IT exposes Priyanka Chopra's 9 flats

Everybody knows that Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has her own home in Mumbai but many may not know that she has invested in real estate. Well, the Income Tax (IT) raids at her residence and office have revealed that she owns nine flats in Mumbai.

IT officials found out that Priyanka owns five flats at Raj Classic in Versova but the actress has cleverly converted them into two - one comprising of three flats and the other two. She also owns a penthouse and three flats, which she gives out for rent.

The Income Tax officials raided the houses of Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra on January 24 on suspicion of tax evasion. They raided about 12 premises belonging to the actresses and sealed their lockers and seized their documents. The raids had earlier exposed that Katrina has an unaccounted wealth of around Rs. 6 crore in the form of jewellery, property and business ventures.

Kajol, Tabu, Irrfan get Padma Shri

Talented Bollywood actress Kajol, and versatile actors Tabu and Irrfan Khan were named for the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour on the eve of Republic Day on Tuesday.

Daughter of veteran actress Tanuja and late Bengali filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, Kajol made her Bollywood debut with not so successful movie Bekhudi in 1992 at the age of 17.

But the 35-year-old tasted commercial success with her second outing Baazigar where she shared the screen with Shah Rukh Khan for the first time and after that there was no looking back for the actress. She gave hit after hit like Karan Arjun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and most recently My Name Is Khan. Kajol is married to Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn and they have two children.

Tabu, one of the most talented actresses in Hindi film industry, debuted in Bollywood with commercial movie Vijaypath, but it was offbeat films like Maachis and Chandni Bar that brought her accolades and awards.

Irrfan Khan has also been conferred with Padma Shri. With his unconventional and powerful performances in Salaam Bombay, Maqbool, Life... In A Metro and The Namesake, the actor has carved a niche for himself in filmdom.

Shashi Kapoor, one of the most charming actors of his time, was named for the Padma Bhushan.

The 72-year-old, who is not keeping well and moves in and out of hospital in Mumbai, charmed Hindi movie-gores with films like Jab Jab Phool Khile, Waqt, Silsila, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie and Satyam Shivam Sundaram.

He also featured in international projects titled The Householder, Shakespearewallah and Heat and Dust.

In his more than six-decade-long career, Shashi Kapoor also ventured into production and made films like Junoon, Kalyug, Utsav, 36 Chowringhee Lane and Vijeta. He also produced and directed Ajooba.

The veteran composer Khayyam, the man behind the soulful music in 'Kabhi kabhie nere dil mein' and 'Dil cheez kya hai', has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan. Along with Waheeda Rehman.

"SRK called me 'Sir, Sir' during struggling days" - Salman

Salman debuted in “Maine Pyaar Kiya” in the year 1988 and Shah Rukh made his debut with “Deewana” in 1992. Ever since then they called each other ‘brothers’.

And after more than a decade Salman states “SRK and I can never be friends”. To this King Khan added “Salman and I don’t talk, which is absolutely right”.

The two worked together in films like “Karan Arjun”, “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega”, and “Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam”.

It was in 2008 that the two had a fight on Katrina’s birthday bash. In an interview Salman stated “Shah Rukh was like my brother. He used to call me sir, sir during his struggling days.”

“I have seen SRK go from door to door asking for work. He has become a different person now.”

He added “Only God can come and make us friends again, and that is not happening.” In Karan’s chat show “Koffee With Karan”, King Khan stated “If Salman is angry with me, it is 100% my fault.”

To this Salman replied that King Khan’s apology was for TRPs. Numerous online communities are appealing the two to mend ways and hope they come together in real life.

Rahman gets 2 Oscar nominations

A R Rahman has yet another chance of winning his third Academy Award.

The music director gets two big nominations for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song for Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.

Earlier, Rahman has taken home two Oscar trophies in the above mentioned categories for Slumdog Millionaire.

Here's looking at the other major nominations of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards that will be declared on February 27.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter's Bone

Best Actor

Javier Bardem for Biutiful

Jeff Bridges for True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network

Colin Firth for The King's Speech

James Franco for 127 Hours

Best Actress

Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right

Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole

Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

Best actor in a supporting role

Christian Bale for The Fighter

John Hawkes for Winter's Bone

Jeremy Renner for The Town

Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

Best Actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams for The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech

Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit

Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for True Grit

David Fincher for The Social Network

Tom Hooper for The King's Speech

David O Russell for The Fighter

Salman comes to Katrina's rescue

Salman Khan is back to being active on Twitter, and he's got something to say about the recent Income Tax raids that happened at the homes and offices of Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra. Well, we know that Salman still has a bit of a special interest in Kat, and it is still going strong. Just check out what he had to say.

Salman posted on his Twitter page, "Right to raid...then we (have) the right to question....then we have RTI (Right To Information) .... Bataooo oh ho ho oh. Aur ek insaan batao jo mere baat se disagree karega ...chekho chillao, kuch karo. Darr gaye kya? Or am I wrong? Must b thn! Vil jst keep it acting n movie's. y own frnd don't want me to tweet. So good nite."

Hmm...now that's definitely not one of those crystal clear posts but we do get that Salman doesn't like his close friend being subjected to a raid. Will he come out more clearly in support of her? Watch this space for updates!

Mandira expecting her first child

Cricket’s sexiest female anchor Mandira Bedi is back in the news but for a very cute reason. Her husband, producer Raj Kaushal and she are expecting their first child close to 11 years after they got married.

It was meant to be a secret but what gave Mandira away was a dress. She was spotted at the calendar launch of Gold’s Gym in Bandra on Monday night, in an outfit that revealed a slight baby bump. She came for a very brief while and was very careful with her movements.

While Mandira did not return our calls, a source close to her confirmed the news. “Yes, Raj and Mandira are set to become parents.

Since it’s just the second trimester, they don’t want to talk about it at the moment. The baby is due some time in June.”

Mandira’s plans of anchoring the Cricket World Cup stay. “These are early days and most people - especially the viewers - won’t have the slightest inkling that she’s expecting,” added the source.

Gabbar Singh in Dabangg's remake

Producer Arbaaz Khan has confirmed that the Telugu rights of Bollywood blockbuster Dabangg has been sold to Pawan Kalyan. He has put an end to the speculations, which said that the rights of the film are yet to be sold.

Earlier, after announcing that Gabbar Singh is a remake of Dabangg, a few reports claimed that Pawan Kalyan had not acquired the rights and producer Arbaaz was still in negotiations. It was also reported that makers of Gabbar Singh would land in trouble if they claim it as Dabangg's remake.

However, Dabangg maker has clarified and said that it is sold to Pawan Kalyan. He is also happy for selling the Telugu rights to power star.

Merupu delayed again?

Ram Charan Teja starrer Merupu, which has been in the news for over a year, has reportedly being delayed again. The speculations are doing rounds that the movie's high-budget is the reason behind it.

Megastar Chiranjeevi has reportedly told Dharani that the estimated budget quoted by the director has surprised him. So, he has urged the director to reduce it, as it is difficult to recover the invested money of the movie, if it fails at the box-office.

Sources say that Ram Charan Teja's recent movie Orange's poor performance at the box-office, has made Chiru to play safe. It may recalled that Chiru had also directed Ram Charan to return his remuneration to the producer to reduce the financial burden from losses.

Sallu, Kat most preferred sexual partners

When it comes to having casual sex, it's Katrina Kaif that most men prefer, while Salman Khan tops the list for women.

According to a recent survey conducted by one of the leading condom brands in India, respondents were asked to vote for stars they would prefer as casual sex partners. In the survey conducted across 7 cities in India, men and women in the age bracket of 18-45 years were asked to answer the question - 'If you have to engage in casual sex, who would you prefer as a partner?'

Answers varied from film stars and sports stars to politicians and business personalities. But it was Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif who topped the list hands down. While most men voted for Katrina Kaif, the largest number of women rooted for Katrina's ex-beau Salman Khan.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, despite being married came a close second, followed by Bipasha Basu. Tennis star Sania Mirza, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, item girl Rakhi Sawant and Badminton champion Saina Nehwal were the others who got substantial votes.

Ranbir Kapoor was second to Salman in the men's list followed by Shah Rukh Khan on the third and cricketer M.S Dhoni at the fourth position. Women also voted for Hrithik Roshan, Rahul Gandhi, Emraan Hashmi, Saif Ali Khan, Imran Khan and Yuvraj Singh as their preferred sex partners. Boxer Vijender Singh, shooter Abhinav Bindra, cricketer Virat Kohli, and Kingfisher scion Siddharth Mallya were the other favourites.

I-T knocks Priyanka's door, finds Shahid

Income Tax officers, who went to raid Priyanka Chopra's home at 7.30 am, were greeted by Shahid Kapoor clad only in his shorts

"If I woke up as Priyanka Chopra one day, I would wonder what I was doing in Shahid Kapoor's bedroom and then walk over to my flat in the next wing," actor Shahid Kapoor had famously said on a popular chat show barely a month ago. Little did he know that the statement would come back to bite him.

Income Tax officials, who went to Chopra's Versova residence for a raid at 7.30 am yesterday, were in for a surprise when they were greeted not by the sultry siren but by a sleepy Kapoor, who was wearing nothing but shorts.

For a moment, they thought they had raided the wrong sixth floor apartment in Classic Building on Yari Road. One of the officers disclosed that after rubbing his eyes in shock for a second it occurred to him that Shahid and Priyanka were "great friends".

He said Shahid left the house as soon as he finished getting dressed. "Shahid was very much at Priyanka's house, but he wasn't in the buff and nor did he open the door. She has servants, so why would he open the door? Shahid had spent the night at Priyanka's place and she had come from walking the ramp at a fashion show for Shabana Azmi. The two are trying to spend as much time together before PC starts the promotions for her movie Saat Khoon Maaf," said a source close to Kapoor. "Shocked as we were, we knew we had a raid to carry out and that's precisely what we did. It was meant to be a swift operation and security personnel in the building were not given a chance to warn the actor that we were on the way up," said an I-T official.

The raid

A senior I-T official confirmed that nearly 70 officers drawn from various units raided 12 properties belonging to Chopra and Katrina Kaif yesterday in connection with alleged tax evasion.

The officials sealed 12 lockers and verification of documents continued till late in the evening.

Officials said many documents were seized from Chopra's residence, which was created by merging five flats.

The residence of Capt Dr Ashok Chopra, the former Miss World's father, at Lokhandwala was also raided.

Kaif's personal assistants and two celebrity management companies ” Matrix and Bling ” arranged shows and other parties for the actress.

The office and residence of photographer Atul Kasbekar, who owned Matrix and now runs Bling, were also raided.

I-T officials did not find any documents in Kaif's Bandra home. Officials said they have found that the two actresses converted black money into white using Section 80 RR (see box) of the I-T Code.

"The actresses have done many stage shows abroad. They took more money by cheque to get more exemption and then returned some of it in cash after returning to India. The said money is not reflected in their I-T returns," said an officer. "The raids are still continuing," said I-T Director General (investigation) B P Gaur.

Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor were unavailable for comment.