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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