Her parents took her to the doctor who advised immediate hospitalisation. Reportedly, Vidya was admitted to Lilavati Hospital and was kept under observation for three days.

A source explained that the actress underwent several tests and the results indicated that her hemoglobin level was too low. She was put on drip.

“Even though she has been discharged, the doctors have given Vidya strict instructions to rest for the next week,” said the source. With the actress asked to put work aside for sometime, the last few shoots for The Dirty Picture will have to wait.

The source explained, “There are still about five to six days of filming left. With Vidya recuperating, the shoot will have to wait.

Ekta and Milan, however, are not worried about the delay. But definitely this delay is cutting too close to the scheduled November 2 release.

” Apparently, Vidya has been following the doctors’ orders and has been trying to get as much rest as possible. “She has been at home the entire time.

While her parents and sister have been nursing her, her sister’s children Ira and Ruhaan have been keeping her entertained,” added the source. When contacted, an official from the hospital, on request of anonymity, confirmed, “Yes, Vidya was admitted to Lilavati.

Her test results indicated that she had a low RBC count and was undergoing treatment for it.” Sphere: Related Content Posted in (less)

The board is referring to a sequence in the film, where the actor is shown speeding with his automobile at railway crossing to avoid a speeding train. They have now demanded a disclaimer be put at the beginning of the film, as well as a ticker condemning the unlawful act while the scene is on.

All this just days before its release! A letter signed by, Executive Director, Information & Publicity, Railway Board Chandralekha Mukherjee says, ” The act of not stopping before an unmanned level crossing gate when the train is in sight is clearly a punishable offence under section 161 of the Indian Railways Act. The legal provisions notwithstanding, it is a matter of concern that such an act undertaken by Shahid Kapoor, a youth icon, may have tremendous potential of being imitated by impressionable youngsters, thus endangering their lives.

” Mukherjee continues, “The Railways would like to register its protest in the matter and ask that a disclaimer be put in the feature film appropriately saying that the makers do not endorse anybody crossing unmanned level crossings with such carelessness and that such an act should not be attempted/imitated. A word of caution or a scroll during the scene could also be added.

The matter could also be highlighted at press briefings expressing the concern of the Railways and yourself in the matter.” Producer Sheetal Talwar, already under pressure to release the film this weekend, is obviously upset.

He says, “How can we put a disclaimer at this late stage when the prints have already gone? And what about Ra.One, where Shah Rukh Khan is seen doing all those stunts in a train? Or Bodyguard where Salman is on top of a speeding train? Or much earlier, Aamir Khan’s stunt with the speeding train in Ghulam? Were those not dangerous? As far as speeding a car across a railway crossing goes, it’s the character in the film and not Shahid Kapoor breaking the law.

Why blame Shahid?” However, Talwar is willing to put out a press release stating that scene at the railway crossing could be dangerous. It remains to be seen if the Railway Board would be satisfied with his response.

Sphere: Related Content Posted in (less)

Sphere: Related Content Posted in (less)

..

Azad. Azad Rao Khan.

I left the final choice to Kiran, and she has named him after my great grand uncle Maulana Azad , the great freedom fighter, whom the family is most proud of," Aamir revealed on social networking site Facebook. "Azad means free or liberated.

We want to thank everyone for their warm wishes and blessings, and needless to say we are absolutely overjoyed and feel most blessed. Much love," added the actor-producer.

Aamir-Kiran's son was born Dec 1 through IVF to a surrogate mother at a private clinic in Mumbai. The couple resorted to IVF due to medical complications.

This is Kiran's first baby, but Aamir has a son, Junaid, and a daughter, Ira, from his first wife Reena. Aamir ended his 15-year-old marriage with Reena in 2002, and during the shooting of Ashutosh Gowariker's "Lagaan", he and the film's assistant director Kiran ended up together.

They tied the knot in 2005. In 2009, Kiran got pregnant, but she had a miscarriage.

However, the duo now feel "blessed" with the newborn (less)

Smith, whose last album Lost and Found was released in 2005, is back in the recording studios for prepare for his comeback album, said producer La Mar 'Mars' Edwards. "We're working on Will Smith, bringing him back.

That's actually him on the other line right now," femalefirst.co.

uk quoted Edwards as saying. Tweet (less)

25 crore upwards, it's a generous recompense for one song, non? (less)

The actress was admitted to a hospital on the very day. A source told Mumbai Mirror, "Vidya has been taking her role in The Dirty Picture very seriously.

With constant shoots and the stress it obviously entails, Vidya started feeling rather dizzy and restless about ten days back. Her parents took her to the doctor who advised immediate hospitalisation.

" Reportedly, Vidya was admitted to Lilavati Hospital and was kept under observation for three days. The source explained that the actress underwent several tests and the results indicated that her hemoglobin level was too low.

She was put on drip. "Even though she has been discharged, the doctors have given Vidya strict instructions to rest for the next week," said the source.

With the actress asked to put work aside for sometime, the last few shoots for The Dirty Picture will have to wait. The source explained, "There are still about five to six days of filming left.

With Vidya recuperating, the shoot will have to wait. Ekta and Milan , however, are not worried about the delay.

But definitely this delay is cutting too close to the scheduled November 2 release." Apparently, Vidya has been following the doctors' orders and has been trying to get as much rest as possible.

"She has been at home the entire time. While her parents and sister have been nursing her, her sister's children Ira and Ruhaan have been keeping her entertained," added the source.

When contacted, an official from the hospital, on request of anonymity, confirmed, "Yes, Vidya was admitted to Lilavati. Her test results indicated that she had a low RBC count and was undergoing treatment for it.

" Despite repeated attempts, Vidya remained unavailable for comment (less)

A dam's basic purpose is to stock water and perhaps the director's idea of making the viewer correlate with the water reservoir is by testing how much can they hold on to the film that has everything on show but the dam. And by the time Mr.

Dam makes a special appearance in the final reel, audience ke sabr ka baandh toot jaata hain. So you are supposed to endure multiple tales including a star-crossed couple, a love triangle, a child longing for his mother's love, a mother yearning to have a child, a sailor-turned-author, a scheming politician, his wheel-ridden wife and an old man who specializes in alternate treatment therapies.

Imagine the director going that extra mile for character development in a film that is primarily about dam destruction and moreover none of them are even remotely connected to the dam or its disintegration. Dam 999 also seems to be culturally confused cinema.

The setting is in Kerala yet the locals insist on speaking in heavily accented English and whenever cupid strikes, the love songs play in Hindi. Add to it, with the collapse of a dam that is located somewhere in South India, the film attempts to give a tribute to a dam disaster in China.

Intermittently the film seems like a documentary highlighting the miracles of Ayurveda, though that again has nothing to do with the dam. Simultaneously it also promotes astrology and strongly endorses the belief that some mismatched horoscopes influenced the dam wreck.

Which makes us wonder whether other categorical issues like the dam's structural weakness, political intervention and an earthquake were insignificant for the climatic catastrophe! Coming to the 3D aspect of the film, the stereoscopy merely adds depth in some frames but who cares for 3D effects in a film which has 2 hours of human drama and (literally) 2 minutes of dam-break footage. And even the special effects in the film's two minutes of fame are so tacky that you curse yourself for sitting till the end.

The performance from the lesser known cast is mediocre and nothing much to rave about. Both Vinay Rai and Joshua Fredric Smith lack screen presence.

The leading ladies - Vimala Raman , Megha Burman and Linda Arsenio have face appeal, but nothing beyond that. Child actor Jineet Rath irritates with his mugged up lines.

Thankfully Ashish Vidyarthi doesn't go overboard. Rajit Kapoor tries to get the body language and accent of his character correct, though he stresses a little too much at times.

This is one damn boring film. Avoid or be damned.

Verdict: Below Average (less)

But anyone who watches it will feel like it is their own story. It is like in the genre of The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith.

It's that kind of a film where there is drama and a sense of comedy and all. Like even when I watched Pursuit .

. it reminded me of all the struggle that I made to enter Bollywood," Shirish told PTI, on the sidelines of a launch of a devotional music album, last night.

The Pursuit of Happyness is an American biographical drama based on millionaire stock broker Chris Gardner's nearly one-year struggle with homelessness. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film featured Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker.

Smith's real-life son Jaden Smith co-starred as Gardner's son Christopher Jr. The film was a hit and won several awards.

"This is the kind of story that only people like me who is an outsider and have struggled to come in Bollywood can only make. Not anyone who is already here as they don't come across the kind of struggle we all outsiders go through to come into a place where we are not allowed.

So we identify with the story ," he said. After six years, Shirish has managed to finally rope in Amitabh Bachchan for his dream film.

The director's previous film Jaan-E-Mann bombed at the box office. He is currently working on Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha starrer 3D film Joker which releases in August 2012.

Ask him how Big B came on board, he says, "It was during Jaan-e-mann when we had kept a preview for Bachchan Sir, he saw and brought his family next day to see it again. He told me we should work together but bring a role for me with meat in it.

I started working and wanted a solo film for him which is about him. I was hunting.

..

thinking of a story and it took me long time." "After that he had told me to put some meat in it.

I was scared that I cannot go with any rubbish to him. I wanted to be very sure when I went to him that he will not say 'NO'.

Mr Bachchan plays a common man. It will inspire every person be it a rickshaw driver or cashier using their skills how he can achieve something special," he said.

The film goes on floors soon and will release next year. About the leading lady, Shirish says, "We haven't finalised it yet.

He gave his nod for the project just a few days ago and till then it would have been pointless to think of who to cast. There will be one opposite him of the older generation, then there will be a son and a girl opposite him.

" So, is he considering real life son, Abhishek Bachchan for the film? "No. It will not justify him.

.He needs a bigger role than this.

Here the film is about Mr Bachchan. But I would like to do other film with Abhishek in it," Shirish said.

Tweet (less)

The deal was unveiled on October 18 and it has yet to be revealed how big a stake the Smiths hold. They'll have to wait to make their debuts as co-owners at a game as the National Basketball Association league is currently in the middle of a lock-out over a pay dispute between the players and team owners.

The couple join close pal Jay-Z - who is a minority shareholder in the New Jersey Nets - as celebrity NBA investors. Tweet (less)

A source informed that Akki and Ajay are very fond of the Will Smith- Martin Lawrence starrer. "They are in talks with the original filmmakers to buy the rights for the remake," said the source.

However, it is still uncertain which actor will essay Will Smith's character (less)

Earlier, the screenplays of other Indian films like Chak De! India , Devdas and Lagaan have been placed in the library. DAM999 is about nine lives entwined by an impending disaster due to a dam.

The movie deals with a social cause -- the hazards posed by dams, and creates awareness among the masses about the dangers that can be caused by a dam collapse, if not attended on time. The Sohan Roy-directorial, produced by BizTV Network, features Rajit Kapur, Joshua Fredric Smith, Linda Arsenio, Gary Richardson, Jaala Pickering, Ashish Vidyarthi, Vinay Rai, Vimala Raman, Megha Burman and Jineet Rath.

The movie, to be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, will be released nationwide Nov 25, in three regional languages - Hindi, Tamil and Telugu along with English.

Tweet (less)

However, representatives of PETA insist that the verdict is solely based on the votes collected. Vidya Balan is known to have re-defined 'sexy' and 'hot' after her popular 'dirty act'.

But we guess people had their reasons to vote for the oomphy Mallika Sherawat. Dhanush successfully bagged the Sexiest Vegetarian Male award, a tag previously enjoyed by Shahid Kapoor.

His Kolaveri Di number took the world by storm. However, the simple Dhanush says, "I'm anything but sexy.

But if people think I am, I don't know what to say." (less)

The Railway Board has now sent a strongly worded letter to its lead star Shahid Kapoor, condemning him for setting a wrong example to his fans in the movie. The board is referring to a sequence in the film, where the actor is shown speeding with his automobile at railway crossing to avoid a speeding train.

They have now demanded a disclaimer be put at the beginning of the film, as well as a ticker condemning the unlawful act while the scene is on. All this just days before its release! A letter (copy of which is in the possession of the writer) signed by, Executive Director, Information & Publicity, Railway Board Chandralekha Mukherjee says, "The act of not stopping before an unmanned level crossing gate when the train is in sight is clearly a punishable offence under section 161 of the Indian Railways Act.

The legal provisions notwithstanding, it is a matter of concern that such an act undertaken by Shahid Kapoor, a youth icon, may have tremendous potential of being imitated by impressionable youngsters, thus endangering their lives." Mukherjee continues, "The Railways would like to register its protest in the matter and ask that a disclaimer be put in the feature film appropriately saying that the makers do not endorse anybody crossing unmanned level crossings with such carelessness and that such an act should not be attempted/imitated.

A word of caution or a scroll during the scene could also be added. The matter could also be highlighted at press briefings expressing the concern of the Railways and yourself in the matter.

" Producer Sheetal Talwar, already under pressure to release the film this weekend, is obviously upset. He says, "How can we put a disclaimer at this late stage when the prints have already gone? "And what about Ra.

One , where Shah Rukh Khan is seen doing all those stunts in a train? Or Bodyguard where Salman is on top of a speeding train? "Or much earlier, Aamir Khan's stunt with the speeding train in Ghulam ? Were those not dangerous? As far as speeding a car across a railway crossing goes, it's the character in the film and not Shahid Kapoor breaking the law. Why blame Shahid?" However, Talwar is willing to put out a press release stating that scene at the railway crossing could be dangerous.

It remains to be seen if the Railway Board would be satisfied with his response. Tweet (less)

co.uk.

"The desire to be in control and decide everything myself as much as possible gets in the way of things," she said. "That's probably one of the reasons why I'm single.

I get in the way of myself when it comes to men. The fact that I can act a little bossy has ruined quite a few dates," she added.

Tweet (less)

"I did not find that act interesting. I felt very sad that I called him my brother.

The world can call Shah Rukh their brother, but I will never call him my brother," the 33-year-old said at the DVD launch here of her movie The Dirty Picture . After taking away all the awards for her performance in The Dirty Picture , Vidya is currently busy promoting her next film Kahaani .

Tweet (less)

And this year, the big screen has seen all sorts of teachers - from the idealistic to the irreverent. Lillete Dubey: She has played the role of mothers to perfection.

But this year, Lillete played the part of a feisty English teacher in Always Kabhi Kabhi, who spouts Hamlet to a bunch of rambunctious teenagers. Amole Gupte: Can teachers be greedy? Writer-director Amole Gupte proved it in Stanley Ka Dabba, in which he plays a boorish Hindi teacher named Babubhai Verma, a man more interested in the kids' lunchboxes than teaching - especially Stanley's.

Though his character in his directorial debut was far from lovable, the grumpy, mean-spirited Babubhai left quite an impression on audiences. Bradley Cooper: Bradley's teacher character Phil in Hangover 2 was more involved in bar brawls, drinking games and getting shot in the arm than enlightening children.

Cameron Diaz: Cameron's loud, drunken and surly Elizabeth Halsey elicited quite a few laughs and raised eyebrows in her last film, Bad Teacher. She takes regular swigs of alcohol from behind a desk and shows the students movies while she sleeps during class.

Her wardrobe - which on one occasion included shorts and a knotted shirt - hardly befitted a student, let alone a teacher. Julia Roberts: Julia has played an inspirational teacher in Mona Lisa Smile, but her professor character in Larry Crowne is far less passionate about enriching her students' lives.

In fact, she has something in common with Cameron's character in Bad Teacher - she loves to hit the bottle. Amitabh Bachchan: The Big B has played a teacher several times in various avatars - from the comical Sukumar Sinha in Chupke Chupke, to the idealistic Narayan Shankar in Mohabbatein.

This year, Amitabh played the idealistic Prabhakar Anand in Aarakshan, who doesn't take things lying down when the issue of commercialization of education looms large over the institution. Compiled by Richa Bhatia (less)

"There's the possibility of a bigger brood. The main thing has been getting my health back on track.

But I do look at other little babies and think, 'Aww it'd be nice to experience that again.' So yeah," she said.

Minogue, 40, loves being a mother but says she seeks guidance from husband and her brother when she is unsure about parental matters. "Kris knows it all and doesn't have fears about anything.

I'd never been around kids before, so he's teaching me along the way. I ask my brother for advice.

He and his wife have two kids and are always bringing toys around for each stage Ethan's going through. As a parent, sometimes it's so confusing.

I go to a toy shop and don't know what he'd like or what he needs," she added. Tweet (less)

I.E.

N.D.

S star David Schwimmer is all set to play a mafia contract killer in his next film The Iceman . Schwimmer will play Richard Kuklinski opposite actor Ray Liotta's portrayal of a Mafia boss in the movie, reports dailystar.

co.uk.

Kuklinski claimed to have killed more than 250 people between 1948 and 1986. The film also stars Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Tweet (less)

Over the years, it has become a trend for media houses to pay ludicrous amounts of money to capture private moments of celebrity mums with their new-born babies. Needless to say, this is huge publicity for the publication in question, and those quoting the highest price often get exclusive rights to the pictures.

Ash's pregnancy and delivery made global headlines, what with her being one of the few internationally known Indian celebs, with every leading network picking up the news. The follow-up to the development is a mad rush to bid for her daughter's pictures and get an exclusive first look.

Some tabloids and magazines are even in touch with their Indian counterparts to try and negotiate a deal if there's any opportunity. Celeb babies who've commanded high prices Who: Max & Emme Parents: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Price: US $6 million Who: Shiloh Nouvel Parents: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Price: US $4.

1 million Who: Pax Thien Parents: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Price: US $2 million Who: Dannielynn Parents: Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Birkhead Price: US $2 million Who: Max Parents: Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman Price: US $1.5 million Who: Harlow Winter Parents: Nicole Richie and Joel Madden Price: US $1 million (less)

Since Santoshi has worked with Kat in "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani", he sent her the offer. However, Kat hasn't taken the bait.

" And now, buzz has it that Santoshi is miffed with her. But looking at Jackky's past record (or just looking at him), we say smart move, girl! Meena Iyer (less)

"I did not find that act interesting. I felt very sad that I called him my brother.

The world can call Shah Rukh their brother, but I will never call him my brother," the 33-year-old said at the DVD launch here of her movie "The Dirty Picture". After taking away all the awards for her performance in "The Dirty Picture", Vidya is currently busy promoting her next film "Kahaani" (less)

Brother Kirti Kumar was at the helm. He now wants to produce and act in a script for a romantic comedy, he recently heard and has loved.

The actor has approached friends in the industry to help him out (less)

Announcing the news today, Aamir said, “It gives us the greatest joy to share with you the good news of the birth of our baby boy. This baby is especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty.

Due to medical complications, we were advised to have a baby through IVF -Surrogacy and we feel very grateful to the Almighty that everything has gone well.” Aamir has two children, son Junaid and daughter Ira from his earlier marriage.

Sphere: Related Content Posted in (less)

A vermillion bindi on her forehead, a coffeecoloured sari, a blouse with a plunging neckline, golden bangles, slippers and nailpaint --the star is in character for "The Dirty Picture", when one meets her in her vanity van before her rehearsals begin. "Kolkata always makes me nostalgic.

As we drove from the airport, I pointed at each of the places where I had shot either during "Parineeta" or "Kahaani". Even the vanity van where I'm now seated, is the one that I used while shooting "Kahaani"," she says.

Considering that she has been in the city on the last day of the 17th edition of the Kolkata Film Festival, does she remember the time when she was the thaali girl of KFF before her meteoric rise to fame from her days as a beginner in Goutam Halder's "Bhalo Theko"? "Of course, I remember going to Nandan with Goutamda and the stalls there. I remember Angshu Sur, who used to head Nandan.

..

" she says. A crazy schedule, however, meant not being able to make it to KFF now.

But she doesn't miss out on a visit to Kalighat. "When I stand in front of the idol, I just say thank you.

My sister, Priya, has recently had twins - Ira and Ruhaan. I went to seek blessings for them," she says.

What did she ask for herself? "Nothing. I have never planned much in life.

" Not even marriage? "I've been living with my parents for so long that the thought of having to wake up without them in the house makes me edgy. I believe in the institution of marriage but am in no hurry to settle down.

I'm happy with the work I am doing. I do one or two films a year and have not signed on anything new post-"Kahaani".

I want a break after that. My health needs attention and my mother has made me promise that I'll take a break from January to March," she says.

Deciding not to sign on new projects means having to say no to many directors. Doesn't that rub people the wrong way? "It's never been difficult for me to say no.

I've never given excuses like I don't have dates or over-quoted. I say that while the script might be good, I can't connect with it.

I've landed in trouble for doing this. People sound okay when I am upfront.

But there have been occasions when they have come with two projects to me. If I've turned down one, they never came back to me with the second offer.

Once a filmmaker called up another director (I was working with him then) and asked him to throw me out of his movie because I had turned down his script! The person I was working with had earlier been this director's assistant. Throwing me out of the movie was supposed to be a 'gurudakshina'.

That director later went on to call me names on print, but I'm capable of handling this now," she says. What about controversies? Is she capable of handling them, especially the recent one involving Silk Smitha's brother? "From Shakespeare to Robi Thakur, everyone has written stories about people around them.

There is no creativity minus reality. In this case, it isn't about Silk Smitha per se.

There were so many other dancing stars including Nylon Nalini, Cotton Kamini, Rayon Revathi and so on. Silk happens to be the most nationally popular dancing girl of the 80s.

So, people are making associations," she says. What if a director wants to make a movie on an actor whose name is Vidya based on a script that has some real life parallels? "There will always be a difference between the reel and the real.

Being in this profession, I am fine with movies inspired by real-life characters." So, what is that one word in the industry that she considers to be 'dirty'? "Insecurity that fame brings along.

It can drive people to drugs, bad behaviour and self-destruction. It is never easy to not be insecure in this profession.

I'm here to act and have treated fame as a fringe benefit (a rather large benefit, I suppose). There are times when I've made mistakes by signing on movies because I was told that my time is now and I've to take the beaten path.

However, I don't regret anything," she says. Finally, what does she think sells in today's world? There was a time when Neha Dhupia's quote "Only sex and SRK sell" did the rounds.

How would Vidya redefine the quote today? She pauses to think for a while and says, "Only conviction sells." If that were the case, why then would insecurity seep in? "Well, when we are insecure, we really don't have that 100 per cent conviction.

Once we have it, we can tide over everything." (less)

"I did not find that act interesting. I felt very sad that I called him my brother.

The world can call Shah Rukh their brother, but I will never call him my brother," the 33-year-old said at the DVD launch here of her movie The Dirty Picture . After taking away all the awards for her performance in The Dirty Picture , Vidya is currently busy promoting her next film Kahaani .

Tweet (less)

On her rigorous training sessions before the movie went on floors, she says, "I wanted to be completely prepared physically before we kickstarted shooting". Say hello to the new action gal! (less)

They will have to cook up new dishes within a stipulated time, after which the preparations will be judged by food critic Vir Sanghvi, actress and food enthusiast Sonya Jehan, and Merrilees Parker, popular British celebrity chef and presenter. "We have been in love with the food genre.

This new show is extremely exciting for us because India and Pakistan are two nations that share a common passion for food. Sitting in India, we would only hear about how they make their burra kebab and biryani .

..

now we can see it for ourself," said Smeeta Chakrabarti, chief executive officer, NDTV Lifestyle. Hosted by actors Ira Dubey and Aly Khan, the show will be aired Monday-Wednesday at 9:30 p.

m. Tweet (less)

"TNT has decided not to order a fourth season of Hawthorne . TNT truly appreciates the tremendous dedication of everyone involved in Hawthorne .

"The series gave TNT the opportunity to work with many outstanding people, including Jada Pinkett Smith and the rest of the show's talented cast, crew, producers and writers. We wish everyone involved with HawthoRNe nothing but the best," a network representative said in a statement.

The finale of the third series, which also starred Michael Vartan and singer-actor Marc Anthony, aired in the US last month. The cancellation news comes just weeks after tabloid reports suggested Pinkett Smith had had an affair with Anthony, prompting his split from wife Jennifer Lopez.

The salsa singer has vehemently denied the claims, branding them "laughable", while Pinkett Smith and her husband, superstar Will Smith, have also been forced to defend their 14-year marriage amid separation rumours. Tweet (less)

A source close to the project revealed that Madhab got in touch with Gere through a common friend about his script based on the problem of world food insecurity. "Richard liked the script and is looking forward to begin shooting.

The pre-production work on this film will begin in January 2012. Madhab will be shuttling between India, Los Angeles , London and Amsterdam for the shooting.

A Netehrlands based company will handle the production," said the source. According to the source, Will Smith has also shown a keen interest in co-producing this venture.

"The talks with Will Smith are going on. They are working out the modalities for the film," added the source.

"Richard Gere is playing the foreigner who comes to India and gets involved with the socio-political set up of a village. Harsh Mayar will be playing the village boy who interacts with him.

The film is untitled right now," the source further added. Nila Madhab Panda remained unavailable for comment (less)

Shooting with Mithun Chakraborty for " Dadagiri " till afternoon, a store visit in the evening, a three-minute stopover at Kalighat for darshan before driving down to a recreational park to rehearse till late for an event - Vidya packed in a lot into her Thursday's Kolkata schedule. A vermillion bindi on her forehead, a coffee coloured sari paired with a blouse that had a plunging neckline, golden bangles, slippers and nailpaint - the star looks quite in character for " The Dirty Picture " when one meets her in her vanity van before her rehearsals begin.

"Kolkata always makes me feel nostalgic. As we drove from the airport to the hotel, I pointed out to each of the places where I had shot "Parineeta" and "Kahaani" in an attempt to showoff my knowledge about Kolkata.

I have vivid memories of a beauty parlour on Park Street where I would go to get my pedicure done while shooting in Kolkata. Even the vanity van where I am now seated is the one that I used while shooting "Kahaani".

" Considering that she has been in the city on the last day of the 17th edition of the Kolkata Film Festival, does she remember the time when she was the thaali girl of KFF much before her meteoric rise to fame from her humble days as a beginner in Goutam Halder's "Bhalo Theko"? "Of course, I remember going to Nandan with Goutamda and the stalls there. I remember Angshu Sur, who used to head Nandan.

..

" her voice trails off. A crazy schedule, however, meant not being able to make it to KFF now.

But what she doesn't miss out is shaking a leg with Mithun Chakraborty on the sets of "Dadagiri" to a song that had the Disco king Bappi Lahiri singing "O la la". "It was a fabulous experience.

I had shot with Mithunda in "Guru" and already had a rapport with him," she recalls, before speaking about her quiet visit to Kalighat at night. "When I stand in front of the idol, I never ask for anything for myself.

I just say thank you. My sister, Priya, has recently had twins - Ira and Ruhaan.

The three-month-old darlings are the best blessings in my life. I went to seek blessings for them from the goddess," she says.

What did she ask for herself? "Nothing. In any case, I have never planned much in life.

" Not even marriage? "Not in the recent future," she replies, adding, "I have been living with my parents for so long that the very thought of having to wake up without them in the house makes me feel edgy. Of course, I believe in the institution of marriage.

But I am in no hurry to settle down now." And neither is her better half in any hurry.

"As of now, I am happy with the work I am doing. I do one or two films a year and have not signed on anything new post-"Kahaani".

I want to go for a two month-long break once that releases. My health needs attention and my mother has made me promise that I will take this break.

I couldn't have done it earlier because of prior commitments. So, from January to March, I want to relax.

I want to sleep, eat on time and spend time with the kids," she says. Deciding not to sign on new projects means having to say no to many directors.

Doesn't that rub people the wrong way? "It's never been difficult for me to say no. I have never given excuses like I don't have dates.

I have never over-quoted to avoid a project. I simply say that while the script might be good, I can't connect with it.

My strategy is that while I wouldn't want anyone to waste my time, I shouldn't be doing that either with others," she insists. Is Bollywood open to accepting such forthrightness? "I have landed in trouble for doing this.

People sound okay when I am upfront. But there have been occasions when they have come with two projects to me.

If I have turned down one, they never came back to me with the second offer even though I might have connected well with that script. Once a filmmaker called up another director (I was working with him then) and asked him to throw me out of his movie because I had turned down his script! The person I was working with had earlier been this director's assistant and he was asked to throw me out of the movie as a gesture of gurudakshina.

That director later went on to call me names on print but, I guess , I am capable of handling all this now," she says. What about controversies? Is Vidya capable of handling them, especially the recent one involving Silk Smitha's brother? "From Shakespeare to Robi Thakur, everyone has written stories about people and incidents around them.

There is no creativity minus reality irrespective of how flowery or abstract you make it. In my movie's case, the film isn't about Silk Smitha per se.

There were so many other dancing stars in the 80s including Nylon Nalini, Cotton Kamini, Polyester Padmini, Rayon Revathi and so on. Silk happens to be the most nationally popular dancing girl of the 80s.

So, people are making direct associations. But my character might actually have so many different inspirations," she says.

What if some director wants to make a movie on an actor whose name is Vidya and on a script that has some parallels with her real life travails? "There will always be a slight difference between the reel and the real. Even my family might know 99 per cent about me but there will be this one per cent about me that nobody will ever know.

Being in this profession, I am fine with biopics or movies inspired by real-life-characters." So, what is it that she is uncomfortable with in this industry? Or more precisely, what is that one word in the film industry that she considers to be 'dirty'? "It's the word insecurity that fame brings along with it.

It can drive people to drugs, bad behaviour and self-destruction." How does she avoid being insecure or to give up on projects when she knows that a talented lot might be waiting to nudge her out? "It is never easy to not be insecure in this profession.

But I've believed that I'm here to act and have treated fame as a fringe benefit (well, a rather large benefit, I suppose). There are times when I too have made mistakes when I signed on movies because I was told that my time is now and I have to tread the beaten path.

However, I don't regret making those choices now because I needed to go through this process of evolution. Finally, it's about a realization that in a world of individuals, one can't be the best.

I live from one moment to another and retain my honesty of purpose," she says. Finally, what does she think sells in today's world? There was a time when Neha Dhupia's quote "Only sex and SRK sell" did the rounds.

How would Vidya redefine the quote today? She pauses to think for a while and then says, "Only conviction sells." If that were the case, why then would insecurity seep in? "Well, when we are insecure, we really don't have that 100 per cent conviction.

Once we have it, we can tide over everything." (less)

"This is extraordinary! I'm stunned that she has time in her schedule that she's coming to our studio to record. She's playing herself, and the writers describe her as the happiest, most optimistic person in the world.

She comes to Springfield to try to cheer up Lisa, but she can't," said Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa. The 'Judas' singer said appearing on the programme is one of the coolest things she has ever done and hopes she has done a sincere job.

"I make music, but I don't do voice-overs every day of the week, and their characters are so awesomely convincing and sincere and wild and funny, I had to remind myself constantly of the sincerity of the humour. That's what I was trying to focus on, not putting on a character too much and really being as sincere as I could with the lines.

"I would say this is one of the coolest things I've ever done. My dad's probably going to do 80 backflips when the episode comes out," Gaga's guest appearance in the episode 'Lisa Goes Gaga' will air next spring.

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Na Jane Kyun After winning awards and standing ovations at Australia, America, Israel , and England India's first gay love story Dunno Y..

Na Jane Kyun is being screened this October in a festival which is held in five cities of Germany. This is the only Bollywood film that got screened at Tel Aviv .

In fact, after watching the film, a Norwegian women band signed its lead actors Yuvraaj Parashar and Kapil Sharma to act in their next International album. This makes Kapil and Yuvraaj India's first actors to act in a music video for a European band (less)

Acting was never planned career option for her. She confesses, "Since childhood I always wanted to be different from the others.

I did 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 at all happy with my decision.

Initially it was difficult for me but later my family got convinced. I have done lot of shows in India and abroad.

It was two years back that I shifted from Delhi to Mumbai. During my stay in Mumbai I got introduced to the Bollywood industry.

Suddenly one day I got a call from the director of the Love Break ups Zindagi that I got selected for a role in his movie. I just couldn't imagine it came as a big surprise for me and I accepted to do the role.

" So how different was the experience of facing the camera for the first time, "I'm a performing artist so it was not that difficult for me. I wasn't nervous at all.

I have performed live show before huge audience hence I had no fear or nervous feeling. The entire crews of the movie made me feel very comfortable on the sets.

" Talking about her hometown Delhi she says, "I miss Delhi a lot. But yes, whenever I m here in town I ensure that I get to spend some good quality time with my family and friends.

I miss my good old college days in Delhi and the street food. Joh maza Delhi main hain who Mumbai main kahan.

In fact my most of the shooting of my debut movie Love breakups Zindagi has been shot majority in Delhi." So any plans of visiting Delhi soon, Auritra adds, "I shall be there next month to attend the Durga pooja.

Besides that I will be Delhi again end of October to watch the F1 racing event to be held in Noida." She excitedly says, " My friends have already booked the tickets for the F1 event .

And the excitement is more because the event is to be hosted in Noida where I grew up. Earlier if I would tell people that I stay in Noida they would reply me back saying aree woh bahut gunda raaj jagah hain , But now with one of the mega sporting event like F1 event to be hosted in Noida I feel more proud to say that I'm a Noida girl.

In mid of October again I would be visiting Delhi to do a play with Lillete Dubey called August : Osage county." Next she has an interesting project which is an English short film directed by Ajitesh Sharma titled SWEN.

Talking more about her new upcoming project she says, "It is a very interesting film which is titled SWEN that means South , West , east and north. The shooting of the movie begins from next month in Ladakh.

The movie talks about four regions of India - South, East North and West. I have a strong character role to play in the movie.

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

"It's complicated because of where and how Smith wants to shoot, he wants to be close to home, to the kids. There's also been talks about him wanting Jada and maybe even Willow in the movie too," a source said.

Roland Emmerich is set to direct the movies, and studio Fox is keen to have the scripts delivered soon, and is reportedly prepared to do the films without Smith. Tweet (less)

But anyone who watches it will feel like it is their own story. It is like in the genre of The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith.

It's that kind of a film where there is drama and a sense of comedy and all. Like even when I watched Pursuit .

. it reminded me of all the struggle that I made to enter Bollywood," Shirish told PTI, on the sidelines of a launch of a devotional music album, last night.

The Pursuit of Happyness is an American biographical drama based on millionaire stock broker Chris Gardner's nearly one-year struggle with homelessness. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film featured Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker.

Smith's real-life son Jaden Smith co-starred as Gardner's son Christopher Jr. The film was a hit and won several awards.

"This is the kind of story that only people like me who is an outsider and have struggled to come in Bollywood can only make. Not anyone who is already here as they don't come across the kind of struggle we all outsiders go through to come into a place where we are not allowed.

So we identify with the story ," he said. After six years, Shirish has managed to finally rope in Amitabh Bachchan for his dream film.

The director's previous film Jaan-E-Mann bombed at the box office. He is currently working on Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha starrer 3D film Joker which releases in August 2012.

Ask him how Big B came on board, he says, "It was during Jaan-e-mann when we had kept a preview for Bachchan Sir, he saw and brought his family next day to see it again. He told me we should work together but bring a role for me with meat in it.

I started working and wanted a solo film for him which is about him. I was hunting.

..

thinking of a story and it took me long time." "After that he had told me to put some meat in it.

I was scared that I cannot go with any rubbish to him. I wanted to be very sure when I went to him that he will not say 'NO'.

Mr Bachchan plays a common man. It will inspire every person be it a rickshaw driver or cashier using their skills how he can achieve something special," he said.

The film goes on floors soon and will release next year. About the leading lady, Shirish says, "We haven't finalised it yet.

He gave his nod for the project just a few days ago and till then it would have been pointless to think of who to cast. There will be one opposite him of the older generation, then there will be a son and a girl opposite him.

" So, is he considering real life son, Abhishek Bachchan for the film? "No. It will not justify him.

.He needs a bigger role than this.

Here the film is about Mr Bachchan. But I would like to do other film with Abhishek in it," Shirish said.

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They will have to cook up new dishes within a stipulated time, after which the preparations will be judged by food critic Vir Sanghvi, actress and food enthusiast Sonya Jehan, and Merrilees Parker, popular British celebrity chef and presenter. "We have been in love with the food genre.

This new show is extremely exciting for us because India and Pakistan are two nations that share a common passion for food. Sitting in India, we would only hear about how they make their burra kebab and biryani .

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now we can see it for ourself," said Smeeta Chakrabarti, chief executive officer, NDTV Lifestyle. Hosted by actors Ira Dubey and Aly Khan, the show will be aired Monday-Wednesday at 9:30 p.

m. Tweet (less)

"There will never be a reunion - as I will never do anything with Will Smith. He is still an egomaniac and has not grown up.

This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology, which he doesn't know the word," Hubert said. The actress was replaced on the show by Daphne Maxwell Reid in 1993, and blames her departure from the comedy series on the fact she wasn't prepared to tolerate Smith, who had become the star of the show aged just 22.

The 43-year-old 'Men in Black' star previously said he believes Hubert had a bad attitude, and refutes the idea he was personally responsible for her departure. "Janet said once, 'I've been in the business for 10 years and this snotty-nosed punk comes along and gets a show.

' No matter what, to her I'm just the Antichrist," Smith said. Tweet (less)

"We share a common vision and have been wanting to collaborate for quite some time," said Shakim Compere, co-founder of Flavor Unit Entertainment. This won't bet the first time Latifah hosts a daytime talk show.

Back in 1999, she hosted a daytime talker 'The Queen Latifah Show' which ran in syndication, but it only lasted for two years. Tweet (less)

"I have have completed five days of shooting in Mumbai and have shot two songs of the movie. I wrote the story about a woman and three generations of men.

The story is spread across seven days. The resemblance to Shobhaa De begins and ends with the fact that my lead character is a fiesty author who writes pulp fiction.

I show three phases in her life. She is a girl who was brought up in an orphanage.

The superintendent of the orphanage was Lillete Dubey who was her surrogate mother figure. Anupam Kher plays a character who owns a publishing house.

In real life, David Davidhar was an employee of a publishing house. A similarity in the surname can't be reason enough to draw comparisons," Sudipto says.

In the film, Raveena falls in love with Rohit's character when she was a journalist in a girlie magazine. "Rohit Roy's character has also been misrepresented in the media.

He plays a suave and charming fashion photographer. He isn't a bad-hopper.

He wanted Raveena to go for an image makeover. She became more fashion conscious but was also traditionally Indian," the director says.

An emotional incident causes the two to drift apart. "That's when Raveena goes through a drastic change in her life to meet a as aspiring actor from a small town.

This character is played by Amit Purohit. To prove a point to Rohit that she is still a very attractive woman, she goes for a makeover.

Her lifestyle changes drastically when she becomes celebrity author. Raveena is now preparing to shoot some sensual and romantic love scenes with Amit.

But the scenes are not sleazy. The film is fraught with tragic nuances.

My movie is about a woman finding liberation." However, none of the characters in the film are negative.

"There is nobody bad in my film. Everybody is a creature of circumstances," he signs off (less)

"Thank goodness they have a father and I don't have to raise them alone. Having been raised by a single mother I'm very clear on what the difficulties of being raised by a single mother are," contactmusic.

com quoted the 39-year-old as saying. "It's very hard when you don't have a male component in the home to create balance and help in the decision making.

Sometimes it's nice to be able to just pass the ball, like, 'tag, you're it, you got this one'," she added. Tweet (less)

org, which praises stars for their philanthropic efforts over the last 12 months, reports dailystar.co.

uk. Bieber claimed second place, just days after he made a pre-Christmas trip to visit a local food bank in his native Canada.

The singer is also a supporter of children's charity Pencils of Promise. Meanwhile, Hollywood actor George Clooney, Will Smith and his wife Jada, and Leonardo DiCaprio rounded off the top five.

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"I just heard two really good demos the other day and got excited. It isn't out of the question but it just hasn't been possible because there've been so many Danniis running around - fashion designer, author, judge, mum.

There wasn't room for Disco Dannii," she said. Dannii, who is the sister of pop star Kylie Minogue, has a 16-month-old son Ethan with boyfriend Kris Smith.

She also said that she would also like to return to British television following her departure from The X Factor at the end of the last series. "There are always options.

I'd love it if it worked with family and health. I'm keeping my mind and options open.

I'd love to be back on UK television. I want to make that happen.

I miss the UK. Maybe I need to go away and write my own show," she added.

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Me, I'm spending all my free time with Azad :-) Love. a," the 46-year-old posted on his Facebook page.

Aamir and his second wife Kiran Rao's son was born Dec 1 last year, to a surrogate mother through IVF. The couple has named the boy Azad, named after freedom fighter and independent India's first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Aamir's great grand uncle.

The actor, who also has a son, Junaid, and a daughter, Ira, from his first wife Reena, loves playing with his new bundle of joy. This year, he will be seen only in one project.

He will feature alongside Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor in Reema Kagti's "Talaash", a psychological thriller written and directed by Reema Kagti. This apart, he has also joined hands with Star Plus for a talk show, said to be completely for the masses.

He has sent out an open invite to his fans, who wish to be a part of the show's audience. "Hi guys, important announcement: Those of you living in Mumbai, and interested in being a part of the audience on my TV show, please write to audience@akpfilms.

in. Further details will be given to you once you write here," he wrote on his Facebook.

Aamir has also been signed on to play the villain in "Dhoom 3". But the movie will only release in 2013 (less)

The new project has been scheduled to begin production in March 2012. Thor screenwriter Mark Protosevich, who will also serve as the co-producer, is writing the script.

The movie is based on a 2003 Korean revenge thriller from Park Chan-wook. The story follows a recently paroled middle-aged man, who spent 15 years in prison without any explanation as to why he was jailed.

He then seeks revenge on those who conspired against him. In 2008, DreamWorks tried to develop the remake with Steven Spielberg and Will Smith as director and actor but it did not work out.

Brolin, best known for his performances in movies like No Country For Old Men , Milk and You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger , just wrapped the filming of Men in Black 3 with Smith. Tweet (less)

Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris Best Animated Feature Film The Adventures of Tintin Arthur Christmas Cars 2 Puss in Boots Rango Best Foreign Language Film The Flowers of War (China) In the Land of Blood and Honey (USA) The Kid With a Bike (Belgium) A Separation (Iran) The Skin I Live In (Spain) Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Berenice Bejo, The Artist Jessica Chastain, The Help Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs Octavia Spencer, The Help Shailene Woodley, The Descendants Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn Albert Brooks, Drive Jonah Hill, Moneyball Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method Christopher Plummer, Beginners Best Director -- Motion Picture Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris George Clooney, The Ides of March Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist Alexander Payne, The Descendants Martin Scorsese, Hugo Best Screenplay -- Motion Picture Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon - The Ides of March Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash - The Descendants Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin - Moneyball Best Original Score -- Motion Picture Ludovic Bource - The Artist Abel Korzeniowski - W.E.

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Howard Shore - Hugo John Williams - War Horse Best Original Song -- Motion Picture Hello Hello -- Gnomeo & Juliet, music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin The Keeper-- Machine Gun Preacher, music and lyrics by Chris Cornell Lay Your Head Down -- Albert Nobbs, music by Brian Byrne, lyrics by Glenn Close The Living Proof -- The Help; music by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr.

; lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr.

, Damon Thomas Masterpiece -- W.E.

, music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry Best Television Series -- Drama American Horror Story Boardwalk Empire Boss Game of Thrones Homeland Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series -- Drama Claire Danes, Homeland Mireille Enos, The Killing Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife Madeleine Stowe, Revenge Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Drama Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Kelsey Grammer, Boss Jeremy Irons, The Borgias Damian Lewis, Homeland Best Television Series -- Comedy or Musical Enlightened Episodes Glee Modern Family New Girl Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series -- Comedy or Musical Laura Dern, Enlightened Zooey Deschanel, New Girl Tina Fey, 30 Rock Laura Linney, The Big C Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series -- Comedy or Musical Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock David Duchovny, Californication Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory Thomas Jane, Hung Matt LeBlanc, Episodes Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Cinema Verite Downton Abbey The Hour Mildred Pierce Too Big to Fail Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Romola Garai, The Hour Diane Lane, Cinema Verite Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Hugh Bonneville, Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece) Idris Elba, Luther William Hurt, Too Big to Fail Bill Nighy, Page Eight (Masterpiece) Dominic West, The Hour Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Jessica Lange, American Horror Story Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire Maggie Smith, Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece) Sofia Vergara, Modern Family Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family Tweet (less)

"None of us think we have talent. None of us think we can sing or act or dance," femalefirst.

co.uk quoted Khloe as saying.

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