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Katrina pays the price for the clash of Khans

We generally get to see a guy trapped between two girls, but here we have a case of a girl getting trapped between two guys. The girl is none other than our beautiful Katrina caught in a rift between the ‘Two Khans’.
According to our sources Katrina is now thrown out of Temptation Reloaded Tour because of King Khan. A few days back we witnessed the two Khans verbally and almost physically fighting at Katrina’s birthday bash. Shah Rukh ultimately walked off the party but it seems he was in no mood to spare anyone after the incident. He didn’t get a chance to get even with Salman, but he managed to get his girl friend instead, which resulted in her being dropped from Temptation Reloaded Tour.
The latest buzz doing the rounds is that Kats and Sallu have broken up. But lot of questions still remain to be answered, will the Bolly-bad boy Salman take revenge in his style or will the ‘World’s sexiest woman’ Katrina make use of her newly gained power status? Let’s wait and watch. The show has just begun.

Darsheel Safary steps into advertising

Bollywood's wonder kid Darsheel Safary, who struck a chord with audiences with his performance and toothy smile in 'Taare Zameen Par', has been signed as the brand ambassador of kids wear Spykar's OYO.

The child artiste has been signed for a year to promote the brand. Company officials refused to disclose the amount he received for this endorsement.

"Darsheel will be involved in an aggressive ad campaign for the brand including video and photo shoots and other necessary activities relating to the promotion of the product," said company sources.

Spykar's has 50 stores spread over 15 cities in India and is planning to open 50 more in the next three months.

Darsheel, who has been much in demand in the film and ad world after his performance as a dyslexic boy in Aamir Khan's directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par', was also signed as the brand ambassador for health drink Horlicks a few months back.

Brett Lee in Bollywood!

After thrilling people with his cricketing skills, Australian fast bowler Brett will take over Bollywood with Manmohan Shetty’s ‘Victory.’
The film also stars Bollywood novice Harman Baweja, who plays the character of a small town boy who makes it big in the world of cricket and Lee plays himself who assists Baweja’s role in achieving his ambitions.Together with Brett, a handful of other Australian cricketers including Brad Hogg, Stuart Clarke and Mike Hussey will also be seen in small roles in the movie.
On working with novice ‘Harman Baweja’, Lee said that it was really a new experience. Aside from claiming wickets, Brett is a music lover and his love for music is evident by his habit of playing either the guitar or the piano daily.
With his fondness for music and now for acting, we wish him good luck!

Why Asin said NO to Priyadarshan

Asin is gaga with the release date of her maiden Hindi venture 'Ghajini' which is approaching fast.

Meanwhile, she was supposed to act in Priyadharshan's 'Aiyse Ko Thaisa' opposite Akshay Kumar. But the buzz is that the actress has backed out from the project.

Sources close to Asin say that the actress, who is busy with the promotional activities of 'Ghajini', has opted out of the project and Priyadharshan is currently scouting for a new heroine. Asin has not signed any new offers in Tamil and sources say she is keen to make a mark for herself in Tamil..

Vidhu Vinod Chopra to remake Parinda

Parinda directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra was one of the hit and critically acclaimed film of the year 1989. With a bunch of popular star casts like Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Anupam Kher and Madhuri Dixit, the film had hit the marquee. Its box-office record was marvelous. Now filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra is again destined to recreate the magic of Parinda in English with Hollywood and Bollywood actors. The film will be tentatively titled Broken Horses.

Though spokesperson from Vinod Chopra Films did not remark anything on the issue, the film trade claims the authenticity of the report. Reliance Entertainment has decided to produce it and it will be shot in Mexico for some special locales. Chopra is thinking to rope in Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan for the role played by Nana Patekar. Big B will be seen in a negative role. The role of two brothers Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff will be portrayed by two Hollywood stars.

Parinda was one of India's official entry for the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in Best Foreign Language Film category

Abhishek speaks for Aishwarya

Abhishek who is the brand ambassador of Omega watches brushed off the false rumor of Ash being replaced by Katrina in the Nakshatra diamond endorsement. He clears the air of doubts, "Nakshatra was discontinued by Aishwarya. It is false news that she lost out the endorsement to Katrina Kaif. Aishwarya had some conditions and the company did not come to terms with this, so she called it off." He too explained the technicalities of endorsement and its terms and conditions. Abhishek Bachchan came to India from San Francisco for a day just for this event. He flew back to Houston, USA after the event was over to join rest of the Unforgettable team.

Abhishek Bachchan who is known to answer any questions in a ridiculous manner filled up the Omega Olympics conference room with laughter with his tongue-in-cheek answer. When a reporter asked him about learning dance steps for the Unforgettable event from his wife Ash, he quipped sarcastically, "I learn everything that my wife teaches me. Once married you have to."

The troupe has performed at Toronto, Trinidad, Tobago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and received an overwhelming response. Fun, work and excitement fill up the unforgettable tour. Their Vancouver show was canceled due to promoters pricing show tickets very high. Next they will perform in London, Rotterdam and finally in the German city of Oberhausen.

Akshay turns daredevil for Singh is Kinng

While shooting a scene in Singh is Kinng on the Gold Coast, actor Akshay Kumar had to jet ski in deep water but realised that he would not be allowed to do so without an official license.

However, Akshay proved his worth and rose to the occasion.

"It takes three days to get a jet-ski license but Akshay explained the time constraints. He did a three-day course in 12 hours. He got up at 6 am and got his license by 7 pm," reveals producer Vipul Shah.

"He had to give a written and a practical test. The action scene we have shot is one of the most expensive ones that Bollywood has ever seen and has been directed by Danny Baldwin," he adds.

The actor speaks about his experience of going through a theory and a practical exam.

"Going through a theory and practical exam was like going back to school," laughs Akshay.

Danny Baldwin is an incredibly popular stunts coordinator in Australia with over a hundred films and television series to his credit. He is even said to have worked with Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai and Michael Douglas in The Ghost and the Darkness.

Commenting on how he was approached, Shah says, "When we went for a reccee to Australia we saw a lot of show-reels and met a lot of technicians. But we saw a clear synergy with Danny as his style of action was exactly what we needed."

"The beauty about the action in Singh is Kinng is that not only is it great to look at but makes the audience laugh as well," adds Shah.

Shah responds to the rumours of the glamour action in Singh is Kinng resembling to that of Dhoom 2.

"It is similar only in quality. These are very high-end action sequences. Akshay had to be very careful in certain sequences, for instance, the scene in which he had to jump from one moving lift to another without supporting cables. But Akshay is Akshay! He did it with much panache and agility. Enjoy watching it in the film," says Shah.

The wait isn't long now, as Singh is Kinng opens on Thursday, August 7. It is an Indian Films - Studio 18 worldwide release.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Bachna Ae Haseeno starcast gets candid on camera

Yashraj Films' next, Bachna Ae Haseeno sees Ranbir Kapoor romancing not one, not two, but three leading ladies. So who is the hottest of the three ladies?

Bipasha Basu said, "I think everyone has their USP and I think each one's USP has been used very well."

Deepika Padukone added, "Well, that is for you people to decide, because all four of us have done a great job in the film."

And Minissha lamba stated cheekily, "I cannot compliment myself. Of course that's not done you know."

If Minnisha Lambha didn't mince her words, then Deepika Padukone and Bipasha Basu were diplomatic. So CNN-IBN decided to put the ball in Ranbir Kapoor's court.

"In all fairness Bipasha is looking the hotest, Minisha is looking the cutest and Deepika is looking the most beautiful in the film," he stated diplomatically.

It looks like the youngest Kapoor on the block prefers to play it safe.

And, what does Deepkia Padukone have to say about romancing her real life hero Ranbir Kapoor onscreen?

"It's not fair to bring our off-screen or our personal lives into work. We are both actors at the end of the day. When we are working in front of the camera we are just two separate actors," she said.

As for Ranbir, he's simply glad about his onscreen romance stories - from losing his beloved in Saawariya to romancing three in Bachna Ae Haseeno.

"Lucky, I just got lucky. In the first film, I don't get the girl and in this film I get three girls. So I feel I cannot get luckier than this," says he.

Bobby is Samir Karnik's hero

The man who once directed Bobby Deol in Nanhe Jaisalmer, Samir Karnik appears to have developed a special regard for the actor's professional skills. Even as he has just wrapped the shoot for 'Heroes', a film that stars not only Bobby, but also Salman, Preity and Sunny Deol, the director has yet another release lined up with the junior Deol.

Titled 'Roshan', this one has been in the making even before 'Heroes' and stars the 'Nanhe Jaisalmer' child actor Dwij Yadav along with Bobby Deol. And playing his romantic interest in the film will be Kangana Ranaut. Meanwhile, the multi-starrer 'Heroes' that was earlier titled 'Mera Bharat Mahaan' is now scheduled to release in November later this year.

Bachchan goes all out for Drona

“It is not because the film is being directed by my best friend. I believe in Drona and I have worked extremely hard for this film. The film will be a first for Indian audiences and I will work equally hard to promote it,” opening words of Abhishek Bachchan.

In between a hectic world schedule of the Unforgettable Tour, Bachchan flew down to Mumbai for a day to shoot the promos for MTV’s various shows like The Big Picture, Hot Seat, as well as slipped in time for an interview with Bombay Times. Recounts the actor as he sits in the airport lounge on his way to Delhi, “If I did not shoot these promos, I would have missed the deadline for the programming scheduled for September. Its important to allot dates for marketing so that people know what your film is all about.”

Reveals President of Eros International India, Sunil Lulla,“Abhishek is very committed to the project. He was here for less than a day and he shot for us for more than 12 hours. That is dedication.”

And this certainly brings a smile on the producer’s face. Shrishti Behl Arya confirms, “AB is actively involved with Drona. He has sat on all the meetings when we have discussed the strategy and marketing of the film”.

Drona’s promos are already out and the response has been extremely positive. This has certainly egged the team to go an extra mile to promote it. And leading the pack is Abhishek Bachchan.

Akshay ki pathshaala

Akshay Kumar is all set to build a school in Ranjitpura, a village close to Chandigarh. Akshay Kumar's association with the people of Ranjitpura started during the shooting of Namastey London when Vipul Shah and Akshay shot the film for almost 20 days in and around the village.

A source close to Akshay said, "The village doesn't have a school to accommodate all the children, especially the girls. Akshay Kumar has told the village authorities that he wants to fund a school for the children of the village."

When contacted, Vipul Shah, a close fried of Akshay, confirmed the news and said, "Yes, it's true. It has been Akshay's long cherished dream to start a school for the children of Ranjitpura. We have been in talks with the village authorities and things are being worked out."

Vipul elaborated on how Akshay thought of this wonderful idea. He said, "It all started when we were shooting for Namastey London in Ranjitpura. We found that a lot of kids were working in the fields, instead of going to school. Moreover, the village didn't have a well-structured school.

In between one of the shots, as we were relaxing, we heard one of the kids telling his father that he didn't want to go to school. The farmer seemed quite okay with his decision. Akshay was horrified and we ended up having a long discussion over the issue. I thought it had ended there, but I was wrong. I was surprised when recently he mentioned that he wanted to build a school in Ranjitpura."

Vipul Shah
According to our source, when they decided to shoot the Namastey London wedding sequence in the same village, the village people not only participated in the shoot, they also made sure that it looked like a real wedding. Our source added, "Once Akshay is back in the country, we have planned to return to the village and go ahead with the project."

When we contacted Akshay, he confirmed the news and said, "It is my desire to do something special for the villagers and I have been closely working with the authorities. The people of Ranjitpura were extremely warm and helpful when we were shooting there."

Is a struggling actress responsible for Rahul's divorce?

Payal Rohatgi's acting career may not be going great guns but her personal life is on a high. Sources say that her closeness with Rahul Mahajan may have been the reason for the break-up of his marriage.

Rahul, son of the late Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former union minister Pramod Mahajan, formally parted ways from his wife Shweta Friday after a Gurgaon court passed a decree on their mutual divorce petition.

According to sources, Payal who has been denying any link with Rahul off late, recently hosted a party for him at a five-star hotel here. The party, which was a personal affair, was attended by select guests and the media was not invited.

When asked about the party, Payal was not willing to disclose any details.

"It was a personal affair. I would not like to say anything about it," Payal told IANS Friday.

However, one of the invitees at the party said: "Both of them played the perfect hosts and looked like a couple."

Reports say Rahul and Payal have been friends for more than six years.

But their closeness increased ever since Rahul's relations with his wife took an ugly turn.

However, a few common friends now blame Payal for the strained relations between Rahul and his wife.

"I don't want to discuss personal life. It is completely my personal affair and I would not like to comment on it," said Payal, who was seen in films like "Corporate", "36 China Town", "Dhol".

Sources say in recent times, Rahul and Payal have been spotted in various places together and he is even planning to cast her in the lead in the first film under his production company Cine Vision.

There were also reports that Rahul gifted Payal an imported car when her car was completely damaged in an accident.

Rahul married his old time friend Shweta Aug 29, 2006, months after Pramod Mahajan was shot dead by his own brother in his Mumbai home.

Later Rahul hit the headlines when he was hospitalised after an alleged incident of drug abuse. Pramod's secretary Viveik Moitra died of drug overdose.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Akshay declines Sallu's olive branch

Salman Khan has brought star cricketers on board for his game show 'Dus Ka Dum', but when Salman extended an invitation to actor Akshay Kumar, it was turned down on the pretext of Akshay hosting a show for a rival channel.

Every move that Salman makes hits headlines, be it his relationship with Katrina, his recent spat with srk or the rumours of his breakup with Kats. Sallu has constantly been under the scanner.

This time though it is Salman attempt to mend his ways that has got him back under the spot light.

Salman Khan invited none other than Akshay kumar to be on his show Dus Ka Dum. But that is just the tip of the iceberg; the invite was for Akshay and Katrina

So while that may have been a brow raising act. It is Akki's refusal that doesnt come as as a surprise. Akshay Kumar declined the invitation to appear on 'Dus Ka Dum' citing the fact that he's already hosting another show for another channel.

Whether that is the real reason for not appearing on Sallu's show we do not know for now. But one can't help but wonder whether the scene at Katrina's birthday bash a couple of weeks ago had something to do with it.

Katrina Kaif opposite Ranbir Kapoor in 'Rajniti'

'World’s sexiest woman', Katrina Kaif has been signed to play the role opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Prakash Jha ’s forthcoming political thriller Rajniti .

The movie, on the lines of the great epic Mahabharat, also stars Ajay Devgan , Manoj Bajpai , Vivek Oberoi and Nana Patekar .



Talking about Katrina, Jha said, “I needed an actress who'd look convincing as an intelligent, modern, cultured girl of today. Katrina fit the bill perfectly. She also looks perfectly matched with Ranbir.”

It is pertinent to mention here that Katrina was supposed to star as the fourth heroine opposite Ranbir in the forthcoming Bachna Ae Haseeno , but her role was chopped out because the film was getting too long.

Katrina would not mind that one bit because in 'Rajniti', she’ll have Ranbir all for herself.

'Rajniti' that blends contemporary Indian politics with chapters from Mahabharat, will have Ajay playing a modern day Karna and Nana Patekar has been cast as Lord Krishna. Manoj Bajpai will play a modern day Duryodhan, while Ranbir is in the pivotal role of Arjun.

Salman lets out his secrets!

All of Salman's family and friends and even foes had better watch Dus Ka Dum to find out what skeletons are tumbling out of the closet! Salman is endearingly candid on the show... particularly when it comes to letting out family secrets and even little known nuggets about his friends.

Recenlty he revealed that his father Salim Khan throws utensils at home sometimes to annoy his mother! Or that his kid sister Arpita 's skimpy clothes annoy him and he has to ask her to change them before she steps out!

Aamir plays teacher once more

Taking to social causes is no novel thing for Aamir Khan. The actor had created one of the biggest Bollywood controversies when he sprang to the cause of ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’. Post-that, he bought to light the issue of dyslexic children with his act of a tender teacher in TZP. And now, Aamir has decided to replicate the role in real life by deciding to teach lesser privileged children.

If the recent hoardings across the city with Aamir espousing the cause of teaching children have made you think about star-struck branding, you are mistaken. More than what meets the eye; the advertisements are actually a reflection of the actor’s belief in the cause. Not just a mere endorsement ambassador , Aamir Khan has himself decided to actively support the campaign and be a part of it.

Speaking on his decision to be part of the Teach India campaign, Aamir said, “Education is one of the primary areas where we need to improvise as a nation. It is one cause that not just me, but I am sure a whole lot of us want to contribute to but don’t know where to start. With this campaign aimed at teaching us to become teachers, social education is simplified further. I am really excited about learning to teach children since they are our future.”

Now with someone as dedicated as Aamir taking on to such a sincere cause, do we need to say anything about the campaign’s success?

Mission Istanbul finally premieres

The much hyped and much awaited film, Mission Istanbul, finally premiered in the capital city. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Mission Istanbul stars Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Suniel Shetty, Shriya Saran and Shweta Bharadwaj. At the premiere in Delhi, the entire star cast of the film was present. Of course the main highlight wasn’t the presence of the pretty ladies around. It was Vivek trying his best to get friendly with ‘Anna’ aka Suniel Shetty.

Poor chap just doesn’t seem to ever get it right. Vivek makes a mistake, apologizes and goes on to commit some more of it. His old habit got the better of him as he took a panga with the producer of the film, Suniel. According to Vivek, the film’s other lead actor, Zayed, was getting more prominence in the film. This misunderstanding made him boycott its promotional events. Finally, when he realized that it was just a figment of his overactive imagination, he decided to apologize to Suniel.

Anna Shetty on the other hand seemed to be in no mood to forgive or forget. Throughout the event, Vivek seemed extra-friendly towards Suniel and Zayed. While Zayed still socialized with the Oberoi lad, Suniel was adamant enough to not pay much attention to him. Like always, Vivek Oberoi is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Mission Friendship gone sour!

Kat got your tongue?

Katrina Kaif seems to have had enough of beau Salman Khan's erratic behaviour. After rumours of an impending split, which had been doing the rounds for a long time, Kat has finally put her foot down and looks ready to cut off personal as well as professional ties with Sallu.

On July 26, Mumbai Mirror reported that the Katrina-Salman relationship has come to a standstill. Now Kat has stopped talking to Sallu. She has decided not to work with Salman anymore. If sources are to be believed, Subhash Ghai's upcoming film Yuvraaj will be her last film with Salman.

Yesterday, she shot with Salman for Yuvraaj but without exchanging a single word with him on the sets. An eyewitness from the sets says that she has even been going around telling people that she will not work with Salman anymore.

A source from the sets says, “Usually, Katrina and Salman used to be quite friendly on the sets. This is the first time that you can see the friction between them.”

“After every shot, Katrina and Salman stormed off into their respective vanity vans and did not interact with each other at all,” adds an eyewitness from the film's sets.

So what led to the final rift? Our source says, “After Katrina's recent birthday bash ended on an ugly note with Salman and SRK nearly coming to blows, Kat asked Sallu to apologise to SRK since he was the host of the party and it was rude of him to have behaved in an unruly manner. She also told Salman that whosoever's fault it was, he should have tackled the situation calmly.”

When we contacted Katrina, she heard us out and then said, “Can I call you back?” She did not get back to us after which we sent her a text message. But, she still did not reply.

Meet all the Singh is Kinng's men

Akshay Kumar plays the titular sardar in Singh Is Kinng but the comedy that arrives in cinemas next Friday also stars a bunch of younger actors who insist they have substantial parts in the film.

Yashpal Sharma, Sudhanshu Pandey and Sonu Sood are all looking forward to the release of Singh Is Kinng and hope their work is noticed by critics and fans alike.

Sonu Sood, last seen playing Jodha Bai Aishwarya's brother Sujamal in Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa-Akbar is excited about the new film because he says it's a different kind of funny film - one with an emotional heart. And he believes his role fits perfectly into the film's drama.

"Lucky Singh is the king in Australia. He has his gang and goons under him. At the same time he's a emotionasl guy and misses his home town and talks about it all the time. I am sure people will connect with it," says Sood.

All actors claim they connected with the film's leading man Akshay Kumar on different levels.

"We had many things in common. First was fitness, second was Punjabi. And in fact, we would always speak in Punjabi, and Katrina would object. The third is we like pranks," says Sood.

Actor Sudhanshu Pandey adds, "I started my career with Akshay Kumar and he's like a big brother to me and the best thing about him that he's a very basic simple north-Indian chap."

Akshay's star power is noy the only strength of Singh is Kinng. The film marks director Anees Bazmee's return to the screen after last year's smash hit Welcome. Let's only hope this one's smarter than Welcome, because Akshay Kumar could do with a big monster hit right after that disaster called Tashan.

Why is Arjun Rampal behind bars?

The last time we saw Arjun Rampal, he was behind bars. In a pensive mood, Arjun looked quite lost… till director Deepak Tijori came by and okayed the shot. The strapping actor was shooting for Tijori’s forthcoming venture titled Fox. Talking about the film, Arjun says, “I am in jail for a different crime. It is actually a scene mid way through the film. I can’t reveal much about the story except that it’s a thriller and I loved the script.”

Not many people know that Arjun was actually supposed to make his debut with Shantanu Shorey’s Jadh. In this film as well, he was supposed to play a criminal. We wonder how the film would have carved his path in Bollywood. As of now, Arjun seems to be having a good inning with a couple of films under his belt. Apart from Arjun, the star cast of Fox includes Sunny Deol, Udita Goswami and Sagarika Ghatge.