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Info # 1

This Info is from “www.bollyvista.com”.


“Kaun Banega Crorepati” Show (new episodes) will start in August 2005 on Star Plus. The timing of this show is “ 9:00 pm in India” on (Friday, Saturday & Sunday).

News # 1

This News is from “www.santabanta.com”


One more news I read about “Kaun Banega 2 Crorepati” that the prize in the game is doubled i.e.; 2 crores.


Speaking on the much-discussed return of KBC, AB says, "According to my contract I had 85 episodes to complete.

There'll be certain changes in the format. The prize money has been doubled:
it goes up to Rs 2 crore. The entry-system into the show will be further improved. Audiences will get to participate a lot more."

Would he consider continuing on KBC beyond the 85 episodes? "It would depend on Star Plus and on my schedules. But it would be interesting to see how viewers react to KBC three years after it was first telecast."

Info # 2

This Info is from "www.indiafm.com"


Take a look at the success-failure scenario of Bollywood of last 25 years.

YEAR- RELEASES- HITS- FLOPS
1980- 114- 60 [53%]- 54 [47%]
1981- 134- 64 [48%]- 70 [52%]
1982- 135- 66 [49%]- 69 [51%]
1983- 109- 47 [43%]- 62 [57%]
1984- 115- 51 [44%]- 64 [56%]
1985- 143- 63 [44%]- 80 [56%]
1986- 137- 37 [27%]- 100 [73%]
1987- 127- 34 [27%]- 93 [73%]
1988- 140- 23 [16%]- 117 [84%]
1989- 148- 30 [20%]- 118 [80%]
1990- 165- 38 [23%]- 127 [77%]
1991- 161- 38 [24%]- 123 [76%]
1992- 144- 25 [17%]- 119 [83%]
1993- 133- 39 [29%]- 94 [71%]
1994- 121- 31 [26%]- 90 [74%]
1995- 126- 29 [23%]- 97 [77%]
1996- 123- 24 [20%]- 99 [80%]
1997- 119- 23 [19%]- 96 [81%]
1998- 139- 20 [14%]- 119 [86%]
1999- 152- 23 [15%]- 129 [85%]
2000- 230- 22 [10%]- 208 [90%]
2001- 219- 21 [10%]- 198 [90%]
2002- 229- 17 [7%]- 212 [93%]
2003- 246- 20 [8%]- 226 [92%]
2004- 241- 16 [7%]- 225 [93%]

Interview # 1

This “Interview” is from “www.bollywoodworld.com”


Interview of “Senha Ullah”.

I don’t care if I look like “Ash”! “Senha Ullah”

So what if Aishwarya Rai has refused to work with Salman Khan? All he needs to do is introduce a newcomer who looks just like her!

But there's more to Sneha Ullal than being an Ash-lookalike.

The 18 year old, who will make her debut in Lucky: No Time For Love, comes across as honest -- she admits she can't dance and says she hung up on Salman when he called to offer her the role. She thought it was a prank!

Sneha's father, orginally from Mangalore, works in Muscat. She stays with her mother. "But my father has come down for my film's release," Sneha says. She has an elder sister, who's married.

And Sneha doesn't care if she looks like Aishwarya Rai, she tells Patcy N .

Arpita (Salman's youngest sister) saw me in my college (Mithibai Motiram Kundnani College Of Commerce & Economics in Bandra, a Mumbai suburb) and told Salman about me. They were looking for an actress for Lucky. I didn't know Arpita before I got the film.

She got my name and number from the college. Salman gave me a call and asked me whether I was interested in doing a film.

When I got the call, I thought it was prank so I disconnected it. Then he made the directors (Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru) call. They spoke to my mother and convinced her.

I went to his (Salman's) house and gave an informal audition. They had auditioned 1,300 girls from all over India before they met me.

They wanted a very innocent looking girl with a baby face. Apparently, I suited the role, so I got it.

I was a first year BCom student. But now, I will complete my education through correspondence.

I didn't get this role because of my resemblance to Aishwarya Rai. They took me because they didn't think any other actress would have played the role better.

People tell me I look like Aishwarya. I don't think Salman felt I looked like Aishwarya. He always treated me as a close friend.

I don't care if I look like Ashiwarya. I would like it if people stopped caring too. People should know me as Sneha Ullal, not an Ash lookalike.

Yes, Aishwarya is very beautiful and to be compared to her is a compliment. But I want to establish myself first. I am just beginning; she is a very senior actress.

I have never met Aishwarya but I would like to.

I have been compared to her since she won the Miss World crown in 1994. I was eight years old then. I was too small to understand anything. I would say that I look better than Aishwarya!

Lucky is a love story between Aditya (Salman) and a girl called Lucky. As I am going for my school exams, I meet Salman through an accident. Before we reach home, riots break out. So we don't reach home, and I keep asking him when he will take me home. Soon, I fall in love with him and tell him that.

My character is very reserved and innocent. She wants to come first in school and doesn't think of love.

I was never interested in acting but I signed the film for experience. I wanted to learn how movies were made.

Salman had a lot of faith in me and felt that I would rock in theatres! Now, films have become my career. He never made me feel that he is Salman Khan.

I have learned so many things from Salman -- how he acts, how he says his dialogues... But I don't copy anyone in this movie.

We shared a comfort level ever since our first meeting. We were hitting and pushing each other all the time. If I made a mistake, he would laugh on my face. He even insults me on my face!

He advises me professionally -- how to talk with people, how to meet the media… He doesn't want me to give a wrong impression of myself. He told me to be honest no matter how high or low you go in life.

He used to help me in acting and would explain the scene to me. He helped me in my dialogues, how to pronounce words and conduct myself. But yes, I don't think anyone can teach you acting.

I don't watch too many Hindi films. I watch English movies. But whenever I saw a Hindi film, it had to be a Khan film -- either Salman, Shah Rukh, Aamir or Saif.

I don't know the importance of being an actress or the importance of Bollywood. But I am very excited because it is such a big banner film!

I have been getting offers for advertisements and films ever since I was a baby!

In my first scene, I had to lie unconscious, so it did not require much for me to do. I got a lot of support and comfort from everyone and never felt nervous.

My toughest scene was the climax because I am such a quiet girl. I never raise my voice. And in the climax, I was required to yell and cry. That was difficult.

Once, I injured myself. I fell and my entire body weight came on one leg and my ligament tore. I got a hairline fracture.

Since I'm a very energetic person, and I wanted to do all my scenes on my own, it made my wound worse. I was advised three weeks rest, but I rested only for 45 minutes! I took some painkillers and started my work.

In that pain, I did another stunt scene and broke my arm! I got a big bruise. I scared everyone that day.

My favourite songs in the film are Lucky lips and Sun zara.

I'm not good at comedy. But I will to try it. And I can't dance though I did for Lucky.

My directors are very hardworking and good at their work. I never asked them why I had to do something. I just did what they told me. There is so much understanding between the two (directors).

We shot at minus 20 degrees in Russia. But I will never do it in my life again. And we worked 18 hours a day!

I was not worried that they are newcomer directors, as I'm a newcomer myself.

Mithundada (Chakraborty) also supported me. He was there for 10 days. Even after the shoot, we would sit at a restaurant and chat. He always told me that I would be a superstar.

I am not the type to do anything for a film. I will not wear revealing clothes or kiss or do intimate scenes. If the film demands an intimate scene, I won't do it no matter how much money I am offered.

I consult Salman and Sohail for my new projects because they treat me like family.

In fact, after Lucky, I am doing my second film with Sohail Khan. It will be directed by Abhisekh Gattu and is called Aryan. I play Sohail's girlfriend.

Sohail's character is interested in boxing, and I always inspire and cheer him. I was offered this film in the first schedule of Lucky.

I am comfortable acting with both Salman and Sohail. The difference between the brothers is that Sohail treats me like a baby and Salman treats me like a professional.

If I hurt myself, Salman would tell me to get up and continue working but Sohail would fuss over me.

I have rejected a lot of offers before and after Lucky. I don't think Salman will say no to certain people. He's a nice person and doesn't have problems with any one.

News # 2

This News is from “www.filmfare.com”


Sneha Ullal - 'Lucky' girl!

Salman Khan's new heroine in 'Lucky', Sneha Ullal is creating waves everywhere. But in spite of the hype she's generating, mainly for her uncanny resemblance to Sallu's former love, Aishwarya Rai, the petite young girl's feet are firmly rooted to the ground. And she says that her tryst with cinema is a coincidence. "I never wanted to act in films. In fact, my family was not inclined towards Hindi films. We hardly watch any at home," she says and adds, "Actually, when Salman called me up, I thought someone was playing a prank on me. And when he invited me home to meet him, I just took it casually and went with my mom, just to see who the guy was. But to our surprise, he turned out to be the real Salman Khan." From a casual meeting to being a heroine - now that's what we call one 'lucky' girl!

Info # 2

This Info is from “www.indiafm.com”


This information was upload (on "www.indiafm.com") 8th march 2005 (Women Day Special)

Bollywood 10 Beauties.

1. Madhubala:-

Fragile yet Playful. Demurring smile. Teasing Sensuality.
Debut: Neelkamal
Reigned in: Late 40's -Mid 60's
Style Statement: Mischief meeting melting beauty




2. Waheeda Rehman:-

Refined. Ethereal. Elegance Elaborate.
Debut: CID
Reigned in: Mid 50's - Late 70's
Style Statement: Shines like a Timeless Tiara
What Next: Brides Wanted




3. Rekha:-

Truly a Femme Fatale
Conquering. Compelling. Riveting.
Debut: Sawan Bhado
Reigned in: Early 70's - Late 80's
Style Statement: Age Defying
What Next: Bachke Rehna Re Baba




4. Zeenat Aman:-

Iconic. Diva. Trendsetter.
Debut: Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Reigned in: Early 70's - Mid 80's
Style Statement: The original oomphmatiz!




5. Madhuri Dixit:-

Unique Aadaien. Sensual. A smile to die for.
Debut: Abodh
Reigned in: Late 80's - Mid 90's
Style Statement: Pulsating beauty




6. Juhi Chawla:-

Pleasant looker. Wholesome looks. Garrulous giggle
Debut: Sultanat
Reigned in: Late 80's - Late 90's
Style Statement: Sunshine girl
What Next: My Brother Nikhil




7. Urmila Matondkar:-

Bold, Sassy, ahead of times.
Debut: Narsimah
Reigned in: Mid 90's - still on
Style Statement: Super sexy!
What Next: Naina




8. Aishwarya Rai:-

Born Celebrity. Phenomenal looker. Intelligent mind.
Debut: Aur Pyar Ho Gaya
Reigned in: Late 90's - still on
Style Statement: Perfection
What Next: Dhoom II




9. Kareena Kapoor:-

Versatile. Ultra Glamorous. Distractingly beautiful
Debut: Refugee
Reigned in: Early 2000's - still on
Style Statement: Glam Goddess
What Next: Rahein Naa Rahein Hum




10. Bipasha Basu:-

Seductive. Voluptuous. Tanned.
Teasing men into censor-level fantasies.
Debut: Ajnabee
Reigned in: Early 2000's - still on
Style Statement: Burning sensuality!
What Next: No Entry

Info # 3

This Info is from “www.filmfare.com”


Ultimate CBM: Ash on Beijing Review cover:-
PERCY FERNANDEZ

NEW DELHI: A few years back, at the height of Indo-Pak cold war, a joke did the rounds, which said Pakistan was willing to give Kashmir to India, but only if India gave Madhuri Dixit in return.

More recently, Max Hastings, former editor of The Daily Telegraph wrote that Julia Roberts had a good chance of winning the American war over Iraq than the marines.
What he meant was film actors and the culture industry have more chances of winning hearts and people than guns and tanks.

One could say the same thing for Aishwarya Rai.

She now appears on the cover of the current issue of Beijing Review , released on the eve of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India, alongside Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, the second lead of Hollywood hit Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon .

It reads, "China and India are writing an unprecedented chapter in world history" and in bold it says, "Looking Good".
Ash first appeared on the cover of Time in its October 20, 2003 issue titled, The New Face of Film which claimed that she was on the verge of becoming a global superstar.

While Ash may be on the threshold of becoming a Hollywood star, Zhang Ziyi has already bolstered her position in Hollywood.

Zhang Ziyi, along with nine other top actresses from around the world including Uma Thurman, Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet has also featured in March 2005 Vanity Fair 's annual Hollywood issue.

Incidentally, during the Academy Awards there were reports that Ash would present an award. While thousands of Indians were disappointed when Ash did not walk up to the stage on the Oscar night, millions of Chinese cheered as Zhang Zhiyi presented the Best Oscar for Visual Effects with Jake Gyllenhall at the last Academy Awards.

Zhan Zhiyi shot into limelight after Ang Lee cast her in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when she was still in school.

Indian actors have a penchant for making it to the covers of top international magazines.

It was Parveen Babi who first made it to the cover of Time .

Hollywood director, Manoj Night Shyamalan featured in the cover of Newsweek .

And then it was Shah Rukh Khan who recently featured in the cover of National Geographic .

In the long run, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh and Zhang Ziyi could achieve an overwhelming dominance over countries and minds of people that still elude politicians and the bureaucrats across the world.

Info # 4

This Info is from “www.indiafm.com”


Ash now on the cover of Beijing Review

After finding prestigious places at the cover of Time magazine and the Madame Tussauds wax museum, gorgeous actress Aishwarya Rai is still traveling places. The ex-Miss World now appears on the cover of the current issue of Beijing Review. This was a specially released issue of the prominent Chinese magazine, on the eve of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi of the Oscar winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame features besides Aishwarya on the cover of the magazine.

While Rai is being tagged as Bollywood's next big thing in Hollywood, Ziyi is already a known name in Hollywood after her first film. Also while there was buzz that Ash will walk up on the Oscar stage to present an award this year, Zhang Ziyi actually had won the honor of presenting the Best Oscar for Visual Effects at the last Academy Awards.

News # 3

This News is from "www.aishwarya-forever.com".


Ash and Richard: Beauty and the Businessman!

When high flying business tycoon Richard Branson landed in Mumbai to launch his airline on desi ground…air?..., it seems the first question he asked his hosts was, "Where is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

When during the launch later that evening he learnt that the lady in question was shooting in faraway Prague - if you haven't guessed already, we're talking about none other than the lovely Aishwarya Rai - Mr. Branson apparently good humouredly said that considering the fact that he had flown to India in his private jet, he could very well have managed another stop-over in Prague.

Of course, when we told Ms. Rai about it, she was as modest as ever: "I think it was very sweet of him to say that!" Now we wonder what would happen if the beauty (Ash) and the businessman (Branson) came face-to-face. Someone would certainly be on cloud number nine…even without his private jet! Such is the power of beauty, eh?

Info # 5

This Info is from “www.indiafm.com”


Upcoming Bollywood Movies.

Next Week - 15th April

- Mumbai Xpress
Producers: Chandra Haasan, Kamal Haasan.
Director: Singeetham Srinivasa Rao.
Music: Ilayaraja.
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Manisha Koirala, Om Puri.


- Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye
Producers: Shemaroo.
Director: Samar Khan.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya.
Cast: Arshad Warsi, Mahima Chaudhary, Parvin Dabas, Sachin Khedekar, Shah Rukh Khan [sp. app.].


- Khamosh - Khauff Ki Raat
Producer: Rahul Aggarwal, Deepak Tijori.
Director: Deepak Tijori.
Music: Jatin-Lalit.
Cast: Shilpa Shetty, Rajiv Singh, Shawar Ali.


- Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi
Producer: Pritish Nandy Comm.
Director: Sudhir Mishra.
Music: Shantanu Moitra.
Cast: Kay Kay, Saurabh Shukla, Arif Zakaria, Anupam Shyam.



22nd April

- Waqt - The Race Against Time
Producer-director: Vipul Amrutlal Shah.
Music: Anu Malik.
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Shefali Shah.


- Matrubhoomi
Producers: Patrick Sobelman, Nicolas Blanc, Punkej Kharabanda.
Director: Manish Jha.
Music: --
Cast: Tulip Joshi, Sushant Singh, Sudhir Pandey, Piyush Mishra.


- Dreams… Do Come True
Producers: Media Factory.
Director: Aashish Chanana.
Music: Sajid-Wajid
Cast: Aashish Chanana, Neha Pendse, Manoj Bidvai, Aarzoo Govitrikar.


- Mazaa Mazaa…
Producer: Kheraj Chhadva.
Director: T.L.V. Prasad.
Music: Arun Daga, Satish-Ajay, John Hunt.
Cast: Payal Rohatgi.



29th April

- Kaal
Producers: Red Chillies Entertainment P. Ltd., Dharma Production P. Ltd.
Director: Soham.
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, John Abraham, Lara Dutta, Esha Deol, Shah Rukh Khan [sp. app.].


- Shabnam Mousi
Producers: Sudesh R. Bhosle, J. Manoj.
Director: Yogesh Bhardwaj.
Cast: Ashutosh Rana, Vijay Raaz.



6th May

- Main Aisa Hi Hoon
Producer: Pammi Baweja.
Director: Harry Baweja.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya.
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Sushmita Sen, Esha Deol.


- Mere Jeevan Saathi
Producer: Kareena Sana Combines.
Director: Suneel Darshan.
Music: Nadeem-Shravan.
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor, Amisha Patel.


- D
Producers: RGV, UTV.
Director: Vishram Sawant.
Music: Nitin Raikwar.
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Yashpal Sharma, Sushant Singh, Chunkey Pandey, Goga Kapoor, Rukhsaar.


- Kya Kool Hai Hum
Producer: Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor.
Director: Sangeeth Sivan.
Music: Anu Malik.
Cast: Tusshar, Ritesh Deshmukh, Neha Dhupia, Isha Koppikar.


- Bachke Rehna Re Baba
Producers: Vijay Galani, Rahul Sugandh.
Director: Govind Menon.
Music: Anu Malik.
Cast: Rekha, Mallika Sherawat, Paresh Rawal, Satish Shah.



6th / 13th May

- Mohabbat Ho Gayi Hai Tumse
Producer: Satish Khanna.
Director: Rishi Talwar.
Music: Sanjeev-Darshan.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Chandrachur Singh, Shamita Shetty.



13th May

- Jo Bole So Nihaal
Producer: V.R. Entertainers.
Director: Rahul Rawail.
Music: Anand Raaj Anand.
Cast: Sunny Deol, Kamaal Khan.


- Koi Mere Dil Mein Hai
Producer: Prime Hi-Tech Studios P. Ltd.
Director: Deepak Ramsay.
Music: Nikhil-Vinay.
Cast: Priyanshu Chatterjee, Dia Mirza, Rakesh Bapat, Neha.



20th May

- Naina
Producer: iDream Production.
Director: Shripal Morakhia.
Cast: Urmila Matondkar, Anuj Sawhney, Shweta Konnur.


- Yakeen
Producer: Shreya Creations.
Director: Girish Dhamija.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya.
Cast: Arjun Rampal, Priyanka Chopra, Kim Sharma.



27th May

- No Entry
Producer: Boney Kapoor.
Director: Anees Bazmee.
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Esha Deol, Lara Dutta, Celina Jaitley.


- Bunty Aur Babli
Producer: Yashraj Films.
Director: Shaad Ali.
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji.


- Silsilay
Producer: Vashu Bhagnani.
Director: Khalid Mohamed.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya.
Cast: Tabu, Bhumika Chawla, Celina Jaitley, Riya Sen, Natassha, Divya Dutta, Rahul Bose, Jimmy Shergill, Ashmit Patel, K.K., Karan Panthaky.


- Amavas
Producer: Shreya Creations P. Ltd.
Director: Siddharth Srinivasan.
Music: -.
Cast: Konkona Sen Sharma, Tara Sharma, Victor Banerjee, Mahesh Manjrekar, Neena Gupta.


- Jackpot
Producer: Ritesh G. Nayyar.
Director: Samit L. Baadkar.
Music: Dhruva Phukan
Cast: Himanshu, Meghna Naidu.



Expexted in May

- Sarhad Paar
Producers: Nimbus Motion Pictures.
Director: Raman Kumar.
Music: Anand Raaj Anand.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Tabu, Mahima Chaudhary, Chandrachur Singh.


- Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar
Producer: Bubby Kent.
Director: K.S. Adhiyaman.
Music: Sajid-Wajid, Daboo Malik.
Cast: Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty.


- Fareb
Producers: Rajesh Singh, Sanjeev Jaiswal.
Director: Deepak Tijori.
Music: Anu Malik.
Cast: Shilpa Shetty, Manoj Bajpai, Shamita Shetty.


- Mr. Prime Minister
Writer-producer-director: Dev Anand.
Music: Bappi Lahiri, Darshan Dave.
Cast: Dev Anand, Tara Sharma, Dev Gill, Boman Irani.


- Gumnaam
Producer: Shubir Mukerji.
Director: Neeraj Pathak.
Music: Nadeem-Shravan.
Cast: Dino Morea, Mahima Chaudhary, Suman Ranganathan, Irrfan Khan.


- Aashiqui
Producer: Naveen Tak.
Director: Jai Prakash.
Music: Anand-Milind.
Cast: Leena Sidhu, Yash, Shakti Kapoor, Govind Namdeo, Ashish Vidyarthi, Gulshan Grover.


- Ho Sakta Hai
Producer: Ashok Kotwani.
Director: Wilson Louis.
Cast: Victor Banerjee, Khalid, Mukesh Tiwari, Mohini, Dharmik.


- Film Star
Producers: Sahara India, Vishesh Films.
Director: Tanuja Chandra.
Music: : Jatin-Lalit
Cast: Mahima Chaudhary, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Vasundhara Das, Aryan Vaid.


- Hum Do Hamaara Ek
Producer: Smita Thackeray.
Director: Anees Bazmee.
Music: Aadesh Shrivastava, Sukhwinder Singh, Sandeep Chowta.
Cast: Govinda, Raveena Tandon, Mahima Chaudhary.


- Kuch Din Kuch Pal
Producer: Spice Team Entertainment.
Director: K.S. Shiva.
Music: Manoj Bhatnagar.
Cast: Sudhanshu Pandey, Sonu Sood, Bhoomika Puri, Shruti Ulfat, Indraneel, Dellip Thadeshwar.


- Chess... A Game Plan
Producer: Spice Team Entertainment.
Director-music: Manoj Bhatnagar.
Cast: Mahima Chaudhary, Anupam Kher, Sonu Sood.


- Mumbai Godfather
Producers: Seven Mountain Movies P. Ltd., J-71 Studio P. Ltd.
Director: Deepak Balraj Vij.
Music: Shreerang Aras.
Cast: Seema Biswas, Vikram Singh.


- Lips



3rd June

- Taj Mahal
Producer-director: Akbar Khan.
Music: Naushad.
Cast: Zulfikar, Sonya Jehan, Manisha Koirala, Kabir Bedi, Pooja Batra, Arbaaz Khan, Arbaaz Ali, Kim Sharma.



10th June

- Parineeta
Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Director: Pradeep Sarkar.
Music: Shantanu Moitra.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, new-find Vidya Balan, Raima Sen.


- Dus
Producer: Nitin Manmohan.
Director: Anubhav Sinha.
Music: Vishal-Shekhar.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Zayed Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Esha Deol, Dia Mirza, Raima Sen, Pankaj Kapur, Jawed Sheikh.



17th / 24th June

- Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya
Producers: Dhilin Mehta, Sohail Khan.
Director: David Dhawan.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya.
Cast: Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Katrina Kaif, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Arshad Warsi.



24th June

- Barsaat
Producer-Director: Suneel Darshan.
Music: Nadeem-Shravan .
Cast: Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu.



Expexted in June

- Dil Jo Bhi Kahey…
Producer-director: Romesh Sharma.
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Revathy, Bhumika Chawla, Karan Sharma, Annabelle Wallis.


- Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai
Producer: Cineyug.
Director: Bunty Soorma.
Music: Anand Raaj Anand.
Cast: Bobby Deol, Amisha Patel, Arjun Rampal.


- Iqbal - The Rampur Express
Producer: Mukta Arts Ltd.
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor.
Music: Sukhwinder Singh.
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Kapil Dev [sp. app.].


- Milenge Milenge
Producer: Boney Kapoor.
Director: Satish Kaushik.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya.
Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor.



12th August

- Shaadi No. 1
Producer: Vashu Bhagnani.
Director: David Dhawan.
Music: Anu Malik.
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Zayed Khan, Sharman, Esha Deol, Soha Ali Khan, Ayesha Takia, Ria Sen, Aarti Chhabria.


- Kyunki
Producers: Mukesh Talreja, Sunil Manchanda.
Director: Priyadarshan.
Music: Himesh Reshammiya.
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rimii Sen, Jackie Shroff, Om Puri.



Expected in August

- Mangal Pandey
Producer: Bobby Bedi.
Director: Ketan Mehta.
Music: A.R. Rahman.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Amisha Patel.

Interview # 2

This Interview is from “www.aishwarya-forever.com”


Interview of “Aishwarya Rai”.

Back to the front
by: Harneet Singh
Express India (April 9, 2005)


Aishwarya Rai has made peace with her life. ‘‘Since the day I started my modelling career, life has been a roller coaster ride. And it continues full throttle. I’ve learnt to live with it,’’ she smiles.

It’s been an eventful three months for Bollywood’s global face, who’s back in Mumbai after completing Paul Berges’s Mistress of Spices in New York, Ireland and Prague. She has also signed another Hollywood film, Provoked.

‘‘I don’t know whether you could call it a Hollywood film or an English film. But it’s going to be good,’’ says Rai. Talks are also on for two more international projects. ‘‘Yes, there are more commitments that I am going to announce soon,’’ she adds.

Paul’s film is Rai’s second brush with international cinema after Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice. Rai, who is paired opposite The Practice heartthrob Dylan McDermont, is excited. ‘‘I would not like to talk about what I’ve done in the film but yes, I’m waiting to see how people react to it.’’

It was while she was shooting for the film that Rai got the invite from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science to present an award at this year’s Oscars. Rai had to turn it down. ‘‘The invite came up when I was there, so I couldn’t even plan. And everyone knows I always give priority to my professional commitments. Maybe, next time, ’’ says the actor.

Rai’s favourite topic is still Bride and Prejudice, though. While the film didn’t fare too well here, it did create ripples in the USA and Australia. ‘‘The US premiere was wonderful. The foreign press has been very kind to me and the film has already grossed $25 million. I couldn’t have asked for a better international platform,’’ she says.

Though all her films back home (Kyun! Ho Gaya Na, Raincoat and Shabd) have been huge flops, Rai says her work is being noticed. ‘‘As I see it, right now I am in a happy space in my career. People come up to me on flights, and talk about my performances in Choker Bali and Raincoat.’’

Bollywood fans can soon catch Rai in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Saamna and Yash Raj Films’ Dhoom 2. Rai co-stars with Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan and Akshay Kumar in Santoshi’s political thriller, and has a catty role in Dhoom 2. ‘‘I am really looking forward to Dhoom 2. It will be a lot of fun and I really need that after working so hard,’’ she adds.

Info # 6

This Info is from “www.aishwarya-forever.com”


“Aishwarya” Upcoming Movies: -
(Including Bollywood and Hollywood movies)

Detail: -

* Total “18” Movies,
** “10” from Bollywood,
*** “8” from Hollywood,
**** “1” Combine (Bolly and Holly) &
***** “1” Not Decided (from Bolly or Holly)


MOVIES:-

* BUNTY AUR BABLI

Estimated Release : 27th May, 2005
Role : Special Appearance (Item Number)
Co-Starring : Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan & Amitabh Bachchan
Director : Shaad Ali
Producer : Aditya Chopra
Music : Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Language : Hindi


* MISTRESS OF SPICES

Estimated Release : TBA (In post-production)
Role : Tilo
Co-Starring : Dylan McDermott, Anupam Kher, Ayesha Dharker & Nitin Ganatra
Director : Paul Mayeda Berges
Producers : Gurinder Chadha & Deepak Nayar
Cinematography : Santosh Sivan
Music : Craig Pruess
Language : English


* SAAMNA

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan & Akshay Kumar
Director : Raj Kumar Santoshi
Producer : Abdul Samee Siddiqui
Music : -
Language : Hindi


* PRITHVIRAJ CHAUHAN

Estimated Release : TBA (Production begins in August 2005)
Role : Samyukta
Co-Starring : Ajay Devgan
Director : Raj Kumar Santoshi
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : Hindi


* WINDFALL

Estimated Release : TBA (Production begins in October 2005)
Role : Jasmine Singh
Co-Starring : -
Director : -
Producers : Aishwarya Rai, Zachary Coffin
Music : -
Language : English


* HEART OF INDIA (TAJ MAHAL)

Estimated Release : 2005
Role : Mumtaz
Co-Starring : -
Director : Ganapathy Bharat Bala
Producers : TriColor Films, Bharatbala Productions & MacGillivray Freeman Films
Music : A.R Rahman
Script : Michael Caulfield & Glen Pitre
Language : English & Hindi


* DHOOM 2 (working title)

Estimated Release : TBA (Production begins end of 2005)
Role : -
Co-Starring : Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Rimi Sen (sp.appearance)
Director : Sanjay Gadhvi
Producer : Yashraj Films
Music : -
Language : Hindi


* RACING THE MONSOON

Estimated Release : TBA (Production begins in early 2006)
Co-Starring : Michael Douglas
Director : Steven Carr
Producers : Further Films, Percept Pictures & Sahara One Motion Pictures
Script : Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck
Language : English


* CHAOS

Estimated Release : TBA (Production begins in March 2006)
Co-Starring : Meryl Streep
Director : Coline Serreau
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : English


* PROVOKED

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : -
Director : Jag Mundhra
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : -


* UNTITLED

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : Shabana Azmi
Director : Rituparno Ghosh
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : Hindi


* DOT OR FEATHER

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : -
Director : Doug Prochilo
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : English


* SINGULARITY

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : -
Director : Roland Joffe
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : English


* UNTITLED

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : -
Director : Meghna Gulzar
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : Hindi


* SINHASAN

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : -
Director : Kalpana Lajmi
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : Hindi


* I KNOW A PLACE

Estimated Release : TBA
Co-Starring : -
Director : Barton Randall
Producer : -
Music : -
Language : English


* RADHESHYAM SEETARAM

Estimated Release : In Limbo
Co-Starring : Sunil Shetty
Director : Anees Bazmee
Producer : N Kumar
Music : Anand Raj Anand & Sajid Wajid
Language : Hindi


* HUM PANCHHI EK DAAL KE

Estimated Release : In Limbo
Co-Starring : Sunil Shetty
Director : Lateef Binny
Producer : Rahul Gupta
Music : Vishal Bharadwaj & Dilip Sen
Language : Hindi

News # 4

This News is from "www.bollyvista.com"


No More Koffee

Karan Johar will wind up 'Koffee With Karan' in May, after which the show takes a break for seven months. Johar will utilise the time to direct his next film 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna'. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji.

"We have six more episodes, and also a grand finale which will have Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan together," Johar explains. "Apart from the two of them, the episode will also feature Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Farhan Akhtar, Farah Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali," says a visibly excited Johar.

Info # 7

This Info is from "www.indiafm.com"


“Shahid's the guy I want to grow old with!”
- Kareena Kapoor

* Candid Kareena

Their passionate liplock was beamed across the nation
Shock, shame & scandal followed
But nothing seems to have changed for the Kapoors
Kareena & Shahid are still the couple 'lost-in-love'

“You got it right, the incident has only made us grow fonder” says Kareena. “It was ugly but I guess it was the test of our love” her worldly wisdom nearly baffles us. “Oh come on, I am a lot more mature. The incident was traumatic but the bond between us is stronger than ever!” she says savoring a sizzling brownie.

** On being bindaas about her ISHQ VISHQ

“I am in love & I am not going to hide it!”

“Sorry, but I am not the kind who hides things. Be it professional or personal, I hate fibbing. The day I started seeing Shahid, I owned up & told all & sundry. I am in love & I won't hide it. That isn't me” says the firebrand actor. “Unlike other actresses who hide their relation & show up pregnant, my relationship is for all to see” she remarks, reminding us of the Kareena four years back who couldn't resist making digs at her co-actors. Not much seems to have changed….

*** FIDA over Shahid

“There is no stargiri between us!”

“When we are together, I can be myself. There is no stargiri between the two of us. That's the best thing about Shahid, with him around, I am normal, just another girl with her date” she says dreamily. With back-to-back shoots, when is it that they catch up? “It's really hectic, but when your heart wants something, you have to listen to it” bebo says insightfully. “We normally catch up for lunch or dinner. You won't believe this but we have even seen movies together” she says with a warm glow on her face.

**** Jeena Sirf Mere Liye…

I told Shahid, “I saw you checking out that chick!”

“Oh god, we fight like cats & dogs!” she says with her famous drawl. And what is it about? “Anything, just about anything. Like, the other we went to Kobez and while we were awaiting our meal, a bunch of girls walked in. I thought he was getting a little overfriendly and so flared, “Why are you looking at that girl!?” he said ‘No I wasn't' But I kept insisting, “No, you were. I saw you checking out that chick!” And the argument went on and on” she smiles. “But it's these little fights & make ups that make our relation really special!” she says fondly. “Know what, he makes me feel complete!” Bebo blushes, her pink cheeks taking on a crimson.

***** Jodi No.1

“Watch out for us in Milenge Milenge!”

“I think we look good together” But people thumped down Fida, we remind her. “I think that had less to do with our pairing, and more with the film. I guess the climax of Fida was a little too bold for the audiences to stomach” she tries her hand at analyzing. “But you got to check us out in Milenge Milenge. I think the so called chemistry is for all to see” she says scooping the last bit of chocolate syrup. Looking at our amused faces, she says “Hey don't give me that look, you guys. It's a Punjabi belly that I am feeding” she says, her wicked humor surfacing. We can't help but laugh…

****** On Shahid's resemblance with SRK

“Both Shahrukh & Shahid have adorable dimples!”

“Hey, I frankly am getting a tired of this supposed similarity that people keep talking about. Honestly, I don't think Shahid & Shahrukh look similar, they are all together different lookers. The only similarity that I see between the two is that both have great dimples. And does her boyfriend agree too? “That you'll have to check on him. But if there is one thing that I am sure of, is, Shahid's the guy I want to grow old with”

…And you know love is talking

Info # 8

This Info is from "www.b4utv.com"


* Ash: Yet another cover story

Looks like Aishwarya Rai is going places literally we mean! After being featured on the cover of the prestigious Time magazine, Ash has been featured on the cover of Beijing Review. The special magazine was released on the eve of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to India. Zhang Ziyi the female lead of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon has been featured besides Ash on the cover. While Ash is gradually gaining foothold in Hollywood, Zhang Ziyi is already a known actress there. Meanwhile Ash has completed the shooting of Mistress Of Spices. She will begin shooting for Rajkumar Santoshi’s untitled venture starring Ajay Devgan and Nana Patekar.

News # 5

This News is from "www.b4utv.com"


* SRK to sing

Shahrukh Khan will sing a song for Farah Khan’s Happy New Year. It was music director Anu Malik’s idea that SRK sing for the film. “I want SRK to sing for Farah’s film. It will be a catchy tune to suit SRK’s voice. I made him sing Apun bola in Josh. Wasn’t it a hit?” he said. Besides SRK, Anu Malik hopes to give a break to newcomers to sing a song for Farah’s film. Talented Abhijeet Sawant, who has just released his ablum Aapka Abhijeet Sawant, will sing for Farah Khan’s film. Malik himself has lent and sung a song in Vipul Shah’s Waqt, “Do me a favour let’s play Holi,” are the wordings! He added, “Vipul Shah wanted an unconventional voice and so asked me to sing the number.”

News # 6

This News is from "www.b4utv.com"


* Mallika and Chan invited for Cannes

Mallika is in international news once more! Popular actor, Jackie Chan, has invited Bollywood’s latest sex symbol, Mallika Sherawat to The Cannes Film Festival in May. There’s going to be a grand party for Chan’s upcoming film The Myth in which Mallika plays the leading lady opposite Jackie Chan. “I can’t believe I’m being launched internationally by Jackie Chan. I’ve heard Quentin Tarantino and Robert De Niro are going to be present. I also want to meet Salma Hayek and Julianne Moore,” says an excited Mallika. She is going to be careful about her wardrobe, as she has been warned about the criticism at the Festival. She would apparently be approaching designers like Anita Dongre, Ashley Rebello and Ritu Kumar.Mallika’s latest flick Bachke Rehna Re Baba is with Rekha, who plays her sister. On her experience while working with the diva of the times, she says, “I am dying to hear that I was as good as her, if not better than her.” On her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt, she says, “On the contrary to what people want to believe, everything is fine between me and Mahesh.” Whatever be her reputation in India, she surely is going places!

News # 7

This News is from "www.santabanta.com"


* Munnabhai goes to Hollywood

Hollywood film studio 20th Century Fox will remake a blockbuster Bollywood movie about a thug who enrolls in medical school to win back the confidence of his father, the film's producer said on Wednesday.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a well-known writer, producer and director, said he has sold the rights to the 2003 hit comedy Munnabhai MBBS to the US film studio, which will release it under the title Gangster MD.

Chopra, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Rajkumar Hirani, said that he would be an executive producer for the Hollywood version.

He said it was the first time a Hollywood studio had bought the rights to an Indian film, but declined to discuss the terms of the deal. Details about the US version were not available. The Hindi-language movie received rave reviews in India and was a success among South Asians living abroad.

The dialogue was so popular that crowds at cricket matches in India and Pakistan last year were heard shouting the rough Mumbai gangster lingo of the character played by popular actor Sanjay Dutt.

In the movie, Dutt portrays a thug who pretends to be a doctor so he won't disappoint his parents, who often visit him from their nearby village and think their son has made it big. Chopra has directed seven Indian movies. His debut documentary on Bombay's street kids, An Encounter With Faces, was nominated for an Oscar for the best short film (nonfiction) in the 1980s.

He is currently preparing for the worldwide release of the Hindi-language Parineeta - The Married Woman in June, which focuses on the different perceptions between genders about love and commitment.

Hindi language films are widely watched all over Asia and the Middle East, and by Indian migrant communities around the world particularly in Britain and the United States.

News # 8

This News is from "www.santabanta.com"


* Why Jassi needs Shah Rukh?

After capturing the imagination of millions of audience with her act in the television soap 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin', Mona Singh aka 'Jassi' now craves for a foothold in Bollywood but admits she would need Shahrukh Khan to make it big in films.

''I really admire SRK for making it to the top without any godfather in the film industry and hope if cast opposite him, his charm would work for me too,'' she quipped.

However, 'Jassi' was quick to add that she does not intend to say goodbye to television anytime soon.

''I am very much a part of TV and enjoy working for the small screen. Although, TV schedules are tiresome than films, but at the end of the day it is the satisfation that counts,'' she observed.

She was in town for 'Transform with Bausch & Lomb' campaign today.

On the truth about casting couch, Mona claimed she had never come across any such thing so far.

''To succeed in any field including films, it is the talent that counts in a person,'' she added.

'Jassi' claimed aspirants from smaller towns and cities had a rather wrong perception about the glamour world and think that one could succeed by means other than talent.

When asked if beauty was the essense of women, Mona averred it was only skin deep and what matters was the inner beauty.

''Outer beauty is temporary and fades with time. But, the real beauty is perennial,'' she added.

News # 9

This News is from "www.santabanta.com"


* Aishwarya's clone a hit?

Salman Khan's Aishwarya Rai lookalike co-star Sneha Ullal in "Lucky: No Time For Love" reminds us of all the clones who tried to cash in on their resemblance to showbiz legends, only to be cold-shouldered by the public.

Singer Suman Kalyanpur and actress Nanda come to mind at once. They had the misfortune of being branded the "poor man's Lata Mangeshkar" and the "poor man's Meena Kumari", respectively.

Later on, there were Parveen Babi and Zarina Wahab, again victims of the echoic effect.

While Babi was branded the "poor man's Zeenat Aman", Wahab's faint resemblance to then-superstar Jaya Bhaduri came in her way of finding sizeable success. Even the roles they did were similar, thereby diminishing the two junior actresses' chances of coming into their own.

These are all unfortunate instances of mistaken identity, attributable more to nature's quirks than any concerted effort by the artistes themselves to imitate the greats.

Suman Kalyanpur went blue in the face saying she never imitated the Nightingale, as did Chandrani Mukherjee who came later and was also accused of emulating the awesome Mangeshkerian chords.

But no one was listening. Suman, in fact got to sing some of her most popular duets with Mohammad Rafi (like "Ajhu na aaye balma" and "Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche") because Lata Mangeshkar stopped singing with Rafi for a few years. The replacement factor further finished off Suman's career.

A fine actress like Mita Vasisht protested violently every time she was compared with Shabana Azmi. However, her facial expressions and tonal inflexions seem to replicate the Azmi, thereby reducing her chances of reaching an optimum level as an actress.

Raakhee Gulzar says she was brought into cinema as a replacement for Sharmila Tagore and Hema Malini was built up as another Vyjayanthimala. Luckily for them, neither actress took it seriously and are today considered screen queens in their own right.

There are a string of small-time actresses who came in only because they resembled a particular actress and soon faded away because they couldn't establish an identity of their own.

Chand Usmani, Sona and Madhu Malini were fortunate enough to get their initial breaks because they resembled Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Hema Malini, respectively. After a spell of gloomy apery, they vanished into thin air.

In fact, Sona was given the second lead in Raj Khosla's dacoit drama "Kachche Dhaage".

So clones are a no-no. Ask Mukesh Khanna who got saddled with the job of being the poor man's Amitabh Bachchan...Or Kiran Kumar and Rakesh Khanna who were Rajesh Khanna's dead-ringers.

While Kiran even did a film called "Raja Kaka" (Kaka is Rajesh Khanna's nickname), Rakesh Khanna "played" Rajesh Khanna in I.S. Johar's "5 Rifles" and was soon forgotten.

Sneha Ullal will have to forget Aishwarya Rai if she wants to make any headway. Who wants a Rai-imitator when the original is very much on the scene?

News # 10

This News is from "www.filmfare.com"


* Gulu and Sallu bond after ten years!

The Bad Man of Bollywood, Gulshan Grover, and media's favourite Bad Boy, Salman Khan are coming together on the big screen after a gap of ten long years. The film in question happens to be Salman's first Hollywood venture, 'Marigold'. Gulshan has already acted in a number of Hollywood films, like 'Jungle Book 11', 'East Side' and 'Beeper'. Salman plays Prem, the reel-life Indian lover of American actress Ali Larter, while Gulshan tells us that he is, as usual, the bad guy. "I'm playing a mysterious stalker, an assassin who has been following Marigold and her Indian lover. The movie is being directed by Willam Carroll, who helmed the Sean Connery-Angelina Jolie starrer, 'Playing By Heart'." About his co-star Gulu says, "I'm surprised by the change in Salman; he has matured a lot as an actor. He's so confident and an extremely caring person on the sets. We were shooting in a remote area of Rajasthan and Salman and his staff took great care of the foreign crew and the cast of the film. If they needed anything, Salman would ask his staff to get it for them; at times, he would even pay from his own pocket." Sounds like Salman has a new fan in Gulshan. That's what you call a 'reel-y 'Bad' bond between a Bad Man and a Bad Boy, isn't it!

Info # 9

These Info are from "www.filmfare.com"


* Preity: All made up?

Okay, we give Preity Zinta a pat on the back for diving into a different mould, matter and make-up with every role, but while most top-notch actresses (Rani, Kareena and Ash, for instance) are winning accolades for their de-glam appearances, PZ is a far cry from that. Even before we finish that thought, the dashing retort comes right across: "C'mon, I did all that de-glam look long back. I started my career with it. In 'Dil Se' and 'Dil Chahta Hai' I wore no make-up. Many don't know that, but it's true." Oops, Preity - you looked so pretty anyways that we missed that fact. And don't think that's just a cool excuse; next time we'll watch you real close!


* Sameera's beauty secret!

Sexy Sameera Reddy's sense of style and habit of flaunting the oomph factor on-screen has all the high fashion designers asking that she walk the ramp for them. Although she gave in to a few of them, since they were her friends, we hear that the lady prefers to create her own look both on and off screen. If you want to know her secret, here it is: In her personal life, Sam enjoys casual but vibrant clothes which emphasise her dusky colouring and curvy body to the max. As for on the screen…well… that's one place she's willing to try anything and everything - from the sweet and simple look in Pankaj Udhas's 'Janum Aahista…' to the sizzling siren in 'Musafir'. Like they say, whatever it is on-screen, Sameera's ever Reddy!


* Hrishitaa’s first crush!

It's not often that actresses speak out openly of the crushes they've been through. So we were pleasantly surprised when we recently heard Hrishitaa Bhatt talking about her first and youthful passion. Apparently, when they were still in school, both Hrishitaa and her friend had a major crush on a cute guy who lived in their building. And although they tried every trick in their books to get his attention - trying to get familiar with his group of friends or finding excuses to talk to him - the boy just didn't seem to get the hint and simply ignored them. What's more, he would prefer talking to another girl in their group who was very secretive about the discussions. Later, when they managed to get friendly with the guy, however, they didn't find him so attractive, after all. But what really had the girls laughing was the fact that the guy confessed that he, too, had had a crush on Hrishitaa, but had been too shy to talk to her. Ah well, looks like this is one romantic tale that just didn't stand a chance!


* Manisha: X-pressive!

Her career hasn't been an Express ride for the past two years, but the suddenly slim Manisha Koirala is undaunted. Her fascination for filmmaking, her home-production and her newfound craze for fitness have kept the lady on the move. And her next, 'Mumbai Express', might just take her career on to another track. "It was great working with an old and senior co-star like Kamal Hasan. I've worked with him before and doing a film with him is like learning things all over again," says an excited Manya. Ask Kamal Hasan about her and he says that Manisha is a far more mature actress today. Well, seems like quite a compliments x-press-a-thon happening between the two stars, doesn't it? Anything you might want to add?


* Ektaa Kapoor's 'comedy'!

Ektaa Kapoor's next film is being touted as a 'comedy', but its director, Sangeeth Sivan, begs to differ. "There is an element of sex, but no skin show in 'Kya Kool Hai Hum'," clarifies the man when we ask why he had decided to make a 'sex comedy'. "It is naughty comedy. It is all in the perception. What happens has nothing to do with physical sex or vulgarity, but the viewer will know what the characters are talking about. When you see the film, you'll see what I mean." Now let's hope the front benchers are not disappointed!


* Farah's 'big' plans

Choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan's next directorial venture, 'Happy New Year' is getting bigger by the day - that tends to happen, of course, with anything that has the 'SRK' tag on it. Now we hear that Farah is planning to rope in the Big B for a meaty role in the film. On hearing this story she quickly clarifies, "I really don't want to start talking about it till it happens. Yes, I do want Mr. Bachchan to play an interesting part. We haven't discussed the script with him yet; Shah Rukh Khan has just spoken to him. We'll be doing that soon and I'm hoping it works out." We're sure the lady is keeping her fingers crossed, so that her New Year begins on a happy note. Right, FK?


* Akshay's got the 'jest' of it!

Handsome actor Akshay Kumar is more than just an actor on the sets of whichever film he is shooting for. Unit members of 'Waqt' insist that he is also a jokester and usually has one and all in splits. Like filmmaker Vipul Shah told us, "We all spent a lot of time together while making 'Waqt'. And Akki amused us with his real life stories. They are all censored, naturally. All that I can say is that he was a huge prankster while in school, and has given his teachers quite a tough time." With son Araav going to school now, we hope he is not as shararti as Daddy dearest. And if he is, we sure know where it's all coming from!


* Little Bo's 'Beep'!

Talented funny man Boman Irani is quite the talk of the town these days. After making his mark as a fabulous all-round entertainer on-screen, we hear that the man excels even as a singer. And if music director Anu Malik can swear by Bo's crooning abilities, we're convinced, for sure. When we got in touch with Irani to reconfirm the story, after much probing, the artiste embarrassedly nodded his head in agreement. With everyone 'singing' praises of Boman's on-screen laurels, we guess we have an additional quality to appreciate in him now. Let's 'Bo' down to that, shall we?


* Rajshri's 'jaadoo' comes alive

Rajjat Barjatya's 'Uff Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai' may not have worked its magic at the Indian box office. But the film's music has made waves on the global platform, or so we hear. Renowned pianist Richard Clayderman, who contributed his expertise to the title track of the film, has made the song a part of a personal album that was released recently. The musician is also making use of the music video featuring playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan and himself to promote the album the world over. We hear that the response to the song 'Uff kya jaadoo mohabbat hai' has been so amazing that Clayderman has invited Rajjat, composer Sandesh Shandilya and Sunidhi to Paris later this month to be a part of his promotional concert. C'est la vie!


* The Kajol – Aamir update!

For all those still waiting for the already-announced Kajol-Aamir flick to start its shooting schedules, here's an update: The lady, after losing oodles of weight, getting a new and sexy haircut and keeping everyone hanging on awaiting her decision, is now set to give adoring audiences a royal treat. She's given her nod to the dates required of her, finally breaking her self-imposed exile from films. And with the 'rare' Aamir Khan all rarin' to romance the lady, director Kunal Kohli (flying high post the roaring success of 'Hum Tum') is grinning from ear to ear, having nabbed the lady's attention to fit his time frame. Now for the first time the two dynamos will be paired opposite each other - in Indra's Kumar's 'Ishq' they had different romantic partners. So SRK's favourite heroine may soon be another Khan's gain…not that anyone's complaining!


* Sanju's Bong blast!

We've seen Sanjay Dutt in a lot of very sexy item numbers, keeping step with a number of beautiful women, and wethinks that he can still give actors half his age a real run for their money with his moves. This time around we will see the actor shaking his booty in a new and more desi avatar, complete with authentically traditional garments. Sanju recently shot for a special Bengali dance number for Vinod Chopra's 'Parineeta' in Kolkata. The dance is known as Dhanuchi Nritya, traditionally performed in front of the presiding deity's idol to the beat of the dhaki, or traditional drums. Those who have seen the piece say Sanju performed the dance with his usual spirited élan, amidst hundreds of earthen pots covered with burning coconut shells. Now this is one zara hatke 'item number' that is sure to rock the party!


* Mithun's son to make his debut!

After ruling the marquee as the eternal disco dancer, it's the turn of the son to step into his famous father's dancing shoes. Mithun Chakraborthy's son Mahakshaya, affectionately nicknamed Mimo, will finally be making his debut in two mega projects, scheduled to launch next week. Mithun has been looking for a suitable project for his son for a long time and, when we spoke to him not so long ago, he said that he would not launch Mimo himself, since he wants his son to slog it out the way he himself did when he started out. "I tell producers not to sign him because he is my son and not to give him any special treatment. But, all said and done, he's a better actor and a good looking guy," said the doting father. Well, we look forward to a new star on the filmi horizon - like father, like son, after all. As long as it doesn't become a 'Classic' case, huh!


* SRK: Lift karade!

We all know about Shah Rukh Khan's popularity and how great an actor he really is. But some lucky people also know that he is an extremely caring person as well. Those who are close to him will swear by his generosity, giving with both hands and wanting little acknowledgement for his good deeds. We heard of one such interesting incident from a journalistic colleague. The journo was walking back (auto rickshaws were on strike) late one afternoon from faraway Film City, when he saw a car with black tinted windows coming from the opposite direction. It halted near him and the dark glass was rolled down. The passenger was…guess who!...Shah Rukh Khan! SRK got out of the car and told his driver to drive the journo to the nearest bus stop, while he himself sat atop a rock smoking a cigarette. Ever since then, our friend - who has since changed professions - hasn't stopped praising the star. Well, that is a full time job, isn't it!


* Aamir and Pooja's chess(y) game!

Talk about Aamir Khan and there's invariably an interesting tale to go with his name. Our perked up ears blipped on one such, and it came from the sexy Pooja Bedi. The lady was enthusiastically telling us about her new talk show on Zoom, and the long line-up of celebs who'll be sitting on the hotseat to be grilled by her. The already-aired Salman Khan tête-à-tête was quite a rocker, so we asked her if she had any plans of bringing the ever-elusive Aamir Khan to the small screen any time soon. She quickly told us about her deal with the Khan man: "I asked Aamir to come on my show, and got him all charged and excited about it. Then he turns to me and says, 'I'll come on your show only if you beat me at a game of chess.' Our chess tale goes back a long way; during the making of 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander', we would play chess on the sets, and Aamir is an ace player. And the last game we played, he beat me at it, like he usually did. And now, after years, I don't know how I can spruce up my act again!" Now if you spot Pooja spending a lot of time with chess champ Vishwanathan Anand, you know what she's up to. But will Aamir be a mere pawn in her Zoom game? Wait and watch!


* Celina's hot favourite!

A Bollywood actor doing an item number isn't earth-shattering news any more. From Ash and Abhishek to SRK, they've all done it. So here we have another one joining the bandwagon. It's Celina Jaitley this time. The gal will be gyrating to a number in a film called 'Silsiley', but hey,there's more to it. Even Shah Rukh Khan is doing a special act in the same film. We’re sure the Jaitley lass must be more than thrilled about it, for when we once asked her about her favourite Khan, she'd replied, "It's tough to answer that, but the Khans are definitely rocking. I really don't know Aamir Khan; all I know of him is from his performances, and it's my dream to work with him some day. Shah Rukh Khan, besides being a lovely actor, is a great human being with great charisma and an amazing sense of humour. So, yes, I think SRK is the hottest."


* Karan's 'hush' strategy!

When the hype is getting too hot, what does one do? Just lay low, and spring it as a big surprise packet. Okay, everyone is wondering what Karan Johar's next production 'Kaal' will be, but what's garnering even more interest in his own next directorial venture. That's exactly the reason why Karan Johar prefers to stay hush-hush about his untitled film and go all out promoting 'Kaal. Soham, the director of 'Kaal' says, "I know everyone is waiting to hear what's coming next from Karan Johar, and that's understandable. I too will be assisting him for his next film that will probably go on the floors towards the end of the year. I'm sure it will be worth the wait!" Exactly, we're waiting. We know that kal ho na ho, soon it will happen!


* Shatru's wife in the movies!

'Shotgun' Shatrughan Sinha's wife Poonam doesn't want to follow her hubby's second career of politics, but she's certainly quite happy doing her bit in hubby's first and original line of work: movies. And that's the reason she's making her debut in Bollywood in a film titled 'Dil Deke Dekho'. The project stars veteran Jackie Shroff and funny-lady Archana Puran Singh, while popular model-VJ Pooja Mishra makes her debut. Besides acting, Pooja will be part of an interesting item number, along with Koel Purie. Now we are wondering if Shotgun himself will be making a special appearance…!


* Anna Singh: Flying high!

Bollywood's ace designer Anna Singh sure is flying high these days. The primary reason for her new found happiness is her name being nominated as an entry into the 'Guinness Book of World Records' for the maximum number of films she has worked on as a designer. If her name appears in the prestigious book, it will be a great achievement for any Indian designer. For Anna, it will certainly be a long-overdue recognition for all the years of hard work she has put into making Bollywood beautiful!


* Abhishek: Crowd puller!

Here's a touching incident we heard from a unit member of one of Amitabh's films: The story goes that sonny Abhishek paid a visit to his Dad's sets one day and the scene being shot at the time needed a crowd of people. Jr. AB immediately stepped up and expressed his desire to be one of the anonymous faces that the camera would pan across. Naturally, the director flatly refused the offer - not only because he couldn't think of a Bachchan in the crowd, but also because he knew that the audience would definitely recognise the actor hidden in the mob…which would ruin the whole effect and intent of the scene. After all, we all know how both Big and Small B have a knack for standing out in the crowd - and we're not talking just about their towering heights here!


* Filmmakers' promotional combine!

With the cutthroat competition in the film industry, it is always heartening to see one filmmaker praise another - however rare that might be. It was a pleasant experience indeed when a number of film personalities, including Karan Johar, went out of their collective way to promote 'My Brother Nikhil' in a novel way. Now it's the turn of Sudhir Mishra's 'Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi', which has already made the rounds of festivals abroad and received rave reviews. Apparently filmmakers such as Shekhar Kapur, Shaad Ali, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Ketan Mehta and Kundan Shah have already taken a peak at this love story set in the politically turbulent 70s, and can be seen on television saying some pretty good things about the movie. Looks like 'My Brother Nikhil' has definitely started a trend. Right now it's the Musketeers' motto which is 'in' in Bollywood - one for all and all for one!


* Sammir Dattani: Desi James Bond!

Chocolate-boy Sammir Dattani, who got a great break with Rajshri's 'Uuf Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai', is having the time of his life right now. The youngster, who loves adventure sports, is busy breaking his own records and conquering new avenues in physicality, even as he prepares for his next film. "Three years ago I made my first trip to Mauritius and I gave water skiing a shot, but couldn't manage to do it. I kept falling and couldn't stay up long enough," relates Dattani. "Then last year, while in Phuket with my family for a vacation, I went bungee jumping and enjoyed it so much that I went back the last day and did a back jump. When I went to Mauritius again recently, it was a personal agenda to get the hang of water skiing. On my day off from my shoot, I made a beeline for the water and managed to do just fine....it was the most awesome experience! My next target is to go sky diving." Any Indian filmmakers looking for a desi James Bond?


* Ramgopal Varma: Haryanvi special!

One filmmaker who is always looking for new material to mould into cinematic magic is Ramgopal Varma. The man, who specialises in creating stars out of nobodies, is always on the lookout for a new face - when he finds one, it immediately takes his fancy for some time…until his next obsession. For some reason known only to Ramu, Haryana is the beneficiary this time. We're told it's two Haryanvi lals (meaning 'sons-of-the-soil') who've made it to the ace filmmaker's envious list - Randeep Hooda and Mohit Ahlawat. "They're his favourites right now," claims an insider. "While Randeep is being noticed with 'D', Ahlawat plays the lead protagonist in 'James', which will release later." Wonder if earlier obsessions Urmila and Antara are seething already!


* Amrita Rao: Say 'Choose!'

The success of 'Main Hoon Na' is an old story now. Shah Rukh Khan has moved on, and so have Farah Khan, Zayed Khan and Sushmita Sen. So where's Ms. Amrita Rao these days - still reeling under the effect of the film? Hey, we're just kidding! The truth is something quite different. Amrita is known be a choosy gal, and she makes no bones being loud and clear about it. "I'm choosy, because you have to see to believe the kinds of scripts filmmakers come up with. I can't imagine where they think of such stories from. Out of the many that I hear, I can remotely see myself doing only one or two." Now that explains it. Whenever you meet the gal, scream 'Choose'! We're sure she'll smile back!


* Preity Zinta: 'Zaara' hatke!

She's undoubtedly one helluva gutsy babe. Every film sees her in a totally new avatar. And Preity Zinta wants to do more and more stuff that rocks the audiences. That's the simple reason you'll never find her yelling from the rooftops about her films and roles. "I want to do different kinds of characters each time, so if I've done a classical film like 'Veer Zaara', it doesn't mean there is nothing beyond that. I like totally slipping into my roles, so one sees a different Preity each time. When people saw 'Veer Zaara', they were surprised with the way I looked, from the short cropped hairdo and long skirts in 'Lakshya' to the salwar kameez-clad girl in a Yash Chopra film, with dark kajal, heavy earrings and no bindis. I think I made the perfect Zaara." Well, Preity, we've always said that you're one zaara hatke person… no doubt about that!


* Sunny Deol: The big bear(d)!

Everyone is waiting to see good ol' Sunny again - we mean the Sunny Deol we all know and love, looking like himself again…for a change. It's been months that this macho hero has been sporting a bushy beard that covers almost all of his lower face, leaving only his nasheeley eyes exposed to view. Even his brother Bobby has been heard to say, "I'm waiting to see bhaiyya without his beard once again." Well, the face fuzz was essential to complete his look for 'Jo Bole So Nihaal'. And now that the promos are up and running, we think it's time for a close shave for Sunny. But like many that we shall not name, if he's in love with his screen role and plans to live on with it, we can't do much, can we?

Interview # 3

This Interview is from "www.indiafm.com"


Interview :- Rajpal Yadav

* “I focus on the character's mental status”- Rajpal Yadav
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 15th, 2005 - 1030 hrs IST

Working his way up frame-by-frame, like most actors Rajpal Yadav made a humble beginning in Shool. Spotted by RGV, today Rajpal Yadav has become an integral member of Bollywood. Having used each scene to learn and grow, Rajpal has made a huge impact in every character he has played. In a chat with IndiaFM, he speaks about his upcoming movie Waqt, his experience working with Big B and more.

Tell us about your role in Waqt?
The role is quite good; the name of the character is Laxman and is part of Amitji's family in the movie. He reacts a little slowly to everything, he is a very good guy, his only problem is that he reacts very slowly. Although he tries hard but his level of intelligence is only that much.

How was the experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan?
He is a book we all can learn from. His punctuality, his energy even in this age and the way he co-operates with new actors. Whether it's on the sets or while rehearsing, on any level you won't feel that you are working with him for the first time. He is the pillar of this industry and working with him is a unique experience. I have grown up watching his films so working with him was a dream come true.

What about your equation with Akshay and Priyanka, you have worked with both of them before…
Akshay and I share a good friendship. We were in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi together so there is fine-tuning between us. With Priyanka I have worked in many films. So it was very comfortable to shoot for this film.

All the characters you have played so far have a distinct look, what is the look in this movie?
The look is very simple. But I always feel the look of the character is not limited to his get up, if you change your mentality according to the role then the way you carry the character and your body language also changes. The character then looks more believable. So more than the look I focus on the character's mental status.

Your advertisement with Aishwarya was quite a hit - how was it working with her?
It was great. Atually this was the first time I was working with Aishwarya Rai, everybody co-operated so much I did not feel for once that I am working with a superstar. Since I have not done too many ads I got to learn a lot from this one.

Upon what criteria do you select the roles that you do?
I don't know that, but I keep trying that I do roles, which have different mentality. Even if the role is small but if it touches my heart I don't even think about saying yes for it. I like to experiment, because there you have the challenge of doing something that you have never done before which end of the day enhances the actor in you and teaches you a lot.

You have worked your way up from cameos to meatier roles, what have you learnt in the journey?
I don't know how much have I learnt but then I do want to learn. And as far as doing small roles is concerned well all I can say is that I had to start from somewhere so I took whatever I got and tried to do it with all honesty.

And how has the journey been?
The journey has been very fascinating; God has helped me climb every step of my career.

It's hard to imagine you in an item number, but you did one in D, how did it happen?
Like I told you I believe in experimenting, Ramuji is one person who has given me all the opportunities to do that. He has made me a villain, a comedian, a lead hero, and now an item boy. I was shocked when he offered me this song, but then I felt that if he has so much faith in me then I should give it a try.

You turned down Rakesh Roshan's Krrish, why so?
Rakeshji is one of the most important and respected filmmaker of our industry. Length of the role doesn't matter to me; just that I did not like the character much, there has to be definite character to the role I perform. I had only one scene in Kal Ho Na Ho but I did that because I liked it. There is nothing more to it; in future I would definitely like to work with him whenever I get a chance.

Pick your favourite song from the movie?
All the songs of Waqt are good. I like Miraksam very much, but the overall music is beautiful. The other thing is the way Vipulji has designed the characters in the movie with a specific motive. There was no confusion about any character in the movie; there was a fantastic chemistry between the director and the characters.

What are your forthcoming projects?
A lot of them are on the floors. Some of them are complete and ready to release. Some of them have lead roles, in others I am in a supporting role, but the good thing is that all of them are different characters.

News # 11

This News is from "www.teenstation.com"


* SRK to sing with Indian Idol in Farah's next.
By ANI

Everybody remember 'Apun Bola.. Tu Meri Laila' song from Josh. Anu Malik made SRK sing for this song in Josh. Wasn’t it a hit? So he is going to repeat that again with making SRK sing for Farah Khan’s Happy New Year.

Shahrukh Khan will sing a song .It will be a catchy tune to suit SRK’s voice. Besides SRK, Anu Malik hopes to give a break to newcomers to sing a song for Farah’s film. Talented Abhijeet Sawant, who has just released his album Aapka Abhijeet Sawant, will sing for Farah Khan’s film.

Whether Anu is going to add himself also in singers list, is not confirmed but he has shown that he can sing well with 'Gori Gori...' in Farah's last 'Main Hoon Na'.

News # 12

This News is from "www.bollywoodworld.com"


* A date with Aishwarya!
15th Apr 2005 22.55 IST
By AKC Bureau

Lucky stars have smiled upon Sanjay Kumar, a grocer in UP. The man has won a date with none other than Aishwarya Rai .

Sanjay, a 24-yr-old grocer from the sleepy town of Hapur, had never imagined that he would one day date the woman who has set millions of hearts aflutter throughout the world.

Lady luck smiled on him the day he bought a bottle of Coke and ended up becoming the regional winner for Coca-Cola's under-the-crown promotion, ‘Thanda Aish-Cash’.

As the winner of the contest, Sanjay will get to spend an entire evening with Ash at the premiere of her upcoming movie in Mumbai.

Sanjay, who is a self-confessed ardent fan of Aishwarya, says that he couldn’t believe his luck when he discovered that he had won a date with his khayalon ki mallika.

And there is a chance that Sanjay may also end up winning a tour with Ash to a foreign location for the premiere of her movie. For that he will have to win the lucky draw round as well.

nothing is starting hahah

Info # 10

This Info is from "www.indiatarget.com"


* A grocer to spend an entire evening with Ash!
by Debasis Jana

This year on the eve of Valentines Day, we had conducted a poll on our site, where we had asked out viewers to select the star they wanted to date. We gave five options and two of them were Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. However Aishwarya beat even SRK, who ranked second getting 60% votes.
So if chance is given, then almost 90% peoples will want to date with Aishwarya.
And recently a grocer, namely Sanjay, who runs a grocery in Hapur (UP) won a date with Ash! Yes he is one of the regional winners of the Coca-Cola under the crown (UTC) promotion - Thanda Aish Cash. Sanjay would get an opportunity to spend an entire evening with Ash at the premiere of her forthcoming movie.
Even more, if he wins the 'lucky draw and win' contest he would get a chance to travel with Ash to a foreign location.
"It's just unbelievable to me. Just a bottle of coca-cola won me a chance to meet my favourite actress," said Sanjay.

News # 13

This News is from "www.b4utv.com"


* Oh no not another Ash

There seems to be no dearth of Ash resemblances in the country. And outside India (remember the Pak actress who resembles Ash)! And now we have yet another Ash adding to the list of Aishwarya Rai look-alikes. She happens to be Ash… Ashwini Kale. The actress will be seen opposite Aarif Khan an Anil Kapoor look-alike. And believe, it or faint, the film will be called Banke Rahungi Main Aishwarya. Ashwini however maintains that she definitely wants to have a distinct identity of her own. "Though Ash is even my nickname," she laughed. Aarif Khan maintained that the story was different and no way similar to Chandan Arora's Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon. "Girls come with stars in their eyes. But in reality things are different. They have to compromise on their principles. The casting couch does exist," he said.

News # 14

This News is from "www.aishwarya-forever.com"


* Hollywood Calling

by: Subhash K. Jha
- ians

Andy Tennant, whose film Hitch, starring Will Smith is opening here in India, says Aishwarya Rai had been one of the initial choices for the film.

"I want to see Aishwarya Rai because she was almost in my film. There was a time when she was going to play the college girlfriend, which was originally a much bigger part. I think we were all keen she do it. But we had a demanding schedule, which she couldn't work out. That was the hitch in Hitch."

He described Hitch as a romantic comedy from a guy's point of view.

"Will and I are talking about a sequel," he says, adding that he next wants to attempt a comedy with Nicole Kidman in the lead.

His impression about India: "Wonderful! My wife and I are having a blast," he said.

News # 15

This News is from "www.aishwarya-forever.com"


* Rai will try guru pic
- keralanext.com

Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan will lead the cast of Rajkumar Santoshi’s next film Saamna which is believed to be based on a contentious subject.

The film was launched last weekend in the presence of its stars Ash, Ajay and Nana Patekar. Saamna also has Akshay Kumar, but he wasn’t at the launch because he was shooting for another movie in Chandigarh.

While none of the stars and nor the director revealed anything about the theme of Saamna, a report on Variety says that the movie is based on the subject of exploitation of devotees by the so-called religious gurus.

Nana Patekar plays the role of a charlatan guru in the film. Ajay Devgan, who played a negative role in Santoshi’s last film Khakee, will play a positive character in the film. However, it is not clear whether Ash is cast opposite him or Akshay.

Aishwarya too did not elaborate on her role during the film’s launch.

A report quotes Ash as saying this about the film’s theme: “It is the basic nature of human society to not take a stance in a lot of situations. We see that in our day-to-day life. We have to stand in spite of our fears.”

About her co-stars in the film, Ash said: “I had a good time working with Ajay and Akshay for Khakee. And this is the first time I am working with Nana Patekar. So I am looking forward to this film.”

Besides Saamna, Ash presently has only one other Bollywood project in her kitty – the Dhoom sequel.

At the launch, Ajay too sounded optimistic that this year will turn out better than the last one for him. He said he was eagerly looking forward to the release of his films Main Aisa Hi Hoon and Kaal.

Saamna will most likely release by the end of this year or early next year.

Info # 11

This Info is from "www.aishwaryaworld.com"


* TIME MAGAZINE'S "TOP 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TODAY"

Artists & Entertainers from 1900-1999
Issue April 19-26, 2004

By ALEX PERRY
RUSSEL WONG PHOTOGRAPHER FOR TIME

Aishwarya Rai gets the sort of web adulation that even Britney Spears might envy. The 17,000 sites in her honor include poetry sites, a "Hindu shrine" site, even a site dedicated to her eyes (which she wants to leave to science when she dies). "She deserves to be pampered with roses, smothered with caresses; iridescent as the moon, she is life, body, soul and, yes, heart," reads one paean from a fan. For billions more, from Kabul to Kuala Lumpur, "Ash" is the most recognized female face in Bollywood, as the Indian film industry (the world's largest) is widely known. Now she is about to make a breakthrough in the West. This spring the 30-year-old former Miss World will return to Cannes as the new face of L'Oréal and then tour Britain, the U.S. and Canada in a Bollywood road show. A string of Western film roles will follow Coline Serreau's Chaos, in which she plays a prostitute who is rescued by a housewife, played by Meryl Streep; and Bride and Prejudice, director Gurinder Chadha's follow-up to her 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham. None of that means Rai has given up Bollywood. She's starring in four Indian films to be released this year and has signed for five more.

Rai finds her arrival in Hollywood a little hard to believe. "For a long time I was skeptical," she says. "But now I'm realizing it might be for real." Her hope, she says, is to lead an Indian invasion, to "catalyze" Bollywood's crossover to the West and "open the doors for everybody else." But with aspiration comes fear too. "I'm stepping out of my comfort zone," she says, "leaving all that adulation to be a newcomer again." Somehow, we suspect, the adulation will follow her.

News # 16

This News is from "www.indiafm.com"


* Ghai's next?
By Taran Adarsh, April 19th 2005 - 0930 hrs IST

Subhash Ghai's Mukta Arts Ltd. is planning a series of projects. Besides films with Satish Kaushik, Nagesh Kukunoor, Ashwini Choudhary and Ghai himself, the Showman is also planning a biggie with the AITRAAZ directors -- Abbas-Mustan. And, reportedly, he has signed Akshaye Khanna, Shahid Kapoor and John Abraham for the film in question.

“Yes, we are directing a film for Subhash-ji again,” Abbas [of Abbas-Mustan duo] confirms, “But we're still scripting the film. Till the script shapes up to our satisfaction, we wouldn't like to finalize the stars for it.”

There's talk that the three actors have been finalized… surely there's no smoke without fire. “Subhash-ji has signed a number of stars for his forthcoming projects. And he did suggest certain names we could opt for. But, I reiterate, we would consider them only if they suit the characters. Frankly, we haven't even met Akshaye, John or Shahid in connection with this project.”

The clarification should put to rest all speculations!

News # 17

This News is from "www.indiafm.com"


* Srk Brand Ambassador Of 'Sunfeast'
By Taran Adarsh, April 19th 2005 - 1846 hrs IST

ITC Limited - Foods Business has appointed Shah Rukh Khan as the brand ambassador for its flagship brand 'Sunfeast'. The super-star will be endorsing the entire range of snacks under the umbrella brand 'Sunfeast'.

As brand ambassador, the celebrated actor will play a key role in brand and product communication on television, in print and outdoor media and various promotions and merchandise that have been planned for the brand.

Info # 12

This Info is from "www.indiafm.com"


* Who is Muhammad Atif Aslam?
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 16th, 2005 - 1130 hrs IST

'Yes, that's me” Atif tells us, as we chat over a telecon. We are talking to the man behind the track spinning atop most music charts, 'Woh Lamhe' from Zeher. “I made this song some time back, it was a part of my album, Jalpari. Mukesh Bhatt got in touch with me and said he wanted the song for his forthcoming film” he recollects. “Since it was a rage in Pakistan, I on my part was curious about how the Indian audience would react to it, so was agreeable to the idea. The song was tweaked and recorded in September last year” the youngster informs us.

The song is playing in every nook and cranny of India, what does he think worked best? “It simply reinforces that the treatment of music can change, but people always smell good music from a distance” he articulates. “Besides, I think it has a generic feel to it, it lends itself to people. When people walk up to me and say 'yeh gaana apne humare liye likha hain', I feel I haven't failed my music” Atif coils.

“I was surfing the internet for the latest Pakistani hits and bumped into 'Woh Lamhe'. I thought it was a powerful track and desperately wanted it for Zeher.” says an excited Mohit fresh from the success of his directorial debut. And he thought that it would become the 'Bheege hont tere' of 2005? “That's right, it has a magnetic quality about it, instantly draws you to it. Unlike other songs, it doesn't time to grow on you which works well for today's youngsters like me who are incredibly impatient” he smiles. “I remember an incident when Atif told me that the time he sang the track in Pakistan, it had rained, I brushed it away. But believe me, we recorded in September and it rained” Mohit tells us amused.

News # 18

This News is from "www.indiatarget.com"


* SRK, Salman and Hrithik to share stage at .....!
by Debasis Jana

After the Zee Cine Awards held in London, it's now time for the 8th Annual Sansui Viewer's Choice Movie Awards 2005 to be held in foreign shore. Sansui awards giving ceremony is going to take place on May 29 in the city of Birmingham. However the best thing is Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan will perform at the evening, everybody waiting for. If everything goes right, then the three will shake legs to the same tune on stage. It's interesting, indeed, to the fans of these stars. We are eager to see which star steal the show after all.

News # 19

This News is from "www.santabanta.com"


* Meet SRK's new neighbour!

John Abraham has bought a new home, and no it does not mean that the "Dhoom" star is getting ready to tie the knot with Bipasha Basu though he says they would love to get married - their respective careers willing.

Talking about his new home in Mumbai's Bandra Bandstand, John says: "It's right in the middle of Shah Rukh and Salman Khan's homes. Nice to have an Abraham between two King Khans, don't you think?"

"I'm getting a terrace constructed into it, so I can have story sessions at home," he confesses shyly.

So is this part of the preparation to finally marry Bipasha?

John laughs, "I wish it was. Though we both firmly believe in the institution of marriage and would love to get married, our respective careers have taken off in a big way. I see Bipasha being extremely busy for the next couple of years. She has now begun to sign big banners and top-line projects including 'Dhoom 2'.

"In any case everyone knows we're a couple. We've never pretended to be 'just good friends'. So marriage would just be an inevitable conclusion to a relationship that's common knowledge. More than love, I respect Bipasha. It would be my greatest joy to marry the woman I love and respect."

John takes great pride in his woman's sudden and startling weight loss. "Bipasha works even harder than me at the gym. Her energy and drive just zap me. She's completely made over. Bipasha has just begun her second innings, and so have I."

Understandably John is said to be very upset about not being part of the "Dhoom" sequel.

"I can't pretend I didn't want to be part of 'Dhoom 2'. Abhishek and Uday are such lovely boys. Working with them felt like one big family. I felt the same again while working with Ajay and Vivek in 'Kaal'...I'm too happy to see Bipasha working with Abhishek and Uday, and of course with Hrithik Roshan who's such a great guy himself."

John is very excited about the rewards of "Dhoom". "It has undoubtedly been a turning point for me. I got my first Indian popular award for the performance. I think doing a villain's role is so tough.

"But even tougher is comedy which I'm now doing in Priyadarshan's 'Garam Masala' with Akshay Kumar who has repeatedly proved how good he is at comedy. If I can swing this, I know I've arrived. Because to me comedy is the toughest aspect of acting."

Right now, John is looking forward to Deepa Mehta's "Water", which releases in November. "I learnt to play the flute, and wear a dhoti for the film. But the best part of working in 'Water' was that I got to interact with the amazing Waheeda Rehman who is arguably the most beautiful actress of our cinema. She's so full of experience, and life. Her zest for living is exemplary.

"Such experiences are helping me to wade in different waters. In Ravi Chopra's 'Babul' I get to do full-on masala film for the first time. It's a great role... And I don't care who all were approached to play Rani Mukherjee's second husband. I grabbed it the minute I heard it. I'm also looking forward to Milan Luthria's song-less thriller which Ramesh Sippy is producing. It was earlier called 'Ittefaq'. In terms of screenplay it's as innovative as Mani Ratnam's 'Yuva'. It's got me and Nana Patekar in two parallel stories running in real time. I am choosing my projects very carefully. No false moves, I hope. And no mo'bikes. I've got to zoom on."

The fan following grows. "I've this terrible habit of jumping into the middle of fans. I get too excited. I've to curb that tendency. I know it's too dangerous. But I feel the fans will feel cheated if I distance myself."

About the tepid response to his last release John explains, " 'Karam' wasn't half as bad as some of the other new films. It was slow, yes. But it had layers of meaning which came out as you watched the plot unfold. Both Bipasha and I are comfortable doing unconventional films. But we've to move on. I'd love to do a Karan Johar or a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film."

News # 20

This News is from "www.santabanta.com"


* Now Aishwarya Rai is a Hot Item Girl!

Globe-trotting Aishwarya Rai is finally back home after over a month of hectic shooting for films and ad campaigns and the actress is happy with the way her career, both on and off the screen, is shaping up.

"It feels good to be back home. But I'll be able to feel relaxed only after the 13th when I finish shooting for the two ads for Lux and De Beers," she said.

She said her hectic travel schedule in the past couple of months had kept her busy and it felt like she had been on her feet forever.

"I've travelled so much in the last few weeks. After we finished filming for most of Paul Berges' "Mistress Of Spices" in Britain, we flew to San Francisco (US) for the final week's shooting. Though it rained constantly, it failed to dampen our schedule. We managed to wrap up the shooting just in time for me to get to London for the Zee cine awards function."

Ash is ecstatic about finally having won recognition for her performance in Rituparno Ghosh's "Raincoat", a movie she's extremely proud of and for which she won the critics award at the Zee cine awards function held in London March 26.

"It got me the best reviews ever. Therefore, when I finally got the critics award at for the performance I felt vindicated."

Asked about her performance at the Zee awards that was not up to the standards she sets for herself, she said: "There was hardly any time for rehearsal. I had told the organisers that it would be cutting it too close.

"Then to top it all, I thought I had to perform only to A.R. Rahman's Indian songs but at the eleventh hour some more songs were added. So I had to spend whatever little time I had before my performance hunting for the right clothes."

Ash admitted that she was a perfectionist. "I can't rush through anything. I've to work over whatever I do," she confessed.

After the Zee awards in London, she flew off to the Czech capital Prague to shoot for a new ad campaign for L'Oreal. "Prague was fun. I loved the warmth and hospitality of the people there."

But right now it's the Chinese who seem to have taken a shine to Aishwarya. She has been featured on the cover of a prestigious Chinese magazine as a symbol of Indo-Chinese friendship.

"Have I really?" she reacts with surprise and some amusement. "I'm glad to symbolise anything to do with my country. And if it's to do with creating world pace, I'm right up there. What better use for my personality?"

Back home, Ash has just signed a new film with Raj Kumar Santoshi. "I think it's too early to talk about Raj-ji's film 'Samna'. But yes, it will be a hard-hitting film and an unusual departure for me after 'Dhoom 2', which is a fun film. I go into 'Dhoom 2' in June for a brief schedule and then full-scale shooting in November," she said.

For the record, Ash will be seen next in special guest appearance in Shaad Ali's "Bunty Aur Babli" where she features in an item song with father-son duo Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan.

"Shooting the song was great fun, since both Amitji and Abhishek are such good friends. I hope the audience enjoys watching the song as much we enjoyed shooting it."

Info # 13

This Info is from "www.b4utv.com"


* Ash: Jet settin'

After months of continuous hard work, Ash is back in Mumbai. Ash was out of the country for over a month shooting for Paul Berges' Mistress of Spices in Britain. She then air dashed to San Fransisco to complete the final schedule of the film. Ash then flew to UK again for an award function. From there she flew to Prague to shoot an ad for L'Oreal. Back home, it was a tight schedule again because she had to shoot an ad for Lux and De Beers. Ash will soon begin shooting for Rajkumar Santoshi's Saamna and Dhoom 2. "Saamna is a real film. Dhoom 2 is like fantasy. I will soon begin shooting for both films," she said.

Ash was in Newyork Yesterday at the Times 100 most influential list function. she flies to Uk for the filming of 'provoked' after this event.

Info # 14

This Info is from “www.indiafm.com”


* Ash dines with the 100 most influential people
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 20th 2005 - 1630 hrs IST


She made it to the cover of the Time Magazine. And now Miss Rai was invited to an exclusive star-studded dinner in New York last night by the Time magazine. The list of invitees included Time 100 - the 100 Most Influential People In The World as per the Time magazine.

Some of the prominent names on the list included George W Bush, Bill Clinton, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Jamie Foxx and Kayne West to name a few.

Info # 15

This Info is from “www.indiafm.com”


* DDLJ to complete 500 weeks
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 20th 2005 - 1530 hrs IST

Aditya Chopra's evergreen love story Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge will soon create an all-time world record for the longest running film in the history of Hindi cinema. On May 13, 2005 the movie will complete its 500th week of continuous run at the Maratha Mandir cinema hall in Mumbai. The film released on October 20, 1995 and has been continuously playing at the Maratha Mandir cinema hall since then. Plans are being made to re-release the film all across the country on the occasion.

DDLJ was the directorial debut of Aditya Chopra and starred Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal and Anupam Kher in lead roles.

News # 21

This News is from “www.indiatarget.com”


* Aishwarya in a new Hollywood film!
by Debasis Jana
Aishwarya Rai keeps making big internationally. Director Jag Mundhra signed up the Bollywood queen for his next venture, 'Provoked'. Aishwarya will play female lead opposite Naveen Andrews, who co-starred her in Gurinder Chadha's 'Bride & Prejudice'. Soon the film will go on floor. As per reliable source, Aishwarya is leaving for London at the end of this month to give the first shot of this film.

News # 22

This News is from “www.indiatarget.com”


* Karan Johar signed up 'Bunty Aur Babli' stars!
by Debasis Jana

Yash Raj film's forthcoming movie 'Bunty Aur Babli' has already generated ripples in Bollywood showbiz for different reasons. As it is featuring Big B and son Abhishek together for the first time and on the other hand Rani Mukherji pairs up with beau Abhishek for second time after 'Yuva', it has already become a talk of the town.

However, after Karan Johar announced his next directorial venture, the uniqueness and the freshness of the star cast of the film 'Bunty Aur Babli' got hampered a little bit. Because, Karan Johar has all set to cast the interesting combination of Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherji in his next. And the three have already been signed up. As Big B recently revealed to us that, he has little to do with Rani in this film. Big B will be playing just a cameo in this Karan Johar's next.

News # 23

This News is from “www.bollywoodworld.com”


* Ash dines with influential people
20th Apr 2005 22.00 IST
By AKC Bureau

Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai attended the dinner of Time magazine’s hundred most influential people last night.

The dinner, held in New York, was attended by celebrities from various walks of life. More than three hundred people including Melissa Etheridge, Jon Stewart, John Galliano and Bill Belichick attended the event.

The list of invitees also included this year’s Oscar winners Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Jamie Foxx.

A report quotes Ash as saying that she felt “honored” and “humbled” to have been invited to the dinner.

Ash has featured on the cover of Time magazine and was last year named by the magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for the year 2004-05.

She is also acting alongside Meryl Streep in ‘Chaos’ and will play a marginal role in Michael Douglas’ movie ‘Racing the Monsoon’. She has almost finished shooting for Paul Berges’ movie ‘Mistress of Spices’.

News # 24

This News is from “www.b4utv.com”


* Akshaye out of Priyan film

Shahid Kapur has replaced Akshaye Khanna in Priyadarshan's next film. Though Akshaye neither confirmed nor denied the news, sources have it that Priyadarshan replaced Akshaye Khanna with Shahid Kapur because the former demanded a huge sum-almost Rs 2 crore - to act in the film. "Akshaye did not want to be a part of the film hence shot up his price," revealed a source close to Akshaye. Kareena Kapoor plays the female lead. Paresh Rawal has been signed on too. As for Shahid, he is happy as the film will give him a chance to be close to girlfriend Kareena Kapoor. Will the duo work their magic this time after the debacle of Fida? Wait and see.

News # 25

This News is from “www.filmfare.com”


* Vivek Oberoi: Cat style!

If you thought shooting with such ferocious beasts as tigers was not any Bollywood actress' cup of tea, you're in for a surprise. Esha Deol and Lara Dutta were modern day versions of Fearless Nadia when it came to shooting with the big cats for Karan Johar's 'Kaal'. Vivek Oberoi, who was also on the sets, going through a number of 'encounters' with the beasts said, "I was quite impressed with Esha and Lara. They weren't scared in the least and were even excited about working with the animals. On the contrary, it was the unit guys who were more scared." Maybe that's because the sexy ladies have learnt that it's the two-legged creature that that can be more dangerous than the four-legged one - no reference to Vivek, of course!

News #26

This News is from “www.santabanta.com”


* Surprise, Rani is Abhishek's queen!

Rani Mukherjee made a lasting onscreen impact with Amitabh Bachchan in "Black", and her character opposite Abhishek in "Yuva" won them both awards in the best supporting roles.

It is little wonder that both the father and son are all praise for the lady with the husky voice and light eyes, as she will now be featuring alongside both of them in Shaad Ali's adventure crime caper "Bunty Aur Babli".

That she is extremely professional, hardworking, gifted and easygoing is an oft-repeated comment, but the two Bachchans have their individual reasons to like sharing screen space with her.

"In her company, acting becomes a pleasure and a joy. That's why both Pa and I could do the most difficult roles. She makes the atmosphere on the sets so relaxed," enthuses Abhishek.

The senior Bachchan recalls how during "Black" Rani would constantly keep a watch over him. "To make sure I didn't over-tire myself, that I was comfortable. She would ask about my food... a very caring girl. We all are very fond of her."

In "Bunty..." too, Abhishek maintained: "Rani and I had so much fun, it wasn't funny! We just freaked out. It's so different from our other films together."

However, on telling him that the audiences saw Rani and him, as the Amitabh-Jaya avatar of the new millennium, Abhishek raises an eyebrow.

"Really? I don't think so. There cannot be another pair like Ma and Pa. But yes, Rani and I share a great comfort level. And that shows onscreen."

Adds the smiling Bachchan senior: "All three of us are together in 'Bunty...'. Though I don't have too many scenes with Rani - most of her interaction is with Abhishek - it was fun shooting.

"('Bunty...' is) quite a telling contrast from what we did in 'Black'. I think audiences will be pleasantly surprised to see how different in mood and treatment 'Bunty...' is from 'Black'."

He will again be co-starring with Rani in Ravi Chopra's "Babul".

"Yes, there we have a lot more scenes together. And it would certainly be another occasion after 'Black' to sharpen our skills as actors."

Later this year, both father and son will be again work with Rani in Karan Johar's directorial venture.

"Rani will be Abhishek's co-star. She'll have nothing to do with me in Karan's film," reveals Big B, who is also playing a cameo in Amol Palekar's Paheli starring Rani.

With so much of the Bachchans in her career, Rani seems to be in the most enviable position for a leading lady in Bollywood today.

News # 27

This News is from “www.teenstation.com”


* SRK, Abhishek will be in lead roles in '"Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna".

Mumbai, Apr.21 : Karan Johar commenced the song recording of his next directorial venture, "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna".

The music of the film has been composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Javed Akhtar has penned the lyrics. The film is expected to go on the floors in May and will be wrapped up by the end of this year.

"Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji.

This is the first time SRK and little B will be seen together.

Before this Karan Johar had directed "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam" in which he directed Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hritik Roshan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Jaya Bachchan. Once again after "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" and "K3G" people are expecting a big hit from Johar.

News # 28

This News is from “www.indiatarget.com”


* Preity replaced Priyanka!
by Debasis Jana

Preity Zinta lost out to Priyanka Chopra in 'Koi Mil Gaya' sequel, and now it is Priyanka's turn to lose role to pretty Preity Zinta. As per the latest, producer Sajid Nadiadwala is repeating his 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' pair comprising Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan in his next movie, titled, 'Janeman'. But this time around the star duo have to woo another woman - Priyanka Chopra has been replaced by Preity Zinta. The story behind this move is that Ms. Chopra has allegedly fallen out with Sajid. But the producer denies it, saying that had he repeated Priyanka too, the film would have looked like 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi' part 2 instead. However he promises to work with PC again in his next project.