gossip artis HOLLYWOOD~BOLLYWOOD~MALAYWOOD

You can't jail Shipa for a Kiss

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has recently been in the news for one reason or another. Some lawyers have gone to the extent of filing cases against her after she received pecks on her cheek from Hollywood actor Richard Gere, terming them "obscene kisses", at an event in the capital to promote AIDS awareness. Following this, a section of the media has been abuzz with reports claiming that a court in Rajasthan has restricted Shilpa's movements outside India. A report quoting a top-ranking police official from Jaipur said: "If proven guilty, Gere and Shilpa could be sentenced to six years' imprisonment." Refuting the charges, the actress's spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar clarified that Shilpa has not received any court order or summons. He added that it was "amateur and frivolous" on the part of a government official to state that someone can get jailed for pecks on cheeks. "If that is the case, more than half the country will have to be jailed," quipped Bhagwagar.

[table=98%][tr][td=2,1]'I am going the Salman way'[/td][/tr][tr][td=2,1]Ashmit Patel may not be doing well as far as his career graph is concerned, but he surely looks determined to make his name shine on the top of Bollywood chart list. So what if it wouldn't be for his acting skills. He is dead determined to do it the Salman Khan way. You guessed it right, he is planning to go shirtless. And no prizes for guessing that he is pumping iron day in and day out.

An actor has to take special care of his physical appearance if he has to survive in this glamour industry. With all these heavy schedules, how does Ashmit manages to take care of his exercising schedule?

"I make it a point to work out even on outdoor schedules. I had gifted myself with the aim of getting my six-pack abs back this birthday and am living upto it,

[table=98%][tr][td=2,1]Mallika turns Himesh's Mehbooba [/td][/tr][tr][td=2,1]Himesh Reshammiya has managed to convince Mallika Sherawat to do a song for his debut film Aap Kaa Surroor

Kareena, Shahid singing duets in Manali

Bollywood's hot duo Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur began shooting for their latest film "Geet" in Manali this week. The two stars landed here late Tuesday with noted choreographer Saroj Khan. Their off-screen romance keeps the gossip columns abuzz but they haven't had the same impact on screen. So far they have appeared together in "Chup Chup Ke", "36 China Town" and "Fida" but none could bring the desired results. Right now they are pinning their hope on "Milenge Milenge".

[table=98%][tr][td=2,1]BIG 92.7 FM listener wins... Abhishek Bachchan's Sherwani[/td][/tr][tr][td=2,1]With the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding craze hitting an all time high, BIG 92.7 FM, India's largest private FM radio network, whose brand ambassador is none other than the most recently wed Bollywood heart-throb Abhishek Bachchan, sure had some great programming mix and entertainment for its listeners.

Among the other interesting and innovative offerings from the Radio Station, was the 'Sherwani that Abhishek Bachchan himself wore for the campaign of the BIG FM'. The Station ran a contest, aptly christened 'The BIG Shaadi', on air, which asked listeners to send in innovative blessings.

The lucky winner was announced today amidst much fan fare at West Gate Mall, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi.

As luck may have it, the winner, Ms. Vinny Shukla, a resident of Malviya Nagar is soon to be wed and what better a gift for this Abhishek Bachchan

LoLiPoP

gosip hollywood malaywood mana??

Gone wif the wind!

After Gere, did Govinda head for Nepal?

After Hollywood icon Richard Gere's low-key trip to Kathmandu this month to resume old ties and meet members of the Tibetan community, did Bollywood heartthrob Govinda pay an even more low-key visit to the Himalayan nation? That's what Nepal's leading daily claims though the actor's associates in Nepal deny the report. Govinda, one of Bollywood's top heroes and a Congress MP, is also known as Nepal's son-in-law after his marriage in the 1980s to Kathmandu girl Sunita. Kantipur, Nepal's largest selling daily, said the busy hero had come on a flying visit to Nepal Saturday with his wife, son and daughter. The daily quoted Sunita and said the star visitor had come for a quick holiday as well as to offer prayers at some of Kathmandu's famed shrines. Before returning to Mumbai Tuesday, he is said to have visited the hallowed Pashupatinath temple, the Baglamukhi altar and the Dakshinkali shrine, where King Gyanendra offered five animal sacrifices this week. Nepal's home ministry, under severe flak for the fragile security situation in the country, provided the actor with two bodyguards, the daily said. The actor had come to Nepal in 2003 as well, after the Maoist guerrillas had declared a ceasefire. Along with former Miss World Priyanka Chopra, Chi Chi, as Govinda is sometimes known, had shot two song and dance sequences in Kathmandu and its neighbouring district Bhaktapur for Bollywood producer K.C. Bokadia's "Ek Hasina Ek Diwana". However, Nepali event manager Madhav Timilsinha, who had helped Bokadia facilitate the shooting, said the report was baseless. "Govinda did not come to Nepal." Earlier this month, there was a rumour that Bollywood power couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were scheduled to arrive in Nepal prior to their wedding to seek Pashupatinath's blessings. The rumour was triggered by a web site, resulting in journalists keeping vigil at the temple as well as Kathmandu's international airport for a glimpse of the former beauty queen and the son of Amitabh Bachchan, who enjoys a huge fan following in Nepal.

John Abraham Frozen in time

John Abraham has been real busy,so much so, that he抯 not even had the time to post a new message on his website since December 2006. After finishing the shoot for Anurag Kashyap抯 No Smoking, he took off immediately to London for a month-long schedule of Vivek Agnihotri抯 Goal. Seems that apna John too has fallen prey to the star syndrome. they start things off with a bang and then the passion fizzles out (Shah Rukh, Salman, Jackie, etc.)? Where are all their websites now?

Celina stalked by an obsessive fan!

The celebrities and the fans share a very symbiotic relationship but at times some fans can go to extremes with their obsessions. Lately Celina Jaitely felt the brunt of a crazy fan. She was bombarded with calls from different numbers. Some times he identified herself as a Yoga teacher, sometimes as her Driver. Though Celina ignored the calls and tried to avoid it, the man hounded her, according to sources close to her. Apparently the caller even abused her for not taking his calls. In fact the sources add that when last week Celina had gone to Rakesh Shrestha studio for a photo- shoot, The anonymous caller apparently threatened her and told her that he was aware of her a every move. According to her friends, Celina was completely spooked out because he knew every personal detail about her which was really scary. They said that then she filed a complaint with the Versova Police Station against the stalker who was harassing her. The sources adds, "Celina seemed very happy with the co- operative attitude of the cops, since she being a single actress she was traumatized. But the cops have been very helpful" When contacted Celina didn't want to comment on the issue, she just said, "I would rather not talk about it. I have spoken to the officer-in-charge" But her business manager Zahid confirms the incident "Yes it's true that Celina Jaitely has filed a complaint. The police have been very co-operative. She has full faith in the system."

Shilpa says no to 'Big Brother'

After winning the world's leading reality show 'Celebrity Big Brother' in UK, the media has been abuzz with reports of Shilpa Shetty being a part of the 'Big Brother' house in Australia. But the actresses' spokesperson states otherwise. "She won't be a part of another reality show," he says and adds, "Shilpa participated in the UK 'Big Brother' as she wanted to do something new in her career and take one step ahead in life. It threw challenges untold and she emerged a stronger and more confident person. Since then, she has moved on in life," he said. Currently, the actress is looking forward to her upcoming film 'Metro' with heartthrob Shiney Ahuja and powerhouse performer Kay Kay Menon. The film is going to get a grand international release in a fortnight. Around the same time, Shilpa will also launch a perfume in her name, mainly targeted at the UK market. Yes! 'Brand Shilpa' shows no signs of stopping.

[table=98%][tr][td=2,1]Emraan Hashmi isn't kissing here: Ashwin Choudhary[/td][/tr][tr][td=2,1]After making a debut with an off-beat movie like 'Dhoop', director Ashwin Choudhary went into oblivion. But the sensible director is back. And mind you, this time, he is all set to shrug off the tag of 'sensible director' with his comedy flick 'Good Boy, Bad Boy'. Here's his account on the movie:

What is 'Good Boy, Bad Boy' all about?
'Good Boy Bad Boy' is not an out-and-out comedy. It is a fun campus film. When Subhashji called me for the film, I just gave him a rough idea of it. And he liked it. So we went ahead with it. Basically, 'Good Boy Bad Boy' is about today's generation.

The film deals with today's youth

I'm Salman's new partner: Kangana

If there are any doubts about Kangana's growing clout in the entertainment market, her latest triumph should put all questions to rest. Kangana has been chosen by a leading international shoes company Red Tape to endorse their brand of footwear. So far the brand was endorsed by Salman Khan. Says Kangana, "Until now they manufactured footwear only for men. And Salman was their ambassador. The company is launching its female lineup with me. And that's quite an honour, considering it's my first endorsement." What made them choose her? "It was my my casual looks, I guess. The brand isn't associated with formal shoes. Only sporty footwear, sneakers etc. They want me to endorse their shoes in my jeans and with my curly hair. Very youth-oriented. And the fact that they expect my career to grow with their new female lineup of shoes makes the endorsement a bigger responsibility for me." She recently shot spots for hoardings and magazines and will soon be doing a tv ad with Salman Khan for the brand. Apparently Red Tape has paid Kangana a whopping figure and has promised to enhance the amount by thirty percent in the next financial year. "At this rate I'll soon realize my dream of buying my own own house. The shoes and my career are supposed to journey together. It's a good thought. I'm excited about the ad with Salman. I've always been his fan. I think he's the only rock star in our cinema. I had watched him dance at an awards function and thought I'd be paired with him one day. It's happening sooner than I thought."

Kangana

Salman Khan

Why no Preity Zinta this time?

Siddharth Anand and Ranbir Kapoor are childhood buddies. In fact he has just returned from Shirdi from a holy trip with Ranbir's father Rishi Kapoor. So is there a possibility of Siddharth working with Ranbir? "Of course it can happen. Ranbir and I have grown up together. We're family. His father and my father grew up together. I know him since he was born." Saif thinks Siddharth Anand is the hero of Tara Rum Pum. The director laughs, "Salaam Namaste and the urban romantic comedy came naturally to me. And I had a great support system from all the actors. The comic genre came easily to me, though Salaam Namaste had serious issues like a live-in relationship and unwed motherhood, it was done in a humorous way. But in Tara Rum Pum I've tried to keep humour away. It's my homage to Manmohan Desai. I worship his films. I want all my films to be as entertainment-oriented as Manmohan Desai." Ask about Tara Rum Pum being inspired by Days Of Thunder and Siddharth laughs, "Just because both have car racing? Tara Rum Pum is as much Days Of Thunder as Sholay was Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. After finishing the film I went to watch Days Of Thunder. It didn't have a story! Tara Rum Pum is not about car racing. The protagonist just happens to be a car racer. It's about the highs and lows in the life of a sports person. Look at Sachin Tendulkar. He hasn't even been selected to play against Bangladesh!" Is it a Saif-centric film? "Every member of the film's family is important. And I had full freedom to interpret the theme as I wanted. Before the first day of Salaam Namaste Aditya Chopra sent me a SMS saying I can make the film the way I wanted to. There was no talk of a budget while shooting the races in New York for Tara Rum Pum. I went on the tracks with four cameras. We finally shot with eight cameras. We shot in the tracks with Saif for 28 days. A whole feature film could've been made with the money that it took to shoot on the racing tracks." Siddharth has shot the poor side of New York. "Not the posh locales we've seen so far in Hindi films. In fact people would mistake New York for Mumbai." Javed Jaffri was a USP in Salaam Namaste. "His became a cult character. Javed become the icon of Pizza Hut. But they began to offer him only caricatural roles. I was determined to offer him a serious and strong role in Tara Rum Pum. He plays Saif's coach and a manager. Will people accept him in a serious role? If every hero can be accepted as a villain why not Javed in a serious role?" Why no Preity Zinta this time? "When I took Preity in Salaam Namaste people asked me, why Rani and not Preity since I had worked with Rani while assisting for Hum Tum. Now they're asking me why Rani and not Preity? When you see the film you'll know why Rani." He warms up when talking about Saif. "I spent three months with Saif in Australia during Salaam Namaste. Now it's been three months with him in America. When I visualize a film it's always him. There's nothing he can't do." So how will Siddharth explain Ranbir Kapoor's presence in his cinema to Saif? "Saif is quite a possessive friend. But isn't he working with other directors? Let's see what happens. It will depend entirely on the script. I'll know very shortly." On prodding he says it'd be a love story next. "It's too early to talk about it right now," says the soft-spoken director. "I don't even have a subject right now. Right now Tara Rum Pum is my main focus. "

Salman is no Devdas in real: Arbaaz Khan

Arbaaz Khan hasn抰 yet got his due. But he is optimistic. He feels that 2007 will do the trick. 2007 seems to be a good year for you? Yes. I have five films lined up this year. My next release is Shootout at Lokhandwala, where I play a disgruntled cop who has to be convinced and inducted in the police squad but thereafter, he never looks back. Then I have Fool and Final where I play a very interesting character Bosco Chikna, a stylized villain. Then comes Woodstock Villa with Sikander Kher and Neha Oberoi. Also I have done an Indo-Pak venture Godfather which stars Vinod Khanna, Amrita Arora, Hri#a Bhatt and Kim Sharma. And recently, I completed southern director Lankesh抯 Hindi film starring Tara Sharma and a new girl called Madhuri where I have a very interesting role of a married man with a roving eye. What's happening to David Dhawan抯 remake of Amar Akbar Anthony? That's happening. It will start by end of 2007. I will play the role of Amar (played by Vinod Khanna in the original). I am very kicked about this. It抯 in the hands of David Dhawan who is the modern age Manmohan Desai. You debuted with a very impressive performance in Darar. But things haven't been too rosy thereafter? I started off with an author-backed negative role in an Abbas Mustan film. But tell me, how many good grey characters are written in Indian cinema? And it was not easy to make the transition to goody-goody roles. But it抯 happening now. I am getting varied roles. You didn抰 do any television after Karishma- The Miiracles of Destiny. Was doing that serial a mistake? I didn抰 even try doing television after that. That whole experience was not great. One sometimes takes decisions due to relationships or economics, and they don抰 fire. They were going to get Ramesh Sippy to direct that show. Anu Malik was supposed to provide the music. Anurag Basu directed my first episode. But things changed after that. But let me tell you that television does not limit you. Arshad Warsi acted in that show with me. Isn抰 he a star today? How satisfied are you at this point of your career? I don抰 get too excited or despondent. Yes, I have been moderately successful. But I am someone who cannot be bypassed or ignored. I am lurking in the background ready to stick my neck out. Consider Abhishek and Saif. Weren抰 they discounted few years back? It抯 a matter of time. I am very much in the race and prefer to come from behind, rather than take an early lead and fizzle out. At the end of the race, I aim to be at a decent point. We heard that you and Mallaika have bought a new house? Mallaika has bought some property. It's a flat in Tusciny building in Khar, and it's as big as our current one. We have no plans to shift rightaway. We are living in this house (St Leo Road, Bandra) since nine years. We love this house. But who can predict the future? One day we might feel that we should stay there. Let抯 see when the place gets ready. Are film-makers not casting you and Mallika together? Mallika is in Lankesh抯 film. We are doing a song together. What did you feel when you saw M F Hussain's painting exhibiting Salman with a begging bowl, running after Ash and Abhi who are riding on a horse? Neither I have seen the painting nor am I interested. If such a painting exists, I must say that it has been done in bad taste and there are no two opinions about that. M F Hussain is too big a person; he should not indulge in such things (pauses). I could have understood if it was some painter who wants to get noticed. Even actors, who make brash statements in their career initially, turn over a new leaf and choose their words after they are established. Shah Rukh Khan had done that in the past when he began. He made many statements and we said that this guy wants to get noticed. But today we don抰 see him talking anything unparliamentarily. Go on... Salman has moved on (from Aishwarya Rai). Nobody is a Devdas in real life. Nobody is a Guru Dutt these days. And everybody has a past. Why keep digging it out every now and then? Few days back, people gathered at Salman抯 house saying that he was getting married? Rumours about Salman marriage were preposterous. And that became news. But isn抰 that very common in our country- things which are not news are splashed as breaking news and things which should be discussed are kept at the backburner? This country has enough of news to provide but people are just not interested in it. Khans have gone through a lot of pressure- Salman's black buck case, Salman's car accident? Yes. But we are a close knit family- in crisis and even otherwise. We are always with and for each other when there is a problem in any family member抯 life- be it Salman, Sohail, I or anybody else.

[table=98%][tr][td=2,1]Salman has sent his good wishes: Amitabh Bachchan[/td][/tr][tr][td=2,1]Amitabh Bachchan Clears the air once & for all about the wedding...

How does it feel to have Aishwarya in the house?
It's wonderful ! I'm sure there'll be even more happiness in the house because of her.

Will Aishwarya assume the Bachchan name on the passport, would you like a working Bahu?
I've no problem with whatever name she keeps. As far as her continuing to work is concerned, Jaya and I have no problem with that. It's for Aishwarya and Abhishek to decide.

Were you happy with the wedding?
Yes, by the grace of God everything went off well. We're happy that the union has taken place. There were some truly heart-warming moments during the wedding and I'd like to believe they were moments that would remain with us for the rest of our lives.

There were many people who felt hurt because they couldn't come to the wedding.
Let me put my circumstances before you, and leave it to you and the world in general to judge and sentence us. We were dealing with a marriage and a guest list that was going out from seven privileged personalities and celebrities

Big B turns a Writer for Preity Zinta

Conquering new peaks has become a bit of a habit for Amitabh Bachchan. But what happened in Mussouri recently while shooting for Rituparno Ghosh's Last Lear even took the director by surprise. In his first English-language film, the Big B took the pen to write out some on-the-spot Hindi dialogues for a scene with Preity Zinta and Prosenjeet. Rituparno, reluctant to reveal details, admits the Big B has indeed penned the Hindi dialogues for a scene in Last Lear. "Since the film is almost entirely in English Last Lear has been my easiest film to date. But this is a film-within-a-film plot. There was scene where Preity and (Bengali superstar) Prosenjeet are supposed to be enacting a tense dramatic scene in a Hindi film. I casually asked the Big B to help me out, noth even thinking he'd take me seriously. Before I knew it he went into a corner and asked everyone, including me, to leave him alone. In no time at all the dialogues were ready!" Hence in Last Lear we would be hearing for the first time dialogues written by the Big B. Laughs Ritu, "That isn't the only first for Amit-da in Last Lear. This is his first full-length English-language film and also the first film where he plays an actor doing a film within the film."

Amitabh Bachchan

Preity Zinta

Why Shilpa Shetty is promoting Sunny Deol Film

After Naksha and Big Brother, Sunny Deol's boxoffice standing isn't quite in the pink of health. However his career seems to have got an unexpected boost in the arm, thanks to Shilpa Shetty whose presence in the Deols' family film Apne has made the film a source of keen interest worldwide. Says a source, "Normally Sunny's films are very strong in North India and rather weak overseas. Thanks to Shilpa and Big Brother director Anil Sharma who has been going through a crazily lean patch , has found a reason to feel hopeful." Apparently with the additional interest that the Dharmendra-Sunny-Bobby starrer has invoked overseas, director Sharma hopes to make a keen comeback. Says Shilpa, "To me Apne is as precious as Metro which opens in May. I had signed Anilji's film earlier because I loved the idea of being paired with Sunny in a film that stars all three of the Deols. If Metro comes in May, Apne follows in June. So yeah I'm tense about both releases." When reminded about Sunny and director Anil Sharma's recent track record Shilpa jumps to their defence. "Everyone goes through a lean patch. So did I before Big Brother. Don't forget Anilji made Gadar, one of the biggest hits ever. I'm sure Apne will be massive." Inspired by the all-out international publicity being given to the other Shilpa starrer Metro, the producers of Apne are planning a huge Shilpa-centric release abroad. Says the source, "At home bringing the three Deols would be considered big news. But overseas it's Shilpa who gives Apne that extra spin." Isn't it ironical that a film designed as a vehicle to bring together two generations of the Deols, is getting a heftier global attention because of its leading lady? "And why just Shilpa? Even Katrina Kaif is seen as a USP in Apne after Namaste London which is a big hit abroad," adds the source.

Shilpa Shetty

Sunny Deol

[table=98%][tr][td=2,1]Amisha Patel is a bookworm![/td][/tr][tr][td=2,1]Amisha Patel can抰 put a book down till she finishes it.

揑 just finished reading Paulo Coelho抯 Like A Flowing River, which is a collection of short stories about little incidents in life. I have read all of Khalil Gibran抯 books, and The Prophet is one of my favourites.

I have also read books by Brian Weiss and RK Narayan. In fact, I finished The Da Vinci Code in two days flat. I read The Memoirs of a Geisha last week and would love to act in a film like that,

Kajol's heart is set on Malayalam Heartbeats

Bollywood actress Kajol is all set to play a lead role in a Malayalam film tentatively titled "Heartbeats". In 1996, she hit it off with the Tamil audiences with her first south Indian love story "Minsarakanavu". The film, which also had dancing wizard Prabhu Deva and Arvind Swamy, was noted for Kajol's sprightly performance as well as its song sequences. The film was remade in Hindi as "Sapnay". "Heartbeats", being scripted and directed by Babu Janardhanan, is billed as the first Malayalam film set in a campus background sans a love theme. Although the director is tight-lipped about the story, he said that Indrajith and Manikuttan will play medical students in the campus drama. Apart from them, popular Malayalam television anchors - Govindan Kutty and Arun V. Natrayanan - are also roped in for important roles. Simran, once the most popular heroine in Tamil cinema who left acting after her marriage and is currently attempting a comeback, and Tabu, who has starred in successful Tamil films like "Kadhal Desam", were considered for the main female role but the final choice was Kajol. If "Hearbeats" shooting starts as scheduled, it will be Kajol's second film after marriage. Last year she made a comeback with "Fanaa" along with Aamir Khan.