Bipasha Basu voted sexiest Asian woman

Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu has been named the sexiest Asian woman by the British newspaper Eastern Eye.
On claiming the top spot for the second time after 2005, the Indian actress said: “I’m glad I got the crown back and will try and hold on to it this time.
“I think sexiness goes beyond looks and is a total package, from your personality to the way you carry yourself in your everyday life. I’m really grateful to all who voted for me because I work very hard,” added the actress, who is looking forward to her next release “Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal”.
Commenting on Bipasha’s international appeal, Hamant Verma, editor of Eastern Eye and the founder of its Sexiest Asian Women in the World List, said: “Bipasha is a living embodiment of sexual attractiveness. Her acting ability, beauty and charm are capable of arousing great interest in her from the world’s media.”
Last year’s winner, former Miss World and Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, bagged the third position this year while actress Madhuri Dixit was voted the runner-up.
The other Bollywood actresses who made it to the top 10 positions are Aishwarya Rai, voted as the fourth sexiest Asian woman and Shilpa Shetty, who came in sixth followed by Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor and Lara Dutta.
The public voted for those they thought were the sexiest Asian women from a list of 100 names published in the newspaper and on its website. The chairman of the judges’ panel was Eastern Eye’s show business editor Asjad Nazir.

Source: http://www.freshnews.in

Shahrukh wanted to kiss Deepika

Shahrukh Khan never runs short of humour. Every thing that comes out of his mouth is like an idiom after the release of Om Shanti Om. Now, he said that he wanted a kiss scene with Deepika in OSO but dropped the idea, as he could reach only up to her stomach, owing to her great height.
King Khan said that he enjoyed working with Deepika except for her height. "We wanted one kissing scene, but I only reached up to her stomach," he joked. "Her height is suitable for one hero only, and that is Amitabh Bachchan," he added.

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

‘Saawariya’ to premiere two days ahead of release

In an unprecedented move, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Sony Pictures have decided to premiere “Saawariya” on Nov 7, two days ahead of its actual release. And the team is so confident about the final product that they say negative publicity won’t harm the movie.
Normally films are premiered on Thursday, 14 hours ahead of release on Friday, so that the chances of negative publicity are minimised.
“But we’ve enough faith in our product not to be bothered by such considerations. To my mind Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the finest filmmaker in this country,” Uday Singh, CEO of Sony Pictures, told IANS.
A lot is at stake as far as the film is concerned. The musical love story is the launch vehicle of two scions of Bollywood - Neetu and Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranbir and Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam. And their future depends on the success of the film.
Also starring Salman Khan and Rani Mukerji, the film is Bhansali’s first venture after “Black”.
Singh says they decided for an early show for the guests’ sake.
“With Diwali on Nov 9 and people being busy preparing for puja in their homes, we didn’t want to inconvenience our premiere guests. We aren’t scared of showing the film two days in advance. We’ve seen the product and we now know Sanjay has given us a superlative film.
“In fact, we were keen on hosting the premiere of ‘Saawariya’ in New York, and we didn’t mind doing the NY premiere almost a week before release. However, the special effects delayed the completion and the NY idea had to be dropped.”
Shah Rukh Khan’s much talked about “Om Shanti Om” is also releasing the same day.
Commenting on that, Singh said: “During the festive mood we believe people are ready to go out and spend money on two movies. And it doesn’t matter to us which film they see first as long as we bring them out of their homes. Having said that, let me remind people that we announced our release date in the trade a year back.
“If suddenly competition creeps up on us, so be it. They’re two completely different films. And the market is large enough for both. Shah Rukh Khan is undoubtedly the king, whereas Sanjay Bhansali a unique creator. Maybe it’s time for audiences to dig deep into their wallets during the festive season.”
Sony is releasing about 600 prints of “Saawariya” in India and approximately 900 more globally.
“We’re primarily targeting the film at NRI audiences abroad, plus a limited art house release for non-Indians. If that works, we’ll pump up the release but no chances of dubbing ‘Saawariya’. Today’s audiences are far more tolerant of subtitles, what with their eyes constantly multi-tasking on the TV screen,” said Singh.

Source: http://www.freshnews.in

Ash's birthday gift

The latest we hear is that a blue Mercedes has been seen outside Amitabh Bachchan's home in Mumbai for the last 24 hours.
This, it appears, is Aishwarya Rai's 34th birthday gift, given to her by her in-laws.
The Bachchans obviously love their bahu quite a bit, as is obvious from the other birthday present she got -- a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love. And they call her 'Pari' (fairy) at home.

Source: http://www.rediff.com

Exclusive look of Abhishek Bachchan “Drona”

Drona is a 2008 Fantasy film starring Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Jaya Bachchan and Kay Kay Menon. Priyanka Chopra is enacting Abhishek Bachchan’s bodyguard while Kay Kay Menon is acquiring a negative role. Menon’s role was first offered to Shiney Ahuja who opted out saying he had date problems. Part of the film was shot in PragueCzech Republic, Bikaner, India, Maharashtra, India and Namibia, Africa. The film was initially due to be released around December, 2007 but was delayed to a 2008, Diwali release due to a special effects procedure.

Source: http://www.freshnews.in

Hema Malini donates her eyes

Hema Malini has been chosen as the ‘Brand ambassador of ‘Vision 2020 – The Right To Sight India". With this, she joins the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Juhi Chawla, Suniel Shetty and the southern super star Revathi by pledging her doe-eyed eyes.
As part of her role in the organization, she will be making a short film and spread awareness through TV spots and radio. She would also be present on October 11, as a part of World Sight Day celebrations. In addition to that, she would also help in the fund raising events through musical concerts, gala dinners, charity shows in metros with like-minded Celebrities.

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

Akshay wants to play lead in Dhoom 3

When you think of Dhoom, you think of John Abraham. When it"s Dhoom 2, you recall Hrithik Roshan"s stylised negative character called Mr A. No wonder every actor worth his biceps wants to now act in Dhoom 3. Akshay Kumar is one of the actors who"s making all the right moves to land the part of the negative character in the Yash Raj film.
Says a source, “When Akshay Kumar saw Dhoom 2 last year, he freaked out on Hrithik"s character. Though Hrithik played a negative role it was conceptualised and stylised by Adi (Aditya Chopra) so well that he stood out amongst all the rest. It was John Abraham"s negative character again that made a mark in Dhoom. So Akshay is very keen on playing the anti-hero in Dhoom 3 at any cost. He is ready to do the film with any director Yash Raj selects."
The source adds that Akshay has expressed his enthusiasm to Aditya Chopra. He adds, “Akshay told Adi that he can pull this off as he loves action, and Dhoom is all about pushing the envelope when it comes to stunts etc. Akshay is already working with Yash Raj productions in Tashan and so he already has one foot in the door." The source further elaborates, “Yash Raj always works with stars who have a big draw and Akshay is at his peak right now. Adi (Aditya) and he have worked hard on his look in Tashan where Akshay has a crew cut and sports a stubble for his tapori goonda role. And I won"t be surprised if Akshay finally makes it to Dhoom 3"
The only hitch is Akshay"s price. The Chopras are known for not paying their stars well.Akshay Kumar maintains, “I haven"t approached Yash Raj for any role in Dhoom 3. Nor have them mentioned anything to me. This is the first time I am hearing about it."

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

Saawariya to screen in New York Festival

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya will be premiered and there will be screenings of Rituparno Ghosh's 'The last lear, Pan Nalin's Valley of flowers and Mira Nair's short film Aids jaago' at the five-day Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival beginning in New York from November 7.
Fifty films have been selected, including 12 world premieres, 11 US premieres and 15 New York premieres at the festival which is being sponsored by Mahindra and Mahindra.
Saawariya is the first Indian co-production by Sony Pictures. Starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, the film is based on 'White Nights' which is a short story written by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
The last lear stars Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, and Arjun Rampal, while Buddhadeb Dasgupta's The voyeurs stars Amitav Bhattacharya, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Sameera Reddy and Valley of flowers stars Milind Soman, Mylene Jampanoi, and Naseeruddin Shah. It won the Jury Award for Best Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival 2007.
Arindam Nandy's Via darjeeling stars Kay Kay Menon, Parvin Dabas, Vinay Pathak and Shonali Misra. The film was earlier screened in Delhi at the Osian's Cinefan Asian and Arab Film Festival 2007.
Four short films directed by Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Farhan Akhtar and Santosh Sivan will also be screened.

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

Aishwarya celebrates ’special birthday’ in Agra

It can’t be anything but destiny. Aishwarya Rai, who will be playing Mumtaz Mahal in Ben Kingsley’s film on the Taj Mahal, celebrated her 34th birthday in Agra with husband Abhishek Bachchan.
“You make it sound so dramatic and romantic. It’s nothing like that. I’ve brought it in with Abhishek, Ma (mom-in-law Jaya Bachchan) and Pa (father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan),” Aishwary, who turns a year older Thursday, told IANS.
“Abhishek was shooting an ad in Agra on Wednesday. So I joined him with Ma. And then Pa also joined us. So you could say it’s a perfect birthday by the Taj Mahal, though not quite at the Taj Mahal - have you seen the crowds over there? We can’t risk going to the Taj Mahal, but a stone’s throw away. It’s a pity my parents couldn’t join us here in Agra,” she added.
She says that her birthday in Agra was very special.
“My birthday in Agra was just too special. Someone up there has answered all my prayers.”
It’s been a hectic time for Aishwarya. She has just come home after two months in Boston and will be heading straight to Karjat after her birthday for the last two days’ shooting of Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Jodhaa-Akbar”.
However, the actress is in a celebration mode since her arrival.
“I came back from the US from shooting ‘Pink Panther’ in time for Karwa Chauth. God knows how the TV cameras got our shots, probably from neighbour’s premise. We’re just leading our lives normally. I don’t know why or how the press has this hunger to know about us.”
This is Aishwarya’s first birthday at the Bachchans after her much-hyped wedding with Abhishek.
“This is my first birthday after marriage and therefore a very special occasion. But that apart, you know me. Spending time with the people I love is my greatest joy. I’m in a very happy place. And I don’t mean Agra. Just being with three people who mean so much to me makes my life complete. God has been kind. There’s great fulfilment in love and in being loved, by not just my husband, but his parents, who are now my parents. We’re one family and we all love one another.”
“Well if you say I glow, it’s the glow of happiness. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
She’s excited about doing the Taj Mahal film with Kingsley.
“On the first day of shooting ‘The Last Legion’ with him, he (Ben Kingsley) walked up to me and said, ‘I’ve this idea.’ And he told me about the Shah Jehan-Mumtaz Mahal film that he’d like to do. You know, how many Taj Mahal scripts have come my way. I told Ben there have been many occasions when this subject has come to me.
“But there was something exceptionally interesting about the way he approached the subject. And yes, the whole process of discussing the subject with him was participative. After ‘The Last Legion’ I kind of put it in the back of my mind. But earlier this year he confirmed it was on.”
At the moment it’s “Jodhaa-Akbar” that occupies Aishwarya’s mind.
“You know me. Once I get into a subject, I’m totally into it. But yes, I’m looking forward to working with Ben again.”
What does she want for her birthday?
She thought for a while and said: “Just blessings and good wishes. Apart from that god has given me everything.”

Source: http://www.freshnews.in

Rahman's song dropped from Jodha Akbar

It may come as a shock to many that a spectacular 'qawwali' by the maestro, A R Rahman, has been dropped from Ashutosh Gowariker and UTV's republic week release, Jodhaa Akbar.
The traditional 'qawwali', from the movie that features the 'Indian Greek God', Hrithik Roshan and timeless beauty Aishwarya (Rai) Bachchan, had been extravagantly picturised, a while back. The music director of the magnum opus, A R Rahman, informs that it was a mutually agreed decision, as there was no situational demand.
Rahman also has interesting information regarding the above mentioned 'qawwali'. As per the composer, so impressed is Aishwarya Bachchan with the composition that she wants to use it in her next project/movie.
Well, for now we can only wait and watch whether Ashutosh concedes to the demand of the Bachchan 'bahu'!

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

"Saawariya" - another short film from Bhansali

At two hours and eight minutes of playing time “Saawariya” is one of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s shortest films ever. His last work, “Black”, was just a few minutes longer but had no songs.
Bhansali’s second film “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” had 10 songs and a playing time of three hours.
“Saawariya”, with eight songs, is far shorter than the opulent and stunning “Devdas” which ran into three hours and 10 minutes with a mix of songs, dances and operatic drama.
Economy of expression defines the romance between Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in the much-awaited film. From the time his eyes fall on Sonam, Ranbir celebrates his love in ecstatically composed and choreographed numbers that create a waltz of a thousand steps with just gestures and whispers.
“Saawariya” is Sanjay’s subtlest, most quiet and mellow film to date. While almost every sequence in “Devdas” and “Black” culminated in an operatic crescendo, the shot compositions in “Saawariya” suggest a symphony rather than an opera.
The eight elaborate songs and dances in the musical love story take up quite a chunk of the film’s precious playing time. What remains between the two people in love are those unspoken words and unshed tears of a relationship that knows no full stop.
Songs have been used to propel the story forward in “Saawariya” and every song tells a tale. Monty Sharma’s tunes and Sameer’s lyrics create a structure akin to a raga.
“Saawariya” is a formally structured romance with the episodes between the protagonists moving forward in power-packed pirouettes of passion.
The presiding colour of “Saawariya” is blue, which defines the spaces that separate and bring the lovers together. But the mood after the film’s first screening was anything but blue.
It was unanimously felt that Bhansali’s latest work takes him far ahead of his earlier films. For those who think all his films are about thundering passion, “Saawariya” is a bolt from the blue.

Source: http://www.freshnews.in

Indore court grants bail to Aamir Khan

Bollywood star Aamir Khan was granted anticipatory bail Tuesday by the Indore Sessions Court in a case relating to alleged disrespect to the national flag.
A lower court had Oct 23 issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the actor for failing to appear in court.
Aamir has been accused of disrespecting the national flag in a complaint filed by advocate Shailendra Sharma. He was the chief guest at a function organised by a car showroom Aug 16 where 11 national flags were hoisted. Sharma alleged that the flag was not lowered even after sunset and was treated shabbily.
'Firstly, the tricolour was not removed much after sunset. After it was pointed out to the hosts, it was taken down in a derogatory manner and later put on the ground according to media persons present at the function,' the complainant said.
After the arrest warrant was issued, Aamir, through his counsel Pankaj Bagadia, moved an application Tuesday convincing the court that he was not guilty of the complaint filed against him. Special Sessions judge Mohammed Shamim granted him anticipatory bail and fixed Nov 7 as the next date for hearing.

Source: http://www.india-forums.com

Om Shanti Om-Saawariya clash this Diwali

With the much touted 'Eid' battle between Yash Raj's Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and T-Series' Bhool Bhulaiyaa, turning out to be a tame, one sided affair in favour of the latter, the focus now shifts to the 'Diwali' clash.
While the initial rounds had both Om Shanti Om and Saawariya trying to put their best foot forward, by way of breath taking visuals and grand song promos, round two saw the makers of both the big-budgeted ventures go in for merchandising and reality shows.
However, with the big day (November 9) less than two weeks away, Saawariya has fired its ICBM, a towel-clad Ranbir, aimed at countering SRK's shirtless six-packs! This they have done through one of the best tracks of Saawariya, 'Jab se tere naina'. Not willing to be cowered down, the Om Shanti Om team has bombarded the channels with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's superb and soulfully rendered, 'Jag soona soona lage', featuring a heartbroken King Khan!
The ball is now firmly in the audience's court and it will be very interesting to see how they react to these and other publicity blitzkrieg, before casting their 'Diwali' ballot!

Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

Manayata to fast on Karva Chauth for Sanjay

Sanjay Dutt might be locked inside the Yerawada Jail in Pune but his beloved Manayata is fasting on Karva Chauth praying for his long life. Though the couple are not officially married Manyata being religious observes all the rituals of a married woman. Manya as she is fondly called will be joining other women in observing the ritual on the roof of Sanjay Dutt's house.
This will be the second occasion the actress will be keeping fast for Sanjay as she had done this last year also. Sanjay who was touched by her act last year had gifted her a diamond set the next day. Manyaata has firmly stood besides Sanju during in his recent troubled times. She is not liked by his daughter Trishala who is currently in US. His sisters Priya and Namrata are not fond of Manayata either.
Hope Manayata's prayer for Sanju's long life comes true and the air between her and Sanju's family members are cooled.

source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in

Celina is Egypt’s brand ambassador in India

Celina Jaitley is pretty ecstatic these days. The actress, who bagged the international project “Love Has No Language”, has now been appointed the Egypt Tourism Board’s brand ambassador in India.
Taking time off her hectic schedule, she made a trip to Cairo. It also happened to be her first trip to Egypt.
“I was not sure how popular our Bollywood films were. But to my surprise they seem to be big fans of our movies and Amitabh Bachchan happens to be their favourite actor. Most of them wanted to know if I had acted with him and asked me all sort of questions about him,” said Celina.
Among the highlights of her trip was the visit to the Giza Pyramids and meetings with the Tourism Authority of Egypt to strengthen India-Egypt relations, especially in the field of entertainment.

Source: http://www.freshnews.in