Given RGV’s track record, especially after COMPANY (barring a SARKAR), his latest venture, the Big B, Sanjay Dutt and Rana Daggubati starrer, DEPARTMENT, was never expected to embark upon a great start. But the 15-25 percent opening (better in Maharashtra, South and single screens of UP & Bihar) was quite disappointing.

A section of the audience and media feels that DEPARTMENT was touted as a Amitabh-Dutt face-off, but quite contrary to expectations, it’s Rana Daggubati who has the most prominent role followed by Sanjay Dutt, with Big B being relegated to a glorious extra. And that will take its toll on the box-office outcome of the film, unless and until it shows a remarkable pick up.

Meanwhile after a good weekend, last Friday’s ISHAQZAADE saw falling collections (though not alarmingly) during the weekdays. The opening week saw the Arjun-Parineeti starrer netting 25 crore (to be validated). The 20-21 crore film from the YRF stable will have to show good legs in the second week to be termed a clean hit, and not just a highly profitable venture. What works in favour of ISHAQZAADE is that 60 percent of its investment has already been recovered by the makers who are also its worldwide distributors. More

“My granddaughter is called Aaradhya”, Amitabh Bachchan posted on Twitter, putting to rest six months of speculation over the name of Abhishek and Aishwarya’s child.

Abhishek and Aishwarya welcomed their first child, a daughter, on Nov 16th last year and since then fans have been curious to know her name.

The 69-year-old revealed the name when one of his fans, Haseena Wazeer, asked him about it on Twitter. Source

Aishwarya Rai is expected to be in Cannes on May 24-25 to attend the L’Oreal Paris – amfAR dinner. Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who was rumored to be styling Ash, denies that he is designing Aishwarya’s wardrobe.

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has shot down rumours that he is designing Aishwarya Rai’s wardrobe for the Cannes red carpet. “I don’t know from where this news is coming. I am not styling Aishwarya for Cannes red carpet,” Mukherjee told IANS.

It was reportedly said that the newly turned mom, who received criticisms from some quarters for her post pregnancy weight, will don a creation by Mukherjee during her appearance at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival.

Aishwarya Rai will be in Cannes May 24-25 where she will attend the L’Oreal Paris – amfAR (The American Foundation for AIDS Research) dinner that will help raise funds for the fight against AIDS.

In the past, Ash opted for gowns made by some of the international designers including Elie Saab and Armani Prive.  Source

Renowned lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar says that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA)’s decision to ban Shah Rukh Khan from the Wankhede Stadium for five years is a “little harsh”.

MCA slapped a five-year ban on Shah Rukh, co-owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), from entering the stadium for allegedly misbehaving with security personnel and MCA officials at the stadium Wednesday night. In his clarification, the superstar alleged that he got upset when he saw MCA officials allegedly manhandling his daughter.

“I don’t know what has happened in detail. But from whatever I know, I feel it’s more of an over reaction. I don’t know exactly what happened, so I can’t judge. But there is no need to react like this. I have no right to take sides, but I feel that the punishment is a little harsh,” he told reporters here Saturday when asked about his viwes on the issue.

Akhtar was speaking at the launch of the Marathi version of his book “Tarkash”. Source

In his almost a decade-old Bollywood career, Shahid Kapoor has gone through a lot of personal and professional ups and downs. But despite as many as six back-to-back box office disappointments behind him, he is undeterred because he feels success can do more harm than failure.

“Success can be more dangerous than failure. When you are successful, you feel that you are doing everything right. So, failure can teach you a lot. I just believe in ‘Go out and do your best,’” Shahid told IANS.

After Vishal Bharadwaj’s hit film “Kaminey” in which he featured in a double role opposite Priyanka Chopra, Shahid was seen in “Dil Bole Hadippa!”, “Chance Pe Dance”, “Paathshaala”, “Badmaash Company”, “Milenge Milenge” and “Mausam”. Alas, none of them generated good business.

Now he will once again be seen with Priyanka, his rumoured former girlfriend, in Kunal Kohli’s “Teri Meri Kahaani”. He is hopeful their chemistry will work for the film, which he says is diametrically different from “Kaminey”. More

“I won’t deny that I could have said something in a fit of anger, but I will not apologise,” said Shahrukh Khan Thursday, adding that the security officials from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) manhandled children and that they should say sorry for their rudeness.

“I don’t think that my behaviour was incorrect or I did something illegal. I think what I did was correct. They are my kids and I have a responsibility towards them. I will not apologise. They (officials) should apologise to me,” Shahrukh told reporters here in Mumbai.

Co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the Bollywood superstar’s statement came Thursday as he faced a lifetime ban on entering the Wankhede Stadium after he allegedly turned up drunk at the ground and misbehaved with security guards and cricket officials.

The incident took place Wednesday night after his Kolkata Knight Riders beat Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League match at the stadium. More

Armed with a super duper hit like HOUSEFULL 2, which is Akshay Kumar’s first film to enter the coveted 100 crore club, the khiladi looks set to score back to back centuries with his upcoming Prabhu Deva directed ROWDY RATHORE.

The hype for the masala action film is huge with its music, dialogues and promos being loved by the public. And seeing this the trade is very hopeful that ROWDY RATHORE will indeed take a flying start at the ticket window and the film is being touted as Akshay Kumar’s next entry into the 100 crore club after HOUSEFULL 2.

If things go as predicted then Akshay Kumar will be the third actor after the two Khans, Salman and Shahrukh, to have scored two centuries within a time span of just about two months or so. More

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai’s baby Aaradhya completed her six months yesterday on May 16. Papa Abhishek is ecstatic, but confesses that he has to wait for Aishwarya’s attention because the new mother is always busy with Baby B.

While talking to a daily recently, Abhishek Bachchan excitedly expressed the joys of being a father, but not without revealing that he has been pushed to the background with Aishwarya giving all the attention to the baby.

Abhishek remembers his initial months with the baby when he used to land up on the sets of his film yawning because of the baby’s sleep routine that kept him awake all night. Then Aishwarya even suggested him to sleep in another room till Aaradhya grows up a bit.

Well, it did take some time for Abhi to get acquainted with the fatherly ways. Now after six months of his baby’s birth, Abhishek can carry Aaradhya all the time, can play with her, and even attempt to change diapers, but he admits that with Aishwarya around he doesn’t have much to do. More

Actor Rekha is officially a member of parliament now. She took her oath today as a member of the Rajya Sabha -she had been nominated by the government along with cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and entrepreneur-activist Anu Aga.

Wearing a golden-brown sari, Rekha, who is 57, was surrounded by other MPs when she arrived in the Rajya Sabha.

They thumped their desks in approval when her name was called to take the oath. Chairman of the House Hamid Ansari said “Welcome”as she walked up to him and greeted him with folded hands.

“I Rekha Ganeshan” she said, swearing in the name of God in her brief oath in English.

After signing the members’ register, she greeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley and other leaders before walking to her allotted seat, No. 99. More

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has expressed shock over the death of child artist Taruni Sachdev, who played his school friend in “Paa”, in Monday’s plane crash in Nepal.

“Just reading that Taruni Sachdev the girl child artist in ‘Paa’, has perished in Nepal plane crash .. please god may this not be true,” Amitabh posted on his Twitter page.

At 14, Tarini had already featured in almost 50 ads and did a cameo in “Paa”. She was among 13 Indians who were killed when the aircraft crashed into a hill while coming in to land at Jomsom in western Nepal.

Amitabh, 69, has memories of Jomsom.

“Jomsom, where the plane crash in Nepal took place is where we shot ‘Khuda Gawah’, a raw airfield and most difficult to land on,” posted Big B. More

Unhappy about constant comparisons with Sourav Ganguly, Shahrukh Khan, the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders asks fans to grow up!

Asking the fans to grow up, Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan, on Tuesday tried to put to rest comparisons with Sourav Ganguly by stating that the fans should stop comparing the two.

“The fans should grow up. This is sport. We should play it like a sport. We keep talking about Kings and Khans… This is crap, to be honest,” Shah Rukh said on the sidelines of the Kolkata Knight Riders post-match party.

“To be honest, if we don’t outgrow this, it is not only embarrassing for us, it is embarrassing for Dada too. We should get over this. Whenever I come to Kolkata, if you are going to bring this up then I think it’s a little unfair,” a visibly annoyed Shah Rukh said.

For the first three Indian Premier League (IPL) editions, Ganguly was an indispensable part of the Knight Riders, though their association was not controversy-free. More

Akshay Kumar seemed elated about the fact that wife Twinkle was pregnant with their second child, and claimed that his son Aarav, 11, was just as happy to have a younger sibling.

The 44-year-old actor said he spends most of his time at home with Twinkle, who is expecting the baby in September.

The couple tied the knot in 2001. “Aarav is happy now as he will have a sibling at home,” Akshay said. Source