News & Gossips

Sonam wants to play Santa to Ranbir, Imran?

Sonam Kapoor is set to get into the garb of Santa for a new TV show, but if given a choice, she would like to play Santa to Bollywood boys Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan.
At the launch of UTV Stars' latest show "Superstar Santa", Sonam was asked if she was to play Santa to two people in Bollywood, who would they be?
The tall and slim beauty gave a confusing reply, saying: "You know in earlier days, two actors had no issues working with each other. Like for example, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan have worked together and even Salman and Aamir Khan.
"But these days that never happens! We never get to see competing actors together. Ranbir and Imran coming together will be perfect. But it just doesn't happen," she said.
Perhaps Sonam wants to be a Santa to bring the two actors together on screen! For now, she is gearing up for the show, in which she will help common people in solving their personal woes.
The show will feature one celebrity each week, and they will solve issues relating to friends, families and even romantic relationships.
Commenting on her association with the show, Sonam said: "Life is too short, if you fret and be upset, you will regret. So be the bigger one and nip the problem in the bud; smile, love and be happy."
The show is being produced by Red Chillies Idiot Box. It will go on air Jan 1 next year.

100 days to Rs.100 crore - SRK traces Bollywood's number game!

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, whose mega-budget production "RA.One" has earned more than Rs.100 crore, recalls the time when 100 days in the theatre was victory enough for film producers.

"Was discussing with my DDLJ ('Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge') friend how we wished for a 100 days for our film... rather than Rs.100 crore. Seems our days are truly numbered now!!" tweeted Shah Rukh.

The actor's last release "Don 2: The King Is Back" is also on its way to register earnings over the Rs.100 crore-mark.

After a relaxed holiday in Dubai with his family and friends, it seems Shah Rukh is now getting back into work mode.

"The excitement of working on a new script covers up the stress of daily chores. I think I was made to entertain... not be entertained," he added.

Dubai wishes Bipasha warm b'day in advance

When Bipasha Basu went to Dubai to promote her forthcoming film "Players" in Dubai, little did she know she will be swarmed by advance birthday wishes from her fans there.

"My day today in Dubai was amazing! People of Dubai are so warm, big groups of people all sang Happy Birthday to me wherever we went! Very touched!" Bipasha posted on her Twitter page Wednesday.

The actress will ring in her 33rd birthday Saturday.

Her film "Players", which also features Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sonam Kapoor, Omi Vaidya and Bobby Deol, will release Friday. Directed by Abbas-Mustan, it is the official Hindi remake of American film "Italian Job".

Year 2011 was quite eventful for Bipasha as she parted ways with John Abraham, her boyfriend of eight years. She also bagged her first international project "Singularity", and her toned look in "Players" is already grabbing eyeballs.

Bipasha upset with leaked birthday party video

Bipasha Basu's crazy birthday party is out there on the internet for all to see. But the leaked video has left the actress miffed as she feels her privacy has been invaded.

"I'm still in shock that my privacy has been invaded! These were private moments from my birthday that were leaked and I am very upset," tweeted Bipasha.

The actress turned 33 Saturday, and true to her latest song "Ho gayi tunn" from her new release, "Players", Bipasha seemed to be high in the video. She can be seen dancing around with celebrity friends like Milind Soman, Aftab Shivdasani, Sikander Kher and Abhay Deol, amid a lot of drinks and cheers.

She even cut a quirky cake, with special candles on it, and looked fabulous in a nude-coloured gown. She can even be seen dancing in the washroom with a couple of girls, and later grooving on the dance floor with Sikander.

No wonder Bipasha is so upset.

"Just because we are actors doesn't mean we are not entitled to our privacy! These troublemakers should just get more productive with their time!" she wrote.

SRK mum on 'slapgate', says reportage affecting his kids

Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan Wednesday refused to categorically state whether he had slapped Shirish Kunder or not but said the reportage on the incident was affecting his kids.
"Lots of things are being said about my life in news channels but the stuff which you put up in the channels are not the whole truth. This is embarrassing at times as I have a 14-year-old son and an 11-and-a-half year old daughter," said Shah Rukh, who was in Kolkata to address a programme.
The Bollywood badshah felt it was embarrassing for a father to explain certain issues to his children.
"Every morning it becomes very difficult to explain to your children and it becomes embarrassing as a father, as a brother or as elder son of the family to explain about what is stated," he told reporters.
Shah Rukh reportedly roughed up editor-filmmaker Shirish, the husband of his former friend Farah Khan, in the wee hours of Monday during Sanjay Dutt's success party for "Agneepath".
"Bollywood stories are presented in a larger than life way... I have read the headlines. Yeah, some of them have not happened and some of them might have happened, but I would like to keep it to myself," he remarked.
Describing Farah as a very old friend, Shah Rukh regretted the reports that have been published about his differences with her.
"I have heard things that have been stated about us and it's very difficult for people to sit down and read things in the house. In our house, the kids call her Farah aunty. It's really sad when for last two years people say she said this and that... None of that is happening," he said.
However, he sounded hopeful of settling the differences.
"We can resolve our issues... certain issues we can resolve with hugs and happiness and I want to keep it personal," he said.
Earlier in Mumbai too he was evasive about the fracas.
"Did I tell you that there was a fight... no... so I will not tell anything about the patch up also," Shah Rukh told reporters at a pre-nuptial ceremony of Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza. The actor reached the function in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The truce between Shah Rukh and Shirish was reportedly initiated by Farah's brother Sajid Khan and filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala.
Shirish, Farah, Sajid and producer Nadiadwala met Shah Rukh at his house Mannat, where all of them sorted out the issue.
After the patch up, Shirish had told IANS that their frienship has become stronger than ever.

'Slapgate' reportage affecting my kids: Shah Rukh

Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan Wednesday refused to categorically state whether he had slapped Shirish Kunder or not but said the reportage on the incident was affecting his kids.

"Lots of things are being said about my life in news channels but the stuff which you put up in the channels are not the whole truth. This is embarrassing at times as I have a 14-year-old son and an 11-and-a-half year old daughter," said Shah Rukh, who was in the city to address a programme.

The Bollywood badshah felt it was embarrassing for a father to explain certain issues to his children.

"Every morning it becomes very difficult to explain to your children and it becomes embarrassing as a father, as a brother or as elder son of the family to explain about what is stated," he told reporters.

Shah Rukh reportedly roughed up editor-filmmaker Shirish, the husband of his former friend Farah Khan, in the wee hours of Monday during Sanjay Dutt's success party for "Agneepath".

"Bollywood stories are presented in a larger than life way... I have read the headlines. Yeah, some of them have not happened and some of them might have happened, but I would like to keep it to myself," he remarked.

Describing Farah as a very old friend, Shah Rukh regretted the reports that have been published about his differences with her.

"I have heard things that have been stated about us and it's very difficult for people to sit down and read things in the house. In our house, the kids call her Farah aunty. It's really sad when for last two years people say she said this and that... None of that is happening," he said.

However, he sounded hopeful of settling the differences.

"We can resolve our issues... certain issues we can resolve with hugs and happiness and I want to keep it personal," he said.

'Agneepath' overwhelms global box office, earns $3.2 mn

After a record opening in the domestic market, filmmaker Karan Johar's "Agneepath" has tasted success in the overseas market by earning $3.2 million (Rs.160 million) since it opened Jan 26.

Eros International released the Hrithik Roshan-starrer on 337 screens worldwide. The film, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra, grossed 347,000 pounds in Britain in the first four days. In the US, the four-day collections were $1.3 million and in the UAE, "Agneepath" collected more than $800,000.

"'Agneepath' has done extremely well in all the overseas markets making it the first blockbuster of the year. The tremendous response has been very encouraging with all major markets indicating remarkable box office results," Pranab Kapadia, president, marketing and distribution, Eros International, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, after a record first day opening, the film is on its way to join the Rs.1 billion club as it has already earned Rs.750 million in the five days of its release. If trade experts are to be believed, the film is likely to do better as there is no big release in the coming weekend.

"All of us at Dharma Productions are ecstatic with the collections. It truly is the director Karan Malhotra's vision that has made it all possible. Revisiting a cult classic is a dating task....and he along with his brilliant cast and crew have helped create box office magic," said an overwhelmed Karan Johar, the producer.

"Agneepath" is the remake of 1990 film of the same name, but it was not a commercial success. However, Amitabh Bachchan got a national award for his performance. The new version of the movie has Hrithik playing the iconic Vijay Dinanath Chauhan.

Rishi Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt are getting rave reviews for their portrayals of Rauf Lala and Kancha Cheena respectively.

Filmmaker Ramesh Taurani is upset with actress Deepika Padukone for opting out of his "Race 2" at the last moment following an offer for a Hollywood project and rues that she didn't even apologise for her hasty retreat.

"I went to her shooting. We tried to reason it out with her. But she refused to even listen. Forget about anything else, she did not even apologise for her action. She seems to have no remorse" Taurani said in a statement.

The filmmaker says he is facing such crisis for the first time.

"I have been part of the Hindi cinema industry for 25 years. I have made several blockbusters. But I have never faced a situation like this before. Our directors and other actors are extremely annoyed with her," Taurani said in a statement.

"Tips as a company in its last 25 years has never had a dispute with anyone. There is no single case in the association which involves us, it will be very sad and uncalled for if the matter goes to that level," he added.

The actress, who had shot for a week for the film, is said to have backed out after being approached for a Hollywood project. Taurani was left fuming after learning that he was among the last to know about her decision.

"On January 27 people kept calling me asking whether Deepika was out of 'Race 2'. I was clueless. I called her and asked her. She simply said that she would come to my office by 5 p.m. with her new manager to work out everything. At around 3 p.m., she called to say that she wouldn't be able to keep the appointment. However, her manager would be present on her behalf," said Taurani.

"Finally, when the manager arrived, he simply told me that Deepika wouldn't be able to do our film. And that's because she is doing a major Hollywood project," he added.

Earlier, Sonakshi Sinha had walked out of the multi-starrer film and was replaced by Jaqueline Fernandes. The star cast of the film also includes Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Ameesha Patel.

Deepika Padukone denies reports that she has been approached for Rohit Shetty's "Chennai Express" opposite her first big screen co-star Shah Rukh Khan. However, she says she would love to work with the director.

"I haven't been approached for 'Chennai Express'. Having said that, I've watched all his (Shetty's) films. He's a fabulous filmmaker and I would love to work with him someday," Deepika, last seen in "Desi Boyz", said in a statement.

'Jodi Breakers' cleared of plagiarism charge

"Jodi Breakers" has been exonerated from charges of plagiarism levelled by the producers of the French film "Heartbreakers", which was said to have inspired the Hindi movie releasing Friday.

Apparently the lawyers appointed by the producers of "Heartbreakers" saw "Jodi Breakers", which has Bipasha Basu and R. Madhavan in the lead roles, and came to the conclusion that there were no overt similarities between the two films.

Sounding relieved, the film's director Ashwini Chaudhary said: "Their lawyers have concluded that there are no similarities between their film, and ours. The fact that they came to this conclusion comes as no surprise to me.

"I was aware that there were no similarities between the two films, other than maybe the similar-sounding titles. I don't know who started this whole allegation against our film. This is not the kind of publicity we were looking for."

Chaudhary feels there must have been provocation to press for the plagiarism charges.

"Why else would they have suddenly chosen to accuse us of plagiarism without seeing a single frame of our film? After the charges, I had given them a synopsis of my script. Then I had offered to let them read my script in my office provided they first signed a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). But they refused. It was almost as if they were determined to prove we had copied their film, no matter what the truth."

Relieved by the developments, Chaudhary said: "It is very fashionable and lucrative for people to jump in during the time of a film's release. It creates so much unnecessary tension for any project. There has to be a way to put an end to this troublesome practice."

I, Me Aur Main to release 27th July, 2012

Reliance Entertainment’s co-production in association with Rose Movies and Pollen Entertainment ‘I Me Aur Main’ starring John Abraham is slated to release on 27th July, 2012.

Set against an urban backdrop, this slice-of-life film marks the directorial debut of Kapil Sharma, son of noted astronaut, Rakesh Sharma.

‘I Me Aur Main’ is based on the protagonist played by John Abraham and his relationship with the 5 women in his life, the roles of which are essayed by actresses Chitrangada , Prachi Desai, Raima Sen, Mini Mathur and Zareena Wahab.

Sanjeev Lamba, CEO, Reliance Entertainment says, “I Me Aur Main is a fun and refreshing film. It’s a feel good story about a self obsessed man’s relationship with the five most important women in his life, he takes for granted. We are very pleased with the way the film has shaped up and are excited about its release on 27th July.”

Says Shrishti Arya“I Me Aur Main is a film that every guy will claim is his very own story and every girl will know a man just like John’s character in the film. It is scheduled to release 27th July, 2012 and we couldn’t be more excited”.

Says producer Goldie Behl “The film is an urban commercial genre with a novel concept…It’s a John Abraham you’ve never seen before and the film is sure to strike a chord with today’s youth”

‘I Me Aur Main’ produced by Shrishti Arya, Goldie R Behl, John Abraham and Reliance Entertainment comes to a theatre near you on 27th July, 2012 .

For Rana Daggubati, Bipasha just a friend

The rumour that Rana Daggubati and Bipasha Basu are dating has been making the rounds ever since the two paired up for "Dum Maaro Dum", but the southern actor puts an end to it saying they are just friends.

"Bipasha Basu is nothing more than a friend. She is a very good friend in Mumbai. And that's pretty much it," Rana, whose second Hindi film is "Department" after "Dum Maaro Dum", told IANS.

Bipasha's love life had been under speculation ever since her 10-year-long love saga with John Abraham came to an end.

Rana says he has stopped bothering about media reports on his relationship status.

"I used to wonder earlier, but later I stopped bothering about these media reports. How many times will one deny these reports? Better ignore them."

Currently Rana is gearing up for the release of "Department", which also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, the film is coming out on May 18.