I'd like to have Freida Pinto on the hot seatBy Hollyscoop The child actors from Slumdog Millionaire are not your typical movie stars. They didn't gr

The child actors from Slumdog Millionaire are not your typical movie stars. They didn't grow up in Bel Air, they don't attend posh private schools, nor do they hang out with other celebrities.

They grew up in the slums of Mumbai, and one lucky break got them a trip to Los Angeles, a walk down the most glamorous red carpet, and a trip to Disneyland.

After a whirlwind trip to Hollywood, 10 year-old Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and his nine-year-old co-star Rubina Ali returned to Mumbai as movie stars only to be depressed about their current living situations.

"I don't want to sleep on the floor anymore. I want a proper bed and live where the air does not smell of poo. I have seen what it is like in America. Here, there is garbage everywhere, people get angry, swear and shout. I have realized how bad life is here. I just want to get out, " Rubina declared when she returned.

Hollyscoop caught up with Anil Kapoor from the Oscar winning movie to get his thoughts on the how the success of the movie will impact the young stars.

"I spoke to all the parents over there, I told them they shouldn't focus on getting the children more roles, but focus on education instead, " Kapoor told Hollyscoop during an exclusive one-on-one interview at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

"If they do more and more films as child actors, they become slightly lost, " adding that he "only did one film as a child, but fortunately it didn't get released."

But he confessed that he wouldn't be surprised if after they finish their education, they make a return to the big screen.

"I wouldn't be surprised if during the 100th anniversary of the Oscars, they pick up an award for Best Actor or Best Actress, " Anil told Hollyscoop.

Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Rubiana Ali In response to the reports that Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, who plays the youngest version of the main character's brother Salim, got slapped by his father for being "too jet lagged" to work, Anil said, "Sometimes there is a lot of speculation and sometimes there are things that are really blown out of proportion.

I don't believe everything I read, but I'll see it with my own eyes soon. I'm going to send a good press release (to the States) to clear things up."

While the child stars are having a difficult time readjusting to life in the slums, government aides have stepped in to provide proper housing for Mumbai's newest stars.

"I think the government has really given them a lot of respect, love and recognition, " said Kapoor. "Two of them are getting new houses. Everyone is getting a lot as far as education is concerned too. They'll be well taken care of, " Anil assures Slumdog fans, "trust me!"

While Anil doesn't believe that Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Ali should go back into acting, he would love to see them make a cameo on Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Slumdog edition.

Ideally, he insists, he would want "Frieda Pinto in the hot seat, " and he thinks she should be able to "call the kids" as her lifeline. "I think it'll be more exciting, " he joked. "Don't you think?"

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Ash: I'm the most bankable star abroad? Wow!!!

Forbes magazine has just voted Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan the most bankable star from Bollywood in Hollywood.

And this, just when the desi media has been carping about her abbreviated role in her latest Hollywood release Pink Panther 2.

Aishwarya has been voted among Forbes’ “Most Valuable Actors” ahead of Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Irrfan Khan.

And now there’re a number of hush-hush international projects on the anvil for Aishwarya including, apparently, one with actress and chat-show hostess Tyra Banks and a project with Will Smith who has been craving to cast Ash right from the time he offered her Hitch and the recent 7 Pounds. The long-pending project Chaos with Mery Streep is also likely to be revived shortly.

Reacting to this flurry of international activity in her choc-a-block schedule Aishwarya said from Kolkata, “Wow! Me the most bankable Bollywood star in Hollywood? Thank you! I must confess that any acknowledgement of hard work makes me feel content. In all humility I want to thank all those who feel I ‘m bankable.”

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Sushmita-Randeep kiss creates a furore

Sushmita Sen is not at all happy these days. It is because of her new movie ‘Karma aur Holi’ in whichshe is playing the lead along with Randeep Hooda.

The issue is that Sushmita is not happy with a kissing scene with her one time boyfriend Randeep and is cribbing that the producers are using this footage to gain in more publicity.

As reported by a leading tabloid, Sushmita said, “My problem is that the makers of Karma aur Holi are promoting the film by sending out sleazy stories. This is not done. This is not the way to promote a film. These obnoxious strategies of promoting a film are simply unethical”.

We tried getting in touch with Sushmita but she remained unavailable for any comments. We did get in touch with Randeep Hooda who had once got the opportunity to date the beauty queen.

He stormed in saying, “I think one should just do their job. Everyone was doing their job. There are a lot of actors involved, a lot of technicians, production people, directors, producers involved in the film. By just going to the press and lashing out statements is a very unethical thing on Sushmita’s part”.

When asked about the fuss she is making to remove the much-hyped kissing scene between her and Randeep, he said, “I don’t know anything about it so I think it is logical for me not to even comment on it”.

Seems like Sushmita is having a hard way in this matter, with lashing out everything openly to the press, we wonder what she really wants. We just hope she gets justice to it.

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Wife slaps serial-kisser Emraan Hashmi for kissing others!

This is not just a sensational headline, written to grab the maximum eyeballs, nor are we resorting to yellow journalism. This is a plain fact, that has been accepted by none other than the very much in love couple Emraan Hashmi and wife Parveen Hashmi.

In an exclusive joint interview, given to a reputed International magazine, the couple comes out in the open about their beautiful relationship. They talked about almost everything, right from their courtship days, how Emraan, true to his intense on-screen lover image, stalked and wooed Parveen and kept persuading her till she finally said "yes", right down to their life after marriage!

Well, we all know that Parveen is quite a possessive wife and Emraan has said many times that he will stop kissing as he has a fight with his wife every time he is required to do a kissing scene.

But what came as a shock was the revelation that Parveen has slapped (!) Emraan quite a few times for kissing on-screen, during trial shows of the concerned movies. And this was revealed in a very light hearted manner by the couple.

Though on many previous occasions Emraan had given statements that he would stop kissing on-screen after marriage, but he could not stick to his promise, so strong was his image. In fact quite a few films in which Emraan did not kiss failed to set the cash registers ringing.

Of course, it is another matter that the films were too bad, but nonetheless the serial kisser is now riding high (despite a lovingly furious wife!) with back to back success via Jannat and Raaz-The Mystery Continues...

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I do my homework on the sets and take naps between shots: Sparsh

She's Sparsh known as Ichcha in the soap Uttaran which is running on COLORS.. The little dreamer from the slums who tried hard to be happy with the hand-me-down dresses and dolls of the rick and priviled, but hates her second -hand existence.

All of 8, this amazimg bundle of talent is a joy to behold.

Ask her where she learnt acting and Sparsh confidently replies, "Kahin bhi nahin. I just know what to do and say. I think about the little girl Ichcha who has none of the things that I do. I put myself in her place and then I just do what I have to. Yes I do feel sorry for Ichcha. But she's got a loving Mama, just like me."

Such gravity and wisdom at 8! Doesn't Sparsh miss the normal little-girl's existence.

"Why should I?" she shoots back. "I do everything I want to. I go to school in the mornings. Then shooting is in the afternoon. I go to sleep in the car and wake up only when I reach my shooting, "says this ordinary middleclass girl from Ulhasnagar who has suddenly been catapulted to popularity.

"Do you really like my performance?" she questions. "I've done another serial Mera Sasural (on Sahara) where I played the heroine's bachpan ka role, and also another film (a music video of nursery rhymes) and I play Suniel Shetty uncle's daughter in the film Red Alert."

Now of course it's the daily Uttaran on Colors all the way for little Sparsh. And she seems to be enjoying every bit of the attention. "My friends in school call me Ichcha or Hichki (her two names in the serial).

Between school and the sets, I don't get tired because there's enough time to do everything. I do my homework on the sets and take naps between shots. I eat and do masti. In –between shots I play with Tapasya (real name Ishita, the girl who plays her friend)."

Mother Sarita adds, "I really don't know where she got the talent from. Because we don't have any actors in our family."

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At 5, I made my singing debut with none other than Mohammed Rafi: Sagarika Mukherjee

She sashayed onto the musical scene when the album culture was just beginning to strike root in the country. But Sagarika left an impression. So much so 'Q-Funk, ' 'Naujawan, ' 'Roop Inka Mastana' and 'Maa' are remembered by music buffs even years after their release.

Sagarika, the older sister of Bollywood singing sensation Shaan, took a break from the industry for a few years post marriage. Now on a comeback trail, the singer was in the city recently to sing a solo for composer Sunny Viswanath.

Excerpts from an interview:

On staging a comeback
After marriage, I wanted to take a break for a year but it went on to be five years! In the meanwhile, I raised my boys - Michel and Joshua - and transformed myself into a restaurateur. My husband and I set up the Olive Bar and Kitchen chain of restaurants.

Now it's time to come out of the bawarchi image! We moved to London some time ago. A chance meeting with UK based percussionist Talvin Singh was an eye-opener. Together we did an 18 city tour of Europe and I sang mild classical numbers. The response and encouragement I got was tremendous.

My singing debut
That happened when I was five and with none other than Mohammed Rafi! Mummy picked me up from school and we went straight to the recording studio. Singing the track, putting on the headphones...it was all new to me. It was only years later that I realised that I had shared the microphone with a legend.

The Bollywood encounter
As a child artist, I sang in nearly 15 films and did a number of jingles. As a teenager, I lent my voice to a couple of Hindi films. But I've not had many good experiences with the composers in the industry. Being a girl, it was tough to survive there.

If a composer gave me a song, it was as if he was doing me a great favour than regarding it as a professional exchange. My tastes didn't match Bollywood's; so I moved away.

Turning point
When Atul Chiramani of Magna Sounds invited me to do an album song, little did I know what was in store. I took Shaan along and introduced him to Atul and composer Biddu. Thus 'Naujawan' happened. It was a hit and our lives changed. Q-Funk came next and sold a million copies. 'Disco Deewane' 'Fifty Fifty' and 'Maa' were also lapped up by the public.

I needed a break
I was growing a little tired of stage shows, fan following and recognition and wanted time to discover my space as a singer. In the meanwhile, I got married to Martin Da Costa (he runs an event management company in Mumbai), had kids and got into the hospitality industry.

The shift to London brought my hibernating music career back to life. Now I'm experimenting with different styles of music and listening to gifted singers from all over the globe.

It was only after the European tour that I realised that I had been leading a frog-in-the-well existence! Am happy to discover a soul enriching world outside. In fact, when we shifted base to London, I was in search of this feeling.

Now that my younger one has learnt to speak and can voice his needs, I am ready to take a plunge into music.

My brother, Shaan
Being the older one, I was always protective of him. I remember the days when he used to imitate Kishore Kumar's voice before he finally developed his own style.

Today, when I see young singers aspiring to be Shaan, I feel so happy for that little boy who cried at a recording 'coz his voice didn't gel with the music.

Music is in our blood (Shaan and Sagarika are the children of the late Bengali composer Manash Mukherjee). He has lived true to dad's advice "Never be satisfied with mediocrity." Am happy for his success.

The jodi again?
We'd love to work together again. The last time we came together was for 'Tomor Aakash' (2004), a Bengali album in which we brought out dad's unreleased songs.

London dreams
Music is big time out there. It's an exciting city. Thanks to the acceptance and respect they get in London, many Indian classical artists have made the city their home. It's an amalgam of every culture you can think of. I love being there.

My hobbies
I finally became net savvy! It's amazing to have the whole world on a tiny screen. I thoroughly enjoy surfing the net. We often frequent restaurants, especially Polish and Japanese. It's fun taking the kids to cultural shows and children's theatres. Now that I'm trying to build a career in music in London with a Brazilian band, am into learning Portuguese and Brazilian.

Looking forward to
Making quality music in collaboration with talented musicians from all over the world. I preferred melodies but now I am into experimenting with different moods and textures. Some time later, I'll delve into devotional music but not the typical style we are used to listening to. It'll be something different.

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The minute I set my eyes on Shakeel I knew he was THE man I'll marry: Amrita Arora

It’s arguably the most important day of her life. And Amrita Arora is naturally excited as she prepares for her Christian wedding to beau Shakeel Ladak. The nikaah is two days later.

“We were supposed to have a church wedding today, ” Amrita chatters excitedly as the makeup lady does her most challenging job ever for the actress. “But there were some security hassles. So we quickly moved the venue to Olive. But no hassles because we always had a standby ready. ”

Amrita gives full credit to her sister Malaika for all the arrangements.

“I know nothing about the wedding arrangement. It was all done by my sister who put her own life on hold to look into my wedding details. I’m blessed to have such a supportive family.

I’ve my wedding today (Wednesday 4 March) and I’m talking to you while my folks are taking care of everything, ” the bride got emotional as her mother reminded her she needed to hurry up with the dressing up. But Amrita decided to get introspective.

“You know, the minute I set my eyes on Shakeel I knew he was the man I wanted to marry. It’s like a karmic connection. I just felt it. I had never felt this before. Shakeel is everything that I want my husband to be. And I’m determined to make our marriage work. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Ask her about the honeymoon which will follow the sangeet on Thursday and the nikaah on Friday and Amrita shrugs, “ The problem is, both Shakeel and I are so widely traveled we’ve nowhere to go that we can claim as being our private honeymoon spot.

There doesn’t seem to be any place that neither of us has not visited. I guess we’ll just hold each other’s hand close our eyes and point to any part of the globe as our honeymoon spot. It doesn’t matter where we go as long as we’re together. ”

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Kareena Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan patch up... finally

It is learnt from reliable sources that Kareena Kapoor has finally patched up with the Bachchans now. Few days back it was wrongly reported in a Mumbai tabloid that the actress had ignored Amitabh Bachchan at an event completely.

Infact a very close friend of the actress told us that Kareena is one person who will never do so in public. “She knows how to balance her professional life and personal life. She has never shown any animosity towards them. She has been born and brought up in this industry and the question of showing disrespect for the elders will never arise.” the close friend said.

But now Mr. Bachchan has put all rumours to rest by writing in his blog that Kareena and family members as well as the Bachchan family have always given due respect to each other.

Another source reveals, “Mr. Bachchan feels that Kareena is a very warm and affectionate person. She has never disrespected her elders. Mr. Bachchan has seen Kareena grown up in front of him as there has always been a huge connection between the Kapoors and the Bachchans from the great grand father times.”

It is may be recalled that that the Bachchan family was not in touch with Kareena Kapoor after Abhishek Bachchan and Karishma Kapoor broke off their engagement. In fact Kareena and Abhishek had made their debut with J.P. Dutta’s film Refugee. The duo had also received good reveiews for their performance.

But after their split Kareena and Abhishek Bachchan have never done a film. Sources had revealed that Abhishek Bachchan had refused to do films with Kareena though she was ready to work with him. In return Kareena had also refused to do Dostana with Abhishek when she was offered the film from Karan Johar.

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