Sajid, Karan enact Shilpa-Gere kissing scene

Award shows have lost their dignity, pride and respect. They fail to give the due respect to the awardees and the guests. More or less, they have turned to be flattering shows. They become a unique occasion for the host to humiliate their guests by enacting those embarrassing moments that they had once gone through. On the whole, they have lost their charm and in turn lost the value of the awards. Karan Johar and Sajid Khan humiliated Shilpa Shetty by enacting the kiss sequence of Richard Gere at the Zee Cine Awards.

Karan and Sajid had done exactly what Shahrukh and Saif did at Filmfare awards. Karan played Shilpa and Sajid enacted Gere. Shilpa Shetty present on the occasion was quite humiliated with their re-enacting of the scene and had a blast. The two hosts tried to entertain the audience in all possible ways by making fun of others.

Shahrukh Khan was felicitated with best actor award for Chak De India, Kareena Kapoor for Jab We Met and best director award went to Aamir Khan for Taare Zameen Par. Chak De India swept away the maximum award. The award had a Q&A session and the host distributed 15 mobile phones to the winner.

Poonam Bajwa debuts in Kollywood

View Poonam Bajwa Gallery

She is a known face in Tollywood. Poonam has acted in lead roles in films like 'Boss', 'Veduka' and 'Modati Cinema' to name a few. But success has always eluded this budding talent.

Maybe with her entry into Kollywood she can re-write her fate. All stars go through this phase at some point in their life. But the best thing about Poonam is that she has kept on trying.

Soon Poonam Bajwaa will be seen on the Tamil screens acting opposite Jeeva in her next film titled 'Tenaavattu'. This film is being directed by V.V. Kadi and will release under the banner of E.V.L. Productions.

We will bring you more updates on this film as and when they happen, till then be tuned into Indiaglitz.

Namitha's house on fire!

Kollywood bombshell Namitha got the shock of her life yesterday evening when her bedroom was on fire.

Namitha stays in a rented house in Numgambakkam, Chennai. She stays in the house along with her aides and has a watchman and imported dogs for her security. Her parents stay in Gujurat, which is their native town.

Usually Namitha is gone for most of the day because of the tight shooting schedule. She is right now shooting for 'Indira Vizha' and after shoot she was home by around eight yesterday evening. A tired Namitha turned on the A/C and was trying to catch some early sleep when she saw the fire and her entire bedroom filled with smoke.

The panicky actress called for help and her maids extinguished the fire from the A/C vent. Everything is settled now but for the A/C that is completely burnt.

Namitha, our suggestion would be to install a fire alarm so that you can sleep in peace hereafter.

Mamta with Madhavan in Kollywood?

Mamta Mohndas is working round the clock and is as busy as a bee. Mamta who is a popular in Telugu as an actress as well as a singer hails from Kerala and was brought up in Bahrain.

There are talks doing the rounds in the film town that Mamta might soon act in a Tamil film with Madhavan playing the lead role. The film might be directed by Selva. Mamta who has done one Tamil film with Vishal got too busy in Telugu that she was unable to give her dates in Kollywood.

Mamta has two soon-to-be released films in Telugu titled 'Victory' and 'Homam'. She has also signed one film opposite Venky titled 'Chinthakayala Ravi' for which the shoot has not yet begun. Rajinikanth's 'Kuselan' too has a prominent role for Mamta.

In her hometown Mamta is doing a film titled 'Musafir', for which most of the shooting was done in Dubai. As though so much is not enough in Kannada too the heroine has 'Goolee' starring Sudeep and her in the lead roles. This film hit the theaters recently has been received well among the audience.

We wonder where this heroine gets so much energy to do so many different roles. We guess time management is the key!

‘Thenavattu’ is nearing completion

Jeeva's ‘Thenavattu’ is fast nearing completion. Directed by Kathir, the movie would be a treat for front-benchers, says Jeeva.

Kathir, who had worked as associate with director Seeman and Suryaprakash expressed delight at directing Jeeva.

He says, 'He is a wonderful actor to work with. His zeal to excel has impressed me. We shot the movie in various exotic locales of Tamilnadu and the movie has come out well.'

'Though ‘Thenavattu’ means arrogance, Jeeva plays a soft youth, who sticks to his values. He is a do-gooder around whom the entire movie revolves'.

Poonam Bajwa, a popular actress in Tollywood, is making her debut in Tamil with ‘Thenavattu’. Srikanth Deva has scored the music.

Rituparno has a beautiful mind: Riya

Finally, Tollywood gets to feel your presence. What kept you waiting for so long?
I guess the right kind of role. I’m extremely choosy about the characters I essay. Though flooded with Tollywood offers, I felt this venture topped the charts.Riya Sen tops the glam calendar. But this venture has you facing the camera in your deglam avatar...And this isn’t my first such role. I have done the same for Santosh Sivan ventures.

Was it the character or the man behind the camera that got your nod for the film?
In this case, it’s only the director who mattered. When Rituparno Ghosh called me up and offered me a role in Abohoman, I agreed without even being aware of my role. I didn’t even hear the script. Just a few days back when I came down to Kolkata for the film shoot, I directly headed to the sets from the airport. I had a 20-minute briefing and a short discussion before I faced the camera.

How’s the experience been so far?
Fantastic. I loved every moment we shot for the film. But I must add that the first day of shoot got off to a rough start as I was clueless about what was expected of me. But things started looking up from the second day onwards, so much so, that we ended up hugging each other every time there was a great shot. Rituparno’s beautiful mind makes the man a creative genius. I would love to be a part of a Rituparno venture in future.

Could you elaborate on your character in Abohoman?
I play a young housewife who’s expecting. She is a rebel in the house and suffers from frequent mood swings.

Is she similar to the off screen Riya Sen?
A little bit, yes.

With new pairings being the flavour of the season in Tollywood, how do you expect the Riya-Jisshu pairing to score?
Jisshu and I look good on screen. Jisshu is a very good friend. I know him for eight years. We used to model together.

Would you be interested in a commercial Bengali flick?
I really don’t know. It will depend on a lot of factors.

How’s your Bollywood fare coming along?
There’s a comedy by Karan Choudhary called Tara Sitara where I’m cast opposite a fresher. Then there’s Love Khichdi b y Srinivas Bhashyam, Samir Karnik’s Heroes and a venture by Girish. The last one is a children’s film where I play a Maharashtrian constructor. While dubbing for the role I’m planning on some voice modulation. Then there is a Subhash Ghai production directed by Paritosh Painter who was also the writer for Dhamaal. There’s a Telugu film by Ajay Shastri where I had to essay a character with a negative streak.

Finally, how good is Riya in dealing with rumours?
I don’t pay much attention to them. The irrelevant gossips don’t stop me from being who I am.

Want to be a hit? Sport a new look!

As a new generation of men stakes claim to the tag of a hero, the image of the typical hero is changing too.

To start with, the idea of a new look for every movie seems to be becoming more of a norm than an exception these days, with the fashion quotient becoming more and more important, points out Shanti Swaroop, an ad filmmaker.

"Change in look had so far been confined to wardrobe and minor alterations to hair and moustache in Tollywood. Be it Chiru, Venky, Balakrishna or Nag (a few more times for Nag), except on a handful of occasions, their look has been predominantly the same over the years. Maybe the films did not require it. But the man on the street these days is more fashion conscious than ever before, so it is only natural that the films follow suit," says Swaroop.

Seconding his view is Pramod Kumar, a film lover who makes an interesting observation. "Tollywood has probably never had as many moustache-less heroes in its history as it has today! Jokes apart, most young heroes like Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, Charan Tej, Raja flaunting the latest designer wear look more 'urbane' than their predecessors. While the films may not have changed much in content, the packaging has definitely become more stylised," says Pramod.

The reasons are rooted in simple market economics, feels T Jalapathi, a film critic. "The audience has to be able to relate to the hero. Now, a film has to be tailored in such a way that both the local masses and the NRI audience can connect the same way. It's a balancing act,” says Jalapathi. But purists like K Nagesh, professor of film studies, are of the opinion that the more things change in Tollywood, the more they remain the same.

Arguing that these superficial changes count for nothing, he says, "You hear filmmakers saying they conceived an idea keeping a certain hero in mind. A film essentially is about telling a story, which is why most Telugu films never have a good story. So, I believe it is just a gradual thing and has no profound reasons.
This month will see a release each from the new breed of young guns from Tollywood – Allu Arjun, NTR Junior, and Prabhas. Needless to say, how the heroes present themselves in the films will play an important role in determining their success.

Will May prove lucky for Tollywood?

The first quarter of 2008 hasn’t been all that great for the Telugu film industry, which is still waiting for its first super-hit film this year.

However, that may soon change now for four big movies are set to be released in May. On May Day (May 1), Allu Arjun-Sheela starrer Parugu, which has been directed by Bhaskar of Bommarillu fame, is to be released worldwide. A week later, on May 7, NTR’s Kantri, in which he is paired with Hansika Motwani will hit the theatres. The movie has been directed by Meher Ramesh.

Then, there is the much- hyped Prabhas-Trisha film Bujjigaadu Made In Chennai, directed by ace director Poori Jagannath.

The movie will be hitting screens on May 16. At the fag end of May, Balakrishna’s period film Pandurangadu, directed by veteran K Raghavendra Rao, will be released. Tollywood is hoping that the four big-budget films on which nearly Rs 120 crore is riding will bring some cheer to the industry.

Is Mallika Sherawat too hot for Pakistanis?

The Bollywood flick Welcome has run into trouble in Pakistan because of some allegedly "obscene" scenes featuring Mallika Sherawat.

Welcome was released last Friday and was seen as an example of the Pakistan government's softening stance towards a long-standing ban on Indian films.

Pakistan's censor board has now reportedly objected to some shots featuring Sherawat, who is no stranger to controversy.

The film's release on this side of the border came days after a Pakistan Senate standing committee on culture recommended to the government that the exhibition of Indian films should be allowed under a proper censorship policy and the ban imposed in 1965 should be lifted.

Pakistan Cinema Owners' Association secretary general Safdar Khan said the censor board has handed over the censored version of the film to cinemas.

Cinema owners have been warned of strict action if they continue to show the uncensored version.

Jamshed Zafar, acting chairman of the Pakistan Film Distributors Association, said the audience has rejected the film's censored version.

Some scenes with Feroz Khan have also been reportedly cut because of the actor's anti-Pakistan rhetoric when he was in Pakistan in April last year.

Interestingly, Sherawat, the queen of item numbers, has for the first time in her career been shot aesthetically and does not look vulgar. In fact, some cinema-goers contend that Pakistani actresses are more vulgar than Sherawat.

Welcome was released with much fanfare in Pakistan. Nadeem Mandviwalla, a well-known Karachi-based distributor and exhibitor, was very upbeat shortly before the release.

"The government has (previously) allowed Indian films which are not shot in India and made by producers not based there. But now the government has adopted a softer stance which is very good news for us," he said last week.

Apart from Welcome there are two other Indian movies -- Goal and Gangster -- that are running in Pakistani halls.

The chairman of the Pakistan Senate committee on culture, Zafar Iqbal, had said that the panel had recommended to the government to allow exhibition of Indian films under a proper censorship policy.

Iqbal said this would ensure healthy competition and revive the struggling local film industry. Citing the example of the well-known Pakistani film Khuda ke Liye, he said "I don't think the apprehensions, that by allowing Indian films to be released we might destroy the local industry, are true."

The Pakistan government imposed a ban on the display of Indian films in cinema halls in 1965, although they are freely available in the form of pirated VCDs and DVDs.

Star-studded Zee Cine Awards held in London

It was a star studded red carpet in London on Saturday evening as Bollywood celebrities walked in for the Zee Cine Awards ceremony.

STARS SHINE DOWN: Actress Shilpa Shetty at the Zee Cine Awards show in London.

Actress Shilpa Shetty walked in along with her 'good friend' Raj Kundra looking stunning, " I'm wearing a Cavalli creation and my jewellery is done by Anmol, and its really fantastic," she said.

Actress Diya Mirza went with the spirit of competition as she said, "May the best man win."

But it was Kareena Kapoor who seemed to have the biggest fan club at the event, newcomer Deepika Padukone was all praises for Kareena as she said, " I think Kareena this year has done very well and I think Aishwarya Rai in Guru was fantastic, they truly deserve to win."

Elder sister Karisma Kapoor was also present to support Kareena as she said, " I am sure my sister is going to win hands down and that is the reason why we are here to support her."

When Shilpa Shetty was asked who should win she was quick to reply, “Well I hope I do, since I'm nominated."

Kareena had boyfriend Saif Ali Khan for company who it seems wanted to be a part of the Kapoor family — Karisma, Rishi, Shammi and their namesake, Anil Kapoor.

Lara Dutta, Diya Mirza, Anupama Verma and VJ Sophie added to the glam quotient of the evening while exiled painter M F Hussain made a rare public appearance.

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra however had his reservations about the entire award business, "These are essentially TV shows, and they are not award functions so we should look at them like that. It’s about coming together, like a carnival and Indians as such like to come together and celebrate each others success, that's why we are here," he said.

The filmmaker does have a point else how do you explain the Bollywood Queen Award given to Gauri Khan and the Entertainer of the Year Award given to Ritesh Deshmukh.

As for the night's big winners, there were no big surprises, Kareena Kapoor got the Best Actress Award for Jab We Met, while Shah Rukh Khan took home the Best Actor trophy for Chak De India — which also won the Best Film Award and Aamir Khan was named the Best Director for Taare Zameen Par.

Kareena Kapoor offered leading role in a Telugu flick

Despite her last release Tashan biting the dust at the box-office, Kareena Kapoor is still touted as the most happening actress in Bollywood.

Reports are that Director SJ Suryah and producer Singanamala Ramesh have approached Kareena for a role in a Telugu film titled ‘Puli’ opposite south star Pawan Kalyan.


The movie will reportedly have both Bollywood and Hollywood connections. Hindi film cinematographer Binod Pradhan will handle the camera and A R Rahman will compose the music of the film.

The action sequences of the film will be directed by a Hollywood action director.

Kareena already has a bagful of Bollywood assignments and if the filmmakers are able to convince her then it would be a great achievement for them.

The director and the producer are anxiously waiting for her reply, as Kareena is yet to give her consent.

Saif and Rani all set to spin magic

Mumbai, April 28: One of Bollywood’s favorite on-screen couples Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji are back yet again. This time round, they will be seen stirring magic in Kunal Kohli’s upcoming flick, ‘Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic’.

The film that targets young audience would feature Rani playing the role of a fairy. The film also has four kids in lead characters and is thought to be in the lines of ‘Mr. India`, `Krissh` and `Koi Mil Gaya`.

Slated for release on June 27, the film is already surrounded by numerous rumours.

For once, it’s the very title of the film that has spurred the gossip mills into action as Kunal Kohli, reportedly, named this flick much later after it was completed.

Speaking to reporters, Kunal who has racked his brains for the title said," `Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic` came by as I was looking for a title that was more relevant in today’s times. The name has to go beyond the film and should be able to express more. And when we speak of magic, it’s not ‘jadugar’ magic. It basically, talks about the little magic we need in our lives."

However, sources tell us that the name of the film might undergo a small change. A Numerologist has reportedly advised Kunal to add an extra ‘K’ to the title. Going by current trend of filmmakers indulging publicity and superstitious gimmicks to ensure a superhit, it won’t be long before the extra K makes an entry into the title. May be, something like: Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magick.

The sultry Amisha Patel is also part of the project and is doing a dance number.

However, Kunal insists that’s its not an item number as been suggested by many, he insists that Ameesha is doing a guest appearance in the film and the song is no item number but a beautiful and poetic song.

Rani Mukherjee to endorse Margo soap

Henkel India has roped in Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee as its brand ambassador for the skin care soap Margo. In the highly cluttered and competitive toilet soap category, Margo claims to have a market share of close to 4 per cent in urban West Bengal and is a strong player in markets like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

A Satish Kumar, Managing director, Henkel India Ltd, said, "We are happy to sign up Rani Mukherjee as the new face for brand Margo. Over the years, Margo has emerged as one of the key players in the soap category. We are confident of a positive synergy emerging out of this new relationship that could help in making the brand appeal to a wider audience."

Amit Singh, Marketing manager, Henkel India Ltd, said, "As far as the new brand ambassador goes, our pursuit was to associate with someone who embodies a great mix of beauty and an endearing personality, and Rani Mukherjee was the unanimous choice. Margo is your quintessential Indian heritage brand. Germinated by three eminent and patriotic scientists as part of the Swadeshi movement in the 1920s, it has over the years built a strong and loyal consumer franchise. We hope the new initiative will take this hallowed brand to greater heights."

Pak film a hit at Tribeca festival

Sarah Jacob

Wednesday, April 30, 2008:

Watch story (New York):

What does an eight-year-old know of borders? Ramchand learns the hard way when he accidentally strays across the Indo-Pak border and alongwith his father is put in jail, after being labeled as spies.

"I read the papers and all that but I never thought I would make a political film which is also a human interest story," said Mehreen Jabbar, director.

Based on a true story, Ramchand Pakistani, which premiered at the Tribeca film festival examines the repercussions of political relations between the two countries on the common man and more.

"It resonates all the conflicts that you find in many countries of the world--identities of faith, culture, nationality, class," said Jabbar.

Pakistan's first film to be based on the lives of its minority Hindu population, Ramchand Pakistani is a collaborative effort of Indian and Pakistani artistes.

The soundtrack composed by India's Debojyoti Mishra is a collaboration between Shubha Mudgal and Pakistan's Shafqat Amanat Ali.

Nandita Das plays the lead role of Ramchand's mother. "These accidental crossing of borders has been a problem with many of our neighbours and so I think it is a very poignant subject," said Nandita Das, actress

On the heels of the success of Pakistani films like Khuda Kay liye the producers hope to release Ramchand Pakistani in Indian screens later this year.

The most expensive Indian film ever

Wednesday, April 30, 2008: (Chennai)



Kamal Haasan starrer Dasavatharam has overshot its Rs.1.3 billion budget and becomes the costliest Indian film to be ever made, said sources.

"Friday's much hyped trip of Jackie Chan to Chennai on a chartered flight had cost Rs.100 million to the producer and has added to the total cost that has now gone beyond Rs.1.4 billion, said sources close to producer "Oscar" Ravichandran.

The producer, however, is not said to be complaining.

"Since top stars from Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Mallika Sherawat were present, the worldwide publicity generated has contributed more to the movie's Hindi release than what we actually ended up spending," the source added.

Unfortunately, there was chaos at the film's audio launch function last week in Chennai. Dozens of people, including journalists, were injured when police cane-charged frenzied crowds at the star-studded event.

"Any news is good news. Despite spending all this money, there were no pictures of our shy producer Ravichandran. And there is no mention of his apologising to anyone anywhere," said a publicist associated with the film, referring to the mismanagement of the audio release function.

IPL success worries Tollywood

Wednesday, April 30, 2008: (Chennai):

The four consecutive victories of the Chennai Indian Premier League cricket team Super Kings has filmmakers in Tamil Nadu fuming because it has resulted in their box office collections dropping, says distributor Kalaipuli G Shekharan.

"Success in the cricket field has resulted in thin crowd at the theatres translating into losses for distributors and exhibitors," said Shekharan.

"There are hardly 30 people in cinemas for the evening and night shows making people like me wonder whether the business of movie distribution is worth pursuing," he added.

He is presently distributing four films in the biggest movie territory in Tamil Nadu comprising Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts.

"The April-May period is usually our peak season since educational institutions are closed and fans visit cinemas in droves. But this year, due to the IPL T20 matches, virtually nobody is turning up at the theatres," Shekharan complained.

"While multiplexes are hedging their bets with different genres of films, the cups of woe at single-screen cinemas are full as even the costs of electricity consumed during evening and night shows cannot be covered. As a result, several producers are thinking of deferring their releases," informed Shekharan.

"Producers are waiting to know the fate of a major blockbuster Kuruvi starring Vijay releasing on Friday since he is a brand ambassador of the Chennai team," he added.

The movies affected by IPL matches are Santosh Subramaniam featuring Jeeva - the collections of the film dropped 85 per cent , Yaaradi Nee Mohini - this Dhanush starrer is a hit but its collections fell by 90 per cent; Arai En 305il Kadavul - the film, which has Prakash Raj in the lead, is the worst affected since its collections never went beyond 40 per cent since release; and Iyakkam - starring newcomers, the film sank without a trace.

Bollywood divas on billboards in Pak

Bollywood divas Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif are back on billboards in Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province after the ouster of the previous hardline regime in the recent elections.

Such billboards were removed during the tenure of the hardline Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government, which termed the display of women's images as ''un-Islamic''.

With the new provincial government headed by the secular Awami National Party in place, billboards have been reinstalled at prominent junctions in Peshawar with the Bollywood actresses smiling down at Pushtuns who love music and dance.

Along with the Indian divas, cutouts of prominent Pakistani models too are up on the billboards.

Besides banning such billboards, the MMA government had shutdown cinema houses and the famous cultural hall, Nishtar hall, bringing all such activities to a grinding halt.

CD shops and cyber cafes were bombed by pro-Taliban militants and their owners took up other trades.

While most residents have welcomed the change, conservative forces are still opposing the installation of the billboards.

''Most of these boards have been put up outside girls' schools and women's colleges, which would certainly promote vulgarity in our society. We should discourage it. The government should also take measures to stop the practice,'' Ameenullah, a resident of Peshawar, told a newspaper.

But university student Baryal Khan was happy to see the billboards back. ''This will help portray a soft image of the NWFP to the world,'' he said.

Ajay Devgan loses his cool

Indo-Asian News Service

Wednesday, April 30, 2008: (New Delhi):

Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan, who is currently on the judging panel of Zee TV's reality show Rock N Roll Family is usually a calm and reserved man. But recently, he lost his cool and stormed out of the set of the show.

The actor lost his patience when the existing families in the competition objected to newly selected families who were made to enter the show as 'wild card entries'.

"If you guys know best, then carry on. I will not tolerate a change of format halfway through the show, Ajay said and left the set.

He was irked by the existing participants' plea to alter the current format of the show. He pulled Kajol along with him too.

Rock N Roll Family is a music and dance competition where three generations of family members participate. Initially, there were 12 families who participated in the show.

Brijesh from the Saxena family initiated the argument. He said, It is unfair to introduce two new families at this stage of the competition. While we have struggled to reach this far in the competition, it's been so easy for these two new families.

He also proposed the re-entry of those families who have already been eliminated.

Ajay reacted saying that even if the participants had any disagreements, they should have addressed it earlier.

He stated, "Whatever is happening will go on and whosoever has any problem should leave."

Shah Rukh Khan sweeps Zee Cine Awards in London

(Joel Ryan)

Shilpa Shetty arrives at the Zee Cine Awards 2008 , ExCel, Docklands, in east London.
Anil Sinanan, Times Bollywood Film Critic

“London is my favourite, favourite place in the world!” Shah Rukh Khan beamed when he collected his Best Actor award for ‘Chak De! India’ at last Saturday’s Zee Cine Awards 2008 in London.

The ‘Bollywood Bafta’ was presented to him by Bollywood’s original diva, Rekha who stunned the sell-out crowd by reciting the rhyme ‘Jack and Jill’ and singing a few lines from the classic Asha Bhosle track, ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ from the film ‘Umrao Jaan’. Khan performed his ‘Om Shanti Om’ number with at least ten other stars on stage. “Why didn’t you call me on stage to dance with you?” Rekha asked Khan. “Oh Rekhaji, we have grown too old for you!” he cheekily replied.

Khan’s win was no surprise: he was nominated twice in the Best Actor’s category for the aforementioned ‘Chak De! India’ and for his blockbuster ‘Om Shanti Om’. Khan also won the first ever ‘Lifestyle Icon’ award, which broke into half when he collected it. The ‘King Khan’ ended by thanking his London fans: “It is the overseas audience who have made me the star I am.”

Shilpa’s best support

“I’m ecstatic; I have been nominated so many times but I never won,” a visibly tearful Shilpa Shetty cried when she collected her award for Best Supporting actress for ‘Life in a Metro’. Looking stunning as usual in a long white dress, Shetty was accompanied by her producer boyfriend Raj Kundra and her mom. Shetty retained her trademark dignity when she encountered not only one but two of her alleged cheating ex-boyfriend’s former girlfriends: Raveena Tandon and Pooja Bhatra. “This city has gifted me so many awards,” Shetty beamed. “I am so lucky to have the best support system in the world: my parents.”

Katrina’s making waves

British Bollywood babe, Katrina Kaif won the British Indian Actor of the Year award, which was presented by UK Asian MP Keith Vaz. Kaif, the non-speaking Hindi actress of hits like ‘Namastey London’, ‘Welcome’ and ‘Partner’, finally confirmed her roots. “My family lives in London; my mom is British and my father is Indian.” Kaif has no plans to return to the original Mother Country: “I have found my home in India.” She ended on a philosophical note: “I wish all your dreams come true; as mine have!”

On his bike

British Bollywood star, Upen Patel may have lost out to Shah Rukh Khan for the Lifestyle Icon award but this did not prevent him from making the night’s most stylish entry. He arrived on stage on a motorcycle before performing a medley of mainly Salman Khan hit songs. Patel was clearly excited to be back in his home town. “It feels unreal; this is for the UK. I am in London, so I don’t want to sleep.”

“Which one is the Khan guy?”

As the stars walked up the red carpet, the tabloid press photographers went into frenzy. Unsurprisingly, most of them could not differentiate the ‘King Khan’ from the fans and used a mug shot picture printout in order to identify the actors. Anil Kapoor could not wait to take his seat when he arrived. “How do we go?” Kapoor queried and started jumping over the pressmen bags and camera equipment before being directed into the venue.

On the red carpet

Spotted: members of the Kapoor dynasty including Shammi Kapoor in a wheelchair. Also present were the gorgeous Dimple Kapadia, India’s musical genius AR Rahman, hotties Lara Dutta and Neha Dupia, and hunks Arjun Ramphal, Saif Ali Khan and Dino Morea. The UK’s richest man, Lakshmi Mittal and his family arrived last.

Missing in action

Where was Salman Khan? The Bollywood bad boy was advertised to appear but was conspicuous by his absence. The other Khan’s absence was expected: Aamir Khan refuses to attend any Bollywood awards functions as “they lack credibility”. Fans had to be content with seeing Aamir’s namesake, the British Asian boxer Amir Khan who arrived late and left early.

Bolly-shop

As the stars return to Bollywood, some have stayed back in London to indulge in one of their favourite pastimes: shopping. “The prices are not too bad,” Ritesh Deshmukh told me after his visit to Selfridges on Oxford Street. Rekha preferred to browse in the more upmarket Bond Street.

Bollywood Actress Tabu in bikini - Tabu cleavage show - great indian masala show by Tabu

IPL A Big Hit With The Big Stars

Flying daily through India's over-congested airports is a guaranteed recipe for countless delays. Fortunately this affords one the opportunity to engage in numerous chats with affable strangers.

Aas everyone in India is a cricket expert and the action packed IPL is in full swing, there is in no shortage of subject matter for a good old cricket-focused chinwag with someone you have only known for a few moments.

The best is when you are actually on a plane chatting to your neighbour about last night's big game, when the guy in the row in front turns around and joins in. This is usually enough for one or two more aficionados to add their opinion. If you're mad about cricket, there is no better country to be in than India.

A few days ago I was waiting to board a delayed flight at the brand spanking new Rajiv Ghandi airport in Hyderabad. Actually it is 45 kilometres outside Hyderabad, a two-hour taxi ride from the cricket ground. I was waiting in the departure hall for a delayed flight when I saw a chap wearing an IPL golf shirt so I introduced myself asking if he worked for the IPL. The reply came: "Good afternoon, I'm Andrew, pleasure to meet you. Yes, I actually dreamt the whole thing up a year or so ago and then I got together with a guy called Lalit Modi and now here we are."

I shook his hand and smiled, not quite sure whether I loved or hated this Englishman for revolutionising cricket quite so radically. The tournament was about a week old then and I congratulated him, adding that its instant popularity must have far exceeded even his wildest expectations. "Not really, it is exactly as I expected" he replied grinning from ear to ear. I had a pleasant chat with Andrew and enjoyed picking his brain about the relationship between IPL management and the various franchises.

When he admitted that after the low-scoring Eden Gardens match between the Kolkata Night Riders and the Deccan Chargers he had Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) shouting in his face, I said: "Yes, that's no surprise, he must have been mad about that terrible pitch." "Not at all" said Andrew, "he was furious that the big screens weren't big enough!"

Knight Riders owner SRK is easily Bollywood's biggest star. You would have seen him gyrating throughout his team's matches. He reportedly commands a quarter of a million dollars per television advertisement and seems to be in every second ad on the box. Consequently the singing dancing poster boy has no shortage of money or fanbase and Andrew reckons the Knight Riders are already one of the ten biggest brands in India.

The Times of India reports that Bollywood box office sales are down 35% since the start of the tournament. The obvious next step is for cinema theatres to show screenings of IPL matches. But while some cinemas have successfully negotiated rights from Sony Setmax (the televison channel who owns the IPL rights in India) the greedy BCCI is demanding one lakh rupees (about US$2500) per game per screen. This would result in theatre tickets at ten to twenty times their normal price.

Another big mover and shaker in India is Vijay Mallya, the owner of Kingfisher beer, Kingfisher Airlines, a Formula One racing team and hundreds of racehorses. This racy stable seemed incomplete without an IPL team and the Bangalore Royal Challengers are Mallya's latest plaything. By the way, Royal Challenge (same logo and colours and song as the cricket team) is the name of a whiskey brand that is also owned by Mallya - an outrageous example of surrogate advertising. India's answer to Richard Branson is an eccentric character and is known as the "King of Good Times".

A court case was yesterday heard to determine whether Mallya was using sport to promote an alcohol brand. But the court found that there was no evidence in this claim. In India, as in Africa, the benefits of belonging to the right club are astonishing.

Mark Boucher, who is taking a nap on the sofa next to me in the Bangalore Airport (which will move a further 35 kilometres from town next week) while a dozen or so waiters and airline staff take photos of him with their high-tech mobile phones, took strong exception to Mallya giving the Challengers a thorough bollocking in the dressing room after losing the inaugural IPL match.

Thanks to McCullum's blistering 158 not out the winning team on that day was SRK's Knight Riders. I am told that Boucher, who has never been shy to stand up for himself, barked right back at Mallya, telling him that yelling at the team won't do any good at all.

Hrithik returns cheque to Adlabs

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

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

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

Amrita Rao is bit raw but good

Except for one detail Akshaye is having a ball shooting for Neeraj Vora’s Shortcut in Bangkok.

"I need a quick break to visit Mumbai. I’m homesick. If I get a break of 2-3 days I’ll go back. So far we’ve get only one day off every ten days. That isn’t enough to dash in and dash out."

Basking in the blockbuster opening of his new film Race Akshaye is shooting Shortcut with director Neeraj Vora. "He wrote all my films for Priyadarshan. So I know Neeraj very well. I’m thoroughly enjoying myself."

Akshaye plays a director while Arshad Warsi plays a ’bad’ actor. Yet another flick set in the film industry! Amrita Rao is Akshaye’s co-star in Shortcut.

"She’s a very sweet decent girl Though raw she’s a good actress. She’s now coming into her own, " gushes Akshaye as he does about all his co-stars. "I really enjoy working with my actors, male or female. I like being with them. Bouncing off ideas."

He’s reluctant to talk about Shortcut but reveals, "The film has a lot of theatre actors. It’s a character-based energetic film. I like doing energetic films.

In Race I worked on investing a gusto to my character. That’s why I enjoy working with Abbas-Mustan. They give me the freedom to make the best use of my space as an actor.

They’ve tremendous trust in me. Somehow they like 9 out of my 10 suggestions. They allow me to improvise quite a lot."

What about the rapport with his co-stars? "Race isn’t the first multi-starrer I’ve done. It’s never easy to find proper space for all the actors in a cluttered cast. It takes people like Abbas-Mustan to come up with a script that justifies everyone’s presence. "

Akshaye was more than happy to be re-united with Saif. "Anil of course is very close to me. Saif and I had a fantastic time during Dil Chahta Hai. And let’s not forget Saif and I also spent a lot of time together during J.P.Dutta’s LOC.

In Dil Chahta Hai we were buddies. In Race we’re brothers but battling constantly. But I had never worked with all the three girls-Bipasha, Katrina and Sameera. They’re all so wonderful. They’re looking smashing. Anaita Adjania has really dressed us up well."

Akshaye’s next release would be a Priyadarshan comedy Mere Baap Pehle Aap. "I’m in it with Paresh Rawal. It’s one of those films that will put a smile on everyone’s face.

And my co-star Genelia D’Souza is the absolutely correct choice."

Sarkar Raj is the much awaited sequel to the acclaimed hit film

Sarkar Raj is the much awaited sequel to the acclaimed hit film Sarkar by Ram Gopal Varma. Sarkar was inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather, but the sequel will be completely original. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the first time in a film post Aishwarya and Abhishek’s marriage. The film is set to release on June 6, 2008.



Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj is to be released in April 2008. Reveals a source close to Varma (the director is completely off press after, in his own words, being burnt by Aag). "

According to insiders Sarkar Raj has shaped up into Ram Gopal Varma’s best work to date. And the Bachchans are extremely upbeat about it. Sarkar Raj is also crucial for Abhishek, since it’s his next release. His last film was Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom, not counting the guest appearance in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag. After Sarkar Raj it’s the f-x special Drona for Abhishek. It looks like 2008 will be a bumper year for the Bachchans.



30 November 2007 (Sawf News) - After having worked back to back with Aishwarya in three films before his marriage to her on April 20 - Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2 and Guru,

Meiyang and Deepali set to co-host ‘Indian Idol’ auditions.

Meiyang and Deepali set to co-host ‘Indian Idol’ auditions

They were teased as being the love pair on ‘Indian Idol 3’ and now, Meiyang and Deepali are back on the show, but this time they will be co-hosting the auditions across India.

Mini Mathur, who has been the host for the show for the longest time, is expecting her second baby soon and may not be a part of the show this season.

Hussein, who is Mini’s co-host, is also busy with his TV assignments; although he has agreed to host the show, he has excused himself from the auditions.

Deepali is excited as she feels that it is a great opportunity for her to make things easier for the participants by easing their tension while auditioning for ‘Indian Idol’. Meiyang and Deepali are currently dating and the couple is happy that they would get to spend more time together, and there is a possibility that they could get to co-host the show with Hussein which would sure make the life of the two Idols quite ‘Ideal’.

Is Prajakta re-igniting her love with Rahul on ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar’?

Is Prajakta Shukre re-igniting her love with Rahul Vaidya on ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar’?

They met during the first season of ‘Indian Idol’ and fell in love; Prajakta and Rahul were quite an item for a while; and the two were known to be quite serious as Prajakta’s parents had met Rahul and had approved him for their daughter as well.

Now, Rahul believes a lot in luck and when he started dating Prajakta his career went at and all time low so, he decided to end his relationship.

While Rahul has moved on, Prajakta has not been able to completely get over her love, and she is completely heartbroken which apparently seems to be affecting her performance on the show.

Prajakta is still hoping that Rahul would get over his superstitions and the two could get back together. So while all contestants are busy trying to win the ultimate title, looks like Prajakta has lost her heart all over again.

Vidya Balan scores a biggie opposite Abhishek Bachchan.

Vidya Balan

She is the lucky mascot of Bollywood and now, after pairing with Saif, John, Shiney and Akshay it’s her turn to rub some luck on Abhishek Bachchan.

Balki, who made his directorial debut with ‘Cheeni Kum’, has signed Vidya Balan for his next ‘Pa’ along with Abhishek in the lead, and Big B is expected to play a character role in the movie as well. Tabu was a strong contender for the role, but the director decided to opt for Vidya Balan instead.

Based on insiders, Tabu had a showdown with Balki after the release of ‘Cheeni Kum’ and the actress ended up giving no credit to the director which irked Balki hence, he approached Vidya for his next, who readily accepected the role.

The Bachchans have always admired Vidya as she has acted with Big B in ‘Eklavya’ and AbhiAsh in ‘Guru’, and this time the actress will be playing Abhishek’s leading lady for the first time.

Tabu was not too happy as she was hopeful of bagging the role, but guess Vidya stole her sugar and has left her with a ‘Cheeni Kum’ after taste.

Kangana wants to be a size zero like Kareena

Kangana in 'Raaz 2'

Bollywood actresses are busy going on diets and are hitting the gym after seeing Kareena’s new hot avatar in ‘Tashan’, and the latest one to follow the fad is Kangana.

In ‘Raaz-2’ the actress plays a ramp model; the actress is quite thin and we thought that she would easily slip in the model shoes, but director Mohit Suri requested Kangana to shed more weight so that she could look like a perfect ramp model.

Kangana is following a 6 small-meal diet recommended by her dietician Trupti Bhandari; besides, she is brisk walking and has spent long hours at the gym to make it happen for her flick.

She is also learning kickboxing, martial arts and actively practicing yoga. Kangana has already shed 3 kilos in a month and now, the actress aims to lose 2 more kilos to acquire that perfect body. Now, her special friend Aditya Panscholi too, is on a weight loss spree; may be the two can get together and achieve their goal by running in opposite directions at the ‘Nana-Nani park’ at Versova in Mumbai, to ensure that once again their relationship can remain a Raaz ‘2’.

Perizaad and Sachin go ‘Krazy Kiya Re’ for Sony TV.

Perizaad Zorabarian

If you love music talent shows then, here comes another one your way; the name of the show is ‘Krazy Kiya Re’ and it will be co-hosted by Perizaad Zorabarian and Sachin Pilgaonkar.

Sachin had earlier hosted ‘Antakshari’ on DD channel and has experience with hosting talent shows, but this would be the first one for Perizaad. The actress is currently, shooting for NDTV ‘Limited Edition’ and has clutched on this opportunity too; according to Perizaad the show is not all about singing, but also involves improvisations and changing arrangements.

Now, Sony TV has ‘K for Kishore’ then, Urmila hosting ‘Waar Parivaar’ and ‘Indian Idol’ season 4 which will soon be kicked-off by the channel, and now with ‘Krazy Kiya Re’ it looks like the channel is going all out with the musical talent shows.

Did we just hear the audiences go, “Kya Krazy Kiya Re?”

Chunky hurts Koena by commenting that she looks like a man; concedes it by calling it a ‘goof-up’.

Koena Mitra and her make-over

“What is common between Koena Mitra and Emraan Hashmi apart from the fact that they both are male?” Well, this happened to be one of Chunky Pandey’s comments at the Zee Cine Awards.

Koena, who has acted with Chunky in ‘Apna Sapna Money Money’, was shocked to see the actor take a potshot at her by calling her manly; the actress quoted, “No one has ever made a comment on my physicality before or crossed their limits like Chunky has.”

Chunky Pandey on other hand, is defending his comment by saying that the teleprompter sent the wrong lines which were really supposed to be, “What’s the similarity between Sajid and Karan apart from the fact that they both are men?”

Chunky is in fact, requesting Zee to edit the portion of the award show from their final cut to be telecasted by the channel.

Now, if the lines are aired, it would not be surprising to see Koena at the next award show sticking back at Pandey by expressing, “What’s the similarity between Chunkey and the Monkey?”

Stunning Udita Goswami launches Cosme Dermat from VLCC, Mumbai.

Stunning Udita Goswami launches Cosme Dermat from VLCC, Mumbai

Her translucent skin is one of her bigger assets and Udita Goswami on Tuesday afternoon launched 'Cosme Dermat' treatments for great looking skin at VLCC at Prabhadevi.

Udita was joined by VLCC founder Vandana Luthra and the skin expert demonstrated live treatments during the event to show the results and Udita patiently waited to see if it works.

“Mallika is doing what she usually does best,” jokes Kamal Hassan.

Mallika goes up the pole for Kamal Hassan's 'Dasavatharam’

She grooved for Mani Ratnam in ‘Guru’ and now, fans are waiting to checkout Mallika shake her booty for Kamal in ‘Dasvaratham’.

Mallika will be playing the role of a CIA agent in the multi-starrer South project, but her character is not explicit in the movie promos. When Kamal Hassan was asked about Mallika’s role in the movie, the superstar replied, “What she does best.”

That statement sums it up for us as Asin is there for the drama and Mallika will be adding the glamour quotient. For her pole dance number, Mallika even received professional training; in the song she will be seen giving her best shot to seduce Kamal Hassan.

The actress is looking simply hot in her black skimpy number with feathers as part of her hairdo. By scoring a role and a sexy track in the most awaited movie of 2008 ‘Dasavatharam’, Mallika has definitely added a big feather in her cap.

So who really deserves to get more brownie points, Dr. Riddhima or Dr. Karan?

She is the leading lady on one of the top shows on Star Plus, and that sure demands commitment from the crew for the long and hectic shooting schedules.

Shilpa AKA Dr. Riddhima is trying her best to cope up with Dr. Karan on the show and that involves not just displaying her histrionics, but also posing her sporty skills with bike racing and basketball.

The day on which the basketball game was being shot turned out to be one of the hottest days in Mumbai; the temperature was soaring high and the scenes were being re-shot back to back as the meticulous director wanted Shilpa to give the perfect shot.

The actress was so stressed and dehydrated during the shoot that she ended up passing out on the sets; after guzzling down liters of glucose water Shilpa was back on her feet and busy dodging the ball and challenging the boys.

So fans, who really deserves to get more brownie points, Dr. Riddhima or Dr. Karan?

Sherlyn Chopra and Shanawar Ali steam up ‘Dard-e-Dil’, Mumbai.

‘Dard-e-Dil’, Mumbai

The two hotties set the temperatures soaring high as Sherlyn and Shahwar shot for a music video in South Mumbai. Shanawar looked hot in a sleeveless tank top and gun-shot denims as Sherlyn was trying hard to seduce him in her pair of hot shots. Sherlyn also added some bling to her naval which looked cool.

Mahurat of Bhushan Kumar's Kajraare

Mahurat of Bhushan Kumar's Kajraare - Tulsi Kumar, Divya Khosla.

Kareena Kapoor on the cover of Time Out

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

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

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

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

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

Nothing can stop me from staying in Mumbai

Resented by the accused of being not doing enough for the Maharashtra, the super star charged back rhetorically that nothing can stop him from staying in Mumbai and said that those who are opposed to him might through bottles at his house or paint his posters black or burn his effigies.

He further said, “For somebody to tell me to leave this city because I have done or even questioning is unacceptable,”. He was on NDTV while answering to the questions regarding recent accusations made by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray against him. ‘I am not budging,” he said.

Bachchan during his interview said that he was hurt on oblivion attitude of the people towards the constitution of India, “This whole land is ours and this land belongs to me as much as it belongs to you or anybody else. I do not need any particular pass or visa to visit any particular part of this country,” he further said.

Neha has improved her looks over a period of time

After her above average performance in Dus Kahaniyaan, Neha Oberoi has improved tremendously over a period of time for her role of sizzling and sensuous actress in her next movie Woodstock Villa. She is looking very sumptuous and sexy in promos of Woodstock Villa aired on various different channels.

On her looks in Woodstock Villa she was grinning while answering, “I feel humbled, on receiving positive reviews after the promos of my film has hit the screens. I have worked really hard for my looks like going to the gym regularly, eating a proper diet and generally taking care of myself.” So don’t for got to watch the promos of the movie and definitely you will see that undoubtedly she is making space into men’s heart.