Naughty Saif Ali Khan reveals his other plans!

Saif Ali Khan didn't always nurse dreams of being an actor!

It seems hard of believe but that's what Saif insists on

He's revealed at a recent event for children that his childhood dream was to become a secret agent or an astronaut as he liked reading about space.

But when his cricketer-father Mansoor Ali Khan told him that he'll get shot if he became an agent, he changed his mind!

Saif fascination still remains though. That's why Saif is planning to make a film called 'Agent Vinod' but unfortunately the movie is still taking time to take off.

By the way, a low budget movie with the same name came in the 70s and told the story of a secret agent.

As a child Saif had other 'interests' in school too

He was a mischievous kid and he revealed that a girl with really long hair had to cut it short after he applied gum on them.

Looks like the mischievous streak has helped him to play naughty boy roles in movies like 'Dil Chahta Hai', 'Hum Tum', 'Kal Ho Na Ho' etc so convincingly.

saif new sardar look

Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi is my Dream come true

Living your life and portraying it through cinema is every director's dream, which is what debutante director Kaushik Ghatak has done in his movie Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi.

He narrates, "The concept of the film is very close to my heart. I have actually lived the life I have portrayed in my film.

I have had to stay away from family and my home to make a career and also have had been in love with my wife for more than 7 years before we got married.

I knew exactly the way the emotions needed to be shown on screen and it has been much easier for me to explain the characters to the cast.

I am sure loads of Indians will relate easily to the characters and emotions in the film." Wishing great success to Kaushik and hope this vivah carves a niche in everyone's heart.

watch video of ek vivah aisa bhi

Watch out for the Top 15 boys on Indian Idol 4

If the first Piano Round last night where the girls performence… mesmerized you, then watch out for the talented and boisterous bunch of boys who are putting their best foot forward to prove that they are no less and they don't lack in anyway… be it talent or style.

The boys are all set to showcase their talent tonight.

Last night 15 fantastic girls kick started the competition with some mindblowing performances. Ananya, the singer- cum- Kathak dancer, Bhavya Pandit, Shini, Torsha and the doll-like Saurobhee from Tripura were simply enchanting.

The boys were rocking too – the perky young Remo, was seen wooing Priyanka Chopra in yesterday's episode and so was Keshav, who was caught off guard!

As the boys perform watch out for Roshan and Mohit Lalwani, who with their rock star attitude, will set the screens ablaze. The show, which is for the young, about the young, is surely looking forward to the youth to vote for their favorite singers.

Unlike the earlier seasons of the show, this time, both the girls and the guys heve come to the Piano Round after weeks of grooming & fitness sessions under the watchful eyes of Mickey Mehta, the Fitness guru.Presenting the TOP 30 as they now surrender themselves to the viewers for the final judgement--Public Voting.

The 4 judges—Annu Malek, Javed Akthar, Sonali Bendre & Kailash Kher—have picked some of the best talent among lakhs of aspirants auditioned. Now it is the time for the viewers to start voting for their favorit. Herein lies the real test for the TOP 30 Indian Idol contestants.

So stay tuned and vote for your favourites... as India Idol 4 sets in the groove and gears up to entertain you.

watch all missing videos of indian idol 4

Fans defy Rajnikant, persist with political party

A political party floated by thespian Rajnikant's fans would not be disbanded despite his fiat, says Rajni Babu, the president of Desiya Dravida Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam.

"Notwithstanding our leader's call to disband our party, his threat to expel and take legal action against us, we will continue to function as the political wing of Rajnikant's fan club, " Babu said.

"We have decided to take steps to stem the rot after the flop of "Kuselan" and increase the popularity of Rajnikant. Having suffered for long under the yoke of other political parties, we have decided to fight. Further, his goodwill used critically by us will cleanse the political Augean Stables of the state, " Babu added.

Babu's party formed a fortnight ago here has a flag with Rajnikant's picture in its centre.

Rajnikant threatened to take legal action against all those who used his name and picture without authorisation and decried all attempts by his fans to start a political party.

"While nobody can force me to enter politics, no force can prevent me from doing so, " Rajnikant was quoted as saying.

Situated 600 km south of state capital Chennai close to the Kerala border, this textile town has one of the largest numbers of fans of Rajnikant.

Akki, Vijender kick off Diwali celebrations

Oberoi Mall at Goregaon (East) kicked off its Diwali celebrations on 17th October by hosting a special Diwali celebration day dedicated for 50 children from Make A Wish Foundation.

The Diwali celebration began with the children and their parents arriving in the morning and first being taken to PVR Cinema for a special film screening - CHEENTI CHEENTI BANG BANG.

After the screening, they were taken to the Mall's food court - Spoon - for lunch and then to its recreational space - Fun City - which proved to be very entertaining and exciting for the children.

The celebration then culminated in an exclusive event, which was held in the Mall's central atrium and began with a Wish Granting Session, where each child was granted a wish of their choice.

Akshay Kumar and Olympic medalist Vijender Singh took turns in presenting each child with their respective wish gifts.

This was followed by a play boxing match with the entire children group and the two celebrities. The event concluded with a short boxing bout between Akshay Kumar and Vijendra Singh.

Shopping is such a stress buster ''tanushri datta''

Fitness freaks and shopaholics make for best friends and what happens when both these virtues crop up in the same pretty head…..its none other than dusky beauty Tanushree Dutta, who has been keeping really fit and going on a shopping rampage.

She has not only been going on a spree shopping for smaller size clothes, but also loads of accessories to go with it.

She comments, “Shopping is such a stress buster and I can go on shopping till I drop. I don’t always shop for brands but for stuff, which fits me well and accentuates my features. I am currently a lot into buying indo- western clothes and accessories and I absolutely love buying white tops to team them up with different denims.”

Bipasha finally meets Vijender at Nach Baliye 4

Bollywood's sultry siren Bipasha Basu sizzles on the Nach floor!

The second episode will showcase present to the viewers Much to the delight of the viewers the 2nd episode kick starts with the sizzling and hot performance by the sexy siren Bipasha Basu.

She sets the stage on fire with her dance on lucky boy from the movie Bachna Ae Haseno. Not only this! Nach Baliye also fulfills the wish of the boxing champion Vijender Singh who walks in with a bouquet to meet the dusky beauty.

Vijender becomes the lucky boy of the day as he gets to shake a leg with Bipasha on the song and was totally floored by charms of the Bengali Beauty. Bipasha also gives her valuable tips to the contestants to keep up their morale and spirits when the stress levels are high.

The excitement does not end over here. The ravishing couple Karanvir & Teejay welcomes everyone on the premiere of Nach Baliye with their song. However it is Abhijeet and Shlpa who walks away with all the laurels and marks from the judges and proves every one wrong that they are the weak link of the dance competition.

The season will be hosted by the Champions of Season 3, the charismatic duo Aamir Ali & Sanjeeda Sheikh and keeping a close watch on every move of the jodis is an eminent panel of judges consisting of iconic celebrities like the ace director Farah Khan, the suave Arjun Rampal and the charismatic Karishma Kapoor.

So, block your dates on Saturday October 18 @ 8 pm only on Star Plus. Produced by Wizcraft, Nach Baliye 4 promises to entertain viewers with loads of intriguing moments as the journey of the show is set to showcase the tensions, apprehensions, nervousness, competitiveness and bonding between the jodis.

So get ready to be a part of this nerve wrecking, nail biting journey of the 12 jodis!

Esha is almost out of work now

Her mommy dearest Hema has turned 60 today but is still very much graceful and beautiful. But the dream girl's daughter still isn't half as good even after spending more than six years in the industry. As of now Esha seems to be stuck in the same place and has miles to go before she reaches there.

With all her movies flopping left, right and centre, Esha's almost out of work now. With choices like 'Pyare Mohan', 'Ankahee', 'Just Married', 'Darling', 'Cash', 'One Two Three' and 'Hijack', what was she expecting anyway?

But the girl has not lost heart and has kept herself busy with other things in life such as preparing to shift back to her old Juhu home from Goregaon along with her mother and sister.

She's saying that even though the movie 'Hijack' flopped, she had a great time shooting for it.

She says she missed doing the action in the film as she playing an airhostess in a skirt. But what she liked was that there was no hint of a romantic association with Shiney Ahuja, the hero.

She's even not ashamed of being associated with a terribly shoddy 'Money Hai Toh Honey Hai'. Her reasoning is that she's a Govinda fan since childhood and did the item number as she always wanted to work with him.

Currently she is banking heavily on Shivam Nair's 'Exchange Offer' with Rahul Bose which she says is a contemporary film. She has talked about how acting with Rahul is different from all her other co-stars.

Now we know that a Konkona or even a Soha can carry off such a role. But keeping Esha's track record in mind, it's really hard to believe or hope something like that!

Hrithik, Saif, SRK and Abhi-Ash to come together

It's got to be the biggest rock concert ever. On the initiative of three like-minded people --Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal and Ritesh Sidhwani --12 rock bands are getting together on 31 October for the Rock On For Humanity concert at the MMRDA Ground at Bandra-Kurla to raise funds for a pediatric medical camp in Bihar.

Farhan who spearheaded this charitable concern asks, "Why a rock concert? Why not the usual film-related naach-gana that is far easier to organize as a fund-raiser.

We at Rock On For Humanity felt the idea of raising money for medical assistance must connect with the young urban youth. Though this concert has nothing to do with my film Rock On somehow the idea of a rock concert does have a bearing on the way the young responded to the film."

At the core of this sprawling charity concert will be 12 rock bands from all over the country.

"And that would include Parikrama with whom Saif Ali Khan plays guitar.And yes Saif will be playing the guitar with Parikrama that evening.

I'll be performing with Shankar-Ehsaan Loy. In addition Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be coming on stage to address the crowds.

We hope to raise a sizeable amount of money that evening because it's a one-off endeavour. We hope to raise enough money to a pediatric camp in Bihar."

Lindsay Lohan's tan faux pas

Lindsay Lohan looked stunning when she arrived for the Diesel party in New York, but her sun-kissed goddess went horribly wrong when she was struck by fake tan disaster.
The actress' legs were a shade of orange, the look made worse by the fact her ankles and feet were blinding white. The faux pas didn't go unnoticed and Lindsay eventually changed outfits, slipping on a pair of garish ripped leggings in an apparent attempt to cover up.

Lindsay’s much hyped relationship with lesbian lover Samantha Ronson is also said to have hit a rough patch, as the DJ intends to keep away from the limelight.

"Sam needs her space away from Lindsay and really needs to take a look at what the future of this relationship can be," The Sun quoted a source, as saying. It has also been reported that Lindsay acts obsessive and follows Samantha all around.

"Clearly, they were spending a little too much time together and Samantha was the one who said Lindsay was getting in the way, even acting obsessive at times,” a source said.

"Samantha DJ'ed three big parties around the Emmy weekend in Los Angeles and Lindsay was practically on top of her every minute of the gigs. Lindsay was behaving in a very smothering way,” the source added.

Deepika is ecstatic!

This was one happy turn of events that even Deepika Padukone might not have dreamt would happen to her.


It was just about a year ago that she was a ‘fresh face’ model at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. And on Day II, as she arrived to walk the ramp, she was a diva, a Bollywood actress now, and an A-lister at that! Just that morning, she was shooting for “Imtiaz Ali’s next. The shooting was at Qutub Minar. And no, it hasn’t been titled yet,” she says.

But not for a moment did Deepika show any signs of, to use the oft used phrase, ‘having arrived’. She was familiar with the layout of the backstage, and moved with ease between the greenroom and the make-up room backstage. And even as people jostled for her photographs, she smiled, and spoke to those whom she was familiar with, as if she was still one of them.

“I am,” she smiled, when asked how it felt to be on the top, so to say, now. “Everything is the same. The choreographers, the designers, the co-ordinators, and some of those who are backstage are the same too.”

But, now she’s a star... “No. That has made no difference. Everyone has been as warm and appreciative today as ever,” smiles Deepika, as the make-up person gives her eyelids a few deft strokes of dark shadow. “Everything is so exactly the same that I don’t feel the time lapse. When I came here, I felt as if the last one year hadn’t happened to me,” she adds. But she did rush for rehearsals.

Did she feel the need for practice now? “That was something I was very particular about even then. Last minute rehearsals are very important,” says Deepika. By now, it’s time. Deepika needs to get into the dress she has to walk the ramp in. Just how does it feel to be back on the ramp?

“I am excited. A bit nervous too,” she admits. “But, this is where I started, and I am sure I am going to enjoy coming back here again and again,” she says, minutes before she sails out on to the ramp, amidst thunderous applause.

Harman will bounce back with IT'S MY LIFE - Anees Bazmee

Anees Bazmee was recently stationed in Delhi shooting for his Harman Baweja–Genelia D'Souza–Nana Patekar starrer IT'S MY LIFE. While he goes through the grind of getting his next film in place, his SINGH IS KINNG has already crossed 75 crores at the box office just from India. While this has made Bazmee one of the most sought after film makers in Bollywood, he acknowledges the fact that his actors have never failed to delivered whenever they have faced the camera for his films.

"Look at Akshay, he now has two of his biggest ever successes with me", says an elated Bazmee who is making a name for himself by working with the best in the business, "Even though WELCOME and SINGH IS KINNG had him play two completely contrasting characters, he did it with full conviction. I truly believe these have been his best performances."

Talking about the other actors who have got quite some accolades working in his films, Bazmee reminds, "Nana (Patekar) was a riot in WELCOME and after a long time he came in a film where ha had a principal role to play. Now he is working with me in IT'S MY LIFE where he is again an important character. Anil (Kapoor) had come up with his two of his best performances with me – NO ENTRY and WELCOME. Ajay's psycho act in DEEWANAPAN is still noticed while Salman Khan made a huge impression even though he had a relatively small part to play in NO ENTRY."

How about Fardeen Khan with whom he had worked in NO ENTRY?

"Till date quite a few people from both within and outside the industry acknowledge that Fardeen's best act ever has been in NO ENTRY. Even Feroz (Khan) bhai was so emotionally charged about Fardeen's performance that he hugged me for that", informs Bazmee.

Does he promise the same for Harman as well who hasn't quite enjoyed a great start for him after LOVE STORY 2050?

"I am quite confident that Harman will bounce back in a big way after IT'S MY LIFE", says Bazmee, "He is a good actor and all the trappings of a star. He may have had not so encouraging beginning at the box office but this film will do a lot for him. As I have said, all stars work best with me and Harman would be no exception."

Aamir Khan all set to play Kishore Kumar in film

amir Khan may most probably end up giving his nod for playing the role of legendry singer-actor Kishore Kumar in the biopic that is being made on him.

Speaking to us at the launch of Tata Sky's new value added service at the Grand Hyatt, Aamir said, "I have been approached by Percept Pictures for the film on Kishore Kumar. They have asked me to play the role of Kishore Kumar.

But I am yet to complete reading the full script. If the script appears fresh and interesting I don't see any reason why I shall not do the film. I have been a great fan of Kishore Kumar. I have loved him both as a singer and an actor."

With Ghajini's release coming closer (Dec 25th) and Taare Zameen Par entering into the Oscar's race how is Aamir placed for the next few weeks?

"The first set of promos of Ghajini shall be out everywhere soon. I am going to get involved with the promotions of the film soon now. I am also in the process of preparing a proper marketing strategy for the Oscars 2009." the talented actor-director says.

Reportedly, Nagesh Kukunoor too is out to make a biopic of Kishore Kumar, tentatively titled, Bemisaal.

Saifeena can't suddenly become the Beckhams!

Kareena Kapoor is apparently a huge fan of Victoria Beckham. Apparently she's trying hard to follow in her footsteps.

That is why she has decided to launch her own fashion website. It will reportedly feature her style tips, personal trends and more.

So that explains why Kareena decided to become a size zero and flaunt her body, he pout, her stylish clothes and boyfriend Saif wherever she goes! Don't be surprised if she decides to cut her hair and try out different weird hairstyles too soon!

But the truth remains that no matter how hard she tries, Posh is Posh and Bebo is Bebo! And this ain't Hollywood but good old Bollywood.

Saifeena can't suddenly become the Beckhams!

We would prefer her naughty and natural act in 'Jab We Met' any day! It's originality that matters after all!

After C KKOMPANY, Sachin signed for Balaji's next

Despite the failure of C KKOMPANY at the box office, the makers are showing faith in the film's director Sachin Yardi. Balaji Motion Picture has now roped in the young film maker for yet another film which is touted to be a full–on comedy outing.

Confirms Tusshar Kapoor, "We at Balaji don't throw out an artist on the basis of one bad outing. It's a matter of understanding what an individual can deliver and then support him or her. In Sachin we know that there is a fine storyteller. He may not have delivered goods in C KKOMPANY but we are sure in his next project, he would make a much better product. Everyone learns from his mistakes."
Didn't bigwigs at Balaji rethink of their decision post the debacle of C KKOMPANY?

"No", says Tusshar in a firm tone, "Sachin was always supposed to be on board for his second film with us regardless of the fate of C KKOMPANY. Destiny too plays a major role in the success or failure of a film though I won't deny that C KKOMPANY did have it's own flaws. In any case, currently Sachin is also writing KYA KOOL HAI HUM – PART 2 for us."

How about Sachin's second directorial outing with Balaji? Would Tusshar star in that as well?

"That's entirely the prerogative of the director and the producer and I don't interfere in such decisions", says Tusshar in a soft tone, "Even though Balaji is a home production house, it is not liable to have me in a lead role in each of the films."

Rattling down examples of films produced by his own banner which haven't featured him, Tusshar counter questions, "Was I there in KRISHNA KOTTAGE or MISSION ISTANBUL? Nahi naa! I don't feature in EMI either, so there goes the theory of Tusshar featuring in each of the films which Ekta produces."

Tusshar is now looking forward to his returns as a 'naughty goonga' in GOLMAAL RETURNS. "Rohit (Shetty) has made a full–on masala film and we are looking forward to its release this Diwali", concludes Tusshar.

Reshammiya : "Yes, stakes are high with Karzzzz"

Excerpts of an interview of Himesh Reshammiya

After close to a yearlong of generation of hype and hoopla for Karzzzz, the film is finally releasing.
Yes, last one year has been quite eventful. Now is the time for audience to pass its verdict. It's a slick 2 hrs 18 mins film. I am really expecting it to take a good opening. Exhibitors and distributors have been mighty excited about the prospects of the film. We are bringing the film out on close to 1200 prints globally, which is historic and next only to Singh Is Kinng.

The way Karzzzz has been hyped 24X7, doesn't it scare you a little? Don't you feel you should let the film do the talking now rather than so much of hype resulting in people becoming extra demanding?
See, no hype is big enough. In today's market scenario, you have to pitch your film in such a way that the least it does is receive a very good opening at the box office. Because if that doesn't happen, piracy would only end up killing it. Moreover, hype created for Karzzzz is justified. It is coming after the success of Aap Kaa Surroor; the songs have been chartbusters while the talkie promos have been received very well too. When the going is good, why not keep the momentum on?

Coming to the music of the film, I heard that you went back to your music bank to pick and choose your best tunes for Karzzzz. Is that right?
That's true. Fortunately, I always have a ready bank of tunes with me and at last count; it went up to 1500 odd. For the songs of Karzzzz, I referred to the bank and came back with 8 songs. However, there wasn't and can never be a substitute to 'Ik Haseena Thi'. So I kept it intact.

Are you satisfied with the response that your music has fetched?
More than just satisfied! It is quite big today and topping charts all over. Moreover, it continues to grow which is quite heartening since there are as many as 9 tracks in the film. We have shown most of them in last one and a half months and they are playing all over. The music has a huge repeat value. While the film would feature all the nine songs, 'Dhoom' would mainly come as a part of the end credits title roll.

Talking about music, while 'Ik Haseena Thi' is of course the flagship number of Karzzzz, is there any other song that one can expect to take home after the film is through?
'Lut Jaoon'. This one acts as a theme song in the film and plays throughout the film's length. It will haunt you for long since it has been placed at just the right strategic places. However, 'Ik Haseena Thi' continues to be the climax track though.

Pyaarelal seems to have taken a liking to your version...
This is one of the rare songs jo maine naak se nahi gaaya! Pyaarelalji acknowledged this fact. He doesn't open up much with people and has kept himself away from the limelight. Still, it was such a great moment to have him call me and congratulate me for 'Ik Haseena Thi'. It gave me a kick.

Recently, Rishi Kapoor also said that he is expecting Karzzzz to be a superhit.
So nice of him. He has played a lover boy for close to three decades and if he says that a film should be a success, it better be. He has been happy about the music as well. Thank God for that. Because if the music here would have failed, mujhe bahaut joote padte!

Himesh, practically speaking, you must be aware that there are quite a few people within and outside the industry who are waiting with a gun in their hand to see how Karzzzz fares. Isn't it scary?
See, this is where the game of majority v/s minority comes in. People will say things but one has to see what's that percentage of people who don't really want you to succeed. And I don't mind what people feel because it is not just with me but any actor. There would always be detractors. Moreover, this kind of scenario is not just in Bollywood but any other industry. Its fine, it happens!

But in case of Karzzzz, stakes are definitely high.
True, stakes are really huge in case of Karzzzz. It's a well mounted costly movie. And let me confess that the fate of a particular film does impact your next film as well. I have Kajrare coming in February 2009 which only makes Karzzzz further special.

Ants attack Aamir Khan in bed

Aamir may be giving Shah Rukh Khan sleepless nights presently what with his taunting comments on him but he had to spend a sleepless night recently.

The actor - director experienced an ant attack in his own bed! Surprised? Well the perfectionist actor back on his blog after a long hiatus has shared his real life nightmarish experience to his fans.

Aamir says, "Few days ago I had a very bad night. After a long day at work, went to bed at around 3am. Couple hours later, deep in sleep I had this vague feeling of being bitten on my ear.

Gradually I was being bitten on my stomach, legs, neck. I was so sleepy that I just kept cursing, scratching, turning and tossing. Finally it got really unbearable, and I kind of woke up…… TO SEE MY BED FILLED WITH ANTS!

There were hundreds of them! Crawling all over and giving me hell. I'm feeling scratchy all over just recounting it. Had to jump under the shower and then went and crashed on my couch. Can't figure out for the life of me how they got there and why?

I guess they found something really sweet on that bed, and since K (wife Kiran) was out on a night shoot I am assuming it was me. Isn't it amazing how ants find their way to the most unlikely of places."

Apologising to his fans for his long absence from the blog scene, Aamir begins by saying, "I know I deserve to get my butt kicked!"

He further adds, "I suppose y'all want to know why I have been away so long. Well I'm not sure I can explain. I guess I needed to be by myself for a while. Still, I should have expressed that. My apologies."

HELLO!! Amrita Calling

Our very own Girl next door Amrita Arora is very busy these days due to her upcoming releases. Inspite of this she took out time to take her boyfriend and his family to watch her latest flick HELLO.

Our sexy girl is so excited about her latest multi starrer film that she decided to host a mini party for them. When contacted Amrita confirmed the news and said; ''How do you guys come to know everything? Yes, I have invited Shaqeel and his family to watch my movie. I was confident about my role but was quite nervous when they were watching the movie but they did enjoy a lot. Surely, it can�t get better than this.'' (She smiled)

Aishwarya's father hospitalized

This week is indeed a very stressful one for Bollywood's reigning queen Aishwarya Rai, both, on the physical as well as the mental level. Firstly, it was her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, who took ill on his birthday, and got admitted in Lilavati Hospital. No sooner did he step on the path to recovery; Aishwarya's father, Krishna Raj Rai fell ill and was immediately admitted at Hinduja Hospital. Sources say that he had only gone there as a part of his routine check up, but was admitted immediately after that.

One really feels sorry for Aishwarya during this testing time. We, at Bollywood Hungama, sincerely pray for the quick recovery of both the gentlemen.

'Yuvvraaj' distribution: Eros' official statement

Eros International has announced a strategic alliance with Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. to co-distribute Subhash Ghai's YUVVRAAJ, slated for release on 21st November. Under the terms of the deal, Eros has secured a minimum guarantee from Ashtavinayak against license of theatrical rights for the territory of India. The strategy behind the deal is to bring together the distribution expertise of both companies to maximise the theatrical revenue potential from India.

Eros is the world right owner of YUVVRAAJ and will be exploiting all other rights such as satellite television, home entertainment and new media and will be distributing the film through the worldwide Eros offices internationally.

I spent some time chatting up with Antonio

The opening night of the Middle East International Film Festival on Friday went off like a dream. Priyanka first bumped into the When Harry Met Sally star Meg Ryan at the opening. Apparently, the two actresses bonded briefly but affectionately.

But the real bonding happened later at the festival's opening ceremony, when Priyanka shared a good two hours with Hollywood's hot couple Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas.

The couple was seen conversing very warmly with Priyanka. Banderas even expressed a keen wish to work with Priyanka. "What you've heard is right," says Priyanka. "I did spend some time chatting up with Antonio and his wife Melanie. We sat together at the opening. Antonio was extremely charming. He was familiar with the Bollywood film industry and the financial leaps it has made in recent years."

Banderas, in fact, spoke to Priyanka about the possibilities of a tie-up. Priyanka was sitting in the front row with the Hollywood couple when Melanie turned around to ask, 'Are you the famous Bollywood actress?' Melanie loves India and Bollywood.

So is Priyanka finally going international? "The language doesn't matter. It could be Hindi, English or Punjabi; it's all the same to me."

Fashion was supposed to premiere at the Middle East International Film Festival. "And that's how I found myself there. Fashion was supposed to be shown at the opening night of the Middle Eastern Film Festival. But the post-production wasn't done. They still invited me. I was very happy to represent Bollywood. I was in Abu Dhabi for just half a day. I went in the afternoon and returned to India late night, to Delhi for another event next morning. There's too much going on in my life: the dubbing of Fashion, promotion of Fashion and Dostana and my new film What's Your Raashee is starting."

When Priyanka walked into the posh hotel in Abu Dhabi she was like… wow this is meant for a holiday not work! "For the first time I craved for a holiday. But I don't need to combine work with pleasure. Because my work is my pleasure. The opening ceremony then the after-party at Abu Dhabi and I left at 1 am. I can't even afford to be jetlagged. I love my work. I enjoy the rush. But I realized my body needs rest. I am petrified about not fulfilling my commitments. So far so good. I just need a holiday after Fashion and Dostana are released."

Amitabh thanks fans, hits out at media on blog

Bolywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who was discharged Friday from the Lilavati Hospital here after being treated for an abdominal condition, has thanked his fans for their good wishes but has hit out at the media for being "insensitive" while reporting on his illness.

“My sincerest thanks to all who gave me strength to fight another medical battle. The fans and well wishers. The media friends who wrote in on my mobile. Friends who visited me at the hospital and those that wrote in. Strangers who I never met or know,” Amitabh wrote on his blog Friday.

“Your love overwhelms me. Your concern for my well being humbles me. I owe so much to you,” the blog further read.

Amitabh slammed the media in the blog and mocked at their paparazzi approach when he was being taken to hospital in an ambulance after he had complained of bdominal pain on his 66th birthday Oct 11.

“There is a muted silence outside…No one says a word, except the media. They clamour and scream for that exclusive shot, invading the sanctity of the ambulance. They would never understand the sensitivity of the situation,” he wrote.

He added: “Media is an added hindrance to a smooth, quick emergent ride to Nanavati. If they had their way they would ideally want to be seated on the stretcher with me and have me answering questions - 'What would be the celebrations for the birthday sir and will you be inviting Shah Rukh'. Insensitive. Callous.”

Posting two back-to-back notes Friday evening, Amitabh also explained his hospital experience in detail from the time he was rushed first to Nanavati Hospital and followed by his stay in Lilavati hospital where he was shifted the same day.

Diagnosed with incisional hernia, the Big B had been in hospital for a week. He went back home in his own car and was accompanied by son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai.

The star said he had plans of “rest and recuperation” at his Jalsa home apart from giving company to the women in his house for a quick glance of the moon from the roof to break their fast on “Karva Chauth”, which he termed a “torturous practice”.

Shah Rukh apologises to German fans

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan Friday apologised to all his fans in Europe, specially in Germany, for cancelling his much-awaited 'Temptations Reloaded' Tour and said he would like to start his next big world tour from Germany itself.

"I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making me the star that I am and I want to apologise and say a huge sorry that I could not live up to the promise we had given to the people of Germany," Shah Rukh said in a statement here.

"I have done shows everywhere around the world from South East Asia to the Americas, Africa, the UK and in Europe, but never ever did I have the sad luck or the bad luck of having to cancel a tour.

"This is the first time and I promise the people of Germany that before I do a big show of this nature again, I will ensure that I first come to Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin with the happiness that I always bring and the happiness that you have given to me," the actor said.

He added that he had for long wanted to take India's culture to Germany.

"For the last five or six years, the biggest desire in my career as an actor has been to come and perform in Germany because it is a country where the people don't know my language, who don't know culture that I belong to, but have given me enough reason to believe that I am an international star."

Shah Rukh was to have performed with his cast at a glittering theatrical show on Friday night in Berlin, followed by performances Saturday in Munich and Sunday in Frankfurt.

He said he cancelled the tour because he felt he would not have been able to give the best quality of performance with his team as things due to them were not provided.

"In my stage and at my age, I am responsible for two aspects while doing live shows or films or any other product that I offer to the world. One is my responsibility first and foremost to the people who love me so much. I do always intend to give the best quality I can possibly provide with my team.

"The second responsibility is of course to my team that I offer them the best comforts, the best methods of execution and the best atmosphere for work so that they can give their best for your viewing and in the case of these shows, I was falling short on both counts."

The King Khan said he would examine the causes behind the lapse so that it would not recur the next time.

"I promise you that we will work around and see what the mismanaged items in Germany have been...

"I will make sure on my part that we take stock of the situation and do much better to come and perform to all your favourite songs. God willing, we will be in Germany soon, this time, managing things the way we want to...,"" he added.

After a successful Temptation world tour in 2005, Shah Rukh launched his Temptation Reloaded tour in June this year in Rotterdam, Holland. The star was joined by Arjun Rampal, Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone, Anushka Dandekar and Ganesh Hegde.

John is a gay icon!

We have stumbled upon this interesting bit of news that’s been floating around about our Johnny man.

Well, to start off, his latest role in Dostana in which he strips down to his bare minimum has found not only many takers among his females fans, but also has men – especially those from the gay community who’re going ga-ga over his bare body. And John has been given the tag of being the new gay icon by the community.

And guess what? John doesn’t find it the least offending, and neither his lady love Bipasha has any objections to it. “I have lots of friends who are gays and I take it as a compliment,” John was overheard saying.

Akki gets his dream house

Mumbai: Akshay Kumar will soon be moving into a lavish 4200 square feet duplex in the posh suburb of Bandra. The property overlooks the Guru Nanak Park near Turner Road.

Akshay has been keen to own a property in Bandra for a long time now.

Builder Neeraj Gorwani confirms, "It is true that Akshay and we are working out on the details of his new residence. Its a plush 4000 square feet duplex right next to the Guru Nanak Park in Bandra. We are on the verge of sealing the deal, which will reach around Rs 8.5 crore."

Akshay holds a property in Lokhandwala. Apparently, he also owns properties in Mauritius, where he usually heads for his vacations. Akki also has a beach house in Goa.

‘I’ve never walked the ramp before’

If there’s one thing that’s been common across the two fashion weeks, it’s designers upping the celebrity quotient on their shows.


And now its Chitrangda Singh’s turn to strut her stuff at Anita Dongre’s show at WIFW today. DT caught up with her before the event to ask her how she’s feeling on the eve of the show. The actress admitted to feeling jittery, saying, “I’m very nervous because I’ve never walked the ramp before.”

So does she have any reservations about what she’ll wear? The actress insists that, “When it comes to fashion, you’ll only find me in something that I am confident about and can carry off well. You’ll never find me sporting a bikini publicly. I would be very shy doing that.”

But didn't she do a pretty daring photo shoot for a magazine recently? The actress disagrees, “The cover shot that I recently did wasn’t something that made me uncomfortable. The bare back shot was done really well. It was sensual yet very classy. It is a classic pose, which a lot of actresses have done in the past.”

Speaking of being uncomfortable in the spotlight, has she felt pressured by increased expectations after debuting in the much appreciated Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi? “Yes there has been pressure after Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, because that movie raised the bar for all the actors in it. And I am very nervous about my future projects because it has been a while since I did a movie,” the actress confides.

So what kind of roles is she looking for? “As an actor, I’d love to go for varied roles. I’m not always looking for roles that only resemble Hazaaron..., but yes what that movie has given me is the ability to understand quality. I try and take up work that matches up to that quality,” she says.

But she’s dabbled both in ads and films. Does she have a preference? “While I have done some ads before I got my first movie, I still feel that acting is much better than modeling, for me. Modeling restricts you whereas acting lets you do anything and everything. It involves much more than just posing for a pretty picture.”

But isn’t she making a comeback of sorts, since she virtually disappeared after her debut? The actress disagrees, “My idea of taking a break after my first two movies was to take the time to assess myself and the projects that I was being offered. I think it was the right decision.”

How would she respond to the rumours that it was due to the objections of her husband, golfer Jyoti Randhawa, that she took the break? The actress is vehement in her denial, “Marriage had nothing to do with my taking a break from modelling. I was already married when I did my first movie,” she points out. But did they bother her at all? “Yes, initially, I had got bugged and it did worry me, but Jyoti was very supportive. It was then that I realised there was no point reacting to it,” she says.

So what about her future plans. Is she excited about her upcoming film? “Oh, I’m thrilled about Sorry Bhai. It’s going to hit theatres quite soon so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It’s a comedy and I play the role of Aliya who is this very submissive person, but at the end proves to be the strongest of the lot. It’s a nice lighthearted movie and I hope people will enjoy it. I will also soon start shooting for Sudhir Mishra’s Aur Devdas.”

Record 67 films enter Oscars foreign film race

Los Angeles: A record 67-strong field has lined up for the Oscars Foreign Language Film award, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said today, with Jordan entering the race for the first time.

Academy Awards organisers announced the list of entries for the coveted prize roughly three months ahead of the formal announcement of nominations for other main categories at next year's 81st Oscars.

The 67 entries will eventually be whittled down to five nominees who will all jostle for the most famous statuette in showbusiness at the 2009 Academy Awards, which take place in Hollywood on February 22 next year.

Only one country will be making a debut in this year s list of entrants, with Jordan choosing Amin Matalqa's "Captain Abu Raed" as its representative.

The early favorite for the top honor is Italy s entrant "Gomorrah", a hard-hitting expose about the mafia.

The film by Matteo Garrone, based on a best-selling book by journalist Roberto Saviano, won the second prize at this year's Cannes film festival, the Grand Prix.

Other notable entrants in this year s race include a rare appearance from Britain, where Welsh director Karl Francis's "Hope Eternal" is entered.

Katrina and the Crystal Factory

Katrina Kaif was shooting for Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj at the world famous Swavroski showroom in Austria recently. Known for its landmark jewelry and showpieces, unit members began teasing Katrina saying that the rare crystal pieces would catch her attention more and the shooting work less.

"What piece of jewelry should I buy for myself? What piece would best adorn my home?" were the questions, the unit members said, that surely troubled Katrina. But surprise, surprise! Katrina was only focused on her work. Her attention was completely on the scene that was being shot.

"Not even once did Katrina's attention get drifted towards the showpieces and the jewelry. She was completely immersed in her work. She was 'crystal' clear about her career. Anybody in her place would have easily given into the temptation of walking around the beautifully decorated store and shopped like a maniac. But not Katrina."

The unit members decided to honor Katrina's dedication towards her work.

"We bought a gift from Swavroski for Katrina and presented it to her after the shooting got over. She was touched by our gesture," a unit member revealed smiling.

The unit member added, "Swarvroski usually do not allow any shooting to take place in their stores. But they made an exception for Subhash Ghai's film. They even kept the store shut that particular day. But thousands had gathered to watch the shooting of the film."

The day when Akshay Kumar cried!

A director had once told her that she cannot act. But years later, Hema Malini came to be known as the 'Dream Girl' of Bollywood.

A composer once told him that he could never become a singer. But Yeshudas went on to become a legendary singer.

Similarly, some people from the ad world told him that he will never find success, but today he is known as the 'Khiladi of Bollywood'. Yes, we are talking about none other than Akshay Kumar.

Akki is the special guest in this week's episode of Sajid Khan's television show, 'Sajid's Superstars'. The ever so charming and handsome Akki enters with a bang on the show and well, falls on his face (like we don't know that was a farce).

Nonetheless, Sajid in his usual manner digs out facts about Akshay's struggling days. He asks Akshay, "How did you get your first break?" To which Akshay replies, "I remember I was chosen to go to Bangalore to do an ad. I was told to come to the airport at 5:30 and was signed for Rs. 11,000, which at that time was a big amount."

Akshay confesses that he was so happy about getting this assignment that he went and raved about it to his parents and sister. "It was an opportunity of a lifetime for me. I was very excited," he states.

But things were not destined to work out the way Akshay had planned. Continues Kumar, "Suddenly early morning next day, I got a call asking, 'kahan hai tu bewakoof… we are all waiting at the airport. Where are you?' Actually, there was some confusion. They told me to report at the airport at 5:30 in the morning and I misunderstood it. I thought I had to reach there in the evening."

But what happened after that made the superstar cry. "They told me that people like me who are so unprofessional in life can never make it big. I cried a lot, all my dreams were shattered," says Akshay.

However, probably that one comment made all the difference in Akshay's life, coz today; he is known to be one of the most professional actors in the industry. No wonder, he has success kissing his feet.

Paresh Rawal to endorse IFFCO-TOKIO

After having taken Domino's Pizza to new heights as the brand ambassador, Paresh Rawal will now be seen on the small screen promoting IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Co. Ltd. (ITGI).

IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Co. Ltd. (ITGI) is a trusted player in general insurance & has rolled out its new 'Muskurate Raho' ad campaign. The campaign which is titled 'Albert Pinto kyon muskura raha hain' will show Paresh Rawal as Albert Pinto. Known to have a mass appeal amongst all age groups, Paresh Rawal was surely the right choice for the brand.

The deal was managed & co-ordinated by Carving Dreams Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the media consultants for Paresh Rawal. "Mr. Paresh Rawal has an ability to reach out to the common man. Loved for his recent comic roles, he has achieved a clean image that appeals to the mass and the class alike. We at CDE were convinced that he is an absolute fit for the general insurance brand ITGI and Mr. Rawal instantly agreed to associate with the brand. The audience is bound to like the simply loving Albert Pinto," said a spokesperson from Carving Dreams.

Paresh Rawal will be seen in ITGI's ad film and also in the advertisements of other general insurance products of the company i.e. Motor, Health, Home, etc.

Speaking about the new campaign, NK Kedia, Director (Marketing) IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance said, "Since IFFCO-TOKIO is a pan-India brand, we wanted to appeal to the masses and Paresh as Albert Pinto was a perfect fit. We are confident that the ad will touch a chord with the people."

Spear's new single holds record for biggest jump

London: Troubled pop star Britney Spears new single "Womaniser" scored the biggest jump in chart history after climbing 95 spots to land at number one.

Thesun.co.uk reports that this is her first No.1 hit since "Baby, one more time" in 1999. The song's download sales were 286,000. This was the biggest opening-week tally by a female artiste.

The singer, who had a horrible year in 2007, is working on her comeback.

"Golmaal Returns is releasing at the right time"

Excerpts from an interview of actor Ajay Devgan with Indiafm's London correspondent Devansh Patel

You return with Golmaal again. Are you looking forward to it?
Of course I am, because the first part was really appreciated and still people come up to me and say that they've formed Golmaal Returns groups which is on the net also. When we started Golmaal Returns, we were very hesitant as it had to be funnier than or at least as funny as the first part. So there were many scripts we looked at but eventually we found one and we all thought that it was funnier than the first one.

Did Sharman Joshi's absence make you feel vulnerable?
Initially we were wondering how we were going to fit in Sharman in the film. But the first day when Shreyas performed, we were all at ease. I think that Shreyas is fantastic. The first day when Shreyas performed, we were all at ease. I think that Shreyas is fantastic.

Are you happy that you all have a woman in your life now?
(laughs) Yeah, you're right. We were missing them in the first one. But the fact is that the script demanded it and female leads were not forced in Golmaal Returns.

You've worked with Kareena in Omkara and now in Golmaal Returns. How was it to unite back?
It feels great. I've known her since many years now. It is very important for the co-actors to get along especially in a film like Golmaal Returns because you improvise a lot where humour is concerned and when you keep jelling and then pulling each others leg, it works both ways, isn't it?

Tell us a bit about the comic song where Celina holds you on the ship.
That was really funny. You have to see it to believe it. It was a bit difficult to shoot that song but it all went well. It is the funniest song of the film.

Do you think Rohit Shetty making comedy instead of action is working for him?
Rohit joined us as an assistant in Phool Aur Kaante. Since then, he has been with us. Then he joined Devgan Films. So as a kid brother, as a colleague and as a friend he has been with me for more than 15 years. I know he is good at action but right now he is doing good for himself by making comic films. I always knew that he had a great potential of becoming a director and that's why he started Zameen and now that he has proved himself, there is no looking back for Rohit.

Rohit joined us as an assistant in Phool Aur Kaante. So as a kid brother, as a colleague and as a friend he has been with me for more than 15 years

U.K audiences are the most unpredictable. Good films are being rejected here. What have you to say?
That's all over the world. It's happening everywhere right now. But I think that good scripts eventually work and something must be terribly wrong with some films which don't work. What has happened is that people now a days only want to be entertained. So when they are depressed, they don't want to watch another depressing story. But if you show them comedy and family dramas, it works. The problem with such audiences is that they don't want to experiment. They want to forget their personal issues and want to go and enjoy with family. They aren't bothered in which way you entertain them, but they have to be and that's the bottom line.

How was the experience of stretching your legs between two hummers?
I didn't stretch my legs in between the hummer, I was standing on it. The stretching was done in Phool Aur Kaante. It was comfortable and Rohit wanted to continue where I left from Golmaal part one where I was seen on bikes. He wanted to elaborate a more and thus went for the hummers.

Golmaal is returning two years after its prequel. Did you see the first part before you started shooting the second?
No. The film has a very different story all together. It's got similar characters but their characterisation is different. It's another script at another level. It has nothing to do with part one but it will make you laugh more than part one, I'm sure.

How are you going to celebrate Diwali this year?
By watching Golmaal Returns I guess. Diwali is a time of happiness. That's why I think Golmaal Returns is releasing at the appropriate time. It's an entertainer. So go, watch and laugh this Diwali. It's going to be fun unlimited.

Karzzzz – Movie Review

Now, when Himesh Reshammiya has himself humbly admitted that he is the worst Monty there could be, you got to cut the guy some slack.

After watching the Satish Kaushik directed Karzzzz you will both agree and disagree with the singer-turned-actor who appears in a reincarnated, capless makeover to play the charming Monty of Subhash Ghai ’s 1980 movie ‘Karz’.

Himesh is right in the sense that he is no match to Rishi Kapoor when it comes to looks, dance and acting. But at the same time Himesh wins you over with his visibly sincere effort to get under the skin of Monty. In ‘Karzzzz’ Himesh is not as stiff and uptight as he was in his debut Aap Ka Suroor . Here he shows more range in his acting, has more facial expressions.

That said, we can now move on to the movie.
We all know what the story is. A man takes revenge from a woman who wronged him in his previous life when she was his lover and he was too smitten to see through her facade. Kaushik has made changes in the setting and put the old wine in a new bottle.

Himesh plays the reincarnated Monty, a rockstar in Cap Town…sorry…Cape Town who falls for a gorgeous girl Tina ( Shweta Kumar ). Urmila Matondkar plays Kamini who killed her lover ( Dino Morea ) 25 years ago to take over his riches. Gulshan Grover plays the mute Sir Juda, the mastermind behind kameeni…sorry…Kamini.

Rohini Hatangadi plays Monty’s old mother who recognizes her reincarnated son the minutes she sets eyes on him. The best performance, however, comes from Danny Denzongpa , who regales you with his rendition of popular dialogues from Bollywood hits, including one from Himesh’s ‘Aap Ka Suroor’.

Satish Kaushik has done an above-average job to make the film worth sitting through despite the fact that everyone knows its story beforehand. We know that eventually Monty will take revenge and Kamini will confess to murder, but the writer (Shiraz Ahmed) has put a few unexpected twists in the tale. Kaushik also extracts a performance from a non-actor like Himesh. Among the ladies, Urmila’s acting is restricted to giving cunning and stern expressions, while newcomer Shweta Kumar has a smaller role in which she smiles more than she acts. Gulshan Grover is over-the-top.

‘Karzzzz’ could have done better with a song or two less in the first half and a little bit of chopping in the over-extended second half. Himesh’s compositions are no match to the great duo Laxmikant Pyarelal’s melodies, but the singer-composer-actor does manage some vim and vigour in ‘Hari Om’ and ‘Tandoori Nights’.

The bottom-line is that if you are a fan of His Himeshness, you would doubtlessly like ‘Karzzzz’. It’s a slick-looking film with a swift pace. But if you are repulsive to Himesh’s nasal twang, don’t forget to carry the earplugs. Otherwise, brace up for some dard-e-dil and dard-e-dimaag.

Yuvvraaj – Musical Fiesta by Rahman

One man who doesn't make music lovers stops speaking about him? Yup! The maestro of contemporary music A.R. Rahman is back striking the stupendous chords for his favorite auteur Subash Ghai. Their biggest venture together 'Taal' won laurels across the boundaries of globe. And now they are back swaying with their musical drama 'Yuvvraaj'.

Audio launch for the film wasn't a star-spangled occasion, but just a private musical gathering at a plush five-star hotel in Mumbai. Turning down entire spotlights on them, Director Subash Ghai and music maestro A.R.Rahman, legendry lyricist Gulzar and playback singer Alka Yagnik were present for the occasion. A.R. Rahman's mother who is rarely spotted in such occasion was present there launching the audio and showered her blessings on entire cast and crew.

Much delighted A.R. Rahman spoke on the occasion, "It has always been a pleasure working with Subhashji in all his projects. We worked on Taal, which gave me immense creative satisfaction as a composer and it was an honor that Yuvvraaj was offered to me. Working on the music of Yuvvraaj has been a creative challenge for me, as Subhashji has always been associated with melodious music and has a vast understanding about the subject. Once you have an artistic mind like Subhashji behind you I guess everything falls rightly in its place. Taal was a mega success and I see Yuvvraaj to be much bigger than that."

A.R. Rahman has a great likeliness for Subash Ghai and lyricist Gulzar and his musical score much reveals of it…

IndiaGlitz presents you the exclusive video of audio launch of Yuvvraaj… Get yourselves enthralled watching it.

'EMI' opts out of Diwali race

Suneil Shetty and Ekta Kapoor's joint venture EMI was slated for release this Diwali, on Wednesday, October 29 along side GOLMAAL RETURNS and FASHION. But EMI has been shifted ahead, to November 7. The reason for the postponement is said to be shortage of theatres, since GOLMAAL RETURNS and FASHION have blocked a majority of screens already.

Shifting the film to a latter date is the right decision, since EMI will get a better chain of theatres now.

Priyanka like you've never seen before

Madhur Bhandarkar is a worried man. the film's post-production is not yet complete.

First Priyanka had a very bad throat because of which she had to cancel the dubbing of Fashion. And then the film industry's workers' strike has put further time pressure on Madhur's precious film.

Says Madhur, "Our release is October 29, that's Wednesday, so we got a long Diwali weekend for our film. There's no way we could cancel. However the workers' strike brought everything to a grinding halt."

Madhur feels films on release should have been exempted from the strike. "Films like Fashion, EMI and Gol Maal Returns which are all releasing during Diwali have huge stakes.

We can't afford to fall back. So maybe the strike should not be applicable to films on release. However people like Mahesh Bhatt and Ashok Pundit worked hard at a solution to the strike.

The situation does seem worrisome for Madhur Bhandarkar, what with the strike and Priyanka's bad throat which actually started with all the screaming she did for Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey.

Says Madhur, "Priyanka did dub a bit on Thursday after her voice improved. But now she can't until the strike is over. I'm ready to do the dubbing with all the artistes in different studios to save time. But the strike has to be over."

Apparently Priyanka is pitching her naturalistic performance in Fashion as a Chandigarh girl aspiring to be a super-model at a National award.

Says Madhur, "I wouldn't like to comment on that yet. That's a decision I'll leave to the jury. But Priyanka has connected with emotions in Fashion that she has never shown on screen before. And she's a perfectionist."

Akshay Kumar & Dimple Kapadia lend their voices for animated film Jumbo

Akshay Kumar seems to be in a mood for trying out new and different things these days. After making quite an impressive debut on Television as the host of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi, Akki is all set to enter the animation space.

Yes, you heard it right. Akshay Kumar would be giving the voice-over for Percept Picture Company's forthcoming animated film Jumbo.

However, what really makes things interesting is the fact that giving Akshay company would be mom-in-law Dimple Kapadia who would also be lending her voice for one of the characters in the film.

We spoke to Ms. Sarita Patil, Head-Motion Pictures at Percept Picture Company who confirmed this news.

''Yes, Akshay Kumar has already dubbed for Jumbo and even Dimple Kapadia would be lending her voice for this animated film. Jumbo is an emotional story of an elephant and also stresses on family values and relationships.

There are some more actors who would be giving the voiceovers for this film but I can't divulge much details now. The film is scheduled to release towards the end of the year.''

One thing is for certain, Indian animation films are certainly making its presence felt. How else do you explain one of the country's biggest stars going ahead and lending his voice for an animated film?

Fear Factor, Bigg Boss didn`t make business sense for Sony

While Colors channel touts "Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi" and "Bigg Boss" their most successful shows, a Sony Channel official says its copyright was held by them, but they didn't renew it because it didn't make good business sense.

The first season of both the shows aired on Sony channel and the channel had the copyright of the series.

"We had the licence for the shows, but we did not renew it because we believed it did not make business sense, " Albert Almeida, executive vice president, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), told.

"Being successful and hit is different from making business sense. We keep only those shows which have a long run and we forego those that we thought don't make business sense for us, " Almeida added.

About the two shows going to Colors, Almeida said: "We are an established channel and have no compulsion as that of a new channel. We have enough of reality shows and right now there is no space for more."

After successful serials like "Kkusum", "Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin", "Heena" and "Yeh Meri Life Hai", Sony planned to give the channel a contemporary look by showing reality and urban centric shows during week days.

"But our plan misfired a bit as the small town audience stopped relating to the kind of programme we were offering during the week days.

"The major chunk of audience for television consists of women from small town who wants to see fiction and we were not providing that. So they turned to us only on weekends for our reality shows. Now, our idea is to change their mindset and gain viewership on the weekdays."

Referring to shows like "Sujata", "Aathvaan Vachan" and ready to go on air "Hum Ladkiyaan", Almeida said they are trying to make the audience believe that Sony has fiction-based serials to offer for weekdays.

The channel is also planning to launch a few more shows.

Sony presently has five shows - "Sujata", "Waqt Batayega Kaun Apna Kaun Paraya", "Aathvaan Vachan", "Babul Ka Aangan Chhootey Na" and "Hum Ladkiyaan" set to go on air Oct 13.

The channel also telecasts three reality shows - "Boogie Woogie", "Comedy Circus" and "Indian Idol". It also showcases two weekly thrillers -- "CID" and "Arslaan".

Imran Khan gives 100% to whatever he does

Imran Khan has been clocking up a lot of air miles in the past 1 week! Imran, who has been traveling across the length and breadth of the country to promote his film 'Kidnap', is finally back in Mumbai.

Following in his Mamu Aamir Khan's footsteps, Imran believes in doing everything with sincerity and gives his 100% to whatever he does.

This is what has impressed his Producers Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. Says Dhilin Mehta, "Imran is not only a hardworking artiste but also a person who directs his entire energy, time and efforts to do something thoroughly.

When we undertook the promotional tour of Kidnap, Imran was always cooperative and would turn up for everything on time. Despite his overnight rise to stardom with his debut, Imran is a down-to-earth actor, not prone to starry tantrums. He is a thorough professional and we look forward to our next film 'Luck' with him."

Looks like impressing people comes easily to Imran!

Soha’s big day

This is one young actress who can be easily tagged as the new age thinking actress.

After all, since the beginning of her career, hasn’t she done a good mix of commercial and intelligent cinema?

She’s not just done commercial flicks like ‘Dil Maange More’ and ‘Shaadi number 1’ but also critically acclaimed flicks where she has proved her acting capabilities like ‘Antar Mahal’, ‘Rang De Basanti’ ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ and the recent ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’.

She can be super hot too, a proved by the Maxim cover and spread some months back. She’s also looked cute in her ad campaigns!

And yeah she’s well educated too with a good background in banking.

Why not? After all, she’s former cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi as well as the original sexpot Sharmila Tagore’s genes.

But since she’s not running the mad race to make it to the top, maybe people tend to not notice her much in the world of the publicity hungry Katrinas, Kanganas and the Priyankas who can do just about anything and everything for stardom.

And she’s not out going like her brother Saif who loves to flaunt his love life with Kareena and his recent successes too. No one’s sure whether Soha is currently with or has broken up with alleged boyfriend, Southern star Siddharth!

This girl deserves to be wished on her big day. Here’s wishing Soha a very happy birthday today (October 4th)and a long career in filmdom.

Hope that she continues to enthrall the audiences who appreciate intelligent cinema (if not lovers of commercial flicks) with her upcoming flicks ‘Dhoondte Reh Jaoge’, ‘Tera Kya Hoga Johnny’, ‘99’, ‘Mumbai Cutting’ and ‘Dil kabbadi’!

Ajay Devgan, Salman Khan & Asin shoot London Dreams

After basking in the success of his last film Singh is Kinng for a while, Vipul Amrutlal Shah is back to business. The producer-director is busy filming his next directorial venture London Dreams in and around the British capital.

The film stars Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan in lead roles while South sensation Asin is the female lead.

Its is after almost a decade that Ajay and Salman are acting together and fans would be eagerly looking forward to see if they can recreate the Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam magic all over again.

As for Asin, she surely seems to be making all the right moves in Bollywood; after having worked with Aamir Khan in the forthcoming film Ghajini, she will now be seen opposite Ajay Devgan and Salman Khan in London Dreams.

The trio was spotted shooting some pivotal scenes in London recently. Ajay looks dapper in his suit as usual but a striking feature is the studs that he is sporting on his ear. As for Sallu, he looks every bit the 'Rockstar' that he is in his blue and green checked shirt while Asin is seen looking lovely in the lavender dress.

With such a stellar cast and Vipul Shah at the helm of things, London Dreams surely is touted to be among the biggies next year.

I identify a lot with Abhishek: Aishwarya

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai can't stop gushing about her husband Abhishek Bachchan and says they share a special bond and she identifies a lot with him.

"I admire him (Abhishek) for his approach to work. He understands cinema so well that he is not afraid of taking risks. He stands by his family, friends all the time and because of this I identify a lot with him, " Aishwarya told here Saturday.

"I know him for a very long time now. Together we have grown from actors to colleagues to friends and now we share a very special bond. It is definitely a nice feeling, " she added.

Aishwarya, the brand ambassador of Swiss watch brand Longines, was here to open its exclusive boutique in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon.

Dressed in a one-shoulder lemon dress, the actress was in a chirpy mood.

She will soon be seen in Shankar's "Robot".

"Shankar had approached me previously to work with him, but it never materialised. Finally, everything landed in place and here we are together after ten years, " Aishwarya said.

"It was great working with Rajnikanth, who is a brilliant actor. The only tough thing about the movie was studying Tamil again in order to pronounce the words properly, " she added.

Other then this, the actress will soon start shooting for Mani Ratnam's "Ravana" with Abhishek.

"I don't want to reveal much about it but in another 10 days, we will start shooting for the movie. I am looking forward to working again with Mani, " she added.

After being a part of the 'Unforgettable' World Tour, the actress feels that the tour gave her an opportunity to mingle with all her family members.

"I have done so many world tours, but this one was special because it was my first tour after marriage. We were there for work but when the family is together, work becomes fun, " she said.

Beginning with Mumbai, the "Unforgettable" tour will soon be staged in India, though the dates and venues have not been finalised yet.

Wasim Akram`s no actor

Pakistani all rounder Wasim Akram doesn't want to act.

Since he looks so comfortable judging the dance reality show 'Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena' on Colours, it seemed that producers would come calling and acting would be the next step for him.

But he has made it clear that he's only open to those offers in television where no acting is involved.

He's reportedly said, "Acting is a difficult profession. I have seen cricketers making a debut in films and then doing the vanishing act. I will be truthful that I can't do it."

That seems to be quite a wise decision since we all know how cricketers have fared as actors!

Sandip Patil, Salil Ankola, Ajay Jadeja, Vinod Kambli and most others have fallen flat on their faces while trying to act.

Currently the participant cricketers of the show Dinesh Kartik, Nikhil Chopra, Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth etc seem to be enjoying the swinging and dancing big time. And the biter truth is that not everyone's too good at it!

Chances are they might get carried away and start thinking of acting soon. Hopefully then Akram's wise piece of advice would bring them back to reality!

Big B's Alladin postoponed due to Aamir's Ghajini

It is said that when Amitabh Bachchan enters the scene everyone in the industry makes way for him. But not this time! The release of Big B starrer Alladin has been delayed and the reason cited is Aamir Khan's Ghajini.

AB plays the role of a genie in Sujoy ghosh's Alladin and it is said that the film aims at children.

The shooting of the film has also been complete and they were planning to release the film in Christmas which is the right time for the target audience.

But ever since Aamir Khan rescheduled the release date of his film Ghajini because of his illness the makers of Alladin has no choice but to delay the release to February.

However Sujoy has a different version to narrate. "Mr. Bachchan has no competition and we are not worried. We are yet to finish a promotional song with Mr. Bachchan and since he was busy with The Unforgettables we could not manage to do so.

The film also targets the kids and we needed an appropriate release. We had to reschedule the shooting dates and hence the delay."

Bollywood increases a Polish newspaper's sales

A Polish newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza, has found a new innovative way to increase its sales. They began offering a Bollywood DVD every Saturday at a discounted price to its readers, which has resulted in the increase in the sales by about 50, 000 copies.

Bollywood films have been selling like hot cakes in Poland, their favourite star being Shah Rukh Khan. The craze for Bollywood films and SRK started with the release of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in January 2005. Since then, his films like Kal Ho Naa Ho, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Dil Se etc. have been topping the list.

One has to buy the weekend issue of the Gazeta Wyborcza and pay an extra of $2.50 in order to take home a Bollywood film with Polish subtitles. Apparently, the coming weekend would see Aamir Khan's Fanaa being given out, the climax of which was shot at the Tatra Mountains in Poland.

JJ Singh, president of the Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce said that Bollywood is the buzzword in Poland. The craze is so much that a new restaurant named 'Bollywood Lounge' has opened out there, which offers Indian cuisine with a dash of Bollywood dance and music, which apparently has been attracting many customers.

Bollywood is on a rise in Poland and definitely seems like a strong potential market for Hindi films.

Salman stands isolated as SRK-Bachchans cosy up

Shah Rukh Khan's presence at the Drona premiere should surprise no one. Ever since the open squabble with Salman Khan both the Khans have been drawing themselves closer to the Bachchans, trying hard to show their solidarity to the Bachchan family in every way possible.

"And there was no way Shah Rukh was not going to be invited to the Drona premiere. Whether Salman would've come on knowing of Shah Rukh being invited, is irrelevant. Salman was not invited.

He may openly express his fondness for Abhishek. But it's not that easy for anyone to forget his past behaviour with Aishwarya. Also he isn't exactly a chum of Drona's heroine Priyanka Chopra either, " says a source close to the Bachchans.

In fact everyone from the gregarious Karan Johar to the ultra-reclusive Sanjay Leela Bhansali to the hardly-ever-seen Sushmita Sen showed up for this, the most crucial release.

And why not? The Bachchans personally invited all their guests. Aishwarya just back in town after shooting in Peru and France, rang up her friends from her industry and asked them to come. Sadly her parents couldn't come for this important evening because of her father's frail condition.

Nervous and excited, Goldie Behl and his wife Sonali were seen with their little son. "This is his first public appearance. I wouldn't let him miss this for the world, " said Goldie emotionally.

Taking a break from her sari-clad glamour Aishwarya stood next to a tuxedo-sporting husband in a chic blue-green gown. "Good to be unpredictable, no?" she laughed and played the hostess to the hilt.

Laughed Abhishek, "I thought I was dressed to kill. But my wife beat me to it hollow."

While the cast crew and family members associated with the film proceeded to the Mariott for dinner after the premiere, Shah Rukh threw an impromptu Eid party and was heard inviting all his friends at the premiere for a get-together in his home.

Fatigued and tired and suffering from a bad cold on the morning after the premiere Priyanka said, "Shah Rukh did ask me to come home after the premiere. But all the Drona team headed for gupshup and dinner. So naturally I was with them."

Priyanka came to the premiere with her parents. Harman Baweja arrived separately with his family. But no need to jump to conclusions. They were very much together at the premiere, and beyond.

Premiere sidelights: The Big B played the perfect host. He had a word for everyone. He was seen in earnest conversation with author-biographer-filmmaker Nasreen Munni Kabeer.

Sooraj Barjatya who was a renowned recluse until recently has finally started coming out to public places.He not only sat to the end of the film but was also seen chatting up with fellow-directors

Priyanka Chopra wore an audaciously short creation by Gavin and carried it off with great élan. When chatting together she and Aishwarya who was in an elegant cascading gown made a study in contrasts.

Karan Johar was everywhere. Ram Gopal Varma was nowhere to be seen.

Rani Mukerji: Hot no more

There was a time when Rani Mukherjee was considered the unchallenged queen, the numero uno actress in B-Town. But not anymore!

Just three/ four years back she was hot property with hits like 'Hum Tum', 'Veer Zara', 'Bunty aur Babli' and a critically acclaimed performance in 'Black'!

But the back to back flops 'Baabul', 'Ta Ra Rum Pum', 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag', 'Saawariya' and 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic' changed it all.

Since then Rani has only made news for all the wrong reasons. She's been accused of being a home breaker and the 'we're together, we're not together' status with reclusive beau Aditya Chopra hasn't helped her career or her personal life.

Even the brands which signed her on when she was hot property are losing interest in her. First it was said that the people concerned didn't want her back for the 'Nestle Munch' campaign and now the buzz is that she has been dropped from the prestigious 'Titan' watches ad campaign.

Rani was the face of the 'Titan Raga' brand for two years but reportedly now they've told her that she's is no longer needed as the re-launch phase for the watch is over!

Sources say that the decision was taken considering Rani's market saleability. After much contemplation, the company thought of doing away with the association.

It's another blow for the actress who is already trying hard to survive in the number game!

Looks people are not wrong in saying that the actress who was once named 'the most versatile actress of this generation' made a mistake by confining herself to the Chopra camp!

Sohail is the wittiest of the three Khans: Katrina

'Goddess of Luck', 'Woman with a golden touch', 'Lucky Charm' - Quite a few titles have been bestowed upon Katrina Kaif ever since she has delivered a string of successful films. A true 'superstar' today, it was imperative that she appears on 'Sajid Superstars'. Here is what she had to share on the show:

- The world waits with a bated breath to know whether she is single or indeed seeing someone (read Salman Khan). She was asked the obvious question on the show and she confessed - (hold your breath) - that she is still single. Well, before jumping from your seats, there is more to come. She tactically replied that as per her, a person is bound to be single until he/she is unmarried! Got the logic!

- In her career so far, she has delivered maximum number of hits with Akshay Kumar. As a 'jodi' they have been terrific and come with almost cent percent success rate. Katrina speaks about Akshay, his professionalism and his dedication in front of the camera. She also speaks about Vipul Shah, the man who gave her a challenging role in Namastey London and the biggest success of her career - Singh Is Kinng.

- No wonder, her scene from Namastey London (where she meets Riteish Deshmukh) is the chosen one for her best scene ever. The worst came from Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya. Any guesses for the chosen one here.

- Her Hindi has always been under the scanner ever since she set her sight on Bollywood. Malaika Arora asked her in Hindi that when she would begin conversing with people in Hindi. Katrina's reply to that? - "I talk in Hindi only with my staff; however I didn't know even you could talk in Hindi"! Ahem ahem!

- Sajid Khan didn't stop though from smiling away in a corner. He gifted Katrina a book on rapid course for Hindi speaking!

- When Katrina is around, a question around Salman is inevitable. This time around three Khans came into picture - Sohail, Arbaaz and of course Salman.

On being asked about the wittiest of the three Khans, Sohail stood at the top of the heap. Reason? As per Katrina, Sohail is genuinely funny and has everyone around him in splits. Arbaaz came second due to his dry sense of humor. As for Salman, well, find it out on the show!

- Getting nostalgic about her initial years in the world of cinema, Katrina spoke about her film down south, 'Malliswari', the film she had done post the debacle of Boom and before the success of Sarkar. She talks about her good working experience with Venkatesh in the film and how she wasn't really worried about the film's language (Telugu) and mainly wanted to gain from the experience!

- She did confess though that Race continues to have a special place in her heart since it made a difference to her career. The twists and turns in the narrative made it an exciting ride for her.

- Getting naughty, Arjun Rampal asked Katrina about the writer (s) of Trishul, Deewar and Sholay. We all know that Salim-Javed have written these films. But did Katrina know this?

Shakti Kapoor's son, Pancholi's daughter arrested

Actor Shakti Kapoor's son, Siddhant was arrested in a raid by the Anti Narcotics Cell in a Juhu, Mumbai pub, Bombay 72 Degree East on early Monday morning. Siddhant was made to undergo medical tests after being arrested and then taken to a South Mumbai court at 11:00am.

The Pub property owner is veteran filmmaker Prakash Mehra. But it is run by a group of partners. One can recall Salman Khan inaugurating the pub last year in November.

Veteran producer Prakash Mehra owns the property. The pub - Bombay 72 Degree East is run by six partners. This pub was inaugurated by Salman Khan in November 2007.

Also, amongst those detained is also Aditya Pancholi's daughter Sana Pancholi She was to make her film debut with Suneel Darshan's Shakalaka Boom Boom. Reportedly, she was thrown out from the first schedule in South Africa after she refused to expose. Kangana Ranaut was brought in her place to do the same role.

Shakti Kapoor commented, "My son works as a DJ in that pub. He is innocent. I can guarantee you that he is not into drugs."

When contacted, Pancholi refused to comment.

Karan Johar is so nervous to direct SRK again

A lot of hard work plus the viral fever has left director Karan Johar completely exhausted these days. Yet the director is busy with with three projects. He is currently working on the postproduction of his film Dostana that is being directed by his erstwhile assistant Tarun Mansukhani.

Meanwhile he is busy with the screenplay of his next film My Name is Khan "We will start filming on the 15th of December in Los Angeles. The ensemble cast has recently been finalized and we have started the process of song recording.

I'm going for my final location recce with my Director of Photography, Ravi K. Chandran, Production Designer, Sharmishta Roy and Costumes Designers, Manish Malhotra and Shiraz Siddique."

Karan says this always puts him in immense pressure. "To say I'm nervous is still understating my state of mind because there are some moments in the day where I do feel extremely incapable of handling his complex film.

But I suppose venturing into new territory and tapping into the right tone is a challenge I look forward to taking on" he says.

Karan further reveals "My name is Khan is all about Rizvan Khan who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome (high functioning Autism)."

He says that his screenplay writer Shibani Bhatija, has researched this disorder very accurately. "I can't wait to see Shah Rukh portray it.

The message that runs right through the film is in strong support of humanity, which at the end of the day is the only way to rise above any of the cultural or religious differences that continue to engulf us" he informs.

He is currently working on his next Wake Up Sid! With Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma. "We plan to start filming it in a day or two and Ayan the director is heading towards a nervous breakdown," he concludes.

Farah Khan`s love for reality TV

As she herself admitted once, even though late, she's made it in life. Farah Khan's been a successful choreographer and now she's a hit director too (in spite of critics panning her films). The icing on the cake is that post motherhood her personal life's looking better than ever.

The reality shows on TV have increased her fame not to forget her bank balance.

After 'Indian Idol 1', 'Indian Idol 2', 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa', 'Jo Jeeta Wahi Superstar' she's gearing up to judge 'Nach Baliye 4' now.

She admits to be very happy about being associated with shows like these.

She says, "I am in love with reality shows. It's fun to judge so many contestants. There's no pressure from any side. I can say whatever I feel, whether it is right or wrong"

Much like brother Sajid, she's been witty and humorous as a judge. But she has been blunt and rude at times too!

She explains, "I just speak my mind and nothing else. There are no personal grudges here." And she's so very much in love with reality TV that she would even like to be a contestant in one.

She reveals, "I would love to be a part of a reality show as a contestant like AXN's 'The Amazing Race'. It will fun to travel long distances and completing the tasks. There is always a team of two. So I would like to take Shahrukh Khan with me. He would be carrying my travel bag everywhere I go."

Umm… so Farah's got used to being the boss. She would only be a part of something that enables her to call the shots. No wonder they call her a super strong woman!

Hot Priyanka and Kangana equals to big buck

Even before Fashion has arrived at theaters, it has already recovered close to half of its costs through endorsements. Budgeted at Rs.17-18 crores, the film has seen brand endorsements worth Rs. 7-8 crores from Lenovo, Sunsilk, Reebok and Kimaya amongst others.

Says a highly placed official attached to the film's production house, "We have managed to cut some great deals with the leading brands from the world of fashion (obviously), laptops, hair care and footwear & apparels.

They have been prominently placed in Fashion and we have made sure that they don't obscure the basic flow of the film."

How profitable has the venture been? "It is a profitable deal for us as well as the brands", confidently says the source, "Fashion is a much hyped film and the kind of class it caters to, the brands can well expect quite a few eyeballs for them from the high end consumers.

They understand that Bhandarkar Entertainment is a name to reckon with and it would be mutually beneficial for all the parties to gain from the deal."

Talking about the huge expectations that audience has in general from Fashion, Madhur commented, "This is my biggest project till date and though I am a experimental filmmaker, my movies do well at the box office too.

It has been such an exciting journey during last 9 months that I have hardly sat down and deliberated on the expectations front. Even today, I am neck deep into the post production of Fashion.

It is hardly a few days to go for the 29th October release of the film and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the film is liked by one and all."

Bubbbly Preity Zinta goes silent for Salman

Actors are defined by the roles they place on screen and off screen and after successfully representing Punjab at the IPL with her KING's IX team, Preity Zinta can now be seen in a role never attempted before with Heroes.

Preity plays Salman's war widow –the sole winner of the family who single-handedly strives to bring up her son and keep the home fires burning.

Being the perfectionist she is Preity made a dedicated choice to go back to acting school and learn how to portray the character of a rustic Punjabi woman.

Anupam Kher tutored her on how to imbibe the dialect and body language.

Samir Says, "Priety who is known for her bubbly, enthusiastic self worked on her body language and observed the locals there to portray the demure, silent but strong woman that her character is in the film. If you ask me, I think this is one of her best performances to date."

This method acting transcended onto the set as her introduction in the film is on a tractor and this achievement as another first for the feisty lady but with the help of Salman and a few assistants she mastered the skill of being in control of the tractor.

Samir says "In the scene Preity is driving a tractor, she was very nervous but she pulled it off with easy driving a full circle of the field and bringing it to a stop only a few feet away from Sohail, Vatsal and Dwij.

Even though she had control over the tractor every time I shouted cut people from the crew would run to help her stop the thing, and every time she would stop it get off and give a look as though what are you doing here I got it under control. She was super!"

Her co stars fondly remember her support and encouragement and vouch for her complete dedication. Looks like Preity is winning more than the hearts of Punjab!! We are sure Heroes will add another feather to her multifaceted cap.

Shah Rukh Khan to be star attraction at Singapore carnival

Bollywood's King Khan, Shah Rukh, will be the star attraction of the Zee Carnival - a two-day entertainment and lifestyle extravaganza to be held in Singapore next weekend.

Already the Shah Rukh fever is catching on. Apart from his fans among the 200, 000-strong Indian expatriate community in Singapore, large crowds are also expected from neighbouring Malaysia.

Shah Rukh has a sizeable fan following in Singapore, thanks to the Indian expatriate community. His photographs often find their way into the lifestyle sections of newspapers here, while a leading daily newspaper recently carried a two-page interview with him.

Not just Indians, but the growing numbers of other Bollywood fans in Singapore had flocked to cinemas when Shah Rukh's two recent blockbusters, "Om Shanti Om" and "Chak De! India" were released here.

At the carnival, Shah Rukh's fans will have a chance to get up close and personal with him.

Bollywood's reigning heart throb will make numerous appearances on both days, spending time interacting with the crowds, signing autographs and allowing his fans to get their photographs taken with him.

Apart from King Khan, the other stars who will make an appearance are mainly from the Zee TV stable, including the host of the "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" show Aditya Narayan, the show's singers Raja Hasan and Poonam Jatav, Iqbaal Khan and the singing duo, Sharad and Kirti Kelkar, better known by their screen names, Nahar and Chandni.

The Zee event also includes a lifestyle segment showcasing fashion and design trends from across the globe. TV show host and chef Sanjeev Kapoor of "Khana Khazana" fame will be giving cookery demonstrations. That is expected to be a big draw.

The carnival on Oct 11 and 12 is being held at Suntec City, a popular conference and exhibition space in the heart of downtown Singapore. It will be preceded by the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference of overseas Indians which concludes a day earlier on Oct 10.

Ganguly will score a century: SRK

Megastar Shahrukh Khan Saturday congratulated cricketer Sourav Ganguly for being included in the Indian squad for the upcoming Test and one-day series against Australia and hoped he would score a century in the first Test.

"I am happy for him and wish he gets a century, " Khan said on a visit here.

"We always feel happy if Kolkata Knight Riders' players do well, " said Khan, who owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) team, of which Ganguly is the skipper.

To a query about his equation with film icon Amitabh Bachchan, Sharukh said: "There is lot of love between us. Only you people (media) keep on asking these questions."

Motherhood, best experience of my life: Karisma Kapoor

Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor, who is back with her industrialist husband Sunjay Kapur and will soon be seen as a judge on the fourth season of "Naach Baliye", says that being a mother has been the best experience of her life.

"Motherhood changed me a lot as it has made me more responsible and mature as a human being. Being a mother is the best experience of my life, " Karisma, who is on a long sabbatical after marriage in 2003, told.

Karisma was at the top of the number game in Bollywood for half a decade churning out hits like "Raja Hindustani", "Dil To Pagal Hai", "Judwaa", "Biwi No 1" and critically acclaimed films - "Zubeidaa" and "Fiza".

Karisma says she misses acting which has been her passion and the gap was just a break for her.

"I started my career at a very early age and have done all types of films. I have been lucky enough to have experimented with all kinds of roles. Being away from acting has just been a break for me, " said Karisma who started her career at the age of 17 with "Prem Qaidi".

She won four Filmfare awards for "Raja Hindustani", "Dil To Pagal Hai", "Fiza" and "Zubeidaa".

Commenting upon her role as a judge on "Naach Baliye 4", she said: "I have consented to be judge of the show as it will not be too hectic for me. I have to shoot once or twice a week and that will leave ample amount of time to devote to my home and daughter (Samaira)."

Karisma thinks the television scene has changed drastically and gap between the small and big screen has been reduced as more and more Bollywood actors are doing TV shows.

"Most of my colleagues whom I worked with, have been on television for various shows, be it Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar or others. At the same time, many television actors have also made a mark for themselves on the big screen, " the actress said.

Karisma is open to similar kind of offers and would also not mind anchoring shows if it suits her taste.

As far as acting in films is concerned, Karisma said: "Just wait and watch." The actress was supposed to make a comeback with "Lamha".

Sushmita Sen is incredible

Guess who's making former Pakistan cricket captain and swing king Wasim Akram sway to her tunes nowadays? Bollywood actress and former beauty queen Sushmita Sen.

Akram, who is currently co-judging an Indian reality TV show "Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina" with Sushmita, is totally gaga over the actress.

"I think she is an incredible person, very helpful, extremely professional and, yes, she has really made me comfortable on the show, " Akram told in an interview.

Akram first interacted with Sushmita in Dubai in 2006.

"I met her about two years ago in Dubai. We did a telethon for Imran Khan's cancer hospital together. That was two days in a row and almost three hours live on TV. So I got to interact with her. We managed to raise quite a bit of money, " he said.

Sushmita was also one of the reasons why he agreed to be on the judging panel of this show.

"So far the game is really exciting and fun. It's something very different and that's why I agreed to the show and, plus, I was told that Sushmita would be there; so I agreed."

"Ek Khiladi Ek Hasina" airs on Colors and pits six pairs of a cricketer and a TV actress each to display their dancing skills. The cricketers on the show include S. Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Vinod Kambli, Irfan Pathan, Dinesh Kartik and Nikhil Mehra.

In one of the recent episodes, Akram has been seen reciting shayari (Urdu couplets) to flatter the actress, but he has not shaken a leg with her so far. Any plans?

"Maybe. In fact, they have tried to make me dance, but I really can't handle that sort of pressure. Playing the world cup final twice was okay, but not this, " he says.

Akram is also entirely dependent on Sushmita to judge the dancing capabilities of the contestants, as he "can't make out the head or tail of dancing".

"I wanted to see how the cricketers behave on the stage. I'm not judging the technicalities of their dance. For that Sushmita is there. I have no clue about dancing, what would I comment. I'm not looking at their steps at all. For me, their passion is important, " he said.

He added: "We are not looking for a dance icon who would go into Bollywood and dance. The idea is to have cricketers dancing and see how they do on the stage. The girls, all six of them, are very talented and excellent. But, for the boys, it's a new thing."

So what is his criterion for judging? "For me it's like one day cricket - perform on the day, if you play well, you'll win."

Akram feels that though such a show will be a hit in Pakistan, not many cricketers there will agree to take part in it.

"It will be a big hit there no doubt, but where will the Pakistani cricketers dance there? I don't think the Pakistani cricketers will dance. First let them play well at least, " he said and laughed.

A lot of actors in India and Pakistan are looking to make a mark in Bollywood, but Akram feels otherwise.

"I do enjoy acting and watching movies. But acting is a proper profession; you have to learn for it. I've seen cricketers who have done films. But after one or two films, they are not seen any more and I don't want to be one of them.

"I am happy to leave acting in Bollywood to Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Amitabh Bacchan - all these great actors, " said Akram.

Riya Sen is being pampered silly

Riya Sen is getting all the attention and pampering on the sets of Rituparno Ghosh's 'Naukadubi'.

The actress is currently in West Bengal shooting at the famous Shantiniketan. Director Rituparno who considers Riya as his own daughter, is making sure that the actress gets all that she asks for on the sets of the film.

'Nauka Dubi' which is based on an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel by the same name. Riya will be seen opposite Jishu Sengupta who also starred in 'The Last Lear'.

This is the first time that the Sen sisters will be seen together on the silver screen – though not as sisters, but as wives going through turbulent marriages.

Shilpa has converted into a Racing fanatic

Shilpa Shetty was at the Formula 1 in Singapore on Sunday evening with soul-mate Raj Kundra as a special guest of Bernie Ecclestone, the founder and owner of Formula 1, and also a special invitee of her dear friend Vijay Mallya. And now she's hooked. A week after the experience she wants more of the racing-track action.

Reliving the amazing experience hours after it was over Shilpa says, "It was awesome. There I was sitting in the grid enclave just a breath away from the racing cars. And though I was invited by Mr Ecclestone as a British celebrity I went there representing the Indian team who were racing for the first time and I was cheering for them."

Back to the Formula-1 Grand Prix on Sunday evening…. "History was made. Because the race happened for the first time during the night.

I had never attended a Grand Prix before and I got to see all the racing legends like Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher for the first time. Felipe Massa's car crashed when we thought he would win…it was quite crazy!

I've always loved fast cars. But I've never been to a Grand Prix before. On Sunday in Singapore I not only got to see the veterans, but also a new breed of racers."

Shilpa says the experience watching a Grand Prix live is unbeatable. "The televised version cannot make your blood pound and heart race. Also the noise of revving cars…it's unparalleled. You can't feel the vibrations on tv."

Shilpa jumps to the Indian team's defence for its under-performance at the Grand Prix "They're new. This was their first year. Give them time. I wasn't the least embarrassed. I'm very proud of Vijay Mallya for putting together the first Formula 1 Indian team. He has put India on the Grand Prix map."