Exclusive Report: Shah Rukh Khan To Sell Knight Riders

After dropping “Kolkata” from Indian Premier League team (IPL) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), actor Shah Rukh Khan has started discussions with Nokia, Sahara, the Anil Ambani group, and several other companies to sell the team he bought just over a year ago for Rs 300 crore, and exit the business.

According to sources in Red Chillies Entertainment, KKR’s holding company, “Shah Rukh Khan has been trying to sell a stake in KKR for some time now. But since most companies he approached also wanted management control, Khan is now talking to Nokia, Sahara, Anil Ambani and others to sell his entire shareholding.”

Khan’s public relations officer, however, said she would not be able to confirm the development because she had not met the actor.

None of those who have reportedly been approached confirmed the development. Sahara India’s communications director Abhijit Sarkar said: “We have not been approached by Shah Rukh Khan yet. But if he does, we would be happy to buy the team.”

D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director (markets), Nokia India, sent a text message saying: “Shah Rukh Khan will keep the team.”

A Reliance Communications spokesperson declined to comment. “A lot of people negotiate with Anil Ambani. I cannot comment unless there is something concrete on table.”

According to the Red Chillies official, Khan wants to exit, owing to the team’s poor performance — so far the team has won only one rain-curtailed game under the Duckworth Lewis method — and rising costs.

“If the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) does not increase the number of teams for next year, Khan could get double what he paid,” said the Red Chillies official.

Khan is supposed to pay Rs 30 crore per year for the next 10 years. The total annual cost for the team is about Rs 75 crore.

Khan had earlier said that KKR was easily the most successful IPL franchise, making a Rs 13 crore profit last year. However, his costs trebled last year owing to interventions from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Cricket Association of Bengal.

According to initial calculations, Red Chillies had to pay Rs 90 lakh per match and was supposed to earn Rs 3 crore if all stadium tickets were sold at Eden Gardens. Red Chillies had to pay Rs 20 lakh to the police and municipal tax of Rs 5 lakh. So its expenses per match would have been over Rs 1 crore. But this figure had trebled.

Last year, however, Kolkata Police demanded Rs 2 crore as security fees, against Rs 50 lakh that the organisers of the IPL offered. Then, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) demanded Rs 25 lakh from Red Chillies as amusement tax for holding IPL matches at Eden Gardens.

To settle the dispute between Kolkata Police and the IPL organisers over the cost of security arrangements at Eden Gardens, Red Chillies Entertainment had to agree to pay Rs 75 lakh as security fees.

About 5,500 uniformed personnel and about 1,500 sleuths were deployed to secure the stadium and its surrounding areas, since many celebrities were expected to watch the IPL matches at Eden Gardens.

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Rakhi Sawant gets 12,515 marriage proposals!

From businessmen, doctors to models and NRIs - over 12,500 men from across the world have sent applications to marry controversy queen Rakhi Sawant after she announced a 'swayamvara' as part of a reality show on NDTV Imagine.

Within 20 days of the announcement of the unique reality show "Rakhi Ka Swayamwar" (pictured left), expected to go on air next month, a huge number of men have sent their profiles to woo Rakhi.

The item girl-turned-actress, who has mostly hit headlines for her outspoken ways, is overwhelmed with the response.

"I want to thank everybody for their continued support. This huge response has proved to everybody that my 'swayamvara' and 'shaadi' (wedding) is not a joke. My only wish is to find a person who will always be my support system and will respect me for what I am," Rakhi said in a press release.

Rakhi had shocked one and all when when she had announced that she would choose a groom for herself through a reality TV show.

After a series of selection procedures, Rakhi will choose from among 15 grooms on the show and will take the help of viewers to decide on her ideal man.
According to the channel, New Delhi has topped the list of Rakhi's prospective grooms with 2,465 entries. Mumbai follows a close second with 1,980 entries. Most entries are in the broad age group of 18 to 35.

Those who are keen and are yet to register for becoming the love of Rakhi's life still have a chance as the last date for registration is May 5.

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Shah Rukh replaces Aamir

Shah Rukh Khan is said to be doing Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidwani’s film after the deal with Aamir Khan fell through.

Aamir was the favourite choice for director Reema Kagti’s upcoming film, to be produced by Farhan and Ritesh, with whom Aamir has worked with in “Dil Chahta Hai”. The three are also good friends.

However, Aamir is no longer doing their film as he is said to have demanded a huge sum of money and also a share in the film’s profit. These terms were not acceptable to Ritesh.

It seems Ritesh had gone to the sets of “3 Idiots” to meet Aamir and finalise the deal. But the meeting did not go well as Aamir was not ready to compromise on the terms and conditions that he had laid. Ritesh got upset and left the sets in a huff.

Ritesh confirmed the news saying Aamir is not in his film as they had differences over the terms laid down by Aamir. He also added that though they were in talks with an actor, the lead is still to be finalised.

Aamir meanwhile has said he is not doing the film because he did not like the script.

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Mugdha collapses while shooting for Jail

The extreme temperature seems to have taken a toll on the cast and crew of Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming film “Jail”, which is being shot in Karjat, a town in Maharashtra.

The film’s leading lady Mugdha Godge (pictured left) fainted on the sets while a couple of crew members suffered extreme dehydration.

Madhur was very concerned about their condition but could not shift the location nor stall the shoot as a huge set has already been constructed. Instead he has decided to have a doctor and an ambulance on location so that any such case can be attended to immediately.

Madhur has also constructed a tent with coolers inside for the crew to stay in during the breaks.

Mugdha confirmed the news about fainting on the sets of “Jail”. She said the conditions on the sets are actually like that of a jail. And with outside temperature boiling too, it is very difficult to shoot. “But it’s a challenge and we will definitely give our best,” she said.

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Kareena-Britney connect

Wondering what’s the connection between Kareena Kapoor and pop star Britney Spears?

Apparently certain scenes of Kareena’s upcoming movie “Kambakkht Ishq” (pictured above) have been shot at a hotel that was the secret meeting place of singer-actor Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears when they were dating.

The scenes have been shot at Hotel The Standard, which is owned by Justin in Los Angles. Justin and Britney used to meet up at that hotel frequently to escape the eyes of the media. There are photos of Britney in a bikini, trying to woo Justin near the poolside.

Kareena too will be sporting a swim suit and has a dance number with Akshay Kumar at the same poolside in “Kambakkht Ishq”.

Apparently this will be the last time we will see Kareena in sexy, revealing clothes. She has respected Saif’s advice and will not show any more skin on screen.

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Salman most kissed at Tussauds!

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s wax work figure was recently included at London's Madame Tussauds museum. He joined figures of Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

Guess who is the hottest among the Indian celebrities at the museum?

According to Liz Edwards, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds, London, Salman beats all the Indian personalities in the popularity charts. He is also one of the most kissed stars as well as photographed.

From Hollywood, Justin Timberlake is the most hugged of all celebrities in the museum.

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Emraan Hashmi's first intense love story

He played a painter in the thriller "Raaz - The Mystery Continues" and he will once again essay the role in "Tum Miley". But Emraan Hashmi (pictured left) will this time get to actually paint to look convincing on screen.

"This time I actually paint. In 'Raaz', I wasn't really able to do much of that. All the paintings were done beforehand and I didn't get a chance to paint on screen apart from a few strokes," Emraan told IANS.

In "Tum Miley", Emran's newly-discovered painting skills will go a lot further.

"I'm shown to be a far more intricate painter, doing not just brush painting but also charcoal, etc. Here I can't fake it. I'm using all the skills that I learnt as a painter in 'Raaz' for 'Tum Miley'," the actor explained.

Emraan says he now seriously intends to pursue his painting.

"And my character in 'Tum Miley' is helping me do that. It's my first intense love story," he said.

The film is based on the deluge in Mumbai on July 26, 2005. All the scenes depicting the coming together of the leading lady and him during the deluge were shot in one go on a studio set.

Asked if there were any kissing scenes in the film, he said: "It's my first film with Soha Ali Khan. Do I kiss her? Let that be a secret. I consciously moved away from the serial kisser's image in 'Raaz 2'. I don't want to be known for something so frivolous. I want to move on."

The actor seems to have moved on from filmmakers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt in "Tum Miley", which has been directed Kunal Deshmukh of "Jannat" fame.

"This is a Percept (Picture) film. I won't say I've moved on. But, yes, I want to clear the misconception that I work exclusively for the Bhatts," said Emraan, who made it big with the Bhatts' "Murder".

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Amitabh Bachchan to sing for TV ad

After crooning songs like "Mere angane mein", "Rang barse" and "Chali chali" for his movies, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan now has lent his voice for a TV commercial.

Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, who is also directing the actor in his forthcoming film "Aladin", Amitabh has sung the song for a Himani Navratna Oil commercial, for which he is also the brand ambassador.

"He has an incredible energy level that comes across on the screen as well. We had an amazing time shooting the ad with him," said Ghosh.

The jingle has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar and sources claim "Amitabh too spent long hours in the studio with the musicians and provided his own inputs".

The 66-year-old will also shake a leg in the ad.

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Shilpa takes cricket lessons

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who co-owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals, had a brush with on-field action when she teamed up with cricketers to learn a few tips.

She tried to learn some basics about the game from Graeme Smith and Shane Warne, the members of her team, but soon she was left out of breath.

"It was a fun day... Graeme (Smith) taught me how to bat and Shane (Warne) taught me how to spin the ball! We played for a bit and after I ran four times between the wickets I was gasping for breath," Shilpa posted on her blog from Cape Town.

"Now I respect my cricketers more, wonder how they do it, handling all that pressure, gawd! We actors have it easier, at least we get retakes... anyway it's still a thankless job when they lose," she added.

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John, Bipasha, Katrina go missing in Karan Johar's vote-youth video

John Abraham, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif were also chosen to participate in filmmaker Karan Johar's vote campaign video. But at the last moment, the trio couldn't be a part of it for various reasons.

"That's true. Earlier on, John and Bipasha were all set to be a part of this video that has been created to spread awareness around voting this election season. Even Katrina was finalised but in the final scheme of things, we had to shoot the video without them. Such a pity," said director Tarun Mansukhani.

The "Vote Aapke Haath Mein Hai" video finally starred Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapur, Imran Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Asin, Ritiesh Deshmukh, Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor and Karan himself.

So what really went wrong?

"If you are searching for any controversies, then there aren't any. In fact, it wasn't even the matter of anyone opting out. All three were quite sweet and were game to shoot for the video. But then on the day of the shoot, John and Katrina were not in town due to which we had to go ahead without them," said Mansukhani.

How about Bipasha?

"Well, her 'Aa Dekhen Zara' was being released on the same day when we had to shoot for the video," the director said.

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IIFA 2009 expected to attract more than 500 celebs

After travelling to countries like Britain, South Africa, Singapore, Dubai and Thailand, the 10th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) is heading to Macau, China.

The three-day long weekend will be held at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel at Macau starting June 11-13, 2009.

"2009 celebrates a decade of IIFA magic and promises to be yet another enthralling experience to be held at the Venetian Macao. It is an excellent choice for IIFA's celebrations and we are excited to bring its magic to that fabulous city," said Amitabh Bachchan, the IIFA brand ambassador.

For the 10th year celebrations, Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the organisers of the event, are promising a whole set of surprises at the weekend to be sponsored by Videocon.

"We are proud of IIFA's progression over the last 10 years. It is heartening to see IIFA's achievements over the years and we are glad to see the event celebrating a decade of magic," said Sabbas Joseph, one of the directors of IIFA.

"Our viewership of IIFA has already crossed 600 million. Each of the host destinations have reported growth in tourism, film shootings in their region and growth in Indian investments," he added.

The IIFA Weekend is expected to attract more than 500 luminaries from the Indian film industry.

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Kareena's 36-hour 'work'athon!

Recently, Kareena Kapoor had to shoot for 36 hours without a break.

The actress has a choc-a-block schedule, thanks to films like Kambakkht Ishq, 3 Idiots, Agent Vinod, Mr and Mrs Khanna and an untitled movie by Rensil D’silva – all of which are bein shot in different locations.

Says a source, “She just went rushing from one set to another, shooting continuously without complaining about tiredness or lack of sleep. The unit members of her films were saying this is what stars are made of.” Well, all we can say is, keep it up, gal!

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Salman didn't buy me a house: Asin

How difficult was it for daddy’s daughter to work independently after her father was hospitalised?
It wasn’t very difficult. My dad
was never a baby-sitter on the sets. Between us, it’s a client-and-manager kind of a relationship. Since I don’t have a manager or a secretary, my father plays a three-in-one role. Recently, I went to Bangalore to launch the Bangalore Food Guide. I called him up at one in the morning to just wish him good night. Even then, his phone was engaged! My work-related issues had been keeping him busy so late in the night. Now, there is somebody to accompany me in his place. The only difference is, since this person is doing a professional job, the personal touch of having my father around, is missing.

Do you have your parents accompany you while shooting?
My mother, who is a doctor, has opted for VRS. My father isn’t there to stare into the monitor as I shoot. He sees to it that everything is organised, and then leaves. It’s disturbing when people confuse my father with the ‘baby-ko-juice-doh’ kind of parents who are always there on the sets. My dad is an independent thinker and never indulges in such behaviour

How difficult is it to shoot romantic scenes in your father’s presence?
I’m quite comfortable when he is around. It’s my profession. If I can agree to a scene that will be viewed by my parents in the audience, why won’t I be able to shoot it in front of them?

A lot is being said about how Salman Khan gifted you a house ...
How silly is that! I’ve been living in the same house ever since I went to Mumbai to shoot for Ghajini. I hadn’t even met Salman then. The media has got him to gift me a new house, someone to do the interiors and even adorned my walls with his paintings and posters!

Isn’t the audience mature enough to understand that these link-up stories are a part of the movie’s marketing strategy?
There are so many untrue stories and misquotes that I think many people would have become conscious of the media games. Of course, a percentage would want to believe it as a topic of discussion, even if they actually have doubts about it.

Can’t the publicists of a film be responsible for this too?
I’m not familiar with such a strategy. During Ghajini, I knew exactly how the movie would be promoted by first releasing Aamir’s look. But the London Dreams team has not discussed anything of that sort with me.

How differently do Salman and Aamir approach a role?
Salman is very relaxed and chilled out. He is spontaneous and even if he has done the homework for his role in his mind, on the sets, he does an impromptu job. In Ghajini, Aamir would come and discuss the role with me, suggest changes and seek suggestions. As for me, I prefer a mixture of both.

You’ve featured in the Lead India campaign to woo voters. Ever considered campaigning for individual stars?
No. I’ve been approached in the south, but I have always declined such offers. Be it difficult or easy, one has to say no when one doesn’t want to do something.

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Kangna bonds with Sush didi

Kangna intends to have a ball on the sets of her first comedy No Problem.

“So far I’ve never had fun on the sets. All the character I’ve played have been introverted and troubled. So I’ve been in my shell. During Fashion Madhur Bhandarkar used to scold me for being in a shell all the time. But if I play insecure paranoid characters I can’t be laughing and playing around. But it was the nature of the characters. For Anees Bazmi’s film I’m changing completely. I’m going to organize parties on the sets, constantly crack Santa-Banta jokes and most important of all, I will bond with Sushmita. Hopefully our bonding will last beyond one film.”

After signing a film together, Sushmita Sen has taken the lovely Kangna Ranaut under her wings. Always known to be warm towards her co-stars Sushmita has taken a special fancy to Kangana because of her facial resemblance to Sushmita’s daughter Renee.

Says Kangna, “On the first day that we met we struck a special chord in each other’s hearts. I was standing at a premiere and she came up to me. She held my face in her hands and said I’ve hair exactly like her daughter. And that whenever she saw me she was reminded of her daughter. From that moment onwards we bonded. Luckily I play Sushmita’s sister in the film that we’re doing together. I love calling her Didi.”

Kangna is pleased as hell to be finally doing comedy. “I was really hurt when people said I was destined only to play tragic roles. I wanted to do comedy for the longest time. And that I’ve Sushmita playing my sister in the film is an added bonus. We’ll have a ball playing sisters.”

The film is Anees Bazmi’s comedy No Problem produced by Anil Kapoor.

Says Kangna, “I had decided whenever I do my first comedy it would have to be either with Anees Bazmi or David Dhawan. Everyone thought I was wrong for the part in No Problem. No one was convinced I could do comedy, not after playing all those traumatized roles. But Anilji convinced everyone that I could do it.”

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Dimple defends Akki's 'unbuttoning' act

Akshay Kumar has a very spunky defender – his mother-in-law, Dimple Kapadia

The actress doesn’t mince words when she’s asked for her opinion on the controversy over Twinkle unbuttoning Akki’s jeans at a Mumbai fashion show.

“F*** all this news!” she says. “By God’s grace, both my girls are happy and doing really well. If the world wants to presume things – let it. So many times, such things have been shown on television, and nobody says anything. They should either stop doing this moral policing or stop what’s being shown on TV first!”

But hasn’t she gotten used to these things yet? Many would have said many different things about her donning a bikini in Bobby and scorching the silver screen in 1973. “No, not at all. In fact, nobody even raised an eyebrow,” pat comes her reply. If things were so cool then, she must be finding it really hard to digest all this now. “I am not only shocked but also stunned at people’s reaction. What Akshay and Twinkle did was just for fun. It was just humour, not anything lurid, there was no vulgarity or any display of physical assets!” she adds.
What would she tell the moral policing experts, then? “Maybe their wives don’t open the buttons on their pants. I think they should try that. I know I’ve made a tall statement, but I stand by it,” she says.

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K3 teams up

Karan Johar is teaming up with Kareena and Kajol after a gap of eight years.

After casting the two in K3G, Karan is planning to cast the talented actresses in his upcoming film. The film will be directed by debutant Siddharth Malhotra, Prem Kishen’s son and grandson of the late Prem Nath.

The film is said to be based on the Hollywood hit film Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. The shooting for this new project will begin soon after My Name Is Khan wraps up.

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Soha-Sharmila create magic on screen

The mother-daughter duo is all set to play mother-daughter on screen as well. They will be seen together in a Sangeeta Datta film.

The film will be shot in English and to be produced by a British company. It is a family drama that revolves around a father and his three daughters. The film will also star Girish Karnad, Om Puri and a bunch of other British actors.

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Double do for Gerard Butler

We all know that SRK is ready to host a party on May 1 for his Hollywood friend, Gerard Butler. His party is exclusive and meant for only close friends to attend. But that’s not all.

Priyanka Chopra is hosting a similar party only one day before King Khan’s!

Gerard Butler is suddenly really hot property in India , don’t you think?

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Vidya needs her masala

Vidya Balan cannot go a day without having her masala chai. She has to have a regular dose of it, especially during her shoots.

The beautiful actress is currently shooting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and she laments that she isn’t getting her tea. She even went around the city in the hope of finding a cuppa chai to get her through the day.

Shake off the addiction we say!

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Brits honour Irrfan Khan

After stunning performances in The Namesake, A Mighty Heart and most recently in Slumdog Millionaire, the House of Commons planned to honour Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP from Birmingham Perry Barr in the House of Commons, presented the award.

The actor will now be seen in Kal Kissne Dekha, New York, Hisss, Paan Singh Tomar, Right Ya Wrong and Acid Factory.

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Amitabh didn’t want to work with Abhishek

Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladdin is set to release this year. The film stars Amitabh and Riteish Deshmukh.

Originally, the script included Big B and son Abhishek, but the actor requested Ghosh not to include Abhishek in the script. Although the father-son duo have given some good performances together, Big B didn’t want to work with his son, saying that they had done too many projects together already. This is when Riteish was roped in. He owes Big B big time!

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SRK won’t return to SA until KKR wins

Shah Rukh Khan has decided to try the tough love approach with his team, The Kolkata Knight Riders: he’s not going to cheer for them in South Africa until they buck up. After playing 5 matches and with just 1 win to their name, the Knight Riders are in the worst position in the IPL ranking, coming in seventh on the list.

They’ve had some real bad games, and team owner Shah Rukh Khan is not at all happy. So much so that after returning to India to vote for the upcoming elections, he was quoted to have said, “I won't return to South Africa unless the team starts winning. I feel really sad when I see my team losing. They are trying very hard, so it's even tougher to digest the losses... I will only return to South Africa and cheer for my team when they start winning.”

Shah Rukh’s present attitude is a far cry from what we heard him say a few days ago. The actor was full of hope while he wrote his blog in South Africa. It said: “So let’s start from the fact that, yes, we have been hit already. So, this is a good thing. A very good thing! We have been hit and hit hard, so the difficult part is over now. We all should accept that we do lie at this point very nearly on the floor. So, now comes the part which is more important. The part that we need to show everyone around us that we can take a hit; we can fall down, but we also know how to scrape ourselves from the floor and continue to fight.” Now, reality has sure ‘hit’ Shah Rukh as he landed on Indian soil, and he’s too embarrassed to be present while his team struggles to ‘scrape’ themselves up from the bottom.

At the start of the IPL, SRK created quite a stir with his innovative decisions: he dropped Sourav Ganguly as team captain and brought out his ‘multiple captaincy’ strategy as his ticket to win the IPL. However, the plan turned out to be a major disaster, and the score card is witness to that. Surprisingly, the Knight Riders have an impressive list of coaches assisting the players. So, is it just a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth that’s leading to the team’s downfall?

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What's happening in Bollywood!

Lovely ladies all over town and a few men

IIFA at Macau: IIFA Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachhan unveils the Venetian Macao as this year’s IIFA awards destination.


Vidya Bland: Vidya Balan tries to play safe with this off-white suit she wore at the launch of an audio book for which she lends her voice.


BIG Party: Slumdog Millionaire Kids Tanay and Tanvi were seen together at the BIG 92.7 FM office with R.J Rohit.


Enlightening always: Lyricist Javed Akhtar was felicitated for his contribution to the film industry by the Taj Enlighten Society.


Sabka Dost: Seen here are the cast of upcoming film Maruti – Mera Dost at the movie’s music launch.

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In Pics: Amitabh Bachchan at the IIFA 2009 Press Meet

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Nominations for the IIFA Awards 2009

Best Film
A Wednesday
Dostana
Ghajini
Jodhaa Akbar
Race
Rock On

Best Director
A.R. Murugadoss - Ghajini
Madhur Bhandarkar - Fashion
Abhishek Kapoor - Rock On
Ashutosh Gowariker - Jodhaa Akbar
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday

Best Actor in a Leading Role - Male
Aamir Khan - Ghajini
Abhishek Bachchan - Dostana
Hrithik Roshan - Jodhaa Akbar
Naseeruddin Shah - A Wednesday
Shah Rukh Khan - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Best Actor in a Leading Role - Female
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - Jodhaa Akbar
Asin - Ghajini
Bipasha Basu - Race
Katrina Kaif - Singh is Kinng
Priyanka Chopra - Fashion

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Male
Abhishek Bachchan - Sarkar Raj
Arjun Rampal - Rock On
Irrfan Khan - Mumbai Meri Jaan
Sonu Sood - Jodhaa Akbar
Vinay Pathak - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Female
Bipasha Basu- Bachna Ae Haseeno
Ila Arun - Jodhaa Akbar
Kiron Kher - Dostana
Shahana Goswami - Rock On
Kangana Ranaut - Fashion

Best Actor in a Comic Role
Abhishek Bachchan - Dostana
Anil Kapoor- Race
Rajpal Yadav - Bhoothnath
Tejpal Singh - Jodhaa Akbar
Shreyas Talpade - Welcome to Sajjanpur
Tusshar Kapoor - Golmaal Returns

Best Actor in a Negative Role
Akshaye Khanna - Race
Imran Khan - Kidnap
Paresh Rawal - Oye Lucky Lucky Oye
Pradeep Rawat - Ghajini
Vishwas Badola - Jodhaa Akbar

Best Story
Abhishek Kapoor - Rock On
Haidar Ali - Jodhaa Akbar
Madhur Bhandarkar, Ajay Monga, Anuradha Tiwari - Fashion
Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday
Shiraz Ahmed - Race

Best Music
A.R.Rahman - Jodhaa Akbar
A.R.Rahman- Ghajini
Pritam - Race
Shankar Ehsaan Loy - Rock On
Vishal Shekhar - Dostana

Best Lyrics
Anvita Dutt Gupta - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Jaideep Sahni - Haule Haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)
Javed Akhtar - Jashn-E-Bahara (Jodhaa Akbar)
Javed Akhtar- Socha Hai (Rock On)
Sameer - Pehli Nazar Mein (Race)

Best Playback Singer - Male
Atif Aslam - Pehli Nazar Mein (Race)
Farhan Akhtar - Socha Hai (Rock On)
Javed Ali - Jashn-E-Baharaa (Jodhaa Akbar)
KK- Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Sukhwinder Singh - Haule Haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Best Playback Singer - Female
Bela Shinde - Man Mohana (Jodhaa Akbar)
Monali - Zara Zara Touch Me (Race)
Shilpa Rao - Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno)
Shreya Ghoshal - Teri Ore (Singh is Kinng)
Sunidhi Chauhan - Desi Girl (Dostana)

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Emraan Hashmi robbed of Rs. 2 lakhs by credit card miscreant

Emraan Hashmi was in a for a rude shock when he received a call from his bank HSBC about some heavy-duty transactions made on his credit card on April 26th and 27th . The transactions amounted to nearly Rs. 2 lakh and a stunned Hashmi had no choice but to lodge a police complaint.

Apparently around 11 transactions were done on the above mentioned 2 dates and strangely Emraan had himself done none of them. Most of these transactions were for purchase of airline tickets said the bank authorities.

While the police are yet to figure out the person behind this crime, Emraan is surely not amused one bit. In fact the actor is very upset with this whole incident and wants the miscreant to be caught and punished as soon as possible.

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Big B announces the next Big IIFA 2009 - Video

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The making of 'Levi Strauss Signature' print campaign - Video

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Shahid's Latest 'LEVI STRAUSS Signature' Ad - Video

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Dia dismisses having differences with Sanjay Gupta

After having done bit roles in not-so-successful films like "Cash" and "Krazzy 4", actress Dia Mirza now pins her hopes on forthcoming multi-starrer "Acid Factory" in which she has performed several stunts on her own.

"'Acid Factory' is one of my biggest films. I really worked hard for the film and can't wait to see the promos on air," Dia, who made her Bollywood debut in 2001 with "Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein", said in a press statement.

In the film, Dia is the only female character and has performed several stunts on her own alongside actors Fardeen Khan, Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpai, Dino Morea and Aftab Shivdasani.

Directed by Suparn Varma, the film is produced by Sanjay Gupta. There were reports that Dia had developed differences with the makers of "Acid Factory" due to the delay in releasing the film, but the beauty queen-turned-actress denies it.

She said: "The film is releasing as scheduled - winter 2009. It's a big release and they (the filmmakers) have a grand plan for the marketing of the film. The shooting of the film is complete and it is in the post production stage now."

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SRK sends back his Indian cheerleaders

Shah Rukh Khan has sent back the six girls he picked as cheerleaders, saying they could not cheerlead his team in South Africa.

The heartbroken girls, who won a much-hyped reality show, are back in India without cheerleading even once.

"We were told that people only wanted South Africans cheerleaders on the field," Sunanda, one of the six cheerleaders told Star Box Office.

The girls flew to South Africa on April 15 and say that they they were told beforehand that they will not be given the opportunity to cheer for the team on the field.

So were the girls given any money for their trouble? Not yet, but they're hopeful.

Rupali, another cheerleader said about the contract: “We were made to sign a one year contract which said that financial help would be considered only after Shah Rukh was back from South Africa, and that is on April 30.”

To promote his team Kolkata Knight Riders, SRK had staged the massive reality show called ‘Knights and Angels’ (NDTV Imagine). The purpose of the show was to pick six Indian girls who would cheer his team during the IPL matches.

The winners were: Sanna, Samyukta, Ritika, Ananya, Sunanda and Rupali.

The girls don't believe the reality show was just a stunt. “I don’t think that these people will spend so much money in a reality just like that. I am sure if IPL would have happened in India, we would have surely been on the field,” Sunanda said.

The six cheer leaders attended three matches which were held in Capetown. Sunanda says the experience, “was great… We were not on the field but we were continuously cheering for SRK’s team as audience. We were obviously disappointed but we also know that SRK tried very hard but things couldn’t work…”

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IIFA off to China this year

The International Indian Film Academy (that’s IIFA to most people) is going from the land of Chandni Chowk to China this year.

THE event's brand ambassador, Amitabh Bachchan is likely to announce this soon. Bachchan is the moving force behind the awards in the industry, with an event management company being the financial and organisational muscle. IIFA began in 2000 when it was held in London. Bachchan has been its face from the start.

The awards have taken on the schism of Bollywood, and Shah Rukh Khan, who supposedly is in the opposite camp as Bachchan does not attend the awards. The last couple of years he has been on holiday while the awards have taken place. The awards are normally held in May-June and this year of course SRK is off to South Africa for IPL.

IIFA says that its voting process for the awards is monitored by PriceWaterHouse Coopers, whose credibility of late has taken a bashing because of the Satyam scam. The nominations in the popular category are made available to a global audience for a vote. Winners of the awards are revealed only when the envelope are opened on stage.

The awards have become quite big and an annual event as awaited as the Filmfare and Star Screen awards.

IIFA awards though the years:
2000: London
2001: Sun City, South Africa
2002: Malaysia
2003: Johannesburg
2004: Singapore
2005: Amsterdam
2006: Dubai
2007: Yorkshire
2008: Thailand

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US site calls Mallika 'Monroe of Bollywood'

Mallika Sherawat has been named by the website www.askmen.com as one of the most desirable women on the planet. The website, which is owned by News Corp (the same company that owns Star Box Office), is one of the most popular sites for men in America.

The askmen.com editors compared Mallika to Halle Berry on their oomphmeter and caller her the 'Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood'! Hmmm, we wonder what Katrina and Kareena have to say about that.

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Kajol-Karan katti

Kajol is Karan Johar's favourite actress, and he always thinks of her when he is casting for his big movies with SRK. Now, it appears that there might be a rift between the two, which is developing because of Kajol's family commitments. The two will shoot for My Name is Khan when SRK returns from South Africa after IPL.

However, Karan's penchant for shooting abroad is causing a problem. Kajol does not want to leave her daughter Nysa behind for the weeks that the shoot schedule will take. Nysa has started school, and Kajol wants to be there for her in this period. Karan is clear that he wants to shoot in the US. Most of his movies use the vast, clean and attractive expanses of foreign countries. Both sides are adamant. So how will this tied match end? Perhaps SRK can decide it!

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Fake Harman hits Facebook

Harman Baweja, seen as a copycat of Hrithik Roshan, is now being copied himself! Someone posing as him has been sending Facebook requests to girls whom Harman does not know. The actor says it's not him that's behind this. Sources close to him said that he does not have the time to be active on Facebook, as he is busy with his career. The star of Love Story 2050 is currently shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Rashi? with former flame Priyanka Chopra.

Hope the fake Harman does not raise as big a stink as the fake IPL blogger!

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In Pics: Abhishek-Aishwarya at Shammi Aunty's birthday party

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In Pics: Tv Stars at Bollywood Boxie Cricket Team Party

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Akshay Kumar will grow his beard to play Sikh in Deepa Mehta's film

After the furor that was raised over the apology of a beard that Akshay Kumar sported as a Sikh in Anees Bazmee's Singh Is Kinng, Akshay Kumar is taking no chances.

For the role of the real-life Sardarji who sailed in the fateful ship named Kamagata Maru from Hong Kong to Vancouver in 1914, Akshay is taking no chances.

He'll grow the beard to the size stipulated by the Sikh community before plunging into the role in January 2010.

In fact the actor, smarting under the attack he faced for his improper beard length in Bazmee's bearded burlesque, has this time decided to set aside all his assignments for Kamagata Maru to avoid continuity clashes with other projects.

Says Deepa, "Akshay is so amazing. Considering he has so much work on hand, I was surprised when he absolutely insisted on growing a full-length beard. One of the reasons I postponed Kamagata Maru to next year was so that Akshay would be able to block an entire chunk of dates for my film and keep the beard. I was very sure that I didn't want him for a month and then return with a false beard and finish my film. It's very important for actors to respect continuity. That's the only way to work."

Deepa saw Akshay Kumar play a Sardar in Singh Is Kinng before casting him in Kamagata Maru. "I thought he made a very good Sardar. He has a very Panju-Sardar look. Akshay has to play a 48-year old Sardar. And he's absolutely fine with a salt-and-pepper beard."

"Akshay is also the film's producer along with my life partner David Hamilton, so his interest in the film is very, very deep," says Deepa.

Post the fiasco that's Chandni Chowk to China, Akshay Kumar is also counting on converting his comic currency into something more compelling and enduring.

According to Deepa, Akshay Kumar will be seen in a completely non-comic serious and politically profound role in Kamagata Maru.

"Five years ago, Akshay was completely ready to transform his image in Water when he was to play the Gandhian reformist. The role in Kamagata Maru is far more challenging."

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Amitabh Bachchan remembers Feroz Khan

Describes him as a flamboyant filmmaker

Mourning the death of veteran actor Feroz Khan, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan says that despite several attempts in the past the two could not work together.

"There were many attempts by both of us to work together but somehow it didn't work out," Amitabh posted on his blog.

"He will be remembered for his passion and commitment to the craft. May his soul rest in peace and may the Almighty give his family strength to bear the loss," he added.

The flamboyant actor-filmmaker died on Sunday at his farmhouse in Bangalore after battling cancer for a year. He was 69.

Amitabh describes Feroz Khan, who made hits like "Dharmatma" and "Qurbani", as a flamboyant filmmaker.

"A flamboyant filmmaker, one that in the middle of his acting career became a producer and director and gave us some very memorable films - all with a certain stamp of flamboyance.

"What he displayed in his persona, reflected in the way he made his films. In many ways, he pioneered a certain flash and sophistication in his very first venture as a maker and that remained with him and all his films throughout," he wrote.

Amitabh also pointed out that Feroz Khan always had a "progressive and visible difference in the way he functioned" including the "content of the subjects he chose, in the unique casting that he did or in the fresh talent that he introduced in music and presentation".

Amitabh recalled the recent Stardust award function where Feroz Khan was given the Stardust Pride of the Industry award.

"In a most poignant moment, his son Fardeen had received it on his behalf from Jaya (Bachchan) on stage - Feroz being too ill to be present," he added.

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We have been preparing ourselves for Feroz's death

Akbar Khan says his brother was fearless to the end

He was gracious and loving till the end, says Feroz Khan's brother Akbar. He added that they had been preparing themselves for his death for quite a few months.

"For three months now we've been watching him slowly sink. We prayed to either relieve him from pain, or life," Akbar told IANS.

Feroz Khan died on Sunday (April 26) at his farmhouse in Bangalore after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 69. The entire family was gathered in Bangalore for the funeral, which took place on Monday (April 27).

"The entire family was here towards his end literally feeding him out of our hands," said the grief-stricken sibling. "And he enjoyed his glass of wine in the evenings with us till the end. He was a very loving friend and bhai (brother).

"We buried him next to our mother. It's unfortunate that we couldn't bring him back to Mumbai for so many of his friends and well-wishers to see him for the last time. But his last wish was to lie eternally next to our mother in our home town near Bangalore. And we had to fulfil that wish."

Akbar, who recently made the historical epic "Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story", says that contrary to his flamboyant image, Feroz Khan was a sensitive person.

"He was much loved by all his friends and colleagues. Contrary to his flamboyant image, he was a very gentle sensitive soul. Even in his frail condition towards the end he'd get up from his chair to greet each one of us in the family no matter how old or young. He was a friend first, then a father-figure," said Akbar.

"He was fearless even when faced with death. He was the apple of our mother's eyes. All of us five brothers and two sisters looked up to him. We've lost a father-figure. But he's relieved of his pain. But he was fearless to the end. He didn't even fear death. He'll always be with us."

Meanwhile, actress-politician Hema Malini, who is busy campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, catches her breath to remember Feroz Khan and says he was the only colleague to use an endearment for her and give her a sensuous avatar in his hit film "Dharmatma".

"He was the first and last man who called me 'baby'. No one has ever dared. I wish they would. What a suave man he was," Hema told IANS.

"When I agreed to do 'Dharmatma' he made it very clear I was there in the first-half only. He said, 'You can't say no, baby!' That was a new experience for me. My mother was more shocked than I was. With everyone addressing me as 'ji' it feels nice if someone comes up with a term of endearment.

"Earlier this week I was in Darjeeling campaigning when someone from the crowd shouted out 'Hemu' and disappeared into the mountains. I felt good because that's what my near and dear ones call me," she added.

Feroz Khan calling Hema 'baby' was not the only change that he brought to her life.

"He decided to take on the challenge of making me look more glamorous and sensuous than ever before. That was a tough job because I was constantly fighting to cover myself up more than those costumes by Parmeshwar Godrej allowed. I don't think I've ever used so many safety pins in my entire lifetime. He wanted me to be as uninhibited as today's heroines. That wasn't possible for me."

Hema shot in Afghanistan for "Dharmatma" and says it was a memorable experience.

"I don't think any film unit had gone there before. It was a memorable experience. And we really had to rough it out. It was freezing cold in Kabul. We had to stay in tents. In the evenings, we'd all sit together and prepare for next day's scenes.

"Otherwise after shooting I always kept to myself. But he persuaded not just me but also my mother to join the unit in the evening. 'Come on, mom. Join us.' My mother was taken aback. We're basically very shy people. But he'd make her part of the discussions. That's the way to make films. One gets so charged and enthusiastic. I wish Feroz Khan and I had done more films together," Hema said.

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In Pics: Feroze Khan buried

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Feroz ji was like a father to me: SRK

Bollywood is in a state of shock at the sad demise of veteran actor Feroz Khan. Calling his death a big blow to the industry, the film fraternity has paid tribute to his remarkable contributions.

Many actors have flown to Banglore from various parts of the country to attend the last rites of this legendary figure.

His brother Sanjay Khan, who reached Bangalore after his death, said, "He was a lion. He was a wonderful, passionate man. His contribution to the film industry is immense. It's a deep loss to the family. I can say that there was a lion who used to roar but today he is no more."

Even King Khan expressed grief and said that he was like a father to him. Shah Rukh said, "I miss Feroz saab a lot. His death is a personal loss. Fardeen had told me about his illness. I was emotionally attached to him because my father too died of the same illness. I still remember when I met him for the first time and he kissed and hugged me. Whenever I met him after that he always showered his love on me and treated me like his son. He is one of the most beautiful people I have met in the film industry."

Bollywood actor Arbaz Khan too said that he was shocked when he came to know about Feroz Khan's death through an SMS. "I convey my condolences to the entire family. It's a very difficult time for Fardeen and other family members. I am so disturbed after hearing this sad news."

Other actors like Celina Jaitely, Malaika Arora Khan, and Zeenat Aman have expressed their condolences on his death. Zeenat Aman has reportedly said that she remembers Feroz Khan as a legendary actor for his memorable and inspiring work in the film industry.

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Bollywood remembers Feroz Khan

Friend, mentor, excellent human being and real royal of Hindi cinema - that is how Bollywood remembers Feroz Khan, the filmmaker-actor who died after a year-long battle with cancer.

Writer-turned director Anees Bazmee, who directed Feroz Khan in his last film "Welcome" in 2007, is "heartbroken" to hear of the death.

"I have come back to Mumbai this morning and got to know about his death. It is very sad and I am heartbroken. He was very close to me and an extremely good human being. I used to be in regular touch with him," Bazmee told IANS.

"Welcome", which was a massive hit, was a special homage to Feroz Khan's stylish on-screen persona through his character Ranbir Dhanraj Xata (RDX).

"Nobody knows that he was not willing to work in 'Welcome' but he loved my previous film 'No Entry' and Fardeen's (Feroz Khan's son) role in it so much that we became very good friends and he agreed to work in the film just for me.

"But he also asked me to make sure that his style was kept intact in the movie, as he has always done roles with oomph and glamour and that's why I even gave him a line 'Abi hum zinda hain' in the film, which he infused life into," said Bazmee.

Beauty queen-turned-actress Celina Jaitley, who was launched by Feroz Khan in his home production's "Janasheen" (2003), headed to Bangalore on Monday to pay her last respects.

"Farewell my friend, my mentor... The many things we talked about... The many things I learnt from you are with me as my courage, you have gone but the love and support you gave me remains as a part of my heart... I wait for the day we will meet again back in god's hand where it all began. Love always, your 'Celine'," Celina told IANS through an SMS.

Feroz was also remembered by music composer Anand Raj Anand and writer Kamlesh Pandey for launching new talent.

Apart from Celina, he introduced Meghna Kothari and his son Fardeen in "Prem Aggan" (1998) and Vicky Arora in "Yalgaar" (1992) to name a few.

"He was a very stylish and straightforward person. He was principled and loyal to people. He always helped people with talent and made them famous. He did not just go for established names, which was a great thing in him," said Anand.

"He gave me confidence when he signed me for 'Janasheen' and now we were working together on the remake of 'Qurbani', but it is so unfortunate what has happened," he added.

Said scriptwriter Pandey, who wrote the dialogues for "Janasheen": "He was one of the royals of our cinema. Everyone knows how to make money, but very few know how to spend it and he knew that style exactly. He was an excellent friend, a great human being and he used to treat people very well.

"He also enjoyed good writing a lot. He was someone who had his own personality. The way he shot his films, his music, everything was great. He also looked for new talent," he added.

Feroz Khan is survived by actor son Fardeen, 35, and daughter Laila Rajpal.

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Feroz Khan's last wish was to remake Qurbani

Feroz Khan's last wish before he passed away in Bangalore was to finish his dream project - a remake of his 1980 blockbuster film "Qurbani".

"His last wish was to remake 'Qurbani' as 'Kurbani'. He was very keen that the film be made again and was working towards it," Rajkumar Tiwari, Feroz Khan's manager of 25 years, told IANS over phone from Bangalore.

"When he fell ill, he realised that a lot of energy was required to make a film, so he took a break and was adamant that he will make the film. Few songs had already been recorded. This project was his last wish and I am sure someone will take it forward," he added.

Feroz Khan passed away late on Sunday at his farmhouse in Bangalore after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 69.

He had announced "Kurbani" at the 2006 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) event in Dubai. His son, actor Fardeen Khan, was to reprise his father's role in the new version of the romantic thriller.

Apart from Feroz Khan, the original also starred Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman and Amjad Khan in pivotal roles.

The actor had also decided to star in the remake of the film. According to media reports, he had roped in filmmaker Sanjay Gupta to wield the megaphone for the movie. When contacted, Gupta refused to comment on it.

Anand Raj Anand, who has been signed to direct the music for the remake, said: "We had already recorded three songs for 'Kurbani' but his health was an issue. Right now I don't want to comment anything more on this as I am very sad about hearing of his demise."

With hit songs like "Aap jaisa koi" and the title qawwali "Qurbani qurbani", the music of the original was a chartbuster.

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Salman gives public awareness message

Salman Khan has shot a 90 second commercial with director Nikhil Saini for hit and run victims.

It is a public awareness ad promoting responsibility and kindness towards road accident victims.

The ad shows a man who is hit by a vehicle and is left to die on the road. It talks about people who ignore such accidents.

After the ad, Salman comes ahead to give a public message. He says, “Apni zimmedari se mat bhagiye. Responsible aur zimmedar logon ki zaroorat hai is desh ko” (Don’t run away from your responsibility. The country needs responsible people).

What is interesting is the fact that Salman had been charged in a hit and run case back in 2002!

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Bipasha does not want John and Vidya working together

John Abraham has turned down Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film “Chenab Gandhi”.

Apparently girlfriend Bipasha is not keen about John working with Vidya Balan.

John and Vidya had got close during the making of Nikhil Advani’s “Saalam-e-Ishq” and there were rumours that the two were dating each other.

The two had hung around in Goa after the entire crew had packed up. They were also seen together at a couple of events.

Even though now that their relationship has become a matter of past, Bipasha does not want to take any chances. She does not want John to work with Vidya again.

John, however, has denied giving up “Chenab Ghandhi” because of Bipasha, though he admits he did meet Bhansali, but for another project.

“The truth is that I was shooting abroad when Mr. Bhansali's office was trying to get in touch. It was Bipasha who put me on to them. It's amazing what conclusions people draw without checking their facts."

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Freida and Dev are together

Ocar winning "Slumdog Millionaire" star Dev Patel's mother spoke of her son's off-screen love with his co-star, Freida Pinto, and said "life can't get better" for her son.

Dev and Freida (pictured above) have always denied their movie romance spilled over into real life. But their pictures enjoying an intimate lunch date in Israel last week raised eyebrows, reports mirror.co.uk.

"First it was the film and now everything else seems to have slotted into place. Life can't get any better for him. Freida is really beautiful and I am really happy for them. Yes, we knew he was flying to Israel to see her," Dev's mother Anita Patel said.

The couple are said to have started the relationship on the sets of Danny Boyle's film.

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Sanjay Dutt visits house where mother Nargis was born

Actor-turned-politician Sanjay Dutt turned emotional Sunday after visiting a nearly century-old building in Kolkata where his mother, legendary actress Nargis, was born.

The dilapidated building on 8 Indian Mirror Street, saw a large crowd since early morning on Sunday (April 26) as news leaked out about Dutt's impending arrival.

Accompanied by Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and encircled by his private security guards, Dutt arrived in a bullet-proof car to cries of "Munnnabhai zindabad" and "Sanjay Dutt Zindabad". He was immediately taken into the house, whose residents were eagerly waiting.

Dutt was taken to the room where Nargis was believed to have been born in 1929 to a muslim mother – Allahabad-based singer Jaddanbai, and a Hindu father – Rawalpindi-based Uttamchand Mohanchand.

Sanjay spent about ten minutes in the room all alone, and seemed overcome by nostalgia when he came out.

"It's a very emotional moment for me. Thanks to Amar Singhji, that he found the house," said the actor - affectionately called Sanju baba.

"I was in the room alone for 10 minutes remembering my mother. Thanks to Kolkata and the people of Kolkata," he said, before leaving the spot.

He later left for Nalhati in Birbhum to address an election meeting.

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Will SRK return to IPL in SA

Shah Rukh Khan will take a break the IPL being played in South Africa to cast his vote.

Having politely declined earlier offers to join political rallies of any South African parties in the run-up to the elections there (it was won by the African National Congress), Khan will head back to India on Wednesday, with his family, wife Gauri and children Aryan and Suhana.

Khan had reportedly been approached by ANC leaders in Durban prior to the first IPL games there. SRK said he had warned his team that if they did well in his absence, he would return; if not, he would be shouting at them from India.

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We have lost a great personality and a good human being: Madhuri Dixit

Feroz Khan in the Swinging Seventies, with his flashy clothes and fast cars, cowboy boots, sunglasses and sideburns, could have given even Elvis Presley a complex... such was the Pathan actor’s flamboyance and raw sex appeal.

He charmed generations of women from the 1960s to, well, almost the late 2000s, starting with films like the intense Apradh and ending two years ago with the hilarious Welcome. Filmmakers reported that Feroz was always keen to continue playing the devil-may-care, sex icon he did in films like Dharmatma, Qurbani and, later, Jaanbaaz and Yalgaar.

His leading ladies, top Bollywood actresses in their time, naturally succumbed to the Killer Khan’s charm. They all said he made them look beautiful and sensuous on screen. And they said with broken hearts yesterday after hearing he had passed away to cancer at his Bangalore farmhouse, that though they couldn’t make it for his funeral, they would never forget Feroz Khan and would pray for his soul. BT got some of their reactions..

Madhuri Dixit
Oh my God! We have lost a great personality and a good human being. My prayers are with his family. Feroz Khan directed me in Dayavaan. He was a wonderful director, much ahead of his time. His style quotient in real life was highly reflected in his films. He would shoot everything with great elan and style. He would allow the actors a lot of creative license, a rare quality I must say. He was a big-hearted Pathan, and I will miss him dearly.

SriDevi
My heart is with Fardeen and his family. I know how it is to lose a father! I did Jaanbaz, one of my earlier films, with Feroz Khan. Initially I was very apprehensive, because he looked very western, and I was not so well versed with such a culture and language. But he surprised me. Throughout, he conversed with me in Tamil and made my life so easy and comfortable on the sets. I will remember him as a warm, down-to-earth man who made me look extremely beautiful!

Zeenat Aman
His death is deeply saddening. I was his leading lady and that was our primary relationship. Over the years we kept in touch and he would invite me to his premieres and film parties. He was an exceptional man! Not only debonair and charming, making girls go crazy, but a great professional too. He was so much ahead of his time, not just in terms of style, but also technically... and all his films reflect that. When I was in school, there was a strong buzz among the girls about this tall, good-looking Pathan actor. I didn’t know that someday I would work with this Killer Khan. His style expressed itself not just in his films, but also in the way he lived. It’s my privilege to have known him. And I will cherish all the good memories of my interaction with him. I can never forget that he made me look so good in Qurbani. Till date people talk about that.

Hema Malini
This is a great loss to the industry. He was not just an actor, a director and a fine human being, but a great style icon of his time. I was already seeing Dharamji then, but I must say that Feroze Khan had all the qualities for a girl to get attracted to him! There was an air of arrogance in him which was very dashing. Agar itne handsome ho toh thoda rubab hona zaroori hai. It adds to your appeal. And he had this in abundance! He had a charming, flirtatious quality, but it was limited to the sets only. With his kind of looks and personality, he would always stand out in a crowd. I haven’t seen a greater looker or western personality among today’s heroes. Even though I was known as the Dream Girl, I never looked so pretty as I did in Dharmatma, the film Feroz acted in and directed. He used to call me Reshma (my name in Dharmatma) throughout the making of the film
and even after that. After our jodi worked, we did another film, but it bombed. Never mind, he will be there in our hearts always.

Neetu Singh
I woke up with this sad news and was deeply disturbed. It’s a loss to the industry. My prayers are with his family. I worked with Feroz Khan in one of my earlier films Chunouti, which didn’t do well and nobody remembers. But our rapport was great. He was an absolutely charming man, and I have lots of fond memories of him.

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John is in love with Priyanka Gandhi

Soon after he was voted the sexiest man in the world, John Abraham declared his choice of the sexiest women in the world.

However, as most would have expected, it wasn’t his girlfriend, Bipasha Basu but instead it was Priyanka Gandhi. John said that he was completely smitten by her sophistication and her attitude. He also said that Mrs Gandhi-Vadra would be “going to the real power centre in the future”.

We hope girlfriend, Bips, doesn’t take it to heart.

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Big B to play the role of a 13 year old boy

Big B will be playing the role of a teenaged boy affected by progeria, a rare genetic disorder known to quicken the aging of a person.

What makes this piece of news more interesting is that Abhishek Bachchan will be playing his father and Vidya Balan will be his mother.

R Balakrishnan will be making the film. He also made Cheeni Kum which saw 64 year old Amitabh Bachchan fall in love with 34 year old Tabu.

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Sallu’s missing his team

When Salman and the crew finished the shooting for forthcoming film London Dreams, he asked the team to put him up at his favourite hotel in central London despite the cast and the crew staying somewhere else.

Initially, Sallu was happy to be in his comfort zone only to start missing his comrades later. He heard about the fun the cast and the crew was having together. He also missed being a part of Asin and Ajay Devgan’s mischief. Is that all he missed?

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Hrithik won’t show off his muscles

Fans were this close to seeing his bare chest but Hrithik disappointed them by not tossing his shirt into the audience during the Macro man event.

A source told us that Hrithik was supposed to walk the ramp, toss his shirt into the clueless audience and strut his stuff.

However, last minute problems, made the actor change his mind against pulling of his shirt.

We aren’t happy and neither are his fans!

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First Look: Lakshmi Menon goes Vogue

The latest issue of the ultimate Indian style guide - Vogue India - is out now!! The May issue of the magazine, released on April 24, is specially dedicated to travel. The cover page of this special travel issue stars dusky supermodel Lakshmi Menon a hot pink summer outfit.

The face of Hermès, the show stopper at international runways, Vogue's cover girl and dusky beauty, Lakshmi Menon was photographed by Jean Francois Campos on the remote beaches in Kutch. The photo feature of the month presents Menon in the hottest colours for the summer season. Highlights of the issue include essays by renowned travel writer Pico Iyer and other celebrity travellers.

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Mystery of Hrithik’s new look

Hrithik recently walked the ramp for Macro Man M-Series, launching their new range of undergarments, but what caught our eye was his new look!

After Bollywood’s biggest superstars donning ponytails - Amitabh Bachchan in Cheeni Kum, Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om, Aamir Khan in Mangal Pandey and Salman Khan in Veer - Hrithik’s caught on to the trend a little late. He was seen at the launch with long hair tied back and wearing dark aviator sunglasses. And the look suited him too; he managed to look as suave as usual.

As far as we know, Hrithik has almost finished shooting for his upcoming film Kites and has not yet started to shoot for any other films. So, we wonder what the mystery behind this new look is?

One theory says that the actor is growing his hair for a song that is to be added now.

The actor arrived two hours late to the launch and though he walked the ramp, Hrithik refused to talk to the media, leaving immediately after the event. We presume it’s because he didn’t want to answer any questions about his alleged link up with his Kites costar Barbara Mori.

The actor is currently living with his family in a 5-star hotel while his home is being refurbished.

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Nakshatra - First Look

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Neil becomes brand ambassador for an Italian watch brand

The moment he entered the tinsel industry, he immediately got touted as the 'it' boy, for he had everything that it takes to become the poster boy of today and the superstar of tomorrow. We are indeed talking about the blue eyed boy of Bollywood, Neil Nitin Mukesh.

After having made a splash in Bollywood with his superlative acting in films like Johnny Gaddaar and Aa Dekhen Zara, Neil indeed has become a hot property not just amongst the filmmakers but also amongst the dream merchants (read 'ad walas'). After having endorsed a leading pair of shoes, Neil is now being chosen to be the Brand Ambassador for a leading brand of Italian watches called Morellato Watches. The news is that the makers themselves came down to India to rope in this sensational actor for the reason that 'Neil has got the looks of an international star, and, with his stubble on, he looks rugged.' Insiders say that the said brand was particularly looking for the tough look, and that's exactly the reason they did not settle with any chocolate boy Bollywood star, as they wanted to maintain brand image in an international market also. And since the fact remains that the aforementioned watch brand has a strong presence in international market, they wanted a star, who is young and would look like an Italian or an Mexican, a 'criteria' that Neil qualified with natural ease!

All that we can say is that, now on, one can easily tell the 'real reason' of the shoot up of the watch brand's sales. What say, Neil!

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Abhi-Ash come to wish Shammi Aunty

Veteran actress Shammi better known as 'Shammi Aunty' in Bollywood celebrated her 80th birthday. And almost the entire industry starting from the Bachchans, the Chopras and the Johars to Vidya Balan, everybody was there to wish her.

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Bollywood's style icon Feroz Khan is dead

Flamboyant Bollywood actor, producer and director Feroz Khan has died after losing a year-long battle with cancer.

Khan, 69, died at 0130 local time on Monday (2000GMT Sunday) at his farmhouse in southern Bangalore state.

His funeral is due to take place in Bangalore city later on Monday, his family said.

The actor, who appeared in more than 50 films, became one of India's best-loved heroes with his role in the 1980 hit film Qurbani (Sacrifice).

His son Fardeen Khan is also a Bollywood actor and model.

Feroz Khan made his Bollywood debut as the co-star in the movie Didi in 1960 and went on to star in a number of films in the 1970s and 1980s.

Although Qurbani was the biggest hit of his career, he is also known for Dharmatma (A virtuous soul) which was inspired by the Hollywood film, The Godfather.

Some of his other hit films include Jaanbaaz (Brave heart) and Dayavan (Kind-hearted).

The last film he acted in was Welcome in 2007. For his work, Khan was given several prestigious awards by the Indian film industry.

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Exclusive: Hrithik uses cussword on the sets of Kites - Video

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Hrithik upset with YouTube video

Perfectionist actor caught with his guard down!

Hrithik was rehearsing for a song for “Kites” with his choreographer Flexy Stu and he used foul language, which was filmed by Flexy.

The clip of the video showing the actor using the F-word an umpteen number of times, is now on YouTube and is causing much anguish to the actor.

Story goes that while rehearing for certain salsa steps the actor lost his cool and started cussing. The video shows the actor saying at one spot, "This is the baddest m**** f**** in the world!"

Hrithik is very upset that a clip like has been posted on the internet and has not only hurt him but also his fans all over the globe.

Hrithik has appealed to his fans, especially kids, not to view this clip.

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Video Mallika Sherawat wants no one to see

It's just one of the ghosts from the past

Couple of years back when Mallika Sherawat was just a struggling actress, she had shot for an advert promoting pan masala.

The sensuous advertisement never made it to the small screen as the client did not approve of it at that time. But the same advert is now hot property and can stir a lot of steam considering Mallika’s super status.

Plus her looks in the advert are completely different and you can make out that Mallika has probably had cosmetic surgery to get her present well-endowed body.

Not many knew that such a video existed as it was in safe hands of the creative agency. But now it has been posted on YouTube and is likely to cause a lot of embarrassment for Mallika who’s currently in Hollywood.

A lot of details things about Mallika's earlier life are still not known to many like she was called Reema Lamba and was married to a pilot named Karan Singh. She was happily married until Mallika decided she wanted to get into films and lead an independent life. Her husband is now married but does not like associating with Mallika.

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Amitabh Bachchan turns stylist

“Aladin” (above) is one of the films that fans of Amitabh Bachchan should look out for this year.

Produced by Eros International and Boundscript, and directed by Sujoy Ghosh, “Aladin” is a contemporary look at the classic fairy tale. Packed with fun, music, masti, action and adventure “Aladin” boasts of a visual scale never seen before on Indian screen and arrives in theatres on July 24, 2009.

Apparently Big B was very excited about the groovy track to be picturised on him and Riteish Deshmukh and while planning the shoot for the peppy number, he expressed his desire to contribute to the song in his very own way - by choosing his own outfit for it!

Of course, the director willingly agreed and Bachchan went on to chose a deep red velvet jacket which added that extra touch of grandeur to his already larger-than-life persona in the film.

“Aladin” stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Riteish Deshmukh and introduces Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez.

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Abhishek, Ash and Vivek in the same film

Call it rumours or hear-say but the word is that the shooting for film “Tansen” will begin next month and it will star Abhishek, Aishwarya, Anil Kapoor and even Vivek Oberoi.

The film is set to be shot in Bangkok first and then would also be shot on other international locations in Australia and New Zealand.

The historical epic is going to be a mega project and will be one of the costliest films ever made in Bollywood.

The film is based on the life of Mughal court singer Tansen and has Abhishek as the lead character. It is directed by Satish Kaushik and produced by Rajshri and even Sony is supposed to have put money in it.

Apart from this Barjatya project, Abhishek is working alongside wife Aishwarya in Mani Ratnam’s much-hyped “Ravana”. It is also rumoured that he and Ash have been cast in a remake of the Amitabh-Jaya starrer “Abhimaan”.

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Slumdog star Rubina's case closed

"Slumdog Millionaire" fame child actor Rubina Ali's (pictured above) father Rafiq Qureshi has officially been cleared by Indian police over allegations that he attempted to sell his daughter.

Qureshi was quizzed by the police in Mumbai on April 20 after British newspaper News of the World alleged he offered to auction off the nine-year-old for 200,000 pounds to get rid of poverty and become an overnight millionaire, reports contactmusic.com

The accused protested his innocence throughout the scandal, claiming that the story was a "lie made up by foreign journalists playing games with me".

Authorities on the other hand, have failed to find any evidence to back up the accusation announcing that they have dropped their investigation into the case.

"There is not any crime. The matter is closed. No money changed hands. Rubina is here. There is no crime," said senior police officer Rahim Shaikh.

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Vidya is crazy about her cutting chai!

Vidya Balan is crazy about her cutting chai! She needs her daily dose of masala tea at regular intervals especially when she is shooting.

Vidya is currently shooting for R. Balki's “Pa” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and badly missed her masala chai on the sets.

A source from the productionsaid, "Vidya missed having tea so badly that she went restaurant hopping desperately trying to find a joint that served the typical cutting chai. Balki found it funny and teased Vidya about her tea addiction."

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John, Neil stay away from each

Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham , who will be seen together in "New York", are shooting at the same venue in Maharashtra's Karjat town for two different films on life in jail, but they aren't meeting each other.

"To be honest I have hardly had the chance to meet John here, although we're shooting just a hop and skip away from each other. In all this time maybe we've met just once," Neil told IANS.

The interesting part is that the two adjacent sets at Nitin Desai's studio in Karjat represent huge prison sets. While Madhur Bhandarkar is shooting "Jail" on one prison set, David Dhawan is shooting scenes in a prison with John Abraham for "Hook Ya Crook" next door.

Desperate attempts are being made to keep the cast and crew of one film away from the other to ensure there's no creative overlapping or duplication from one to the other.

The fact that gym buddies John and Neil aren't fraternising although they are shooting a breath away is ample proof that the two units have decided to stay away from each other with their respective prison secrets.

This, after spending all their free time together in Philadelphia when they were shooting for "New York" and later in Mumbai where they gymed together.

After all, it's about creativity.

Incidentally, Kabir Khan's "New York" has a prison scene where John is stripped and tortured for being a suspected terrorist. Neil too bares all for "Jail" and is similarly tortured for crimes he hasn't committed.

With one prison story resembling another without trying, is it any wonder that best buddies John and Neil are staying away from each other and not exchanging notes over their prison stories?

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Salman, Arbaaz will play Prem Kaa Game together

The Khan brothers - Salman and Arbaaz - will be teaming up after almost four years in the film "Prem Kaa Game".
Salman, who will be seen throughout the narrative of the film, will be advising Arbaaz's character, Prem, how to stray in marriage.

The two were earlier seen together in David Dhawan's romantic comedy "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya?" in 2005.

Incidentally, this is the same film where Sallu got the name of Arbaaz’s character changed to Prem. "Earlier Arbaaz's character was called by a different name. But Salman suggested that he should call his character Prem. Not only this Salman had even advised Arbaaz to change the movie name from Shaadi Ke Effects to Prem Ka Game,” said a source.

Producer Ashok Kheny said: “I always felt that Arbaaz also had that romantic comedy potential which brother Slaman had always excelled in so we decided to offer him the title role of ‘Prem Ka Game’.”

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Neha Dhupia becomes a back row dancer

Actress Neha Dhupia, who has been lately associating herself with closer-to-life characters, will be essaying the role of a back row dancer in her forthcoming film "Pappu Can't Dance Saala".

"Neha did a thorough research on back dancers before embarking on the role. She met and interacted with them on a close level because she wanted to know the kind of lifestyle they had," said a source close to the actress.

"Neha coloured her hair red because she noticed that all those back dancers that she had met had that colour. She also observed that most back row dancers had a habit of chewing gums while waiting for the shot on the sets. So, she adopted that style for her character too," the source added.

In the film, Neha will be working opposite Vinay Pathak.

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Akshay will not be at any more IPL matches

Akshay Kumar, who vowed not to be a part of any Indian Premier League (IPL) game in South Africa, was recently seen at a match with friend Preity Zinta. The actor says he went to Cape Town just to cheer for the Delhi Daredevils.

Akshay was seen at the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Preity Zinta-owned Kings XI Punjab last Sunday (April 19). Earlier, he had refused to be a part of the match even though pals Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty own two teams in the IPL.

"I had no intentions of going. But the Delhi Daredevils did it. Although this year I'm no longer professionally or financially associated with the team I had to go for their sake to the IPL match on Sunday. There I met up with my buddy Preity Zinta and naturally the cameras went berserk. So what if her team was playing against the Delhi Daredevils? Off the field we're still the best of friends. But that's it. I won't be attending any of the other matches," Akshay said.

Akshay is now in Singapore to resume the shooting of Priyadarshan's "Dan Dana Dan".

"First it was Preity's darshan, now I go for Priyadarshan," he said.

"Somehow I've always had one Darshan or the other in my life," he quipped about the contribution of Suneel and Dharmesh Darshan and Priyadarshan to his career.

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Who is Priyanka's mystery boyfriend

She has been linked with three actors - Hurman S. Baweja, Shahid Kapur and Hollywood star Gerard Butler of "300" fame - all within a span of one year, but the mystery behind Bollywood's svelte actress Priyanka Chopra's actual love interest continues.

The rumour mills started working overtime after Butler, whom she met at the launch of the Atlantis hotel in Dubai last year, was quoted as saying in a leading daily: "I don't mind getting married to an Indian girl. Too bad Priyanka already has a boyfriend".

Now, who that boyfriend is, remains to be known.

Though rumours of a romantic liaison between Shahid and Priyanka have been in the grapevine lately after their joint appearance at filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani's birthday party in Mumbai last week, neither has confirmed the development.

The two will be seen together in Vishal Bharadwaj's "Kaminay".

"Priyanka has always maintained silence on her private affairs. Till date, she has never gone public about her personal life and she will continue to do so," a source from the unit of Ashutosh Gowariker's "What's Your Raashee?" told IANS.

Even when news of her affair with her "Love Story 2050" co-star Hurman was doing the rounds, Priyanka remained politically correct. While Hurman was very vocal about their relationship as well as their break-up, the actress chose not to speak about it.

Now, the news about the friendship between Priyanka and Butler, who is currently in Jaipur, is raising eyebrows.

But the source clarifies: "He (Butler) is in Jaipur with four of his friends as part of an India tour.

"He came to Jaipur and knew that Priyanka was shooting and staying at Shiv Vilas for her film 'What's Your Rashee?'. So he came to the sets to meet her as they are good friends and to see what an Indian film shoot looks like. He also met all important people on the sets and was also introduced to Ashutosh (Gowariker) and Hurman. Priyanka and him are just friends only," the source said.

Butler, who played the role of King Spartan in "300", has also been linked to former "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston, which he has denied.

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Asin comes out of daddy's shadow

Actress Asin Thottumkal has to manage her life and career on her own for the first time as her father prepares to go in for surgery. But she says she is determined to prove herself.

"He has been avoiding getting into the hospital. He felt if he was off his feet, my work would suffer. But this time I'm determined to prove him wrong. I'll continue my work in his absence," said Asin, who made an impressive entry in Hindi films with "Ghajini".

"Will I miss my dad? He has taught me to be a strong girl," Asin told IANS.

Asin's dad Joseph Thottumkal, who is to go under the knife for an appendectomy, has been attending to all of his daughter's business calls from bed.

"He is on a drip. No food allowed... and still he's constantly on the phone discussing and confirming my prior engagements. He's very clear on one thing. Under no circumstance am I supposed to let any of my commitments suffer because of his hospitalisation," said Asin, who walked away with Filmfare Best Debut award.

To compound her distress, Asin's mother, who is a doctor, is also spending as much time with Joseph as possible, leaving Asin with no choice but to fend for herself at home.

"My father was in pain for some time. He tried to play it down, took pain killers. But then it got worse. And we were unable to go to my native place in Kerala to cast my vote for the Lok Sabha elections. For the first time in my professional career I found myself travelling alone to Bangalore for a commitment. It felt different. But one has to manage. I'd like to believe I'm quite a capable girl," she said.

Asin returned from Bangalore and rushed straight to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital where her father had been admitted.

"It's quite near to where we live, yet seems so far away," said the actress whose next Hindi release is "London Dreams", which also stars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan.

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Is IPL obsessed with fair skin

Just as the Indian Premier League (IPL) was getting South Africans worried about Bollywood's obsession with the fair-skinned actresses, two dusky beauties were chosen at Cape Town and Durban games over the past few days to participate in the Miss Bollywood contest.

Neresha Chetty of Durban was selected to represent the Chennai Super Kings in the search for Miss Bollywood SA from the crowd attending the IPL match between the Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, at Sahara Kingsmead on Thursday.

A day earlier Carla Dennis was picked from the crowd in Cape Town during the match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals held at Sahara Park Newlands in Cape Town, South Africa.

The IPL is choosing a winner at each game who will go through to the finals round to choose a single Miss Bollywood SA who will win 50,000 rands and a trip to India as the guest of Shah Rukh Khan to star in a movie with him.

Written off by some as a publicity stunt by the IPL, the competition appears to have angered some would-be Bollywood stars.

"Who and how are the winners decided? By a cameraman who could be choosing someone he knows?" a disgruntled Shazia Karim of Cape Town told IANS. Karim said she had been trying to land a local movie role unsuccessfully for three years now, despite formal training in film studies.

"It looks like 'light is right', just like it's always been in Bollywood.

"I went to every game in Cape Town so far in an attempt to get spotted, but all they showed on the screen were light-skinned Indian and white girls all the time. Maybe I should head to Chennai for a role there," Karim quipped.

There was also some concern about why there had been no indigenous African winners so far, although organisers at the stadiums were quick to point out that young African women attending cricket games were few and far between.

IPL organisers did not react to a question about this from IANS.

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Arjun gift to Nicole!

Arjun Rampal has sex and ‘exposure’ on his mind.

Talk to him about gifting a sari to Nicole Kidman, and he starts ‘covering’ (her) up. Ask him about John’s butt-show and he says ‘I’d rather compete from the ‘front’. He then talks about Abhishek being ‘cuter’ and how he stands by SRK’s Knight Riders like a loyalist. Whew! The man’s just got more wicked and saucy in these excerpts from a ripping and roaring tête-à-tête.

You seem to be ‘doing’ plenty of international brands...

If you’re referring to the commercial I’ve done with Nicole Kidman then you’re just being wicked. I’ve done plenty of modeling earlier, but when I chose to act I didn’t want to model. It took me nine years to make people realise I’m an actor. So after Rock On, Shekhar (Kapur) called me and said he was doing a commercial with Nicole and wanted me to be a part of it. So I sent my pictures, and films to Ridley Scott Productions and they approved. The result will be a sexy and funny commercial.

‘Sexy’ with Nicole Kidman?

Don’t get too excited, but yeah, she keeps taking off her clothes everytime! Ha ha, just kidding!

You tried to cover her up by gifting her a sari?

Well, it was Mehr’s idea, really. I was in Udaipur, its fab out there, yet Nicole couldn’t go out and shop. So I asked Mehr to pick out a sari for her. Nicole loved it.

Hubby wanted them off and wifey wanted to cover up?

No, I didn’t want to take off anyone’s clothes. She wanted to wear the sari but didn’t know how to, so she asked me to help.

You were the first guy in Bollywood with a six-pack. Now everyone has one. Home cooking softened the belly?

No, no! I love my wife’s cooking and I love food, but I’ve never starved myself for a six pack. It’s very difficult to maintain a six-pack, but when you want to get into great shape and work hard, it comes back real fast.

You and John seem to have this intense rivalry and he showed more than a six-pack – at the ‘rear’.

I think John has always had a great body. And he worked out really hard for Dostana to get much leaner. But I compete from the ‘front’, that’s why I don’t look him as a rival.

Would you do Dostana in English?

I’d rather do a Brokeback Mountain in Hindi.

With John?

I find Abhishek cuter!

Does your dosti with SRK post OSO affect your equation with stars like Akshay, Aamir, Salman?

No. Why should it? Shah Rukh is a friend and I will stand for him like a loyalist. I will root for the Knight Riders – not just because of SRK but because I like his team as well. I love him, his family and everyone knows that. So I guess my equation with others always starts with them knowing that he’s a close friend, so no one goes there.

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Harman has a clone

He may have started off in the film industry with the tag of Hrithik Roshan’s clone, but Harman Baweja seems to have his own clone, this one a popular networking site.

Rumours are doing the rounds that the Baweja boy has been sending friend requests to random girls. However, according to sources, it’s not Harman but someone else posing to be him. Says a source, “It’s been ages since Harman’s quit the site.

Someone else is posing to be him and sending out the requests. In fact, Harman is away shooting for Ashutosh Gowarikar’s What’s Your Rashi and Anees Bazmee’s It’s my life. He is so busy that he hardly gets time for anything, let alone logging on to the site. Moreover, by nature Harman is very polite and civil and will never be a part of such a shallow act.”

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Week's best in Bollywood

Here is the roundup of the juiciest news from Bollywood this week.

Bollywood copies even voting plea!
Karan Johar-produced short film, directed by Tarun Mansukhani, encouraging people to vote, is lifted from a Hollywood original made before the presidential elections Obama won. The video asking people to vote is called 'Kuch nahin ho sakta'.

Watch Hrithik swear after practice!
Goody two-shoes Hrithik Roshan got himself into a major problem: during the rehearsal of a song from his upcoming movie Kites, he blurted out a couple of cuss words not knowing that they were going to land up on youtube.

Producers' strike: A dummy's guide
Since the first week of April, the cinema halls have been showing either old movies or Hollywood movies like Monsters Vs Aliens, while the Bollywood-hungry audience is waiting for new releases. But these will not be forthcoming till the producers' strike ends. What exactly is the strike about? We told you the nitty-gritty as well as what the stars had to say.

IPL blogger rattles SRK's team
A blogger has created a sensation with his pretence of being a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders and entertaining thousands of readers with his gossip and ‘inside scoop’. Of course it’s all fiction, but the writer is still managing to rattle a few cages none the less.

Aamir's toilet cleaning vow goes phut
Remember Aamir Khan’s promise to clean toilets of single-screen cinema halls to get Jackky Bhagnani's movie released? It's not going to happen. Instead, the star went on holiday to North America and the Bhagnanis have decided to delay the launch of Kal Kisne Dekha, which was supposed to be out on May 1

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What's happening in Bollywood!

Of pretty women, some guys and a lot of fun

Big B and Sir Ben: Amitabh Bachhan in a serious tete -a -tete with Sir Ben Kingsley on the set of his upcoming flick, ‘Teen Patti’. (Photocourtesy: bigb.bigadda.com)

Willy Wonka: Amrita Rao was briefed to represent the look of the Raga Titan Chocolat! Watch collection but she decided to top our tacky meter with this get-up.


Classic Beauty: Dancer Shobana enthralls the audience at a classical concert held in the city.


Lighting up Dia: Actress Dia Mirza at her gorgeous best at Radio Mirchi’s seven year success celebration with underprivileged kids.


To see or not to see: Naseeruddin Shah and writer Bhavna Somiya at the unveiling of the Shakespeare home DVD collection.


Cozin’ up: Ayub Khan and Niharika are spotted at the premiere of My Mom’s New Boyfriend at cinemax

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In Pics: Hrithik Roshan unveils Macroman M Series Innerwear

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Kaminey - Movie Stills

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Dia Mirza at Radio Mirchi Book Deke Dekho Ceremony

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Lara Dutta launches Gitanjali Jewels Brand

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In Pics: Shilpa Shetty's New Palace Home In London

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SRK's first ever blog on Knight Riders' official website

Shah Rukh Khan is the latest Bollywood superstar to enter the webspace with the launch of his personal blog on the official website of his IPL team - 'Knight Riders'. The following is Shah Rukh's first ever blog that he wrote after 'Knight Riders' were defeated by 'Rajasthan Royals' in their last match on April 23:

The beginning of a new day!

When the season started, I thought I would write every couple of days to all our fans that visit our site.

Firstly, thanks for doing so and a special thanks to all who believe in the Knight Riders and support us as a team. Apologies for not being a regular at my blog or actually not even writing the first entry with the start of the season. So here is the first one.

I thought I would start the first write up by detailing the threshold and culture of this franchise. That would have been apt if we hadn't started playing. Right now, as I write at 5 a.m. in Cape Town, having lost yet another game, which we could have won, the heart is heavy and the mind is numb. Full marks to Rajasthan Royals for proving that a true champion team does not choke at the finish line. Congratulations guys.

Since the commencement of this season, we have a trail of one win out of three, which is not a good position to be in. So at this time I will not get into why the franchise was started and what dreams we all have as far as our ambitions are concerned. All ambitions finally will get fulfilled only when the team wins and keeps true to the faith that all our fans have invested in us. Till such time, I am going to talk a bit about the game as I understand, which needless to say is quite limited. I will also talk about the role that I choose to play as part of the Knight Riders.

I treat this team as I treat my own children. I am quite a doting father and perhaps a bit too emotionally involved with all the things my team goes through. I feel like crying when they lose and go wild with happiness when they win. Throughout the tournament last year, my only concern was that the team members should not in any way feel sad or bad after the losses we suffered. If I could, I would want to take all the disappointments they face with every loss or a bad performance onto myself. As much as I try, I now realise that it is not possible.

This is a set of professional players and they seem to understand one rule that most of us cannot understand. And the rule is that this is a game, and one team will lose while the other will win.

If either the success or the defeat of the last match lingers beyond a day, it would be impossible for them to face a new match and a new challenge the next time round, with full steam and gusto. They gather the broken pieces, try and understand what could be done better and start afresh. Like a father learns from his children, I am beginning to understand this lesson too. Earlier I used to pep talk our team before and after every match, so that their morale would remain positive. As the year has passed into another, I now realise that these boys actually walk the talk; and I need to do the same. I am learning from this whole experience that the more I practice, the easier things seem.

The harder I run, the farther I can go. The more I pray, the less I feel the burden of performance. Also I am learning that after doing all this, there is no guarantee of winning everyday. So all one can do is to give it your best shot and leave the rest.

In attempting to give it our best, our team has taken lots of unpopular decisions. Starting with, the multiple captains to choices of whom we play in which match. A truckload of criticism from all quarters has been dumped at our doorsteps. Every time I go and sit in the stadium, I feel the weight of all the choices made. If we come out winners through this tournament, will I feel vindicated? The answer is no. If we don't perform as well as we should, would I feel we did the wrong thing? Again the answer is no.

The decisions we take in life, need not always lead to a black and white solution as in mathematics. The decisions are guidelines and beliefs we chalk down our path towards a goal. Sometimes we get to the goal inspite of the decisions and sometimes because of them. And there are times when all goes wrong. The strength lies in sticking to a path that you chose to begin with. As the journey progresses, whether that path turns out to be tough or easy, you have to follow it because therein lies your principles and beliefs.

Assessing how a ball should be played after seeing it at 1500 frames per second on your television sets is one thing…but to take that split millisecond decision, when the ball tears down at you, at 150 kilometers per hour, is another ballgame altogether. In retrospect things can be explained and faults and genius can be torn apart or praised, but in the moment that you have to live and deliver, a path has to be chosen and walked on, with complete belief that it will work out fine.

I don't know if the path we have chosen is correct or not…and that's why we won't feel vindicated in victory and neither will we feel ashamed in defeat. It's just a path we the Knight Riders have chosen to walk on and will stick to it, till the very end. I hope all those who believe in this team will walk along with us.

This is getting as long as a Test Match, and I need to end it. I can feel the first rays of the Sun beginning to break through. A new day is about to begin. The defeat still lingers thick in my mind…so I will try and sleep it off and start afresh again. I know my boys will do the same. We will face our disappointments head on with a smile and a prayer. I close my eyes with these thoughts from Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts;

Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

Or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

Who strives valiantly;

Who errs, who comes short again and again,

Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

But who does actually strive to do deeds;

Who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

Who spends himself in a worthy cause;

Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

And who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who

neither know

Victory nor Defeat.

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Salman Khan croons a special promotional song for Wanted

One can blindfoldedly trust Salman Khan to be original as original, creative as creative and dedicated as dedicated. That explains the reason as to why anything and everything that's associated with this man becomes so special, be it his acting, his paintings or his NGO 'Being Human'.

Now, Salman has added one more feather to his already glittering cap, by graciously allowing the makers of his most-awaited film Wanted, (that's being produced by Boney Kapoor) to use a track that was produced and recorded in his own voice. Insiders who have heard the track just couldn't stop raving about the same. Speaking exclusively to Bollywood Hungama, the ace music director Sajid of the Sajid-Wajid duo, who are also composing the music for Wanted, said, "Being in Salman bhai's company for so many years, I have realised that, whatever Salman bhai does, he gives his 200%. And as far as this song is concerned, all that I can say is that it's a resultant of the long-time pending urge that he was nurturing to sing. Over a period of time, after regular jamming, we (Wajid and me) realised that Salman has become very melodious and versatile in his verses and voice."

When we asked Sajid about the USP of the song, he said "Everything about this song is the USP of the song. It has got 101 sounds, all of which are selectively hand-picked by Salman himself. Even though there is a feel of pain in the song, the rhythm of the song has been recorded at a whopping 140 bpm (beats per minute). The song has a very 'today' feel in it. And believe me; you will be shocked when you hear this song and most importantly, when you hear Salman bhai touching high notes like a true professional. Overall, it's a song to watch out for with bated breath." Ironically, the last time when Salman sang a full track in a feature film was for Hello Brother, music of which was also composed by Sajid-Wajid.

What can we say about it, except for the fact that Wanted is the way to go, this season.

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Hrithik Roshan launches MacroMan M-series premium Fashion collection

Rupa & Co Ltd, India's largest manufacturers of hosiery inner, casual & sportswear for men, women and kids announced the launch of the new premium fashion line of the 'MacroMan M Series'. The premium fashion range of inner wear & sportswear for Men was unveiled at a dazzling event and gala evening with one of the most stylish actors of Indian Cinema - Hrithik Roshan, the brand ambassador for MacroMan - M Series.

Suave and stylish ambassador for the brand MacroMan M series, Hrithik Roshan said, "It is a pleasure to be a part of this celebration and Team MacroMan. 'Live the moment, Live the action' is something that transcends what one wears. It is about what one is and it is something that I have been trying to live by. So when I endorse MacroMan its appeal to me lies beyond just being an endorser of the brand; it makes me feel like someone who is intimately involved with the brand. I am happy that over the two years of my association with it, we have come such a long way. It has truly been a pleasant experience."

Hrithik will also be a part of the new TVC and print advertising campaigns planned nationally by the brand.

With his next film Kites lined up for release this year, Hrithik Roshan is surely the superstar to watch out for.

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Raveena Tandon flies to SA to cheer for Mumbai Indians

Some Bollywood celebrities never go out of fashion, do they? Give an Indian a ticket for the latest movie or to a cricket match and he will be your slave. For, movies and cricket are two passions of every Indian. Movie and cricket stars are so revered that they acquire cult figure personas. The result: marketers cash in on their popularity and use them to promote everything from underwears to colas.

Come to think of it, from the cricketing world, Sachin Tendulkar is the hottest property in India's celebrity endorsement market, making him the top money grosser in cricket history. Now add Mukesh Ambani to the list along with Sachin Tendulkar and what happens? Aila...aala re aala. The birth of 'Mumbai Indians', one of the likely favourites to win the 2009 IPL played in South Africa. But the question everyone's asking right now is, where are all the Mumbai's favourite Bollywood film stars who should be supporting their 'Mumbai Indians'?

We have already witnessed a strong line up of our Indian film fraternity with SRK and Juhi Chawla, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty and Akshay Kumar supporting their individual teams 'Kolkata Knight Riders', 'Kings XI Punjab', 'Rajasthan Royals' and the 'Delhi Daredevils'. Last year we saw Arjun Rampal and Karan Johar also support SRK's 'Knight Riders'. For Mukesh Ambani and Sachin Tendulkar, well, the wait might just end today. After Hrithik Roshan last year, the first Bollywood celebrity this year whom you will see supporting the Mumbai Indians today in the 12th match of the IPL season 2 in South Africa is Raveena Tandon. Our sources have confirmed that the ravishing beauty, as we all know her by, flew to South Africa day before yesterday and is going to cheer her favourite team to the fullest along with her husband Anil Thadani who also accompanied her to the beautiful city. That's not it. We have also been hearing from the grapevine that each time the 'Mumbai Indians' will play from now on, a Bollywood celeb will be seen supporting them. The next probable stars you may likely see on your television screens soon are Eesha Koppikhar, Harman Baweja, Celina Jaitly, Shreyas Talpade, Vatsal Seth, Sonal Chauhan and Riya Sen, all lending their popularity to the already popular team, the 'Mumbai Indians'.

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Shilpa’s wedding date fixed

Shilpa Shetty’s mother normally travels with her where ever she goes. In fact, she has been her constant companion throughout her career.

So no wonder she is currently with Shilpa in South Africa for the IPL T20 tournament.

Boyfriend Raj Kundra’s mother also happens to be there these days.

So when Shilpa and Raj were in Durban, where their team Rajasthan Royals was to play a match that eventually got rained out, the two moms ended up having a meaningful meeting in Cape Town.

Apparently, they discussed their children’s marriage at length and even zeroed in on the marriage date.

Though she is not giving out the exact date as yet, Shilpa says the moms did meet and fix the match, and her marriage to Raj will be in early 2010.

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Preity and Ash say no to TV show

Simon Cowell’s NBC show “America’s Got Talent” is finally making its way to India but has yet not found an appropriate host.

The channel launching it in India wants a glamorous face to host this show.

Preity was supposed to do the show and both the parties had almost worked out the agreement but as she was to get busy with IPL, Preity did not take up the project.

Later, Aishwarya was approached with the same project and was offered five crore rupees but she too refused stating date problems.

We wonder whether it is really the lack of time or these ladies are just scared to host a talent show on TV.

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All's fair in love and cricket, says Shilpa

But match against friend Shah Rukh's team will be emotionally difficult for her

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty whose co-owned Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals faces her friend and superstar Shah Rukh Khan's team Knight Riders in Cape Town on Thursday (April 23), says "all's fair in love and cricket" despite it being a "difficult" match emotionally.

"We play on the 23rd in Cape Town against the Knight Riders, that will be a difficult one, not the match but the emotion... it's terrible to play against a friend's (Shah Rukh Khan) team but all's fair in love and cricket, I guess," Shilpa posted on her blog on Wednesday (April 22) from South Africa.

"Hope we have luck on our side this time... I've realised winning in this format (Twenty20) of the game has a lot to do with luck as well," she added.

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Abhishek to play Amitabh’s father

What we’ve heard is indeed shocking - Abhishek Bachchan is set to play Amitabh’s father in R. Balki’s forthcoming film “Pa”.

Big B’s has kept his look in the film a huge secret and from what we hear, he takes about five hours to do his make-up.

The entire project is being shot in secrecy and no one from outside the unit is allowed in. People from the set are also not permitted to speak about the film to the media.

Our sources tell us that in “Pa” Amitabh plays the alienated and slightly retarded son of Abhishek. His look has been designed by make-up men specially flown in from London.

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Tanisha dating NRI from London

Though Tanisha’s had a fairly long on-off relationship with actor Uday Chopra, their relationship did not sail well and neither did her career take off.

According to a friend of Kajol’s kid sister, Tanisha has finally found her soul mate and is pretty serious about an NRI businessman based in London.

She is said to be madly in love with and has been in London the last month spending time with him.

Meanwhile, brother-in-law Ajay Devgan was trying to re-launch her in his home production but Tanisha is no longer keen to work.

However, Kajol and her family want Tanisha to spend more time getting to know the guy before they take any further step.

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Freida Pinto among world's top 10 sexiest women

"Slumdog Millionaire" star Freida Pinto appeared in the chart of world's sexiest women for the first time in the British men's lifestyle magazine FHM.

She debuted in at the 10th position in the magazine while singer Cheryl Cole topped the list, reports thesun.co.uk.

Last month, Pinto was also voted among the top five Hollywood sexiest women by men's magazine Details.

The "Girls aloud" beauty Cole, 25, knocked last year's winner, actress Megan Fox, to the second place in FHM sexiest women list. Cole's victory is the first for a Britisher in three years.

Other additions to the chart included French President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni, who was voted 40th sexiest woman in the world.

Almost 10 million votes were cast by FHM readers worldwide for the poll.

Meanwhile, Fredia and her "Slumdog Millionaire" co-star Dev Patel have been spotted kissing during a romantic night out, says a report.

The actors, who played childhood sweethearts in "Slumdog...", have frequently dismissed rumours that they are dating even after co-star Anil Kapoor hinted they were an item, femalefirst.com reports.

However, Patel recently jetted to Tel Aviv to visit Pinto on the set of her new movie "Miral" and the pair was later spotted enjoying a few tender moments during a romantic dinner.

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Ranbir's character in Rajneeti defines democracy in today's world

Actor Ranbir Kapoor is set to play a US-based NRI who has to suddenly return home to take over his family business, in this case politics, in upcoming film "Rajneeti". Director Prakash Jha says the young actor's character "defines democracy in today's world".

"Ranbir is so excited about his look, dialogues. He needs to play a character who defines democracy in today's world. I wouldn't describe it as a multi-starrer. It's a multi-actor film," Jha said.

Ranbir's role sounds familiar to that of Abhishek Bachchan in Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar".

Ranbir also has Katrina Kaif as his co-star, just like Abhishek Bachchan did. In "Sarkar", Katrina's voice had to be dubbed although she played an NRI, but in "Rajneeti", Katrina would be seen giving long speeches in her own voice and that too in Hindi.

Her two-minute speech in front of a 10,000-strong audience at a rally in Bhopal for "Rajneeti" has whetted Ranbir Kapoor's appetite for getting right the speeches that he needs to deliver for Prakash Jha's film when he starts shooting in August.

Ranbir doesn't need to learn Hindi, like Katrina did. He just needs to cultivate an accent to sound like an America-returned Delhi boy who suddenly needs to go from monosyllabic rashtra bhasha to full speeches.

"Katrina Kaif is such a revelation. She was so nervous giving a speech in front of 10,000 people. After she gave her speech I hugged her on stage and shouted out to the junta, 'Bhopal ka ticket de de kya?'," Jha said.

Ranbir plays a Harvard-educated US-based NRI who has to return home to look after his mother's political empire. Ranbir won't play the reluctant politician in the usual khadi kurta-pyjama dress code. "Ranbir will be very trendily dressed. He plays a young man of today," Jha said.

Ranbir, who joins the cast later, has been regularly calling and talking to the entire cast in Bhopal.

"He even offered to leave whatever he was doing and join us in Bhopal although his shooting starts next month. I remember one day Ajay, Nana, Arjun and Manoj were working together and missing Ranbir. So in the evening we got together in my hotel room and called him. Ranbir spoke to each of us individually. He wanted to leave everything in Mumbai and join us in Bhopal."

Prakash starts workshops with Ranbir after the Lok Sabha elections.

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Watching Aladin will be like eating ice-cream with your eyes

Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh says his next venture "Aladin", which has superstar Amitabh Bachchan playing the genie and is complete with the latest special effects, will be no less than a "Harry Potter" or "The Lord Of The Rings" flick.

"Our funda was simple, we had to make a movie which is indeed world class. Indian audiences aren't alien to 'Harry Potter' or 'The Lord of the Rings' series. We couldn't have given them anything less. We knew it would cost a lot of money but somehow we had an inkling that we would be able to raise it," Ghosh told IANS in an interview.

He described his film as a visual delight, the kind which he equated to eating an ice-cream with your eyes.

Ghosh, who has earlier made the much-liked "Jhankaar Beats" (2003), said actor Riteish Deshmukh and he hit upon the idea of making "Aladin" over countless mugs of coffee five years ago.

Riteish's "Masti" (2004) had just released and the actor had won accolades for his comic timing, and Ghosh only had "Jhankaar Beats" behind him. His "Home Delivery" was yet to be made, but the filmmaker was brimming with ideas, one of them being "Aladin".

"I had just come out from watching the premiere of 'Masti' and I knew I wanted to work with Riteish Deshmukh. His comic timing was immaculate. I got his number and met him that night at the Marriott. And we decided we'll make 'Aladin'," Ghosh recalled.

The big-budget, special effects-laden film also stars Sanjay Dutt as a cool villain and marks the entry of Sri Lankan beauty Jackie Fernandez paired opposite Riteish, who will play Aladdin.

"Actually, in retrospect, it all seems to be so unreal. Here we were two youngsters who met for the first time and even though we knew that between us we didn't bring much to the table, we believed we could do it. Instantly, we decided to make a film, which has never been seen before on the Indian screen. There were a few nervous pangs though as it wasn't easy to translate great ideas into an actual film.

"I think we paused for a bit and laughed our guts out thinking what an insane path to embark upon, but we wanted to and we did. Both of us had other dreams to pursue at that point. Ritiesh had some three films that he was committed to while I was pursuing my biggest ever dream. But still we took on a journey that has lasted for so many years," the director said.

The filmmaking process began after a while with a year being spent on scripting, a year-and-a-half of pre-production, 149 days of shoot and a year of post-production.

"Finally ... The tree of imagination has come alive," Ghosh exclaimed.

"Ritiesh and I left the coffee shop at Marriott thinking about what we had just agreed upon. At least I did, for all I know Ritiesh could have been thinking about the huge bill he just footed.

"But, yes, he never gave up on 'Aladin'; neither did I. We may have paused in between but we never stopped till 'Aladin' happened. I promise you, you have never seen anything like this before," the director concluded.

With music by Vishal and Shekhar, 'Aladin' is produced by Eros International in association with Ghosh's production company Boundscript.

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Anil Kapoor keen to investigate Slumdog kid scandal

Anil Kapoor is keen to get back to India so he can investigate reports his young “Slumdog Millionaire” co-star Rubina Ali's father tried to sell her.

The Bollywood actor is in Hollywood, where he's being honoured at the seventh annual Indian Film Festival, and he admits he has lost contact with the kids in the hit film.

But he's determined to return to the real-life slums in Mumbai and track down the young stars - to make sure they're all OK after their brush with overnight success.

In the meantime, he's distressed whenever he hears the youngsters have been caught up in negative press stories - and can't believe the British tabloid reports Ali's father tried to sell her to a bogus Middle Eastern couple.

Indian police have failed to find any evidence to prove Rafiq Qureshi attempted to sell his young daughter for £200,000.

Kapoor admits he always feared the child stars of “Slumdog Millionaire” would be exploited upon their return to India after a trip to the Oscars in February.

He says, "That's the worry we always had. We all discussed that... When they're exposed to this kind of limelight this is what is going to be the disadvantages (sic)."

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Lata Mangeshkar will return to recording studio next month

Having recovered almost fully from her knee surgery, Lata Mangeshkar will be back to recording songs from next month. Before that she will participate in her father Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar's death anniversary event.

"I recently got the Radio Mirchi lifetime achievement award. But I was unable to attend. They very kindly came home and gave it to me. But attending the function for my father is something I'd never want to miss," Lata told IANS.

The legendary singer will attend the function on Friday (April 24) in Pune.

Every year a handful of distinguished artistes are honoured in Pune for their contribution to society. A novel addition to this years' Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar award would be trophies to cops who fought terrorists on 26/11.

Lata refused to reveal names of composers who have been waiting patiently for her to recover fully; she says she has become more choosy about songs.

"I was always choosy about what I sing. Now I've to be even more particular. The language of the songs doesn't matter. It could be Hindi, Bengali or Marathi. But I've to be convinced about singing them," Lata said.

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Shekhar Kapur criticises British tabloid for Slumdog sting

Acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (pictured left) has criticised the British tabloid that conducted a sting on "Slumdog Millionaire" child star Rubina Ali's father Rafiq Qureshi.

Kapur who directed a soft drinks advertisement with the nine-year-old and Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman recently in Udaipur in Rajasthan has slammed the media organisation for the report and suggested that the "British tabloid needs to be condemned for the sting operation".

"I just worked with Rubina, the little girl from 'Slumdog Millionaire' and what a joy she was to work with...I had been reading about what was going on with her father's alleged attempts to 'sell' her. I was aghast though at the sting operation done by that British tabloid, which instead of being condemned worldwide is being heralded as a great piece of journalism," Kapur posted on his blog on Tuesday.

"...What was the tabloid trying to do? Trying to push a father to name a price for his daughter's adoption?...How dare they judge and manipulate other people and their moral predicaments from their comfortable colonial point of view. I would rather have them arrested for obscene suggestions and offers than the father for coming to the negotiating table," he added.

The online edition of the tabloid newsoftheworld.co.uk had reported that in a bid to escape slum life, Qureshi put Rubina up for adoption, demanding 200,000 pounds from the organisation's undercover reporters posing as a wealthy family from Dubai.

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Akki joins the sharks!

Apparently, swimming with the sharks has its advantages.

That’s what Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan have discovered after emerging from the deep sea in Stuartcove, the Bahamas — the biggest and most famous underwater shark diving centre in the world. The three actors, who have apparently done some spectacular underwater stunts with the predators for the film Blue, have made it to a Hall of Fame where the names of all those daring enough to take their chances with the sharks at Stuartcove are included. And, among them is Johnny Depp whose film Pirates of The Caribbean was shot in the Bahamas, plus the likes of Bond stars Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig and Sean Connery.

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Deepika talks deep!

Deepika Padukone doesn’t take anything lying down.

She has decided that she’s going to raise her pretty head high and strong and take on any slanderous or negative stuff against her. But that’s not all — like some vigilante from a Death Wish series, she’s going to run down anyone picking on anybody she’s fond of too.

Recently, when an article said something derogatory about Madhuri Dixit, and Kajol, Lady Dee spouted fire and brimstone. And she took up the issue in front of many media cameras at a Press do, ZOOM of course, got the best bytes, with the 20-something Deepika taking up for her idols and calmly shooting from the lip, “I have grown up watching Madhuri Dixit, she is like a legend to me and one of the finest our industry has seen. And Kajol has always been my favourite and she is still doing films with the best banners. It’s not fair to say that they are seniors. A producer will still cast according to talent. Just because I’m younger, it doesn’t make me any more or less talented”, she said, smiling at the cameras. Righto Deeps. You’re ‘deeper’ than we thought.

Now hopefully Kadz and Madhuri will stand up for this fiery gal! But we do wonder why she was so angry... and so pro the seniors? After all, she also calls Katrina Kaif her ‘senior’ actress, now doesn’t she? Hee hee. Ek teer se do do shikaar, haan Deepika?

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Sallu as neta? Never say never!

The maverick Salman Khan, after campaigning for friends in the Congress, BJP and NCP contesting this general elections, is clear about one thing... politics is not on his own agenda right now.

Yes, it is true, many political parties wooed the Killer Khan who was more of a crowd-puller than any celeb or VIP nationally in the rundown to this elections. But Salman isn’t looking at a political career for himself currently. “However, I wouldn’t say never. I don’t know any boundaries. I’m involved in a lot of social work and that’s the right way to serve the people,” he told BT just before taking off for London to shoot for his film Veer. From there, it is likely that he will fly to South Africa to stand by his friend Preity Zinta’s IPL team Punjab XI in its campaign for the Twenty20 trophy.

Actually, it’s pretty amazing that anybody could get the moody and unpredictable Salman to campaign for them at all. But evidently he is guided by his heart and doesn’t depend too much on intelligence, analysis and calculations when it comes to doing things like this. “I just know, in life go straight and always take the ‘right’ turn. Anything that you do from the heart is always right,” he said smiling.

Apparently, unlike other stars, the macho actor did not charge any money to political parties for lending his considerable support. “I just urged the electorate to go out and vote for the right candidate. Whoever I campaigned for, I did out of instinct. Nobody asked me for any support.”

He believes the public connect with him because his life is not unlike the common man’s. “I may be a film star but my thinking and lifestyle is very basic. I understand the public’s needs, I empathise with their problems because I have been through them myself. I am very much one of them. I feel it’s important for a politician to be there and feel the pulse of the common man before making lofty promises,” said Salman candidly.

His idea of a good leader is somebody who provides good governance and does outstanding social work. Like who? No reply, but Salman would like to see Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister again. “I am his great admirer. He is the quiet type, but under his serenity, I feel there is a powerful aura. He is the guy who can, when need arises, leave his mark with a phantom punch. I am sure he has it,” said Salman.

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Ash netting a crore a month in ads

The going might not seem to be good for Aishwarya Rai, who has recently lost contracts with Coca Cola, Nakshatra Diamonds and L’Oreal, but don’t be too worried about the Bollywood beauty’s bank balance yet. Her global face still makes sure she’s raking in nearly Rs.12 crore a year in endorsements. Ash paid Rs 4.7 crore in taxes last year, but had no major released. This means that her income, estimated at Rs 20 crore before deductions, was mainly from advertising.

ASH started young in the ad business. She was only in the 9th standard when she got her first break in an advert for Camlin. Since then, she’s bagged prestigious contracts world over- she’s been associated with luxury Swiss brand Longines and international brand Lux for a decade now.

“Aishwarya has been associated with us since 1999 and it is a big help. Not only in this country but also globally,” said Charles Villoz, Vice President (sales) of Longines International, in an interview.

Major factors contributing to Ash’s selling power is her recognition abroad too. In 2004, she was chosen by Time magazine as one of the world's ‘100 Most Influential People’ and as early as October 2004, a wax figure of Rai was put on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.

Aishwarya is also the only Indian actress to have have a footing, however tenuous, in Hollywood. She’s gained prominence by acting in movies such as Mistress Of Spices, Provoked, The Last Legion and Pink Panther2. Though none of these movies was a hit, the fact that Hollywood keeps returning to her means something.

Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar throws light on Aishwarya’s endorsement success, saying, “She has a striking list of international brands and that’s because she is not just an actress who can be judged on hits and flops, but she is the representative of Indian woman and is an ambassador of the country.”

As for the actress, she once said about her many ad deals in an interview, “Whether it is films or endorsements, I am very selective about my work. I take up work that suits me and fits in my schedule. It’s very difficult for me to take the projects if I am not able to fulfill the commitments.”

Ash’s ads so far:

• She has done a Rupa Cosmetics commercial, a Sheetal Bridal Wear commercial and Colgate Palmolive commercial in 1996.

• In 2001, Ash appeared in a Coca Cola ad with Hrithik Roshan and later with Vivek Oberoi in 2003. She was also in a Fujifilms commercial.

• She has been a brand ambassador for L’Oreal since 2003 and now she will endorse products for women above thirty whereas Sonam Kapoor will be seen representing the younger generation - she has not been replaced completely.

• Aishwarya also endorsed Nakshatra Diamonds since 2001, until she was replaced by Katrina Kaif in 2008.

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What's happening in Bollywood!

A Indo-German Fusion Concert with our very own Shankar Mahadevan and Playboy unveils a new scent with Bollywood’s own Mughda Godse and Neha Dhupia.

Rhythm divine: Shankar Mahadevan mesmerized the crowd at the Indo- German Fusion Concert held in the city recently.


On a Shopping Spree: Designer Label STOFFA had all the social weather bees flocking the launch of their new store. Seen here are actresses Madhu and Lillete Dubey with Hostess Sharmila Khanna.


Sweet Smell of Seduction: Mughda Ghodse and Neha Dhupia made Playboy proud with the unveiling of their new scent.


Puzzle War: Actor Rahul Bose and child genius Beernett Orlando battled it out with each other on the worlds largest online jigsaw game


Paint the town red: Mithun Chakraborthy goes matrix at a children’s painting exhibition.


Hard at Work: The star of serial Koi aane ko Hai, Tina Dutta sweat it out on location.

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In Pics: Mugdha Godse and Neha Dhupia at the launch of Playboy Fragrance

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Kamal Hassan's 'Dasavathar' - Wallpapers

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Kal Kissne Dekha - Wallpapers

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Salman Khan's 'Wanted' - Wallpaper

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Slumdog Millionaire - DVD Review

MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Frieda Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubiana Ali, Tanay Chheda, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar
Director: Danny Boyle
Producer: Christian Colson, Tessa Ross, Paul Smith
Music: A.R.Rahman
Lyrics: A R Rahman, Gulzar, Tanvi, Raqueeb Alam, Blaaze

THE FILM

Ok, so let's be honest about this one. Majority of us who watched the film and then formulated an opinion about Slumdog-Millionaire did so way before its theatrical release in India. Which simply translates into the fact that we saw it on a pirated DVD (or online 'unpaid' version). There is a good and a bad connotation to it.

Good - We all were quite excited about knowing what Slumdog Millionaire was all about and hence could hardly wait for it to arrive in theatres.
Bad - Because we not just contributed to piracy but also robbed the film of a few crores extra that it could have earned had it been seen directly in cinemas.

So why am I am talking about the relevance of buying the original DVD here rather than talking of Slumdog Millionaire - The Film! Because till date, every Ramu, Rani and Rambo has seen (or at least heard) what the film is all about and there is no single soul left on the planet earth (at the least the kind that loves to watch any movie with an Indian connect to it) who is unaware what Slumdog Millionaire is all about.

In fact I have an interesting anecdote to quote here. In my January trip to Far East Asia, I met a bunch of college going kids in a tube (train). I was with some friends of mine and was looking for directions. During the course of our conversation, I brought up the topic of Bollywood.

'Have you heard about Shah Rukh Khan?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Amitabh Bachchan?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Akshay Kumar?' Answer - 'No'
'Have you heard about Bollywood - The film industry from India?' Answer - 'India, the same country from which a film called Slumdog Millionaire is being talked about? Heard it has chances of Oscar nominations, am I right?'

All I could do was nod in admiration!

And this conversation was way before Oscar short listing was held! So yes, when the film had already reached every nook and corner of the film watching world, the buzz was pretty much palpable.

And why not? After all the film was (and continues to be) as euphoric as it gets with every right answer in the game show making you spill that popcorn. The narrative that oscillated between past and present was as innovative as it gets. Anil Kapoor's characterization too was as wicked as it gets. And the kids made you wonder if they should return in front of camera in quick time or should they complete their studies in next few years and then come back as matured human beings as well as professionals.

Of course there have been debates and there would be debates about the music of Rahman being the best ever by him that deserved the Oscars! Well, of course most Indians would agree that he has come up with better soundtracks in the past but the fact remains that at the end of the day, it is Slumdog Millionaire that has made him a household name.

So just for this very fact, even though it sounds as clichéd (and routine as well as predictable) as it gets, let's say 'Jai Ho' to that!

PACKAGING

Slumdog Millionaire comes in a soft box packaging. However, one expected it to be much lavish in appeal considering the film has won 8 Oscars for itself. However, that's not the case as on the stands, it is visible as just another DVD rather than anything which is exclusive.

DURATION

The film's duration is ~120 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES

The film comes with the bonus features that include:

- The Making of the Film
- The Premier

Special Features are clearly disappointing in case of Slumdog Millionaire. The least one would have expected from this multiple Oscar winning film was 'Director's Commentary', some true 'Behind the Scenes' segments, glimpses of the actual production and 'Deleted Scenes'. However, none of that is included in the 'Special Features' which merely comes with a routine 'Making of the Film' segment where all you get to hear are mini interviews of Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan and Anil Kapoor with bytes from A.R. Rahman, Dev Patel and 'Frieda Pinto'.

Comparatively, there is still some excitement generated from the 'The Premier' segment since you get to see and hear a horde of celebrities talking about the film on the eve of the film's release in Mumbai. If you are star struck then this one belongs to not-to-be-missed category as you get to witness a huge range that goes as Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Genelia D'Souza, Sushmita Sen, Tusshar Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Hrithik Roshan, Jiah Khan, Arshad Warsi, Ambanis, Zeenat Aman, Sridevi, Danny, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Gulshan Grover, Ranbir Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Saira Bano, Shabana Azmi and many more.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
- Subtitles in English
- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 399/=

CONCLUSION

The point is plain and simple: We have seen the film on pirated DVDs; now let's do the film some favour and give it back what it truly deserves - 'Let's buy the original DVD'. Not just is the original DVD far better in picture quality, it also carries a much better sound quality; something that lends the film a much better cinematic experience.

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Knight Riders hit by mental blog

CAPE TOWN: Shah Rukh Khan has spent a lot of money building up PR for Kolkata Knight Riders. He’s hired the right firms, been out there in the public just about all the time; there’ve been parties, press conferences, cheerleaders, music and almost all the right kind of bytes given by the superstar himself.

Yet, he’s a troubled man. That’s not just because KKR got off to bad start or that relations between ex-captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Buchanan continue to be strained. It’s mainly got to do with an unknown blogger - who claims to be a KKR team member - bent on letting the cat out of the bag all the time.

The blogger - calling himself Fake IPL Player - is sure he’ll never be a part of the playing XI. "But, there’s one thing I do very well. Serve drinks. And that’s what I am expecting do in South Africa," he writes.

Evidently, he’s doing much more. The day begins with posts on what KKR did at the breakfast table to what Khan had to say to his team, who listened, who smirked, what the coach did the whole day, how’s Ganguly coping with lost captaincy and of course, what the rest of the teams and their players have been up to.

The blogger uses names coined by him to refer to these people. So the pieces are about "our megalomaniac owner", Badshah d****, Coachie, Skipper (Brendon McCullum), Calypso King (Chris Gayle), Lord Almighty or Lordie (a former skipper) and fast bowlers Kaan Moolo and Little John.

Then there are non-KKR personalities like a commentator, Kishen Kanhaiyya, a star batsman, Prince of Patiala and a pacer, Appam Ch*****, among others.

KKR camp slams ‘poison-pen’ blog

An unknown blogger who claims to be a Kolkata Knight Riders team member is letting out what he claims to be KKR team news, giving co-owner Shah Rukh Khan a big headache.

The blogger claims to bring "news" straight from the dressing room. Sample: "Lordie ( a former skipper) took over the match briefing, and boy, was he charged up or what. He just let loose, telling the boys what is expected of them - imagine the slowest member of the team chastizing guys twice as fast on matters such as agility, speed and throwing."

The blog has become such a rage that almost all players in the tournament are clued in, wanting to know who partied where the last night, who went out with whom, and so on.

There’s more. The blogger claims that there’s now a ‘witch-hunt’ to nab him within the next 24 hours and he’s convinced that that will just not be possible.

The team seems to be rattled. Kolkata Knight Riders arrived in Cape Town on Thursday morning for their match against Team Jaipur on Friday.

However, on Thursday, at least till late afternoon, there wasn’t a clue what the team was up to. No training session, no press conference. None of the players or officials were seen moving out of their hotel rooms. Phones were either switched off or put on voice mail.

There was just a buzz that there’d be a team meeting presided over by SRK. But that remained a buzz till the time of going to press.

KKR CEO Joy Bhattacharya has called the blog "poison-pen writing of the dirtiest variety". According to him, there are far too many factual errors and far too little information or insight for the writer to successfully pretend to be a KKR member.

The KKR management’s response itself has provoked several pieces. Like this one: "In Cape Town. Laptops hv bn banned. I’net removed fm rooms. But posts wl continue thru SMS, relayed by my bro in India."

There’s serious gossip doing the rounds not just within the KKR camp but among other teams as well.
There are rumours that there’s quite a bit of infighting inside the team and that a few players and coach and the owner don’t see eye to eye. One of the blogs says how Ganguly is waiting for that one big knock to get back at SRK.

The latest one also talks about senior players being questioned about the blog.

So, who’s Fake IPL Player? That’s now a subject of intense speculation. Is he actually a KKR member or just faking it? The blogger describes himself as a "perennial no hoper" Ranji cricketer who bowls and bats a bit, and fields "like a maniac". There are several personal references - but these could well be red herrings.

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Salman passes on screen name Prem to Arbaaz

Bollywood star Salman Khan has found a new way to pass on his luck to younger brother Arbaaz Khan - by passing on his lucky screen name Prem.

The actor suggested that Arbaaz name his character Prem in his upcoming film "Prem The Game", where he plays the lead.

"Earlier, Arbaaz's character was called by a different name. But Salman suggested that he call his character Prem. So, Arbaaz changed his name to 'Prem'," said a source close to the actor.

Salman's character in 1989 hit "Maine Pyar Kiya" was called Prem and the actor never looked back since then. He later went on to do many films with the same character name as he considered the name lucky. Some of these movies were "Hum Saath-Saath Hain", "Biwi No.1" and "Chal Mere Bhai", among others.

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Mugdha Godse is the showstopper of the season

Model-turned-actress Mugdha Godse seems to be the flavour of the season.

Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Fashion” obviously brought her a lot of glory. She has been seen sizzling on the ramps across India as a showstopper for several.

First it was Delhi where she was the showstopper for Satya Paul in a beautiful sari. Then the leggy lady attended the fashion week in Mumbai in a trendy ensemble for Narendra Kumar. She finally wrapped up with a scintillating green gown in Kolkata for designers Gauri and Nainika.

On being asked about her appearances, she said: “I feel the designer’s creation is the real showstopper. It’s a great honour to be chosen by the designer to be the one to bring out the beauty of the ensemble.”

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'It is too early to involve families'

Deepika Padukone has been in the industry for just a year and half. But she is without doubt one of the most talked about people in Bollywood. And when it comes to her relationship with beau Ranbir Kapoor, talk and rumours are endless.

Taking a rather fresh and ‘honest’ approach, the actress decided to go ahead and clear the air.

Read on as she talks about her love life, ex-boyfriend and films to come…

A recent interview with a magazine saw you coming out full on about your relationship with Ranbir. You seem to have remodelled yourself and become free-speaking and honest!

I don’t think it is anything like new and improved. I have always believed in being honest and that’s what I have done here. May be it is also because now I have a lot more to talk about or have a lot more experience that I can share.

One thing that my father always taught me was to be honest when being interviewed. I have always been honest and answered whatever I have been asked.

It is also important on the journalist’s part to have the right questions as you need a guideline to stick to the kind of questions you would like to ask. And also, ask it in the right way which makes us want to answer it.

Does being open about relationships harm your image as an actress?

I don’t think so. It is important to be honest because somewhere I would anyway get caught. I have been always been very clear about everything that I have said, whether it has been about my relationships or my movies, their failure or success.

What makes you so open about your relationships?

Well, I think I also know where to draw the line. I am not someone who will hide it as I am not embarrassed about being in love as I think it is the most beautiful feeling. But then, as I said, I know where to draw the line and what happens beyond that is something I don’t think people need to know.

Since you are being all honest, tell us, are you uncomfortable about Ranbir’s affinity to Katrina Kaif?

Do I look uncomfortable or worried? (Laughs) I am quite happy about their relationship. They are just friends. All’s very clear and going well.

We hear while Rishi and Neetu Kapoor have accepted your relationship, Ranbir’s sister Riddhima is not quite approving. What do you have to say?

I think it is too early to involve families.

Ranbir is growing his beard for his next film. Do you like him this way or you prefer him clean shaved?

I think that’s up to you to decide how you like him when you see him.

And we hear he has been asked not to mingle in public much so as not to reveal his look. Do you miss partying with him outside?

No one is under house arrest!

Bipasha Basu recently said Ranbir is one of the hottest actors around.

I agree with her.

Talking about films, you did admit that ‘Chandni Chowk To China’s’ failure disappointed you. Would you be honest enough to admit that it was a bad film after all?

Absolutely not! Why would I be a part of it otherwise? Somewhere as an actor you trust your script. I chose to be a part of the film. No one forced me to do so. I trusted my director and trusted my judgment and sometimes you go wrong. But you learn from your mistakes. I definitely don’t regret making the decision, but yes I am disappointed it didn’t do well as we really worked hard to make it.

Akshay Kumar apparently said he would not like to work with you as you were unlucky for him. Your comment please.

I don’t think he would say so. We will be working together very soon in Sajid Khan’s movie ‘Housefull’. We start shooting in June.

Your next project is ‘Love Aaj Kal’ with Saif Ali Khan. Tell us about that.

Thank you for asking as I have been waiting to talk about that one! It is something that I am really looking forward to. Working with Imtiaz (Ali) was a dream for me. Not only because of ‘Jab We Met’. I have also seen his first film ‘Socha Na Tha’ and I think he is an extremely talented director. He is a wonderful person and that comes across in the way he directs his films. Also, ‘Love Aaj Kal’ is very different in terms of the role I play in it.

Saif Ali Khan says you are the most stylish lady in the industry. How do you react? What do you think about Kareena Kapoor?

I am actually very fond of Kareena as an actor. In terms of style, I think we actors very rarely get a chance to dress the way we want to. Usually we dress for a film or an event. We are always dressing the way someone expects us to wear when we go to events.

I think Kareena is looking fabulous after all the weight she has lost. But if Saif has said that about me then thanks to him!

Your ex-boyfriend Nihar Pandya will be debuting with Prashant Chaddha, the director of ‘Aap Ka Surroor’. What would you like to say?

It is something he always wanted to do. He always wanted to be a part of this industry. I would like to wish him all the best.

Getting off the track a bit, how much are you into reading and internet surfing?

I do read when I get the time. Internet is, however, quite restricted to just emails and work-related things. Nothing more than that.

It’s IPL season. Are you watching the matches and who are you supporting?

Yes I am watching IPL. As far as supporting goes, it is a tough choice for me between Mumbai Indians and Bangalore Royal Challengers. I am half here and half there.

Did Shah Rukh Khan invite you to South Africa?

Yes. But who wants to go so far. I wish it was here. I’d rather watch it on TV.

Finally, would you be considering any Hollywood offers?

Most definitely I would.

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Hrithik and Ganesh Hegde create their best work

Hrithik Roshan and ace choreographer Ganesh Hegde created magic with the dance moves in "Koi Mil Gaya" and the two have teamed up again - but this time for a TV commercial for popular biscuit brand Hide-n-Seek.

"The commercial required a radically different sound concept and what Ganesh conceived, composed and executed was brilliant," Hrithik said in a statement.

"Working on the commercial with Ganesh was a gift from god. After three agonising years with damaged knees, managing to justify his genius choreography was extremely challenging. I'm happy to say that this one is going to be our best yet and the entire credit goes to Ganesh," said the actor, who underwent a knee surgery last year.

The TV ad will be aired later this month.

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Shahid-Kareena film likely to release soon

Kareena Kapoor and her ex-beau Shahid Kapur were a hit pair in "Jab We Met" and the actress says they won't disappoint fans as an on-screen couple in their much delayed "Milenge Milenge" either.

"I know people have expectations from us individually and as a pair. And they won't be disappointed. It's a very sweet film. And not dated at all though it got delayed. I'm as proud of 'Milenge Milenge' as I am of any of my films," said Kareena, who is currently dating actor Saif Ali Khan.

The romantic comedy by director Satish Kaushik has been in the making since 2005.

Defying all talk that she has been sidelining her only pending assignment with Shahid, Kareena said she had been running in and out of the studio to complete the dubbing before she leaves for a shoot in New York.

"We're all professionals here. For me it doesn't matter who the leading man in 'Milenge Milenge' is. For me what is important is that I made a commitment to two of my favourite people in the industry - producer Boney Kapoor and director Satish Kaushik - who've stood by me from the beginning of my career. How can I let them down? Boney wants a summer release for his film. I've to complete my dubbing before I leave," said Kareena.

"I'm running in and out of two dubbing studios. I've already completed most of the dubbing," she added.

"Milenge Milenge" is special because the former couple will be seen together after Imtiaz Ali's lovable "Jab We Met" in 2007.

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Dia and Sanjay Gupta's acid test

Dia Mirza, who is known to be very close to Sanjay Gupta and seen at all Gupta bashes, is now not so happy about being associated with the filmmaker.

Dia is currently looking out to resurface in Bollywood but is unhappy that Gupta’s film “Acid Factory” is yet not finished. She is stuck to that film and cannot plan any more dates as Gupta may resume shooting anytime and she would be required to shoot.

However, Dia has made it very clear to Gupta that the constant delay is affecting her career and dates.

Gupta obviously is facing a bad time with recession and did not take her words very kindly. Apparently, he told Dia to keep her opinions to herself!

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Shabana Azmi puts on 25 kg

Shabana Azmi has not been seen around much but that is probably because she is in London shooting for Gurinder Chadha’s film, “It’s a Wonderful Afterlife”.

One may get to see her in Mumbai on the day of the general election. Many are likely to be surprised as Shabana has put on 25 kg for her role in Gurinder’s movie.

The film is a comedy in true Gurinder style and is about a fanatical Punjabi mother who takes her obsession with marriage to the extremes.

This is first time Shabana has put on so much weight for a movie. Years ago she had put on weight for her film “Mandi” but not as much as 25 kg!

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Purab Kohli swims with sharks

Bollywood actor Purab Kohli decided to take a trip down the wild side by diving into the great blue ocean in South Africa in the company of sharks - an experience he describes as the "most thrilling and scary moment" of his life.

While on a recent visit to South Africa, Purab, a trained deep sea diver, took a plunge into the ocean.

"I decided to do something different and went for this special