Friday, December 3, 2010

Anil On A Vacation


Anil Kapoor will finally go on a long holiday with his entire family to Goa.

Says a source close to the actor, "Anil and his family, including wife Sunita and children Sonam, Rhea and Harsh will be going to the Sunshine State on December 28 and will stay there for a week.

Sonam, Anil and Rhea Kapoor; Sunita and Harsh Kapoor


They plan to bring in the New Year there and have already booked into one of the most expensive beach resorts in South Goa.

Sonam, Rhea and Harsh's friends, along with other family members, will also accompany them. Harsh, who is studying in USA, is coming down for his Christmas holidays."

Special holiday

The source adds that for the Kapoor couple, this holiday is very special. "Anil has been extremely busy the last few years.

After Slumdog Millionaire, he got busy in Hollywood with 24 and then returned to work on his home production, No Problem.

While Sunita and he have been on trips to Paris and other parts of Europe and Anil and Sonam have holidayed in Canada on her shoots, it is one of those rare times that the entire family is together."

Anil won't release No Problem on Christmas as a courtesy to close friend, director Farah Khan.

The actor confirms, "Farah is a dear friend and even though my friends and distributors wanted No Problem to release on December 24 as it's a great period, I stuck to my guns and said we would release it on December 10 as I don't want to clash with Farah's big date.

Both are big films and family entertainers and there's no point cutting into each other's business."

Kangana's Rich Heritage

While people assumed Kangna Ranaut to be a struggling wannabe actress from Himachal Pradesh when she entered B-Town, the truth is far different.

The actress comes from one of the richest and politically most influential families in the state. Hers is not a rags to riches story.

Which explains the lakhs of rupees she spends on clothes, shoes and bags every month, more than even the top actresses of B-Town and star wives.

Have money, won't talk
A source close to Kangna confirms her family affluence, "She doesn't like talking about her family wealth as she's struggled on her own to be in her position. Besides that, she believes it's in bad taste to talk about one's wealth." Her family is from the blue-blooded Rajputs from Bhambla village in Himachal Pradesh.

Our village
Kangna has a huge 25-room ancestral house or haveli in Bhambla (currently called Surajpur) belonging to her great-grandfather. "While it was originally called Bhambla, when Kangna's great-grandfather became the local MLA, the village was named Surajpur after him. " Kangna grew up in a joint family, with her brother, sister, parents, great-grandparents, grand- parents and chacha and chachi. The family  owns several acres of land in Surajpur.

Luxurious living
Adds an insider, "Kangna's father Amardeep Ranaut is in the construction business and he supplies construction material for building roads etc for the Public Works Department (PWD) in Himachal Pradesh. She has been brought up in luxury and always had five cars parked in front of her home."

But things suddenly took a turn for the worse when she decided to come to Mumbai to become an actress. Her grandfather was dead against any female from his family joining films as he felt it was demeaning.

On your own, please!
Kangna's father too supported his father, and when she insisted on acting, both of them stopped talking to her. Her father told her that he would give her no financial support and she would have to make it on her own.

Hard times
Kangna left home at 16 and initially stayed with a friend in Delhi before coming to Mumbai in 2005. She went through a lot of hardship but never asked her family for help. She lived in Aasha Chandra's hostel and shared a room with three other girls. It was a miserable time for her as she was cut off from her family and struggling in a strange city. It was only after Life In A... Metro that her family relented and welcomed her once again into their fold.

Preity connection
There was a family reunion when her parents, sister Rangoli and brother Akshat came to Mumbai. Today, her family is very proud of her.

Kangna's friend insists, however, that the actress is not related to Preity Zinta. "Preity's maternal aunt is a resident of Surajpur and PZ often comes to meet her. Once during a family function of Preity's in the village Kangna and her siblings met Preity. Now they keep in touch. That's all.

Kang's Grandpa
Kangna's great-grandfather (and idol) Sarju Singh Ranaut left his job as a head clerk for the British government to become a freedom fighter with Mahatma Gandhi.

Kangs still has the letters Gandhiji wrote to her great-grandfather. He was also the only man from his village who knew English at that time and got electricity to his village.

Sammir Dattani Is Unavailable


News is official. Sammir Dattani is no longer available.

The actor, who's been dating his girl friend Ritika Jolly for the last two years, will be engaged to her on December 19 at Tote in Mumbai.

It seems that their families have been planning this engagement for quite some time and date is fixed for year end.

Our khabri reveals,” It's going to be a private event. The invitees will strictly be family and very close friends. Both families don't want to make it a grand affair. The engagement will have the traditional exchange of rings and also an informal brunch. The wedding will be on a much bigger scale."

Ritika and Sammir started their relationship as friends but soon fell in love. Ritkia is an aspiring writer with corporate background.

"Dattani wants to complete all his pending South and B-Town projects before the engagement,” adds or khabri.

Sammir wants news of the engagement to remain private, "It's a very small ceremony with family and close friends. I wish to keep it like that," he says.

Earlier when asked about is relationship with Ritika, Sammir had said, "It was a mutual feeling. We both started off as friends and in time, realised we were more than just that. Then she went away for a while, and we got back only to realise that what we have is love."

Shatrughan Sinha gets booked

Khamosh! Shatrughan Sinha is telling it all and as it is. And as usual, the actor will be frank, fearless and funny. Veteran film journalist Bharathi S Pradhan is in the midst of penning the authorised biography of Shotgun.


Shatrughan Sinha and Bharathi S Pradhan

The book, yet unitled, is being published by Roli Books and is expected to hit stands on July 9, 2011 - the 31st wedding anniversary of Shotgun and Punam.

The book encapsulates the actor's journey from Patna to Parliament, in a nutshell. Bharathi says it is an account and is not being done for sensationalism.

"It is not outrageous or disgusting," she points out. "It is a factual account of his beginnings in Bihar to filmdom and later, politics."

Helping her put together the book are Sinha's brothers, wife Punam, twin sons Luv and Kush and daughter Sonakshi, as well as his associates from his FTII days and politics.

All Shotgun's women

All the women linked to Shotgun do figure in the book including Reena Roy with whom the star allegedly had an affair. "Of course Reena will feature in the book," says Bharathi. "All the women he was linked with are my good friends too!" she muses.

The biography also has references to the star-politican's associations with Sanjay Dutt and Amitabh Bachchan, something that has constantly been under media scanner.

Bharathi has been doing research for over a year and interviewing all those who have known and interacted with Shatru for the book. She was recently in Chennai to interview Rajnikant.

"Shatru had fixed our meeting and to my delight, after what he had to say about Shatrughan, Rajnikant even gave me an interview ('I Am 61 Years Old, Bahut Ho Gaya!'; HiTLIST, December 1) a rare instance as he never gives interviews."

Bharathi's first encounter with Shotgun was in the mid-'70s when he was shooting for a film at Rooptara Studios in Dadar.

"The studio no longer exists and I don't even recall the name of the film.

I was in college then and used to write for the Youth Times and The Evening News of India. I used to go along with the Filmfare and Madhuri staffers to film shoots."

It is this almost four decades old association with Shatrughan that made Roli Books approach Bharathi to pen his biography.

Title kya? Shotgun or Khamosh!
The title of Shatrughan Sinha's biography has not yet been finalised. "Everyone says Shotgun must be in the title," says Bharathi. "In fact, Vidya Balan has suggested that it must have Khamosh in it!

Biographies of stars

Pran's biography is titled ...and Pran. Written by Bunny Reuben, the book was so named as in most of the films the actor's name in the titles appeared as 'and Pran'.

Bunny Reuben also penned the biography of Raj Kapoor titled Raj Kapoor: The Fabulous Showman

Yesteryear danseuse-actress Vyjayantimala penned Bonding ¦ A Memoir along with Jyoti Sabharwal. She claimed she had no relationship with Raj Kapoor which created a furore with Rishi Kapoor claiming she had.

Dev Anand's colourful past unfolded in his autobiography Romancing With Life in which he got candid about his romance with Zeenat Aman.

Daughters Priya and Namrata Dutt recount the story of their parents in Mr and Mrs Dutt: Memories Of Our Parents.

On Puri's biography Unlikely Hero Om Puri penned by his wife Nandita led to a furore due to the detailing of the actor's sexcapades during his growing up years.

To Be Or Not To Be Amitabh Bachchan has been written by Jaya Bachchan. It has the star from being nowhere to somewhere to everywhere.

Still Reading Khan a biographical book on Shah Rukh Khan has been penned by Mushtaq Sheikh, which was followed by Shah Rukh Can.

Akshay Shot For 20 Straight Hours!

Akshay shot nonstop for 20 hours! And he did it for his friend Lara’s film, just so he doesn't have to turn her down

Akshay Kumar recently surprised good friend Lara Dutta by shooting for almost 20 hours at a stretch for her home production being shot on location in Jaipur in spite of having to work around the clock.

Says a source close to the actor, "Lara approached Akshay for a cameo in her home production to which he readily agreed the scenes required three days from him.

He plays a cameo role in the film as her husband. However, his TEES MAAR KHAN is up for release and he is also busy shooting for Rohit Dhawan's DESI BOYZ in Mumbai and couldn't give her those dates."

He thought it through and though it was tough on him, he shot from 8 am in the morning to 4 am the next day, for 20 hours at a stretch.

Notes the source, "Akki is a producer too. He saved Lara the production cost of shooting for two days by completing his portions in one day."

The source concludes, "AK delivered on his professional commitments and even chartered a flight himself so that he could fly to and from Jaipur on his own time. Lara is overwhelmed and doesn't know how to repay it ” especially as he's not taking any remuneration for the role."

I'm open to acting: Kiran Rao


Kiran Rao talks about auditioning hubby-and-producer Aamir Khan, never being in awe of him and penning a script with a 'Calcutta connect'.

No, she wasn't born in Kolkata. Her mother went to Bangalore just before her birth to deliver her. Later, she returned to the city to grow and be influenced to become the person that she is today. Not one to live only with the identity of being the wife of Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao is gearing up for the release of her directorial debut that has Mumbai as one of its characters even while she is penning a script on her next that is set in Calcutta.

Excerpts from an interview with the director of 'Dhobi Ghat':
How has Kolkata influenced you to become the kind of a person that you are today?
Kolkata has had a huge influence. The city is culturally vibrant and liberal. My exposure in Kolkata has made me respectful towards talent and culture. I have been brought up in a culture of principles and ethics and not the culture of money.

Can you still speak in Bengali?
"Amar Bangla oto poriskar noe. Practice pai na" (My Bengali isn't that fluent. I don't get the chance to practice it). But I can still read Bengali and given a chance, I try to strike up a conversation in Bengali too. Till Class X, I was in Loreto House. I did my Plus II from La Martiniere for Girls.

Though you've gone on record to say that you've never watched movies as a kid in Kolkata, were you always keen on joining the movie business?
I was always interested in the arts. I was into acting and theatre. In school, I'd be part of plays and elocution contests. I used to watch a lot of English theatre in chool. I remember watching "A Midsummer Night's Dream" production of a Shakespearean company that had toured Calcutta then. I've also watched a lot of supper theatre including "Lend Me a Tenor". Then, there were musicals. But I never really watched Bengali movies. At home, we didn't subscribe to film magazines either. I was too young to go to Nandan and watch movies. My viewing of cinema was restricted to whatever was screened on television. My parents were members of Saturday Club. We used to have movie nights on Fridays. I remember watching quite a few children's movies, including those like "I'm For The Hippopotamus" or Charlie Chaplin's films. But I've never been exposed to the arthouse cinema of Calcutta. Please pardon me for saying Calcutta instead of Kolkata. I still like to call the city that way.

Most households in Kolkata still have children pursuing some form of art till at least a certain age. Was that the case with you too?
I had started to learn Hindustani classical music. But I discontinued since I wasn't too fond of the teacher. Later, I joined Calcutta School of Music. I did till Grade IV but never managed to finish it. I suppose, I had a very short attention span. My mother wanted me to learn Odissi. I tried that too. I have been interested in too many things. I was into tennis. I played hockey and was part of my school's swimming team too. And most importantly, I loved to act.

Acting and you?
Yes. I loved to act. I never had any stage fright. If my teacher had to do some work, she'd ask me to talk to the other kids to keep them engaged. I would be happy being the clown in front of them. I loved to be the centre of attention. I loved being on stage. Even when I was in college, I was into dramatics. I stayed in a hostel but even then, managed to go and watch as much of theatre as I could.

So, how did acting take a backseat?
That's because I discovered that film-making encompasses all great forms of art into one art form. Everything that I wanted to do was already being explored in cinema. Film-making is about visuals, performances and music. But even today, I wouldn't mind acting if the project is interesting.

It can't be that Indian directors haven't had roles that you would be just right for. Why is it that nobody has yet tapped the actor in you?
Nobody knew about my acting background. I don't talk about it and haven't approached anyone in this regard either.

There are at least two schools of thought that define acting. One is about being melodramatic and, the other, is about being the role as opposed to acting out a part. What is your definition of good acting?
Good acting is about submitting yourself to the character. It isn't so much about outward manifestation. It has to be internalized. For my first film, "Dhobi Ghat", I wanted to work with non-actors. I like their malleability and naïveté.

You are an ardent viewer of world cinema. Do you second that new-age Indian cinema has truly arrived in terms of the kind of work that is being done globally today, especially since India has a rich legacy of pathbreaking cinema that is still recognized and respected?
In very small ways, our cinema is getting there. But we aren't close to where we would love to be. Our audience is more fragmented today. We have a niche audience for some movies. Technically, our movies have progressed way beyond what they were some 15 years ago. But thematically, we have a long way to go. We need fresher stories that lead to more questions and explore life as it is now. Having been exposed to a little bit of Tamil cinema, I see a lot of good work being done there.

So, wherein lies the hitch?
There could be many problems. But one of the biggest problems is the exhibition system. In the earlier days, a small film could get a single screen release with a new actor. But in today's system of exhibition in multiplexes, weekends are very important to recover the money. And for that, we need big stars to draw the crowd. That makes the possibility of having small films with new actors difficult. I suppose, it's a chicken and an egg situation. The independent films too haven't been good enough to interest audience and generate a sizeable viewership. Another problem is the lack of cooperation and collaboration between different divisions of film-making. All producers and distributors need to come together.

Did you cast Aamir in your film because our exhibition system doesn't really encourage a small film with new actors?
I had wanted my movie to have a fresh feel. I wanted to shoot guerilla style, on the streets of Mumbai. I had minimal cast and two members of my cast are not even actors by profession. I cast Aamir because I couldn't find someone else who is new and right for the part. But even after I tested Aamir for the role and he came on board, I retained the spirit of my movie. "DG" is still an independent film. It is a small film with a big star.

How difficult is it for a first-time director to test someone who is her hubby, the producer of her film and also one of the finest actors of India?
I had worked with him as a colleague. Aamir puts people at ease. He doesn't give out any starry vibes. He was shooting for "Ghajini" when my assistant director and I tested him. I have never been in awe of Aamir.

How is Aamir as an actor and a producer?
As an actor, he always tries to give what I have in mind. He likes to go the distance. As a producer, Aamir is happy to trust the director. Once he has finalized the project, he doesn't instruct anyone on what has to be done. He ensures that everyone is taken care of.

Who wins when there is a creative difference between the two of you?
Of course, there have been creative arguments. The intention is to resolve the issue and convince each other. The director's word is final. While he does give in, he also shows me the logic in his argument.

So much has been said and written about Aamir's interference. What's your take? Is it all unfair criticism?
Aamir is a great team player. He is passionately involved in projects and gives his time once he is committed to them. As a colleague, I know he never forces anything on to anyone.

Then why has there been so much controversy generated even after "Peepli Live" was nominated for the Oscars?
We tried to do what we thought was the very best for the film. We wanted to project it as a social and political satire and nothing other than that. We did our best and I think, people have resonated with it. As his colleague, I did feel bad for Aamir when the controversy broke out. It was unnecessary. But then, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.

There is a saying that the first film is usually a director's best work. Do you agree?
The first film is always very special because there will never be another first film. While there is tension, I also feel a sense of relief. But I do feel that directors get better and better with their movies. I watched Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" and I think it is one of his finest movies. Michael must be in his 60s or 70s now.

While "DG" has Mumbai as an important character, do you ever fancy yourself making a film that has Kolkata as its backdrop?
Yes. I'm writing a film now that has a Calcutta connect.

Is the Kolkata in your next script the one that you left behind or the one that exists today?
It is the turn of the century Calcutta.

Akki gets naughty


Well, considering that lately 'sizes' have been the hot-topic of conversation, especially among our Bollywood beauties, here's another size story.

We all know that everything is big about Akki. Before you get wicked thoughts, we'll quickly tell you that we're talking about his heart. And much lower down. Um...hmnn...we mean his feet, dearies (naughty, naughty!). Akshay revealed his gigantic shoe size. "It's size 12. It is as big as a 1 BHK apartment," he said rather proudly. And a colourful one too.

Farah Khan added, "The shoe is specially ordered, it's hand-made for Akshay. Only a shoe like this would go with his character." We're sure Farah's referring to his screen character, na? Though we'd love to see Akki's colourful persona off-screen too. We mean with his shoes, clothes et al. Lol!

It's challenging to adapt a book: Gowariker

Ashutosh Gowariker loves to tell his stories long, but this time he prefers to keep it short and sweet with his latest release Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey that releases today. He was present at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, along with actors Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, the other day to promote the movie.

"Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey is my shortest film. Till now, all my movies justified its length, as Lagaan had a cricket sequence and Jodhaa Akbar also had a huge canvas. Khelein on the other hand is a periodical thriller, and had to be short and snappy."

Ashutosh GowarikerWas there any pressure from the producer to curtail the length of the film? Producer Ajay Bijli answers the query for us. He tells hindustantimes.com, "There was absolutely no pressure from our side. In this business, Saraswati precedes Laxmi. The format of the film was such that it couldn't have been very long. Our primary focus was to make the narrative interesting, as that matters the most."

The film based on Manini Chatterjee's book Do and Die, tells the story of unknown heroes of independence. But why the the title Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey? Says Ashutosh Gowariker, "These revolutionaries, who came together from different backgrounds fight for the freedom at a very young age. Unhone khelne koodne ki umra mein hi jaan ki baazi laga di. That's how the title of the film came to life."

But to condense a huge book into less than 3 hours of cinema, was a daunting task for Gowariker. "If a woman's beauty is described in 5 pages in a book, the same has to depicted in 5 seconds in a movie. It is challenging to convert the text of a book in the form of a movie."

For actor Abhishek Bachchan, enacting every scene in the movie was very tough. Says the actor, "I found every scene very difficult to depict. I feel as an actor, one should get out of their comfort zone. That's how you grow."

hrithik's memento moment

Forget the B.O collections of Guzaarish, atleast for a bit. This makes for a more interesting story.

We have heard that Hrithik Roshan can't believe the kind of accolades he's been getting for his performance. Infact it's way more that anything he's ever heard for his previous blockbusters.

All the people who matter (including some junta), critics and Bollywood's bigwigs have given the Roshan boy a pat on his shoulder. It's well-deserved, and we don't doubt it. Apparently, the actor is considering creating a memento with all the praises, compliments and comments only for keepsake. Rather, his close friends have been suggesting that.

That's not a bad idea Hrithik, though we don't think a good performance is ever forgotten. Maybe you wouldn't mind a 'memento' moment for some other things in life. Hai na, Hrithik?

salman to do towel dance


As expected, Sheila Ki Jawani from TEES MAAR KHAN has rocked the chartbusters but there is more in line.

The next romotional song from TMK is Wallah Re Wallah which will showcase Salman and Akshay doing their famous towel dance.

It's not just the music, its Salman's grooves that will throw the audience off their seats.

Along with the lead pair, Katrina and Akshay, he makes a special appearance in this song. And guess what....Sallu does his famous towel dance, and this time he has company. Akshay joins in and steps up with Sallu. Well, these boys would do anything for good friend, Farah Khan, other than dropping the towel, of course. What say, boys?

Ileana in Katrina's Shoe

Kareena Kapoor of south, Ileana, is soon going to make her Bollywood debut against Ranbir Kapoor.

It has been long since Basu has been searching for second female lead of his untitled project with Ranbir.

Priyanka Chopra was finalized as the female lead and Anurag Basu was finding it difficult to cast the second female lead. Katrina Kaif was offered the role but she refused to play second fiddle to Priyanka Chopra. 

Since then the film has constantly been in casting problems. Earlier titled SILENCE, the film is currently called BARFI.

Ileana shot to fame with Ravi Teja's KICK. She is presently working on NENU NAA RAKSHASI with Rana Daggubati and Shakti with Junior NTR other than working on 3 IDIOTS remake.

No Panty Girl Sued




Yana Gupta may have forgotten to wear underpants at a recent events but people around the country have not.

Rizwan Ahmed, a self-proclaimed social activist in Lucknow, has filed a case against Yana, the photographer who clicked her pictures and the organizer of the event, Sushila Nirali for obscenity under section 292/ 293 and 294 of the IPC in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lucknow on Tuesday.

 “I have filed a case against Yana Gupta, the photographer who took her photograph and also the event organizer who allowed such a thing to happen at her event. It is indeed shameful that a person of Yana Gupta's repute could stoop so low for publicity,”explains Rizwan.

Rizwan further adds, “I was shocked to see the picture of the actor that appeared in papers. What offended me most was what Yana posted on her social networking site about now being known as 'the no-panty girl.' I find this extremely offensive.”

Meanwhile, the Magistrate has issued summons to the three accused for December 6.

Well, yana Let’s hope things don’t get worse or she would really become ‘no-shame-girl’.

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey Movie Review

**(Two Star )
Saluting Teen Martyrs
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Sinkander Kher
Rating: two
Advice: Another loo…ong film from Gowariker’s arsenal – with very less emotional appeal or patriotic fervor. The teen armed rebels are comparable to today’s naxalites.

This is a paragraph from our history books that filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker elects to expand into a full-fledged three-hour-long feature! His intention is very noble but sadly his execution of the narrative is not. A patriotic saga from the 1930s when India was oppressed by the British rule and all across the country when a sentiment of dissent overtook everybody. So also in a small seaside Bengali town of Chittagong in Bengal (now in Bangladesh). A young team of teen-aged, dhoti clad team of footballers lost its football ground to a British military camp and they were so offended by the loss that they approached the local revolutionary leader – Surjya Sen (Abhishek Bachchan) for help. The indignant teens promised to help Surya in his cause if he got them back their playground.

Surjya Sen was a school teacher and was popularly known as Master da among his students. Along with his partners – Nirmal Sen (Sikander Kher), Ganesh Ghosh, Anant Singh and Amibika Chakraborty – he decided to initiate, recruit and train the teen rebels into his revolutionary army. Also they were joined by two lady soldiers - Kalpana Datta (Deepika Padukone) and Pritilata Waddedar (Vishakha SIngh). The teenagers as well as the young ladies in the revolutionary camp were trained rigorously in armed combat. Surjya Sen subscribed to the violent path of patriotism. He planned five simultaneous attacks on the local police station, cantonment head quarters, telegraph office, British club and the railway tracks in order to raid the armory as well as paralyze the British force in Chittagong by cutting off all modes of communication. A well-planned and executed plan that resonated a strong patriotic sentiment across India but ended in the tragic end of most of the teens on field and their leader Surjya being executed. A heroic story of sacrifices and martyrdom that ought to inspire teens today.

However Ashutosh Gowariker and Raoul Randolf’s screenplay, based on Manini Chatterjee’s book, fails to inspire and ignite that goes bumpy, lump-in-your-throat patriotic feel. The most touching part of this three-hour-narrative is the juxtaposed pictures of the real heroes with that of the actors in the end. Deepika’s resemblance to real life Kalpana Datta, who was relegated to life imprisonment, is uncanny.

However, the screenplay and dialogue aren’t rich or moving enough to evoke empathy for the martyrs. Ditto for Sohail Sen’s music score that doesn’t go with the pathos of the situation. Kiran Deohans and Seetha Sandhiri's picturesque frames are strung together as a pretty garland in the film but the lovely montages don’t add up to much drama.

A special kudos to Nitin Desai for recreating the vintage era with perfect props like the jalopies, steam engines and of course the sets. Also the gunfire battles are intolerably repetitive. Dilip Deo’s edit needed to be much sharper. Mr Gowariker sadly hasn’t been able to weave in an engaging story in his film this time. As for the cast –

Abhishek Bachchan really doesn’t have much to do except pout broodingly in a dhoti. Sikander Kher has meatier role than the hero himself and he does well. Deepika fits in well into this retro beat but she also has no significant scenes. The teen actors are interesting but not impressive.

So as I leave the theatre, all I recall is the rolling titles depicting the real revolutionaries. And a footnote in my mind about scenic Sawantwadi fort in Konkan – as a must visit destination! If you must, wait for the tele-premiere of the film. Sure to come in soon.

Piggy And Sasha On KWK

Although Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor can’t seem to decide on the status of their relationship, the persuasive powers of Karan Johar has convinced them to appear together on his talk show.

They have reportedly parted ways but some efforts from Karan Johar has persuaded them to come together.

Our source said, “For long now Shahid and Priyanka have been playing hide and seek with the media, even though Shahid was photographed dropping Priyanka at the airport on August 16, when she flew to Brazil for a reality show. The duo was also seen at a special trial of ANJAANA ANJAANI.

It is after these sightings that they had some misunderstanding and their relationship came to an end. There have been various rumours floating about the reason for their breakup. Some say that the culprit was Priyanka’s friendship with Ranbir Kapoor.

Another version goes that Shahid was so commitment-phobic that the relationship fizzled out. They also stopped following each other on Twitter soon after.

Now it seems both have decided that it is high time that they come together publicly and put an end to all the speculation floating around about the status of their ‘on-and-off’ relationship.

When Karan assured them that their ‘outing’ as a couple would be nicely projected, they agreed.”

We think this is a good decision. Yet predictably Priyanka, Shahid nor Karan has replied to our queries. Let’s hope they’re still not deciding!

Hrithik Fires Back At Sallu



As reported by us on Thursday, Salman had at an awards function to felicitate the handicapped accused Bhansali of exploiting the physically challenged for his art, and trashed GUZAARISH for its poor box office collections.

 Salman Khan’s acerbic comments on Sanjay Leela Bhansali and GUZAARISH have stirred a hornet’s nest. While Bhansali, stung by his one-time friend’s words, has retired hurt, shutting himself off, Guzaarish hero Hrithik Roshan is fuming.

“If such an old and trusted friend can be so insensitive I don’t want anything to do with the entertainment industry,” told a hurt Bhansali.

But his lead actor Hrithik Roshan has been irked enough to connect with us. “I’ve always known Salman to be a good man, someone I’ve looked up to and admired and still do. He’s always been a hero and always will be.

But yes, it’s not heroic to laugh or make fun of a filmmaker just because his box office collections are not up there with yours. GUZAARISH is a super success in its own way. And I will be hurt if anyone talks like this about Mr Bhansali. In my opinion a hero never gloats. When you are super successful, it should in fact make you more gracious and loving.

This is the time one should use to turn even enemies into friends...just give love, not laugh at others. By the time I finish this sentence, I have already forgiven his words, because I know deep inside he only has love for me and this must have been just a momentary lapse of judgement. Will expect a big hug the next time I meet him,” said Hrithik.

To err is human, to forgive divine. Bhansali’s coterie is not in such a forgiving mode though. Says an irate friend, “What gives Salman the right to decide whether SLB donates to charity or not? Some people like to make a song and dance about their philanthropy. Others do it quietly. Again, Sanjay feels it’s about choices. The films Salman does and the way he projects his charitable causes are as much his prerogative as Sanjay’s approach to cinema and charity. Why comment on another person’s attitude to life?”

Bhansali’s friend recalls, “During KHAMOSHI Sanjay and Salman were involved with the disabled. Sanjay still remembers when he sent a teacher to teach Salman sign language for KHAMOSHI and the first thing Salman asked her was how to say ‘f#*k’ in sign language. The mortified girl had fled from the scene. That’s the bratty side of Salman which seems to have now gone out of hand.”
 
Says SLB’s close friend, “Sanjay has no intention of reviving BAJIRAO MASTANI at this point of time. Salman must have felt that Sanjay wants to work with the DABANGG hero post the lukewarm response to GUZAARISH. But Sanjay has no intention of working with Salman. Not now. Not in the future. Their friendship has just been put to rest.”