Vidya Balan started off with a bang in Parineeta and continued her successful stint in Bollywood with Lage Raho Munnabhai, Guru, Eklavya, Heyy Babyy… all the films becoming hits!

However of late Vidya has made news for all the wrong reasons! Her ‘atrocious’ dress sense and styling in Heyy Babyy and thus her fist fight with Manish Malhotra ensured that Vidya stayed in news. Not just that SRK-Saif even awarded her for her tragic styling in the same film at the Filmfare awards!

If not her dressing, her alleged relationship with Shahid Kapur made her the villain for Shahid-Bebo fans!

It all started when Vidya was signed by Aziz Mirza opposite Shahid Kapur in Kismet Connection. It was that time when Shahid parted ways with Kareena and inevitably Vidya’s growing proximity with Shahid was blamed for his break-up!

However, inside sources revealed to us that “There is nothing brewing between Shahid and Vidya as it is made out to be. They are just friends and share a good working relationship. Its juts blown out of proportion as it will indirectly promote Kismet Connection.”

This is not the first time that Vidya has been used like a guinea pig to promote her films! During Parineeta and Lage Raho, Vidya was linked to Sanjay Dutt and during the release of Salaam-E-Ishq she was linked to John Abraham – all a publicity gimmick by film promoters to heighten the audiences’ curiosity for their film. Same seems to be happening with Kismet Connection.

It’s a tough time for Vidya as except for her histrionics on screen, she has been focused on for all the wrong reasons! After bad wardrobe, excess weight, second woman in Shahid’s life tag she is now being allegedly criticized for her age!

“She looks very old when compared to Shahid and we are very doubtful about the audiences liking her pairing with him” said a film director on condition of anonymity.

Seems like Vidya’s singleton status is what is making her life miserable. Ironically her Kismet is not letting her connect to any eligible bachelors but is instead landing her into trouble by making her grow closer to already hooked and booked men! Sanjay had Manyata, John had Bipasha and should we say Shahid has Sania? Ssssh ssssh!

Its time Vidya repeats Shahid’s dialogue from ‘Jab We Met’ – ‘Musibatein mein jhelu aur mujhe ladka bhi nahi mil raha hai!’ – What say Vidya?

But on a last note, the pairing in the film is looking different and there is a certain freshness to the pair. As both are very good actors and they are being directed by Aziz Mirza, one can surely expect a lovely emotional film.

Besides women, Shahid Kapoor has a huge fan following amongst children. The actor realized that when he was shooting for a film in Pune recently. The film’s location was a school in Pune. The minute the school bell rang for recess some 200 odd children thronged on the sets to catch a glimpse of their favorite star. Some even wanted to share a word with him.

But Shahid was too busy to give them personal attention. The children refused to budge from there till Shahid squeezed out sometime to meet them. They stood there for the actor even though the recess time was over. Teachers were greeted with empty classrooms. It was only when Shahid spoke to the children and spent quality time with them they went back to their classrooms.

Shahid shared a few pearls of wisdom with the children saying that it as students they should make it a point to be in class and study devotionally. Thus the children agreed albeit reluctantly. Here’s a hero who uses his charisma for all positive reasons. Way to go Shahid!

Kareena Kapoor has been declared the cutest vegetarian that fans would love to emulate. The on-line poll was conducted by PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Bebo won hands down.

The actress bagged the highest number of votes giving other potential celebrities, who followed and advocated a vegetarian diet, far behind.
She has been receiving compliments by the dozen ever since she turned vegetarian and lost weight.

The Jab We Met actress is happy that she has inspired her fans to turn vegetarian. “If my fans are looking up to me and have turned vegetarian 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 looks in Tashan and want to do something for themselves too. If they turn vegetarian for that then I am glad to be an example for them.”

However, Kareena also clarified that, “I don’t want people to come to conclusion that turning vegetarian means starving oneself to death. I have a healthy breakfast and have portions of food non stop through out the day. It is a healthy meal of varied vegetables and fruits. This meal keeps me fit I want those looking up to me for their fitness regimen to follow a healthy diet and not pay attention to stories that I survive on juices alone. That is not true! Also these rumors about me having acquired the size zero body mass is baseless. I am fit and healthy. My weight is just right for me. I would like to tell my fans that we are all individuals and body requirements vary from person to person. You should find the weight that is apt for you and keep fit. And yes follow a healthy vegetarian diet.”

So here’s to another feather in Kareena’s cap…

Everything that we often hear or read about Salman proves to be nothing but wrong!

Salman’s highhanded behaviour, snobbish attitude, brattish ways…everything is nothing but a farce! Through word of mouth one gets to hear Salman’s kind deeds and extreme generosity. One such noble side of Salman’s was seen during the shoot of the title track of Salman’s game show ‘Dus Ka Dum’.

Said a unit hand of the show, “The recently concluded video shoot of Dus Ka Dum had an enthusiastic Salman at his best. In an affable mood and raring to go attitude, Salman added his own inputs to the song Dum dum dum dum dum…dus ka dum, dus se bhari hum… …bandh muthi ki jholi, percent mein hogi boli…lagbag bhi joh bolega…bhar dunga uski joli… as he matched his footwork with a troop of glamorous dancers. Even though he is a superstar he doesn’t act like one.”

The hip-hop track can be seen on tv currently but we’ll have to wait for June to see how Salman is able to handle India ki janta as a host which also marks his tv debut!
Rajeev Surti is the choreographer of the music album of Dus Ka Dum and musical duo Sajid Wajid has composed the foot-tapping music. The lyrics are written by Jalees Sherwani and Wajid has his voice lent to it.

Said Sajid of the music director duo, “Salman has been excited about doing the show and was very keen that the music and video be very different from anything currently on air.”

He further added, “The theme of the game show is very good - about giving away lots of money to people. So we planned to do something that suited the game show and its host rather than concentrate on the ambience and technical aspects. The music video has a deliberate Bollywood theme to go with Salman’s star status and attitude while it exudes a next-gen feel with dialogues and marching beats. Salman has always inspired us to give our best,” said Sajid giving credit to his friend of 14 years!

Priyadarshan’s next venture Mere Baap Pehle Aap is a remake of the Malayalam film Ishtam . The film has Akshaye Khanna, Genelia D’souza and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.

The director of the film, Priyadarshan said, “We have taken the plot from a very old Malayalam film. Mere Baap Pehle Aap is a very good family entertainer. It is about the relationship between a father and a son. One can say that the film is a love story between a father and a son. Both want to get each other married off. The son wants to get his father married first as his mother died the day he was born. How and why he wants that, forms the suspense of the film. The full film is made in a comical way.”

Priyadarshan believes that Mere Baap Pehle Aap is not a comedy film. “The film is more of Hrishikesh Mukherjee kind of a film. He never made comedy films. His films also had some meaning and some stories in them. My film also had a good story and everything is in a lighter way.”

Nagesh Kukunoor is known to be a hard taskmaster where his actors are concerned. But sometimes even Nagesh can get surprised is something we learnt. It is common knowledge that Nagesh wanted John to loose 16 kgs in two months for his forthcoming film Aashayein. The tough part was that it had to be a gradual weight loss while shooting, as they were shooting linear. Says Nagesh, “Everyone knows that I was pushing John to lose weight. What people don’t know is after a certain point I was very worried and didn’t want him to lose any more weight. Actually he had already lost a lot of weight and everyday after shooting for twelve hours would almost collapse on the set. Now I was genuinely worried. I started complaining him to stop exercising and trying to loose weight. After all it is only a film. That’s when John would say, don’t worry, you are there to take care of me.

While rest of the filmis are busy shooting and attending cricket matches, Aamir Khan has decided to go for a much deserved break. And guess where he has headed for? To his favourite hill station Panchgani to recuperate from his recent injuries which he suffered on the sets of his film Ghajini. “Whenever he gets time he comes here with his wife and children. He simply loves this place. Its gives him peace and he gets lots of quality time to spend with his children, but this time the unplanned vacation was due to his injuries” says a friend of the star. Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery!

The other day we stumbled upon a rather unusual sight. It was close to midnight and we caught Priyanka Chopra riding an auto rickshaw with a motley crowd following her. On closer look, it turned out to be a passing shot for Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. “Madhur always believes in taking realistic shots and it was his idea to make Priyanka ride a richshaw in the middle of the night,” says a unit member. Hopefully Priyanka enjoyed the midnight joy ride.

Riteish Deshmukh who made a very humble start in Bollywood is today amongst the actors in big demand. He might not be amongst the league of superstars who are constantly vying for the top positions of Bollywood, but Riteish surely is the best choice when it comes to the second man in films, today. The guy is never out of work and has now been approached by editor-turned-director Shirish Kunder for two films to be made under Kunder’s home banner – Shirish Kunder Film Company.

“The first film is titled Tees Maar Khan and will be directed by me”, confirms Shirish Kunder. And what about the second film? “The second film is titled Banjo Party and will only be produced by me. We are looking out for a good name who can direct the project”. There were rumours that some Vikram Gupta is to direct Banjo Party. “Not true”, clarifies Kunder. “We are still in the process of finalizing the cast and crew”.

Meanwhile we question Shirish on what’s happening to his ambitious project Joker for which he had approached the biggest stars of today from Shah Rukh Khan to Akshay Kumar. “ Joker is currently on the backburner”, says Shirish. “The magnitude of the subject is such that it needs huge amounts to be spent on the pre-production and special effects. Joker is a project which is extremely expensive by itself, even before the stars step in. And our industry is so star-driven that it’s not possible to make a film like this until the stars cut their pays for the sake of good films”.

Seems like Shirish is disillusioned by the star-system in Bollywood! The director explains, “When Hollywood makes a film like Spiderman , see the kind of money they spend in the making, over the stars. In India we can never make a Spiderman ”.

Further about his production house, Shirish Kunder also confirms that wife Farah Khan’s next film will be co-produced under his banner.

Tinsel town they say has never been kind to debutants. And those who manage to escape the brunt of critics are bogged down by the public image gurus. Several unsuspecting fresh faces that have just begun to enjoy their claim to fame (read Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi) find themselves under the spotlight either for their unprofessional attitude or their inability to cope up with the social requisites of Bollywood.

But if there’s one actress who has managed to surpass all such critics and emerge as the polished diamond, is none other than the gorgeous Deepika Padukone. While her modeling career may have ensured no fashion faux pas, a classic style statement at the Filmfare Awards night followed by the recently held Zee Cine Awards in the form of ‘Gauri and Nainika’gowns, it is an uncompromising attitude towards her self-image that makes Deepika a natural B-town personality.

After all, how many 21-year olds can balance back-to-back double roles (Chandni Chowk to China also sees Deepika playing two characters), look stunning at award fests in between international shoot schedules and manage to keep the media at bay from reporting frivolous stories about her relationship with the equally hot poster boy Ranbir Kapoor.

But with her sheer sense of what qualifies as ‘star’ behaviour, Deepika has been doing Bollywood’s balancing act as effortlessly as those who have inherited filmi genes. And this may just be the tip of the iceberg for Ms Padukone whose sophisticated charms are unlikely to go unnoticed by potential mother-in-law Neetu Singh who came from an unequally non-filmi background but hit the right notes when it came to establishing a public image that was befit of a ‘Kapoor’ bahu.

At the outset, I want to make it clear that Sarkar Raj has nothing to do with Godfather-2. It also does not take off from where Sarkar ended. In the life of a man like Sarkar there are bound to be many instances which will give rise to new complex situations. So for want of a better word I would like to describe Sarkar Raj as the new adventures of the Nagre family. 

For me, the Sarkar films are about framing and showcasing the aura of power. 

I have employed each and every aspect of film making, be it music or screenplay or cinematography, for one and only one purpose; that is to capture the intensity in the actors’ eyes, through which we see a world of high drama be it politics, treachery, revenge, passion, courage, love and relationships. 

Sarkar Raj is much bigger than Sarkar in scale mainly because the issues and character conflicts it deals with are much more complex and intriguing than Sarkar. 

I, along with my crew, pushed the upper limits of technique to make each frame and sound vibrate with power. But no technique is of any value unless it is backed by powerful performances. 

I have always believed that there is no greater cinematic visual than an actor performing in a tight close-up. The faces of the Bachchans in Sarkar Raj are the ultimate testimony of that. 

The film belongs to me but the power belongs to the Bachchans

The recent cricket season proved that Shah Rukh Khan is a true sportsman.

His team may have let him down, but there was never a frown on his forehead. The actor was there cheering his team all the way through, like true sportsman. In fact, after every defeat, SRK made it a point to party with the players just as he would when they won a match. The players may not have got the trophy for the owner but Shah Rukh made sure they went home with a neat packet and loads of gifts.

In fact his message box is full of smses from the players not only of his team but even other teams praising him as a human being and a sportsman. Now who can blame him for his rising popularity? In fact, his colleagues should learn a lesson or two from King Khan on sportsmanship!

Actress Hrishitaa Bhatt begins the interview by telling us how “fortunate I am to have been launched into this industry by none other than SRK. I was paired opposite him in Asoka and it had been a great learning experience for me.”

Now, she will star with another legend of sorts: none other than the great Mithunda in Don Muthuswami . She is, predictably, all praise for him as well: “Mithunda is wonderful and has great comic timing. As a child, I would go into raptures whenever I would see him dancing to ‘I am a disco dancer’ and I couldn’t believe my luck when I got to work with him.”

Hrishitaa has done different kinds of roles and been a part of Bengali, Telegu and Bhojpuri films. “I am a Gujarati by birth but my Bengali aunt has brought me up so Bengali cinema is not a problem for me. In fact, in Don Muthuswami we were a Bengali gang at the sets: Mithunda, director Asheem Samanta and Rohit Roy. Telegu is difficult to master as a language but I believe Telegu cinema has grown leaps and bounds in the following years,” says Hrishitaa.

Bhatt has also recently featured with actor Shakti Kapoor in a music video called Dakku Daddy. What was that career move all about? “I started my career with modelling and TV commercials so when this music video came my way, I said why not?” Is she open to doing television as well then? “I don’t mind doing television, in fact I had got an offer but I could not take it up. I would like to host a reality TV show.”

She sports a lithe body and is open to different kinds of roles, but what she loves doing the most is romance and comedy. “I love drama, where larger than life events take place. I love watching romance and comedy. The same applies to my career. I would like to do romantic and comedy projects. Although I don’t mind doing realistic cinema once in a while.”

She describes herself as “adamant but in a good sense of the term.” She says, “I was very choosy about roles and I still am, in a certain way. I was labelled as a serious and simple girl but time and again I have proved myself and that is what counts at the end of the day.” Her mantra of choosing roles is: “I believe one has to trust the director, because it is his vision that you are stepping into.” While she is busy with Jugaad that pairs her opposite Manoj Bajpai and Chehre directed by Rohit Kaushik, she manages to pursue her interests. “I am a trained Kathak dancer and I catch up with my riyaaz when I find some time. Since I get very tired at the end of the day, I just unwind by reading books or meeting friends.”

All that she wishes for in life is “that my professional dreams come true. I can’t bear the thought of not working.”

Part seems to be no barrier for some heroines to get tattooed. Now Vidya Balan is getting a tattoo on her body. Don’t ask where. It’s just above her heart like Trisha got in South. She got fixed up for a tattoo appointment at Bandra Parlor in Mumbai.

Tattoo is now synonym to style statement especially for Mumbai folks. It is said that world renowned tattoo designers are going to work on Vidya Balan to pierce a bright tattoo. Let us see how she comes out.

Many other actresses are also in the process of getting tattooed

All those who know Ram Gopal Varma know that he has a habit of saying ‘thanks’ after every sentence.

Now Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and hubby Abhishek have found a novel way of teasing their favourite director. They too end all their sentences with a ‘thanks’ while talking to him. Says a unit member, “While shooting for Sarkar Raj, Ash noticed that Ramu would say thanks for everything. Since Amitabh and Abhishek had worked with him before they were aware of this habit of his. But Ash took some time to get used to it. Soon she started teasing him. Whenever he spoke to her she would say thanks before he could. Everyone on the set found it very endearing. Eventually both Abhi and Ash started saying it together and everyone including RGV would just laugh.”