Gul Panag is savouring her time under the spotlight once again

She tugged at the heart strings with ’Dor’. And presently, she’s in the ’Rann’ ing too. Gul Panag is savouring her time under the spotlight once again, courtesy RGV’s channel centric opus.


Besides, she’s being booked for all the right reasons. Gorgeous Gul showed up at the book launch of Nirupama Subramaniam’s ’Keep the Change’ (Harper Collins) at a Mumbai book store.

"I’ve read the book," gushed Gul. "And I loved it! I couldn’t stop laughing in some parts. The book is for any man or woman who has come into a city from somewhere else, and is feeling all alone."

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Deepika Padukone says 2010 has been a great year..

Deepika Padukone says 2010 has been a great year for her as she had three releases and two more are in the pipeline.
“It’s been a great year for me. I already had three releases this year and two more are ready to come - ‘Break Ke Baad’ and ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’, which will release just a week apart,” Deepika told reporters.
The 24-year-old actress was seen in “Karthik Calling Karthik”, “Housefull” and “Lafangey Parindey” this year.

“The next couple of months will be exciting for me because I have never done two films that released at the same time. So in terms of promotion and just to watch the reaction of the people seeing me in two completely different looks, will be quite interesting to see,” she added.

Priyanka Chopra too expressed admiration for Sachin Tendulkar

The Union Minister of Railways, Mamata Banerjee, had announced the Indian railway budget but no one seemed to be interested in talking about it.

The whole nation was celebrating the crossing of another awe -inspiring milestone by the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, who scored an amazing 200 runs in the one-day international (ODI) against South Africa yesterday.

It is the highest individual score by a batsman in the history of ODI cricket.

Every patriotic Indian is proud of Sachin Tendulkar and so is Bollywood. Celebs also rejoiced in the aftermath of this historic moment and expressed a heartfelt congratulation to Sachin Tendulkar, who can certainly be labeled a ’legend’ now.

Priyanka Chopra too expressed admiration and respect for Sachin. She stated, “When I got to know about Sachin’s double century, I felt so proud that I exist in an era, in which I can witness such greatness.”


Wishing Sachin wholeheartedly, Abhishek Bachchan said, “Earlier, I was unaware how god looked like, but now, I can see him, his height is 5.5, he is a Maharashtrian and he plays cricket. Yes, he is the one and only Sachin Tendulkar. I wish him a hearty congratulation for this breathtaking innings and for making us proud.”

Duggu, as Hrithik Roshan is affectionately known, voiced, “It was an incredible innings that energized me and eliminated all my weariness. Simply brilliant! Watching him bat is an awesome experience. We are proud of him.”

Farhan Akhtar, whose film ’Karthik Calling Karthik’ is about to release this week, commented, ’’India is blessed because it has an individual like Sachin, who makes us hold our head up high wherever we go.

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Anil Kapoor has been signed an important role in Hollywood

After Slumdog Millionaire, actor Anil Kapoor who has been reportedly getting constant offers from Hollywood has given his nod to another plum international project. The actor has been signed to essay an important role in one of the biggest film series of Hollywood, Mission Impossible. Though his role is a tight secret at this point of time, it is a very important one nonetheless.
Confirming the new development, Kapoor said, “At this point, I can only say that I’ve been contacted for Mission Impossible 4, and I have said yes for the role.” The actor who refuses to divulge anything more has been told to be tight-lipped about the role by the Hollywood studio. According to sources, Kapoor has been approached by the franchise to essay a negative role in the film. Kapoor would be starring in Mission Impossible 4 alongwith Hollywood’s top-most actor - Tom Cruise, and Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg.

The actorrecently was also appreciated in 24, one of the most watched television series in US.With MI 4, Anil Kapoor is,perhaps,become India’s biggest export to Hollywood.

3D love making scenes between real life couple Bipasha Basu and John Abraham

Remember the super sizzling love making scenes between real life couple Bipasha Basu and John Abraham in ‘Jism’? Now imagine that in 3D! Believe it or not but seven years after ‘Jism’ had audiences asking for more, father-daughter duo Pooja and Mahesh Bhatt have decided to make it’s sequel and that too in 3D. And going by its new techno format, the film is going to be hotter, bolder and scintillatingly hot.


Taking cue from Hollywood, that is still toying with the concept of making porn flicks in 3D, Mahesh Bhatt told a daily, “When Hollywood filmmakers are thinking of making adults film in 3D, why not we? Frankly, I struck upon the idea when I was watching the recent 3D film Avatar, especially the love scenes.”

And Mahesh has his daughter Pooja’s full support for the project. Talking about the film, Pooja said, “We need to get bigger and bolder. I think my dad has suggested a great idea. The film is his baby. He is writing the script and the screenplay at a feverish pace.”

As for the plot, the talented taskmaster says, “Jism 2 will deal with the subject of betrayal and suspense. The heroine will be shown as a very modern girl with a dark, tainted past.”

But before you get your hopes high, of catching Bips and John in this 3D erotica, let us inform you that the cast is yet to be finalised. “We need a talented girl with a great body to pull off Jism 2. We need two male actors too. The search is on. The film’s cast will be a combination of fresh and established stars. My father will complete the script by May,” adds Pooja.

Shah Rukh Khan MNIK will be not screened at the Indian Film Festival

The director’s cut of Shah Rukh Khan starrer "My Name Is Khan" (MNIK) will be screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) April 20-25. Dilip Mehta`s "Cooking With Stella" will open the fest.

Directed by Karan Johar, `MNIK` will be released in the US by Fox Searchlight Pictures May 7. In the film, Shah Rukh has teamed up with Kajol.

"Cooking With Stella" that stars Lisa Ray, will have its LA premiere at the event. Both the actress and the director will attend the event.

"The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is expanding exponentially as both the industry and the Los Angeles audiences discover what we have to offer," IFFLA executive director Christina Marouda said in a statement.

Added IFFLA board of directors chairperson Arnold Peter: "Our intention is to reflect the deepening relationship between India’s and Hollywood’s entertainment industries as we collectively approach new horizons in technology and content."


The closing night will have a screening of Australian director Claire McCarthy`s "The Waiting City" that stars Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton and Samrat Chakrabarti.

The fest will have other events like panels on the future of talent representation in a global economy and Alternative Distribution Platforms: Technology in search of a Business Model.

Reliance MediaWorks executive Alan Silvers will also make a "Relaince MediaWorks Presentation" on special effects and visual design in film as seen in director James Cameron’s Oscar winning 3-D feature film "Avatar".

Sanford Panitch, president of Fox International Productions, and Uday Shankar, CEO of STAR India, will be awarded the Third Annual IFFLA Industry Leadership Award for extraordinary leadership within the entertainment community and in relation to India.

Motion picture producer Ashok Amritraj, who celebrates the release of his 100th film this year, will be conferred with the Industry Trailblazer Award.

Actress Raima Sen eagerly awaits the release of her Hindi film `Mirch`

Basking in the glory of her widely appreciated performance in Aparna Sen`s film `The Japanese Wife`, actress Raima Sen eagerly awaits the release of her Hindi film `Mirch` directed by Vinay Shukla who had introduced her to Bollywood with `Godmother`.

"This is my second film with Vinay Shukla, who had directed me in Godmother and I have lots of hopes for Mirch because of the treatment," Raima told reporters.

Of the four women-centric stories in the film, Sen will turn up in two, opposite Shreyas Talpade and Rajpal Yadav with each story sharing a common humorous strand.

Although Raima enjoys a superb track record in Bengali cinema the 30-year-old actress insists that she is not averse to any substantial commercial Bollywood project with a good
script and competent directors.

"Look, I am open to commercial films, For every `Godmother`, `Chokher Bali`, `Daman`, I have done `Parineeta`, `Honeymoon Travels` and `Manorama Six Feet Under`. I cannot be
typecast for one type of roles only," Raima, grand daughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen and daughter of film diva Moon Moon Sen, said.

"I am ready to mould my image, I am ready to essay a role if that interests me. But certainly the offer has to come to me," Raima said.


The actress, who is being appreciated for her role of a widow `Sandhya` in `The Japanese Wife`, said that it was one of the most complex roles of her life as it was a challenge to bring out the understated performance and reflect the blank, matured and calm persona of the character.

She plays the mother of an eight-year-old boy, who mostly keeps silent, but lives like a shadow in the life of a village school teacher Snehamoy, played by Rahul Bose, despite not having any manifest relationship with him.

"I remember I was asked by Aparna Sen to get the expressions right, the look of a lowly placed widow in a rural area, to develop her body language. I also attended a workshop
which helped. I am happy that Sen liked my role," Raima said.

Referring to her on-screen chemistry with Rahul Bose Raima says that the actor is someone who she is very comfortable to work with.

"We had shared screen space in Anuranan by Aniruddha Roy Choudhury. I guess we vibe well. He is such a wonderful co-actor, so very natural and spontaneous," she said.

"While I would like to do more films with Rinamashi (Aparna Sen), I have already been associated with a lot of works of Rituparno who similarly extracts intense performance
from his actors," she said.

Raima, who has worked with filmmaker-actor Rituparno Ghosh in `Antarmahal` and `Khela` besides `Chokher Bali` also has a special cameo in his `Sunglass`.

Asked about `Nouka Dubi`, Rituparno`s next Tagore film, Raima explained though it features both her and sister Riya Sen, they would not be sharing the frame.

"Our roles are diverse, but I am happy to be in the same project with my sister. This is our first film together," Raima said.

The actress is also set to share the screen with Deepti Naval and Rituparno in upcoming film `Asamapt`.

"While my role is that of an art director in a company, Rituparno enacts the creative head. Deepti Naval is the mother of a dead child who is the only link among three of us," she says without divulging any other detail.

Salman Khan has launched a nationwide hunt for unsung heroes

Apparently inspired by Aamir Khan, Bollywood star Salman Khan has launched a nationwide hunt for unsung heroes as he turns 44 Sunday to connect with the masses and also promote his forthcoming period film "Veer".

The hunt - for young men and women who have performed heroic deeds which the nation doesn’t know about - is one more effort by the actor in bridge-building and improving his image.

"Lately Salman has been going out of his way to connect with the masses. The idea to launch a contest on his birthday to search for unrecognised heroes came from Aamir Khan’s recent connect-with-masses Bharat Darshan which he undertook as part of the promotion for ’3 Idiots’," said a source close to the actor.


"People close to Salman advised him to find a similar point of connectivity with the common man for Salman’s forthcoming film ’Veer’. And what better occasion to show his affinity to the masses than his birthday?"

Confirming Salman’s plans to search and celebrate the lives of unsung heroes from all over the country, "Veer" producer Vijay Galani told IANS: "You’ve heard correctly. Salman is launching a contest to find real-life unsung heroes.

"Since he has played the hero so often on screen, he feels real-life heroes deserve to be brought out of anonymity. We’ll be going to the remotest corners of India to select these unknown heroes. Finally one of them will be given the ’Veer’ cup personally by Salman at a function in Mumbai."

The much-talked about film is about the bravery of a Pindari soldier and speaks of bravery exemplifying the courage of every oppressed Indian fighting for justice and independence. Directed by Anil Sharma, the film features Salman in never seen before avatar along with newcomer Zarine Khan.

Former Miss UK Lisa Lazarus too plays an important role in the film that also stars Mithun Chakraborty and Jackie Shroff along with Sohail Khan and Bharat Dabholkar.

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Superstar Rajinikanth meets Sanjay Dutt

Superstar Rajinikanth recently met his good friend and Bollywood top star Sanjay Dutt. If sources are to be believed, the meeting took place at Bengaluru airport lounge a few days ago.

It is said that the top star of south India was at Bengaluru to check out the feedback to his recent venture ’Endhiran’ and Sanju for the promotions of ’Knock Out’.

"Both were pleasantly shocked to see each other. They guffawed and hugged more than once. And they exchanged pleasantries for a while much to the amuse of the other travellers", sources say.

Rajini and Sanjay share a very good rapport for decades now and the two actors had worked together in ’Khoon Ka Karz’ in the early 1990s. During that time, Rajini ensured that Sanju had breakfasts at his home, it is said.

Amitabh Bachchan wants his voice back

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is almost synonymous with his baritone voice. There was a time when All India Radio rejected his voice because they thought it wasn’t appealing enough.

But now, the voice has become the source of livelihood for several mimic artists. His unique voice is copied by advertisers to endorse products in ads and telecalling promotions. In the past, Big B has never given a serious thought on this issue. But now, the actor wants to copyright his voice so that the misuse stops.

The Megastar said that he was thinking about employing the laws of the country to prevent misuse of his voice. A few other actors too have done this in the past.

If Big B takes this step seriously then you wouldn’t hear mimicry artistes imitating his voice on their shows.

Katrina Kaif falls love on dhaba Food

Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif apparently felt hungry at Mussoorie, during the trip enroute Chandigarh. She, along with Imran Khan and the crew of the film ’Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ was on tour for the purpose of the shooting of the cited film. Katrina Kaif reportedly murmured to her co-star Imran Khan,

"I’m hungry!" Just then, they heard a voice inviting them to their dhaba with an assurance of quality food. Imran Khan had the vehicle stopped and led Katrina into the dhaba. Inspite of Katrina’s hesitation to have food in the roadside dhaba, Imran ordered for naan and chicken biryani. Katrina enjoyed the food and was highly impressed by the taste of it. Now, she has decided to have food in dhabas during her shooting schedules.

Shahid loves Harley Davidson’s bike very much

Shahid joins an elite club of A-listers who love to flaunt their fabulous machines. After Salman Khan, John Abraham, Uday Chopra and Sanjay Gupta, Shahid Kapur has become the latest entrant into the biker boys club in Bollywood. Shahid has always loved bikes and he bought himself the ultimate one - a Harley Davidson. The green coloured bike was delivered to him last week.

Our source said, “Shahid has been known for his love of bikes. Last year at an award ceremony, he came on a bike. But he he always wanted to own a Harley Davidson. He has even tweeted about his new possession. You can spot him riding his bike on the streets of Mumbai every night these days.”

After Shahid finishes his father’s film Mausam, he will start shooting for Sabbir Khan’s Heera Aur Ranjha. He will also decide on the offer made by Mira Nair which he wants to take up. Apparently he is pretty excited about it.

Bipasha Basu invites John for Durga puja to her town

In her own words, actress Bipasha Basu took actor-beau John Abraham to her hometown in Kolkata seven years ago, when they were just a year-old in their relationship. The star couple are once again Kolkata- bound for some family time with Bipasha’s parents, sisters -Bidisha and Vijayeta, and her extended family for Durga puja. The actor this time is looking forward to it for more than one reason.

“It’s my mother’s birthday on Nabami (October 16), and I’m planning to give her a surprise. I’m also dying to see my niece (Bidisha’s three-year-old daughter), who I’ve not seen for a long time. Yes, it is going to be one big family reunion,” says Bipasha.

“Last time when I went with John it was pandemonium.”

The only thing that she misses about not celebrating Durga puja in Mumbai is not being able to spend time with her friend and actor Rani Mukerji at the Durga puja held by her family (organised by the North Bombay Sarbojonin Durga Puja Charitable Trust and supported by DNA).

“Attending the family puja organised by the Mukerji clan is a tradition that I’ve followed even when I was a model. It used to be the closest to my house. It’s around this time that I became friends with Rani and got close to the family. I have some fondest memories of the Durga puja there, after I moved to Mumbai. I am a regular there, and it has always kept me in touch with my roots,” she says.

I am not on Twitter or any social networking site says Asin

Those who have been tweeting Asin on Twitter or sending messages to her on other social networking sites like Facebook or Orkut, here is an eye-opener.

The Ghajini gal is not on any of these sites. Rather it’s the imposters who have taken on her name and post messages regularly to fool gullible browsers.

"I am not on Twitter. There are some fake profiles and people actually believe that it’s me but that’s not really me. I am not on Twitter or Orkut or any social networking site. May be in future but I am not on it right now,” Asin is quoted as saying by a news agency.

Perhaps it’s high time she joined the web world.

Salman Khan rocks party

Salman Khan’s ‘Being Human’ show at HDIL-India Couture Week was a big success with Bollywood stars like Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji and Sushmita Sen bringing alive the bygone era on the ramp.

This innovative and creative show was preceded by the screening of a short audio-visual on the particular period accompanied with dance performances.

Preity Zinta kick started the ramp walk in a red knee-length dress representing 1920s. She was followed by Katrina Kaif who represented 1930s in a long red gown. Then, Rani Mukherji walked the ramp in a black velvet choli and white lehenga, bringing alive the elegance of the 1940s. The next decade was depicted by sexy Bipasha Basu in a short black outfit. Karisma Kapoor draped in a red saree brought out the rock and roll glamour of 1960s. Sushmita Sen came up with the spirit of 1970s in a multi-coloured kaftan top and golden mini skirt. Priyanka Chopra was dressed in a white baby-doll dress to represent the silver screen`s glam girls of the 1980s. Kareena came across in a smart and sexy black power suit depicting the women of 1990s.

However, the man to steal the show from these gorgeous women was Salman Khan who wore red trousers and a black trench coat with glares and walked the ramp with a smile.

Aamir refused to work on Amol’s next film

The creative efforts of Aamir Khan and Amol Gupte had given us a sensitive film like Taare Zameen Par. But if the buzz is to be believed, Aamir refused to work on Amol’s next film. Rumours suggest that scriptwriter and actor Amol approached Aamir for a film. It was a subject close to Amol’s heart which he felt only Aamir could do justice to.

Our source said, “Amol met Aamir recently and the two even had detailed discussions on the subject as the actor heard Amol out patiently. “Apparently, the subject dealt with children and issues concerning them. Aamir felt the plot was very similar to what they had done in Taare Zameen Par. Though Aamir has great regard for Amol as a story teller, the actor felt that he would be getting repetitive in the film so he politely turned him down,” said our source.

It may be known that initially Amol Gupte was Taare Zameen Par’s director. But differences between him and Aamir made the latter take over as the film’s director.

Katrina Kaif visits Haridwar confidently

Bollywood’s barbie doll, Katrina Kaif, is not just beautiful by her looks, the actress has an unfolded religious side to her which lends her a purity of heart, rarely seen in star struck celebrities. Recently, the actress took some time off from the hectic shooting schedule of Yash Raj’s ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan,’ which is being shot in Chandigarh, Dehradun, and Mussourie, and headed to Haridwar for a holy dip in the river Ganga.

Rumor has it that Kaif’s visit to the holy shrine was kept a secret affair while she traveled with her personal entourage to avoid any security hassles. Katrina takes a holy dip in Ganga Reportedly, the ‘Raajneeti’ star chose to visit the banks of the river in the late evening to avoid any kind of unwanted attention.

A source close to the unit revealed, "Kat was planning to visit Haridwar for a long time. But she couldn’t take time off from shooting."“Since she was shooting for Yash Raj Films’ Mere Brother Ki Dulhan in North India, she decided it would be the best time to visit the holy place."Buzz has it, the actress went to one of the ghats for the holy dip and later had the darshan of a deity in a temple.

Dressed in a salwar-kameez with her head and face covered with a dupatta, the actress even took blessings from the priest, who then suggested her to participate in the maha aarti, held in the evening on the ghats by scores of priests together. "She’s a spiritual person and keeps that side of her private. The local pujari suggested she come back to Haridwar in the near future and also participate in a maha aarti to which she readily agreed," the source added.

Katrina, who has earlier been to pious places of worship like Shirdi, the Golden Temple, and the Ajmer Sharif dargah, is of a religious mindset and tries to visit sacred spaces in vicinity, whenever possible.

Imran braves 16 slaps from Katrina
When it comes to acting, Imran Khan sure idealizes mamu, Aamir, which is why the actor braved 16 slaps to get an emotional scene perfect in the film, ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’.

The scene required Katrina to hit him hard on face which she did lightly. Though the actress smacked him a fake one, he insisted on a real, cheek-flushing slap.

The actor even called a spot boy to count the number of slaps. According to him, the ‘logic’ behind it was that on the editing table, the director can choose the best among the various slaps.

Confirming this to a tabloid, Kat was quoted as saying, “Left to me, I’d have done just one fake slap and moved on. But Imran insisted that I do it realistically,” and claimed that this is one of the most authentic screen slap audiences would get to see.

Kareena Kapoor is the new brand ambassador for Mahindra &Mahindra

Bollywood’s hot babe Bebo Kareena Kapoor is the new brand ambassador for Mahindra &Mahindra and the actor will be seen endorsing the new scooters by the company soon.

M&M has roped in the actor to target young riders and the diva has signed the dotted line to endorse the latest range of PowerScooters by Mahindra including Rodeo, Flyte and Duro. She will feature in company’s print, electronic and online advertisement campaigns.

Mahindra & Mahindra is delighted to have Kareena on board as the actor is stylish and hardy as its new range of two wheelers. She will be seen in the first advertisement that is scheduled to appear later

Happy Birthday to Big B

October 11, Amitabh Bachchan, the emperor of the Bollywood silver screen, turns 68.

Yes, Big B turns another year young today. Inching towards his 70s, this man is as vibrant and feisty as a youth still giving the younger lots a run for their money.

He plans to spend the special day with his family at home. This day also marks his come back to the telly as a host of the most loved, most admired quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’.

Sony TV, the channel that will air the program has planned a bash for the superstar at JW Marriot hotel in Mumbai. Big B will go to the event, cut a birthday cake and be part of the celebrations.

The superstar has every reason to celebrate. He’s just won his fourth National Award for his stellar performance in the flick Paa.

As usual, a lot of fans are likely to gather outside the Bachchan residence to wish him happy birthday. Big B says he step out to meet his fans, as he does every year.

Aishwarya Rai requested people ‘Don’t call me Ash’

It seems that Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai is tired of people addressing her by her nickname ‘Ash’ and has requested them to call her by her full name.

"When I joined the industry, people initially used to say they have difficulty in pronouncing my name, so they started calling me ‘Ash’. But now, it has been years and I guess, everyone can pronounce it properly," Aishwarya told reporters.

"So I would appreciate, if you people address me by my name - Aishwarya," she added.

The model-turned-actress walked the ramp for designer Manish Malhotra at the ongoing HDIL-India Couture Week and thanked her husband Abhishek for bringing the name issue in the forefront.

It is believed that Abhishek too had recently requested some journalists to refer to her by her full name.