Wednesday 31 December 2008

Rani Mukherjee

Mukerji comes from a film-oriented family of Bengali origin. Her father Ram Mukherjee is a retired director and one of the founders of 'Filmalaya Studios'. Her mother Krishna was a playback singer. Her brother Raja Mukherjee is a film producer, now turned director. Her maternal aunt, Debashree Roy, was a Bengali-film actress and her cousin Kajol is a Bollywood actress. Mukerji is a trained Odissi dancer, and began learning the dance in tenth grade. Mukerji studied at Maneckjee Cooper High School in Juhu, and later enrolled at Mithibai College in Mumbai.
While in school at the age of 14, Mukerji did a cameo role in her father's Bengali film Biyar Phool (1992). In 1994, Salim Akhtar, a family friend, offered her a film called Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1994) but her father was against it as she was too young. Mukerji turned down the offer and Urmila Matondkar was cast instead. Two years later, Salim Akhtar came up with another offer and insisted on her playing the protagonist of Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat (1997). After a long discussion with her father, she agreed to do the film. When the film was unsuccessful at the box office, Mukerji returned to college to complete her education.
She changed the English transliteration of her surname from Mukherjee to Mukerji several years ago. At the time, it was reported that she did this for numerological reasons. Recently, she has claimed that numerology was not a concern; her name had been put down as Mukerji on her passport, and she wished to harmonize her name and her passport. She is the first actor to ever win both the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress trophies in a single year (2005) at the Filmfare.
Two movies in which she appeared have been India's entry to the Academy Awards. Paheli (2005) was the official entry for the 2006 Oscars. Hey Ram (2000) was an earlier entry. Appeared at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi.
Besides acting in films, she also does many charity appearances for noble causes. Her most noteworthy show was Temptations 2005 where she performed in New Delhi. The event provided the opportunity to raise funds for National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights group. Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra were also amongst the many who contributed to this cause.
Tags:- bollywood-black-beauty-rani-mukherjee, without-bra-rani-mukherjee, sweet-rani, sexy-rani-mukherjee

Tuesday 30 December 2008

The New Year eve plans of Bollywood stars

With 2009 just around the corner, Bollywood stars are headed to different destinations to usher in the New Year.

Since the mood in Mumbai is pretty glum after the November 26 terror attacks, most of the New Year performances in the city have been canceled. Moreover, even the stars who would normally stay put in Mumbai on Dec 31 are headed to exotic locales.

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are on their way for a chilled out vacation in the Swiss Alps. Hope there are no bhel puri restaurants there to give Saif the stomach cramps.

Akshay Kumar is already on a holiday with wife Twinkle Khanna , son Aarav and Dimple Kapadia and his mom Aruna. For them, the celebrations began on Dec 29 with Twinkle’s birthday and will continue till the January 1.

Shilpa Shetty is on a vacation with her beau Raj Kundra in Spain. Alongside the duo are their respective families.

Salman Khan along with his brothers is in Goa for the New Years. The celebrations, low-key this year, began in the Khan household from Salman’s birthday on Dec 27 and will continue well into the first few days of January.

Katrina Kaif has been in London for the Christmas reunion with her family and is expected to join Salman on 31st evening.

Malaika Arora would be performing on stage at a hotel in Singapore, while Celina Jaitley will perform at the New Year bash at City Pavilion in London.

Arjun Rampal , Farhan Akhtar , Ritesh Sidhwani and the rest of Rock On gang is headed to Dubai. They initially planned an outing in Goa but changed the plan after the government canceled outdoor parties.

Shahrukh Khan is in Los Angeles to shoot Karan Johar’s film My Name Is Khan . He, Gauri and the kids are likely to fly to Uganda for a brief holiday.

Kajol and Ajay Devgan have left for their farmhouse in Karjat. They are expected back on Jan 2 after which Kajol would fly to the US to shoot with SRK.

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu will most likely head to Goa. Looks like they don’t mind if there aren’t any outdoor parties.

'Bollywood 2009" predicts numerologist Niraj Mancchanda

Numeroloigst Niraj Mancchanda gives us his predictions for some of the biggest stars in Bollywood for 2009 including Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan. According to Niraj, 2009 is going to be Aamir's year! Read on to find out what is in store for your favorite stars!

Hrithik Roshan will be loved in Kites. First three days of the movie's opening will be phenomenal. Hrithik should consider adding the letter 'c' in his name so it spells Hrithick Roshan. This will help him avoid accidents and injuries. His name presently comes to number 43, same as Amitabh Bachchan and we all know that Big B has also had health issues.

Niraj goes on to say that Harman Baweja will be appreciated in Victory, Abhishek Bachchan will be loved in Delhi 6 and Ranbir Kapoor's first hit movie will likely be Rajniti. Apart from these three films, their other releases are not expected to do so well at the box office. He recommends that Harman spell his name as Harrmann Bawejaa. However, if he has decided to stick to the original spelling, and added S in middle (S for Singh, as he is Sikh) Harman S Baweja, this will help him succeed to some extent. As for the other two, Abhishek should use his father's initial and be Abhishek A Bachchan and Ranbir should spell his name as Raanbir or Raanbier Kapoor which should come as good luck in their career growth. If they decide to stick to their original spellings, their career could always be cyclic with huge variables of more flops than hits.

Shah Rukh Khan has two films in 2009 (Billoo Barber and My Name Is Khan).It's a money making year for Shah Rukh as 2009=11=1+1=2 and his number is also 2.

Salman Khan is not going through a good phase as many of his films bombed at the box office in 2008 and many more are expected to in the coming year. He should get the titles of his films strong according to their numerological values. As it is now, most of the titles of his films releasing in 2009 come to unlucky numbers. Katrina Kaif is a very lucky girl for others. However, her string of flops have begun from Yuvvraaj and she will have many more in 2009. Katrina's luck will not be able to neutralise Salman's low phase in 2009.

Kareena Kapoor's number is 3. In 2009, she will have 2 hit movies (3 Idiots and Kambakkth Ishq) but will not get much credit for these films like she got for Jab We Met. Aamir Khan will likely take away all the credit for 3 Idiots and many others will be mentioned for Kambakkth Ishq. It's a good year for her as far as success is concerned but not credit. For the credit, she will have to wait for 2010. If Kareena decides to spell her name as Karrinaa Kapoor, it will make her number 42 (same as Shah Rukh) and this should give her enough luck to churn out ten more Jab We Mets, in terms of success and full credit on her shoulders.

Akshay Kumar's destiny number is 5 which is derived by adding the full date of birth. He turned 41 and so the number 5 has been activated again. His luck has now become cyclic. At this age, he had a hit Welcome and then a flop Tashan and then Singh is Kinng did huge business but entailed losses to many distributors in India due to its high Cost. His next, Chandni Chowk to China, will open well but again, due to its cost, it will entail losses to Warner Brothers or at maximum, manage to recoupe its cost. His only hit in 2009 will be Kambakkth Ishq, which has the same number numerologically as Maine Pyar Kiya and numerologically titled by me. The entire credit for the film's success will go to the lucky producer Sajid Nadiadwala, director Sabbir Khan and Sylester Stallone, and not surprisingly, Aanuu Mallik is expected to start a new cycle, which will take his career to another level. Furthermore, the 100 Crore Blue will be released, which comes to same numerological number as Dil Se, so I do not even have to say its box office merit. According to numbers, he will have many flops after Blue but in 2010, Akshay will once again bounce back to giving many hits but his rollercoaster of hits and flops will continue.

2009 belongs to Aamir Khan. 3 Idiots comes to the same number as Devdas; his wife Kiran's movie Dhobi Ghaat comes to number of Maine Pyar Kiya and his other home production, Delhi Belly which stars his nephew Imran Khan, comes to the same number as Chak De India. Aamir is born on 14/03/1965 = 1+4+3+1+9+6+5 = 29 = 2+9 = 11 = 1+1 = 2 which is his destiny number. Year 2009 is also number 2 and Aamir also completes 20 years of his career as an actor. Therefore, number 2 (his destiny number) will make it the biggest year of his career!

It will be interesting to see how close his predictions come and we do wish luck to the all the unlucky numbered stars of 2009!

Lara leaves SRK's party, Dino follows her

There was a time when Lara Dutta and Dino Morea used to see each other. The old lovers again happened to cross one another's road at Shahrukh Khan's bash. Shahrukh and Gauri had thrown a party at Mannat, last week. Present on the occasion was Dino Morea and his ex beau Lara Dutta. When Lara saw Dino getting closer to designer Nandita Mahtani, she left the party and Dino followed her.

A source present at the event reveals, "Lara, Dino, Preity, Ness, and Nandita were all seen having a conversation. Later, Preity and Ness started mingling with other guests and the trio was left to themselves. Dino and Nandita were in the chatty mode, and were seen joking and laughing. It was obvious that Lara wasn't too comfortable with her beau's ex around."

Apparently at one point, Lara saw Nandita sitting on Dino's lap and she lost her patience and left the party. On seeing her leave, Morea too excused himself and followed her. A source close to the couple admits, "Yes, they had a tiff over Nandy but they talked and things are fine now."

Kangana Ranaut

Kangana was born in the Hindi-speaking Ranaut family on 20 March 1987 in Bhambla, near Manali, which is in the Mandi district in the State of Himachal Pradesh, India. Her dad's name is Amardeep, who is a businessman and contractor, her mom, Asha, is a school-teacher. She has two sisters, eldest one is Rangoli, and she has a brother, Akshit, who is about a year younger than her. Her grandfather was an IAS Officer. Kangana spent her childhood in Dehra Dun and studied in DAV's High School where she participated in many debates, Elocutions, and was a basket-ball player.
After completing her schooling, she attended Science College in Simla. She was enrolled in the Elite School of Modeling, and also tried some theater acting in Delhi and was a member of the Smita Theater Group under Arvind Gaur. She is also a trained Kathak dancer, and is learning to sing from Amitabh Chakraborty.
She decided to re-locate to Bombay, and lived in a flat in Yari Road, Versova. Her attempts at acting in Bollywood movies were unsuccessful. Then during September 2005, she was spotted drinking coffee in a café by Film-maker Anurag Basu, who approached her, and eventually signed her up for a lead role in 'Gangster' which was released during the year 2006. Since then Kangana has appeared in a total of five movies, including 'Dhaam Dhoom' in Tamil.
Tags:- sexy-bomb-kangana-ranaut, sweet-sexy-kangana-ranaut, fashion-queen-kangana-ranaut, bikini-girl-kangana-ranaut

Monday 29 December 2008

Aamir Khan silences critics

Aamir Khan leaves no stone unturned. Not even loose ends when some critics decide to poke holes (blasphemy, he’s the ‘perfectionist’) in his newest release Ghajini, he decides to take them on .

So it was pleasant, but not a surprise, when he decided to confront the ‘critic’ himself. On ZOOM’s acerbic show, Face The Review hosted by trade analyst Komal Nahta, AK decided to confront the reviewer by replying to every charge.

But with the film breaking every concievable box-office record on its opening weekend itself, grossing four times larger than any previous release, he didn’t need to say anything in defense. Just smile enigmatically, like he does. Aamir loved the concept of the show as he could interact with his ‘first day first show’ audiences. So catch Aamir as he gets candid and answers all on Face the Review on Zoom tonight at 7.30 pm and tomorrow at 2.30 pm.

Salman parties with Asin and Mallika while Kat's away!

Salman Khan's birthday (December 27) party at his Panvel farmhouse was a low key affair.

It had a gathering of the usual close friends and family except for the presence of Mallika Sherawat, Asin: Salman's London Dreams' leading lady and his Veer heroine Zarine Khan.

Salman certainly didn't seem to be missing girlfriend Katrina Kaif who is visiting family in London for Christmas.

But Sallu couldn't have had it better three gorgeous women vying for his attention at his birthday party.

A source present at the party says, "This time the Khan family had decided that Salman's birthday would be low key compared to his usual rollicking ones as the city is still under the cloud of the 26/11 terrorist attacks.

The birthday boy was heard telling his friends that he would not be inviting many people and yet more than a 100 guests turned up."

Some of Salman's guests included Adnan Sami, Anil Sharma, Aalim, Sajid Nadiadwala, David Dhawan, Ramesh Taurani, Vijay Galani amongst others.

The source adds, "Some stayed back at his sprawling farmhouse while the rest drove back home early yesterday morning.

Salman's mom had whipped up some 15 dishes including mutton paya and biryani and all the guests had a feast. The Khans are known for their superb hospitability."

The source says Salman broke one of his golden rules this time before his birthday. "Bhai never shoots after December 20 and takes a break till New Year but when his Veer director Anil Sharma told him the film wasn't complete, the actor cancelled his holiday plans and stayed back to complete the shot. He has done this for the first time in years."

Akshay signed CC2C after seeing the film's poster

There is a story that goes behind Akshay giving a Thumbs Up to CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA. Though in principal, he was pretty much on board vis–a–vis doing the film, the clincher came in the form of the specially designed poster of the film that did the trick.

Confirms Rohan Sippy, 'Shridhar (Raghavan) – the writer and I were so clear that Akshay was the only choice for the part. We were so keen to have him on board that we actually created a poster with him in it to give him a feel for the film. I think the poster bowled him over so much that he wanted to sign on right away. In fact it is the same concept that we have used in the teaser poster of the film!'

Even otherwise, the story of the bumbling Sidhu, whose journey to China gives him an identity, a chance to believe in himself and save a village resonated somewhere with Akshay that made him even more keen to essay the part of Sidhu.

'I don't think we could have envisioned any other actor in the role of Sidhu. Akshay has breathed life into this role. People will feel sympathy when he is a fumbling Sidhu and will cheer when he beats up the bad guys. There are very few actors who can convince the audience to accept them as a simpleton and as a Kung Fu expert within the same movie', says Rohan in a delightful tone as he looks forward to the release of the film that takes place within three weeks from now.

'Beyond being an exceptionally versatile and professional actor, he is one of the very few actors in Bollywood who has the physique and agility to have carried off the tough demands of this role. He is a daredevil, he loves performing stunts and reveling when they are risky', adds Nikhil Advani.

After GHAJINI its KAMBAKKTH ISHQ turn!

If GHAJINI was the biggest blockbuster of 2008, get ready for the biggest film of 2009, Sajid Nadiadwala's KAMBAKKTH ISHQ. Starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor along with the who's who of Hollywood right from Slyvester Stallone, Denise Richards, Brandon Routh, the film is anticipated as the most awaited release of 2009.

The release date for the film has been finalized for 29th May 2009. Trade reports have already declared it as the most awaited release of next year and whats more? All the opinion polls on the internet have declared it as the film to watch out for in 2009. Last year it was GHAJINI and this New Year it's undoubtedly KAMBAKKTH ISHQ!

Sunday 28 December 2008

Konkona Sen Sharma

Konkona's birth father, Mukul Sharma, is a science writer and journalist. Her stepfather, Kalyan Ray, is an author. Her elder sister's name is Kamalini Chatterjee who has two children: a 10-year-old daughter named Krittika and a four-year-old son named Deepto.
Konkona's maternal grandfather Chidananda Dasgupta now 88 years old is a film critic, scholar, professor, writer and one of the co-founders of 'Calcutta Film Society' with Satyajit Ray and Harisadhan Dasgupta. Her grandmother Supriya Dasgupta is a cousin of legendary modern Bengali poet Jibanananda Das.
Konkona graduated in English from St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 2001. She was a student of Modern High School for Girls, Calcutta as well as the Calcutta International School.
She made her debut as a child artist in the film Indira. She became a known face when she starred in the film Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, directed by her mother. The film though not a box office success, was a favourite with the critics. Konkona's performance got her the National Film Award for Best Actress. This was followed by a critically acclaimed hit, Page 3. The film won her the Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut for her first act in commercial cinema.
Tags:- bangali-bala-konkona-sen-sharma, metro-konkona-sen-sharma, bold-bindas-konkona-sen-sharma, hot-konkona-sen-sharma

Saturday 27 December 2008

Amrita Rao

The cameras love the fresh-faced, delectable Amrita Rao. Numerous ads, ten and odd films and a huge fan base, in a span of ten years stands testimony to this. Amrita Rao’s birthday is on the 7th of June. She was born in 1981 in Mumbai. Her father is Deepak Rao who runs an advertising agency. Her mother tongue is Konkani. She studied at C.G. High School and later graduated with a degree in Psychology from Sophia College.
Besides working in ads and films, Amrita has to her credit the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. She is also the muse of the bare-footed artist M.F.Hussain. The face that launched many ads. Her first brush with the cameras was when she worked in the Fairever Face Cream ad while still in college. It was followed by Nestle Bru Coffee, Cadbury’s Perk, Close-Up, Parachute Hair Oil, Domino’s Pizza, Wriggly’s Chewing Gum, Pantene and Clean & Clear facewash, to name a few. She’s also the brand ambassador for D’Damas gold jewelry.It was hardly surprising that she was noticed by Ken Ghosh who offered her a role in Ishq Vishq.
Amrita’s debut was with Raj Babbar’s son, Arya Babbar, in Ab Ke Baras which released in 2002 followed by a cameo in The Legend of Bhagat Singh. She shot to stardom in 2003 with the release of Ishq Vishq with Shahid Kapoor, and she won a nomination for the Filmfare Best Debut Award for her role as struck-by-cupid Payal Mehra.
In 2004, she was part of the multi-starrer Main Hoon Na with Shah Rukh Khan, Zayed Khan and Sushmita Sen. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Her films in 2005, Vaah! Life Ho Tho Aisi and Shikhar didn’t get a good reception at the box office. Vivah in 2006, with Shahid Kapoor, became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year.
Her 2008 releases include My Name is Anthony Gonsalves with Mithun Chakraborthy, Lilette Dubey and Nikhil Dwivedi which didn’t do well. Her performance as Kamala in Shyam Benegal’s comedy Welcome to Sajjanpur was praised and the film enjoyed rave reviews. Her next release is Victory, revolving around cricket with Harman Baweja.
Tags:- gorgeous-actress amrita-rao, bold-hot-amrita-rao, new-face-amrita-rao, sexy-leg-amrita-rao

Sonam Kapoor

One of the latest stars in the making is the pretty and lissome Sonam Kapoor. This Gemini, born on June 9th1985, is the daughter of movie star Anil Kapoor and Sunitha Kapoor. Her family includes sister Rhea and brother Harshwardhana. She also happens to be the niece of actor Sanjay Kapoor and director Boney Kapoor.
Sonam studied at the Arya Vidya Mandir. She went on to study Theater Arts and Chinese History at the United World College of East Asia. She is also a major in Political Science and Economics courtesy Bombay University. She assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Black in 2005.
Sonam was launched in 2007 in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, where she played the leading lady Sakina, opposite Ranbir Kapoor. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, though the movie did not live up to the hype. Dilli 6 is Sonam Kapoor’s next release in 2009.
Tags:- new-face-sonam-kapoor, beautiful-sweet-sonam-kapoor, bold-bindas-sonam-kapoor

In Pics: Saif heads Home

After staying in Lilavati Hospital for two days thanks to a severe gastro infection, Saif finally heads home with girlfriend Kareena.


Saif and Kareena walk out of the hospital


Saif is happy but also stunned by the massive media presence


He goes to talk to the media...


....with the doctor and security personnel in tow.


He tells all his fans that he is alright


Answers all the queries…and looks very happy and pleased


Meanwhile, an angry looking Kareena (and not Saif) looks like the patient as she waits for him to head home.


The two head home in Saif's Lexus.

Latest: Saif discharged from Hospital

Actor Saif Ali Khan was finally discharged today. After being given a final final check up by his doctor at Lilavati, the actor was sent home. Kareena was by his side.




Saif Ali Khan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital on Thursday evening following complaints of severe stomach ache. The actor checked into the hospital around 5.30pm on Christmas Day and although he was to be discharged late in the night, the actor was kept under observation for a day. Doctors say that was a precaution being taken because of the actor's history of smoking, drinking and heart trouble for which he was hospitalised last year as well. Kareena's secretary confirmed the news saying that Khan would soon be on his way home.

Girlfriend Kareena Kapoor left ailing lover Saif at around 2pm yesterday after having spent the entire night by his side. The actress stayed away from the media but made her way back later in the evening. And she was by his side when he checked out this afternoon.

Director Ravi Chopra and Kareena's mother Babita had visited the actor earlier in the day.

Actress Karisma Kapoor told the media present outside Lilavati last evening that Saif was stable and there was nothing to worry about. “Both Saif and Kareena are inside. They will be discharging him in 2 hours time. There is nothing to worry about. Saif is stable,” said Karisma who had accompanied her sister and Saif to the hospital.

“All through the day Saif had been feeling very unwell. He kept complaining of a bad stomach ache and had been vomiting all through the day. Finally late in the evening the family decided it was best to head to the hospital and make sure it wasn’t very serious,” said a source close to the actor.

“There was a big get together last night on Christmas Eve. Saif and Kareena were also there. And something that he ate did not go down well. It’s nothing major,” said the source.

The hospital spokesperson has also admitted that Saif is in the hospital but refused to give any details about the treatment he was undergoing.


While the official take is being given as a severe stomach infection, many of the actor’s industry insiders are putting it down to a whole lot of merry making on Christmas Eve.

“We all know that Saif and Kareena love to party. The Chhote Nawab surely knows how to have a good time at a party. And who hasn’t had a drink too many on a fun night out?” laughs an industry insider.

This is not the first time that actor Saif Ali Khan has been admitted into hospital. In February 2007, the Bollywood actor underwent an angiography after he was admitted into Lilavati following complains of severe chest pain. The actor had undergone an emergency appendectomy surgery after complaining of abdomen pain during a shoot in Kuala Lumpur in early 2006.

Salman to spend birthday at his farmhouse

It was rumored that Salman would be flying out of the country for his birthday and New Year celebrations but that is not the case. Salman is currently shooting for Veer at Film City but he will take a day off tomorrow.

A source close to Salman tells us, "Salman will have a party at his farmhouse in Panvel with his close family and friends on his birthday."

He further adds, "We all know that Salman is a family man and he loves to party. Biryani and kebabs are definitely on the menu. Salman will play host to all their friends from the industry.”

It has almost become a ritual for the superstar to head to his Panvel farmhouse for his birthday. The actor heads there every year on Christmas Eve and stays there till a day after his birthday.

The guest list for Salman’s party tomorrow night is said to include dad Salim Khan, mom Salma, step mom Helen, sisters Alvira and Arpita, brother Sohail, Arbaaz and their families. His staff members will also be there as Salman values them a lot. David Dhawan, Aamir Khan, Subhash Ghai, Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgan are also expected.

However, this year girlfriend Katrina Kaif will be missing from the do. She is currently holidaying with her family in London and is expected back only in January.

Salman is really fond of his farmhouse in Panvel. He often cycles there from Mumbai with his bodyguards following him in cars. After the shooting of Yuvvraaj wrapped up earlier this year, Salman and Katrina threw a lavish wind up bash for their cast and crew members over there.

Bipasha was caught in the 26/11 terror attack; speaks for the first time

"I feel vulnerable and helpless. That's why I haven't spoken until now," says Bipasha Basu softly.

Bipasha was returning from Film City on 26/11 when she was caught in the blast. "It happened at Vile Parle as I crossed the area. There was mayhem on the road as my staff and I sat huddled in our car wondering what to do next. Should we go forward? Or go back? I told my driver to drive in the middle of the road as fast as possible."

Three weeks down the line, and as the city nurses its wounds, Bipasha wonders what she can do to help the situation. "I've been extremely affected by 26/11. I haven't spoken to anyone about it until now. I don't know how I can ease the pain of Mumbai. Everyone wants to put forward more than just a point of view. But no one seems to know what to do. I do believe in the mass movement that Mumbai has been seeing over the last three weeks. I think people lighting candles, holding hands, showing their solidarity speaking out...it's all very effective."

Bipasha was skeptical to begin with. "I thought this movement would die down after the first few days. But now I feel it's not losing momentum. And I'm very happy about that. The media is playing a very important part in keeping the movement against terrorism alive. I must admit I thought it would be over after one Sunday. That's why I kept quiet."

But now Bipasha believes in the power of people. "I just hope it continues. If the people's voice continues to be heard whichever government comes into power will be forced to pay heed and provide us with basic security. Sure, our economy is booming and the industries are doing well. But what do we do without security in Mumbai? If the financial capital of India which generates the maximum taxes is hit, how do we sustain global confidence in our country?"

Bipasha can't believe that ten terrorists could do this to Mumbai. "What happened to Mumbai is a shame for the entire country. I went out socially for the first time this week. Life must go on. The important thing is to not forget the lessons that we've learnt from 26/11. Now I feel far less defeated far more optimistic about the future than I did the first few days after Mumbai was attacked. Mumbai won't forget. We have Zero security in the country. Otherwise how could there be continuous blasts all over the city for so many hours? And if the detonated RDX had not been discovered in time, it could have been worse."

Bipasha caught up with a film on the Mumbai blasts. "I saw Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday after 26/11. I can't believe it's so sensitive and so prophetic. Like Naseeruddin Shah being pushed into destroying terrorism the Common Man is ready take action. A Wednesday should be a textbook on terrorism. All of us should see it and learn its lessons."

Wishing Salman Khan a very Happy Birthday

Known as the man with a golden heat, yet with a hint of bad anger, he has wooed Bollywood for over two decades he has today turned 43.

With his latest interest in the expressive art form of painting he has quite literally managed to paint not just the town but entire Bollywood red and all shades of colours. The birthday boy for today as you may have already guesses is none other than Salman Khan.

Starting his career with Biwi Ho To Aisi in '88, Salman soon became the heartthrob of the nation. With his youthful looks and his well toned body he had directors lining up at his doors. Not long after he was at pinnacle of Bollywood and touted as the best, most watched loved and adored celebrity.

Sallu as he is fondly known is even today regarded as one bright star shining forth for friends and foe alike, keeping differences apart and helping when most needed. Though he has been embroiled with a multitude of controversies the golden heart boy has managed to surmount them with ease and emerge victorious.

Join Bollywood Buzz in wishing the loved to be talked about actor Salman Khan a very happy Birthday, simply by posting your wishes below:

B.O. update: 'Ghajini' sets new records, collects Rs. 20 cr. in 2 days

GHAJINI is smashing all previous records. The film is emerging the biggest opener of all times, grossing a whopping approx. Rs. 20 cr. nett in its first two days. The film collected approx. Rs. 1.6 cr. nett in paid previews [on Wednesday], approx. Rs. 8.25 cr. nett on limited screens and shows [on Thursday] and approx. Rs. 10.15 cr. nett [on Friday], according to its all-India distributors Studio 18. The collections are simply earth-shattering.

"At the rate the film is performing, the film is expected to smash all previous opening weekend records in India by unheard of, unimaginable, never dreamt of margins," Studio 18's Aman Gill says, "The nett collections by the end of Sunday night should be in the range of Rs. 42 cr. to Rs. 45 cr., which is 75% higher than the biggest opener of this year, SINGH IS KINNG."

"Jumbo has elements that Lion King had" - Lara Dutta

This Christmas 'Every thing's gonna be alright', and that's exactly what the film Jumbo says. Bollywood Hungama caught up with the gorgeous Lara Dutta who has lent her voice to the melodious character of Sonia in the film. In a free-wheeling chat Lara talks about her experience dubbing for this animated flick.

For the first time you will be giving voiceover for an animated film in Bollywood. How did you think of this, all of a sudden?
Akshay is a very good friend... I remember it was when we were shooting an action sequence in Phuket for the film Blue that he offered me Jumbo. He told me that it is a very sweet film and he would love to have me play a part in it. I also felt it was a lovely film and immediately signed it. I have always been fond of watching animation films, so to be part of an animation film got me really excited.

So you agreed to lend your voice for the film because of Akshay?
Yes... but then that is just one of the factors. Akshay and I have done many films. He is a fantastic co star and a dear friend. It is always my pleasure to work with him. However, like I said I was thrilled to be part of an animation film. And Jumbo is a very sweet film.

What is your character in the film? Do you think your voice suited the character?

The cute pink elephant is me (Smiles) I play Jumbo's love interest. Her name is Sonia. I was required to sound very melodious so I had to ensure that I got it right. It was fun and I have given my best. Hope the audience feels that my voice has suited the character.

Which is more difficult? Acting or giving voice to an animated character?
Well, it is difficult to give voice to an animated character. But then, there are two sides to it. The difficult part is that since you haven't shot for it, you have to understand the emotions that the character is supposed to go through. That is a challenge. But on the positive side you can interpret it in many ways... it allows you to be creative. You don't need to talk in an exaggerated manner. You just have to understand the graph of your character and speak accordingly.

Jumbo is basically about family and its values, how much do you agree with this?
Yes... a lot. The film is high on family values. The story is about a baby elephant who longs for his father and how he leaves his herd and embarks upon a journey in search of his father. I was very touched with the storyline.

Which other animated films have you seen and liked the best?
I love Lion King... In fact Jumbo has elements that Lion King had.

Is the film targeting kids only?
No... It is for everyone. You are never too old for animation movies. Jumbo isn't a mindless film. It has a definite storyline and a moral to the story which the audience will like. But yes... I'm doing this film completely for my kiddie audience.

Apart from Jumbo... what else do you have in the pipeline?
There's Blue with Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt, then there is Billu Barber with Irrfan Khan and Shahrukh. Apart from that there is Do Knot Disturb with Govinda and Banda Yeh Bindass Hai with Salman.

Exclusive: Khit pit soniye - Billu Barber

Exclusive: Mar Jaani - Billoo Barber

SRK Romances Kajol, Bipasha, Lara, Preity and Rani

Friday 26 December 2008

Koena Mitra

Koena Mitra, born 7 January 1985 in Kolkata, India, is an actress in the Bollywood film industry. As her name indicates Koena Mitra's life flows through different realms of experience. She has been named after the renowned Bengali river. Koena Mitra is a Psychology Major from Kolkatta. Koena Mitra aspired to become an actress from the childhood days and to come to the glamorous field.
The dusky beauty from Bengal began her career as a model after winning the Gladrags Supermodel contest. Koena featured in a couple of music videos and made it big in TV commercials as she modeled for ACP Whisky, Miranda, Maruti Alto and Clinic All Clear. Koena’s first break in Bollywood was an item number in Ram Gopal Verma’s ‘Road’; the song “Khullam Khulla” became a big craze and Koena got typecasted as an item girl. Koena was flooded with offers to do raunchy numbers in Bollywood movies, but she refused as she was waiting to make her mark as an actress.
It took Koena two years and Sanjay Gupta’s ‘Musafir’ to break the mould. Even tough the actress played a dancer in the movie, she did have a cameo. Pritish Nandy’s ‘Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena’ was Koena’s first claim to fame as she played the lead actress opposite Fardeen Khan in the movie. Even tough the movie wasn’t a hit, Koena finally made it to the actress club. Koena dramatics aren’t very impressive, but she is able to procure roles with her dancing style and image.
However she got all the attention the movie "Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena" directed by Suparna Verma . Suparna Verma liked the new face in Musafir and made Koena as the heroine of his new film. In this movie she played the lead role opposite Fardeen Khan. This role was initially slated to play by Bipasha Basu, who backed out due to lack of dates. However it turned out to be a stepping-stone for Koena. Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena was not a big hit but was enough for Koena to make an entry to Bollywood actress club.

Exclusive: Watch Adi Chopra run from Ghajini screening

Director Aditya Chopra attended a special screening of Ghajini on Wednesday night as Aamir Khan’s guest. But the reclusive Adi refused to stand and smile for our cameras like all other Bollywood celebs always do!

Read on to find out our chase to catch Adi:


Aditya Chopra arrives for the screening from the back entrance of PVR Juhu.


He tries real hard to not be caught on camera as he walks out of the screening at the end of the film.


In his attempt to run from the cameras he drops his mobile phone.


Adi runs back to get his mobile phone and then quickly makes a dash for his car.


Aditya covers his face as his driver tries to reverse the car


Still hiding his face but the signature mustache is a give away.


Chopra’s pose reminds us of Brangelina who did this to hide the faces of their kids from the cameras!