Now, after dividing their time between London and LA, they are looking to set up home together but can't agree on which side of the pond to build their nest, reported Daily Mail online. "Kristen wasn't keen to settle in London at first, and Rob is no fan of LA.

He still dreams about living the quiet West London life he had before he found fame. He likes his no-frills lifestyle and can't be bothered to upgrade to a luxury home," a friend said.

"It has caused tension with Kristen. She lived at his London place while filming Snow White here, but she's keen to find somewhere she feels is her home," the friend added.

"I did come close to buying in LA, but 20 minutes from signing I freaked out," Pattinson recently said. Tweet (less)

VJ and TV show host Rannvijay Singh, who gets paid to talk, is christened 'official troublemaker' by director Nagesh Kukunoor. Rannvijay who plays the main lead in Nagesh Kukunoor's Mod , opposite Ayesha Takia , finds it tough to keep quiet.

So, whenever there was a commotion around, everyone knew who to blame. It's a known fact that Nagesh Kukunoor works in silence and is serious while on the sets.

On the contrary the Rannvijay (who can't stop chatting) found his partner in crime in Ayesha. Rannvijay says, "For now I'm trying to strike a balance between anchoring and acting.

My two favourite Nagesh films have been Iqbal , as I'm a sportsman myself and Dor." While he has already starred in multi-starrers like Toss, London Dreams and Action Replayy , Mod is his first film as the solo male lead (less)

For me he was somebody who I looked up to in a very respectful way, somebody that I admired. He is very attractive but that's not the way I saw or looked up to him as.

..

so that never really crossed my mind..

.of desiring him," said Asin, who will grace Simi Garewal's show India's Most Desirable this Sunday.

"I really never thought of resisting him," she added. The 25-year-old admitted she feels lucky to have worked with bigwigs of Bollywood like Aamir Khan in Ghajini and Salman.

Asin recalled that the Dabangg actor made her eat a bug during the making of Ready . "Salman actually challenged me to eat a bug that he along with the crew had collected from a nearby jungle in Bangkok.

They eat these creatures there. So he held it in his hand and asked me to eat it," she said.

"And I am not the one to shy away from challenges. I ate it rather swallow it.

Salman thought that I would yell, scream, throw a fit or get freaked out but I didn't. Instead, I ate it.

So he didn't really get the reaction he expected," the actress added. Tweet (less)

..

From a Shirish calling "Ra.One" a fizzled cracker to a Thackeray almost calling you a Pakistani loyalist, within a week - what did you do to trigger this? Both unimportant.

..

let me say something sincerely. I hope it doesn't sound too rude.

Successful people do things, and get over with it, and leave others to live their life off it. I DO them.

And then I leave it to others to live their life off it. It is so strange - if anyone takes my name, I have the ability to make them famous.

Just by taking my name. And that's God's gift.

My son asked me this the other day, 6 'o' clock in the morning he called me, and asked me, Papa, people say things about you. Don't you get angry? Don't you want to beat them up? And I said no, your father is gifted with this.

That if you want to be famous, you take your dad's name. And I said the only persons I don't want to be famous by taking my name are you and your sister.

Let the rest of the world do that. And I truly mean that.

I hope that comes true. I endorse so many people free (laughs)! But surely statements such as Thackeray's must provoke you to respond? Sometimes I don't want to dignify things with answers.

And it takes a huge amount of self-restraint, patience, control, and love for your own family, to keep quiet. And dignity, and perhaps the status that I have in the eyes of the people.

I was told by Amitji once - we were sitting backstage for a show - beta, jab stardom aati hai na, koi bhi aadmi aa kar tumko thappad mar kar chala jayega. Tum use kuch nahin keh sakte.

Kyunki agar tumne kuch kaha, to tum ameer ho, gareeb pe apna dum daba rahe ho. Tumne sharab pi hui hai.

Tum gundagardi kar rahe ho. Tum arrogant ho.

Tum apne aap ko samjhte kya ho? He said these are the things they'll say. You have to keep quiet, put on your blinkers, keep walking.

And that is why successful people finally become a little reclusive. It's not the reclusion of loneliness; my reclusion is the reclusion of avoiding, of ignoring, of saying, let's move on.

Hemaji told me something like this long ago, when I was new. Somebody wrote an article which said that I'd said that Hemaji was not a good director - while I'd said nothing like that, but you know how press mein aata hai.

..

so I was very scared and I said, ma'am, I didn't say anything like that. Hemaji told me see, this means, either I am very famous, or you are very famous.

And my fame has sort of reduced now, so this means you've become famous, and now this will be part of your life. The other night, I met her for the launch of her film, and she asked me - you remember na everything I said? And I said, yes, I remember everything.

So, yes, success makes people - people not related to you or to your field - like to take a dig at you. Sometimes I go to social networking sites for a while and I'm like, arre! Kaafi personal ho gaya! Quite vicious, the online tenor can be, on a bad day.

Yes, very. But then, I'm like, this is maybe a small dusty man in a small dusty room, taking out his angst, his loneliness, by taking someone's name, abusing him, and feeling happy that his achievement has been recorded.

So then I feel I'm also a source of inspiration for them, even if in a strange, negative sense. God bless them.

There is no dearth of actors - stars, rather - who share your surname. But the "Nishan-e-Pakistan" sort of compliments are usually directed exclusively at you.

Why's that? (Laughs) I know, I know what you mean. Maybe I'm too flamboyant.

Maybe like my son, I don't answer back enough..

. But why are you a target of angst across the range - from the guy in the dusty room to irked political leaders? I think I invoke radical passions in people - and that is why I am such a big star! I'll walk out with you just now, and you'll have men, women, of all nationalities, just hugging me.

I think it is the same intensity on the other side, in those who don't like my face. And I will choose to believe in the hugs more than the hatred.

Just like Hyundai uses me, as a professional, a lot of people use me unprofessionally. I've become a free-for-all brand.

I hope they come out with a rule that they can't use a person's name without paying him for it! And the most irritating part of it is one word - opinion. You ask someone, how could you say this about him? And the answer is - it's an opinion.

You're a dog - that's an opinion. You're an actor - that's also an opinion.

You're a Muslim - that's an opinion. Anything can be twisted into an opinion.

That's not good. Ek "Trimurti" mein line thi - kabhi picture mein shoot hi nahin kari woh! - mujhe badi achhi lagti thi: "Jisko dekho mera baap banna chahta hai" (laughs).

It's a strange thing. Jisko dekho mera baap banna chahta hai.

Lekin theek hai. God bless them.

So long as my children don't want to be my baap, it's ok! "RA.One's" revenues have been the subject of much national debate the past week.

Yeah..

. right now, as we sit down and talk, it is supposed to be the highest grosser, as of five days.

The business is different - number of theatres, screens, audience going in big numbers..

. so obviously the reactions are also larger, more volatile.

The projectionists have also become part of the reactions - and they like to make projections telling you that agle din business itna achha nahin hoga. Everybody has become hugely associated with the tangibility of this business.

It is unfortunate that it is so; a film should ideally be allowed to breathe, to reach people at its own pace. That was the old style.

But if you release it in the new style, like we have, with 5,000 theatres, which is the American way of doing it - and the right way - because there are no longer Silver or Golden jubilees, there's only a weekend or two of business. In the future, all big films will release in 5,000 theatres.

In an earlier interview, you said that films and filmmakers are part of a strange art form which is only measured by the yardstick of commerce. And that dichotomy is one you have to live with.

..

You have to live with it, yes, you have to. Earlier, the business of films was not discussed on every platform.

Now, if I'm getting off the plane from LA, people come up to me and say, 'Sir, congratulations, what big figures!' Earlier they would come and say nice film, good role - now they talk about earnings. The applause is mixed with the jingling of coins, you have to hear both together.

It doesn't make me too happy. My heart doesn't crunch numbers.

But my business partners are happy - mazaa aa gaya reactions. I'm like, ok.

..

I think a film should be measured differently also. Is it the media's obsession with you vs Salman that got translated into the almost hourly comparison of "RA.

One" vs "Dabangg"? I don't think it's just the media, honestly. I think there is a section of people related to the trade who also talk in these terms.

A trade person or a producer, he'll tell you it did well, but it didn't quite do as well as that one, or better than that one on the second day, or whatever..

. I feel conversations are not viable anymore; it's just communication.

And communication boils down to monosyllabic terms. Yes, no, ok, good, like, dislike, bye, 170 (crores).

It is no longer ki kaisi lagi picture..

. Nobody converses.

Reactions are like, wow, thumbs up, smiley. New genres, new stories are like a new shoe for a day or two.

And I've been in the business long enough to know ki yeh joota theek ho jayega. Now it'll swerve to the opposite - these figures are unheard of, etc, etc.

I would not like to participate in either of these discussions, Day 1, Day 2, week..

. the messages I get are like, '7 crores on a Monday! Super duper!' The first four days are just about communication, then it comes to conversation about a film.

Appreciating a film is like opening a wine..

. good wine needs a little breathing before you drink it.

On the point of commerce vs art: Wouldn't you be remembered for a role like "Chak De" even if that wouldn't be a movie that made a fraction of the money that "RA.One" is making? No, I don't think so, I don't think that's a case in point.

I work for now. I don't work for two things - I don't work for posterity, and I don't work for prosperity.

Some people work for prosperity. I've worked for that.

But now I am prosperous, I am ok. And I don't work for posterity.

Yaar main yeh kya nishaan chhod ke jaa raha hoon? Because posterity is not created by you; it's created by talk, by cinema, by life itself. If you're working for either of the two, you're on a shaky wicket.

I work for NOW. I want to be untouched by this whole tangibility factor.

I was speaking to Lady Gaga, I had this long interview with her, and she said some very nice things. I really appreciated it because when I say those things, I sound as if I am philosophizing too much.

But she was saying the same thing. If finally someone were to give her a choice between giving up her money, her stardom, all that she's earned, or give up singing, she'd choose not to give up singing.

If someone were to give me the choice between giving up all my cars and my money and giving up acting, I'd say, yaar, acting karte rahenge, will let those go. Maybe if you are as successful as I am today, you have that choice.

Maybe that's not a choice one has in the first two years of one's career. But this is my reality today.

I don't work for the prosperity; yes, it happens along the way, Mashallah, it's very good for the business. And I don't think about posterity.

I will not think about posterity because I still haven't ended; I think my posterity will be when I sit down and start watching my own films, which I still don't do. Never? Never, yaar.

I can't watch my own films. I've kept that for old age - ki baith ke dekhoonga, kiya kyaa.

What is old age? Old age, for me? The way I'm going, about 140. That's what my friends say.

I'm 46 now - so about a hundred to go! Your dad was 50-something when he passed away. You've talked about thinking more of mortality, and of him, when you approach 50.

Yes, then I did. But now I don't.

..

because I am the healthiest I ever was right now. And I am also more relaxed.

In a happier space as a person. To me it's no longer about wanting to have my finger in every aspect of life, like I used to be maybe 15 years ago.

But ya, it is strange to think that my son today is as old as I was when my father died. I do get reminded of that, ya.

Not necessarily about mortality..

. but it's good to be reminded of that, too.

Like Steve Jobs said, if you know finally you're going to die, there seems to be no risk in anything you do in life. He said this when he had cancer.

I think our fear of mortality stops us from living life to the fullest. I am living my dreams - how many people get a chance to do that? Lady Gaga tweeted a picture with you and said 'screw Hollywood!' That must have made you happy! Yeah! Actually all the reviews of my movie in Hollywood are like that.

You should read the reviews in LA Times, New York Times..

. a journalist said to me, 'It's like we've been saying this for 8-10 years, suddenly, seeing "RA.

One", we're telling Hollywood, dude, even technically they're here now - and the cost is one-hundredth of your films.' I think it's a sign of the times, whether it's Akon or Lady Gaga, they all want to come to India.

In reverse, it took an Oscar for us to recognize the genius of a Resul. As to Lady Gaga, she's a sweet lady, really, really upfront, honest.

I spent three hours chatting with her. It was fantastic.

Simple, down-to-earth middle-class girl..

. 'Simple' and 'middle-class' are not the first words that come to mind when you speak of Lady Gaga.

..

An image. An image that's bordering on the bizarre.

And it's just an image. Amazingly intellectual.

A philosopher. She is very clear.

As a person, she is so deep, she knows the philosophy of the world, she ad verbatim knows the philosophers..

. It was a great learning experience - and I say that about very few people, more so those who are 25 years old.

She said a great thing to me. She said, an artiste's personal life should not be discussed beyond a point, because it somehow blunts the art of the artiste.

People start taking the art less seriously than the personality. She says my personality is me, my art is what you see - and they are two distinct, two clear thoughts.

Seeing her on stage, you expect her to be this really wild, vivacious girl - she's actually a calm, normal person who says her most interesting pastime is cooking food for her father whenever she's in New York. Middle-class girl.

She's very clear - I just want to sing. It was a fantastic learning experience for me, and it was also stuff that I completely believe in.

Whatever I am out here is for the people - I'll dance for you, I'll do a "Chammak Challo", I'll wear a tight suit and fly if that makes you happy. But in my personal life, I'm a deeper person.

So when you say silly things about me..

. I have to disassociate and say, these guys don't even know me personally.

So the comment is unfounded. This guy doesn't even know me.

I was flipping through an article and somebody had written, 'This is the most expensive mid-life crisis of a person'. Why are you talking about my mid-life crisis? What do you know about my crisis? Or where I am? Talk about the film - that's what you're paid for.

Review the film. Don't review my personal life.

I don't sell my personal life to you. Talk about the actor, don't talk about the person.

When you make a personal remark about me, without knowing me, I have to take it like that - it's your own issues in life maybe, you're just putting it upon me because iske paas yeh sab kyun hai, hamare paas kyun nahin. I guess it's just that, finally.

Are you still an outsider in the system after all these years? Well, if you look at it, I'm an outsider, which my son won't be, so maybe he'll have it easier..

. but it's not that.

I'm told that I may be coming across as rude. I'm not really very social.

Maybe it's because I don't bend. Maybe because even in the face of bad things, I'm smiling.

It irks people sometimes. They're like, saala, akele yeh sab kaise kar leta hai? I do that because I sleep less, I work harder.

Everyone finds a different reason for my success except the fact that I act. 'Yeh marketing guru hai yaar'.

'You know what, saale ki luck chal rahi hai'. Luck chal rahi hai, for 20 years? Haan, saala, bees saal se luck hi chal rahi hai! It's 'Arre wohi kare ja raha hai, love stories karta rehta hai'.

'Gaane nikal jaate hain iske; gaane achhe mil jaate hain saale ko'. 'You know what, Muslim audience bahut pyaar karti hai isko.

' 'Overseas! Overseas ki wajah se itna chalta hai.' They find strange reasons for my success.

But the real reason is - early to bed, early to rise, work my a** off, and advertize. It's as simple as that.

I am my one man walking talking team. I can handle 5-6 things at a time.

I can handle a cricket team, I can handle production, I can set up a VFX studio, I can make the most expensive film in the country. I can still come and launch a kabaddi tournament in Bhatinda and deliver a speech at Adasia which everybody loved and still go back home and celebrate my birthday with my kids.

And I can play video games with them. And I'm not tired.

And I'm everywhere. But your being everywhere was a point of much talk in the run-up to "RA.

One" - he's on every show, everywhere..

. And why not? An actor once told me - I won't name him - 'I don't like dancing at weddings'.

I said, and how often have you been invited to dance at weddings? The answer: 'I'll never do it'. I said, pehle chance toh mile! If I'm invited, if I'm put on people's shoulders, if I'm asked to be on, from "KBC", to whatever programme - if I'm called, I like to do it, I'm ok.

This is what I'm here for. I like doing that.

You do that if you're called. Just because you're not invited, don't run down my party.

I'm invited to every party. And I like to attend all of them.

And I enjoy myself. Life is beautiful.

I am beautiful. And the few things around me that are not beautiful - I like to think of them as nazarbattoos - tils.

Woh kehte hain na, tere chehre pe yeh jo kaala sa til hai, lagta hai daulat-e-husn pe darbaan bitha rakha hai. So yeh jo negative baatein karte hain mere baare me, yeh mere daulat-e-husn ke darbaan hain, mujhe nazar lagne se bachate hain.

You looked tired, run-down sometimes while being everywhere..

. I got tired.

I fell sick, actually. I got a bronchitis attack but I couldn't stop, film ke premieres they.

Then I was on antibiotics. Superstars don't rest, do they? I sleep an average of 30-35 hours a week.

Today I slept just an hour, but on the flight from LA, I slept for 16 hours straight. I guess it comes out to an average of 5 hours.

I don't sleep very early anyway. I like that time at night.

That's the only time I get to be with myself. No cars, no clothes, no films, nothing, just my thoughts.

That's important. People think insomnia hai, but it's not that.

I like that time - 2, 3am. You hear crickets, it's quiet.

I like that time of the night. For 20 years, when so much is asked of you, and you want to give it with happiness and love, you deserve that time by yourself.

I just sit quietly, I do nothing. I'll write, or surf channels, or read a really silly book.

That time, I feel, gets me ready for the next day, more than the sleep (less)

"I believe in commitments. So if I am committed to someone, there is no way out.

For some reason, people who are best friends in the Bigg Boss house do not even recognize each other once they are out of it. "I don't believe in double standards.

Even today my relationship with Ashmit is as strong as it was inside the house. If you ask me whose number I have on my speed dial, it's Ashmit's.

"Probably because he is like a strong pillar in my life. He has been by my side from day one.

He goes out of his way to help me and support me. We have a very strong, warm and a nice relationship.

"People in India are so warm and nice that it is difficult not to bond with them. I have realised that no matter which part of the world you are from, Indians will welcome you with warmth and open arms.

"That's what makes this nation what it is--a magnet for people from other nations. Recently I was shopping at a mall in Dubai where many Indians spotted me.

I was really touched to see them come to me and chat up. "Getting an entry in India was the hardest thing to do.

But now that I am here, I can say that it's been worth it. India is a peace-loving country.

It is very exuberant and lively. It gives everyone the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.

"I hardly feel homesick in India. You have the same traffic, similar culture and language, so I can't help but feel at home here.

I am very attached to my family and the only thing I miss when I am in India is my loved ones. Barring that, it feels like home.

" Tweet (less)

"It draws inspiration from the strugglers in the 1980s whose indomitable spirit made them emerge triumphant and create a unique space for themselves in a male-dominated film industry. The film is not a formal biopic or biography, as is being speculated.

It is a work of fiction, and any character's resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental," it added. The clarification was issued after a media report that claimed that southern sex icon Silk Smitha's brother, V.

Naga Vara Prasad, who lives in a village in Andhra Pradesh, sent a legal notice to the film's producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria for not taking permission from the late actress' family before making the movie. Prasad claims that he learned about the film through television.

Silk Smitha committed suicide in 1996. " The Dirty Picture , a spectacular musical entertainer, is in essence, a love story, and a celebration of the never-say-die spirit of every industry newcomer," said the statement.

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"My family has a deep commitment to making and distributing quality films that entertain and enlighten audiences. I share that passion, as well as a love for American films that I have had since childhood.

It is that enthusiasm and my love of the creative process of filmmaking that drove me to start this new venture," Uday said in a statement. Uday has hired Jonathan Reiman to head development and production under him.

Currently, YRF Entertainment is producing and financing 'The Longest Week', a comedy film, with stars Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde and Billy Crudup. Written and directed by Peter Glanz, the movie is being produced by Uday, along with Neda Armian.

The executive producers are Jonathan Reiman, Chris Marsh, Stone Douglass and Taylor Materne. The film tells the story of a bratty man-child played by Jason Bateman, who still lives with his parents in a Manhattan hotel, but suddenly finds himself evicted, disinherited and hopelessly in love with his best friend's heartthrob, played by Olivia Wilde.

The shooting for the film began last week in New York. Uday tracked down the project after the original financier had to abandon the film and immediately fell in love with the material.

YRF Entertainment is also building a slate of projects that it will develop and produce from the ground up. The first project the company will develop is an untitled action-comedy by Dan Ewen about two twenty-somethings, who run away from their podunk towns to pursue big dreams and become an unlikely but seemingly unstoppable duo after meeting serendipitously.

Back home, the parent banner Yash Raj Films continues to produce mainstream Bollywood films. Yash Chopra's eldest son Aditya's upcoming film Ladies vs Ricky Bahl , a romantic comedy, starring Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma is releasing on December 9.

Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra returns to direction after almost seven years. The new untitled project will feature superstar Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

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The piece, which she nicknamed Dumbina, is adorned with colourful stripes, sparkling crystals and Perry's initials. "My elephant was inspired by my California Dreams Tour and Candyfornia - a magical, glittering place where everything is sweet! The crystals that adorn the elephant are precious, just like the Asian elephants that need our protection.

Let's raise awareness!," she said. Perry's elephant will go under the hammer in an auction in Milan.

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Uma Thurman kicked a** and was better than most action heroes. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Amazing effects and great action.

One of the best films to come out of HK in the last decade. House Of Flying Daggers: Beautifully shot and with great sound effects.

Every rain drop was audible. Poetry in motion! Sholay: One of the all time best spaghetti westerns to come out of India.

Best screenplay, super action, 70 mm entertainment and of course, Amitabh Bachchan! Deewar: Although not that much of an action film, the godown action sequence with Peter is so memorable that I'd list the film only for that one fight. And again, of course the angry young Vijay.

Enter the Dragon: The first of the martial arts biggies from Hong kong to throw up a big hollywood star, the legend Bruce lee. Rocky: Raw power coupled with sex appeal gave birth to the ultimate action star Sylvester Stallone and the underlying emotional turmoil of his character makes the film a dramatic treat.

Desperadoes: A small budget film with typical Mexican spaghetti action and the chemistry between its lead pair Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek took the film to another level. Phool Aur Kaante: Rise of another action star Ajay Devgan.

I still remember his entry in it, straddled on two superbikes. Robot: Not only am I a huge fan of the superstar Rajnikanth but also this is the first Indian film I saw with action sequences that had such extraordinary special effects.

Dabangg: Salman Khan on an adrenaline high! Loved the action and his style. Have seen it thrice and wouldn't mind seeing it again.

Rambo: Again a franchise of Sly Stallone which was top class muscle and action with a back story of a misled mercenary. Ghayal: No action list can be complete without Sunny Deol.

Street fighting with raw emotions and no frills, cables and special effects. Pure 'Jat' power.

XXX: Van Diesel hits paydirt with this high octane action flick. Perfect blend of high class car muscle, sexy chicks and steroid bodies! All James Bond Movies: When it comes to cool action, gizmos, style and sex, you can't beat Bond! Terminator: Arnold Schwarzenegger .

Big body, big action, big entertainment! Ghajini: Boy next door to pure muscle. Aamir never fails to surprise.

Built a body of dreams! Just to see him shirtless I would see Ghajini, and no, I have no such tendencies! (less)

It's eight-year-old Ritvik Sahore from Borivali, who had been training for cricket for his role in the film in Bandra gymkhana for the past few months. A source close to the film revealed, "Ritvik was extremely cooperative during the shoot of the film.

He became good friends with director Rajesh and his brother Rohan Mapuskar." In fact, the boy can be found on the friend list of the filmmaker on a popular social networking portal.

Ritvik will be seen portraying the role of Kayoze, a little boy who dreams about playing cricket at the Lords cricket ground (less)

He wanted his native village Mijwan to be a progressive place. And it gives me tremendous pleasure to see a girls' school, college and a computer centre in Mijwan today, where girls are learning courses on Skype from people all over the world.

Abba wanted women to go out and conquer the world and he practised this mantra at home too. On January 15, Bollywood will run for Mijwan.

Stars like Ranbir Kapoor , Preity Zinta , Diya Mirza , Rohit and Ronit Roy and many others will be running for the little girls of Mijwan in Mumbai Marathon! I'm really overwhelmed with all this support being lent to a cause that is so dear to me!" She, however, refuses to take any credit for having brought her father's dreams in Mijwan to reality, and says: "The credit for bringing in a radical change in Mijwan goes to Namrata Goel, who is aviation tycoon Naresh Goel's daughter. I just mentioned it to her once, and that young girl toiled hard to make Mijwan a well-known name through her charitable efforts.

I have a firm belief that youngsters today are geared up for any challenge. Just have faith in their abilities, and see how they create magic in all arenas!" Personal dreams apart, which are the projects on professional front that are keeping her on her toes? "Right now I'm looking forward to my two forthcoming projects - one by Mira Nair and another by Deepa Mehta .

I will start a mainstream Bollywood project in February, but I can't speak about it till it is finalised," says she and signs off (less)

"She (Kareena) is the most beautiful actress I have worked with. I found her beautiful right from her first film Refugee ," Imran said.

Even before Imran became an actor he had a huge crush on the 31-year-old actress. "I could not articulate my feelings for her.

..

I nursed a silent crush. When we started working together in this film we got along really well," Imran said.

"I observed her closely while we were shooting and even took her pictures without her knowing it," he said. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu is set to hit cinema houses on February 10.

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But an excessive lifestyle of sex and substance abuse, not only makes him lose focus towards work, but also leads to a permanent physical disability. In his world dominated by loud music, Raunak turns completely deaf and is unable to pursue his dreams to make music.

Things change when Raunak meets Gauri (Soha Ali Khan), who too is hearing impaired but has mastered the art of lip-reading. In Gauri, Raunak finds a tutor and life-partner.

Also his passion for music is rekindled, as he attempts to sense sound (if not hear) and study digital waveforms of tunes he knew, to create new music. Thereby a deaf DJ turns a renowned composer.

Debutante director Neerav Ghosh attempts to give a docu-drama shade to the narrative to make it seem like a biographical take on the life of his protagonist. Thankfully the documentary treatment never overcomes the actual story, which has enough scope for drama per se.

The first half seems obsessed with close-up shots of alcohol, drugs, smoke and sex. Raunak boozes as if he were drinking water and smokes like he is breathing air.

The idea might be to give a dark and disturbing shade to the film like Anurag Kashyup brand of cinema (the maverick filmmaker also has a cameo), more so with ample scope for substance abuse in the narrative. But after a point of time, it only gets repetitive and seems forced.

The tone of the film suddenly changes in the second half when the narrative turns more soft and sober, as Raunak goes on a self-rehabilitation drive, shunning all addiction. His romance track (with Soha) is blithe as compared to his hardcore sex-drive (with Mrunalini Sharma) in the first half.

But beyond the somber shade and his chemistry with costars, the narrative isn't able to create as much contrast between the first half and the second that would have resulted in relating and feeling for the protagonist's plight better. The depth that it adds to Raunak's relearning process of music (which is the soul of the film) in the second half pales in comparison to the intensity that it lends to the buildup of substance abuse in the first half.

Which means the film adds intensity where not needed and vice versa. A basic idea of a deaf person composing decent music makes for an inspiring story.

While the promising premise of the film doesn't let you down, one still feels the entire account could have been more stimulating, esp. when the director had straight reference point in the form of the original film.

The entire track of Raunak's fight with his inner demon (clowning around him in a joker-faced mask) looks ludicrous over being symbolic. It gets exasperating after a point and the entire track could certainly have been avoided.

For a film dealing primarily with music, the actual 'soundtrack' isn't as stimulating as one would have expected. Also the length could have been shorter and the film could have done away with several repetitive portions.

However, the dialogues, esp. in the second half, are well-worded and leave an impact.

Soundtrack works to a big extent because of the persuasive performance of its protagonist played by Rajeev Khandelwal . At the onset, one seems uncertain if the sober-imaged actor would be able to pull off a character as wild and weird as this.

But as you see him getting more and more into his character, you are amazed at the conviction he brings to his role. Soha Ali Khan not only plays a deaf character, she has to lisp in her diction too.

And the actress does it with absolute subtlety (as compared to the Bollywood stereotypes that go overboard) and brings grace to her role. It would have made more sense if the story enlightened on the reason behind her lisp.

Mrinalini Sharma looks refreshingly sexy and is not one-bit vulgar in her skimpily-clad character. Mohan Kapur hams.

Manu Rishi doesn't get much scope. Yatin Karyekar is decent.

While it had potential to be a rocking film, Soundtrack, at least, turns out to be sound cinema. Worth giving an ear (and eye) too! (less)

"I like In-N-Out Burger and Taco Bell and if you want to make that pregnant that's your problem," she said. Perry is set to complete her California Dreams tour on November 23 after 123 but babies are not something that she and husband Russell Brand are looking forward to.

"I still love drinking alcohol so not yet," she added. Tweet (less)

. 2012 we welcome you into our homes and lives with hope and love.

Hema Malini: Wishing You All A Very Happy & Prosperous New Year. May this year bring peace, love and harmony in every ones life.

..

Divya Dutta: Simple and straight from the heart! Happy new year all! Jaadu ka jhapphi Shreyas Talpade: Goodies the mornings & goodies the new years lovely peoples. Boman Irani: Wake up to a glorious year! Have nashta with family! Call friends, new and old, and especially those forgotten! Happy new year!! Vivek Oberoi: Happy New Year everyone!!! Wishing you all an amazing year full of love, happiness and dreams that come true! Enjoy 2012!!! :) Raveena Tandon : HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FRIENDS!!may god fulfil your dreams and shower your lives with Love and Happiness!! Anupam Kher: Happy New Year to you ALL.

Love. Bipasha Basu: Happy New Year All.

This is a year to love yourself,celebrate yourself and embrace ur life totally!Only d Good matters,all Bad has to go! Mahaakshay Chakraborty: Wishing all My followers and to everyone out there a very happy and joyous New Year! Neil Nitin Mukesh: So the full stop has happened and the new chapter has started in life! Wish me luck to be strong with decisions I've made. God bless you all Riteish Deshmukh: HAPPY NEW YEAR tweeple- LOVE HAPPINESS & PROSPERITY Sushmita Sen: Happppppy New Year beautiful people!!! :))) May 2012 fill your lives with Peace, happiness and gratitude! I love you soooooooo much always:) Tusshar Kapoor: Happy new year to everyone, thank you to my fans and my haters for you all have helped me deliver Shor in the City and The Dirty Picture .

Shazahn Padamsee: Happy New Yearrrrrr Everyone!!!! Have a FAB year :-D Shahid Kapoor: Happy new year all. A year to make dreams come true.

Spread the love .N value those who matter .

a year to live from the heart ..

. Fearlessly Vishal Dadlani: Grateful for my family, for my few true friends and for all the love I receive.

So much more than I deserve, or can ever repay. Happy 2012.

Shreya Ghoshal: Happy new to my entire twiitterdom:):) may this 2012 be super super duper duper awehhhsome!!! Onir: HAPPY NEW YEAR. Happiness, good health Freedom and love to all of us :) Shirish Kunder: Happy New Year everyone! Neha Dhupia: Here wishing you with all my heart a happy healthy and fabulous 2012! Vikram Bhatt: Hello All.

..

here is wishing my twitter friends a very happy new year. Health, wealth and dreams coming true! Arbaaz Khan: Here's wishing you tweeple and your families a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012.

Love & light to all..

. Love Arbaaz Kabir Bedi: Happy NEW Year!!! May it be a year of evolution for all of us, transformation for the nation, peace on the planet.

Smile! Sonu Sood: Have a great YEAR AHEAD.love u all n hope u achieve what ever u dream this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR. A.

R. Rahman: To all the lovely people out there.

..

Have a blessed, enlightening, elevating and peaceful 2012 Sonam Kapoor: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! lockerz.com/s/170493402 Sonakshi Sinha: Happy new year guys.

Gonna make this my year..

. Tweet (less)

He publicly declared his love for Gisele with a Gtattoo on his arm. Then came his dream-like fairytale wedding in 2006, which was attended by Bill Clinton and Deepak Chopra.

Recently, he's been in the news after being spotted with Lindsay Lohan and the tabloids have been quizzing him on his relationship with her. New York's poster boy, billionaire hotelier Vikram Chatwal in this exclusive interview talks about the break-up of his marriage to Priya Sachdev, his addiction problem and his friendship with Lindsay Lohan.

He confesses frankly, "I've been confused, but I've sorted myself. I'm in control of my life again.

I'm going to be serious about my business plans. Life's been tough.

But I'm strong-willed." Priya and I are separated.

..

"I was too young when I got married. Priya and I wanted different things from the marriage.

We had different goals and expectations from life. I grew up with Western values.

My heart was confused, marriage made me realise what I really wanted from life. Once the baby was born, I realised we had matured into different people.

Priya and I are separated. We're amicable and remain good friends, for we have to meet frequently for our daughter Safira.

" My wild party days are over "I have grown up. I was a wild party boy.

Not anymore. My partying days are over.

It's not my priority anymore. I'm focusing on my hotels.

It's not party fatigue, but I've just slowed down. I want to spend time with my daughter rather than party all night long.

I'm notseen on Page Six too much. I'm mature about things now and I really want to be seen as a serious business guy.

My focus is my hotel chain right now." Last few years have been tough "I've been wondering about the choices I've made and what I want from life.

The decision-making has been tough. I asked myself what I wanted to do.

I had to balance my time between films, hotels and family. It's been challenging thinking about my options.

I followed my heart. The last few years have been tough, but they taught me to make choices that made me truly happy.

It was essential to live for the moment. I'm still a hopeless romantic.

Do things that give you real pleasure. I've been thinking a lot about my future lately.

I want to do things differently, and I want to do them right." I kicked my addiction 'As I was getting older, I realised I wanted to opt for things that were healthy for me.

I went to rehab to get rid of my addiction. When I was going through my most difficult time, I became an introvert; I was addicted, I closed up completely.

I wouldn't share what was going on inside me with anybody. I was silent.

The rehab helped me find a release. I was healed.

I was comfortable in telling everyone what I felt inside. The biggest strength I got was from talking about my problem, which really gave me the strength to kick it.

Life is about tackling problems that come your way." Bollywood calling .

..

"I want to make great hotels and do films. Currently, I'm talking to Shekhar Kapur for a film.

My film, Days of Grace made it to Cannes this year. I want to continue acting and producing films.

It's my big high." My angel Safira "She's changed me completely.

I try to spend four months in a year with her. She travels to New York to meet me and I come to New Delhi to be with her.

She knows she has a chemical connection with her daddy. She's the driving force in my life.

She even gives me advice. We play a lot and have fun together.

I make sure that I take a vacation with Safira. There are so many things I teach her and she learns from me.

" Lindsay and I are just friends "Lindsay Lohan and I spent some time together, and we got written about all over. She's a friend and I really don't want to talk about it.

" I'm wiser about living my dreams "I'm looking at life differently. I always wanted to do fun things with my hotels and films.

Now is the time. I've learnt my lessons, fallen and now I plan to make a big comeback.

I'm spiritually and emotionally wiser. I believe there is a higher power that protects us.

I want to pursue things that make me happy. I want to live in the moment.

" (less)

5 crore ($1 million) on Kaun Banega Crorepati . The fairytale 'slumdog millionaire' come to life on that new harbinger of change - reality television.

The 27-year-old from Motihari in Bihar, who went from oblivion to fame and wealth in a matter of 13 questions on the fifth season of the quiz show, is the latest in the many talents from far flung corners of the country who have come to the national centrestage thanks to reality shows. When the show was going on air, KBC host, superstar Amitabh Bachchan, had said he wanted to reach out to people in the interiors so that viewers could get to see some of the best brains from small towns.

After Sushil Kumar's spectacular win, aired Wednesday night, Big B said: "This is what the common man is all about. This is what KBC is all about - given an opportunity, the common man has the strength, the ability and the acumen to prove to the world that he is the best and second to none.

" Last month, The Suresh & Vernon Group won India's Got Talent 3 . The group of 30 youngsters from Mumbai suburbs like Vasai, Virar and Nala Sopara were from lower middle class backgrounds and danced their way to the TRPs.

Another rags to riches story was of the Prince Dance Troupe from the backlanes of Berhampur, Orissa. The unlikely stars, including daily wage labourers and two polio-stricken children, won an earlier season of India's Got Talent and even got to perform at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

The trend began in the late 1990s with shows such as Meri Awaz Suno on Doordarshan and Zee TV's Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma . Singers like Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghosal first showcased their talent on these shows before going on to make it big in Bollywood, the ultimate dream of every artist.

Thanks to their success stories, reality shows became a rage in small towns. More aspirational than just an entertainment show.

Many talents found their spot in the sun - Sony's Indian Idol turned Abhijeet Sawant into a celebrity post his win while the second season winner Sandeep Acharya from Bikaner in Rajasthan too became well-known. There was also Prashant Tamang from Darjeeling, Amit Paul from Shillong, Emon Chatterjee from Kolkata and Antara Mitra from Maslandapur in West Bengal.

Debojit Saha, a struggling singer from Silchar, Assam, got a new lease of life after winning Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa , as did Raja Hassan, Tochi Raina and Harshit Saxena. With time, reality shows have become bigger and better with X-Factor , Dance India Dance and MasterChef India vying for TRPs along with the staple prime time soaps.

Not just reality TV producers, filmmakers are also walking the dusty hinterland paths in search of talent. "It's a huge country and there is huge talent out there.

We need to make it accessible to people who don't have access to come to Mumbai. I feel there is so much talent in the rest of the country which needs to explored.

We want to try and do it through my film Chauranga ," Onir, the maker of films like My Brother Nikhil , told IANS. Exploring the country's interiors for stories and talent is the need of the hour for Bollywood, agreed filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee.

"I think there's so much within India, in the interiors of India. There is a large pool of talent in the country and so many local stories waiting to be told," the man behind acclaimed movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla said.

But yes, it is a treacherous path. "I think reality shows give you this opportunity and platform.

It can give you that initial visibility towards success in the industry, but at the end of the day what sustains you is sheer talent," Bollywood singer Sunidhi told IANS. Tweet (less)

But her possessive father is not willing to let her follow her dreams. "I am not encouraging my daughter to do films at all.

It never happens with the Dutts," he says with an air of finality. "My sisters or my niece could have been in the movies too, but that is not the way my father raised us.

This is the way he wanted it. She is keen, but then she has studied forensic science, which is also a great career option.

" What if the defiant Trishala doesn't listen to her father? "She will have to listen to me," asserts Dutt. Considering the father and daughter's differences in the past - and also Trishala's recent interviews where she has been quoted as saying, "Ultimately, the decision is mine.

I will do what I think is best for me and what makes me happy" - it looks like another round of family drama is about to unfold in the Dutt household. And there could be more disturbances in Dutt's bliss, with rumours suggesting that the super successful Munnabhai franchise might slip away from him.

"These are just rumours. Raju Hirani has asked for my dates," clarifies Dutt.

Presently, the actor seems in a happy space. "I am feeling good these days.

I am looking forward to Rascals and Chatur Singh . I am very much at peace.

I have two beautiful kids and a lovely wife, what else could one want?" he says. "Two" beautiful kids, did he say? (less)

"As a nation, all of us had some dreams when we became independent. But those dreams have not been fulfilled.

Instead, we find that every Indian is fighting against corruption at every step today," Dayal told IANS. He said that the nation needs to be awakened.

"That is precisely what is happening now. Our song is also dedicated to this same cause," he said, referring to the Anna Hazare agitation at the MMRDA Ground in Bandra-Kurla Complex.

The song goes something like this -- Jaisa ab hai pehle kab tha, yeh Hindustan yaaron; Rishwat ke baazaar me baithe, kuch beimaan yaaron; Apne desh ki haalat badlo, jaago hosh me aao..

. Directed by Mrulalinni Dayal, Dhuaan features Dayal, Raj Babbar, Rati Agnihotri, Padmini Kolhapure and Vikram Gokhale.

Tweet (less)

Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande , produced under the Very Fishy Films banner, will be his directorial debut. The movie releases on August 19.

Parvin Dabas's directorial debut Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande to be released today Post Monsoon Wedding and Khosla Ka Ghosla , we've hardly seen you on the silver screen. What was the reason? I did about four films in the last five years which unfortunately did not do well.

I do not choose a lot of films. There is a saying in the industry that rolling mein rehna chahiye (you need to be constantly working) but I don’t believe in that and I follow my heart.

We all make wrong decisions and I've probably made a few more wrong ones than correct in my career. I am learning as I go along.

You’ve always stayed away from commercial films. Isn’t it also important to position yourself in that sphere? Commercial films like Hero did not give me satisfaction.

I am a low profile person. Though you need to be out there, I do not know the required tricks.

I have always paid more attention to trait than tricks. I’ve realized that I can be out there being myself.

How did you go about writing a film? I was working on various scripts with co-writers right after Monsoon Wedding as I did not have the confidence to write all by myself. I took the courage to work on this script.

I showed the first draft to Preeti (Jhangiani) and Anumpamji (Kher). Their encouragement has gave me confidence to make it into a film.

I did not want to handover the script to somebody else and that’s why it has been produced under our own banner. I was totally involved with the story and the characters and felt that I was the best person to direct.

I am proud of my directorial debut. What is the film about? It’s about chaar galat bandhe karne chale sahi dhandhe (four guys set out to do the right job) (Smiles).

They are four small-time goons, who break legs, kidnap people and empty houses for their boss Fauji (Sharad Saxena). Fauji gets a huge contract to get a job done.

These four guys have dreams which can be fulfilled with this money. But they have to go against their conscience to get it.

So the movie is about the critical balance of conscience and irresistible dreams. What was the idea of having new comers in the film? It may not have big stars but it has upcoming stars with a lot of talent.

Being a debut director, I did not know if I had the power to put my foot down. If I had big star on board, there could have been difference of opinions.

You stand out in the promos and the posters. Is the film solely being sold cashing on your name? Frankly speaking, I used to tell my marketing guys that let’s give all four of us an equal space but they wanted me as I am the only known face.

But I believe that it’s about four bad guys and not just one. Did you set out to make a full-fledged comedy? I made a film without keeping any genre in mind.

I consciously wanted to make an entertaining film as I like entertainment and not serious films. This is not a masala film and though it is not labelled as ‘intellectual’, I expect my audience to receive it intelligently.

How hard was it deciding to produce the film? It’s a big risk to produce a film but what’s life without risk. Becoming an actor was the biggest risk.

I was going to take my civil service exams but decided to become an actor in my last year of college. In scuba diving, I risk my life by diving into shark- fested waters; here I only risk my reputation.

Is it a short-budget film? It is a very ambitious film and people might have expected a bigger canvas. But I managed with a tight budget and by asking for a lot of favors.

A lot of money was saved thanks to personal contacts. Did anything significant happen during the making of the film? I injured my ankle in a stunt and the schedule was disrupted.

A Kushti (fight) sequence was to follow. Unfortunately we couldn’t re-schedule the scene.

At that point of time, I was afraid that the film might not get completed. But we got together and things started rolling again (less)

"It draws inspiration from the strugglers in the 1980s whose indomitable spirit made them emerge triumphant and create a unique space for themselves in a male-dominated film industry. The film is not a formal biopic or biography, as is being speculated.

It is a work of fiction, and any character's resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental," it added. The clarification was issued after a media report that claimed that southern sex icon Silk Smitha's brother, V.

Naga Vara Prasad, who lives in a village in Andhra Pradesh, sent a legal notice to the film's producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria for not taking permission from the late actress' family before making the movie. Prasad claims that he learned about the film through television.

Silk Smitha committed suicide in 1996. " The Dirty Picture , a spectacular musical entertainer, is in essence, a love story, and a celebration of the never-say-die spirit of every industry newcomer," said the statement.

Tweet (less)

Yes, there are films where girls wear revealing outfits for just the heck of it. Sorry, Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl is not that kind of a film.

But you did bold scenes in Band Baaja Baraat and Badmaash Company. Are there objections from your family now? 0Not at all.

I see it as a job and my parents see it as my job too. And I am not doing what I do on screen in front of my parents.

My parents are very intelligent and broadminded. I come from an army background.

In fact, I am more orthodox than my parents. People believe that you have become anorexic.

..

Rubbish. I am very tall.

5' 9" to be precise. This means that if I really put on weight, I shall start looking like a giant.

I don't have the tendency to put on weight. (Pauses) Go on.

..

After seeing me in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, people got the wrong impression. In the film, they made me look bigger.

I have always been a lean girl. And for heaven's sake, I am not anorexic.

Anorexics eat so little. Watch me eat and you shall know (laughs)! It's also said that you travel with an entourage.

..

Well, I know of actresses who do. But I don't.

Only my Man Friday Babu travels with me. At an awards function, you asked for a vanity van as big as Shah Rukh Khan.

..

Firstly, we had been given rooms and not vans. I cannot compare myself to Shah Rukh even in my dreams.

There was an actress who wanted a room as big as SRK's but I shall not name her. It's said you don't get along with Sonakshi Sinha .

..

Untrue. We are fine with each other.

Are we are supposed to be at loggerheads because of a guy (Ranveer Singh)? It is so immature to fight with another girl for any guy. As I said in Karan Johar's chat show, she is free to have Ranveer because I am not dating him.

But you were dating Ranveer at a point in time? We never dated each other. We are very good friends.

But we are two very different individuals. I am a restrained person.

He is totally opposite. It's not possible for us to date.

Yes, we are very fond of each other. But at the same time, we can even beat each other up.

We have a very volatile friendship. We heard you didn't like Ranveer getting close to Parineeti Chopra.

..

Ridiculous. Please do not embarrass two of my co-actors.

And let's respect women. Is Parineeti a friend? Gosh! Can't I defend her on moral grounds? But Ranveer said in an interview recently that he and you have drifted apart Probably we weren't shooting together in those days.

So there might have been less communication. So are you and Shahid Kapoor dating now? Am I not supposed to be dating almost everybody currently? I am dating Shahid.

I am dating Arjun Kapoor . I am also dating Ranbir Kapoor .

Baba, I am single. I am 23, isn't it natural for me to go out with my friends? Shahid, Arjun and Ranveer are my closest friends.

I still don't know Ranbir well enough. Out of Shahid, Imran, Ranveer and Ranbir, who do you think is the best looking? 1.

Shahid and 2. Imran And the hottest? (Smiles) Ranveer.

Something about the four actors' flip sides..

. Shahid wears his heart on his sleeve, he trusts people too easily.

Ranveer is a spontaneous actor, yet he goes methodical. He drinks four litre of coffee every day.

Imran is intelligent and has a dry, wicked sense of humour. Out of the four, whom would you want to be marooned on an island with? Ranveer (smiles).

Since I know him the most, we will find our way back quickly (less)

Freida, along with director Michael Winterbottom, co-producers Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra as well as composer Amit Trivedi, will attend the screening. The story is based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles .

Set in contemporary Rajasthan, the film has Trishna (Freida) meeting a wealthy young British businessman Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed) who has come to India to work in his father's hotel business. After an accident destroys her father's jeep, Trishna goes to work for Jay, and they fall in love.

But despite their feelings for each other, they cannot escape the conflicting pressures of a rural society which is changing rapidly through industrialisation, urbanisation and, above all, education. Trishna's tragedy is that she is torn between the traditions of her family life and the dreams and ambitions that her education has given her.

The film had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and received rave reviews from critics. The film will have worldwide release in 2012.

For the India release, it will be dubbed in eight languages. Tweet (less)

5 crore ($1 million) on Kaun Banega Crorepati . The fairytale 'slumdog millionaire' come to life on that new harbinger of change - reality television.

The 27-year-old from Motihari in Bihar, who went from oblivion to fame and wealth in a matter of 13 questions on the fifth season of the quiz show, is the latest in the many talents from far flung corners of the country who have come to the national centrestage thanks to reality shows. When the show was going on air, KBC host, superstar Amitabh Bachchan, had said he wanted to reach out to people in the interiors so that viewers could get to see some of the best brains from small towns.

After Sushil Kumar's spectacular win, aired Wednesday night, Big B said: "This is what the common man is all about. This is what KBC is all about - given an opportunity, the common man has the strength, the ability and the acumen to prove to the world that he is the best and second to none.

" Last month, The Suresh & Vernon Group won India's Got Talent 3 . The group of 30 youngsters from Mumbai suburbs like Vasai, Virar and Nala Sopara were from lower middle class backgrounds and danced their way to the TRPs.

Another rags to riches story was of the Prince Dance Troupe from the backlanes of Berhampur, Orissa. The unlikely stars, including daily wage labourers and two polio-stricken children, won an earlier season of India's Got Talent and even got to perform at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

The trend began in the late 1990s with shows such as Meri Awaz Suno on Doordarshan and Zee TV's Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma . Singers like Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghosal first showcased their talent on these shows before going on to make it big in Bollywood, the ultimate dream of every artist.

Thanks to their success stories, reality shows became a rage in small towns. More aspirational than just an entertainment show.

Many talents found their spot in the sun - Sony's Indian Idol turned Abhijeet Sawant into a celebrity post his win while the second season winner Sandeep Acharya from Bikaner in Rajasthan too became well-known. There was also Prashant Tamang from Darjeeling, Amit Paul from Shillong, Emon Chatterjee from Kolkata and Antara Mitra from Maslandapur in West Bengal.

Debojit Saha, a struggling singer from Silchar, Assam, got a new lease of life after winning Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa , as did Raja Hassan, Tochi Raina and Harshit Saxena. With time, reality shows have become bigger and better with X-Factor , Dance India Dance and MasterChef India vying for TRPs along with the staple prime time soaps.

Not just reality TV producers, filmmakers are also walking the dusty hinterland paths in search of talent. "It's a huge country and there is huge talent out there.

We need to make it accessible to people who don't have access to come to Mumbai. I feel there is so much talent in the rest of the country which needs to explored.

We want to try and do it through my film Chauranga ," Onir, the maker of films like My Brother Nikhil , told IANS. Exploring the country's interiors for stories and talent is the need of the hour for Bollywood, agreed filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee.

"I think there's so much within India, in the interiors of India. There is a large pool of talent in the country and so many local stories waiting to be told," the man behind acclaimed movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla said.

But yes, it is a treacherous path. "I think reality shows give you this opportunity and platform.

It can give you that initial visibility towards success in the industry, but at the end of the day what sustains you is sheer talent," Bollywood singer Sunidhi told IANS. Tweet (less)

Perry's final show is at Los Angeles' Staples Centre Nov 23, however, she is scheduled to perform a one-off concert in Manila in the Philippines Jan 22, 2012. Tweet (less)

After clicking picture with his wax statue at Madame Tussauds, she co-incidentally met him in person on the last day of the trip. She learned that SRK was staying in the same hotel as her and desperately wanted to meet him.

Her sister was making a video on the street just outside the hotel and incidentally spotted SRK walk into the frame saying, 'Hey, why don't you take me also in your picture?' Roma says, "My sister was extremely excited and clicked photos. It was like a dream come true to meet SRK.

Imagine how it would feel when somebody you are dying to meet just comes in your frame and says capture me too and that too SRK? We were all so thrilled especially my mother who told the superstar that we met his wax statue on the first day at Madame Tussauds and now the original SRK. I am going to cherish the memories from my trip.

" Dreams do come true after all (less)

Shah Rukh Khan turns toy boy and in literal sense. For any and every Shah Rukh fan who wanted to have a piece of him, your dreams have just come true.

When it comes to a Shah Rukh Khan film, the marketing has to be the best in the business. So is the case with his upcoming release Don 2 which has become the talk of the town.

And the makers have gone ahead to release a toy version of the Don as a merchandise of the film. While movie-merchandise is a popular idea overseas, SRK seems to be the first Bollywood hero to be turned into a toy.

The toy is a miniature of Shah Rukh Khan as a bobble-head in his Don avatar. The styling, hairdo and attitude complements the film and is the perfect way to take your Shah Rukh Khan home.

After all Don ko pakadna itna mushkil bhi nahi hain (less)

"My name in the list means a lot to me. As as a young girl, I never thought even in my wildest dreams that I would become a desirable woman.

I yearned for a perfect body as I was ugly duckling in school. But now that I have entered films, I believe that beauty is hidden in the imperfections of people and it all depends on how you use them.

That's my definition of desirable and I am glad to have made it to the list," says Sameera. The actor is basking in the success of her last Tamil release opposite Madhavan and has Padma Shri Priyadarshan's Tezz to look forward to.

Sameera has now decided that she will do a mix of performance-oriented and glamorous characters on screen, something that Simran and Jyothika did in Kollywood. So is the report true that Sameera wants to become the next Simran and Jyothika? "You cannot become another person.

I had said that I look up to both Simran and Jyothika, who had a mixed bag of roles- performance-oriented and cute characters. Both had their own fan following .

They are my role models and I want to have a beautiful lineup of characters like them," says the actor (less)

If all goes well, you may just see Johnny boy alongside Stallone. Apparently, JJ Perry, Stallone's action trainer has now turned filmmaker and he has been looking to cast John and the Hollywood hotshots for his forthcoming film.

Confirms John, "Perry saw some shots from my film Force . He called me and appreciated my work and physique.

He also expressed interest in casting me for his next. I will be going to Los Angeles in December to meet the producers.

" Though starring with Rambo himself is an opportunity John obviously does not want to let go of, he maintains that his heart lies in Bollywood. He adds, "I am an Indian first and Indian films have always been my first priority.

Only if I think it's worth it will I make any international commitments." This, however, is not the first time John's Hollywood dreams have got a chance to be fulfilled.

When Deepa Mehta's Water travelled across all prestigious film-festivals, the actor was appreciated and approached by many foreign filmmakers. "It's flattering when your work is appreciated and I will try to do my best," he ends.

So if all goes well, John may just bring in the New Year with his first Hollywood project. Watch this space for more.

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A source said: "As part of Katy's birthday present last week Russell booked a trip to the Aman resort in New Delhi for New Year. Katy's schedule is jam packed right until the end of the year.

"They plan to spend Christmas in Britain with Russell's mother and then fly to India on holiday." The showbiz couple will spend two weeks at the beautiful resort after finding their time apart recently "extremely tough".

The source added to the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "Russell and Katy have both agreed that the time they spend apart has been extremely tough and that they need to spend some quality time away together so that they can reconnect." Russell-who now lives in Los Angeles following the success of his movie career-chose to go back to India not only because it was where they wed but also because of the spiritual nature of the country.

The insider said: "India is obviously a very special place for the couple as it's where they got married so Russell thought that it would be the perfect place to go. He is deeply spiritual and Delhi is somewhere they can both embrace that side of their lives.

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One". After joking that he will strip if the audience finds his speech too long or too boring, Shah Rukh Khan sort of put all speculations about him collaborating with Lady Gaga to rest when he said at an event in Delhi, "Lady Gaga inspires me.

I've been chatting up with her over a song that I want to do with her. Her manager was telling me, Lady Gaga wants to introduce her audience to you and she wants to be introduced to your audience.

" He said he's changed his music choices, thanks to his kids. Now whether it's real, or it's one smart way to get Lady Gaga to sing for him, we don't know.

But SRK said, "I don't listen to Raag Bhairavi any more. I listen to Lady Gaga.

My son and daughter have also converted me from " Saturday Night Fever " to Justin Bieber." There's one other thing that the actor revealed - though in a matter-of-fact tone - that he was writing a book.

"My mother used to say that for every flash of the photobulb, zindagi ka ek second khatam ho jaata hai. But that is what I love the most about being an actor.

I'm writing a book that ends with..

. 'Wanting so many flashbulbs in a second, that I die in that one second'.

" That was not all, in those few minutes with the mike, he also managed to pull quite a few heartstrings. "I sell dreams," he said a few moments later, referring to why he never says he is the best, "I'll do anything to make people smile.

That is why I became an actor. I'll do anything - dance at weddings, stand on my head.

I'll sell my body if it makes you smile. I want to make movies so damned big, so grand, that my parents up in heaven can sit on a star, and watch it and say, that's my son's film.

..

" said SRK, with a smile, and the ladies sighed! SRK wishes Sallu I don't know the details of Salman's injury, but I think all of us, including myself, pray for his speedious (that's what he said) recovery and I want him to come back completely cured. Salman's a tough guy and Insha Allah he will recover very very fast and he needs to come back to where he belongs, which is to the top of his game.

I dont think me saying that makes any difference but all of us, while he is away, will make sure that we look after "Bodyguard" (less)

"During the tour last year, Katy became extremely close to her band and backing dancers. They all lived in each other's pockets and everyone knew how much Katy was suffering - not least of all Malik," mirror.

co.uk quoted a source as saying.

"Throughout her trip to India, Katy spent a lot of time with him, the pair would often stay up late into the night chatting and drinking in the hotel bar. When they were dancing on stage together, it was clear she only had eyes for him.

..

Malik shot her cheeky winks across the stage and showered her with hugs. Katy was clearly loving the attention," the source added.

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Humbly admitting that her statue is more beautiful than her, Bebo spoke to TOI from Blackpool, where she was on Thursday to unveil her statue. Your thoughts on being immortalised in wax? It's a great feeling! I'm immortalised now, which is scary yet very, very exciting! What was your first reaction on seeing the statue? I was stunned.

They've done such a fantastic job. Even the absolute minutest details like my fingernails, toenails, even the texture of my skin, is so exact.

It's amazing. Did you ever imagine you would be one of the famed wax figures someday? I visited Madame Tussauds often as a kid, but I never thought that I'd be one of the figures in it someday, standing next to some of the world's most eminent personalities.

I've always dreamed big, but I never expected this honour. Now I truly believe in dreaming big, because dreams do come true.

What is your favourite feature? Does your statue highlight that feature? I like my eyes. I'm quite proud of them.

And yes, I think my eyes do come alive in the statue - the glint, my eagerness and naughtiness shine through. Which is your favourite statue from the ones in the wax museum? It would have to be that of Mr Bachchan.

They've got it bang on! I also like The Beatles . Name one person whose statue you would like to see next to you.

I would love my sister Karisma's statue next to mine. I'm not complete without her.

..

Are you happy with the Jab We Met look that you are now immortalised in? It was clear from the beginning that we'd go for a traditional look. Jab We Met being an iconic film of this generation, what better outfit than that of the song Mauja Hi Mauja? It was loved by everybody and became a fashion statement of its own.

Now that a part of you is in the UK, what's your special bond with UK? I love London , it's like home to me, I come here so often! The people are always so welcoming and kind to me. The food, the weather.

..

everything suits me. I think I look best when I come to London.

It's my home away from home (less)

Of course, some help came from Salman Khan , who spotted her during the shooting of Yuvvraaj. Dismissing stories that say she was an extra in Yuvvraaj when Salman noticed her, Zarine smiles amused, "I don't know how these stories have been circulated.

I was just one big Salman fan and had gone to meet him on the sets. To top my excitement, I also got an opportunity to chat with him.

He must have noticed something which helped me land directly in Veer as a lead. It was completely like a dream.

I still find it hard to believe." So hadn't she ever dreamed of becoming an actress? She laughs saying, "No, never.

In fact I was a bright student and had dreamed of becoming a doctor. I wasn't even conscious about being over-weight, because medicine was going to be the chosen field.

It was after I joined glambiz that I became conscious of my looks and truly disciplined myself to get in shape." Salman was looking for a Katrina lookalike and that's where Zarine's looks came to her help.

On asking how it has been with Salman all these years, she gushes, "It has been incredible to know someone like him. Salman is my friend, philosopher and guide.

He is the only one I know in Bollywood and so I look up to him for anything and everything. I consult him for smallest of my decisions and I have always said that I owe every bit of my career to him".

Has she been able to catch up with Salman post his recent surgery? She says, "Actually he is not supposed to talk much, so we have exchanged sms-es. I've been talking to his family members who are there with him.

He is recovering well." After Veer, she is back in limelight with the song Character Dheela Hai.

She says, "Veer was a period film so it had a specific audience and even I had a different look. The song in Ready had a commercial appeal which helped me connect with masses in a big way.

" So is she open to more item songs? Zarine shrugs, "I won't call Character Dheela an item number. But yes, if it's a decent song and shot in an aesthetic manner, I'll definitely do an item number.

Item songs are 'good and entertaining', as long they don't become vulgar." With a couple of anticipated Bollywood projects like Partner-2 already in her kitty, Zarine is now also set to work in the south with her upcoming movie with southern superstar Vikram (less)

I'm really not bothered what the other person is doing. I'm just concentrating on my path.

That's my focus. I like working with teams that I would enjoy working with or projects that I would be excited to be a part of.

So I take my time in selecting my films," the 25-year-old said. Asin entered Bollywood with 2008 blockbuster Ghajini , then she went on to do films like London Dreams and Ready .

Currently the actress is shooting for Sajid Khan's Housefull 2 . Tweet (less)

SRK shared his experience with his first producer, who was keen to know why the "thin and dark" young man with "hair like a bear", wanted to join filmdom. "I told him - 'I want to make people smile because it makes me happy.

' He said - 'This is very ideological. Genuinely, tell me why do you want to be a movie star?' "I told him my ideology, which is my ideology even now.

..

I told him that my parents have died. So I want to make movies so damn bloody big.

..

that my parents somewhere sit down on a star and from there also can look at their son and say 'I can see his movies from here better than I can see the Wall of China or anything. We see his movies covering the face of this earth'," added Shah Rukh, explaining the importance of setting the right targets in life.

"That is my target. It may seem a bit too much of self-importance, but I don't think anyone can compete with me because they don't have a target like that.

..

I have a genuine emotional target. So you've got to know your target," he added to a thunderous applause.

Shah Rukh, or King Khan as he is lovingly called, may have many rivals in the film industry but he says he deals with competition a little differently. "I hit my competition hard by deciding not to play the game.

I choose to change the game and I choose to select films that are so different from what the others do so that they don't remain my competition because they don't run the same race. "Winning is not about trying to undermine someone's success.

..

what you need to do is to go on the parallel road! You decide that you go and change the game. In my life, I have always decided to change the game.

..

. "I am making the biggest film this country has ever made ('RA.

One') and I will be proud even if it flops and does not succeed because I want to change the game I play. I do not want to be in the same playing field as others," said the actor, who is said to have invested over Rs.

150 crore in the making of the superhero film. Shah Rukh has been in Bollywood since he made his debut in 1992 with "Deewana" and year after year he has been enthralling viewers with entertainers like "Baazigar", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", " Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Devdas", "Swades", "Chak De! India" and "My Name Is Khan", and says: "I want to die giving the last shot of my film.

" "I am a big believer of selling dreams. Everything comes at a price.

..

life comes at a price tag of death itself. Except for the emotions that parents and children share, everything is for sale.

..

I don't come for free either. You can make me do an item number in films, dance at a wedding, do street theatre as long as it makes people smile.

I am a proud seller of dreams..

. and as long as it makes people smile, I will do it," he said.

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"It draws inspiration from the strugglers in the 1980s whose indomitable spirit made them emerge triumphant and create a unique space for themselves in a male-dominated film industry. The film is not a formal biopic or biography, as is being speculated.

It is a work of fiction, and any character's resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental," it added. The clarification was issued after a media report that claimed that southern sex icon Silk Smitha's brother, V.

Naga Vara Prasad, who lives in a village in Andhra Pradesh, sent a legal notice to the film's producer Ekta Kapoor and director Milan Luthria for not taking permission from the late actress' family before making the movie. Prasad claims that he learned about the film through television.

Silk Smitha committed suicide in 1996. " The Dirty Picture , a spectacular musical entertainer, is in essence, a love story, and a celebration of the never-say-die spirit of every industry newcomer," said the statement.

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"My family has a deep commitment to making and distributing quality films that entertain and enlighten audiences. I share that passion, as well as a love for American films that I have had since childhood.

It is that enthusiasm and my love of the creative process of filmmaking that drove me to start this new venture," Uday said in a statement. Uday has hired Jonathan Reiman to head development and production under him.

Currently, YRF Entertainment is producing and financing 'The Longest Week', a comedy film, with stars Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde and Billy Crudup. Written and directed by Peter Glanz, the movie is being produced by Uday, along with Neda Armian.

The executive producers are Jonathan Reiman, Chris Marsh, Stone Douglass and Taylor Materne. The film tells the story of a bratty man-child played by Jason Bateman, who still lives with his parents in a Manhattan hotel, but suddenly finds himself evicted, disinherited and hopelessly in love with his best friend's heartthrob, played by Olivia Wilde.

The shooting for the film began last week in New York. Uday tracked down the project after the original financier had to abandon the film and immediately fell in love with the material.

YRF Entertainment is also building a slate of projects that it will develop and produce from the ground up. The first project the company will develop is an untitled action-comedy by Dan Ewen about two twenty-somethings, who run away from their podunk towns to pursue big dreams and become an unlikely but seemingly unstoppable duo after meeting serendipitously.

Back home, the parent banner Yash Raj Films continues to produce mainstream Bollywood films. Yash Chopra's eldest son Aditya's upcoming film Ladies vs Ricky Bahl , a romantic comedy, starring Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma is releasing on December 9.

Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra returns to direction after almost seven years. The new untitled project will feature superstar Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

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Having a repertoire of around 300 films in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Kannada, Aruna Irani has won the Filmfare Award twice in the Best Supporting Actor category. In an exclusive conversation with Gaurav Malani, the versatile actress speaks about her film career spanning more than five decades.

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award I was dumbfounded when I was told I was chosen for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Esp.

because I am not doing any films as such these days. It was really nice and kind of Filmfare to remember me and consider me for such an honour.

The award kind of made me feel I am not so bad after all (laughs). One might know that they are good at their work but the recognition should come from others.

That's what made me really happy! Debuting at 10 I was just 10 years old when around 500 children from our society were going for an audition. I was least interested because I thought what would I get going there.

But then we were told there would be wafers and coke served and I got excited. Certain of not being selected, I was sitting aloof on a bench, munching wafers when I heard a voice saying 'aye ladki, idhar aao' (hey girl, come here).

I turned to see Dilip Kumar saab calling me. I was surprised.

I wiped my face and touched his feet. And before I knew I got a role in Ganga Jamna.

"My father wanted a son" We came from a very humble background and my father was a poor man. I was eldest amongst eight brothers and sisters and my father always wished his eldest child should have been a son who could have taken care of his younger siblings.

So I started working in films to support my family and not with the dreams of being a big star. I had dreams of marrying a Prince Charming and settling down in life but things weren't as easy.

But thanks to that responsibility of mine and my good fortune that today I am a known figure. Else I would have died like any ordinary woman.

When you are pushed in water, you somehow learn to swim. That was the case with me.

My family is largely responsible for what I am today. I credit my success to them.

Supporting Actress over Lead Heroine My responsibilities towards my family never gave me the time to be the leading lady. I couldn't afford to wait for months to get the right role for the main lead.

I had a family to look after and had to get enough work to make ends meet. But when I look back at it today, I never regret at my decision.

Had I been a heroine, for how long would I have survived - 10 or 15 years at the most? I believe God has his own plans for everybody. The Wicked Vamp If you eat biryani everyday, you won't relish its taste anymore.

It's important to have dal chawal in between (smiles). I am lucky to get the opportunity to play diverse characters.

Whether leading actress, supporting characters, motherly roles, emotional roles or vamp - it was fun to do different stuff and kill the monotony. I would say I started enjoying acting when I learnt acting.

And I believe it came to me much late - maybe by then I was 32 or 34. The Dancing Queen I was never trained in dancing nor could I afford to attend any classes.

So dancing was the last thing I could think of doing. Dance director Suresh Bhatt played an important role in getting the best out of me.

He recommended my name for the role in Caravan. Now he couldn't let himself down and so ensured that I gave my best.

He used to give me some movements and allowed me to do it my way. The one thing he always told me was to keep a smiling face while dancing.

Favourite Directors I really admired K Vishwanath with whom I did a film called Aurat. Rekha and I worked in that film and would go on sets even when we didn't have to shoot.

Being an actor himself, Vishwanathji used to enact the scene for us and it never felt he was acting. He was the only director who had a natural approach to filmmaking.

K Vishwanath and Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) always made very soft films. Favourite Films Mili, Caravan, Beta, Raja Babu, Qurbani and Sankoch "Today, heroes and heroines hardly have parents in films" There are hardly any good roles for us today.

The last mother character I remember in films was perhaps Jaya Bachchan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Ghum or Farida Jalal in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The problem is that in today's films, the hero and heroine hardly have parents.

I am not saying that they are bad films but senior actors hardly have anything substantial to do in films. In our times, films had chacha, chachi, mama, mami and so many more of them.

There are no more extended joint families in films. Shifting to the small screen Television gives us the kind of roles we wish to play at such age.

It's fabulous working for TV. The only problem is that television has deadlines, which makes life a little difficult.

Once you are committed to a show, you are dead for a couple of years. You don't have any holiday and you work round the clock.

Ageing actresses like me do need a break once in a while. But other than that I love TV.

"TV keeps the actress in me alive" I play a very strong character of Rajmata in 'Dekha Ek Khwab' and a very simple and lighthearted character in 'Laxmi Tere Aangan Ki'. Television keeps the actress in me alive (less)

Labelled a Casanova, Kohli is on the most wanted list with several endorsement offers. His commercials with Genelia D'Souza for an accessory brand were a huge hit.

Relationship Status: Single. DQ: Dashing with oddles of confidence.

Fun Fact: Women love his badass attitude. Sonu Nigam No 32 Who: Singer, Actor Claim To Fame: He began his career at the age of three when he joined his father Agam Kumar Nigam on stage to sing Kya Hua Tera Vaada at a concert.

He was recently in the news for his international collaborations with artistes like Britney Spears and Avicii. Sonu was moved by the death of his idol Michael Jackson and released a tribute album in his memory.

Relationship Status: Married to Madhurima. DQ: Soulful voice and charming personality.

Fun Fact: Is a very good mimic. Dhanush No 19 Who: Actor, Singer Claim To Fame: The Kolaveri Di singer took the nation by storm with the song and video going viral within hours of being uploaded online.

Not only did the song top the charts but it also became the most watched video in India in 2011. He was part of the National Award-winning film Aadukalam, which won six awards last year.

Relationship Status: Married to Aishwarya Rajinikanth. DQ: Boy-next-door charm.

Fun Fact: Kolaveri Di will be seen in his Tamil film 3. Vidyut Jamwal No 39 Who: Model, Actor Claim To Fame: After scorching the ramp with his good looks, Vidyut was noticed by Bollywood.

His first big project was Vipul Shah's Force where he was cast in a negative role opposite John Abraham. Addicted to working out, he is trained in martial arts.

He was also seen in a Telugu film Shakti opposite NTR Jr. Relationship Status: Single.

DQ: Deadly looks and a killer body. Fun Fact: Openly admits to being technologically challenged! Riteish Deshmukh No 40 Who: Actor Claim To Fame: His father used to be Maharashtra's Chief Minister.

But politicial affliations aside, Riteish is known for his flair for comedy. He starred in two of last year's hits F.

A.L.

T.U.

and Double Dhamaal. Relationship Status: Lost his single status on Friday when he married Genelia D'Souza.

DQ: A Mr Nice Guy, he also deserves the title of B-Town's Mr Congeniality. Fun Fact: Is heavily into technology and is known to be a gadget freak who's miles ahead of his contemporaries.

Sonu Sood No 33 Who: Actor Claim To Fame: Born in the interiors of Punjab, this model-turned-actor made his debut in the Telugu film Hands Up (2000). He then got a break in Hindi films with Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh (2002) where he was noticed for his acting.

However, his biggest hits to date have been the Telugu film Arundhati and Salman Khan's Dabangg, where he played the bad guy. A fitness addict and parkour expert, Sonu is famous for his chiseled body.

Relationship Status: Married to Sonali. DQ: Ripped body.

Fun Fact: He once bribed security to enter Film City as a struggling actor. Rajat Barmecha No 50 Who: Actor Claim To Fame: The 23-year-old left Delhi to pursue his acting dreams in Mumbai, even though his parents wanted him to join the family business.

He started off with commercials, before auditioning for Udaan, which changed his life and won him rave reviews. Later he did a small cameo in mentor Anurag Kashyap's production Shaitan.

Relationship Status: Single. DQ: The quintessential boy next door.

Fun Fact: Is a fan of Pedro Almodovar movies. Jackky Bhagnani No 42 Who: Actor Claim To Fame: Before becoming an actor, Jackky served as an assistant director on several films produced by his father Vashu Bhagnani.

He made his debut in 2009 with Kal Kissne Dekha for which he lost around 60 kgs over a period of two years. His second release F.

A.L.

T.U went on to become a sleeper hit in 2011.

Relationship Status: Single. DQ: Sweet smile, likeable personality.

Fun Fact: Down-to-earth despite daddy's millions. Rana Daggubati No 20 Who: Actor Claim To Fame: Hailing from a filmi family, Rana's uncles are south superstars Venkatesh and Nagarjuna.

He made his debut with the Telugu film Leader, which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut - South. In 2011, he made his Bollywood entry with Rohan Sippy's Dum Maaro Dum where he got noticed and won accolades for his role.

Relationship Status: Briefly dated Bipasha Basu. Now single.

DQ: Raw, rugged appeal. Fun Fact: Known to be quite the party boy.

Arunoday Singh No 46 Who: Actor Claim To Fame: Grandson of late politician Arjun Singh, Arunoday made his acting debut in 2009 with Sikander. Having learnt acting from the New York Film Academy, he has also had a short stint in theatre.

Singh's best work to date has been in Sudhir Mishra's acclaimed film Yeh Saali Zindagi. Relationship Status: Single.

DQ: Tall, fair, handsome. Fun Fact: Has some mean moves on the dance floor.

Rank 2011 Hotties 1 Salman Khan 2 Ranbir Kapoor 3 Hrithik Roshan 4 John Abraham 5 Mahesh Babu 6 MS Dhoni 7 Shah Rukh Khan 8 Shahid Kapoor 9 Imran Khan 10 Arjun Rampal 11 Suriya 12 Ajith 13 Virat Kohli 14 Akshay Kumar 15 Yuvraj Singh 16 Farhan Akhtar 17 Ali Zafar 18 Aamir Khan 19 Dhanush 20 Rana Daggubati 21 Siddharth 22 Ranveer Singh 23 Vikram Kennedy 24 Saif Ali Khan 25 Atif Aslam 26 Ajay Devgn 27 Abhay Deol 28 Zaheer Khan 29 Karan Singh Grover 30 Abhishek Bachchan 31 Rahul Gandhi 32 Sonu Nigam 33 Sonu Sood 34 Neil Nitin Mukesh 35 Rajeev Khandelwal 36 Sidhartha Mallya 37 Prateik 38 Vijender Singh 39 Vidyut Jamwal 40 Riteish Deshmukh 41 Emraan Hashmi 42 Jackky Bhagnani 43 Kunal Kapoor 44 Muzammil Ibrahim 45 Dino Morea 46 Arunoday Singh 47 Rannvijay Singh 48 Rahul Sharma 49 Karan Johar 50 Rajat Barmecha Text by Tushar Joshi (less)

Here one can think big and execute it as well. There are no limitations.

It is a creatively satisfying place for any filmmaker," Siddique told IANS in an interview. "One does not need to worry about funds.

The bigger you imagine, the bigger your dreams are, the bigger a film can be," he said while praising Bollywood. Siddique has made Bodyguard , a remake of his own Malayalam film of the same name, in Hindi with Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles.

The film is releasing Aug 31. This is the third time he has directed the same script--the film was also made in Tamil as Kaavalan .

When asked about the difference in the treatment, he said: "Language dosen't really make much of a difference if the story line has meat in it. A few changes have been made keeping in mind Salman's fan following.

"I am very happy to enter Bollywood, that too with Salman Khan. I feel very lucky to have him in my first Bollywood project.

One does not need to give him briefing. He understands all the aspects of filmmaking.

" Siddique feels language is not a barrier while adapting a script, but it certainly posed problems for him when he had to interact with people while making the film. "It wasn't that easy for me to make a film here because I was out of my comfort zone and my working style.

I was also among new people. The most difficult part was that I didn't know the language and so it became a little difficult to make others understand with my 'tuta-futa' (broken) Hindi.

" "Salman and Kareena watched the other versions of the film. They understood the main plot of the characters.

They understood what I wanted from them. When we started shooting, I didn't have to explain much to them as they had the idea about what I expected from them in a particular scene," he said.

After starting his career in the early 1980s, Siddique made films in Tamil and Malayalam. Priyadarshan is known for adapting Siddique's films--he turned Ramji Rao Speaking (1989) into Hera Pheri (2000), Godfather (1991) into Hulchul (2004) and In Harihar Nagar (1990) into Dhol (2007).

But he has no qualms about it as he feels the "give and take" process between Bollywood and Southern filmdom is "bridging the gap between the two industries." "I had offers even before, but I didn't accept them at that time.

But I think it was wise of me because this is the right time for me to enter Bollywood," he said. Before foraying into Bollywood, Siddique saw over 60 Hindi films to understand how Bollywood movies are made.

Comparing the two industries, he said that the southern film industry is still in a developing stage. "It's not that there are any problems with the southern industry.

But it is still in its developing stage. We have great artists, good technicians, but the problem arises when it comes to funding," said Siddique.

"In South the movie market is growing. They are experimenting with story lines.

The difference in cinema of both the industries is basically of the language. Otherwise, Indian emotions are same all over the country.

Their understanding of a subject is more or less the same," he added. He also feels regional films are finally getting their due.

"Not only in their own country but even across the globe. Now, their reach is not limited.

They have set a mark in global market thanks to international festivals. Earlier the Kannada market was around Rs.

80 lakh to Rs.1crore.

But now it is around Rs.40 crore, alone," he said.

Though the director is smitten by Bollywood, there is one area that Siddique feels Bollywood needs to improve upon. "We (people down South) start work early.

Usually, we start our day at seven in the morning or maximum by nine. But here that is not the case.

The working hours are a little odd for us. It is my humble request that if the industry here inculcates the practice of starting early, the atmosphere would become perfect.

It will become more disciplined," he said. Tweet (less)

But beyond that when it strays into entirely different terrain, the movie loses its audience. Vidyadhar (Vinay Pathak) works in a private company but lives (as an illegal tenant) in a government colony in Mumbai.

Mehek Malvade (Neha Dhupia) who works as a backup dancer in films shifts next doors. She is anything but the girl-next-door and her cheeky conduct initiates enmity with her neighbour.

When a vigilance raid renders her homeless, Mehek moves in Vidyadhar's apartment, much against his wish. As their initial hostility is replaced by a friendly bond, they come close.

But the ambitious Mehek is besotted by glamour world and will stop at nothing to make her starry dreams come true. Writer-director Saurabh Shukla starts the film on a promising note and though it never gets outrageously funny (like one expects it to be), it doesn't bore you either.

The pace is slow and the tempo keeps dropping every now and then. The Bambaiyya v/s Banarasi attitude of brawl between Vinay Pathak and Neha Dhupia defines their cross-connected chemistry here.

The tone of humour is inconsistent ranging from some hilarious moments to some plain passable ones. But beyond humour, the film focuses more on the heartwarming bond that it subtly develops between its odd pair.

But as Mehek's journey to reach the stars takes over, the film loses focus. Going on a completely different tangent, it highlights the turmoil of a struggling actress and how her family disapproves of filmdom.

Furthermore it distances her from love. Disillusioned in the city of dreams, Vidyadhar moves back to his hometown and the film attempts to give an insight on the urban-rural divide.

Until Naseeruddin Shah (reprising a role immortalized by Anupam Kher in Bollywood ) persuades his son to seek true love. And just when you presume that a seemingly lecherous producer (Rajat Kapoor) would make a pass at Mehek, he plays agony uncle guiding her to true love.

Finally when the end credits roll in a film-studio, showcasing the behind-the-scene existence of the movie industry, one wonders why the film needlessly treads into Zoya Akhtar's Luck By Chance zone. What was the central plot after all? The murky side of movie world? Despair in city of dreams? What point did the film attempt to make after wandering off into so many offshoots, when we were always under the impression that it was a minimal tale of mismatched romance? The performances are perfect.

Vinay Pathak doesn't fall prey of overdoing his underplaying act and is poised in his character. Neha Dhupia completely justifies her meaty role with an audacious act.

Rajat Kapoor is restrained as usual in his small bit. Naseeruddin Shah gets a cliched character.

Brijendra Kala and Sanjay Mishra lend decent support. The film ends with an off-track moral to the story - to accept a person without expecting them to change.

But it's difficult to accept this partially engaging film, unconditionally! On that note this pappu doesn't pass muster. Alas pappu fail ho gaya ! Verdict: Average (less)

. Says actor Manoj Bajpayee about his journey as an actor.

There was a time when he'd do a role for a few thousand bucks, he recalls Since your first movie, you've been tagged a serious actor. How do you react to that? It really irks me.

I take my roles very seriously and I do different kinds of roles, which my directors feel that only I am cut out to do. I don't know how you define serious roles.

My character of Bhiku Mhatre was not serious. He evoked laughter.

My character in "Zubeida" was not serious. He evoked romance.

"Road" evoked suspicion. Yes, I haven't been part of a slapstick film, but that doesn't make me a serious actor.

At times, I take it as a compliment. One of my director friends said that this serious actor tag is great because you are the best actor in the country.

I would like to grab it with both hands. But you cannot deny that your roles are not the conventional hero types.

..

I have done hero roles, but those roles were full of substance, like the ones in "Shool", "Pinjar", or "Zubeida". I never wanted to do the commercial hero roles because I was never convinced with those.

After "Satya" I was offered such roles, but I refused them. But people do those roles.

..

They do it because they are convinced about it. I was trained to become an actor; I am one today.

So you prefer being an actor and not a star? My choice was to become a credible actor in this country, and God has gifted me that space. The actor was recognised around the time "Tamanna" released.

Before that, were there any moments of doubt? I have been working now for 18 years, since 1993. You start questioning yourself and your abilities when you don't get work.

So the time of struggle is very difficult, not just for me but for any actor, or any person who becomes a hero. For anybody, it's during the trying time that you need to keep your calm.

That is the time when trouble hits you badly and it shakes your confidence. At times, I had my doubts about whether I could be a good actor, since people didn't seem convinced with what I thought I could do.

So at that time, did you consider doing roles that you were not convinced about? Yes. I had to do a few TV series.

..

just 3-4 episodes for just a thousand bucks per episode, since I didn't have money to eat and those were very bad times. Those moments are unnerving since you are compromising your beliefs for your needs, and hunger was my need at that time.

Did your dreams change at that time? I thought I'd just manage my bread and butter. I knew I wanted to be a very big actor, but my initial days in Mumbai were not very inspiring and they put doubts in my mind.

I did meagre roles so that I could manage my bread and butter. And that's how far I could think.

And whenever I looked in the mirror, I thought this is not a face they would welcome in the industry. I was a very practical person.

I never had any big ideas about myself. So, I never trained myself to be a hero.

And since I've done hardcore theatre, I could never convince myself that I should be singing songs or doing things that I didn't believe in. That requires a very different journey.

My journey has not been like that. When did those trying times end? After the "Swabhiman" series.

It started giving me `2,000 per episode. You could find some money all the time in my wallet.

That kind of eased me out a little bit. So, what kind of needs do you compromise on now? Needs have no end, and you can't make compromises for them now.

But I try to consciously cut down on many things. Like just now, when you came, I was given a Mercedes to move around.

I didn't want it. I wanted a simple car.

So, consciously you try to cut down by not getting tempted by it. You don't feel comfortable with status symbols? I feel comfortable, definitely, but I think Mr Amitabh Bachchan will be more comfortable in a Mercedes than Manoj Bajpayee.

Because he has the status of being a very big star. He can afford a Mercedes and I can afford a lesser car than that.

Is there reservation in Bollywood? Mr Bachchan is from Allahabad and he is the superstar of all superstars. Prakash Jha is from Bihar, I am from Bihar and all of us have work and all of us are fairly well settled.

What are your views on reservation? You can't have views on reservation. It is a constitutional truth today.

The policy is fantastic and is for the upliftment of people who are socially and economically deprived. And they (the government) keep working on this policy all the time.

And now, I think they have taken out the creamy layer and that was needed - people who have already benefitted shouldn't be included in this. Is there reservation in any field that you don't agree with? There shouldn't be any reservation at the National School of Drama.

I was rejected four times by NSD. I wouldn't say it was because of reservation or any kind of quota system.

You have talent coming from all over the country and they can't accommodate all of them, so I have a simpler solution - they should have 6-7 NSDs in the country. Is it difficult to break into Bollywood when you are from a place like Bihar? Not really.

I used to be frustrated about it in my struggling days. When you start looking at the other point of view, you start calming down.

How will a director gauge a person's ability by just looking at him? Or just by taking an audition? It's very difficult, but it is all the more important for newcomers to keep working. You never know what will get you the big job.

My great moment was when Mahesh Bhatt found me from a series called "Swabhiman". He realised that I was capable of big things and he gave me a role in "Tamanna".

And then Ram Gopal Varma saw me in "Tamanna" and "Bandit Queen" and he thought I was capable of being Bhiku Mhatre. That's how I got roles.

My advice to all newcomers - keep doing as much as possible. Who gave you that advice? My circumstances were my teachers.

I was alone, fighting my own battles, and there were a couple of friends of mine, who were also newcomers and we were supporting each other. It's a very lonely city when you don't have a job.

So does a struggler need a mentor? No, you need someone who believes in you. When you get that person, it is such a relief.

The stay in Bombay becomes very, very easy..

. Oh.

..

the stay in Mumbai. Watch Video'+'';} else {tmpdiV="";} var b1=""; var b2=""; var hid="526"; if(sldemsidcnt>1){imglinksh='View Images';}else{imglinksh='View Image';} var b2 = ''+''+ capt +''+ tmpdiV +''; bellyad.

innerHTML = b2 + b1; (less)

"I often have a fantasy about packing up the family and travelling. If it was an adventure, sure, I'd leave all this behind.

But I'd never do it without them," she said. Despite her successful career, Parker says she is not any easier on herself as she has gotten older because having children means life can be tougher.

"Having children makes it harder now. When you involve other people who are reliant on you, the stakes are monumentally higher.

I don't mean to be dramatic, it's also beautiful and filled with meaning," Parker said. Tweet (less)

Don't we all watch those good-looking people on TV and think, look how skinny that girl is! Or check out that guy's abs. Some people are just lucky to have a figure like that, aren't they? Well I agree that some of us are born lucky.

They have a faster metabolism and don't put on weight as easily as others. But I am not one of them.

I love food and can gain weight pretty easily. Yet I have a career in the glamour industry, which means that I have to look good every single day.

Let me tell you this is hard work. I have to constantly watch myself and I need to exercise regularly.

Otherwise I'd be out of a job. I was aware of this from the very beginning of my career as even Renata used to tell us that we needed to start watching what we ate so we din't gain any weight.

To me it was simple maths: more food=less job. So I started getting conscious about what I ate and how my body looked and inevitably compared myself with models on TV, from the time Dita got me into it by showing me magazines and introducing the fashion world to me.

I would admire their bodies, and wish I could be skinnier even though I definitely didn't need to lose any weight then. I didn't know then that there is a big difference between being skinny and being fit.

For me these were the top models of the world and, if I wanted to become one of them, I needed to look exactly as they did. So instead of being a happy sixteen-year-old who lives a fun teenage life, worrying about boys and what to wear to a Friday night party, I started developing a fear of becoming fat.

I began to monitor everything I ate (I conned myself into calling it 'being professional'). I would forbid myself from eating anything that looked sinful (even though for others that may be just a normal meal).

For example if I ate a plate of pasta, I felt instantly fat. Or even just things like dumplings, which were part of every other traditional Czech meal, I was afraid to eat as I thought I could gain weight.

Soon I started considering almost all normal food fattening unless it was steamed or cooked in water. So while my friends had a normal meal for lunch after school, I ordered a salad with a low-fat dressing on the side and made sure I ate only half of it.

Of course I stared at my friends' plates wishing I could eat their food instead, but whenever such a thought crossed my mind, I would just tell myself: 'Hey! You are the one who is a model here, who gets to travel and earn money while all your friends are penniless! So some sacrifice is okay for being the lucky one here, don't you think? So keep quiet and eat your salad!' By the time my friends were done eating I would still be hungry though. I was used to having my stomach half empty and in a way I liked feeling light as it made me feel skinny but the appetite was a problem.

Luckily there was a solution to this problem, a way to kill the taste buds: a cigarette. Or even better, a cigarette and coffee.

Smoking at sixteen was not that abnormal really, many teenagers do it. I started having a cigarette with coffee after meals even though I didn't even like the taste in the beginning, but well, you get used to it.

I never really thought it was a cool thing to do. No doubt it was stupid.

But for me the cigarette was just something that I was allowed to have as it had no calories. It was something I could have when I couldn't have food.

I wouldn't smoke that much, maybe two, three a day but it was like my comfort food. And it did the trick.

Whenever I felt like eating something I shouldn't, I just had a smoke and the desire would vanish. I could do without sweets really but I did crave the traditional Czech foods my friends would eat at the pub.

One of my favourites was duck with dumplings and cabbage, a typical dish we ate growing up. But when I started modelling, what do you think happened to my beloved duck? It got blacklisted.

As did many other foods. Any kind of fattening meat, bread, white rice, potatoes, all cheese, pizza (of course!), dumplings, fruit that was cooked, sugar (not even one teaspoon in tea), cream (oh keep on dreaming!), normal milk (low fat was allowed as long as it was just in coffee, not a full glass of course), oh yeah and pasta (any kind that is).

I don't think I need to mention that any kind of sweet was out of the question. So much so that I began to fear my own birthday because I knew I would want to eat the cake but I couldn't.

The only sweet thing I was allowed was fruit (as long as it was fresh, because preserved fruit has sugar in it) and also a bit of dried fruits and honey at times. Fruit juices were also forbidden as they are too concentrated in sugars and calories.

So what did I actually eat you may ask, right? Well, I ate a lot, don't worry! A lot of vegetables, that is. Big salads with low-fat dressing, some tuna in it here and there (tuna in a can preserved in water and not oil, mind you) and egg whites, the yellow carefully taken out, or steamed vegetables and vegetable soups.

I would also have brown rice or a piece of low-fat rice cracker with it or something like that. Anything that said low calorie and fat free on the cover was good so I'd often spend hours in the shop studying all the food labels.

One thing is for sure, I would never ever have bread under any circumstances. Bread was the biggest evil of all (and I am obsessed with bread by the way).

The amazing thing is that while most people would totally freak out if they were given such a diet, I actually learned to enjoy eating veggies. And luckily my most favourite food since childhood is the apple.

Not even the duck beats it. But of course I hated not being able to eat like normal people.

I thought it was unfair and too big a sacrifice. But then again, I told myself that it was I who chose this, and I better accept it and stop complaining.

My friends and boyfriends all rather admired the way I ate--it looked healthy from the outside because it's not that I would not eat at all in front of them. I would just eat veggies and not the yummy-looking, sinful foods they would eat.

They admired me for having such a strong will and saying no to temptation, yet, at the same time, none of them wanted to be in my place. And even though I looked skinny, I never looked bulimic skinny, so no one really considered me unhealthy.

And at home, they just respected that I did this job and therefore had to eat the way I did, so no one would force me into eating anything particular. I tried keeping my mind busy just so I didn't think of food.

But at night I couldn't escape my longings. In my dreams I would be eating chocolate cakes, pizza with double cheese or my darling duck.

Inevitably fear would overwhelm me, a fear that I was growing fat. I can't tell you what a relief it was to wake up.

A few months into modelling, the extreme of non-eating brought on the other extreme as well--overeating. After school, I would head home skipping the school canteen lunch (I thought it was too fattening), planning to cook some veggies with brown rice at home instead.

But on the way, passing by a big supermarket, I would go inside and buy myself an apple or a pear. Sometimes a friend would come with me and pick up some junk food such as my favourite Prince biscuits.

Of course they would share it with me and I couldn't say no. Now it wouldn't be a big deal if I just had one or two or even three biscuits.

But once I started, I couldn't stop, because it felt like a unique opportunity that wouldn't happen again. Just like if you were to give a drink to an alcoholic who's been trying real hard to abstain.

I just had to finish the entire packet! I would of course feel unhappy once I had finished the whole pack. Actually no, I began feeling unhappy as I ate it, the guilt and fear growing inside me with every biscuit I ate.

It was more of a need and it didn't feel positive. Looking back I think I was just angry.

Angry that I couldn't be like others and eat normally, angry that if I did eat I wasn't disciplined enough. 'It's okay,' I told myself upon finishing it.

'Tomorrow I'll start my diet again and eat only fruits the whole day, no other food! It will be like a fast and I'm sure that will help me lose what I have gained. But now since I have already sinned--which meant in my head that the day was already 'spoiled'--let me have something more to enjoy myself.

' And then I'd go back to the supermarket and buy a few more things like a candy bar (or two different ones as I couldn't decide which one I wanted more and didn't want to end up feeling disappointed choosing the wrong one as this was a 'unique opportunity'), some pastry or a sandwich, simply anything with bread, and maybe even a piece of pizza. I'd start eating it right away, not even waiting to get home and I'd finish it all at breakneck speed.

I'd feel really stuffed afterwards and the feeling of guilt would get worse by the minute. I'd promise myself I would never do this again, and I'd go on a proper diet from tomorrow.

The next day, I'd feel bloated and puffed up, especially on my face and around the belly. To me this was the fat I had gained, but in fact (as I learned later) it was water retention as the body tries to deal with the acidity from eating all that sugar and junk by retaining water to dilute it.

And as I promised myself but probably also to punish myself--I did eat only fruits and vegetable salads the next day so I'd lose the extra half kilo. I didn't love myself for sure.

And this was just the beginning of this cycle--extreme discipline (and as I was to discover later, unhealthily so), then bingeing. How long can you go on eating vegetables and fruits, tell me? How long can you keep saying no whenever someone offers you a piece of something sweet? I had no idea then that I had an eating disorder.

I didn't even know what an eating disorder was or that it was considered an actual problem. In the beginning, the 'symptoms' were not as extreme either.

I'd binge only now and then (perhaps once in two weeks) and otherwise I'd stick to my extreme diet. I was naturally skinny at the time anyway so the fear of gaining weight wasn't as big initially, which meant the pressure wasn't as much.

I was also very excited to be a model so the happiness kind of kept me above the water, as it was filling up my empty stomach." What I eat "Let me give you an example of what I eat during the day.

Upon waking up I drink two glasses of warm water with some lemon in it. Then I have some green tea and usually munch on an apple, while I take a few supplements such as a probiotic and multivitamin.

I exercise soon after, which is why I don't eat anything big right away; however, I do make sure I eat something. If I get delayed, as I often read in the morning and get carried away, and feel hungry before I exercise, I might have a bit of plain yoghurt (just a small cup) with some honey and half a teaspoon of hemp or flax oil.

(I love the taste of yoghurt with hemp oil!) Alternatively I may eat another piece of apple or some other fruit and have a few almonds with it that I soaked the previous night. Then I exercise, which generally takes me half an hour (if I do my bodyweight killer routine) or up to an hour (if I do my lazy routine that consists of cycling on my home-use bike, dancing, playing with the hula-hoop and some stretches).

After I'm done exercising I have breakfast (well, breakfast number two in a way) which is usually a bowl of porridge with a bit of Stevia or honey in it. I like it simple and plain like this but if I am travelling and staying in a hotel I might order brown bread toast and an egg-white omelette (made of two egg whites) and some steamed veggies.

I often travel carrying a few things with me (brown rice, olive oil, almonds, green tea, honey) so if they bring the omelette prepared as I asked them (with as minimum oil as possible), I will also have a few almonds to get the good fat. I soak a few almonds every night and then eat them the next day.

When I next get hungry (which will be about three hours later or less), I have some baked or grilled fish with brown rice and some salad. For my next meal I may either have the same thing (I really enjoy it and I'm a lazy cook--I just throw everything into the steamer) or if I'm travelling maybe I'll have some dal and rice and veggies.

The thing is, what I generally do is split the meal into two portions and have the second portion as my next meal. So if I am at home, I will just steam vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, carrot, mushroom, baby corn), make the rice in a rice cooker and steam the fish.

I love my steaming system. It takes no time and it's yummy.

" How To Love Your Body by Yaana Gupta is published by Penguin. The paperback is available for Rs 199.

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If all goes well, you may just see Johnny boy alongside Stallone. Apparently, JJ Perry, Stallone's action trainer has now turned filmmaker and he has been looking to cast John and the Hollywood hotshots for his forthcoming film.

Confirms John, "Perry saw some shots from my film Force . He called me and appreciated my work and physique.

He also expressed interest in casting me for his next. I will be going to Los Angeles in December to meet the producers.

" Though starring with Rambo himself is an opportunity John obviously does not want to let go of, he maintains that his heart lies in Bollywood. He adds, "I am an Indian first and Indian films have always been my first priority.

Only if I think it's worth it will I make any international commitments." This, however, is not the first time John's Hollywood dreams have got a chance to be fulfilled.

When Deepa Mehta's Water travelled across all prestigious film-festivals, the actor was appreciated and approached by many foreign filmmakers. "It's flattering when your work is appreciated and I will try to do my best," he ends.

So if all goes well, John may just bring in the New Year with his first Hollywood project. Watch this space for more.

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Freida, along with director Michael Winterbottom, co-producers Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra as well as composer Amit Trivedi, will attend the screening. The story is based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles .

Set in contemporary Rajasthan, the film has Trishna (Freida) meeting a wealthy young British businessman Jay Singh (Riz Ahmed) who has come to India to work in his father's hotel business. After an accident destroys her father's jeep, Trishna goes to work for Jay, and they fall in love.

But despite their feelings for each other, they cannot escape the conflicting pressures of a rural society which is changing rapidly through industrialisation, urbanisation and, above all, education. Trishna's tragedy is that she is torn between the traditions of her family life and the dreams and ambitions that her education has given her.

The film had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and received rave reviews from critics. The film will have worldwide release in 2012.

For the India release, it will be dubbed in eight languages. Tweet (less)

Don't we all watch those good-looking people on TV and think, look how skinny that girl is! Or check out that guy's abs. Some people are just lucky to have a figure like that, aren't they? Well I agree that some of us are born lucky.

They have a faster metabolism and don't put on weight as easily as others. But I am not one of them.

I love food and can gain weight pretty easily. Yet I have a career in the glamour industry, which means that I have to look good every single day.

Let me tell you this is hard work. I have to constantly watch myself and I need to exercise regularly.

Otherwise I'd be out of a job. I was aware of this from the very beginning of my career as even Renata used to tell us that we needed to start watching what we ate so we din't gain any weight.

To me it was simple maths: more food=less job. So I started getting conscious about what I ate and how my body looked and inevitably compared myself with models on TV, from the time Dita got me into it by showing me magazines and introducing the fashion world to me.

I would admire their bodies, and wish I could be skinnier even though I definitely didn't need to lose any weight then. I didn't know then that there is a big difference between being skinny and being fit.

For me these were the top models of the world and, if I wanted to become one of them, I needed to look exactly as they did. So instead of being a happy sixteen-year-old who lives a fun teenage life, worrying about boys and what to wear to a Friday night party, I started developing a fear of becoming fat.

I began to monitor everything I ate (I conned myself into calling it 'being professional'). I would forbid myself from eating anything that looked sinful (even though for others that may be just a normal meal).

For example if I ate a plate of pasta, I felt instantly fat. Or even just things like dumplings, which were part of every other traditional Czech meal, I was afraid to eat as I thought I could gain weight.

Soon I started considering almost all normal food fattening unless it was steamed or cooked in water. So while my friends had a normal meal for lunch after school, I ordered a salad with a low-fat dressing on the side and made sure I ate only half of it.

Of course I stared at my friends' plates wishing I could eat their food instead, but whenever such a thought crossed my mind, I would just tell myself: 'Hey! You are the one who is a model here, who gets to travel and earn money while all your friends are penniless! So some sacrifice is okay for being the lucky one here, don't you think? So keep quiet and eat your salad!' By the time my friends were done eating I would still be hungry though. I was used to having my stomach half empty and in a way I liked feeling light as it made me feel skinny but the appetite was a problem.

Luckily there was a solution to this problem, a way to kill the taste buds: a cigarette. Or even better, a cigarette and coffee.

Smoking at sixteen was not that abnormal really, many teenagers do it. I started having a cigarette with coffee after meals even though I didn't even like the taste in the beginning, but well, you get used to it.

I never really thought it was a cool thing to do. No doubt it was stupid.

But for me the cigarette was just something that I was allowed to have as it had no calories. It was something I could have when I couldn't have food.

I wouldn't smoke that much, maybe two, three a day but it was like my comfort food. And it did the trick.

Whenever I felt like eating something I shouldn't, I just had a smoke and the desire would vanish. I could do without sweets really but I did crave the traditional Czech foods my friends would eat at the pub.

One of my favourites was duck with dumplings and cabbage, a typical dish we ate growing up. But when I started modelling, what do you think happened to my beloved duck? It got blacklisted.

As did many other foods. Any kind of fattening meat, bread, white rice, potatoes, all cheese, pizza (of course!), dumplings, fruit that was cooked, sugar (not even one teaspoon in tea), cream (oh keep on dreaming!), normal milk (low fat was allowed as long as it was just in coffee, not a full glass of course), oh yeah and pasta (any kind that is).

I don't think I need to mention that any kind of sweet was out of the question. So much so that I began to fear my own birthday because I knew I would want to eat the cake but I couldn't.

The only sweet thing I was allowed was fruit (as long as it was fresh, because preserved fruit has sugar in it) and also a bit of dried fruits and honey at times. Fruit juices were also forbidden as they are too concentrated in sugars and calories.

So what did I actually eat you may ask, right? Well, I ate a lot, don't worry! A lot of vegetables, that is. Big salads with low-fat dressing, some tuna in it here and there (tuna in a can preserved in water and not oil, mind you) and egg whites, the yellow carefully taken out, or steamed vegetables and vegetable soups.

I would also have brown rice or a piece of low-fat rice cracker with it or something like that. Anything that said low calorie and fat free on the cover was good so I'd often spend hours in the shop studying all the food labels.

One thing is for sure, I would never ever have bread under any circumstances. Bread was the biggest evil of all (and I am obsessed with bread by the way).

The amazing thing is that while most people would totally freak out if they were given such a diet, I actually learned to enjoy eating veggies. And luckily my most favourite food since childhood is the apple.

Not even the duck beats it. But of course I hated not being able to eat like normal people.

I thought it was unfair and too big a sacrifice. But then again, I told myself that it was I who chose this, and I better accept it and stop complaining.

My friends and boyfriends all rather admired the way I ate--it looked healthy from the outside because it's not that I would not eat at all in front of them. I would just eat veggies and not the yummy-looking, sinful foods they would eat.

They admired me for having such a strong will and saying no to temptation, yet, at the same time, none of them wanted to be in my place. And even though I looked skinny, I never looked bulimic skinny, so no one really considered me unhealthy.

And at home, they just respected that I did this job and therefore had to eat the way I did, so no one would force me into eating anything particular. I tried keeping my mind busy just so I didn't think of food.

But at night I couldn't escape my longings. In my dreams I would be eating chocolate cakes, pizza with double cheese or my darling duck.

Inevitably fear would overwhelm me, a fear that I was growing fat. I can't tell you what a relief it was to wake up.

A few months into modelling, the extreme of non-eating brought on the other extreme as well--overeating. After school, I would head home skipping the school canteen lunch (I thought it was too fattening), planning to cook some veggies with brown rice at home instead.

But on the way, passing by a big supermarket, I would go inside and buy myself an apple or a pear. Sometimes a friend would come with me and pick up some junk food such as my favourite Prince biscuits.

Of course they would share it with me and I couldn't say no. Now it wouldn't be a big deal if I just had one or two or even three biscuits.

But once I started, I couldn't stop, because it felt like a unique opportunity that wouldn't happen again. Just like if you were to give a drink to an alcoholic who's been trying real hard to abstain.

I just had to finish the entire packet! I would of course feel unhappy once I had finished the whole pack. Actually no, I began feeling unhappy as I ate it, the guilt and fear growing inside me with every biscuit I ate.

It was more of a need and it didn't feel positive. Looking back I think I was just angry.

Angry that I couldn't be like others and eat normally, angry that if I did eat I wasn't disciplined enough. 'It's okay,' I told myself upon finishing it.

'Tomorrow I'll start my diet again and eat only fruits the whole day, no other food! It will be like a fast and I'm sure that will help me lose what I have gained. But now since I have already sinned--which meant in my head that the day was already 'spoiled'--let me have something more to enjoy myself.

' And then I'd go back to the supermarket and buy a few more things like a candy bar (or two different ones as I couldn't decide which one I wanted more and didn't want to end up feeling disappointed choosing the wrong one as this was a 'unique opportunity'), some pastry or a sandwich, simply anything with bread, and maybe even a piece of pizza. I'd start eating it right away, not even waiting to get home and I'd finish it all at breakneck speed.

I'd feel really stuffed afterwards and the feeling of guilt would get worse by the minute. I'd promise myself I would never do this again, and I'd go on a proper diet from tomorrow.

The next day, I'd feel bloated and puffed up, especially on my face and around the belly. To me this was the fat I had gained, but in fact (as I learned later) it was water retention as the body tries to deal with the acidity from eating all that sugar and junk by retaining water to dilute it.

And as I promised myself but probably also to punish myself--I did eat only fruits and vegetable salads the next day so I'd lose the extra half kilo. I didn't love myself for sure.

And this was just the beginning of this cycle--extreme discipline (and as I was to discover later, unhealthily so), then bingeing. How long can you go on eating vegetables and fruits, tell me? How long can you keep saying no whenever someone offers you a piece of something sweet? I had no idea then that I had an eating disorder.

I didn't even know what an eating disorder was or that it was considered an actual problem. In the beginning, the 'symptoms' were not as extreme either.

I'd binge only now and then (perhaps once in two weeks) and otherwise I'd stick to my extreme diet. I was naturally skinny at the time anyway so the fear of gaining weight wasn't as big initially, which meant the pressure wasn't as much.

I was also very excited to be a model so the happiness kind of kept me above the water, as it was filling up my empty stomach." What I eat "Let me give you an example of what I eat during the day.

Upon waking up I drink two glasses of warm water with some lemon in it. Then I have some green tea and usually munch on an apple, while I take a few supplements such as a probiotic and multivitamin.

I exercise soon after, which is why I don't eat anything big right away; however, I do make sure I eat something. If I get delayed, as I often read in the morning and get carried away, and feel hungry before I exercise, I might have a bit of plain yoghurt (just a small cup) with some honey and half a teaspoon of hemp or flax oil.

(I love the taste of yoghurt with hemp oil!) Alternatively I may eat another piece of apple or some other fruit and have a few almonds with it that I soaked the previous night. Then I exercise, which generally takes me half an hour (if I do my bodyweight killer routine) or up to an hour (if I do my lazy routine that consists of cycling on my home-use bike, dancing, playing with the hula-hoop and some stretches).

After I'm done exercising I have breakfast (well, breakfast number two in a way) which is usually a bowl of porridge with a bit of Stevia or honey in it. I like it simple and plain like this but if I am travelling and staying in a hotel I might order brown bread toast and an egg-white omelette (made of two egg whites) and some steamed veggies.

I often travel carrying a few things with me (brown rice, olive oil, almonds, green tea, honey) so if they bring the omelette prepared as I asked them (with as minimum oil as possible), I will also have a few almonds to get the good fat. I soak a few almonds every night and then eat them the next day.

When I next get hungry (which will be about three hours later or less), I have some baked or grilled fish with brown rice and some salad. For my next meal I may either have the same thing (I really enjoy it and I'm a lazy cook--I just throw everything into the steamer) or if I'm travelling maybe I'll have some dal and rice and veggies.

The thing is, what I generally do is split the meal into two portions and have the second portion as my next meal. So if I am at home, I will just steam vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, carrot, mushroom, baby corn), make the rice in a rice cooker and steam the fish.

I love my steaming system. It takes no time and it's yummy.

" How To Love Your Body by Yaana Gupta is published by Penguin. The paperback is available for Rs 199.

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. 2012 we welcome you into our homes and lives with hope and love.

Hema Malini: Wishing You All A Very Happy & Prosperous New Year. May this year bring peace, love and harmony in every ones life.

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Divya Dutta: Simple and straight from the heart! Happy new year all! Jaadu ka jhapphi Shreyas Talpade: Goodies the mornings & goodies the new years lovely peoples. Boman Irani: Wake up to a glorious year! Have nashta with family! Call friends, new and old, and especially those forgotten! Happy new year!! Vivek Oberoi: Happy New Year everyone!!! Wishing you all an amazing year full of love, happiness and dreams that come true! Enjoy 2012!!! :) Raveena Tandon : HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FRIENDS!!may god fulfil your dreams and shower your lives with Love and Happiness!! Anupam Kher: Happy New Year to you ALL.

Love. Bipasha Basu: Happy New Year All.

This is a year to love yourself,celebrate yourself and embrace ur life totally!Only d Good matters,all Bad has to go! Mahaakshay Chakraborty: Wishing all My followers and to everyone out there a very happy and joyous New Year! Neil Nitin Mukesh: So the full stop has happened and the new chapter has started in life! Wish me luck to be strong with decisions I've made. God bless you all Riteish Deshmukh: HAPPY NEW YEAR tweeple- LOVE HAPPINESS & PROSPERITY Sushmita Sen: Happppppy New Year beautiful people!!! :))) May 2012 fill your lives with Peace, happiness and gratitude! I love you soooooooo much always:) Tusshar Kapoor: Happy new year to everyone, thank you to my fans and my haters for you all have helped me deliver Shor in the City and The Dirty Picture .

Shazahn Padamsee: Happy New Yearrrrrr Everyone!!!! Have a FAB year :-D Shahid Kapoor: Happy new year all. A year to make dreams come true.

Spread the love .N value those who matter .

a year to live from the heart ..

. Fearlessly Vishal Dadlani: Grateful for my family, for my few true friends and for all the love I receive.

So much more than I deserve, or can ever repay. Happy 2012.

Shreya Ghoshal: Happy new to my entire twiitterdom:):) may this 2012 be super super duper duper awehhhsome!!! Onir: HAPPY NEW YEAR. Happiness, good health Freedom and love to all of us :) Shirish Kunder: Happy New Year everyone! Neha Dhupia: Here wishing you with all my heart a happy healthy and fabulous 2012! Vikram Bhatt: Hello All.

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here is wishing my twitter friends a very happy new year. Health, wealth and dreams coming true! Arbaaz Khan: Here's wishing you tweeple and your families a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012.

Love & light to all..

. Love Arbaaz Kabir Bedi: Happy NEW Year!!! May it be a year of evolution for all of us, transformation for the nation, peace on the planet.

Smile! Sonu Sood: Have a great YEAR AHEAD.love u all n hope u achieve what ever u dream this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR. A.

R. Rahman: To all the lovely people out there.

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Have a blessed, enlightening, elevating and peaceful 2012 Sonam Kapoor: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! lockerz.com/s/170493402 Sonakshi Sinha: Happy new year guys.

Gonna make this my year..

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