gossip artis HOLLYWOOD~BOLLYWOOD~MALAYWOOD

gadis_aries

Berakhir kisah Cinderella
Oleh Zainuri Misfar


REALITINYA, hanya mereka saja yang tahu apa sebenarnya sedang bermain di kepala atau hati masing-masing. Begitulah aksi Erra Fazira dan Yusry Abdul Halim ketika kedua-duanya keluar dari kereta berjalan menuju ke Mahkamah Syariah Petaling Jaya.



Erra masih berupaya melemparkan senyuman. Begitu juga Yusry. Kerana hari itu hujan renyai, kedua-duanya berjalan di bawah satu payung sambil berpegangan tangan.

Hujan pula ada cerita tersendiri kepada mereka. Mereka bersanding ketika hujan lebat, dan kini bercerai juga dalam suasana sama. Kedua-duanya tentu mengharapkan perkahwinan mereka berkekalan selama-lamanya, tetapi disangka panas hingga ke petang, rupanya hujan di tengah hari. Begitulah nasib mereka.

Apapun, Erra masih sempat berseloroh dengan jurugambar yang sudah lama menunggu kehadiran mereka di mahkamah. ?enapa ni, macam orang buat salah pula...,? kata Erra sambil dijeling Yusry ketika berjalan masuk ke mahkamah.

Yusry dan Erra berada di Mahkamah Syariah, Jumaat lalu untuk memohon pengesahan perceraian mereka. Permohonan itu difailkan Yusry sebagai plaintif pada Selasa lalu (13 Jun). Yusry menceraikan Erra dengan talak satu di rumah mereka di Damansara Utama, pada jam 5 petang, 26 April lalu.

Erra memakai kebaya berbunga coklat dan berselendang hitam, manakala Yusry berkemeja lengan panjang merah jambu, bersongkok dan berseluar hitam, memasuki dewan mahkamah bersama-sama kira-kira jam 3.30 petang.

Tiada anggota keluarga kedua-dua pasangan ini yang menemani mereka semasa berada di mahkamah. Di dalam mahkamah, Erra duduk bersama kumpulan wartawan wanita. Yusry duduk di barisan belakang sekali, dan sempat bersalaman dan bertanya khabar dengan penulis.

Sebaik saja mahkamah mula bersidang, dan permohonan Yusry dibacakan di hadapan Hakim Syarie, Ghazali Ahmad, wajah Erra berubah. Terpapar bibit kesedihan Erra yang duduk bersebelahan peguam syarie, Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusof yang juga peguam penasihat bagi kedua-duanya.

Yusry pula pada waktu itu nampak keliru dan terpinga-pinga dengan soalan Ghazali berhubung pernyataan cerai yang ditulisnya, iaitu dengan niat atau tidak sebelum lafaz cerai dibuat. Ini membuatkan peguam syarie, Fahda Nur Ahmad Kamar menghampiri Yusry menjelaskan maksud soalan Hakim Syarie itu.

?aya menulisnya terlebih dulu untuk memberitahu dengan lebih jelas. Ketika melafazkan apa yang saya tulis, saya ada niat untuk menceraikan isteri saya, dan jarak masa yang diambil antara menulis dan melafazkan adalah kira-kira lima hingga 10 minit,? kata Yusry.

Erra merenung tajam ke arah Yusry semasa bekas suaminya berada di kandang saksi untuk memberi keterangan.

Yusry dalam keterangannya berkata sebelum melafazkan cerai di hadapan isterinya dan dua saksi, dia terlebih dulu menulis pernyataan berkenaan. Katanya, lafaz itu berbunyi, ?aya, Yusry Abdul Halim menceraikan isteri saya Fazira Wan Chek dengan talak satu yang jumlahnya adalah satu?, dan dilafazkan sekali saja.

Ketika ini Erra tunduk, hiba mendengar ungkapan ?erai? yang disebut Yusry.

Sementara itu, Erra sempat menyentuh bahu dan memberikan senyuman kecil kepada Yusry semasa berjalan masuk ke kandang saksi untuk memberi keterangan. Pada masa sama, Yusry yang duduk bersebelahan dengan peguamnya, memandang sayu ke arah wajah isterinya.

Semasa diminta Hakim membacakan pernyataan cerai yang ditulis Yusry, Erra bermula lancar tetapi terus sebak apabila tiba pada perkataan ?...menceraikan isteri saya Fazira Wan Chek...?. Kesedihan dan rasa hibanya tidak dapat ditahan, lalu dia tunduk menitiskan air mata, dan terdiam beberapa ketika, menyebabkan peguam penasihatnya bergegas mendapatkan tisu untuknya.

Keadaan itu berterusan selepas Erra keluar dari kandang saksi. Mata dan hidungnya kemerah-merahan menahan perasaan sedihnya. Dan, dia tidak banyak bercakap apabila keluar meninggalkan mahkamah.

Semasa di luar mahkamah, kedua-duanya kelihatan tenang dan memberikan kerjasama yang baik dengan wartawan. Namun, Erra banyak berdiam diri, sebaliknya Yusry yang merangkul pinggang Erra dari tepi, lebih banyak menjawab semua soalan dari wartawan.

Terdahulu, Hakim Syarie, Ghazali Ahmad yang mendengar permohonan pengesahan pasangan itu menetapkan 10 Julai depan untuk membuat keputusan.

Shah Rukh Khan disappoints by his absence at IIFA

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is just not called 'King Khan' or 'Bollywood Badshah' for nothing as his absence was sorely felt here at the recent 7th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend.

Even though top stars like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherji and Preity Zinta were present for the awards presentation ceremony and performed, they could not match the SRK's histronics of entertaining the audiences and interacting with fans while anchoring the awards presentation show.

The star-studded extravaganza during the awards presentation failed to enthuse the audiences. The stars came, performed and left. There was no variety in the performances except of Preity Zinta who danced to the tunes of superhit numbers which had influence of Arabic music, said Vivek Kotian.

Of the few stories carried by the local media about the IIFA weekend, most were critical. Last year, the Dutch press had extensive coverage of the event describing IIFA as 'Bollywood Oscars'.

SRK keeps the audiences engaged with his light, humorous talk and even invites his fans to perform with him on stage, remembers Shalini Patel, who attended the 'Temptations' performance of Shah Rukh in Dubai two years ago.

Fardeen Khan and Lara Dutta did a decent job as comperes of the show. But, they cannot match SRK's star status, she said.

Organisers did not give any reason for Shah Rukh staying away from IIFA except that he was holidaying in London with his family after completing the shooting of Farhan Akhtar's 'Don'.

The Superstar's absence from the mega-event was attributed to his alleged differences with Amitabh Bachchan, who is the brand ambassador of IIFA. Filmmaker Karan Johar, a close friend of SRK, rubbished such talks.

"Such gossip does not deserve even an explanation," Karan, who directed both SRK and the Big B in his soon to be released film 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' (KANK), said.

Abhishek Bachchan, who worked for the first time with SRK in KANK, lamented that he had only three scenes with Shah Rukh in the film. "He is hard working and lights up the screen with his presence," Abhishek said.

Last year in Amsterdam, fans thronged the hotels throughout the day and night where the stars were put up to catch a glimpse of their favourite actors which was not the case here. The frenzy was missing here as star appearances have become a routine.

"There are many shows and events happening here round the year and so the people are used to it," a local journalist said.

Aishwarya Rai, whose performance in Jag Mundhra's "Provoked" was appreciated by film critics here, was visiting Dubai after a decade. She flew in and out of the city within a few hours as she was in the midst of the shooting for Mani Ratnam's 'Guru' in Chennai.

Many Indians living here, majority of whom belong to Kerala, were the happiest to see their icons Mamooty and Mohan Lal in flesh and blood. Both the Malyalam superstars were invited on stage to give away some awards.

The fans were disappointed that Mohan Lal did not acknowledge them but were happy when Mamooty waved at them. What made them even happier was the actor's plaintalk.

Mamooty expressed happiness that IIFA had invited actors from other Indian language films for the awards function and refused to be called a south Indian actor.

"Outside India, we are all Indians. When IIFA calls itself International, they should incorporate the best of films from other languages to compete with Hindi films in different award categories. Indian cinema does not constitute Hindi movies alone," he said to loud cheers from the audience.

But, it is unlikely that the format of awards would see a change in the immediate future as Hindi films are the most popular.

Despite the high cost of tickets and scorching heat even during evenings, the Airport Expo, venue of the awards function on Friday, was jampacked. The prices were ranged between 1200 dirhams, 800 dirhams and 250 dirhams.

Even though majority of Indians working and living here are well-to-do and could afford such tickets, there are many others who live a hand-to-mouth existence in this city of dreams in the gulf, only to save and send few dirhams back home in India.

Sirajuddin, a driver of a "rent-a-vehicle" company whose services were hired to ferry IIFA guests to different destinations here, hails from Kerala. He said he has been working here for the last ten years. He works in shifts, driving a luxury bus through Dubai's roads.

"I get one month off every year to go home. Some times, I take two months holiday in two years. Here, it is just work hard to save money and send it to Cochin to enable my four small sons to study", he said as his eyes turn moist while talking about his family.

Shekhar Kumar, an executive in a seven star hotel, hails from Mangalore. "I am living here for the last ten years. My wife too works as a consulant in a private firm here. Savings are difficult here. I am atleast better off because I have certain facilities like free food and travel. But, the condition of masons, construction workers who are brought here as cheap labour by agents is pathetic," he said.

"They are dumped in single rooms along with 25 others, and are given about 600 dirhams per month and not even paid on time. There is strike and road blockadges every month demanding better wages," he said.

A law that minimum wages be fixed at 1000 dirhams is being proposed now. All the massive construction works you see all over here is being done by hiring cheap Indian labour as well as those from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, he added.

He revealed that air conditioners are must in homes here, due to the severe heat during February and September. "Air conditioners bills come to 700 dirhams per month apart from electricity charges. If you are a local, you will have to pay five per cent of the total electricity bill and if you are an outsider, you have to bear the entire bill," he said.

Bipasha Basu: 慔eel抜ng wonder!

Actress Bipasha Basu is a style icon for many. When we bumped into the actress on one occasion we noticed that the already tall lass had donned high heels on her feet, and many were literally looking up to her. When we quizzed her on how she managed the pencil heels, Bips replied, 揌eels are not for me. I wear them extremely rarely. They can be really uncomfortable. At the same time, if I know that there isn抰 going to be much standing and walking to do, I slip them on, but it抯 not often. I am much more comfortable in flats. I wear those regularly.

Ajay flexes his muscles!

Salman Khan is known for taking off his shirt at the drop of a hat and now close on his heels is Ajay Devgan. The media shy actor, known for his intense acting, will be taking off his shirt for some scenes in his forthcoming film, Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkara, the Hindi adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. When compared to Salman Khan, he laughed and said, "My role required me to have a lean and mean look with muscles and cuts. And I was rigorously working out to achieve the desired results. Some scenes in the film require me to take my shirt off to flex some muscles and I did it." So finally Devgan too joins Bollywood抯 ever-growing muscular brigade!   

Ajay and Kajol: The brand!

In the ad commercial world Big B and SRK still dominate the market, but close on their heels is the Ajay and Kajol jodi. The husband wife couple is hot on the commercial circuit and slowly and steadily their stock are rising. What's helps them perhaps is their family image which helps in promoting middle class household appliances like phones and refrigerators. But the difference is that unlike Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay and Kajol are choosy of the brand they would like to endorse. 揥e are getting so many offers, but we choose only those which we are convinced we can do together and other people can do the rest,

Ameesha falls for Italian

Bobby's going 'brown'!  

Talk about getting into the skin of the character, Bobs has been trying hard to do that with his roles lately. And it's not just the hair-do we're talking about. Currently, he's shooting in the city which is usually the vacation hub for many stars - Bangkok. And Bobs is literally 'making the most while the sun shines'. Yeah, Bobby's been sunbathing by the pool-side of his hotel everyday; he needs that slightly auburn, tanned look for his role as a boxing champ in his next Apne which is being shot there, so the actor thought it was best to do it the natural way. After the shoot is over, we wonder which city he'll scoot off to for changing colours again!   

Esha Deol's tough critic!  

While most stars have this love-hate relationship with critics (who on some Fridays rave about their films and on other days put it through the shredder), Esha Deol has no choice but to love her critic. That's because her biggest critic is in her own family. She chirpily says, "Yes, my mom is my best critic, and a very tough critic too. After seeing me in Dhoom she said - Wow! There are some films she doesn't like and she totally jacks me up for them. She fires me for so many things." We're sure a toughie like Esha can handle many a tough critic. And mommy's criticism comes with a dash of TLC (tender love and care) too. What say, ED?  

What's SRK doing in the Caribbean?

Talking about vacations, SRK is off to one of his favourite cities - London, with his family. But he's looking at another destination, not so much for holidaying, though. He'll be doing a bit of a detour and spinning off to the Caribbean for a stage show organized by his buddy, Chunky Pandey. And we all know how the King Khan stretches his arms for his friends, and rarely turns down a friendly request. Of course, he has a huge fan-following out there, and watching fans going into a frenzy is a high for any super-star. Coincidentally, even the Indian cricket team is in the West Indies, and SRK is a big cricket fan. So if he extends his stay a wee-bit, he just might be able to catch the second series. If that happens, it will be quite a 'field' day for the media!   

Lolo, Bebo and Shahid: Bonding time!  

We told you about Shahid and Kareena vacationing in London, after wooing audiences all across America. Now the lovebirds have company, and we're sure they're not complaining about it. Karisma joined them out there, and apparently the three K's are having quite a helluva time. They were seen over coffee and conversation in London's most loved coffee shop, and if you think they were absolutely undisturbed, you're wrong. They attracted a lot of onlookers around, and even the Brits who didn't know them, got to know about our Indian beauties. Knowing how close the two sisters - Lolo and Bebo are, Shahid better do some bonding with Big Sis. Good idea, boy!  

Karisma Kapoor


Kareena Kapoor & Shahid Kapoor


[ Last edited by  Gadis_Venus at 18-5-2007 04:05 PM ]

Sunny tutors Sameera!  

He may be one of the most macho actors as well as one of the most silent on the sets, but Sameera Reddy is quite impressed by Sunny Deol. 揑 have always felt a lot of respect for Sunny as he is a senior actor,

Saif-Ajay Devgan: Kachche dhaage!  

Relationships in the industry can sour at one go, but luckily actors forgive and forget just as quickly too. Saif and Ajay Devgan, who抳e worked in Kachche Dhaage in the past are now back together in Omkara. And they抮e getting along like a house on fire. 揑n Kachche Dhaage both our characters were tailor made for us. But in this one it抯 very different, even visually. But since then and with many interactions in the films, we have matured a lot and we are friends as well. There is a lot of space between us. We抳e become very comfortable with each other. Ajay is someone I look forward to working with.

Akshay, Suneil in a war of words

Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty have had a history of arguments, with the latter accusing the former of editing his roles. However, barely a week before the release of Phir Hera Pheri, it got extremely ugly. Apparently, each felt that his performance was better than the other抯 in the film.

So when they came face-to-face with each other at Empire Studios a week ago, they got into a heated argument and exchanged some not-so-pleasant words and apparently even vowed never to work with each other again.

When contacted, Shetty had denied the news. Kumar, who was in Spain, was unavailable for comment. However, producer Firoz Nadiadwala confirmed the news. He says, 揃asically both felt that the other person's role was meatier than his own. So, they had a very heated argument about it at Empire Studios around a week ago. When someone called me from the studios, I rushed there only to find that both had left and vowed never to work with each other again.

Hrithik : They are behaving like bullies

After Amitabh Bachchan made a statement that Aamir Khan was not wrong in voicing his opinion on the Narmada dam issue, and Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor and Subhash Ghai too have expressed their support to Aamir, it抯 now the turn of Hrithik Roshan. Here抯 what Hrithik has to say... 揑 am ashamed to live in a country where one political party can use the power given to them 慴y the people

Bipasha Basu: I抦 like that ghost woman

What抯 sexy about Dia Mirza?

Actress Dia Mirza is all set to sizzle on screen with her item number in the much awaited sequel of Hera Pheri

Aftab Shivdasani: 揑 will never allow anyone else to dub for me again.

Abhishek Bachchan: Shah Rukh and Hrithik aren抰 just concerned about their own performance

Apparently in Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna you play a character close to your heart?
Actors always bring a lot of themselves into their characters. At the end of the day, the character is being performed by the actor, the character must therefore have elements of the actor. Karan knows me well, so he used a lot of my personality for my character in KANK. It's very important for me to identify with the character I play, otherwise I can't play him convincingly.

How did it feel to work with Shah Rukh Khan in KANK?
Only after you work with Shah Rukh do you truly understand why he enjoys the position he does. He's a humble and unassuming person. When you work with him you realise he's amazingly good at what he does. My advice to any actor who works with him is to interact with him off the sets for a week before the shooting begins. I was bowled over by him as an actor and a human being. I've never seen a more hard-working actor. On the sets he was always there for Karan and for his co-stars. He made sure that everyone ate well and performed properly.

You seem totally bowled over by him.
I hope I can work with SRK again and again. Shah Rukh is an immensely generous actor. He almost concentrates more on getting the other actor's performance right in a scene, than his own! When I was stuck during a scene, he readily helped me out. The amount I've learnt from him about conducting oneself as a person and as an actor, is insurmountable. Shah Rukh truly deserves his superstardom. He works hard for it, and he makes sure others work equally hard.

What about Preity Zinta?
KANK was our first film together, besides the little bit of work that we did together in Salaam Namaste, where she was lying on an operation table and screaming. She does not lie down in KANK, but she continues to shout at me!

She claims you can out-chatter her.
With Preity, it's a bit of an ego problem. Since I'm a very sore loser I've to try and out-do her in talking. I love Preity. She's one of the nicest persons I've met. I'm looking forward to working with her again in Shaad Ali's Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom. It's going be a fun film. It's exciting because of the cast. Preity, of course, is one of my favourite people on earth. Then there's Bobby Deol whom I've known since I was a kid. I've always wanted to work with him. There have been many projects in the past together which didn't work out.

You're also doing the sequel to Dhoom
One of the plus points of doing a sequel is that you already know the character. I play the same character. That makes it easier for me to play him. Then there's an equation already built with the crew. So you automatically get into the groove. The exciting part is to build a new mood within the given parameters since we can't serve the same thing to the audience. It's a new cast and a new plot. Hopefully it will be much better and bigger than the first Dhoom.

You're working with Hrithik again.
Dhoom 2 is my second film with Hrithik after Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. He isn't just hard-working, he's seven notches above that. Through his hard work, he pushes me to work. His perfectionism is infectious. What's wonderful about actors like Shah Rukh and Hrithik is they aren't just concerned about their own performance but also the entire film. It's great fun just hanging out with him. Shooting for Dhoom 2 was a party.

How does it feel to work with Ratnam again?
Yuva was a turning point in my career. And all credit for it goes to Mani Ratnam for this. Guru is a challenge. Mani likes to push his actors. He likes to break conventions. He gives you a scene, and you work it out as logically as you can. He then takes it and flips it around completely. He likes to go against the grain. With him, every actor had better rise to the occasion.

What other films are on the anvil?
After Shaad's film I'm doing a film with my friend Goldie Behl, Drona is the working title of this film. After Goldie's film I go on to Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar 2. Then I move on to Rakeysh Mehra's Delhi - 6. After that it'll be Rohan Sippy's film next year.

You and Rakeysh Mehra go back a long way.
Yes, I'm very excited about working with him. Rakeysh and I were both supposed to do our first feature film together. But it didn't work out. We've been trying to collaborate for ten years now. Every year we'd think of an idea, but it wouldn't work out.

So now you have two antithetical films, Umrao Jaan and KANK coming up one after the other.
It's only after I did my first period film Umrao Jaan that I realised how modern we are in our everyday conduct, as individuals. I had to try and forget my natural body language and demeanour, and reacclimatise myself. It was a challenge. Interestingly, I came to shoot for Umrao Jaan straight from KANK, straight from New York in recent times to Lucknow in the 19th century.

Why are you suddenly doing so many endorsements?
My criterion for endorsing a brand is simple. Would I use the product and am I comfortable endorsing it? It's very important for the brand ambassador to have faith in the product. I believe in the products I endorse.

Are very conscious of your public conduct?
You've to be true to yourself in your private and personal conduct. We have to realise we've a huge responsibility towards the public. They look at us to set examples and we have to be conscious of that.

Having said that, I must say that I am what I am and I behave the way I've been brought up to behave.

Shah Rukh Khan


Hrithik Roshan

Kareena抯 sweating it out in spite of viral flu

In spite of being struck by a bout of the viral flu, Kareena Kapoor has no time to recuperate. Instead, the actress is headed to Malaysia where she will resume her shooting for Farhan Akhtar's Don.

揊arhan Akhtar's team is waiting for me there,

Raveena: Before, After and the Day After

Raveena Tandon proved her 'never say die' spirit yet again when she successfully knocked off kilos and kilos of extra fat to revert back to her original self. An over-weight Raveena is now a thing of the past. It was evident when we last spotted her at the St Andrews auditorium, on Sunday.

According to the actress, this time, shedding those extra kilos has not involved an intense weight loss regimen supplemented with a regulated work-out. Instead, eating in moderation has been the key.

When Raveena Tandon ruled the roost as an actress, her diet comprised watermelon and popcorn. Results of it showed on screen, and she was best remembered as a svelte actress. Of course, things changed drastically when she got married to Anil Thadani and delivered a baby, Rasha. Post-delivery, she put on weight and was a far cry from the Raveena we remembered.

揂s an actress I always kept a tight check on my diet,