French Connection of Aishwarya

After featuring in numerous English and Hindi films, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has now extended over to foreign language cinema.

Pretty lady Ash will soon be seen in the French film Asterix at the Olympics. The film that stars one of French cinema’s most versatile actor Gerard Depardieu will be screened in Mumbai at the upcoming French Film Festival.

The film is touted to be the most expensive European film at 93 million dollars. The film has been extensively shot in Tunisia and Morocco. The film will also see the likes of Formula one champ Michael Schumacher, soccer star Zinedine Zidane and Hollywood action star Jean Claude Van-Damme.

Ash’s role has been kept under wraps but sources suggest that Ash has bagged a special role in a film that doesn’t have any female lead character.

Jodha Akbar: High Expectations

Jodha Akbar is up for release very shortly and expectations have reached sky high. The hit pair of Dhoom2 – Hrithik Roshan and Aishwara Rai – are back together with the acclaimed director of Lagaan, Ashutosh Gowarikar and genius music director A R Rahman. To top it all, the story is based on the mogul king Akbar and his wife Jodha.

Hrithik

Roshan – Aishwarya Rai Pairing

Some say they are going to rock as they did in Dhoom2, but we think otherwise!

We found no chemistry between them in Dhoom2, but we must say they looked absolutely stunning as a pair. In Jodha Akbar they need more than ‘looking good’ to make an impact.

Aishwarya Rai

No doubt Aishwarya Rai is a great actress, and most importantly the prettiest of all bollywood actresses, but she goes over the top most of the time. For example the way she says ‘sunheri’ in Dhoom2. For heaven’s sake she should stop all that stupid acts. In Jodha Akbar we hope she does what she did in Guru – a controlled performance.

Aishwarya Rai has many things to cheer about in Jodha Akbar. One of them is that she looks the part. Jodha Akbar is going to be very crucial for Aishwarya Rai’s future in bollywood.

Hrithik Roshan

By now everyone must have understood that Hrithik Roshan is a director’s actor. He is not someone who can carry the movie entirely on his shoulders. We saw movies like Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and Yaadein, where he was reduced to a joker because of director’s inability. He always fared good in his father’s movies because his father knows exactly what to do with him.

In Jodha Akbar, Hrithik Roshan needs to elevate his acting capabilities few notches higher to make people take him seriously as an actor.

Surprisingly, Hrithik Roshan looks good with moustache in the mogul costume.

Ashutosh Gowarikar

Everyone started to recognize Ashutosh after he directed Lagaan. Very few know that he is in bollywood from a very long time. He has acted in movies like Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na with Shahrukh Khan and directed a disaster called Pehla Nasha. His last movie Swades met with failure even though it had country’s biggest star, Shahrukh Khan. This time he has chosen a bigger canvas. Can he pull another Lagaan?

John Abraham - Rachel Weisz in Deepa Mehta film

Deepa Mehta was all praise about John Abraham and his performance in ‘Water’, but we never really thought that she would be the one who would give him an international platform. Right now John is in her two ambitious international projects. One of which is with Amitab Bachchan and another film ‘Luna’ starring Rachel Weisz.

Rachel Weisz is popular Hollywood actress with films like The Mummy, Constantine and Constant Gardner to her credit. She won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Constant Gardner. The film is scripted by two time Oscar winner David Ward.

John’s film ‘Exclusion’ with Amitab will be shot later this year. Deepa Mehta announced ‘Luna’ in Cannes. Although Rachel Weisz would be the main protagonist, playing the title character Luna, John will also have a full-fledged role, says Deepa Mehta.

‘Luna’ is based on a real life story of an American activist and environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill, who protested against the felling of trees in the Red Wood forests in the US by climbing a 180-foot Redwood tree. The lady climbed down only 738 days later- from 1997 to 1999. The tree was named Luna. The protest had a huge impact and a resolution was formed in 1999 to protect all trees in the 3-acre buffer zone of the Redwood forest.

John is also playing an environmentalist in ‘Luna’, but his cultural origin is not specified He is neither an Indian, nor an American in the film. This makes him Bollywood’s first actor to do a Hollywood film without playing an NRI or some snake charmer.

John was not only her choice says Deepa, “The true-life inspiration for the film, Julia Hill, just loved John. Her approval was very important. She thought he looked like Antonio Banderas!”

Kareena in Karan Johar film at last!

At one point Kareena and Karan were biggest of friends, but they had fallout after Kareena refused to do Karan Johar’s ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’. It was rumored that Kareena wanted double her market price, which Karan flatly refused.

Karan was miffed that Kareena refused him because of money. But now Karan’s Koffee Show has broken the ice. Rumors have it that they have patched up and Kareena will be cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Incidentally, Siddharth Malhotra who assisted Johar in Kal Ho Na Ho, is directing the film. The film, which is termed an unusual love story, set in New York. Thankfully there will be only one love story this time!

Hot Gossip: Shahid dates Sania Mizra????

We recently reported that cricket sensation Yuvraj was smitten by Bollywood new find Deepika Padukone and now we have another news that Shahid Kapoor is dating Sania Mirza.

It was reported that the currently 'single' actor had gone for dinner with Sania. How did the connection start is still a mystery...

Meanwhile rumours are also that Shahid has been signed by Yash Raj and things are looking up for him.

Shetty wanted Talk on bolly-talks Blogspot

The bigger you get as a celebrity, the harder it gets to maintain a low profile. Shilpa Shetty, of all people, should know that. The actress tries to avoid waiting photogs by any and all means possible. But yesterday, on returning to Mumbai after a three-month long tour of England and Europe with her musical, Miss Bollywood, La Shetty realised much to her annoyance that while you can beat ’em, you can’t beat ’em all, thanks to the city’s traffic snarls.

Take for a ride
Shilpa, who was returning with her family, chalked out a plan to dodge onlookers this time around as well. First, her sister Shamita and her father Surendra Shetty landed at the Sahar airport by the 11.50 am British Airways flight. This, apparently, was to hoodwink people into believing that Shilpa hadn’t returned at all.

Shilpa and her mom Sunanda landed by a 12.10 pm Virgin Atlantic Airways flight;20minutes after Shamita and her dad had left the airport. The actress had planned to quietly sneak into the city on this subsequent flight.

It wasn’t meant to be. Due to heavy traffic, some photogs arrived late at the airport and
they happened to spot Shilpa coming out of the exit doors and surrounded her. But the actress was whisked away in a black Lexus.

Shilpa was unavailable for comment, but her publicist Dale Bhagwagar maintains,“Why would Shilpa avoid the media?” Well, well after all those denials about a man in her life throughout the year, she made it a New Year resolution to admit about Raj Kundra being her beau. So any unwanted posers could be avoided, right?

Apart from the numerous shows of her musical, the actress released a fitness DVD calledShilpa’s Yoga in UK and Dubai. She also went for a week-long year-end holiday with Kundra and her family in tow to Las Vegas.

Shilpa’s future projects include Sunny Deol’s film The Man, an international venture Hanuman produced by Uru Patel (where she will play Sita), a cookery book and a signature clothing line in Europe.

What are you feelings right now after the completion of the film, Are there any butterflies in your stomach?

At present I am over excited, I think Tare Zameen Par is a very important film. The script is very close to my heart. This type of film is made for the first time in the history of Indian cinema. I feel this is going to be a popular film and right now, I am very keen to know the reaction of the audiences. Keeping my fingers cross!

Among your contemporaries you are the first one to produce, direct, and act at the same time. How did you juggle all these roles at a time? Was it very difficult for you to balance between them?
I wont say that was easy, but all this comes with their own demand. And this is not the first time an actor doing this. It was been done by Raj kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Shantaramji to name a few. It’s not like rocket science. As a producer my presence was needed everywhere. Therefore I use to have a long discussion with the cast and the crew before the shoot.

I had a tough time when it came to directing and acting. For me when I was acting I had to judge for me from a director’s point of view and vice versa. I needed to be more intuitive for my own work as well as for the other actors in frame. Altogether, alertness was very important throughout the making.

You have proved with some of your films that Bollywood films could be artfully executed. That they could address important issues, and draw large crowds both in India and abroad. How different experience will be Tare Zameen Par for the audiences?
I can only say that audiences will be having a unique experience and film will change their way of thinking.

In a recent interview, you said that this film had changed the way that you looked at your kids. Can you elaborate?
Yes it is very much true that this film has changed the way that I looked at my kids. It has sensitized me towards my kids. Now I feel I am very close to them and I understand them better than before. Today I think I am a good father. Now my kids are my priority and I am very much alert about all their feelings and emotions.

Tare Zameen Par doesn’t seem to be film which is made only to earn money. It seems that it has got a hidden message in it. Your comment?
See, earning money is only one aspect of the filmmaking. However, for me it is very important to connect with my audience. This film has made me realize many things and I have even come across some unusual feeling. Through this film I want the audience to know the importance of a child and his existence. We should understand their way of thinking and appreciate them. Giving time to our kids is not important but giving them quality time is a must. We should build a connection level with our kids.

In this movie there is no item number, there is no romance, and there is no heroine but there is a message. It is not an entertaining film but it is an entertaining film.

What different and interesting thing you found in the script?
As soon as I heard the script of this film, I liked it and I decided to produce the film and even act in it. I can say that Tare Zameen Par is amole’s baby, because this is his idea and he has put in all his feelings into words through this script. According to me the script is not only interesting but also a hearty piece.

Aamir, you and your wife Kiran have sung a song together for Taare Zameen Par. Tell me something about that.
Actually, there is a song in the film called Bum Bum Bole in which Kiran and I have done a chorus but we did not sing the song.

The theme of this film is based on a child and his life, so how difficult was is to find someone who suited the role?
We had almost 5000 kids out of which we came down at 100 for auditions. When 25 kids were short listed, I came to see the audition, all kids were fantastic but Darsheel Safary was something different. I liked his eyes the most because they are very expressive and even when he is quite you will feel that there is still something going on in his head. He is a very happy child. Darsheel is the kid I was searching for. Therefore, I can say that it was not so difficult to find the child.

In this film, you play the role of a teacher called Ram Shankar Nikumbh, so any important message for the teachers?
According to me, understanding is important than writing, so I would like to give only one message to the teachers that please teach the students and do not teach their pens. Teachers have to make education a fun element to the students.

When it comes to directing kids, it is the toughest job, so how did you handle this?
Yeah, I do agree that directing kids is not an easy job. Before starting the shooting itself I was very clear that this is going to be something very hard to do because it is very difficult to make out their mood and sustain their interest. Somehow, we managed to keep kids active all the time. As a team we also tried to understand their timing, mentality and grasping ability.

Did you do any special preparations for this film?
The only preparation we did was the workshops. We went through lots of workshops

Aamir, in the present scenario you are one of the well-established actor and with your TZP you stepped into the shoes of director. At which point of time you decided to direct the film?
When the shooting started, after a week of shooting, I saw the rushes and then I realized that the direction was not going in the way I wanted. I spoke to Amole and I expressed my thoughts on the issue. In the initial stage there were some differences on creative front between Amole and myself but I made him understand that I won’t play with the script and he too agreed. Finally after a long chat Amole asked me why don’t you direct the film. I also liked the idea and rest is the history………

Along with your film one more film ‘Welcome’ is releasing. So why didn’t you avoid this clash? Didn’t you find a risk factor in it?
You are right, as a creative person and the producer of the film, I would never want any film to release on the day when my film is releasing, but practically it is not possible. In fact I think if a film is good then anyhow it will work and vice versa. For me this is not a risk rather this is a challenge and I love challenges.

Once you said that filmmaking is never easy and each film has its own journey. So how’s been the journey with TZP and how far did you enjoy direction?
Taare Zameen Par is Masterpiece with my directorial debut. For me the journey has been full of ups and downs. Overall, it is a good learning process. It was an effort to bring on screen something which is very difficult but I took the responsibility on my shoulders. I can say it is an enjoyable journey.

Your upcoming films...
My upcoming film is Jaane Tu…, which is directed by Abbas and produced by Mansoor Khan. The film has got tunes of A.R Rehman and other film is the remake of Gajini which is 50% completed and not titled yet.

Amritha Rao: I dont Take Chances

Bollywood actress Amrita Rao, who struck gold with her girl-next-door look in “Vivah”, is back after a year-long gap with “My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves”. She says that she doesn’t take any chances while selecting projects.

“I was working for the Telugu film ‘Athidhi’. Also, my films, which are slated for release this year, kept me occupied,” Amrita told IANS.

“I have always been very careful about picking up projects because the

re is no second chance in Bollywood. If you go wrong with a movie you have to pay a very heavy price.

“I must say I am very selective. But I wouldn’t deny being fortunate as good projects came my way. Otherwise, I would have just dreamt about doing something different,” she said on her recent visit to the national capital.

The actress, who is essaying the role of an assistant director in “My Name…”, started her stint in the film industry with “Ab Ke Baras”. She earned rave reviews for her performance in films like “Masti” and “Main Hoon Na”.

Commenting about her Telugu film industry experience, Amrita said: “It was wonderful to do well there, as it is a male-dominated industry.

“It was a different and interesting experience. For instance, it was challenging to emote the right way on dialogues whose meaning I didn’t fully understand.”

Amrita is upbeat about her forthcoming projects, which include “Victoria”, “Shortcut” and national award winning director Shyam Benegal’s “Mahadev”.

The versatile star said she would love to do art house movies and finds it an opportunity of a lifetime to work with Benegal.

“I would love to do arty roles. However, Benegal doesn’t only make art films… ‘Zubeidaa’ was a commercial film. It is just that his films have a strong story line and less songs and dances.”

“I always wanted to work with him. Nothing could have been better than this opportunity.”

Reluctant to divulge any details, Amrita said: “‘Mahadev’ is a character-driven film where the character I play speaks with a particular north Indian accent.”

Eisha Wont kiss and tell right or wrong

Audiences can expect things to get steamy in Eisha Koppikar’s new film, Right or Wrong. The sensuous actress had no qualms about shooting intimate scenes with her co-star, debutant Arav Chowdhary. There were bedroom scenes, apparently, and even a hot bathtub one. However, when it came to kissing her co-star, Eisha refused! We wonder why.

Eisha got her big Bollywood break in 2002 with Company, in which she became an overnight star with the sizzling item number, Khallas. After that, she had no dearth of offers. Although she has yet to deliver a huge hit, her performances in Don and Kyaa Kool Hai Hum were widely appreciated. We can undoubtedly expect to see her in more movies that reflect her bold image and exceptional dancing.

Interestingly, in Suraj Barjatya’s latest production, Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi, Ishaa plays a simple girl — a radically different role from her previous ones. We assume no kissing scenes will pose a problem there!

Dev Anand to get lifetime achievement award

Bangalore (PTI): Bollywood's evergreen hero Dev Anand, whose popular number 'Gaata Rahe Mera Dil' continue to woo film lovers even four decades after the release of box office hit 'Guide', would be conferred with a 'lifetime achievement award' for his contributions to the Indian cinema.

The 83-year-old veteran would be felicitated here on January 19 in a function organised by the Ramya Cultural Academy in association with the Vinmusic Club.

The award function will showcase his contributions to the Indian cinema in a career spanning six decades with select songs and clippings from some his best films including 'Guide', produced in 1960s, organisers said.

Several film stars, including from Bollywood and Kannada film industry are expected to witness the felicitation being organised for the actor for the first time in Karnataka.

Born on September 26, 1923, Dharam Pishorimal Anand, as he was known earlier, graduated in English literature from Government college Lahore, now in Pakistan.

His love for films brought him to Mumbai, where he began his career in military censor office on a Rs 160 monthly salary. He made debut as an actor in "Hum Ek Hain' in 1946, followed by "Ziddi" in 1948, which became a big hit.

The actor's rapid fire style of dialogue delivery, use of hats and penchant for nodding his head while speaking became his signature style in films like 'Munimji', 'CID' and 'Paying Guest' and imitated widely by his fans.

Next year, he graduated from the role of an actor to that of a producer launching his own production company "Navketan".

Dev Anand has been conferred with Padma Bhushan in 2001 for his contribution to Indian cinema.

'Taare Zameen Par' makes Advani cry

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani showed his emotional side when he could not control his tears after watching Bollywood star Aamir Khan's directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par', a movie about a dyslexic child.

Aamir had arranged a special screening of the film for Advani, a Hindi film buff, and a few MPs at Prasar Bharati's Film Division auditorium here Friday.

Advani was all praise for the movie and its director. According to informed sources, he said he had not seen such a good movie for a long time.

Praising Aamir, Advani said the dyslexic child's struggle to overcome his shortcomings was a difficult subject that had been handled well.

'Both the director and the scriptwriter must be complimented. After years, I have seen such a film. Congratulations to the filmmakers,' Advani told reporters later.

In 2001, Advani had seen 'Lagaan', again an Aamir starrer, and liked it immensely. The movie was nominated for the Oscar but lost to 'No Man's Land'.

The sources said Aamir flew down from Mumbai for the screening when one of his relatives, close to Advani, informed him that the leader of the opposition was keen to watch his movie.

Advani has been a film critic and used to write about movies during his days as a journalist. He continues to be a movie buff.

Advani's compliments should come as a boon for Aamir for another reason. He had invited the wrath of the BJP government in Gujarat when he supported the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in 2006, leading to an informal ban on his films in that state for a while.

US porn industry celebrates with their own 'Oscars'

Las Vegas: Stars and producers of the US adult film industry gathered in Las Vegas this weekend for annual awards dubbed the Oscars of porn, lamenting the fact it was hard to win recognition with so much sex in movies these days.

Even insiders admit the thought of viewing even a fraction of the 12,000 porn films made in the US last year to choose award winners in specific sexual categories was a less-than-enviable task.

"That is hell," said Jay Grdina, president of ClubJenna Inc, a division of Playboy. "I'd shoot myself in my head before I'd go through this."

Grdina is hardly shy about hard-core content. He has worked on hundreds of movies behind the camera, and starred in others with his ex-wife Jenna Jameson, perhaps the best-known name in the history of adult film.

Videotape, fewer prosecutions, DVDs and Internet advertising created an unprecedented boom in the US sex film business since the 1980s.

Paul Fishbein, publisher of Adult Video News, said his staff views 8,000 movies a year to find the best of the crop.

"It's a very long, horrible process," Fishbein said in an interview, saying he has 10 people devoted to the task full time.

"It is a lot of watching." The repetitive viewing is the underpinning of the event held at a ritzy Las Vegas hotel on Saturday night complete with an enthusiastic audience of more than 5,000 after a red carpet arrival of scantily dressed performers.

In their 25th year, the awards have become the industry's top celebration, dubbed the Oscars of porn, and were broadcast for the first time on cable television via Showtime, a division of CBS Corp.

"It's a thankless business," said Evan Stone, 43, who won best actor. "You don't get a lot of feedback."

Added Tera Patrick, the award's co-host: "We should be celebrated for all the hard work that we do."

Film studios and actors say the awards are important to gain attention when there is so much sex on film these days.

"You get a lot more work," said Jenny Hendrix, who was hoping to win in the "best tease" and other categories.

"It goes on your business cards, people notice you more." For many it is not easy to garner attention when widespread body enhancement procedures gives many performers a uniform blonde, busty look.

Breast enhancement is commonplace as are collagen lip injections. "The movies that win certainly get a bump in sales, but it's more important for just the image of the company and the brand to be known as the company that makes the best movies," said Steven Hirsch, co-founder of Vivid, a leading studio.

Nina Hartley, who won the AVN best actress award in 1987 for "Debbie Duz Dishes" was more sceptical about the impact of the awards. "Nothing has consistently shown that it helps anybody," she said.

Many say the awards add legitimacy to an industry that is still often shunned by the mainstream. "We've come out of the woodwork," said Randy Spears, 46, a 22-year veteran of the business. "Our audience is not the raincoat crowd anymore."

Shahid on breakup: It's not classy to talk about it

For the first time after his much-publicised breakup, actor Shahid Kapoor explains how difficult it was promoting his film at the time that his relationship was crumbling. CNN-IBN's Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand spoke to the actor about the upside of success and the flip side of heartbreak in this exclusive interview.

Rajeev Masand: You have just come off this monster hit Jab We Met. Tell me what has changed for you?

Shahid Kapoor: Not too much, I was out of work after Vivah and right now I am out of work after Jab We Met. I haven’t started on anything new and just completed one with Aziz Mirza called Kismat Connection. That should be out somewhere in the middle of 2008. Apart from that hearing new stuff.

Rajeev Masand: Your personal life and your break-up with your girlfriend was much in the spot- light around the time when Jab We Met was being released. So was it difficult for you to be fielding questions constantly about your personal life and the break-up at a

time when you were already anxious about a new release?

Shahid Kapoor: Yes, it was a very trying period for me for almost a month, and it was very clearly a question for me of choosing between my personal feelings and my profession. I had two choices, one was to come back and not talk at all, not go out in the press and not interact with the media— which would save me the pain of answering questions which I am uncomfortable about, or go out there and promote my film which was releasing in three weeks. I chose to do the latter, because I think it was important for me as a hero to be there for my film and I had great faith in the film. So yes it was difficult and uncomfortable but I accepted that as a part of the way things work out here.

Rajeev Masand: Was it also difficult because the breakup was so recent and everyone wanted a piece of it, everyone wanted to know more?

Shahid Kapoor: I think the most difficult was to not talk about because it was so public and it was really important for me as a person to draw a line as they are areas that are very personal and it’s not classy to talk about them in print. It’s only between two people and not to be discussed publicly and yet not talk about it at all because there are many questions that people have. So the most difficult thing was finding that middle path which comfortable with and also that gave people enough to be comfortable with. At least you have spoken about it and that was important.

Rajeev Masand: Tell me how much of Jab We Met success do you attribute to the fact that there was so much hype around the breakup?

Shahid Kapoor: None at all. I remember when I did Fida with Kareena, we had just started seeing each other and there was a huge hype. It bombed. I don’t that has anything to do with the film doing well. A lot of people were very worried that now that we weren’t seeing each other and we are coming out with a love story, it may effect the film negatively. But eventually people go in to watch a good film and they like it.

Rajeev Masand: I find it sort of ironic because I know the rest of the world too does that your first hit together comes at a time when you two decided to go separate ways.

Shahid Kapoor: Of course it’s ironic and it’s strange. But that’s how it is.

Rajeev Masand: What was the last Hindi film you saw that made you go ‘I wish I was in that’?

Shahid Kapoor: Taare Zameen Par. I saw it and was blown away. If there’s one man I want to take an autograph from is Aamir Khan. Seriously. It’s because of him that a lot of us new people feel inspired to do something which is off the beaten track and risky. Because he does them and then pull them off. So you are sitting in your own little house, trying to make your little career happen and then you say if he can make it happen there’s hope for such films, they can work and audience accepts them. Audience’s perception towards him is very strong. He gives you hope that once you reach that stage in your career you can afford to do such films.

Rajeev Masand: Finally, we are tired of speculation, you are tired of speculation. So Vidya Balan, Amrita Rao – who is it that you are dating?

Shahid Kapoor: Yaar Rajeev there has been so much written about it that I have let people make up their minds about it themselves. I really don’t want to talk about it and say ‘no comment’. Something as boring and as irritating as that.

Rakhi Sawant And Her Publicity Stunts

Rakhi Sawant is one actress who always has one way or the other to stay in news. Getting emotional, or exposing too much or blabbering some rubbish………these are some tactics she uses to stay in news.

Everything she does seems so artificial and superficial that you do not know whether to laugh or to cry when she opens her mouth.

Sources reveal that the lady has decided to go unemotional in the New Year. She has decided to sober down in 2008

Well this statement has certainly brought the lady in limelight.

Also, she is in news for lodging a complaint against Star News, accusing them to be cheating the audiences, due to their alleged fake voting pattern.

The channel however, has not taken this allegation seriously.

“From now, Rakhi won’t cry, but will have people cry,” she roars.

Watch out guys!!!!!!

Bollywood Gossip - Rani to play angel

After playing the prostitute with a heart of gold, Rani Mukerji is set for a U-turn. In Kunal Kohli's new film, she plays an angel who descends down to look after business-executive Saif Ali Khan's children.
Quite a leap of fate for an actress who has always taken grave risks with her career!

How does it feel to be playing an angel?

"Right now I'm not allowed to talk about Kunal's film. But, yes, any opportunity to surprise yourself and the audience is welcome," Rani told.

Some of the critics have sniggered at Rani's back-to-back roles as a prostitute in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Saawariya. Rani is unfazed.

"What's the big deal? An actor's job is to play a variety of challenging roles. And I don't think anyone has the right to question any actor for his choice of parts. I can't be happy doing just good-woman or bad-woman roles. Luckily for me I got to play three different kinds of prostitutes in The Rising, Laaga Chunari... and Saawariya. You can call it my prostitute trilogy. I hope people will remember my three different portrayals of the fallen woman with affection.", Rani said.

For now Rani is happy playing the angel in Kohli's film, which is being produced by Yash Raj Films. She's currently shooting for the film with Saif in Bangkok.

The lessons that Vidya Balan learnt in 2007

Last year may have given Vidya Balan hits including Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa , but it also left behind many lessons.

“It taught me how to deal with people. I am learning to be more assertive. I was shying away from this earlier. I have also learnt to have more fun and be less hard on myself. Now, I can laugh at controversies surrounding me.”
Vidya continues, “You can’t make the world happy. So I will do things to make myself happy.”

And what makes Vidya happy? “Small things like giving a good shot, a good paycheck, spending time with loved ones, praying or listening to music make me happy. Watching a child sleep also gives me much joy.”

Quiz Vidya about her latest film Halla Bol and she says, “It’s an issue-based film. If it brings about awakening in five people and makes them stand up for what they are not okay with, I’d be happy.”

Of Aziz Mirza ’s film ‘Kismet Konnection’ with Shahid Kapur , Vidya says, “There’s so much positive feeling in the unit that our shooting went off like a breeze.”

Vidya has also shot for the Bengali film ‘Mukti’ for Gautam Haldar in 2008.

Celina Jaitley bitten by director's dog!

We often hear about weird things happening on the sets. Recently, a prank was played on the sets of Golmaal Returns and actress Celina Jaitley became the victim this time. Rohit Shetty, director of Golmaal Returns decided to play a prank on the actress on the first day of her shoot.

She was told by Rohit that a rogue dog is wandering in the hotel and has already bitten a unit member. Hearing this, Celina became furious and decided to talk to concerned hotel authority. Subhash, a unit member, suddenly held Celina"s ankle from behind and barked like a dog. This made Celina so scared that she started screaming and jumping. Later, when this was recorded, she was told that this was a prank, but not a reality. Now, we know why Golmaal was such an entertaining film.

Salman And Sanjay Bajaynge Band

Blockbuster duo Salaman and Sanjay will be seen working in a film after a long time. The best part of it all is that the film will be produced by Sanju baba himself.

And Sanjay Dutt himself insisted that Salman be the first choice for the film.

Salman on the other hand has always maintained that Dutt was his ‘best friend’ in the industry. “Naturally, when he called Salman, Salman could not refuse the film,” says one source.

Interestingly, when Shah Rukh potrayed several actors in the title track of the film , Om Shanti Om, Salman insisted that he be paired and filmed as a part of Dutt’s group.
Looks like there is lot of bonding going on between the duo.
Let’s see if this bonding is put across well in the film.

Amritha Visits A Striptease Bar

Amrita Rao who is known for her decent and naïve like attitude surprised everybody by visiting a striptease bar.

Though underage the lady got in by paying an extra 10 dollars. Accompanied by two of her friends she ventured out on the streets

And after witnessing the scenes within, Amrita promised herself that this was the first and last time she would be visiting a striptease bar.

She literally for the first time saw women stripping from top to bottom. If that wasn’t enough the women also went on to perform nude pole dances.

The most embarrassing thing about the whole scene was the fact that she and her friend were the only girls in the room.

Well, poor thing!!!!

Vidya clears airs about Shahid

In terms of box office success, last year was not so fruitful for Vidya Balan but the actress says professionally she has come a long way and has learnt to voice her opinion confidently.

"Last year there were lessons to be learnt. Professionally, I've learnt to say no to projects I don't want to do. I'm no longer apologetic about voicing my opinion. I guess I've become more confident and therefore more assertive," said Vidya.

"At times I didn't know how to say no to a filmmaker. Now the painful process has become less difficult. If I say no to a project I don't see that as a rejection of an individual's creativity. I just see the project as being non-relatable with me," she added.

In 2008, Vidya is looking at something different.

"At the same time I want to have fun. My two releases in the first-half this year - Halla Bol and Lucky Charm - are very different from one another. For this year I've only signed a Bengali film so far. I like where I am."

She laughs when her Lucky Charm hero Shahid Kapur is mentioned.

"I've been linked with practically every co-star I've worked with. I get along famously with all of them. And I am single. So people are looking for masala to make my life, and theirs, more interesting," she laughed.

"Spice apart, I got along very well with Shahid during our schedule in Toronto. People just wanted to say there was more to our friendship than meets the eyes.

"Honestly, even I like to gossip. Most of us enjoy it. Someone must have reported that we laughed a lot together on the set. It's like saying, 'If an actress gives a really good performance, she must be having an affair with the director.' Likewise, if Shahid and I were having so much fun, we must be a couple."

So what is Vidya's rapport with Shahid?

"The way Aziz uncle (director Aziz Mirza)'s team worked was very friendly. Everyone in the unit went out for dinner together. All of us went for walks together. I guess the two of us were high profile. But Shahid never shared confidences with me."

What about Vidya playing hostess to Shahid's screenings of Jab We Met?

"Oh God! I went to one screening of Jab We Met. Over there I met my Heyy Babyy writer Milap Jhaveri and had tea with him. The next day when reports of Shahid and me came out, Milap wondered how this could be true when I wasn't anywhere near Shahid throughout the evening."

Vidya turned a year older on New Year's day and spent her birthday with her family.

She was in Delhi visiting her sister and her parents joined her. For Vidya, it was a perfect birthday.

Kareena takes a dig at Priyanka Chopra

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Kareena Kapoor has again hit back at Priyanka Chopra. Rumours are doing rounds that Bebo has said that Priyanka cannot act. A few weeks back Kareena had commented that among her contemporaries in the industry only Rani Mukherjee can act and others are not even worth mentioning. Priyanka however replied to this in a politically correct manner by saying that she respects the opinion of her seniors.

The feud between the actress goes a long way. Both the stars were in very good terms while shooting for the movie Aitraaz. Kareena was hit by a bolt when Priyanka stole theshow ahead of her in the movie. Kareena started hating
Priyanka so much that she said Priyanka is known for her stripping in her movies. Then during a concert the two had argued in public and almost went to the extent of fighting with each other.

Kareena who is the highest paid actress in the industry is not fond of Priyanka Chopra's popularity. It may be mentioned that after a poor 2007, Priyanka has as many as six movies slated for the year and going by her past record she is certain to rule the year. This is becoming a concern for Kareena who has ruled the industry in the 2007.

Koena Mitra and Bipasha Basu share their birthdays on 7th Jan

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Bong bombshells of Bollywood, Bipasha Basu and Koena Mitra, share their birthdays on the same day, 7th Jan and both celebrated their birthdays differently.

Bipasha was in Goa with her beau John Abraham. She spent her birthday relaxing on the beach, hitting the spa and tucking into Goan food. Nevertheless, she is returning today to Mumbai to celebrate again with parents and friends. Fondly speaking of her mother, Bips says, “Every year, mom cooks my favourite food that includes gajar ka halwa.”

On the other hand, Koena got a party organized at her place by her new found friend Tanushree Dutta. She had a blast at her place with Tanushree and other friends.

Saif Tatto’s Kareena’s Name On His Arm

Saif is out proclaiming his love for Kareena. The man is so madly in love that he has no qualms about this issue. We hear that Saif has got Kareena’s name tattooed in Devnagri on his arm at Hakim’s Alim in Bandra.

The man really took some pain searching and browsing through different calligraphic styles so as to finalize the shape of the tattoo.

Finally, after much resolution he walked into Hakim’s Alim in Bandra and sat for a two-three hour session to get Kareena’s name tattooed in Devnagari- an ancient Indian language.

The tattoo was reportedly done in indelible ink. And this is not the end the couple have cleverly planned their schedules and left for Greece on Friday, January 4, so as to spend time together alone there before other crew members of Tashan- their new film together, catch up with them for a shooting schedule there.

And this is not the end the couple have cleverly planned their schedules and left for Greece on Friday, January 4, so as to spend time together alone there before other crew members of Tashan- their new film together, catch up with them for a shooting schedule there.

Excitement About Jodha Akbar

“Jodha Akbar” a UTV venture, is the most awaited film of the year. which is based on a romance between the 16th century Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar, played by Hrithik Roshan, and a Hindu princess, Jodha Bai, played by Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai.

Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, the movie will also be dubbed in Tamil and Telugu languages.

Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan states that all the actors in the movie ‘Jodha Akbar’ had worked very hard and had done the film with ‘full passion’.

What if Jodha Akbar failed like Asoka?????

To this question Ash stated “At certain times certain films do well…certain films do not do that well. It’s a very tricky thing.”

On the other hand bollywood movie star Hrithik Roshan says he deliberately choose this movie , as acting out the difficult role of the Mongol emperor in the new historical romance “Jodha Akbar” gave him an opportunity to excel as an actor.

“It is only when it seems to threaten the value of my job would I be consciously giving it my best,” he said.

Well, let’s wait and watch how this movie fares at the box office.

Ranbir Talks About Saawariya

“Saawariya “ brought in two new faces, Ranbir Kappor and Sonam Kapoor,both these newcomers were kids of superstars. This fact added more glamour to the movie. There was lot of publicity and hype generated for this movie.

Both the actors performed beautifully but unfortunately the movie did not turn out well at the box office.

Actor Ranbir who has stolen millions of hearts talks about his experience about the movie stating “I had seen Devdas and was a fan of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, so when I returned from acting school in America, I asked him to let me assist him. His first reaction was, “you have actor written all over you. Why do you want to direct?” I insisted that I wanted to learn something before I entered films and that’s how I got close to him.

We share a good rapport and he tells me many things and shares his thoughts and ideas with me. I knew he was working on some scripts, three actually and one day he invited me to read a script on his laptop. He left me alone but kept popping into the room to see if I had finished. It was such a sensitive great script that I got up leapt at him and hugged him. I couldn’t believe that he was offering a debutant actor such a lovely character to play.”

Well, working with Sanjay Leela Bansali indeed must have been a great experience.
We wish both Sonam and Ranbir many more wonderful experiences and hits in the future.

BollyWood Gossip:Deepika Dating Yuvraj???

There are rumors which state that Deepika Padukone is dating Yuvraj Singh -Indian Cricketer much to the dismay of many young men.

And, Australia was the place where sparks flew in the air. Yuvraj was earlier known to be dating Kim Sharma, Wonder where she is now.

While Deepika and Yuvraj have been treated as an “item” by the media on numerous occasions, the couple has always maintained that they are nothing more than just ‘good friends.’ Incidentally the media had paired Deepika with the Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni.

She was called to shoot in Australia for the upcoming Yash Raj Film. But the lady spent most of the time cheering Yuvi during the Indian- Australian matches.

She also spent her birthday -Jan 5 with him.

Heard that the couple are planning to tie the knot very soon.