Kajol with Ajay in ‘Toonpur Ka Super Hero’

Eros International has signed Kajol opposite husband Ajay Devgan for TOONPUR KA SUPER HERO, a 3D film with animation. The film marks Eros’ second production with the husband-wife duo after YOU, ME AND HUM.Directed by ad film maker Kireet Khurana, TOONPUR KA SUPER HERO tells the story of a reel-life hero accidentally landing in a world of cartoons and transforming into a real-life hero. The film will have Ajay Devgan playing himself.

Bahut baar aisa kiya,pachtaya

While Ravi Chopra’s next and David Dhawan’s forthcoming films are most certainly on the anvil for the suddenly-revived career of Govinda, choreographer-turned-director Ganesh Acharya’s next which is being counted among the back-on-the-track star’s forthcoming projects, is still not a certainty.When the ‘news’ of Govinda doing Ganesh Acharya’s film broke Govinda called me to say, “Ganesh has approached me. And I’d certainly like to do his film. But I haven’t heard his script. And from now on, I won’t say yes to any film without a narration.Bahut baar aisa kiya, pachtaya. Jaley ko phook-phook kar aage badhna hota hai (I did this many times. When you’re burnt you sip very carefully). Even Ravi Chopraji I said yes to after the narration.”Gone are the days when Govinda would simply say yes to anyone who came to him with a project.“I realize the script is of utmost importance. Ganesh is a dear friend. But before I say yes to him, I need to hear his script.”

Saif-Kareena shoot for Tashan on Mumbai streets

Yash Raj Films Tashan is still in the making but yet it seems to be making a buzz for number reasons. One reason is that Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor will share the screen space for the first time together. In fact, Akshay and Anil Kapoor will be seen in a Yash Raj film after a very long time. Second is the makeover that all these actors have done for this film. Third is of course the unusual title ‘Tashan’.
Another interesting reason is that, Saif and Kareena are in news these days apparently for being ‘spotted’ together. Mid-Day also spotted Saif and Kareena together on the streets of Mumbai but this time during the shoot of Tashan. On Saturday, the two were shooting for Tashan in the Fort area of Mumbai. Saif is looking dashing in his new jazzy look. He is also a sleek chopper as seen in the picture. Kareena on the other hand is in slightly gaudy outfit. Wonder what their characters are in the film but they do seem interesting.

Kareena, Deepika opp. Saif?

Will Kareena Kapoor and Deepika Padukone enact the love interest of Saif Ali Khan in Saif’s home-production AGENT VINOD, the desi Bond flick? Rumors are rife that Deepika had been zeroed for one of the lead parts, but Kareena Kapoor is now being considered for a pivotal role.
Director Sriram Raghavan, who has JOHNNY GADDAAR opening this Friday, doesn’t deny the news outright. “See, the film is expected to star an Indian actress and a foreign girl, but we haven’t finalized anyone yet. That’s because Saif wants me to lock the script before we begin casting,” Sriram states.
However, Sriram says that the casting might change once they okay the script. “We might settle for two Indian actresses, if need be. It’s premature to comment on it right now,” he states. Will Kareena star opposite Saif, is to be seen.

Karan: I’ll marry Ekta Kapoor if…

There’s more than super-success at work here. Both Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor are 30-plus fiery, feisty, famous and eminently single. And although they’re both off-camera celebrities they get mobbed big-time in public places.Once upon a time, more than 30 years ago both of them were overweight, bratty, spoilt kids from very very filmy families who were fated to take their somewhat-shaky family fortunes to unimaginable heights.Ekta was the over-possessive daughter of the superstar of the 1970s Jeetendra. As a child she once chased one of his father’s heroines with a slipper because she found the leading lady misleading her precious father by batting her eyelids too hard.Karan was so much younger than his father he grew up thinking producer Yash Johar was actually his grand-dad.As hopeless kids Ekta and Karan would run into each other at birthday parties. Both blissfully fat and moorless. Both grinning from year to year into impending nothingness.Laughs Karan, “I don’t think our parents ever thought we could make much of our lives. Ekta, I believe was seen more as the eternal couch potato than someone who’d one day be weaning millions to become couch potatoes. I think she wanted to be a journalist at one point. So did I. At one point I even strayed into acting as a child.”
Karan did the children’s serial Indradhanush on national television and later even played Shah Rukh’s nerdy sidekick in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.Karan chuckles hard. “Both Ekta and I were very maladjusted very overweight kids. Today we’ve both turned out rather well. Our parents must be proud of us. I’m as proud of her as she’s of me. We bond as people who evolved almost simultaneously from wastrels to people who could make a difference.”“Whom can we marry?!” they both lament today. Ekta feels her power and fortune block all bachelors from honest courtship. Karan hasn’t found the girl jissko dekh kar kuch kuch hota hai.Sighs Karan, “I don’t think I ever will find the right partner. If finally neither Ekta nor I find someone else we’ll marry each other,” quips Karan Johar about the other half of the K- Klub.Guffaws Karan, “At least my mother will be very happy. Not only because I’ll finally get married. But also because she’ll get to to know the plot line of her favourite serials from beforehand.”
Karan sees Ekta as part of the very exclusive K club.“I love Ekta! She’s an absolute darling. I truly admire her tenacity and her ability to do the work she believes in,despite the snobbish opposition.”There’s one more factor that binds the two talkative tycoons together. It’s their mutual affinity to numerologist Sunita Menon.Laughs Karan, “Ekta and I have both clawed Sunita’s hands out of her body. Both of us suffer from an incurable fear of flying. And we’ve often flown with Sunita. Her hands bear the tell-tale signs of our flying phobia.”Ekta reciprocates all of Karan’s compliments. “I’d love to marry Karan. When is he proposing? Whenever we do meet we hug like long-lost pals. Karan is one of my closest friends from the film industry. I don’t have friends in Bollywood. I prefer to stick to my tv crowd.I remember I had gone to see Karan’s Kal Ho Na Ho with an unbiased Friday-evening audience. (I don’t like to watch films at the filmy previews). And I saw how audiences cried and clapped. I called him up and said, ‘You’ve a winner on hand.’Even with his earlier Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham they came down on him like they do on my serials. I told him not worry, K3G will rock. And it did.I feel in some ways we both are a victim of an elitist attitude. He makes the biggest hits with the biggest stars. And yet, like my serials, Karan’s films somewhere get cheated in the critical evaluations.”
Ekta now really warms up to her favourite subject. “Karan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and in a different way Sanjay Gupta are my favourite filmmakers. But Karan is the only filmmaker I chat up with and attend his parties.I rarely attend parties. But I remember at this party an actress was being very rude to me. I was getting progressively uncomfortable. I can never forget how Karam came up to me and just put his arms around me.I realized that evening how important it is to make guests feel comfortable at your parties. That evening Karan and I bonded for life.”Ekta mentions the Sunita Kapoor bonding. “She’s the only one who can advise me and Karan fearlessly.We both are vulnerable people easy to win and exploit.. Sunita has been a source of strength.”Ekta is also very fond of Karan’s mother. “Aunty’s inputs to my soaps are invaluable. Both Karan and his mom have always been very supportive.”

Amisha Patel snubbed big time

Amisha Patel is an intelligent girl but is she equally skilled actor? Looking at the list of recent her films it seems the gujju lass is running out of steam. Her Honeymoon Travels bombed at box office and the upcoming Bhool Bhulaiyaa promos don’t even feature her.Though she has high hopes from the film it seems Priyan has completely sidelined her for current rage Vidya balan. This has made Amisha extremely upset with director and even the producers T. Series.Amisha plays the lead actress opposite Akshay Kumar however the posters show her standing with character actors like Rajpal Yadav, Asrani, Manoj Joshi and Paresh Rawal, whereas Vidya Balan is sitting pretty next to Akki despite being paired with Shiney Ahuja, the second lead.According to sorces, Amisha was very upset when she saw the posters and immediately called Priyan but it was too late by then as all the posters were designed and sent for printing.To add fuel to fire even the music CD covers carry the same design, so Amisha has decided not to promote the film.Though Priyan maintains that he was not aware that Amisha was upset. He says, “I have seen the posters and the CD covers you are referring to, and if Amisha is hurt and feels let down then she has every right to be. These kind of things do let you down.”

Is Sanjay Bhansali making Hamari Jaan Ho Tum?

If reports from an imaginative section of the media are to be believed, Sanjay Bhansali has already firmed in on his next project. And it’s called; hold your breath, Hamari Jaan Ho Tum. Before we moved ahead with this mushy mythical yarn, let’s rewind quickly to the exquisite soundtrack of Saawariya where one of the most melodious tracks has the cutest love lyrics that go, ‘Thode badmaash ho tum thode nadaan ho tum / haan magar yeh sach hai hamari jaan ho tum’.Indeed Hamari Jaan Ho Tum was an idea that the moviemaking magician was toying with after the success of Black. It was a story about young love in which Sanjay wanted to cast Udit Narayan’s son and Mahesh Bhatt-Soni Razdan’s daughter.So is that going to be his next project? Laughs the beleaguered director, “Right now I’m too consumed by the release of Saawariya to even think about what I’ll do next. My music composer Monty Sharma and I are busy putting together the background score. Do you know, Monty is the first composer I’ve worked with who writes music? He knows the musical notations and he puts every note of a tune down on paper before recording them. Such precision in musicianship I’ve never encountered before. I can’t think beyond Monty and his music right now.”As for Hamari Jaan Ho Tum, Sanjay has no plans of making that in the immediate future.

Abhishek is doing Rakeysh Mehra’s Delhi

Though both the parties are maintaining a tight-lipped silence on –record, it is safe and correct to state that Abhishek Bachchan who was the original choice for the role is finally doing Rakeysh Mehra’s autobiographical Delhi 6.The film chronicles the director’s growing-up years in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi, and the title refers to the postal pincode for the area where Rakeysh Mehra’s film unfolds.Abhishek, it would be remembered was always the first choice for the role. Mehra and the younger Bachchan, fast friends and creative collaborators since Rakeysh was supposed to direct Abhishek’s debut in Samjhauta Express, fell apart over date problems.
The project then went to Hrithik Roshan (who said yes, then no since he didn’t want any ill will with the Bachchans), Rang De Basanti’s Siddharth (who also declined for reasons best known to him) and finally the bright superstar-in-the-making Ranbir Kapoor (who had a problem connecting with the script).“Like they say, Daane-daane par likha hai khane wale ka naam. The world is indeed round. The fact that the project has returned to Abhishek proves it,” says a source close to the project, while Abhishek in his habitually diplomatic way is cautious. “Right now, it’s too early to talk about it.”He now leaves for Nambia for the shooting of Goldie Behl’s Drona. The dates for Delhi 6 will be worked out when Abhishek returns. The film is expected to be shot in the summer of 2008 in Delhi

Tabu for the Oscars?

It’s confirmed. Mira Nair is all set to push Tabu’s name for an Oscar nomination this year. Says a source close to the project, “Mira is definitely going to project Tabu as a potential best actress at the Oscars. Though Irrfan Khan is as good, if not better the focus of Mira’s Oscar campaign for her masterly study of the Indian diaspora is likely to be predominantly Tabu.” Continues the source, “Irrfan is excellent. But he lacks what the Americans are looking for in their Oscars recipe. Tabu is exotic, glamorous and mysterious. This is her first real exposure to the Western audience.And they’re lapping up her utterly –butterly Bengali act, thick accent and all. On top of that she’s also wowing the westerners with her performance in Cheeni Kum.” Will Tabu be the first Indian actor to win an Oscar?“Why not?” says Mira’s creative compatriot Deepa Mehta. “She’s amazingly good, on a par with any of her Western counterparts.”
Six years ago Deepa had offered Tabu the lead in her richly lauded Water.The deal fell apart. A lot of global cineastes feel Mira’s Namesake would do for Tabu what Deepa’s Water couldn’t.Tabu herself remains supremely indifferent to recognition, at home or abroad.

Udita still to speak for herself

More than three years after her debut in Pooja Bhatt’s ‘Paap’, Udita Goswami is still to speak for herself. In her next two movies, ‘Zeher’ and ‘Aksar’ she was dubbed by someone else and the same goes for her latest release ‘Aggar’.Dubbing artiste Neeti Mathur has done the honours for Udita this time around. “This is the second time that I have dubbed for Udita Goswami.
‘Aksar’ was her last release which I dubbed for and now her latest film also features my voice,” exclaims Mathur who has earlier dubbed for Rimi Sen in ‘Deewane Hue Pagal’ and ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, Nauheed Cyrusi in ‘Anwar’ and newcomer Vipasha Agarwal in ‘I See You’ as well a host of popular TV shows like ‘Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hain’ and ‘Kahiin To Hoga’.And interestingly it took just two days for the seasoned Mathur to dub for Udita.“It’s because I kind of got used to Udita’s voice. ‘Aksar’ took me five days because there were a lot of overtly emotional scenes, screaming scenes and all that. But here it was more of a plain character”So much so that, Udita’s beau Mohit Suri too admitted to having not been able to make out that it was not Udita talking in ‘Aggar.’“Yeah it’s a nice feeling when your voice actually goes with the actor so much,” adds Mathur.The voice really rocks, but for Udita it’s a downhill ride. She has lost all the freshness which was there during her ‘Paap’ days and has sadly not done anything about her voice either.
Unless she quickly polishes that voice and her acting skills, she will continue holding a subsidiary position in the industry. Had only the Mohit Suri connection mattered, things would have been different for Udita by now! -Sneha Hazarika

Yes I copy: Ram Gopal Varma

His last two films may have been trashed for being poor imitations of “Sholay” and “What Lies Beneath”, but Ram Gopal Varma confesses rather defiantly that he copies - “from everywhere”! “I copy from Hollywood films. Not only from Hollywood I also copy from Tollywood, bollywood… in fact from everywhere. These days I am copying from news channels as I am zapped by their speed,” said the man whose last two films “Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag” and “Darling” were super duds in the box office.“When we are born, we are born with a blank mind and every idea is actually copied from a book, a film… or somewhere,” Varma told philosophically during a recent visit to Delhi.Though he hasn’t delivered any big hit recently, Varma has memorable films like “Rangeela”, “Satya”, “Company” and “Sarkar” under his belt.He is also the man to have introduced many new talents - the list includes Manoj Bajpai, Rajpal Yadav, Isha Koppiker and Randeep Hooda, all of whom were struggling till they were recognised after working in his films.
Some of his protégés’, however, like Mohit Ahlawat whom he launched in “James”, have blamed him for messing up their careers. But the maverick director is undeterred and says these outbursts are outcomes of their over expectations.
“If they say so they must be having some reason behind it. Actually, newcomers have a lot of expectations. When I launch them, I build their confidence to take the best out of them. They take me for granted and blame me against those who never gave them a chance,” he said.
Other than Manoj and Rajpal Yadav, none of the actors launched by him has been able to leave a lasting mark in the Hindi film industry. The filmmaker believes success depends on an actor’s individual effort.“Success belongs to them. I don’t pitch them to make them successful. Their potential remains the same, it is just that they have to work hard and groom themselves with time”.If Varma doesn’t shoulder the responsibility of his protégés’ failure, he doesn’t take credit for their success either: “I just boost their confidence and they do the rest themselves”.
In “Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag”, the director launched Prashant Raj, a model. Though critics have slammed the performance, Varma says he is satisfied by Prashant’s work and dismisses the belief that working with newcomers is a strenuous job.“Most of the time, newcomers are more prepared than veteran actors. They do their homework properly and then come on the sets while established actors are too busy to rehearse before they come for shooting.”Varma’s forthcoming films include “Sarkar 2″, “Go” and “Dheyaya”.

“I don’t expect anything from my films” - Gul Panag

Unlike her contemporaries from the world of glamour and beauty pageants, Gul Panag doesn’t believe in being a part of the rat race. Here she states the reason why?“I would rather enjoy life and explore so many different things that the world has to offer rather than worry 24 hours of my day planning my next move in Bollywood”, says Gul whose film Manorama Six Feet Under has just released. “Being the daughter of an Army man, I have moved around the country and stayed in places like Leh and Laddakh. Guess it’s hard for me to settle down into anything which may be monotonous or unexciting.”Was Manorama Six Feet Under the kind of opportunity that came her way which broke the monotony? “The film sounded so novel in the first read itself. Also, I got to play the role of a middle class housewife which allowed me to explore different traits of being someone who I am not”, says Gul whose moment of glory came with Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dor last year.While each and every actor in the town today is talking about Hollywood, Gul doesn’t have any qualm in admitting that she could possibly recollect names of only a couple of Hollywood directors.“No point pretending to be someone who you are not. With most of my life spent in travelling across the country with stay at hard stations, the last thing you are exposed to is cinema. In fact I have been in situations when even a regular Hindi movie has been screened a year after being released in Mumbai. In such a scenario, even if you have basic awareness about Bollywood, it is a bonus.”
Talking about the debutant film maker, she says, “To think of it, director Navdeep Singh is really a genius. He knew the nuances of the script and the characters inside out. I can vouch for the fact that he was aware not just about what the protagonists had to do in the film but even the background of their siblings and parents who may in fact be non-existant in the film.”
Her Manorama Six Feet Under does look a little bizarre. “I don’t know whether bizarre is the right word for the film. Also, you can’t categorise or quantify something like Manorama…. There is a unique treatment to the film right from art direction to camerawork to sound. Even the wardrobe has been stitched by local tailors to lend an authenticity to the characters.”So what keeps her busy apart from films? “I travel and also write a lot. In fact I was writing for HT for almost 3 years. I have already come up with a collection of short stories and into the process of coming up with one more. I contribute to a lot of discussion groups amongst a closed group set of people though blogging may be just round the corner”, she divulges.Is Manorama Six Feet Under the film on which she is pining all her hopes? “To be honest I don’t really expect anything from any of the films. Yes, it does sound a little unbelievable but that’s me”, laughs Gul, “I may better utilise my energy into the work I do rather than sitting and thinking about what I have done and start expecting a moon later.”But audience does expect a good act from her, especially after Dor that is a solid DVD watch today!“And I respect my audience for that”, she says quickly, “I am not saying that people should expecting anything from me. It is just me as I choose to follow the path where I don’t fret about what I have done or start painting the town red on achieving something. I approach my work with integrity. That’s my motto. As things stand today, I am very happy with where I am.”

“Johnny is a street kid in Mumbai” - Neil Mukesh

Neil Mukesh seems to be obsessed with the name Johnny. He is all set to make his debut in Sriram Raghvan’s Johnny Gaddar but before this film releases, Neil has already started shooting for his next film titled Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. TKHJ is directed by Sudhir Mishra under the banner of Pixion Shahnab. The film also stars Karan Nath, Saurabh Shukla and Kay Kay Menon.Calling the two films to be poles apart and highlighting the story of Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, Neil says, “The story of the film is brilliant. It is a story of two protagonists, Soha Ali Khan and me; both our stories run parallel in the film. It revolves around a young street kid called Johnny who has his own setup with these two characters and has his hopes pinned up on these two characters.”On asking Sudhir Mishra the reason behind selecting Neil as the lead actor, he says, “Neil is a promising actor who has great screen presence. He easily fits in the bill as far as my film’s character is concerned.” Excited about his venture he adds, “The story revolves around this street kid called Johnny and his relationship between the other characters in the film. It is an aspiration movie showing a futuristic Mumbai on the lines of Shanghai. In this busy world, no one has the time care about this street kid who sells notebooks on the roads for living. The kid plays a vital role in the lives of the protagonists and gives these characters a new hope in life. The film will be shot on the roads of Mumbai.While shooting for Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, Neil Mukesh is also anxious about his forthcoming release Johnny Gaddar which would hit the screens on September 28. Johnny Gaddar also stars Dharmendra, Vinay Pathak, Zakir Hussain, Ashwini Kalsekar and Rimii Sen.

Rakhi & Kashmera in a Cat Fight!!!

Rakhi Sawant and Kashmira Shah seem to be carrying their ‘Bigg Boss’ equation to the ‘Nach Baliye 3′ sets as well.According to sources, although both of them were cordial with each other during the launch of ‘Nach Baliye 3′, things took a different turn backstage. Kashmira apparently told Rakhi that no one is interested in her, now that the latter has removed her silicone implants.This conversation happened in front of the two boyfriends, and Rakhi was supposedly very upset.Kashmira denies having commented on Rakhi’s silicone implants. Rakhi says, “I have so much fire that you cannot handle it, and whenever I am on stage I act without considering the circumstances. So I think people will be interested in my dance and not anything else. I am ready to face any sort of challenge.”The Kash-Krush performance in the first episode scored 30 out of 30. Rakhi was seen enjoying their performance, and was later heard praising the couple. Rakhi and Abhishek managed 28 out of 30.Vaibhavi Merchant was so impressed with Abhishek’s performance that she said he should try choreography as a profession

Sawariya’s inside Information

Monty Sharma being under pressure to deliver the right background music for Sawariya the podgy versatile composer has actually started work on the non-vocal aspect of the film’s epic music.Says a source very close to the project, “Where’s the question of Monty being pressurized by the director to scrap and re-do the background music when in fact Monty began composing Sawariya ’s background score only on Wednesday morning?”Prior to that Sanjay and Monty spent more than one year finalizing the tunes, vocalists and arrangements for all the songs.
Says the source, “Though the music of Bhansali’s films has always been a predominant motif, never has so much stress been put on putting across the drama and emotions of the script through the songs. There are love songs, mujras, a qawwalli…it’s Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s most ambitious score ever.”No wonder the most eagerly-awaited music soundtrack of 2007 is undoubtedly Sawariya.Now it can be told. Sawariya has a total of 11 songs by singers as varied as Alka Yagnik, Kunal Ganjawala and Richa Sharma. Not all the songs will feature in the film.
Coming back to the background score, Monty Sharma has already proved his passion and prowess in the non-vocal arena with his background scores for Sanjay Bhansali’s Devdas and Black.“Monty is expected to take at least the next two months to compose the background music. That’s how long it took him to do the score for Black,” adds the source.The music on the Sony /BMG label was released this week,while the film’s release date remains unchanged at November 9. A separate album of Sawariya’s background score is expected to be released after the film’s release.

Anil Kapoor starts shooting for Yuvraaj

Meticulously planned as he is, Anil Kapoor’s dates have gone awry, thanks to his two current projects, one featuring Salman Khan the other with Saif Ali Khan.Says Anil, “Subhash Ghai’s Yuvraaj got delayed because of Salman’s problems. Saif’s dates were messed up for Yashraj Film’s Tashan after his illness. Yeh sab hota hai. It can’t be helped. To sit and brood over it won’t help. It’s not just about what I want. It’s more to do with the entire team. Anyone can cause a delay, and anything can go wrong.”And that’s precisely what has happened with Tashan and Yuvraaj. But Anil isn’t complaining. “I’m very happy with my roles in both films. My new look for Tashan has gone down very well with everyone. I’m now just enjoying the process of acting. In fact, I’m enjoying life. When I went for the music launch of Saawariya, I was glowing from inside. I just had a blast. I’ve never been to a better music launch in my life.”Anil Kapoor and Subhash Ghai go back a long way. And if he has surrendered to Ghai’s vision unconditionally in Yuvraaj then it’s with good reason. “I’ve never asked Mr Ghai about the size or scope of my role. I’ve just gone by my instincts. Yeah Salman is the leading man in Yuvraaj. But was I a supporting actor in Mr Ghai’s Taal? My role in Yuvraaj is substantial. Even if it wasn’t I wouldn’t mind doing it. I’d do anything for Subhash Ghai.” said Anil gratefully on Friday just before he left for Australia for a long shooting schedule of Yuvraaj.The only other big film on Anil’s plate is Tashan. “I’m choosing as carefully as possible. Both Tashan and Yuvraaj take me as far away from the formula as possible.”

Kareena dumped Shahid for Saif?

The gossip mills are now churning out stories of Kareena and Saif’s new found attraction everyday. Looking at their frequency of meeting it clearlt seems like their friendship maybe turning into something more.The duo were recently seen enjoying a late night swim at the JW Marriott pool around closing time of 10 pm.On Thrusday, Bebo, launched the music of her forthcoming film Jam We Met at a special recording session of Zee TV’s popular music show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, in Mumbai. Though Saif did not attend the show but he picked up Kareena after it ended. The two left together in Saif’s car, with Kareena’s car following them.The actress who turned 27 on friday threw a huge bash at designer Aki Narula’s home in Juhu but Shahid was no where to be seen. Though he was planning to come down from Toronto he later changed his mind as his ladylove seems in no mood for a reconciliation and has been openly flaunting new flame Saif.Rumour has it that Shahid is keeping a close eye on entire situation through media news.The actor has reportedly been spotted buying electronic gadgets too woo Bebo back. His close friends maintain that Shahid not only wants to revive his relationship with Kareena but also wants to put an end to the speculation that his affair with her is a thing of past.We wish the poor guy good luck!

Aishwarya Rai to play Mumtaz Mahal

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai will play Mumtaz Mahal in a film to be co-produced by British actor Sir Ben Kingsley.Kingsley himself will play the role of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan in the flick.“The movie is on the building of the Taj Mahal. The romance will also include Shah Jahan's abject isolation for years in a prison cell,” Kinglsey is quoted by Time of India. Kingsley added that he had spoken to Ash about the project while filming The Last Legion with her.
“She very generously agreed to do the movie with me. My production house is working with a screenwriter on the project. I have very clear ideas about how I want to approach the subject.” Kingsley is quoted as saying.The movie will be shot in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The shooting will begin next year.It may be recalled that Sir Ben Kingsley was one of the hosts of The Seven New Wonders of the World event in July in Lisbon when Bipasha Basu announced Taj Mahal as one of the new wonders.Kingsley is best known for his performance as Mahatma Gandhi in Sir Richard Attenborough's award winning film ‘Gandhi’ (1982).Aishwarya Rai is presently shooting Pink Panther 2 in Boston, USA

No place for Bipasha Basu in 'Raaz 2'?

The sultry beauty may not have a role in the second part of the Bhatts’ movie ‘Raaz’.There seems to be some confusion over whether Bipasha Basu is doing Raaz 2 or not. Earlier, producer Mukesh Bhatt had stated his intention to sign Bips for the lead role in the movie. But now, reports indicate that the idea has been dropped.The change in plans is apparently the result of the script by Shagufta Rafique, who found no loose ends in the climax of ‘Raaz’ to carry the story forward in the sequel. So she has penned an entirely new story which has no correlation to Raaz , which starred Bipasha and Dino Morea .Consequently, ‘Raaz 2’ will not be a sequel to ‘Raaz’. And the Bhatts are reportedly looking for a new face to play the female lead opposite Emraan Hashmi in the film. Bipasha may eventually not find a place in the film.‘Raaz 2’ will be directed by Mohit Suri and not by Vikram Bhatt (who directed ‘Raaz’). The film will be a thriller with supernatural elements.

Bhumika Chawla to marry her boyfriend

Reports have it that actress Bhumika Chawla is set to tie the nuptial knot next month.It is no secret that Bhumika has been dating yoga expert Bharat Thakur for more than two years now. The two first met through a common friend who recommended Bharat’s name to Bhumika for yoga lessons.It is believed that somewhere in the course of these yoga lessons, love sprouted between Bhumika and Bharat.The two have not hidden the fact that they are a couple but they have also not spoken explicitly about their relationship.Now, the lovers are going to get united in the bond of marriage.According to reports, Bhumika and Bharat will tie the knot on October 25 in Mumbai. The wedding will be a low-key ceremony to be attended by family and close friends, including some celebrities from the film industry.Bhumika was last seen in Feroz Abbas Khan’s movie Gandhi My Father . She is likely to continue acting after her marriage.

Payal Rohatgi is going through an image transformation

By Agencies Payal Rohatgi of Corporate and Dhol fame is working hard to get an image makeover. Also, Payal has no qualms in accepting that things did go wrong in the past as her earlier films Tauba Tauba and Fun: Can Be Dangerous were branded as sleaze flicks.
"Yes, I was typecasted. But I am going through an image transformation now. It has taken about three years to get out of my previous image," avers Payal adding that she is moving ahead in her career.Payal maintains that the process of transition hasn't been easy. "But, it's my struggle and I am fine with it," she says adding that she had an inkling that something was going wrong in her career."I had to face the consequences as nobody forced me into it. It was my decision. But I am happy I made those mistakes so early in her career. What if I had worked with Shah Rukh Khan and then goofed up!" quips the computer engineer-turned-actress adding that the mistakes have made her a mature person."I do not come from the industry. But I have realised that it's very important to work with senior directors and good production houses. It makes a lot of difference. Like in 'Dhol', I have a glamorous introduction, but it's not cheap but beautiful," Payal shares.In the Priyadarshan directed film, she plays a club singer opposite Arbaaz Khan . "It's a good role and has added to my growth as an actress," Payal avers.
How was the experience of working with the much acclaimed director? "It was great. He's one director I worship right now," exclaims the model who featured with cricketer Virender Sehwag in an ad campaign."The role has turned out exactly what he had told me. I am thankful to him for that," adds Payal. Some of her earlier films including Subhash Ghai 's 36 China Town which was directed by Abbas-Mastan and Madhur Bhandarkar 's 'Corporate' were reasonably successful at the box-office. But she hasn't signed any more films as of now."Talks are on some films, but I'll finalise only after seeing the results of 'Dhol'," Payal says adding that she has great expectation from the film.So what's Payal’s ambition as an actress? "'Dhol' has me in the second lead. But I wish to upgrade to playing lead roles and want to be in the league of respected actresses of the industry."At one point of time, I would like to shoulder a film on myself. I am putting my best efforts towards it," says Payal."I won't say that I dream of playing etched characters like Meena Kumari's in 'Pakeezah'. Though I have seen the film 20 times but you can't compete with something as classic as that. So my focus is on doing some good work with good directors where I can grow as an actress," Payal concludes.

Hrithik Roshan has a heart of gold

Inside that tough exterior, those rugged looks and the excellent physique, Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan possesses a heart of gold.Everyone has heard of stars doing their bit for charity, but rarely does one hear of them doing so discreetly. Hrithik belongs to the latter category.
Recently Hrithik was supposed to shoot for an ad film, but at the last minute it was cancelled due to the death of a laborer working on the sets. The laborer Farukh fell from a height of 40 feet while working on the sets for the ad film.Hearing the news of the death of the laborer while working on the sets upset Hrithik immensely. But he decided to do something for the late laborer’s family and children.One day Hrithik got in touch with the late Farukh’s brother, Sikander and asked him to bring Farukh’s children to his home for a visit. Hrithik told Sikander to set up bank accounts in the three children’s name and promised that he would put money for fixed deposits for all three of them.However Hrithik was adamant that the family remain silent about the financial help given to them by him.Although Farukh died while working on the sets of the ad film, no financial aid has been offered to him so far by the company. Farukh’s younger brother Aasif said “The Company hasn’t paid the family, nor has it announced financial help even though Farukh died while working on their site. It is very unfair how they treat laborers.”
He also confirmed Hrithik’s generosity saying “Sikander, my other brother took Aarsi, Nazia and Tavis to meet the actor. He asked Sikander to open a bank account for the three children and promised to put in money for fixed deposit accounts for each of them.”However Farukh’s brothers refuse to divulge the amount of money given by Hrithik.Hrithik did not have to offer financial support to the family, but he chose to do so discreetly as he was very upset with the entire incident – an act only that man can do who has a heart of gold.

Abhishek Bachchan joins Aishwarya Rai in Boston

Five months after their marriage, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai still seem inseparable.Not even their professional commitments have been able to distance the two lovers. For last few weeks, Aishwarya has been in Boston, shooting for director Harald Zwart’s movie Pink Panther 2 , now re-titled ‘The Next Pink Panther’, while Abhishek had been in India shooting for an ad film. But now, Abhi has flown to the US to be with his better half.Just a few days back, the couple was spotted walking together hand-in-hand on the streets of Boston. Both were casually dressed and carried shoulder bags. They had been shopping probably. Abhi was also spotted accompanying Ash on the sets of ‘Pink Panther 2’ in Boston. Earlier in August, when the movie was being shot in Paris, then also Abhishek had joined Ash on the film’s sets.Soon, Abhishek will fly to Namibia to resume the shooting of his movie Drona . Ash, on the other hand, will shoot for ‘Pink Panther’ till October.The film has Ash playing Sophie Solandres, a criminal expert who helps Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) nab a daring and elusive burglar.

Why Amisha Patel is not promoting 'Bhool Bhulaiya'

By Agencies Amisha Patel is extremely upset with director Priyadarshan and the producers T. Series of her forthcoming film Bhool Bhulaiya .And the reason for that is because Priyadarshan has completely sidelined her for current rage Vidya Balan , who also stars in the film.Amisha plays the lead actress opposite Akshay Kumar however the posters of the film show her standing with character actors like Rajpal Yadav , Asrani , Manoj Joshi and Paresh Rawal , whereas Vidya is sitting pretty next to Akshay despite being paired with Shiney Ahuja , the second lead.According to sources, Amisha was very upset when she saw the posters and immediately called Priyadarshan but it was too late by then as all the posters were designed and sent for printing.To add fuel to fire even the music CD covers carry the same design, so Amisha has decided not to promote the film.Though Priyadarshan maintains that he was not aware that Amisha was upset. He says, "I have seen the posters and the CD covers you are referring to, and if Amisha is hurt and feels let down then she has every right to be. These kind of things do let you down."

'Om Shanti Om' hysteria builds up in Germany

Although more than a month remains for Shah Rukh Khan’s movie Om Shanti Om to hit the theatres, hysteria is building over the film in Germany.Shah Rukh Khan has a substantially large fan base in Germany, even though the fans there may not understand a word of Hindi. The dubbed version of his home production Main Hoon Na was very well received in Germany.
And now, SRK fans in Germany are eagerly awaiting ‘Om Shanti Om’. As many as ten thousand fans have reportedly sent a petition to the director of the Berlin Film Festival, requesting the screening of ‘OSO’ in the next fest.A media report quotes the movie’s director Farah Khan as saying that the movie’s official website has got at least two lakh hits and posts from Germany, France, Russia, Austria and Poland.Responding to the demand, decision has already been taken to release ‘OSO’ in Germany alongside its worldwide release on November 9. So there won’t be any need to screen the film at Berlin Film Fest because the fest comes in February 2008.
On the other hand, Farah Khan has reportedly asked the film’s distributors, Eros International, to release the movie in Russia as well to tap a wider market.Apart from this, a German magazine called Rapid Eye is coming up with a book on the making of ‘OSO’, media reports say.
‘Om Shanti Om’ is set in two time periods – 1970s and year 2007. The movie has SRK playing a junior artist in 1977 who falls in love with a famous heroine. But their love remains unfulfilled. The second part of the film shows SRK reincarnated as a superstar in 2007. 'OSO’ introduces newcomer Deepika Padukone as SRK’s heroine.

Farhan Akhtar turns actor for sister's film

Not many people know that filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is a good actor as well.Farhan’s acting skills came to the fore in Anand Surapur’s movie ‘The Fakir’ in which he played a young production controller who escorts a fakir from India to Venice.Now, Farhan is set to play the leading role in his sister Zoya Akhtar’s directorial debut Luck By Chance . Zoya had announced her decision to make ‘Luck By Chance’ some two years ago, but shelved the project and began working on another film called Kismat Talkies for which she finalized Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor .Now, ‘Kismat Talkies’ has been put on the backburner and ‘Luck By Chance’ has been revived.The movie is set in the present-day film industry and aims to bring out some behind-the-camera truths about the industry. The shooting is likely to begin in March next year.So eager is Farhan to act in his sister’s film that he has put his next movie ‘Voice From The Sky’ – based on the evolution of telephone – on hold (pun intended).

Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan not keen to work together?

By Agencies Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan have yet to find combined dates to shoot for their portion together in Ravi Chopra ’s Bhootnath .Bachchan and SRK don’t seem to have any combined dates to give their director. This has upset director Chopra and also the film’s schedule.Both actors have shot their individual scenes in the film, but have yet to find combined dates to shoot for their portion together.A source claims “When SRK gives his dates, Amitabh Bachchan is not available and vice-versa. It is very obvious that both are not very keen to work together and are just trying their best to avoid coming face to face with each other.”The sets put up for the film are extremely expensive and it has been lying unused for quite some time now, this is no doubt causing the film producers a financial crunch.
Recently the Big B had given some dates, but unfortunately they coincided with the music launch of the King Khan’s home production Om Shanti Om and hence the shooting had to be cancelled in the end.A major portion of the film involving Bachchan and SRK’s individual scenes has already been shot, but they have still to shoot their joined portions.Earlier too there was some talk that Bachchan wanted ‘Bhootnath’ script to be re-worked.In the second week of October, the film’s unit leaves for Goa to shoot a song sequence out there and the joint portions of Bachchan and SRK need to be shot before that.Chopra simply said “We have got some dates and we will start shooting at the Mehboob Studios sets from October 1-10.”Let's see if he gets what he wants.

Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Eklavya' India's official entry to Oscars

Eklavya , the Hindi feature film depicting a violent family saga starring Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan , has been nominated as India's official entry for Oscar award for the best foreign movie category.This is the third time that a film by Vidhu Vinod Chopra will be going to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His short non-fiction film ‘An Encounter with Faces’ was one of the first Indian films to be nominated for an Oscar in 1980. In 1989, ‘Parinda’ was sent to the Oscars as India's official entry.Pahlaj Nihalani, President of Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programmes which selects the entry, said "Yes it is true that Vidhu Vinod Chopra's ‘Eklavya’ has been selected as India's official entry to the Oscars."
However, Nihalani was peeved with the jury for selecting a film "rejected by Indian masses". "It is disgraceful that the jury has selected a movie for the Oscars which has been rejected by the people. I don't see any logic behind selecting this movie when there were other deserving movies like Chak De India ," he said."If this is the taste of the jury, then it is better they leave the industry. ‘Eklavya’ doesn't deserves an Oscar entry. This is a clear case of partiality. The selection has been done under the influence of certain people, which is shameful," he said.
According Nihalani, such a step will spoil the image of Indian film industry which is getting global attention now."The way Indian films are becoming globally recognised, wrong decisions like this will only spoil our hard-earned goodwill. This is blatant misuse of power," he said.
Produced and directed by Chopra, and also starring apart from Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan , Sanjay Dutt , Vidya Balan , Jackie Shroff , Boman Irani , Jimmy Shergill , Raima Sen and Sharmila Tagore , ‘Eklavya’ is a story set in contemporary India about a majestic fort of Devigarh, a royal dynasty that no longer rules, a King without a kingdom and a royal guard (Bachchan) who lives in a time warp and lives only to protect the fort, the dynasty, and the king.

Shah Rukh Khan cheers team India to victory

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was constantly cheering the Indian cricket team on its way to victory in the finals of the Twenty20 tournament against Pakistan.The New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg was not short of energetic Indian fans who waved Indian flags and shouted slogans to cheer the men in blue in the crucial match against Pakistan. But one man who stood out among the Indian supporters was Shah Rukh Khan, who watched the match along with his son Aryan from the stands. SRK, wearing a black suit, constantly clapped when a dot ball was bowled from the Indian side and stood from his seat in joy whenever a Pakistani wicket fell.In the final overs, when Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq looked dangerous and the match seemed slipping away from India’s grip, SRK stood in the stands and gave a thumbs-up sign to Indian captain MS Dhoni in the field.That was just a moment before the wicket of Sohail Tanvir, who had hit two sixes, fell and optimism returned to team India.That was also the moment the DJ played a few lines of the song Chak De…Chak De India from SRK’s recent release Chak De India .Words are not sufficient to describe what happened after that. A billion hearts erupted in joy as Haq flicked bowler Joginder Sharma’s ball into the air and Sreesanth caught it.As the Indian team celebrated the historic Twenty20 World Cup win, SRK exulted with uncontrollable joy.Later, SRK went to congratulate the players on the field. SRK hugged each player individually. Harbhajan Singh, who was completely ecstatic, lifted SRK up when the superstar hugged him.SRK was heard saying to his son: “They (the Indian players) are the true superstars”.Well said, SRK. And a million congratulations to team India from us. You’ve made us proud.

Amrita Arora gets a sweet surprise from boyfriend

Last week, actress Amrita Arora got a very sweet surprise from her cricketer boyfriend Usman Afzal.Even as rumour mills churn out reports of their alleged break-off, Amrita and Usman are still very much together. And the proof of it came from the man himself who came down to Mumbai to surprise Amrita.Usman, a county cricketer in England, reportedly finished his season last week. He also signed a deal with Surrey County. As he had a one-month break before joining Surrey, Usman decided to spend his time usefully.So, without telling Amrita in advance, he flew down to Mumbai and found that Amrita had gone to a Chinese restaurant for lunch with her parents. Usman went to the restaurant and surprised Amrita.A stunned Amu’s eyes were dilated and her mouth wide open when she saw Usman. She was not expecting him for a few weeks at least.Amrita says she was ecstatic at seeing Usman. She adds that it is typical of Usman to give her sweet surprises. Later on, the couple went together to Kareena Kapoor’s birthday party

Vivek Oberoi working hard for 'Mission Istanbul'

Vivek Oberoi is reportedly working out to get six pack abs for his role in Mission Istanbul .Vivek was last seen in Apoorva Lakhia ’s Shootout At Lokhandwala , he had put on a bit of weight as he had an injury and was unable to work out for quite some time.However now Lakhia has asked all his actors in ‘Mission Istanbul’ to get a lean look for the film. Hence Vivek has been working out with his trainer Satyajit Chourasia to get six pack abs.In ‘Mission Istanbul’, Vivek will play a Turkish commando called Rizwan and hence he is preparing for his role extensively.
The film is also action oriented and one of the best Hollywood action guys George Agular has been roped in to do the action stunts.Also the villain of the film is above 6 feet and very muscular, naturally all the rest of the actors too need to have a strong and muscular look.
Vivek is also taking yoga, weight training and Tai Chi classes as part of his preparation for the role.Vivek’s trainer Chourasia claims “Now, Vivek's four-pack is already showing; he will acquire six-pack abs in the next couple of months. He works out at the Barbarian gym every day for three and a half hours." Vivek is also following a special diet mainly of proteins and he avoids rice, carbs and sweets.

Khoya Khoya Chand : A trip back in time!

Sudhir Mishra’s film ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ is a tumultuous love story of two young people adrift in the film industry of the 1950s.The movie, starring Shiney Ahuja , Soha Ali Khan , Rajat Kapoor and Sonya Jehan , is based on Sudhir Mishra ’s own experiences of the film industry and the stories he has heard about it.Don’t miss to see Shiney and Soha in their 1950s avatar at Khoya Khoya Chand .The film has Soha playing Nikhat, a fledgling actress who becomes a big star with help from a famous actor Prem Kumar (Rajat Kapoor). In return, Prem begins to use Nikhat.Shiney plays Zaffar, a writer-director who helps Nikhat to get free from the stranglehold of Prem. Soon, they fall in love. But things turn out in such a way that Nikhat finds herself trapped by Zaffar, who also begins to use her. ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ is the story of a volatile love that Zaffar and Nikhat can neither live with nor live without. It is the story of the difficult and often heartbreaking choices they have to make.The film spans a period from 1954 to 1965. It shows the transformation of an actress (Soha) from an 18-year-old girl to a 30-year-old woman as she goes from being a struggler to a starlet to a great heroine.Soha had to learn traditional Indian dance Kathak for her role in the film. All the actors had to learn Urdu for their roles.
Even as the backdrop of this film is period, it remains modern in its narrative, characterization and treatment. The film’s official website describes it as a tribute to those wondrous times (1950s) and its people, as well as an accolade to their inspirational lives.The film is set to release in December 2007.

When John Abraham behaved like an adolescent!

John Abraham shot a very unusual and unique scene for Anurag Kashyap’s movie No Smoking . The movie has John playing a chain smoker trying to kick the habit. There is a flashback scene in the film in which both John and his friend Ranvir Shorey are shown smoking their first cigarettes as adolescents.While any other filmmaker would have used child artistes or visual effects to shoot the scene, Anurag Kashyap , known for his experimental streak, decided to shoot the scene on John and Ranvir only.Instead of making the scene realistic, Kashyap apparently wanted it to give a farcical look.And rather than working on their physical appearance, Kashyap told John and Ranvir to act like juveniles.Both the actors stoked up their juvenile tendencies and began behaving like two 12-year-olds trying to smoke their first cigarette.Kashyap canned the shot and was happy with the result.In fact, he goes on to say that it is one of the best scenes in the film. Everyone who has seen it has liked it a lot.Another unusual thing about ‘No Smoking’ is that it has Ayesha Takia playing two roles – one as John’s wife and another as his secretary in office.

Salman Khan's dancing skills put to test

Superstar Salman Khan’s dancing skills have been put to test by the director and choreographer of the upcoming film Wanted Dead And Alive .Salman Khan is quite a decent dancer even if he is not in the same league as Hrithik Roshan . Sallu’s dances may not have nimble movements, but they have the right rhythm.And now that he is shooting for ‘Wanted Dead And Alive’ – the Hindi remake of Pokkiri being directed by Prabhu Deva – Sallu’s dancing skills have been put to severe test.It need not be said how good a dancer Prabhu Deva himself is. And reports say that during the shooting of songs, Prabhu keeps demanding more and more out of Sallu.Prabhu’s brother Raju Sundaram, an extremely good dancer, is choreographing Sallu’s dances in the film. And it is learnt that Raju has given Salman some really tough dance steps. In fact, reports say that while shooting a club song for the film, Salman struggled to get his dance steps right, so difficult and complicated they were.Not the one to give up so easily, Salman practiced hard until he got the steps right. The movie has Salman playing an undercover cop covertly working for an underworld gangster. Ayesha Takia plays Sallu’s love interest.‘Wanted’ is produced by Boney Kapoor .

Arshad Warsi scores an extra goal

Things became a little unpleasant on the sets of ‘Goal’ while shooting a scene at Karjat.Goal is a film based on football and it stars John Abraham , Arshad Warsi and Bipasha Basu in lead roles. A football match sequence was reportedly being shot at ND Studios at Karjat not long back when things got a bit tense between actor Raj Zutshi on the one hand and Arshad Warsi and director Vivek Agnihotri on the other.The scene was initially supposed to have Raj Zutshi scoring a crucial goal against the rival team. But Agnihotri had a change of mind. Instead of Raj, he decided to shoot the sequence on Arshad.This apparently angered Raj, who thought that Arshad was trying to steal the limelight from him. Sources say Raj had a heated argument with the director and he said some harsh words about Arshad, too.Agnihotri calmed Raj down and explained him that Arshad plays a more important character in the film and therefore he will score the goal.When questioned, the director says whatever change was made in the script was done for the betterment of the movie and not out of partiality towards any actor.

Sanjay Dutt to launch his own production house

Sanjay Dutt is going to launch his own film production house.Ever since the release of Shootout At Lokhandwala , Dutt as been distancing himself from White Feather Films, the production house that he ran along with good friend Sanjay Gupta .Gossip mills said it was probably due to some tiff with Gupta (due to alleged non payment of some of the crew of ‘Shootout’), but now it seems that Dutt had other plans.Yes, Dutt is looking forward to begin his own production house called Sanjay Dutt Productions Private Limited.Reports say Dutt will merge his late dad Sunil Dutt ’s defunct production house Ajanta Arts into his company. Moreover, Sanju’s sisters Priya and Namrata will also be involved in the company.Dutt says his plan to launch his own company doesn’t mean he is no longer a friend of Gupta.In fact, Gupta recently said that Dutt would soon shoot for his movie Alibaug .

The camaraderie between Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan

By Agencies Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan shares an amazing camaraderie and bonding with his son Abhishek Bachchan – the kind that is often seen between great buddies.
That Amitabh and Abhishek are extremely close to each other and often share a buddy like relationship was clearly evident when the father-son duo was recently shooting at the same venue on opposite sets. Both the units were left in splits with the father-son duo’s off-screen antics.
Amitabh was shooting for his film Bhootnath , while Abhishek was shooting for an ad film, both kept dropping by on the other’s sets to chill out and spend time with each other.Amitabh and Abhishek shared jokes, laughed and even mingled with each other’s units.On one occasion Amitabh was over at Abhishek’s sets and he was required to give a shot, so the director sent an assistant to call him. But the assistant unknowingly walked right into the middle of Abhishek’s shot and that was it as the junior Bachchan declared he too would go over and deliberately spoil his father’s shot.Of course a straight-faced Abhishek was kidding around; nonetheless he did go over to his father’s sets during a break. A source from the ‘Bhootnath’ sets claims “Abhi was hilarious, he came over and got into Big B’s costumes and got hold of the script. Next he asked for the cameras to start rolling and started saying Big B’s dialogues. The entire crew was in splits as they watched Abhi and even Big B was amused.”
An amused Amitabh even told the director “Oh you have got a new actor in my place; I should take your leave now.”All this was done in a light vein and the entire cast and crew of both units took it in the right spirit, moreover they were quite amused to see such awesome camaraderie and bonding between father and son.In fact, director of ‘Bhootnath’, Vivek Sharma says “It was a great experience to watch the great rapport that the father and son share and Abhi’s antics did have us all in splits.”

Priyanka Chopra injured during the shooting of 'Drona'

Priyanka Chopra tore a muscle while filming a stunt for an action-packed role in her new movie Drona , that stars Abhishek Bachchan in the title role.In the film Priyanka plays a bodyguard skilled in an ancient Sikh martial art, wielding a sword and a 'kirpan,' or dagger.
``I was doing a somersault when I felt something give way inside my rib cage,'' the newspaper quoted the former Miss World as saying. ``I've apparently suffered a tear in my abs.''Although Priyanka was advised to rest, her busy schedule did not permit a break for the next few weeks as she has dance scenes and more stunts to film.``It's so painful. I've no choice but to continue,'' Priyanka told the newspaper. ``I don't know how I'll manage.''Priyanka said she was enjoying shooting for the role in the thriller, ‘Drona’ and has been announcing: ``I'm armed and dangerous'' every time she arrives on the set.Abhishek plays a superhero in the film, which has Kay Kay Menon as the villain.

Shahid plans to win back Kareena's love?

Well, here is another interesting twist to the love story that has allegedly gone sour with the coming of another man in Kareena’s life.They may be keeping mum, but the brouhaha about the alleged break-off between Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur has still not died down. Adding to the speculation is the stoic stance that the couple has taken.
Kareena has still not come out in the open about Shahid ever since she has been linked with her Tashan co-star Saif Ali Khan . On the other hand, Shahid has been away in Toronto shooting for director Aziz Mirza’s next movie.Meanwhile, the gossip mills back home keep churning out more dope. There have been reports of Kareena and Saif being spotted together on several occasions. And the latest buzz from tinsel town is that Shahid Kapur has plans to fly down to Mumbai on Kareena’s birthday, which comes on September 20.Rumour has it that Shahid has been monitoring what has been written about the break off in the Indian media and has plans to win back Bebo’s love by throwing a surprise party on her birthday.The actor has reportedly been doing shopping in Canada and has been buying electronic gadgets that Bebo is fond of.Sources say Shahid not only wants to revive the relationship with Bebo by throwing a party on her birthday but he also wants to put an end to the speculation that his affair with her is a thing of past. Also, the two have to be together until the release of their forthcoming film Jab We Met to make sure that the movie is well received at the theatres.What remains to be seen is whether Saif will be invited to Bebo’s birthday party.

Kareena Kapoor 'desperate' to work with Shah Rukh Khan?

Riding on a string of flops, Kareena Kapoor seems to be desperate to work with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the hope of a hit.Kareena hasn’t had a real hit to her credit in her entire career, but still she is among the top actresses in Bollywood. What she is desperate for is a solo hit to her credit and in pursuance of that, Kareena is very eager to be part of Shankar’s SRK starrer, Robot .
So much so that Kareena paid a personal visit to SRK to convince him that she is just right for the role.After Asoka , Kareena hasn’t had a chance to act opposite SRK. The buzz is that she really wants to act opposite SRK.Ever since Kareena heard that SRK was the leading man of ‘Robot’, she immediately made up her mind to do that film too.Kareena visited SRK’s Bandra home, Mannat, and in the presence of Gauri Khan, said that she should be considered for the female lead in ‘Robot’.Kareena has always openly admitted that she is an ardent SRK fan. In fact, earlier, she went out of her way to accommodate ‘Asoka’ in her schedule to be part of the SRK project. They were then seen in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham but they weren’t opposite each other.Since then, Kareena wanted to work with SRK. Shankar’s ‘Robot’, she felt, was a good opportunity to work with SRK once again.Shankar had originally planned ‘Robot’ with Kamal Haasan in the lead. However, the role finally went to SRK. Although Shankar has chosen to remain secretive about the story of the film, but insiders have it that the film is a science fiction. It is a futuristic and stylish movie.Known to prepare painstakingly for roles, Kareena doesn’t shy from doing what it takes to deliver her performances. Obviously, she’s going the whole hog to ensure that this plum role, too, falls in her lap.

Sophie Choudhary eager to prove her acting mettle

Singer and veejay Sophie Choudhary is mostly known for her remixes. But the sensuous belle now wants to show her acting mettle also.Sophie is moving beyond marginal guest appearances in films. She is lapping up a variety of roles that require her to show her histrionics, to do deadly action scenes and to also tickle the funny bone.
Recently seen in Anant Mahadevan’s movie Aggar, Sophie is playing a character role in Sanjay Gupta’s movie Alibaug . Her character in the film is very much like her real self.“I play Nisha, a very strong and independent woman, much like my own self,” says Sophie.Apart from ‘Alibaug’, Sophie is doing an action role in Vikram Bhatt’s movie Speed .In the movie, she is paired with Aftab Shivdasani . She plays a villain’s moll who gets to do lots of heart-stopping action. “I am proud of all the stunts that I have done in ‘Speed’. For the first time, I got to kick, punch and swing before the camera,” says Sophie.Sophie believes that because she is a veejay and singer she can bring a lot of camera friendliness to her characters. On the music front, she is ready to cut her new album, which will have original tracks only.

Another beauty queen enters Bollywood

Miss India 2003, Nikita Anand is beginning her Bollywood career with an offbeat film.Even though Nikita has always been a movie buff, she never actually dreamed of a career in Bollywood because she wasn’t sure if she could act. So, after coming to limelight in 2003, Nikita kept herself busy with mere anchoring and show-hosting assignments.
Now, four years after she first tasted fame, Nikita is making her Bollywood debut in Prakash Jha’s production titled Dil Dosti Etc .In the film, Nikita plays Prerna, a city-bred girl who comes from a rich family and has a very modern outlook towards life. Nikita is paired with Shreyas Talpade in the film. Imaad Shah also plays an important role.Nikita says working in her first Bollywood movie has taught her a lot. She understood the nitty-gritty of filmmaking and understood her own strengths and limitations as an actor.In fact, Prakash Jha seems pretty impressed by Nikita’s work in the film. He calls her "the new surprise package for Bollywood".‘Dil Dosti Etc’ is set to release on September 28.

When Dhol co-stars pulled a prank on Tanushree

Tanushree Dutta became the butt of jokes by her co-stars in Priyadarshan’s movie Dhol .The movie, releasing today, has Tusshar Kapoor , Sharman Joshi , Kunal Khemu and Rajpal Yadav playing four good-for-nothing guys trying to woo Tanushree, who plays a rich girl.
While jokes were the order of the day throughout the film’s making, on the last day of shooting, Tusshar, Kunal and Rajpal decided to pull a major prank on Tanushree.That day, a MTV team had come to the sets to take an interview of the movie’s stars. The three male actors thought it was a golden chance to make a ‘Bakra’ of Tanushree.So whenever Tanushree was asked a question in the interview, one of the male stars would butt in and give a reply on her behalf. Again a question was put to Tanu and again the actors interrupted her and began speaking about their roles instead. Throughout the length of the interview, Tusshar, Kunal and Rajpal gave no chance to Tanushree to speak anything.In the end, a livid Tanushree stood up and walked out.That was when the three pranksters shouted out to her: “Bakra!”.Though Tanushree did not make a great deal of it, she definitely wasn’t pleased being at the receiving end of the prank.

Sonam Kapoor learns Latin American dances

Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam, who is making her debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie Saawariya, has been taking keen interest in learning Latin American dances.Sonam Kapoor was a plump and overweight girl when Sanjay Leela Bhansali told her that she would be the heroine of Saawariya. Thereafter, Sonam hit the gym with vengeance and transformed herself into an attractive, shapely girl in a matter of months.
And now that she is making her acting debut, Sonam is increasing her repertoire by learning exotic dances from Latin America.Sonam has been learning dances like salsa, samba, rumba, cha cha cha and waltz under dance expert Sandip Soparrkar for a couple of months now.Of all these dances Sonam is said to have a special flair for rumba, a soft, sensuous dance form from Cuba.Sonam’s training is still underway. On days when she is not able to visit Sandip, she calls him and asks him to send an instructor to her home.Sonam’s dance lessons will continue for at least a few months more.

Saif-Kareena: jab pyar kiya toh darna kya

Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan are not worried about being spotted together at public places.On Wednesday evening, Kareena released the music of her upcoming film Jab We Met on the sets of the Zee music show ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge’. She looked gorgeous in a red dress.
After the show got over, a car was seen pulling inside the parking lot of the studio. None other than Saif Ali Khan stepped out of the vehicle. Saif was not part of the programme but had come to pick up Bebo.A smiling Bebo was seen getting into Saif’s automobile and the couple drove out together.Reports say a little later they were seen dining together in a restaurant with good friend Karan Johar .Today, there is every reason for Bebo to celebrate because it is her birthday on September 21. Meanwhile, Shahid Kapur is away in Toronto shooting for a movie. Doesn’t really matter! Saif is close by.

Shilpa Shetty – the coolest one

According to the 'Cool Brands Council' in Britain, Shilpa Shetty is "one of the coolest things to happen to humankind over the last year".Yes, Shilpa has joined an exclusive list of the 'coolest celebrities' chosen by the British public and the Council – a group of style gurus, designers and commentators from Britain.
This puts her amongst the likes of world famous sportsman David Beckham, supermodel Kate Moss and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and makes her the first Indian ever to bag this honour.No wonder Shilpa's indefatigable publicist Dale Bhagwagar is beaming with enthusiasm. "Wow. So now, India's 'hottest figure' is Britain's 'coolest girl'," he exclaims with a broad smile. "That's some kinda temperature fluctuation, but being her publicist, I simply love it," he adds."Shilpa isn't aware of this list yet, but it sure would be flattering for her," quips the PR expert."Shilpa was already a big name in India before 'Big Brother' happened. She has had her lot of die-hard fans; some for her acting abilities, some for her sex appeal, some for her dusky looks, some for her perfect physique and some for her dance talents. It's just that after 'Big Brother', her popularity zoomed worldwide. It was kind of a transition of her image from actress to diva.Actually, it is her fans and public, who have put her on this pedestal. She's remained the same person. But perceptions have changed. Suddenly, everyone expects the world out of her," the publicist comments.So does he believe, Shilpa will be able to live up to these great expectations? "I guess, she's doing fine on the progress chart. One step at a time – and strong steps, indeed. Two of her movies, Metro and Apne , released this year.'Metro' got her a lot of critical acclaim and proved to be a big success at the box-office, while 'Apne' did extremely well in North India. Since then, she launched her perfume S2 in UK; delved into production and made a DVD video on yoga for the UK and Dubai market under her banner S2 Global Productions; walked the ramp for Tarun Tahiliani at the Fashion Week in Delhi and recently presented the 'One X One Difference Award' to Richard Gere at a grand fund-raising charity event in Toronto.So the tag of the coolest celebrity is yet another feather in Shilpa's illustrious cap.

Abhishek Bachchan endorses Flying Machine

Machine or no machine, Abhishek Bachchan’s career is really flying high. A series of topnotch endorsements and Abhishek is now endorsing Flying Machine jeans.
Why Flying Machine, I ask him as he heads for the shooting of Goldie Behl’s Drona. “I really believe Flying Machine jeans are world class. I find them truly international in quality. And that’s where they plan to take the brand. I feel Flying Machine has the potential to go global in a big way. And if I can help in taking just that bit of our country’s potential abroad then I feel happy and privileged about it.”
So does the denim brand intend to make Abhishek the global face of Flying Machine? “They do. And I feel good about it. Because I’m furthering the cause of a product I truly believe in,” says Abhishek, and adds that he won’t endorse products he doesn’t believe in.
Brainstorming is now on for the first Flying Machine ad. “I’m of course in the loop. I’m taken into confidence as to who would shoot the ad and other details. It’s so gratifying to work with these young ad makers, many of whom finally come into making movies, Pradeep Sarkar (with whom I’ve done ads and now a film) and Balki being the latest examples of ad makers turned feature-film makers. These guys are really talented.”
How different is the experience of doing an ad from a feature film? Abhishek mulls over that one. “I think it’s far tougher doing an ad. With two minutes one has to say what one gets to say in nearly three hours in movies. So yes, I enjoy doing ads. Flying Machine is a special challenge. Because here I’m going to be instrumental in taking the product ahead of where it is. Hopefully, far ahead.”

Vidya: I don’t look older than Shahid

“Who says I look incompatible with Shahid?” Vidya for once protests beyond her mild nature about their pairing in Aziz Mirza’s latest which she’s currently shooting abroad.
Her co-stars range from Saif and John to Ajay, Akshay Kumar and Shahid.
“But my Prince Charming will have to be away from the industry,” the vivacious Vidya warns.
She is now enjoying working with Shahid Kapoor. ” I loved working with his father Pankaj Kapoor in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Halla Bol. And I think Shahid is a bundle of talent.”
“We’re doing Aziz Mirza’s film together. Aziz Saab makes such wonderful working-class romances. As for Shahid, people are raising the question of our on-screen compatibility. All I’ll say is, wait and see.”
Remind her that she resembles Aziz Mirza’s favourite heroine Juhi Chawla, and Vidya laughed delightedly. ” Juhi and I do have the same business manager (K.S. Sanjay). I love Aziz Saab’s Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Yes Boss.
The one I’m doing with him is such a sweet and tender film. They’re entertaining and socially conscious. I’m blessed to be working with directors like Mani Ratnam, Raj Santoshi and Aziz Mirza.”
As for her much-discussed bonding with John, Vidya brushes it off as… “Only a professional relationship. After Salaam-e-Ishq we’re doing one more film together. We don’t share a social life after working hours. But I guess since we had lots of fun on the sets, people have been talking about our bonding.
I just hope people don’t start whispering about me and Shahid. Such loose talk gets awkward when your co-star is attached elsewhere. “

‘Ash looks best sans makeup’

In his usual restless manner Ramu has already moved on to his next project, a sequel to Sarkar which he starts shooting in July and in which he plans to portray Aishwarya Rai as never before.
“She will shock audiences. To say she’ll be portrayed like never before would be an understatement. It would qualify as a totally unexpected character from her. Nobody would expect a looker like her to portray such a dark character.
In brief, I want to project her as the opposite of what Sanjay Bhansali did. Her beauty won”t be enchanced by filters and shaded lighting. She’ll be totally without makeup. And that’s when I think she looks her best.”
Ask him if lookers can be brilliant actors, and Ramu quips, “Bad-looking people console themselves by believing only they can be good actors. If I had to be choose between a looker and an actor I’d go for a looker.
Good actors are a dime-a-dozen. Lookers are rare. Sure, my characters are scruffy. I like real people. And the more real she looks the more beautiful Aishwarya will be.”
Why is he in such a hurry to start Sarkar 2? “Because I sat under a tree and I was enlightened. Jokes aside, Sholay is over for me. Why should I waste my time over release -technicalities? But Sholay is a fun film. Sarkar 2 is again a dark high-intensity drama, far more dramatic than the first Sarkar.”
He divulges the plot for the first time. “It basically starts a few years after the first part. Mr Bachchan’s character’s powers are completely consolidated. Though semi-retired, he’d continue to rule from behind the scenes.”
There’s more shock value awaiting the unsuspected, when Ramu confesses his Sholay has moved as far away from the original as possible.
” I did what I wanted to do. One has to look at the genre to which Sholay belongs. It’s in the same league as The Seven Samurai, The Magnificent 7 and Five -Man Army.
The earlier Sholay was inspired by those films. And I ‘m also inspired by them. If that Sholay was set in rural India, this one moves to a highly urbanized Mumbai.”
He then elaborates on his interpretative instincts. “See, my Bhoot was a remake of Raat. And both were inspired by The Exorcist. Do you see any similarity between my Sarkar and The Godfather?
By the same logic there’s as much Sholay in my Sholay as there’s Godfather in my Sarkar. I’d describe Sholay as potboiler..”
Ramu brushes off the allegation that he has moved Sholay to his comfort zone. “You mean the underworld? I don’t think Ab Tak Chappan or Sarkar has anything to do with the underworld. Since my films have a raw edge and since I like to locate my plots in the darker regions people presume I revel in the underworld.
Sholay was set in the underworld but not like Satya. Just like a cop picture can be as varied as Zanjeer and Ab Tak Chappan, an underworld film can go from my Satya to Sholay. Sholay certainly didn’t belong in the company of Company.”

Farah’s pregnant & I delivered

There’s much jubilation in the Khan family. While sister Farah is going to be a mother, brother Sajid’s film has turned into a massive success.
Sajid gets emotional. “If Farah is glowing these days it’s with reason. She’s pregnant and her brother has delivered his ‘baby’. So she’s happy. I’ve seen portions of her forthcoming film.
She’s got a huge blockbuster on her hands. If we’ve to compete for the awards this year, I’d want her to get them. I always want Farah to be happier than I am.”
More emotional confession from the film industry’s incorrigible wag. “The three heroes played by Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Fardeen Khan are an amalgamation of me. I treat women as callously as Akshay does in my film.
Now I’m 36 and I’m tired of playing the field. But I won’t get married. I can’t force myself to settle down. I don’t think any one woman can accept my lifestyle and my passion for movies.”
The critical response has been surprising. “Yes, I’m surprised by the good reviews considering I’ve made a profession of talking about films on television.
But one thing to be noted is I never talked about the personal lives, only films. Today all they talk about is who’s sleeping with whom.I wouldn’t spare my own or Farah’s films if I don’t like them.”
Expectations were riding high, considering Sajid posed as a know-all about cinema for years. “But my producer Sajid Nadiadwala marketed my film so well. He handled it like any A-grade films. All my actors agreed to do the film because of my producer’s goodwill and also because they knew me for years.
Akshay Kumar, I know from 1996. We used to do stage shows together. I had promised Akshay, Riteish, Fardeen and my producer Nadiadwala that whenever I direct a film they’d be part of it and I’d give them the biggest hit of their career.
And that’s what I feel triumphant about…guys, you did me a huge favour by doing this film. But I don’t owe you anything anymore. I’m very happy that I’ve given Sajid Nadiadwala who’s like family to me and my sister, the biggest hit of his banner. Heyy Babyy should gross around 150 crore rupees worldwide.”
In the same breath Sajid says, “But it isn’t about money. You think Yashraj Films makes movies for money? They make films to please audiences and critics? Luckily my film has done that. I got 85 percent A-grade reviews.”
Sajid confesses he attempted to do a Munnabhai in Heyy Babyy. “If you remember all the trailers of Munnabhai were comic. I knew I’d surprise them with my emotional content..
If you go for a pao-bhaji and get served a juice and a paan, you felt good. The minute the audiences, male or female, saw the baby they wanted to hug her,yaar! The star of the film was the baby.”