Bollywood Insider | Bollywood Masala : 02/08/11

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A.K. Hangal becomes showstopper for designer Riyaz Ganji

Mumbai, Feb 8 – It was a sight never seen before as ailing veteran actor A.K. Hangal ‘walked’ the ramp in a wheelchair for fashion designer Riyaz Ganji for his summer line here Monday evening.

The 94-year-old actor, famously known as Rahim chacha of ‘Sholay’, came on the stage mounted on a wheelchair wearing a cream coloured dhoti and black coat, to bring the fashion designer’s summer collection to a graceful end.

The actor is struggling to be alive as his source of income has dried up and has very little money left for food or medicine.

To help Hangal recover from his illness and improve his financial status, Riyaz donated Rs.50,000 from his side. And that’s not all!

The designer told IANS, ‘All the 18 models who walked the ramp donning my collection have also donated 50 percent of their remuneration, amounting to Rs.25,000, for the well being of the veteran actor.’

Riyaz will also be auctioning off all his six collections that he displayed on ramp and give all the money to Hangal and his family.

‘It was a fantastic show. I have never seen so many photographers and press in my life before, I am feeling great,’ Hangal told reporters after the show at BKC Trident.

Hangal, a professional tailor-turned-actor, lives a life of penury in his modest groundfloor flat in Saraswati Apartments, Santacruz East. He is unable to afford his mounting medical bills while suffering from old age related problems. Tending to him is his son, Vijay, 75, a former Bollywood still photographer, who had to give up his work due to a severe back ailment.

After hearing the plight of Hangal, many Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan came forward to offer their support.

IANS

Lindsay Lohan will be charged in theft case

London, Feb 9 – Actress Lindsay Lohan will be charged with stealing a necklace worth $2,500, Los Angeles county district attorney officials have confirmed.

Lohan was earlier supposed to be charged on Monday, reports contactmusic.com.

The owner of a store in Venice, California, has accused Lohan of stealing ‘one of a kind necklace’ worth $2,500 last month. An associate of the actress handed over the alleged stolen item to police as the authorities were preparing to raid the star’s home last week.

Lohan, 24, is currently on supervised probation for a drunk driving conviction. If the judge overseeing her case rules she violated her probation by taking the necklace, the actress faces 180 days in jail.

The actress, however, maintains the jewellery item was loaned to her.

IANS

Madhuri Dixit wants to invite the three Khans to dinner

New Delhi, Feb 8 – Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit has revealed that she would like to invite all the three Khans – Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman – to dinner at her home someday.

‘I would love to invite Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman to come and have food over at my place. I know Shah Rukh would always praise my cooking, Aamir would give me advice on how the food could be a little better which would help me improve, and Salman would just say ‘where’s the food, give it to me quickly’,’ a jovial Madhuri told reporters here Monday evening. The actress was here to launch celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s new 24-hour food channel ‘Food Food’.

While it is often said that women are better cooks than men, Madhuri has no qualms in admitting that it is her husband Sreeram Nene who takes the cake when it comes to cooking at home.

‘He (Sreeram Nene) loves to cook. It’s a natural art. Like I have the affinity for dance, he has natural affinity for cooking. He is also a fast learner. He’s the one who aroused my interest in cooking and thanks to him I have become a good cook,’ she added.

IANS

I will always love Ashley: Cheryl Cole

London, Feb 9 – Singer Cheryl Cole has admitted she will ‘always love’ her ex-husband Ashley Cole as she believes the pair are ‘meant for each other’.

‘I will always love him, always. He’s a big part of my life. I don’t think he ever wanted to let it go. We had a great relationship. He was my best friend,’ femalefirst.co.uk quoted her as saying.

‘For me, it’s not my past, it’s very much my present. We were meant for each other,’ she added.

Cheryl divorced the England and Chelsea soccer player in September 2010 following allegations he had cheated on her several times.

IANS

Valentine’s party fever dying down in India: Top DJ

New Delhi, Feb 9 – He is geared to play ‘Tere mast mast do nain’, ‘Tujhe bhula diya’ and other such romantic numbers in the run up to Feb 14, but Suketu, one of India’s most popular DJs, says the spirit of Valentine’s Day parties is fading away.

‘When I started Djing, Valentine’s fever was big. In fact, I feel it was bigger than what it is now. I think over the years it has died down slightly,’ Mumbai-based Suketu told IANS in an e-mail interview.

Suketu, who released his first album ‘440 Volts’ in 2002, says it’s no longer a necessity to play music at a Valentine’s Day party if you are a known DJ, unlike before.

‘It’s not important to have a Valentine’s Day party. If you are spinning at one, it’s great, but if not, it is no big deal and is understandable and very much acceptable, unlike on Christmas eve and New Year’s eve,’ he added.

In fact, he is not going to spin at all on Feb 14.

‘I am not playing anywhere on Valentine’s Day itself, as it is on a Monday this year and people don’t really want to get out and party. They prefer a dinner with their valentine.’

Nevertheless, he is already booked to play at two pre-Valentine’s Day parties – in Mumbai Feb 12, and a day later in Hyderabad.

What are the songs he plans to play?

‘For 2011 Valentine’s Day, my favourite songs are ‘Tere mast mast do nain’ from ‘Dabangg’, ‘Tujhe bhula diya’ from ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ and ‘Tonight I’m loving you’ by Enrique Iglesias,’ he said.

Popular for remix hits like ‘Pyaar zindagi hai’, ‘Bin tere sanam’, ‘Woh lamhe’ and ‘Aadat’, Suketu has also worked on a special remix for this Valentine’s Day.

‘I have worked on a special remix for Valentine’s Day. I have re-remixed ‘Bin Tere Sanam’. It’s been one of my biggest hits and I think it is one of the best love songs ever. So I have re-worked the whole track and am going to be playing it at both my gigs in Mumbai and Hyderabad,’ he said.

In the music industry for over a decade, Suketu says the only kind of music that gets Indians grooving is Bollywood. He has also observed that the love for slow songs on Valentine’s Day parties has been replaced by fast, remix numbers.

‘I guess the biggest change that I have noticed in people is the hugely undeniable entry of Bollywood music in all parties. No matter where and who the crowd is, Bollywood gets things grooving.

‘Also what I’ve noticed is earlier the crowd used to like a session of slow dancing when it came to Valentine’s parties; now they love only remixed versions.

Suketu likes to keep his own Valentine’s Day a quiet affair with his wife.

‘Now that I am not doing a gig on Valentine’s Day, it’s definitely a romantic dinner with my wife, preferably at home as I’ve been travelling a lot. We will be cooking together as both of us are foodies and very good cooks. Then we will relax over a bottle of wine,’ he said.

Suketu is also looking forward to some good work in 2011, as he will be remixing the music for ‘Race 2′ among other films. He will also launch his new album soon.

IANS

Paris Hilton takes up body-building

London, Feb 9 – Socialite Paris Hilton has reportedly started body building and is sticking to a high-calorie diet after her boyfriend Cy Waits encouraged her to do more exercises.

The 29-year-old socialite, who showed off a larger, more muscular figure when she walked down the ramp at a Brazilian fashion show last week, is said to have been inspired by her fitness fanatic boyfriend Cy Waits and is apparently now on a 3,500 calories a day diet to keep her energy levels up for her intense workouts, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

‘Paris has always preferred to stick to dieting all the time to maintain her figure. But since she’s been dating Cy, she’s got the bug. It’s a massive turnaround and now she’s working out so much that she’s often been seen on the treadmill drinking a milkshake,’ said a source.

Hilton’s new daily exercise routine includes weightlifting, bench presses and running on the beach with Cy, 35.

Hilton is delighted with the changes in her body and is planning to keep up her new regime.

The source added: ‘She wants to change her image and get properly healthy. At first she was unsure and it took some getting used to, but now Paris loves her new body. And Cy loves it too – he’s always talking about how hot and gorgeous she is.’

IANS