OverChicked

Do you think Katrina Kaif’s latest sizzler ‘Chikni Chameli’ is in bad taste?

2011-12-16T05:44:00.001-08:00

Yes, you can’t get over Ms Kat in a teeny weeny choli and dangerously low ghaghra, making unabashed hip and bosom movements. But what happened to the sophistication with which she belly-danced in Sheila ki jawaani?

Finally, we got to watch the most-awaited item song of the year, Chikni Chameli from Agneepath. Undoubtedly, Katrina Kaif has surpassed her own high standard, the one she set with the spicy sizzler Sheila ki jawaani. However, we think Chameli’s vigorous body movements in this one may not be as pleasing on the eye as those sexy, sinuous, sensuous belly dancing moves that Sheila managed. While belly-dancing has become the new salsa, the bosom jiggle a la Chikni Chameli may not have as large a fan following.We don’t think there will be many women who would like to wiggle like Chameli. If you look at the 2 minute 13 second-long video, it seems Ms Kaif was determined to shed all her inhibitions when she got on the dance floor and set it – and every male hormone – on fire! Or maybe she was motivated by dear friend-and-co-star Salman Khan’s unabashed, sometimes vulgar dance moves. Remember how Sallu jiggled his pants pockets and touched his derriere in last year’s chartbuster Dhinka chika from the blockbuster Ready? Perhaps that’s where Kat got the idea to swiftly shake her booty, jiggle her bosom, wiggle her waist and throw her arms around like a man sitting on something uncomfortable (and, no, we are not being suggestive here, honest!). Do you think that’s how a lady should dance, even if she intends to seduce a man? We are certain that while most men will love this song, women may have their apprehensions watching Chikni Chameli groove. What do you think of the song and Katrina’s dance steps?

Chitrangada almost groped by fans

2011-11-25T01:18:00.001-08:00

The actress escapes with few scratches and an ankle injury while promoting 'Desi Boyz'

On Tuesday evening, Chitrangada Singh was made to realise the perils of being popular.

At a shopping mall in Pune, while she was promoting her film with co-stars John Abraham and Akshay Kumar, the crowds went berserk around her. The actress also suffered scratches in the process.

Says an eyewitness, "The mall had three floors packed with people because the stars were to perform.

However despite many security guards, things went awry and the crowd was trying to reach out to the actors. The crowd was way beyond the capacity of the mall and it was very difficult to control over 4,000 people at one go."

Realising it was not safe any more to continue, the organisers called off the show half way. And when the stars proceeded to exit the venue, things went completely out of control.

Chitrangada who also hurt her ankle says, "I have never seen so many people together in my life. Plus they were so aggressive that they started pushing the railings and even got into a scuffle with the security guards.

Crowds at the event in Pune

I realised then how serious the situation was. There was a point when I fell and almost got groped, but thankfully Akshay was right behind me and he bailed me out."

More trouble
Apparently later in the evening when the actors reached a Pune nightspot, John Abraham spotted a girl being eve-teased and immediately stepped up to help her. John got into a physical fight with the guy, but the latter escaped.

'Let's see where this takes me'

2011-11-23T00:55:00.001-08:00

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo

Nargis Fakhri.

Nargis Fakhri takes criticism in her stride, says she has found her calling in cinema
Nargis Fakhri has been a drifter all her life. Born and bred in New York, this half Czech half Pakistani model-turned-actress studied fine arts and was happy being a painter and a sculptor until Imtiaz Ali signed her up for Rockstar. As a model, she's pretty much been there done that. “I've lived in New York, Greece, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Bangkok, London and Sydney, learning about new cultures, meeting new people through work and earning some money,” she laughs.

Now, India is home
The drifter has found her calling — cinema. “Let's see where this takes me,” she says, flush with the success of Rockstar. She has moved bag and baggage to Mumbai. Prior to Rockstar's release, she was barred from talking to the media. Now, she is basking in the attention. “I am overwhelmed. From keeping to myself to being talked about everywhere, it's been a journey,” she says.

Not all the response towards her performance has been adulatory. If critics pointed out her difficulty in ‘fitting in' and dismissed her histrionics as an ‘exaggerated pout', she takes it with a smile. “I have never spoken Hindi before. My father is a Pakistani and spoke Urdu; but he and my mom broke up when I was young. I grew up speaking English. The audience will not know that I've been plucked out of a different culture. I had so much to learn within a short time. I will take the criticism in a positive way and work on it,” she says.

She never trained to be an actor. “In fact, now I am thinking if I should look out for acting coaches and train myself,” she says. Looking back at Rockstar, she reflects, “From emoting to dancing, everything was a struggle for me. I love dancing and could pick up the rhythm. But dancing to Hawaa Hawaa was tough. I was given the steps a few hours before the shoot and there was chaos on the sets. I broke down. Imtiaz had also given a few exercises to work on my dialogues. It was a new experience. I cherish working with Imtiaz, Ranbir and others.”

There are film offers knocking at her door. “A whole team is working with me. I haven't yet decided on which film I will be doing next,” she says. There are no such hesitations when it comes to brand endorsements. She's already been signed up for Van Heusen women and Tata Jaquar. Where does that leave her as a painter? “For now, acting is the new art form that I am exploring. But given a canvas and some paint, who knows?” she signs off.

Item girl's driver flees with her Rs 4-Lakh payment

2011-11-21T21:27:00.001-08:00

Police say it's hard to trace him since Poonam Jhawar didn't furnish his details, despite many requests sent to residents to submit the particulars of domestic help
In spite of repeated reminders and requests by the Mumbai police, many residents in the western suburbs have still not furnished the details of their domestic help to the police.

The negligence has led to yet another robbery, this time involving a singer-actor, Poonam Jhawar, who has
some TV ads and music videos to her credit. Jhawar, who kicked off her career with the film Mohra, was robbed of cash worth Rs 4 lakh by her driver recently.

Robbed: The driver had been employed by Poonam Jhawar for the past
three years, but she did not tender his details to the police, officials said

The west zone police (Bandra to Andheri) started collecting the data of domestic helps in their suburbs after a spate of murders and robberies in Juhu and Santacruz, in which the servants are suspected to be the culprits.

They had sent notices to all housing societies asking for complete details of the employees working in each home. But many, like Jhawar, have failed to realise the necessity of complying with the police drive.

According to the Oshiwara police, Jhawar filed a complaint with them accusing her driver Purab Singh -- who is originally from Nepal -- of stealing Rs 4 lakh in cash 15 days ago.

Police officers said that Jhawar was on her way to the airport in her car when the incident took place. En route, Jhawar had collected a cash payment for a dance show. She gave the bag with the money to Singh, employed as her driver for the past three years, and asked him to drop it off at her house since she had a flight to catch. But instead of going to Jhawar's house, Singh fled with the cash.

On her return, Jhawar discovered that Singh had made off with the booty. She then approached the Oshiwara police.

"We have registered a case of theft against Singh and are trying to trace him. Since we do not know any details about the accused, it would be difficult to nab him," said DK Rupwate, senior police inspector of Oshiwara police station.

Another police officer said that like every other society, Jhawar's colony members had also received the letter from the police station asking for details of all the domestic helps. But Jhawar had failed to submit Singh's basic information.

'I trusted him'
Speaking to MiD DAY, Jhawar said, "Singh was my driver for the past three years. He used to do a lot of my bank work and I trusted him completely. I did not bother to submit his details to cops because not once did I think that he would ever betray my trust. But he fled with the bag of cash after I left for the airport."

Sunny Leone reaches Mumbai

2011-11-18T23:57:00.001-08:00

Born to a Punjabi family in Ontario, Leone has appeared in various reality shows in the US, and was named among the world's top 12 porn stars by fashion magazine Maxim in 2010.

For the ongoing, fifth season of "Bigg Boss", there was buzz that international pop star Shakira or boxer Mike Tyson might join the show. But with news of Leone's entry, the speculations seem to have been put to rest.

Whether the adult star will be a long-term participant or a guest is still not sure.

When Pamela came to the show last year, it made for a jaw dropping moment for many. But it will be interesting to see how the mixed gag bag of the aggressive and argumentative celebs.

Sunny Leone says she is looking forward to a positive feedback from all her fans in India.

Chitrangda Singh tries hard to fit in

2011-11-18T21:50:00.001-08:00

Looks like the actor is still getting used to the glamorous ways of the new world of commercial cinema she’s stepped into. The evidence being her nervous behaviour at a recent do that she was spotted at along with her Desi Boyz co-stars

Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone and Chitrangda Singh came together to launch the Desi Boyz apparel line recently. While the two brawny men preferred to enter in style on their swanky bikes, Deepika and Chitrangda simply waved, catwalked a li’l and threw audio CDs of their upcoming film at the audience. Now the sexy Deeps, who sizzled in a sexy one-shoulder sheath dress, remained unperturbed even as the audience went ballistic with star struck behaviour. She grooved, she became John’s arm candy, she thanked everybody with her usual charming grin, and all this without a hint of anxiety on her face. Chitrangda, on the other hand, was clueless and we could see her constantly turning to Deepika and Akshay and asking them what to do next. Now considering Ms Singh is not exactly a rookie and has had a fair amount of experience in the entertainment world, we didn’t expect her to be so clumsy, even though this is her first stint in the hardcore commercial space. She looked stunning in her torn jeans and bling jacket, but only if looks alone could contribute in rating the whole package, you would have won all the brownie points from us, Chitrangda. As of now we have a suggestion: maybe you and Deeps can be of some help to each other. You can teach her some acting and she can probably give you tips on how to work on your soft people skills…what say!

Porn star Sunny Leone to enter Bigg Boss

2011-11-17T01:55:00.001-08:00

Indo-Canadian pornographic actress Sunny Leone all set to join the contestants in Bigg Boss house this season.
Indo-Canadian pornographic actress Sunny Leone is all set to join the contestants in the Bigg Boss house this season.
Leone, 30, who has appeared on a number of mainstream reality shows in the US and modelled for various magazines, is landing in India today and will enter the show this week, sources from Colors channel said.
Social activist Swami Agnivesh had become a guest in the house for two days last week.
Leone will be joining contestants like Siddharth Bhardwaj, Akashdeep Saigal, Pooja Bedi and Shonali Nagrani on the show.

Is Anushka too loud?

2011-11-14T23:59:00.001-08:00

Apparently that's why Anushka Sharma lost out on Habib Faisal's 'Ishaqzaade'
Despite being one of the most sought-after actresses in Bollywood, Anushka Sharma has recently lost out on a plum film role that she had been coveting. The actress who auditioned for Habib Faisal's Ishaqzaade was rejected as the makers deemed her to be too loud for the role.

A source adds, "Anushka had loved the script and was very keen to be part of the film. She auditioned for the role, but came across as a little too loud.

Ishaqzaade is a love story and there were certain specifications the makers were looking for as far as their lead characters go." The film is being produced by the same banner under which the actress made her debut.

The source adds that the female lead character in the film is mellow and subtle. However, the kind of energy and personality Anushka has, she would not gel with what's in the script.

Interestingly, Parineeti Chopra who has bagged the lead role in Ishaqzaade will be debuting in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl with Anushka and Ranveer Singh. We wonder if there will be any tension between the two girls on the sets. Says the source, "Parineeti is a newcomer, she still has a long way to go. There is no reason Anushka needs to be insecure."

Sources also say that another reason why Anushka was kept out was because the production house wanted her to concentrate on Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and her next film with Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif, directed by Yash Chopra. The actress is also doing Vishal Bharadwj's Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola opposite Imran Khan.
Anushka remained unavailable for comment.

Anushka in bikini

2011-11-10T02:35:00.001-08:00

Anushka Sharma flaunts a bikini: Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh starrer 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl' will be released on December 9, 2011.

Anushka Sharma made her debut with 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

Anushka Sharma will be seen wearing a bikini in the film.

Genelia Banned

2011-11-08T22:22:00.001-08:00

The Telugu Movie Artistes Assocation, (MAA), has resolved to ban actress Genelia for not taking up the membership in the actors guild.
The actress’ latest Telugu film Naa Ishtam has been exempted, but she can’t be signed on by producers after this film.
“She has been acting in Telugu films for last seven to eight years and was reluctant to take up the membership so we are forced to issue a non-co-operation notice against her,” says a member of the MAA.
The actress who will be arriving in Hyderabad on Wednesday for her film can take up the membership by paying Rs 1 lakh or her T-town dreams can come to end.
Genelia was unavailable for comment.

Katrina can't escape skin show in 'Dhoom 3'

2011-11-06T21:01:00.001-08:00

She may have evaded the bikini but has to flaunt tank top and shorts for a sequence in the film

The bikini boogey has not really been exorcised out of Katrina Kaif's presence in Dhoom 3.
Though she has convinced producer Aditya Chopra that the bikini is not essential for the scene where she was supposed to flaunt one, the issue is far from resolved.

Apparently the core team of Dhoom 3 continued to persuade the actress to take forward the tradition of bikini-clad leading ladies in the flick.

Says a source, "Though Katrina signed on the dotted line for Dhoom 3 only on condition that the bikini sequence be removed, they reluctantly removed the bikini. But the question of what she wears in lieu of the skimpy apparel has only now been resolved."

For the sequence, Katrina would now be wearing shorts and a suitable top.

Says the source, "Aditya Chopra and director Vijay Krishna Acharya were not willing to do away with the sequence where Katrina was to be seen in beach wear.

The sequence was to be shot on an exotic beach. After she said no to wearing a two-piece, there was talk of doing away with that sequence altogether. But it is felt by the entire team that the beach location is lucky for the series.

Since Katrina is required for that sequence, her clothes have been suitable modified to go by her aesthetic comfort and the requirement of the sequence." Interestingly, her role requires her to be more lean and athletic than the present.

Says a source from Istanbul where she is shooting for Ek Tha Tiger, "Katrina has a round-the-clock trainer with her in Istanbul who is currently training her in the rudiments of the physical-type required. She gets into advanced training on her return."

Apparently Katrina's character in Dhoom 3 would be "a mixture of Catwoman and Lara Croft, with a bit of Hema Malini from Seeta Aur Geeta thrown in." Katrina remained unavailable for comment.

Ayesha Takia to be paired opposite Rajeev Khandelwal in 'Fever'

2011-11-03T23:48:00.001-07:00

'Fever' is a romantic mystery and will be shot at beautiful locations in Europe and Switzerland's Fribourg, Berne, Brienz and Zweisimmen. (Bollywood Hungama)
After showcasing his talent in films like 'Aamir', 'Shaitan' and 'Soundtrack', Rajeev Khandelwal is now preparing himself for his upcoming film titled 'Fever'.
Rajeev, who has always been praised by the critics for his acting skills, plays the character of a suave, good looking, enigmatic man with lots of style and urban charm. It is reported that he will be playing an undercover agent in the film. 'Fever' is a romantic mystery and will be shot at beautiful locations in Europe and Switzerland's Fribourg, Berne, Brienz and Zweisimmen.
Ayesha Takia is paired opposite Rajeev and will be seen sporting a new look of a stylish European-Indian. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's ex-girlfriend, Gemma Atkinson will be making her debut with this film and will be playing the role that was earlier offered to Barbara Mori. Gemma plays the role of a hot British model settled in Switzerland. She will also flaunt a bikini. She plays a linguist in the movie and will also be seen speaking Hindi.
'Fever' is about Indians living in Europe and focuses on Rajeev and Ayesha's relationship, but the story gets a spike when Gemma enters their life.

Vidya as the sultry Silk Smitha!

2011-10-28T23:42:00.001-07:00

<a href='http://video.in.msn.com/watch/video/the-dirty-picture-song-promo-oh-la-la-1/fcqfcinz?src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='The Dirty Picture song promo: Oh La La (1)'>Video: The Dirty Picture song promo: Oh La La (1)</a>

The Curious Case of Sayali Bhagat

2011-10-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

By Vishwas Kulkarni

Sayali Bhagat

A tell-all email that cast Big B as a villain has petered down to two players: a starlet and a princeling
It started out with an email sent by two-month-old Crème talent agency to various media houses, a virtual scarlet letter that went viral within hours. And not for nothing: the press release stated that former Miss India, Sayali Bhagat, was quitting Bollywood to pursue a modelling career in Milan. But this international move wasn’t the only reason for her supposed flight from tinsel town. There were other reasons too: because Amitabh Bachchan allegedly grabbed her buttocks when she bent down to touch his feet at an event, tainting the servile namaste that the Hindi film industry is so keen on; because actor-director Sajid Khan was allegedly buck naked when he invited her for an audition for a role in Housefull; because Aarya Babbar allegedly took the trouble to click his genitals and packaged them as a neat MMS sent to her inbox.
This was the string of allegations on Monday afternoon. But by Wednesday evening, the star cast of this drama changed quite dramatically. Sayali Bhagat, with a different PR agency behind her this time (Chanel Post run by Vinith Handa), despatched an email debunking Crème talent agency as a bogus unit that she has no truck with, that the email was a vicious conspiracy to malign her. So, at the heart of this ‘casting couch’ controversy, itself a budding genre of celebrity management for Bollywood’s fringe contingent (and often an entry ticket to the reality shows that lionize tinsel town’s pariahs) are two players now: Sayali Bhagat, a starlet who began her innings with the Emraan Hashmi-starrer, ‘The Train: Some Lines Are Never Meant to be Crossed’; and Anant Narrayan, who claims to be a prince from the erstwhile royal state of Bhareh in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh (see pic below).

In Happier Times: Sayali Bhagat with Anant Narrayan

Hottest female debutants in Bollywood in 2011

2011-10-28T01:38:00.000-07:00

Parineeti Chopra will debut in 'Ladies vs Ricki Bhai' followed by 'Ishaqzaade'

Nargis Fakhri to debut in Ranbir-starrer 'Rockstar' directed by Imtiaz Ali

Preeti Desai made her Bollywood debut in 'Shor in the City'

Sarah Jane Dias debuted in 'Game' starring Abhishek Bachchan and Kangna Ranaut

Zoa Morani in 'Always Kabhi Kabhi' produced by Shah Rukh Khan

Sulagna Panigrahi debuted in 'Murder 2'

Myra Karn debuted as the titular Jessica 'No One Killed Jessica'

Puja Gupta debut in F.A.L.T.U

Sayali Bhagat to file sexual harassment complaint against Shiney Ahuja

2011-10-27T21:38:00.001-07:00

Actor Shiney Ahuja has been accused of sexual harassment again, this time by a co-star.

Actress Sayali Bhagat, who stars opposite Shiney in the upcoming horror movie Ghost, has claimed that the actor misbehaved with her a number of times during the shoot of the film and even made advances towards her.

According to reports, Sayali will file a police complaint against Shiney at the Malad Police Station in Mumbai. The complaint will also include Shiney's wife Anupam who has allegedly been sending Sayali text messages since the story broke. After the story was first published in a leading magazine, Sayali was apparently under tremendous pressure to deny the accusations she made in the interview.

Earlier this year, nearly a month after the trial court convicted him, sentencing him to seven years imprisonment, Shiney was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on April 27, 2011.

Nargis Fakhri at Golden Temple

2011-10-27T04:04:00.001-07:00

Deepika, Chitrangada fight over pink dress

2011-10-25T23:43:00.001-07:00

The stars fought to wear the same outfit on the sets of their film

When a film involves two gorgeous actresses vying for equal attention, a cat fight or two only adds to the gossip on the set. Deepika Padukone and Chitrangada Singh have brought out their claws.

The two ladies are apparently doing everything they can to look better than the other in their film Desi Boyz. Interestingly, it was a hot pink dress that led to a fight between the two.

Apparently designer Ayesha Dasgupta had created a hot pink outfit for the film, which caught the eye of both the leading ladies.

Adds a source, "The minute Deepika and Chitrangada saw the dress they both wanted to wear it in the film.

This put the designer and the production guys in a tight spot, because the girls just refused to budge. In fact, they started discussing why the dress would suit them better."

Confirms Ayesha, "It was quite a complement for me actually. We made some outfits for the film. I had no idea both the girls would like the dress so much that it would become such a huge issue."

Director's orders
However, there was no way the same dress could be repeated in the film, so eventually director Rohit Dhawan had to intervene.

The source adds, "Rohit spoke to both of them and somehow convinced them to stop arguing." However, the designer refuses to reveal who eventually wore the dress.

Item girl accuses producer, financier of molesting her

2011-10-14T22:58:00.001-07:00

Files police complaint against duo, says they threatened to kill her when she did not accept their indecent proposal
A Gujarati film actress and item girl, Sapna alias Zareena Shaikh (31), has lodged a complaint of molestation against a film producer and a financier at the Versova police station after the two allegedly tried to rape her.

Sapna has also accused the two of issuing death threats to her.

Sapna alias Zareena Shaikh, who has acted in Gujarati and other regional language films, says Akash Films Entertainment owner Ritesh Kumar Thakur and financier Shiv Pratap Singh molested her at her home

Approached for film
The police said Sapna, who lives in Vinayak building in a MHADA colony opposite the telephone exchange in Andheri (West), was approached for a film by producer Ritesh Kumar Thakur, who owns the Akash Films Entertainment company, and financier Shiv Pratap Singh.

Sapna, who has been working in the film industry for 15 years, called the two over to her residence with the contract that they wished her to sign.

Sapna claimed that initially, on October 7, Thakur had called her to ask her if she could meet Singh in a hotel but she had refused and instead asked the two to see her at her home.

'Compromise'
She alleged that when the two came to meet her, Singh walked over to the sofa and sprawled on it. When Sapna objected to this, Singh allegedly told her she should compromise and have sex with him.

She claimed that when she asked them for tea, Singh made a vulgar remark and asked her to pay heed to his demand. He also touched her inappropriately, said Sapna in her complaint.

Sources said that when the victim started yelling at Singh for his indecent behaviour, Thakur, who was witness to everything, also started cajoling her to give in to the financier's demand, saying it would take her career to new heights.

Phone snatched
An enraged Sapna then threatened to call the police, but the accused allegedly snatched her mobile phone and told her that she should not resort to such an action as the casting couch was quite normal in the film industry.

"When I tried making a call to the police control room from another phone, the accused, sensing trouble, fled," said Sapna.

The complainant further alleged that Singh later called her over the phone and threatened her.

Sapna approached the Versova police on Friday, after consulting her fianc © and parents, who encouraged her to lodge the complaint.

"We have lodged a complaint against Thakur and Singh for molesting the actress," said Senior Police Inspector Sharad Borse of the Versova police station.

Death threat
Sapna said before leaving her home Thakur and Singh threatened her that she would be killed if she ever set foot in Bihar; Sapna also acts in Bhojpuri films, parts of which are often shot in Bihar.

"I have been working in the film industry for 15 years and have never compromised. It was shocking that these two had the guts to molest me," said Sapna.

Poonam Pandey tweets shower video

2011-10-13T22:12:00.001-07:00

Model slips at Vineet Bahl's show

2011-10-13T06:45:00.001-07:00

"What's a fashion show without little goof-ups", asks designer Vineet Bahl, during whose show Wednesday model Tinu Verghis fell while sashaying down the ramp on the final day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.
"There are many factors to it, sometimes the lights blind you or the clothes come in way. It happens and what's a fashion show without little goof-ups," Bahl told reporters after the show.

The lanky model was wearing a short dress and fell after her ankle twisted. However, the experienced model quickly recovered and walked as gracefully as ever, receiving accolades from the audience.
Vineet collection was titled "Qashquai" and was inspired by the philosophy of profundity in simplicity.
According to the designer, the idea behind the collection was to maintain the purity of the clothes.
Hand block prints, interesting textures and fluid silhouettes dominated the collection. The fabrics were mostly cotton gauze, voiles and cambric with surface detailing.

I will take legal action: Tia Bajpai

2011-10-13T06:44:00.001-07:00

Newcomer Tia Bajpai is hopping mad at some of the shots that are used in the movie 'Lanka', "without her permission". Threatens to sue the producer if they go ahead with the release...

Tia Bajpai accuses the director of the film Maqbool Khan of having cheated her with the way some of the bold scenes are shot in the film. She says, "When I read the script, there was a mention of some such scenes.

When I objected to it, I was told not to worry and that they will be shot aesthetically.

Tia Bajpai

Even when they were shooting, I was uncomfortable but when I saw the edited portions, I was shocked. It was edited in a manner that it ended up looking really vulgar.

I won't let them release it, if they don't edit those portions out. I am a new actress and my image is at stake," Tia says.

Tia says she has had a huge argument with Maqbool, once even during the shoot of a scene. "There was this scene where I am sitting inside a bathroom in my towel and crying. I thought only the crew members will be present.

But about half of the village was present there. Even then I called Vikram sir (Vikram Bhatt, the producer of the film) and then he had to speak to Maqbool about me being uncomfortable."

"I owe my career to Vikram sir. He shot rape scenes with me in Haunted, but those were done so well. He is a very decent man.

I just hope this doesn't get ugly for his sake. But if they insist on continuing with those shots, I will surely go to the court.

Tia Bajpai

I have a bound script which has no mention of those scenes and also my contract doesn't say anything about them."

Producer-speak
Vikram Bhatt says, "Tia did call me with her concerns about some scenes that she saw while dubbing but I can't just take out the scenes from the film.

Maqbool Khan is a responsible director so if he thinks the scenes are important for the film then I am going to trust my director.

Also the bold bits are what the film is about. She could not have been unaware of what she was shooting"

Aditya Chopra adopts Katrina?

2011-10-13T02:53:00.001-07:00

Katrina is spending a lot of time at the Yashraj Studio discussing her career with Aditya Chopra

Although Aditya Chopra is younger than Salman Khan, Katrina reverently calls him "Adi Sir". That doesn't come as a surprise as the reticent Chopra is currently advising Katrina on her career moves.

Katrina has been slated to be the leading lady of Yash Chopra's next directorial venture which will star Shah Rukh Khan, thereby bringing to fruition Katrina's dream of breaking the embargo on her pairing with SRK because of Salman having had a place in her life.

Salman's non-ambiguous declarations about his single status has liberated Katrina from the obligation of keeping up appearance of them being together. She's now pursuing her heart unfettered, especially when it comes to her career. And, at the moment her heart is set on the film with SRK.

Not only Aditya Chopra, Yashraj's favourite leading lady Rani Mukherjee too has taken to Katrina in a big way. There's a big bonding between the two actresses, and Katrina is certainly not seen as a threat to the senior actress.

In fact, both Rani and Aditya have "adopted" Katrina. Much in the same way that Salman and his family had earlier "adopted" her.

All her waking hours are spent at Yashraj Studios where she is polishing up her clothes, lines and character-contouring for the film. Even otherwise, Katrina these days loves spending time at Yashraj getting gyan from "Adi Sir" who is closer to her generation than "Yash Uncle"(Yash Chopra).

When asked about her proximity to Yashraj and Aditya Chopra, Katrina says, "I am very close to them. Adi Sir is someone I look up to and seek advice from.

For all my reputation of delivering hits, I'm still new to the industry and the odd one out. I don't have too many friends in Mumbai. That's why I constantly need a family member around me."

The truth behind Chitrangada's exit from 'Krrish 2'

2011-10-12T00:19:00.001-07:00

Apparently, 'Krrish 2' producer Rakesh Roshan refused to pay for her extended staff
Though the actress has stuck to her stance about date issues over her decision to walk out of Krrish 2, apart from the buzz that she felt her role was turning into a cameo, there is more to why Chitrangada Singh decided to opt out of the superhero flick.

What also irked the actress was the working style of producer Rakesh Roshan. Everyone in the industry knows that the filmmaker is tightfisted and that any unwanted expenditure on the sets has to be strictly avoided.

Something perhaps the actress was unaware of initially.

Says a source close to Chitrangada, "An actress is used to working with a paraphernalia around her which includes the make up person, hairdresser, attendants and her other staff who attend to her needs during the filming.

Normally the production house bears the costs of these people. Obviously, Roshan was in no mood to incur any additional expense apart from what the unit would supply."

Adds the source, "As Chitrangada's role was that of a mutant, the producer felt that the make up guys that he had hired for the film would be sufficient for her.

And that there was no need of incurring the cost of additional people with her."

Coupled with the fears about the length of her presence in a film that starred Bollywood biggies Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra and Vivek Oberoi, Chitrangada decided to step out. The makers then roped in Jacqueline Fernandes.

The source further maintains, "Chitrangada felt there was no point shelling out from her own pocket.

Considering the logistics of the project this is something she could not understand. Not that she is a big star who could afford to incur expenditure on the sets as well."

Go vegetarian, urges Veena Malik

2011-10-08T01:12:00.000-07:00

Pakistani actress Veena Malik is urging people to give up meat and turn vegetarian as she poses for the new PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) ad campaign.

'I am Veena Malik and I am a vegetarian,' Veena, who shot to fame with her stint in the fourth season of reality show 'Bigg Boss', proudly says in the ad

Katrina Kaif to reprise Anushka in Arundhati remake

2011-10-07T02:00:00.001-07:00

Katrina Kaif
A report currently making its merry rounds in the glam world is about Arundhati, the highest grossing Tollywood film of all time.
Yes, the same one which catapulted dusky Anushka Shetty to dizzying heights of fame. This film will soon be remade in Hindi.
The movie starred Sonu Sood in a crucial role and was directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. Reliable sources tell us that Gemini Film Circuit, which has bought the Bollywood remake rights, will be producing it.
And though there are two B’wood biggies — Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in the fray to reprise Anushka’s role, a source close to the production house informs us that the latter stands a better chance to play the title role of the gorgeous Arundhati.
Other details are being worked out.

Is marriage on Rani Mukherjee’s mind?

2011-10-04T22:37:00.001-07:00

She may have once enjoyed the undisputed title of B’town’s Queen Bee, but in the recent past, you could be forgiven for thinking that Rani Mukherjee had gone underground.
The former blue-eyed girl of YRF has always been associated with quality cinema, barring a few mistakes in the early part of her career. But after an inexplicable nosedive, Rani emerged stronger at the box office with her brash turn in No One Killed Jessica.
After that, it has again been a quiet stretch for the actress on the professional front. “Yes, I haven’t done any films after NOKJ, but I am now looking forward to Reema Kagti’s Dhuan. It is a film that I am proud of,” says Rani, flashing her million-dollar smile.
Apart from Dhuan (which co-stars Aamir Khan), Rani is also looking forward to another project, details of which are still under wraps. So does this mean that Rani’s focus is back on her first love — films? Rani evinces surprise at the question, saying, “I was always around.”
So reviving her golden career is definitely priority; but what about marriage? The actress admits that she believes in the institution, but is feeling no pressure to commit. “My parents are also very chilled out about it. So no one is pressurising me to settle down,” she says.
Oh Rani, that’s so diplomatic! But considering the intense scrutiny your rumoured relationship with Aditya Chopra is subjected to, we can hardly blame you.

Sonam Kapoor keen to do a sizzling item number

2011-10-04T22:17:00.001-07:00

Item numbers seem to be the next big thing in Bollywood. Katrina Kaif made it to the top charts with her item number and now its Sonam Kapoor who is keen to step into her shoes

Sonam Kapoor is itching for a new look and a complete makeover. The actor says she would love to do a sexy item number.“No one asks me to do an item number. I am just asked to do classical type of films. So, I guess people have to start looking at me in that way and see me as a sexy item number girl,” Sonam said at an event. Sonam who recently received mixed reviews for her performance in Mausam said, “People have unanimously loved me in the film. I have not actually encountered too much criticism with it. So I don’t know how I will deal with it but hopefully I will deal with it gracefully.” Well we’d rather not comment on the actor’s acting skills maybe she can do a better job at an item number. We hope!

Bollywood is now 100% imported

2011-10-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

Katrina, Camilla

Half- foreign, half- Indian heroines won’t do anymore. As Bollywood guns for global identity, the fad is to cast exotic beauties of wholly foreign origin in lead roles.

When Farhan Akhtar mooned over Spanish actress-model Ariadna Cabrol in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, their brief chemistry triggered off a fad. Bollywood was looking at a new formula-twister when it came to casting and the trend of introducing foreign beauties in entered the next level.

Half-Kashmiri, half-British Katrina Kaif may have kickstarted the fad of importing exotic stunners in Hindi films over the past decade, but the focus is shifting. With Hindi films increasingly getting westernised and gunning for global identity, our very Indian heroes want to romance girls with a 100-per cent foreigner tag.

Ariadna may have had a prop role in the multi-starrer Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, but what is following is a steady inflow of foreign-bred beauties in lead roles. Last week’s crossover comedy Speedy Singhs saw the debut of American-Canadian beauty Camilla Belle, a budding Hollywood actress who starred in 2008’s prehistoric adventure hit, 10,000 BC. South African model Candice Boucher makes her debut in the spy thriller Aazaan later this month. Half-Czech, half-Pakistani Nargis Fakhri has already created hype over her debut opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar, which releases in November. All this, despite Mexican beauty Barbara Mori’s debut in last year’s Kites flopping. What’s interesting is that girls of purely foreign origin were so far mostly acceptable only in item numbers.

Yana Gupta kickstarted that trend in 2003’s Dum with her Babuji dance. Spanish hottie Mayte Garcia was a hit in the Deedar de number of Dus. Brazilian beauty Bruna Abdalah did the Reham kare jig in Cash while Mariah Gomes raised the temperature with her item dance Neeyat in Teen Patti. That trend is changing now. Bollywood has come a long way since Raj Kapoor introduced Russian actress Kseniya Ryabinkina in Hindi films in Mera Naam Joker. RK’s decision to cast Kseniya as a trapeze artist in his 1972 opus created hype, but it was a one-off instance that hardly started a trend. This time, the trend seems here to stay.

Ariadna Cabrol in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Ariadna Cabrol

Quick check

Ariadna is a Spanish actress-model who has worked in Spanish and Serbian films. She is from Barcelona and she began her career in 2000 with a short film, Foc al Cantir, and has also featured in Tom Tykwer’s 2006 global hit, Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer.

BOLLYWOOD BUZZ:

Ariadna played a Spanish girl in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Given the fact that the film starred two other heroines - Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin - Ariadna didn’t get much scope but she stood out for the chemistry she shared with Farhan Akhtar in her brief role. Director Zoya Akhtar kept her presence in the film under wraps while the film was being shot.

BYTE-WISE:

Zoya said she needed “a true-blue Spanish girl for the character” and Ariadna was “the film’s surprise package”.

Candice Boucher in Aazaan

QUICK CHECK:

Candice Boucher

Durban-born model Candice, 27, made her mark as a Playboycover girl in the magazine’s April 2010 issue. She has also modelled for FHM, GQ, Cosmopolitan and Elle.

Candice made heads turn at this year’s Cannes film festival when she walked the red-carpet for her Israeli film Hearat Shulayim(pic right) in a daring seethrough evening gown.

BOLLYWOOD BUZZ:

Candice’s Bollywood debut Aazaan is directed by Himesh Reshammiya’s brother-in-law Prashant Chadha, who earlier made Aap Ka Surroor. In Aazaan, Candice plays an undercover agent who doubles as a sand artist.

The film is slated for an October release and co-stars debutant Sachiin Joshi as the hero.

Despite her hot image as a Playboymodel, Candice insists she doesn’t share any steamy scenes with newcomer hero Sachiin in the film.

BYTE-WISE:

“I did know about Bollywood before this film because while growing up in South Africa we had Indian movies being shown on TV regularly.

I agreed to do this film because it isn’t typical Bollywood stuff.

Aazaan has an international feel and the makers have avoided the clichéd dance routine of Hindi films,” she said.

Camilla Belle in Speedy Singhs

QUICK CHECK:

Camilla Belle

American- Canadian beauty Camilla Belle has been working in Hollywood for a while now. She starred in the 2008 prehistoric adventure hit, 10,000 BC, after roles in films such as Jurassic Park: The Lost Worldand When A Stranger Calls.

BOLLYWOOD BUZZ:

Camilla made her Bollywood debut in the Akshay Kumar-produced Hinglish crossover comedy, Speedy Singhs, opposite newcomer Vinay Virmani. In the film, about an NRI youth’s dream of making it big in the Canadian ice hockey scene, Candice plays a law student who helps a team of Toronto-based Sikhs tide over crisis.

She is also the hero’s love interest in the story. Akshay has said that he chose Camilla for the role for her “exotic” French-Canadian look.

During the promotions of the film in India, Camilla has drawn comparisons to Katrina Kaif. She has given gave clear indications that she is eyeing Bollywood stardom and is particularly serious about honing her skills in filmy dancing.

BYTE-WISE:

“I am open to Bollywood offers because I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience, Speedy Singhs.

I would love to do a Hindi film as long as I like the script,” she said.

Nargis Fakhri in Rockstar

QUICK CHECK:

Nargis Fakhri

American model Nargis — half-Czech half-Pakistani by origin — was born in Queens, New York.

In the US, she made waves when she appeared on America’s Next Top Model Season 2. Although she failed to win the contest, Nargis became very popular on the show.

She appeared on the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for the year 2009.

BOLLYWOOD BUZZ:

Nargis has already generated hype over her debut opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar, as well as rumours of her ‘affair’ with the young superstar.

Her closeness to Ranbir has been cited by the grapevine as the reason for Ranbir’s split with Katrina Kaif.

In fact, so immense has been the hype and curiosity surrounding her that Rockstar director Imtiaz Ali reportedly asked her to maintain a low-profile for now till the film’s promotional activity starts.

Rockstar is scheduled to release on November 11. Nargis, who can speak in English, German, Spanish and Greek, took just three months to master Hindi for the film.

BYTE-WISE:

“Not all foreigners are talentless and not all of us use our beauty to enter Bollywood,” she said in a recent Vogue interview.

Been here, done that

And then...

Foreign beauties who were introduced in the recent past

HAZEL KEECH

Half-Indian, half-British Hazel made her mark as Kareena Kapoor’s best friend in Bodyguard. Abroad, she featured in three of the early Harry Potter films.

BARBARA MORI

Bollywood’s mosthyped ‘foreign debut’ came to naught with Kitesflopping last year. The Mexican hottie has no film offers but will be seen on Bigg Boss 5.

LISA HAYDON

Half-Malayali, half- Australian Lisa made a sizzling debut in Aisha. She will be seen in David Dhawan’s Rascalsstarring Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt.

GISELLI MONTEIRO

The Brazilian beauty played a Punjabi girl in Love Aaj Kal. She also starred in Always Kabhi Kabhiand has rampwalked for Rohit Bal and Manish Malhotra.

Catch me if you can!

2011-09-30T00:44:00.001-07:00

Nargis Fakhri is almost put under 'house arrest' by 'Rockstar' director Imtiaz Ali apparently to retain the mystery surrounding her. Mauli Singh reports on the 'surprise element' strategy and if it really works in favour of films

She has not yet proved herself onscreen, but Nargis Fakhri seems to have already caught the imagination of Bollywood followers thanks to her mentor Imtiaz Ali.

The filmmaker is pulling out all the stops to maintain the mystery surrounding his American find before their Rockstar hits theatres this year. Not surprisingly, she'll be kept out of all the promotional events, too.

Confirms a source, "Nargis will not interact much with the media till the film's release. Ranbir Kapoor (the film's main protagonist) will mostly promote the movie. This is all part of the promotional strategy."

Apparently, this is also the reason why the half-Pak, half-Czech hottie was missing from the music launch event held in Delhi recently. "The makers want people to see her work and then introduce her to the media.

They don't want her to get over exposed before the release of the film, and lose her charm. They want to retain the mysterious air around the supermodel," the source adds.

Avoiding the paparazzi
Even during the making of the movie, Imtiaz did everything possible to keep Nargis under wraps. She wasn't even allowed to go to public places and get photographed by the paparazzi.

The only gossip we did get to hear about her included romantic link ups with co-star Ranbir and later model/actor Shayan Munshi.

Since the film's publicity has started, the actress was expected to finally surface.

But Imtiaz seems to be very protective about her, like he has been with all his girls (Giselli Monteiro was introduced to the media only post Love Aaj Kal release). But it's not just the Rockstar director.

Of late, several producers have been adopting this strategy of introducing (and fiercely guarding) surprise elements, be it a debut actor, a new look, special effects or a special appearance by a well-known superstar in a film

Due to the media boom it has become all the more difficult for filmmakers to keep their reel secrets under wraps.

To ensure that the story or the 'surprise' doesn't leak out, production houses have started signing non-disclosure contracts with their actors and directorial crew.

It doesn't stop there. Besides the lead cast, no other actor is given the full script.

Anushka Sharma, Giselli Monteiro and Nargis Fakhri

A character artiste confirms, "We don't get to read the whole script of the film. We are given a gist of our roles and we get the script scene-wise only a night before our shoot. It's done to ensure that story doesn't leak out."

An assistant director of another hyped upcoming film adds, "We are starting the shoot of our film in a few days and we still haven't been told who the lead actor is as the makers don't want to disclose it."

All the big film studios have become extra cautious about guarding their films that are under production.

In fact, only recently Karan Johar spruced up the security of his forthcoming Agneepath after Mid-day leaked Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra's look.

Hit or miss?
But do such strategies work? Does it really make sense for Nargis Fakhri to be kept away from the media, especially when Ranbir is the main protagonist of the film? Film historian Dinesh Raheja says, "If the heroine is in the titular role (Heena, Julie, Bobby) keeping her under wraps makes sense because there is so much curiosity about her, but not if it's a second fiddle or an arm candy. Actresses take a huge risk by agreeing to remain low profile.

If you keep a heroine under wraps and the film fails, she stands to lose the most. No one will be interested in talking to the actor of a failed film. Between Anushka Sharma (who was also kept under wraps for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) and Giselli, the former benefited more since her films were bigger hits."

Giselli says, "Yes, every film has a pre-decided publicity plan, which is in the best interest of the project."
No wonder then Imtiaz seems to be backing off his stance a bit.

The spokesperson of Rockstar informs, "We are going to reveal Nargis at a dandiya night in Ahmedabad on October 2. She is also walking the ramp for Manish Malhotra next month.

She will also have media interactions before the release of the film, but we still have to work out the details." Let's just hope Nargis is worth the wait and not a disappointment like many other 'surprises' sprung on us by filmmakers!

Surprise cameos...
Juhi Chawla in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na
John Abraham in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Salman Khan in Deewana Mastana
Abhishek Bachchan in Lage Raho Munnabhai
Salman Khan in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Surprise looks...
Sanjay Dutt in Agneepath
Arjun Rampal in Don
Akshay Kumar in Joker

High season in Bollywood for ramp walking divas

2011-09-25T23:17:00.001-07:00

Several Indian and international models gear up for a fierce reel pageant. Presenting the top contenders...

Models, especially beauty pageant winners, have routinely been snapped up by filmmakers in Bollywood. But never have fashion's leggy beauties had it so good, with many of them actually bagging lead roles in big-budget films.

Slideshow: Models in Bollywood

However, whether or not they prove their mettle as well on the screen as they have on the runway only time will tell.

In the meanwhile, here's a look at some of the girls who are out to dispel any preconceived (read: negative) notions you may have of them...

CANDICE BOUCHER
The South African model, who has been a magazine cover girl and a Playmate, has landed a role in Azaan. She is best remembered for her red carpet appearance at the Cannes film festival 2011 for the premiere of the Israeli film Hearat Shulayim in a dress that left nothing to imagination. In Azaan, however, she essays a sand artiste and is not exactly indulging in a skin-fest, which she is known for.

SONALI RAUT
She is the sister of international supermodel Ujjwala Raut. Writer Tapan Ghosh will soon launch his next book that revolves around a female protagonist. Apparently, Viveck Vaswani has heard the story and plans to direct the film for which Sonali has been approached. She is also slated to feature in Jazz directed by Mani Shankar opposite South star Diganth.

ANGELA JONSON
Better known for her alleged affair with Ranbir Kapoor, this is yet another swimsuit model heading to Bollywood. Apparently, Sohail Khan is considering her for his next flick thought there is nothing official about it.

LISA HAYDON
The half-Malayali, half-Australian model was selected by director David Dhawan for Rascals after he saw her snapshots in a magazine and found her to be 'striking'. She was cast after filming had begun in Thailand and a role was specially written for her. The fact that the movie's actress Kangna Ranaut now finds herself out of favour with Sanjay Dutt (who is the film's producer as well as actor along with Ajay Devgn) and is missing from the promotions of the movie is helping Lisa as she is being touted as the heroine of the comic caper.
NARGIS FAKHRI
The half-Pakistani and half-Czech was a participant of America's Next Top Model. She featured in an Indian swimsuit calender in 2009. After auditioning several girls, Imtiaz finalised her as the Rockstar heroine because of her Anglo-Indian looks. The director has a thing for models. Remember he cast Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro in Love Aaj Kal? Nargis, who has had her share of off-screen buzz after she was linked with co-star Ranbir Kapoor, considers this her big ticket to stardom.

PIA TRIVEDI
She was one of the models who featured with Abhishek Bachchan in the popular Bluffmaster track. However after being a VJ and numerous ramp walks, she makes her acting debut in Hum Tum Shabana. The makers felt the "gorgeous girl" obviously was perfect for the role of a model in the movie.

When Mahie Gill got drunk!

2011-09-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

The Dev D actor had a few pegs too many while shooting for a dance sequence in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster and was unable to perform a single step

The director of the forthcoming film Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster, Tigmanshu Dhulia, told the media recently that lead actor Mahie Gill took her alcoholic character in the film, way too seriously while shooting for a song and dance sequence. The director said that the actor asked him whether she could have a peg of vodka before giving the shot. Tigmanshu agreed thinking that the actor wanted to get into her element. But it took quite a while for the camera to be set up and Mahie downed a few more pegs as she waited for the shot to be ready. “After a few drinks she couldn’t even perform simple steps and somehow I wrapped up the shooting,” said the director. When the actor came to know that Tigmanshu was angry with her she flew back to Mumbai from the location of the shoot in Gujarat. She had to be convinced that everything was fine. Well, Mahie, it’s not always good to get into the skin of your character! Hic!

Shriya Saran to go nude!

2011-09-19T08:59:00.003-07:00

The actor is reportedly playing a sex worker in a Bengali film

After shooting sexy pictures for men’s magazines, Shriya Saran is now all set to drop off all her clothes! The actor will reportedly go nude for Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh’s film. She plays a sex worker in the acclaimed director’s film, which will most likely belong to the art house cinema category. Knowing Ghosh’s filmmaking skills, we’re sure he will make Shriya look beautiful and not vulgar. Seems like Shriya thinks so too, as she finally accepted Ghosh’s offer after having some doubts initially.
Shriya’s forthcoming films include Winds of Change, Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai and Hero in English, Hindi and Malayalam.

Nargis Fakhri: Hot pics of the ‘Rockstar’ chick!

2011-09-19T08:59:00.001-07:00

The babe is surely looking gorgeous in the promos of her debut film and we are quite sure she’ll rock the big screen

Nargis Fakhri is probably one of the hottest debutants of recent times, and we are not at all surprised to know that the Kapoors really like this girl. There is no doubt that Nargis has the potential to rock B-town with her stunning looks, but one thing that the fresher will have to learn quickly is Hindi. The thing is that though director Imtiaz Ali loved the way Nargis acted and looked in Rockstar, he was quite unhappy with her Hindi diction and tone. So he went ahead and got it dubbed. Well, Nargis, you could probably contact Ranbir’s ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif for some tips!

Lisa Haydon reveals her bare back in ‘Rascals’

2011-09-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

The Aisha debutant makes a sizzling appearance in David Dhawan’s comic caper starring Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn

Kangna Ranaut dons a white bikini in David Dhawan’s Rascals and now we hear that the sultry beauty Lisa Haydon bares a lot more. In the music video of Lisa’s item number Shake it saiyaan, the swimsuit model-turned-actor reveals her bare back. Unlike a lot of other tinsel town beauties this pretty lady isn’t shy or secretive about her daring act. In fact, she is quite kicked about it. When asked about the bare back scene, Lisa says, “Coming from a modeling background, I have grown comfortable with my body. And now as an actor, I am here to fulfill the director’s creative vision.” We don’t know about her acting skills, but her willingness to show skin is going to have producers and directors queue up outside her house. Coming back to the sizzling item song, Lisa says, “Shake it saiyaan has a fantastic beat and the number is a blend of various styles like hip-hop and jazz with the right amount of glamour! All of this gives the song a whole new look and feel.” Well for that we’ll have to wait and watch. Let’s hope the film Rascals does what Aisha couldn’t do for this sexy lady!

International titles evade Indian girls, wonder why?

2011-09-15T22:56:00.001-07:00

Is it changing selection criteria affects choice of winners or contestants are not groomed enough to represent the country on a global platform.

Indian girl Vasuki Sunkavalli missed the crown at the Miss Universe pageant. Another year gone and another opportunity lost. While some say changing selection criteria affects choice of winners, others feel the contestants are not groomed enough to represent the country on a global platform.
"I think the pageant could be biased because such pageants want to woo different countries at different times. So a few years back it was India and, now it's a different nation," designer Amit GT told the media.
Grooming expert Meher Bhasin feels another reason for losing out is that Indian girls lack confidence.
"Pageants are now totally based on a country's economy and also which is a growing market. And the Miss Indias are not the top quality of girls that we have. I feel they lack grooming skills; as a result they don't reflect the confidence needed to win the crown," grooming expert Meher Bhasin told the media.
It has been a decade-long dry spell for Indian beauty queens. This year Vasuki was selected to represent the country at the gala event, but she also failed to be in the top 10.
The Hyderabad girl, a known name in the fashion world, tweeted on Tuesday after being voted out of the competition: "Sorry, if I upset many. I did give it my best shot. May the most deserving girl win..."
Girls from 89 countries participated in the Miss Universe pageant this year and Vasuki was the oldest at 27 years. It was Leila Lopes from Angola who took the coveted crown home.
Sushmita Sen was the first to win the Miss Universe title in 1994 and Lara Dutta was the last Indian to triumph at the pageant in 2000. In 1994, Aishwarya Rai became the first to bring home the Miss World title while Priyanka Chopra was the last to win it in 2000.
Till 2009, the Femina Miss India title holders participated in the Miss Universe pageant, but since 2010 Sushmita's organisation, I Am She, has been choosing India's official entry for the Miss Universe. Their first candidate was Ushoshi Sen Gupta who couldn't even make it to the top 20.
Amit GT points out that Indian girls are not motivated enough as they have many other lucrative career options.
"We should also check whether Indian contestants are enthusiastic enough to participate, as girls are searching for many different avenues like television and modelling which sound lucrative; so they never consider going for beauty pageants to get name and fame," he said.
Success at the international beauty pageant also depends upon the selection criteria, which keep changing every year, says Lubna Adams, choreographer for I Am She.
"There are some criteria which are required for a contestant to represent her country at the Miss Universe Crown and these keep on changing every season. For example, earlier male models with a healthy body were in demand for the runways, but nowadays designers are looking for lean body.
"So the jury for the Miss Universe may have their own specific criteria for selecting contestants," she said.
Stylist Ambika Pillai said time is not favouring the Indian girls unlike a few years ago when they were on a winning spree.
"It's not that our girls are any less better looking. The degree of beauty is the same; it's just that India at that point of time was hot on the international market, India opened its doors for all the MNCs to enter its market.
"Now I guess some other country is in India's shoes. Our girls remain beautiful," Pillai told the media.

Meet Shriya Saran

2011-09-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

Shriya Saran is the prototypal New Age Indian actress, who is beautiful, ambitious and bold. She is one of the leading ladies of South Indian Cinema, and is a known name in North India, post-'Sivaji The Boss'.

Shriya was born on September 11, 1982 in Haridwar.

Shriya began her career doing music videos; she also took acting classes in order to pursue a career in movies.

After her debut in 2001 with 'Ishtam', she gained star status with 'Santhosham' (2002), her first major hit.

In 2007, Saran became a national figure after her performance alongside Rajnikanth in 'Sivaji: The Boss'.

Shriya's career took off, post-'Shivaji'; she was signed up for several Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood movies (even a Hollywood offer came her way).

Shriya's most popular movies include 'Santhosham' (2002), 'Tagore' (2003), 'Sivaji: The Boss' (2007) and 'Kanthaswamy' (2009).

One of the biggest hits of her career has been the Telugu movie 'Chatrapati', opposite Prabhas.

Shriya is the brand ambassador of Lux and Head & Shoulders.

She made her Tamil movie debut with 'Enakku 20 Unakku 18' (2003); it was a musical hit rather than a B.O hit.

After a year-long hiatus, Shriya returned to Kollywood with 'Mazhai', opposite Jayam Ravi. The movie did well at the box-office.

Her recent releases have been 'Rowthiram' (Tamil), 'Chikku Bukku' (Tamil), 'Don Seenu' (Telugu).

Shriya has had more than her share of controversies. In January 2008, a Hindu organisation based in Chennai lodged a police complaint against Saran, objecting to the outfit worn by her during the 175th day celebration of her film, 'Sivaji'. Shriya tendered an unconditional apology for "wearing inappropriate skimpy attire".

Her upcoming movies are 'Casanovva', 'Winds of Change' and 'Komagata Maru'.

She donned the item girl avatar for 'Komaram Puli' starring Pawan Kalyan.

Vidya is classic voluptuous Indian beauty: Milan Luthria

2011-09-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Director Milan Luthria says Vidya Balan's classic Indian look made her the perfect choice to portray the role of southern siren, Silk Smitha in the upcoming biopic 'The Dirty Picture'.
Balan's aesthetic body display in the first trailer of the movie has gone down well with the audience and Luthria says she has given a new soul to the character of Silk.
"We were looking for a strong performer and not someone who could merely look sexy and Vidya is a great actor. Also, she has the body of a classic voluptuous Indian beauty, something not many Bollywood actresses can boast of. Silk was never pencil thin," Luthria told PTI.

The director says that there was much thought and debate before Vidya's name was zeroed down for the part.
"To have someone like her play a character of this sort is enough to create curiosity. There is a certain grace, class and credibility that Vidya brings and she is a South Indian herself," says Luthria.
The director of films like 'Kachche Dhaage', 'Taxi Number 9211' and 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbai', Luthria says a lot has gone into transforming Vidya into Silk Smitha.
"A lot of work has gone into her transformation. It requires a great deal of effort to present a lady in a manner that looks sensuous but not vulgar. I am sure that people are standing up and noticing her and the film for that very reason," added Milan.
"The fact that she can hold that innocent expression despite being a part of a bold scene is a facet of only great actors. The kind of character that she is playing, someone who has a harsh exterior but a soft inner, isn't easy, but Vidya does it effortlessly," says Luthria.
The director, however, admits that Vidya had certain inhibitions when she first started shooting the film.
"It wasn't easy for Vidya on the first day. She was an absolute professional in front of the camera but behind the scenes there was much mental conditioning she had to engage in, before stepping out on the sets in those shocking costumes.
"She went through hundreds of costume trials before we zeroed down on what was finally required for the screen. There was a lot of talking that happened with Vidya before she reached a comfort level. Fortunately, she was quite open about sharing her inhibitions at the very outset," he says.
Now, that the film is in its last leg of shooting, Luthria is glad that Vidya has been accepted unanimously in her new avatar.
'The Dirty Picture', which also stars Emraan Hashmi, Naseeruddin Shah, alongside Vidya will hit the theatres on December 2.
The biopic depicts the life and death of Silk Smitha, real name Vijayalakshmi, who made a mark in the southern film industry with her dance numbers, semi-nude scenes and bold performances in films like 'Moondru Mugam' and 'Amaran', earning the label of a soft porn actress.
She was found dead in her Chennai apartment in 1996 at the age of 35.

Is Vidya dating Siddharth?

2011-09-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

Oi oi, what is this I'm hearing now? Seems Vidya Balan is telling everyone willing that she is in a relationship with Siddharth Roy Kapur.

After over a year of denials and no comment stance, wonder if someone has finally knocked some sense into Viddy.

Wonder if The Dirty Picture is to be blamed. Since stars do anything for publicity when the movie's releasing.
Aur pata hai kya? An aunty tells me that earlier, the adakaara would end her conversations via text messages with 'Om Sai Ram'. But not anymore. Guess her prayers have been answered. Hai na?

Bollywood's new mantra 'aggressive promotions'

2011-09-09T01:03:00.001-07:00

B-Town's PR cell seems to be in overdrive. From getting stars to sell jalebis to encouraging threesomes, nothing seems sacrosanct in this business of film promotion

Films have never been this aggressively marketed in India.

After getting even the biggest Bollywood stars to market their upcoming movies on multiple TV shows and social networking sites like Twitter and Face Book, PR agencies are getting even more creative (read: bizarre) with their promotional activities.

Shahid Kapoor reportedly turned weather forecaster for a day to promote his forthcoming film Mausam.

Desperate publicity stunts seem to have become the latest trend to hit the Hindi film industry. We bring you a list of the silliest PR stunts in the recent past...

During the publicity of Bodyguard, Kareena felicitated the bodyguards of most Bollywood stars barring Shah Rukh Khan's.

Since Salman is in America getting medical attention, his real-life bodyguard Shera was used to promote the film.

He wore the same uniform Sallu had on in the movie and played Kareena Kapoor's bodyguard to the hilt at all events.

John Abraham and Genelia's accidental marriage on the sets of Force was a farce.

Amitabh Bachchan turned guest principal of colleges across the countries for Aarakshan.

Sanjay Dutt and Salman allegedly staged a fake war to promote Bigg Boss 5, which they are to co-anchor.

Mallika Sherawat made jalebis to promote the song Jalebi bai for Double Dhamaal.

Ekta Kapoor promoted naughty threesome parties during the promotions of Ragini MMS.

Ranbir Kapoor milked cows to promote Rockstar.

Tusshar Kapoor turned bootlegger and earned money from selling books on the streets for the promotion of Shor In The City.

During the release of Thank You, a story came out about lead stars Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol and Suniel Shetty renewing their marriage vows, which they later denied. Then, they married off two couples in front of the entire media.

The most memorable ones so far...
Yana Gupta went commando to get noticed was quite a desperate PR attempt.
Malaika Arora Khan and Arbaaz Khan's ugly break-up was a publicity stunt to promote the brand that the couple was endorsing.

Aamir Khan's missing act during the promotion of 3 Idiots.
Rakhi Sawant did not marry the winner of the Rakhi Ka Swayamvar after so much hoopla.
Akshay Kumar had his fly open while walking the ramp to promote the brand he was endorsing.

The usual suspects...
- When publicist can't find out-of-the box stories, they rely on these standard stories to promote the film ¦
- Link ups, break ups, catfights and stars bonding.
- Actresses refusing lip locks.
- Accidental leaks of sex scenes or songs.
- Spooky activities on the sets of horror films.
- Stars selling tickets to promote the films.
- Stars doing charities.
- Producers gifting their film's stars to show love and gratitude.
- Actor, directors and producers making religious trips just before the release.
- Six packs and size zero stories. How can we forget Shah Rukh Khan's six packs in Main Hoon Na
and Kareena Kapoor's size zero figure in Tashan.
- Stars getting injured
while shooting daredevil stunts in their movies.
- Alphabetical alterations.

The king and queen of innovative PR
Aamir Khan tuning barber for Ghajini and introducing people with Ghajini hairdos at cinema halls overshadowed Shah Rukh Khan's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
Ekta Kapoor's publicity campaign of putting 'Ragini Idhar Bethi Thi' at the rear of auto rickshaw was brilliant. Though it was Aamir who first introduced the idea with 3 Idiots with his catchphrase: 3 Idiots were here.

Shraddha Das: I don’t mind being stereotyped

2011-09-07T04:31:00.001-07:00

Shraddha Das took the Tollywood route to make a mark in the Hindi film industry. Still struggling to be a part of this cluttered arena, Das talks about her struggle, getting stereotyped and much more…

Director Madhur Bhandarkar approached this Bong babe after seeing rushes of the critically acclaimed Lahore for a role in his own movie Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji. The movie didn’t help much in giving the required impetus to this svelte babe’s career, but Shraddha continues to act and has become quite a prominent face in the south circuit. “I’ve missed out on important roles a lot of times to actresses who belong to film families. To finally get a good role in a good film on your own merit is a very big thing. Perseverance is all you need if you want to make it big in the industry. You have to give hundreds of auditions. You might get rejected but you can’t lose hope,” she said.
Sushmita Sen has been this aspiring actor’s role model. Fascinated by the glitz and glamour of the industry, Shraddha says that she enjoys the ‘getting mobbed’ experience and it makes her feel like a star. “I do get mobbed in places like Hyderabad, but after DTBHJ, people have started recognising me in Mumbai as well,” she says ecstatically.
Regular swimming and kick-boxing is what keeps the actor fit. Also labeled as the ‘sequel queen’ of Tollywood, Shraddha has been a part of films like Arya 2, Nagavalli and Diary. Link ups and affairs don’t excite her much. Rumored to be dating Varun Sandesh, her co-star in Maru Charithra (Telugu) and after her much talked about kiss with Omi Vaidya in DTBHJ, when asked about the arm’s length she keeps from various controversies, she replies in a grave tone, “I only believe in arranged marriage.”
Does she have any inhibitions on being stereotyped in Bollywood? Shraddha gets pretty candid on this one and says, “I am fine as long as the offers are flowing in. I don’t mind being stereotyped. I am not a chooser at this point of time but I’ve been extremely lucky with the kind of roles I’ve portrayed. There has been quite a contrast between my roles in Lahore and DTBHJ.”

Kajal Aggarwal denies doing topless photoshoot!

2011-09-07T04:28:00.001-07:00

The Singham actor had claimed that she would stay away from bikinis and skin show. So her revealing cover for a men’s magazine has raised quite a few eyebrows. Realising that she was backtracking from her statements too soon, the actor has now totally denied going topless

A few days ago, the Singham hottie’s topless avatar on the cover of a magazine created a lot of hullabaloo. It had to, as this was the same girl who during the promotions of her first Hindi film was loud and clear about how she wasn’t interested in shedding clothes for her work. Interestingly, soon after the magazine hit the stands, Kajal Aggarwal washed her hands off the ‘bold’ act. She has completely denied posing ‘topless’ and giving an interview to the men’s glossy. However, she accepted she did shoot for the pictures, but with teeny-weeny clothes on (she claims she was wearing a tube top for the photo-shoot). If so, then did the tube top disappear midway or was it Photoshopped? We know morphing can do wonders to bulges, but can it also do away with your clothes? Anyway, it gets uglier from here. Instantly, the magazine issued a statement: “We shot with madam Aggarwal on the 18th of August in Mumbai and have a full team composed of assistants, stylists, makeup artists, photographers and others to back it up. We’d be happy to release the full untouched raw pictures on the Internet soon to back it up also.” Obviously, someone’s lying. And no prizes for guessing who that person is!

Hot Poonam Pandey keeps her promise; tweets new picture

2011-09-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Mumbai-based model Poonam Pandey shared another hot picture on Tuesday
Mumbai: Sep 6, 2011
19-year-old model Poonam Pandey, who recently made headlines for posting her semi-nude photographs supposedly to motivate the beleagured Indian Cricket team, has kept her promise of posting a fresh picture on Twitter everyday the team takes on the field.
Poonam wrote on her Twitter page, “very time Team India takes the field, my heart beats faster. Come on India, Let d World kno we r No.1 " Motivational Surprise" on its Way!"
While sharing the picture she said, “My Country, My Team..... Lets Win the World... Luv u all u muwwwaaaaaahhh!! Xoxo.”
Poonam shot to limelight when she made statement to strip for the Indian team if they win the 2011 World Cup. But the controversial model did not strip despite India’s success. Later, she claimed that she will strip whenever and wherever the team asks her to.
On Monday, she tweeted to post a new picture every time India takes the field, "Time for Men in Blue to Win ne how at ne Cost!!! Will b Releasing a sensational Pic as they get on the field!! i am with them! keep Watching."

Kajal Aggarwal goes topless for men’s mag!

2011-09-05T08:47:00.003-07:00

The Singham girl has gone completely bold

Southern hottie Kajal Aggarwal, who debuted in Bollywood with Ajay Devgn in Singham, has posed topless for the cover of a popular men’s magazine’s Indian edition. The actor, who refused to sport bikinis or kiss onscreen, has gone rather bold with this one. We can’t wait to grab a copy to see what’s inside! But we wonder what made Kajal go the Mamta Kulkarni way. A need for more Bollywood offers, perhaps?

Poonam Pandey poses semi nude to inspire Team India

2011-09-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

Model Poonam Pandey first made headlines when she made statement to strip for the Indian cricket team if they win the World Cup

Mumbai: Sep 5, 2011
Model Poonam Pandey has posed semi nude on the internet to inspire Team India which has not been performing well in the ongoing England tour.
The model Poonam Pandey first made headlines when she made statement to strip for the Indian cricket team if they win the World Cup. But the controversial model did not strip despite India winning the world cup. However she later claimed that she will strip whenever and wherever the team asks her to.
She tweeted,”The world will see that I lived up to my inspiration. Now, I am sure my team will beat England. Our time has come.”
"All my followers count till 100 and a motivational pic for Men in Blue is on its way," she added.
She then put a picture of hers in black lingerie g-strings on the internet in a bid to motivate the Indian team.
After a heavy response, the dusky model promised to post a new picture every time India wins. "Thanx a Lot Tweeps for such a Overwhelming Response!!! Hence forth i PROMISE Every Match the Boys win will Keep Posting PIX for Every Win ..n It WIll get Hotter n Hotter Every time.."
"But for the Day will Post One More Pic for u all .. but for that u Shud #Retweet my Previous tweet the More u do .. the Sooner i do!!!.. LOVE U ALL :) Muuuuwwwaaaah
Her latest Tweet though indicates that she will post a new pic everytime India takes the field "Time for Men in Blue to Win ne how at ne Cost!!! Will b Releasing a sensational Pic as they get on the field!! i am with them! keep Watching"

Single John loses heart to Vidya again?

2011-09-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

The hottest buzz doing the rounds in Bollywood right now is that John wants Vidya as his heroine in the upcoming film Shootout At Wadala, which the actor has co- produced along with filmmaker Sanjay Gupta. There is nothing wrong with the hero demanding a heroine of his choice, except that John and Vidya were reportedly on no- talking terms for a while now and till not long ago

The two stars first came together when they co- starred in the 2007 dud, Salaame- Ishq . The gossip glossies were soon working overtime in suggesting that John and Vidya were having a fling on the sets of the film, although he was officially Bipasha Basu’s boyfriend at that point of time.

Sanjay made an official announcement of his film recently but his search for the leading lady is still on. After approaching various big names, he has taken seriously John’s suggestion to cast Vidya in the role. Sanjay feels that Vidya will do justice to the character in question, a source has said.

Although no one is willing to confirm the report, it is said Sanjay recently met Vidya and narrated the script to her. Vidya on her part has just wrapped up the shoot of her next release, Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture . Her only film in hand is Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahani , for which she recently finished a shooting schedule in Kolkata.

'Want a meaty role? Pose on chat in a bikini'

2011-09-01T00:47:00.001-07:00

Mumbai

This SMS was allegedly sent to starlet Liza Malik by an unidentified man claiming to be producer Ritesh Sidhwani; another imposter posing as filmmaker Vikram Bhatt also made sleazy overtures through SMSes
Technology is now making its presence felt even on the casting couch, and no one knows this better than starlet Liza Malik, who was its most recent victim.
The reality TV star has filed a complaint with the Versova police against two unidentified individuals, who allegedly sent her obscene text messages while posing as producer Ritesh Sidhwani, and filmmaker Vikram Bhatt.

"I was sent a contact request from a Blackberry, by an someone claiming to be Ritesh Sidhwani. I accepted the request, assuming that it was sent by Sidhwani," said Liza.
"Soon, I started receiving explicit messages from the number. I was also asked to audition for a role using a web casting software.
In course of our chats, he insisted that I pose in front of my camera in a bikini, claiming that he was looking for someone with the vital statistics to carry off skimpy outfits, for his film. He insisted that I would not be able to see him, claiming that his web camera was malfunctioning.
These requests aroused my suspicion, and I forwarded the pin number to a friend of mine. He confirmed that the number was not Sidhwani's."
Liza was also added as a contact by another individual who claimed to be Vikram Bhatt. "I am acquainted with Mr Bhatt personally, and I knew he could never speak in such a manner. So I asked him directly if he had sent me the request. He denied having done so," elaborated Liza.
Inspector Vishram Abhyankar, Versova police station refused to share details, but confirmed that a complaint had been received from Liza. Sidhwani's publicist confirmed that the BB pin number from which the contact request had been received did not belong to him. Bhatt too has filed a complaint.

Vidya Balan in THE DIRTY PICTURE

2011-08-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

Vidya Balan sizzles in Ektaa Kapoor’s film on Silk Smitha, titled The Dirty Picture. The film also stars Emraan Hashmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Tusshar Kapoor among others. Chronicling the meteoric rise and steep fall of the erstwhile screen sensation, The Dirty Picture is set against the colourful and entertaining backdrop of the south Indian film industry. The quintessential siren, Silk, knew her audiences, and it didn’t seem like anything would stop the fiercely ambitious starlet, till it did, in the shape of unrequited love. To the world, she was the queen of sensuality. But at heart, Silk was just another woman craving true love. An unfortunate encounter with deceit and infidelity that led to dire consequences!

Top 10 Hottest Legs in Bollywood

2011-08-17T03:04:00.000-07:00

Bollywood is no longer the home of those sari-clad women who were too modest show even a bit of skin and kept themselves running around trees and bushes.
The current crop of actresses live with a dare-to-bare attitude and are seen running around in sunny beaches with the skimpiest of outfits. And since the outfits get tinier every time, it allows us to scan who has the best bod in the business.
Here is our list of the Top 10 actresses who, we think, have the hottest pair of legs in Bollywood.

10. Kareena Kapoor

Though she was the proud owner of thunder thighs during the earlier part of her career, she must've realized that it wouldn't take her too far in her Bollywood journey. She soon shed all those pounds and transformed into the 'size-zero' queen of Bollywood that made every other actress see green. Today, her legs are so in shape that she could give some of the top models a good run for their money.

9. Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif is an actress who has never been out of shape. She has always maintained an hourglass figure which looks even better post 'Tees Maar Khan'. Her milky white legs are a treat for our eyes while the length also adds to its appeal.

8. Jacqueline Fernandez

Sri Lankan import, Jacqueline Fernandez wowed the audience with her scintillating moves and plenty of leg show in 'Murder 2'. In fact, those beautiful golden legs almost took away the glory from her stunning face. Its hard to decide what we like more about her– her face or her legs.

7. Jiah Khan

While we don't exactly remember how she performed in her first film, we definitely haven't forgotten how gorgeous her long legs looked on the screen. 'Nishabd' might have been panned by all critics but we're very sure that they, and a lot other men, couldn't have stopped dreaming about Jiah (and her legs) despite the bad performance.

6. Neha Dhupia

Neha is known for her curvy figure that looks beautiful in every frame. Almost everything about Neha Dhupia's figure is beautiful and special honor can be bestowed upon her legs. Neha can surely boast of having one of the best gams in B-town, if not of anything else.

5. Malaika Arora Khan

Yes, we all know that Malaika has always had one of the hottest bodies in Bollywood and her legs surely play a vital role in it. Its a known fact that everyone wants a piece of Malaika's luscious legs but we think that even Malaika herself loves her legs as she can never resist showing them off.

4. Priyanka Chopra

Our favourite, Piggy Chops has also been an actress who has always kept herself in great shape. Her toned legs are her assets and we got to see plenty of it in 'Dostana'. Priyanka also loves to flaunt her legs and guys and girls love to gape at them.

3. Bipasha Basu

Bipasha Basu was chosen to endorse a particular brand of shoes, which claim to help tone the legs. Now you don't wanna ask why they chose Bips over her contemporaries. Its for the simple reason that Bips is a gymming enthusiast and always ensures that her legs are super toned.

2. Deepika Padukone

Deepika's legs were glorified long before she entered Bollywood. She had one of the best pair even amongst the top models of the country. Deepika easily swayed her way to the top, in Bollywood, but her contemporaries haven't been able to match up to her gams, which are still in top shape.

1. Shilpa Shetty

What can we say about the woman who holds the top spot in the list? Shilpa Shetty is the Goddess of hotness. Irrespective of her Big Brother controversy or involvement with Rajasthan Royals, our attention has always been loyal to Shilpa's hot-bod, esp. her tiny waist and long legs. Her legs have always remained shapely and sexy unlike her nose which needed a lot of fixing. (MensXP.com)

Mahie: I am not scared of being typecast

2011-08-17T03:03:00.000-07:00

By Kunal Guha

Mahie Gill, unsure if her character in ‘Not a love story’ is negative, doesn’t mind being typecast

What excited you about your role in ‘Not a love story’?
I wanted to work with RGV (Ram Gopal Varma) that was the first reason to be excited. Secondly, it was very challenging role for me since I had followed the case. I’ve seen his (RGV) films ever since I was studying in Chandigarh and I loved each and every one of them. They were all very different and interesting. Like Shiva was on college politics, while Rangeela was a different love story.
How did you prepare for the character? What was the brief and what was your interpretation of the character?
I didn’t do anything. I had only 7 days to prepare before we began shooting. Sir (RGV) had met a lot of people and studied the characters. It’s inspired and not based on the real story. So, while Maria was from South India, my character is from North India and is called Anusha Chawla. I could relate to the character on a certain level as even I had struggled a lot to break into the Hindi film industry. But the fact that no one knows with as much detail, exactly what transpired in the real story, so it was a challenge to perform this role.
What is the upside of playing a character that is based on a real person and what is the downside?
I am an actor and I take up whatever I find challenging. You have to get into the psyche of the character. These were all normal human beings without a criminal background and one fine morning they become monsters. So yes, understanding how they responded to the situation was what was exciting and intriguing.
Since your character is a negative one, in an industry loves stereotyping, isn’t there a chance that you would be lapped up with similar roles in the future?
My character isn’t negative, she’s a normal girl but the series of incidents that follow in her life could be open to interpretation. I don’t know how people interpret it. But I am not scared of being typecast. All I can say is I am not judgmental to call the character positive or negative. When a crime is committed by a person who is not a criminal, it’s just shocking.

This being a thriller, do you like thrillers yourself? Which are your favourite ones?
I don’t think it’s a thriller, don’t know which genre it would fall under. Its got a bit of drama and romance as well. I love watching films that are interesting to me. Like comedies are a pet favourite since I believe it’s very difficult to make people laugh. So some of my favourites would be Tere Bin Laden, DDLJ etc.
What according to you is the formula for a good thriller?
It depends on the director but then I don’t think there’s a fixed formula where adding certain elements can ensure success.
Every film must have taught you something, what has ‘Not a Love story’ taught you?
I learnt that sometimes running away from a situation is a good thing. ‘Bhagne bhi zaroori hain’. As an actor, I don’t think I learnt much as I was just too busy.
What are your future projects?
There is ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster’, ‘Michael’, ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ and
‘Buddha in a traffic Jam’.

Veena Malik heartbroken

2011-08-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

Veena Malik is planning to shift to Dubai as India seems to have no space to spare for the beauty. (Text: SME)
Pakistani actress Veena Malik has been a magnet to controversies since the time she came to India. Veena was a contestant on the fourth season of the famed reality show, ‘Bigg Boss’.

Veena had plans to buy property in India and settle down, but in the present circumstances, the actress finds Dubai as the safest bet. She says, “I have grown watching Bollywood films and love them a lot. I wanted to shift my base to Bollywood as it is my dream to do Hindi movies. I spend a huge amount while staying in hotels; hence I wanted to buy a property in India. But the Indian Government did not allow me, I have tried many official ways but none have worked. So I have now bought property in Dubai as I am planning to shift there.”

Katrina Kaif: Happily single!

2011-08-11T00:46:00.001-07:00

The Mere Brother Ki Dulhan actor made that very clear recently

Bye bye, Abhay Deol. Hello, Imran Khan! It seems Katrina Kaif and the Delhi Belly actor are the new BFFs in B-Town – if their off screen chemistry is anything to go by. Kat had bonded with her Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara co-star during the shoot in Spain, and apparently with Imran during Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. The two were smiling and laughing with each other – even helping each other with their answers – at the music launch of their first film together. When Kat was quizzed on who taught her to smoke a bidi for the film, she pointed at her co-star and said, “Imran did.” He retorted, “Did you watch Delhi Belly and learn?” Imran also spoke about his character falling in love with the girl he chooses to be his sister-in-law. “What can I do? When the bride is this beautiful, who wouldn’t fall for her? Of course, I am already taken, so if anyone else is interested in this bride, please, go ahead.” To which she said, “Thank you very much, but I am fine the way I am. Single.” Woo hoo. Salman, Ranbir, are you listening? And all those rumour-mongers wandering about looking for something to monger rumours on, there’s nothing here for you!

South Indian actress Nayanthara changes religion?

2011-08-09T21:44:00.001-07:00

Nayantara

Bangalore, Aug 9 (IANS) Top southern actress Nayanthara has converted from Christianity to Hinduism, say sources close to the Arya Samaj, even as she herself maintains a studied silence on the issue.
Nayanthara, born and brought up as Diana Mariam Kurian, was a born Christian. She changed her name because of her foray into films.
She reportedly converted to Hinduism Sunday morning at the Arya Samaj Temple in Chennai, the sources said, adding she has retained her name Nayanthara.
Some see it as a step towards her impending marriage to actor-director Prabhu Deva who divorced his earlier wife, a Muslim and did not change her religion at the time of marriage.
Nayanthara is tightlipped. Asked about her marriage, she says: 'No comments.'
On Sunday morning, the actress reportedly headed straight to the Arya Samaj Temple on Waltax Road.
She went through all the religious processes as per the scriptures. All the procedures of 'Shuddhi Karma', a procedure involving Vedic purification, were meticulously followed, say the sources close to Arya Samaj.
They also added that a 'homan' or fire ritual was held where Nayantara chanted hymns and the Sankeerthan Mantra.
Incidentally, the members of Prabhu Deva's family are devotees of the Suttur Mutt in Mysore. His parents are devotees of Male Mahadeshwara Swamy.
The sources said Nayanthara left soon after the purification ceremony. A certificate of conversion to Hinduism was issued to her. The actress flew back to Kochi by an evening flight.
It is reported that her parents have expressed their opposition to Nayanthara's desire to convert to Hinduism.
Nayanthara's last film 'Ramayana', directed by veteran director Bapu, was completed only a few days ago.
Nayanthara who plays Sita's role in the film became emotional on the last day of her shoot and even lay prostrate before all the elders in the unit, including the octogenarian director Bapu.
Nayanthara says her decision to convert to Hinduism is purely personal.
'Yes, I have become a Hindu and it's my own personal decision. I went through the entire ceremony with passion and conviction,' she is believed to have told a friend.
She sports a tattoo of Prabhu Deva on her body. The couple were also seen in some film related functions together.

Shriya : Best moves

2011-08-08T06:24:00.001-07:00

Shriya shines at the launch of Swarovski Gems' special Gem Visions India

Dragonflies disrupt Vidya-Tusshar kiss

2011-08-04T07:52:00.001-07:00

Tusshar Kapoor and Vidya Balan couldn't film their passionate liplock, thanks to a dragonfly attack
The cast and crew of Ekta Kapoor's The Dirty Picture is back in Mumbai, but it seems they haven't finished all the portions to be filmed at Ramoji Rao Film City in Hyderabad.

One important scene that involves a passionate kiss between Vidya Balan and Tusshar Kapoor remains. It will now be shot in Mumbai later this month.
A crew member explains that the scene was to be shot on Saturday after the Telangana strike enforced a holiday on July 22. "On Monday evening, there was a dragon fly attack on the sets.
They weren't the regular dragonflies, so we had to be cautious and turn off all the lights for a couple of hours," says the source, adding that it wasn't until early morning that the hordes of dragonflies dispersed.
Further, the source informs they couldn't shoot it in the morning, as the kiss scene was to be shot in the night.
"But we did shoot the complete buildup to the liplock, with Tusshar stopping his bike near Vidya's car and walking towards her, lying on the bonnet with people watching."
Director Milan Luthria confirmed the incident, terming the insect attack 'horrifying'. "There were millions of those flies. They would get into our mouths and clothes," he recalls.
Fortunately, the flies left before dawn. "So we could shoot some scenes before packing up the schedule. We couldn't shoot the kiss scene then and have scheduled it for another day," adds Milan.

Vidya Balan is still single!

2011-08-03T02:22:00.001-07:00

She has not yet married her beau Siddharth Roy Kapur

Vidya Balan fans, take heart. The Dirty Picture actor has not tied the knot. Her rumoured beau Siddharth Roy Kapur has confirmed that Vidya and he did not secretly fly to the south to get married. All those rumours are just that – rumours. Director Milan Luthria doesn’t have to worry about the fate of his film. And boy, are we relieved that our faith in Vidya’s sensibleness has not been proven wrong! Just think – here is a lady who has her head firmly on her shoulders, who has no qualms giving up clingy dresses and wearing saris at every function, who has moved on from her rumoured disastrous romantic relationship with a certain co-star with her pride intact. She has invested a lot in her next film – she has put on weight, she is daring to bare, she is doing hot kisses with Emraan Hashmi – why then will she throw it all away and get married? It’s not as if she has any “good news” to make it official. So all you guys out there, chill. There is still hope!

Hot and sexy at 30

2011-08-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

B-Town debutants get older, giving their young competition a run for their money

Name: Nargis FakhriAge: 30 plusBollywood debut: Rockstar (2011)This half Czech-half Pakistani model started off with the popular television series America’s Next Top Model in 2004. It took her a good five years before she was featured in the Kingfisher calendar, but now Nargis is undoubtedly one of the most-talked about new faces in the industry, even without a single release. Her evenings out with Ranbir Kapoor are discussed a lot more than her potential as an actor. But if she does manage to match up to rockstar Ranbir in the film, we guess she’ll be here to stay.

Name: Mahie GillAge: 35 plusBollywood debut: Dev D (2009)Her profile on the Internet may say otherwise, but Mahi had well crossed her 30s when she made a very impressive debut in Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D. She started off with theatre and a few Punjabi films, before landing the role of the very lovely Paro. She continues to make choices that differentiate her from the rest, like her upcoming film Not A Love Story with Deepak Dobriyal.

Name: Monica DograAge: 30 plusBollywood debut: Dhobhi Ghat (2011)Dhobhi Ghat was almost a whole new phase in the career of singer Monica Dogra, who had already created quite a mark for herself as a musician with her band Shaa’ir and Func (established six years ago). Apparently, it was her voice and her individualistic style that got her the film. Her role as an NRI photographer not only suited her to the T, but also distinguished her from the usual crop of starlets.

Name: Barbara MoriAge: 30 plusBollywood debut: Kites (2010)Kites may have given her little reason to fly high, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this Spanish beauty was gutsy enough to kick-start her Bollywood career at a much later stage in life. She started her acting career with a Spanish television series when she was in her early 20s. And though Kites did not really take off at the box-office, we can’t say we don’t want to see more of Mori.

Name: Poorna JagannathanAge: 35 plusBollywood debut: Delly Belly (2011)Already an established film and television actress in America since the last seven years, it was Poorna’s turn as a sexy journalist in Delly Belly that got more men to stand up and take note than any recent debutant in B-Town. Her bohemian looks and self-sufficient attitude not only separated her from the rest, but also portrayed her as someone who can handle ‘grown-up’ roles with style and sensibility.

What kind of a man does Veena Mallik want?

2011-08-02T04:08:00.001-07:00

The Pakistani bombshell has her list of criteria ready when it comes to choosing her dream man, she reveals on the couch – with host Koel Purie, of course…

We aren’t short of melodrama queens in this industry. And one of the most infuriatingly annoying is Veena Mallik, the Pakistani actress who blasted her way into the limelight while she was busy clunking around in high heels in the Bigg Boss house. The aspiring Bollywood actor recently made an appearance on Koel Purie’s chat show and answered every question in her wannabe-ish twang. When Koel very suggestively and strategically asked her about her dream man, the publicity hungry babe replied by saying that the most important thing in her man had to be “GOOD LOOKS, GOOD LOOKS and only GOOD LOOKS”. After Veena was done putting unwanted (or should that be unwonted?) emphasis on ‘good looks’, Koel simply nodded with a blank expression on her face and ended the topic by saying, “Yes Veena, good looks, of course.” As the host, she tried hard to spice up the conversation and bring out some witty reactions from the actor, but in vain – all she got was superficial statements. Well, we totally empathise with the trauma Koel must’ve gone through in getting the show ready. We have only one thing to say to Veena before we end this bitter blab. Actually, it’s a little question: Hey Ms Mallik, isn’t Ash-mit (Ashmit) Patel good-looking enough for you?

Vidya Balan: married!?

2011-08-01T04:05:00.003-07:00

A little birdie chirped that the Ishqiya gal has gotten hitched to her UTV head honcho beau. True? We wish we knew!

If we had a rupee for every rumour that we heard about B-town stars, we would be living in Ibiza partying it up every day on the profits. But if we listened to only the true stories that float our way, we wouldn’t even be able to take a bus to the next stop! Here is a new one that we heard just today: Vidya Balan, the woman who is reportedly flaunting every curve she has and then some in her new film, Dirty Picture, has done the dirty with her reported beau. We are not talking about anything seamy or sleazy here, or anything a respectable family-oriented lady like Vidya (ahem ahem) would do, but the M word itself – marriage. Yes, according to one little birdie, the Ishqiya star has married her tall, wide and handsome man-friend, Siddhartha Roy Kapur, the man she was photographed holidaying in Goa with, the man we think she coyly refers to as “SRK” when she is asked about her personal life. And now the happy twosome is said to be honeymooning somewhere or the other. If this is really true, we wish Vid and Sid all joy. If this is another story, we wish we knew what the truth really is. But considering that we hear so many rumours which, eventually turn out to be honest fact, we wonder what we should be thinking right now. After all, remember some of the other rumours we heard recently: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is pregnant; Lara Dutta is pregnant; Bipasha Basu and John Abraham are no longer a couple; Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor are a couple…but wait, all those actually are true, aren’t they?

Lara Dutta is pregnant!

2011-08-01T04:05:00.001-07:00

The beauty queen, who got married to tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi earlier this year, is all set to become a mommy

Rumours about Lara Dutta’s pregnancy have been floating around for quite some time now. But so far there was no denial or confirmation from the B-town babe. Well, finally it’s official. The sexy Lara Dutta is indeed expecting a baby early next year and she confirmed the news in her latest interview to a website. “Yes, I’m pregnant and I am very excited,” she said. Guess the actor had kept mum for so long because revealing a pregnancy in the first three months is considered inauspicious. Friends of Lara and hubby Mahesh Bhupathi say that the couple was really keen on having a baby soon and they are thrilled about impending parenthood. Lara, who has been traveling extensively for the shooting of Don 2 and has also been accompanying hubby Mahesh on his tennis tours, will now slow down her jet-set lifestyle and focus on the baby. Don 2 will be Lara’s last release before she goes head-on into motherhood. We hear that the actor won’t stop working, but will start focussing a lot more on her film production company post pregnancy. Congratulations to the hot couple!

Minissha Lamba: He has made me a scapegoat

2011-07-29T05:22:00.001-07:00

Minissha Lamba blasts her 'Bheja Fry 2' director for badmouthing her
The actress is extremely upset with Sagar Ballary, director of both her films Bheja Fry 2 and the forthcoming Hum Tum Shabana for badmouthing her.

Shocked and hurt Minissha says Ballary is stooping this low just for publicity. "I used to consider Mr Ballary a friend. But if he is trying to get publicity by maligning my name, then he's hardly a friend."
The director, who apparently was at loggerheads with Bheja Fry 2 producer Mukul Deora during the making of the film, has accused the actress of shooting a promotional video for the same 'behind his back'.
Minissha retaliates, "The producer asked me to do the video, so naturally I did it. Why should Mr Ballary have a problem with that? I'm caught in the crossfire between Mr Ballary and the producer of Bheja Fry 2.

Since he can't hurt the producer, he has chosen to make me the scapegoat."
She is also disappointed with his comments about editing her role in the Hum Tum Shabana. "I play the title role in the film. So how can he threaten to chop off my role?"
Friendship ruined
Saddened by the souring of the friendship, she says, "It takes years to build a friendship, but just a few careless remarks to ruin it. As a director, he should have been more responsible with his words.
I can understand him wanting publicity for his film. But why at my cost? I did Bheja Fry 2 although I had a small role just for Sagar Ballary. And this is what he does!"
The actress had not bothered to confront Ballary after his statements. "What is there to ask him? I've spoken to the producer and he's also upset about Mr Ballary's outburst."

When Emraan got 'dirty' with Vidya

2011-07-29T05:09:00.001-07:00

Emraan Hashmi riles up his unsuspecting co-star with a lecherous prank
After being tagged as the undisputed serial kisser of Bollywood, Emraan Hashmi is now fast earning a reputation of being the biggest prankster too.
During the shoot of Ekta Kapoor's Dirty Picture in Hyderabad, the actor played a 'dirty' prank on the film's leading lady, Vidya Balan.

Vidya Balan
A source from the crew recounts, "One day, photo shoots were happening with Vidya, Emraan and Tushar (Kapoor) at the studio.
While Vidya was shooting pictures in a complete Silk Smitha get up, with a plunging neckline and a short skirt, Emraan was fairly free and just hanging around.
To get Vidya in the mood to shoot those sensuous pictures, some English music was being played."
While all this was happening, Emraan decided to pull a prank on Vidya. He held a glass of soft drink in his hands, pretended it was alcohol and started ogling at her. He even started winking and making faces at her.
Vidya was baffled. Looking at the glass in Emraan's hand, she thought he was drunk and asked him not to distract her. To this, he quickly added, 'But what to do, you are looking very hot'.
The source continues, "Vidya got really hassled with his behaviour and complained to the production managers.
She asked them to whisk him away, or she would leave. Seeing Vidya seething with rage, a production guy couldn't control himself and burst into laughter.
Soon everyone on the sets, including Emraan, joined him. Vidya was bewildered to see everyone laughing, but soon realised that she was made a 'bakra'. She turned red with embarrassment."
We wonder who Emraan's next victim will be.

Vidya-Naseeruddin get dirty with oranges

2011-07-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Actress Vidya Balan has to show more skin in her upcoming film The Dirty Picture, which is based on yesteryear South Indian sex siren Silk Smitha. And she is going to get dirty with co-star Naseeruddin Shah in one of the scenes. They will dance amidst oranges rolling down a hillside.

Sources said that director Milan Luthria ordered two truckloads of oranges for a special song sequence featuring Vidya and Naseeruddin. The actors danced to the sensational song with oranges rolling down a hillside. It is said that the scene was shot at Hyderabad's Ramoji Film City.

Bollywood seems to be obsessed with fruits of late. The team of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara played with tomatoes in one of its sequences. It was also reported that sweet lime fruit was used in one of the song sequences in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Ferrari Ki Sawari.

Anushka: I can bite Ranveer's head off!

2011-07-28T03:20:00.001-07:00

Anushka Sharma feels Ranveer Singh and she are two very different people. "I like him, he's attractive but we two are very different people.

We have a very volatile relationship, we can actually kill each other and I am serious. I can bite his head off, he can take mine off," reveals the actress on Simi Selects India's Most Desirables.

"So for me, if I need to be with another man, he needs to calm me down otherwise it would not be a good relationship.. I'm serious," says the actress, who features on Simi Garewal's chat show, this week.

Guess Rakhi Sawant's dream husband — Baba Ramdev

2011-07-28T01:09:00.001-07:00

Controversial Bollywood actress and TV personality Rakhi Sawant expressed her willingness to marry Yoga guru Baba Ramdev.

While addressing mediapersons on the sidelines of a promotional event in New Delhi, Sawant spoke of how she also admired Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi. The Drama queen admitted that Ramdev's yoga sessions have made an impact on her life.
Known to be in limelight for all wrong reasons and numerous controversial acts, she has always been in the news for her raunchy videos to her controversial stay on 'Bigg Boss', or walking out of 'Nach Baliye' finale in a huff and leaving Salman Khan high and dry.

If this was not enough to satiate her hunger for publicity, she hit headlines for her infamous romance with commoner Abhishek Awasthi, followed by a kissing episode with singer Mika. Her 'Rakhi Ka Swayamvar' on NDTV Imagine opened a pandora's box that not only entertained people but also had the gossip columns buzzing for months.
All this helped her in paving way to one of Bollywood's most sophisticated filmmakers Karan Johar's chat show 'Koffee With Karan'.
For the last one year Rakhi has been constantly courting controversy for her non-stop bloopers and blunders on the reality show 'Raki Ka Insaaf'. If one tries to list her bunglings on the small screen, it would be difficult to pen all as she has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons for more than five years. No wonder she is crowned the controversy queen.

Mahi Gill goes bold

2011-07-24T01:12:00.001-07:00

Here's a look at how far the actress has gone in 'Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster'
Mahi Gill stunned everyone with her bold portrayal of Paro in Dev D. But in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster (the new-age adaptation of the old classic Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam), she goes a step further.

Not only has she shed her clothes but also has a lengthy kissing scene as well.

A source says, "The film has erotic scenes between Randeep Hooda and Mahi Gill. There is a love-making scene where she is dressed like a royal bahu and seduces Randeep's character.

Initially she had a few reservations, but once Tigmanshu assured her that it will be shot aesthetically she was game for it."

Says producer Sunil Bohra, "It's a romantic scene in the film. Though people will find it very hot and sensuous,
Tigmanshu has shot the sequence aesthetically."

Jacqueline in, Yana out

2011-07-24T01:11:00.001-07:00

A song that was picturised on Yana Gupta is now being aired on TV with Jacqueline
The Bhatts have triggered off a war between Yana Gupta and Jacqueline Fernandez. Zara Kareeb Se, an item song that was picturised on Gupta for Murder 2 is now being aired starring Fernandez and co-star Emraan Hashmi.

Interestingly, when the song first got a face lift, director Mohit Suri had reportedly said Gupta's song was "too gory" to be shown on television. Now the explanation for her absence has changed. "I didn't want to disclose villain Prashant Narayanan's identity before the film's release and Yana was shown dancing with the villain," said Suri.

Sources say the truth is simpler. "Jacqueline is the new blue-eyed Bhatt girl. She has already been signed on for Raaz 3 and will probably be acting in Murder 3 too. Yana got left in the cold." Gupta, however, sounded stoic, when asked about the episode. "Of course I would have loved for my version to be aired. I hope it will be at some point. But it's not my song, you know. It's just a job. I give it my best shot and what happens to it later, I leave to God."

Neha is dating 10 guys!

2011-07-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

Though she keeps her relationships under wraps, Neha Dhupia is busy dating 10 guys at the same time! The actress features as the celeb guest in Ashmit Patel's show Superstud of India. As she helps him find the hunk, Neha declares that she finds romantic sher-o- shayari boring! So you know what to avoid when she is around.

Samantha is Trisha’s ardent fan

2011-07-12T04:15:00.001-07:00

Samantha
Actress Samantha played Trisha’s role in the Telugu version of Vinnai Thandi Varuvaya.
She enthralled the Telugu audiences with her simple looks and attractive smile.
Both Trisha and Samantha were incomparable in the film. They delivered excellent performances, each in their own style.
It seems that Samantha is a great fan of Trisha’s and she has openly admitted this on many occasions. (Generally an actress doesn’t admit that her competitor is her role model!)
Anyway, Samantha says that Trisha has been her inspiration in films.
While Hollywood actresses are an ‘inspiration’ to most south Indian actresses, nice to know Samantha looks up to a colleague from within the industry!
Asked about Trisha she says, “I have watched her films. Like many others, I too am her fan.”

Is Bipasha using Shahid to get back at John?

2011-07-12T04:12:00.001-07:00

Methinks John’s closeness to Priyanka Chopra is the reason why the dusky beauty has got together with Shahid

Bipasha Basu and Shahid Kapoor dating? If the buzz about the latest B-town hook up has got you wondering if all is really okay with the world, then chill, you are not the only one. After all, the two don’t seem to have anything, not even a film, in common. It’s like they are from two different planets of the Bollywood universe. And picturing them together reminds you of the awkward pairing of darling Bips with a certain younger actor in Aa Dekhen Zara. It’s been a really short time since Bipasha broke up with John Abraham, her boyfriend of more than eight years. And surely, Shahid has not already got over Priyanka Chopra, right? Aha, therein lies our answer. Did you see Johnny boy’s admission on Simi Garewal’s show this weekend? He revealed how much he loved Priyanka as a friend and how comfortable he is with her. Now if you take that in conjunction with this latest development, you can see the light, right? Bipasha’s ex with Shahid’s ex equals Bipasha with Shahid. It’s a karmic connection. Of course, nothing is confirmed yet, so we’ll just have to sit back with our bucket of popcorn and see how this real life story unfolds. Any bets?

Mahima Chaudhary's marriage in trouble

2011-07-11T04:32:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, July 10 (ANI): It seems trouble in marriage is a never-ending story in Bollywood, and now it's Mahima Chaudhary who is facing the trouble. Buzz is that Mahima's marriage with Bobby, with whom she also has a four-year-old daughter Ariana, has hit a rocky path. A source close to the couple says, 'Mahima and Bobby have increasingly been having arguments over last few months even on the smallest of issues. Though they have tried hard to work out their differences, it just seems impossible. One of the main issue that has harmed their relationship is Bobby's constant travelling. He is unable to spend time with their daughter, which has created a rift between the two. Its even heard that the actress has been staying with her parents in Lokhandwala.

Deepika is most wanted!

2011-07-08T01:53:00.001-07:00

After Rajnikanth's recovery, shooting of 'Rana' will be planned according to the actress' dates
Although Rajnikanth's illness has thrown the schedule of Rana out of gear, it looks as if the production plans will still proceed as per the availability of Deepika Padukone's dates.

The reason being that the south superstar and director K S Ravikumar were so keen to sign the actress, that they assured her that the shooting of the movie would be planned keeping her dates in mind.

It was also agreed that busy Dippy would allot merely eight to 10 days a month for the movie.

"Never mind if the production time extended by a couple of months, to accommodate her," says a friend of the actress, adding that the superstar and director had flown to Bhopal (where she was shooting for Aarakshan) to finalise her dates for Rana.

Busy Dippy
Ravikumar maintains that DP will be the leading lady in Rana, even though she might have allotted the dates (now cancelled) to another filmmaker.

Currently, she's shooting with Saif Ali Khan for Homi Adajania's Cocktail and also has Abbas-Mustan's Race 2 in her kitty.

"The first and only name we had in mind was Deepika. We had a good experience of working with her in the first schedule in Chennai," the filmmaker stated.

However, the next schedule will be planned only after doctors assure that Rajnikanth is fit to shoot. "In fact, Rajni sir is ready to do the easier scenes now. But we don't want to stress him," says the director.

He also revealed Rajnikanth will be doing his own action sequences in the movie.

"Rajni sir is very particular about delivering what his fans expect from him. Of course, we'll take all the necessary precautions and care," concluded Ravikumar.

The price of pregnancy

2011-07-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Aishwarya's pregnancy = Rs.50 crore loss

While we hear new versions each day about Aishwarya Rai's sudden announcement of pregnancy and how her filmmakers have suffered because of it, here is putting a figure or call it an estimate to what Aishwarya Rai's pregnancy has cost her producers.

According to Bollywood observers, Aishwarya's pregnancy and the fact that she can't do films for sometime has stalled work worth Rs.50 crore.

Adds our source, "Aishwarya had signed two films this calendar totaling Rs.50 crore. HEROINE, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar had a budget of Rs.18 crore and Rajkumar Santoshi's film with Aishwarya and Abhishek, titled LADIES and GENTLEMEN, was pegged in the upwards of Rs.30 crore budget.

In fact, it was scheduled to commence in the first week of July. Now, given the fact that Ash is four months pregnant, both projects totaling a whopping Rs.50 crore are headed nowhere, courtesy the pregnant pause."

Though there are early reports that Madhur is looking for replacement for his project for which he had put in more than one year's pre-production in place, so far nothing has been confirmed by him or by his partner banner UTV.

Well, though Bachchans might be basking in the happy moments of Ash's pregnancy, Bhandarkar is surely not so pleased.

What was Bipasha scared of?

2011-07-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

The Bong bombshell has some advice for those who have a little difficulty dealing with fear

This morning leggy actor Bipasha Basu tweeted: “Everyone needs to get over their fears! So whoever is scared of whatever, it’s time to see eye-to-eye with all that u fear and overcome it!” Does that come from personal experience? Yes. Apart from taking, perhaps, the toughest decision in her life so far, that of breaking up with longtime boyfriend John Abraham, Bips did something that she had wanted to do since the age of 16. A little earlier in the morning she tweeted, “From the age of 16 wanted to get a navel piercing! Finally I got guts to do it!” But it comes with a lament. “Looks great but it heals slowly! Can’t workout much for the next 15 days!” Well she needn’t worry too much, with a belly like hers, she can take a little time off and the navel ring is worth it. Best of all, Bipasha is not sulking and crying over her failed relationship. Instead, she seems to be smartly utilising her alone time – doing things she never did or had time for. We definitely like this new happy and sassy Bips. Her new piece of jewel. And the belly button, with one like hers, she definitely belongs to be part of our recent survey. Bring it on, baby!

Is Lara Dutta pregnant?

2011-06-29T04:00:00.001-07:00

It seems to be the baby season in B-town. After Aishwarya Rai, the stork might now be visiting Lara!

Aishwarya’s pregnancy buzz is yet to die down, and another beauty queen from B-town is in news for being in the family way— Lara Dutta. A source close to Lara and hubby Mahesh Bhupathi has said that Lara has just found out that she is expecting. The source also adds that the couple is super happy, but wants to keep mum about it for some time as it is considered inauspicious to speak about until three months have passed. Guess the couple hasn’t really opted for family planning and are only too happy to go with the flow. And in Lara’s case there is no obstacle in the form of acting commitments as she has just finished shooting for Shahrukh Khan’s Don 2 and is working on her next home production in which she is not likely to act. Lara and Mahesh got married in February this year in a Christian style wedding at a church in Goa.

Katrina Kaif: 'It's difficult to let go'

2011-06-29T02:36:00.001-07:00

Apart from the controversies that surround this beautiful dame, Katrina Kaif gives us the low-down on playing a carefree spirit in her next film
Touted as the sexiest actress in Bollywood today, Katrina Kaif has come a long way from her first film, Boom to her latest that hits the marquee next month. Denying some rumours and accepting some Kats literally let's go...

The other day, at a magazine event, you reportedly stressed on your singledom saying, 'I don't think I'm sexy, else I wouldn't be single'...
I don't think I meant that. There were too many people causing commotion at the place, so I was just joking ¦ I don't think it is relevant.

Moving on to your film, the first thought to cross your mind when you hear the phrase, zindagi na milegi dobara...
It's easier said than done. Because most of us worry about our jobs, future security, when we will settle down, where will we be 10 years from now and other things that it's difficult to let go.

So didn't you let go while playing Laila in the movie...
Well, I enjoyed playing a girl who doesn't plan tomorrow. She can happily sit on the beach, go diving, ride a bike ¦ in short do whatever she feels like without worrying about where she'll get her money for the next week and so on. I wanted to learn how to ride a bike. And I love the water, so it was fun indulging in deep sea diving. As an actor, one does get to experience things one would never get a chance to otherwise.

What were the most memorable moments when you let go while portraying Laila?
Both, dirt biking and deep sea diving were more traumatic than I had initially anticipated. I had the basic understanding of smaller bikes, but I had to practice with a bigger and heavier one for the movie. I refused to understand that you've to let the bike fall, as I was being stubborn and trying to prevent it from going down. So I got hurt once or twice. As for diving, I had learnt it in a pool, but had to shoot the scenes in seas with choppy waters. It was so stressful that at the end of the four-day shoot in the waters, I had lost three and half kilos.

We believe you had close encounters with the sharks while shooting in the sea?
Well, I was told about the sharks later, after we had finished the shoot. I was angry at not being informed earlier, but I was explained that the knowledge could have caused me to panic and hamper my performance. Of course, if I had known about the sharks, I wouldn't have ventured into the waters. About a month later, I heard the place was shut due to sharks.

Your chemistry with Hrithik Roshan has generated a lot of buzz, fuelled further by reports of a three-minute long kissing scene...
I believe that for the chemistry to work, the film has to work first. For me, it's a new test like every other film. If the audience likes it, the film works and that's why the chemistry between the characters works.

Ek Tha Tiger sees you team up with Salman Khan again. Aren't you apprehensive the pairing will distract audiences from the roles you two play in the movie?
I don't think so. That's director's challenge; to make sure the story and the film is strong to overcome all that. If people have any expectations or their interest is piqued because of the reports so far, I'm fine with it. Our job is to ensure that the audience gets interested in the film for what it is and not by reports.

Having bagged Yash Chopra's next film with SRK, you're being heralded as YRF's blue-eyed girl...
Not at all. Adi (Aditya Chopra) is someone who won't cast you unless he really believes you suit the role. I don't know if anyone else would have done the role in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Besides, I had not worked with Imran (Khan) before, so it made sense. I've worked with Kabir (Khan) in New York. So when he started scripting Ek Tha Tiger, he wanted me to be a part of it, given our equation. As for Yashji's film, it made sense to them because I've never worked with Shah Rukh before.

Anushka nabbed at the airport!

2011-06-27T05:17:00.001-07:00

The BBB girl may be grabbing plum projects, but she was caught at the airport this morning with undeclared goods

Another one has bitten the dust. Anushka Sharma, on her way home from the IIFA Awards at Toronto with a best actress award, was stopped at Customs this morning for carrying undeclared jewellery worth Rs 45 lakh. But that is a small hiccup on her road to success. The girl who came from nowhere special, did some modelling and then grabbed the cherry on the filmi pie with Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with Badshaah Khan. Since then, she has been making it big with A-listers in every film – Badmaash Company with Shahid Kapoor, Patiala House with Akshay Kumar, the superhit Band Baaja Baaraat (though her co-star Ranveer Singh was no biggie, really, until after the movie released) and now Yash Raj’s next with SRK and Katrina Kaif and…hold your breath…Vishal Bhardwaj’s latest with Ajay Devgn. We hear that the last is a straight-out rom-com, which is something that our lissome lass is really good at. And Ajay, of course, is a good bet for almost any film that he stars in, even though we like him best when he is bashing up the baddies and wrecking cars and being generally hunky. Any which way, now that Anushka has done the deed – films we mean, silly, whatever did you think! – with Shahrukh, Akshay, Shahid and now Ajay, there are only Salman and Aamir left for her to team up with. That, at the rate this gal is going, should be no trouble at all for our bootylicious babe!

Vidya's getting hotter!

2011-06-24T01:53:00.001-07:00

Mandira Bedi delivers a baby boy!

2011-06-20T02:08:00.001-07:00

Mandira Bedi delivers a baby boy!
Mandira Bedi has made this Father's Day a very special one for her hubby Raj Kaushal.

Completing their 11 years of marriage, Mandira gave birth to a baby boy. The baby was born at Lilavati hospital on Friday, June 17 at 11.01 am. Even though they had a list of names ready with them, they named the baby Vir on Raj's insistence.

Proud father Raj said, "I am very happy. Mandy and the baby are superb. We are celebrating."

Heartiest congratulations to the couple!

Shilpa's fitness stance

2011-06-19T01:36:00.000-07:00

Shilpa Shetty was one of the first Bollywood actors to come out with her own fitness video (Bipasha Basu and Lara Dutta soon followed), and if reports are to be believed, her next is on its way.
When asked, the lanky lass replied, "It isn't a yoga video like the first one. I can't reveal the concept. I'd rather keep it close to my heart until things work out."

What about her movie plans? "I want to get on with my film-production plans. My plate is really full at the moment. I couldn't ask for more," sighs the actor who celebrated her birthday recently. Last year Nagesh Kukunoor was supposed to kick-start Shilpa's film-production plans. But that fell through.
"I want to produce films with directors who are on the same page as me. That is definitely happening this year. My health clinic in Khar has also been completely re-done. Now you know why I like being called an active housewife," she says.
Shetty reveals that she's been dividing her time between three cities. "I am in and out of Dubai, London and Mumbai. But home is always Mumbai."

Poonam Pandey MMS surfaces online!

2011-06-19T00:31:00.000-07:00

Two videos of her on YouTube, tagged with catchwords such as Poonam Pandey ka MMS and Poonam Pandey undressing, are registering numerous hits these days.

Remember Poonam Pandey, who wanted to manifest her love for cricket in a strip- fest for our men in blue? Two videos of her on YouTube, tagged with catchwords such as Poonam Pandey ka MMS and Poonam Pandey undressing, are registering numerous hits these days. But the videos are not hot at all, as the tagline claims.

The catch is, unlike what the taglines suggest, there is nothing explicit in the videos.

They feature Poonam getting ready for a regular swimwear shoot.

And true to form, Poonam has actually posted the links on her Twitter and Facebook pages.

Could it be that she herself uploaded the videos with the provocative taglines in the first place?

Celebs at Bin Bulaye Baraati premiere

2011-06-17T23:28:00.001-07:00

Shweta Tiwari at the premiere of 'Bin Bulaye Baraati' in Mumbai. AFP PHOTO/STR

Shweta Bharadwaj at the premiere of 'Bin Bulaye Baraati' in Mumbai. AFP PHOTO/STR

Yuvika Chaudhary at the premiere of 'Bin Bulaye Baraati' in Mumbai. AFP PHOTO/STR

Mallika Sherawat wears bikini in 'Double Dhamaal'

2011-06-13T08:33:00.001-07:00

She is comfortable wearing see-through-clothes, but when it comes to wearing a bikini, Mallika Sherawat is still a shy girl. Yet the bold Haryanvi lass wore the swimwear for her upcoming movie ‘Double Dhamaal’.
The actress will be seen wearing a tangy orange bikini top and a golden beige printed sarong while coming out of a swimming pool in the movie.
Mallika is playing Sanjay Dutt's wife Kamini in Indra Kumar's comedy, which is a sequel to 2007 film ‘Dhamaal’. Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Ashish Chowdhry, Jaaved Jaaferi and Kangana Ranaut are in the lead roles.
The movie releases June 24.

B-Town's hottest kisses

2011-06-13T03:48:00.000-07:00

Aamir and Karisma in Raja Hindustani.

Madhuri Dixit and Vinod Khanna in Dayavan.

Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi in Fire.

Hrithik and Aishwarya in Dhoom 2.

Anil Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia in Jaanbaaz.

Kajol and Aamir in Ishq.

Barbara Mori and Hrithik in Kites.

Sandhya Mridul, Aamir Bashir in The Great Indian Butterfly.

Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram.

Sendhil Ramamurthy, Goldy Notay from It's a Wonderful Afterlife.

Emraan Hashmi, Soha Ali Khan in Tum Mile.

Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in Badmaash Company

Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma in Band Baaja Baarat

Arunoday Singh and Aditi Rao lock lips in Yeh Saali Zindagi

Another kissing scene from Yeh Saali Zindagi

Kangna's big 'sacrifice'

2011-06-13T03:44:00.000-07:00

The actress brings peace between her warring producers
It was reported earlier this week that Kangna Ranaut's two producers Ratan Jain (Tez) and Bhushan Kumar (I Luv NY) were having an issue over dates, Date Disaster.
Apparently, to resolve the problem Kangs has come up with a 'sacrificing' solution.

Kangana Ranaut
The issue was that Jain urgently required her for a day's shoot in London and Bhushan wasn't able to let her go. The tussle for dates went on for several days, with no solution in sight.
A source from the crew informs, "KR decided to sacrifice her only weekly off! She flew to London on Saturday and went straight to the sets of Tez. She will be back today and will immediately head to Bhushan's shoot."
The actress is also due to perform at IIFA in Toronto later in the month.
The source adds, "It is extremely demanding as the actress has been down with a viral fever over the week. Now, she is working on a 70-hour shift!
But with heavy money riding on both films, she feels this is the only way to ensure things happen as per plan."
Kangna's spokesperson confirmed the story.

Pooja all set to play princess

2011-06-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

Pooja
After mesmerising the audiences with her alluring performance as the blind Hamsavalli in Bala’s Naan Kadavul and subsequently bagging a state award for the movie, actress Pooja has been missing in action in K’town.
There were rumours that the actress was consciously avoiding starring in Tamil films because she was planning to tie the knot with a Bengaluru-based software professional.
But the actress denied these rumours and termed them ‘baseless’, she said that her absence from the movie scene was because she was helping out her friend who was running an energy conservation company.
The latest news is that Pooja, who is already a well known face in Sinhalese films, has been invited to play the role of a princess Pabawathi in a period film titled Kusa Paba.
It is touted as the Sri Lankan film industry’s contribution to the on-going year-long celebration of the 2,600th anniversary of Buddha’s enlightenment.
Veteran Sinhalese actor Jackson Anthony plays the lead as Prince Kusa. The actress who was in Chennai recently for a promotional event confirmed the news to DC.
“Yeah, talks are on for Kusa Paba which is based on Buddhist Jataka Tales. The tale, which has all ingredients of an Indian mythology, is about how the ugly but talented Prince Kusa wins the love of Princess Paba after several hurdles. It is a beautiful role.”

Katrina angry with Sonakshi

2011-06-12T04:45:00.001-07:00

Katrina Kaif is far from amused. Rather, she's one rattled star, as of now. The mediavine has been abuzz with the news that Kaif has been smarting over Sonakshi Sinha's insinuations that she did not have the grace to respond to Sonakshi's SMSes or reply to her calls. Talk about Sonakshi trying to "make peace" with Katrina have been making the rounds and Kaif, who'd maintained a dignified silence over the matter, decided to speak up for herself.

States a close source, "Katrina has always maintained a certain dignity as regards her relations with industry folks, be it personal or professional. She does not share any equation with Sonakshi at all and is surprised at all those stories doing the rounds. Now she's quite irritated as the stories just don't seem to stop."

A superbly irked Katrina states in a media quote that she "did not receive any SMS from Sonakshi," does not know where "these stories are coming from" and asserts that she would prefer not to comment on Sonakshi as she "does not share any equation" with her.

Sameera rides her fear factor

2011-06-11T05:40:00.001-07:00

The actress who is petrified of water, fought her fear and shot the whitewater raft sequence herself
Sameera Reddy will be seen in an all new avatar doing stunts in Priyadarshan's thriller Tezz starring Ajay Devgan, Anil Kapoor and Kangna Ranaut.

Sameera Reddy also shot an underwater scene in the freezing cold water
She has done all sorts of adventurous stunts from riding bikes to going under the water.
In one of the action sequences shot in London, Sam was required to do whitewater rafting. The actress who is scared of water fought her fear and agreed to shoot the scene herself.
A crew member informs, "Sameera was supposed to shoot a scene under water. We all knew of her fear of water so the director thought of doing the scene with a body double.
But Sameera is a such an adventure junkie that she took it up as a challenge to shoot the scene herself. We were shocked when Sam besides rafting also agreed to do the underwater scene in the freezing temperature."
"She stayed in the freezing cold water for 15-odd minutes pulling off the sequence to perfection. But when she came out she couldn't stand on her feet and her body had gone completely numb.
The unit got a bit worried but thankfully Sam got back to being normal in an hour. We gave her a lot of hot drinks and warm clothes."

Karthika to star opposite Akshay?

2011-06-11T04:55:00.001-07:00

Karthika in 'Ko'
If sources in B’town circles are to be believed, Karthika, (daughter of yesteryear sizzler Radha), who mesmerised audiences with her debut in Tamil with K.V. Anand’s Ko, will be making her foray into Bollywood with a remake of the same flick.
The young actress is not new to working in different languages. Karthika made her presence felt in Telugu with Josh and Rangam, in Tamil with Ko and in Malayalam with a Santhosh Sivan film.
Though her screen debut in Josh didn’t favour the dusky girl, she was appreciated for her sprightly performance in Ko.
Reportedly, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, who watched Ko at a special screening in Mumbai, was impressed with the script and decided to remake it in Hindi.
The hot buzz now is that Karthika’s mother Radha has approached Akshay and asked him if her daughter has a chance of reprising her role of an investigative journalist in the Hindi version as well.
Since Karthika was born and brought up in Mumbai, an added advantage is that she is fluent in Hindi.
Sources suggest that the Khiladi star has given his consent and we can soon expect an official announcement!

Karisma's secrets to healthy living

2011-06-10T04:25:00.000-07:00

How the actor lost 24 kilos within six months of childbirth and is now glowing with health. (By Riddhima Seal for Prevention)

Pretty skin secrets: Although I am genetically blessed, I diligently follow a cleansing, toning, moisturising routine. I'm not big on make-up and like to keep it simple. Being happy from within is key to looking beautiful.
Go nuts: Whether as a snack or as part of a meal, almonds are a must in my diet. This is something that has been passed on from my grandmother to my mother and to me. Not only does it give me a radiant glow, it also strengthens me from within. We are family: Bebo (Kareena) is a great source of strength and support. Although we are two very independent individuals, when we are together we giggle and chat endlessly. Samaira and Kiaan are also very fond of their masi and together we are one fun bunch.
With a great line-up of films behind her and a formidable lineage in filmdom to boast of, you'd expect her to be a bit spoilt. Far from it. All Karisma needs is 10-odd minutes to select the clothes she wants to wear for the shoot. "I know my body-type well, and am very sure about what suits me and what doesn't. Keeping it simple and dressing for the occasion is my mantra for looking good," she says. Even as she settles in to get her hair and make-up done, the gorgeous mom of two who is currently high on endorsing healthy living shared with us her secrets of looking fit and fab post-30.

Healthy and Wise:
While I have never been heavy, staying healthy has always been a priority. To adopt a healthy way of life, it is most important to believe that it can and will make a difference. And it comes in a package-exercising well and eating right. With age, I seem to realise this all the more. In my 20s, I could afford to be a lot more ignorant. That was also the time when I was at the peak of my career and my crazy schedules would not let me pay enough heed to the signals, leaving it to the body to do all the repair work on its own. You know how it is when you have a career to handle, the kind of fame and fan following that comes with it, the 'you' gets left out. But now I've slowed down. I take it easy, I live life on my own terms. I do things I really enjoy and in turn my body feels assured and gives me the desired results.

How I lost my post-preg weight
It may be hard to believe it, but I had actually put on close to 24 kilos in each of my pregnancies. While shedding that weight wasn't really easy, not for a moment did I regret it, considering I had really enjoyed both my pregnancies. Though I wasn't too much of a gym person, this time round I had a goal to achieve and diligently followed a gym routine alongside the right diet. I had a personal trainer who put me on a combination of cardio and weights and I worked out regularly all six days of the week.
My diet requirements were taken care of by nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar. Since I was also breastfeeding, she ensured a mix of the right kinds of foods that provided the right nutrition intake, minus the inches. A good mix of proteins, healthy fats, loads of fruits, minimal carbs and lots of fluids featured prominently in my diet. I ate six small meals spread through the day. And within six months, I was back to my earlier weight. Avoiding heavy meals when you are looking at losing weight post delivery is extremely important.

Also, fresh fruits and juices work wonders in keeping you full during this period without adding empty calories. Now that I've achieved my happy weight, I no longer follow a strict diet.
Since I have a very good metabolism rate, all I now do is exercise portion control. What is important is not the quantity of calories but their quality. For instance, if there are days when I have a heavy chicken and roti lunch, I balance it out with a light soup-and-salad dinner. Also, I follow certain principles like never missing out on breakfast. I have to tell you that I have a very strong sweet tooth. There have been numerous occasions when I have finished an entire cake all by myself, but not any longer! I don't deprive myself of those gooey delights (my mouth is already watering), but now I limit it to just a slice. That's being a wise eater.

Motherhood and more
Motherhood completely changes the way you perceive life. While being a mother of two is certainly not easy, very few things in life give you as much of a high as this. Besides, since you also always want the best for your children, I have become more aware of healthy food habits for them. I ensure what is served on the table on a daily basis is high on health benefits. Fortunately, Samaira (my daughter) has already taken to the habit well. She likes her vegetables and wholegrain cereals and I find ways and means of making them interesting for her. For instance, very often I sprinkle a handful of almonds on her salads to make them crunchier and more virtuous. What you eat as a family is actually very important in defining your child's eating habits. Having said that, it's not that she doesn't have the luxury of indulging in her favourite treats like fried chicken, French fries, pizzas and burgers once in two weeks. Considering I am a true blue Kapoor, I too love these foods and indulge in them once in a while when we are out as a family. The key is notdeprivation, but moderation.

Walk your way to happines
High on variety: Since continuous gymming can take a toll on your knees and bones, I have now stopped gymming altogether. Also, since I tend to get bored of the same workout regime, I have now incorporated swimming and walking in my daily regimen, two things that are easy for a working mom like me. What I like most about swimming is that it comes with the benefits of a full body workout and a 45-minute session in the pool helps tone me overall without feeling overstrained.

Walk on
I try walking for an hour every day, be it at the nearby park or in the garden, early morning or late evening. The best thing about walking is that you can continue with your fitness routine even when you are out on a holiday. I love taking long walks even when I am vacationing. Also, I get a lot of my exercise simply by running around with my kids. They keep me on my toes all the time!

Sameera Reddy not an item girl

2011-06-10T01:58:00.001-07:00

We are seeing a spate of denials from the heroines. After Tamannah denied her alleged lip-lock with Jr NTR in her forthcoming Tollywood flick Oosaravalli, now it’s time for dusky Sameera Reddy to follow suit. Recently, the T’town rumour mongers broke the news that Sam, the erstwhile sweetheart of Jr NTR, will be seen shaking a leg for an item number in the same film.
Apparently, the duo who had earlier worked in films like Ashok and Narasimhudu, stopped sharing screen space after reports about their romance spread in the media.
The leggy actress, when contacted, denied the rumors and said, “It’s news to me! I am not doing any special song in NTR’s film.” Presently, Sameera is busy shooting for her Tamil films Prabha with Vishal and Vettai with Madhavan.

It's one of the saddest days of my life: Madhuri

2011-06-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: Husain's muse recalls her cherished association with the 95-year-old, who she says was a child inside.
Husainsaab leaves back so many memories. The most endearing thing about him was his zest for life. He was a child inside. He would keep telling me, 'Wah, you are my favourite,' like a child. It is one of the saddest days of my life.

M F Husain with Madhuri Dixit after the completion of his film Gaja Gamini
Apart from being a wonderful artist of course, he was such a spontaneous human being. There are so many memories attached to him. Every time he would call me, he would ask 'Hows mother India doing?'

Mother India
After Arin (her first son) was born, he had named me mother India. I have been in constant touch with him. But since the last two years, we could talk only once in two or three months, because he was traveling a lot. Whenever he would call, he would say, 'Where are you? I am here'. And I would say where is this here? You are always on the move, London, Qatar, some other place...
Unique man
What a personality! He was 95 and not once one would feel that he was that old. He had so many goals. He told me that he is keen on making a comedy movie. I would think that when I am 95, will I even have half his energy, if at all I am alive?
He was truly a creative person. I have never heard him complaining or cribbing about anything in life. He would spend most of his time dreaming about what he could create, and what he could do next. That kept him going and gave him so much energy. Truly a unique man.

Husain with Madhuri and Akshaye Khanna on the sets of Mohabbat where he made his debut as an actor
So many memories
He burned so bright and then he went away just like that. My son remembers him very fondly. So many memories, so many memories. I don't know how to put the experience of meeting such a man in words. He had lived for a century, he had seen so much; he had traveled so much, overcome so much.

Life of India
Only thing that saddened him that he couldn't go back to India. Once or twice he mentioned to me that he missed Diwali, Holi and other religious events that happened in India. He would keep saying India is so lovely and I can't see it any more. I think a corner of his heart ached to go back home. He was from Pandharpur and he wanted to go back there too. That's only the saddest thing. Otherwise he lived a full, creative life.
As told to Shubha Shetty-Saha
Fond memories
Reema Rakesh Nath, the producer of Mohabbat (starring Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna) where MF Husain made his debut as an actor, remembers him fondly. "I had to convince Husainsaab to do that scene. He played himself in the film and the scene was an art gallery where Madhuri meets Akshaye.
Husainsaab suggested that all the paintings in the gallery should be his, to lend authenticity to the scene. It was really a huge honour to have him with us."
Kunal Kapoor, who worked in M F Husain's directorial venture Meenaxi: A Tale Of Three Cities says, "He was an incredible man and it was my good fortune that I had a chance to interact with him personally and professionally. You meet a man like him once in a lifetime. His passion, zest and love for life was unparalleled. He will be deeply missed."
Shreyas Talpade, who was approached by MF Husain to play him in a biography, recollects, "The meetings with Husainsaab have been the most unforgettable moments of my life. He took me to the places where he grew up and used to paint film hoardings. He invited me to an Eid party at his ancestral home, where I had one of the best paaya soups with him. I will miss his energy, enthusiasm, passion for life."
"I asked him once why he doesn't wear slippers, and he narrated an incident when he wasn't allowed in a hotel once. So he decided to not to wear slippers at all. He told me that it's natural acupuncture and allowed him to sit on his knees and paint," said Talpade.

Inputs by Mauli Singh

Drunk Vidya ruins shoot

2011-05-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

'Kahaani' Twist: Drunken Vidya Slurs; Stuns Ghosh; Ruins Shoot!

'Kahaani' Twist: Drunken Vidya Slurs; Stuns Ghosh; Ruins Shoot!

She slurred and lisped and swayed… and could barely stand still. A hugely embarrassed Sujoy Ghosh, sitting in patiently to put Vidya Balan through the paces of a photo shoot for his Kahaani was in for a rude shock!

A supremely inebriated Balan is something he had never bargained for! Ghosh, who was all eager to wrap up the day's shoot was at his wit's end… as the shoot proceeded sloppily…with Vidya going from bad to worse and a harried Ghosh knowing not what to do!

A good half hour later, the actress… burst out laughing uncontrollably and the prank was bared in all its glory.

A stunned Ghosh told the media that Balan was so convincing in her drunken act that he "completely believed" her. Although he states that it's highly unlike Vidya to show up sozzled to her (starry) gills for a shoot, he granted her "full marks for playing this role to perfection."

Kahaani showcases Balan as a married woman whose hubby comes down to India from London in search of a job, but goes missing. The script details Balan as a pregnant woman who goes to Kolkata to search for him.

John Abraham dating Chitrangada Singh?

2011-05-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

Newest dosti in town

Guess who's shoulder newly single hottie John Abraham is crying on? Apparently co-star Chitrangada Singh!

Actor John Abraham may be nursing a broken heart post his recent break-up with longtime girlfriend Bipasha Basu, but it seems like the Bollywood hunk has found some support. Co-star and now good friend Chitrangada Singh is apparently his current sounding board. The two, according to the buzz, hit it off instantly while working together on 'Desi Boyz' and then on signing on their next film together as well.
In fact, the two got along well enough to send the gossip-mongers into overdrive. What's fuelling the buzz apparently are the steamy scenes the two share in their new film. "Yes, the two share a great chemistry on camera. It's no secret that both have immense respect for each other and can't stop praising each other either," said a unit hand. "While John's maha-impressed with her acting talent, Chitrangada on the other hand thinks that John's great fun on sets. They definitely share a great comfort level," the source added.
Incidentally, while John's been having to deal his share of rumours these past few months now; Chitrangada herself has been busy dodging the constant speculation surrounding her own married life. Reports of tension brewing between the actor and her golfer hubby Jyoti Randhawa keep rearing an ugly head every few months, despite Chitrangada insisting that all's well on that front. And buzz is that in recent times, it was John who stood by her and advised her not to let the rumours upset her. So, it was hardly surprising that when reports of John's split surfaced, it was Chitrangada who turned agony aunt!
But if sources close to the two stars are to be believed then hubby Jyoti or John's prospective girlfriends need not lose sleep yet. "Yes, it's true that they have become very good friends, but that's all that they are. Nothing more. People are just putting two and two together because they met at such a time when they both might seem in need of a strong emotional support. But the fact is that Chitrangada is committed to her marriage and John's not exactly looking for love," says a source. "Besides, both are known to be great co-stars to work with and get along just the same with their other co-stars too," says a friend close to the stars.
Good friends or not, theirs is the newest dosti in Tinselville that's set tongues wagging. What cannot be denied however is that though unlucky in love, John is proving to be rather lucky when it comes to finding good friends. Ask Genelia D'Souza or Deepika Padukone!

Two much!

2011-05-24T03:34:00.000-07:00

ZARINE KHAN and KATRINA KAIF
THE LOWDOWN: Zarine made her debut in Salman Khan's dud Veerlast year.
After Salman's then-girlfriend Katrina Kaif reportedly refused to play the heroine in the period film, the superstar went on an aggressive hunt to find a replacement in terms of glamour and looks. He discovered Zarine.
LOOKALIKE FACTOR:
While Zarine bears a strong resemblance with Katrina, critics and the audience alike cruelly dismissed her as 'Fatrina' once Veerreleased because she looked grossly overweight.She has also failed to match Katrina's charm and sex appeal.

The lookalike factor actually worked against Zarine as long as Salman and Katrina were an item. No Bollywood assignment came her way. "Katrina is beautiful but I don't think I look like Katrina. I want to create my identity," Zarine said in an online interview recently.
CAREER PUSH:
Zarine's latest claim to fame is the hit item number Character dheelain Salman's upcoming Ready. Sajid Khan has offered her a role in his multistarrer Housefull 2. Rumours suggest Sajid would have loved Katrina in the role but she has become ultra-choosy after becoming a superstar. The only starring role Zarine has in her kitty right now is once again thanks to Salman. She will be seen opposite the superstar in Shirish Kunder's upcoming Kick.

SNEHA ULLAL and AISHWARYA RAI
THE LOWDOWN:
Sneha made her debut with Lucky: No time For Love in 2005 opposite Salman Khan, around the time he split with his erstwhile girlfriend, Aishwarya Rai.
The film bombed but Salman tried promoting Sneha. She was cast opposite his brother Sohail Khan in the dud Aryan. Flops such as Kaashh. Mere Hote and Click followed Sneha found space in Telugu films. She has an English film, Gandhi Park, coming up.

LOOKALIKE FACTOR:
Like Ash, Sneha is of Mangalorean origin and has fair skin and light eyes. She met Salman through his sister Arpita. Salman, nursing heartbreak at the point, recommended Sneha for Lucky reportedly because she resembled Ash. Reacting to Sneha's resemblance to Ash, Salman said: "It's just because of the green eyes. I don't see any resemblance. Even if there is, what's the big deal?"
CAREER PUSH:
With Ash going great guns in Bollywood and Salman not keen to promote her after the initial duds, Sneha wisely shifted base to Telugu films. Hits such as Ullasamga Utsahamga, Simha and Ala Modalaindi helped her consolidate base down South.

Mallika Romances 'Obama'

2011-05-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last year Cannes saw Mallika Sherawat flirting with snakes, this year, she made heads turn by posing with a gaggle of Barack Obama's. Take a look

Katrina's Lip Job

2011-05-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif's visibly puffy lips was once again in news as she attended the promotional event of 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' in Mumbai recently.

Though Kat keeps denying about getting a lip job done, a look at her old photos proves it otherwise.

Vidya turns on the heat for 'Dirty Picture'

2011-05-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

There have been reports that Vidya's role in 'Dirty Picture' gets dirtier, she has been asked to put on weight to look curvier.

While she's been known for her sensual but conservative dressing, for the role of Silk Smitha she'll wear sexy outfits.

Vidya has decided to go for a complete bold new avatar for her role in 'Dirty Picture'.

It's not soft porn

2011-05-11T10:05:00.001-07:00

In a bid to clear Vidya Balan's doubts about his film, 'Dirty Picture' director wants actress to check DVDs that have "strong, sexual" female characters

Director Milan Luthria has given his Dirty Picture lead actress Vidya Balan DVDs of English films Burlesque and Chicago to watch after she voiced apprehensions that the film would end up being soft porn.

A source close to the director reveals, "Milan has asked Vidya to study Burlesque for her role as Silk Smitha. He's also asking her to watch films of Ingrid Bergman, etc.

The emphasis is on emulating women with strong and overtly sexual body language."

Get an idea
Milan says, "Vidya wanted to have an idea about what was in my head and about the character she plays. So as a reference point, I asked her to watch Burlesque and Chicago for rhythmic energy, lighting, photo, costumes, etc.

After watching Burlesque, Vidya's respect for me shot up a few notches further," he laughs.

Most people perceive DP to be a very hard-hitting south Indian masala soft porn film. "That's why it's important to see films like Burlesque to show you the potential for this art form whether it is about a stripper, dancer or item girl.

I wanted Vidya to know that what she's doing is not crass or crude but can be shown aesthetically in a sensual manner with a touch of class. What her character does, is not cheap. I wanted to show her that I haven't taken up a career in soft porn," Milan jokes.

Drunk Riya creates havoc after charging 25 lakhs?

2011-05-09T08:25:00.001-07:00

A Strange Love Story being produced by Shohreh Seth and Suresh Bhagat has indeed given them a strange experience. Shohreh Seth engaged Riya Sen in the lead role for the film opposite the new entrant Eddie Seth. But he has been bitten and not smitten by Riya.

Drunk Riya creates havoc after charging 25 lakhs?
A Strange Love Story being produced by Shohreh Seth and Suresh Bhagat has indeed given them a strange experience. Shohreh Seth engaged Riya Sen in the lead role for the film opposite the new entrant Eddie Seth. But he has been bitten and not smitten by Riya. “Yes, strangely enough Riya’s behaviour has made me realise the bitter side of being a producer. We as producers always expect our films to be shot on time as well as release on time but with Riya’s strange behaviour my film was jeopardised. She would come on the sets dead drunk, misbehave and not be able to give the required shots. She would go into the make up room and sleep for hours. As a result I have not only burnt the negatives but also lost an exorbitant amount,” says Shohreh. Seth does not stop here he also discloses the remuneration paid. “I am the first producer to have signed Riya for 25 lakhs. She has never been given this amount ever in her earlier ventures. She had in fact demanded and I agreed upon her fees instantly. In addition to this I have also given her a few of lakhs of rupees towards her maintenance as well as her clothing,” says Shohreh.
The film also stars Ashotosh Rana who plays a pivotal role in the film. But he very diplomatically evades any knowledge about Riya’s misconduct though. “As a co-artiste I have had no problems with Riya. I don’t know what exactly transpired between Shohreh and Riya. Probably they both could give you the right answer though!
However, Riya Sen remained unavailable for comment.