Karisma Kapoor - The Brand Ambassador

Ghazini is all set to release on 25th Dec and the excitement of its release is increasing day by day. Everyone looks impresses by the six looks of Aamir Khan and King Khan has shown his willingness to work with the director seeing the promos.

Priyanka Chopra is really very supportive and is totally committed towards her friends and Harman Baweja is among them. She supports him in every way possible. She bailed him out and did her best to make his debut movie ‘Love Story 2050′ work. Alas, that didn’t work out and Harman’s Hrithik aping too did no good for him.

Now the rumur is going around that Priyanka is set to do a sizzling item number in his next flick ‘Victory’. And hold your breath, the reports are that she would be wearing nothing but a two piece. She’ll be shooting for it early in the New Year.

Harman might not admit it but it seems he’s shaken up by the fact that his extra expensive debut film bombed. The buzz is that there are no buyers for the flick.

Maybe that’s why he’s so hopeful that the inclusion of Priyanka might help the film to sell.

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What happens when two hot Babes come together? Following it comes a huge cat-fight along with exchange of verbal assaults. Talking about Rakhi Sawant and Sambhavna Seth, the two item girls had a huge fight on Rakhi’s birthday on 24 November.

What made up Rakhi’s mind is yet to be understood but the gal called up her rival Sambhavna and invited her to the party at a suburban restaurant. Sambhavna was reluctant to come but Rakhi insisted.

What we saw next was the two girls fighting. There are two different versions as to what actually sparked the fight.

According to Sambhavna, when she arrived at the party, Rakhi called her a chudail (witch) in front of everyone. Sambhavna says she couldn’t take the remark lightly and responded to Rakhi is the same vein.

Pointing towards Rakhi, Sambhavna said: “Ek (chudail) toh mere saamne khadi hai”. Then a heated argument followed between the two item girls.

But according to Rakhi’s version, it is Sambhavna who first began “bitching” about Rakhi with other guests at the party. Rakhi said it was then she told her to leave.

Interestingly, both the item girls accuse each other of doing this stunt for publicity.

The buzz is that the latest trend for every brand is to go ‘youthfully desi’. ‘Kurkure’ of which Juhi Chawla has been a brand ambassador for long is doing the same. They have roped in B-Town hottie Kareena to replace the ageing Juhi.

The nine-year-old snack brand by PepsiCo India has been endorsed by chirpy Chawla for almost five years. Though Bebo will be the new face, Juhi will continue to be the face for the brand, reveals a PepsiCo Snack Foods official. The ad will be shot like a Cindrella fable in Hindi, in a Haryanvi accent. Interestingly they are calling it ‘ishtory’.

According to Pepsico officials, “Desi Beats is an incremental platform that Kurkure was looking at, for which it needed a new face. The product demanded a new look, and that’s why Kareena.” They are saying that Juhi has always stood for the irreverent and chatpata attitude of the brand, and she’ll continue to carry it further. Juhi and Kareena will apparently endorse the entire portfolio together, though the details are yet to be finalized. Source

Shah Rukh Khan has spoken for the first time about his thoughts on the Mumbai tragedy. Shah Rukh said “I’ve tried to keep away from commenting on this as there are no words to express a situation like this because our feelings are mixed with anger, disbelief and sadness.”

In light of the horrific attacks, Shah Rukh went on to give his thoughts on religion and the younger Muslim generation. “Being Muslim myself, I believe youngsters need to understand Islam and respect the religion in the right way. It’s such a huge waste and my appeal to all in these times and in recent years is that please can we run what we want in terms of politics, government, jobs and teaching our children with the prime motive of taking communalism out of it. I think no agenda should be attached to any kind of religion.”

Shah Rukh spoke passionately about his views on what he feels should be the only religion the nations’ children should follow - ‘work’; he goes on to say, “The religion our children are born with should be something they practice as a discipline and work should be developed as the new religion.” Source

Ayesha Takia’s wedding to restaurateur Farhan Azmi has been called off due to 26/11 terrorist attacks

Ayesha is currently in Greece shooting a song for Boney Kapoor’s Wanted. The groom-to-be confirms, “When Ayesha heard the news of the attacks, she broke down. Dad (SP party leader Abu Azmi), was in a hospital recuperating from an operation; he too started crying when he heard about the terrorist attacks. None of us are in the mood for any celebrations this year. Our mood is too grim and somber. There can be no wedding celebrations as of now maybe mid-2009 and that too it will be a small and private affair.”

Farhan adds, “We are all shaken up by what happened. I saw it happening next door, as Nariman House is seven buildings away from our home and very close to the Taj and Oberoi hotels. When the Oberoi was sealed, many guests came from there to Koyla and Café Basilico (both owned by Farhan). None wanted to stay, so I took them home. On the first night from Koyla, which is 500m away from the Taj, we could see the fire burning on the sixth floor and hear women and children screaming to be let out ‘please help us’… It still gives me goose bumps to even think about it.”  Source

The finest actor of the bollywood Aamir Khan expressed himself as being shocked, heartbroken, helpless and angry too. ”I Have been watching television since yesterday and to see various locations in Mumbai turned into a war zone is shocking and heart breaking to say the least. My heartfelt condolences to the families of persons killed and taken hostage! I was feeling sick in the stomach when the fire broke out at the Taj. What would the people caught inside be going through? The fire fighters were doing their best but my imagination was running wild and I was feeling helpless watching other people trapped in the rooms adjoining the fire.” said Aamir.

Aamir also extended his condolences to the family of the brave officers of the Mumbai Police who lost their lives. There was a special mention in his blog about Hemant Karkare of the ATS, who in the recent past was being targeted by various political parties for the work that he was doing. On the Terrorists Aamir said, “They are not Hindu or Muslim or Christian. They are not people of religion or God. They are people who have gone totally sick in their head and have to be dealt with in that manner.”

Aamir also wrote, “I dread to think of how various political parties are now going to try and use this tragedy to further their political careers. At least now they should learn to not divide people and instead become responsible leaders. An incident such as this really exposes how ill-equipped we are as a society as far as proper leaders go. We desperately need young, dynamic, honest, intelligent and upright leaders, who actually care for the country.”  Source

Amitabh Bachchan could’nt stop himself from writing about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. “The entire day has been spent in front of the TV and watching in anguish and in anger, the proceedings on the streets of Mumbai. My pain has been the sight and plight of my innocent and vulnerable and completely insecure countrymen, facing the wrath of this terror attack. And my anger has been at the ineptitude of the authorities that have been ordained to look after us.”

Big B also said that he has been receiving a million calls and an equal number of sms the whole day to come live on TV or on the print media to express views on the current situation. “Am being lured by words such as ‘we need you to speak to express solidarity and for the people to maintain their calm’. This is disgusting! I will NOT do that. Tell me and order me instead that we require for every Indian to get up and walk into the facilities where the action is on and I will be the first to walk. But, please do not ask me to come and make sloppy statements that will do nothing more than create viewer interest in said particular channel!”

“I respect what the media is doing in serving the nation with its continuous information bulletins and I admire the brave and diligent manner in which they have devoted themselves to the cause. But what they expect me do I find against my ethics and want to be excused from it.”

On the spirit of Mumbai Bachchan said, “Let us stop reiterating that clichéd ‘Sprit of Mumbai’ retort. Yes Mumbai is strong and resilient and shall not be cowed down by any such occurrence. But let us not conveniently use it as our cover sheet; pull it over our heads and go off to sleep; because that is what has been happening every time. Incidents of grave disaster have continued to be camouflaged with ‘oh, this is Mumbai, we have a great spirit and we will spring back’. Fine, we will, of course. But who is assuring us that the disaster will not!”

Big B also wrote that before retiring for the night, he loaded his licensed .32 revolver and put it under his pillow, for a very disturbed sleep. Source

Director Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminay shoot had to be cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday night because of the serial blasts. The director says, “We were shooting a traffic jam scene for Kaminey at Horniman Circle, which is a couple of minutes away from Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

We crossed CST at 9.45 pm and headed for the circle. While the men were putting up the lights, we heard firing and explosions close by. We decided to cancel the shoot immediately around 10.30 pm and head home.” According to Vishal, his leading actor Shahid Kapoor had reached the shoot by then. “Shahid left a little ahead of me.

It was a war-like situation on the streets of Mumbai. As we reached Marine Drive there were lots of police vehicles with guns pointed at us. It was terrifying!” As Vishal and Shahid crossed Marine Drive and Girgaum Chowpatty they heard firing behind them. Vishal says, “I could feel something was going to happen at Marine Drive. Later, when I reached home, I heard a couple of terrorists got killed at Girgaum. Again we got saved…”

Vishal reached home around 2 am. “There were policemen with guns everywhere. It was scary! I have seen check- posts but not police aiming guns at all the cars. We have shot such scenes in films but watching it live is something else altogether. At one check naka, they stopped my car and started asking all sorts of questions.

I had to take out my ID card and one of the police officers recognised me and let me go,” Vishal shudders with relief. We had a unit of almost 300 people and 50 cars as it was a traffic jam sequence with lots of cars and everyone was packed off home. Fortunately, each and every unit member reached home safely. My wife Rekha was to join us on the shoot but had to cancel her plans. We are all lucky that we got saved. Source

Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra said yesterday she preferred to act with Tamil superstar Rajnikanth than with Hollywood actor Daniel Craig.

“I am very much interested to act with Daniel Craig but I would prefer to act with Rajnikanth than him,” she said.

The actor, who made her debut in Tamil film ‘Thamizhan’ with Vijay said, “It was my first movie and it is very special”. Source

The size zero bikini bombshell Kareena Kapoor was invited for a gala event by the House of Commons as a special guest of the PM at his residence at Downing Street on November 18th. She was supposed to meet Brown himself and also be honoured as an international ambassador and join the Silver Star charity that helps in spreading awareness about diabetes. Leading members from the political, business, arts and culture, and sports fields were present at the occasion but, unfortunately, Bebo couldn’t make it.

She was tied down with prior commitments to Sajid Nadiadwala for whose film Kambakkht Ishq she is shooting with Akshay Kumar in Mumbai. Kareena’s spokesperson confirmed the news, “She was looking forward to attending this prestigious event, but had to opt out. However, Kareena intends joining the Silver Star charity and working closely with them soon.” Gutsy show by bebo. Source

Former US president Bill Clinton has been trying to convince Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan to attend the annual Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting to be held in Hong Kong next month. “Bill Clinton writes in to ask me to join their global conference for the betterment of the world in Hong Kong,” Amitabh posted in one of his recent blog entries.

The latest update on the same from Amitabh has been that Clinton called him up “to request” him to come for the event. The veteran actor has mentioned about the CGI more than once on his blog. In one of the posts, he wrote: “I need to prepare also for the CGI - Clinton Global Initiative. Global warming, solar energy, lighting villages….”

The CGI was established in 2005 by Clinton to bring together global leaders from various backgrounds to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Source

The king Akshay Kumar has struck gold by signing up hot Southern star Shriya Saran for his home-based project Komagatu Maru, directed by Deepa Mehta. “I’m on top of the world, as I ‘m doing Deepa Mehta’s epic Komagata Maru,” says Shriya, “Deepaji is my favourite director and it is a great honour to do a film with her.”

Shriya is currently filming Jaggubhai for Ravikumar alongside Sarath Kumar. The unit is currently in Australia filming musical items in Sydney. Shriya became a national figure after the movie Sivaji: The Boss and recently appeared opposite Vikram in Kanthaswamy. Earlier this year, she could be seen in Mission Istanbul and the crossover movie, The Other End of the Line with Jesse Metcalf and British actress Tara Sharma.

Other than her acting, Shriya is almost equally well known for her social conscience. She has adopted two children from an orphanage. Under the arrangements of the scheme she is involved in, the children remain at the orphanage but she pays all their expenses including maintenance, education and medical fees. Source

The controversial song ‘Choli ke peechhey kya hai’, is now part of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. Says Rahman, “The song fitted the mood of the film. It represents the frenetic pace, the colour and the swirl that represents the early ‘90s. I have re-recorded it in the same two voices - Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun - though in a totally re-worked form.”

The song will feature in the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack when it releases in December. The soundtrack is being released on December 12,” adds Rahman.

AR Rahman is very happy about the international success of the film. “They released it on a small scale and are gradually increasing the prints. The success means something positive for Indian tourism. It has brought India onto the cultural map again.”

Besides the background score Rahman has done four songs in the film. “I’ve also collaborated with the rap artiste Maya. We co-wrote a song called ‘Oh saya’. She wrote the English lyrics. There’s also a version of Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s ‘Aaj ki raat’ in the soundtrack.” Source

OK! Magazine recently figured out who ‘Bollywood’s Sexiest Dad’ is. Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan….were all left behind in the race.

The actor who beat them to the coveted tag was none other than Arjun Rampal. The Rock On!! star featured proudly on the cover of the magazine. Now, sexy he sure is, but is he really that great a dad? That SRK is a doting dad is a better known fact. King Khan does what it takes to bring a smile on the faces of little Aryan and Suhana.

Akshay Kumar’s absolute love for son Aarav is pretty well known too. Saif Ali Khan has not in any way ignored the responsibilities of a father even after his separation from Amrita Singh. Saif now makes it a point Sarah and Ibrahim bond with his new love Kareena as well. But still Arjun Rampal won the race. Thats good. Source

After the departure of Bipasha Basu suddenly from Kashmir while shooting for Lamhaa, producer Bunty Walia and director Rahul Dholakia are a bit confused about film’s lead actress. Bunty and Rahul are already looking at options to replace Bipasha if she does not agree to travel to Kashmir for a shooting schedule in January. One of the strongest contenders to step into Bipasha’s shoes is Vidya Balan.

A couple of weeks ago Bipasha had left the film’s shooting mid-way and had flown down from Kashmir to Mumbai leaving Rahul, Bunty and Sanjay Dutt stranded. The cast and crew of Lamhaa were shooting a sequence at Anantnag, which is 55 kms away from Srinagar.

Rumour has it that Bipasha received a call after which she was very distressed. Suddenly she stalled the shoot and went inside her van. She then called up Rahul from inside and told him that she was returning to the hotel. Rahul followed Bipasha’s van and reached the hotel to have a talk with her.

However, he was shocked to see Bipasha packing her bags and heading to the airport. Rahul tried to stop her but Bipasha shot back saying, “You won’t understand Rahul, you’re not a woman.” Source

An industry insider said, “In January, Bunty and Rahul need to shoot for 10 days in Kashmir. If Bipasha doesn’t comply, she can’t be a part of the film.”

When contacted, Bunty said, “We need to shoot in Kashmir for 10 days. I will start the shoot from January 4. I need Bipasha there. I have been made to understand by her and her manager that she is averse to going back to Kashmir. But I think I will convince her to do so. I am optimistic.”

Rahul said, “I need Bipasha in Kashmir. I am meeting her for the same today.”

When asked if Bipasha would still remain a part of Lamhaa even if she didn’t agree to go to Kashmir, Rahul said, “I will cross the bridge when I come to it.”

A friend of Bunty added, “Bipasha behaved extremely unprofessionally by leaving the shoot mid-way without informing Bunty and Sanjay. The reasons for her strange behaviour are not known.”

Despite repeated calls and text messages, Bipasha remained unavailable for comment. Source

Earlier we had reported about Hrithik Roshan who confirmed that he would be taking the lead role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next, and today Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has done the same.

Talking to an Indian newspaper, the Bachchan bahu said, “He is a master filmmaker and I don’t think one failure (Saawariya) is a very big deal. Everyone has highs and lows in their career and you can’t write anyone off just because he has failed once. Look at the films he has made, you can’t write him off or take away the enormous wealth of talent he has in him. That’s unfair. He is one of the best filmmakers India has ever produced and he will continue to make great films.”

When asked about the movie, Aishwarya decided not to reveal much, “It’s a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie. So, you can expect the magnitude and opulence that every Bhansali movie has. It will be huge in every way. The script is extraordinary. It is going to be a brilliant film from his side again.” Aishwarya will begin shooting for the film in July and is expecting the film to release towards the end of 2009 or early 2010. Source

Jiah Khan is been very lucky in the industry when it comes to co-stars. After pairing with none other than the Bollywood cine icon Amitabh Bachchan in her debut film Nishabd, Jiah is working with Aamir in the upcoming thriller Ghajini . Incidentally, it was not recommendation by anyone that got Jiah the coveted role. She bagged it because she deserved it. This was what Jiah’s mom was told by Aamir.

“Aamir told my mother that if I was a part of ‘Ghajini’ it was because of my own achievement and talent. It was the best compliment I have received, that too from the best actor of the country - Aamir Khan. What more could I ask for,” Jiah is quoted as saying.

Recalling the moment when she was selected for the role, Jiah says she was in total disbelief when she learnt she had bagged the role in ‘Ghajini’. When Aamir and the director told me I was in, I couldn’t believe it! I was in tears and overwhelmed,” said the actress. Source

The Khiladi of bollywood Akshay Kumar recently renewed his contract with The Coca-Cola Company. The actor endorses the Thumbs Up brand of the company. Akki, who has several endorsements under his belt, has been constantly receiving rave reviews for the cola commercials.

A source reveals, “Action has always been Akki’s forte and the Thumbs Up commercials use that point to maximum advantage. Presently, the creative team is discussing the look and feel of the next commercial to be shot in the coming few weeks. In the last series of commercials for the company, he had done parker. For the latest one, Akki plans to take the action in the commercials to another level.”

The source further adds, “The renewal marks Akshay’s fourth year with the brand. In an era when most cola companies keep changing the brand ambassador frequently, Akki has been bringing in laurels for this particular brand. Before Akki, Salman was the face of the product, but with him, the marketing team of the brand never got the desired effect.”

Akki is back in town after a whole year of globetrotting. He is currently shooting for two movies Nadiadwala’s Kambakht Ishq and Rohan Sippy’s Chandni Chowk To China. Later this week, he plans to start Venus’ De Dhana Dhan to be directed by Priyadarshan with co-stars Katrina Kaif, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal. Source

After winning hearts for Race and Singh Is Kinng, Katrina Kaif is looking forward to Yuvraaj which is ready to hit the marquee. She is partly optimistic and partly nervous about Yuvraaj and as for the first time she is deeply involve in intimate scene with beau Salman Khan. 

In an interview Katrina said, “Some of the most intimate moments in the film are between Salman and me, and what you see on screen doesn’t come across as forced.” Director Subhash Ghai is also in agreement with the actress, he said, “The Salman-Katrina magic is all set to cast its spell on the audience.” He added that they rock as a couple and are lucky for each other.

Yuvvraaj talks about relationships, love, hatred and animosity. Katrina is playing a musician who plays cello and Salman falls for her. She is a very strong girl, who believes in the power of love and music. The music of the flick has hit the music chart and music maestro AR Rahman has scored the melody. Source