What's Your Rashee - Full Story

What`s Your Raashee?
The movie begins at Bardoli village, Gujarat where a wealthy old man decides to write his assets in the name of his grandson Yogesh Patel (Harman Baweja), the only person in the family to remember his maternal grandfather on all occasions (read birthdays). Yogesh is doing his MBA at Chicago with a rocking life style of a sincere student in the day time, popular guy in the campus and a DJ at a night club.

But things are not rosy at home in Mumbai where his elder brother has taken a huge amount of loan and lost it in stock market crash and is not able to pay back to several people including a local bhai. He is supposed to give attendance everyday at Bhai’s office and he is being constantly threatened by two chelas of the dreaded bhai who has a style of threatening defaulters – he would cut the fingers by using a betel nut cutter.

A family astrologer predicts that within a very short time Yogesh would get married and he would get a fortune on the very same day. Yogesh makes an urgent visit home after learning of sudden ill health of his dad, which turns out to be a false news and he is further taken aback by the ridiculous request made by his family members – he has to marry a girl in 10 days in order to save his family from an eventual complication and disgrace.

After a long phase of jet lag and persuasion and emotional blackmail by family members he agrees to marry and being a principled man he refuses to accept dowry. He starts reading a book which he happens to find at home and what’s that book all about? No prizes for guessing – “What’s your Rashee?” and then starts the poor translation of Linda Goodman’s sun signs book into a loose movie plot. As if it is not enough, there are two additional silly and forgettable sub plots.

The girls start entering in a random zodiac fashion and each zodiac has a story to tell. Ashutosh Gowariker struggles to stitch a convincing story relevance-wise as well as astrology-wise. Some zodiac signs lack convincing characterization and a few overlap. Only a few succeed in making an impact due to the versatile Priyanka Chopra who delivers every character with sheer conviction and brilliant performance.

Anjali (Mesh) with a slouch and a bad dressing sense, Vishakha (Vrishabh) with a childish behavior who wants to test the person, Kaajal (Mithun) a vivacious and bubbly girl who thinks it is a must to give some time to understand each other before marrying, Hansa (Karka) a traditional girl with a broken heart, Mallika (Simha) an ambitious and headstrong dancer, Pooja (Kanya) a doctor who wishes for a husband to support her in every venture of hers, Rajani (Tula) a dominating business person for whom the marriage is a business contract to save her from an ongoing CBI enquiry, Nandini (Vrishik) who has a conservative exterior with a diametrically opposite true nature and who is passionate about becoming a supermodel, Bhavna (Dhanu) an astrologer with seductive charms, Jankada (Makar) a school going underage girl, Sanjana (Kumbh) a sophisticated and a straightforward girl and lastly Chandrika (Meen) a filmy kinda person who believes in re-incarnation and second lives….huh

While adapting the extremes of every character to the demands of screen, the story loses it’s plot (if at all it had any) in a big way only to be saved mercifully by the brilliant Priyanka Chopra.

Music has always been a strong point of Gowariker’s films here it’s a downer. Every zodiac breaks into a compulsory song with only very few being catchy. The story becomes so predictable in the second half that you wait for the movie to get over and start counting how many signs are still left and with no interest left to see which sign the protagonist ultimately marries.

From whatever little you showed us (for a fraction of a second) on the screen Mr. Gowariker, I could gather that Yogesh Patel is Mithun moon sign and Scorpio sun sign. But his birth details do not match with the chart generated towards the end of the movie. But you were so busy adapting extremes of Priyanka Chopra’s 12 zodiac signs, you completely neglected the characterization of the main lead. He is just a foreign returned student with some music knowledge and giving all similar responses, exclamations and surprise reactions to the extreme idiosyncrasies convincingly exhibited by Priyanka Chopra’s characters. Harman Baweja doesn’t impress overall. However, the rest other cast members have put up a good show.

The film would have been a little more bearable had it been under three hours but a running time of 3 hours and 30 minutes appears far too much. If you may ask whether to check it out or not well there are only two reasons to watch this astrological blunder made by Ashutosh Gowariker – Priyanka Chopra and Priyanka Chopra.

Priyanka Tries A GUINNESS RECORD

What Sivaji Ganeshan,Sanjeev Kumar and Kamal Haasan couldn't manage to achieve,our Priyanka Chopra does seem pretty sure of doing it. Ashutosh Gowariker's What's your Rashee does seem to be turning auspicious for Priyanka for her 12 roles ( I don't know whether to sigh or smirk at this point) in the movie. Well,in simple terms,that ought to be 12 times Priyanka in a single movie and that seems like 'apprehensive' news.

Priyanka has clearly beaten Sanjeev Kumar in Naya Din Nayi Raat, Sivaji Ganeshan in Navarathiri and of course Kamal Haasan in Dashavatharam for the sheer number of characters played.Hmmm.These are just numbers, yours truly believes. What matters is quality,don't you agree?At a time when the bold and distinct dividing line between 'stars' and 'actors' seems to be blurring at a rate faster than the releases kissing the dust,and the playing field progressively becoming blinded and bizarre with marketing spiels, one can only imagine.

Speaking of bizarre, and a case in point would be what happened on August 19th,2009 when the 12th Rajiv Gandhi Award for the Best Actress Award was given away to Ms.Katrina Kaif. Excuse me here, but with all due respect - ACTING?Did I really hear that right? Best Commercial Entertainer,Yes! Actress?..ummmm...I'm a little lost here.
Pigs do fly,Senor.Everything goes,as long as it brings in the moolah.

Speaking of flying, a flying Swami is working its magic down South,folks.Our Chiyan is lending his cape to the fiery proceedings on the Kollywood Box -Office. On an opening note of Rs 37 - Crore, Kanthasamy's two-year old debacle has paid off. Rs. 70 Crore is no laughing matter, and to have recovered half in the first week must have gladdened the heart of Susi Ganeshan ( who by the way,also does a cameo).Vikram needed this.And Kollywood is better off with it. After Bheema's release last Pongal (2008,if you please), Mr.John Kennedy a.k.a Vikram still proves the point that he can make the box-office soar.This time,with the help of a caped Kanthaswamy.

Bollywood's NEW SUCCESS FORMULA

What do you do when you (are a woman and) lose in Bollywood? – Well, you strip!

It's like strip poker in the industry these days and almost every actress seems to have gone through this phase.

The Bikini culture in B-town can be broadly classified into two categories I reckon:
One, where you strip and you get lucky
The other, you keep stripping and nothing happens

The first category sure did give Bollywood some of today's sensational (and sometimes not-so seasoned) actors like Deepika Padukone, when King Khan saw her steaming in that swimsuit on the Kingfisher Calendar. Also, if you force yourselves to a nice little flashback down memory lane, you'll see the image of Priyanka Chopra sporting a Bikini in her first film Andaaz. Well, both of them have come down a long way now, with considerable success.

The second category is what keeps us wondering. What didn't work?
The most recent strip queens you get to see are of course Lara Dutta and Rani Mukherji. What forced them to try out Bollywood's most used, but hardly successful formula to success? Here's my speculation:

Lara : Hmmm... Understandable! She has been offered 'almost-not-there' kind of screen space for a long time now. The last time she had a decent hit was Partner which was back in 2007. I guess this frustration is what got her to do a lot of Bikini scenes in her new flick Blue. She looks good though.

But it hurts to see Rani, the good old Rani, in Dil Bole Hadippa. Agreed that there is no complete bikini but hey, who are we kidding. The clothes are pretty much a fusion of a swimsuit and a lehnga. We thought you had good acting potential Rani, you really didn't have to do this!

Apart from these two, there are a host of other actresses who have tried out the same formula. I feel terribly sorry for Kareena Kapoor when I think of all that effort she had to put into shedding those curves to become a straight size 0, not to forget her bikini-self in Tashan. Didn't work, again. Amisha Patel (who?) in 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic', Minisha Lamba in 'Kidnap'(why?), Amrita Rao in Shortcut (why, oh why, oh why?) – all flops, big flops. Bipasha Basu and Esha Deol's skin show in the Dhoom series went to the dogs when all the credit went to the boys – Hrithik Roshan and John Abraham.

So, is it time to let go of these shortcut formulas and try out some real acting?

(P.S - I really hope Rani and Lara don't fall under the Dhoom girls' category or the Kareena Kapoor league. Good luck girls!)

Bollywood's New Emosanal Atyachar

Are our Big time Movie Producers, unethical, two-bit, double-crossing smooth operators?

Or is this a new,dark and nefarious type of publicity gimmick thought up by some really spaced-out marketing wizard,which has gone terribly wrong after the first time around?The past one year shows a very interesting trend.(I also have come to suspect the dark humor on the side of the Producer fraternity too.)

It seems now that along with the big-budget movie productions slated for release,hyped over the three weeks prior to their release, a new activity has been added to the ones that we are used to,over time.Along with the audio release,trailer/promo release,the movie's micro - site with wall papers,screen savers and the like,there is a very interesting addition to the whole proceedings.The LAWSUIT.
It isn't funny.It is so true.

Flash back One - April 2008.

The lawsuit activity hit big time,and center stage prior to the release of Krazzy 4 ,as some of the tracks that were used by Rakesh Roshan for the movie were outright plagiarism of famed ad-jingle maker Ram Sampath.The fertilizer hit the fan on a Wednesday, rose to fever pitch,as the blogosphere hummed,the TV channels debated with rabid intensity on the ethics employed by the Roshans -(the refrain being,they have money,they can do anything) and the next morning,to the collective sigh of Bollywood,they reached an out-of-court settlement and The movie went on to be released the next day.This was all the more interesting as it was the high-voltage David-pitted-against-the Goliath story and the media ran with it.

Flash back Two - December 2008.

This time it was Aamir's version of Ghajini,slated for release on 25 December. Just when you thought you had been snowed under the pre-release hype,the issue was,confusing,perplexing and bordering on the bizarre.The injuction was given in Chennai and Mumbai High Courts,though Mr.Chandrashekharan was 'surprised, shocked and perplexed' as to how Geetha Arts and Murugadoss could entertain any idea of producing the film in Hindi when they had not been given any rights for the same.",he also revealed that he had come to know about the project going on the floors in April itself!!! Whoa.Now,that is what I call timing.

Flash back Three - September 2009.

Salman's comeback (?) Wanted Dead and Alive release date had Boney Kapoor running around looking for money to someone who allegedly claimed he owed a bit.10 Crore,to be exact.The hassled one was LMB Holdings, a B4U group company, who claimed Boney Kapoor owed them 10 crores and wanted a stay till he paid it back.Boney deposited the money,and Sallubhai will pound the baddies,starting Sep 18,2009.

Jumpcut to September 16, 2009.

But,all is not well with Kamal Haasan-Mohanlal Combine Unnaippol Oruvan,due for release on September 18th.The HC has unequivocally put its er..hammer down and asked Kamal to obey a status quo on the litigation filed by Pyramid Saimira over the alleged advance amount they paid for Marmayogi, which is surprisingly another 10 crore!!!Whoa again!So,unless any miracle happen in the next 48 hours,(which I think will happen,as far as trends go),the Movie will again emerge the winner,relegating the ethics to the background,till another time and another big production.

Come to think about it, you have become so conditioned to this 'activity' along with the current marketing spiel,that it would be less all the fun without having one legal suit for every movie release.

What say?

RAKHI KA CONTROVERSIAL SWAYAMVAR

Elesh not too happy with Rakhi

The buzz is that Rakhi Sawant is not very happy with her fiancée Elesh Parujanwala and is planning to quit their relation in the last episode of Pati Patni Aur Woh. But the story here is the other way round; this recently caught the attention of media during the visit on the sets of the reality show in Goa.

Our eyewitness from the sets informs, "Elesh was not happy and content with the way Rakhi interacted with the media during their visit in Goa. She was trying to overshadow the boy by showing her attitude and making him feel that he is a nobody without Ms Sawant."

"Rakhi’s over-the-top behavior and her craving for being in the limelight has become intolerable for Elesh. Though both of them are tight lipped about the same, but their act in the show speaks all,” adds the source.

Rakhi seems to be unhappy with the baby too. “She had been crying in front of the cameras that the channel is taking revenge and thus she was given a weeping baby who does not sleep,” concludes the source.

This was ought to happen as jahan Rakhi ho waha controversies toh honi he hai…

Ajay, Akshaye tone up for caste war

Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna will be seen in dramatic fight scenes in Priyadarshan's hard-hitting tale of honour killing set in Bihar. To tone their bodies for the gruelling actions, the actors have got a makeshift gym in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, where the film is being shot, according to IANS.

'I've turned the horrific tale of an actual incident in Bihar of an inter-caste romance into a full-on action movie. See, I wanted to keep it real. At the same time I wanted to make it riveting for the audience,' the website quoted Priyadarshan as saying.

The filmmaker has relocated a village of Bihar to Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district to shoot his inter-caste love story.

'While shooting on location (Karaikudi) I've made my two heroes Ajay and Akshaye Khanna into full-on action heroes. This film has the kind of real stunts never seen in Hindi cinema,' the director said.

The two heroes have also started working out to get into right shape at a makeshift gym set up in Karaikudi itself.

Big B should Romance with Actress

Big B should romance young actress: Nakul

Actor Nakul Vaid is looking forward to the release of his next film As The River Flows which is based in Assam. He gets candid in an interview and talks about the film and his career.

What is the film all about?

Film is basically based in Assam. It throws lights on the issue that has prevailed in the north-eastern states of India. There are different characters in the film who look differently at any give situation, and react accordingly.

What is your character in the film?

I cannot precisely talk about the character in the film, as certain characters are given out in the film as the story progresses. All I can say, I am playing a guy who is an idealist but has limited outlook and thus goes astray in the separatist prone state.

Shed some light on the story of the film?

It is the story of an island that is submerged during rains and emerges when it is dry. It is a story of a missing journalist and his friend who returns to the island in search of him.

You have mostly done a serious film, from Ab Tak Chappan to As the River Flows?

I do have a fascination to masala movies, but doing an intense film is a learning experience. As you have to become a part of the environment based on the real-life situations you ought to do your own homework. Serious issue-based films need lot of understanding, and in the process of understanding it is also my personal growth.

You started as an Assistant Director in Raja, so where is the director gone?

I did that job only to know how the film industry functions. I was in class 12 when I assisted the director, but in near future I do not see myself directing a film. I may get into filmmaking only when I am well aquatinted with the art of filmmaking.

So what kinds of films would you make in future?

With the grace of technology and make up, I wish to make Mr Bachchan a young chap and make him romance the young actresses of Bollywood.

Chit Chat with Rani Mukherjee

I am not in a hurry to get married: Rani

A chit chat with Bollywood queen, Rani Mukherjee:

Would you say that you are staging your come back as an actor with Dil Bole Hadippa?

My last film was Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic directed by Kunal Kohli for Yashraj Films in which Saif Ali Khan was my leading man. I do not think that nine months is a long period to come back in films. I did not take up any offer because they were not substantial enough for me.

How did you prepare to get in to the skin of the character of Veer in Dil Bole Hadippa?

Though I used to be stiff after wearing my beard for the role of Veer, I picked up my brother Raja’s style of dancing in both the songs which required Veer to dance. I had to compete with all the boy dancers at the back who danced with a lot of vibrant energy. It was very difficult to match their style of dancing especially since I am a petite girl.

Did you make it a point to learn cricket and be well conversant with the game?

Yes. It took me almost six months to learn the game of cricket. To get into the skin of my character in Dil Bole Hadippa, I had to learn the rules of the game and put my heart and soul into the game when I played it. In fact, I was injured in a lot of places all over my body. I cannot even mention the parts of my anatomy where I was injured because it will sound vulgar. I shed a lot of my weight to get into the mode of an athlete too. I enjoyed working in the film because it is happy and vibrant film.

In what way has your knowledge of cricket improved after working in Dil Bole Hadippa?

After working in a film like Dil Bole Hadippa, now I can say that I can enjoy watching even England play with Australia. Earlier I used to enjoy watching cricket only when India played with West Indies or Pakistan

How did you work on the looks for both your characters in Dil Bole Hadippa?

My part as Veer required me to look like a real batsman. The fact that I had slimmed down for the film helped Manish style Veera in Dil Bole Hadippa. The production team sent the picture of Harbhajan Singh to my stylist to style me as Veer looking at his picture. Harbhajan told me that he was thrilled to know that he inspired my look.

How would you describe Anurag Singh who has directed the film Dil Bole Hadippa?

Anurag did not look like he was directing a film for the first time. He would never say no to one more take if Shahid or I asked for it. You can be a very closed as a newcomer director but he was not though it was his first film. The best thing about Anurag is that he is an easy going and patient director. Anurag used to pray for us at every religious place that he went to while the shooting was on.

What is wrong with doing crying roles since you have always walked away with accolades for such roles?

The problem that I have always faced as an actress doing intense and serious roles is that people always used to come to me with similar roles almost to the point of slotting me with a set image. The kind of roles that I was being offered were not the ones which would have added to me as an actress but to the producers who were offering me such roles and hence steadfastly said no to all the offers and stuck just to one film – Dil Bole Hadippa.

How practical are you when it comes to success and failure?

I am quite pragmatic, when I have to take success as well as failure. Look here. Success and failure is not in my hands. A film failing does not mean that I am a failure as an actor. On the contrary, if a film of mine fails, it automatically makes me even stronger and stretches me beyond a point. Failure is also important for an actor because only if you are crushed will you be able to come up.

How would you evaluate your growth as far as your career is concerned from the time that you had made your debut as an actress with Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat till Dil Bole Hadippa?

I confess that over the years I have really grown richer as an actress right from the time I had made my debut with Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat.

Can you elucidate?

Fortunately for me, I have grown because I got an opportunity to work with not only great actors but also great directors. In any case, experience can get you only richer. Whether it was Kamal Haasan in Hey Raam or Amitabh Bachchan in Black or for that matter Shah Rukh Khan in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Chalte Chalte, I was always amazed to look at the wide range of their enormous talent and made it a point to learn from them. I should say that it has been an incredibly rich career. Undoubtedly I have become a better actress after working with them than what I was when I had started out.”

How do you react to the media linking you with Aditya Chopra?

I am very upset with the media for spreading rumors about my marriage. Every time a film of mine is about to be released, I am married off by the media. Thanks to my great family, which is my great support system, I am able to tackle such rumors, which is not easy otherwise.

How important is marriage to you?

I concede that marriage is very important in every girl’s life, including that of mine, but the rumors make me look like a retarded girl and set out to test my intelligence. I am a very levelheaded girl. I respect my privacy and would not like the media to push me to the point of testing me to that extent by keeping on running me down. I am not in a tearing hurry to get married.

DBH & Baabarr - Full Story

Dil Bole Hadippa

Dil Bole Hadippa
Dil Bole Hadippa is yet another film from the YRF’s kitty based in Punjab. This too represents the stereotypical culture of Punjab with swaying yellow fields, flashy celebrations, desi lassi and chomping sugarcane.

The film is the story of one such village of Punjab located at the Wagah border that has its own cricket team and plays match with the local Pakistani team for the Aman cup and have been losing in a row from past eight years.

The team’s owner (Anupam Kher) turns to his son Rohan (Shahid Kapur) who plays county cricket in England to take over as coach and the captain to strengthen the team. A village girl Veera (Rani Mukherjee) though works with a local theatre group in village, treasures an unusual dream of playing a cricket in the big league with the star cricketers Tendulkar and Dhoni.

She gets an entry in the men cricket team by disguising herself as a man. Here comes the twist in the story, Veera Kaur becomes Veer Pratap Singh sporting a turban and a beard. And thus it bears out the purpose of Veera living with a nautanki company called Jigri Yaar Dance Company, adept at costumes and disguises.

Her journey in the cricket arena leads to lot of humor, romance and on and off manifests the spirit of India for the sport. It ensembles all the superhit ingredients of the Yash Raj films like situations evoking patriotism, feel of DDLJ and loud Punjabi dialogues like main ek Punjabi baap ka Punjabi beta hoon.

In the climax, when Veera’s speech about allowing girls to dream freely will certainly move the audience. Unarguably, Rani is looking better than what she has in years and Shahid too looked dashing. The only two spoilsports in the sporty film are Sherlyn Chopra and Rakhi Sawant.

By the way DBH is the Punjabi version of the 2006 high school rom-com ‘She’s The Man’ in which a girl disguises herself as her brother to get in a soccer team.

Catch up DBH to see the fiery chemistry between first-time paired Bollywood ki rani Rani Mukherjee and Kamine star Shahid Kapoor.

Baabarr

This particular genre has been explored before as well. Baarbarr brings the memory of Satya and Parinda days with a refreshing change. The tagline – crime never ends; it only changes face, truly goes with the storyline, which showcases the reality of how people, even kids, live by the gun and die by the gun.

Baabarr set in Uttar Pradesh beautifully essays the brutal reality of evil-mentality of cops-politicians-gangsters and the deterioration of the law and order. Sohum Shah (Baabarr) wears the mask of fear and is in the world of crime since the age of 12 when he shot a man with cold-bloodedness.

He is the epitome of fear for everyone from an aam aadmi (common man) to influential politicians. To put an end to his cruelty, the government appoints an encounter specialist SP Dwivedi (Mithun Chakraborty) to either arrest or kill him. A sincere attempt by Ikram Akhtar does have negative points too. Baabarr backs on a strong script but lacks impact when it comes to overall film.

Ashuu Trikha`s deserves full-marks for direction. Cinematographer Suhass Gujarathi is simply superb.

Sohum Shah proves it all with a terrific performance. Mithun Chakraborty is excellent. Om Puri yet again brilliant and outstanding. Tinnu Anand amazes with yet another strong performance. Shakti Kapoor is back with a bang. Sushant Singh is perfect for his part. Urvashi Sharma is good. Govind Namdeo is promising. Mukesh Tiwari is fantastic. Vivek Shauq, Vishwajeet Pradhan and Pratima Kazmi leave a make with small but pivotal roles.

Overall, Baabarr is a power-packed story with all the elements in a place. It’s worth a watch. Go and grab the opportunity.

Wanted - Full Story

Wanted
If you are crazy about regular commercial masala films leaving your brains at home, Wanted is the right choice. Wanted is a canvas painted in south Indian colours where you can get a glimpse of Rajnikanth in our macho man Salman Khan. Woah hold down It’s a Prabhu Deva film, Bingo!

Wanted is undisputedly a well-written story with an excellent screenplay. But there is a flipside to it. It is a well-written story which lacks good direction and editing.

Wanted opens up with an interesting plot with commissioner Ashraf Khan (Govind Namdeo) leaving no stones unturned to eradicate underworld terrorism from the country. Radhe (Salman Khan) is a hardcore gangster known for brutality and commitments. All he knows is the language of money. His loyalties lies with any gang provided the money is right.

His entry in Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj) gang under the wing of Golden (Aseem Merchant), the right hand of Gani and betrayal to his existing gang headed by Data Pawle leads to bloodshed, as disputes crop up unexpectedly. However, story takes a twist with Golden’s death, which compels Gani Bhai to take matters in his hands and fly back to India. How Gani Bhai realizes the trap of commissioner Ashraf Khan, and the truth of Salman Khan, would have been an exciting watch had Prabhu Deva tightened his script.

Cinematographers Nirav Shah and S Sriram are simply excellent. Special effects are over the top; could have been subtle. The music is awful, except ‘Dil Leke’ track, which is the only saving grace.

No refreshing treat for ears, as far as stereotypical dialogues go.

Wanted rides on Salman Khan despite his regular run-of-the-mill, yet nice performance. Ayesha Takia is good and looks gorgeous. Mahesh Manjrekar is perfect for his part as a womanizer. Prakash Raj as Gani Bhai has small, yet pivotal role and lives up to it beautifully. Vinod Khanna and Inder Kumar don’t have much scope, though they are instrumental to the pace of the story. Aseem Merchant is fairly good. Same goes for Govind Namdeo.

On the whole, ‘Salman Khan’ factor will pull the audience to make this film survive. Infact, half the battle is won, courtesy loads of hype. One time watch.

Asha Bhosle's Secrets Revealed

Hurman feels Rashee not just PC film!

Priyanka-Hurman jodi did no wonders in their last film together at the box office; though Piggy Chops move on unscathed, but it looked like Hurman baba will have to bear the loss of Love Story 2050 for another 50 years, as his films continued to get feeble response from the audience.

Director Ashutosh Gowariker is once again bringing the duo, whose rashee did not match earlier, together in What’s Your Rashee. Credibility of Ashutosh Gowariker and award winning Priyanka Chopra’s 12 characteristic performances seems promising for the film, but the guy certainly runs a risk of getting overexposed with the same look all through the film!

But Hurman baba is very positive about the film, though the film undoubtedly seems to be Priyanka’s. “No it’s the story of a guy who has come from abroad and under some circumstances he has to get married within 10 days. So it’s his story of how he meets several girls and the way he interacts with them, and who he gets married. So I don’t think it is only Priyanka’s film,” he declines.

In fact he finds comfort in doing films with Priyanka, as they have known each other since quite a few years now. “It really makes a difference when you know the person well while doing the films, especially when there are so many scenes having interpersonal relationships,” he further supports the idea.

Hope one of these Rashee clicks for the film!

I joined Bollywood for money: Asha Bhosle

The 76-year-old versatile playback singer Asha Bhosle says that she would have preferred to be a classical vocalist but she had to turn to Bollywood because it offered more money.

"There was a time when I used to ask my guruji what should I sing to earn money and he told me to go for live music. I started singing that and I joined films for money as I had to raise my kids. It was very saddening to leave classical music behind," Asha was quoted as saying in PTI.

She has sung over 12,000 songs for Bollywood. She says that despite leaving classical music she was lucky to work with several musical maestros in films.

"I am lucky that the film line gave me a chance to work with stalwarts like Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar and the duo of Shiv-Hari (Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia) when they started composing for films and I could not have asked for more," she said.

Lisa Ray-Toronto Film Festival

Lisa Ray at the Toronto Film Festival...

Boring limousines at celebrity events are out. At least for now. Lisa Ray and the rest of the cast of Dilip Mehta’s Cooking With Stella rode up in hand-driven rickshaws for the Gala premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Thursday night. Heads turned, and jaws fall open at the august gathering. But Lisa couldn’t care less.

That was a bit of Indian thrown into the Oriental cuisine.

Delighted euphoric, but exhausted after the event Lisa said, “Yes, we rolled up in rickshaws and the crowd was hugely supportive. I wore my ‘Myeloma’ bracelet, which matched my gown. My gown was designed by NADA, a Toronto designer, and India-inspired.”

Lisa rode up in the two-seater rickshaw with her co-star Don McKellar, while the rest of the cast along with the director, his sister Deepa Mehta and producer David Hamilton were in other rickshaws. The entourage was arresting.

The ambience created was very rustic and Indian. Interestingly since a lot of the film is about cooking and food, a majority of the audience in the 2000-member auditorium came out of the film famished!

The press at the Toronto Film Festival was naturally full of questions about Lisa’s health condition. She answered all of them patiently. This was Lisa’s first major public appearance after she announced her illness.

And she had herself a grand time. “I had the most fun I've ever had at a red carpet event. Probably because it was the first time I was totally unselfconscious. It an interesting lesson. I could just let it all hang out and genuinely enjoy myself. Also, I am grateful for all the support and love from people around the world, especially from India. Truly, India's heart beats stronger and louder than ever before.”

Fatigued but excited Lisa says, “The Gala went off spectacularly well. Dilip brought down the house with his opening on stage. Our film was received with incredible warmth and positivity.”

Lisa is big fan of her Stella co-star Seema Biswas. “Seema continues to be my ultimate inspiration as an actress. All the performances in the film are spot-on, making Cooking with Stella a crowd-pleaser. Dilip Mehta is an amazing director. He's made something very special in Cooking with Stella, and his vision will continue to thrill in the future. It's been a privilege to work with him, and with the entire cast.”

Besides Seema and Lisa, Shriya Saran who stars on Cooking With Stella also attracted a lot of media eyeballs at the Toronto premiere.

Priyanka Chopra | Salman Khan

Karan Johar gets nostalgic yet again

The word nostalgic is quite synonymous to filmmaker Karan Johar. Karan is often heard to get into nostalgia trips.

No wonder, his personality is indeed reflected in the films, which he churns out. Last time he was seen to get nostalgic about the title of his much-celebrated film titled Dostana because of the word dostana (friendship). And this time yet again, Karan could not withhold himself on the celebration day of 50 years of completion of HR College, which incidentally has been his alma mater as well.

Exclaims Karan, “After wrapping up with loads of media interactions I took some time out to enjoy 50 years celebration of my college...HR College! The event at HR College was dignified and nostalgic. HR truly has emerged as the leading education power house.”

Karan’s next venture under Dharma productions is Wake up Sid starring Ranbir Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma and directed by Ayan Mukerji. Wonder, what about this film is going to make him nostalgic?

Chop Chop goes Piggy Chops...

Priyanka, though, is in twelve different avatars in the film What’s Your Rashee, she still manages to discover the thirteenth avatar in herself.

Recently during the promotion of the film she appeared in her brand new loo

k. She has got a new haircut and that has changed her look entirely. She is looking more gorgeous than ever in her new look; but before you draw any conclusion, this new look is not for any new film, but for herself.

“As this is for the first in my five to six years of career that I am not in the middle of any films, and have got around a month sans shoots, so I thought to pamper myself a bit,” she chuckles.

As of now, she is flaunting her new look at the premiere of What's Your Rashee in Toronto.

Salman celebrates Rose Day with kids!

Bollywood’s most handsome Khan takes his time out to bring a spark in the lives of the less fortunate children. Recently, he was in Hinduja Hospital to celebrate Rose day with the little ones suffering from the most dreaded disease.

Children were very excited to meet their hero when they were informed about Sallu joining them soon at the function, for which they had to wait really long.

Eventually when the most wanted star arrived, it was truly a moment of boundless joy for the kids. Salman interacted with the children and also danced with them on few of his own peppy numbers. Tiny tots could not contain their happiness and were hopping with Sallu baba to the beats of the songs. Sallu also met the other cancer patients in the ward.

Had anti-Salman junta witness those smiles that Sallu brought on the faces of the little angels; they would have forgiven him for all his sins.

Mallika's Hot Charity

Udita does not believe in method acting

Sizzling hot actress Udita Goswami looked far more stunning as Anuj’s leading lady in the film Chase, as she has put on the macho-woman avatar. She has done some really engaging hand-to-hand stunts in the film.

When asked about the preparation behind attaining the perfection to the T while performing stunts with such ease, she denies any.

“We come on the set, read the script, discuss with directors and give the shot. I don’t think actors really need any kind of preparations for these kinds of sequences. What it takes to chase the villain, take a position, aim the gun and shoot. Unless it is a really gory stunt like swimming, horse riding etc. we don’t have to actually prepare,” she bluntly opines.

Hope her honesty – the best policy does not do any worse for the film.

Mallika Sherawat wows for charity...

Mallika Sherawat arrived as a special guest at the Montblanc/ UNICEF charity event held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles donning a colorful new dress designed by Max Azria of fashion house BCBG.

Also in attendance and seen mingling with the Bollywood star were legendary English actor Michael York, host of the event, actor Billy Zane of Titanic fame and his date the Princess of Congo, Lord and Lady Hayes, among others.

After hearing from her followers on social networking site Twitter of their wish to see her in a colorful outfit after being photographed in a series of black designer dresses, Miss Sherawat "wowed" the crowd with an elegant yellow dress by Mr. Azria.

After taking a succession of pictures of the star, a photographer at the event told Miss Sherawat that "everyone is talking about you", to which she humbly replied, "Anything to bring attention to a good cause."

Sushmita & Govinda - Chemistry

Sushmita rave about Govinda’s efficiency

This bong beauty captured millions and zillions of heart when she won the title of Miss Universe in 1994 and made the country proud. Post the title she was bombarded with offers to make it big in the B-town. Her first Bollywood flick was Dastak and then she was here to carve her success.

More than her killer looks, her husky voice, her acting skills; her affair and link-ups have grabbed news now and then. She is been away from the spotlight, but never mind that, because she is back; looking more ravishing in her much-talked about Do Knot Disturb.

DKD is produced by Vashu Bhagnani and directed by David Dhawan. The film also stars king of comedy Govinda, Ritesh Deshmukh and Lara Dutta in the lead. In recent interview, Sushmita spoke about her comeback, her sweet and sour rapport with Govinda, her equation with Lara and her upcoming films. Following is the tête-à-tête:

It’s been long that you have been away from the limelight. What kept you away?

Yes, that’s true. But now audience will see one after other releases of mine. Do Knot Disturb tops the list. It is directed by David Dhawan and produced by Vashu Bhagnani. It has huge star-cast including Govinda, Lara and Ritesh in the lead besides Sohail Khan, Ranvir Shorey are also there. It is slated to release on 2nd October.

You have worked with Govinda in the past, how was it to work with him again?

He is a great actor to work with. When you have Chi Chi along with you the output is always good.

To believe the rumors, all is not well with Govinda. How far is it true?

If that is was true then why we both would have agreed to do the film.

You are not in good terms with Lara too, isn’t it?

Oh really? I never knew this. It is so easy for you’ll to make and break friendship, isn’t it? The equation between both of us is absolutely fine and rocking.

Which are your forth-coming films?

Of course Do knot disturb, No problem with Kangana Ranaut, Dulha Mil Gaya under Maverick productions with Fardeen Khan and Shahrukh Khan.

Your dream project Rani Lakshmibai is at hold. Elaborate.

Yes, it is on hold. I can’t comment on that but surely it will start soon.

Benazir Bhutto created lots of buzz when it was announced. What’s the progress of this much-awaited film?

Benazir Butto is an iconic figure. She leaded a very controversial life. On the initial stages we need permission from ‘Pakistan People Party’. We were all ready with the requirements. I am only going to play Ms. Benazir. I am much thrilled, as well as nervous. Most of its shoot will take place in Dubai, UN and Britain. We all are optimistic about it.

SRK on the sets of BLUE

Priyanka and Harman don’t believe in rashee

Priyanka-Hurman’s rashee crosses once again and they are back in Ashutosh Gowariker What’s your Rashee in spite of their last film 2050 Love Story fell flat at the box office.

“When I was young I use to read my horoscopes in newspaper. I would keep switching papers until something positive is written, just to feel good. Honestly, I don’t follow it blindly or set my plans accordingly,” recalls Hurman baba.

He is Scorpio and though according to water science his rashee gets along well with cancerian, but he claims to gel with all the rashees. But who will this eligible bachelor marry? “I would marry the girl who I would love. Seriously I would get into rashee business only if girls side would want, otherwise I don’t believe in that so much. If our kundalis match we will get married and if don’t we will still get married,” shares Hurman.

Our beloved Piggy Chops also thinks on the same line. “I do not follow it blindly, but I do read it just for entertainment” she states.

Hmm looks like we can safely say Hurman baba and Piggy Chops have done a film that they do not believe in.

Bollywood gets a new Bebo...!!!

Whenever we hear “Bebo”, the first thing that strikes the mind is Kareena Kapoor. But this time we ain’t talking about Kareena, as we are talking about Ritesh’s Bebo.

Now, you people must be wondering who is Ritesh’s Bebo? It’s none other than Lara Dutta.

There is a song sequence in the film “Bebo Bebo” which Ritesh Deshmukh sings for Lara Dutta in film “Do Knot Disturb”. This song has turned very popular amongst youth, ranking first in every chartbuster.

What was SRK doing on the sets of Blue?

Everyone on the sets of Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd’s Blue was in for a pleasant surprise yesterday afternoon when none other than Shah Rukh Khan dropped on the sets to meet Akshay Kumar!

The team of Blue was shooting for a special number Vikram and the Blue theme song with Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan.

While the crew was in the middle of the shoot, SRK walked on to the sets and greeted Akshay Kumar. The crowds went berserk seeing the two super stars together. The duo then stepped into Akki’s van where they spent nearly 15-20 minutes chatting with each other.

An eyewitness says, “We knew SRK was shooting nearby, but no one expected him to come on the sets of Blue. He surprised everyone including Akshay. They both even posed together for photographs!”

“While we were shooting for Blue on Floor 1 at Filmcity, SRK was shooting on Floor 12 for an automobile commercial. Though the distance is considerably large, Shahrukh Khan actually walked down all the way to meet Akshay. That was simply incredible!” says a source from the production team.

Looks like a new friendship is brewing in B-town!