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Why Shilpa Shetty Does Not Perform At IPL Closing Ceremoy And why she missed IPL finale

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Shilpa Shetty was supposed to perform with the American R&B star Akon at the Indian Premier League (IPL) finals but decided to opt out at the last minute as she couldn't get time to prepare for the act.

"I was just not prepared. It was an international platform, not some village nautanki. I had to be fully ready. And I just didn't get time to rehearse. So I regretfully had to say no. But I'd rather not give anything less than my best when I'm representing my country," Shilpa said.

Shilpa, who co-owns the IPL team Rajasthan Royals with beau Raj Kundra, says she was happy to be just a spectator at the finals.

"So what if my team wasn't playing. I think I'm sporting enough to enjoy the game as just a part of the audience," she added.

Katrina Kaif joined reggae music legend Eddy Grant Sunday night as he sang his anti-apartheid hit Gimme Hope Jo'anna. Choreographer Shiamak Davar also showed some musical talent as he sang the song with Grant. Bollywood ace choreographer Shiamak Davar too joined Grant on stage.


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Pierce Brosnon saves Uma Thurman

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Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan saved actress Uma Thurman from a runaway mini van.

The Irish actor, who was on location filming his new movie
Percy Jackson, spotted the out-of-control vehicle speeding down a hill straight towards his blonde co-star, reports said.


"No one was aboard the runaway van as it barrelled towards a grassy area where Uma was relaxing with cast and crew. Pierce yelled, 'Get out of the way'," said a source.

"He raced after the van, wrenched open the driver's side door, jumped in and slammed on the brakes," added the source.

Before the actor managed to stop the vehicle, it hit a curb and crashed into rubbish bins sending cast and crew running in all directions to avoid the collision.


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Shah Rukh did a shoot in three days

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Superstar Shah Rukh Khan
was slated to shoot just a qawaali for upcoming film Dulha Mil Gaya, but he shot a special promotional track for the film as well. And he finished his portion within three days despite nursing a shoulder injury.

Producer Viveck Vaswani is all praise for Shah Rukh, who volunteered to shoot for the film even though his shoulder injury hadn't healed completely.

"The moment he thought he was ready, he came for the film's shoot. He could have rested, but he chose to finish the film first. I had always left it to him to decide when he wanted to shoot," Vaswani said.

"With these three days of shooting, Shah Rukh has now completed his entire portion for the film. The man is a bundle of energy. He just breezed through his part and before we knew, we were done," he added.

Dulha Mil Gaya, which is directed by Mudassar Aziz, stars Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan as the protagonists.

Vaswani is happy because the shooting of Dulha Mil Gaya is now done with.

"Now with the shoot of these two songs, Dulha Mil Gaya is 100 percent complete," he said with a smile.

"The qawaali track is going to be the major highlight of the film. It is eight minutes long and features the entire principal cast of the film," the producer added.

Revealing more about the second number that Shah Rukh shot for, Vaswani said: "This would be a track for promotional purpose and would also appear in the end credit titles roll. This one is going to be a special number too and there's a lot in store for Shah Rukh Khan fans."

The filmmaker said Sushmita and Fardeen were also pillars of support throughout the film's making
and readily agreed to report for the final shooting stint.

"Sushmita came in instantly while Fardeen, who was shooting in Goa, also promptly reported for the shoot," he said.

The film is set for release on September 18, Vaswani added.

The movie also stars Tara Sharma, Johny Lever, Parikshat Sahni, Bina Kak, Howard Rosemeyer, Suchitra Pillai, debutante Isshita Sharma and Vaswani himself.



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Aamir-Kate jodi may not materialise

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Aamir Khan expressed surprise at news reports saying he is all set to work with Oscar-winner Kate Winslet.

Recent reports had said that director Pan Nalin has approached Aamir Khan to play the lead in his upcoming film which is based on Sa'adat Hasan Manto's famous short story Toba Tek Singh.



Nalin had been quoted saying he is in talks with Aamir and is now about to finalise the actress. He said he would ask Kate Winslet to play a supporting role with Aamir in film. In case Winslet was not available, he would request Rachel Wiesz.

Aamir however, laughed at the thought and how far the rumour went considering he has not even been approached by Nalin.

It seems we'll have to wait a long time to see Aamir match his acting talent with Kate Winslet.


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Vidya refuses to kiss Arshad

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Bollywood actress Vidya Balan reportedly refused to kiss co-star Arshad Warsi on the sets of her upcoming film.

Reports say that Vidya and Arshad were shooting in Mumbai for Ishqiya and the scene where the two are supposed to kiss was underway. However, as soon as moment came, Vidya refused and walked off the sets.

While a lot of Indian actresses have a problem with lip-locks on screen, Vidya was not considered to be one of them because she has previously kissed Madhavan for Mani Ratnam's Guru.

Ishqiya is being produced by Vishal Bhardwaj, who was less than pleased at Vidya calling off the shoot because of a kiss



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Katrina looked stunning in white during the ipl 2009 performance.

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While Katrina sizzled on stage, widely-advertised appearance of Shilpa Shetty with American rap singer Akon did not happen, with no explanation about the deviation from the programme by organisers.


Katrina Kaif joined reggae music legend Eddy Grant as he sang his anti-apartheid hit Gimme Hope Jo'anna, which became an anthem in the days when the white minority government of South Africa strictly regulated everything from music and song to social gatherings.
Choreographer Shiamak Davar also showed some musical talent as he sang the song with Grant.


Katrina is the official brand ambassador for the Royal Challengers, who lost the final to Deccan Chargers.


IPL supremo Lalit Modi also ended up on the stage with them in the finale, as huge lanterns rose into the sky amid amazing pyrotechnics and lasers surrounding high-wire acrobats



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Karisma teams up with David Dhawan after nine years

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They have given comic hits like Jodi No 1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Biwi No 1. Now Karisma Kapoor and filmmaker David Dhawan are teaming up after nine years, but this time to judge a new comedy reality show Hans Baliye.



While Dhawan is known for churning out a series of successful comedies, Karisma has portrayed a number of comic roles in her career. They had last worked together in 2000 in Chal Mere Bhai, which also starred Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan.

In their new roles on television, they would judge eight real-life celebrity couples who will vie with each other by cracking jokes and enacting spoofs to win the Hans Baliye trophy.

According to Dhawan, it was "the uniqueness and of course the comic aspect" of the show that made him agree to become a judge.

"Comedy is something I personally enjoy and watching these couples showcasing their humorous side will surely be a treat to watch. The show promises to be interesting and engaging," Dhawan said in a press release.

Karisma said she was attracted by the "amazing concept to search for India's best real life comedy couples".

"On Indian television, we have a plethora of reality shows such as talent shows for dancing, singing, etc but 'Hans Baliye' gives a platform to real life couples to showcase their talent to a wider audience. Making people laugh is not an easy job. It requires a whole lot of dedication and hard work. I am looking forward to having a good time on the show," she said.

Among the participants on the show are television actors Tanaaz and Bakhtyaar Irani, Delnaaz and Rajiv Paul, newly-wed Juhi Parmaar with husband Sachin and Sara Khan with beau Ali Merchant.


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Photos of Katrina Kaf Dancing With Akon

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Actress Katrina Kaif, performs with US singer Akon during the closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League in South Africa.







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British model Dune Kossatz was named the winner of the Miss IPL contest.

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Kossatz had garnered the most Internet votes of 48 finalists selected from each of the IPL games held at various South African venues..She will get an opportunity to do a screentest with Shah Rukh Khan. She has won the contest, her age, 35, may work against her as there are few actresses above 35 who remain for long in Bollywood.





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bhojpuri star:Swati Verma

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Popular Bhojpuri star Swati Verma, who will be seen in Hey Ram, is another actress who believes in the maxim - thin is beautiful.




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Kareena Kapoor

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The actress, who is set to sizzle the screen in Kambakkht Ishq, has reportedly done a passionate kiss with co-actor Akshay Kumar.






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sizzling Kareena Kapoor

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Kambakkht Ishq has Kareena Kapoor in one of her most glamorous appearances ever. The actress confesses that Kambhakht Ishq is a film in which she is out and out glamorous and stunning.
Barring a peck with Fardeen Khan in Dev, the only time Bebo has done a kissing scene was with ex-beau Shahid Kapur in Jab We Met.



Manoj will play the lead role of Abdul Hameed in the movie.

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Sweety chhabra Following Iconic Kareena Kapoor

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The craze for possessing a size zero figure has spread to regional film heroines as well and the latest aspirant is Bhojpuri actress Sweety Chabra.

Sweety has been spending several hours in gym to get a figure like Bollywood actress Kareena's.


Check out Bhojpuri cinema's hot new icon Shradha Sharma.

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Shradha said, ''I would prefer to do one good film that is a hit, rather than do ten films which are risky propositions. I believe that quality is more important than quantity.''Shardha Sharma is reportedly dating Abhishek Awasthi who was earlier seeing Rakhi Sawant.
Shradha has reportedly signed one Bollywood film apart from her various regional projects.






katrina to perform at IPL 2

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Katrina is going to perform along with Shilpa Shetty of Rajasthan Royals at the closing ceremony of IPL II.
This revelation has come as a surprise for the promoters and team members as well.





kareena kapoor the advertiser of yoga

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Globally recognised yoga guru Bharat Thakur says while Madonna popularised yoga in the West, it was Kareena Kapoor who made it popular in the Hindi film
industry.

"Celebrities are role models for the rest of the nation. When Kareena transformed her figure, everyone sat up and realised that yoga can give amazing results, thus getting attracted towards this form," said Thakur in an e-mail interview from the US


"Similarly in the West when Madonna took up yoga everyone sat up and said 'What is she doing and why?' When they saw her body and face, they said, 'Oh, this yoga must be working,' " he added.

Thakur's first Bollywood client was Sridevi and later he trained many in tinsel town including big names like Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Neha Dhupia. He says currently quite a few personalities are into yoga, but it wasn't so popular in Hindi film industry five years ago.

"There was no concept of yoga in Bollywood five years back. Till that time everybody was just going to the gym. The interest in this form has increased majorly in the recent past.

"Celebrities are interested in yoga for a simple reason - it is the only form that can make you look younger with age. It works on your body, mind and stress levels - so it's a complete package. Going to the gym can be boring and can drain you out. Yoga adds energy to your system," said Thakur whose favourite student in Bollywood is singer Kailash Kher.

"Kailash is one of the most talented, warm and open persons I have come across. He is ready to learn anything. He is special," Thakur said.

Thakur's international clientele includes Hollywood actor Michael Douglas, singer Norah Jones, tennis player Boris Becker and cricketer Shane Warne. He feels international celebrities are more interested in the mystical aspects of yoga.

"I think in India fitness is more important than yoga right now. However, the West has already been through the fitness fad in the 1980's and 90's. They realised themselves that the mind is equally important as the body.

"So, international celebrities are more interested in meditation and mystical aspects of yoga than just getting a six pack which they can get with any trainer," said Thakur who is married to Indian actress Bhumika Chawla.

The yoga guru says word of mouth helped him create his base in the industry but now he rarely teaches yoga. "I rarely teach personally. I train my teachers for years before they can teach. Our studio charges Rs 3,000 a month. The rates differ from city to city," he said.

Thakur has also penned eight books on yoga, including Yoga For The Family, The Art Of The Mystics and Yoga For All and is even keen on going behind the camera one day to make a film on the subject.

"I want to make a film one day about the mystical aspects of yoga that are not known to people right now," he said.


Hrithik, Barbara unveil Kites at Cannes

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Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan
along with his Mexican co-star Barbara Mori unveiled a teaser trailer and some key art posters of their much talked-about film Kites at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday.



"Kites is a story of love that goes beyond barriers, boundaries and cultures. With an internationally renowned crew and crisp story telling, we have attempted to create a film which we feel has a scope to reach wider world audience and set new benchmarks," said Hrithik.

Also present at the event was Hrithik's father Rakesh Roshan who has not only produced the film under his banner Filmkraft Productions but also written it.

"With each of our films we have tired to push the envelope with path breaking technique, storytelling and novel presentation. A film like Kites has never been attempted in India before. This is our attempt to tap the mainstream international audience and we are hopeful that with an able partner like BIG Pictures, we will be able to meet this objective," said Rakesh Roshan.

The film is directed by Anurag Basu who carved a niche for himself with films like Gangster - A Love Story and Life in a Metro.

"I'm glad Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik entrusted me with an opportunity to direct Kites. It has been an enriching experience to shoot the film with an international team across world cites. I'm happy that the film is getting such great exposure at Cannes Film Festival, the world's biggest film market," said Basu.

Kites, which is being marketed extensively by Reliance BIG Pictures, also has Kangana Ranaut, Nick Brown and Kabir Bedi in pivotal roles.

"We are extremely proud to be associated with Filmkraft for marketing and distributing Kites and have put together a diverse team with relevant international experience to take the film to the widest possible international audiences. Cannes 2009 is the beginning of this exciting journey," said Sunir Kheterpal, COO, BIG Pictures.

The film is scheduled for release in the last quarter of 2009.


My favorites: Vibha Anand

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Vibha Anand aka Sugna from Sphere Origins’s Balika Vadhu speaks about the favourite things in her life.

Your favorite car…
Lexus

Your favorite perfume…
Passport

Your favorite meal…
Indian food

Your favorite restaurant…
Taj

Your favorite drinks…
Soft drinks and Lassi

Your favorite getaway in Mumbai…
Juhu Chowpati

Your favorite getaway outside Mumbai…
My native place Dehradun

Your favorite outfit…
Casuals. jeans and tee shirt.

Your favorite actor/actress…
The three khans, Aamir, Salman, and Shahrukh. As far as actress is concerned I like Madhuri Dixit

Your favorite film…Hum Aapke Hai Kaun


Ismail Darbar misses out on working with Bhansali again?

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali has now officially turned composer with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer ‘Guzaarish’. However, till a few days back, there were feelers that Ismail Darbar may make a re-entry into the Sanjay Leela Bhansali camp. The question making the rounds was - ‘Is Ismail Darbar going to compose music for ‘Chenab Gandhi’ and/or ‘Guzaarish’?’

If that would have happened, it would have marked the return of the composer with Sanjay Leela Bhansali along with whom he has earlier come up with master soundtracks like ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and ‘Devdas’? While there were murmurs making the industry rounds that Ismail could well be at the helm of composing music for at least one of the two projects, announcement of Bhansali composing music for ‘Guzaarish’ has put an end to all the speculations.

“A courteous handshake doesn’t mean that Bhansali is resuming his professional stint with Ismail”, says a source close to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, “Yes, Bhansali is being nice to him in the social gatherings but by no means should that be taken as a signal for go-ahead by the composer. He hasn’t been signed for any of the two projects and if he is getting any feelers that this is actually the case then God have mercy on him.”

Though quite a few music followers would want to believe that Bhansali’s films gain an extra edge when Ismail Darbar composes for them, the source has his own argument.

“Didn’t ‘Black’ have a fantastic score? It was meant to play in the background and it did phenomenally well in that context. Even ‘Saawariya’ music was huge. It went on to do so well even after the movie was off the screens. Imagine the kind of business it would have enjoyed had the film too stayed on for longer at screens”, he questions.

He further goes on to add, “At the end of the day, it is Bhansali’s strong sense of music that creates the best magic. Both Ismail Darbar and Monty Sharma (who scored for ‘Black’ and ‘Saawariya’) have done quite well with him. It should not be any different for the composer of ‘Chenab Gandhi’ too, now as Bhansali is himself at the helm of affairs for ‘Guzaarish’”.

Well, there is still some time to go before one gets to witness the truth behind that. As of now, ‘Chenab Gandhi’ is still searching for a leading man (John Abraham is no more a part of the film even as Harman Baweja, the original choice, continues to be in the hunt). On the other hand ‘Guzaarish’, which stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai together, is also waiting to get on the floors.

Come 2010 and we would see for ourselves who composes the music of ‘Chenab Gandhi’, and how does the it eventually turn out to be. Till then, it’s a long way to go. Fingers crosses.


Priyanka defends Shahid and hits back at Kareena

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Priyanka Chopra on Tuesday May 12th evening launched the website of her Yash Raj Productions film Pyaar Impossible. The film is directed by actor turned filmmaker Jugal Hansraj and co-stars her with Uday Chopra.

Priyanka launched the website of her romantic comedy film – www.pyaarimpossible.in and then speaking about her role in the film said, “I play the beauty and Uday plays the geek. But in real life, when I was in school-college I was very geeky.”

During the media interaction a journalist asked her reaction to the recent comments made by Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan that their names were being unnecessarily dragged for publicizing her forthcoming film Kaminey with her ‘good friend’ Shahid Kapoor. Priyanka like a true loyal ‘good friend’ gave a fitting reply to Kareena (she was Shahid’s ex girlfriend remember) and Saif’s accusations made in a Mumbai tabloid few days back. Priyanka said, “Kaminey is directed by Vishal Bharadwaj whose directorial credentials don’t need any introduction and it is produced by UTV which is amongst the best production houses in the country today. I have seen the film and I feel it’s a brilliant piece of work. All those who will see the film will definitely love it. We as the team of Kaminey are extremely well equipped and capable of publicizing the film and don’t require any outside help for the same.”

Few days back Kareena and Saif had reportedly claimed that their names were needlessly dragged to gain publicity for his films by Shahid. Kareena was in fact quoted stating, “Shahid should move on.”


Gurinder Chadha on her future plans

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Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life is one of my favourite films. It A Wonderful Afterlife takes me back to the Bend It Like Beckham territory. Sanjeev Bhaskar and Shaheen Khan are there. I’ve actors from Beckham back in my new film. It’s that kind of film. It takes me back to my Punjabi roots, very West London. What would be an interesting challenge for my leading lady Shabana Azmi is that for the first time she plays British Indian. We haven’t seen her do a British film. Shabana will be playing an Indian woman who has been living in Britain for the last 45 years. She’s never done that before. Besides, I’ve a completely different take on being British Indian from what Indians perceive. My film is going to be the quintessential British comedy. When Shabana read the script she began to get the cultural connotations. For the first time I’m partnering up with Indian production companies The Indian Film Company and TV18. I’m very excited about that.

How was your last film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging received?
Oh, very well I made like it a coming-of-age British version of John Hughes’ 16 Candles. It was a very very English film. It came out in England with Mama Mia which was massive. It affected every movie that came out last summer. We did spectacular business in the matinee shows. But because of Mama Mia we weren’t able to expand into the evening shows. However, when we released Angus on DVD every parent presented one to their kids. As a result a lot of people wrote in to say how much they connected with the film as a parent and as a teenager. The film comes out in May 2009 in in the US. In America April-May is like a Diwali release in India.Paramount is releasing it in the US. The young lead Georgia Groome will become the British version of Jodie Foster. I like introducing new talent. I’m introducing a new girl in my new film It’s a Wonderful Afterlife.

What happened to Parminder Nagra after your Bend It Like Beckham?
She signed up for five years for the American soap ER. That’s quite an accomplishment for her. She’s quite a household face in the US. She chose to do television. In the West it’s still not easy for Asian actors to get a big break. No, I won’t say it’s easy for them to break into Hollywood.

Do you think the actors from Slumdog Millionaire will benefit from its success?
That’s a difficult question to answer. The good thing about this movie was that it was a movie with no big budget or Hollywood stars, and no American content so to speak, winning all these Oscars. It’s like someone in American making a film in Boston and winning all the Filmfare awards. I’d say it’s wonderful for A R Rahman and the grace with which he has accepted all the accolades was heartwarming. He’s an asset to India.

You share a unique personal rapport with Karan Johar?
Yes, in fact I sent the script for Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging to Karan in New York. He thought I had gone mad. After reading it he said his hormones refuse to go back to normal. He said he’d love to see a remake of the film situated in Chandigarh.

I believe you wanted to work with Shabana for a long time?
Who wouldn’t want to? Earlier I never had a script that would challenge her enough. I mean she has played everything. Here she not only gets to do a role that’s tonally different to what she has done so far, but also do comedy, and a British comedy at that. It’s not easy thing to do. I don’t think she’s done a film in England before. What she would find specially interesting is to work with a cast of British and Indian actors.

How much do you think the Slumdog factor matters to your cinema?
I don’t think it matters much to what I do. Though I don’t doubt moreIndian subjects will be greenlighted in the West. That’s not necessarily a good thing. I wouldn’t have made Slumdog Millionaire the way Danny Boyle made if it was offered to me. I’d have made a different film. That doesn’t mean Danny Boyle hasn’t made a film from his heart.For me what I’m doing in my new film It’s A Wonderful Afterlife is what I’m comfortable with. For a while something vital was missing from the script. I realized it was the Gurinder Chadha factor. I am making comedy. But the human essence was missing. I got down to it, left my kids to the nanny and got in front of the computer. Now I’m ready.


Barbara Mori insisted on The Kiss: Hrithik Roshan

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While shooting a critical sequence in Santa Fe, Babara Mori made her shy co-star Hrithik Roshan discard his desi inhibitions to express love in one of its natural manifestations. The kiss.

After Dhoom 2 and the absolutely aesthetic kiss with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Hrithik will be seen doing a number of lip-locks with Barbara Mori in his next release, the much-anticipated Kites.

When asked about it Hrithik is amused. “Why are we even talking about kissing? Is that such a big deal ? Hasn’t our cinema grown up? Yes, there’re kissing scenes in the film. But nothing to make me squirm. In fact I’d be more than happy and completely comfortable watching those kissing scenes with my wife, son and parents when the film is released.”

Rationalizing the need to look at lip-locking in Bollywood rationally Hrithik argues, “Kites is a love story. It’s about people in love. And what do people in love do to express their mutual feelings? In fact it was Barbara Mori who made me realize how silly we look on screen while shying away from expressing love naturally.”

This happened while Hrithik and Barbara were shooting a tough and dangerous action sequence in Santa Fe.

“We were both supposed to jump off from a rooftop at an impossible height. Before we did so our director Anurag Basu suggested I kiss Barbara since we were doing something dead-defying and dangerous and potentially lethal. I reached out and kissed her on the cheeks. Barbara turned around to ask why I had kissed her on the cheek. ‘Given the same situation with your real-life wife Sussanne would you kiss her on the cheeek?’ I was floored by her logic.”

The take was repeated. “And this time I kissed her the way real-life couples would in the situation. On the lips,” says Hrithik with matter-of-fact directness.

Now getting ready for a long and final schedule of Kites in Mumbai Hrithik says, “I first shoot with Kangana Ranaut in December. And then Barbara joins us in January.” -


Mansi Salvi making a come back

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Mansi salve who used to be a cute bahu and sweet face of television is back in action. Mansi was raising her baby and was on maternity leave from television but now after two years break she is come back with the Madhur Bhandarkar’s show on Sony, special @10, titled as Anjali. She is playing the lead in the show. We had a candid chat with Mansi about her role, career and her journey in the industry.

Tell us about your role in the show special @10?
I am playing a role of a doctor. Her name is Dr. Anjali Pradhan. She is a doctor in a small town called Dabrawati and there were some happenings in Dabrawati which were quite strange based on superstition and it is basically her fight against those beliefs.

You have delivered a baby so you enjoying motherhood? How’s your baby doing?
I am really happy and yes I am enjoying my motherhood a lot. And my baby is doing quite well and she is cooperating with my shooting schedule. Although this is my first project that I have shot for after a gap but she didn’t bother me much and so I am able to concentrate on my work well.

You are again working with Shakti Anand so tell us about him. How is he as a co-star?
It’s quite strange but before taking my break, two years back I shot in the same studio with Shakti and for the same channel. Sony and now coincidently I am back in the same studio with Shakti and the same channel. It’s really strange and weird. Shakti is always been very modest and down to earth guy and he is still the same person that he was. It was a pleasure to work with him again.

Its very difficult to bring a social change or awareness alone as there comes so many barriers and it happened in the soap also with you so what do you think is the reason people see things going wrong around them but never raise there voices?
Some are quite feeble to even raise their voices and some are scared about the fact that they won’t be supported but there are some who take a step forward. I think somebody has to take an initiative and has to be supported as the things are going to happen gradually but positively it will happen someday. As a human being we have evolved from what we were and what we are now, so everything is going to take time but someday things will definitely happen.

You being an actress would like to bring any social change or awareness?
I don’t want to look at any change or awareness globally or on the country level. My idea of creating an awareness and change is to do it from your home; anywhere where you are mingling around. It’s not necessary to go out of our way to bring a change or something, we can notice small small things around us which we generally ignore and we can bring a change right from our home after all “charity begins at home”.

Your fans are very happy to see you back on television so what do you want to tell them?
It’s great my fans have supported me from past twelve years from my first show Ashirwaad so I am glad they have been supporting me in all phases of my life, like while I was a student then I got married. Today I am a mother and they are still there with me. I can make out from the websites and comments and response that they give me it’s wonderful and I just want their love and support and that will keep me going for sure.

What were you doing all these days?
I was losing my weight, was working out to get back my shape and one best part that god has helped me that I have started looking the same what I used to look two years back. After losing my weight, I am quite happy. Initially it was very easy for me to just get and go for work and come back home and sleep but now things have changed. I have so many responsibilities. I have to take care of my daughter, my family but good thing is that my mother and in laws are very supportive and I so I am able to manage everything very well.

Where most of the tele-stars are seen in reality shows, you aren’t visible. Why?
I guess too much of commitment is required for the reality shows and as of now I am comfortable for four days shoot or something. But if anything good comes then I will definitely take it.

How would you describe your journey till now in the entertainment world?
For me, my graph was never too high, never too low. It’s always been steady. I have been able to do many things along with my career. I did my studies while I was shooting. It’s been a balance between everything. I always wanted it go slow and steady.

What else are you working on these days? Any new shows coming up?
No, nothing! I just want to concentrate on one show now. I am doing advertisements. I have done an advertisement for Britannia and one more. Frankly speaking, its going to be very difficult for me to take up a daily now but still if something good comes why not. I have a long way to go and I have just kept my fingers crossed.


‘99′ to bring back smiles for beleaguered Bollywood?

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Though there is still some more time to go before the tumultuous phase at Bollywood comes to an end, there is little respite in store with the arrival of a new movie at the least. It is Kunal Khemmu and Soha Ali Khan starrer ‘99′ which would be seeing a release at single screens as well as multiplexes.

The film comes at the time when Bollywood is reeling under three way pressure. a) Producers v/s multiplex stand off is still on which means premier multiplex chains would have to wait for a while before films start screening there. b) Keeping aside this strike, 2009 has been a horrific year with barely a couple of movies managing to be successful at the box office. c) Recession, which showed it’s ugly face in 2008, has started showing it’s uglier side as hardly any new projects are currently being announced.

In such context, even if ‘99′ turns out to be a moderate success, it would be some reason to cheer at least. Not that it would make much difference to Bollywood score card since this small budget film is not expected to become a 50 crore super success overnight, hence bringing in good moolah back to the industry. In fact if the film manages to bring in even 20% of the stated figure, it would be celebration time for Bollywood.

So what kind of opening are we looking at for this comic caper which also stars Cyrus Broacha along with veterans Vinod Khanna, Boman Irani and Mahesh Manjrekar. Well frankly, in spite of ‘99′ being the first decent new film releasing after 6 weeks (’8X10 Tasveer’ was the last film with known names that arrived before the strike took off), there aren’t many expectations of an opening per se.

Moreover, promotion of the film has been below average, both on television as well as print media. Songs too haven’t been popular hence not really contributing to the buzz around the movie. What surely can be mentioned though is that the talkie promo of the film looks interesting, hence promising to be on the lines of a Guy Ritchie caper. If the entire film is as slick and interesting as the theatrical promo, we may actually have a film in hand that may go on to cover some distance in days to come.

Nevertheless, from an opening perspective, it would be a win in itself for the film if it manages to touch 50% mark on Friday. Fingers crossed and here is hoping that in the second quarter of 2009, ‘99′, which is directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, brings back some smiles into Bollywood.


Fardeen Khan’s back to work

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Reports said that Fardeen Khan was totally devastated by the death of his father Feroze Khan, a while back and had taken it really very badly.

In fact Ajay Devgan, the producer of his forthcoming film, gave him a few days off.

Now he’s recovered somewhat and is starting work again.

Currently he’s doing a film which has middle eastern influences. Something which his father did in a small way in ‘Qurbani’, ‘Janasheen’ and also some other roles he played.

In ‘Basra’ he shares screen space with Madhavan and Akshaye Khanna. It’s being produced by Nikhil Advani and directed by ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’ director Navdeep Singh.

The film is expected to go on the floors in a couple of weeks.

It’s set in the Iraqi town of Basra, from which it gets its title. The story deals with post 9/11 Iraq, with the US forces invading the country in their attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

The music of the film scored by Kailash Kher will have a lot of Middle Eastern influences.

Fardeen hopefully is fully recovered and gives a great performance to make up a bit for the huge void in his life.


Kites initial publicity ignores Kangana Ranaut?

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One look at the Kites synopsis and it immediately strikes that there is no mention of Kangana Ranaut who plays a significant role in this Hrithik Roshan – Barbara Mori starrer. Kites is directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Hrithik’s dad Rakesh Roshan.

Our source involved with the film however reveals, “Kites has Hrithik playing a salsa teacher. Kangana plays a very rich girl and is shown as Hrithik’s dance student. Her role is comparatively shorter than that of Barbara in the film.”

Kangana seems to be heavily banking on this film as it’s the only big project she has on her hands right now. With a big raw deal given to her with the film’s initial publicity campaign, one wonders what unpleasant surprises are stored ahead for her.

Take a look at it yourself and decide whether Kangana has been given a raw deal or not -

“In the harsh terrain of the Mexican desert, a mortally wounded man is left for dead in the heat of the desert sun. This is J (Hrithik Roshan) - once a street-smart, carefree young guy and now a wanted man. As death looms, the only thing that keeps him alive is the quest to find the love of his life, Natasha (Barbara Mori). A woman, betrothed to another man, surely destined for J; a woman who comes into his life like a bolt of lightning, and changes his life forever.

Love is a moment. The moment J and Natasha saw each other, words were not necessary. In that moment, they knew instantly that they belonged together. But something went wrong. The ensuing fight of the two lovers resulted in a deadly chase. J battles death, but nothing can prepare him for what he is about to discover.

Kites is a story of love that goes beyond barriers, boundaries and cultures. It is a story of passion that defies every rule, of a relationship which takes two lovers on a journey that is filled with violence and death, of precious moments that are unforgettable. Finally, it is a story of betrayal that is beyond comprehension.”


Barbara Mori–Hrithik Roshan at Cannes

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Hrithik Roshan is heading for Cannes with his first international project Kites later this week.

Father Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu will accompany the film’s leading man.

Barbara Mori will also be joining Hrithik in Cannes.

Rakesh Roshan who is frantically working to complete all the details took time off to proudly confirm the rendezvous at Cannes.

“Yes Hrithik, Anurag, representatives from Big Pictures and I will be in Cannes later this week.Barbarba Mori will be joining us from Mexico.We’ll be screening a specially-prepared trailer of Kites on 15th. Then on 16 May we’ll screen the film at Cannes for internantional buyers.”

So far all of Rakesh Roshan’s productions have been very desi in their appeal. Kites is being taken to an international audience. And Cannes is the first stop, therefore very important.

Says Rakesh, “We hope to pitch Kites as our production house’s first truly international product. Cannes is a very important venue for international cinema. That’s why we’ve made sure to complete the film in time although Anurag Basu and I have been working against time to do do. But we’ve managed.”

Miraculously Rakesh Roshan and Big Pictures have been able to circumvent the current producers-multiplex deadlock to take Kites to Cannes.

Defends Rakesh Roshan, “Why should the strike in the mutiplexes affect our visit to Cannes? We aren’t breaking any of conditions laid down during the strike. We’re not screening our film publicly or for the media at Cannes. This is a screening only for potential buyers from the West.”

The Kites team leaves for Cannes reaches Cannes on May 14 and leaves on the morning of May 17.They’ll be staying at The Martinez in Cannes.


Abhishek and Aishwarya travel like Crazy

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It’s been a time of incredible traveling and stock -taking for Bollywood’s golden couple who are now in Cannes.

But believe it or not, just a few days earlier they were in Bhopal, visiting Mrs Jaya Bachchan’s mother who lives in the city.

Says a source, “It was a flash visit last week. Abhishek and Aishwarya had never visited his Naani together. They wanted to surprise her. They had a day off. So they just took off for the day. There was no direct flight. So they had to take a hopping flight. But it was finally worth it because the visit made their grandmother in Bhopal so happy.”

And now the Golden Couple has taken off for Cannes at a very short notice.

Says a source, “They’ve both gone on a personal and very special invitation from the Cannes festival. Aishwarya attends the festival opening or closing every year, depending on the time availability. Abhishek just decided to accompany his wife on the special invitation of the Festival.”

They return immediately. Aishwarya resumes shooting with Akshay Kumar for Vipul Shah’s Instant Replay. Abhishek joins his father for another schedule of Balki’s Paa.

Incidentally he can’t wait to abandon his clean-shaven look for Paa and get back to his stubbled look.

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