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PRIYANKA FALLS FOR THE CHEESIEST LINES

Bollywood actress turned television host Simi Garewal returns with a fifth series of her celebrity show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal on STAR Plus. Guests during her latest season include Priyanka Chopra, Zayed Khan, John Abraham and Sanjay Dutt. As we look ahead, Radio Sargam gives a preview of the Priyanka Chopra interview!

慒un協unny

You Khan't touch this

Saif Ali Khan is more classic than kitsch. And he has quite a legacy to carry on. The Chhote Nawab in conversation with Roshni Mukherjee.

What do you feel matters most in a film's success? The cast or the storyline ?

Actually, it is the mix of everything. A good script, good director and, of course, actors then. All these things are crucial for making a film a runaway hit.

You can't blame a single person for the failure nor can you give credit to that one person for the success of a film.

Have you reached that point in life when your presence alone can pull a film through even if it does not have a popular heroine?

You will have to tell me that. I am still learning and trying to grow as an actor.

Preity Zinta dons a corset!

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Manish Malhotra?

Vibrant colours, heavy embroidery, lots of embellishment, the works. His show opened with a collage of his past work, which embodied all these elements.

But his latest collection took the fashion fraternity by surprise. The entire collection was white -- with hints of blue, black and beige. We saw lots of lace, elements of crochet, pearls, splashes of gold, embroidered corsets, fusion silhouettes and saris.

The show was opened by director and television host Karan Johar, who said it was an 'emotional' moment for him, as he had also opened Manish's show five years ago. "Earlier, Manish was eager to please. Today, his collection reflects his peaceful state of mind and is rightly titled Freedom," said Johar.

The surprise came from Kajol, who walked the ramp with a twinkle in her eye and a bounce in her step. It ended with a stunning Preity Zinta taking to the catwalk in a scintillating corset.

Celebrities in attendance included Karishma Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Gauri Khan, Bobby Deol, Kiron Kher, Jaya Bachchan, Simone Singh and Shobha De.

Shreyas: 揑 don抰 mind playing Madhuri Dixit抯 chhota bhai, ghar ka naukar or driver厰  

揗y wife is truly the force behind me.

"What's wrong, if one indulges in gay sex," Pooja Bhatt!

Actress-director Pooja Bhatt finds nothing wrong in gay sex. According to her it's totally an individual choice and we cam take it as a law of nature.

"The problem arises when a society we begin to play up the whole issue," she quipped. "It can be safely called a clinical state, wherein one doesn't find an inclination to go for the more normal as let's say preferred mode of sex," she added. "We live in a free society and must, therefore, be allowed to practice what us the happiest. So if one indulges in gay sex, what's wrong?" gushed Pooja.

Saif underwent an emergency surgery!

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan underwent an emergency surgery on yesterday evening at Kualalampur. Saif Ali, currently who was in Malaysia to shoot a commercial, also featuring his Italian girlfriend Rosa, complained of a pricking pain in right side of his abdomen while shooting for commercial on Wednesday night. After which he was admitted to Gleneagles Hospital in Kualalampur, where he was detected with appendicitis and operated on. As per reports, operation was successful and Saif is on the way to recovery.

Amrita Rao to marry?

Actress Amrita Rao has all set to tie the knot and give up acting. Shocked? According to sources close to the pretty actress, there was tremendous pressure on her from the conservative family she hails from to quit films. A source close to the family, who refused to be named, said, "We are not used to all these nonsense controversies. Half the time she was reading quotes attributed to her that she hadn't even said. It's better to quite film and settle down happily with a man the family picks." However Amrita on contacted said, "No comments."  

Kareena-Shah Rukh together for 慣ime Machine

Katrina stepped in Priyanka抯 shoes!

Director Vipul Shah, who had given superhit film 'Waqt' last year, has all set to start his new project, titled 'Namaste, London' in July. As for the casting, Vipul is upbeat about the having cast Rishi Kapoor for the first time. However for the leading roles he wanted to repeat the 'Waqt' pair, but unfortunately it didn't work as Priyanka Chopra will be busy during that time shooting Farhan Akhtar's 'Don' with Shah Rukh Khan. "Very frankly, I wanted Akshay and Priyanka again. It would've been my second film with the pair, and going by how well 'Waqt' was received I am sure audience would've liked to see me direct the two again. Unfortunately it didn't work out," regretted Vipul in a recent interview.

At the juncture, I'm sure you are eager to know the name of the gal who finally roped in opposite Akshay Kumar; as per reports, Vipul Shah has zeroed in on Salman's girlfriend Katrina Kaif for the role. Vipul said, "After Priyanka, Katrina suits the role best." Akshay-Katrina starrer 'Hum Ko Deewane Kar Gaye' is soon to release. Let's see how the chemistry between Akshay and Katrina works at the box office.

Katrina Kaif


Priyanka Chopra

Aishwarya Rai goes speechless  

Aishwarya Rai has just returned to the city after winning laurels for her dance performance at the Commonwealth Games. She also has recently completed a shooting schedule in Rio de Janeiro with Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan for Yash Raj Films Dhoom 2.
Aishwarya Rai has just returned to the city after winning laurels for her dance performance at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. She also has recently completed a shooting schedule in Rio de Janeiro with Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan for Yash Raj Films Dhoom 2 where she plays a negative role.

And all her global traveling has left her speechless. Speechless because the actress has been diagnosed of laryngitis! The world tour seems to have exhausted her quite a bit and taken a toll on her health.

That has even made the actress postpone the shoot of J P Dutta抯 Umrao Jaan in Lucknow. However the actress is fast recovering.

Just some days back Karan Johar too was a victim of laryngitis.

Hrithik Roshan blessed with a son

Hrithik and Suzanne Roshan became proud parents of a bonny little boy. Sources inform us that the child was born at 3:30 on March 28 at Nanavati Hospital, Mumbai. Hrithik, apparently, flew down from Brazil where he was shooting for Dhoom II to Mumbai a few days ago to be by Suzanne抯 side. When we got in touch with grand-pa Rakesh Roshan, he was beaming. He informed us, 揟he baby weighs a healthy eight pounds and looks like both Hrithik and Suzanne, but of course that抯 too early to tell. We抣l celebrate once Suzanne gets back home. My next film抯 also close to completion, so it抣l call for double celebrations.

Having Salman Khan as co-star is big privilege

Saawan Kumar Tak isn't the only one who is raving about Salman Khan. Actresss, Salloni Aswani, who plays the female lead in SAAWAN - The Love Season, admits to being absolutely bowled over with Salman's gracious presence and his tendency to help his co-stars. "He is the kind of person who goes out of his way to co-operate with his co-stars. What I liked most about him is the way he'd come to my rescue. At times Saawan-ji would not be able to hear me in the din and reprimand me for not reciting a dialogue properly but Salman would tell him that he'd heard me say it properly. He's a fabulous co-star to work with and having him for a co-star is a big privilege," she says.

In the film, she plays the role of a student who comes for a vacation with her friends and falls in love with a young boy (Kapel Jhaveri) after much persuasion. "The story takes a turn when Salman arrives and gives a very big twist to the whole story. The fun-loving girl suddenly finds herself coping with a very different set of circumstances," she reveals.

She also has a lot to say about Salman's involvement as an actor. "A majority of actors switch on and off but he continues to live the character for a long time after the shot is over. I remember when the cameraman would say "cut", he would still remain in the character for a long time," she recalls.

Incidentally, Salloni admits to being an ardent Salman fan for a long time. "I have not missed a single Salman film till date so when Saawan-ji told me that I was being paired opposite him, I jumped at the idea. It was like a big achievement for me at this stage in my career," she says.



[ Last edited by  Gadis_Venus at 7-4-2006 05:10 PM ]

Shah Rukh, Sridevi best dressed stars: Manish Malhotra

Former diva Sridevi and reigning king Shah Rukh Khan are Bollywood's best-dressed personalities, says fashion designer Manish Malhotra.

The man, who has evolved from being a mere Bollywood dresser to full time fashion designer and now budding movie director, says the two stars can give quite a few lessons on how to dress.

"Sridevi is my favourite actress in terms of dressing sense. I started my work with her, learnt so much from her. Apart from being one of the finest actresses, I think she has a lot of knowledge about costumes," Malhotra told IANS on the sidelines of the ongoing Lakme fashion week.

"Among men I think it is Shah Rukh Khan. He can carry out anything," said the designer who pulled a coup of sorts at the fashion week when he had Kajol and Preity Zinta walking the ramp on his show earlier this week.

It was a first for Preity and a feather in the cap for Malhotra, who rarely participates in big fashion events like the fashion week but stole all the attention with his autumn/winter collection titled "Freedom" which he describes as "luxe diffusion".

His new collection for both men and women is inspired from the soul liberating philosophy of Sufism.

Malhotra is of the view that Indian fashion is set to go places.

"Indian fashion is completely moving on. We are soon going to be up there. What we need is funding, a lot of manpower," he said.

"It all started with the kitsch look of Indian designs when the outside world stuck on to ganpatis, agarbattis, skirts and mirror work. India will be number one five years and if not at least in the top five."

Malhotra, who has also clothed pop star Michael Jackson, moved into mainstream designing only in 1998 and has marched forth with characteristic brilliance.

He is a proclaimed favourite of actresses like Karisma and Kareena Kapoor,Preity, Urmila Matondkar and Kajol as well as top actors like Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgan. The elite client list also includes the likes of Parmeshwar Godrej, Sheetal Mafatlal, Tina Ambani and Avanti Birla.

When asked whether his frequent shifting of careers was a sign of him easily getting bored, Malhotra said: "No. In fact if I was bored I would simply leave one and start off another."

"But here I am still doing everything that I did in the past. I am actually loving it," said the stylist who fashioned Urmila Matondkar's famous look in "Rangeela" as well as designed clothes for blockbusters like "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" and "Main Hoon Na", besides of course all of Karan Johar's films, including "Kal Ho Na Ho" and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham".

Up next is the yet to be released "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" starring Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Priety Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kiron Kher and Arjun Rampal.

Commenting on his attempt to venture into filmmaking, Malhotra said: "A designer is a creative person. I feel I can do more. So why should I not?

"The film was in the script stage when I had a little trouble as the whole cast was going haywire. So I thought I should do something totally different and in short think of a totally different script.

"I have not thought of anything including cast or plot. The script is still under construction so I had rather not talk about it."

Shah Rukh Khan


Sridevi

Kareena rides a hand-pulled rickshaw for Othello

"I've never been on a rickshaw before!". Kareena sounds as ecstatic as a child who's just been on the roller-coaster for the first time.

It's been a roller-coaster ride for the 150-member cast and crew of Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Othello' in the town of Lucknow where they've been shooting in the rugged outdoors for the past seventeen days.

In one sequence shot in the crowded Imam Bada area of the city, Kareena actually got into a manual rickshaw. "We cordoned off the entire area for an hour. The shot had our hearts in our mouths," says the tired but triumphant director in Lucknow. "Fortunately because of our tight security bandobast provided by the local government and arranged by producer Kumar Mangat, there were no crises during the outdoors. Otherwise shooting with such a huge cast in the streets of UP could've caused a riot."

Vishal is deeply satisfied with what he has shot. "Ajay, Saif, Vivek and Kareena厀e've been at it for seventeen days , in and around Mumbai and Pune and then in Lucknow. Now we move to Allahabad. I've shot about 15-20 percent of the film. My first schedule is nearly over. But we've a long way to go."

Vishal is impressed by his actors. "I don't feel I'm working with stars. They are working as any professional group of people. They're all surprisingly down-to-earth. Saif is looking really cool with his cropped hair. I know with a cast like this I've a big responsibility. But now I'm at the battle front. There's no time to get nervous. It an all-out war. If I lose my nerves, I'll lose the battle

Saif`s next ad to feature girlfriend Rosa with him

Actor Saif Ali Khan憇 lady love Rosa has revealed her interest in acting and very soon she will appear in an ad campaign for Royal Stag O&M. Boyfriend Saif will share screen with her. This will be her first ad campaign, where the couple will be seen together. Though Saif was busy with the Commonwealth programmers, he took out time from his busy schedule and went to Malaysia with Rosa for the shoot of the same ad campaign. Let抯 hope the duo creates the same onscreen chemistry that they have offscreen.  

Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan recovering well

Actor Saif Ali Khan, who is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for an ad shoot, underwent a successful appendectomy operation.

The 36-year-old national award winning actor was admitted to the Gleneagles Hospital after he complained of acute abdominal pain.

Sources at the hospital say Saif's condition after the emergency operation is 'satisfactory'.

Saif, who won the national award for best actor for his role in Hum Tum, was in Malaysia with his Italian girlfriend, Rosa.

Saif will soon be seen in an ad with Rosa. They shot for the ad in Melbourne, Australia, where Saif -- along with Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukerji -- also performed at the closing ceremony of the Commonweath Games.

Ajay Devgan turns 37

It抯 Ajay Devgan抯  37th birthday but he has no plans to celebrate it. 揑 haven抰 made any plans of bringing in my birthday or celebrating it,

Chopra, Khayyam and Anil Kapoor felicitated

Stalwarts of the Indian film industry including Yash Chopra, music director Khayyam and actor Anil Kapoor, were on Thursday felicitated for their contribution to cinema on the occasion of the closing ceremony of the eighth International MAMI film festival.

Chopra, Kapoor and Khayyam were felicitated by Maharashtra Culture Minister Ashok Chavan and members of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI).

The jury also awarded the international jury award decided by the FIPRESCI, the international organisation of film critics to Jhanu Barua's critically acclaimed "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara."

Speaking on the occasion, Chopra said he was honoured by the award, terming it as "all the more special" because it was given by members of the film industry itself.

Kapoor too thanked the academy in his speech, saying "it would be too pompous to say that I have made any contribution to cinema. Rather it is cinema which has made all the contribution in my life."

Reminsicing about the start of his career as a music director, Khayyam also thanked Chopra for awarding him the music of Kabhie Kabhi which he said was a "turning point" in his career.

Secretary of MAMI Kiran Shantaram while apologising for the late start to the festival this year, said it would commence on January 5th next year.

Anil Kapoor


[ Last edited by  Gadis_Venus at 7-4-2006 05:11 PM ]

Urmila抯 hiatus from glamour continues

The Rangeela  and Mast girl seems to have given a serious break to glamourous roles. Urmila Matondkar抯 last release was the critically acclaimed Maine Gandhik ko nahi mara. Her forthcoming movie is yet another hatke movie, Banaras梐 mystic love story.

擨 have done enough Rangeela kind of movies. I have shown the audience new meanings of glamour. Now I want to do something more than what I am doing or what I have done in the past,

Celina's tribute to Meena Kumari and Madhuri

Celina Jaitley has been a busy woman, lately. She recently completed the shooting of her film Tom Dick and Harry which will hit theatres, soon. Apart from that, she is ready to jet set all over, for a month-long world tour.

Her show in Dubai is scheduled for the first week of April. And what's refreshing is that the audience will see Celina is a whole new avatar. Discarding her so-called 'sexy image', she will be performing a semi classical dance. The performance is a tribute to Meena Kumari and Madhuri Dixit. She will perform on songs from Pakeezah and Devdas.

Celina is really looking forward to this performance. More so, because the opportunity to do a classical dance is very rare in Hindi films, nowadays. Actresses are just expected to do 'sexy' numbers. Incidentally, Celina has been trained in Indian classical dance. She has been rehearsing for these shows, since the last one month. Apart from the tribute, she will also dance to a medley of her own film's songs. For the medley, she will be seen in outfits in earth and fire colors.

Unfortunately, she will miss the premiere of Tom, Dick and Harry because of the world tour. After Deepak Tijori's Tom, Dick and Harry, she will be seen in Sangeet Sivan's Apna Sapna Money Money, expected to release by July, 2006.

Celina Jaitley


Madhuri Dixit