When actresses would want to give a clean miss-goody-two-shoes image, only someone as bold and spunky as Neha Dhupia can admit to being a flirt.

The stunner plays a flirtatious seductress in Percept Pictures Company's ‘Raat Gayi Baat Gayi’ and for this role she didn't have to prepare much, as she is a natural flirt. It came naturally to her and she used the right body language without being over the top. Neha can give gyaan galore on flirting!

As Neha admits, “I am a compulsive flirt and I can flirt with anything. Flirting is fun! Not just that it is also a basic instinct and a part of human nature.”

We wouldn't be surprised if she plays the guru to her friends when it comes to flirting. As one of her friends vouch for her guru gyan on flirting tips on how a girl is a natural magnet, must have the air of confidence and flaunt her best asset.

Yes, that's right, if you have it flaunt it. Begin with exchanging admiring glances. Indulge in light-hearted flirtatious banter, the never ending tips on flirting right.

She says, adding, “All this can do wonders to your self-esteem and brighten your day or evening.”

So, now you know that you can turn to the clean mean flirting queen whether you want tips to flirt for friendship, flirting with intent or something more. Just ask Neha…

Steven Spielberg is teaming up with Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall to take a World War I novel to the big screen.

The Hollywood icon has bought the rights to Michael Morpurgo's 1982 book Warhorse, which follows the relationship between a boy and his horse in the backdrop of the Great War.

Spielberg has recruited Hall to adapt the book for Hollywood, and he will produce the project. It is unknown if he will also direct.

The filmmaker, who tackled World War II in Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, tells Variety, "From the moment I read the book, I knew this was a film I wanted to make. Its heart and its message provide a story that can be felt in every country."

Amitabh Bachchan speaks to Subhash K Jha on the success of Paa.

Auro has become a bigger star than Amtabh Bachchan?
Ha ha. There is genuine love being expressed towards him and several have unabashedly desired to take him home !!

Did you expect Auro to have such a far-reaching impact on the nation's psyche? What are some of the most memorable reactions you've had to Auro's character?
No, I never ever imagined that Auro would be picked up, caressed and so warmly embraced. It is miraculous. A description of the reactions would be odious at this moment. I do have them all stored and shall be happy to share them with you at an opportune moment.

There's a feeling of dismay when Auro dies at the end of Paa because people want more of this metaphor of the life- force. How do you plan to take Auro forward?
Yes people want more of Auro, but I think Balki felt his presence was sufficiently enough. How he goes forward is for Balki to decide.

You abhor even a false beard. How did you bear with such elaborate prosthetics day after day?
I bore it with great resolve and fortitude.

So complete is your self-effacement in Auro's makeup that some people are actually saying that's not you, but another actor doing Auro. How do you react to that?
I take that as my greatest compliment and a triumph for the team that worked on my make up. Without them and their contribution Auro would have remained on the drawing board.

The surprises from your repertoire continue to spill out year after year. Auro, you'll agree is a very hard act to follow. What will you do now to satiate your expectant fans?
I shall continue to work to my best. Satiation is most subjective. I do not work with the consideration of those elements in mind. My fans understand that better than anyone else. Even me.

Paa marks the renewal of AB Corp Ltd's production output. What are the other films that ABCL plans to produce?
Please do not keep up this undesired exclamation of the ‘renewal’ of the Company. We were always there and functioning. Maybe you did not follow its activities. Or perhaps there was not much desire in you to do so. At the moment we have not concretised any further project under our banner, but if we were to, we would keep you informed !

As an actor you seem to have reached an unprecedented zenith of self expression. What is that one role you would still like to play?
I have no idea what it would be, all I know is that were someone to come up with a thought I would most certainly want to give it a try. I do hope that there are directors there that will dream up exciting work for me. If they do I shall be more than willing to work along with them.

By Subhash K Jha

John Abraham is deeply affiliated to the idea of Nature preservation. So it comes as no surprise to know that John will now produce a film on tiger preservation to be directed by internationally- renowned Nairobi-born Indian filmmaker Mike Pandey.

The documentary film entitled The Return Of The Tiger will address itself to the alarming and almost complete disappearance of the species.

John says he feels very strongly on the subject. “I decided to produce the film because I truly believe tigers are one of the most magnificent creatures on this planet. And if we don’t take quick and immediate action to preserve them there will be no tigers left.”

Through the film which will be screened in the documentary section of film festivals and at wildlife-preservation summits, John and his director Mike Pandey hope to create a certain amount of global awareness about the urgent need to preserve the tiger.

Says John, "This film is far too important in terms of its message. I decided to produce it after I met Mike Pandey. He’s such a lovely man so committed to capturing the essence of Nature on camera. I just decided to get committed to Mike’s level of commitment.”

By Subhash K Jha

What would’ve been a routine birthday bash for Sameera Reddy on Sunday night turned out to be a very special occasion when Priyadarshan who has just given the actress her first hit since Race in De Dana Dan turned around and said, “You’re in my next film.”

Sameera who has become very close to Priyan and his wife Lizzie and in fact spends all her free time during her frequent visits to Chennai in their house is still reeling in pleasure.

“I couldn’t have got a better birthday gift. Firstly it turned out to be Priyan and Lizzie’s marriage anniversary. So we had my birthday and their anniversary party at Shristi Behl’s residence. All three of us Lizzie, Priyan and I cut a cake.”

The icing on the cake was Priyan’s impulsive offer. “I don’t need to ask him what it is or in which film. I trust him completely. He gave me a role in De Dana Dan that did justice to my presence.This, at a time when I was desperately trying to shed my sexy image.”

Not many people know this. But Sameera has a secret special appearance in the Bihar-based film that Priyan is shooting with Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna and Bipasha Basu.

“How do you know about this?” Sameera demands to know. “So that makes it three film with Priyan. I’m really lucky to have Priyan and his wife as friends. Now when I go to Chennai which is like a second home to me thanks to the work that I do.In fact my latest Tamil hit was mixed in Priyan’s studio in Chennai, so the bond thickens.”

Her prestigious film Nagesh Kukunoor’s Yeh Husla remains stuck.

Says Sameera softly, “That’s because the producers Percept have bungled. They’re in a real financial mess. They owe and almost everyone associated with them quite a lot of money.”

Sameera herself remains solitary in Mumbai. “My sister Meghna is now married to a Greek and settled on the most exotic Greek island. My brother-in-law spoils me silly. They both love me because I convinced our conservative dad about the unlikely marital alliance.”

Specially after her sister’s marriage Sameera really misses a man in her life. “It gets really lonely. And I know I’m looking my best these days. Thanks to yoga I’ve lost oodles of flesh. But what’s the point of looking good when you’ve no one to admire you?”

Age may be just a number. But in Bollywood Sameera knows her time is numbered. “At the party at Shristi Behl’s I just kept staring at Twinkle Khanna. She was glowing. She just keeps getting better with the years.I hope I look as radiant when I reach that age.”

Shah Rukh Khan is ready with the much awaited My Name is Khan. The Bollywood Badshah breezed in Kolkata for the grand finale of ‘Dadagiri Unlimited’, a quiz show hosted by Sourav Ganguly.

TWF correspondent Sreya Basu catches up with the actor on his friendship with Dada and his new film where he is paired opposite Kajol after several years.?

What was the first thing that came to your mind when you saw Sourav as a quizmaster?
It was really a pleasant surprise. I have seen him play cricket, discuss cricket…this is completely a new avatar of Dada (Sourav Ganguly). But I must say, he is really good at it. As I said on stage-Dada ko pakadna mushkil hi nehin, na mumkin hai. (Smiles)

What brings you to the finale of ‘Dadagiri Unlimited’? Friendship with Sourav?
Sourav and my friendship now go beyond Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Indian Premier League (IPL). To me, he is one of the best cricketers in India. I can never say ‘no’ to him.

Is this a kind of ‘favour returning’ gesture…since Sourav has earlier judged your cheerleader hunt ‘Knights & Angels’?
I never thought about it in this way…really. And as far as ‘Knights & Angels’ go, Sourav was not getting cheerleaders for Shah Rukh, but for the entire KKR team.

You have got Sourav back as KKR captain for IPL 3…
I told you…he is the best (in cricket).

KKR started with much energy, but failed to win the first two seasons of IPL. Do you expect to win this time?
I won’t comment on that. But if KKR wins this time, I will come and dance for all of you in Kolkata.

You are back in a Karan Johar film again?
Yes…I am inseparable from Karan’s films (smiles). On a more serious note, My Name Is Khan is a passion project; somehow I wanted to be part of this important film personally and as a production house.

Your company Red Chillies has tied up with Fox for My Name Is Khan. So with the help of Fox, are you trying to push your film to the Oscars?
I have just written to the Oscar people that they should have given me an award 10 years back; now I am losing interest. Jokes apart, our association with Fox is not award-based. But we believe Fox is one of the few people in the world, who can perhaps take our film to the roads of getting awards and recognition, if it is good enough.

For the first time you are playing a person with Asperger syndrome. How much effort Shah Rukh had to put to play the character?
Rizwan Khan is a special character-because he has a definite beginning and ending, and a bit of realism. He is a person with Asperger. While studying the character, I really had to hold Shah Rukh Khan back. I put together all my years of acting skills, before I could step into Rizwan’s shoes.

Already quite a few films have been made on terrorism. How different is your film from the lot?
Karan wrote the story three years back. At that time I felt it was quite an advanced one. This is not a film on terrorism, but on relationships; as are all Karan Johar films.

First it’s the relationship between two persons, then among many people, then, relationships within a basti, within a city and finally, within the world. Within those relationships, we put aspects of western culture, Islam and Asperger syndrome.

Now-a-days controversies are used as a publicity tool for a film. What do you think?
We (Karan and I) have never tried to create euphoria about the film with the help of controversies….no, never. But sometimes there are mistakes, sometimes it’s not a mistake, but an issue.

Even for My Name Is Khan, everyone of us-right from the producers, directors, actors, to lightman, cameraman, spot boys-has been really careful not to show any bias to any community or hurt people’s sentiments while dealing with Asperger. Even then, if there are reasons for controversies, then please help us out.

You are working with Kajol after a long time…
Yeah! Karan and I discussed at least a thousand times, how my pairing with Kajol will be…if it will be another Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. But in this film, Karan has not shot any romantic songs in Egypt or Switzerland with us. There is romance…but the treatment is not the same.

The title of the film-My Name Is Khan-is being seen as a Shah Rukh Khan statement…
My name is unimportant. My work is much more important than my name.

Salman Khan who has turned script writer with his upcoming dream project Veer says the film has been a stressful experience for him as an actor and writer.

"It was a stressful experience for me. But Veer has shaped up well and I am happy with the final product, " Salman told reporters at the music launch of the film. The period flick, set in 1875, is slated for a theatrical release on January 22, 2010.

Salman, who has further toned his body to suit the role, had first conceived the idea of making a movie on the exploits of a Pindari soldier 20 years ago. Speaking about his new co-star Zarine Khan, Salman said Zarine was a brilliant newcomer as she belongs to the new generation.

Director Anil Sharma disapproved comparisons between Zarine and Katrina Kaif. "It is unfair to compare a newcomer with anybody. By doing this you are belittling the efforts and hard work of a young actor, " he said.

Music composers Sajid-Wajid have given the music in the film while Oscar-winning lyricist Gulzar has penned the songs.

Amrita has taken a vacation almost after 3 years and this time it was a pleasure-cum-business trip.

Amrita was seen letting her hair down at popular hangout spots, Brittos and Mambos, pampering herself to Aryuvedic spa treatments, riding bikes in the marrow by lanes, dancing to live goan music, and enjoying spicy food by the beach in the shacks at Hotel Cidade.

What was most amusing was that many of her fans mistook her sister, Preeta for her due to their uncanny resemblance and asked Preeta for pictures and autographs who maintained a very low profile.

Preeta will be foraying into Tollywood with her first Kannada big banner film next year March but unlike Amrita prefers to stay away from the public glare and is also an entertainment columnist. Amrita visited the famous Mangeshi temple to seek divine blessings before she left for Mumbai.

Our sources saw Amrita mingling with directors Vishal Bharadwaj, Madhur Bhandarkar, Amol Palekar and Gurinder Chaddha during IIFI. Wonder what's cooking? We also spotted Aftaab Shivdasani sharing a hearty laugh with her on the disastrous and unorganized fashion show of which she was the show stopper.

Amrita only received her outfits half an hour before the show and used her personal accessories but preferred to stick to her commitment and still walked inspite of receiving smses from the audience not to come on stage.

Speaking of IIFI Amrita was extremely upset about the IIFI organisation this year, as she had to wait almost for an hour for her room reservations to be sorted out followed by no escort and thereafter meaningless events.

Goa is Amrita's favourite holiday destination in India was wishing Madh or Alibaug were also converted into holiday destinations similar to Goa.

Katrina Kaif’s busy schedule is taking a toll on her. Once again, she has fallen ill because of low hemoglobin count. And her family, friends, well-wishers are starting to get worried now.

Even though she is getting the best treatments done, her health continues to deteriorate. This is because the actress is pushing herself too hard.

On Friday and Saturday, she was attending the sangeet and wedding of Salman Khan’s close friend Krishan Narayan’s daughter. Katrina enjoyed herself at the wedding and simply had a good time.

However, when she woke up on Sunday morning, she couldn’t get out of bed and had to get a series of tests done, which revealed that her hemoglobin count was running low.

Attending the wedding was important for Katrina as she the bride’s father is closely associated with Praful Patel, the politician and is a close friend of Salman.

However, even the numerous tests done on her haven’t been able to determine what exactly is causing her blood to have such an abnormality. She has been advised complete bed rest by the doctors.

All laws of attraction fall short when this ‘Johnny Gaddaar’ shouts ‘Aa Dekhen Zara’ from his ‘Jail’ in ‘New York’. Yet Neil Nitin Mukesh tells India Blooms correspondent Sreya Basu in Kolkata that it is a simple girl he is looking for.

You are four films old now. So how has been your experience in the Hindi film industry so far?
Know what! This is the best time for an actor to enter Bollywood. Filmmakers as well as the audience are now accepting newcomers in films of all genres. I am in the best part of this era. Or else, tell me, where else can a ‘Johnny Gaddaar’ work as a debut film for an actor…a grey character becoming hero! Now-a-days heroes are getting more character-based roles to prove themselves.

But your dad (Nitin Mukesh) was reportedly not happy with your debut film?
(Smiles) True. Since I am Mukesh’s grandson and Nitin Mukesh’s son, my dad was scared a bit with me portraying a grey character in my very first film.

But the day he saw the first screening of the film, he said: ‘I respect you son…you have given me what I couldn’t even give myself.’ That was one of the greatest days of my life. However, at an early age, I had realized that I have a big responsibility…I have two names attached to my name; that’s why I am Neil Nitin Mukesh.

I have to go forward with the burden of all their achievements and goodwill. So I can, in no way, let them down. And thankfully, my parents also have that confidence in me….they know I will never take a wrong decision.

You said you have a ‘burden’ of your grandfather and your dad’s name. But Mukesh’s name surely helped you to get a foot in the industry?
The Mukesh tag really helped me to reach out to people; but after that it’s his and my dad’s reputation that I have to constantly take care of. Or else people will point fingers and say Mukesh’s grandson is like this or like that.

With your latest release ‘Jail’, you somewhat became the first male protagonist of a Madhur Bhandarkar film…
I know. But let me tell you it’s a myth that men are strong…they are not; I can tell you now that I have done ‘Jail’. I was mentally involved with the character of Parag Dixit in the film.

I didn’t bath for 5 days because I felt the moment water will flow down my head I will disconnect with Parag. I was completely cut off from my family and friends for over 40 days. I got myself bashed by my best friends to get myself into the psychology of my character.

Make-up is there to handle appearances but its more about the mental state. Trust me, now I exactly know how a man feels when he is raped…’miserable’ is a small word to describe his state.
Your Full Monty act also grabbed eyeballs…
I was ready to do anything for ‘Jail’. And besides, we didn’t do that scene for publicity…that happens in real jails. Everyone was asking if I was comfortable shooting the scene.

But nobody asked me how relevant and important that scene was for the storyline! By now you know, that scene was the trigger point of all incidents. And I think Indian audience has to get out of this mediocrity.

One of the all time hit films of the world is ‘Titanic’. There is nude scene in that film too. But we remember the film, not for that scene but for the love story.

Most of Madhur’s films are known for grabbing awards for the actors. So are you eyeing some this year?
Award is something that’s an important part of an actor’s life. It’s a moral boost that you have done well and your efforts have been paid. But it’s better not to expect anything …let time decide for me.

Don’t you think men in Bollywood are becoming sex objects with actors like John Abraham, Hrithik Roshan, and now you, of course, showing more skin than the girls?
Men of the Hindi film industry have always been sex objects…in all eras. In fact, Dharamji (Dharmendra) and Amitabh Bachchan are perfect examples of sex objects in Bollywood. But it’s not about how much skin they showed, but their personalities. They were, in fact, are alpha males.

You have sung in ‘Aa Dekhen Zara’ and ‘Jail’. So any plans for more playbacks?
If people like my voice why not! I am extremely passionate about music. I am not a trained singer but I sing with my heart. I also compose; play the piano and the keyboards…so, music is something that I will always be connected with.

How much stardom has changed you?
I know it sounds cliché…but true. I am still the same Neil…simple and grounded; and will remain so.

Do you have a friend in the industry?
Yes there are a few. But my closest friend in the industry is Madhur Bhandarkar. He is my elder brother, my guide.

Do you have a dream role?
I would love to do ‘Catch Me If You Can’.

Is there a dream actor you want to work with?
Amitabh Bachchan…it’s every one’s dream to work with a true star like him.

You are also into endorsements these days…
Yes… I am endorsing Sparx shoes and Morellato watches. There is a third product that is in the pipeline.

Are you brand conscious?
That depends on what I am carrying. I don’t want to be showcased as factory outlets. I prefer Prada and Gucci. Narendra Kumar is the man behind mu looks in all my films…I love him and his designs. I also love Shane and Peacock creations. Generally, I am very happy with a pair of nice blue denims and a white shirt.

What are the two things you can’t do without?
My turquoise rosary beads and watch

Tell us about your diet.
My diet depends on my films. My body keeps fluctuating according to my roles. Like, for ‘New York’, I put on 9 kgs…got 16 inch biceps.

I had to cut that for ‘Jail’ and spot a lean look because, I didn’t want my character to flex muscles inside his cell. Nornally, when I have to put on weight, I eat everything. And when I need to lose weight, I have steamed fish and boiled vegetables. I love to binge on sweets, but only when on holidays.

You have a huge female fan following. What kind of girl are you looking for?
Simple, smart and stylish.

Is she Priyanka Bhatia?
(Smiles)

Shaan has donned the captain's cap now to battle it out at Star Plus' new music reality show - Music Ka Maha Muquabla. In Kolkata to select his fourth 'Striker', the singer tells India Blooms correspondent Sreya Basu why people no longer wants to listen to a particular singer for long

What is this 'Music Ka Maha Muquabla' all about?
'Music ka Maha Muquabla' is going to be the World Cup' of all music reality shows. We -Himesh Reshammiya, Mika Singh, Mohit Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghosal and me-are the captains of six teams who will compete with each other for the ultimate title.

In each team there will be three singers from popular singing talent hunts, along with a fourth 'striker' selected via auditions.

So, who are the Shaan Strikers?
There is Debojit Saha (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa champion), Anwesha Dutta (Chhote Ustaad runner-up) and Harshit Saxena (Voiceof India finalist). We have picked up two contestants-Nandini Dev and Ravi Trivedi-from Kolkata. They are so good that it was difficult to decide on the spot. So we will hear them again in Mumbai…our fourth striker will be one of them.

What are your chances in this reality show?
Honestly speaking, I think our eastern team is the strongest and the most versatile one among the six on the show. So I can confidently say that our chances are really high (smiles).

What kind of singing will the eastern team showcase on the show?
I don't prefer singing that involves a lot of shouting and loud music. My kind of music is something very aesthetic, original and pleasant to the ears.

We are not seeing Shaan doing a lot of playback singing these days. Any particular reason behind this?
Now-a-days, people get bored of same voice easily. They don't want to listen to the same singer playbacking for twenty films at the same time. So I have become very choosy when it comes to doing playback. I have sung for 'Paa', '3 Idiots', and 'Chance Pe Dance'. But I don't want to get myself involved to monotonous singing.

And what about an album?
I am planning to release an album with my sister Sagarika, on selective works of my father (music composer Manas Mukherjee). Besides, my sister and I have two sons each. So, we want to cut an album featuring all four brothers together sometime in near future.

Any plans to join films?
No…never (laughs). The public response on my acting stint in 'Daman' was so bad that my wife Radhika, who was my fiancé at that time, threatened that if I ever act in a film again, she won't marry me. I am happily married now and will never ever tread in that path (acting) again.

With two kids in the houses, are you planning anything special this Christmas?
Yes. My sister Sagarika is coming from America with her two sons. Plus, I have my two heroes at home. So we will have a blast…it will be a fantabulous family get-together.

The newest stud in Bollywood, Ranbir Kapoor, is merely four films old, but he is already being compared to the Badshah of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan.

Well this comparison comes easy, as Ranbir does romantic scene with as much ease as the suave Shahrukh Khan, who is a veteran in enacting romantic scenes.

When we asked Ranbir about this, he said, “I think comparing me with Shahrukh Khan would be like insulting him. Till now, I have done only 3 films, which are by no ways a parameter to compare me with him.

In my last film ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ I have played a romantic character, where in ‘Rocket Singh –Salesman of the year’ there is romance, but on a different level.”

Well however hard Ranbir might try to deny, the fact remains that people like him in romantic roles, as he sure is a charmer! No doubt Ranbir must be happy to be compared with Shahrukh, after all it is SRK who is the benchmark of success in Bollywood these days.

Hollywood.com Says
James Cameron's long-awaited sci-fi epic is every bit as wondrous and imaginative as promised. Prepare to be amazed.

It takes a special film to transform an audience of movie critics, highly-trained skeptics who can dismiss the most painstakingly crafted work with a mere smirk and roll of the eyes, into a bunch of glowing, giddy teenagers, but that’s precisely what happened earlier this week when Avatar, James Cameron’s extraordinary new sci-fi epic, screened for the first time. Count me among the awestruck rabble; Avatar is a truly astounding piece of filmmaking, a leap forward in visual effects artistry that sets a lofty new standard by which future event films will be judged.

Avatar wastes little time before unleashing the spectacle. Perhaps sensing our collective anticipation, Cameron serves up the barest of backstories before shoving off for Pandora, the staggeringly lush planet upon which the film’s futuristic tale unfolds. Through the eyes of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a crippled ex-marine who navigates Pandora vicariously through a bio-engineered surrogate (aka, an avatar), we’re introduced to the planet’s boundless, breathtaking collection of natural and unnatural wonders, all created from scratch, rendered with uncanny fluidity, and presented in the most realistic and immersive 3-D ever witnessed on film.

Occasionally, Avatar’s technical triumph is betrayed by its maddeningly derivative storyline, which borrows elements wholesale from Dances With Wolves, The Last Samurai and countless similar films about oppressors switching sides and going native. Sent to gather intelligence on the Na'vi, Pandora’s blue-skinned indigenous population, for an Earth-based mining consortium, Jake becomes enamored with the proud, peace-loving natives and their groovy, granola ways. Soon enough, he’s joined their tribe, taken a smokin’ hot native girl for a wife (Zoe Saldana), and organized an army to help repel the encroachment of the rapacious earthlings.

The Bad Guys (Avatar’s moral perspective is as monochromatic as Pandora is colorful) who initiate the assault on the Na'vi are led by a tag team of grotesque, absurdly one-dimensional villains: Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) the khaki-lad, bottom line-obsessed corporate administrator of the mine; and Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a bug-eyed, musclebound sadist who commands the mine’s vast security force. As Pandora’s Cortez and Pizzaro, they form a potent one-two punch of arrogant imperialist caricatures, deriding the noble Na'vi with sophomoric slurs like “blue monkeys” and “fly-bitten savages that live in a tree.” Neither would think twice of eliminating them entirely in order to procure the exceedingly rare, obscenely valuable element known as — I sh*t you not — Unobtainium.

Unobtanium? Really? It’s that kind of ham-fisted, uninspired pap littered throughout Avatar that makes me want to tear my hair out. If Cameron devoted a fraction of his time and effort toward improving the script as he spent perfecting the bone structure of the viperwolf (one of Pandora’s innumerable animal species), we might have a bona fide classic on our hands. But in Avatar, story and character development are treated as obstacles, pockets of narrative brush that must be clear-cut to make way for construction of the next extraordinarily elaborate set piece.

And yet, despite its flaws, Avatar represents one of those exceedingly rare instances in which style triumphs over substance — and by a landslide. I don’t know if Cameron has revolutionized the movie-watching experience (as he famously promised) but he’s surely improved upon it.

Natalie Portman is set to star in and produce Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an adaptation of the book by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen.

Austen, of course, wrote Pride and Prejudice almost 200 years ago, but Grahame-Smith took the liberty of adding bloodthirsty flesh-eaters to the narrative for his tome. Lionsgate will finance and distribute.

Portman will produce through her Handsomecharlie shingle with Annette Savitch, plus Darko Films' Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick and Ted Hamm, says Variety.

The book tells the story of a woman's quest for love and independence amid the outbreak of a deadly virus that turns the undead into vicious killers.

Portman will play Elizabeth Bennet, who is distracted from her quest to eradicate the zombie menace by the arrival of Mr. Darcy.

Portman currently stars in the Jim Sheridan-directed drama Brothers. Her production company recently set up Booksmart at Fox and is partnered with Plan B at Paramount on an adaptation of the Leanne Shapton book Important Artifacts, a potential screen vehicle for Portman and Brad Pitt.

Story : http://www.hollywoodwiretap.com/?module=news&action=story&id=43298

Slowly but steadily Raima Sen has made her mark as a ‘director’s actor’. TWF correspondent Sreya Basu caught up with the actor in-between shots on the sets of Bengali film ‘Natobar Not Out’ in Kolkata.

While your sister Riya is strictly into Hindi films, we see you more in Bengali films. Why?
I am an actor and my priority is scripts. I only do films where my character has a realistic approach. The script and screenplay have to be really strong…Bollywood, Tollywood (Bengali film industry), I will work wherever my criteria is fulfilled.

Riya is younger to you, but she entered the film industry much before you…
Yes, that’s because I wanted to stay in Kolkata and complete my graduation. And it also took me a longer time to decide on the move. My sister was more spontaneous in her decision.

Your mother (Moonmoon Sen) said you always wanted to be an actor, while Riya was doing fashion designing. So what took you so long to decide?
I never thought of pursuing any other career than acting. But I didn’t want to make a hasty decision. I didn’t want to do brainless roles.

You didn’t go for a formal training in acting?
No. But I believe in getting trained through experience. My directors have always helped me with the nuances of acting. I am much better an actor now than I was in my earlierfilms.

Initially you had problems in speaking Hindi as well?
Yes. I hired a tutor to teach me the right diction and dialogues. The tutor also used to accompany me to the dubbing studios.

While now-a-days heroines mostly go for frivolous roles, we see you more in serious films…
It was not a conscious decision to choose serious films, but a decision to choose the best of the lot. But I love doing the ‘frivolous’ roles you are talking about…it will be fun to try those as well (smiles).

What did your grandmother (Suchitra Sen) say when you and your sister decided to join films? As far as we know, she was not very willing to allow your mother join films.
She (Suchitra Sen) gave us her blessings. I think she was not strict to us as she was with Mummy because we are her granddaughters. She lets us do whatever we like. And also, may be because, she doesn’t care about these things any more.

Suchitra Sen watches your films?
Not really; may be at times when they are on television.

People compare you more with Suchitra than Riya…
Yeah! May be, because I look like Suchitra Sen (smiles). And hence, they expect me to catch up with her acting stature sometime in future.

When do you plan to get married?
Marriage can wait for a long time now. But I will definitely get married in future.

Sreya Basu rides the Bollywood glam bus of 2009 packed with hot happenings, spicy gossips and half-truths.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Aishwarya made up with Shah Rukh Khan at Karan Johar's birthday party this year. Things went bitter between the two after SRK replaced Ash with Rani Mukherji in 'Chalte Chalte' in 2003.

Abhishek Bachchan: Bachchan Junior faced a real humiliation at Cannes Film Festival, with the international press running only after his wife and L'Oreal ambassador Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

The ignorance reached the limit, when Abhi was sidelined and asked to wait at the end of the Red Carpet while all lenses were only interested in clicking a solo Ash or with the rest of the L'Oreal team. Later this year, he played father to his real life father Amitabh Bachchan in their home production 'Paa'.

Amisha Patel: This year Amisha decided to go for a live-in relationship with beau Kanav Puri.

Amrita Rao: Amrita dropped her 'behenjee' (sister-like) look and also lots of clothes this year. Fashion designer and her old friend Manish did the makeover of the year. The result: we got a sexy, hot avatar of Amrita, completed with plunging necklines, hot pants and perfect make-up.

Asin: The 'Ghajini' girl surely got lucky this year too. If one Khan (Aamir) gave her a successful break in Bollywood, media buzz said the other Khan (Salman) got the Southern siren a new house in Mumbai. As usual, Asin denied the news and said: “I earn enough to look after myself.”

Ayesha Takia: Ayesha's father-in-law and politician Abu Asim Azmi asked her to wear a 'burkha' (traditional Islam outfit) while campaigning for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections this year. As a result, Ayesha and her restauranteur husband Farhan are moving to a new house.

Bipasha Basu: Bips denied to share screen space with Tabu in Rohit Shetty's 'All the Best'. Bipasha convinced Rohit to have only her in the climax; hearing this, Tabu refused to play a second fiddle to someone like Bips.

Celina Jaitley: 'Hot Bod' Celina got into a verbal war with yoga guru Baba Ramdev over homosexuality. While Ramdev claimed he can 'cure' homosexuality and accused Celina (who works on the rights of homosexuals) of 'knowing nothing about Indian tradition', Celina, in turn, said Ramdev has 'no right' to comment on other people's lives and preferences.

Deepika Padukone: Deepika called off her relationship with Ranbir Kapoor. Both the actors are tight-lipped about the reason behind the break up. Early this year, Deepika came under the fury of Kareena 'Size Zero' Kapoor for playing Saif Ali Khan's lady love in his home production 'Love Aaj Kal'. As it is, Bebo was disheartened as Saifu and director Imtiaz Ali cast Deepika in the film instead of her. Adding to the fire, Deepika left out Bebo from the invitee list at a trial of the film.

Esha Deol: Hema Malini's eldest daughter literally vanished from limelight in 2009. When she made a public appearance at the end of the year, there were speculations that she has undergone a plastic surgery.

Jiah Khan: Jiah dropped in as an 'uninvited guest' at Shah Rukh Khan's wife Gauri's party at Mannat. She was reportedly intoxicated and grabbed every one's attention with her loud ways. Gauri asked her to leave.

Kangna Ranaut: Kangna split with Adhyayan Suman after dating him for over a year. “We both decided to part ways…we want to focus on our career before thinking of other things,” Kangna said.

Kareena Kapoor: Saif Ali Khan said Shahid Kapoor got 'Kaminey' because he rejected it; in turn, Shahid slammed him in public. Kareena intervened between her lover and ex-lover and tried to soothe things down, voicing all praise for Shahid.

Bebo, who had earlier said she will never work with her old flame again, changed her tune this year-“Who said I won't work with Shahid again? I liked his performance in Kaminey.”

Lara Dutta: Lara dumped Kelly Dorjee, only to be ditched by Dino Morea. However, she found some solace in swimming with dolphins underwater in the film 'Blue'. The rest of the calm was restored by late night dinners with married tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi.

Malaika Arora Khan: Malaika continued her tiff with brother-in-law Salman's girlfriend Katrina Kaif this year. She skipped Kat's birthday bash and whenever the two came face-to-face, nothing more than a formal greeting was exchanged between them.

Minissha Lamba: Minissha continued with her 'drop-cloth-and-look sexy' mantra post 'Kidnap'. Though the actor claimed it was not a deliberate transformation, she did over 200 photo sessions in 2009 with the same look.

Neetu Chandra: Neetu grabbed eyeballs after her photo session with model Krishika Gupta for a men's magazine. Social activists put up protests against her for allegedly promoting lesbianism.

Neha Dhupia: Neha Dhupia got upset after she was forcibly smooched by global tycoon Richard Branson while she was shooting for a music channel.

Priyanka Chopra: Piggy Chops got humiliated at IIFA Macau this year while collecting her Best Actress trophy for 'Fashion' by none other than Ashutosh Gowariker. Ashu, prompted by Jaya Bachchan, said: “Priyanka I love you. But I don't know how you got the award when Aishwarya is also nominated for 'Jodha Akbar'.”

Sameera Reddy: Sameera picked up fight and eventually got into a scuffle with security guards of Malaysia Prime Minister during shooting of s South Indian film in Malaysia. “I was wearing a dress and a jacket. So they thought I am a Westerner. That's why they misbehaved,” Sameera said.

Sonam Kapoor: Even after being the new face of L'Oreal, Sonam's dream to walk the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival remained a dream with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan making it clear that she is the face of the international line-up, not the Kapoor lass. As a result, while Sonam went back to her 'Aisha' shoots, Ash sashayed the Cannes Red Carpet.

Sushmita Sen: Sush took her young boyfriend-Mudassar Azis-to meet her parents in Kolkata, giving enough hints that the ex-Miss Universe has finally found her soulmate.

But things went sour this year with the 'Dulha Mil Gaya' director pushing her to get married. According to media buzz, Sush has even driven Aziz out of her Mumbai home.

Farah Khan choreographed a circus-themed lingerie fashion show for the brand Triumph and wowed the celebs who called it a "fabulous" event.

"It was a fabulous show. It was as fabulous as everything Farah does, " Vivek Oberoi told reporters after the show here Thursday.

Katrina Kaif said: "It was a grand night. It was lot of fun. It's not that easy to pull off a show like this in India. You have to do it in a way that every one is happy and comfortable and that's exactly what Farah did."

Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna, Riteish Deshmukh, Namrata Shirodkar, Aftab Shivdasani, Chunkey Pandey, Madhoo, Raveena Tandon, Anil Kapoor, Simi Garewal and tennis players Sania Mirza and Leander Paes too attended the show.

This is the second year when Farah choreographed the lingerie fashion show which is organised by Triumph, the global leader in lingerie.

"The theme is circus so it is a good mixture of entertainment and fashion. It is almost 20 minutes of musical spectacular. The stage has been designed as a circus where you would see fire-eaters, clowns and every other thing that you see in a circus along with the models in lingerie, " Farah told reporters before the show.

Kangana Ranaut is one lucky girl. While most Bollywood hotties are spending millions to get the prefect pout by going under the knife, all Ranaut has to do is eat a certain type of prawn. Rubbishing the rumours about her lip surgery she told a leading daily, "Every time I eats it, my lips swell up to an eminently pout-worthy size."

And while all this happens her stunning face remains as radiant as ever. Try and probe her bit further and she says angrily, "Yeah, you will hear that I’ve got my lips, my b**bs, my a**, all plumped up. But all those people who say that, don’t realise what it is to get such a drastic thing done, especially when you are that young, and don’t even have the time for it.”

And after a pause, she had added, “Though, right now, I don’t know how many tucks and surgeries I will need when I’m old.”

The 22-year-old actress says that balancing controversies, heartbreaks and career has not been an easy ride but insists that she has learnt her lessons. She believes single women shouldn’t be allowed to marry, unless they earn enough to sustain a family.

“Women — teens, single, married, mothers — should fight ill-treatment by the opposite sex then and there, to avoid a similar experience again. In metros girls are very independent, conscious and aware. But in the interiors of our country where education is not given importance, they continue to be oppressed,” she says.

Serious talk from someone who insists she’s too young.

“Well, I’m still too young, you see,” she insists. “I’ve never said I didn’t want to be an actor. I wanted to, but knew it’s not a cakewalk. Acting is not MBBS — there are no textbooks, no written tests that you can sit for, excel in and get a degree. In the film industry, there’s no rulebook. In fact, before an exam, one knows what one has missed reading, and should have known, to get the right marks. Here, you don’t even know if you’re going wrong!”

When she became a known face, there were discussions on how ‘small town girls’ have made it big in B-town, probing her background, her home town in Himachal... “Let people say whatever they wish to. It’s a beautiful place,” she explains.

By: Sumesh Vasishth

Star Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Gauhar Khan, Prem Chopra, Shazahn Padamsee, Mukesh Bhatt, D. Santosh, Naveen Kaushik and Manish Choudhari

Music Director: Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant

Story / Dialogue /Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni

Producer: Aditya Chopra

Director: Shimit Amin

SantaBanta Rating: ***1/2

They say, ‘Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.’ And whoever they are, they're often right.

Like any other business, sales and service fundamentals are no rocket science. All it needs is honesty, dedication and integrity. But the blitzkrieg of cold calls and unsolicited offers on your phone everyday show that these virtues haves been mothballed for good. Poor Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor) who has ‘just’ passed his college hasn’t learnt these tricks of the trade yet.

His mark sheet is an embarrassment but that never stopped him from dreaming of an exciting and adventurous career in ‘AYS sales’. He is like an honest professional, who lived in every one of us before those unreasonable deadlines, targets and peer pressure got better of us. Soon, his idea of success begins to clash with the ‘professional’ ways of his colleagues, team leader and the boss.

But Harpreet who has inherited nothing but integrity and a modest scooter from his fuddy-duddy grandpa (Prem Chopra) refuses to give in to this chicanery. Instead he forms his very own, at your service 24x7 Rocket Sales Corp. that works from the AYS premises itself.

With his honesty pep talk he also poaches the ‘best’ AYS talent which includes, his sales shark team leader (Naveen Kaushik), perennial lech techie Giri (D. Santosh), hot customer relations manager Koena (Gauhar Khan) and an office boy Chhote Lal (Mukesh Bhatt) better known as ‘cup-plate’.

Together they restore the idea that business is not just about numbers but it’s about people and when people are happy numbers surge anyway.

As the orders start pouring in and sales sky-rocket, AYS begins to feel the heat. What follows is Harpreet’s conquest over the ideas which AYS boss (Manish Choudhari) considers mainstays of any sales business.

Rocket Singh works fantastically due to Jaideep Sahni’s crisp story and dialogues, Shimit Amin’s taut direction and Ranbir’s pristine performance as he plays the desi Jerry Maguire. As for women, it is Gauhar Khan and not Shazahn Padamsee who steals the limelight. Prem Chopra is delight to watch after a long, long time.

Salim-Sulaiman's music & background score is easy on the ears and never hinders the pace of the story. All in all there is no stopping this Rocket Singh and if you like some uncluttered entertainment you know where to board this flight.

Hollywood actress Jessica Biel has started believing in aliens after giving a voice over for an upcoming animated flick on extra-terrestrials.

The actress who voices an extra-terrestrial being Neera in new animated movie Planet 51 doesn't understand why people are not open to the possibility that there are civilisations on other planets, The Independent online reported.

"I definitely believe in the possibility of intelligent life on other planets. There's just so much space out there not to believe in that. For me, the idea with this movie is to be open to change," Biel said.

"You should be accepting of change because, only through change, can you grow and learn more about yourself, as a human or alien," the 27-year-old actress added.

The film follows a NASA astronaut, Captain Charles Chuck Baker voiced by Dwayne Johnson who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first to set foot on it but later finds out inhabitants who get frightened of him thinking he's an invader.

"It was just fun. I wanted to do it because it was speaking to my inner child 'Yes, I want to be an alien. Yes, I want to be green'," Biel said.

Deepika Padukone had got a tattoo done with ex-boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor’s initials, back when they were dating, on the nape of her neck. She probably regrets it, now that they have broken up after two years of dating.

However, she might have regretted getting it done more than before when some reporters asked her some cheeky questions at a recent event.

As Deepika hasn’t spoken about her relationship since she broke up with Ranbir, the journalists caught the opportunity to bombard her with questions about it at the launch of a skin care product.

They first asked her what she would do with the RK tattoo that she had. When she didn’t answer, they asked her if the brand would come out with a cream to erase tattoos.

She didn’t know what to say to that and simply didn’t answer. They then asked her if she was happy after her break-up. She then shot back saying that of course she was happy- didn’t she look happy?

No more questions were asked after that. As soon as everything was done, Deepika sneaked out of the backstage exit and didn’t interact anymore with the media.

Riteish Deshmukh is the latest Bollywood guy to join six-pack club. He will be seen flaunting his hot bod in Sajid Nadiadwala's House Full.

The actor who is known for his boy-next-door image underwent a big makeoverwhen Farah Khan, sister of ‘Housefull’ director Sajid Khan saw the actor changing.

Just one look of Ritiesh’s body made Farah decide to shoot the actor in a shirtless avatar in a beach song with Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta and Jiah Khan frolicking in the sea.

Talking to a news daily, Deshmukh confirmed, "It was Farah and Sajid who wanted me to go shirtless for this song. I started working out with my trainer Vinod who has taken a lot of effort to help me achieve this body.

Instead of bulk, we decided to go for a leaner look. The look is the kind beach boys or surfers have -- lean, fit and bronzed. It`s been tough working out and maintaining a strict diet to get this body but the end result is worth it.

Farah didn`t know I had a fit body. One day when I was changing for another song she was like wow! She told me to come to Italy and she would treat me like a heroine -- like show off my body!"

However, the actor added that he was quite shy about exposing for days but became comfortable only after being made felt better by colleagues.

Riteish insists that he does not want to tagged as a sex symbol as, "I am not too comfortable with that tag. I don`t know how to react when people say I have a hot body. It`s embarrassing talking about your own body. I give my trainer full credit as he understands my body and motivated me to get a six-pack."

Jessica Biel has confessed that she has a crush on actress Jennifer Garner. However, the beauty suggested that she isn't exactly sexually attracted to the Daredevil star.

"My girl crush is Jen Garner at the moment (but) here's the thing with girl crushes: it's more of a respect thing," the Daily Star quoted her as saying.

She added: "It's like, you're beautiful, you're cool, you look and seem like somebody I would want to hang out with and your career is awesome."

Garner married Ben Affleck in June 29, 2005 and has two babies with him.

Now here is a shocker for all Katrina Kaif fans and for the pretty lady herself. A marriage certificate approved by Indore Municipal Corporation claims that the 24-year-old actress married the local MLA on December 2, 2008 and got the same registered with the civic body on December 11 the same year.

While the Indore Municipal Corporation has already issued a statement that the marriage certificate is totally fake and has not been issued by them, the actress is irritated with the news of her 'marriage'.

According to IMC marriage registrar Dr Natwar Sarda, "The marriage certificate is totally fake and was not issued by the municipal body. It must be an act of some mischievous persons. It appears that somebody first scanned the IMC marriage certificate and then with the help of some software showed the bollywood actress and MLA as husband and wife. "

But Kaif is in no mood to litsen the clarifications and fumes,"Obviously, it's a fake certificate! I have never been married in my life and neither do I know this guy at all. It's stupid and illegal what he has done and the police have already filed a case against him.

The cops called me to say that this man had issued a fake marriage and they are taking action against him. I guess the more famous you get, the more people do such silly things. I was in New York on December 2 shooting for New York - the day this man claims to have married me."

"We have all kind of crazy fans and people out there. Juhi Chawla's staff who now work with me tell me that even she used to face the same thing. And after a point, she stopped clicking pictures with fans because she had no control over where they would pop up or how they would be misused. I guess we all have to learn to handle such weird people sometimes. It's part of the life of a celebrity," adds Kat.

The IMC has taken the issue seriously and will soon lodge a complaint with the police so that the persons who have done it can be booked for the crime.

Om Puri is distraught man these days. Thanks to his wife journalist-columnist Nandita, the acclaimed actor has become quite a villain in real life after she exposed some of his darkest secrets to market the biography she is writing on Om.

After reading the reports Om, who is currently shooting for a film in Chandigarh said that he couldn't forgive her and adds that her shocking revelations have upset him like never before, as she talked about his sexual encounters as if those were his biggest achievements. He said that he would not let his wife get away with the mistake.

Nandita revealed that her husband had sex with his maid Shanti at the age of 14 and has also had a liaison with a woman named Laxmi.

“My wife has reduced a very important and sacred part of my life to cheap and lurid gossip. I had shared these dark secrets with my wife as all husbands do. If she chose to make them public at least she should’ve made sure to maintain a dignity about experiences that are a valuable part of my life. Has she forgotten that I have a standing in society and I’ve worked hard to achieve all that I have today? I won’t allow her to throw it all away for the sake of sensationalism”, adds the actor.

As for Laxmi, Om says, “This lady whom Nandita talks in such an undignified manner was Laxmi, who raised me and my brother’s orphaned children. My relationship with this wonderful woman was a homage to her loyalty for looking after me unconditionally.”

But Om is candid enough to confirm his sexual relationship with Laxmi. "But it was not a furtive and sleazy experience. It was beautiful. Why make such a tamasha out of these very sensitive moments, " he asks.

"Mahatma Gandhi spoke of his experiences with sexuality in The Story of My Experiments With Truth. Why highlight these aspects when there’s so much more to me? Do you know, when I was a child, I was traveling by train with my destitute mother. The entire compartment collected money to feed us. That incident remains etched in my mind. I was working in a teashop when I was seven years old. I had hoped when my life was chronicled it would be an inspirational story, ” he adds.

So why exactly did the actor allow his wife to write his autobiography?

“I was aware that another lady (Aparajita Krishna) was writing my biography. When Nandita expressed a desire to write about me I couldn’t stop her because she’s my wife but she has forgotten who she is, ” added Om.

The actor complains that Nandita didn’t allow him to read the manuscript. “Not once did she let me read even one page of the manuscript. How was I to know how she would use the incidents from my life to sell her book?”

When Nandita was asked about Om's reactions, she said, “This is all such a mistake. My book on my husband is a biography, not bl***y pornography. The book is about Om, the man and the actor. He had sex as an adolescent with his maid and then he had a long liaison with the other lady who was also a maid.

This was his way of coming out of his other relationships and demolishing class differences. If Om has any objection to her being called a maid he’s just being unrealistic. The double escapades with the two maidservants has made Om feel he’ll be compared to Shiney Ahuja. Now my husband is angry, my publishers are upset and so am I.”

Filmmaker Vipul Shah says he is worried about his friendship with Aishwarya Rai who is working in his film "Action Replay" as people are making "systematic attempts to destroy" their relationship.

"Aishwarya is a very respectable professional. It hurts to see how her sheer hard work is ridiculed to build one spicy story by the media. She has been a soft target.

And the sort of rumours rising now can damage my relationship with her. She has been my friend for a long time and I am afraid I will have a fallout with her, " Shah told over phone from Mumbai.

"There are certain people who are making systematic attempts to destroy my relationship with Aishwarya. There are gossip mongers who are spreading baseless rumours that she has refused to dub for 'Action Replay' after seeing the rushes. But none of this is true, " he added.

Shah gives three reasons to prove that all the rumours are baseless.

"Firstly, when the shooting of the film has not been completed, where's the question of the rushes and dubbing? Secondly, I haven't even seen the 'edit' of the film. After the shoot completes, it will take at least two and a half months to put it in order for a final cut; so there is no need for dubbing at the moment.

"And lastly, 'Action Replay' is in sync sound, so dubbing is totally out of the question. Besides, I have been busy for 'London Dreams'; Aishwarya has been busy shooting 'Ravana' and 'Guzaarish'. She has been travelling a lot so we didn't even have time to take 'Action Replay' forward. What is the logic behind these rumours then?" he added.

This apart, there were also rumours that Aishwarya had repeatedly rejected one of music composer Pritam Chakraborty's song for the film. But Shah denies it.

"It was I who had rejected Pritam's song thrice, not Aishwarya. The song was for her entry in the film and I wanted to crack a big song. I never allow my actors to my music recording studio - then from where have these rumours come out from?" he asked in an agitated tone.

Shah, who made hits like "Singh Is Kinng" and "Namastey London", is yet to shoot the last leg of the movie, which also features actor Akshay Kumar and Neha Dhupia.

"The last schedule of the film is still pending. We have planned to shoot it in December or January. Currently I am doing the recce for the locations, " he said.

Our very own superhero Krrish is making a comeback and taking a leaf out Spiderman's latest episode, papa Roshan is giving grey shades to Hrithik's alter ego.

And this is not the sole exciting fact leaked about the film. As per reports, the villain in the much-anticipated SFX flick will be a part robot-part human. Technicians from Hollywood will fly down to work with Rakesh on this one.

As for who will play Hrithik’s love interest?

Allegedly Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif will play the lead, but of course since everything is premature, and official sources keep dismissing the whole premise as a figment of the media’s imagination.

Britney Spears has sparked fresh reports that she’s set to tie the knot for the third time after being spotted wearing a twinkling ring on her wedding finger.

The singer, who is presently dating agent-turned-boyfriend Jason Trawick, was said to be “unlucky-in-love” over a string of failed relationships.

A source said: "Britney and Jason have really hit it off. Britney is saying how this is the first 'proper' relationship she has ever had."

Advertisement"They actually talk about real stuff and he's genuinely interested in what she has to say."

"He's so sharp and intelligent and Britney feels their relationship is so much deeper than any one she has had before."

"She really feels like Jason is the kind of man who might tempt her to marry again."

Her mother Lynne was also said to be keeping her fingers crossed for her daughter.

Lynne said, "He is the kind of man you would dream of your daughter marrying. "The kids love him, and he's stable."

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Ajay Devgan, Salman Khan, Asin, Ranvijay Singh, Aditya Kapoor
Directed by Vipul Amritlal Shah
Rating: **

wo friends Arjun and Manu from childhood share a common dream. They both wish to see Manu become a big singing star.

Manu migrates to London with his sullen uncle, runs out of the airport…and becomes a a rocker almost overnight! Small and very accommodating world.

The sequence where Manu now grown into a punk-styled Ajay Devgan sings at Trafalgar Square and within 4 minutes acquires three band members, could be a self-defining advertisement for opportunities for Asians in Briton. ‘Visa’ –vis artistic licence.

The British soil never seemed more welcoming. Although Salman Khan playing the wild and warm Manu is allowed to make innumerable digs at the Indian revenge on their old colonizers, London seems to say namastey most warmly to all the characters in the film.

How is the city to be blamed if the characters secrete a deep dark and negative side to their personality that bubbles to the surface in toxic fumes burning and destroying the music and harmony of the spheres?

Vipul Shah’s London Dreams aims for a more penetrating and profound look at the life of Asians in Briton than Namastey London. The characters here are far more complex and dark. But their presence is constantly challenged by the predictable and often banal narrative.

From the first few frames when we see the two friends in rural Punjab share Arjun’s international musical dreams, we know exactly the way this story is heading. And that includes the love triangle that growns in London among the intense self-flagellating Arjun, the carefree Manu and the happy-go-‘lanky‘ girl nextdoor.

One of the films 7-8 truly warm sequences shows Asin practising Bharat Natyam in front of her ultra-conservative Tamilian father . The dance steps transform into aritzy jig the minute pop ain’t looking. MTC, here she ‘combs’.

Such moments are far too in-between in Vipul Shah’s sober-and-straight narrative. Even when Manu played at a range that goes from jaded to involved by Salman Khan, is being facetious he does it in a clocked and correct way.Sponatenity is at a low premium among these wannabe rock stars.

No matter what the length of the rock band-members’ hair no one is in a hurry here to let their hair down. They’d rather let each other down. The dramatic confrontations work when they’re done unselfconsciously. Some of them, like the confrontation between the two Pakistani brothers in a back -alley of London after the one tells the other about Arjun’s treachery and betrayal, is plainly mawkish.

Because the film forever has its pale heart in the right place the length (nearly 3 hours) is largely excusable. The meandering atonal music score by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy is not.

Why would stadiums filled with gora log be screaming at our rockers singing these listless songs? And what does the dream of the band London Dreams really mean?

Move on to the wider questions of jealousy, malevolence, insecurity and over- ambition….and the film delivers wispy wallops in a steady and honest tone. Though the music is plainly awful the background score by Salim-Suleiman fights a pitched battle against the mediocrity of the songs.

Sejal Shah’s cinematography is outstanding, often capturing the characters in various phase of emotional breakdown against the quaint neat London backdrop.

Among the cast Ajay Devgan gets to the heart of his troubled and over-reaching character and pulls out a well-balanced performance, though he hardly looks like a rock star (the multiple earrings and other exterior preparations make us cringe). The curly-haired newcomer Aditya Roy Kapoor is an interesting presence.

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandes
Written & Directed by Sujoy Ghosh
Rating: ** ½

Make a wish, make a wish….The Djinn, played by the indefatigable Amitabh Bachchan, is the tonic in this Indianized adaptation of Aladin’s arabesque adventures in blunderland.

Once the Big B slams and hurls into the loser Aladin Chatterjee’s life things are never the same again.

Aladin Chatterjee? That could well qualify as the most oxymoronic name-calling in the history of fantasy cinema. Writer- director Sujoy Ghosh has a sly sense of humour. He portrays the bullies and the fakes with great gusto.

He brings up his favourite themes such as the music of R.D. Burman and the fears and foibles of the working-class that lives its life in a cande-lit cupcake, in a adventure-caper that’s high on special effects, but somewhat low on narrative muscle.

Once the genie, or the Genius as the Big B calls himself, arrives and gets the lovely new girl in town (newcomer Jacqueline Fernandes, pretty but vacant) to fall in love with the nerdy Aladin there’s just no room for any forward movement in the plot. All Aladin does is sing and dance and indulge in verbal sparring with his magical mentor.

Mr Bachchan brings in that special and unique blend of tongue-in-cheek wit and childlike chutzpah to his supernatural role. He played a ghost dost in Bhootnath.

He plays Ghosh’s genie as more an entertainer than a meanie. We can’t remember the last time he seemed to be having so much fun.Furnishing the genie’s part with an audacious ingenuity he simply takes you to a world where wishes do come true.

Yup the Bachchan is that kind of a mestro.

Riteish Deshmukh is the perfect foil. Fearful anxious insecure and lonely, Deshmukh’s eyes convey ‘feary’-tales about wounds in rooms filled with conspiratorial ghouls and ogres.

Art director Sabu Cyril creates a magical synthesis of gothic architecture and the quaint but deep mystique of a hill station…right there at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai! Sirsha Ray’s camera has a whale of a time letting the lenses do all the talking, walking and exploring.

Is that a miracle, or what? Aladin could have been one of the most accomplished children’s films ever with special effects that comfortably nudge and wink at its Hollywood counterparts.

Instead Ghosh’s narrative gets stuck in repetitive situations…Aladin chased by tormentors (Saahil Khan and co, repeatedly rescued by the phantasmagoric Guardian Angel …Much in the same way that Mr Bachchan is expected to rescure all the films that feature his name in the credits.

The film’s most unimpressive performance comes from Sanjay Dutt who seems to think he’s Jack Nicholson doing a Joker in Batman Returns.

This Joker is poker-faced. ‘Brat’ Man never returns once he takes off on his own evil journey.

Aladin is a labour of love. It does get laboured at times and the going gets progressively tedious once we get to the point where we get the point.

But the film’s faith in the nurturing qualities inherent in fantasy never flags. You can’t stop yourself from smiling at the antics of the dude who epitomizes longevity.

Katrina Kaif has become the first victim of the recent thaw between Abhishek Bachchanh-Kareena Kapoor relationship. The pretty lady who was touted as Priyanka Chopra's replacement in upcoming Dostana sequel has now been dumped for Kareena Kapoor.

Kareena has just completed ‘Kurbaan’ with KJo’s production house, and is currently working on ‘Stepmom’, co-starring Kajol, by the same banner. And the buzz is that she is all set to take over the leading lady’s title from Priyanka Chopra in the ‘Dostana’ series.

The film will now see none other than Bollywood hunks Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham wooing Kareena, not Kat or Piggy Chops. Although Bebo hasn’t been on good terms with both Abhi and John previously, the actors have now agreed to work together.

On the other hand, refuting the rumours of Katrina’s ouster from the much-anticipated venture, director Tarun Mansukhani said that he had never finalised Katrina for this one. “How could I finalise anyone until I finished the script except John and Abhishek who are an integral part of the ‘Dostana’ brand, ” he asks. About casting Kareena, the director said, “We are almost done with the script. At the moment I’m neither confirming not denying Kareena’s presence.”

The gang, featuring teenagers Diana Tamayo and Courtney Ames, was arrested within the last two weeks, and all members are currently free on bail.

But that could all change if police chiefs get their way.

Lohan's home was allegedly robbed by members of the gang this summer (09), while the accused thieves hit Patridge's estate in February (09).

Some of the youngsters have also been linked to similar crimes at homes belonging to Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Rachel Bilson.

TMZ.com reports police have officially handed the case over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney. Charges are expected to be filed later on Wednesday (27Oct09).

A sixth gang member, Rachel Lee, is not expected to be charged today as there's currently insufficient evidence linking her to any crime.

Source: hollywood.com/news

Amitabh Bachchan is all set to save the world, albeit in a digital avatar. The 'Shehenshah of Bollywood' is lending his voice for the feature length animated film, 'Twinergy', which is being directed by acclaimed filmmaker Priyadarshan.

The film based on the universal theme of good and evil is filmmaker Priyadarshan's first animation project and will see Big B playing the lead as well as lending his famous baritone to his character.

A B Corporation has entered into a tie-up with media entertainment major Toonz India to produce the full-length animated film.

The pre-production work of the Rs 20 crore venture has begun in Toonz studio at the Technopark here and the film is expected to release during Diwali in 2010, P Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Animation India Pvt Ltd told.

This movie has several unique features.

By Subhash K Jha

Today Wednesday (October 28) Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor will walk the ramp in Delhi for designer Rohit Bal at the conclusion of the Couture Week in Delhi.

Both Katrina and Ranbir have known Rohit Bal socially though this is first they’ll be wearing his clothes,

This is also the first time that Ranbir and Katrina will be walking the ramp together.

“And most definitely the first time for Rohit Bal. But it’s for our film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. Rohit will be dressing us up in some fun funky young vibrant clothes. And I’ll of course be sporting my trademark ponytail hairstyle from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, ” says Katrina.

Ranbir has been shooting in Bhopal for Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti. On Tuesday the film’s last day of shooting happened. On Wednesday morning Ranbir was expected to join Katrina in Delhi for their ramp romp in the evening.

The last Bollywood biggie to have walked the ramp for Rohit Bal was Shah Rukh Khan.

“I’m excited because Rohit is not a typical Bollywood designer. I want too see what he has put together for me. I’ll only know tomorrow, ” Katrina said on Tuesday.

Katrina is excited about the release of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani because it’s her first attempt at doing situational comedy. “I’ve a much smaller role in my next release De Dana Dan. But I’m equally excited about it since Akshay and I form a great team. And this is my first film with Priyadarshan.

The race to stay in shape is affecting the health of B-town’s actresses. First Priyanka Chopra fainted and now Asin.

She passed out at an Andheri club because of non-stop interviews that she had to give for her latest film, London Dreams. She had to be revived by her staff and friends by instant energy boosters.

Asin rested at home on her birthday yesterday and stated that the reason she fainted was because she had slept for barely 3-4 hours last week and on that day, she had no sleep or food. But she was making it up by spending a restful birthday.

On Sunday night, her closest friends came over to dinner after which they made her cut the cake at midnight.

Earlier, when she came home in the evening, her parents had done up the entire house with balloons, like they used to when she was younger.

She admits that this was the best birthday of her life. The later part of the day was spent with children from her building.

How did London Dreams happen?
I was still shooting for Ghajini but Vipul had seen some of my South Indian films. So I got a call from him and he said he had a role of a headstrong talented girl in his next directorial venture after Namastey London.

Obviously I was excited at the sound of it! (laughs) I love Vipul’s cinema, he showcases emotions really well and his films always have strong music. So it was actually a no-brainer that I wanted to be a part of this project immediately on hearing its script. In a way, this is my first authentic Bollywood film even though Ghajini released first.

That's because I had already played Kalpana in the south version of Ghajini before doing the Hindi remake with Aamir (Khan).

Tell us the experience of working with Vipul Shah!
Fabulous! Vipul is very organized, he does his homework really well so when you reach the sets the shot break downs are done, he knows exactly how he wants the scene done. And I am a complete Director’s actor.

It’s important for me to understand my director’s vision and in that sense Vipul is very giving. I’ve been spoilt by him because now I think I will always want all shoots to be as planned! (Smiles)

Tell us something about your character in London Dreams?
I play a south Indian girl, Priya, who is emotional but strong willed and ambitious at the same time. And she has two radically different sides to her.

At home she’s a traditional girl clad in Indian outfits but the minute she’s out with friends, she’s a fire brand, and that shows in the way she dresses. And she’s also partly responsible for the conflict between Salman and Ajay’s characters. So it was a wholesome character to play.

This is the first time you’re working with big names like Salman Khan & Ajay Devgn. What was that like?
When I came on to the sets of London Dreams I didn’t know them. I knew they were way senior and was anxious just like any newcomer would understandably be.

And then I'd heard so much about them from different people. Salman has a ‘bad boy’ image. Many told me that he was very temperamental and erratic! Having worked with him I dispelled all those myths. I got to see a sensitive actor who had an absolute ball on the sets and went out of his way to make everyone comfortable.

Both Ajay & Salman are also great offscreen friends and that shows on celluloid. Ajay, contrary to popular belief, was not reticent at all. He was very helpful and friendly!

I realised that you find out the truth about people only when you work with them and get to know them better.

Tell us about the music of London Dreams!
Oh! There’s so much that I can say! (smiles) London Dreams has a backdrop of a rock band so it’s only right that the music should be an arterial part of the film. And I think that Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy have done complete justice to the film in that sense.

The music is melodious but remains true to the essence of the film. It’s a very holistic album - there’s the masti of Punjab and the edge of contemporary music. I personally love Man Ko Ati Bhaave and Tapke Masti; they’re fun songs!

Everyone is waiting for London Dreams with bated breath. Tell us why we should watch it?
It's an absolutely stunning looking commercial entertainer with emotions, humour, music and drama! It's a big one for the families!

We had a blast shooting it in the UK and I took back some really fond memories with me. The fantastic time we had on the sets and the chemistry between all of us will show on screen!

By Subhash K Jha

Two days after the tepid response to the latest Salman starrer Main Aurr Mrs Khanna its shell-shocked debutant director Prem R. Soni was bracing himself to be written off as one-film wannabe-wonder.

Salman Khan restored Prem’s trust in his abilities when on Sunday night at a private family gathering, he embraced the shaken director and announced, “No matter what people say about Khanna you are doing our next film.”

Relieved beyond belief Prem Soni is now a bigger Salman fan than ever before. “The way Main Aurr Mrs Khanna has been received I thought no one would want to touch me with a bargepole. So many announcements go down the drain if the first film doesn’t work.”

Relieved, Soni is still bewildered by the savage response to his maiden effort. “It was almost as if we made the worst film on this earth. I could smell the resentment against the film.There was definitely an attempt to write it off on the day of release.”

Salman who had just delivered a grand hit in Wanted showed his full faith in Main Aurr Mrs Khanna.

Says the director, “He completely believed in my film and his character. But since he was already so visible for Wanted we decided to go easy on the publicity for Mrs Khanna. We were wrong. This was a different Salman and a different film. Not that aggressive promotion helps. But aggressive anti-publicity surely damaged my film.”

Whatever the response to the film at home Main Aurr Mrs Khanna has been warmly received in Australia where the film is set and where a number of prominent Hindi films have been lately shot.

Says Prem Soni, “Melbourne is not just a location in my film. It’s one of the characters in the plot.Has anyone commented on how hard we worked on getting the locations right? Main Aurr Mrs Khanna is the first Indian film to be shot on an international airport. When I wrote my script a major part of drama was situated on an international airport.”

Salman, Sohail and Soni were very clear on the fact that they wanted to shoot on an international airport. “We didn’t wanto to erect a set depicting an airport. A set looks like a set no matter how authentic.

I made contact with the authorities at several airports. We had the choice of shooting on the airport in three cities Geneva, New York and Melbourne. We chose Melbourne because after much discussion they offered us the best deal.”

And shooting on the bustling international airport in Melbourne was allowed absolutely free of cost. “Can you imagine?All we were told was to shoot in the nights when the air traffic was less dense.

We paid nothing and we got complete and free acess to shoot in the most restricted areas on the airport. We shot in an area past the immigration, so any of us could take an unauthorized flight to any part of the world.

But all of us Kareena, Salman, Sohail, Yash Tonk, Nauheed Cyrusi and Bappi Lahiri, were very careful of our responsibility. We had been given a huge privilege and a diplomatic immunity. It wasn’t just us. It was India’s reputation at stake.”

Sighs Soni, “Has anyone noticed that Main Aurr Mrs Khanna is the only film to be shot on an airport since Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal? It’s so easy and so much fun to be clever at a film’s expense.”