A gold purse worth $213,300, studded with diamonds, rubies and pearls unveiled in India
If you want to turn up as an Indian princess for a masquerade party, you need to carry a piece the Indian legacy along to pull off the perfect attire. And for that, you need the services of a skilled craftsman who knows the culture well. If you want your evening clutch to scream opulence, it does get better than this. Syed Farooq, from Bhopal has come out with a purse described as a traditional Bhopali batua. The batua, which means wallet in Hindi, which is crafted in 850 grams of gold, comes set with 787 diamonds, 521 rubies totaling to 89 carats and 552 pearls of Basra. 10 craftsmen took 35 days to finish the purse. Priced at $213,300 the purse was unveiled in a diamond exhibition at Bhopal, India by actress Linda Arsenio and model Shahwar Ali.
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor born September 21, 1980 nicknamed Bebo, is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kareena is the youngest daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita .
She was educated at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai, and later Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. After studying commerce at Mithibai College, Vile Parle for two years, she embarked upon a three-month summer course in microcomputers at Harvard.
She later developed an interest in law and enrolled at the Government’s Law College in Churchgate.After completing one year there, she returned to her initial plan to become an actressand commenced training under Kishor Namit Kapoor, the founder of Kapoor Acting Lab.she made her acting debut in Refugee (2000), for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. The following year, Kapoor received her first commercial success with her second release, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Haiand later appeared in Karan Johar’s melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), which became India’s top-grossing film in the overseas market that year and her biggest commercial success.n 2007, Kapoor earned a Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in the commercially successful comedy-romance Jab We Met.
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty born 8 June 1975 is an Indian film actress and model.She attended St. Anthony Girls’ High School, located in Chembur, and later attended Podar College. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she is also into sports and was the captain of the volleyball team in school and earned a black belt in Karate and currently a dancesport expert and enthusiast.Shetty currently lives in Mumbai with her parents and younger sister Shamita Shetty, who is a budding Bollywood actress. They worked together once in the film Fareb (2005). At 5 ft 10 inches (178 cm), Shilpa Shetty is among the tallest actresses in Bollywood.
Since making her debut in the film Baazigar (1993), she has appeared in nearly 50
Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films, her first leading role being
in the 1994 Aag. Although she went through years of decline during her career,
Shetty was willing to reinvent herself quite often. Her performances in Dhadkan
(2000) and Rishtey (2002) were appreciated, while her portrayal of an AIDS
patient in Phir Milenge (2004), won her many accolades. Her younger sister
Shamita Shetty is also a Bollywood film actress.
Shetty has been embroiled in various controversies including suspected mafia
links. In 2006 she was issued with a warrant on charges of obscenity. After
taking part in the British Celebrity Big Brother TV show in 2007, Shetty was
crowned the winner with 63% of the final vote, after an international racism
controversy involving her and fellow contestants Jade Goody, Jo O’Meara and
Danielle Lloyd. This was followed by her comeback to films in 2007 when she
acted in two successive movies, Life in a… Metro and Apne, with her
performance in the former drawing positive reviews. Shetty thus re-established
her status in the film industry.*
And Now Shilpa shetty get happily married with Raj Kundra ( her business partner).
Salman Khan
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan born December 27, 1965 is an Indian film actor
who appears in Bollywood films.Khan is the eldest son of celebrated
screenwriter Salim Khan and his first wife Salma Khan. His stepmother is Helen,
a famous yesteryear Bollywood actress, who has co-starred with him in Khamoshi:
The Musical (1996) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). He has two brothers,
Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan, and two sisters, Alvira and Arpita.Khan is a
dedicated bodybuilder. He trains everyday and is famous for taking off his
shirt in movies and stage shows alike. In 2004, he was voted 7th best-looking
man in the World and the best looking man in India by People magazine, U.S.Khan
has been involved in several charities during his career.
Khan, who made his acting debut with the film Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), had his
first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), and won a
Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance.
Khan started 2007 with the ensemble film Salaam E Ishq which failed to do well
at the box office. His next release Partner did very well at the box office,
receiving a blockbuster verdict.He next appeared in his first Hollywood movie,
Marigold: An Adventure in India opposite American actress Ali Larter. Telling
the love story of an Indian man and an American woman, the film was a major
failure, both commercially and critically.Despite being romantically linked with several actresses, and having relationships with ex-girlfriends Aishwarya Rai, Somy Ali and Sangeeta Bijlani, Khan is frequently featured by Indian media as Bollywood’s most eligible bachelor. He has been dating model-turned-actress Katrina Kaif since 2003.
On September 28, 2002, Salman was arrested for rash and negligent driving. His
car had collided into a bakery in Mumbai; one person who was sleeping on the
sidewalk outside the bakery died and three others were injured in the
mishap.Charges of culpable homicide were laid against him, but later dropped,
and he was found not guilty. However, He will still have to stand trial for a
series of lesser charges pertaining to the incident.
On October 11, 2007, Khan accepted an offer from Madame Tussauds wax museum in
London to have a wax replica made of himself. His life-size wax figure was
finally installed there on January 15, 2008, making him the fourth Indian actor
to have been replicated as a wax statue in the museum.
On February 17, 2006, Khan was sentenced to one year in prison for hunting an
endangered species, the Chinkara. The sentence was stayed by a higher court
during appeal.On April 10, 2006, Salman was handed a five year jail term for
hunting the endangered Chinkara. He was remanded to Jodhpur jail, and remained
there until April 13, when he was granted bail.On August 24, 2007, the Jodhpur
sessions court, upheld the 5 year jail term for Khan in the Chinkara poaching
case by turning down his appeal against the 2006 judgement. At the time of the
hearing, he was busy with a shooting elsewhere, while his sister attended the
proceedings.Day after, he was placed under police arrest in Jodhpur after a
Rajasthan court upheld a prison sentence passed upon him for poaching. On
August 31, 2007, Khan was released on bail from the Jodhpur Central jail where
he has spent six days.
In 2008 Khan made his debut to the small screen with game show, Dus Ka Dum
based on the international show The Power of 10.*
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine biologist, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her family belongs to the Bunt community of Mangalore. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy and also co-produced one of Rai’s movies, Dil Ka Rishta (2003).
After she was born, her parents moved to Mumbai where she attended the Arya Vidya Mandir high school in Santa Cruz. Rai then entered Jai Hind College at Churchgate for one year, and then moved to Ruparel College in Matunga to finish her “HSC” studies. She did well in school and planned to become an architect.
She can communicate in several languages, including Tulu, Hindi, English, Marathi and Tamil. While pursuing her studies in architecture, Rai began modeling on the side. In the 1994 Miss India contest, she won the second place (behind Sushmita Sen), and went on to win the Miss World title the same year, where she also won the Miss Photogenic award. She abandoned her studies after winning the pageant and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London. Rai then started working as a professional model and then moved on to her current profession as an actress.
Rai has previously dated Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi. She is now married to Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan. The wedding took place on April 20, 2007.
Early career
Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film, Iruvar (1997) with Mohanlal, and was introduced to Bollywood in the film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya opposite Bobby Deol, which also released that year; the film didn’t do well at the box office.
However, her third project, S. Shankar’s Tamil film, Jeans (1998) was a critical and commercial success, earning her the Filmfare Best Actress Award South.
Breakthrough
She went on to appear in many Bollywood films; a few successful films of her career include Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), which earned the actress her first Filmfare Best Actress Award and Taal (1999), which gave her another nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare; her performances in both the films were lauded. In 2000, she played a supporting role in the hit films Mohabbatein and Josh. Later that year, she starred in the Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain, which won her positive reviews.
Success (2002-present)
In 2002, Rai appeared alongside Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bansali’s lavishly produced Devdas. The film attracted overseas attention as well, receiving a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival. It was during this time that she garnered the attention of the West as an Indian actress and went on to appear in a few Hollywood projects. Devdas went on to become the highest grossing film of the year both in India and overseas, earning the actress her second Filmfare Best Actress Award.
As her name gained popularity overseas, she was chosen by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the World’s “100 Most Influential People”, and appeared on the cover of Time magazine, Asia Edition (TIMEasia) in 2003. She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on January 2. A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. She also featured on Oprah’s “Women Across the Globe” segment. In 2003, she acted in the critically acclaimed and commercial success Bengali film, Chokher Bali, an adaptation of one of Rabindranath Tagore’s novels by the same name.
Rai has been a regular at the Cannes Film Festival since 2002, and was a member of the Jury at Cannes in the year 2003. In October 2004, a wax figure of Rai became on display in London’s Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. The same month, her first foreign film, Bride and Prejudice released. The film was an Indian version of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. Her next overseas venture was The Mistress of Spices. She then appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian art, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi. In between her overseas acting stints, she appeared in the Indian film Bunty Aur Babli in a hugely popular seven minute dance sequence for the song “Kajra Re”.
In 2005, Rai signed a three-year contract with L’Oral, as a spokesmodel for the cosmetics company. At the end of the year 2006, she had two releases: Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2. While the former did poorly in India, her role in the latter, which was a sequel to the 2004 hit movie Dhoom brought her great attention. The film went on to become the biggest hit of the year, and sparked a controversy for a scene containing a kiss between her and Hrithik Roshan. For her performance, she received nominations for Best Actress at a number of award ceremonies, including Filmfare.
2007 saw the release of Mani Ratnam’s Guru which premiered in Toronto. The film, based on the life of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, was critically acclaimed and did well at the box office. Her most recent film, Provoked, based on the book “Circle of Light” where she portrays a real life character, was released on April 6, 2007 in India and the UK. The biographical movie portrays the life of Kiranjit Ahluwalia who faced severe domestic violence. The movie won Aishwarya a lot of critical acclaim. At the end of April 2007, her first American film, The Last Legion released in Russia and the Netherlands and later opened in North American theaters in August 2007 disappointingly. In 2008 she starred alongside Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s historical drama Jodhaa Akbar. She played the role of Jodha Bai, the wife of the Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, played by Roshan. Aishwarya will now be seen in Sarkar Raj which costars husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan.
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan, fondly known as Duggu by his near and dear ones, was born into a filmi family on the 10th of January, 1974. His mother is Pinky Roshan, the daughter of producer and director J.Om Prakash while his father is Rakesh Roshan, who was an actor before turning into a director, besides being the son of music director Roshan. He is the nephew of music director Rajesh Roshan. He also has a sister Sunaina.
Hrithik studied at the Bombay Scottish School, Churchgate and has a degree in commerce from Sydenham College.
Soon after his successful debut in Bollywood, he tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart Suzanne Khan, daughter of actor Sanjay Khan and sister of actor Zayed Khan. They have two sons, Hrehaan and Hridhan.
He had his bad moments after stepping into the spotlight. His father was shot by the underworld when he refused to give the foreign rights of Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. It was followed by rumours that the actor had made remarks against Nepalese which resulted in outrage against the actor in Nepal. However the actor denied it.
Hrithik is known to be a perfectionist and has worked very hard to be where he is today. He prepares himself thoroughly for every role he portrays, has trained in dance and acting besides working on his diction and his appearance. He started working out under Salman Khan’s guidance, when he worked as an assistant director on the sets of Karan Arjun and Koyla.
He got a taste of Bollywood as a child, when he appeared in the film Aasha (1980), Aapke Deewane (1980) and Bhagwan Dada (1986). But it was the year 2000 that made people sit up and take note.
Ranbir Kapoor Biography
Ranbir Kapoor born September 28, 1982 in Mumbai, Maharashtra is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.
Born to popular actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, Kapoor is the brother of Riddhima Kapoor. He is the great grandson of Prithviraj Kapoor, and the grandson of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor. His uncles are Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor, and his cousins include Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Nikhil Nanda.
In an interview, Kapoor confirmed his relationship with Deepika Padukone to the media saying, “We’ve been dating for the past couple of weeks. I am very happy in my relationship with Deepika…I want to be this way all the time.
Kapoor made his debut in November 2007 with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya opposite newcomer Sonam Kapoor.
As of June 2008, Kapoor is currently filming for Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Ae Haseeno, which is expected to release on August 15, 2008, as well as Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani opposite Katrina Kaif.*
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan, born 2 November 1965, is a highly acclaimed Indian actor who works in Bollywood films, as well as film producer and television host.
Khan started out his career appearing in several television serials in the late 1980s. He made his film debut with the commercially successful Deewana (1992). Since then, he has been part of numerous commercial successes, as well as having delivered a variety of critically acclaimed performances. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won seven Filmfare Best Actor Awards and has had significant box office success. While films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Chak De India (2007), and Om Shanti Om (2007), remain some of Bollywood’s biggest hits, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) have been hits in the overseas market. Since 2000, Khan branched out into film production and television presenting as well.
Biography
Khan was born to Muslim parents of Pathan ethnicity in New Delhi, India. His father, Taj Mohammed Khan was a freedom activist from Peshawar, British India. His mother Lateef Fatima was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served as a General in the Indian National Army of Subash Chandra Bose.
Khan’s father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the Partition of India, while his mother’s family came from Rawalpindi, also in present-day Pakistan. Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz. Khan attended St. Columba’s School where he was accomplished in sports, drama and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award bequeathed to the student who embodies most the spirit of the school. He later attended the Hansraj College (1985-1988) to earn an Honors degree in Economics. After this, he studied for a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia.
After the death of his parents, Khan moved from New Delhi to Mumbai in 1991. In that same year, before any of his film releases, he married Gauri Khan in a Hindu wedding ceremony on October 25, 1991. They have two children, son Aryan Khan (born 1997) and daughter Suhana (born 2000).
In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan’s inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, “King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema”, was released in 2007. This book described the world of Bollywood through Khan’s life.
Khan’s life-size wax statue is available in Madame Tussauds wax museum, London, installed in April 2007. Khan has been chosen for the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award of the French government for his “exceptional career”.
Iqbal Khan to play Devdas on Zee TV; Binny Sharma gets first break
Iqbal Khan to play Devdas on Zee TV; Binny Sharma gets first break
Who can forget the epitome of a character that Dilip Kumar played when he portrayed Devdas in Bimal Roy’s evergreen classic? Or even Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s version of the modern Devdas in Shahrukh Khan?
Well, the latest is that DJ’s Creative Unit is working on an adaptation of Devdas, and this time it will be on the small screen!! And if sources are to be believed, the handsome hunk Iqbal Khan who has been missing from the limelight after Zee TV’s Waaris is all set to play this epitome character on television…
According to our khabroo, “The cast for the untitled show is almost finalized, and Deeya and Tony are making this show for Zee TV. Iqbal Khan will be playing the lead role, while Binny Sharma of Dance India Dance fame has been finalized for the role of Chandramukhi”.
Additi Gupta of Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil fame has been offered the role of Paro, but we hear that the actor has not given her nod yet for the same.
A little birdie also told us, “Talented veteran actor Aroona Irani has been finalized to play the male lead’s mother in the show”.
When contacted, Aroona Irani confirmed the news and said, “Yes, I am doing this show for Zee TV. It is a very nice role, which I wanted to do at any cost. For this, I have even rejected two or three other offers that came my way”.
We tried calling Iqbal Khan and even sent him a text message, but did not get any revert. We also tried calling Binny Sharma, but she remained unavailable.
When contacted, Additi Gupta said, “Yes, I was offered this show. But I am not doing it”.
We hear that the creative team plans to wrap up with the casting process very soon, and if all goes well, aims to start shoot in a week or so. The show is expected to take a prime time slot on Zee TV, and will launch in August.
We also tried getting a confirmation from Producer Tony Singh, and sent him a text too, but did not get any response.
What say folks? Are you game to watching ‘Devdas’ on the small screen now??
Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor born on February 25, 1981 in Mumbai, India is a Bollywood actor and model.Born to actor Pankaj Kapoor and actress/classical dancer Neelima Azeem, Kapoor’s parents divorced when he was three. After the divorce of his parents, he usually lived with his mother whilst he also shared a good relationship with his father and stepmother Supriya Pathak. Kapoor, who is a vegetarian, also has a sister named Sana and a brother named Ishaan Kapoor; his brother acted with him in the movie Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi (2005). His maternal grandfather was Anwar Azeem, a noted Marxist journalist and author from Bihar.
In 2004, Kapoor began dating actress Kareena Kapoor, who he separated with three years later. According to him, they remained on good terms, with him saying, “I wish her [Kareena] all the happiness in the world. I have great respect for her. She’s a wonderful girl.”
Starting off his career by working in music videos and ads, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai’s Taal (1999). After four years, he made his debut as a leading actor in Ishq Vishk (2003) and won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance. Following through with critically acclaimed performances in films like Fida (2004) and Shikhar (2005), he had his first commercial success with Sooraj R. Barjatya’s Vivah (2006), his biggest commercial success so far, and later continued it with Jab We Met (2007). Since then, he has established himself as one of the most promising actors of the industry.*
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar, born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on September 9, 1967 is an Indian film actor. He has appeared in over 80 Hindi films.
During the 90s, Kumar was primarily described as the action hero of Bollywood, starring in hit action films such as Khiladi (1992), Mohra (1994) and Sabse Bada Khiladi (1995), and being particularly known for his “Khiladi Series”. However, he was also recognised for his performances in romantic films like Yeh Dillagi (1994) and Dhadkan (2000) as well as dramatic films such as Ek Rishtaa (2001).
In 2002, he won his first Filmfare Award in the Best Villain category, for his performance in Ajnabee (2001). Willing to change his intransigent image, Kumar later ventured mostly into comedy films. His comic performances in films such as Hera Pheri (2000), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Garam Masala (2005) and Jaan-E-Mann (2006) met with critical acclaim. His success further rose in 2007, when he starred in four consecutive commercial hits. Having done so, he has established himself as one of the prominent actors of the Hindi film industry. In 2008, the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Early life
Kumar was born in Amritsar (Punjab) to a Punjabi family. His father was a government worker. From a very young age, he was recognised as a performer, particularly as a dancer. Kumar was raised in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk neighbourhood before moving to Mumbai. In Mumbai, he lived in Koliwada, which was another Punjabi dominated area. He studied at Don Bosco School and then Khalsa College, where he took an interest in sports.
He studied martial arts in Bangkok and worked as a chef. He then came back to Mumbai, where he started teaching martial arts. One of his students happened to be a photographer and recommended him to do modelling. The student gave him a modelling assignment for a small company. For his two hours posing in front of the camera, he got Rs. 5,000, compared to his previous salary of Rs. 4,000 in one month. That was one of the main reasons why he chose to be a model. After a couple of months of modelling, Kumar was finally offered a lead role by producer Pramod Chakravarthy for the movie Deedar.
Career
Kumar made his Bollywood acting debut with the 1991 film Saugandh, which was unnoticed. His first major success was the 1992 thriller film Khiladi. 1993 saw a drop as many of his films failed to do well. However, 1994 proved to be a good year for Kumar as he followed up his success with Khiladi with the action films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Mohra which were among the highest grossing films of the year. Later that year, Yash Chopra signed him for the romantic film Yeh Dillagi which was also a success. He received appreciation for his performance in this film, where he played a romantic role which was different compared to his action roles. He would consequently receive his first nominations for Best Actor award at the Filmfare and Star Screen ceremonies. During the same year, Kumar also had success with films like Suhaag and the low budget action film Elaan. All these achievements, promoted Kumar as one of the most successful actors of that year.
In 1995, along with his share of unsuccessful movies, he starred in the third film in his Khiladi series Sabse Bada Khiladi, which was a hit. He proved to have success with the Khiladi series, as in the next year he starred in the fourth successful film with Khiladi in the title, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi opposite Rekha and Raveena Tandon. The film became one of the highest grossing films of the year.
In 1997, he made an extended guest appearance in Yash Chopra’s hit film Dil To Pagal Hai, for which he received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award nomination. In the same year, he attempted a comedy role with the fifth film in the Khiladi series, Mr and Mrs Khiladi. Unlike his previous films with Khiladi in the title, the film failed commercially. In the same way as this film, his next Khiladi releases in the following years went on to fail at the box office. In 1999, Kumar received critical acclaim for his roles in the films Sangharsh and Jaanwar. Whilst the former did not make a profit at the box office, the latter turned out to be a success.
In 2000 he starred in the comedy Hera Pheri (2000) which was both a critical and commercial success, and showcased his ability at doing comedy just as he did action and romantic roles. He also starred in the romantic film Dhadkan later that same year which also earned reasonable takings at the box office. In 2001, Kumar played a negative role in the film Ajnabee. The film won him much acclaim as well as his first Filmfare Award for Best Villain. Kumar also had critical appreciation for his role as a blind man in Aankhen which was a box office success of that year.
Following the success of Hera Pheri, Kumar starred in a number of comedy films, including Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and Garam Masala (2005). The films succeeded at the box office, and his performance in the latter earned him his second Filmfare Award, for Best Comedian.
Apart from his action, comedy and romantic roles, Kumar displayed a flair for dramatic roles in films such as Ek Rishtaa (2001), Aankhen (2002), Bewafaa (2005) and Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005).
In 2006 he starred in a sequel to Hera Pheri titled Phir Hera Pheri. As was the former, the sequel became a huge success at the box office. Later that year he starred alongside Salman Khan in the romantic musical Jaan-E-Mann. The film was a well anticipated release, and despite receiving positive reviews from critics, did not do as well as expected at the box office. Though the film under-performed, his role as a shy, lovable nerd was praised. He ended the year with the comedy Bhagam Bhag, which was a success. In that same year, he led the Heat 2006 world tour along with fellow stars Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.
2007 proved to be Kumar’s most successful year during his career in the industry, and as described by box office analysts, “probably the best ever recorded by an actor, with four outright hits and no flops.” His first release, Namastey London, was critically and commercially successful, and his performance earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote of his performance in the film, “he’s sure to win the hearts of millions of moviegoers with a terrific portrayal in this film.” His next two releases, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, were box office successes as well. Kumar’s last release of the year, Welcome, did extremely well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster status and simultaneously becoming his fifth successive hit. All of Kumar’s films which released that year did well in the overseas market as well.
Kumar’s first film of 2008, Tashan, marked his comeback to the Yash Raj Films banner after 11 years. Although much anticipated by the public, the film was a critical and commercial failure. His second film, Singh Is Kinng was a huge success at the box office and broke the first-week worldwide record of Om Shanti Om, the previous highest figure. His next film was the animated film Jumbo.
In 2009, Kumar featured opposite Deepika Padukone in the Warner Bros.-Rohan Sippy production Chandni Chowk to China. Directed by Nikhil Advani, the film was a critical and commercial failure to box office.
Personal life
During his years in Bollywood, Kumar was romantically linked with several of his co-star actresses like Ayesha Jhulka, Pooja Batra, Raveena Tandon, and Shilpa Shetty. After being engaged twice to actress Twinkle Khanna, the daughter of veteran actors Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, he finally married her on January 14, 2001. Their son named Aarav was born on September 15, 2002.
In 2007, a leading Mumbai tabloid newspaper printed a story saying that Kumar and his wife had fallen out and Kumar had moved out of his home, staying at a hotel instead. On July 26, 2007 the couple sent a legal notice to the tabloid, declaring that the rumour was false. Kumar said:
“The article is a clear representation of careless and irresponsible journalism. The freedom of press comes with responsibilities, which seems to have been put aside to give way to shock value journalism.”
An FIR was registered by the Vakola Police on April 2009 against Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna under Setion 294 of the Indian Penal Code for an act during the Lakme Fashion Week in which Twinkle unbuttoned the jeans of Akshay.
Katrina Kaif
Date of Birth: 16th July, 1984.
Nickname: Kat
Height: 5′ 8″ (1.74 m)
Debut Film: “Boom”
Film Awards: None
Biography
Katrina Kaif is one of eight siblings, all girls, from a mother who is a Caucasian of British nationality and an N R I father. Katrina grew up in Hawai and was brought up in London. She started her modeling career at the tender age of fourteen, when Katrina Kaif was approached for a jewelry advertisement. Since then Katrina did various modeling assignment in London. She got her break in the Bollywood movie “Boom” offered by the famous film maker Kaizad Gustad. The film was not successful at the box office but Katrina Kaif was flooded with modeling assignments because of her innocent expressive face and drop-dead gorgeous looks.
Katrina has walked the ramp for several top designers. Besides walking the ramp she has also been the stunning face of Estelle jewelry, Lakme, Pantene, Veet, Kodak cameras, L’Oreal, Samsung, LG etc. Katreena is not fluent in Hindi so her voice in Hindi movies is dubbed by a native speaker of film’s language but in the movie “Namastay London” she dubbed her lines on her own. Her recent films “Partner” with Salman Khan and Govinda and “Apne” with Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol were successful at box office. She has also done two Telugu movies “Malliswari” and “Allari Pidugu” and a Malayalam film “Balram vs. Taradas”. Katrina has learnt Kathak dance recently.
Trivia
* Katreena Kaif was born in Hong Kong and then moved to Hawaii till she was about 14, then she moved to London. Presently, she lives in Mumbai.
* Unlike other artistes from foreign lands, Katrina neither experienced any difficulties in getting a visa nor of getting it extended in India.
* She worked for photographer Atul Kasbekar and did commercials for Fevicol, Lakme and Veet among others.
* Katrina Kaf is very particular about her clothes, which she wears a bold outfit on screen or for ads, but she feels more comfortable in not-so-revealing clothes in personal life.
* She refuses to speak about her personal life in the media.
* She was chosen as the face of the year for the Lakme India Fashion Week (2005).
* Her favorite Indian designers are Rina Dhaka, Tarun Tahiliani, Rocky S.
* Katrina’s favorite international designers are Armani, Versace, Miu Miu.
Check out this week’s Bollywood chartbusters!
Check out this week’s Bollywood chartbusters!
10. Khuda Mere Khuda
Film: Krantiveer – The Revolution
Singers: K K, Shreya Ghoshal
A new entry this week in the form of Khuda Mere Khuda. While the rest of the album, sadly, has not clicked with the audience; this light performance from the wonderful romantic duo goes on to become a pleasant listen.
Singer: Mika Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan, Sajid Khan, Arun Ingle
Despite being on it’s last leg, Mika’s bindaas number remains a favorite with the audience, perhaps a success it owes partially to the parent track from the yesteryear blockbuster Laawaris?!
Singers: Vijay Prakash, Mustafa Kutoane, Keerthi Sagathia
This one clearly carries the A R Rahman stamp! Whilst situational (and no doubt impressive on screen) Behene De is a delightful combination of the maestro’s music and some excellent voices.
Music: Pritam
As melodious as it is foot-tapping, and beautifully crooned by Chauhan. Unexpectedly romantic in an album which belongs to a world of dirty politics …
Singers: Shafqat Amanat Ali, Sunidhi Chauhan
Despite coming from completely different composers, Bin Tere vaguely reminds us of the monster hit, Noor-E-Khuda. Maybe that’s why we love it so much?
Singers: Chinmaye, Kshitij Tarey
Music: Mithoon
A new entry this week with the come back of Mithoon – composer of Anwar and Bas Ek Pal. Madno is a beatifully soothing track that keeps orchestration at a minimum to further highlight the pleasant melody and great vocals. This song makes an impact that won’t be forgotten quickly!
Singers: Vishal Dadlani
A track that is light on the ears and well-sung by Dadlani. It has quickly become popular with music fans despite it’s relative lack of lyrical depth as such.
Singers: Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali, Anuradha Sriram
We aim to please! Khilli Re is swapped for the popular Ranjha Ranjha of the same album. A folksy based song reminiscent of the magnificence that was Taal, Ranjha is an energetic and exciting listen.
One more evicted from Desh Ki Awaaz
One more evicted from Desh Ki Awaaz
This week’s elimination is going to be looked upon as not only a shocker but also a heart breaker for many fans.
Shashi Suman the zealous singer from Patna, who left his household to chase his singing dream and even spent his initial nights in Mumbai at railway stations, had to finally bid adieu from Sony Entertainment television’s Indian Idol 5 this week.
A Little Birdie informed us that, “Two versatile singers Sashi Suman and Shivam Pathak were in the bottom two this week but due to low audience vote counts the former got evicted this week.”
Our source also adds that, “Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor had come on the show for the promotion of their upcoming movie ‘I Hate Luv stories‘ and their episode would be aired on Monday. And Tuesday’s episode would witness the star cast of movie ‘Lamha’.”
Angelina as Draupadi?
Angelina as Draupadi?
After the success of Raajneeti, Prakash Jha is already toying with a concept for his next movie, which will be marketed overseas, to an international audience.
For a long while now, Prakash has been mulling over a film focusing on the story of Draupadi aka Paanchali, the wife of the five Pandavas in the Hindu mythological epic, Mahabharata. His initial choice for the role was Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit, but since his extend to a world wide market for this venture, he would like to get an international cast. In particular, he would like to see Angelina Jolie in the role of Draupadi.
Should Angelina accept the role, she will inevitably be competing against Bipasha Basu, who also plays the same mythological female protagonist in Rituparno Ghosh’s upcoming film.
Jha sure has his ways to experiment – from having Brit accented tinsel town babe Katrina play a fluent Hindi speaking political character, to a complete outsider essay a pivotal role from the sacred texts of the Hindus – he insists of playing the surprise element card!
Daredevil Kareena’s Golmaal
Daredevil Kareena’s Golmaal
Move over Khiladi Kumar, there’s a new daredevil in town! The lovely Bebo surprised her cast and crew when she insisted on doing her own stunts for the opening sequence of Golmaal 3.
While the female counterparts of B-town are known to step up to the challenge occasionally, they do try to avoid the more riskier stunts. Kareena, however, showed unusual enthusiasm about standing over the bonnet of a moving car.
Despite being harnessed, it was a difficult shot as the actress had to keep her balance whilst maintaining the appropriate facial expressions of her character at the same time. The car (driven by director Rohit Shetty) was also going at a considerable speed and taking turns.
But we hear that the shot post completion looks amazing so maybe bravado act wasn’t plain reckless?!
Golmaal cast is bringing the floor down
Golmaal cast is bringing the floor down
Ajay Devgn and the Golmaal 3 cast are the only residents in the fourth floor of a hotel where they revil almost every night
Ajay Devgn has become quite the party animal. After booking the entire fourth floor of the Sitara Hotel in Ramoji Rao Studio in Hyderabad, Devgn, Rohit Shetty and the rest of the Golmaal 3 cast, revels almost every night.
Says a source close to the actor, “Ajay has shot at Ramoji Studios many times before. Each time, he stays at the Enter The Dragon suite at the fourth floor of the Sitara Hotel. This time, he told Ashtavinayak, the producers of Golmaal 3, that he wanted the entire fourth floor of the Sitara Hotel booked for the actors, director Rohit Shetty and producer Dhaval (from Ashtavinayak).
So all the rooms on the floor (401-426) have been booked for 21 actors. Ajay wanted them to party together at the same place after pack-up.”
That’s not all. Adds the source, “All the rooms share a common corridor, where the stars meet every evening after pack-up every night. Chairs and tables are set up there. The actors go to the gym, freshen up and enjoy a few drinks in the corridor to unwind.
Most nights, it’s Ajay, Rohit, Tusshar Kapoor, Mithun and Kareena who sit down over dinner. Sometimes they are joined by Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade and Kunal Khemu. Mithun has been cooking healthy food for all of them at the hotel kitchen. On Saturday night, he cooked mutton for them.”
Earlier, the actors would order individual dinners in their rooms. Now, with them partying together, they’ve grown closer. “Sometimes they are joined by Johny Lever who entertains them with his funny jokes and mimicry acts. It’s like there’s one big party on the fourth floor of Sitara every night.
But now that Kajol and Nysa have come down to spend a few days with Ajay, party activities have been curbed a bit because when his family is there, he has no time for anyone else.”
Karan Johar lets go of Imran’s dates for Kunal Kohli
Karan Johar lets go of Imran’s dates for Kunal Kohli
Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor were absent from Mumbai just before the release of I Hate Luv Storys (IHLS).The two cancelled their publicity work for the film and headed abroad for the shooting of separate films in Scotland and Mauritius, all thanks to the overweening generosity of the IHLS producer Karan Johar.
Dates have always been a burning issue among producers, often leading to unsolvable scheduling snares. During the shooting of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum…Dil De Chuke Sanam Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had to shuffle her dates with Subhash Ghai’s Taal.Neither filmmaker was happy.
Now Imran Khan finds himself in a scheduling jam thanks to a clash between the schedules for his under-production film Break Ke Baad in Mauritius and the marketing and release of I Hate Luv Storys in Mumbai.
Meticulous planner that he is, Karan Johar had set aside a large chunk of Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor’s dates in June and July for the promotion of IHLS. Ever-accommodating for his colleagues, Karan gave away Sonam’s publicity dates for the shooting of Pankaj Kapoor’s Mausam in Edinburgh.
Then Kunal Kohli requested Karan to let go of Imran’s dates for Kohli’s first independent production Break Ke Baad. Imran who was committed to do promotional work of IHLS marched off to Mauritius to shoot for Kunal’s assistant Danish Aslam’s, leaving Karan high and dry.
Confirming these developments from Mauritius the Break Ke Baad producer Kunal Kohli says, “Yes Karan sweetly let me have Imran’s dates so that I could complete my schedule in Mauritius. It’s rare for two producers like me and Karan, to be friends and do whatever we can to help one another.”
Karan, in fact, requested, Kunal to send Imran back from the second week of June. But Kunal requested a week more. Says Kunal, “Karan’s stars do extensive publicity. So he has made quite a sacrifice for me. My film which would be Imran’s next release can only benefit from all the publicity for Karan’s film.”
Now that Imran and Sonam are back in Mumbai they are expected to do 19 hours of publicity every day to make up for lost time!
Says Punit, “Yes, Imran and Sonam joined us from the 20th and they had promised to really revv up the publicity when they return.”
Abhishek’s lying, says body double who jumped off cliff
Abhishek’s lying, says body double who jumped off cliff
Mani Ratnam’s much awaited film Raavan released last week after a huge promotion since the last few months. The film opened with a moderate response but the lead actor Abhishek Bachchan, is already in the news, not for his role but for a controversy.
MS Balram, a former national diving champion, has claimed that the actor is lying. He said that Abhishek’s breathtaking dive off a cliff scene was done by him and not by the actor himself. The shot was used in the promotions of the movie many times as a special attraction.
The death defying stunt has turned out to be a source of trouble for the filmmaker now. The Bangalore-based diving champion Balram said that he has a great respect for Abhishek and Mani Ratnam but at the same time, it is wrong to say that the actor did the stunt himself. The actor claimed that no body double was used.
Balram said that he is proud to be a part of Raavan and just wants to set the record straight. While interacting with media, the junior Bachchan claimed, “I went ahead to do the dive scenes myself even though Mani Ratnam opposed it.”
An uncomfortable Balram stated, “I am not here to create any controversy or to attract publicity because personally, I am a big fan of the Bachchans. I just want Mani Ratnam sir’s movie to do well. But, it is also true that I was paid for doing the stunt and I am proud that I could do it.”
Blaram claims that he was offered to do the stunt in 2008 through a friend, who worked with Mani Ratnam’s team. He now monitors the training at the Kempe Gowda Swimming Pool at Hanumanthanagar in Bangaluru.
The stuntman added, “My brother Bhushan persuaded me to accept the offer. I joined the team at Hoggenakkal, where it was filmed. I had gone through many dry runs before I gave the final shot on December 19, 2008.”
The truth is best known by the team of Raavan but the audience must have enjoyed the excellent diving scene from a high cliff!
Karan Johar-RGV war turns ugly, RGV take a dig at SRK
Karan Johar-RGV war turns ugly, RGV take a dig at SRK
Director Ram Gopal Varma has infuriated Karan Johar again by expressing a desire to remake Raavan as My Name Is Raavan. The two filmmakers, who have made no secret of their dislike, used the microblogging website Twitter to hit back at each other.
“I want to remake Raavan and I want to request Mani to remake Aag, ” Varma wrote about Mani Ratnam’s Raavan.
“I got a better idea.. I will make My Name Is Raavan and Mani should make Raavan Ki Kurbaan, ” said Varma, taking a pot shot at Karan Johar’s recently released films My Name Is Khan and Kurbaan.
Varma also commented on Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming superhero film Ra.One. “Let’s all hope and pray that Raa.1 (sic) does not become SRK ki Baarish, ” he added
To which, Johar tweeted: “@RGVzoomin…you have an amazing sense of humour ramu!! Never shows up in your films though.” Not the one to be left behind, Varma shot back, “@kjohar25 ha ha karan because of the constant bashing I receive I developed my sense of humour as a defense mechanism (sic).”
The whole argument started when Varma commented on the unfavourable reactions to Ratnam’s latest film.
Director Ram Gopal Varma has infuriated Karan Johar again by expressing a desire to remake Raavan as My Name Is Raavan. The two filmmakers, who have made no secret of their dislike, used the microblogging website Twitter to hit back at each other.
“I want to remake Raavan and I want to request Mani to remake Aag, ” Varma wrote about Mani Ratnam’s Raavan.
“I got a better idea.. I will make My Name Is Raavan and Mani should make Raavan Ki Kurbaan, ” said Varma, taking a pot shot at Karan Johar’s recently released films My Name Is Khan and Kurbaan.
Varma also commented on Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming superhero film Ra.One. “Let’s all hope and pray that Raa.1 (sic) does not become SRK ki Baarish, ” he added
To which, Johar tweeted: “@RGVzoomin…you have an amazing sense of humour ramu!! Never shows up in your films though.” Not the one to be left behind, Varma shot back, “@kjohar25 ha ha karan because of the constant bashing I receive I developed my sense of humour as a defense mechanism (sic).”
The whole argument started when Varma commented on the unfavourable reactions to Ratnam’s latest film.
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