Miss India World Pooja Chopra (C), Miss India Earth Shriya Kishore (R), and Miss
In Pics: Femina Miss India 2009 - 02
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Miss India World Pooja Chopra (C), Miss India Earth Shriya Kishore (R), and Miss
Minissha Lamba Walks the Ramp at Kolkata Fashion Week 2009
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Minisha Lamba
Bipasha Basu Walks the Ramp at Kolkata Fashion Week 2009
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Bipasha Basu,
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"Salman knelt and proposed to me in front of the Eiffel Tower" - Asin
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Asin,
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She's basking in well-deserved success after Ghajini. In between shooting a song for London Dreams and doing commercials, Asin, looking fresh as a daisy in casual tee and trousers, opens up in an exclusive chat
How is life post-Ghajini? You are flooded with endorsements now.
Life is pretty much the same. As for endorsements, I have been doing ads since the age of 14. So far, I have done around 50 ads including Parachute, BPL Mobile, Mirinda and Colgate. Most of the commercials you are seeing now have been signed much before Ghajini happened.
But didn't you sign Tata Sky after Ghajini and after Aamir Khan became its brand ambassador?
Not at all. My ads are already on in the South and they are planning to shoot another with Aamir soon.
Now that you have tasted success with both the Ghajini's, which is more special?
Both. I was excited when the Tamil film came about. I had done a few films till then but Ghajini was a huge success. It was the highest-watched regional film in that year (2005). A huge box-office success, it even caught Bollywood's attention. As for the Hindi version, when I was shooting for it, it was like watching a re-run of your film but I was equally enthused working in it. I have been told the film is the highest grosser ever in Hindi. Screen gave me the Most Promising Newcomer award and I got my first national recognition.
Do you get mobbed in Mumbai?
I think people in Mumbai are really cool. When they see me, they wave out or greet me with a Hi or a Hello. It feels nice. But when I was shooting for London Dreams in Chandigarh, I got a taste of North India. I had never been there before and though I stayed there only for a day I enjoyed it. The crowd was encouraging and kept calling out my name. If I didn't respond to Asin, they would resort to Kalpana (her name in Ghajini). I loved the food there, specially the aloo parathas.
Are you not afraid of putting on weight?
Not at all. I believe in eating healthy food. My mother is a doctor and she has always encouraged me to eat right and live a healthy life. Whenever I get time, I work-out and do cardio exercises. I am not interested in being a size zero.
What difference do you find between the Mumbai and the South film industries?
The South industry has a lot more sense of punctuality. They start early and wrap up by a particular time. I am used to that and make it a point to be on time for a shoot or an event. People tell me I shouldn't be on time and that it's an 'in' thing to be fashionably late. In Ghajini, the entire unit was from the South, so in that sense there was no difference. London Dreams is the first complete Bollywood unit I am working with. Most of the film has been shot in London and Paris and it was a good experience. Each of us got a bound script, besides the shoot schedule including the sunrise, sunset, weather forecast, temperature, site -map of the location, reporting time etc. For the first time, I was introduced to the concept of ADs (assistant directors) with walkie-talkies on the sets of Ghajini. It was odd to hear them telling each other 'loading Kalpana on the set', 'walking Kalpana' etc.' I used to tell them I am not a thing to be adressed like that!
How did London Dreams come about?
It was when I was shooting for Ghajini that I got a call from Vipul Shah. I got a script narration, liked my role and agreed to be a part of it. It is a relationship-based musical film. I am looking forward to it.
What is your role like?
I play Priya, a London-based girl of Indian origin. She is part of a music band, which has Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan as the lead singers.
We've heard that you sport two distinct looks in the film.
Yes, Priya acts like a paawan (innocent) traditional South Indian girl at home in front of her parents wearing only chudidars and salwars. But when she steps out, she switches over to strappy, short outfits and hot pants, the kind a London girl wears. Unlike Kalpana of Ghajini who wore clothes picked up from the streets in Bandra, since she was shown to be a lower middle-class girl, Priya's outfits have been brought in London.
There were reports that you weren't happy with the outfits given by your designer in London Dreams.
There's not an iota of truth in that report. Ashley Rebello is the designer and I had no problems with him. In fact, I have never stated my preferences for any of my movies. The director decides the kind of look he wants and conveys it to the designer. If the director is not satisfied how can I be blamed?
Between Kalpana and Priya, who is closer to you?
Oh! That's difficult to say. But I think I identify with Priya more. I had fun shooting for the film as the two newcomers Ranvijay and Aditya are closer to my age. We are all part of a music band in the film but we became good friends in real life too. Ranvijay is cool and Aditya is sweet.
What about your heroes, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan?
Salman is chilled-out. I like his attitude. With him what you see is what you get. Ajay Devgan was a revelation. I thought he was this serious, reserved type of guy but he turned out to be quite a prankster. He's witty and is a complete entertainment on the sets. He used to come up with this tongue-twisters in Hindi like oont ki peeth oonchi, oonchi poonch oont ki. And I would retort with some of the old Hindi one-line tongue-twisters that I know.
So, did he play any pranks on you?
Yes, he tried, but it fell flat on his face. (Laughs) During a shoot in London, when I was sitting in my caravan, two guys who were around 7 feet tall and of African origin started yelling at me. They asked me to come out of the caravan and started banging on it. Something told me this couldn't be happening. After they were through I calmly asked them to get out. Then, I saw Vipul (Shah) and Ajay standing with a camera filming the entire scene! Vipul was disappointed that I hadn't given a single reaction.
Tell us about the scene where Salman proposes to you.
That picture of Salman kneeling and proposing in front of the Eiffel Tower was splashed everywhere. We were shooting a song in Paris near the De Luvre Museum. A wacky song, which goes Man ko adhik bhave saiyyas, dil taa taa thaiyaa, haaye re has Salman wooing me and at the end of the song he proposes to me. It was freezing in the nights with chilly winds. But the song is so funny, it was great shooting for it.
Ghajini's producer Madhu Mantena has said that he has cancelled the three-film contract with you because of your attitude?
Let me clarify that I never sign any contract deals with producers. So, there's no question of him cancelling it. In fact, the day the report came in the paper, he called me to tell me not to believe whatever has been written. I must say that compared to the media in the South, the press here cooks up stories without any clarifications. I have decided not to react to these reports.
You refused a Priyadarshan film co-starring Akshay Kumar. In fact, you haven't signed any Hindi films apart from London Dreams.
(Cuts in) I would love to work with Priyan, I have grown up on his films in Malayalam. And he has offered me films in the past too. I have refused them for different reasons. For me, the most important things are the script, my character, the director, the producer and co-artiste, in that order. I try for the best combination and I am lucky to have worked with the cream of the cream. I can afford to wait. I don't want to be repetitious in my roles.
It's being said that you are charging a high price of around a crore and a half.
Money is not a criteria. I don't have any financial pressures. I want to enjoy what I am doing.
Like Bharatbala's 19 Steps?
Yes. It is a Walt Disney production to be made in Tamil and Japanese. It is about a Samurai warrior who comes to Kerala to learn Kalaripayattu, the mother of all martial arts. The film stars Tadanov Asano, a Hollywood Japanese actor. Kamal Hassan plays the male lead. I can't reveal much about the role as we haven't even started shooting for it. It is to be shot in Kerala and Japan. I will be leaving for Kerala soon to learn Kalaripayattu. I am a trained classical dancer but I need to learn the body language of a trained Kalari. However, it is quite risky and many are known to get seriously injured while training. My mother is very apprehensive and is asking if it's a must to learn it!
Are you doing any Malayalam film?
No. I was offered four films but I am not doing any.
Is it because you want to establish yourself in Bollywood now?
No. I am open to doing any film, language is not a barrier. But as I told you I can afford to wait for a good role.
But your competitors may race ahead..
I want to concentrate on my career and not look at what others are doing or not doing. I am raw in films, I have neither taken acting classes nor have I assisted directors. Whatever I have learnt is on-the-job. I was 14 years old studying in the ninth grade when people told me I had a photogenic face and should try modelling. One thing led to another and I made my film debut in a Malayalam film Narendran Magan. It did average business, but my second film Amma, Nana, O Tamila Ammayi in Telugu was a big hit and I made it.
For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize
read more...
How is life post-Ghajini? You are flooded with endorsements now.
Life is pretty much the same. As for endorsements, I have been doing ads since the age of 14. So far, I have done around 50 ads including Parachute, BPL Mobile, Mirinda and Colgate. Most of the commercials you are seeing now have been signed much before Ghajini happened.
But didn't you sign Tata Sky after Ghajini and after Aamir Khan became its brand ambassador?
Not at all. My ads are already on in the South and they are planning to shoot another with Aamir soon.
Now that you have tasted success with both the Ghajini's, which is more special?
Both. I was excited when the Tamil film came about. I had done a few films till then but Ghajini was a huge success. It was the highest-watched regional film in that year (2005). A huge box-office success, it even caught Bollywood's attention. As for the Hindi version, when I was shooting for it, it was like watching a re-run of your film but I was equally enthused working in it. I have been told the film is the highest grosser ever in Hindi. Screen gave me the Most Promising Newcomer award and I got my first national recognition.
Do you get mobbed in Mumbai?
I think people in Mumbai are really cool. When they see me, they wave out or greet me with a Hi or a Hello. It feels nice. But when I was shooting for London Dreams in Chandigarh, I got a taste of North India. I had never been there before and though I stayed there only for a day I enjoyed it. The crowd was encouraging and kept calling out my name. If I didn't respond to Asin, they would resort to Kalpana (her name in Ghajini). I loved the food there, specially the aloo parathas.
Are you not afraid of putting on weight?
Not at all. I believe in eating healthy food. My mother is a doctor and she has always encouraged me to eat right and live a healthy life. Whenever I get time, I work-out and do cardio exercises. I am not interested in being a size zero.
What difference do you find between the Mumbai and the South film industries? The South industry has a lot more sense of punctuality. They start early and wrap up by a particular time. I am used to that and make it a point to be on time for a shoot or an event. People tell me I shouldn't be on time and that it's an 'in' thing to be fashionably late. In Ghajini, the entire unit was from the South, so in that sense there was no difference. London Dreams is the first complete Bollywood unit I am working with. Most of the film has been shot in London and Paris and it was a good experience. Each of us got a bound script, besides the shoot schedule including the sunrise, sunset, weather forecast, temperature, site -map of the location, reporting time etc. For the first time, I was introduced to the concept of ADs (assistant directors) with walkie-talkies on the sets of Ghajini. It was odd to hear them telling each other 'loading Kalpana on the set', 'walking Kalpana' etc.' I used to tell them I am not a thing to be adressed like that!
How did London Dreams come about?
It was when I was shooting for Ghajini that I got a call from Vipul Shah. I got a script narration, liked my role and agreed to be a part of it. It is a relationship-based musical film. I am looking forward to it.
What is your role like?
I play Priya, a London-based girl of Indian origin. She is part of a music band, which has Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan as the lead singers.
We've heard that you sport two distinct looks in the film.
Yes, Priya acts like a paawan (innocent) traditional South Indian girl at home in front of her parents wearing only chudidars and salwars. But when she steps out, she switches over to strappy, short outfits and hot pants, the kind a London girl wears. Unlike Kalpana of Ghajini who wore clothes picked up from the streets in Bandra, since she was shown to be a lower middle-class girl, Priya's outfits have been brought in London.
There were reports that you weren't happy with the outfits given by your designer in London Dreams.
There's not an iota of truth in that report. Ashley Rebello is the designer and I had no problems with him. In fact, I have never stated my preferences for any of my movies. The director decides the kind of look he wants and conveys it to the designer. If the director is not satisfied how can I be blamed?
Between Kalpana and Priya, who is closer to you?
Oh! That's difficult to say. But I think I identify with Priya more. I had fun shooting for the film as the two newcomers Ranvijay and Aditya are closer to my age. We are all part of a music band in the film but we became good friends in real life too. Ranvijay is cool and Aditya is sweet.
What about your heroes, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan? Salman is chilled-out. I like his attitude. With him what you see is what you get. Ajay Devgan was a revelation. I thought he was this serious, reserved type of guy but he turned out to be quite a prankster. He's witty and is a complete entertainment on the sets. He used to come up with this tongue-twisters in Hindi like oont ki peeth oonchi, oonchi poonch oont ki. And I would retort with some of the old Hindi one-line tongue-twisters that I know.
So, did he play any pranks on you?
Yes, he tried, but it fell flat on his face. (Laughs) During a shoot in London, when I was sitting in my caravan, two guys who were around 7 feet tall and of African origin started yelling at me. They asked me to come out of the caravan and started banging on it. Something told me this couldn't be happening. After they were through I calmly asked them to get out. Then, I saw Vipul (Shah) and Ajay standing with a camera filming the entire scene! Vipul was disappointed that I hadn't given a single reaction.
Tell us about the scene where Salman proposes to you.
That picture of Salman kneeling and proposing in front of the Eiffel Tower was splashed everywhere. We were shooting a song in Paris near the De Luvre Museum. A wacky song, which goes Man ko adhik bhave saiyyas, dil taa taa thaiyaa, haaye re has Salman wooing me and at the end of the song he proposes to me. It was freezing in the nights with chilly winds. But the song is so funny, it was great shooting for it.
Ghajini's producer Madhu Mantena has said that he has cancelled the three-film contract with you because of your attitude?
Let me clarify that I never sign any contract deals with producers. So, there's no question of him cancelling it. In fact, the day the report came in the paper, he called me to tell me not to believe whatever has been written. I must say that compared to the media in the South, the press here cooks up stories without any clarifications. I have decided not to react to these reports.
You refused a Priyadarshan film co-starring Akshay Kumar. In fact, you haven't signed any Hindi films apart from London Dreams.
(Cuts in) I would love to work with Priyan, I have grown up on his films in Malayalam. And he has offered me films in the past too. I have refused them for different reasons. For me, the most important things are the script, my character, the director, the producer and co-artiste, in that order. I try for the best combination and I am lucky to have worked with the cream of the cream. I can afford to wait. I don't want to be repetitious in my roles.
It's being said that you are charging a high price of around a crore and a half.
Money is not a criteria. I don't have any financial pressures. I want to enjoy what I am doing.
Like Bharatbala's 19 Steps? Yes. It is a Walt Disney production to be made in Tamil and Japanese. It is about a Samurai warrior who comes to Kerala to learn Kalaripayattu, the mother of all martial arts. The film stars Tadanov Asano, a Hollywood Japanese actor. Kamal Hassan plays the male lead. I can't reveal much about the role as we haven't even started shooting for it. It is to be shot in Kerala and Japan. I will be leaving for Kerala soon to learn Kalaripayattu. I am a trained classical dancer but I need to learn the body language of a trained Kalari. However, it is quite risky and many are known to get seriously injured while training. My mother is very apprehensive and is asking if it's a must to learn it!
Are you doing any Malayalam film?
No. I was offered four films but I am not doing any.
Is it because you want to establish yourself in Bollywood now?
No. I am open to doing any film, language is not a barrier. But as I told you I can afford to wait for a good role.
But your competitors may race ahead..
I want to concentrate on my career and not look at what others are doing or not doing. I am raw in films, I have neither taken acting classes nor have I assisted directors. Whatever I have learnt is on-the-job. I was 14 years old studying in the ninth grade when people told me I had a photogenic face and should try modelling. One thing led to another and I made my film debut in a Malayalam film Narendran Magan. It did average business, but my second film Amma, Nana, O Tamila Ammayi in Telugu was a big hit and I made it.
For Gossips And Mirch Masala Log On To Bollywood Paradize
Bebo's dress cost Rs.8 lakh
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Kareena Kapoor
Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor will sport a dress worth Rs.800,000 for a song in "Kambakkht Ishq". Producer Sajid Nadiadwala had specially ordered it for the actress from Paris."When the song was completed and the whole crew had a look, it looked very beautiful and eye catching. But most importantly everyone's eyes were stuck at seeing Kareena's dress. Kareena was looking gorgeous. The dress cost Rs.800,000," said a source close to the producer.
The filmmaker has also gifted the dress to Kareena as she looked really pretty wearing it.
"Sajid Nadiadwala is a wonderful person at heart. He always makes sure that his cast and crew is happy. Kareena was happy after receiving such an extra-ordinary gift from Sajid bhai. She was short of words to express her feeling after she received the gift." added the source.
Kareena plays a supermodel in the movie, which has Akshay Kumar in the male lead. It also stars Hollywood biggies Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh and Denise Richards.
Kangana 22.. or 28
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Kangana Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut is actually 28 years old but claims to be 22. We investigateRecently , Kangana happily gave interviews to the media on the occasion of her birthday (March 23) and claimed to celebrate her 22nd birthday. But we found out that Kangana was faking her age. Her passport shows her birth year as 1981, making her 28 years old.
A well-placed source disclosed, "We saw her passport which clearly mentions her birth year as 1981. So either she is 28 years old or she has faked it as her birth year for the passport. We don't know why she is her hiding her age but she definitely is not 22 years old as she claims."
Pahlaj Nihalani, who was supposed to launch her said, Yes it is true that I was supposed to launch Kangana in I Love You Boss. Deepak Shivdasani was the director. In fact I had spent 29 lakhs only for the publicity of the film. We had also spoken to Amitabh Bachchan for the lead role but he has just heard a similar subject which later on went on to become Cheeni Kum. Thereafter , we were on talks with Shatrughan and Rishi Kapoor. I had met Kangana at Rikkus office and knew from the onset that she was star material. Even Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab had approached me for her. However I guess later she met Mahesh Bhatt, who decided to launch her (Gangster) and thats why she opted out of my film. Later, she did come to me saying that she wants to work with me in some other film. I had no contract with her and I am not a producer who would work with an actor if he or she does not want to work with me. But thereafter, she has always been cordial with me and treats me with respect so I have no ill feelings towards her.
When we asked Pahlaj about Kangana's age, he brushed off the issue saying that, "A woman's age in Bollywood is never above 21-22 ."
Adding further to the confusion , exboyfriend Aditya Pancholi says her birth year is 1986. We sent a text message to Kangana asking her to clarify her age but she chose not to revert.
Aishwarya still on top
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Aishwarya Rai,
Bollywood News
The lukewarm response to her recent Hollywood release Pink Panther-II has had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (35) conceding her position as the most popular face of Bollywood in the West to the new international craze 24-year-old Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), who according to reliable sources has been signed for two films — one with Woody Allen and the second with Julian Schnabel.Freida, who is said to have earned over two million pounds, overtaking Bollywood beauties like Aishwarya, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif is also, according to a world film distributor, being wooed to walk the red carpet at Cannes in May 2009.
On the Bollywood front, Kareena Kapoor (28) has nudged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan out of the Filmfare Top-10 Power list. But a producer from Chennai confirms that Ash is still the highest paid Indian heroine and has reportedly been paid a fee of Rs six crore for Shankar’s Robot, where she is cast opposite Rajnikant. The actor is said to have received a cheque of Rs one crore as signing amount, that is also a first. Usually it is only the leading men who receive such a big sum as a signing amount.
Reportedly, Rajnikant himself is said to come with a price tag of Rs 25 crore for the same film. He will also get a share in the profits since Robot will be released in Hindi and Tamil. The Tamil superstar will be on top of the heap even as far as Bollywood heroes’ prices go.
Regarding Aishwarya’s price, her manager Hari Singh said, “Aishwarya is definitely one of the highly paid actors in the country, but I would not like to comment on the price she has been paid.” Singh also said that exaggerated prices often made the rounds.
Closer home, Kareena Kapoor has reportedly been paid Rs 2.5 crore for Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq. Nadiadwala refuses to comment on his heroine’s price but says, “She has been paid what she deserves.”
According to him, with film corporations in the fray, there is more transparency involved and people can actually check prices. “But that is a whole load of hogwash,” says a trade consultant. “Bollywood still continues to be ambiguous with its payments. What is shown on paper is not necessarily the right price.”
Katrina Kaif is said to have been paid Rs 2 crore for Ramesh Taurani’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Priyanka Chopra Rs 2 crore for Vishaal Bharadwaj’s Kaminaay.
Of the leading men, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar have last been paid Rs 21 crore for Ghajini and Singh is Kinng, plus a reported share in the profits. Shah Rukh Khan is said to have had a share in profits for Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and he is a partner on Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan, as Johar himself was quoted saying, “It is difficult to put a price tag on SRK.”
I'm a big SRK fan: Imran Khan
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Imran Khan
He finds inspiration in his uncle Aamir Khan, but Imran Khan says he is a big Shah Rukh Khan fan."I am a big Shah Rukh Khan fan. In fact, 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' is one of my favourite films. It's one of the very quintessential Bollywood films - I just love it," Imran told IANS.
After having worked in romantic comedy "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na" and thriller "Kidnap", Imran is now working in action thriller "Luck" and comic caper "Delhi Belly".
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