Sarkar Raj promotions advanced

The promotions of the much awaited film of the year Sarkar Raj have been advanced and will now start from 4th May. They were scheduled to start on 11th May. With Tashan crashing at the box office and multiplexes not screening the film, Z Picture Company, who own the marketing and distribution rights of Sarkar Raj are pushing it to fill the yawning gap.

Varma says that Sarkar Raj is a bigger film than its prequel because it doesn’t carry the old story forward, but takes a look at another episode in the Nagare family’s life. Abhishek Bachchan who is currently in Miami for the shooting of Dostana will be returning on 23rd May for the film’s promotional activities.

Sarkar Raj will be premiered at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) to be held in Bangkok. The director of the film Ram Gopal Verma and Amitabh Bachchaan are already in Bangkok for the press conference that will be held on 30th April. Ram Gopal Verma had unveiled the first look of Sarkar Raj on 20th April which was the first wedding anniversary of the lead pair, Abhishek and Aishwarya.

The film is set to hit the big screens on 6th June.

Pankaj Sabnani

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SRK: an actor, a host, a producer, a husband and a father

If you think earning lots of moolah is the only thing on Shah Rukh Khan’s mind, think again.

The actor who already has helped set up a pediatric ward at a city hospital now wants to set up a ward for cancer patients too. "I get embarrassed to talk about such things. The hospital people were kind enough to name the pediatric ward after my mother. I hope to set up a centre for cancer patients later this year," he reveals. But that’s not all, SRK even has plans to set up a hospital.

"That’s my final dream. Though I don’t know when that will be possible. I keep telling my wife that I have to do this and she keeps telling me that I can do it only when I stop doing the other things," he says.
But of course, there’s loads of work to be done too. Besides his role, that of a host in Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai?, the actor is back at the studios doing what he does best acting!

His two films this year are Billoo Barber and Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. But there’s no denying the fact that we are seeing a lot of SRK on the small screen than the big one. "It’s not that I am too much on TV, it’s just that there’s lot of TV happening these days. Cinema is no more the only form of entertainment. We are talking about watching films on mobile phones. Five years from now, I may be doing a movie that may be released on cellphones. Does that mean I become smaller or has the reach increased," he questions. And the talk of his big comeback on TV, doesn’t impress SRK much. "This thing of ‘you started with TV and came back to TV...’ I have always been on TV."

But aren’t there too many endorsements, shows, etc that he’s doing on TV? "No, just day before yesterday I was thinking I am doing very less," he smiles the famous dimpled smile. Be it films, TV or cricket, SRK has conquered every pitch. It looks like the name SRK is now synonymous with success. "For success you need to know that you can go wrong and yet go ahead and do it. People who do wrong things, like stealing or murder, have overcome the thought that this is wrong. They have found their justification. Positively, if we apply the same, it will work. As soon as you accept that this can go wrong, the fear of failure decreases. If tomorrow I face failure, I hope I can say I enjoyed failure too," he philosophises.

Astrologers and industry people often talk about the brilliant planetary positions that SRK has been blessed with, so is luck as important for his success? "Giving all the credit to luck takes away from the hard work involved. People will say I got a good show and it’s our luck that the show’s doing well. But there’s a lot of hard work involved here. I am not successful by luck, but because I am in the right place. I am not special. Eight years ago I thought I was, but after that, I think there is a set of audience that likes my work," he states matter-of-factly.

And despite spending so many years in the industry, Shah Rukh thrives on one thing, "Giving a perfect shot. Be it in films or TV. For example, when I get the timing of a joke right. I can live off it for 10-20 days." But hosting is one thing that tires even the super-energetic King Khan. "TV work is very difficult. Especially quiz shows. It’s almost live. Also, there are many factors like unknown contestants, dealing with kids, the 200 lights and after all that, there’s a deadline to adhere to. I can work for 20 hours. I can dance, fight, do press conferences and not get tired, but with this I get tired. Also a show like Kya Aap... needs something from the host. There is a certain responsibility and I never shirk away from responsibilities. But yes, it is tiring and I get a headache at the end of the day. But the problem is when I return home, my kids want me to ask them the same questions again. So I have to sit down and do that," he says.

An actor, a host, a producer, a husband and a father. SRK has many roles, so who’s the real SRK? He says, "Honestly, even I don’t know myself. You keep acting the whole day. You do lot of things that are larger than life. Lines start getting blurred after a point. The closest I came to playing myself was in KBC and now this show. On the show I emote the way I would in real life."

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Preity’s winning spree!

Preity Zinta, the only woman and the youngest owner of an IPL team is on cloud nine these days as her team has finally clicked and have begun winning matches! After cheering her team which lead to their first two consecutive wins(after consecutive losses), on her short visit to Mumbai before leaving for Hyderabad to witness her team’s yet another performance, Preity shared with us her team’s winning mantra!

“I am in Mumbai for a short while. I’ll be leaving for Hyderabad soon as my King’s XI Punjab will play their fifth match day after”, said Preity hurriedly.

Inspite of the Sreesanth-Bhajji fiasco post the match where they defeated the Mumbai Indians, Preity’s team managed to keep their cool and defeat Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils right after! So what made the King’s XI win, we asked.

“A game is a game. You never know what can happen next! As far as my team is concerned, we knew we had the potential but you just need to click. My team has always played with great passion and they got their due”, said Zinta.

So does she consider herself as the ‘lucky charm’ of her team as quoted by many papers? “My involvement with the team is total. I am extremely passionate about our team and I do believe that I am the team's good luck factor, so I want to be there for everything”, said Zinta as a concluding note!

More power to this dimpled ambitious woman!

Renuka Vyavahare

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A dream come true for Ranbir!

Ranbir Kapoor will be playing his favourite political figure, Rajiv Gandhi in Prakash Jha’s Rajniti.

It’s a dream come true for the actor, who’s currently on a role-shopping spree. He is in serious talks with every big-wig in tinsel town, from Karan Johar to Sajid Nadiadwala.
It was Ranbir’s father Rishi Kapoor who urged his son to hear the director out. And Ranbir was spellbound.

"I had my mind and heart set on Ranbir for the role. It’s a role that requires innocence, nobility, idealism, vision and dynamism. It also requires a personality of perfect breeding and gentility. I’d have probably dropped Rajniti if Ranbir hadn’t agreed. I could see he was guarded when we met. But the reserve dissolved when I narrated my script to him. ‘I am doing this,’ is all he said after hearing me out," says Jha.

The role would require Ranbir to go through a gamut of cultural and chronological changes. For his next release Bachna Ae Haseenon, Ranbir ages from his late teens to mid-30s and in Rajniti, he would first play a young Indian student studying in a foreign university with a Caucasian girlfriend. The character then undergoes a mammoth metamorphosis as he’s summoned back to Delhi to take over the family’s political empire after a gruesome tragedy.

Jha is currently looking at three top young international actresses to play Ranbir’s companion. "The heroine won’t be a non-descript model or TV actress posing as a big star for a Bollywood film. The actress opposite Ranbir will be a top-of-the-line name."

Jha sees no hurdles to his film even though earlier, movies on political personalities have ran into serious trouble. Director Jagmohan Mundhra was forced to drop plans to make a bio-pic on Sonia Gandhi with Monica Belluci in the lead due to political pressure. "Ranbir exudes an aura of dignity and calm. He will make Rajniti credible and convincing," says an unperturbed Jha.

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Ash and Abhishek: The perfect couple!

‘You complete me’ said Tom Cruise to Renee Zelwegger in Hollywood blockbuster film ‘Jerry Mcguire’ making all the lovers of ‘romantic dramas’ weep! Malaika Arora Khan too dedicated the dialogue to hubby Arbaaz Khan when she appeared as a guest on show KBC! Bollywood’s first couple Abhi-Ash too seem to have been following Tom Cruise’s mantra of late to make their marriage a success!

On the occasion of their first wedding anniversary, we questioned the couple as to which are the qualities that they’d like to gift each other in order to lead a happier life together and in return we got a ‘Femina Miss India’ kind of answer from the couple! (errr... No wonder Ash had won the crown way back in 1994!) Anyways, Abhishek said, “I think she’d like to gift me some virtues definitely since she is perfect but I don’t think I need to gift her anything.”

Ash too reciprocated Abhi’s affection by saying, “Neither do I feel the need to gift him any virtue! He is all I ever wanted to have and he makes me happy all the time! What else do you need?”

Now that is why we media people keep addressing the couple as ‘perfect’! They are perfect for each other! Even their opinions match!

Renuka Vyavahare

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Dressing up Salman

Ashley Rebello will design Khan’s attire for the show along with Sallu’s sis Alvira Agnihotri

Dus dhamaal! Salman Khan in the promos of Dus Ka Dum

Salman Khan has been working on his look for Dus Ka Dum, the reality show he’s doing with Sony. He’s roped in designer Ashley Rebello to craft a different look for him. It is learnt that the designer has charged the channel Rs 25 lakh for it.

Adds to a source from the unit, “Salman’s designer Ashley Rebello has been appointed as per his demand to design his outfits for the 22 episodes. Salman is upbeat about his small screen debut and is preparing for it in earnest.” The source further adds, “Sallu is known for his ‘hatke’ look and dressing style and is making sure that his TV debut also stands out.”

Says Ashley, “The clothes have been designed by Salman’s sis, Alvira Agnihotri and me. It consists mainly of suits a la Alvira-Ashley style. We have given him bright colors and have played with his collars in terms of different cuts, shapes and designs. We also have jeans paired up with tees, shirts and leather jackets.”

Albert Almeida of Sony refused to spell out details on the upcoming show.

As per Salman’s demands, the set has been constructed at Mehboob Studios, close to his residence at Galaxy Apart-ments, Bandra. Quite like Shah Rukh Khan, the actor also has mock shoots with friends and family on the sets.

Dus Ka Dum is based on an American show, Power of 10 hosted by award-winning comedian Drew Carey. In DKD, you have to think like India. You will be asked a question, whose answer is an average percentage of a mass opinion poll conducted across India. If your guess is close to India’s collective opinion, you begin to win, starting from Rs 10,000. Thereafter, every question answered ‘right’ makes you win or lose by the power of 10. The prize money on offer on DKD is Rs 10 crore, double of what Paanchvi Paas is offering.

Sonal Chawla

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Yaad aa rahi hai, mere Johnny ki

So Bips flies in to Miami to be with him for a few days

John Abraham & Bipasha basu

Karan Johar’s Dostana team in Miami does not seem short of guests dropping in.

First, it was Aishwarya who flew in to be with her husband Abhishek Bachchan for their wedding anniversary. Now it’s Bipasha Basu’s turn to be with beau John Abraham. The actress flew in from London to Miami to be with her Johnny boy.

“It’s just for three days. My work got over on Monday in Switzerland, so I decided to go to Miami for three days to be with John before I go on to my next shoot,” she says, happy to be finally seeing John after a month.

While John went off to Miami for Dostana, Bipasha headed for various parts of Europe to shoot with Ranbir Kapoor for Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno.

“Italy was paradise. And I really enjoyed myself in the European summer. I had a super time shooting with Ranbir and the director. In fact, the entire unit was loads of fun. I enjoyed my time in Capri, Rome and Zurich.”

Interestingly, Bipasha couldn’t attend the Zee Cine awards in London because she was shooting in Italy, though her co-star Ranbir could. She flew into London to catch a flight for Miami barely 48 hours after the awards.

Bipasha has been shooting in Italy and Switzerland. And now after her brief stint in Miami, she rushes to Bangkok to join Neil Nitin Mukesh for a 40-day schedule of debutant Jehangir Surti’s Freeze.

Interestingly, in both Bachna Ae Haseeno and Freeze, for which she shot in Europe and Bangkok, Bipasha plays a slightly older woman to her co-star.

Subash K. Jha

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Ready for Big B's first film this year?

Trade pundits give their opinion on the response to Bhoothnath

As compared to the last few years, the first quarter of this year in Bollywood has shown a pretty dismal picture. Not only have there been limited releases but also very limited hits.

Until March 2008, only Jodhaa Akbar and Race could make a mark. Everyone was anxiously waiting with bated breath for the release of Tashan to break the jinx, but the super flop of the Yash Raj biggie has made matters worse.

Also, in the vacation period, barring BR Chopra's Bhoothnath there is not a single film with a big star cast that can draw the viewers to the theatres. All are now anxiously awaiting the release of Bhoothnath, which is scheduled for a May 9 release.

A few reasons why the audiences are waiting for Bhoothnath are: the summer vacations; a film from the makers of Baghban and Baabul and the fact that Amitabh and Shah Rukh are coming together again after Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, the controversy apart.

Film journalist and critic, Abhijit Mhamunkar feels, "With all its promos specifically targeting kids, Bhoothnath has indeed managed to generate a good interest amongst the bachcha company, which is for long thirsty for a good entertaining film aimed at them. Amitabh Bachchan in a comic role after a long time coupled with some really good special effects in the film may also bring in a lot of footfalls."

"SRK's special appearance is an added bonus. With Tashan proving a dud and nothing else exciting to compete with Bhoothnath, the Bachchan-starrer might prove to be a winner this summer," he adds.

Trade pundit Vinod Mirani is of the opinion, "If the film is interesting and not very lengthy then it should do well. The plus point is, Amitji is very popular with the children. You can't judge the film with the promos because the promos are made by one person and the film is made by another."

Manoj Desai of the G-7 Complex in Mumbai says, "Tashan has given us a bad example. What can we say about Bhoothnath? Let's wait and hope this film brings us good luck."

Trade analyst Atul Mohan says, "It's a vacation period and the banner is also big. If Taare Zameen Par could run, I think Bhoothnath will do so too. Plus, Big B and SRK both are there. Let's hope the film will do a good business."

J Popat, GM of the late NN Sippy's Janata Films Distributors, says, "The minus point of Bhoothnath is it's a solo star film. SRK is just doing a cameo. The promos are also not up to the mark as expected from the house of BR Films."

After seeing the most awful response to Tashan, which is from a banner like Yash Raj and a big star cast like Akshay, Saif, Anil and Kareena, I don't think Bhoothnath will get a good opening. The promos of Tashan were better than Bhoothnath and you can see the response," he added in a practical tone.

As for a comparison, the promotions of U Me Aur Hum and Krazzy 4 were far better but than Bhoothnath, but the movies still didn't fare well at the box-office.

There are two more factors, which might kill the collections of Bhoothnath – first is the IPL series and second, SRK's show Paanchvi Pass. But the plus point are the summer holidays.

Jhonny Vaz

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'Tashan' has been rejected in major International Markets

TASHAN, starring four A-listers and produced by the Numero Uno production house [Yash Raj], has been rejected in major international markets. Akshay [after a string of hits], Saif [after RACE], Kareena [after JAB WE MET] and Anil Kapoor [after WELCOME, RACE]… it couldn't get bigger than this. But the film has failed to live up to the hype and expectations.

U.K. BOX-OFFICE
Weekend: April 25 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 13 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 1,81,838 [approx. Rs. 1.45 crores] on 46 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 3,953.
The breakdown:- Thursday previews: £ 14,999; Friday: £ 54,677; Saturday: £ 64,666; Sunday: £ 47,496.

* U ME AUR HUM [last weekend: No. 17, this weekend: No. 26]: In its third weekend, the film has collected £ 20,282 on 26 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 780. Total: £ 3,95,493 [approx. Rs. 3.15 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 3,815; Saturday: £ 8,436; Sunday: £ 8,031.

* KRAZZY 4 [last weekend: No. 27, this weekend: No. 44]: In its third weekend, the film has collected £ 4,914 on 10 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 491. Total: £ 1,35,141 [approx. Rs. 1.08 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 939; Saturday: £ 2,405; Sunday: £ 1,570.

* RACE [last weekend: No. 43, this weekend: No. 69]: In its sixth weekend, the film has collected £ 1,130 on 1 screen. Total: £ 8,80,423 [approx. Rs. 7.01 crores].
The breakdown:- Friday: £ 249; Saturday: £ 446; Sunday: £ 435.

U.S.A. BOX-OFFICE
Weekend: April 25 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 24 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 3,01,226 [approx. Rs. 1.20 crores] on 75 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 4,016.

* U ME AUR HUM [last weekend: No. 29, this weekend: No. 41]: In its third weekend, the film has collected $ 80,011 on 89 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 899. Total: $ 10,28,191 [approx. Rs. 4.12 crores].

* KRAZZY 4 [last weekend: No. 48, this weekend: No. 61]: In its third weekend, the film has collected $ 35,282 on 59 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 598. Total: $ 4,87,215 [approx. Rs. 1.95 crores].

AUSTRALIA BOX-OFFICE
4-day weekend: April 24 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 17 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 1,48,087 [approx. Rs. 59.44 lacs] on 13 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 11,391.

NEW ZEALAND BOX-OFFICE
4-day weekend: April 24 - 27, 2008.

* TASHAN has debuted at No. 19 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 15,777 [approx. Rs. 6.37 lacs] on 3 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 5,259.

Taran Adarsh

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Kareena Kapoor on the cover of Time Out

An Englishman once said to his beloved that "I love you not because you are beautiful, you are beautiful because I Love you."

We are sure of the fact that if the same man must have seen the sizzling Kareena Kapoor on the cover of the latest edition of the leading magazine 'Time Out Mumbai', his mind would have simply stop functioning before even coming up with such words. Because of the only reason the name Kareena is good enough for someone to fall in love with instantly!

Well, we are indeed talking about the ever-so-sizzling diva of good looks and romance Kareena Kapoor, in (one of her vivacious best) gracing the magazine cover. Needless to say that the cover itself is so inviting that you will curse yourself for having not got a copy of the same!

What's so special about this interview is that Kareena speaking about her childhood days with sister Karisma, how they used to travel by school bus and local trains. Their mother Babita's single handed upbringing, and even about Saif that he has to come to meet her as she is too shoestring tied about time. We do not blame you for that, Kareena. Everyone wants to have a little of your Tashan in their lives.

One last piece of advice to the Englishman to please rephrase his words as the following: "Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for Beauty is God's Handwriting."

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John Abraham's parents unveil the look of Aashayein

Percept Picture Company and T -Series hosted a party for unveiling the first look of Nagesh Kukunoor's forthcoming film Aashayein in Mumbai yesterday. While the film's lead star John Abraham couldn't make it (as he is busy shooting in Miami) everyone was quite surprised to see John's parents (Abraham John and Phiroza Abraham) making their presence felt at the event. It was quite an emotional moment for his parents and they said that they had a special bond with the title of the film and the word 'Hope'.

Abraham John, John's father said, "My father, (John's grand father) was a great believer of Hope and throughout his life, he believed and preached that even at the darkest of moments of life, there is always a ray of hope. Even when he was 95 years old, he kept preaching everyone to see life as a bright star and not as a burden". John's father also added that he was extremely proud of the kind of films director Nagesh Kukunoor makes.

Immediately after seeing the first look of the film, John's parents called him in Miami and had a teary eyed conversation about how good Aashayein looked and how proud they are of him. Even John Abraham was surprised to know that his parents had attended the function on Nagesh Kukunoor's behest.

The cast and crew of the film Aashayein including actors Farida Jalal, Sonal Sehgal, Anahita Nair, music director duo Salim Sulaiman , Elahe Hiptoola, Divya Khosla Kumar, Shailendra Singh of Percept and director Nagesh Kukunoor were in attendance at this memorable event.

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Chak De girl Shilpa Shukla steps into international cinema

Chak De girl Shilpa Shukla is all set to enter the international cinema with a film titled Extrospection which will be directed, written and produced by Manan Singh Kotohora. It is said that the film is based on Satyajit Ray's Charulata but set in contemporary times.

The film will be shot in New York with Shilpa playing the lead role of Charu. With all praises for Shilpa Shukla, Kotohora said that he was taken aback by the actress' performance in Khamosh Pani and Chak De India. Hence, she was his natural choice for the film.

Kotohora's another project titled When Kiran Met Karen, which is based on the issue of lesbianism, is in under post production. Extrospection is expected to go on the floors this year.

Shilp

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Vidya Balan to star opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Pa

The ad maverick Balki's first feature film Cheeni Kum made a dynamic dent in audience's minds. It also made him a lifelong Amitabh Bachchan fan. Having gotten masterly performances out of Tabu and the Big B in Cheeni Kum, you'd expect him to recreate the same magic in his next feature film.

But no. Balki is on to a different route for his second film. His next film entitled Pa which begins at the end of the year features real-life father-son Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan. And no Tabu! This, in spite of her brilliant performance. "But that's because Pa has no room for Tabu at all. This time the story is a father-son one. Amitabh has no love interest in the film. And sorry about that. Abhishek does have a girl though." And for the first time Junior is being paired with the petite and lately out-of-sight Vidya Balan.

Says Balki, "We've already approached Vidya and she's more-or-less agreed. I can see her as a pair with Abhishek, can't you?" Vidya comes into the picture through her sister Priya who works with Balki at Lintas. "In fact, it's Priya I know well. I got to know Vidya only when we started talking for Pa," says Balki.

After repeated pairing with Preity, Rani and Priyanka, Abhishek is on the look-out for fresh collaborative opportunities. Vidya Balan is someone the Bachchans have admired from the time the Big B saw her in Parineeta and then worked with her in Eklavya. The Big B had compared Vidya with his favourite actress Waheeda Rehman. Both father and son adore Waheedaji.

So is Balki looking at the prospect of directing a new pair? "I don't look at it that way. Vidya suits the role. I've known her from her ad days. Though we haven't done any ad together, she has done ads for my company Lintas."

One questions remains. Why don't encore- projects happen with Tabu even after powerhouse performances the first time? Madhur Bhandarkar's Chandni Bar and Balki's Cheeni Kum led to no second project. In fact the only directors whom Tabu has worked with more than once are Priyadarshan and Gulzar.

Subash K. Jha

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'Bachna Ae Haseeno' Trailer

After the disaster that was 'Saawariya,' Ranbir Kapoor is back with his real life lady love in 'Bachna Ae Haseeno' along with Bipasha Basu. Check out the trailer below!

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'Thoda Sa Pyar Thoda Sa Magic' Trailer

B-Town’s cutesy couple – Rani Mukherji and Saif Ali Khan return to the screen in ‘Thoda Sa Pyar Thoda Sa Magic’! Seems like they’re sticking to acting in kiddie flicks because this one looks like it’s all about children just as their film 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' was… Check out the trailer below...

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Zee Cine Awards 2008 - Red Carpet

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SRK 'waxed' in Paris

It's general knowledge that the English in India and other foreign countries is 'Same-Same but different'. In the sense, in India, we say 'Cat', whereas they say it's 'Kat'. Here we say, 'cheque', they say 'chek', so on and so forth! But there's one name to which not only India, but the whole of the Universe abides by and shall abide till eternity and that's 'Shah Rukh Khan'!

The latest 'victim' of the SRK mania was Paris, a city which experienced a never-before mayhem. The reason? Well, SRK was in France for the unveiling of his wax statue at the Grevin Museum. His wife Gauri Khan and Karan Johar accompanied him.

If you thought that SRK will be a stand-alone in the museum, better think again, coz' he has company from the likes of Marylyn Monroe, Michael Jackson and around 300 odd celebrities. SRK now becomes the third Indian at the museum, the first two being Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.

Is there anything left for you to accomplish, Mr. Khan? True that 'Impossible Is Nothing'.

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Ek chhoti si love story

Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia made a pretty picture at the recently-concluded IPL match at Mohali.

All eyes were fixed on the doting couple who walked in with their hands clasped together. Not once did the couple vanish inside the cosy confines of the dressing rooms.

Dressed in their team uniforms, Preity and Ness were seen cheering their boys and jumping with joy at their team’s first win.

Ness occasionally got sandwiches and snacks for his Preity lady, and the couple even fed each other. Preity also lovingly wiped off a drop of ketchup that had fallen on her beau’s tee.

A close friend says, “They’re such a loving couple! What’s admirable is that they’re always themselves even if the world is looking at them.”

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Bebo overshadows Saif

Kareena’s ex beau Shahid Kapoor might have been used to living under the shadow of Kareena but Saifu being new to the situation was taken aback when a kid on a reality show asked him why he didn’t bring Kareena along too!

A unit hand of the dance reality show on 9X told us, “Saif had come as a judge on our reality show and the kids who were the participants went running towards Saif as soon as he made his entry. Saif enjoyed his fan following until a kid earnestly asked him about the whereabouts of Kareena! When Saif told him that she was busy with her film shoot, the kid got upset and expressed his disappointment by walking away and making a sad face! Saif was definitely not amused!”

Post Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Omkara and Race, Saif too has become a hot property in the film industry however when it comes to popularity, it is his gorgeous girlfriend who wins the race!

Apparently it was this reason that made Shahid break his ties with Kareena, we wonder what is Saif’s strategy to handle this problem!

Renuka Vyavahare

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How cute is a long-haired Shahid Kapoor

While actors are at their experimental best these days, Shahid Kapoor will not be left behind. After his stellar performance in Jab We Met, the actor is super-charged and willing to go any distance to get into the skin of the character.

Shahid, we hear, will be opting for a new long-haired look for his upcoming project, a musical, to be directed by Ken Ghosh. It can be remembered that it was Ghosh's debut film Ishq Vishq that also marked Shahid's Bollywood beginnings. Ken and Shahid, then got together again for Fida, a film that also starred Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

When we got in touch with Ken to find out more about the UTV venture, he confirmed, "Yes, we're working on the project and Shahid is indeed going to look a bit different. He's working on his physical appearance and will do as the character and script demands."

While Ken refuses to divulge any further details, we learn that this is a musical more on the lines of the larger than life Broadway musical. About Shahihd's long hair, well, the actor had first sported long hair for a TV commercial of a soap detergent way back in 2001. So much for hair raising stories?

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Lights, camera, accident

Amitabh Bachchan, whose grievous injury while shooting Coolie in 1982 brought the whole film industry to its knees, made a pertinent point recently.

“The accident that happened in Coolie changed my life. When I saw a repeat of that incident on the sets of Khakee, I relived my horrid experiences. I also wondered if the film industry will ever learn from its past experiences!”

With Aamir Khan getting injured on the sets of Ghajini last week, one thing is clear – the lessons have not been learnt. Before that, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi have hurt themselves while shooting for stunts. What ails Bollywood’s stunt record – is it the actors’ insistence to do their own stunts or is it the lack of a safe set-up?

No safety concerns

Director Vivek Agnihotri, whose forte has been action films, says, “We still approach action sequences like any other sequence, ie without much safety. Accidents happen when enough safety measures are not taken. Also, not enough time is given to prepare these shots. Third, there are no contractual obligations. Once you have, like Hollywood, enough penalties and insurance-based health and safety regulations, things will change.”

Filmmaker Prabhakar Shukla half-agrees with Vivek. “Actors shouldn’t be insistent about doing their own stunts. In more than one case, they have ended up hurting themselves and shooting has been stalled. They should realise that there is a lot of money riding on them and that one stunt gone wrong can affect an entire film,” he says.

Fight finish

Fight choreographer Kanishk Sharma of Don and Goal fame feels the attitude of stars is not right. “Actors don’t warm up before an action scene. They just want to get over with it. The way you can’t play cricket after sprinting for 100 or 200 metres, you can’t do an action scene safely if you haven’t warmed up.” And who are the actors who get to the stunts straight? “Most of them do. What needs to be popularised is to train before the actual shoot. Shah Rukh trained for two-and-a-half months before he took on the real action scenes in Don. Though there is a lot of padding and a physiotherapist is present on the sets, chances of an accident can’t be averted fully,” he answers.

Stunt director Allan Amin says, “Despite full security et al, actors hurt themselves. Keanu Reeves, who I think does the best stunts, also hurt himself while he was shooting Matrix. All that one can do is take caution.” Is there any way to avoid these incidents? “Yes, many a times. Some times, we just abort the stunt for the day. We tell ourselves that we’ll do it the next day with a fresh mind. That is the only thing that helps!” he answers.

Star speak

But what makes a star do his or her own stunt? Koena Mitra who is training to do her own stunts in a Hollywood flick says, “It is not nice to chicken out. And accidents happen everywhere. All you can do is train properly and take precautions.” Hrithik Roshan, who injured himself on the sets of Krissh, told DT then, “I requested dad for that extra take for my last action scene in Krissh and ended hurting myself. We were fortunate that it was the last scene though otherwise it would have put the entire cast and crew in trouble.” Kamal Haasan was more reasonable after he got hurt on the sets of Mumbai Express. “I realised that I may not have been lucky a second time. After the hospital, it could have been the morgue.”

Stunts gone awry

Aamir Khan injured his adductor muscles while trying to lift a 100 kg man for an action scene in the film Ghajini

During a chase stunt in Khakee , Akshay Kumar’s car got out of control and hit Aishwarya. She was also hurt on the sets of Guru

Akshay banged his head against a wooden cabinet during the shooting of Garam Masala and was also involved in an accident while shooting for a cola commercial

In Apharan , Ajay Devgan dislocated a joint

Hrithik landed in a soup tearing his hamstring during the shooting of Krissh

Vivek Oberoi fractured his leg while shooting for Yuva

While filming Mumbai Express , Kamal Haasan lost control over a motorbike, hurting himself seriously in the process

Amitabh Bachchan was grievously injured during the shooting of Coolie

Jaya Drona

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Shah Rukh: The Host-Rider!

Shah Rukh Khan seems to be telling many of his near and dear ones to be his guest.

And most of them are more than willing to attend the cricket matches with him. Apparently, all the actors who’ve gone to cheer his team, have returned impressed with the host that he is. "He personally looks into everything from the minute you reach the airport the flight boarding, getting into the bus, a comfortable drive to the hotel and check-in, commuting to the venue, the food and everything else. Also, he is extra protective of the ladies who are travelling, and Gauri’s friends and actresses," says a close friend of Khan. Now, that’s our host-rider!

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Mujhe pachaas chahiye: Salman Khan

As Akshay was being offered 40 crore, Sallu asked for 50 crore

In a show of one-upmanship, Salman Khan told production house Studio 18, who were keen to sign him for one of their projects, that he’d not accept anything less than Rs 50 crore. Reason? Because they were offering Akshay Kumar Rs 40 crore for an Anees Bazmee project.

It is learnt that the day Salman was approached by the corporate house for the project, the actor was in the mood for sarcasm.

Reveals an insider, “Studio 18, the name behind films like Welcome and Jab We Met, approached Salman for one of their films last week. The actor met the officials from the company.

They told him that they were planning a commercial movie and thought that he’d be perfect for it. Sallu shocked them when he asked them to sign the biggest commercial actor around Akshay Kumar for their film.”

The officials told Sallu that they had already signed Akki for another project due to roll next year. Sallu then asked them how they had managed to get Akshay to do the film as he was extremely busy.

They replied that Akki was signed for Rs 40 crore. Salman reacted by telling them that ‘If Akshay is getting 40 crore for your film, I am not going to do it for anything less than 50 crore’.”

A Studio 18 source says, “A meeting did happen but is not known if Salman is doing the film. We’re not allowed to reveal what happened.”

Amul Sharma

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Bebo's bikini moment

Considering that Tashan has not got the audience in droves, we provide a jhalak of why Kareena has lost so much weight for her role

Most of you may not have ventured out to watch Adi’s Aag...oops... Tashan as yet, here’s something you’ll be missing out on... a wet Kareena Kapoor in a bikini!

There has been a lot of buzz about Bebo’s two-piece swimsuit and whether she actually wore one.

The actress has, a lime green coloured bikini, in the Chaliya song which is in the first-half of the film.

This is the reason why she lost so much weight for Tashan.

Making her entry in a typically glamorous style, Kareena comes out of the water and makes some seductive glances at the camera.

Unlike Bipasha Basu’s fleeting shot in Dhoom 2, Kareena gets more screen time with her bikini in Tashan.

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Hrithik can’t wait for Kites to begin

Hrithik Roshan hasn’t met her yet but he is most kicked about working with Latin American sizzler Barbara Mori. She features with him in his father Rakesh Roshan’s next production, Kites, directed by Anurag Basu. Barbara is expected in Mumbai soon for her costumes and make-up look.

Says Hrithik, “She is simply amazing. I have seen her in the Spanish film La Mujer De Mi Harmani (My Brother’s Wife). She attracted a lot of eyeballs in it. We begin shooting for Kites in July in the US.”

Hrithik also gets to romance Kangana Ranaut in Kites. “But I can’t tell you whether that was the role Sonam Kapoor was offered. It was all speculation.”

The actor is eager to sign more films. “The holy books say ask and you shall receive. I’ve asked. Let’s see when I receive. At the moment, I’ve one other commitment a cameo in Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance.”

Later, Hrithik goes into another film with his father though he isn’t sure it would be another Krissh. “It all depends on the script. We need to make sure it’s made for the right reasons and not just to encash on the brand. What we have right now is mindblowing but we want to go further. At this stage of our careers, we can’t do another Krissh just for the action. We can’t have just good and bad and all that jazz.”

Subash K. Jha

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Mallika's pole dance

Sherawat watched videos of professional dancers before shooting for Kamal Haasan’s film

Mallika Sherawat

Mallika Sherawat was seen as a belly dancer in Mani Ratnam’s Guru. In Kamal Hassan’s film Dasavatharam, the actress has done a pole dance.
Madam M is famous for preparing for her roles seriously. It is learnt that for Dasavatharam, she watched videos of professional pole dancers before shooting for the song.

A source says, “When Mallika was told that she had to do a pole dance, she was excited. As a result, she did a lot of research.”

Brinda who choreographed the Maiyya Maiyya number in Guru has worked with her once again in Dasavatharam.

“Mallika has done an awesome job. I don’t think she’s looked this hot before.”

About the the song, Brinda says, “She’s in a club and has to seduce Kamal Sir. There are also background dancers.

We shot in two days, and unlike her image Mallika didn’t throw any tantrum or give us any stress.

She was extremely co-operative.”

Tushar Joshi

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Hrithik returns cheque to Adlabs for 30 crore deal

The buzz about the multi-crore deal that Hrithik had struck with Adlabs last year is that it's off! Hrithik wants to return the full amount to Adlabs. But the company is not willing to take a no for an answer.

According to a source, "Hrithik has given the cheque back. But they aren't accepting it. In fact they've asked him to keep the money and they'll make just one film instead of three films for that whole amount with him at a date convenient to him." Hrithik won't comment on the status of his deal with Adlabs.

All he says about star prices is, "The corporate companies are looking at the movie market expanding in the next 3-4 years. I agree many recent films haven't done well. But Om Shanti Om and Jodhaa-Akbar reaffirmed the industry's faith in big films. Jodhaa-Akbar was a period film and above three hours long with no commercial trappings. Theatres across India could've just four shows daily. And it's done 150 crore-rupee business worldwide. For me that's what matters, not the controversies that happened initially. It's my biggest hit ever overseas."

Subash K. Jha

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Aamir Khan launches the promo of Jaane Tu…

Aamir Khan has thought of an innovative teaser theatrical trailer to promote and launch his nephew Imran Khan. It is 2.5-minute trailer that actually takes tongue in check dig at all star launches and all the hoopla over well toned muscular bodies; including him as everyone is aware that he has the best body in town for his look in Ghajini.

It shows Imran Khan as a huge well-toned muscular guy with all trimmings of a theatrical launch, only to reveal the real Imran Khan who is a boy next door as his character in the film. Aamir Khan Production's third production, after Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par, Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na is the launch vehicle of Imran Khan, Aamir Khan's nephew. Nasirsahib, who is Imran Khan's grandfather, launched Aamir Khan in QSQT.

Aamir Khan has been taking very keen interest in smallest details of the promotion of the film. In fact, he is personally looking into the smallest details of the promotion even though he is completely entrenched in shooting for a crucial portion of Ghajini in Hyderabad.

"Jaane Tu… as a film has a very young idiom, the language and the tone of the film is very tongue in cheek. We wanted the teaser to reflect the same irreverence in attitude," says Abbas Tyerwala, the director of the film.

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IIFA'08 Technical Awards Announced

The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) recently announced the awards in the Technical category.

And no prizes for guessing the winners as it were the regular suspects who walked home with the prestigious honors. The winners included superhit like Chak De India (five awards) and Om Shanti Om (four awards). While Chak De India bagged the awards in Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound Recording, Best Sound Re-recording, Best Screenplay (shared it with Life in a Metro), Om Shanti Om got it for Best Art Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Costume designing and Best Makeup.

The choreography award has gone to Vaibhavi Merchant for Aaja, while Javed Sheikh & Ejaz Sheikh won the best action award for the movie Shootout at Lokhandwala.

The Award for Best Sound Recording went to H. Sridhar for Guru, while A. R. Rahman won the Idea IIFA Award for Best Background Score for the movie Guru. Imtiaz Ali won the IIFA for Best Dialogue for Jab We Met.

The prestigious IIFA awards are to be held Bangkok, from June 6 -8 ‘08.

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Magic or Magick

After an impressive Hum Tum, and just-about-average Ta Ra Rum Pum, will Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji create magic in their next film Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic?

The numerologists don’t think so. Numerologist Niraj Mancchanda says, “Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic comes to a number 13.

That means ‘expect the unexpected’. Not only the title, but even Kunal’s company’s name also comes to a number 13. Thus, the movie will fail at the box office.

But since the film was completed without any title, and the title was finalised only recently, Kunal will make a great film that’ll garner rave reviews, but the box office collections will not be great. In fact the collections will be below expectations!”

Numerologist Bhavikk Sangghvi suggests that Kunal should add an extra ‘K’ to the title. “Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magick will create the karishma which the makers want at the box office,” he says. Now, will it be ‘magic’ or ‘magick’ for Saif and Rani? That remains to be seen.

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Animated alike

Roadside Romeo and Kuchi Kuchi Hota Hai's promos are pretty similar

The promos of Yash Raj’s Roadside Romeo, directed by Jugal Hansraj, have been doing the rounds for the last few months.

The animated film has Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor doing voiceovers for the two canines.

Karan Johar, too, is making his animated version of the Shah Rukh-Kajol starrer Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which he has titled Kuchi Kuchi Hota Hai. The cast of the film comprises animals, including canines.

A source working on the project reveals that the soon-to-be-released promos for KKHH are quite similar to Roadside Romeo!

Maple leaves

“One of the promos of Roadside Romeo has maple tree leaves fluttering about in the opening sequence before Kareena’s character walks in. KKHH also has leaves quivering to the tunes of the film’s score.

Now that Romeo’s promo is out, Karan doesn’t want to give an impression that his promo looks similar to the Yash Raj film.”

Along with their recent release, Tashan, Yash Raj also unveiled new teasers about Roadside Romeo which revolve around Kareena’s character who gives an introduction to the audience. The film is slated for a Diwali release.

Though it’s Karan’s film, Tarun Mansukhani has taken an active interest in KKHH as well. Adds the source, “Tarun is busy directing Dostana now but he did closely work on the promos.”

Will KJo change the promos for his film or go ahead with the original ones? We’ll be waiting and watching for that!

Tushar Joshi

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Now, Adi ki Aag!

Ramu is amused that his big flop is being compared to Tashan

Ram Gopal Varma may well be one of the few filmmakers who know how to laugh at themselves.

When Yash Raj Films’ Tashan released on Friday, RGV was shocked on being flooded with a barrage of responses from the industry saying Tashan was worse than/as bad as his Sholay remake — Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag!

An amused Ramu texted Amitabh Bachchan about it who was even more amused by Ramu’s casual manner and reproduced his SMS on his blog (http://blogs.bigadda.com).

Bachchan posted this on his blog yesterday, “Ram Gopal Varma amuses me with his self-deprecatory remark on the SMS.

This morning his text reads: ‘Sarkar (we address each other thus), people are saying Tashan is as bad as Aag!

If Sholay has set the benchmark for the ultimate hit then the least I achieved with Aag, is that I made it a benchmark for the ultimate flop. Ha...ha.”

Says Ramu, “You mean he has put it on his blog? Yes, I have heard people are comparing Aag to Tashan.

On Saturday, I got a lot of calls from people saying Tashan should be called Aditya Chopra Ki Aag.

They thought it was as bad as Aag.” Was Anurag Kashyap one of those who messaged him? “Anurag hasn’t messaged me for a year now.”

Does the comparision make him feel bad? “All these criticisms don’t make me feel bad but yes it keeps me motivated enough to make Sholay again,” says Ramu.

Upala KBR

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Rani McPhee

Aditya Chopra remade Nanny McPhee as Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, after the actress recommended it

Fly With Me! (Leftt) Rani Mukerji in Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic; Grounded? (Right) A still from Nanny McPhee

Ever since Kunal Kohli began work on his next, starring Rani Mukerji and Saif Ali Khan, the project has been touted to be a remake of Mary Poppins.

However it is now learnt that the Yash Raj film, which was recently titled Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (TPTM), is also greatly inspired from a more recent Hollywood film — Nanny McPhee.

The 2006 Emma Thompson-starrer had the actress play a nanny with magical powers. She pays a visit to Colin Firth, a single parent with six kids. While Colin and the kids don’t get along, it’s Nanny McPhee who brings a truce between the two.

TPTM has a man (Saif) living with four kids who is visited by a fairy (Rani). The film also has elements of magic and romance.

On being asked if his film bore a resemblance to Nanny McPhee, Kunal remarks, “I’m just waiting to be told about the next film I’m inspired from.”

But the source informs, “It was Rani who watched Nanny McPhee on a flight and suggested it should be remade. She had a word with producer Aditya Chopra who hadn’t seen the film.

Rani was quite impressed with McPhee. She was heard telling close friends how the film had all the right elements for a B-Town film. Her only concern was that unlike the original, the fairy in the remake had to be up to B-Town’s standards — good-looking and glamorous.”

Apparently, Aditya, who watches a lot of foreign flicks, asked for a copy of Nanny McPhee and was impressed with the storyline. “He went ahead with Rani’s suggestion and Indianised it.

In TPTM, Rani plays a mediator between Saif and his kids. Eventually there’s romance between the two, while Ameesha plays the third angle,” adds the source.

Tushar Joshi

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Hello Karan, it’s Amitabh...

Now that Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj starring the Bachchans (Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya) is due for release, Bachchan Sr is going all out to protect his close friend and director.

It is learnt that Karan Johar, who hosted the Zee Cine awards in London, along with Sajid Khan was especially told by Big B not to ridicule Ramu.

In the past, award ceremonies have been noted to poke fun at Ramu and his disaster Aag.

Informs a source, “When Karan was enroute to London, Bachchan called him and requested him not to take potshots at his family and friends, especially Ramu — who has been at the receiving end at most award events.

For instance, during the Filmfare awards, hosts Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan had even given Aag’s Na-Real award to Ramesh Sippy for being the bravest person to have sat through Aag!

Due to Big B’s request, certain jokes and one-liners on Ramu and Aag were dropped from Sajid and Karan’s script at the last moment.

It was tough for Karan to keep a balance between the script and please Bachchan whose son, Abhishek is working in his home production, Dostana.”

When asked if he had called up Karan to to protect Ramu, Bachchan says tersely, “No. I have not.” Karan remained unavailable for comment.

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KJo does a Shilpa!

Karan Johar and Sajid Khan hosted the Zee Awards in London on Saturday. The duo did the Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty kiss sequence where Karan played Shilpa and Sajid was Gere.

Shilpa, who was present there, had a blast watching the re-enaction. KJo and Sajid also sang Aap Jaisa Koi to Rekha and Zeenat Aman.

Another special moment was when a frail Feroz Khan walked onto the stage to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while a teary-eyed crowd watched on.

Shah Rukh (for Chak De! India) got Best Actor, Kareena, the Best Actress (for Jab We Met). Chak De! India took home the Best Film award and Aamir Khan bagged Best Director for Taare Zameen Par.

It was an awkward moment for everyone when Amole Gupte went to receive the Best Screenplay award for Taare Zameen Par and thanked everyone but Aamir!

When Chunky reminded Amole that he had forgotten Aamir’s name, Amole just walked off the stage. KJo and Sajid gave away 15 mobile phones to the audience in a Q&A interactive session.

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Sallu gul

Salman didn’t attend the Zee Cine Awards in London due to shoddy treatment meted out to him by the organisers

Salman Khan was to perform on Saturday at the Zee Cine Awards in London. However, the actor did a no-show following differences with the organisers Cineyug (the Morani brothers) over his act.

Says a source, “Salman was to take the 1.40 am Jet Airways flight to London on Friday night but did a no-show. But he was not unprofessional as he returned the agreement and cheque the same night — the moment he decided he wouldn’t be going.

He has never done something like this before, so obviously, he must have had a very strong reason for backing out at the last moment.”

Change of choreographer

The source explains about Salman’s no-show. “Ganesh Hegde was to originally choreograph Salman’s act but since the actor has a problem with him, the Moranis replaced Ganesh with a choreographer called Rajesh.

Things were fine till Salman saw the act choreographed by Rajesh on Friday afternoon. He was shocked at how shoddily it was conceived. The second-hand treatment had deeply upset Salman.

The Moranis are known to be very close to Shah Rukh Khan and they would never have dared to so such a thing with SRK.”

Adds the source, “Salman felt insulted at the treatment being meted out to a big star like him. He called up Pradeep Guha of Zee, who is one of his close friends and explained the situation to him.

Pradeep understood the situation and told the Moranis that under such circumstances it wasn’t possible for Salman to attend the event.

Finally Zee had to perform with Shah Rukh, Upen Patel, Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena, and Jay Sean. Salman’s girlfriend Katrina who was already in London on Thursday performed solo.”

However, the official reason given out is that Salman was down with high fever and an injury. While Pradeep Guha remained unavailable for comment, Ali Morani says, “It had nothing to do with the act. Pradeep (Guha) told us that Salman was injured and couldn’t dance. Salman loved the act when he saw it.”

Salman Khan’s secretary, Vikas Kapoor maintains that there was no problem with the act. Vikas says, “Yes it’s true that Salman didn’t go for the awards but injury was the only reason.

Salman had a hamstring pull in his left leg. He got it when he was shooting for Boney Kapoor’s Wanted.”

Upala KBR

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Akki beats SRK hands down

Vipul Shah's Singh Is Kinng has highest ever music sale in more than a decade. Sources close to the production house reveal that the sales for a limited period of time have been for whopping Rs 13.5 crore. Says Sandeep Bharghava of Indian Films, "This is a landmark valuation and we are very proud to be associated with the biggest films of 2008 – Singh is Kinng and Ghajini. We are very sure the music will do very well".

Indian Films, who own the worldwide rights of Singh is Kinng, have sold the music rights to Times Music. Says Adarsh Gupta of Times Music, "Having tasted humongous success with one of the biggest grosser of 2007 in the Hindi film category, Welcome, we are now signing on what is believed to be the biggest hit of 2008 with Singh is Kinng."

Music industry has been going through a lot of turbulent times and had hit the slumber in revenues. Average music sales were less than Rs 3 cr and even a talked about project like Shahrukh Khan's Om Shanti Om had gone for Rs 7 cr.

If the music sale of Singh is Kinng is any indication then the music valuations are back and how.

Says Vipul Shah, the producer of Singh is Kinng, "Akshay Kumar has been commanding a huge draw, whether it would be the box office, satellite or music are concerned. I am not surprised at all."

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TASHAN - Law of averages strikes for Akshay Kumar

BHAGAM BHAG, NAMASTEY LONDON, HEYY BABYY, BHOOL BHULAIYYA, WELCOME.

With five successful films in a row, it seemed like Akshay Kumar couldn't put a foot wrong. Especially so with releases like TASHAN, SINGH IS KINNG, CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA and KAMBAKKTH ISHQ as his upcoming releases and sure shot blockbusters in the making. It was meant to be a perfect 10 in the offering.

However, that wasn't meant to be as law of averages has finally struck. And struck hard.

TASHAN has proved to be a disaster. Whether box office too would tell the same story is something that the weekdays would convey (chances seem slim though if the film would be able to recover from bad word of mouth) but at least amongst the audience, the film has proved to be a massive disappointment. The film has failed to deliver, and how!

This translates into the fact that Akshay Kumar finds a speed breaker in his golden run and would now have his eyes set on SINGH IS KINNG, his next release. So is there any silver lining here? Well, quite a strong one actually! In this out and out mayhem which goes by the name of TASHAN, it is only Akshay Kumar who has come out unscathed and has been appreciated most for his performance and characterization (in no particular order) even though rest of the film (as well as the characters) is nothing more than caricature.

As Bachchan Pandey, Akshay has managed to get the graph of his rustic character perfectly right and has brought life to the narrative of TASHAN which often ranges from being 'OK' to 'Oh My God'. His introductory scene as Ravana and the 'Ramleela' that follows is worth the price of the ticket while his naughty little tiffs with Kareena Kapoor, especially in their initial portions together, are done with a charming awkwardness.

In fact one shudders to think what would TASHAN have been if not for Akshay Kumar. As a 'hanuman bhakt' who wants the lady of his house to be all dressed up and 'sanskaari', he is the sole entity which provides some fun quotient to this film by Vijay Krishna Acharya which makes RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG seem like a classic.

However, the fact remains that in spite of him having fun in this spectacle in futility, Akshay Kumar would eventually have a failure to his name!

Joginder Tuteja

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BHOOL BHULAIYAA completes 200 days

The excitement that surrounds BHOOL BHULAIYAA simply refuses to die. One of the biggest blockbusters last year, the film completes 200 days on April 28, 2008. Directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Bhushan Kumar of T-Series, BHOOL BHULAIYAA opened to a gratifying response and had a stupendous run at theatres all over India and even abroad. The film was truly admired by the cine-goers for its mild comedy and psychological suspense. Apart from Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiney Ahuja and Amisha Patel, the film also stars the comic jodi of Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav along with the veterans Asrani, Vikram Gokhale and Manoj Joshi who come together to complete the team.

BHOOL BHULAIYAA is a remake of a Malyalam hit, which was also remade as CHANDRAMUKHI in Tamil. While this film was predominantly a dramatic film with strong angles of myth and horror, BHOOL BHULAIYAA suggests a comedy, though myth is an underlying force. It successfully grips the audiences' interest by mysterious turn of events and is a perfect blend of thrill and humor revealing undiscovered dimensions of human psychology.

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Dhoni and Yuvi on SRK's PAANCHVI PAAS... if

The bonhomie that exits between Bollywood colleagues and also high profiles cricketers may once again come to the fore, this time on television.

It is well known that Shah Rukh Khan is the owner of Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, still Preity Zinta, the owner of a rival team, King's XI Punjab, has already agreed to be a part of SRK's latest TV quiz show.

Yes, Preity has already rehearsed for Shah Rukh Khan's KYA AAP PAANCHVI PAAS SE TEZ HAIN, the show that had a cracker of a start last Friday. And if that is not enough, the captain of Preity Zinta's team, Yuvraj Singh and the captain of another rival team, Chennai's Super Kings, Mahendra Singh Dhoni are expected to follow suit.

However, there is an 'if' (as in our headlines!) because that will happen only if the strenuous Indian Premier League schedule permits. Here's hoping that it does!

Abid

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"My cowboy boots is my Tashan" - Saif Ali Khan

A few important dates in history: 1st January-New Year, 15th August- India got independence, 26th January- India got its Republic Day, 2nd October- Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, and in that same breath….16th August - Bollywood got its 'Prince' Charming in the form of Saif Ali Khan! Having born in a royal family of 'Nawabs' and with Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore as parents, he couldn't have asked for anything more!

Nature justified its justice by having got this dashing young man in Bollywood his debut film Parampara. What followed after that were hits and superhit films like Kal Ho Na Ho, Parineeta, etc…which only reaffirmed the fact that Mother Nature can never go wrong with her decisions and that Bollywood is the place where Saif Ali Khan rightly belongs! We gets you an exclusive interview with the Man-Fit-To-Be-King, Saif Ali Khan, as he gears himself for the release of his forthcoming blockbuster Tashan!

What do you think about the music of Tashan?
I think it's a great album, it's got varied amount of music because I think our director is also like that. It's a classic Hindi film in the sense that after a long time there is a film that covers a wide range of commercial kind of emotions. Its also very modern and contemporary in terms of there is a song like 'Dil Dance Maare' which I think is a great song ,almost funny but at the same time quite hip. There is this really romantic number 'Falak' which I think is a wonderful song there is also 'Dil Haara' which is my song which I think is also very romantic, quite Sufi and intense. Kareena's solo song 'Challiya' I think is also very cool, I love the lyrics so over all it's a great album really nice and different

What was it about this film that made you decide to do it?
Actually it's quite funny, the first time Victor narrated it to me over one an a half hour in Adi Chopra's study and I said no because I didn't understand some parts. I am not very good with narrations; I would rather read a script. So I was told to take the script home and read. I loved it and I started laughing my head off at 2 am in the morning at some of the dialogues because I just thought it was very unpredictable. It's a classic Hindi film story in a way but at the same time the treatment is so different with a lot of new technique. But the basic plot is a classic revenge story but it doesn't look like it because it starts of as a love story and moves into a road movie and then goes into a full on revenge drama so that was exciting and also very funny. It was the script that made me want to be a part of it. It's definitely going to be the hottest film of the year.

The look in the film is really appreciated can you tell me something about it?
I think it was the title Tashan, which required everybody to have a little bit of Tashan. Like the red belt which my character wears through out the film, the kind of moustache that he has and the haircut everyone is a little off in the movie but at the same time like I said that's the film everyone has a Tashan. Everyone is a little bit off so this was the look Aki Narula came up with some really nice clothes like Cargo's and T-shirts and decided that I would never wear jeans, slightly an off kind of guy but without being weird so there is this fine line which I think was very nicely handled.

Can you tell us something about the character you play in Tashan?
I am playing this guy called Jimmy who is a bit of an odd character. He has had a strange sort of childhood where his father used to dress him up in white clothes like Jeetendra and make him dance publicly. Because of which he is a little bit off. He works in a call center, very romantic, lives alone and he keeps picking up chicks from the call center. But eventually he falls desperately in love with the Kareena Kapoor's character and his life ends up turning into utter hell, which in the end actually turns out to be the best adventure he has ever been on. And that's what makes a film like Tashan extremely special because unlike a lot of Hindi films, its about what we lack the most in our lives, which is adventure. That's why probably we go to the movies to feel and go to another world and be carried away into that kind of a rollercoaster ride by getting shot at and being in lots of trouble, finding love and loosing it, money, gunfights. Basically an unpredictable life. It was good fun.

How was your experience working with Vijay Krishna Acharya?
Victor is a great man, he is a loyal friend, and he is an old school kind of a staunch gentleman in many ways. But when you look at him in his moustache he may seem a little odd. Although is not mundane and his film is unpredictable even his brief to us different. As actors personally we got along very well, he makes me laugh to no extent, it's like therapeutic to sit with him because he really does have a big laugh. Neither of us take ourselves too seriously we share quite a unique bond I think, he understands me, expects the best from me and brings out the best and I like to give it to him. I think of him as a mentor and I somehow confess all my sins to him. The second I saw him I knew I could trust him that way and as a director he would just usually ask me to surprise him and to not let the performance be expected. What the character is going to do next, the lines also should sound like they just happened and weren't prepared. He's a cool guy and he's made a very cool film.

What according to you is your Tashan Factor?
I think as an actor I would like to think that I try and play things naturally and not really try and play hero but to try and play a character and let the situation decide whether he is heroic or not. And the Tashan of anything would be no matter how many times you are doing it, to make it look like its been done for the first time ever. That moment should be real I suppose that's what Tashan is. My cowboy boots is my Tashan.

Can you tell us something about your experience shooting for the song 'Dil Haara'?
I have this tendency to go on a holiday during Christmas and New Year and since I work with Adi Chopra so often that he knows this. Christmas and New Year is a good time to eat and drink so one tends to put on a little bit of weight. And Adi said he wants this song to be the item of the movie and he wants to shoot it in Greece. In his exact words, "If you are going to party over New year's and Christmas and going to come back looking like a Papa I will shoot the song in Bombay on some set and I will be very disappointed." So unfortunately, I had to starve for the greater part of my trip to Hong Kong while I don't think it is a six pack which is a bit much to expect but I will get there soon. I did try and did manage to lose a fair amount of weight, luckily I ended up looking good and they were happy because they are used to seeing me fat. The song was it at this beautiful Greek island called 'Milos', it's a beautiful island which has underwater caves and of course being a movie we ended up going there in the middle of winter and worked in freezing cold weather in the water so it was hellishly torturing in that sense. We had some great dancers, Aki Narula styled it really well, shot fantastically well by Bose one of the most talented cameraman I have worked with and Vaibhavi in fine form. I think everyone was quite happy at the end of it.

So what do you say about Vaibhavi Merchant's choreography?
Vaibhavi is great; I have been watching her for a long time. I have been working with her on and off for a while. I think one of her first film was with me; she used to assist Chinni Prakash at one point. We have all been around. She is great and lots of fun to work with, and thoroughly professional and expects you to give your best and so does she and I think she is quite happy also with this song. I think after a long time we have got something quite special together.

Tashan has a lot of action sequences. How was it learning action with Peter Hinne?
I have a Tashan war wound which happened to me while kicking a can in the middle of an action sequence with Peter. On the set he just gets everyone into the mood to do great stuff. I would love to work with him again and I simply love him. The action in the film is much larger than life, it's like a comic book action, its bigger, its not just a few gunshots; its thousand bullets going off and cars skidding on fire using cables, its great fun, very exhausting but great. Everyone got banged and hurt everyday, which is what it was all about. I love action films, love watching them and love working in them. Haven't worked with Akshay Kumar in a while but there is bound to be a bit of action unless we do one of those slightly romantic films together which I am happy we didn't do.

Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film.
I had rented an Enfield in Ladakh, I used to ride it to work everyday .It was one of the most exhilarating and liberating experiences of my life. It's a very beautiful countryside up there, so some good music on the headphones and riding the bike was fantastic. It was a great one-month schedule.

You are sporting a moustache for the first time. What was it like and would you like to have one?
I think I would, i enjoyed the moustache, I was a little uncomfortable with it initially because I thought it looked funny. Then I grew into it quite well and I have seen many people now with a similar kind of a moustache so it is cool now. I would like to keep a heavy stubble and longer hair once.

What is it like working in a multi starrer film as opposed to a solo film?
You get to get a little bit worked up about what the other person is doing which is always exciting. I always enjoyed a multi starrer when I was a kid. I think, if you are confident about your role, it doesn't really matter. In fact, sometimes it's a bit more fun to work off other peoples energies. I think Akshay and I have a tremendous complimentary sort of quality with each other on films because we come from different worlds. So it's interesting when you put us together, it always has been with different body types and different screen presences. We work very well off each other, its like Terrance Hill and Bud Spencer - one short and one tall guy, so its an interesting pad. I like to work in films that I would like to watch so it really does not make a difference.

This is probably your sixth film with Akshay. How does it feel pairing up with him?
Akshay Kumar has become one of the best actors, when I worked with him first he use to say that you do the acting and I will do the action but now I think he is doing both almost better then anyone else. A remarkable sense of comedy and acting, I haven't worked with him in a while, I really enjoyed it this time, and I am dying to see what it looks like. It's always great and we compete quite seriously with each other, which is really good. He makes up things sometimes that are not in the script so it drives me mad and then I would make up things that is not in the script and then eventually we get a good scene or we just start doing shit and the director says what's going on but its always fun.

Anil Kapoor is a super class-apart actor. Any comments on his performance.
Anil Kapoor is not only one of the most talented actors I have ever worked with, he is also one of the least selfish and most giving person I know. I think he is at a point in his career where he can share so much of wisdom to juniors and he is so positive about everything. He is one of the most positive people I know and he considers working in films a privilege, which it is. He feels that if you are working in 80 degrees heat and you have to wear a suit he say's don't think about it as you are unlucky and it's a job in fact consider it a privilege and think it's great. He is super to work with and you learn a lot from him. He is very professional.

Kareena Kapoor as an actor has grown a lot your comments.
True, I am working with Kareena after LOC for the first time. It was great, she is really good, very easy to work with, and very spontaneous she kind of moulds herself to whichever actor she is working with that I think I have noticed. If you want to rehearse she rehearses if you don't then that's fine too.

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Bollywood awards forego politics to reward deserving recipients

It was supposed to be an evening of mishaps, chaos, and terrible organization. This was what was expected if previous Bollywood award shows are anything to go by.

Fortunately, for film fans, this award function was different. Yes the venue was hot, the organization chaotic and the show began late and finished later. But the galaxy of stars that descended on London during the Lux Zee Cine Awards 2008 and the deserved award choices themselves more than made up for any shortcomings.

Opening with a great tribute to yesteryears stars courtesy of Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma team, film fans were delighted to see a young boy render a few lines from Junglee while being spurred on by the great Shammi Kapoor. Zeenat Aman, Padmini Kohlapure, Poonam Dhillon, Govinda and Fardeen Khan were also targeted in what was a sweet nod to the songs of Hindi cinema through the ages and those who made them their own. Once Karan Johar and Sajid Khan appeared on stage they made it known they would pull no punches in poking fun at the mad world that is a kaleidoscope of colors. Delivering quips in good faith, they gave the Oscars a run for their money where entertaining and self-deprecating hosts are concerned. Chunky Pandey followed this tradition by pushing the envelope further and drew ecstatic laughs.

Performance wise the only highlights were an acapella piece by British sens-asian Jay Sean and his crew who captivated an audience with no orchestra, just simple beats, and harmonies. The sight of these three young men in comparison to the elaborate dances that had preceded them, were a testimony to the fact that talent can manifest in small numbers as well as droves. Completely in his element, Jay Sean ruled the stage as he has often done on an international stage and delivered notes that had some of the audience's women weak at the knees. The other note-worthy performance was a fun-filled song from Om Shanti Om where Shah Rukh Khan left his audience breathless; reminding them how much fun they keep missing when he's not on tour. Hands clapped, people cheered and dancing in the aisles was no longer relegated to Indian cinemas as a host of Bollywood stars got London out of their seats to groove to the infectious beat in a sequence that celebrated the film fraternity's bond of brotherhood. With appearances on stage from Arjun Rampal, Saif Ali Khan, Neha Dhupia, Dia Mirza, Dino Morea, and others, shuffling in and out of the wings akin to the magical moments created in the film version.

The not-so-noteworthy performances came from Vidya Balan who failed to translate her grace and mastery of the screen onto the stage. Upen Patel, the much-hyped bad boy of Britain proved to only be terrible at oozing charisma, failing to ignite, excite, or entertain. Seeing his performance and the over-the-top attitude he portrays in his sluggish dancing only re-ascertains the fact that the new crowd have a lot to learn from the real pros. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor delivered decent acts but did a by-the-books routine which only mirrored what they had done elsewhere. Katrina Kaif performed well but her confidence slipped to nervousness at regular points bringing down what could have been strong debut performance on an international stage.

Among the biggest highlights of the evening were the awards, which saw artistes who had been previously overlooked get their just rewards. Aamir Khan, known for not attending award functions has often been neglected from the scene for this very reason, but his film was given two gongs in the Best Director and Most Promising Child Debut categories. Govinda got a Best Supporting Actor award for Partner, an important award to an artiste who was not considered an actor for years, peaked in the 90's then disappeared off the screen only resurfacing in recent times to as much love as he generated 15 years ago. Shilpa Shetty won the Best Supporting Actress award and dedicated her award to London, a city that has given her so much in recent times, and to Metro - the film that gave her a good role, a brilliant script and an opportunity to break the mould and conventions of popular commercial cinema to widespread attention.

The Best Actor in a Negative Role went to Arjun Rampal for Om Shanti Om. It was a moment when a hardworking actor who has given his all to his profession and not coasted through it like some of his contemporaries, was finally given acceptance. Arjun Rampal has always set the screen on fire but his looks have often overshadowed the intensity and depth he can bring to a role. He deserved this long-overdue accolade and I'll go on record to say he deserves a Best Actor award next year for his work in the forthcoming The Last Lear, which has been delayed by almost a year but still looks fresh in a timeless tale of obsession, passion and movies. What is interesting is that this young man has still not peaked in an arena where he continues to grow on screen, watching newcomers around him arrive and leave without finding their footing, proving that the industry would do wise to invest more in those who have a reservoir of untapped talent rather than try to find fresh faces. The Best Actor award went to Shah Rukh Khan for Chak De! India (also the recipient of the Best Film award), Best Actress to Kareena Kapoor for Jab We Met and Best Music to AR Rahman for Guru.

If Indian cinema has truly begun to recognize and reward its finest talents rather than succumb to continuing a trend, which simply saturates the whole notion of awards, this is only the beginning of a new renaissance of Bollywood fever.

Fuad Omar

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Govinda & Celina give their version of The Mall Trouble

Govinda seems to be followed by trouble wherever he goes. And when you have Celina Jaitley who's lately been having her own share of run-ins with celebrity-harassment then you're in for trouble. On Friday while shooting at the City Mall in Oshiwara for Aditya Dutta's romantic musical, Garam Chai Govinda's bodyguards allegedly got into a scuffle with a shopkeeper.

Speaking on the incident for the first time Govinda said, "I didn't know Garam Chai would turn out so garam. It seems I am not fated to have any peace. We had got the required permission to shoot. But it seems the mall's builder and some shop owners had a long-standing dispute. Of course, we had the relevant permission. Without it, I don't shoot at public places. Our arrangement was with the builder. So while we were shooting one of the shop-owners came and stood in front of camera." The situation got uglier. "He started to abuse the entire film industry using the choicest maa-bahen expletives. I tried to reason with him. But no one could talk to him. But the man seemed fearless. He was scared neither of the law nor of anything else. He had a few of his colleagues with him. And they all seemed to pride themselves for not being scared of anyone. He even raised his hand on a cop, armed with a machine-gun, mind you. I found the whole situation very weird. But I'm only the actor in the unit. I was told to stay aloof."

Govinda is all praise for his co-star Celina. "She behaved very graciously. We're doing a lovely film together. I hadn't done a romantic film for ages. And the songs were lovely. Chai Garam has very sensuous, very Bengali feel to it." After a pause Govinda says, "It's not easy to remain quiet and famous in this city. They keep talking about my late coming. But no one speaks about how I've completed Money Hai To Honey in three months flat. Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai is also complete. I'll have four releases this year. I'm just happy I'm able to do my work. And if being a busy actor means you get the wrong kind of notice then I'll just take it in my stride."

In Ravi Chopra'a film, Govinda plays a lawyer again after Kyunki Main Jhooth Nahin Bolta. "In the earlier film I felt we went wrong because what I was fighting for wasn't highlighted in the plot. In Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai I fight for a very topical cause. A group of youngsters in Mumbai, get into trouble for no fault of theirs. Nowadays we always hear of youngsters getting into trouble, so much so that they're afraid to step out of their homes to have fun. Why only youngsters? Even we of an older generation aren't spared."

Adds Celina Jaitly, "Quite a beginning for Chai Garam it was Me and Chi Chi (Govinda). We were giving a shot when right in the middle of it this guy came in abusing and shouting. We were shocked speechless. Chi Chi and I just kept staring at him. Somewhere a scuffle started."

Subash K. Jha

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Winners of the Zee Cine Awards 2008

Best Film
Chak De! India - Aditya Chopra, Yash Raj Films

Best Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par

Best Actor (Male)
Shah Rukh Khan - Chak De! India

Best Actor (Female)
Kareena Kapoor - Jab We Met

Most Popular Track Of The Year
Mauja Hi Mauja - Jab We Met

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male)
Govinda - Partner

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female)
Shilpa Shetty - Life In A.. Metro

Best Actor In A Comic Role (Male/Female)
Vinay Pathak - Bheja Fry

Best Actor In A Negative Role (Male/Female)
Arjun Rampal - Om Shanti Om

Best Playback Singer (Male)
Shaan - Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Shreya Ghosal - Barso Re Megha (Guru)

Best Lyrics
Prasoon Joshi - Maa (Taare Zameen Par)

Best Music
A R Rahman - Guru

Most Promising Debut Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par

Most Promising Debut (Male)
Ranbir Kapoor - Saawariya

Most Promising Debut (Female)
Deepika Padukone - Om Shanti Om

Most Promising Debut (Child Artiste)
Darsheel Safary - Taare Zameen Par

Technical Awards
Best Choreographer - Farah Khan - Om Shanti Om
Best Costume – Manish Malhotra & Karan Johar - Om Shanti Om
Best Visual Effects - Red Chilli's Entertainment - Om Shanti Om
Best Editing – Amitabh Shukla - Chak de India
Best Cinematography - Sandip Chaterjee- Chak de India
Best Action - Parvez Khan - Jhonny Gaddar
Best Film Processing - ADLABS - Namastey London
Best Art Direction - Nitin Desai - Gandhi my Father
Best Sound recording – Baylon Ponseca - Shootout at lokhandwala
Best Background Music - AR Rahman - Guru
Best Screenplay - Imtiyaz Ali - Jab We Met
Best Dialogue - Jaideep Sahani - Chak De India
Best Story - Amol Gupte - Taare Zammen Par
Zee Icon award – Shah Rukh Khan
Zee Cinema Entertainer of the year – Ritesh Deshmukh
Lifetime Achievement – Zeenat Amaan
Lifetime Achievement – Feroz Khan
British Indian Actor Award – Katrina Kaif
Bollywod Queen Award - Gauri Khan

Critics Awards
Best Film – Gandhi My Father
Best Actress – Shifali Shah – Gandhi my Father
Best Actor – Darsheel Safary – Taare Zameen Par
Critics Special Awards - Neil Nitin Mukesh

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I miss the old Madras: Amitabh

Hi, I’m Amitabh Bachchan,” says the voice that needs no introduction, as he gives you a firm handshake. Suave, dapper and charming, the thorough professional shows no signs of fatigue despite the long evening spent at the audio launch function of Dasavatharam.

Reacting to the clipping he saw of the film earlier, he says, “Kamal Haasan is truly remarkable. He keeps experimenting and coming up with new ideas. He has played 10 different roles and you can’t make out one from the other! He is setting great challenges for us actors to reach. I wish him all the best. It looks like a great film.”

Links with the South...
Big B’s links with Chennai, by his own admission, go back a long way. “I have worked with a lot of production houses like Gemini, AVM and others. The Southern actors like MGR, Sivaji, Gemini Ganesan, Jayalalitha and others always treated me with great respect and love. I was very humbled when MGR undertook a difficult penance in a temple for my good health, when I had a major accident in 1982. He was a great personality.” Bachchan recounts how he used to touch the feet of Sivaji Ganesan whenever he met him. “I admired him as an actor and I was a big fan. I acted in the Hindi remake of his Kai Kudutha Deivam and I was amazed by the energy and intensity of his performance.”
Bachchan can’t help but notice the mob frenzy that is generated when stars in the South meet fans. “I have travelled with Rajini and Kamal and the patronage they receive from fans is incredible. They are loved not just as actors but as human beings. Even Rajkumar, Mammooty and Mohanlal are such down-to-earth and warm people.”

Films and the Man...
The Bollywood film, Bhoothnath where he plays a friendly ghost who befriends a child who is kind to him, is what AB will be seen in next. Bachchan is also considering Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next venture. If he were offered a role in Tamil films, the Big B says, “I would like to say my own lines.” No dubbing for him! Would he consider acting in a movie along with Jackie Chan, Rajini and Kamal? “Sure, bring me a proposal first!” he replies.

Big B’s fundas...
From brand endorsements to films, promos, interviews and world tours, life for Big B is a whirlwind of activity. Is there a special diet he follows which keeps him energised to face his day? “Everyone is busy these days so there’s nothing special about my day,” he shrugs modestly. Probe a bit deeper and he admits, “Maybe it’s diet control that keeps me energised. I follow a regimen and have controlled eating habits. I don’t drink and smoke nor do I have sweets. I have given up a lot of things.”

If there is one thing the Big B has faced in abundance, it’s challenges. Being in the public eye has drawn him into the eye of many a storm. Is there anything he would change about his life, were he given a chance? “No, I wouldn’t want to change anything. Life would be very dull without challenges,” he says thoughtfully. With the inclusion of Aishwarya in the Bachchan household, how does Big B view his role as father-in-law? “It’s another phase of life. We feel we have another daughter at home and we love having her with us,” he replies.

On a nostalgia trip...
He has been visiting Chennai for decades. How does he view the changes in the city? “I see a lot of progress. There are a lot of flashy buildings. But I miss the old Madras. It used to be a lot quieter. Today the pace seems more hectic. But then everything in India is becoming like that,” he signs off nostalgically.

Rinku Gupta

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I have a new love...

... and his name is Boo,’ says Priyanka Chopra about her cuddly genius

Priyanka Chopra, currently shooting in Miami for Karan Johar’s romantic comedy Dostana, can’t stop raving about the new love of her life.

“No, his name isn’t Harman. It’s Boo, a pet robot teddy-bear, who accompanies me everywhere in Love Story 2050. He’s all pink and the cutest creature on earth.

“I was aware of Boo from the time he was conceived. It was Harman Baweja’s sister Rowena who thought of Boo. I don’t think it would have happened without her. I’ve watched Boo acquire a life right in front of me. So it’s quite an exciting processs,” she says.

So attached has Priyanka become to Boo that she wants to carry him home after the shooting. And the Bawejas, who’ve watched Priyanka stand by their project from the time Kareena Kapoor opted out, would be only too happy to let Priyanka have her way.

“This is one film that’s filled with gadgets and electronic toys. But Boo is special, because he’s mine. Love Story 2050 is my second hi-tech film after Krrish. And I’m doing one more in Drona. But Love Story 2050 is special because I’m doing my career’s first double role with two different looks for the two halves set in different periods. Boo is part of my futuristic look. I feel this film carries sci-fi in India to another level,” says Priyanka.

Interestingly, Love Story 2050 will be followed by another FX-motivated adventure saga, Shankar’s Robot.
Priyanka had been signed for it when it was a different set-up with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead.
“When FX turned a corner with Krrish, I was a part of it. Now, when it somersaults with Love Story 2050 and Drona, I’m a part of both. I am proud to be in these projects.”

For the time being, she is enjoying herself in Miami with her co-stars.

“I’ve worked with Abhishek (Bachchan) and John (Abraham) before, but never like this. Their bonding is infectious. Dostana is one big party. Karan Johar is also here.”

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan also joined the gang in Miami for a short period. Priyanka, meanwhile, is all praise for director Tarun Mansukhani. “The director is new, but his wit sparkles. He’s written an urbane, tongue-in-cheek comedy.”

So has she changed her mind about wearing a bikini? “Producer Karan Johar hasn’t asked me to wear a bikini. And I wouldn’t be comfortable in one. But this is a beach movie. So it’s only natural that I get into beach-wear. And I don’t mind that because everyone else will be wearing even tinier clothes.”

Subash K. Jha

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Kangna is losing weight!

After Kareena’s recent weight loss, another girl is joining the thin brigade of Bollywood.

And she’s none other than the heroine of Fashion, Kangna Ranaut, who has already lost lots of weight, courtesy her role of a ramp model in the film. Kangna now has been asked to lose even more weight for Raaz 2 by director Mohit Suri. By the way, do you know her ex good friend Aditya Pancholi too is on weight-losing spree? Anyway, guess what Kangna’s playing in the Raaz sequel? A ramp model! Now, we fear that at this rate the poor girl will soon disappear into thin air... We suggest Ramu should take her in Gayab 2, wotsay?

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Music, mess and Jackie Chan

Pandemonium reigned at the audio launch of Kamal Haasan-starrer Dasavatharam in Chennai

The audio launch of the Kamal Haasan-starrer Dasavatharam at the Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai, yesterday, was an exercise in chaos and confusion.

The mega-budget flick that stars Mallika Sherawat and Asin, had Jackie Chan in attendance. The Hong Kong superstar was specially flown in for the launch. A huge media contingent of over 200 people had also arrived to cover it. But the media could not even enter the stadium. At the time of going to press, it was unclear if the event even took place.

Thousands of fans were expected to attend and yet, the organisers hadn’t bothered to make the necessary arrangements. Things got so bad that the police had to resort to lathi charge and tear-gas shells to disperse the milling crowds outside.

Fans had begun filling in the stadium hours in advance to get a glimpse of the stars. Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini were the special guests. Himesh Reshammiya, who has composed the film’s music was also present. The stadium was filled to capacity hours before the event could begin.

One of the bystanders at the venue said, “I came here with my entire family as we are big fans of Kamal Haasan. It was announced that several stars like Jackie Chan and Amitabh Bachchan would be present.

But it was a big mess.”

Produced by Oscar Ravindran and directed by KS Ravikumar, the film (in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi) has Kamal Haasan essay 10 roles. The actor has also penned the film.

Tushar Joshi

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SRK grabs Akshay’s role

Priyan initially approached Akki for Billoo Barber; SRK heard the story and wanted to produce and act

The Akshay Kumar-Shah Rukh Khan rivalry appears to have just got hotter. SRK claims that Billoo Barber, his next home production, directed by Priyadarshan, was initially offered to Akshay but the Khiladi refused it. Everyone knows that Akshay is one of Priyan’s favourite actors so he was the first choice. But when Akki declined, SRK grabbed it.

Shah Rukh admits, “Billoo Barber was offered to Akshay Kumar but he turned it down. Priyan was doing another film with me. Then he spoke to me about Billoo Barber and asked me if I would do the 10-day role in the film. I asked him to narrate the story. I told him that I would not only act in it but even produce it.”

The actor says he simply loved the script. “It’s a story based on Krishna and his friend Sudama. It’s a very sweet story. The thought is nice. But it’s not fair to call it a Shah Rukh Khan film. It is about Irrfan Khan, his wife and two kids. Billoo Barber is a remake of a Malayalam film (Kadha Parayaumbol) and has been rewritten by the same writer. The Hindi rights are with us while the Tamil rights are with Rajnikanth. In Malayalam it was made with Mammooty.”

About the film’s cast and credits, SRK says, “The film has Irrfan Khan, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and Asrani Sir besides myself. Kareena has done a guest appearance. Deepika will also do a guest appearance and there might be another heroine. Music is by Pritam and lyrics by Gulzar.”

When asked about Ameesha Patel and Tabu turning down the film, Shah Rukh points out, “I have been reading about all the actresses refusing the project but I would never lie to an actor to get them to do the role. I told Priyan Sir to tell them that it is not the greatest role in the world; but it is not a role that will go unnoticed. I told this to Urmila, Manisha, Juhi… Amisha didn’t do the role because we thought she looks too young to play a mother with Irrfan. It wasn’t like she left it or we threw her out. Tabu refused because she didn’t like the role. Vidya (Balan) said no because she did not want to play a mother to two grown-up children. But the kids are 10 and 12 year olds they are not my age!”

Continues Shah Rukh, “When I sat down with Lara, I told her that you do certain roles because of the film and she agreed. Juhi and Rani have often told me ‘I don’t have a great role in the film, I am just doing the film because it’s a very sweet film.’ I believe in that… if the product is really good, everybody shines. I could be great in a film, but if it is not good, then it doesn’t work. I really wanted to make Billoo Barber and Insha Allah we will release it by September.”

However a source close to Akshay denies that he was offered Billoo Barber. “Priyan might have thought of approaching Akshay but he definitely did not offer it to him.”

Upala KBR

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Dino in docu on white water rafting

Morea has acted in a National Geographic docu on white water rafting

Dino Morea added a bit of excitement to his life. He recently shot for a documentary on white water rafting in the rapids at Rishikesh without knowing how to!

Says Dino, “A Canadian production house came down to India to shoot for a National Geographic docu tentatively titled Braving The Rapids. This was for a series on white water rafting in the rapids.”

Adds the actor, “They shot in the Ganga in Rishikesh. It was an adventure with tents and camping out at night. I had never done white water rafting before but I loved it. It was more thrilling than scary!”

Dino says, “It was a five-day trip and we went camping with pot fires, canned food like baked beans and tuna. We also had an Indian cook to make bonfire chicken barbeque.”

It was his concern for the environment that made Dino participate in this project. “North India is extremely beautiful; we should preserve nature. Rafting contributes to the economy of the mountainous regions and helps protect rivers from hydroelectric power generation projects.”

Rafting or white water rafting is a recreational activity using a raft to navigate a river. This is usually done on rapids or different degrees of rough water. White water is formed in a rapid when the water’s flow is disturbed and a bubbly, frothy white current is created. Rivers with high current are used for white water rafting.

Upala KBR

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John's bare dare act in DOSTANA!

The shooting of Karan Johar's Tarun Mansukhani directed DOSTANA is progressing briskly in Miami, Florida. In fact Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Aishwarya Rai (who is with her hubby) are obliging the fans who are visiting the sets in hordes, with autographs and also by getting snapped with them.

With Shilpa Shetty shooting a sizzling biking item number, the film appears to be getting hotter and hotter with each passing day. And to top it all, there is news that John Abraham will be seen as never before in DOSTANA. No we do not mean that he will be a playing a surprising negative character in DOSTANA or something on those lines, but it's his appearance in the film that we are talking about.

Well, here is good news for those countless female fans who drool over John's perfect physique. Yes, John will not only be seen without his shirt but (sorry, shut those evil thoughts!), his well sculpted body will also be seen in swimming trunks too!

While on DOSTANA, Karan plans to complete and release the Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra starrer by year end, though it looks difficult.

Abid

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I have not worked with Yash Raj Films since a long time, says Akshay Kumar

He started out as an action hero in a series of Khiladi films. Before you thought he could do only maar-dhaad kind of roles, he shifted gears and ticked your funny bone in some hilarious films like Hera Pheri, Garam Masala and Bhagam Bhag. He even showed his versatility by doing some heavy-duty dramas like Dhadkan, Waqt-A Race against Time and Bewafaa. Yes, we are talking about the one and only Akshay Kumar. After giving four back to back hits last year Akshay is now considered as the most bankable star in the business. We brings you an exclusive interview with the man himself who is ready to kick-start year 2008 with his very own Tashan.

What do you think about the music of Tashan?
I love the track ‘Dil Dance Maare’ it has a Bhojpuri flavor. I have never heard something like that it’s a great dance number. There is another romantic number ‘Falak Tak’, it’s a great travel song shot in Ladakh, Rajasthan, Kerala and a little bit of it in Mumbai so these are the two songs, which are my favourite.

What was it like working with Aki Narula?
Aki Narula did my clothing and styling, he has worked on the smallest details. Aki Narula’s styling is very cool and stylish, yet he was very real and in the character. I loved my look in the film; it works for Mr. Bachchan Pandey- yes…that’s my character name.

What made you decide to do this film?
To begin with, the fact that it was a Yash Raj film excited me. I have not worked with them since a long time it’s been a gap of 12 to 13 years so that excitement was there to work with this production house. The second thing was the script, it really excited me to do the film and then my character Bachchan Pandey was something, which I hadn’t played before. It is a great masala film and is complete in every way. It is very character driven and the story had a great graph. It is unconventional and that is what excited me.

How was the experience working with Vijay Krishna Acharya?
I think he has a great sense of scripting. Earlier also he has scripted many good films like Guru and Dhoom, I am sure with this kind of scripting he has made his own film in a great way. It was fun working with him, he has a great sense of humor, we really got long very well because he is a north Indian and so am I. So, we have the same kind of humor going and the good thing about him is that he gives his actors and his characters space. He tells them to perform and places his camera according to that, its not like we have to look at the camera and act. Instead in his case its like the actor has to perform and the camera is supposed to catch him. We were really free when we were working with him. We were not feeling claustrophobic because he allows us to just move freely. It was great working with him and I hope I get a chance to work with him again.

What was it like working with Peter Hinnes and doing an action film after a long time?
Peter Hinnes is from Vietnam, he has settled in South India and works in South Indian films; he is the most well-known action director there. I got a chance to work with him for the first time. He has not worked in many Hindi films but whenever he has worked here, he has done a great job and I can vouch for it because I myself am an action hero. I come to know when I work with an action director how good he is. He is really good at his job. The action of this film is very realistic; Peter is a great action director. He made me do a little bit of Parkour in this film. I had to learn it because I am not that trained into it; I am still learning Parkour. He got this idea when I showed him a little bit of stunts so when you watch this film you can see a bit of Parkour, that’s also one of the highlights of the film. It will be fun watching the action of this film, While performing we were having so much fun. If you see the fight, its more of a choreography, because of the environment we created. It was great working with Peter.

What according to you is your Tashan Factor?
My Tashan is my own attitude - an attitude towards life. I think Tashan stands for style and I think it’s ‘Me’ that’s what Tashan means to me.

Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film.
The entire film has been memorable. Shooting in difficult terrain like Ladakh was quite challenging. Due to the high altitude, lot of people had fallen sick but despite that, the shoot continued. Then we shot in Rajasthan in extreme heat and over that we had to wear a jacket. Anil Kapoor had to wear long coats so I am sure it was a memorable moment for him too. Then when we went to Kerala it just did not stop raining; we had to take many breaks in between the shots considering the rains. The director Victor and the entire crew worked very hard to shoot the film so the entire film has been memorable. After a long time I was working with Saif Ali Khan my kid brother and Kareena with whom I have worked very often and of course Mr. Kapoor. It’s my second movie with him so it was a lot of fun working with all of them.

Can you tell us something about the character you play in the film?
I play the character of Bachchan Pandey who is from Kanpur who accidentally happens to watch two/three films like Godfather. He gets very inspired by the film, on the other hand he also works for a recovery agency as a recovery agent and how this character falls in love is what it is all about.

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B.O. update: 'Tashan' not as expected

Yash Raj's new release TASHAN hasn't opened to the desired response. Since the movie hasn't released at multiplexes, the distributors are bound to lose a substantial chunk of revenue. At single screens, however, the response wasn't as expected. The film had a 70% start, but there were reports of business sliding downwards as day progressed. The reports are negative and the biggie is not likely to sustain in days to come.

The second release, SIRF - LIFE LOOKS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE, has opened to a dull response.

Taran Adarsh

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First Look - Bachna Ae Haseeno

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Wish Zayed Khan, a very Happy Birthday

He is one of the impeccable Khans who is shaking Bollywood, not merely with his good looks, but also with his immense acting talents!

He is undoubtedly the Brand Ambassador of the 'GenNext' brigade! We are talking about the super cool dude Zayed Khan, who celebrates his Birthday on April 27. Having Sanjay Khan as his father, the suave Feroze Khan as his uncle, Hrithik Roshan as his brother-in-law, and Fardeen Khan as his cousin brother, acting & good looks had to be the 'but naturally quintessential element' in his blood!

Having made a smashing debut with Chura Liya Hai Tumne, which was followed by the smash hit Main Hoon Na, this cool-dude of Bollywood has no looking back since then! Having some real cool films coming up like Yuvraaj, Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge, Mission Istaanbul besides others, future is indeed very bright for him!

So, people what you are waiting for! Go ahead and wish this B-Day boy by posting your wishes below!

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Kunal Kohli’s title in trouble

Kunal Kohli announced his forthcoming film’s title on Wednesday. After a long wait he titled it as Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic but he wasn’t aware that the similar title has already been registered by another producer.

According to actor turned producer Sahil Chadha, he has registered the same title in 2006. He confirms “Yes it’s true. I had my title Thoda Life Thoda Magic registered two and half years back when I thought of making a film. A friend from the media informed me about Kunal Kohli’s film title Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic which is the same as my film’s title.”

However Chadha has already taken action and informed IMPA about it. He says, “I tried to contact Kunal regarding the same but have not managed to talk to him yet. His title is the same as my title and the audience may get confused by that. I have sent a letter to IMPA regarding the same.”

Kunal Kohli’s film revolves around Saif - a rich man, four orphan kids and Rani, who plays the role of an angel who comes in their lives to help them get rid of their worries. On the other hand Sahil Chadha’s film is about a man who believes in living life by spreading magic in others life. It is a feel good film. Jackie Shroff will be the main protagonist of the film. It also stars Mira Vasudevan, Salhil Chadha Arbaaz Khan and Anita Raaj in prominent roles.

According to Chadha his film is ready for release and he is planning to release it in May. Interestingly Kunal Kohli’s film releases at the same time in the same month. He further continues, “I have no objection if they change the title to Thoda Magic Ho Jaye . It’s a Yash Raj film and I have grown up watching their movies. I have nothing against them but the similar title will create confusion for audience.”

However, the title fight is not new for Yash Raj Films. Before this they had to face similar problems for Saif and Rani starrer Ta Ra Rum Pum . It can be recalled that Pradeep Sarkar’s Laga Chunari Main Daag was earlier registered by Producers Himanshu Joshi and Hirachand Jogani of Bhoomi Shree Pictures. Though Yash Raj Films had requested them to give this title, the producers refused. Hence Yash Raj had to register it as Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - The Journey Of A Woman.

Hope Kunal’s film gets right title.

Reshma Kelkar

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Kat plays it cool!

Katrina Kaif may be the brand ambassador of Royal Challengers, but she certainly has a fan following in other IPL teams too.

Take Ishant Sharma, for instance. But Kat plays down on her fan, saying instead that this is the 'spirit of IPL'. "I know that Ishant is a player on SRK’s team. It’s good to see that everybody is having a good time. It is more about the game though! And the game sure has become more accessible to all," she says.
And she is quite enjoying cricket. "I’m the only female brand ambassador of a team and I’m quite liking my job. Cricket is the most popular Indian sport and I have no problem adding a bit of glam to it," she answers.
Kat isn’t what one would call an avid cricket fan, but she asserts that her personal association with the game has brought her really close to it. "Cricket is really popular here in India and my personal relationship as the brand ambassador of Bangalore has made me really and genuinely interested in it," she says.

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Ronit's men guard SRK

Ronit Roy’s security agency is providing cover to Khan and his entourage during IPL matches

Apart from acting on television, Ronit Roy also owns and runs a security agency, Ace Security and Protection. He is providing the security cover to Shah Rukh Khan and his entourage during the Indian Premier League matches. In the past, Ronit’s agency has worked with several B-Town actors and also managed several events.

A source reveals that Ronit is working in tandem with Shah Rukh’s bodyguard Yaseen on taking care of security matters. “This isn’t the first time he’s worked with Shah Rukh. They have a long association where Ace has worked on providing security for Shah Rukh at many of his events.”

Throwing light on how it works the source adds, “Ronit is not handling ground security. He’s closely working on Shah Rukh and his family’s personal security. This means providing them proper cover and making sure their every move is monitored.

Since Yaseen is Shah Rukh’s personal bodyguard he tells Ronit the mandatory requirements and what kind of security is required. Depending on the scenario and the surroundings the security arrangements change.”

Ronit confirms that his agency is providing cover to Shah Rukh. “Yes my company has a long-standing relation with him. Beyond this I wouldn’t want to say anything.”

Tushar Joshi

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Hrithik won't travel out of Mumbai

The actor stays put in Mumbai as wife Sussanne is due any day now

With the Zee Cine Awards going underway in London tomorrow, several B-Town stars have already taken off for the UK. But Hrithik Roshan is staying back. The actor wants to be in Mumbai when wife Sussanne delivers which is anytime now. And so, the expectant daddy has put all his travelling plans on hold.

“I’m just not stepping out of Mumbai. That’s why I had to say no to the Zee awards. Right now, I can’t focus on any work that takes me out of the city,” he says.

Meanwhile Hrithik has also begun shooting for Zoya Akhtar’s directorial debut, Luck By Chance, in the city. The actor has a guest appearance in it. It’s a commitment he made long ago. Incidentally, Zoya is not only a close friend but also the first female director Hrithik has worked with.

“We’ve been shooting in the nights for the last few days. I’ve one full song to do before I am done. That will keep me busy till the end of the week,” says Hrithik.

By the time, Zoya’s shooting is complete, Hrehan will have a sibling and Hrithik can travel again.

Subash K. Jha

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The paanch kids in Paanchvi Pass

The children who feature with SRK in Paanchvi Paas were selected after several tests

The five kids who feature with Shah Rukh Khan in Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? were selected after months of stringent screening and aptitude tests held all over the country.
The quiz show airs from tonight on Star Plus. The spunky kids are classmates in the Paanchvi ki Kaksha. The childrenwill help the contestants (the adults) earn high marks and win big money.

Here’s a look at the brainy five.....

Shriya Sharma (10) is called princess by SRK. She aspires to be an astronaut. Born and brought up in Palampur, Shriya is a topper in her class and has acted in the telly soap Kasautii Zindagii Kay. Bright in academics, English, maths, Geography and social studies are her strong subjects.

Dheriya Sorecha (9) is the naughtiest among the Paanchvi ki Paltan. SRK calls him Harry Puttar. As Dheriya says, “Harry Potter-like specs and smile are my style statement.” His fave subjects are maths, science, Hindi and social studies. He’s a smart, energetic student who also excels in extra-curricular activities. Dheriya aspires to become an actor.

Anubhav Motilal (9) is a die-hard SRK and Hritik Roshan fan. He wants to become a chef. This tech-savvy kid is a ready-reckoner for all current affairs and is equipped with excellent communication skills. His strong subjects are English, Hindi and general knowledge. Also known as the mini-dada of the Paanchvi Ki Paltan; Anubhav loves to take pangas with the learned adults who appear as participants.

Shreeparna Ghosal (10) aspires to be a doctor. She always comes first in class and enjoys her studies. Like many kids her age, Shreeparna loves singing, painting and dancing. But unlike the other kids, this sprightly wonderkid dares the intelligent, learned adults with her knowledge of maths, social studies, English and science.

Milanjeet Singh Bhatti (9) is called Milli puttar. He aspires to be an electronic engineer and that speaks a lot about this Paanchvi Pass kid. The best student, best orator of his school and a voracious reader, Milanjeet’s favourite subjects are geography, science, social studies and English.

The first contestant on Paanchvi Paas is Vedula Ramalakshmi from Orissa. She’s a MA gold medalist and considers herself up-to date with her GK, especially class five stuff. Her husband, a palmist has predicted that she will win Rs 1 crore. The grand prize money for the show is Rs 5 crore for answering 11 questions right. Will Vedula make it?

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SARKAR RAJ - The most awaited film this summer

SARKAR RAJ is indeed turning out to be the most awaited film this summer. And that too by leaps and bounds.

Unlike Ram Gopal Varma's last few films which were marred by an all around negative energy (RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG, DARLING, SHIVA, NISHABD), response to SARKAR RAJ has been widely positive till date which gives a very positive signal to this mega film coming from the risk taker film maker.

The teasers which have been aired so far have met with tremendous applause all over while coming together of the Bachchan family is an event by itself. Also, Ram Gopal Varma's vintage touch is more than just visible in SARKAR RAJ as the film certainly appears to be moving a few steps ahead in the right direction.

The film is now all set to arrive on 6th June, the first weekend after the IPL Finals would have been played. Though BHOOTNATH, JANNAT and WOODSTOCK VILLA are the three prominent movies releasing in next few weeks, it is SARKAR RAJ which should pave the way for many more money spinners to follow after its release.

No wonder, SARKAR RAJ is all set to take a phenomenal opening across the country with Mumbai certainly being the best. And remember, you read it first here!

Joginder Tuteja

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Exclusive pics: Saif and Kareena go for a holiday to Maldives

Yash Raj Films’ first big release Tashan opens across cinema halls today. While the film does have some really big names like Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor, audiences are surely more curious to see the chemistry between real life couple Saif and Kareena on the big screen. After all, it was during the making of this film that the two actors became close to each other.

In fact, just before the release of their film Tashan, Bollywood’s very own IT couple ‘Saif-eena’ decided to take a break from the prying eyes of the media and headed off to Maldives for a quick holiday.

However, we nevertheless managed to get hold of these rare pics of Saif and Kareena while they were enjoying some cozy moments in the business class of the Maldives bound flight.

Saif and Kareena seem quite relaxed and completely at ease in each other’s company. Wonder what they are looking at and smiling? Is it some cartoon flick or the promo of their latest film Tashan that they are watching as part of the in-flight entertainment?

Saif seems to be showing Kareena some really cool pics on his digicam. But Bebo seems more interested in giving Chhote Nawab some TLC.

Getting a chance to be clicked with Bollywood’s hottest couple is something even the flight crew won’t like to miss out on. While the staff seems quite excited on meeting Saif and Kareena, Chhote Nawab would rather be left alone with his lady love

So, while Saifu and Bebo must have thought that they would be far away from the shutterbugs, they couldn’t escape being clicked by few of the airport staff who were, of course, delighted to see the hot-n-happening couple in their flight.

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What ban? It's pure bakwas!

Even though Akshay 'Jubilee' Kumar is shooting at breakneck speed at far-flung locations of China and Thailand [CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is almost complete; just 10 days shooting is pending], rumours of all kinds [obviously, spread by Akki haters] show their ugly head intermittently.

The latest rumour [or should I say, joke?] is, Yash Raj has 'banned' Akshay because [a] The actor has had the guts to refuse a new script offered by the Chopras and [b] He isn't promoting a particular IPL team that has had a tie-up with TASHAN.

Expectedly, Akshay is flummoxed when I question him about the reported 'ban'. "YRF bans me? Impossible. Mr. Chopra and his son are thorough gentlemen. They would never ban their actors. Besides, they love me. By next week, watch out, I'll be their new 'Tashan'," is all that the modest Akki is ready to say.

Having known Akshay since the time he started out in SAUGANDH and also knowing how gracious and professional the Chopras are, I refuse to buy the story that they have decided against working with each other. Talking of the actor, he's humility personified even today -- a rarity when you hit big time.

Well, TASHAN releases today and all eyes are on this movie. Will Akki have yet another trophy to decorate on his over-crowded shelf? Will he walk away with ceetees and taalis once again? Watch out for the review on Bollywood Buzz, in a few hours from now. Watch this space!

Taran Adarsh

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Deepika dances for SRK

After the astounding debut in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om , Deepika Padukone will be sharing screen once again with her first co star Shah Rukh Khan for Priyadarshan’s Billoo Barber .

Billoo Barber is an adaptation of the story between Lord Krishna and Sudama which will be produced by SRK’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment. Deepika will be paired opposite SRK in the film.

Director Priyadarshan confirms, “Yes Deepika is part of Billo Barber and she will be doing an item number too. We have recently shot Kareena’s item song, while Deepika’s number will be shot in July.”

It is going to be Deepika’s first item number, it will also be used for the promotion of the film. The song will be choreographed by Pony Sharma who choreographs all of Priyadarshan’s movies.

Deepika is currently shooting for Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Aey Haseeno , Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk To Chaina and Imtiaz Ali’s next.

Reshma Kelkar

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Rani gifts herself a Mercedes

Rani Mukerji was spotted arriving in a red Mercedes at the launch of her brother Rajaa Mukerji’s new television serial Kissi Ki Nazar Na Lage.

The actress has been using a gold-coloured Merc for more than five years now. The buzz was that Rajaa had gifted her the red Merc. Says Rajaa, “Rani has bought it with her own money. I would love to gift her one. She traded in her earlier car for a better model.”

Raja feels Rani has been a pillar of strength through all his trials and tribulations. “In fact, the new promos that I have cut and which will be aired soon will have Rani giving bytes about the show. She has loved the episodes we have shot and that has boosted my confidence.

It’s a woman- centric serial and my second after Prratima. KKNNL is produced by my production company, JR Entertainers.” Will she be giving creative inputs too? “No. It’s difficult giving inputs every day as it’s a daily soap.”

The daily airs from May 5 on DD1 at 1 pm. Raja says, “It’s about an industrialist’s family which starts changing when the bahu of the house gets the property in her name. The cast includes Kashish Duggal, Komolika Guha Thakurta, Sanjeev Seth and Arup Pal.”

Rajaa will direct his next Bengali film, Khokon, an action-romantic thriller. He says, “I will start in October. It has Dev from Tollywood and a new girl from Kolkata.” Rajaa’s earlier film was Bidhater Lekha.

Upala KBR

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'I'd rather watch Paanchvi Paas'

SRK believes the IPL matches won't affect his new show that premieres tomorrow night on Star Plus

On the eve of yet another of his small screen outings, Shah Rukh Khan speaks about his new show, Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hai?...

The opening of Paanchvi Pass clashes with the IPL matches. Aren’t you worried about the TRPs being low, since the matches have been huge hits?
No. I don’t want to be pompous but people will watch Shah Rukh Khan. To be honest, I’d rather watch Paanchvi Pass.

Why? What’s so special about it?
It’s an awesome concept. There is no stopping Paanchvi Paas. I never make claims like these. It’s really endearing, witty and sweet. It’s a quiz show of class one to class five. If I sit down with you for two minutes and start playing it, I’m sure you’ll end up playing for at least half an hour. How many legs does a butterfly have? Answer that for Rs 5 lakh. Then I’ll you other simple questions like who started the Gregorian calendar and which is the planet closest to Earth? If I tell you the answers, you’ll say, “Arre, I knew the answer to this yaar.” It’s an amazing show that you can sit with kids and watch.

What aspects of it are you particularly charmed by?
The lifelines. Like we had a phone-a-friend in KBC. I am the school teacher, and in my classroom, there are five kids, whose help the contestants can take. I ask a question and you can use three helplines — just like in KBC. The helpline is: You ask the kids, “Can I cheat from you, please?” We’ve had contestants who are MBBS students, IIM graduates and gold medallists. And then we ask them this class one question. It is so simple and they know the answers but there are no multiple choices so they ask these nine-year-olds, “Milindji, Siddharthji, please maano yaar, ae answer bataoge?” And as the teacher, I say, “Okay, you can cheat now.” The beauty of it is that this cheat can go right or wrong. Kids can give a wrong answer too. Like in KBC, you phone a friend, and he or she doesn’t necessarily know the answer.

Are the kids going to be the same on all the shows?
Yes, these five kids have been signed on for one season you cannot keep training new kids.

Was it a deliberate move to not do KBC anymore, and opt for this show instead?
Yes. You know, both my films fell through Robot and the Rajkumar Hirani film, and I had free time on hand. So I called the channel and said, “Let’s shoot KBC,” as I was under contract to do one more season with them. Then, I saw Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? while in America and I asked them: why don’t we do this instead? And luckily, we found someone in India Airtel who had the rights. So everything fell into place and it just required us to work a little harder for a month before it was all set.

You seem to be enjoying this show more than KBC.
To be very honest, this is more up my alley. I’ve actually exhausted all the quips and jokes I’ve done on KBC. Had this show been done with me first, it would’ve been even more original.

When is your son Aryan coming on the show?
Aryan has just gone to the fifth grade. He’s right for the show but you have to be already in it to come on it. The kids have been chosen from all over India but till the time we selected them, Aryan and his friends used to play with me. I did a lot more rehearsals for this than I did for KBC.

Sarita Tanwar

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Vivek Oberoi parts ways with dad

So it has finally happened. Actor Vivek Oberoi and father Suresh Oberoi have parted ways. The father will not be managing his son's career any more. He confirmed the news saying, "I am no long handling his work now."

Apparently Oberoi Sr hasn't taken rumours blaming him for his son's debacle too well. When we spoke to him, he said "I felt very sad when I learnt that people were commenting about me like that. So I decided to give the ropes to someone else."

Surge Management Company has replaced Suresh Oberoi.

Vivek's career, which seemed promising at the beginning, plummeted at some point and has never since recovered.

The actor started off with Ram Gopal Varma's Company and then went on to deliver another hit in Saathiya. At the time, he was being made out to be Hrithik Roshan's strongest competitor.

Trouble started after he got involved with Aishwarya Rai. Insiders insist that this was the beginning of the end. Then he did what many consider the most immature action of his life – called a press conference against Salman Khan.

The move cost him dear – Aishwarya Rai left him and he had made an enemy out of Salman.

Meanwhile he had also rubbed other biggies the wrong way. He turned down Yash Raj's Hum Tum and closed that door too. Others who wanted to work with him began to stay away after they learnt that Suresh Oberoi was making decisions for Vivek.

Slowly but steadily the actor's career went downward. His attempts at helping the Tsunami-affected people were seen as publicity stunts.

Recently he returned to the big screen with Shootout at Lokhandwala. But evidently that film too has done little or nothing to salvage his flagging career.

It remains to be seen now if Surge can give Vivek what he needs the most – a serious image makeover.

Jhonny Vaz

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Amitabh - SRK not in the same frame!

Just recently we had told you in detail about the placement of Shah Rukh Khan's special appearance in the Amitabh Bachchan starrer, BHOOTHNATH. Just to recap, Shah Rukh, along with good friend Juhi Chawla, play parents to the child 'Banku' (Aman Siddiqui), who befriends the ghost (Amitabh Bachchan) and King Khan will make his entry in the film just before the climax sequence. Well, here is more.

As per the producer Ravi Chopra, BHOOTHNATH is not just another ghost story, but it is a family film. Talking about the film that unites the 'Shahenshah', megastar Amitabh Bachchan and the 'Baadshah', Bollywood's global superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, once again after huge hits like MOHABBATEIN, KABHI KHUSHI KABHIE GHAM and KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA, Chopra was very forthright and honest in admitting that Big B and SRK will not be seen sharing the same frame in BHOOTHNATH. He elaborates that this is so as it is the demand of the script.

As is known, BHOOTHNATH is all set to release along with a preponed JIMMY on the 9th of May.

Abid

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Bipasha and Hrithik on Vogue covers

Bipasha back in ‘Vogue’

With everyone is digging into their ‘fifth’ standard books all over again for an upcoming TV show with SRK, we also thought of doing something that will trace your brains into something that we learnt in the fifth standards! And that’s called the ‘Degrees’.

For starters, there are three degrees: Positive, Comparative, and Superlative. For example: The Positive degree of ‘Good’ is ‘Better’ while its Superlative degree is ‘Best’.

If only we had the authority to be the Final Authority in Bollywood Grammar, then, we would have definitely positioned the degrees as follows: The positive degree of ‘Hot’ is ‘Hotter’ and its Superlative degree is not ‘hottest’ (as many of you must have thought), because it is ... BIPASHA BASU!

Yes indeed, this Bong-Bomb’s heat can even put the sun to shame! And guess what! She is doing exactly that, in the May edition of Vogue India! If her new hairstyle is something to die for, then, her deep dusky hazel dew eyes definitely serves as Oxygen!

Statutory Request: Please keep tissues ready before you buy this issue, to wipe off your sweat that this issue is bound to exude and that to when summer is in its superlative degree!

Man! Hrithik too is in Vogue

If you have been an ardent follower of fashion and films, then, you will surely recollect that the fashion magazine Elle had launched its male cover with none other than the King Khan himself, with droplets of water adorning the King’s glorious face. So, when the latest fashion entrant Vogue decided to launch Vogue India Man, its men's supplement, then, how can they settle for nothing but the best! That’s why they chose none other than the Krrish man himself: Hrithik Roshan! With this man on the cover, we are sure that the readers will surely go Krazzy. Vogue India Man is a 75-page supplement that touches upon fashion, cars, clothes, watches, grooming products and gadgets tips for every man. And needless to say that it will surely touch your heart! What say! Touché’!

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Aamir Khan injured while shooting for Ghajini

After having won accolades by a ton for Taare Zameen Par and with his new film Ghajini generating curiosity every passing day, life couldn't have been better for 'The Perfectionist' Aamir Khan.

But luck had something else in store for him in the form of a hamstring muscle injury while performing an action sequence for Ghajini. The scene was such that Aamir had to pick up a very bulky man and throw him against the wall and due to this Aamir pulled his hamstring muscle while he was enacting the action scene. This happened at Ramuji Rao Studios in Hyderabad yesterday. A Physiotherapist was then called in for Aamir.

The Ghajini team has been canning some complex action shots since past few days which are important part of the film. However, due to Aamir's injury, the shooting of the film has been indefinitely postponed.

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Meeting John and Abhi-Ash on the sets of Dostana

While its common knowledge that Bollywood’s IT couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai are currently in Miami where AB Jr. is shooting for Dostana along with John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra, not much is known on what the film is all about.

However, as has always been our endeavor, we at Bollywood Buzz bring you some exclusive snaps from the sets of Dostana in Miami. These images are provided by one of our reader who had the time of her life meeting her screen-idols on the sets of the film at Bayfront Park in Miami on the 22nd of April 2008.

John’s female fan following is something that transcends across boundaries. Hence, it comes as no surprise to see the handsome hunk flocked by PYTs all dying to get one Jadoo Ki Jhappi (and maybe a Pappi) from him.

Wifey dearest Aishwarya Rai Bachchan must have decided to join hubby and spend some quality time with him on occasion of their first wedding anniversary. However, when you are one of Bollywood’s most talked about couples, chances are that you are never away from fans out to get one snap with you. Nevertheless, AB Jr. and Ash seem quite cool about making one of their million fans feel special by posing with her.

John has always been known to be a charmer with the female folk and he even went out of his way to make this female fan feel more special on her birthday. With one of Bollywood’s hottest youth icons giving her a hug, this is one birthday the dumbstruck fan will not forget for a long time.

Amidst all this fun and excitement, one person who is conspicuous by her absence is Madame Priyanka Chopra. Wonder if she refused to be clicked or was she busy talking sweet nothings with ‘Her-Man’. Your guess is as good as ours.

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Ameesha Patel in Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic

Yash Raj Films and Kunal Kohli are finally out with the name of their forthcoming film starring Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan. The film is now titled Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. “We just got the title 3 or 4 days back. Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic came by as I was looking for a title that was more relevant in today’s times, something that even a lay man can relate to. The name has to go the beyond the film and should be able to express more. And when we speak of Magic, it’s not ‘jadugar’ magic. It basically, talks about the little magic we need in our lives. Say sometimes you are upset, sad, or down and that little ray of magic works things out. We all need magic in our lives and that’s what the film does. It’s like a silver lining, it’s like the magic of life”, explains Kunal Kohli.

The buzz of Ameesha being in Kunal’s film already gave rise to various rumors of her doing an item number and so on. Clearing all rumors, Kunal states, “It is not an item number. I hate the term ‘item number’ in the first place. Yes, she doing my film but it’s not what you think. Ameesha is doing a guest appearance in the film and it’s a character role, which would also have a song. The song is not an item number but a beautiful and poetic song. She would have scenes as well; I do not believe in the concept of item numbers and do not like it being associated to my song. I asked Ameesha to do the role because the kind of character I had built, I thought she would be able to do justice to the role. I approached her, explained the role, and told her there was a song as well. What is more important is her role and not the song. When she heard the role, she was excited and agreed to do the role immediately. She basically loved her part in the film.”

So what is Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic is all about? “The film is very different from all my previous films. I do not have the same style of directing in any of my films. It’s a combination of fantasy and reality. All my films have been different, but none had fantasy as an element in it. The genre of this film is slightly different. Fantasy is interwoven with reality like in Mr. India, Krissh and Koi Mil Gaya. These films have kids but are not directed only towards kids, it could be watched by audiences of all ages. Kids now- a-days are very intelligent and you cannot talk down to them. They have to be treated with respect. My film is an entertaining Hindi film, which is for kids as well as the masses”, says Kunal.

The film’s shooting is complete and it is now into post production. Shankar Ehsaan Loy have given the music for Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and the lyrics are by Prasoon Joshi. “The music is releasing on May 22nd or 23rd. It’s a complete mix of emotional and upbeat music. The music of my films have always been strong and interesting and SEL have done a fabulous job on this. As for Prasoon, he is extremely talented”, says Kohli.

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First Look - Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magie

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First Look - Chandni Chowk To China

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Should Big B retire? The industry reacts to Anurag Basu's opinion

Sanjay Leela Bhansali: "I think Mr Basu seriously needs to re-assess what he has said about Amitji. Please ask him to go back to all this unbeatable actor's films from Anand to Namak Halaal to the recent ones Like Black and Baghban…The nuances in his comic timing and the dramatic pauses in his emotional scenes…waah! There can never be another Amitabh Bachchan. Just as there can never be another Lata Mangeshkar. Both represent the last word in perfection in their respective arts. To imagine Hindi cinema without them is unimaginable to me. I'm dying to do another film with him after Black. I feel no filmmaker is complete without working with him. He's the God of acting"

Balki (Cheeni Kum): "Who is Anurag Basu to talk about Amitabh Bachchan? Just because you rip off a couple of DVDs and make a couple of films you don't get the right to decide when Amitabh Bachchan should retire. It's become a cheap publicity gimmick to talk about Amitabh Bachchan and get noticed. It's like my driver saying the Dalai Lama should stop fighting, or remove the Taj Mahal from Agra. To me, Amitabh Bachchan is India's greatest treasure. Anurag Basu may not want to see his films. But there are millions who want to.

Hema Malini: "An artiste like Mr Bachchan can never retire. Every film of his is a learning experience for all generations of actors. I want him around for many years for a very selfish reason. He's the only leading man who suits me, ha ha."

Farhan Akhtar: "I think it's entirely Amit Uncle's decision as to when and if at all he should retire. None of is qualified to give him this kind of advice.

Ram Gopal Varma: "During his brief career Mr Anurag Basu has directed 2-3 films which can be considered hits within their budget. For him to comment on Mr Bachchan who has given terrific performances and umpteen blockbusters for more than thirty years and is today a full-on iconic figure, just makes me sad for Mr Basu. Fine…he didn't like Mr Bachchan in Aag and some other recent films. I myself didn't like Mr Bachchan in some films. I may not be considered much of a filmmaker by Mr Basu. But in my humble experience, an actor is as good as the role he's given and the way the director chooses to present him. Being a thorough professional Mr Bachchan simply surrenders to the director. As a talented director Mr Basu should understand that. Not a single person in the industry doubts Mr Bachchan's talent. If he failed in Aag or any other film it's the director's failure to use him properly. I can't understand what prompted this tirade from Mr Basu. More than him, I am angry with Mr Bachchan for reacting to Mr Basu. Please don't undermine your status by reacting to small fries like me and Mr Basu. As the old saying goes, when an elephant walks dogs will bark

Harry Baweja: "Will Anurag retire when someone asks him to? He better leave this decision to the legend himself."

Madhur Bhandarkar: "I can't understand what made Anurag Basu speak like this. It's a bizarre statement to make. Filmmakers and audiences worship Mr Bachchan. Any director would today give their right hand to work with him. I haven't so far. But I'd love to. Anurag is free to work with and see the films of the actors he likes. But as a responsible filmmaker he should be more careful in expressing his opinion about someone who represents the entertainment industry.

Suneel Darshan: "This is outrageous. Nobody has the right to decide Mr Bachchan's fate."

Vikram Bhatt: "Amitabh Bachchan is forever. You're making a big mistake by asking me whether Anurag was right or not. I'm Mr Bachchan's biggest fan. Even if he wants to retire I'd want him to go on.

Irrfan Khan: "Mr Bachchan will retire when he has to. He has no other choice."

Aadesh Shrivastav: "Who is Anurag Basu?"

Anupam Kher: "I can't understand what must've got into Anurag Basu to say something so outrageous. I know him as a soft-spoken non-controversial person. And why should he take it on himself to decide a retirement plan for Mr Bachchan? And if Clint Eastwood can go on as 'Dirty Harry' at the age of 80 why should Mr Bachchan retire.

Vipul Shah: "I think when he wants to retire is Mr Bachchan's personal choice and he knows what to do best. I'm sure Anurag also respects Mr Bachchan as much as all of us. But I feel even if he meant well, a statement like this hurts the sentiments of Indians all over the world."

Anubhav Sinha: "The decision to retire or not retire is entirely Mr Bachchan's. Personally, I wouldn't want him to retire until I've made at least one film with him. Anurag should stop drinking whatever he was drinking when he said that.

Vashu Bhagnani: "I don't think Mr Bachchan should ever retire. Bollywood won't be the same without him. He's like wine. Gets better with age. I want to see what other peaks he conquers."

Subash K. Jha

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Upen shares dancing shoes with the inimitable Govinda

Lately, Upen Patel has been uncharacteristically nervous. "That's because I've been shooting a music video with the one and only Govinda. Can you imagine me just a four-film old newcomer with two left foot doing a jig with the awesome Govinda?" So who says senior can't take to their juniors kindly?

Upen's face lights up as he talks about Govinda's on-camera largesse. "Govinda just adopted me on the sets of Money Hai To Honey Hai. That's the film for which we're currently shooting the promotional music video. The song is a very racy Race kind of dance track by a new duo named Nitish-Soni. I died when I realized I had to dance with Govinda for this song. On top if it, the film's director Ganesh Acharya was the choreographer. Govindaji and Ganeshji have done…like a million films together."

But Govinda made sure Upen was completely comfortable cavorting in combination for the camera. "He guided me through my steps, made sure our styles matched. He's so spontaneous and free-styled while my steps are far more controlled. But you've to see us together for this number. Not for a second does Govinda let me slip up."

Upen is truly appreciative of Govinda especially at a time when stories about the senior star's eccentricities are being circulated. "I find Govinda so normal, down to earth and nurturing. I've had some bad experiences with established actors. But Govinda makes you forget a thousand you-know-whos," Upen laughs without giving anything way.

Subash K. Jha

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‘Priyanka is close to me’

Among Bollywood’s new crop of actors, Harman Baweja like Ranbir Kapoor, seems to have what it takes to win audiences’ hearts. Killer looks, a positive attitude, his feet on his ground and sincerity.

Even before his debut film Love Story-2050 is released, Harman is already shooting Victory and an another untitled film with Anees Bazmi.

Harman, the son of film director Harry Baweja, has no illusions about stardom. “Dad says if something goes wrong with Love Story-2050, he will pack his bags and go back to Punjab. I just hope the film works for him at least,” says Harman in his first interview. He had assisted his father for seven years before stepping before the camera. “I have gone through the Friday fears with dad’s films, so I hope I will be able to handle mine,” he smiles.

Harry Baweja got into a major financial crisis after his last film, Main Aisa Hi Hoon bombed. We lost everything, people asked whether father and son had gone mad, but we survived and are now here,” Harman says. Now people who have had sneak looks at his debut film, are all praise for the son and father.

People compare me with Duggu (Hrithik Roshan). Maybe from a certain angle I resemble him, but that’s about it. At the end what matters is luck and hard work,” he says.

But everybody wants to know whether he and Priyanka Chopra are a couple. “We are close and are very good friends, but we have decided not to talk about it. I want to make things on my own, but yes, relationships will always remain my priority,” he admits.

Afsana Ahmed

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"SRK has some great rules!” - Priyadarshan

Actor Shah Rukh Khan needs to be applauded — not just for his success in films, or then his new found success on the cricket arena, but for his manners on the sets.

Only recently, the man was shooting in Bandra — never mind the chaos, anticipation and high pressure levels at the IPL, the actor was on the sets giving every take his best shot for Priyadarshan’s Billoo Barber .

Now, we obviously landed up there. And Priyan was all praise for his actor. “He is one actor who doesn’t carry his mobile with him for a shot. It’s a brilliant habit, and no actor that I’ve worked with so far has managed to do that. They are addicted to their cell phones, but SRK has some great rules!” he says.

So, while Karan Johar and Farah Khan may constantly complain about Shah Rukh not replying to SMSes or answering calls, it looks like these diligent spots on the Khan leopard are going to be hard to change.

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Rani Mukerji dares to step out…

Actor Rani Mukerji is evading the media these days. In fact she has been doing that for quite a while now – ever since the media speculated about her marriage in the palatial city of Jodhpur with recently divorced director Aditya Chopra. But she dared to step out and face the million flashbulbs, for brother Rajaa who launched his tele-serial Kisi Ki Nazarr Na Lage.

During the promotion of Saawariya , Rani tried her level best to limit media interaction. Every interview she gave began with her customary: Sirf chaar sawaal (Only four questions!) However, her recent interaction with the press was not very different. The actor was there only in the capacity of a sister and her role was merely to support her brother Raja, who was launching his serial, the backdrop of which is uniquely a Bengali household, something that hasn't been largely tapped by the saas-bahu serials yet.

And guess what. Though the invite said: Rani Mukerji invites you to the launch of Raja Mukerji's Kisi Ki Nazarr Na Lage, the lady refused to give even as much as a quote to the media.

Well, with Rani refusing to clarify her status or even talk about her films, the constant speculations have definitely made her life story out to be something similar to the saas-bahu sagas. But let's hope all's well in Rani's paradise and that kisi ki nazarr na lage ...but that seems to have happened already.

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Salman to act in Sushmita's Jhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai

Sushmita Sen is on a man hunt... literally speaking. Her maiden venture has run into several setbacks and the actress is now turning to close friend Salman Khan with the thought of casting him for the role of Nanasaheb Peshwa in her Jhansi Ki Rani Laxmibai.

Sushmita feels the role is very prominent and Salman fits the bill. Hence she is in talks with the actor about the same. Salman has liked the character and he is quite thrilled about the role.

“Although Salman is yet to sign on the dotted line, he is looking forward to playing a historical icon like Nanasaheb Peshwa. He will have a completely different look for which he is growing his hair.” says a friend close to the actor.

Sushmita is looking forward to sign some more biggies for other prominent characters of the film. Earlier she had approached Akshay Kumar for the role of Tatya Tope. It is also believed that Sushmita had offered a prominent character to Shah Rukh Khan too, but the Badshah refused it due to date problems.

It can be recalled that before this Salman was offered to etch out the historic character of Bajiroa by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He was also the first choice for Akbar in Ashutosh Govarikar’s historial love story Jodha Akbar. But this time it seems that Salman might take up this offer seriously.

Reshma Kelkar

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Chopras ban Akshay Kumar

Ok guys, here's the latest update on the brewing war between the Chopras and Akshay Kumar. First it became front page news, with Akshay Kumar getting upset with the producer of Tashan, Aditya Chopra for not giving in to his demand and airing his solo promos and now the we hear the apparent cold war has just got louder with Akshay Kumar refusing to come and support the tie up between the Tashan and the recently held Mukesh Ambani's cricket match.

"All the star cast of the film right from Anil, Saif and Kareena came, but Akshay Kumar put his foot down, since he had an tie up with a rival group," says friend of the Chopras. And we hear as a result the Chopras are very upset with him and have decided to hit back by not signing him for any of their film.

"The cold war has been going on for a while now. It started after Dil to Pagal Hai, but later Akshay went and apologized to them, and the Chopras let bygones be bygones and took him back as the hero in Tashan. But right from the beginning they had problems with him. But in spite of that they wanted to take him for another film, but Akshay apparently turned it down saying "I'm too big a star to be directed by their assistants, if the father and son (Yash and Aditya) wants to direct me, I'm ok with him."

It apparently hasn't gone down too well with the father and son duo. "If Shah Rukh Khan can do a Chak De with Shimit Amin, who is Akshay Kumar," says a executive from Yash Chopra. Let's hope better sense prevails on both the warning parties.

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Will Bebo & Saif rock on big screen?

Real life couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are soon going to be seen together on the big-screen.

We’ve noticed the much-in-love jodi at several events. And when we caught up with Bebo, during a recent cricket event, she was too happy, as all seemed to be going right on the personal and professional front.

However ask her about Saif and her on-screen chemistry and if they will make as rocking a pair on the big screen and she answers rather smugly: “I don’t know. You’ll have to watch the film and tell me how you think we look together.” Now, that’s Bebo’s knack of always putting the ball in the others court!

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Big B hits out at Shatrughan Sinha in blog

MUMBAI: The normally taciturn Amitabh Bachchan has stepped into the world of blogs to air his views - and hit out at co-star Shatrughan Sinha's insinuation that the nominations list of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards was fixed.

Stepping right into the controversy over the IIFA awards, of which he is brand ambassador, Amitabh goes to some length to explain his standpoint in his blog.

"A section of the print media carried comment from my colleague and friend and neighbour, Shatrughan Sinha. It reportedly quoted his reactions to the nomination list of the IIFA awards, wherein he has purportedly stated that sab kissika beta hai, ya kissiki bahu, ya kissiki biwi ', and the media adding there interpretation to it, stating that this was directed to a particular family of 'guru' fame," he states.

The Mani Ratnam directed Guru , starring Amitabh's son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, has been nominated in all the main categories of the IIFA awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Performance in a leading role.

"I believe what is being insinuated is that there is partiality or some 'fixing' in the choice of the nominations carried by IIFA. And as the report concluded, the indication was towards one family, not difficult to guess which one," Amitabh writes.

The actor, who is readying for the release of his next film Bhootnath , says he is surprised by Shatrughan Sinha's allegation and harks back to the past to make a point.

"I am surprised at this observation, especially since, during the time of the National Award selection for best actress in one of the past years, when the award went to Raveena Tandon, it was alleged that Shatrughan Sinha's wife, the lovely and graceful Poonam, a great friend of Raveena's mother had recommended the appointment of MacMohan, the brother of Raveena's mother, on the board of the jury (structured by the government, in power - in this case the BJP, of which Mr. Sinha was a Minister of State) in order that he may cast his vote in favour of Raveena Tandon."

"If this alleged story is true then I do value Mr. Sinha's alleged statement of sab kissika beta, kissiki beti, kissiki biwi - you are so right Shatru," he wrote.

"Of course, this does not take anything away from Raveena's very deserving award - she has been a wonderful and talented co-artist in many films of mine, or, MacMohan, the Sambha of Sholay , who has remained a dear friend and has worked with me in several films. As has Mr. Sinha."

Commenting on the IIFA nominations, Amitabh said the names were finalised through computerised voting system.

"And may I also state that IIFA nominations come from the film fraternity through computerised voting systems, audited and compiled by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, an international company of repute and standing."

"And Shatru! I have seen some very encouraging reports of the film, where your son is being introduced to this great industry. May he prosper and succeed even more than his illustrious father and may he never have to face a slighted accusation of 'fixing', when his name comes up for an award in future."

This year, the IIFA weekend will be held in Bangkok from June 6-8.

IANS

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SRK's cheerleaders get a makeover

Shah Rukh Khan’s cheerleaders will now sport Manish Malhotra’s ensembles; Ganesh Hegde’s outfits have been junked

Designer Manish Malhotra and Gauri Khan (Shah Rukh’s wife) have decided to re-style the cheerleaders of Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders.

Says B-Town’s favourite designer, “I was very unhappy with the gold outfits worn by the cheerleaders earlier during the Bangalore and Kolkata matches.

They have been designed by Ganesh Hegde. Gauri and I were discussing the outfits and we thought that the cheerleaders should look sportier.

Now I am re-designing new outfits for them before the next match.” Kolkatta Knight Riders are playing their next match on April 26, in Chennai, where they play Chennai Superstars.

Manish elaborates, “The outfits worn by the cheerleaders should look cool and racy. Earlier they were wearing gold skirts and tops but I want to design black T-Shirts and shorts in complete black with a gold emblem; that will look trendier.

The gold skirts worn earlier were taken from the music video which Ganesh had conceptualised and directed.”

Manish along with Anahita Shroff Adjania (and Reebok and Velmont) have designed the outfits worn by the Kolkata Knight Riders cricketers. Manish is all praise for Shah Rukh for his visualization and creative inputs.

“Shah Rukh has been involved in the minutest of detailing. He has an eye for details and is very passionate about whatever he does. The maximum credit of the cricketers’ outfits goes to Shah Rukh. The black and gold was his idea as it’s the philosophy of the Knight Riders.”

Manish adds that working costume details with Shah Rukh was exacting, “There were meetings galore; we even showed a storyboard to him. He had sent an email of the story and the emblem.

The fabrics and shoes were in collaboration with Velmont and Reebok. Anahita and I have done the formals — the black and charcoal grey blazers and pants. I had never worked with Belmont and I learnt a lot in the three months that we worked together. I

want to be versatile. The outfits look smart, stylish and glamorous with gold helmets and pads. Cricket just got more glamorous.”

Upala KBR

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Not to lose any more weight

Kareena Kapoor’s new lean look has been tagged size zero. The actress has lost a considerable amount of weight for her role in Tashan.

However, sources reveal that close friends and family have been alarmed at the rate Kareena has lost weight and have asked her not to get any leaner.

Apart from mom Babita, her sister Karisma too has advised Kareena against losing any more kilos.

Says a source, “Of late, it’s believed that Bebo has shed more kilos. Her close friends and well-wishers have asked her to follow a consistent diet and not lose any more weight. They are alarmed at her size zero tag.

Mama Kapoor has asked Bebo to talk about eating healthy and working out so that it doesn’t send out the wrong message to her teen fans that following a crash diet will make them look thin.”

Kareena is looking super- thin in the Tashan promos. “The alarm bells went off soon after the Tashan promos hit the air. Everyone was shocked to see how thin the actress looked in the Chaliya song.”

Apart from family, boyfriend Saif Ali Khan has also asked Bebo to clarify when possible that she’s not a size zero so she doesn’t pass a wrong message to other girls.

“Saif is very proud of Kareena’s new fit look. But he’s quite concerned that her fans might take the size zero concept too seriously and resort to crash dieting.”

Kareena says, “It’s not true. Who said I am a size zero? My waist is 26? I eat everything from cheese to pastas. I am fed up of stories calling me size zero and that I have anorexia.

Did you see me at the IPL match in Mumbai? Did I look anorexic? Actresses abroad change their looks for particular films and lose weight or put on weight accordingly.

I had to lose weight and look lean for Tashan so I trained hard to get a certain body structure and shape. I’ve done that so now I am back to my normal diet and exercise routine.”

Tushar Joshi & Upala KBR

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Jiah's in and out of Ken's flick

The actress was replaced by Katrina, but now she’s back in the project

Jiah Khan has shot for two days for Ken Ghosh. She read it in the papers that she’s out of the film and that Katrina replaced her in Ghosh’s new film with Shahid Kapoor. There’s just one small problem. Jiah hasn’t been informed about it.

Says Jiah, “I’ve already shot for two days for the film with Shahid. After that, there were scheduling issues. My dates for Ken’s film were clashing with Aamir and Ghajini.

I couldn’t let the Aamir project suffer at any cost. It’s my chance to create the impact that I couldn’t, after Nishabd.”

Now Jiah is all set to shoot for Ken’s film. “I’ve already given my dates for Ken’s shooting. No one has so far informed me that I’m not in the film. So it’d be right for me to assume the project remains as it is.”

Tell her that the director Ken Ghosh has gone underground and that talks of Jiah being replaced by the current lucky mascot Katrina are gaining momentum, and Jiah falls quiet, then whispers, “I’m new to all this.

I keep to myself. I’ve no idea what people do in this industry.” Jiah will have learn the hard way that PR skills are as important as professionalism.

Kat was in…
On April 21, Katrina hinted that she’d been signed for Ghosh’s film, “There is a lot of reshuffling going on.

There’s a date problem but that’s not the issue. I can always adjust dates for the people at UTV who are my friends.

Till these issues are settled, I cannot comment if I’m doing the film or not.

Now she’s out…
Director Ken Ghosh suddenly surfaced to say Jiah was back in the project.

“I’ll let my producers UTV clear all the misunderstanding. Jiah is very much in the project.”

Subash K. Jha

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Ranbir books Mercedes for dad

Ranbir Kapoor was planning it for a long time. His preparations are finally coming to a culmination. The actor who made his debut last year decided to gift dad Rishi Kapoor an S Class Mercedes. And before he left for a shooting spell in Switzerland recently, he booked the car for papa dearest.

Before leaving for the shooting schedule for Bachna Ae Haseenon with Bipasha Basu, he was heard telling his sister and close friends that he wanted to buy his dad a car. However, Ranbir hadn’t decided if he should get a BMW or a Merc. He finally made a call after sister Riddhima suggested a Merc.”

The model Ranbir has chosen is in the range close to Rs 90 lakh. What makes Ranbir’s gift sweeter is that it’s a non-occasion gift. The doting son is very close to his parents. And now that he’s earning in the crore-plus bracket, he wants to spend some of that money on his parents.

The car will be delivered to Ranbir once he returns from his Swiss schedule. Ranbir has initially planned to keep it a surprise, but the whole idea went kaput when Rishi sneaked up on one of his conversations. “It isn’t a surprise anymore, but Rishi is definitely thrilled to get a gift from his son.”

Tushar Joshi

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Akshay: The fights are like choreography

Akshay Kumar is among the most dependable Bollywood actors we have today. Apart form SRK, he's the man with the Midas touch, as proven by his four hits in 2007. Now, the actor is back with his first release of 2008, Tashan. He talks about working with Yash Raj again after Dil To Pagal Hai, his love for Parkour and his co-stars.

Excerpts:

What made you decide to do this film?
The fact that it was a Yash Raj film excited me. I have not worked with them for a long time. It's been a gap of 12 to 13 years. The second thing was the script and my character Bachchan Pandey, which I haven't played before. The film is very character-driven and the story had a great graph. It is quite unconventional and that is what excited me.

What was it like working with Peter Hinnes and doing an action film after a long time?
Peter Hinnes is from Vietnam he has settled in south India and works in south Indian films. He is the most well-known action director there though this is his first Hindi film. He has done some great job and I can vouch for it because I am an action hero. I know when I work with an action director how good he is. He made me do a little bit of Parkour in this film. (Parkour, or the art of displacement, is a French sport which practices movement from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, jumping over buildings and fences.) I had to learn it because I am not that trained into it. He got this idea when I showed him a little bit of stunts so when you watch this film you can see a bit of Parkour, that's also one of the highlights of the film. It will be fun watching the action of this film. If you see the fights, you' feel it's more of a choreography, because of the environment which we created. It was great working with Peter.

Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film?
The entire film has been memorable, shooting in difficult terrain like Ladakh where because of high altitude lot of people had fallen sick. But despite that the shoot continued. Then we shot in Rajasthan in extreme heat and over that we had to wear a jacket. Anil Kapoor had to wear long coats I am sure it was a memorable moment for him too. Then we went to Kerala where it just did not stop raining. We had to take many breaks in between the shots because of the rains. The director Victor and the entire crew worked very hard to shoot the film so the entire film has been memorable. After long time I was working with Saif Ali Khan, my kid brother and Kareena with whom I have worked very often and of course Mr Kapoor. It's my second movie with him so it was a lot of fun working with all of them.

Can you tell us something about the character you play in the film?
I play the character of Bachchan Pandey from Kanpur who happens to watch two-three films like The Godfather and gets very inspired. Alongside, he works for as a recovery agent. How this character falls in love is what it is all about.

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"My Tashan lies in my attitude towards life, work and people" - Kareena Kapoor

She has been in the news almost daily for the last six months without having a single release during this period. It all started with the super-duper success of her last release Jab We Met, which catapulted her to the top league. Post that she has been riding high in both her professional and personal life. With looks to die for and a pencil-thin figure, Kareena Kapoor is surely the flavor of the season. Now, the million-dollar babe is all set to re-enforce her numero uno status with her latest release Tashan, which opens across cinema halls this Friday (April 25). We caught up with Bebo and found out about her Tashan.

What do you think about the music of Tashan?
I think Vishal-Shekhar have done a great job. It's very fun and youthful; it's keeping the script of the film in mind. I think my favourite song is 'Challiya'. I think I am being a bit selfish because it's my song but the way we have shot it in Greece is fantastic and I think that's the best song according to me in the movie. After that is 'Dil Haara'; it's a song with me and Saif which is also shot in Greece, at fantastic locations and it's a great love song, so I think I am partial towards these two. The music is great.

What was it about this film that made you decide to do it?
I think it's a tailor made role for any actress. I think I am extremely lucky to get this role. It's like a hero's role, it has action, romance, song, dance everything in it besides which I think it has a lot of closeness to me, the kind of girl she is, very headstrong, knows her emotions. I love the role, I love the character, and I think it's a great package of this huge commercial movie and being the only girl in it, I think I am extremely lucky to be getting this role.

Can you tell us something about the character you are playing?
My character name is Pooja Singh in the film. She is a complex character. It's very different for a girl to play; I have never played a role like this before basically following her emotions, doing the right thing but of course very sharp at the same time. The reason she is sharp is because of the circumstances she has gone through. So whatever she does in the film has a very powerful reason behind it, so it's a strong character.

Can you tell us how was the experience of working with Anil Kapoor?
I think with Anilji it's the greatest experience ever because he knows me as a kid. He is like family to me, my whole family and his family is really close. I think he is one of India's finest actors I learnt a lot working with him. The way he has played this character, he's made this movie, it's just unbelievable. Every time I work with him, my mouth is like left open see him perform.

Can you tell us how what was your experience working with Akshay Kumar again?
I have done about nine movies with Akshay and I have known him since he has done his first film. When he gave his first shot, I was behind the camera so that's the relationship I have with Akshay, it's an emotional relationship. I am most comfortable with Akshay Kumar as a co-star maybe because he has seen me in my school uniform with two pigtails hanging around so it's a relationship which I think you feel really close to. As of today he is completely rocking, he's the shinning star of Bollywood. It feels great because I have been with him through the journey of his career and I feel really happy. He plays a pivotal part in this film which is a great role for him and I think working with Akshay for me is always fun and games, it's great. You never realize when the shooting began and ended. Throughout my career, I think I have enjoyed working with Akshay Kumar the most and I hope to continue working with him in the rest of my career.

Lastly, Saif, it must have provided a lot of entertainment. How was it working with him?
Saif is one of the most respected actors. As an actress myself, I respect him the most as an actor, he's one of India's finest actors. I think he can do any role and the way he has played this role is just unbelievable. The kind of nuances he adds to his character, the way he speaks and modulates his voice I think you can just learn so much from him besides being a fun loving person. It's so nice and warm to work with him as a co-star. I get really intrigued when I get to learn something from an actor I work with because when you are working on a set, two actors should connect, two actors should be learning things from each other and I think Saif is one actor that I have really learnt a lot from. The way he is so spontaneous, the way he makes a shot appear so natural, he makes the dialogue so natural is just unbelievable. I have never seen an actor like him before. I absolutely love working with him and I hope to do many more movies with him.

Vishal-Shekhar's music has always been a killer. Your comments on them.
Vishal Shekhar, this is the first time I have worked with them in a film. I loved their music in Yash Raj's earlier film Salaam Namaste. I think it was great. I used to listen to the title track all the time. I think Vishal-Shekhar have this quality of adding a lot of youth to their songs. The youth of India really connect with their kind of music and I think with this film they have done a range from 'Dil Hara' to 'Challiya' to 'Falak' which is also a very nice song which has Akshay and me in it. I think they have covered an entire spectrum and done a great job.

The look in this film is most talked about. Can you tell us something about your experience working with Aki Narula?
I am really excited about the look of this film. I think words fall short to praise the kind of talent Aki has because I think as a designer he is one of the most talented designers we have. He gets into the skin of each and every character; he knows exactly what to give when and in which scene. I think he is just fantastic and what he has done for me in this movie is commendable he just changed my entire look; it is something that has never been seen before. I think the whole idea of keeping it very grunge and rugged for me has really worked because I don't think an Indian actress has really done that on screen before. Normally, an Indian actress is always very particular about looking beautiful, looking really perfect and her hair being in place and not looking messy. But in this film we have brought a lot of sexiness for the character through the clothes, make up and the hair. We have all worked together as a team to give me a unique look. I am really excited and I think Aki has done a phenomenal job; he's going to win a lot of accolades for this film for sure.

Is there any particular outfit in the film you would like to wear otherwise?
In my song 'Challiya', there is a change of 10 costumes. I would like to wear each one of them even if I go out for a dinner or a party because it's going to take on to the youth like anything. Aki has just put a lot of things together like shoes, accessories. I love Pooja's signature outfit - A white shirt with nice jeans and boots. I think I live in that always and I think that's why I like those outfit's the best.

Did you have to take any special training for the film considering that it is an action film?
Before this film started, I kind of knew that for this character to look different from what I have done before, I have to train really hard to change the shape of my body which I wanted to do. A lot of actresses abroad work on one film at a time, change their look for a particular film body wise people loose weight, put on weight. For Tashan, it was a conscious effort to change my body structure and work towards it. I wanted to look a bit lean because there is a lot of action in this movie and I think a lean girl doing action always looks much better. So I trained really hard for about eight to nine months and was on a strict diet regime for this film. But the lean look is only for Tashan, that's the only way this will look different from any other film. Adi, Victor, Aki all of us sat together and thought that it would be great if I could loose weight and get into shape and the response has been phenomenal. I am actually enjoying it I have got used to it.

Share your experience working with Vijay Krishna Acharya fondly called Victor.
Victor is a fantastic writer. The way he writes is unbelievable and I think to be a great director you need to be a great writer. The greatest of directors are fantastic writers. The way Victor has etched this film, written the dialogues, and written the entire screenplay is just great. He knows the pulse of the audiences and what gets them. Apart from making such a huge commercial film, he's made it very real, he wants his characters, his actors, the ambience around him to be very real which I think is great about Victor. I love that because I think the more real it is, the more you can connect with the audiences. So I love that quality in Victor. I think he gives his actors a lot of space, of course, he tells them what he needs, what he wants, and then he lets the actor flow. He is very open minded which I think is great. I have worked with a lot of directors but thinking that this is Victor's first film you cannot believe it, he's like a seasoned director. He is one director to really watch out for. I would like to work with him again; I had the time of my life shooting this film. Besides being a wonderful director he is a wonderful human being and I hope this film is a huge blockbuster for Victor because he is really great.

It must have been phenomenal shooting in Greece and Ladakh.
Shooting this film has been a marathon. It's been tedious but great fun because the team has been so much fun; we have been like a unit, a real family. We traveled to Greece, Ladakh, Jaisalmer, Kerala, Haridwar, so it's going to look like a really beautiful film because the spectrum is like all over from Ladakh to Kerala to Greece which is really exciting. Greece was beautiful, it was freezing cold. I have given a shot where they have put me in minus degree temperature water, which I think is the best shot in the film but let people see it. Ladakh was heavy terrain it was tough to shoot but like I said, when you are working with a family, when you are doing great scenes, saying some great lines, you are enjoying your work so much that nothing seems tough anymore. The oxygen level was low in Ladakh, so it was tough but we still use to train, that is the dedication Akshay, Saif and I had, because we love the film, Tashan.

What is your Tashan quotient?
My Tashan lies in the way I am, my attitude towards life, towards work, towards people. I think Tashan basically means attitude for me.

Any one memorable incident during the shoot of the film
It's tough to say because there have been so many memorable incidents. It is a truly special film. Shooting in Ladakh, Greece and Jaisalmer had been an experience that each of us would cherish. Each day, each moment is unforgettable, the kind of passion, dedication that we have put in this film cannot be easily forgotten. We have shot a song called 'Dil Dance Maare' in Ladakh, we (Akshay, Saif & me) had to dance on a stony path. I was wearing heels which were about 4 inches and I had to dance wearing this really short dress. I think the way we shot that song was the most memorable experience for me because the song was great and we enjoyed doing it so much. It was tough but we laughed it off, we had a great time shooting the song.

Action, that is probably something new for you.
To be honest, I am not really the action sorts. I was really nervous because I don't enjoy action as much as I enjoy dance or an emotional performance. I think the action-director, Peter Hinnes is outstanding; he is the best action choreographer we have in India. He is truly unbeatable, we had really heavy action in the climax of our movie but the kind of precautions that he had taken, we were literally mollycoddled as actors which I really owe it to him. I have done a lot of action and the safety measures were great. I enjoyed doing a sequence with Anilji, it's like a hose pipe sequence where he is putting water on me. It was an enthralling experience, really energizing, took a lot out of us. We were really drained by the end of it but according to me, I enjoyed doing that and that's the best action sequence I feel.

You are doing a Yash Raj Film production after a while how different is it now.
I think it's like coming back home. My sister had done Dil Toh Pagal Hai with them, which is one of her greatest films, and I use to always be there on the sets, kind of watching and learning Yashji direct. We have always been like a family and since childhood I have been a filmy kid, so working with YRF was like being home. I think it's the richest experience to be working with Yash Raj Films and to be working with Adi .I think it's a heart warming experience because the kind of dedication they have and the entire production team has towards a film is heart warming. That's why they make the greatest films in India because the work that goes in drives you to give your best. I think it's my richest experience ever and I hope to do many more films with Yash Raj.

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Ranbir Kapoor features on the cover of Hello! Magazine this month

It's said that 'You need to kiss a thousand frogs before you find a handsome prince'. Well, this saying may hold water for everyone except for Natasha, Kavita, Niamat, and Dia! We know that these names are all Greek and Latin for you. But when we will tell the 'reality' behind these names, we bet all the girls definitely would like to trade places with them! The 'unraveling' of the 'Miss-steries' goes as this: the above mentioned names belong to none other than the bevy of good-looking models who (we believe did not kiss a thousand frogs), but still managed to be with none other than Bollywood's new-found Prince Ranbir Kapoor! It's all happening in the anniversary April issue of the lifestyle magazine 'Hello!'

The Mag has got the 'Prince' Charming Ranbir being bestowed with the 'Fresh Face Of The Year' title. Not just that, it also has our very own King Khan SRK holding the title of 'Most Sought After Celebrity', the Bachchans as the 'Celebrity Powerhouse', Saif and Kareena as 'Awesome Twosome', Karan Johar as 'Most Invited'. Though not much or exclusive has been written about these 'title holders', one thing is for sure, their photographs does make the issue a collector's item! 'Hello!' After all, how can anyone settle for anything lesser than the Best for the anniversary issue! Worth a watch and watcha' worth!

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Preity nearly loses eye, Bachchan's doctor to the rescue

Preity flew into Mumbai on Wednesday from her busy schedule in Mohali to record a promotional clipping for the Bachchans' Unforgettable concerts.

If you've been wondering why Preity is seen in dark glasses at all her IPL events in and out of Mohali, it's not for fashionable causes. A seemingly minor eye injury two weeks ago blew up into a serious problem for Preity Zinta. "Anything could've happened," she shudders. "At an event in Mohali, two weeks ago, a stranger's elbow jabbed into my eye. I felt the room swim. And the eye got immediately swollen. But after ice-pack treatment for hours it seemed to be in control. Little did I know what was in store."

In the next few days Preity's eye condition worsened. "The pupil acquired every colour in the rainbow, and the cornea shrank. I was in a panic. My mother was so worried. Finally, I went to a really good doctor, the same one who looks after the Bachchans' eyes. At last my eye is healed." Now Preity intends to maintain a safe distance from crowds during her public appearances in Mohali.

The Bachchans and Preity seem to be bonded in more ways than one. And the bonding gets stronger now that Preity joins them on their world tour. "I'm very fond of Jayaji and Amitji. And Abhishek is a chum. I also think Aishwarya is very cool. In fact, I'm now joining them on their world tour in July. And really looking forward to it."

Unlike the other actors like Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor who would be making appearances at selected venues, Preity will be accompanying the Bachchans throughout their 2-month tour.

Several actresses who were verbally committed to join the Bachchans chickened out with lame excuses. Putting aside her plans to return to acting after the IPL activities in July Preity decided to join the Bachchans for their world concerts.

She brushes off any suggestion of largesse. "I don't know why the other actresses aren't going. The Bachchans are my buddies. They asked me, I agreed. As simple as that. In fact, I've been on a world tour with them before and I had myself a ball. I'm looking forward to this one too. And I do not care who's going with them, or not."

What she does care about is the oncoming IPL matches in Mohali and not only for the matches. "The people there are so warm and friendly. Ness and I have begun to care for the town. See while the others in the IPL have got developed cities, we're the only ones who were given a town that's growing. And we're so proud to be part of that growth. Mohali is an air-force base so only army planes land there. There's already talk of an international airport and several luxury hotels in the town, all thanks to the IPL."

Speaking of her team's rocking music video Preity giggles, "Ram Madhvani shot our film exactly the way we wanted. Daler Mehndi captured the flavour and ethos of Punjab so wonderfully in his song. We wanted it to be about the spirit of the game and we wanted the people of Chandigarh and Mohali to participate. I made just a fleeting appearance in it. It felt good. I haven't faced the camera for some months."

Subash K. Jha

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Urmila wears it again

Urmila wore that denim dress at IIFA Bling for Biba event and soon after, at the press conference for a new reality show, 'Sangeet Ka Naya Gharana'...all within a few days!!

Tell us, without the celebrity wardrobes, or the flashbulbs going off everywhere, would you repeat the same outfit at two formal events within a span of days?

The writers of this article can be contacted on highheelconfidential.com

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Ash finally breaks her silence!

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is known to be diplomatic when it comes to her family or career! However, in conversation with Indiatimes Movies, Ash finally broke her silence over the issue of her doing or not doing Shankar’s Robot opposite Southern superstar Rajnikanth.

“Yes, I am doing Shankar’s Robot with Rajnikanth as well as Mani Ratnam’s next with Abhishek” said Ash when we questioned her about the ongoing controversy of Deepika Padukone replacing her in the film.

Ash set the record straight that she didn’t clarify the issue before as she does not like to talk about her films before their release. “It’s not about being diplomatic! I choose not to talk about my films too much because I think the audience should get a chance to decide for themselves as to whether they like or dislike my performances in any of my films. I don’t want to lead them” said she.

When quizzed about her keeping a low profile of late, the gorgeous woman replied, “I am glad you are actually missing me in films but I actually had a very full year! I got married to an incredible man and a lovely family. My movie Jodhaa Akbar was wonderfully received, I also shot for Sarkar Raj and Pink Panther and I am enjoying my time-out with my man and my family which means a lot to me.”

This is what makes Ash an ideal Indian woman we believe.

Renuka Vyavahare

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100 security guards to protect Mallika

Shooting with a sexy siren on the streets is a very difficult task. And things only only get more difficult if the actor happens to be as hot as Mallika Sherawat. Ask producer Ratan Jain.

Mallika Sherawat and Rahul Bose were shooting a romantic scene for Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam on the streets of Pondicherry when the crowds refused to let Mallika shoot in peace. “It almost became impossible to shoot the scenes with Mallika, who was being mobbed by all her fans. No matter what the film’s unit did to keep the crowd away, Mallika’s fans just refused to let her shoot as they wanted to take a close look at her,” said a unit member from the sets of Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam.

Finally, producer Ratan Jain ended up hiring almost 100 security guards to protect Mallika and keep the crowd away. Raan Jain confirmed and said, “Yes, it was a pretty critical situation as we were responsible for Mallika’s safety. We did hire 100 security guards from a local agency to protect her.”

Ashwini Deshmukh

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Akshay and his blonde woman

Actor Akshay Kumar is known for his physique... and his women. Never mind his marital status, the link ups don't stop! And we are all aware of Akshay's female trainer, who has been teaching him some great parkour. While most actors seem to prefer male trainers, Akshay has interestingly opted for a female blonde. Now, this surely has nothing to do with his personal preferences, Akki this time means business.

When we met up with the actor and asked him the reason for having hired a woman trainer, he simply said, "It's simple. She is the best in the business. It's a myth that the man who lifts the most weight is the strongest. I want to be strong to be useful and she has many ways and techniques that help me perfect that."

About his fitness funds, trips to the gyms are never as exciting as outdoor adventures and martial arts. "Outdoor adventure, sports and martial arts are arts...it strengthens not only the body but also the gut. It's graceful, informative, creative and gives you a different high. Try it sometimes," suggests Kumar.

Well.. I think somethings are best left to experts...

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Katrina is naughty!!!

The industry is abuzz on how Katrina Kaif has become Bollywood's new wonder girl. And with Vijay Mallya choosing Katrina Kaif to be the face of his IPL Team, she has practically 'Raced' ahead in the sweeps takes.

But Ms Kaif has also a funny side to her, and she recently revealed it during the shooting of Vijay Mallya's IPL Video. A unit member raves on how Katrina was very professional when she came on the sets at 7 am in the morning and shot for the video non-stop in the scorching summer heat at the CCI club, at Brabourne Stadium. But besides being professional she also showed her wicked sense of humor by playing a prank on choreographer Bosco and director Sanjay Gupta who was directing the video.

Katrina took the unit present in the shoot in confidence to play the prank. She took the mike and changed her voice and announced that Katrina has fainted due to the non- stop shoot in the sweltering heat. The whole unit panicked and started frantically looking out for Katrina. They couldn't find her for 30minutes.Sanjay Gupta and Bosco were obviously tensed, since they had to finish off the shoot due to the limited permitted time for the shoot at the stadium.

The whole unit heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Katrina emerging laughing alongwith her co-conspirator. The whole unit relaxed and the shoot was completed. When contacted, Sanjay Gupta just laughed "Hey who told you that. Katrina was very professional and was lovely working with her. The whole summer heat was scorching hot, but she never complained. Being the face of the team she is presented very much like a rock star diva." Naughty girl!

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Ramu’s not too happy

The focus on AbhiAsh’s first shaadi ki saalgirah rather than the Sarkar sequel leaves him miffed

Ram Gopal Varma may not express his displeasure verbally but the truth is the director wasn’t too thrilled with the way the Sarkar Raj event was conducted on Sunday night.

Ramu sent out invites to unveil the first look of his film starring the Bachchans (Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya). He, however, was miffed when complete attention was given to AbhiAsh’s first wedding anniversary on the same day.

Ramu hadn’t really figured that the evening would be restricted to the celebrations without really talking much about his film.

A source present at the venue reveals, “Ramu had his people tell the media that they should restrict questions related to the wedding anniversary and talk more about Sarkar Raj.

However, that didn’t happen, as most of the questions fielded were about Abhishek and Aishwarya’s anniversary. Even though Ash and Big B spoke about the movie, the focus was still on the anniversary.”

The source adds that after the event Ramu was heard contemplating another event exclusively for the movie. “He is very proud of Sarkar Raj and wanted to showcase it.

He thought that having the entire Bachchan family at one place to talk about it would be a unique opportunity. However, it didn’t work out the way it was planned.”

Ramu prefers to laugh off the buzz. He says, “I am not planning to have any more events till the film’s release date.”

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Rakhi's paisa hazam!

The producers of Love Khichdi paid Rakhi Sawant Rs 50,000 to play a maidservant, the item girl says the money was unpaid dues for Paisa Vasool

B-Town item girl Rakhi Sawant recently expressed a desire to also do full-fledged movie roles. But when the producers of Love Khichdi approached her for a role, she agreed at first and even accepted a Rs 50,000 signing amount. Later, she turned it down, then dodged the producer’s calls and is now even refusing to return the money.

Rakhi says she does not remember signing the film. “I don’t know anything about the film. Who is the producer? Who is the director? Maine kissi se paise nahin liye hai.”

Says Satish Sharma, the film’s executive producer, “We had approached her and she agreed to do the role of a maidservant. We even signed her on the spot and gave her a signing amount. Then she just disappeared and stopped taking calls from anyone of the production team and even the director.

She has still not been answering our calls. We are now planning to approach the producers’ association and send her a notice. I’ve made four films and have never seen such unprofessional behaviour.”

The film’s director Shrinivas Bhashyam also shares his experience. “I did go to meet Rakhi for a role in my new film. She had loved the script and I remember she said, ‘Who else could play the role of a maidservant better than me?’ I don’t know how much money was spoken about.

Days before the shoot, she stopped taking our phone calls. I even called her a day before the shoot and someone picked answered the call and said it wasn’t Rakhi’s number.

It’s surprising because Paisa Vasool, my debut, had Rakhi doing a proper talkie portion sans the item numbers she is now famous for. I am glad I went back to my original choice Sonali Kulkarni for the role. She has done an amazing job. I am glad that Rakhi didn’t do it. It was a blessing in disguise.”

We called Rakhi again with the facts and this time she strangely remembered everything. “They are using my name for publicity. Their film with Randeep Hooda is complete and they want free publicity.

I have worked with Shrinivas before in Paisa Vasool and the money he gave me was unpaid dues for that earlier movie. Why should I do the role of a maidservant? I am a glamorous girl. Bai-vai ke role mujhe nahin karne hain.”

Amul Sharma

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Govinda's chai with Celina

After Money Hai To Honey Hai, Govinda will once again do a film with his BFF of late, Celina Jaitly. The dosti between the two blossomed on the sets of MHTHH and with Chai Garam, their second flick together, the friendship is only bound to get stronger.

Ask Govinda why he hasn’t changed the title for this film as he is wont to do, he laughs, “I quite like the title and have no problems with this movie title.”

Celina has around five comedies going on the floors. She says, “After No Entry and Apna Sapna Money Money, I received a lot of compliments for my roles. I get a different high doing comedies.”

Another reason that has the actress excited is that she’s paired opposite Govinda and the fact that she’s working with Rajpal Yadav, Jaaved Jaffery and Sunil Shetty.

Says director Aditya Datt, “Chai Garam isn’t a slapstick comedy. It’s more of a romcom. The characters are very real and every character depicts humour in its own way.”

The multi starrer goes on floors on April 24 and also stars Anupam Kher and Ravi Kissen.

Says Aditya Datt, “Tea is something that is always with you. When you are stressed you have tea, when you are happy you have tea. At corporate meetings, you have tea, for a date you have tea. Tea forms a very important aspect of every emotion and thus really liked it as my title.”

Sonal Chawla

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Akshay doesn’t need luck: Anil

Kapoor refuses to wish Akki for his IPL matches but does it for his other B-Town dosts. Wonder why? Read on...

Anil Kapoor created a buzz on Sunday when he said he “owns DLF which is the main sponsor.” Yesterday, he refused to wish Akshay Kumar luck for his Delhi Daredevils matches.
We catch up with Anil for a chat on Indian Premier League (IPL), Akshay and the DLF ‘connection’.

What is your connection with DLF (the official sponsors of the IPL)?
There is no connection. I was pulling a fast one on the media when they asked me if I would like to own a team too. I won't buy any team kyun ki mein sabka baap hoon! It was a joke as I was in a great frame of mind as the whole atmosphere was thrilling with the crowd cheering us. Just go with the ruling party (laughs).

What do you think of the IPL?
I think it’s a very exciting prospect, one that holds a great future. But it’s also hard work. One has to put one’s heart and soul into it. I wish Shah Rukh and Preity all the best! I have always been a cricket buff. But today, with the T20 matches, cricket has just got more exciting! I watch a match whenever I get the time.

You’re not wishing Akshay Kumar your Tashan co-star?
Akshay doesn’t need any luck today, he is on a roll! And Akshay is only the brand ambassador of the Delhi Daredevils. He doesn’t own it while Shah Rukh and Preity do.

Saif, Kareena and you were part of Tashan’s promotional event at the IPL match at Wankhede. However, Akshay was conspicuous by his absence.
Yesterday, we were there as the Tashan team has a tie-up with Mumbai Indians. Akshay couldn’t attend as he has tied up with Delhi Daredevils as their brand ambassador so it would be a tricky situation for him to attend the match on Sunday or he would have flown down from Bangkok.

How was the experience?
It was phenomenal! One of my cricketing idols has been Sachin Tendulkar so it was great to cheer for him. My other cricket idols include Sunil Gavaskar, Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni. They are great to watch on the field. Ishant Sharma shows great promise.

Shah Rukh’s son Aryan accompanies him for every cricket match but we have never seen your son Harsh.
Main usko bol-bol ke thak gaya! Harsh doesn’t like cricket but is a football fanatic. He thinks football is cool. The modern and younger generation thinks cricket is for the masses.

Tashan is yet another multi-starrer after Welcome and Race. Don’t you get tired of multi-starrers?
No way! The more the merrier. I find it unsettling doing solo films. I am all for multi starrers and am available for them. Tashan is like a desi commercial and I enjoyed doing the role as it is unknown territory new director, new role, uncharted dimensions. I was nervous, anxious and exciting about the clothes, looks, character, producer and director, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Upala KBR

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Bachchan injures himself on the set of Alladin

While enacting an action scene for Alladin he was injured; was rushed to hospital for tests

Amitabh Bachchan injured himself while doing an action sequence for Sujoy Ghosh’s Alladin at Mehboob Studios yesterday morning. This is the second instance on the film’s sets when Big B has had to seek medical aid.

Bachchan, who complained of unbearable back pain, was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent several tests and was given medication for his back injury.

At first, Bachchan tried to brush off the incident. He later admitted that he was in excruciating pain. “Yes, I hurt myself doing an action scene for Alladin. I had to go to the hospital for an MRI test. But I was not hospitalised. I was back on the sets heavily drugged to lessen the pain so that I could complete the crucial work.”

Says Ghosh, “Amitji was doing a kick in a fight scene when something gave way in his back. We don’t quite know what exactly happened. But Amitji was in severe pain. He had to be taken to the hospital for tests. But look at his ‘spirit’. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he plays a spirit in Alladin! But he was back on the sets right after the tests. Though I’m half his age, I don’t have his energy and grit.”

This is the second time the Big B injured himself on the film’s sets. Ghosh admits, “Yes. Earlier, he hurt his wrist. That’s because Amitji is doing a full-on action role after ages. The special effects in Alladin have nothing to do with his power-packed scenes.

I wanted him to perform the stunts the same way he did in Zanjeer and Deewaar, films that I grew up watching. I wanted them to be live and raw. I didn’t want anything to come between me and my dream.”

Adds the director, “I do caution Amitji before every action scene. But he just goes for the kill each time. I don’t want anything to happen to him for my selfish reasons. I want to make at least 20 more films with him.”

Subash K. Jha

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BACHNA AE HASEENO in TASHAN!

The public as well as the exhibitors are eagerly awaiting the release of this Friday's Yash Raj multi-starrer, TASHAN. Based on the initial advance booking feedback and the trade buzz, the film is expected to take a huge start, maybe the best of the year so far.

Even the censor board seemed to be in a lenient mood, giving TASHAN (thriller) a UA certificate (C.C. NO. CIL/2/36/2008). The Vijay Krishna Acharya directed Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer TASHAN has a total length of 4226.34 metres in 17 reels.

An interesting aspect is that like most Yash Raj projects, the trailor of their next venture, the August 15 release, BACHNA AE HASEENO (Ranbir-Deepika etc.) is included in the reels of their current release, TASHAN.

Incidentally, the 28.96 metre trailor of BACHNA AE HASEENO was also cleared by the censor board on the same day as TASHAN.

Abid, Bollywood Trade News Network

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Saif Ali Khan: TASHAN, Tattoos and Wedding Rings

Gung ho about new release TASHAN, I caught up with Saif Ali Khan in Delhi's Le Meridien Hotel. In a freewheeling chat, the actor reveals all on Yash Raj's latest, current flame Kareena Kapoor, and co-star Akshay Kumar.

One of the most eagerly awaited movies of 2008, TASHAN has aroused curiosity through the tight-lipped promotional strategy coming out of the Yash Raj camp. The movie marks a departure for the production house, who typically unleashes their lavish promos and red-hot music months in advance of the film's Friday opening. Guitar-playing-rocker Khan compares the banner's silence to one of his favourite bands. "The marketing of TASHAN is similar to the way Led Zeppelin released their fourth album without any publicity at all, which then went on to become their biggest hit," Saif assures.

Although audiences rejected YRF's recent releases AAJA NACHLE, LAAGA CHUNARI MEIN DAAG and JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM, Khan states, "They are a class act and a tight unit. Besides, in this industry, people love to see the top dog having a bad day." The actor is upbeat, "TASHAN is something I'm looking forward to. It's a full on commercial entertainer, and a real roller-coaster ride which will appeal to everyone."

Saif discloses the influence girlfriend Bebo has had on him of late, even rolling up the sleeve of his suit jacket to reveal a glimpse of his famous tattoo. The performer was also sporting a ring on the third finger of his left hand, but flatly denied it had any significance. "It's just a ring," he smiled, "a gold ring."
On co-star Akshay Kumar, who is rumoured to get the girl in the flick, Khan enthuses, "I enjoy sharing screen space opposite Akshay," adding, "our pairings have usually been successful."

Saif revealed he has received accolades from his father, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who appreciated his roles in PARINEETA and OMKARA. The actor, in turn, is equally proud of son Ibrahim who makes his debut in TASHAN, "Ibrahim now wants to quit school and earn a thousand million rupees as an actor.

All set for another hit, the star's future is shining brightly, "I want to take even more responsibility for my career. The most important thing in my life right now is my work, and things are going really well."

(Steven Baker is a UK writer who divides his time between London, Delhi, and Mumbai. Steven is best known for his writing on the Hindi Film Industry, his work regularly appears in a range of Indian, NRI, and international publications. Steven Baker is presently the Co-ordinater of the British Council's Creative Writing course in New Delhi. He has also appeared in 15 Bollywood films.)

Steven Baker, Bollywood Trade News Network

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No tension between Big B - SRK

BHOOTHNATH brings together the two supremos -- Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan -- after a gap. In between, rumours were flying left, right and centre about the tension between the two actors and that the once good friends weren't interested in working with each other anymore.

Before we forward Ravi Chopra's clarification on the issue, let's bring to you another interesting facet pertaining to the film, which, I presume, a lot many people would be unaware of. Initially, director Vivek Sharma was toying with the idea of making a small film, but when he narrated the subject to Chopra, the producer insisted that they approach Bachchan Sr. for the role in question. However, Bachchan Sr. wasn't keen on doing the film. Reason being, he wasn't too sure of Vivek's abilities. But when he eventually agreed to act in the film, his only condition was Ravi Chopra should be present on the sets on all days. Later, when Bachchan grew fond of Vivek and realized that the director had the spark, there were no issues absolutely.

Ask Ravi Chopra if he sensed any kind of tension between the two actors [Bachchan, SRK] and the veteran film-maker denies it completely, “Not at all! In fact, they would play games and enjoy each other's company during breaks. I'd love to work with them again and again.” That should silence the gossip mills!

Taran Adarsh

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Salman Khan in '10 Ka Dum'

After having tested waters on the silver screen, film actors are now shifting their seat positions towards the Television! It was the legendary Big B, whose 'Kaun Banega Crorepati's success paved way to many filmstars who were fighting shy to embrace any show on TV. KBC's success not only revived the fortunes of Star TV but also of AB's sagging career graph! This was followed by a dud called Sawaal Dus Karod Ka, hosted by the Anupam Kher and Manisha Koirala, KBC (SRK in Season 3) and many others.

The lure of TV seems to be not sparing anyone from Bollywood. The latest one to be 'smitten' by the 'Idiot Box' bug is none other than our very own shirtless wonder- Salman Khan, who is all set to say 'Hello' to TV and has vowed to make people rich (read 'super-rich') with his show '10 Ka Dum', to be aired on Sony Entertainment Television (SET).

If you think that becoming rich was that difficult, then, '10 Ka Dum' is all 'SET' to prove you wrong! The contestants here have to think like India, wherein they will have to answer a question, whose answer is an average percentage of a mass opinion poll conducted across India! If your guess matches with the cumulative opinion of India, then, you pocket a decent Rs 10,000 in your pocket! After that, every right or wrong question shifts your winning amount up and down by the power of ten, with the ultimate prize amount being a mammoth Rs 10 Crores!

Meeting Salman Khan and becoming a 'Crorepati'? Now, that's a double treat.

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Mallika's new 'devil' look revealed!

'She' is Hottie Madame and 'He' is every Madam's Adam! When they come together, it's gonna be fireworks to the ton. We are indeed talking about Mallika Sherawat and Ranvir Shourey, who will very soon be seen in their forthcoming film Ugly Aur Pagli. Produced by Pritish Nandy Communications, and directed by Sachin Kamlakar Khot, this one is definitely a summer treat!

After having created oodles of waves with her last PNC flick, Pyaar Ke Side Effects, it will be a real cracker to see Madame Sherawat in her new look, which is a real refresher from her Khwaaish days, coz Ugly and Pagli has 99 slaps and 1 kiss!

Way to go Mallika!

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100 % strike rate for SRK

Shah Rukh's team wins both the IPL matches played so far; Preity hopes to win today's and make-up for her first loss.

It has been an eventful three-day journey with the IPL having taken off full throttle. The marriage of cricket and cinema seems to have provided much entertainment to the masses and some are still reeling in the flamboyancy the concept of the IPL provides.

Shah Rukh Khan hasn't left any stone unturned – in spirit and money – as he saw his team in both the matches played so far. And while Preity Zinta is a disappointed loser with her first match at the IPL, the lady is hoping to make up for it in the match that'll be played today in Jaipur.

The stadiums have been packed, and never mind the TRP's, the spectators are getting total paisa vasooli what with the huge celeb turnout. Indiatimes Movies lets you in on the story so far... which match was played where, who won, and who turned up? Read on...

April 20:
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers ( Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata)

Winning Team: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Deccan Chargers by 5 wickets

Celebrities: Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri, filmmakers Priyadarshan and Karan Johar, actors Arjun Rampal, Vivek Oberoi and Juhi Chawla cheered for Kolkata. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi with sister Priyanka and brother-in-law Robert Vadhra were also present.

Mumbai Indians vs Bangalore Royal Challengers (Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)

Winning Team: Royal Challengers beat Mumbai Indians by 5 wickets

Celebrities: Tashan actors Saif Ali Khan, Kareena, Anil Kapoor, cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin and wife Sangeeta Bijalini cheered for Mumbai

April 19:

Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings (Venue: Punjab Cricket Association, Mohali)

Winning Team: Chennai Super Kings beat Kings XI Punjab by 33 runs

Celebrities: Actress Preity Zinta cheered her team on

Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals (Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi)

Winning Team: Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals by 9 wickets

Celebrities: Daredevils' Daredevil ambassador Akshay Kumar performed a daredevil act and slid down a 100 feet high wire.

April 18:

Bangalore Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore)
Winning Team: Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers by 140 runs

Celebrities: Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri along with friends Arjun Rampal, Karan Johar cheered their team to victory. VJM had on his side Katrina Kaif, Zayed Khan and Shilpa Shetty who performed for the opening match. Shankar Ehsaan and Loy also gave a melodious performance.

Urvashi Ashar

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Mallika Sherawat , the belly dancer

The sex siren of Bollywood, Mallika Sherawat has always managed to keep herself in the limelight. Mallika was in the news for her raunchy jig that she performed at a 5 star hotel two years ago on New Year’s Eve. A shake here and a shake there for just 30 to 45 minutes, and the Murder actress walked away with a king’s booty.

Dressed in revealing clothes for a song in Himesh Reshammiya’s debut film as Aap Ka Suroor, she became the most expensive item girl, as she charged Rs. 1.5 crore for her item number in the movie. Aap Ka Suroor did well at the box office. She was also seen belly dancing in Guru . Strangely but truly, the actress has managed this dance form which was special to yesteryear Dancing Queen Helen.

The main attraction of the movie Aap Ka Suroor was the cult song 'Mehbooba Mehbooba' that had Mallika doing a cabaret act like Helen in Ramesh Sippy's movie Sholay . A lot of efforts had gone in creating the costumes to make Mallika and the song look glamorous and attractive.

For Guru, Mallika Sherawat shot the item number in Turkey with Abhishek Bachchan. She was seen gyrating sensuously to the composition of A.R. Rahman, titled Mayya Mayya. And Mallika’s moves were devoured by one and all. The actress had practiced hard for these steps and the hard work paid. With no movie in sight, this was one way Mallika remained in sight for her fans.
In the new ad, Mallika will be tempting consumers to go fida over the beverage. But since it is an alcohol brand, it is being advertised as music cassettes and cd’s. The ad is picturised on a song where Mallika will be seen sensuously inviting all to be intoxicated with her, with the music and her dances.

So is Mallika the queen of belly dancing.. lets leave it to her audience .. but for now, certainly film makers and advertisers believe so..

Pankaj Sabnani

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First Look - Sarkar Raj

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KING KHAN goes economy class

For those who thought Shah Rukh Khan only travels kingsize — this should be news. Yesterday morning, Shah Rukh travelled to Kolkata in the economy class of Jet Airways and not on a chartered flight as he’s wont to do. His team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, took on the Deccan Chargers and SRK had to be in time for the match. As the first class seats were full, SRK did not mind travelling economy class.

Says a co-passenger, “Shah (as he’s fondly called by close friends, including Farah Khan) flew to Kolkata with his entourage. Since the group was large, SRK gave the ladies the first class seats including his own and asked the guys to do the same.

So while Bhavna Pandey (Chunky’s wife), designer Shabina Khan, Divya Kumar (T-Series Bhushan Kumar’s wife), Neelam Kothari, Seema Khan (Sohail’s wife) and a few other friends of SRK and Gauri sat in first class, SRK along with Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh, Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Priyadarshan made themselves comfortable in the economy class.”

The co-passenger observes that unlike other stars who behave arrogantly while flying, Shah Rukh was absolutely normal and fuss-free. “Shah Rukh even ate the food served in the economy class without any objections. The other passengers were thrilled and kept asking Shah for autographs and he kept obliging them.”

Gauri wasn’t part of the entourage. The source adds, “Gauri and the kids (Aryan and Suhana) along with Arjun Rampal, Mehr Jessia, Maheep Kapoor and Nandita Mahtani arrived in a private jet.”

Designer Manish Malhotra who was part of Shah Rukh’s group was spotted with two suitcases full of Kolkata Knight Riders’ black-and-gold outfits.

The source says, “Manish gave the outfits to everyone so they could wear them during the match and cheer SRK and his team. Yesterday, the atmosphere at the Eden Gardens stadium was electric as the two teams played to a packed crowd of over 80,000.

Shah Rukh’s entourage stayed at the ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton and Towers, Salt Lake City.” Shah Rukh returned to Mumbai today morning by HDIL’s chartered plane.

Upala KBR

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