Amrita Rao: My great mum's a lady of today

Amrita Rao: My great mum's a lady of today: Yesterday was Women’s Day. And like it has always been in the past, this year too it was a double celebration for actress Amrita Rao. What maked the day extra-special for the Bolly beauty was that the day also happened to be the birthday of the one woman who Amrita admits to be her true inspiration — her grand mum Sushila Rao. The actresss’ elaborate celebration plans for the day included surprising her daadi with home-baked banana and chocolate cakes, and sharing the senior Rao’s zest for life.

Talking about her grand mum, Amrita says that what makes her look up to her is the fact that she “embodies the strength of today’s women, with the grace, feminity and charm of the yesteryear women. She was never a working woman, but she was always way ahead of her times when it came to her outlook. She’s a woman of today! Through the years she does admit to having made a lot of adjustments like most women of her times did, but at the same time she has never let go of her respect and has imbibed that in the other women of the family too,” says Rao.

She adds, “The one thing that I’ve also learnt from her is that women should never give up their nurturing and sensitive streaks no matter how strong and independent they may become as career women.” Respecting your partner, making them feel extra special does not mean that you are letting go of your rights as a woman. So she sees no harm in a wife waiting to have dinner with her husband. But she has always also taught us that it has to be reciprocated, adds Rao.

“It’s a balance that I’ve always strived to maintain.” Rao does admit that she feels blessed to be born in today’s generation though. “Even my grand mum agrees with that. She is proud of me working and being so independent, but then so am I of her!” concludes Rao.

Sonakshi Sinha decided Kamal Haasan's champion

Sonakshi Sinha decided Kamal Haasan's champion: Sonakshi Sinha has confirmed that she is doing Kamal Haasan's Selvaraghavan directed new film in Tamil. The film is said to be a desi version of Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore's Hannibal.
The shoot of the film will start in London in April. Sonakshi who is one year younger to Kamal's eldest daughter Shruthi Haasan has signed the agreement where it says she will play his wife. The buzz is that Sonakshi will be sporting two different looks in the film. When sify.com contacted Selvaraghavan, he said sheepishly, that he will confirm the news in three days!

Vidya Balan's fake two-piece pics surface

Vidya Balan's fake two-piece pics surface: The last time we chatted with Vidya Balan, the actress seemed very nonchalant about the gossip fodder that saw her as its central character.

“These things don’t bother me anymore,” were her famous words, which have probably come back to haunt the Bollywood starlet, who is currently the victim of a fake photoshoot that sees her donning a teeny, weeny, black bikini.

Needless to say, the “Dirty Picture” actress is quite miffed and has threatened to “take legal action against the people responsible behind this.”Balan is the latest in a long line of Bollywood celebrities who have been targeted with morphed images of them hitting the internet.

Last year, saw thespian Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter, Sonakshi Sinha, was victimised in a similar way when morphed pictures of the young actress in a yellow bikini started to make rounds over the World Wide Web and was even reported in news magazine, “India Today”.

The “Dabangg” star didn’t waste time and took to microblogging site Twitter immediately to clarify the situation, tweeting: “Very surprised to see India Today an article about me that appears in Maxim in a bikini! Yeah right.

She added: “These guys usually have their facts and figures on the right! You got that right I’m Maxim, but the figure (pun intended) completely wrong! Would have been smarter if the magazine is checked before writing what felt. It is not about me anymore, but his credibility [sic].

Interestingly, both Sinha’s and now Balan’s images have found their way onto the cover of popular men’s magazine, “Maxim”.

While Sinha shouted from the rooftops that her swimsuit image was fake, the lack of credibility of Balan’s bikini image is a bit more obvious considering the issue month of the cover shoots states August 2011, which is hardly possible in the month of March.

Celebrity pitfalls: Balan and Sinha are not the first and will hardly be the last Bollywood celebrities to be victimised by fake images. Some of the earliest cases goes back to 2006, when South Indian superstar Khushboo wound her in the pages of “Maxim” donning a semi-transparent bikini.

Naturally, the buxom actress was furious and sued the magazine for Rs30 million, even though the editorial board tendered an apology for their tongue-n-cheek shoot that saw a bikini-clad woman, with Khusbhoo’s morphed face, admiring herself in a mirror, with a quote stating: “Of course I am a virgin, if you don’t count from b*****.”

While the outcome of the court case is sketchy, a few years later Celina Jaitley found herself victimised when indecent images of her found their way on a Bollywood gossip website and a gadgets blog. The actress filed a legal case against the two. Small time starlet Riya Sen has also had her share of notoriety.

If its not her images, which have wound their way on a UAE single’ dating website, then its an MMS scandal that saw her and former boyfriend Ashmit Patel in compromising poses.

MMS mania: In fact, MMS is usually the popular choice for ousting and scandlising celebrities in India. After Sen’s clip gained cult status a few years ago, over the years an Aishwarya Rai Bachchan lookalike has appeared in a few MMS videos nude and in compromising positions. Other similar victims include Preity Zinta, Mallaika Sherawat and Katrina Kaif. But perhaps the most popular one of late was the Soha Ali Khan MMS that allegedly saw a hidden camera shoot her bikini wax session.

Manning up: And of course, actresses alone aren’t the only one singled out. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has long been questioned over his alleged swinging sexual preferences, found himself in a doctored image kissing a man. Who says girls have all the fun, eh Mr Khan.

Aishwarya rai snubs Bebo at honors work

Aishwarya rai snubs Bebo at honors work: ollywood rivals Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai openly ignored each other at a recent awards function, reports Mumbai Mirror.  Aishwarya Rai walked past Kareena without acknowledging her presence and Kareena who was sitting in the front row also did not seem to notice Ash. While Kareena has buried hatchet with Abhishek Bachchan way back, (her sister Karisma was once engaged to Abhishek) she still shares negative vibes with his wife Aishwarya.
It may be recalled that Aishwarya and Kareena had apparently buried their differences and bonded well at Karan Johar's bash a year back. They were even seen talking and giggling. But it seems past is still haunting them. Considering there are no permanent friends and enemies in the film industry, they might again bond at some other party.

Abhishek Bachchan: WCup furor should not influence progress of 'Game

Abhishek Bachchan: WCup furor should not influence progress of 'Game: cThe ongoing cricket frenzy does not seem to bother the makers and cast of 'Game' who are confident of their film's success at the box office when it hits the screen on April 1.

"On April 1, when we release the film there is no match and then on April 2, its World Cup finals.. that is the end of it. So by that time you will be drained out of cricket and be ready for 'Game'," producer Ritesh Sidhwani said.

The final match of World Cup is to be played on April 2 and the fourth season of IPL begins from April 8, which makes the period an 'off-season' for film releases.

However, Abhishek does not feel so. "Who says its a risky time. I really believe that if you make a quality product no matter what period of the year it is, people will go and watch it. In India audiences are passionate about films. Its almost part of their daily life and its very hard to resist good films," he said.

Citing examples, Abhishek said, "I got this piece of information from Viacom that the day India played England, the channels got the highest TRPs ever for any sporting event and at the same time 'Tanu Weds Manu' also got the highest weekday collection. Also, when first IPL came nobody released films, then 'Race' came and became the highest grosser of the year."

"We have 1.2 billion people and everybody is not going to watch cricket... even if half of them watch cricket, the other half would come and watch the movie, which is more than enough for us," he reasoned.

What's cooking? Ranbir brings Nargis out for a motion picture

What's cooking? Ranbir brings Nargis out for a motion picture: Ranbir Kapoor, rumoured to be dating Katrina Kaif, reportedly took his Rockstar co-star Nargis Fakhri for a screening of Black Swan.On Monday night, Ranbir went out to watch Oscar winning film Black Swan at a Juhu multiplex with Nargis, reported Mumbai Mirror. He wa s also accompanied by buddy Ayan Mukerji.

Speculations about growing intimacy between the two have been doing rounds since they started shooting for Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar. "Ranbir is known to charm girls and it is not surprising that he has charmed his Anglo Indian co-star, Nargis too. Although he is very close to Katrina Kaif, that doesn't stop the Kapoor boy from making new friends and socialising with them," a source told the tabloid.As reported earlier, Katrina was not so happy with Ranbir's growing camaraderie with Priyanka Chopra during the shooting of Anjaana Anjaani. We wonder what Kat has to say about Ranbir's new friend!

Former Miss Great Britain Preeti Desai close to Abhay

Former Miss Great Britain Preeti Desai close to Abhay: Preeti Desai, the former Miss Great Britain, is set to make her Bollywood debut in Balaji's forthcoming comedy, 'Shorr in the City'. You may recall that the beauty queen has shot an elaborate love-making scene with the extremely uninhibited American-Asian sensation, Sendhil Ramamurthy of the 'Heroes and Covert Affairs' fame. Her steamy on-screen encounter with Dania Ramirez in the third season of 'Heroes' became the talk of Hollywood. The festival cut of 'Shorr in the City' has won numerous accolades at leading film festivals in New York, Pusan, and Dubai. But a seemingly worried Preeti, who is said to have moved base from London to Mumbai, wants the scene to be toned down.

The director had initially shot a brief love making scene between the two, but later realized that it needed re-shooting, as it lacked passion! Preeti agreed, and the scene, which has shaped up well, is likely to be retained in the final version of the film. The movie will release on April 28, 2011. Incidentally, word is that Abhay Deol might soon be moving out of Single Ville. The couple is said to have exchanged rings at a private ceremony in Feb 2011. Preeti, who has been living with Abhay in his Juhu flat for over a year, had reportedly met in 2009 at a party thrown by Dev D.

Vidushi Mehra attempting to cut specialty with humble roles

Vidushi Mehra attempting to cut specialty with humble roles: She started off her career in Bollywood by playing supportive characters in movies like 'Aisha', 'No One Killed Jessica' and 'Saat Khoon Maaf', but actress Vidushi Mehra is not complaining. She says her priority is to play small but important roles rather than "big" yet insignificant parts.

"Every character in a movie - be it a supporting actor or someone who has a small screen space - is very important if that character helps in taking the narrative forward. And such roles are very important to me because they have substance," Vidushi, who is married to designer Nikhil Mehra of designer duo Shantanu-Nikhil, told IANS.

"In Bollywood, the pressure is always on a lead actress because she is battling against age and hence has to cash on maximum hits and fame with a limited career span of six-seven years. So they don't have a shelf-life, unlike Bollywood actors," she said.

For the 29-year-old, veteran actor Anupam Kher is a perfect example of a "complete package actor"."Anupam Kher has been in the industry for decades now and he has enjoyed stardom and success in a beautiful manner without playing lead roles. He plays a pivotal role in a movie and is recognised for that. I do aim to be someone like him," she said.

Being a mother of three-and-a-half-year-old twins, how does she manage to maintain her personal and professional life? "I have a support structure at home. And at the same time, both my kids are too excited whenever they see me on screen. In a way it is also a lot of encouragement for them. When kids see their parents doing well, they get a sense of self-belief," she said.

Vidushi is basically from theatre and candidly says it can't provide sustainable livelihood and so artists moving to Bollywood is the next logical step. The Delhi-based actress' tryst with theatre began when she was just four years old and later actively participated in school and college plays.An investment banker by profession, she decided to do theatre after spending nine years juggling with numbers "I went to theatre again at the end of 2008 because that's where my heart was. I did so because all these years I had fulfilled all wishes of my parents as a daughter," she said.

Currently she is busy reading scripts. "There are no such rules and regulations. I want to move ahead, stay humble, continue to work in the industry. I am just a newcomer and don't have too much of deliberations. But, yes, a good story, director and cast are a must," she said about criteria for choosing a script. "I am here for a long run, to do a variety of roles and just not get tapped in any stereotype. I am comfortable in my own skin and I don't feel competition," she added.

Anushka Sharma & Shahid Kapoor split pleasant moments

Anushka Sharma & Shahid Kapoor split pleasant moments: Anushka Sharma sat next to a rugged looking Shahid Kapoor at the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female Awards 2011 at Hotel Taj Lands End in Bandra, Mumbai on Saturday, March 5.
Anushka, 22, looked bewitching in a two shade black spaghetti strap floor length gown that had an empire waist and flowing skirt. Her flirty, gently tousled hair, styled with an asymmetrical parting, draped her right shoulder.

Known to keep her makeup relatively simple, this time she had amped it up with bold pink rouge, matching eye shadow, eyelash extensions, cat eyeliner and delicious pink lipstick.  Mind you, we are not complaining. Indeed, she blew us away with her feminine and soft, yet strong looks. Anushka's rumored boy friend Ranveer Singh was also at the event, but didn't join her for a photo op.

The two had been spotted kissing at Shahid's 30th birthday bash last month; this time around they were possibly opting for discretion. Shahid and Anushka co-starred in YRF production Badmash Company (2010). 

Shahrukh Khan's Ra.One release in Diwali

Shahrukh Khan's Ra.One release in Diwali: Seven months before it is due for release, Shah Rukh Khan’s latest home production, Ra.One, has started setting new records. In the biggest such deal in the Indian entertainment industry, Star India has snapped up the satellite rights of the movie for Rs 40 crore.

In the process, Ra.One has gone past the milestone set by another Khan. Multi-Screen Media (MSM), which runs Sony Entertainment and SET Max, had paid Rs 36 crore for the satellite rights of the Aamir Khan-starrer, 3 Idiots. Ra.One is said to be one of the most ambitious Bollywood projects, featuring famous Hollywood technicians and visual effect artistes. The music has been composed by Academy award winner Hans Zimmer.

According to Shah Rukh Khan, the idea is to take Bollywood to a new level with “daredevil action sequences and world-class special effects”. Khan is believed to be playing the role of a superhero in the film. This science fiction flick also stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. It will be part of Shah Rukh Khan’s production banner, Red Chillies Entertainment.

A spokesperson of Eros International Media confirmed the satellite rights had been sold but declined to comment on the price and the television channel. According to industry sources, the deal with Eros not only includes outright distribution and marketing but also part-funding the movie. Eros is expected to shell out around Rs 170 crore for the movie.

Television industry officials say movies with established stars are a good acquisition. The TV screening of a big Bollywood film can trigger a spike of 30-40 gross rating points for the channel during the week it is aired. This has often helped channels displace competition in viewership rankings.

According to data with TAM, which tracks TV viewership, 3 Idiots had a television rating of 10.1 in the six metros during its first screening on July 25 on Sony Entertainment Television. As many as 16.8 million people watched Sony during the premiere. A senior executive said MSM made around Rs 16 crore from advertising. Sony had roped in 12 associate sponsors, including Life Insurance Corporation of India, Cadbury, Airtel, Raymonds, Tata Motors, Tata Sky and Lux.

From the production house’s point of view, pre-selling various rights like satellite and home video helps de-risk the effort by reducing the dependence on revenues from theatres. For instance, last year, UTV had sold Guzaarish and Tees Maar Khan to Colors. Dabangg was also pre-sold to Colors by Shree Asthavinayak Cinevision.

Analysts say such deals also help production houses tie up with broadcasters and plan their marketing, promotion and advertising strategy months ahead of the release. Industry sources say satellite and other rights of films slated for release in 2012-2013 are already under negotiation. Kamal Jain, CFO, Eros, said the Indian film industry was gradually de-risking the model. “We are trying to pre-sell the maximum rights pre-release, from satellite to merchandising,” he added.

In Hollywood, 70 per cent revenues are secured before the film’s release, and the dependence on the response in theatres is only 30 per cent. Film trade analysts said there had been a huge shift in India as well over the past six months, with the dependence on theatres coming down to 45 per cent, and the rest from satellite (30 per cent) overseas (20 per cent ) and others (5 per cent).