Meet the newest gal pals in Bollywood — Sonam Kapoor and Amrita Rao.
That’s not all. The two will soon be hiring the services of the same fitness instructor. Papa Anil, who’s happy with this new friendship, treated the girls to a dinner at his home. Sonam is keen to act with Amrita and has in fact, asked papa dearest to cast them together, we hear. Dosti ho toh aisi!
Showing posts with label Bollywood-Celebrities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bollywood-Celebrities. Show all posts
Frontal nudity is still a taboo for mainstream actors. But Bollywood is slowly warming up to the trend. Recently, Irrfan Khan came close to baring all for a lovemaking scene in Hissss.
Jennifer, of course, took the news with a heavy dose of incredulity. “She asked me how people can have sex without taking their clothes off. And then, I gave her a demonstration. I told her about my scene with Tabu in The Namesake. That was some violent lovemaking, with our clothes on. Jennifer was fascinated, but unconvinced,” added Irrfan.
Irrfan then thought of a new plan. He reasoned that he plays an orthodox Brahmin whose mother-in-law has a habit of walking into his bedroom unannounced. “Given the circumstances, my character and his wife would hardly be expected to take off their clothes. And that convinced Jennifer,” said Irrfan.
Irrfan and Divya Dutta finally had sex for the camera with their clothes on. Irrfan said laughingly, “The most relieved was Divya. She was waiting with bated breath to see if I could manage to convince Jennifer. Once everything was sorted out, our lovemaking scene lasted for about an hour.”
Dusky babe Neetu chandra bares it all for Stardust as she poses in skimpy bikini. Her photoshoot with Maxim was a big disappointment but she has more than made up for it in this photoshoot.
As Kareena Kapoor reveals that her dress in Kambakkht Ishq cost Rs.800,000, we look at some expensive Bollywood dresses.
Each of Madhuri Dixit's attires in Devdas cost roughly Rs. 15 lakhs.
Mallika Sherawat came under some criticism for her diamond-studded 'dress' at a social event.
Sherlyn Chopra appeared in a diamond studded bikini for a video.
Neeta Lulla's designer costumes donned by Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan in Jodhaa Akbar were studded with diamonds, kundan and other precious and semi-precious stones. Each of Ash's costumes cost roughly Rs. 2 lakhs.
he Little Godfather, Ekta Kapoor and Sunil Shetty’s fourth co-production is 80 per cent complete, but has come to a premature halt.
This is because the co-producers parted ways after Mission Istaanbul and EMI tanked. A source said, “Sunil Shetty, who is in charge of the production, is not completing the film. So, Balaji, who has purchased the distribution rights, cannot sell the film.” Since the two production houses are now unlikely to work together, Balaji sent a notice to Popkorn Motion Pictures Ltd. However, Shabbir Boxwalla, co-partner at Popkorn, denied getting any legal notice. He said, “After 26/11, we had a problem getting permissions to shoot at local train stations.” The film focuses on how the train blasts of July 11, 2007 affected the lives of hawkers in Mumbai local trains. But director Joy Augustine claimed that they already have the required permissions for the shoot. About the legal notice, Joy said, “I too have heard that Balaji has sent a legal notice. But I cannot comment on it more than this.” Despite repeated calls and text messages, Ekta remained unavailable for comment. |
| Kangna Ranaut, who is currently shooting in Switzerland, is homesick. The place reminds her of her hometown, Manali. |
Instead of admiring the beautiful locations, she is also experiencing some rather strong maternal feelings. The actress’ latest message on the social networking website Facebook reveals that she desperately wants to have a bunch of children. And it doesn’t stop at that, she wants several grandchildren too. Kangna’s status message reads: ‘I’m in Switzerland and this place reminds me of Manali and my family. I can’t wait to have kids and grandkids.’
Kangna said, “This place looks so much like Manali. My family is waiting for me in Mumbai and here I am, in Switzerland.”
Commenting on her intriguing status message, Kangna laughed and said, “All I can see here are old couples spending time with their children and grandchildren. Be it mountain climbing, sitting in cafeterias, or walking on the streets, the tots are with their grandparents. It makes me long for grandchildren.”
Kangna is also missing hot pakoras and chai, but she has no choice but to make do with fish fingers while she is there.
Michael Jackson's ex-nanny never pumped his stomach of drugs, maintains Mallika Chopra.
She is particularly incensed by tabloid reports claiming that Grace Rwaramba, introduced to Michael Jackson by her father, pumped the singer’s stomach of a cocktail of drugs on several occasions. She says, “For the record, Grace never pumped Michael's stomach. (She has no idea how she would even do such a thing.) Which quotes are true, which are in context, (many are not) to me frankly doesn’t matter.”
Mallika puts the blame squarely on Daphne Barak, “a so-called journalist who claims to be a friend of the Jackson family” and who steadily cultivated Grace for a potential scoop. Says Mallika, “Daphne reached out to Grace a few weeks ago, when she knew she was in a vulnerable place, having recently been let go by Michael yet again (this was a regular pattern). In the 17 years that Grace has worked with Michael, she has never spoken to the press. She loves Michael and his children at her core.”
She reveals, “I witnessed Daphne act as a friend while trying to bait information from Grace on her conversations with Jackson family members and friends about his death. She warned Grace that the family was going to try to set her up for Michael’s downfall, and that it was critical that Grace speak with a lawyer before leaving. As a friend, she had organized a ‘lawyer’ to get Grace’s story before she left for the airport.”
She posts online, “Grace feels used, insecure and shaken that she could have been so naïve, particularly having witnessed so many vultures in Michael’s world over the years. She made a mistake. The sad truth is that when you are a celebrity, or a close friend or family of one, in a world of tabloids, you must be impeccable in what you say and to whom. Michael probably faced the epitome of vultures, bloodsuckers and hanger-ons displayed in his endless cycle of managers, enabling doctors, and new business partners. How could anyone blame him for becoming so paranoid in his life?”
She refers to Grace as more than a best-friend and a sister., “She thinks of my parents as her own (she actually calls my father papa).” Earlier, Deepak Chopra, referring to Grace as the King of Pop’s children’s nanny and surrogate mother, wrote, “His children's nanny and surrogate mother, Grace Rwaramba, is like another daughter to me. I introduced her to Michael when she was eighteen, a beautiful, heartwarming girl from Rwanda who is now grown up. She kept an eye on him for me and would call me whenever he was down or running too close to the edge. How heartbreaking for Grace that no one's protective instincts and genuine love could avert this tragic day.”
“In the article, Daphne tries to portray a rift between Katherine Jackson and Grace. This is not true. I would like to go on record, with Grace’s permission, to say that Grace firmly hopes that the Jackson family gets custody of Prince, Paris and Michael. It would be detrimental to the children to be separated, and they should be with Michael’s family. They should know their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and they should learn about who he was as a person, not just as an icon. She has no interest in custody, and just wants the children to be happy and secure. She will be there for them whenever they need or want her.”
Mallika concludes, “As for the appetite for the salacious details of Michael’s life, my hope is that we let him go in peace. We already know he led a tortured life. He also led a great one in which he loved, and was loved, by many. Let his family heal, and let his fans celebrate his music and his giving heart."
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Very upset with the wrong media hype, Sayali says, “It’s funny. How I can break off with a person I was never seeing? It’s true that we met a couple of times on social occasions. But then that was it. It is so unfair when people wrongly write about you.” But then wasn’t it front page news that the two were dating? “Oh, yes it was, but I guess people just like to add spice till the aroma spreads. Problem was that they fail to understand that sometimes too much spice can get pungent and might cause trouble to people. Especially the person written about. Only I know the kind of mental trauma I underwent because of a misquoted report.” So the real scene was... “All the stories were falsely woven, for reasons best known to the people who did it, but the person who suffered was me. In fact, I was actually dating someone else at that point of time. Let aside the social stature, my personal life went for a toss. I had a bad break-off with my then boyfriend thanks to this report; and it was NOT Shoaib Mallik. He wasn’t even someone from the industry! My career was affected as I wasn’t in the correct frame of mind to work. I went through a traumatic phase.” She continues, “Why don’t people see the work that I’m doing and appreciate that, rather than indulge into rumours and gossip. Even criticism is welcome, but not misinformation.”
Currently, Sayali has managed to gather herself out of all the trauma she underwent. Kirkit and Paritosh Painter’s Paying Guest are the two movies that have released this month. In fact she breaks away from the glam-doll image that she had made for herself so far, in both the movies. In Kirkit, there was a slight grey shade to her character while in Paying Guest, which is an adaptation from the play of the same name, she did a straight-faced comic role. Experimenting more with the comic genre, Sayali has another comedy called Chalu Movies Inc. She has also signed Wilson Louis’ horror film, Shout. She says, “Working is very therapeutic for me as it has helped me overcome most of my mental trauma and look in a positive direction. So, consciously I try and keep my hands absolutely full.”
After Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor could be Katrina Kaif’s next hit partner.
The actress, who is already starring in Ajab Prem Ki Ghajab Kahani and Rajniti opposite Ranbir, is on the verge of signing yet another film opposite him. This film will be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and will be a serious one unlike his Ajab Prem ... While the actress plays a smooth operator and an articulate orator in Prakash Jha’s Rajniti, she plays a hysterical character in Ajab Prem ...
Playing dumb didn’t come easily to Katrina. Talking about her role in Ajab Prem ... , Katrina said, “Throughout the film, I’m this clueless Catholic girl from Bandra. Very self-important, dramatic and hysterical. Her problems are very serious to her but very funny to onlookers.”
Being a woman in-charge and always in control of her emotions, Katrina had a tough time letting go. “Raj Santoshi had to show me how to do the broad comedy from Andaz Apna Apna, which Salman and Aamir had done earlier. He would actually show me how to gesticulate and roll my eyes. Once I got the hang of it, I was fine,” added Katrina.
However, it was a cakewalk for co-star Ranbir, who plays a satirical synthesis of Raj Kapoor’s Awara and Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights in the same film.
Commenting on her co-star, Katrina said, “Since he’s a natural inheritor of the Chaplin and Raj Kapoor school of acting, Ranbir was spot-on. He plays a bumbling do-gooder very much like Chaplin and Raj Kapoor. It was fun watching him do the goofy, clumsy scenes so smoothly.”
Whether their serious roles will be as much of a cakewalk however, will only be seen when their third film together rolls.
Rumour has it that Fardeen Khan and his sister Laila’s boyfriend Farhan Furniturewala do not get along. 
An eyewitness said, “It all started with a heated discussion, which soon became an ugly argument. A point came when they both got physical. Onlookers were extremely shocked at their behaviour.”
Meanwhile, DJ Aqeel had a witty take on the incident. He said, “Fardeen and Farhan were talking about WWF wrestlers. Later, they got into an argument and started acting as if they were fighting like those wrestlers.” Farah too said the same thing.
While Farhan admitted he had a problem with Fardeen, he denied that the two nearly came to blows. “Fardeen and I had an argument. It’s something personal. Let’s not blow it out of proportion,” he said.
When asked if Fardeen was against Laila’s relationship with him, Farhan said, “I have been dating Laila for a long time now. So, Fardeen is obviously okay with it. Laila and Fardeen did not reply to repeated calls and text messages.
Manoj Bajpai may be the next actor to patch up with his mentor Ram Gopal Varma.
Gadhvi and the producer, who were already reeling under the shock of Katrina's obvious disapproval of the script, were flabbergasted. Consequently, Priyanka lost out on the film.
A source said, “The producers were shocked when Priyanka asked for such a huge fee. They tried to reason with her but she refused to relent.”
Maybe Priyanka was trying her luck after she got Rs. 3 crore from Yash Raj Films to star opposite Uday Chopra in Pyaar Impossible. “This time, she was not so lucky. The producers would rather wait and sign someone else rather than pay such a huge sum,” the source added.
While Priyanka’s official spokesperson said, “Priyanka has not been offered Gadhvi’s film,” our source insisted that Priyanka was approached for the role and she asked for much moolah.
Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Gadhvi did not reply to our text messages.
As things stand today, Katrina might agree to do the film as the script is being reworked. The source added, “Katrina will take the final call only after the script is fully ready.”
In case things don’t work out with Katrina, Gadhvi is also in advanced talks with Genelia D’Souza and Asin. The film is scheduled to go on the floors early next month.
How has Team India’s swashbuckling opening batsman (and vice-captain) Virender Sehwag begun his convalescing period at home while Messrs Dhoni
& Co take on the West Indies in the Caribbean islands?
Rather well, it would seem, if reports of how Sehwag is recovering from his IPL shoulder injury are anything to go by.
Late on Friday night, it seems, Sehwag went to meet Aamir Khan at the shooting of Raju Hirani’s 3 Idiots in Noida. A huge crowd had gathered outside a Noida hospital while the crew was shooting, but Sehwag reportedly beat all that to spend some time with the actor in his vanity van. 3 Idiots also stars Kareena Kapoor, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi.
Kareena, unfortunately, wasn’t around the sets when Sehwag called. But no matter, in Aamir, the cricketer found a kindred soul. Aamir is fond of cricket and is known to wield the willow pretty wristily himself. Remember how, as the villager Bhuvan, he had cinema audiences lustily cheering as if at a World Cup final for his cricketing character in the film Lagaan?
Yesterday’s freak is today’s rock star. But Abhay Deol, 33, whose last films Dev. D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! made a place for him in
Bollywood’s history, still lives out of a suitcase.
He’s just back from New York, where he escapes to whenever he feels claustrophobic constantly being in the eye of the media and Bollywood, and where he seeks emotional sustenance from his family. “In America, I get recognised mostly by the people from the sub-continent,’’ he says. “There are days on end when no one even looks at me, and then all of a sudden, some guy recognises me. That comes as a welcome surprise. There are no intrusions on my privacy, though.’’
He admits that the only reason he comes to Mumbai is to solicit work. His earlier outings in the movies — Socha Na Tha, Ahista Ahista, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local and Manorama Six Feet Under — are DVD cult classics, but came a cropper at the box office. If Abhay is amused that perceptions have changed overnight, he’s not bragging about it. “Even when my films were flopping, my price was going up,’’ smiles the actor displaying enviable dimples (a corny aside is that his pet name is Dimpy). Dev Benegal’s Road Movie is his only assignment currently. He has also green lighted Anil Kapoor’s Ayesha with the lovely Sonam. “I’m also in talks for two more films,’’ says Abhay. And he is in the process of setting up his production house.
The man who is responsible for the contemporary take on Sarath Chandra’s Devdas, and is still winning accolades for it, wants only to make different cinema. “Dev. D shocked many,’’ smiles Abhay again. “One of my aunts prayed fervently that the censors wouldn’t pass it because she found the film too abrasive and shocking.’’ He himself thinks Anurag Kashyap is a genius. “I loved his adaptation of Devdas. I agreed to the screen intimacy because I knew I was in a safe pair of hands. But in real life, I’m super-shy.’’
His sole intention now is to keep pushing the envelope as far as Hindi films go. “Song and dance in a film is an aberration for me,’’ he says. “Cinema has to be more real. When I talk of pushing the envelope, I don’t mean that cinema should be more violent or sexually explicit. What I mean is that we must raise the bar and tackle slice-of-life subjects and characters.’’ He is okay, not ecstatic, being a Bollywood product, but to him, “Bollywood is still a genre. It is unfair to call all Hindi films as Bollywood. Hindi cinema goes far beyond what it typically is classified as Bollywood.’’
If there’s one thing he abhors about his current ‘hot’ status —it is constantly being under media surveillance. “Tabloid journalism is at its peak in India,’’ regrets the actor. “The press is very intrusive. It doesn’t feel the need to crosscheck anything with an actor before speculating.” He feels whether it is his love life or his price, everything is discussed in a cavalier fashion, and that is something he won’t stand for. “I guard my privacy very fiercely,’’ says Abhay. “I can’t talk about who I am dating because the women I date, guard their privacy even more than I do.’’ And, India’s rock star film actor threatens that if his New York jaunts get too much publicity, he will still fly out of the country every six months. “Only the destination will be different,’’ he says.
| Slumdog-sweetheart Freida Pinto, Aishwarya Rai and Sonam Kapoor are inadvertently stepping on each other’s toes.
Or so say reports. It is being said that a big brand that has Ash representing them overseas and Sonam in the Indian market, is also signing Freida Pinto as another of their international models. If this is true, then Freida will be walking the red carpet at all major international film festivals next year with Aishwarya for company. Freida, who has bagged films with Hollywood biggies Julian Schnabel and Woody Allen, is also expected to be on the jury of some of the biggest film festivals in 2010. Sonam on the other hand may be the face of yet another watch brand for the Indian market. |
I came to Mumbai for higher studies. I needed a paying guest accommodation for my internship period. But every broker I called said, “Muslim ho? Mushqil hai.” We boast of this city being cosmopolitan and India being a secular state. Yet such prejudices still exist here.
I do not know whom to blame for this but the sad part is the community in itself is responsible for this in a way. Once I was travelling to Kashmir. There was an elderly Mulla who was brainwashing some boys about jihad and Islam. No wonder the community is stereotyped. We have let the world point fingers at us.
But we all must remember, no religion teaches to kill, so it’s not the religion but the person who decides to kill or shed blood.
Kabir Khan’s “New York” looks at America after 9/11 through a Bollywood lens — and it’s less distorting than you might think. The story, which engages issues of ethnic profiling and terrorism, hinges on loyalty, love and friendship, a holy trinity of Hindi cinema.
Parts of the film play like a typical Bollywood romance. Before 9/11 a triangle forms — and is sealed in a song montage — at the leafy New York State University. Sam (John Abraham), who has been in the States since childhood, and Maya (Katrina Kaif), an American-born Indian, befriend Omar (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a newer arrival from Delhi. The athletic, all-American Sam wins Maya’s love. And then history intrudes.
Spoiler alert, from here on: After the terrorist attacks an innocent Sam gets in trouble with the F.B.I., which tosses him in a detention center, refuses his request for a lawyer and tortures him. (There’s a brief depiction of waterboarding.)
The ultrabuff Mr. Abraham, who has made a career of displaying his toned torso, here uses his body to show the privations that flesh is heir to. In a particularly powerful shot, a naked, shackled Sam is curled into a tiny boxlike cell that fills the movie frame.
While Mr. Khan’s depictions of American life occasionally seem silly and the plot has some crater-size holes, “New York” is continually fascinating. It benefits from the performance of Irrfan Khan, who adds layers of complexity to his character, a Muslim F.B.I. agent who recruits Omar to spy on Sam.
Indian films often deal with the problems faced by a Muslim minority. Transposed to the American context, those problems continue to resonate.
NEW YORK
Opened on Friday nationwide.
Directed by Kabir Khan; written by Sandeep Shrivastava; director of photography, Aseem Mishra; edited by Rameshwar S. Bhagat; music by Pritam; production designer, Norman Dodge; produced by Aditya Chopra; released by Yash Raj Films. In Hindi, with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: John Abraham (Sam), Irrfan Khan (Roshan), Katrina Kaif (Maya) and Neil Nitin Mukesh (Omar).
hanghai International Film Festival concluded this weekend. The highlight was the closing ceremony on 21st June 2009 where in Bollywood's sultry actress Priyanka Chopra was presented with The Jin Jue Award.
"Jin Jue" Award is the festival's highest honour and this is the first time that it has been presented to an Indian for their outstanding achievement in the Hindi Cinema!
The award is a very prestigious International award and reflects a traditional Chinese culture.
The talented Priyanka Chopra feels really honored and emotional to recieve such a big honor and is very pleased to present India to the rest of the world! She finds such awards very encouraging and is pleased to be recognized for her hard work.
The competent director-actor-singer Farhan Akhtar was in for a pleasant surprise at the sets of his movie 'Karthik Calling Karthik' when well-known Hollywood director, Ang Lee, 
Multi-talented Farhan was shooting for the movie when Lee surprised everyone on the sets with his presence and showed interest in the project.
Farhan has always admired Ang Lee's work in Hollywood and was immensely excited to have a chat with the director.
The news is that Ang Lee stayed on sets for quite some time and chatted with Farhan about the differences in the work traditions of Hollywood and Bollywood. Both the directors shared their expectations about their upcoming projects.
Farhan being a director himself could easily relate to Lee and both enjoyed their conversation immensely.
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