to stardom, however, distances him from his loved ones and his values and principles. Kapoor plays a reformed terrorist who manages the street theatre troupe with which Ashfaque works and which performs street plays to highlight societal ills and wrongdoings.Devgan may have played a flamboyant superstar in the film but in real life he is one of the most down to earth Bollywood stars who focuses on his work and rarely endorses products or events.

Devgan admitted that he was uncomfortable playing his role and asked Santoshi to let him play himself instead but Santoshi would have none of it."He didn't want it that and I had to play it according to how he wanted me to play," Devgan joked.Leading lady Vidya Balan was conspicuous by her absence at the press event in New Delhi.Film premiers are normally held on Thursdays, a day prior to the release of the film on Friday."There is no special reason for the film being premiered on Tuesday," says Santoshi. .

"Amrita Rao" stuns with beauty and sartorial splendor at 'My Name is…' premiere "Photos"

10 January 2008 Amrita Rao looked absolutely stunning at the premiere of her film My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves at PVR, Juhu, Mumbai Wednesday, January 9, blending demure innocence, breathtaking pristine beauty and sartorial splendor.She wore a midnight blue satin silk dress with a diagonally rouched bodice, reaching just below the knees. Its scoop neckline had a light blue zardozi detail border centered with a chunky blue crystal and a matching belt at the waist. The dress looked exquisite with its ruffled flowers bordered bracelet length sleeves and A-line skirt hem.The oversized silver studded earrings glammed up her innocent looks sans makeup.

A studded cream and gold clutch and glittery peep toe pumps beautifully rounded up the young star's impressive ensemble.Way to go girl! Much as we would like to tell you who else was at the event we cannot because we couldn't take our eyes off Amrita Rao…You can look at the photos below and read the captions.Amrita seems to have sensed our deep anguish at the way she was attired for a promotional event at the BIG FM Studio, Infinity Mall, Andheri, Mumbai, Tuesday, January 08. On that occasion we commented that she needs to get a stylist for herself. This time we will keeps our collective mouths tightly shut!My Name Is… is a romantic comedy directed by E. Nivas that features Amrita Rao, Nikhil Diwedi, Rajpal Yadav and Lillete Dubey.We are not going to miss it because it has Amrita Rao! .

"Shah Rukh Khan" adjudged Best Actor at Nokia Star Screen Awards "photos"

11 January 2008 Shah Rukh Khan was adjudged the Best Actor Award for his performance in Shimit Amin directed Chak De! India at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on Thursday, January 10, Mumbai.In addition, Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone were named the Best Pair on screen. Chak De! India also topped as the best film of the year from amidst a field that included Taare Zameen Par, Chak De India, Life…In a Metro, Om Shanti Om and Guru.Shah Rukh Khan walks away with the Best Actor award for ‘Chak De! India’ (2007) at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on Thursday, January 10Shah Rukh Khan performed the Dard-e-Disco number from Om Shanti Om at the event.Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on.

Salman Khan honoured with waxwork:

Salman Khan,Bollywood actor unveiled his wax statue in Madame Tussauds,surrounded by his fans. Salman's wax figure is the fourth Bollywood celebrity statue at the prestigious museum.Salman beat nine other Indian mega stars - including Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Lata Mangeshkar and Abhishek Bachchan, to win a place at the world famous waxworks museum after a public poll conducted last summer.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 kick-start painstaking work on his wax double. He personally chose and donated clothes for the figure to wear.More than 10,000 people voted in the poll to choose the "Next Bollywood Star" conducted last August.Salman's statue stands in a special Bollywood section alongside those of three other Mumbai greats - Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan.Indian tourists make up to the fourth largest group of visitors of the total 2.4 million visitors every year.

Bipasha-John-gajar ka halwa!!!

It was celebration of Bipasha Basu’s birthday and the actress made sure she celebrated it in style, in her own special way. Long before her birthday, Bips had plans to take off with boyfriend John Abraham on an African safari in Kenya. But the riots that broke out there put paid to all those plans. Ask her what did she do on her birthday and she laughs.Bips had two birthday celebrations this year. One, as we’ve just said, was in Goa with boyfriend John. And the other was with her parents at home. Shares the Bong bombshell, "After I returned, I had another celebration lined up, and this time it was with my mom and dad. And yes, I again had some great food, which was specially cooked for me by mom. One of these, was her speciality the that I just love." That sure was a very happy birthday indeed, Bips!

Priyanka's fighting a losing battle

Priyanka Chopra is fighting the battle of bulge these these days. The actress has beencast in Madhur Bhandarkar's next fashion and need to shed at least 8 kilograms to look like a real model.She weighed about 54 kg when she signed the film and only managed to lose 4 kg till date. Considering that riyanka’s co-stars in the film – Kangana Ranaut and Mugdha Godse – are so thin Priyanka has been told to get in shape to not look odd with her co-stars.So the actress has been working out religiously been toiling on treadmills and following a strict diet.Rita Dhody, who is Priyanka’s stylist in Fashion says, “Priyanka is working out and dieting and has already lost 4 kg in six weeks. I think she is looking fine. At the rate she is shedding weight, she should lose about 1.5 to 2 kg in the next two weeks.One needs to understand that all models can’t be anorexic. Priyanka has a different bone structure and a very well-defined feminine body. Priyanka is not stick thin. And in the fashion industry, no matter how much weight one loses it’s never enough.”Fashion is produced by Bhandarkar Entertainment and UTV.
And here is the rest of it.

How SRK & Preity won IPL bids

Companies paid millions of dollars on Thursday to buy the eight franchises of the Indian cricket board's Twenty20 Indian Premier league (IPL).Film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Preity Zinta were part of consortia that won 10-year rights deals.India's most valuable company, Reliance Industries Ltd, successfully bid $111.9 million for the Mumbai team, the Indian board announced after bids for franchises were opened.United Breweries Ltd, owned by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya, who last year bought into Formula One team Spyker and renamed it Force India, snapped up Bangalore for $111.6 million.The base price for owing a team for 10 years was set at $50 million."I'm delighted that UB group has got it," Mallya told reporters. "United Spirits will now use this as an active promotional platform for all our brands," added Mallya, who lost the Mumbai bid to Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance.Eleven companies --- some a consortium of individuals --- were in the race to own teams from a choice of 12 cities where the franchises would be based.Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was part of the consortium that clinched Kolkata for $75.09 million, while infrastructure company GMR Holdings won the Delhi franchise for $84 million.Each succesful bidder will pay 10% of the bid price to the board every year."To date we have made $1.749bn," Lalit Modi, vice president of the Indian cricket board and chairman of the IPL said.Every squad of 16 must have a minimum of four Indian and four under-21 players, with no more than four international players allowed in any one game.Four "iconic" players - Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid (Bangalore), Sourav Ganguly (Kolkata) and Yuvraj Singh (Chandigarh) - cannot be traded for three years and they will be paid 10% more than other team embers.Flamboyant Vijay Mallya of the UB Group admitted that he wanted the Mumbai team, but he was outbid by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance.Ambani won with the highest bid of $111.9 million. Deccan Chronicle put in the second highest bid of $107.01 million for the Hyderabad team while Mallya's UB Group put in the third highest bid of $106 million for Bangalore.Ogilvy & Mather will be the advertising agency for IPL and Mindshare will do the media buying for the League, which will see an unprecedented media blitz..

I left Kareena and Mom for our space

Recently it has been falsely reported that Karisma Kapoor and her husband Sanjay Kapur have moved out of her mom Babita's place apparently because the son-in-law and mother-in-law were not getting along together.The report is, however, completely untrue because according to Lolo, Sanjay and she are in the process of buying a new and bigger apartment in Bandra and would be shortly shifting into it.A friend close of the couple clarifies that these stories are completely untrue.The friend says, "It is very natural for all married couples to need space. And with a baby around, there is a bigger space crunch.Another issue is that Kareena too stays with her mom,” adding, Besides Karisma found it very inconvenient to entertain guests as Sanjay is in the habit of often entertaining people whenever he is in the city.And since it was getting a bit crammed up, they have presently shifted to an apartment at May Flower, near Olive"The friend adds, "But right now, the couple is also in the process of buying a new place in Bandra for which the paperwork is on. Once that's done, they will shift to their permanent home.Also, Bebo may shift to her new apartment in Bandra soon as grown up children need their personal space too."The friend also clarifies that both Lolo and Babita were quite upset over the unnecessary fuss created over a non-issue.And here is the rest of it.

there are maybe three readers who will be as interested in this as I was, but too bad

So I'm watching Partner, and in the middle of "You're My Love," I spy Katrina Kaif wearing what appears to be a strategically sliced (and be-whaleboned) U of I t-shirt.

We've all heard of Harvards and Oxford University London*, but I never thought Bollywood's incorporation of non-Indian universities would extend to Urbana-Champaign.

But then when I took the disc out of the DVD player and put it in my computer to get screen captures, I was able to see that in fact it isn't a U of I t-shirt. It's a t-shirt for the fictional (or very unknown) Illinois Lions basketball team.


Oh well. The song is still really catchy and chock full of fug potential.




* Update to post: an email from a reader made me realize I should indicate that I do indeed know the proper names and locations of these universities - what I have written here is a reference to what I have heard them called in some (by no means all) movies. I don't remember where "Harvards" popped up, but I'm pretty sure "Oxford University London" is used in K3G.

Low cut blouses are not for me: Ayesha Takia

ossessing a beautiful face and a mesmerizing smile, Ayesha Takia is one such actress who is capable of winning over people with her acting performance as well as sweet talk.Another interesting thing about Ayesha is that the cutie has been able to win applauses from the audience both for her roles in serious films as well as in comedy movies.Soon Ayesha will be seen in an interesting role in Rohit Shetty’s comedy thriller ‘Sunday’. Recently, we caught up with Ayesha and during a brief encounter she talked about her film ‘Sunday’, her upcoming projects and plans for the future. Here are the excerpts.
Q: Tell us something about your character in ‘Sunday’.
A: In this film, my character’s name is Sahar who works as a dubbing artiste for a cartoon network. She is a very forgetful kind of a girl and cannot remember things of the past and as a result she is often in problems.
Q: This is the first time that you are portraying a dubbing artist. Did you need to take any special preparation for this?
A: Actually Vikash, who had trained Tussar Kapur for the dumb character in ‘Golmaal’, has helped me a lot in doing this role to perfection.
Simultaneously, I used to watch a lot of cartoon films at home to prepare myself for the role which demanded that the facial expressions of the artist should match his voice.While doing this role I have often noticed that the expressions of some dubbing artists are very loud and on the other hand, some people’s appearances are so funny that I often used to feel ashamed. I loved doing this role as it provided me with an opportunity to learn a lot of things.
Q: While preparing for the role you have watched a lot of cartoon shows. Which among them is your favorite?
A: I personally liked ‘Donald Duck’ and Mickey Mouse’ a lot and this is also because of the voice-overs in these shows. I also liked ‘Tom and Jerry’, but this is a silent cartoon show and hence I did not get much to learn from this show.
Q: Would you call this a return to your childhood days?
A: (Laughingly) No, it is nothing like this. But it is also true that I have never spent so much time watching cartoon networks and now it looks so strange.
I remember initially when I used to watch the cartoon networks, my dad used to come and tease me saying that I was watching cartoons at this age and I used to smilingly reply that I am merely preparing for my role. Then he used to remind me that I would do the same thing when I was a kid.
Q: What has been your experience working with co-stars?
A: I have enjoyed a lot working with everyone. There were four men – Ajay, Arshad, Irfaan and Rohit – in the film and I was the lone girl. But I have never felt any difference working with them and even joked with them.Ajay is not only a sporting person, but also very protective. Many people have told me that he is prankster, but I have always found him to be an introvert.Irfaan too is very much like Ajay, but Arshad is a funny person and always made us laugh with his jokes and pranks. And what should I tell about Rohit, he was the director, but still one of us. While working he was serious, but rest of the time, he was like a friend.
Q: After ‘Sunday’ what else is in the pipeline?
A: I am working in Boney Kapoor’s ‘Wanted’ which is a remake of ‘Pokhri’ in Tamil. I am doing the role of a gym instructor who doesn’t have a father and she works to look after her mother and younger brother.I am also working with Nagesh once again, but I don’t know whether the film will be titled ‘8 by 10’ or ‘Tasveer’. This is a big budget psychological thriller and here I am opposite Akshay Kumar. The film is a story about a couple from Canada.In addition, I am doing ‘De Taali’ for E Nivas and the film is based on the topic of friendship. Aftab is opposite me in this film, which is a wonderful movie like ‘Soncha na tha’.

Q: Since the beginning of your career you have concentrated on career-oriented films rather than masaala films. What is your take on this?
A: Actually, I am fortunate that in the initial days of my career I have got good offers.

I am also grateful to the audience who have appreciated my performances in ‘Soncha na tha’ and ‘Dor’, otherwise these days an artiste’s fate is sealed between hit and flop films.This year my first release is ‘Sunday’ and I have a lot of expectations from this movie as not only the film is good, but also because it involves good actors and a talented director.
Q: According to you, are you a serious actor or a comedy film actor?
A: I consider myself both. For instance, ‘Dor’ is such a film that even after 20 years I would feel proud to talk to my children about my performance in the film.On the other hand, I have done some light or comedy films.I am of the opinion that as an actor, I should act in both kind of films because acting in a particular type of film would not only put a stamp on an actor, but also bore him or her.
Q: Which do you feel was a turning point in your career?
A: Frankly speaking, till date I have not come across any point in my life that I can call a turning point. But I am really hoping for a turning point in my life.All I need is a super-duper hit film and a character that no one has performed so far, so that I can satiate the artist in me. However, I am quite happy with my present situation.

Q: What was the reason that made you accept a film like ‘No Smoking’ after doing a successful movie like ‘Dor’?
A: Look, there can be no comparison between ‘Dor’ and ‘No Smoking’. I don’t want to do any film that will have all the ingredients of a Bollywood masaala, but the film should provide me with ample opportunity to perform.
Q: In Bolywood, the audience generally appreciates male comedians rather than female comic actors. Do you feel that the audience will do justice with your performance in ‘Sunday’?
A: I sincerely pray that the audience appreciate my performance as a comedienne in the movie.My favorite woman comedians in Bollywood are Sridevi and Juhi Chawla and I am sure that everyone will accept this.
To tell you honestly, I would prefer to do comedy roles to wearing low cut blouses like the present day heroines. -Rajnee Gupta.

Aacha Nachle. A tall order.

If you love the kind of Hindi movies I do, you can´t help but to developing a sort of system/defence mechanism for the handling of logic-defying storylines, movie goofs and continuity errors. Bollywood bettered itself in that area during the last few years, fortunately, which now makes it is all the more annoying when a big honcho studio like YashRaj falls back onto its evil 90ish ways.









(You have no ideas how much I wanted to love Aaja Nachle. Not that I had too high hopes for it knowing the latest films coming out of YRFChak de excepted). But even despite all odds. Even with all the not so flattering reviews. Even though I still hoped for something. I mean c´mon. Madhuri. And Konkona, Kunal, Ranbir, Vinay, Akshaye and Irrfan.

And then the movie opens with Madhuri doing a really bad Michael-Jackson-meets-Flashdance-meets-MiamiSoundMachine tap-dance/aerobics routine (with tap-dance sounds) wearing sneakers (apart from very unflattering spandex). For heaven´s sake. [self-defense mechanism kicks in] Maybe YR wants us to feel as if Mads was never away and DTPH released only a few months back? [ok. that might work. sort of. pretty far fetched but possible] Next she gets the call that her former Guru is dying and that she should come to India as fast a s possible. And the next time we see her she´s on the plane and she´s done a complete hair-makeover. [wft is that??] "Oh my. Guruji is dying. Lets get a plane ticket and since I´m in such a hurry, why don´t I get a haircut first?" [Bas. Goodwill khatm. And dont´get me started on the whole Ajanta set decoration and background dancer thing]









These days YashRaj don´t make it easy for the Bollywoodfan to love their films. Most of their movies come without a proper story. And what really makes me mad is that for the umpteenth time I get the feeling that they think their audience is too stupid to breathe. [Anyone recall the "magnetic" cola-can in D:2?]

So I did not have high hopes for Aaja Nachle. But that they would piss me of within the first 2 seconds of the film was something even I did not expect. Thankfully it got better once the title track comes on (at about 30min into the film) but by that time I already had stopped watching on the first night. I only gave it another chance the next day because I wanted to see Madhuri dancing.









And then Akshaye saved the day. The little verbal dispute that follows right after Madhuri danced my favorite song of the film, Aaja Nachle, made my little heart go pitter-patter "Who are you?""I´m the bad guy" As sunny wrote over at Marco´s forum: "I´d love to have a Raja like that. Sigh. All those problems I could come up with every day, so he could solve them for me..."

So no, not all is bad in Aaja Nachle. Madhuri looks great [even if her hair-length changes from scene to scene... but lets just take that as a nostalgic flashback to the good ol´90ies] her smile still chases away the rainclouds and she is still my favorite dancer. Plus there are some sweet side-characters. My favorite is the adorable Mr. Chojar played by Vinay Pathak.









But he as well as the rest of the supporting cast was painfully underemployed. Especially the big calibers like Irrfan Khan and Ranvir Shorey. What a waste. Only Konkona had some space to work with. And Kunal Kapoor got away with the most romantic sentence in the movie [Which I wont tell because I can´t tell you all the good parts]

So. The story [Dancer elopes with American photographer only to divorce him soon thereafter. Whole town hates her for that - the eloping. not the divorce. they don´t know that yet - 11 sal ke baat she comes back to safe her hometown´s theater that is to be replaced by a shopping mall by putting up a stage-play with a cast of villagers against the more or less hostile reluctance of same villagers] is lame-ish. The execution sloppy in many parts. But I liked the cast. I liked the songs. I liked Laila-Manju.
If you love Madhuri as I do, you have to watch it. Just be sure to "leave logic behind" and bring an extra big helping of "instant-movie-goofs-forgiveness" and once you´re settled you´ll have yourself a nice timepass and you will finally have Madhuri back.