She took this job very seriously because she did not want to let her parents down. She also took it up because she wanted to pull her family out of one of the rockiest patches - financially and emotionally - ever.

Fifteen years hence and innumerable awards and accolades later, her life looks like a fairy tale or a Bollywood script that could not have been written any better. In an industry where the shelf life of an actress is getting shorter by the month - even as actors rule the roost for two decades or more - Rani has seen her fair share of ups and downs that have taught her valuable lessons.

In the last few years, she has faltered in terms of choice of films. But one thing that she hasn't forgotten is to do her job well, i.

e. to act.

She takes it up as seriously as she did during the mahurat shot of "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat" as a 16-year-old. But today, there's more passion than ever, and a mastery of her craft that compels you to appreciate her skills as an actress, even if you aren't her die-hard fan.

After the success of "No One Killed Jessica" early last year, she is awaiting her next two releases this year - the Reema Kagti-directed thriller "Talaash", with Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap's quirky comedy "Aiyya" directed by National Award winning director Sachin Kundalkar. We ask the 'Queen of Bollywood' about the journey during which her job turned into her passion, the girl Rani morphed into the woman who rules hearts and, of course, a certain someone she "is dating".

What are you doing these days? I've just returned from Lonavala where I was shooting for "Aiyya". A few songs are left.

Has the industry changed since you joined films? Immensely. Today, the first look of the film is almost as important as the film itself.

I'm eagerly waiting for the promos of "Talaash", which are to hit the screens soon. It's going to be released in June.

The fact that I'm doing two films that are as different as they can be, in the same year, speaks volumes about how times have changed. It's a far bigger, more diverse than ever industry that's gone global in terms of its scope in every possible way.

Did you always want to become an actress? Arre, my joining films is a poori filmi kahaani. Though I technically come from a film family, my father had stopped making films even before my brother and I were born.

So I did not really grow up in a filmi environment. And when I was growing up, becoming an actress was still quite a taboo.

And you may not believe this but even my father did not want me to join films. Salim (Akhtar) uncle, who was very close to my family, came with the offer of "Aa Gale Lag Jaa" in 1994, but my father was aghast and turned it down.

In the meantime, I joined college (SNDT, Juhu) pursuing Home Science. Those days, the 'in thing' that most girls were going after as a career choice was jewelery and interior designing.

I did not have the money to pursue a `3 lakh course to make a career. And then Salim uncle came back again.

I think he must have been pretty desperate to launch a new actress. This time, he managed to convince my parents.

How did he manage that? (Laughs) When Salim uncle came to me and said he wanted me to act in his film, I started crying. I thought he was making a pass at me.

..

Why on earth..

.? Because I was daft.

And the fact that in those days, acting was still considered a taboo for the girls in my family. My mom's side was okay with it, as my aunt (Bengali actress Debashree Roy) is an actress.

In fact, she had kept it from me till then, but she was seriously harboring dreams of me becoming an actress. My father was still adamant about me not joining films.

But by that time my second cousins, Kajol and Sharbani, had entered films. And that sort of paved the way for me.

My mother and father still fought over it for quite a few days before he finally agreed to give me at least one shot at it - of course, with the strict clause that my mom will accompany me everywhere. And you? Did you know anything about acting by then? I wish I could show you the recording of my first screen test.

You will literally sprint away from the room thinking 'who is this horrible actress?' What was so bad? Those days, I used to be quite chubby. And Salim uncle, who had done "Baazi" with Mamta Kulkarni a few years ago, fished those shorter-than-short and tighter-than-tight clothes that looked completely hideous on me.

And to top that, I had to act! I was a shy kid with inhibitions galore. It was some courtroom scene and when someone gave me the sheet with dialogues, I was dumbfounded.

I saw all these famous dialogues from famous films which I had to say in front of the camera. My understanding of films was just as much as any young girl who watches Bollywood films.

I had no idea about the whole process of filmmaking, about dialogue writing, scripts, screenplay etc. I had probably gone to two or three film shoots in my childhood.

And even when on a shoot as a young girl, I would find actors just giving their shots and sitting in their vans getting bored in-between shots. So when the whole picture opened up in front of me about the reality of becoming an actress, I was petrified.

And my screen test was a disaster. I came back crying and said 'I would not be able to do this - anything but acting! Then? But Salim uncle came back and said I had a photogenic face and the camera captured me quite well, which is very important for any actor.

That was one glimmer of hope in my otherwise nightmarish experience. My mother sat me down that night and told me, 'Opportunity knocks at your door just once, take it up.

What's the worst that could happen? You'll fail at your effort? We are there after that. But at least you'd know you have tried, and won't regret leaving this golden opportunity'.

And though it was never told to me, but I knew my family was going through a financial crisis. And there was also tension in the family because of a lot of bickering between my father and his brothers.

I decided that I would work very hard (there was a month left for the shoot of "Raja Ki..

.") and give myself one good shot, even if it did not work out in the end.

I took it up as a job that just had to be done. What happened in that one month for you to give that spirited performance? My father took me to join Roshan Taneja's acting classes.

Mr Taneja had two courses, one was a year-long one and the other a three-month one. I had to learn all the acting I could in one month.

I told Mr Taneja I would come in the morning and evening for a month and be a dedicated student. On the very first day, my dad said to him, 'Please teach my daughter how to act'.

Mr Taneja said, 'Acting isn't a tablet. You can't pop it and become an actress.

It has to come from within you. It's either deep within you or it's not there'.

His statement stayed with me for a long time. It was my first lesson.

But in the classes, I did not know where to start. Thankfully, one good thing was the improvisation classes - where we all had to face the camera and say whatever came to our mind and enact a scene.

It sort of broke through my shy exterior. In any acting class, there are always a lot of faces looking at you from all corners and that's done on purpose so that the person drops all his/her inhibitions.

On the day of the mahurat, when I was called to give my first shot, I thought, 'yaar, I can't let my parents down. I just have to give it my best'.

And then, when I walked into the shot, I was this confident, fiery ball of energy, spouting dialogues like I had never imagined I would. I haven't looked back since that day.

And how did this job eventually become your passion? That happened later when I started getting fan mails. I was doing a lot of films.

But my fans kept on writing that they were not happy with me. So I wondered 'Arre, I am working 72 hours at a stretch, not eating right, not getting enough sleep, giving my best to each shot, so what was going wrong?' Then I realized that after "Ghulam" and "Kuch Kuch Hota Hain", my fans' expectations of me were higher than my own.

That's when I learnt my second lesson - that it's not just performing, I also had to know good scripts from the not-so-good ones. I started getting more involved in the whole process; understanding films beyond just acting.

During this whole process, acting became my passion. Coming back to the present, what went wrong in the last couple of years before "No One Killed Jessica" last year? You had some consecutive flops after a spate of hits, and suddenly you just vanished.

..

(Snaps her fingers and says with a smile) Don't worry, from this year, you'll see me in two films every year at least. Coming back to your question, I had seen failures before but when those three films ("Laaga Chunri Mein Daag", "Thoda Pyaar, Thoda Magic" and "Dil Bole Hadippa") failed in quick succession, it affected me in a way no flop had before.

My confidence was completely shattered. All my movies failed to make a mark with audiences and critics alike.

Maybe the critics thought 'we've praised her enough, now it's time for her to fall a bit hard, so she steps her game up' (smiles). I also think I was plain unlucky.

The audience has little memory of what you have done before or are capable of doing. What matters is today.

So three flops probably told them 'Rani has worked so well in the last few years, maybe it's time she took a back seat and settled down'. And are you settling down? (Smile that says read-my-expression-if-you-can) When I plan to settle down, I will announce it to the world.

Marriage is an occasion to celebrate. I'll celebrate it when it happens, letting everyone know about it.

What about the rumors of your relationship with Aditya Chopra? I have been linked with so many of my co-stars and this Aditya rumor has stayed with me for the longest time. This time, I'm going to give you the cliched answer no journalist wants to hear, 'No comments'.

Are you dating someone? Yes, I am dating, but that's as far as I'm willing to talk about my personal life. Your fans want to know about your personal life? They want to know if marriage is on the cards.

They will know when the time comes. Right now, I have two movies coming out and that's what I'm going to talk about.

Are you saying nothing is serious as far as your dating goes? In a relationship, there are two people involved. Since I'm a public figure, if I start answering questions, it'll open doors for more questions, speculations, gossips, and then it comes to a point where every day someone has something to say about your personal life.

It's unfair to the other person. I do not mind a bitchy comment about the way I dress or my films, but a comment on my private space isn't welcome.

Are you a romantic? I'm a born romantic. I romanticize everything in life.

My personal life is full of love and romance. God's given us one life.

You should romance it. It's not always nice and cool to be practical and logical.

What have your relationships/ heartbreaks taught you? I haven't been in a lot of relationships. Heartbreak definitely teaches you to be a better actor.

Don't they say, an artiste always performs better when he or she has experienced heartbreak? (Laughs) That was a joke. I don't give that much importance to men.

All my heartbreaks have been because of close friends, and not men. Seriously? (On a serious note) Heartbreak, anger, frustration - if you can overcome these emotions, you become a better person.

If you're a person of substance, you'll overcome your bad times. Who wants to be a loser? Will you marry an actor? No, two megalomaniacs can't exist in the same house.

We'll end up killing each other. What's the best thing about being in a relationship? (Enigmatic smile) That you can hide it.

And the best part of getting married is that you can announce it to the world. What about the fact that today the shelf life of actresses is low? Would you ever decide to do an item number or attend red carpet events as visibility is important these days? No.

Because for me, it's important to cement an impression of my work. Acting is what I do best.

It's not difficult to be in the public eye. Go anywhere and you'll find the media.

I am not trying to sound high and mighty here. If I was being launched today, I would do exactly what newcomers do these days.

But after 15 years in the course of which I have firmly established my credentials as an actress, I plan to only focus on acting. But if friends call me, I'll be there.

Like I went to Farah's (Khan) house-warming party recently. Aamir (Khan) and Kiran (Rao) had a son and going there was important for me because he is someone who is very dear to me.

As are Shah Rukh Khan and Karan (Johar). Have you spoken to Abhishek after he became a father? We aren't in touch on the phone, but whenever I come across him, I will definitely congratulate him.

It's great news. What did that low phase in your life teach you? When I was joining films, my dad had told me, 'Don't ever be disheartened with failure and don't be over-excited with success'.

This is an important lesson in any actor's life. But can you really separate your emotions as professional and personal in your mind? Hurt is hurt, disappointment is disappointment.

..

That's where your family and your strength as an individual come in. I am very close to my family.

And I have other interests, like baking. I started baking in one of my very low phases in life.

I find it therapeutic. So, would we see a Rani Mukerji patisserie soon? You could.

I'm serious about going to Paris or Chicago for a fulltime patisserie course. Any other venture in mind? A lot of actresses are starting their own fashion lines.

Or maybe even film production..

. No.

The only thing I will be producing next is babies. No other production happening with me.

Is there a lot of bitching/backbiting in the industry? There is, but that's true of any industry where over-competitive minds are always at work. But it is blown out of proportion in ours because it's the glamor industry.

Have you been at the receiving end of bitching? People say bitchy things about other people to feel good about themselves. Whatever I have got in life has been a huge blessing.

I've never gone after something that's not mine. Today, I am sitting at my office in Juhu, overlooking the sea.

I used to live in a shack before. I used to travel in rickshaws.

Today, I have a Mercedes. But if I start thinking, 'I have a bungalow, why not a building in Bandra tomorrow? Or now, I have a car, why not a yacht next?' my life will be difficult.

My mind doesn't work that way. The only ambition I have is to pick up interesting scripts and give a stellar performance that'll be etched in the audiences' and my fans' minds (less)

Here friends and family congratulate him for his act. Sunil Shetty I went to see Agneepath with my entire family.

My son Ahaan has already seen it twice because Sanju is like God for him. My mother, who is very shy, actually called Sanju to tell him how much she loved his performance.

I thought he was deadly in the film. Everyone looked like a baby in front of him because of the intensity he had.

I'm so happy Deadly Dutt is back to doing what he does best - action! A few days ago, we had a heart-to-heart conversation and I told him, 'Agneepath is your film, and I have a strong feeling it is going to be a huge success.' Now I want to see baba to in his Munnabhai avatar again! It's amazing to see how effortlessly he transitions from playing the good guy to the baddest of the bad! Priya Dutt Roncon I loved Sanju's performance.

He was brilliant! Kancha stays with you long after the movie is over. Sanju is a great actor and has never bothered about the numbers game.

He works with his heart and gives it his best. We are so proud of him - he deserves it! Namrata Dutt I thought Sanju was fantastic in Agneepath.

It was a very challenging role for him, both physically and mentally. It was difficult for him to portray Kancha Cheena as he doesn't identity with the character.

For him to do such an evil role with conviction was brilliant. What I like about him is that he's not a method actor.

He can switch on and off easily. Whenever he returned from Diu, he never got Kancha home.

Now when I think about it, I realise it must have been very difficult to switch on and off like that everyday. Karisma Kapur Sanjay is out of this world as Kancha Cheena! This performance will rate as one of his best films ever.

People will remember his portrayal for a long, long time. No words are enough to laud his tremendous performance.

Milan Luthria Sanju strides across the screen like an evil colossus in Agneepath. After Gabbar Singh and Mogambo, here's a truly memorable onscreen villain.

We were at his house for dinner after watching the film, I told him how incredible it was that Munnabhai could morph into Kancha. He truly rocks.

Rohit Shetty Kancha is a visually striking villain. He can kill you with his look.

Kancha's menacing appearance on screen scares the audience. Sanju has done justice to the character and he will win many hearts in the cinema halls.

Ajay Devgn Agneepath! Sanjay Dutt ! That's the only thing that strikes me when I watch the film. Sanju is to Agneepath what Heath Ledger was to The Dark Knight.

Sanjay Dutt I am overwhelmed at the reactions for Agneepath. I visited some popular single screen theatres and was taken aback by the audience's response! I was stunned when they started whistling and clapping at my entry.

The noise was deafening. I felt on top of the world! I never expected such big opening collections either.

People have complimented me on my range as an actor - that I can play both the lovable Munnabhai and the horrible Kancha with ease. It's a very good feeling to be praised like that.

When you work hard and get such tremendous appreciation from both fans and friends, you feel a real sense of achievement (less)

He confirmed it and told IANS: "Absolutely true and underline it 500 times. If somebody's says give me the reason, I am going to show my finger because she is my daughter.

" Trishala is from Sanjay's first wife Richa Sharma, who was an actress and died of cancer. The 51-year-old, who is now married to Maanyata and has twins with her, believes women have to struggle a lot in the film industry and he doesn't want his daughter to face all this.

"If you want the reason, my father (late actor-politician Sunil Dutt) never wanted any female from my family to join the film industry. Not because film industry is a bad place for woman, not because the film industry is a taboo in the country, only because it's a huge struggle for a women.

Being the oldest in the family I can't give up that legacy of my father," said Sanjay, whose mother Nargis was a top notch actress of the 1950s and 1960s. This restriction is not only imposed on his daughter, but even for his nieces who are kept away from the arch light.

"My sisters would have also come..

. even their daughters, who are so pretty, could also have come," he said.

Unfortunately, he didn't spend some quality time in her childhood days with Trishala, who was raised by her maternal grandparents in the US, and says: "I have never seen the aspect of fatherhood with Trishala. That's a sad thing and my bad luck.

I feel sad for her. Anyways that was my bad luck.

I wish I could spend all those moments with her also. Nonetheless, we will make up.

" Tweet (less)

"We are here to announce the changed release date of our film from Sep 16 to Sep 23. The reason for this is that we had applied for two permisions - a NOC (no objection certificate) from the IAF (Indian Air Force) and certification from the censor board.

We got U-certificate from the censor board, but IAF gave us a conditional certificate because they wanted a 30-second scene from a particular sequence to be corrected," Shahid told reporters here Wednesday. "They wanted a tiny little detail changed.

Because the scene required computer graphics, even a small change requires a lot of time. That is why it took us so many days to make the correction.

We got the NOC last (Tuesday) night," added the actor. "Mausam", a romantic film, is Shahid's father Pankaj Kapoor's directorial debut and in the film Shahid plays a fighter pilot and is seen "flying" a fighter.

"Today we are ready for India release on Sep 16, but we wanted the overseas release to fall on the same date. However, when we send the prints overseas, there is a particular time before which we have to send the prints.

Because we got the NOC last night, we couldn't send the overseas prints. We want the release to happen globally on the same day, so we have changed the release date to Sep 23.

We don't want a fragmented release..

.," said Shahid.

The romantic saga will see Shahid falling in love with a Kashmiri girl, played by Sonam Kapoor (less)

She tells us, "I always wanted to be different. I got professional training in Kathak and later joined Ashley Lobo's dance academy.

When I told my father that I wanted to take up dancing as a full time career, he was not happy with my decision. Later, however, my family accepted my choice.

I've done many shows in India and abroad. It was two years ago that I shifted from Delhi to Mumbai.

" I miss the good ol' college days T alking about Delhi, she says, "I miss Delhi a lot. Whenever I am here, I ensure that I get to spend some good, quality time with my family and friends.

I miss the good ol' college days in Delhi and the street food, of course! Jo mazaa Delhi mein hai woh Mumbai mein kahan? In fact, most of the shooting for "Love Breakups Zindagi" has been done in Delhi." She adds, "I will be in Delhi again to watch the F1 racing event.

My friends have already booked the tickets. And the excitement is greater because the event is to be held in Noida, where I grew up.

" Next up is a short english film Earlier, when I told people that I stay in Noida, they would say, 'Arey, woh bahut gunda raaj waali jagah hai.' But now, with a mega sporting event like F1 to be hosted there, I feel extremely proud to say that I'm a Noida girl," says Auritra.

She has another interesting project coming up, which is a short English film directed by Ajitesh Sharma, titled "SWEN". She says, ""SWEN" means South, West, East and North.

The movie will be shot in Ladakh, followed by other locations like Assam, Kerala and Bhuj." (less)

"No one has the kind of success that I do," says Mr India, who thinks that having a lot of films in your kitty and accumulating wealth shouldn't be the sole measure for 'success'. THE GAME PLAN - LONGEVITY Friday afternoon at a suburban five star, Kapoor is busy promoting MI4: Ghost Protocol and yet people around him want the man to say 'Jhakaas' in his unique 'bindaas' sort of way.

He remains unfazed. "I am doing roles that suit my age and try to look fresh and young in those roles.

I don't want people to tell me that I should act my age. I stopped playing 20-somethings myself.

I have always done things ahead of times," Kapoor says. And that's his plan for 'longevity'.

"That's my game," says the man adding, "I don't want to be a star for just four or five years. I want to be around for 40-50 years.

To remain a star, you should do roles that are ahead of the times. Youngsters should be able to relate to it.

" What's more, he doesn't even regret not running around trees or playing the masala hero anymore. "There are younger actors who can do these things.

Let them do that." STAYING YOUNG, THANKS TO KIDS Kapoor understands the young.

Partly because of his children. "Sonam is much bigger than me.

At times when I go to an event with her, I have to stand aside. The media wants her.

I was quite taken aback. But I also feel happy.

..

proud. Kucch toh baat hai," says the doting parent.

And it's not just Sonam. "Rhea is successful too.

My son is raring to go. I feel I have come closer to my kids.

We discuss stuff as friends. Sonam helps me with my wardrobe.

She was born with a great aesthetic sense. Perhaps she has got it from my wife," Kapoor adds.

TOM LOVED INDIA About time to get hungry. Ever-energetic Anil goes to the counter and orders grilled chicken sandwiches for everyone.

Settling back, he starts discussing his big Hollywood break and 'genuine' friend Tom. The man who did not even know who Danny Boyle was before he was offered a role in the filmmaker's Slumdog Millionaire reveals that he did not intend to become 'big or small'.

He just wanted to work. And today, he is a part of one of the biggest Hollywood franchise Mission Impossible.

Plus, he is friends with the man on the mission - Ethan Hunt aka Tom Cruise. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't Cruise or the creators of MI4 who wanted the actor to grace India.

It was Kapoor who convinced his co-star. "Tom never asked me about India.

I constantly kept telling him about the positive aspects of India. Mauka mile toh ghus jao bas.

India bolte bolte. I made him believe that India is the best industry across the globe.

I told him about the fantastic people here. The beautiful girls.

The great actors and filmmakers. I told him 1.

1 billion people love him," reveals Kapoor. And thankfully, his prodding helped.

Tom loved India. "Tom told me, 'All my friends are jealous of me'.

He sent pictures of him at the Taj Mahal to his friends in Hollywood. To make them jealous.

For Tom, everything was 'fun'. Media - fun.

Fans - fun! He connects with the fans. He talks to them about their family.

He did not want to miss out on it," adds an excited Kapoor (less)

However, when it came to helping his hero John Abraham, Gupta had to face problems. Considering Manya Surve, the character John will be essaying in the film, died in the very shootout at Wadala , getting the real and reel to meet was impossible.

Moreover, pictures of the dreaded gangster were also not available. Gupta had almost given up.

He had hired a team to source Surve's pictures. "Initially I couldn't get any pictures from the authorities," recalled Gupta.

And that's exactly when Bagwan stepped in to help the filmmaker out. "We are grateful to Bagwan and Raja Taambhat (another senior cop) for the pictures of Surve they gave me.

With the help of these, my team is now working on John's three looks - one of Manya Surve in his college days, the other in jail and the last one when he had just come out of jail for some time," added Gupta. The pictures have now reached John, who is busy working on his look for the film, revealed sources close to the project (less)

I was not a fitness freak at that time, unlike what I am now . There was a gym close to my house that I used to go to, but not very regularly.

I used to go to the gym only once or twice a week. I wasn't particular about my eating habits.

I was into junk food and everything there was at the college canteen. I wasn't disciplined about my daily regimes and wasn't health conscious at all.

I am 180 degrees apart from what I used to be then. I was quite a pudgy teenager at that time.

..

I am glad the changes I have brought in my life now. But I was a happy person then and I am a happy person now! As told to Lisa Antao (less)

However, Ali made the most of the situation and instead of arriving on time for the event, he checked in 12 hours earlier! He came to the college on Wednesday night, spent time with his friends and teachers at the Hindu hostel and finally went to sleep at the International Guest House in DU in the wee hours of the morning. He had turned up in a jersey of the college.

When Imtiaz took to the mike after being honoured on stage, he said, "I've always seen people being honoured on this stage and I've felt such ceremonies are very fuddy-duddy, and they come on stage and say lies about how nice everything was, but today, I'm feeling very nervous being here, my knees are shaking." When he'd first come to college, Imtiaz says he was a completely different person.

"I'd come from Jamshedpur and this was the first time I was living alone without parents watching over me. My walk changed, main bhi thoda Janardhan Jhakkar types chalne laga tha, aur mujhe lagta tha, ab main acting karunga, cigarette piyunga.

I committed a lot of mistakes, wasted a lot of time, misused my freedom, but I loved theatre and loved acting. But, I thought I wouldn't be able to do this for a lot of days since it doesn't have money.

When I walked in here, I read a poster saying "renowned film director Imtiaz Ali", but I still can't believe that I really am a goddamn film director." When the time came for the college authorities to thank him for making Hindu College a part of " Rockstar ", Imtiaz promptly said, "Here, it was the first time an organization was looking at me like an adult.

There was a respect and a belief that this guy can do something in his life. I should thank the college instead.

" When students asked him about how many times he'd watched "Junglee Jawaani", he said, "At the risk of defaming myself, I have to say many times. Woh jo ghatiya, badmaash type ke ladke hote thay meri tarah, wohi jaate thay.

" Then he revealed a little secret. "Sixteen of us used to have a bath together, but all boys.

Koi ek ladka jaata tha sabun maangne senior se aur unko lagta tha, chalo ek hee toh use karega. Unko kya pata tha.

I have to stop this story here." When asked the reason for showing separated lovers in his films, Imtiaz said, "Only when the destination is away from you, can there be any journey.

" (less)

While hair, make-up, lights were being set up we tried to find our bearings in the small room milling with people. He introduced himself and commented "I like your T-shirt dude," looking at Rishabh's well worn tee that had Italian Job written on it.

Almost immediately, the three started catching up like old friends, oblivious to the chaos around. Ridhima unabashed, was quick to point out how nice his fitted T-shirt looks.

"When we were in class 10, we would compete to get the biggest biceps around. At 16, I had the awesome feat of having biceps that measured 16 inches.

Then ladies logon ke liye, we wore tight T shirts and roamed around on bikes," Ranveer boasts. "That's such a Bandra thing to do," says Ridhima.

The 26-year-old actor readily agreed, "We were Bandra boys after all." Quickly establishing that they're all from the same HR college, he asks Rishabh if they still have the Shetty anna selling Chinese outside college.

'Thety thety,' repeats Ranveer in a loud south Indian accent, imitating the vendor. "Everything he sold was 30 rupees," he remembers, with a laugh.

Rishabh asked him if he still walks around the city with ease. "Aaram se.

People do come up and talk to me but it isn't a hindrance. I still jog in Jogger's park, one of the most public places in Bombay.

I go to the DVD parlour on Carter road," he replies. Abruptly, Rishabh then asks him to clarify rumours that Singh's father funded his first film, Band Baaja Baraat.

Taken aback, but still maintaining composure Ranveer replies, "No. The script came to me because the casting director is a very close friend and has been looking out for me for years.

We both waited for this together. In fact, when I got the call I was actually on a date and she kept calling and calling.

I answered the phone after seven missed calls. She first yelled at me and then gave me the awesome news.

" Ridhima then asked him about how he got started in films. He tells her about his stint in the US where he did his graduation and learnt acting.

"But then it was Shakespeare , period comedy, stuff like that. At the end of the day it was angrezi theatre training.

I needed something more familiar so I came back," he explains. Rishabh interjected with yet another random question, "Is it true this image you have about being very brash? I heard you once told a director, 'Hey dude, I want to be in your next.

'" Yet again, in a baffled but composed soft-spoken response he volleyed the question. "80 per cent of what you read is rubbish.

Usually it's twisted and put out of context. Only once did I ever ask a director, at a launch of some film.

I said, 'I really admire your work and would love to work with you." Rishabh then brought out the topic of the comment Ranveer had once made about Kareena Kapoor.

"You had once said watching Kareena workout on the treadmill made a man out of you. Please explain.

" Ranveer blushed, "I was an adolescent, hitting puberty. She was this beautiful creature that would come to work out at Otter's club and totally mesmerize me.

She is stunning with porcelain-like skin." One could find Rishabh readily agree.

After a little more conversation about Mumbai life, the trio parted ways with a hug as Ranveer rushed to YRF studios for a meeting. Clearly he had won over his fan and his skeptic (less)

Apart from this, they've also been approached to do five endorsements together. So expect to see SRK and PC starring in a series of campaigns and commercials in 2012.

Currently, they are in the midst of deciding which endorsements to give the nod to. A source who has made one such offer says, "They are definitely one of the hottest jodis in the market right now.

Last year, PC and Shahid Kapoor were the hot pair and they teamed up for a series of coffee advertisements. Now, Shah Rukh has replaced Kapoor.

Also, Shah Rukh was seen in a series of print and television commercials for a home decor brand with his wife Gauri last year." Interestingly, the Don 2 pair has been offered ads together in the past but they've turned them down because they weren't interesting enough.

Now, with the sudden interest taken in their pairing by the public, SRK and PC are getting offers they are excited about. While they've been on many public platforms together to promote their upcoming film, the pair is definitely most wanted for their chemistry.

Which is perhaps why a last minute role was added for her in SRK's home production RA.One as well.

So far, SRK has hosted awards shows with Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan . This is the first time he will be teaming up with one of his leading ladies.

Says a source, "It was SRK's idea to get PC on board. A few years ago, she had hosted the same awards show and imitated Shah Rukh's character in My Name Is Khan.

He was very impressed with her talent and thought they should host the show together in the future." (less)

. RAVEENA TANDON AND ANIL THADANI WHEN: February 2004 LOVE-O-METRE: Nearing the 10-year milestone.

THE PROPOSAL: The couple met for the first time on Valentine's Day at Olive restaurant in Mumbai. After that, however, they did not see each other for two years! Then Raveena made her first film, "Stumped" as producer, and Anil sent her an SMS that he would like to help her distribute the film.

"We actually dated for only two months," shares Raveena. "We met in August 2002, and he proposed in October.

That year, like this year, Diwali and my birthday were on the same day! So he planned a proposal on Diwali day. We first went to his chacha's house to celebrate, and then headed to my family's Diwali puja.

When I reached my dad's house, I saw huge ornate baskets, lots of them lying around the house, and my mom just dismissed them saying, 'Your brothers want to send this to their colleagues and friends.' We started getting ready for the Lakshmi puja, but we were just waiting! And I kept asking, 'Why are we delaying things, it's nine o' clock.

..

lets start! And it was the first time my two adopted daughters, Pooja and Chhaya were standing around with their cameras. Usually I would film or take photographs of the celebrations! Suddenly the doorbell rang and I saw Anil's mom, dad and sister walk in.

It still didn't strike me, but I said, 'So mom, we were waiting for them?' And then my dad asked Anil to do the honours! Everybody was giggling as Anil got on his knees and pulled out a big box with a ring and asked, 'Will you be my wife?' It took me a long time to respond, I saw my mom all teary-eyed, and my daughters were both laughing and crying..

. and everybody said, 'Please say yes, he will get tired being on his knees!' So I said 'Sure!'" WEDDING TRIVIA: Manav Gangwani designed Raveena's bridal wear.

He also designed three exclusive outfits for the groom. The bride's wardrobe was 10 times more elaborate than the groom's.

Raveena got a dream wedding going, after scouting for the best possible locations with Anil. Her sangeet and mehndi parties were held on separate evenings at the Shiv Niwas Palace hotel in Udaipur.

Her wedding reception was held at the Jag Mandir Palace hotel, on Pichola Lake, Udaipur. Farah Khan Ali designed Raveena's jewellery.

Guests included the who's who of Bollywood, and a diverse range of the couple's friends like Gautam Singhania, Manish Malhotra, Vijay Mallya, Ravi and Ritu Shastri, Amar Singh, Vasundhara Raje and Subrata Roy Sahara. HRITHIK ROSHAN AND SUSSANNE KHAN WHEN: December 2000 LOVE-O-METRE: They celebrated a decade together in 2010 and have two delightful little boys, Hridhaan and Hrehaan.

THE PROPOSAL: One year after he started dating Sussanne on Valentine's Day, in 1999, Hrithik went down on his knees and proposed to her at Juhu beach in Mumbai. "I'd known since I was 12 that she was the girl for me, but that was the big moment, complete with a ring.

Earlier, on another Valentine's Day, I'd told her those three all-important words, 'I love you,'" Hrithik has been quoted saying. WEDDING TRIVIA: In a confluence of Hindu-Muslim rituals and cultures, Hrithik performed certain Hindu rites and Sussanne, Sanjay Khan's youngest daughter, performed certain Muslim rites.

The mehndi and sangeet were homespun affairs, mostly at home with close friends and family. But the wedding was a spectacular affair.

The ceremony took place at Sanjay Khan's heavilyguarded Golden Palms resorts and spa, on Bangalore's outskirts in December 2000. In a brief appearance before the media in the midst of the pre-wedding haldi ritual, Hrithik said with a laugh, "There will be no heartburn.

They are my well-wishers. They will continue to wish me luck and success," he said, referring to his choice of bride vis-avis his family's response.

"Sussanne is our last daughter and I'm very happy that she's getting married," said Feroz Khan. About 70 members of the Khan and Roshan families and their friends attended the wedding.

Guests at the reception included stars like Dimple Kapadia, Rishi and Randhir Kapoor, Uday Chopra, Karan Johar and childhood friend Abhishek Bachchan. Hrithik's mode of transport to his wedding was a white horse.

His wedding oufit was a white Jodhpuri suit with gold-embroidery designed by Rocky S, while Sussanne wore a gold and red ensemble designed by Tarun Tahiliani. ABHISHEK BACHCHAN AND AISHWARYA RAI WHEN: April 2007 LOVE-O-METRE: They have reached the half-decade mark this year and are parents to the new-born angel! THE PROPOSAL: This classy couple surprised everyone with their engagement announcement back in 2007.

Although Abhi and Ash were very hush-hush about the love brewing between them, it seemed inevitable as fate repeatedly cast them together in a slew of magnum opus projects such as "Umrao Jaan", "Dhoom 2", and what seemed a turning point, "Guru". Aishwarya becoming a part of the Bachchan parivaar started looking more imminent when she did an electrifying stage performance of Kajra Re at the 2005 IIFA Awards with senior and junior Bachchan.

Abhishek popped the question with a borrowed ring in hand (allegedly from the production department of his film), proposing to Ash spontaneously as they were heading home after the premiere of "Guru" in Toronto, waiting for their flight at the British Airways lounge at New York's JFK airport on January 12, 2007. According to eyewitnesses, a very emotional Ash accepted.

After Abhishek called home with the good news, the couple was asked to come and they had a formal engagement ceremony at Jalsa, attended only by close family friends like Amar Singh, Anil and Tina Ambani, Kirron Kher and the Johars. Finally, the couple was unafraid to hang out at each other's sets and make public appearances together.

WEDDING TRIVIA: The actual wedding became a homely, though celebrity-studded affair mostly set around the Bachchan residences, Jalsa and Pratiksha, as Teji Bachchan, Amitabh's mother, was critical. However, many details about the nuptials were unique: the wedding invite had two 'editions' - one invite only solicited blessings, while the second set actually invited a limited number of guests.

While the Bachchans sent out golden chocolate boxes with the cards, they also sent ensembles by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla to close friends. The Rais also sent out jewellery and clothes to select invitees, including close friend Subrata Roy Sahara.

Celebrations kicked off at Pratiksha with the sangeet, where it is believed a lot of family members danced to Bollywood songs, with Karan Johar playing MC. The mehndi was held at La Mer, Ash's residence.

Fifteen kilos of special Nihar henna was brought in by Shweta Nanda, Sonali Bendre, Rinkie Khanna and other close friends for Ash from Sojat in Rajasthan. A 30-foot walkway was erected at the entrance of La Mer to the main area of the ceremony.

The actual wedding saw 11 pundits from Benaras and Bangalore, and it was conducted in Arya Samaj tradition. Chanting started in the morning, and massive tents were put up to accommodate guests around Pratiksha.

The ceremony was conducted in an air-conditioned pandal in the same garden. At 5.

15 pm the colourfully-dressed dhol players kicked off the baraat from Jalsa, which ended at Pratiksha, where a bejewelled Aishwarya in a gold kanjeevaram ensemble waited for her groom. The ceremony was over by 7.

30 pm and then the friends danced the night away. KARISMA KAPOOR AND SUNJAY KAPUR WHEN: September 2003 LOVE-O-METRE: " He's (Sunjay) not the film-going sort.

I think Sunjay has made me a calmer person; if you ask me that's the one thing that has changed about me after marriage," said Karisma a year after her wedding. The couple completes a decade in 2013.

WEDDING TRIVIA: Bollywood's blueeyed girl Karisma Kapoor tied the knot with Sunjay Kapur in a ceremony marked by style and grandeur. The wedding ceremony, which was to take place at 11 am, was delayed because the groom was stuck in traffic.

Sunjay arrived at the venue at 12.45 pm and rushed inside the cottage's gates.

He was dressed in a cream sherwani and wore a gold sehra. The pheras finally took place at 1.

00 am in the presence of both families. In typical Kapoor tradition, Karisma was married at her grandfather, the late Raj Kapoor's home, R K Cottage.

The couple opted for an hour-long Sikh ceremony. At around noon, Karisma's family and friends were still busy with pre-wedding ceremonies.

Both the bride's sister Kareena and her aunt Rima Jain supervised last-minute preparations. The strains of the shehnai wafted through the air.

Outside the cottage, the scene was both crowded and confused. Curious onlookers were milling around, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars.

Journalists, photographers and camera crews had stationed themselves outside the gates of the cottage. A phalanx of policemen was doing their best to manage the crowds and the ensuing traffic jam.

Because of the crowds, no member of the RK family was present at the gates to welcome the groom and his family. Among the guests who drove in were Lolo's uncle Rishi Kapoor, actor Sanjay Kapoor who reportedly played the brother's part at the ceremony, designer Manish Malhotra, granduncles Shashi and Shammi Kapoor, filmmaker Bharat Shah, cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin and Sangeeta Bijlani, Govinda, Rahul and Akshay Khanna.

Manish Malhotra had designed Karisma's trousseau. Being a style icon herself, it wasn't a surprise when she chose to follow the unconventional route and opted for a pastel shade for her bridal outfit instead of the usual reds and maroons.

The tasselled dupatta was embellished with zari and stones. The house was decorated with flowers and the garden that surrounded the house was turned into a Sheesh Mahal-like mandap that could accommodate 600 guests who were offered non-alcoholic drinks and vegetarian starters until the wedding ceremony was completed.

Karisma's father Randhir, according to reports, opened a bottle of champagne after the wedding, after which a wellstocked bar was thrown open to the guests. An elaborate lunch was served later which included a variety of cuisines like Oriental, Thai, Chinese, Italian, French and Continental.

It also included Punjabi, Gujarati and Rajasthani food (less)

Apparently Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Arjun Rampal have expressed keen interest in hosting parties for the Hollywood actor during his stay here, on December 4 and 5. However all requests have been politely declined.

According to sources, Anil offered to have Tom as a guest at his house. But practical considerations came in the way.

"Anil is Tom's co-star in Mission Impossible . They have a personal bonding.

But for security reasons, he will stay at Taj Lands End which is now being turned into a fortress," a source said. Sources also added that Anil is planning a huge bash in honour of his friend where the who's-who of the entertainment world will be invited.

Some of the other Bollywood names who wanted to host parties are apparently not happy with the idea of reveling in the borrowed glory of Anil's bash and may not even turn up for the party. The source added, "But Anil can be very persuasive.

He will win over all the Khans and Kapoors and the rest of his fraternity and they will all be there finally." The venue of Anil's do is being kept under wraps.

The source added, "The producers have lined up big events. The core event is a screening for fans of MI4 on December 4, three days before the film's global premiere in Dubai.

" Officials from India's MI4 's distribution company in India have either switched off their mobiles or taken leave. A source said, "News of the fan screening has leaked out.

Requests for invites are driving the production company up the wall. They've surrendered Tom's schedules to Anil who will take a call on where and for how long Tom will be in Mumbai.

" Tweet (less)

(AMI) with her request for approval on stories about her family across all their other publications, which include Shape, Star, National Enquirer and Radar Online. Though in return Kris allegedly offered to give all of the family's news to the proposed magazine, AMI rejected the deal, arguing that though E! have a deal for their television shows, other outlets often get better stories about the clan.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "AMI chief David Pecker made it clear that there was no way he was going to tell his editors what stories they could and couldn't do." In return, Kris pulled all Kardashian-related product advertisements from Star magazine.

However, a spokesperson for the reality TV star insisted no conversation about her "demands" had taken place but she was unhappy over false claims made regarding the paternity of daughter Khloe. The representative said: "Kris has never had a conversation with AMI regarding this issue [of her demands].

But, the allegations contained in the Star article about Khloe not being a Kardashian are completely fabricated, false and untrue. Robert Kardashian is absolutely her biological father, so of course she was upset over their story.

" Tweet (less)

Bips was born in Delhi and lived here for eight years, before her family shifted base to Kolkata. Excerpts from the conversation: Coming To Delhi For Metallica My younger sister is a big fan of Metallica; I am not a very big fan but maybe she'll drag me here.

She'll use me as a pass. As far as the Formula 1 races are concerned, I'm going back and trying to figure out my time and definitely, I want to be back.

Grew up in Pampoosh Enclave I was born here and I actually lived till the age of eight in Pampoosh Enclave. I studied in Apeejay High School and then I shifted to Kolkata.

That's why my Hindi is very clear and my second language is Hindi. Memories from Delhi We have a lot of Kashmiri friends because I grew up in a Kashmiri neighbourhood.

I was a lady gunda in school. Everyone was scared of me and I was really short and round.

There are tiny memories like that. When you grow up, you have these images in your mind.

..

I have memories of when my parents took me to Agra, and you know, going to Appu Ghar. Appu Ghar used to be our favourite - sitting on those rides and all that.

Delhi is such a beautiful place. We went everywhere like India Gate.

..

regular things..

. we've all done that as kids.

Delhi Hasn't Changed Delhi is excellent. Everything looks so beautiful.

In Bombay, we don't have such beautiful roads, spacious places and you cannot have the luxury of having houses and bungalows. You have to live in little pokey flats and cost of living is extremely high in Mumbai.

Delhi has a lot that people keep preserving..

. a lot of which is what Delhi is about.

I hope it just stays the way it is always. The Delhi Marathon I think it is a big honour for me to be the face of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.

That, for me, binds me back with the city and that is the reason why when they came up to me, the connect was not only that I was into sports and fitness - and I definitely want to get more and more people active - the connect was Delhi being my birthplace (less)

Director Sanjay Gupta seeks to change that. Says Gulshan, "I am very happy to work again with my dear friend Anil.

Do we play hero and villain? It will depend on the perspective of the viewer." (less)

The Marathi version of Laadla is being produced by Nitin Manmohan and directed by Rajiv Patil, whose Marathi film Jogwa won five national awards. A source close to the film told Mumbai Mirror, "Mithun was finalised for the role a few days ago.

It is going to be a big challenge for him to step into Anil's shoes; it is his first film." Mugdha and Mithun have had a rather rocky relationship.

They first met in 2003 during the shoot of a music video, which was being directed by ace photographer Jagdish Mali . The couple of modelling assignments together, strengthened their 'liking' for each other.

Mithun, who was smitten by Mugdha, had reportedly booked an entire theatre when Fashion hit the screens in 2008. Things started going wrong soon after.

While insiders maintained that that the two were back together as a couple, Mithun claimed, "We are not dating. We have moved on to be great friends.

" Friends or lovers, the two have now been cast together in the remake of Laadla, the shooting of which will begin in January 2012. "Yes, I am doing Anil Kapoor's role in the Marathi remake of Laadla.

It's a good opening. I am thrilled," said Mithun.

We wonder if Mugdha is equally thrilled about the same (less)

Grover, who won Best Actor at Houston Film Festival, playing Indian spiritual man, Dada Bhagwan in US film Desperate Endeavors will be exclusively dining with Austria's Consul-General Gerald Seidl and his wife Michele Lanoue . After the awards presentation ceremony, many guests wanted to have dinner with Gullu.

The festival organisers came up with the idea of auctioning him off on a dinner date. Bidding started at $4000 and went to $14,000 before the end of the evening (less)

And that's when he told us of his fondness of SUVs. "I currently drive an SUV and in a place like Mumbai, that's the best thing to own," he said.

He got this car first, but his first car wasn't a Merc, he reminisced, "I was a late driver. I began at 21-22.

My first car, a Fiat , was given to me by my father, since he'd bought a Mercedes for himself!" Shortchanged then, Farhan's fascination with the brand has only grown. Last year, during the shooting of his movie in Berlin , he took out time to visit their showroom as "it's one of the things that you just have to see.

" But if one had to see Farhan as a car, the actor quips that he'd be the kind that "gets you to places on time." But right now, he's taking all the time he has for himself and is enjoying his break from work.

He says, "I'm on a holiday right now, and the Auto Expo is one of the few things I'm doing in between. I'll keep doing a bit of work here and there since one is so connected these days, but am off for two months now.

" (less)

"You know what to expect from him if you ask me nasty questions," he grins. But he doesn't need the canine.

He fields all queries with utmost comfort. Read on for excerpts.

..

How's 2012 looking for you? I've decided to do three films a year from here on, but where are the scripts? I reject most of the ones offered to me. There are three films in the offing currently.

I am doing Maneesh Sharma's film for Yash Raj Films. There's also Kunal Kohli's Teri Meri Kahani (working title).

There's a Karan Johar film..

. It is too premature to talk about that.

I'd be happy to work with him. I'm sure it will happen at some point.

We have been meeting and have been friends , formally and informally. Let's chat about your buddy Ranbir.

This is a new thing I've heard - do-teen din saath bita lete hai (spend two-three days together) and people term you as best friends. Ranbir and I know each other and he seems like a chilled out chap.

'Friend' is a word I use for people I know will stand by me when things are not going well. There were reports that fans screamed for Ranbir, while you were ignored, in Hong Kong recently.

..

I was very surprised to read that. When Ranbir and I were together in Hong Kong, there was no third person present.

Ranbir is a chilled out guy so I am sure he would not have said anything about our time together. So I fail to understand where such ridiculous stories about some screaming fans comes from.

So who do you think are your rivals? I don't see any of my colleagues as rivals. I don't think our generation needs to do that.

We are a chilled out lot and we should all be happy. I am not an insecure person.

For me, insecurity comes when something I do does not come across the way I thought it would. It would come if I had nothing more to say as an actor.

I have a long way to go! How's your equation with Priyanka Chopra today? Very good! She is great fun, a good co-star, a fine actor, neighbour and friend. What about Bipasha and Anushka (Sharma).

..

(Jokingly calls out to Kaizer) Let me just say that the day I'm in love, I will hold her hand and walk with pride. I think I am single.

..

You "think"? According to my last memory, I am single (laughs)! (less)

Following Shammi Kapoor's death, his son Aditya, decided to revive his Bollywood career and act in director Kadar Kashmiri's Ali Peter John. Similarly, late Dev Anand's son Sunil is also making his come back with the same film.

Sunil, who made his Bollywood debut with his father Dev Anand's venture Anand Aur Anand in 1984, was last seem in the 2001 film Master. Aditya Raj Kapoor , on the other hand, after assisting uncle Raj Kapoor in three films, had decided to go his separate way as an entrepreneur.

And now, both will make a comeback to where they began. Produced by Ashwin Kumar Productions, director Kadar's film is a satire.

A close friend of Dev Anand, Kadar, who has also worked with the star in two films, remembered his days with the veteran star and said, "A few days before his death, I had discussed the idea of Ali Peter John with Dev sahab. He liked the idea and asked who would act in it.

So, I expressed my desire to cast Sunil. Dev sahab was excited about it.

He however asked me to talk to Sunil directly." Kadar, who has also directed Shammi Kapoor in the 1986 film Karamdata added, "I have been closely associated with both Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor.

I have learnt a lot from them. I have seen their sons Sunil and Aditya grow up.

It is an emotional moment for me to direct my friends' kids." Excited about the project, Sunil told Mumbai Mirror, "I have been busy with a lot of things simultaneously.

I was helping father with his work and handling a few productions. Now I am very excited about making a comeback on screen.

" (less)

Today, when Bollywood legends are leaving no stone unturned to launch their kids' in the industry, Gulshan is perhaps the only one who does not want his son Sanjay to follow his footsteps. Gulshan revealed to Mumbai Mirror that despite Sanjay being offered a dream debut by Karan Johar , Gulshan turned it down on Sanjay's behalf.

"Acting is the most insecure profession in the world. I don't want Sanjay to go through the hardships and struggle for acquiring a name.

There were about 12 offers by leading production houses to launch Sanjay, but I refused. I was more concerned about his education and would prefer him being involved in the business aspect of entertainment," said Gulshan.

In fact, Gulshan and Sanjay were asked to play the role of father and son in the 2005 Oscar nominee Syriana. Even then, Gulshan did not relent.

When contacted, Sanjay told Mumbai Mirror, "Dad has turned down many acting offers for me including a Hollywood film with George Clooney . As he feels there is a lot that needs to be achieved in the business side of Entertainment.

" It is a known fact that Gulshan has been a single parent since the last 20 years. The father-son duo shares a wonderful, close bond with the other.

Sanjay said, "I am very proud of the acting endeavours of my school mate Sonam Kapoor and childhood friends Prateik and Ranveer Singh. But for me, business side of entertainment and experience in Hollywood is more fascinating.

" Sanjay has studied Entertainment Marketing from UCLA . He is the director of Programming and Administration at MGM Studios in Hollywood.

Also, he is in charge of the research and development at MGM's Motion Picture-Asia. "My post-graduate education in Business of Entertainment from Los Angeles , many years at the head quarters of MGM Studios in LA will some day allow me to be that bridge between Hollywood and Bollywood that we often talk about," Sanjay added (less)

Anil revealed on Preity Zinta's chat show that Shah Rukh was offered Baazigar after he had rejected the film. "If it had not been for me, today Shah Rukh wouldn't have been where he is," said Anil as Preity looked at him in amazement.

Anil indicated that he couldn't spare the time for Baazigar as he had other projects to complete. As we all know, Baazigar (1993) played a big role in establishing Shah Rukh as the next big star in Bollywood in the anti-hero mould.

Shah Rukh followed up his Baazigar act with a few anti-hero roles like in Darr and Anjaam which garnered a lot of critical acclaim, before Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge changed that and established him as the quintessential lover boy. Baazigar was the first film to mark his pairing with actor Kajol .

And when Shah Rukh was asked to react on Anil's statement, he simply avoided taking any names and replied: "It is not just one person, but there are billions of people in the country who are responsible in making me successful. Then I have worked with the nicest of people in my career my directors, technicians, actorsthey are all responsible for me being where I am," said SRK.

Further, Shah Rukh again avoided taking the name of his arch rival Aamir Khan when asked to comment about Aamir's "nice" gesture. Aamir had lauded Shah Rukh's efforts in making Ra.

One and had further called the Ra.One jokes to be in poor taste.

"Yes, it was nice" Shah Rukh, who is usually ready with witty words, merely mumbled. How can the badshah forget the verbal volleys that he and Aamir had had in the past? Remember Aamir wrote on his blog few years back about 'a certain Shah Rukh licking his feet and he (Aamir) feeding biscuits.

..

' Probably, Shah Rukh must be doubting Aamir's intentions in being so nice to him this time (less)

While hair, make-up, lights were being set up we tried to find our bearings in the small room milling with people. He introduced himself and commented "I like your T-shirt dude," looking at Rishabh's well worn tee that had Italian Job written on it.

Almost immediately, the three started catching up like old friends, oblivious to the chaos around. Ridhima unabashed, was quick to point out how nice his fitted T-shirt looks.

"When we were in class 10, we would compete to get the biggest biceps around. At 16, I had the awesome feat of having biceps that measured 16 inches.

Then ladies logon ke liye, we wore tight T shirts and roamed around on bikes," Ranveer boasts. "That's such a Bandra thing to do," says Ridhima.

The 26-year-old actor readily agreed, "We were Bandra boys after all." Quickly establishing that they're all from the same HR college, he asks Rishabh if they still have the Shetty anna selling Chinese outside college.

'Thety thety,' repeats Ranveer in a loud south Indian accent, imitating the vendor. "Everything he sold was 30 rupees," he remembers, with a laugh.

Rishabh asked him if he still walks around the city with ease. "Aaram se.

People do come up and talk to me but it isn't a hindrance. I still jog in Jogger's park, one of the most public places in Bombay.

I go to the DVD parlour on Carter road," he replies. Abruptly, Rishabh then asks him to clarify rumours that Singh's father funded his first film, Band Baaja Baraat.

Taken aback, but still maintaining composure Ranveer replies, "No. The script came to me because the casting director is a very close friend and has been looking out for me for years.

We both waited for this together. In fact, when I got the call I was actually on a date and she kept calling and calling.

I answered the phone after seven missed calls. She first yelled at me and then gave me the awesome news.

" Ridhima then asked him about how he got started in films. He tells her about his stint in the US where he did his graduation and learnt acting.

"But then it was Shakespeare , period comedy, stuff like that. At the end of the day it was angrezi theatre training.

I needed something more familiar so I came back," he explains. Rishabh interjected with yet another random question, "Is it true this image you have about being very brash? I heard you once told a director, 'Hey dude, I want to be in your next.

'" Yet again, in a baffled but composed soft-spoken response he volleyed the question. "80 per cent of what you read is rubbish.

Usually it's twisted and put out of context. Only once did I ever ask a director, at a launch of some film.

I said, 'I really admire your work and would love to work with you." Rishabh then brought out the topic of the comment Ranveer had once made about Kareena Kapoor.

"You had once said watching Kareena workout on the treadmill made a man out of you. Please explain.

" Ranveer blushed, "I was an adolescent, hitting puberty. She was this beautiful creature that would come to work out at Otter's club and totally mesmerize me.

She is stunning with porcelain-like skin." One could find Rishabh readily agree.

After a little more conversation about Mumbai life, the trio parted ways with a hug as Ranveer rushed to YRF studios for a meeting. Clearly he had won over his fan and his skeptic (less)

"I travel a lot. It is films, promotions, something or the other - I am one of those living-out-of-the-suitcase persons," said Kalki.

And does she like it being so? "It's a mix of a lot of things. I mean, I can't stand aeroplanes, I am scared of heights and therefore, flying.

So, it's kind of ironic that I have become a frequent flier, but then on the flip side, I get to see exciting parts of the world," she said. She also told us that it is not by chance that she's become the face of Carlton.

"I used to own a piece by them when I was a student in London ," said Kalki. Kalki's currently finishing Dibakar Bannerjee's " Shanghai ", a role for which Dibakar asked her "not to pluck my eyebrows, or comb my hair, because he wanted a dishevelled look!" And she didn't mind? "That's the job of an actor.

And as for looking glamorous, there are plenty of vacations to look glamorous in." (less)

Having bid his final goodbye to his father, Aditya Raj Kapoor now wants to pay homage to Shammi Kapoor, one of Bollywood's best dancers through salsa. And the 55-year-old Kapoor man has been training for the same.

He also plans to make a documentary on his dad. But before all this, he aspires to build a memorial for his father Shammi Kapoor and mother Geeta Bali.

"Nothing can compare with my father. I recently told my Dad I look, walk and talk like him.

But for my acting I want to be compared to my mother. Now, I can only try to be a good human being.

Besides that I want to build a memorial for my parents. My first mother grew up in penury and died before she could enjoy a good life.

Today my parents are united," sighed the bereaved son Aditya Raj Kapoor. A day after the last rites were performed at the Banganga, Aditya realised what being Shammi Kapoor's son really meant.

"You've no idea what happened when we took my father's body to the cremation ground. God bless the administration for a supreme bandobast in spite of it being 15th of August.

I wanted my father to be cremated at Ban Ganga because my mother (Geeta Bali) was cremated there. The send-off was unbelievable.

And the whole Kapoor clan coming together as one family..

.Who but Shammi Kapoor could've managed this feat! "There's a black-and-white photograph we put up for the Chautha.

It was the first picture of my dad, taken when we moved into the house where I now live. We moved in when I was 3-years-old after his first flush of success with the release of Tumsa Nahin Dekha.

Looking at that photograph, I remembered how much fun I had going for the shoots with him. Even while I was away from home, people on the roads, wherever I was, would sing his songs for me.

When I was driving down to the cremation ground with his body, people on the way had put his songs on loudspeakers. Chahe mujhe koi junglee kahe was being played for the final send-off.

The funeral process was going very slowly because of the number of people. People peeped into the ambulance, threw flowers inside and said 'Yahoo'.

I am a deeply spiritual man. I realised the power of mantra long ago.

I realised that my father's mantra was 'Yahoo'. At that moment it dawned upon me.

..

what being Shammi Kapoor's son really meant," said Aditya. Recalling his growing up years with his father Shammi, Aditya said, "When I was six, my parents did the wisest thing.

They got me admitted into a boarding school, Lawrence School in Sanawar. Dad came every year for Founders Day.

Pran Saab and Sunil Dutt Saab also came because their children were also there. Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) and Pran Saab's daughter Pinky in fact came to meet me yesterday.

Pinky was my local guardian-sister in Sanawar. When I wanted more money I had to take her permission.

My mother Geeta Bali an almost-uneducated woman, came to see me at the boarding school more often than my father. My mother had given up her career and my father's had just started.

So she had more time to visit me. My mother was the original Sridevi.

She passed away when I was nine. The whole boarding school wept with me.

She used to mother all my friends." Those were not easy years for Aditya.

"Mom was gone. Dad had become so successful he had no time for me.

Superstars today have organised lives. In my father's time fans had no access to him through Internet, television or magazines.

They'd barge into our home at any time. I was left with no space that I could call my own with my father.

It was my second mother Neela Devi who made that space for me in our home. She devoted her life to my father, decided not to have any kids of her own because my sister and me were already there.

No Hindu woman would do this. From boarding school I used to write threatening letters to my father.

I used to tell him that I'd run away from school. I told him he could marry any woman he wanted.

But I had to have a mother. Neela Devi filled that gap.

She turned me from a wounded anguished rebellious howling animal to a human being. Just goes to show, that a mother makes the family.

" But Aditya never stopped missing his mother Geeta Bali. "My first and second mothers were different people.

Do you know, my second mother was a fan of Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali. She once asked for an autograph and Geetaji wrote, 'Remember M remember E, put them together and remember ME'.

Geetaji almost blessed Neela Devi as though she knew what was going to happen. Geetaji was very adventurous.

She was the only woman in the world who could punch my dad and get away with it. She is the one who turned Shammi Kapoor into a star.

Before Geetaji, Shammi Kapoor was under the shadows of his father Prithiviraj Kapoor and his brother Raj Saab. Geetaji brought that change of image.

She made him the 'Yahoo' star." Recalling the painful and sudden death of his mother, Aditya added, "My mother was gone in just 15 days.

I had gone on location in rural Punjab where she contracted smallpox. It was for a film called Rano, which was later made with Rishi Kapoor and Hema Malini and titled Ek Chadar Maili Si.

At that time Dharmendra was playing Rishi's role and Mummy was playing Hema's role. My mom had picked me up from boarding school and taken me to the location.

I spent the whole month with her. Then she fell ill.

My father left his own shoot and picked both of us up. Her condition got worse and finally she died.

Dad was doing Teesri Manzil at that time." The death of his mother left Aditya scarred.

"It took my second mother a good ten years to heal me. By the time I was 17, I was a rebel without a cause I was going to make my film debut.

Then I found my spiritual guru. And he told me those life-changing words - Leave The Film Industry.

At that juncture when I was to be launched as a hero under the RK Banner right after Rishi's was launched in Bobby, I left. I was also assisting Raj Saab and preparing to be a film director.

My father questioned my decision over and over again. But I was adamant.

My Guruji instructed me to try my luck in entrepreneurship. He arranged for me to work with a shipping magnate Yogendra Madhav Lal, then Rajan Nanda.

Then I started my own company. For 25 years I never looked at cinema.

I stopped seeing films. The temptation to return to the industry never left me.

Even after my Guruji's death, I didn't look back at the film industry. Only after I migrated to Dubai , did I return to movies.

Circumstances forced me to direct 300 episodes for a TV serial. I directed my first English-language film, followed by two others.

Wheb I returned to Mumbai at the age of 52, I became an actor..

.finally.

"My father watched every single shot of mine in promos, trailers, films..

..

At the age of 76, he played the role of my career guide and mentor..

.a role he would've played when I was 19 had I not left the film industry.

Now at my father's funeral the entire Kapoor clan came together. The cycle was complete.

My father allowed me to go wherever I wanted and do whatever I wished. Today I've allowed both my children the same freedom.

My father wrote the manual for us to follow." (less)

Bean) from Hollywood were the personal guests of Formula 1 owner, Bernie Ecclestone in Delhi. While Sachin was given the honour of waving the flag for the start of race, Mr.

Bean was given the responsibility of being live from the grid for German and European channels and Gulshan Grover was given the responsibility of being live from the grid for a UK channel (less)

The sight was overwhelming, and good samaritans were in attendance, aplenty. So multiple trips were made to the kele wala bhaiya or the aalo-subzi wala.

And there were some like Jaganath Goyal, who offered thanda paani to the supporters who had been shouting slogans the entire day. Then there was Mukut Lal Garg, a 65-year-old man, who distributed aalo-puri.

"Try to karo, achcha bana hai," he told the Anna supporters. However on the other side of the fence, some used this as a profit-making opportunity.

Everything was sold under the sun - from biscuit packets, laddoos, popcorn to lemonade, packaged drinking water and even Anna merchandise. The Indian flag was priced between `5 to `1000, and hawkers were seen haggling with the customers.

An angry protester grumbled, "I come all this way from across the country to support an anti-corruption bill, aur yahan hi corruption chal raha hai!" Dinesh Makhija, a protester who was at the site, was heard telling his friend, "Yahaan kha lete hai, khana free mein mil raha hai." Anna, on his seventh day of fasting, joined his supporters at around 5.

30pm. He smiled, waved to the crowd and took a sip of water from a steel glass.

Father-daughter duo Kabir Bedi and Pooja Bedi too were in attendance. "We must stand strong and stand resolute.

A weak Lokpal cannot be our future," said Pooja, adding, "It is disturbing to see a 74-year-old man starve himself before our eyes while the government takes its own sweet time. The weaker he gets, the stronger the movement grows.

Whoever is guiding this government strategy should be sacked." Talking about the importance of people's participation, Pooja mentioned that her close friend Karan Oberoi has composed a song that'll be previewed at the venue.

Actor Kabir Bedi said, "This protest is not any less than war. Yahan khadi janta ko Kabir Bedi ka salaam.

" Singer Kailash Kher, who performed at Ramlila Maidan, was the highlight of the day. Kailash sang "Jaago" twice on the insistence of the crowd gathered at the venue.

The singer touched Anna's feet and grabbed himself an 'I Am Anna' topi before leaving. A student representative, who took to the stage, spoke about the arrest of Anna's student supporters outside the residence of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.

"Hamare bhaiyo ko police le gayi jab hum wahaan sirf unko phool dene gaye. We went to get Anna's message across to him, in case the loud noises from Ramlila haven't reached him yet," said the representative, adding, "We went with flowers and sat outside his house, but the police tried to manhandle the men in our group.

Eventually they were arrested, and women police officers were sent to us when we refused to budge." Merchandise At The Venue Flags Small: `5-10 Medium: `50-150 Big: `500-1000 Anna Hazare Masks `10 per piece Face painting `10 for 'flags on both cheeks' Tri-coloured hair bands `5 per piece Food Pineapple slices `10 per plate Laddoos `10 per plate Popcorn `5-10 Drinks Jaljeera `10-15 per glass Lemonade `10 per glass 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)

"No one has the kind of success that I do," says Mr India, who thinks that having a lot of films in your kitty and accumulating wealth shouldn't be the sole measure for 'success'. THE GAME PLAN - LONGEVITY Friday afternoon at a suburban five star, Kapoor is busy promoting MI4: Ghost Protocol and yet people around him want the man to say 'Jhakaas' in his unique 'bindaas' sort of way.

He remains unfazed. "I am doing roles that suit my age and try to look fresh and young in those roles.

I don't want people to tell me that I should act my age. I stopped playing 20-somethings myself.

I have always done things ahead of times," Kapoor says. And that's his plan for 'longevity'.

"That's my game," says the man adding, "I don't want to be a star for just four or five years. I want to be around for 40-50 years.

To remain a star, you should do roles that are ahead of the times. Youngsters should be able to relate to it.

" What's more, he doesn't even regret not running around trees or playing the masala hero anymore. "There are younger actors who can do these things.

Let them do that." STAYING YOUNG, THANKS TO KIDS Kapoor understands the young.

Partly because of his children. "Sonam is much bigger than me.

At times when I go to an event with her, I have to stand aside. The media wants her.

I was quite taken aback. But I also feel happy.

..

proud. Kucch toh baat hai," says the doting parent.

And it's not just Sonam. "Rhea is successful too.

My son is raring to go. I feel I have come closer to my kids.

We discuss stuff as friends. Sonam helps me with my wardrobe.

She was born with a great aesthetic sense. Perhaps she has got it from my wife," Kapoor adds.

TOM LOVED INDIA About time to get hungry. Ever-energetic Anil goes to the counter and orders grilled chicken sandwiches for everyone.

Settling back, he starts discussing his big Hollywood break and 'genuine' friend Tom. The man who did not even know who Danny Boyle was before he was offered a role in the filmmaker's Slumdog Millionaire reveals that he did not intend to become 'big or small'.

He just wanted to work. And today, he is a part of one of the biggest Hollywood franchise Mission Impossible.

Plus, he is friends with the man on the mission - Ethan Hunt aka Tom Cruise. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't Cruise or the creators of MI4 who wanted the actor to grace India.

It was Kapoor who convinced his co-star. "Tom never asked me about India.

I constantly kept telling him about the positive aspects of India. Mauka mile toh ghus jao bas.

India bolte bolte. I made him believe that India is the best industry across the globe.

I told him about the fantastic people here. The beautiful girls.

The great actors and filmmakers. I told him 1.

1 billion people love him," reveals Kapoor. And thankfully, his prodding helped.

Tom loved India. "Tom told me, 'All my friends are jealous of me'.

He sent pictures of him at the Taj Mahal to his friends in Hollywood. To make them jealous.

For Tom, everything was 'fun'. Media - fun.

Fans - fun! He connects with the fans. He talks to them about their family.

He did not want to miss out on it," adds an excited Kapoor (less)

Nav Sidhu will be the co-producer along with me for this film. Nav Sidhu is London-based producer and he has been working with F1 for last 20 years, so he has great knowledge and experience on this subject.

The script is already done. We have also discussed the movie script with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone .

He liked the concept and has agreed to let us shoot at his home ground track." Grover adds, "I plan to rope in Shah Rukh Khan for the lead role.

Things are still in the planning stage but we hope to start the project by the end of this year." (less)

In a chat, he tells BT why the film is so special to him. What made you remake Agneepath? It has been on my mind ever since dad's film released 22 years ago.

My father was very disillusioned with the commercial outcome of the original, even though the film garnered plenty of critical acclaim. Dad had pinned a lot of hopes on it as the previews had been full of praise, but when the film didn't do well at the box office it broke his heart.

Dad always wanted to remake it. One day Karan (Malhotra), who was my associate director on My Name Is Khan, and I were chatting when I told him about dad's desire to make it again.

Karan told me he was a huge fan of the original so I asked him if he would revisit it again. He agreed immediately.

Why didn't you direct it yourself? I am incapable of directing a film like Agneenath . I can do only what I am good at, so I would have been the worst choice to direct it.

It has aggression, action and an inherent violence in it - things I am not capable of directing in my films. Karan is an exceptionally talented and angry boy, and for this film one requirement was anger.

There's an inherent sense of suppressed anger in Karan and Agneepath was the platform to express that. Do you have any special memories of the original film? I was 18 years old then and in college.

I remember dad had a trial show for all his close friends, including Yash (Chopra) uncle and Javed (Akhtar) uncle. Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan , Aditya Chopra and I sat on the floor of Ajanta theatre watching it with mom and dad.

All the boys loved the film. Adi told me that dad had produced a superb film.

When I expressed my apprehensions about it doing well, Adi told me not to worry about that. he said, 'Yash uncle has produced a great film and you should be happy about that.

' My father was very proud at all the screenings as the audience would stand up and applaud. I remember his face being full of joy and pride at the compliments.

He was like a proud parent, so when the commercial success didn't live up to that a part of him just broke. I want to resurrect that part again.

Who is your favourite character - Vijay Dinanath Chauhan or Kancha Cheena ? Karan Malhotra! He's made it everyone's film. I would want everyone to accept the love that has gone into the making of the film (less)

In fact, it's just a matter of one peg too many, and the maar-dhaad begins. Here's the gallery of the infamous punches: Sohail Khan Sohail beat up Sikander Kher at a Mumbai nightspot after Kher took a dig at Khan's bhai, Salman.

It was also reported that Ashmit Patel jumped in to support Sohail. Anupam Kher had even filed a police complaint against the two.

Ashmit Patel That isn't the only brawl Ashmit's been in. The man clearly deserves his own subhead for taking a panga with and breaking the nose of Vicky, the make-up man and best buddy of Imran Khan , in a pub.

Salman Khan Salman Khan punched a photographer trying to take pics of then-girlfriend Katrina Kaif in 2004. Rahul Bhatt The "Bigg Boss" alumnus played big brother to Pooja Bhatt and beat up her ex-boyfriend Ranvir Shorey after he misbehaved with her in 2002.

Rahul was booked for assault. Govinda The funnyman did not find an onlooker on the sets of "Money Hai Toh Honey Hai" all that funny.

Govinda slapped him for trying to 'tease' and 'distract' him. Another person who Govinda didn't find funny is Aryan Vaid.

Vaid slapped Govinda too hard during the filming of "Do Lucky!". Not only did Govinda shove his co-star for being that impudent, even director Neeraj Vohra got a slap! Zayed Khan Zayed beat up three men in two separate instances, after they reportedly tried to make a pass at bhabhi Natasha and wife Malaika.

Hollywood's fight club Avril Lavigne Avril got into a hissy catfight in a nightclub and then left her boyfriend, who suffered a head injury while trying to save her, to fend for himself. Shia LeBouf Shia is not just famous for picking a fight in Vancouver, but for losing it.

Spectators who witnessed the drunk brawling Shia, swore that the actor was almost beaten to pulp. Leonardo DiCaprio Leo, in his brash younger days, got into a fist fight with two men with actress Elizabeth Berkley , after she rebuffed his advances.

Cheryl Cole Don't be fooled by her petite frame, Cheryl was actually jailed for attacking toilet attendant Sophie Amogbokpa, and accompanying Cole's punches, was her racist rant against the black attendant. The Online Slapgate flood Joydas: Shirish Kunder said something about Ra.

One. In Response SRK MaRa.

One Laugh Riot: SRK: How was the slap?? kunder: raw.one Roflindian: SRK, the alpha male in Bollywood punched Shirish, the Gama Pahalwan.

In physics, you call it Alpha Beta Gamma. Delta blow BEALOTUS: #Shirish Kunder Farah Khan said "TEES MAAR KHAN".

SRK said "JAANEMAN, MAIN HOON NA" Lord_Ram: Shirish Kunder shall henceforth be mentioned in every conversation as, "Isn't he the guy who SRK slapped?" All his life. Indeed mauveblue2020: after the weak RBDJ, insipid MNIK, utter-bore Ra.

One, lacklusture Don 2..

. SRK delivers a HIT !! islejazz: SRK slapped Shirish Kunder because shirish was using ladkiyon wali fairness cream YourFriendPinto: Shirish Kunder - thappad se darr nahin lagta saheb, Ra.

ONE se lagta hai. SRK - Ok, so here goes.

..

*SLAP* unfairandlovely: I think it was just a case of misunderstanding. #ShirishKunder must have gone up to #SRK and said, "Tees maar, Khan!" #29SlapsPending @MTVIndia: Dear Shirish Kunder, Kha.

One Regards, Shah Rukh Khan @neelesh_the786: Shirish Kunder say to Farah when he reached back home..

tumne hi 6 pack abs banwaye the naa, Pad gaya chain..

. Bollywood's online opinion Dabboo Ratnani: I was present at Sanj's party & Without Any Bias I Fully Support Shah Rukh @iamsrk Kamaal R Khan: SRK is having big heart and I am sure he will say sorry to Shirish Bhai and then they both will be friend again so ppl chill maaro pls ameesha patel: Glad@iamsrk told shirish off n put him in place.

srk has done so much 4 farah. they shud b grateful n not abusing srk Farah Khan (the jewellery designer): Got calls in the middle of work asking me if @iamsrk slapped my hubby.

Had to clarify I am the jewellery designer! (less)

It was a last minute decision and Junior Nawab needed Gulshan urgently. Putting all celebration on hold, Gulshan took the first flight out of the US and rushed to Mumbai's Filmistan studio, where Kareena Kapoor was shooting a mujra sequence.

Says Gulshan, "I was flattered and happy when Saif and director Sriram Raghavan told me that they rushed me over because they felt only I could do the role. I am also amazed at the passion with which Saif is making this movie.

The detailed work, Sriram's creativity and working with Kareena, with whom I have not worked with for a while, made me feel very special. It is indeed a special appearance for me.

" (less)

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)

The actor-turned-producer, who was in the city, talks about all the new things in his life. "My wife Malaika just gave birth to a lovely, healthy boy.

Zidaan is thrilled to have a younger brother. People have been asking us for pictures, but the women in my family are superstitious.

They believe in auspicious timing, so when the time is right, everyone will get to see the baby. We've decided upon the name Aarez.

It means king or leader," says a beaming Zayed. Career-wise too, he has another 'baby' that's keeping him busy - his own movie production.

Talking about his journey from acting to producing, Zayed, who comes from a filmi background (his father, Sanjay Khan, used to produce, write, edit and act), he says, "I come from a background where I am programmed to understand what happens in every department. I was basically born in the cradle of Bollywood.

For me, it was never just another project or business venture, but a passionate craft. Even as an actor, it's beneficial to know what my director wants or which lens is used for what shot etc.

Producing a film requires you to go beyond the creative side in order to deal with the business aspect." And this is a lot easier said than done, says Zayed, who wouldn't want things any other way.

"From being in touch with the light technicians to checking whether the caterers have sent food on time, I do it all. You need to be in control, it's like being the CEO of a company.

" When it comes to his acting career, Zayed still gets criticized for not choosing the right films and acting only in multi-starrers. "Being in multi-starrers doesn't bother me.

I've had some super-duper films There was "Main Hoon Na" with SRK and Amrita - it was an amazing film..

. so why not? But in all honesty, if people perceive that I haven't yet done what I have come out to do, maybe there is some truth to that," says the actor, who is quite excited about his next acting venture with Priyadarshan.

"I can't reveal much about the film, but I can tell you that when I was younger, I met Priyan at a party and he said to me, 'Zayed, the day you wake up at 5 am, call me'. I haven't the foggiest idea why people would pitch me as a wild person in my younger days.

Now, I guess, things have changed," he quips. Ask him if we can see him producing his own films from now on and Zayed clarifies, "When we believe in the script and get someone else to do the acting, it might send out the wrong message that we are not capable of acting ourselves.

And the role in my home production was apt for Dia and me, so we did act in it. But if a film requires someone else to be cast, then why not? I'm not that narcissistic that only I will act in my own productions all the time.

" (less)

A source revealed, "The people of the princely state were keen to crown their chhote nawab. Princely states were abolished in 1971, and Mansoor Ali Khan was the last Nawab who reigned from 1952 till 1971.

For purely sentimental reasons, the people of Pataudi wanted Saif to be the crowned Nawab." Reluctant to step into his father's shoes, Saif said, "These titles are no longer recognised by the government.

And rightly so, if you ask. But the people in our villages are sentimental about these things.

The ceremony is more of a family tradition and hugely symbolic for the people of Pataudi." Pataudi has been ruled by Saif's forefathers since the early 19th century.

The Nawabs, who were originally the governors of a province during the Mughal era, continued to rule princely states under the British rule. Talking about his responsibilities as the new Nawab, Saif said, "Being crowned the Nawab means taking care of my father's estate, our ancestral home and the trust.

More importantly, I will have to continue the work he was doing for the villagers. I have to look after the eye hospital and other charitable institutions father was managing.

" Saif, however, refuses to use the title of 'Nawab'. "It is an anachronism.

And also, I would like to remember my father as the last Nawab of Pataudi," said the son. "The event will take place in Pataudi, of course.

It is scheduled for the end of this month, 40 days after father passed away," added Saif. Tweet'; var stindex=100; var stp=150; var taglen=0; var tmp; var tagcheck = new Array("div","span","br","font","a"); if(storymetalinks==true) { var storydiv=document.

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Apparently Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Arjun Rampal have expressed keen interest in hosting parties for the Hollywood actor during his stay here, on December 4 and 5. However all requests have been politely declined.

According to sources, Anil offered to have Tom as a guest at his house. But practical considerations came in the way.

"Anil is Tom's co-star in Mission Impossible . They have a personal bonding.

But for security reasons, he will stay at Taj Lands End which is now being turned into a fortress," a source said. Sources also added that Anil is planning a huge bash in honour of his friend where the who's-who of the entertainment world will be invited.

Some of the other Bollywood names who wanted to host parties are apparently not happy with the idea of reveling in the borrowed glory of Anil's bash and may not even turn up for the party. The source added, "But Anil can be very persuasive.

He will win over all the Khans and Kapoors and the rest of his fraternity and they will all be there finally." The venue of Anil's do is being kept under wraps.

The source added, "The producers have lined up big events. The core event is a screening for fans of MI4 on December 4, three days before the film's global premiere in Dubai.

" Officials from India's MI4 's distribution company in India have either switched off their mobiles or taken leave. A source said, "News of the fan screening has leaked out.

Requests for invites are driving the production company up the wall. They've surrendered Tom's schedules to Anil who will take a call on where and for how long Tom will be in Mumbai.

" Tweet (less)

The actor in a chat with TOI admits that "not having any film background in the industry means that you have to prove yourself over and over again." Excerpts: Early Days I completed my graduation and was supposed to become an architect, but my passion for modelling took over after college.

And once I got a good response, I was confident of making my mark as an actor. Roller Coaster Ride Unless you come from a film background, very few newcomers get a good platform initially.

While doing some of my earlier films, I realized that things were not right and I didn't have the most pleasant of experiences. And when a film does not fair well at the box-office, it affects you both as an actor and as a person.

Unfortunately, even some very good films don't get due attention because they are marketed poorly. The Big Break I had screen-tested for Anurag Kashyap's Gulaal and though he couldn't cast me as he needed someone older for that role, he was highly impressed and recommended my name to Mani Ratnam.

It was generous of him and Guru happened. However, I consider Fashion to be the turning point of my career.

Working with Madhur Bhandarkar and playing the male lead opposite Priyanka Chopra put me in the limelight like never before. Working with Hemaji (Malini) in Tell Me O Khuda was also special, as she has always been an inspiration for me.

It also felt nice when my recent release, Lanka earned rave reviews." Future plans I am doing a comedy Son of a Sardar, in which I am paired with Sonakshi Sinha.

It is a comedy of errors and it was great fun working with Sonakshi, Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt. In fact, Ajay sir is one of the biggest pranksters around! After that, I will be doing an edgy thriller.

Fitness First My father was an athlete and I have always been very conscious about keeping fit right since childhood. I work out regularly and happen to have a black belt in taekwondo.

I am training harder than ever before and my new year resolution is to be in the best shape of my life by 2012. I, me, myself It takes me a while to open up to people and I am very reserved with people whom I don't know too well.

Often, that is misinterpreted and some get the impression that I am a bit arrogant. But that's not the case.

I also don't like partying at all and while that may sound a bit boring, I would prefer coffee and good conversation with friends over partying any day! Marriage can wait! As of now, there is no plan of settling down in the near future. But I believe destiny plays a big part in marriages and sometimes, life can surprise you.

There's no point in making extensive plans and when the time is right, it will happen (less)

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)

The vocalist took a flight to Mumbai yesterday morning and will be returning to Kolkata today to celebrate his son's birthday on January 1. Said Soma, the vocalist's wife, "It was a year back that director Neeraj Vohra wanted to get in touch with Rashid to perform at a concert in the memory of his father, who was a santoor player.

Neeraj expressed his desire to Aamir bhai, who, in turn, told the director that he was extremely fond of Rashid's recital and also showed him his collection of CDs." The actor had attended this concert too.

"After the concert, Rashid and Talat Aziz were chatting outside the auditorium, while Aamir bhai waited patiently to meet him. He told Neeraj that he'd prefer to wait since he didn't want anyone to disturb the two artistes in conversation.

Aamir and Rashid's friendship grew with time. However, whenever Aamir has come down to Kolkata, Rashid has been out of town and vice versa.

After the birth of his son, Azad, Aamir bhai had called Rashid up too. He told him that he would love to ring in the new year with Rashid's concert at home.

He wanted Azad to listen to Rashid while welcoming 2012. Though our son, Armaan, is turning eight today and we have a bash at home, Rashid still decided to go down and perform," Soma signed off (less)

The day he died, a friend SMSed his condolences. Everyone who knows me, knows my craze for the yahoo man.

As a schoolgirl, I fell headlong for Shammi Kapoor through the pages of Filmfare. My parents didn’t take me for too many movies, but coudn’t stop me from keeping clippings of everything about the man with that romantic gaze.

Somehow, I managed to get them to take me to ‘Kashmir ki Kali’. My grandmother joined too and I still remember when Shammi appeared on the screen, she commented wryly: “He certainly is a good looker.

’’ That was my moment. For, in those days Raj and Shashi Kapoor were much bigger hits.

In fact, in the 60s and early 70s, I was the only one I knew whose favourite hero was Shammi. Perhaps that’s why my fame grew far and wide.

There could be no other reason for girls in my school who didn’t know me, to seek me out to hand over Shammi’s pictures. What do you see in him, everyone asked me.

And I wondered how they couldn’t be overwhelmed by those quizzical eyebrows; that unconventional wooing style - total abandon, yet cheeky and self-mocking; that perfect sense of timing; those brown-green eyes. “Your heroines don’t deserve you,” I once told him over the phone.

Yes, in those days fans could call their favourite stars. Shammi wasn’t always available.

But when that unmistakable voice came on the line, I made the most of it, giving him not just all the compliments, but the complaints too: “Your brother sends his autographed photograph to his fans; why don’t you?’’ “Write to my brother then,’’ he laughed. Convinced as I was that I was his only true fan, I received divine confirmation of it when my lawyer-father happened to be consulted in a matter concerning Shammi’s flat.

My heartthrob himself called my residence. My father allowed me to answer the phone.

I knew who it was, but asked anyway. The answer was the highlight of my 16-year-old life.

For my sake, my father broke his rule of never going to a client’s house. I had been to Blue Haven on several occasions to slip a letter under Shammi’s door.

This time, I went as a guest with my father, wearing a silver bracelet identical to the one he wore. I’d much rather have gone alone.

But beggars can’t be choosers and I had to be content with a pat on my shoulder from the man of my dreams. I never washed that kurta again.

Over the last year, I’ve sat up night after night mesmerised by his songs, promising myself that I’d go meet him and ask how he managed to portray with equal conviction songs as different as ‘Ehsaan tera’ and ‘Yalla Yalla dil le gayi’. To tell him that he’s the greatest ever.

Alas, that never happened (less)

He also has high fever and is as 'grumpy as a baby' the wife says. A candid chat with the actor-producer on his next home production, wife Maanayata, dosti with Ajay Devgn and his next film Agneepath which releases this week: Maanayata is turning producer soon? Yes, Maana will be producing the super-hit Telugu action film Badri.

Maana has designed the new office in Bandra and now our house too. She does everything in a cost-effective way.

She is also into designing jewellery. I have told her that she should bring out her own jewellery line.

I offered the remake of Badri to Ajay (Devgn) as Rascals was a disaster and I owe him one. Is Ajay upset about Rascals? He hasn't told me but I know he was disappointed.

He asked me to just forget it. You are an actor but have banned daughter Trishala from acting? Why? There's nothing wrong for a girl to be in the film industry.

But my father ( Sunil Dutt ) had a few rules about the girls in his family whether it were my sisters Namrata or Priya or their kids and they are very pretty girls too! They knew it right from the beginning that they can't even go that way. I want to carry my dad's legacy forward.

When people ask me why can't Trishala be in films I will say just one thing - Trishala is my daughter and nobody can tell me what to do! They have no right to talk about it. First take care of your kids and let me take care of mine! Is Trishala is upset with your decision? She may have been upset but I am sure some day she will understand what I have done after she starts doing well in another field.

She's graduated in forensic science which I always felt was a very dignified job. She wants to earn lots of money and I keep telling her that Rome wasn't built in a day.

I hope some sense comes to her soon as she's a very intelligent kid. Maana is more in touch with her than me.

Agneepath releases this week..

. Yes it's a role which fascinated and repelled me.

When Karan Malhotra came and narrated me the script that I was blown away by it. It was phenomenal! Kancha Cheena is the most complex, crazy, dark, unpredictable and evil character I have ever played in my life.

I was an anti-hero in Khalnayak but this guy is too evil! Kancha is a very dark character his lines are very funny! One of my favourite lines is when Hrithik's father comes to me and says, 'Hum usko milke maarenge.' To which I retort, 'Tu kya kisiko marega mama?' He's an old, half-dead guy how will he help me? I have some really good one-liners in the film.

Did you have any objections to becoming bald for the role? Yes. When Karan (Malhotra) told me I had to go bald for the role, initially I objected.

I told him I could do prosthetics. A lady from Los Angeles came and we had the look test with the prosthetics.

But the real test came in Diu where it was so hot the prosthetics melted. It took me three hours to put it on and two to take off.

When I put it on and went out there it just melted in the heat! There was a unit of 500 people and we had to decide what to do. I couldn't keep putting it back on and off.

I just had to take a call so I told Karan that I would shave off my hair as there was no other way out. I think it was the best thing I did because it helped me in my performance.

Imagine something stuck on your head for 10 hours. Everything gets restricted and I can't focus on my performance.

As it gets hotter and hotter as you get more irritable. It was the best thing that happened and luckily my other producers understood.

But when I went bald on the first day I felt funny..

. From being a great-looking guy you look ugly and menacing in Agneepath.

Did you ever feel insecure about the way you looked as compared to Hrithik? If I said yes to the script that means the character attracted me. I never had any insecurities with anybody in the industry in the last 32 years, why should I have it now? (less)

In fact, the filmmaker has turned down offers from at least three leading producers in the Hindi cinema industry. Confirming that a lot of films have indeed come his way after the successful Delhi Belly, Abhinay said, "Big offers are not something that you want to say 'no' to.

However, the script is also important. If a film doesn't work, people will blame the director for taking up the project.

" Also, Abhinay revealed that he isn't one to work on numbers. "I believe in what Aamir had once told me: Filmmaking is not a business.

A good script is very important," added the director. Talking about his Best debutant award victory at Filmfare on January 29, Abhinay added, "30th of January is my father's birthday.

In my family, we make it a point of calling the birthday boy or girl at 12 o' clock sharp. And believe it or not, my award was announced at 12 o'clock sharp.

At the time, I was talking to my father over the phone. It was the best moment of my life.

" Needless to say, the filmmaker after winning the award is looking forward to keep up with his last success. And thus, Abhinay is leaving no stone unturned to make Anil Kapoor's Indian 24 a success.

"The venture is still at a nascent stage. Anilji has just acquired the rights.

Work on it is still going on," revealed the filmmaker. Though the project is yet to take off, Abhinay is ready to take on the challenge to recreate the popular American TV series for the Indian audience.

"As a filmmaker, making 24 for India is a challenge. But then again, there nothing that Hollywood can and we can't.

The way 24 was accepted in the country reaffirms the fact that the series can indeed be recreated for the Indian audience." "The television industry has still not entered the zone where the audience would accept Hollywood storylines as is.

It has to be Indianised. The tastes and sentiments of the Indian audience have to be kept mind while recreating 24," added the filmmaker (less)

Actor Sunil Shetty speaks to BT about it. "Hockey is our national game and I wholeheartedly support the Indian team's decision to not accept the prize money.

We say India is shining, but what has been offered to the winners is piddle-s**t! Rs 25,000 doesn't even amount to $500, and for a sportsman to get such a measly reward is shameful! It says a lot about our country and the state of sports in India. They have done the right thing by returning it.

Few know that a good pair of hockey shoes costs between Rs 10-15,000. Most players practice without them as they can't afford to buy good ones.

With a prize money of Rs 25,000, what all professional equipment can they afford? If we want to create awareness about hockey and draw the youth towards the game, we have to give them the right infrastructure and financial security." Do it the right way "By suddenly giving Rs 1 crore to each hockey player is not going to get you a good hockey team.

Introduce hockey in schools and get corporates to come forward and do their bit. No corporate wants to sponsor a hockey tournament or give the players a job.

You need to pay well and train well in order to build a national team. Moreover, there is zero infrastructure for hockey players in India.

And lastly, let's stop comparing hockey to cricket. Cricket is a much larger sport and you can't compare the two.

It's a shame how we treat sportsmen who plays other sports in India. Change needs to come in all sports, and not just hockey because we won today.

The players deserve more. Much more.

" As told to Upala KBR (less)

She took this job very seriously because she did not want to let her parents down. She also took it up because she wanted to pull her family out of one of the rockiest patches - financially and emotionally - ever.

Fifteen years hence and innumerable awards and accolades later, her life looks like a fairy tale or a Bollywood script that could not have been written any better. In an industry where the shelf life of an actress is getting shorter by the month - even as actors rule the roost for two decades or more - Rani has seen her fair share of ups and downs that have taught her valuable lessons.

In the last few years, she has faltered in terms of choice of films. But one thing that she hasn't forgotten is to do her job well, i.

e. to act.

She takes it up as seriously as she did during the mahurat shot of "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat" as a 16-year-old. But today, there's more passion than ever, and a mastery of her craft that compels you to appreciate her skills as an actress, even if you aren't her die-hard fan.

After the success of "No One Killed Jessica" early last year, she is awaiting her next two releases this year - the Reema Kagti-directed thriller "Talaash", with Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap's quirky comedy "Aiyya" directed by National Award winning director Sachin Kundalkar. We ask the 'Queen of Bollywood' about the journey during which her job turned into her passion, the girl Rani morphed into the woman who rules hearts and, of course, a certain someone she "is dating".

What are you doing these days? I've just returned from Lonavala where I was shooting for "Aiyya". A few songs are left.

Has the industry changed since you joined films? Immensely. Today, the first look of the film is almost as important as the film itself.

I'm eagerly waiting for the promos of "Talaash", which are to hit the screens soon. It's going to be released in June.

The fact that I'm doing two films that are as different as they can be, in the same year, speaks volumes about how times have changed. It's a far bigger, more diverse than ever industry that's gone global in terms of its scope in every possible way.

Did you always want to become an actress? Arre, my joining films is a poori filmi kahaani. Though I technically come from a film family, my father had stopped making films even before my brother and I were born.

So I did not really grow up in a filmi environment. And when I was growing up, becoming an actress was still quite a taboo.

And you may not believe this but even my father did not want me to join films. Salim (Akhtar) uncle, who was very close to my family, came with the offer of "Aa Gale Lag Jaa" in 1994, but my father was aghast and turned it down.

In the meantime, I joined college (SNDT, Juhu) pursuing Home Science. Those days, the 'in thing' that most girls were going after as a career choice was jewelery and interior designing.

I did not have the money to pursue a `3 lakh course to make a career. And then Salim uncle came back again.

I think he must have been pretty desperate to launch a new actress. This time, he managed to convince my parents.

How did he manage that? (Laughs) When Salim uncle came to me and said he wanted me to act in his film, I started crying. I thought he was making a pass at me.

..

Why on earth..

.? Because I was daft.

And the fact that in those days, acting was still considered a taboo for the girls in my family. My mom's side was okay with it, as my aunt (Bengali actress Debashree Roy) is an actress.

In fact, she had kept it from me till then, but she was seriously harboring dreams of me becoming an actress. My father was still adamant about me not joining films.

But by that time my second cousins, Kajol and Sharbani, had entered films. And that sort of paved the way for me.

My mother and father still fought over it for quite a few days before he finally agreed to give me at least one shot at it - of course, with the strict clause that my mom will accompany me everywhere. And you? Did you know anything about acting by then? I wish I could show you the recording of my first screen test.

You will literally sprint away from the room thinking 'who is this horrible actress?' What was so bad? Those days, I used to be quite chubby. And Salim uncle, who had done "Baazi" with Mamta Kulkarni a few years ago, fished those shorter-than-short and tighter-than-tight clothes that looked completely hideous on me.

And to top that, I had to act! I was a shy kid with inhibitions galore. It was some courtroom scene and when someone gave me the sheet with dialogues, I was dumbfounded.

I saw all these famous dialogues from famous films which I had to say in front of the camera. My understanding of films was just as much as any young girl who watches Bollywood films.

I had no idea about the whole process of filmmaking, about dialogue writing, scripts, screenplay etc. I had probably gone to two or three film shoots in my childhood.

And even when on a shoot as a young girl, I would find actors just giving their shots and sitting in their vans getting bored in-between shots. So when the whole picture opened up in front of me about the reality of becoming an actress, I was petrified.

And my screen test was a disaster. I came back crying and said 'I would not be able to do this - anything but acting! Then? But Salim uncle came back and said I had a photogenic face and the camera captured me quite well, which is very important for any actor.

That was one glimmer of hope in my otherwise nightmarish experience. My mother sat me down that night and told me, 'Opportunity knocks at your door just once, take it up.

What's the worst that could happen? You'll fail at your effort? We are there after that. But at least you'd know you have tried, and won't regret leaving this golden opportunity'.

And though it was never told to me, but I knew my family was going through a financial crisis. And there was also tension in the family because of a lot of bickering between my father and his brothers.

I decided that I would work very hard (there was a month left for the shoot of "Raja Ki..

.") and give myself one good shot, even if it did not work out in the end.

I took it up as a job that just had to be done. What happened in that one month for you to give that spirited performance? My father took me to join Roshan Taneja's acting classes.

Mr Taneja had two courses, one was a year-long one and the other a three-month one. I had to learn all the acting I could in one month.

I told Mr Taneja I would come in the morning and evening for a month and be a dedicated student. On the very first day, my dad said to him, 'Please teach my daughter how to act'.

Mr Taneja said, 'Acting isn't a tablet. You can't pop it and become an actress.

It has to come from within you. It's either deep within you or it's not there'.

His statement stayed with me for a long time. It was my first lesson.

But in the classes, I did not know where to start. Thankfully, one good thing was the improvisation classes - where we all had to face the camera and say whatever came to our mind and enact a scene.

It sort of broke through my shy exterior. In any acting class, there are always a lot of faces looking at you from all corners and that's done on purpose so that the person drops all his/her inhibitions.

On the day of the mahurat, when I was called to give my first shot, I thought, 'yaar, I can't let my parents down. I just have to give it my best'.

And then, when I walked into the shot, I was this confident, fiery ball of energy, spouting dialogues like I had never imagined I would. I haven't looked back since that day.

And how did this job eventually become your passion? That happened later when I started getting fan mails. I was doing a lot of films.

But my fans kept on writing that they were not happy with me. So I wondered 'Arre, I am working 72 hours at a stretch, not eating right, not getting enough sleep, giving my best to each shot, so what was going wrong?' Then I realized that after "Ghulam" and "Kuch Kuch Hota Hain", my fans' expectations of me were higher than my own.

That's when I learnt my second lesson - that it's not just performing, I also had to know good scripts from the not-so-good ones. I started getting more involved in the whole process; understanding films beyond just acting.

During this whole process, acting became my passion. Coming back to the present, what went wrong in the last couple of years before "No One Killed Jessica" last year? You had some consecutive flops after a spate of hits, and suddenly you just vanished.

..

(Snaps her fingers and says with a smile) Don't worry, from this year, you'll see me in two films every year at least. Coming back to your question, I had seen failures before but when those three films ("Laaga Chunri Mein Daag", "Thoda Pyaar, Thoda Magic" and "Dil Bole Hadippa") failed in quick succession, it affected me in a way no flop had before.

My confidence was completely shattered. All my movies failed to make a mark with audiences and critics alike.

Maybe the critics thought 'we've praised her enough, now it's time for her to fall a bit hard, so she steps her game up' (smiles). I also think I was plain unlucky.

The audience has little memory of what you have done before or are capable of doing. What matters is today.

So three flops probably told them 'Rani has worked so well in the last few years, maybe it's time she took a back seat and settled down'. And are you settling down? (Smile that says read-my-expression-if-you-can) When I plan to settle down, I will announce it to the world.

Marriage is an occasion to celebrate. I'll celebrate it when it happens, letting everyone know about it.

What about the rumors of your relationship with Aditya Chopra? I have been linked with so many of my co-stars and this Aditya rumor has stayed with me for the longest time. This time, I'm going to give you the cliched answer no journalist wants to hear, 'No comments'.

Are you dating someone? Yes, I am dating, but that's as far as I'm willing to talk about my personal life. Your fans want to know about your personal life? They want to know if marriage is on the cards.

They will know when the time comes. Right now, I have two movies coming out and that's what I'm going to talk about.

Are you saying nothing is serious as far as your dating goes? In a relationship, there are two people involved. Since I'm a public figure, if I start answering questions, it'll open doors for more questions, speculations, gossips, and then it comes to a point where every day someone has something to say about your personal life.

It's unfair to the other person. I do not mind a bitchy comment about the way I dress or my films, but a comment on my private space isn't welcome.

Are you a romantic? I'm a born romantic. I romanticize everything in life.

My personal life is full of love and romance. God's given us one life.

You should romance it. It's not always nice and cool to be practical and logical.

What have your relationships/ heartbreaks taught you? I haven't been in a lot of relationships. Heartbreak definitely teaches you to be a better actor.

Don't they say, an artiste always performs better when he or she has experienced heartbreak? (Laughs) That was a joke. I don't give that much importance to men.

All my heartbreaks have been because of close friends, and not men. Seriously? (On a serious note) Heartbreak, anger, frustration - if you can overcome these emotions, you become a better person.

If you're a person of substance, you'll overcome your bad times. Who wants to be a loser? Will you marry an actor? No, two megalomaniacs can't exist in the same house.

We'll end up killing each other. What's the best thing about being in a relationship? (Enigmatic smile) That you can hide it.

And the best part of getting married is that you can announce it to the world. What about the fact that today the shelf life of actresses is low? Would you ever decide to do an item number or attend red carpet events as visibility is important these days? No.

Because for me, it's important to cement an impression of my work. Acting is what I do best.

It's not difficult to be in the public eye. Go anywhere and you'll find the media.

I am not trying to sound high and mighty here. If I was being launched today, I would do exactly what newcomers do these days.

But after 15 years in the course of which I have firmly established my credentials as an actress, I plan to only focus on acting. But if friends call me, I'll be there.

Like I went to Farah's (Khan) house-warming party recently. Aamir (Khan) and Kiran (Rao) had a son and going there was important for me because he is someone who is very dear to me.

As are Shah Rukh Khan and Karan (Johar). Have you spoken to Abhishek after he became a father? We aren't in touch on the phone, but whenever I come across him, I will definitely congratulate him.

It's great news. What did that low phase in your life teach you? When I was joining films, my dad had told me, 'Don't ever be disheartened with failure and don't be over-excited with success'.

This is an important lesson in any actor's life. But can you really separate your emotions as professional and personal in your mind? Hurt is hurt, disappointment is disappointment.

..

That's where your family and your strength as an individual come in. I am very close to my family.

And I have other interests, like baking. I started baking in one of my very low phases in life.

I find it therapeutic. So, would we see a Rani Mukerji patisserie soon? You could.

I'm serious about going to Paris or Chicago for a fulltime patisserie course. Any other venture in mind? A lot of actresses are starting their own fashion lines.

Or maybe even film production..

. No.

The only thing I will be producing next is babies. No other production happening with me.

Is there a lot of bitching/backbiting in the industry? There is, but that's true of any industry where over-competitive minds are always at work. But it is blown out of proportion in ours because it's the glamor industry.

Have you been at the receiving end of bitching? People say bitchy things about other people to feel good about themselves. Whatever I have got in life has been a huge blessing.

I've never gone after something that's not mine. Today, I am sitting at my office in Juhu, overlooking the sea.

I used to live in a shack before. I used to travel in rickshaws.

Today, I have a Mercedes. But if I start thinking, 'I have a bungalow, why not a building in Bandra tomorrow? Or now, I have a car, why not a yacht next?' my life will be difficult.

My mind doesn't work that way. The only ambition I have is to pick up interesting scripts and give a stellar performance that'll be etched in the audiences' and my fans' minds (less)

Anil is making a point that he will be spending his birthday with his wife and children at home. But sources say that the actor will not celebrate his birthday because of his father's demise earlier this year (less)

Apparently, Karan Johar who is extremely close to the film's leading lady Kareena Kapoor did not want any controversies surrounding the film and the actress' imminent wedding that is rumoured to take place around the same time as the film's valentine's day release. Karan Johar, claims an industry insider, felt that it might appear socially incorrect to have a film named Short Term Shaadi release around the lead actress' real life wedding.

And thus, though the film is about a one-night long marriage with the title Short Term Shaadi being an apt one, it was changed to Ek Main Aur Ek Tu. It would have been embarrassing for Kareena to have a film titled Short Term Shaadi during her wedding.

KJo realised that the media might just play it up in a wrong way. Though the film title had been changed for all the right reasons, Mumbai Mirror learnt that Kareena was not even consulted for the same.

The actress is reportedly planning a February engagement with her beau Saif Ali Khan and a March wedding after the release of Saif's home production Agent Vinod. Though Karan Johar remained unavailable, Shakun Batra, the director of the film said, "Ek Main Aur Ek Tu is a story where characters are more important than the plot.

Short Term Shaadi made it seem like a film about the 'one night stand'. I think Ek Main Aur Ek Tu sets the right tone for the film.

" The woman who probably is the reason behind the title change, Kareena Kapoor called the entire thing 'bizzarre' and denied having anything to do with the renaming (less)

. Yes, yes.

You know, when I first joined movies, a producer once asked me, 'What should we keep as your screen name?' I thought about it for a while. Because, in school, I was always known as Pataudi.

It started with Sanawar, where my grandmother used to like to stitch a red Pataudi label on my clothes (so they could be identified when they went to the laundry). My name at Sanawar and then at Locker's Park in England and at Winchester was Pataudi - because of Abba also.

I'd always called myself Saif Pataudi - it says that on my passport also. So when I was asked what I would be known as, I said, this profession is looking a little unsure at the moment, and I would hate to bring any sort of failure or dishonour to a successful name internationally - so let's go with Saif Ali Khan.

My father, in any case, always kept the worlds separate. What he did in Pataudi, he kept largely to himself.

He'd say to me, 'One day it'll come to you, and then you do whatever you want.' It wasn't like part of a family plan.

How much did Abba shape you? I admired and looked up to Abba so much, and not just for his achievements on the cricket field. He paved the way for me in school at a time when the English were capable of being quite racist - the late seventies and the eighties - but because of that name which is written on so many boards in Winchester and in Locker's Park also, so many sporting records, people were generally nice to me as a result.

So this admiration for him was there from a very young age. Not just because he was my dad, but as a sportsman, and then his persona - a little reserved, funny at times, but always very correct.

After he passed away, the amount of press surprised my mother also. I was thinking, what was it that made him such a big star? She said that it is because he was the last of his kind.

But being an actor, and a history student also, I think I could understand the elements that made him what he was. He, in a way, took on the British - being better educated than them, being better looking than some of them, and then being more talented than them, at their own game.

The sex appeal really of having one eye and then going out to bat and doing what he did - if you see Senna's documentary, what stands out is the man winning a race when your gearbox is stuck in sixth gear. That puts you into a different league, that adversity.

200 against England with one eye can never be taken away. He used to say the most beautifully simple things.

I once gifted him a pair of very nice, quite expensive shoes, and he said to me, 'They seem too nice to walk in'. Those sort of memories bring tears to my eyes still.

He had a lot of humility - and on some occasions, arrogance too. It was a beautiful mix.

Arrogance, such as? Geoffrey Boycott said that it was not possible to play cricket with one eye and that my father must be exaggerating his vision loss. Father explained to me that Boycott had a friend called Colin Milburn, an English batsman, who lost an eye and could never play again, which is why he thinks that way, that it's impossible.

So I asked Abba, how did you manage then, if it's that tough? He said, 'See, I was very good with two (eyes), and so I was, you know, good even with one' (laughs). How English was he himself? He was a little English, yes, but also Muslim aristocracy, really.

He loved playing the tabla, but not in the cliched enjoying the mujra sort of way. Slight contradictions; a nice whiskey, good classical music, playing the flute.

It was because of him that I was exposed to England, which is such a valuable part of my past. The fields of Bhopal, the shikaar, driving those jeeps, playing cricket in the back garden - I have these pleasant, beautifully civilised memories.

A lot of privilege, really, but in a very understated way. He would constantly emphasise that.

And I would consciously want to be a little louder because of the constant repression of 'be subtle, be subtle'. I remember finding gold achkans in the family cupboards, while Abba got married in a white achkan himself.

We went to somebody's wedding and he told me, 'You're not the dulha, why are you trying to dress up?' But because of that, I would do that more. He would sit at the last row in functions so that he could leave unnoticed quicker, rather than at the front where people think it's more important to sit.

It always amuses me at the Filmfare Awards where people are fighting to sit in that front row. What's the practicality of the inheritance? Anything I've inherited comes at a time when it becomes more of a responsibility than a childish joy.

If there were certain rifles that were in the family, or shotguns from Holland, other works of art that I would really want, I wouldn't get them - now I realise they are a responsibility; take care of them, get the paperwork done, keep them safe. It's no longer just the outer sheen of it.

Similarly, inheriting Pataudi and all of that..

. frankly, it's still a little surreal for me.

I'm not interested in being a Nawab in any way. I find friends of my parents, similar backgrounds, without naming names, there are other ex-royal families.

..

I mean, there has to be more to it than being on the cover of a travel magazine, with all due respect. To us, it's always been about something else.

We've never harped about it. But it is legacy, and what that means in practical terms is to look after the estate, to look after the trust, maybe to do some charity work; Abba had an eye hospital, I want to maintain that.

And I want to renovate Pataudi Palace. I want to infuse new blood into that property, which perhaps our family has not been able to afford to do so far.

Like a lot of families, when the privy purses were taken away, they couldn't afford to maintain their estates. By the grace of God, with my profession, maybe I will be in a position to refurbish it, and that I feel will be a contribution which will make my father proud.

That's my dream. How clued was he into your cine career? He didn't like movies very much, except Clint Eastwood, and he certainly didn't take them very seriously.

He called for "Omkara" once and wrote me a note for "Parineeta" once, but that was about it..

. What did the note say? Just 'Good job, Saif'.

And he said, I can't understand what you are saying in "Omkara", but it sounds quite convincing! (laughs) I used to feel a little bad when on the dining table he was outnumbered when it was me, Soha, Amma and him - so we tried not to talk about movies very much. He was, however, I think, happy that as a result of being in cinema, we weren't asking him for money any more (laughs).

But cinema didn't dominate conversation in our house. As a result, I think, my outlook is that while I love my job, there has to be something beyond that.

Stars can get very insular. How easy is it for a flamboyant actor and a royal to relate to all these people from the villages around Pataudi who pour in to meet you, to speak to you? This is a little psychological, my point here - Everyone you meet has a front.

And everyone has a sheen of politeness and the helloji and namasteji and it goes on. But if you can break through that for a moment, every person is unique and very entertaining.

There are different types of people you meet as an actor, you learn to quickly classify and computerize who they are. There is some annoying guy with dark glasses and leather jacket who is from Muzaffarnagar and who, let's face it, is annoying.

And I can't be bothered to bring out the nice in him, you know. And there are these really humble, nice guys and you connect immediately.

It's not that great to be brought up in a city, you're quite out of touch with this country. Even Bombay, that way, is a great corruptor of language, of culture.

It's the centre of the filmmaking industry, but Karan Johar somehow knows like what are the customs of India, but the knowledge otherwise isn't great. The language - ek gilas paani mangta hai - we don't know how to talk after a point.

It's important to have connections in rural India and other cities. It enriches you, the way they speak.

It's what makes, for example, Mr Bachchan's language so wonderful to listen to - it's not a big city or a Bombay influence for sure. Do you feel older now, in the given circumstances? I'm conscious about my age.

As to work - umm..

. Aamir Khan once asked me, when we were doing make-up in the same room during the shooting of "Dil Chahta Hai", he said, 'do you think I'm getting old to play love stories like this?' I said no.

So he said, well, my wife thinks so. I hope Aamir doesn't mind me saying this.

And he said, but I disagree; I feel the audience grows old with you if they accept you, and so long as you are vaguely sensible, you can continue to do what they like to see you do. I wanted to do a movie like "Agent Vinod" also because I was looking to be accepted playing a slightly older, mature, manly character, rather than playing a boy.

I can play a dashing RAW agent at 40 but if I were to play a college boy, that might be pushing it a bit..

. (laughs) Films apart, as a person, how 'old' are you feeling, now that the 30s are past? Physically, it's a little different; you can't do things you did earlier.

I have been nice, not drinking and smoking much and exercising. There are nights when you fall off the wagon, and that feels awful since most of the time I'm not doing that.

I feel these things age you, so I think one should try to sacrifice them. But that apart, I feel on top of my game and if I support my body by not abusing it, then I will look on top of it also.

I feel very confident and comfortable right now. I'm also sensible; I know it won't last forever, so I'd like to get the most done over the next six years or so, so that if it wanes off, I'd like to be at least well-off sitting in Pataudi, not renting it out (laughs).

Stardom today comes with a fair share of attention, not necessarily benign. How do you cope? I think there is an emerging Indian personality that was a little dormant when I was growing up.

I see it becoming a more confident lot, and it's not the most benign one. They are a dangerous bunch, these Indians.

They'll tear you apart. The aunties will rip you apart, they are worse than the Italian mafia.

We are not an overly nice race, but we have this veneer of being extremely nice. But there's nothing you won't say about a film if it flops.

Or any event that happens, the SMS jokes that start, are fairly vicious, you know, they are sharp. I don't know if any culture is quite as bad! In fact, that's started entertaining me now, earlier it would deeply disturb me.

Now I'm like, I read something and I go, bahut haraami hai yeh, dekho kya bol raha hai (laughs and laughs). How do you rate your degree of flamboyance, a decade back, and now? See, flamboyance is very dangerous to try to do, because if you overdo it you appear terribly loud and affected.

Ten years ago..

. long hair bobbing around, but that is not necessarily flamboyant! Hiring a chartered plane to travel is also flamboyant, which couldn't have been done 10 years ago.

Somebody once said to me that a fit and sorted out 40-year-old is way more attractive than a 25-year-old. It's a different thing, a different vibe.

More control over things, more confident and self-assured, I think. When I'd say to dad that I don't know how to run my house, he'd say, you'll know when you're 40.

It's a good age. I wish I was 30 with this experience, but it doesn't work like that, sadly.

You're re-interpreting flamboyance, essentially? Umm..

. no, it's not just that.

There's much more maturity, I feel. There's much more care, sensitivity to others, more respect for oneself, there's a lot of honesty in working hard, in understanding that there are 50 other people on a set who expect something.

..

Earlier it was like, schools or films, there was a sort of immortal sense of time, there's forever to do everything. Who was interested in working in a particular way or trying to leave a mark or even taking stuff seriously in being an actor? Which is probably a defence mechanism - you have the fear of failure so you don't even bother trying.

It's completely different today. When did this transition happen? Very recently.

..

Now, really. From now on, I feel what I do should be my best, and people should judge me by that.

Earlier, I didn't even want to be judged. When your father's alive, you can afford to, in a way, bunk.

It may sound cliched, but when you are the only man in the family, suddenly everyone looks to you. You want to make them proud, you want to make him proud, live up to a memory, and not ever let it be sullied in any way.

But you don't mind sullying it while he is alive - that's rebellion! What would you have noted in your diary as dad's life tips? Treat people equally. Don't be flashy, keep it subtle.

Invest your money well - and don't tell anyone where it is! Always declare to customs if you're carrying something you shouldn't be..

. there are so many things.

Women only mind you drinking, and when other women are involved with you - nothing else, really. Did he advise you on your personal life? Never.

Sometimes, when I asked him what to do, he'd say, oh, you've got yourself into a bit of a mess, but that was about it. When I ran away and got married, though, I don't think he appreciated it very much.

Yet, he was very gracious about it, very gracious. What did he say? He said a very deadly thing.

He said, 'you didn't ask me before you did this, meaning you didn't really care what I think when you did this. So I'll let you know what I think, in time.

' For me, that was panic. Then he had a chat with Amrita, and said, fine, welcome.

Then he said to us, 'When Rinku and I got married, the press gave us two weeks; it's been 25 years. I hope you can say the same someday.

' How do you compare yourself with your father, as a father? I think it's my responsibility to ensure that these guys are educated a little bit internationally. I don't live with them.

..

I see a lot more of Sarah than of Ibrahim. But BB messenger, funnily enough, has connected us tremendously, and we're very close in that sense.

Sarah is a brilliant student, and I want her to go to college in England, and Ibrahim too, if he can. I'm working hard to invest, so I can afford to do that.

That would be the biggest contribution. To answer your question honestly and with all due respect to Abba, I think in some ways I am better, and in some ways inferior.

I think your father is always your benchmark in whatever you do. Either you're doing it because he did it or you're not doing it, because he did it.

You are a less controlling parent? I think I'm a little more friendly and approachable, not as reserved. Maybe because I'm much younger.

Abba was certainly not emotional or outspoken. But for him to then say, 'bete, take care', is the equivalent of me saying 'arre Sarah I love you more than anything else in this world'.

Much easier to use fewer words, emotionally easier too. When you, for instance, talk to your girlfriend, you have to say certain things; it's not enough to say, 'see you' or 'miss you', full stop.

Abba was precise..

. Wonderful to be able to get away with so much succinctness! (laughs) (less)

..

and a rather 'strong' one. Recently, while chatting with zoOm, Bipasha told her that she was referred to as 'Lady Gunda' in her school days.

Here's why..

. When we asked her how she tackled all the 'players' and naughty boys who made passes at her, she quickly replied, "The need to 'handle' them never arose.

They were all quite wary of me because I was famous as the brat who hit everyone. I was quite the 'Lady Gunda' in my school days.

" So don't go by the songs she grooves to..

. we're telling you, becoming Bips' 'lucky boy' aint that easy! For exclusive interviews, B-town parties and events, watch B Tonite from Mon - Fri at 10pm, only on zoOm - India's No.

1 Bollywood channel (less)

"We are here to announce the changed release date of our film from Sep 16 to Sep 23. The reason for this is that we had applied for two permisions - a NOC (no objection certificate) from the IAF (Indian Air Force) and certification from the censor board.

We got U-certificate from the censor board, but IAF gave us a conditional certificate because they wanted a 30-second scene from a particular sequence to be corrected," Shahid told reporters here Wednesday. "They wanted a tiny little detail changed.

Because the scene required computer graphics, even a small change requires a lot of time. That is why it took us so many days to make the correction.

We got the NOC last (Tuesday) night," added the actor. "Mausam", a romantic film, is Shahid's father Pankaj Kapoor's directorial debut and in the film Shahid plays a fighter pilot and is seen "flying" a fighter.

"Today we are ready for India release on Sep 16, but we wanted the overseas release to fall on the same date. However, when we send the prints overseas, there is a particular time before which we have to send the prints.

Because we got the NOC last night, we couldn't send the overseas prints. We want the release to happen globally on the same day, so we have changed the release date to Sep 23.

We don't want a fragmented release..

.," said Shahid.

The romantic saga will see Shahid falling in love with a Kashmiri girl, played by Sonam Kapoor (less)