Bipasha on being accused of child labour

Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) damsel Bipasha Basu landed herself in a big trouble when she posted a picture of two children tying her shoelaces and tweeted, "I need to learn to tie shoe laces ASAP! Embarrassed that I can't! No patience grrrrr! Promise I am not spoilt! Will learn soon."


This news spread like a fire and people started accusing the actor of child labour. "Bipasha should be arrested for this act. Only then these film studios will not do any child labour," posted a follower. Another tweet read, "Disgraceful Bips - cannot believe you are dumb enough to add this photo on Twitter!"
Bips later deleted the picture and justified the act by saying, "Well the ppl helping me in the pix r my friend n sister, Who I help often with the same! So am sorry if it hurt anyones sentiments! (sic)"


But her fans didn't buy this explanation. In the deleted tweet she confessed she doesn't know how to tie laces and in her explanation she stated she does the same (tie laces) for the children in the pic.


Bipasha was in the capital for an event. When quizzed about the twitter controversy, she stated, "I think you should read my post on twitter. It's not child labour, that's all I can say."
Source:HT

Hi-Fi wishes Rahman luck for Oscars

Music maestro A.R. Rahman has bagged two nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards for his work in Danny Boyle's '127 Hours' and the film frat is hoping that the composer triumphs again at the gala event Sunday.

His colleagues and friends wish him luck and are hoping he brings the golden statuette home again, having bagged two Oscars for the best original score and the song in 2009 for rags-to-riches drama 'Slumdog Millionaire'. This time, Rahman has been nominated for the original score of '127 Hours' as well as original song 'If I Rise'.

'I feel great. I feel wonderful because Rahman is one person who has made us so proud and I am really, really happy. I wish him all the best,' said Rani Mukerji. Actor-producer Arbaaz Khan said: 'That's a great achievement. The last time when he won the Oscar, it looked like one time dream. I wish him all the best. He is a true deserving candidate and pride of the country.'

'He had to get the nominations. He has already has two to his credit. He will continue getting them. He has already made India proud and would continue doing so. My best wishes are always with him,' said singer Udit Narayan. Singer Kailash Kher said: 'I congratulate him and wish him all the best. Every year he should achieve more honours.' 'The whole country is proud of him. He is good, he is talented and I hope he delivers time and again. I am very happy. I wish him all the best,' actor Arshad Warsi said.

Composer Pritam Chakraborty said: 'I wish him luck. Anything you say about him is less. If you name a few pride of our country, he is one of them. I wish him all the best.' 'It's something to be proud of that an Indian has made a golden mark on the world map,' director Vishal Bhardwaj said.
Source:PTI

Hi-Fi films should promote eco-wildlife: Conservationist

To promote conservation of bio-diversity and build environmental awareness, Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) films can play a big role, says UK-based conservationist Richard Edwards. "If there is little bit of an attempt from mainstream cinema like Hi-Fi to present issues on environment and wildlife, then it will help us reach more audiences," Edwards told PTI here. Citing the example of Hollywood films like 'The Day After Tomorrow' and James Cameron's 3D saga 'Avatar', Edwards said that when issues are raised through popular films, the masses understand it better.

Based on the theory of an abrupt climate change, Roland Emmerich's 'The Day After Tomorrow' (2004) was a science-fiction disaster film which depicted the catastrophic effects of global warming. "It is a very good example as it was successful in helping understand people what climate change can do to their lives," Edwards said.

Besides working with ARKive, an online visual encyclopedia on nature, he is the chief of the 'Wildscreen Festival', the world's largest wildlife and environmental film festival. He was in the city to showcase eco-wildlife films for a 'desi' avatar of the 'Wildscreen Festival', organised by the British Council.

Visual media is now recognised as one of the most powerful, engaging and emotive ways to sensitise audiences towards the cause of environmental conservationism. Besides providing an important historical record of the planet's endangered plants and animals, films illustrate the sheer beauty of the natural world, inspiring an entire generation of conservationists across the globe.

Source:PTI

Shankar Mahadevan launches online music academy

Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan is out to change the process of music instruction amongst Indian Americans by launching an online music academy.

The Shankar Mahadevan Academy has been set up with the aim of bringing NRIs closer to their roots and impart structured education in Indian classical music simply from the convenience of their homes. The academy has tied up with a virtual learning software provider, Clood On, that will enable students to train from anywhere around the world. "My vision is to make learning of all styles of Indian music easy, accessible, and exciting to people worldwide. My philosophy is simple - to impart high quality learning in music through innovative methods while having a great deal of fun," says Mahadevan on his web site.

The academy brings high quality Indian music education online for the first time, making learning easy, fun and accessible from anywhere. On offer are certificate programs in Carnatic and Hindustani vocal as well as individual courses in Hi-Fi, folk, religious chanting and other styles. "I noticed that in Indian classical music, the teaching methods are very unstructured. You cannot put it down in points anywhere. Whereas, if you go to Berklee College of Music or Juilliard School just to learn the trumpet for example, everything is structured," said Mahadevan.

Apart from the theory lessons, the composer has also roped in teachers to take live classes online. "We are replicating two aspects of any form of learning when you go to a college, you have a textbook and you have a teacher standing in front of you. "We have created a textbook OM (Online Music) Book, which can be accessible all the time, plus classes with a teacher are scheduled at a specific time so that you can virtually interact with her," he said.

Courses run for up to 12 weeks, and learning is achieved through a combination of the OM Book, virtual classes and assessments.
Source:MSN

Preity Zinta says she took an intentional break from Hi-Fi

Though Preity Zinta’s fans might have thought that she has ended her Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) career, but, the actress says that she took an intentional break from Hi-Fi. Now, she is back again.

Preity said, “Who says I’m out of work? Anyone who may have thought so is just being silly.” The actress said that she took the break so that she could concentrate on Kings XI Punjab, her Indian Premier League cricket team.

She added, “Offers have been coming but the break I took from Hi-Fi was intentional. I wanted to be on the grounds with my team. So I decided not to take up work in Hi-Fi for a few years. But I am an actor first and at the end of the day, that is what I love doing. I’m now reading a lot of scripts and something will materialise soon."

She will also be seen on Television soon hosting the show Guinness World Records — Ab India Todega. The show will be telecasted on the Colors channel.

Source:IndiaServer

Deepika 'dying' to be with Salman

All Deepika wants is a movie with Salman 

Though Deepika Padukone has worked with many big names of  Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) like Shahrukh Kan, Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan, still there is one star with whom she is very keen to work. And that is none other than the Dabangg Salman Khan. She wants to act opposite Salman in Ladies and Gentlemen. This is a Rajkumar Santoshi project and earlier there were talks of Abhishek-Aishwarya teaming up to play the lead in this flick. And according to sources, Deepika is so keen to work opposite Salman that she is even ready to work in less than market prize, which is not something she often does.
Source:IE

When Big B used to be a gate crasher

Big B: In a nostalgic mood

He might be flying in private jets or executive class with a lot of attention, but there was time when Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) megastar Amitabh Bachchan used to gatecrash at weddings or travel in trains without a ticket.

Big B is in Bhopal shooting for Aarakshan and it seems he is getting nostalgic about his college days.

"We were talking on set about college and university days and how in the hostel, when food was scarce or our pockets had run dry, we would find novel ways of feeding ourselves at times. Look for a wedding, borrow an ill-fitting suit from an affluent colleague and gatecrash the 'baraat' as guests and feed ourselves to our limits best, posing as ‘men from the boy's side'," he posted on his blog Bigb.bigadda.com.

"They are the ones that get the most looked after!! They were mad days of our youth and when you look back on them you wonder how on earth did we ever pull those utterly stupid pranks and succeed," he added.

The 68-year-old megastar, who studied at Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School (BHS) followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, before graduating from Delhi University's Kirori Mal College, remembered how he and his friends would board a train without tickets because they didn't have enough money.

"Like paying a visit to our Alma Mater, Sherwood College the very next year of passing out, spending Founder's Week there among colleagues and then finding ourselves out of money, not sufficient to buy back a train ticket to Delhi. So what do you do? You get on to the train from Kathgodam in any case, just as it's pulling out of the station so no one can stop you, cling on to the doors and spend the rest of the journey on the steps outside of the moving compartment until some kind-hearted ticket holder takes pity on your condition and pulls you in to share his berth with you," he posted.
Source:IBNlive

Poaching case: HC allows Salman to travel abroad

Rajasthan High Court has exempted Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) star Salman Khan from seeking permission from it for going abroad.

The exemption has been granted in a black buck poaching case, pending with the high court. However, Salman will still have to seek permission from lower courts, where other cases pertaining to antelopes poaching are pending. "We are in a process of seeking same exemption from the lower courts on the basis of this decision by the high court, so that Salman need not take the permission," his counsel H M Saraswat said.

A revision petition of Salman has been pending with the high court since 31 August, 2007, when it admitted his petition suspending the sentence in the case of poaching of Black Buck in 'Ghoda Farm' in Mathania near Jodhpur. But a condition was imposed that whenever Salman would go out of the country, he will have to seek permission from the court. "Since then, he has been regularly having permission from the court while going abroad and so far 33 such permissions have been granted by the court," Saraswat said.

He claimed that the actor never misused the liberty granted by the court and always exhibited compliance with this condition."On an average, it is a period of 10 days, that used to take in the process of the permission, which means a lot for a profession of the nature, Salman is in, said Saraswat.

"So, we filed petition before the court on 28 January, 2011," he reasoned. The petition prayed the condition in the operative part of the order dated 31 August, 2007 stating that prior permission has to be obtained for every travel to foreign country be removed/varied/modified.Considering the compliance of the condition by Salman, Justice Vineet Kothari, while hearing the petition, deleted this condition. "Now Salman will be free to go out of the country without any prior permission from the high court only in this particular case," Saraswat stated. 
Salman was convicted by a lower court (CJM) on April 10, 2006, for the poaching of a Black Buck in Mathania on the intervening night of 28-29 September, 1998, under section 51 of the Wild Life Protection Act (1972) and was sentenced to 5.

Source:IE

Sanjay, Ajay gave surprise to Salman

When Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) star Salman Khan wanted a few Hi-Fi stars for a cameo for Anees Bazmee's 'Ready' in Bangkok, he didn't think twice about approaching his friends Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn, who happily complied.

Even Kangana Ranaut, who was with Sanjay and Ajay shooting in Bangkok itself for David Dhawan's "Rascals", agreed for the shoot for Salman's sake.

"When Salman Khan calls everyone has to respond. And these are his dearest friends. Salman has the highest respect for Sanjay and he is very close to Ajay. So when a scene came up which needed film stars, Salman thought why wait to go to India and shoot when the unit of David Dhawan's 'Rascals' is present in Pattaya. "He made calls to Sanjay and Ajay and they readily agreed. David cancelled his shoot for 'Rascals' and let the three actors go shoot for 'Ready'," said a source.

Salman did his bit to make his friends feel special for agreeing to feature in the film. "Salman went to surprise Sanju and Ajay at Hotel Royal Cliff in Pattaya. Salman told them that he had come to pick them up as they were coming to shoot especially for him. Kangana also joined them and the three actors left for the shoot together in Salman's car," the source added.

The spokesperson for the movie "Ready" confirmed the incident, and said: "Yes Ajay, Sanju Sir and Kangana did shoot for Ready as Salman wanted them to."
Source:IANS

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Completes 800 WEEKS

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge completed 800 weeks of its run in Mumbai on Thursday and is still collecting. The collections of Hindi films playing in Mumbai city (excl Thane) last week were as follows. DDLJ was 8th on list despite in its 800th week. Theatre count in brackets.

1. Patiala House 3.27 crore (73) Week 1

2. Yeh Saali Zindagi 53 lakhs (36) Week 2

3. Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji 17 lakhs (33) Week 3

4. Band Baaja Baaraat 2.75 lakhs (9) Week 10

5. Hum Dono Rangeen 2.25 lakhs (5) Week 2

6. Angel 90,000 (14) Week 1

7. Yamla Pagla Deewana  25,000 (6) Week 5

8. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - 21,000 (1) Week 800

9. Aashiqui.in 21,000 (4) Week 1

10. Utt Pataang - 10,000 (5) Week 2

11. No One Killed Jessica - 5,000 (2) Week 6

12. Dhobi Ghat - 2,000 (2) Week 4
Source:BOI

Sunny Deol's Mohalla Assi finally to be shot in Varanasi

Major portions of Chandraprakash Dwivedi's Mohalla Assi starring Sunny Deol, have been shot in Mumbai studios on sets that 'recreate' the city of Varanasi. This has had purists from Uttar Pradesh seeing red.

The film is based on Kashinath Singh's Kashi Ki Assi, a work of literature that these purists consider "inviolable" and "sacrosanct". They'd rather the film's unit shot on location in Varanasi. The director defends his decision. "Ideally, we'd have liked to shoot the film completely on the ghats of Varanasi.

But Sunny is so popular in the region, and thousands and thousands of fans descended on location to see him. It was impossible to shoot there. The last time Sunny shot in Varanasi was for Rajkumar Santoshi's Ghatak 15 years ago. And that was just a few sequences. His popularity has not waned at all." Hang on! Didn't Sunny shoot for Yamla Pagla Deewana in the holy city? Dwivedi lets the cat out of the bag.

"No, YPD was shot in a place called Maheshwari which resembles the place in every detail. We will be the first crew to shoot a Hindi film in the heart of Varanasi. Even Anurag Kashyap, who was in the region recently shooting for Gangs Of Wasseypur, shot a little distance away."

Sunny now leaves for Varanasi under strict security bandobast. Informs Diwedi, "We only shot the interior sequences in the studios of Mumbai. All the outdoor sequences will now be shot on location under the strict supervision of the local government's security arrangements."

Apparently, UP Chief Minister Mayawati who likes Deol films, has assured the star of all necessary security. "We're prepared to handle the crowds now," the director confidently concludes. 
Source:Mid-Day

SRK wants Always Kabhi Kabhi to be controversy free

Shah Rukh seems to have had enough of controversies. He is making sure that his forthcoming next Roshan Abbas' directorial debut Always Kabhi Kabhi doesn't get into that space.

Though the film is about Delhi school kids and is based in the capital city it has stayed away from talking about an infamous MMS scandal. Roshan says, "We haven't delved into the MMS territory." "We wanted to make a feel good youth centric film. One of our writers had also suggested incorporating the Valentines Day controversy where a few couples were banned and beaten up but we refrained from using any such scandalous incidents. I know films like Dev D talked about it but ours is in a very different space."

Roshan informs that his producer Shah Rukh Khan was very clear from the beginning to make a positive film on today's youth. "Shah Rukh and I had a lot of discussions during the scripting stage. His point was 'lets concentrate on the positives. This generation is the hope of the future lets keep the hope of it alive. 'He wanted the audience to leave theater with a smile He said Red Chilles is known to make wholesome family entertainers and I fully value his opinion and I  guess that will also help us getting a wider audience. "He describes the film as "a simple, sweet coming-of-age story about today's youth and communication gaps they face with their parents and how they resolve it."

The movie is based on Roshan's play Graffiti which he had staged in New Delhi in the '90s and is talks about high school students and stars newbies Zoa Morani (daughter of Karim Morani of Morani Bros who handle SRK's shows), Satyajit Dubey (grandson of theatre stalwart Pandit Satyadev Dubey), Giselli Monteiro (she played Harleen in Love Aaj Kal) and Ali Fazal (played suicide victim Joy Lobo in 3 Idiots).
Source:MId-Day

Aamir, Kareena, Rani attended acting workshops

Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji have started attending workshops for their next outing together Reema Kagti's film.

The project is yet untitled but the working title is The Act of Murder.

Though all those associated with the movie have been made to sign a non-disclosure pact, we've sourced out that the stars along with the supporting cast attended a recent script-reading session at a hotel in Bandra.

Says a source, "Reema's conducting the workshops. Producer Ritesh Sidhwani attends some of the workshops. Aamir, who essays a cop in the movie, attended a session before leaving for the Berlin film festival and is expected to continue once he returns."

Adds the source, "The complete cast gathers and reads out their dialogues. This is being done to facilitate the actual shoot so that everyone knows what is to be done and perfection is achieved."

Even though the three leading stars are present, things are conducted in an extremely professional way without any starry tantrums as each one waits for his/her turn to read their lines. A look test has also been done with the cast. "The stars have been describing the atmosphere on the sets to be fantastic and they can't wait for the shoot to begin. Things have been planned to the minutest details. Everyone has been told not to reveal the storyline," informs the source. Reema's film is slated to go on the floors in the second week of March.

Shoot schedules have been planned in Mumbai and later Pondicherry. The itinerary has already been chalked till April and the dates of the stars have been blocked. The film is being produced by Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, under whose banner Reema made her directorial debut with Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd.

Source:Mid-Day

Salman does a Pierce Brosnan

Salman Khan recently shot some high-voltage action sequences for his upcoming movie Ready, while driving a tuk-tuk in the narrow streets of Pattaya, Thailand.

Perhaps inspired by Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan's fast-paced ad in the ubiquitous Thai rickshaw, Salman suggested to the director Anees Bazmee that they shoot some action scenes in one, as it hasn't been done in a Hindi film as yet. Subsequently, an action scene was written and shot, showing two tuk-tuks blowing up and the actor jumping into another one and driving off. Says an insider, "Since no owner wanted to have his vehicle blown up, producer Bhushan Kumar had to buy three at a cost of approximately Rs two lakh each, for the shoot. Salman drove the tuk-tuk expertly, although it was the first time he doing so."
 
Understandably, Bhushan and co-producer Rajat Rawail want only the best for their movie therefore no expenses are being spared. After Wanted and Dabangg, Salman's fans want to see him in bigger and better action scenes and the producers aim to deliver. That said, this is T-Series' most expensive film to date. The shoot in Bangkok and Pataya itself is costing Bhushan over Rs 11 crore at a cost of Rs 25 lakh per day. Special Thai action fighters have been hired to shoot the action scenes in the tuk-tuks in Bangkok and in the entire film."

Bhushan admits, "It was bhai's (Salman) idea to shoot in a tuk tuk. Unlike the two and three-wheeler vehicles in India, the tuk tuks are very fast and powerful. Their drivers too are experts and can ride them as two-wheelers also. Bhai wanted to shoot an action sequence nobody has done before. People have shot romantic songs or scenes perhaps, but such a high-voltage action sequence will be seen for the first time in ready. People will enjoy this unique Thai action." 
Source: Mid-Day

MAHESH-LARA GET RUDE ON WEDDING DAY

Mahesh Bhupathi and Lara Dutta may be in romantic bliss right now but apparently they have certainly rubbed people from the media the wrong way during their wedding. The industry is majorly pissed off with some even alleging that they were dished out with bad behaviour from Mahesh. Sources from Goa point out that when people from the fraternity asked the newly wed groom to pose for pictures, he sharply told them, “Who invited you here?” The couple also refrained from posing for pictures despite repeated requests. Lara, on the other hand, was courteous. But she, too, is in the middle of controversy because of her better half. 


Gossip also has it that the photographers are planning to talk among themselves and ban the couple for sometime much like they did to Amitabh Bachchan some years back. “There was no need to give us such bad behaviour specially when we have always stood by the couple and covered each and every event of theirs so well for so many years now. All we wanted was a little co-operation. We know that they were busy and that it was a private thing but they are celebs and their lives are not meant to be private. If they wanted it to be private and media-free they should have gone to Honolulu or somewhere where no one would bother them. We were shocked that someone could be so rude to people on their wedding day. We were well-behaved. No one gate-crashed. We just stood outside and requested Mahesh to give us a picture. He just took off on us. We have no problem with Lara but we are planning to boycott the couple for some time. Mahesh should get to know our grievance,” says a top photographer on conditions of anonymity. 


“Again, when Mahesh was playing tennis with his pals, he had no problem posing for pics. That’s odd. If you don’t want to pose with your wedding fineries on, why bother to pose otherwise? It was his wedding with Lara that people travelled to Goa for and not to see him play. Maybe they are looking to sell off their wedding pics to some magazine, maybe not, but Mahesh did not do himself any good with such behaviour,” the informer adds.
Source:TOI

Raju Hirani keeps two projects on hold

Raju Hirani was scripting two films that he is looking to direct but he has kept his plans on hold to finish the final draft of Ferrari Ki Sawaari. Raju, who had gone out of town to finish his films’ scripts, is actively working to give the final touches to the Sharman Joshi starrer. Post this, he will start working on the two ambitious projects. Raju has not started casting for his films too since he is just getting over with his first draft. People close to him inform us that he will only look at casting after a couple of months.
Source:TOI

Not without my maalishwala!

Apart from girlfriend Kareena Kapoor and his phone, one thing that Saif Ali Khan simply can’t do without is his masseur. He has a fetish for massage and has a special masseur who accompanies him even on his long outdoor schedules. Saif is a Nawab in the true sense of the term and loves to live a royal life. He is known to shower money on his staffers if he is pleased by their service. A source close to the actor discloses, “Saif has a thing for body massages. And instead of going to a spa, he prefers calling the masseur who massages him in the comfort of his home. His fetish for massage is so strong that he takes his masseur to his long outdoor schedules too. And Saif tips him generously every time he performs his duties par excellence. Saif feels money should be no constraint and believes in paying what’s due to his staffers.” Now, don’t blame us if you see a queue of maalishwallahs outside Saif ’s house after reading this piece of news. 
Source:TOI

When Tusshar lost his cool!

Tushaar Kapoor has always known to be very calm and adjusting. But for the first time Tushaar has lost his cool. This happened recently on the sets of Hum Tum Aur Shabana. Tushaar was having a back-to-back schedule and was running from pillar to post. When he reached the sets there was a delay and he was asked to wait. Basically, he was asked to adjust. But since his day was super busy, he just could not wait. An onlooker says that when Tushaar was asked to wait and people were trying to convince him he finally lost his cool. Everyone was quite surprised to see him like this.
Source:TOI

'Yes,I have ten flats.So?':Priyanka Chopra on the recent income tax raid at her house

Priyanka Chopra refuses to accept that the year started on an unpleasant note for her because of the income tax raid at her residence this January. She says that contrary to stories, there were no men who came upstairs to her house and no “gaddiyan of money” recovered. In fact, she claims that she still will be one of the highest tax payers this season. But it is still a “no comments” stance when you ask the actress whether it’s true that once the raid was over, the I-T officials asked her for pictures and autographs! 


“The raid is something that happened and there’s no denying it. But, the I-T department is a hugely responsible part of the government and whatever investigations they are doing, we are fully cooperating with them – my family, my lawyers, my CA. It wasn’t an unpleasant experience at all. You’d expect it to be a bad experience based on what you hear, but they were very well behaved, very courteous,” Priyanka tells us. She also vehemently denies any money being found at her place. Says Priyanka, “There wasn’t much found, contrary to reports. They said six crores of cash was found,

Hitler goes to Berlin

For the first Indian film to deal with the sensitive subject of Hitler’s life, the actors of Dear Friend Hitler have a fairly simple approach to their parts in the movie. Instead of focussing on the controversial aspect of the subject, they’ve focussed on getting into the skin of their characters. After all, if Indian actors are to portray themselves convincingly on screen as Hitler and his associates, their ability to play their part well will make all the difference. 


As Dr Anil Sharma, the film’s producer, shares, “When we took the out-takes of the film to the Berlin Film Festival, the audience was excited at the prospect of seeing a Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) actor play the part of Hitler. There was curiosity about it. If Ben Kingsley, who was British, continues to be the face of Gandhi in cinema, there is no reason why the audience will not be able to accept Raghuvir Yadav as the German dictator, here or in Germany.” 


Yadav, who plays Hitler as he was in the last 10 days of his life, understands that it’s a difficult proposition, but hopes he’s been able to cross the cultural barrier. “It was difficult to play someone as complex as Hitler. I didn’t know what to focus on — the gestures, the character or the language. Finally, I had to get into the spirit of the character to bring all the nuances,” he says. 


And if Neha Dhupia is to be believed, “There is very little of me or Raghuvir in the film, or so we have tried. Because this is about the characters we play. The idea is to be able to overcome the obstacles to communicate the emotion.” Neha, who plays Hitler’s wife, Eva Braun, in the film, adds, “The audience has to be entertained, and if a story is well told, nothing else matters.” 


The outing at the film fest also gave the filmmakers a chance to clear some misconceptions about their movie. “We clarified that the movie is not about Hitler’s ideology, but how his ideology of violence conflicts with Gandhi’s ideology of peace. There is no glorification of Hitler’s character,” says Sharma.
Source:TOI

Zafar looks at longer innings in Hi-Fi

Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar, who shot to fame with Tere Bin Laden, says the film was a stepping stone for him and he is looking forward to a longer innings in Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) and aspires to do two-three films a year. "I am very comfortable in Hi-Fi now. I am looking for a longer innings in Hi-Fi. I am looking forward for my journey in this industry. I would do two-three films a year," Zafar told PTI in an interview.

The actor made his debut with Abhishek Sharma's Tere Bin Laden, a tongue-in-cheek comedy on Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted terrorist. The movie, released last year, received an overwhelming response at the box office. "Tere Bin Laden was a stepping stone for me in Hi-Fi. I feel I am lucky and blessed to be accepted and loved by the people and film fraternity here. Since my first film has done well, people have some expectations from me. I don't want to disappoint them and would do my best."

The 30-year-old actor would be seen next in Aditya Chopra's Mere Brother Ki Dulhan which also stars Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif. Directed by debutante Ali Abbas Zafar, Mere Brother... is a musical romantic-comedy set around a love triangle. The film is likely to release in July. "In the film, Imran and I are brothers. Katrina is my fiancee. I am a very charming and flamboyant person who is confused about what he wants from life," the Pakistani actor said, giving a sneak peek into the Yash Raj Films production.

There is already a buzz that Zafar has been signed for Aditya Chopra's Dhoom 3 and David Dhawan's Chashme Baddoor. But the singer-actor chose to remain tight-lipped about the speculation. "I have another project coming from a big banner and it would surprise everyone. The announcement will be made very soon. Also, I am doing another romantic-comedy with a big and renowned director. Then there is one more script that I have liked but nothing has been finalised yet," said Zafar, who is popularly known as Prince of Pop in Pakistan. About his co-stars, he said, "I have seen both Katrina and Imran's films. I liked Katrina in Rajneeti and Imran was too good in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and I Hate Luv Storys. Both are really good and hard working actors. I don't have any difference with the two as reported in media."

Zafar recently launched his album, Jhoom, under the banner of Yash Raj Music in India and across the world.
Source:PTI

Salman Khan desperate to work in Joker

Fascinated by the 3D technology that Shirish Kunder will use for his next superhero flick, Joker, the actor wants a role in the film too. First it was a cameo in a song in Om Shanti Om, then another in a song in Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif starrer Tees Maar Khan. For husband wife duo Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan, Salman Khan's presence seems to be lucky.

While we know that Khan will play the lead in Kunder's film Kick, the beefy actor is also keen to show his face in Kunder's 3D project that's in the pipeline. Titled Joker, the superhero action flick will star Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, and although the first schedule began on February 14 in Chandigarh, Salman wants Kunder to scribble a quick role for him too. "Shirish has already locked in on Akshay for the lead in Joker with Sonakshi Sinha. But when Salman heard Shirish was making a film in 3D, he got excited. He told Shirish to get him into the picture even if it is for just a cameo," reveals a source. Kunder is busy trying to find a good enough role for Salman to play in Joker.

"Salman is fascinated by 3D. Creatively, this technology allows filmmakers to give viewers a more lifelike experience, as if they were actually in the world of the film and can reach out and touch the characters. Both Salman and I love 3D. Plus, it discourages piracy, as viewers have to go to theatres to see the film. In Joker, I intend to take the audience to a world they've never seen or experienced before," says the director.

Kunder admits efforts are on to write Khan into Joker. "I would love to include Salman in Joker. But it has to be a role that would do justice to him." Apparently, Salman is not willing to take no for an answer. If it's a three-dimensional experience, he would like to join the crew as the fourth.
Source: NDTV

Will Hi-Fi support Jemima Khan?

With the Wikileaks site taken off-line and its founder Julian Assange getting deeper into problems, his supporters and empathisers are gearing up to garner some support for him. One of his prominent supporters, London-based socialite Jemima Khan, is rumoured to be seeking out support from Indian celebrities as well. Jemima is also the former wife of former Pakistani captain Imran Khan.

"Jemima was one of the prominent celebrities attending the rally that was held in London on February 7. She, in fact, opened the speeches at the rally by saying that the (UK) government has cheated its citizens," informs a source. It was apparently after this rally that Jemima decided to get some support from India and Pakistan. "Being married to Imran helped Jemima make a lot of friends in India and Pakistan. She has made an appeal to everybody she knows to voice support for Julian. She has sent mails to her friends in the two countries to rally around her for support. The mails have been circulated amongst Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) celebrities and her London social circuit," the source adds.

Jemima has already enrolled as one of the founder members of Stop The War Coalition which has been formed to rally more support for Julian Assange. "We have got to know that Jemima wants influential Indian actors like Amitabh Bachchan or Aamir Khan to join her. But it's been kept a secret whether they have been contacted or not," adds the source.


Though Jemima couldn't be contacted for a comment whether she is working towards getting some support from Hi-Fi, her friend in India confirmed that Jemima is "hopeful" that she'll managed to get more people to join her in her struggle to get justice for Assange.
Source:DNA

Almost Famous

It was dream debut for actor Anushka Sharma: playing the love interest of actor Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, a Yash Raj Film. Her second stint saw her being paired with actor Shahid Kapoor followed by newcomer Ranveer Singh and, finally, Akshay Kumar in her latest release. Even though the Yash Raj protegee has had a successful run at the box-office from the start, she is not yet in the same league as her closest competitors, Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra says that Anushka is a better actor than most others around. "Only after Band Baaja Baarat, did people sit up and take notice of her as an independent actor. In the latest Akshay Kumar starrer, she's the only redeeming factor. She is much ahead of Sonam and Deepika in terms of acting abilities, and just needs a couple of big films and her market value will shoot up."

A director, on the condition of anonymity, opines, "Sonam comes from a film family. Deepika picked up everything on her own, learning from her mistakes. Anushka is a fine actor, but will get her dues soon. At Yash Raj, actors are signed for a three-film deal, so she hasn't had the opportunity to sign films outside the banner." Anushka had dismissed competition earlier, saying, "I don't know why everyone keeps comparing me to Deepika and Sonam. Though I'm a part of the industry, I'm not aiming to be the top heroine, so it doesn't really matter at what number I am placed at. I am career oriented but audience appreciation is what matters to me."


Brand strategist Harish Bijoor says, "Sometimes even with one film the audience is convinced. Also, controversies and personal life add to an actor's brand equity. If you say something controversial on a chat show or have a break up, you are invariably grabbing eyeballs."
Source:DNA

Saat Khoon Maaf First Day Business

Saat Khoon Maaf grossed around 3.35 crore nett on day one. The business was slightly higher than the similar No One Killed Jessica on day one but the release was also more extensive. The territorial breakdown is as follows.

Mumbai - 1.35 crore

Delhi/UP - 73 lakhs

East Punajb - 33 lakhs

West Bengal - 15 lakhs

CP Berar - 11 lakhs

CI - 9 lakhs

Rajasthan - 9 lakhs

Nizam - 16 lakhs

Mysore - 19 lakhs

Others - 12 lakhs

TOTAL - 3.32 crore

Source:BOI

New Kajal In Ajay Devgns Life!

2010’s most successful actor Ajay Devgn has a new ‘Kajal’ in his life….and before you jump to wrong conclusions, she is ‘Kajal Aggarwal’, Southern superstar and the lead actress of his next film, ‘Singham’ produced by Reliance Picutres.

After rocking the box office last year with ‘Golmaal 3’, Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty are back with ‘Singham’, a remake of the Tamil superhit starring Surya. And the talented director has cast Kajal to play Ajay’s love interest in the film.

With a repertoire of numerous successful films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, Kajal rose to prominence after her performance as Yuvarani Mitravinda Devi and Indira (Indu) in the 2009 Telugu superhit Magadheera which also won her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress (Telugu). 

Talking about casting Kajal in his film, Director Rohit Shetty says, “Kajal is very popular down south. She has done Magadheera, one of the biggest Telegu hits of all time. We are confident about her pulling off the role successfully.”

Talking about similarities between the original and Rohit’s remake, Rohit adds, “75 percent of the film will be different, while the original basic premise will stay the same. We have to make the film accessible to every market in the country. So the story will differ from the original. I have introduced new characters and subplots to cater to the general audience.”

‘Singham’ is all set to hit theatres this July.

Source:BOI

Salman gives Kangna tips to promote TANU WEDS MANU!

Trust Salman Khan to go a step further in helping a friend in need and this was again proved when Kangna Ranaut, who plays female lead in upcoming ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, approached mercurial super star of Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry). Sallubhai not only gave her tips on promoting flicks but also called up the head honchos of some television channels from Bangkok to help out the sexy siren. Kangna Ranaut, who is also in Bangkok shooting for her own flick, was overwhelmed by the gesture of macho Khan.

Sources say that Kangna Ranaut and Salman Khan were staying in the same hotel in Bangkok and would often bump into each other. It was during one of such chance meetings that Kangna brought out the matter of promoting her upcoming ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, which was very close to her heart. Salman patiently head out Kangna and then proceeded to give some success mantra to the sexy lady. And these mantras were the same that the macho Khan had utilized for the success of his last blockbuster ‘Dabangg’.

‘Tanu Weds Manu’ stars R Madhavan and Kangna Ranaut in the lead. However, Salman Khan’s cameo in the film has been removed from the final edited version of the product. It’s strange na!! Salman Khan’s cameo in ‘Tanu Weds Mnau’ had been removed but the mercurial Khan was still giving tips to its leading lady on how to promote her film before its release. But then the people who know Salman Khan swear that he had always been like that and never hurt anyone intentionally. The same goes for Kangna too.

Earlier, there the industry was abuzz that Salman Khan was furious with Kangna Ranaut as it was at her instances that the cameo had been removed from the final print. But when Kangna herself approached Sallubhai in Bangkok for tips, he chose to forgive her and help.
Source:Stardust

Actress Madhuri Dixit talks about her favourite Hi-Fi girls and why she agreed to coming on the telly tube

Hi-Fi (Hindi Film Industry) actor Madhuri Dixit, who is enjoying her stint on television, is likely to appear in the fifth season of the dance reality show she is currently judging, even though she finds her present role even tougher than acting. In a chat with After Hrs she speaks about dance, her favourite Hi-Fi beauties and more...

Dance, says Madhuri, is very close to her heart. "Yes, it is and and the show is on a grand scale too. Judging is a bit more difficult than acting. I knew that being a judge on the show is a huge responsibility because the audience has a lot of faith in my judgement. This means that I have to be very clear in my mind in regards to my comments because they can influence voting. So it's like an added pressure on me to be fair and accurate all the time. But I am enjoying the progression — the participants are fabulous and have taken the show in the right spirit and have great potential," says Madhuri about her current stint.

So what was it that attracted her to TV — the money or like other stars, the reach of the small screen? "Money is one of the aspects, but primarily it was the wider audience reach that lured me to TV. You are there with your fans, in their houses, and TV reaches even the remotest villages where your film might not release. So it's more important than just getting paid more."

Ask Madhuri who her favourite from the current crop of actors is and she says, "I like Kajol and Rani (Mukherjee) and amongst the newer lot, it is Priyanka (Chopra). She was fabulous in Fashion and I'm looking forward to watching her new film. Anushka (Sharma) is also very promising. Sonakshi (Sinha) emoted beautifully despite it being her debut film. And also I like Vidya (Balan) especially in Paa and Ishqiya." And who does she think could fit into her shoes? "I don't think anyone can fit in to anyone's shoes. They all have an individual style. I can't fit into Madhubala's shoes or Meena Kumari's. They had a distinct character that made them stand out," she concludes. 
Source:DNA

Priyanka-Irrfan get into a slap-fight!

Actors are known to go to great lengths to lend a feel of realism to their roles on screen. But it can also backfire badly and actor Priyanka Chopra learnt that while she was shooting for Vishal Bhardwaj's film. Apparently, a scene required PC to slap co-star Irrfan Khan. Knowing Irrfan's professionalism, everyone on the sets goaded the pretty actor to slap him for real, to make it look convincing.


A source reveals, "PC initially kept slapping Irrfan lightly, but it just didn't come out right. So, the crew egged on Priyanka to slap him a little harder. Finally, she mustered a lot of courage and gave Irrfan a tight slap. Before she could recover from the shock of hitting Irrfan for real, she got another shock, as Irrfan slapped her right back." Though it was part of the sequence, what Priyanka had not anticipated was that Irrfan would also slap her back so hard for real. The entire crew was visibly shocked and didn't know what to say.

The source added, "Priyanka was extremely upset, but later resumed shooting. The two stars however maintained a safe distance after that." Seems like actor Annu Kapoor is not the only husband who's upset with PC as his screen wife.
Source:DNA