Deepika Padukone has fired yet another salvo at arch rival Katrina Kaif. She has bagged Karan Johar's home production directed by Ayan Mukerji opposite her ex boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor.
Katrina was originally signed for this film that is supposed to go on floors in November 2011. However Katrina is meant to giving the very same dates to Yashraj Productions for a film with Shah Rukh Khan that is being directed by veteran Yash Chopra.
It is said that even before the dates had been worked out Kat reportedly leaked out the news to the pressthat she was in Ayan's film opposite Ranbir because she wanted to grab some quick headlines. Then Kat realised she was in a fix over the dates, so Deepu who has been dying to open her accout with Dharma Productions and was also dying to get back together with Ranbir on screen has stepped in.
For the last few days Deepika has been preparing ground for her film with Ranbir. She has using the Aarakshan platformto constantly say--`I have no issues working with Ranbir.' The reason is simple. Deepika has known for more than a week now that she is in the one in Ayan's film with RK Junior. However she was keeping the news close to her chest because she had not signed the dotted line. A trade source says, ``Now it's official. Deepika will romance Ranbir.''
Kat has been left out in the cold or perhaps when it came to making a final choice Kat preferred Shah Rukh Khan over Ranbir Kapoor.
Shah Rukh Khan is converting his personal relationship with Priyanka into a professional one. He's busy recommending PC to every other producer and director coming to him with a script.
Despite working with her in Don 2 and also getting her to do a cameo in Ra.One, Khan wants to do more films with her in the future. In the past things the two have discussed several projects, but they didn't really materials. However, things are looking quite different now.
A source reveals how SRK-PC dosti has only turned hugely beneficial for the actress. "He definitely wants to work with her much more than before. There's a possibility that he might be doing a Sajid Nadiadwala film with her. Also he feels that their off screen chemistry translates beautifully on screen."
From Priyanka's perspective this is something she's been wanting to do for the longest time. "Among the current lot, it's only PC who he's showing keen interest on working with. Even though he's doing films with Kareena and Katrina, given a choice his first preference would definitely be his Don 2 co-star."
While Kate Middleton has willingly put up her wedding gown for exhibition at Buckingham Palace, exhibiting her own wedding ensemble is not something the Bachchan bahu will ever do.
Says a source close to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan says, "While most brides want designers to make their wedding outfits, Ash and her mom chose her wedding saree from a non-designer store. They flew to Chennai and selected a traditional South Indian yellow and gold Kanjeevaram saree for her big day." Now it has been packed away and maybe someday Ash will give it to her daughter." Ash and Junior B are expecting their first baby in October.
Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, Salman Khan has reinvented himself in his two decade long career. Yet, this bad boy of Bollywood, who is known for his lady-killer image, has always been an instant hit among masses.
Post the super duper success of ‘Wanted,’ ‘Dabangg’ and ‘Ready,’ Salman has become the most bankable stars of B-town, whose films often set the cash registers ringing at the Box Office. Buzz has it that the hunk has now decided to increase his fees.
Apparently, Salman has charged a whopping sum of Rs. 50 core for his next flick. The actor, who used to charge somewhere around Rs. 40 crore for his films, has made up his mind to hike his fees and his manager Matrix is making sure that the actor gets his due.
It is believed that two filmmakers, who recently signed Salman, claimed that the actor has increased his price.
Talking to a daily, a source said, “Salman is not only quoting a fee close to Rs. 50 crore, he is also ‘recommending’ directors for these films. Like, for the T Series project Salman has put forward the names of two directors and has asked producer Bhushan Kumar to choose from one of them. Furthermore, he insisted on Sonakshi Sinha for ‘Kick’ and now he`s recommending Zarine Khan to his prospective producers.”
T-Series honcho Bhushan Kumar revealed that Salman’s price is being restructured, “When Salmanbhai did ‘Ready’ the film industry was facing a huge financial crunch. But he agreed to cut down his price from Rs 40 crore to Rs 17 crore. This was the only way we could have made ‘Ready’ at that time. Now the market has changed for the entire film industry. So, we are currently re-negotiating with him for our next film.”
Well, all one can say is that Salman Khan is the new badshah of Bollywood!
Bollywood's sexy siren, Mallika Sherawat is known for her attention seeking ways and the starlet seems to be in no mood to modify her antics.
Recently, the hot babe was snapped posing away to glory. In the picture, Mallika can be seen posing as a mannequin, standing outside a shop at a foriegn location, with a photographer snapping each frame to perfection.
Ms. Sherawat, who's posing in front of a male mannequin, is quite a professional, when it comes to giving away the pose of a seductress and that's pretty evident from the picture.
Emraan Hashmi, who has been crowned Bollywood’s `serial kisser` has now gone a step ahead in enhancing his reputation for being the best in love making scenes as well!
The actor will be sharing screen space with talented actress Vidya Balan in Ekta Kapoor’s `Dirty Picture` which will see the `Ishqiya` star in a sleazy avatar! She plays late south Indian sex-bomb Silk Smitha in the film.
While shooting for the film, Emraan got an opportunity to lock lips with the fantabulous actress.
And recently, during the shoot, Emraan thought of playing some dirty pranks with his co-star. Vidya, who was in her `Dirty Picture` attire which had a deep inviting neckline provoked Emraan’s naughty mind.
He took a glass of soft drink in his hand, pretended to be drunk and kept staring at her.
Narrating what happened, a source while talking to a tabloid said, "One day, photo shoots were happening with Vidya, Emraan and Tushar (Kapoor) at the studio. While Vidya was shooting pictures in a complete Silk Smitha get up, with a plunging neckline and a short skirt, Emraan was fairly free and just hanging around.”
Emraan kept staring at her until she turned red with embarrassment. She asked him to stop making her feel conscious but Emraan continued to play dirty with her.
“But what to do, you are looking very hot”- is what Emraan seems to have told Vidya, said the source.
"Vidya got really hassled with his behaviour and complained to the production managers.She asked them to whisk him away, or she would leave. Seeing Vidya seething with rage, a production guy couldn`t control himself and burst into laughter. Soon everyone on the sets, including Emraan, joined him. Vidya was bewildered to see everyone laughing, but soon realised that she was made a `bakra`. She turned red with embarrassment."
Was Emraan playing pranks or was he just trying to make the most of the situation?
Bollywood celebs have immense star following; the craze amongst masses is huge. They have proved their love for their favorite stars time and again, be it Sunny Deol’s fan who traveled from Allahabad to Varanasi on a cycle to meet him or a fan gifting a diamond to Vidya Balan. They have always gone out of their way, but the one who outshines others is a fan who invested a whooping 10 lakh on an album, ‘The Bachchan Family’. It’s a token of love for the Bachchan family, who are all set to welcome a new member soon.
Rozlyn, who belongs to a business family from Jaipur is a huge fan of the Bachchans. So, she decided to give something special to the family as they are celebrating Aishwarya’s pregnancy news. “I was a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan from childhood, but after Abhishek Bachchan came into films, he soon became my favorite. Later, he got married to my favorite actress Aishwarya and now I am very excited that there is good news in the Bachchan family. So, I want to dedicate a special song to them. I have also named the album ‘The Bachchan Family’,” said an excited Rozlyn. Mamata Sharma, the voice behind ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’, has lent her voice for this special song. “It’s a UP-based song, for that’s the grassroots of the Bachchans. So, I wanted a singer who could add the flavour of Uttar Pradesh to the song, and Mamta’s voice perfectly suited the mood of the song,” Rozlyn added. On asking when she would present the gift to the Bachchan family, Rozlyn quickly said, “I will present the album as soon as I meet all of them. I am confident that they will accept my gift for their baby Bachchan. I will prove to them that I am their biggest fan.” Rozlyn wishes to meet her favorite celebs soon and also claims that she has no plans to release the song on a commercial platform, as it’s very special for her. We hope that Rozlyn’s dream comes true very soon, and Bachchan’s add another crazy fan to their huge fan list.
Here's looking at on-off lovebirds Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra on the sets of their film in Stratford-Upon-Avon. They've been there a for week now.
Whether it's to do with being in William Shakespeare's birthplace or the generally pleasant weather in the UK, their chemistry on the outdoor shoot is far different from what we get to see back home.
An eyewitness confirms that the good looking couple weren't just coolly comfortable, they were constantly together and couldn't seem to stop talking in-between takes.The next schedule of the film starts today in Nottingham, where Dhoni's boys will be taking on England in the second Test.
Sometime back, Yana Gupta made headlines because of her panty-less appearance at an event. It isn’t surprising that her panty-less pictures are searched on the internet even today. But it is definitely surprising that her controversial picture has become an inspiration for painter Pranava Prakash.
Pranav Prakash made this act an immortal one by giving such stint an art form. Pranava has painted Yana in the same black outfit with pantyless. There are two children sitting next to Yana almost cloth less.
Main idea of this painting is to show the difference between Bharat and India. Bharat belongs to the Highly fashionable celebrities who prefers less cloth because of fashion. In fact Yana loved the idea of Pranav praising it as quite witty and original.
‘Definitely a good piece of Art. I wouldn’t buy it though. It is better than I expected,’ said Yana congratulating the painter. She even replied to the artist with a congratulatory message!
This painting would go for an auction with in this month.
Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh says he took a cue from Deepika Padukone’s recent reply to his comment in a TV interview which suggested that he’d be the first to turn up at her doorstep if she was single. When Deepika was asked about the comment, she said, “I don’t know what is stopping him".
So, Neil tweeted on Wednesday evening, “I stood outside Deepika’s door yesterday with a red rose for three hours.Then I realised that she had gone for the promotions of Aarakshan.” On Thursday morning, Deepika carried on the chain of flirtatious messages, tweeting, “jhooth!”
Tanushree had won the Femina Miss India Universe title in 2004, and made her entry into Bollywood in 2005 with the hit film “Aashiq Banaya Aapne”. She starred in “Chocolate: Deep Dark Secrets” the same year, and came to be considered one of tinsel town’s dark horses.
But she failed to live up to the initial expectations of her fans as most of her films except “Dhol” and “Bhagam Bhag” bombed at the box office.
Tanushree Dutta’s career is in all time low at the moment. As the offers dried up, she has come up with a new proposal from her side to attract the film makers. The actress has given a bold statement that she has no qualms about skin show and lip-lock, if the producer pays the remuneration she demands. In fact, she has set a price tag for everything from skin show, bikini and lip-locks.
Though Tanushree’s statement is gaining lot of criticism from film circles, she defends it.
“What’s wrong in my statement? It’s an open secret that film makers choose artist depending on their requirement and the budget they have. The producer should pay me if he wants me to do particular things like – skin show, bikini and lip-locks. If he agrees to pay me, then I’m ready to the film. orelse, I will not be a part of his film,” says Tanushree Dutta.
When Indian crooner Mamta Sharma's husky voice combined with glamour girl Malaika Arora's pulse-raising gyrations in Bollywood blockbuster 'Dabangg', no one doubted that the raunchy song 'Munni badnaam hui darling tere liye' would become an all-time hit in the sub-continent.
However, few could have guessed that almost a year after the film was released, the 'item number' - as a song and dance number is called in the Hindi film parlance - would create a mini storm in a most unlikely place: Nepal's parliament.
The song made its appearance in the house Thursday, courtesy former culture minister Minendra Rijal, whose Nepali Congress party is now in opposition and seeking to force Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal's resignation by blockading parliament.
The 53-year-old member of parliament, who confesses to having been an avid Hindi film watcher in his student days, chose to use the popular song to drive home his party's point.
He tacitly likened the Nepali premier to Munni, the woman in the song who is said to have lost her reputation due to a romantic liaison, while the controversial 'darling' was none other than Maoist chief and former revolutionary Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.
It was a dig at the prime minister's alliance with the Maoists, which enabled him to come to power in February but now could make him lose his chair.
The Maoists, with only days left for a constitutional deadline to draw, are pressing the premier to reshuffle the cabinet and induct 24 ministers from their party.
The Nepali Congress has warned it would not allow the reshuffle and has been obstructing parliament since this month, asking Khanal to step down.
The Maoists, on the other hand, have intensified pressure, threatening to withdraw from the government if the reshuffle is stopped.
Referring to Khanal's dilemma in parliament Thursday, the opposition MP said the prime minister was tarnishing his name because of his 'darling'.
"Don't tarnish your image by choosing as your darling lack of disagreement, conflict and dictatorship," Rijal said, obliquely referring to Prachanda and his party that in the past waged a civil war for 10 years.
While even the beleaguered prime minister's own party men and parliament Chairman Subash Nembang looked amused at the Bollywood reference, others were not.
Sarita Giri, an MP from Terai party Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi), objected, calling the reference sexist.
However, the unflustered Rijal quipped that 'darling' had no gender.
In India, politicians have often used hit Hindi film songs in state assemblies to prove a point.
But Nepal, that has a love-hate relationship with Bollywood, looked partly askance at the gesture.
Himalayan Television, a private TV station, said frostily Friday that an august institution like parliament had been reduced to a place for cracking low jokes.
Uh oh! The 19-year-old singer’s daisy dukes showed off a little too much! Will Justin Bieber mind?Selena Gomez joins an illustrious group of stars whose clothes haven’t always kept them covered! But don’t worry Selena, even Kate Middleton has made the same mistake!Selena’s denim shorts are very short! Maybe next time she should wear them a little bit longer!
Deepika Padukone on her ex beau and the current men in her life Siddhartha Mallya and Saif Ali Khan
Is it true you weren't keen on working with Ranbir Kapoor in Ayaan Mukherji's film?
As far as I know, Ayaan is still writing the script. Of course, I'm keen to do a film with Ranbir. And he's just as keen to work with me.I know that as a pair, people liked us together. But we haven't got a suitable script after Bachna Ae Haseeno. We'd love to work together again.
Wouldn't Siddhartha Mallya object?Why?
My decisions are totally mine.You were more open about your relationship with Ranbir Kapoor...I've reached a stage where I don't need to talk about my personal life. Whether someone is there or is not there, whether something is happening or not though people want to know, they don't need to know.
What's the funniest rumour you heard about yourself? That Siddhartha has gifted my new house to me.
You are doing three movies with Saif. Aren't you apprehensive that your pairing with Saif could be over-exposed?
Love Aaj Kal just happened. It's coincidence that we have Aarakshan, Cocktail and Race coming up one after another. In fact, we didn't know we were being offered the same films. The filmmakers concerned approached us individually.But yes, we do share a great rapport and I love working with him. As for worrying about over-exposure, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif did a lot of films as a pair till people got tired of seeing them together. I hope that doesn't happen to us.Every time you shoot an outdoor spell with Saif, his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor lands up at the location...That's her personal issue. She comes to spend time with Saif. I don't think it's our concern.
Coming back to your films, Aarakshan seems like a male-dominated movie. Aren't you perturbed about being just a glamour quotient in it?
I've gone completely with my gut instinct. My character is an important voice in the movie. Besides, she's also torn between her father and her boyfriend.The film also explores how reservation can cause differences and strain on personal relations between people. However, if people still think I'm just a glam factor, it's okay. I love it.
Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and even Asin are said to be your rivals. Do you have any friends in the industry?
The industry is far too competitive to have best friends. I'm cordial with everyone. But yes, Shahana Goswami is a very good friend.
What about Sonam Kapoor?
Somewhere, I don't think we've been able to keep in touch even if we wanted to. Seeing Koffee With Karan, many people thought we're very good friends. But honestly, we were meeting on the show after many months.
Katrina Kaif doesn't have love on her wish list this year. She says, "I don't want love. Peace of mind is on my wishlist.
Also I don't think love is something you can ask for — when it is meant to happen, it will happen. It's been an interesting year for me. I want memorable roles . The rest is in God's hands. I let things take their own course." And what about a birthday gift? "I would love to have a bike but if a friend gifts it to me." Are Ranbir Kapoor or Salman Khan listening?
From the lack of a father in her life, to the lack of a godfather in the industry, Katrina Kaif opens up to DT with both her strength and her vulnerability...
You were a little unsettled, lots of questions facing you, six months back
I think it's sort of settled down now. I am at, let's say, a calm place in my life right now. There are times in life when you are going through real highs or lows in terms of emotions, the waters are really choppy. And then there are times when the waters are still. They're just going, you have to let life unfold as it will, and these are the times I think that you have to trust in God, that there is Someone watching over you. That life will bring to you what is meant for you. And you go on.
You're happier and much more settled – or at least that's how it looks.
I am, I am. Much, much more. Yeah, it was very hectic. I realised that you can go through times of extreme happiness, but if that happiness is not coming from a deeply rooted place, you will also be going through extreme lows of sadness. And that kind of roller-coaster I feel is worse than a slightly safe, calm-ish feel of maybe I'm not extremely happy, but at least you're at peace and at comfort; it's a little more settled. I think that's better than going through extremely tumultuous kinds of equations, and you hold on to them for the moments of extreme happiness, but there are so many more moments of extreme lowness and sadness. I think that's when you should take it as a warning sign and realize that this is not inherently grounded, and it's not coming from a healthy, nurturing place, that it's not good for you.
Those people who, for a while, have attributed your professional standing to personal equations, would have expected you to be a little unstable professionally once there was no 'supporting' superstar. Do you think they've been disappointed?
See, this is where you realize that you have to learn to separate the gossip and the tabloid journalism from what the reality is. That's where you have to have confidence and belief in yourself, and know that whatever people say, no personal equations and friendships can help you in this industry. The success of a film is in no one's hands but God's. No support of one star or one director or one producer can make any individual actor a star. You have to connect with the audience; the audience have to like you. That is something that cannot be manipulated or fought for or tried for. Either they like you or they don't. And you have to know that that is the reason. God's been kind, you've worked hard, whatever be the reason, but it is in the hands of the audience whether you are – if you can use the word – a star, a popular actor. That is it. That's where you have to realize that those kinds of things (star backing) are empty conversations. There is no such thing like that.
And like you rightly said, it's a very good time for me right now. It's always been my dream to do a Yash Chopra romantic film. I remember watching " Veer Zaara" in 2004 and thinking, I want to be part of that kind of cinema – and that's happened now. So I think I have a lot to be happy for.
You said in our earlier interview that till " New York", you really didn't feel part of the process of the making of films, didn't really enjoy yourself. Now, the impression one gets is that you're more comfortable, that people are happy to have you with them just as you, without the hyphens or the associations? You seem to be working with people who want to hear what you have to say – rather than you just reading your lines and moving on.
Yeah, yeah. I think that's a very correct observation. I think that I am pretty fortunate that the people I am with now – they do not always agree with me, they do not always go by what I say – but they do want to hear what I say. And that is something I worked hard for. Maybe not for every topic, but there are certain areas where I feel that because I have observed people around me who are very senior, and I have actually put an effort into understanding it. Areas like, whether it's promotions or marketing, I can input a certain bit.
If you're working with people who don't care about or don't appreciate anything you do, that's going to be a bit disheartening.
Is this a maturing of you as a person, or as an actress, or a coming together of both?
See, to a certain extent it's going to happen, right? Because you start when you are 17 and now I am 27, and you grow and you learn from your experiences – and I've had some, some pretty – SOME experiences, actually, you can put it that way! (laughs) so you can put it that way. You have to grow. I can't be the same person I was at 18, otherwise I'd be stagnant.
The most important thing I have noticed is no matter what I have gone through, when people say, this was a low phase, a bad experience, a sad point in your life, would you like to change it – I'm like, no, I wouldn't. I would never change it because I now know that you get over it. And it gets better. You really DO get over it; you can be at the lowest point where you just think that you can be crying your eyes out till you think you have no more tears left – and you get over it. And learning what all you can overcome as a person, as a human being, is very important. It's very important to understand your strength. Which is not to say you become hardened, or bitter. No. I am still sensitive. I am still waiting for that person, for everything to come together maybe, for someone who is going to be in your life and support you, and I want that. I do need that. It's not like I am this strong person who doesn't need that and is fine being on her own, no. but you do realize that you do have some amount of strength and you do recover and you do rise above things.
At 22, you wouldn't see it this way.
NO, no! I would like, oh my God, I'm gonna die, what's gonna happen, I'm never gonna get over it. I would cry my eyes out. Because you're young, these are new emotions, new experiences for you. After you've seen it, you realize that life is filled with these kinds of moments. It's filled with happiness, it's filled with disappointment, it's filled with extreme love, extreme anger, extreme sadness, extreme hurt – and everything gets over!
I remember my mom saying to me, three years back, when I was really at the end of my tether in some ways, I was really upset – and she said to me, I promise you, you don't believe me now, but I've lived 40 years longer than you, and I am telling you, you'll get over it, it passes. And it's the truth. And that's what I have learnt out of these experiences.
Not the most pleasant reference point here, but your mom has lived through the bulk of her life without a strong male support.
Yes, yes. I think that has been very instrumental in forming the person who I am today. Whether it's responsible for some of my weaknesses, but it does make you feel a slight lack of belonging, a slight sense of lack of completion. You're kind of looking for that finality in everything you do, you're looking for that last stamp of approval from your father. So growing up without a father has, I think, made me look for that nod of approval, that seal of approval, from somewhere. And now when I think about it, since I've not got that in my personal life, I've gone looking for it in my work, wanting it from somewhere. If it's not from here, it should be from there. You want that sense of security, that sense of approval, from people you work with.
Which is why I would never like to have – while I know there are some strong and amazing women who have children on their own, and done a beautiful job of it, hats off to them. Some have done it out of a lack of a choice, but if I have a choice in the matter, I would always try to make sure that your child grows up with his father.
If you're profiled a decade from now, to my mind, wouldn't the core mystery remain your karmic connect with India, with capturing the public imagination in a country where you hadn't spent a day till you were 18 or so?
I actually feel the opposite way! It's very hard for people to understand here. Because when I'm here, you see, I'm considered very Western-looking. My dad is Indian, but I am not considered very ethnic looking in the industry. But growing up, I was very overly aware of the fact that I was Indian. I was darker, and all my friends use to be girls who were fairer and with blonde hair, and I used to feel very out of place. I was never really noticed –the girls with blonde hair and blue eyes got all the attention in school. I always grew up feeling inferior, to use one word. So if you ask me what is the karmic connect, I honestly feel that this is the end of a circle of that. I always grew up feeling that I was not attractive, that I was never getting any attention, and that I was a little different. And when I came here is when I for the first time... I had that sense of – I remember that so vividly – that people here actually appreciate me. They think that I am beautiful, that I am something special. And that was the first time in my life that I did not feel inferior, for the first time in my life I felt very wanted.
There was this side of me that I felt uncomfortable with, growing up, my whole life, and that side is what has now given me my life, what I am now. It was in India that I found my identity, my sense of belonging.
And that's why you've been touchy sometimes about people making snide remarks about your passport, ethnicity, surname?
Yes. Because people are insinuating that there is something wrong in it! Please understand that I am not – I assure you, I promise you – I am not the only half Asian half British person alive on this planet! My passport's copies are with every news channel in this country – don't ask me how they got them. Everyone has my name, which is my mother's name, on the passport. It's never been hidden, that, or my date of birth, or where I was born – I was born in Hong Kong, for all those who've missed that part of the breaking news – and I just find it so funny. Am I supposed to be ashamed that I am half Asian, half European? I mean, no! Rahul Gandhi is half Indian, half Italian. So? I am very proud of what I am and I just don't understand the confusion – as if I'm trying to hide the fact that my mother's British. Why would I?
Priyanka Chopra has revealed that money is not a driving force in her life.
A daily recently questioned the actress that after 9years in the industry, what keeps her going? Is it the fame or the meaty pay package which acts as a driving force?
The actress, who turned 29 yesterday said, "I come from a middle class background and fame hasn`t changed me as a person. I make decent money now but money was never a driving factor for me. I am doing films because it`s like spirituality to me. I am passionate about working in films and that is what keeps me going".
Guess the right attitude of the actress has led her to such fame and popularity in the film industry.
We all know that Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt will be making a cameo in Shah Rukh's upcoming film Ra.One. Well, Dutt who willingly did the cameo in the film for free was 'repaid' with a thoughtful gift by SRK.
Dutt, whose passion for bikes is well known, received a gift worth approx Rs. 15 lakhs in the form of a high-end Italian cruiser bike from SRK! Speaking about this, Dutt said "I really appreciate what Shah Rukh has done. It's a thoughtful gesture."
And that's not all. Priyanka Chopra shot for Ra.One yesterday, despite it being her birthday. The shoot went on till late night. SRK however, thanked Priyanka in his own sweet way. Since Priyanka loves musical instruments, he gifted an expensive acoustic guitar to the actress, after the shoot.
Sameera Reddy, who has been travelling the world, was back in Mumbai recently after about 40 days, for her stage performance at an event. That was where the actress had to field quite a few questions about her disappearing act. But the smart girl that she is, Sexy Sam in turn counter-questioned the press about filling her in on Aamir and Salman Khan.
An eyewitness said, “Someone asked her to react on Aamir’s statement about Salman being handcuffed and taken to a mandap. Sameera quite unabashedly agreed that he should be forced into marriage. She even suggested that Sallu should have an arranged marriage.” While it’s understandable for Aamir to be playful with his close buddy Salman, Sameera, however, is no laughing matter for Sallu. “And from what we know, they aren’t really the best of friends. Her inane comment seems to have irked the eternal bachelor,” added the source. Perhaps Sameera should consider keeping her expert advice to herself for a while.
Guess who's back to playing party poopers in Shah Rukh Khan's life? It's the one political party (you guessed it right the Shiv Sena!) that has never really warmed up to India's most popular superstar.
When King Khan celebrated the release of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara on July 15 with close friends from Bollywood, little did he think that he would be accused of being insensitive towards the Mumbai bomb blast victims.
The Shiv Sena mouthpiece Samna referred to him as a 'villain' saying, "Even a popular star like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan declined to receive an honour bestowed upon her by the French government.
But Shah Rukh Khan did not have the heart to cancel the party." However, for people from the within industry, it is a baseless accusation against the star.
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt says, "I can understand the outrage if Shah Rukh indulged in a celebration on the very day of the blasts.
But when the entire city moved on the very next day, why would you expect people from the film industry to put their lives on pause?
Political parties only need a reason to use tragedies for publicity, and that is exactly what the Shiv Sena is doing."
Adds Farhan Akhtar, who was present at the party, "It is very unfortunate to single him out and target him for wanting to watch the film with us.
It was a simple party with 20-25 of us and that's about it. The timing was unfortunate, but all we wanted to do is celebrate my sister's film with friends and family."
The actor has been on the Shiv Sena's blacklist ever since he advocated the inclusion of Pakistani cricketers in the IPL last year.
Those protests spilled over to his film My Name Is Khan, where thousands of Sena workers burnt film posters and even threatened the janta against watching the film.
Adds Bhatt, "It is very evident that this is a continuation of their past animosity against him."
Twitteratti
@Breaking views4u: Can't blv
@iamsrk partying harder days after horrible #mumbaiblasts, don't they value peoples' lives? I am with Shiv Sena this time
@divyatweets: Poor Shiv Sena. Getting attention only through SRK. They know SRK is the only way to get attention from everyone. It's call the Don Power.
@shereegg: SRK's party was in bad taste, but what gives the Shiv Sena the right to attack him? Do something more productive people!
....And Shiv Sena loves to love Aamir
So if Shah Rukh sincerely wishes to stay out of trouble with the Shiv Sena, he could perhaps take some tips from Aamir Khan.
The latter's equation with the so-called crusaders of the Marathi manoos couldn't be more politically correct. It is well known that everytime Mr Perfectionist has an upcoming release, a special screening for both Raj and Uddhav Thackeray is always organised.
The Thackeray family was also spotted at Aamir's nephew Imran Khan's wedding reception last year. And apparently, the actor is also helping Smita Thackeray with her film based on the Babri Masjid demolition.
The actress gets Farhan Akhtar to teach her the tricks of the trade Yes, you heard us right. Not satisfied with just a successful acting career, Katrina Kaif now wants to turn director.
And she's pulling out all the stops to make sure this dream comes true, including roping in her her Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara co-star, Actor/Director Farhan Akhtar, to teach her the tricks of the trade.
Says Farhan, "Katrina has always been someone who's very eager to learn. In fact, I think we are all always learning in some way or the other. I don't really consider myself qualified enough to be a mentor, but yes I would love to help in whatever way I can."
The camaraderie between the actors is evident, and not just on screen. At Kat's request, Farhan is now letting her edit one of the sequences of his forthcoming film Don 2. "She wants to learn about post-production, and I was more than happy to let her edit one of the scenes in Don 2. Of course, I also warned her that I won't promise to include that sequence in the film," he grins.
For over a year now the actress has been looking to broaden her horizons and look beyond the screen.
First, she wanted to turn producer by purchasing the rights of a French film, and now she wants to play the captain of the ship with a directorial debut. Clearly, a film like Zindagi directed by a woman director has inspired her even more.
Power-puff women Katrina says, "This is my second film with a female director after Farah Khan, and I have to say Zoya comes with her own sensibilities.
I don't know if it's just because she is a woman, but working with her was a once- in-a-lifetime experience." Well, one life to live is the philosophy of Zindagi... and we have to say Katrina is implementing it to the tee.
Neha Dhupia is back in the news again for the argument she has put forth regarding her upcoming film From Gandhi To Hitler. It seems some critics have lashed out at the film for certain linguistic issues. And to counter them, the actress has raised a question that if illiterate characters are shown speaking in English in Slumdog Millionaire, then why can’t her character in FGTH speak Hindi even though she plays a German.
“We haven’t spoken German throughout the film because we didn’t feel the need to. I don’t think many minded when the uneducated, poor characters in Slumdog Millionaire spoke fluent English. I am not saying we should have objected to that. But then if we accepted that, there is no reason why Hitler or Eva can’t speak in Hindi. After all, once you are 10 minutes into a film, language becomes rudimentary,” says Neha who plays Eva Braun, Hitler’s wife.
This is Neha’s first-ever biopic, that too one where she essays the challenging role of Hitler’s lover and wife for 40 hours. The film brings alive the last few days of the dictator’s life when he spent some heartfelt moments with Eva. She strongly defends the makers of the film who didn’t compromise on any account at the cost of the product.
“In an industry, where everyone makes a romcom the moment they have the money, hats off to my directors who chose to take a different road. It is so unfair when instead of coming out with good support for such ventures, some of us are being critical on flimsy grounds. Can we not get trapped in this mentality please?” Will her pleas go some way in saving her flailing career? We can only wait and watch as the drama unfolds.
Actress Reemma Sen’s Bengali movie Iti Srikanta, where she’s played the sensational role of a commercial sex worker, was talked about for her bold bedroom scenes.
The film is now being dubbed in Tamil and will be called Ilavarasi. A period film set in 1910, the movie is directed by ace Bengali filmmaker Anjan Das and has Soha Ali Khan and Adil playing lead roles.
Reemma plays a girl called Rajalakshmi who is from a poor family and comes to be sold by her mother to a landlord for money. Later, she is named Daasi by the landlord and forced into prostitution.
Sources reveal that the lovemaking scene between Reemma and Adil created a big stir when the Bengali original was released. The movie has won two awards – one for art direction and the other for sound effects.
Although Reemma does not have any films in hand in K’town, the makers of Iti Srikanta feel that her hot and bold act will work the necessary magic at the box-office.
The Censor Board has cleared Ilavarasi with an A Certification.
Katrina Kaif brought in her birthday on July 15 by booking a table for herself at a fancy Chinese restaurant two blocks away from her own home.
Present for the dinner were Arjun Kapoor(Boney Kapoor's son)Ayan Mukerjee(Wake Up Sid), Kabir Khan( New York) and Alvira Agnihotri(Salman's younger sister).
The next day July 16(her birthday) Katrina spent a part of her day promoting ZNMD as is reported in the media. But what no one knows is that she then drove to Salman's house(Galaxy Apartments, Bandstand) for a special birthday lunch.
The menu was kheema-pav, rajma-chawal and a lot of other specialities that the Khan household is famous for.
Says a source, For once Kat ate to her hearts content with no diet constraints. Later in the evening, she spent time with her personal assistant Sandhya and her team planning the look test for her film Ek Tha Tiger. Today Katrina will spend the day doing her look test. Salman Khan is on his farm at Panvel
And though he was expected to join Kat for the test, he is likely to rehearse for a song for his next release Bodyguard instead.''
It's been two months since Bollywood's model couple John Abraham and Bipasha Basu ended their nine-year-old relationship.
While John has spoken about it on TV, Bipasha has kept to herself. Reports of her schmoosing stars from both Hollywood and Bollywood have done the rounds, yet the sexy actor maintains she is single.
In a candid chat she talks about going through heartbreak and emerging as a naughty 16-year-old with the world at her feet.
How has being single changed life?
It's is a weird thing. The first month was really scary. By the second month, I started getting excessive male attention; I couldn't deal with it. It was like a bumper sale at a departmental store. After the third month I actually started enjoying all the attention. It made me feel special.
Has a whole new world opened up for you?
The world was always there; I chose not to look at it. Now I see what I was missing, and I love every bit of it.
You sound liberated. Do you wish this had happened earlier?
It had to happen when it did. I don't like to live in regret. I was in a relationship by choice. When I was in it, I was fully into it. Now I am not there. Once I move on, I don't look back.
You've been very miserable in the past...
Who doesn't get miserable in a relationship once in a while? There are high and low points.
You seem to be linked with lots of men these days, including Shahid Kapoor?
Yeah. If the man is cute I don't mind being linked to him. The moment I am linked to someone who is 'ugh', I will protest!
So is a relationship with Shahid in the realm of possibility?
Anything is possible. After what has happened to me I firmly believe that. And I always say, never say never. I'm touched people feel that I'm supposed to have gone into the serial dating zone, immediately after a long relationship. First there was some Russian guy...then there was Josh.
Is there any truth to the rumours about Josh Hartnett?
It wasn't practical. You can't have a relationship with a human being living in another part of the world.
A week back, John spoke on a TV show about the end of your relationship...
I've no comment to make on what he said. It's his life, his version of what happened and his mouth saying it.
Why haven't you spoken about why you broke up?
I am not interested. It's over and done with. I suffer from a weak memory. And I like it that way.
How can you erase years of your life?
I'm blessed, don't you think? Unpleasant things get erased automatically; this took some time. But finally practical considerations and self-respect helped me move on. I will never use a public platform to prove how good I am or how much I'm suffering.
Forgetting 11 years?
It was nine years. The media keeps getting the number confused. He (John) is no more a part of my life and I don't want to talk about him. He's doing enough talking.
All your friends say that you made John's world your own...
Yes, that's what they said. But until you see it for yourself you don't do anything about it. Everything happens at the right time.
How do you feel now after the breakup?
Like a naughty 16-year old brat! I am restless, fidgety. I'm doing interesting work, travelling, meeting friends and giving time for my family. I'm a hugely gregarious person. I don't judge people. I befriend them blindly.
Who are your friends?
Dianne Pandey and designer Rocky S. These are rock-solid presences in my life. Rocky is like a brother; he can't see me unhappy. He looks like a crazy party animal, but to me he's an anchor. Dianne is an older sister.
You are cagey about your personal life...
I'm a little bit more guarded about my personal life now. I can't answer questions like, 'Whom were you seen with last evening?' I might even lie. I want to keep my private space to myself.
The actress makes her foray into direction with a huge project the life of Gautam Buddha She has been known to do the unpredictable, and now we hear Manisha Koirala will soon be taking on another challenging role in Bollywood, this time behind the cameras.
The Nepali-Indian actress is all set to make her directorial debut with a film based on the life of Gautam Buddha.
Following inspirations A well-placed source reveals, "Manisha is highly inspired by the life of Buddha. When she was approached to direct the film, she immediately agreed. The film is being produced by a Sri Lankan producer and will be shot in Sri Lanka. The script is going through a few changes. If all goes well, the film will go on the floor by the end of this year."
Bollywood projects on the renowned Buddhist spiritual teacher have been jinxed for quite sometime now. The subject drew many filmmakers, but for one reason or the other the ventures failed to take off.
Nearly 12 years ago, Mira Nair abandoned her Buddha movie because Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci beat her to it with his Little Buddha starring Keanu Reeves as Siddhartha. Shyam Benegal was supposed to direct it in 2007 with Hrithik Roshan as Buddha.
Then, filmmaker Ashutosh Gowarikar revived the project and conducted a nationwide hunt for a newcomer to play the lead. A lot of high profile international technicians were roped in for the magnum opus, but it hit a roadblock since it went over-budget. The film was co-produced by industrialist B K Modi.
Finally, the project may see the light of day. While Manisha was unavailable for comment, her manager confirmed, "Yes, it is true that she is turning a director soon. I am told that it is in the scripting stage. Manisha is coming to Mumbai soon to start work on the film."
Actors who turned directors Aamir Khan Ajay Devgan Sohail Khan Anupam Kher Naseeruddin Shah Pankaj Kapoor Hema Malini Kamal Haasan Deepti Naval Deepa Sahi
Deepika Padukone has fired yet another salvo at arch rival Katrina Kaif. She has bagged Karan Johar's home production directed by Ayan Mukerji opposite her ex boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor.
