Has Akshay Kumar lost his comic touch?

The failure of Nikhil Advani's "Chandni Chowk To China" has put a question mark on Akshay Kumar's comic journey. While some filmmakers say he tends to interfere in the director's job, his staunch supporters in Bollywood feel he should not be written off because of one flop.

There were reports that the comic element in his next big release "Kambakht Ishq" were revamped after the disastrous results of "Chandni Chowk..." at the box office. But "Kambakht Ishq" producer Sajid Nadiadwala shoots down the reports.

"Why would I do that? The film is what it is. I don't work with my actors based on how their last film did. 'Kambakht Ishq' will have a lot to offer, " Nadiadwala told.

In "Kambakht Ishq", Akshay is paired with Kareena Kapoor. Some parts of the film were shot in Hollywood and stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brandon Routh feature in the movie.

"It's an out-and-out romantic comedy with stunts of an international order. And why are we jumping the gun just because one of his films hasn't lived up to expectations? There could be so many reasons for it. Why should Akshay be blamed for it? Why so much negativity about him? Is he the first superstar to disappoint audiences?"

On the downside, Akshay's pairing with Kareena has hardly ever worked at the box office. Suneel Darshan's "Talaash", Dharmesh Darshan's "Bewafaa" and Yash Raj Films' "Tashan" are a few examples.

Some filmmakers would like him to end his protracted attempts at comedy.

"Akshay has become progressively active in the process of writing scripts and shooting films. He freely makes suggestions some of which, I've to admit, are good. But quite often he wants to take over the project. When I went to him with another project, he offered to co-produce it and get someone to re-write portions. It's obvious a lot of scenes in 'Chandni Chowk...' were re-written. The result shows, " a director said on condition of anonymity.

"It's the Govinda factor at work again, " said another director who preferred to remain anonymous. "He did so much buffoonery on screen that Govinda made people forget there was more to him than meets the eye."

However, Akshay's staunch producer-director friends are more than happy to stand by him.

Said Vipul Shah, who will launch his next with Akshay and Aishwarya Rai in March: "I don't think the failure of 'Chandni Chowk To China' means that audiences have rejected him in the comic avatar. The backlash is totally uncalled for. And it looks motivated by reasons other than the box office. Many people have been waiting to pounce on Akshay. This is their opportunity."

But Shah, whose last two films with Akshay - "Singh Is Kinng" and "Namastey London" - were romantic comedies, has decided to keep away from the genre in the next venture.

It is believed that apart from Priyadarshan's "De Dana Dan", which is an out-and-out comedy, the comic element is being cut down or dowplayed in Akshay's forthcoming projects.

Imran maybe pranky but he can’t forget perfection!

Making a successful debut with Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, Imran Khan may look like a simple, quiet and cute boy, but in reality this youngster is indeed very mischievous. While shooting for the film, the actor made life hell for his co-star Manjari Fadnis by his scary pranks.

"Imran is a prankster on the sets. We had a ball, all of us," says Manjari, recollecting the time when Imran scared her out of her wits in an eerie villa where they were shooting by making ghostly noises in the dark.

"I am not the type that gets easily scared by the word 'ghosts'. I have read a lot on after-life, But this was one experience that really made me scream," she grins recollecting the event.

Well, everything is right while it’s done by stars and it’s more so while there is someone like uncle Aamir behind you all the while. But there is something that Imran should always take care of. Guess what?

As uncle Aamir doesn’t like anything which is not perfect to the core and he is the man behind making Imran a superstar, Imran should at least keep playing on the chord of perfectionist in everything he does. Even while plotting a prank!

Shahid: Aziz Mirza’s New SRK

After being loyal for quite a while, to his favourite star, SRK, Aziz Mirza has now changed his taste. The man now has a new fav: Shahid Kapoor. Aziz Mirza has shot many movies with the badshah of which Raju Ban Gaya Gentle Man, Chalte Chalte, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani…etc are some of the commendable ones. But his latest film “Kismet Konnection” involves the new chocolate boy, Shahid Kapoor.

“Shah Rukh is too old for the role in Kismat Konnection . The role is about the life of a 26-year-old and Shah Rukh is 40 plus. It doesn’t suit him,” said Aziz Mirza.

Too bad to see our Shahrukh getting old….finally…:(

Shahid Kapoor and kareena Phir Milenge

If you thought you saw the last of Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor together on the big screen in Jab We Met , think again.

The duo will be seen playing a romantic couple again in Boney Kapoor’s long-in-the-making film Milenge Milenge .

In fact, Shahid and Kareena shot for this film before they did ‘Jab We Met’ together. But ‘Milenge Milenge’ got stuck in post-production stages for over a year and could not make it to the theatres. It was even speculated that the film was shelved.

But things changed after the success of ‘Jab We Met’. Since then, Boney Kapoor , the film’s producer, has been trying to get the movie completed.

Now, much to Boney’s relief, he has got Shahid and Kareena to spare a few days to dub for the film. Shahid has already begun dubbing his portions. Kareena will dub next. And there are also scenes in the film that require the two actors to dub together. That would bring the former lovers together again, even if in a dubbing studio.
Directed by Satish Kaushik , ‘Milenge Milenge’ is apparently inspired from Hollywood flick ‘Serendipity’.

I was hurt, I was angry: Emraan Hashmi

A success works wonders. Especially if you your last few films don't work. And if it's a solo hit, well, the joy knows no bounds.

Post JANNAT, Emraan Hashmi is grinning from ear to ear. JANNAT has come as a breather for Mukesh Bhatt, as also for debutante director Kunal Deshmukh and debutante writer Vishesh Bhatt, whose careers depended on how JANNAT fared.

"I was hurt, I was angry after AWARAPAN," Emraan admits, "The film hadn't worked and people had written me off. I had to prove the detractors wrong. The lull that followed only helped. I wanted to come back with a vengeance."

And it has been a terrific comeback for the talented actor. Three weeks ago, the presence of Akshay, Saif and Kareena couldn't ensure a terrific start for TASHAN. Big B and SRK's presence in BHOOTHNATH didn't help the film open to full houses either. But the excellent start of JANNAT did catch the traders by complete surprise.

"I was shocked as well. See, what went in favor of JANNAT were various factors. The buzz was very strong. Plus, a promo with content or even an attractive poster grabs your attention instantly. The first jhalak counts and JANNAT benefited for the aforesaid reasons," Emraan tells me.

What about his popularity with the youth? "Everything falls into place if the film is good. And I always had the gut that JANNAT would click in a big way," he states modestly.
Source : IndiaFM

Video: Amitabh-Abhishek-Aishwarya starrer Sarkar Raj!

Greatest Enemies of bollywood

1. Shah Rukh Khan v/s Aamir Khan



This rivalry began way back in 1996 when SRK won the Filmfare award for his act in DDLJ. As King Khan was being crowned by the nation, our chocolate boy vowed to never again attend award ceremonies. Why? Because Aamir felt he deserved to win the award for his taporigiri in Rangeela. Not just that, but the fact that the Best Film award was also bagged by the NRI love story was what really ticked off our perfectionist actor. If it hadn’t been for the spark that SRK offered to DDLJ, Aamir’s dream of a hatrick for his films at the Filmfare Awards was almost confirmed. Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander and Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke had won the Best Film awards in 1993 and 1994 respectively.

2 Abhishek Bachchan v/s Hrithik Roshan



Once upon a time, the boys who hail from the Hindi film industry's most renowned families were chaddi-buddies. Today, their friendship has been reduced to socializing at formal-dos. Abhishek and Hrithik almost started their careers at the same time. While one got instant fame and craze, the other was criticized to the core for no-show of 'spark'. The difference only got wider as time went by. While Hrithik came to be known for his smart, sensitive and urbane boy roles, Abhishek had to settle down with lesser glamorous and roughed characters. The war got public only with Dhoom 2, the movie that saw the two sharing on-screen space along with Abhishek's to-be wife Ash. Not only was the Junior Bachchan overshadowed by the green-eyed hero (who stole the show in spite of playing a negative character) but also found himself helpless as Ash shared her career's first on-screen kiss with Hrithik. A post-Yuva and Guru Abhishek is all geared to beat the young Roshan at his own sci-fi game by featuring in Drona, a super-hero tale.

3 Deepika Padukone v/s Sonam Kapoor



The most recent newcomers in Bollywood, the two are just one film down. But that doesn't stop them from entering into rivalries, does it? Sonam was extremely confident that a sound filmy background, one of the most aesthetic directors in Indian cinema and a co-star from the Kapoor khandaan would mean a successful debut. But this wasn't meant to be.

Saawariya received just too many brickbats. To top it all, her cute co-star was wooed by the OSO stunner Deepika Padukone. Needless to say, a terribly upset Sonam pestered papa Anil Kapoor to stay away from the 56th Filmfare Award night that would see Deepika and Ranbir celebrating their success.

4 Shah Rukh Khan v/s Ajav Devgan



Yes, SRK actually had a fight with one of his best pal - Kajol's - husband. The story goes back to the duo's earlier years of struggle. Apparently, Rakesh Roshan had approached the two heroes for being part of his film Karan-Arjun. However, Ajay Devgan who was more of an action hero back then, did not really get fascinated by the script narration.

Not too comfortable with the idea of telling this to Roshan, Mr Devgan tried to take SRK into confidence about not signing the film. But just like our filmy tales, there was a twist. Shah Rukh decided to take up the project without telling Ajay about it and the rest, as we all know, is history.

5 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan v/s Sushmita Sen



Almost a decade and a half ago, two of the most beautiful women on this planet found themselves in the midst of nerve-breaking competition. Participants of a beauty pageant, Aishwarya and Sushmita knew it from the beginning that they were born to be rivals. And this only got confirmed when one was crowned Miss India and the other one, a runner-up. What followed were careers in Bollywood. While one chose the conventional dancing around the trees in films like Jeans and Aur Pyar Ho Gaya, the other one opted for roles that allowed her to be the protagonist. Even though Dastak was a box-office failure, it introduced Sush as an actress who was out there to carve a niche for herself. Even off-screen, Ash is recognised as classy to the point of being perfect while Sush is known for her woman of substance appeal.

6 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan v/s Rani Mukerji




While Sush has been an old-time rival, Aishwarya's relationship with good pal Rani Mukerji, probably one of the few actresses she really got along with, also left her bitter. This time it wasn't about - Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the prettiest of them all? It was about the hunk who had gone extremely possessive about his queen of hearts. While we loved every bit of the SRK-Rani Mukerji chemistry in Chalte Chalte, it was Ash who was first signed for the role. However, Salman's temper fits on the film's set saw his girlfriend being replaced by one of her best friends. From then on, Rani lost the liberty to address Ms. Rai as 'Ashuma', a nick that was once regular at the husky throat. What helped heal Ash's burns was a film from the Yash Raj banner (Rani's adda) Dhoom 2 . The ultimate feather in Ash's Victorian hat happened with the item number Kajra Re in the Rani-starrer Bunty Aur Babli.

7 Kareena Kapoor v/s Bipasha Basu



Used to expecting a diva-like treatment, Kareena who just had a non-glam role in Refugee to her credit (Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai and Yaadein notwithstanding) saw her first female co-star in the form of debutant Bipasha Basu. Ajnabee saw Bipasha getting to play the sultry seductress while Bebo had to be happy in the shoes of a good girl. If this wasn't enough, Kareena soon found that everyone on the sets were smitten by Bipasha's sex appeal and simplicity. Not one of those who put up with secondary treatment, Kareena screamed 'Kalli Billi' at the first opportunity on the sets of Ajnabee. To this, Bipasha did not take kindly either. When on Koffee with Karan, Bips and boyfriend John made it clear what they thought about Kareena's acting skills. We are expecting a slight drop in the weather with John and Kareena agreeing to co-star in a film.

8 Rani Mukerji v/s Preity Zinta



Supposedly, the two most accommodating actresses in Bollywood. Rani and Preity shared a great deal of on-screen understanding in the two films - Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.

While we don't know what exactly ticked them off each other, what we can assure you is that the two shared extremely cold vibes during the shooting of Karan Johar's KANK. Though Preity has chose to remain silent on the issue, Rani admitted on Koffee with Karan that the two don't hang out together anymore.

9 Kareena Kapoor v/s Priyanka Chopra



Now you know why it is rare that we get to see Kareena in multi-starrers. The sensual actress scored her hatrick during the days of Aitraaz. Happy thinking that she would get to hog all the limelight since she played the lead of a devoted wife, there was no consoling Bebo for what followed. Surprisingly, the Indian audience had grown 'mature and all that' to be impressed by the gray shades of Priyanka's character. After a lot of fee-fo-fum, Bebo decided that when it comes to Don, she will have the upper hand as the ultimate sex kitten. But as luck would have it, Priyanka's Aaj Ki Raat overshadowed Bebo's cameo in the song - Yeh Mera Dil. So when apna dahling K Jo asked Kareena what she thought of actresses like Priyanka Chopra, the very catty woman refused to acknowledge the presence of a certain Ms. Chopra in the industry.

AND FOR THE 3RD TIME

10 Shah Rukh Khan v/s Amitabh Bachchan



The baap of all cold wars, SRK and Big B's enmity needs no introduction. Happy being the Baadshah of Bollywood, Khan suddenly woke up to know that the angry young man was back in action. Not only was the industry creating unconventional roles with Amitabh in mind, but he was also minting money with endorsements by the dozen. Further, this was making him popular among the masses and had the potential to damage SRK's market value. As a befitting reply, Shah Rukh decided to walk straight down Mr. Bachchan's path. Kaun Banega Crorepati - 3, campaigning for Nav Ratna Tel, remaking Don and a statue at Madame Tussauds - is his way of equaling scores with the Shahenshah. By bagging the contract to host Kya Aap Paanchi Paas Se Tez Hai, Shah Rukh is expecting to find himself a notch higher in the commercial market. Meanwhile, shrewd businessmen who have always been politically correct, the two manage to give a slip to controversial situations every single time.

Bumper Start For ´Race´ ..

If you’ve watched Abbas-Mustan’s previous directorial ventures, you know that they aren’t exactly the pride and joy of Bollywood as far as direction goes. So I didn’t rush to the theater with great expectations, and I must say that the film turned out pretty much as I thought it would. Thus it had zero character development, almost no logic, desultory conversation and some very unfunny lines passed off as humor.

The way this film has been hyped, it looked like Dhoom3 and then some. Yes, it’s got quite a few car chases, hip-swinging songs, bomb blasts, but it doesn’t quite get there. It’s actually better than Dhoom2 story-wise, and by that I mean that it HAS a story, as compared to D2’s almost non-existent one. However the story is ultra-complicated, lots of twists and turns, lots of two-faced characters, betrayals and turn-coats. You can’t tell a friend from a foe, which you’d think would herald a good thriller, but Abbas-Mastan’s inept handling makes short shrift of that notion.

The whole deal is the story of two brothers, the elder Ranveer (Saif) doting on the younger Rajiv (Akshaye). However two-faced Rajiv has a massive chip on his shoulder – Papa never liked him as much, and hence he hates Ranveer’s guts, but will not say so. Instead he plots secretly to bring about Ranveer’s death and get his grubby hands on his $100 million insurance policy. Assisting him in this quest is model Sonia (Bipasha) who’s risen from an orphanage, to dreams of big money. Both Ranveer and Rajiv are sweet on Sonia. In love with Ranveer is his secretary Sophia (Katrina), but he has eyes only for Sonia. Thrown into this mix are another pair – Inspector RD (Robert D’Souza) and his dumb secretary Mini (Sameera), doing the “Karamchand-Kitty” act.

So, essentially there are 5 main characters; the 6th – Sameera’s in inconsequential, and extremely annoying. All the 6 characters are paper-thin, not a shred of believability is left after Abbas-Mastan are done with their work. I consider Saif, Akshaye and Anil reasonably able actors, but given their haphazardly put together roles and their inane dialogues, it’s not surprising that they perform well under par. Akshaye is the best (and that’s a relative term) of the lot, but then Akshaye always does petulance well.

The women are perpetually made-up, wear skimpy clothing, and bland smiles. Katrina is quite the sexy secretary, with no life of her own; be it an after work party at the club, or her boss arriving at the airport, she’s always there. Bipasha as the glamorous Sonia comes across as highly sexed up; she’s always wearing heavy makeup, dressed up for meals like she was lunching with the Queen, and essentially just oozing oomph, be it night or day. Sameera Reddy who’s not as physically fit as the other two ladies plays dumb (and she can speak all right). Accompanying her Inspector boss to take notes, she scribbles busily on her pad, attired in backless mini-dresses, with midriff baring necklines. Apparently Abbas-Mastan have hit upon the magic formula for filmi success – thrills, chills and the female body in very little clothing; story, screenplay and sense be damned.

Neither Katrina or Bipasha, as gorgeous as they are, can act to save their lives. Katrina actually appears to believe that smiling IS acting, which is probably why she does it a lot. Smiling that is. Bipasha is a known quantity, and uses her handy one-glassy-expression-for-all-emotions technique. Sameera who can act, is given the weak role that requires none.

The characters such as they are, lead fairly absurd, one-dimensional lives. They appear to have a few traits we know about, and the audience is expected to subsist on this diet of very hard-to-believe, hollowed out, slapdash set of characters. Screenplay is extremely poor, and direction while average needs to push the pace a little. It ain’t no thriller if it takes forever.

The film starts off in South Africa, at the Durban Cup, where horse stud farm owner Ranveer is losing his races, and his money. We are treated to a brief intro to the characters of the film via a voice-over by Anil Kapoor (he as Inspector RD actually comes in only post-intermission), and his narration goes on for quite a while. Now whenever a director has to employ a narrator to actually tell us about the characters and their traits, instead of showing us by letting them speak and emote, it’s a sign that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Very true in this case, because Abbas-Mastan haven’t a clue.

The first half of the film is actually B-O-R-I-N-G. The characters appeared silly, shallow and mentally challenged. The dialogues were incredibly inane, and cheesy. Besides the nice cars, and nicer women there wasn’t much going on here. The interval came on a promising note, with the arrival of Inspector RD and assistant Mini, and you think Anil Kapoor’s going to rev things up ! But, no, Inspector RD appears to be an ape in human clothing, chomping on fruits, and lusting for Mini. Mini, of course is lacking in the brain department, and thus she becomes the butt of many not-so-funny jokes. If Sameera Reddy attempting to display an emotion were not enough for you, there’s Johnny Lever. Lever appears to be in full form, rolling his eyes, and comparing women to cell-phones. Oh joy !

The film has very good music, set to entirely inappropriate and weirdly placed songs. Lush dance numbers, complete with gyrating extras, spring up at the drop of a hat. Sophia and Ranveer go on a business trip, and manage to squeeze out a song while there. Ranveer tells Sophia that she’s a good friend, when she’s fishing for a compliment, and she breaks out into a song asking him to “Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me”.

One does not speak of Abbas-Mastan and quality in the same breath, but one must note that the story has huge, gaping holes. I do not talk of ordinary holes, as in the mortal film-viewer’s wonderment at getting from Point A to Point Z, without traversing through Points B through Y; I talk of gaping holes into which a continent the size of Asia could submerge and disappear wholly from view. And then there are the smaller mishaps – like Ranveer talking of Dispirin to cure hang-overs, and call me picky, but why in South Africa are they using Dispirin, and not a local brand of medicine ? But then this is Bollywood folks – we are good on locales, and poor on details.

This was not an entirely un-redeemable plot. In the hands of a more able director, with enough emphasis on quality, characterization, and details this could have been a good film. Saddled with Abbas-Mastan’s myopia and desire to churn out a worthy successor to Dhoom2, this film fails massively. If you liked Dhoom2, you’ll probably find "Race" an adequate entertainer. However, if like me, you thought that D2 was the pits, best keep away from this disaster.

SRK, Preity plan music videos for their IPL teams

With the Great Indian victory down under, cricket is surely the flavor of the season. While India’s next series is the three Test series against the South Africans at home, fans are actually looking forward to the grand launch of probably cricket’s biggest event, the prestigious IPL (Indian Premiere League) which kicks off from April 18th.

Adding glamour to the cricketing action would be the presence of Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta who own the franchise of the Kolkata and Mohali teams respectively. Needless to say both Khan and Zinta are leaving no stone unturned to get maximum publicity for their teams.

The latest news doing the rounds is that SRK has roped in good friend Ganesh Hegde to choreograph and direct a music video for his Kolkata team. A source, close to Hegde, confirmed the news, “Yes, Ganesh is doing the music video for SRK. We can’t reveal much about the video.” When asked if it would feature King Khan, the source remained tight-lipped but later hinted, “Aggar unka video hai to woh to honge hi na…” For those who came in late, music director duo Vishal-Shekhar who composed the music for SRK’s hit film Om Shanti Om have apparently composed the music for this video.

Meanwhile, the buzz is that Preity Zinta has apparently signed music director duo Sajid-Wajid to compose a song for her Mohali team. The song has been recorded by Bhangra King Daler Mehndi.

Well with such big names getting involved in the inaugural edition of the IPL, things are only gonna get hotter in the days to come.

Hrithik Roshan gets an entry in NASA

Hindi films and foreign locations have always gone hand in hand be it Switzerland or Australia or for that matter the US. But for some reasons our stories have never really had any elements that would require the premises of world's premiere space research organization NASA, except one – Swades.

That's the reason we were pretty excited when sources revealed that Rakesh Roshan was on a recce in the States and has approached NASA to shoot his next film there. "Rakesh Roshan is in the States, he has been on a location hunt. And the news is that he has approached NASA and they have approved his request to let him shoot there," says a source close to his camp.

When we tried reaching Rakesh Roshan he did approve that he is indeed in the US. "I am in LA right now and will return only by 29 February," reads his SMS. However, the director - producer sent an outright denial to our query on the NASA progress. "They are false rumours," he said, claming he never really approached the organization.

It must be noted that if Rakesh had got the permission, Hrithik would have been the second hero to shoot there after Shah Rukh Khan, who played Mohan Bhargav, a NASA project manager in Ashutosh Gowariker's Swades. Hrithik, in the mean time, is readying up to play the lead in Anurag Basu's 'international' project, the lead actress for which is yet to be finalised.

Shah Rukh Khan returns as quizmaster for Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain

Shah Rukh Khan returns as quizmaster on television with his new show, Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hain, after his successful first innings in Star Plus' Kaun Banega Crorepati.

Paanchvi Paas is a show based on the American quiz contest, Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader. It has been running successfully in about 50 countries.

Anyone above the age of 18 can participate in this show. The questions asked will be taken from the first to fifth grade syllabus. Which means that anything taught to students studying between the first to fifth grades can be asked.

Of course, the questions will not be as easy as you would expect them to be.

So if you want to win Rs 5 crores (Rs 50 million), all you have to do is participate in the game show!

Paanchvi Paas will be telecast on Star Plus during the summer vacations. The exact date for launch has not been decided yet.

No time for Dulha Mil Gaya says Shahrukh khan

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan seems to have lost interest in good friend and producer Viveck Vaswani’s film Dulha Mil Gaya .

The movie, starring Sushmita Sen and Fardeen Khan , has SRK in a brief but important role that includes a lavish song that was originally to be shot last year aboard a cruise liner but was postponed for technical reasons.

And now, in its second year of making, ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’ has been delayed so much that Shah Rukh has apparently lost his interest in the project.

The superstar also won’t have time to shoot for Vaswani’s production.

King Khan learning French kissing!

Being a versatile actor Shah Rukh Khan has played a variety of characters, but has been most popular in romantic roles. Everyone, including the directors and the audience are aware of this and they know how effectively King Khan can express love through his telling eyes. What is, however, significant is that despite acting in numerous romantic films, Shah Rukh has never done a kissing scene!

It is not that King Khan was never offered a kissing scene, but the fact remains that our Bollywood icon cannot endure witnessing him kissing on screen. However, it seems that it is time that Shah Rukh will break the legacy as he has himself confessed recently that he is so influenced by French kiss, that he cannot express it in words. Believe it or not, Shah Rukh says that during his childhood days he used to secretly watch French films just to see those exciting and intimate French kisses! In those days itself, our Bollywood icon had decided to learn the art of French kissing some day or the other.

King Khan humbly says that while he has managed to master the art of acting to a certain extent, he is yet to learn the art of French kissing. Although it's entirely a personal affair to know on whom he has practiced the art of French kissing, we presume it must be his better half Gauri.

Shah Rukh is keen to experiment new roles each time and so, we are of the opinion that there is nothing to be surprised if someday we see him plant a French kiss on screen on any of his heroines. Now who can have any objection if King Khan breaks the rules he has set for himself? Now the question is whether King Khan will plant the French kiss on his heroine with the same passion that he expresses his love through his eyes for his leading ladies on screen.

From MGR to Rajnikanth, Aishwarya completes a full circle!

Meteoric.
There are no other words that best describe the starry trajectory of Ms.Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
From the memorable 'Mother Teresa' speech that clinched her Miss World title in 1994, to an internationally recognized actress in a decade, it has been nothing short of phenomenal. Though it was a give-in that the next level for established Miss worlds would be the greasepaint mecca called Bollywood, our lady had to wait for another three years to break into the Silver Screen with one of the biggest debut acts that others can only dream about.

As the leading lady in Manirathinam's Iruvar in 1997, Aishwarya Rai got the best start of her acting career, paired against two of the finest actors in India, Mohanlal and Prakash Raj.

Bollywood doors were thrown wide open after her first release and she jumped into the first waiting chariot, a dud named Aur Pyar Ho Gaya. It wasnt long before Shankar pitched her in Jeans in 1998, that was the defining movie that brought her critical acclaim and commercial success and shot her into the top league, the creme' de la creme of Bollywood Divas.

And the meteor was just warming up, defining the starry trajectory and settling in for a spectacular ride.
And what a ride it has been.
If it had been Jeans in 1998, it was Sanjay Bhansali's Hum Dil Chuke Sanam which was the blockbuster that brought her her First Filmfare award for Best Actress in 1999.

Taal, Kandukondein Kandukondein and supporting roles in Mohabbattein and Josh came next.

But the icing on the cake was Devdas in 2002. With Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, she wept, wailed, danced, shimmied, sashayed and wept some more and was suddenly the toast of every single media house in the country.

More than King Khan and Mme.Dixit, what also kept her in the cynosure of public attention and curious affection was the now hot-now-cold affair our lady got involved with Mr.Biceps a.k.a The Chiselled Torso, Salman Khan.

It was a double bonanza for everyone.
Publicity begat more publicity and the star shone brighter.

More international exposure came with the release of Bride and Prejudice, Gurindher Chaddha's Bhangra meets British take on the very English novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

The Mistress of Spices came next, and was more of a yawner.
But by now, Aishwarya Rai had become the reigning Diva of the Bollywood Star wagon. Which was pretty much evident for the fact that, she could do with just a 7 minute song and dance hit in Bunty and Bubli - Kajra Re, an appearance that was meant to be the additional 'drawing' factor for the movie.

Umrao Jan and Dhoom 2 came along in 2006.

Any mention about Umraao Jaan brings sweating nightmares of an experience even she would want to forget, even in her bad moments. Umraao Jaan was a period saga which never got anywhere. Period.

But redemption came in the way of Dhoom 2, the sequel to the hugely succesful Dhoom, and the popular title track plus the enigmatic-oh-so-there-but-not-there chemistry between Hrithik made sure the movie stayed in the center of attention.

It was back to mentor Manirathnam's camp in 2007, with Guru. The master made sure he got the best performances from his protagonists. The fact that the leading couple's sizzling chemistry had overflown the celluloid canvas again guaranteed additional draw to the marquee.

The next project under the title Provoked went to Oblivion Island on a one way ticket.
So did the much hyped Last Legion.

Jodha-Akbar seems to be the Valentines' gift for Indians in 2008.

Finally, its back to Shankar, for ROBOT, back to Tamil, and paired opposite the one and only Rajnikanth.
Its been quite a ride.

From being paired opposite Mohanlal's MGR in Iruvar to the love interest of the hi-tech Thalaivar in ROBOT.
And it still sees no slowing.
This meteor called Aishwarya.

......and then there was the 'SAIFREENA SPECIAL SIZZLER'.......

Is the sizzle, soon to fizzle? Yes, we are talking about the latest buzz from the industry - The sizzling duo of Shahid....er sorry, Saif Ali Khan and our very own Bebo aka Kareena Kapoor! Sure it doesn't come as a surprise for most of us who are hands on with the buzz in Mumbai city and have seen the couple painting the town red in up market nightclubs, fine dine restaurants and other elite places, I dare say the ones
which the Paparazzi frequent the most.

After the tragic fall out between the oh cho chwweet chocolate boy Shahid and Kareena, Bebo has now seemed to have taken a fancy for men who are way older than her. Finally the realization seems to have dawned upon her that Shahid and she have nothing in common now, except for the surname! Her preferences have slowly graduated from the chocolate boys who can dance their way to bed, to the macho rough and tough looking men, with of course a sensitive twang to them and are capable of playing some musical instrument to serenade her.

I feel the need to mention, here, for some of us who are still oblivious to the fact that Saif has recently discovered in himself a latent talent of playing the guitar, which he does quite effortlessly. This hobby was noticed to be nurtured when he was seen strumming the guitar at the Temptations Show in Atlanta last year. He was also recently seen strumming a few tunes with band 'Parikrama' and 'Strings', where he proudly waived his arm which had a bold tattoo of Ms.Kapoor - his lady love.

Hang on a second, did we read tattoo?! Yes, he is known to have recently tattooed Kareena's name in Hindi on his arm. The grapevine says this noble yet painful inscription took place in Greece while shooting for the film 'Tashan' under the YashRaj banner. Yes people, the love story is supposed to have begun brewing while shooting in that exotic locale. Ah! Who said the place doesn't play a major role in mood building and role playing (literally)?! We have enough substance to prove otherwise.

Now, without getting into topographical details, let me proceed to share some crazy testimonials Saif has given to win his lady love. The first one obviously being the deed of tattooing Kareenas name in Hindi, rather in the Devnagri script, on his arm. When asked lovingly what the gorgeous Bebo would do for him in return, she was said to have promptly agreed to the suggestion of Saif to take her top off for a shot in 'Tashan'and bare it all (for only Saif to see)!! Wah, isko boltey hain 'ek se badh kar ek'...

On another occasion, while chatting with a few friends, they asked him what he would do to prove his love for Kareena. At that Saif was seen to slash his palm with a knife as a sign of testimony to his love. All this happened in the presence of the lady in question, as she was noticed to very painstakingly nurse his bleeding palm thereafter.

He is also known to be extremely possessive and protective about Bebo as seen from an incident which took place in a crowded nightclub while walking through a bunch of excitable idiots. An onlooker passed a comment or brushed passed Kareena and Saif happened to hurl some really life threatening harsh words at the mere mortal. This gesture takes me back to the legendary slap of Govinda's where the victim (an onlooker) might have just been made the butt of a publicity stunt by the actor. Poor souls, I say.

Anyway, it is said that even while his enticing and enchanting damsel Kareena is not with him in person, Saif constantly has her on his mind, or so he claimed to a friend of mine who brought this question up with Saif during his concert in Bangalore, which Kareena unfortunately was unable to attend.

All this and more makes me wonder if I would want to term these happenings (or should I say mishaps) and brand the couple as 'passionately in love' or should I simply say Kareena is Saif's 'flavour of the season' and vice versa?

Tracking the couples past record of relationships individually, I am forced to believe that it's the latter and I hope they prove me wrong someday. Both Saif and Kareena are known to have a roaring and exciting love life in the past and I dare say they have been quite open about it. Link-ups for Saif, a divorcee and father of two, have been quite a few amongst which Rosa' Catalano's name has been very recent. Whereas for Bebo, Shahid took up a lot of space in her life recently where the chemistry between the two was very apparent even in their film 'Jab we met'.

Nevertheless if I am to sum this up in the most unbiased manner possible, results from various opinion polls conducted amongst the common public worldwide state that the Saif and Kareena duo is here to stay and undoubtedly will tie the knot soon.

Let's take a reality check here. The question is will this really happen? Will the wedding bells be ringing for the oh so passionate and I dare say 'sexcited duo' soon? Will Kareena agree to play the step mother of two and second fiddle to Amrita Singh? Will Saif not realize that he is going to be ageing at the speed of light which will be way faster than the ageing process of this delicate darling who is known to have skin like porcelain? Has it never crossed his mind she may not want to wake up to him every morning after 2-3 years? Is he not scared to be called a cradle snatcher all his life? Well, looking at how things are shaping up right now, maybe not. For all we know, the couple may have already run all this through their heads and have come to terms with certain harsh realities, surpassed all the negatives and maybe ready to take the plunge!

You know what is going to be the icing on the cake if the abovementioned comes true? A couple of years from now, people like you and me, will enter a restaurant to find a sizzler named after the passion for which Saif and Kareena were known for. This sizzler will be on the chef's special items list and will be called - chefs special - 'Saifreena Special Sizzler'. This is not all. For those who order the 'Saifreena Special Sizzler' will get a free desert to commemorate the sweetness of love. This sizzling brownie would also be served with extra toppings of love, once again free of cost!

Rajnikanth Wins NDTV Indian of the Year Award

At a glittering ceremony for the 'NDTV Indian of the Year' awards held at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi, Bollywood star and Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty missed winning the award.

The award was bagged by south superstar Rajnikant .

In the year gone by, Rajnikant achieved huge popularity with his superbly scripted character in the film Sivaji .

On the other hand, Shilpa received worldwide recognition for the dignity with which she stood up against racial discrimination onslaughts in the British reality show 'Big Brother'.

This not only made the actress a household name and an icon in the United Kingdom, but brought immense pride for our country, propelling her as an ambassador of equality across the globe.

Papa Zayed Khan

Zayed Khan became a proud Papa yesterday. The actor’s wife, Malaika Khan, delivered a baby boy at Mumbai’s Breach Candy hospital early Friday (Jan 18) morning.

The baby boy has been named Zidaan as Zayed was really keen on having his child’s name start with Z. The actor is thrilled to bits on seeing his bundle of joy and feels the child resembles both Malaika and him.

Here’s wishing them tons of good wishes on this happy occasion.

Shahrukh khan is not in Krrish 2

A lot has been written on Rakesh Roshan's sequel to Krrish which will be called Krrish-2. Some publications have reported that Shah Rukh Khan will be playing villain in the sequel and Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra will be directing it but all these are mere speculations.

Sources close to the Roshan camp reveal that the script of the film is yet to be finalized and without finalizing the script Roshan can't decide who will play the role. Khan is only doing an item number for Roshan produced film Krazzy4 and Mehra has been approached to direct a film which is yet to be decided.

EMI - Sunjay Dutt's return as bhai

Just a month after Sanjay Dutt started shooting for EMI (Easy Monthly Installment), debutant director Saurav Kabra has released its first poster.

EMI sees Dutt return to what he does best -- play a bhai.

Dutt plays Sattarbhai in the film, a loan recovery agent. The film also stars Urmila Matondkar and is produced by Dutt's close buddy and costar, Suniel Shetty.

EMI is about middle class families who are harassed by loan recovery agents and banks when they default on payments. It will release next year

Its not Deepika, It's Kareena for Mr and Mrs Khanna with salman khan

Kareena Kapoor and Salman Khan were not on talking terms for a long time but now they seems to have finally decided to bury the hatchet.

The duo will be seen together in Sohail Khan Production’s ‘Mr. and Mrs. Khanna’, which marks the debut of Prem Soni as a director, who is responsible for bringing Kareena and Salman together by playing the mediator and convinced both to do his film.

Kareena will now play the role of Mrs. Khanna in the film.

Priyadarshan ’s Kyon Ki was the last film in which Salman and Kareena starred together.

Kareena and Salman were not on talking terms for a long time. The situation got awkward between them after the Rockstar Concert happened in 2006.

Shahid Kapur , who was Kareena’s boyfriend then, was a part of the concert along with Salman.