"More women are lost to marriage than floods and famine,'' said a skeptic. Despite constant and vehement denials from the concerned parties, it seems like Bollywood is about to lose some of its best talent to the institution shortly.
Talk is that B-town's most celebrated talent Vidya Balan, who is good friends with Siddharth Roy Kapur, a top film corporation honcho may reportedly get engaged to him.
A top industry source says, "Vid and Sid are close. And in the past weeks they have been spotted spending quality time with each other on two occasions. The first time was when they reportedly stayed back after an awards night in Singapore and more recently when they were photographed in casual attire at a beach destination in India.''
Rumours say that Vidya who is doing some exceptional film work this year may consider getting engaged to Siddharth. There is also talk that the film corporation executive is not comfortable talking about his friendship with the actress because he is allegedly waiting for his divorce to come through.
Vidya's secretary however rubbishes all this talk. Says he, "Vidya has to first know Siddharth well enough to marry him. One doesn't necessarily marry people one is friendly to or has dinners with."
The actress remained unavailable for comment.
Before taking a break from his period film Mausam to celebrate his 30th birthday in Italy, Shahid Kapoor was once again back on the set of the upcoming movie that costars Sonam Kapoor.
It's been hard to miss that Shahid has been sporting a new look lately and it's all because of the upcoming film. The Chance Pe Dance actor is set to rock four different looks in the love story between Rohan and Aayat.
The four styles represent the four seasons. Shahid will go from wearing a beard in winter to sporting a summer look, an autumn aura and a spring style.
Mausam is also said to be one of the actor's most romantic movies so far in his career. At least if we were to take Shahid's words for it:
"All I can say is, it is the most intensely romantic film I've ever done, or am likely to do," he told the Times of India.
Mausam will come out in July. The love story goes from depression to happiness according to the seasons. What do you think of Sonam's and Shahid's looks on the set of Mausam?
Vidya Balan, who has proved her acting prowess by working in offbeat films like ‘Paa’ and ‘Ishqiya’ is all set to play South Indian sex icon ‘Silk Smitha in Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Dirty Picture’. But Vinu Chakravarthy, a filmmaker from down South, who claims to have created the “phenomenon” of the sexy ‘Silk’ siren is of the opinion that Vidya will not befit the role. He was blunt enough to say that the talented actress has a sad face and her eyes lack sensuality.
Talking to a tabloid, Vinu said, “Vidya has a sad face and the main attractiveness of Smitha lay in her large, inviting eyes. This is missing in Vidya. Deepika or Aishwarya would be better.”
“It was I who created the phenomenon of Silk Smitha through my film ‘Vandi Chakram’ way back in 1980. I wrote the script in 1976 and chiseled the character ‘Silk’ for almost three years before we took off in 1979,” added the director.
Moreover, the filmmaker is peeved with producer Ekta Kapoor for not seeking permission from him to make the biopic.
“Smitha, aka Vijayalakshmi, assumed the name Silk subsequently, as her character in the movie became so popular. ‘Silk’ is my creation and anyone who makes a film on her should take permission from me,” said Vinu.
And Vinu has even expressed his concerns over the script. He would like to read it else he would approach the Censor Board to intervene.
“I want to go through the script or else I will raise an objection when they apply to the Censor Board. This is because it is my genuine concern that Silk Smitha should not be projected in a demeaning way. I would gladly work for free if they approached me, “added the director.
Ekta Kapoor, who is known to be extremely short tempered gave a piece of her mind to Vinu and said, “ Vinu is talking rubbish. To begin with, how can he cast aspersions on my casting? Vidya is such a fine actress. Has he seen how broad her range of emotion is on screen? And Vidya certainly doesn’t have a sad face.”
Sushant Singh Rajput, one of the top participants on Sony TV's 'Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa 4', wants to quit the dance reality show due to a back injury. But judge Madhuri Dixit has asked him to stay on.
A source from the sets reveals that Sushant said during a recent shoot that he wants to quit.
"Sushant told the judges that he wants to quit as he is not in a position to perform, and said he doesn't want to be unfair to the other contenders by not performing and still doing the vote appeal," said the source.
Apparently Sushant, who has been performing consistently and getting perfect scores, suffered the injury during the technical rehearsals with his choreographer Shampa.
Though he has been in excruciating pain, the judges were not happy with his decision.
"Madhuri told Sushant that he is one of the best dancers on the show and she would love to see him dance. She also said that she is confident he will find a place in the top three finalists, and so he should take a call only after really thinking it over," added the source.
Host Mona Singh interrupted and told Sushant: "We'll talk about it later!"
Recently, there were rumours that Sushant had threatened Sony TV about leaving the show when his girlfriend Ankita Lokhande was eliminated. However he denied this in an interview.
The reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 4 will not have any elimination this week. During this weeks elimination round Sushant Singh Rajput and Yana Gupta were in the danger zone, while Meiyang Chang and Mahi Vij were safe.
Both the danger zone contestants were the strongest contestants of the show. While Sushant couldn't perform because of his back ache, Yana took up the challenge of performing a classical number, which is not her forte.
Before the show started both the danger zone contestants had a face off and it goes unsaid that both of them gave their best shot of the day and retained themselves back on the show. On seeing them perform actress Madhuri Dixit was spellbound and said that this dance performance was the most difficult decision of the season for the judges. The judges finally concluded that they will use their “no elimination power” and keep back both Yana and Sushant on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.
This was the second time when the judges have kept back both the contestants after seeing their performance. Earlier it happened to Ankita Lokhande and Yana Gupta during the wild card round. Hopefully the finale will be a fair one for all the contestants.
Ankita Lokhande will be the next contestant to be eliminated from the celebrity dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 4, on Sony TV. Reportedly Yana Gupta and Ankita Lokhande will get tied up in the danger zone of the dance reality show.
Ankita however, looses the game to the talented dancer Yana Gupta. Ankita is eliminated from the competition, while Yana is saved and will fight it out in the next episode. The elimination however, doesn't seem to be the end of everything for Ankita.
The actress seemed to be very cool about it and said that Jhalak was a good experience. She added that she was lucky to learn a lot under the guidance of Madhuri Dixit. She also said that she was fortunate to get the second chance to prove her talent on Jhalak Dikhla Jaa as a wild card entrant.
She was confident that, though she lost the game, beau Sushant Singh Rajput will definitely win the dance reality show. She ended saying that there is no reason for her to be disappointed, as Sushant is still in for the game.
Well said Ankita, whoever win, its the same for people in love.
Indian textile tycoon Arun Nayar, who recently parted ways with wife Liz Hurley, looked pretty pleased as he stepped out in Soho with his new girlfriend, model Kim Johnson. The couple enjoyed an evening out at The Groucho club and looked happy and relaxed as they left the London hot spot, reports the Daily Mail.
The Indian textile tycoon and the 25-year old model were introduced at a jewellery launch in September and are believed to have been dating for several weeks.
But while Nayar’s love life is blossoming, his estranged wife Liz Hurley’s romance has seemingly come to an end after Australian cricket ace Shane Warne was accused of cheating on her with a porn star.
Siddharth Mallya, son of liquor baron Vijay Mallya who is constantly hitting the headlines for his love affair with long legged beauty Deepika Padukone has finally came forward and clear the air of doubt about his relationship with the ‘Om Shati Om’ actress.
It is said that Siddharth has purchased a flat worth Rs 6 crore to his ladylove in Mumbai. When the same question id popped to him, Siddharth replied, “Let me buy one for myself first. Please do let me know if you get it on the same price for my personnel.”
When asked whether he is really dating Deepika as the news is doing all around since the days she has been supporting RCB. Sid was quick to counter back, “Does being escorted by a brand ambassador of RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore) mean dating?”
No matter how much stress does Sid put to prove that he and Dippy are just friends but truth cannot be hidden for a long? Eventually, one fine day, the cat will be out of the bag.
For her item number in Dum Maaro Dum, Deepika Padukone was to wear an Anahita Adajania Shroff outfit a sexy bikini halter-top paired with the shortest skirt she's ever designed.
Deepika was aware of this and had worked hard to get into shape so she could fit into the ensemble. However, the skirt was too short for her. The actress got it changed to shorts in stead.
A source explains the need for the change, "The skirt Anahita designed barely covered the actress's derriere yet looked stunning on her.
During trials, she received several compliments. Director Rohan Sippy had briefed her and she understood that the song needed sexy clothes. The trouble began when she started rehearsing for the song.
The steps were difficult to do because of the skirt's length."
Rohan had the option to change the dance steps to make her feel comfortable in the skirt. However, Deepika insisted they keep the choreography and switch from skirt to shorts instead.
Adds the source, "She walked up to Rohan and told him there was no way she could move her legs and do the steps in the skirt.
A consensus was reached and the outfit was changed soon after. The actress ended up wearing shorts and tassels over it to look like a skirt."
Mallika Sherawat 'skirted' controversy recently when her designer created an outfit that was "too sexy" for Anees Bazmee's "family film" Thank You's item number, Raziya Phans Gayi Gundo Mein.
It is holiday time for actor Abhishek Bachchan and wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. After the grilling shoots of Abbas Mastan's film Players, the couple have taken a break from their professional front and were holidaying in New Zealand.
Fortunately, Abhishek and Aishwarya were in L A When the earthquake struck NZ. However, Abhishek sympathies with the victims and their famlies. It is reported that Ashutosh Gowariker is also in L.A. for attending Oscars 2011.
Abhishek and Aishwarya are staying in the same hotel where Gowariker is staying. The B-Town group have decided to meet up and dine together over the weekends.
Ranbir Kapoor has been unfair, or so some brand officials will say. The actor recently turned down a highly lucrative offer when a famous fairness cream brand approached him to be the brand ambassador for a period of two years. Ranbir, they say, does not believe in endorsing such products.
To a colour-crazy generation of youngsters, who are busy spending their parents' money on fairness products just because their idea of 'good-looking' is closer to a Russian ballerina with a painted face, Ranbir wants to send out a very clear message.
By not endorsing a product like a fairness cream, the actor wants to reiterate that such products only make racist stereotypes that already exist in our society, grow stronger roots.
Call it modesty, but Ranbir also knows he has a big fan following, that youngsters took to t-shirts with toon figures just days after Wake Up Sid hit the theatres.
And this is another reason why the actor feels that endorsing a fairness cream would actually be an irresponsible thing to do.
A source said, "Ranbir knows that there may be many who would end up blindly following what he does. He does not want to misguide anyone by saying that fairness creams 'improve your skin'.
Counted amongst the A-listers of Bollywood today, Ranbir has been swamped with films and brand endorsements since his career took off.
Though the actor met up with the officials of the fairness brand, he refused their offer immediately simply because he felt so strongly against it.
Although Ranbir remained unavailable for comments, a source close to him said, "He only endorses products that he believes in."
Whether Ranbir's refusal is a refreshing change in an otherwise colour-cognisant industry or just a publicity gimmick is up to his fan's to decide.
Interestingly, the actor's ex-girlfriend Deepika Padukone endorses a popular brand of fairness products.
P.S. So does Katrina Kaif. But that's just an aside.
Zor Ka Jhatka hosted by Shah Rukh Khan has made a new record of having lowest TRPs for any show hosted by a Bollywood star.
Even Rakhi Ka Insaaf had better ratings. "My Rakhi Ka Insaaf on the same channel (Imagine) had more viewership than Zor Ka Jhatka.
Zor Ka Jhatka opened with a 2.6 TVR but could not manage to attract audience in the second week and its average rating dropped to 1.7 to 1.4 TVR reportedly. Rakhi Ka Swayamvar opened with a rating of 4.12 TVR and maintained an average rating of 3.04 TVR.
SRK's decision to host the Indian version of international reality show Total Wipeout is being questioned. Shah Rukh needed big investment for his sci-fi production Ra.One. Buzz is that he was paid Rs 20 crore for the show and he agreed to do the show as it involved a huge sum for a few days of work, reported the tabloid.
And moreover, he doesn't even travel to Argentina to shoot for his portions of the show, instead his shots are taken in chroma in Yash Raj Studios reportedly.
Will his film also fail to woo the audience just like his show? Time will tell!
Kareena Kapoor has cemented her position at the top once again, as she was recently declared 'Bollywood's Sexiest Woman' by the leading magazine 'Stardust'.
The March issue of 'Stardust' features the top 10 sexiest women in the film industry and after an extensive research and reader response, Stardust ranked Kareena Kapoor as 'Bollywood's Sexiest Woman'.
An event was held where the latest issue of Stardust with the glamorous actor on the cover was unveiled.
The event was hosted by Rohit Roy and the issue was unveiled by Kareena Kapoor and Mr. Nari Hira. Rohit then threw a volley of questions at the sexy actor about her new title, the magazine photoshoot and what 'being sexy' means to her.
The actress looked every bit of her sexy and glam title in a beautiful red gown. Names like Katrina, Deepika and Priyanka were among the others on the list.
Kareena Kapoor is undoubtedly one of the most busiest actress in the B-Town. While managing her professional commitments, the actress doesn't keep aside his personal commitments. She gives equal amount time to his family and friends too.
Yesterday, Kareena left to a undisclosed place to spend some time with beau Saif Ali Khan. The actress was missing Saif a lot and thus asked her manager to take some time out from the busy schedule so that she can spend some time out Saif Ali Khan.
Kareena made sure that she keeps the meet a secret, far away from media spot light. Earlier, it was Saif who took time out from Aarakshan shooting and spent his Valentine's Day with Kareena, this time it was her turn to squeeze timeout and spend the weekend with the actor.
She will be returning on Sunday night and will be back to shoots on Monday for an ad. Well, hats off to Kareena's commitments.
While it has recovered its investment cost, Priyanka Chopra's '7 Khoon Maaf' fails to meet expectations and seems to be dying a slow death at the box-office.
Expectations from Vishal Bharadwaj's 7 Khoon Maaf were humungous after the dark and offbeat Kaminey that he delivered last time. And perhaps that backfired for the film. Despite Priyanka Chopra's powerful performance, Vivaan Shah's decent debut, an interesting concept and good music working in its favour; the slow pacing, long length, multiple marital episodes and an ambiguous ending went against the film.
7 Khoon Maaf had a slow opening at the box-office and failed to pick up over the weekend. Of course the start of cricket World Cup can be attributed to the slump in business but that is not the only reason. The mixed reviews have also worked against the film.
Made on a budget of Rs 22 crore (15 cr production cost + 7 cr publicity), the first weekend collection came to Rs 15 cr (13 cr India + 2 cr overseas). However for a solo A-grade release with such a widespread release, better business was expected at the box-office. The film has recovered its investment through non-theatrical avenues (Rs 11 crore satellite and music rights + Rs 2 crore home video and other sources), but is certainly rejected in terms of theatrical revenues.
With the Cricket World Cup having started in full swing, big Bollywood movies will take a backseat in the next couple of months. Interestingly this also becomes an ideal period for smaller films to schedule their release since they do not have opposition in the form of big Bollywood releases.
The coming week sees the release of Tanu Weds Manu starring Kangana Ranaut and Madhavan. The other release is a children's film called Satrangee Parachute. So Tanu Weds Manu doesn't have big competition and should be able to sail through on the basis of its merits.
Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan: Wedding bells failed to ring yet again for Salman Khan as his Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani with Katrina Kaif ran out of fuel this year, in what has to be Salman's most drama-free break up thus far. .
