Prabhu’s son is slowly but steadily making his mark. The young lad has bagged couple of meaty roles

Vikram Prabhu, the grandson of thespian Sivaji Ganesan and son of popular actor Prabhu, is brimming with confidence though he’s just one film old. The reason being that he’s bagged a couple of meaty offers.

The Kumki actor is currently shooting for Ivan Veramadhiri, directed by Saravanan of Engeyum Eppodhum fame and produced by Lingusamy.

Besides this film, he has also signed another movie, which is to be directed by a popular filmmaker. “An announcement is expected to be made shortly,” sources said.

“After a rural subject in Kumki, Vikram Prabhu is playing an urban youth in Ivan Veramadhiri. And in his third film, he will play a police officer,” sources added.

The Gunday actor has been causing his leading ladies a lot of trouble of late

If there is one actor who needs to urgently control his excitement, then it is none other than Ranveer Singh. Though the actor is a treat to watch on screen, with all the energy that he brings to the role, it is his spontaneous and over the top bursts of energy off-screen that have left his co-stars irritated.

So, be it the IIFA Awards in 2011, or his TV appearances, or even while attending movie shows, the actor is known to cause embarrassing moments, either by his loud and boisterous behaviour or by his antics and brash mannerisms. And although he does so with a ‘clean heart’, as sources close to him say, his attention seeking behaviour doesn’t always go well with his co-stars. Until now he had managed to embarrass Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor but now there’s another name in the list; Priyanka Chopra. Only recently Ranveer left Deepika red-faced at a theatre where he was making rowdy comments about the movie that they went to watch together, while Kareena, Ranveer managed to embarrass at a party where he loudly proclaimed his feelings for the actor.  And now the young actor has gone ahead and irked the pretty Priyanka Chopra!

Only recently, the actor, in a fit of overzealousness, managed to hurt his Gunday co-star Priyanka while shooting for the movie. His excitement got the better off him, and Ranveer, while performing a scene, yanked PeeCee’s hands so hard that the actor was almost in tears. A source on the sets said that, even in the earlier takes, an over-excited Ranveer completely forgot his basic manners and hurt Priyanka a couple of times. But finally, PeeCee just couldn’t take it and had to scream at Ranveer to take it easy.

Well, now what can we say! Will someone please tell Ranveer that he is not the first young actor who is good at his work! And while we all know that a little bit of craziness and goofiness is cool, but by going full retard, one can end up hurting people at times, and in Ranveer’s case, literally! Tch tch.

The author of Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses issued an official statement, as he left India in a hurry today, and also tweeted that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee ordered police to block his arrival in Kolkata

Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie left India for the UK in a rush on Friday, February 1. He emailed an official statement on why his Kolkata visit didn’t happen – thanks to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. He described the entire thing as a’ cultural Emergency’, also quoting Kamal Haasan on his Vishwaroopam controversy. But he also thanked fans for a great reception to Deepa Mehta’s adaptation of his book Midnight’s Children. The film released in India today.

Read Salman Rushdie’s full statement here:

“I arrived in Delhi on January 22nd at the invitation of the distributors of the film of my novel Midnight’s Children. The plan was to visit four cities, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai, culminating in the Mumbai premiere of the movie on January 31st.

The day before I was due to travel to Kolkata we were informed that the Kolkata police would refuse to allow me to enter the city. If I flew there, I was told, I would be put on the next plane back. I was also told that this was at the request of the Chief Minister. I remember that after the Jaipur festival last year Mamata Banerjee had said she would not allow me to enter Kolkata. It would appear that she has made good that threat.

Let me be clear. I was indeed planning to take part in a session at the Kolkata Lit Meet along with the scheduled speakers Deepa Mehta, Rahul Bose, and Ruchir Joshi. The organizers were fully aware of this, and had asked me to appear as a “surprise guest.” If they now deny this, that is dishonest. They actually paid for my plane ticket.

At any rate the police made my visit impossible. A police source actually issued full details of my proposed itinerary to the press, which flight I was to arrive on, where I would stay, when I would go to the Kolkata lit meet, on what flight I would leave. This was a clear invitation to troublemakers to do their worst and about 100 people duly turned up at the airport to oppose my arrival. I can’t help feeling that this too was a part of the authorities’ plan.

I am an OCI, an overseas citizen of India, and am proud to be one. It is a shame that this does not allow me the freedom of movement within India to which any Indian is entitled by right.

What is happening in India nowadays is an accumulating scandal and a growing disgrace to this great nation. The assaults upon the artistic and intellectual freedoms of, for example, Maqbool Fida Hussain, Rohinton Mistry, AK Ramanujan, James Laine, Deepa Mehta, Ashis Nandy, Kamal Haasan and others add up to what I have called a cultural Emergency and what Mr Hasan has called cultural terrorism. I can only hope that the people of India have the will to demand that such assaults on freedom cease once and for all.

I would like to conclude by saying that, setting this unfortunate matter aside, I have been overjoyed to bring our film of Midnight’s Children to India, and have been deeply touched and much moved by the affection, warmth and enthusiasm shown to me and my work by Indians across the country. I take this opportunity to thank them for their kind reception, and I hope to return to India as soon as good sense prevails.”

After Salman Khan decided not to launch the career of his good friend’s daughter, director Pahlaj Nihalani is doing it

Film producer Pahlaj Nihalani says he is working to give Govinda‘s daughter Narmada Ahuja aka Narmmadaa a “perfect launch” in Bollywood.

“One thing is for sure… I am definitely going to launch Narmada. She is like family and I would like to give her a proper launch. I am scripting something special for her and I assure it will be the perfect launch for her,” said Nihalani. Talks of her Bollywood debut have been going on since long and now, hopefully, Narmada will scorch the silver screen soon.

Asked what the film will be about, Nihalani said, “It is too early to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about it on record right now, (but) I shall disclose it soon.” Nihalani has earlier produced films like Shola Aur Shabnam, Andaz and Aankhen.

Salman Khan was supposed to have launched Narmada, but he chose to go with Sonakshi Sinha instead in Dabangg.

The actor’s sudden appearance at a function to tackle alcoholism among women smells like a publicity stunt

Aamir Khan, as the host of Satyamev Jayate, didn’t plug any of his movies while the show was on. But now, as the show has ended after creating the desired impact, Aamir is jumping on the social cause bandwagon to promote his films, or so it seems!

In his next film to be directed by Rajkumar Hirani titled P.K., Aamir is said to be playing an alcoholic. Earlier there were rumours that it will be the pretty Band Baaja Baraat babe Anushka Sharma who will play an alcoholic. And so, it came as a surprise to us when Aamir turned up at an event organised by Alcoholics Anonymous. Here, he was seen talking about the problem of alcoholism among women. Aamir said that since he had skipped the issue in his TV show and focused only on alcoholism among men, he will now take up the women’s issue too.

Well Aamir, we definitely appreciate your gesture, and the fact that you took time out for such issues that need to be talked about. But we just couldn’t help but comment on the timing, withP.K. being in the news and all. So, is this another sly publicity stunt? Wink wink!

The actor insists she never left the industry and that Race 2 does not signal a return for her. She also sheds light on her new role as a producer

“Comebacks are for the actresses who get married and have kids and then plan to come back. I never left this industry. I have always been here. My last film was Chatur Singh Two Star (2011). The film didn’t do well; so maybe people didn’t know about it,” said Ameesha Patel aka Amisha.

An “outsider” for Bollywood, Ameesha says politics is a part of the Hindi film industry. She had a dream debut in 2000 with Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai but Hrithik Roshan, son of filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, stole the limelight. That didn’t deter Ameesha. Kaho Naa…was a blockbuster and Ameesha also went on to win critical praise for her performance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. The successes since have been few for the actor who has also been a part of films like Humraaz, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and most recently Race 2, of course.

“I have always been a very positive person. My honesty and my positivity make me different from others. I don’t come from a film background and it is an altogether new world for an outsider,” the 37-year-old said. “Unlike other stars, I am not a part of dirty games or politics. I have always been out of it. I don’t date heroes to get films. I have survived so far on my own. Politics is everywhere – whether it is films, ad agencies, families or anything else. But I have chosen to keep myself away from these things,” added the Eonomics graduate from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

“I have never snatched any film from any actor. It is the film that has snatched me for a role. Each day when I look in the mirror, I am happy that I see a clean and honest girl,” she added.

She said she had been busy with Race 2, which she refuses to call her comeback film, as well as in making her presence in tinseltown as a a producer. It’s not easy, she said. Her banner Ameesha Patel Productions will be delivering two films, one to be directed by David Dhawan and the other by Priyadarshan. “It is a very daunting task to be a producer. As an actor you tend to take your money and walk out, but as a producer you have to bear the loss of the film as well. A huge amount of money is being invested in your name; and trust me it is a tougher job to be a producer,” she said.

Ameesha has no regrets. “My mistakes are my mistakes and my flops are my flops. I am happy with whatever I have done in my life,” added the actor, who also experienced a phase of unsuccessful films like Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, Mere Jeevan Saathi and Aap Ki Khatir.

Tigmanshu Dhulia’s forthcoming venture – the sequel to his 2011 drama Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster – looks gripping. The second edition of the film has the gorgeous Soha Ali Khan and the extremely talented Irrfan Khan!

Tigmanshu Dhulia’s 2011 film Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster was a surprise hit. The low budget flick enjoyed rave reviews and appreciation from the audiences. And now the 45-year-old director is all set with the sequel to that film titled Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns which is releasing on March 8. Going by the trailer, we can say that the drama has become much spicier with the entry of the beautiful Soha Ali Khan and the powerhouse of talent Irrfan Khan.

The promo also shows that Jimmy Shergill’s (Saheb) character is still alive and Mahie Gill (Biwi) is still craving for love which has been evading her for long. Enter Irrfan Khan aka Raja Bhaiyya in this complex and grey drama with the sole intention of destroying Jimmy Shergill. Will Irrfan succeed in his mission by plotting and scheming against the Saheb. Who will have the last laugh? We are curious to know and we are sure even you will be after watching the trailer. Take a look!

Working with stalwarts could get a tad difficult. But what was the chemistry like between the dusky lead actor of Listen…Amaya and our favourite Chashme Buddoor jodi? Read this exclusive interview with Swara Bhaskar to find out!

Writer-director of Listen…Amaya, Avinash Kumar Singh describes Swara Bhaskar as: “a hurried ball of bags and hair and noise, who stops by our table, chatters with the person I am with and runs off”. And maybe it was this first ‘real’ look that made him call Swara 45 seconds later to ask her to work as the lead in the movie that also stars Deepti Naval and Farooq Sheikh.

But what about Swara? What made her say ‘yes’ to the film even when she didn’t agree with Amaya’s character? What’s her relationship like with Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval like? And in the end, how has this one changed Swara’s life? Read on to find out…

Tell us something about your role in Listen…Amaya…

Amaya is a young, confident, urban bred girl. She is a bit of a spoilt brat, but a warm, loving and spirited personality. She is used to her mother’s undivided love and attention. She is also headstrong and possessive and has a definite opinion on everything. I joke with the writer Avinash (Kumar Singh) and his wife Geeta Singh that Amaya is actually the villain of the film.

What made you say ‘yes’ to this role?

Soon after the release of Tanu Weds Manu, Avinash got in touch with me and we met. The moment I heard that Deepti ma’am and Farooq sir were doing the film, I felt inclined to say yes. Then I read the script and liked it. I found the part of Amaya challenging and interesting. So I agreed to do it. I keep telling Avinash that he bribed me by mentioning names of Farooque sir and Deepti ma’am!

What broke the ice between you, Deepti Naval and Farooq Sheikh?

Both Deepti ma’am and Farooq sir are very warm and generous people. And they made me feel very comfortable. We met a few times for readings before the shoots and that’s when the ice broke. I really enjoyed conversations with them. With ma’am the conversations were more personal, about life and relationships. Sir is such a fund of knowledge and stories. He is so well read about literature and current affairs and food! I really enjoyed spending time with and shooting with them.

How did you prepare for the role of Amaya?

My greatest challenge when prepping for this role was to understand Amaya’s anger and bring it to life with conviction, given that I don’t theoretically agree with her position. I had to play with conviction a character I actually thought was behaving like a spoilt brat and deserved three slaps! I realised I needed to portray Amaya’s vulnerability, show that she is after all a child acting from the fear of losing her mother and the inability to let go of the memory of her father. That doesn’t make her a bad person. I hope I’ve managed to do justice to this grey character.

Did you receive any ‘gyaan’ from Deepti or Farooq?

Just watching them both at work was a big lesson for me. They are both so effortless and easy in front of the camera; their performance is so fluid yet convincing and intense. That’s a great lesson for an actor and the toughest thing to achieve in one’s performance. I would just sit and watch them do their shots. They were a great pleasure to work with. There was no pressure as such, just a lot of excitement. We would do our lines and discuss the scene, laugh and joke a lot. We even improvised quite a bit, as we were very comfortable.

Which was the most difficult scene for you in the movie?

My toughest scene was one where I had to yell at Deepti ma’am and tell Farooque sir to shut up. I had to maintain a balance between being angry and pained and also bring myself to be SO rude to these two icons! I apologised to them profusely later.

How close are you in real life to the character of Amaya?

Well, not too similar, I hope, because I keep joking with director Avinash Singh that Amaya is the villain of the film. On a more serious note, definitely every actor brings something of their own personality to the roles they play, so Amaya’s energy and vivacity I think is mine. Also, I too love books and am an occasional writer. Other than that the differences – Amaya is a fitness freak and I’m a lazy bum! And also I feel Amaya’s reaction to her mother is very different from what I hope mine would be in a similar situation.

Who do you think is the target audience for Listen…Amaya?

I think anyone who likes a good story and remembers the magic that Farooq sir and Deepti ma’am create onscreen when together. Well, definitely anyone between 20-60 years will relate to this film. In fact, I believe only the most hardened cynic will remain unmoved by it.

Has this movie changed you in any way?

I think it made me realise that often as children our love for our parents becomes very selfish. We only see them as father or mother, not as individuals with their own identity and existence outside family and kids. That’s the most profound and important lesson I learned on this film – that parents are also people!

What other projects are you working on?

This year after Listen…Amaya, I’m looking forward to the release of Aanand Rai’s Raanjhanaa in end June, and Yash Raj Film’s Aurangzeb directed by Atul Sabharwal in May. I play really interesting and totally opposite roles in both films. Later in the year will be Sabki Bajegi Band directed by Anirudhh Chawla and Machhli Jal Ki Rani Hai directed by Debaloy De. I’m keeping my fingers crossed – if all my films release, I have five releases this year!

Tell us about your journey in Bollywood. What do you aim for?

I think I’ve been very lucky and Bollywood has been very kind to me. I’ve met good people and done good work so far. My role in Tanu Weds Manu won me six nominations and the Zee Cine Award for Best Supporting Actress. I now aim to do meatier and more challenging roles of all kinds in bigger films with big stars! I hope to build a credible and diverse body of work that will remain and be remembered, and that I can be proud of.

The David actor, who made his debut with Breakaway, is also planning to turn director soon. But before that, he will work in French director Jean-François Pouliot’s comedy Doctor Cabby

Actor Vinay Virmani has signed French director Jean-François Pouliot’s new film after receiving rapturous pre-release accolades for his performance as a street musician and the youngest protagonist in David. Pouliot’s film is an oddball comedy entitled Doctor Cabby, about a young Indian doctor in New York who finds himself working as a taxi driver after his medical degree proves invalid.

Vinay co-wrote the film. “I’ve seen Indians in Canada coming to seek white-collar jobs and ending up as cabbies. It’s heartbreaking,” said the actor, who plans to don the director’s hat soon. “I give myself three years as an actor. Then I’ll direct a film. I already know what I’d make. It would be a crazy comedy,” he said.

Vinay says he grew up wanting to be associated with films, especially as his Canada-based businessman father, Ajay Virmani’s best friend is Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. “Akshay stayed in our home whenever he was in Canada. Through him and through my dad’s other friends from Bollywood, I was constantly linked to Hindi movies,” says Vinay and adds: “I can’t wait to show David to Akshay. I know he’ll be proud of me.”

Vinay was first seen in Indo-Canadian film Breakaway, based on the game of ice hockey. It was co-produced by Akshay and titled Speedy Singhs in India.

Defending his debut stoutly, Vinay said, “It was a good learning experience. It did very well in its international version and not so well when it was released as Speedy Singhs in Hindi. The release in India was ill-timed.”

In the same breath, Vinay admits that David is like his real debut. In the film, directed by Bejoy Nambiar, Vinay plays a musician whose life changes when Hindu fundamentalists kill the Christian priest who mentored him. “I don’t know how or why Bejoy Nambiar chose me for the part of one of the three protagonists. He saw the street musician in me, and my job was to live up to his vision.”

Vinay spent close to six months preparing for the role. “I lost weight. I learnt to play the guitar. There was also a guitarist on location to make sure I held the instrument properly and played the strings correctly. But that was only the warming up. My real challenge began when we started shooting David in a chawl and on the streets of Mumbai during the monsoon,” he said.

He says his life changed while shooting in the slums. “I come from a fairly privileged background. Not that I was born with a golden spoon. I was a child when my dad found his business bearings in Canada. But while shooting for David, a completely different world opened up to me. I saw from close quarters how 10 people could live in a tiny room without complaining.”

The young actor says the experience changed his life. “My director Bejoy is relentless. He doesn’t settle for anything less than the visuals in his head. All of us in the film had to push ourselves until we manifested Bejoy’s vision. I really couldn’t ask for more,” he said.

The perfectionist producer-director is back making larger than life love stories, but this time it’s for TV

It’s obviously a big thing for Sanjay Leela Bhansali to take a break from movies and do something else, but his debut TV show is nothing less than an extravagant and expensive movie.

It is confirmed that Gautam Rode, who is currently hosting Nach Baliye 5, and Jennifer Winget will be playing the main leads in SLB’s Saraswatichandra. Wethinks it’s a brilliant choice – the pairing is definitely interesting and fresh.

According to recent updates, SLB has also roped in Monica Bedi to play a grey character in the story. Monica, who is currently filming her Punjabi movie, is kicked about the big opportunity. He has also roped in model Shiny Doshi and Anirudh Singh to play the parallel leads. Shiny will be essaying Jennifer’s sister and Anirudh will be Gautam’s close friend Sunny.

The story has been inspired by novelist Govardhanram Tripathi’s 1887 book and Govind Saraiya’s 1968 movie – both by the same name. The TV show will be on similar lines, but we hope that Bhansali upgrades it to the current time period.

Well if you are curious to know the story, here it goes:

Saraswatichandra (Gautam Rode) is raised by his stepmother (Monica Bedi), who doesn’t consider him as her own. In spite of being treated like an unwanted, Saraswatichandra grows up to be a compassionate, intelligent and charming man. However, when his father decides to get him married, he does not relent to the idea. Nonetheless, his father still goes ahead with his alliance to Kumud (Jennifer Winget) who hails from an affluent family. When Saraswati hears of this, he sends a letter to Kumud – we think it will be an email in this case – explaining his predicament and calling off the alliance. But Kumud replies to his letter. And in a series of mails to each other – the inevitable happens – they fall in love.

One day, Saraswati takes off to meet the love of his life. When his stepmother learns of his actions, she poisons her husband’s mind forcing him to call off the wedding without informing his son. When Saraswati comes back, he gets another letter from Kumud informing him that she is marrying someone else.

Kumud, who is now married to Pramadh – an illiterate, unsophisticated, alcoholic, who frequents brothels, is in depression. But Saraswatichandra re-enters her life, this time as Navinchandra. He is employed by her in-laws. Was it fate or planned? Will they get back together or not? There are too many questions and very few answers.

Saraswatichandra will be aired on February 15 or 25 at 8 pm replacing Kaali – Ek Punar Avatar.

It’s not only been an emotional roller coaster ride, financially too, the actor has taken a huge hit

It’s not been an emotional turmoil alone. The multi-faceted Kamal Haasan has incurred financial strain as well. He is now looking at a humongous loss of anywhere between Rs 30 crores to Rs 60 crores due to the problems his magnum opus Vishwaroopam has been embroiled in.

The actor-director-singer, who made the movie at a budget of Rs 95 crores, has been engulfed in controversies ever since he announced the release of his ambitious project. The DTH row followed by accusations of hurting the Muslim sentiments have put the release of the film on hold. Battling courts and communities, Haasan has been having a tough time in finding one final solution to this never-ending saga.

It’s Mani Ratnam after two years and more. That is, in fact, what impacts our experience of this week’s release, Kadal. Expectations are high and you want a masterpiece; what you get is just a watchable drama

At the core of Kadal is the oft-told tale of the clash between good and evil. Set in a fishing village in southern Tamil Nadu, it pits the goodness of Father Sam, played expertly by Arvind Swamy, against the wicked and power-obsessed Bergman, played in somewhat exaggerated style by Arjun Sarja. They have a history and Bergman has a score to settle with the priest. Into the priest’s life comes Thomas, an orphan.

Living on the fringes of the conservative community, the character, played most convincingly by newcomer Gautam Karthik, is, in turn, violent and vulnerable. He finds a guide in the gentle priest and learns love and forgiveness from Beatrice, the young nurse, who has her own scarred past. Debutante Tulasi Nair is unselfconscious and endearing in this role. The story takes a dramatic twist when Father Sam is sent to prison – in a plot engineered by Bergman – and the young Thomas comes under the evil man’s influence.

Will Father Sam’s goodness remain steadfast even after his suffering, will Thomas be led into sin, will he be saved, will Bergman, who describes himself as the devil himself, be punished, who will find redemption and who will be cast into hell? These are the questions the climax, set in the midst of a raging sea, attempts to answer. But what could have been a classic denouement turns out into a clichéd fight on a boat, expertly shot though it is. This is, in fact, the most disappointing aspect of Kadal.

But it is not without its memorable moments. True, this is no Thalapathy or Kannathil Muthamittal, but there glimpses of Mani Ratnam brilliance – in the sight of a little boy cuddling up to his mother, oblivious to the fact she has died; in Father Sam going to the fisherfolk who won’t come to church and making them speak their prayers into a tape recorder; in Thomas’s silent screams as he hold the dying man who is his father and never acknowledged it.

Much of Kadal is a beautiful spectacle, thanks to Rajeev Menon’s superb camera which captures the sea in its many moods from serene to menacing. If Mani Ratnam is not quite what we remember him to be, the other maestro, AR Rahman, shows he has lost none of his magic. The songs are beautiful, particularly Moongil Thottam and Nenjukkulle, and his background score, weaving in hymnal and gospel music, elevates the film to another plane.

Rating 3/5.

The bighearted star goes a step ahead in doing his bit for cancer patients

Salman Khan has always been the good Samaritan of Bollywood among few others like Sunil Shetty and Jackie Shroff. Millions of fans and well-wishers don’t call him bhai for nothing! This time we hear that Sallu has started a medical camp for cancer patients outside his home, Galaxy Apartments in Bandra. This consultation is often done free of cost and sometimes for a paltry sum of Rs 2. Surprised no?

Our feathered friend who had been to Bandra bandstand recently chirped this news to us. He said, “Every morning, there is a long queue of people outside Salman’s home armed with medical files and papers.” Aur kyun na ho? “Salman has provided a doctor along with two bodyguards to attend to the patients. Sometimes, the charge is a measly Rs 2 and sometimes it is done free of cost.”

We also heard that for an extremely needy patient, the medical proceedings are referred directly to Salman who takes over the case. The Dabangg star has been persistently and wholeheartedly working for cancer patients for over 13 years now. BollywoodLife salutes and celebrates Salman’s endearing efforts.

Bollywood’s King Khan maintains that he is absolutely unfazed by the unbelievable attention and adulation he gets wherever he goes

Arguably the biggest superstar of the country, Shahrukh Khan is Bollywood’s incredible success story. The number of hits the 47-year old has delivered at the box office, in a career spanning over two long decades, serves testimony to SRK’s super-stardom. But surprisingly stardom means nothing to the Jab Tak Hai Jaan Actor. “It (stardom) means nothing to me. All I know is to work from morning to night. I don’t know what it (stardom) means to me. I work almost 18 hours a day. The biggest thing in life is to define the reason for your success because I don’t know it. I think you are dishonest if you explain it because I can’t pass it on to my daughter and son, nobody can,” said Shahrukh Khan in an interview to a daily.

After giving a hit this year with Yash Chopra’s romantic flick Jab Tak Hai Jaan , the hard working actor is now gearing up for Rohit Shetty’s forthcoming release Chennai Express co-starring Deepika Padukone. After tasting success with Farah Khan’s 2007 film Om Shanti Om this Jodi is all set to show its charm once gain on the big scree. We are eagerly looking forward to the release of the Rohit Shetty production. What about you SRK fans?

The star’s wife and Azad’s mom Kiran Rao also accompanied them

Bollywood star Aamir Khan began shooting for his Rajkumar Hirani’s film P.K. (also known as Peekay) on Friday, February 1. The schedule is in Rajasthan and the actor made it a point to take his wife Kiran Rao and son Azad Rao Khan along with him.

Aamir has a 45-day shooting schedule lined up in Rajasthan and so he thought he couldn’t afford to spend that long a time apart from his family. So, he decided to take Kiran and Azad along with him, said a source.

You may recall that even when Aamir was busy shooting for Yash Raj Films Dhoom:3 in Chicago, he made it a point to take Kiran Rao and Azad Rao Khan with him. He had set up a complete home for three months there as he didn’t want to be away from them.

MUST SEE: Aamir Khan’s son Azad voted cutest baby of the year: BollywoodLife Awards 2012

Salman Khan attended the premiere of Kamal Hassan’s controversial film. The Dabangg star is certainly happy with the Southern superstar’s work

Kamal Haasan is beaming with happiness. After all Bollywood’s Dabangg superstar Salman Khan found his film Vishwaroop, the Hindi version of his controversial film Vishwaroopam, on a par with international standards. “He (Salman) liked it immensely. He thinks it is of Hollywood standards. He liked everything about it,” Haasan said at a special screening of the film.

Haasan is happy with the response to the movie in north India, but still awaits a decision regarding the ban on the movie’s Tamil and Telugu version in Tamil Nadu.Kamal Haasan was in Mumbai since Jan 31 promoting Vishwaroop. The Tamil and Telugu version, Vishwaroopam, still remains banned in Tamil Nadu following protests from Muslim groups over certain scenes in the movie, which seem derogatory to their community.The versatile actor is now in Chennai and is likely to meet leaders of Muslim groups later here Saturday in a bid to lift the ban on his film.

The Dabangg actor to appeal in Bombay High court against the magistrate’s order

Two days after the Bandra magistrate court accepted the prosecution’s plea to enhance charges against Salman Khan in the 11 year old hit-and-run-case, Salman’s lawyer has decided to challenges the verdict in Bombay High court. Spelling more trouble for the Dabangg actor, the court had ordered that the 47-year-old star should be tried for a more serious charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and not death by negligence. It was said that if convicted, Salman could attract a maximum jail sentence of up to 10 years. The Bandra magistrate also committed the case to the sessions court for trial.

Petitioner Abha Singh had alleged that the police and the judiciary are working hand in glove to protect the actor, demanded an enquiry into the alleged delay in the trial. On the night of September 28, 2002, Salman’s Toyota Land Crusier, allegedly driven by him, rammed into a bakery in suburban Bandra, killing one pavement dweller sleeping outside and injuring four others.

Now Sallu has no option but to file an appeal in the Bombay high court and wait for the fresh rounds of trial!

The actor-filmmaker has agreed to edit ‘objectionable’ scenes and the controversial film will release as soon as the Tamil Nadu government withdraws its prohibitory order

After talks with Muslim groups on Saturday, Kamal Haasan has agreed to cut some scenes from his controversial film Vishwaroopam. The film will be released as soon as Tamil Nadu government withdraws its prohibitory order.

“I’ve arrived at a consensus with my Muslim brothers. We’ve agreed to cut some scenes from the film which they found to be objectionable,” Haasan, who produced the film and acted in it, told reporters in Chennai. “I’ll announce the release date of the film soon. We’ve also withdrawn our written petition and expect the same from the government,” he added.

Haasan joined the formal tripartite talks on Saturday with Muslim groups to end the ban on his mega-budget multilingual film Vishwaroopam. The talks, which were scheduled Friday, were called off because Muslim organisations wanted Haasan to be present.

On January 31, Muslim leaders had met Tamil filmmaker Ameer Sultan and Chandra Haasan, Kamal Haasan’s brother and his partner in production company Raj Kamal Films International. “We’ve submitted letters to the government requesting it to oversee talks between Raj Kamal Films International and (Muslim) leaders,” Chandra Haasan said Thursday.

The preliminary talks between both parties Friday were moderated by Tamil Nadu Home Secretary R Rajagopal. Both sides agreed to meet after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said her government would help Haasan release the film if he reaches a pact with the protestors.

The Rs 95-crore espionage thriller was set for release in Tamil and Telugu on January 25, but a day earlier the Tamil Nadu government imposed a two-week ban on it fearing protests by Muslim groups.

The film’s Hindi version released on Februay 1 across the country. READ VISHWAROOPAM REVIEW!

Take a look at the first four days of shooting of this 1983 remake

Himmatwala starring Ajay Devgn and south star Tamannaah is all wrapped up and set to release on March 29. But we got a sneak peek into the first four days of the film’s shooting and cracked up seeing Ajay battle the mosquitoes to get his shots right.

Director Sajid Khan never does a retake of his mahurat shot and so the leading man Ajay had to get it right in the first take. The mosquitoes kept disturbing Ajay during rehearsals and he warned Sajid that they could wreck his mahurat shot. But in the end, everything went off well as Ajay got his lines right and the mosquitoes stayed out of the shot. But the mosquitoes continued to mingle with the cast and crew for several more days to come.

We loved what Ajay said to Sajid after the first shot though. “Is it loud enough for you?” he asks. If this one scene was so loud and over the top, we wonder how the entire film will be! And how will we sit through this shrill movie? Guess we’ll have to get busy spotting the mosquitoes on the screen!

Watch the video and tell us if you are looking forward to this Himmatwala remake.

On her birthday, we look at some of the most entertaining moments in the motor mouth babe’s career

Born on February 3, 1980, Rakhi Sawant has been bestowed by tons of names including loud, crass, uncouth, motor mouth, drama queen etc, but none of that has stopped the firecracker of a babe from being any less entertaining. And today, as she enters the 34th year of her life, we look back at some of the most entertaining gimmicks Rakhi has been a party to!

Rakhi-Mika kissing scandal! The brash singer, equally, if not more than Rakhi took a well calculated risk, it seems, when he forcefully kissed Rakhi square on the mouth in view of the Indian news media. The act literally gave birth a new lexicon “publicity by controversy” in B-town and made Rakhi, who was only a few item numbers famous, a household name!

Not marrying her husband-to-be after the Swayamvar! In a first of its kind, brave new reality show, Rakhi Sawant was to marry the man of her dreams after a heavily publicised search for the brave guy. And her search was successful too, as she zeroed in on a balding but ‘classy’ businessman from Canada, Elesh Parujanwala. Yet Rakhi got ‘cold feet’ at the last moment and ended up only engaging him on TV. And when the duo couldn’t score another reality show that would dwell on their newly engaged status, Rakhi dumped him and geared up to cook another little storm for the cameras!

Contestant Laxman Singh Aharwar death! Stunts that are done for mere cheap entertainment value can end up hurting people deeply, was the lesson that Rakhi hopefully walked away with when a contestant actually died after her show. The Jhansi resident Laxman Singh Ahrawar committed suicide after being allegedly insulted on her vigilante show Rakhi ka Insaaf for being impotent, where Rakhi would regularly called upon erring individuals who were made to bear the brunt of her fiery tongue. A case was registered against her and the channel was held responsible along with Rakhi for his death.

Baba Ramdev’s virginity! This one must have been a sure shot shocker for babaji who himself holds similar entertaining yet controversial views. After Baba Ramdev dismissed her marriage proposal to him as indecent, Rakhi challenged the baba to participate in the reality show Bigg Boss, where she said she would cause him to ‘lose his virginity!’ Well, there was no retort from the god man as he nursed his hurt pride, while Rakhi cemented her position as a firebrand entertaining motor mouth!

Slapping the boyfriend! Rakhi placed a few well deserved slaps on boyfriend Abhishek Awasthi’s rosy cheeks after he tuned up on Valentine’s Day with a bunch of roses. And though the incident reeked of a publicity stunt, it was laugh out loud fun to see the make-believe lovers’ tiff, and notice the coy smile on Rakhi’s face after news channels turned up to record the incident. Also, in the video where Mika kisses Rakhi, Abhishek can be seen cheering him on! Now we really wish that she would have slapped him harder!

Boob-job woes! The babe uttered the infamous words that truly made us term senseless yet practical humour to be branded as Rakhi Sawant humour. On an episode on Koffee with Karan, Rakhi confessed to getting a boob-job done where she remarked, “Jo Bhagwan nahi deta, woh doctor deta hai!” Well, we couldn’t agree more while we were in splits on our couches!