Fardeen Khan got into a fight with his sister Laila's boyfriend Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewalla, at a lounge bar in a five star hotel in Andheri in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Spirits equals slaps?
Says a source, "After Queenie Dhody's party on Saturday, Fardeen with wife Natasha, sister Laila and her boyfriend Farhan Furniturewalla, Sunny and Anu Dewan, Farah Khan and her husband DJ Aqueel went to Bling together and continued partying till the wee hours of the morning."
Reveals an eyewitness, "Spirits were flowing freely and no-one is quite sure what triggered off the fight. Suddenly, Fardeen got up and slapped Farhan. Before anyone could intervene or Farhan could react, the actor planted another slap on his face. That's when everyone around jumped in, and separated the two." The fight was broken up before Farhan could retaliate.
It is learnt that Fardeen doesn't approve of Laila dating Farhan and the siblings have been having issues since their dad Feroz Khan's death. It's been a difficult time for both but the public scuffle has shocked everyone who knows the family.
Showing him the moves
It wasn't long before Laila and Farhan walked out of Bling and went home. Fardeen, who was still in a belligerent mood, was escorted out by Farah and her husband Aqueel. When contacted Fardeen said, "Nobody was high as all of you (the media) love to put it. Farhan's a super guy and we had a disagreement over our favourite WWE wrestler. We thought it best to resolve it by demonstrating each of our favorite moves."
Playing it down
Farhan admits to having an argument but tries to play it down. He says, "It was nothing — just a small argument. No one was bashed up. Nor did Fardeen hit me. It was nothing so dramatic. If he did hit me, I know how to take care of myself. There was nothing more to it. The family is going through so much. I don't think Fardeen was in the right frame of mind. He was a little high. I understand where Fardeen's coming from coming from. The family is going through so much (referring to Feroz Khan's death) and Fardeen and Laila are handling their grief in their own way."
Is Fardeen upset with him for dating his sister? "I don't know if Fardeen's upset with me for dating Laila. That you will ask him. He knows we have been dating each other for a long time. Laila and I haven't hidden it. It was a minor issue. I think it was just overreaction from Fardeen's side," adds Farhan. Farhan says the argument fizzled off on its own. "It was 5 am and we had to end the evening. We all left normally. I am surprised you got to hear about it. It was a family matter. I have nothing against Fardeen. It's a sensitive time for the family and we have to treat such issues sensitively."
Vinayak Azad, regional officer of the Censor Board in Mumbai, reveals, "I think it was the title song featuring Akshay and Kareena, which has the scene. Though there was nothing wrong with the sequence where Akshay and Kareena are dancing together, there was a particular character — not a prominent member of the cast — who looks down. Nothing was shown blatantly, yet audiences would get the hint that he was looking at his crotch in front of the camera during a particular step." He adds, "We decided that such action was not permissible and have communicated that to the film-makers. We have asked them to delete the scene. Such action is not for public viewing especially if a film has a U or a U/A certificate. Some dialogues of the film were also not allowed and about nine cuts were suggested to them, which they will comply with."
Kareena and Amrita Arora have sported bikinis in the film, and Akshay and Bebo share a lip-lock, but the Censor Board feels that such scenes weren't as eyebrow-raising.
Shahid Kapur is one actor who has become increasingly popular amongst the youth in the recent years.
Perhaps that is the reason why he has a song in Kaminey with a cautionary note about AIDS.
Without sounding preachy, the song filmed in the red light district promotes healthy and frequent use of the condom.
The direct reference is timely in wake of the AIDS epidemic that continues to spread at an alarming rate in India.
The entire song sequence talks about the importance of using condoms, and playing it safe.
A close hand reveals, “Sukhwinder Singh lent his voice to this song and the lyrics go:
Bhawra aaya aayaa re, gun gun karta aayaa re… Yeh ishq nahih aasan, AIDS ka khatra hai…
pathwar pehen kar jaana- yeh aag ka dariya hai."
He continues, "Shahid’s character in the film is involved in social service. So he walks into a red light area with a red ribbon around his
neck and that’s when he starts singing the song. The promos of the song will be aired in August.”
The lyrics of this song have been written by Vishal Bharadwaj, who is also the producer,
director and music composer of the film. We are sure that the film as well as the song would be eagerly awaited by the masses.
Even as Bipasha Basu rushed back from Goa to Mumbai to watch her boyfriend John Abraham’s career-defining performance in New York, the film’s leading lady Katrina Kaif whose performance has been bathed in praise is yet to convince her companion to watch what the world is raving about.
Yes, believe it or not, Salman has not watched New York as yet. Katrina hasn’t been able to convince him to do so. He won’t watch it now, he won’t watch later. Period.
Says a close friend of Katrina, “It really really puzzles and hurts her as to why Salman chooses to ignore all her films. It isn’t as if he doesn’t watch any films. He does. But when it comes to Katrina he suffers from a mental blockade.”
Apparently Salman doesn’t like the thought of watching his girlfriend share physical proximity with any of his co-stars. In fact, according to close friends even when she wears the slightest of revealing clothes in his presence Salman asks her to change.
Ironically while Salman has probably never seen any of Katrina’s films, Katrina makes it a point to watch all of his films.
Says the friend, “She doesn’t miss any of Salman’s films. Whether it’s a premiere or just a regular screening Katrina is there to support anything that Salman does.”
Apparently Katrina is trying hard to convince Salman to watch New York.
But with the John Abraham factor looming large over New York the chances of getting her man to share her moment of glory seem rather dim.
Well-known author Chetan Bhagat surely seems to have found his foothold in Bollywood. First his book 'One Night @ The Call Centre' was adapted into the motion picture Hello starring Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Sharman Joshi etc and then Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani decided to make his '5 Point Someone' into 3 Idiots with Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi and Madhavan in lead roles.
Now the latest is that Chetan's most recent novel 'The 3 Mistakes Of My Life' will also be adapted into a motion picture and this time the makers are none other than Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment. The film will be directed by Abhishek Kapoor who earlier directed the super-hit Rock On for Excel.
We spoke to Chetan to get some more information on how the deal happened. "I was looking for a potential filmmaker to whom I could entrust the job of adapting my third book 'The 3 Mistakes Of My Life' onto celluloid.
I happened to meet Farhan a couple of times and spoke to him about working together. He just casually mentioned that even Abhishek Kapoor was looking for a suitable script and that's when things started rolling.
Abhishek read the book and really liked the characters. He thought it does have potential to be adapted into a motion picture and that's how things fell into place"
So will Chetan be involved with the screenplay too? "Yes the screenplay is being jointly written by Abhishek, Pubali Chaudhary and I. We are still in the first few drafts. There may be minor changes in the film as compared to the book but primarily it will capture the main spirit of the book"
The film's title and cast is yet to be decided upon. The film is likely to go on floors towards the end of this year or early next year.
Today, she is closeted in her vanity van at N. D. Studio in Karjat with make-up artist, Ojas. She is busy putting on a face, which to me seems so unnecessary!
Earlier, fresh countenanced, tired-eyed but oh so beautiful, she had made flash decisions on gowns (no saris); colours (out with that dull mauve) and silhouettes. The world's most beautiful woman (so says Julia Roberts!) standing there in black tights and silver-and-white tee, could have slipped into anything and looked like a million bucks.
She is small, slim and graveeyed and I remember reading that these, her most outstanding feature, have been donated already to science.
She was not in the best of moods, struggling to control diva- esque tendencies - probably triggered by yet another unnecessary controversy, this time at Cannes, hanging over her head like a cloud of bad hair.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is ready to shoot but only on her own terms. And, she has too much on her mind as she comes to chat.
"You just know when you are home!"
Abhishek and I have been close throughout our careers. Within a year of our being together, he proposed to me and it was an immediate yes.
In Toronto, we had the premiere of Guru and there was a screening and a press interaction in New York and we were supposed to take the flight back, when he proposed.
And he said he had a reason for that, he said he used to be in New York at that very spot thinking about the possibility of us being together. It was not about the frills but about the personal emotion deep within."
"My marriage was a glorious, fabulous, wonderful, superlative personal experience."
And having said that, the circumstances were unimaginable. I never thought I would get married in the middle of a film. You imagine you would complete your work, indulge yourself. In movies, they show this entire preparation time and the irony was that I was doing that in Jodhaa Akbar.
Ashu (director Ashutosh Gowariker) would keep saying that your craft, your kala, is preparing you for this wonderful real life moment.
So, I was the bride in my work and its wonderful how my life has made me smile so many times and made me wonder at incidents where something is going on in your life and there is an interesting parallel on your work front.
"Abhishek and I have the ability to keep things real."
Which is great and keeps our relationship what it is - an incredible friendship...we are brutally frank with each other, we are brutally frank about our life, we both have an incredible sense of humour and we have the ability to laugh with each other, at ourselves and with life and I think that is special.
"It starts with, I as an actor should want to do what I am doing, otherwise I will be cheating my work."
If I am not comfortable doing what I am doing, the camera picks up every little thing, you cannot lie to the camera.
I have been fairly radical throughout my career in terms of trying to break out of the predictable journey of a leading lady. Early on, I took up mature roles and started working in regional cinema.
It was recognized that I had a dancing prowess and I could have been the next dancing superstar but I chose subjects where the directors wanted to create a slightly different character.
"The truth is, I did not go seeking to make an inroad into Hollywood or move there."
The entire international interest in me started when Devdas went to Cannes. Coincidentally, Gurinder (Chadha) was meeting me with two script ideas at the same time. So naturally she became my first choice. It was suddenly perceived that Aishwarya has made this decision to go to Hollywood.
I said that I am open to cinema, just as I was when I did Iruvar, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. When I joined films finally, it was after Miss World and films were already coming my way.
I have virtually been invited here and to date scripts come my way and by the grace of God, I am spoilt for choice. That is the same way I choose my English films.
I am sure people have wondered why I have said no to biggies like Will Smith, Michael Douglas, Rush Hour 3 or Troy. But, I had committed my time to Indian films.
"A day off is totally husband time and family time."
When we were in Chennai shooting for Guru, we went with Abhishek's friends from college time, to the theatre and we watched movies back to back, just that one evening we went from one theatre to the next in this multiplex
Abhishek and I love music and I have an incredibly full iPod now thanks to him. I have never been pseudo enough to say I like only English music and popular tracks of the time but also old classics and Hindi music of earlier times.
We also genuinely love watching movies. But most of all, we just love spending time together. Both of us are very talkative and we have to give each other time to speak before piping in.
"Professionally what was wonderful was being bestowed with the Padma Shri."
People from the fraternity said you are the youngest from the industry to have received it thus far. I owe it to my parents and I devote it to them. It was very special when my in-laws said we welcome the fifth Padma Shri into the family.
And I am blessed with the best husband in the world because it reflects on his strength that he can stand by his woman on a public platform at every given opportunity and applaud her.
With a tight film schedule ahead, the actor will face the year with the cylinders that drive her, on full blast. While her achievements have been large, one wonders, what next?
With fresh faces bombarding the movie going public's sensibility; will Aishwarya now appeal to a more mature audience? Not an older audience minds you, just a more mature one.... While the choices she makes today may be more critical than ever before, destiny's child is not worrying any.
Akshay Kumar has worked with both Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in several films, but can't decide who is better. The action king says both are "wonderful actresses" and have "sexy bodies".
"Both Kareena and Katrina are really good but who is the better among them depends on their roles in the films. Otherwise, both of them have sexy bodies and are absolutely wonderful actresses, " said Akshay when asked to choose his favourite of the two.
Akshay has done four films with Katrina including "Namastey London" and "Singh Is Kinng", while he has worked with Kareena in five that include hits "Ajnabee" and "Aitraaz". The two are set to scorch the screen once again in their upcoming action-cum-romantic drama "Kambakkht Ishq", which releases Friday.
"In 'Kambakkht Ishq', Kareena has performed very well. Her character required to answer back at me and be strong and she has portrayed it in a powerful, yet lovable way. On the other hand, even Katrina was really good in 'Namastey London'. So it's not really about my choice... it all depends on their roles, " the actor told over phone from Puerto Rico in the US, where he is on a holiday.
Akshay, who has spent more than 18 years in the Hindi film industry, says acting with a new league of actresses is a learning experience.
"As a senior actor, I don't always have to give out tips to the younger ones. In fact, I feel I can learn a lot from the younger generation because they have new ways of acting and a different approach to work.
"I cannot particularly point out what I have learnt from them (Kareena and Katrina) yet, but yes, working with them was a learning experience, " said the actor, who has also teamed up with Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Ayesha Takia.
Akshay plays a Hollywood stuntman in "Kambakkht Ishq", which also boasts of big Hollywood names like Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh - working with whom has been a "dream come true" for the actor.
In the film, Akshay has done what he is best at - action and daredevilry - something that had taken a backseat in his career for a while.
"I decided to stop doing stunts till Aarav (son) turns at least six. Now I'm back at it again. In 'Blue', which is an action thriller, I have done some death-defying stunts like the one where I had to swim 150 feet underwater with 30-40 sharks. But I will talk about it sometime later, " he said.
At the moment, the 41-year-old actor is pinning hopes on Sajid Nadiadwala's "Kambakkht Ishq" to bail him out after his much-publicised films "Chandni Chowk To China" and "8X10 Tasveer" fizzled out at the box office.
"I'm expecting great response for this film. Though I had worked very hard in 'Chandni Chowk...', the response didn't turn out to be as expected. Some people and critics didn't like it and '8X10 Tasveer' was more like an art film, which has a niche market in India. 'Kambakkht Ishq' is a complete entertainer and I hope the audience appreciates it, " he said.
Apart from "Kambakkht Ishq", Akshay will also be seen in "Blue", "De Dana Dan" and "Action Replay".
Shah Rukh Khan has clearly had enough of controversies. He turned down an offer to play Raj Thackeray in Raju Kokate’s Mumbai Tiger. Before approaching SRK, Kokate had worked on the actor’s look in the film (see pic 1). Marathi film and stage actor Ashok Shinde, who has now been signed on for the role, bears an uncanny resemblance to the politician
Denise Richards, move over. Kareena Kapoor is in a better position to rate Akshay Kumar when he puckers up. There are reports that the film Kambakkht Ishq has as many as ten lip locks between Kareena and Akshay. The pair will steam up the screen as they kiss repeatedly in the film.
Our source said, “While everyone is aware that there is a kissing scene between Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor, no one knows that they have lip locked as many as ten times. The news has been very hush hush as both the lead actors were of the opinion that it should not be leaked out. However, now that the film is releasing and there are many trial shows going on, people who have seen the film are aware of it. Many people in the trade are also surprised that both the stars agreed to so many. In fact, four among the 10 kisses feature before the pre-climax. The chemistry between Akshay and Kareena is excellent and they both have beautiful bodies and look extremely sexy onscreen”
The chemistry between the two will prove if the tonsil boxing translates into a hit. Sajid Nadiadwala, the producer of the film laughed and said, “Why do you want me to tell the whole world if there are so many kisses in the film? Let the audience watch the film and they will know about it.”
On Wednesday evening, Deepika Padukone, heroine of Saif Ali Khan's home production Love Aaj Kal, made an appearance on Salman Khan's 10 Ka Dum, to promote the film. Saif Ali Khan was to join her but begged off saying he was abroad and therefore unavailable.
Excuses?
Later that evening, it came to light that the Chote Nawab was very much in the country. In fact, he was with his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor. Bebo was in Delhi shooting for 3 Idiots. They were seen together in the evening at the five-star hotel they were staying at.
The couple was in London last week for the T20 series but Bebo flew back early to report on her set. Says a Source, "Saif was booked to appear on 10 Ka Dum to promote Love Aaj Kal with Deepika but he called up the producers Anita and Siddharth Basu a few days before the event and said he couldn't be there as he'd be out of the country."
Saif says, "I was not in town and therefore unable to manage it. 10 Ka Dum is a great show and a good platform to promote a film from. It's my loss."
When asked about being in Delhi with girlfriend Kareena Kapoor, he admits, "Yes, I am spending time with Bebo, and I love doing that. But I am a producer too and I wouldn't spend time with her at the cost of promoting my film. That's extremely important too. I have been in Delhi for the promotion of Love Aaj Kal giving interviews and other work. As far as appearing on 10 Ka Dum is concerned, I will decide as a producer what I want to promote and where. If Deepika is seen on that show, then I will be seen on another show."
The channel's stand
Anita Basu of Synergy says, "It's Saif's prerogative whether he's available or not. He said he wouldn't be able to come with Deepika because he had other work. There was unavailability of dates. We have been trying various permutation-combinations of different celebrities. Some work out and some don't. He didn't back out at the last moment. Initially Saif and Deepika were supposed to come together but it didn't work out for whatever reasons."
Yes, this is Rani Mukerji. As she will be seen in the Yash Raj film Dil Bole Hadippa. The actress essays the role of a Sikh boy from a small village, in this full-on entertainer based in Punjab. The look of the film has been done by Manish Malhotra while Rani's sardar look has been done by Mike Stringer from UK, who styled the Dhoom 2 look. The film, directed by Anurag Singh, stars Shahid Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Rakhi Sawant and Sherlyn Chopra. The film is said to be inspired by She's The Man, smainlining Amanda Bynes.
What it's about
DBH is a love triangle between Rani Mukerji, Shahid Kapur and Sherlyn Chopra and has Rani masquerading as a male Sikh cricketer. She makes it to the men's team captained by Shahid Kapoor to prove she can play as well as any man. Along the way, Shasha and Rani fall in love. The film was earlier titled Hadippa but Sanjay Leela Bhansali had the rights to the title for the last three years. YRF was unable to convince Bhansali to part with the title, which led them to rename the film, Dil Bole Hadippa.
The film is slated to release on September 18.
Nysa clings on to mom Kajol during the US shoot of My Name Is Khan. She accompanied Kads on the outdoor while papa Ajay Devgan is shooting in Goa for his next home production.
It appears there is a full-on, two-minutelong kiss between Akshay and Denise in this Bolly-Holly film that also features Sylvester Stallone and Brandon Routh. The kiss, which has been passed by the Indian censor board, has been described by Denise as passionate. Apparently, she enjoyed the kissing sessions with the actor and found his technique was most impressive. Denise, who hasn’t kissed any other Indian actor but has done love-making scenes with several in Hollywood including Pierce Brosnan, is adamant that no man in Bollywood can match Akshay’s skills. The actress said, “Akshay was so down to earth and very genuine. He made me feel very comfortable, plus he’s a good kisser! I can see why he’s India’s sexiest actor!” She had some struggle with the language barrier while filming the Bollywood film, but got a helping hand from Akshay and the other co-stars. Denise said, “I couldn’t believe how kind everyone was. All the actors were very sweet and gorgeous!” Incidentally, the film also has Akshay locking lips with his leading lady and Bollywood’s No 1 actress, Kareena Kapoor. The Khiladi, when asked to rate the better kisser between Kareena and Denise, replied cheekily, “I don’t kiss and tell!”
The project in question is a deeply emotional romantic film, which will have two heroines. None of the leading ladies has been finalised.
Since the past few months, Hrithik has decided to work on more films outside his home production company, Filmkraft. Sometime ago, he signed on for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish. As soon as he is free from Kites, he will move on to Bharadwaj's film.
Vishal and Hrithik have been talking about this film for the last three months. Only last week, both of them agreed to work together on the same.
An insider from Vishal’s camp said, “There have been rumours that Vishal’s next film will be an adaptation of Hamlet, but that’s not true. This time he is making a completely original film.”
A source said, “After Maqbool, Vishal and Hrithik wanted to work together. Finally, they have a script which both are excited about and committed to.”
Vishal chose not to confirm the story, but on the other hand, didn’t deny it either.
Kangna Ranaut is going places. After a string of successes, the actress has now signed a film with Amitabh Bachchan. They will star together in Pritish Nandy’s film, Actor, which will be directed by Pritish’s son Kushan.
Contrary to rumours, Actor is not a biography on Amitabh Bachchan. It is a thriller.
Mumbai Mirror has learnt that the actress will play a crucial part in unveiling the mystery in the film. A source said, “Kangna loved the role and has given her nod. She will play a smart journalist in the film.”
Although this is the first time that Kangna will share screen space with Amitabh Bachchan, recently, she bonded with the Bachchans during an awards function in Macau.
“Pritish has interacted with Kangna on a couple of occasions. He and Kushan think that she is a gifted actress,” the source added.
Kangna, who is currently shooting for a Telugu film in Switzerland, remained unavailable for comment.
Actor will be shot in Mumbai and Europe and will go on the floors early next year.
Ajmer: Actress Katrina Kaif, burqa clad, visits the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer on Tuesday
Shiney Ahuja seems to have landed himself in deep trouble, but the Gangster actor, is seeking solace from a much dreaded gangster. Shiney who is currently lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail, reportedly met with a real-life gangster Mustafa Dossa.
According to reports, when Shiney was bundled into Arthur Road jail late on Thursday evening, other prisoners in the barrack pounced on him and started bothering him till dreaded gangster Mustafa Dossa came to former's rescue. It is also suggested that Dossa ordered the inmates troubling Shiney to leave him alone and after the crowd dispersed, he tried his best to make Shiney feel at home.
It is believed that Shiney was shifted to Dossa's cell on Friday morning. Dossa gave Shiney soap, paste and shampoo. Having a fan behind bars doesn't hurt!
Bolly STAR KIDS '09
Going by the trends, it appears that the new breed of star kids will rule the film industry. Here are the celebrity ‘bachchas’ of 2009...
Shruti Hassan:
Kamal Haasan's daughter is a rockstar, doing well on the stage and recently spotted in an ice-cream commercial with musician Raghav Sachar. The attractive young woman has been cast in 'Luck' opposite Imran Khan. Having done well for herself with music already, let's see if Shruti can hit the right notes on-screen now.
Shazahn Padamsee:
Daughter to onetime popstar Sharon Prabhakar and ad-man Alyque Padamsee, the pretty Shazahn has been around on the stage for a while and is just getting set for her first movie. The movie is a biggie too, a Yash Raj release directed by Shimit Amin and starring current industry golden boy, Ranbir Kapoor. The film is called 'Rocket Singh, Salesman Of The Year' and promises to be an interesting debut.
Sonakshi Sinha:
Shatrughan Sinha's daughter, was all set to start her Bollywood innings with Anurag's brother Abhinav Kashyap's debut venture, opposite Salman Khan. But then came the news that she has walked out of the film after reading the script, in hopes of a more substantial role. Starting out by playing a diva?
Narmmadaa Ahuja:
Narmada now spelt as Narmmadaa, daugther of Govinda has already consulted a numerologist and added letters to her name, it's only a matter of time before the film is actually announced. She hasn't revealed her debut film but her pictures have lately been crowding the tabloids.
Shraddha Kapoor:
Bollywood villain Shakti Kapoor's daughter Shraddha Kapoor has reportedly completed work in a film called 'Teen Patti' alongside none other than Amitabh Bachchan. The film is said to be a take on '21' featuring Big B as a professor tutoring kids in high-stake gambling.
Jackky Bhagnani:
Producer Vashu Bhagnani's son Jacky is the one currently splashed across hoardings as his 'Kal Kissne Dekha' released. The young man has been around a while and was credited as an associate producer in the 2003 dud 'Out Of Control'. The film was a flop at the box office but as an actor, Jacky is still to prove hi metalle.
Naveed Ozman:
Gemini Ganesan's grandson might be enough of a tag down south, but up in Bollywood the family connect that'll really open doors for young Naveed Ozman is the fact that he's Rekha's nephew. A former investment banker hasn't really announced a project yet, but he's on the lookout for the right director and the right script.
Luv Sinha:
No, you aren’t seeing things in twos. The poster of forthcoming film Runway bears a striking resemblance to the Hollywood blockbuster XXX, which stars Hollywood star Vin Diesel. If they couldn’t even make an original poster for Runway, how on earth would they have made an original film? Wonder which Hollywood film it is copied from
The much married tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi is suddenly in the news for his performance off court rather than on. Just weeks after he was all over Raima Sen at a nightclub, buzz is that he is now seeing Lara Dutta. As for the Lara-Dino relationship, nobody really knows why the two broke up. Lara, of course, wasted no time and has moved on to Mahesh Bhupathi. Incidentally, Dino is aware of the new man in Lara's life and has accepted that his relationship with the actress is over.
A source said, “Lara and Dino, who were dating for a year, called off their relationship almost three months ago. That's when Lara met Mahesh through a common friend and the two instantly liked each other and started dating. Mahesh's marriage to Shwetha Jaishankar has been on the rocks for quite sometime now. The tennis star and Lara have been going strong ever since they met. Lara and Mahesh are making sure not to make any public appearances together as their relationship is hush hush right now.”
As expected, Mahesh and Lara denied the news. Mahesh said, “I am a married man and I am not dating anyone.” We sent a text message to Lara, who replied, “Have you guys lost it?”
Lara and Dino had started dating after she split with longtime beau Kelly Dorji. Kelly had recently claimed in an interview to a magazine that his former best friend Dino had backstabbed him by lying about his affair with Lara.
Irrfan Khan is currently on a career high — both on home turf and overseas. The actor, who plays a Muslim cop in a forthcoming release, speaks of how the West has demonised this community after the 9/11 attacks and how, in his role, he has tried to bring about a balance between the law-makers and the law-breakers.
Talking of his next Hollywood release, Jennifer Lynch’s Hisss..., Irrfan says it is an extreme that is targeting the American youth. “There is blood, gore, sex and sensation in Hisss...,” says the actor. Mallika Sherawat plays the protagonist and he has a stellar role that runs parallel to hers. Praising Lynch, he says, “Jennifer is meticulous and very talented. Working with her has been a boon.” But, he had to deny his director her request of a nude scene because, “I’m not comfortable with nudity.” Irrfan says, “Jennifer was shocked when I told her that in our country we sleep with our clothes on; and there are people who even copulate with their clothes partially on. Nudity is not part of our culture and even as an actor, I have a mental block when it comes to doing nude scenes.”
The actor will also be seen in Ang Lee’s film adaptation of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. “Whatever work I have got in the West has come to me directly,” he says. “No agents have found me any work.” While it has been suggested that he move westwards and pursue his career with renewed vigour, the actor says, “Moving base to the West and asking for work all over again is something I don’t fancy.” And he has reason for this reluctance. Irrfan has just bought himself a seaview apartment at a plush Madh Island beachside building and he is waiting for the monsoon to arrive so he can savour some invaluable moments. “It’s no point being a star if you can’t spend a few moments doing precious nothing,” he smiles, reaching out for his cigarette. Spoken like a true star...
The Moscow International Film Festival is the second oldest film festival in the world after the Venice Film Festival. Needless to say, a screening at this festival, where Federico Fellini’s 8½ was premiered, is still regarded prestigious. This year, besides Taare Zameen Par, Billa, Roots, Kanchivaram and Chaturanga, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion too has been selected in the festival’s Indian panorama section. Madhur, who flew down to Moscow on Friday, is excited though he hasn’t yet been able to recover completely from the way friend Ashutosh Gowariker publicly pulled down Fashion’s lead, Priyanka Chopra’s performance at a recent award ceremony.
Just before leaving for Moscow, Madhur spoke about how he was shocked to hear Gowariker’s onstage comment. “I was surprised that Ashu could make such a comment in public. What’s even more shocking is that Ashu and I are friends. Our wives interact and we have family ties. Even in our professional lives, we form a mutual admiration society. I was exasperated when I sat in the audience and heard Ashu questioning how Priyanka could have won the Best Actress award when Ash’s Jodhaa Akbar too had been in competition for the same category.”
Though Madhur came down heavily upon Gowariker’s comments, he was clear that he wouldn’t make any comments about Gowariker’s reference to a comment supposedly made in a similar tone by Jaya Bachchan. “Priyanka has worked hard for the film. It was a difficult role and there are so many shades she had to portray. What’s worse is that Priyanka is the heroine of Ashu’s next. What kind of a decorum is this to humiliate one’s own actor in public?” he asked.
So, was Madhur expecting an apology from his friend? “I’ve known him as a gentleman. Ashu didn’t apologise. I’m in such a state of shock that I want to refuse to believe that such a thing happened. But since I was there, I can’t live in denial.”
Though Madhur has spoken to Priyanka after the incident,
he didn’t discuss this issue in detail. “Everybody dispersed immediately after the event. Nobody raised the topic in front of us. Priyanka is my friend and a very gracious woman. She’d rather not dwell on something like this. Later, when she called me up, we spoke about Fashion being shown at the Moscow International Film Festival. Instead of being negative, we spoke about how this recognition is a matter of pride.”
While it’s important to let bygones be bygones, does this incident indicate how ruthless the industry is in the name of being one big family? Does such public expression of reservation also reveal the nasty side of competition? “I know the whole industry is superficial. I do attend events but basically, I don’t belong to the film fraternity. There are bound to be a mixed bag of emotions when one film beats others to win a popular award. Of course, there are people who have been nice to me and have been very generous and genuine in their praise. A day before the event, both Ashu and I jointly gave an interview to a channel. I had no clue about his state of mind when he made such a comment,” Madhur added.
While the scar has been pretty deep, Madhur is happy to have been able to divert his attention to the response his films get in Russian. “I’m a positive person. This is my second visit to the festival. Chandni Bar too was screened at this section,” he said. Meanwhile, Madhur has also been fielding questions on whether he is trying to incorporate recent reallife instances of Sheetal Mafatlal and Shiney Ahuja’s brush with the law. “I’m making no further additions. Jail will release sometime in October and I wouldn’t want to reveal more,” he insisted, a tad uncomfortable with the mention of the alleged rape charges on Shiney. “It’s time for me to go in for a security check. I can’t be late for an international flight,” he said before signing off.
Sex tape captures girl with stunning resemblance to popular MTV Roadies contestant,
including the black thread around her neck
MTV Roadies finalist Palak once *****ed about her breasts comparing them to "pimples".
But if a sex tape is to be believed Tamanna is surprisingly well endowed.
A 37-second sex tape with a girl, having a stunning resemblance to the Roadie, having sex with a boy
has been posted on Rapidshare and Easyshare both video sharing websites.
Sujoy De, the man who apparently posted it on the Web in May, says
"Before download don't forget to say thanks."
Cross Check: The girl in the sex tape, who looks like Tamanna, wears a crucifix pendant similar to the one that the Roadie sports (right, encircled).
Netizens are forwarding the tape to all and sundry. The sex-tape shows the reality TV contestant or
someone who looks just like her having sex with a boy whose face cannot be seen.
Apart from the stunning semblance to the reality TV contestant, the girl shown in
the sex-tape is also wearing a cross around her neck like Tamanna.
The lissom lass from Chandigarh was quite popular for her skirmishes with her burly counterpart
Palak and her on-screen proximity to the Roadies winner Nauman.
The chemistry
She came out openly about her "close friendship" to Nauman when she was voted out.
Nauman, on his part, confessed his fondness for the girl.
When asked about the tape, Nauman said, "It's news to me. I have not heard
about it and not seen the video so I don't have a view.
I need to call Tamanna and check about it. People who are jealous may use
her name and circulate such a video."
Fan following
The 19-year-old girl has a fanclub dedicated to her on Facebook. The club has 1,672 members and
describe the girl as "self-obsessed" and "a free bird she will never be bogged down by negativity."
Sex videos showing look-alikes of celebrities have been doing the rounds of the cyber space for years.
Often police complaints are filed and culprits hunted down.
She particularly shot into prominence through her music videos made by Music Nepal.
In 2002 she was credited with giving Cybernepal.com, a major Nepali site for the local cinema and the music industry, a major fillip to its rating.
"After we put the blow ups of Kohinoor Singh," said Abhinav Kasaju founder of the site, "the number of visitors to the site doubled."
"Kohinoor is sensational. She's a unique blend of innocence and sexuality, "declared the Kathmandu Post who rated her one of the "Top 5 models in Nepal" in February this year.
But that has now all changed, overnight. "To be peaceful and happy," she continues, "one needs to be content with whatever one has and I am following this passage."
It was a dream long since planted in her mind ever since as a little girl she encountered a woman monk always calm and smiling in a Swayambu (temple mound)..
A strong spiritual experience in that very same Swayambu years later, some deep soul searching, and Ani was born. "I am ready to cope with anything now, even hunger and thirst. I believe it is desire that leads to expectations and eventually chaos."
In a nation where Buddhism was born, it won't be long then, that from being admired on stage, Ani will be elevated to a young guru of sorts. For now she has broken several hearts and extracted many a sigh even though, as one fan puts it, she has moved from being "a pretty model to one beautiful nun!"
