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to hold, nurture or to spice up (the story lines and movie plots). B-Town's screen moms usually fit certain slots - the impoverished and helpless mom had to sew clothes for the neighbours to make the ends meet; the fiery mom could challenge the Supreme and pray for her child's well-being; she would also meticulously knead aloo parathas and whip up kheer.

Some moms often became the bone of contention between son and his 'modern' wife. The screen ma could also urge her son to avenge his father's death.

Or if she was given a choice between picking the right over the wrong, the Bollywood mom could also shoot her errant son. The mother's character was a favourite fixture in Bollywood films until recently.

Mehboob Khan's masterpiece Mother India, was among the first films that glorified a mom on screen without making her a martyr ( Nargis). Durga Khote as the supportive mom in Mughal-E-Azam gave a new meaning to her role.

Sulochana; for whom Rajendra Kumar sings Meri Duniya Hai Tere Aanchal Mai, vivacious Dina Pathak in Khoobsurat to Golmaal - there have been women who have immortalised mothers on 35 mm. On Mother's Day, here's a flashback of all those special moms from Hindi films.

Jaya Bachchan in K3G As a designer chiffon sari clad mom, dripping pearls, flashing a warm smile as she firmly held the puja thali, Jaya Bachchan in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G), was also blessed with an uncanny ability to sense the presence of her son from miles away. Throughout the long family drama, she remains the quiet cardboard figure until she steals the thunder in the last frame.

Nirupa Roy in Deewar She was one actress you could always visualise as Bollywood's eternal maa. Nirupa Roy in her trademark white cotton sari and a huge bindi on her forehead was the self-righteous mom in the iconic Deewar , who tried her level best to bring her erring son from the path of evil and failed.

She was the woman for whom Shashi Kapoor said, Mere Paas Maa Hai . Even when she was helpless, she didn't compromise on her ideals.

Though she was a filmi character, Nirupa managed to etch a place for herself in the hearts of many. Rakhee in Karan Arjun Rakhee Gulzar has proved her mettle as mom many times over, but among her most memorable shots as mom was when she turned into the long suffering ma in-waiting of Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in Karan Arjun .

Her signature one-liner Mere Karan Arjun Ayenge went on to become the butt of jokes, but she was excellent as always. Vidya Balan in Paa Playing ma to Amitabh Bachchan isn't really a 30-something's dream, but Vidya Balan took up a role delivered a game-changing performance in Paa .

Essaying the role of an independent and fun mom who was an anchor for her son Auro suffering from Projeria (in the film), Vidya proved why it's important for every child to have a friend in a mom. Tisca Chopra in TZP One role and Tisca Chopra was on a roll! Tisca caught everyone's eyes in Taare Zameen Par as the untiring Indian mom who can turn the world upside down for her child.

As the affectionate mom who gives succour to her dyslexic child Ishan, she was indeed a treat to watch. Just the kind of urban mom, every kid loves to have! Zohra Sehgal in Cheeni Kam Who said 80 year old moms can't be fun? Zohra Sehgal as the fun loving mom full of joie de vivre in R Balkrishnan's Cheeni Kam had more spunk than her sullen celebrity chef son (played by Amitabh Bachchan).

She might have had a small role in the film, but as the woman who tries to teach her grumpy single 60 year old son to live life, Zohra was a rare bundle of energy. Rekha In Koi Mill Gaya May be you don't think of Rekha at first when you think of Bollywood mothers, or vice-versa.

But we certainly remember her doing a white sari act and adamantly saving her son (Hrithik Roshan) from an extra terrestrial in Koi..

. Mil Gaya .

In this Bollywood version of Spielberg's E.T.

, she was in fact the flavour Bollywood. FYI: Rakesh Roshan was very hesitant to ask the glam-diva to play a mother on the first place, reportedly he tricked her into hearing the script casually.

Result: Rekha commanded, no one but she'd play the role. Reema in Maine Pyaar Kiya Reema changed perception of the eternal earth mom in Bollywood with a vengeance.

She was Salman Khan's favourite screen mom, a role that she slipped into naturally into with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya. She was also among the first screen mothers to have jet black hair and looked young and chirpy enough to be her son's friend in MPK.

Her portrayal as the silk sari clad mom with her hair neatly tied in chignon, was pretty convincing in her role play. Farida Jalal in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge A talented character actress, Farida Jalal was the epitome of the typical urban Indian mother in Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge .

She lets her daughter (played by Kajol) live a dream and stands by as a strong support when she's needed. For this all-compassing role that was written with care and executed with brilliance, she also won accolades and awards.

Kirron Kher in Rang De Basanti As the new-age Nirupa Roy for Bollywood, Kirron Kher stole the thunder as Aamir Khan's funny and feisty mom in Raykesh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti. As the motormouth dhaba owner who prays for her son's well-being (for which she ties her two fingers with a dhaaga) she also provides him silent strength to stand up against evil.

You rock! Ratna Pathak Shah in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na Ratna Pathak Shah was a revelation in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na as the paranoid yet liberated single mom who worked as a social activist (and also vented her angst to her late hubby hanging from a photo frame from time to time complaining about her son) in Imran Khan's debut flick, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. A role that was smartly sketched, unfortunately she didn't have too many memorable scenes, although she did make an impact anyway! (less)

And now, modern mums like Ratna Pathak Shah or Dolly Ahluwalia don't just eat, but also drink and chill with their kids and their friends. We present to you the four stages of evolution of the cine mom.

Stage 1: The Bechari maa Indian cinema typified mothers as the teary-eyed, sensitive, helpless somethings (read Nirupa Roy, Nutan ), who wouldn't say a word and remain tightlipped about everything, while tears would endlessly roll down their cheeks. The ever-giving and self sacrificing maa was the staple of every Hindi movie for years.

Stage 2: The domestic mummy Waking up her husband and her children to bed tea and breakfast, scrubbing the floors squeaky clean, shuttling to and from the kid's school for pick-and-drop, readying tiffin, lunch and dinner, getting the homework and exams preparation done, etc was the mother we saw a few years ago. So, Tisca Chopra in Taare Zameen Par would do everything from waking up her child, forcing him to go to school and putting him to to sleep.

Stage 3: The modern mum Cut to movies like Jaane Tu..

. where Imran's single mother completely understands her son's romantic confusions, Thank You - where Sonam Kapoor's mom allows her to divorce her husband and hang out with a complete stranger (Akshay Kumar) to teach him a lesson - and The Dirty Picture - where Vidya's mom excitedly rushes to the theatre to see her daughter's, ahem, entertaining onscreen cameo.

The moms became their kids' best friends. Stage 4: The cool mom The latest avatar of the Bollywood mother was in Vicky Donor , where the protagonist's mom does not mind drinking and is supportive of what her son chooses to do.

The mom is now someone who wants to live her life the way she likes it, and we certainly like it that way (less)

So when opportunity presented itself, she was happy to pay a tribute to one of Sharmila's most remembered roles; a role for which she won a National Award. Commenting on the topic, Madhur Bhandarkar said, "Actually I'm a huge Gulzar saab fan and I wanted Bebo to pay a tribute to Gulzar saab in this scene.

It is a happy coincidence that it's a film that had a respected actress like Sharmila Tagore." Madhur also adds, "Yes, Bebo has done a perfect take-off of that Mausam character with cigarette and gaalis intact.

" (less)

This is completely baseless, inaccurate and detrimental to the film," said an official statement from YRF. The yet-to-be titled film, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, started shooting for its first schedule in the third week of February in London.

It has been creating a huge buzz all over since the first look was unveiled. The film also brings together the Oscar award-winning pair of A.

R.Rahman and Gulzar, who along with Chopra, are working on creating some wonderful and meaningful music.

Scheduled for a Diwali release, the film is expected to add the same fervour to the festive time that Chopra's films are known for. Tweet (less)

Rahman SHARE AND DISCUSS Tweet Shahrukh Khan and Katrina Kaif at a shooting location in London for Yash Chopra's film Yash Raj Films has denied that Yash Chopra's forthcoming film is called 'London Ishq'. YRF denied the news saying, "Despite repeated confirmations that Yash Chopra's film still remains untitled, large sections of the media continue to call it London Ishq .

This is completely baseless, inaccurate and detrimental to the film. Unfortunately, several individual denials on our part have also gone unheeded.

However, we would like to acknowledge and thank those who have responsibly put out the true status after checking with us while requesting those who haven't, to please stop calling it by this name. The as yet untitled film, starring Shah Rukh Khan , Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma , started shooting for its first schedule in the third week of February in London and has created a huge interest and buzz all around.

The film also brings together the award winning pair of A. R.

Rahman and Gulzar, who along with Yash Chopra, are working on creating some wonderful and meaningful music. The film is scheduled for a Diwali 2012 release, the festive time when Yash Chopra movies over the years have lit up homes worldwide.

In the meantime, please await our announcement of the title of this much awaited film." Let's wait for the actual name then! (less)

The time when Saif was dating Moon Moon Sen, Gulzar had played host to Saif at his Pali Hill bungalow. This is when the young Saif smashed up a car around then.

Rahul Rawail, director known for introducing talent, dropped Saif from Bekhudi, because of lack of discipline. He was replaced by Kamal Sadanah.

In 2008, a police complaint was filed against the actor after his security staff assaulted a photojournalist during the shooting of his home production Love Aaj Kal in Patiala, Punjab. It is said that the journalist clicked some pictures of Khan, who was shooting at a railway station.

A verbal spat followed after which Khan’s security assaulted the journalist and snatched the cameras, apparently on Khan’s orders. The matter was settled amicably when Khan called up a press conference in Patiala and apologised.

In April 1994, Saif and his then wife Amrita Singh assaulted a female journalist — Kanan Divech of Star and Style — because of an interview she did with Singh in which some uncomfortable questions were apparently asked about liaisons, appearances etc. Apparently, the couple created havoc in Divecha’s office and ended up breaking some furniture too.

The matter was finally settled in the Bombay high court, after Singh issued a formal apology in writing. In 1995, Saif went over to journalist Ashok Row Kavi’s house and punched him because he had mocked his mother Sharmila Tagore’s acting on television.

Apparently, he even pushed Row Kavi’s elderly mother when she tried to intervene. Row Kavi later said that the real provocation could have been his review of Saif’s film Main Khiladi Tu Anadi in the magazine Bombay Dost.

The article had claimed that Saif and his co-star Akshay Kumar seemed to be so in love with each other that it should have been India’s entry to the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The incident resulted in Row Kavi dragging Saif to court and the latter apologising.

After being arrested for punching a fellow diner yesterday and getting out on bail, Saif Ali Khan [ Images ] released an official statement this morning, telling his side of the story. He said, “There was an ugly incident last night where my friends and the ladies with us were abused and I was assaulted.

He further said, “I was hit and I defended myself. I have been to the police station to answer the requirements of law as I am a law-abiding citizen.

I have also filed a complaint about what happened last night and I am confident justice will be done.” Co-diner Amrita Arora is going around telling everyone that Sharma abused the women in the group.

Says Amrita, ?I guess we are paying the price of being celebs and whatever has happened is very unfortunate. They are on TV giving interviews; it’s a common case of getting 15 minutes of fame.

When you punch one of our guys and abuse the woman on our table, any man would respond in this fashion.? We didn’t know that people from ‘cultured families’ assaulted and beat up senior citizens, even when provoked?? “A man is great by deeds, not by birth.

” Posted in (less)

But it was nothing. I'd gone to Delhi , and the capital is currently in the grip of dengue fever.

When I returned to Mumbai with a fever, everyone got worried. I got admitted to a hospital.

It turned out to be malaria with a touch of jaundice. Now I've completely recovered.

Not that it was anything more than a fever in the first place," says Gulzar, speaking for the first time since the hospitalization. But what keeps him going? He answers, "Tennis every morning.

A balanced life coupled with a deliberate absence of negativity keeps one healthy." Not too many people know that Naseeruddin Shah and Gulzar have been tennis buddies for years.

They never miss a game in the morning, unless one of them is out of town, as Naseer was when he had a health scare recently. Some months ago, when Gulzar heard about Naseer's health scare, he was understandably concerned about his tennis buddy.

Naseer and Gulzar seem to be bound together by more than tennis. The song "Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji", which Gulzar sa'ab wrote for Naseer in "Ishqiya", became a nationwide craze and the top choice for caller tunes on mobile phones.

The two keep teasing each another about who should take credit for its success. Gulzar says generously, "The credit must go to Naseer for the way he emoted to the words.

He looked so masoom and vulnerable. It's always a pleasure to write songs for an actor like Naseer, who can understand the words fully and make them comprehensible on screen.

I still remember how vibrant the poetry of Mirza Ghalib became in my serial when Naseer recited it." Last month, Gulzar turned a year older with characteristic lack of fanfare.

Every year, on his birthday, he takes a break to spend time with wife Rakhee, daughter Meghna and son-in-law Govind, and this year was no exception (less)

According to SP, Pratapgarh, Lalji Shukla, “We got a call from the Bandra police station in Mumbai saying that the gun belongs to Rakhee Gulzar and not Rakhi Sawant. Rakhee Gulzar’s case is already registered and its Crime Number is 45/10 under section 454/457 and 380.

” Responding to the news, Rakhee Gulzar told TOI “Thanks to Rakhi Sawant, I got to know about this news. A common friend of ours informed me about this confusion.

The pistol is fake and was gifted to me by Salimsaab (filmmaker Salim Khan, Salman’s father) three years back. It’s a 1984 model pistol, which I have used in movies like Shraddhanjali.

I had kept it with me for security as I stay all alone at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Mumbai.” After the theft in January, Rakhee has plans to get a licenced gun.

She’s glad that the criminals have finally been caught and that the case may be solved now. “It’s been over four months since the theft and I have a right to know where the case is headed,” she added (less)

Be it Amitabh Bachchan and Rakhee Gulzar snuggling in a shawl in Kabhie Kabhi or Amitabh and Rekha holding hands and singing Dekha Ek Khwab in Silsila , Yash Chopra, snow and romance have been inseparable. And iconic.

And now, the filmmaker who is returning to direction with the yet untitled Shah Rukh Khan - Katrina Kaif starrer after 8 years, is keen on bringing back the same white romance in his upcoming venture. Mumbai Mirror has learnt that Yash Chopra is busy location hunting.

And this time, he wants his favourite snow clad mountains back. The filmmaker confirmed that he wants a part of the film to be shot in a snow clad region.

"It is being planned," said Chopra. Mirror learnt that the production house is busy hunting the perfect locale for the film.

Apart from snow clad mountains, the SRK-Katrina starrer will also be shot in several other foreign locales. In fact, for the next schedule, the entire cast and crew of the film will be traveling to London next month.

Talking about his favourite hero SRK and the progress of the film, Chopra added, "Shah Rukh is such a lovely boy. It is always fun shooting with him.

We have finished shooting a song here (in Mumbai). Now, we will be going to London next month.

After we return, we will be shooting in India for a while. The team is still busy location hunting.

Everything will be finalised by the time we come back." Interestingly, SRK too has romanced various heroines on snow clad mountains for the filmmaker.

In YRF's Darr, he sang Tu Mere Saamne for Juhi Chawla on a snow clad peak. In Diwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge , SRK was subjected to Kajol's drunken passion in the song Zaraa Sa Jhoom Loon Main.

And that too was on a snow clad vale (less)

She is the Hema Malini of the current generation. Whatever this girl touches turns into gold.

Raajneeti is the latest example. Sure, it’s Prakash Jha’s triumph at the end of the day.

But with Raajneeti Jha has gone to the league of the commercially saleable directors in our industry. Even Ranbir Kapoor had his first big hit with Katrina.

Now, his second big hit is with her again. John Abraham’s only hit besides Dostana, is with Katrina.

Neil Nitin Mukesh’s only hit so far also has her. Saif Ali Khan has decided to do a love story with Kunal Kohli, and he suggested Katrina’s name.

Reminds me of Hema Malini. There was a time when anything she touched turned into gold.

Fading superstars with falling fortunes and receding hairlines pleaded to get lucky Malini into their projects. Though she had less than cordial experiences with Manoj Kumar and Rajesh Khanna in her earlier films she agreed to star in their purported comeback films Premnagar and Sanyasi, respectively.

I’d like to think the films clicked because of Hema Malini’s positive attitude to life. She never holds grudges.

Hema is blunt in her words and gestures (she had noisily left the premiere of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas at the glorious climax with daughter Esha, simply because they needed to find their car). Katrina is far more of a go-getter than Hema.

I’d hear stories of her dignified defiance against Salman Khan’s autocratic ways even before I got to know her. Here’s a classic Katrina story from her Salman days.

Salman was one day sitting with a very close director-friend when she sauntered into the room in a pair of jeans and a skimpy top announcing that she was going out. Salman mildly objected to the top.

Katrina went inside and came out wearing a skimpier top. Salman made sure she remained cocooned from the murky side of showbiz.

But she never allowed him to dominate her life. When you meet her she appears to be aloof, but then you realise, the vulnerable do need to fortify themselves from the strong winds.

Hema is much stronger. She can take the lashing winds on her chin.

Last week, she was treated very badly by the political party she is affiliated to. Did she sit down to cry over the spilt milk? Nope.

She took immediate steps to register her protest. She cancelled her trip to Patna for a political rally.

I remember when I met her for the first time I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Later I realised she has the same effect on all normal person of any age or gender.

Katrina doesn’t have the enchanting aura of Hema. But they’re both blessed with an inner beauty that manifests itself outward in their day-to-day conduct.

You won’t find the lechers and louts of the film industry messing about with either Hema or Katrina. It’s that don’t-mess-with-me attitude which separated a Rakhee Gulzar from a Moushumi Chatterjee.

I’ve caught Hemaji and Katrina in their most-depressed moments when all they want is a strong guy to go home to. Not everyone is as lucky as Bipasha, Kareena and Aishwarya.

Some of the most beautiful women in the world are the loneliest. In fact, the more the beautiful, the lonelier.

Check the lambi luscious list from Madhubala and Meena Kumari to Asha Parekh, Sushmita Sen and Katrina. They’re all mistresses of solitude.

Katrina is lucky for everyone around her. But is she lucky for herself? That we’ll only know when she hits the magical 40.

If there’s a guy next to at her 40th birthday party then baby, it’s truly party-time for Katrina. Check out Katrina Kaif’s homepage (less)