Aishwarya is “fit” to marry Abhishek

Ok, someone did say the path of true love is not easy…but obviously Aishwarya might not have foreseen the troubles she’ll have to go through to get the man of her dreams. After having to stay awake an entire night for a series of poojas, the buzz is that she just might have to get married to a peepal tree in Varanasi before she is “fit” to marry Abhishek.

It’s a common practice amongst traditional minded Indians who believe that marrying a ‘manglik’ girl could be dangerous for the life of her spouse. So to ward off the evil, the girl is made to marry a tree, which is said to take on the bad effects of Mars.

Says Mumbai-based strologer Pt Ravi Krishna, “A ‘manglik’ girl has to go through all the wedding rituals with the tree before she gets married to her actual husband. She has to get a ‘mangalsutra’ (black thread tied around the neck of a bride by the bridegroom during the wedding) tied and also has to do ‘pheras’ around the tree.”

Well, what can we say? The most beautiful woman in the world getting married to a tree to ward off the ‘manglik’ (Mars) effect on her? Well, it happens only in India.

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ICI has roped in Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor to endorse its 'Colour Futures' campaign

With an eye on further fuelling growth in the Indian market, leading global paints company ICI has roped in Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor to endorse its 'Colour Futures' campaign. Karan Johar will direct the actor in the advertisement to be produced by Shah Rukh Khan's production house, Red Chillies Entertainment.

"India is amongst the top ten global markets which are prime growth drivers for us. We are expecting significant growth from this market and hence are increasing our investments here," ICI Paints Chief Marketing Officer Kerris Bright said.

She said the investments would be in marketing, brand building, innovation and communication, adding the parent company has asked the Indian subsidiary ICI India to scale up targets. She, however, declined to comment on the exact amount of investments.

ICI India Marketing Head (Paints Division) Hina Nagarajan said the company has roped in Kareena Kapoor to endorse its Colour Futures, a campaign predicting colour trends for the upcoming season.

"We have been spending about 9-10 per cent of our turnover on advertising campaigns. This time a big chunk will be going to the Colour Futures 2007," she said adding the advertising campaign featuring Kapoor would be directed by Karan Johar and produced by Khan's production house Red Chillies.

Nagarajan said the company, which clocked sales of Rs 675 crore last year, has been growing over 20 per cent year-on-year and expected to continue to do so.

Nagarajan said ICI's Colour Future, which was launched in 2005 has picked up significantly in terms of sales.

"In 2005 our Colour Futures range contributed just about 1 per cent to total sales. This year it is contributing about 15 per cent and we expect to further increase it," she added.

ICI, for which designers Varun Bahl and Poonam Bhagat endorse its products, has also tied up with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) to conduct workshops on colour trends.

"This is the beginning of a relationship. From next year FDCI will call international expert to conduct programmes on colour exclusively for apparels," FDCI Chairperson Rathi Vinay Jha said.

The programme would be held twice a year, one around November for the Spring-Summer and another in June-July for the fall-winter season, she added.

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Saif Ali Khan decided to work with the Deols' favourite filmmaker Anil Sharma

It seems to be one of the most unlikely creative team in mainstream cinema. Has Saif Ali Khan decided to work with the Deols' favourite filmmaker Anil Sharma, the guy who made savage masala films with one or the other Deol throughout the 1980s?

Talk of this unlikely combination has been gathering momentum ever since Saif's under-production film Tara Rum Pum with Rani Mukherji reached the finishing line. Saif needed to get cracking with his next assignment. And, reportedly, he has.

Saif said, "Yes Anil Sharma approached me and I'm looking at the script. Remember, this is the man who made Gadar. It would be interesting to go into this kind of cinema. If I decide to do it, I'd be fully into it."

"I've never worked with Anil, or the two actors who are going to be my co-stars. It should be fun," said Saif before he left for a holiday to Maldives with his family.

And has he refused to work with Fardeen Khan in Abbas-Mustan's project? "No. I think this kind of talk started when I had to back out of Feroz Khansaab's Qurbani which he wanted to do with me and Fardeen. I could not do that film due to genuine date problems," replied Saif.

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Rani's mother, father, brother and bhabhi are with her in Varanasi

Apparently, all the recent rumours, speculation and recent trouble with the locals in Varanasi have made Rani Mukherji wary of mingling with everyone. The latest buzz is that the normally friendly and effusive Rani Mukherji has been uncharacteristically aloof in Varanasi where she has been shooting for Pradeep Sarkar's film since a month.

Rani's mother, father, brother and bhabhi are with her in Varanasi. When Rani is not working, she spends all her time with her family. In the evening when she packs up she does not hang out with the unit members. Rani has become wary of external company after all the trouble she has faced in Varanasi. She is focussing only on her family," says a source from location.

Is Pradeep Sarkar's new film actually called Choodiyan? Rani says, "No! As of now the film has no title. Earlier some Hindi newspapers mentioned that the film was Anaam, meaning it is 'untitled'. After which the newspapers started calling the film Anaam. Now they've gone ahead and named our film Choodiyan. That probably started when some people saw Konkona and me shooting for a song in which we are wearing lots of bangles! "

The month-long shooting schedule in Varanasi will end soon, after which the unit will return to Mumbai where Abhishek Bachchan will make himself a part of the plot.

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Scared to think about having my own children right now, Bipasha

Bipasha Basu, whose recently released 'Dhoom 2' is making waves at the box office, is in no hurry to tie the knot with beau John Abraham and says she is too scared to think about having her own children right now.

'I love kids. But right now my nephew, whose parents are setting up house in Mumbai, is staying with me. And I'm scar-r-r-e-d to even think about having my own kids. Right now, parenthood seems like the most difficult job in the world. I've told my sister, my nephew is enough. I don't think I can have a child of my own for a long time,' Bipasha told IANS.

Tell her that John hopes to make loads of money to pay for their wedding and honeymoon and the actress smirks.

'Oh please! I don't believe in lavish weddings. It's a criminal waste of money to call so many people who are genuinely not interested in my life. Better to invite only my genuine circle of friends. However, there's loads of time before the wedding happens. And trust me, everyone will know when it happens.'

Bipasha had recently been to Toronto and returned as a richer person as she found a good woman friend.

'After ages I have made a really close friend. She's actually John's friend. But after a long time I have made truly good female friends with whom I can remain connected without a sense of rivalry. One can't do that in Bollywood.'

The actress misses her hometown Kolkata.

'I enjoy my vacations there. But I can't live there. Of course, puja in Mumbai isn't quite the same as Kolkata. So, I don't miss having my family around. But yes, I did enjoy puja in Kolkata earlier. Now it gets too crowded and my dad gets tired. The crowds are uncontrollable. So it's no longer fun.

'But now I've my entire family in Mumbai, including my elder sister whose husband has just got a job transfer from Bangalore. So, my entire family lives just a stone's throw away from where I stay.'

Bipasha grows reflective.

'As you grow older you really look for your roots. At 17, I felt great travelling alone and making my way around the world. But then family begins to catch up. I've been away from them for too long. I need my family close to me, specially since I don't allow too many people to come into my inner circle.'

A new development in Bipasha's life - she has been, in her words, rewarding herself with vacations.

'For years it was just New Year. But now I indulge myself on holidays when I feel like. Recently, I went to Toronto Film Festival with John. It was a lovely experience. Toronto is such a beautiful city. I had been there earlier for work only. Of course, I went because I got to spend quality time with John. But I got a chance to make some genuinely great friends in Toronto.'

About her rather ugly run-in with the Independence Day parade in New Jersey, Bipasha says being harassed isn't peculiar to high-profile women.

'Because we're celebrities such incidents get played up. But funny things happen to women all the time, whether we admit it or not. And those who think such things happen only to me because of the image that I have, I question their intelligence level. These things could happen to anybody, yaar. It's life.'

As far as her acting assignments are concerned, she has some good projects in her kitty.

'I've two films with Abbas-Mastan, one with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay, which is almost complete, the other with Saif, which will start soon. There're three other offers that I'm considering seriously.

'There're 20 other offers which I could've taken up at this time of my career. But I don't want to. It isn't necessary to work every single day of the year. I don't want to have 11-12 trashy releases per year.

'Whatever is offered is not what I'm always happy with. Now I'm looking forward to going beyond 'Dhoom 2', spending time with my family, my boyfriend and just relaxing.'

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Karisma strongly denies comeback rumour

Rumours of actress Karisma Kapoor's return keep surfacing through one project or another. The latest was a press release, which claimed that Karisma had agreed to be in director Onir's next film "You & I".

But the actress, who quit acting after tying the knot with Delhi-based businessman Sanjay Kapoor, strongly denies the rumour.

"All these are just rumours. I haven't signed any film officially. Yes, I've been hearing a lot of scripts. But that's about it," Karisma told IANS.

Some time ago there was talk Karisma, who has showcased her versatility in films like "Raja Hindustani", "Zubeida" and "Dil To Pagal Hai", was returning to cinema with Ram Gopal Varma's "Sholay", a rumour that both the actress and the filmmaker strongly refuted.

Earlier, she was supposed to serve as a judge on the dance contest "Jhalak Dikhla Jaa". However, the price she asked for put the show's sponsors off and sent them scampering to Shilpa Shetty.

So, until her expectations from a renewed career are met by a vehicle she chooses, Karisma is happy being a wife and mother.

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There's something brewing between akshay & lara

Post Rang de Basanti's selction as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, the makers of Lage Raho Munnabhai are now routing for the film at the Oscars as an independent entry.

Going by the global appeal of the film as it deals with non-violence, producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra has decided to send Lage Raho Munnabhai to the Oscars as an independent entry in the US.

Ken Naz of Eros International, US, is in the process of preparing the relevant documents to apply for the film's entry at the Oscars.

"The record number of fan mails that we have received worldwide have supported our belief and inspired us to go ahead and send the film to the Academy as an independent entry," Chopra said.

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Sushmita Sen has shot hot sex scenes with her ex-boyfriend Randeep Hooda

Sushmita Sen has shot hot sex scenes with her ex-boyfriend Randeep Hooda in forthcoming film 'Karma Confession and Holi'.
The same Sushmita, however, recently turned down an item number for Raj Kanwar's 'Raqueeb' since it needed her to move sexily. It's now doing seductress Sherlyn (Mona) Chopra.
Earlier Sushmita shot a kiss scene in Kalpana Lajmi's 'Chingaari'. But this time, Sushmita is doing much hotter scene in 'Karma Confession and Holi'. Sushmita however denies that she has done the scene just to titillate the audience. "In the film, Randeep plays my husband. So it's natural to have sex scene with him," quipped Sushmita.

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Jhansi Ki Rani Aish

If everything goes right, Aishwarya Rai can play the legendary warrior queen, Rani of Jhansi in Ayesha Shroff's next. As per latest, Ayesha, wife of actor Jackie Shroff, has set to produce the big-budget epic and wants Aishwarya in the role of Rani.
It was being buzzed that 'Mangal Pandey' director Ketan Mehta can make a movie on Rani; however at present it's under consideration only, whereas Ayesha Shroff has gone much ahead of Ketan with her project. As per reports, research work has already been complete for the movie and the pre-production work to take off soon.
Ayesha wants to hire a director from Hollywood for the film.
Actress Sushmita Sen had wanted to produce a movie on the Rani Laxmibai, so as she could play the title role. It's a dream role for Sushmita. Also actress Rani Mukherji's very keen to play the role. But it finally went to Aishwarya, which has definitely made the beautiful lady flying high.

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Love Story 2050 is a futuristic film and has a lot of special effects, Harry

Harry Baweja is going the whole hog to ensure that his son's debut film Love Story 2050 turns out as good as possible. The latest is that Baweja has now roped in Oscar award-winner John Cox (of Babe fame) to execute the visuals for this film.

Work is on in full swing and Cox has even prepared a robot called Boo which will keep leading lady Priyanka Chopra company throughout the film, which is produced by Adlabs Films.


Harry says, "Love Story 2050 is a futuristic film and has a lot of special effects. Therefore, we signed on John to do the visual effects for the film. He has created a creature which is about two-and-a-half feet high. It will be Priyanka's pet in the film. It took two years of planning, and six months of sheer hard work to create it. It has been named Boo and it talks, walks and does everything else a human being can do."

"Apart from the huge price we paid John, it took close to Rs 500,000 to create the robot. It is an interactive toy that keeps Priyanka company," says Harry.

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The first romantic film pending

Shaahid Kapoor is despondent about the fate of Boney Kapoor's Milenge Milenge. Apparently, this was the first romantic film which was signed by Shaahid and Kareena Kapoor. Kareena was already under a contract with Boney Kapoor after Khushi and when she started dating Shaahid, director Satish Kaushik convinced Boney to produce a romantic film with them as the lead couple.

Incidentally, Boney spent a lot on the film and they shot at various fancy locations. Yet the film has been lying untouched for more than two years now.

It has been alleged that the film is complete and despite Boney's attempts to release the film, Shaahid is stalling it on the grounds that both actors look very different now.

But when we contacted Shaahid, he refuted this claim. "It's untrue. Why would I stall the film? It's my film and I want it to be released. But it has been two years since they last made contact with me. I don't know what's happening to it," he said.

After a series of flops, the actor is now in a better frame of mind after Vivah. "Success in an actor's life matters the most. Nobody had any expectation from Vivah, because it was a small-budget film," he says.

Through the highs and lows, Kareena has always stood by Shaahid. "I am glad that Kareena has always stood by me. Our relationship goes beyond hits and flops. We are friends and thankfully the equation doesn't depend on the success of our films," he says.

After a hectic last year, Shaahid has decided to take it easy now. "I am working out and spending time with my family. I don't see myself starting to work before January. I have signed Ramesh Sippy's untitled film with Nana Patekar," says Shaahid.

There have been rumours of his having bought a new apartment. "Not true, I have been staying at the same place for more than a year and it's a studio apartment. I stay with my dog, and he messes up my room every day. I clean it up whenever I get back from shooting. At the moment I am not even planning on buying a new apartment. I am just three years old in this industry. I need to do a few more films, then I will think of buying a new house," he says.

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The John Abraham Collection

The John Abraham collection is being launched and the natty actor promises to wear only his brand once the clothes are out.

This was an offer from international clothes brand Wrangler. "Like the Sean John collection in New York, we'll have the John Abraham collection of clothes in Asia. The clothes are going to carry my name and signature," says John with some pride and much affection.

"They'd reflect my personality and the kind of clothes that I feel comfortable wearing. I'd see no need to wear other brands because my collection would have everything that I sartorially aspire to."

John's designers would be from Milan and London and are the same guys who design for Diesel.

"This deal is being franchised through Arvind Mills who are the biggest denim manufacturers in the world. I don't know whether you're aware, but some of the biggest jeans labels like Diesel, True Religion and Seven are manufactured in Tirupur in south India by Arvind Mills and then outsourced to various Western countries.

"The John Abraham Collection will come out of the same factory. The only difference is that the prices will be economised for the Asian market. A pair of jeans with my name will cost anything from Rs.2,500-4,000 in India."

Women need not feel left out. "There's a ladies lineup of clothes that I went to inspect myself. They're lovely. I think women are going to be very satisfied slipping into John Abraham. I do know what women want," he chuckles.

"I mean I know what I'd like to see women wear. This is the first time that Wrangler US has lent its name for a private clothes collection. And that's because their growth in India after I became their ambassador has been noticeable. That's why Wrangler decided to be gracious to me."

John has obviously swung a very lucrative deal.

"The John Abraham Collection is going to take care of a LOT of things in my life in the next five years, including paying for my marriage, and my honeymoon. Financially, I'm always in the red because I'm always trying to invest. In fact, at this very moment, I'm in the red. But that only makes me work harder all the time."

Is John sure he won't like to wear other brands once his own label comes in? "I'd be very upset with myself if I didn't find everything I want to wear within my brand. And I want my men and women audience to wear only John Abraham clothes. The line-up is very retro. This is one more way to connect with my fans."

Speaking of fan experience how do they react to John. "It's very sweet. They pull my hair, touch my abdominal muscles. But this time when I was on the red carpet in Toronto for 'Kabul Express' I got a nice pinch on my butt.

"I turned around and saw the girl smiling and boasting to her friend. 'Don't you do that again,' I told her with a smile. My security guys go through a nightmare when I'm out. But I enjoy it. Only, sometimes they scratch you. And that's painful."

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Katrina & Arjun together

Katrina Kaif won ace Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh's faith. As per latest the sexy actress has been signed up by Ghosh for his next to be based on Bankimchandra Chatterjee's classic novel 'Devi Choudhrani'. Katrina will play the title role.
Besides Katrina, Ghosh has also finalized Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal for an important role in the film.
Detractors of Ghosh, however, criticizing Ghosh's move for his decision to cast Bollywood glam stars in a movie, which is based on classic novel like 'Devi Choudhrani'. When asked, Ghosh said he did nothing for publicity stunts. "Katrina and Arjun suit their roles perfectly," Ghosh quipped.

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Ayesha Takia has turned down director Nagesh Kukunoor's next

Ayesha Takia has turned down director Nagesh Kukunoor's next just because it has an intense sex scene. Ayesha worked with Nagesh in 'Dor', the film which gave her lot of critical acclaims. But when Nagesh approached Ayesha for his next, Ayesha didn't think twice to refuse him as she was supposed to do a bold scene for the film. "I'm sorry. But a sex scene is out of the question. When I came into this industry I set down some dos and don'ts for myself. And I plan to stick by them," said Ayesha in a recent interview. Isn't there any way the director and the actress can work this out? "It is a problem," Ayesha conceded. "For the girl in Nagesh's next film her sexuality is a very important part of her character. Nagesh feels it won't work without the kiss. I respect that," said Ayesha.

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The Rock Star

The tanned and bronzed look seems to be working PERFECTLY for the hunky, Upen Patel! This exclusive shot was taken during the shoot of Suneel Darshan's upcoming flick, Shaka Laka Boom Boom.

The film is being shot in the mesmerizing South African city of Cape Town. No wonder the Patel boy is looking like a super-stud! Shaka Laka Boom Boom is a musical, and has Upen in the role of a rock star! Well, we are sure his off-screen persona will rub off on-screen, too!

The film also stars Kangana Ranaut, Bobby Deol and Celina Jaitley. And the music is composed by none other than Himesh Reshammiya.

Catch some more exclusive shots of Upen looking his best in the film.

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Let us hope that Munnabhai gets out of the mess very soon

The verdict that everyone has been waiting for is finally out. Sanjay Dutt has been found guilty under the Arms Act. Luckily for Sanjay Dutt he has not been found guilty under the TADA act for which the punishment is very severe. The maximum sentence he can get now is of 3 years.

The judge who declared the verdict also said that Sanjay Dutt is not a terrorist. Sanjay Dutt will apply for bail tomorrow. A lot of Sanjay Dutt movies are currently under production and if Sanjay is given a jail term for too long, the producers may incur heavy losses up to Rs 160 crores.

Let us hope that Munnabhai gets out of the mess very soon.

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Another Big B versus SRK match

Fans of popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati are in for a big treat as the makers of the show have found a replacement for superstar host Amitabh Bachchan.


None other than Shah Rukh Khan will get into the Big B’s shoes this time around. Star TV’s money-spinner show is expected to be back on the small screen in March next year.


“I was pleasantly surprised when STAR offered me the show. I was a participant in season one of KBC and little did I know one day I would be hosting it,” Shah Rukh says.


“It is a huge act to follow, that of Mr Bachchan but it also excites me that I am getting an opportunity to reach out, talk and interact with my audience through a medium where I began my career as an actor years ago,” Shah Rukh adds.


Bachchan had recently said in an interview that the modalities for the third run of the show were being worked out with the channel. But it seems the makers had a bigger surprise in store for the audience.


"Mr Bachchan couldn't work out an early return to the programme. So, Shah Rukh is on. I think he will make a terrific host as he is witty, smart and youthful. Though, there is no denying that Mr Bachchan was par excellence. Now, Shah Rukh will be the key differentiator in the third series of KBC," producer of the show, Siddharth Basu says.


Kaun Banega Crorepati, which is loosely based on the famous UK game show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, was first aired in 2000. The show was revived four years later as Kaun Banega Crorepati Dwitiya in which the prize money was also doubled to Rs 2 crore.


But the second run of the show was short-lived as Bachchan fell ill. Now it seems Star TV is all set to revive the show with an eye on the TRPs that the show had once managed to garner. And as far Shah Rukh’s brand value is concerned, Star has struck gold.

“We are extremely delighted to announce the Next Generation avatar of KBC and are even more pleased to present Shah Rukh Khan, as its host. We promise to engage and deliver to our audiences a whole new entertainment experience,” CEO, Star Entertainment India, Sameer Nair says.


So, post-Don, get ready for another Big B versus SRK match.

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I’m a nice guy, I really am, John

Source: DNAIndia

John Abraham opens up on the life he lived, the dream he’s living and how he ‘survives’ in a 400-square feet house

I’m a nice guy, I really am. I understand that can be boring, but — maybe just to balance things out — I can be bad when I just have to. These are relative terms, though; more important are the connections you make. I believe I have this sense of connect with everybody I meet; a sense of accessibility. For instance, I don’t think twice about walking into a store. You know what the funny bit is: people come up to me only when they want my suggestions on what they might look best in.

Simplicity, for me, is this bond you establish with people, with the world. And I’m simple not because I try to be simple, but because I have spent most of my life being simple. This is not an equation that changes when you see a little money. Life does not, and should not, change that way.

Lucky me, existing in a fishbowl

I would never complain about living in a fishbowl; I love every minute of it. I’m fortunate that people love me and my work. But the truth is that my achievements, if you can call it that, are moderate. I have a long way to go.

I want John Abraham, the brand, to outlive me. I think life is about making a statement without trying too hard. It is your attitude, rather than your success, that carries you. What’s my attitude? I don’t mean to be narcissistic, but it’s very John Abraham: retro and approachable, cool and basic.

There’s one thing I do plenty of when I want to unplug: sit on my bike and ride. I ride when I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I’m upset, when I’m jubilant; it’s all about me and my machine — my baby — and the soul that we share.

Spaced out in 400 square feet

I live in an area of 400 square feet: a single bare room with one sofa and two beanbags. Someone asks me where I sleep and I tell him my bed is the sofa he’s sitting on. My wardrobe is cut of similar cloth: my pillows, quilts and bed sheets on the left and my clothes on the right.

I own few clothes; it’s not a big thing for me. I have four pairs of jeans and some shirts — that’s it. I like the feeling of distress that comes with living in roughed-out clothes.

The clothing bit kind of fits in with being a Mumbai boy. I’m from a school called Bombay Scottish and my teachers there spent long hours disciplining me. My teachers, at school and later in college, are such a big part of what I am.

Johnny be good

I’ve been brought up in a certain way. My parents have instilled values in me that continue to define the way I live. When people don’t like me or that they speak badly about me, it upsets me for sure, but then I shake that off.

My father is a Malayali and my mother is an Irani, to use the Mumbai lexicon. I have been raised on my mother’s side, which is why I know Gujarati but not Malayalam.

My beginnings were very humble. My father was a basic sort of person. There was a time — I was in the sixth or seventh standard — when I pestered him to buy us a car (Scottish had an overdose of rich kids and they used to come in these big vehicles).

Nostalgia is an old friend

My growing-up years were simple and happy: home food, mom and dad… I still miss those times. I love my present life but I feel nostalgic about those days. My parents spent so much time nurturing me and now I feel so guilty that I cannot spend time with them. It hurts.

My mother works for an old-age home. She tells me there is no place there anymore because sons my age drop their parents there, saying they’ll come back soon to pick them up — and they never do. I have seen this old lady there, looking up and smiling at the sun, at life, hoping her child will come and get her.

I have made my mother cry so much over all the trouble I got into. A teacher once told her, “John means 24 grey hairs in a day.” I used to bunk school, I could be found only on the football field. They had to drag me to class.

When God is on my mind

Of course, I believe in God, especially when I’m in trouble. Since that happens quiet often, you can say I think of him quiet often.

I’m not an overtly religious person, though; I’m more of an agnostic. My father used to tell me that the most important thing is to be good; follow that principle and you don’t need to go to a religious place and prove a point.

I have taken him extremely seriously — I haven’t been to one in the past 25 years.

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Hrithik & Aish Crazy kiya re

Aishwarya Rai has finally dropped her inhibitions and done a full-on kiss with co-star Hrithik Roshan for Sanjay Gadhvi's film Dhoom 2. Ever since the film released on Friday, the scene has been the talk of the town.

The entire Bachchan family were reportedly upset with the prolonged kiss between their future bahu and Hrithik. Apparently, Aishwarya was not keen on this lip-lock scene with Hrithik, it was Adi Chopra who put his foot down. He signed her on the condition that she would do the scene.

When contacted, director Sanjay Gadhvi said, "As a director it was just another scene for me. I don't see any reason to see a kissing scene separately, or differently." Yet, considering Ash doesn't do kissing scenes (the only time she did a kissing scene was with Vivek Oberoi in Kyon Ho Gaya Na, but later Ash insisted that the scene should be edited) it must have been very difficult to convince her?

"I think Adi explained each and every scene of the film to her before she signed on the dotted line. Adi makes his stars comfortable on the sets, so we had only a few people on the sets while we were shooting the kissing scene. Ash wanted the studio to be emptied," says Gadhvi.

According to audiences who have seen the scene, Aishwarya and Hrithik share good chemistry in it.


"Both are very good-looking actors and when you get to see stunning lookers kissing, it's got to be passionate. However, I see it just as another scene, while many feel that it was the most passionate scene in the film," says Sanjay.

As for Hrithik, the actor didn't have any issues with the scene, although he has also refrained from doing such scenes in the past.

"For an actor, it's very important to get into the character. In my film that scene establishes Aryan's love for Sunheri. And what could have been better than a kiss? It's a pure form of love," he explains.

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Rang De Basanti turned out exactly the way it was written, Siddharth

Source: CNN-IBN

Opening the Indian Mainstream Category at IFFI, Rang De Basanti has brought its cast and crew with it to Goa, and actor Siddharth took time off to talk to our Entertainment editor Rajeev Masand.


Are you here for IFFI?


Yes, I’m watching films here.


Your film Rang De Basanti was screened here. How do you feel about the movie now after almost a year of its release?



I think the interesting thing about the film is that we were discussing with Rakeysh (Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Director) was its shelf life. We still have not had the time to look back at it because it keeps coming back and slapping us on our face and saying ‘I am still here, notice me.’ It was screened yesterday to a packed house and it felt like day one in Mumbai. The audience still laughed at the same places and got tense and had the same feelings of confusion and anger at the end of the film. So the film is still alive. So it’s difficult to look back at something that’s still in front of you.


When the film came to you, did you always expect it to find this kind of a resonance with the audience across the board like it did?


I’d like to believe that when I’m offered a film, going by the script, my conviction may not be in sync with the director’s but I have conviction in the honesty of the plot and what he wants to tell the audience. With Rang De Basanti, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was holding the script in my hand, which I incidentally turned down at first because I wasn’t quite sure of what I’d be doing in the film. The first thing that struck me was the honesty of Rakeysh Mehra and the writers and I’m very happy that at the end of the day the film is exactly the way it was written.

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I think its one of the most enjoyable films that I have done, Hrithik

“I don’t think sequels work, or films of a certain kind work, I think what works is basically good films and bad films don’t,” says Hrithik Roshan in the second part of this exclusive interview. With his bravado performance in ‘Dhoom 2’ it goes without saying Hrithik is going to agree that sequels do work…

You have a very different look in the film, tell us a little about it.
I really want to say one thing about the look and that is that the true hero of this film is Anaita because what she has done for this film is truly representative of the kind of film Dhoom 2 needs to be. She has brought out the best of every character, specially with Aryan what she has done is outstanding. I think she has outdone herself and for me, its been such an exciting leap to just be that grungy relaxed easy going but reflective, very calculating, dextrous agile kind of a person, and the clothes really have helped to bring out and project those aspects of Aryan. He is very proficient in what he does and he is an expert but he’s an individual, and lives like the way he wants to live. It’s almost like he puts 2-3 things together and because its coming out of an individual space, it looks stylish, coz he’s creating his individuality out there. I think that’s what style is about, when you wear and put things together that makes you feel more of yourself, I think that’s what creates an individual outlook.

Being part of Krishh, why do you think Dhoom 2 will work as a sequel?
I don’t think sequels work, or films of a certain kind work, I think what works is basically good films and bad films don’t. So if Dhoom 2 is a good sequel, if it’s a good film, which I think it is and not resting on the laurels of Dhoom part 1, by itself it should be a film which should have been made even if there was no Dhoom part 1, and I think that was what worked with Krishh because, it was not resting on the success of Koi Mil Gaya. It took on from there but became a completely different world by itself, and should have been made a film by itself even if there was no Koi Mil Gaya. So this is what sequels should be about, they should not rest on laurels of the previous hit, and that is what Dhoom hopefully will do.

Last time you and Abhishek came together on screen you were friends, this time you are foes, which one is better and why?
We are always friends. Abhishek and I have grown up together and we wish the best for each other. Even working in this film with him, has definitely made me decide one thing, that once in every 2 years I definitely want to do a film with him, because working with him has been very fulfilling, as in he’s a good person and he radiates that, and I am a person who works without any egos and so is Abhishek. He gives his best when he is within a shot and he is all for the scene to work in its entirety and there is a lot of give and take. I love that, love working with actors who go beyond wanting to be the best, wanting to give the best so that the entirety of the scene comes out as the best. So he will think, as much for me as for himself and visa versa, so that is something that I enjoy doing, because it really creates a bond and you actually enjoy the process of putting the film together, which is what your life is actually made up of its those moments that you live for a year or two.

How was the experience of shooting in South Africa, do you have a message for your fans there?
I love South Africa, its been one of my favourite countries of the world. Also the people there I believe what makes a place beautiful is its people and that rings very true for South Africa. Whenever I went there they are very humble people and very helpful. They respect your space. I have been there on and off and always looked forward to going back to South Africa.

What according to you was the best moment during the shooting of this film?
That’s very hard to say, I don’t think its about one moment or two moments, there were so many, the point is to have a fulfilling day, everytime you come back home you should feel fulfilled and that is something that I got out of Dhoom 2 a lot of. I think its one of the most enjoyable films that I have done and I know people say this for every film, but this truly is something that I have reflected on, and have been surprised by my own attachment to this film, because it was supposed to be the joyride and something that I wanted to do for fun because I was doing all these serious cinema films, I wanted to do just something just out of the world and completely let myself out there and have some fun.

Uday and Abhishek are childhood friends so what was it like working with them?
Since I have already spoken about Abhishek, I will talk about Uday. Uday and me go back a really really long way. We have done everything together, name it, and the last thing that I thought we would be doing together is facing the camera, so we’ve had a laugh chatting about that fact. Right from the second standard he and I have been together in every single thing that we have done. If there was something that I learnt, he has learnt and if there was something that he was learning, I joined him, whether its karate, computer classes, college, school, tution, sports everything. So doing a film with him was just an extention of that and really had a great time, he’s a great guy and I wish the best for him.

What according to you can the audiences look forward to in Dhoom 2?
Its like the words of the song, ‘Dhoom again and come away with me on a rollercoaster ride, so strap yourselves up and get ready for the ride of your life, that’s what Dhoom is about, its to the point, its fast, its exhilarating, it’ll keep you at the edge of your seat, you will not know what has hit you, its one of those popcorn thrillers, so come one, come all, and expect the world!

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10th year of my film career, Aishwarya

“There was a certain body type that I was determined to work on, and I was very glad to discover that the first time in my life that I have got down to working out, my body responds very quickly and its very reassuring to know that,” says Aishwariya Rai in this second part of the exclusive interview that we’ve brought just for you. Going by her well toned look in the film, it seems all the hard work done by Ash has gone down well with the audience. Find out a bit more from her as to what makes ‘Dhoom 2’ special….

You have so many releases coming up, what makes Dhoom 2 special?
It’s definitely a first in my career and it’s interesting it’s happened in the 10th year of my film career. Of course that’s by choice, its not a moment if I may say so, a moment I have been waiting for to happen to me. In the sense that there have been offers to do roles in the western mode but I have been very choosy, very evident in the choice of films that I have done and made so far. This was a tough offer to resist, because I thought it was perfect, if this was what I wanted to bring on board, this was the perfect premise to do so. So in terms of playing an out and out westernized character, so obviously youth oriented and trendsetting, so obviously fashionable and fun, but at the same time racy, evidently hot and super cool. This was the perfect premise to do so.

What was the best moment during the course of shooting the film?
The film as a whole, but like I say apart from the part of the absolute thrill of working on celluloid, I must confess, I thoroughly enjoyed the team, I enjoyed the gang, off-screen as well, because like I just shared with you earlier, that it was so nice that everybody was just being, it was the whole team. There were a lot of laughs, a lot of fun. There has been a lot of talk about the fitness regime, something that I only explored very honestly for a month to 5 weeks before we started the film. It has only been my schedules throughout the last year, my different films I’ve been working on, I didn’t get a chance really focus on the fitness. So for all the talk in the media, this is the truth, it was just 4-5 weeks last year before we started. Then after making Guru, both Abhishek and me had to put on weight for Mani’s film, so we resumed the schedule. I suggested we take Deepika (the fitness instructor) with us because we were doing the action part of the film, and whatever little bit we could do, which was barely 2 weeks, while filming, but the fun part was that everybody would be in the gym, I mean everybody not just the actors. And it was fun because while we would all try to get into a bit of a routine, I think we were just having so much fun hanging around, that we’d be just about that sincere and then the next plan to go out to dinner, which we would all do very happily and try and hold on to the myths that if I gorge now it will show 20 days later, so that we are on safe turf, it was like a college /road trip.

Did you enjoy shooting on location in South Africa?
South Africa incidentally has a home turf kind of significance in my life, because yes, I did win my title in Sun City of Johannesburg. And I have been there a couple of times, not that often, but a couple of times, my work took me back there, to Cape Town to film Dil Ka Rishta extensively which was again a family experience. So my memories are very very warm, and people have been extremely loving and its something that a lot of my film fraternity really cherish and enjoy with the people of South Africa. Even the year I was giving up the title, when Amitji was on board the panel of the jury, at the pageant, it was overwhelming to see the strength with which our people had descended to Sun City and the applause that he was rendered just took the entire pageant’s breath away because it was so good to see, and such an awakening to the rest of the world to recognize, how passionate our people are about our cinema, and the members of our film fraternity, and the love that they are so generous with.

Did you do any kind of special preparation for this role?
Visual was very imperative, as a pre-requisite, its something we as a team agreed we definitely would work on, as I do work on every film, here it zeroed in on the physical appearance in terms of fitness. And it was a body language and a body type that I hadn’t brought to celluloid before, and since I was going to dress a certain way, I needed to just be the person who wore those clothes, very naturally and not because it was an element of worked on excitement. I am glad that it has turned out exciting, that wasn’t the reason for the costume. People who have well toned bodies as we look around, naturally dress a certain way, when you’ve really worked on your midriff you see that they are happy to wear shorter tops, when you have worked on your legs, they naturally wear short skirts, not because they need to show their legs but they feel natural and comfortable in it. So that was a body type that I was determined to work on, and I was very glad to discover that the first time in my life that I have got down to working out, my body responds very quickly and its very reassuring to know that.

Can we expect to see you doing more action films in the international front?
Well I started in fact just pre Dhoom 2 I made, Last Legion, which was definitely action not contemporary though and I experienced sword fighting and I am a warrior in that film, so I completed that movie before I started Dhoom. So, that would technically be my first experience in the action genre, but it wasn’t in the contemporary times, so I am glad that within the year, between last year and now, I have actually got through and tasted action spectrum in Roman times and contemporary biker times. Its been a lot of fun, its been a huge adrenaline rush, exactly what I was looking forward to and like I tease I have tasted blood. I can’t wait to have more such experiences because they are really fulfilling and it’s a rush that can’t be explained, but it’s a definite high, that’s the most fantastic part of our job, because we get to experience which probably people just think or dream about.

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More movies coming few months

After her twin releases last year in the form of 'Aashiq Banaya Aapne' and 'Chocolate', Tanushree Dutta had to contend with a song'n'dance appearance in '36 China Town' this year. But her fans would have a lot more to see of her in coming few months.

Starting with 'Bhagam Bhag' where in a small appearance she has a song and a few scenes to enact, she would be seen in Raj Kanwar produced 'Raqueeb - Rivals In Love' in early 2007 where she is the center of attraction of Rahul Khanna, Jimmy Shergill and Sharman Joshi. 'Risk' would be coming close too though she is not expected to have an author backed role there since it seems more as a Randeep Hooda - Vinod Khanna face off!

It could surely be different though in the case of 'Good Boy Bad Boy', the publicity of which should now begin anytime since producer Subhash Ghai is already done with his 'Apna Sapna Mone Money'. Co-starring with Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor and Isha Sharwani, it surely seems to be a fun outing.

Another film that is long in the making, Vikram Bhatt's 'Speed', also seems to be a popcorn entertainer and if the few remaining portions of the film that remain to be shot are completed soon, it could make Tanushree visible for a large part of next year.

The fun only continues with 'Mr. Fraud', an Abbas Mustan thriller which should release around middle of next year. Starring Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan and Bipasha Basu, it is the biggest film so far for Tanushree to be a part of. Another biggie where she has a small but important role to play in one of the stories is Sanjay Gupta produced 'Dus Kahaniyaan'.

With such an array of releases coming next year, it could well be the turning point of Tanushree Dutta's film career.

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Shilpa wearing jeans underneath her skirt

Director Anurag Basu was shooting a song sequence for his next 'Metro' at hotel Horizon in Mumbai. The scene features its leading lady Shilpa Shetty. Our sources on the sets tell us that after a take for the song, for which Shetty was dressed in a top over a long ethnic skirt, she went up to Anurag and said, "I want to show you something." Our source adds, "Anurag thought may be she had got some outfit or some accessory that she wanted to wear in the film that she wanted his opinion on. But she mischievously started pulling down her skirt, leaving Anurag wondering what she was up to, that too in front of the whole unit. He was so embarrassed that he looked away till she called out to him."
The real surprise for Basu was when she turned around and saw Shetty was wearing jeans underneath her skirt. His face had turned tomato-red with embarrassment, much to Shetty's and everybody else's amusement.
Shetty burst out laughing when asked about the incident. "We were canning the last shots of the day, and I was in a hurry to go home. So I had worn my jeans underneath the skirt. After the last take I went to Anurag and told him I had something to show him and before he could react, I pulled down my skirt. He had a mini heart attack seeing me pull down my skirt," So guess, how dangerous prankster, sexy Shilpa Shetty is.

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Salsa boy Akshaye

Akshaye Khanna, who is shooting with Urvashi Sharma in an untitled film directed by Abbas-Mustan, took salsa classes for a chartbusting track with huge salsa over tunes. He has left everyone amazed with his dancing skills and Latino looks. Next year starts with 'Salaam-E-Ishaq', 'Gandhi My Father' and two films of Abbas-Mustan!

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Brad Pitt got the chance to see any of Hrithik's jadoo dance steps ?

Brad Pitt said himself a terrible dancer and so he would never be able to do a Bollywood movie. But there's a way - as actor Irrfan Khan advised to Pitt's partner Angelina Jolie, with whom Irrfan is doing the Hollywood film 'A Mighty Heart'. According to Irrfan, if the Hollywood superstar watches Hrithik Roshan's steps he would be able to learn everything about dancing.
We don't know whether Brad Pitt got the chance to see any of Hrithik's jadoo dance steps!
But we all know what a fabulous dance Hrithik is. He has showcased that right from his first movie 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai'. So we must definitely think that Irrfan's advice was well indeed a good piece of advice. Let's hope Brad learns a step or two.

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The lady loved the appreciation

Looking all-chick and 'oh-so-in-shape', Malaika Arora Khan recently walked the ramp for sister-in-law and designer Seema Khan during the Mumbai fashion week, and the Khan family came out in full strength for the show. The lady loved the appreciation, however not before the hubby dearest Arbaaz Khan. "I didn't look at Arbaaz, and generally I don't. He makes me nervous. Even that day I asked him why he had a frown on his face. If I see him like that, I start thinking, 'oh God has something slipped or is something amiss?"

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Bipasha is launching her own website

Bipasha is launching her own website now. "I'm launching my own website. It will be maintained entirely by me. And it will have regular, almost daily updates of my life, my ideas, thoughts, observations and basically things that I want to share with my audiences," she reveals in a recent interview.
And there's going to be more to it, which includes auctions of her personal stuff. "Every month, I'll auction away stuff like clothes, etc, and the proceeds will go directly to the Make A Wish foundation which I've been associated with for two years," she says.

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Excellent audience response for Dhoom 2

The Chopras have yet another reason to rejoice!

Their new venture DHOOM 2 has embarked on an earth-shattering opening from East to West and from North to South. The response at every centre, whether big or small, is phenomenal [100%], which means that the first weekend business will be record-breaking. The opening is at par with KRRISH, the best opener of the year and also the biggest hit so far [except Mumbai circuit, where LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI is the No. 1 hit].

The audience response is excellent as well. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai are being appreciated the maximum, followed by Uday Chopra.

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Dhoom 02 - Movie Review

Cut the crap… Cut the gyan… Let's come to the point straightway: Is DHOOM 2 as big as its hype? Does it meet the monumental expectations? Or is it a gas balloon with a leak?

Yes, DHOOM 2 works big time and here's why…

Very rarely do you come across Hindi films that marry form and content so beautifully. DHOOM 2 is cool, but beneath the sheen there's substance too.

Mounted on an extravagant scale, the film is a visual delight. The film travels from one breath-taking locale to another in those 16 reels, often making your jaw drop to your knees thanks to the sweeping impact it makes.

For any sequel to score high marks, it ought to be embellished with pulse-pounding moments. DHOOM 2 is a hi-octane thriller and the thrills, stunts and pace -- vital for any thriller to strike a chord -- are sure to keep you on the edge from Scene A to Z.

Most importantly, DHOOM 2 delivers what it promises: Escapist cinema at its best!

Any hiccups? Not really, but the music could've been better. That's about it!

So, what's the verdict then? A film like DHOOM 2 raises the bar for Hindi films. If you've tasted the best, you would never settle for anything komsi-komsa stuff later, right? That's the DHOOM 2 effect. For film-makers that tread a similar path, it's going to be an added responsibility to go beyond DHOOM 2.

In terms of business, DHOOM 2 is bound to create dhoom at the ticket window. It's a box-office triumph all the way. Time for Yash Raj to pop champagne yet again!

Ali's [Uday Chopra] dream of becoming a police officer has come true. He is now ACP Jai Dixit's [Abhishek Bachchan] right hand man. Together, they are trying to keep a tight leash on the crime in India. Little do they know what they are going to be up against.

Enter Aryan -- Mr. A [Hrithik Roshan]. A hi-tech international thief. After pulling off a series of impossible heists all over the world, his next target is Mumbai, India. The case is given to ACP Jai and Ali. Helping them put the pieces of the puzzle together is ACP Shonali Bose [Bipasha Basu], Jai's college mate, now a police officer in her own right. For the last two years, Shonali has been tracking these amazing thefts and is now an expert on this thief, who no one has seen.

Once in Mumbai, Mr. A finds his match in Sunehri [Aishwarya Rai], a petty yet clever thief. She makes him an offer he finds very hard to refuse. A partnership! Aryan accepts. And so the game begins, a game of cat and mouse, a game of good v/s bad.

The cops -- Jai, Shonali and Ali -- are after the robbers -- Aryan and Sunehri. From the deserts of Namibia to the backwaters of Goa, the mean streets of Mumbai and the ancient forts of Rajasthan and finally to Rio, Brazil.

HOOM 2 is modeled on the lines of the chor-police sagas that Hindi films specialized in the 1970s and 1980s. In essence, it's not a path-breaking/inventive story, but what takes the film to dizzy heights is the sequence of events that unravel at a feverish pace. Right from the start of the film [Hrithik's first heist in Namibia; the robbing of a crown from a moving train] to his next target [robbing a precious diamond from a museum in Mumbai] to the theft in Jamnagar [Hrithik and Ash come face to face for the first time], the film whets your appetite from the word 'Go'.

If the first hour focuses on the cat-n-mouse game, the second hour changes tracks as it transforms into a love story. While the scenes between Uday and Bipasha [in a dual role] are cute, the ones between Hrithik and Ash build up slowly. The pace drops intermittently in this hour since the thrills are reserved for the penultimate reel, but a number of worthy sequences in this half conceal this tiny blemish.

Note the turning point in the tale -- the revolver sequence between Hrithik and Ash and the lip-to-lip kiss that ensues; it's an outstanding sequence from the writing, execution and performance point of view. The pre-climax -- the robbery of man-made gold coins -- as also the climax chase are breath-taking as well.

The end is distinctive and will have its share of advocates and adversaries. Yet, in all fairness, it's one of the highpoints of the sequel. Any scope for the third installment? Oh yes, there is. Don't be surprised if Abhishek and Uday embark on their third mission. As for the climax shot vis-à-vis John Abraham's surprise appearance, it's an unfounded rumor!

DHOOM 2 is director Sanjay Gadhvi's finest effort so far. The execution of the subject is such, you just can't help get transported to a world of make-believe. Gadhvi has handled a number of sequences with aplomb. The Hrithik-Ash sequence mentioned above is one of them. The dialogue between Hrithik and Abhishek -- after they've known each other's true identities -- is another. The final scene of the enterprise [it would be unfair to reveal it here!] is yet another sequence that indicates that the director has done his homework well.

Pritam's music is fair. Barring the 'Krazy Kiya Re' track and the title track [filmed on Hrithik], the score is outright mediocre. However, the saving grace is the vibrant and energetic picturization, which takes the songs to another level. The choreography of the title track by Shiamak Davar is outstanding. Vaibhavi Merchant's choreography of 'Krazy Kiya Re' is admirable as well. Salim-Sulaiman's background score is highly effective.

DHOOM 2 is peppered with good looking visual effects [Tata Elxsi], besides a stylish décor/look. The action sequences as also the stunts [Allan Amin] do complete justice to the genre and the Indian audiences are bound to gasp with disbelief. Cinematography [Nirav Shah, Vikas Shivraman] is impeccable. The camerawork can easily match international standards. Dialogues [Vijay Krishna Acharya] are wonderful. Costumes [Anaita Shroff Adajania] are upmarket. In fact, the styling of Hrithik and Ash [the tanned look et al] deserves distinction marks.

Hrithik's casting as the antagonist can be accurately called a masterstroke. He's the actual star of DHOOM 2, the real scene stealer. In fact, you can't imagine any other actor enacting the cool robber with such precision. If there's anyone who's bound to benefit the maximum from DHOOM 2, it's Hrithik. No two opinions on that!

Abhishek in DHOOM 2 is what Shashi Kapoor was in Amitabh Bachchan starrers. Important yes, but relegated to the backseat. Abhishek does a fine job nonetheless. Only thing, he needs to take care of his appearance and posture when he's pitted against someone with a personality like Hrithik.

Aishwarya evolves into a different person in DHOOM 2. Her tanned makeup, her styling, her performance, it's a different Ash here. It's a complete departure from what Ash has done in the past. Does it work? Of course, she is in form!

Bipasha is just about okay as the cop, but is lively as the twin sister. Uday irritates at times, but handles a few scenes well. His portions with Bipasha's twin sister in Rio are sure to bring a smile on your face. Rimi Sen is hardly there.

On the whole, DHOOM 2 is a winner all the way. At the box-office, the film has already embarked on an earth-shattering initial and with multiple shows being conducted at multiplexes [16/18] with inflated ticket rates, the film will set new records in days to come. For Yash Raj, who've not only produced but also distributed the film, DHOOM 2 should emerge as one of the biggest hits of their career. Blockbuster!

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Happy Birthday Celina

It’s bombshell Celina Jaitley’s birthday today. As per reports in a tabloid, she flew to Goa with her parents last week. Even her cousins from America will accompany her. Only her brother Captain Vikrant, who is posted in Jammu & Kashmir won’t be a part of the revelry since he couldn’t get a leave. Infact she was recently invited to the border in J& K to regale the jawans posted there. She was touched by their gestures and enjoyed the experience.

On the work front, she was recently seen in APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY and has an interesting line up of upcoming films including RED, SHAKALAKA BOOM BOOM and HELLO.

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A magical connection

However not with girlfriend Kareena Kapoor! During a shoot of 'Vivah', Shahid Kapoor's cell fell into a bonfire. It was charred black but continued working. A miracle, everyone including Shahid agreed. Which perhaps is the reason, why though Sooraj R. Barjatiya's new Prem had gone and bought himself another phone, he retained the old one too, as a keepsake. It's a magical connection, you know.

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How can I manage so many women

From Mallika Sherawat to Vidya Balan, occasional link-ups with these gals have made actor John Abraham's life extremely interesting.
"Earlier I used to get amused by it all and not pay much attention. I still do not pay much attention to these things, but I am no more amused by them," said John in a recent interview while talking about his recent link-up rumours. Except Rani Mukherji, who's his 'Baabul' co-star, he has been linked with most of his heroines. The most recent one's being Mallika Sherawat during the world tour and Vidya Balan, his 'Salaam-E-Ishq' heroine.
"The media must think I have a varied choice in women ranging from one end of the pole to the other. But I choose to be at the equator - with Bipasha Basu - where it's hot always. How can I manage so many women? At least give me a gap," John quips.
"I do believe my testosterone levels are very high but not as high as the media seems to think," fumes the Bollywood hunk.

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Shah Rukh Khan’s office raided by Income Tax

The Income Tax department carried out a survey of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment on Thursday. The survey was to find out whether norms relating to TDS had been followed out by the superstars company of which his wife Gauri is the director.

This was however routine and lasted until midnight.

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The best debut male 2006

After burning the modeling ramp, looks like Upen Patel is now all set to take over the film industry with his prowess. The model turned actor recently won the best debutant award at the prestigious Anand Bazar Patrika awards held at Kolkatta on Wednesday. While Bipasha Basu won the best actress award. The younger actor who is just one film old actually seems to be getting himself in the habit of winning awards. The latest buzz making rounds is that Upen Patel has been nominated for the best newcomer category at GIFA awards this year. He probably is also on the list of Star Gold’s ‘Sabse Favourite Kaun’, which is an audience choice award.

With the potentials of winning awards from his very first film, Upen Patel is showing signs of superstar in the making. Currently, Upen is shooting for Suneel Darshan’s Shaka Laka Boom Boom and Vipul Shah’s Namastey London.

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Guru is going to be no ordinary film, R. Madhavan

Madhavan plays a journalist for the first time in Mani Rathnam's ready-for-release Guru. Says Maddy, "I've always been on the other side of the firing line. Now I know how it feels to be asking the questions." Reliving the experience of shooting with his mentor Maddy says, "Guru is going to be no ordinary film. Trust me; I've worked thrice with Mani before, including the Tamil versions of Saathiya and Yuva. Never have I seen him so charged. Mani wanted to go into the various time passages in Guru chronologically. He waited for all our dates, and then did it in one go."

Any regrets about not being the central character in his mentor's film? "None at all. I've no qualms in doing anything Mani asks me to. He's my guru. And when my guru asked me to be in Guru there was no question of questioning him. Nobody questions Mani."

Maddy is happy to have worked with Abhishek. "He's one actor who's a friend first. It is very difficult to make friends with your colleagues. Somewhere the sense of competitiveness comes in. Not with Abhishek. I always wish I could do Hindi versions of my Tamil films. But when Abhishek did Run and Yuva, I was the happiest. If Mani's Yuva took Abhishek two steps forward, Guru will take him ten steps."

Interestingly Madhavan shot for Rituparno Ghosh's Sunglass back-to-back with Guru. "Though it was my first time with Ritu it felt like we had worked together many times. If in Guru I have Abhishek for company in Sunglass, I've Jayaji. People tend to notice how strong his mom's influence is on Abhishek's personality, specially the eyes and smile."

After completing his work in Guru and Rituparno Ghosh's Sunglass Madhavan is now in Malaysia for a week-long vacation with his wife Sarita and son Vedant.

"Actually," Maddy confesses seriously , "My parents advised me to go alone. Taking my son along is as good as kissing my vacation goodbye. To say he's a handful would be an understatement. He's barely 1, and he turns on my laptop and plays the music. He seems to be a gizmo expert from now only. He makes us run around his little finger. The only one not in his control is our parrot Ashley. Ashley hates Vedant for stealing away the attention. Even I feel the same way every time I see my wife and son together."

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I'm not into politics at all of any kind

Strongly refuting the lately-perpetrated speculation on his return to politics Amitabh Bachchan says, "I'm not into politics at all of any kind. There's absolutely no question of my going into politics. I've repeatedly said I don't understand politics, nor do I have any wish to get into it in any capacity. Let me say once and for all I'm not going to get into it . I don't make any political statements. Nor am I on any political platform. I'm not qualified to understand or participate in any of our politics."

But then what about Amar Singh's statement to the effect that the Big B might be asked to stand elections? "Ask him why he said what he said. Why are you asking me?" reasons the Big B calmly.

The Big B admits that perhaps his close association with politicians who are his friends, often leads to the belief that he is going the political way. "I agree I've many friends who are heavily into politics and affiliated to many different parties. But I do not follow any of their political ideology. You are also my friend. Does it mean I might take to journalism? Or would it be right to presume that you'd become an actor just because you know me so well?"

While the speculation on Tuesday ran rife after a close family- friend Amar Singh alluded to the Big B's return to politics, the actor was busy shooting a music video for his forthcoming release Baabul. “The video is woven around my song Kehta hai babul. I think they'll use my song only in the credit titles and the end titles…or maybe a portion in the background."

About the controversy surrounding Abhishek receiving the Yash Bharti award in Lucknow , the Big B responds, "Achcha hai. There should be debate and questioning in any free society. We're a democratic country and everyone is entitled to an opinion."

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Hrithik Roshan will be shooting three war sequences in Jaipur

From today onwards, Hrithik Roshan will be shooting three war sequences in Jaipur for Ashutosh Gwarikar's film Akbar Jodha.

Ever since Hrithik and Aishwarya Rai arrived in the city for the shoot, the local media and huge crowds have been following the stars. All was well until Ashutosh decided to shoot the war sequence. That's when the problems started, about controlling the unwieldy crowds.

Ashutosh could not take long shots because there were just too many people roaming around, wearing jeans and shirts, something that's not permissible in a period film. Our source says, "It was becoming difficult to shoot the scenes because people would keep straying into the frame. Entire shots would be destroyed if any local dressed in a modern outfit came into the picture. So finally Ashutosh has come up with the idea of shooting the film before sunrise."

Shooting has been called at 4 am. Since Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai are both early risers, they manage to
report to the sets sharp on time. "They both take time to get their make-up done since it's a period film. Yet, the unit starts shooting even while the entire city is still asleep. The shooting is taking place at a spot two hours away from Jaipur. So, by the time people get up, and reach the location, shooting is over," says art director of the film, Nitin Desai.

The unit will be shooting the war sequence till December 23. So the early morning schedule will continue for a month now.

Given that Hrithik prefers to do all his stunts himself, he will do the same in Akbar Jodha too. "Action director Ravi Diwan has composed the war sequence keeping Hrithik's calibre as an actor in mind. It won't be like Krrish or Dhoom 2, the film will be mostly about hand-to-hand fight. Hrithik even asked me to change the grip of the sword because he wanted to feel comfortable while doing the scenes," says Nitin.

Nearly 2000 junior artistes are participating in the war sequence. The swords used in the film are made of copper. "Akbar had a gold sword, but he didn't use it for war. We have taken references from the Badshah namah and we have tried to be as authentic as possible. Hrithik wanted the swords to be light, so that he can swing them comfortably. So we've kept them as light as possible," says Nitin.

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Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan will share stage space with Oliver Stone and Nabil El-Maleh

Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan will share stage space with stars of international fame Oliver Stone and Nabil El-Maleh at the Dubai International Film Festival, which will honor them for their outstanding contribution to cinema in the DIFF Salutes program.
DIFF Salutes is a retrospective tribute that celebrates the work of distinguished film-makers from Asia, The Arab world and Hollywood. Last year, producer-director Yash Chopra received the honor.

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Dutch journalist Monica Beek traced the man finally

Dutch journalist Monica Beek traced the man finally; the man, who has put the Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai in trouble by sending a parcel, containing 23, 000 euros to her address.
After reading the story in an Indian daily, Monica searched a lot and finally traced the man, namely Avineshwar, who lives in Hoogvliet, a suburb of Rotterdam, Netherlands.
27-28 years old, Avineshwar is a scriptwriter, writs stories in Hindi, Sanskrit and Dutch.
According to Monica- Avineshwar admitted to sending the parcel but feigned ignorance about the euros. He also told Monica that he was in the habit of sending letters to movie stars and would also sometimes get responses from them.
Yesterday Aishwarya in Jaipur said while talking to the media persons that like them she's too keen to know the person, who has mailed the parcel to her address.
Even Aishwarya has been asked by customs department, Mumbai in this case; however Aishwarya had nothing but to express surprise in this regard.
As per latest the Customs department is writing to the Indian Embassy in Netherlands through the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to get information on Avineshwar.

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Salman Khan is like family member

Salman Khan will star in Rajshri Production's next. P.K. Gupta of Rajshri Production recently confirmed that. "Salman Khan is like family member of the Rajshri Production and he will star in our next movie," said Gupta in a recent interview. However the planning is in very initial stage. "Let the script be finalized first. Once we finalize the script, we will take the script to Salman for the narration. And after he okays it, we will chalk out the rest of the cast and credits of the film," said Gupta.
Earlier Salman has worked with Rajshri in 'Maine Pyar Kiya', 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' and 'Hum Saath-Saath Hain' and all the three were huge hit.
If everything falls in place, Rajshri will get back their original Prem, after a gap of seven years.
Rajshri's last release 'Vivah' stars Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao though has hit the box office, but its success is not as big as of 'Maine Pyar Kiya' starring Salman Khan.

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Mahesh Bhatt is planning a sequel to 'Murder'

Will Mallika star in Mahesh Bhatt's next? The question started doing rounds as Mallika Sherawat recently found at a party thrown by producer-director Mahesh Bhatt, who had set to not sign up Mallika for any of his next after 'Murder' and even stopped talking with the sex bomb.
Reportedly after 'Murder' became hit, Mallika demanded high compensation for Bhatt's next, which didn't go down well with Mahesh, and so fallen out.
But now looking at Mallika's surprise appearance at the party and posing cozy with Mahesh, it's evident that they have been patched up.
Mahesh hosted the party to celebrate the success of his films - 'Murder', 'Zeher', 'Gangster' and 'Woh Lamhe'.
There were Kangana Ranaut (heroine of 'Gangster' and 'Woh Lamhe') and Shamita Shetty (heroine of 'Zeher'), who sure graced the party with their sizzling beauty but Mallika outshined them all.
Mallika also posed together with her 'Murder' co-star Emraan Hashmi, who's a regular hero of Bhatt camp. Now the buzz is doing rounds, Mahesh Bhatt is planning a sequel to the popular sex-thriller 'Murder', which will see again the same Mallika and Emraan indulging in extra-marital sex, though no official confirmation has come yet but according to industry grapevines announcement on 'Murder' II is about to hit the headlines.

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Abhishek is no longer a part of 'Delhi 6' and Hrithik has signed on the dotted line

Abhishek Bachchan opted out of 'Rang De Basanti' director Rakyesh Mehra's next 'Delhi 6', reportedly based on Mehra's growing up days in Chandini Chowk in Delhi.
If sources to be believed, Hrithik Roshan has been signed up for the role. "Abhishek is no longer a part of 'Delhi 6' and Hrithik has signed on the dotted line," confirmed a source.
With Abhishek walked out of the film, director Rakyesh also has dropped the idea of casting Amitabh Bachchan for a cameo.
We couldn't contact Abhishek to know why he opted out of the film at the last time.

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I have only 1 song in Dhoom 2 in Dhoom I had 3 songs, Abhishek

Did you expect Dhoom to be such a blockbuster in the first place? We actors expect all our films to be blockbusters because we put that kind of effort into them, we hope for the best. We had all worked very hard, we knew we had something normal and unique and simple. We then worked towards making the best possible film that we could make and thankfully the audiences appreciated our efforts.

Dhoom 2 will be your first sequel, did you have to reprise your mannerisms and attitude from the first role?
Actually my first sequel was Lage Raho Munnabhai, where I played a very prominent role. I did, I was the main guy in the film yaar. So Dhoom 2 was my second sequel. Being a sequel it was that much more easier, because you know the character, you know what the character can do and cannot do and having worked on an entire film being that one particular character, it was interesting because in the sequel we just got to tweak Jai Dixit a bit but we didn’t have to establish his character as it was already established, so we got to play with him a bit, for e.g. in Dhoom 2 I feel Jai Dixit is slightly more relaxed that’s reflective in the way he dresses in his general attitude. I’d like to be believe he’s a bit more cooler in this film, cool in the sense he’s calmer and more level headed, has things more planned out. So that’s the plus point of doing a sequel because in the sequel you get to tweak the character instead of just developing it and establishing it.

How different or similar is Dhoom 2 from Dhoom?
It’s the same genre but I believe it’s a different film. I’d like to believe it’s a bigger and better film but being the same genre it can be associated as the same kind of film, but what I really liked about Dhoom 2 was that its not about fast bikes and thieves, it’s more than that. And at first I remember questioning Adi and Sanjay saying that it should have more of what the original had, to which Adi had a very good answer that if you give them the same thing again, they are going to get bored of it. The very reason why the audiences liked Dhoom if you do that in Dhoom 2 they will say okay, what are you serving this time? So I liked the fact that they went beyond the script of just Dhoom. In that sense it is its own movie, but it is the same genre.

You have Hrithik and Aishwarya as your adversaries, what do they bring to the Dhoom board?
They bring a whole different dimension, they bring a whole lot more viewers we’d like to believe, we’ve been very selfish Uday and me in Dhoom 2, we’ve hired bigger stars so that more people come to watch the movie.

You have played a con man in Bunty Bubli and Bluffmaster, and in Dhoom 2 you play the cop, which is tougher and why?
Everything is challenging, the endeavour is to do challenging work and to push yourself to do work that you have not done in the past. So I thing everything has to be challenging, if it’s not challenging, it’s not going to be fun, and you’re not going to enjoy what you are doing and if you are not enjoying what you are doing, then you are going to be dishonest to your profession, which is sacrilege for us. Having said that, keeping in mind that I believe that your work should be challenging, the challenge in Dhoom 2 was to make Jai Dixit that much more interesting than he was in the first part, yes, he’s the same character and I am repeating myself here, but that’s where the challenge lay, having kept the same foundation, how do you make him more interesting this time round, how do you retain the audiences attention on him? So it is challenging, all kinds of roles are challenging as they should be.

How did you like the music of Dhoom 2 as compared to Dhoom?
I think the music of Dhoom 2 is weaker than Dhoom, that’s because I only have one song in this film and in another song I am standing by the bar. I am convinced that I could have out danced Aishwarya and Hrithik Roshan, Bipasha and Uday ‘toh baye haath ka khel hai’. I have only 1 song in Dhoom 2 in Dhoom I had 3 songs. I think it’s very unfair, but what can I do. It’s nice music.

Did you do your stunts yourself and what was it like?
We did a lot of the stunts, but being an action film, there are a lot of safety precautions that are taken. Amin our stunt co-coordinator especially is very meticulous when it comes to safety and very very particular, so there are a lot of stunts that every actor is very willing to do and very keen to do but Amin didn’t allow us because he thought that we didn’t really need to do it. He believes in the mantra of safety first, and that his actors don’t need to do each and every stunt. There were certain specialized stunts like jet skiing or some motorcycle riding stunts which we were not qualified to do, so which specialized people were called in to do them, but we try and do as many stunts as we are allowed to do.

What according to you was the best moment while shooting this film?
It’s very hard to choose, but Rio was great fun, but for me just whenever all the actors were on set was special. I was very lucky because every actor from Hrithik, to Uday to Aishwarya to Bipasha all very close friends of mine, it was just great to be with all my friends.

Did you feel you were in competition with Hrithik while shooting the film?
No not at all, I’ve never been one person who believes in competition, instead of competition I would like to believe Hrithik is more of an inspiration for me. He makes me work harder, he makes me a better actor, and he makes me want to do my best, so he’s more inspiration than competition.

What was it like shooting in South Africa and do you have a message for your fans there?
This was the first time I shot in South Africa, though it’s not the first time I’ve been there, we shot in Durban and around Durban, last time I went to Durban was some 16 years ago. It was wonderful to go and see how much the city’s developed, it was a wonderful experience, the production capabilities over there were wonderful, the production from their side was very well organized, they made us feel completely at home and really took great care of us, and pampered us and spoilt us to a certain degree. I’d love to go back there and shoot again. Message for the fans out there, thank you for your love and affection over the years, and I hope we get to come down there more often, to meet in person if not then to continue entertaining them through our movies.

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Karishma to make a comeback

Karishma Kapoor is coming back soon on big screen. If everything goes right, Karishma will star in director Onir's new film, tentatively titled 'You and Me'.
She has given her nod to Onir after hearing the script. As per source, Onir will meet Karishma today to finalize the deal.
Sources reveal Karishma is keen to work with the 'My Brother Nikhil' director.
It's a romantic story but rather a dark one. The protagonist has a history of child abuse and that complicates matters.
Onir will also produce the film. Beside Karishma, others actors to star in the film are Boman Irani and of course Onir's favourite hero Sanjay Suri in the lead.
The film will probably go on floor in March next year.
Karishma, who had stopped doing film after her marriage with industrialist Sanjay Kapoor, has set to make her comeback in movie - the news has been hitting the headlines for quite some time now. It seems finally Karishma found her comeback vehicle.

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Aamir has put Mani Ratnam's film on hold, to start shooting for his home production first

Aamir Khan is giving preferential treatment to his home production Ghajini thus leaving Mani Ratnam in the lurch. Aamir who was all set to start Ratnam's Lajjo will now go ahead with Ghajini which is to be directed by south director A R Murugadoss. The director will be flying to Mumbai in December to finalise the cast and crew of the film.

In his earlier interview to Mumbai Mirror, Bobby Bedi producer of Lajjo had confirmed that the film would go on the floors in December. However that is not going to happen because Aamir is currently busy with Taare Zameen Pe which is being directed by Amol Gupte. Once done, he will start work on the Hindi remake of the Tamil super hit Ghajini.

When contacted director A. R. Murugadoss said, "I am not aware of Mani R
Mani Ratnam
atnam's film but I met Aamir some days ago and he told me that he intends to start the film early next year. I will be going to Mumbai to finalise the details. Apart from Ravi K Chandran who will be the cameraman, we are yet to finalise the remaining details. But yes the script is ready and we will start the film in April."

Is actress Asin (who played the lead in the Tamil film) doing the Hindi remake as well? "No she won't be doing the film as she can't speak Hindi. We are shooting the film in sync sound," he said.

When contacted Bobby Bedi, the producer of Lajjo, said, "Yes the film has been postponed as Mani is busy with Guru and Aamir is busy with his home production. My film is based in winter and we wanted to shoot in Rajasthan, hence the delay. But we will shoot some portions depending on the availability of the actors."

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John to smoke extensively for his role in Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking.

John Abraham had quit smoking long ago. But now he has decided to put himself into the smokers' zone again. All for a role, of course. Lately, he has been smoking extensively for his role in Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking.

Coughing intermittently, the actor confesses, "Oh man, I've just been smoking and smoking for every shot. And I have inhale the smoke too. I can't just pretend to be smoking, it would show on screen. I'd rather not do this role than fake it. The irony is, I'm turning into a smoker for an anti-smoking film! (Laughs). What's even odder is that while we're making an anti-smoking film, all of us are smokers on the sets. After a shot we huddle together like college students in the locker room for a smoke."

No Smoking is one more endeavour by John to go against the grain. "People think I've gone crazy. At a time when the world is doing big-budget action films, they wonder why I am doing Kabul Express and No Smoking. 'Have you lost it?' is the main question hurled at me these days. But that's me. More than driving a car, I love riding a bike. I love the thought of sitting on the edge. I'm very secure about my career choices," says John.

"Actually no other leading actor wanted to do this film," he continues. "When Anurag first approached me he narrated another script, a commercial thriller which he thought I'd be interested in. Then he suddenly offered me No Smoking. I loved it, and asked him why he hadn't offered me this first. He then confessed that he had made up the other commercial subject on the way to meet me. He indulged in an hour-long narration just to see how I reacted. Then he offered me No Smoking."

John's co-star in No Smoking is Ayesha Takia.

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Abhishek plays the protagonist in Guru

Director Mani Ratnam seems to be a real task master. Recently, Abhishek Bachchan got a taste (pun intended) of
the director's penchant for perfection.

During the filming of Guru, the actor was made to gorge on nearly a dozen rasgullas everyday. The idea was to make the actor gain weight.

A source tells us, "Mani Sir was okay with the way Abhishek looked in the film when he was playing the younger character. Allegedly, the film is based on Dhirubhai Ambani's life, and Abhishek plays the protagonist. Mani Sir needed a lean and fit young man to portray Dhirubhai as a youth. But when he was about to shoot the climax of the film, he realised that Abhishek needed to put on some weight."

Abhishek who was about to join Sanjay Gadhvi's unit for Dhoom 2 immediately after the Guru schedule was at a fix as in Dhoom 2, he is required to look lean and fit. Nevertheless, he agreed to co-operate. Earlier, he had been under the impression that he'd need to gain two or three kilos to look aged in the film. However, when Mani Ratnam broke the news that Abhishek would need to put on at least 11 extra kilos for the climax, he was taken aback. In fact, Aishwarya Rai was also surprised when Mani had asked her to put on a little weight to look aged (thankfully, not 11 kilos though!). Abhishek agreed to pile on those extra pounds. "He is extremely dedicated and just to get into the character he decided to gain weight in no time. But he had no idea of how he could gain weight so quickly. So, when he asked Mani Sir, he advised Abhishek to eat a dozen rasagullas every day," says our source. Fortunately for Abhishek, he had a sweet tooth and loves eating rasagullas.

So when Mani asked him to gorge sweets on the sets, he wasn't upset about it. Finally, the result began showing as Abhishek put on nearly 11 kilos in one month.

Guru is slated for a January release. Besides Abhishek, it stars Aishwarya Rai, Vidya Balan, Madhavan and Mithun Chakraborty.

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We would love to work with Mallika again, Bhatt

The Mallika Sherawat-Mahesh Bhatt fallout was one of the more famous mentor-protégé fallouts in Bollywood. Three years ago, the Bhatt camp had accused the actress of hogging the limelight at the Murder party. Thus ticked off, Mallika, in return, refused to work with the Bhatts again. The trouble was further aggravated when Mallika declined Zeher on the ground that she did not like the script. Following this stance, Mallika was banned from the Bhatt camp permanently.

But now, the three-year long battle has finally come to an end. Apparently, realisation that Mallika was an asset to them dawned on the Bhatts after Zeher flopped.

So, yesterday, when Mahesh decided to throw a party at The Club in Andheri, celebrating the success of Vishesh Films and 100 weeks of Murder, he decided to send an SMS to Mallika, inviting her to the do. When contacted Mahesh Bhatt said, "Yes, it's true that I invited Mallika to my party and she simply asked me about the venue and the time. I was happy that she accepted the invite."

Considering Mahesh Bhatt had been extremely rude to Mallika at that time, how did he convince her to bury the hatchet now? "I want to put it on record that I never bad-mouthed Mallika. I think my unit members had some issue with Mallika. It's also true that we have nothing personal against her. I was not in touch with her for three years, because we were working on films for which we didn't require her. Once in a while we used to exchange SMSes, but nothing beyond that. However when we thought of celebrating the success of my production house, I thought that she should be invited because Mallika is a part of our production house," he said.So, do the Bhatts harbour any desire of working with Mallika again? "We would love to work with Mallika again. But both of us have to agree on a script. I think nothing is permanent in this industry, be it friendship or animosity," he added.
Despite innumerable efforts to contact Mallika, she remained for comment.

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I don't know whether I'm Anurag Sir's favourite or not, Kangana

Kangana Ranaut cannot feature in Anurag Basu's Suicide Bomber since the Bhatts and the actress have parted ways for a while.

But after launching her in Gangster, it seems that Basu cannot do without Kangana. He is on the verge of completing yet another film Metro with her and is quietly planning a simultaneous project, to accommodate his favourite actor.

Says Kangana, "I don't know whether I'm Anurag Sir's favourite or not. But the fact is, he has been instrumental in establishing my identity as an actress. If after Gangster I had someone of Shabana Azmi's calibre singling me out, it wasn't because I was born a great actress. The credit goes to the director."

Now in Metro, Anurag has cast Kangana in a very unusual role. "The role is very different from Gangster and since it's an ensemble cast I get to create my own space in the crowded milieu," says Kangana.

Besides, this Kangana has been gifted a role specially written for her by Anurag. "It will feature me as a very glamorous con girl, with item numbers and all. It'll be a fun film with a huge glamour quotient. See, after I did Gangster and Woh Lamhe people appreciated me as a traumatised person. But they want to now know if I can play the conventional heroine. Anurag's film will give me the chance to have fun."

With this Kangana-vehicle, Basu is expected to turn into a full-fledged producer. Says Basu, "Kangana and I undoubtedly share a great comfort level. People tell me I 'made' her career. I may have guided her through her scenes in Gangster. But she had to have it in her to give that performance. You can't fine-tune an atonal instrument. We've worked together in two films. And we're definitely working together again."

The collaborative spirit between this director-actress team is exceptionally high. "I'm constantly in and out of Anurag Sir's home. His wife and children are my friends. We're discussing ideas all the time," says Kangana.

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