No cursory greeting. No smiles. Not a single word exchanged. Rather, no contact, at all.
Reportedly, Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan were filming at the famed Mehboob Studios in Mumbai at the same time. And the air was tense with the probable outcome of fireworks, if the unpredictable Khan and his former flame did manage to come face to face!
Khan was facing the arc lights for his home production 'Dabanng', while Kat was beaming away at a photo shoot for Zoya Akhtar's 'Running With The Bulls' starring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol.
The staff members posted right outside their respective vanity vans took express care to see that the eventuality did not arise by alerting each about the other's movements, from time to time.
Says a close source, "The two ex lovers kept a very safe distance from one another. At an earlier time, Salman had dropped in to chat with Hrithik in his van when he was shooting for 'Guzaarish' in the same premises. But this time, Duggu also did not come to meet Salman or vice versa. Everyone completed their work and left immediately after pack up was announced."
South superstar Suriya who greenlights Hindi cinebiz with Ram Gopal Varma's 'Rakta Charitra' has now donned the mantle of a producer for a trilingual together with his mentor RGV.
The flick, though, will be helmed by ace South director Puri Jagannath.
Says a close source, "Suriya is very excited about making his Hindi debut. After achieving a top position in the South, Suriya is all keen on establishing himself in Hindi cinema too. The film will have an urban Mumbai theme and the film is expected to go on the floors by October."
Incidentally, Suriya enacts Suri in 'Rakta Charitra', the man who killed political leader Paritala Ravi, and is currently lodged in Anantpur jail.
Demi Moore, Claudia Schiffer, Britney Spears and saucy Hollwood mommies might love showing off their swollen preggie bellies to assorted periodicals. B town beauties, however, beg to differ drastically.
Case in point: Kajol. Ajay Devgn's spouse, a few months into her second pregnancy, is doing her best to hide all tell tale signs of a baby bump in front of the camera.
Recently, the busiest mother to be, who endorses a famed anti ageing cream was canning for the ad commercial at Mehboob Studios in suburban Mumbai.
Looking stunning in a black ensemble, munching biscuits and sipping fruit juices to beat the soaring Celsius, Kajol was keen that only close up shots of hers be taken, as long shots would clearly indicate the baby bump.
Says a close source, "Kajol was accompanied by her mother Tanuja. She politely told the team to only take close up shots."
A humble boy from Kerala goes on to make the right sounds… hah, quite literally… and soars to the global spotlight, winning an Oscar, no less!
Resul Pookutty, Academy award winner for 'Slumdog Millionaire' ('Best Sound Mixing'), earned collective media hype as 'Shabdathapadham' (meaning 'in the way of the sound track'), his autobiography in Malayalam, penned by Baiju Natarjan, was released by His Excellency Shri K. Sankaranarayanan, Governor of Maharashtra, at a scintillating event convened at a famed five star hotel in Mumbai.
The 'Mozart of Madras', A R Rahman bagged the privilege of receiving the premier copy from the hands of the Governor, even as eminent lyricist Gulzar looked on fondly.
The autobio, running into 53 chapters, traces Resul's journey from his early childhood days in the pristine surroundings of Kerala, studying under the lights of kerosene lamps in a remote hamlet, to studying law and ending up at the Film and Television Institute of India. Besides, the book also delves into the realms of cinema and sound, and spotlights his encounters with the legends of cinema.
Expectedly, it also looks at the one event that changed Resul's life forever. The glittering Oscar night at the Kodak theatre in Los Angeles and the mounting euphoria that it set off..
Says Pookutty, "I'm not sure whether this is an autobiography, travelogue, reference book or something else. For me, it is the journey of an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary situations."
Incidentally, this is the first time that an Oscar award winner in India has unveiled his autobiography, and it's English version is on the anvil too.
Besides, Resul Pookutty is all set to kickstart an author signing tour in Kerala, a unique happening and a first for any book published in Malayalam.
The Katrina Kaif lookalike, had earlier generated a buzz when she'd rescued and adopted a stray cat… and walked to a prominent 'dargah' in Mumbai everyday till her kool Kat, sorry, cat, was all hale and purring away, like there was no t'row!
Well, her little act of goodnesss caught the right pair of eyeballs. And the do gooders of PETA (People For Ethical Treatment of Animals) have decided to reward Ms. Khan.
ZK will soon be conferred with the 'Hero To Animals' award, in addition to a framed certificate. Meooooowwwwwww…. to that.
It's a black slur against his shiny, sorry, Shiney name. Embroiled in a legal case for allegedly raping his maid and barred from entry to Mumbai, Shiney Ahuja was confined to New Delhi… and was possibly readying to be a brilliant has been.
And yet… there seems to be light at the end of his dark tunnel. Ahuja has been pencilled in for a project, a horror flick to be produced by Puja Bedi, niece of Bobby Bedi (producer of 'Bandit Queen').
The premier venture signed by Ahuja, after his prison stay and subsequent jailing, will have Sayali Bhagat as his female lead. Canning of the flick is likely to commence shortly at Lavasa, near Pune. Incidentally, the Ahuja movie is titled 'Shunya', meaning 'zero'.
Asin and Dhoni are becoming thick friends by the day. Now, the latest incident to prove this fact is Dhoni's recent visit to the actresses place in Mumbai.
According to well placed sources, Dhoni paid a visit to Asin's Mumbai home to catch one of the semi finals of the IPL recently. When the society members saw Dhoni entering the premises, there was a lot of commotion in the beginning as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the cricket superstar.
It must be mentioned that the bond between Dhoni and Asin is getting stronger by the day. Rumours about a romantic involvement between the two is also doing the rounds. Dhoni and Asin are the brand ambassadors of a common product and the bonding surely is here to stay.
Over the last month, millions of Youngistaanis have played 'Pepsi The Game' using their mental smarts to come closer to winning Rs. 50 lacs. They experienced the fun and excitement of Pepsi's engaging adver-gaming TV concept; and were entertained by the awesome trio of Sanjay Dutt, Ranbir Kapoor and Jacqueline Fernandez. 22-year-old, Maria Islam from Mumbai was announced the winner of 'Pepsi The Game' and the grand prize of Rs. 50 lacs by Youngistaan's heartthrob, Ranbir Kapoor, right before the finale of the ongoing cricket tournament.
Pepsi The Game brought to life the fun of gaming through TV advertising throughout this cricket season. Set in a fantasy world, all the action took place in a castle owned by the 'Game Master' played by Sanjay Dutt who challenged Youngistaani, Ranbir to get a bottle of Pepsi from his lair.
'The Game' was played over five films with three levels, each ending with a brainteaser. As Ranbir came closer to his Pepsi, over 5 million responses poured in from viewers nationwide to help him. Over 1.2 lac Youngistaanis cleared all three levels with Ranbir and got an opportunity to win Rs. 50 lacs by taking the final tie breaker slogan challenge. Ranbir along with a panel of judges chose the final winner who had the most quirky and WOW answer.
The final question that was posed to those who cleared all three levels was, "Ad mein Ranbir, Game Master se jeetne ke baad kehta hai, 'Pepsi bhi gayi, sexy bhi gayi'. Agar aap Ranbir ki jagah hote toh Game Master ko haraane ke baad kya kehte?"
Maria's winning answer that WOWed Ranbir and the other judges was, "Loser Game Master... You gotta think faster... Aur bhi koi chunauti (challenge) ho to le AAO, par tab tak kehte raho...YOUNGISTAN KA WOW!!!"
Speaking about 'Pepsi The Game', Sandeep Singh Arora, Executive Vice-President (Colas), Marketing, PepsiCo India said, "With 'The Game', Pepsi for the first time combined the fun of gaming with TV advertising. We received a phenomenal response to the campaign, with over 5-million entries from over 2-million Youngistaanis in less than a month. Pepsi The Game has been one of the most successful consumer led initiatives this season owing to terrific reaction the campaign has generated."
"I am extremely excited as I have not only won Rs. 50 lacs but also got to meet Youngistaan's icon, Ranbir Kapoor. I really enjoyed playing each level of The Game and believe that I have shown Youngistaan Ka WOW to my friends and family who all are very happy for me", said Maria.
Ranbir Kapoor, Pepsi's brand ambassador, said, "The Game by Pepsi is a rocking concept and we were confident from the beginning that it would connect instantly with the Youngistaanis. I am delighted with the response and am already looking forward to what's next for me and the rest of the Youngistaan from Pepsi".
Volcanic ash clouds paved the way for the saucy gal… as a determined Jiah Khan, made her way into Mumbai as part of the promotional campaign for the howlarious 'Housefull'.
Earlier, the actress had landed up almost every single day at London's Heathrow airport… only to be sent back owing to the irksome ash clouds.
Dame Destiny smiled… and Jiah beamed as she told an eager media, "I'm glad that I could make it before the release."
Karan Johar had always wanted to be a fashion designer and he had even contemplated studying it before his friends got him back to Mumbai and films. But the bug to design never left him and he continued to design Shah Rukh Khan's clothes in many films.
Recently, the producer-director launched his own line of clothes with a friend, Varun Behl. 'We decided to come up with a men's line because we believe their fashion has been ignored as the focus has always been on women's wear,' says Karan.
He also praised Varun and said he shares his ideas. 'I have always been interested in fashion and even contemplated being a fashion designer at one point of time. So we put together my passion and his sense of fashion to come up with our new line,' adds Karan. The line of clothes is named after Karan and Varun. That's surely a dream come true for Karan.
Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.
Do you want to talk to Amitabh Bachchan? Well, you may get an opportunity to do so as the Bollywood megastar is going to call up his fans through vogging or voice blogging.
The 67-year-old will call back those who grab his attention with their feedback or questions through a new talk-back feature on his blog - Bachchan Bol, launched a week ago.
Fans can leave their messages, opinions, feedback or suggestions by calling Bachchan Bol on 505678910 and tapping into the 'talkback mechanism'. Amitabh will listen in and comment on his favourite messages and play it out to the nation.
'The talk-back feature on Bachchan Bol makes it truly the first of its kind interactive service where consumers can leave their messages, feedback and anything they want to talk to Mr. Bachchan about... Mr. Bachchan will call back a select few people that grab his attention with their messages for him,' Rahul Merchant, director operations-Asia, Inside India Ltd, told IANS over e-mail from Mumbai.
'The same will be played back onto the portal for others,' he added.
The talk-back feature has earned wide interest from the actor's fans. A lady, who dropped in a message for Big B, claims to have married her husband only because his voice was similar to the megastar.
Sibling time for Nysa? Yeah, squeal industry insiders. Reportedly, Kajol is in the family way, and Ajay Devgn is thrilled to smithereens. Nosy parker scribes who often enquire about a new addition to the Devgn family have met with a consistent response from the actor, that he would be more than willing, if Providence wills it.
Kajol has wrapped up her histrionic bit for Siddharth Malhotra's Hindi version of 'Stepmom'. Besides, she's also completed a major chunk of the canning of 'Toonpur Ka Superhero'.
Devgn, back in Mumbai after a three month gap owing to his outdoor filming schedules, is only inclined to film scenes in and around Mumbai.
Nysa will turn seven on April 20 and the Devgns are known to give top priority to their cutie daughter, above all matters.
She looked luscious when she emerged on the Malshej Ghat sets of 'Tees Maar Khan'. Katrina Kaif had barely greeted leading male Akshay Kumar and director Farah Khan… when she slumped to the ground and passed out!!
A stunned Khan and Kumar panicked; chaos reigned for a good three hours, even as Kumar arranged for a Mumbai doctor to be flown in to Kat's aid.
Citing over exhaustion and lack of sleep as the major causes of her swooning, an ill Kat was advised bed rest. Kat vehemently protested and… resumed canning the important sequence in the latter part of the day!
Salman Khan will showcase and… show off his pedal power. The Mumbai cyclothon – the Tour de Mumbai cycle race promoted by Being Human the Salman Khan Foundation, aims to promote the practice of cycling in the megapolis.
Khan will cycle to success, though, he does not intend to cover the entire distance chalked out. Apart from amateur and professional cyclists, cycling enthusiasts, professionals, housewives and school children too are expected to join forces with Khan's starry riding
The possessor of several professional bikes, Khan is famed for cycling away to shootings when confronted with a traffic bottleneck.
"Cycling gives me a kick," he asserts in a media chat. "It prevents pollution and it's a good form of cardio exercise. Almost anybody can afford a cycle. For the first three to four days, your butt may get sore, but don't give up."
Enthused by the huge public response, Mumbai theatre owners pushed aside their fears of belligerent Shiv Sainiks to screen Shah Rukh Khan's 'My Name is Khan' Saturday, a day after only a handful of halls released the film.
On Friday, only 13 theatres had released the film, including six multiplexes and four single-screen halls. The movie was originally set to be released in 63 theatres.
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh's wife Gauri Khan is visiting two theatres in the city Saturday to speak to fans.
According to reports, Gauri is to visit the Imax theatres at Wadala, near Bandra, and the Metro theatre downtown.
No untoward situation was reported from theatres screening the film on Saturday, police said.
On Friday, thousands had thronged cinema halls to see 'My Name is Khan', giving the thumbs down to the Shiv Sena that called for its boycott to protest the Bollywood megastar's advocacy of Pakistani cricketers.
To prove a point, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil and Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe had purchased tickets and watched the movie at INOX cinema in south Mumbai.
Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'My name is Khan' has opened in all theatres in Mumbai, Pune and across Maharashtra, a spokesperson of director Karan Johar said Saturday.
'All centres in Mumbai, Pune and Maharashra have opened 'My Name is Khan',' the spokesperson told IANS.
Meanwhile, Karan Johar, who is attending the Berlin Film Festival where his film had a red-carpet premiere Friday, said in an SMS: 'I truly wish I was home on the day of our release... I am overwhelmed with all the feedback... I have never received so much love on any film before.'
On Friday, only 13 theatres in the city had released the film, including six multiplexes and four single-screen halls. The movie was originally set to be released in 63 theatres.
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh's wife Gauri Khan is visiting two theatres in the city Saturday to speak to fans.
According to reports, Gauri is to visit the Imax theatres at Wadala, near Bandra, and the Metro theatre downtown.
No untoward situation was reported from theatres screening the film on Saturday, police said.
On Friday, thousands had thronged cinema halls to see 'My Name is Khan', giving the thumbs down to the Shiv Sena that called for its boycott to protest the Bollywood megastar's advocacy of Pakistani cricketers.
To prove a point, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil and Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe had purchased tickets and watched the movie at INOX cinema in south Mumbai.
Many of Shah Rukh Khan's fans in Mumbai vowed Saturday to watch 'My Name is Khan', saying the superstar hadn't make any mistake by remarking against the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
'We were always with him. No one should have pointed a finger at Shah Rukh Khan who has given so much to Mumbai and is a big Bollywood star. I have seen his movies since childhood and I am planning to go to watch this one as well. All I want to say is that he didn't do anything wrong,' Shaukat Ali, 36, a bag vendor in Bandra, told IANS.
The Shiv Sena had opposed the release of 'My Name Is Khan' after Shah Rukh refused to apologise for saying Pakistani cricketers should have been included in this year's IPL.
Despite Sena activists vandalising several theatres in Mumbai that were to screen 'My Name Is Khan', fans of 'King Khan' thronged cinema halls where the film released Friday.
But there were certain areas where the movie wasn't shown, leaving his fans disappointed.
'On Friday, there was adequate security in the Navi Mumbai theatres and the crowd was there to watch the movie, yet it was not screened. Hope to watch it this weekend,' said Apar Mathur, 23, a medical intern.
'I am not sure whether it is being screened yet but I am very keen to watch it,' he added.
Ketaki Mishra, a resident, pointed out that the format of IPL matches was such that players from all countries were allowed to participate in it and what Shah Rukh said about the inclusion of Pakistani cricketers made sense.
'Frankly speaking, what Shah Rukh Khan had said didn't call for such ruckus and controversies. It was a generic statement and the issue has been blown out of proportion. He didn't say anything wrong or make any mistake. Why such a big fuss?' she asked.
Shopkeeper Aayaz Khan said: 'I am a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. I will watch the movie next week.'
In school, he yearned for a cycle and in college he hankered after a bike. Both requests, sadly, were struck down by mom Neetu Kapoor. A Kapoor insider states, "Neetu did not want him to ride a two wheeler on the crowded streets of Mumbai."
Presently, though, he's pedalling to success, since RK did manage to purchase a "high tech bicycle of foreign make", and apparently, he had a blast riding it before he zoomed off to the US for the shoot of 'Anjaana Anjaani'.
Incidentally, Kapoor Jr is also the proud possessor of a Segway bike, his other obsession. "He's very finicky about his bike's maintainence and he's thrilled taking his cycle rides at Bandra (Mumbai)," reveals mamma Neetu Kapoor in a tabloid chat." I guess it's good exercise for him too."
The music of Vivek Oberoi-starrer 'Prince' is set to release on Valentine's Day Sunday and the producers of the film have planned a big surprise to mark the event.
'Innovation has always been a key for Tips Industries and with this film too we hope to change some rules of the game,' says producer Kumar Taurani.
The music launch will be attended by Vivek in Oberoi Mall, Mumbai, and is open to public.
Gauri Khan is doing what she does best -- managing the home turf for husband and Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan.
While Khan is attending the Berlin Film Festival, where his movie 'My Name is Khan' received a red carpet premiere Friday, Gauri was out Saturday thanking Mumbaikars for the overwhelming response to the film.
'I think the best way would be to say 'Jai Maharashtra'. We love Mumbai and Shah Rukh is really excited and will be coming to the cinemas tomorrow along with (director) Karan (Johar),' Gauri, with daughter Suhana in tow, told reporters at the Inox theater here.
The movie generated quite a controversy after the Shiv Sena called for its boycott to protest Khan's advocacy of Pakistani cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
'I thank all fans on behalf of Shah Rukh and Karan,' Gauri, who is the co-producer of the movie, added.
'MNIK' was screened in all theatres in Mumbai, Pune and across Maharashtra Saturday.
On Friday, only 13 theatres in the city, including six multiplexes and four single-screen halls, had released the film. The movie was originally set to be released in 63 theatres.
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