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Showing posts from October, 2007

Bollywood’s gettin’ younger!

Everyone in the world gets their 15 minutes of fame, and now Bollywood’s got new blood, raring to have a go at the box office with their dancing and acting histrionics. Our present lot of badshahs and queen bees (if there are any) will agree that they can no longer play college-going roles because actors in college are there to essay those roles. Quoting their fave line “We need to get into the skin of the character,” then for sure, neither can the 40-plus actors nor the 30-plus actresses get into the ‘skin’ of a 20-year-old collegian, barring a hot Shah Rukh Khan in Main Hoon Na. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have college as the standard setting in movies anymore. Remember showman Raj Kapoor’s famous words, “The show must go on”? And to carry on the show, a young brigade of 20 somethings have invaded the industry. They are busy honing their skills and signing deals with big banners. And the production houses too are more than willing to go that extra mile to take them under their win...

After long journey, Saif gets his due in Bollywood

What a long journey it has been for Saif Ali Khan! From the over-pampered scion of a nawab family to one of Bollywood's most versatile actors and a serious contender for the No.1 spot, he has truly emerged triumphant at the turnstiles. Special: All about Om Shanti Om One still remembers the harsh comments that accompanied Saif's debut in Umesh Mehra's Aashiq Awara in 1993. Acidic comments about his looks and appearance were the order of the Friday. A well-known columnist wrote, "Put a dupatta on Saif's head and he looks like Sharmila Tagore." Such comments hurt all right. But they hit home, bang-on. As Saif said recently, "My detractors and their harsh comments have been my greatest incentive to prove myself." And then, in typical Saif fashion, he leaned back for some serious self-praise. "Actually that's a good quote, don't you think?" Special: Ranbir and Sonam in Saawariya Saif almost always ends every observation tentatively. No ...

MTV STYLE AWARDS

The winners of the Lycra® MTV Style Awards 2007 are... Most Stylish Bollywood Designer Anaita Shroff Adjania Most Stylish Song in A Film Shaimak Davar Most Stylish Film Dhoom2 Most Stylish Actor - Male Hrithik Roshan Most Stylish Actor - Female Aishwarya Rai Most Stylish New Look Hrithik Roshan Most Stylish Comeback Govinda Most Stylish Body Hrithik Roshan Most Stylish Couple Hrithik Roshan & Aishwarya Rai Source: MTV

Bollywood star film about post-9/11 discrimination against Muslims

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan says his next film will look at discrimination faced by Muslims after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States. Khan, who like many prominent stars in the Indian film industry is Muslim, has faced extra scrutiny after the 2001 attacks in the United States. "If you travel internationally with a Muslim surname, you might be considered as a terrorist," Khan told Wednesday's DNA newspaper. "At London airport, every time I go, people recognise me but they see my second name and they give me an extra checking," said the star, who is known for his successful romantic comedies. Khan said he had experienced greater religious discrimination abroad, though India, which is majority Hindu but home to 140 million Muslims, sees regular sectarian violence. "There is no difference between a Khan and a Kumar surname here but internationally it makes a difference," he said, referring to a common Hindu surname. The fil...

Anurag want make a Bhojpuri Thriller

He always strives to tell untold stories. And, sure enough, director Anurag Kashyap now wants to make movies on Indian comic books, the Hindu holy city of Varanasi and a thriller in Bhojpuri.'I want to make films that nobody has made. I want to make films without a reference point. I want to keep doing something before somebody else does it. I want to make realistic, good Bhojpuri films, not the usual stuff that is coming out. I want to make a thriller in Bhojpuri set in a village,' Kashyap, whose 'No Smoking' is releasing Friday, told IANS.'I want to make films on Indian comic books like 'Chandamama' and 'Champak'. As a child I grew up on them. I have written a film in which you will find the references of the comic book characters.'Also, I will make a film on Varanasi. I have a team of writers who are working on the script. We are going through all the literature on the city,' said Kashyap who scripted films like 'Satya' and 'Sh...

Mira Nair Gets First Priority: Amitabh

The Big B is all set to get back to work with a vengeance. Foremost on his list of must-do are Mira Nair's 'Shantaram' and Deepa Mehta's pseudo-historical 'Exclusion'.While in principle the Big B has said yes to both the international projects, there seems to be a date problem around the corner. Both Mehta and Nair, seen as fierce rivals, want to shoot their projects in winter. Script and date-wise, Nair has an edge. And the Bollywood icon says he will start shooting for Nair's film as he has already allocated her the dates.'I've already committed my dates to Mira whereas Deepa is yet to finish her script or lock in on the dates. So naturally Mira gets first priority,' Amitabh told IANS.Canada-based Mehta says her script will take some time.'After 'Water' I'm locked away right now working on the script. It's not something I can rush through because it requires historic detailing. 'Exclusion' would be my toughest film e...

Rani Mukerji: There is no wedding, we are not engaged or even dating!

23 October 2007 (Sawf News) - Rani Mukerji has once again denied the rumors of a wedding to Aditya Chopra. Not only are they not getting married on February 10th, when she expects to be still shooting Kunal Kohli's latest, they're not engaged, not even dating, she says. " I have absolutely no relationship with Aditya Chopra beyond that of an actor-producer," she told the City Times. What about the rumors that people at Yash Raj have been calling her malkin (boss)? "Who has been calling me malkin? Not to my face. And it's certainly not true. The Yash Raj unit completely loves me. But who says I am the boss? I am the girl who has a daag on her chunri." Why did she wait so long to clear the air? "Sorry, I can't keep issuing clarifications every day. I know other actors love issuing rebuttals. But if I do that, where will I find time to work?" This raises the question we've raised before. If the rumors aren't true, who has been spreadin...

Mother of all item numbers in 'Om Shanti Om'

Director Farah Khan says that the item number in her forthcoming film Om Shanti Om that stars Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles, is the mother of all item numbers.The song has 31 stars from Bollywood ranging from stalwarts like Jeetendra , Dharmendra , Rekha , Sanjay Dutt , Saif Ali Khan , Shilpa Shetty , Kajol , Karisma Kapoor , Salman Khan and Govinda .Farah announced the tie up of 'LYCRA MTV Style Awards 2007' with the multi starrer 'Om Shanti Om' at a press conference in Mumbai on Monday.She said SRK, Shreyas Talpade , Arjun Rampal and debutante Deepika will showcase their distinctive style statements on October 25 at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai. Designer Manish Malhotra will showcase his retro theme inspired by Om Shanti Om."We had invited 34 stars, of which 31 made it. Aamir Khan could not come as he was busy with his film Ghajini , Dev saab also could not come. Amitabh Bachchan could not mak...

Sanjay was armed but not dangerous: court

Mumbai: Actor Sanjay Dutt, who is serving a six-year prison sentence for illegal arms possession, cannot be declared a terrorist merely because he had an AK-56 gun during the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, the judge who sentenced him has said. P D Kode, judge of the special TADA court in Mumbai, says in his judgment Dutt was tried and convicted under the Arms Act because he didn’t regard the actor as a terrorist. Kode, in his 4340-page and 25-kg judgment copy, says that circumstances have an important role to play in the way a person reacts to a situation and different people react in different ways. Dutt owned an unauthorised 9 mm pistol and then acquired the AK-56 days before the blasts on December 13, 1993 but that does not prove he intended to use the guns for terrorist activities. The judgment says that Dutt did meet gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees, who allegedly organized the bomb attacks, but that does not prove he knew that a terrorist attack was being planned. sou...

When Bollywood makes it an affair to remember

MUMBAI: An affair suddenly blooms between the lead pair of an upcoming film. Sometimes it's a long-standing relationship which goes kaput but, again, just when the film is about to be released. When their first film, Fida, was to be released, the new romance between Shahid Kapoor and Kareena was the USP. Now, for their upcoming release, Jab We Met, it's their "break-up" that's keeping them in the news. Whether this will do anything for the film is debatable but then Bollywood never tires of stunts. Another real-life pair, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu's relationship too has been the subject of much media speculation. When a film starring both nears a release, there is always a twist in the relationship that gets reported in the media. The first rumours about their split came just a few weeks before the release of Basu's Corporate. Industry insiders point out that there are instances of film producers manufacturing these stories as a promotional tool. Using...

Bollywood's bad boy rues lack of memorable villain

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - A Bollywood villain, whose wickedness and deceit earned him the hatred of millions of cinema lovers, rues that Indian films fail to break from the good- trumps-evil formula because audiences want the bad guy to die. Gulshan Grover, whose onscreen villainy earned him the sobriquet "Badman", says Bollywood has failed to create memorable negative characters like Hollywood's Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Generations of formulaic Hindi revenge dramas and romances have found their happy ending in the death of the villain, who has rarely been portrayed as the central character. Even when top Bollywood superstars have played the anti-hero they have had to die. "Western audiences have much developed minds to sit through and admire a bad guy-centric film like Hannibal, whereas in India we have the concept of good must triumph drilled into us by our elders," Grover told Reuters. "Everyone here pr...

Bollywood's bad boy rues lack of memorable villain

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - A Bollywood villain, whose wickedness and deceit earned him the hatred of millions of cinema lovers, rues that Indian films fail to break from the good- trumps-evil formula because audiences want the bad guy to die. Gulshan Grover, whose onscreen villainy earned him the sobriquet "Badman", says Bollywood has failed to create memorable negative characters like Hollywood's Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Generations of formulaic Hindi revenge dramas and romances have found their happy ending in the death of the villain, who has rarely been portrayed as the central character. Even when top Bollywood superstars have played the anti-hero they have had to die. "Western audiences have much developed minds to sit through and admire a bad guy-centric film like Hannibal, whereas in India we have the concept of good must triumph drilled into us by our elders," Grover told Reuters. "Everyone here pr...

Bollywood star returns to prison

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, jailed for buying weapons from bombers who attacked Mumbai in 1993, has returned to an Indian prison. Dutt, who was sentenced for six years in July by a court, was given temporary bail by the Supreme Court in August. The court had ordered his release on the grounds that a copy of the judgement was yet to reach the actor. Dutt is the most high-profile of 100 people convicted in connection with the blasts which killed 257 people. The Supreme Court had said in August that as soon as the actor received a copy of the order of the Mumbai anti-terror court which sentenced him, he would have to surrender again and he would be sent back to jail. The actor received a copy of the 43,490-page long judgement on Monday, and surrendered before the special court. Huge interest Dutt was then taken back to a high security prison in the western city of Pune, where he was held earlier for three weeks. The actor's lawyers told reporters that Dutt would again appeal for bail...

‘Life in jail was very scary’

I met a very different Salman Khan this time. A tad bit subdued and sounding a whole lot more sensible, Khan was not in his regular crack-joke-a-minute mood. Obviously under the clouds about the 5 year sentence that was given against him in Jodhpur jail, for the black buck case, Salman doesn’t hide his emotions. He says, “Sometimes, I feel I have let down my father. I should have been chilled out earlier like I am now. Those problems might have not happened. But we are fighting it….these are tough times but I hope they are not getting tougher. I really get worried about these jolts that my parents keep getting because of these constant court battles. At least, they know that I am not so much at fault that this is happening but because of the position that I am in. At times I feel that these things could have been sorted out so easily, but it’s been going on and on. We (Khan family) just want truth to prevail,” he says. However, he says he has got more than his good share in life. “My p...

Bollywood gets naughty at 40

Like wine our Bollywood actors today seem to be getting better with age. Actors like Shah Rukh, Salman, Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, or Aamir Khan are the top slot actors of today. But if one takes a closer look at them you will realise that all these superstars have crossed the age of 40. The age when actors begin playing the role of a heroes brother or a second fiddle , these actors if not a college boy still play the role of the lead protagonist with meaty and interesting roles coming their way. And they have the best of the lot of good roles. Well we decided to trace down the reason behind the age no bar factor in Bollywood. source

Bollywood comes to Belfast to fight diabetes

A taste of Bollywood is coming to Belfast this weekend - to raise funds for a leading diabetes charity. IFA chief executive Howard Wells, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, and May McFettridge will be among guests enjoying a night of entertainment at the Bollywood Ball being hosted by Diabetes UK tomorrow. The aim of the event is to raise awareness and funds for diabetes research - a condition suffered by 60,000 people in Northern Ireland. Guests will be greeted with a drinks reception and offered a choice of traditional Indian and European cuisine. There will also be traditional Bollywood style music and dancing and a jazz band. Howard Wells will be on hand to host a grand auction and speak at the event. He said his diagnosis was a "dramatic wake-up call for me". Said the football chief: "Type 2 diabetes is something which can be avoided but if you do get it there are ways to manage and c...

Aap Ka Suroor, Guru nominated for Bollywood music awards

New York (PTI): Bollywood Singer-Composer Himesh Reshamiya's acting debut 'Aap Ka Suroor' has been nominated for three categories for Bollywood Music awards along sides the likes of A R Rehman's Guru. Reshamiya will compete with A R Rehman (Guru), Shankar Ehsaan Loy (Kabhi Alvida na Kehna), Pritam (Dhoom 2) and Jatin Lalit (Fanaa) for the award of Best Music Director, CEO of Bollywood Awards Kamal Dandona announced on Wednesday. The nominations have been based on the preference expressed by Non Resident Indians in a poll conducted over last several weeks. 'Guru' and 'Aap Ka Suroor' have been nominated in three categories and 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna', 'Dhoom 2', 'Omkara', and Don has been nominated for two categories each for Bollywood music awards which will be presented on November 17 at a glittering star-studded ceremony at Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City in New Jersey, he said. Competing for the best male singers wi...

Shoppers’ Stop unveils Om Shanti Om collection

The leading premium fashion and lifestyle destination Shoppers’ Stop and the most awaited movie of 2007 – Om Shanti Om have come together to unveil the unique look of the movie through a fashion show. With the association Shoppers’ Stop will retail the limited edition clothes and merchandise inspired from the film at their stores across India. The dazzling show witnessed the leading pair Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone along with Arjun Rampal and Shreyas Talpade walking the ramp showcasing their respective looks from the film. The stars transcended from the big screen to the ramp in amazingly beautiful avatars. The high voltage evening commenced with Shreyas Talpade donning the stylized look of the 70’s translated by Mario Zegnoti, a brand which exudes unlimited style with an unabashed attitude and is for the young man who wears his confidence on his sleeve. The next sequence saw Deepika Padukone dazzling the ramp wearing ethnic look crafted by Haute Curry, the trendsetting brand in...

The day I'm satisfied with what I do, I'll die: Rekha

Rekha has just sung one of Mohammed Rafi's most difficult ghazals, Din dhal jaye from the film Guide, for a new comedy, Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana in which she plays the lead. However, Rekha doesn't think that she is a good singer. "Oh, I think a lot of actresses sing very well. Tabu sings beautifully. And have you heard Madhuri Dixit sing? She has an amazing voice," Rekha told IANS. Tell her she reminds you of Geeta Dutt and she exclaims, "Funny, you say that! My sister says I could well be Geeta Dutt's sibling. No, I've never trained to be a singer." Rekha will be next seen in Yatra and Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamaana. "You're just being kind," she brushed aside the compliment. "My god, I've such a terrible singing voice. I'm not a singer. I don't sing the words. I feel them. "And Shailendra saab's words in Din dhal jaye are so filled with layered feelings it's easy for any sensitive person to drown in them. My rule ...

Adnan Sami set to host reality musical show

New Delhi (PTI): After composing and singing for numerous Bollywood films, versatile singer Adnan Sami has now decided to take the microphone once again but this time as an anchor. He will be hosting a television show called 'Bol Baby Bol' which will go on air later this month. "I am really enjoying my new role as an anchor. The concept revolves round lyrics and music and being a musician myself I found it really interesting," he says. "Small screen has its own charm. Its reach is huge and I feel, it will give me a chance to interact with the audience and help me to reach every house," he says. source

Bollywood star Dutt could return to jail this month

MUMBAI (AFP) — Bollywood bad boy Sanjay Dutt, who is out on bail from a six-year jail sentence for illegal arms possession because of a technicality, could be back behind bars by the end of the month, lawyers said. Dutt, 46, one of Indian cinema's biggest stars, was granted a conditional release from prison in August after the anti-terror court in Mumbai that jailed him failed to provide the actor with a copy of its judgement. But the burly actor, among around 100 people sentenced in connection with serial bombings in Mumbai in 1993, was also ordered by India's Supreme Court to turn himself in when his lawyers received the paperwork. "The anti-terror court is likely to hand out the judgement orders against all accused between October 18-20th," said Farhana Shah, one of Dutt's lawyers. "Dutt, who was among the last to be sentenced, could receive his order by October 20," she said. The actor has already served three weeks of his jail term in a high-securit...

A fiery, hot tribute to Bollywood

Revolving round the lives of six characters who come out with film-based antics and one-liners is a brand new soap opera titled “Jigar Ma Badi Aag Hai!” that goes on the air on Filmy channel beginning October 14. The story is about three boys named Lallan, Raj and Arjun who live together in the commercial city of Mumbai. Actor Sunil Grover plays the character of Lallan, who is a simpleton from Jaunpur, while Kiku Sharda is acting out the role of Arjun, who is o bsessed with film music and has run away from home as he aspires to become the next R. D. Burman. That he has not created a single authentic tune is another matter. Raj is essayed by Krishna Sharma, who claims to be a fashion photographer but ends up clicking pictures at birthday parties and weddings. All the three boys are besotted with Pushpa, played by Shweta Gulati. But the surprise package is that veteran television stars Neena Gupta and Kanwaljit Singh have come back together on the small screen for the first time after th...

Bollywood diva turns 53

Considered an icon of Indian cinema, described by many as the eternal Diva of Bollywood, Rekha celebrates her 53rd birthday on Wednesday. Since the 1970s she has been popular for her never aging beauty, acting talent and dancing skills. Rekha made her debut as a heroine in the successful Kannada film Goadalli CID 999 in 1969. She then went on to act in several successful Bollywood films like Khubsoorat, Khoon Bhari Maang, Muqaddar ka Sikander, Silsila and Umrao Jaan. source

UP land case: Allahabad High Court to hear Amitabh's petition

The Allahabad High Court will hear Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's writ petition today challenging the Faizabad Commissioner's order quashing the allotment of agricultural land at Daulatpur village in Barabanki district to him. Earlier, Justice A N Srivastava of the Lucknow bench had fixed October 9 as the next date of final hearing of petition after Bachchan's counsel filed the rejoinder affidavit. The court dismissed an application of Ram Chander seeking to implead himself in the matter on the ground that he owned the land in question. In his petition Bachchan had said that the Faizabad court's order exceeded its jurisdiction by not hearing his version and going into the merits of the case. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Government had stated that Bachchan allegedly committed another fraud by claiming that he was a resident of 17, Clive Road, Allahabad, in his application for farmland allotment in Barabanki District. UP Government's lawyer D K Upadhya al...

Kareena, Saif seen hugging and kissing in Delhi bar !

The latest item of Bollywood, actors Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan were reportedly spotted getting cosy in a Delhi bar on Friday night. Keeping the couple company were actor Amrita Arora, her boyfriend Usman Afzal and Karisma Kapoor's husband Sanjay Kapur. Following a reported break-up between Kareena and Shahid Kapoor, the actress and Saif have been spotted together at numerous hotspots in Mumbai as well. The two met while shooting for their upcoming film Tashan and rumour mills have buzzing ever since of an alleged link-up. Freshly-split from Shahid Kapur, her boyfriend of over four years, Kareena celebrated her 27th birthday last month with a small party for select friends including Saif. The chote nawab for his part has been single for months now, since his break-up with girlfriend Roza. The actor has, since, been linked to Bipasha Basu and Dia Mirza. aif and Kareena were last paired together in J P Dutta's LOC, which tanked at the box-office. source

'I'm a bit scared'

In Bandra's plush Krishna Raj Villa, Ranbir Kapoor appears like any other very well-to-do youngster. He wears jeans, a striped shirt and fidgets rather compulsively with his iPhone. Unlike any random youth, however, Ranbir stars in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's massively hyped Diwali release, Saawariya, a film that, defiant of Bollywood convention, goes head on with Shah Rukh Khan's next, Om Shanti Om. Raja Sen caught up with the surprisingly deep-voiced Ranbir, and here's what the soft-spoken baritone revealed. So, how nervous are you? Or should I say thrilled? You know, honestly, I think it's a mixture of all. Three-four days back, I was quite blank, I was in a state of zen. And I loved that feeling because I wasn't nervous, excited or anxious. But now it's seeping in. The reactions have started coming in from the promos and the music, and so I'm a bit scared and hopefully, everything will come out well. You've seen the film. How did you like it? You kno...

Akshay Kumar bids for the top slot in Bollywood

Akshay Kumar, whose stock has steadily risen this year, is now aiming for the top slot in Bollywood. The actor is reportedly sought a paycheck of an astounding Rs 15 crore for a film recently, the highest fee ever demanded by a Bollywood actor. To put the amount in perspective it maybe recalled that in June when Hrithik Roshan signed his Rs 35 crore three film deal with Adlabs the amount was considered breathtaking by the industry. Akshay has had back to back successes this year in Namastey London and Heyy Babyy, with both films having done exceptionally well in the overseas market grossing 1.21 million each. With the 40-year-old star being so well received by Indians overseas talk of him being the No. 1 star in Bollywood cannot be considered farfetched anymore. Two reasons for the surge in Akshay's popularity are his excellent comic abilities and the fact that he is a prolific actor. Unlike Shah Rukh Khan who is inclined to do just one or two films in a year and work only with big...

Shilpa's 'Miss Bollywood' musical in Berlin a damp squib

Shilpa Shetty has hogged the limelight and has hit the headlines quite often. She has had her share of international fame, however, it seems that the actress Shilpa shetty is not exactly getting a warm reception in Berlin. We give you a lowdown as to why the India Bollywood diva is being given a miss by the audiences abroad? It's learnt that the Shetty's musical show 'Miss Bollywood' is a damp squib on the foreign shores. Shilpa, who is currently in the midst of her much hyped musical in Berlin, is in for a disappointment as most people have decided to give 'Miss Bollywood' a miss. In fact, Shilpa reportedly debuted to a paltry 100 people and the premiere show had to be converted into a preview show to spare her the embarassment. It was a first day no show and to add to her woes, her bags were lost in tranist. And as expected, Shilpa threw a fit if rumours are anything to go by. Though the organisers managed to calm her ruffled feathers, the lacklustre respon...

Bollywood Indian Big Screen Movies Filming in Bali Indonesia

Moserbaer Ltd., Mirchi Movies & Duet Movies proudly present A Prakashraj Production: VELLITHERAI (Silver Screen), Starring: Prithiviraj, Prakashraj and Gopika. Written & Directed by Viji, Cinematography MV Paneerselvam, Music by GV Prakash Kumar, Edited by MU Kasi Vishwanathan and Art Director M Prabhakaran. Bali Satria Film facilitated Film Permit, Equipments, Crews, Talents, Accommodations, Transportations, etc. The Shooting preparations were less then 1 month, an intensive communications through email and telephone made all preparations running smoothly. First day of the shooting was on 8th September 2007 until 18th September 2007, the shooting took place at a very famous location such as Nusa Dua, Monument Perjuangan Rakyat Bali Denpasar, Botanical Garden Bedugul, Tanah Lot and others. Shooting equipment was coming from Jakarta, but Bali has its own appropriates film crew such as assistant lighting man, etc 40 crews were coming from India working closely with 25 local crews...

I've idolised SRK, says Deepika

Daughter of world badminton champ Prakash Padukone and the star of Om Shanti Om - she’s ramp-walking the Bollywood dream. And hey, no boring damsel this! Already, she’s leaving broken hearts in her wake and raking up ‘sensation’ wherever she steps. Ladies and gentlemen (the gents, particularly, pay attention) I can only request you for shanti here. Just when we were wondering where the haute, sensational divas had migrated to, here comes another ‘hottie’. Tangoing in the dual footsteps of beauties with bheja – a la Aishwarya Bachchan and Bipasha Basu — combining earthy dusk with beautiful dawn--straight from the supermodel ramps of Milan into Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘worked out’ arms, falls debutante Deepika Padukone. Daughter of world badminton champ Prakash Padukone and the star of Om Shanti Om — she’s ramp-walking the Bollywood dream. And hey, no boring damsel this! Already, she’s leaving broken hearts in her wake and raking up ‘sensation’ wherever she steps. Don’t kill me, I’m just the me...

Eros International to provide Bollywood movies and music to online TV Joost

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Eros International PLC said it will provide more than 200 Bollywood movies and over 600 music videos to online TV service Joost. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. This deal is in line with Eros's strategic focus on new media and follows initiatives with partners such as Comcast, YouTube and Sky, the company said in a statement. source

Man Utd tie up with potential Bollywood blockbuster

MUMBAI (AFP) — Bollywood movie "Goal" has tied up with Manchester United Football Club in the hope of scoring a major hit when it is released at the end of the month. Indian actor John Abraham plays the role of a footballer inspired by the English Premier League champions. "It's great to be associated with the Manchester United Club for our film," Abraham told Tuesday's The Times of India. "I have been a die-hard soccer fan since childhood and I have been idolising Manchester United since then." The movie's director Vivek Agnihotri said it was the first time that the club would be associated with an Indian movie. "We have shot in (the) club premises which is also another first for any Indian movie," he said. The Times of India said England's Wayne Rooney and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo will be among the United heroes featured in promotional clips for the movie. Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, Abraham's girlfriend, also st...

Bollywood tales from Austria

NEW DELHI: That this is perhaps the first German book with references to Bollywood is not the only novel factor. That it tries to intelligently intersperse the Indian film industry in the anthology of three stories against three different backdrops is what appeals the most. Vienna-based writer Dorothea Nurnberg’s book Reflections: The Bollywood Connection that has been translated into English has allusions to Bollywood in ways more than one. Though Bollywood is not her “first connection” with India, Dorothea has “simply loved” all the Hindi films that she has seen in the past few years right from “Hey Ram” and “Dil Se” to “Saathiya”, “Kisna” and “Paheli”. “Bollywood was exposed to Austria through film festivals and television channels only about five years back. There is so much of passion, feeling and beauty in these films that people have warmed up to them. The songs and dances are very lovely. The familial ties and old values in Bollywood films make them very special,” says Dorothea...

Style check: Bollywood's fashion fundas

Fashion has always been an integral part of Bollywood. While looking at the growing standard of Indian fashion, Bollywood surely can’t be left far behind. It is obvious now that Bollywood’s hot chics are more interested in haute couture. We keep a close check on their style statements. The first under surveillance are Bengali beauties Sushmita Sen and Konkona Sen Sharma. The two came together to support the cause of education at the launch of CRY's Shiksha scheme. While Sushmita looked cool and casual in her white kurti and blue jeans, Konkona looked sharp in a black kurta and antique silver jewellery. We wonder why Sushmita was sporting sunglasses inside the hotel, while Konkona's sleek up do certainly upped her glamour quotient. Sushmita Sen’s style quotient – 5/10 Konkona Sen Sharma’s style quotient – 7/10 source

IIM-L students target Bollywood

LUCKNOW: After capturing the corporate world, the multi-crore Bollywood film industry could be the next target for the students of the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L). The latter have got an offer to undertake a live project to study the consumer behaviour pattern with regard to entertainment in the state capital. The offer was made by Tarun Tripathi, head, marketing and external communication, Yash Raj Films, also an IIM-L alumnus, during his visit to the campus to educate and sensitise the students about the media and the entertainment industry. Advocating that business schools must have a course on media-film management, he told students that film industry requires managers and since they are the best, they should opt for it. "If you are a student from operations/systems stream, you can add about 30 per cent value to the product by joining the industry. If you are from finance stream where you have done lots of research etc you could be of even more help. I-bank...

Bollywood to give voice to India's battered women

Bollywood is hoping to give thousands of battered women in India the courage to speak out through a new film on domestic violence. "Mittal vs Mittal" narrates the story of a young woman -- regularly beaten by her in-laws and raped by her husband -- who fights back in a traditionally patriarchal society where it is still uncommon for wives to speak out against their husbands. "It is the story of a girl who falls in love with a charming gentleman and marries him only to find his other self," said Rituparna Sengupta who plays the abused woman in the film. According to a study by the United Nations, more than 60 percent of married women, aged between 15 and 49, are victims of beating, rape or forced sex by their husbands. Last year, India for the first time formally recognised abuse in the home as a crime and introduced a new law to protect millions of women. "The film calls on women to speak out and report if they are being subjected to domestic violence and not h...

Bollywood beckons Parveen Sultana

Begum Parveen Sultana holds a special place in the hearts of Indian music lovers. Over the course of a successful career spanning five decades, Parveen Sultana has become a favourite not just among classical music lovers but also hardcore Bollywood fans. Her first brush with Bollywood was when she was 12 years old. She sang the background track for Pakeezah. And with hit tracks from films like Kudrat, Do boond Pani and Gaddar, She now returns for Vikram Bhatt's periodic horror film, 1920. source

Class of 2007

Destiny's Child - Deepika Padukone Born in Copenhagen, this 21-year-old has been turning heads since her first modelling assignment at 16. Instead of taking baby steps into Bollywood, the graceful gal shot into the limelight well before the promos of Om Shanti Om (OSO ) hit the screens. Today her name spells glamour, exclusivity and big bucks. "Farah, Shah Rukh and OSO - what more could anybody ask for," she says. Confident and poised, Deepika claims that though she's excited and anxious about the response she gets from the audience, she's not worried for the movie at all. "It has a great director, King Khan, fabulous music and everything else. I don't think there's much that can go wrong there," she smiles, her deadly dimples lighting up. Badminton ace and proud papa, Prakash Padukone says he's only slightly nervous for Deepika. "Having been a sportsman, I know both victory and defeat are part of the game." Is dieting the secret of...

HOT BOD BOLLYWOOD

And yes, he too has got six packs. Akshay Kumar, who has just turned 40, is following the blood group diet, patented by naturopath Dr Peter D’Adamo and patronised by Hollywood celebs like Liz Hurley and Courtney Cox-Arquette. Kareena Kapoor had to come out and defend her drastic weight loss by declaring, “I’m not anorexic.” Newcomer Sonam Kapoor has lost over 40 kilos so that she could make a dream debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. Rani Mukerji was on a massive flab-shedding stint to pass off as a teenager in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag.The mantra in Bollywood is simple: get fit or get out. The diet revolution has completely taken over B-Town with actors sharing diet tips at film parties and lugging personal trainers with them as far as Ladakh and Namibia. The race to have the perfect bod is seriously on, so much so that when a website ran a contest on who has the best physique in Bollywood, names like SRK, Aamir and even Ajay Devgan jostled with usual suspects like Salman, Hrith...

Actor leads India's rising film industry

CHENNAI, India - Waiting in line to see the most expensive film in Indian history, a young woman searched for the right words to describe the movie's star, an aging, slightly paunchy actor who goes by the name of Rajnikanth. "He is a god," Deborah Rekha Jeyasekar, 21, finally declared. "We accept that." This isn't necessarily hyperbole in a land where celebrities are treated with something close to idolatry. When Sivaji - The Boss opened June 15, fans poured milk over cardboard cutouts of Rajnikanth in a Hindu rite of worship. Others sacrificed an entire week's wages to buy scalped tickets to the first screening. Fueled by the actor's megawatt star power, the film, with its Robin Hood story line and an estimated budget of $18 million - huge by Indian standards - appears to be enjoying a blockbuster run at the theaters, though box-office figures have yet to be released. But Sivaji is not a Bollywood production, and Rajnikanth is not a Hindi-speaking ...

Bollywood remakes Hollywood movie "Cellular"

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - An Indian producer is remaking "Cellular", the 2004 Hollywood movie about a kidnapped woman who calls a stranger off her mobile phone and begs him to save her life. "Speed", which is being directed by Vikram Bhatt, is the latest Indian movie to borrow from the West. "It is a very unpredictable film with a lot of twists," said actor Sanjay Suri, although many of those twists will be familiar to fans of the original, which starred Kim Basinger. Other Hollywood homages include "Partner", a recent box office hit, which was modelled closely on the Hollywood movie "Hitch", starring Will Smith. "Akele Hum Akele Tum", "Kaante" and "The Killer" are adaptations of "Kramer vs. Kramer", "Reservoir Dogs" and "Collateral" respectively. Hollywood in turn has recently been looking to thrillers and horror movies from eastern Asia for inspiration. source