Jackson wanted to marry me: Brooke Shields

Actress Brooke Shield, who described her relationship with Michael Jackson as "the most natural and easiest of friendships", has revealed that the pop star wanted to marry her but she turned it down.

The actress, who fought back tears as she remembered her long-term friendship with Jackson in a memorial serviceon Tuesday, said that Jackson proposed to her because he was afraid of losing her.

"There were times when he would ask me to marry him, and I would say, 'You have me for the rest of your life, you don't need to marry me, I'm going to go on and do my own life and have my own marriage and my own kids, and you'll always have me," Shields said in an interview to Rolling Stone magazine.

"I think it made him relax. He didn't want to lose things that meant something to him," she added.

The Blue Lagoon actress married televison writer Chris Henchy in 2001 after her divorce
to Tennis player Andre Agassi.

Shields, now 44, first met Jackson when she was 13 year old and she has always maintained that they shared a unique bond of friendship.

"Both of us needed to be adults very early but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun," she had said recalling their early fame.

"Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date. ... We had a bond and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age," Shields said at the memorial.

Penelope Cruz doesn't believe in marriage

Hollywood actress Penelope Cruz will never marry her boyfriend, Spanish actor Javier Bardem, because she doesn't believe in the concept of matrimony.

The Oscar winner does plan to start a family one day but is not sure about marriage
, according to reports.


"I don't know if I believe in marriage. I believe in family, love and children," said Cruz.

Debbie Rowe broke down after Paris speech

Debbie Rowe, the biological mother of Michael Jackson's two elder children broke down in tears after watching daughter Paris make a moving speech at the pop icon's public memorial.

The 11-year-old daughter of Jackson fought back tears as she paid tribute to the 'King of Pop' calling him the "best father you could ever imagine".

Rowe, who had refused to be a part of the public memorial broke down after seeing her daughter tear up, reported Sun online.

"It was heartbreaking. However strange her relationship with Jacko, she is still Paris' mum. To watch your child so upset on TV in front of millions of people is more than any mum could stand," said a source close to the former nurse.

Paris made her emotional speech at the star-studded LA Staples Center memorial saying, "Ever since I was born Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say I love him so much."

Meanwhile Rowe who has been "intentionally omitted" from Jackson's will, is reportedly planning to contest Jackson's mother Katherine Jackson for the custody of the two elder children of Jackson, Prince Michael,12 and Paris Katherine, 11.

Rowe had given up the parental rights to the two children to Jackson after their divorce in 1999.

Ledger caused his own death, says father

The father of Oscar winning actor Heath Ledger has said that the actor caused his own death by irresponsible consumption of medicines.

The Brokeback Mountain star who died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in January 2008 aged just 28 was "not being responsible" with the medication he was taking, said his father Kim Ledger.


"We're all responsible for what goes into us and I blame Heath for not being responsible," said Kim who is a racing car driver, according to reports.

At the time of his death, it is believed the actor was mixing medication prescribed to him by three different doctors.

The actor's father said that he was shocked by the news
of Michael Jackson's death, caused by a suspected cardiac arrest possibly caused by an prescription drug overdose, as it brought back painful memories of his son's death.

"On the day that Michael died I spoke to my daughters and former wife Sally and we all had such a down day. It's not for me to advise the Jackson family how to get through this, but what I will say is the saddest times are now, one-and-a-half years after Heath's death," said Kim.

Ledger is survived by his three-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose, who lives with her mother, actress Michelle Williams.

Jolie to be the new face of Armani

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has been signed on by top fashion house Emporio Armani to be the face of their new line of perfumes.


The Oscar-winning beauty will be the face of the advertising campaign for the high end fragrance, and sources inside the fashion house said that she will be appearing in the campaign with Armani's other star spokesmodel, football heartthrob David Beckham, according to reports.

"For this fragrance, they needed a true A-lister, and Angelina is the biggest, most dynamic female star in the world. When you have David Beckham and Angelina Jolie signed up to your fashion house, it's a no-brainer to link them up," said the source.

The 34-year-old actress who is the partner of Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt, is already involved in the creative process and may be seen in a steamy shoot with Beckham, in the lines of the campaign for Armani underwear, featuring him and wife Victoria Beckham.

"She's giving a lot of input on that stuff ad campaign already, picking the photographers and directors. The campaign is going to be bold. They (Jolie and Beckham) appeal to a diverse audience and a collaboration would create so much publicity it would push Armani head and shoulders above their rivals," added the source.

Michael Jackson's death certificate for sale

The Los Angeles Department for Health has put copies of 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson's death certificate on sale.

The document which was made public yesterday, can now be bought as a souvenir for just USD 11 dollars, reported Fox News.


The records office is likely to be swamped with requests, as the sale of Jackson memorabilia has become a profitable business since the sudden death of the pop icon on June 25 after a suspected cardiac arrest.

The release of the death certificate comes just hours after nearly a billion people worldwide watched his memorial service on TV.

On the certificate, Michael is described as a 50-year-old "musician" who worked in "entertainment". His race is listed as "black" and his marital status says "divorced".

The cause of death has been described as 'deferred' owing to the ongoing investigation into the role of drugs in the sudden demise of Jackson.

Earlier the golden programme book containing Michael Jackson's pictures and messages from his family, which was presented to the fans at the public memorial had become hot items on Internet auction sites.

No more nudity for Kate Winslet

After doing nude scenes in The Reader, Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet says people have seen enough of her body and she is planning to avoid such scenes in her future films.

"I'll be 34 in October. I can't keep getting away with it. There was so much of it in The Reader because the story required it, but people have seen enough of my bum and my boobs," Winslet was quoted as saying.

Shahid's shirtless saga

At a time when the likes of John Abraham
and Neil Nitin Mukesh are going full-monty in front of the camera, there are actors like Shahid Kapur who restrict themselves to shirtless appearances only.


In his forthcoming film Kaminey, Shahid can be spotted running shirtless in one of the scenes. When asked if he felt comfortable taking off his shirt for the first time, he says, "Yes, I think I am quite comfortable now. The demand of the character is such, so I have gone shirtless, but if I had to do the same role a few years ago, I would not have been so comfortable. It would have been difficult for me to take off my shirt then. No I think I am ok with it."

Shahid Kapur is in a double role in the film and the story revolves around identical twins, who are born and brought up in slums in Mumbai. In the film they are shown in their twenties chasing their dreams to become big one day. They struggle for a life of prosperity and dignity is the theme of the film.

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, this film has generated a lot of publicity for reasons more than one. Besides his shirtless appearance, Shahid Kapoor stammers in one role and lisps in other. When asked about his two different characters, he says that it was very difficult for him because he had to remember every time for which role he had to stammer and for which he had to lisp.

Says he, "I enjoyed doing it because it was a challenging role for me. It was something very new. Everyday I had to remember whether I had to stammer or lisp because at the same location we spent one day shooting for the character who stammers and on the other day for the character who lisps. So it was really a good fun. I thoroughly enjoyed playing both the characters."

Clooney to shoot film in quake hit city

Hollywood superstar George Clooney is planning to shoot his upcoming film in L'Aquila, Italy, which was hit by an earthquake recently.

The actor hopes that the film project will help revivethe area's economy and bring some cheer to the local people.



The movie hunk, who owns a vacation home on the banks of Lake Como in Italy, visited the Italian city yesterday and thrilled locals with his film news, according to reports.

"We'll shoot a film here at the end of September, in which I will act," said Clooney.

The Michael Klayton star also met the homeless shattered by the earthquake in April, which killed more than 300 people.

Dr. Shah Rukh Khan

Describing the Honorary Doctorate conferred on him by a leading British University as a "very very special honour", Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has pledged to utilise the recognition to further the cause of under-privileged children in India.

"I promise to dedicate a large proportion of my time to do whatever within my capacity to further the cause of education among kids as a way of my thankfulness and gratitude for this honour," Khan said after receiving the Doctorate.


"Of course, starting with my kids who are highly uneducated right now," he said.

Khan was conferred the Doctorate by Professor Les Ebdon, Vice Chancellor of the Bedfordshire University, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, media and culture at a special ceremony held at Washington Mayfare, a hotel owned by NRI entrepreneur Joginder Singh Sangar.

The Bollywood heartthrob, who has won several international recognitions including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) from the French Government, the Malaysian title of Datuk - equivalent to a British Knighthood, said: "I could not believe that I may be addressed as Doctor from henceforth.

"My kids have, lifelong been asking me if I will be getting a stethoscope as an award. In my job as an actor, getting an honorary Doctorate is right up there, as an achievement."
Thanking the Bedfordshire University, one of the top
UK universities, and the 'Routes 2 Roots', an Indian NGO which nominated him for the honour, Khan said, "It is a very very special honour. And it makes me to take seriously about what I do and what I have done in the past 20 years of my career
.

"The feeling I get is that I should utilise this recognition to further the cause of those under-privileged children who do not get the opportunity to educate themselves.

"Once again I want to thank everyone present here for making me realise there is a lot more important thing I can do to improve my life and the life of others."

Asked to describe about his feeling after receiving the Doctorate, Khan said, "This is one of the finest things that has happened in my career."

Answering a question why he did not go to the Bedfordshire University to receive the honour, he said, "I wish I should have gone earlier. But I have been suffering a couple of injuries, one after the other. As a matter of fact, these people (the Vice chancellor and others) relented and listened to confer the doctorate in London as I cannot travel
much."

Khan, who still has his left hand in a sling, said: "I would love to visit the University. I have seen some very nice things about the University in the video. Insha Allah, I would like to visit it soon."

Professor Les Ebdon said, "We will be delighted to have you. You can also meet the students."

MJ (michael jackson) died of a deadly drug cocktail: Report

Michael Jackson had lethal levels of powerful painkiller Demerol and heroin substitute methadone in his body when he died, a report said.

Tests show the tragic star had taken a cocktail of drugs strong enough to kill any normal person instantly.

But he had been on vast quantities so long his body became tolerant to huge doses - until his fatal collapse on June 25.

The shocking findings are in preliminary toxicology reports submitted to the Los Angeles county coroner's office.

The contents were revealed as sources predicted MJ's death could result in manslaughter or even murder charges. Lethal levels of Demerol, Methadone and anti-anxiety drug Xanax were found in his blood tests.

Also present were lower levels of Propofol - an anaesthetic for hospital use only, but which Jackson used as a sleeping draft.

A significant amount of narcotic Dilaudid, normally used to numb post-surgery pain, was also discovered.

I cried when Jackson died: Shah Rukh

"I cried, it was since long I cried. My wife and kids also cried," said Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan after hearing about the tragic death of 'King of Pop' Micheal Jackson
.

Describing himself an ardent fan of Jackson, Khan said, "I felt very sad. I had met him. He was a wonderful creation of God," he said.

He was talking to reporters at a ceremony where an Honorary Doctorate was conferred on him by UK's Bedfordshire University.

"The only music I knew or heard during the last three four years is that of Michael Jackson. I don't have any understanding of other western music," Khan said.

"I felt I lost my youth when I heard Michael Jackson pass away," he added. The 50-year-old pop icon who died of a suspected cardiac arrest on June 25 was on the verge of making a much awaited comeback in London.

The concerts were supposed to be Jackson's first public performance announcing his return to the music world after years of staying in reclusion.

I am the Kamina in Kaminey: Gupte

Scriptwriter-director Amol Gupte, who plays a villain in Vishal Bharadwaj's forthcoming thriller Kaminey, says he has no problems being touted as the biggest 'kamina' (rogue).

On a more serious note, he says he discovered his mean side from failures in life just like his character in the movie.

"Essentially Kaminey is a kind of metaphor for meanness and it has its shades for the characters in the film. Even in the contest Sabse Bada Kamina Kaun to promote the film, I am being touted as the biggest 'kamina' (rogue) and I don't mind that," said Gupte.



"I take it completely in my stride as I've tried to discover my mean side from massive amount of failures just like Bhopey, my character in the movie. The essence of the meanness quotient is what you'll find in my character. His emotions are on a gallop and he is a dangerous man. He has got multiple shades," he said.

Gupte came to the limelight for penning the critically acclaimed 2008 movie Taare Zameen Par. Initially, Gupte was directing the film, but Aamir Khan later took over the reins and debuted as a director with the movie about a dyslexic child.

Asked if he had to undergo any research for his screen comeback, he said: "Thirty years of cinema study has got me a good experience and that is exactly the form of R&D that has gone from my side into the film."

Also starring Shahid Kapur in a double role along with Priyanka Chopra, Kaminey releases on Aug 14. In the crime thriller, Gupte will be seen as Priyanka's elder brother who is a small-time gangster and later turns into a rogue politician.

Being a director himself, Gupte revealed he had no problems following Bharadwaj's instructions.

"You have to see what position you are taking while you are on the sets of a movie. If I'm on the sets as a director, I'd like my actors to be fully committed to the project... I gave the same position to Vishal. I exploited myself as an actor and he did so in direction," said Gupte.

The writer-director was also all praise for Shahid and Priyanka.

"They are extremely dedicated and have no ego issues with anyone. I never saw them disappearing to their vanity vans after a shot, unlike other actors... that shows their commitment," he said.

"Kaminey is a caper which is galloping on the first gear at a 100-km- per-hour speed. Come and have fun, it's full of energy," he added.

Gupte's brush with acting is not new. Not many know that he has acted in National Award-winning film Chakar Chandu Ka Chameli Wala (1982), Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984) and Dayal Nihalani's Guru Dakshina (1986) apart from starring in numerous student films for the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

"As a student of cinema I've kept facing the camera till 1993. I used to work at Rs 30 per day. I spent most of my time in FTII either watching world cinema or in the canteen or under the wisdom tree, where I sat for 12 years," he said.

Gupte also hosted a talk show for Sony called Bindaas Bol in the 1990s. He is a man of many talents -- apart from acting and writing, he is also a painter and musician.

Asked if he would continue with acting, he joked: "I'm not here to promote myself as an actor but ya...if (Quentin) Tarantino comes down..."

Gupte is now set to wield the megaphone for Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte - a children's film written by him.

Harry Potter stars hate bulky Hogwarts uniform

Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson hated their onscreen school uniform
and want the franchise bosses to burn them after they finish shooting the final movie.

The stars, who play the students of magic school Hogwarts in the movie are happy to get rid of the uniforms once the shooting is over.



Watson, the nerdy Hermione Granger in the movie, said, "I was like, 'Burn it!' Oh, my God, to be done with those shoes and that uniform."

Actor Daniel Radcliffe is also happy to ditch his Hogwarts school uniform. "When you're 18, one of the worst things to be wearing while trying to chat up a girl on the set is a school uniform.

"You look like a kid. You're not going to score dressed like that," Radcliffe told Entertainment Weekly.

However, co-star Rupert Grint admitted that he had stolen one of his read ties that he gets to wear in the film.

The Harry Potter movies are based on highly successful fantasy novels written by British author JK Rowling.

The story revolves around the adventures of adolescent wizard Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends
from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The sixth film Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is to release on July 15 in US. They are currently shooting the last film of the franchise Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Movie Review: Vamanan

Seemingly inspired by the great mythological character of Vamanan, debutant director Ahmed has dished out a movie
that is about an ordinary young man who gets into a tangle and emerges successfully against all odds.

After making a mark for himself by doing a couple of experimental movies, Jai is finally seen in a full-length commercial film that has loads of romance, action and humour.



Right from frame one, Jai makes his intentions very clear, delivering a performance that has influence of mass heroes like Vijay and Silambarasan complimented by his body language and dialogue delivery.

The story of the film is as old as a hill. A prominent minister (Delhi Ganesh) is killed by his colleague and a video tape that captures the crime goes missing. The murderer, who is an influential man in society, searches for the tape in connivance with some policemen.

As it happens, it eventually reaches the hero and what follows is the crux of the story.

Anand (Jai) wants to make a career in acting. He sets out of his village and comes to Chennai. He takes refuge in his friend's (Santhanam) house, who works as a cameraman with a satellite TV channel.

Anand tries his best to find a chance to enter the tinsel town. One day he comes across John (Rahman), whose antics and valour impress him. And they soon become good friends.

Anand, in the meantime, meets Divya (Priya) at a railway station and romance blossoms between them. He also comes across Pooja (Lakshmi Rai), a model, and befriends her. The twist in the tale is that the much sought-after video tape that captured the minister's murder by his colleague Anbu Chezhiyan (Sampath) lies with her.

Coming to know of it, the cops and Anbu Chezhian's henchmen are behind her. One day she gets killed and the blame falls on Anand. He manages to escape from the police and meets John. Only through John, he comes to know about the tape.

Anand manages to get the tape from Pooja's house after much search. It's now the cat and mouse game between him and Anbu Chezhiyan before he gets a surprise in the form of John.

Jai manages to leave a mark playing an aspiring actor. In the company of Santhanam, he does evoke good humour. Newcomer Priya plays a typical heroine. She loves Anand, shakes a leg to a couple of songs and disappears suddenly.

Lakshmi Rai plays a role that she has been doing for sometime now. As a model, she wears stylish costumes and even does a pole dance. Sampath, as a menacing villain, is good.

Santhanam walks away with honours. His humour does evoke laughter.

The scene-stealer is cinematographer Arvindh Krishna. His lens captures the wild chase well, besides picturising dry Chennai in a fresh tone. Yuvanshankar Raja's music is a letdown. The songs are average and give a 'heard before' feeling.

The major flaw is that one gets a feeling of dej? vu as scenes unfold, especially in the second half. Also, the lengthy second-half badly needs trimming.

Vamananm had promised big, but falls short.

Aamir-Katrina recreates magic of Guru Dutt and Waheeda

The most gorgeous lady, Katrina Kaif and the hottest stud, Aamir Khan come together to recreate the magic of Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman on silver screen. The duo will be seen in a Guru Dutt biopic by Rakesh Om Prakesh Mehra.

The yet untitled film explores the life and love of Guru Dutt. The shooting for the same is expected to begin from October.

Aamir Khan donned the classic look of Guru Dutt and draws a lot of similarities by his dressing and hair style, while Katrina is looking an elegant reminiscence of Waheeda Rehman.

Recently, a magazine unveiled the first peek-a-boo of the film where Aamir-Katrina strike a pose similar to that of Guru Dutt – Waheeda, from the movie Kaagaz Ke Phool. Though Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool failed at the box office but it did left an indelible mark on the mind of audience.

Let’s see whether this film is able to recreate the magic of the golden era and one of its most prolific legends.

Twitter removes Shahid Kapoor

In a first of its kind action in India, Twitter has removed a fake ID of movie star Shahid Kapoor, on grounds of impersonation. This came about after Shahid’s publicist registered a complaint with Twitter for impersonation.

Since the last few months a fan had created a fake account where he would connect with his fans and pretend to be the real Shahid. A lot of people believed that this was the actual actor. Shahid has a strong presence online, having been the most searched Bollywood star, winning the sexiest vegetarian poll on PETA’s Asia pacific site and many more. His fake profile grew from strength to strength, with followers adding him to get his status updates. The impersonator, on his part, would discuss his upcoming film and his poll wins etc, whatever was in the news about Shahid on any particular day.

The complaint to Twitter was made when the fan refused to part with the ID and continued to pretend to be the actor. Twitter responded within a week and disabled the fake account, taking a strong stand against impersonation.

“We hope that this puts to end all the unverified reports that claimed that the real Shahid Kapoor was on Twitter, which he never was,” said a friend of the actor.-

Morning Walk movie Review

Movie Review: Morning Walk; Star cast: Anupam Kher, Sharmila Tagore, Divya Dutta, Rajat Kapoor, Nargis, Shayan Munshi and Avika Gor; Director: Arup Dutta; Rating: * 1/2 - Offers nothing new.

Professor Joymohan (Kher) stays alone in Kolkata. He is a heart patient and when he gets a severe heart attack on his birthday he realizes he needs to spend as much time with his family in Mumbai as possible. He then goes to Mumbai to his son Indra (Rajat), daughter in law Rita (Divya) and grand daughter Gargi (Avika). While Indra and Gargi are delighted, Rita is not so happy about his arrival. She makes her displeasure more vocal. Joymohan starts going for morning walks to the nearby park in the mornings. During one such morning walk he meets his old student Neelima (Tagore) and her daughter Anjali (Nargis) who wants to do a doctorate in the US. What secret Joymohan and Neelima share and what happens after it comes out forms the rest of the plot.


Morning Walk offers nothing new. The makers aren’t focused with one issue but try to pack in a lot of things together. Some sequences like those between Anupam Kher and Balika Vadhu girl Avika Gor and between Sharmila Tagore and Kher have been penned and enacted well. But the displeasure of Divya Dutta about her father in law’s arrival is ditto in the lines of Baghban. Arup Dutta has handled few emotional moments well and is technical sound considering it is his debut directorial venture. However he is failed by a lackluster script. The music by Jeet Ganguly is extremely tuneful and worth a buy.

Veterans Anupam Kher and Sharmila try to rise above the script and succeed to an extent. Garam Masala girl Nargis needs a crash course in acting. Shayan Munshi is passable. Divya Dutta is good and so is Rajat Kapoor. Avika Gor is cute and immensely likeable.

Morning Walk is a movie that doesn’t need a trip to the movie hall, but it wont harm you if you catch it on a lazy Sunday noon on home video.

Sankat City movie Review

Movie Review: Sankat City; Star cast: Kay Kay Menon, Rimi Sen, Anupam Kher, Chunky Pandey, Yashpal Sharma and Dilip Prabhawalkar; Director: Pankaj Advani; Rating: ***1/2 - Go enjoy the ride.

Guru (Kay Kay Menon) is a car thief whose partner in crime is a garage owner Ganpat (Dilip Prabhawalkar). Fouzdar (Kher), an underworld don sends his driver to deliver Rs. 1 crore cash to deliver it to filmmaker Gogi (Manoj Pahwa). But Guru ends up stealing this car and is over the moon on finding the cash bag inside. But before Guru could savor the money, he is caught by Fouzdar. When Fouzdar sends his henchman Lovely (Jehangir Khan) along with Guru to get back his money hidden in garage, Lovely unintentionally ends up hurting Ganpat’s head. Since Ganpat before that had hidden the money at a different place it gets crazier since Ganpat now has lost his memory with the assault on his head. Now Guru is given three days by Fouzdar to get back his money or else face death. Guru then chances upon his old partner in crime Mona (Rimi) and both join hands. What helluva crazy ride it all leads as Guru goes on to get Rs. 1 crore forms the rest of the plot.

The film’s biggest assets are the zany humour and also the acting by each and every actor. Pankaj Advani’s narrative style is terrific and keeps you engaged throughout. It is good debut by the filmmaker. While the first half breezes quickly, the second gets a little slow but however the film picks up well during the climax. Amongst the most hilarious scenes are Anupam Kher’s sequences with a nervous wreck builder played by Yashpal Sharma, Kay Kay and Ganpat’s friendly banter, Kay Kay and Rimi’s theft at Yashpal Sharma’s flat and Kay Kay’s taxi ride with a Sardar taxi driver who is hunting for his lost brother. Ranjit Barot’s background music is impressive.

Kay Kay is simply superb while Rimi gives her best performance till date. Her constant Bengali banter is cute. Anupam Kher is top class. Chunky Pandey in a double role is hilariously good. Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Sanjay Mishra, Hemant Pandey, Virendra Saxena and Sunita Rajwar lend able support. Rahul Dev in a short role of a hit man impresses.

Sankat City is a must watch for all those complaining to see something different yet full of fun.

rakhi ka swayamvar :the game At zapak.comn

Rakhi ka Swayamwar is gaining immense attention with the item girl picking up her groom from the 16 contestants. All these participants are trying hard to impress Rakhi. And now everyone can take a shot at wooing Rakhi, provided they have a computer as a online game on the show’s format is fast becoming a huge hit.

Zapak.com has launched a special game on Rakhi, “The player is supposed to catch the kisses and heart of Rakhi. Well she also gets angry and throws belan and if it hits the head of the player he loses,” chirps in a Rakhi fan trying to collect her online kisses.

The channel is leaving no stone unturned to promote this show. “The channel feels that it is a unique way and the audience will like it, especially the youngsters,” converse the source.

Well it is good news for those who wished to try and impress Rakhi. Though they might not get Rakhi but still will end up winning goody bags

Shortkut movie Review

Movie Review: Shortkut – The Con is on; Star cast: Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao, Siddhant Randeria and Chunky Pandey; Director: Neeraj Vora; Rating: * 1/2 - Is an opportunity lost.

Shekhar (Akshaye) is a hardworking assistant director who is striving to become an independent writer director. He lives in a Mumbai chawl and all the chawl residents including the owner Kantibhai (Randeria) dote on him. Popular actress Mansi (Amrita) and Shekhar are in love but her gold digger parents are against their relationship. Shekhar finally manages to write the perfect script that would give him the golden break. Meanwhile Raju (Arshad) a good for nothing struggling actor becomes his unwanted guest after having been thrown out of his rented house. Raju manages to find a producer who would cast him as a hero if he gets him a great script. Meanwhile at the same time, a producer agrees to make a film on Shekhar’s script and even gives him the signing amount. But a greedy Raju backstabs Shekhar and steals this very script and sells it to his producer, Tolani (Tiku Talsania). Since he is a very bad actor, Tolani hires Guru Kapoor (Chunky) an acting teacher to train him. Smooth talking Raju manages to convince Guru to become his business manager as well apart from acting guru. When truth dawns upon Shekhar after Raju’s film’s trial show is held that he has been conned by the same person whom he gave shelter to, shattered and shocked he threatens to sue Tolani’s film. A hapless Tolani begs him not to since he was pinning hope on this very film since all his previous projects had flopped. Shekhar agrees with a heavy heart. Meanwhile, Mansi leaves her demanding parents’ home and comes to Shekhar and they get married. However, hard times fall on Shekhar as he is unable to concentrate on writing after Raju’s heartbreaking con. While Raju goes on to become a big star with his debut film becoming a super hit, Shekhar’s family life suffers and he starts venting his frustrations on Mansi. Frustrated, Mansi leaves Shekhar. How then a determined Shekhar rises up from the ashes with the help of his chawl owner and neighbours and manages to teach Raju (who is now King Kumar) a lesson and also win back Mansi forms the rest of the film.

Although modeled on a popular Malayalam film starring Mohanlal and Meena, Shortkut’s script is a mix of Hollywood films Big Fat Liar and Bowfinger (especially the climax portions). However, despite having a script writer of Anees Bazmee’s caliber, good actors like Akshaye, Amrita and Arshad and a prolific producer in actor Anil Kapoor, the film falls flat. One fails to understand why Neeraj Vora has made his every actor yell while mouthing their dialogues. While the promos of Shortkut have been giving the feel of the film being a full on comedy, it is far from one. The best comic moments in the film are the ones you have been watching in the promos, rest is full on melodrama. The initial portions of the film manage to impress you as everything happens with break neck speed hardly giving you anytime to think but once Raju’s con is exposed, the film drops pace and only manages to come to life during the truly hilarious climax. Anees Bazmee’s script is the main culprit here. Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s music is average. The item song featuring grown up item boys Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor appears forced.

Akshaye Khanna is a good actor but watching him yell almost every time while speaking his dialogues is not a great experience. Arshad Warsi as the wily star suites the role. Amrita Rao is good as always. Her much talked about hot avatar works and is definitely going to increase her fan following. Chunky Pandey is okay. Siddharth Randeria is very good and the motley of Gujarati theater actors who play Shekhar’s chawl neighbours are mirth inducing.

After you come out from Shortkut the first thing that comes to your mind is that it’s a wonderful opportunity lost by the makers. Though it aims to be a clean entertainer, it disappoints big time and ends up being a wannabe Priyadarshan film

Nauheed Cyrusi is on A roll

Nauheed Cyrusi is all geared up to act in a film made under Dharma productions.

The film is yet not named but will be directed by Rensil D’ Silva. Although, Rensil D’ Silva was not available for the quotes; but Nauheed did confirm the news.

“My happiness knew no bounds when I got a call for the role,” exclaims Nauheed without revealing many details about her new venture. The rest of the star cast is yet to be revealed and will be announced very soon.

Negar Khan to be replaced by Fiza in "Iss Jungle se mujhe bachao"

Well it’s a big twist in the tale of Sony’s the new reality show Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao as one of the contestant’s Negar Khan is replaced by Fiza Chand Mohammad. This change was decided at the eleventh hour when they were just about to begin the shoot.

Our little birdie chirped from the jungle, “Negar Khan could not get the working visa and thus we had to shelve her at the last moment.”

“The channel has approached many celebs from and outside the industry and one of them was Fiza. She was recently in the news for her marriage and later abandoned by her husband Chand Mohammad. People know her and thus it was decided to take her in the place of Negar,” adds our jungle source.

The show is grabbing eyeballs even before the starts. It seems the channel have lots of masala this time to generate a great TRP. Let’s see from July 13, if Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao lives up to the hype…

kites to be a world wide release

Kites all set to go global; Rakesh Roshan has also revived the idea of a Krissh sequel. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will not be directing the Krissh sequel for Rakesh Roshan.

Rakesh has decided to take over the responsibility from Rakeysh, and with good reason. After Kites, Rakesh Roshan wants to take Hrithik’s career to the next international level.

The next instalment of Krissh will therefore be a super-hero film to compete with the Hollywood films of the genre like Batman, Superman and Spiderman.

Confirming these developments Rakesh Roshan who has won the ‘director of the decade’ award in Macau says, “The destiny of the next Krissh movie depends entirely on the way Kites goes. Kites director Anurag Basu and I are preparing two different versions of Kites in Hindi and English. The English version will be viewed by our potential buyers in the US. Only then will we move forward with plans on how to release Kites and how to make the next Krissh movie. We should release by December.”

Rakesh Roshan hasn’t directed a film since Krissh in 2006. But now he plans to go fully international with the Krissh sequel.

“It all depends on the fate of Kites in the international market,” says Rakesh Roshan. -

Imran Khan can't dance

It seems Imran Khan is breaking all his rules for Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd.’s latest flick ‘Luck’ directed by Soham Shah.

The dashing young actor, known for having two left feet has always shied away from a dance sequence.

But for his latest film ‘Luck’, Imran decided to take a chance and bend his rules

According to our sources, Soham was very keen on Imran shaking a leg with co-star Shruti Haasan for a special number in the film called ‘Jee Le’ composed by Salim - Sulaiman.

Initially, Imran developed cold feet and declined to go ahead and dance. But his choreographer Remo assured him that it wouldn’t be as tough as Imran thought, and his worries were immediately put to rest.

Imran readily agreed to give it a chance and gave his best shot. And with what we hear, the outcome is absolutely splendid Imran himself was impressed and couldn’t stop beaming

Says the director Soham Shah, “After a 2 day rehersal, we started shooting the song and the result is there for all to see When Imran decides to do something, he does it so well” beams the proud director.

Well, so now Pappu can dance saala