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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AB has been able to have his experimentation with his vocal chord for the soul reason that his voice is a voice of the common man

Among the many first that BABUL may achieve, one prominent first would be emergence of Amitabh Bachchan as a music director. He has composed one of the songs in the movie. It is triumph of a perseverance that has graduated from exercising the vocal chords way back in late 70s to 2006 when it has brought about the confidence to hold the baton as well. Amitabh has been lending voice as a playback singer to most of the compositions off-late on a regular basis to expositions of Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan far from the media glare in various meetings that he had been attending in the dusty mofussil towns of UP.

It was with Kishore Kumar that Bachchan made his debut as a play back singer, crooning the absurdities with such a panache, and is a feat that, it is still difficult to emulate, rendering those absurd verses with such a consummate ease as he did. The consummate ease owed probably to being a son of an illustrious father, an accomplished Professor of English Literature, whose recitation of ‘Madhusala’ used to mesmerize the public. Then came MR. NATWARLAL, and, 'Ao Bachchon.. Mere Pass Aao Mere Dosto', which is, still a favorite of the children inspite of the changes in generation. It then became a regular feature and he was probably the only super star of his time who also used his own voice as a play back singer, be it in NASEEB or AALAP.

His confirmation as a singer was sealed with ‘Mere Aangne Mein’, which was scoffed at by the critics, but it became such a chart buster that AB had to do encore of its performances in various shows that he had taken during the earlier 80s. The ‘Chal Mere Bhai’ of NASEEB to ‘Pag Ghungroo Bandh Meera Nachi Thi’ of NAMAKHALAL were songs, which were performed on totally different octaves and still continued to become the chart busters, were indicative of the fact that AB was a serious student of music and a keen music aficionado. In fact in his heydays as a super star AB had remarked that he did not operate his music systems without wearing globes, so that the dust did not settle down on the system. And the ‘Jaha Chaar Yaar Mil Jayein’ of SHARABI is still a swan song for the stag parties. In association with Kishore Kumar the duets that Bachchan sang hit bulls eye every time. His blossoming as a singer was also to do with the fact that at those times he was majorly doing films with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra who encouraged him to use his vocal chords for crooning as well, apart from dialogue delivery. Sudesh Bhonsle could make a career in singing only by imitating the voice of AB, and it was the ultimate tribute to the crooning abilities of AB.

The anthem song that he sung for MAIN AZAAD HOON, 'Itne Bazoo Itne Sar… was a tribute to the common man's struggle. ‘Jidhar Dekhun Teri Tasvir’ was may be ahead of its time in MAHAAN, but when it came in its modern avatar as ‘Main Yahan Tun Wahan… in BAGHBAAN it broke hearts as it carried the mellowing of the age and the rendition in synonymy with the age.

AB has been able to have his experimentation with his vocal chord for the soul reason that his voice is a voice of the common man, who may not have the ability to become a commercial singer, but have in his hearts an innate desire to crone to his beloved and his ilk in his own simplified manner.

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Shooting with Abhishek is a memorable experience, Bips

Abhishek Bachchan is simply a mad boy to actress Bipasha Basu. And according to the Bengali bombshell, Jr. Bachchan is getting madder with every passing day. Bipasha and Abhishek share screen space in Sanjay Gadhvi's forthcoming film 'Dhoom 2'. Bipasha in a recent interview said, shooting with Abhishek is a memorable experience. "The energy in 'Dhoom 2', for me, will be a memorable experience because of the friendship I share with Abhishek. The kind of friendship that I have with Abhishek is too cute," said Bipasha with sheer glow on her face. In 'Dhoom 2', Bipasha will be seen together with Hrithik Roshan for the first time. About Hrithik, Bipasha said, "He's a good-looking boy with a great body. When you look at him he seems a very serious person but he is a comedian, a joker on the sets. He's also a lot of fun, lot of energy." But Hrithik's not as hysterical as Abhishek - said Bipasha.
To Bipasha Hrithik looks too perfect. Whereas, Abhishek "isn't so perfect, does not dance perfectly, walk perfectly, doesn't have the perfect body", and personally Bipasha likes a little imperfection in her man. So it's clear if Bipasha asked to choose anyone between Hrithik and Abhishek, who she will choose without thinking much. "Abhishek is extremely charming and suave for me," Bipasha sizzled sensuously.

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Aishwarya flew back to Jodhpur

Actress Aishwarya Rai got a breather as of now in mystery money case. The Mumbai custom department gave a clean chit to her after interrogating for two long hours regarding the huge sum of money mailed to her Bandra residence from Holland.
Aishwarya was grilled at Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport instead of Customs House at Ballard Pier.
As per source Aishwarya has denied any involvement in the case.
"We have given her a clean chit as of now. She was mentally very disturbed but cooperative (during questioning) and our officers had to pacify her," Commissioner Customs, Western Zone, A K Prasad said.
Aishwarya, right after the interrogation finished, flew back to Jodhpur, where she is currently shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Akbar Jodha'.

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Bipasha has done bikini shots for forthcoming 'Dhoom 2'

How daring she may be in wearing revealing clothes, giving shots in a bikini is a very uphill task to Bollywood bombshell Bipasha Basu.
Bipasha has done bikini shots for forthcoming 'Dhoom 2', and the shots have been done in Durban. Bipasha said it in a recent interview, "I did my bikini shots in Durban. And I cannot ever forget that!"
That's not first time, Bipasha gave bikini shots, but shooting in a bikini is still a very tough task to her. "Shooting in a bikini is not easy. It's not about being conscious; it's about the fitness level you have to reach," she said. Bipasha was almost on fasting before giving the bikini shots for 'Dhoom 2'. "Three days of eating oranges, working out thrice a day and going paranoid. Actually I did not want to look very oomphy I wanted to look athletic."
"Girls whenever have shot in a bikini are basically rolling on the beach or some such thing, but I think I will give due credit to my director and the team who have shot me in the bikini for 'Dhoom 2', I think its athletic and very youthful, and looks like I am comfortable wearing it, not 'oh wow!' It's not a cheesy shot; I can just proudly claim that," said Bipasha.
Bipasha plays a cop in the film opposite Abhishek Bachchan. There's buzz, Bipasha will be seen in double role in the film and she'll be seen snagging Uday Chopra too beside Abhishek.

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Aishwarya's svelte look in 'Dhoom 2'

Everybody is talking about Aishwarya's svelte look in 'Dhoom 2'; it seems all attention is centered around Aishwarya only. The buzz about Aishwarya's bikini shots has become a most-talked about item in the tinsel town. However in 'Dhoom 2', Bipasha Basu has played a very important role, and if the rumours to be believed the Bengali bombshell is playing double role in the film and also has done bikini shots for the film, but not many people are talking about Bipasha and her role in 'Dhoom 2'. Does Bips feel ignored? "No, I think the attention is very adequate and right, because Ash has never experimented with her looks in this drastic a manner," said Bipasha in a recent interview replying why so much attention is being paid on Ash.
"She's always seen as this Indian girl wearing Indian clothes and always she excels through that in her 'Indian ness'. For the first time you see her in short skirts and bikini tops and a tanned look. That's why she's more talked about," said Bipasha.
Bipasha confirms that Ash will look very hot in the film. And she doesn't mind that people are talking about Ash. "Anyone who talks about 'Dhoom 2' or anybody who is talked about in the film is great," said Bipasha.

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Dhoom was a film that I saw 4 times in a span of 15 days, Bipasha

Have you seen Dhoom and what did you think of the film?
I generally do not watch any film more than once, but Dhoom was a film that I saw 4 times in a span of 15 days, so it says a lot about the film. I thought it’s a kind of film which is an entertainer; it’s about stunts, style, good looking people, good songs etc. Its like the Fast and the Furious, it’s a fun flick so I loved it totally.

Tell us a little about your character in the film.
To be a part of a film like Dhoom, firstly its great ad the timing was fantastic for me because I was getting fit so I guess Adi chose me because of the physicality of the character. Shonali is a cop, so she had to look like a cop. So that was pretty much easier because I had become very fit and I am a tall girl. She is the kind of person who hangs around with boys and so the toughness of the cop had to come thru and that I am I a little bit tough now, and the styling was done to that extent and definitely whatever stunts a cop can have, I do have that.

You have a very different look in the film. Please tell us more about it and do you relate to it.
Absolutely I relate to it, they created a cop so she could not have many frills and fancies when she’s at work though she’s a woman and an attractive woman. She wears a lot of denim, racer back vests which are basically not too coloured. They are black, white and military colour, cargoes and sometimes she throws in a jacket when she is with seniors or doing a presentation. So that was her basic look and her hair, though she was not like a typical Indian cop, the hair not tied up and being in plain clothes and I coloured my hair black for this particular role and a different kind of cut was given, a side parting with a severe sharp cut. Its not too long and not too short, its like a mid length so definitely we worked on the look even the makeup was very minimal as a cop it had to be very basic, yet very glamorous, because Dhoom is a film which talks about styling and good looking people. So it’s not that we are making real film that we have no makeup on, less makeup yet glamorous.

Are you more at ease with action adventure films like Dhoom 2 as opposed to typical Hindi film naach gaana?
I think, I have reached that stage of life that I want to do everything. I have forced myself to get comfortable with Bollywood Naach Gaana because I earlier couldn’t identify myself with doing that. But today, I do understand that the essence of Bollywood is naach gaana and yet with time, we are changing, we are trying to do different kinds of things. Yes, Dhoom 2 features there. I am a very adventurous person and very athletic so definitely this kind of film is more fun, it’s not like a job. Bollywood naach gaana for me is a job. It is difficult for me to do but something like Dhoom, I am in sync with it because the kind of clothes that I wear in the film are very much me, the kind of styling I have, since I have been a model I am very comfortable and can adapt to any kind of styling so I don’t have that question mark. I let my stylists do what they want. That was very comfortable for Anaita, she was very happy to style me because I did not have many questions.

What according to you is Dhoom 2 about and what can the audience look forward to?
It is a youthful film, it’s an action comedy and I think worldwide people like action comedies. It has great stunts, great looking people, good styling, great bodies, good music, beautiful locations, first time locations like Rio and South Africa. I think Dhoom 2 is a package entertainer, you can’t really go wrong with a film like that, and it definitely is not a thought provoking film. You will want to be a little healthier after looking at the people in the film, and a little more stylish and anybody who’s young, who thinks young will like Dhoom 2. You don’t have to actually be young between the ages of 14 to something it’s like anybody who’s young at heart will like Dhoom 2.

You are playing a Bengali in the film, does that make you feel more at ease and let you be yourself?
This is the second time I am playing a Bengali but in my last film Corporate I didn’t speak any Bengali. But Dhoom 2 gives me a chance to speak in my mother tongue for the first time. I’ve never done a regional film yet, so this is the first time on camera that I will be speaking Bengali and it was really funny to dub in Bengali lines – it seems odd because I speak this language at home. It was fun, also the surname is Bose and my grandfather used to call himself KN Bose, but my father and uncle took Basu as a surname, so it’s the same thing, Bose and Basu so its closer to home I guess.

So much of attention has gone to Ash, her look, do you feel ignored?
No, I think the attention is very adequate and right, because Ash has never experimented with her looks in this drastic a manner. She is always seen as this Indian girl wearing Indian clothes and always she excels thru that in her ‘Indian ness’. So for the first time you see her in short skirts and bikini tops and a tanned look, I would say wow! It’s a required change and it’s a very positive thing, she is really looking hot, so why not. For me I have worn western clothes and I am the western girl according to the people always. The look is different for me, but not so visually different. I have not been wearing sarees in all my films; I have been the western girl, so that’s why she’s more talked about. Anyone who talks about D2 or anybody who is talked about in the film is great.

You have worked with Abhishek before, what was different about this time? And what was it like working with two of the hottest sex symbols of Bollywood.
He has just got madder with every single day. He’s a mad boy. Definitely the energy in Dhoom 2, for me, will be a memorable experience because of the friendship I share with Abhishek and Uday. Hrithik and Ash I got to know there. The kind of friendship that I have with Abhishek and Uday is too cute. I would look forward to coming to Dhoom 2 sets too much fun. Sexy, I don’t look at these boys as sexy, but yes, they are definitely hugely in demand. Hrithik I would really like to talk about, he has been extremely popular, huge in all the films that he’s done and you can’t take his success away from him, but as for me I think Hrithik excels in D2. For one, he’s not so perfect he has a little unkempt look not all the time wearing buttoned up clothes. It works on him, he’s a good-looking boy with a great body. So that loosening up that has happened with Dhoom 2 is what I find sexy in Hrithik. Otherwise I find Hrithik too perfect and I like a little imperfection in my man. For me Abhishek is really cool, because he’s not so perfect, does not dance perfectly, walk perfectly, does not have the perfect body but he’s extremely charming and suave for me. I think Hrithik has definitely got the coolness in D2. Dhoom 2 is going to provide him with that ‘easy sexy tag’. Till now he was sexy in the conventional way, the youthful, laid back sexy look is coming into Hrithik now.

This is the first time that you have worked with Hrithik and Ash. What was it like?
They are fantastic people. Hrithik when you look at him he seems a very serious person but he is a comedian, a joker on the sets. He’s also a lot of fun, lot of energy, not as hysterical as Abhishek but a still a lot of fun. Ash, the image that she projects, one would think you can’t reach out to her, and she is the kind of person you wouldn’t be able to talk to, but its not like that, she gives out a different image like somebody who is unapproachable, but she’s very approachable, she would sit in the group like all of us used to sit together, not only the actors the entire unit, so we were always a team, we would go out together, work out together, sight see together, so it was a group thing and she’s an easy person, not unapproachable at all. That myth has gone after working with her.

What do you think of the Dhoom 2 music as compared to Dhoom? You have lent your voice for the first time for the song ‘My name is Ali’, what was it like?
Dhoom original soundtrack was fantastic definitely it was a rage which picked up. Our music is very good but I always feel that the audience has to identify with the picturisation. I think track ‘Dhoom Again’ is fantastic, the kind of music that has been put, the original song has been adapted very nicely in a completely different manner. Also my favourite song on the track is ‘Touch Me” – too cute. I like to define people as sexy cute. It shouldn’t be just sexy or cute, then it would be boring, sexy cute is fun. This song is sexy cute and I love it. I have only said words for the song ‘My Name is Ali’ its not singing, a long way to go for that. Too husky a voice.

What was the best moment for you while shooting the film?
The whole Rio experience. I think the place was so lovely and for me I am a person who can easily fit into Rio not because of the way I look. In Dhoom I had this long hair and its not just my physicality it’s my whole nature is very laid back as the people in Rio. So, I would make friends on the road and look like a local and make local friends. Everyone used to have bodyguards, I used to go without the bodyguard, I don’t like people cramping my space and checking on what I am doing in my time off, away from the world. So I used to go sometimes without the bodyguard and have fun. I used to look around, go for walks on the beach, used to have my own private moments in Rio and those were really good and the one thing I would like to say about Rio which is a cute thing is that from the age of 10 to 80 people work out everyday. In my gym there used to be 20 old women, old means old with wrinkled skin but yet they were so fit. They used to have these dance exercise classes in our hotel and I used to have such a good time with them. They were all my buddies in the gym, it was really cute. The people are not body conscious, everyone is not fit but people are wearing tiny bits of clothing but nobody is looking at them.

Do you think D2 can outdo the success of Dhoom?
I don’t like to ever judge a film before its release. You can’t. And I can only hope because it’s my film, it definitely has a lot of visual delight. D2 is going to be a lot of fun to watch I just hope people like it. You can’t outdo your own branding.

What was it like shooting in South Africa do you have a message for the people there?
Fantastic people, they are the most friendly and sweetest people I have ever met. It’s not only my Dhoom experience it’s also my past experience. I’ve shot in South Africa many times and they are really genuinely nice people. It is a beautiful country, it’s got various landscapes and it’s very well endowed with all kinds of things, so I enjoy my trips to South Africa and this time is going to be memorable for ever because I did my bikini shot in Durban. I cannot ever forget that! Shooting in a bikini is not easy. It not about being conscious it’s about the fitness level you have to reach. And 3 days of eating oranges, working out thrice a day, going paranoid, ‘am I fat’. I did not want to look very oomphy I wanted to look athletic, I do not know what the final result is, as to how I look, but for me I wanted to be a Cameron Diaz, I did not want to be a Pamela Andersen. Girls whenever have shot in a bikini are basically rolling on the beach or some such thing, but I think I will give due credit to my director and the team who have shot me in the bikini, I think its athletic and very youthful, and looks like I am comfortable wearing it, not ‘oh wow!’ Its not a cheesy shot, I can just proudly claim that. So South Africa I can never forget. It’s difficult working out so many times a day and not eating when everyone’s gorging on food.

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"Hello" has so many expressions and moods

we told you about Atul Agnihotri’s new venture, based on the novel ONE NIGHT @ THE CALL CENTER [authored by Chetan Bhagat]. Atul had mentioned then that he was on the lookout for a short name for the film. Well, Atul has finalized it, the film is called HELLO.

An offbeat title indeed! “Oh yes,” Atul retorts quickly, “Hello has so many expressions and moods. It’s a form of greeting. It’s akin to posing a question [Hello?]. Hello could also be a wake up call… But most importantly, it suits the theme of my film since the story revolves around a group of six call center employees. And the first word you invariably utter when you answer calls is Hello.”

While Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will feature in guest roles, Sharman Joshi, Zayed Khan, Celina Jaitley and Gul Panag have been finalized to essay the principal characters. “We need to finalize one more girl and a senior actor for the role of Military Uncle,” Atul divulges.

Another interesting development is that four music directors have worked together on the first track of the film. Yes, you’ve read that right! Music composers Sajid-Wajid and Salim-Sulaiman have joined hands for a single track, perhaps working together for the first time. How did that happen? “Friends, after all,” Atul says shyly.

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Ali is like the North Star, Uday

He made us fall in love with him when he portrayed the character of Ali in Dhoom. Now he is back with its sequel and Ali is all set to rock again. Meet Uday Chopra, in an inter view where he speaks about his career, interests and forthcoming film Dhoom II.

The only producers who seem to cast you seem to be Yash Raj. Do you ever feel that in a perverse manner, the industry has not given you your due, simply because you are the son of Yash Chopra?
I don’t believe that the industry has not given me my due. In this place talent speaks for itself. I will not use the excuse of being Yash Chopra’s son as a means of justifying why other producers have not cast me. If I am good I will get work. If I haven’t got work then I will just have to prove that I am deserving. Whatever the future of my career may be, it’s in my hands through what I do and not because of my surname.

What was it like this time around as compared to the first time? Did you miss John’s presence on set?
Dhoom was the first time we were attempting something like this and it was new for all of us that’s why I will always have a sense of magic associated with the film. However Dhoom II had so many friends all together so the fun of working was literally doubled. Not having John and Esha, did feel strange but we would always reminisce about them on the set and yes we did miss them.

You have known Hrithik and Abhishek since childhood. Has your equation with them changed at all since you were children? What was the experience like shooting with them?
They are two of my closest friends and no our equation is still very much the same as it has always been. We always seem to have the best time together and working together especially in a film like Dhoom II was amazing. We were either working or having fun there was no third emotion during the entire shoot of this film.

What was it like working with two of the hottest women around: Aishwarya and Bipasha? How many scenes do you have with them in the movie?
This has to be a rhetorical question cause naturally working with these two women cant be anything but mind-blowing! I think both are just amazing women and working with them is super. As for scenes I had more work with Bipasha and not so much with Aishwarya.

How has Ali’s character grown over the course of the sequel? Have you done anything differently as compared to the first one?
Ali is like the North Star, always constant no matter what situation he is in. That is one of the great things about this character. I didn’t really have to do anything that differently because Ali is a character that doesn’t really change. He is the same innocent, funny, smart alecky kind of person, no matter where he goes. According to him if he is not in Nagpada then all he knows is that he is somewhere else, so be it Goa or Rio Ali is totally comfortable wherever he goes.

Dhoom ended with you turning a new leaf and becoming a cop of sorts. Will you be a cop in the sequel or back to your con ways?
In this film he has now become a cop because he did turn over a new leaf in the last film. So he does continue to don the mantle of a cop and he is very proud of being one but besides that everything else in his mind is pretty much the same.

Dhoom 2 is your first sequel. Was it difficult to repeat the mannerisms and character of the first Dhoom?
As for the mannerisms again I purposely didn’t want to change anything because it had worked so well the last time but we did try and change the look of the character this time. Now since he is a cop instead of giving him the same long hair we cut it short, but at the same time retained the bandana. We also cut out his jackets and layered look and gave him more of a leaner feel in the film. So all in all Ali has gone thru a change in look but in essence he is still very much the same.

How do you like the music of “Dhoom:2” as compared to the first one? Is it as good.
The music this time round is much bigger than before and by bigger I mean it’s much more punchy and massy. Almost every song has been treated in a grand scale. I can’t decide between the two albums cause I loved the first one too but I will say that if Dhoom is about speed and adrenalin then this album is twice as high in energy than the last one – simply put - it Rocks !

What was the best moment in the shooting of this movie?
The best moment I can remember was when we were shooting the climax song of the film in Rio. It was night time and we were on the streets of Rio with a lot of dancers and junior artistes from there. Around 2 am in the morning when everyone was a bit tired and just sitting around and the lighting for the next shot was going on, I plugged in my ipod to the speakers and just blasted the song Kajra re from Bunty aur Babli. What followed was just unbelievable because each and every person just got up and started to dance. Abhishek and Ash actually started to perform on the stage there and we had the entire Rio crowd dancing and clapping for us for putting up this impromptu show. They were blown away by the music and everyone just went crazy dancing and enjoying themselves. It just made me realize the kind of life the people have in Rio. They are so driven by song and dance that it’s in their bones and that feeling is what engulfed us that night and just swept everyone away.

Do you think Dhoom II can outdo the success of Dhoom?
It better. Dhoom II is definitely bigger than Dhoom was and there is much more in it than what one got in the first part so yes I think it should blow the first part right out of the ballpark but then again that’s just what I hope for. I guess come November 24th we will all know what happens.

Did you do all the stunts yourself? What was it like?
A lot of the stunts were done by me in this part as well but nowadays there is so much safety and precaution that its not really that scary. Its like going for a ride on a roller coaster. Everything is taken care of for you. All one really has to do is give the right expressions.

Will we see a Dhoom III?
Good question. But I’m really the wrong person to ask this question to. I think you need to redirect it to Mr. Aditya Chopra. If he decides there will be a Dhoom III, then it will. However at the moment there is no activity towards it - but yes it is a distinct possibility.

You had Esha Deol as your love interest in Dhoom. Will it be Bipasha Basu this time?
Ali as usual keeps falling in love with every girl he sees. In the last film it was Esha and in this film it is Bipasha but whether or not she reciprocates his love is something that one will be able to see only once the film is out.

This time the starcast is even bigger. Any apprehensions of getting lost in the crowd of Abishek, Bipasha, Hrithik and Aishwarya?
Well if I get lost in this crowd then it is a pretty distinguished crowd to get lost in but honestly its not about me getting lost in a crowd. It’s a film and the film is about the characters of these 5 people so if the character is strong it will stand out.

Which one was more difficult to shoot Dhoom or Dhoom II?
I’d have to say Dhoom II was probably tougher cause it has a lot more going on in it. There are so many different locations, much more action and many more characters and plus at the end of the day it’s Dhoom II. 2 being the definitive number here so it has to be at least twice the fun of the first film and to multiply a film by 2 takes a lot of work so yes it was tougher and not just for me but for the entire crew too.

We have seen so little of you except Neal ‘n’ Nikki. Why aren’t you signing more films?
I’ve always said that I rather do no work than do stuff that I don’t enjoy. I’m probably not really in a position to be picky and choosy but then again I can’t see myself doing things that doesn’t excite me. As far as work is concerned there is plenty out there but the stuff that I want doesn’t come to me and the stuff that comes to me I don’t want. So until one of the two things start to happen, I guess it will be a work in progress.

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Bunty aur Babla in Bhagam Bhag

We all remember the fun filled antics of the comical duo Bunty and Babli in the film by the same name, where Abhishek and Rani pulled off funny pranks. And now Akshay Kumar and Govinda, will be playing Bunty aur Babla in Bhagam Bhag. The first time ever pairing of the two onscreen, they are all set to fool people and amuse the audiences with their antics. We are hearing from our sources that the two of them have a magical chemistry onscreen and the pranks and gags are like never seen before!

Priyadarshan's Bhagam Bhag is about the hilarious trials and tribulations, Akshay aka Bunty and Govinda aka Babla together go through as theatre artists with Champak Chaturvedi aka Paresh Rawal's theatre group. A laughathon which involves the comic trio running around from pillar to post trying to avoid unexpected and funny situations, only to find themselves getting deeper into trouble!

Akshay Kumar and Govinda along with Paresh Rawal, Lara Dutta, Tanushree Dutta, Arbaaz Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani, Manoj Joshi and Jackie Shroff make up the cast of soon-to-be super entertainer

Produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd and Popkorn Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd, Bhagam Bhag will be releasing December 22nd, 2006.

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A music video for Baabul featuring Mr. Amitabh Bachchan

Baabul is all set to release early next month and director-producer Ravi Chopra is not leaving any stone unturned for the publicity of the film. Informs Abhay Chopra from the sets, “We are currently shooting a music video for Baabul featuring Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. It will be more like a promotional video for the film.” It is known that Big B has sung for the film and now a music video is being made featuring him. Continues Abhay, “The video will have Amitabh Bachchan and scenes from Baabul will be juxtaposed in it.”

The music video is being directed by Ravi Chopra and choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. It will be aired on television from next week.

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Real gold and diamond to used for the film "Jodha Akbar"

Ashutosh Gowarikar is known for executing his films meticulously. In Jodha Akbar, the director seems to have gone a step further. Apparently, real gold and diamond jewellery is being used for the film starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.

As for the safekeeping, all jewellery has been kept in a special executive room, and all actors have to go there to wear their ornaments. Around 50 guards have been hired for the security of the jewellery alone.

The period film is being shot in Jaipur currently, and a team of 80 people has been designated for the styling of the the jewellery that the cast will adorn.

A source on the sets confirms, "Yes, there are several people who are specially taking care of the jewellery. Besides, all the actors are also taking personal interest in the jewellery."

* A special pagdi has been made for Hrithik Roshan as well. Considering that he plays Akbar, the great Mughal, it's only natural that he will be seen wearing exquisite jewellery pieces

Audiences will get a visual treat in terms of precious stones that will be featured in the film. Our source says, "They have used emeralds, rubies and pearls, all specially designed for the film. They are all very expensive. For instance, a simple Rakhi on actor Sonu Sood's wrist costs around Rs eight lakh. As for the safekeeping, all jewellery has been kept in a special executive room, and all actors have to go there to wear their ornaments."

The source further adds, "A special pagdi has been made for Hrithik Roshan as well. Considering that he plays Akbar, the great Mughal, it's only natural that he will be seen wearing exquisite jewellery pieces. The same goes for Aishwarya's character of Jodha Bai. It will reflect the opulence of that period.

Ram Mirchandani, Vice President UTV Motion Pictures says, "Yes, it is true that we are using real jewellery for all scenes in Jodha Akbar. And all ornaments are being provided by a leading jewellery store, Tanishq."

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Shahid slid down the 16th floor of a building

Call it being brave or foolhardy. Shahid Kapoor, apparently, doesn't need a stunt double. Recently, while filming for Ahmed Khan's forthcoming film, Fool And Final, the actor slid down the 16th floor of a building on a long cloth that stretched to the ground. Incidentally, the actor chucked his fear of heights (vertigo) and went ahead with the dare-devil stunt.

After playing a homely lover in his latest release Vivah, Shahid will now be seen as a trendy city-slicker who sports a BMX cycle in Fool and Final. Shahid rides this expensive cycle throughout the film.

* I agree that sliding down the 16th floor to the ground was a bit difficult but we got the shot right in 4-5 takes — Shahid Kapoor

Director Ahmed Khan says, "Yes, it's true and it was an amazing scene. Amin was the stunt director. I know Shahid for 17 years now and he's a very close friend. At first I was scared and did not want to see him do the stunt. But then I gathered courage and shot the scene. The entire credit goes to him for attempting such a huge stunt scene on the BMX cycle." Khan states that the BMX is one of the costliest brands of cycles used for stunt scenes. "Shahid looked really good riding the BMX cycle. He gave five takes to get the scene right inspite of having vertigo. There's a chase scene where a Hummer is tailing him all over Dubai city and that is followed by this stunt scene." Of course, all necessary safety precautions were taken for the shot.

Shahid says, "Yes, it was cool to do the stunt. I think Fool And Final is a really hip film for me, especially after Vivah. I agree that sliding down the 16th floor to the ground was a bit difficult but we got the shot right in four or five takes."

As far as the BMX cycle goes, he says, "I had no time riding the cycle before the shoot. But once the shooting began, I was pretty comfortable riding it and I spent as much time as possible on the cycle while on ground."

Ahmed finally says, "The ease with which Shahid agreed to do this stunt is a clear indication of the star in him." The film also stars Sunny Deol, Vivek Oberoi and Ayesha Takia.

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Aryan’s character does fit the space of the villain that John’s role was in Dhoom, Hrithik

Are you bored with the kind of characters you have been playing in your career?

Yeah... I was quite bored. I was stuck at one end of the spectrum where I was doing this good boy, good son, good brother, and good lover…kind of roles. Though they are quite enjoyable but it was time to take the big leap towards the other end of the spectrum. For a long time, I have been looking for something exciting to do. Then Adi (Aditya Chopra) spoke to me about the film, and Sanjay Gadhvi narrated the story. The success of Dhoom motivated a sequel, but what really propelled me into doing the film, was the inherent script of Dhoom 2. So that really was my calling card.

• Do you have 16 disguises to con people in the film?

I can’t talk about the number of disguises I have in the film, but I must admit that the make-up experts that they brought in from London were people with a magic wand. I was transformed into another human being. It was fun.

• People believe you have replaced John Abraham in this film. Was it a challenge to step into John’s shoes?

I think every film is a challenge. Aryan’s character does fit the space of the villain that John’s role was in Dhoom but it’s got nothing to do with it. It’s a completely different world and I would say that if we’ve gone a notch higher with Dhoom 2, it’s not satisfying enough, it needs to be ten notches higher for it to actually make a mark. That’s what I am hoping for.

• Considering you are image conscious, what prompted you to accept a negative role?

I don’t really see Aryan as negative, I see him on the wrong side of the law. Aryan seems to be a guy who has this secret mission of freeing the world of all objects of desire that install feelings of greed, create politics and feed the ego. According to him, these are the things that come in the way of truly caring about someone. So I don’t really see him as a villain. And his modus operandi is very unique because he does it with such a flair that really makes him out to be someone you want to be.

• Finally you get to work with Aishwarya Rai, though she was considered for Krrish. How was your working experience?

Oh, it was great working with Ash and Bips. Ash, on her part is concerned with the entire film and not just her role in isolation. Her talent surpasses her beauty. So it’s been an inspiring, engrossing and exciting experience. In fact, we all bonded extremely well in Rio. Abhishek, Ash, Bipasha, Uday and I used to take walks on the beach and even swim. Imagine, all of us swimming in Rio with not a care in the world because nobody knew us there. It was phenomenally exhilarating.

• Ever since the promos have been aired, you have emerged as the coolest dude in town, thus replacing John Abraham?

(Laughs) I would not like to comment on my comparison with John. But I really want to say one thing about the look and that is that the true hero of this film is Anaita. The hard work and effort she has taken in styling each character in the film is amazing. For me, it’s been such an exciting leap to be grungy, relaxed, easy-going along with being calculating and agile. I think style is when you wear stuff that makes you feel more of yourself. I think that’s what creates an individual outlook and that’s what makes you stand apart from the crowd because it’s individual and not because you are following some trend or fashion verdict. So that’s what Anaita has done.

• Abhishek and you have been childhood friends, but after Main Prem Ki Diwani, you never worked together. In this film you are foes. Which experience was better?

We would never be foes in real life. Abhishek and I have grown up together and we wish the best for each other. Working in this film made me decide on working with him once in every two years. Simply because working with him has been very fulfilling, since he’s a good person and he radiates that. Both of us are devoid of egos. How much time do you spend watching the success or the reaction to a film? A day or two. So what your life is actually about is the process of making these films, and it’s important to enjoy those moments.

• Is it true that you bonded better with Uday?

Uday and me go back a really long way. The last thing that I thought we would do together is face the camera. 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 it too. Be it karate, computer classes, college, school, tuition, sports everything. So doing a film with him was just an extension of the same.

* Abhishek, Ash, Bipasha, Uday and I used to take walks on the beach and even swim. Imagine, all of us swimming in Rio with not a care in the world because nobody knew us there. It was phenomenally exhilarating.

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The trouble started again

After a two day lull, shooting of Rani Mukherjee-starrer and Yash Raj banner film Choodiyan invited public ire again in this holy city.

The trouble started this morning when the entire crew, including Rani Mukherjee, Konkona Sen and director Pradeep Sarkar, was about to begin the shooting at Manikarnika Ghat.

Owing to barricades, some devout were unable to visit the Siddhi Vinayak temple to offer prayers, which provoked public resentment. The public anger was fuelled by Shiv Sena activists, led by Gulshan Kapoor, who reached the spot.

Local residents and Shiv Sainiks raised anti-film and anti-Rani slogans, demanding shooting be stopped at the ghat, which is mythologically a famous cremation site.

Intervention by police and film crew prevented the matter from exacerbating and the shooting commenced. Since November 12, the shooting of the film has been punctuated by protests and disturbances. First, it was the media personnel, who were allegedly manhandled by the private security guards escorting the film crew.

The next day, Rani rebuffed the media at a news conference. Later, Kranti Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena started pitting against the films shooting, particularly against the hazel-eyed actress.

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Farah & Shirish join up with Shah Rukh in Australia

An Australian holiday is just what the doctor ordered for hardworking Bollywood couple Farah Khan and husband Shirish Kunder, especially when good friend Shah Rukh Khan is already there to help them unwind.

Far from being daunted by the mixed reviews for Kunder's debut film 'Jaan-e-Mann', Khan has whisked hubby away for a 10-day break Down Under.

'We both need to unwind and then return to work. My next film - 'Om Shanti Om' - is well into the end of its post-production phase. Shirish, too, is about to zero in on his next project. Once we're back, we'll both get going with no time at all to even look at each other,' Khan told IANS.

The couple will join up with Shah Rukh, who is currently in Australia shooting a hockey match with director Shimit Amin for 'Chak De'.

'We'll spend four days with Shah Rukh and then cruise down the Gold Coast all on our own. We need this time together. We didn't even get time to have a proper honeymoon. We had just three days together. We owe each other this time together,' Khan said just before leaving.

In her absence, a Rs.15 million set depicting Mumbai in the 1970s will be erected for Khan's film featuring Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone.

'The film 'Om Shanti Om' will be a very tough and expensive one. I'm preparing for a long battle ahead. But the comforting thought is Shah Rukh's presence. He and Deepika will make as much of a rocking pair as him and Sushmita in 'Main Hoon Na'.'

The dance choreographer-turned-filmmaker was surprised to get a call from none other than director Mukesh Bhatt.

She said: 'When he said Shirish's was the best directorial debut he had seen in the last 45 years, my day was made. Mukesh-ji had nothing to gain by saying this. We aren't working together. He didn't have to, but he did.'

Khan has just choreographed a song for her brother Sajid Khan's film 'Hey Baby'. 'But I don't know if I can do other songs for him. Once I get busy with my own film, I won't have the time,' she added.

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Huge surprise in store for Tusshar Kapoor

Visit to the 'Each One Teach One Charitable Foundation' programme, which runs for municipal Schools had huge surprise in store for Tusshar Kapoor. The children from this foundation wished to see him and to fulfill their wish Tusshar immediately took out time from his busy schedule and went across to meet with his little ardent fans. These Mentally disabled children with the help of the teaching committee organized and surprised Tusshar with a surprise birthday party. The classroom was decorated with colored steamers and drawings, the children put up an act, enacted his character, sang songs from his last film GOLMAAL and even cut their favorite chocolate cake with him.

On seeing this Tusshar was extremely touched and overwhelmed, as he had no idea of the pre birthday party awaiting him. On asking, Tusshar says "I was surprised at the warm gesture of the children and had no idea of the party, these children being full of life in spite of facing social and economic discrimination due to their mentally challenged conditions. I am thankful to them for the lovely things they did for me and am glad that I was able to bring about smiles on their faces and make this day equally special for them, like they did for me."

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Abhishek to be honored with the prestigious Uttar Pradesh state award

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan to be honored with the prestigious Uttar Pradesh state award, Yash Bharti. As per latest cricketer Mohammad Kaif also will receive the same award for his outstanding contribution to cricket. Besides Abhishek and Kaif, those who have been selected for this award are teacher and litterateur Viveki Rai, journalists Shitla Singh and Vijay Kumar, historian Yogesh Praveen, MP and litterateur Uday Pratap Singh as also Jagdish Kali Raman, Talukdar Yadav, S Tomar and Rajiv Tomar, all from the field of sports.
The state government had instituted the award in 1994-95, and almost 54 personalities from different fields have been conferred this honor so far.

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Customs officials today questioned actress Aishwarya Rai

Customs officials, Mumbai, today questioned actress Aishwarya Rai with regard to a mysterious parcel addressed to her, containing 23,000 euros (Rs 13.5 lakh).
The parcel was sent from Rotterdam, Netherlands, and it was addressed to Aishwarya Rai's Bandra residence.
To avoid the media, which had gathered outside the New Customs House in south Mumbai, the actress was questioned at the domestic airport, sources in Customs department told PTI.
Last week, Aishwarya's father Krishnaraj Rai had met the Customs officials on behalf of his daughter and told Aishwarya, who was then busy shooting 'Akbar Jodha', will visit customs office this week.

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I have never wanted to be anybody really, Shahid

Source: CNN-IBN

Say hello to Shahid Kapur, an actor who is latest heartthrob of young girls across the country. He has been in the movies for only a few years but has already gathered a sizeable fan following.


CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand reveals the true Shahid, a simple 25-year-old guy, who borrows money from his driver when he forgets his wallet at home, hates to catch up with the fitness routine of his girlfriend and shudders to see a huge mobile phone bill.


Rajeev Masand: You are just 25 years of age. Tell me, how difficult is it for a young star like you to not get carried away by the fame, power and money offered by your profession? Is it difficult to keep your head on your shoulders?


Shahid Kapur: I don’t think it's that hard. I have my father at home who is extremely established and a very good actor. Everyday when I come back home, he reminds me of the fact that I have just begun and that I still have a long way to go. My father is somebody who has followed his own conviction. He always followed what he believed. He tells me that fame and wealth are the kind of things that will come and go. What you truly are, is what will eventually remain.


Rajeev Masand: But isn’t it easy to get carried away? At 25, earning the kind of money and fame that you enjoy is something that you perhaps would not have got in any other profession. Isn’t it difficult to stay firmly on the ground?


Shahid Kapur: I was only 23 when Ishq Vishq released. Initially, adjusting to a whole new environment did take time. I came from an extremely middle class background and I’ve seen times when I did not have enough money to fill petrol in my car. I gave a lot of auditions and I struggled a lot. So, I have seen that side of life as well.


Initially, one does gets excited with the fame and the success and the luxuries. But then these are all distractions that move away your attention from the true purpose of why you are here. You are here to do good work and if you want to focus on that, you actually have to give up all those luxuries. This industry is the biggest teacher of them all. It whips you well if you don’t have your head on your shoulders.




Rajeev Masand: Have you always wanted to be an actor? Both your parents are actors, so was it inevitable really?

Shahid Kapur: Honestly, it wasn’t so. I was born and brought up in Delhi where there was little or no influence of films on me. I shifted to Mumbai when I was ten. I saw lot of International films that my father showed me. This was my first exposure to acting. I must have been 17 or 18 when I became this complete movie buff, going to theatres every Friday to catch a film. But I was still skeptical of whether I will be able to do it or not.


If you enter this industry, you need to arm yourself with necessary skills first. I did not have somebody giving me a mega launch of some kind. All that I could fall back on were my own abilities. I was very insecure about it, infact. My parents are no superstars. They are actors. And an actors’ life has got a lot of ups and downs.


I knew that this is the nature of this profession. One day you can be zooming ahead and if you are not careful the very next day you could be nowhere. So, it’s a difficult profession to be a part of. And I am quite aware of that.


Rajeev Masand: You said that you used to watch a lot of films when you were a kid. Tell me what all films inspired you as a kid?


Shahid Kapur: There were a lot of films that influenced me. I watched a lot of English films as well. Like other kids of my age I too went mad about Dilwaale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge when I saw it. Then of course I remember watching Rangeela and Maine Pyaar Kiya. But the ones that really moved were films by serious directors like Kurosawa or Satyajit Ray. I watched a nice mix of commercial as well as art cinema. That’s how I came to know it all.


Rajeev Masand: Who were the actors that you grew up admiring? Who really did you want to be like?


Shahid Kapur: I have never wanted to be anybody really. I am extremely happy being what I am. But there were a lot of people that I looked up to like they were God, like Al Pacino and Tom Cruise in Top Gun.




Rajeev Masand: Of all the characters that you have played in the films, which of them is the one that is closest to your real self?


Shahid Kapur: None of them actually. I don’t think any of the characters have been close to what I actually am.


Rajeev Masand: So you don’t necessarily need to identify with a character to be able to play it well?

Shahid Kapur: Not really. I don’t think that’s necessary at all. As an actor, you are supposed to adapt yourself to what is in the script rather than adapt the script to yourself. I think that is more important. The first and the foremost thing while approaching a role is to realise how the director is seeing it.


A lot of times when you read the script to yourself, you see the role in a certain way. But after you reach on to the sets, you realise that the director, who is like the captain of a ship has been seeing it totally differently. If you make your own version of the role, you might not fit into the larger picture of which you are supposed to be a part of, something that has been envisioned by the director.


So, you need to see the role as the director is seeing it and be sure that you can connect with it in some way. If I see that happening, then I start adding my own inputs to it. Anything in filmmaking cannot be individualistic, it has to be a collaboration otherwise it wont work.


Rajeev Masand: So have there been times when you have clashed with directors?


Shahid Kapur: Yes, there have been. But eventually an actor has to listen to the director because he has the larger perspective.


Rajeev Masand: Are movie stars normal people? Do they have the same concerns, worries, issues like most people?


Shahid Kapur: Most definitely. Stars too come back to their home to their family. You are a star only till the time you are standing in front of the camera. Once the director says ‘cut’ you are again on backslapping terms with everybody. You stay with the crew of the film for many months at times. And you become so familiar with everyone that you are not treated like a star. They treat you like just another guy, and a part of the team.

Rajeev Masand:So tell me, when was the last time you traveled by public transport?


Shahid Kapur: It's been a while. I remember about a year back my car broke down and I had to take a rickshaw from film city to my house.


Rajeev Masand: When was the last time you went to a cinema hall, bought a ticket and watched the film in a packed theatre?


Shahid Kapur: I do that every week. I ideally don’t like going to trials unless of course it’s a friend’s film and you cant say ‘no’. Apart from that, my tickets are booked every week to watch a film.


Rajeev Masand: Tell me how much does a packet of popcorn cost?


Shahid Kapur: I depends on where you are going. In most of the multiplexes it comes for Rs 40 or 45, which is very expensive.


Rajeev Masand: When was the last time you borrowed money from a friend or a parent?


Shahid Kapur: Lots of times. I almost always forget to carry cash. And the best thing is that Kareena never has cash on her. She always says, ‘Oh I forgot’. Most often I think it’s my driver who lends me the cash. Sometimes when I have to buy a magazine or a newspaper I borrow change from my driver.


Rajeev Masand: You live alone. Can you cook?

Shahid Kapur: I can make tea. I can heat all cooked food for myself in a microwave. Actually I’m lucky because my father stays right below my house and they have some awesome meals ready all the time. So most often I have the food coming up to me from his house. Then of course I am lucky to have a servant who cooks very well for me.


Rajeev Masand: Do you know what your mobile bill is?


Shahid Kapur: Yes, I know and I go red in the face every time I see it. I promise myself every month that I wont let it hike that much next time. But it just keeps getting higher and higher. I can’t even help it because I’m out of the country so much.

Rajeev Masand: So who is on your speed dial list?


Shahid Kapur: A lot of people actually. My parents, Kareena, my younger brother Ishan, my driver, my makeup boy are on speed dial.


Rajeev Masand: What is that one habit of yours that Kareena can't put up with?


Shahid Kapur: Sleeping. She says that I oversleep all the time.


Rajeev Masand: And what is that one habit of hers that you can't put up with?


Shahid Kapur: She has this habit of working out twice a day. She does yoga in the morning and then goes to the gym in the evening. This messes up the whole day’s plan. And then we end up meeting only at night even when it’s been a free day all along. I really find this irritating.


Rajeev Masand: What are your biggest indulgences? Where do you like to spend?


Shahid Kapur: I don’t have any indulgences as such. I do like to shop for clothes when I am abroad. But you can’t really call them indulgences. I just bought myself a house and a new car. These are the most expensive things that I have bought so far.


Rajeev Masand: You and Kareena like going on holidays. So are these your occasional breaks?


Shahid Kapur: We have just started taking holidays together. When you work all the time, you end up getting no time for yourself. And then you ask yourself why am I working at all? So, going on a holiday is something that I really love. I have decided to take at least a month off every year to just go away and spend time with myself.


In the past three years I have worked everyday but what are the memories that I have created in this time? I need something to look back on when I reach a certain age. It is going to be those memorable holidays that I will look back on.




I just went on a holiday with my family and when I look at those photographs, it really brings a smile on my face. That is what memories are all about.


Rajeev Masand: What are the kind of holidays that you like? Do you like adventure sports, peace, big cities or the countryside? What do you look for in a holiday?


Shahid Kapur: I want to tour the whole world. So you have to choose activities depending upon where you are going. If you are going to South Africa, you will go on safaris and see a lot of wild life. Australia offers you a lot of water sports. If you are somewhere in Europe, Austria or England, you will be spending most of your time indoors.


Rajeev Masand: So, what has been your favourite holiday so far?


Shahid Kapur: I just went on a holiday with my family to Switzerland, London, Vienna and Austria. I loved it more because I was with my family.


Rajeev Masand: You are a vegetarian. So, did you face a lot of difficulty there?

Shahid Kapur: I did face some problems. But we stayed in a self-service apartment where we had this little kitchen where we cooked for ourselves. That was really nice. These days it’s really amazing that you get Indian food in almost every part of the world. You get a lot of vegetarian stuff abroad now.


Rajeev Masand: Do you get bothered by crowds when they recognize you?


Shahid Kapur: Not much. I guess when you are so far away from home you don’t really mind getting recognized once in a while. It feels nice sometimes.


Rajeev Masand: Are you in touch with the people you grew up with?


Shahid Kapur: Not many. But I am in touch with some of my school and college friends. The nature of this profession is such that it just takes over your life. It’s not like being in a nine-to-five office job where you come back from office and then you have time for yourself.




Here you finish shooting, go for dubbing, come back, give an interview and there you have to go to listen to a script. Whatever little time you get, you would rather spend that with your family. So that does limits your social life to a great extent.


Rajeev Masand: So who are your friends? Who do you call friends now?


Shahid Kapur: I have this friend called Rohit. We both gelled so well because both of us wanted to get into films. He wanted to be a director and I had wanted to be an actor. We were both struggling at that time. I remember we used to sit together in a coffee shop and used to make plans discussing when he becomes a director, what role would he give me in his film.


By God’s grace, he is going to be directing a film very soon. But let's see if he would ever have any role that I would fit into.


Then there is this guy called Sriram in Delhi. My grandparents lived in the Patparganj area of east Delhi and this guy was staying in the same building. We used to spend a lot of time together, and we still are in touch with each other.


Rajeev Masand: What about filmy friends?


Shahid Kapur: I do have friends from the film fraternity as well. But they are people who you meet more at social gatherings only. There is hardly anyone that I can call a dear friend in the film industry as yet. I have just started interacting with people and making best buddies takes time.


Rajeev Masand: Finally Shahid, what is the best thing about being a star?


Shahid Kapur: I love films and I love acting. Many-a-times people are not able to do what actually is their passion. I find myself very fortunate that I have got to do what I loved so early in life. This is what gives me the greatest kick.

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Don't nag your husband

This pretty damsel is unmarried, unattached and single, alright. That doesn't mean Amrita Rao can't give us a tip or two about marriage, right?
Well, after having done one comedy like ‘Masti', which is about philandering hubbies, and ‘Vivah' we can pretty much trust her words of advice.
The first tip of the day is , “Don't nag your husband. Let him be. The more you nag him, the more you'll be pushing him away from you.”
Wonder, if the gal will have the same advice to give once she's hitched.

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Shiney has an extra-marital affair with his publicist, Tanuja

There is rumour; actor Shiney Ahuja has an extra-marital affair with his publicist, Tanuja. At present Shiney's wife Anu is in New York and so the story of his affair is breaking out in a crazy way.
“Mujhe to aadat pad gayi hai. I'm used to link-ups. I can handle it,” said Shiney while talking about this rumour. At the same time he denied the rumour has caused a bad weather in between him and his wife Anu. “Anu is the only woman in my life. Talks about link-ups have no effect on my marriage,” Shiney gushed.
“More so, the woman I was being linked up is senior to me,” said Shiney

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Vidya didn't want to play the second lead in a Rani Mukherji-starrer

There's much speculation surrounding Vidya Balan's decision to opt out of Pradeep Sarkar's new film. Apparently Vidya didn't want to play the second lead in a Rani Mukherji-starrer.

The actress laughs, "Actually, I can't believe the film is being made without me! But Dada (Pradeep Sarkar) wanted to complete the film within a certain period. My dates for that period were committed to Sajid Khan's Hey Baby a year ago. In Sajid's film my dates had to be co-ordinated with Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan and Kunal Kapoor. In Dada's film my dates had to be co-ordinated with Jayaji, Rani, Abhishek and Kunal. Both projects needed chunk dates. Not doing Dada's film wasn't easy for me. Inshallah, I'll be in his next. As long as Dada and I know the truth about why I'm not doing the film, it doesn't matter."

And then she changes the (uncomfortable?) topic. And talks about her excitement about Raj Kumar Santoshi's Halla Bol. "Raj Kumar Santoshi's films have always had a high level of social relevance. I was aware that it's the story of the male protagonist's journey from real to reel hero. It's Ajay Devgan's film. I'm only his wife. However I'd like to say that my character is integral to the film too. Like I always say, the true barometer of a role is not its length but how much of a difference it makes to the plot. And if you take away my role from Halla Bol, it makes a difference. I don't mind doing one scene as long as that scene makes an impact."

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she's so gorgeous that the media tends to misread even simple work

The gossip mills are buzzing overtime about a secret liaison between John Abraham and Vidya Balan that started when they were cooing beneath her dupatta for Nikhil Advani's forthcoming prem kahani, ‘Salaam-E-Ishq'. Quiz the director on this story and Nikhil quips tongue-firmly-in-cheek, “Hey that was me not John Abraham beneath the dupatta and before you fantasies take flight let me assure you that I was only explaining the scene to Vidya. But she's so gorgeous that the media tends to misread even simple work,” he sighs.

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Madhuri is getting back into shape

Madhuri Dixit is working in Yash Raj's forthcoming film, to be directed by noted cinematographer Anil Mehta. Gearing up for this comeback, Madhuri is in the process of losing weight and getting back into shape.
The last time we caught a glimpse of her was earlier this year at the Filmfare awards, where the actor appeared to have put on some weight. Now, that she has decided to make a comeback, will she be shedding the extra pounds? “Oh, yes, I have been working out regularly at my gym. I have a personal trainer and I want to get back into shape. Don't worry, I won't disappoint my fans, they'll get to see the same Madhuri Dixit once again,” she laughs.

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Bipasha declares that her laptop is her best friend

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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Rough rider: Rani Mukherji

Recently Rani Mukherji rammed her bike into her on-screen hero Salman Khan. No, Rani wasn't on a real-life rampage, she was merely trying to shoot a bike scene for Baabul.

Rani was required to ride a bike for a particular scene in the film. Now, the actress cannot ride a bike to save her life. Knowing that, director Ravi Chopra suggested that she take some training before giving the shot. But Rani felt embarrassed about not knowing a simple thing like riding a bike. So, to cover up, she insisted that she didn't need any training. "I can handle it," she said.

Co-star Salman Khan could, however, make out that Rani was nervous and that she wouldn't be able to handle the scene. Recalling the incident, director Ravi Chopra says, "Salman was sweet enough to offer Rani some help, but Rani pretended to be confident and insisted that she was a trained biker. We all were sceptical when Rani got onto the bike. She even pretended to check the brakes, etc," says Ravi.

Finally, Rani got ready to give the shot. She started off and began riding the bike at top speed. "She was supposed to come close to where Salman was standing and then stop. Since she started off well, we were all relieved. However, the ending was far from happy. Everyone in the unit was waiting for Rani to stop. Salman was standing at a distance. But the next thing we knew was that Rani had rammed the bike into Salman and toppled over," says Ravi.

"It was bad fall," Ravi continues. "Fortunately though, both Rani and Salman only received minor bruises. Initially, Rani was upset, but when she realised that everyone was laughing at her she too joined in."

Later, Rani apologised to Salman, but the actor took it sportingly. Apparently, a few hours after the incident Salman went up to Rani and told her, "Now you know why I wanted to help you... I was bothered about my life!"

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Trouble again for Ash-Hrithik film "Jodha Akbar"

Famous Bollywood director Ashutosh Gowarikar's ambitious project "Jodha-Akbar" has run into a new problem with a semi-government organisation serving notice to his production company on cruelty to animals.

"'Pashu Krurta Nivaran Samiti' (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), a semi-government organisation has sent notice to Gowarikar's production company for committing cruelty against animals," an official of animal husbandry department told here Friday.

For the past fortnight, the producer has been filming a sequence for the film on various locations in and around Jaipur. The film features Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan in title roles. Over 80 elephants, 100 horses and 55 camels are being used.

The society has asked Gowarikar whether any permission was taken from the Animal Welfare Board and why he should not be tried for violation of Cruelty Against Animal Act.

"A large number of these animals were subjected to great hardships during the shooting and there was no facility of a veterinary doctor during the shooting," said Manish Saxena, a member of the society.

He said it was mandatory to seek permission of the national board for using the animals.

Saxena said permission for such use of animals is granted on certain conditions relating to animals' welfare.

"The department of animal husbandry shall see that the issues raised by the society are addressed by the film maker," Prabhu Lal Saini, Rajasthan's animal husbandry minister told.

The film also faces resistance from the Rajputs. Karni Sena, an organisation of the Rajput community, has alleged that Gowarikar is allegedly "tampering" with history and threatened to move court to stop filming of the film.

The Sena said it would request the state government to tell Gowarikar that he should change the title of the film and not associate the community with the film.

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Saif Ali Khan joined an anti-tobacco campaign

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan too has joined an anti-tobacco campaign and started drinking a lot of water to give up cigarettes.

''I drink water every time I feel like having a cigarette and I kind of feel like I have achieved something really big,'' Khan told a national daily in an interview published on Wednesday.

He described smoking as disgusting and said it was ''a killer,'' but said he was unsure how long he would be able to keep away from cigarettes.

''There is a high chance that I will go back to that deadly addiction, but I hope not,'' the daily quoted him as saying.

Bollywood's top actor Shah Rukh Khan also is trying to quit smoking.

Last year, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss wrote to Shah Rukh Khan, asking him to join an anti-tobacco campaign.

Health experts say teenagers who watch films in which stars smoke are three times more likely to try smoking, and those whose favorite stars light up on screen are 16 times more likely to have positive attitudes toward smoking.

A World Health Organisation survey of tobacco use in movies made by India's massive, prolific Hindi-language film industry - dubbed ''Bollywood'' - showed that more than 76 per cent of its most popular films in 1991 to 2002 depicted some sort of tobacco use, mostly cigarettes.

The WHO says tobacco claims 5 million lives a year. According to government statistics, more than 800,000 Indians die each year from smoking-related illnesses.

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"very special bonding"

Jaya Bachchan hasn't been seen on screen since a small role in Karan Johar's "Kal Ho Naa Ho" but the indomitable actress is now ready to do two back-to-back films. And that's more work than she has done in recent times.

What's interesting is that Jaya plays Konkona Sen Sharma's mother in both Rituparno Ghosh's bi-lingual "Sunglass" and Pradeep Sarkar's untitled film.

"I wasn't aware of Pradeep Sarkar's casting, though I did get a hint of it from the way Pradeep spoke to me. I genuinely feel Jayadi and Konkona, who are among my most favourite actresses, look like mother and daughter," said Ghosh.

"In fact, I want them to be cast in a third film together, so there'll be a Jaya-Konkona trilogy," he added.

Jaya, who spends a large part of her day in hospital looking after her critically ill mother-in-law, is looking forward to joining Ritu's crew in Kolkata.

Jaya's bonding with all her screen-kids - be it Esha Deol in "Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche", Karisma Kapoor in "Fiza" or Preity Zinta in "Kal Ho Naa Ho", has always been very special.

"It started with Govind Nihalani's 'Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa' where I played Joy Sengupta's mother. Then came Khalid Mohamed's 'Fiza' where Karisma and Hrithik Roshan were my children," Jaya told.

Preity and I made a most natural daughter-mother pair in 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'. We didn't have to fake our feelings.

"I've seldom met anyone so frank, and yet she keeps distance. It was like sitting and talking to my own daughter. Like my Shweta, Preity is so young and yet like my friend. But Shweta is not as talkative as Preity. I must tell you, Preity used to get very upset when people expressed their disappointment that I wasn't playing Shah Rukh Khan's mom."

Said Jaya: "One of the roles that I enjoyed the most was playing Waheeda Rehmanji's daughter in Rajinder Singh Bedi's 'Phagun'. One of my unfulfilled wishes as an actress is to cast Kajol in the daughter's role and me in the mother's role in 'Phagun'."

She confesses to a "very special bonding" with Shah Rukh who played her son in "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham".

And when it comes to her own son, Jaya's face lights up.

"Abhishek played my son for a day in a Bengali film... Raja Sen's 'Desh'. It was a good experience. I returned to Bengali cinema after 28 years.

"You know, even when people said they hoped he wouldn't be like his father, I felt they were secretly hoping to see Amitabh Bachchan in Abhishek, and quite understandably so. Thankfully Abhishek has taken all the confusions and contradictions in his stride," said Jaya.

Jaya vehemently rubbished the long-held myth that she was forced to abdicate her career.

"At that point of time, my career had ceased to matter. Nothing gave me greater joy than looking after my home. Even after marriage, my husband encouraged me to work with good directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar.

"In fact, I did 'Mili' and 'Chupke Chupke' after marriage. Today I wish my son had directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar to work with. But I must say the people who are working with him are excellent."

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Mum's the word for pretty Juhi these days

She may still be a bright star but it's her role as a real-life mother to her two jaans that actress Juhi Chawla relishes the most. Though there is plenty of help at home Juhi insists on being there when it matters the most. And what she's really proud of today are not the many awards she's won but the fact that she was able to pass the parents' test during his children's school admissions with flying colors. Mum's the word for pretty Juhi these days.

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Abhishek & rani with an Alice Band on his head

Prince Andrew paid a flying visit to Mumbai and stopped by at the YSR studio at the invitation of the Chopras, Yash and Pam. Yash seemed pleasantly surprised by the still-dashing prince's interest in Indian cinema. The shehzada was given a traditional welcome by Kirron Kher who performed the ceremonial welcome and then, one by one, several young directors like Karan Johar, Shaad Ali and Siddharth Anand along with some of Yash Raj's stars stopped by to have a word with him as he was sitting down to lunch. There was a wide-eyed Rani and a long-haired Bobby Deol, a stylish Lara Dutta and Abhishek Bachchan with an Alice Band on his head, dimpled Preity Zinta and a suited-booted Saif Ali Khan. The Chhote nawab admitted that he had strict instruction from the patriarch to be appropriately dressed, which explained the suit and the tie. One royal to another, right?

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I'm like a butterfly, a free-spirit at heart,” Amrita

Sexy Amrita Arora and her cricketer boyfriend Usman completed two years of being together this week and luckily Usman is here in Mumbai for training.
What better treat that that!
But it was Malaika Arora Khan, who gave the lovely couple a surprise.
She hosted a close family dinner for them at a suburban restaurant. Of course, Ammu and Usman had their private moments together later on in the evening. And what did Usman gift his lovely gal?
”He gave me a butterfly shaped diamond pendant, because he thinks I'm like a butterfly, a free-spirit at heart,” she replied.

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Kabul Express - Movie Preview

What happens when India's biggest and highly successful movie making house moves away from the formula to make a film that has world audience as a target and a subject that is its most unconventional and challenging ever?

'Kabul Express' is born!

A film for which the shooting was completed last year followed by an extensive post production and rounds of various film festivals, 'Kabul Express' marks the debut of director Kabir Khan who takes you to a journey of war-torn Afghanistan and tells a tale through his own experiences in the country,

It's a tough world out there. And no one better than Jai [Arshad Warsi] and Suhel [John Abraham] would have known this! As TV journalists from India as a cameraman and director respectively, the two landed in Afghanistan post 9/11 when Taliban regime was dismantled and Talibanis were trying to rush away from the native Afghanis. For Jai and Suhel, an ultimate aim was to interview a Talibani and cover the activities in the region.

While in the country, they come across Khyber [Hanif Humghum], an Afghani national, who acts as their guide, translator and driver. Together the three of them travel in Khyber's Toyota Jeep that gives the film its name - KABUL EXPRESS!

But what seemed as a beginning of an adventure was just the tip of the iceberg. Because soon they would be facing situations which won't be just adventurous and exciting but also life threatening ones.....something that they were hardly prepared for!

They continue to explore the terrain blindfolded and visit the remotest corners of the mountains only to be disappointed in the end since they could hardly get hold of a Talibani who could give them an interview. On the other hand they also got a first hand taste of the activities in Afghanistan that ranged from shooting a game of Buzkashi to even getting trampled by those very horses participating in the sport.

If they thought that this was the worst then it was far from true. Because soon they had the nightmare of their lives as they got kidnapped by a Talibani fugitive named Imran [Salman Shahid]. A Pakistani army soldier who was now a part of the Taliban, his purpose in life now was to go back to his roots - Pakistan - a country which he loves and is very proud of. His modus operandi was to use Jai and Suhel as his cover as they could guide him away from the locals who would only kill him if they got a chance to lay hands on him.

In this journey of theirs, they are also followed by Jessica [Linda Arsenio], a journalist from New York who has also stationed herself in Afghanistan for her share of scoop. And seeing the four of them moving from Afghanistan to Pakistan, she thought that she had in hands what she wanted for herself.

The next step for her? Go behind the 'Kabul Express' that was the vehicle carrying the four and cover the scoop. Little did she know that she was now a part of the scoop as she got kidnapped by Imran too!

And from hereon begins the journey of 5 different individuals - 2 Indians, 1 Afghan, 1 Pakistani and 1 American!

What would happen next? What sorts of dramatic situations would the 5 find themselves in? Would 'Kabul Express' be halted by the locals while it is en route to a safe passage? And if so, would Jai and Suhel manage to rescue themselves and the others? What happens when the 5 eventually reach the Afghan-Pakistan border? Would there be some more surprise in store for them there? Above all, would Jai, Suhel and Jessica finally get their BIG scoop?

Answers to all these and more would be unveiled on the big screen as the film releases on 15th December all over!

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'Salaam-E-Ishq' Promotion starts

If year 2006 was an excellent year for movie lovers, then watch out for 2007 as well!

Because yet again, there are dozens of films lined up for release and one of the firsts in the queue is 'Salaam-E-Ishq.' Directed by Nikhil Advani, the director of Kal Ho Na Ho, 'Salaam-E-Ishq' is a bitter sweet compilation of stories of six different couples with one common problem - love!

Rumored to be narrated in the same format as that of the Hollywood hit 'Love Actually,' 'Salaam-E-Ishq' boasts of a huge starcast that comprises Salman Khan, Govinda, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Sohail Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, Juhi Chawla and Ayesha Takia.

The film's promotion has kickstarted on the small screen and its teaser has fetched an excellent response on the very first day itself. All set for release on January 24th, it is touted to be yet another big money spinner of the season!

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Kabul Express - Music Review

Directed by documentary director Kabir Khan and starring John Abraham and Arshad Warsi in the lead, Kabul Express is a project that was subsequently taken over by Yash Raj Films. The theatrical promo of the film looked promising and the film opened to a good response at the Toronto Film Festival.

So what kind of music should you expect from a movie titled Kabul Express? Locally flavoured or Middle Eastern?

What kind of music should you expect from the debutant film music director Raghav Sachar?


Read on…

The soundtrack opens to Kabul Fiza sung by Raghav himself. A peppy track with lots of percussions and also doses of a piccolo. This fast paced song moves from techno to traditional with the percussions replaced by tablas and a santoor subsequently. However with Raghav’s digitalized voice, this portion is still westernized with a fusion feel.

Immediately when the song Banjar opens up you realize that it has to be Sivamani. Banjar is a techno, fast moving yet rustic song sung by Shubha Mudgal and this one is straight out of her own backyard. An electric sitar used by Niladri Kumar gels well with Sivamani’s percussions. Shubha as usual goes high pitch and faster as the song progresses with élan and confidence. A good fusion of flute, drums and funk guitar is bound to make this song one big hit.

Keh Raha Mera Dil is a feel good song, something which Vishal and Shekhar give out occasionally when they are not going fast. Again sung by Raghav, this one has lighter instruments as compared to the first two songs though it is not really that slow. With the main instrument being a guitar, this one seems to be something like a stage song.

The instrumental Kabul Express theme composed by Julius Packiam gives you an eerie feeling yet moves differently at times giving it an Enigmatic touch. A mysterious female voice is slightly seductive and the flute and beats give an Arab feel. However, this being the theme of the movie, it goes totally against what we saw in the promo of the film where it shown as more comical.

The rocking Banjar is back with Banjar Lounge Mix and this time it gets more commercial with Sunidhi Chauhan lending her vocals. The queen of lounge mixes takes away the rustic feel that Shubha Mudgal gave us in the original and sings in the distinct style that Sunidhi is always known for. This song moves in one path and Sunidhi mesmerizes and hypnotizes you with her voice. An amazing song!

Next in line is Yeh Main Aaya Kahan which is probably the weakest song of the entire album. One reason being that it is sung again by Raghav who does not offer anything novel in his voice from his earlier two tracks. The song sounds similar to Keh Raha Mera Dil mainly because of Raghav. The flute in the foreground reminds one of what Leslie Lewis used to do with his tumbler.

Kabul Fiza Theme by Raghav doesn’t offer anything novel. With a fast moving song like Kabul Fiza, you did expect the theme to be faster. This one will most likely go unnoticed.

The Kabul Fiza Remix by Raghav again is like any other remix with more beats and sung faster. However, since the original song was quite good, this one works well to the ears.

The third and last of the Banjar saga Banjar Revisited sung by KK is as usual at his best when he sings on high pitch. This one sounds great as well and something out of a Mumbai based thriller. With all the three Banjars sounding outstanding, one wonders which one will take the cake and be promoted more.

With songs like Banjar and Kabul Fiza, this album is sure to rock the charts especially with nothing exceptionally good coming out at the moment.

It is after a very long time then a debutant music director has come out with an amazing score (the last one can remember was Ram Sampat in Khakee). With Yash Raj’s backing and two popular stars in the movie, this one is bound to be a hit all the way. Watch out Pritam and Himesh, you have a budding MD in the making.

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GURU - Music Review

Coming together of Mani Ratnam and A.R.Rahman is always special. Whether it is their first ever special 'Roja' or 'Dil Se' followed by 'Yuva', the music has always been spellbinding and something special. Add to the team a legend by the name of Gulzar and you can hardly settle for anything less than exceptional.

No wonder, the desire is to be just all ears as soon as one lays hands on the album.

Is it really Shreya Ghoshal singing the song? That's what you question yourself and recheck the album credits as soon as she begins her crooning of 'Barso Re'. Her voice sounds completely different from what we have been used to hearing since her 'Devdas' and 'Jism' days and though she has seldom disappointed over the years, with 'Barso Re' she scales new heights altogether as she goes completely carefree in her rendition of this 'rain-coming' song that is as different from 'Ghanan Ghanan' [Lagaan] as the setting of 'Lagaan' was different from that of 'Rang De Basanti'! Uday Mazumdar is heard for just a line or two in the middle of this song, which belongs to Shreya all the way. Gulzar's lyrics continue to be poetic-n-entertaining as well while the arrangements deserve special mention since they keep the song's momentum on a lively pace with the beats along with the sound of 'na na re' making 'Barso Re' a treat to hear.

Write your own music review of Guru


If you have been craving to hear something new all this while then 'Tere Bina' is the one for you. What makes the song special is A.R. Rahman coming behind the mike to sing a full-fledged number with regulars like Murtaza Qadir providing the background vocals. A love song with a 'big' difference due to the way the entire song has been paced and arranged, it is an amazing fusion of sufi and Indian classical mix that makes 'Tere Bina' a new hearing experience altogether. There is a rural India feel to the entire composition, which also reflects in the lyrics and takes you to a dream journey. The journey is only made much more authentic with arrival of Chinmayee who has a considerable role to play in the second half of the song. Unlike numerous Rahman numbers that take their own time to catch up with a listener, this one gets you hooked on right away and makes you wait for rest of the songs to come.

Rural mood continues with 'Ek Lo Ek Muft', which turns out to be a huge speed breaker after two absolutely awesome numbers. A song picking up it's theme from 'Buy one get one free' schemes that are prevalent in the consumer market, 'Ek Lo' is a situational number that just doesn't appeal audio-wise. Though Ratnam's picturisation may bring some spark to this song that seems like a fun outing on screen, what is surprising is Bappi Lahiri being hardly THE Bappi Lahiri that one had expected behind the mike. He croons for a man who is drunk and though he does well in creating that right mood, it still sets one thinking about the entire thought process of choosing him ahead of any other singer! Chitra joins in later and she too sounds completely different from the way she has been heard over the years. Tanvi, Saloni, Boney and Jaidev provide background vocals support. The song moves on a leisurely pace with minimal music instruments and has a South Indian style of composing and arrangements written all over it.

Thankfully the album is back on track with 'Mayaa Mayya' that has a strong Middle East flavor to it. The song is unlike any other composition that one may have ever heard in a mainstream Hindi film and Rahman's special touch only makes it irresistible. Mayyam Toller is the singer roped in especially for this number that is touted to be Mallika Sherawat's item song in the film. The song has a strong undertone of sensuality that flows at a lovely pace throughout its duration. Chinmayee and Keerthi only help in giving the song an exquisite feel that makes 'Mayya Mayya' a true world song. An absolutely original number that has some excellent programming and additional arrangements by Ranjit Barot, it moves to an expansive musical drive towards the last couple of minutes. Also notable is the way Rahman fuses the Middle East flavor with the Gujarati folk music in the end to demonstrate his class once again. A grand number that should look only better when seen on video!

Alka Yagnik singing for Rahman does sound like a unique combination and with Hariharan around; there are expectations of an altogether new experience with 'Ay Hairathe'. For a very short while, there is a distinct sound of 'Aage Bhi Jaane Na Tu' from 'Waqt' that is soon forgotten as soon as Rahman and Aslam Mohammad begin the song with their intoxicating humming. Hariharan arrives on the scene soon to get into his 'ghazal' singing mode and add on to an overall classy feel of the song. This is not one of those typical love songs that one is used to hearing and enters a different terrain altogether. Though there is doubt about the song getting into the popularity zone, purists may find it exciting due to it being an unconventional composition while boasting of trademark Gulzar poetry.

After number of interesting and some unconventional tunes, 'Baazi Laga' comes as a real surprise since it hardly sounds like a Rahman composition by any means. Though the arrangements along with some additional programming by Ranjit Barot try to give the song a carnival feel, this situational number about money and playing gambles has an 80s tune which doesn't come close to Rahman's class; well at least at the beginning. Later into the song the orchestra and the arrangements save the day by enabling the song to maintain its fast pace. Madhushree has very little role to play in this song that has Swetha and Bhargavee as the background singers and though Rahman's touch starts becoming apparent towards the end, the overall impact is still not of the kind that would make the track to be one of the most in-demand!

One is transported to the world of operas and Broadways with 'Jaage Hain' that has a magical orchestra as its USP! Though the number is too classy to find every person on the street humming the tune aloud, for those who want their music to be heard closely with lots of finer nuances to be caught, 'Jaage Hain' comes as a gift. Once Chitra sets the pace for this situational track about taking rest for a while and anticipating a new tomorrow, it is left to Rahman and his team of musicians to grip the listener with some subtle yet highly impacting orchestra. Later Rahman himself comes behind the mike and does some great rendition while going from ultra mild to high pitch and in the process Madras Chorale Group too joins the proceedings to take the track towards an all time high finale. Classy...simply classy!

Rahman fans only have their hands full with later when they get to hear some of his best tracks like 'Rang De Basanti' [Rang De Basanti], 'Ghanan Ghanan' [Lagaan], 'Hum Hai Iss Pal Yahan' [Kisna], 'Dheeme Dheeme' [Zubeidaa] and 'Yeh Rishta' [Meenakshi] that have been added on as a bonus.

In the end, 'Guru' leaves quite a classy impression. On one side there are some lovable songs like 'Barso Re', 'Bin Tere' and 'Mayya' while on the other side there is a track like 'Jaage Hain'. Though 'Ay Hairathe' would invite mixed response, 'Ek Lo Ek Muft and 'Baazi Laga' would have to depend a lot on the way they are presented on screen. Now coming to a question on whether the album would turn out to be more popular than 'Rang De Basanti'? Well, it all depends upon how the film fares at the box office. While the music of RDB was good too, it grew enormously with the film's release followed by a terrific response it garnered at the box office. In case of 'Guru' too the songs are of the kind that may not become a craze of the nation within a fortnight of the album's release but have all the valid reasons to become further popular if the film hits the bull's eye!

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The first Indian film to be shot in Brazil

Academia Internacional de Cinema (AIC) and Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) in São Paulo, Brazil is organising the Indian Film Festival in the country to promote tourism from India there. The festival will be held between March 6-11 (2007), corresponding with a major trade exposition.

It will showcase prominent Bollywood films including Yash Chopra’s ‘Dhoom 2’ which was the first Indian film to be shot in Brazil (on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro). The other films to be screened at the festival include Aditya Chopra’s ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jayenge’, Mani Ratnam’s ‘A Peck on the Cheek’, Santosh Sivan’s ‘The Terrorist’ and Rakesh Roshan’s ‘Krrish’.

It may be recalled that Hrithik Roshan’s debut film ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ was shot in New Zealand. The film’s super success made the country a major tourist attraction. The Brazilian trade hopes for the same after-effects.

Indian filmmaker and producer Ram Prasad Devineni (AIC) has launched a website called bollywoodbrazil.com to promote Brazil as a locale for Bollywood films.

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Arya is apparently appearing as a negative character in 'Guru'

Raj Babbar's son Arya started his career with Raj Kanwar's 'Ab Ke Baras' a few years back.

Though he was reasonably decent, the film flopped and along with it Arya's dreams of stardom. His subsequent films like 'Mudda' and 'Thoda Tum Badlo Thoda Hum' sunk without a trace and Arya disappeared from the Bollywood scene for more than two years until Mani Rathnam signed him on for 'Guru.'

In an attempt to build a second innings, Arya is apparently appearing as a negative character in 'Guru' and he is said to have a meaty role in the film.

Starring Abhishek Bachchan in the title role along with Mithun Chakravorty, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan and Vidya Balan, 'Guru' has music by A.R.Rahman and is set for release on January 12th.

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Aishwarya Rai shown delivering baby in film ?

How strange it may sound in real life, everything is possible on reel; so what's a big deal if Aishwarya Rai shown delivering baby in film?
In Mani Ratnam's forthcoming ‘Guru', Aishwarya plays Abhishek Bachchan's wife and she gives birth to twins in the film.
Gulzar, famous poet-lyricist, has composed lyrics for the film. There's a song, which starts with the line “Ek Lo Ek Muft….”. In a recent interview, Gulzar was explaining his thought, worked behind writing such funny line. “In the movie Ash as Abhishek's wife, gives birth to twins, and hence the lines "Ek Lo Ek Muft…" i.e. Buy one get one free,” Gulzar said with a huge chuckle.

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“He's so attractive, good-looking, honest and sincere,” Dia

Sexy Dia Mirza gave a sheer shock to the gossipmongers who of late spread the rumour about her new-emerged relationship with actor Kunal Kapoor. Though Dia, initially denied the rumour that she's dating the ‘Rang De Basanti' actor, but just a moment or two later, she merely sprang a huge surprise saying that though she's not yet fallen in love with Kunal, but after hearing the rumour, she wishes she were dating the slim and handsome guy.
And that's not it. Dia apparently goes on saying something great on Kunal. “He's so cute. I would love to go out with him.”
“He's so attractive, good-looking, honest and sincere,” Dia continues.
However, we couldn't contact Kunal to know whether he has any feelings for Dia or not.

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Sabse Favourite host Ayesha

In the industry where skin show is the order of the day, Ayesha Takia is an exception. “I can't do a film, which I cannot watch with my family.” Last seen in Nagesh Kukunoor's ‘Dor', Ayesha has decided to do one “sensible” film every year. “I think every actor should do that. ‘Dor' satisfied me as an actor. In fact, it's important for me to believe in it before I say yes to a glamourous role,” she says.
The chirpy actress has her kitty full with ‘Salaam-E-Ishq', ‘Full ‘n' Final', ‘De Talli' and ‘No Smoking'. “Not just that I'd also be hosting Sabse Favourite Kaun Awards, 2006,” she informed.
So is she rehearsing for it?
“Not really. The fact that I love to talk non-stop would help a lot.”

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Uncle Abhishek

Abhishek Bachchan was the crowd-puller at the evening of Ravi Chopra's ‘Baabul' audio release. While journo wanted to know if there was any truth to the story of his and Aishwarya's Valentine wedding, a query Abhishek fielded with a smile and a “sorry to disappoint” statement. His young fans dogged his footsteps screaming, “Abhishek uncle, autograph please.” The ‘uncle' had Ramesh Sippy shuddering, “If they are calling Abhishek uncle, wonder what they would call oldies like us?” And before he could be hailed with any cries of ‘Dadaji', Sippy beat a quick exit.

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Vidya unhappiness about her role in "Guru"

Rumours regarding her supposed unhappiness about the length of her role in Mani Ratnam's ‘Guru' has Vidya Balan flummoxed.
“I can't even begin to imagine where these rumours started. Do these people realize what getting a Mani Ratnam film means to someone, who started her career barely two years ago?
I got in ‘Guru' with my eyes wide open and I'm very happy being part of it. According to me, there are no first lead and second lead in a Mani Ratnam film. Every one is a character, period,” she says.
The rumour of her displeasure gathered momentum when Vidya failed to turn up for the music release of ‘Guru'. “That was a totally unavoidable circumstance. When I was told the event was on November 5, I informed then immediately that it would be impossible for me to be there. I had already committed myself to a very important family function outside Mumbai,” she says.
Most of her scenes in the film are with Madhavan. But she has a couple of scenes with Abhishek and one scene with Aishwarya in the film.

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Akshaye Khanna, being so romantic

Tara Sharma out, Urvashi Sharma in! After his split with Tara Sharma, actor Akshaye Khanna, being so romantic in nature, apparently had been starving for finding a new love in his life, and if the rumourmonger to be believed, Akshaye has found it finally in model-turned-actress Urvashi Sharma's pretty eyes.
As per industry grapevine, Akshaye, Urvashi are now a couple and have been spotted together in several places in the tinsel town, of late.
As per latest the director duo Abbaas-Mustan has signed up Akshaye and Urvashi together for a film. It's Urvashi's debut film. And the pretty gal is now in Dubai with Akshaye shooting the film. Sure they are spending lots of private moments together there.

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Ishaa Koppikar is set to play the role of a courtesan

After Ash playing Umrao Jaan, Ishaa Koppikar is set to play the role of a courtesan in Kalpana Lajmi’s next. The film is yet untitled but is based on a popular novel Sanyasi Aur Sundari set in the Ashoka era. According to Lajmi, the essence of the film is not dance but the position of women in the society in those times. She adds that the courtesans in those days where not treated prostitutes. Instead they were intellectually bright and artistic, getting more respect than a Maharani.

The film will be shot in one schedule in April next year. Lajmi is currently hunting for the right locations in Bikaner. She says that she has a tight budget and cannot afford to have lavish sets. Lajmi is however highly impressed by Ishaa. She says that Ishaa is very intelligent and the kind of actor who surrenders completely to the director which happens rarely these days. Ishaa on the other hand is not at all affected looking at Umrao Jaan’s fate at the Box Office. She says that she is happy trying different roles that will prove her versatility.

Kalpana Lajmi’s Chingaari starring Sushmita Sen released early this year. The film however was in news mainly due to the issues between the director and the actors rather than its content.

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Amisha Patel joined an NGO called PlanetRead

Amisha Patel has joined an NGO called PlanetRead that helps teach people in villages to read, through the use of film songs. About her involvement with the NGO, Amisha says that she met Scott Norton from University of Boston about a year ago who told her about the concept. She liked the concept in which the film songs are played and the text appears below like karaoke. She says that since she is a film personality, her famous songs help greatly in teaching the villagers. Amisha says that due to poverty, many children in India are deprived of education and have to start working at a very young age. This educational system by the NGO is more like watching TV and learning.

Amisha has recently returned from Fiji and Sydney where she performed live. Amisha says that Bollywood films are very famous in Fiji and one can’t miss India there. Even in Australia 30 per cent of the audiences for the show were Australian who enjoy Bollywood films.

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UNNS - Movie Review

Certain stories are way ahead of times to gel with the Indian sensibilities. There's nothing wrong with them as such, but it's difficult to absorb such themes by the traditional audiences. UNNS is one such story!

UNNS is a story narrated by Natasha [Juhi Babbar] about her close friend Ria [Rituparna Sengupta], who gets married to Rahul [Sanjay Kapoor] on a rebound. Rahul, an ideal husband, truly loves his wife. Unfortunately, Ria is unable to reciprocate Rahul's love in the same way as he does.

Ria's first love, Rishi [Sudhanshu Pande], is a advertising tycoon who she really loved once upon a time. Rishi too loved her, but they could not get married.

Succumbing to her consciences, Ria deliberately starts picking up fights with Rahul and one day tells him that she has decided to end the marriage. Rahul is shattered. Natasha's boyfriend Sameer [Aman Verma], a lawyer, helps Ria. Natasha understands that Ria cannot get a better husband than Rahul and discourages her from divorce. But Ria is adamant.

Rahul, a product of a broken family and the one who probably nursed a desire to keep his family always happy, wants to save his marriage. Natasha stands against her own boyfriend Sameer as well as Ria and helps Rahul in this process.

Besides a theme that's difficult to digest, there's one prime reason why UNNS doesn't catch your attention: The screenplay is far from gripping. Be it Sudhanshu's characterization or the courtroom sequences, the film could've done with a taut screenplay.

Bhupendra Gupta's direction is average. The conflict between the characters is not fully developed and hence, the impact is missing. Music [Sujeet Shetty] too is dull. Cinematography [Ishwar Bidri] is first-rate.

Juhi Babbar stands the tallest as far as acting is concerned. She delivers a polished performance. Sanjay Kapoor is able. Rituparna Sengupta does a fair job. Sudhanshu Pande looks lost. Aman Verma tends to go over the top.

On the whole, UNNS has limited chances due to a not-too-convincing plotline. At the box-office, it has dim chances!

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Rehguzar - Movie Review

What may sound interesting on paper, may not necessarily look as appealing on celluloid. That's one of the vital reasons why REHGUZAR suffers. Here's another reason, but this has nothing to do with its content: It has been released with as good as zilch hype. Obviously, it stands no chance at the ticket window!

REHGUZAR depicts the life of laborers in the Middle East. The helpless labor class, which arrives from different countries to Gulf, dream of a rosy life there. But most of the expatriates have to work very hard to make their mark.

Engineer Rahul [Jimmy Shergill] comes to Dubai with dreams in his eyes. He falls in love with Neha [Saloni Aswani], the daughter of a rich Indian businessman [Rajiv Verma]. Rahul leaves his present job and tries his hand at various jobs. Finally, he gets a job in Rajiv Verma's firm, but he's unaware that he is Neha's father. How he wins, loses and eventually wins various battles of life, forms the crux of the story.

REHGUZAR could've mirrored the hardships of life in Gulf convincingly. But director Faruq Masudi's execution of the subject is sub-standard and therefore, the drama fails to strike a chord. The film does boast of a few interesting sequences, but they aren't enough, frankly! Besides, the film moves at a lazy pace, which leads to boredom.

Aadesh Shrivastava's music is another sore point. The songs just don't work. Cinematography could've been better. The locales of Dubai haven't been captured dexterously by the lensman.

Jimmy Shergill pitches in an earnest performance. But no actor can rise beyond a lackluster script. Saloni is strictly okay. Vrajesh Hirjee and Rakesh Bedi contribute to the humorous moments. Rajiv Verma is as usual.

On the whole, REHGUZAR is a poor show. At the box-office, will prove to be an also-ran!

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Anwar - Movie Preview

Character Sketch

Siddharth Koirala as Anwar
Anwar is a quiet, sensitive Muslim youth in his early twenties. He views the world, under tutelage from his mentor, Master Pasha, in a romantic light, far removed from the pace of modern life in India. Inevitably, as he faces a far harsher reality, it creates the conflict that ultimately drives Anwar. It is his journey that the film follows.

Nauheed Cyrusi as Mehru
Mehru is the love of Anwar’s life. Through the film, her constant effort is to battle the status quo placed upon Muslim women- manifested most clearly in her desire to leave India for a better life. She, of all the characters, best represents the generation of middle-class Indians caught between tradition and the irresistible onset of globalization.

Manish Koirala as Anita
Anita is a hard-nosed, principled journalist for one of the leading television channels in the country, reporting on the controversial situation which forms the basis for large parts of the film’s narrative. In addition to the strange situation and even stranger people that she finds herself covering, Anita is also grappling for control over a personal life gone awry- all the while chasing the scoop of her career.

Hiten Tejwani as Udit
Udit is Anwar’s closest friend. He is also the more pragmatic of the two. He understands how the world works and what he must do to get along. But, like most of the other characters in the film, Udit is overwhelmed by Fate, and the strange illogic that governs the other India that lives inside the modern, moderate India.

Vijay Raaz as Master Pasha
Master Pasha is an artist and a theatrical genius who has turned his back on the world after the death of his one true love. As an artist, he has surrendered himself to the world-he now begs for a living, turning it into the highest from of performance. He is also Anwar’s mentor-inculcating in him his deep love of architecture and of classical art; and instructing him on love and life.

Rajpal Yadav as Gopinath
Gopinath is the embodiment of small-town India. Quirky, confused, paranoid, street-smart, a senior journalist for a C-grade newspaper in a sleepy town in North India, he is, above all, constantly looking for the one break that will provide him the escape route out into the big cities. One fine morning, while still in Dholpur, the opportunity falls into his lap.

Yashpal Sharma as S.P Tiwari
S.P. Ashok Tiwari is one of the most balanced portraits of an Indian Police Officer in recent times. On one hand an efficient, ruthlessly hard man in complete control of any situation at hand; on the other, a loving father and husband. Over the course of the film, however, the SP is placed in a situation where the lines between his work and his personal life become increasingly blurred…

Sudhir Pandey as Minister
The Minister completes the entirety of the Indian Experience – the rabble-rousing, schizophrenic Indian Politician. Taking advantage of the situation handed to him, the Minister begins to play the people, the entire town and eventually, the entire country for sympathy that might translate into votes, unleashing a generic wave of casual violence … all the while trying to grapple with a discreetly disintegrating personal life.

Storyline

Anwar is the story of a young man, an artist, who leaves his home and everything he knows in order to escape a world he no longer recognizes. All he ever wanted was a love story, Instead, his mentor abandons him and his best friend and his one true love betray him. Devastated, emotionally exhausted, he takes refuge in an old building, only to wake up the next morning to find his world turned upside down. Mistaken for a terrorist, Anwar finds himself in the midst of an unusual set of circumstances that resonate deeply with the modern Indian Condition and indeed with the Human Condition in this present-day global village. Surrounded on all sides by a host of characters who try and engineer the situation to their profit, Anwar becomes the central character upon which the others base their hopes and their deepest desires. A rabble-rousing Minister pitching for the popular vote; two journalists; one a nationally renowned TV reporter and the other a small-town scribe, looking to resurrect their careers and, as a consequence, their lives; a priest whose only concern is the maintenance of the status quo; and a senior police officer who only wants to leave, but must first resolve the situation… in any way he can. Through them, and through the other stories weaving in and out of the film, we discover a huge love story, plastered against the canvas that is India. And that, above all, is what Anwar is about. About the simple human need to connect, to love and to be loved, and to believe…

But now remains Faith, Hope, Love, these three…
And the greatest of these is love.

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Madhuri will be staging a comeback to Bollywood in a film, Yash Chopra

Actress Madhuri Dixit Nene will stage a comeback to the Bollywood early next year, director Yash Chopra said on Thursday.


"Madhuri will be staging a comeback to Bollywood in a film directed by Anil Mehta under the banner of Yash Raj films," he said.


The acting schedule of the film casting Madhuri will commence in first week of January 2007, he said. Chopra, however, refrained from divulging the details including name of the film.


Madhuri, who gave several hit films, is married to a US-based doctor and is a mother of two children.



Chopra, who was in the city to attend a meeting of Chandigarh Tourism Advisory Forum, was not averse to the trend in the film industry to make sequel to hit movies.


"Every one has a right to make a movie," he said, adding he, however, would not come up with a film which was a re-make of earlier hit movies. Chopra said he plans to release six movies during the course of the year 2007.

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Karan gave me the title I See You, Arjun

It's quid pro quo for Arjun Rampal and Karan Johar. Since Arjun Rampal agreed to do a cameo in Karan's Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna unquestioningly, KJo has now reciprocated in kind. He has given the title for Arjun's home production, I See You, besides a lot of free advice.

Arjun says, "Karan has been a pillar of strength throughout my production I See You. He read my script and was very encouraging. In fact, Karan even gave me the title I See You. Each time I needed to take a call on something, I knew I could always refer to Karan."

"I've been fortunate," he adds. "Shah Rukh Khan too extended his unconditional support to me. During the shooting of Don in Malaysia, Shah Rukh called me to his room and welcomed me, 'Come, producer saab. My production office is there for whatever you require.' That was so sweet, "says Arjun.

I See You has been shot entirely in London. One of Arjun's aims was to capture the over-exposed city like never before. "My character is that of a London-based talk-show host. I've lived in London and I wanted to capture those parts of the city that haven't been shot before. I didn't want to show Piccadily Circus, Trafalgar Square or the Big Ben. In I See You you'll see a very different London. I wanted to capture the market sites. It's quite difficult to shoot in London. It requires a lot of pre-production planning but I enjoyed that. It kept me on my toes."


Dost No.1: Karan Johar
Arjun has a confession to make. "I love the process of filmmaking, from scripting to execution… To turn producer was a difficult decision," he says.

Ask Arjun why he chose a new girl Vipasha and he quickly replies, "The script demanded a new girl. We did think of some of established stars. But later on we decided to zero-in on Vipasha who is just perfect for the role. She has the main role in I See You. As for her name being confused with Bipasha's when that happens we'll change it to Angelina Jolie."

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Mr. Rai had visited the customs office on behalf of his daughter Aishwarya

The mystery over the postal parcel containing 23,000 euros (Rs.3.7 million) and addressed to Bollywood glamour girl Aishwarya Rai continues, even as the actor's father Krishnara Rai was Wednesday questioned by sleuths of the Customs department.

Mumbai Commissioner of Customs (Imports) A.K. Prasad said Krishnara Rai had visited the customs office on behalf of his daughter who is out of station.

According to sources, Rai said his daughter was away in Jaipur for a film shoot and would be returning only on Monday.

"He (Krishnara) came in connection with the replies and queries regarding the postal package containing 23,000 euros. He was very cooperative, in fact both he and Aishwarya have been very cooperative. Her gave us satisfactory answers to all our queries," Mumbai Commissioner of Customs A.K. Prasad told reporters here.

Aishwarya, served a notice by the department seeking her clarification regarding the packaging of the parcel, is in Jaipur for a film shoot.

Prasad, however, did not divulge any details of the questioning.

The packet, containing foreign currency was addressed to Aishwarya's new residence "La Mer" on the Bandra Sea face in north suburban Mumbai.

Prasad said the package, which also contained the cash, was sent from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, with an attached declaration saying it had a branded shirt, a pair of binoculars, a DVD player and other electronic goods.

The customs officials have also declined to disclose the consignee's name.

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Shahid and Amrita selling tickets of their latest film 'Vivah'

Actors Shahid Kapur and Amrita Rao were seen selling tickets of their latest film 'Vivah' at Fame Cinemas here.

It was a golden opportunity for their fans who thronged the venue. Many were excited seeing their favourite stars at such close quarters.

Shahid and Amrita shared some of their experiences while shooting for 'Vivah'. Personally autographed CDs and posters of the duo were also distributed.

The event was organised by Fame Cinemas and Inorbit Mall in Malad.

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Rani is not marrying soon

Relax, relax, Rani is not marrying tomorrow. But let me say that the Bollywood queen wouldn't do film after her marriage. Rani, in a recent interview said that she wants to give her 100% to her hubby and his family once she gets married. “When marriage happens I'll give my 100% to it,” said Rani. That means, after marriage, people will not get to see her in films? “You can say so,” said the talented actress. However right now she's single. “For the record, there's no one right now. I can look you right in the eye while saying that,” said Rani with an impish grin in her eyes.
Also she assured she's not marrying soon. “My energies are completely focused on work and I want to get it right. Because after a long time, God has given me an opportunity to do films which I'm enjoying,” Rani gushed.

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'Death threats do not scare me,' says oomph girl Mallika

'Death threats do not scare me,' says oomph girl Mallika Sherawat after a Haryana youth was reported as saying that he had conspired to kill her because she brought a bad name to the Jat community.

Rajesh Dalal, wanted in several cases of kidnapping, robbery and attempt to murder, was arrested in Sangli, Maharashtra, a few days ago and brought to New Delhi. He created a sensation when he told reporters at the Delhi Police headquarters that he wanted to kill Mallika because she had besmirched the image of Jats.

Mallika, who belongs to Rohtak district in Haryana, said in a statement posted on her website: 'Death threats do not scare me but I do want to make one thing clear that it is not my intention to upset or offend the sensitivity and sensibility of my people. I respect our culture and traditions. However, I do feel that women should be empowered and have the ability to stand on their own feet and earn a living and make their own career, which is what I am trying to do.' Her website is www.mallikasherawatwow.com

Police say Dalal's threat was just a gimmick to attract media attention and that the police had found nothing to substantiate his claim.

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A notice to katrina

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti's dargah committee has decided to issue notice to actress Katrina Kaif for wearing a knee-length skirt inside the dargah premises.

Filming a sequence for "Namaste London", which featured Kaif wearing a knee-length skirt inside Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti's dargah in Ajmer, over 140 km from here, had created uproar among 'khadims' (servers) and the shrine administration.

A similar notice has been issued to actor Rishi Kapoor, director Vipul Shah and Babu Bhair Goshi, the shooting arranger for rolling the cameras without taking prior permission of the dargah authority.

The notice reads that all the accused should feel sorry for their act or they would be sued in the court of law.

"We have located the addresses of all the people except that of Katrina, which is being searched by the committee," Dargah Nazim Abdul Alim informed.

As per Islamic traditions, women wearing skimpy outfits are not allowed into the shrine and dargah officials and the Muslim community had taken exception to Kaif's attire.

It may be mentioned here that on Oct 2, while filming a sequence of "Namaste London", Kaif had walked into the dargah wearing a knee-length skirt, which had created a ruckus.

Dargah committee vice-president Sayed B. Chisti, while objecting to it, had said it was the duty of office-bearers accompanying the Bollywood team to ensure the sanctity of the shrine.

At the time of controversy, the film's director Vipul Shah had said: "There was no intention of hurting anyone's sentiments or religious feelings. Katrina's attire was in keeping with her role as a London-based NRI. We are even ready to drop the scene from the film."

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Suniel Shetty to host a reality show titled 'The Biggest Loser'

Many actors are hosting TV shows these days. Dino Morea hosted AXN Action Awards, Arshad Warsi agreed to host Sony's 'Big Boss' because he wanted to spend quality time with his son Zeke. Ayesha Takia is hosting Star Gold's 'Sabse Favourite Kaun 2006'...and now it's Suniel Shetty to host a reality show titled 'The Biggest Loser'.

As per reports in a daily, it is a health show that will feature obese and over weight people. It will teach people to lose weight within a stipulated time period. Suniel himself is a fitness freak and believes that a sound body reflects a sound mind. The shooting for the show commences in December end. Incidentally this is Suniel's first stint as a TV host.

As for his filmi career, he was lately seen in Sangeeth Sivan's APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY. His upcoming films include YAHAN KE HUM SIKANDER, FOOL and FINAL and CASH.

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I'd definitely want to play a character of the past, Rani

When remaking old classics is the new order of the film industry, industry's one of the top heroines, Rani Mukherji revealed her strong reservation about doing remake.
“I'd definitely want to play a character of the past, but I'd not like to be a part of a ‘remake' probably,” told Rani in a recent interview. Because she feels that the magic our seniors and directors have created cannot be recreated.
”It can be redone in a new way and it's great that people are doing it but I personally would feel insecure playing a part, which has already been done and the magic already been created,” said Rani.
“I'd like to do films, which will become landmarks in history today; for people to see and say in future ‘Oh my God, remember that film',” Rani said with her eyes fixed at far.
Rani's forthcoming film is ‘Baabul', where she plays the centre role with Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham and Salman Khan.

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Esha Deol in Kalpana Lajmi's next ?

Esha Deol roped in for director Kalpana Lajmi's next. It's an international project, to be made in two languages - Hindi and English; Mahendra Dhariwal has set to produce the film.
Initially the role was offered to Bengali bombshell Bipasha Basu. But Bipasha, busy with her other commitments, couldn't allot required dates to Lajmi, who wanted to start the project in March. Producer Dhariwal confirmed, “Kalpanaji has already narrated the script to Bipasha Basu and she had liked the script but due to date problems she has been replaced by Esha Deol.”
As per source, Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta has been signed up for playing a pivotal role in the film. And at present the makers are in search of a new-face hero and heroine for the project.
The film will be shot in Bikaner and Jaisalmer. Shooting will begin in March 2007.

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Salman Khan and Soha Ali Khan to perform together

However not for a film, as per latest, Salman Khan and Soha Ali Khan will perform together at the opening ceremony of International Film Festival of India to be held on November 23 in Goa this year.
They will perform on IFFI theme song, composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Eminent poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar has written the lyric for the song.
Besides Salman and Soha, as per source, there will some more celebrities from the industry who can perform on the theme song. If the sources to be believed, Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza, Bipasha Basu, Esha Deol and Malaika Arora Khan can join Salman and Soha in the song.

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Bollywod stars makes Children’s Day memorable for the kids

Over a hundred kids from the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) had the time of their life on Monday when the organisation announced a week long festival on the occasion of Children’s Day (November 14). And along with the clowns and magicians, shaking a leg with them were Bollywood stars Esha Deol, Kunal Kapoor, Dia Mirza and Suniel Shetty. “I got to celebrate Children’s Day with these special needs children and it feels amazing to see them so charged up. I’m glad I got an opportunity to make them feel as special as possible,” said Esha Deol who seemed to be the kids’ favourite.

Though many others are constantly involving themselves in socially relevant causes, it seems like Bollywood’s glamorous faces always have an edge. Agrees Kunal, “These kids relate a lot to the entertainment world we belong too because it is really fun-filled. So as celebrities, if we do have an edge, I think we must make use of it completely and do as much possible for their benefit.”

Esha Deol whose mother, actor Hema Malini has been associated with the cause for the past ten years adds, “If I can be one amongst those role models they look up to, I will feel blessed.”

In an initiative to take this platform from Mumbai to the rest of India, the association also announced actor Dia Mirza as its brand ambassador. “A lot of kids out there don’t even know about Children’s Day. If each of us makes a little effort we could make a huge difference,” sums up Dia.

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I am apologising to the media if some misbehaviour has happened, rani

Actress Rani Mukherjee has apologised to the media for the scuffle that broke out in Varanasi between her bodyguards and journalists on Monday.


The incident tool place while Rani was shooting in the holy city for her film Chudiyan under the banner of Yashraj productions.


A day after, along with the apology, Rani sought a similar reaction from the media if they were at fault.


"On behalf of my production, I am apologising to the media if some misbehaviour has happened with the press. We will also want the press ot apologise because if they have misbehaved then they should not be reluctant to say sorry," Rani said.


"The film fraternity and the press have a close bond. The point is that we should be subtle and good to each other," she added.


On Monday, the scuffle broke out when some journalists tried to get close to the crew members, including Rani and actress Konkana Sen Sharma, who were shooting on the banks of the River Ganga.


Media persons allege that the security of the crew members roughed them up.


"The things should be like, we go out of here after our shoot and give you our interviews and photo shoots and that's it. What is the point fighting and quarreling over it? The fact is that we both are not male actors, we are delicate females, so if people will create havoc, we would surely not like it," Rani said.


Pradeep Sarkar-directed Chudiyan also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.

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Aishwarya gets €23,000 from Netherland

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai may have to face legal troubles after a packet containing 23,000 euros, which is about Rs. 13.5 lakhs in Indian currency, addressed to her Bandra residence in suburban Mumbai, found at the Mumbai airport. As per reports, the packet has come from Netherlands , however the sender's name has not been known yet.
Source says, the customs department, Mumbai may summon the actress for questioning. When asked, Customs Commissioner (Import) A.K. Prasad said, “We have not sent a notice to her formally. But we will do that later.”
The customs department has informed Aishwarya Rai through her secretary Hari Singh. On contacted, Hari Singh however refused to comment.

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Saif-Vidya Together again after parineeta

The ‘Parineeta' duo Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan are teaming up again; as per reports director Mira Nair of ‘Monsoon Wedding' fame is making a short film on AIDS awareness, where Saif Ali and Vidya will be seen together with actor Shiney Ahuja.
This drive is a part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Initiative in India to combat AIDS and create awareness.
The film will be screened at all major cinema halls in India.

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Sanjay Gadhvi’s next ?

After making three films for Yash Raj [MERE YAAR KI SHAADI HAI, DHOOM and DHOOM 2], director Sanjay Gadhvi’s next film will be produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd. [GOLMAAL, BHAGAM BHAAG]. The buzz in the industry is that Gadhvi is in talks with Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai for the film in question. True?

“As of now, only Akshay has been confirmed,” Denis Selarka of Ashtavinayak states, “Talks are on with several prominent stars currently and we wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny anything at this stage. There’s a lot of speculation vis-à-vis the budget too [Rs. 80 crores?], but its all hearsay.”

However, unconfirmed sources add that Gadhvi’s new film will be an action entertainer and a team of foreign stuntmen will be hired to execute the stunts of this film. Watch this space for more updates on this keenly-anticipated film!

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Shahid Kapoor to act in his yet untitled film

After waiting for two years for the right project to come his way, actor Shahid Kapoor has finally signed on the dotted line. Director Rohit Shetty of Golmaal fame has managed to convince Shahid Kapoor to act in his yet untitled film. The film will be produced by Ramesh Sippy.

Shahid says, "I was looking for a great subject. I have been listening to scripts for a while now. But when I met Rohit, something just felt right. I think Rohit is a talented director and I loved his script. Why not sign something good when it comes to you? I am happy and really looking forward to doing the film."

Director Rohit Shetty says, "I have an odd combination in the film, with Nana
Rohit Shetty
Patekar and Shahid in the lead roles. But at the end of the day, it is a light-hearted, comedy film for family audiences. It is a very unusual role for Nana which the audiences have never seen before."

Speaking about Shahid doing the film, Rohit says, "Shahid told me that he has not signed any film in a long time but he loved my script from the time it was narrated to him. I am glad that I have him in the film."

The film will go on floors sometime in mid- 2007.

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Security guards escorting Rani Mukherjee and Konkana Sen roughed up mediapersons.

Mediapersons from a news channel were allegedly assaulted by private security guards escorting actors Rani Mukherjee, Konkana Sen Sharma and other crew members of Yash Raj banner's upcoming movie being shot in Varanasi.


The trouble started near the Dashwashamedh Ghat when the film crew, including Rani and Konkana, were leaving for their hotel after a day-long shoot at Mirghat edging the Ganga river.


When some journalists tried to get close to the crew members, security guards escorting the film crew roughed up the mediapersons.


Some of the journalists sustained injuries and one camera was damaged. Later, the police reached the spot and took control of the situation.


The film is being directed by Pradeep Sarkar of Parineeta fame and also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.


It is likely to be shot over the next fortnight at various locations in the holy city, including the Ramnagar Fort housing royal family of Kashi.

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Aish 'Crazy Kiya Re'

She may have won the hearts with her sensitive performance in 'Umrao Jaan' but box office had some different plans for her as the film struggled to even take off well at the theatres. But Aishwarya Rai has still reasons to smile as 2 weeks down the line she would have another release in the form of 'Dhoom 2'. And doesn't she appear in a role that men folk always wanted her to be seen in?

Hot leather pants, designer tops, a little skin show and loads of attitude - these factors are enough to drive the audience 'crazy' and this is what she intends to do through her hot'n'sizzling dance number 'Crazy Kiya Re'. Crooned by Sunidhi Chauhan, this Pritam composed number is one of the reasons why the album is still one of the top selling albums at the stands.

Pleased with the response the makers have unleashed the number on the satellite channels. This is a first in this direction since all this while only the action promos were beamed at both the theatres and the small screen.

Will this song turn out to be the 'Dhoom Machale' of the second edition of 'Dhoom'? Come November 24th and we should have the answers!

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'Kabul Express' is now all set for a December 15 release

After months of uncertainty around the release timing of 'Kabul Express', the final date for the film's release has been announced.

Documentary maker turned film director Kabir Khan's 'Kabul Express' is now all set for a December 15 release.ok Film lovers would know that 'Kabul Express' has been in news since it's theatrical promo was first beamed alongside 'Fanaa' way back in the month of May. At that time it seemed that it would release in around a couple of months time but that never happened.

Later there were speculations around the film coming on Diwali but that wasn't the case either. But now with YRF's biggest release ever 'Dhoom 2' coming out on November 24th, 'Kabul Express' too is being readied for release before the year comes to a close.

The film is about 5 people from different worlds and how their paths cross in a country [Afghanistan] devastated by war. These 5 characters are two Indian journalists [John and Arshad], 1 American journalist [Linda Arsenio], 1 Afghani driver cum guide [Hanif Humghum] and 1 Pakistani journalist [Salman Shahid].

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'Kamre Mein Aaja' promotional video for 'Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana'

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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Tanushree to dance with Akshay & Govinda

After her twin appearance in 'Aashiq Banaya Aapne' and 'Chocolate', Tansuhree Dutta is back to sizzle the screens and teach her co-stars some lessons. And the first step in this direction is a stop at 'Pyaar ka signal' where she makes Akshay Kumar and Govinda dance to her beats.

Yes, that's the title of Tanushree's dance stage number in her upcoming film 'Bhagam Bhag' where she does a tango with two of the best dancers in the industry today - Akshay Kumar and Govinda! A funky rhythmic number put to tune by Pritam, 'Pyaar Ka Signal' is a flashy massy number with colorful western costumes and a glitzy stage that would comfortably cater to the gentry.

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IIFA 2007 in yorkshire, England

Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan began the countdown to the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) function being held in Yorkshire next year with two launch events at the House of Commons and at Bradford.

This is the second time that the IIFA awards will be held in Britain, since its launch at the Millennium Dome here in 2000. The June IIFA weekend and awards will be held across five Yorkshire towns of Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, York and Hull.

After the launch at the House of Commons, Bachchan travelled to Bradford for the build-up event at the National Museum of Film, Photography and Television.

"If anyone ever asks themselves 'Why Yorkshire?', we should say, 'Why not?'," he told the audience. "End of question, end of argument."

Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizcraft International Entertainment, which created the event, said: "Why Yorkshire? Exciting place, virgin territory, beautiful locality for setting up a film event."

During the IIFA event in June, local organisers are hoping to host a cricket match featuring Indian film stars and Sachin Tendulkar, who has played county cricket for Yorkshire and was a popular figure in the region during his stay here.

Bachchan said he was looking forward to getting to grips with all that Bradford and Yorkshire had to offer. He said: "I was here once, for the Bite the Mango film festival. When I'm here next I will take a good look at the area and the region.

"I saw some films recently by the tourism board and they were absolutely amazing. Yorkshire is impressive; the scenery, the people and the warmth and affection. I am so happy that IIFA decided to hold the event in Yorkshire", he said and added that work on a film with a Yorkshire backdrop was on the cards.

Yorkshire's business leaders are hoping to exploit the opportunities the event will offer. Local businessmen estimate that the event will bring 28,000 film fans who could be expected to spend 9.5 million pounds. During the weekend, there will also be a forum to promote trade.

Yorkshire's bid was branded 'Yorkshire - love at first sight'. The region has a large concentration of Asian origin and is often responsible for substantial box office earnings for new Indian films released in Britain. It is said that more DVDs of Indian films are bought or rented in Yorkshire than anywhere in Britain.

Yorkshire Tourist Board Chairman Judith Donovan said IIFA would be a massive boost for the region.

She said: "Our bid was branded 'Yorkshire - love at first sight' and that's what we intend, not only with the people who come here but those who will see Yorkshire for the first time on television screens worldwide and create a life-long love affair with Yorkshire."

Prime Minister Tony Blair has praised Yorkshire for winning the right to host the IIFA event. Sending Bachchan and IIFA his best wishes for the event, Blair said: "I am delighted to send my very best wishes to all at the IIFA launch at the House of Commons.

"I am also delighted to hear that UK, and in particular the Yorkshire region, has been chosen to host this important international gathering. It is very fitting that the UK and India are working together to promote Indian film in both countries. I look forward to hearing of the success of the awards in the coming months."

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said the event would be a massive boost for the region. She said: "We are terribly proud that Yorkshire has achieved this great honour. This is an impressive achievement for a region that is already thriving."

For the June 2007 event, Rome, Hong Kong and New York were in the race to host it.

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