SRK, Vidya Balan get Anandalok Puraskar

Shah Rukh Khan and Vidya Balan bagged ‘Anandalok Puraskar’ for the Best Male and Female actor for their performances in Chak De India and Bhool Bhulaiyaa respectively for the year 2007. Shimit Amin also shared the honour for having been felicitated the Best Director Award for Chak De India.

Vidya Balan has won this award for the second time as it was her first film in Bengali titled Bhalo Theko for which she won the best female actor in ‘Anandalok Puraskar’ in 2005. Vidya says, “‘Anandalok Puraskar’ was the very first award of my career even before I was awarded the Best Debut for Parineeta. Bengali cinema has been very kind to me and winning this award for the second time means a lot to me as an actress.”

Vidya further adds, “This award set as a precedent and a lot of acclamation came my way, inshallah (by the grace of God), this again will set as a precedent and I hope for lot of success coming my way in future as well.”

Vidya’s much awaited film, Halla Bol, is all set to hit the silver screen early next year on Jan 11.

Glamour is not shedding clothes: Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan is one of the busiest actors in Bollywood. She takes a breather for a heart-to-heart with Subhash K Jha...

Life looks good to you?
Yeah. I've just completed Raj Kumar Santoshi's Halla Bol. He's a wonderful director, so much to learn. Ummmmm….And what an experience Guru was.

IIt's every actor's dream to work with Mani. I'm blessed to have worked with him so early in my career. No matter how busy I'm, I take time off every day to say thanks to God for making so many dreams come true.

The more he gives the more I wish to thank him. You and John Abraham seemed like a strange combination in Salaam-e-Ishq?
That's what makes it so exciting. Nikhil's entire team was within the same age group as me. I had a blast on the shoot. It was like being at a party. Touchwood, so far I've been comfortable with every unit I've worked with.

I'd rather remain non-controversial and focus on my work. From Pradeep Sarkar to Mani Rathnam… I've learnt so much ! It may be a cliché to say so, but I'm growing every day.

And such a wide spectrum of actors, from Mr Bachchan to Madhavan.
Ha, I can't call Mr Bachchan my co-star. That's a little too much. As for Madhavan, I was supposed to have worked with him in a couple of Tamil films some time ago. Those didn't work out.

Now we finally did Guru. My equation with Maddy is completely coloured by my affection for his son Vedaant. He's an adorable child with big blue eyes.

One keeps hearing of you being in this and that project?
I think I've been very honest with every producer who has approached me. What I need to do is learn more tact while saying I don't have dates. I've had a very big producer telling me I had no business to turn down his assignment because I'm a newcomer. But as an individual it's my right to say no rather than be evasive.

One keeps seeing you doing glamorous photo shoots. Trying to move away from the Parineeta image?
Yes, I've been doing different photo-shoots. They want the other side of me. I'm only doing what I 'm comfortable with. There was one picture where the outfit was much too revealing for me.

I went around hiding the magazine from my father. I don't think glamour is about taking off clothes. If it was Madhubala, Rekha or Sridevi wouldn't have been glamorous. Rekha in all her finery and jewellery is so glamorous!

And Aishwarya Rai… she's the epitome of grace. We hardly had scenes together in Guru. But on many occasions I felt she was my sister. I truly admire the way she conducts herself. Even her sneeze is written about. That can't beeasy.

And Sanjay Dutt?
(bursts into laughter) I heard about my affair with him. Wonder where that came from! I think we were linked because he's the only hero with whom I've done three films. I don't think anyone took it seriously.

Whether it's John, Saif or Sanju, I'm not in touch with them outside the sets. People take my link-ups with Dada (Parineeta director Pradeep Sarkar) more seriously. I've come to terms with the rumours about us. I guess I'll just have to live with that.

Who're your friends in the industry?
None except Raima Sen. We click because we're like chalk and cheese. I pamper her to no end. We don't meet that often these days. She's one madcap. I restrain her quite often.

Celina harrassed & racially abused!

The story of three Marathi actors who were denied entry into a restaurant in a suburban Mumbai's 7-star hotel isn't isolated.

Celina Jaitley recently had a nightmarish experience in the same hotel. "I went into the sports' lounge of this hotel with a gay foreigner friend of mine for just ten minutes.

I saw a tall imposing middleaged German guy making obscene gestures at me. At first I ignored him out of embarrassment. Then he got bolder and came up to me to tell me in German in picturesque detail what he'd like to do to me.

He didn't know I speak German fluently. That was it. I asked the hotel's authorities to deal with the situation, since they hadn't allowed my bodyguard in. Forget about challenging the German lecher they said they didn't know who he was!

Luckily I had seen him sign his room number on his bill."

When the posh hotel's cowardly personnel did nothing to help Celina, she left but returned the next day with three vans of cops, got the man out of his room and confronted him.

"He fell to his knees and cried and begged saying he has a wife and children back home. He should've thought of them when he treated me to such vulgar intentions.

I made him write an apology and then for his family's sake decided not to press charges. The worst thing was, nobody in the hotel wanted to co-opearate with me in dealing with this situation.

Even some of my well-wishers advised me to forget about it. What I want to know is, whom do these hotels cater to?

Are they for us Indians? Or are all the amenities and facilities only for foreigners? Why are foreigners given such blatantly preferential treatment in these posh hotels?"

The actress decided to speak up on the matter after she heard about the humiliation of the Marathi actors who weren't allowed in because of their kolhapure chappals.

"This isn't the first time that such an incident has happened. Some time ago, a dress designer friend of mine requested the same hotel's security to inspect his car in the portico as he didn't want the clothes in the car to get wet in the rain.

There was an argument. They slammed the car bonnet on his hand and fractured it…Don't they care about people who are not foreigners? Are these high-flying places so busy making big bucks that they've forgotten a basic sense of decency?"

"Me directing Samar Khan's film?" - Rahul Bos

Just back from Kashmir after shooting Santosh Sivan's second Hindi film (earlier entitled Dastaan), Rahul Bose is awfully surprised by stories accusing him of taking over the directorial reins of Samar Khan's Shourya in which Rahul Bose plays a lawyer fighting for a man wrongly convicted on religious grounds.

This would be Samar Khan's second feature film after that wispy waffle of a film Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye. This time Samar has gone from meetha to teekha.

Says Rahul, "Why would I direct Samar's film? If I want to direct a film, I'd happily find my own film to direct. Shourya is entirely Samar's film. Every single frame of the film is Samar’s. These stories of me taking over are entirely fictitious. I've never done it, and I never will."

Rahul says he doesn't like to mix the business of acting with the pleasure of direction, and vice versa. "As an actor my greatest joy is to understand a director’s vision. Whether it's Buddadeb Dasgupta, Aparna Sen or Santosh Sivan….the journey of discovering their vision through my acting is what interests me….and to make their vision mine. I think it's the greatest insult to Samar to suggest that he'd stand by and let someone take over the direction in a story that has come from the center of his heart. It's a very personal story." Continues Rahul, "I don't believe I'm capable of a crude imposition of my will. That's the most cowardly thing an actor can do."

If on one end Rahul is doing a serious socially relevant subject like Shourya, on the end he has something as nakedly commercial as Shivum's Ghost Ghost Na Raha and Sanjay Chhel's Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam. "I'm trying to balance out the entertainers with the more serious films. I don't want to be branded a serious actor all my life.

Madhur Bhandarkar finds his hero for Fashion

Madhur Bhandarkar’s films remain in news right from the time they are announced till they are finally released. The maverick director’s next film Fashion stars big names like Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut, Mugdha Godse and Arbaaz Khan among others.

Now comes the news that Madhur has finally found the male lead for his film. Arjan Bajwa, who was last seen in a small role in Mani Ratnam’s Guru, has been signed by the director to play the male lead opposite Priyanka Chopra.

This is one big break for the model turned actor who has already started shooting for the film since last week.

Celina encounters racism in Mumbai's 7-Star Hotel

The story of three Marathi actors who were denied entry into a restaurant in a suburban Mumbai’s 7-star hotel isn't isolated. Celina Jaitley recently had a nightmarish experience in the same hotel. "I went into the sports' lounge of this hotel with a gay foreigner friend of mine for just ten minutes. I saw a tall imposing middle-aged German guy making obscene gestures at me. At first I ignored him out of embarrassment. Then he got bolder and came up to me to tell me in German in picturesque detail what he'd like to do to me. He didn't know I speak German fluently. That was it. I asked the hotel's authorities to deal with the situation, since they hadn't allowed my bodyguard in. Forget about challenging the German lecher, they said they didn't know who he was! Luckily I had seen him sign his room number on his bill."

When the posh hotel's cowardly personnel did nothing to help Celina, she left but returned the next day with three vans of cops, got the man out of his room and confronted him.

"He fell to his knees and cried and begged saying he has a wife and children back home. He should've thought of them when he treated me to such vulgar intentions. I made him write an apology and then for his family's sake decided not to press charges. The worst thing was, nobody in the hotel wanted to co-opearate with me in dealing with this situation. Even some of my well-wishers advised me to forget about it. What I want to know is, whom do these hotels cater to? Are they for us Indians? Or are all the amenities and facilities only for foreigners? Why are foreigners given such blatantly preferential treatment in these posh hotels?"

The actress decided to speak up on the matter after she heard about the humiliation of the Marathi actors who weren't allowed in because of their kolhapuri chappals. "This isn't the first time that such an incident has happened. Some time ago, a dress designer friend of mine requested the same hotel's security to inspect his car in the portico as he didn't want the clothes in the car to get wet in the rain. There was an argument. They slammed the car bonnet on his hand and fractured it…Don't they care about people who are not foreigners? Are these high-flying places so busy making big bucks that they've forgotten a basic sense of decency?"

Anil Kapoor's birthday celebration with a Welcome cake!

Not only will he celebrate his birthday and Christmas on Monday 24th December, but also the super success of Welcome and the immense appreciation that he has bagged for the character of Majnu, which has become a brand of sorts!

The film's distributors, Indian Films-Studio 18 have organised a huge birthday cake in the shape of the Welcome font, which will be cut in the afternoon at Anil's Juhu residence on Monday!

Reel Buzz: 26 Year Sexy Seductress Worried

Mallika Sherawat, the 26 year old hot lady is worried now. She has shown enough on screen till now but not finding herself on the top of the slot in Bollywood. She turned popular national wide with the film 'Murder' in which she acted as a woman between her husband and boy friend.

She also acted in the most prestigious international flick 'The Myth' and paired up with Jackie Chan in that. She expected quite a lot from that film, but got nothing big. Later in December 2006 she dressed herself with skin toned tight attire and danced on the New Year eve. That turned big controversy all over and she might have expected some big cake from that issue as well. But that didn't help her career in any way. She acted in an item number in the film 'Guru' and even that didn't talk much about.

Now she is heading down south to check her luck. She acted in an item song in a Kannada film 'Preethi Ekke Bhoomi Melede' that is going to release shortly. Earlier she used to say 'no 'for South Indian films. But she did in that Kannada item number as the pay pack was big. She acted beside Kamal Hasan in 'Dasavataram' as the banner and budget is big. So the Telugu film makers also should consider if she will be useful for Tollywood.