Her biggest break till date, however, was Rakesh Roshan's sequel to Krrish - a film that is no longer hers. Jacqueline, who refused to lock lips with lead actor Hrithik in the film is no longer a part of the superhero film.

Though many women in the country might find it strange, the actress did refuse to kiss Hrithik Roshan . Rumour has it, that it was under the influence of Sajid Khan, her boyfriend that the actress refused to get intimate with Hrithik.

"This eventually cost her the Krrish sequel," said a source. Earlier, Sajid was not too happy with Jacqueline when she had allotted a few dates of Housefull 2 schedule to the Krrish sequel.

(Mumbai Mirror, August 22, 2010). Rakesh Roshan did not give up too easily.

On Thursday, Roshan Sr landed up on the sets of Housefull 2 in Filmistan Studios to convince Jacqueline about the film. "But Rakesh's visit to Filmistan proved to be a futile exercise," said a source.

Added the source, "The meeting at Filmistan Studios ended on a very ugly note. The meeting did not go as planned for sure.

" According to the source, when Rakesh Roshan drove out of Filmistan Studios, it was pretty clear that Jacqueline would not be a part of the Krrish sequel. "It is however unclear whether Jacqueline opted out or Rakesh Roshan sacked her," added the source.

As it happens, the Krrish sequel is without the female villain once again. Earlier, Chitrangda Singh was supposed to play the negative character.

According to sources, Singh wasn't too happy with the length of her role. In fact, when the final script was out, it was more of a cameo than a lead role.

The actress opted out and Jacqueline was signed on. Jacqueline, too had been throwing her share of tantrums at the filmmaker from the start.

"She had refused to wear a bikini for the film. Somehow that issue was sorted out.

And now, she refused to do the kissing scene," said the source. When contacted, Rakesh Roshan dismissed the story but Jacqueline's business manager confirmed that the actress is indeed not a part of the Krrish sequel anymore.

The manager cited the much-abused term - date issues - as the problem. "It is very unfortunate that Jacqueline is no longer a part of the Krrish sequel because of date issues.

We tried our level best to work out dates for the next five to six months but things were simply not working out," he messaged Mumbai Mirror. A friend of Jacqueline confirmed the 'date issue' story and said, "Jacqueline is very busy with her projects.

Housefull 2 is not over yet. Then she has Raaz 3.

She is about to sign two more projects." Our source however insisted, "Dates ka nahin, kiss ka problem tha.

" (less)

Recently rumours were rife that there seem to be some problems between the steady couple Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan because of SRK's over-friendliness with Priyanka Chopra. The sizzling chemistry between the Don costars was said to have transpired beyond the silver screen.

Shah Rukh never reacted to these reports but had his own way of putting the rumours to rest. Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan had recently been to an awards function in foreign lands and their camaraderie at the after party seemed just out of a Bollywood love story.

A source present at the party said, "Shah Rukh invited Gauri for a dance and expectedly she graced the dance floor. The couple indulged in a love-soaked ball-dance on some beautiful numbers and their chemistry was for everyone to see".

We must say Shah Rukh Khan clearly knows how to silence his detractors without speaking a word! (less)

Ludacris , On The Floor ft. Pitbull and Bad Romance .

Nevertheless, Dhanush, son-in-law of matinee idol Rajinikanth, is overjoyed that the song is successfully "breaking language barrier". "Yayyyyyy 20 million views for Kolaveri !! Pa pa papa pa pa papa!! God bless," Dhanush posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

The big worldwide YouTube hits this year include Justin Bieber's Baby ft. Ludacris (671,069,814 views), Jennifer Lopez's On The Floor ft.

Pitbull (444,281,564 views), Lady Gaga's Bad Romance (432,227,541 views), Shakira's Waka Waka (427,435,565 views) and Eminem's Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna (410,857,092 views), among others.

The video for Kolaveri di was released on YouTube Nov 16. It's peppy, catchy tune as well as funky lyrics, helped it go viral on the internet, and get more than a million hits on the website within a day of its release.

The numbers are only multiplying ever since, and have reached 20,341,650 hits by Monday noon. The song, composed by 21-year-old Anirudh Ravichander, will be a part of the film 3 , directed by Dhanush's wife Aishwarya.

Also called Soup song , it has been appreciated by people of all age groups and lauded by celebrities, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan. However, lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar had spoken out against it, saying: "Tune ordinary, singing substandard.

Words an insult to sensibility." But Dhanush is nonchalant and tweeted: "I have you guys.

Your support. As long as I'm making u guys happy, I'm doing my job as an entertainer properly.

That's enough. God bless.

" The Tamil-English song is also a hit with north Indians, despite its southern accent-loaded vocals. "When a song is breaking language barrier and brings us together, how does it matter which language it's in? You want a name to this language? It's an Indian song made by an Indian.

..

Whether its a sensible song or nonsense song, it's music. It's art.

Art does not know language. Only people's heart.

And that's where my song lives." "And to all my north Indian Kolaveri fans, thanks for receiving a Tamil song with warm heart and making it a global song.

God bless," added Dhanush. Ever since it has hit the web, there have been several spin-offs of the song, including one by Bollywood playback singer Sonu Niigaam's son Neevan and the Chamaat song on Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar being slapped.

Then there is the Gujarati version of the song as well. Tweet (less)

The first big release of year 2012 is Abbas-Mustan's multi-starrer action-thriller "Players", starring Abhishek Bachchan , Sonam Kapoor , Bipasha Basu , Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bobby Deol and Sikander Kher. The actors are extensively promoting the film.

The film has already created a lot of buzz for its action sequences and ultra-glam avatar of the leading ladies Bipasha and Sonam. The film boasts of action and thrills galore.

This will be followed by horror film "Ghost", which marks the comeback of actor Shiney Ahuja . Shiney's movie career hit a rough patch when he was convicted by a Mumbai fast track court of raping his domestic help two years ago.

The actor has challenged the sentence in the Bombay High Court and is currently out on bail. "Ghost" will release alongside Hriday Shetty's "Chaalis Chauraasi", a crime-humour offering, starring Kay Kay Menon, Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Kishan and Atul Kulkarni.

This year will see two Karan Johar flicks - "Agneepath" and "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu" - hitting theatres. A remake of the 1990 film, "Agneepath" sees Hrithik Roshan stepping into the shoes of Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Dinanath Chauhan alongside Sanjay Dutt who plays baddie Kancha Cheena.

Set for a Jan 26 Republic Day release, it also features Priyanka Chopra. Romantic comedy "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu", starring Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, will release in February.

The new year will be high on comedy with Akshaye Khanna's "Gali Gali Chor Hai", Riteish Deshmukh-Genelia D'Souza-starrer "Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya", Bipasha-Madhavan's "Jodi Breakers", Sajid Khan's "Housefull 2", Sachin Yardi's "Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum", Sameer Sharma's "Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana" and Rohit Shettty's "Bol Bachchan" scheduled to release. Vishal Bhardwaj's comedy "Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola", set in a rustic Rajasthani backdrop, goes on the floors in February and is slated for release later in 2012.

It stars Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma. Actress Sonakshi Sinha once again hopes to make it big with "Joker", "Son of Sardar", "Dabangg 2" and "Lootera".

While the "Dabangg" sequel reunites her with Salman Khan, she will be seen opposite Akshay Kumar in "Joker". "Son of Sardar" and "Lootera" have Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh as her co-stars respectively.

Audiences would be introduced this year to a new genre of zombie-comedy with Ekta Kapoor's "Rock The Shaadi", starring Abhay Deol . Those looking for thrills and action wouldn't be disappointed either.

Apart from "Players", "Agent Vinod", "Blood Money", "Tezz" and "Jannat 2", Aamir Khan-starrer "Talaash", Akshay Kumar's "Rowdy Rathore" and "Race 2" are lined up for release. After a bold performance in "The Dirty Picture", Vidya Balan will return with the thriller "Kahaani", a story of a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband.

After three back-to-back hits with "Wanted", "Dabangg" and "Bodyguard", Salman Khan will once again attempt to strike gold with Kabir Khan's romantic thriller "Ek Tha Tiger". "Rockstar" Ranbir Kapoor's next big release "Barfee", directed by Anurag Basu, will see him playing a deaf individual, while Priyanka Chopra will esssay a mentally challenged girl.

It is a murder mystery. Movie biopics "Paan Singh Tomar" starring Irrfan Khan, and Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra's "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", with Farhan Akhtar in the lead, would also release this year.

Two of the most popular actresses are making a comeback this year. Sridevi will return to the big screen after 15 years with Gauri Shinde's "English Vinglish", which is is produced by Balki of "Paa" fame.

Karisma Kapur also makes her acting comeback with Vikram Bhatt's horror film "Dangerous Ishq". Madhur Bhandarker's ambitious project "Heroine" starring Kareena Kapoor will see the light of the day in 2012.

Sharman Joshi's first solo project "Ferrari Ki Sawaari" and Prateik's "Ekk Deewana Tha" will also release this year. (Priyanka Sharma can be contacted at priyanka.

s@ians.in) (less)

We used to spend a lot of thought and lot of energy behind what was written and spoken. Perhaps, it was a lot richer in earlier times," Amitabh told IANS in an interview.

"I don't want to blame today's generation. The time has changed, communication has become very rapid and very quick," he added.

But the 68-year-old, who is himself hooked on to social networking media like Twitter and blog, wants to do his bit to preserve the richness of the Hindi language. "I've been thinking for a long time about opening a museum, where I could store my father's well-known works that can be used for research work.

I hope we are able to fulfil our plans to open a museum soon and preserve his iconic works," said the actor, whose father was one of the most renowned Hindi poets of the 20th century. Harivansh Rai, who died in 2003, is credited with works like "Madhushala" and "Agneepath".

Amitabh, who is Harivansh Rai's older son, has been actively reciting some of his father's works internationally. "I didn't know that my father's work is popular in not only India but also abroad.

On the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of my father, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New York had invited me for the recital of his works at the Lincoln Centre and there were at least 3,500-4,000 people who had come as an audience. "Last year, I went to Paris to recite my father's poems and saw a similar response for my father's work.

There were 75 percent French locals and 25 percent Indians. I was sceptical about how the French people would be able to understand what I recite.

But I was amazed when a French teacher, who was teaching Hindi in one of the French universities, volunteered to translate it in French. I really enjoyed it," he added.

For his father's 102nd birth anniversary in 2009, Amitabh and other members of his family launched "Madhushala - The House of Wine" - an attempt to present "Madhushala" in a new bottle. The book was originally published in 1933-34.

But his family decided to design it in a format containing original poems along with their English translation, interspersed with illustrations of paintings done by Namrita Bachchan, daughter of Amitabh's brother Ajitabh. Amitabh now plans to visit new places and take his dad's work to the world.

"I am planning to go to different places and recite my father's poems," he said. However, back home, he laments that the dialogues in the Hindi film industry are written in Roman English.

"It disturbs me when I get scripts with dialogues written in Roman English. Many people can't even read it.

I think if you're getting associated with a programme or a film, and if it is in a particular language - whether it is Marathi, Punjabi or Hindi, the language should be well represented - either spoken or written," said Amitabh. A proficient Hindi and English orator, Amitabh is returning on the small screen with the fifth season of the game show "Kaun Banega Crorepati".

The show goes on air Aug 15 on Sony Entertainment Television. Prior to that, his film "Aarakshan", which has been surrounded by controversies, is set to release Friday (less)

My requirement was a man who could look vulnerable on screen. When I saw Dhanush in the Tamil film Aadukalam (for which he won the National award), I liked him immediately.

He looks very ordinary and honest, and that was the demand of the character." Dhanush doesn't know Hindi; won't language be a problem? Dhanush says, "The problem is not language.

It's culture. I will learn the culture and the language will come automatically.

" Rai adds that he's not worried about it. "The film is an intense love story.

Just like my film Tanu Weds Manu, the film and its characters will take you to Delhi, Punjab, Chennai, etc." When quizzed about why he chose Raanjhnaa as his first Hindi film, Dhanush says, "The passion Aanand had for the script and his reasons why only I could do this film convinced me.

I liked the fact that he wanted me in the film even before Kolaveri Di happened. It's a big deal to get a launch like this at the beginning of my career here.

Aanand's script is different from regular cinema; it's one of those 'made to make a difference' kind of films." Dhanush says he'd never visited Banaras before signing this film.

"I felt ashamed when I went there with Aanand for the first time. I didn't know anything about it, and it's in my country! I didn't understand the language, the culture.

..

but I was fascinated by its beauty and divinity. I'm planning to hire a coach and have also bought a book to learn Hindi.

I am sure by the time the shoot gets over, I will communicate fluently in it." Upala KBR (less)

Jaswant Sisodia (Manoj Bajpayee) rules supreme in the town of Bijnor and one of his indulgences involve forcing a girl Anshu (Tia Bajpai) to be his mistress. Anshu's parents are as helpless and humiliated as the vulnerable victim, who ironically gets willfully raped every night by Jaswant.

Jaswant's close aid (Arjan Bajwa), who he as well considers his younger brother, comes to the town and supervises his illicit operations. His loyalty towards Jaswant remains integral until his empathy towards Anshu overpowers it.

That's when he decides to betray his mentor. Visibly Tia symbolizes Sita, Manoj Bajpayee represents Raavan, and Arjan Bajwa stands for Vibhishan in this selective depiction of Ramayana.

And through its dense drama, the film justifies Vibhishan's stand to stand against the morally wrong Raavan. Where debutante director Maqbool Khan's expertise comes is in giving Manoj Bajpayee's character a poised tone wherein, on one hand he is despicable for the heroine, on the other hand he is role model for the hero.

As an audience, you relate to both the extreme shades in his personality, which can also be immensely attributed to Bajpayee's persuasive hold on the character. The plotline isn't entirely inventive and one has seen thematically similar interpretations, notably in Rakesh Roshan's Koyla (1997) or more recently Kites (2010).

How it steers clear from other cinematic adaptations of Ramayana is from the fact that it intentionally avoids incorporating Ram as the ideal protagonist and substitutes it with Vibhishan who might not be perfect yet opposes evil. So the entire essence of the film lies in the camaraderie between Raavan-Vibhishan (Bajpayee-Bajwa) and their subsequent conflict.

Thereby the director keeps the romance track between Arjan Bajwa and Tia Bajpai to the minimal and thankfully the narrative never branches out into their individual love story. A better alternative would have been to restrict their bonding only till empathetic emotions (like in Emraan Hashmi's Awaarapan ) over the avoidable streak of romance.

The focus is more on the conflict between men than highlighting the trauma inflicted on the woman. Thereby the lust and obsession that fuels Jaswant's desire to dominate Anshu, both, physically and psychologically, remains peripheral to the plot and doesn't register effectively enough.

In fact their back-story is never fleshed out. Somewhere there is more amity between the male leads than animosity with Arjan Bajwa's duty-bound character being a mute spectator for the major runtime before he rebels in the very end.

And post his revolt, the film comes to a quick end with a solo climactic confrontation scene between the men. The climax, however, seems hurried and convenient in the bigger picture.

It's sad then that what could have been shown as a rare account of ethical unfaithfulness ends up being a generalized preachy epilogue on how men should treat woman with respect and how wronged woman should not lose hope and continue their fight against injustice and blah blah blah. It almost changes the tenor of the male-dominated drama to a woman-liberation film.

Shashank Dabral's writing is fairly interesting to the extent that it never strikes your engaged mind that Arjan Bajwa's character name is never mentioned in the film. However the political nexus in the narrative isn't seamlessly integrated with central plot and rather runs parallel to it.

Also the dialogues could have been more effective over the trite lines. The film is completely designed in and around Manoj Bajpayee's character and the actor justifies the immense scope he gets with an authoritative performance.

He has a menacing attitude, his eyes speak volumes, he laughs hysterically and thankfully never goes overboard (despite a strong tendency to ham). Arjan Bajwa is impressive as the man of few words and despite Bajpayee's towering persona; he still commands good screen presence.

Fortunately Tia Bajpai is given the least lines, scenes and footage in the film and one doesn't complain. Yateen Karyekar as the defenseless father is impressive.

The immensely talented Manish Chaudhari doesn't get much scope here. Yashpal Sharma is regular.

Director Maqbool Khan shows restraint and refinement in crafting his first film. This Lanka, though not full of gold, has some shining moments.

Finally there's a film about Raavan which belongs to its Raavan! Verdict: Good (less)

"I want to produce commercial films. But if I get a good script, I would love to make a National Award-winning movie," Akshay, 44, who has spent two decades in Bollywood , told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

The actor is all set to put a lid on 2011 with "Desi Boyz". Releasing Nov 25, the film will see him teaming up with John Abraham as a co-star.

Directed by Rohit Dhawan, the son of director David Dhawan , "Desi Boyz" also has Deepika Padukone and Chitrangada Singh in the female leads. Akshay, a Punjabi who has spent many years in Delhi, says he has always been a "desi" at heart and his recent decision of communicating in Hindi shouldn't be taken as a marketing gimmick.

"I have always tried to speak in Hindi. It is because in real life I am a real 'desi' boy.

All my life I have believed that the day should start with touching the feet of my parents, that home cooked food is always better than outside food. I have always preferred ghar ka parantha to anything from outside," he said.

"Even if we go out for a movie, I prefer to watch Hindi films over English. So it was there in me, always.

I am very grounded that way," he added. The crackling chemistry of Akshay and John was the highlight of "Garam Masala" and Akshay says his friend and co-star has improved a lot since then.

"We are coming back together on the big screen after six long years. We were not offered any movies together during that period.

While shooting for this film, we had much more fun than we had in 'Garam Masala'. So, we were wondering why no one ever thought of casting us together all these years," said Akshay.

"We have become quite good friends now. And, trust me, John has improved a lot since then, especially his comedy timings.

The way he has improved his muscles, his comedy timing has also improved," he added. From being an action hero to doing comedies, Akshay tried different things and in his upcoming film "Desi Boyz" he will be seen stripping and doing pole dancing.

And what he liked about his character, Jerry Patel, is that it was a different role. "I had a lot of fun while doing this movie.

First of all I haven't played this kind of character ever. When the role was narrated to me, I knew this was something I wanted to do.

And, secondly, its director Rohit Dhawan told me the film is based on the real-life incident of two people who had to take extreme paths to survive during recession," he said. The action-comedy deals with how the life of two friends turns upside down when recession hits Britain and they are left with no choice but to strip and pole dance for a living.

And then the story has its twists and turns. Akshay made his mark with hits like "Khiladi", "Ajnabee", "Hera Pheri" and "Namastey London " and is all set to entertain his fans with interesting projects like "Joker", "Rowdy Rathore" and "Housefull 2" next year.

He turned producer in 2010 with "Tees Mar Khan" and later produced "Patiala House " and "Thank You" as well. Even though these films flopped at the box-office, Akshay is undeterred.

"I will always do a film I believe in, I can connect to and my fans can relate to it as well. So even if 'Patiala House' didn't do well commercially, it was critically acclaimed.

I was close to the film because it dealt with the emotional bond between a father and a son," he said. He made his presence felt with "Thank You" and "Speedy Singhs" this year and he was also seen in a special appearance in "Chalo Dilli" (less)

When Czar was under-performing in his English speech, it was Big B's famous monologue that came to the child's rescue. "I taught it to him.

You see, Czar's teachers told me he only spoke in Hindi and Marathi. I was advised to encourage him to speak in English.

So I taught him Amitji's 'Namak Halaal' monologue which according to me is a most comprehensive English primer for any child. Filmy maa hoon na," said Farah, who gave birth to triplets in February 2008.

She has two daughters and son Czar On Wednesday at the house-warming party at Farah's place, Czar got his chance to have his say in front of the man who came to his rescue in school. Czar recited his Namak Halaal monologue, much to the Big B's delight as he realised that a new generation of Bachchan fans in the tiny-tot section is gearing to keep the legend going.

Kunder's film with Amitabh is titled The Common Man . Incidentally, Farah's chum Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is not a kids person, gets on famously with Czar.

Sanjay has promised to launch Czar as a hero. Mom Farah is already the leading lady in Bhansali's sister, Bela Sehgal's directorial debut Shirin Farhad .

Like mother, like son, eh? Tweet (less)

Arjun wanted the last week of the year off. But the filmmaker refused to let him go.

Says a source, "Sudhir is shooting the climax of the film. It's the last four days of the shoot, from Monday to Thursday.

Arjun who has been working round-the-clock over his television show wanted the last week off to spend time with his family. However, Sudhir was adamant on completing the film.

" Now Arjun has decided to wrap up Mishra's film and then join his friends in Dubai. Says the actor, "Ideally I'd have liked to take a holiday with my wife and kids a little earlier.

But we're shooting the last four days of Sudhir's film. There's no choice.

These last two months have been killing for me. We completed one schedule of Heroine , then my TV show Luv To Hate You and Sudhir Mishra's film.

" Apparently, attempts to get the filmmaker to hold back the shooting of the climax till after New Year, fell on deaf ears. Interestingly, this New Year, three star couples Hrithik-Sussanne, Shah Rukh-Gauri and Arjun-Mehr will be holidaying in Dubai.

The actor says, "We are going to be there as a big group. But at the moment I can only think of finishing my work with Mishra.

" Tweet (less)

When Czar was under-performing in his English speech, it was Big B's famous monologue that came to the child's rescue. "I taught it to him.

You see, Czar's teachers told me he only spoke in Hindi and Marathi. I was advised to encourage him to speak in English.

So I taught him Amitji's 'Namak Halaal' monologue which according to me is a most comprehensive English primer for any child. Filmy maa hoon na," said Farah, who gave birth to triplets in February 2008.

She has two daughters and son Czar On Wednesday at the house-warming party at Farah's place, Czar got his chance to have his say in front of the man who came to his rescue in school. Czar recited his Namak Halaal monologue, much to the Big B's delight as he realised that a new generation of Bachchan fans in the tiny-tot section is gearing to keep the legend going.

Kunder's film with Amitabh is titled The Common Man . Incidentally, Farah's chum Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is not a kids person, gets on famously with Czar.

Sanjay has promised to launch Czar as a hero. Mom Farah is already the leading lady in Bhansali's sister, Bela Sehgal's directorial debut Shirin Farhad .

Like mother, like son, eh? Tweet (less)

Rai of Tanu Weds Manu fame. He says he chose Dhanush for his simplicity.

"For the past six months, I've been looking for a simple boy to play the lead in 'Raanjhnaa'. My requirement was a man who could look vulnerable on screen.

When I saw Dhanush in the Tamil film Aadukalam , I liked him immediately. He looks very ordinary and honest, and that was the demand of the character," Rai said in a press statement.

If the grapevine is to be believed, the director had approached him for the movie before the success of Kolaveri di , from the upcoming Tamil film 3 , directed by wife Aishwarya. Dhanush, who is Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's son-in-law, is not too well versed with Hindi.

But it won't be a barrier for his Bollywood career as he is keen to explore the industry and learn the local language and culture. "It's a big deal to get a launch like this at the beginning of my career here.

Aanand's script is different from regular cinema; it's one of those 'made to make a difference' kind of films," said Dhanush. "The film is an intense love story.

Just like my film Tanu Weds Manu , the film and its characters will take you to Delhi, Punjab, Chennai," said Rai. Both Dhanush and Rai recently visited Benaras for the film.

The actor is also perhaps planning to hire a coach to learn Hindi. He is convinced that by the time the film's shoot gets over, he will be able to communicate fluently in Hindi, which will open more avenues for him.

Tweet (less)

And though, Ranveer and Anushka are no more an item, the self proclaimed 'self obsessed' actor has bounced back to his 'not single' status. Ranveer is now dating the Dabangg girl Sonakshi Sinha .

In fact, Ranveer and Sonakshi were spotted holding hands (and not to help each other cross the road) in Pali Hill, Bandra. "The two looked extremely engrossed in each other, oblivious to everything around them.

They clearly looked like a couple that evening. Their body language said it all.

" Clearly, the Pali Hill sighting was one of many. According to the industry buzz, the young actors have been more than friends for a while now.

Sparks started flying between the two when they performed at an awards function in Toronto . Interestingly, Sonakshi was a last minute replacement for Anushka in that performance.

Rumour has it that Ranveer and Sonakshi's rendezvous continued even after the curtains went down. Though Sonakshi and Ranveer started getting close a month back, the Anushka-Ranveer love story came to an end only a few days ago.

A source close to the actor explained, "Ranveer started feeling suffocated with Anushka. She was getting too possessive about him.

A point came when he couldn't take it anymore." Perhaps that was the reason why Ranveer got over Anushka with lightning speed.

Also, the fact that Sonakshi had been quite enamoured by the Band Baaja Baraat actor seems to have helped. The actress had even stated in an interview that according to her, Ranveer was one of the hottest guys around.

Ranveer too had reciprocated to the Dabangg girl's feelings trough another interview wherein he expressed his desire to go on a date with her. "Sparks have been flying between Ranveer and Sonakshi.

And now it's a fully blown affair. They do not even have qualms about going out in public together," added the source close to Ranveer.

When contacted, Ranveer in Bollywood-speak said, "Sonakshi and I have been acquainted recently through our professional interactions and brief meetings at formal events. She is a warm and friendly person.

I am not dating anybody at the moment." Sonakshi remained unavailable for comment (less)

If she doesn't shape up in two months, she apparently could find herself out in the cold, replaced by a more suitable heroine to play the title role! Confirms a source, "Yes, Sudhir has issued her an ultimatum. Chitrangada will have to master the speech, body language, clothes, culture and ethos of a Muslim girl in post-Partition India within a couple of months.

This is proving difficult as not only is she completely unaware of the era and culture she must embody as Mehrunissa , but till very recently she was also actively preparing for the svelte, futuristic role in Rakesh Roshan's next (which she is no longer doing). Now, the actress has to go back in time, all the way to 1947, fast and rigorously.

" And Mishra's demands don't end just there. He has, apparently, asked her to make a trip to Pakistan to get a feel of the country's culture before they starting shooting.

"Playing a Muslim girl from 'undivided' India won't be a question of only getting the language and the clothes right. The director wants her to fly down to Pakistan and get a first-hand feel of the atmosphere and people," adds the source.

Incidentally, Nikhil Advani, who has written the script of Mehrunissa , was not too convinced about Chitrangada being the right choice for the role. But since Advani trusts Mishra's judgement implicitly, he has agreed to see how far the actress can go with the character of a girl with whom both Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor's characters are supposed to fall in love with in their youth.

The actress, who has a packed work schedule as well as a family event to attend to before the year is through, is running against time. But the director, it seems, is confident of his girl.

"The role requires intense preparation. She is already preparing for the part and I think she can pull it off," he says.

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However, when BT got in touch with Sushil about this documentary, he said he hadn't even received any such offer. Rumour mills had suggested that film would be shot in the UK and would be based on the KBC winner's rags-to-riches story of winning the India's biggest quiz show.

Says Sushil from his hometown in Motihari, "I came to know about such a film from newspaper reports. I have just completed shooting a commercial for The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

I don't know how such a piece of information made the headlines. Everybody is claiming that I am part of this British documentary.

But, I have no idea about such a project. Nothing has been offered to me yet.

" If such an offer comes by, will he be interested? "Sure. I will love to do such a project," he says.

Isn't he apprehensive about his English language skills? "No, that doesn't bother me. If people with fluency only in Hindi can do a Tamil film and vice versa, why should I have any apprehensions? I am ready to give my best.

Recently, on the first day of shooting my commercial, people were not satisfied with my performance. But, on the second day, I gave my best and everybody appreciated the improvement.

Acting is not a cakewalk but I am sure my perseverance will bear results." What if he has the choice to decide on who could direct a film on his life in India? "I'd like Prakash Jha to direct the movie.

His movies are more socio-oriented and I think, he can justify the project well. I am also very impressed with movies by Imtiaz Ali.

His "Rockstar" is my favourite," he concludes (less)

Gauri is known for her style and walked the ramp for friend Karan Johar some time back (less)

To cut a long story short, the album delivers big-time as composer duo Vishal-Shekhar pack a killer punch. The film offers 14 tracks, including a few remixes and themes.

It kicks off on a superb note with the already popular number Chammak Challo . A clear winner, the song, which has Hindi, English and Tamil words in the lyrics, makes you groove with it instantly.

international popstar Akon sings in English and surprisingly well in Hindi, making Chammak Challo ride high on its novelty factor. Hamsika Iyer, who has sung for films like Raajneeti and Khoya Khoya Chand in the past, supports him beautifully, accompanying the English-Hindi vocals with a little Tamil strewn in.

Primarily a dance track, Chammak Challo is here to stay. The song also has a couple of remixes, but don't dismiss them as ordinary fare.

A Punjabi Mix adds some bhangra to the beats while DJ Khushi's version, simply titled Chammak Challo Remix , is explosive. A third, international version is what his fans will hear globally--this one is pure Akon, without Hamsika to accompany him.

Then comes Dildaara , a mush melody that seems slightly out of place in this electric (and eclectic), beat-heavy disc. Sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, it has John Lennon's song Stand by me mixed into it; the makers, who bought the rights for Lennon's iconic song, have done a commendable job with this seemingly odd combination.

A surprise for many fans, Akon shines in his second song, called Criminal , a peppy and upbeat track that also has Vishal Dadlani and Shruti Pathak behind the mike. An amalgamation of Hindi and English lyrics, Criminal is a perfect party number.

Considering that Konvict was the name of Akon's debut album, and the one he remains most famous for, Criminal is one song that should sit right up there on his shelf. It also has a remixed version by DJ Amit.

Bhare naina is the soundtrack's dark horse. It will definitely make you sit up and take notice.

With a sublime cold opening, the track completely turns on its head to become one helluva haunting melody. Over 200 musicians of the famous Prague Philharmonic Choir were flown in from the Czech Republic for its orchestration, which makes it a one-of-its-kind coup for the Indian film industry; Bhare naina becomes the first Indian song to be composed and recorded off shore.

Nandini Srikar and Vishal-Shekhar add vocals to this near-perfect, soulful song. It's a steady, slow number that pans across genres; it's moody and it's brilliant.

Sidd Coutto's Right by your side is perhaps the only ordinary composition. Even then, it's fast-paced and peppy and will have you dancing.

Perhaps the song that defines the whole flavour of RA.One is Raftaarein .

If you thought Chammak Challo is the face of the film then Raftaarein is its soul. Beginning with a classy nod to RD Burman, Vishal Dadlani ramps up your adrenaline.

The RA.One theme we've been hearing in the trailer gets a 70's style treatment with some elekronica to boot.

Probably meant to be a situational song, Raftaarein leaves its mark by jumping out and gobbling the album whole. Up next is Jiya mora ghabraaye -- The Chase , a fusion of rock and semi-classical.

With strong arrangement and impressive vocals by Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani, and the song will be liked by hard rock lovers. As the title suggests, its pacy and is meant to accompany a chase sequence in the film.

Three instrumental themes called Comes the light , I'm on --which is the main RA.One them--and a sad, slow Song of the end wrap up the album.

RA.One , therefore, lives up to expectations and perhaps even surpasses some.

It's more than worth it, it's a winner all the way. Tweet (less)

Gauri is known for her style and walked the ramp for friend Karan Johar some time back. Tweet (less)

With Ready and Bodyguard breaking box office records, 2011 undoubtedly was Salman Khan's year. Off-screen, controversy's favourite child has steered clear of trouble.

He underwent surgery last year and had to take time off to rest and recuperate. Yet, he managed to fulfill all his professional commitments.

Relationship Status: Single Desirability Quotient: This good-looking man is also known to have a heart of gold. On screen, his action sequences and comic turns are known to send crowds into a tizzy.

Of course, it does help that the charismatic Sallu is in great shape physically and age seems to have had no effect on him. 2)Ranbir Kapoor Who: Actor Claim to fame: Rishi and Neetu's son is a superstar in the making.

As far as performances go, he only gets better with each passing role. He showed his mettle with 2011's Rockstar in a role that outshone every other performance last year.

Desirability Quotient (DQ): He's got the looks, the lineage, is young, and makes the ladies swoon. Relationship Status: Dating Katrina Kaif again.

Sorry, girls! Fun Fact: He's moving into a place of his own soon. He's moved up a spot in the list.

Did we hear him go Sadda Haq Aithe Rakh? 3)Hrithik Roshan Who: Actor Claim to fame: Rakesh Roshan's son is built like a Greek god. And he works pretty hard in the gym to keep his bod that way.

He works equally hard on his performances and in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, one got to see an image quite contrary to what he usually portrays. The man cried, dammit! Relationship Status: Married to Sussanne.

DQ: Last year's Most Desirable Man is humble, genuine, has a body to kill for and those light eyes make us weak-kneed. Fun Fact: Has a wax statue in Madame Tussauds and is occasionally known to wax eloquent.

How many actors can claim that? 4)John Abraham Who: Actor Claim to fame: The former model came to prominence with his constant state of shirtlessness, a trait he played to great effect in last year's Force and Desi Boyz. There was also an interesting turn he made in 7 Khoon Maaf.

Relationship Status: Dating investment banker Priya Runchal. Split from girlfriend of several years Bipasha Basu last year.

DQ: Has been in great shape for as long as we can remember. Seems to have let go of commitment issues.

Fun Factor: Johnny boy is finally out..

. flaunting the new girl in his life! 5) Mahesh Babu Who: Actor Claim to fame: He is one of Telugu cinema's leading actors of his generation.

His debut won him several awards. As did some of his latter films, most notably Pokiri.

The only film he starred in last year, Dookudu, had the Telugu film industry's largest worldwide opening. Relationship Status: Married to former Bollywood actress Namrata Shirodkar.

DQ: He might have chocolate boy looks, but the actor is undeniably known for his powerful screen presence. 6)Mahendra Singh Dhoni Who: Cricketer Claim to fame: One of India's most successful cricket captains, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been a force to reckon with, mostly for his devil-may-care attitude and for his many endorsements.

Whatever this Jharkand boy says or does these days makes news. Relationship Status: Married to Sakshi Singh Rawat.

DQ: Charismatic and attractive. Girls love his rugged charm.

7)Shah Rukh Khan Who: Actor Claim to fame: Known by several names, most famously as King Khan, he is a force of nature in overseas markets. His RA.

One and Don 2 hit box-office gold in India and worldwide. Stuff superstars are made of.

Relationship Status: Married to Gauri Khan. DQ: A workaholic, he still finds time for his family.

He's intelligent, suave and a true-blue performer. 8)Shahid Kapoor Who: Actor Claim to fame: Shahid is veteran actor Pankaj Kapur's son and finally saw the release of his father's directorial debut through, hiccups notwithstanding.

Delivers outstanding performances. Relationship Status: Single DQ: The quintessential good boy.

This boy has no vices, unless you count breaking hearts. He's got the six-pack and he charms the ladies with his unassuming nature.

Over a million fans on Twitter. He's one of India's most eligible bachelors.

9)Imran Khan Who: Actor Claim to fame: Counts Aamir Khan as his maamu. Had a dream debut.

A few flops followed, but Imran bounced back in due course. Last year, showed off his funny side with Delhi Belly.

And Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. Relationship Status: Married to Avantika Malik.

DQ: He's committed to his wife, dedicated to his work and he's one of the most level-headed actors we have. Pretty mature for his age.

10)Arjun Rampal Who: Actor Claim to fame: The former supermodel has had his fair share of ups and downs, and a slew of critics bashing him from every quarter, but has always managed to stay in the hunt. A National Award winner, he also played the title role in last year's Shah Rukh-starrer RA.

One. This guy is slowly and surely heading up the ladder.

Relationship status: Married to former supermodel Mehr Jesia. DQ: Great looks, effortlessly stylish, erudite as well! Text by Bryan Durham (less)

But the 50-year-old actor admits that he was a nervous wreck in the Material Girl's presence - because he couldn't speak English and didn't know how to fend her off, reported Contactmusic. "I couldn't speak English at the time.

She said a lot of things at the table when we were having dinner - I couldn't understand anything. I was just flipping out that I was sitting down close to Madonna.

She was very famous already, and we were just local people," he said. "It was kind of flattering when somebody said, 'She likes you, a lot.

' I said, 'Oh, really? I've no idea what I should do about this. I mean, I'm married (to first wife, Ana Leza).

' So, nothing happened," he added. "I was afraid of it at the time, because she was a very powerful woman.

I didn't want to be Madonna's boy. For good or for bad, I just wanted to have my own career," he added.

The pair went on to star in the 1996 movie musical Evita together. Tweet (less)

It did give me a lot of respect. It did open a lot of doors for me.

Deepa Mehta saw me in Sivaji and took me for Cooking With Stella and again in Midnight's Children . A lot of Hindi movie directors approached me after Sivaji ," said 29-year-old Shriya Saran.

The 2007 movie that had superstar Rajinikanth in the title role was one of the top earners of the year. Though she has made it big in southern cinema, Shriya is still struggling for name and fame in Bollywood and her last Hindi release was 2009 movie Ek: The Power of One .

After a three-year break, she will be seen in a Hindi movie titled Gali Gali Shor Hai which she said "is a political satire. It's not that we are slapping the system.

It's just that we are trying to bring a change." Shriya has teamed up with Mugdha Godse and Akshaye Khanna in Gali Gali Shor Hai , which is hitting screens Feb 3.

"Don't know whether it's a comeback or a long gap, but when I am doing a Telugu film people often ask me, 'Why aren't you doing Tamil films? When I am doing a Tamil film, they ask me why aren't you doing Hindi films. It was never a conscious effort.

I would like to do Hindi films as I am comfortable talking in Hindi," she said. Not only Hindi, she speaks other languages effortlessly.

"Hindi comes naturally to me because it's my mother tongue. Of course, even English! Telugu I have learnt and it is my third language.

I have also learnt Tamil but Malayalam is difficult." She may be working with people from different culture, background and languages, but the actress feels there is no cultural difference when it comes to work.

"Language changes with people, language changes with the sense of humour. The way stories are told changes.

The story said in Telugu will be different, Malayalam will be different and Hindi will be different. But the work culture doesn't really depend on the industry; it depends on the director you work with.

It depends on the people working on the film," Shriya stated. She would love to do more and more films, but remakes do not excite her so much.

"I don't enjoy remakes so much. I mean I am not sure whether I would be interested in remaking my own film.

Sometimes when story is changed and done well, then it's fantastic like Ghajini and Bodyguard . Dabangg and 3 Idiots have been remade in Tamil.

Story line should be changed in remakes," she said. Tweet (less)

Rai of Tanu Weds Manu fame. He says he chose Dhanush for his simplicity.

"For the past six months, I've been looking for a simple boy to play the lead in 'Raanjhnaa'. My requirement was a man who could look vulnerable on screen.

When I saw Dhanush in the Tamil film Aadukalam , I liked him immediately. He looks very ordinary and honest, and that was the demand of the character," Rai said in a press statement.

If the grapevine is to be believed, the director had approached him for the movie before the success of Kolaveri di , from the upcoming Tamil film 3 , directed by wife Aishwarya. Dhanush, who is Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's son-in-law, is not too well versed with Hindi.

But it won't be a barrier for his Bollywood career as he is keen to explore the industry and learn the local language and culture. "It's a big deal to get a launch like this at the beginning of my career here.

Aanand's script is different from regular cinema; it's one of those 'made to make a difference' kind of films," said Dhanush. "The film is an intense love story.

Just like my film Tanu Weds Manu , the film and its characters will take you to Delhi, Punjab, Chennai," said Rai. Both Dhanush and Rai recently visited Benaras for the film.

The actor is also perhaps planning to hire a coach to learn Hindi. He is convinced that by the time the film's shoot gets over, he will be able to communicate fluently in Hindi, which will open more avenues for him.

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..

he lives, inside us, around us. A journey such as his should be rejoiced, not mourned.

Of course, we'll miss his physical presence terribly, but his magic lives on within you and me..

.and I will make sure my sons know the superstar their dad admired and loved the most," Hrithik said in a press statement Monday.

Shammi, who enthralled Hindi cinema buffs with movies like "An Evening in Paris ", "China Town", " Kashmir Ki Kali ", "Janwar" and "Junglee", was on dialysis for the last few days. At 79, he breathed his last early Sunday morning.

He was cremated Monday. Hrithik, the son of Rakesh Roshan , says "Rest In Peace" would not be the right thing to pray for the dancing king.

"For you I don't want to say R.I.

P, but rather D.I.

H ..

.dancing in heaven now.

..

I love you," he added (less)

Dev Anand, who had come here for medical check up, was not keeping well for the last few days. , family sources told PTI.

His son Sunil was with him when he breathed last. Dev Anand made his debut as an actor in 1946 in Hum Ek Hain .

By the time his Ziddi was released in 1947 he was a superstar and has never looked back. Versatile Dev Anand has given countless hits like Paying Guest , Baazi", "Jewel Thief ", "CID", "Johny Mera Naam", "Amir Garib", "Warrant", "Hare Rama Hare Krishna and "Des Pardes".

For his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, Dev Anand was honoured with the prestigious the 'Padma Bhushan' in 2001 and 'Dada Saheb Phalke Award' in 2002. He established his film production company 'Navketan International Films' in 1949 and has produced more than 35 movies.

Dev Anand has won two Filmfare Awards - India's equivalent of the Oscars - in 1958 for his performance in the film Kala Paani (Black Water) and in 1966 for his performance in Guide . "Guide" went on to win Filmfare Awards in five other categories including "Best Film" and "Best Director" and was sent as India's entry for the Oscars in the foreign film category that year.

He co-produced the English Version of Guide with the Nobel Laureate Pearl S Buck ("The Good Earth"). In 1993, he received a Filmfare "Lifetime Achievement Award" and in 1996 he received a Screen Videocon "Lifetime Achievement Award".

Of late he was involved in the direction of a new all American film Project "Song Of Life" - a musical love story which was to be shot in the United States. He was to play the central character in the film which was to have a predominantly American star cast.

Dev Anand is the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His brothers are Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand.

Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned film director Shekhar Kapur. Tweet (less)

The New Year holds a lot of new promise in Bollywood. We list down 10 debutantes to look forward to in 2012.

Varun Dhawan: David Dhawan's elder son Rohit Dhawan made his debut as a director in 2011 with Desi Boyz. His younger son Varun Dhawan will debut as an actor with Karan Johar's ambitious project 'Student of the Year'.

Both sons of David Dhawan have paved their own path into Bollywood without the need of their father having to launch them. Varun has earlier assisted Karan Johar on My Name is Khan .

Alia Bhatt: Other than David Dhawan's son, Karan Johar will also be introducing Mahesh Bhatt's daughter Alia Bhatt in his campus love-story 'Student of the Year'. Alia Bhatt is Mahesh Bhatt's daughter from his second wife Soni Razdan.

Again like in the case of Varun Dhawan, even Alia isn't being launched by the Bhatt banner Vishesh Films, especially when Bhatts are known for introducing several new talents in Bollywood. Nevertheless with Karan Johar at the helm of affairs, it should be a dream debut for Alia anyways.

Siddharth Malhotra: Siddharth completes the debut factor in the lead cast of Karan Johar's 'Student of the Year'. Not to be confused with the director of We Are Family (also a Karan Johar production), Siddharth Malhotra is a Delhi boy who boasts of great looks.

Karan Johar would ensure he acts well too. Arjun Kapoor: 2012 seems to be a year when most celebrity children are being launched in banners outside their home productions.

Prominent Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor's son and Anil Kapoor's nephew, Arjun Kapoor will be launched by Yash Raj Films. Arjun was to debut with a film called 'Virus Diwan' until the banner scrapped the project and is now introducing him with 'Ishaqzaade' to be directed by Do Dooni Chaar director Habib Faisal.

Like Cousin Sonam Kapoor, even Arjun used to be overweight at 140 kgs. But under Salman Khan's gym-guidance, he lost oodles of weight and is now his smashing-self.

Arjun Kapoor assisted on films like Kal Ho Na Ho, Salaam-e-Ishq, Wanted and No Entry . Ileana D'cruz: Ileana is a popular Telugu actress who has to her credit superhit films like Pokiri, Kick and Nenu Naa Rakshasi.

She makes her Bollywood debut opposite Ranbir Kapoor in 'Barfii'. Director Anurag Basu has put her through meticulous diction coaching so that she is comfortable with the Hindi language.

And with Ranbir playing a mute character, she is expected to do all the talking in the film. Subsequently she will be seen opposite Akshay Kumar in 'Khiladi 786' and 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2'.

Tapsee Pannu: Another Telugu actress Tapsee Pannu will be making her debut in the remake of 'Chashme Buddoor' being directed by David Dhawan. The charming actress will be reprising Deepti Naval's role from the original and is paired opposite Ali Zafar in the film.

Tapsee was a Miss India contestant in 2008. Amy Jackson: After Katrina Kaif and Nargis Fakhri, Amy Jackson in another foreign import in Bollywood who will make her debut opposite Prateik Babbar in 'Ek Deewana Tha' - the Hindi remake of Tamil hit Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa .

The ravishing looking actress has won titles like Miss Teen 2008 and has already worked in a Tamil film Madrasapattinam . Esha Gupta: Model Esha Gupta bagged the role in 'Jannat 2' for her hot looks and sex appeal.

Bhatts wanted an actress with a bold body language and thereby she replaced girl-next-door Prachi Desai who was earlier signed for the film. The dusky bombshell is known as the desi Angelina Jolie in modeling world and was also considered as the second lead for Krrish sequel.

Pulkit Samrat: Best known for his television stint as Lakshya Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi , Pulkit Samrat was out of the scene following fallout with Ekta Kapoor. He now makes his Bollywood debut with 'Bittoo Boss' from the same banner that produced the hilarious flick Pyaar Ka Punchnama with a complete new cast.

Imran Zahid: Imran Zahid would be another Bhatt discovery who will debut with 'Jannat 2'. This theatre artist has worked with Mahesh Bhatt earlier and Jannat 2 will mark his foray into feature films (less)

Barbara who met the actor during her modelling days, when she was barely 20 but did not tie the knot with him and she moved on to acting in Mexican telenovellas and later in movies. The child is not accompanying her for the Mumbai shoot of Kites even though she landed in town with her mother, sister and brother.

Barbara and her son appeared in a ‘drink milk’ Hispanic ad campaign in 2007. Both mother and child sported a milk moustache.

It was part of the ‘Think Before You Drink’ drive. As a mother, said Barbara.

??As a mom, my job is to teach my son good nutritional habits so that he can grow up healthy and strong. So his nutrition is my priority.

It??s my whole life. I taught him to drink three glasses of milk a day since he was little and now he does it on his own and likes it too!?.

Barbara was selected to star in Kites by producer Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu as they wanted to provide the project with an international touch. She plays a Latino girl who is in love with an Indian, played by Hrithik.

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While the two haven't been spotted publicly or even with friends, the actress maintains that this relationship is for keeps. Recently, a celebrity magazine printed a photograph of Lafferty, provided to them by the actress.

A little investigation on Kangna's man on Facebook reveals cosy pictures of him with another girl. In fact, there are pictures of him there with everyone except he actress.

That could be because she is a public figure or that they want to keep photographs private. Or perhaps, this is an open relationship because Kangna too has been linked to several co-stars in the past year.

What's strange is that they aren't even friends on the site, given that he visits his profile regularly. There have been reports that she spent time with Lafferty in London while shooting for Tezzz , but none of her co-stars or the crew have seen him.

Strangely enough, he never visited her on the set. If she's talking about him publicly, why won't she meet him publicly? A common friend denies that Kintaro introduced the supposed couple, saying, "While he knows Kangna socially, he never introduced her to anybody called Nicholas Lafferty.

He's a tad miffed that his name is being bandied about in this story. If she is seeing him, then why don't her friends have a clue about him? This is really mysterious!" Time to bring your beau out of hiding, eh, Kangna? (less)

The film's shoot has been cancelled for the time being. Last week, Hrithik's wife Sussanne had also tweeted about his back problem: "H (Hrithik) down with the worst back spasm.

.he's in agony, doc says to rest 2wks minimum.

" Tweet (less)

This seems to be the exact reason why Katrina Kaif, Chitrangada Singh and Jacqueline Fernandez opted out of the superhero project. A source said, "Priyanka Chopra is the resident heroine of the franchise and is also known to be very close to the Roshans.

Other heroines were bound to feel insecure. So, Katrina, Chitrangada and Jacqueline, all of whom audaciously stepped in, then stepped out, because of Priyanka's presence.

" The source added, "The other heroine's role in the film requires 120 days of shooting from the actress plus rigorous physical preparation. Katrina said no without a second thought.

Chitrangada and Jacqueline were persuaded to join in. But once they realised that playing the character required huge amounts of physical preparation and filming time, they opted out.

" The actresses apparently expressed the same fear to friends that after Agneepath , the Hrithik-Priyanka jodi would be played up at the other heroine's expense. Despite all this, Kangana has now stepped in to play the second actress.

A source said, "Kangna apparently had a very bad experience with the Roshans when her role in Kites was slashed in favour of Barbara Mori. It just goes to show how much guts the girl has.

" Rakesh Roshan maintained, "Kangana is doing the Krrish sequel." Tweet (less)

We earn our bread and butter from Bollywood. I'm uncomfortable talking in English.

.I've always been," Akshay said in a statement.

"I've realized my fans love the dialogues I say on screen. And those are in Hindi.

Why speak in a language you are not comfortable with? After all success is about being comfortable in your own skin and I'm finally doing that," he added. The actor, who is now gearing up for the release of his new film Desi Boyz with John Abraham, calls himself desi and says he is proud of his roots.

"I'm proud to be desi . I'm a desi boy from Delhi and I'm very proud of who I am and I am proud of my roots.

My fans love me for being being humble and hard working. They love me for speaking to them in their language; they connect with me because I remind them of their roots," he said.

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Arjun wanted the last week of the year off. But the filmmaker refused to let him go.

Says a source, "Sudhir is shooting the climax of the film. It's the last four days of the shoot, from Monday to Thursday.

Arjun who has been working round-the-clock over his television show wanted the last week off to spend time with his family. However, Sudhir was adamant on completing the film.

" Now Arjun has decided to wrap up Mishra's film and then join his friends in Dubai. Says the actor, "Ideally I'd have liked to take a holiday with my wife and kids a little earlier.

But we're shooting the last four days of Sudhir's film. There's no choice.

These last two months have been killing for me. We completed one schedule of Heroine , then my TV show Luv To Hate You and Sudhir Mishra's film.

" Apparently, attempts to get the filmmaker to hold back the shooting of the climax till after New Year, fell on deaf ears. Interestingly, this New Year, three star couples Hrithik-Sussanne, Shah Rukh-Gauri and Arjun-Mehr will be holidaying in Dubai.

The actor says, "We are going to be there as a big group. But at the moment I can only think of finishing my work with Mishra.

" Tweet (less)

Since the film's release on January 26 seemed jeopardised by the leading man's unexpected health setback, any further delay seemed impossible. Disregarding all caution including that from producer Karan Johar, the actor shot last week, albeit under very heavy medical monitoring.

A source said, "Hrithik wasn't allowed to do strenuous scenes. He shot only the dialogue portions.

The action sequences have been pushed to later and may be done with a body double if necessary." Confirming the actor's return to the sets, father Rakesh Roshan said, "Hrithik shot for three days for Agneepath .

He is taking it very slowly and carefully." Meanwhile, Priyanka Chopra rushed back to the country, to resume shooting.

With her Agneepath co-star Hrithik injured and her Barfee co-star Ranbir Kapoor busy promoting Rockstar , PC managed to put in all her time to making her music album. A source said, "She had clearly told Anurag Basu and Rakesh Roshan to call her back whenever she is required.

Last week both the filmmakers received calls from Priyanka asking, 'Sir, when do you want me back?'" Director Anurag Basu said, "We resume filming Barfee this week in Ooty and Kochi." Tweet (less)

Talking about the kind of work she has so far done, Chitrangada said: "Kaam ata tha, but ek jaisa kaam ata tha (Work came to me, but always the same kind of work came)..

.People couldn't imagine me doing a commercial movie.

" The dusky beauty was in conversation with trade analyst Komal Nahta on his show on ETC Bollywood Business. She was also in the capital Thursday, along with co-stars Akshay Kumar , John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, to share insights on the film with her fans.

"'Desi Boyz' is kind of a debut for me as I have been part of different kind of films so far. I was getting a bit bored of doing the same kind of cinema so I thought I should do something different.

I had a great time working in my first commercial film," she told reporters. The actress made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi", and was subsequently seen in films like "Sorry Bhai!", "Basra" and "Yeh Saali Zindagi".

In "Desi Boys", Chitrangada plays Akshay's love interest. Sharing her experience of working with the action star, she told Nahta: "Akshay is fantastic.

He's very encouraging, warm and very humble. He helped me out with tips during dance sequence.

" She also refuted reports of constant cat fights with Deepika during the film's shoot. "All is well between me and Deepika and there were no tiffs.

We have just one scene together and we spoke on the day we shot it and that too was shot few days ago. As a matter of fact, we both have encountered each other more now during the movie's promotion," she said.

While "Desi Boyz" will release Nov 25, Nahta's tete-a-tete with Chitrangada will be aired Monday (less)

The film's shoot has been cancelled for the time being. Last week, Hrithik's wife Sussanne had also tweeted about his back problem: "H (Hrithik) down with the worst back spasm.

.he's in agony, doc says to rest 2wks minimum.

" Tweet (less)

Talking about the kind of work she has so far done, Chitrangada said: "Kaam ata tha, but ek jaisa kaam ata tha (Work came to me, but always the same kind of work came)..

.People couldn't imagine me doing a commercial movie.

" The dusky beauty was in conversation with trade analyst Komal Nahta on his show on ETC Bollywood Business. She was also in the capital Thursday, along with co-stars Akshay Kumar , John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, to share insights on the film with her fans.

"'Desi Boyz' is kind of a debut for me as I have been part of different kind of films so far. I was getting a bit bored of doing the same kind of cinema so I thought I should do something different.

I had a great time working in my first commercial film," she told reporters. The actress made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi", and was subsequently seen in films like "Sorry Bhai!", "Basra" and "Yeh Saali Zindagi".

In "Desi Boys", Chitrangada plays Akshay's love interest. Sharing her experience of working with the action star, she told Nahta: "Akshay is fantastic.

He's very encouraging, warm and very humble. He helped me out with tips during dance sequence.

" She also refuted reports of constant cat fights with Deepika during the film's shoot. "All is well between me and Deepika and there were no tiffs.

We have just one scene together and we spoke on the day we shot it and that too was shot few days ago. As a matter of fact, we both have encountered each other more now during the movie's promotion," she said.

While "Desi Boyz" will release Nov 25, Nahta's tete-a-tete with Chitrangada will be aired Monday (less)

And now, we hear that Ranbir is busy learning Bengali for his role as Kishore Kumar in the biopic, directed by Anurag Basu . A source informed, "Though the biopic will be in Hindi, Kishore had the habit of mixing Bengali with Hindi.

Basu wants to incorporate this element into the film." Reportedly, part of the actor's preparation involves talking to his own father, Rishi Kapoor, who spent a lot of time with Kumar.

Interestingly, the actor picked up a little bit of Bengali while shooting for Barfee, in Kolkata. He has decided to hire a tutor to be better versed with the language.

The untitled film produced by Asthavinayak will go on floors in March 2012 (less)

She has now been replaced by Jacqeline Fernandez. Here she talks about why she left the project and her relationship with Akshay, John and Arjun.

..

. Any regrets on missing out on Krrish? No, I have no regrets whatsoever.

We had date issues that couldn't work out. It was to be a long schedule and there was no finality on their part.

But we worked it out amicably. I have a great equation with Mr (Rakesh) Roshan.

You are working with John, Akshay and Arjun, let us us in on some secrets about them Arjun is the most dedicated person I have seen. He does his home work and is on set fully prepared for the scene.

John has been around for a long time and is some one who I can run to for advice. He's extremely helpful and genuinely cares for you.

Akshay is a school of work in himself and I think he has the best body in the industry. Are you open to item songs? Item songs are great fun, but I haven't got any that has excited me.

Recently I was in a dubbling studio and this guy comes and offers me an item song. It was so random, if at all I do a song there would be a lot of thought that would go in it.

I genuinely love dancing so if some one had to offer me a good song I would definitely jump on the opportunity. You haven't made any friends in the industry.

Comment. I dont think I can be friends with anyone so soon.

But I am extremely fond of Shrishti (Arya) who's producing my next film. She's a very special friend and extremely close to her.

Are you friends with Deepika ? I really didn't shoot with her that much. But I am friendly with her sister and we bond over golf.

Her mom is also extremely warm. I would love to know Deepika better.

Do you consider yourself as a sex symbol ? No, I don't. I know it might sound very cliched, but I find many faults in myself when I look at myself on screen.

But it's definitely a good thing if people have that opinion (less)

The film will star three heroes, and Varma reportedly wants to bring together Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. Some sources said that Hrithik Roshan was going to be approached, but upon learning that he will be acting in Johar's Agneepath , he plans to approach Kapoor instead.

A source disclosed, "Ramu wants to make his ultimate underworld film next year and then retire from this genre." The source also added that Varma planned to shoot the film so as to outdo both, Johar and Ekta Kapoor.

Ekta Kapoor is collaborating with Sanjay Gupta to produce the Rs 40 crore Shootout At Wadala and plans to also start work on Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2 . He said, "Ramu will show Mumbai like never before.

He is keeping the locations close to his chest so that Karan and Ekta don't beat him to it." The film will reportedly be shot in four languages--English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and will be produced by Sunil Bohra, who also produced Not A Love Story .

When contacted Bohra said, "The gangster film that we are now planning will be bigger than any seen in this genre." Reluctant to talk about the project, all Varma was willing to admit was, "The film will be unlike anything I've attempted so fat.

In fact, it will be my most expensive film." Tweet (less)

We earn our bread and butter from Bollywood. I'm uncomfortable talking in English.

.I've always been," Akshay said in a statement.

"I've realized my fans love the dialogues I say on screen. And those are in Hindi.

Why speak in a language you are not comfortable with? After all success is about being comfortable in your own skin and I'm finally doing that," he added. The actor, who is now gearing up for the release of his new film Desi Boyz with John Abraham, calls himself desi and says he is proud of his roots.

"I'm proud to be desi . I'm a desi boy from Delhi and I'm very proud of who I am and I am proud of my roots.

My fans love me for being being humble and hard working. They love me for speaking to them in their language; they connect with me because I remind them of their roots," he said.

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It will feature Hrithik Roshan yet again and talks are going on with Deepika Padukone for the part of the leading lady. Sphere: Related Content Posted in (less)

Gauri is known for her style and walked the ramp for friend Karan Johar some time back. Tweet (less)

Ludacris , On The Floor ft. Pitbull and Bad Romance .

Nevertheless, Dhanush, son-in-law of matinee idol Rajinikanth, is overjoyed that the song is successfully "breaking language barrier". "Yayyyyyy 20 million views for Kolaveri !! Pa pa papa pa pa papa!! God bless," Dhanush posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

The big worldwide YouTube hits this year include Justin Bieber's Baby ft. Ludacris (671,069,814 views), Jennifer Lopez's On The Floor ft.

Pitbull (444,281,564 views), Lady Gaga's Bad Romance (432,227,541 views), Shakira's Waka Waka (427,435,565 views) and Eminem's Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna (410,857,092 views), among others.

The video for Kolaveri di was released on YouTube Nov 16. It's peppy, catchy tune as well as funky lyrics, helped it go viral on the internet, and get more than a million hits on the website within a day of its release.

The numbers are only multiplying ever since, and have reached 20,341,650 hits by Monday noon. The song, composed by 21-year-old Anirudh Ravichander, will be a part of the film 3 , directed by Dhanush's wife Aishwarya.

Also called Soup song , it has been appreciated by people of all age groups and lauded by celebrities, including megastar Amitabh Bachchan. However, lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar had spoken out against it, saying: "Tune ordinary, singing substandard.

Words an insult to sensibility." But Dhanush is nonchalant and tweeted: "I have you guys.

Your support. As long as I'm making u guys happy, I'm doing my job as an entertainer properly.

That's enough. God bless.

" The Tamil-English song is also a hit with north Indians, despite its southern accent-loaded vocals. "When a song is breaking language barrier and brings us together, how does it matter which language it's in? You want a name to this language? It's an Indian song made by an Indian.

..

Whether its a sensible song or nonsense song, it's music. It's art.

Art does not know language. Only people's heart.

And that's where my song lives." "And to all my north Indian Kolaveri fans, thanks for receiving a Tamil song with warm heart and making it a global song.

God bless," added Dhanush. Ever since it has hit the web, there have been several spin-offs of the song, including one by Bollywood playback singer Sonu Niigaam's son Neevan and the Chamaat song on Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar being slapped.

Then there is the Gujarati version of the song as well. Tweet (less)

A source reveals, "Sridevi and Gauri are bonding majorly during the schedule of the film. Boney won't be joining Sri as he's busy with work.

" The film revolves a middle-class Indian housewife with weak English, who becomes the butt of everyone's jokes and how she goes to the US to learn the language (less)

It did give me a lot of respect. It did open a lot of doors for me.

Deepa Mehta saw me in Sivaji and took me for Cooking With Stella and again in Midnight's Children . A lot of Hindi movie directors approached me after Sivaji ," said 29-year-old Shriya Saran.

The 2007 movie that had superstar Rajinikanth in the title role was one of the top earners of the year. Though she has made it big in southern cinema, Shriya is still struggling for name and fame in Bollywood and her last Hindi release was 2009 movie Ek: The Power of One .

After a three-year break, she will be seen in a Hindi movie titled Gali Gali Shor Hai which she said "is a political satire. It's not that we are slapping the system.

It's just that we are trying to bring a change." Shriya has teamed up with Mugdha Godse and Akshaye Khanna in Gali Gali Shor Hai , which is hitting screens Feb 3.

"Don't know whether it's a comeback or a long gap, but when I am doing a Telugu film people often ask me, 'Why aren't you doing Tamil films? When I am doing a Tamil film, they ask me why aren't you doing Hindi films. It was never a conscious effort.

I would like to do Hindi films as I am comfortable talking in Hindi," she said. Not only Hindi, she speaks other languages effortlessly.

"Hindi comes naturally to me because it's my mother tongue. Of course, even English! Telugu I have learnt and it is my third language.

I have also learnt Tamil but Malayalam is difficult." She may be working with people from different culture, background and languages, but the actress feels there is no cultural difference when it comes to work.

"Language changes with people, language changes with the sense of humour. The way stories are told changes.

The story said in Telugu will be different, Malayalam will be different and Hindi will be different. But the work culture doesn't really depend on the industry; it depends on the director you work with.

It depends on the people working on the film," Shriya stated. She would love to do more and more films, but remakes do not excite her so much.

"I don't enjoy remakes so much. I mean I am not sure whether I would be interested in remaking my own film.

Sometimes when story is changed and done well, then it's fantastic like Ghajini and Bodyguard . Dabangg and 3 Idiots have been remade in Tamil.

Story line should be changed in remakes," she said. Tweet (less)

If she doesn't shape up in two months, she apparently could find herself out in the cold, replaced by a more suitable heroine to play the title role! Confirms a source, "Yes, Sudhir has issued her an ultimatum. Chitrangada will have to master the speech, body language, clothes, culture and ethos of a Muslim girl in post-Partition India within a couple of months.

This is proving difficult as not only is she completely unaware of the era and culture she must embody as Mehrunissa , but till very recently she was also actively preparing for the svelte, futuristic role in Rakesh Roshan's next (which she is no longer doing). Now, the actress has to go back in time, all the way to 1947, fast and rigorously.

" And Mishra's demands don't end just there. He has, apparently, asked her to make a trip to Pakistan to get a feel of the country's culture before they starting shooting.

"Playing a Muslim girl from 'undivided' India won't be a question of only getting the language and the clothes right. The director wants her to fly down to Pakistan and get a first-hand feel of the atmosphere and people," adds the source.

Incidentally, Nikhil Advani, who has written the script of Mehrunissa , was not too convinced about Chitrangada being the right choice for the role. But since Advani trusts Mishra's judgement implicitly, he has agreed to see how far the actress can go with the character of a girl with whom both Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor's characters are supposed to fall in love with in their youth.

The actress, who has a packed work schedule as well as a family event to attend to before the year is through, is running against time. But the director, it seems, is confident of his girl.

"The role requires intense preparation. She is already preparing for the part and I think she can pull it off," he says.

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"That Girl in Yellow Boots", written and acted by Kashyap's wife actress Kalki Koechlin, is releasing Sep 2 even in non-NRI theaters in America. "None of my films had been released internationally so far.

Be it 'Black Friday', 'Dev D' all the films went to festivals, garnered acclaim and I ended up selling it to the satellite," Kashyap told IANS in an interview. "'That Girl in Yellow Boots' is releasing in all Scandinavian countries, Australia, New Zealand, Korea and in America there would be 30 art house releases.

It's apparently a small release but a big one for my film," Kashyap said. Kashyap criticised Indian distributors, terming them inefficient and dishonest as they "repeatedly failed or deliberately didn't make international releases" of any of his films even after owning overseas rights, "just assuming there is no market for such non-conventional films".

"What has been my frustration ever since I started making film is that my films go to festivals across the world then when I approach distributors they ask for world rights as well. They take the world rights but don't release them outside saying there is no market for the film abroad.

Internationally none of the distributors know how to distribute it or they hide the film from the non-NRI market. "If a film has big stars like the Khans then a roadside tea stall owner would be able to distribute it across the globe," he said.

He said: "When there is a film which is highly acclaimed in the festival circuit why would that not be loved by other people. For example 'Udaan' garnered audience choice award of another country, why can't they distribute the film in theatres for the same audience of that country.

" He is thankful to producer-distributor Viacom 18 for supporting his endeavour to explore the international market for his film. "I thought that I would distribute the film worldwide personally.

It took one year to find international distributors. Then we got Viacom 18, which is the first producer-distributor that said we would work in collaboration because it's the first time for both of us to explore the global market.

Viacom 18 is collaborating with so many distributors world wide," said Kashyap. "That Girl in Yellow Boots", is a look at the social criticism Kalki Koechlin suffered for being an actor with French connections coupled with other real time incidences that appeared in the newspapers, revealed Kashyap.

"When my relationship started with Kalki there used to be all kinds of stories. It was out of reluctance of accepting a white person.

She had become a topic of coffee table conversation. A white girl looks good that's why she has got a chance in Hindi film, that's what was concluded.

"What people forget that, is that girl left England to live here as she was born in India and secondly she grew up on the diet of sambar and rice, and she still continues it as she can't take spicy food and her first language is Tamil. But all these things got discounted.

We thought let's make a film on it mixing with stories of its kind that appeared in newspapers," said the 38-year-old filmmaker. "The mixture of all those stories evolved into the story of 'Yellow Boots'.

It's a thriller based on a girl's search for her father but set in an underworld that's mushrooming around us that we refuse to see or know," he added. The film also features Naseeruddin Shah in a pivotal role (less)

She met each child individually and signed autographs. I have been a huge Lady Gaga fan for the last three years.

I like her originality and the kids and I love watching her videos. Hrithik couldn't come with us because of his back problem and is not allowed to travel.

" Maheep Kapoor says she found Lady Gaga to be awesome. "I'm a huge fan of hers and I found her so amazing with the kids.

She gave my son an autoraph and kissed it! I have her lipstick mark on it so I am going to frame it. Shanaya had been dying to meet her and was thrilled when she finally met her.

I had expected Gaga to be much bigger but she's quite tiny in reality. The first thing she asked was a big hug from all the ten kids present there and all the kids came and hugged her! They were dumbstruck and just kept staring at her.

She asked them where could she find a nice mehndi specialist as she wanted mehndi on my hands. 'Can you tell me where to go?' she kept asking them.

She's one person - besides Michel Jackson - who I was dying to see performing.: Chunky Pandey adds, "Ananya was thrilled when Lady Gaga sang for her 13th birthday but Rysa asked us why didn't she sing for her too? We had to remind her that Akon had already sung for her earlier at Shah Rukh's party when he visited India last month.

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Barbara who met the actor during her modelling days, when she was barely 20 but did not tie the knot with him and she moved on to acting in Mexican telenovellas and later in movies. The child is not accompanying her for the Mumbai shoot of Kites even though she landed in town with her mother, sister and brother.

Barbara and her son appeared in a ‘drink milk’ Hispanic ad campaign in 2007. Both mother and child sported a milk moustache.

It was part of the ‘Think Before You Drink’ drive. As a mother, said Barbara.

??As a mom, my job is to teach my son good nutritional habits so that he can grow up healthy and strong. So his nutrition is my priority.

It??s my whole life. I taught him to drink three glasses of milk a day since he was little and now he does it on his own and likes it too!?.

Barbara was selected to star in Kites by producer Rakesh Roshan and director Anurag Basu as they wanted to provide the project with an international touch. She plays a Latino girl who is in love with an Indian, played by Hrithik.

Sphere: Related Content Posted in (less)

Whatever roles he has done -be it films where he had to kiss his partner or fight in the rains -the audience can always identify with his emotions. There is an instant connect.

Even if Emraan is serenading a girl wearing a sharkskin jacket while driving a sports car, he makes the members in the audience believe that they too can do what Emraan is doing. In "Shanghai", I made Emraan play a character who represents this viewer whose icon is someone like Emraan Hashmi.

He is a small town guy eking out a living by being a photographer. He does odd jobs, isn't very well-read or articulate and has two or three press cards on him.

Basically, he is a man of all seasons. What's nice about Emraan is that he is a natural actor and has great comic timing.

He is sharp and his presence adds the laugh lines to "Shanghai". His character undergoes a transformation and by the time the film ends, he is finally facing his own reality.

You are the only director with whom Abhay Deol has done two movies. How did you see him evolve as an actor? Abhay is usually the black sheep in most of his films.

In "Shanghai", he is the core of conservative, middle class India who clings on to his patriotic belief that India has to take over China one day. I've known Abhay as a very spontaneous actor who doesn't rehearse much.

But in this film, Abhay was different. He was playing a Tamil Brahmin who is an IAS officer.

Abhay asked for a language coach and insisted that everyday, before we shot the scenes, he spent at least 40 minutes with him. He researched on IAS officers apart from interacting with two different Tamilians from different social classes.

He also got a book to learn Tamil alphabets. It's a tough task to speak in Tamil-accented Hindi without turning it into a caricature.

Your movie is based on Greek author Vassilis Vassilikos's novel titled Z, the rights of which you had purchased. There is a Costa-Gavras movie that has already been adapted from the same book.

How difficult does the scope of adaptation become in such cases? The organic difference between a book and a film is that while in the former we need to read what the character is going through and figure it out in our heads, the audience has to see those experiences in a movie. Ergonomically, a book often meanders in terms of the narrative.

A film, in contrast, has to be more evocation and linear in structure. Writing the screenplay of an adaptation is a tough job.

Urmi Juvekar and I bickered for a year to get the screenplay in place. It is a continuous iterative and interactive process.

One has to be flexible. In the book, there are two characters who come from the lowliest of society.

They are involved in negative acts but Vassilis has dealt with them quite positively. He understood the compulsions of these two characters.

The earlier film ignored these two characters. I didn't.

Is this because in the Indian context, finding a sentimental reason for a character's flaw is always a great way to win over the audience? No, that's not it. The book was set in the 1960s and was written in the context of the Left and the Right wing politics.

Today's India has no political ideologies as such. It is more about the rich and the poor.

From being a transmutation of a "Left and Right film", "Shanghai" became a "Rich and Poor movie". "Shanghai" is a political thriller at a time when real-life political scenario has become one big tamasha with a lot of thriller element.

Does that interest you? No. Most of the political thrillers in India are about this tamasha.

But my film is about the politics of real life. It is about the politics that decide where you will live and which road will be open for you and which building will be demolished to create which mall.

The great Indian political tamasha, in contrast, is a creation of the bad habits of the elite media of our country. One has to manufacture tamasha and have people opine on every possible event because there are so many pages to fill up.

My interest doesn't lie there. My movie is about the blood and sweat politics of real survival.

While you spent a year deciding on the screenplay of the movie, most of the hits in India today don't even have the script. What's the importance of scripts in the context of Indian cinema then? A script of an Indian film is as important as you make it.

A film with lots of stars and expensive locations might generate 100 crore at the box-office. But who knows whether the film wouldn't have generated 200 crore at the BO if more attention was paid to the script or not.

For me, the important factor is the need to make better and well-made cinema that's organically complete. A well-made cinema should not be judged by its BO success.

The maker and his respect for what he does in cinema should not be judged by what he earns by doing so. Are you happy with what you've earned? Yes, I am.

I have my house, my cars and can afford a decent standard of living. Do you still not have a television at home? I don't.

My mobile still doesn't have Internet connectivity. But do I look ill-informed? I have my iPad and I am very prompt about replying to e-mails.

Does your daughter insist that you let her to watch cartoons on television? We don't have a television at home. She doesn't watch it.

Can she speak Bangla? No, she can't. The fault is completely mine because I have never spoken to her in Bengali.

My wife, Richa, is from Kolkata and can speak the language. But Richa and I speak Bengali only when we have some secret to share in front of others.

Otherwise, we speak in Hindi and English. I certainly want our daughter to be introduced to Bengali literature.

My parents did that to me and hence my world opened up. I too would want that to happen to her and will soon gift her a Barnaporichoy (less)