Shah Rukh Khan plays old man!!

IF Shah Rukh Khan’s portrayal of an old man in the movie Veer Zaara left you wanting for more, then here’s something to look out for. In an upcoming ad for Dish TV, SRK has plays a 75-year old man who romances his wife behind closed doors by dancing with her. Anurag Basu, of Kites fame, who’s directed this ad says, “The story is very cute. Tanvi Azmi plays Shah Rukh’s wife. They’re hiding inside their room and are dancing.”

Anurag, together with adman Prasoon Joshi, the brain behind the concept, planned the look and the ad. “We didn’t know if SRK would agree to the idea. I didn’t want to make him Veer Zaara old. It had to be different. So, pehle Shah Rukh ko buddha banaya humne pictures mein, and then showed it to him. He was very sporting and loved the idea,” says Anurag.



Yes, this is Shah Rukh, and this is how he’ll look when he turns 75! The actor plays an old, bald man in an upcoming ad for Dish TV.

While his contemporaries are playing college students in movies, isn’t it a leap of faith for SRK to add 30 years to his real age? Prasoon says, “He liked the script a lot. He probably never got a script like that before. His first reaction was, ‘Well, I love it!’ He probably trusted my work. He didn’t take time to say yes.” Prasoon adds, “Everybody has been going ‘wow’ over the ad. SRK has emoted really well. There is beautiful chemistry between him and Tanvi Azmi.”

The bald look in the ad, says Shah Rukh, was something he was excited about since he’s very sure that he’d never lose hair in real life! When asked how his wife, Gauri Khan, reacted to the way he looked, Anurag responded, “Shah Rukh called his make-up guy and gave him the brief for how to do his look. After the whole get-up was done, he did something very cute. He took a picture of himself and sent it to Gauri on the phone, asking, ‘Will you still love me when I am old and look like this?’ I am sure he will look much more handsome when he is old!”

Guzaarish - Sanjay Leela Bhansali's New Bollywood Muse

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish, which stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya in the lead, has a surprise element. The director has signed model Monikangana Dutta to play Hrithik’s former love interest.

A source from the unit reveals, “Aishwarya plays a married nurse who is a caregiver and treats Hrithik as he is a paraplegic patient after his accident. Prior to the accident, Roshan has a love interest in the movie for which Bhansali has signed Monikangana. The director recently signed the young lady and has kept it under wraps. She is under contract and is not allowed to talk to anyone until the movie’s release.”

The source continues, “Sanjay Leela has singed her for a two-movie deal. Guzaarish will be the first and the second might be a solo launch for her. Monika is obviously very excited about bagging the role. She is not allowed to make many public appearances and remains discreet about the film deal.”

If sources are to be believed, Hrithik doesn’t know about Monika being signed for the movie. “Aishwarya is married to debutant Aditya Roy Kapoor. Monika will be shooting for the next schedule. Her role is minuscule, but of great importance. Her character adds to the script,” adds the source.

Guzaarish is similar to John Badham’s Whose Life Is It Anyway? The film with dark undertones, also deals with the controversial issue of euthanasia. Aishwarya’s character sparks off great interest with her playing a married woman who is attracted to Hrithik as the second half progresses.

Bhansali confirmed that he had signed Monikangana Dutta. “Her role is pivotal to the love story. She’s a lovely girl,” he gushed. He wouldn’t commit about the second film but did not rule out a lead role. Monikangana remained unavailable for comment.

Bollywood Bomb Bipasha Groped

When Bipasha Basu, a trueblue bpllywood hot bengali babe, decided to take part in the on-going Durga Puja festivities with boyfriend John Abraham, the last thing she expected was to be sexually groped by a sick minded stranger. The actress had a horrifying time when she was at The North Bombay Sarvojonin Durga Puja at Santacruz on Saturday evening. Not one to take things lying down, Bipasha was furious when John took her away from the scene. Incidentally, this Durga Puja pandal is now being managed by Rani Mukerji’s family.

Commenting on what exactly happened, a source present at the event said, “Bipasha and John came together for the Durga Puja in the evening and Bipasha was very excited as has always been part of Durga Pujas in Mumbai over the years. Just after the darshan, she was near the stage when someone pervert groped her breasts. Bipasha, of course, was taken aback and flew into a fit of rage. People around her tried to calm her down. John too was present there and he whisked her away to calm her down. She even wanted to lodge a police complaint. However, she had second thoughts. As for the sick man, he quietly and promptly ran away, taking advantage of the commotion.”

Despite repeated attempts, John and Bipasha remained unavailable for comment.

Bollywood Khans On a Ramp-Age

The Khans, kings of Bollywood, when not on good terms, can take their rivalry to new levels. There has been a history of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan trying to outdo each other and they have fine-tuned it to an art. When Mumbai Mirror reported that Shah Rukh and Gauri will walk the ramp for Karan Johar, Salman’s immediate reaction was to launch into a contest of one-upmanship. Not content with just using Katrina Kaif as a counter-attack for Gauri, he has convinced Aamir Khan to walk the ramp for his charity, Being Human.

Bollywood movie starts Shah Rukh and Salman are both keen that their show is the grand finale for the Couture Week, which will be held from October 11-16. The final decision is yet to be taken and it will be a tough choice. It will be a rare treat though, to watch Aamir on the ramp. A source confirms the story, “Aamir Khan doesn’t usually walk the ramp. As Salman has personally requested him, he has agreed to do so. Also, since it is for a good cause and charity.”

There is a greater cause than charity though: now it’s two Khans versus one. The war has intensified. Shah Rukh, increasingly isolated, is now pitted against two formidable adversaries: Aamir, a shrewd strategist, and Salman, who will never make it as a diplomat to any country.

Though Salman and Aamir are great pals now, they hadn’t shared a good rapport during the shoot of Andaaz Apna Apna. Salman had taken the surprising initiative to make-up with Aamir when he gifted the latter two paintings of Ghajini a few days before the release of the bollywood film. This broke the ice, which was good news for the two stars, but not-so good news for Shah Rukh.

In the glam world, where showstoppers make all the difference, will Shah Rukh walk away with the glory? Or will Salman triumph with his trump card, Aamir? After all, wanting to come out on top is only being human, isn’t it?

Hi Friends, finally i'm able to post bollywood hit kaminey movie lyrics. Actually the title of the song is Dhan Te Nan. But famously known as aaja aaja dil nichode.

Here is the lyrics of aaja aaja dil nichode from bollywood hit film kaminey sung by Sukhwinder Singh and vishal Dadlani.


Dhan Te Nan

(Sukhwinder Singh)
Aaja Aaja dil Nichode..
Raat ki Matki tode
koi good luck nikale..
aaj ghulak to fode.

(vishal Dadlani)
Aaja Aaja dil Nichode..
Raat ki Matki tode
koi good luck nikale..
aaj ghulak to fode.

hai dil dil dara
mera teli ka tel..
kodi kodi paisa paisa..
paise ka khel..

(Sukhwinder Singh)
are are re re
dil dil dara
mera teli ka tel..
kodi kodi paisa paisa..
paise ka khel..

chal chal sadko pe hogi
Tan Tan…

Dhan Te Nan
Na..Na..

Dhan Te Nan
Na..Na..

aaja aaja..

(Duet)
Aaja Aaja dil Nichode..
Raat ki Matki tode
koi good luck nikale..
aaj ghulak to fode.

aaja aaja..
aaja aaja..


(vishal Dadlani)
Aaaj ki hai one way
hai yeh zindagi ki ghadi
ek hi chance hai
agar hawa hi hawa hai
agar saans hai toh yeh romance hai..


(Sukhwinder Singh)
Aaaj ki hai one way
hai yeh zindagi ki ghadi
ek hi chance hai
agar hawa hi hawa hai
agar saans hai toh yeh romance hai..


yehi kehte hai
yehi sunte hai
jo bhi jaata hai.. jaata hai..
Woh phir se aata nahi..

(duet)
aaja aaja kal nichode..
Raat ki Matki tode
koi good luck nikale..
aaj ghulak to fode.

hai dil dil dara
mera teli ka tel..
kodi kodi paisa paisa..
paise ka khel..


chal chal sadko pe hogi
Tan Tan…

Dhan Te Nan
Na..Na..
bollyAdda.com
Dhan Te Nan
Na..Na..

RAP ( coming Soon )


(Sukhwinder Singh)
Koi chaal Asi Chalo Yaar,
Ab ke Samundar bhi Pul par chaley,
Phir tu chaley uspe,
ya main chalu..
shehar ho apne pairo taley..

(vishal Dadlani)
Koi chaal Asi Chalo Yaar,
Ab ke Samundar bhi Pul pe chaley,
Phir tu chaley uspe,
ya main chalu..
shehar ho apne pairo taley..

Kai khabrey hai..
Kai kabrey hai..
Jo bhi soye hai Kabro mein..
unko jagaana nahi..


(Duet)

aaja aaja Dil nichode..
Raat ki Matki tode
koi good luck nikale..
aaj ghulak to fode.


aaja aaja...

hai dil dil dara
mera teli ka tel..
kodi kodi paisa paisa..
paise ka khel..

hai dil dil dara
mera teli ka tel..
kodi kodi paisa paisa..
paise ka khel..


chal chal sadko pe hogi
Tan Tan…

Dhan Te Nan
Na..Na..

Dhan Te Nan
Na..Na..
Tu totla hai??
Main Fa ko Fa bolta hoon..
to fa ko fa nahi bolega to kya la bolega..

kaminey - Bollywood movie reivew

I was one of the invitee for the premier of one of the most awaited film of the year. After watching bollywood film 'Kaminey' only i could atter, ' wow, what a film'.

This is surely film with brain. A movie which makes u think, concentrate on each and every scene.

A story of twins who decided to depart but circumstances makes them to come toghether. Sry for my awful english, but all I can see is its a must watch film. Kaminey is not for dump people.

I must say about the peformance of the lead actors. Shahid and priyanka were brilliant. But eventually Kaminey a director's story. Vishal Bharadwaj excels in screenplay, and one liner dialogues.

Kaminey is a heady vodka martini, leaving u both shaken and stirred. Take a bow guys. Brave new Bollywood is here.

Kareena Kapoor finally playing quiet and simple roles - Bollywood News

Tired of playing garrulous characters, Bollywood Bikini babe Kareena Kapoor is glad to finally play quiet and simple roles in 3 Idiots and Kurbaan.

Tired of constantly jabbering on screen in bollywood films as far-ranging as Jab We Met and Kambakkht Ishq, Kareena Kapoor has now taken a conscious break from the babble to play quiet and silently-evocative characters. After playing the unattainable and thoroughly unlikeable diva-bitch in Kambakkht Ishq, Kareena is moving on to play a more real salwar-kameez-clad Punjabi girl in Raj Kumar Hirani’s new bollywood film '3 Idiots' and also in Rensil D’Silva’s 'Kurbaan'.

In 3 Idiots, she plays a girl who has nothing much to say and she keeps mum, much to Kareena’s relief. “I play a quiet and nice Punjabi doctor,” says Kareena. In Rensil D’Silva’s Kurbaan, she plays a character close to her heart and she loves the silence that the character permitted her. “I’ve got one of the best roles of my career. Rensil D’Silva is such a fine storyteller. Again this girl speaks less and acts more. I play a simple Delhi girl who finds out that her husband is a terrorist,” reveals Kareena about her role in the film.

“I need my acting energies to be re-fuelled. I have been playing talkative characters in all my recent films. Omkara was the last really quiet character I played. In 3 Idiots, I’m soft and gentle and that’s the real me. I like my silence to speak for me. Unfortunately, in this business I am constantly asked to voice my opinion on everything,” adds Kareena. In fact, she has requested Saif Ali Khan and the director Sriram Raghavan, to let her play a spy in Agent Vinod, which will again be more about action rather than words.

Lip lock in Love Aaj Kal

Love Aaj Kal has five lip locks; even the Censor Board finds them ‘cute’



After Kareena Kapoor’s numerous lip locks in Kambakkht Ishq, boyfriend Saif Ali Khan has kissed five times in his forthcoming film, Love Aaj Kal. The Censor Board passed the film after censoring only one dialogue. Regional Officer of the Censor Board, Vinayak Azad, said, “The film has been given a UA certificate.” When asked about the kisses in the film, he said, “There are about five kisses in the film but they are not heavy-duty kissing scenes as such. They are much more toned down than what we have seen in other films. We ask a scene to be cut only when there it’s a prolonged kissing scene but in Love Aaj Kal they are cute pecks on the lips.”

Knotty about nuptials


Whom will rakhi marry? It seems like Elesh has the edge over other two contestants. Actually it was four guys in the final but Manmohan Tiwari from Hrishikesh rejected Rakhi in the final moment and out of the show.

Rubbishing reports that are doing the rounds, Rakhi Sawant insists that she is really getting married on August 2 to one of the contestants from the reality show Rakhi Ka Swayamwar. According to our sources within the TV channel, Rakhi has already made up her mind about which one of the three short-listed contestants — Elesh Parujanwala, Chitiz Jain and Manas Katyal — she will marry. They say that Rakhi will most probably choose Elesh Parujanwala, the Canadian businessman. A source says, “Elesh is the quietest and the most sensitive wooer of the lot. Unlike other contestants, he only admired Rakhi from a distance. Rakhi likes these qualities in him and has confessed to friends that she has chosen her groom-to-be. But then, Rakhi does change her mind every two hours.”

Incidentally, Neeta Lulla has designed Rakhi’s bridal outfit while Farah Khan has designed the jewellery.

Rakhi says, “I know many people assumed that my show is rigged, but believe me, I would never mock the institution of marriage. I have seen too many marriages fall apart, including my parents’, to not respect marriage. On August 2, sab ko asliyat ka pataa chal jaayega.”

Hinting that it is Elesh who she will eventually marry, Rakhi says, “It could be Elesh. He is a very nice boy. I’ve always craved for genuine love and I can see it in his eyes… let’s see.”

But is she ready to shift base to Canada post-marriage with Elesh? Rakhi replies, “Look, after the marriage, my husband and I will go back to our respective work, wherever it takes us. And I am certainly not ready to give up my career. Besides, don’t long distance marriages work well?”

Although Rakhi says that all brides would want their mothers to be a part of the wedding festivities, she admits that after parting ways with her mother, she has put the past firmly behind her. “I have forgotten my past and that includes my mother. Ex-boyfriend Abhishek Awasthi is also a closed chapter now. I hope Abhishek wishes me well, I am about to start a new life,” she says.
In the show she visited native place of all the finalyst. As all you expected a big drama happened. In Hrishikesh, Manmohan's native this incident occured. It goes like this. She visited his parents, family members in the day and the same night Manmohan Tiwari appeared in her bedroom without permission and told Rakhi that he is not interested in this marriage. The next day a scene created like rakhi meeting Manmohan in the hotel and rejected in front of the camera.

Rakhi told her car driver is more handsome than Manmohan!! It was clear that she was hurt by his act. Since its her swayamvar, for the viewvers the episode is telecasted like rakhi rejected Manmohan not Manmohan actually.

Hope she really marry some one from the show and never mock the institution of marriage.

Bollywood’s Five Musketeers

Bollywood’s 5-year report card brings to light that its five musketeers — Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan — have netted a business of approximately Rs 1,830 crore from the ticket windows alone. And, if you add the revenue from satellite, home-video and other mediums to this figure, you can easily see why these men are on top. Year 2009 didn’t start auspiciously for the superstar brigade — Shah Rukh had a lukewarm Billu while Akshay had two duds (Chandni Chowk to China and 8 x 10 Tasveer) and one uncertified Kambakht Ishq — but Bollywood continues to rely heavily on these stars.

It’s easy to explain here. Trade sources estimate a total of Rs 500 crore came from Akshay’s 17 releases in the five year-period from 2004 to 2008, Rs 400 crore from Shah Rukh’s nine releases, Rs 365 crore from Aamir’s five releases, Rs 350 crore from from Salman Khan’s 13 releases and Rs 215 crore from Hrithik Roshan’s three films.

Trade analyst Komal Nahata said: “Despite these actors’ ups and downs, Bollywood depends a lot on these five men because they have a fairly high success ratio. You have to go by aggregates; individual films may run or flop but these men net good averages. Akshay leads the pack with his earnings by virtue of the fact that he has done the maximum number of films.’’

This year, too, he has already had three releases; Shah Rukh has had only one release and Aamir is yet to open his account. Hrithik was seen in a cameo in Luck By Chance. However, when it comes to rating the five men, Nahata says: “Aamir and Shah Rukh are neck to neck at number 1 and Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar are neck to neck at number 2. Salman currently occupies a solo place at number three because he hasn’t had a spectacular release after Partner.’’

Trade consultant Amod Mehra, however, disagrees: “Aamir is a clear number 1 because each of his films in the past five years has been different.’’ Mehra pointed out Mangal Panday was the only dud in Aamir’s bouquet of five; all the other four — Rang De Basanti, Fanaa, Taare Zameen Par and Ghajini — made a killing at the box office.

“Shah Rukh is a close second, Hrithik is third, Akshay is fourth and Salman stands at the fifth position. However, a hit or two here and there and these positions could easily change,’’ he added.

Ashok Ahuja of Percept Picture Company feels Shah Rukh and Aamir are tied at number 1. “It was hard to choose between Ghajini and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Both films rocked. Hrithik is number 2, Akshay is number 3 and Salman is number 4. The kind of excitement generated by Three Idiots, My Name Is Khan and Kites is palpable even though their release dates are yet to be set; the euphoria associated with Aamir, Shah Rukh and Hrithik is very high,’’ he said.

Prabhat Choudhury of Spice says these five men, apart from films, have also taken over the endorsement world because each of these is a very big brand in himself. “Aamir leads the pack because he brings to the table qualities of a discerning thinking actor, who is very sincere and sensitive whereas Shah Rukh’s strong point is that he is entertaining and very charming,’’ Choudhury said.

Love Aaj Kal - It’s not about judwaa bhais

Saif Ali Khan, who plays the suave lover Jai in Love Aaj Kal, also plays the younger Rishi Kapoor. His decision to play both roles has confused the simple minded, as he fends off rumours that it is a double role or a judwaa bhai situation.

Saif says with a laugh, “When my trainer heard about the two roles, he said that this concept of a judwaa bhai is dated. I said it’s not a judwaa bhai situation, yaar!”

He goes on to explain why it was important for him to play the younger Rishi Kapoor as well. He says, “It would have been really alien if someone else did it. The whole idea is that Jai becomes Veer. We thought it would be too distracting to have another actor. It’s almost like parallel universes, so it’s important that I play him. Veer, the younger Rishi Kapoor, is very pure. Every girl would love to have a guy like that. Today, a guy has a drink and kisses the girl before asking her name.
The magic of the screenplay is when Jai becomes Veer and realises that when he is in love, he is consumed by it. And whether or not it’s too late by then to salvage the situation with his soulmate.”

As he concludes, he firmly insists that it’s not a double role and neither is it like a judwaa bhai vibe like his trainer thought.

Although Saif Ali Khan’s first home production, Love Aaj Kal, stars Deepika Padukone opposite Saif, it is Kareena Kapoor who’s constantly been talked about. Strangely, it’s not because Kareena has anything to do with the film but because she’s not in the film. This constant reference to a Rebecca like presence in Love Aaj Kal has irked Deepika. She has apparently been wondering to her friends if Love Aaj Kal should be dedicated to Kareena.

Confirming the news, Deepika said, “This must be the first film in the history of cinema where a leading lady is being talked about so much for not being in the film. No, I’m not annoyed by these neverending references to Kareena. When people see the film I know they’ll come out talking about me and my performance. Director Imtiaz Ali was very sure he wanted only me in the film.” To elaborate her point further, Deepika lets out a secret, “Imtiaz was so sure that he wanted me for the part that he had offered me Love Aaj Kal even before my first film,
Om Shanti Om, was released. Even before seeing me on screen, he knew that I was right for the role. So there was no question of any other actress being in the film.”

Deepika’s subtext is loud and clear. Imtiaz discovered her potential long before he discovered Kareena for Jab We Met. “I wanted to work with Imtiaz when I saw his first film Socha Na Tha. As this wide-eyed teenager, I remember seeing the film and wondering who the director was. I remember many years ago when I was a model, Imtiaz had offered me a film. At that time I wasn’t ready for an acting career. In fact, when I had told him I wasn’t ready to join films, Imtiaz had said, ‘When you’re ready let me know.’ He kept his promise. That’s how I got Love Aaj Kal. So now I’m not affected by people talking more about Kareena than me,” she said.

What about her producer-cum co-star Saif’s on-record wistful yearnings for Kareena’s presence in Love Aaj Kal?

Deepika said, “Considering Saif is in a relationship with Kareena, isn’t it understandable if he wanted Kareena in Love Aaj Kal? They’ve worked together in the past. And I’m sure he wants to work with her in his home production. As for Kareena, if I was in her place I’d feel the same way. Don’t I want to work with Ranbir?”

A film meant for the masses, with emphasis on asses

KAMBAKKHT ISHQ - Movie Review

DIRECTOR: Sabbir Khan
ACTORS: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Amrita Arora
RATING: **




As the gay community celebrates a long overdue judgement, Indian cinema too displays its special brand of “inclusiveness”. A week after the serious New York released, comes the totally ludicrous Kambakkht Ishq, which is set in good old Hollywood. While New York relied on logic and fact to grapple with new world terrorism and identity issues, Kambakkht Ishq bets on double entendres and buffoonery to grapple with the age-old battle of the sexes.

Kambakkht Ishq is what is called a masala film — an extravagant production filled with slapstick gags, furious action and music videos, wrapped around a size zero story, as befitting its lean mega stars. It’s a film meant for the masses, with emphasis on asses. The kind of film where the costume has more importance than the story — there’s nothing happening in this scene, so lets throw in some bikinis! The film credits four screenwriters, but clearly the producer has finally stitched the film together with parts picked from each one.

Kambakkht Ishq breaks new ground in “hip crassness”, which could well make it a hit. Starting with Akshay and Kareena, who expressively call each other Dog, and Bitch, followed by dialogues like, “Women are only good for two things” and “I will make sure she sleeps with me”. How cool. To induce humour, the film resorts to the worst clichés — amnesia, Viagra overdose and a set up date. The mood of the film is set during the first song, as Akshay’s sidekick keeps getting repeatedly slapped while he imagines women stripped down to their lingerie. Then Amrita Arora gets farted on her face. Later, a woman throws up on Aftab Shivdasani. A fat black woman shoves her fist up Akshay’s backside as he screams in pain. Not funny, dude, it’s just gross.

However if you like this kind of inane humour, then go for it. Akshay plays a stunt double working at Universal Studios in Hollywood, while Kareena is a surgeon and part-time model. Oh, that’s rich. Further, modelsurgeon Kareena is called Bebo, with a personal soundtrack which follows her around. Bebo mai bebo, dil mera le lo. Seriously. So anyway, Akshay randomly sleeps around while arrogant Kareena hates men, specially duplicates. One day Aftab Shivdasani, Akshay’s brother gets married to Amrita Arora, lingerie model and also Kareena’s friend. Akshay and Kareena square off in a battle of the sexes, and that’s the beginning and end of the story. The novelty factor in the film really kicks in when Kareena operates on Akshay and leaves her musical watch in his appendix. Oops. The watch plays a catchy tune, Om Mangalam Mangalam, leading to all kinds of stupid situations. A few, like the operation theatre scene, are hilarious.

In between all this nonsense, Brandon Routh, Denise Richards and Sylvester Stallone pop up. Denise looks old and wasted, while Stallone still commands a presence, specially in the elaborate Kodak theatre sequence. Vindu Dara Singh as the sidekick who keeps getting bashed up is stupidly goofy, but another trio of talent is just wasted.

Jaaved Jaffrey is once again acting in his own film, which has no connection to the main plot, while Kirron Kher is irritating as Dolly aunty, and Boman Irani comes in for a forced, wasted scene.

Kambakkht Ishq makes no pretensions to cinema, and sets out to be a entertainer. I hope it’s a hit — only when enough people see drivel like this, will they yearn for that special, different film. Hopefully.

More Trivia !!

I came across numerous Bollywood trivia and thought it'll be great to post them here. Some of them came out to be a great deal of surprise to me since I've never heard of them and others I already knew about.

Enjoy!

1) Actor Amjad Khan was almost dropped from SHOLAY because scriptwriter Javed Akhtar found his voice weak for Gabbar Singh’s role.

2) Danny Denzongpa was the original choice for playing Gabbar’s role in SHOLAY but due to date hassles, he opted out.

3) The original title of K.C Bokadia’s AAJ KA ARJUN [Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Pradha] was KAUN SUNE FARIYAAD.

4) Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Sharmila Tagore were teamed in DEVDAS, produced by Kailash Chopra and directd by Gulzar. Launched with great pomp and show, the filme was shelved subsequently.

5) Hema Malini and Premnath were working free in Dev Anand’s JAANEMAN, directed by Chetan Anand. How considerate our stars were for their co-stars!

6) According to a report, Neetu Singh was the busiest heroine in 1975, with as many as 85 film assignments on hand. Most of her films were with Rishi, Randhir and uncle Shashi Kapoor.

7) As many as 300 labourers were employed to construct a temple set for J.P Dutta’s KSHATRIYA [Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol] in Bikaner. What’s more, the entire construction took a month to be completed.

8) Zeenat Aman was born in Germany, studied in Los Angeles. She was Miss Asia and her father was a film writer (Aman).

9) Zeenat Aman got dressed up as a village girl with a burnt face and landed up at Raj Kapoor’s office when he was finalizing his heroine for SATYAM SHIVAM SUNDARAM . He was so impressed with her dedication that he signed her immediately.

10) Before entering films, Dilip Kumar used to sell fruits on Bombay’s Mohammed Ali Road.

11) The film PAKEEZAH took 17 long years to complete and since Meena Kumari could not match her steps to one of the dance numbers because of age, Director Kamal Amrohi had to bring in Padma Khanna, and made her to dance to the number with her face covered with Ghunghat.

If you're interested, it's for the song Teer-E-Nazar

12) Saawan Kumar, known for making heroine-oriented films, had signed Rekha to head the cast of KHULI KITAAB. Well, the interesting part is that the film was to star seven heroes opposite Rekha.

13) Not many are aware, the promos of Rakesh Roshan’s KOYLA were designed and executed by Hrithik Roshan, who was assisting his dad in the movie.

14) Do you know that Manisha Koirala had failed the screen test for Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1942-A LOVE STORY? Manisha later requested Vidhu for another screen test, which she cleared and became a part of the film.

Trivia

Sridevi started acting at the age of four and is a seventh standard dropout.

Mithun used to dance at social functions under the name of Rana Rez before he became a star.

Not many people know that Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan) began her acting career with a small role in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar in 1963.

Did you know that Bollywood "Jumping Jack" Jeetendra's real name is Ravi Kapoor.

Both the times Amitabh worked opposite Rajesh Khanna (Anand and Namak Haram), he ended up winning the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Trophy.

Amitabh Bachchan holds an art degree from Sherwood College, Nainital.

Late Priya Rajvansh is the only Indian artiste till date to pass out of the Royal Academy of Drama, London. Her picture hangs there in the Hall of Fame.

South superstar Chiranjeevi's real name is Sivasankara Varaprasad.

Lata Mangeshkar's passion, other than singing is painting and she is also an expert in the art of applying make-up and an avid photographer.

Lata Mangeshkar's passion, other than singing is painting and she is also an expert in the art of applying make-up and an avid photographer.

Salman Khan is obsessed with photography and has clicked hundreds of brilliant sepia pictures of friends and family.

Shekhar Kapur was officially 'engaged to be married' to Shabana Azmi till Kapur realised it wasn't such a good idea after all. Azmi was also engaged to Benjamin Gilani, now a television actor.

Mothers played an important role in Salim-Javed films because both lost their mothers early in life.

Urmila Matondkar played the role of a small boy in Shashi Kapoor's Kalyug. Rekha played her mother in the film.

Smita Patil studied in a marathi medium school and was a TV newsreader before she became an actress.

Ameesha Patel's Grand father Rajni Patel was the first sheriff of Bombay.

The title song Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein was originally recorded by Chetan Anand many years ago but not picturised for some reason. There were two versions, one sung by Sudha Malhotra and the other, later by Lata Mangeshkar.

Rekha can’t sleep without the sound of tap water running in her house.

Did you know that Jatin Khanna is the real name of our very own superstar Rajesh Khanna.

During Sanjay Dutt's drugs phase, there were strict instructions to the household from his mother Nargis, that the refrigerator should never, never be empty of rasmalai.

Shah Rukh Khan lived in Bangalore before his family shifted to Delhi. He still has a house there.

Hindi films actor Raaj Kumar always requested editors of magazines to send pretty journalists to interview him. "I can't bear ugliness," he used to say.

Bheja Fry

This is a popular hindi song. Folks can you guess the song. Write UR answer in the comment box. :)
(I've taken this idea from Times Mirror. thx)


Beloved,
I will put you in a palanquin,
Cover you with starts,
Hide you from the world,
and take you away,
My beloved...

In my eyes,
In every one of my dreams,
It's your shadow that always present.
You are in my thoughts every moment,
I'm crazy about the silentlonging in your eyes.
My beloved...

Bollywood - A BIG Family!!

Here are some filmi connections and I'm sure U will left amused at the end. Welcome to Bollywood, where everyone’s related! Happy reading!

Is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan related to Mithun Chakravorty? Did you know Mithun shared a connection with the Kapoors through his wife Yogeeta Bali... as do the Bachchans? Not to mention that Yogeeta’s ex-husband Kishore Kumar’s sister was Kajol’s grandmother! Connect the dots!

The Kapoors, of course, are related to directors Manmohan Desai and Ramesh Sippy. And, while Hrithik is related to his wife’s brother Zayed Khan and first cousin Fardeen Khan, the links stretch to sweep Tabu into the family too.

While Sanjay Dutt’s sister Namrata is married to Kumar Gaurav, Rajendra Kumar’s son, he also shares a rumoured ‘illegitimate’ connection with the first family of India, the Gandhis!

Kajol, besides being Nutan’s niece, also has 1950s actress Nalini Jaywant as an aunt, shares film historian Dinesh Raheja. He adds, “As for Kareena Kapoor, her mother Babita’s cousin was Sadhana — the heartthrob of the 60s. It was Babita’s father who introduced Sadhana to Bollywood.”

Raheja reveals that director Kalpana Lajmi’s mother was Guru Dutt’s sister. Lajmi isn’t sure of a family connection with Deepika Padukone, but suggests it’s possible, as Guru Dutt’s original surname was Padukone. “The Padukones belong to a small community of Saraswat Brahmins forced to migrate from Kashmir,” she says.

Author and critic Anupama Chopra says, “Yes, it’s not even six degrees of separation. Did you know that Mahesh Bhatt is related to Dharmesh Darshan?” Bhatt confirms, “Dharmesh is my sister’s son. Emraan (Hashmi) and Mohit Suri are also my nephews.”

Author Madhu Jain says, “Tinnu Anand is also distantly related to Raj Kapoor, while Ramanand Sagar is related to Vidhu Vinod Chopra.” Anupama Chopra, married to Vidhu Vinod affirms, “Yes, they are half-brothers. Their father married Vinod’s mother after Ramanand’s mother expired.”
Some More!!!

HRITHIK, FARDEEN… AND TABU TOO!

Hrithik is related to Fardeen and Zayed. But, did you know there is… rather, was… a family link to Tab u , whose sister Farah married and later divorced D a ra Singh’s son. The strongman’s brother Randhawa is married to Mallika, sister of yesteryear actress Mumtaz, Fardeen’s m o t h e r- i n - l aw. Mallika’s son Shaad made his debut in Woh Lamhe. Tabu is also famously Shabana Azmi’s niece. Azmi is married to Javed Akhtar, whose ex-wife is Honey Irani, choreographer Farah Khan’s aunt. Javed and Honey’s children are directors Farhan and Zoya Akhtar.


AMRITA, SAIF, KAREENA… AND DILIP KUMAR!

The legendary Begum Para was married to Dilip Kumar’s brother Nasir Khan. Their son Ayub Khan is an actor. Her niece Rukhsana Sultana was Amrita Singh’s mother. Amrita’s also writer and columnist Khushwant Singh’s niece.

Amrita Singh’s exhusband Saif is actress Sharmila Tagore’s son. Incidentally, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s families were as close as brothers, according to Madhu Jain’s current reprint of The Kapoors, and came from the same side of town in Peshawar. In switching from Amrita to Kareena Kapoor, Saif has just gone from one side of the fence to the other!

Saira Bano, meanwhile, is the daughter of Naseem Banu and aunt to actress Shaheen, married to actor Sumeet Saigal.

MITHUN, YOGEETA, THE KAPOORS, MANMOHAN DESAI, THE BACHCHANS & RAMESH SIPPY!

Mithun Chakraborty’s wife Yogeeta Bali’s aunt was Geeta Bali, actor Shammi Kapoor’s first wife. This means Gen Now’s Mimoh (Mithun’s son), Kareena and Ranbir Kapoor are family! Shammi Kapoor’s daughter is wedded to filmmaker Manmohan Desai’s son Ketan Desai. Shashi Kapoor’s son Kunal Kapoor married Ramesh Sippy’s daughter. His brother Raj Kapoor’s daughter Ritu Nanda’s son Nikhil Nanda is married to Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan’s daughter Shweta. Ramesh Sippy, incidentally, is also director Rohan Sippy’s father and the son of producer GP Sippy. Raj Kapoor’s wife Krishna’s brothers were actors Premnath and Rajendranth. Manmohan Desai, when he passed away, was said to be engaged to yesteryear actress Nanda, the great-niece of filmmaker V Shantaram and daughter of actors Master Vinayak and Meenaxi. As for the other Kapoors... while Anil Kapoor’s father Surinder Kapoor was Geeta Bali’s secretary, the Kapoor families aren’t related. “We’re country cousins,” says Aditya Raj Kapoor, Geeta Bali and Shammi Kapoor’s son.

SUNIL DUTT, NARGIS AND NEHRU?

Motilal Nehru is rumoured to have been enamoured by Daleepabai, Allahabad’s famous courtesan. The outcome of their relationship was allegedly illegitimate daughter Jaddanbai, who gave birth to actress Nargis. Meghnad Desai, who researched for the star’s biography with wife Kishwar, has been quoted as saying that Jaddanbai even tied a rakhi to Nehru. If this is true, then cut to this generation… and Sanjay Dutt could be Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi’s uncle!

NASEERUDDIN, RATNA, PANKAJ KAPOOR… & SHAHID!

Actor Naseeruddin Shah is married to actor Ratna Pathak. Her sister Supriya Pathak is married to fellow actor Pankaj Kapoor. Kapoor’s son from his first marriage to Neelima Azeem is actor Shahid Kapoor. Shah’s son Imaad has also made his Bollywood debut.

KISHORE KUMAR, KAJOL, RANI: CHALTI KA NAAM… FAMILY!

The youngest of the Ganguly brothers, Kishore Kumar was married thrice — to Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali and Leena Chandavarkar. His son is singer Amit Kumar.

His elder brother Ashok’s daughter is actress Preeti Ganguly, comedian Deven Verma’s wife. Ashok’s grand-daughter is actress Anuradha Patel. His sister Sati married Sashadhar Mukherjee, and their son Shomu married Tanuja, actress Shobhna Samarth’s daughter and Nutan’s sister. While Kajol is Tanuja’s daughter, Nutan’s son is Mohnish Behl. Sati was also aunt-by-marriage to Ram Mukherjee, actress Rani Mukherjee’s father.

Actor Feroz Khan passes away


Bollywood actor Feroz Khan on Monday lost his battle with cancer and passed away at his farmhouse in Bangalore.

The 69-year-old actor-filmmaker died at 1:30 am at his farmhouse, family sources said. Khan is survived by actor-son Fardeen Khan and daughter Laila Khan.


He was diagnosed with cancer and was being treated at a Mumbai hospital for a long time. His funeral will take place later in the day in Bangalore, sources said.

The actor was born and brought up in Bangalore. The Bollywood actor of yesteryear was known for his hit films of the 70s and 80s which include 'Dharmatama', 'Qurbani' and 'Jaanbaz'.
The latest film he featured in was the blockbuster hit Welcome in 2007.

Jai Ho Lyrics

Today i'm feeling good as i'm gonna post Jai Ho lyrics both the original version (Hindi n Spanish) and the latest pussycat remix. Doesn't this song reminds a song from 'Guru'? Anyway i like the song and here comes the lyrics.......

Jai Ho!

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho!

Ratti ratti sachchi maine jaan gawayi hai
Nach Nach koylon pe raat bitaayi hai
Ankhiyon ki neend maine phoonkon se udaa di
Gin gin taarey maine ungli jalayi hai
Eh Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Ahora conmigo, tu baila para hoy
(Now with me, you dance for today)

Por nuestro dia de movidas,
(For our day of moves,)

los problemas los que sean
(whatever problems may be)

Salud!
(Cheers!)

Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Jai Ho!

Chakh le, haan chakh le, yeh raat shehed hai
Chakh le, haan rakh le,
Dil hai, dil aakhri hadd hai
Kaala kaala kaajal tera
Koi kaala jaadu hai na?
Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho!

Kab se haan kab se jo lab pe ruki hai
Keh de, keh de, haan keh de
Ab aankh jhuki hai
Aisi aisi roshan aankhein
Roshan dono heerey (?) hain kya?
Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho!

************

PussyCat Lyrics

Jai Ho!
Jai Ho

I got shivers
When you touch my face
I’ll make you hot, Get what you got,
I’ll make you wanna say

(Jai Ho, Jai Ho)

I got fever, running like a fire
For you I will go all the way
I wanna take you higher

(Jai Ho)

I keep it steady steady, that’s how I do it
This beat is heavy, so heavy you gonna feel it.

(Jai Ho)

You are the reason that I breathe

(Jai Ho)

You are the reason that I still believe

(Jai Ho)

You are my destiny

(Jai Oh)
Oh-oh-oh

(Jai Ho)

No there is nothing that can stop us

(Jai Ho)

Nothing can ever come between us

(Jai Ho)

So come and dance with me

Jai Ho!

Catch me, catch me, catch me, c’mon, catch me,
I want you now,
I know you can save me, you can save me,
I need you now.
I am yours forever, yes, forever,
I will follow,

Anywhere in anyway,
Never gonna let go

Jai Ho!
Jai Ho!

Escape (escape) away (away),
I’ll take you to a place,
This fantasy of you and me
I’ll never lose my chance

(Jai Ho)

Mmmhh yeaahhhh .. hhmm yeaaaha

I can (I can) feel you (feel you),
Rushing through my veins
There’s a notion in my heart
I will never be the same

(Jai Ho)

Just keep it burnin’, yeah baby, just keep it comin’

(Jai Ho)

You’re gonna find out baby, I’m one in a million

(Jai Ho)

You are the reason that I breathe

(Jai Ho)

You are the reason that I still believe

(Jai Ho)

You are my destiny

Jai Oh! Oh-oh-oh-oooooh

(Jai Ho)

No there is nothing that can stop us

(Jai Ho)

Nothing can ever come between us

(Jai Ho)

So come and dance with me

Jai Ho! (oohh)

Catch me, catch me, catch me, c’mon, catch me,
I want you now,
I know you can save me, you can save me,
I need you now.
I am yours forever, yes, forever
I will follow

Anywhere in anyway,
Never gonna let go

(Jai Ho)

Hmmm yaeaaaaahhh
(repeat 2x)

I need you, gonna make it
I’m ready, so take it

(Jai Ho)

You are the reason that I breathe (I breathe)
You are the reason that I still believe (still believe)
You are my destiny (destiny)

Jai Oh! Oh-oh-oh-ooooh

(Jai Ho)

No there is nothing that can stop us (can stop us)
Nothing can ever come between us
So come and dance with me,

Jai Ho! (oohh)

Jai Ho!
Bai-la bai-la!
Bai-la bai-la!
Jai Ho! Bai-la bai-la!
Jai Ho

Quite an item


All you need to know about this week’s weirdest, whackiest, most wonderful story, to timepass around the office watercooler when you should really be working.


I’m applying to get married to Rakhi Sawant on her new reality show.

Phir toh mujhe unko bhabhiji bulana padega.
Of course. How does this sound on my biodata: Handsome hunk with six-bedroom house, six-pack abs, sixfigure salary…
Isn’t that a bit exaggerated considering you’re 5’5’’, weigh 50 kg and are about to get laid off?
I’m gymming now, and you’re just jealous. But the competition is going to be stiff.
If Rakhi does an item number on the show, I’m sure they’ll all be stiff! So what does she say on her site: age no bar, caste no bar, race no bar, baaki sab bar-bar?
You’re a bit of a pervert. My Rakhi’s pure as driven snow. Poor Mika’s still singing maine pappi kyun li.
So is this going to be like Sita’s swayamvar?
Yes, she hopes to find her Shyam, if not Ram. But I’m worried about Rahul Gandhi applying. Apparently, she adores him.
Maybe he won’t find the time with the elections and all. But if he does, I guess you’ll just have to settle for a rakhi!

OUR NAME IS KHAN


It doesn’t get bigger or better than this.Last evening, when Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan walked in at the head of, what was finally, a unique gathering of the best creative talent the Indian film industry has today, media persons which covered the gamut of options available (radio, print, electronic, web), newbies and hardened professionals, collectively held their breath and gazed.

It has been many many moons since two of our most charismatic and successful actors have been seen on the same platform. In fact, one almost can’t remember when was the last time.
Suddenly nothing mattered. Not the gross collections of their last films, not any power list, not the number game. If the occasion were not so serious and dignified one would be tempted to stand up and cheer. But since they were here representing the directors and producers collective forum, The United Producers and Distributors Association forum, to explain their stand in the face-off with multiplex owners, it seemed wiser to just listen as each presented a keynote address. Yash Chopra, Sandeep Bhargava of TV 18, Ronnie Screwvala of UTV, Mukesh Bhatt, distributor Ramesh Sippy and Jyoti Deshpande of Eros, shared the stage along with the two Khans. Even the federation and the Mazdoor union representatives were present to show their solidarity to the forum.

Karan Johar was the host of the evening. Aamir went first and like with everything he does he was completely prepared, often referring to the many discussions he had had with the team, including SRK, often deferring to him in fact. Aamir said, “We don’t want to call it a strike but an inability of the two parties to come to a logical conclusion. We are extremely unhappy over the failure to deliver films at the moment and deprive the audience of the cine experience, but the only motive behind this is to ensure that everyone in the film industry make money.” Aamir said that various unfair means were adopted by multiplexes to gather extra money like faulty DCR (daily collection report), pocketing of INR subsidies and even entertainment tax in many cases where films were tax free or in states where multiplexes had a tax holiday. Aamir also stressed that in the past, films have become blockbusters in single screens and if the situation does not improve, they will work towards a system where films will be released in single screens. However, the industry is firm that they would not budge from the fact that they want an equal 50:50 sharing for all the films.


Shah Rukh was more casual in his approach and made his points very clearly joking that all the meetings were held at midnight because that was when Aamir had time usually. SRK, at his charming best, stressed on some important points. He said, “The only reason for all of us to get together should not be misconstrued as a power show and a move to threaten the multiplexes. We are one big family and are open to dialogue.”

SRK also insisted that the multiplex owners were wrong in criticising their films as good or bad and should instead leave this job to the audience. The relation between the producers and the exhibitors is like a wedding and there is no divorce on the cards. “This is like a blockage in the pipeline and once the repair work is done everything will be back on track,” he added.
He emphasised that the fight was for equal terms for all films, big and small and if they were successful everyone would benefit from it.

When Aamir and Shah Rukh were together, the bonhomie and camaraderie was obvious, as they helped each other with answers, often scribbling notes to one another and whispering in each other’s ears when one was at a loss about some fact. Their body language loudly proclaimed ‘friends’. If this was an act, boy, these guys are thespians.

But the defining moment, and perhaps the one that everyone was waiting for, came when the duo were asked if they would have ever come together if it were not for the issue. SRK quipped that there was no reason they could not be on the same dais, in the same car, on the same page or in the same film...
He brought the house down.

A GAP TWO LONG


As always, a meeting with Tabu begins with a cat-and mouse game, with Tabu enacting the more diffident creature. (“Let’s meet next week, next Saturday, next Monday, next Thursday, may I send answers by email, may I send very well-written answers by email?”) Meanwhile, you play the cat, zeroing in persistently… until she cannot escape.

Poor Tabu. “Poor me, and we don’t even have a reason to sit down and talk,” she says, when you finally pin her down.

It’s true. We haven’t seen Tabu around since Cheeni Kum, and that was more than two years ago.

What have you been doing for two years?
I’ve done two Telugu films.

Why?
I’ve come from the Telugu film industry. I made my debut there. So I keep going back. The Telugu industry has become fun now. They’ve loosened up, they actually party! Earlier they used to be deadly earnest and work-driven.

Do you earn as much there as in Bollywood?
I earn more there!

You’re the biggest star of the Telugu film industry?
(Laughs, till she drops) Are you crazy? I don’t do enough films to be a regular star there.

You don’t do enough films there, you don’t do enough films in Bollywood. What do you do?
Okay, from now on I’ll act in every film (mimics a robot). As I grow old I become more finicky. Sometimes I read scripts, and don’t know what to make of them. If the script is good, I’m not sure I want to work with those people. Just a good role isn’t enough for me to say ‘yes’ to a film any more.

Maybe some filmmakers don’t approach you because they feel you’re inaccessible, and you’ll say ‘no’.
Am I inaccessible to you?

No. But I’m not a filmmaker.
You’re worse. You’re from the press. (Laughs at her own witticism, then realises it wasn’t too polite). Hey, you know what I mean. If anyone wants to contact me, they can.

Which films have you said ‘yes’ to?
I’ve shot for two Hindi films. One is a comedy called To Baat Pakki, coming in July, where I’ve a comic role. I’ve wanted to play a comic role for some time. The other is UTV’s Season’s Greetings, which has five stories of personal journeys, culminating in my story.

For all your choosiness, both these films don’t sound extraordinary.
Are you trying to grill me?

I’m trying to understand you.
(Laughs) Is that what they call it nowadays? I can only choose from what is offered to me no? Less work means less money.

Doesn’t the money matter?
Of course. I want diamonds, designer bags, I want to travel. But I have it all worked out in my head. There’s so much money that I need in a year. Once I have that, I’m okay. I don’t have any need beyond that. Anyway, it’s all a bonus.

How?
From where I come, to have a lifestyle like mine is a bonus. So I’m content.

Contentment can take the edge off talent. That, and the lack of ambition.
For me, the word ‘ambition’ is too strong. It gives me stress just to hear it. I’m content about money and position, but not on the sets. On the sets I’m worried whether I’m using my imagination enough — if the script writing is good, that is.

If the writing is bad?
Then it’s ‘okay, action, cut’. And back home.

Is that terrible?
I want to learn to enjoy that too. Everything in life cannot be sublime.

How do you divide your time between Hyderabad, where you’ve built your house, and Mumbai?
I cannot stay in any place other than Mumbai. Just because I’m not seen in the media, people assume I’ve moved to Hyderabad. That’s not true, in fact I’ve rented out my house in Hyderabad. I only visit Hyderabad. I have friends and family there, so there are occasions to visit.

How different is your life there?
My friends, family, gym, night club and everything else is within a 7 km radius there. Everything is a five-minute drive. Compare that with Mumbai!

What do you want from life now?
I should get married in a year or so. Professionally, umm… (thinks, and thinks more). Now you’ll say I’m not ambitious, but I’ve done a lot to get where I am.

In the good old days?
Yes, those days when photographers would make us show our cleavage, lean over and pout (drapes herself on the sofa to act it out, dissolving into laughter). We would use our hair to cover up, and they would make us push the hair back. Sometimes we had to stand with both arms above our heads and pout (acts it out). Gawd!

There have been rumours of affairs galore.
At this stage of my career, I won’t clarify rumours like a newcomer. I won’t say, “We’re just good friends.” (Looks coy and bats her eyelashes, for effect).

Suddenly she brightens up as she remembers her latest magazine cover. “Nowadays pictures are much cooler,” she says. “Have you seen the cover?” You admit that you haven’t — and she’s shocked. “You’re out of tune with the times,” she splutters. “And you’ve come to interview me about being like that!” She gets the magazine, it’s a nice picture. She sees you to the door. And delivers her parting words: “Now you’ll go back and use the worst picture of mine you can find, with your interview, won’t you? Why do you guys always do this to me? It provides sadistic pleasure, right?” Dear reader, please check the picture used to see whether the lovely Tabu is justified in complaining, or not.

The curious case of Bipasha Basu


Age is just a number. More so, for our celestial beauties. Who cares about lines and creases, lovelies… botox hai na? Lol! But we tell ya…our Bollywood babes are only getting sexier with age. And hear this one. The hottest of them all, Bipasha Basu, wants to age backwards. Recently, while talking to a television channel, Bips said that she had no qualms about turning 30. She proudly added, “I look my age. I had earlier said that after I turn 30, I’ll start ageing backwards. Now that I am here, you can guess, what I’ll do! It’s time to go back. Ha, ha, ha.” Regression, huh? “No, not now. From next year onwards, I will regress 100 per cent.” Aha! Maybe our lovely Bips is highly inspired by Brad Pitt’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. We don’t blame her, but we’re curious to know if she wants to go to Hollywood, too. Out there, your age really doesn’t matter, Bips. And if you ask us... we don’t want baby Bips, we just want the babe!

Freida Pinto’s big connection with Claudia


After getting close to Hollywood hottie Scarlett Johansson, Freida Pinto’s found another buddy out in the west. This time it’s supermodel Claudia Schiffer! “Freida had a blast with German model Claudia Schiffer prior to a fashion show presented in Paris recently,” revealed Freida’s close friend. Wonder how many more classy shoulders this Mumbai girl’s going to rub!

MANU a lonely MAN missing U

Folks.. Watch this beautiful video with fantastic pictures.. The song is awesome. Lyrics: Jayant Kaikini, Music: Mano murthy, Singer: Sonu Nigaam. One can easily predict if these three personalities meet that it will be a grate composition.

Rahman’s Terrific Ten


When my editor suggested I write about AR Rahman’s ten best songs, I let out a nervous laugh. As if there were any mediocre songs to pick from! What do you write about the report card of a student who gets straight A’s; how can you pick the best stone out of glittering diamonds: such thoughts raced furiously through my head. My editor tried helping with a ‘make it your personal choice’ reassurance. Once I started the piece, I realized I needed to go back several years to pick my real favourites. It’s been an exhausting and fun-filled journey, and here’s the list. Not all the songs on the list became the chartbusters they should have. But in a way, that makes them even more special.



This album remains my favourite Rahman yet, for it was a formal introduction to his music. As a lover of music, I am indulgent and listen to an album till I wear it out, but even after all these years, I find Rangeela’s music extraordinarily fresh and experimental. This particular song is a sensuous, romantic one set against Indian classical instruments, and Rahman infuses drama in its every pore. You have vocals by noted singers Swarnalata and Hariharan, and their voices contrast beautifully. The lyrics are by Mehboob who has also wrote songs for Bombay and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.



No one has touched the experimental tone of this song and this was in 1995! I remember people’s reactions to this song were tad hesitant, as this song (such a mad medley of world music) confuses at first before casting its spell. And the more you hear it, the more you enjoy its complexity. The song was sung by Rahman and Shweta Shetty.



I didn’t like the song as soon as I heard it; though everyone kept raving about it. But it was during a long trip home, after a tired day, when I warmed up to it. Then the film came, and I saw Shah Rukh Khan match the energy of the song, on top of a train that too, and I was mesmerized. It’s never happened before, and I’m sure this is not the correct manner to fall for a song; but I began to appreciate the song’s worth after “seeing” it. Chaiya Chaiya remains very special to me, and always brings back memories of my earlier years, so fraught with idealistic debates in media school.



Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan team up for this lilting bhajan that I was surprised to have fallen for. Not big on bhajans any way, I was mesmerized at being mesmerized by this song. It has that effect that devotional songs across religions seem to have, regardless of whether you are a believer. The music sweeps you to another place altogether; and this enigmatic journey’s yours as long as you choose to hit rewind.



This enigmatic song is my favourite out of favourites. I’ve had long-winded arguments with those who called the song “nice” and “beautiful”, because I thought they weren’t worthy enough adjectives to describe the song. Once the song is on, you feel like the heavens are singing for you; you just cannot remain unaffected. Rendered by Murtuza Khan and Qadir Khan, incidentally it is writer-director of the film M F Hussain himself who penned the lyrics.



Two things bound me to the song: the lyrics that were mischievous and romantic at the same time, and Rahman’s aalap that elevates the song to another level. Classical singer Madhushree’s voice worked perfectly with the tone of the song and she added her own nuances making it that much more special.



Lata Mangeshkar had sung for Rahman before; but this was the first time she was singing with him. The evocative lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are about a mother worrying about her child as evening dawns. The duet between these two legends is so electric and magical, it makes your heart swell with emotion.



The star of the album, according to me. In an interview recently, Aamir Khan said that this song, one of his favourites, was a difficult one but had the potential of becoming a superhit leaving the other songs from Ghajini’s album behind. Bekha has been sung splendidly by Karthik. The music has several hooks and plays around with varied music genres like pop, hip-hop and jazz. Lyrics are wonderful; but it’s not so much the words as how they are rendered that sets the song apart. Bekha reminds one of the songs from Rangeela, especially Kya Kare (what a coincidence for both to be picturised on Aamir Khan).



When I heard it, alone, for the first time, I could swear I felt affected to the soul. The clichéd term `soul-stirring’ wore an immediately new meaning for me. Rahman’s voice seemed to call from the heavens, and there was so much integrity in the song, it was disarming. I don’t recollect how many times I rewound the song that particular evening.



The song, like all songs sung by Rahman, convinces you why Rahman is a genius twice over. With singing as soulful as the music, Rehna Tu is a masterpiece. Utterly romantic, the lyrics are beautiful with lines like Tujhe badalna naa chaahoon ratti bhar bhi sanam, Bina sajaawat milaawat naa jyaadaa naa hi kam. The ending is an unexpected music monologue with strings and the flute. In his booklet that comes with the album, lyricist Prasoon Joshi mentions this to be one of his favourites with Rahman.

A R R A H M A N



1 Born January 6, 1967, was named Dilip Kumar

2 Father RK Sekhar was a music director and mother Kasturi (later Kareema Begum), a homemaker. Has three sisters: Kanchana (Raihanah), Balasaraswathy (Fatima) and Rekha (Izrat)

3 As a child, Dilip loved to play chess and carrom

4 Studied at Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan until Std IX, then moved to Madras Christian College. Dropped out of Class XI at MCC to pursue a career in music as the family needed the money

5 Father died when he was nine, and family had to rent Sekhar’s instruments to make ends meet

6 Drawn to music from an early age, could play many instruments, had many gurus. Learnt to play the guitar from Pilot Edwin, piano from Jacob John, Hindustani classical from Krishna Anand (briefly) and film music from Nityanandan

7 Took Trinity College of Music exams in Chennai and the then principal Gavin Anderson described Rahman as “a talent to watch out for”

8 Early in his career, he was associated with many musical troupes, including Ilayaraja’s. He worked for Telugu and Kannada films, assisting Raj-Koti, Vijay Anand and Chakravarti

9 He started composing ad jingles in 1986, the memorable ones being for Titan and Leo Coffee. A tune he composed for a leading telecom company has become the world’s most downloaded piece of music clocking 60 million hits

10 Roja’s release in 1992 made him a star. Mani Ratnam gave him the break, and AR Rahman became famous overnight

11 Although he had converted to Islam much earlier, he officially changed his name to AR Rahman only in 1992

12 With Roja ruling the charts, Time magazine hailed him as the Mozart of Madras: Rahmania had taken country by storm

13 Close on the heels of Roja’s success, USbased Indian producers of a film approached him to score music. He rejected the offer; there was a nude scene in the film and the young bachelor wanted nothing to do with it

14 Rahman bridged the gap between the Tamil and Hindi film industry. Soon enough, the rest of the world took note. Ram Gopal Varma invited him to score for ‘Rangeela’, Subhash Ghai for ‘Taal’, Ashutosh Gowarikar for ‘Lagaan’, Shekhar Kapur (‘Elizabeth II’) and Andrew Lloyd Webber
(‘Bombay Dreams’) Kareema Begum

15 spotted Saira Banu at a dargah, proposals were exchanged and one of Chennai's most eligible bachelors got married in 1995

16 The couple have three children —Khatija, Rahima and Ameen (who shares his birthday with his father). The children lead a life free of celebrity trappings — with school, family and games in the courtyard

17 Rahman’s personal space is his studio, where Carnatic, Hindustani, Arabic, Latino, European folk, Indian folk, hip hop and every other genre of sound finds space. A rural Tamil voice, a Spanish contralto or a typical American mid-West drawl — you can hear all of them here

18 His inner circle comprises his mother, wife and children

19 Professionally, he has a good rapport with everyone in the industry, although Rajiv Menon and Bharat Bala are the people whose judgment he trusts the most.

Forgotten Bollywood Heroes


As India was still celebrating the success of Jai Ho, India’s bonafide contribution to the British production Slumdog Millionaire, two of its key bollywood participants, singer Sukhvinder Singh and lyricist Gulzar, found themselves watching the event unfold on television, miles away from Los Angeles where they were meant to be.

The irony is sharper for Sukhvinder, who was supposed to perform live along with A R Rahman at the 81st Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theatre. The singer and lyricist couldn’t make it to the event as their paperwork was botched. His absence has raised quite a few eyebrows in the music industry.

A source close to the singer said, “Sukhvinder was charged up, and was looking forward to the live performance at the Oscar event. Rahman had worked out an updated version of Jai Ho, and the two were to sing the new version at the event.”

“However, as the date of the event got closer, bollywood singer Sukhvinder was surprised to learn that he’d not received the official work permit letter from the Oscar authorities. A work permit letter is required because Sukhvinder was to perform there. Sukhvinder had even completed the formalities sending across a photocopy of his passport along with the required documents. But somebody goofed up.”

Whether the balls-up came from Rahman’s end or Foxlight Productions is still a mystery. “By the time Sukhvinder realised it, it was too late,” said our source.

Gulzar too failed to receive an official letter from the Oscar committee. “He was looking forward to attending the event, but missed it because no letter came,” the source said.

Sukhvinder was disappointed, but took it in his stride. “Rahman and Sukhvinder are friends. Rahman had even a talk with the singer and said he’d celebrate his victory.”

Sukhvinder, when contacted, confirmed that attending and performing at the Oscar night remained a dream. “Yes, it is true that I did not receive any official intimation from there. Therefore, I could not make it to the event. I don’t know what went wrong? Rahman and I are like brothers, and he is not responsible for this. In fact, he was the one who insisted on my performance at the event.
Somewhere, someone must have goofed up. But I don’t know who is responsible for it.”

Gulzar remained unavailable for comment.

Composed by Rahman and penned by Gulzar, the song Jai Ho won the Oscar in the Best Achievement in Music written for Motion Pictures, Original Score category.

Raja of Roja now rules the O-Zone layer


As A R Rahman tapped his feet to ‘O Sayya’and belted out ‘Jai Ho’for the audience in Hollywood, the transformation was complete.The nervous Dilip Kumar who never spoke, the boy who never looked up, who used to turn out the lights before he sang in front of anyone, had morphed into an international star.

He always knew he wanted to be famous. He dreamt—and told his friends too — that he wanted his music to be played all over the world. But it was a dream that took a long time to realise.

As a boy of 11, Rahman, then known as Dilip Kumar, saw his father R K Sekhar, a music arranger and composer, die of cancer. He didn’t have time to mourn though, he had to pick up from where his father had left off and earn for the family of five. While his three sisters focused on academics, the young Dilip never managed to give books enough time. In the words of his teachers in Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan, the school he went to until the ninth grade, “He managed to scrape through.’’

The young ARR spent all his time after school at the recording studio, playing keyboards for composers (having got the first set of job offers thanks to the goodwill of his father).

There were days when his mother would be seen waiting for him outside school in the morning, uniform and breakfast in hand, according to his teachers. He gave up studies for the keyboard
Chennai:The Oscar honour was a dream come true for A R Rahman,once Dilip Kumar. He used to spend all his time in a recording studio.A studio van would drop off the tired Dilip who would be fed and changed by his mother before being rushed to school. The only reason the school remembers him is that during all the school programmes they needed him to play the keyboard — he was the best in school.

ARR dropped out of Padma Seshadri in the ninth grade, and then out of school altogether, midway through class XI because he could not cope with both studies and work. “When I was a teenager, I was spending most of my time with 50-year-olds and 60-year-olds. They were very sweet people,’’ says Rahman about his early life when he played keyboard for the likes of greats such as Ilayaraja.

“What I learnt from the seniors were values and ethics. And then there were things I learned not to do... I learned not to become complacent.”

A lot has changed in A R Rahman’s life over the years in terms of his personality as well as his music, but the two most important aspects of his life remain constant—God and his mother. He doesn’t just say it every time he is on stage because it seems like the right thing to say. He truly believes that the first is the driving force in his life, the reason he is who he is. The second, quite simply, is the reason he is where he is.

PINKI smiled & slept

You couldn’t fault her on anything. Nine-year-old Pinki, whose fairy-tale makeover from a cleft-lipped waif in hiding won an Oscar for short documentary, carried out her real life role in Hollywood with aplomb. “She faced the cameras boldly, smiled often, even fielded queries from inquisitive goras and walked the red carpet with ladylike dignity,” says a proud Dr Subodh Kumar Singh, her surgeon and mentor. But when the award was finally announced and cameras focused on the cast and crew of Megan Mylan’s 39-minute masterpiece Smile Pinki, the little girl from Rampur Dahaba was fast asleep.


“She was obviously tired and none of us had the heart to wake her up,” says Singh, who accompanied Pinki and her father Rajendra Sonkar, a farmer, to the awards. Singh also doubled up as Dr Higgins to groom Pinki for D-day. “For a girl who had never seen a television screen or an electric bulb, exposure to Los Angeles would have been too much of a shock,” he told from LA over the phone. The week-long training involved introducing the child to basics like how to hold a brush, squeeze out paste from the tube, and even delicate issues like use of Western toilets or the toilet roll.

Then Pinki had to get accustomed to putting on shoes as she was used to loitering around bare-footed in village lanes. Next came table manners. No more dal-bhat scooped out of fingers, she was taught how to handle a knife and a fork. Wardrobe also was a ticklish issue. The girl did not have a single colour-coordinated dress. So the doctor picked up outfits from Delhi including the one Pinki wore at the Oscars. To complete the Cinderella story, Megan’s hair stylist gave her the final impish touch.

“Pinki surprisingly was already muchtalked about here when we arrived,” says Singh, adding “She was followed by the ABC and CBC crew as soon as she arrived in New York. And ‘thank yous’ and ‘hellos’ she learned back home, came quite handy here.”

Sound statuette signals shift


“Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I’d win an Oscar nomination,” said Resul Pookutty, hours before he flew out of the country to the 81st Academy Awards. When he finally held aloft the prized gold statuette, it was the grand climax to a career that began in a Kerala village.

The youngest of PT Pookutty and Nabeeza Beevi’s eight children, Resul attended a government school in Vilakkupara in Kollam district.He was fascinated by films but never thought he would work with some of the biggest names in world cinema.“Nobody in my family has any connection to the world of entertainment or films,” he said. The physics graduate’s entry into films was pure chance. “When I applied to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, I thought it would be a natural progression of physics,”says Pookutty, who went to MSM College, Kayamkulam. It was only after the week-long orientation course at FTII, which all candidates are given on cinema and filmmaking, that he realised what the course was about. “That’s when I understood the role sound plays in film.”

He didn’t get through the first year, so he returned to Thiruvananthapuram and spent the next year preparing to take the entrance exam again, while also studying law. Joining FTII in 1991 was a major turning point. “It is not a technical institute but an art school with a major focus on film and allied arts,” he said.

His desire to do live sound took him to Mumbai. “I always wondered why our films sounded so bad while Western films sounded so natural. I realised that our films do not give that experience because of the way sound is done,” said Resul.

He got his first break on Rajat Kapoor’s Private Detective. “He insists on absolute silence on the sets,” said cinematographer Ravi K Chandran, who worked with Resul on
Black, Saawariya and Ghajini.

While Resul was working on Saawariya he got a call from the Indian producers of Slumdog
Millionaire. “As a student in FTII, I had a picture of the cult film Trainspotting in my room. I couldn’t believe I was going to work with the same Danny Boyle,” Resul said. “When I first met him, he had a list of films I’d worked on and asked me which of them he should watch; I was struck by his humility,” Resul said. . “I told him he could have his pick since a part of me is there in every film.” Doing live sound for Slumdog was no mean feat. “It was shot in a very unconventional way, to capture live sound in the city of Mumbai was very challenging,” he pointed out. Resul did the location sound mixing, giving Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, who won the Oscar along with him for best sound mixing, all the raw material. “Since post production was done in London, I had no direct interaction with Rahman though we did exchange a lot of material,” he added. Resul, who also won the BAFTA, is the first Indian to win the Cinema Audio Society awards. And he is glad technicians in Indian films are getting the attention they deserve. “Unlike other countries, technicians here are usually looked down upon,” he lamented.

SEX, DRUGS AND ABHAY DEOL


Perched on a swinging chair at a sun micatopped table in his Aram Nagar office at Versova, Anurag Kashyap is beaming. The director of Dev.D is evading a pesky relative from Benares, a person who has chosen to remember the director after what seems like a sizeable hiatus. The phone call ends, Kashyap flashes a wide smile. “You’ve got an hour, then I have the BBC to attend to. Can you believe that? Who would have imagined?” Excerpts from an interview:

• Your take on female sexuality is a quantum leap for Bollywood. You’ve subverted the idea of the Punjabi lassie running in a mustard field, the stock-in-trade of Yashraj Studios from its better days. Here a woman herself is taking a mattress to the field, expecting to make out with a lover she has invited.
I always fell in love with sexually and culturally liberated women. I automatically connected with them. It is my intrinsic proclivity towards what Indians call ‘sluts’. The word ‘slut’ always bothered me. I find the word horrible. In fact, the seeds of the sexual liberalism that you see in Dev.D were sown in an earlier, albeit unrealised, screenplay of mine called The Girl Who’d Sleep with Anyone. That title though is from Haruki Murakami.

• The insecurities of the urban Indian male in the sexual hemisphere are well-documented in your film. Dev literally comes full circle from ditching Paro for perhaps ‘not being a virgin’ to ending up in a deeper, more meaningful equation with a hooker.
Two things worked in this narrative arc: a) I wanted to reveal the tragic consequences of always expecting a ‘virgin’ to be your girl; it remains sadly a very Indian male trait. Indian men like their women to be ‘virgins’. And b) Historically, my heart has always reached out to Chandramukhi, the courtesan prototype in Devdas.

• To reinvent Chandramukhi in the Russian hooker mould gives contemporary Delhi a classic edge, an Indo-Russian dosti of the ilk that Nehru might never have imagined. What sort of research did this require?
Well, the Russian hooker scene is certainly a sign of our times, and one merely needs to read the newspapers to know what’s going on. There was a Regent Hotel scandal in which Russian hookers were caught. That was in Karol Bagh. For the film, I used Paharganj and Dariaganj areas in New Delhi. These areas are so quintessential to the lostin-hell hippie trail that they automatically get a cinematic tinge. There are pimps waiting to find the next junkie, a gori junkie, so that she can be cajoled into the flesh trade. It’s really a very disturbing milieu, but one can’t deny the macabre, brutal fascination that it instigates in a filmmaker. It’s a cultural exchange of the most skewed sort: it’s lost foreigners seeking India, and lost rich Indians seeking white flesh.

• Yes. For instance, Chunni, the local pimp, when finally revealed in his home, has a white wife wearing a sari.
Exactly, it’s like he’s made his peace with the twisted milieu he inhabits, its intricate functionings and its rules. And that does exist all over. I know of a camel rider in Rajasthan who has four white wives, and one of them is from Sweden.

• It was refreshing to see Abhay Deol just being himself and yet being able to seamlessly pull off Dev the character, minus props like a rock band or a waxed chest. How did you cast him?
I’ve known Abhay for the last 12 years. He is genuinely very cool. For instance, this is a big one for him. The film has released, he should be hanging out in Mumbai, basking in the glory. But instead he’s in New York learning wood carving. Earlier he was in Barcelona doing a course in bartending. Abhay’s cut from a different cloth. He has the capacity to be himself, and yet he goes to great lengths to fit into a role. Like he lost 10 kgs for this role. That’s a lot of weight. In fact, the halfeaten burgers and pizzas become a motif for the alcoholic, anorexic nightmare that Dev the character represents.

• And yet the film exhilarates for the risks it takes within the mainstream. Were you not apprehensive about the Censor Board having issues?
No, I make films close to my heart. I make films without fear. With Dev.D, since it was diving into the terrain of a liberated female sexuality, I made one small request to the Censor Board. I requested that more women be on the panel than men. When a man is there, he ends up thinking for the woman, which is where the trouble begins. With women watching themselves in newer avatars, issues of representation become less problematic.

• It’s been a long journey coming into your own, becoming Anurag Kashyap, if that’s a phrase. You started out illustriously with Satya, but your directorial trajectory has been a checkered, jinxed one. There is almost a collective sense of relief among many at the success of Dev.D. How did you cope with the long, gloomy innings before the tunnel gave way to light?
I lost a lot of friends. I lost my family. It was a nightmarish cocktail of booze, drug abuse, failed relationships, and being broke all the time. It altered me irreparably. That said, there were always some folks from the industry who have always been there for me. I will remember them. And then it always helps to have successful friends. I borrowed copiously from John Abraham, all my rich buddies! And now that I am successful, I am also noticing that suddenly everyone outside this hemisphere is also my friend. And relatives are choosing to call me and play the ‘don’t you recognise my voice’ number. I hate that shit. Some things never change.

Adnan Sami’s wife to file for divorce... again!


The ongoing saga of musician Adnan Sami’s domestic crisis has reached a flashpoint. On Monday morning, Adnan’s estranged (though living in the same house) wife Sabah was set to approach the high court to file for divorce. The couple had remarried only last year.
Confirming this dramatic development in his personal life, Adnan said on Sunday night, “Sabah’s lawyers sent me the papers very late on Saturday night. Since then I’ve been consulting with my lawyers. Yes, she has asked for a divorce and also the house which we now share in separate wings.
“She has accused me in her divorce papers, among other things, of playing my music too loud.
“Quite frankly, I can only say, all the best to Sabah. No matter what happens I will always wish her the best in life.”
What Adnan resents is the time his wife chose to bring out all her grievances against him. “Her timing sucks. My father is seriously ill.
“In fact, last night he slipped and fell in the bathroom. Nice timing, no? Just when my life and marriage have also slipped out of my hands.”
Adnan claims his wife has asked for his parents to be evicted from the disputed house.
But Adnan is determined to fight it out to his last breath. “This house belongs to me, my parents and my son. I’m willing to give up the marriage. But I’ll be damned if I give up our home.
“I’m a lawyer and I’ve hired the best available legal talent to fight my case. Fortunately this country has the best legal minds in the world. And I’ve full faith in the Indian judicial system.”

French men go GAGA over Bips

Traveling the world is a perk that comes with the job of acting. And Bipasha Basu is most thankful for that. Of all the cities visited, Bipasha is madly in love with the City of Love, Paris! “I have visited Paris only once, and please note, I wasn’t romantically attached at the time. But the love I received in Paris is something I will never forget. It’s a place every woman should visit, while she’s young,” advises Bipasha. The best thing about the men there is that they aren’t afraid to express their love, she claims. “They flirt shamelessly, but are always gracious and polite. Men sang songs for me, gave me roses, and made me feel beautiful. I love my memories of Paris,” said the dimpled lass. Hope John has got down to practicing some singing and gathering roses already!