Bipasha Basu gets stalked

Bipasha Basu gets stalked

While shooting for director duo Abbas - Mustan’s Players in St.Petersburg, Russia, actor Bipasha Basu met with an unpleasant situation, as a man tailed her on the local streets, until her co-stars Sikander Kher and Omi Vaidya arrived to save the day.

It was on her day off that Bips, 32, decided to screen the local market, only to realise that she was being followed. When her stalker refused to leave, Basu decided to push the panic button and called co-stars Kher and Vaidya.

“She immediately got into a coffee shop and called the boys who rushed to her side, while the stalker ran off,” says a source.

Read more »

Salman Khan owes me an apology

Salman Khan owes me an apology

There was a time not so long ago when this successful screen baddie-turned-comedian was shunned by many in his filmi fraternity as asting operation on telly wrecked havoc in the still waters of his social life.

But, Shakti Kapoor has put all that behind and worked towards changing his image with great tenacity. His stay in reality show Bigg Boss-5 helped him a lot where he earned the respect of many housemates. After his reality tryst, Shakti is now courting life in a serene manner. You find sincerity in his voice, when he says: 'I've become more patient now, and value my family more than ever.""

My signing amount: Double the winner's booty

He came out of Bigg Boss' house sometime back. But, what's his take on the sizzling drama going inside the celebrity house these days, with abuses flying thick and fast after his departure? In a philosophical tone, he replies: ""I enjoyed my stay in the house, where my signing amount was much more than the winner's booty, and my weekly payment was as much as any inmate's total stay package. But now, I see people doing all kinds of antics for TRPs. In fact, there you have to survive in weird situations with hardly any sleep or enough food. So, many people react wildly in those adverse circumstances. I'm glad I'm out, but I really want Siddharth to win the show."" And who's the most irritating candidate inside the house? Shakti replies with a laugh: ""He may not be all that irritating himself, but Akashdeep Saigal's laugh irritates me a lot!""

'I won't go to Salman's house!'

He may have earned a good amount of moolah, but he also earned sarcastic comments from the show host Salman Khan. Ask Shakti if all's well between the two of them now, and he replies very forthrightly: ""Salman Khan owes me an apology! Firstly, he and Sanjay Dutt didn't greet me, whereas they had accorded this courtesy to all the inmates. And then Salman said 'Bigg Boss ko man-na padega! Shakti Kapoor jaise logon ko apne ghar bulaya, hum toh kabhi na bulayen!' I would like to tell him that even if invites me to his house, I may not want to go there! He made those scathing remarks without any provocation, so he has to say sorry!""

Read more »

Karan Johar ensures that Hrithik Roshan takes it easy

The dedication with which actor Hrithik Roshan plunges into his films is well-known in the industry circle — the actor tends to lose sleep for weeks prior to a film’s release working on dubbing, promotions, et al.

Sources close to the actor insist that his restlessness has nothing to do with him worrying about the fate of his film at the BO, but him wanting to give in more than his hundred per cent to the film at hand.

It’s proving to be no different as the actor’s now wrapping up Agneepath. But this time, apparently it’s good friend and filmmaker Karan Johar, who’s stepped in to ensure that the actor not lose sleep over his upcoming film. Insiders reveal that the filmmaker has been assuring Hrithik’s wife Sussanne Roshan that he will ensure that Hrithik not lose sleep this once.

“Karan keeps giving Hrithik a pep talk every now and then, to make sure that he not get too worked up about the film. Karan himself is a workaholic, but knows that it’s important not to get stressed out, more so for the actor. He’s already had several long chats with Hrithik, not just to talk about marketing and film plans, but also to make sure that he not take on added stress,” says a source.

According to another insider, Hrithik has already been pushing himself extra hard all through the shooting, including working out despite pain and injuries and now he’s working around the clock on dubbing.

“His sleep goes out when the release date comes nearer. It’s the first thing he sacrifices,” says the insider.

“But Karan wants him to take it a bit easy and not let his health suffer in anyway. In fact, Karan would often message him on sets reminding him to not stress out,” says a source.

A senior filmmaker, who’s worked with the actor earlier, too agrees that he needs to be reminded constantly to take it easy!

“Hrithik has this child-like quality and he gets anxious about his work. Now at least he has learnt to take a break once in a while, but there were times when all he could was eat, sleep and breathe his film. He rehearses the lines all night long just so he can get it perfect the next day and he does, but for him there’s always scope for improvement,” adds the veteran.

Read more »

Mallika Sherawat to dance on Kolaveri Di?

Buzz is that Mallika Sherawat will be gyrating to Kolaveri Di amongst other songs on this New Years Eve.

Come New Years and Mallika Sherawat, who claims to have shifted her base to foreign shores, is always back to India. The reason being the New Years Eve gives her the biggest opportunity to mint money (perhaps more that she earns in the entire year).

So Mallika Sherawat, who started the trend of celebrities giving scintillating performances at 5-star hotels on New Years Eve, is back at her benchmark business. This year too she will be giving a sexy-hot performance at a suburban 5-star hotel on the Jalebi Bai item song (her only claim to fame this year).

But beyond her numbers, Mallika Sherawat has also claimed that she will be dancing on to the Tamil song 'Kolaveri Di' which has almost become a national craze by now. She seems to be much inspired by Dhanush's song but one wonders what scope does the slow number leave for a dancing act by Mallika?

However, what needs to be seen is whether Mallika will be dancing to her recent popular South number ' Kala Sala' from Osthi, which is the South remake of Salman Khan's Dabangg. Of course, you guessed it right that Mallika's Kala Sala is answer to Malaika's Munni Badnaam Hui. And the rate at which the song is turning popular since its release on youtube, it is said to be Mallika's answer to Kolaveri Di.

Well audiences would anytime prefer to see Mallika Sherawat in her answer to Kolaveri Di (the 'Kala Sala' item number) over Kolaveri Di per se. Isn't it?

Read more »

A year of two halves for Bollywood in 2011

A year of two halves for Bollywood in 2011

A low budget film inspired by the life and death of a racy 1980s' B movie actress was the surprise Bollywood hit of 2011, in a year that started slowly but finished well.  

A packed, back to back schedule of World Cup one-day cricket and the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament ensured that cinema audiences were down in the first half of the year.  

Business picked up later in the year, with Salman Khan's action comedy Ready the first of a string of hits that included Sanjay Dutt's slapstick Double Dhamaal and Aamir Khan's screwball comedy Delhi Belly.   

The mystery Ragini MMS, action crime drama Murder 2 and the Hrithik Roshan-Katrina Kaif road movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (You Only Live Once) all did well also.   

But none captured the public imagination more than The Dirty Picture, which is loosely based on south Indian sex symbol Silk Smitha and has packed cinemas since its release earlier this month.    

Sex and Shah Rukh Khan were once famously said to be the only things that sell in Bollywood.   

This year, a number of successful films have provided the sex but King Khan failed to deliver, despite the hype surrounding his Diwali release Ra.One.   

The $20 million science-fiction superhero film won rave reviews for its stunning special effects but many reviewers were disappointed at its weak script.   

The film broke even, thanks to a relentless marketing drive that broke new ground in Indian film promotion but it was not the blockbuster many had been expecting.
    
The last 12 months were also a disappointment for action hero Akshay Kumar, who brought out three poorly-received films the cricket-themed Patiala House, Thank You and Desi Boyz during the year.
    
Rising star Ranbir Kapoor, though, continued to show his great promise by delivering the hit Rockstar. Ajay Devgn also had a successful year alongside Salman Khan in Ready and as a no-nonsense cop in Singham.
    
Leading actress Priyanka Chopra broke new ground, becoming the first Bollywood star to sign a global pop album deal. She will be managed by the man behind Lady Gaga.

Even though offbeat films with lesser-known stars and strong scripts proved popular with audiences, some analysts detected a noticeable return to an earlier, more star-driven format.
    
"This year, wholesome, entertaining films have worked very well and that has been the trend," said critic Vinod Mirani.
    
"The success formula of 80s cinema is back and now working very well. All entertaining films of that era that had worked are back in new format this year and they have clicked big time."
    
As 2011 draws to a close, Shah Rukh Khan is hoping for better success with the release of Don 2  the follow-up to Don, which came out in 2006 and which itself was a remake of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan hit.

Roshan is also revisiting the Big B's back catalogue with a remake of his 1990 hit Agneepath (Path of Fire).
    
Next year will see Aamir Khan release Dhoom 3 the third part of the successful franchise as well as Talaash (Search).
    
Bachchan, who is a new grandfather after the birth of his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai's first child in November, is due to appear in his first Hollywood movie a Baz Luhrmann adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Read more »

Smooth as silk, slick as Vidya Balan

Friday night show — two hindi flicks — six-pack abs vs curves; and the Balan babe, in all her fullness, knocked the big guys’ film fair and square. The show ran house-full with more women at the theatre than men.

Ms Balan drew attention right from the beginning of the movie. Throughout the film, even the excessive emphasis on her heavy assets couldn’t distract the audiences’ attention from her beautiful eyes, her naughty smile and her guttural laughter.

As the National Anthem played in the theatre before the film, a middle-aged woman, could be heard screaming (not singing) Jana Gana Mana. All were wary that the enthusiastic patriot might respond over-the-top to the many sexual innuendos in the film. Ironically, she laughed the most.

Ms Balan has worked hard for this film. Putting on weight with a small frame such as hers is a herculean task. Add to that, her attention to detail — her body-language, expressions, dressing-style, speech and mannerisms — is marvelous. I admired her make-up and look towards the second-half of the film.

What I liked most was the character graph of Silk — the naïve character’s realisation that making it in the film industry is all about ‘survival of the sleaziest’. Eventually, she becomes a mere sex object — one to be collected, savoured and possessed, but never to be loved and respected — which affects her, causing her downfall. Throughout the film, Vidya Balan held her own and made it impossible to notice any one else but her.

During my early days of modeling, I had met Vidya, just after her famous music video with the band Euphoria, at the Reliance ad shoot with cricketer Virendra Sehwag. Vidya was on the sets the entire day, helping, giggling and running around with all the other assistant directors. Watching the film was like revising the same bubbly girl.

After scorching the screens with The Dirty Picture, what is Silk Vidya going to come up with next? Whatever it is, she will make us sit up and take notice.

Read more »

Smooth as silk, slick as Vidya Balan

Read more »