Bips gets more support in Amar tapes controversy

After Celina Jaitley, Bollywood personalities Pritish Nandy and Sonam Kapoor have expressed support for actress Bipasha Basu whose voice is alleged to have figured in taped conversations with former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh.

"I believe @bipsluvurself (Bipasha) when she says she is
not in the Amar Singh tapes. Doesn't sound like her at all," Nandy posted on his Twitter page.

Sonam added: "I agree. A bunch of vicious losers are doing this! It doesn't sound like her at all. It's so improbable, it's almost funny."

Bipasha herself has denied that it's her voice in the controversial tapes, which were barred from publication in the media since 2006 until Wednesday when the gag order was lifted by the Supreme Court.

Former beauty queen-turned-actress Celina had also extended support to Bipasha. She said she had heard the tapes herself, and was confident that the girl in the tape was not Bipasha at all.

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Poonam Pandey launches bikini calender

Poonam Pandey, the girl who managed to get all the attention she needed during the cricket world cup is back!
The model who promised to strip if India were to win the World Cup didn't exactly keep up her word but has just released a bikini calendar!

Poonam Pandey is also one of the contestants for the next season of Khatron Ke Khiladi alongside VJ Bani, Kashmera Shah and Mauli Dave among others.

Pandey's calendar is brought out by a little-known company called Sungold Entertainment that claims to have produced a little known Hindi movied called Kya Hum Zinda Hain: A Heartless Life and a Gujarati movie called Hun Premi No 1.

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'Shagird' is an adventurous film'

The walls of director Tigmanshu Dhulia's office in Versova are adorned with posters of classic films like Bullitt, Bandit Queen, Touch Of Evil, Apocalypse Now, Casablanca, Raging Bull etc.

It almost seems like that the purpose of these posters is to engage those who sit there waiting for him as was the case with this writer.

Dhulia is on a roll as he has three major releases coming up this year: Shagird, Sahib, Bibi Aur Gangster and Paan Singh Tomar. The first of them is Shagird which releases on Friday.

Eventually, after finishing what looked like an important meeting, the director arrived, apologising profusely for the delay, and we started chatting. Excerpts from the interview:

You specialised in acting from National School of Drama. How did direction happen?

When I was in NSD, I acted in a play which was a disaster. I realised I am a bad actor but always had an interest in films. I was an assistant for Ketan Mehta's Sardar and Arundhati Roy's Electric Moon. While I was casting for Bandit Queen, Shekhar Kapur liked my work and made me an assistant for the film.

As a casting director, what is one thing that you seek in an actor?

The person should physically look like the character. The actor should have a good on-screen presence with at least a little acting ability.

After assisting on films, why did you go onto the medium of television? (Shows like Krishna's Dream, Hum Bambai Nahin Jayenge and Just Mohabbat?)

While I was assisting Shekhar Kapoor, he got busy with two of his films Dushmani and Time Machine and left the country. I was handicapped without him. During that time, the only way to become a director was to assist somebody and try and get close to the actors or producers and later pitch them your own idea. But I was not fortunate enough for that. I was a married man, so I did TV to earn a living but I simultaneously wrote for a lot of films. Also, TV was much better then. Hum serials bade pyaar se banate thhe uss waqt. (Back then we made serials with much love).

You went through a very rough patch after you made Charas.

Post Charas, I began filming for Killing of a Porn Filmmaker. We shot the film for merely 7 days and the producer ditched me. Then I started a period film called Ghulami with Sunny Deol. The producer of that met with an accident and did not recover for a year and the movie got stalled. I lost 3-4 years of my life and went into depression.

How did you get out of that bad phase?

'Shagird' is an adventurous film'
Varun Vazir, May 13, 2011, 11.25am IST
Tags:

* Shekhar Kapur|
* Nana Patekar

I got myself a Labrador and named it Action. Just so that I could say Lights...Camera...'Action'. (Chuckles)

Tell us something about Shagird.

The film is about a treasure hunt in the city. The treasure is none other than Anurag Kashyap and everybody is chasing for him. It's an adventurous film. In short, a political drama set in Delhi with a lot of twists and turns.

Why did you cast such unconventional actors in Shagird?

Nana Patekar was an obvious choice. I wanted somebody who doesn't hold a baggage so I picked Mohit Ahlawat and lastly, Anurag Kashyap as I wanted to have a surprise element in my film.

Is it true that this film was completed last year?

Yes, the film was almost completed last year but Nana Patekar injured his leg and the climax was yet to be shot.

Why isn't Shagird being promoted extensively?

I completely agree with you. The promotions are not up to the mark. But the Reliance people (BIG Pictures) have their own agenda. I am doing every bit from my side.

We've seen Nana Patekar play a cop in the past. How different is it this time?

This cop is very humorous and witty unlike what we saw him in Ab Tak Chhappan. We have crispy one-liners throughout the film. Nana's character is also a film buff and music lover.

How do you prepare your actors?

I write and cast myself, so half of my work is done. While shooting, I just execute it. I do not believe in conducting intense workshops; actors lose their spontaneity. An actor should have animal instincts.

You will be seen acting in Anurag Kashyap's next, Gangs Of Wasseypur. How did acting happen after so long?

Anurag's casting director approached me with a role and I accepted anticipating it would be a cameo. However, when I read the script, I realised I was playing the main villain. I play the role of a Bihari politician, inspired by Surajbhan Singh.

What's your take on the recent spate of hard hitting films that have emerged in Hindi cinema?

I feel rom-com and chick flicks are over and done. All this started because filmmakers found a new overseas market and made films which catered to the NRIs rather than the Indian audiences. People were forced to see films like I Hate Luv Storys but due to the growth of multiplex cinemas, things have changed and films like Ishqiya and Dabangg did well critically as well as commercially.

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Mayank Shekhar's review: Stanley Ka Dabba

Stanley Ka Dabba
Director: Amole Gupte
Actors: Partho, Amole Gupte
Rating: ***

Varmaji chews the paan and teaches Hindi for a living. At most schools, these two facts are often mutually inclusive. Varmaji face lights up most when he expresses in his chaste Hindi his love for a “Hrisht pusht tandarust, chaar chamchamate compartment ka dabba (a healthy, shiny four-compartment Tiffin carrier).”

You figure quite early on in this film that the director – who’s laid out screenfuls of swish pans and close-ups of all kinds of edibles, cooked and cooking – and who’s also the actor who plays the glutton Varmaji (Amole Gupte), is incessantly obsessed with food. It’s at the forefront of the film. If you were hungry, like I was during the movie, you'd do well to keep a dabba to dig into nearby. Otherwise? Tough luck.

Varmaji eyes every kid’s dabba in his classroom, staff room. He never ever brings his own lunch box. This is true for the little boy Stanley (Partho) as well. The teacher hates this student for the same reason. The difference between the two being that while the old Hindi shikshak pigs on other people’s lunches, the self-respecting kid would rather glug down gallons of water to try and quench his hunger instead. But then Varmaji's only one of a kind. Stanley has teachers of all sorts – encouraging, stern, morose, dumb.... This is true for every school.

We’re at a Christian missionary one, the educational chain that for generations has taught Indians virtues of discipline, and facility with the English language. They’ve served the nation well; remain still one of the most under-rated institutions around (this is something even LK Advani, who went to one, may agree with).

Boys in Stanley’s Class 4F don’t care much about his daily lack of a dabba. They’re only too happy to share their lunch with him -- and not with the wicked Varmaji. This is sweet. Though kids that age, especially the wealthy bratty ones, are usually known to be more unforgiving and cruel than that. The proposed 25% reservation for the poor at all Indian private schools, once operational, would seriously change the way the rich, insular, urban India grows up. But that hasn’t happened yet.

It never quite seems that these boys are patiently acting out their assumed parts. Children, I guess, are just born naturals. A hand-held camera follows them practically through what's supposed to be an academic year (a lot like Laurent Cantent’s French phenomenon The Class). The maker of this movie was also the original brain behind Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par, based on children again. The only thing immediately common between the two films is probably the guitar riff of the background score that suspiciously sounds like the song Kholo kholo darwaze.

You know where this story is headed, and sort of why Stanley can’t quite afford a dabba. You unfortunately learn very little (or nothing) about why the dictatorial, dabba-less Varmaji is a stuffy dabba himself. The narrative then remains tonally flat. But you don’t care.

This film, we’re informed, was the result of extensive workshops conducted over weekends at an actual school in Mumbai. It shows. The realism gently, warmly sucks you in. You sit back, sometimes reminisce, mostly observe. The take-home for the viewer is entirely experiential. As with all good experimental films.

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I like Anurag, the husband more: Kalki

It has been only a few days since Kalki Koechlin has tied the knot with filmmaker beau Anurag Kashyap, and she has already decided who she likes more - the husband Anurag or the filmmaker Anurag! "I like the husband more than the filmmaker", gushes Kalki who is all set to make her big screen appearance once again in Kashyap's Shaitan.

With a twinkle in her big, almond-eyes, she says, "I know the director quite well, but as a husband, I am still getting to know him." While the buzz is that Anurag and Kalki have bought a new house together recently, married life, she says, is not very different from before. The two stars had been living in together even before they got married. The actress, born to French parents, points out, "There is of course, an inner sense of happiness. And Anurag makes me tea every morning," and adds with a laugh, "And he kisses my legs..."

While Kalki confirms she has already started her shoot for Dibakar Banerjee's next film Shanghai, she settles down to talk to IBNLive about her experiences while filming for Shaitan. She plays the NRI Amy, a spoilt, rich girl in a film that reflects on the unruly atttude of the youth in urban India. "While developing my role in films, I don't generally copy any characters. For Shaitan, I watched a lot of films. I saw this American movie titled Kids, a film where the world is seen through the eyes of teenagers." The 1995 drama Kids centered on a day in the life of a group of sexually active teenagers in New York City and their attitude towards sex and substance abuse.

With her Hindi almost immaculate now, does she ever want to break this dark, intense aura around her that comes from acting in films that are not quite the run-of-the-mill kinds? Suggest her if she wants to act in a Yashraj movie, and pat comes the answer: "The question is not if I want to do a Yashraj film, it is whether they want to cast me in any of their films?" With a pause, she adds, "You will see, in my upcoming films like My Friend Pinto (opposite Prateik Babbar) and Zoya's (Akhtar) Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, I will have a different image. In Zindagi...I have a rather comical character."

The conversation again veers back to her post-marriage bliss and naturally she can't stop raving about Anurag. "Inside, he is such a teddy bear. I watched him act in Shagird (directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia) and I think he is becoming a pretty popular actor." She contorts her face and breaks into a smile before adding, "He is going to give me tough competition when it comes to acting."

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Delhi Belly For Adults, But There Is No Skin Show: Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan says his next production Delhi Belly is a bold film, but it doesn't have any skin show. The star was keen to do a role in the movie, which he believes will re-define the genre in the Hindi film industry.

"It's of course for adults, but there is no skin show. Neither have we made girls wear small clothes, nor are there any bold scenes. I think it would change the definition of bold films in Hindi cinema," Aamir told reporters at the launch of theatrical trailer of the movie releasing July 1.

This is his first production, which is not a family entertainment.

"My films had normally been family films or they had a social message. This is our first film which is certainly not for children because it has obscene language. We applied for adult certification for the film and we have got that.

"It's not even for those who have reservations about curse words. I myself don't use such words or language, but it fits the script. It's a very irreverent film, but it has humour in it," said Aamir.

Delhi Belly, which stars Imran Khan, Vir Das and Kunal Roy Kapoor, is directed by well-known ad filmmaker Abhinay Deo and Aamir says: "I had seen Abhinay's ads. So I was really impressed with his work. Abhinay liked the script and that's how Abhinay came on board."

Abhinay has done justice to the script written by Los Angeles-based Akshat Verma, who studied movies at the University of California.

"As a producer I am very happy the way Abhinay has made the film, showed humour and made it more exciting. I think he has fully justified the faith we had in him," said Aamir who was tempted to play the role that Kunal is doing in the film.

"I was dying to do a role in this film. I regret that I didn't work as an actor in this film. I wanted to do the role of Kunal Roy Kapoor. But the character is supposed to be fat and sloppy. I just didn't want to put on weight as I have worked very hard to lose it," said Aamir.

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Rajnikanth admitted to private hospital for 'various check-ups'

CHENNAI: Tamil superstar Rajnikanth , who suffered from viral fever and exhaustion recently, has been admitted to a private hospital here for 'various check-ups.'

The 61 year-old actor was admitted last night to the Sri Ramachandra Medical University (SRMU) at suburban Porur, days after he was discharged from another hospital where he had been treated for allergic bronchitis and viral fever.

"Rajnikant has been admitted for various check-ups and not for any treatment", SRMU sources said.

Rajnikant's family had on Friday dismissed as rumours reports that his health had deteriorated.

The actor had suffered from exhaustion on April 29, the first day of the shoot of his new period film 'Rana' co-starring Deepika Padukone which is being directed by K S Ravikumar.

He was admitted to the Isabel Hospital in the city and discharged the same day only to be readmitted there on May 4 for allergic bronchitis and viral fever.

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We’re ready to roll: Ekta Kapoor

A week after Ragini MMS’s Friday the 13th black carpet premiere, another much-talked-about Ekta Kapoor production flags off. “I wasn’t even allowed a day’s rest. Twenty-four hours after Ragini MMS entered the theatres at the stroke of midnight, a meeting was set up with the all the HODs (heads of departments) at the Balaji office, as Dirty Picture rolls from May 20,” sighs Ekta.

Director Milan Luthria confirms that they have locked a “sensational script” and are ready to go on the floors next Friday. “I know I’m walking a tightrope with this film, which goes beyond a woman’s body to a journey into her heart. Yes, there’s a lot of skin show and sensuality, but Dirty Picture is also a tender love story. It’s a masala movie like my last film, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, which was both Ekta and my biggest hit, and once again takes you into the other side of midnight,” says Milan.

The film is loosely based on Malayalam star Silk Smitha’s life. Milan’s upbeat about Vishal-Shekhar’s tunes, and 60-year-old Naseeruddin Shah is looking forward to grooving to their beats. After years of intense, underplayed role-playing, Naseer, the veteran actor, is ready to cut loose. “He believes that it’s time for him to have some fun and I’m glad he trusts me enough to let go with me,” says the director, whose decades-old association with Naseer goes back to the four films they worked on together when Milan was as assistant to Mahesh Bhatt.

Will Naseer’s flamboyant south Indian superstar have shades of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan? “Why only these two? There’ll be bits of other south supremos too from another era. This role requires him to play to the gallery, provoke claps, laughs and ceeties (whistles) and I know he can pull it off because Naseer is the Shah of all actors,” Milan asserts, adding with a twinkle, “Expect a man who unabashedly enjoys the flesh of women.”

And is the woman in Dirty Picture, Vidya Balan, in character too after all her initial misgivings? “The woman is in another zone, but trying hard to catch up,” Milan chuckles. “Vidya knows there’s no point just getting her toes wet. If she wants to be convincing, she has to jump into the deep end of the pool and she has. She knows all the men around her are protective of her and trusts us to make this Dirty Picture aesthetically,” he says.

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Sonam praises Ranbir

It was not very long ago when Sonam hit headlines for making some nasty remarks about her ex-flame Ranbir Kapoor. In fact, both Ranbir's ex-girlfriends; Deepika and Sonam had made fun of Ranbir and spoken some really bad things about him on Karan Johar's talk show.

Now, in a turn of events, Soam Kapoor is all praise for Ranbir. Recently the actress was all praise for Ranbir and even went to the extent of calling him one of her best buddies.

	SONAM KAPOOR and RANBIR KAPOOR

According to our sources, "Sonam sudden change of heart is because of Rishi Kapoor. It must be mentioned that when Deepika and Sonam spoke nasty things about Ranbir on Karan Johar's show, it was Rishi Kapoor who took this matter with Sonam's dad Anil Kapoor. Now, if Sonam is all praise for Ranbir suddenly, the real reason is the pressure from her family to refrain from making any nasty comments about Ranbir and Sonam like a good-girl is sticking to this brief."

With Sonam trying to mend fences, let's see if Deepika will take an inspiration from this development and make some equally surprising comments too.

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Love U Mr. Kalakaar! Movie Review

A Rajshri film means plentiful songs, enough family drama, utopian world of family values, well-brought up bahu-betis, marriage ceremonies, etc. However, their latest venture LOVE U MR. KALAKAAR is minus the above mentioned factors. For the first time we come across a Rajshri film which is not confined to a family drama, rather goes beyond it. As the love story is setup in the backdrop of corporate world.

Nevertheless you won't miss the quintessential Rajshris' style- the sweet mannerisms, saccharine characters and rich emotions, simplicity, affirmative attitude, etc.

The film depicts an artist's struggle to win his ladylove. Sahil (surprisingly not the 'Prem' of Rajshri) (Tusshar Kapoor) is a down-to-earth, oh-so honest, gullible, simple living, hand-to-mouth earning cartoonist-artist who lives in a bubble, refusing to seriously confront any real worries, expectations and burdens in his life. On the other hand, Ritu (Amrita Rao), a management trainee belonging to an affluent family, is smart, feisty and loving, whose world revolves around debits, credits, turnovers, profits, deadlines (yet has a penchant for creativity). Despite coming from contrasting worlds, the two fall head-over-heels in love. But their fairytale romance is interrupted by Ritu's dad (Ram Kapoor), a successful business tycoon, who challenges Sahil to give up his brush strokes and enter the business world by giving away the reins of his own company, so he can prove his love and that he is a better financial prospect for his daughter. Like true lovers, Ritu and Sahil take on this agni pariksha. But will Sahil be able to adapt to the heartless corporate world for his lady love is what follows.

Concept wise, the film has nothing new to offer. Debutant director S. Manasavi treads the familiar path, Bollywood's done-to death mantra - rich girl and poor boy love story, which makes the film easily predictable. But unlike other similar love stories, the complexities and obstacles are least here or get easily resolved, as each of the characters in the movie possess great understanding and maturity. The lovey-dovey couple - Ritu and Sahil are ever loving, ever understanding, have no differences, have immense faith in each other, become each other's strong support, something which you definitely want to take home. Sahil's simplicity, big-heartedness and cool temperament instantly touches the chord of your heart.

Though the director doesn't waste time in establishing its characters and brewing love between its protagonists, the pace of the film appears too slow in the first hour almost testing the audience's patience. It's post the intermission the narrative truly picks up & saves the dull first half and makes the fare exciting enough. The entire office drama is nicely done. Also, when Ritu teaches management and business fundas to her lover Sahil in her arty language is quite inspiring and interesting.

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Veggie Kareena bluntly refuses Rs 6 crore offer

Mumbai: Kareena Kapoor is an adamant girl of sorts. The girl hails from a khandaan that religiously thrives on hardcore non vegetarian diet. But surprisingly, she has refused a whopping Rs 6 crore offer to endorse a chicken brand.

Reportedly, Bebo, who turned a disciplined vegetarian while dating Shahid Kapoor has turned down a tempting endorsement offer. And the brand failed to persuade the pretty lass who was hell bent on her convictions.

Ironically, the girl who once used to relish sumptuous non-vegetarian diet was voted by PETA as the world’s sexiest vegetarian in 2008.

A tabloid had quoted Kareena as saying, “If my fans are looking up to me and have turned vegetarians then I am happy about it. I am a pure vegetarian and it helps me keep fit and healthy. I am aware that my fans have liked my look in Tashan. If they turn vegetarian for that, then I am glad I set an example.”

Kareena is so happy going green that she has been taking charge of converting non-vegetarians into complete herbivores! Vivek Oberoi (Bebo’s ‘Kurbaan’ co-star), who apparently ate a variety of non-vegetarian food plans to turn a vegetarian owing to her influence.

However, Bebo has been finding it very hard to convince her beau Chote Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan embrace vegetarianism. A strict vegetarian now, Kareena cannot stand the smell of an egg even.

Buzz has it that the actress, who had to eat egg for a scene in her latest flick ‘Short Term Shaadi’ opposite Imran Khan was on the verge of puking on seeing eggs.

Shahid might no longer be a part of Kareena’s life but the habit that he inculcated in her shall remain with her for ever.

Are we right Bebo?

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Karnataka Speaker declines comment on SC strictures

Bangalore, May 15 (PTI) Karnataka Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah today declined to react to the critical observations made against him by Supreme Court while quashing his order disqualifying 11 BJP and five independent MLAs. "No comments. I have no comments. I don't want to comment," he told reporters here when asked for his reaction to the strictures passed against him by the Supreme Court. Setting aside Bhopaiah's order disqualifying the 16 MLAs ahead of the controversial October 2010 no trust motion, a Division Bench of the court had on Many 13 said the Speaker acted in "hot haste" to favour Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa. On the demand by opposition Congress and JDS for his resignation in the wake of the apex court rapping him, Bopaiah said "let God bless them". He also refused to answer another question about Governor H R Bhardwaj's comment that the Speaker did not follow his advise not to alter the strength of the house during the vote of confidence taken by Yeddyurappa after the 16 MLAs withdrew support to his government. "I don't want to talk lightly about the Governor. It is our duty to respect him," Bopaiah said. The Supreme Court had observed that the Speaker passed the disqualification orders in a haste and did not follow the principles of natural justice and fair play.

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Amanda Seyfried Bought a Dead Pony Named Antoine

Oh Amanda Seyfried, your depths are so surprisingly deep. Amanda continues to surprise her fans with her eclectic taste in projects, and now with her even more exotic tastes in home furnishings.

While she was in England for the British premiere of Red Riding Hood, Amanda was so taken with a taxidermied miniature horse named Antoine that she bought the dead animal and brought him home with her. Hopefully her dog, an Australian shepherd named Finn, won't mind the new addition.

"I got another animal, I'm going to share -- I bought a three week old just this week, well it was three weeks old when it died, (it's a) miniature horse," she explained to the UK Press Association.

"It's being shipped to LA as we speak. And it's going to be Finn's new best friend unless he tries to eat it. It's like this big. I can carry it."

She added: "It's very well done. It's the best taxidermy in the world. Its name is Antoine."

Let us be the first to congratulate Antoine on his cozy new digs in Amanda's (now slightly creepy) home.

Source-Zimbio

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Jessica Simpson Won't Set a Wedding Date Until She Finds Her Dress

Jessica Simpson and her husband-to-be Eric Johnson haven't set a wedding date yet, but it's no secret that the bubbly blonde is on the hunt for the perfect wedding gown. The singer says her dress will be "beautiful" (duh!) and probably low-cut.

"It's definitely going to be beautiful," the singer said (via People.com). "I want it to be different from what I've had before. I have a lot of tear sheets!"

She said she'll start worrying about the rest of the details of their wedding, like where and when, as soon as she settles the dress ordeal. "Once I get what I want my dress to look like we'll set a date," she said, adding it will "definitely be somewhere warm!"

Jess sounds like she has a pretty good idea of what she wants though she hasn't found THE dress. The "top-heavy" star says she leans towards V-neck or scoop necks and likes to show off her neck.

"I like my collar bone," she added. "I have a long neck, so I like to show off my décolletage."

As for color, she hasn't gotten that far: "I haven't really thought about it," she admitted. "I do like the romantic feel of a lighter color."Jessica+Simpson in Jessica Simpson Arrives at LAX

Jess is having her "Carrie Bradshaw moment" trying on gowns and her bridesmaids will have to do their own dress selection too! "I definitely would want all my bridesmaids to be in everything different," she said. "Just [to reflect] what their personalities are.”

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Wish Lara Dutta a very happy birthday

The elegant, vivacious and charming Lara Dutta celebrates her 33rd birthday today. This is her first birthday after tying the knot with Tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi. As she dons the producer's hat with her upcoming film, CHALO DILLI, we are sure the coming year will take her to new heights. Join us in wishing the beautiful lady a very happy birthday.

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Dandam dashagunam is not quite there

Film: Dandam dashagunam (Kannada)
Director: K Madesha
Cast: Chiranjeevi Sarja, Ramya, Ravishankar, Tilak
Rating: *1/2

Everyone loves the 2003 Gautham Menon superhit Kaakha Kaakha.

This Suriya-Jyotika starrer was a runaway hit and is still remembered fondly by most of the cine-goers as one of the best films in the past decade.

Its Kannada remake, therefore, had a lot to live up to. Considering most of the song choreography and even the climax fight scenes of the original have already been lifted as inspirations in many Kannada films, the film had to deliver a nicely improvised film.

Unfortunately, the film ends up with a scene-by-scene copy of everything except the lifted scenes. And the lifted scenes are poorly improvised by the film-maker.

Considering the original film was out almost a decade ago, this film needed something contemporary.

We only get to see that in perhaps the clothes and the vehicles.
Saying that, the film does have some earnest things that make you want to watch it.

Chiranjeevi Sarja has grown again as a performer with this new release. He excels in the fight scenes especially. Ramya puts in a good performance, as does Tilak.

Ravishankar, who seems to be the next big villain in Sandalwood, has yet another meaty role which has enough for the front benchers to enjoy. Music by Harikrishna is quite nice, with a couple of the tunes lingering in your mind. If you’re a die-hard Ramya or Chiranjeevi Sarja fan, then it is a one time watch.

Source-dnaindia.com

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Star re-launches five HD channels

In a bid to revolutionise High Definition content in the Indian television market, Star India, the fully-owned subsidiary of global media firm News Corp, has re-launched five of its channels in HD.

The channels Star Plus, Star Movies, Star Gold, Star World and Nat Geo will be available in HD, which the company has termed as ‘Asli HD.' “The launch of Asli HD today is a testimony of our commitment to offer our viewers world-class media experience. With Star's massively popular entertainment channels turning HD, a high definition revolution is set to kick-start in India. This is just a glimpse of a slew of exciting initiatives we will roll-out in the coming months,” Star India CEO, Uday Shankar, told reporters on Friday.

Source-thehindu.com

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DUM MAARO DUM: Goa once again in the tourist season

Goa indeed has been favorite hunting spots for the Bachchans, be it the Big B or the Junior B. Big B really stepped into the Big League with his film BOMBAY TO GOA and for Junior B aka Abhishek Bachchan Goa emerged as a lucky charm with his mega hit DHOOM. Now he has again returned back to Goa once again with Rohit Sippy directed DUM MAARO DUM which hits the cinema screens on 22nd April. It is a film which has been set in the backdrop of Goa and inspite of the fact that Goa has been used as the backdrop for a film for quite a large number of times; every film maker has his own perspective to interpret Goa.

Rohit Sippy has tried to interpret Goa in the context of the manner in which the socio-cultural landscape of the state is indeed experiencing the cataclysmic changes through DUM MAARO DUM. There was an apprehension that Goa could suffer a dent in its image after the release of DUM MAARO DUM, as perceivably it would be focusing on the drug menace, a petition also being filed on this count, the protestors forget that through the medium of cinema the negative image can be turned into a picture of positivity.

For DUM MAARO DUM the famous fleece market of Goa has been used as a backdrop quite profusely and as the new tourist season sets in, it indeed could provide a change of image for Goa. For Abhishek Bachchan Goa is indeed an acid test as his last film GAME could not score a hit with the box office, possibly on account of the fact that its release coincided with the cricket world cup. But the currently ongoing IPL may not be as big a stumbling block for him. In DUM MAARO DUM Abhishek Bachchan has again returned to his rapping, and he has done a fairly competent job, underlining the fact that he has also the singing genes that he has got from his father.

Deepika Padukone has set the stage on fire with the modern adoption of DUM MAARO DUM, and it could also be a point of invitation for the audience. The scintillating performance that she has given, got her an invitation from London to perform in one of the bars at a reported cost of more than 4 crore of rupees, but Deepika declined it.

Let's hope that the audience indeed comes in team and enjoys DUM MAARO DUM, as DUM MAARO DUM's spirit is all about celebration of friendship and bonhomie, as when you Maaro Da Dum in a group it indeed is an experience worth treasuring all the life.

Source-glamsham.com

03:45 | 0 comments | Read More

'We are not starving, we just eat healthy'

MUMBAI: Over the past 24 hours, a trio of happy-go-lucky 22-year-olds has been fielding questions ranging from euthanasia to homophobia. To their credit, the three winners of the Pantaloons Femina Miss India (PFMI) 2011 pageant have held their poise.

At a formal introduction ceremony held at a suburban hotel on Friday, PFMI World Kanishtha Dhankhar, PFMI Earth Hasleen Kaur and PFMI International Ankita Shorey patiently answered every question. The girls effortlessly switched from topics as varied as their favourite recipes to the merits and demerits of mercy killing.

There were no surprises when the three said that Thursday was the most memorable day of their lives. "Baisakhi proved lucky for me" said Delhi Sikhni Hasleen. Incidentally, Kanishtha means 'the younger one' or 'junior', but this second sibling beat 19 other finalists to come out tops. The rest follows from there.

"By coincidence, all three of us hail from a defence background and have been bonding over this common factor," said Kanishtha, a resident of Navy Nagar who studied at HR College. All are professional models and disapprove of live-in relationships.

The girls laughed at envious comments about their appearance. Ankita, Hasleen and Kanishtha weigh merely 50-55 kgs and have a 25-inch waist that would make a thimble blush. Clearly the regimen of the past 30 days has worked magic even though it may have set impossibly high standards for other aspirants. "Well, we haven't been starving," laughed Ankita. "All we had to do was eat healthy," Hasleen added. Kanishtha is an athlete who loves simple homemade food so weight was never an issue to contend with.

Each time the question of film career came up, the threesome firmly pointed to the international pageants as their first goal.

Source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

03:39 | 0 comments | Read More

Salman-Kangna's late night rendezvous

Seems like something is cooking between Kangna and Salman. Buzz is that Kangna visited Salman at midnight on the sets of his upcoming movie, Bodygaurd. The duo spent hours chatting and she was seen leaving from the sets in the actor's car early in the morning. Kangna Ranaut was spotted leaving the sets of Atul Agnihotri's Bodyguard in Filmistan where Salman Khan was shooting. She left in Salman's car in the wee hours of Thursday morning

Rumour has it that the Tanu Weds Manu star was on a nigh-out with friends when she decided to pay a late night visit to 'friend' Salman Khan at Filmistan Studios. She spent around four hours with Salman and his friends and brother-in-law, producer, Atul Agnihotri.

Though the movie they were supposed to work in got shelved, rumours of Kangna-Salman's growing friendship have been doing the rounds. The actress added fuel to fire when she was attended Sallu's party at his farmhouse. She also made a special appearance for his upcoming film Ready at Sallu's request.

After Katrina, Salman seems to have found a new 'friend'.

Source-hindustantimes.com

03:32 | 0 comments | Read More