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UTV & Fox co-produce M Shyamalan抯 film on Earth vs Man
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
UTV Motion Pictures and 20th Century Fox announced their strategic tie-up for the co-production of acclaimed director M Night Shyamalan抯 latest film 慣he Happening |
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Hollywood blockbuster 300 premiers in New Delhi
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
Hollywood blockbuster '300', which has registered record collections in its opening weekend in USA, is coming to India tomorrow.
Before that, select audience in New Delhi would be able to watch the film today itself in an exclusive premier that is taking place at PVR Plaza. The event is expected to be graced by top celebrities of the city, Page 3 regulars and select invitees.
A film based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, "300" concerns the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta led his army against the advancing Persians. The film stars Gerard Butler, Vincent Regan, Lena Headey and David Wenham. |
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DICK has a release after a year
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
After almost a year, Anuj Sawhney i.e. 'DICK' of TOM, DICK & HARRY would be having a film of his releasing at theaters.
Though the promotion of the film is being centered on the characters of Dino Morea followed by Aftab Shivdasani and to an extent Sameer Dattani, not many are aware that the film also stars Anuj Sawhney as one of the 4 male protagonists.
In TOM, DICK & HARRY, Anuj was the surprise package as a blind young man called 'Dick'. He has also been appreciated for his act in each of his films beginning from NAYEE PADOSAN, FUN2SSH, NAINA to CHINGAARI.
By end of year, he would also be seen in his biggest project till date, Mr. FRAUD, where he would be directed by none other than director duo Abbas Mustan. |
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Jiah turns down top film maker
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
Jiah is being acclaimed as the year's biggest discovery in Bollywood.
All the reviews and trade pundit have appreciated her acting abilities as well as her attitude. Jiah has been getting a lot of congratulatory adulation. There is a definite buzz about Jiah. With a mind of her own, she has recently even turned down an offer from the director who had the biggest grosser of last year.
According to sources, Jiah has been inundated with offers from top line producers. The sources add that Jiah has just signed a film with a big co-star, an announcement which is going to shock everyone in the industry.
Says Jiah, "Working with Mr. Bachchan in my debut film has spoilt me. I would like to work with the best."
With an attitude and confidence like that, Jiah is all set to soar the highest altitude! |
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Akshaye signs 3 new films after SEI
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
Since the time he walked the ramp for Salaam-E-Ishq, Akshaye Khanna has been inundated with offers by designers to be the show stopper for the fashion week due in March. Akshaye Khanna does not follow trends and has his own sense of style. His style is very European. But Akshaye has not yet confirmed about walking the ramp for the fashion week.
Says Akshaye, "Salaam-E-Ishq was just one off thing, though a bit embarrassing since I had not done it earlier. I am quite selective and believe in having my sense of style. Life is not about following trends."
Looks like Akshaye is following Aamir Khan footsteps and believes in walking his own path. Like Aamir, Akshaye does not follow the herd mentality.
Akshaye has just signed 3 films, and like Aamir asked 50 questions before signing on the dotted line. He has decided to act in quality projects only. But once Akshaye commits, he stays committed!! |
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Box office analysis
Exclusive By Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
First weekend performance of latest release
Pretty uneventful - this is how one would summarize the weekend gone by for Bollywood. Even as there were 4 films released last Friday, neither trade nor aam junta were excited about any of them. Whether it was noir thriller RED, Oscar nominated social WATER, or action dramas 1971 and SARHAD PAAR - none of the 4 created any buzz or excitement whatsoever. In fact so dull was the opening weekend that even the sum total of occupancy of the 4 films didn't sum up to 100%.
Out of the 4, RED may have just opened a little well had it released 2-3 weeks back when it's promotion was at it's peak. Its delayed release coupled with an overall average product means that Vikram Bhatt would now have to look at his next release LIFE MEIN KABHI KABHI to change his box office fortunes. Even though Aftab acted well and Celina exuded sensuality and sexuality in good doses, audience was just not interested and gave it a miss.
In case of WATER it was quite expected that there would be hardly any takers amongst the audience. Released with minimal fanfare and many having already watched it on pirated DVDs that have been on circulation for last few months, WATER should soon be drying out in quick time.
In comparison, 1971 and SARHAD PAAR have opened to a disastrous response in spite of being contrasting products. While 1971 is a well made film but is on its way to go down due to zilch publicity and lack of face value, SARHAD PAAR came in too late when films belonging to this genre are just out of circulation, with or without a Sanjay Dutt or any other big star.
Last week's movies
Opening collections of NISHABD may well surprise many. Reason? In spite of all the criticism and opening weekend reports, the film eventually did manage to add up to 5 crores. Now looking at the wide release of the film (at as many as 300 cinemas), the percentage occupancy at number of shows did seem on the lower side. But on the other hand if one considers the niche audience for which the film was targeted and budget of the film, 5 crores definitely leads NISHABD to at least a coverage status.
Not a flop by any means, the film has in fact seen one of the best openings of Ram Gopal Verma ventures in recent times [though still way below the high standards the film maker has set for himself]. In Mumbai, the film touched 1 crore while Delhi stood at 70 lakhs. Though a fall is inevitable in the second week, it stands a decent chance in home video circuit. Nevertheless, the film is undoubtedly one of the best efforts of RGV and would be remembered for superb natural performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Jiah Khan.
On the other hand NEHLLE PE DEHLLA is a certified flop with just 3 crores coming in in spite of a commercial look and feel and presence of Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan. Agreed that the film was dated and released sans any hype, but still demonstration of star power on billboards, hoardings and posters should have got in some chunk of audience at least. That didn't really happen as the film summed up to a very poor 40 lakhs in Mumbai and 20 lakhs in Delhi. In the end, the only two people to have really benefited from the film are Kim Sharma (who has been noticed again for her cute-n-sexy looks and lovable costumes) and Shakti Kapoor (who has been found again as a comedian after years)!
From the past
In spite of NISHABD and NEHLLE PE DEHLLA releasing in the second week of running for HONEYMOON TRAVELS PVT. LTD., it fell only 50% which meant that the audience kept flocking the theaters in good numbers. Generally for mid-range films the fall is a little heavier than industry standard of 50% but in case of HTPL it held on quite well with Mumbai bringing in another crore and Delhi registering 30 lakhs.
With none of the 4 releases last Friday bringing any word of mouth, the stage is set wide for HTPL to be the favorite even in its 3rd week. Standing at 9 crores, this medium budget film is a comfortable above average runner, something that would definitely please its makers.
After a second week fall of 75%, EKLAVYA collected 1 crore and fell another 75% in the third week hence reaffirming that the film has been completely rejected by the audience. The immense hyper created by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and PR activism in full flow managed to get an audience in the first week but this is what has contributed most to its current total of 19 crores.
Running at selected theaters and now ready for a DVD/VCD release, BLACK FRIDAY currently stands at 4.5 crores with 20 lakhs added to it in its 4th week. An average runner, it doesn't really have much steam left to near the 5 crore mark. Now one wishes that director Anurag Kashyap continues to make interesting cinema while Bollywood wakes up to great talent that we have in the shape of Pawan Malhotra, Kay Kay Menon and Aditya Shrivastava.
GURU continues it's victory march and remains in Top-5 in spite of being in theaters for 8 weeks. Bringing home another 50 lakhs with the total in excess of 41 crores, this super-hit film has proved that there are takers of different kind of cinema today and if marketed, promoted and released well, they are bound to work.
Another case in point is VIVAH that has well created a record of sorts when it comes to bringing the kind of money even in the latter weeks of a box office run. Otherwise in the times of big release-quick gain, could one have ever imagined that even in it's 17th week, the film would take just a 15% fall and earn in excess of 30 lakhs to total up to 31 crores?
In the future
Three films release this Friday - HAT TRICK, JUST MARRIED and EIK DASTTAK. EIK DASTTAK, inspite of an interesting plot (With Vasundhara Das in lead, the film is about IT officers and how they go about doing their jobs), has a non-starter written all over it. The film has been ready for long but with no face value and promotion, it doesn't even seem that it would get a decent release across the country.
On the other hand JUST MARRIED has just lost steam over the weeks since the release is coming weeks after it's promotion was at it's peak. Seemingly a delightful film with several light hearted moments to keep you engaged, the film would sadly have to depend a lot on word of mouth to make any impact whatsoever since there aren't many expectations from the opening weekend.
Third (and the biggest release) of the week, HAT TRICK, hasn't seen much hype building up with the promotion leaving a lot to be desired. Looking best amongst the three films which are releasing this Friday, even HTA TRICK would have to rely upon word of mouth in spite of an unusual starcast (it's USP) of Nana, Danny, Paresh, Kunal and Rimmi. |
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Honors galore for Rahman
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
Awards and honors have become a routine for AR Rahman. The ace Music director who made his beginning with Roja, emerged a much sought-after music composer not just in the country but also abroad.
Recently at a function held to commemorate the launch of the 18th edition of Limca Book of Records at New Delhi, Rahman was honoured with an award in recognition of his contribution to the Indian music industry.
A happy Rahman said, 揟he award comes from a reputed firm which recognizes rare and rich talents and it is a great treasure for me. |
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Shankar Ehsaan Loy to Camp at Yashraj Studios!
IndiaGlitz [Thursday, March 15, 2007]
Shankar Ehsaan Loy are a busy trio now. It is because of the commencement of the dubbing for the background musical score of Shaad Ali's Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. This work will go on at Yashraj Studios for the next 2-3 weeks.
After the big success of DON and Salaam-E-Ishq, the music directors are back with Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. The music of this film will release by the end of April. Till then, YashRaj Studios is the place where one can see them.
Shaad Ali抯 earlier film was Bunty Aur Babli, and Shankar Ehsaan Loy scored the music for the flick as well. That makes the wait worth it!
And yes, to add to the expectations, the trio believe that this is their best work ever!! |
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Tusshar goes all out to promote his love story
IndiaGlitz [Friday, March 16, 2007]
Few actors are really passionate about going guns blazing to promote their films!
Tusshar Kapoor is one of them and commendably so - it seems he's devoting an entire month starting from next week to promote his eagerly anticipated rom-com Kya Love Story Hai, which co-stars Ayesha Takia and Kareena Kapoor in a sensational appearance.
So much so that it is being rumored that Tusshar actually said no to a film opposite Nana Patekar, which is due to go on floor later this month because he wanted to concentrate on promoting Kya Love Story Hai, which hits cinemas worldwide on April 20.
Meanwhile, the soundtrack by Pritam, releasing this weekend, is carrying excellent pre-release reviews. |
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Ayesha doesn't have a single song in KLSH
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Friday, March 16, 2007]
This may well be a record of sorts.
In her upcoming film KYA LOVE STORY HAI, Ayesha Takia doesn't have a single song to which she gets to lip-synch. Though there are a few tracks in which she appears on screen, there aren't any situations where she also gets to sing along with the lead man Tusshar Kapoor.
There are 6 tracks in the album and except for 'It's Rocking' that has Alisha Chinoy lending her vocals with Kareena Kapoor ready to sizzle as an item girl, remaining 5 are all male songs with Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ganjawala, Joy, Jojo and Zubin lending their vocals.
Composed by Pritam, KYA LOVE STORY HAI is third straight good album this year from the musician after JUST MARRIED and HAT TRICK. |
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Arun Daga returns with second video
Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz [Friday, March 16, 2007]
Arun Daga, who recently released his album 'Jeena Tere Bina' and since then has been making waves with it's title song, has returned with a second music video for the album.
Titled 'Haan Mere', it is yet another love ballad in this romantic album that has music by Sandeep-Surya and lyrics by Sayeed Quadri, Vikram Chaudhary and Naveen Tyagi. While the music video of 'Jeena Tere Bina' caught quite a few eyeballs, the same is expected from 'Haan Mere' too that is directed by Naushad Khan again.
Shot in foreign locales, the music video boasts of high class and stands out amongst the crowd created by dozen odd music videos that virtually arrive every month. |
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Mika as a Bhajan singer
IndiaGlitz [Saturday, March 17, 2007]
 
Punjabi Pop Singer Mika for the first time as Bhajan singer at Pishori Gurudwara.
Mika is well known for his Pop singing among audiences. Recently he appeared in his new incarnation of Bhajan Singer at Delhi抯 famous Picric Gurudwara. Since so many years he has been playing Tabla at Gurudwara with his Brother Daler Mehndi.
Mika believes that, what ever name and fame he has is all because of God grace and because of his hard work. As every artist like to offer their prayers with the art which they possess, Mika did the same thing by singing Sabad at Gurudwara for 2 hours with whole Kirtan Mandali.
On this Holi occasion Mika distributed 慞rasad |
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Ashok Mastie at a live performance
IndiaGlitz [Saturday, March 17, 2007]
Punjabi Pop Singer Ashok Mastie bang on at Bhagat Singh College with his live performance.
It was the occasion of Bhagat Singh College Fest organized by Rely. Students were in the mood of celebration with lot of enthusiasm. Ashok Mastie renowned Punjabi Pop Singer added some more fire to these celebrations with his live performance.
Ashok started his performance with 揔hadki Gilassi |
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Abhiash may wed at home on April 18
Bharati Dubey & Baiju Kalesh
[ 17 Mar, 2007 0124hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
ALL EYES ON STARRY COUPLE: The wedding itself will be a close-knit affair, to be attended by family and friends only. (TOI Photo)
MUMBAI: It may be an April wedding at the Bachchans' family home of 'Prateeksha', instead of a five-star hotel in town or Jodhpur's Umaid Bhavan, for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai.
The wedding will be followed by receptions in Delhi and Mumbai. In what is a sort of first for a Bollywood wedding, there are reports that the exclusive rights of the wedding have been sold to a foreign media house for an undisclosed sum of money.
The wedding itself will be a close-knit affair, to be attended by family and friends only, and there is speculation it could happen on April 18.
Amitabh Bachchan's mother, Teji Bachchan, is ailing and admitted to Lilavati Hospital. This is also being cited as a reason for Bollywood's first family not wanting to postpone the wedding any longer.
Abhishek is currently shooting for Drona and the bride-to-be, Aishwarya, is shooting for Ashutosh Gowarikar's Akbar Jodha. Both plan to wrap up the shoots by March-end. |
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[Friday, March 16, 2007]
Kunal, Rimi and Nana play at Hattrick Premiere
A huge cricket pitch was created at cinemax multiplex where the Hattrick premiere was held last night with the whole cast and crew gracing the premiere in full strength and posing on the cricket pitch. Nana was at his jovial best as he mingled with Rimi and Kunal who were the first to arrive and interact with the media followed by director Milan Luthria.
Venue: Cinemax, Andheri, Mumbai, Thursday Night
Present: Nana Patekar, Kunal Kapoor, Rimi Sen, Milan Luthria, Ramesh Sippy, Rohan Sippy and others
Kunal, Rimi and N a na   play at Hattrick Premiere |
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Source: nowrunning.com
Priyanka Chopra unveils Terence Lewis Calendar
[Friday, March 16, 2007]
Terence Lewis Dance academy unveiled its latest calendar at a party held in vie lounge last night with Priyanka Chopra as the chief guest a the calendar launch. A group of guys and gals from the academy performed on the occasion after which Priyanka Chopra popped the champagne and unveiled the calendar
Venue: Vie Lounge, Juhu, Thursday Night
Present: Priyanka Chopra, Terence Lewis, Smiley Suri, Pooja Kanwal, Mink, Sharon Prabhakar and Sheetal Menon
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Source: nowrunning.com
Shilpa ecstatic about her Commonwealth Day speech
Subhash K. Jha [Friday, March 16, 2007]
Mumbai, March 17 (IANS) The common cold that Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty is suffering from in London doesn't jell well with her uncommon performance on Commonwealth Day. Shilpa, who delivered a speech on racism and AIDS March 12, is ecstatic about it.
"Only four other participants were given a chance to give individual speeches. There was a woman Anne from Ireland whose brother and sister had been shot... people whose trauma made a difference to global politics.
"Since I am associated with the Commonwealth, issues that concern me - AIDS and racism - got a platform on Commonwealth Day. These are issues that I've become synonymous with," Shilpa told IANS.
The actress, who recently won Britain's reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother", says delivering the speech was a tough job.
"I come from a place where AIDS and discrimination often go hand in hand. So I was able to couple the two topics in two paragraphs. It was tough. But what was tougher was to give that speech in front of the Queen. I had to give the speech exactly the way it was written. But I added a line. And it was well accepted. So, I am pretty proud of myself."
Shilpa confesses she's basically shy.
"I completely clam up in front of outsiders. But, now I can't afford the luxury of introversion. To stand on a global platform like the Commonwealth is not an easy task. There we were, dealing with serious issues like peace, democracy and equality. And I've to conduct myself in a very responsible manner. But to see the pride on faces of the Indian community, took the nervousness out of me." |
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Source: nowrunning.com
Review for "Just Married" (2007)
Language: HINDI
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Director: Meghna Gulzar
Producer: Pritish Nandy Communications Ltd
Cast: Fardeen Khan, Esha Deol, Kiron Kher, Satish Shah, Mukul Dev, Raj Zutshi, Tarina Patel, Perizaad Zorabian, Bikram Saluja
Music: Pritam
Lyrics: Gulzar
Cinematography: Sachin Krishna Kumar
Editing: Hemal Kothari
Art Direction: Aparna Raina, Malini Sharma
By Subhash K. Jha,
"Does it have to be about sex only?" Esha Deol, playing a newly wed in an arranged marriage that ostensibly seems to be coming apart at the seams, even before the honeymoon is over, asks her ever-accommodating husband churlishly.
What does marriage have in store for the average newly married couples? Meet Abhay Sachdeva (Fardeen) and Ritika Khanna (Esha) - they are the perfectly mismatched couple.
As the film opens, writer-director Meghna Gulzar, who's clearly treading much more comfortable ground this time after her directorial debut "Filhaal", shows the chance meeting of Abhay and Ritika. And within the next 10 minutes they are married and off on their honeymoon.
No time wasted, no frills, and certainly no humbug. Meghna treads on a terrain that's more in Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's league than within her dad Gulzar's domain.
The mood of the honeymoon tale is an appealing shade of pale. The young director goes softly into the bedroom, creating for the nervous couple a kind of desirable paradise that is obtainable with just a little brush against each other's hands or a whispered huddle in the foggy romanticism of Ooty.
When it comes to creating a supple and slender scenario of spousal synergy, Meghna gets it right. The other couples - whether old and cranky, played by Satish Shah and Kirron Kher, or the bold Bikram Saluja and Perizaad Zorabian - manage to create a telling contrast with the bewildered protagonists as they discover, in hushed motions, that the true essence of compatibility lies not in clutching hands but holding on to one another's trust and confidence.
A trifle too romantically idealistic at heart?
Perhaps... "Just Married" aims to portray marriage in mellow pastel colours. There are no over-the-top interludes, no moments in the film that the director's mentors - Mukherjee and Gulzar - would frown at.
She melds modernity into traditional values with understated sensitivity. If we see a couple making out in the woods, we also see a wife coyly putting on bangles in front of the mirror as though she were paying homage to Hema Malini in "Khushboo".
If Pritam's background score suggests a time gone-by, the confident editing patterns take the narration into areas in Ooty where the honeymoon becomes a playing field for emotions that would set the pace for the rest of the marriage - which we won't be able to see.
Seeing isn't believing in "Just Married". Meghna often uses smiles and silences to convey emotions. Words are never allowed to get in the way... not even Gulzar's lush lyrics that are resolutely played in the background.
The pace frequently drops as though the director was allowing the characters and their languorous mood to take over.
Don't look for hard rain and pelting sunshine in this muted 'mellow-drama'. What we get are warm and familiar vignettes from a marriage that most of us have experienced.
The comfort of the familiar never leaves this cosy look at a honeymooning couple's attempts to come to terms with love, marriage and, yes, sex.
Both Fardeen and Esha escape the trappings of masala cinema to give sincere performances. Esha often looks as scrubbed and vulnerable as her mom Hema did in Gulzar's "Khushboo".
Bikram and Perizaad, as the ever-willing lovebirds, define their roles with ample exuberance. But Mukul Dev and Sadiya Siddiqui as a Muslim couple wither in hazily defined parts. |
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Big B a true professional
[ 17 Mar, 2007 0903hrs ISTMUMBAI MIRROR ]
WORK COMES FIRST: Amitabh Bachchan asked The Last Lear's producer Arindam Choudhuri to continue shooting even after a 12-hour bandh was called in Kolkata (AP Photo)
Amitabh Bachchan is known for his professionalism. The actor is currently shooting in Kolkata, for Rituparno Ghosh's English film The Last Lear . When he heard that Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee called for 12-hour bandh in Kolkata, he was worried about disruption in The Last Lear's shooting schedule. To salvage the situation, Bachchan promptly called producer Arindam Choudhuri and asked him if they could shoot with special permission in Kolkata.
"Mr Bachchan has been extremely cooperative and I was pleasantly surprised when he showed his concern about the film's shoot. We thought that he would welcome a day's rest and we could shoot the next day. But, Mr Bachchan insisted that we must finish the film on time," says producer Arindam Choudhuri.
Finally, director Rituparno Ghosh decided to shoot in Raichak, which is 2 hours away from Kolkata. Arindam adds, "We were scheduled to shoot in Raichak at the end of this month. But, we had to prepone the schedule to make up for the loss. Mr Bachchan was willing to travel all the way to Raichak along with Preity Zinta and rest of the film's cast. They had to leave early in the morning, and reach the location by 6 am because everything in Kolkata comes to a standstill when Mamata Banerjee calls for a bandh."
As soon as Amitabh reached Raichak, he was surrounded by his fans. "By the end of the day, we had a severe problem in controlling the crowd. They came with slogans and even poems written for Mr Bachchan. Everyone in Raichak is excited with Amitabh and Preity Zinta around," says Arindam. |
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SRK to endorse Radico's whisky brand
By IndiaFM News Bureau, March 17, 2007 - 05:22 IST
Bollywood baadshah Shah Rukh Khan is synonymous with a brand entity himself. He has endorsed brands ranging across varied product lines like food & beverages, electronics, clothing and accessories to name a few.
Adding another feather to his commercial hat, SRK has now decided to promote a whisky brand for the popular Diageo Radico Distilleries Pvt. Ltd. The actor will play brand ambassador to Masterstroke Deluxe Whisky. It is said that SRK was chosen as the brand ambassador as he portrays the brand values of Masterstroke |
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Post time 16-3-2007 07:53 AM
