Bangalore pitches for SRK's new heroine

She used to be softspoken, bright and studious, but model Anushka Sharma also has what it takes to reach the top in showbiz, say people in Bangalore as she makes her dream debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

While her mentor and fashion guru Prasad Bidappa says Bangalore girl Anushka was always a good learner and he had an inkling that she would do well in the glamour and entertainment industry, her friends say she has always "stood out in the crowd".

"Anushka showed her zeal in learning things fast. She started walking the ramp perfectly just after a few days of guidance. She was agile and had a perfect body language. She was a good learner and worked hard to reach the top. It did not surprise me when she got such a good opportunity in Bollywood," Bidappa, who also groomed Deepika Padukone, told IANS.

Well-known designer Wendell Rodricks spotted Anushka at an event in Bangalore and saw her potential. He brought her to Mumbai and made her the showstopper in his Les Vamps show at the Lakme India Fashion Week.

After making a mark as a model, Anushka did big assignments for products like Fiat Palio and Silk and Shine products.

A trained bharatanatyam dancer, Anushka is playing a dancer who gets married to a nerd in "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi".

Former model and Kannada actress Andrita Ray says Anushka's entry into filmdom brings hope for others who are trying to make it big in filmdom.

"Certainly this was the most encouraging news for many models in the city who are trying for a foot hold in the film industry," said Andrita, who forayed into the Kannada film industry with director Mahesh Babu's "Meravanige".

Andrita remembers Anushka as a softspoken girl.

"More than me, some of my best known friends who describe her as one girl who could be noticed even in a big crowd.

“Though I did not have too many interactions with her, I was very happy to see her getting such a big break. And what makes it more exciting is the fact that she was chosen after more than a hundred girls were interviewed," said Andrita.

Some of Anushka's friends who studied in Mount Carmel College with her say they were not at all surprised that she chose a film career.

"Working in films was her first ambition," said a friend.

One of her teachers on request of anonymity said she was surprised when she saw Anushka's photograph in a newspaper with Shah Rukh. "She was very studious and I thought she would complete her post graduation in economics," said the teacher.

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Why is RNBDJ a special film for all?

Makers of RAB NE BANA DI JODI are super confident that their film about 'ordinary people' would be able to strike a chord with millions. And that's because the film has 'ordinary people' as it's target audience, tells the story from the point of view of 'ordinary people' and most importantly, conveys a message that 'being ordinary' is cool. Says an official from Yash Raj Films, "RAB NE... is a very important film because it is about people like you and me. You don't see fancy stuff because the film gets into the locality and house of a protagonist (in this case Surinder Sawhney, the character played by Shah Rukh Khan), who is a commoner." Talking further about the essence of this Aditya Chopra directed film, she says, "As middle class people, so many of us have a routine life. We wake up in the morning, get dressed, go to office, come back, sometimes for a change we buy things back home, watch TV, eat dinner and go to sleep. And then we repeat this day after day, week after week. RAB NE... talks about one such man who lives a routine life. It is a simple film at heart." Just like the kind of films which featured Amol Palekar 25-30 years back? "What you read in the newspapers or elsewhere is false. We are not talking about GOLMAAL kind of a situation here. The plot of RAB NE... is completely different. There was no point issuing any denials because the film has now released and everyone can see the difference", she shrugs. But in terms of character graph, one can't deny that the film belongs to the old world school where actors like Amol Palekar and Farooque Sheikh made a lasting impression with their middle class defining acts. "That could be one similarity but Shah Rukh Khan is different here. He will make you fall in love all over again. You will certainly come out smiling and feeling very good about your very own existence as the curtains would come down. RAB NE... is a feel good heartwarming film and just the kind which should perk up the gloomy situation which is prevalent today, both due to the terror attack and the recession in the industry", she concludes.

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Adnan's Indian citizenship depends on Yash ji

If you've heard Sukhvinder Singh singing Haule haule for Shah Rukh Khan you would immediately spot its similarity to Adnan Sami's Kabhi nahin number from a private album. But Adnan won't talk about the apparent similarities. And for a very special reason. It now appears that Yash Chopra is a primary architect in building the London-born Pakistani singer's home in Mumbai. Speaking reluctantly on the sensitive issue Adnan says diplomatically, "I love Yashji very much. He's very special to me, and not just as a filmmaker. But also because he is one of the persons who has endorsed my application for my citizenship in India. I won't say anything beyond that." The application for Adnan's Indian citizenship is under consideration. "I'm as Indian as anyone. I've been here for ten years. Mumbai is my home. The procedure to acquire an official citizenship is still on. And I don't want to jump the line. Or jeopardize it in any way." Adnan is all set to finally turn an actor. "I know there was a lot of talk on me doing Bela Sehgal's film. The point is she came up with an idea to do a film like Eddie Murphy's The Nutty Professor where a fat man looks for love. When she approached me I was physically equipped for it. But now I'm a 140 kilos down. It's a brilliant script. But no more right for me unless you get me special effects from Hollywood to make me look fat." Adnan is sure about one thing. "I want to play something that the public hasn't seen me do yet. I won't play a musician or a singer. I can do that in my music videos. It's so clichéd for me to play a musician when I turn actor. We've musicians turned actors like Frank Sinatra,

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Aamir's new girl Asin has big dreams!

'Ghajini' debutante Asin is currently the hot flavour of the season. Her big Bollywood flick 'Ghajini' hits the screens on December 25Th and she also has another biggie Raj Kumar Santoshi's 'London Dreams' with Salman Khan to look forward to. It was interesting how she ended up bagging Aamir's highly ambitious project. She was the leading lady in the original version of 'Ghajini' in Tamil opposite Surya. When director Murugadoss approached our perfectionist with a special screening in Oct 2005, the actor was floored by Asin's performance. He then roped her in for the remake and didn't really go for Ayesha Takia who he was also considering. She says she was mighty impressed with Aamir who seemed serious about discussing every shot with his co-star. She informs that there's not much difference between the original version and its remake. Only the settings are new and the language is different. And she didn't really need Hindi lessons from Aamir as she's perfectly fluent with Hindi having studied in Naval Public School. The promising newbie has already worked with all big Khans-Aamir, Salman and Saif in an ad Her only desire now is to work with King Khan and she is hoping for a good offer Must say, this babe has big ambitions and the drive to fulfill them.

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Guess who won Bipasha Vs Vidya Balan War?

Genelia D'Souza, the bubbly heroine of the youth flick 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' has been signed up by the comedy director David Dhawan for his film 'Hook Ya Crook'. Interestingly the role that Genelia is doing was supposed to be done by Vidya Balan. But reportedly Bipasha Basu freaked out when she heard that her boyfriend John Abraham was working with Vidya. Well, looks like the rumours during the shoot of 'Salaam-E-Ishq' are still fresh in her mind! 'Hook Ya Crook' is a comedy romance produced by UTV that will begin shooting from January 7th in Hyderabad. Uday Chopra is the other star of the movie. A source says, "There is no reason why Genelia will not do 'Hook Ya Crook'. She did a fabulous job in 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' and David is very happy to have her on board." Well, we can say that Vidya's loss turned out to be Genelia's gain. Well, the Balan babe needs to get her act together fast. Otherwise the youngsters of B-Town are going to take all the limelight away right from under her nose! Well, this is one lady who's game for anything artistic. We only wish all these experiments would have helped her flagging career!

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John Abraham is sexiest Asian in the world

John Abraham has been adjudged the sexiest Asian man in the world in 2008. In the annual round conducted by Eastern Eye, a leading British Asian weekly, Abraham emerged the top in a shortlist of 10. The weekly sent judges a shortlist of 10 names. The judges then ranked the names according to their individual preferences and the newspaper then compiled the results to produce a final list. "John Abraham made up for a quiet year with a sensational look in Dostana, with one of the greatest physiques ever seen on the big screen. His body helped to make the film a hit with Asian women," Hamant Verma, editor of Eastern Eye, said. The judges included Brianna Ragel, editor of Asian Woman Magazine, Che Kurrien, editor of GQ India and the former editor of FHM India, Farhad Dadyburjor. 2007's top guy actor Shah Rukh Khan stood at third place after Hrithik Roshan in second place. Abraham was at third place last year. Newcomers to the 2008 list include TV presenter Rav Wilding (20) and actors Harman Baweja (22) and Stephen Uppal (21). Britons on this year's list include Upen Patel (five), Jay Sean (nine) and boxer Amir Khan (ten). The top ten sexiest male includes, John Abraham, Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ali Zafar, Upen Patel, Ranbir Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Imran Khan (actor), Jay Sean and boxer Amir Khan.

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I am an employee of the myth of SRK: Shah Rukh Khan

We don't start with ABC here but with SRK. So tell me what makes an extraordinary SRK ordinary? I think the reason people become extraordinary is because their roots are ordinary. I don't think it works the other way round that you happen to be an extraordinary, and then, with humility and modesty talk about your ordinariness. First of all, I don't believe I'm extraordinary. My very good friend and writer of Chak De India, Jaideep Sahni told me yesterday that the irony of your life is that when you tell people the truth, they believe either you're being too humble or honest, which is true. I don't find anything extraordinary in what I do. It's a job like everyone else does. I wake up every morning, apply my make up and try and get my best shot possible. You are here to interview me and you'll hope that this one is better than the last one. That's what I'm doing since last 20 years and our film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is akin to that. Is that being diplomatic or simplistic? I always say this; I am an employee of the myth of SRK. For the first time you will see the worker behind this myth and Rab Ne's Surinder Sahni, the character, is that worker who is a little boring, hard worker, may be not good looking but he is actually the engine what drives the myth. It's being simplistic. What ideas, values or experiences did you and Aditya Chopra bring along with you from 2000 to 2008, from Mohabbatein to Rab Ne...? What we've realised from DDLJ days is that a lot of faith has been put in our creative ability to entertain. For years, what we've tried to do is cater to what we think people want to see. They've always said that we'd like to see a cool guy singing 'Tujhe Dekha Toh Yeh Jaana Sanam' in Switzerland and we gave that to them. It's not important that we keep giving them what they want to see, but the question is, can we give them what we want to show them and ask them whether they liked what they saw. That is the difference from Rab Ne... to DDLJ. When we made DDLJ we were very anxious. We tried to show the Lamborghini or the Harley Davidson, but now we want to show them the engine that drives these things. We are now challenging the status of faith given to us by the audiences saying, 'You guys told us that you like us, now we will show you what we like and not what you like to see'. And what is Adi going to show them this time around? Rab Ne is a big entertaining film and the funniest film Aditya Chopra can make for the simple reason that he is not a funny guy. Even during DDLJ, I had to bring in a lot of humor. We've tried this time to bring this same humor in an ordinary way. People, when they travel abroad eat chicken in KFC or a burger in McDonalds or some grilled food in some restaurant. But when they come home after a month or two and sit down and are being served hot paratha and curd, you feel it's the best you've ever had. Rab Ne... is the best you've ever had. What about today's kids, let's say...Aryan, will he identify with his extraordinary status? When I am trying to show my son Aryan heroes of today's day and age and even heroes of our mythological era, he is not interested. For kids, a hero is a guy who is normal and ordinarily extraordinary.. They don't need their hero to be in flashy clothes. But as long as he performs he is a hero for them. Like the footballer Ronaldo is a hero for kids because his actions are performance based.. 'Hero toh woh hota hai jo Shah Rukh Khan hota hai', that's not true. Hero is one who does his job well. For Aryan, I might be his hero too because he knows I do my job well. I've seen that an ordinary man is very secured about his status. . The purpose of life and your existence is becoming more important. I tell my kids that I did Om Shanti Om because I believe that if it's not happy, it's not the end. . What's your status then? It's strange but the people of Malaysia knew what my status was when I went there to receive my knighthood. They were holding these huge banners which said, "The person who likes to see people smile - Datuk Shah Rukh". . That's what I am. It's another thing that I get paid crores for doing that now. But I got Rs. 5, 000 for my first film to do the same thing and will continue doing that in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.. It's strange to be working with a stranger. You expect the unexpected from them. How did the debutante Anushka Sharma come across? All these girls are really wonderful. They are in a world which is very well informed, more informed than my world when I was 20. They have access to information and because they have access to information, I believe that they have access to expressions that I didn't have at that age.. I've grown up with some expressions of life. I didn't know what a terrorist was; I didn't know what an internet was. I had to first access it and then learn it. So when you're working with new comers as talented as Anushka what happens is they express themselves in a language that I'm just getting to know.. Over the last couple of years, I've learnt not to correct them (new comers) because I need to correct myself. When I said a line in DDLJ which went - 'Zindagi mein do raaste milte hai, ek sahi, ek galat'. . Everybody told me how beautifully I had said those lines. I don't think Anushka will say the same lines like I did. But when she says it the way she says it now, it'll be as beautiful.. I truly believe that new comers are great actors because they do things completely out of the box. I just thanked Anushka and her parents last night by saying, "Thank you for allowing me to do something different.. Luck plays a significant part in everyone's life. It has played in your life and mine too. I want to know how luck has affected Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi? Adi says that this film is made by 'Rab' and not luck. I just called him and told him that should we just postpone the release of our film keeping in mind the situation in Mumbai right now and he said, "This film is made by 'Rab' and we will let it release on time as planned. All what is happening was made to happen. Rab knows what He is doing". I never planned to work with Aditya Chopra and he never planned to make a film. It all just happened. The reason I did Rab Ne... is because Raju Hirani's film got cancelled. So Adi came to me and said that he had written a film in 12 days and wanted me to be a part of it. I agreed and we finished the film in 47 days. Rab Ne is 20% better than what we planned to make. It's all in Rab's hands!

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I love Abhishek to death: John Abraham

John Abraham talks about his physique & remedy for homesickness after 3 months of shooting in Philadelphia for New York. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the film is called New York and you're why were you shooting it in Philadelphia? Because the topography is similar. A lot of films located in New York are actually shot in Philadelphia. I was shooting for three long months and if it wasn't for my parents, brother and sister-in-law and Bipasha visiting, I'd have gone crazy. When they all came to see me, I stopped feeling homesick. I was away for so long, sometimes when I woke up, I forgot where I was. Before Philadelphia I was in Miami shooting for Dostana for three months. Homesick? I love Phili. The hotel had become a home. Now I go to Boston for Abbas Tyrewala's film where star with Abbas' wife Pakhi. She's perfect for the part. When I'm away, what I miss most is the ghar ka khana. My parents had come over. But I wouldn't let my mom cook here. No way. I pampered her. Looked after her like a little baby. That's what one is supposed to do with one's parents especially when they get old, no? They need clean healthy air. I think I'll take them to Boston too. Dad is an architect so he loves to check out the buildings and architecture. But before Boston, I come back to Mumbai to do a film called Hook Ya Crook with David Dhawan written by Rensil D'Silva. It's not a typical David Dhawan comedy. We're both excited like two children. You're a good son. I'd really want to believe I'm a good son. How was the shooting in Philadelphia? Gruelling but very satisfying. I shot the most emotionally and physically exhausting scenes of my life. Frankly, I haven't done an action film since Dhoom. It's a genre I really enjoy. This film New York that I'm doing has very effective action. I not only had a lot of running around to do. But I enjoyed myself. At this point of my career I just want to push myself beyond the limits. By wearing the briefest and briefs and giving an interview on why you wore it? Oh that was an endorsement for Dostana. And besides I'm never ashamed of talking about my body. Though at times I do feel like a meat shop. So why go on and on about your body? I am proud of my physique. But I feel I'm also good with emotions. In fact I perform the best when I'm unhappy. I function best when in angst. New York is your second film with Kabir Khan? I loved doing Kabul Express with Kabir. I loved shooting in Afghanistan right in the midst of Taliban. Now I'd love to shoot in Iraq. I'm a sucker for pain and agony. I'd love to shoot in Iran. My grandfather was from Iran. My mother's cousins are in Iran. You collaborate well with your directors these days? Yes, I'm equally at home with someone as commercial as David Dhawan and as niche as Nagesh Kukunoor. I believe as much in my directors as they believe in me. You may be right when you say I was the outsider when I did Dostana with Karan Johar. But it took me no time to settle in. Karan is a fair person. As for Abhishek, he's no co-star or colleague. He's a friend. I dote on him. I love him to death. We never compete. We complement each other in Dostana. We share a great chemistry. Abhishek and I are a couple in the film. Yes, so we've been told. Let me ask you a 'straight' question. Do you think Indian audiences are ready for gay jokes? I'll give you a 'straight' answer. People laughed at the Kantaben track in Kal Ho Naa Ho. It was very essential for us in Dostana to not take advantage of a certain sensibility and project that as a caricutural as a joke. We've succeeded in doing that in Dostana. Happy to be a gay icon? I've been told that. And I accept it very graciously. But women have reacted as strongly to me in Dostana as men. Some have reacted to the sensuality others to the fitness. But everyone has a query about my body. Sometime I feel I belong to a meat shop. I really am not comfortable talking constantly about my anatomy. Very often I don't know how to react. Initially it was fun to be regarded as a body-beautiful. I wonder how audiences will react to my physicality in my next release Aashayein where I've lost 30 pounds. No stripping in that? None whatsoever. Not that I believe that if you show your body you can't act properly. I really like fielding questions on food, diet and other clichés on health. I always advise people to be clean in body, mind and environment. Neil Nitin Mukesh who's shooting with you in Philadelphia has great respect for you? He's like my younger brother. I love him for the fact that he dotes on his parents. He's a wonderful kid with a great future. He's a simple and clean. We spend a lot of time together. Out there you've no choice. You have a point. Deepa Mehta's Luna with Rachel Weisz is off. So I got to know from your article. Deepa and I haven't spoken about it. As for Kamagatamaru I'd still be willing to play the other lead because it's as important as Akshay Kumar's role. It's always a pleasure working with Akshay. I'm very happy for him. He's a very positive person. We get along beautifully. Why the delay in the release of Aashayein? I think some negotiations are going on. Percept has now decided to release it around December. Aashayein is a beautiful film and Nagesh is great storyteller. What else have you signed? Only Abbas Tyrewala's film. Beyond that I haven't really opened my accounts book, I'm happy doing films I'm completely convinced about. I'd love to work with Anurag Kashyap again. I can talk to him for hours. Like me, he's happy doing his own thing. I'm an off-roader while other actors are on the highway. Do you miss home when you're away? I miss the people though not the city. I'm happy wherever I am as long as my work goes well. But I like to be in Mumbai, though not in the rains. I believe Mumbai should have rains. But we don't know how to cope with it. We don't have a civic sense. We Mumbaikars have it in us to be an international city. When I travel abroad I wonder why we can't be like the other big cities of the world.

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