The New Year eve plans of Bollywood stars

With 2009 just around the corner, Bollywood stars are headed to different destinations to usher in the New Year.

Since the mood in Mumbai is pretty glum after the November 26 terror attacks, most of the New Year performances in the city have been canceled. Moreover, even the stars who would normally stay put in Mumbai on Dec 31 are headed to exotic locales.

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are on their way for a chilled out vacation in the Swiss Alps. Hope there are no bhel puri restaurants there to give Saif the stomach cramps.

Akshay Kumar is already on a holiday with wife Twinkle Khanna , son Aarav and Dimple Kapadia and his mom Aruna. For them, the celebrations began on Dec 29 with Twinkle’s birthday and will continue till the January 1.

Shilpa Shetty is on a vacation with her beau Raj Kundra in Spain. Alongside the duo are their respective families.

Salman Khan along with his brothers is in Goa for the New Years. The celebrations, low-key this year, began in the Khan household from Salman’s birthday on Dec 27 and will continue well into the first few days of January.

Katrina Kaif has been in London for the Christmas reunion with her family and is expected to join Salman on 31st evening.

Malaika Arora would be performing on stage at a hotel in Singapore, while Celina Jaitley will perform at the New Year bash at City Pavilion in London.

Arjun Rampal , Farhan Akhtar , Ritesh Sidhwani and the rest of Rock On gang is headed to Dubai. They initially planned an outing in Goa but changed the plan after the government canceled outdoor parties.

Shahrukh Khan is in Los Angeles to shoot Karan Johar’s film My Name Is Khan . He, Gauri and the kids are likely to fly to Uganda for a brief holiday.

Kajol and Ajay Devgan have left for their farmhouse in Karjat. They are expected back on Jan 2 after which Kajol would fly to the US to shoot with SRK.

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu will most likely head to Goa. Looks like they don’t mind if there aren’t any outdoor parties.

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'Bollywood 2009" predicts numerologist Niraj Mancchanda

Numeroloigst Niraj Mancchanda gives us his predictions for some of the biggest stars in Bollywood for 2009 including Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan. According to Niraj, 2009 is going to be Aamir's year! Read on to find out what is in store for your favorite stars!

Hrithik Roshan will be loved in Kites. First three days of the movie's opening will be phenomenal. Hrithik should consider adding the letter 'c' in his name so it spells Hrithick Roshan. This will help him avoid accidents and injuries. His name presently comes to number 43, same as Amitabh Bachchan and we all know that Big B has also had health issues.

Niraj goes on to say that Harman Baweja will be appreciated in Victory, Abhishek Bachchan will be loved in Delhi 6 and Ranbir Kapoor's first hit movie will likely be Rajniti. Apart from these three films, their other releases are not expected to do so well at the box office. He recommends that Harman spell his name as Harrmann Bawejaa. However, if he has decided to stick to the original spelling, and added S in middle (S for Singh, as he is Sikh) Harman S Baweja, this will help him succeed to some extent. As for the other two, Abhishek should use his father's initial and be Abhishek A Bachchan and Ranbir should spell his name as Raanbir or Raanbier Kapoor which should come as good luck in their career growth. If they decide to stick to their original spellings, their career could always be cyclic with huge variables of more flops than hits.

Shah Rukh Khan has two films in 2009 (Billoo Barber and My Name Is Khan).It's a money making year for Shah Rukh as 2009=11=1+1=2 and his number is also 2.

Salman Khan is not going through a good phase as many of his films bombed at the box office in 2008 and many more are expected to in the coming year. He should get the titles of his films strong according to their numerological values. As it is now, most of the titles of his films releasing in 2009 come to unlucky numbers. Katrina Kaif is a very lucky girl for others. However, her string of flops have begun from Yuvvraaj and she will have many more in 2009. Katrina's luck will not be able to neutralise Salman's low phase in 2009.

Kareena Kapoor's number is 3. In 2009, she will have 2 hit movies (3 Idiots and Kambakkth Ishq) but will not get much credit for these films like she got for Jab We Met. Aamir Khan will likely take away all the credit for 3 Idiots and many others will be mentioned for Kambakkth Ishq. It's a good year for her as far as success is concerned but not credit. For the credit, she will have to wait for 2010. If Kareena decides to spell her name as Karrinaa Kapoor, it will make her number 42 (same as Shah Rukh) and this should give her enough luck to churn out ten more Jab We Mets, in terms of success and full credit on her shoulders.

Akshay Kumar's destiny number is 5 which is derived by adding the full date of birth. He turned 41 and so the number 5 has been activated again. His luck has now become cyclic. At this age, he had a hit Welcome and then a flop Tashan and then Singh is Kinng did huge business but entailed losses to many distributors in India due to its high Cost. His next, Chandni Chowk to China, will open well but again, due to its cost, it will entail losses to Warner Brothers or at maximum, manage to recoupe its cost. His only hit in 2009 will be Kambakkth Ishq, which has the same number numerologically as Maine Pyar Kiya and numerologically titled by me. The entire credit for the film's success will go to the lucky producer Sajid Nadiadwala, director Sabbir Khan and Sylester Stallone, and not surprisingly, Aanuu Mallik is expected to start a new cycle, which will take his career to another level. Furthermore, the 100 Crore Blue will be released, which comes to same numerological number as Dil Se, so I do not even have to say its box office merit. According to numbers, he will have many flops after Blue but in 2010, Akshay will once again bounce back to giving many hits but his rollercoaster of hits and flops will continue.

2009 belongs to Aamir Khan. 3 Idiots comes to the same number as Devdas; his wife Kiran's movie Dhobi Ghaat comes to number of Maine Pyar Kiya and his other home production, Delhi Belly which stars his nephew Imran Khan, comes to the same number as Chak De India. Aamir is born on 14/03/1965 = 1+4+3+1+9+6+5 = 29 = 2+9 = 11 = 1+1 = 2 which is his destiny number. Year 2009 is also number 2 and Aamir also completes 20 years of his career as an actor. Therefore, number 2 (his destiny number) will make it the biggest year of his career!

It will be interesting to see how close his predictions come and we do wish luck to the all the unlucky numbered stars of 2009!

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Lara leaves SRK's party, Dino follows her

There was a time when Lara Dutta and Dino Morea used to see each other. The old lovers again happened to cross one another's road at Shahrukh Khan's bash. Shahrukh and Gauri had thrown a party at Mannat, last week. Present on the occasion was Dino Morea and his ex beau Lara Dutta. When Lara saw Dino getting closer to designer Nandita Mahtani, she left the party and Dino followed her.

A source present at the event reveals, "Lara, Dino, Preity, Ness, and Nandita were all seen having a conversation. Later, Preity and Ness started mingling with other guests and the trio was left to themselves. Dino and Nandita were in the chatty mode, and were seen joking and laughing. It was obvious that Lara wasn't too comfortable with her beau's ex around."

Apparently at one point, Lara saw Nandita sitting on Dino's lap and she lost her patience and left the party. On seeing her leave, Morea too excused himself and followed her. A source close to the couple admits, "Yes, they had a tiff over Nandy but they talked and things are fine now."

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Aamir Khan silences critics

Aamir Khan leaves no stone unturned. Not even loose ends when some critics decide to poke holes (blasphemy, he’s the ‘perfectionist’) in his newest release Ghajini, he decides to take them on .

So it was pleasant, but not a surprise, when he decided to confront the ‘critic’ himself. On ZOOM’s acerbic show, Face The Review hosted by trade analyst Komal Nahta, AK decided to confront the reviewer by replying to every charge.

But with the film breaking every concievable box-office record on its opening weekend itself, grossing four times larger than any previous release, he didn’t need to say anything in defense. Just smile enigmatically, like he does. Aamir loved the concept of the show as he could interact with his ‘first day first show’ audiences. So catch Aamir as he gets candid and answers all on Face the Review on Zoom tonight at 7.30 pm and tomorrow at 2.30 pm.

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Salman parties with Asin and Mallika while Kat's away!

Salman Khan's birthday (December 27) party at his Panvel farmhouse was a low key affair.

It had a gathering of the usual close friends and family except for the presence of Mallika Sherawat, Asin: Salman's London Dreams' leading lady and his Veer heroine Zarine Khan.

Salman certainly didn't seem to be missing girlfriend Katrina Kaif who is visiting family in London for Christmas.

But Sallu couldn't have had it better three gorgeous women vying for his attention at his birthday party.

A source present at the party says, "This time the Khan family had decided that Salman's birthday would be low key compared to his usual rollicking ones as the city is still under the cloud of the 26/11 terrorist attacks.

The birthday boy was heard telling his friends that he would not be inviting many people and yet more than a 100 guests turned up."

Some of Salman's guests included Adnan Sami, Anil Sharma, Aalim, Sajid Nadiadwala, David Dhawan, Ramesh Taurani, Vijay Galani amongst others.

The source adds, "Some stayed back at his sprawling farmhouse while the rest drove back home early yesterday morning.

Salman's mom had whipped up some 15 dishes including mutton paya and biryani and all the guests had a feast. The Khans are known for their superb hospitability."

The source says Salman broke one of his golden rules this time before his birthday. "Bhai never shoots after December 20 and takes a break till New Year but when his Veer director Anil Sharma told him the film wasn't complete, the actor cancelled his holiday plans and stayed back to complete the shot. He has done this for the first time in years."

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Akshay signed CC2C after seeing the film's poster

There is a story that goes behind Akshay giving a Thumbs Up to CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA. Though in principal, he was pretty much on board vis–a–vis doing the film, the clincher came in the form of the specially designed poster of the film that did the trick.

Confirms Rohan Sippy, 'Shridhar (Raghavan) – the writer and I were so clear that Akshay was the only choice for the part. We were so keen to have him on board that we actually created a poster with him in it to give him a feel for the film. I think the poster bowled him over so much that he wanted to sign on right away. In fact it is the same concept that we have used in the teaser poster of the film!'

Even otherwise, the story of the bumbling Sidhu, whose journey to China gives him an identity, a chance to believe in himself and save a village resonated somewhere with Akshay that made him even more keen to essay the part of Sidhu.

'I don't think we could have envisioned any other actor in the role of Sidhu. Akshay has breathed life into this role. People will feel sympathy when he is a fumbling Sidhu and will cheer when he beats up the bad guys. There are very few actors who can convince the audience to accept them as a simpleton and as a Kung Fu expert within the same movie', says Rohan in a delightful tone as he looks forward to the release of the film that takes place within three weeks from now.

'Beyond being an exceptionally versatile and professional actor, he is one of the very few actors in Bollywood who has the physique and agility to have carried off the tough demands of this role. He is a daredevil, he loves performing stunts and reveling when they are risky', adds Nikhil Advani.

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After GHAJINI its KAMBAKKTH ISHQ turn!

If GHAJINI was the biggest blockbuster of 2008, get ready for the biggest film of 2009, Sajid Nadiadwala's KAMBAKKTH ISHQ. Starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor along with the who's who of Hollywood right from Slyvester Stallone, Denise Richards, Brandon Routh, the film is anticipated as the most awaited release of 2009.

The release date for the film has been finalized for 29th May 2009. Trade reports have already declared it as the most awaited release of next year and whats more? All the opinion polls on the internet have declared it as the film to watch out for in 2009. Last year it was GHAJINI and this New Year it's undoubtedly KAMBAKKTH ISHQ!

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In Pics: Saif heads Home

After staying in Lilavati Hospital for two days thanks to a severe gastro infection, Saif finally heads home with girlfriend Kareena.

Saif and Kareena walk out of the hospital


Saif is happy but also stunned by the massive media presence


He goes to talk to the media...


....with the doctor and security personnel in tow.


He tells all his fans that he is alright


Answers all the queries…and looks very happy and pleased


Meanwhile, an angry looking Kareena (and not Saif) looks like the patient as she waits for him to head home.


The two head home in Saif's Lexus.

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Latest: Saif discharged from Hospital

Actor Saif Ali Khan was finally discharged today. After being given a final final check up by his doctor at Lilavati, the actor was sent home. Kareena was by his side.

Saif Ali Khan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital on Thursday evening following complaints of severe stomach ache. The actor checked into the hospital around 5.30pm on Christmas Day and although he was to be discharged late in the night, the actor was kept under observation for a day. Doctors say that was a precaution being taken because of the actor's history of smoking, drinking and heart trouble for which he was hospitalised last year as well. Kareena's secretary confirmed the news saying that Khan would soon be on his way home.

Girlfriend Kareena Kapoor left ailing lover Saif at around 2pm yesterday after having spent the entire night by his side. The actress stayed away from the media but made her way back later in the evening. And she was by his side when he checked out this afternoon.

Director Ravi Chopra and Kareena's mother Babita had visited the actor earlier in the day.

Actress Karisma Kapoor told the media present outside Lilavati last evening that Saif was stable and there was nothing to worry about. “Both Saif and Kareena are inside. They will be discharging him in 2 hours time. There is nothing to worry about. Saif is stable,” said Karisma who had accompanied her sister and Saif to the hospital.

“All through the day Saif had been feeling very unwell. He kept complaining of a bad stomach ache and had been vomiting all through the day. Finally late in the evening the family decided it was best to head to the hospital and make sure it wasn’t very serious,” said a source close to the actor.

“There was a big get together last night on Christmas Eve. Saif and Kareena were also there. And something that he ate did not go down well. It’s nothing major,” said the source.

The hospital spokesperson has also admitted that Saif is in the hospital but refused to give any details about the treatment he was undergoing.

While the official take is being given as a severe stomach infection, many of the actor’s industry insiders are putting it down to a whole lot of merry making on Christmas Eve.

“We all know that Saif and Kareena love to party. The Chhote Nawab surely knows how to have a good time at a party. And who hasn’t had a drink too many on a fun night out?” laughs an industry insider.

This is not the first time that actor Saif Ali Khan has been admitted into hospital. In February 2007, the Bollywood actor underwent an angiography after he was admitted into Lilavati following complains of severe chest pain. The actor had undergone an emergency appendectomy surgery after complaining of abdomen pain during a shoot in Kuala Lumpur in early 2006.

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Salman to spend birthday at his farmhouse

It was rumored that Salman would be flying out of the country for his birthday and New Year celebrations but that is not the case. Salman is currently shooting for Veer at Film City but he will take a day off tomorrow.

A source close to Salman tells us, "Salman will have a party at his farmhouse in Panvel with his close family and friends on his birthday."

He further adds, "We all know that Salman is a family man and he loves to party. Biryani and kebabs are definitely on the menu. Salman will play host to all their friends from the industry.”

It has almost become a ritual for the superstar to head to his Panvel farmhouse for his birthday. The actor heads there every year on Christmas Eve and stays there till a day after his birthday.

The guest list for Salman’s party tomorrow night is said to include dad Salim Khan, mom Salma, step mom Helen, sisters Alvira and Arpita, brother Sohail, Arbaaz and their families. His staff members will also be there as Salman values them a lot. David Dhawan, Aamir Khan, Subhash Ghai, Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgan are also expected.

However, this year girlfriend Katrina Kaif will be missing from the do. She is currently holidaying with her family in London and is expected back only in January.

Salman is really fond of his farmhouse in Panvel. He often cycles there from Mumbai with his bodyguards following him in cars. After the shooting of Yuvvraaj wrapped up earlier this year, Salman and Katrina threw a lavish wind up bash for their cast and crew members over there.

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Bipasha was caught in the 26/11 terror attack; speaks for the first time

"I feel vulnerable and helpless. That's why I haven't spoken until now," says Bipasha Basu softly.

Bipasha was returning from Film City on 26/11 when she was caught in the blast. "It happened at Vile Parle as I crossed the area. There was mayhem on the road as my staff and I sat huddled in our car wondering what to do next. Should we go forward? Or go back? I told my driver to drive in the middle of the road as fast as possible."

Three weeks down the line, and as the city nurses its wounds, Bipasha wonders what she can do to help the situation. "I've been extremely affected by 26/11. I haven't spoken to anyone about it until now. I don't know how I can ease the pain of Mumbai. Everyone wants to put forward more than just a point of view. But no one seems to know what to do. I do believe in the mass movement that Mumbai has been seeing over the last three weeks. I think people lighting candles, holding hands, showing their solidarity speaking out...it's all very effective."

Bipasha was skeptical to begin with. "I thought this movement would die down after the first few days. But now I feel it's not losing momentum. And I'm very happy about that. The media is playing a very important part in keeping the movement against terrorism alive. I must admit I thought it would be over after one Sunday. That's why I kept quiet."

But now Bipasha believes in the power of people. "I just hope it continues. If the people's voice continues to be heard whichever government comes into power will be forced to pay heed and provide us with basic security. Sure, our economy is booming and the industries are doing well. But what do we do without security in Mumbai? If the financial capital of India which generates the maximum taxes is hit, how do we sustain global confidence in our country?"

Bipasha can't believe that ten terrorists could do this to Mumbai. "What happened to Mumbai is a shame for the entire country. I went out socially for the first time this week. Life must go on. The important thing is to not forget the lessons that we've learnt from 26/11. Now I feel far less defeated far more optimistic about the future than I did the first few days after Mumbai was attacked. Mumbai won't forget. We have Zero security in the country. Otherwise how could there be continuous blasts all over the city for so many hours? And if the detonated RDX had not been discovered in time, it could have been worse."

Bipasha caught up with a film on the Mumbai blasts. "I saw Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday after 26/11. I can't believe it's so sensitive and so prophetic. Like Naseeruddin Shah being pushed into destroying terrorism the Common Man is ready take action. A Wednesday should be a textbook on terrorism. All of us should see it and learn its lessons."

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Wishing Salman Khan a very Happy Birthday

Known as the man with a golden heat, yet with a hint of bad anger, he has wooed Bollywood for over two decades he has today turned 43.

With his latest interest in the expressive art form of painting he has quite literally managed to paint not just the town but entire Bollywood red and all shades of colours. The birthday boy for today as you may have already guesses is none other than Salman Khan.

Starting his career with Biwi Ho To Aisi in '88, Salman soon became the heartthrob of the nation. With his youthful looks and his well toned body he had directors lining up at his doors. Not long after he was at pinnacle of Bollywood and touted as the best, most watched loved and adored celebrity.

Sallu as he is fondly known is even today regarded as one bright star shining forth for friends and foe alike, keeping differences apart and helping when most needed. Though he has been embroiled with a multitude of controversies the golden heart boy has managed to surmount them with ease and emerge victorious.

Join Bollywood Buzz in wishing the loved to be talked about actor Salman Khan a very happy Birthday, simply by posting your wishes below:

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B.O. update: 'Ghajini' sets new records, collects Rs. 20 cr. in 2 days

GHAJINI is smashing all previous records. The film is emerging the biggest opener of all times, grossing a whopping approx. Rs. 20 cr. nett in its first two days. The film collected approx. Rs. 1.6 cr. nett in paid previews [on Wednesday], approx. Rs. 8.25 cr. nett on limited screens and shows [on Thursday] and approx. Rs. 10.15 cr. nett [on Friday], according to its all-India distributors Studio 18. The collections are simply earth-shattering.

"At the rate the film is performing, the film is expected to smash all previous opening weekend records in India by unheard of, unimaginable, never dreamt of margins," Studio 18's Aman Gill says, "The nett collections by the end of Sunday night should be in the range of Rs. 42 cr. to Rs. 45 cr., which is 75% higher than the biggest opener of this year, SINGH IS KINNG."

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"Jumbo has elements that Lion King had" - Lara Dutta

This Christmas 'Every thing's gonna be alright', and that's exactly what the film Jumbo says. Bollywood Hungama caught up with the gorgeous Lara Dutta who has lent her voice to the melodious character of Sonia in the film. In a free-wheeling chat Lara talks about her experience dubbing for this animated flick.

For the first time you will be giving voiceover for an animated film in Bollywood. How did you think of this, all of a sudden?
Akshay is a very good friend... I remember it was when we were shooting an action sequence in Phuket for the film Blue that he offered me Jumbo. He told me that it is a very sweet film and he would love to have me play a part in it. I also felt it was a lovely film and immediately signed it. I have always been fond of watching animation films, so to be part of an animation film got me really excited.

So you agreed to lend your voice for the film because of Akshay?
Yes... but then that is just one of the factors. Akshay and I have done many films. He is a fantastic co star and a dear friend. It is always my pleasure to work with him. However, like I said I was thrilled to be part of an animation film. And Jumbo is a very sweet film.

What is your character in the film? Do you think your voice suited the character?
The cute pink elephant is me (Smiles) I play Jumbo's love interest. Her name is Sonia. I was required to sound very melodious so I had to ensure that I got it right. It was fun and I have given my best. Hope the audience feels that my voice has suited the character.

Which is more difficult? Acting or giving voice to an animated character?
Well, it is difficult to give voice to an animated character. But then, there are two sides to it. The difficult part is that since you haven't shot for it, you have to understand the emotions that the character is supposed to go through. That is a challenge. But on the positive side you can interpret it in many ways... it allows you to be creative. You don't need to talk in an exaggerated manner. You just have to understand the graph of your character and speak accordingly.

Jumbo is basically about family and its values, how much do you agree with this?
Yes... a lot. The film is high on family values. The story is about a baby elephant who longs for his father and how he leaves his herd and embarks upon a journey in search of his father. I was very touched with the storyline.

Which other animated films have you seen and liked the best?
I love Lion King... In fact Jumbo has elements that Lion King had.

Is the film targeting kids only?
No... It is for everyone. You are never too old for animation movies. Jumbo isn't a mindless film. It has a definite storyline and a moral to the story which the audience will like. But yes... I'm doing this film completely for my kiddie audience.

Apart from Jumbo... what else do you have in the pipeline?
There's Blue with Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt, then there is Billu Barber with Irrfan Khan and Shahrukh. Apart from that there is Do Knot Disturb with Govinda and Banda Yeh Bindass Hai with Salman.

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Exclusive: Khit pit soniye - Billu Barber

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Exclusive: Mar Jaani - Billoo Barber

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SRK Romances Kajol, Bipasha, Lara, Preity and Rani

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Exclusive: Watch Adi Chopra run from Ghajini screening

Director Aditya Chopra attended a special screening of Ghajini on Wednesday night as Aamir Khan’s guest. But the reclusive Adi refused to stand and smile for our cameras like all other Bollywood celebs always do!

Read on to find out our chase to catch Adi:

Aditya Chopra arrives for the screening from the back entrance of PVR Juhu.

He tries real hard to not be caught on camera as he walks out of the screening at the end of the film.

In his attempt to run from the cameras he drops his mobile phone.

Adi runs back to get his mobile phone and then quickly makes a dash for his car.

Aditya covers his face as his driver tries to reverse the car

Still hiding his face but the signature mustache is a give away.

Chopra’s pose reminds us of Brangelina who did this to hide the faces of their kids from the cameras!

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Kareena, family and friends go to midnight mass at St Andrews

Bebo and family attended Xmas mass at a different church, as Mt Mary was too crowded

Kareena Kapoor and her group couldn't attend the midnight mass at Mt Mary's church this year because of the heavy crowds. Instead they ended up going to another church in Bandra St Andrew's.

Bebo was accompanied by sister Karisma along with mother Babita and Saif Ali Khan. Kareena's best friend Amrita Arora and her fiance Shakeel Ladak, Dino Morea and Lara Dutta. Arbaaz and Malaika Khan (with their son Arhaan) and the Arora girls' parents were also there.

Kareena explains, "We had to go to St Andrew's as we couldn't get seats at Mt Mary. It was extremely crowded. Normally our driver goes and reserves some seats earlier, but this year he couldn't even do that. My mom has bad knees and she can't stand for long, so we went to St Andrew's. It was very quiet and peaceful there."

Amrita adds, "My family and I have always gone to St Andrew's church for midnight mass for Christmas."
After the mass, Kareena and the rest went back to her place for a huge Christmas feast which consisted of roast turkey with stuffing and gravy, jacket potatoes, plum pudding, meat and chicken dishes and marzipan sweets, kalkals and guava cheese as dessert.

Dino and Amrita with their partners went back to their homes for dinner. Later the three couples Malaika Arbaaz, Amrita Shakeel and Dino Lara headed to Aurus for Baba Diwan's party.

Kareena adds, "I have been binging on anything and everything. Diets are off for me now. When I go for my Alpine holidays I am not taking any diet chart with me. I am back to looking curvy and sexy and can eat anything till January 15 after which I resume shooting for Raju Hirani's 3 Idiots."

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In Pictures: Ravi Chopra and Amrita visit Saif

Saif Ali Khan is currently at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra being treated for his stomach infection. Take a look at his visitors.

Friends Forever: Kareena's best friend Amrita Arora arrives early in the morning.


Model Visitors: Aditi Gowitrikar and Dipannita Sharma were spotted at the hospital.


Seeing My Friend: Director Ravi Chopra and his wife pay a visit to Saif.


Waiting: A distraught looking Kareena waits for her car to arrive in the afternoon.


Going Home: Kareena on her way home. Kareena had been by Saif's side through the night.


I Am Back: Kareena returned to Lilavati Hospital in the evening. It is amazing how she looks so flawlessly beautiful even in these distressing times.

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B.O. update:- 'Ghajini' has unprecedented start, collects Rs. 10cr. to Rs. 12 cr.

The keenly-anticipated GHAJINI fetched the biggest start ever, shattering the record held by SINGH IS KINNG and GOLMAAL RETURNS, the two big openers of 2008. The paid previews were packed to capacity on Wednesday night and the film ran to almost 100% response throughout the country on Thursday.

Studio 18, the distributors of the film, were in for a pleasant surprise. Having released two of the biggest openers this year -- SINGH IS KINNG and GOLMAAL RETURNS -- and also one of the biggest openers of 2007 [WELCOME], they couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the figures pouring in from all over. Exhibitors across the country were going into raptures, stressing on the cent per cent occupancy on Wednesday night [paid previews] and also Thursday [Christmas].

This writer was in constant touch with several exhibitors, who couldn't hide their excitement. The common feedback is, the crowd was uncontrollable, that the crowd inside and outside their theatres was the same, that the film was packed in advance for the entire weekend.

Talking of numbers, the film collected approx. Rs. 2 cr. + in paid previews [a record], while the Thursday numbers were approx. Rs. 9 cr. According to early indications, the film collected between Rs. 10 cr. to Rs. 12 cr. nett, as per Studio 18. It's a new record, it's creating history!

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Ghajini to be screened with English subtitles at BIG Cinemas

BIG Cinemas will be screening Ghajini with subtitles at select screens in Mumbai. The facility will make the film more accessible to hearing-impaired and non-Hindi speaking guests of the cinema. The film will be screened with English subtitles in its second week at digital screens in BIG Cinemas Wadala and Metro BIG Cinemas in Mumbai.

Tushar Dhingra, Chief Operating Officer - BIG Cinemas said, "This will ensure that the cinema medium can be enjoyed more completely by a larger number of the public, especially the hearing impaired who could not earlier understand the dialogues. The release of Ghajini, being an eagerly awaited film, was an ideal way for us to start offering this facility and will set a trend for future releases."

Patrick von Sychowski, Chief Operating Officer - Adlabs Digital Cinema added, "Digital cinema technology makes it easy to introduce such innovations. We look forward to introducing more such innovations for the benefit of the audience."

Mr. N.U. Nayak, Deputy Director - Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & Deafblind, welcomed the development saying, "Screening films with subtitles will definitely help hearing impaired persons to understand and enjoy films without misinterpretation."

This facility is available at no extra cost.

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"I'm going to be fine tomorrow; the holiday with Kareena is on"

Saif Ali Khan gave all his family and friends a scare when he was hospitalized on Christmas Eve. But today (December 26), he is well on his way to recovery.

Speaking from his hospital bed at Mumbai's Lilavati hospital, Saif said, "I've almost recovered now. I'm going home tomorrow (Dec 27). It was nothing, really. I returned from Philadelphia from the shooting of Rensil D'Silva's film on 23rd night. And since I was missing all the Mumbai ka khana, I gorged indiscriminately on local junk food- Sev puri, bhelpuri, paani puri...puri ki puri fauj went into my stomach."

So wasn't he frightened when his stomach started acting up on him? "Not at all. It was gastroenteritis. Yes, I've been in hospital twice in the recent past. Once it was just appendicitis. And the other time it was far more serious. After going through what I did the last time I'm hardly going to get scared by a little stomach infection."

Chuckles Saif, "Actually it's much less scary than it looks. I've got a drip coming out of my hand, so that makes it look kind of serious. But it's nothing. I'm fine. Just a little sleepy. In fact, Kareena and I are going on our holiday to the mountains as planned."

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Akshay-Kareena starrer Kambakht Ishq slated to release in May 2009

Akshay Kumar ruled the B.O. last year (2007) with several back to back hits. This year, while his film Tashan, sank without a trace, Singh Is Kinng emerged as one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, thereby pronouncing him as the ‘Kinng’ of the Box-Office.

Now next year, Akki fans would get to see him in Sajid Nadiadwala's Kambakht Ishq, which many insiders believe would be the biggest film of 2009. The film has been slated to release on May 29, 2009. Kambakht Ishq has been in the news for a while now, especially because of the pairing of Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Among the highlights of the film is the presence of Hollywood heavyweights such as Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.

The film directed by debutante director Sabir Khan has been shot at some extravagant locations across Europe and the buzz among the industry experts and the aam janta towards the film has been quite phenomenal. Now with Kambakht Ishq been scheduled to release on May 29, expect things to get all the more hotter next summer.

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Asin unveils the Ghajini paintings made by Salman Khan

Salman Khan being an avid painter is a fact that's now as old as the hills. The brawny actor is known to even gift his exquisite paintings to those whom he considers truly special. The latest person to benefit from Salman's generosity and love is none other than Aamir Khan.

Aamir and Salman have been good friends for a while now and the story goes that Sallu was so impressed by Aamir's performance in his latest flick Ghajini that he decided to gift him two special paintings, done by Salman himself of course. The paintings, in keeping with the somewhat dark theme of the film, are in black and white and a noticeable aspect of both the paintings is the fact that both of them depict Aamir's by-now-famous Ghajini hairstyle.

The paintings were unveiled at a special function at a Mumbai multiplex by Ghajini's lead actress Asin. For those who came in late, Asin not only stars opposite Aamir in Ghajini but also plays the romantic lead in the Salman Khan- Ajay Devgan starrer London Dreams.

Aamir's performance in Ghajini has surely caught Salman's fancy. Now one will have to wait and watch if it manages to impress the janta-janardhan when the film opens across cinema halls this Christmas.

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Ghajini - Movie Review

The wait is finally over! An Aamir Khan film is nothing short of an event. The supremely talented actor acts in one film a year and no two films are ever identical in terms of plotline. No wonder then that you await an Aamir starrer with bated breath.

GHAJINI, the Tamil version, has been a massive hit and so was its dubbed Telugu version. Will the Hindi adaptation live up to the humungous expectations? The hype is unmatched and you expect no less than a present-day masterpiece.

Now the good news: GHAJINI demonstrates how strong film-making can enhance and elevate an already solid concept.

GHAJINI is a revenge saga, one ingredient that has been the staple diet of Hindi films since time immemorial. It is a powerful film. It has the power to sweep you off your feet from the word 'go'. It has a riveting story, which has been told with flourish by director A.R. Murugadoss. And, of course, it has a knockout performance by Aamir Khan. If at all there's a shred of doubt whether Aamir is The Best in the business, all you've got to do is check out GHAJINI.

Flaws any? Running time [almost 3 hours]? Not at all! There's so much happening in every scene and the screenplay is so gripping that you don't feel the need to look at the auditorium ceiling or at your watch at brief intervals. You aren't restless. As moviegoers, we've watched countless good versus evil fares over the years and although GHAJINI belongs to the same family, not once does it take the beaten track. The story has been told differently and most importantly, the story offers so many twists-n-turns that you just can't guess what would unfold next.

Is it violent? It is, at times, but the violence here is justified. In fact, every time the protagonist bashes up the evil-doers, you clap and root for him. The climax is jaw-dropping -- dissimilar from the original, but it's an out of the world experience nonetheless.

To sum up, GHAJINI is commercial Hindi cinema at its best. The film has 'Hit' written all over it. Let me put it this way: Cancel whatever you're doing today and go watch GHAJINI instead.

Aamir Khan is suffering from acute short-term memory loss set off by the violent murder of his girlfriend Asin. He's got to work around this handicap, but with methodical and meticulous determination. Aamir etches a path of clues that lead him on his road.

To aid him in his quest, he carries around a sheaf of Polaroids and when he is really sure of a piece of information, he has it tattooed on his body, which stands in for the damaged part of his mind. His indelibly marked torso is the repository of his grief, his rage and his reason to go on living.

Any more revelation would do gross injustice to the film and to its viewer.

First things first! GHAJINI is not MEMENTO. There're minor similarities, but GHAJINI takes a completely different route to tell its story. Director A.R. Murugadoss tells this one differently. It starts off with what happens in the past, comes to the present-day, goes back in time again and returns to the contemporary again. This is a breathless, exciting story, heart-breaking and exhilarating at the same time.

Hindi movies have often depicted people suffering from amnesia/memory loss, but GHAJINI is poles apart because the protagonist recalls events only for 15 minutes. The story is its USP, without a doubt. But what adds sheen and glory to the story is Aamir's portrayal of a man suffering from short-term memory loss. Aamir hardly speaks. In fact, the leading lady [Asin] speaks more than Aamir in the film. But Aamir speaks volumes with his eyes, he conveys whatever has to be conveyed through his body language, he says it all with his facial expressions and that only makes GHAJINI a memorable, never-seen-before experience.

Director A.R. Murugadoss deserves brownie points for not just coming up with an interesting story, but also presenting it [refreshingly] differently. The storyteller balances the light moments and the ones demanding intensity with expertise. There's dum in every sequence. Even if the director has to depict violence, he doesn't resort to blood-n-gore or knives-swords-pistols for effect.

A.R. Rahman's music is top notch. At least three numbers have the unmistakable stamp of a genius -- 'Guzarish', 'Behka' and 'Kaise Mujhe'. Ravi Chandran's cinematography is stunning. The film bears a stylish look all through. The action sequences are brilliantly executed. The Hindi moviegoers haven't seen such scenes ever.

Aamir delivers his career-best performance. In the first place, it requires courage and maturity to name the film after the villain. Knowing how egoistic our stars are, something like this is next to impossible in Hindi films.
A lot has been said and written about the GHAJINI look -- Aamir's hairstyle and his dream physique. It's awe-inspiring and if more and more people adopt the 'Aamir look' or hit the gym, it would be courtesy the actor.
As far as his acting is concerned, he's natural as the tycoon, but like a wounded, ferocious tiger when he goes on an avenging spree.
Without doubt, it's a concentrated, layered performance. He acts with his entire being. His body movement, the details of his performance, everything rings true. He is both vulnerable and hard. The pain in his face when he can't remember, is palpable. It's not only the plot that carries GHAJINI. It's also the mood and the expression on Aamir's face that makes GHAJINI a treat.

Asin is fabulous. To share the screen space with an actor of the stature of Aamir Khan and yet remain in your memory even after the show has ended is no cakewalk. She looks fresh and photogenic and acts her part brilliantly. Pradeep Rawat, the villain, is first-rate. Jiah Khan impresses, especially in the sequence when Aamir follows her to a shopping mall.

On the whole, GHAJINI is a winner all the way. The film will set new records and has the merits to emerge one of the biggest Hits of all times. The weekend business should be historic, the Week 1 business should be unparalleled, the lifetime gross should be amongst the biggest of all times. In short, GHAJINI has 'Blockbuster' written all over it.

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SMS reveals 'Ghajini' climax

Read only if you want to the know the film’s possible ending

Just when the audiences started queuing up for booking their tickets for Aamir Khan-starrer “Ghajini”, a chain SMS started playing spoilsport by revealing what could possibly be the climax of the film.

“Someone killed Aamir's girlfriend and he lost his memory. Then he tries to find out the killer. Suspens... Aamir himself is the killer. Now enjoy 'Ghajini'!” says the SMS that has been doing the rounds on the mobile phones for the past few days.

Whether the SMS is true would only be clear once the film releases on Thursday. However, several people have received this SMS through known as well as unknown sources.

Says 22-year-old Surbhi Pant: “I received this SMS a few days back. I was very irritated after reading it because I wanted to watch the film. Now I don't know if it is true or not. Just in case this is the story of the film, I would be really disappointed, as I know the plot now. Eventually, I thought I should forward it to all my friends.”

The film is the much-hyped Hindi remake of director A.R. Murugadoss' Tamil hit with the same name.

While the original "Ghajini" featured southern actor Surya Sivakumar along with actress Asin Thottumkal, Murugadoss cast Aamir to play the main lead in the Hindi version and repeats Asin in female lead.

“Ghajini” is the love story of a rich businessman Sanjay Singhania (Aamir) and a model Kalpana (Asin). The story takes a U-turn when Kalpana is murdered and Sanjay suffers temporary amnesia due to a brain injury. Sanjay's character sets out to take revenge from those responsible for Kalpana's death.

While in the Tamil version of “Ghajini”, Sanjay finds the murderer and completes his revenge by killing him; the ending has been altered in the Hindi version.

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Sonam to become a face of L'oreal

Aishwarya Rai has been a brand ambassador for the French cosmetics giant L’oreal for a few years. Now, she is being joined by another Bollywood actress, Sonam Kapoor.

No, Sonam is not replacing Ash but will endorse more products aimed at younger consumers.

Ace photographer Atul Kasbekar, who has launched many glamorous faces, is said to be responsible for cinching this deal.

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Aamir holds his breath for Ghajini

We’ve all been hearing and reading about the promotional gimmicks Aamir Khan has employed to publicise his forthcoming film “Ghajini”.

As a part of the film’s promotional campaign, 40 life-size mannequins of Aamir have been made and placed at various multiplexes.

Nitin Gorde and Kedar Ghate have made these mannequins along with 15 members of their team. And guess what Aamir's role was in their making?

To get the exact mould of his face, Aamir was reportedly required to hold his breath for some time! For that Nitin gave him a straw and asked Aamir to breathe through his mouth.

Nitin says Aamir was very co-operative and hence the task was completed successfully in 15 minutes. However, after that, too, Aamir made small changes in the mannequins!

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Shah Rukh, Salman and I are truly the three idiots of Bollywood, says Aamir

Amid the war of words between the three Khans - Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman - the “Ghajini” star Aamir has declared that it is none other than superstar Amitabh Bachchan who is still the number one in Bollywood.

“For me Amitabh Bachchan is No 1. Do Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan say they are number one? No one who sits on the top needs to say he is number one. Others keep claiming to be there,” said Aamir.

Recently, Shah Rukh sparked a controversy by proclaiming himself the biggest brand and saying there cannot be any competition with him.

Commenting on that Aamir said: “I don't believe in competitions with others. I only compete with myself.”
After a phase of cold war with his contemporary Shah Rukh, Aamir says he can't dare to fight with him.

“Do you think I could dare to fight with Shah Rukh. He is a good friend and so I can't fight with him. I respect him a lot,' said Aamir, who was in New Delhi over the weekend to promote his forthcoming film “Ghajini”.

The actor, who was is town giving his fans the 'Ghajini' cut at an event, was in a jovial mood but tried his best to avoid queries about his cold war with Shah Rukh.

He joked that by turning into a barber for a day, he was even promoting Shah Rukh's next venture “Billo Barber”.
His antics did not just end at that.

Aamir's forthcoming venture is titled “Three Idiots” and the actor said the title should be rightfully given to the three Khans of Bollywood - including himself, Shah Rukh and Salman.

“My forthcoming film after 'Ghajini' is Rajkumar Hirani's 'Three Idiots' and I play the character of an idiot with R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi. But I think Shah Rukh, Salman and I are truly the three idiots of Bollywood,” Aamir said.

He also cast a dig at Salman when he asked the crowd whether they want him to flaunt his body that he has toned up especially for “Ghajini”.

“Who wants to see my eight packs?” he asked. But when there was a loud “Yes, we want to” from the audience, Aamir said: “Only Salman can show his packs. I can't do it. It's not my cup of tea.”

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Jism 2 will launch new faces with great bodies

Five years after Bipasha Basu and John Abraham scorched the screen in "Jism", Shagufta Rafique, screenwriter for the much-hyped sequel to the film, says part two will be about infidelity and will launch three new faces with great bodies.

"Since 'Jism' was all about the human body and keeping up with the tradition of Vishesh Films' launching new talent, we'll take a completely new and absolutely raw cast for 'Jism 2'. We'll launch three new faces and three great bodies in three newcomers in the film," Rafique told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Released in 2003, "Jism" was an unexpected box office success and the launch vehicle of Bollywood heartthrob John. The film gave a boost to John and Bipasha's careers and both got tagged as sex symbols.

While the first was written by Mahesh Bhatt, "Jism 2" is being written by Rafique, who holds to her credit films like "Woh Lamhe", "Awarapan" and box office dud "Dhokha".

Asked about the plot of "Jism 2", she said: "Like the previous 'Jism', part two will concentrate on the issue of infidelity and it will be a murder mystery. I have already started working on the film and Pooja (Bhatt) will be directing it."

Loosely based on Lawrence Kasdan's "Body Heat" (1981), "Jism" was directed by Amit Saxena and also starred Gulshan Grover, Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey.

Rafique added that Pooja Bhatt and Sujit Kumar, who produced "Jism", would soon be starting a "Jism" franchise.

"The franchise will be a series of erotic and passionate films, but with different stories. We in fact have 10 scripts ready on the same with us.

"'Jism' was a big success as a brand. Pooja opened a Pandora's box with the film in the industry. Soon everyone started making films on the body. But the film's got to do with passion, love and lust and to live up with its brand, we'll come out with a 'Jism' franchise altogether," Rafique said.

Apart from "Jism 2", she has also penned the scripts for upcoming films like "Raaz - The Mystery Continues", "Sincity" and "Jashnn".

She is also set to wield the megaphone for "Cabaret", which she has scripted.

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Bhansali keen to sign Pakistani hero

The mounting cross border tension does not seem to be affecting filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In fact, it seems he is trying to ease the tension and establish friendly ties Pakistan.

According to sources, Sanjay wants to sign Pakistani hero Imran Abbas for his forthcoming directorial venture “Heera Mandi”.

Heera Mandi is a renowned red light area in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

Sources close to Bhansali say that nothing has been finalised as yet but they are looking forward to signing Imran Abbas as Sanjay is quite impressed by him. Another reason for wanting to cast a Pakistani hero is that the film’s subject, Heera Mandi, is Pakistani.

The movie is also likely to star big names from Bollywood, namely, Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukerji and Sonam Kapoor.

When contacted, Sanjay refused to give out any details about the casting and simply said that the casting is pending.

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Sush-Naomi: Friends forever

Why has Sushmita Sen been missing from the ‘bada parda’? Ask her and she laughs, “This year, I was busy shooting and there were several post-production delays.

But in 2009, there’s Dulha Mil Gaya with Shah Rukh Khan, a David Dhawan film Do Not Disturb and Karma Confesssions and Holi with Randeep Hooda and Naomi Campbell.”

Sush seemed visibly excited to have worked with Naomi. She talks about her experience of working with the supermodel, as she says, “Naomi is like a child. She can throw tantrums and be difficult at times. But at the end of the day, she is a great human being and gorgeously stunning.”

But with two of the world’s most beautiful women together, didn’t things ever get catty? “Not at all,” assures Sushmita, adding, “In fact, we got along like a house on fire.”

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SRK listed among the 50 Most Powerful People in the world by Newsweek

It couldn't get better than this. After conquering Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan has now been ranked at the 41st spot among the 50 most powerful people in the world by the prestigious Newsweek magazine, with Barack Obama topping the list. The other Indian besides the King Khan in the list happens to be the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who's at the 17th spot.

The magazine describes SRK as 'King of Bollywood', a title that every cinegoer is aware of, like they know their A-B-C. The magazine also stated that 'It's not just that his (Shah Rukh Khan's) romantic flicks make gazillions, it's where those gazillions come from. Khan is huge in the Muslim world, even in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the mullahs ban his films. (The movies thrive on the black market). Their main appeal is certainly the song-and-dance numbers, but Khan (a Muslim married to a Hindu) makes devoutly secular films where love trounces bigotry.'

Now with even the Newsweek in his kitty, one is simply left wondering as to what will be the King's next conquest.

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Aamir Khan turns barber for a day

The release day for Ghajini isn't too far off and one thing is for sure, that the star of the film-Aamir Khan isn't leaving anything to chance. Well known for his prompt media appearances and amazing film promotion tactics, Aamir has take another step for his latest film Ghajini.

Just recently, the employees at Big Cinema in Wadala had their locks trimmed off to sport Aamir's 'Ghajini' look. And then, Aamir decided to try the coiffeur profession by setting up a barber's shop in the Bengal Market, New Delhi on Sunday (Dec 21).

Speaking about his hairstyle, director A. R. Murugadoss said, "Aamir is one of the biggest stars and when you have people copying one's style from a film, you can attribute this only to the star value that he carries."

Commenting on the craze that Aamir's hairstyle has created, well known hair stylist Hakim Aalim stated, "Since of late, whatever Aamir does seems to become a fashion statement. Even cropping off your locks seems to have become a rage. I can't imagine that this would have happened had it been someone other than Aamir with the same look."

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Oops Ranbir in a 'Full Monty' mode

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Anushka Sharma is all smiles at Fame Malad

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"I've tried to be as dignified about my personal life as possible" - Kareena Kapoor

What are you doing in this guy-oriented cast of Raj Kumar Hirani's 3 Idiots?
I've an effective role. And no power on this earth would've made me miss the chance of working with Raju Hirani. I'm a lucky girl. I'm being offered one film every day. I don't have time to read scripts. I'll do so in March 2009 after I finish my current lot of films which includes Karan Johar's film with Saif. Normally, a Bollywood actress does about forty days' work. My directors are taking about a hundred days with me. I've already given Karan a hundred days for his film directed by Rensil D'Silva.

Looking back it has been a turbulent year for you?
I wouldn't call it turbulent. It's an exciting phase in my life when so many things rushed down on me at the same time. The last year was a turning-point in my life. But the end-result is happy. Both professionally and emotionally I think I've come out a winner. I've tried to be as dignified about my personal life as possible. As for my work, God has been kind.

Do you think you're lucky?
It's not just luck. I've worked really hard to get here. It's my perseverance that has got me where I am. And I owe my success to no one else but myself.

Perseverance? Hmm....You've begun to sound like Saif.
Yes, my vocabulary has increased. He makes me memorize some pages of the Oxford dictionary every day (laughs). That's a joke. But seriously, he does speak very well. So I'm trying to catch up.

OK...a really difficult question. Who's your favourite Khan?
Ah-ha. Do I have to spell it out?

Is there anything you want?
I have it all. For me the journey as an actress has just begun. And I'm not going to shift focus from it for 4-5 years.

No marriage for 4-5 years?
I know I definitely want to. But not at least for the next three years. The work I'm doing is giving me so much satisfaction. No 27-year old can ask for more.

People gave your relationship with Saif no more than six months?
There's absolutely no room for such negativity in my life. I only have place for people who are positive and who make me happy by sharing in my happiness. This is the best phase in my life. And I feel I'm in a place where I've never been before. As an actress I feel everyone and that includes me, expects things from me that are not generally expected from Bollywood actresses except maybe a Kajol or my sister Karisma.

Do you get enough time with Saif?
He's extremely loving and supportive. He knows how long it's taken me to get the work that I'm getting now. In fact the best phase of my career started when Saif came into my life. Now he's enjoying this phase in my life along with me. That makes this phase even more special. The only thing I miss is time with my family and Saif. When I finish this schedule I head straight to Venice for Sajid Nadiadwala's Kambakht Ishq.

Are you and Saif doing a lot of endorsements together?
We're offered a lot of endorsements. But we are not doing any except a shampoo brand. But we'll soon be signing on for endorsements. And we're doing another film for Ashtavinayak. That starts in April 2009. We want it to be a fast and furious action film. Something larger-than-life. Saif is working very closely with the producers. He's trying to lock in on the script and director.

You've changed so much in appearance and behavior?
Ha, that's what you think. I'm still the same. It's just that I'm so busy. I've been working constantly. On top of that, my house is being done up. There are a dozen things demanding my attention. I get 300 sms-es a day. I can't answer each one of them personally.

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People declares Akshay Kumar is the Sexiest Man of 2008

It was a coronation that was waiting to happen for the man who has not just been there-done that, but is simply there and doing it! We are indeed talking about the one and only Akshay Kumar (better known as the 'AK-47' of Bollywood), who has been voted (read 'declared') as the "Sexiest Man Alive" - for the year 2008, by the topnotch magazine 'People', in their double issue bonanza!

This issue is a must have as it features Akshay Kumar in an all-exclusive photo shoot in Vicenza, Italy! The magazine reasons the coronation of Akki by stating that he is one person who has been equally successful, both on and off screen! Reasons cited include his string of box-office hits in 2008 such as Welcome, Singh Is Kinng, his mega successful stint on TV as the host of 'Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi' and a scorching new ad campaign for the denim major: Levi's.

The mag also adds that off screen, Akshay is a grounded family man, devoted to his wife and son and has a sense of humour. In an exclusive interview, Akki, who credits his 'Punjabi eyes' for his effortless sex appeal, says, "Just for the record, I'm not what you call good-looking. Our industry just happens to have excellent directors of photography. That's all."

Now that's Akshay Kumar for you 'People'.

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College principal stops Salman from stripping!

Students wanted him to take off his T-shirt

Salman Khan recently attended the college festival organised by MMK College in Juhu, Mumbai, patronised by politician Baba Siddique.

Since Baba has been very close to Salman right from his college days, he roped in Sallu for the college festival.

Forget the students misbehaving; it was the media which went out of control when they saw Salman. He looked dashing and sported a cute pony tail. As soon as he was on stage, he started preaching the students and said how education was important and how one must love each other and help the neighbours. He ended his speech with a funny anecdote - love your neighbour but don't get caught!

He told the students to ask him any question except when he was getting married. The students only wanted him to remove his T-shirt. They went on and on, but Salman refused. He once again started preaching them and even said that he used to hang out at MMK College all the time.

Salman also said he was sent to many schools as a student.

The students once again started screaming for his T-shirt and that’s when Salman said: "Nowadays Aamir is removing his T-shirt.”

Meanwhile, the college principal went up on the stage and warned the students not to request him to strip. He said: “This is college and no one strips here!”

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Introducing Anushka Sharma

"Thank you so much. I've been answering the same old questions two thousand times". This is what the delighted Anushka Sharma with a beautiful smile told me when I walked in to the YRF Studio's first floor room after letting her know that I wasn't in a mood of asking clichéd questions to her for her film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. But she forgot to ask me my mood then, because for once, I was in a mood to create something new, something cheerful, something light, something entertaining, something more flirtatious. What's more, she was ready and comfortable with my mood, but what she didn't see coming was her first ever proposal by a journalist in a closed room. I asked her out on a date first and then asked her whether she would marry me. To my jaw dropping surprise, she said, "Yes". Listening to her talk, you can hear the qualities that made her Taani in the film; she has become the face of the season that you would want to hear the news from and a reason for anyone to fall in love with. In some ways, she says, the life chose her rather than the other way around. With her exotic looks and her obvious sense of fun, you'd think Anushka Sharma would have many a men beating a path to her door. But no. I was the only first and the last man standing which put her through this fancy-free and flirty conversation. Not that she doesn't want a man in her life - it's just that 'Rab' found me for her. Harrow Observer UK columnist and Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent brings you the never before heard conversation with the sexy, single and now successful Anushka Sharma on Rab, Tab aur Ab (God, then and now).

Shah Rukh told me that Adi Chopra believed the film was made by 'Rab'. What's your opinion on the quote?
Absolutely correct. Me being a part of this film is also because of 'Rab' because now that I've done this film, in a strange way I believe that everything that has happened in my life before this has kind of structured to get me to this. In terms of me moving to Mumbai, me not being too exposed in spite of being in the modelling world for quite some time, etc, all helped me get Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. It was entirely Rab's blessings for all of us, not for me alone.

The recently updated UK figures have grossed almost half a million pounds in seven days for your film. Are you going to be a million dollar baby by the end of two weeks?
(Laughs) Actually I don't understand the figures very well. I do ask Yash Raj how the film is doing at the box office and what the people are thinking about it. But as you're telling me that the film has grossed half a million pounds, I'm sure the people are going to the cinemas and watching it. But I wanted everyone to come out of the theatres and scream on top of their voice - 'What a film man! I'm going and watching it the next time'. It feels good to be a part of a successful film and even special when you know that you've contributed towards the success.

Will the success of Rab Ne take your feet off the ramp?
This film happened by chance but modelling was something that I always wanted to do. I've never said that I wanted to be Miss World or an actress. I just wanted to be a model walking the ramp. Whether I will return back to the ramp is all up to Rab now. Let's see.

Are you happy with the unhappy response from quite a few critics from the media world?
Yeah, I heard that many critics haven't taken the film very well. But that's fine. Everyone is entitled to their own individual opinion and they are viewers after all. I respect all the critics' opinion.

How critical were your parents after watching the film?
My elder brother will never pay me any compliment because he is harsh. And so is my dad. After watching the film my brother said, "You can act, huh". For my mother, I'm the best in the world. My dad was impressed though.

You made my friend and colleague who was sitting next to me while watching the film cry. Why?
(Laughs) Really? Actually I wanted everyone to cry. My friends called me up saying that they really enjoyed the film and had fun throughout. But in return I asked them whether they cried watching the same. I wanted them to cry. If someone has cried, they are feeling for you and your character. I guess it's nice in a way.

So tell me, are your parents going to look out for a boy like Surinder or Raj for your marriage?
(Laughs) My father always says, "You please go and find a boy for yourself because I doubt if I will ever find one for you". I tend to go the hyper way sometimes which is fine because that's my age. So if I was ever to find someone for me, the guy has to be like Surinder Sahni. If you are dating a rich brat, how far can you go on is my question and where are you going to go? You want to be with someone who loves you like Suri does, that is unconditionally. He has to be sweet and genuine. I was watching the film and was cursing my character because I failed to understand why Taani isn't falling in love with him.

You envy Gauri Khan then?
(Laughs out loud) No, not at all. They are such a cute couple. I can never think of that.

Ok, would you leave your husband in real life if you find someone else?
For Taani, she didn't marry out of choice but Anushka Sharma is going to marry out of choice. And when I do get married I will never think of leaving my husband.

Now please close your eyes and tell me where do you see Rab when you open your eyes. I know it's me but still go on, tell me.
(Laughs out loud) Yes, it's you in front of me. But on a serious note, you are not seeing Rab in someone; you see the goodness of Rab in a person. Someone who is so correct like Suri doesn't have a single bad bone in his body. He is such a nice man and is so good to everybody. That's what God is like, right?

You are a classic dancer with a classical grace.
Thank you for the compliment and thanks to my Bharatnatyam classes I did till I was in the seventh standard. My mother always wanted me to learn classical dancing but I kept running away from it. What you've seen on screen is thanks to Shiamak Davar who helped me for one whole month of training.

When do you plan to go to the UK and show your beautiful face to the country which has accepted you and your film with open arms?
I'm booking my flight with you. Let's go together. That's a good idea isn't it? I've never been to the UK and I'd love to go there once.

You don't need to climb the ladder of success because you are so tall.
(Laughs) You're right. But in the film, I wasn't wearing any heels. If I was, I would've looked taller than Shah Rukh.

Have you been offered any toothpaste commercial because your smile kills?
Oh really. I haven't been offered any toothpaste commercial but the day I get an offer, I'll send you a thank you note.

How similar is Anushka to Taani?
In more ways than one. But Anushka right now is very tired and I've been doing these interviews since morning which will go on till 11pm. Please tell me how do these actors do it. Hats off to them. I have to learn the tricks of the trade. Sometimes it does get tiring to answer the same questions again and again. I must say, your questions are a welcome relief.

I can't keep my eyes off you and I have to say this, will you come out on a date with me?
(Laughs) Yes, I don't mind but on one condition. You don't have to ask me any questions, I will ask you the same question forty times and you'll have to answer it. Secondly, we will go the Yash Raj canteen outside for our date. Thirdly, you will have to compliment me, talk all the nice things about me and be very sweet with me. If that's what you can do, I'm up for it.

Now you're being conditional here.
I have to, if you want a date with me (laughs).

How about a step forward. Will you marry me Anushka?
(Laughs out loud) Yes but again it will be conditional. You know what, my father may agree to your proposal also because he will be more than willing to say, "Accha hai...koi toh mil gaya...ab meri tension khatam."

What do you have to say to your UK audiences who are comparing you with Kajol's character Simran? They think you are the new Simran in SRK's life.
Wow! I didn't know this. Thank you so much and thank you to all the UK people who've appreciated my work. I hope I do many more films with Shah Rukh because he is too good. He is fun to work with. When I saw Kajol and SRK in the 'Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte' song, they both looked like made for each other. Their pair is just awesome.

Are you going to watch Aamir's Ghajini?
Yes, I am going to watch Aamir Khan's Ghajini. I think it's going to be a good film. It's not about competition, nowadays, the more the films do well, better it is for our industry.

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Is Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi responsible for the expected success of Ghajini

Ghajini is all set to embark on a historic start in less than a week from now (the film begins its paid previews from Wednesday evening itself!) and in some way, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi deserves some part of the credit for that. Reason? Bollywood, which in year 2008 was at an all time low till about 10 days back, suddenly seems a lot more spirited and excited, courtesy the superb response that Adi-SRK combine has generated in the week gone by.

The sentiments have perked up overnight and the industry, which was reeling under recession and back to back failures of many a biggies (Yuvvraaj, Drona, Love Story 2050), has started singing a different tune altogether. Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar (who will be striking in less than a month from now, with Chandni Chowk To China) are being hailed as the saviors of the industry even as the third Big Khan has quietly moved out of the reckoning with the huge failure of Yuvvraaj.

Coming to Ghajini and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi connection, the super success of the latter has proven one point that people have actually visited theaters in hordes in spite of mood of the entire nation being gloomy and depressing for last so many days. Now if only the film would have been bad or it would have failed to excite any audience to step into theaters at all in the first place, the negativity, in all probability, would have rubbed into Ghajini as well.

Though Aamir Khan would still have managed to pull in substantial audience, the kind of buzz that the film is carrying today is unparalleled for which one can't help but thank Shah Rukh Khan and his Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi enough. Also, after spending mega bucks in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, if audiences would have disliked the film, they would have been hesitant to venture into theaters again within just a fortnight.

Looking at such scenarios, one can be assured that Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has paved the way for Ghajini to go ahead and make huge bucks for itself too. The message for the Aamir Khan starrer is - 'See, we made good money in spite of release timing which was not so positive while reviews too were mixed. Now you have all going in your favor so why don't you go for the kill!'

No wonder, Aamir Khan is going all out to make sure that Ghajini fetches record first week collections on its 24th December release. The way it is in news day and night out, Ghajini has made many a commoners box office analysts with numbers like 40 crores, 50 crores, 60 crores being thrown up in air as if they were candies up for grab. And no, I am not talking about the film's budget or its final collections! These are the first week numbers around which bets are being laid all around.

Well, while a record breaking opening week is pretty much on the cards (beware Singh Is Kinng, Om Shanti Om, Golmaal Returns, Dhoom 2), one waits to see if Ghajini indeed turns out to be Bollywood's first film that would go on to cross the 100 crore net collections mark in India alone.

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Aishwarya masters Tamil

Aishwarya Rai has many hidden talents. One is her ability to grasp languages quickly. This, the unit of Shankar's Robot discovered, while shooting with her. She was required to hold her own against the glib-talking Rajnikanth.

Tamil isn't really familiar territory for Aishwarya, so Rajnikanth and director Shankar came prepared for several re takes.

To everyone's surprise, Aishwarya got a grip of the language in no time at all. Says a source from the set, "She was soon rattling off the dialogues and getting a hang of the emotions with equal skill in both the Hindi and Tamil takes. So much so, that Rajnikanth, who has waited for decades to work with Aishwarya was taken aback."

When asked about the incident, Aishwarya laughs, "Regional languages have never been a problem. I did a Bengali film Chokher Bali and I was able to get a hang of the complex intonations, though later they needed a particular sing-song tone and my voice had to be dubbed."

But the buzz in Robot is that they are planning to retain her Tamil lines in the final print. Says the actress from Ooty, "I'm not familiar with Tamil. My mother tongue Tulu is very different from Tamil. But you must remember my first film Iruvar was in Tamil and I had to say lengthy lines in that film. From my beginnings with Mani Ratnam in Tamil to this my second Tamil film of my career.... it's been quite a journey."

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SRK: I Love Girls

SRK reached three hours late as usual and the media had to wait for him as newbie Anushka couldn't be unveiled without him. But SRK more than made up when he won everyone over with his infectious energy and unmatched wit.

He spoke about Rab Ne, Anushka and Aamir Khan.

What do you feel about the response to RNBDJ?
I have got a mixed reaction from everyone. Many people liked Suri's character. Insha'allah my fans are with me so they love me in all my films.

Why did it take so long to launch Anushka?
Both Adi and I thought that first people should watch Anushka's performance first and then communicate with her. Now, when you have seen her performance in the film you can ask her justified questions. That's why we were hiding her. There is nothing like we kidnapped her and kept her in some special room, didn't allow her to eat or talk to anyone. We have
allowed her to speak with her parents twice a day. We have not hidden her in a room where even sunlight cannot reach her. It is just that we hid her from the media.

So do you enjoy working with girls half your age?
Yeah!!! You all know that I love girls and girls also love me. That is why I am doing films with young girls and all my actresses are taller than me. I guess the new generation is quite tall! And Anushka is only twenty years old and she has a lot more time to grow. And I love working with young actresses (laughs)

How did the idea of the multi-star tribute song come about?
The idea was Adi's only because he has written the script. I don't interfere with the scripts or with the directors. Earlier we thought that we should make Anushka play all the characters but then we dropped the idea because we thought it would take attention away from Taani's and Suri's characters. So we cast all hot Bollywood legends as me and all hot actresses opposite me. As I have always I said 'I love girls'.

Isn't the song's theme similar to OSO?
No, because both of them had different motives behind the picturization of the songs. That movie's theme was of a guy who wants to become an actor. But here she thinks of how funny Raj is.

Aamir has said that you are famous and your films become hits because you have befriended members of the media. What do you think?
You give me the answer if you think this is true. If this is true, then journalism's principal has died and you people are fake! Journalists are fake, news channels are sold out. Then none of the films will flop. I am asking you people if it is true. These are baseless rumors. And I don't have any special friends in the media. If I had friends in the media, you all would not do any negative stories against me. When I came to Mumbai and was on my way to becoming a star, I used to get tensed and angry with the media wanting to write about my personal life. But then I cooled down as I realized that I am doing my job and they are doing their job.

Aamir has put up his Ghajini statues in theatres to compete with your film. What is your reaction?
I think Ghajini will be a blockbuster. See I will tell you that he is intelligent, he is smart and he is a great actor. And we met each other last night. Don't take it the wrong way! We were shooting next to each other. I will tell you one thing about Aamir. Now Aamir has become so funny ...earlier he was very serious. And now he pulls my leg so I can also pull his leg. So I thought I would tease him about his hair but when I saw him his hair had grown. Then I asked him about the boys who have gone bald because of him as they are sporting the Ghajini hairstyle and what if their hair doesn't grow back? And then I joked with him about his muscles. I got a six pack last year but Aamir has got an eight pack now, so who toh mere se aage nikal gaya hai. I wish him all the best for Ghajini.

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Abhi sizzles and Sonam goes brown in Dubai

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi 6 starring Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan was showcased at the Dubai International Film Festival.

Take a look at the trio.

Gain Some, Lose Some: Sonam, who has put on some weight and Abhishek, who has lost some weight make a perfect picture


Honeymooning Couple: Co-stars Abhishek and Sonam pose against the grand Burj-Al-Arab hotel. They look like a couple on honeymoon


Hair Story: Abhishek's wearing a cap to hide his new Ravan look. He has probably gone bald for the film. Sonam has colored her tresses a deep brown


Stolen Whispers: Abhishek talks to Sonam as director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra looks on.


We're Here: The Delhi 6 trio is proud be at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival.

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After SRK, Hrithik into Gulf dealings!

Superhero Hrithik Roshan is getting business savvy and for that he is following in the footsteps of his friend and one of the most successful film personality, one whose business dealings are always extremely profitable and respectable. Hrithik is emulating none other than Bollywood's global superstar Shah Rukh Khan as he, like SRK, is venturing into a mega real estate project in the UAE.

Just recently Hrithik Roshan was in Dubai along with Shah Rukh Khan and other eminent Bollywood and Hollywood personalities for the opening ceremony of the Atlantis Hotel. Hrithik confirmed that he will be endorsing a property deal in the UAE and that he will sign the contract papers in January 2009. He added that the deal was in the initial stages and that he would disclose further details once things are finalized. Well, here is wishing our superhero a similar success as King Khan.

While on SRK, as per Shafi Toffic, the president of the UAE based TSA group, which is overseeing the construction of the beach front project, the $2.2 Billion Shah Rukh Khan Boulevard (Ras Al Khaimah) is set to be complete by 2012.

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''Big B is unbelievably athletic'' - Madhavan

In Pune, Madhavan who's shooting for Leena Yadav's Teen Patti was in for a huge shock when his co-star Amitabh Bachchan expressed a desire to join him at the golf course.

Maddy, it must be mentioned, is a national-level golf champ and winner of several national and international prizes for the sport. Mr Bachchan had never played golf before.

"Or so he said," says the still-dazed-and-dazzled Maddy from Pune. "But seeing how he played I was shocked. No one except Mr Bachchan can be so good at a game he has never played before."

It happened suddenly when one day Mr Bachchan decided to join Maddy at the golf course. "I thought I'd be privileged enough to teach him a few moves. But I was stunned at the way he played. He was spectacular. And if this was his first time ever at golf then I've just become an even bigger of his," says Maddy who played an Amitabh Bachchan fan in Ramji Londonwale and even got the mega-star to make an appearance at the end of the film.

Now Maddy is toying with the idea of a film based on the game of golf featuring Mr Bachchan and Maddy. "I don't know how he did it! He's unbelievably athletic. His hand co-ordination is extraordinary. Other people generally take four years for what he did on the golf course on his first day…and so easily. He has phenomenal pick-up powers whether it's on the golf course or on the sets."

Not much of a card-player either the Big B picked up the cards game so fast for Teen Patti that he left Maddy and other team members gasping. "He's extraordinary in whatever he does. I feel like his pupil," says Maddy who plays a professor in Teen Patti.

"And then I go right back to playing the student in Raj Kumar Hirani's 3 Idiots. But being around the Big B I always feel like a student," states Maddy.

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'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' The highest opening week grosser till date

Shahrukh Khan-starrer `Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' that released worldwide on December 12, has grossed Rs 90 crore in its opening week, which is on par with and in some places even higher than two of the highest opening week grossers till date, `Om Shanti Om' and `Singh Is King'.

Its producers Yash Raj Films (YRF) said `Rab Ne...' has also broken all earlier opening week collection records for Yash Raj Films, having surpassed the opening week collections of `Dhoom: 2', which is regarded as one of the highest grossing movies of all-time.

The total collections for `Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' in India are around Rs 42 crore net (gross collections were Rs 70 crore). The total gross collections for all overseas markets are over USD 4 Million (around Rs 20 crore), a YRF statement said here on Thursday.

In Middle East, `Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' has broken all previous records for first week collections, netting just under USD 1.3 million. The previous highest grossing film in the Gulf region, having a sizeable Indian population, was `Dhoom: 2', which grossed approximately USD 1.86 million across its entire run.

The Aditya Chopra-directed romantic flick, featuring newcomer Anushka Sharma, is on course to break this all-time record going into its second week, the statement said.

The film has also had a grand opening week across all overseas markets, including the UK, USA, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and features in the list of the highest grossers for the opening week in most of these territories.

"The film has the potential to finish as one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time," it said.

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Shahrukh Khan at Anushka Sharma's introductory press conference

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Exclusive: Billoo Barber Trailer

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Kareena's hot item number with SRK

Okay, so Kareena Kapoor has resolved not to dance for shaadis , parties et al. That's not so 'nawabi' , after all, for the much-in-love lady. Yeah, Bebo, save the last dance for boyfriend Saif Ali Khan, and no other, ok? But for Shah Rukh Khan, whom she is so fond of, she could do anything , from a 'walk-through' to an item number.

She scorched the screens with SRK in the 'yeh mera dil' number for Don, and we hear that apparently she's doing a hot, hot number for Billoo Barber , where she's dressed like a sexy Arabian dancer. We're hoping Bebo's put on some flab on those fab-abs for this gaana. C'mon, what is an Arabic dancer without a slight jelly-belly. Damn the size zero, honey, SRK's 6-pack (if it's still around) will make up for it, just for this time. Kareena also performed at his 'li'l star's awards show, na!

Apparently, it's just Shah Rukh that Kareena will do anything for. When Rakesh Roshan had approached her to do an item number for Krazzy 4, she politely declined, and was in the 'no item-number' mode.

And how about a full-fledged movie with the King Khan? That would be a real treat, no? If we aren't getting too greedy here, even Saif can join the party. What a casting coup that would be! Ohh ... once-upon-a-time, wasn't that supposed to be the cast of Kal Ho Na Ho (till KK dropped out and PZ stepped in)? OMG ... we didn't mean to dig up the better forgotten past. But wattodo, control hi nahi hota ? So, how about giving 'the two cool Khans, plus sexy Kareena', a chance again. Karan, wherefore art thou?

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SRK: Let audience speak about Anuskha

Last year when OM SHANTI OM was about to release Shah Rukh had left no stones unturned in promoting the movie. Infact the leading lady of the film newcomer Deepika Padukone was given the maximum hype. Even before the film hit the screens she was already interacting with the media and was being touted as the next big thing in Bollywood.

So (it went quite obvious) when RAB NE was about to scorch the screens everyone expected a similar kind of hullabaloo. But surprisingly makers and SRK kept mum about the leading lady newcomer Anuskha Sharma, before the film (RAB NE BANA DI JODI) release. And left one and all taken aback. And we thought this was the end.

But all you guys out there hold it, SRK is not a kind of person to take away home all the cake. Badshah knows his strategies well. He knows how to give fair share of credits to his co–stars. Last evening YRF held a special introductory press meet for Anuskha Sharma where Shah Rukh very cordially introduced her to the media.

When we asked SRK as to why Anuskha was kept away from media all these days, to this SRK quite jokingly in his style defended, "Honestly I think all the new actors should be given a chance to prove themselves, its important first we judge their work and then only go ahead with relevant questions. Atleast let them get comfortable with the environment. I think it's quite logical and comfortable to interview the new ones only after they are done with 2–3 films rather than grilling them with same set of questions like how was your experience, whether he/she is good/bad, etc. Once they are established it becomes pretty easier to talk about their work, their films, experience. So it was nothing like that we were hiding Anuskha from anyone or torturing her in any way to not to make any public appearance. She was very much free to step anywhere she wanted to. We allowed her to talk to her parents also."

Further he adds, "Moreover it would have been easy for me and Adi to speak about Anuskha ki Anuskha toh itni accchi hai aap jarur dekheyga. Unhone bahut aacha kaam kiya, etc, etc. But we didn't want to. Instead we wanted audience/viewers to notice about her charm, her work, her persona. We wanted audience to judge, recognize her."

Well we do agree with you SRK on this part. And your strategies have also worked. The charming and vivacious Anuskha has already garnered maximum accolades for her performance.

Now we know why SRK's leading ladies become overnight star.

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Hrithik-Barbara lovestory transcends boundaries!

Anurag Basu is super excited about his latest film under production KITES, starring Hrithik Roshan opposite Mexican Barbara Mori, which is about love transcending cultural and language barriers.

Here, Barabar Mori's character speaks only Spanish and while that of Hrithik's only Hindi, but despite of this barrier they fall in love with each other. But in spite of all the talks about steamy scenes the movie is not about sex but is an intensely romantic film.

There is some spice too in the story with a love triangle involving Kangana Ranaut's character and a thriller twist towards the end.

Director Anurag is working with the very talented and handsome Hrithik Roshan for the first time. He says, "Hrithik and I really enjoyed working together. I always respected him as an actor but now I respect him as a human being too. Hrithik and I made the film honestly, just like we wanted to."

Anurag was amazed by Hirthik's professionalism in spite of a knee injury.

"Before every shot I would be worried about Hrithik's knee. If anything happened to him, then our entire outdoor shooting schedule would've gone for a toss. But Hrithik asked me not to compromise the shots under any circumstance. I'm awed by the way he managed, without ever letting the shoot halt. He even did the few action scenes we have in the film himself."Says Anurag.

And it is learnt that Anurag is impressed by Barbara Mori too. He stated, "The day I narrated bout KITES I knew I had chosen the right actress. I've this bad habit of narrating very fast. Barbara is a Mexican actress, so she is not aware of Hindi and also less familiar with English. But the way she understood my story, hats off to her. Her expressions changed while I was narrating the story. I've never seen any actor responding this way. Even though she comes from a different culture, the emotions of love and relationships are the same. Her approach was definitely different."

KITES will be complete by January and Basu says he is nervous because of the huge expectations surrounding the multilingual film and hopes that it delivers.

We too want the movie on which he worked so hard to deliver maximum results.

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Why is Kareena gorging and Kajol starving

The two top actresses of Bollywood Kajol and Kareena are indeed doing as mentioned in our headlines! Kajol is on a strict diet and Kareena Kapoor has been asked to put on weight. Well, nothing to be surprised about. They are merely following instructions from none other than their producer, Karan Johar!

As is known both Kajol and Kareena are working under the Dharma Productions banner but in two different films. Kajol is doing Karan Johar's MY NAME IS KHAN and Kareena in the Rensil D'Silva directed Karan Johar produced film.

Kajol is scheduled to commence the shooting of Karan Johar's next directorial venture, MY NAME IS KHAN and for that Karan wants Kajol to shed a few kilos to look a part of her character. So he has asked Kajol to go on a strict diet of almonds (!). Surprised? Well, the healthy nut is known to help shed weight in a jiffy. As for Kareena, she has been asked to put on weight for the Rensil D'Silva directed Saif and Vivek starrer. Karan has told her forthrightly that he does not believe in the size zero figure for a Hindi film heroine and has requested Kareena to eat properly and put on a bit of weight.

And people thought becoming an actor was an easy job!

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How Aamir tore a muscle while shooting for Ghajini!

There is no denying the fact that Aamir Khan and his latest film Ghajini is the flavor of the season. Put on any T.V. channel or read any newspaper or surf through any website, chances are you will surely come across one or the other story revolving around Ghajini. Right from Aamir's cropped look to his chiseled physique to his debutante heroine Asin, everything about the film has managed to make news. Ghajini is a film that is indeed special to the actor as he has literally given it his all for this particular role. Not many know that apart from the intense and grueling workout sessions, Aamir also had two injuries whilst shooting for this film. Here's a shot by shot lowdown on how the Perfectionist Khan got injured on the sets of the film

Aamir is seen chasing the villain (Pradeep Singh Rawat) in the narrow by-lanes of Sultan Bazaar in this particular shot. The shot required the actor to chase the villain and take a running dive to bring him down.

As soon as he takes the leap, Aamir feels his muscles buckled as he trips and falls on the ground with a thud but luckily for him, the floor has been covered with cloth sheets. Peter Hines, the action director had apparently laid out a layer of thermocol and Aamir felt it was the sudden softness of this very thermocol that caused him to trip and fall.

While initially everyone thinks that it's just a normal fall, unit members rush to Aamir's aid when they see him writhing in pain.

From the looks of it, Aamir seems to have caused a slight tear in his left hamstring and is in quite a bit of pain. Anxious crew members meanwhile look a bit worried about the actor's well-being.

Aamir finds it even difficult to pick himself up and is offered a helping hand by director A.R. Murugadoss and other unit members. It's finally time for some first aid and immediate medical attention. The injury caused a delay in shooting the climax of the film and Aamir even spoke about this injury at length in his by now famous blog.

This was the second time that Aamir had injured himself (within a span of a few weeks) while shooting for Ghajini. Three weeks before this injury took place, Aamir had injured his inner right thigh when he had to pick up a burly villain and slam him against the wall. Shooting had to be stalled for a while (even then) till the actor recovered from his injury.

Surely with the number of times he has injured his body while shooting for this film and with all those grueling training schedules, Ghajini is a film that Aamir won't forget for a long time to come.

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Genelia sparkles on the cover of 'Seventeen'

She was all over the place a few months and weeks ago, courtesy the smash hit Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na, in which she was paired opposite the brand new teenage sensation Imran Khan! We are indeed talking about the one and only Genelia D'souza, whose smiling away to glory on the cover of the fashion mag 'Seventeen'. The cover itself is effervescent enough for the reader to judge what one can find inside the mag.

You can find the quotes (read 'confessions') like "They called me Mowgli in college for the longest time ever!!!", "The one thing that I have learnt from a race or a match is that you have only one take to make it" etc... She also speaks about the wildest thing that she has done and the meaning of her name (which many still do not know, we bet). Besides all these, you can also get a glimpse of the 'real-life Genelia' in this issue.

Get your hands on this issue if you are a Genelia fan. Even if you are not, then, this issue will surely make you one!

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Manoj Kumar loves Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

When Shah Rukh's last film Om Shanti Om released, yesteryear actor Manoj Kumar was furious with him, and threatened to sue him for spoofing him in the film. But on Friday when SRK starrer releases, the senior actor was the first one to call him and congratulate him on his performance in Rab Ne Bana De Jodi.

SRK was pleasantly surprised with Manoj Kumar called on him on the morning of his film's release. The actor told King Khan that his wife Shashi had seen the film at a 9 am show and now they were going to watch the film again.

Kumar has not seen the film yet but he plans to do so this week. Manoj made it a point to tell SRK that the film will be a bigger success than Om Shanti Om.

Manoj Kumar confirms, "My wife saw the movie and completely loved it. Due to some issues, I couldn't go with her. The moment my wife entered home, she couldn't stop praising the movie. We called up SRK and congratulated him on the movie. My wife blessed him. I saw it on television and saw the huge profit it has made, even after the recession and depression the country is going through, the cinema houses are going house-full."

He reveals that he would go watch the film later today and adds, "SRK and I share good relations and I am extremely happy for him. My wife loved his Suri character and complimented him on his sweet look."

Shah Rukh Khan's RNBDJ has done a smashing business worldwide of around 63 crores gross in the first three days of its release. The film's stupendous success can be easily attributed to the overseas market alone. The film is said to touch the $200 million mark overseas. According to trade analyst, "It will be a bigger hit than Shah Rukh's earlier Om Shanti Om and even bigger than this year's biggest hit Singh Is Kinng."

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Exclusive: Endhiran First Look

Here are exclusive pictures and first look of Rajnikant and Aishwarya Rai’s awaited film Endhiran.

Here’s a first look of the poster of the film:

Rajnikanth is said to play a scientist in the film who is developing a highly advanced robot capable of doing everything and more.

The film previously titled Robot by acclaimed director Shankar have filmed certain scenes in Peru before Ash had to fly back due to Amitabh Bachchan’s illness.

Aishwarya plays Rajnikant's wife in the film.


It is being rumoured that Endhiran could be Ranikant's last film


Ash catches her breath in the scenic locales of Peru

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What’s wrong with Rajesh Khanna

The sleazy lip lock and love making video clips of yesterday’s Bollywood superstar and former Congress MP Rajesh Khanna have been circulating around the city since a couple of days.

The five minute long clip has Rajesh Khanna locking his lips with Saara Khan who is said to be a model from Pakistan. The clips are learnt to be the uncensored version of Rajesh Khanna’s comeback film Wafaa which is slated to hit the screens this week.

The film has Khanna playing the character of Amrit Chopra a 56 year old Multimillionaire based in Thailand who is lonely and finds his true love in Beena (Saara Khan) who marries the actor but what he finds in her is betrayal

A Bollywood insider reveals that all the love making scenes were canned within couple of days in Thailand taking the legendary superstar in confidence. Though these steamy clippings were earlier to be used as promotional material the censor scissors on it came as a rude shock for the makers of the film. If sources are to be believed the Censor reviewing members too were taken by shock after reviewing the sleazy bed scenes of Khanna.

The film has two love making scenes featuring Rajesh Khanna and Saara Khan which have gone under the censor scissors and have been considerably toned down.

Wafaa is directed by Rakesh Sawant brother of item girl Rakhi Sawant.

Courtesy: Lehren TV

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Is YRF unlucky for Saif

YRF has scored its first hit this year in the form of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi starring SRK. But things haven’t been that rosy for the other Khan and Yash Raj Films. Three films starring Saif Ali Khan have flopped. So is YRF unlucky for Saif who has otherwise had a great 2008?

Our source tells us, "Saif got his big break with Dil Chahta Hai and YRF's Hum Tum directed by Kunal Kohli starring Saif and Rani was Saif's first solo hero hit in 2004. But after that, none of his films with YRF have repeated the success of Hum Tum."

He further adds, "After Hum Tum, he did Salaam Namaste with Preity Zinta which was an average success. Then Ta Ra Rum Pum was supposed to repeat the success of Hum Tum because people had loved Saif and Rani in that film. It was the first film of Yash Raj in 2007 and it did not live up to the expectations of people."

"This year the first release of Yash Raj was Tashan in April with Saif and Kareena. The movie got a lot of publicity over Kareena's size zero figure and their romance but Saif got a raw deal in the film as his role had been chopped off. The movie was the first big budget flop of 2008. Then Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic released in June. Everyone expected the movie to do well because it was a children's film and had Saif and Rani. Moreover, Kunal Kohli had given two hits back to back with Hum Tum and Fanaa. But in spite of all the hype, Ameesha's lack of clothes and good reviews, the film flopped.”

“Roadside Romeo released in the Diwali vacations and was expected to draw in the crowds because of its animation and Saif-Kareena pairing but it didn't happen and Jugal Hansraj's directorial debut sank at the BO. Clearly, Saif's jodi with neither Kareena nor Rani is creating wonders at the BO. In fact, even YRF films which have Rani in the lead are flopping though she has got good reviews for her performances in the films. Barring the success of Hum Tum and Bunty aur Babli, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic have flopped,” adds the source.

But outside of YRF, Saif has had a good year. Last year Omkara released and this year Race. Both have been huge hits for the actor. “Saif's only hit this year was Abbas Mastan's Race which was a multistarrer and more importantly not a YRF release,” says the source.

He further adds, "In fact, Saif is not doing another film with Yash Raj Films in the near future. He is busy with the films he is producing and with Dharma Productions' film! There is nothing with YRF on the cards in the near future!"

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2009 to be Abhishek Bachchan's year!

Year 2008 may not go down as a memorable one for Bachchan junior, what with his DRONA being declared a box office disaster and his destined to succeed SARKAR RAJ proving to be an average show. The only silver lining was Karan Johar's Tarun Mansukhani directed DOSTANA, which has done very well at the turnstile. With DOSTANA inching towards an above average status from India (already a super–hit in the Overseas) good luck seems to be back in Abhishek Bachchan's life. And it appears from the superb promos of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's DILLI 6 that lady luck is here to stay with Ab's Baby for a while.

Yes, the promos of DILLI 6 (or DELHI 6?) are out on all leading satellite channels and portals and going by the response that it has generated, it appears that Abhishek has another winner on hand. Music maestro A.R. Rahman's lilting background musical score on the harmonica and ghatam enthralls the senses and once again expectations surmount that Rahman will create magic, just like he did with RANG DE BASANTI. Sonam's pretty, innocent looks, Abhishek Bachchan's brooding, intense visuals and the historic old Delhi, all conjure up a beautiful picture and build up the audience's curiosity.

Looks like Rakeysh is continuing from where he left off in RDB. And in the process we feel that 2009 may well be Abhishek's year, especially now that Mani Ratnam's RAVANA is progressing at a brisk pace towards completion and Rohan Sippy's next with Abhishek is on the anvil from January!

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Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi script goes to the Oscars library

It's time for YRF to start their celebrations as Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi has had a successful run at the BO since its release last week. And if that was not enough the news is that YRF has got a call from the Oscar library requesting them for the script of Rab Ne...for its permanent collection.

News has it that it's basically the sensitivity of the screenplay and the unusual love story that attracted the attention of the Oscar library. For the uninitiated, the scripts in the collection are kept at the famous Margaret Herrick Library and are made accessible strictly for research purposes only. It's actually the students, filmmakers, writers and actors who can avail of the script. Not just that, the screenplays may only be viewed in the library since they do not get circulated and no screenplay is allowed to be photocopied.

Critics may not have given Rab Ne... the much expected five star ratings, but being chosen for the Oscar library is an achievement in itself! SRK will surely agree to this!

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It's final - Wednesday is the D Day for Ghajini

It's official! Last week, the makers and distributors of GHAJINI had decided on releasing GHAJINI on Wednesday night [paid previews], with the regular release on Thursday, 25th December [Christmas]. But the film will open across the country from Wednesday evening onwards. While single screens will perform two shows on Wednesday evening, the plexes will perform 3/4/5 shows from Wednesday evening onwards. Of course, Thursday will see the full-fledged release of the film, confirmed Aman Gill of Studio 18

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"Shah Rukh and me have made it on our own" - Akshay Kumar

As Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi reaches mid-week, it is crystal clear that Shah Rukh Khan and Yash Raj Films have a big money spinner up their sleeves. With no questions being asked about the big opening that Ghajini is all set to take, industry is smiling again. Hat-trick of big bucks flowing in is pretty much on the anvil as Chandni Chowk To China is on it's way to create a hat-trick of box office winners once it releases on 16th January 2009. No wonder, there is a lot riding on each of these biggies.

Says Akshay Kumar, "Shah Rukh Khan and me are the only actors in the current times who have attained this level of success all on our own without any Godfather backing us. We came without any connections in Bollywood and still have managed to reach this stage by sheer hard work and determination."

He chooses to shrug away the 'who amongst the two is supreme' talk when the question was raised around his rap number in Chandni Chowk To China. In the song composed by Bohemia which would play during the film's end credit titles, there are a few lines that go as:

"Mera Ek Haath Ka Khel, Sara Bollywood Ek Mera Koi Nahi Mel,
Acting Karne Chale Vaise Hazaaron, Badsaah Ek Baaki Sare Fail"

Is this the superstar talking for himself? "But if you listen carefully, am I bringing in the 'superstar' angle at all? And there is a lot of other stuff which is being talked about in the song, especially the parts around me coming from the Chandni Chowk lanes and beating the odds to live life on my own terms. Where does he question around me reigning supremacy come in? In any case, a rap number belonging to such situation and genre is all about attitude and this is what is demonstrated in the entire song. Let's not make much ado about it", protests Akshay.

Well, we won't Akshay, though the message is loud and clear with lines like:

"Jaun Jahan Pe Mera Dil Mujhe Kheeche, Main Nayi Duniya Aaya,
Meri Duniya Chod Ke Peeche, Aur Jab Andaaz Koi Raaaz Na Aaya,
Maine Mere Anadaz Aap Banaya"

Any famous last words? Well there you go and decide for yourself!

"Dushman Kare Waar, Maine Maani Na Haar
Log Bole Mujhe Bollywood Star, Naam Mera Akshay Kumar

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Delhi 6 - First Look

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Aamir Khan at Tata Indicom's press meet for Ghajini

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Aamir Khan at the launch of the Van Heusen's Ghajini collection

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Salman Khan graces the finale of MMK's College Festival

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'Aamir's using SRK, the best brand'

Shah Rukh Khan was at his wittiest best at an event on Tuesday night to unveil the cover of Filmfare magazine. Not only was he looking dapper, but also charming everyone with his words and air kissing. The media straightaway started with asking him why Aamir Khan's film Ghajini's trailer was being shown during Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi's screening. And pat came the reply, "It's a very clever strategy. Aamir is using the best brand, that's SRK!" Read on for more priceless quotes from Shah Rukh Khan.

Shah Rukh went on to add that he has no competition with Aamir Khan. "Aamir is a senior actor. He has taught us a lot of things. We all love him. Whatever he does, he does conscientiously. But there is no one bigger than me."

On whose six-packs were better, Shah Rukh said, "It doesn't look nice to compare the six-packs of 40-year-old boys, rather men. Aamir and me did show our bodies to each other, though not sexually (laughs). We were just showing off - Achcha, tera kaisa dikh raha hai, mera thoda gol hain and stuff."

So, why was Anushka Sharma, the heroine of Rab Ne..., being kept under wraps? On a lighter note, SRK said, "I don't keep girls under wraps. I like the lights on...I'm that kind of a guy!" But seriously, he said, "Anushka did not have any work behind her and something to talk about. Now that it's been four-five days since the film has released, we'll bring her out. If we had brought her out before, journalists would've asked questions like, 'We saw you with your boyfriend outside college, who is he?' We wanted to avoid that."

Shah Rukh was in the Surinder Sahni character full on, and spoke like him for a while. "In real life, I'm very much like Suri. And 99 per cent of men are like that. They can't express their love. I feel a man should allow his woman (to be). If she says hold my hand, hold it immediately without saying a word."

The actor said that by playing characters like Kabir Khan in Chak De! India and Surinder Sahni in Rab Ne..., he was trying to show that he had grown up. "Main koi chhota bachcha nahin raha hoon abhi (I'm not a kid anymore)."

"In my films, I've thrown a woman down a building, I've cheated...I've done everything. Well, do everything, but don't break a woman's heart," Shah Rukh said to loud applause by the females in the audience.

Ending on a good note, SRK wished all his rivals well. "In these times of recession, I feel Ghajini should also do well. So should Chandni Chowk To China and other films. Everybody should be happy."

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Preity Zinta: Moving on and around!

Preity Zinta made her way to the Dubai Film Festival only recently...

After all her film Heaven On Earth was being screened there na. Anyway, with the kind of films she is taking up these days — The Last Lear and now Heaven on Earth types, PZ has become rather arty-sharty! But then she’s making her mark globally, too. And it’s such a pleasant change to see her do different things and be a part of different films. We mean we were quite bored seeing the typical Preity-Rani-SRK-Karan clique come together again and again...

Maybe she is learning from contemporary Rani Mukerji’s mistakes... The once-upon-a-time Queen Bee has been buzzing only around one hive. But Preity is at least buzzing around the globe, attending these international festivals and all. Smart move, honey!

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Anushka VsAsin

With Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi having released already, the competition is now between the ‘A’s — be it Aamir Khan versus Akshay Kumar or then Asin (Ghajini) who is surely going to be compared to Rab Ne’s Anushka Sharma.

But Aamir isn’t afraid. He told BT that since Jumbo is an animated flick, they wouldn’t eat into each other’s pie, and about the fresh faces and new talent — Asin and Anushka — Aamir insists that he has had no time to watch Rab Ne... but explained that both Asin and Anushka have a bright future. So while the war of the Khans and Kumar continues, will constant comparisons between Anushka and Asin lead to a competitive catfight? Like the one between Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone when Saawariya and Om Shanti Om clashed at the theatres. All we can actually do is wait and watch!

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Adi-SRK bigger than Vipul Shah-Akshay Kumar

First things first! After a lull, when theatre managements were forced to call off shows due to lack of audiences, it was back to good old days this weekend. RAB NE BANA DI JODI, the first of the three 'Saviours' [the other two being GHAJINI and CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA], has succeeded in luring audiences back to movie halls.

Another observation! SRK's star power came to the rescue of RAB NE BANA DI JODI. A majority of those who watched the film were unanimous that the script was faulty, with loopholes aplenty. But SRK swept everyone off their feet!

Now let's talk business! RAB NE BANA DI JODI has come as a respite for the strife-torn industry, especially since everyone's talking non-stop of how the global meltdown and the terrorist attacks have hit movie business hard. The Saturday and Sunday numbers of RAB NE BANA DI JODI were excellent.

All through the weekend, the industry kept comparing RAB NE BANA DI JODI with RACE, SINGH IS KINNG and GOLMAAL RETURNS, the biggest openers of 2008. It was ahead at 'x' centre, behind at 'y' centre, they said.

If you ask my opinion, RAB NE BANA DI JODI should've had the biggest start of 2008. When SRK and Aditya Chopra shake hands, you expect the ultimate -- in terms of entertainment, in terms of numbers. Surely, the Adi-SRK combo is any day bigger than the Vipul Shah-Akshay Kumar combo [SINGH IS KINNG], Abbas-Mustan-Saif team [RACE] and Rohit Shetty-Ajay Devgan jodi [GOLMAAL RETURNS]. Come to think of it, it can't get bigger than Adi-SRK.

All said and done, RAB NE BANA DI JODI should've started with a bang, should've set new records, should set new benchmarks in business, should've been a trendsetter. Is it one?

Monday onwards, the film is sustaining well in North and parts of Central India and also South. But the severe drop at several screens cannot be ignored either. The feedback is mixed, people aren't going ga-ga or into raptures over RAB NE BANA DI JODI.

For the producers, who are also its distributors, RAB NE BANA DI JODI is a profitable venture, no two opinions on that. They will make pots of money on this venture. It's one of the biggest money spinners for YRF to date. The cost of production isn't much and the only expensive factor is SRK's remuneration. The recoveries from India theatrical, Overseas, Home Video and Satellite is sure to make the Chopras grin from ear to ear.

But as a cine enthusiast, you definitely expected Adi to push the envelope, to take Hindi cinema forward. When new/debutante directors can attempt films like ROCK ON!!, A WEDNESDAY, AAMIR, JANNAT and JAANE TU... YA JAANE NA, it inspires 20 people to take the torch forward. But if someone like Adi, the front-runner, thinks out of the box [within commercial parameters], it will inspire a whole new generation. Right?

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Priyanka Chopra At Ayushi Mahajan's Art Show

Oh what a swanky scene at Ayusi Mahajan's art exhibit, held last night in the uber posh five-star Leela Hotel in Mumbai night last. The event that showcased the work of the already flourishing artist, Ayushi Mahajan, probably became a bigger success with the appearance of the gorgeous Bollywood actress and former Miss World winner, Priyanka Chopra. The event was purely put together to display and promote the art of the talented Ayushi Mahajan whose pieces featured at the show ranged from beautiful, calm, cool and tranquil realistic nature scenes which included sunsets and beaches to bright and bold modern, minimalistic, paint splattered art.

Priyanka Chopra look in comparison to the brilliant colors used in the paintings was toned down for the show as it has so obviously been in the last few appearances the actress has made this past week. Priyanka who is normally not quite conservative with her clothing and make-up whether for movies or for other occasions, decided to wear two similar outfits for the artist's show as she did for her father Dr. Ashok Chopra's clinic launch just two days before.

Although many people are criticizing the actress for not putting enough thought and imagination into the way she has been dressing, Priyanka's short-sleeved fitted shirts and pencil skirts matched with simple make-up, and red pointy heels in the case of the art show, were probably the most proper attire that were in keeping with the nature of the two events.

Regardless of what the actress wears, she clearly draws a crowd and attention of all who attend see her, which for Ayushi Mahajan's art show included cameramen and onlookers who watched as Priyanka Chopra smiled happily and posed next to Ayushi Mahajan art. One has to wonder if Priyanka Chopra decided to purchase anything to support the artist's work, regardless, the rising artist probably appreciated her presence as much as he would money. So did people show up for the art or Priyanka?

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Ghajini sold for a whopping Rs. 90 crore

So what's the price of the next biggie to hit the screens this year? I'm talking of GHAJINI. There's tremendous speculation about the price of the film, with 75, 80 and 90 crores being quoted by various sections of the media. The truth is something else.

Quiz GHAJINI producer Madhu Mantena about it and he adds promptly, "The India theatrical business has been sold for Rs. 40 cr. [to Studio 18], while the Overseas rights [sold to Big Pictures] has fetched Rs. 10 cr." Of course, the Satellite rights [sold for Rs. 20 cr. to Studio 18], Home Video [not sold yet] and Audio rights [sold to T-Series] have also fetched handsome amounts.

Another interesting aspect about GHAJINI is that the film isn't a scene to scene copy of the original GHAJINI [Tamil]. "We've changed the last 30 minutes of the film. It's completely different from the original," Madhu says. That increases the expectations from this Aamir Khan starrer all the more.

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Will Ghajini's playing time of 3 hours be pruned for multiplex purposes

The big Christmas Release Ghajini has a longer story to tell than is considered healthy for the multiplexes. The film's playing time of 3 hours makes it the second-longest film of 2008 after Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar.

And didn't that click? "Precisely," avers producers Madhu Mantena who also co-produced the superhit Tamil version of Ghajini with Allu Arvind. "It's not the length. It's the performance. You could have a really boring two-hour film. On the other hand, you could've a really gripping film that's three hours long."

Ghajini would have been lengthier by at least 5 minutes. "We were thinking of adding theatrical trailers to the feature. That would've added 5 minutes extra to the playing- time and good 30 minutes lost during the day at the multiplexes," explains Madhu and refutes the charge that the film is ultra-violent. "It's not a tale of violence. It's a tale of retribution. And at the moment after 26/11 everyone wants answers. Films about retribution are always liked."

As for the charge that Ghajini is a remake of Christopher Nolan's Memento, Madhu says, "There are other Hollywood films on same theme of short-term memory loss like Finding Nemo and 50 First Dates. So why single out Memento?"

Ah, foolproof method of avoiding copyright litigation.

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Adhyayan-Kangna chemistry visible in 'Soniyo'

This is what love can do to you. If you act in a film together, especially if you are shown as a romantic couple, the frames start looking more believable, the sequences lively and performances natural. Of course, there is an entire perception factor involved as well and since we have been made aware that Adhyayan Suman and Kangna Ranaut are a couple in real life as well, one tends to look at their mushy antics with a biased approach.

Of course, it has it's repercussions as well. Since one tends to get over critical about the entire affair (pun unintended), a minor slip here or there in the performance could lead to complete breakdown of a scene, something that happened when Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Rai could hardly heat up the proceedings in Kyun? Ho Gaya Naa.

However, Adhyayan and Kangna do not let an audience down when they come together in 'Soniyo', the first ever song in which the two are seen together. For the film Raaz - The Mystery Continues, the two are shown as a couple and their chemistry is pretty much visible in each of the frames. What one observes in this one minute clipping is pure love and affection that they demonstrate for each other. Nothing over the top, no gesture screaming of 'Oh, how much we love each other', no body-play at work that may possibly take away the focus. Instead, what one sees is sheer love in the eyes of the two youngsters who seem to have accepted each other as soul mates.

Though there are glimpses of a pensive looking Emraan Hashmi getting into his painting act and in turn getting horrified about what next is in store in Kangna's life, for a change you want to go back to Adhyayan-Kangna love story instead of concentrating on Emraan's brooding expressions. We will wait for your next music video, Emraan!

As per Mukesh Bhatt, the song reminds him of the evergreen 'Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye' which was composed for his Jurm years back. Of course, one can't blame him since 'Soniyo' does come with lyrics that go as 'Tu Dede Mera Saath Thaam Le Haath Chahe Jo Bhi Ho Baat, Tu Bas De De Mera Saath'.

Well, though Adhyayan lip syncs to these words in 'Soniyo', this could well be the call of Kangna who is herself looking for gaining peace for herself in the current times.

And of course, any song or person that could make Kangna smile is worth recognition. After all, looking at the set of movies that she has done in the past, it is not everyday that the pretty young girl moves out of her intense persona and enjoys the goodies offered by life. 'Soniyo' and Adhyayan truly make her do so though!

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Akshay, Deepika have a blast with kids at the POGO Amazing Kids Awards '08

There is no denying the fact that Akshay Kumar has a huge fan following all over the world and across different age-groups but among his biggest fans are the 'bachcha log' of this country. Akshay 'Khiladi' Kumar was invited as the special guest at the recently held POGO Amazing Kids Awards 2008 and needless to say the kids went berserk.

Akshay was present along with his co-star Deepika Padukone as a part of the promotions of their upcoming flick Chandni Chowk To China. In keeping with the theme of the film, Akshay gave an electrifying action-packed performance along with the Shaolin Monks (kids from the famous Shaolin Temple). Knowing Akshay's fondness for martial arts, the superstar surely must have had a ball of a time kicking some butt with the tiny tots.

Actress Deepika Padukone, who was not supposed to perform, joined the kids on stage for an impromptu jig and must say the kids couldn't have asked for more.

Speaking on the occasion Monica Tata, Vice President and Deputy Manager Entertainment Networks, South Asia, Turner International India Private Limited (TIIPL) said, "This is our fifth year of POGO Amazing Kids Awards and we are glad to have created India's first kids' television award that voices the choice of kids, as well as recognizes and rewards talent of such young and brilliant kids." She also added, "In addition, POGO's signature event continues to draw Bollywood's biggest stars, and this year, we are happy to collaborate with Warner Bros' movie Chandni Chowk To China. The movie effectively demonstrates our 'Dream Bigger' theme, and the presence of admired celebrities such as Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone at our awards made the evening even more memorable."

Nikhil Advani, director of Chandni Chowk To China commented on his association with POGO, "My daughter loves POGO, it is the only channel that runs in my house and hence a tie-up with POGO is the only way I can see my movie promos on TV."

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Harman says V for Victory

Indians are crazy about two things - Bollywood and cricket. Bring them together and you have what one calls a winning formula. Films like Iqbal and Lagaan with cricket as the central theme are still fresh in our minds. Similarly who can forget the IPL extravaganza last year where Bollywood made its presence felt in large numbers on the cricket field?

It is this very winning formula of combining cricket and cinema that the makers of Victory seem to banking on. Starring Harman Baweja and Amrita Rao in lead roles along with Anupam Kher, Dilip Tahil and Gulshan Grover, Victory (directed by Ajit Pal) tells the story of a small town boy, who like millions of Indians, dreams of making it to the Indian cricket team. How he achieves this dream forms the crux of the story.

However, apart from the lead cast, it's the presence of the who's who of the cricketing world that forms the highlight of the film. So get ready to see superstars like Brett Lee, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Muralitharan, Graema Smith sweat it out with Harman Baweja on the cricket field. As for all you Indian cricket fans, don't fret as yet because you have the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Karthik, R.P.Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Praveen Kumar making an appearance in the film.

With the coming together of so many cricketers in one film, Harman surely must be hoping that this film starts his 'Victory' march in Bollywood sooner than later.

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Shah Rukh Khan launches the latest Filmfare issue

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Aamir is Aamir, SRK is SRK: Aamir Khan

Ghajini is the most anticipated release of the year. And like everyone else, Aamir Khan is super-excited about it. He talks about the hairstyle he made famous, clears a few controversies and hopes Ghajini will be his Christmas present to movie buffs.

Are you counting the days to the release of Ghajini?
Yeah. Now that it has been completed I’m just waiting for its release. I’m thrilled that people all over India are excited about the film. It has a Tamil version too and all over audiences are eagerly awaiting its release. The cast and crew have worked very hard for this movie. My director Ossim, without knowing Hindi, had to adjust.

Your film got U/A rating. How do you feel about it?
It’s great that the censor board, having seen it, has given it this rating. Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed. The censor board has liked it, we now have to wait for the audiences’ reaction.

Tell us about the scenes that have been deleted because of the censor board.
There were only about two to three shots that were deleted. Unless you watch the movie it is worthless to say which scenes these were. Also, I really can’t disclose this type of information.

Do you really think that you can promote Ghajini through a hairstyle?
See, the idea was from the film’s publicity department. They thought it was good and it is the first time a film has been promoted this way so I am happy with the concept. The film has a lot of offer. I assure you that everyone who watches it will get something out of the experience. So I can’t say that it will become a hit or not only through the way it is being promoted.

Issues about the phone number tattooed on you in the film’s poster were in the news. It all came back to you. Tell us about it.
It was our mistake and I am sorry for what happened. I was upset about it but we did not do it intentionally.

Have you watched Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi?
No, but if I get time I will definitely watch the film.

You are apparently promoting your film in theatres that are showing Shahrukh Khan’s movie. Is it tough always competing with Khan?
My film has only two weeks to it’s release. Shahrukh is Shahrukh and Aamir is Aamir. No one should compare us to each other. We both have different styles when it comes to our work and we are both well settled in our careers. So I don’t know why the media is constantly comparing us. The promotion of my film has nothing to do with this so called Khan war.

Do you think you have worked harder than Surya (who starred in the original Ghajini) for this film?
I saw the film in its Tamil version and I liked Surya’s character. That’s why I asked Murgadoss to make a Hindi version. I was inspired by him. So I can’t say that I have worked harder than him.

This film is quite different from your recent movies. The storyline is not situational or message based.
Ya, but the film is good! When I saw the Tamil version I liked the movie so much that I called the director. It’s true, it isn’t situational or message based but again it’s a different kind of role- something I have never done before. You get to see the action hero in me this time; the one who fights gundas and all! And also, a lover boy! That’s a role I’m playing after a while. I need variation in my characters and want to do different roles with each film.

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Akshay Kumar voted sexiest man by People

This week, in a special two-cover issue, People India names Akshay Kumar its first-ever "Sexiest Man Alive" for the year 2008.

Akshay credits his "Punjabi eyes" for his effortless sex appeal adding, "Just for the record, I'm not what you call good-looking. Our industry just happens to have excellent directors of photography. That's all," he tells PEOPLE on receiving the honour. Akshay was photographed specially for the issue in Vicenza, Italy. In the accompanying interview, AK talks gets candid...

"I think everyone just likes to change the way I look it seems to be an amusing pastime for them…I'm not afraid to try anything. It takes guts to be an icon. If we played it safe all the time, fashion wouldn't exist."

"My cleavage is my best asset. Women used to love my hairy chest too. Also, my Punjabi eyes convince women that I'm in love with them. I think that's why I'm always linked with my co-stars. We look so in love on celluloid that people think we must be having an affair."

"My son would probably kung fu my a*** if I flirted with anyone but his mother."

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Bipasha has a ear-full of problems

Sunday was one of Bipasha's worst days ever. In the afternoon, she gave those close to her a scare when a flying pebble lodged itself straight inside her ear, almost tearing her eardrums.

Shuddering at the bizarre turns of the day Bipasha says, "We were doing a heavy-duty action scene when this pebble went right inside my ear. I had to be taken to Leelavati where it had to be sucked out. "

On the surface, this doesn't sound serious. "But it wasn't on the surface. It went right in. And I couldn't move because there was the danger that it would go in deeper and pierce the eardrums, I tried to shake it out. Then, when that didn't work, I decided to let a doctor do the needful."

Sunday being an off day no doctors were available. "The producer and director tried everything. We finally headed towards Leelavati. It was John who got an old ENT specialist friend of his to check me out. The sweet doctor was at another hospital. He drove down to Leelavati and at 4.30 pm, he finally put me out of my misery."

But it was a good three hours of trauma for Bipasha. "Who would think such a thing would happen? Normally during an action scene, you protect your knees, head, etc. But your ear? My parents were petrified. The minute the doctor said it could be taken out, I was okay. It was the most bizarre thing that ever happened to me."

That wasn't the end of Bips's Sunday trauma. "It was double jeopardy for me. When my parents, sister and I returned home we got stuck in the lift while going up to my apartment. My sister is claustrophobic. So I had to pretend to be calm for her sake until we were rescued."

Bipasha has marked Sunday 14 December as the most terrifying day of her life. " It was the most ridiculous and scary day of my life. And that too on a Sunday when I should've been relaxing."

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Mugdha Godse living with friends

Model-turned-actress Mugdha Godse is homeless. The Fashion star is in the midst of entirely redoing her Seven Bungalows house. As she has given up her premises to the team of carpenters, painters and an interior designer, Mugdha has been forced to move out till the work is done.

The ramp model had initially decided to stay in a hotel but her bunch of best friends persuaded her to live with them. They told her that as her family was in Pune, she had to treat them as her kin and treat their home as her home.

As a result, the actress has been staying at each of her friends' houses till the work is completed by the month-end . Her daily stuff and other personal belongings have been packed in bags and kept in her car which are constantly on the move with her.

Says Mugdha, "It has been over three years that I bought this place at Seven Bungalows. I had wanted to make several changes in the house for long. But due to my work and constant travelling I did not have time. Now that I was free for a while, I decide to go for it. My interior designer friend Alok Sehgal is doing up the place. I am making a huge walk-in wardrobe as well as several other changes all over the house."

She does not find it a pain to live out of suitcases. "I have been travelling for ramp shows all over and am used to it. In fact, I find myself now leading a true bohemian life. At the moment, I am with my bunch of friends who are not from the modelling world. Later I will be staying with my ramp pals like Aanchal Kumar."

As she has been shunted out from her home, Mugdha is also planning to visit Goa for Christmas and New Year. "As it is, I can't be home, why not Goa?" asks Mugdha, who is in the process of finalising her next step in B-Town. "There are offers and by January, one of them will roll," she claims.

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Preity Zinta is no quitter

Preity Zinta is definitely around.

So contemporaries who have written her off need to realise that she’s more than just an actress now. When PZ got into cricket and even owned a team of 11 handsome guys, there were whispers about how the girl has quit Bollywood. And after a few months a few films of hers — Heroes — for example, saw light of day. Then there’s also Heaven On Earth, Har Pal and a couple of other projects that will release soon. “They said I had quit Bollywood, eh? I was busy with cricket. But now that I am busy with Bollywood, I hope they don’t think I’ve quite cricket,” laughs Bollywood’s original ‘bubbly’!

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Preity Zinta describes Dubai Film Fest experience as 'Heaven on Earth'

Actor Preity Zinta's Last Lear was prominent at several international film fests and now the Deepa Mehta-directed Heaven on Earth , too, is doing its bit around the globe. Only recently, the movie was screened at the Dubai Film Festival (2008). "Such films give you creative satisfaction. You don't do it for the money or any other commercial aspect. You do films like Heaven On Earth simply because they are brilliant scripts and address an issue... You feel proud to be part of such movies," says actor Preity Zinta, who also attended the 'Cinema against Aids 2008' function at the Dubai fest.

About the reaction of the audiences there, Preity Zinta said it was 'encouraging'. "You get to meet people who are crazy about films. And it's great to talk films with them. Festivals give you a chance to be exposed to different cultures, and different forms of filmmaking," she said.

Apparently, Deepa Mehta gave Zinta very short notice, and was surprised that her actress even made it there. Mehta said, "I didn't expect to see Preity in Dubai at such a short notice. It was very sweet of her to come since Heaven On Earth is as much her film as mine." The Dubai Film Fest was a double celebration of sorts for Deepa, as her brother, Dilip Mehta's film The Forgotten Woman was also screened there.

Attended by the likes of Salma Hayek, Goldie Hawn, Nicolas Cage... this fest proved to a Heaven on Earth experience for all those who attended it!

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Happy Birthday Sexy John!

The hottest hunk of B–town, the female charmer, the perfect epitome of a youth icon, John Abraham celebrates his 36th birthday on 17th December.

Model turned actor John forayed into Bollywood with the controversial film JISM which was well liked by the audience and he got widely noticed for his brilliant performance, drop dead looks & great body. His first blockbuster DHOOM, where he played a villain, made him an overnight star and since then there was no looking back for this hottie.

Year–on–year he came with phenomenals like KAAL, WATER, GARAM MASALA, ZINDA, TAXI NUMBER 9211, BAABUL, KAABUL EXPRESS, SALAAM–E–ISHQ, DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL, his recent blockbuster film DOSTANA and today he is counted as one of the top stars of Bollywood.

Now everyone is eyeing over his upcoming release NEW YORK starring Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh alongside.

Besides being Bollywood's most adored star he is also a great human being who is deeply involved in social work and actively stands for it.

So come join us in wishing the hot bod and evolving actor a very happy birthday and all the good wishes for a flourishing future ahead.

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"Why should we copy movies?" - Karan Johar

The news-report states that Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar are making films with similar subjects and shooting at the same location. Let's get more specific: The two film-makers are making different films based on the same Hollywood film - ARLINGTON ROAD. While Adi's film NEW YORK is already complete [the film has been shot in Philadelphia] and will be Yash Raj's first release in 2009, Karan has commenced the shooting of his film, also in Philadelphia.

"Just because the two films are shot at the same location doesn't mean they have similar subjects," Karan Johar [currently in the U.S.] sets the record straight, "Earlier, they said KAL HO NAA HO was ANAND. Then they said DOSTANA was I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY. Now it's ARLINGTON ROAD. Why should we copy movies? Can't we come up with original stuff?"

Karan continues in the same breath, "Adi and I are best friends. Do you think we would go to the extent of choosing the same story? Just because the two films have the backdrop of terrorism doesn't mean they are similar in content. Going by this logic, even DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAAYENGE, KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI, MOHABBATEIN and RAB NE BANA DI JODI have similar stories since they belong to the same genre."

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Dilli 6 unveiled at the Dubai International Film Festival

One can confidently say that the Indian cinema has definitely left a mark at the ongoing Dubai International Film Festival, which ends on December 17, 2008. The festival saw the unveiling of first look of the highly anticipated film Dilli 6, which is jointly produced by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra Productions and UTV Motion Pictures.

The first look of the film was unveiled before the big daddies of entertainment around the world. One also saw the likes of Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and UTV's head honcho Siddharth Roy Kapoor, at the festival.

Following the screening was an interactive Q and A round, comprising of the director with the rest of starcast and a vast audience. During this interaction, Rakeysh spoke about his key influences and the theme of the film, while the film's actors described their experience of working with Rakyesh.

All in all, the excitement and the curiosity of the audiences regarding Dilli 6 has now reached a different level altogether.

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Which country will host IIFA 2009

IIFA 2007 took place in the beautiful scenic country side location of the county Yorkshire in the U.K. The following year (2008) saw Bangkok host the prestigious event. However, the one question that everyone is asking right now is, "Which country or city will host the IIFA 2009?"

Until now, many of our celebrities and the media were speculating New York to host it. But it seems that IIFA might just not be traveling to the U.S. Since last few weeks, IIFA is too busy tackling the above important question and it looks like they have a lot of options to play around with in 2009.

So, if you are planning your summer holidays to some of the exotic European or Asian destinations, chances are that you may just bump into the Indian Film Industry's biggest stars.

Recently, the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Management was approached by the delegations from various European locales to come and celebrate their tenth year extravaganza in their city capitals. The Turkish delegation was led by their Prime Minister who was recently in India pitching for the IIFA Awards Weekend that will take course in June of 2009. The land of the Blue Mosque and the Bosporus Bridge may just be the locale that the Academy is looking to visit. But some other offers have come pouring in too, which is making IIFA's job even tougher. One of the many being Warsaw, who've also been vying for the prestigious weekend and the Polish capital may just witness a host of Indian celebrities come down to their city. Known for its castles and greenery, this romantic city put in its bid for IIFA looking at promoting the country in emerging markets.

One of the other prominent countries in the Fashion and Art of the world, Italy is a country drenched in culture, and history. From the Pantheon to the Colosseum, it may just be that all roads will lead to Rome come June 2009. Having said that, IIFA might also be seen going to their favourite 2007 country, the U.K, as the Welsh people from the Wales have also bid for the special weekend function. Looks like the Welsh dragon is already getting desperate after seeing the Yorkshire terrier taking away the IIFA glory in 2007. And finally, the last of the two cities who've bid for the IIFA Weekend is Shanghai and the Macau city of China, reviving the five decade old slogan, hindi chini bhai bhai.

With the onset of a decade of celebrations about to take place in just less than 5 months, one thing is for sure, the Indian Film Fraternity and the IIFA can look forward to a Eurasian Anniversary next year.

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'Chandni Chowk To China' in China

Hindi films are going global and when you've a Hollywood studio backing your project, you can't think small. Warner Bros., the presenters of CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA, are ensuring that the much-awaited film gets an extensive release. While the film will have a wide release in India as also in the international markets, there's talk that Warner is attempting to release the film simultaneously in China.

Of course, the decision in such cases has to be taken by the head office in Los Angeles, but if CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA does see a simultaneous release in China, it would pave the way for more Hindi films to follow suit.

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Rab Ne opens big in North America

The one-man box office engine called Shah Rukh Khan rode into 105 movie theatres across North America grabbing a powerful $1.2 million estimated gross for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in just three days. Working with director Aditya Chopra for the third time after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Mohabbatein (2000), the star proved once again that his box office magnetism has remained undiminished over the last decade.

The new film -- in which Shah Rukh plays a common man who devises a plot win over the love of his life -- must have easily grossed over $3.5 million in three days outside India, trade experts believe.

For producer Yash Raj, which has suffered many flops in the last two years, the big success of Rab Ne..., following the strong showing of its previous release Dostana, could be considered nothing short of a blessing. And for the trade which has watched helplessly as many big budget films like Yuvvraaj, Drona and Love Story 2050 bit the dust, the strong opening for Rab Ne... seems a nice way to end the year, with good buzz awaiting the release of other big budget films Ghajini and Chandni Chowk To China.

In North America, Rab Ne... was number 15 on the box office chart led by Keanu Reeves' The Day the Earth Stood Still, which grossed $31 million in more than 3500 theatres.

While the reviews in India have been mixed for Rab Ne..., some of the mainstream publications in America welcomed the film, saying that it made much more sense than the usual over hyped and over kinetic Bollywood films.

'In the last few years, Hindi films have become slicker and faster, full of dizzying camera moves and blink-and-you'll-miss-it editing,' wrote Rachel Saltz in The New York Times. 'The technical exuberance is almost always impressive, but it's starting to seem like its own cliche.

'How refreshing, then, to settle into Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, a love story that has a different pace and feel than the recent crop of action thrillers,' she added. 'Rab Ne..., which reteams the director Aditya Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood's reigning superstar, is 'soft, sweet and slow,' in the words of one of its songs. It deftly blends comedy, the ruling tone of the new Bollywood, with melodrama, the ruling tone of the old.'

Shah Rukh has proved to be mighty lucky for Yash Raj. He has said that being directed by Chopra is the kind of collaboration he (Shah Rukh) enjoys most.

Many reviewers have praised Chopra's direction, though some in India have also said that the film loses its focus half way and tries to do too many things .

'Mr Chopra demonstrates how a director can master technology without being mastered by it,' wrote The Times. 'For him, storytelling comes first. (The plot has its flaws, but they're not deadly.)

While some of Shah Rukh's biggest hits such as Kabhi Khushi Khabhie Gham have been multistarrers, his new film is solely driven by his star presence. Rab Ne..., which is not an expensive film (made for about $6 million while Ghajini cost nearly $9 million) is looking at least $6 million in North America, Western Europe, UAE and Australia. Even if it were to plummet by 60 percent in the second week, as it happens in the case of most Hindi films, passing the $5 million benchmark in foreign territories will not be a problem at all.

Shah Rukh was generous in praising his Rab Ne... co-star, newcomer Anushka Sharma. In video interviews made available by Yash Raj, he said he found a distinct advantage in working with new artists who happened to be much younger than him. The younger actresses brought in contemporary touch to their performances, said the actor who is in his early 40s.

Watching them emote made him think if he was doing stereotyped work, and pushed him into yet another gear, he added. His recent films have had new actresses -- Deepika Padukone in Om Shanti Om, Gayatri Joshi in Swades and the girls hockey team in Chak De! India.

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Ghajini is an event, says Aamir

Actor Aamir Khan, whose hairstyle in the film "Ghajini" has been imitated by the ushers and employees of various multiplexes as part of a special promotional activity, said that the movie is an event in itself.

Aamir said: "It normally doesn't happen that the entire chain of theatres accept the look of a character in a film. It doesn't happen with every film."

"Theatres are looking at 'Ghajini' as an event and it has become an event in itself," Aamir said while speaking to reporters in Mumbai on December 15, 2009.

"I am extremely happy with the idea and the enthusiasm shown by volunteers in accepting the look," he added.

Aamir said the hairstyle of the character in the film was the same as that of south Indian star Surya.

He said: "We have kept the same hairstyle as Surya, who played the lead role in the Tamil version of 'Ghajini'."

Aamir denied that the promotion activity of his film was to challenge Shah Rukh's "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

"Our marketing team had come up with the idea long back and it has nothing to do with Shah Rukh's film," he said.

On being asked about what he thought about Shah Rukh's latest release "Rab Ne..", Aamir said: "I have not seen it yet, as I have no time."

Aamir felt that his leading lady in "Ghajini" Asin would take everyone by surprise.

"Asin is the surprise package (of the film) and I think the whole country will be floored by her talent," the actor said.

Giving "Ghajini" competition when it releases on December 25 will be the animation film "Jumbo" for which actor Akshay Kumar has lent his voice.

Aamir, however, feels that there is no competition between the two films.

"'Jumbo' is an animation film and I think there is no clash with it," the actor said.

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Rani hires Aamir’s trainer; loses 4 kilos

Rani looked very plump in Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic but she is looking very slim, trim and pretty in the tribute song in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Her trainer, Satyajit Chaurasia, the man behind Aamir's spectacular Ghajini physique tells us that she has lost about 4 kilos.

"Rani has been training for this film called Cricket and she has to look very fit in the movie. I think she has become pretty fit now and she will lose even more weight. In two months, she has lost precisely 3.5 kilos. You can see how great she looks in the song in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi," says Chaurasia.

"She trains very hard…about 1 hour 15 minutes in the morning whenever she is not shooting. I have devised a balanced diet plan for her as the proportion of carbohydrates, fat and protein is determined by her body type. She is a pear as she has a heavy lower body. She does cardio and weights. I train her at the gym at her residence," explains Bollywood's trainer of the moment.

Speaking about her diet, he says, "I change her diet once or twice a month and I have asked to drink a lot of green tea to keep her metabolism high. She burns extra calories this way. She eats fruit in the morning and then works out. She has a toast, 1 apple, 1 egg white, oatmeal and a bowl of sprouts for breakfast. Lunch is one subzi, 1 roti and a little dal cooked in very little olive oil."

Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgan, Zayed Khan, Sonu Sood and of course Aamir Khan are his other clients. "I am good friends with them but I am a tough professional when it comes to training them," signs off Chaurasia.

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RAB NE BANA DI JODI: YRF's highest weekend grosser ever!

RAB NE BANA DI JODI, which released worldwide on December 12th 2008, has broken all earlier opening weekend collection records for Yash Raj Films. The film has grossed approximately Rs. 60 Crores worldwide on its opening weekend, and has surpassed DHOOM:2, which is regarded as one of the highest grossing films of all–time.

In the Middle East, RAB NE BANA DI JODI has set a new record altogether as the highest opening film of all–time. The previous highest was DHOOM: 2, which grossed approximately $1.86 million across its entire run. RAB NE BANA DI JODI has grossed approximately $1 million on its opening weekend alone.

The film has also received a grand opening across all overseas markets, including the UK, USA, Australia, Europe, Africa, and other territories in Asia.

RAB NE BANA DI JODI has been appreciated tremendously by audiences across the board and the film's performance promises to continue in the same vein moving forward.

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CHANDNI CHOWK... is a hit before its release

Though the debates are on around the box office outcome of RAB NE BANA DI JODI, another film which is continuing to earn audience for itself is CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA. The film would be released in a little over a month from now (16th January 2008) but in the interim it has managed to create quite a sizeable population for itself which is waiting to catch the film with a bated breath.

While the music of the film was released in the middle of last week, a little before that the theatrical promo was unveiled. The response that this initiative generated has been beyond the expectations of even the makers of the film, as can be judged by the statistics that reveal that more than 3 million downloads of the film's promos have already been made from the websites. Now that's an unheard of number, especially for a mainstream film which in fact is being promoted as an international venture by its backers Warner Bros.

In fact if one goes to the site, it is seen that CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA has been positioned quite prominently with it's logo appearing first, hence edging out numerous international projects that are being backed by Warner Bros.

Says an official from Warner Bros., "The response that we have fetched it unprecedented. Moreover, if one looks at the fact that this is a foreign language film for us, we are truly amazed at the reach that CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA has generated."

With the response to the promo being huge and Akshay Kumar's popularity riding high, especially during last 3 years, Warner Bros. has confirmed big plans for the film's release. "We are certain about releasing CC2C on 1400 odd screens just in India. In USA, it will be the hugest release ever for Akshay. We would also be holding the film's premier across the globe. CC2C will certainly redefine what BIG stands for", says the official in a confident tone.

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RAAZ-TMC all set to unfold the mystery

Global music label, SONY BMG is presenting for the first time a Bollywood thriller, RAAZ–THE MYSTERY CONTINUES (RTMC) which is produced by Vishesh Films and directed by Mohit Suri. RTMC is slated to be released on 23rd January 2009 in India. The film stars Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut, Adhyayan Suman among others.

RTMC revolves around a successful model, Nandita (played by Kangana Ranaut), who is in love with the creative director of a television program (Adhyayan Suman). Nandita's life takes a dramatic turn when she meets an artist, Prithvi (Emraan Hashmi). He tells Nandita that all her paintings made by him are getting disfigured which spells impending danger for her. Initially, she does not believe him but then she starts facing horrifying situations herself. After this, hell breaks loose and an unstoppable storm begins. Thus unfold some of the most thrilling horror sequences of Bollywood with RAAZ – THE MYSTERY CONTINUES. The film is indeed ready to send audiences in frenzy.

The film deals with the issue of the ''evil within,'' highlighting prevalent superstitions and myths in Indian society. Right from the first look of its trailer, film buffs have been awaiting the release, making RTMC one of the most talked–about flicks of the season. The story of RTMC is written by Shagufta Rafique.

Mr. Mukesh Bhatt, Chairman & MD, Vishesh Films, is also very excited about RTMC – ''This film is really important for us in every respect – it is the most expensive horror film in Bollywood and its music and story have become the talk of the town. When you will see this film, you will realize that how much efforts we all have put in. I firmly believe that all the sequences of this film are such that they will keep the audience glued to their seats and terrified thereafter.''

Managing Director of SONY BMG, Mr. Shridhar Subramaniam has said ''Every small detail of this film has been taken care of to make it look realistic. It has immense mass–appeal with brilliant special effects, characterization, story and music. RTMC will be a landmark film to look out for."

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John Abraham and Katrina Kaif in 'New York' Trailer

For the first time two of Bollywood's sexiest actors, John Abraham and Katrina Kaif are coming together for Yash Raj's next offering, 'New York.' The film also stars relative newbie, Neil Nitin Mukesh. Now a film with actors as scorching as John Abraham and Katrina Kaif would be something along the lines of the skin show that was 'Dostana,' but alas that's not the case!

Actually the film is about three friends, John, Katrina and Neil, who live a carefree fun loving college life that revolves around the three of them. Everything is fine until the world is changed forever with the horrific events of September 11, 2001. The friend's lives are flipped upside down as the film investigates the touchy subject of what happened, or may have happened to Muslims living in America in the days and weeks after 9/11. In fact the trailer shows the intensity of the film with John locked up and curled into a ball naked in jail.

Now word is that due to the history between John Abraham and Katrina Kaif's boyfriend Salman Khan (the two are known to be on cold terms and do not get along) as well as the history between Katrina Kaif and John Abraham's girlfriend Bipasha Basu (it was reported the two shared cold vibes on the sets of 'Race') that John Abraham and Katrina Kaif would not get along either. Thank goodness that wasn't the case! The two got along like a house on fire! Hmmm... we're pretty sure that didn't please their respective partners very much! Oh the Bollywood drama!

Any how, watch the trailer for 'New York' below and tell us your thoughts on a Bollywood making a film about such a sensitive topic.

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Deepika is the cover-girl for 'The Man' and 'ELLE' this December

Deepika Padukone needs no introduction for she is the girl par excellence who debuted in the smash hit flick Om Shanti Om, opposite none other than the King Khan himself! After OSO, Deepika was seen alongside beau Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Ae Haseeno and despite being pitted against two haseenas, Deepika managed to stand her own. Now Deepika, who has been the face of countless brands, graces the cover of not one but two fashion and lifestyle magazines this month. While she is lending her pretty face to the latest edition of the famous lifestyle magazine 'The Man', Deepika is also seen strutting her stuff in the special anniversary issue of fashion magazine 'ELLE'.

In 'The Man', Deepika speaks about how she manages to stay fit despite such a hectic schedule (a must read for all the wannabe Deepikas). Not just that, she also shares some of her beauty tips with the readers (again, a must read for all the wannabe Deepikas). Besides all of this, she gives the readers the actual reasons for her to be associated with a million brands that she is endorsing (needless to say, that, this again, is a must read for all the wannabe Deepikas).

On the other hand 'ELLE' features Deepika in a shiny green silk and leather embellished dress, designed by Manish Arora. The special anniversary issue also gives a low down on ELLE's 50 'Most Stylish People' and on the 100 top peoples, things, places and trends that shaped the year 2008.

Deepika surely knows what it means to be seen at the right place at the right time. After all, being the cover girl of two top fashion and lifestyle magazines, weeks before of the release of her next flick Chandni Chowk To China will surely get her all the attention she truly deserves. Way to go babe!!!

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Aamir Khan features in Farhan Akhtar's talk show 'Oye! It's Friday'

Last Friday, Farhan Akhtar made his debut as a talk show host with his show called 'Oye! It's Friday'. The show featured Farhan's close friend Hrithik Roshan as the celebrity guest and also saw some interesting performances by the likes of Neha Dhupia, Hard Kaur and others. While some of the gags were pretty ordinary, the conversation between Farhan and his celeb guest Hrithik certainly made for interesting viewing.

This week, Farhan's show 'Oye! It's Friday' will have none other than superstar Aamir Khan as the special celebrity guest. In this special episode, Aamir 'Perfectionist' Khan gets candid with Farhan on a variety of topics ranging from his experiences on his new film Ghajini to some interesting unknown facts about his family. He also talks at length about his relationship with his co-stars and peers, his favorite pastime, his passion for music and his many likes and dislikes. Farhan also gets Aamir to reveal the secret behind his 'killer' look in Ghajini and his penchant for pulling pranks on his friends and co-stars!!

It may be recalled that Farhan's first directorial venture Dil Chahta Hai had Aamir as the main lead. Who would have thought then that Aamir would go on to direct a film (TZP) and Farhan would ever be seen in front of the camera (Rock On).

Sticking on with the theme of being a completely entertaining show, 'Oye! It's Friday' will also see special performances by the super-sexy Tanushree Dutta and the very melodious Benny Dayal who has given us hits like 'Tu Hi Meri Dost Hai' and 'Pappu Can't Dance Saala'.

Wait! There's more in store as the episode also showcases child prodigy Abhay Goel who is a pianist par excellence and a Limca Record Book holder all at the tender age of 10.

So if its music, movies, masti, madness and much more that you are looking out for then 'Oye! It's Friday' is the one stop shop for all of it. Don't miss tuning in this Friday (Dec 19) to watch Aamir and Farhan at their wackiest and wickedest best only on NDTV Imagine at 10 pm IST.

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Big Cinemas' staff sports Aamir Khan's Ghajini look

The staff of Big Cinemas is taking idol (hero) worship to a new height altogether. Why you ask? Well, the reason is pretty apparent. Just recently, about 100 employees at the Big Cinemas chain decided to go under the barber's scissors to have their locks shaved, thus making them an exact replica (at least the head) of Aamir from his soon to be released film Ghajini.

Ghajini as we all know is a much anticipated release this Christmas. And after the recent terror attacks, people are looking forward for an entertaining film that will lure them back to the cinema halls.

Tushar Dingra -COO of BIG Cinemas says, "We are very excited to be gearing up for what promises to be a huge release and are proud to be part of such a prestigious opportunity. The film's theme and Aamir's look have captured public imagination and we are no exception, except that we have taken the inspiration to a whole new level."

Well by the looks of it, Aamir sure seems to have a massive fan following not just among theatre patrons but even theatre employees.

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Rab Ne Bana De Jodi sweeps the nation

Yash Raj Films reeling under the impact of a series of setbacks in 2007-2008 is all set to make a grand comeback with his latest big-time release Rab Ne Bana De Jodi.

In spite of the terror attacks two weeks ago and the downward curve in Yash Raj's recent image, the film had a massive opening which is expected to get better over the weekend and past it.

Roshan Singh a leading exhibitor of Bihar sums up the unexpected euphoria surrounding the latest Shah Rukh Khan starrer. "It's opened to full houses, the best opening I've had for a Yash Raj Film in the last two years. I should know, because my theatre screens all the Yash Raj films in Patna. People love the film. Nobody expected Rab Ne... to be such a sweet love story. Shah Rukh as an ordinary small- town guy proves he is truly the king. And the new girl Anushka is a revelation."

What's working for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is the working-class ambience.The film delineates the dreams and aspirations of ordinary people.

"And the whole idea of putting the couple into a dance reality-show is a stroke of genius. Audiences immediately identify and connect with this new medium of getting famous overnight," says Roshan Singh.

In Mumbai, the responses on Friday ranged from exceptional to very very good. Said the Singh Is Kinng producer Vipul Shah, "I'm not surprised by the warm welcome that the film has got. After 26/11 Mumbai needed a feel good film. And the Shah Rukh-Aditya Chopra combination after eight years....Their last film together was Mohabbatein. I was really looking forward to the film. We don't get a film from the team that gave us Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge that easily."

With the heartening opening of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi the industry reeling under the twin impact of a recession and 26/11 can breathe easy.

The best reaction to the film's opening came from film's director Aditya Chopra and leading man Shah Rukh Khan's best friend Karan Johar in New York. "Rab Ne Bana Di will prove once and for all that the Adi-Shah Rukh jodi is god sent."

Don't 'Rab' that combo the wrong way.

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Thumbs up to Shah Rukh's 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'

A cinema hall here resonated with the sound of applause as soon as superstar Shah Rukh Khan made his entry in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. It continued, reaching a crescendo towards the end of the film.

The film is a hit, the audience and members of the film fraternity say.

'It is a super duper hit', 'Shah Rukh looks so good', 'The songs are great' were just a few of the reactions of those who managed to see the first show of the film Friday.

Retired Major-General Jasbir Lacshar and his wife Triptinder watched the film and both of them felt it is a 'very clean movie'.

'You can go and watch it with your family. The movie is too good. I think it is exceptionally well-made. The overall packaging of the movie is also excellent,' Jasbir Lacshar said.

Set in Amritsar, 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' is the story of a mismatched couple played by Shah Rukh and newcomer Anushka Sharma and how the two of them find love in the backdrop of a dance competition.

The film is Shah Rukh's first release of the year. Apart from this, it is the first Shah Rukh Khan-Aditya Chopra film in over eight years. They had last collaborated for 'Mohabbatein' in 2000.

'Rab Ne?' saw a massive opening despite the recent Mumbai terror attack and the business for the film is expected to get better over the weekend.

Roshan Singh, a leading exhibitor in Bihar, told IANS: 'The film has opened to full houses in the cities, the best opening we have had for a Yash Raj Film in the last two years. People have loved the film. Nobody expected 'Rab Ne?' to be such a sweet love story.'

According to Singh, what's working best for the film is the very fact that it is about an ordinary man.

'The film delineates the dreams and aspirations of ordinary people. And the whole idea of putting the couple into a dance reality show is a stroke of genius. Audiences immediately identify and connect with this new medium of getting famous overnight,' he explained.

People from all walks of life have loved the film.

'This is a super duper hit movie and Shah Rukh Khan has proved that he is the real King,' said 22-year-old Gurmeet Singh, a college student.

For Lalita Tripathi, 20, the film was completely 'paisa-vasool' (worthwhile). 'For a change, Shah Rukh has not overacted and he looks very good,' she said.

The response to newcomer model-turned-actor Anushka Sharma is also positive.

While exhibitor Roshan Singh said she is a 'revelation', Neeraj Chauhan, a film buff, felt she has acted very well.

'The way she has danced, it seems as though she is a thorough professional,' said Chauhan.

Filmmaker Vipul Shah of 'Singh Is Kinng' fame says he is not surprised by the warm welcome to the film, as 'after 26/11, Mumbai needed a feel-good film'.

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Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - Movie Review

Well, to start off with, Aditya Chopra spells yet another poignant dimension of pure love as in his previous ventures with SRK; DDLJ and Mohabattein. Yeah! These tales were retentive impressing everyone from 8-80yrs old men and women. Of course, we fell in love getting imbibed with those spellbinding personations in these flicks. So, guess what about Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi – a film that brings back sensational pair SRK-Aditya together after 8yrs? Does the film exceed everyone's expectations on 'Love' n 'Entertainment' factors? Or merely conks out dashing down our hopes?

Hats off to Aditya Chopra! An awesome motif of delineating a touching story of romance...

Have you ever stopped to think if the most ordinary, uninteresting, unobtrusive man you might see on the road or around you might have a love story to tell?

Maybe not! How can an ordinary man have a breathtaking, goose flesh igniting, awe inspiring love story of all things to tell?

But guess what - love does not differentiate between the ordinary and exceptional, the uninteresting and interesting, the unattractive and attractive. Because love knows no distinction. It can happen to anyone and once it does it engulfs us into it completely and gives us those heaven-sent experiences that only love can yield.

Perhaps, everything in fine and good with the one-liner…. But Aditya Chopra fails in crafting a gripping narration all throughout the show. A flimsy screenplay lacking finesse with bits and pieces of discontinuities and these attributes easily scatters audiences' attention. The best illustration goes with SRK's ducky actresses shaking legs with him for 'Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte' on theatre screen. It's completely odd for that situation and possibly, the sequences could've been switched over to latter half as a 'special round in Dance show'. Was it an attempt to deliver a replica of 'Om Shanthi Om' song of film stars dancing together?

The film is about Surinder Sahni (Shahrukh Khan) - a simple, clean hearted, honest man working for Punjab Power, leading a humdrum life, when he meets his total opposite and finds love in the flamboyant, fun-loving, vivacious -Taani (Anushka Sharma) for whom the whole world is her canvas and she paints her own life with the colours of rainbow all until unforeseen circumstances changes it all and brings them together. Sooner, its biggest dance show in Amritsar and Surinder coiffes himself as Raj what he calls 'Macho Chap'… He does it all to impress his girl Taani and what's next?

It's a journey filled with laughter, tears, joy, pain, music, dance and a lot of love. A journey that makes us believe that there is an extraordinary love story in every ordinary jodi.

The first half dawdles with sluggish narration until earlier minutes to pre-interval where SRK's soliloquy with statue takes on emotional quotients. Well, the latter half comprises of few enjoyable moments like Anushka racing on her bike with 'Dhoom Machale' on BCM and next ultimate shot of Vinay Pathak-SRK at garage.

It's a crème de la crème performance by Shah Rukh Khan as he emotes resplendently on all situations. Be it his make-over sequences adjusting his tight jeans in dance class or the performance in penultimate minutes, King Khan is awe-inspiring. A flawless performance by debutant Anushka Sharma and of course she eclipses Shah Rukh on many parts. What to say about Vinay Pathak? He's over-the-top and more emblazons to the screen. He strides sparkling smiles on our lips with his wiggeries and soaks our eyes as he gets emotional. Don't miss the great dance of SRK-Vinay for the original tune of 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. Its emotional outbursts from every characterization that turns entire spotlights on RNBDJ…

Aditya's innovative thought is laudable on certain parts like Shah Rukh laying rose next to food and again placing it vase, pictorial of Anushka's face for the song 'Tuj Mei Rab Diktha Hai' and entire Amritsar being lit up, 'I Love You' deserves grand round of applause. Fine! Young lads and missies would hail with praise worthy comments for Adhi's ideation. Both SRK and Anushka swallowing Pani Purees followed by abrupt sequence where he has to finish of delicious Biriyani are evokes laughter.

Nevertheless, the biggest flaw is that how come a woman fails to recognize her husband with a slight-make over…. The characters of Surindar and Raj differ merely with thin moustache, hair style and costumes. Both the characters have same voice sans any modulations….

What barricaded Aditya's cognizance while dropping these lines on his paper? Indeed, it's a billion dollar question.

Ravi K Chandran's cinematography enhances visual quality and his placement of creative angles deserves special attention. The duo Salim-Sulaiman seems to have not percolated a lot for background scoring. It's again the pieces of existing numbers in album tuned and they sway on all songs.

Possibly, 'Haule Haule' and 'Dance Pe' peaked with high-promos prior to release. For sure, both the versions of 'Tuj Mei Rab Dikta Hai' capture your senses with beauteous visualizing. 'Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte' fails to make it big despites grand set decorations, costumes and top-charting actresses with SRK. Ritesh Soni's editing especially on 'Dancing Jodi' at the climax is mind blowing... Choreography by Vaibhavi and Shiamak are sumptuously ne plus ultra…

On the whole, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is enjoyable on many parts with fun, frolic, lots of music and dance, pains and emotions.

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Shilpa has to prove herself!

If Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Karan Johar can do it, why not Shilpa Shetty?

Indeed, but the Bollywood hottie who’s the latest to join the net savvy brigade dislikes the word ‘blog’... instead, she’s making changes to her official website and calling it ‘Shilpa’s Channel’. It launches today. “I wanted a channel to vent my anger against what’s happened to my city,” said the actress. “In fact, I should have started this when the Richard Gere controversy erupted and people burned effigies of me, then I could have also expressed my opinion.”

Besides clearing controversies, what prompted Shilpa to revamp her website was the necessity to make herself available to fans and also the world media which was trying to reach her after 26/11. “I was woken up by a call from a London news channel asking me about the attack. That’s when I switched on the TV and watched all the horror unfold,” said the actress. She had a providential escape as well because she was to dine at Wasabi in Taj the night before. “I’m a regular there and have chopsticks engraved with my name. I cancelled because I had a shoot early next morning. I shudder to think what might have happened,” said Shilpa.

Post 26/11, she had a tough time convincing UK businessman boyfriend Raj Kundra that she was safe in Mumbai. “He’s a British-born Indian and for him the situation couldn’t get worse than this. But I love Mumbai and I couldn’t think of leaving the city and Raj knows it,” revealed Shilpa. Far from running away, she wants to stay and make change. “It’s shameful to say I’ve never voted before, but now I’m ready to cast my vote. The procedure of getting a voter’s card should be changed. Imagine, they asked me to prove that I was Shilpa Shetty!”

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Vidya: Mean with men and machines!

Vids could well drive the boys crazy with her dusky beauty and sex-appeal (so what if she’s nowhere close to size zero, our desi men like all
kinds, no?).

But ask her to really drive, we mean drive a four-wheeler mean machine, and the gal pushes the panic button. The lovely Vids fears driving more than anything else. Apparently many years ago, while she was at the wheel, she crashed into a truck and narrowly escaped disaster. And for years nothing could bring her out of her ‘drive-o-phobia’; Vidya Balan would rather sit on KJo’s hot-seat everyday, than take charge of some swanky hot wheels. Such was her fear. Until now, of course. For her movie, Ishqiya, a scene demanded that she had to be on the driver’s seat; and no, she wasn’t allowed to ghumao the audiences with a body-double.

So Ms. V was left with no choice but to step on the gas
. Well, the director, Abhishek Chaubey, and the unit were very supportive. They had a van parked outside the sets throughout, so between her shots she could practice driving. Now the other question is — who will risk their life with her? Will it be Arshad? Or Naseer? Yep, they’re supposed to be in the car with this dangerously beautiful diva as she vrooms around town. Goodluck to the brave men, this is sure gonna be one helluva ride. As for Vids, we gotto tell you this babe, you’ve to be fast ‘n furious with both men and machines. Unless you know that already, of course.

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No diet or workouts for Kareena in Philadelphia

Kareena Kapoor is in the news for her diet and workout yet again. The actress who had once said that Yoga is as important as taking a shower and brushing her teeth is neither working out in Philadelphia nor following a strict diet. She is supposed to look chubby and healthy in the film.

Her yoga trainer Payal Gidwani tells us, "Kareena hasn't been working out in Philadelphia and she hasn't taken any trainer along. She is very busy shooting and has no time to work out. It is so cold there that it is almost impossible to work out."

Meanwhile her dietician Rujuta Diwekar is enraged at the constant media reports that Kareena keeps fainting during her shoots. She says, "Kareena has not fainted at all. I think people are obsessed over her weight. They cannot digest the fact that someone can look so good, so lean without starving. They cannot digest the fact that she is eating a balanced diet, if you ask anyone who knows her, they will say that she is eating all the time."

Speaking about Kareena's diet, she says, "Kareena is allowed to eat everything but she has to eat in moderation. She has to have 9 small meals a day or a meal every two hours. Since she is shooting in sub-zero temperatures, I have given a diet high in carbohydrates, moisture and fat. She remembers to have lots of water. She has muesli for breakfast and can have veggies and mashed potato for lunch and dinner. She also eats a lot of cheese and tofu. She is allowed to eat her favourite Chinese food and the local food in Philadelphia but moderation is the key word here. She has been following her diet for a year now so is pretty used to it."

So, unlike Tashan for which she had to subsist on orange juice, apples and cabbage, Kareena is eating well for her chubby girl, no make up avatar in Rensil D'Silva's film in which she stars opposite beau Saif Ali Khan.

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'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' set for world premiere

Shah Rukh Khan's much awaited 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' about an ordinary man's transformation into something extraordinary, is now releasing simultaneously across 30 countries this Friday.

The film starring newcomer Anushka Sharma is said to be the widest first day release of any Hindi film.

Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra have teamed up together after a gap of over eight years and the duo are hoping to recreate the magical success of 'Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', their first film together.

The film will be released in over 1200 screens across the country. This includes analog prints as well as digital cinemas, a source close to producer said.

The production house has also tied up with social networking site, ibibo, to launch a 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi application, where the online users can upload their video clips and win a chance to meet Shah Rukh Khan.

The film would be simultaneously released on December 12 in over 30 countries including, US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand as well as all major European countries.

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All eyes on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

The film industry and movie buffs are pinning their hopes on Shah Rukh Khan to deliver the next big hit of the year with the upcoming "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi", the advance bookings of which have been "terrific".

“The response for bookings is terrific,” Sanjeev Kohli, director and CEO of Yash Raj Films, the production company behind the film, told IANS.

According to a source from multiplex chain PVR, the bookings for "Rab Ne...", which has a running time of three hours and 46 minutes, are much better than the past few releases.

“The situation has been quite gloomy in the past weeks except for bookings for 'Dil Kabaddi'. So, we are looking forward to this film ('Rab Ne...'). It might be a saviour in these times and be the next hit of this year,” the source said.

Most multiplexes like PVR and Satyam have reserved multiple auditoriums and time slots for the screening of the film and are receiving a positive response for advance bookings.

This, despite the fact that advance bookings opened for all theatres just on Wednesday.

“We delayed the advance booking date to synchronise with the multiplex advance booking day, which is Wednesday,” Kohli explained.

“Rab Ne...” is a story of a mismatched couple played by Shah Rukh Khan and newcomer Anushka Sharma who find true love in the backdrop of a dance competition.

It is being released worldwide at over 1,200 screens, including approximately 300 prints for the overseas market.

Apart from being Shah Rukh Khan's first release this year, “Rab Ne...” is the first Shah Rukh Khan-Aditya Chopra combination film in over eight years. They had last collaborated for “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” in 1994 and for “Mohabbatein” in 2000.

Film critic Anupama Chopra says everyone has “great expectations” from this film.

“I am a fan of Aditya Chopra's style of candyfloss and romantic movies. I hope Aditya and Shah Rukh Khan create the same magic that they did with 'Dilwale...'. It will be interesting to see them create another iconic figure with this film after they popularised Raj (Shah Rukh's character in 'Dilwale...'),” Anupama Chopra said over phone from Mumbai.

Though the production house has tried to keep the storyline of the film under wraps, it has constantly emphasised that the film is about an ordinary man.

Anupama Chopra says she is curious to see how Shah Rukh Khan, who has mostly essayed larger-than-life roles with a stylised persona, would be able to carry off the image of an everyday man.

“He has played that look in 'Chak De! India' and 'Swades' but 'Rab Ne...' is a romantic film. I am very curious to know how he does in the film,” she said.

Two of the film's songs “Haule haule” and “Chance pe dance” are already ruling the charts.

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Any takers for SRK's Rab Ne... look

For some female celebrities, Shah Rukh Khan's moustachioed look in much-awaited “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” (pictured above) has not made any difference in loyalty. Others, however, feel he is better off without it.

Though this is for the third time that King Khan is sporting a moustache after “Army” and “Paheli”, he is receiving a mixed response for his 'ordinary man with moustache' look in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

“Shah Rukh definitely looks good without a moustache. He looks so good when he is clean shaven. Moustache looks good only on Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor because we have always seen them like that unlike Shah Rukh who is more like a boy next door,” supermodel Laxmi Rana told IANS.

Shah Rukh has teamed up with newcomer Anushka Sharma in the movie, which is about a mismatched couple who find true love against the backdrop of a dance competition. Shah Rukh plays a middle class guy and his look is designed to suit his character in the film - he wears ill-fitting shirts and trousers teamed with sneakers. He also sports black rimmed spectacles.

His other look sees him clean shaven and sporting flashy, bright and trendy clothes.

Model Amanpreet Wahi has rejected both his looks in the film.

“I am not a Shah Rukh fan, but he surely rules Bollywood. Firstly, I think he looks good only without a moustache and secondly his weight loss is visible through the promos and he is not looking good.

“Women prefer macho men and he is not at all looking so in the way he has dressed for the film. His weight loss has done him no good,” Amanpreet said.

However, TV actress Ketaki Dave feels fans are not responding enthusiastically to Shah Rukh's new look because they are used to seeing him sans a moustache. “It will take time to get used to it,” she said.

Item girl Payal Rohatgi echoed the same: “I am a great Shah Rukh Khan fan and I love him in all get ups. The moustache look suits him for this role of a middle class husband but on a personal level, I do prefer him without it. His clean shaven look rocks.”

Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, daughter of veteran actors Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, put out her verdict straight - “With or without moustache, Shah Rukh is god!”

Even dusky beauty Chitrangada Singh, is all eyes for the actor.

“Shah Rukh looks good anyhow. I personally prefer him clean shaven, but he could even make a beard work as long as he looks long and hard in the girls' eyes,” she quipped.

Another lot of Shah Rukh fans including film critic Anupama Chopra doesn't believe in judging an actor by his or her looks.

Chopra considers moustaches and looks a very secondary consideration in judging an actor's capability.

“He looks different with a moustache, but it is not how I look and judge actors. That is just not the criteria for me,” she said.

Jackie and Anil are few of the handful actors in Bollywood today who can carry off a moustache with panache, apart from yesteryear actors like Raj Kapoor and Rakesh Roshan.

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Bangalore pitches for SRK's new heroine

She used to be softspoken, bright and studious, but model Anushka Sharma also has what it takes to reach the top in showbiz, say people in Bangalore as she makes her dream debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

While her mentor and fashion guru Prasad Bidappa says Bangalore girl Anushka was always a good learner and he had an inkling that she would do well in the glamour and entertainment industry, her friends say she has always "stood out in the crowd".

"Anushka showed her zeal in learning things fast. She started walking the ramp perfectly just after a few days of guidance. She was agile and had a perfect body language. She was a good learner and worked hard to reach the top. It did not surprise me when she got such a good opportunity in Bollywood," Bidappa, who also groomed Deepika Padukone, told IANS.

Well-known designer Wendell Rodricks spotted Anushka at an event in Bangalore and saw her potential. He brought her to Mumbai and made her the showstopper in his Les Vamps show at the Lakme India Fashion Week.

After making a mark as a model, Anushka did big assignments for products like Fiat Palio and Silk and Shine products.

A trained bharatanatyam dancer, Anushka is playing a dancer who gets married to a nerd in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

Former model and Kannada actress Andrita Ray says Anushka's entry into filmdom brings hope for others who are trying to make it big in filmdom.

"Certainly this was the most encouraging news for many models in the city who are trying for a foot hold in the film industry," said Andrita, who forayed into the Kannada film industry with director Mahesh Babu's "Meravanige".

Andrita remembers Anushka as a softspoken girl.

"More than me, some of my best known friends who describe her as one girl who could be noticed even in a big crowd.

“Though I did not have too many interactions with her, I was very happy to see her getting such a big break. And what makes it more exciting is the fact that she was chosen after more than a hundred girls were interviewed," said Andrita.

Some of Anushka's friends who studied in Mount Carmel College with her say they were not at all surprised that she chose a film career.

"Working in films was her first ambition," said a friend.

One of her teachers on request of anonymity said she was surprised when she saw Anushka's photograph in a newspaper with Shah Rukh. "She was very studious and I thought she would complete her post graduation in economics," said the teacher.

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"Adi wrote Rab Ne... in 12 days & wanted me in it. I agreed" - SRK

What's the best thing that can happen to you as a journalist when you fly down from London to Mumbai in the month of December? Attending Page 3 parties? Eating hot and spicy curries? Going to the best ever New Year's bash? Meeting celebrities on the sets? Naah! But imagine you getting a text message one morning which reads - SRK interview tomorrow at 3.15pm at 'Mannat'.

You have 15 minutes. I then call the YRF PR to confirm the message. They reply to me in positive. What once was a distant dream becomes a near reality! What happened in the next 24 hours was truly one of my most fulfilling experiences as a Bollywood columnist. Every time you come to Mumbai city and pass by the lovely Bandstand area, you just cannot move your eyes away from Mannat.

It could be 'Mannat' to the world, but it is 'Jannat'. I mean, which person wouldn't want to live there? I enter the Mannat Annexe, SRK's new multi storey office behind Mannat. Security check takes place, identification proof and then I enter. All this and I felt like I was in the Heathrow airport, checking in. Off I go to the second floor where three to four journos were waiting for their turn to meet 'Datuk' Shah Rukh Khan. He is no more a King but way beyond that. For me, he is the matinee idol look combined with the sex symbol loveliness.

That sums up SRK's pin up appeal since two decades. Whether he plays a lover boy in DDLJ or a music teacher in Mohabbatein, he possesses an all-too-nice guy charm. He's willing to put that charm to test too! In Chak De India, we didn't see SRK, we saw Kabir Khan - no pretty love interest, no wisecracking sidekick, not even a comic genius. And, such is the weight that Shah Rukh carries with a worldwide audience, such is the skill that he has developed over two decades plying his trade...he pulled it off with amazing ease.

His Friday release Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi hopefully will take this further. Sitting in his black V-neck T-shirt and jeans, he poses for the photographers, goes to the terrace on the third floor to get some more natural shots, comes down, shakes my hand and humorously asks me, "Are you the same Observer journalist who reported about the terrorist?" I say, "No". He orders a hot cup of coffee for himself, talks about the hot Anushka Sharma, talks about the hot parathas and much more in what should go down as the best ever interview of SRK in ages.

As he aptly said, "You are here to interview me and you'll hope that this one is better than your last one".

We don't start with ABC here but with SRK. So tell me what makes an extraordinary SRK ordinary?
I think the reason people become extraordinary is because their roots are ordinary. I don't think it works the other way round that you happen to be an extraordinary, and then, with humility and modesty talk about your ordinariness. First of all, I don't believe I'm extraordinary. My very good friend and writer of Chak De India, Jaideep Sahni told me yesterday that the irony of your life is that when you tell people the truth, they believe either you're being too humble or honest, which is true. I don't find anything extraordinary in what I do. It's a job like everyone else does. I wake up every morning, apply my make up and try and get my best shot possible. You are here to interview me and you'll hope that this one is better than the last one. That's what I'm doing since last 20 years and our film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is akin to that.

Is that being diplomatic or simplistic?
I always say this; I am an employee of the myth of SRK. For the first time you will see the worker behind this myth and Rab Ne's Surinder Sahni, the character, is that worker who is a little boring, hard worker, may be not good looking but he is actually the engine what drives the myth. It's being simplistic.

What characteristics do you think are most important for having a fulfilling jodi?
If you are talking about my own experience, it's the space. Allowing the space that your partner wants and still occupying it with love is crucial. Besides that, it's very subjective. It's different strokes for different folks. Overall, everybody likes to have that space. When I start making a film, I tell everyone, "Listen guys, we are hundred of us and we are going to formulate a team. There are two of us, a director and an actor. We are trying to make a film but are we making the same film? Are we both doing this film for the same reason? Are we telling this story to earn money from that or just want to tell a story? Whatever the reason, it should be on the same page. Then anything you do, whether it's your personal life or professionally, you become one fulfilling jodi.

What ideas, values or experiences did you and Aditya Chopra bring along with you from 2000 to 2008, from Mohabbatein to Rab Ne...?
What we've realised from DDLJ days is that a lot of faith has been put in our creative ability to entertain. For years, what we've tried to do is cater to what we think people want to see. They've always said that we'd like to see a cool guy singing 'Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam' in Switzerland and we gave that to them. It's not important that we keep giving them what they want to see, but the question is, can we give them what we want to show them and ask them whether they liked what they saw. That is the difference from Rab Ne... to DDLJ. When we made DDLJ we were very anxious. We tried to show the Lamborghini or the Harley Davidson, but now we want to show them the engine that drives these things. We are now challenging the status of faith given to us by the audiences saying, 'You guys told us that you like us, now we will show you what we like and not what you like to see'.

And what is Adi going to show them this time around?
Rab Ne is a big entertaining film and the funniest film Aditya Chopra can make for the simple reason that he is not a funny guy. Even during DDLJ, I had to bring in a lot of humor. We've tried this time to bring this same humor in an ordinary way. People, when they travel abroad eat chicken in KFC or a burger in McDonalds or some grilled food in some restaurant. But when they come home after a month or two and sit down and are being served hot paratha and curd, you feel it's the best you've ever had. Rab Ne... is the best you've ever had.

Extending on what you said that there was a Lamborghini, Harley Davidson etc... all YRF films have seen rich NRIs. Since Chak De, we are now seeing an emerging trend of a middle class Indian in YRF films, more closer to our home. Is it a planned move or what?
It's not like that. As time goes, you get attracted to different kind of stories. I am still attracted to a super hero story that I still want to tell, I am still attracted to a fun film like Om Shanti Om. I was never attracted to love stories to be honest. I just do them because my friends really believe in them and I do it for them. Lately, I loved the idea of Don. I think it's really cool. There was an