A court in Jaipur Thursday issued a non bailable arrest warrant against Hollywood actor Richard Gere for “indulging in an obscene act” when he planted kisses on Indian actor Shilpa Shetty during an AIDS function in Delhi.

The court, after hearing complainant Poonam Chand Bhandari, and watching the original video recording of the function showing Gere kissing Shilpa, prima facie found him guilty.

“The court has asked police to arrest and produce him before the court May 5,” advocate Bhandari told IANS here.

The court also issued summons to Shilpa Shetty asking her to be present in the court May 5, Bhandari said. The statements of Gere and Shilpa will be recorded on that day.

Bhandari had filed a complaint April 14 in the court accusing both the film personalities of committing “an obscene act” in a public place under the Indian Penal Code.

Under the IPC the accused are liable for imprisonment for a term extending to three months or fine or both.

Fans of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty have expressed their ire over Hollywood actor Richard Gere kissing her at public event to promote safe sex and AIDS awareness.

The fans said that in a conservative society like India, such a public display of affection was tantamount to vulgarity.

“Richard Gere has kissed Shilpa Shetty in New Delhi during an AIDS awareness campaign. It is vulgar. These things may happen in foreign countries, but not in India. He should apologise to Shilpa and the rest of the country as well,” said Mahesh, a fan.

Gere’s impromptu hug and kiss on Sunday provided a field day for the media, which was largely starved of news of the sensational variety.

The event was organised to reach out to hundreds of truckers aimed at highlighting the importance of safe sex.

Truckers cheered wildly as Gere kissed Shetty during the event.

Bollywood star Sunny was also present on the occasion.

Noted Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt released the autobiography of a bar girl titled ‘Barbala’ here last evening.

Written by Vaishali Haladalakar, the book is an open account of the travails a bar girl in society while purusing her profession.

“I have written the book with an open heart and have tried to bring out the life of bar girl for society to understand. The book containing 200-250 pages, and has an account of the travails I went through. It takes a great strength to put it down on paper. I have been able to do it,” said Haladalakar.

Bhatt, who has directed series of widely acclaimed movies for Bollywood, promised to give the book a shot once he is through with the language of the book, Marathi.

“It is impossible to make a film on everybody’s life but yes, an autobiography is an account of the person who has gone through the situation. It is better than plain imagination. The book is written in Marathi. I will read it, and if I find it interesting, I will make a movie on it,” said Bhatt.

Indian movies have made their way into Pakistani cinemas because of their quality production and good scripts, though local film makers are against screening of Bollywood films in their country, saying it would be “unpatriotic”.

There is, however, a difference of opinion between film directors and producers on the one hand, and cinema owners, on the other, over this issue. While the former are against the idea, the latter favour screening of Indian films in Pakistan because they attract huge crowds, fetching them hefty profit as compared to returns by screening Pakistani films.

According to the Daily Times, a debate has arisen in Pakistani cinema circles over whether to screen Indian films during the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Pakistan Film Industry.

Recently released Indian movies are said to be doing considerable business across Pakistan. Film ‘Race’, which features a song by Pakistani singer Atif Aslam, has received enormous applause from audiences. The movie is especially gaining popularity with young people. Another Bollywood film ‘Tare Zameen Par’ has become the talk of the town and is being released in Pakistan by a private television network.

How Pakistani cinema has seen a decline over the years could be gauged from the fact that the number of cinema halls has reduced across the country. According to a survey, in 1973 there were 63 cinemas in Lahore, 16 in Rawalpindi, 19 in Multan, 19 in Faisalabad, 11 in Gujranwala, 12 in Sialkot, 12 in Peshawar, 86 in Karachi, 20 in Hyderabad, six in Sukkar, and eight in Quetta. Currently, the number of cinemas has been reduced to 23 in Lahore, 10 in Rawalpindi, 14 in Multan, 13 in Faisalabad, 10 in Gujranwala, eight in Sialkot, 36 in Karachi, four in Hyderabad, one in Sukkar and five in Quetta.

Citing another reason for the decline of Pakistan film industry, a noted Pakistani scriptwriter said that script writers are not paid handsomely and very few producers and directors agree to buy a well written script. Condemning the screening of Indian movies in the country, he said: “The screening of Indian movies is an acceptance of the fact that we have given up before Indian culture. I am not disappointed about the industry’s future; it may take some time but it will revive.”

Famous director-cum-writer Rukhsana Noor said that it was a most unfortunate thing to give Pakistani films to others. “The Indian buyer is not ready to buy our pictures, then why are we crazily screening their movies? By establishing an editing lab of international standards we can boost our own industry. If the government allows loans to filmmakers, good produces will come back and the industry will revive,” the paper quoted her as saying.

Radhika Bhirani: Bollywood producer-director Ravi Chopra feels that remakes of classics are bound to lack the essence of the original and says he will never remake any films of his legendary father, B.R. Chopra.

“A classic film cannot be remade,” Ravi Chopra told IANS here. The maker of such films as “Baghban” and “Baabul” was in Delhi to launch his new television series “Sujata”, which will be aired on Sony TV April 14 onwards.

Chopra feels that whoever remakes a film is a “mentally bankrupt person”.

“It is very rare that filmmakers make a classic film. To be able to make one, everything has to be managed at the right time, place and with the right characters,” he said.

Director Ram Gopal Varma had remade “Sholay” in 2007, and it bombed at the box office. Chopra pointed out that Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan’s performance in the original could never be repeated with the same essence.

Chopra asserted that he would never remake any of his father’s films.

B.R. Chopra has produced and directed hit films like “Ek Hi Rasta” and “Naya Daur”. He was also the man behind popular television series “Mahabharat”, based on the Hindu epic.

“When remakes are made, the audience tends to make undue comparisons and when a classic is remade, people try to seek the same sort of flavour that existed in the original,” Ravi Chopra said.

His forthcoming film “Bhootnath”, based on the relationship of a child with his deceased grandfather, is set to release May 9.

“‘Bhootnath’ is a very different kind of film. Basically, it is a fun film about a child and I hope the audience appreciates it,” he said.

Aman Siddiqui plays the child’s role in the film alongside Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla.

Chopra feels that Indian audiences have now begun to accept a wide range of films rather than being open only to specific genres.

While the audience appreciates a film like “Race”, it also loves a good film like “Munnabhai M.B.B.S”, he said.

Chopra, however, thought Abbas-Mustan’s thriller “Race” was “much ado about nothing”.

“I have no personal bias against the film, but I feel it was a little confusing. Besides, I am just trying to say that the audience is ready to accept every sort of film today,” he said.

Four films from Chopra’s production house, B.R. Films, are in the pipeline. These include “Kohinoor”, “Pocket Maar”, “Dosti” and “Betiyaan”.

He added that two more soaps are on the anvil that would air on Sony TV and Sahara TV.

Producer-director Mahesh Bhatt is strangely quiet after the death of his mentor, guru and dear friend U.G. Krishnamurti.

“Since U.G. rejected divinity and didn’t want to be remembered after his death, I see no point in talking about him when he’s no more. It sort of defeats what he believed in,” Bhatt told IANS.

“The story of U.G. is the story of an ordinary man who refused to be treated like god. He scoffed at the ‘god factory’ and repudiated the lies churned out in the lie factories that run civilisation,” said Bhatt.

Bhatt spent 10 days in Italy with Krishnamurti just before his death.

“Those 10 days mean more to me in terms of experience and enrichment than the 30 years that I’ve known him. It’ll take me more than a lifetime to sift through, understand and process the thoughts and opinions he shared with me during those days. It’ll be a long time before I actually start talking about those glorious and heartbreaking days.”

The veteran filmmaker cremated Krishnamurti on March 23.

“He gave me the responsibility to make sure he was allowed to die the way he wanted. And the greatest task I was given to perform was to cremate him. He died on a sunny afternoon in a villa in Vallecrosia in Italy. Only my two American friends and I were with him when the end came. He had asked all the others to leave,” Bhatt added.

After Mahesh Bhatt, it’s Delhi-based producer Ravi Ahlawat’s turn to showcase the turbulent life of 70s’ glamour queen Parveen Babi, who died in 2005.

The film - titled “Parveen Babi” with newcomer Amrita Dhanoa playing the title role - will expose the late actress’s “well-wishers and friends” who exploited her to the hilt, claims Ahlawat.

“I want to show how people misused a small-town girl. First, they exploited her emotionally, then physically and later financially. And once their purpose was served, they dumped her,” Ahlawat told IANS.

Ahlawat says his story is authentic because he wrote it after speaking to Parveen’s nieces - Anisha and Verona Babi - at length.

“In a recently released film, she was shown as a mentally disturbed girl since she was a kid. But this is not true. She was not a mad person. My film will show the real Parveen Babi.”

The actress, who reportedly suffered from schizophrenia, was a recluse in the last years of her life. She never married but reportedly had intimate relationships with Bhatt, Kabir Bedi and Danny Denzongpa. She was also rumoured to have a relationship with co-star Amitabh Bachchan.

Asked about his film’s USP, Ahlawat said: “The story, music and locations are the highlights of my film.”

Being shot in Delhi, the film is directed by Sandeep Kumar, who is the nephew of yesteryear’s popular actor Pradeep Kumar. With music composed by Dilip and Samir Sen, the film is scheduled to hit the screens next month.

Mahesh Bhatt’s film “Arth” had cast the late Smita Patil as Parveen in 1982. In the more recent “Woh Lamhe”, Parveen was played by Kangana Ranaut.

Reacting to Shilpa Shetty’s win at the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother, noted film maker Mahesh Bhatt sought to calm the media hype saying, it is just a game show and there are much larger issues at hand.

“The media must put things in right perspective. Obviously we are happy that she has won it but after all, it is only a game show that was meant to achieve the producer’s own end,” Bhatt told PTI.

“When your child wins an essay competition, you feel happy about it but that is not the centre of your life,” he said.

The country faces larger issues at hand, Bhatt said adding, media should focus on them.

Film producer Mahesh Bhatt today denied, in his cross examination in a special court here, that the person who had threatened him over telephone last year had identified himself as gangster Ravi Poojari.

On June 14, 2006, an unidentified person had fired indiscriminately in Mahesh Bhatt’s office. Thereafter, when Bhatt reached his office he had received a telephone call, where the caller had allegedly identified himself as gangster Ravi Poojari and had threatened the Bollywood producer with dire consequences if did not budge to his demand for a certain extortion amount.

Five people were arrested in this connection by the crime branch and Bhatt today deposed in a related case before MCOCA special judge Mridula Bhatkar. During cross examination conducted by a defence lawyer, Bhatt admitted the caller had not identified himself as Ravi Poojari and it was his own conclusion that the person might have been Poojari as he had heard the voice on a telephonic interview of Poojari, run by a news channel on the same day was matching with his caller’s.

But, when the same tape of interview was today run in the court.

Bhatt again reiterated that the voice was same as that of his caller’s. He said after the incident everyone was whispering the name of Poojari in office as well as outside and that was the reason he too declared the name of Poojari.

Five accused namely Santosh Poojari, Ramesh Kanojia, Arvind Devadia, Nityanand Shetty and Sampat Kotian were arrested in the case.

All of them were initially arrested for threatening a Ghatkopar Hotel owner for extortion amount and later in the interrogation their role in threatening the Bollywood producer came to light.

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan will unveil lyricist Sameer’s biography titled “Sameer - A Way With Words” in Mumbai Oct 28.

Journalist and documentary filmmaker Derek Bose has written the biography.

The day marks the 75th birth anniversary of Sameer’s father, late lyricist Anjaan. At the book launch tributes will be paid to Anjaan, whose contributions enriched Hindi film music.

Sameer, who completes 25 years as lyrics writer in Bollywood this year, has penned songs for 500 films. The only songwriter who is ahead of him is the late Anand Bakshi, who wrote for 622 films during his 45-year tenure.

Eminent film personalities, including producers, directors, music composers and singers who have collaborated with Sameer over the past quarter-century, are expected to attend the ceremony.

A three-hour musical programme showcasing Sameer’s repertoire will be presented at the function. Prominent playback artistes and winners of Zee TV’s “Sa Re Ga Ma” like Bela Shende and Abhijeet Ghoshal will also perform.

A double CD pack of hit songs showcasing the versatility of Sameer’s work will be released at the function.

StarsBollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt Wednesday said he had never seen people’s solidarity like the one following the death of Muslim youth Rizwanur Rahman here as the director called on the mother of the victim at her residence in the evening.

“In my whole life I never experienced such a situation when all people, despite their different religions, raised a single voice for humanity and justice. I am feeling really great to sit at the feet of Rizwanur’s mother today,” Bhatt said during his visit to the Tiljala Lane residence of Keshwar Jahan.

Rizwanur, a 30-year-old computer graphic designer, was found dead beside a railway track here with his head smashed on Sep 21, barely a month after marrying Hindu girl Priyanka Todi, daughter of industrialist Ashok Todi.

Ashok Todi and three Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are in the eye of a storm for allegedly intimidating the youth to end the marriage.

“It’s a very good sign when all people unanimously react on a single humanitarian issue. It surely indicates that our country and its people are going on the right track,” he said.

“If this trend continues across the country no one would not dare to commit any crime of such nature in future,” said Bhatt, who has in recent years turned to social activism.

When he was informed about West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s decision to remove all five tainted cops - whose names have figured in the case - from their posts, he said: “it’s a victory of the people.

“I personally think if the police officials are really guilty they should come and apologise to Rizwan’s mother,” he said.

Priyanka Khanna: A common thread running through over-the-top comic caper “Krazzy 4? and sombrely romantic “U, Me Aur Hum” is the theme of mental illness.

While actor Ajay Devgan has chosen Alzheimer’s, which leads to gradual memory loss, as the subject for his directorial debut “U Me Aur Hum”, actor-turned-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan has depicted the world from the eyes of four mentally unstable men in the much hyped “Krazzy 4?.

In the former, Kajol, one of Bollywood’s most talented female actors, essays the role of a young woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s. How the aliment tests her marriage forms the core of the film, which tries to strike a balance with a breezy first half.

The last time Kajol was seen on the big screen was in “Fanaa” in which she portrayed the role of a visibly challenged Kashmiri girl to perfection. The actor has become very selective after her marriage to Ajay and it seems she is willing to take up only very special roles.

And such roles are coming by much more frequently in Bollywood, which is desperately seeking to break the mould in a bid to keep its increasingly discerning audiences hooked.

“After a spate of movies featuring roles of physically challenged people, including ‘Black’ and ‘Iqbal’ on one hand and slapsticks like ‘Pyare Mohan’ and ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ on the other, Mumbai dream merchants now seem to be focusing on tales of the mentally challenged,” said a trade observer.

Ajay’s film comes on the heels of superstar Aamir Khan’s directorial debut “Taare Zameen Par”, which was based on autism. The film, a surprise blockbuster, took a sensitive view of the differently-abled and promoted inclusiveness.

On a less serious note, “Krazzy 4?, which also released Friday, brings together acting powerhouses like Irfan Khan, Juhi Chawla and Arshad Warsi in an attempt to trickle the funny bone and at the same time deliver a moral message.

Produced by Rakesh Roshan, the film is a comedy about four mentally unstable men and how their view of a world, which is going increasingly insane, makes more sense.

The film that features two special item numbers by Shah Rukh Khan and Rakhi Sawant, respectively, and one promotional number by heartthrob Hrithik Roshan has generated a lot of buzz but is also facing rough weather.

The controversy surrounding the film’s music has died down but now the film has been branded as “insensitive” for its portrayal of the mentally ill.

A concerned citizen, Rukmini Pillai, has filed a complaint with the Central Board of Film Certification, stating: “The filmmakers need to be more attuned to the social fabric and appreciate that people with mental illnesses aren’t just lying on the streets and in asylums.”

Earlier, Pillai had reportedly succeeded in securing three cuts to the film “Woh Lamhe”, which depicted schizophrenic film star Parveen Babi.

For long, the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry represented the mentally challenged as comic supporting characters that add an amusing sideshow to the central story.

Dinesh Bhugra, who has written a book that analysis depiction of mental illness in Hindi films, says that compared with Hollywood’s portrayal of psychological ailments, Indian cinema is perhaps less enlightened.

“There are fewer Bollywood films that look at mental illness in a serious and sympathetic way,” he said.

This, he argues, gives an impression that “Indian cinema may be 30 to 40 years behind Hollywood’s image of psychiatry.”

Remember Salman Khan in “Kyon Ki”, where the lead’s illness bears no resemblance to any realistic mental illness, Ajay in “Main Aisa Hi Hoon”, which tried hard to deal with autism, and Hrithik in “Koi… Mil Gaya”, where he has a developmental disorder about which almost nothing is known, except perhaps that it’s ‘cute’.

Most such films played up mental illness for pathos, trying very hard to make their protagonists earn the audience’s sympathy, but came out as non-serious.

At the same time, films like “15 Park Avenue” and “Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara” had their heart in the right place, but not the marketing power.

It remains to be seen whether films like “U, Me Aur Hum” and “Krazzy 4? can find the balance between marketability and sensitivity like “Taare Zameen Par” did.

Subhash K. Jha: Actor Govinda, who has made a comeback following

several ups and downs in life, says he’s “finally at peace”. He has

cleared off most of his debts, got a second lease of life in Bollywood

and has just begun to “understand politics” though he is an MP.

The actor, who’s been in the film industry for nearly two decades, says

he feels nervous and excited about movies even now and is still

learning new aspects of the trade.

“I don’t want to lose this second opportunity that god has given me. I

want to take my work further… I think I’ve just begun my career now.

I feel I’m in Standard 1 in school. I’m feeling nervous and excited. I’m

learning, understanding and I’m trying to manage in my own way,”

Govinda told IANS in an interview.

The actor, known for his superb comic timing, says he had been taken

for granted for too long. But that’s changed now.

“Today I can’t be taken for granted by people who want to make films

with me. For too long I’ve been taken for granted. Today I insist on

working only with big banners who will ensure that a film gets

released properly and on time,” he said.

The actor is currently working on Ravi Chopra’s “Banda Yeh Bindaas

Hai” and Neeraj Vora’s “Do Lucky” with Tusshar Kapoor.

Asked about politics, Govinda, who’s an MP, said he is “a slow

learner” and is gradually understanding its nuances.

Bipasha Basu ‘racing’ ahead in styleAfter Kareena Kapoor and John Abraham, now Bipasha Basu is gearing up to launch her own fashion label ‘BB’. Bipasha’s style and fashion sense is undoubtedly superb and now, the lady wants to extend her signature brand in accordance with her impeccable sense of dressing and style.

With ‘Race’ having the cash registers ringing at the box-office, Bipasha is on an upswing even with her career. Director duo Abbas-Mastaan has approached her for yet another thriller. The movie in question will be produced under their newly launched production house Burmawala Bros. BTW, this is not same movie which is currently being made under their production house, directed by Rumi Jaffrey and starring Fardeen Khan, Tusshar Kapoor and Govinda.

Hot pics - Upen Patel and Deepika PadukoneSuddenly, all the entertainment world seems to be flooded by steamy pictures of Deepika Padukone with Upen Patel. These pictures, which are apparently some three years old had been taken as a part of some photoshoot. The question here is: Why are they all over the net now? It could be some prank from a naughty mind. Some also blame Upen for it saying that since Deepika is a hot property now, he has deliberately released these pics as a part of cheap publicity and to revive the rumours of him and Deepika.

Says a source close to Deepika, “Why are these pictures coming out now? After three years? Right now Deepika is hot property; it can’t be a co-incidence that these pictures are suddenly popping up in everyone’s mailboxes.”

Upen has defended the allegations by being blissfully aware, “The pictures are something from the past. I don’t even remember them, if you know what I mean. I did some photo shoot with her for Wendell many years ago. Who ever is behind spreading these pictures has an agenda to spoil my image in the public eye but I am not at fault here.”

Whoever may be at fault, you guys treat your eyes with some hot pics of a hot chick with a hot model.