In Pics: Vidya Balan at TheLaunch of Karadi Tales Company's New Audio Book

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Gerard: Will you marry me, Priyanka

Reports of the Scottish actor’s visit to India, especially to meet Priyanka Chopra, raised many eyebrows.

The couple has left many wondering after she hosted a special party for him on Thursday at her new residence at Raj Classic, Versova. It was on the pretext of a housewarming party, a celebration which the actress had been postponing for months.

The party which went on until 4 am started sedately but warmed up as the evening progressed. A close friend who was among the select guest list present on Thursday night said, “Of course the party was for Gerard who was completely besotted by Priyanka and kept proposing to her every half hour. It's become a standing joke rather a ‘kneeling’ joke between them. ‘Will you marry me?’ he knelt and said every half hour while she would burst into laughter. She’s clearly not interested on being Mrs Butler.”

Contrary to reports, Butler is not in India to scout for locations for a film. He’s travelling across India with some male friends. “He’s already been to the Taj Mahal and all the other tourist places. He leaves India early next week. Meeting and spending time with Priyanka was definitely a part of Gerard’s plan,” said the friend. “So Priyanka combined the long-postponed housewarming with Gerard’s presence.”

The selected guest list comprised Sussane and Hrithik Roshan, Gauri and Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, Imran Khan and Avantika, Farah Khan and Shrish Kunder, Mahip and Sanjay Kapoor, Meher Jessia and Arjun Rampal, Kangana Ranaut minus Adhyayan, and Farhan Akhtar, who came without his wife, but his friend and business partner Ritesh Sidhwani. Priyanka’s parents were also present at the perky party. Among the absentees were Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji.

The lady made a rather jittery host, running around attending to the guests more than they needed to be. Laughed the friend, “Priyanka had never in her life hosted a party before. She wanted to do it just right. It was okay if she over-did the hospitality as long as she didn’t lack in her role as a hostess. The Mediterranean food was ordered from Aurus and was quite a hit with the selected invitees.”

Sussane Roshan who has done the interior design of the house, we hear, couldn’t help but look around with much admiration, while husband Hrithik beamed on proudly. Clearly, the problems between this couple have been ironed out.

Neighbour and beau Shahid Kapur walked in too, but with choreographer Ahmed Khan. The two burnt the dance floor soon enough. At one point, Priyanka and Gerard took to the dance floor as well, a choreographic chemistry that was noted by guests present. And yes, he did propose to her one more time here as well.

Meanwhile...

Neighbours annoyed with the revelry

While the party at Priyanka’s residence was on in full swing, neighbours were not too amused with the bagpiping-loud decibel levels. As a result, one of Priyanka’s neighbours lodged a complaint with the police that the party was too loud.

Versova police station’s Senior Inspector S J Nalavade confirmed and said, “We also imposed a charge of Rs 5,000 on Raja Mohammed Bashir, who was in charge of the music at the party.”

A guest who attended the party said, “The police came around 1.30 am and asked the blaring music to be lowered. Priyanka had to obey the orders.”

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Mugdha collapses while shooting for Jail

The extreme temperature seems to have taken a toll on the cast and crew of Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming film “Jail”, which is being shot in Karjat, a town in Maharashtra.

The film’s leading lady Mugdha Godge (pictured left) fainted on the sets while a couple of crew members suffered extreme dehydration.

Madhur was very concerned about their condition but could not shift the location nor stall the shoot as a huge set has already been constructed. Instead he has decided to have a doctor and an ambulance on location so that any such case can be attended to immediately.

Madhur has also constructed a tent with coolers inside for the crew to stay in during the breaks.

Mugdha confirmed the news about fainting on the sets of “Jail”. She said the conditions on the sets are actually like that of a jail. And with outside temperature boiling too, it is very difficult to shoot. “But it’s a challenge and we will definitely give our best,” she said.

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Shah Rukh replaces Aamir

Shah Rukh Khan is said to be doing Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidwani’s film after the deal with Aamir Khan fell through.

Aamir was the favourite choice for director Reema Kagti’s upcoming film, to be produced by Farhan and Ritesh, with whom Aamir has worked with in “Dil Chahta Hai”. The three are also good friends.

However, Aamir is no longer doing their film as he is said to have demanded a huge sum of money and also a share in the film’s profit. These terms were not acceptable to Ritesh.

It seems Ritesh had gone to the sets of “3 Idiots” to meet Aamir and finalise the deal. But the meeting did not go well as Aamir was not ready to compromise on the terms and conditions that he had laid. Ritesh got upset and left the sets in a huff.

Ritesh confirmed the news saying Aamir is not in his film as they had differences over the terms laid down by Aamir. He also added that though they were in talks with an actor, the lead is still to be finalised.

Aamir meanwhile has said he is not doing the film because he did not like the script.

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Exclusive Report: Shah Rukh Khan To Sell Knight Riders

After dropping “Kolkata” from Indian Premier League team (IPL) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), actor Shah Rukh Khan has started discussions with Nokia, Sahara, the Anil Ambani group, and several other companies to sell the team he bought just over a year ago for Rs 300 crore, and exit the business.

According to sources in Red Chillies Entertainment, KKR’s holding company, “Shah Rukh Khan has been trying to sell a stake in KKR for some time now. But since most companies he approached also wanted management control, Khan is now talking to Nokia, Sahara, Anil Ambani and others to sell his entire shareholding.”

Khan’s public relations officer, however, said she would not be able to confirm the development because she had not met the actor.

None of those who have reportedly been approached confirmed the development. Sahara India’s communications director Abhijit Sarkar said: “We have not been approached by Shah Rukh Khan yet. But if he does, we would be happy to buy the team.”

D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director (markets), Nokia India, sent a text message saying: “Shah Rukh Khan will keep the team.”

A Reliance Communications spokesperson declined to comment. “A lot of people negotiate with Anil Ambani. I cannot comment unless there is something concrete on table.”

According to the Red Chillies official, Khan wants to exit, owing to the team’s poor performance — so far the team has won only one rain-curtailed game under the Duckworth Lewis method — and rising costs.

“If the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) does not increase the number of teams for next year, Khan could get double what he paid,” said the Red Chillies official.

Khan is supposed to pay Rs 30 crore per year for the next 10 years. The total annual cost for the team is about Rs 75 crore.

Khan had earlier said that KKR was easily the most successful IPL franchise, making a Rs 13 crore profit last year. However, his costs trebled last year owing to interventions from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Cricket Association of Bengal.

According to initial calculations, Red Chillies had to pay Rs 90 lakh per match and was supposed to earn Rs 3 crore if all stadium tickets were sold at Eden Gardens. Red Chillies had to pay Rs 20 lakh to the police and municipal tax of Rs 5 lakh. So its expenses per match would have been over Rs 1 crore. But this figure had trebled.

Last year, however, Kolkata Police demanded Rs 2 crore as security fees, against Rs 50 lakh that the organisers of the IPL offered. Then, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) demanded Rs 25 lakh from Red Chillies as amusement tax for holding IPL matches at Eden Gardens.

To settle the dispute between Kolkata Police and the IPL organisers over the cost of security arrangements at Eden Gardens, Red Chillies Entertainment had to agree to pay Rs 75 lakh as security fees.

About 5,500 uniformed personnel and about 1,500 sleuths were deployed to secure the stadium and its surrounding areas, since many celebrities were expected to watch the IPL matches at Eden Gardens.

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Nakshatra - First Look

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Mystery of Hrithik’s new look

Hrithik recently walked the ramp for Macro Man M-Series, launching their new range of undergarments, but what caught our eye was his new look!

After Bollywood’s biggest superstars donning ponytails - Amitabh Bachchan in Cheeni Kum, Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om, Aamir Khan in Mangal Pandey and Salman Khan in Veer - Hrithik’s caught on to the trend a little late. He was seen at the launch with long hair tied back and wearing dark aviator sunglasses. And the look suited him too; he managed to look as suave as usual.

As far as we know, Hrithik has almost finished shooting for his upcoming film Kites and has not yet started to shoot for any other films. So, we wonder what the mystery behind this new look is?

One theory says that the actor is growing his hair for a song that is to be added now.

The actor arrived two hours late to the launch and though he walked the ramp, Hrithik refused to talk to the media, leaving immediately after the event. We presume it’s because he didn’t want to answer any questions about his alleged link up with his Kites costar Barbara Mori.

The actor is currently living with his family in a 5-star hotel while his home is being refurbished.

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First Look: Lakshmi Menon goes Vogue

The latest issue of the ultimate Indian style guide - Vogue India - is out now!! The May issue of the magazine, released on April 24, is specially dedicated to travel. The cover page of this special travel issue stars dusky supermodel Lakshmi Menon a hot pink summer outfit.

The face of Hermès, the show stopper at international runways, Vogue's cover girl and dusky beauty, Lakshmi Menon was photographed by Jean Francois Campos on the remote beaches in Kutch. The photo feature of the month presents Menon in the hottest colours for the summer season. Highlights of the issue include essays by renowned travel writer Pico Iyer and other celebrity travellers.

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