Sweethearts Candy Blog's

The distinguished Indian economist, philosopher and Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen, will be attending the world premiere of a stunning new film, Colours Of Passion (Rang Rasiya) to be held at the London Film Festival today (Oct 30). Written and directed by one of India's most acclaimed director's, Ketan Mehta, Colours Of Passion is the tale of the life and times of the great and controversial, Indian painter, Raja Ravi Varma (1848- 1906).

It deals with religious intolerance and denial of freedom of expression by fundamentalists and hardliners - sadly a fact even today.

The film features two of the finest Indian actors in the lead, with Randeep Hooda as the artist, with Nandana Sen as his muse.

Nandana, who is the daughter of the economist, from his first marriage to Nabaneeta Dev Sen, an Indian writer and poet; plays Sugandha, a young woman, whose beauty captivates Varma and inspires him to create exquisite paintings based on themes from Indian mythology and classic literature. She becomes his inspiration...his love.

Amartya Sen, 74, who is world renowned for his work on famine, human development theory, poverty, political liberalism and gender inequality, received the Nobel Prize in 1998, "for his contribution to welfare economics".

He was born in Shantiniketan, educated at Presidency College, Calcutta and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was also the Master from 1998 - 2004. He is the author of several papers and books including; Development as Freedom (1999), and The Argumentative Indian (2005).

He was also awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian order, in 1999. Sen, who is currently at Harvard University, will be arriving in London for the screening at the Odeon West End on October 30, along with other luminaries, the director, Ketan Mehta, and producer, Anand Mahendroo, and the two leading actors.

Actress Kareena Kapoor has been appointed the new brand ambassador of soft drinks giant PepsiCo's snacks. She will be seen with boyfriend Saif Ali Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a new ad campaign for the product.

"It is a privilege to be associated with the brand as it is a big hit among youngsters. I'm excited and looking forward to a long and fulfilling association with the brand, " said Kareena in a press statement.

The new TV commercial will go on air in mid-November.

"Kareena's vibrant persona, pan-India appeal and her confident attitude makes her a great fit for our brands, " said Deepika Warrier, PepsiCo's marketing director.

Apart from its carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, Pepsico is known for snacks range that includes Cheetos, Munchies and many more.

Shriya is having a ball of a time with lot of flicks in her kitty. The gorgeous babe is working in big movies like Marma Yogi, Kanthaswamy, Jaggubhai et al.

Where in Marma Yogi she is playing the first wife of Kamal Haasan, in Kanthaswamy the actress would be seen acting opposite Vikram.

Not only that the diva also stars in a international project What’s Cooking been directed by Deepa Mehta.

Meanwhile her film The Other End Of The Line is going to be released on October 31st. We wish this babe all the very best for all her future projects.

Two years back just around the same time, Rajashri Productions' Vivah was about to be released. Directed by Sooraj Barjatya the film was touted to be a super flop at the box office.

With both its lead actors Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao back then having a cold run, the film's failure was assured. Also, the music of the film was simply not picking up and was termed out dated.

But the film went to become a super hit all across the nation proving all its detractors wrong. Now, today two years later, a similar scenario is being experienced with Rajshri Productions' latest upcoming release, Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi.

There is a strong buzz that the film is definitely going to prove a dark horse as its carrying very good reports. It may not have a big star cast (Eesha Koppikar – Sonu Sood) to rely on but those who have seen it feel the film has very strong content and the film works.

Not many must be aware that the film is a remake of Rajshri's 1976 hit, Tapasya starring Rakhee alongside Parikshat Sahni and Asrani.

The story of Ek Vivah... Aisa Bhi is about an elder sister (Ishaa Koppikar) who sacrifices all for the better of her siblings. The film is due for an all India release on 7th November.

After Taare Zameen Par, child artiste Darsheel Safary will be next seen in Priyadarshan directed Bum Bum Bole, which is an adaptation of the hit Iranian film 'Children of Heaven'.

According to our sources, the latest addition to the starcast is Kaveri Jha, who was last seen in Hijack opposite Shiney Ahuja. Besides Darsheel and Kaveri, the film also stars Atul Kulkarni and Rituparna Sengupta.

While Atul plays Darsheel's father and Rituparna plays his mother; Kaveri has been signed to play the role of Atul's sister. News has it that the film runs on two parallels, one that deals with Darsheel and his faith in God, while the second is about the relationship between Kaveri and Atul.

Watch this space for more details.

What is the connection between Kenneth Haywood and Sammir Dattani? No prizes for guessing as the answer is NONE! The only connection is the WiFi connection.

Well ever since Sammir read about Kenneth's ordeal, where the ATS had questioned the American for over twenty one days if he had any links with terrorist outfits, (Terrorist outfits had used Kenneth's personal computer sending across an email claiming responsibility of the Ahmedabad blast to a leading television channel five minutes before it actually took off) the actor's has begun putting his knowledge of computer technology to good use.

Sammir said, "After having read about Kenneth's incident of threat emails being sent from unsecure wireless routers, I have secured not only mine but also my neighbours connections. Many neighbours in my building have the WiFI connection just like me but none had taken the required precautions.

I enabled them to install WPA encryption and told them not to broadcast their SSID. I also explained to them in lay man's language that not securing your network is like driving your car with the passenger seat doors being open.

Gladly everyone showed keen interest in what I had to share with them and have now taken the required precaution."

Sammir added smilingly, "I'm just happy that my interest in understanding gadgets is being put to good use."

Shahid Kapoor's first film was the Ken Ghosh directed love story Ishq Vishk, after which the teenage boy danced his way into the hearts of many a female fans. Now Shahid and Ken are coming together with yet another film called Yahoo that revolves around music, song and dance.

The makers of the film, UTV Motion Pictures, have come up with a unique way to promote and create maximum awareness for their film.

Considering that Hindi films are huge among the NRI junta, UTV Motion Pictures along with Verizon Communications Inc. have come up with a Bollywood themed dance competition. The contest titled 'Bollypop' is open to all U.S. residents and is maintained by Saavn.com, the largest digital distributor of South Asian movies, music videos, audio tracks and ring-tones.

Contestants (individuals or dance troupes) need to upload a video of themselves dancing to a Bollywood song, which can be uploaded for free at www.verizon.com/bollypop.

Every week, people can watch featured videos submitted by contestants on the Asian Variety Show (AVS) television program, the most widely watched and longest running Bollywood news show in the United States.

Director Ken Ghosh and choreographer Marty Kudelka (who has worked with artists such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake) will select the winning video from the 10 most popular videos as voted by visitors at www.verizon.com/bollypop

The winner/s, of the dance contest's grand prize will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Mumbai in December and will appear in one of the dance sequences of the Shahid Kapoor starrer Yahoo. In addition to the trip to Mumbai and movie appearance, the grand-prize winner/s will also get a three-day trip to the New York City to attend a celebration in their honor.

After having been a top model, she made a stunning debut opposite superstar Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om. Her next film, Bachna Ae Haseeno, had her romancing her real-life sweetheart Ranbir Kapoor.

And now she is 'All Yours' as she graces the cover page of fashion magazine 'Cosmopolitan Luxury'. She is none other than the super sexy Deepika Padukone who is the cover girl in the October issue of 'Cosmopolitan Luxury'.

Deepika is seen sizzling in a golden colored dress which perfectly compliments the Diwali festive season (a time when people do indulge in some gold shopping).

The actress also talks about her breakthrough into films, her relationship with Ranbir and her style statement. For all you die-hard Deepika Padukone fans, this one is a complete must-have!

A fashion icon is considered to be a person who endures the test of time and who elicits respect for their fashion statements.

One such true fashion icon is Amrita Arora, who has been considered to have one of the best fashion senses in the film industry and someone whom the new generation looks up to.

She has made heads turn with whatever she wears and has even shown the ropes to her fans on how they can just do about any style-inspired thing themselves.

To which she says, "its always better to dress in clothing that makes you feel comfortable. I never follow ramp fashions, but make my own style. I love to mix and match my clothes with assorted accessories, so as to not have a conventional look and I guess that makes me stand apart." Here's to one confident lady and her amazing style sense.

Vatsal Sheth who seemed to have come out of the state of eclipse after his distorted debacle in Tarzan The Wonder Car, has found an unlikely one-man support-system in Sohail Khan.

The two worked together and hit it off like a house on fire while playing tavelling- companions in Samir Karnik's Heroes. Since then Vatsal has been getting a hand-up from his adopted Bhaiyya.

After Heroes Sohail has been recommending Vatsal for other films. He got him a plum role in Subhash Ghai's production Paying Guest.

And now Sohail and Vatsal play brothers in Vicky Chopra's Seasons Greetings.

Says Vatsal, "It's good to have someone look out for you. After Tarzan The Wonder Car I didn't want to do any and every film. I waited. In Heroes Sohailbhai and I play friends traveling together.

He put me so much at ease I forgot I was years younger than him. We actually become buddies as we traveled together through the film.With Heroes I feel I've come of age.And now he plays my bro in Seasons Greetings."

And that bonding persists.

Says Vatsal, "In an industry where actors are known to steal scenes and roles from under your nose Sohailbhai has been going out of his way to be good to me. It's true he got me Subhash Ghai's Paying Guest. The role was offered to Sohailbhai. When he couldn't do it he recommended me."

Vatsal is still remember for his long stint as the teenage pinup boy in the serial Just Mohabbat.

"Back then when they had done a popularity survey, Shah Rukh and Hrithik were in the first two places. My character Jai in Just Mohabbat was named third, " says Vatsal.

Any regrets about his career? "Just one, My film Hostel which was gritty raw film about ragging in student campuses featuring students who had actually been through the ragging, got shelved. I'd have liked that film to come out.

I had worked really hard on getting the character right. But it's okay.I've lots to look forward to. I'm patient. I proved it by waiting for three years after my movie debut in Tarzan The Wonder Car for the right offers."

Sohail who's shooting for David Dhawan's Do Knot Disturb in Abu Dhabi adds, "Vatsal is a lovely boy. I'm really fond of him."

The shocking news doing the rounds is that former superstar Rajesh Khanna has gone all bold and has indulged in smooching and intimate scenes in his upcoming film in 'Wafaa'.

In the film directed by Rakhi Sawant's brother Rakesh Sawant, Khanna plays a Thailand-based multi-millionaire who marries a scheming sex-starved airhostess that is after his wealth. The movie has Pakistani actress Saana Khan as his object of affection and motormouth stripper and Rakhi too will makes an appearance.

He's reportedly said, "The intimate scenes are justified because we are shown as husband and wife. It is a mature love story with bizarre twists.

It's a logical demand of the situations where sex plays a pivotal catalyst role and it's not for titillation. The Censor Board has cleared Wafaa with an 'A' certificate. After having acted in over 170 movies, I don't need to do a film which has vulgarity as its theme."

First there was news about Khanna teasing young girls at a Mumbai hotspot. And now he's trying hard to make a comeback by playing bold roles.

Looks like the man's missing his youthful days just too much. He simply can't get over the fact that once upon a time women around the country used to swoon over him!

That's not all. He's also acting in the television drama 'Raghukul Reet Sadaa Chali Aayee' where Mona Ambegaonkar plays his wife. The TV director says that the script demanded that his wife should be someone much younger to him in the serial too!

Seems the man is trying to forget that he's a father of grown up girls and a grandpa too now!

He also wants to work with superstar son-in-law Akshay Kumar and says that it would be a casting coup of the former superstar and the current superstar. He's only waiting for a mind blowing script and Akki's approval.

This guy sure is hellbent on regaining some of his lost youth!

Madhur Bhandarkar is known for making hard-hitting and realistic cinema; hence facing controversies around his film's release is something which is not new to this talented filmmaker.

His latest film Fashion starring Priyanka Chopra, Kangna Ranaut and Mugdha Godse in lead roles opened across cinema halls yesterday (Oct 29) and this time too, Madhur had to deal with a fair share of controversies.

Firstly, there were rumors that Kangna's character in the film has been inspired by noted Delhi based model Geetanjali Nagpal. Then the censor board irked Madhur by giving him an 'A' certificate as they felt the film had certain objectionable scenes for kids.

However, the director could have got himself into more trouble had he included a gay kissing scene in the film.

The scene had actors Samir Soni and Anil Kumar share a kiss in a car but Madhur decided to drop the scene at the last minute as he didn't want any further complications

. However, for all of you who indeed want to have a dekko of the same, the director is planning to include it in the DVD of the film. Must say, Madhur has already started promoting the DVD of Fashion in a smart way.

Aamir Khan's perfection ways haven't ever been hidden. And it has come to the fore yet again!

Most people especially the ladies can't stop raving about the actor's bald head-bare chest look in his upcoming flick 'Ghajini'. But apparently Aamir is not happy with his new look!

Reportedly the actor feels that he couldn't give his hundred percent and could have done a far better job with his killer street-fighter look had he got the chance to train more.

He's written in his blog, "So what do y'all think of the first look of 'Ghajini'? Actually I could have gotten into better shape. Had to stop training during the release of TZP, so, lost a month and a half there.

But it was impossible for me to train through that period. And I was also a little careless with my diet around that time Grrr... How I wish I had found the mental strength to keep at it."

This guy sure will not stop till he gets the best!

It's customary for two stars to be pitched against one another in real life whenever they are paired on screen.The last time we heard murmurs of discontent was when Bipasha and Deepika apparently couldn't stand one another while shooting Bachna Ae Haseenon.

But John and Abhishek get along like a house on fire. To their regret they had to shoot a music video for Dostana separately.

Producer Karan Johar who just landed in Mumbai after two weeks of location hunting in Los Angeles says the song Maa da ladla was shot during his absence. "I left it entirely to my director Tarun Mansukhani and to the choreographer Feroz (who's Farah Khan's assistant for ten years). So you'll have to ask Tarun what happened."

Tarun Mansukhani has his own explanation for why Abhishek and John shot the song separately.

"I deliberately didn't shoot the song with John and Abhishek together. I wanted at least this one song Maa da ladla to look different from the rest of the film where they're constantly together, fooling around, chumming it up. They shot individually, so the masti of the rest of the movie was missing on the sets."

Tarun trails off sadly, and then perks up. "The last shooting before this was for Desi girl where all of us were together. It was so much fun."

The Maa da ladla song was shot on 15, 16 and 17 October at Filmistan studios and onlookers watched Abhishek and John arrive on separate days.

"This is a music video which we'll use for promotion and probably for the end titles, "explains Tarun.

Says Abhishek, "It was wonderful to shoot with John Abraham again after Dhoom. It was fun on the sets because we were all friends."

Adds John, "Abhishek is not co-star or colleague. He's a friend. I dote on him. I love him to death. We never compete. We complement each other in Dostana. We share a great chemistry. Abhishek and I are a couple in the film."

Around two years back Neha Dhupia had announced through every single medium that she would never go back to doing sexy roles or expose her body and enact raunchy love making scenes.

Her quote, "Only two things sell in Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan and Sex" had become very famous.

She had done a lot of hot roles during her initial days in Bollywood with films like Qayamat, Julie etc. But as she began getting A list films she wanted to keep her image clean.

But now her new co-star, the Pakistani actor, Mikaal Zulfikar (Shoot on Sight) has spilled the beans on Neha Dhupia's U-Turn.

The actor has stated, "I am doing Jag Mohan Mundhra's next after doing his Shoot on Sight. It is called Room Mates and it is a love triangle featuring me along side Neha Dhupia and Sneha Ullal. It's an erotic thriller with lots of sexy, raunchy scenes."

Well Neha we are not complaining if you have decided to go back on doing hot scenes!

Moving over from serious films to comedy ones, Shreyas Talpade has won the hearts of the masses. Shreyas seems to be on cloud nine these days after being appreciated for bringing alive the character, Mahadev Kushvaha, in his recent film 'Welcome to Sajjanpur'. Let's see how well he fits into Sharman Joshi's role in his upcoming and well-awaited film, 'Golmaal Returns.'

Q – You were new among the four actors in 'Golmaal Returns' so was there any kind of nervousness?
A – At first, I was quite nervous but Ajay, Tushar and Arshad along with the director, Rohit Shetty readied me so well that I didn't feel new at all. I think this is necessary for the betterment of the film.

Q – In the earlier 'Golmaal, ' Sharman could understand what Tushar says very easily. How difficult was it for you this time?
A – Actually, the story's completely new this time. This film is not linked to the previous one in any way. Apart from the names of the characters, everything else is new. The best part about this film is that no one can understand what Tushar says and that creates comedy. But what's funny is that the audience will understand what Tushar says quite easily…

Q – You're being appreciated for the getup of a girl in the film. Would you like to say something about it?
A – It feels great to be appreciated and praised for it. We've all worked really hard for this. But all the credit goes to my makeup department for transforming a guy like me into someone so beautiful. To be honest, I had never even imagined it.

Q – What was your reaction when you were told about your getup?
A – When Rohit told me about this at first, I was shocked but when he said that everyone else is ready for this, I thought, well, let's try this. And what had to happen, happened. All of us enjoyed a lot. All four of us couldn't stop laughing when we saw each other for the first time in our new look.

Then, all the girls over there too started to laugh after seeing us. We had to shoot as girls for three days and mind you, those three days were the most enjoyable ones.

Q – After Nagesh Kukunoor, Rohit Shetty happens to be one amongst the young directors. How is the experience of working with young directors?
A – Both of them have a new outlook towards things. They are also very focused on their work. They know what they're supposed to bring out of their actors and place before the public. As for Rohit, he's a very open-minded person. Working with such directors can be fun in its own way. Because of his kindness, I call Rohit a 'gentle giant.'

Q – How different is this film from your earlier comedy films?
A – I haven't done any special comedy in my previous films. This is the first time I get to do full-fledged comedy. In spite of 'Apna Sapna Money Money' being a comedy film, my character was in no way comic.

'Welcome to Sajjanpur' was a different type of comedy. People liked the comedy in 'Om Shanti Om.' So I just hope that I get a surprise in the form of 'Golmaal Returns' this Diwali just like I got one last Diwali in the form of 'Om Shanti Om.'

Q- How much have you enjoyed this comedy personally?
A – A lot. We had a lot of fun on the sets after shooting everyday and the atmosphere was no different from that of a party. I'm sure you'll be able to see that in the film.

Q – Normally, actors play pranks on the director but here the director, Rohit Shetty used to play pranks on the actors. Were you ever a victim of his mischief?
A – I was never a victim and that helped me become a part of the team very easily. Rohit's pranks would bring about freshness on the sets. The best part about his pranks was that he never hurt anyone physically or mentally.

Q – It is being said that you are not Nagesh Kukunoor's favorite anymore because you are not a part of any of his upcoming films. Is this true?
A – (laughs) This is absolutely untrue. Just like I want to work with different directors similarly, he too wants to work with different actors. If a character suits me, Nagesh will definitely choose me for the role.

Every story has its own demand. If I wasn't his favorite, he wouldn't have done three films at a stretch with me. These days, he's doing films that require macho men which is why he chose John and Akshay Kumar.

Q – So will we see you in his next film?
A – Right now he's busy with three films so I can't really answer this. All I can say is that I'm very happy for Nagesh because he's been able to make the kind of films he wanted to for a long time.

Q – Tell us about your coming films?
A – Next is Sangeet Sivan's horror film, 'Click.' I play the role of a fashion photographer here. Mukta Arts', 'Paying Guest, ' a comedy film, comes next. Then is UTV's 'Aage se Right.' There are a few more films in the pipeline about which I can't say too much right now.

Q – Apart from these, what about 'Hum Yahan Hain, ' 'Ishaan' and 'Main Phir Aaunga'?
A – These films aren't being made anymore

Vivek Oberoi at his candid best with Subhash K Jha.

You turned 32 this month. How was your birthday?
Well I'm working really hard in Cape Town. I totally partied like a rockstar with my entire unit and clebrated my birthday all night.

You went into a shell and then emerged from it lately.
Sometimes in life everything seems uncertain. So I began to see my life in a new perspective. I went through that defining moment of clarity. Now I'm very happy with my life. I wouldn't say I'm content. Because I'm very ambitious. I'm a kid in candy store.

Why are you so low profile and yet rubbing so many people the wrong people?
I'm not low-profile any longer. For the last two months I've been very accessible thanks to my last release Mission Istanbul. I don't know why there's a perception that I've gone underground.

As for rubbing people the wrong way, on the contrary I find a great deal of love support and encouragement. I've made so many new friends. Karan Johar, Shah Rukh and Gauri have been extremely kind to me.

Also Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Riteish …Akshay Kumar has been a huge support. In fact after my performance at IIFA awards Amitji came up to encourage me.Jaya Aunty was clapping when I danced. Abhishek also sent me an SMS which was really sweet of him.

What other films are you doing?
I'm doing Karan Johar's film directed by Rensil d'Silva. Again a brilliant role. When I read the script my first question to Karan was, why me? He laughed and said it was because I was talented and I could pull it off.

And I love working with Kareena. We share a great rapport after Yuva and Omkara. We share a great chemistry. And I also look forward to working with Saifoo (Saif Ali Khan) again. I called him Langda Bhaiyya throughout Omkara.

And Rensil is a fantastic writer. It's going to be on right after the Tips movie which I'm shooting in South Africa. Then I go to New York to shoot for Karan- Rensil's film. Neither the Tips film nor Karan's film has a title yet. I am excited about the work I'm doing.

How much of what one reads about you is true?
Some of it is baseless. But some of it might be true. I haven't held any talk about my linkups and affairs against anyone. I laugh them off. Sometimes I get interesting insights into my own life and personality through what's written about me.

Is Viveik Oberoi single?
Absolutely single. I'm not a womanizer. I do flirt. I like verbal flirting. It always backfires. Because if a girl reciprocates I get scared off. Not that I'm afraid of commitment. My resolve to find a soul mate remains unchanged.

I've always been a romantic at heart. I'm waiting for the right person. I'm waiting for an ordinary girl who will make my life extraordinary. I'm high on this drug called life. Every day I wake up thanking God.

Your sister Meghna, what does she do?
She paints. She's doing really well. Her exhibitions are all sold out. I'm really proud of her. She was in two minds about singing and art. She finally chose art.

Your career is not handled by your dad any more?
Correct. For 4-5 years my career hadn't stabilized. Now it has. Dad was just not able to enjoy life because he was busy looking after my career. I felt terrible, like a bad son. I wanted him to relax, play golf instead of fire-fighting for me.

At that time my working pattern was wrong. Now Amit Chandra's Surge Entertainment is looking after my career. But Dad still has the last word. But he has now allowed me to go out in the big bad world. Now I'm happy to see him relax, go out with mom.

Do you still live with your parents?
Yes. It's funny. Twice they bought me a place of my own. In three months I ended up selling my new homes and coming back to my parents. I missed them so much. But I've grown as a humanbeing. Today I'm more sure of who I am. I don't have to try to be anything. By God's grace I continue to do good work for the underprivileged.

How do you know God is a He?
The only She-God in my life is a my mom.

Is the pain all gone?
Long back.

The Mission Istanbul team seemed very unhappy with you?
That's absolute rubbish. I don't know where that perception has come from. Some people believe I was m unhappy with my role. In fact Suniel Shetty called me and said, 'You were great in the film, Tiger. You're rocking in it.' Even the director Apoorva Lakhia called me to say he loved my work.

Apparently you got your valet to sms the producer saying you can't make it for the press conference?
That's completely untrue. I got my partner Amit Chandra to call on my behalf because I couldn't get through from South Africa.

Zayed Khan thinks you're unhappy with your role in Mission Istanbul?
Zayed was away shooting for Blue for a lomg time. When he returned to Mumbai he must've been wrongly influenced by some people. Zayed is a great guy. And we had a great time working together in Istanbul. Unfortunately I've had no time to speak to him and sort it out. I soon will. Once we talk it will be fine.

So you're happy with your role?
Completely. Before Apu gave any other actor the script he gave it to me. He gave me the choice to play whichever role I wanted. I chose Rizvan Khan because it was an awesome role. Accordng to me my character was the film's hero.

My character saves Zayed's life and inspires him It's a very heroic character. I wanted to move to the other side of the morality line after playing the gangster in Apu's Shootout At Lokhandwala. For me it was always Rizwan Khan, and no other character.

Aishwarya has been traveling extensively. "The last couple of months have been very very hectic. I had joined Abhishek in Jaipur where he was shooting for Dilli 6.

Then I was with him in Miami for Dostana. I also packed in Cannes and Paris...Life is beautiful. It really is. You know, life is as special as you make it for yourself. Of course you can't live your life in a bubble.

There're people who want to rain on your parade. It's up to you how you protect your space."

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan considers Guru a very precious experience.

"It has been very precious experience on every level, and not just on a personal level. I'd say it was professionally very fulfilling. It's a really exciting thought for me and Abhishek to be coming together again with Mani Ratnam."

Refusing to divulge too many details about the new Mani film Aishwarya says, "All I can say is that it goes into a completely different theme from Guru. You can't expect Mani Sir to go into the same space twice.

Working with him is an exciting thought for any actor. The way he connects to his actors is very clear in the films that he makes. He creates magic on screen."

And please don't blame Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the delay in Shankar's Robot.

The film got moved forward because the film's writer passaed away in February this year, thereby pushing the project back by some months.

Says Aishwarya, "After Sujatha Sir's sad demise the project got delayed slightly. People chose this tragedy as an occasion to spread all kinds of rumours when the fact is death slowed down Robot. But now we're back on the track, though now we need to work on a tighter schedule."

Aishwarya explains why the film needs extra planning. "Robot has loads of special effects. And the film will be using a lot of crew from overseas. All this needed to re-scheduling."

Robot wouldn't be the first F-X driven film in Aishwarya's career. "There was Dhoom 2. And right at the start of my career I did Jeans. And that too had very complicated special effects. And I had to do it in Tamil. So I learned a lot during Jeans, as I hope to do during Robot."

After a thought she adds, "Come to think of it I've never taken formal training in acting. I've always learnt on the job." Tell her she's now equipped to direct a film, and Aishwarya laughs, "Everyone says that. I don't know maybe one day."

Returning to Robot she clears another misconception. "People seem to think it's in Tamil and Hindi. But it's only in Tamil."

Now everyone would feel that with her recent string of hits, Katrina Kaif would feel that she's the luckiest girl in the world.

But it's really not like that. Apparently the dame is worried and mighty jittery about the fate of her next film- Subhash Ghai's 'Yuvvraaj'.

The actress has reportedly says, "I really want this film to do well. This is my first romantic drama opposite Salman without the support of comedy like 'Partner' and 'Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya'. 'Yuvvraaj' is special to me and I want it to remain as a special memory. I play a cellist who is a part of an orchestra in Austria. "

Umm… looks like many others she also must realized the bitter truth- that she's a wooden actress. There's no piggybacking on Akshay Kumar or other razzmatazz to bail her out here! She must be scared that only a good performance would save her day!

She's added, "Subhashji (Ghai) spared no cost for my costumes. They must have cost lakhs but not once did Subhashji say anything. My styling was done by Rocky S and I wore outfits designed by Jenny Packham, Rocky and Tarun Tahiliani."

Wonder what happens if in spite of all the efforts this movie too goes down the drain like Ghai's previous over hyped ones- 'Yaadein' and 'Kisna'!

John Abraham is super excited about his next film with Abbas Tyrewala. So much so that he's decided to turn producer with the film. Guess John's been mighty impressed by Tyrewala's success with 'Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na'!

The buzz is that the movie '1-800-Love' is a quirky, witty and savagely funny look at the man-woman relationship penned by Tyrewala's wife Paakhi.

Apparently so impressed was Abbas with his wife Paakhi that he had no objection about she wanting to be the heroine of his film! As for John, he can't help but gush over the film's script!

The word is that after Anurag Kashyap's 'No Smoking' and Nagesh Kukunoor's to-be-released 'Aashayein' John is now looking out for roles that would challenge him as an actor.

Now very few people could get 'No Smoking' and apparently the upcoming 'Aashayein' is finding it difficult to get buyers! So even though John thinks he's doing great, we wonder if he's actually making the right moves!

He's said, "After hearing the narration, John not only loved the script, he wanted to come on as a partner. So, effectively, the project will have three producers - Madhu K., John and myself."

The movie gets its title from the toll-free phone numbers in the US. It will be shot in Boston in April in a start-to-finish schedule.

Let's wait and watch to see if John's career takes the right path post this flick!

After portraying negative characters in Bollywood for over three decades, noted actor Raza Murad will now be seen playing a pious Sikh in a new TV series "Meet Mila De Rabba".

"For me 'Meet Mila De Rabba' is a very important project since it will break my on-screen villainous image and prove my versatility as an actor," Raza told over phone from Mumbai.

"The serial is bound to do well since it's a fresh story, very emotional and touching and entails characters with different shades," he added.

Raza started his career way back in the mid-1960s and since then has worked in over 400 films including hits like "Prem Rog", "Ram Teri Ganga Maili", "Ram Lakhan" and "Kala Bazar", to name a few. He was also associated with a few TV shows in the past.

"Meet Mila De Rabba" is about a young Punjabi girl's poignant love story and highlights the trials of the bubbly girl who happily accepts her fate, simply to please her family and society. The show goes on air Nov 3 on Sony entertainment channel.

In the serial, Raza plays the role of Gyaniji, who moves out of his village in Punjab to Delhi to build his fortune but always misses his hometown. His character in the show has an emotional streak to it, something the actor has been looking for in a role.

"I always wanted to do an emotional role but was rejected a couple of times because the directors felt that I have always done negative roles and so I wouldn't fit the bill. That was dejecting. So when I was offered this show, I readily agreed to it," Raza said.

As for his Bollywood career, Raza was last seen in Ashutosh Gowarikar's period drama "Jodhaa Akbar". After acting in the epic romance, he was busy dabbling in regional cinema.

"All this while when I was not seen in Hindi films, I did a lot of regional cinema. I was a part of various Gujarati, Punjabi and Bhojpuri films.

"At the same time I wasn't in favour of playing second fiddle to anyone on the small screen even though I have played supporting roles in films. So I was waiting for something that was worth taking up," he added.

The veteran actor feels that Bollywood has undergone a "complete transformation" since the time he entered the film industry, especially the villains.

"The traditional villain has died a natural death. Today even a hero can portray a negative character. There are no lines drawn. The scope for actors like me has condensed," he said.

National award-winning Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta, who is now concentrating more on Hindi films, says she won't be giving up Bengali cinema altogether.

"Bengal is a very important seat of cinema for me. I can't even think of giving it all up. Though I am concentrating more on my Bollywood career now, I'll never say no to Bengali films in my lifetime.

I got my name, fame, identity and even my National award from Bengali cinema, " Rituparna, who forayed into Bollywood with "Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh" in 2005, told in an interview.

However, Rituparna's first commmerical Hindi venture was Parto Ghosh's suspense thriller "Teesra Kaun" (2004) with Mithun Chakraborty, Chunky Pandey and Somy Ali. Her success and commitments in the Bengali film industry and in Bangladesh did not allow her to focus on her Hindi film career at that time.

In 2005, she was seen in Chandan Arora's light-hearted "Main, Meri Patni...", which was technically termed as her Bollywood debut. Her portrayal of an educated housewife in the film earned her rave reviews.

She was then seen in box office duds like "Unns - Love...Forever", "Gauri - The Unborn" and "Sirf - Life Looks Greener on the Other Side".

The actress, however, is not upset with her Bollywood ventures not taking off and doesn't shy away from her failure in choosing roles.

"I had no choice initially as an actress to get a break in Bollywood. Moreover, in those days, I was just feeling my way through Bollywood. I almost felt like an intruder, as I was not familiar with the ways of the industry.

"But now I can say I know the pulse of Bollywood as I have a line-up of movies that I have accepted on merit. Now I look at the subject matter of a film first before signing it and then to a substantial and meaty role, " said Rituparna, who has worked in over 50 Bengali movies.

Rituparna says she is going through a transitional phase now.

"My taking to Bollywood films is a transition. I don't want to get confined to only regional cinema as I want to exploit my potential. I want to perform challenging roles in a much more complex sphere like Bollywood.

"Bollywood films are going through a change. Audiences have become more intelligent and I want to reach out to them in different roles through my Bollywood projects. They have woken up to the fact that it is the content of the film that matters, " she quipped.

Known for doing bold scenes in some Bengali movies, Rituparna idolizes former Bollywood diva Dimple Kapadia.

"Dimple-ji could slip into playing any bold role and still be on her own, maintaining her dignity. That's the status I want to achieve in Bollywood, " she said.

Rituparna shared her first National Award for Best Actress with renowned Bengali actress Indrani Haldar for her role in Rituparno Ghosh's "Dahan" in 1998 and recently won the same for Aniruddha Choudhury's Bengali film "Anuranon".

The actress has quite a few Hindi and Bengali films in her kitty right now.

In Bollywood, she will be next seen in Priyadarshan's Hindi version of Iranian film "Children of Heaven", "SRK", "Saab Chai Pani", "Mujhe Rang De", "Love Game", "Mittal versus Mittal", "BBD", "Paroshkar", "Dard-e- Disco" and "Do Not Disturb".

"Trishna", "Mon Amor" and "Piyalir Password" are some of the Bengali projects she has signed on.

Rituparna says she will try her best to "maintain a balance" between the Hindi and Bengali film worlds.

Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi who made a mark for himself with his comic timing in movies like "Style", "Golmaal" and "Dhol" denies that his career is only comedy centric.

"There is no leaning towards comedies as such in my career. If the script interests and excites me, I do a comedy but people are appreciating my roles in other films too. My role in 'Life in a…Metro' for that matter was a serious one and much appreciated. I enjoy doing every genre, " he said.

He added: "It is not a role that is important for me but the content of a film."

Sharman was recently seen in box office dud "Hello" and has a platter full of projects in his kitty with films like "Sorry Bhai", "Three Idiots", "To Baat Pakki" and "Allah ke Bande".

It is a known fact that every father loves his son more than his life.

But what would you call a father who dares to call his son a favourite in the field he has not even set his first step? Confused? Well so are we! After all Shakti Kapoor is going around town saying his son Siddhant is his favourite actor!

Siddhant was in the news recently for being a part of the infamous Rave party held at a Juhu night club. Now to bring him more in the news positively, Shakti Kapoor is trying his best.

Sometimes he goes on to claim, his son Siddhant is turning music director and at times, he starts speaking about his to be soon started acting career. His son is a DJ and has never announced his acting plans.

But, Shakti Kapoor has already made up his mind that now his son his going to be an actor and who better person to give his acting skills testimony that Siddhant's papa the great himself!

With a red belt in taekwondo, Eesha Koppikhar is now keen on doing an action film, in contrast to her demure and simple look in the forthcoming film "Ek Vivaah...Aisa Bhi".

"I love action and I really want to do an action film. Maybe something like 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', 'Charlie's Angels' or a 'Million Dollar Baby', " Eesha told over phone from Mumbai.

The actress, whose claim to fame are item numbers "Khallas" and "Ishq Samundar", reveals that she has been learning taekwondo for the past six years.

"Taekwondo requires your entire body to work at the same time and it helps the mind also. I feel while practising taekwondo, one becomes more focussed, " Eesha said.

Apart from taekwondo, the actress regularly practises yoga and heads to the gym.

For now, however, Eesha is busy with the promotion of "Ek Vivaah..." in which she plays a small town girl Chandni, who dons the mantle of being the bread-winner of her family from being a naive bride-to-be after the death of her father.

A typical Sooraj Barjatya family film, "Ek Vivaah..." is set for a Nov 7 release and stars Sonu Sood opposite Eesha.

"I started my Bollywood career with a glamorous image and the songs became a rage; so I never got an opportunity to do something like 'Ek Vivaah...'.

"But this film has given me a chance to explore my personality as an actress, " Eesha said. Eesha had for some time been looking to play a typical Indian girl.

"I was looking for a role of an Indian girl, who is loving, a perfectionist, believes in commitment and has strong values. This film offered me that and it is a complete family movie, " she said.

The actress is upbeat about her traditional look in the film.

"I wear very simple and ethnic clothes in the film. I don't wear too much make-up and the entire look is very serene. I liked doing it, " she said.

In her Bollywood career spanning eight years, Eesha has been associated with films like "Company", "Don: The Chase Begins", "Darna Mana Hai", "Salaam-e-Ishq" and more recently "Hello" - most of which had an ensemble cast.

Besides these, she made special appearances in a number of films including "Kaante", "Hum Tum" and "36 China Town".

Eesha says she is now "happy to have moved on from friendly and special appearances to better and full-fledged roles". After "Ek Vivaah...", Eesha will be seen in "Har Pall", "Hello Darling" and a lead role in Ram Gopal Varma's "Shabri".

Saif Ali Khan's tattoo of girl friend Kareena's name made it to the headlines a few months back. Rohit Shetty's Golmaal Returns has a scene inspired by it.

When asked in regards to it, Rohit says, "Yes I was inspired by the tattoo that Saif had on his arm. I found it very funny when Kareena's name tattooed on Saif's arm became breaking news and making it to the headlines. In fact Saif was tired of the news. I told them I am making use of it in my film. Saif actually laughed over it."

Rohit adds, "Incidentally Kareena is playing the lead opposite Ajay Devgan in the film. The opening scene opens with Ajay Devgan showing off a tatoo with Ektaa that is Kareena's name in the film written in it.

Whenever Kareena sees that portion she bursts out laughing. Surprisingly I have shot a very lavish and a big song but in that three and half minute song everyone talks of the tattoo in the film. I have done a spoof on power yoga also which is a hot topic these days.

The buzz is that Kareena Kapoor's mum Babita and sister Karisma managed to catch 'Golmaal Returns' at a special private preview and loved it a lot!

Bebo has reportedly said, "The screening was only for them and they couldn't stop laughing. They told me this is the funniest film they had seen."

Never mind the fact that there aren't many who would agree with them!

Many critics have flayed the film for being not funny enough and not being an able sequel to 'Golmaal'.

And here we have Bebo's family members gushing over the film! Call it sisterly and motherly love making them 'oh so blind'!

Maybe they think that simply Bebo's presence and lavish songs like Tha Karke can alter the fate of an inefficient film!

At 35, Bollywood's blue-eyed-girl Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who celebrates her birthday on Saturday, continues to woo Indian filmmakers with her international appeal, making her one of the most bankable stars in the Indian film industry.

Says a popular film critic: “Aishwarya's career graph has been very good though not excellent but she is the only actress who can attract national and international crowds. She is the face of so many international brands and a very good actress also.”

London-based Indian filmmaker Jagmohan Mundhra, who directed the actress in the critically acclaimed English movie “Provoked”, also credits her as a superstar with an international appeal.

“She is a superstar. Not only is she a recognised name worldwide; she is a totally bankable star. My personal experience with her from 'Provoked' says that the film wouldn't have worked without her.

“The best thing about her is that despite her stature, she is completely a director's actor. She would also give her inputs in the character and would never come back to see a shot once the director approves it. She is thoroughly professional, ” Mundhra added.

Aishwarya, now married to Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, was born in Mangalore to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine biologist, and Vrinda Rai, a writer.

After winning the Miss World crown in 1994, Aishwarya took to acting in 1997 with a Tamil film “Iruvar” opposite southern superstar Mohanlal and made her Bollywood debut in the same year opposite Bobby Deol in "Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya". Both films bombed.

In the following year, she won her first Filmfare Best Actress award South for the Tamil film “Jeans” but became an overnight star with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” in 1999. She bagged the Filmfare Best Actress award for this too.

In 2000, she gave a power packed performance in Subhash Ghai's "Taal" but followed it up with a string of flops like "Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai" (2000), "Dhai Akshar Prem Ke" (2000), "Albela" (2001), "Hum Kisise Kum Nahi" (2001) and many more.

In between, she was recognised for her supporting role in Yash Chopra's 2000 hit “Mohabbatein”. Her career was resurrected in 2002 with Bhansali's “Devdas” fetching her another Filmfare award in the Best Actress category.

She was highly appreciated for her performances in “Chokher Bali" (2002), “Raincoat” (2004), "Guru" (2006), “Dhoom 2” (2006), "Provoked" (2007), “Jodhaa Akbar” (2008) and “Sarkar Raj” (2008).

In her career spanning 11 years, Aishwarya has acted in over 40 movies in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and English. Her English projects included “Bride & Prejudice” (2003), “Mistress of Spices” (2005), and “The Last Legion” (2007).

She is also starring in another international project “Pink Panther 2”, a sequel to the original comedy. The beauty queen-turned-actress is also counted among the 100 most beautiful women in the world.

Actress Priyanka Chopra feels that “Aishwarya has a perfect face”.

“She is a gorgeous lady, a very elegant person and a great representative of India abroad and I think she has made some great cinema recently. I'd like to watch a lot more of her in films, ” Priyanka told.

After her wedding in April last year, Aishwarya has cut down on her projects and has become very choosy too. But critic feels it is only due to her “added family responsibilities”.

Currently, the actress is busy shooting with Abhishek in Kochi for Mani Ratnam's forthcoming film tentatively titled “Raavan”.

Bollywood actress Minissha Lamba, whose much-hyped last venture "Kidnap" bombed at the box office, says she is disappointed that the film didn't turn out well at the box office.

"I am disappointed that 'Kidnap' didn't turn out well. It really feels sad when you work so hard for a film and which is so close to you and it doesn't do well, " Minissha said.

The actress shaved off seven kg for her role as a 17-year-old teenager in the film following a rigorous regime over a period of eight months. However, Minissha says she would never go to the extremes of putting on mass for a character in any film.

"I am never ever going to put on weight for a character in a film. I am one of those body types who find it very difficult losing weight and so I am never going to do that. Putting on weight is a nightmare for me, " she said.

Actress Riya Sen, who made her Bollywood debut in 2001 with "Style", a sex comedy and later went on to wear revealing clothes in "Jhankaar Beats", says that people will hardly find her wearing a mini-skirt.

"I am very fussy about my clothes and very moody as well. One will never catch me in a mini-skirt just like that, " Riya said after walking the ramp for designer Ranna Gill at a recently held Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) here.

The surprising fact was that she sashayed across the ramp wearing a "mini-skirt" with a short jersey top teamed with a big necklace to jazz up the look.

Shooting slick action films and cheesy sex comedies in Dubai will no longer be easy.

According to new ground-rules laid down in the duty-free city Bollywood producers now have to submit their scripts for consideration before they are allowed to shoot.

And one of the first casualties of this revised rule for creative freedom was Vashu Bhagnani who proceeded with director David Dhawan, and his cast of Govinda, Sushmita Sen Lara Dutta, Sohail Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ranvir Shorey after a luxuriant shooting schedule in Abu Dhabi for the David Dhawan directed Do Knot Disturb, to Dubai on Sunday…

….Only to be politely told to halt by Mediacity in Dubai who monitor all cultural activities.

Says Vashu, "It was a setback, yes. We were stopped. But with reason. I don't disagree with the new rules because Dubai is being constantly misused by Bollywood filmmakers.

They keep coming down here in Dubai to make sexy films or cheap stunt films. These were bringing a bad name to Dubai globally as a city of crime and quick pleasure."

Dubai, apparently wants a change of image. And Bollywood would have to comply.

Says Vashu, "Mediacity now expects us to submit our script in advance. I wasn't aware of this rule. So after we left Abu Dhabi and reached Dubai we had to wait until I could give them a copy of the script.

The authorities were very nice to us. They even offered to let us shoot before the papers were formally cleared. But I decided we needed to go by the rules to set an example for Bollywood teams who come to shoot after us."

The message is clear. Don't mess around in Dubai.

Remember how Sanjay Leela Bhansali defied Saratchandra Cahtterjee's novel and made the purists howl in protest by bringing 'Paro' Aishwarya Rai and 'Chandramukhi' Madhuri Dixit in Devdas together, just so that audiences don't feel cheated about the two two actresses not coming together?

If Raima Sen has her way she too will get her director to redefine a literary work for practical commercial reasons.

Rabindranath Tagore may or may not like it. But Raima will came face to face with her sister Riya Sen in Rituparno Ghosh's adaptation of Tagore's novel Nauka Dubi.

"There's no way the audience will accept me and my sister in the same movie without having scenes together. In the original story our characters don't come together at all. But Riya and I have to come face to face in our first film together."

Raima who's currently working on the sets of two films simultaneously is kicked by the idea of sharing screen space with her sister. "We were supposed to come together earlier in Vicky Chopra's Seasons Greetings. But that didn't work out. It was an episodic film and we just had a small segment to ourselves."

And though the producers have plans to dub Nauka Dubi into Hindi Raima is totally opposed to it.

"I know how strange it sounds when my Bengali films are dubbed into Hindi. It happened with Anuranan and and more recently with Khela. When Pradeep Sarkar when to see Khela he told me he had gone to see a Bengali film. He ended up watching a Hindi film. Rabindranath Tagore's characters will look very strange talking in Hindi."

It was Riya who brought the Nauka Dubi project together.

Vidya Balan ditched Sooraj Barjatya at the last minute. This may sound shocking but it is actually true! Rajshri Productions' Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi was to star Vidya Balan in the lead opposite Bobby Deol originally.

But now the November 7th releasing film has Eesha Koppikar along with Sonu Sood playing the main lead. So what went wrong?

Our sources revealed, "Sooraj Barjatya had approached Bobby Deol and Vidya Balan for his written film Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi being directed by debutante Kaushik Ghatak. They both had given their consent for the film.

But then though Bobby initially found the family oriented subject appealing, as the days progressed he developed cold feet. He excused himself out of the film citing dates problem.

Sooraj had hoped that he would find a suitable actor in the A list to play the romantic lead opposite Vidya. But as that didn't look to materialise, Vidya chickened out of the project preferring to do Kismat Konection along with Shahid.

Sooraj was then left with no option but to rope in small names like Eesha Koppikar and Sonu Sood to stop the film getting stalled even before it was about to be shot!"

It looks a remote possibility that Sooraj Barjatya will now ever approach either Vidya Balan or Bobby Deol to star in any of his Rajshri banner films!