Flush from the box-office success of his first directorial venture, Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan is all set to expand his foot-print in the entertainment business.

The actor, who already has a production house, is in final negotiations to buy an entire housing society in Santacruz (W). Sources say the property will  be used to build a studio.

The actor who has been negotiating with the residents of 32-year-housing society Vrindavan for over last six months is reported to have offered about Rs 1.5 crore to each of the 22 flats owners.

Our sources say the offer has been accepted by the residents but the final agreement has still to be inked between the parties concerned. Building residents this reporter spoke to said  Aamir intends  to set up a studio on the premises.

Mansoor Khan, the actor’s cousin, admitted that Amir was negotiating for the Santacruz property. ”Yes we know that Aamir is buying a housing colony in Santa Cruz,” he told this newspaper during the course of another
interview.

The ground plus three storey building was built by State Bank of India employees and is situated opposite  the Rajesh Khanna garden. Each of the 22 flats admeasures 730 sq feet in carpet area.

“Although negotiations have been on for some time now it was only recently that the actor agreed to hike his offer. Last week Aamir met residents of the society and it was decided to take the deal forward,” said our source.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the society and Aamir. Property prices in  this area of Santa Cruz range from Rs 15,000 - Rs 18,000 per sq feet. However the area falls under the coastal regulation zone which places restrictions on the use of  floor space index for construction.

The state government’s decision to increase FSI in suburbs by .33 percent will not be applicable here because of CRZ, residents said. In the last three-four years the society has received several offers from developers — one of which was for redevelopment– but none of them materialised.

Society secretary Srihas Fadnis was tight-lipped about the deal with Aamir. He confirmed that negotiations were on with the actor but denied that an offer was made to them for purchase. ”There is no agreement,” he said, stressing  that several such proposals have fallen through earlier too.

Abhishek Bachchan is famous for his antics on the sets. This time it was sex that vexed on the sets of Sarkar Raj, while he was shooting for a song, ‘Jini jini si ye subah…’

Says a source from the production unit of Sarkar Raj, “We were shooting in a village, Anjanpur near Hyderabad. The scene required Abhishek to lecture the villagers about a serious issue.

Ramu Sir (Ram Gopal Varma) told Abhishek to ad lib as the actual dialogues would be taken care of while dubbing the particular scene. The director had also clearly instructed the villagers to look serious while listening to Abhishek.”

What followed left everyone in splits. The source says, “After Ramu said ‘Action’, Abhishek suddenly started giving sex education to all the villagers. He not only went into the biological details of sex like, ‘When the X chromosome meets the Y chromosome…’, but also went on to explain the entire process to the audience. And he just didn’t stop there. He also went on to explain different sexual positions to the villagers.”

“All was well until the villagers, who were instructed to look serious, started laughing aloud when they finally understood what Abhishek was telling them. They all tried hard not to laugh.

Ramu, who was at a distance, didn’t know what was going on and why everybody was suddenly laughing when they were not supposed to. He immediately called ‘Cut’ and walked up to them.

That’s when he figured out what was happening,” adds the source.

Abhishek plays Shankar in the film. When Anita Rajan (Aishwarya) CEO of an international firm, brings a power plant proposal to set up in rural Maharashtra, Shankar realises its benefits and convinces Sarkar (Amitabh). Shankar along with Anita goes to the villages to get support from the villagers.

She has always dressed up for the occasion. And so when the occasion demanded that Preity wear a 30’s hair style to go with the theme of a sponsors event, the actress got herself a great wig. So much so that everyone thought it to be a smart haircut.

Dressed in her regular jeans and club t-shirt, Preity made a fetching picture as she screamed and shouted for her club, Punajb KingsXI as they took on Mumbai Indians last night. Her straight black hair framing her face looked suddenly out of place as we had just seen her sporting a lovely short haircut for her Chopard event at the Cannes Film Festival, four days back.

When grilled by a tv commentator, the last thing on Preity’s mind was her hair cut. She was torn in two minds supporting her team and looking forward to seeing her favourite cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar bat. She said, “I am torn in two. I am a Mumbaite at heart and if I had not been a club owner, I would have donned the blue t-shirt of the Mumbai Indians, sat in the stadium supporting Mumbai.”

The spirited actress cum businesswoman is enjoying her stint as a club owner. She confessed, “I never thought that the club culture would catch on so fast. We all thought that it would be tough going for the people to support a club, but the response has been brilliant.”

Any role that life has thrown the perky actress, Preity has grabbed it with both hands. So from walking the red carpet in a startling blue gown to wearing t-shirts and jeans for a club cricket game, Preity has had fun going about her business.

We at Indiatimes Movies cheer the spirit of Preity Zinta.

Vishal Bhardwaj is certainly one for original titles. His latest film, which is not inspired by any Shakespearean play, is titled Kaminay.

Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapur are supposed to star in the film.

When quizzed about the title, Bhardwaj refused to comment but agreed talk at length once he’s finalised all the details. But Priyanka is a little more forthcoming. “Vishal’s film certainly has an interesting title.

However, I cannot reveal anything about it. But just like the title, the film bends all the rules,” she days, adding, “We will start shooting from August, right after I complete the promotion of Love Story 2050.”

Enough of being introduced as Sushmita Sen’s ex! Such an identity can never be an ego boost for an actor who has six films in the pipeline, one of which (Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya) has now taken him to the Cannes Film Festival.

There exists a Randeep Hooda beyond the clichés that perpetually keep him time-warped by all things Sushmita. A man who plays the saxophone and the flute when he is high on life, who has had Naseeruddin Shah as a mentor, owns six horses at the Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Race Course and has never been on a vacation in his whole life since holidays have been visiting home away from his hostel life, is expected to have a worldview that’s conventionally unconventional.

And this unconventional streak is manifested in his desire to portray Raja Ravi Verma in RR as a visionary and a Casanova. “History usually sugarcoats icons. But I believe an artiste who appreciated the female form must also have been a very interesting man. Creativity comes with a flamboyance and if that doesn’t get reflected on screen, the character becomes very uninteresting,” says Randeep adding, “Casanova isn’t a negative term. He is someone who appreciates women and is able to cater to a larger variety without making them feel unwanted or taking them for a ride. He doesn’t promise eternity. Rather he finds eternity in the moment. Somewhere, I too have been a Casanova. There are different people within me and if I’ve been a Casanova, I have done it without hurting anyone.”

Ask him whether he, like Verma, also has a thing for voluptuous women and Randeep nods in affirmation. “I’m not for size zero women. Bollywood might be devastatingly heading towards size zero, but I certainly don’t like a woman without curves in my arms,” he chuckles.

Conversation soon meanders towards his role in Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye where Randeep is playing the ‘ultimate ladies man’. So, does Randeep know what it takes to be one in real life? “A woman wants a man who is encouraging, makes her laugh, understands and supports her dreams, is not overtly possessive and adores them all the time.

A man doesn’t need to look like Adonis to floor a woman if he has these qualities,” he insists. And which of these attributes has Randeep found most difficult to cultivate? “I think we often start counting and fall prey to our day-to-day ego trips. Sometimes, very rarely though, I’ve been able to have all the traits. On other occasions, I’ve just expressed one or two of them. But the most difficult part is to strike a balance between all the traits,” he confesses.

As he continues, he talks about playing a ‘testosterone driven young man’ in Love Khichdi who is out to experiment with (or rather discover) a variety of ladies! Quite a shocker for the prude Indians, to say the least. But Randeep isn’t keen on judging such men. “I’ve a more understanding point of view. Young males suffer from a turmoil of hormones which sometimes manifest in aggressive behaviour or a sense of alienation,” his voice trails off.

Having played such diverse characters, does acting seem a cakewalk to Randeep now? “Acting isn’t a difficult job. It’s part of human behaviour. It’s either about projecting a dormant side of your own self or trying to emulate someone else’s behaviour. Acting is just about changing my point of view,” he insists.

But is there a side to Randeep that he rarely gets to explore through his screen personas? “Though I’m not a cry baby, I am much softer in real life than what I come across.” Perhaps, that softness comes across when he just hints at not wanting to retaliate to reports that claim that he has said that his relationship with Sushmita has been a waste of time. “I’ve moved on and don’t want to pay heed to what gets printed when I haven’t said anything of it.”

Emraan Hashmi and Navjot Singh Sidhu are in the middle of a war of words.

And it all started when the commentator tried to defend cheerleaders, at the cost of Emraan, Bipasha, Salman etc. On the cheerleaders issue, Sidhu gave vent to his anger and said if Emraan’s onscreen kisses were permissible, the cheerleaders shouldn’t be banned either.

We asked Emraan what happened actually, and he said, “I believe Sidhu has a problem with me kissing in films. I have no idea what he has got to do with any of it, I’m not kissing him anyway.

And he had a problem with other actors too and scenes that are suggestive of intimacy on screen. But I guess these issues are best left to the censor board. They are the best judges of such matters.”

What’s it like to play Dhoni’s girlfriend in a leading battery commercial?
Oh great! After working with him, I realised that he is a better actor than a cricketer (laughs)! I even told him that ‘It doesn’t seem like you are India skipper, Dhoni.’ I was bowled over when he responded by saying, ‘I am not Dhoni; I’m his dummy!’ In fact, Ishant Sharma was also part of the commercial and he, too, is extremely sweet.

Will it be a sixer if the ODI skipper proposes to you?
No way. It’s good to watch him play on the field. Off it, he is so caught up with endorsing that there won’t be any time left for me (laughs).

Will you be a taker for Dhoni the model or Dhoni the cricketer?
Dhoni, the model, of course.

And do you know which team he’s part of in the IPL?
Is it Chennai? I am not too sure! Can’t see beyond Sourav in cricket.

You were playing the lead in Meghbalika. But you seem to have disappeared from the small screen after that…
I enjoyed playing Shalmoli’s role in Meghbalika. I had even cut down on print ads and commercials during that period. But after three years, I thought I would shift to Mumbai, where my family was. Besides, there was nothing much to do in Tollywood. Frankly speaking, Bengali movies are not my cup of tea. Offers did come from Ravi Ojha, for his megaserial Mohona, and from Agnidev Chatterjee, but those weren’t meaty enough.

Do you feel then that Bengali movies are not up to the mark?
It’s not that. Bengali films are not for me. I want to work with Riingo though. I feel he is a promising director.

People say it’s tough in Mumbai…
It’s tough everywhere. But there are plenty of opportunities in Mumbai. Even an extra in a
commercial, draws nearly Rs 25,000 there. I’ve had to turn down many offers because I believe in quality not quantity.

Why have you declined offers in Mumbai so early in your career?
I said no to an ad with SRK for a leading computer company because it was a blink-and-miss role. I regret having done a hair oil ad with Deepika Padukone, because all I had was one dialogue and a good frame. I also opted out of a hair removing cream ad which had Kareena Kapoor. Insignificant work hinders careergraph. You know, I got an offer to feature in Sonu Niggaam’s music video but I preferred not to take it because I’d have to sport a costume similar to Zeenat Aman’s in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. I’m not so insecure that I’ll say yes to anything that comes my way. I’ve even said no to big screen offers.

What kind of roles were you offered?
Ram Gopal Varma’s assistant is making a film, for which he approached me. But I had to wear a bikini for one of the scenes and I declined. Samar Khan requested me to do an item number for his film Shaurya, but I don’t want to start my career being an item girl. Rozza did the number. I want to be like Rani Mukerji or Kajol not Mallika Sherawat. I declined a lead role in a megaserial called Meri Devrani as it was a three-year contract. I don’t want to bind myself in a bahu’s role for that long!

Are you flaunting a full kitty now?
By God’s grace, yes. I will be playing a lead role in a Tamil film. Other than that, I have been shortlisted by directors like Shivam Nayar and Rajat Kapoor for untitled big screen projects. I’m keeping my fingers crossed! And thanks to Mumbai models who are not very comfortable wearing saris, I’m doing a lot of sari ads! I am also the brand ambassador of a leading jewellery brand. So, all’s well on the workfront as of now.

The vibrant and cheerful Juhi Chawla loves being in Shah Rukh Khan’s company.

On being asked whether she prefers Shah Rukh as a friend, as a co-actor or as a business partner, Juhi flashed her million-dollar smile and replied, “I like Shah Rukh everywhere! He is a sharp person and great fun to be with. He is great in whatever he does and, yes, he is truly a joy.”
Besides acting, it is her involvement in the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches that sets her pulse racing. Juhi, who is co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders team along with Shah Rukh, said, “IPL is really exciting, but it is also stressful for me.”

Dressed in a simple kurti and pants with no accessories, Juhi spoke about her recently released film. The initial response to the film has not been good, but Juhi asserted that it was being appreciated the world over. “I am so happy that the film is being appreciated. I had a great time working with the child (Aman Siddiqui) and Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan), and it is a special film for me,” she said. Since the film was centred on Amitabh and Aman, didn’t she feel overshadowed? “I have been asked about this many times but, frankly, I could neither have played the ghost nor the child! So, there is nothing like being overshadowed in the film. I feel that as long as we play our given parts well, we are noticed and our work is also appreciated,” Juhi said.

Talking about her future projects, Juhi said she was playing the role of a fortune-teller in Aziz Mirza’s Kismet Konnection. “It’s a small role but a very different one,” she said.

Sonal Chauhan’s personal has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

There were reports that she was slapped by her ‘friend’ Sahil Zaroo at the airport recently. However, professionally the girl has reasons to smile. After cutting three cakes on her birthday on May 16, yes, the same day as her debut film Jannat’s release,

Sonal has received the best birthday gift ever. “Jannat has opened to 100 per cent,” gushes the ecstatic newcomer. The actress, who’s already made waves in the modelling industry, has now been accepted with open arms by Bollywood too. Says Sonal, “It is the best birthday gift I have ever received. Jannat released on my birthday and I’ve been told that it’s doing really well.

Apparently, the movie is the biggest grosser after Raaz for the Bhatts.” In fact the Bhatts are so happy with Sonal that they have signed her for Raaz 2. Not many know that she replaced Esha Deol in Jannat. Esha’s loss is Sonal’s gain!

Since I’m very particular about my fitness levels, I spend a lot of time at the gym. Normally, I try to make it about five times a week. My workout regimen includes cardio and weights that are decided by my personal instructor.

Needless to say, what I’ve achieved vis-a-vis my toned body is all thanks to a lot of hard work. Although I know yoga helps a great deal, it’s not for me, I don’t have the patience for it. Even when it comes to meditation, I just can’t concentrate – my mind wanders all over the world… Fortunately, I’ve always been skinny, but I’ve still had to be very particular because you can’t achieve a good, healthy and a toned look without the help of exercises and a good diet.

My daily diet

I don’t believe in starving myself, so I have a regular diet. But, I do make sure what I eat is cooked in olive oil that’s low in calories. As a kid, I had a major sweet tooth, but now, I have sweets only once in a while. Ditto for pizzas and burgers. For breakfast, I have either poha or toast and egg or dalia, and my meals later in the day comprise dal, roti, rice and sabzi. And, yes, lots of salads too. In fact, I have a weakness for salads.

My happiness quotient

The one thing that keeps me happy is having my family around me. Couple this with the feeling of being fit and active and being able to work hard towards my goals in life. What also gives me a high is my reading, watching movies and cooking which is a great stress buster for me.