Ekta Kapoor’s television awards ceremony to be held in December in the UAE is growing bigger by the day.

The latest news on that front is either Salman or Shah Rukh Khan is going to perform at the function. And one of them will be dancing on stage with ‘Tulsi’ Gautami Gadgil or ‘Parvati’ Sakshi Tanwar.

Says Balaji’s Business Head, Harsha Chugh Khanna, “Right from the start Ekta was sure of one thing, her television awards will be as big as the film awards. To that extent, she has been working towards getting the biggest of Bollywood stars to perform at her awards. However there’s only one pre-condition. Each of these Bollywood icons has to be in some way associated with television.”

So is it Shah Rukh or Salman for the main performance? “We’re currently in negotiation with Shah Rukh and hopeful that he’ll agree. He’s a source of inspiration not only in cinema but also on television. If you recall he started his career on television with Fauji and recently made a spectacular impact on Kaun Banega Crorepati. So it would be wonderful to have him perform,” says Harsha.

Ekta’s buddy Karan Johar will be facilitated at her awards named Balaji Global Indian Tv Honours 2007. Karan will also host a segment of the awards. Adds Ekta, “When I decided to have the awards I wanted television to get the recognition it deserves. Today I feel apart from a few filmmakers television is able to deliver more glamour grandeur and density than the average ‘multiplex’ film. The home medium has certainly come a long way. And that’s what we’ll be celebrating at our awards.”

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Mumbai, The festive season plus the importance of two super-biggies being released the same Friday is the reason why the competition between “Saawariya” and “Om Shanti Om” is so hot.

Television is also being caught up in the impending war of the Bollywood biggies. On Sep 29, while the “Saawariya” team will be seen on STAR’s “Voice Of India”, the “Om Shanti Om” team will appear at the same time on Zee’s “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa”, thereby putting the average couch potato in a state of anxiety.

“Voice Of India’s” producer-director Gajendra Singh said: “Having Sanjay Bhansali and the two ‘Saawariya’ debutants on our show was such a delight. Sanjayji is a complete music person.

He handpicked all the songs from the great Raj Kapoor epics on his own and when one of the contestants Abhas excelled in singing the title song from ‘Satyam Shivum Sunderam’, he spontaneously came forward to greet the contestant. It was a very emotional evening for all of us. Though this is the first time Ranbir and Sonam were recording for any show they were so confident.”

The “Om Shanti Om” special to be telecast simultaneously on Zee features Shreyas Talpade, Deepika Padukone and director Farah Khan. Shah Rukh Khan couldn’t appear on the show because he is apparently contract-bound with STAR.

“But he sent a list of requests for the contestants to sing. Those will be featured in the second-half of the show. During the first-half we’ll have the contestants singing the ‘Om Shanti Om’ tracks since two of our judges Vishal and Shekhar are also the music directorrs of Farah Khan’s film,” sai Payaol Patel of “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa”.

Mumbai, Sep 26 (IANS) There’s more than super-success at work here. Both Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor are 30-plus, fiery, feisty, famous and eminently single. And although both are off-camera celebrities, they get mobbed big-time in public places.

Once upon a time, both of them were overweight, bratty, spoilt kids from very filmy families who were fated to take their somewhat-shaky family fortunes to unimaginable heights.

Ekta was the over-possessive daughter of Jeetendra, the superstar of the 1970s. As a child she once chased one of his father’s heroines with a slipper because she found the leading lady misleading her precious father by batting her eyelids too hard.

Karan was so much younger than his father that he grew up thinking producer Yash Johar was actually his grandfather.

As hopeless kids Ekta and Karan would run into each other at birthday parties, both blissfully fat and grinning from year to year into impending nothingness.
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Eklavya , the Hindi feature film depicting a violent family saga starring Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan , has been nominated as India’s official entry for Oscar award for the best foreign movie category.

This is the third time that a film by Vidhu Vinod Chopra will be going to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His short non-fiction film ‘An Encounter with Faces’ was one of the first Indian films to be nominated for an Oscar in 1980. In 1989, ‘Parinda’ was sent to the Oscars as India’s official entry.

Pahlaj Nihalani, President of Association of Motion Pictures and TV Programmes which selects the entry, said “Yes it is true that Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ‘Eklavya’ has been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars.”

However, Nihalani was peeved with the jury for selecting a film “rejected by Indian masses”. “It is disgraceful that the jury has selected a movie for the Oscars which has been rejected by the people. I don’t see any logic behind selecting this movie when there were other deserving movies like Chak De India ,” he said.

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Mumbai: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra tore a muscle while filming a stunt for an action-packed role in her new movie, a newspaper reported on Friday.
 
Priyanka plays a bodyguard skilled in an ancient Sikh martial art, wielding a sword and a kirpan in the film.
 
“I was doing a somersault when I felt something give way inside my rib cage,” The Times of India quoted her as saying.
 
“I’ve apparently suffered a tear in my abs,” the actress added.
 
The former Miss World is among the few actresses to take on action roles and do her own stunts.

Although she was advised to rest, her busy schedule did not permit a break for the next few weeks, she has dance scenes and more stunts to film.
 
“It’s so painful. I’ve no choice but to continue,” she said.“I don’t know how I’ll manage,” she added.Priyanka said she was enjoying shooting for the role in the thriller, Drona, and has been announcing: “I’m armed and dangerous,” every time she arrives on the set.
 
Abhishek Bachchan, who plays a superhero, and Kay Kay Menon, who is the villain, co-star in the film.Although advised rest, her busy schedule did not permit a break for the next few weeks with dance scenes and more stunts to film. 
  
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Mumbai: Bollywood macho man Salman Khan and playback singer Sonu Nigam showed up for the aarti and paid obeisance to the Ganpati idol at Lalbaug, the largest Ganesha idol in Mumbai. Braving heavy showers of rain, chaotic traffic, and a surge of over six lakh devotees, Salman stood patiently in a corner waiting for the prayers to start. The mandal authorities fearing a stampede by the restless crowd started the aarti soon.

Later in the night, Shilpa and Shamita Shetty along with their parents also came to pray to the elephant-God.

Venue: Lalbaug, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Tuesday night

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New Delhi: King of controversy Salman Khan is in trouble yet again. A Muslim organisation has issued a fatwa against Salman for attending a Ganesh puja.

The barely-based Daarul-Ifta-Manjar-e-Islam has acted against Salman after the actor took part in the Ganesh Puja celebrations in Mumbai.The organisation said unless Salman reads the Kalmas all over again, he would not be considered a Muslim.The order was issued as Islam prohibits all kinds of idol worship.Salman, who had just been out of jail in the Chinkara poaching case, celebrated Ganesh mahostav with his family on Monday

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Accordint to sources, Rani has been giving major attitude to Yash Raj staff and technicians because of her close ties with Aditya Chopra. Says a source, “Rani has started throwing her weight around a lot.Recently, she fired the dubbing staff at Yash Raj studio because most of her scenes had to be redone. It wasn’t their fault. Rani herself had refused to wear a microphone while shooting for Laaga Chunri Mein Daag, which has been shot in sync sound film.The sound quality was very bad and she was called in. No one could say anything to her as she kept screaming, ‘I’m going to tell Adi!’

However, that wasn’t all. Continues the source, “Rani regularly fires the publicity girls at Yash Raj, as she wants to do all her interviews at the studio only.In fact, she even got ad filmmaker Prasoon Pandey replaced for an ad because his production house did not want to shoot at Yash Raj.
Whenever she wants to do anything at Yash Raj studios, she makes the staff cancel other people’s bookings saying, ‘Adi will sort it out’.”It is believed that even the normally even-tempered Kunal Kohli got upset with Rani a few days ago when she arrived late for the shoot of his film (with Saif Ali Khan).“Kunal fired her for coming late. Next thing, you know, Kunal, Adi and Rani were seen sorting out the matter and Rani sulked the entire day.” When we checked with Kunal, he chose to deny it, saying, “It’s not true.” As did a spokesperson from Yash Raj, who said, “We do not comment on the personal and professional lives of our individual stars.” It is believed that even the normally even-tempered Kunal Kohli got upset with Rani a few days ago when she arrived late for the shoot of his film (with Saif Ali Khan).“Kunal fired her for coming late. Next thing, you know, Kunal, Adi and Rani were seen sorting out the matter and Rani sulked the entire day.” When we checked with Kunal, he chose to deny it, saying, “It’s not true.” As did a spokesperson from Yash Raj, who said, “We do not comment on the personal and professional lives of our individual stars.”

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Everybody is aware of the cold war between Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukherjee which goes back a long way ever since Rani stepped into Ash’s role without informing her in Chalte Chalte .

Both Ash and Rani were said to be thick pals earlier and always took advice from each other. However it now seems like Ash’s hubby and Rani’s good friend Abhishek Bachchan is being dragged into the midst of the cold war. But the smitten husband is keen to please his new bride Ash.

Rani and the Bachchans have always shared an extremely friendly relationship, she also shares good on-screen chemistry with Abhishek and has also worked with Amitabh Bachchan in Black .However it was clear that the Bachchans would be drawn into the cold war between Ash and Rani when the latter was not invited for the grand Ash-Abhishek wedding.

Recently Ash also accompanied Abhishek for the shooting schedule of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag to Switzerland. There the vibes between Ash and Rani were ice cold and Ash even offended the heroine Rani by commentating on her excess of make-up for the film.

Rani was miffed but decided to try and make peace, so after the shooting was wrapped up she invited the entire cast and crew of the film for a completion party. Rani was also gracious to extend the invitation to Ash.However Ash was not in the mood to make peace, both she and Abhishek did not turn up for the event.

Jaya Bachchan , who also stars in the film was gracious enough to call her hosts and inform them about her ill health which was the reason for her not making it to the party.

However son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Ash simply skipped the party with no explanations offered.

A source though claims, “We really don’t know what’s happening between Rani and Ash, but it’s a fact that they are not best buddies. However, Abhishek and his family are extremely fond of Rani. I doubt that equation will ever change.”

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On the ladder to success is Aamir Khan’s son, Junaid Khan. Aamir hit the cricket ball beyond boundaries in Lagaan and impressed the audiences. His son Junaid however, saved a crucial goal during an inter-school football match in Mumbai this week.

Junaid seems to have inherited his father chocolate looks. Looking at this picture, we won’t mind a remake of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak few years down the line starring Khan Jr.

What say Papa Aamir?

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The Kareena-Shahid Kapur romantic flick Jab We Met has had it’s release date put back by one week because of Rani Mukherjee

Jab We Met was supposed to release 1 week after Eid, on 19th October, but will now release 26th October. The distributors Studio 18 did not want the movie to release so close to a Rani Mukherjee film. Laga Chunari Mein Daag is expected to release during Eid week, 12th October. This is the same day that the Akshay Kumar-Vidya Balan starrer Bhool Bhullaiya releases.

Studio 18 national head – domestic distribution Utpal Acharya says, “The release date has been chosen with careful deliberation, keeping in mind the upcoming festive season. This date will allow a maximum play time for the film, since Ramzaan will have concluded two weeks prior and Diwali will be 15 days away.

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