Bollywood Gossip - Nadiadwala takes Akshay Kumar to Hollywood

Posted: 14 Mar 2008 02:20 PM CDT

Bollywood Gossip - After doing back-to-back comedies last year, it looks like Bollywood's star Akshay Kumar is hell bent on making 2008 his year of actioners.

Nadiadwala takes Akshay Kumar to Hollywood

In producer Sajid Nadiadwala's 'Kambakth Ishq', he plays a Hollywood stuntman and it will be shot in Universal Studios.

"This would be the first Indian film to be shot within Universal Studios. We've got the permission not only to shoot within the studio but also to use their logo. Akshay plays a stuntman from Universal Studios. We also had amazing superstars from Hollywood. We're working out the legal aspects," Nadiadwala said.

Apart from that, Akshay would be seen in Nikhil Advani's full on action flick 'Chandni Chowk to China'.

'Kambakth Ishq' is to be shot in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and the producer has roped in a new director Sabir Khan to helm the film.

"It'll also star 12-15 leading actors from Hollywood in various parts. It's a candyfloss, 'safe' film. We had to bring in an extra gloss in the backdrop. That's why Hollywood.

"When I produced 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi', it was the first beach film in Bollywood. After that we had dozens of beach films in Hindi. Likewise my 'Jaan-e-Mann' was the first romantic comedy with visual effects. While making full-on commercial films we need to change the backdrop."

Nadiadwala agrees shooting 'Kambakth Ishq' in Hollywood won't be an easy task.

"It will be expensive, yes. We'll have 40-50 crewmembers flying to LA. We're thinking of chartering a flight from Mumbai. It'll be more economical. Or maybe we should just buy a jet," he joked.

This is Nadiadwala's most ambitious film to date with a budget of Rs.600 million. Kareena Kapoor plays a brand model.

Why a new director for such a lavish film?

"Sabir Khan has grown up in front of me. He assisted in my production 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'. He is very hardworking and if you're suggesting that I should've first let Sabir make a smaller film then let me say I don't make small films. I've dreamt 70mm dreams from before that format was invented."

Recently, the producer has been signing a lot of new directors.

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Bollywood Gossip - New man in Amisha Patel's life?

Posted: 14 Mar 2008 03:00 PM CDT

Bollywood Gossip - Bollywood actress Amisha Patel, who recently broke off with her director-boyfriend Vikram Bhatt, was spotted with a tall, young man, rumoured to be her new boyfriend, on the first day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) here.

The Bollywood actress attended style guru Namrata Joshipura's and designer duo Gauri and Nainika Karan's show on Wednesday.

The actress, flaunting a bright orange knee-length dress, wasn't present at the WIFW for any specific designer or fashion show.


"I think all designers are equally good and I am not here for any particular designer," she said.

However, before she could complete her sentence, her new escort pulled her away.

The couple was seen cosying up during the show.

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Bollywood Gossip - I may flaunt but I'm just a Desi girl

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 02:16 PM CDT Bollywood Actress Celina Jaitley is all set to stage her grand come back with Ganesh Acharaya directed film, 'Money Hai To Honey Hai', after having disappeared from the scene for some time with her International project 'Love Has No Language'.   When I meet her for this interview at her spacious, but well decorated house in the suburbs, Celina talks in length about the film, and says that it is a story of six friends, who are strugglers in their own respective fields. "I play a fashion designer, Shruti Pandey who has graduated from NIFT and yet struggles while trying to sell a pattern of her own to export houses", Celina quips at the outset. The film "Money Hai To Honey Hai", Celina Jaitley states, sets out to drive home the subtle message that today's education system really sucks and how. "It is a comical representation of today's education system and stars besides me, stars like Govinda, Aftab Shivdasani, Upen Patel, Manoj Bajpai, Ravi Kishen and Hansika Motwani. Each of us has a different background as a struggler in the film". Yet another film with which Celina is quite excited is Subhash Ghai's 'Hello Darling' in which she plays a young catholic girl called Candy Fernandes. "Candy is a little dumb when people try to talk in double language to her. The film dwells at length about how it is wrong on the part of people in society today to judge a woman on the basis of what she is wearing. It is a chic film and I enjoyed working with Isha Koppikar and Gul Panag", says Celina. The actress then hastens to clarify, "Just because there are three women in Hello Darling like there were in Charlie's Angels, it does not mean that you should jump to the conclusion that Hello Darling is a rehash of Charlie's Angels". Celina states that she can identify herself with the role in Hello Darling completely. "People feel that I am anglicized and cannot talk in Hindi when the fact is that I am from a Hindi medium school background and very good in Sanskrit and Hindi. I may flaunt blood costumes on the screen, but am conservative at heart and a very simple and down to earth girl who is rooted to the family". Celina is happy that she gets to play a comic role in Golmaal Returns. "I am a young well educated girl who is doing her graduation in Microbiology. Just as Kareena Kapoor's character is named Ekta Kapoor, my character is named Mira Nair, though it has got nothing to do with filmmaker Mira Nair. I have been teamed opposite Shreyas Talpade in the film. The best thing about Shreyas and me is that we have very good timing to carry off the comedy scenes. I have been a great fan of Sridevi as far as comedy roles are concerned", states Celina.

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Lara Dutta sheds her inhibitions

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 02:28 PM CDT

Bollywood Gossip - Model turned Actress Lara Dutta is on a fast track now. There's a new determination in her to overcome her inhibitions, whatever they might be worth.

While she prepares to do her first ever avant-garde film Devdas with Sudhir Mishra where she intends to change her entire image and get-up to play a modern-day Paro, in a new sporty film entitled Blue Lara has gone several steps further.

She has actually managed to overcome her fear of the underwater to do some serious scuba-diving with the ever-sporty Akshay.

For years now Lara has been petried of taking the plunge. Akshay urged her to not only accept a film that needed her to go against her ingrained fears, but also helped her out of the dive-despair.

 

Laughing throatily Lara admits she has gotten over a lifelong fear. "But I can't speak about what it is. Yes, Akshay's natural sporty spirit is highly contagious. And it did help me to take the plunge."

She reminisces fondly about Akshay. "He was my first co-star in Andaaz and very very helpful. Then we did Bhagam Bhaag when he was fully into comedy.

I didn't know I had a comic streak in me until then. Now that he's returning to action, I'm also moving on from comedy to action big time."

Man's world is show -world. Even a free-spirited actress like Lara Dutta has to follow in the leading man's footsteps.

- SantaBanta

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Bollywood News - B'wood wary of strong leading ladies

Posted: 09 Mar 2008 11:32 AM CDT

In Balu Mahendra's Sadma and Shashilal Nair's Grahan, Sridevi and Manisha Koirala played women who surrendered to men, almost regressing to being children. In this era of women-in-charge it's difficult to find real life women immersing themselves in such surrender but not in films from Bollywood, which still shy away from strong women protagonists.

Oh, how we love to watch women weep on the floor and dance on the rooftop. But what about women of substance - do we ever embrace them without fear? And do filmmakers ever take to them without a backward glance at how the male members of the audience react to their assertive women?

In Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate, for instance, Bipasha Basu got into an executive suit and played the male game in the corporate world. Finally, though she ended up taking the rap for her man and goes to jail to save his cowardly skin.

An instant and immediate hark-back to Nutan in Bandini 45 years earlier when the actress goes to jail for love. Of course, Nutan wore a crumpled sari, not a chic suit and Bandini was no chic flick. But under the apparel has the leading lady really changed?

The woman of substance seems to have drowned in acres of skin show. What would Nutan think of her niece Tanisha romping around with nothing much on besides the I-pod in Neal n Nikki? Who was the last truly dignified woman we saw on screen and what was she thinking?

Nostalgia isn't the only reason why we find women from the past so appealing. Nargis in Mother India and Meena Kumari in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam were removed from one another by almost a generation. And yet they were equally enchanting portrayals of the Indian woman in all her splendour.

In the 1980s Shabana Azmi did a series of films about contemporary women. Among them was Mahesh Bhatt's Arth. The modern but maudlin saga of a deserted wife had major impact - but not on men. It was women who repeatedly saw Arth and made it a hit.

Shabana's other, more bravura, effort at portraying a deserted wife in Pravin Bhatt's Bhavna went unnoticed. She becomes a call girl to bring up her son - the archetypal fallen woman rising to become Mother India. Cut to Pradeep Sarkar's Laga Chunari Main Daag where Rani Mukherjee becomes a prostitute to support her family. The audience rejected both the films.

Gradually in the 1990s female-oriented cinema lost its sheen. Outstanding films about the Indian woman's sexuality like Aruna Raje's Rihaee, Ketan Mehta's Mirch Masala, Shyam Benegal's Zubeida and Madhur Bhandarkar's Satta bombed.

Only Yash Chopra's Chandni and Bhandarkar's Chandni Bar clicked.

When was the last time you saw a female oriented film doing well?

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Bollywood News - Govinda is eager to work with David Dhawan

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 05:34 AM CST

Bollywood actor Govinda is very excited about getting together with David Dhawan and producer Vashu Bhagnani again and says he will create something thoroughly entertaining.

'We've created quite a sensation in the past with 'Hero No. 1' and 'Coolie No. 1'. We'll definitely create full entertainment again. Yes, it'll be a comedy. I'll try my level best that we come back with a film that will do justice to all three of us,' says Govinda.

Bollywood Star Govinda says he owes his comeback to David Dhawan.

'It's something I learnt from Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan. When he needed to make a comeback, he called Yash Chopra for 'Mohabbatein'. Similarly, when I needed to come back I rang up David and he gave me 'Partner'.'

Govinda has no qualms in admitting he was influenced by the Big B.

'Yeah, I copied Mr. Bachchan. I'm not anything like Mr Bachchan, but why shouldn't I copy a man as great as him? If he can reach out to a filmmaker, why can't I? David is such a big man. Today, if he asks me to do another film with him, I don't even need to think about it - I will do it blindly.'

Bollywood actor Govinda has never been more charged about his career.

'I don't really care what people say about me. All I know is I'm doing my work with sincerity. And I've become very punctual. I reach my sets on time. I'm not here to create any problems for anyone. If I'm doing my work quietly, why are some people troubled by it? But I'm not going to get rattled.'

Govinda, who joined politics and earned a lot of flak from colleagues in the party, has no regrets.

'I don't regret anything, not even my entry into politics. I respect politicians because they are doing their jobs very efficiently. But the fame and fortune I've got has come through Mata Saraswati, my art (movies). No one has the right to eye my career and try to ruin it.'

Kumar Mangat, producer of Govinda's 'Money Hai To Honey Hai', added: 'A miracle happened during the shooting. We finished Govindaji's work in 60 days when we had reserved 85 days for him. In Mauritius, where we shot most of the film, Govinda was the first of the cast to wake up.

'In fact, he'd wake me up and we'd have our morning tea together. I remember we had to shoot at a discotheque in Mauritius. We had to reach at 8 a.m. and all we saw were the janitors at work. That's how punctual Govinda has become.'

In fact, Mangat is planning another film with Govinda this year.

'He's a pleasure to work with,' the producer said

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Bollywood Gossips - Is Bebo toooo thin ???

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 05:13 AM CST

It's been six months since the new slim Kareena hit the screen in Jab We Met. But dismayingly, for her latest cover shoot in Vogue, she 'easily slips into Size 0 dresses', says the accompanying article.

Size 0. With vital stats of 31 and #189;-23-34 inches it is the equivalent of a Size 4, UK.

It's the size of Nicole Richie, a size that's sparked off so much debate abroad. Worse, according to Delhi's leading dieticians, an increasing number of young girls want to become as thin as her.

Doctor speak Says, dietician Dr Seema Malik of Eleganza Rejuvenation Clinic, "If you're 5 ft 5 you should weigh between 58-61 kg. You can't attain a Size 0 without a detoxifying diet and fat burners.

In the long run they have side effects like bone disorders, heart problems and weakness." According to yoga guru Bharat Thakur with whom Kareena has been working to lose weight, Kareena's diet doesn't involve starving to burn calories, but rather, eating healthily.

"She's also been practicing yoga for the past year for 90 mins everyday. She can easily reduce to whichever look she wishes to, be it Size 0 or Minus One, that too in a healthy way.

" Media frenzy Health problems or not, media's loving her new look. According to ad guru Prahlad Kakkar, "She can never attain Size 0 look.

She was a hatti katti punjaban. Now she looks more attractive.

She has broken her golu image and now looks like a woman. She doesn't need to put on weight or else she will again look motu.

" Photographer Daboo Ratnani has been shooting Kareena for more than a decade. "She has never looked better," he says.

"The weight loss suits her because her features come out really well, so one gets a stronger pictures with all expressions visible."

C'mon frendzzzzz its time to loose some workout!!!

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Bollywood Gossip - Kajol to promote toothpaste

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 01:19 PM CST

Bollywood Gossip - After promoting Whirlpool appliances and Tata Indicom, now Bollywood actress Kajol will now be the new brand ambassador of Anchor White toothpaste.

Commenting on her new role, Kajol said: "For me, my family always comes first. Becoming a mother has made me very conscious about my family's health and oral care needs. I am proud to be their brand ambassador."

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Bollywood Gossip - Bollywood actors Abhishek - Aishwarya refused to represent LG as brand ambassador

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 01:48 PM CST

Bollywood's hottest couple Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai refused to represent LG as brand ambassadors for all their products across-the-board.

The company had made them an eye-popping offer.

Reason? He didn't want to be even remotely unfaithful to another cell-phone manufacturing company.

A source close to the Bachchans said: "LG was very keen to have Bollywood Actors Abhishek and Aishwarya to endorse their entire range of products across the line. It was a tempting and lucrative offer.

"LG's range of products included cell-phones and Abhishek is already endorsing Motorala cell phones. So he had to decline the offer. But he has received a letter from the company saying they would love to have him and his wife as brand ambassadors any time they so wish."

The Abhishek-Aishwarya pair won't be seen in any advertisement at the moment, but they are coming together in Mani Ratnam's next venture that goes to the floor as soon as Abhishek returns from Miami after filming Karan Johar's home production, Dostana.

The film is being directed by Tarun Mansukhani and also stars Priyanka Chopra and John Abraham.

At the moment Abhishek is working 20 hours a day to wrap up Rakeysh Mehra's Delhi 6, which completed a two-month schedule in Jaipur and is now being shot in Mumbai.

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Bollywood Gossip - Manisha Koirala, the new item girl!

Posted: 03 Mar 2008 10:25 AM CST Guess who is sizzling in an item number for Telugu film 'Nagaram'? It is the 37-year-old royal beauty from Nepal, who has once been voted as the most beautiful actress of the Bollywood - Manisha Koirala. It is not unusual today for successful heroines to appear in a guest role or an item number crossing linguistic borders. Those are bygone days, when a heroine had to worry for her 'image' before taking up such roles. However, that be, it is quit hard to believe that the actress who did serious bollywood movies like 'Bombay', 'Khamoshi', 'Dil se' under the directions of giants like Maniratnam, Sanjay Leela Bansali etc and nominated six times for the Filmfare award, is doing an item number. Since 90's though there have been many such heroines from the Bollywood attempting to win the hearts of the viewers at south, all of them have not easily been accepted here. But very few of them certainly made an impact. Talents like Tabu, Ash and Manisha Koirala have created a special aura as well as a pretty circle of fans for themselves. It is not a long way back; Manisha had impressed the south with bollywood blockbusters like 'Bombay', 'Indian', 'Mudalvan' etc. She even reined the Indian cinema for almost a period of 8 years. The dazzling beauty has a diploma in film making from U S A and is a member of the Independent film makers' society.   She is also a goodwill ambassador for UNFPA and actively involved the struggle for women's rights. Over all these things Manisha is well versed in Bharathanatyam and Manipuri dances. Acted in over 60 films Bollywood Actress Manisha, suddenly became unseen on the silver screen for a few years. She had been totally sidelined from the publicity as well as the industry. It is said that late night parties, drinking, and the emotional turmoil she suffered due to the broken relationships debilitated her. Now the princess wants to come out of her self imposed exile and striving to present the best in her acting career. Any way she definitely has the God gifted talent and beauty, for what the audience love her for ever. BollywoodGossips.NET wish success for her second innings.

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Bollywood Gossip - Saif and Deepika are eagerly waiting for Christmas 2008

Posted: 02 Mar 2008 02:19 PM CST

It's Saif all the way.

In real life, he has been having a great time with Kareena Kapoor. Meanwhile on screen in RACE he has much to look forward with his 'Touch Me Touch Me' girl - Katrina Kaif. Well, this is not all, as his eyes would soon be set on another beauty -Deepika Padukone - as he gets ready to face the camera for his next film, which would be directed by Imtiaz Ali of JAB WE MET fame.

A romantic tale which pairs the two much-in-demand actors for the first time ever, this yet untitled film would be shot in India as well as abroad. What makes it further special is the fact that the release plan for the film has already been base lined even before as the shoot is yet to begin.

As of now, Thursday, 25th December, is the D-day for the film to arrive. With the success of WELCOME, Christmas season has become hot favorite for popular films to arrive and with a combination like Imtiaz-Saif-Deepika, it indeed would be Merry Christmas for everyone involved with the project.

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