Bollywood News

Singer Kalpana-Hope of 16 lakh bhojpuri speaking people

2008-07-14T23:23:00.000+05:30

Singer Kalpana-Hope of 16 lakh bhojpuri speaking people

This singer Kalpana is making it big in the small screen. She is one of the strong contender of NDTV IMAGINE’s new musical reality show JUNOON…..Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka ! Kalpana is represent the folk team “Maati Ke Laal”, presenting folk songs from UP/Bihar/ Assam .

The show started with a very grand opening by dashing ever charming talented actor Hritik Roshan. Hritik’s presence in the show revealed the glamour of the show. The show is hosted by none other than the legend of silver screen Annu Kapoor. His presence shows the deftness of the show.

Illa Arun represented Kalpana from folk group as Triveni of river Bhramaputra and Ganga as she has taken the responsibility of three states-UP, Bihar & Assam. Kalpana’s performance of bihu of Assam was the greatest hit. She was asked by Illa Arun to sing Bhupen Hazarika’s hit song Manuhe Manuhor Babe and got great applaud from the judges and the audience.

Says Kalpana, I am from northeast, ASSAM . Northeast is a reservoir of talent but it hurts when people consider the region different from India . She feels that north-eastern India is a reservoir of talent but it has not been given due recognition because the region suffers from a sense of geographical and social alienation. She is 'hurt' that many people do not consider the northeast as a part of India . For example, in the television music talent hunt reality shows contestants from our region do well. And the nation must realise that they (participants) reach there because of their talent, not favouritism. I want the rest of the country to cherish it, but respect for the region is lacking,' KALPANA told. Kalpana holds the local residents equally responsible. 'Talents from the region are not being recognised. To a certain extent, we (northeast residents) are also responsible for it because we don't remind them about our potential.

But without any support she made it big in Mumbai film industry. She has truly confirmed that language has no barrier. It would be injustice to put a tag (Bhojpuri Singer) on Kalpana. If we correctly analyze she can really sing in different languages.

Says Kalpana,I had no support or godfather in Mumbai .But thanks to the people of UP & BIHAR who gave me full support and made Kalpana a big name in Bhojpuri music industry. She says, today with this show JUNOON people are getting to know the richness of Bhojpuri music. I wish if Laluji extend his best wishes & moral support to promote Bhojpuri as he is the only international super star.

Kalpana’s get up, her performance, her confidence and above all her signing in the show is mind-blowing. She is the most versatile singer. What a tremendous power & performance Kalpana has. Kalpana, you are a very big bridge in between Assam & Bhojpuri. You are the voice of 16 lakh Bhojpuri speaking people. I some times suspect that how u pronounces such good Bhojpuri language. Anyways keep it up... I pray God to make you NDTV's Junoon Champ. All the mentors including Annu Kapoor ended up with commenting Kalpana as a complete package of performance & singing.

By : ASHOK BHATIA P .R.O. 09221232130

2008-07-14T23:21:00.000+05:30

Shradha Sharma Signed By G.P.Sippy Film

50 films in forty five years is no mean achievement and there is no stopping G.P.Sippy Multimedia as they unveiled their plans for fourteen movies in the next two years in association with Boutique cinema. Present on this occasion was their chairman Ajit Sippy and Sunil Khosla with Vibha Khosla ( both directors of Boutique Cinema) A Three film contract was signed with Siddarth Koirala and Shradha Sharma (of "Saathi' fame in star plus). After "Anwar", this would be Siddarth's next foray into Bollywood and Shradha would be making her debut on the big screen with this venture. In the past supersatrs like Shahrukh Khan, Rajesh Khanna, Raveena Tandon and many others were launched by G.P. Sippy Multimedia. Even the famed "Gabbar" of Sholay, Amjad Khan was launched by this production house. "Jab Luv Hua ", scheduled to be launched in july 2008 is also the first digital film.

Playing a character in the film ‘Daughter’ is a unique experience: Actress Rucha

2008-07-09T23:15:00.000+05:30

Playing a character in the film ‘Daughter’ is a unique experience: Actress Rucha

Producers Dr. Medha Mehandale and Manasi Mehandale are soon coming up with their first Hindi film ‘Daughter’. They are also introducing an eighteen-year-old sweet and bubbly girl Rucha who they are sure of winning the audience’s heart. Rucha has been very fortunate to be working with Vikram Gokhale, Reema and Padmini Kolhapure in her debut film itself. Along with being the co-producer of the film, Dr. Manasi Mehandale has also given her voice in one of the songs. Recently we met the main lead of the film Rucha during the promotion of the film. Here are some excerpts of an interview with her:-

* How did you develop an interest in acting?

Director Viju Mane, known to our family, was making a film in Marathi by the name ‘Gujiri’. He proposed me to do a special appearance in this film. I was not too sure of taking up acting that time. I was only 15 years old and thought of giving it a try. Acting excited me a lot even though I had a lot to learn. I thoroughly enjoyed acting and that’s where started off with it.

* Which are the films that you have done after ‘Gujiri’?

As I mentioned earlier, I had never understood acting that well, hence never took it very seriously. Also I didn’t want acting to be my career. I did it as my hobby only. I always wanted to become a doctor and even today I am busy with my related medical studies. That’s how I did not take up any film assignments after ‘Gujiri’. Even today my first preference is to become a doctor.

* Since your mother is also a doctor, is that why you wish to become a doctor?

My mother is definitely my role model and I have received all my inspiration from her. I strongly aspire to become a doctor and have my dream come true.

* How did you get an opportunity to work in ‘Daughter?’

Again through Director Viju Mane. He approached me with the script of ‘Daughter’ when I was in college. Even then I was too confused whether or not to do the film. Later when he narrated the script of the film to me, I was very happy and decided to do it. My passion of being a doctor and my hobby of acting met together through the film. Today I can proudly say that I am a part of a film like this.

* What have you felt in and through the film ‘Daughter?’

‘Daughter r’ is a very unique film. It is very different from the normal league of films. This film is based on adoption of those infants who are left alone by their parents due to various reasons. It is a story of such kids who spent their lives in ashrams and grow up with people who they understand to be their parents. The film has various emotions along with being a very fun filled one. It is a very beautiful message that the film is giving to its audiences.

* In this film you have worked with stars like padmini kolhapure and ayub khan along with Vikram Gokhale, Reema, and Arun Nalawade and Vinod singh. How do you feel working as a lead along with these stars?

In the film ‘Daughter’ I play an orphan girl whose name is Rucha. A girl whose grand father leaves her to live in an ashram since a very tender age of an infant. As she is growing she is adopted by Vikram Gokhale’s family and she goes and stays with them as a trial of 20 days. She gets love and affection from some and hatred and in affection from the others. The story is about how this young and innocent girl copes up with all the circumstances that she is put in. The character of Rucha is very strong by itself. Hence playing the same was not very difficult. Also the director always inspired and supported me for doing better. It became an easy job to do in the midst of these stars as my colleagues.

* The film has thrown light on couples that are against adoption?

Yes, the film reveals the existing shortcomings of our society, the existing mentality of the people of today’s century who consider money and wealth much above love and affection towards orphans.

Yes, before the shooting for the film began, I visited an orphanage in Thane. There I saw children like Rucha and understood their thought process. You can call it my homework for the film. It was a very touchy experience.

* Any remembrance during the shooting of the film that you would like to share with us?

Oh yes. I remember the first day of my shoot for the film. It was scheduled for 4:00 pm. I was to give the first shot and it rained quite heavily. Due to the delay the first shot happened only at 12 in the night. I had to appear smoking a cigarette in the shot. After the shot, we realized that I was holding the wrong side of the cigarette in my mouth. To be frank, I was quite nervous.

* Who are your favorite stars from Bollywood?

I like madhuri dixit and hrithik roshan a lot.

* Which directors do you wish to work with?

I wish to work with Mr Rakesh mehra who directed ‘Rang De Basanti’ and with Mr. Shamit Amin who directed ‘Chak De India’. Getting an opportunity I would also like to work with Aamir Khan and ShahRukh Khan.

* As an actor what are your aspirations?

I am only 18 and ‘Doctor’ is ideally my first film. I have got a great experience working in this film. It is a unique film with a very challenging role for me to do. I wish to do more of such challenging roles in other films as well. But as I mentioned earlier that I wish to become a doctor, I need to first fulfill that dream of mine. Mean while my acting career will keep going.

Best & Worst Dressed at Cannes

2008-05-23T22:06:00.000+05:30

Photo Feature: Pelli Sandadi Heroine In Topless

2008-05-10T14:36:00.003+05:30

These are the pictures of Pelli Sandadi heroine Deepti Bhatnagar. The stills are from the English film 'Cobra' that was taken long back.

"Like the angel of rain
Sending thunder bolts into brain
Showing the sparkling asset
From the transparent shirt
Kudos to you Deepti Bhatnagar
You have a voluptuous figure"

Photo Feature: Neha dons a bikini this summer

2008-05-10T14:36:00.002+05:30

This summer, Neha dons bikini in the latest issue of the men’s magazine, The Man. If anyone had doubts about the hotness quotient of this young lady, then take a look at these pics and we bet you’ll change your opinion.

Photo Feature: Bipasa Basu In Topless

2008-05-10T14:36:00.001+05:30

This is the rare photograph of Bipasa Basu where she boasts her asset-value in transparent top. The man with her is Milind Soman, the top male model.

Photo Feature: Nude Back Of Bollywood Babe

2008-05-10T14:36:00.000+05:30

Amritha Arora is known for her fresh milky face with hot curvy body. She is growing bold day by day and has also acted in hot kissing scenes in her recent films. This is the pose she gave for camera recently. How hot it would be had we been the scorpion-tattoo on her back!!!!!!!!!!

Deepika favourite for lead role in 'Robot'

2008-01-10T16:39:00.000+05:30

After a dream debut with Bollywood 'Badshaah' Shah Rukh Khan in 'Om Shanti Om', Deepika Padukone appears set to storm the south with a possible role opposite Tamil superstar Rajinikanth in the big-budget film "Robot".

Padukone's name is "on the top of the list of contenders for heroine" in the Rs 100-crore venture by director Shankar, sources in the film production unit here said.

Shankar, who directed last year's runaway hit "Sivaji - The Boss" also starring Rajinikanth, has already teamed up with the style icon and renowned music composer A R Rehman.

The 22-year-old model-turned-actress has received the Star Screen award for "most promising newcomer" and Stardust "Superstar of Tomorrow"" award.

Going by the mantra that actresses make a dent in Kollywood after starring opposite Rajinikanth or Kamal Hassan, the media began the buzz about Deepika acting in "Robot".

The speculation earlier was that Shah Rukh Khan would play the lead in the the film, to be made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, before Shankar succeeded in getting the Tamil matinee idol to agree.

Ash & Hrithik have no rivalry: Ashutosh Gowariker

2008-01-10T16:26:00.001+05:30

Troubled and tired of all the controversies surrounding the release of Jodha-Akbar, Ashutosh Gowariker finally speaks from his bed where he's recovering from a back problem.

Is it true that a company dumped the music of Jodha-Akbar?
It's true that we were looking at an association with Big Music. But we didn't agree on certain rights issue for the music….so we parted.

UTV Music, a label that Ronnie Screwvala wanted to start later during the year, is being launched in a hurry to release our Jodha-Akbar music. We're having the music release function on the 9 Jan. An on 15 the music is in the stores.

The Maharani of Jaipur Rani Padmini, who's a direct descendent of Jodhabai, and her husband are flying down to release the music.

Is it true you're cutting two of the songs?
No. There're only five songs recorded for Jodha-Akbar. And we've retained all of them. I treasure every song that I record and wouldn't dream of cutting them for length.

Even if we had nine songs only two would wind their way into the charts.Though we've five songs I've worked on making each hummable.

How do you think the younger generation would react to the music?
The response to the first two songs has been surprisingly positive. People were expecting archaic songs. But they like the modern adaptation of the 16th century sounds.

The songs were never made to blare at pubs. Never targeted at the youngsters?
Why do you say that? When Pyar kiya to darna kya was created it was youngsters who were throwing coins on the screen. When Dev Saab sang Khoya Khoya chand it was the young who swooned.

And when Shammi Kapoor said Yahooo it was the young who responded. I'd say the film comes first. Whatever emerges from it should be suitably marketed.

The music of Jodha-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 Jodha and Akbar.

How will you be there?
I have to be there. It's a big function. And I have to manage in spite of a slipped-disc situation. I'm just grateful it didn't happen during the shooting. Imagine me being out of circulation on location in Rajasthan.

Have you strained or injured yourself?
No I strained my back while lifting a heavy bag.

Did the bag contain Hrithik?
(laughs) Well Hrithik, Aishwarya and I have certainly been carrying an awesome burden on our shoulders. I'd like to compare my struggle to release Jodha-Akbar to a video game where you play the first level very easily. As you go to other levels the game gets complicated.

What's the truth about Hrithik and Aishwarya not doing the publicity for Jodha-Akbar?
Not true at all. We now have a publicity plan for them. It had to be aligned to the music and film release.

And what about these stories of how the two couldn't get along?
Absolutely untrue! I don't know how and why this is being said. Aishwarya and Hrithik get along really well. Even at the wrap-party they were fine with each other.

There was no rivalry between them. Aishwarya is the most professional actress I've worked with. She never bought any guests on sets, or her cellphone for that matter.

There were stories about how she was asking a spotboy for chai while Hrithik was rehearsing. Yeh sab bachkani baatein hai.

Did Abhishek ever drop in?
Only when he was shooting in Karjat nextdoor for that song in Ra Gopal Varma's Aag. Even then he'd drop in before the shooting started, have chai and leave.

I just want to say both Hrithik and Aishwarya were extremely dedicated professional and sensible. They knew exactly what they had to do. It wasn't as if they were shocked by getting into a period piece.

Specially after Dhoom 2 it must have been tough for them to get into the Moghul era.
Yes, but even for Dhoom 2 they had to assume an alien body language and personality. In Jodha-Akbar too they've worked to create a new persona. That couldn't have happened if they weren't focused.

Did you miss Aamir Khan in Jodha-Akbar?
They were showing our old film Baazi the other day…I'm dying to see Taare Zameen Par. He came to visit me twice during my confinement. But I can't sit up for long hours.

When is Jodha-Akbar releasing?
We were very keen on Jan 25. But because of my back problem I was told to be in bed for 21 days. I couldn't go to Chennai for the background score. A R Rahman had to travel down to Mumbai. That delayed things quite a bit.

So my cabin in office was being used to prepare the background score. That was most inconvenient. Now we're coming on Feb 15. At the moment that's the date.

Valentine's Week for co-stars who aren't the least attached to one another?
(laughs) That sounds like a good idea for an intensely romantic film. So far we've been looking at festival weeks to release Jodha-Akbar…Eid, then Independence Day…Now any Friday when Jodha-Akbar releases is celebration week.

It's been a tough film for you.
I wouldn't say so. The process of filming Jodha-Akbar has been really enjoyable. I've no issues except the back problem. 'It's not going to be postponed any more.' That's my Hanuman Chalisa these days.

I ran screaming to Salman: Katrina

2008-01-10T16:26:00.000+05:30

Currently Katrina Kaif is in Australia shooting for Vipul Shah's comedy Singh Is King.

Speaking from Australia Katrina says, "I'm here till the middle of December. And I do miss Mumbai. But right now I've my mom and sister with me. So that makes it so much better."

For Katrina Kaif it's been a somewhat different Diwali this year in Australia.

"Vipul had organized some awesome fireworks on the beach. So all of us from the unit, Indian and Australian, were down on the beach for Diwali. Then we went to an Indian restaurant. Luckily nobody played cards. The fact that we did sociable things rather than play cards made this Diwali very special."

Katrina has been entering the laughter zone once too often in her career.

Is she getting wary of doing comedies? "I wouldn't say that. But it's true that in our comedies the heroines have very little to do except smile vacuously and watch the boys have a good time.

However Vipul is very very special to me. I'd be a tree in his film if he wanted to be. It just so happened that the people who were comfortable working with me initially were dabbling in comedy.

My debut Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, then Partner and now Welcome are all comedies. The territory is getting a bit too familiar with me. Initially it was important for me to get those commercial hits to my credit. Now that it's happened I'm consciously doing other kinds of films."

One non-comedy role that Katrina is currently shooting is Subhash Ghai's Main Yuvraaj.

"And I get to play the cello in Subhashji's film. The thing with the cello is, you can't completely learn to play it all at once, like the piano or the sitar. It's an instrument that takes years to master."

Katrina sat with an orchestra player in Bombay to get the body posture of the cello player right. "Luckily for me Subhashji's films have an ongoing theme piece running through the music soundtrack.

That's the one which I've familiarized myself with on the cello. I learnt the chords for that piece like a piece of choreography. When people see me doing that piece they wouldn't find me faking it.

We were shooting in a castle in Austria with a German orchestra conductor guiding my movements. When I got it right I ran screaming to Salman, Arjun and everyone on the sets. Subhashji had to calm me down. 'Theek hai, beta. Now the next shot.'

She describes Singh Is King as a complete comedy. "It'll be my funniest comedy so far, and for a change not slapstick. I've been doing quite a lot of comedies. This is my second comedy in a row with director Anees Bazmi after Welcome, and that too with Akshay Kumar again."

She admits Akshay's comic timing has been a learning experience. "You do learn from everyone you work with. He's the master of his genre. He knows what works best for him. And that for any actor is a big USP."

'I married Priyanka last year'

2008-01-10T16:23:00.002+05:30

E Niwas could've been gone out of circulation after his last film Bardasht bombed at the boxoffice.

But Niwas married his sweetheart and his luck changed. "I got married a year back to Priyanka. It was a love marriage."

"I finished scripting two films. Then I approached Riteish Deshmukh who loved the script of the comedy De Taali. I thought after Bardasht he wouldn't want to work with me. But Riteish loved it.

And he said he wanted to shoot immediately. I for married on 9 August last year. We started shooting after ten days. We went for our honeymoon and I cleverly started shooting De Taali there for fifteen days.

I had warned Riteish De Taali would take time, that I'd do it between breaks for My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves which was a big responsibility for me since I was producing directing and launching a new boy Nikhil Diwedi. Riteish was game, And we completed De Taali in-between schedules of Anthony Gonzalves."

Niwas describes Anthony Gonzalves as a slice-of-life drama. "It's about dreams and ambitions and a friendship between a film struggler Nikhil and a much older man, a gangster played by Pavan Malhotra. These two opposites form the core of the plot."

Gonzalves and De Taali are both original scripts. "That's right. Shool was inspired by Zanjeer, Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega was taken from Fargo and my Dum was an remake of Telugu films.

But De Taali and Anthony Gonzalves are original works. I had to gain the confidence to do something that isn't inspired from other sources."

Nikhil Diwedi who plays the title role was Niwas' first and only choice. "As for my leading lady Amrita Rao, everyone wants to know why I've changed her image to a glamorous one after her traditional role in Vivah.

But I always saw Amrita as glamorous. When I asked her to do an item song she had no hesitation in getting into the grooves."

Interestingly Niwas works with three generations of actors in My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves.

"Mithun Chakraborty who plays a priest never let us feel his seniority although Pavan Malhotra was a junior and Nikhil was a kid. Mithuda was one of us.

He often had to wait for us on the sets. I needed this kind of support. Considering I was stepping into production for the first time."

I danced in TZP too: Darsheel

2008-01-10T16:23:00.001+05:30

Darsheel aka Ishaan Awasthi, the child actor in Aamir Khan's directorial debut "Taare Zameen Par", did not dance on-screen to the song "Bum bum bole". However, the little actor danced during the retakes of the shots.

"I have trained in Shiamak's (Davar) school and I am a good dancer. Everyone in 'Bum bum bole' danced, excluding me. I was very upset. So, every time they shot a retake, I would start dancing," Darsheel wrote in Aamir Khan's blog www.aamirkhan.com.

Recounting memories of the shoot, he added: "Acting with Tanay and Sachet was great fun and partying with them was amazing fun."

In the film released Dec 21, Darsheel plays the role of a dyslexic child.

Aamir was at Darsheel's house for lunch with wife Kiran and wished one could have seen the boy's face as he read the blog posts.

However, before handing over his laptop to Darsheel, an overwhelmed Aamir penned: "I want you to know that I am absolutely thrilled with what I have been reading through your posts."

"Every stress and every pain-filled moment that I may have gone through to make TZP feels worth it after reading your responses. I am humbled with your generosity, and I feel stronger and filled with courage to do better and more challenging work in the future."

For the record, Aamir's post, which was largely about his films, attracted 532 comments from his fans.

Viveik Oberoi wanted my role

2008-01-10T16:23:00.000+05:30

It almost didn't happen for the first debutant of 2008.

Nikhil Diwedi was almost ousted from his debut film My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves when the corporate house which director E Niwas approached to produce the film, insisted the director work with Viveik Oberoi instead of the newcomer.

When confronted with this historical trivia on the destiny of his debut Diwedi demurs. "I wouldn't like to name anyone.

But an actor who was very hot and happening a few years ago did want to do My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves. My director Niwas was very clear that the script would only work with a newcomer, and that too me.

He threw all caution to the winds and decided to produce Anthony on his own along with Sahara One," divulges Diwedi who claims to be a diehard Bachchan fan.

"I remember as a child watching Mr Bachchan in Suhaag. Today it's a coincidence that my debut film gets its title from a popular song in a film featuring with Mr Bachchan. That isn't all. No one knows this.

But I was actually supposed to make my debut with a small role that E Niwas had offered me in an Aftab Shivdasani-Esha Deol romance called Jaane Kaise Kab Kahan, again a song from a Bachchan flick.

I love that title, and I've asked Niwas to give it to me for a future film," gushes the newcomer who claims to be finely- tuned to every detail about Hindi cinema.

Fortunately for Nikhil, he desisted from playing the bit role of Esha's fiancé in the shelved film."What has to happen, will happen," philolosophizes the youngster with oodles of confidence.

Nikhil plays a bartender and a Bollywood struggler in My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves. He's all praise for his co-star Amrita Rao.

"Five years have passed since she came into the industry. Even today Amrita's hunger and anxiety to excel in every shot remains unchanged. I like that. Somewhere I too want to be insecure even after 25 films."

In fact Nikhil has already got three more films in his kitty. "One is a remake of Rahul Rawail's 1978 Sunny Deol starrer Arjun which Shivum Nair is directing and Anurag Kashyap is writing."

The original film about an unemployed youth being sucked politics and corruption is no longer valid. Kashyap is re-writing the script for Nikhil Diwedi.

"Unemployment is no longer a burning issue," opines Nikhil. "Today with so many avenues of work for youngsters like call centers, I think Arjun needed a new interpretation. Besides Arjun I have two other films to be produced by K Sera Sera and Sahara One."

Nikhil Diwedi seems to have found the most appropriate godfather in Shah Rukh Khan who apparently has taken the newcomer under his wing.

Nikhil apparently hangs around Khan quite often.

Surprisingly the debutant pooh-poohs the sugar-daddy theory. "I think too much has been made of Shah Rukh's interest in my career.

It isn't even a fraction of what it's made out to be. Sure his company Red Chillies is the line producer of My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves. But that's because he believed in the project Beyond that, Shah Rukh's interest in me and my career is, I think,reasonable and very sweet.

He did release the music of my film. Wouldn't he do that for any newcomer who requests him to?"

Clearly this newcomer has his act together. "I'm aware that 2007 had a large number of commendable male newcomers. Should I be happy to be coming in 2008 ? I don't think so. Every film and actor have their own destiny.

How I'm accepted by audiences doesn't depend on the competition but my intrinsic merits.I'll survive not because of competition or Shah Rukh's backing but only if audiences approve of me"

That we shall find out on Jan 11 when My Name Is Anthony Gonzalves releases.

'I can't do films with Sonam'

2008-01-10T16:22:00.001+05:30

It has happened before. The parent is always wary of being seen with their star-child specially at the beginning of the newcomer's career.

Dimple Kapadia said no to Sanjay Bhansali's Khamoshi with daughter Twinkle and Dharmendra agreed to play Sunny and Bobby Deol's father in Apne after so many decades in the industry (Dharmendra did play Sunny's dad in his second film Sunny but they didn't have scenes together).

To no one's surprise Anil has turned down a chance to co-star with his daughter in her second film the much talked-about Dilli 6.

Says Anil, "It's true Rakeysh Mehra offered me a role in Dilli 6. But I regretfully declined. Who wouldn't want to work with Rakeysh after Rang De Basanti? Sonam is lucky to be working with him in her second film, after THE Sanjay Bhansali as her debut."

For now Anil has decided to stay away from offers to share screen space with his daughter. "In fact there have been 8-10 offers. But nothing that would tempt me into making this move right away.

Unless something really exceptional comes up I wouldn't like to work with my daughter at the moment. In fact she is even more against the idea than I am. She feels even more strongly about it. So I'd just like to wait."

He lights up at the mention of Saawariya. "The figures have come in straight from Sony Pictures in the US. And they're very heartening. I'd have been happier if the film had done even better in India. But it's done well enough.

Sonam has been appreciated unanimously. People like Amitji and Dilip Saab have praised her. Sonam couldn't have hoped for a better debut.

I'm very proud of my daughter. Yes, she has a long way to go. I think her second film is as exciting,if not more."

Adds Sonam, "I've done two shoots with my father and one AIDS feature.All through he was more worried about me than himself. So I don't think it's fair to him to put have me as a co-star.

Also, right now I'm too raw to separate my father from the character he'd play with me. Besides I wouldn't want to do any and everything with him. It has to be something special for both of us.

But if he produces a film that has a role for both of us I'd definitely want to do it. Because he produces only quality-conscious products."

I want to be a father: Johar

2008-01-10T16:22:00.000+05:30

Earlier this week there was quite a scene at a multiplex in downtown Mumbai when one familiar grownup man sat sobbing in his seat long after a show of Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par was over, while another man tried to console him.

As curious onlookers moved closer to the emotional enclave they were surprised to see that the man so moved by the film was none other than filmmaker-anchor Karan Johar.

Karan who left on Sunday afternoon for Goa to bring in the New Year with his friends admitted Taare Zamen Par was one of the most emotional experiences of his movie-going life.

"I couldn't move from my seat for ten minutes after the show. I just sobbed like a baby. I was so moved by the story of the parents discovering the core of their child's spirit that I now want to be a parent.

I'm neither married nor have I ever intended to be a father in real life. But after watching Taare…I truly want to a father, to connect with a child on a level that only a parent can understand."

An ardent friend and fan of Shah Rukh Khan, Karan wholeheartedly praises the other Khan superstar.

"After seeing the film with a regular ticket-paying audience,I called up Aamir and told him that a sincerity of vision was part of his DNA.

He just can't help being the creator and the artiste that he is. It's hard to believe Taare is his first film as director. Look at the performance he has got out of the child actor Darsheel Safary."

Sighs Karan, "Taare Zameen Par is a landmark film. Definitely one of the best films I've seen in recent times."

Sushmita Sen in illegal deal

2008-01-10T11:36:00.000+05:30

Sushmita Sen has distanced herself from the controversial illegal import of her Toyota Landcruiser, which has almost invited prosecution for the former Miss Universe.

In a reply to a notice issued by the Bombay High Court asking her to explain as to why appropriate action be not initiated against her for alleged illegalities committed in import of Toyota Landcruiser purportedly using fake documents and further manipulation for getting the vehicle registered, Sushmita has said that she had no intention to defeat any provision of law and that she was not involved in import of the Landcruiser.

The court had on October 11, 2007 upheld Sushmita's petition for quashing order of the BMC's Joint Commissioner asking her to cough up more than Rs 23 lakh towards octroi and ten times penalty for importing the car.

At the same time the court had taken serious note of allegations made against Sushmita, including non-payment of custom's duty, preparing false records, registering the new car as used one, importing it under transfer of residence, mentioning wrong engine and chasis numbers, undervaluing the vehicle and submitting false declaration to the registration authorities and had issued the notice to her.

In the reply Sushmita has also said that, she had not indulged in any irregularities or illegalities or in any blameworthy conduct, on the contrary as a law abiding citizen she had approached the Settlement Commission on her own, when the Custom's officials raised an issue of under-payment of duties, and paid Rs 20,33,386 to them.

Thereafter, she had duly paid the octroi amount of Rs 2,16,988 when the BMC issued demand notice, she has added in the reply.

Besides, the actor has also stated that all the papers with respect to the vehicle were prepared by M/s Jai Mata Enterprises proprietor Haren Choksey, who had purportedly offered her the Landcruiser, and signed by him on behalf of Vasu Thamala, the alleged owner of the vehicle and an allegedly non-existent person.

She has said, she was shown registration papers of the Landcruiser before it was handed over to her and categorically made it clear that it was not specifically imported for her.

Meanwhile, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice J P Deodhar today issued a non-bailable warrant against Vasu Thamala and adjourned the matter for further hearing after two weeks.

SLB burns his sets for money?

2008-01-10T11:35:00.003+05:30

The Supreme Court Tuesday sought noted Bollywood film director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's response on a plea seeking resumption of his prosecution for allegedly setting fire to the sets of his film 'Black' in 2004 to claim insurance.

A Bench of Justices C.K. Thakker and D.K. Jain issued notice to Bhansali for his response on a plea by antique dealer Farida Husseinally, who had supplied furniture for the film set.

Husseinally, who claims to have lost antique furniture made of bronze, copper and other metals worth Rs.20 million in the fire, had earlier lodged a complaint in 2006 in Borivali's magisterial court, contending that the use of LPG cylinders, which led to the fire, was a criminal offence under the provisions of law regulating the use of petroleum gas.

The Borivali magistrate had ordered investigation of the case. But Bhansali had challenged the probe before the Bombay High Court, which suspended it.

Appearing for the antique dealer, advocate Vishwnath Chaturvedi contended before the apex court bench that the director was in the habit of setting his films' sets on fire to dupe insurance companies.

He made a fervent plea to the court to order resumption of Bhansali's prosecution after setting aside the Bombay High Court order.

Chaturvedi alleged that during the shooting of the film on Feb 18, 2004, the set was deliberately set on fire to seek hefty insurance compensation.

The antique dealer alleged that on enquiry she had come to know that before the fire, Bhansali had removed all the items supplied by her from the sets.

Shilpa's last resort to Fame?

2008-01-10T11:35:00.002+05:30

Shilpa has also signed her first bollywood film after Big Brother back home. The film titled 'The Man' will be produced by Sunny Deol and has been written by Neeraj Pathak. In the film Shilpa plays a star who suddenly shoots to international fame.

A source associated with the project says: “Shilpa’s character in the film seems to be derived from her real persona. She plays a woman who suddenly shoots to international fame. In a way, the role is very biographical.”

Reports also have it that the film’s co-director, Neeraj, has decided to use in the movie the real footage of Shilpa’s experience in London after she won the Big Brother show last year.

‘The Man’ is set to go on the floors in the first quarter of 2008.

Isha gets steamy in bathtub

2008-01-10T11:35:00.001+05:30

Isha Koppikar is back in news for her hot act. We hear that the sultry siren has shot a few hot sacene with a newcomer Arav Chowdhary in her upcoming film Right Or Wrong though she refused to kiss him.

One such sizzling scene shows Isha and Arav lying face-to-face in a bathtub. Isha raises her bare leg from the foam and begins caressing Arav’s bare chest with the toe of her foot.

While shooting this scene Arav wore nothing but shorts. Isha wore minimal clothes that were covered with foam to give the impression of nudity.

Apart from this, the duo has also shot a bedroom scene.

‘Right Ya Wrong’ is a story that raises some important moral questions. The film has Sunny Deol and Irrfan Khan playing cops. Konkona Sen Sharma plays a lawyer.

Himesh has slowed me down

2008-01-10T11:34:00.000+05:30

Thanks to Himesh Reshammiya's decision to curtail his work, Bollywood's most prolific lyricist Sameer Anjaan who has written over 5000 songs, has reduced his work load.

"You see Himesh and I had formed a team. I did some of my finest and most popular work recently for Himesh in films from Tere Naam to Aap Ka Surroor.

But now that he has decided to compose only for his own starrers, I too have been forced to slow down. Yes I'm doing the words for Himesh's three films Karz, Kajra Re and A Love Ssssshtory."

For Karz Sameer will re-write the whole Anand Bakshi theme song Ek haseena thi. "I'll take the opening line as a starting point and then weave my own words."

Quite a tribute, coming from a self-confessed fan of Majrooh Sultanpuri and Anand Bakshi.

"Look at their body of work. How prolific they were! They were poetic and yet so accessible to the common man.

That's what I've been aiming to do all along, although I've been criticized and condemned for playing to the galleries. But when today Gulzar Saab write populist numbers like Ticket to Hollywood and Beedi he's praised for moving with the times.

When I've been doing the same I was accused of making compromises. But it's very important to keep up with the times. For a recent film Phir Hera Pheri I wrote All day all night which was in four languages Rajasthani, English, Hindi and Punjabi….That's the effect of globalization on cinema and our music. That's how today's youngsters speak. That's the spirit one has to capture in our film songs."

Sameer lights up like a gallery of diyas when he talks about his latest triumph in Saawariya.

"By the grace of God, the songs in Saawariya were appreciated for their poetry. When I'm pulled up for the lack of poetry in today's songs I want to know where are the creative artistes like Sanjay Leela Bhansali who demand and expect poetry in their songs?

When I was writing poetry for films like Aashiqui and Saajan in the 1990s I also wrote Main to bhelpuri kha raha tha in Coolie No 1. Because that was a song for a street-smart guy. One has to write according to the demand of the character and film.

I know my father (Anjaan) wrote poetry like Chandan sa badan in Saraswatichandra. But that was the demand of the times and the character. Today when Sanjay Bhansali offers me a chance to write songs like Jab se tere naina and Sawar sawar gayi I do it happily."

Sameer fondly recalls that historic moment when Sanjay Bhansali called him.

"He told me there are two songs of mine that tilted the scale towards me when there were so many more distinguished poets wanting to do the lyrics of Saawariya. Those songs were Tumse milna baatein karna in Tere Naam and Mohabbatein lutaoonga for Abhijeet Sawant."

Sameer wrote the first lyric Masha Allah for Saawariya in three days. "That's how long it took me to write each of the lyrics for Saawariya. I'm a fast worker. And I've survived so long because I know the art of writing lyrics. It's not enough to be a poet. You've to know how to connect your words with the common man."

Abhishek and I had some fun too

2008-01-09T15:53:00.000+05:30

2007 was a year of tremendous turmoil for Priyanka. There were legal and police hassles regarding financial endeavours. At home her dad struggled with a serious illness.

Sighs Priyanka, "In 2007 I've just been busy doing commercials. And then there were other problems created by various people. I've accepted those as an enevitable part of each year.

The more popular you get the more the number of people who want target you. That's fine. It's a professional hazard. You've got to take it in your stride. I'm glad I've my family to stand by me. They're my strength and my weakness."

Sighs the discreet diva, "The end of 2007 seemed to be the beginning of the year for me because I started Fashion. I'll soon be starting Karan Johar production with Abhishek and John. Both the films will be over by July. So the first-half of 2008 is packed."

She's looking forward to working with Abhishek and John again.

"Abhishek and I had some fun times during Bluff Master and with John I did one of my toughest roles in Karam. I enjoyed that though it didn't work at the box office. But then a film doing well or not is in nobody's hands," says the actor who in five years has given the maximum number of hits and has earned the tag of the new-millennium Hema Malini.

She hopes to fashion a new success in Fashion. "It's actually becoming a much bigger film than what it was meant to be. Let's face it, success is important. And to me the boxoffice is very important."

Fashion is a special challenge. "The character requires a lot of hard work. The graph is so steep. Madhur Bhandarkar is keeping me on my toes constantly.

Yes, I admit Krissh and Don didn't have as much space for me as Fashion. But one does all kinds of movies. I enjoy the experience of trying something new each time.

In Fashion I'm far more at the forefront than Krissh or Don. But the challenge is the same."

Reel Buzz: Two Hot Ladies With Rajni Kanth

2008-01-09T15:47:00.000+05:30

With the news that the mega project 'Robot' is on, the entire media is abuzz with activity and it is heard that the makers are looking at roping in not one but two heroines for the film and the most likely choices would be the Bollywood beauty Deepika Padukone and our very own South Indian hottie Nayantara.

While the official announcements are yet to be made, this pair looks quite likely to be alongside superstar Rajnikanth who will be the hero of the film. Will have to see how Shankar brings up this brainchild story of his.

On the other hand Rajni Kanth visited Tirumala to seek blessings of Lord Venkateshwara before getting into the actual job of 'Robot'. And it seems that the time started for us to talk about 'Robot'.

Shaan to perform at a musical event in Qatar

2008-01-09T12:15:00.001+05:30

After garnering praises for style of singing or even hosting musical shows, Shaan, is all geared up to perform in Qatar for his grand Bollywood musical show, ‘Shaan Se’. The show is being sponsored by Consolidated Gulf Co (CGC).

CGC Business Development Head said that since Qatar is home to many Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi expatriates. They would surely love to dance on the tunes of popular Bollywood numbers live from a famous voice and his team of artists. Hence, CGC will be the main sponsor of the show.

The musical event will be held on Jan 10 at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash complex.

Sajid Khan to host Star Screen Awards

2008-01-09T12:15:00.000+05:30

Ace compere and director of the blockbuster hit Heyy Babyy, Sajid Khan, would be hosting the 14th Annual Star Screen Awards to be held on January 10 in Mumbai. Shreyas Talpade and Saagarika Ghatge will also share the stage with Sajid.

The Star Screen awards which are usually among the first few award functions of the year are in their 14th year running. This year’s event sees some of 2007’s top films like Taare Zameen Par, Chak De India, Life…In a Metro, Om Shanti Om and Guru vying for the top honours.

“I have lost 19 kgs for my grand performance on Saawariya’s title song. Then Shreyas and I would be seen emulating the Chak De India girls. Another notable thing about this year’s event is that the script has been written by Milap Zaveri who has penned films like Masti and Pyare Mohan”, says Sajid Khan in his trademark humorous way.

With such an entertaining line-up of acts, this event will surely be one rollicking affair.

I'm ashamed for not watching TZP: Ayesha Takia

2008-01-09T11:09:00.001+05:30

We have all seen Ayesha Takia in different roles in various Bollywood flicks. We have even known about her ambitions and plans as an actress.

Here we present a different Ayesha Takia who talks about music – her likes and dislikes.

Q: What's playing on your iPod these days?
A: Since I am doing a lot of workouts these days, it’s mostly Trance and Techno music on my iPod now.

Q: Of the recent films released – ‘Taare Zameen Par’, ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’, ‘Welcome’ and ‘Dus Kahaniya, which, according to you, has the best music?
A: I would say that the music scored in all these films are great. While the music in ‘Welcome’ is mind blowing, I liked the music in ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ too.

I have not watched ‘Taare Zameen Par’ and am ashamed about it. I have heard that the film as well as the music in this movie is tremendous.

Q: Which are your five all-time favorite songs?
A: Come on, this is too tough a job. Nevertheless, I will try. I like all the songs in ‘Lamhe’ and ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’.

You may choose any song from these films. I also love the song in ‘Dil’ – ‘Khambe Jaise Khari Hai’.

I like the song so much that I have watched the movie at least 50 times in my childhood. I honestly don’t know why.

Again, I also like the title track ‘Soncha na tha’ from my film ‘Soncha na tha’. Besides, these I am also fond of the ‘Krishna Cottage’ song ‘Soona soona lamha lamha’.

Q: What type of music soothes your mind and which ones irritate you?
A: For me music is fun, and it all depends on my mood. My liking for music changes according to variations of my moods.

If I am in a trance mood, I like Trance music and when in a rocking mood, I prefer Rock music.

And there are times when I also listen to Sufi music. (Smiling) As far as irritating music is concerned, I must tell you that the music my sister prefers is really irritating.

She keeps the door of her room open and plays loud Rock music. This is really irritating for the entire family and whoever hears it.

Q: Is there any music that makes you dance as you hear it?
A: I personally like ‘Hip-hop’, ‘Rock’ and ‘Trance’ music a lot. At the same time, I am very fond of the song ‘Loot liya’ in my film ‘Sunday’.

It is a hilarious as well as jamboree kind of a song usually associated with the immersion of the Ganapati.

Q: Which is your favorite romantic song?
A: Once again I need to mention the title song in ‘Soncha na tha’ as I like this song very very much.

At the same time, I also like the song ‘Jeena kya tere bina’ from my movie ‘Kya Love Story Hain’.

Q: Do you prefer remixes or original songs?
A: It is a simple fact that remixes are made from original songs that have more value to any music aficionado.

The idea behind making remixes is to make a hit song a hit again.

The two are different and they offer a different kind of fun. I like both.

Q: According to you, is the music of the day better than that of the yesteryears, as good or worse?
A: No doubt, the music of the yesteryears was far better. These days anything passes off as music and can you imagine the riot when all these are played together?

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Beyonce in Kambakth Ishq

2008-01-09T11:09:00.000+05:30

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala is a man on a mission these days. An industry source reveals that Sajid is all set to roll his next magnum opus Kambakth Ishq to be directed by newbie Sabir Khan in Los Angeles in May.

Apparently the producer has a few surprises up his sleeve. Says our source, "Sajid has managed a casting coup in Kambakth Ishq. Apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger no less has agreed to play an interesting cameo in the film. And that is not all. Pop Sensation Beyonce is all set to do a bootylicious act in the film. The film stars the super hit pair of Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor."

"Akshay plays a Hollywood stuntman in the film and hence the presence of Arnold. Our desi action hero will be seen with the international action icon. Beyonce too is reportedly doing a sizzling act in the film. Everything is almost finalized."

Prashant Shah line producer of Kambakth Ishq in LA says, "Yes we are in talks. We are in talks with Beyonce and we have also received a letter from Arnold's office. We are yet to work out the logistics. Things will be confirmed shortly and we will be making a formal announcement when that happens. We are also looking at other Hollywood names to join the cast of Kambakth Ishq. "

Photo Feature: Now Sexy-Then Cute-Who's This?

2008-01-09T11:06:00.000+05:30

The girl is looking very cute and that is a unanimous opinion. Now the grown up girl looks sexy and decent now. She is the heart throb of many youngsters when Murari, Indra and Manmadhudu were released and when the song 'Nuvvu Nuvvu' in Khadgam turned popular. Yes, you got it. She is Sonali Bindre. This photograph was taken when she was 2 years old.

SRK out of Rs.1 billion 'Robot'

2008-01-08T17:12:00.000+05:30

SRK out of Rs.1 billion 'Robot'

Following the huge box-office success of 'Sivaji-The Boss', director Shankar has again roped in Rajnikanth for his next film, the Rs.1 billion-sci-fi film 'Robot'.

The Britain-based Ayngran International, which has distributed more than 1,500 Indian films, and Eros Multimedia, distributors of films like 'Munnabhai MBBS',will produce the film.

It will see the sure-fire combination of Rajnikanth and A.R. Rahman with Shankar.

The film will be in three languages, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Speculation was that Shah Rukh Khan would play the lead role but now producers have confirmed it will be Rajnikanth, south India's darling.

The cast and crew is being finalised, a release from the producers said here Monday.

Director Shankar has been dreaming of making 'Robot' for a long time, with a big budget.

'Robot will be the grandest and most entertaining film ever made in Indian cinema and be produced in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi and be a high-tech film with the use of the state-of-the-art technology,' the release said.

Sushmita goes the Aamir way!

2008-01-08T17:11:00.001+05:30

After Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgan it is Sushmita Sen's turn to wield the megaphone for her magnum opus.

Sush has long harboured the dream of making a film on Rani Laxmibai under her production company Tantra Entertainment so that she doesn’t have to compromise with her vision.

To direct the project, she had considered noted director Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi to direct the film, but the things couldn't materialize.

Now, Sush has apparently decided to direct the film herself. She would be assisted in this new task by her good friend Mudassar Aziz in whose film Dulha Mil Gaya she has been working.

The film is likely to roll early this year.

Saif tattoos Kareena's name

2008-01-08T17:11:00.000+05:30

He loves Kareena and wants to announce it to the world too. We hear that Saif has got Kareena's name tattooed in Devnagri on his arm at Hakim's Alim in Bandra.

Saif and Kareena left for Greece Friday, January 4, to savor the salubrious climate and food there before other crew members of Tashan catch up with them for a shooting schedule there.

Saif has apparently been planning to get the tattoo for last few months and has been browsing through various calligraphic styles to finalize the shape of the tattoo.

Last week, on Thursday, the actor finally took the decision and walked into Hakim's Alim in Bandra and sat for a two-three hour session to get Kareena’s name tattooed in Devnagari, an ancient Indian language.

The tattoo was reportedly done in indelible ink.

Bebo isn't jealous of me and Shahid

2008-01-08T15:08:00.000+05:30

Stardom is definitely a boon, but it extracts a price too. And following the success of her 'Vivah' Amrita Rao is learning this the hard way.

The current controversies about Amrita leaving the 'girl next door' image, has put her in a state of disbelief and shock. And things are getting worse as Amrita is just hopping mad now!

Recently, a Mumbai tabloid reported that she was spotted with Shahid Kapur and his family watching a film at a suburban multiplex.

Shahid of course has already denied the story, and the actor feels that he is being dragged into too many meaningless controversies off late. Amrita too is livid by the allegations.

Hurt by such 'baseless' reporting, the actress says, "It is shocking how people can make up such stories. I was nowhere around. I was celebrating the New Year's at home with my cousins.

After that I took an early morning flight to Delhi for the promotions of 'My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves'. During the past few weeks I have been on a roller coaster promoting the film in Ahmedbad, Delhi and all over."

Defending her cause, Amrita goes on to add, "I haven't even met Shahid for months and the last time I met Shahid was almost two months back when I shot for a promotional campaign for 'Vivah' when it was being shown on television for the first time. After that I left for Jaisalmer for a month-long outdoor with Harman Baweja for 'Victory'.

As soon as I came back, I've been touring cities for the promotion of 'My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves'. Where is the time for me to go and watch a film in the theatre in all this mad rush? That too, with Shahid and his family!

It is preposterous. I wish the person who wrote the story got his facts right. I really want to know where exactly I was spotted." The actress is surely indignant at this malicious rumor.

She is also upset that her name is being linked with her 'Vivah' co-star Shahid. "Shahid and Kareena's spilt came as a shock to me. I was shooting in Hyderabad for my Telugu film when I heard about their split.

After that it was reported that Kareena got upset because I was spotted coming out of Shahid's van. This is utter nonsense and plain rumor mongering.

I'd like to remind everyone that it is Kareena herself who has openly praised my performance in 'Vivah' in the media. She has always been more than nice to me, so where is this rumor starting from? It is baseless," retorts Amrita.

The actress is so angry over the reports that she just cannot stop rebutting. "First, I had to counter that. Now I'm being spotted in some theatre watching a film with Shahid, when I was never actually present! It is blatant misreporting.

Shahid is an extremely dignified person and a gentleman to the core. He has always been a wonderful co-star to work with and such baseless stories only make a working relationship uncomfortable.

Fortunately for me, Shahid has the grace to laugh these rumors off. But I have to take a stand because it is utterly ridiculous."

So, this is Amrita setting the record straight once and for all.

Kunal Khemu injures his back

2008-01-08T15:03:00.000+05:30

Kunal Khemu playing a double role in his forthcoming flick Superstar injured his back while working out in the gym. When asked about it, Kunal replied, “Nothing serious, it was a small injury and I am back to work now.”

The promos of his upcoming film Superstar is all over the television. Giving a gist of the film, Kunal says, “The film revolves around two identical looking guys who are very different from each other in every aspect, be it their upbringing or ambitions in life. Being poles apart how their lives change after they accidentally meet each other face-to face, is what the story is in totality,” says Kunal.

Kunal claims to share a great rapport with Rohit Jugraj, the director of Superstar. “I have been fortunate enough to work with directors who have such distinct style of filmmaking, be it Bhatt Saab whom I really look up to or Mr. Madhur Bhandarkar, who have created a niche for themselves in the industry.” He also adds, “Rohit Jugraj is full of life and filled with zest, he transfers the same attitude into his film.”

Kunal Khemu is known for his versatility to do any character or role. On querying about his variant roles in the near future, he informs, “It gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction to be accepted by my audience in all that I have done so far. As an actor, I feel accomplished having explored different genre every time. Even in future, I would love to do action and romantic films.”

Cherishing the pleasant moments during the entire shoot he laughs, “It had become an everyday routine for me and Tulip (who plays his love interest in Superstar), to laugh for no reason. The entire unit had become habitual to our craziness and pretended to be oblivious to it.”

As far as the promotions of the film are concerned, audience will get to see two Kunal Khemu's giving interviews in their respective characters.

Kunal also claims Superstar to be a refreshing treat for his fans who have always wanted to see him dancing and singing on screen. To which he says, “Superstar brings me in a new light. The story sounds very cliché but trust me the USP of the film lies in its story. Superstar is a complete commercial entertainer.”

Hrithik-Aishwarya fame will help: Ashutosh Gowariker

2008-01-08T14:59:00.004+05:30

He had a directorial life before. But it's with Lagaan followed by Swades that Ashutosh Gowariker has acquired the reputation of being one of the most influential and socially awakened filmmakers of our times.

With his new epic Jodhaa-Akbar he goes into the historic alliance between a Mughal Emperor and his Rajput wife with much diligence and passion. Gowariker talks about the film with Subhash K Jha.

After Lagaan, you return to a period film in Jodhaa-Akbar?
You might say that. But I call Lagaan a period film. Jodhaa-Akbar is to me a historical.Anything after 1857 is a period film for me. Anything before that is a historical. Jodhaa-Akbar is certainly not a costume drama.

It isn't set in a never-never land. I'd call Mughal-e-Azam a historical though its focus was different from mine. I feel if today we make a story about the past it must be co-related to the present.

And Jodha-Akbar is as relevant to present times as arranged marriages. Jodha and Akbar shared a perfect arranged marriage. I was fascinated by how their relationship must have grown after marriage.

There was no reference in any books about what happened between them. I've taken extreme care to make sure viewers believe in the relationship.

How much have you stressed the religious different between Jodha and Akbar?
It's important but not stressed in my film. Let's not forget, Akbar's marriage to Jodhabai was no common occurrence.

It had a nationwide reverberation 450 years ago when society was far more conservative. How did their marriage affect those times? That's a question relevant even today. But I'm not jingoistic in my treatment.

Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan have very contemporary personalities?
That won't be a problem. The audience will come in and forget everything about Hrithik and Aishwarya. I've no fear of that. The two are brilliant Ultimately the audience will be watching not the stars but the two characters that they play.

Hrithik-Aishwarya's pairing is incredible. They're extremely charismatic and good-looking. They were a huge success in the contemporary Dhoom 2. That can only help my film, not harm it.

What audiences will see in my film are Jodha and Akbar. At least that's what I've tried to ensure through their looks, body language and behaviour. I wanted to make my historical as believable as I'd like to see it being.

Every element big or small, from the texture of the clothes to the sets, décor, dialogues and the protocol, even the incidental sounds of birds and animals, they all had to be just right for me.

I'm tired of filmmakers wondering where those good old days have gone. I wanted to reclaim those days. It took me two years of pre-production before I got into my first shot..

Is this the most difficult you've made?
It is. But the process has been so enjoyable I didn't mind the toil. My crew made the process of creation very interesting. Just working hard isn't a virtue. Otherwise I should not make a film. And I definitely shouldn't make a historical.

Film analysts feel history has no relevance for today's average youngster?
I agree. Even as a child myself historical films never interested me. But when I saw Mughal-e-Azam on television I connected to it because it was a story of lovers separated by parental opposition. That the parents were historical figures was incidental.

I feel the story has to be connectable to the audience. Hyder Ali who wrote Jodha-Abkar told me, 'In Mughal-e-Azam the focus was so much on Salim and Anarkali nobody asked a fundamental question.

How did Akbar come to marry Jodhabhai in spite of their religious and cultural divide? I immediately reacted to their alliance. I saw an interesting story there that needed to be told.

As for the youngsters, I had one rule of connectivity in my range of vision. Any word or dialogue that I didn't understand in Urdu, I kept out.

I've no interest in impressing audiences with my knowledge of Urdu, Hindi or even literature. I feel literature is for the books, and that's where it should stay. I needed to reach out to the masses.

So is Jodha-Akbar kitsch?
No. I've referred to literature and academia. But the Akbar-nama was in Pharsi. It doesn't mean I'd use Pharsi in my film. I want Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Bengal to understand the film. I'm dubbing the film into Telugu and Tamil.

Each language has its own regality and I'm going by the individual regality of the province. I had one vision before me when I started making this film. It was the world of the Amar Chitra Katha. I've grown up on that world.

Are you happy with the end-product?
Oh it has been tremendously enriching. So far the Mughal period was part of textbooks. I always wondered about the battles and the durbar intrigue.

The mughal period was known for its lavishness, so much so that studio bosses in Hollywood from the golden period were not called movie czars or movie nawabs. They were called movie moghuls.

Govinda's name- switching spree

2008-01-08T14:59:00.003+05:30

The titles of Govinda's films are being changed quite often these days. "That is true," laughs Govinda. "My film with Ravi Chopra was called Pappu Paas Ho Gaya. Now it’s titled Bandaa Yeh Bindaas Hai. It's a fabulous socially relevant subject questioning the loopholes in our legal system. Though serious, the mood is forever-light. So, the title is just right."

Now another Govinda comedy to be directed by Neeraj Vora has undergone a change of name. Earlier entitled Run Bhola Run, the film has now been christened Lucky 2. "I think this title suits the mood of the film far better. I enjoy comedies, always have. But I won't call Bandaa Yeh Bindaas Hai or Lucky 2 out –and- out comedies. These are comedies with a strong romantic element. So I'd like to call them romantic comedies. We've just completed Ganesh Acharya's Money Hai To Honey Hai in Mauritius. That again is a comedy but with serious undertones."

Govinda says he hasn't signed anything new at the moment. There's Dharmesh Darshan's proposed film with Sushmita Sen. They get together again after the Ekta Kapoor’s fiasco Kyunki Main Jhooth Nahin Bolta. "I'm no longer that emotional about signing films. I'll only work with big banners that will ensure my films get a proper release," vows Govinda as part of his New Year resolution.

A. R. Rahman launches his dream-project

2008-01-08T14:59:00.002+05:30

Music Maestro A.R. Rahman brought in his birthday last Sunday (January 6). While other stars prefer to either throw a bash or celebrate with friends on their special day the normally shy music-director had other plans.

He fulfilled one of his long term dreams to launch a music conservatory on Sunday. The institution named KM Music Conservatory will be India’s first Apple authorized training centre where professors and musicians from India and abroad will provide training and education to students in Indian and Western classical music.

The institute located in Chennai, will also help in fine-tuning the skills of students who play instruments like flute, trumpet, violin, French horn and percussion. Needless to say there will be more career options open for these young talented kids once they combine their musical skill with the latest knowledge in production technology.

Through this institute, Rahman would also fulfill his vision of having a full-fledged orchestra in India so that Indian composers don’t have to go abroad when they have to record with orchestras.

Must say this initiative by Rahman is indeed one unique way of giving back something to the world of music.

Ayngaran to produce Shankar's 'Robot' with Rajnikanth

2008-01-08T14:59:00.001+05:30

Tamil media and entertainment company Ayngaran International, which is an Eros International company, has announced the production of Shankar‘s ROBOT, starring superstar Rajnikanth.

After the grand success of SIVAJI, Rajnikanth, director Shankar and music maestro A.R. Rahman are coming together once again in the much anticipated film. Expected to be the grandest film ever to be made in Indian cinema, ROBOT will be produced in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and other languages.

Anthony Gonsalves not to be released in Biha

2008-01-08T14:59:00.000+05:30

The ban on Mithun Chakraborty's films in Bihar, due to an ongoing tussle between the actor and a local producer-distributor, has taken its toll in unlikely quarters. The casualty is none other than director-turned-producer E Niwas whose on-release film My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves has been prevented from release in Bihar.

Niwas who's running helterskelter trying to find his bearings in his new role as a producer, is aghast. "I had no clue about Mithun-da's ban in Bihar. It seems so strange to be kept out of the state where my first film Shool was set. I really wouldn't want My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves to be kept out of Bihar. But I don't know how I can help the situation."

The ban on Mithun's films in Bihar has its antecedents in a Bengali film entitled Coolie which its producer dubbed into Bhojpuri without the actor's consent and by using someone else's voice in dubbed Bhojpuri film. The incensed actor retaliated by refusing to return money paid as signing amount for another proposed film to be made by the same Bihari producer-distributor.

Mithun who plays a priest in My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves is determined to see the fight to the last. For the moment the big beneficiary is Raj Kumar Santoshi's Halla Bol which gets a clear unrivalled run in Bihar this Friday. Incidentally, the last film that got left out of Bihar was Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par, apparently because the producers demanded too high a price for the Bihar territory.

Irrfan Khan beats his Hollywood co-stars

2008-01-08T14:56:00.000+05:30

Two months after the release of Irrfan Khan's latest international film Darjeeling Limited which was shot in India, the verdict is out. In a brief role, the fast-rising Indian actor has beaten his well-known co-stars namely Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody who play brothers.

While the reviews have largely panned the film and performances, Irrfan has been singled out for praise. Says the London Times reviewer, "There's only one performance that rings true in this shambolic odyssey. It's incidental and it's played by….Irrfan Khan." But the downsized part could be a downer for the actor's fans. The international audience which warmed up to Irrfan's scintillating performance in Mira Nair's The Namesake and Michael Winterbottom's A Mighty Heart, are disappointed by the length of Irrfan's role in his new international film, the British director Wes Anderson's just released comedy Darjeeling Limited on brotherly bonding.

Believe it or faint, but Irrfan who now wants to do only centralized characters, has a walk-on part .How come? Irrfan currently shooting dangerous stunts for Neeraj Pandey's Black Or White, is unfazed. "Yes, the role in Darjeeling Limited is small. But it's a very decisive moment in the script and the critics have loved my work." In fact, the British critic James Christopher from The Times has singled out only Irrfan for praise in what he calls a dissapopinting comedy. “Yes, that felt good," Irrfan grins about the critical approval. "Even an actor of Bill Murray's stature has a walk-on part in Darjeeling Limited. So I see no reason for audiences or me to feel let down. I did it with my eyes open. I wanted to work with director Wes Anderson ever since I saw his earlier comedy Rushmore. And do you know? He wrote the role especially for me."

Irrfan sure has come a long way. "I don't know about that," he shrugs. "For me international recognition isn't a be-all. I'm currently shooting with Sunny Deol and it's a dream-come-true for me to be working with him."

Is Item Dancer Going For Breast Reduction?

2008-01-08T14:55:00.000+05:30

This is the gossip that is making rounds in a few segments of Film Nagar. It is known that women in glamour world tend to improve the glory of their feminine assets by artificial means. Rakhi Sawanth and Sushmitha Sen have gone for silicon breast implants and some other heroines have chosen the steroids method to increase the size of their assets.

But here is an item dancer who is planning to reduce the present size of her assets. It is needless to give the clue and the hot top item dancer keeps on revealing the same in every number she acts.

But why is she going for that surgery is not known. Concrete reason is not known so far. But inside sources say that she is undergoing pain due to heaviness!

Bucknor sacked, Harbhajan can play in Perth Test

2008-01-08T14:49:00.000+05:30

Melbourne(IANS) Team India heaved a sigh of relief as controversial West Indies umpire Steve Bucknor will not be officiating while Harbhajan Singh can play in the third Test against Australia in Perth starting Jan 16, the top International Cricket Council (ICC) official announced here Tuesday.

In a hurriedly convened press conference at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said that Billy Bowden of New Zealand would replace West Indies' Bucknor, an Elite Panel umpire. Pakistan's Asad Rauf will join Bowden in Perth.

Speed said that some people would be unhappy with ICC's decision at India's insistence to remove Bucknor.

"I can understand that people will take that view," he said. "It is an extraordinary set of circumstances and we want to take some of the tension out of the situation."

The move comes a day after the Indian cricket board drew the ICC's attention to the horrendous umpiring mistakes that cost India the Sydney Test Sunday.

Umpiring was one of the two issues India were unhappy with following that match, along with the three-Test suspension imposed on off-spinner Harbhajan.

The off-spinner was Sunday suspended for three Tests after he was found guilty of racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds in Sydney by allegedly calling him a "monkey".

India have appealed against the ban, and a fresh hearing is to be held.

But Speed could not say when that hearing would be held. He was hopeful it would occur before the next Test, starting Jan 16.

If the hearing on Harbhajan's ban was not held before the start of the third Test, the Indian off-spinner would be eligible for the match in Perth, Speed said. The ICC chief executive was hopeful India's tour would continue, but could not guarantee that.

Speed said the ICC needed to take a "pragmatic view" towards the issue, and needed to be "flexible" to resolve the crisis.

He was confident Bucknor, 61, would umpire again at Test level. Speed said match referee Ranjan Madugalle, the former Sri Lankan captain, would be appointed as a mediator between the Australian and Indian sides.

Meanwhile, a racism hearing against Australian spinner Brad Hogg will also go ahead, after the Indians alleged he called captain Anil Kumble a "bastard" in Sydney. Hogg's hearing will be held some time before the third Test by match referee Mike Procter.

Speed said Procter and an ICC-appointed code of conduct commissioner would re-hear the Harbhajan case, with the witnesses to be called again.

'Mere Baap Pehle Aap'

2008-01-08T11:04:00.001+05:30

Priyadarshan has teamed up with Akshaye Khanna once again. After making HUNGAMA and HULCHUL, the director and actor combo will be seen in yet another rib-tickling comedy MERE BAAP PEHLE AAP. Another interesting aspect of the film is that the director has signed powerful actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Shobhana along with Priyan regulars Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and Manoj Joshi for the project in question. Genelia D’Souza, who made her debut opposite Ritesh Deshmukh in TUJHE MERI KASAM, is the leading lady of this film that’s produced by Shemaroo Entertainment P. Ltd.

Meanwhile, Shemaroo is planning to start a string of projects. There’s a co-production with Vishal Bharadwaj next, titled ISHKIYAN, to be directed by Abhishek Chaubey, who was the associate director in MAKDEE, MAQBOOL and OMKARA.

Next on the cards is CHANNO, to be directed by E. Niwas and of course, the remake of PADOSAN, which will star Sanjay Dutt, Ritesh Deshmukh and Paresh Rawal. Talks are on with one more lead man. Neeraj Vora will direct this film.

Now 'Jab We Met' in South languages

2008-01-08T11:04:00.000+05:30

All of us loved JAB WE MET, didn’t we? Well, one of the finest films of 2007 will now be remade in four South Indian languages -- Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam -- by corporate entity Moser Baer. In fact, Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision, the producers of JAB WE MET, and Moser Baer have shook hands already and would be signing the deal in the next few days. The star cast and directors of the four versions are yet to be finalized.

Meanwhile, Moser Baer is ready to take its first step in Hindi films in 2008. Their first production SHAURYA, directed by Samar Khan, will hit the screens on April 4, followed by SANKAT CITY, directed by Pankaj Advani, which is slated for May/June release. “SANKAT CITY is two hours of non-stop dhamaal, starring Kay Kay Menon, Rimi Sen, Anupam Kher and Chunkey Pandey. It’s a joint venture production with Anubhav Sinha,” Harish Dayani of Moser Baer informs me.

Moser Baer has also signed Priyadarshan for a film, which should roll in the early part of 2009.

Happy Birthday Bipasha Basu

2008-01-07T17:45:00.000+05:30

Happy Birthday

Bipasha Basu

Bipasha Basu and Koena Mitra are turning a year older today on 7 Jan.

And they both have their own secret plans for the day. Bipasha brought in her birthday with beau John Abraham in Goa.

"I'll spend my day tanning on the sunny beach and trying to swim. I'll also be visiting the spa. And of course I'll be trying out the most delicious Goan food. The birthday is the high point of a divine holiday."

But Bipasha's celebrations don't end there. "We're coming back on the the 8th to celebrate the birthday again with my parents and close friends. Like she does on my birthday every year, Mom will cook all my favourite food that surely includes gajar ka halwa."

Koena Mitra is very much in Mumbai and looking forward to her friends making the day special for her. "I know Tanushree Dutta has planned something. But I don't know what it is," she giggles.

Tanushree seems enormously excited by Koena's birthday. "She's my best friend and naturally I've plans. Me and a few other friends will go to her house to bring in her birthday.

Then after our celebration we'll crash out at Koena's house. Then during the day we have little surprises planted for Koena all over the house."

Shilpa the world's sexiest Yogi

2008-01-07T17:44:00.000+05:30

Shilpa Shetty, the actress who has always been termed 'the best bod in Bollywood', has now released a special edition of a DVD called 'Shilpa's Yoga' targeted at the European market. Here, she reveals her fitness secrets to create a lean and toned body while retaining all the feminine curves.

"Shilpa is the sexiest yogi the world has ever seen," quips her publicist Dale Bhagwagar. "In 'Shilpa's Yoga' she demonstrates simple techniques against the stunning coastal backdrop of Kerala.

She explains how to transform mind, body and soul, with unique ways to build stamina and get revitalised, while discovering inner peace," he adds.

With careful and precise instructions, the DVD demonstrates specific sequences that enhance concentration, agility and flexibility.

The workout aims not only to strengthen and tone, but also to heal. 'Shilpa's Yoga' is designed to help improve posture through a series of calming poses which focus on slow movement and breathing control.

It outlines various benefits of yoga, including stress and tension release, increased energy and vitality, weight loss, improved circulation and digestion, and comes with a free audio-CD of chill out ambient music to help unwind and relax after practicing the yoga techniques.

"Go for it. It might even improve your sex life," says Bhagwagar.

The DVD is released at an exciting time for Shilpa. Her perfume S2 continues to top the sales charts in Britain, while the tour of her musical 'Miss Bollywood' has met with stupendous success in 16 cities across Europe.

'Who's Kash to talk about me'

2008-01-07T17:43:00.001+05:30

She no longer cries at the drop of a hat, like she used to on Bigg Boss.

"But you've to understand that I had never been away from home, always a papa's pet. Suddenly I was thrown among all these people like Kashmera and Rakhi who were far more in-charge, women of the world.

I had no choice but to deal with the situations in the best way possible. And if tears were the solution, so be it," explains Rupali.

Rupali, who recently started shooting her first new serial since Bigg Boss, is appalled by Kashmera's suggestion that she 'played' the crybaby on the reality show.

"Who is she to talk about what I was doing there? I can't talk for the others whom she has named in her interview.

But speaking for myself, every tear that I cried on Bigg Boss was genuine. I came out of the experience wounded and cringing. And if I hadn't been eliminated I'd have probably jumped the wall and fled."

To compound her woes, Rupali came out of Bigg Boss to find het father, the renowned director Anil Ganguly seriously ill.

"From then on it has been a whirlwind of hospitals, anxieties and prayers. Fortunately my father is out of danger. And I'm back to work. My father is not cut out to be a part of Bollywood's rat race, or to deal with the star system. He now helps me out with the ad agency that I own."

She started shooting for a new serial Ek Packet Ummeed this week.

"It's something new for me from the same people who produced my last serial Sarabhai Versus Sarabhai. Actually I lost a lot of time because I was waiting for another season of Sarabhai to start.

But I'm glad I'm doing Ek Packet Ummeed with such talented actors like Neena Kulkarni and Sulabha Deshpande. The whole idea of being an actor is to grow, and make my parents proud."

Rupaly's father was livid when she played the Bad Woman on the medical saga Sanjeevani.

"To him my role of the scheming Simran was an out-and-out vamp's role, a cross between what Binduji and Padma Khannaji used to do. It was only later when people told him they liked me in the serial that he forgave me."

But the sweet-natured Ganguly has realized she isn't cut out fir cattiness in soaps or on a reality show.

"In Ek Packet Ummeed I play a very positive character. It's about a family of strangers, people who stay together in a hostile city. The tagline Bin Rishton Ke Rishte says it all."

Tell her she's the small-screen's Shabana Azmi, and Rupali is delighted. "I've been told about the facial resemblance. I saw her at a play and she was smiling at me. I almost burst into tears. But I had the presence of mind to gather myself together and say hello to Shabana."

I don't want to waste Kangana

2008-01-07T17:43:00.000+05:30

Anurag Basu whose achievements include defeating death (after a terminal illness) and making an absolutely original and exciting film like Gangster, is all set to direct a stark and real film called Suicide Bomber with his ex-mentor Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul in the lead.

Speaking about his painful parting with the Bhatts, Anurag says, "My equation with Mahesh Bhatt Saab isn't what he shares with others who work with him. I never assisted him and I'm not related to him.

Bhatt Saab had seen my work on television and he gave me a break to make Saaya. There was a producer dormant in me all the time. With Metro I was on-line producer and executive producer with UTV.

This wasn't possible with the Bhatts. I was only a director there. Maybe in a couple of years I'll turn a full-fledged producer….Even now I consult him regularly on the phone."

Now Anurag is all set to direct another film for the Bhatts. " Suicide Bomber is a film based on true happenings in London during the subway bombings."

Launching Mahesh Bhatt's son (Pooja Bhatt's broether), it would be Anurag's most realistic film to date with newspaper headlines screaming in the background. He feels Rahul Bhatt is perfect as the Suicide Bomber.

"Bhatt Saab didn't force me to cast Rahul. We had thought of casting him in Murder and Gangster. But he wasn't suitable for those films. I love working with new actors.

I love moulding them to my own vision. With established actors you've to first make them unlearn then make them learn. My discovery Kangana had a great actor within her. I just helped her to bring it into the surface."

Would Kangana star in Suicide Bomber? "It's a hero-oriented subject. I don't want to waste Kangana. When I started writing Suicide Bomber I thought I'd do it myself.

But I realized all my knowledge of the London bombings was based on internet knowledge. I thought Mahesh Bhatt Saab would be far better able to handle the subject. He's doing the writing."

Metro was Anurag's episodic homage to that feeling called love. "Making Gangster wasn't an easy experience.. With Gangster, God seems to be giving me the courage and inspiration to do work I believe in.

He's making up for the pain he gave me. There're some episodes in Metro taken from my own experiences. One of the stories is from a play I used to do in college."

Since almost the entire industry wants to work with him now,how important are stars to Basu? "When I write a script I want to film it immediately. But it's not possible for stars to give you dates immediately.

That's how Shiney Ahuja came into Gangster. I has planned to cast Sanjay Dutt who didn't have the immediate dates. With Metro, I was lucky. Everyone I approached said yes. Everyone was finalized within a month."

Anurag cast his Gangster pair Shiney and Kangana first. "The rest of the cast just followed, Konkona being the last of the cast. It's a little tough to direct so many different actors.

However shooting wasn't as difficult as co-ordinating dates. We had a ball once the dates were in place. Fortunately no one except one actor had aproblem with the dates.."

Anurag had a problem with Irrfan Khan's dates. "He had to shift locations for that Daniel Pearl film he's doing with Brad Pitt.."

Now that the whole industry wants to work with Anurag whom would he like to work with? "Govinda," comes the prominent reply. "I think he's hugely talented."

'No big star wants to play Gay'

2008-01-07T17:42:00.000+05:30

Queer are the ways of showbiz. After getting the female leads Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranuat, in place Madhur Bhandarkar's casting for his peek at the beau-monde in Fashion has run into a major hurdle.

The major male lead, requiring a charismatic star to play a prominent costume designer, remains un-cast despite months of efforts.

Reason? No major star in Bollywood is willing to play gay, and never mind if it's only makebelieve.

The director has approached several marquee names, all of whom have recoiled in horror and laughed off Madhur's offer…. an instant-replay situation of what transpired with Rituparno Ghosh some years ago when he had approached Akshay Kumar with a gay man's character.

Now Ritu is stuck again. For a film that he wants to make on three fringe people, including a militant and homosexual, Ritu who has approached several actors, cannot get anyone to play the latter.

Madhur is at his wit's end, "This a strange situation. None of our actors wants to do a role that would be a challenge to any actor. I don't know what to do, probably settle for a new theatre actor."

Incidentally, a young actor named Jay Karla had played a gay character in Bhandarkar's Page 3. Not much has been heard of him since then.

And many years ago Kalpana Lajmi had offered Shah Rukh Khan the role of a eunuch in Darmiyaan. Arif Zakaria who took over the part, fast- faded from the scene.

Says Ritu, "They'll play serial killers and gangsters and all kinds of characters from the minority communities. But not gay. Isn't acting all about suspending your disbelief?

"Veer will show old Hindustani culture" - Anil Sharma

2008-01-07T17:40:00.000+05:30

Bollywood actors are now getting into multi-tasking. Aamir got into direction with Taare Zameen Par. And now, Salman Khan dons the cap of a scriptwriter with the film, Veer.

“Veer is period film set in the 1800’s. It is not a historic film but the characters and the plot will talk of the olden Hindustani culture. Only Salman has been signed as the main lead for the film as of now, since the scripting is just over,” says the exhilarated director, Anil Sharma of Gadar fame. The film is set to go on floor within the next 2 - 3 months. However, the release dates are not finalized since it is a massive project. “The film is produced by Eros International and Vijay Jalani in partnership. The music and the locations for the film are still being discussed, we have short-listed some names and places, but it will take some time to reveal those,” adds Sharma.

With the script of film being written by Salman, there is a lot of excitement generated for this film. With Veer, we’ll know if Salman is also as good a scriptwriter as an actor.

Unmarried Girls Show Lust For Married Men

2008-01-07T16:09:00.000+05:30

"Unmarried young girls show their lust for married men. Married men look hot for them. Hence they go close to married men very fast". Indeed, we are not saying this. This is the saying of Bollywood actress Amritha Rao who acted with Mahesh Babu in 'Athidhi'.

Actress Amritha Rao seems to be traditional in approach but 'hot and trendy' in outlook and observation. She confirms many things with lot of authenticity. She puts no filter and says her opinions by generalizing.

She also said, "Every girl wishes to end her dating episode with kiss. But men tend to go 'beyond' that. It depends on the girl and also the 'situation' to take decision. It is in fact difficult to end the dating episode with kiss many times".

Is that not a bold talk!!

And saying about herself she says, "If I get attracted to any married man I would certainly control my senses. Who knows? Any other girl may eye on my husband in future. I cannot just imagine that. And another thing to share-I don't know why I tend for old men!"

That's a new angle in Amritha.

Finally she says, "I don't have any boy friend till now. It's really surprising even for me why I didn't have any BF so far. Many girls are finding 'hot' boy friends when they enter 9 th and 10th standards. But I don't know why I don't have one".

Should we believe this? It's at your discretion.

Deepika cheers Yuvraj Down Under

2008-01-07T15:54:00.000+05:30

It now seems that taking part in the shooting for Yash Raj Films is a mere excuse, and the real reason is that our ‘Om Shanti Om’ heroine Deepika Padukone is in Australia to cheer her beau Yuvraj Singh, who is struggling along with his team mates to battle the mighty Aussies led by Ricky Ponting.

If this sounds unbelievable, read this. Though the month-long shooting for the Yash Raj Flims’ new film commences on Australian soil on from January 7, the actress left the Indian shores – Mumbai – two days in advance just to have Yuvraj by her side while celebrating her 22nd birthday on January 5! And now speculations are there that the two are contemplating to tie the knot in another two years’ time.

While Deepika and Yuvraj have been linked up by the media on numerous occasions, the couple has always maintained that they are nothing more than just 'good friends.' Incidentally, before Yuvraj, the media had paired Deepika with the Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni.

And our lady had denied that relation too. Deepika and Yuvraj were, however, first seen together after the last Test match of the India-Pakistan series played in India last month and again at Yuvraj’s birthday party at Enigma, J W Marriott, on December 12.

This time, sources revealed that Deepika is in Australia much in advance of her shooting schedule to cheer her ‘good friend’ Yuvraj during the second Test being played at Sydney.

Considering Yuvraj’s dismal performance on the Australian soil this season, it seems that he would need all the cheers and comforts that Deepika can offer.

While a close associate of the Padukones insisted that Deepika is in Australia in her personal capacity and it is simply a coincidence that the India-Australia Test match is being played at the same time.

Nevertheless, sources in Bollywood confirm that the two are definitely dating each other.

And people close to both Deepika and Yuvraj revealed that the two are very close to each other and if things go well they might even tie the knot in another two years.

I hate being lonely at nights: Karan Johar

2008-01-07T15:53:00.000+05:30

Karan Johar speaks about the eventful year that was.

Your year was filled with celeb interviews and shooting ads.
I'd agree with that. In 2007 I directed no films. But did many ads including the latest Alfred Dunhill.I'm the ambassador for their clothes lines. Then there was ICI paint where I shot with Kareena, and Brew the coffee which I've just tying up. And Timond watches.

Wow that's quite a lot of you being visible.
I am sure somewhere ads enhance your brand value. People look at you for things other than your core profession. You just have to balance it out and make sure you don't burn yourself out.

I'm cutting down on my chat-show activity in 2008. Though I'll continue to do live chat shows. I'm now the official interviewer for Dubai Lifestyle where I interviewed Maria Sharapova recently.

My journey from a director to a member of the media has been interesting. I like to be interviewed as much as I like to interview. Who knows,I could be the next newsreader?

You started the cult of celebrity directors in Bollywood.
I apologize for that. It started with me walking into people's homes with my chat show Koffee With Karan. Everything else was an offshoot of that. Now I've a parallel existence besides a filmmaker as a talk-show host. Everything else followed.

Has Koffee With Karan enhanced you as a filmmaker?
To even pretend that I've grown as a filmmaker because of Koffee With Karan would be stupid. I've always been a people's person.I love talking to people. And it's great fun when you're paid for your hobby.

And now you are an integral part of a new entertainment channel.
Yes, NDTV Imagine takes off in January 2008. I'll be physically part of just one show Say Shava Shava. Otherwise the creative head Samir Nair is a very capable man. I'll be there whenever he wants me to step in.

Does the channel get the stars through you?
Why just me? There're lots of credible people, Prannoy Roy and his team, Samir Nair and his team. And then there's me. We definitely make a multi-star cast. I think everyone associated with the channel has the clout to get the biggest names from showbiz.

Did you miss making a movie in 2007?
Of course! But I've been so much part of brain-storming, structuring and planning that I had no time to miss my true vocation. My Dharma Productions will go into action in 2008.

Tarun Mansukhani, our new blue-eyed boy at Dharma with a strong sense of loyalty, is directing our next production from March to be completed in July.He's a rock-solid support to our production house.

But my biggest support is my CEO who's also my best friend, Apoorva Mehta. He handles the entire financial structuring of my company. I wouldn't know what to do without him.

Please state more details about the Mansukhani film.
This film will star Abhishek, Priyanka Chopra and John Abraham. Bobby Deol has a very special role in the film. This will be our only release in 2008. During 2009-2011 we hope to release at least three films per year.

2009 will see the release of our first animation film Coochie Coochie Hota Hai and the film that I'll direct which starts at the end of 2008 but will also release in 2009.

2009 looks like a busy year for you.
Yes, because Siddharth Malhotra who worked with Sooraj Barjatya on Vivah and also assisted on my production Kal Ho Na Ho, and Renzel D'Silva who wrote Rang De Basanti will also direct films for us.

Your favourite films of 2007?
I was bowled over by Chak De India and Om Shanti Om. It has truly been the year of Shah Rukh Khan. I also liked Anurag Basu's Life In A Metro. And I loved Mira Nair's The Namesake. I felt a strong sense of catharsis watching it. I'll always be grateful to Mira Nair. I remember hugging her tight after seeing the film.

Do you think 2007 was a rewarding year for Bollywood?
I think 2006 was a watershed year. 2007 was a decent followup year. There're so many exciting things happening. New actors and filmmakers are born every week. I loved Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

When I saw then I couldn't believe it was their first film. They're masters of the craft already. I think in 2001 Hrithik Roshan raised the bar for newcomers.You just have to be brilliant in your first film. Daunting, but true.

Tell me about your next directorial venture?
I'll start around August 2008. It's a project that needs careful handling. There's a lot of conjecture….is it aboit 9/11 terrrorism?

But at heart Khan—that's what I want to call it—is a love story. For the first time I'm not writing my own film. Shibani Bhatija is. She co-wrote Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna with me. It's my story but her screenplay.

I'm enjoying the experience of watching the plot evolve from the outside. Every day we discuss the characters.

What about marriage for you?
Of course I hate walking into an empty bedroom at night. There're large lonely moments. Fortunately I've the best relationship possible with my mother. That makes up for ever relationship I don't have.

She's my best friend and a reason to look forward to the next day. Of course I'd love to be in a relationship. But it has to be the be one I completely believe in. I'm 35 and I'm not here for frivolous fun.

My mom doesn't badger me about a Bahu. I live so many lives as a filmmaker, I forget my own emptiness. Too busy creating so many lives on screen to create a relationship for myself.

The best thing and the worst that happened to you in 2007?
I've always said I wasn't a businessman at heart. In 2007 I realized I've to make Dharma productions a banner to contend with. 2007 was the year of personal ambitions for me. Worst thing? Nothing. Even my little skirmishes with Ram Gopal Varma and Anurag Kashyap made me happy.

What do you mean?
My life is my work. I'm happy when I've a problem with someone. It's a diversion.I'm so busy being affable, amiable accessible. Every year I like to have one person bad-mouthing me. It entertains me.

When I patched up with Anurag within seconds I was so disappointed. Can you please find someone to say mean evil and mean things to say about me in 2008?

"When Aamir asks… you don't question him" - Ram Madhavani

2008-01-07T15:52:00.000+05:30

Ad filmmaker Ram Madhavani gladly shot the song ‘Bheja Kam’ in Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par. "Why did I agree to shoot just one song for Aamir? Because he asked me to! As simple as that. When an artiste of Aamir Khan's integrity asks you to do be part of something that's special to him, you don't question him. You just enjoy the process of being part of the creativity."

In the song Ram aspired to capture the chaos and confusion of the child's mind as he's jostled and pushed into a routine. "Aamir gave me full freedom to shoot how I wanted. There was no interference whatsoever. While Aamir shot the scenes with the kids in the school in Panchagani in one class room I shot my song in the adjacent classroom. I was stuck by his sincerity."

Going back to Panchagani to shoot the ‘Bheja Kam’ song was an exercise in nostalgia for Ram. "I went to boarding school in Panchgani. And that isn't my only connection to Taare Zameen Par. My name is Ram, that's Aamir's name in the film. And the boy's surname is Awasthi which was my wife's maiden name."

Working in Taare Zameen Par has been a life-changing experience for Ram. "When Aamir called me to see the rushes before shooting the song I didn't know what I was getting into. Taare has changed my attitude towards my own ten-year old son Siddhant. Now, I no longer pressurize him into performing or excelling."

Ram admits he never saw the ‘Bheja Kam’ song as a stepping -stone to other assignments from Aamir Khan. "For me it's enough that I was part of a film that really makes a difference to the quality of our lives."

It's been six years since Ram made his first and only feature film Let's Talk where Boman Irani made his startling debut. "I'm very proud of what Boman has done since then. Some of his work has been truly exemplary. As for me, yes it's been a while. I intend to do another feature film soon. I know many people think ads are a sell-out. But I firmly believe everything including the painting of the Sistine Chapel was commissioned," Ram says with his tongue firmly in cheek.

The Sexiest Singers

2008-01-07T12:50:00.000+05:30

Sherlyn Chopra

Who she is: Also known as Mona Chopra and Maneka, Sherlyn made her entry into showbiz as an actress. But her films -- Time Pass, Red Swastik and Dosti -- did not do well.
So Sherlyn decided to launch her music album, and make her debut as a singer. Sherlyn has sung, composed and written the lyrics of her album, Outrageous. Adman Prahlad Kakkar has directed the music video.
Style file: This very bold and beautiful singer-actress may well become the next Mallika Sherawat.

Sunidhi Chauhan

Who she is: Sunidhi started singing at the age of five. The young singer has got scores of popular songs to her credit. Her most recent films have been Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Aaja Nachle and Aap Kaa Surroor.
Style file: Sunidhi learnt quite early that looks were important in her singing career. She shed her extra kilos and was one of the first singers to star in a music video for a film. Ram Gopal Varma's Bhoot had only one song sung by her, and the music video was made to promote the film.
Sunidhi is one of the most stylish singers among the younger generation, and makes sure she looks good in all her stage shows and videos.

Shreya Ghosal

Who she is: Shreya first got noticed when she sang for Aishwarya Rai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas. After that, there was no looking back.
Style file: Unlike Sunidhi, Shreya dresses up traditionally. But her salwaar kameezes are very stylish and modern.
Shreya hails from Kota in Rajasthan, and has evolved into a stylishly-dressed singer over the years.

Gayatri Iyer

Who she is: While doing her Masters in Business Administration, Gayatri felt that she preffered singing.
Having a filmi neighbourhood helped, and soon, she was introduced to director Pankaj Parashar and music composers Anand-Milind.
She sang for them, and also did some jingles for advertisements. Here is where she met her husband and singer Kunal Ganjawala.
Style file: Gayatri has been stylish ever since she entered the film industry. In fact, Gayatri is one of the most beautiful and intelligent singers of the younger generation.

Sanjeevani

Who she is: Sanjeevani was armed with a Master's degree in Commerce, a diploma in Mass Communication, and film production. But singing remained her passion.
She started singing at the age of 10. It was during the Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa show that director Vidhu Vinod Chopra noticed her and gave her a chance to sing in his film, Kareeb.
Style file: Sanjeevani makes it a point to wear Indian outfits whenever she performs out of the country, as she feels she represents Indian culture. In fact, she is the perfect bharatiya nari.

Richa Sharma

Who she is: Richa Sharma is the seventh and youngest child of a temple priest in Faridabad, Harayna, and started singing bhajans from the age of eight.
She came to Mumbai in 1994 and started recording religious albums to earn a living. Two years later, she got a break in Sawan Kumar's Salma Pe Dil Aa Gaya. Richa's most recent hit song was the thumri Daras bina nahin chain in Saawariya.
Style file: Looking at Richa, one would never realise that she hails from a small village. The attractive girl has become very trendy, and glamorous in Mumbai.

Madhushree

Who she is: Madhushree's real name is Sujata Bhattacharya. It was A R Rahman who asked her to change her name, as he felt Sujata was too common a name in the music world.
She has sung for various Hindi movies like Saathiya, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Swades, Rang De Basanti and Guru.
She has sung in Tamil and Telugu films as well.
Style file: Madhushree is not overtly stylish, and usually wears saris at her stage shows. But her smile makes her look stunning.

Shweta Pandit

Who she is: At the age of five, Shweta sang for legendary music director Ilayaraja in the film, Anjali. Since then, she has sung many hits.
Style file: Shweta faced the camera for the first time at 16. And that was when she learned to be stylish. So why is she on our list? Check out her glam look in the telly show, Mission Ustad.

Nihira Joshi

Who she is: Nihira was among the top five contestants in Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in 2005. After that, she learnt classical music from Kalyanji, of Kalyanji-Anandji.
Her most recent hit was Dhadak dhadak from Bunty and Babli.
Style file: The 20-year-old is very attractive, but not one of the most fashionable singers. The one thing that Nihira always takes care about is her hair; she makes sure her hairstyle remains set and unruffled.

Shibani Kashyap

Who she is: Shibani shot to fame in 2003 after featuring, composing and singing the song, Sajna from the film, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II..
She started composing jingles since she was in school, and has launched two albums: Nagmagee and Nazakat.
Style file: Shibani is very stylish and very modern. As most of the time she gives live performances and is on tour in India and abroad she needs to look glamorous and she is. She does everything to make herself look different smart and beautiful.

Chavi Mittal

Who she is: Originally from Delhi, Chavi started giving stage performances from the age of seven. She started singing on Doordarshan Network when a producer told her that she had a photogenic face.
Chavi went on to star in television shows like Bollywood Aur Kya and Tumhari Disha.
Chavi is currently a hot favourite in Jhoom India.
Style file: Chavi is considered one of the most charming and prettiest face on Zee. Chavi has beautiful smile. The best thing about her is her simplicity and her innocent looks.

Bipasha, Koena turn a year older today

2008-01-07T11:41:00.000+05:30

Bipasha Basu and Koena Mitra are turning a year older today on 7 Jan. And they both have their own secret plans for the day. Bipasha brought in her birthday with beau John Abraham in Goa. "I'll spend my day tanning on the sunny beach and trying to swim. I'll also be visiting the spa. And of course I'll be trying out the most delicious Goan food. The birthday is the high point of a divine holiday."

But Bipasha's celebrations don't end there. "We're coming back on the 8th to celebrate the birthday again with my parents and close friends. Like she does on my birthday every year, Mom will cook all my favourite food that surely includes gajar ka halwa."

Koena Mitra is very much in Mumbai and looking forward to her friends making the day special for her. "I know Tanushree Dutta has planned something. But I don't know what it is," she giggles.

Tanushree seems enormously excited by Koena's birthday. "She's my best friend and naturally I've plans. Me and a few other friends will go to her house to bring in her birthday. Then after our celebrations we'll crash out at Koena's house. Then during the day we have little surprises planted for Koena all over the house."

Marwari party for Dilli 6 Unit, Abhishek, Divya missing

2008-01-07T11:03:00.001+05:30

Rakeysh Mehra had arranged a very special party for the unit of Dilli 6 on New Years Eve. It was an all-Rajasthani New Year's party where the dress code was Marwari and so was the food.

"Rakeysh had booked an entire place and got it done up. We had ourselves a sinfully good time. We all had to wear turbans and we ate ourselves silly," says the film's leading lady Sonam Kapoor.

Abhishek Bachchan who’s away on a holiday with wife Aishwarya and Divya Dutta who also plays a pivotal part, missed the party. Divya preferred to return to Mumbai for New Year’s to be with her ailing mother. "She's much better now, and much better work is happening. Yes, there was a bit of setback when my intended marriage didn't work out. But I believe everything happens for the best. I know 2008 will be a fulfilling year for me," says Divya who's got films with Yashraj Films and Subhash Ghai, besides Mehra.

Actress Prity Bhutani

2008-01-06T16:26:00.000+05:30

Aspiring to reach the top: Actress Prity Bhutani

South Film Industry has gained more popularity than Indian films in todays’ times. The demand for these regional language films in India is quite high and a large audience has a craze towards it. With a background of successful south films in the career, helps an actor to make a quick mark in the Hindi cinema as well.

Acting talent is inherited by some people while the others go through a lot of struggle to make a place in this field. The one who is successful is the one who works very hard towards achivement of his goals. Prity Bhutani is one such actress who has managed a place and name for herself in this film industry after a tremendous struggle period. No one in her family hails from a filmy background. Then how did Prity become an actress? About this she says, “My family cannot associate with films weven in the dreams as we are the Rudivadi Sardar and are too strict about our culture values. I basically am from Faridabad and have done my education from Delhi. My father is in the airforce and my mother is a teacher. With such a background even thinking about going into films has been like a big thing. “

“Frankly speaking even I had never thought of getting into films initially. I planned to get into a job and hence I chose commerce as my main stream of studies. But destiny had something else in store for me. I managed to get into films without even taking any formal training for it. I used to participate in dramas’ and stage shows in school and college. My potential in these extra cirricular activities started getting recognition and appreciation. Soon a group was formed within the college that did a number of successful shows together. I was a part of that group. Since then I started getting many modeling offers and I started modeling along with studies. Gradually I became so involved in acting that I started concentrating on it to be my career.” This is how Preeti’s inclination towards acting gradually developed and she decided to come down to Mumbai and work. Considering her inclination and potential in this field, her family also extended support to her.

She further says, “On coming to Mumbai, I got an opportunity to work in two short films with Tanuja Chandra. Working with her is no less than working in a learning institution. I got to learn a lot over there. During that time, I also did some ad films. One of them was an ad film for Nitish Builder. Later I also learn Kathak from Sitara Devi’s daughter Jayanti Mala.”

Preeti Butani got true recognition on the big screen only after she was cast against Sharad Kapoor in the film “Jani Dushman”. There was a big cast in the film, but her bold appearance and her outstanding performance made her gain tremendous recognition and applaud.

Today’s scenario is such that Preeti is getting many film offers and she is absolutely occupied in her acting career. Preeti has also got an opportunity to work with Rajpal Yadav in a film name “Ladies Tailor”. In this she played a character named Flora. Her graceful appearance and acting talent attracted the audience towards her to the extent that since then there has been no looking back for Preeti. Though the film did not do well at the box office; but Preeti managed to use it as a ladder towards her growth and success.

She confirmed, “After doing a number of films in Bollywood, I started getting offers from the South as well. She has done two Tamil films named ‘Idu Kadal Varun Paruvam’ that is directed by Kasturi Raja and the other film is with the South Super Star Arjun and the film was ‘Mard Walav’. Apart from this, I am also doing two films in Kannad.

“I am getting many film offers from the South today and I am accepting most of them, but that doesn’t mean that I will not do Hindi films. I have recently done a Hindi film made for kids named ‘King No.1’. I am also doing K Sara Production film ‘Ek- the power of one’. I am doing another film with Neeraj Pathak and Girish Mishra. But yes in today’s date I am doing more films in South than in Bollywood. “

Preeti since you are a Punjabi, will you also do films in punjabi?, “I have never thought about it as I have not got any offer for doing a punjabi film. Given an opportunity I don’t mind doing a film in my mother tongue. I am not biased to work in any language. Today apart from Hindi, I have done films in Tamil, Telegu, Kannad, Malayalam, etc. “

Preeti reveals that, “Language is not at all a brarrier in the acting field. You’re acting ability and talent is given more preference than the language. This is the only reason that I have been able to perform in so many languages. Though I am from the North, my knowledge in difference languages and my grasping for different languages is good making it easy for me to perform. “

We have heard about the negativities one faces to grow in the film industry. Have you gone through any such troubles, “I have been fortunate enough to get associated with good people in the industry? I strongly believe that if you are good, then good happens to you always. I have thoroughly enjoyed my career in the industry so far and I am sure that I shall enjoy the entire tenure in it. “

Photo Feature: Almost Looking Like His Dad

2008-01-06T16:11:00.001+05:30

You can easily tell who this star-kid is. Just observe his father. Does he not resemble today's most popular Bollywood star? Yes, he is perfect match for Aamir Khan. The tiny boy is Aamir and the one holding him is his dad. So Aamir Khan took the features of his dad perfectly.

Rumors: Siddarth-Soha live together now!

2008-01-06T16:11:00.000+05:30

Soha Ali Khan couldn’t have been at a happier place at the moment. Not only is she basking in the glory of rave reviews for her performance in Khoya Khoya Chand but her personal life is going great guns too. For the first time she can come out in the open with boyfriend Siddharth, who’s moved base to Mumbai and has settled straight into Soha’s suburban pad.

The two have thrown caution to the wind after Siddharth decided to stand by his woman and let go of his marriage. He’s often seen in the company of Soha’s friends even when she’s out of town, entertaining them and making up for Soha’s absence.

The two work out together; he’s present during her script narrations and even helps her out with home shopping, as the two were recently spotted at a home décor store, picking up knick-knacks for the house. Shopping done, he lugged all the bags to the car and waited with the door open for his ladylove. Could this Rang De Basanti brood get any sweeter?

Star Talk: Bipasha loves her independence!

2008-01-06T16:08:00.000+05:30

Bipasha Basu preaches exactly what she practises. “It’s not about being a feminist, but I like being independent. And that’s what I tell my sister too. I have seen my friends going through bad marriages and it can be really tough if you don’t have anything to fall back on,” she says. And that’s what Bipasha strictly follows. “I don’t ever see myself being dependent on anyone. I never want to be in a position when I have to ask someone for money. But that doesn’t mean gifts aren’t welcome; I love receiving gifts,” she laughs.

D Rama Naidu enters Guinness Book of World Records

2008-01-05T20:36:00.003+05:30

South Indian film-maker D Rama Naidu added yet another achievement to his already illustrious career as he entered the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records for having produced films in nine languages.

The producer-director has made quite a few popular films under his banner ‘Suresh Productions’ in languages like Tamil , Malayalam , Kannada , Hindi , English , Bengali , Oriya , Assamese and of course his mother-tongue Telugu.

He doesn’t quite believe in dubbing films even though he isn’t well-versed with all the languages he makes movies in.

In fact the veteran film-maker is also entering the Marathi film industry with a new production titled Majhi Aai to be directed by Kanchan Nayak.

D Rama Naidu churned out several Bollywood potboilers in the nineties like Rakhwala, Prem Qaidi, Jeevan Ek Sangharsh and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain.

He even launched his son, Telugu superstar Venkatesh in Anari opposite Karisma Kapoor. D Rama Naidu’s last Hindi film was the 2001 drama Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein starring Fardeen Khan and newcomer Richa Pallod.

'CDI' title track is song of year: NDTV poll

2008-01-05T20:36:00.002+05:30

The title track of CHAK DE INDIA has been adjudged the song of the year in the annual year-end poll conducted by NDTV. The award was handed out in a glittering ceremony and was received by Sanjeev Kohli, CEO and Director, Yash Raj Films, Shimit Amin, director of the film and Salim Merchant, music director.

Farhan Akhtar's next, Voice from the Sky

2008-01-05T20:36:00.001+05:30

Farhan Akhtar has a lot of exciting things lined up in 2008. While it is common knowledge now that he will playing the lead and even singing in Abhishek Kapoor’s film titled Rock On, Farhan has even planned his next directorial venture this year.

No it’s not the sequel to the SRK starrer Don (that may still have to wait). Farhan is all set to start a film titled Voice from the Sky which is based on the communication system.

The film would be set in the period when the telephone had become the new means of communication. Incidentally, this is a story which Farhan had in mind for a long time but feels that now is the right time for such a film with the multiplex culture offering film-makers to experiment with a variety of off-beat stories.

As for the cast and crew, Irrfan Khan is one of the names being considered and has even quite liked the script. Farhan would also be seen in sister Zoya’s film Luck By Chance which goes on floors this April.

Rajshri's new film 'Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi' Click here to add this article to My Clips

2008-01-05T20:36:00.000+05:30

EK VIVAAH AISA BHI, Rajshri’s 52nd offering, will be directed by Kaushik Ghatak, who makes his directorial debut in feature films after directing several television serials like KYUNKI SAAS BHI KABHI BAHU THI, SANJEEVANI, WOH REHNE WAALI MEHLON KI and many others.
The marathon music recording of nine songs for the film concluded on 24th December under the supervision of music director and lyricist Ravindra Jain. The songs were rendered by Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Suresh Wadkar, Pamela Jain, Satish Dehra and Fareed Sabri.

It stars Eesha Koppikhar, Sonu Sood, Alok Nath, Smita Jayakar, Vallabh Vyas, Anang Desai, Vishal Malhotra, Chhavi Mittal, Amrita Prakash, Kunal Kumar, Daman Deep Baggan, Ritu Vasishtha, Jayaa Bhattacharrya, Anand Abhyankar, Gargi Patel, Amrit Kaur Chawla, Prashant Kumar, Master Amey Pandya and Baby Ishita Panchal.

The film is produced by Kamal Kumar Barjatya, Rajkumar Barjatya and Ajit Kumar Barjatya. Story Idea: Asha Purna Devi. Story developed by: Sooraj R. Barjatya. Associate producers: Sooraj R. Barjatya and Rajjat A. Barjatya. Screenplay and dialogues: Shashi Mittal and Sumit Mittal. Cinematography: Harish Joshi. Editing: V.N. Mayekar. Audiography: Jitendra Chaudhary. Art: Sanjay Dhabade. Choreography: Shabinaa Khan.

Shatru's son makes debut with 'Sadiyaan'

2008-01-05T20:32:00.000+05:30

Writer, producer, director Raj Kanwar launched his next film SADIYAAN at N.D. studios, Karjat, where a gigantic set has been constructed under the supervision of Nitin Desai for its first one-month-long schedule, which began on January 3. With SADIYAAN, Shatrughan Sinha's son Love Sinha makes his debut as the lead man along with debutante Ferena Vazir as the leading lady from U.S.A.

Made under the banner of Inderjit Films Combine, the film co-stars Hema Malini, Rekha and Rishi Kapoor. An Australian 20-member unit is carrying out special effects along with the Indian crew on the sets. Story, screenplay: Raj Kanwar. Dialogues: Javed Siddiqui. Lyrics: Sameer. Music: Adnan Sami. Cinematography: Anshul Chaobey. Action: Abbas Ali Moghal.

"My films are being sold quite well" - Rituparno

2008-01-05T13:25:00.001+05:30

Reports in the press that many of the prolific Rituparno Ghosh's films lie unsold and uncared-for, have the prolific Bengali director unperturbed. "It all started with a report in Kolkata that was picked up on the websites. Now we've Mumbai papers reporting how my completed films have no buyers. How thoughtful of them to show such concern. Thank you. But my films are being sold as and when they should be."

The director explains, "You see the rules of film distribution are different in Bengal. They're made by producers and released without long marketing procedures. I'm afraid these alarmist reports have no basis. Just because I'm unavailable for comments they make up stories. To even get perturbed by such reports is demeaning my position." Rituparno has just completed the first schedule of Sab Charitra Kalpunik (all characters imaginary), Bipasha Basu's first Bengali film.

"The next schedule was from 10 Jan. But now it starts from Jan 28 because Bipasha wants to complete the film in one long schedule. It's been a very fruitful experience for both of us. I think Bipasha has discovered new facets to her acting talent."

Kareena's Rani Love is a surprise

2008-01-04T18:52:00.002+05:30

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

2008-01-04T18:52:00.001+05:30

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."

Vidya clears air about Shahid

2008-01-04T18:50:00.002+05:30

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 therefore 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 Met?

Vidya 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."

Deepika is demanding 1 crore

2008-01-04T18:50:00.001+05:30

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.

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.

Salman gets permission to fly to London

2008-01-04T18:47:00.000+05:30

This New Year has really brought some real good news for Salman Khan. The good news is that he has now been given the permission by the Jodhpur High Court to travel to London for the unveiling of his wax statue at Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. He will be travelling to London for the same on January 14.

Speaking to IndiaFM, Bobby Khan, in-charge of the Bollywood gallery at the museum, confirmed the news and said, “Salmanbhai will unveil the statue the same day and return back to India, the very next day (evening of January 15).

With this, Salman becomes the latest Bollywood star to join the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai at Madame Tussauds. Way to go Salmanbhai!

Rani-Saif's special bonding over Kareena in Bangkok

2008-01-04T18:46:00.000+05:30

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 ‘ladylove’ all the time. He couldn't help talking about Kareena all the time. Moreover, 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 Karoge. 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 filmy friendships going kaput, here is one renewed bonding between the two Bollywood beauties worth a mention.

Gossip: Manisha's item number for 15 lacks!

2008-01-04T10:34:00.000+05:30

The last time this girl was down south, she delivered hits like Bombay, Criminal and Indian, but Manisha Koirala now seems to be far from hot property. This Nepali beauty is now doing an item number in a Telugu film for just Rs 15 lakhs.

The actress will be seen in a song in forthcoming Telugu film Nagaram, which will have Jagapathi Babu, Srikanth and debutant model Kaveri Jha.

“Manisha is going to be paid 15 lakh and she accepted the offer without much hesitation. She was, in fact, the first choice for the song,” says a source from Hyderabad.

While Manisha doing an item number might not be a bad idea, the fact is people from the north have always charged astronomical amounts when they come down south.

When Rakhi Sawant came down to sing Nanna Style Bere Ne in Geleya, she was paid over Rs 30 lakh. Mallika Sherawat got paid the highest amount at that time for an item number in India, which was Rs 50 lakh. Mumait Khan, the Dekh Le girl from Munnabhai MBBS, has done a lot of numbers down south, and recently even did a raunchy shoot for the scribes in Hyderabad.

The trend of getting big names from up north to do item numbers for southern films can be attributed to Manirathnam. If you can recall, we had Sonu Walia dancing with Rajnikanth in Rakamma Kaiyye Thattu in Dalapathi. Anu Agarwal and Sonali Bendre were then seen in films like Thiruda Thiruda and Bombay.

Coming back to the main subject of concern, Manisha Koirala seriously seems to be having a rotten deal, when all her contemporaries like Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Kajol are busy doing plum projects and planning their second innings in Bollywood. Let’s hope she finds her groove down south, at least!

Photo Feature: This Is Not Indira Gandhi-Then Who?

2008-01-04T10:33:00.000+05:30

This is not Indira Gandhi- but bearing some similarities. This is the renowned Bollywood actress of 90s and is now being seen in a few commercial Ads. She is Juhi Chawla, the heart throb of a section of audience. This photograph was taken when she was in High School.

Amrita Rao in Hot new avatar!

2008-01-03T20:09:00.001+05:30

Amrita Rao is back with a bang in a hot and new avatar for her forthcoming release ''My Name is Anthony Gonsalves”.

Riding high on the super success of 'Vivaah' Amrita seems quite pleased with her makeover in “My Name is Anthony Gonsalves” produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures

An elated Amrita says, "It surely is a new look for me. As an actress one cannot restrict oneself to a particular image and needs to constantly keep on experimenting with different kinds of looks, costumes and characters.

Though I love being called ‘the girl next door’, I want to change the definition of the phrase a bit. The girl next door can have a great sense of humor, be attractive and also 'hot'.

She adds, "Tum Miley' is one of the most romantic songs that I have ever done. I was just sporting the attitude of the song. Additionally it was shot in idyllic Goa and I share a certain karmic connection with the place.

Besides, I share a great comfort level with Nikhil. Mark my words, he is one of the most confident newcomers in Bollywood. Nikhil’s second name should have been 'confidence' “

Incidentally, whilst shooting in Goa, Amrita surprised the locals with her command over 'Konkani'. During the shooting for the song, she even learnt to cook authentic Goan delicacies at Britto's in Baga in Goa.

So, it is little surprising that while every third person is packing his bags to herald the New Year in Goa, Amrita will be seen in a new avatar in the first mega release of 2008!!

"It's too early to get into Benazir's project" - Mahesh Bhatt

2008-01-03T20:03:00.000+05:30

Mahesh Bhatt has no plans of directing the Benazir Bhutto project, which will be made in collaboration with Pakistan. "I'm through with direction. My last film as director was Zakhm. Then I hung up my boots. The page in my life has turned."

So what is the truth about the proposed Benazir project? "I was approached by a lady from Pakistan who wants us (Vishesh Films) to collaborate with them. In principal we're on." However, Mahesh thinks it's too early to get into the project. "The news of the project came from Pakistan. We didn't announce it. We've to get a go-ahead from Benazir's family and her party. The blood is still fresh on the streets. It isn't right to talk about a movie on the slain leader's life at this stage."

Regarding the crucial question as to who will direct the Benazir project, Mahesh says, "It would most probably be a Pakistani director. He may bring into the protagonist's character and her surroundings an understanding, which we may lack. We at Vishesh Films will back them with our team."

Sanjeeda Sheikh steps in Bollywood

2008-01-03T20:02:00.000+05:30

After winning the millions of hearts with her perfect moves on the dance floor of ‘Nach Baliye 3’, with her better half, Sanjeeda Sheikh now, will be seen in Pankh, a film directed by Shudipto Chatupadhya. The film which has been made under the banner of White feather Films also has, Mahesh Manjrekar and Bipasha Basu, Maradona Rebello in the lead roles. The film is a drama and has music composed by Raju Singh.

Not divulging many details about the film, the CEO of White Feather Films, Hansal Mehta says, “Pankh is not the regular commercial film. It revolves around the confused identity played by Maradona Rebello. Pankh is hard-hitting art house film which has been beautifully made.”

On asking why he zeroed on Sanjeeda Sheikh for she was signed much before ‘Nach Baliye 3’ happened to her, he says, “Sanjeeda plays a principle role, fitted in the vision of director’s as far the character is concerned which demanded someone of less than 17 years of age.”

Pankh, in its post-production stage, will be doing the rounds of festival before releasing world wide.

Taare Zameen Par goes tax-free in Mumbai

2008-01-03T20:01:00.000+05:30

Aamir Khan’s directorial debut Taare Zameen Par has been appreciated by one and all and no wonder Aamir is on top of the world.

The good times continue for this wonderful actor – director as news comes that his film has now been declared tax-free in Mumbai for a period of six months.

The film, currently running in its second week, had earlier got a tax- exemption in the capital and now this surely comes as even more good news for all those associated with the film.

Here’s wishing that the film continues its victory march, even in the weeks to come.

The Kareena and Deepika War is on

2008-01-03T15:09:00.002+05:30

It's not official yet. But Saif Ali Khan's first production to be directed by Jab We Met director Imtiaz Ali will start shooting in May 2008.

But it won't star Saif's lady-love Kareena Kapoor. It pairs Saif with Deepika Padukone.

The matter in fact became a big bone of contention between producer Saif and director Imtiaz.

Says a source very close to Saif, "If Saif had his way he'd want Kareena in every production starting with his first. In fact he was quite sure that his production house would take off with a film starring Kareena along with Saif.

And since Imtiaz had just delivered a big hit with Kareena Saif saw no problems on that front. Little did he know that Imtiaz had other plans.

The director was sure that Kareena wouldn't suit the female lead this time. He insisted it had to be Deepika Padukone."

Saif and Imtiaz had several heated and prolonged arguments over the matter. But Imtiaz was adamant.

"Saif had no choice but to give in, although Kareena who thought she was a natural choice for Imtiaz after Jab We Met was very hurt about being kept out of a project that's rightfully hers."

When contacted Imtiaz Ali known to speak his mind (he has confessed he signed Kareena for Jab We Met without liking her work in her any of her earlier films) is as usual forthright.

"It's very simple. Deepika suits the role. Kareena who is my absolute favourite, does not. Fortunately or unfortunately my fondness for an actor is not the criteria for casting.

I cannot cast Kareena wrongly, not after casting her so perfectly as Geet in Jab We Met. I respect her talent too much for that.

No one knows her worth better than me. I'm sure I'll write a role for her in my next film and happily queue up outside her door for her dates."

Kareena who's known to fight fiercely for her rights was obviously upset about the exclusion from her boyfriend's first production.

"But she has mellowed considerably. All her insecurities seem to have vanished. Proof of this lies in what transpired when Kareena was in Bangkok to spend time with Saif before Christmas.

Not once did she visit Saif's location in Bangkok while he was shooting with Rani Mukherjee for Kunal Kohli," says a source that knows Kareena only too well.

Koena's unpleasant New Year party

2008-01-03T15:09:00.001+05:30

While New Years brought in joy and happiness everywhere, the seductive and steamy Koena Mitra was very disturbed. On New Year’s Eve, at a 5-Star Hotel in Mumbai, an unknown person made advances at Mitra.

“The man misbehaved with me hence the hotel authorities asked him to leave the premises,” says Mitra. A male guest was pestering Koena not once but thrice. Since Koena did not respond to his repetitive efforts, he made things worse for the actress. Initially, he wanted to show her the features on his cell phone, then enquired her email id and then finally he clutched her by the waist and pulled her closer. She struck back by pushing him and punching his neck. “I certainly do not want to make it an issue and I am not comfortable discussing this,” adds Koena.

Issue or not, New Years need to be carefully monitored and security needs to be tighter for celebs and for the layman. What say junta?

Nisha Kothari involved in a car accident

2008-01-03T15:09:00.000+05:30

Nisha Kothari was involved in an accident of a pregnant woman near Santacruz Airport in Mumbai, on Tuesday morning.

The woman was hit by Nisha’s car while crossing the road; she was with her husband and they were headed to Vaishnodevi. Kothari however claims that she was not driving the car as she does not know how to, but it was her driver who was behind the wheels. Besides, it was the victim who suddenly came in front of the car.

Nonetheless, Kothari made it a point to take the injured woman to Nanavati Hospital and get her treated. After which she left her number to be contacted in case they needed any help. No case was filed against the actress.

Farah & I earned Rs 5000 crores: Sajid Khan

2008-01-03T15:07:00.000+05:30

Sajid Khan began his career as a television host and soon took up the director’s mantle on the small screen. Next he moved on to direct films.

He is now again back on Television for Sony TV's new show "Champion Chaalbaz No. 1". But this time he is going to a judge along with MTV VJ Cyrus Bharucha. The duo will now search for one best prankster through this show.

Q.: You are going to appear as a judge in "Champion Chaalbaaz No. 1". What is your comment on this?
A.: There will be no pressure on me as I'll just judge the participants in the show and not play the host here. Mona Singh will host it. There's an opportunity of meeting many people and that's a better part of the show.

Here I can witness many pranks and most of them are good ones. The good pranksters are getting better marks, while the bad pranksters are not making that much of a mark. I'm telling them to improve.

And I am also very happy because this is for the first time that I'm working with Cyrus.

Q.: The tagline of the show begins as "Jisme hai masti ki maha khujli………." How do you relate yourself to this?
A.: (Smiling) I feel very much related and connected to that. The show says that you have to show all your pranks on the show to win.

Q.: There are 33 contestants in the show. Can you think of anyone amongst who is really very good?
A.: Yeah. There's a girl in the show who I do believe will be the winner. She made a better opening and her first prank was about asking a typist to type a suicide note.

Its content was like this:’ I am leaving you forever and by the time you will get the letter I would be leaving the world’. And then she gets pills in front of the typist who gets nervous. That was the best prank on the show till the date.

Q.: It's a new show of its kind on Indian television. Before that there had done similar shows on MTV, Channel V as well as on Bindaas Channel. Do you think that Indian audiences will appreciate that?
A.: Before replying your question, I would like to ask you how do you like the poster. Don't you think that it’s quite a funny show? I believe that the Indian audience will also love that.

Q.: You have always been entertaining people. Have you ever thought of doing any serious character?
A.: Look, I'm a chain smoker, so I'll live for a maximum of 55 years. I have spent 37 years of that and I have just 18 years in hand. I would better spend that time only in entertaining people.

As far as playing serious a character is concerned, there are a few people who know that I am quite a serious person. I made "Heyy Baby", but I neither drink alcohol nor try to get any woman.

Q.: When was the first time you realized you have the talent to make people laugh?
A.: I was then just seven when I was forced to perform on the stage in school. There I danced and did mimicry of some actors and made all my teachers and other students laugh.

Usually I don't do films, but I know that scripts are needed only for films. There are many directors who say that they make scenes at the time they are needed. But it's foolish.

There's a proverb that says, "If it's not in the script then it's not on the stage". But I say the same for films as films require lot of money and we can't waste time on that. But as far as television is concerned, we have time for that. I feel proud to say that I never followed scripts for television programs.

Q.: You said that you don't believe in things happening in reality shows. What would you look for in this reality show?
A.: Laughter, laughter and only laughter. He, who will make audience, me and Cyrus laugh, will win the show. "MTV Bakra" by Cyrus and my "Bajao" were great successes because they made people laugh. We will search the same in the program.

Q.: Your image has always been that of a prankster. Are you really a prankster or that's an image that people have forced you in?
A.: These are two different things. I never make fun of others, but I love to play pranks on them. Whether it's for a show or in real life, I'm always the same.

Even during the shooting of "Heyy Babyy" I played pranks on my unit members. In that way people never get bored of their job and on the contrary, feel fresh. I really love to entertain others.

Q.: Do you feel any change in your personal life after becoming a director?
A.: See, people have started looking at me from a different point of view, but I'm still the same. I'm still the same Saajid, the same friend, the same son and the same brother. Even then I was single and still I'm single. I'll never change.

Q.: Your father Kamran Khan was a filmmaker. Don't you think that if he was alive he would have felt very happy seeing Farah and you as successful directors?
A.: I really miss my father very much. He tried, but couldn't succeed in filmmaking. He made a good movie, but unfortunately it flopped and all the money got wasted.

My mother told me a few days back 'I really feel like a proud mother because my children have earned a total of Rs 5000 crore for the (film) industry'. I have earned Rs 2000 crore and Farha has earned the rest. I think my father would have said something like my mother.

Q.: When will you become double from single?
A.: When I'll meet someone really interesting. But one thing is fixed that the girl will be from a non-film background.

Q.: Please tell us about your forthcoming films.
A.: I can only say that my forthcoming film will be a bigger hit than "Heyy Baby". I have taken Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh again and a new heroine. I can't say anything else at this moment.

Gallery: Bipasha New Year's eve at JW Marriott

2008-01-03T14:26:00.001+05:30

"Renzel wanted Anurag onboard" - Karan Johar

2008-01-03T11:32:00.000+05:30

Post the flash -patch up between Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap, it has been widely reported that Karan Johar has offered Anurag a job in his production house as the dialogue writer of a film to be produced by Karan. This, as an olive branch?

"What olive branch?" counters Karan . "It was he who said things about me. Yes, Anurag is writing the dialogues for a film to be directed by Renzel d'Silva, that extremely talented writer who scripted Rang De Basanti. Renzel is directing an emotional thriller for my Dharma Productions. It was Renzel's idea to get Anurag on board for the dialogues. It had nothing to with my patchup with Anurag," says Karan who had just returned to Mumbai after short New Years holiday in Goa.

"I took the opportunity in Goa of doing some more reading for my next directorial project which I want to call Khan. The film requires extensive research."

Screen Buzz: Historical postponed!

2008-01-03T10:44:00.000+05:30

Ashutosh Gowarikar’s much-awaited film “Jodhaa Akbar” continues to make news. It is the untold love story of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (played by Hrithik Roshan) and a fiery, young Rajput princess, Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai), with some great music by A.R. Rahman. The film, produced by UTV, is to be dubbed into Tamil and Telugu. It was originally scheduled for release during Diwali but, later, postponed to January 25. Last week, it was again postponed to Valentine’s Day weekend on February 15. Now it is learnt that one of the five songs, a ‘qawwali’, is to be deleted due to the film’s long duration — 3 hours and 50 minutes!

Anupam teams up with Tanuja for the first time

2008-01-02T20:18:00.000+05:30

Anupam Kher has had an extraordinarily fulfilling 2007. It looks like 2008 will be another whopper for the versatile actor. He's already shooting for a fascinating new film about the cozy and warm relationship between a man and his granddaughter in Hawai Dada.

"It's directed by another debutant Ajay Kartik. I seem to be working with new very talented directors all the time. In fact, one of my best films this year Wednesday is directed by another debutant Neeraj Pandey. Hawai Dada is another memorable experience," says Anupam. What makes it especially memorable is the fact the veteran actress Tanuja is playing Anupam's wife. "She has always been a favorite. One of our cinema's natural-born actresses. Working with Tanuja in Hawai Dada is such a pleasure. She's totally hassle-free and very entertaining on the sets. I had the privilege of working with her sister the legendary Nutan in Subhash Ghai's Karma."

On January 1, Anupam shot the entire day outside Amitabh Bachchan's residence Jalsa for Vikram Razdan's Bhatti Ki Chutti. "I play this big Bachchan fan who just hangs around the Bachchan’s residence to catch a glimpse of the star." Anupam dismisses a report that AB will make an appearance in Bhatti Ki Chutti as premature. "It's too early to say whether he'll appear in the film or not. Even if he doesn't my character of the Hercule Poirot-like detective will continue to be his fan," adds Anupam.

Perfect Bahu of the Year: Ash

2008-01-02T16:04:00.000+05:30

Perfect Bahu Of The Year: Not Tulsi in Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, but Aishwarya Rai at Jalsa. In no time at all Ms Rai Bachchan has enamoured herself to all the four members of the Bachchan household. The vibes are so positive one wonders if there could be a more perfect jodi than this one!

One Wedding & A Funeral: 2007 was a see-saw year for the Bachchans. It started with a wedding and ended with a funeral for the Bachchans. All the through the swing from khushi to gham the new member of the Bachchan family was a pillar of strength to filmdom's pehla parivar.

'Pack It Up': Look at what Shah Rukh Khan started! 'Bare'ly did he take off his shirt in Om Shanti Om when suddenly, everyone started flaunting their 6 packs.

Even chocolate- box hero Ruslaan Mumtaz claimed he had a 6-pack all along. Dino Morea went a step further. He said he had an 8-pack 'all along'. Watch out for the 10-packs and 12-packs in 2008. Dil mein mere hai dud-e-disco.

Ouch! : 2007 had its share of grievous injury. If Nana Patekar injured his foot on the sets of a comedy, Hrithik Roshan's knee injury had him incapacitated at the end of the year. Hrithik's director Ashutosh Gowariker didn't lag behind. He was confined to bed with a bad back.

Jaya Bachchan cracked her ankle while shooting for Drona. Aand Randeep Hooda fell and hurt his face on a table while doing an intricate shot.

Bad Vibes: Shahid's split with Kareena made headlines. So did Sanjay Dutt's fall-out with Sanjay Gupta. But some lesser-known skirmishes in the film industry had us amused.

Bipasha and Randeep Hooda locked horns when he speeded past her at Karjat. Kareena called John Abraham "expression-less" on Koffee With Karan.

Bipasha responded on the same show on her boy-friend's behalf by accusing her of displaying too many expressions. 2007 sure was an expressive year.

God's 'Grand' Plan: Coincidences generally come in 3s. With Abhishek and Sonam Kapoor both shooting for Rakeysh Mehra in Jaipur, it came in a box of 2.

First Abhishek lost his grandmother and had to rush back to Mumbai. Then his leading lady Sonam lost her grandfather and was back in Mumbai.

Coincidentally Abhishek was shooting at just about this time last year in Jaipur (for J.P. Dutta's Umrao Jaan) when he was summoned back for his father's illness.

No Comebacks Please: Madhuri Dixit's comeback vehicle Aaja Nachle proved to be a bit if a letdown. Begum Para returned after a gap of 50 years in Saawariya. Mithun Chakraborty also made a comeback of sorts with a spectacular performance at the beginning of the year in Guru.

Decline & Fall Of The Ramu Empire: The saddest humptydumpty of the year was Ram Gopal Varma. After Sholay turned into Aag Ramu turned into Jai Shri Ramu, bidding a hasty goodbye, changing his cell number and retreating into a shell. Oh hell!

Ironically the producer of the original Sholay G.P Sippy passed away at year-end. So who said life was easy for a self-declared trendsetter?

Ramu will a 100 percent bounce back in 2008 with Sarkar Raaj. Those who've seen the rushes can't stop raving about it.

Role Swapping: 2007 saw a lot of music composers turning to singing. And now in 2008 director Farhan Ahktar is turning into an actor and singer! Yeh ho kya raha hai?!

At this rate there will be no clear demarcation between professions in show-biz.

I want to find Love in 2008: Kangana

2008-01-02T16:02:00.000+05:30

Kangana Ranaut: "In 2008 I want to find love…but not the way you'd think. I want to find it within myself. I want to get to love myself so I can be a better person for myself and for others. And I want to learn more stuff…play new instruments,read new books, see the world. I want to fly."

Arshad Warsi : "In 2008 I'm really really going to start looking after myself. And I want to work even harder on my films. No more supporting roles for me. I'll now support myself.

Tusshar Kapoor: "My new-year resolution is to get more fitness-conscious. I want to get as physically fit as I can. And I've promised myself a holiday this year. One more thing. I 've resolved to be me more careful this year in selecting my roles.

Lilette Dubey: "I see time slipping away fast. In 2008 I want to re-forge bonds with my family and friends. And I want to travel more. But most important of all, I'm going to make my first film. Yes, 2008 will be the year of my directorial debut. I love new challenges, always, Wish me luck.

Riteish Deshmukh: "Normally I don't make any resolutions. But this year I'm making an exception. I want to become more energy-conscious his year. I'll make a conscious effort to save on electricity wherever I can.

Ruslaan Mumtaz: "This year I want to spend much less money than I did last year. I recently went on a holiday and came back broke. I had to cancel my year-end holiday plans. In 2008 I want to stop using the credit card.

Dino Morea: "I seriously don't look at the whole year. I take it a day at a time. I see every day as struggle to do the right thing. So I guess in 2008 I'll be struggling even more. The one resolution that will remain with me all through the year is to be good, to myself and to those I love.

Upen Patel: "In 2008 I want to be a good humanbeing. And I want to get love back into my life."

Sonam Kapoor: "The death of my Nanaji at the end of the year made me realize how urgently I need to spend time with my family. My new year resolution is to spend as much time as possible with my Nani.

I realize at the end of the day it 's those whom you love that you need to preserve the most. And since my Nanaji would always joke about my lack of a boyfriend maybe I need to get one of those into my life. Where can I order one?

Sammir Dattani: "I want to stop being the good sweet cute boy nextdoor. I want to get really mean on screen. I want to play the villain in a slasher movie where I get to be ugly in looks and action.

Prashant Raj: "In 2008 I want to get really serious.There'll be a lot of focus on commitment in my life. At the same time I want to enjoy myself to the hilt. Is that a contradictory wish?

Raima Sen: "I really need to get more regular about my work-outs. And I need to get more decisive this year. Too much of giving in just to be polite.

Manoj Bajpai: "After 18 years of smoking I've kicked off the habit. In 2008 I want to stick to staying away from the cancer stick

Neil Mathur: "My new year resolution is to make no resolutions. I make them every year and forget to stick to them

Koena Mitra: "I don't like to restrict myself to rules and resolutions. I'm not a planner. I never planned anyting. So in 2008 I want to be even more spontaneous. I want to follow my heart wherever it takes me. I want to make mistakes, so I can learn from them. I want life to be full of surprises, unpredictable and adventurous. Can I have all of this?

Amrita Arora: "I know being bad is good. But I want to be a better humanbeing in 2008. I want to kick off my habitual impatience and work much harder than I did in 2007."

Bipasha Basu: "In 2008 I want to be fitter and healthier. I also want some more interesting work to come my way. And I want to travel a lot more in my free time."

Preity Zinta: "2007 was professionally stressful. I did some of my most complex characters and at the end of the year I really needed a break. Now in 2008 I will do some fun roles

. My new year resolution is to let my hair down and never let those whom I love down.

Simi Garewal:"My new year resolution…to speak more Hindi as I'm gonna be doing more Hindi shows on tv."

Saif AliKhan: "To never smoke again, to take care of my health, be extremely regular with my workouts, make more time for those whom I love,to stay focused on my work and to make sure I enjoy what I do."

Kunal Kapoor: "My new-year resolution? To shave at least once a week"

Urmila Matondkar: "Why make new year resolutions? I learn from my mistakes throughout the year."

Malaika Arora: "Oh, I make new –year resolutions religiously every year and break them throughout the year. 2008 will be no exception."

I didn't give Vidya glam look: Rajkumar Santoshi

2008-01-02T16:01:00.001+05:30

Being rooted in the practical social problems, Rajkumar Santoshi's films truly touch each and every human heart and implore them to think about them. Santoshi himself believes in that.

With his present project, Santoshi has now decided not to touch or show any problem, but go for a revolution in the society that may change the entire societal system. Let us have a look at his agenda in 'Halla Bol' and know about his plans from the man himself.

Q.: You have always made movies keeping the common people in mind. How is "Halla Bol" different from your earlier films?
A.: 'Halla Bol' is different in many ways. The story of this film is absolutely new and no one has ever tried to make a movie on this subject. It's the story of responsibility of one human being towards the other.

These days, people are only interested in their own matters and think they have nothing to do with others’ problems. Once upon a time, I read a few lines that told me "if someone is torturing your neighbor and you are silent, it will be your turn to suffer next".

'Halla Bol' is made on that subject. It says that if anything wrong happens in front of your eyes and you don't ever think that you have anything to do with that, it’s wrong. If you don't support others then no one will come forward in your support also.

Q.: What's the reason behind one super star always standing up against the wrongs in your film?
A.: That's the base of our story. It only says that the superstar also has some responsibilities towards the people who have made him a superstar.

Moreover, his position and status in the society make people take notice of what he does and says. That's why he stands against every odd. Unfortunately, the actual scenario in our practical life is a complete contrast. The bigger the icon is, the more silent he is.

He is always afraid that his words may destroy his image. In the film Pankaj Kapoor’s character delivers an important dialogue which says "when animals are hurt they cry, but it is the human beings who understand others’ pain". You can take as the bottom line of the story.

Q.: While others are trying to give Vidya Balan a glamorous look, you kept her very simple….
A.: It's the demand of the story. She is from a small town and she marries a super star. Though she becomes a star in that way, but her life’s values remain the same. She is an inspiration for Ajay.

Ajay keeps changing all through the movie, but she remains the same and that's why we kept her simple.

Q.: Ajay is working in most of your films. How do you look at that?
A.: He is a good friend of mine. At the same time, he is a versatile actor, too. His personality has a lot of variety and so whatever role I offer him, he not only plays it perfectly, but justifies it too.

Q.: Ajay is also known as a prankster. Has he ever tried any prank on you?
A.: (Smiling) Never. I always used to run away from the scene. I can still remember that day during the shooting of ‘Lajja'. No sooner I came to know that he has planned to play a prank on me, I got away from the set and stayed out for two hours. But these approaches keep the exhaustion of shooting away and make things quite dynamic.

Q.: These days comedies are very popular. What's the reason that you didn't try making a comedy movie after ‘Andaz Apna Apna’?
A.: I have a few comic stories to be made into films, but I'm waiting for better casting. Once I get proper casting I'll start making them. But you have to understand that now people are making just anything in the name of comedy.

Q.: What's the reason that you didn't make any female oriented film after 'Lajja'?
A.: Actually I don't have any such story right now. I'm trying to make such films again. Even in ‘Halla Bol’ Vidya's character is too well depicted. Women will appreciate her character, which is emotional yet very powerful.

Q.: Please tell us about your forthcoming films.
A.: I'm now busy making two films namely ‘Ashoka the Great’ and ‘Ramayan’. Besides, I have recently bought the rights of all characters of a play ‘Jis Laahor Nehi Vyakkhya’ and am now working on them.

Q.: You were making two other films – 'Prithviraj Chauhaan' and 'London Dreams'. What happened to those projects?
A.: No, I'm not working on them now. Actually other people are also thinking of making films on the same subject. So I dropped the idea. I don't want the repetition of issues like 'Legend of Bhagat Singh'. I cannot say anything about 'London Dreams' as I couldn't get dates of any actor for the film.

Q.: We have heard that Salman Khan wants to make that film with Vipul Shah….
A.: Yeah, I have also heard about that. If Salman wants it that way then I have to objection to it. On the other hand, these days I'm very busy, too.

Q.: Shahrukh also made ‘Ashoka’, but that couldn't get success. What will you do with your film to make people like it?
A.: See, the first thing is it's such a huge subject that it needs more research. Even though you are ready to try a hand at that job your mettle must be praised.

No doubt they researched on that subject and we also are researching on it. But there's a hell lot of difference between their and my films. They ended their film with the war of Kalinga and our story will start from that point.

The story of our film and the treatment of the story are quite unique. I think the audience will enjoy a different historical movie mainly women-oriented. It's actually based on Ashoka's last wife Tisya Rakshita portrayed by Bipasha Basu.

Q.: How do you look at your journey in Bollywood?
A.: Well, it has been quite interesting. I have seen both failures and successes. I feel proud of my films because despite being based on social issues they were appreciated by the audience.

I never tried to copy any English movie and have always tried to go for unique subjects. It's an open secret that many well-known directors are simply copying English movies.

And at the same time, stars are acting in them. And the most hilarious part is that they copy films even frame to frame and also never hesitate to say that they have been inspired by those foreign films.

"We need a new face with Hrithik" - Anurag Basu

2008-01-02T16:01:00.000+05:30

Wanted: a brand new leading lady for Hrithik Roshan in his father's production which will be directed mid-2008 by the immensely talented Anurag Basu. "I really need to get back behind the camera; it’s been quite a while since Life…In Metro released. I'm glad it worked. But I now need to move on."

Anurag's next film will be produced by Rakesh Roshan's company Filmkraft and will feature Hrithik Roshan in a never-before avatar. The interesting part of this action-romance would be the casting of the leading lady. Hrithik will pair with a completely new girl, his first female debutant since his debut in Kaho Na…Pyar Hai five years.

"The theme is such that we need a fresh girl. We're searching for her. If we don't find the perfect debutante only then we may consider an established face," says Anurag who earlier for his career-making film, Gangster, discovered the stunning Kangana Ranaut. "Yes," laughs Anurag. "But every day isn't a Sunday. And we may not get that lucky this time. However, I'm extremely happy to be working with Hrithik who apparently saw Metro and liked it. Hrithik and his father are very professional non-interfering people. An added bonus for doing this yet-untitled film is that Hrithik's uncle Rajesh Roshan is doing the music. I've always been his big fan."

While he waits to start his film with Hrithik, Anurag is scripting a film that he's committed to do for UTV. For now plans of making a sequel to Metro have been put on the back burner. "I'll do the sequel only when the script is better than the first part. Otherwise there's no point in doing a sequel for any film," says the filmmaker who has survived a terminal illness and is now doing the best work of his life.

I am proud of my body : Padma Lakshmi

2008-01-02T14:47:00.000+05:30

'I am proud of my body'

I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York,' Padma Lakshmi has said often. 'I am the first one to admit I was a novelty.'

Padma -- better known now as a celebrity television host, bestselling cookbook author and aspiring actor -- may not be interested in any more modelling, but much of what she is doing now, including the cookbooks, is connected to her modelling.

For one, while travelling on modelling assignments, she acquired a taste in the cuisines of many countries, including Morocco and Italy. And she began working on her first cookbook Easy Exotic because she rightly suspected there was a market for a smart cookbook by a model. People would want to know what a well-known model eats, she reasoned.

Padma, who has spent most of her 37 years in America, has modelled for Giorgio Armani, Isaac Mizrahi, Herve Leger, Versace, Sonia Rykiel, Valentino and Ralph Lauren; much of her work was lingerie-centric and, for the celebrated photographer Helmet Newton, she offered semi-nude postures.

"All the pictures that have been taken of me are artistic," she asserts. "Even if they were provocative or revealing, I don't think they were vulgar.

"I was brought to believe that the female form is a beautiful thing," she continues. "I think it's not so much what you do but how you do it that matters. I don't think I've done anything that was exploitative.".

She says she has never been embarrassed about her body. "Some of my friends and people in the art world, including women, say they admire my body," she says. "I am proud of my body. Some compare it to the Chola bronzes. And they all wonder how I keep myself so fit."

She will readily say that at times she likes to "eat like a pig," and that she has an enormous weakness for fried food. "I don't care much for sweets," she says. "But I like Karam [Tamil for fried savory snacks]."

She has a glorious figure because she spends hours a week on the treadmill. "In spite of my frequent travels and preoccupation with hundreds of things, I make time to burn off calories," she says.

In Easy Exotic, published eight years ago, she recalled how throughout her adolescence she had been approached by people who wanted to get her to be a model. Her mother Vijaya Lakshmi made one thing clear to her: 'If I was beautiful at 17, I would be beautiful at 21 when I graduated from college.' Vijaya, a single mother, worked as a nurse in America.

Padma was in Spain studying for a semester when she was discovered by a talent agency in a Madrid pub and sent on a modelling assignment. Though she came from a conservative family with roots in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, she had nothing to worry about as far as her mother was concerned. The only advice Vijaya gave her was to think seriously before taking any step.

"Any good parent would tell you that," Padma says. "I have always been able to tell my family about myself; I have never had to lie to them."

A career as an international model gave Padma a flavour of many cultures.

'It also added to my culinary repertoire,' she has written. 'Travelling from city to city has quite a grueling effect on body and spirit. It was during these times that I began to rediscover my skills as a chef. Making recipes from my childhood made me feel less homesick, and controlling my diet through healthier versions of classic recipes kept my waistline in check.'

Soon, she was also discovering her curiosity of food very different from the one in Tamil Nadu or what she had eaten in America. Though she had been introduced to American regional food, including Cajun and Mexican cuisines in New York, it was in Morocco and Spain that she began a serious culinary journey.

She was shooting for the Italian Elle in Morocco, her first big editorial shoot, when she learned about Harissa, the fiery chili sauce, and mild couscous dishes. While shooting French lingerie in Bali, she learned how to make a low-calorie fish dish.

She wonders if she would have become a foodie and a food writer if her fashion career had not made her a globetrotter. Even her acting career took off because of her modelling. While living in Milan, the fashion capital of the world, she starred in several Italian films and television series.

"The best part of modelling was travelling and increasing my knowledge of world cultures," she says.

Wallpaper Of The Day

2008-01-02T10:18:00.000+05:30

Niwas to direct for SRK

2008-01-02T10:15:00.002+05:30

E. Niwas is on cloud nine! The talented director, whose new film MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES will hit the screens next week, seems to have caught the attention of none other than Shah Rukh Khan. Reportedly, King Khan has assigned the directorial reins of his forthcoming film to Niwas.

“That’s true,” Niwas confirms, “He has offered a film to me, which I have gladly accepted. His company Red Chillies will be producing the film, but let me clarify, it wouldn’t be starring him.” What’s he working on? Has any idea germinated in his mind? “Oh yes, I’ve got something in mind, but I’ve yet to work on the screenplay,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the principal cast of MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES is touring various cities to promote the film. They’ve already visited Ahmedabad and will be visiting Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur and Hyderabad in the next few days.

Yash Raj signs Shahid?

2008-01-02T10:15:00.001+05:30

Speculation is rife that Aditya Chopra has pencilled Shahid Kapur for two major films. In fact, the producer and actor met recently to discuss these projects. Reportedly, the first project will be helmed by Anurag Singh, who has been an associate of Aditya Chopra for a while now.

Shahid doesn’t deny that he did meet Adi, but is tight-lipped about what actually transpired. “We’re still in talks. I won’t deny that he has offered films to me, but it wouldn’t be right to comment on it till everything is finalized. Adi is out of town and a clear picture will only emerge once he’s back,” Shahid tells me.

Incidentally, Shahid is not on a signing spree despite giving a success in JAB WE MET. In fact, the choosy and intelligent actor has just signed one project after JAB WE MET -- to be directed by Ken Ghosh and produced by UTV.

Two songs deleted?

2008-01-02T10:15:00.000+05:30

JODHAA AKBAR continues to make news. Last week, it was about its release date, which was shifted from 25th January to 15th February. Now it’s about the length. Reportedly, Ashutosh Gowariker and UTV have decided to trim the film and to get it right, they’ve decided to chop off two songs from the narrative. All this to keep the length in check.

“It’s completely untrue,” Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV sets the record straight, “There are five songs in the film and we’re retaining each of them. Seriously, we don’t know what the final length of the film will be, but we aren’t deleting any songs for sure. In fact, Ashu is yet to take a call on its length.”

Meanwhile, UTV has signed a 2-film deal with Sohail Khan’s production company. MR. & MRS. KHANNA, starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor, as also another film, slightly smaller in budget, will be made by Sohail and UTV jointly. Await the official announcement!

Photo Feature: Ameesha Patel Poses Nude

2008-01-02T10:12:00.000+05:30

Hi readers! It's Ameesha Patel when she was just 1 and half years old. You might have expected something different. But it's something that brings you smiles. Start the day with laughs and naughty pranks.

Don't expect bigger things those are beyond your thoughts but accept everything with merry.

May 2008 bring you happiness, prosperity and good health.

Trust me I am not at all Hot: Celina Jaitley

2007-12-31T14:28:00.000+05:30

This has got be the funniest thing in the sequel of Gol Maal. The half-Indian half-Afghani Christian-Muslim Celina Jaitley plays a traditional Tamilian housewife in Rohit Shetty's Phir Gol Maal.

Draped in a nine-yard saree with flowers in her hair and the 'Aiyyo Appas' on her lips, Celina seems to have come a long way from her bikini-in-the-water avatar in Feroz Khan's Jaanasheen.

"I guess that's true. For a long time I couldn't find my bearings in Mumbai. I was too busy sorting out my life. And the opportunities just slipped past me. Then I had to take what was coming my way," explains Celina.

But seeing Celina draped in a sari requires a lot of imaginative power.

"Why do you say that?" she laughs. "Trust me, at heart and in my home I'm not at all the hot siren that I'm made out to be. Getting into a sari is no big deal for me."

Though the Tamilian accent as she plays Shreyas Talpade's wife in Phir Gol Maal musn't have been easy to master.

"I can't reveal details. But yes watch what I've done in this film. People will be shocked."

Er….with Kareena Kapoor playing the main lead, does Celina stand a chance occupying decent space?

"It's not a walk-on part, I can tell you that much. And we're both cast opposite two of the leading men in the film." However on location in Goa, it was Tusshar Kapoor and not any of her other co-stars that Celina bonded with.

This has got be the funniest thing in the sequel of Gol Maal. The half-Indian half-Afghani Christian-Muslim Celina Jaitley...

Now you can wear Kareena's clothes

2007-12-31T14:26:00.000+05:30

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 look".

Well, though not doing too many films right now, Kareena is always in the news. Currently, she is the talk of the town for her much-publicized affair 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.

What your number predicts for 2008

2007-12-31T11:22:00.000+05:30

Wondering what 2008 has in store for you? Numerologist Sanjay Jumani deciphers your future according to your ruling number.

1 People born on the 1st, 10th, 19th and 28th in any month are termed as Number 1 people, ruled by the planet Sun.

With 2008 being ruled by the Sun, the number 1 people in a position of authority would fare well, showing the way to their subordinates with elegance.

With a little rumination, you could balance it into a win-win situation. It’s high time you focus on the non-materialistic things of life, which are also very important. Try to delve in the spiritual side too.

2 Number 2 represents the Moon, and they are persons born on the 2nd, 11th, 20th and 29th of any month.

Ruled by the Moon, this year would be favourable for the number 2 also, as 1 and 2 are quite compatible. The most important thing for you to do this year is not to depend on others to complete the job you started. Though this year will be good for you, your dreamy nature and over dependence on others could bring delays or failures in your life. You’ll be at your imaginative best if you allow your thoughts to go with the flow. Some of your intuitions could turn into realities. Those in alternate sciences such as yoga, meditation, reiki, astrology can climb further.

3 People born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st and 30th in any month are termed as Number 3 people, ruled by the biggest planet Jupiter.

This year being equal to number 1, you may find some opposition to your plans. However due to your stubborn and ambitious nature, you could overcome these hurdles and surge ahead in life.

Sun could further ignite your ambitious side, and make you more forceful, not for the sake of accumulation, but from the fear of being under obligation to others. You may excel in the execution of commands, being orderly and disciplined.

In the bargain, others may consider you dictatorial, so try to use a surgeon’s knife in such situations.

4 People born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd and 31st in any month are termed as Number 4 people, ruled by the planet Uranus.

A good year ahead as the numbers 1 and 4 go hand in hand; those who are awaiting a job change or marriage could get rewarded.

Due to your original ideas, and unconventional thoughts, you are likely to face problems in the form of misunderstandings. However, if you follow your intuitions and original thoughts, you stand better chances of success. Those who are in litigation could get a breather, but must try to avoid business partnerships.

5 People born on the 5th, 14th, 23rd in any month are termed as Number 5 people, ruled by the planet Mercury.

Due to your ruler Mercury, the fastest planet, you could be in quite an impulsive hurry, brimming with emotions. All others may not be as quick as you to match up with your pace, so expect less to avoid disappointment. If you faced a few problems last year, this year things could start to look up, especially on the financial front. Try to use your communicative skills, which is your USP.

6 People born on the 6th, 15th and 24th in any month are termed as Number 6 people, ruled by the planet Venus.

You could have an average year, although the number 6 is good for the number 1, it is sometimes seen that 1 is sometimes unkind to the number 6, so this year, brace yourself to face some delays in completing your projects.

May and October are the best months to start anything important.

Those who are in newer relationships should be warned not to be hasty, and may play the waiting game.

7 People born on the 7th, 16th and 25th in any month are termed as Number 7 people, ruled by the planet Neptune, and such persons are also under the influence of the interchangeable number 2 of Moon.

Ruled by the planet Neptune, 1 is one of the number 7’s best numbers, so a good year ahead. Travelling for work or pleasure would be profitable for you this year, but learn to control those mood swings and take decisions from your head and not from your heart.

Spiritually, a satisfying year, and yoga, meditation and alternate therapies could give you immense gratification. Those in consultancy, or any kind of service-related work could see unprecedented profits accrue.

8 People born on the 8th, 17th and 26th in any month are termed as Number 8 people, ruled by the planet Saturn.

Ruled by the planet Saturn, 1 of the Sun is the lucky number for the number 8, so although a year for you to surge ahead, be careful in your investments, and do not put all your eggs in one basket.

Try not to trust anyone blindly, invest sensibly and think before acting.

This year could see you make great progress both financially as well as personally.

Those on the lookout for buying land could take a chance, and some of you may end up with your dream house too.

Post-February, you should see a positive development as regards your profession.

9 People born on the 9th, 18th and 27th in any month are termed as Number 9 people, ruled by the planet Mars.

Ruled by the fiery planet Mars, the number 9 is a strong number at the end of the number line, and as there are seven numbers in between the numbers 1 and 9, you would find work being delayed, or missing opportunities that should have been rightfully yours.

This year you should keep a check on your temper and use your energies for constructive things to have a good year. Past laurels could come in handy, if you use them, which is not a bad idea if one does so, once in a while.

Shilpa finally admits to dating Indian millionaire

2007-12-31T00:32:00.001+05:30

LONDON(PTI): It seems that Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty knew what she did last summer in Britain and she has finally admitted her relationship with 32-year-old London born Indian millionaire Raj Kundra.

For the first time, in an interview to 'Daily Mail', Shetty has revealed that the new relationship brought a long period of loneliness to an end and transformed her life.

"I am dating somebody. I have known him for some time but I have only just started to know him better. I hope he will be the one but I don't want to say too much because it is still very early on in our relationship," she said.

Though she has not named her new love, the daily claimed that it's none other than the London-born entrepreneur of Indian origin whose former wife had blamed Shetty for wrecking their marriage.

"I'm not going to deny that it's him but please don't say it is because I don't want to frighten him off," she said.

"He respects and understands what I do and it is nice to be cared for. I have been very lonely for a very long time and it is nice to know I have somebody to look forward to seeing at the end of the day. At last I feel normal.

"It has been an incredible year for me but I have also been very lonely. I have been away from home, in a foreign country and I haven't had a boyfriend for a very long time. I need someone to woo me. Magazines are always saying I am beautiful and millions of men want to woo me, but none has come forward because they are all so scared.

"I can go to a party and sense that men really like me but they are in awe of me and won't come and ask me for a date. Being an Indian actress is bad enough but now I'm a celebrity in the UK it's too much. It would take a really secure man to handle the media attention.

"I'm eulogised by a lot of men, but they wouldn't take me home to meet their mothers," she said.