Rumour has it that Kajol has given an affirmative nod to Rajkumar

Hirani’s new film Idiot. “I loved his [Hirani’s] earlier films and I would

love to work with him, but when I heard the role in Idiot, I felt I

wouldn’t suit the character. I look forward to working with him some

day if he comes up with the right role that suits me,” the supremely

talented actress said.

What about Khan opposite SRK, directed by her buddy Karan Johar?

“He did narrate the idea, but I haven’t signed on the dotted line. Till I’ve

heard the entire script, I wouldn’t like to comment on it,” she says,

“Karan is insisting that I do the film, so let’s see.”

While on SRK, there’s talk that Ajay is not keen on her working with

SRK. “It’s false. Ajay has never ever objected to any of my decisions.

But getting two finicky people [SRK, Kajol] on board is tough. SRK is

so finicky about the script, so until and unless we get the right script,

we wouldn’t be seen together,” she smiles.

We all know about Aamir Khan - the dedicated actor, director et al.

But very few know about Aamir- the father. Before leaving for

Hyderabad last week forGhajini’s shooting; Aamir spent the entire day

with his children, since it will be only after one month or more that he

will get to be with them.

For starters, Aamir has been working like a machine for more than a

whopping 12 hours everyday since last Thursday to wrap up the last lap

of Ghajini’s shoot in Hyderabad.

And for his role in Ghajini, ‘Mr Perfectionist’ Aamir has been

rigorously training for 4 hours a day for the last one and half years, and

has also got himself the new designer buzz look.

Rumours are spreading thick and fast that Hrithik is going to Roshan

Bollywood’s name at Madame Tussaud’s in 2009 by getting

immortalised in wax. To add further, the website also quoted that

Hrithik won the poll by beating the legendary Dilip Kumar who was

also nominated to be waxed.

As per our talks with Ben Lovett from Madame Tussaud’s this

morning, he claimed, “I don’t know where these stories are coming

from. We have not even sat together to discuss the 2009 wax figures.

We’ve had no meetings, no discussions, and no plans what-so-ever on

what famous personalities we are looking to wax from Hollywood,

Sports, Pop Singers, Bollywood and Politics. Come summer, we will

be having a tentative idea but still no concrete decision on which

Bollywood star will be waxed.”

Singer cum actress Sherlyn Chopra who has earlier been seen in flicks

like Time Pass, Raqeeb, Naughty Boy, Red Swastik etc. has taken the

big leap. The Outrageous babe has been signed for a lead role by, hold

your breath, Yash Raj Films for their forthcoming project starring

Shahid Kapur and Rani Mukherji.

Sherlyn Chopra: Giving Outrageous a new meaning

The film, a love triangle, is directed by Anurag Singh who earlier

directed Raqeeb. Apparently, Yash Chopra has been impressed with

Sherlyn’s abilities ever since he saw her film Red Swastik. In fact, the

veteran filmmaker even launched her recent album Outrageous.

Sherlyn Chopra poses in lingerie for PETA

Sherlyn is naturally excited about making it to the big league but isn’t

really in a mood to disclose much about her role in the film. Knowing

Yash Raj Films’ penchant for secrecy when it comes to their films, we

aren’t blaming the poor girl either.

It’s a tradition to premiere a new film at the coveted IIFA Awards. This

year, as we all know by now, the IIFA event is scheduled to take place

in Bangkok, Thailand in the first week of June. Reportedly, Ramgopal

Varma’s new film Sarkar Raj, which brings Amitabh Bachchan,

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan together, might be

the chosen one this year.

According to sources, the IIFA team is in talks with the makers to

premiere the film in Bangkok. Watch this space for further

developments.

The number game does matter and those who feel it doesn’t, are either

living on another planet or it’s a case of sour grapes. Every Friday, the

ratings change and so do the equations. Take Akshay Kumar, for

instance. Not too long ago, he was in the B-list, with film-makers

offering him done-to-death roles, which stifle the growth of any actor.

But Akshay smelt coffee and decided to experiment.

The journey from being an ‘action hero’ to a ‘complete actor’ has

taken time, with the actor working doubly hard and burning the night

candles to attain the super-successful results. As things stand today,

Akshay occupies the prime place in the Premium List and his

companions are SRK, Aamir, Salman, Hrithik and now, Saif.

Of late, there’ve been news-reports that suggest that Akshay has grown

insecure of Saif’s increasing popularity, post Race. If we get real and

talk of facts-n-figures, the volume of business of Akshay’s films has

put him on the pedestal, right next to SRK.

In Overseas, the biggest territory today, Akshay has attained a strong

foothold. In U.K., SRK occupies the top position, with Akshay being

the No. 2 star there, if the business of NamasteyLondon, Heyy Babyy,

Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Welcome is an indicator.

Let’s talks facts! Four years ago, in 2004, the Akshay starrer Aan

fetched a miserable £ 19,460 in its opening weekend in U.K. The same

producer’s Welcome [2007], also starring Akshay in the lead, fetched £

369,321 in its opening weekend, which, to enlighten the gullible souls,

is the second biggest opener of 2007, after OSO. In the U.S., Akshay is

next to SRK and Hrithik and if Akshay starts featuring in romantic

movies, the business should reach the same figure for sure. The

popularity of any actor is gauged by the price his films fetch and a solo

Akshay starrer, Singh Is Kinng, has fetched Rs. 71.4 crores, which

clearly puts him right next to SRK and Aamir.

Also – this is very important – had Akshay been insecure, he wouldn’t

have told Vipul Shah to plan a project with Saif and him [Akshay]

together. “Yes, he told me he enjoyed working with Saif in TASHAN

and would love to work with him again. ‘Why don’t you plan a project

that teams us together?’ Akshay told me,” Vipul Shah said. If Akshay

was indeed feeling the heat, he wouldn’t have uttered these words,

right?

So what’s the truth on Krrish 2? Is Rakesh Roshan directing the sequel

to the blockbuster hit or has Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra been entrusted

the directorial reins of the film? Everyone’s busy speculating since

neither Roshan Sr. nor Mehra have issued an official statement so far.

Krrish being a Filmkraft [Roshan’s banner] property/brand, a

clarification from Roshan Sr. would be utmost important at this

juncture.

“Let me clarify that both Mehra and I are working on our respective

scripts. He [Mehra] had expressed eagerness to direct the film and we

had mutually decided that whoever comes up with a better script

would direct Krrish 2. So, let’s see,” Roshan Sr. said.

Meanwhile, Hrithik is all set to begin filming Kites [produced by

Roshans and directed by Anurag Basu]. Not much is known about the

film. “It’s a love story. The girl is Spanish, the boy is Indian and neither

can understand the other’s language,” he reveals the gist. Ask him if

Hrithik is concentrating on home productions currently, the proud

father shoots back, “He has always believed in working in one film at a

time. Post Kites, if there’s an offer that excites him, I am sure he won’t

refuse it.”

Kerala beauty Parvathy Omanakuttan, who won the Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2008, says she wouldn’t mind trying her luck in Bollywood provided the offers are good.

“Why not? I have grown up in Mumbai and am a movie buff. If I get a good chance, good money, good co-stars, I would go for it,” the 20-year-old winner told IANS on phone from Mumbai. She won the Femina contest Saturday in Mumbai.

An arts graduate from the Mithibai College, Mumbai, Parvathy said that winning the pageant was her childhood dream.

“I was just seven when I saw Sushmita (Sen) and Aishwarya (Rai) winning the pageant. I decided then that one day I would also be like them,” said the dusky long-legged beauty.

“I always wanted to be Miss India. I am on cloud nine after winning the contest. However, I must confess when I saw my parents and friends crying after I was announced the winner that it is not just my dream that has come true. Everyone’s dream related to me has been fulfilled. What could be more satisfying than this?”

Parvathy is keen to do a master of business administration (MBA) as a career option. “I want to pursue MBA because it is very important to have a backup. Films or modelling would not last for long.”

She had won the Pantaloon’s Femina Miss India South held in Hyderabad in December last year. Asked how life has changed after winning the coveted title, Parvathy said: “It has changed overnight! Before winning the competition I could pull out any T-shirt from my wardrobe and go out with my friends anywhere. But it is not so any more, as all eyes are on me.”

Commenting on her preparations for the Oct 4 Miss World pageant, she said: “This is not a crown of joy. With the crown, the responsibility of upholding the name of the country has also fallen on my shoulders.”

“The preparations started ever since I won the contest. Apart from just concentrating on my appearance, I am also trying to be a stronger person to face the contest.”

Asked about her views on women, she said: “I am a student of English literature and I think feminism has enlightened me. There have been certain cases when women have been refused their rights. The security of women is another very important issue in our country. I want to voice my opinion against female foeticide and crime against women.

“Women can’t run the world alone. You need both - men and women - but I strongly feel for women and am a liberal feminist,” Parvathy said. “I am sure if the government doesn’t do something it is not far when women would come out and work for their community.”

“Education not only makes one knowledgeable but also makes one think, act and feel independently. It is imperative for everyone, especially for girls, to be educated,” said Parvathy. She worked with Akbar Travels Online.com after completing graduation.

“Everyone wants to earn quick fame and money today. But one must always remember that there is only one Sachin (Tendulkar) and Dhirubhai (Ambani) who worked wonders despite less educational qualifications,” said Parvathy, soaking in her new found success.

UTV’s World Movies now on home video After bringing contemporary, entertaining box-office hits from around the world to Indian TV screens through its World Movies channel, UTV is now making it possible for Indian movie fans to own them on home video starting May 2008. UTV Motion Pictures has a wide and varied catalogue of titles whose telecast rights have been acquired directly from the sole distributors of these films. The company boasts of a strong home distribution network in the metros, mini metros and class 1towns in India, reaching close to 10 lakh towns across the country. The UTV home video division distributes their own movies – big Bollywood blockbusters, as well as Hollywood content.

Speaking on the concept of home video in India and availability of World Movies on home video, Mr. Shantonu Aditya, CEO, UTV Entertainment Television Ltd, said “As a strong company philosophy, we have always believed in retaining our intellectual property rights as this makes us valued content custodians. We are very positive on the tremendous scope and growth prospects of this business and we know that this business model would drive our revenues significantly. We are going to provide value for money to Indian viewers as they get to see original versions of some of the most entertaining and recent box office hits from around the world.”

World Movies has a library of over 500 titles including blockbuster hits and award winners across film festivals across the world including the Oscars. Almost 50% of these titles are available for DVD sell through. Some of these titles are - the Spanish film Buenos Aires 1977 that was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes in 2006, the new Carlos Saura musical Fados, La Zona – award winner at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival and Pierre Salvadori’s comedy Priceless, a movie that ably demonstrates that if money can’t buy love, it sure can purchase lots of obsequious service from four-star hotel staffers and costly goodies from laughably pricey boutiques!

With several players in the markets fighting for larger mind share of audiences, Home Video is at a very significant stage in India with immense scope of penetration. Products are being offered at much lower costs to beat competition and exploitation is rampant after each theatrical release. The hardware costs of the DVDs is also getting lower thereby making it a very exciting time for UTV’s World Movies to make an appearance on home video.

Reports flooding the media that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is extremely upset with Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan don’t bother the father-son duo. They say their relationship is above rumours.

“We know what the truth is. In fact, I met Shah Rukh at an awards function the other day. We both laughed over these reports. Maybe a section of the media thinks it knows better. But Shah Rukh, Hrithik and I are above these attempts to create a rift between us,” Rakesh Roshan said.

Rakesh, who teamed with Shah Rukh in Karan Arjun and Koyla, roped in the superstar for an item song for his home production Krazzy 4, directed by Jaideep Sen.

Apparently the filmmaker promised the superstar that Hrithik’s version of the song would be used as a part of the end credits of the film and not to promote the film. But now both the songs are being used to promote the film and rumour has it that Shah Rukh is upset.

“The fact of the matter is it was Hrithik’s idea to approach Shah Rukh for the dance number. Why would he suddenly feel threatened by Shah Rukh?” asks Roshan.

A source very close to the Roshans said: “From the very start when Shah Rukh was roped in to do one version of the Krazzy 4 song, Hrithik had gone on record to state that Shah Rukh’s version of the number would be used as a part of the film.

“Hrithik, who at that time couldn’t perform the item song because of a bad knee, had explained the situation to Shah Rukh. He had also stated clearly that whenever Hrithik was able to perform after his knee injury, his version of the item song would be used for promotional purposes.

“And rightly so… the song is composed by his uncle and is part of Hrithik’s home production. It’s his sister Sunayana’s first attempt at being producer and Hrithik is very proud of her and the film. So why should Shah Rukh be miffed with the Roshans?”

Ram Gopal Varma’s long-awaited Sarkar Raj featuring Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan along with his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai is all set for release June 6.

A few days before its commercial release, the film, which is a sequel to Varma’s Sarkar, will be premiered at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) to be held in Bangkok.

Confirming these developments Varma says the film’s release date has been on the anvil for a while. “People have been unnecessarily speculating about the matter. We never announced any date. I was very clear that I wanted to release it during the summer vacations. We were undecided between the last week of May and the first week of June. Now we’ve zeroed in on June 6,” Varma told IANS.

Confirming Sarkar Raj will be premiered at the IIFA, Varma says: “With the Bachchans being closely associated with the IIFA it seemed appropriate to premiere it there.” Any specific thoughts on Sarkar Raj?

“People have been making so many assumptions about the film I wonder what they expect,” he chuckled. First, audiences should not expect Abhishek and Aishwarya to play their real-life roles as husband and wife. For most of the film, the couple play adversaries and opponents in business and morality rather than partners.

Second, Big B’s character goes into the shadows as Abhishek takes over the empire. And third, Varma insists, people should stop drawing real-life parallels.

“This time the socio-political content is higher than in Sarkar, but the characters are not modelled on real people.”

Bollywood actor Rani Mukherji got a relief from the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court Wednesday in a case related to a piece of land in Shirdi.

The bench ordered status quo on the land to be maintained till June 9.

Rani Mukherji had filed a petition in the Aurangabad bench of the high court challenging Ahmednagar district collectorate’s order cancelling her ownership of a plot near Shirdi due to irregularities in the deal.

Posting Rani’s petition challenging the order for June 9, Justice N.H. Patil issued notice to seven respondents, including the state revenue secretary, Ahmednagar district collector, Shrirampur sub-divisional officer, original land owner Raman Kshirsagar, and the immediate past owner Sampat More from whom the actor had purchased the land.

While technically the ownership of the land will vest with Rani Mukherji till June 9, she has been barred from undertaking any construction or other development activity on it till the case is finally decided.

The status quo order also suspends till June 9 the SDO’s order asking her to pay a fine till April 15 failing which the deal would have stood cancelled.

Rani’s father Ram Mukherji was present in the court when the order was passed.

Harshita Saxena, who was crowned Pantaloons Femina Miss India Earth last week, has landed herself in a spot and may lose her crown for breaching contract with her previous modelling agency.

“Harshita was in a two-year contract with us and as per the agreement she was not supposed to participate in any other contest without our permission. She now has won the Miss India Earth crown, which is a breach of contract,” said Maureen Wadia, president of Gladrags beauty pageants.

“We have sent legal notice to her and complained to the Femina Miss India organisers,” Wadia told IANS by phone from Mumbai.

She said organisers must be more vigilant while selecting the candidates.

“The organisers must be more vigilant, there should be better screening methods. I agree mistakes can happen, but I am extremely disappointed with the girl, who knew about the contract and still went ahead and participated. Youngsters must learn to respect the law and people.”

Commenting on whether Saxena stands disqualified, Sameer Soni, national director of the Femina Miss India, said: “No, Miss India Earth Harshita Saxena hasn’t been disqualified yet.”

“I think she is very young and must have overlooked the dates when the contract ends. To my knowledge, the contest was held on April 5 and the contract expired three days after the event,” Soni said.

“It is too premature to say whether we would disqualify Harshita. It would be decided after a meeting, tentatively by tomorrow (Thursday) evening,” Soni added.

On April 5, Parvathy Omanakuttan of Kerala bagged the Miss India World crown and Simran Kaur Mundi of Mumbai became the Miss India Universe 2008. Harshita from Goa, was the second runner-up of the event and was crowned Miss India Earth.

After the success of Aankhen, Waqt, and Namastey London, Vipul Shah is all set to don the hat of a director with London Dreams which goes on floors in June this year. London Dreams has a huge shooting schedule in London with the principal cast Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. Vipul Shah is also scouting for a fresh face for the girl to be starred opposite both the heroes.

Vipul would be extremely busy with the shoot of two of his major films; Anees Bazmee’s Singh Is Kinng, a schedule of which is in May and his own directorial venture London Dreams, which would commence in June. PJ Singh will be the Presenter of the film and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (SEL) would compose the music. This will be the first time that SEL and Vipul come together.

It’s cinema that brought her fame and fortune, but veteran actress Sharmila Tagore is enjoying her small screen stint - as a judge on reality show Dhoom Macha De - because she can be herself in front of the camera.

“Reality shows allow one to project oneself on screen and it is very different from being in films. Here, I don’t have anyone to write my lines and I can be myself in front of the camera,” Sharmila told IANS in a telephonic interview.

Sharmila, who is also the censor board chairperson, doesn’t want to do daily soaps but admits that reality TV attracts her. She also enjoys the company of her fellow judges - composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan and lyricist Prasoon Joshi. The show is aired on NDTV Imagine.

“It is a good experience for me as the show is about commercial entertainment. Also, I gel well with Shankar and Prasoon.”

Commenting on the burgeoning growth of the Indian entertainment industry, she said: “The Indian film industry is blessed. Indians all across the world support our industry.”

A report published by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) states that the Rs.513-billion Indian entertainment and media (E&M) industry is poised to grow at an annual rate of 16.7 percent by 2011, faster than its counterparts in Brazil, Russia and China.

Agreed Sharmila: “It is flourishing like never before and we are gradually building an international market for us. Even international players like the Warner Brothers are interested in the Indian market.”

The actress also has a positive outlook towards corporatisation of Bollywood. She feels money is a lot more organised now in the industry.

“Earlier, only the films made by B.R. Chopra and Raj Kapoor used to finish on time. But these days, almost all filmmakers are able to complete and release their movies according to their schedule,” she said.

Regarding the information and broadcasting ministry’s proposal that TV serials and advertisements should get approval from the censor board, the actor agreed saying that a certain amount of censorship must be exercised.

“If we have one common umbrella, with one common objective, it becomes better and easier. But with the current state of infrastructure, it is difficult to deal with such a situation.”

Sharmila was recently conferred the lifetime achievement award at the 6th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) along with Shammi Kapoor, with whom she debuted in Kashmir Ki Kali.

Apart from films, she is also involved in social work. She got associated with Unicef India as a goodwill ambassador to help fight AIDS in the country. She also lent her support to the NGO Child Rights and You (CRY) by signing a Girl Child Rights Charter.

“It is a very rewarding experience for me. It is my humble effort to give back the love I got over the years. Children often become victims for no reason. We must help them, save them and give them all their rights,” she said.

One of the reigning queens of the late 1960s and 70s, Sharmila is satisfied with the way her children’s acting careers are shaping up. She is happy that both Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan have carved a niche for themselves in the Hindi film industry.

“It makes no difference to me whether they are number one or number 16 as long as they are self-sufficient. We are all a part of this industry because we love it. And just being a part of the industry is in itself very rewarding,” said the seasoned actress who gave hits like “Aradhana”, “Daag” and Chupke Chupke in the 1970s.

Talking about her future projects, she stated: “I believe in doing just one thing at a time. The present project (Dhoom Macha De) might continue till May. After that, I will think over a few projects. I might just choose one.”