T-Series bags Lions Gold Award as India’s Best Music Company

Music giant, T-Series, has bagged the 14th Lions Gold Awards 2007 as ‘India’s Best Music Company Award’ this year.
Held at Vile Parle, Mumbai, Lions of SOL Mumbai felicitated T-series at a function last night in an entertaining evening celebrating the achievers in various categories in entertainment. T-Series won the Award for Lion’s Favourite India’s Best Music Company and Divya Khosla Kumar accepted the magnificent award on behalf of T-Series. T-Series has produced music albums of many hit films this year such as Om Shanti Om, Bhool Bhulaiyaa etc and have produced the album for Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par as well.

Games that Katrina’s playing

Katrina Kaif gave tough time to her male co-stars over the chessboard on the sets of Race.
Here is an example of beauty with brains. Katrina Kaif, the pretty damsel with a killer smile, often locked her brains with co-star Akshaye Khanna over the game of chess while shooting for the Abbas-Mastan thriller.
According to reports, since the breaks in between the shots were long, it was Akshaye who took the initiative and invited co-stars for games of chess. Katrina Kaif, needless to say, was all game for it.
Though she knew a few of the moves, she reportedly learnt the game in detail from Akshaye.
And within days, she acquired a good command over chess. She would even dare to play the gambit or camouflage her attack while playing with Akshaye, who in turn was pretty impressed by Katrina’s grasp over chess.
In fact, she almost ended up beating Akshaye in a game.
Even Saif Ali Khan could not resist the temptation and would often join in.
‘Race’ is a thriller starring a host of actors. Apart from Akshaye, Katrina and Saif, the film stars Bipasha Basu, Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy.

No one is using Esha properly

The ethereal Hema Malini is getting worried about her daughter.
“No one is able to use Esha properly. I want to produce a film where Esha will play the lead and Ahana will get into production. It’s time Ahana got a chance to prove herself behind the camera.
I must start a production house right now and get both our daughters involved. Even Dharamji feels it’s important for me to give them that home start.”
Talk of Dharamji lights up Hema. “Do you know he shares a terrific rapport with Ahana? He’s very worried about what she’ll finally do. And he loves Esha so much.
For the first time he typed out an SMS to send to Esha in South Africa when he couldn’t get through on the phone. I checked with Esha to make sure she got it. It was a very precious moment for us.”
Talk veers to Ram Gopal Varma’s Sholay. “Dharamji told Ramu that if his The hunt is already on for a good script-writer who can develop an idea that Hema has for a film featuring her and Esha. “That’s my top priority now.”

Deepika now Saif’s eyecandy

Now it’s Saif’s turn to become become a producer and like his good friend SRK, chhote nawab is also looking forward to cast Deepika ‘Shanti’ Padukone in a lead role opposite him.
The actor has already finalized a project titled ‘Agent Vinod’, to be directed by Sriram Raghavan next year. In all likelihood, the film will star Saif’s latest flame Kareena Kapoor.
But now, rumours have it that Saif is eager to start another film before ‘Agent Vinod’. The actor has reportedly been impressed by director Imtiaz Ali ’s work in Jab We Met and has been discussing several scripts with him.
And Deepika Padukone, who made her dream debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om, is under consideration for the lead role in the film.
Saif says the cast of the film will be announced once the script is ready.
On a different film, Deepika is all set to do a film with Akshay Kumar. The flick will be directed by Nikhil Advani and produced by Rohan Sippy.

It is my last comdey: Akshay

Having gone through a super successful year with three top-ranking comedies, Namastey London, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Akshay Kumar is gearing up for the release of Welcome, his next big laugh-out-loud comedy, releasing on December 20 worldwide.
Welcome, being touted as the biggest release of Eid and Christmas, marks the return of the Akshay-Katrina pairing for a third time, besides assembling the biggest ensemble cast comprising Paresh Rawal, Anil Kapoor, Feroz Khan, Nana Patekar & Mallika Sherawat under one roof.
Akshay, shooting for Singh Is King in Australia at present, laughs, “Earlier, everyone said I was synonymous with action. I bagged the khiladi tag. Now with my last few films being successful comedies, I’ve become synonymous with comedy!”
Ask him about his hit run at the box-office this year, he smiles, “I’m happy that the three comedies I did this year had the box-office laughing. Welcome is the king of them all! It’s a laugh-riot from the word go and I hope everyone enjoys it during the festive season as it is my last major comedy of 2007!”
So is Akshay bidding adieu to comedy? “Not at all! Comedy comes as naturally to me as action! Next year I have a variety of films on the anvil.
I am getting back to action with Chandni Chowk To China and Tashan. But for my now I want everyone to concentrate on Welcome and welcome the new year with a bang!” he signs off.

Aamir-Amitabh: War of words

Big B Aamir Khan war of words is heating up everyday. Aamir in a recent media interview panned director Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his handling of the film Black terming it ‘insensitive and manipulative.’ He also termed the performances of the actors ‘over the top’.
The criticism did not go down well with Amitabh Bachchan. In an interview with a tabloid he was asked what he thought about Aamir’s ‘over the top’ remark.
“I cannot comment whether my performance was towering or not, but Aamir may be right on the other maybe the performances did go ‘over the top’ of his head!” Amitabh responded.
In his response to Bachchan’s outburst, Aamir Khan posted a blog entry that was calm and matter of fact.
“I have the highest regard for Mr Bachchan and I am very big fan of his work. Probably one of the biggest. I believe that he along with Mr Dilip Kumar are among my two favourite actors of Indian Cimema.
I have no hesitation in saying that I don”t even feature on the same platform as an actor. He is also in my opinion THE biggest star that Indian Cinema has ever seen.”
Putting his comments on Black in perspective Aamir continues,
“My big exception towards Black is the fact that a child with severe difficulties is shown being ill treated instead of being treated with love, care and understanding. I simply cannot come to terms with that no matter what the writer and director say in defence.”

Mallika rubs Katrina wrong way

Mallika Sherawat films may not be making any dent at box office but the motor mouth actress is quite an item at the sets these days.
In her Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam Tanaaz Lal plays a simple, non-glamourous Haryanawi girl. But it is one thing to dress like a Haryanawi gal and another to talk like one. Tanaaz encountered more than minor hurdles while getting her Haryanawi lingo right.
That is where Mallika came in.
After observing that Tanaaz was not able to get the vernacular right, Mallika volunteered to gave her a crash course in Haryanawi. Mallika taught Tanaaz the pronunciation and phonetic intonations of the language. She also taught her new words, some of them dirty ones, to broaden Tanaaz’s vocabulary.
Every day Mallika would check on Tanaaz’s diction and give her inputs to improve the same.
Says Tanaaz, “Mallika helped me with intonation, and then she taught me which words or letters to stress on. Haryanvi is very different from the Hindi that we speak. We bonded very well over this. I am a fast learner, too, and I am glad that she was impressed with me, finally. She was of great help, for sure.”
But poor Katrina Kaif, Mallika’s Welcome co-star, didn’t get to see jat girl’s kind avatar. It was like cold war going on between the hotties.
The insiders reveal that Mallika tried to copy Katrina costumes and hairstyles which made Kat quite angry. But obviously Sherawat kept finding new ways to rub Katrina up the wrong way. She has also been imitating Katrina’s British accent on and off the sets.
Apart from the two women, ‘Welcome’ boasts of a big star cast that includes Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Feroze Khan and Nana Patekar.

Kareena features in a music video

After the success of Jab We Met Kareena Kapoor has become hot property in the film industry. Though Kareena was last seen in an item song ‘Its Rocking’ for the film Kya Love Story Hai she now features in a private music video for the first time. The video is directed by Sangeeth Sivan and is produced by Saregama India Ltd.
The song ‘Bedhadak Bade Nazdikiyan’ showcases Kareena getting up close and intimate with special close-ups of the hair as its clearly even promoting Head & Shoulders. The entire shoot is done with a combination of white and black in mind. Kareena looks cool in the video with an international model look maintained in the video. The song is rather buoyant and will catch on soon. The logo of Head & Shoulders is displayed in the video at regular intervals. It is an interesting way to advertise and run a product campaign. Singer Suzanne has sung the track, which was composed by Pritam who incidentally had even composed the songs of Jab We Met.
The album, also titled ‘Bedhadak Bade Nazdikiyan’, is a compilation of the title track and other hits from the Saregama library.

I can’t kiss on screen:Madhuri

Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit, who scorched celluloid with her sheer elegance and histrionics till her marriage to an Indian doctor in the US five years ago, is on a comebak trail, ready to sizzle the screen once again.
”I never thought that marriage ends anyone’s career. I got married, I never thought I was going to leave films or I am going to give up anything. I got married and had kids and so I had to take that break.
”And when I found a good script and the time to do it, then I said yes, went ahead and I did it. But I don’t think marriage should end anybody’s career,” she told NDTV in an interview.
The 42-year-old actress is to renew her liaison with Bollywood by starring in ‘Aa Ja Nach Le’, featuring Kunal Kapoor in the lead.
During the interview, given to Mr Pranab Roy, a glowing Madhuri Dixit speaks about her life in America, her kids, her take on Bollywood and her favourite actors.
The interview is to be telecast tomorrow at 2200 hrs and repeat telecast on December 2 at 1000 hrs.
Looking fit, young and vibrant, Madhuri said she was all praise for the Khan trio — Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman — the reigning superstars, with whom she paired while she was the indubitable empress of Bollywood.
”Shah Rukh Khan is full of energy and he is someone you can talk to on any topic in the world as he has a lot to say and he knows about a lot of stuff. He is not just a one-sided kind of personality, he is very rounded. He knows about everything; from computers to anything you have.
He is very intelligent and has a lot of ideas, and I like the way he comes up with all these ideas and that he is never sitting still.” About Aamir Khan, she said she had done just two films with him and enjoyed working with the actor.
”He is a very good actor and is always energetic. Aamir is slightly different from others; he takes his time and wants to make everything sure. He is very methodic and likes to do things in his own way. So that makes him very different.” She was also full of praises for Salman Khan.
”I have worked with Salman and he is also a good actor. You never know with him, when he is on the sets, whether he is paying attention to what you are doing, but he just carries the roles so well. When it comes to the work, he knows what he is doing.”
Asked whether she wanted to act in Hollywood, she said: ”Not really, not yet. Though, I was asked for a few projects. There was a serial called ‘West Wing’ and they had something in there. But I could not do it, because I was pregnant with my second son at that time and so I said, sorry.”
Dixit has made a much-awaited comeback to Bollywood after a five year hiatus.
Asked about kissing on screen, she quipped: ”No, No, No. And that’s a personal choice. I don’t know, if it’s an Indian thing or not. I won’t be comfortable you know. No, I don’t have anything against it. It’s ok, you know. But not now…no.”
About her family and life in America, the actress said it was just wonderful. ”Everybody has dreams about what they are going to do and their ambitions and so on. For me, because we come from a big family, where we are four siblings and grew up together, family has been very important to me.
Family was a big part of my dream that I dreamt for myself. Having my own family, having kids, and stuff like that.” She said she was living in a place where the mountains were just 90 minutes away.
”We go to the mountains and get my son to ski. My husband skies very well. So, this winter, I am thinking that I am going to learn skiing.” To a query whether she would allow her sons to become actors, she said she would not mind.
”I wouldn’t mind if my kids want to be actors, they can be actors; if they want to be doctors, they can be doctors and even if they want to do a 9 to 5 job and say I am happy doing this.” She said her husband is ”very relaxed and very chilled out”.
”He loves sport and the outdoors and there is lot of mountain biking that we do together and we go snorkeling and we do all that kind of stuff. We don’t get to party a lot because he is on call every other day, but we still have fun with our kids when we go out.”

Koena to Bloom with Orlando!

Koena Mitra is all set to share screen space with British actor Orlando Bloom in English film ‘Karna’, which will be produced by Pritish Nandy Communications.
The film that is scheduled for release next year and is peppered with a lot of fight sequences will portray the athletic actress as a superwoman. “I have been to Beijing and Hong Kong for the special training”, says Koena without revealing much details about the new venture.
Meanwhile, at the home front, Koena is playing a ‘meaty’ role in an Anant Mahadevan directed thriller ‘Anamika,’ based on the novel ‘Rebecca.’
“I am also working with two new directors and the films are in a nascent stage right now,” says the ‘Khullam Khulla’ girl, the song from the film ‘Road’ which shot her into glamourdom.
In the five years since she came under public spotlight, she has tried her hand at acting, modelling, stage shows and public appearances.
Looking back at her momentous years in the glamour industry, Koena believes that she has meticulously waited and worked to get big banner films.
“I think big banner names have an added advantage of getting a good response from the audience but one has to work hard also because even such films can fall flat. I have rejected a lot of films and item songs and I think that has been a wise decision,” Koena says

Ash & Deepika form K brigade

Once can be termed a fluke. The second makes a point and the third time its validation. Aishwarya Rai, then Shilpa Shetty and now Deepika Padukone, the three damsels from Karnataka have captured the imagination of the Bombay film industry.
Their dancing skills, chiseled bodies, large limpid eyes, perfect diction and dialogue delivery, dignified demeanor has the industry and viewers accepting the fact that Kannadigas have more to offer than Deve Gowda and rava dosai.
There is yet another K factor. If you combine a KK (Karnataka Kudi) with another K (khan) well you get sparkles. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam had the KK plus K combine of Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan and that raked in huge moolah and Om Shanti Om has the KK plus K of Deepika Padukone and Shahrukh Khan, and what a blockbuster that one is.
That brings us to the other Karnataka Kudi, Shilpa Shetty. She has managed to melt the icy Brit hearts. So far, the Brits thought that only Udupi cuisine is what came out of Mangalore, that coastal city (mind it, its not a town) in Karnataka. Not so. This hot Kannadiga lady has shown that Mangalore has ice (Aishwarya) and fire (Shilpa). Now beat that.
But why call them ‘kudis’ which is the Punjabi word for ‘lass’ you might ask…because they can do the Punjabi thumak better than the Punjabi leading ladies of today.
Watch Shilpa Shetty gyrating in OSO and see the Punjabi kudi Karishma Kapoor shaking her head and bobbing her knee….what was Farah Khan thinking? See Aishawarya doing the gidda in Bride and Prejudice and look at the dancing of Priyanka Chopra or Lara Datta.
There is grace and vigor in Aishwarya, but in Priyanka and Lara’s style its in your face heaving and jumping and lip biting. And what about the new K entrant Deepika Padukone who is disarmingly charming as ‘dreamy girl’. Her poise and innocent looks are signs that she is “lambi race ka ghoda (ghodi?)”.
So, whereas there will always be room for Kareenas and Poojas of the film industry, the reigning queen will always be from the Deccan, whether it is Vijayanti Mala Bali, Hema Malini, Rekha or Vidya Balan.
Maybe, it can be loaned for a while to bong bombshells like Rakhee, Sharmila Tagore, Kajol or Rani.

Sush found me very seductive

Most young actors her age seem far more sure of what they want. Amrita seems to be unsure about where to go after her initial success in Ishq Vishq and Main Hoon Na. After going ‘grung’-ho in Main Hoon Na she played a simple girl-next-door opposite her Ishq Vishq hero Shahid Kapoor in Shikhar.
Big mistake. And now as though to rectify the white fright she plays a blushing bride-to-be to Shahid in Sooraj-ji’s Vivah.
Sooraj, desperate for a comeback vehicle after the botched Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon was sold on Amrita from the start when he saw her in Raj Santoshi’s The Legend Of Bhagat Singh. For the hero’s role Rajshri protégé Sammir Dattani was a prime contender.
Amrita is flattered. “The way Rajshris present their heroines is very very complimentary. Vivah is the best thing that could’ve happened to my career. It’s a big opportunity for all involved with the film.
My fingers are crossed. Vivah is unlike any of Sooraj-ji’s films. Very unlike Hum Aapke Hain Kaun or Maine Pyar Kiyai. It’s an entirely new situation. We had so much fun working with Sooraj-ji.”
Post-Vivah Amrita has E Niwas’ My Name Is Anthony Gonsalvez where she has newcomer Nikhil Diwedi opposite her.
“I’m fortunate to have worked with a lot of very good directors. Every actor wants her director to be completely sure of what he wants. E Niwas is like that. Everything is planned. It’s a pleasure working with him.
I’ve been going slow and steady with the projects. There’s no tearing hurry to get anywhere. I’d rather do quality work.”
Amrita defends her inhibited old-world image. “But how I dress and behave depends completely on the role, situation and director. Even in Vivah I had a completely Indian look.
So far I wasn’t required to be presented in any other way except what I’m most comfortable with. I guess I’m very fortunate. What if those kinds of roles weren’t offered to me? God has been kind.
However there’re no hard and fast dos and don’ts in this industry. I didn’t sit and plan my moves from Ishq Vishq to Vivah. I’m just flowing along. “
What about the ultra-seductive number with Akshaye Khanna in Milan Luthria’s Deewaar?
Amrita gets convenient amnesia about the erotic number. “You’ll be surprised how many people found me good. Even Sushmita Sen said I had done it so beautifully. I’ve been fortunate to have Saroj Khan-ji as my choreographer right from my first film.”
Why so little output? “Whatever my heart says I’ve done. Even Indra Kumar’s Pyare Mohan…Hit or flop isn’t in anybody’s hand. I enjoyed myself thoroughly doing Pyare Mohan. I got to work with Induji and Viveik again after Mast.”
So far Amrita loves the film industry. “I’ve only worked with people who are nice. I’ve worked with big stars like Ajay Devgan in Bhagat Singh, and they’ve all been wonderful. I never expected to work in Ajay again in Masti and Shikhar. Actors like him make us youngsters feel welcome.”

Of course I am in Love: Preity Zinta

Look at it this way. Preity Zinta must be the only female actor in the world who has played the unwed mother twice, once at the beginning of her career in Kya Kehna and then again in the middle of her career.
….Presuming Salaam Namaste and Jhoom Barabaar Jhoom are the midriff of her body of work. Preity has always made it clear she would never stay on after marriage. “Once I’ll be out, I’ll be out,” she has told me a number of times.
That’s one thing about Preity Zinta. She has remained consistent in her beliefs, thoroughly unconfused about what she wants from life. Like all Aquarians Preity is a very gregarious soul.
Like Abhishek she chatters like no Chatter-ji except perhaps Moushumi. But like Abhishek, Preity pulls down a don’t-mess-with-me warning-sign the minute anyone tries to act over-familiar with her.
Having known both for some years I can tell you one thing. Neither Abhishek nor Preity will tell you anything that they don’t want to. So do NOT try to cross their lakshman-rekhas.
Is Preity seeing Ness Wadia? Of course she is! And she’s certainly not hiding her love under coy pretences (being coy is just not Preity’s scene). She loves to be in love. And she doesn’t need to hide it. But there’s just that little bit of reserve and restraint about her private life.
“It isn’t right for me to let the world know what I’m doing every minute of the day. Every human-being is entitled to a space where no one comes between me and myself, not even a spouse,” says Preity.
A private person, yet so exuberant and boisterous… Preity is almost like a twin-sister to fellow-Aquarian Urmila Matondkar. They’re strikingly alike in their reserved gregariousness.
When I first got to know Preity she was seeing model Marc Robinson. Before she could ‘graduate’ into being Mrs Robinson Preity had moved on in life, had acquired a new poise and a new set of friends.
Preity instinctively makes all the right choices in life without compromising with her principles.
For five years after Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se (where she unabashedly asked Shah Rukh if he was a virgin) Preity and Shah Rukh didn’t co-star because of a difference of opinion.
“My first release Dil Se was with him. We didn’t work together thereafter. There was a bit of a misunderstanding. We weren’t fighting or anything. We both stood our ground. I think we just let each other be,” Preity told me after she signed Kal Ho Na Ho with Shah Rukh.
This lady likes to stand her ground. She did so when she was supposed to testify against underworld threat in Bollywood. Almost every witness in the extortion cases against the underworld turned hostile. Not Preity. At the risk of being caused immense bodily harm she did the right thing in the court.
Doing the right thing is imperative to Preity’s existence as a humanbeing and a professional. “No compromises on principles and on quality of the work,” has always been her motto.
“There have been times when I’ve had to tell the director, ‘Sorry, Sir. But the same emotion can be done differently. Why do we have to be so tacky?’ But such problems hardly prop up. When they do, my directors have invariably sambhaloed my character.
For me as an actor, it’s very important to have the complete script with me before I agree to do a film. Most of the time I do get my way. And I’m thankful to God for that. There have been lots of times when I’ve said no to seemingly lucrative offers. I’ve been told what a fool I am.
But I’d rather go by my convictions. This is me, and I’ve to be true to myself. I’ve to comfortable with what I do. When I become old I want my children and grandchildren to look proudly at my body of work. Imagine my kids turning to me and saying, ‘Oh God! Why did you do that?’
Question her about her indomitable stance against the underworld, and she shrugs off the role of a crusader. ” There’re times when you’ve to do things not to prove anything to others, but to yourself.
This was one of those times. I didn’t do it it to feel brave. But because I thought it was about time someone stood up to speak against what’s bothering all of us in the film industry.”
Actor, crusader, columnist (she was writing a column on the film industry for BBC.com) Preity waltzes through all her roles in life spontaneously. Whether playing the martyr in The Hero or the vamp in Armaan, she seems to enjoy every minute of her character’s existence.
Repressed (Kal Ho Na Ho) or boisterous (Salaam Namaste ) here’s an actress who knows her mind and exercizes it to constantly improve herself.
“I love to live for the moment. But I don’t let the moment take over my life. I love a clean city, home and heart….not necessarily in that order,” she giggles pleasurably.

‘It is OK to be killed by Big B’

Veejay for six years, Gaurav Kapoor, with no connections whatsoever to the film industry, has decided to take a serious shot at film acting.
“Six years is a long time on television. I can’t say I’m bored with veejaying. But I need to move on. I’d love to change lanes. Ramu’s cinema seemed to be my best bet. And what better opportunity than to be in the greatest story ever told…re-told?”
Gaurav recalls his excitement when Ramu summoned him to play Ahmed, A.K.Hangal’s young Muslim son played by Sachin in the original Sholay..
“I wondered why Shreyas Talpade had turned it down! I told Ramuji I’d play Basanti’s horse Dhanno if he asked me to. I mean, this is Sholay, man!
I’m the only one of the cast who wasn’t born when it was released. Over the years Sholay has become a cult film. People don’t watch the film. They watch their favourite scenes over and over.”
Gaurav was selected because Ramu wanted someone who was innocent-looking yet mischievous. He points out a very interesting coincidence about his abbreviated career as a film actor.
“I died in my first two films Darna Manaa Hai and Shhhhh. In fact I nearly died in real life during Shhhhh when the car carrying me, Dino Morea and Tanisha crashed. And I died in Sholay.
When I told my mother this—you know how mothers are—she said, ‘Don’t die in this one, Beta’ But when I told her whose hands (Amitabh Bachchan) I died she said it was okay.”
“But jokes apart, I need to work on my body to be more celluloid-worthy.”
In the new version of Sholay, Gaurav actually had a full-blown confrontation scene with the Big B. “There was no confrontation between Gabbar Singh and Ahmed in Ramesh Sippy’s film. That should give you an indication on where Ramu is heading.
I shot with THE Amitabh Bachchan and he was so gracious. I’ve earlier interviewed him for his films on television. But this was different. I was nervous as hell. After our scenes he was kind enough to tell me I did fine.
Actually I can’t figure out why Shreyas Talpade decided not to do Ahmed’s role. I guess people have their own reason for doing what they do. Shreyas’ loss is my gain. Ramu and I go back to Darna Manaa Hai where I played one of the narrators.
That’s the kind of cinema I’d like to be associated with …maybe films with an ensemble cast where I get to do well- etched roles.”

What awaits Sanju at home…

Priya Dutt, the Congress MP and sister of film actor Sanjay Dutt, today said that no special preparations are being made for her brother’s return from Pune’s Yerwada jail after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Commenting minutes after Sanjay got bail in a case connected with the 1993 Mumbai blasts, Priya said, “A good homemade food and a good bed for him (Sanjay) to sleep are all he would be provided with, when he returns home.”
She said that her family’s struggle would continue as Dutts have already filed a case in the Supreme Court challenging the special TADA court’s verdict that convicted Sanjay for illegally possessing weapons and awarded him six years of Rigorous Imprisonment under Arms Act.
Thanking God, people of the country and media for being supportive to them, Priya said that it would take three or more days for the legal formalities to complete before Sanjay is released from Pune’s Yerwada jail on bail.
Regarding her brother, who has been in the Pune jail since October 22 when he surrendered to the court after his interim bail came to an end, Priya said that Sanjay has been very brave and every family member gave each other strength and courage.
She refused to say anything about the actor’s future film assignment, saying that she is not involved with his professional commitments.
Sanjay’s colleagues and few of his friends are expected to receive him at the Yerwada jail when he would be released.
He had spent 22 days at the same jail in August, before he received the interim bail by the Supreme Court on August 20.
Meanwhile, yesteryears’ noted actress Saira Banu said that she had no words to express her happiness about hearing Sanjay’s bail, and said that hopefully he would be able to celebrate New Year with his family members and friends since he failed to get the bail before Diwali.

Akki’s new look angers Sikhs!

Akshay Kumar is in trouble for his Sikh look in Vipul Shah’s film Singh Is King.
From the time the first promotional still of the film was released, there have been voices of dissent over Akshay’s look in the film. The clean-shaven face under a trendy turban did not really make Akshay look like a true Singh.
And now, another photograph of Akshay from the film’s sets in Australia has met with objections. The image was reportedly taken by the paparazzi and posted on the Internet.
Locals from Punjabi community in Australia have particularly expressed their displeasure over the way Akshay is wearing a turban in the photo.
However, director Vipul Shah insists that the photo does not depict Akki’s real look in the film. It was taken without permission.
Shah says Akshay is himself a Punjabi and is working in close coordination with stylist Shabina Khan for his look in the film. Apart from this, a local Sikh is always on the sets to guide Akshay about how to wear a turban.
Vipul also makes it clear that his film does not ridicule any community. Rather, it shows Sikhs as the brave and courageous people.

2008: Year of Ash Bachchan

Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj is to be released in April 2008.
Reveals a source close to Varma (the director is completely off press after, in his own words, being burnt by Aag). “The film was never to be pitched against Jodha-Akbar.
We had zeroed- in on April because that’s how long the post-production would take. Clashing with another Aishwarya Rai film was never a problem.
In Jodha-Akbar Aishwarya plays a historical character. In Sarkar Raj she’s a contemporary woman.”
Mrs Rai-Bachchan is currently devoting all her time to home and ailing Daadi (Mrs Teji Bachchan) and perfecting every nuance in her two releases which in spite of stalwarts in the cast (including her formidable father- in-law in the Sarkar sequel) offers her author-backed roles.
According to insiders Sarkar Raj has shaped up into Ram Gopal Varma’s best work to date. And the Bachchans are extremely upbeat about it.
Sarkar Raj is also crucial for Abhishek, since it’s his next release. His last film was Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom, not counting the guest appearance in Laga Chunari Mein Daag. After Sarkar Raj it’s the f-x special Drona for Abhishek.
It looks like 2008 will be a bumper year for the Bachchans.

Bachchans one Amazing Night

At a time when star concerts are showing a steep decline, Bollywood’s most dynamic duo Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan along with Aishwarya Rai are all set to show the entertainment business how to make all the right moves on stage.
Entitled One Amazing Night the series of world concerts featuring the father and son Bachchan on stage is expected to storm show business.
Says the Big B, “Yes, we’re planning a series of world concerts. We’re looking at summer 2008. The shows, to be entitled One Amazing Night will have other leading entertainers from Hindi cinema besides the two of us.”
Says the Big B, “I’ve been doing world tours from long before they were fashionable in the mid-1970s when Jaya and I would be on stage along with (music composers) Kalyanji-Anandaji. Jaya and my enactment of the song Mere angnein mein always brought the house down.
A lot has changed since then. The concerts abroad have become far more slick and technically advanced.”
With both the Senior and Junior Bachchan being inundated in work, obviously the two-month concert needs meticulous planning.
“Yes, it requires very careful planning. Though I’ve been on stage a number of times, this is going to be Abhishek’s first world concert. The fact that our company AB Corp Ltd is involved does put an extra responsibility on us. Let’s see how it goes,” says AB.
When you once again question his energy level he quips, “If you continue wondering where my energy level comes from it may soon disappear

Salman-Katrina going to split?

After Shahid and Kareena another cute bollywood jodi is heading for a split. According to latest buzz things are not going well for Salman and Katrina and after almost two years of togetherness the duo has decided to call it quits.
The couple had been arguing and fighting a lot in recent times and it all started at Sallu’s birthday bash this January. He had pushed Katrina aside when she tried to stop him from drinking too much. Then, Salman’s excessively possessive behaviour just made things worse.
We hear that Salman hadserious reseravtions about Katrina’s hit jodi with Akshay Kumar and then he went furious when she signed Rajkumar Santoshi’s film with Shahid Kapoor too.
Katrina found herself in a very awkward situation, thanks to Sallu’s possessiveness. An insider claims, “After seeing the promos of Welcome, Sallu called up Nadiadwala and demanded that some changes be made.
He categorically told Feroze that he was unhappy that Katrina’s skirts were really short, and that he didn’t want him to publicise the film that way.”
Nadiadwala immediately called up Katrina to tell her about Salman’s phone call. Katrina told Nadiadwala that he need not make any changes as she was quite comfortable with whatever she had worn in his film.
The source also reveals that last week things worsened between the couple when Salman called Katrina up to question her about the films she’s been signing with stars he’s not comfortable with. This upset Katrina and she banged down the phone on him.
Salman was hurt by her behaviour and cancelled his shooting. After that, he tried calling her but she didn’t take his calls.
Both Salman and Katrina were unavailable for the comments.