No SRK-Salman encounter at Esha's wedding: Disaster averted?

A close encounter between the two warring Khans, Shah Rukh and Salman, seems to have been fortuitously averted. Esha Deol's June 29 wedding to fiancé Bharat Takhtani could have been the meeting ground for SRK and Salman who famously and violently fell out at Salman's ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif's birthday party in 2008.

Salman, who skipped Esha's sangeet and mehendi ceremonies held on June 25 and June 27 respectively, is shooting for Dabangg 2 in Mumbai and is expected to attend the wedding and the reception next day. 

SRK, on the other hand, is currently in London where he's on a working holiday, shooting for Yash Raj Films' Ye Kahan Aa Gaye Hum and putting in some family time with Gauri and the children.

Both Khans have old connections with Esha Deol's mother, actress Hema Malini. She's a longtime friend of Salman's family. Salman's father, Salim Khan, wrote Sholay, on the sets of which the Hema-Dharmendra romance blossomed.

Salman made up for his absence at Esha's pre-wedding ceremonies by assigning his trusted bodyguard Shera to oversee security and other arrangements.

And Shah Rukh? Way back when he was still best known as Abhimanyu Rai from TV serial Fauji, it was Hema Malini who gave the King his first break in Bollywood by casting him in her directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai.

If he'd been in town, SRK would almost certainly have put in appearance at Esha's wedding celebrations. And bumped into Salman.

And there's no knowing what would have followed.

By Gitanjali Roy

Kate Middleton, Prince William Baby Names Revealed?

As reports heat up that Kate Middleton and Prince William are on the verge of welcoming their first child, clear frontrunners are emerging from punters wanting to earn money from guessing the offspring's name.

And according to Paddy Power, the unisex name Frances is the top contender.

Of course, whether or not Kate and Will will base their decision on Paddy Power's suggestions is something we somewhat doubt... but it can't hurt to speculate right?

Other than Frances (5/1), the site's top picks are Charles for a boy, after the grandfather-to-be (6/1), and Diana, after William's late mother (8/1).

For boys, other favourites include George (10/1), Louis (14/1) and Richard (14/1); whilst female picks are Carole, after Kate's mother (16/1), Anne, after the Princess Royal (10/1) and Mary (16/1).

If you fancy taking a risk on a long shot, the company offers odds of 1000/1 that Brooklyn will be chosen, 500/1 that it'll be Peaches, and 500/1 for the exceptional Frogmella.

Even Fergie is a cheeky tip at 250/1.
Kate Middleton's outdoor chic!

Kate Middleton knows how to rock outdoor style

 

Kate Middleton charms Brad Pitt as actor snaps up Royal portrait

Even the Hollywood actor has fallen under the Duchess’s spell, shelling out thousands on a portrait of William and Kate on the day of their engagement.

Say cheese: The portrait Brad Pitt is thought to have snapped up is based on this engagement photo of Kate and William

Kate Middleton has charmed the public, the Royals, and now Hollywood Royalty too it seems, after Brad Pitt paid thousands of pounds to snap up a portrait of the Duchess.

According to reports, Oceans Eleven star Brad fell in love with a stencil on canvas version of the famous engagement portrait of Kate and Prince William’s, and decided he had to have the piece of art in his collection.

The movie star is believed to have paid thousands to secure the black and white portrait, created by Islington graffiti artist Bambi, which shows the couple smiling for the cameras with their arms linked, with the words ‘A bit like Marmite’ scrawled over the front.

Acording to artlyst, the portrait, which had been on show at a gallery at the corner of Offord Road and Liverpool Road, Barnsbury, had become a big hit with tourists, who have fallen in love with Wills and Kate, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

And it seems Brad just had to have the piece for his collection to add to one of his many homes around the globe.

As well as snap up the Kate and William portrait, Brad also reportedly bought an image of Queen Elizabeth, as well as one of the late R&B/soul star Amy Winehouse.

And they didn’t come cheap, with “serious art collector” Brad reported to have paid £60,000 for the three pieces.

Earlier this year it emerged that Brad and Angelina fell in love with Kate and William’s stunning Royal Wedding, and are said to be taking inspiration from it for their very own wedding later this year.

The Hollywood pair – Angelina in particular – are said to be “fascinated” by the couple and although will be having a much smaller, more private affair, would like to incorporate some themes from the Royal wedding into their own nuptials.

A source told Star magazine: “Angie is fascinated by Kate, and like the rest of the world she fell in love with her and William when she watched their wedding on TV with Brad and the kids.

“She would never make her own wedding public and wants a private event on a much smaller scale. But she loved the Britishness of Kate and William’s big day and wants to incorporate some of those very traditional elements into her own ceremony.”

Freida romances Batman

Tree Of Life director Terrence Mallik has cast Freida Pinto in his next project, Knight Of Cups, along with Batman actor Christian Bale.

A source reveals that the story is about a man in search of love and truth, and that Mallik watched all of Pinto's previous films before casting her in the project. The source says, "Freida and Christian broke the ice immediately. They have casually bumped into each other at Hollywood events in the past, but never worked together. During the shoot they were quite playful and flirty."

The film also stars Oscar winners Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett.

TNN | Jun 29, 2012, 12.00AM IST

Haunted by Jagan, Chiranjeevi meets Sonia to save Cong in AP

Hyderabad/New Delhi : It seems that Jaganmohan Reddy has become a headache for Congress and its allies in Andhra Pradesh. After Chief Minister Kiran Kumar, now Chiranjeevi reached New Delhi to meet the President of the party - Sonia Gandhi.

The actor turned politician, whose Praja Rajyam Party merged with Congress recently, reportedly expressed his concern about growing tension in the state. After the poll debacle, Chiranjeevi is reported to have complained about the attitude of many Congress leaders which might be one of the reasons which helped Jagan to win the election.

During the recently held by-poll elections in the state, Congress lost the Tirupati assembly seat which was held by Chiranjeevi.

However, after his meeting with Mrs Gandhi at 10 Janapath in the national capital on Wednesday, Jun 27, Chiranjeevi claimed that Jagan's YSR Congress's victory in AP by-election was due to the 'sympathy factor'.

Recently, another Congress MP from Guntur, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao has attributed party's debacle and YSR Congress's landslide victory in the state by-elections to the "tears" of Vijaya Lakshmi, the wife of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Out of 18 Assembly seats where bypolls were held earlier this month, the YSR Congress won 15, the Congress managed only 2 seats while the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) grabbed one. The TDP drew a blank.

OneIndia News

Bollywood success bashes are just for effect: Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn says that celebrations are being held for flop films too now 

 

For your latest, Bol Bachchan, how did Ajay Devgn, the actor-producer of the film, agree to the title which is so quintessentially about another person? No insecurities here?

 
None at all; once you see the film you'll understand what I mean. The characters are very well defined and everyone has their place. Bol Bachchan is apt since it is about this one guy who is trying to con everyone and he keeps giving these bol bachchans. That's where it comes from. As part of the movie's team, when we were discussing the name, I agreed that it was perfect.

What kind of movies do you believe in producing?

 
I feel instinctively about the films I should produce, like Son of Sardar. The film has to be commercial and when I say commercial, I just don't mean masala. Even parallel cinema can be commercial. The point is to make the film run in theatres. We are not in the business of teaching art to the world. We have to entertain the audience.

Last year you'd said in an interview that you want to be a commercial hero. Since the first Golmaal (and all its sequels) Singham and now BB, Rohit Shetty and you seem to have hit upon some kind of winning formula. What is making you two click at the box office?

 
It's repetitive, but it's the understanding that we should make entertaining, commercial films. Both Rohit and I believe in commercial cinema. He just wants to entertain his audience and right now I am also in that mode. I'd rather do films that I don't have to worry about. I have done films like Zakhm which have won National Awards, but nobody comes with a script that great anymore.

Even an acclaimed actor like you worries about the box office success of a film?
Of course, you have to worry about the box office numbers. Otherwise, people are ready to run you down at the slightest chance. When you experiment with roles or genre; you have also to worry about its box office fate.

But doesn't your place in the top six actors of the country justify your choices (of roles) lately?
What you are calling success and wise choices comes with experience. I keep telling some of the younger kids, I wouldn't name them, that they should also attempt the kind of cinema we're doing. This cinema, which comprises out-and-out entertainers, has mostly got 1 or 1.5 stars from critics. But, it's the audience that likes these movies. You have to show your art and talent to them.

As a producer, do you feel jittery when your movies are about to release, even if they are "out-and-out" entertainers? How do you react to box office reactions?

 
Right now I am very happy with Bol Bachchan's hype and also with the response the poster of Son of Sardar has generated. Both films have shaped out well and I hope both are commercial successes. But, I am not hyper about the release. Someone asked Abhishek something similar recently, and he said that on Friday, when the movie releases, you wait for the opening collection, then you wait for the weekend collection, then the first week, the second week, etc, and by that time, you've lost all enthusiasm about it. I just move on after my film releases.

You don't believe in celebrating your movie's success?

 
I've never done that. Those bashes are more for other people. A lot of bashes are held even when a film has flopped. These are just for effect. I've heard people stand in these parties with a drink in their hand and say, 'Yaar mera toh paisa toota hai' , and yet they are celebrating.

You've had quite a busy time lately. How do you avoid getting disconnected from your friends and family?

 
It's most important for me to spend time with family. I've been tied up a bit these past couple of months. I don't shoot on Sundays, for instance. But when you shoot movies back-to-back, you do get disconnected from the outside world. When you go home you're preoccupied. And it's not a great thing. You have to reconnect with some people. My friends understand that. So does my family.

Presented by Fox Star Studios, Ajay Devgn Ffilms and Shree Aashtavinayak cinevision Ltd Bol Bachchan releases on July 6.

Garima Sharma, TNN | Jun 29, 2012, 12.00AM IST