Nandana's sticking to her roots

Nandana Sen has been getting some good offers from the Bengali film industry.

The Bong siren has got rave reviews for her work in Autograph and we hear that many top directors of the East have got in touch with her to cast her in their projects.

The sultry actress has done some interesting work in Bollywood and we hear that she is very satisfied how her Bengali film has fared both in the box office as well as with the critics. Nandana has also been using her time to bond with her folks and extended family in Kolkata but has been hopping in and out of Mumbai too, to meet filmmakers and sit for script narrations. She is doing the balancing act quite well!

Anushka upsets Rohit Shetty, Ajay

The attractive Anushka Shetty has put her wrong foot forward in Bollywood. The actor who is on top of her game down South was in talks with Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn for the remake of Singham.

Anushka was the first choice to play Ajay's love interest because she was in the original film with Sooriya.

Sources indicate that when she was asked to do the remake, she reportedly demanded Rs 1.5 crore; naturally she was shown the door. Of course, there are those who say the girl had genuine date problems, but an insider says, "Money was the issue."

Anushka has definitely upset Rohit and Ajay, a formidable Bollywood combination now. And she stands replaced by Kajal Agarwal. Kajal is a major draw in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. The girl rose to prominence after her performance as Yuvarani Mitravinda Devi in Magadheera. Rohit refuses to comment on Anushka. Praising his new heroine Kajal, he says, "She is very popular down south. She has done Magadheera, one of the biggest Telegu hits of all time. We are confident about her pulling off the role successfully."

Tanushree's not getting married

Ex Miss Universe Lara Dutta has married and another beauty queen Celina Jaitley has made her engagement public, Tanushree Dutta also a pageant winner says,

"Really, I don't push such matters much. When it has to happen, it will and I do have age on my side." Really, but Tanu you are no spring chicken. But if you enjoy being single, we're ok with that.

Rains put a stop to 'Force' shoot

Vipul Shah had to pack up his shoot in Kutch, where he was filming Force. Unseasonal rains played havoc with his schedule

Vipul Shah returned in a state of shock from Kutch. His plans to shoot Force were dashed when unseasonal rains played spoilt sport.

He was left with no option but to leave the location without shooting even a single frame.

A stricken Vipul Shah says, "We had to start shooting on the borders of Kutch from February 17. But it rained heavily on the 16th and everything went haywire.

The unit had already reached and these are white deserts. These are salt lakes so already they are damp. The mud levels are very high.

Locals and the military have warned us that we can't shoot for another 20 days at least. There is also a constant fear of insects with so much muck around."

The film, which is a remake of South film Kaakha Kaakha, is directed by Nishikant Kamath. It will now have to be shot only on sets as there is no other choice. Shah says, "So in the last two-three days we have busy making sets so that we can shoot some portions here.

The balance we will shoot later which we haven't planned as yet. This is our plan B for now as we had never thought that unseasonal rains would send our schedule for a toss."

When asked about the losses incurred, Shah says, "That I will know only after the schedule is complete.

The unit had reached Kutch and now we are back making three to four different sets for scenes which were to be shot on one single location."

Nandini to play Veronica Lodge

Remember Veronica Lodge, the sexy, chic, spoilt brat from Archie Comics? She surely was and still is one of the hottest girls in town.

Item girl Nandini Jumani aka Krazy Kat will be seen now in a role with shades of Veronica Lodge in Boys To Boys Hai, which is said to be the desi answer to Archie's.

Produced by Anup Jalota and directed by Amit Chauhan, Nandini has already started shooting for the film.

She says, "Yes, it is true that I have been signed on for the film. I play a rich spoilt girl wearing glamorous clothes but I am not allowed to talk anything more about the film.

It will be fun to shoot with a young unit. The best part is that I have a glamorous song and I am looking forward to it.

It will give me enough scope to display my dancing abilities." What about her role inspired by Veronica "Ronnie" Lodge? To this she says, "As I said I am not allowed to reveal anything about my character at this moment." Wonder who'll play Big Ethel.

Deepika, Salman in 'Ladies and Gentlemen'?

There has always been news about Deepika Padukone being considered to act opposite Salman Khan - be it in 'Bodyguard', 'Kick' or even 'Ready'.

But all the rumours so far have been untrue, and the two have never been paired together. However, talks once again have it that Deepika may share screen space with Salman, this time in Ramesh Taurani's film titled 'Ladies and Gentlemen'.

'Ladies and Gentlemen' will be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. It has also been heard that Deepika was so eager to star with Salman that she has cut down her fees to show her keenness. However, producer Ramesh Taurani claims that the casting of the movie hasn't begun as yet.

With the film going on floors in December, the filmmakers will take their time in casting the lead heroine. Till then, we can only keep guessing....

Katrina is ready for the cut

To get under the skin of her character in Dibakar Banerjee's Seeta aur Geeta, Kat wants to get tips from Hema Malini on the techniques of hurling knives at her co-stars in the remake.

In the original the veteran actress had played a knife-throwing gypsy street performer.

She tells us, "Hemaji seems to have so much fun playing Geeta! I want to do all the daring stuff she did, including climbing the ceiling-fan in the police station. But what I'm especially fascinated by are the knives."

When told that Kat wants tips for throwing knives, Hema sportingly tells us, "Sure, why not? I think Katrina would make a wonderful Geeta in Seeta Aur Geeta.

But let me warn her it wasn't easy for me to do all the stunts and running around. To play Geeta I needed very high energy levels.

As for the knife-throwing scenes they were made somewhat easy because I had played a knife-throwing gypsy girl in my very first Hindi film, Sapnon Ka Saudagar.

It was great fun and I'm sure Katrina would have fun doing the role."

The part of 'Geeta' requires Katrina to play a knife-throwing gypsy street-performer, a street-side entertainment that was popular 20 years ago. Sadly the genre barely exists today.

Since, Katrina intends to aim real knives at her partners for the street-side entertainment sequences, the hunt is on for real gypsies, who roam the streets in pairs, like Dharmendra and Hema Malini played in the original Seeta Aur Geeta.

Given how Hema and Dharmendra turned out, it might help if the other gypsy is Ranbir.

Vijender Singh is cute: Narmmadaa

She might be a fresher in Bollywood, but she talks like a pro. Narmmadaa Ahuja, who was in town recently, gets chatty about films, her famous dad and more.

Is this your first time in the city?
Not really. I keep coming to Kolkata every three months. This is like my second home. What's more, my mom has also got a house in Kalikapur. She intends to come here for pujas, breaks and some peace of mind away from the bustle of the city. I have an association with Kolkata too. My nana had his factory here and was a distributor in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Going by your name, it seems like you have done numerology...
Well, it is based on it to a certain extent. The name was decided by my parents and it has been with me for 10 years now.

So, do you believe that a change in spelling is directly proportional to an advancement in career?
Not exactly so. My name was supposed to be spelt with a 'D'. But my father and grandmother combined their names and named me so.

With so much speculation surrounding your debut, is it just hearsay or is it fact that you will feature in the sequel to "Dabangg"?

This is news to me. If you ask me, there is no truth to such rumours. I have a couple of films in my kitty; one is a rom-com by Lovely Singh and another by Deepa. I don't know which of these two will mark my debut. I am also considering other scripts.
Like father, like daughter

Buzz doing the rounds is that Vijender Singh will be making his debut in Lovely Singh's venture...
The answer will be there in the papers in March.

So, you are neither confirming nor denying the news?
Yes.

Have you interacted with Vijender?
Yes, I have. He is a pretty interesting person to interact with. I think, he is cute.

You dad is known for his comedies. So, was it a planned move on your part to feature in a rom-com?
It wasn't planned. Being passionate about films, I wanted to do something that I enjoy and that comes easy to me. Honestly, I don't want my first film to be heavy on people.

You have said in an interview that you would want to debut with an actor who is at least a film old...
That is not exactly what I meant. My past experiences have made me say that. All I want is that an actor should give space and time to the opposite actor to emote. It is not as if working with newcomers is a strict no-no for me.

Word has it that Govinda was annoyed because Salman helped Sonakshi make a successful debut when apparently, he was supposed to help you launch your career...
This is absolutely baseless. Fact is, the story began with some rumour mongering. Why would dad be upset with Salman? After all, they are friends. Having said that, I feel, one should be able to help oneself rather than wait for someone to do the same for them. I was never approached for "Dabangg" and neither did dad talk to Salman about the same.

What's your take on the Govinda brand of humour?
That's just him. The 90s was his decade. If he was doing a certain kind of comedy, it was because the audience wanted it. But he is not interested in repeating himself now. Even the humour today has changed.

Ever told him that his humour was loud?
Yes, I did quite a few times. But it doesn't matter what I say because that's what the public wanted. That was the need of the era. That's what the audience then liked and accepted.

Your father has also seen a rough patch in his career. How did you, as a daughter, stand by him during those times?
It's not like we weren't aware of that phase. Such a phase comes in every actor's life when you want a break and also the audience seems to have had enough of you. But having a positive approach is all that matters. My father was an MP then, doing his own thing. He was bored with films. And when he wanted a comeback, he wasn't getting the kind of films that he would want to be seen in. Fact is, that wasn't the first time he was seeing these ups and downs. And yes, I was by his side. After all, everyone needs a boost.

Is Govinda a possessive dad?
Not that much. He knows how the industry functions and trusts me.

Talking of the industry and the goss then, there were ample rumours about Govinda and his women, his tiffs and tantrums. Ever wanted to know the truth to them?
I never discuss these things with him now, but I did so when they were written about. Like I said, I am aware of the industry. I understand that when you shoot for 40 days or more with someone, chances are you might be attracted towards that person. But you can remain good friends. I think, the biggest shame for an actor would be when there are no controversies written about him/her. I am not one to take such matters to heart.

Shahid, PC :100 years of loving each other

Off-screen couple, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, will be seen in a Kunal Kohli-directed love story spanning a century.

Their relationship might be on and off in real life, but Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor's reel life relationship is expected to last a century.

At least on screen. The couple has signed Kunal Kohli's next film, which is a love story chronicled over a span of 100 years.

While there is always speculation if Chops and Sasha are together or not, this seems to be an indicator that professionally they will be linked in the near future, regardless of their love life.

A source tells us, "This has a very different script dealing with the concept of eternal love. Priyanka loved the script the very moment she heard it and has accommodated her dates to shoot with her beau Sasha."

Kohli, who specializes in love stories, has slated the movie to go on floors in May.

The source adds, "Since it is a period film, spanning over 100 years, it becomes essential to have different get-ups and different locations with unique set-ups and backdrops.

Kunal has shortlisted various locations, but he will be paying a personal visit to each one to ensure that the locations fit into the script perfectly."

Kunal says, "I am currently doing a recce for the film. We have to zero down on various locations, as the movie covers 100 years."

Although Kohli has managed to rope in Shahid and Priyanka, he is yet to finalize the title of the film. He adds, "A period love story needs to have the correct title. I haven't finalised on any as yet. I would love some suggestions; it would certainly make it easier for me."

Previously Priyanka and Shahid were seen in Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey (2009). Let's see if they'll be able to rekindle the same chemistry again.

Now, Bhupathi's ex-wife gets hitched!

Shvetha Jaishankar, former wife of tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, got married this week.

Her husband-to-be is, reportedly, an entrepreneur named Raghu Kailas, who runs a family business in Chennai. The February 20 wedding was held in Chennai. Incidentally, Mahesh Bhupathi and Lara Dutta tied the knot in a civil ceremony on February 16.

According to sources, Shvetha's beau is goodlooking, tall and fair. Other sources have reported that Shvetha had "met him through mutual friends."

Shahnawaz Hussain's son to enter Bollywood?

After Chirag Paswan and Sonakshi Sinha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain's son Adeeb Hussain is said to be making his acting debut with children's film "Satrangee Parachute".

The eight-year-old is playing a politician's son in producer-director Vineet Khetrapal's movie, said a source.

"Adeeb was selected for the important role after auditioning of 200 kids and he was found apt to play the character of Chandra Mohan in the film," the source told.

Kay Kay Menon, Sanjay Mishra, Rajpal Yadav, Zakir Hussain and TV actress Rupali Ganguli, are also in the cast.

Legendary singer Lata Mangehskar as well as Usha Uthup, Kailash Kher, Raahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal have lent their voices to the songs composed by Kaushik Dutta and Shamir Tandon in the film.

Akshay's trainer miffed with Sonakshi's mum

Akshay Kumar trains in parkour, and wherever he goes, his trainer Jennifer goes with him. However, on the sets of 'Joker', Akshay's trainer isn't a happy woman.

That's because his co-star Sonakshi Sinha's mum, Poonam Sinha is spoiling Akki silly with loads of food that isn't necessarily healthy.

Apparently, Poonam loves to cook, be it at home or anywhere else. Even when she's put up at a hotel, she enters the hotel kitchen and indulges in some therapeutic cooking. Only recently, she treated Akshay to some masala mutton paya, and when Akki shared his love for Bengali food, a platter of Begali mustard fish was placed right in front of him.

Jennifer, his trainer, surely thinks that all the workouts are in vain. But Poonam isn't too bothered. She cooks, Akki eats and Jennifer simply sighs at the end of it all.

Priyanka Chopra's 'perfect' husband!

If you happen to be a Priyanka Chopra fan and dream about asking her 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' every day, we are about to help you woo the lady!

All you men, who aspire to be wed PC, should have the following qualities!

Priyanka revealed to TOI, "I want my husband to have a decent sense of humour. I want my man to make me laugh. No matter which language he speaks, he should be good at it. I hate those who look down upon Hindi. I find many such people in showbiz who take great pride in declaring they cannot speak Hindi. I cannot stand that. Also, he should have good family values as I am a complete family person. Last but not the least, he should be a happy man with a great smile. His smile should reach his eyes."

Now, why do we feel only two people fit the above criteria Priyanka..Shah Rukh or Shahid! Tsk Tsk

Rock star Stuart Cable died of vodka diet: girlfriend

London, Feb 21 – Late Stuart Cable’s girlfriend Rachel Jones has revealed that the rock star drank himself to death after going on a vodka diet to lose weight. 

The 40-year-old former Stereophonics drummer went on a vodka binge as he tried to get fit for a tour.

“There are diets that say a vodka is better than half a lager because it is lower in calories. But spirits are so strong that people don’t realise what they are doing to them,” the Daily Star quoted Jones of Llanelli, south Wales, as saying. (ANI)

Macau to host Star Parivaar Awards

Mumbai, Feb 17 – Star Parivaar awards, introduced by Star Plus in 2003 to honour people associated with the channel, will be held in Macau this year. 

Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan is expected to attend the Feb 24 event at The Venetian, since he is set to be part of the channel’s forthcoming new dance reality show ‘Just dance’.

‘While Star Parivaar Awards 2010 saw the birth of a new Star Plus, year 2011 promises to be bigger and better and full of surprises. We hope to bring an eventful of exuberance, innovation and an unforgettable sizzling, iconic experience for our viewers,’ Anupam Vasudev, EVP marketing and communication told reporters here.

The awards will be telecast April 3.

Ruth Boston, vice president, destination marketing, The Venetian Macao, feels honoured and delighted to host the awards at the venue.

‘Every month we welcome increasing number of Indian travellers to Macau to experience the rich blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures. We are confident that through our partnership with star TV this positive growth in the Indian market will continue,’ said Boston.

In the year 2009, The Venetian Macao also hosted Bollywood’s annual International Indian Film Academy awards. 

IANS

Mink lost six kg while shooting for ‘Zor Ka Jhatka’

Mumbai, Feb 20 – Actress Mink Brar, who’s one of the contestants on Shah Rukh Khan hosted game show ‘Zor Ka Jhatka’, lost oodles of weight while shooting for it.

‘I lost six kilos while I was shooting for ‘Zor Ka Jhatka’. I got hurt, but I tried my level best to be in the competition,’ Mink told IANS.

Shot in Argentina with about 28 contestants, ‘Zor Ka Jhatka’, which comes on Imagine TV, is the Indian version of the international show ‘Wipeout’.

Mink cleared the red balloon twice and tore her ligament but kept trying and said: ‘I am very happy to be part of this competition.’

She has acted in films like ‘Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain’, ‘Ajnabee’ and ‘Pitah’.

IANS

Amanda Seyfried’s ‘nude phone interview’ with Justin Timberlake

New York, Feb 21 – Amanda Seyfried gave Justin Timberlake quite a surprise during a telephone interview for the March issue of Interview magazine, when she told him she was wearing nothing.

“I think I should mention that I’m not wearing any clothes,” the New York Daily News quoted Seyfried as saying to the singer.

Amanda had just finished discussing her upcoming film ‘Red Riding Hood’, when she suddenly revealed she was naked.

“Well if that’s how you’d like to be interviewed then that’s totally fine,” Timberlake said.

“I’m most comfortable in my birthday suit,” she acknowledged.

Seyfried and Timberlake star together in Andrew Niccol’s upcoming sci-fi flick ‘Now.’ (ANI)

RoboCop fans in US raise $50K to honour him with giant statue

London, Feb 21 – Fans of RoboCop in the US have raised 50,000 dollars to erect a giant statue in his honour.

The whole idea to have a statue in his image started with a message sent via the social network Twitter to the mayor of the Motor City, Dave Bing.

“Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky, RoboCop would kick Rocky’s butt. He’s a great ambassador for Detroit,” the Daily Mail quoted a Detroit resident called ‘MT’ as tweeting.

The mayor responded: “There are not any plans to erect a statue of Robocop. Thank you for the suggestion.”

But despite the mayor’s lukewarm response the idea quickly sparked an Internet campaign and the Facebook page, Detroiters for a RoboCop Statue, rapidly gained fans.

Then a local non-profit organisation, Imagination Station, set up a fund, ‘Detroit Needs A Statue of RoboCop!’ where people could donate online.

Within days 25,000 dollars had flooded in from Detroit residents and fans of the 1987 sci-fi movie.

And Californian man, Pete Hottelet, then gave a whopping 25,000 dollars of his own cash to double the money for the RoboCop tribute.

Hottelet, 32, owns a company called Omni Consumer Products, the same name as the fictional jumbo-conglomerate that controls the dystopian society in the movie.

Detroit man, Brandon Walley, who is the brainchild for the campaign, believes the statue will be a great boost for tourism in the Michigan city, which was left financially-crippled after the near collapse of the motor industry.

“It will bring people to visit. It’s also just a cool idea,” he added.

The project has enlisted the help of robot-expert Fred Barton whose company, Fred Barton Productions, makes high-tech replicas of famous Hollywood androids for museums and collectors.

Barton, 53, has been restoring the original silicone RoboCop suit for the last five years and will provide the pieces so the iconic figure can be digitally rendered and enlarged before being cast in a durable material for the statue.

“It’s a very exciting project. As soon as I heard about it I wanted to be involved. I’m not sure what pose RoboCop will have yet, but we’re thinking of going for something non-threatening yet majestic,” he said.

“So we won’t have him pointing a gun in your face. We want it to be a positive symbol of hope for the new Detroit,” he stated.

Peter Weller, who played RoboCop in the movie made a statement declaring that the statue would be good for the city.

“I think it’s a great thing as far as a public service. As far as a personal emblem, it doesn’t make any difference to me,” he added. (ANI)

Halle Berry has ‘cut herself off from her family’ claims estranged sister

London, Feb 21 – Actress Halle Berry’s estranged half-sister has claimed that the actress has cut herself off from her family.

Halle, 44, who is currently in the middle of a custody battle with ex Gabriel Aubry over their daughter Nahla, has been accused of cutting off all ties with her African-American family by her half-sister Renee Berry, 51.

According to the Daily Mirror, Renee, a food service worker from Alabama, is desperate to reconnect with her famous sister, especially when she is going through such a difficult time in the courts.

Renee is the daughter of Halle’s late African-American father Jerome and Edwina Taylor, who broke up with him shortly before he started dating the actress’ mother Judith Hawkins.

Although Jerome and Judith split up when Halle was just four years old, Renee remained “very close” to Halle while they were growing up – despite cutting herself off from her father after the divorce.

“I’m sad to say it seems like she does not want anything to do with us. I have not spoken to her in about five years,” the Daily Mail quoted Renee as saying.

“I tried to contact her through her website, to congratulate her on her Oscar, but no one got back to me.

“We would love to meet Nahla. We are desperate to understand why Halle is so upset, why she feels she cannot be with us,” she stated.

Renee claims Halle was angry with her when she made a public plea to visit Jerome when he was dying from Parkinson’s disease. (ANI)

Resse Witherspoon feels so lucky to have love scenes with Pattinson

New York, Feb 21 – Reese Witherspoon, who stars opposite Robert Pattinson in the upcoming film ‘Water for Elephants’, has said that she is so ‘lucky’ to have love scenes with the ‘Twilight’ heartthrob.

“I am so lucky. He’s so amazing and wonderful and sweet and just the nicest guy too, so you can just add that to the soup,” the New York Daily News quoted her as saying in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

“I mean, he’s just so good-looking and he’s a really nice person,” she said.

The pair, who play forbidden lovers in the movie based on a New York Times bestseller of the same title, keep each other smiling on set even after the cameras stop rolling.

“We’ll probably just laugh the whole time, because all we do is just laugh and joke around,” Witherspoon said.

Pattinson praises his costar too.

“She’s great. I think every time where there’s a love scene, though, I get beaten up,” Pattinson said.

Witherspoon and Pattinson have also worked together in 2004’s “Vanity Fair”.

In the film, a young Pattinson played an aged Witherspoon’s son – awkward, yet funny, to think about in retrospect, admits Pattinson.

“It seems like it’s been so long ago now. I remember even on the set, I thought I looked too old to be her son,” he said.

The blonde beauty, on the other hand, had a few different thoughts about the casting.

“He was walking down this corridor and I turned to the director and I said, ‘That’s my son? He’s so good looking!’ I was like, ‘He’s so hot!’” she recalled. (ANI)

Taylor Momsen keen to design own fashion line

Washington, Feb 21 – Taylor Momsen has revealed that she would love to try her hand at designing but her busy schedule is holding her back from taking up any other project.
 

“I’ve always wanted to have a line at some point but when I do that I really want to have the time to be able to commit to it properly. Right now I’m so busy but sometime in the future I would love to have a line, absolutely,” Contactmusic quoted the singer-and-actress, who recently fronted a campaign for Madonna’s clothing range Material Girl, as saying.

“I’ll be very involved in the design and all of it, I want to spend all my time making it the best it can possibly be. I don’t want to just put my name on it and have other people do all the work,” she added.

Taylor loves fashion, particularly from the 60s but insisted she would never try to copy anyone else’s look as she likes to be unique.

“I try to be original and have my own style, there’s a certain way I love to dress. I’ve always dressed differently to all the other kids but that’s the great thing about fashion, it doesn’t have to be for everyone,” the ‘The Pretty Reckless’ front-woman told BANG Showbiz.

“It’s personal and however you look is a reflection of you. I draw inspiration from different eras – I love the 60s and I love Edie Sedgewick but I wouldn’t say I dress exactly like that. I just try to make everything my own,” she added. (ANI)

Kelly Brook dresses as an angel to promote new deodorant

London, Feb 21 – Actress Kelly Brook has been photographed dressed as an angel to promote a new deodorant.

Brook, 31, stars in online game Fallen Angel, in which players try to solve puzzles to make the winged beauty drop from the skies.

It is part of a campaign for new Lynx range Excite.

“I can’t wait to see who can tempt me from heaven,” the Sun quoted the actress, who fronted ads for the brand in a 1 million pounds deal in 2007, as saying. (ANI)

Kate Winslet was rejected many times as teen for being too fat

London, Feb 21 – Kate Winslet has confessed that she was regularly sidelined for stage roles as a teenager because she was considered “too fat” or her feet “were the wrong size.”

The actress made the honest confession to wannabes on a secret visit to the children’s theatre company, which nurtured her acting talents.

Winslet recalled how she overcame her physical shortcomings at Reading, Berkshire based acting school, reports the Telegraph.

She told aspiring young thespians hanging on her every syllable, never to give up on their dream, reminding them “anything was possible.”

While she was a hopeful at Starmaker, Winslet was chosen for three principal roles, but when she was not in the limelight she was always a boisterous member of the chorus, and took part in 20 productions.

And while she was naturally disappointed at not always being chosen for plum parts, Winslet thrived on the unique camaraderie and love of the arts fostered at Starmaker, which celebrates its 23rd birthday next week. (ANI)

When Amitabh Bachchan used to be a gate crasher

New Delhi, Feb 21 – He might be flying in private jets or executive class with a lot of attention, but there was time when Bollywood’s megastar Amitabh Bachchan used to gatecrash at weddings or travel in trains without a ticket.

Big B is in Bhopal shooting for “Aarakshan” and it seems he is getting nostalgic about his collage days.

“We were talking on set about college and university days and how in the hostel, when food was scarce or our pockets had run dry, we would find novel ways of feeding ourselves at times. Look for a wedding, borrow an ill-fitting suit from an affluent colleague and gatecrash the ‘baraat’ as guests and feed ourselves to our limits best, posing as ‘men from the boy’s side’,” he posted on his blog Bigb.bigadda.com.

“They are the ones that get the most looked after!! They were mad days of our youth and when you look back on them you wonder how on earth did we ever pull those utterly stupid pranks and succeed,” he added.

The 68-year-old megastar, who studied at Allahabad’s Jnana Prabodhini and Boys’ High School (BHS) followed by Nainital’s Sherwood College, before graduating from Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College, remembered how he and his friends would board a train without tickets because they didn’t have enough money.

“Like paying a visit to our Alma Mater, Sherwood College the very next year of passing out, spending Founder’s Week there among colleagues and then finding ourselves out of money, not sufficient to buy back a train ticket to Delhi. So what do you do? You get on to the train from Kathgodam in any case, just as it’s pulling out of the station so no one can stop you, cling on to the doors and spend the rest of the journey on the steps outside of the moving compartment until some kind-hearted ticket holder takes pity on your condition and pulls you in to share his berth with you,” he posted.

SRK has unique ‘Always…’ promotional strategy: Roshan Abbas

Mumbai, Feb 21 – Actor Roshan Abbas, who is making his directorial debut with “Always Kabhi Kabhi” under Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment banner, said the superstar has some unique promotional ideas up his sleeve.

“His involvement is there but he is also shooting for two movies. He has ‘RA.One’ on one side and ‘Don2′ on the other, but in the midst of these, his support is always there and you will get to see some unique Shah Rukh ideas as we go along,” Abbas told IANS in an interview.

Shah Rukh is in touch with his office from Malaysia, where he is shooting for “Don2″, said Abbas.

“Currently, he is in Malaysia. But he has seen the marketing plan of the film. He is continuously in contact with Red Chiiles because he wants to know what we are doing, what our ideas are to promote the film. He has also given us some ideas,” said Abbas.

“Once you see the posters, which would be out soon, you will see how the Red Chillies’ look and feel has come into this film,” he added.

Abbas also said he regards Shah Rukh as his mentor.

“He has always been around on the sets. He is the busiest person on this planet. Even in the middle of that, he used to find time for my film. That’s what makes him really interesting. He was there as a mentor in that sense, but he has not been a tormentor,” Abbas laughed.

Set in a high school, “Always Kabhi Kabhi” captures the emotions of love, jealousy and pride that marks one’s school years.

“It’s an adaptation of my play about a high school ‘Graffiti’, which I earlier wanted to turn into a graphic novel,” Abbas said.

Some Pics of Lara Dutta Wedding

Related News about Lara Dutta

Pregnant Emma Bunton bonds with bandmates

London, Feb 21 – Emma Bunton says being pregnant has strengthened her ‘bond’ with her former Spice Girls bandmates. 

The 35-year-old, who is expecting her second child with her fiance Jade Jones, doesn’t see Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Mel B or Mel C as often as she would like, reports contactmusic.com

‘Because we’re all so busy we don’t get to see as much of each other as we’d like but when something like this happens the bond we have shines through. It’s like a sisterly relationship and that will always be there,’ she said.

The singer, who has three-year-old son Beau with Jade, also revealed the former bandmates use family occasions as an excuse to get together and socialise.

‘In fact Scarlet (Mel C’s daughter) and Cruz (Victoria and David Beckham’s son) have birthdays in a few days so it’s great excuse to get together.’

Emma is particularly close to Victoria and David, who are currently expecting their fourth child, and she recently enjoyed celebrating her engagement with the couple.

‘Because Victoria and I are pregnant, we talked about that for a bit then I said, ‘I do have some other exciting news’ and I held up my ring. They jumped out of their seats and hugged and kissed us,’ she said. 

IANS

NIRAHU ANARI : Movie Review

Produed by Arimardan Singh, Nirahu Anari is the second venture of director Avinash Tripathi and actor Virendar Singh Chuahan aka Nirahu after their first movie Nirahu Ke Love Story. Child marriage has always been a topic of debate in India and though India has been developing continuously, child marriage is quite prevalent in the villages till now. Nirahu Anari has been made keeping the issue of child marriage as the center of the story and one expects the movie to be quite sensitive and emotional affair. Does it really manage to live up to the expectations of the audience? Well, no quite so…

Nirahu Anari revolves around the family of Banarasi Singh(Vinod Singh) family where his mother Subhadra Singh gets her grandson, Rohit, married at a very tender age against the will of his sons, Banarasi Singh and Kashi Singh(Sonu Singh). Rohit then goes to US for his studies and her wife Vidya(Kalpana Shah) is left in the village. One fine day, the servant of the palace, Pheku(Anand Mohan) brings his son Nirahu(Virendar Singh Chauhan) to the palace where Nirahu wins the hearts of the family of Banarasi Singh by singing a song. He is then given the duty of safeguarding Vidya. While Nirahu honestly performs his duty, Vidya falls for him and starts loving him. Banarasi Singh and Kashi Singh come to know about it one day and order Nirahu to leave the village. Nirahua, then vows to come back and take revenge from both of them. How he manages to do this forms the crux of the story.

The movie mainly suffers in the department of the screenplay. No doubt the effort has been honest one but the screenplay should have been tighter. The story jumps from one scene to another without any reference thus affecting the continuity of the movie. 

When you move into the theatre to watch Nirahu Anari, you expect the movie to be packed with lots of good punches, but alas! The movie tries hard to make the audience smile but fails. Except for a few scenes (like the one where Virender and Anand Mohan sleep together), all other punches fall flat. 

The major asset of the movie is the music of the movie, though it too, has some drawbacks. The movie has some really good songs, “dhokha bahute rahal” and “mohababat kii mohabbat” being the best of the lot. As for drawbacks, the songs “lehenga mein AC” and “balam kare gundagardi” were just not required in the movie and affect the pace of the movie. It seems that the songs were desperately put into the movie to attract the masses.Moreover, these songs will surely restrict the family audience from watching the movie. Direction of this movie, as said previously, has been affected by the screenplay though Avinash Tripathi shows promises to come up with good products if given good screenplays. Action(Gabbar Singh) are just too unrealistic to be believed. Cinamatography is so so. Dialogues are passable and editing should have been tighter.

Virender Singh Chauhan aka Nirahu is natural, though it should be mentioned that he is far more comfortable in comic roles rather than the emotional ones. Kalpana Shah acts well and shows promises. Anand Mohan is the best of the lot. Vinod Singh is expressionless. Sonu Singh hams.His ‘aye saala’ starts irritating few minutes after the movie starts. Rest of the cast has nothing much to do. 

 All in all, Nirahu Anari would have been a thorough entertainer provided it had the right screenplay and good dialogues. Nirahu Anari can be termed as a movie which had good idea but failed to implement it. As per box office, the movie is expected to get a good response in the rural areas due to its songs and presentation. 

The opening of the movie has been quite impressive given that the movie does not star known faces.But the business will slide down on the lower side as the day progresses.

LOFER : Movie Review

Typical masala entertainers are the hot properties for the Bhojpuri cinema industry these days. Produced by Monika Sinha and Sanjay Sinha and directed by Ravi Sinha, LOFER is the new addition to the list. The film boasts of an impressive star cast Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’, Pakhi Hegde, Monalisa and Awadhesh Mishra. Does the movie justify the talents of such an impressive and much talked about team? Does it make the audience satisfied when they leave the cinema halls?

LOFER is the story of Arjun Singh(Dinesh Lal Yadav), her wife(Monalisa) and her two children who make a happy family together. Mahendra Singh (Awadhesh Mishra) and his son Virendra Singh are the two relatives of Arjun who have an eye on the money and properties of Arjun. The story takes a turn when Pooja is killed by the hooligans sent by Mahendra Singh. Now enters Disco Rani(Pakhi Hegde), who is a spy of Mahendra Singh in Arjun’s house, but slowly turns into Arjun’s loyal owing to the love shared between her and the two kids. Agitated by Rani’s turnover, Mahendra Singh gets Arjun killed and now intends to kill the kids. There enters Shankar (Dinesh Lal Yadav), look alike of Arjun who is then contracted to save the kids and Rani. But when he comes to know the truth, he agrees to save the kids without any money. How he succeeds in saving the kids forms the rest of the story.

The movie sets itself quite impressively in the first 15 minutes of the start. The confrontation between Nirahua and Awadhesh is very strongly presented and makes the audience excited with the going on. But, the pace of the movie slackens afterwards and the attention is drawn more towards the songs and comedy. The first 35 minutes of the movie consist of 4 songs, which hardly make the story to proceed. But the second hour of the movie engages the audience again with the murder of Monalisa and the entry of Pakhi to the home. In fact, the scenes after Pakhi enters the screen take the movie to a new high and the post interval part is highly anticipitated. The post interval part starts off well and with the introduction of Arjun’s look alike, the movie goes impressively. The scene where Nirahua copies Amitabh Bachhan of Amar Akbar Anthony, is humorous and will be appreciated.

The movie’s main drawback lies in its length. The first half is really long drawn and affects adversely to the pace of this 2.45 hrs long movie. The movie could have been done without two or three songs, for the sake of its pace. The “Gajodhar Bhayya” scenes are entertaining but they really have no connection with the movie.

Direction-wise, Ravi Sinha looks a little bit confused as how to go along with the script, as the script seems to be a concatenation of some hindi movies, to be said mildly. The cinematography is not quite up to the mark. Music by Rajesh Rajneesh is hummable. “Ae ram ji” and “Pyar Kare” are pick of the lot. Choreography is routine, though it must be said that choreography of the song “Kothariya Mein” was awful.

Acting wise, Dinesh Lal Yadav is good while playing the role of Shankar, the look alike. He looks convincing while playing the role of the lofer, and his part of dialogues in the second half will bring the house down. Pakhi Hegde is the show stealer, to say the least. Playing the role which had some grey shades, she performs beautifully. Her confrontations with Awadhesh Mishra in the first half deserve special mention. Monalisa does not have a full fledged role but she does well to play her part. Awadhesh Mishra suffers mainly due to sloppy characterization though he delivers well. But he must take care that he does not repeat himself. The rest of the cast are strictly okay. It will be a pleasant experience to watch Durga Prasad Mazumdar DADA and Rajkumar R. Pandey sharing the screen with Nirahua for a while.

On the whole, LOFER is the masala entertainer that will provide entertainment to the audience in bits and spurts. The length of the movie is a major hurdle in its going on. As per box office, the movie has got to a good initial owing to the star quotient of Nirahua and Pakhi Hegde, but its prospects will narrow down as the week progress and moreover, new Bhojpuri movies are in the line to be released.

Maar Deb Goli Kehu Naa Boli: Movie Review

A movie titled “Maar Deb Goli Kehu Naa Boli” is sure to create buzz in the audience with its release, especially when it stars one of the best actors of Bhojpuri cinema industry. Presented by Jitesh Dubey, Produced by Payal Dubey and directed by Jagdish Sharma, Maar Deb Goli Kehu Naa Boli is an action drama which has a backdrop of Bihar. 

Maar Deb Goli Kehu Naa Boli is a story about Police Superintendent Arjun Singh(Ravi Kissen) who is posted by the CM of Bihar(Kiran Kumar) to eradicate the crimes from Bihar. The Chief Minister is a helpless puppet working under the pressure of Kakka, a minister turned hooligan of Bihar. Arjun Singh arrives to Bihar disguised as a struggling singer Ravi Rangeela and observes that the entire police system is in the hands of Kakka and his son Kali (Siddharth Rai), including Inspector Saleem(Deepak Dubey). Arjun, then takes the opportunity to stop Kakka and his crimes in Bihar. In the meanwhile he falls for his flat owner Radhe Shyam’s daughter (Gunjan Pant). How Arjun succeeds to eliminate Kakka and his disciples forms the rest of the story.

Jagdish Sharma justifies the title of the movie in first 20 minutes of the movie itself. The scenes depicting the reign of crime in Bihar are impressive and demonstrate the power of bullets in Bihar. The buildup of the story thereafter is interesting and glues the audience to the seats. The interval point, where Kaali is killed by Inspector Saleem is well directed. The movie goes well after the interval point too and the games played by Arjun to destroy Kakka are good.

The movie is not without its share of flaws. It’s the climax that falters big time in the movie. It seems that the makers saw that the movie was going too lengthy so they shortened the climax. The climax seems so hurriedly executed that it takes away the luster of the entire movie. The movie could have been done without a song or too. The first half is also little stretched making the impression a little diluted.

The audience will also get puzzled with the cinematic liberty the director takes: 1. Why the important minister of Maharashtra was travelling alone for the Sadbhavna Rally ? 2. When Arjun was arrested in the jail and, as explained by Usmaan (Brijesh Tripathi), he was not going to get bail for next two days, arrived at the marriage party of Saleem ? 3. Where did the injuries of Arjun disappear when he appears in party? (At least the head injury should have been visible)

Jagdish Sharma has directed the movie well but how one could have wished the impact to be more powerful given the impressive star cast and a good script. Music of a Bhojpuri movie has to be strong point but the music in this movie is not impressive at all. The music resembles to old songs and fails to deliver. Choreography is okay and the action is routine.

Ravi Kissen is thoroughly enjoyable when he plays the struggling singer and efficient while playing the role of the SP of police. Deepak Dubey gets an important role and plays to the gallery. Kiran Kumar is hardly there. Gunjan Pant has plays the role of a routine village girl efficiently. Kalpana Shah doesn’t get much scope. The actor playing the role of Kakka is good. Brijesh Tripathi is ok. The rest of the cast supports well.

On the whole, Maar Deb Goli Kehu Naa Boli is an engaging fare that will do well mainly because of its title and the star cast. The flaws mentioned surely restrict the movie to become an exceptional fare. Given the good opening, the movie should manage to recover the money of the distributors.

Aakhiri Rasta : Movie review

A still from Akhiri Rasta (Dinesh Lal Yadav)

Produced by KS Saibaba and directed by G.Subbarao, Aakhiri Rasta is the first movie released in 2011. Starring some big names like Dinesh Lal Yadav, Pakkhi Hegde, Monalisa and Rinku Ghosh, there is a lot to be expected from this movie. But does this film really deliver?

The story of the film revolves around Deva who works as a bodyguard to Raghuveer Singh, who has rivalry with Bhagwan Dada who has an eye on his wealth. Deva is supposed to save her granddaughter Rani from Bhagwaan Dada and in series of events, arrogant Rani Falls in love with him. There is also Bindu, the maid of the house who also loves Deva. 

One day, Raghuveer and Rani come to know about the identity of Deva and about his past, when he shots Sadhu Shukla in a market. Deva happens to be a police officer who had lost his wife owing to the rivalry between him and Sadhu Shukla. He left his brother(who is also the head of the village) and sister in law so that he could find some peace and forget her wife. How Deva manages to rescue Raghuveer, Rani, his brother and sister in law from the hands of Bhagwan Dada forms the crux of the story.

The story moves at a very slow pace in the first half, and the scenes between Dinesh and Monalisa are too forgettable. In fact these scenes have nothing to do with the story and have been shot just to intimate the audience. Previously, we used to have double meaning dialogues and other stuffs which the makers used to woo the audience but this time around, there is no such shyness. If you are trying to make a family entertainer suitable for all ages, this is not the right stuff. In fact, these scenes will only encourage the people who are trying to prove that there is vulgarity in Bhojpuri movies. 

Post-interval, there are plenty of entertaining scenes which makes the audience glued to their seats. However, it must be said that post interval portions are long drawn and should have been edited to make the pace brisk.

Frankly speaking, the script has nothing new to offer. It has no novelty whatsoever. In fact it proves the fact that was anticipated while watching the promos of this movie; the movie is a south Indian movie remake and has not been developed as per the Bhojpuri taste. 

Dinesh Lal Yadav impresses. He gets ample chances to showcase his talent and he fulfills the expectations. Pakkhi Hegde is natural, though she overacts in some scenes. Rinku Ghosh is the best of the lot. She proves herself a worthy actress. Monalisa gets the most absurd role in the movie. It's hard to guess why she accepted this role. She is in the movie only for the skin show and titillation. 

Manoj Tiger entertains. In fact, scenes which involve him and Gautam Raju, are the most entertaining part of the movie. Satyaprakash tries hard to look like an evil villain but he hardly impresses. P.D.Raj irritates. 

Direction (G.Subbarao) is ok, though there was a lot expected. Just like the script, the music (Rajesh –Rajneesh) offers no novelty. It's a bag of same old tunes which have been used umpteen numbers of times. Action (Venkat) is good. Editing should have been tighter.

On the whole, Aakhiri Rasta is a movie that delivers less than what was expected from this movie. Yes, there are enjoyable moments in the movie but those are simply not enough to entertain the audience in this 2 hours 50 minutes long movie. Business-wise, the movie has opened to full houses owing to the face value and will finally prove beneficial for the distributors.

Salman desperate to work in Joker

Fascinated by the 3D technology that Shirish Kunder will use for his next superhero flick, Joker, the actor wants a role in the film too.

First it was a cameo in a song in Om Shanti Om, then another in a song in Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif starrer Tees Maar Khan. For husband wife duo Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan, Salman Khan's presence seems to be lucky.

While we know that Khan will play the lead in Kunder's film Kick, the beefy actor is also keen to show his face in Kunder's 3D project that's in the pipeline.

Titled Joker, the superhero action flick will star Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, and although the first schedule began on February 14 in Chandigarh, Salman wants Kunder to scribble a quick role for him too.

"Shirish has already locked in on Akshay for the lead in Joker with Sonakshi Sinha. But when Salman heard Shirish was making a film in 3D, he got excited. He told Shirish to get him into the picture even if it is for just a cameo," reveals a source. Kunder is busy trying to find a good enough role for Salman to play in Joker.

"Salman is fascinated by 3D. Creatively, this technology allows filmmakers to give viewers a more lifelike experience, as if they were actually in the world of the film and can reach out and touch the characters. Both Salman and I love 3D. Plus, it discourages piracy, as viewers have to go to theatres to see the film. In Joker, I intend to take the audience to a world they've never seen or experienced before," says the director.

Kunder admits efforts are on to write Khan into Joker. "I would love to include Salman in Joker. But it has to be a role that would do justice to him."

Apparently, Salman is not willing to take no for an answer. If it's a three-dimensional experience, he would like to join the crew as the fourth.

By mid-day

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