gossip artis HOLLYWOOD~BOLLYWOOD~MALAYWOOD

揑 refused to take my pants off!

Kareena Kapoor: 揂ll the boys love me厰  

From bubble-gum beauty to sexy temptress as a desi Desdemona in Omkara. Quite a leap?

揑t抯 a conscious effort to grow as an actress and take myself to another level. The role of Desdemona is one of the most challenging roles I抳e ever essayed. From the costumes to the hair, everything was tastefully done. Yet, this is a performance oriented film for everyone; no one is here to just look good on-screen.

Viveik Oberoi: 揂cknowledgement is the basic form of respect you can give a relationship!

Bipasha Basu: I would love to have Rakesh Roshan as my father!  

What are your next few releases?

揟here抯 Corporate. Then in Diwali there抯 Dhoom II.

Amrita Arora: 揑抦 simply media friendly. I抦 not all-out to get publicity!

Arbaaz Khan is desperate for a girl!

After ten years in the industry you are yet to make a mark. Is that frustrating for you?
In certain aspects it does. It is not easy to have a brother (Salman), wife (Malaika) or father (Salim Khan) who is more famous than you. It's something everyone close to famous people go through. Ask Sachin (Tendulkar's) brother and he will say the same thing. But you have to be strong and believe in your self, otherwise you could buckle under the pressure.

You have been a great support to Malaika and are often called the ideal husband.
Aisa Kuch Nahin (it's nothing like that). We have also worked a lot on our marriage. We are like every other couple that fights and has their problems. But at the end of the day there are stronger forces that keep us together. I respect Malaika for the way she has conducted her life. I am there for her whenever she wants my opinion but I never impose my decisions on her. In that sense, we both have enough freedom and space.

Are you a strict father?
I'm actually a very doting father. One plays many roles in life but being a father is entirely different. Watching your son grow is an absolutely unbelievable feeling. I would want life to be easy for my son but I know that he will have to face his own struggles. I just want him to know that life抯 not always a bed of roses, and he has to keep trying and working at what he wants.

Are there any plans of expanding your family?
Yes (smiles). I definitely feel the need for another child. But this time I want a daughter. I don't mind trying anything, like the Chinese calendar method if that would make it foolproof, but I want a girl. We are planning a baby sometime next year.

Your family went through a tough time recently with your brother in jail and mother in hospital. How did you deal with it?
Ours is a close-knit family and when things go bad we unite and draw strength from each other. Salman is famous so his problems get highlighted. Besides Salman, when others have had problems my family has done the same. We always do our bit for each other.

Things look good on the work front.
I have Sanjay Gupta's Shoot Out At Lokhandwala where I play a hard-hitting and tough cop called Javed Hyderabadi. I'm also doing Firoz Nadiadwala and Ahmed Khan's Fool and Final where I play a half-Indian, half-Russian drug dealer called Moscow Chikna. Then there is Bhagam Bhaag and Shyam Bajaj's next film.

Would you say this is the best line-up of films so far in your career?
Well, I do have some good films in my kitty and it's nice to do quality work. I don't know whether it's the best phase, as I'd like to believe a lot more is yet to come, but it's definitely a good phase.

You did some disastrous films like Ali Baba Aur 40 Chor and Vijay: Reason to kill. What made you sign them?
Back then times were different. If you didn't work with Yashraj or any other big banner, there was very little good work floating around. Although I wanted to do quality work I couldn't find any, so under those circumstances I did projects that didn't turn out as anticipated. Thankfully, today there are so many options to choose from. There are directors like Madhur Bhandarkar, Anurag Kayshap, Rajat Kapoor, Rakyesh Mehra etc. Even Yashraj has four in-house directors.

Considering you got a raw deal in the television serial Karisma, would you reconsider doing television?
I would love to do television if interesting roles come my way. Big stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit have been on television. There will be a day when TV stars will be as popular as film stars, like in the West, but it will take time. It's a medium with a lot of potential. By the way, I was offered to anchor Fear Factor on AXN, but I couldn't adjust my dates to suit theirs.

Any plans for the future?
I see myself branching out into production or direction in the next five years. I also have an inherent flair for writing, like my dad but I need to nurture it and give it time. But it will be one step at a time.

Bipasha : 揤iveik is a very enthusiastic actor

Ameesha blames compliments for her recent illness

Hey Ameesha, you are looking so pretty." Think twice before you says things this to Ameesha Patel. For this Bollywood actress is very sensitive to compliments. Touch wood. Recently Ameesha was at Film City, shooting a song sequence for Dharmesh Darshan for his film Aap Ki Khatir. She was wearing a beautiful pink outfit, designed by Vikram Phadnis, and as soon as she entered the set, everyone started showering compliments on her: 揧ou're looking beautiful

Kareena Kapoor talks on films, friends and life

Omkara seems to go against your image, doesn't it?
Today it's no longer about being commercial or offbeat. It's important to be part of a good film and a good script, with a pivotal role. I'm all for sensible cinema and I think Omkara come in this category. I am honoured to play such a strong female character in the film.

Were you ever in two minds before signing Omkara?
No, I never had any doubts about the film, from the moment I heard the script. Irrespective of the fate of the film, it will remain an important step in my career, like Chameli, Dev and Yuva. Yuva was a benchmark film for me, as it gave me a 'different' kind of role, one which no Bollywood heroine has done before.

Have you read Othello?
Well, I studied Othello in school. But I feel Vishal's version is better than the original. Honestly, the expectations from the film is scaring me. Everyone is talking about wanting to see Othello. Believe me I never thought that the film will grab so much attention. One thing is sure though. It is a heart-wrenching film and will make people cry.

You play a character who's madly in love with Ajay Devgan?
I play this girl from Meerut who is literate and yet who is so hopelessly in love with Ajay Devgan, that she does whatever Ajay says. She is completely devoted to him. She leaves her family and quits college, all for the love of this don.

Did you also have to speak the western UP dialect that all actors had problems with ?
Not really. My character is a literate person. However Ajay, Saif and Konkona had to speak the dialect. Ajay did fine, but Saif and Konkona had a tough time.

Is working in offbeat cinema a conscious effort on your part?
Honestly speaking, I have no films on hand right now. I listen to four scripts a day

Preity Zinta:

Urmila: 揗y friends think I抦 secretly dating someone

Shilpa Shetty gathers support in obscenity case

The 憃bscenity

Ketan Mehta: It抯 Madhuri Vs Aishwarya Rai!

After directing 慚angal Pandey

Ash and Sush both want to be Lakshmibai

The battle has begun. This time, it's between Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai. Both are ready to play Rani Lakshmibai. While Ash has already announced her film with Ketan Mehta last year, Sushmita Sen decided to produce a film on the same subject early this year. Speaking for the first time about her project, she says, 揥hy should I shelve my film because Ash is playing Lakshmibai too, in Ketan Mehta's film? She will do it in her own way and I wish her all the best.

Lara is still jealous of Priyanka?

It was supposed to be the casting coup of the season. Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra together as sisters in Dharmesh Darshan's Aap Ki Khatir.

The two former beauty queens and friends coming together after their joint debut in Suneel Darshan's block-bust-er Andaz.

So what happened? Because Ms Dutts decided to do a disappearing act from this, Dharamesh's makeover film. The panic-stricken director approached Amisha Patel to take Lara Dutta's place. Ms Patel has graciously agreed to step into Lara's place. Otherwise Aap Ki Khatir would have been in serious trouble.

What could be the reason for the ever-professional Ms Dutta's change of mind? The official reason given is

Bipasha is terrified of heights!

Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi found out Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu was scared of heights when they shot a scene in a Ferris wheel for Omkara.

Oberoi told Screen that Basu was a wreck as the Ferris wheel turned, but she managed to make it through the shoot for Omkara without anyone but him realising how scared she was.

Basu and Oberoi are among the stars of Omkara, which is based on Shakespeare's Othello.

Basu's fear of heights apparently took him by surprise during the film shoot.

As the wheel took them skyward, Oberoi said Basu grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed her eyes shut. "She confessed that she was petrified of heights and ordered me to close my eyes too," he was quoted as saying.

Oberoi said he was torn between feeling sorry for her and fighting the urge to laugh while assuring her that they would both be fine.

"She was such a wreck by the time we made it all the way up that I was convinced she'd never be able to pull off the scene we were to shoot. But I admire the girl's guts. She conquered her fears and sailed through the moment without so much of a tremor," he reportedly said.

I will not marry: Karan Johar

Life is a whirligig of activities for Karan Johar. Besides readying Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, given the rather curious acronym of KANK, for a August 11 release, Karan has to blow kisses at an avalanche of social activities. As we talk there's a truck-load of tourists waving and squealing when they spot Karan at a traffic signal.

To Karan goes the credit for flagging off the cult of star-directors in Bollywood. "I don't know whether I should take credit for that, though I'd love to. I do love people. I love interacting with everyone from friends to fans. Somewhere that innate warmth reaches out to people."

There's the downside of flamboyant fame

Films not Hrithik's top priority

Hrithik Roshan misses his 3-month-old son so much while filming away from India that he plans to take him to the location where he shoots next time.

The Bollywood actor is due back in Mumbai later this month after weeks away filming the action movie Dhoom2 in Swakopmund in Namibia and Durban in South Africa.

"He (Rayhaan) is undoubtedly the most important thing in my life," Hrithik said.

"I have come to understand that fatherhood is probably the best thing that has happened to me," he said adding, "A smile from Rayhaan every morning gives me energy to work hard."

Hrithik plays a smooth-talking thief in Dhoom2, which also stars actor Abhishek Bachchan and actresses Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu.

His recent release Krrish, where he plays a superhero who glides over water and leaps over buildings has been a huge hit across the country.

Hrithik will begin shooting for a historical film Akbar Jodha opposite Bollywood beauty Aishwarya in September.

Jackie Shroff as Sai Baba  

After giving intense performances in films like ''Hero'', 'Parinda'' and ''Ram Lakhan'', Bollywood star Jackie Shroff will now portray the role of a saint -- that of Sai Baba.

The forthcoming film ''Malik Ek'' will be directed by Deepak Balaraj Vij and will be produced by Kishori Shahane Vij under the banner of ''Om The Mantra Productions''.

''Bhajan Samrat'' Anup Jalota will give music for the film.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of song recording at a studio here, Deepak Balaraj Vij said he had wanted to make this film long time back but the script was not ready.

''I worked on the script and approached Jackie. He did not even take five minutes and agreed to do the film immediately,'' he said.

''I took Jackie for the film because he is an intense actor.'' Jackie Shroff was modesty personified. '' Mein jaisa hoon vaisa hee hoon ..... I am the way I am. I leave it upon others to make me look good,'' he said.

Elaborating on the song being recorded, Anup Jalota informed, ''We are recording a song on 'raksha bandhan' and the music is in keeping with the times.'' Anuradha Paudwal is going to sing the song.

The film will go on the floors in November. It has screenplay by Shrish Latkar, camera by Manish Bhat and editing by Dilip Kotalgi.  

That was not my voice: Aftab

After a decent, though unsung performance in friend Vikram Bhatt's Ankahee, Aftab seems to have vanished.

Laughs affable Aftab, "That's because I was away on a family vacation. I was in New York with my sister and brother-in-law for two weeks. They're on the verge of relocated to the UK. I had gone with my mother to basically be with my sister. And I had a whale of a time."

Wasn't the fact that Ankahee crumble so unceremoniously a damper to his vacation?

"Not at all! I enjoyed myself thoroughly. I admit I'd have enjoyed my holiday more if I had gone with a hit to my credit. But these things cannot be controlled. And you cannot let success or failure control your moods.

When I had seen Ankahee before release I was overwhelmed. But I was prepared for it to go either way. It wasn't a run-of-the-mill film. Earlier I had banked heavily on Shukriya. After it flopped I decided I'd never bank on a film."

Aftab admits the fact that he didn't dub for Ankahee took away from his performance. "Vikram and I had major arguments about this. But I finally relented.

He wanted my character to speak in his (Vikram's) voice, and I went with the director's decision as I generally tend to, specially if the director happens to be a close friend like Vikram.

Ankahee is my second film with Vikram after Qasoor where he has dubbed for me. But now I promise you, I'll never allow anyone else to dub my lines.

In Red my next film again with Vikram, I'll a thousand percent dub for myself even if I've fight with Vikram to do so. And by the way in my next release Darwaza Bandh Rakho I've dubbed my lines better and more confidently than ever before thanks to what happened in Ankahee."

At the moment Aftab is banking completely on Vikram Bhatt's Red. "It's the only film I've chosen to do. I can't accept the comedies and mundane multi-starrers that come my way. And no, the fact that my last film with Vikram Bhatt hasn't worked doesn't take away from my excitement about Red.

It's a much less dark film than Ankahee, a romantic thriller where I play a guy who undergoes a heart transplant."

Surely a new one for a leading man in Bollywood! "You bet! I'd rather do one film that allows me to spread my wings as an actor than five which expect me to repeat myself."