Priyanka 'poetic' love story

Love can be fatal. Verily, as the character of the poet Wasiullah discovers in director Vishal Bhardwaj’s film 7 Khoon Maaf starring Priyanka Chopra as the serial hubby killer.

The film has Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham playing Priyanka’s first and second husbands respectively. Neil plays a Major, while John plays a rockstar. Alas, the love story of Susanna (Priyanka’s character) remains incomplete and both her husbands die in mysterious circumstances, with the finger of suspicion pointing towards Susanna.

The third story, titled Musafir, has Susanna falling for an Urdu poet named Wasiullah, played by the talented Irrfan Khan.

Ahead, we bring you the poetic love story between the two.

Are Saif and Kareena engaged?

The grapevine is abuzz with the news that Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are engaged ever since a huge rock was seen on Kareena’s engagement finger. But sources close to the lovebirds said that it’s just another rumour.

“Both of them have had it up to here with these constant marriage and engagement stories; especially this news report on how Kareena preferred to get engaged rather than get married. Honestly, it is the same newspaper that a while ago carried the story that Saif and Kareena were married. If the marriage story is true, then the engagement one is false. Neither of the stories were substantiated,” The Times Of India quoted a source close to the actors as saying.

It is said that the ring that Kareena is wearing on her engagement ring was given gifted by Saif when their relationship was at a budding stage. “Saif gifts Kareena jewellery quite often. Everytime he gifts her a diamond or an emerald, it doesn't really qualify as an engagement or pre-wedding gift,” the source added.

Rubbishing the news of their engagement, spokesperson of the couple said that they are not engaged. He added that they are not in the mood to talk of engagement or marriage.

Well, we hope the engagement rumour will die down as the spokesperson of the couple has declared loud and clear that they don’t have marriage plan anytime soon!

‘Meri skirt kheechega!’ - Deep's 'sexy' item song's raunchy lyrics

Some of the words of Deepika Padukone’s item song in the film Dum Maro Dum appear to be objectionable.

Some item songs are plain raunchy. Some go further and border on being outright indecent with words that are sure to raise brows. A ‘Munni’ going zandu balm for her darling or a ‘Sheila’ flaunting her jawani may not fall in the category of being vulgar, but the words of Deepika’s item song in Dum Maro Dum are bawdy, to say the least.

From what we hear, this is how the song’s lyrics go:

Hey...kya phir dekh raha hai,

Aaj aankhen sek raha hai

kal haath sekega,

Aaj dheel chhod raha hai,

kal khud hi tokega,

Aaj mere liye chair kheech raha hai

kal meri skirt kheechega,

Kheechega ki nahi?

Apparently, Deepika was also not happy with the lyrics of the song, but when she came to know of its context in the plot, she gave in and did the item. She even got a removable cobra tattoo on her midriff with the words ‘Dum Maro Dum’ written in Hindi.

Unusual Bollywood Love Stories

Bollywood`s dream merchants have traditionally sold young chocolaty romances, complete with pink roses. But in the last 10 years, a lot of unusual love stories have made their way to the silver screen, be it ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’, or ‘Cheeni Kum’ or ‘Wake Up Sid’.

So this Valentine`s Day, here`s remembering some unconventional relationships on screen like a 60-plus confirmed bachelor being bowled over by a 35-year-old woman or a married woman being drawn towards her co-passenger during a riot.

‘Mr and Mrs. Iyer’ (2002): Aparna Sen is different, so it was obvious that the love track in her movie ‘Mr and Mrs. Iyer’ would not be run-of-the-mill. The director finely wove a love story between a conservative Tamilian Brahmin housewife, Meenakshi Iyer, and a Muslim wildlife photographer, Raja Chowdhury, during a fateful bus journey. The lead pair of Konkona Sen Sharma and Rahul Bose carried their roles so beautifully that it set new rules for on-screen romance.

‘Socha Na Tha’ (2005): Made by first-timer Imtiaz Ali who teamed up with debutant Abhay Deol and newcomer Ayesha Takia, the young romance saga about a confused young guy exuded freshness in every department - the concept was new, the treatment was fresh, the dialogues were not mushy, the acting was not over the top and the story gelled with the lifestyle of restless GenY.

‘Salaam Namaste’ (2005): Yash Raj Films, known for creating larger than life love stories, broke the tradition with a live-in relationship story in ‘Salaam Namaste’. In the film, Melbourne-based Indians, played by Preity Zitna and Saif Ali Khan, decide to have a no-strings-attached relationship. The audiences welcomed director Siddharth Anand`s concept and thronged the hall.

‘Main, Meri Patni Aur Who’ (2005): In the same year came a simple story about simple people. Directed by Chandan Arora, the medium- budget movie revolved around a short middle-class small town simpleton, played by Rajpal Yadav, whose marriage proposal is accepted by a glamorous and highly educated woman, Rituparna Sengupta, and how his insecurities surfaces as soon as he marries her. It`s narrated so deftly that you are hooked to it from the first to the last scene.

‘Cheeni Kum’ (2007): Hindi movie audiences have seen the salt-and-pepper generation getting infatuated with a young girl in ‘Shaukeen’, but R. Balakrishnan took the concept forward with his directorial debut ‘Cheeni Kum’ by building a fruitful romance between a 60-plus chef and a 35-year-old computer expert. Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu`s flawless performances and crackling chemistry made it a good watch. It was a bold attempt, but it couldn`t stump the box office.

‘Dev D’ (2009): Anurag Kashyap`s reinvented take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay`s novel ‘Devdas’ in ‘Dev D’ saw protagonist Dev (Abhay Deol) being presented as arrogant and impulsive. The two women in his life are a departure from the women in previous movies. Paro (Mahie Gill) is so bindaas that she uses foul language and even breaks into a gig on her wedding, while Chandramukhi (Kalki Koechlin), a girl from a well-to-do family, gets into prostitution after getting involved in an MMS scandal. In short, it was a raunchy romance full of steamy scenes and sexual innuendos.

‘Wake Up Sid’ (2009): Nobody would have ever thought of casting Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma to play a pair, but first time director Ayan Mukerji did it for ‘Wake Up Sid’ and the risk paid off as everyone lapped up the story of a young boy falling in love with a simple looking older girl who is trying to make a future for herself in his city.

‘My Name Is Khan’ (2010): This was a never before seen love story. A man suffering from Asperger`s Syndrome reaches New York and falls in love with a single mother and manages to convince her to marry him. Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol`s mature performances made it believable.

‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’ (2010): What love - for the soul, for the body or for money - means for the young generation is shown in this film. Violence, foul language, sex scenes, ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’ is as explicit as it gets here.

‘Yeh Saali Zindaagi’ (2011): How a Delhi-Haryana gangster - in a departure from the Mumbai mafia guy - falls head over heels for a singer, who he knows is using him for money and two-timing him, sets this saga apart. While the underplaying Irrfan Khan slips into the role of the gangster with characteristic ease, Chitrangada Singh looks quite believable as the girl who sings at a pub.

SRK having sleepless nights!

That SRK's a good actor is no new news (the awards speak for themselves) but he's no less of a juggler, either!

Shah Rukh's juggling between his many brand endorsements, show rehearsals, film schedules and pulling through 22-hour long shooting schedules. He's shooting all day for brand endorsements, and all night for Don 2, which leaves him with couple for hours to hit the sack. Add to it, the wedding receptions, premiers, parties and the unforgettable one-liners that he keeps dropping which makes headlines.

Well, we're glad that amidst all this madness, this Khan atleast has a sense of humor, one which leaves us all in splits. And we think the lovely Gauri will definitely agree that...iss Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai... 

Salman angry with Arbaaz

Going against Salman's wishes is not an idea worth pursuing. The same lessons are being learnt by none other than Salman Khan's younger brother Arbaaz Khan.

According to sources, Salman is miffed with Arbaaz for trying to broker peace between him and SRK. The issue has reached a point where Sallu has told Arbaaz in no uncertain terms to avoid playing such a role.

In the past Arbaaz has been friendly with SRK despite the fact that SRK and Sallu's chemistry is going through its coldest phase. But, now Salman is keeping a close watch on any attempts that might end his arch rivalry. He is no mood to let go so soon.

Our sources further add, "The fact that Salman does not forgive his enemies has become one of his brand features. It is very difficult for him to go against the same since it is something that defines him. His fresh diktat to Arbaaz has to be seen in that light. Look at what he did to Vivek Oberoi. He is trying to repeat it in case of his cold bond with SRK."

While Bollywood and its brawls would not stop from taking place, but this one is the baap of all as it involves two biggest stars who happen to be arch rivals.

Anushka & Ranveer call it quits

Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma part ways after a tiff

Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma have called it quits. The couple who became close during the making of their Yash Raj film Band Baaja Baaraat have now parted ways.

Even though the pair never admitted to dating, it was no secret that they were involved.

All was well during the making of the film but post release and success of the BBB, things took a turn for the worse.

They constantly argued and got into fights, which eventually resulted in them calling off their relationship.

A source reveals that the final straw was a phone argument between them when he was rehearsing for an award function this week.

Just doing my job!

An eyewitness reveals, "Ranveer was rehearsing for the Balaji Awards at Yash Raj with three television actresses Ankita Lokhande, Ragini and Rashmi Desai.

He's performing to a medley of songs, so he was spending a lot of time with the girls, which didn't go down well with his girl.

One day, he got a call from Anushka during rehearsals, asking him why he was spending time with Rashmi, the Uttaran girl.

He didn't take kindly to being accused of getting overfriendly with another girl when he was merely working. A huge argument ensued, which everyone on the set overheard. Later, a friend was seen pacifing Ranveer."

The cracks were evident

A friend of the couple adds that he'd been expecting this split for some time now, "Anushka's attitude towards him changed after the release of the film.

When he was a raw newcomer and she was the star, she was fine with it. Now that he's getting a lot of attention, she isn't happy about it.

In stead of being happy for him, she began resenting it and began giving him the cold shoulder. Even though they recently came together to Karan Johar's party, the cracks were evident."

Also her constant suspicion and possessive nature finally got to Ranveer.

When asked if there was scope for a patch-up the source adds, "At the moment, it doesn't look likely as Ranveer wants to focus on work and put this relationship on the backburner.

He's extremely ambitious and doesn't want anything to come in the way." Another one bites the dust.

Anushka-Ranbir together

It's Anushka Sharma and not Katrina Kaif who will star opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Ayaan Mukerji's next flick. Buzz was that the Wake Up Sid director would cast Kat considering her close bonding with Kapoor, but it is the Band Baaja Baaraat girl who finally emerged the winner. As reported ('Go-getter';Hitlist, February 9), Anushka was stuck to RK on the dance floor at Karan Johar's bash. Speculation was rife that she would land a film opposite Deepika Padukone's ex and it has happened!

Sex is beautiful: Dev Anand

Move over lovely ladies, bare as much as you want, but you can't beat the evergreen Dev Anand in 'showcasing' talent!

Damn his age, all of 87 years, he's still hip, hot and ready to romance the lens. Recently, while donning the role of the 'Guest Editor' for zoOm, he stunned us with his thoughts on nudity, sex and exposure! He said, "Sex is a beautiful thing, and we're all born with."

And added, "A woman's innocence and coyness is sexier than a completely nude picture. Nowadays, the actresses are ready to do everything a role demands, even if it is nudity. And there's nothing wrong with it, if it's made beautifully." Well, if this is not enough, we'll tell you more.

Devsaab unabashedly revealed that he didn't mind doing an inmate scene, "I will do it in a way in which I will make it look beautiful!" Well, if this conversation is not sexed-up, then we don't know what is?

Mika to kiss Kangna next?

...All for a promotional song of 'Tanu weds Manu'

Kangna Ranaut and Madhavan will soon be seen in a film 'Tanu weds Manu'. And to make the promotions a little more hatke, director Anand L Rai got Kangna and Madhavan to shoot a music video featuring Mika. It is a Punjabi baraat number, with much energy and vibrancy.

Kangna was willing to do everything required by her till the point that the director suggested that Kangana get kissed by Mika in the same way he had kissed Rakhi Sawant. Kangna was aghast at the suggestion, and put her foot down.

So, the number is a simple, Punjabi number with much enthusiasm and zeal, but no kiss.

Vidya not posing nude for Hussain

Vidya Balan has not agreed to expose for a painting for acclaimed artist M.F. Hussain, says a close friend of the actress.

"The story is fabricated to damage her reputation and it hasn`t gone down well with the actress who has always maintained a dignified stance both in her personal and professional life," said the friend.

Hussain finds Vidya`s persona especially her face very sensual and cultured and a newspaper reported that she will bare all for his painting.

But Vidya, who will feature in Ekta Kapoor`s "Dirty Pictures", has always maintained she would take up projects only with an aesthetic sense.

"The news is absolutely hysterical. We are in the month of February and not April. Vidya has always maintained a dignified image and is one of the most respected stars in the industry. The reports are fabricated by parties with vested interests and if ever Vidya does decide to get a painting done, it will strictly be her face. Hope this puts an end to the speculation," said the friend.