Preity Zinta gets a rude shock!

Preity Zinta gets a rude shock as someone has been masquerading under her name on a famous networking site!Preity Zinta finally decided to join this really happening networking site to which all her celeb friends are hooked on to. But to her shock she found that there already is a fake Preity Zinta with a fan following of fourteen lakhs!

Adds our source, “Preity Zinta was shocked to find out that someone has been faking it out as her. She immediately asked her dear friend Karan Johar (who is very active on the site) to help out. He immediately put word out on the virtual world to open their eyes to the real Preity Zinta. And thanks to his reach, people are slowly realizing that the former profile was a fake one and turning to the real one.”

Preity is taking some serious damage control measures. Adds our source, “Preity has now decided to get her profile made official through the concerned website so that such a thing doesn’t happen again!”If it’s any consolation Preity has only one fake profile to worry about!

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Amitabh Bachchan gets threat calls

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has received threat calls from an unknown person on his mobile, the actor revealed it on his blog. Big B, who played a genie in his latest rlease Aladin, wrote: “I visit a Muslim dargah and a Hindu temple has been viciously criticised by an unknown element on my mobile. He says it is incorrect of me to do so and that I should never do it again.” Amitabh Bachchan has been paying a visit to the Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai for the past few years.The actor in his reply said: “Well dear man, if you are reading this insignificant little blog of mine, here is what I have to say to you. I am going to do it again and shall continue to do it. And I want to see how you are going to stop me.

If you have the courage and guts com and get me.”Big B, who recently celebrated his 67th birthday earlier this month, said: “I do have his mobile number and I do have a name too. I believe that there is no law that can protect such atrocious uttering. We live in a temperate secular society where we learn to respect all religions. My belief is of my own making. If the temple or the mosque or a dargah has no objection to my visits ; if my Constitution and the laws of the country give me that freedom and if I do not offend them, then who is this man to stop me or correct me ? It is elements like this that penetrate the psyche of vulnerable and innocent people and subject them to unnecessary and unjustified bias. I strongly object to it and abhor the existence of such elements in society.

This gentleman even threatens me by getting personal. He says that my film Aladin shall not have success because of this deed of mine.”The legendary actor said he will never change his routine by a mere threaten call: “At the cost of every film of mine failing, I am not going to change my routine.If I wish to go to a temple I shall go there. If I wish to go to a mosque I shall go there as well and so also to a gurudwara or a church. And I want to see who is going to stop me from doing so.” Thr actor’s film Aladin has been praised by his followers.

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Katrina Kaif caught again!

Just before the release of her film New York, Bollywood’s numero-uno actress, Katrina Kaif had visted the holy ‘dargah’ (shrine) of the revered sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti (Katrina visits Ajmer to bring luck to New York!- June 24). While on that occasion she had worn a blue scarf to hide herself from the media glares as well as her fans, this time it was a yellow one!

As per sources, Katrina was in Ajmer yesterday (Friday) to pray for the success of her friend Salman Khan’s London Dreams and also her upcoming, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. Before proceeding to the shrine, Katrina briefly halted at RTDC’s Khadim Tourist Bungalow in Ajmer and changed her dress. She then left for the ‘dargah’ but despite all the secrecy, she was unable to hide herself from the media and her fans (just like last time!) who got a whiff of her arrival and thronged the shrine, thus blocking the roads to the ‘dargah’.

She hurriedly paid her respects and left.Here’s joining Katrina in her prayer and wishing London Dreams and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani the best!

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London Dreams London embarrassment

The London Dreams show (to promote Vipul Shah’s film) at the Excel Arena in London got cancelled because of a no-show by artistes and technicians. Says a source, “Intech Image had tied up for the film promotion of London Dreams and had planned a few activities for the promotion of the film. An event had been planned at Excel Arena in London, where Salman Khan, Asin and Ajay Devgn were to participate on October 28 along with director Vipul Shah and music directors Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.Ajay backed out of the event due to prior commitments and Asin didn’t have a valid visa.

It didn’t make sense for just Salman to perform, if the other artistes were not available, so the organisers cancelled the show.”But no one bothered to inform poor Salman about the last-minute cancellation, adds an insider “Salmanbhai came in straight from Dubai where he had gone for a special show of London Dreams. When he landed in London on Wednesday, he learnt that the show had been cancelled! Fortunately, he was anyway supposed to be there for some media interaction so his trip wasn’t entirely wasted.”Vipul Shah says, “We were supposed to do one event in London but we never went ahead with the proposal. Salman has gone only for the media promotion of London Dreams to London. He is there for two days.

S Sabapaty from Intech says, “It’s kind of Mr Vipul Shah to say this but we had organised a show for LD at the Excel Arena but couldn’t gather anyone except Salman to appear on the show so we decided to cancel it. In the original agreement, we had advertised in the publicity posters that the cast and crew of LD would attend and the event would be held in the form of a concert.But the cast and crew who were to perform couldn’t make it because of the problems they had. We can’t cheat the audience so we decided to cancel the show.”

Apparently, Salman was informed at the last minute? “No, he was informed about it earlier and he was on his way to London in any case for media stuff. We got a great response for the show but had to cancel it due to technical issues. As a company, we have to maintain our reputation so we took the call to cancel the show on October 28.” Salman Khan remained unavailable for comment.

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Mallika Sherawat undergoes lip surgery

After Kangana Ranaut, it is Mallika Sherawat who went under knife. Mallika has undergone lip surgery. Her lower lip appears fuller and her upper lip seems distorted. She had done the changes for a new Hollywood film that she has signed recently.Says a source, “She was waiting for the shooting of Hissss to end. After that, she was to start shooting for her new Hollywood film. Mallika wants to look the part and that’s why she had her lips done, while she was in India. She was here for more than a month.

In fact, she was supposed to leave more than two weeks ago but left for LA only last week.”Her brother Vikram Singh, refutes the charge, “What rubbish! Mallika is the same as ever before. I would have definitely known had she done something.”She is presently shooting in Los Angeles for a film inspired by San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Devi Harris.

However, Mallika remained unavailable for her lippy comment.

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There is no rush to get married: Saif Ali Khan

The Power couple of Bollywood Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor today addressed the ongoing Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. Addressing the summit, duo replied a volley of questions including their personal life, professional life and future plans.On marriage plan, Saif Ali Khan said that there is no rush to get married at this moment. Kareena backed the statement of Saif.

Saif said, “I first saw Kareena when she was 14 year-old.” Saif said that he was interested in cricket for long time but finally switched the gear towards cinema.He confessed that he has had 17 flops in a row. On the other hand, Kareena also responded positively to various questions.When asked about her size zero figure, Kareena said, “I was never size zero.” “I am what due to body of my work not due to body,” she replied.

The actress said that she always knew to be an actor. She said that her elder sister Karisma is her role model.

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Kareena-Shahid no longer in touch

When Kareena Kapoor dated Shahid Kapur, she boldly accepted and like other actresses she did not name their relationship as friendship and now that she has broken up with him and dating Saif Ali Khan, she declared the world that she is in love with Saif. She is a woman who speaks her mind out and never feels hesitate to share her feelings to the world.

But when news is doing the rounds that Shahid Kapur’s father Pankaj Kapur is penning a script keeping Kareena Kapoor in mind, Bebo openly declared that she is no more in touch with Shahid. But added that in the past she had shared a wonderful relationship with Shahid and not in touch with him now. She also said that though they drifted apart but they could wish each other well. She always makes sure that she asks him about his well-being.

Kareena cuts off with Shahid personally but professionally she wished to link up with him. Commenting in acting on Pankaj Kapur’s script, she said, “If they have a good script and a good role and ask me to do it, I see no reason why I shouldn’t.”

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Salman Khan ‘Most Wanted’ with Nayanthara?

Salman Khan is obviously elated with the success of his latest release ‘Wanted’ and he has still more reasons to smile. The producer Boney Kapoor is so excited after the success of the film that he has decided to make its sequel aptly titled ‘Most Wanted’.

Boney wanted to re-create the magic with the same star cast, but director Prabhu Deva suggested that they change the female lead and rope in the south siren Nayanthara instead of Ayesha Takia.

Interestingly, Prabhu Deva’s affair with the actress is painting the gossip columns red down south. In fact, just a few weeks back, Prabhu’s wife had come out all guns blazing at Nayan in an interview to a local daily there warning Nayanthara to keep away from her husband.

So, this suggestion from the director suggests a tint of truth in the rumors. Whatever may be the case, we would definitely like to see our Sallu Bhai romancing the sexy siren from the south.

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The cat-woman and mermaid Kareena Kapoor

There is no denying that fact that Kareena Kapoor is at present the hottest star to bank upon in Bollywood. So, when the Italian watch brand ‘Chronotech’ came in to launch their brand in India, Bebo was the obvious choice as their brand ambassador and what made the promotion a novelty is the fact that Kareena has donned upon two very different looks for the ad.

In the first look, she is a cat woman quite similar to that of Lara Croft with a black jumpsuit, tightly coiled hair and whipcord body. In the other look, Kareena is a mermaid in a blue attire. Doubtlessly, Kareena looks ravishing in both the looks.

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Shilpa Shetty to get committed to Raj Kundra today

They had been courting each other for nearly two years now and they never tried to hide their finally. Finally, they have decided to get into the commitment mode and Shilpa Shetty is getting engaged to Raj Kundra today with a “very private affair” to be attended by “immediate family members” of both Shilpa and Raj.

Raj had proposed Shilpa this Diwali by gifting her a ring. Shilpa consulted her parents and in a hush-hush everything was finalized. For her engagement ceremony Shilpa will be wearing a pink chiffon sari and a dull gold-colored blouse designed by Manish Malhotra, and jewellery designed by a store in Bandra.

It is unfortunate that Shilpa’s younger sister Shamita Shetty will not be able to attend the ceremony as she is locked up in the Big Boss’ house at present. The wedding will take place sometime in December after Shamita comes out of the house.

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Asin opposed to skin show and vulgarity on screen

At a time when even established actresses are resorting to skin show to grab big deals and projects, Asin, the new comer from South, is very particular about the fact that she will never go for roles which demand vulgarity and exposing.

“I would never do something that is baseless, vulgar and indecent… something I am not comfortable doing and therefore can’t do justice with,” Asin said.

She also added that her criteria for selecting films include script, role, director, producer and then co-artist. “Language or financial issues never determine what film I want to do,” she said.

Just one film old, this pretty and talented actress from South selects her roles very carefully. At present, she is awaiting the release of ‘London Dreams’ opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan where she plays a rock star. She is busy these days with a line of endorsements and a Disney film titled 19th Step.

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Personal items of stars fetching huge amounts at Farah Khan’s chat show

A new trend has been set by Farah Khan’s chat show ‘Tere Mere Beach Main’, where stars auction their personal items for charity.

Superstar Salman Khan donated his famous yellow towel from ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’ autographed by him. He also jived to the popular track of ‘Jeene ke hain chaar din’ with this towel on the show. The towel has been bought by a fan for a whopping 1 lakh. All the proceeds of the celebrity memorabilia auctions will benefit the NGO SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action).

Again, the Kolkata-based Riddhi Nair, a 33 year old housewife, decided to bid for Olympic gold-medalist Vijender Singh’s boxing gloves auctioned on the show because she was moved by the way his mother brought him up. She spent Rs.17,800 for the item and says she will treasure it like “heirloom” forever.
“I happened to see the repeat telecast of ‘Tere Mere Beach Mein’ where Vijender’s mother spoke about how she never bought a new sari for herself for a long time so that she doesn’t have to compromise on her son’s training. It left me very emotional.

“I was touched to see his rising - from a remote village to being a world champion. It’s very thought provoking. It is the perfect example for my daughter that she must always do something big in life,” said Nair.

Nitin Jain, a 39-year-old investor, bid for Priyanka Chopra’s autographed Gavin Maguel designer dress auctioned on Farah’s show and paid Rs.50,000 it.

“Recently, there were several items that were auctioned on ‘Tere Mere Beach Mein’ - the chat show on STAR Plus. We had bid for many of them and were, in fact, the second highest bidders for Bipasha Basu’s shoes. But my daughter is a Priyanka Chopra fan - so she also wanted it,” said Jain, who is based in New Delhi.

Other items sold through the show include Shahid Kapoor’s cap for Rs.28,500, Kareena Kapoor’s blue dress for Rs.22,300, Yusuf Khan’s cricket bat for Rs.60,750, at all.

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Shilpa Shetty successfully engaged to Raj Kundra

Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra were engaged at a quiet ceremony which was held at Raj Kundra’s 7th floor apartment in Juhu, Mumbai. Shilpa Shetty left for the engagement ceremony with her mom and dad and the lovers exchanged their rings at a very private, low key and personal function.

After engagement, Shilpa did made a point to come out and flaunt her engagement ring to the media. The couple looked quite happy and excited.

All our best wishes to the beautiful and gorgeous Shilpa Shetty and hope she has a happy marriage and family with Raj Kundra, a self made entrepreneur and millionaire and ranked at 198 in the list of the richest Asians in Britain.

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Sonam Kapoor accepts award for father Anil Kapoor

It was a very touching moment at 55th National Awards Ceremony as daughter Sonam Kapoor stepped up to accept the award on behalf of dad Anil Kapoor and veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra accepted prize for his son Aditya Chopra.

Aditya Chopra’s ‘Chak De! India’ was named the best film in overall entertainment for 2007, while actor-producer Anil Kapoor was given the special jury award for his film Gandhi, My Father.

Others in the award list include Prasoon Joshi for the best lyricist award for the song ‘Maa’ from ‘Taare Zameen Par’ and Shankar Mahadevan who won the prize for the best male playback singer for the same song. Shreya Ghoshal received the best female playback singer award for ‘Yeh Ishq Hai’ from ‘Jab We Met’. She also performed on this number at the ceremony.

Check out Sonam Kapoor with all smiles as she accepts the award on behalf of father Anil Kapoor.

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Hrithik throws a bash for mom Pinky Roshan

The Roshans had already celebrated Hrithik’s mom Pinky Roshan’s birthday on October 22, by having a quiet dinner party at a Juhu restaurant, but this time Hrithik Roshan was in a mood for lavish celebration and he threw a big bash for mom Pinky Roshan’s birthday and all the prominent celebs from the Bollywood fraternity were invited including SRK-Gauri, Saif-Bebo, Shilpa-Raj, Genelia, Sonali, Kunal Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar amongst others. The party went on till wee hours.

However, the celebration turned sour when the neighbours who were not apparently not comfortable with loud music informed police and the police showed up at Hrithik’s 8th floor apartment in Plazzo building in Juhu Vile Parle Development (JVPD) at around 2:15 am.

Check out the pics from the bash.

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Star Siblings brighten up Sanjana Jon’s show

It was a touching moment when Sanjana Jon, the sister of jailed fashion designer Anand Jon, broke down during the show organized by her at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week. The show was a tribute to her brother, who has been sentenced to 59 years in prison.

The showstoppers for Sanjana Jon’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection show at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week were brother duo Salman Khan and Sohail Khan, sister duo Raima and Riya Sen, and brother-sister duo Sushmita Sen and Rajiv Sen. Sarod maestro Aman Ali Khan and Ayan Ali Khan also showcased the creation by the designer.

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Amrita Rao dating Vishal Malhotra

There is a new guy in Amrita Rao’s life. His name is Vishal Malhotra, and incidentally, he acted with her in her first film, Ken Ghosh’s Ishq Vishk, where he played the role of Shahid Kapoor’s friend. They became friends on the sets. It is learnt that they have been dating for some time now. They have been going to events but make solo entries and exits. They can’t go public with their relationship as her family doesn’t approve. While Amrita is already an established actress, Vishal has yet to prove his mettle as an actor in films.He is currently acting in Ravi Chopra’s Banda Yeh Bindass Hai, Na Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai and Vashu Bhagnani’s next.Although he has done many films, he hasn’t quite made a name of himself and her family wants her to see someone who is at least as successful as her.”

When asked about his bonding with Amrita, Vishal says, “I won’t use the usual cliché that Amrita and I are just good friends. I also admit that we are extremely close and she’s one of the most special people in my life. I can’t define my relationship with Amrita. We do hold a special place for each other. I am not ashamed about my relationship with her but to talk beyond that wouldn’t be fair to her. We are both in different phases and places in life. I am still trying to get a foothold in films.”Vishal adds, “Amrita and I started out together with Ishq Vishk and have kept in touch. We spend as much time together as we can. When I first met Amrita, we instantly connected. She’s a lovely, dignified girl. I like the way she handles everything in life.”

Recently Vishal was seen hosting TV reality show Perfect Bride with Rao (the mentor). “I was doing the show and came again for one episode. In fact, Amrita was to do just one episode for PB but the show is such great fun that I forced her to do more.”Vishal also co-hosted Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega with Mona Singh, and now he wants to concentrate on films. “I don’t have a family backing to get me lead roles, and so I am looking at doing strong character roles with good filmmakers.” When asked about Vishal, Amrita says, “Vishal is a dear friend of mine since Ishq Vishk days. I have already had a laughter attack thinking of being linked with him. I can’t wait to give him one with this piece of news. Vishal is just my buddy.”

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Kareena Kapoor dares to bare

Kareena Kapoor has done her most daring and steamy scene yet with beau Saif Ali Khan in Karan Johar’s Kurbaan. The first lot of pictures of her bare back and her liplock with Saif are part of the film’s initial promotions, and the reactions are flying in. Although Kareena thinks it is much ado about nothing, “Not once did I feel awkward while shooting any scene for the film. It’s always easier to shoot for romantic and passionate scenes with someone you are dating, because of the comfort level. Also I am very close to Rensil D’Silva (the director) while Karan is like family and I trusted them completely. I knew whatever they shot would come out very classy.And the poster proves that.”She goes on to say that she and Saif both love the poster, “Everything is symbolic including Saif’s wound and my wet hair — it represents passion, sensuality and emotional violence.

Kurbaan is a love story with an undertone of violence — a combination of love and violence. Everyone — from my mom to my sister Karisma — is eagerly waiting for Kurbaan to release. It will remain one of my top three favourite films along with Omkara and Jab We Met.Karan Johar says, “Kareena and Saif were very comfortable with the romantic scenes. It also helped in the passionate romantic scenes as Saif and Kareena are a couple. That helped them in the comfort zone.They are also very credible, talented and professional actors who can convey passion and sensuality with conviction. Bebo and Saif had trust in our aesthetic sense and our campaign while Rensil’s vision and Rahul Nanda’s (publicity designer) expertise has made it a mind-blowing poster.”

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A tale of Hrithik’s two lovers

Before you stretch your eyes wide open let us clear the air this has nothing to do with Suzanne Khan or Barbara Mori but to do with his upcoming movie Guzaarish. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed unusual love story will have not one but two leading ladies.

Hrithik plays as a wheelchair bound paraplegic patient and Aishwarya Bachchan plays his nurse. But wait a second Ash is not the only lady in the movie. Bhansali has signed up with Bengali model Monikangana Dutta to play Hrithik’s former lover.

Aishwarya will be playing a married woman who falls for her paralytic patient and wants to end his misery by ending his life. Newcomer Aditya Roy Kapoor will be playing Aishwarya’s husband in the movie.

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Aamir Khan dates Facebook girl

Aamir Khan has been going out on several late night dates and if you think it’s with wife Kiran Rao, then your highly mistaken. Aamir is known to be an internet addict; the actor was a regular on his personal blog and has only just taken a break from blogging. He however has become very active on social networking site Facebook where he’s managed to make a number of friends. The actor not only chats late night with his online friends on FB but has also started having several coffee dates to know more about his fan’s likes and dislikes.His id on the site is Pucca Idiott.A source close to the actor said, “Aamir has always been intrigued by the views of the youth, he always replies and interacts with fans on his blog and literally knows them by name. There was a time when a girl told him that she had messaged him on his blog once and after knowing her id he even remembered her comment.

Along with interacting with them online, Aamir is also known to hold several screenings of his forthcoming films. He makes sure that one of those screenings are held specially for teenagers from whom he gets some interesting views and opinions. His films don’t strike a chord with teens and seniors just for nothing; he yearns to satisfy everybody’s craving giving meaning to his tag of being a through professional.”“His next film Three Idiots is based on life in B-schools and Aamir plays a 20-something optimistic lad who believes in excellence over education”, the source adds, “Because his next is based on the youth, its only natural for him to get even more closer to the youth on a personal level and this being the very reason behind coffee conversations and late night random dates.” Aamir was recently clicked by the press having such a conversation with a girl in a coffee shop and he seemed completely unfazed with the media glare while interacting with the pretty girl.

Her name is Annie Gill and she is a Facebook friend. When we tried to look her up on the site, we found that she is friends with several other Bollywood celebs. On Kiran’s reaction to his new found dates, the source adds, “Kiran seems to have no such problem with her husband’s behaviour and truly understands his need to interact with youngsters as films today have to appeal to this category of audience. She herself listens and obeys literally Aamir’s every word when it comes to filmmaking and its no hidden truth that Aamir has ghost directed Kiran’s next Dhobi Ghaat.”

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What is Amitabha Bachchan doing in Chenab Gandhi?

After the critical and commercial success of Black, Bachchan and Bhansali will reunite for the latter’s production, period film Chenab Gandhi. ‘The film is based on North West Frontier Province freedom fighter Abdul Gaffar Khan, widely known as Frontier Gandhi. Amitabh Bachchan will be mouthing heavy Urdu lines in the film and will also sport a beard, kajal and wear Pathani suits,’ informs a source. The movie will go on the floors in February 2010 and in true SLB style, it has a big budget.Sanjay Leela Bhansali had initially cast Hurman Baweja who was replaced by John Abraham and now Rajeev Khandelwal has been confirmed for the role.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali saw him in the rushes of Peter Gaya Kaam Se where he has long hair and chose him for the role. If he cuts his hair, he loses the role. He has to do a lot of research for the role and is extremely nervous about sharing screen space with Mr. Bachchan so early on in his career. He will play his aide in the film.Though SLB is not directing the film, he is completely involved in his assistant Vibhu Puri’s film. Vibhu Puri was his assistant on Saawariyaa and also assisted Vishal Bhardwaj on The Blue Umbrella. The film will be shot in studios in Mumbai and will wrap up in 2-3 schedules.

This is Vidya Balan’s second film with Amitabh Bachchan after R. Balki’s Paa. She is the only female character in the movie but nothing much is known about her role. Let us hope that Chenab Gandhi turns out to be an interesting lesson in history.

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Akshay Kumar as the son of her mother-in-law

Do you remember Akshay Kumar was almost seduced by his mother-in-law Dimple Kapadia in Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi? The makers of the film wanted her to play the role of a seductress in the film but the role went to Rekha. Now, they are going to play the role of a mother and son.Yes, Akshay will play Dimple’s son in Nikhil Advani’s London-based drama Patiala House. The film also pairs Rishi Kapoor and Dimple as husband and wife.

Akshay will play their son, who is ideologically diverse.Nikhil is working with Akshay again in Patiala House after the failure of their comedy flick Chandni Chowk To China. The director said that he decided to be true to himself after the failure of Chandni Chowk To China, where he tried with a different language. He added that he would return to her mother tongue this time around.The film features Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi heroine Anushka Sharma in the female lead.

In fact, it was Akshay who personally requested her to take Patiala House. Nikhil said that the lead pair is so warm and so Punjabi in their behavior.

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Neil Nitin Mukesh Jailed for over 2 hrs

They were the two most invigorating hours of Neil Nitin Mukesh’s life. The time that he spent in Tihar jail on Monday afternoon as part of the campaign to make his film Jail connected to a larger reality about the life of prisoners, has left the young actor sobered and reflective beyond words.“What I saw in Tihar was not just prisoners put in for punishment. But human beings who have been put in a 400-acre city with the purpose of reforming them and making them suitable for mainstream existence when they are released.”Neil reached Tihar around 2 in the afternoon with his co-star Manoj Bajpai, director Madhur Bhandarkar and music composer Shamir Tandon. Neil, Manoj and Madhur were immediately recognized and mobbed by the inmates. Getting emotional Neil says, “Every barrack has a television with 20 channels.So they had seen our movies. What I saw in their eyes was an amazing pain.

We had taken along a small orchestra. Shamir Tandon and all of us sang Lataji’s Daata sun le maula sun le, followed by Kitne ajeeb rishte hain yahan par and Sikandar from Madhur’s Page 3. When we sang Sikandar the prisoners burst into a dance. This was the only time I saw them really let go of themselves.”The Jail anthem Daata sun le will now be played at Tihar every morning as part of the prisoners’ daily prayer meetings. Bhandarkar’s film will also be screened on a DVD for the inmates.The two-hour-thirty-minute visit was peppered with moments that have changed Neil’s life forever. “There was cage filled with birds. I hate to see caged birds. I requested the DG of police to please free them. He listened to me, allowed me to enter the big cage and free the birds personally. It was the most liberating experience of my life.”Neil spent time talking to individual inmates, getting to know their minds and hearts.

“Do you know they have 10-day meditation courses in there, a full Vipashana where the yoga guru comes and stays inside the prison? There’s also a shopping arcade at Tihar where everything under the sun made by the prisoners is branded TJ (Tihar Jail) and sold. I was told the revenues from these handmade Tihar goods comes to 7.5 crore rupees every year. I bought a kambal (woolen blanket), shawl, kurta, sweets and other edibles.”Understandably Neil feels a great pride of achievement in what he has done, “It is one thing to play a prisoner no matter how authentically it’s another to actually go into this world away from the free world and experience the feelings of isolation inside.”Adds Manoj Bajpai, “I had last been to Tihar 12 years ago. The reform work that had been started by Kiran Bedi has continued. Tihar shouldn’t be the exception. All prisons should be modeled on Tihar.”

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Deepika Padukone not to smoke on silver screen

Soon after Bipasha Basu’s cigarette issue in Pankh , Deepika Padukone is the latest B-town beauty to develop cold feet when it comes to lighting up on the screen.Deepika was supposed to smoke for a couple of shots in her new project, Karthik Calling Karthik. But the buzz goes that she developed cold feet about it because she doesn’t smoke in real life.”Deepika was surely not enthused about the possibility of lighting up even on screen. She thought those few scenes might entice her to try out smoking in the future,” says the film’s producer Ritesh Sidhwani. “As a good producer, I didn’t want to instill a bad habit in an actor. So, I got organic cigarettes. She was happy with my decision.An actor shouldn’t be forced for such a thing if it can be avoided,” he adds. Organic cigarettes are made of exotic and organic herbs and do not contain tobacco or nicotine.They come with negligibly harmful side effects compared to regular cigarettes.

Some time back, Bipasha’s denial to smoke in Sudipto Chattopadhyay’s Pankh made news.Bipasha had also claimed that since she doesn’t smoke in real life, she won’t do it for a scene unless it’s absolutely necessary.”I refused to smoke for Corporate (directed by Madhur Bhandarkar) too. I detest smoking. At the same time, I have always maintained that if a role really demanded me to smoke, then sure I’ll do it,” she said. Chattopadhyay had to use a trick shot after her denial. A canister jar was placed in front of her which released smoke and it was shot in such a way that when she sings, it seems smoke is coming out of her mouth.Deepika, though, had shot for the drinking scenes in Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal . Adds Sidhwani: “We ordered cigarettes which were free of any kind of tobacco or nicotine.

It has a sweet message in end. Farhan’s character advises her against it and also succeeds in getting her to quit smoking.” Of late, Bipasha and Deepika have probably been the only actresses to develop cold feet over smoking shots. Last year’s Madhur Bhandarkar-directed Fashion showed Priyanka Chopra and Kangna Ranaut smoking. Similarly, several Bollywood girls like Kareena Kapoor (Chameli), Rani Mukherjee (Bichoo), Preity Zinta (Chori Chori Chupke Chupke), Manisha Koirala (Company) smoked in movies but never made headlines over it.” Movies shouldn’t glorify or make smoking look cool,” says Sidhwani. “I think filmmakers should be responsible but if a character demands such traits, there’s no harm in it.

It’s all about a film’s need,” adds Sidhwani.Bollywood stunners, though, seem to be in a mood to kick the butt on screen.

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Freida Pinto turns life saver

Slumdog Millionaire beauty Freida Pinto turned a life saver for a fan as she rescued her from an oncoming car.The Indian beauty was shopping in London with boyfriend Dev Patel when a fan ran towards them to say hello. Pinto, who was being followed by photographers, was unaware about the fan’s presence and turned to have her picture taken and accidentally bumped into the woman who was sent flying into the road as a car approached, Daily Mail reported.

“As Freida turned around, she bumped into the fan because she didn’t see her. Afterwards, Freida made sure the woman was okay. It was quite a shock for all, especially Freida and the fan,” a witness said. Fortunately, neither Pinto nor the unidentified women were injured in the incident.The actress is currently in London filming Oscar-winning director Woody Allen’s as yet untitled new film with actor Josh Brolin.

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Abhay puts Sonam’s delays to good use

Abhay Deol surely knows how to make the best use of time. His differences with Sonam Kapoor on the sets of Aisha were discussed at length recently.Sources on the sets of the much-awaited film reported that the two young- actors got into a non-friendly mode as Sonam reportedly took a long time in getting her make- up done, which use to lead to delay in the shooting.Now, we hear that Abhay has come up with a better idea.Instead of wasting his time and talking about it, he got his personal trainer to teach him the art of ‘defensive fighting’. It is a form of martial art called Krav Maga.

This is an art form which he wanted to learn for a long time.”He has been spending time with his personal trainer in order to learn the art form,” a source said.Apparently, Abhay will have to make use of this art form in his next film, so he is preparing for it much in advance.We hear the relationship between Abhay and Sonam was warm initially. But, later on, when some issues cropped up between the two, it surprised many. Since Abhay is a thorough professional, he is not gossiping about it. We also learnt that there were several technical glitches on the sets, which used to delay the work.

But Abhay is pretending everything is fine and is trying to keep a straight face so that the shooting of the film gets over at the earliest.Once Abhay finishes his portion of shooting for Sonam’s film, he will devote his time to learning Krav Maga for his next secret project. A smart guy, we think!

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Main Aurr Mrs Khanna lacks passion and energy

Main Aurr Mrs Khanna’ falls in category of those movies, which despite of great star cast and huge publicity fails to deliver what it promises, entertainment. Even presence of Bollywood hottie Kareena Kapoor and Bollywood hunk Salman Khan couldn’t hold interest in the movie.The movie is based on the theme of martial problem where a husband after losing his jobs asks his wife to leave so that he go and find work in distant shores.

Samir Khanna (Salman) asks his wife, Raina (Kareena), to go back to Dalhousie when he fails to find re-employment in Melbourne.Samir goes to work in Singapore meanwhile Raina decides to stay back in Melbourne. With the help of friends, she is able get a job and a house. For the sake of visa, she pretends to marry the friendly bartender, Akash (Sohail Khan).As usual bartender falls in love with Mrs. Khanna but Raina’s loyalties still lies with her husband.

Drama ensues when Samir finds his wife living in this complicated situation.The movie is devoid of passion despite been presence of feisty actors like Salman Khan and Sohail Khan. Even Kareena fails to spark life in character of Mrs. Khanna.

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Ranbir and Deepika in trying waters again

The fights and arguments between the most talked about youngest couple of B-Land, Ranbir and Deepika is in air again. The last was on Sunday night, after which Ranbir left for the Rajneeti outdoor in Bhopal. Sources say they have been fighting last week as well and Deepika almost didn’t come for Karan Johar’s fashion show. The couple was together at the event though, but the undercurrent of stress was obvious to everyone.

Sources close to the couple say that they are currently not on speaking terms. An insider says, “Everyone knows that Neetu never really approved of Deepika for her son even though Ranbir tried and succeeded, to a large extent, to make his mom thaw towards his girl.”In spite of being totally committed to the relationship, Deepika feels Ranbir is not making a commitment to her and perhaps waiting for the green signal from his mom. On the other hand, Ranbir feels that he is too young to get engaged.

A friend of the actress says, “They are together. Fights happen in every relationship. This is the eighth time that everyone’s convinced they are heading for a split. But it’s all
fine. They’ve patched up.”Everyone around them is wondering if this is the beginning of the end.

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How and why Big B forgave the media

Amitabh Bachchan will play a TV channel honcho in the upcoming film Rann and is full of admiration for the media industry.Talking about his relationship with the media over the years, he says: “It has been brilliant. I do believe the media is a very important part of a nation.In a democratic society, we need some people who will keep an eye on everything that is happening in the country and report it to the public as quickly as possible.”He also clarifies that he was not responsible for the ban on the media during the Emergency in the 1970s.

“There were some misunderstandings earlier, at the time of the Emergency, that I was responsible for the ban on the press. Since the media had then banned me, I decided not to interact with them (mediapersons).It went on for several years. But then I had an accident on the sets of Coolie and the mediapersons wrote some wonderful things to encourage me to fight back. It was extremely generous and sweet of them to do that and we restarted our relationship,” he adds.

The much-anticipated Ram Gopal Varma film is expected to release early next year.

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Shahrukh Khan reminds Jermaine of MJ

Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan is known to be a great fan of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson as he proved it with his tribute to MJ after his death. What would perhaps come as a great piece of news for Shahrukh’s fans, King Khan reminds people of late MJ. This was said by none other than Michael’s elder brother Jermaine Jackson.

Jermaine who is currently touring India shooting for a song with singer Adnan Sami was heard saying “I think he (Shahrukh Khan) is simply great. Someone who has so much success and still is so humble. He reminds me of my brother Michael. He is so kind and so nice. He deserves everything in the world”

Jermaine who was invited to Shahrukh’s Mannat for a party also added “I loved Devdas and I loved the house shown in the movie. I thought it actually existed and enquired about it too. Then I was told that it was actually a built-up set.” Now a comparison with Michael Jackson would make anybody proud even if it is a certain Shahrukh Khan.

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