Cinemax Multiplex in Hyderabad

January 15th, 2009

Cinemax, new multiplex in Hyderabad opened to the public yesterday. Cinemax entered in Kolkata market in December, 2008. The multiplex is located opposite L.V.Prasad Eye Hospital on the Banjara Hills- Jubilee Hills road.

The new property is Cinemax’s first in the region and has 1001 seats with three screens. The multiplex also has 88 recliner seats. Cinemax has high end projection system and Dolby speakers.

The multiplex will be open to the audiences with films like Chandni Chowk to China and Maska.

Rachna Shah Rang Rasiya Actress Hot Pictures, Interview

14th January, 2009

She is smart, bold, does not shy away from sensuality and has no qualms about wearing barely there garments (and did we forget to mention also super hot!) Rising actress Rachna Shah gives us the inside scoop on herself and her titillating role as Kamini in her forthcoming movie Rang Rasiya.

First the obvious question..could you tell us a little bit about your role in Rang Rasiya.

I play Kamini who is Ravi Verma's muse. She comes from a lower caste and stands for a twentieth century modern woman. Ravi Verma is inspired by her beauty and her flamboyance.

And how much of yourself do you see in Kamini?

Kamini is a teaser, she will come and titillate you. I am not like that in my real life. I am ambitious and love pushing the edge. I love a challenge and want to do something different, not the usual run off the mill stuff. Kamini as a role attracted to me, she is a very modern woman and stands for woman empowerment.

Is it true that you had to put on 5 kilos for the movie?

Ya, you see Ravi Verma is a Keralite. Ketan said that he wanted a heavy ass voluptuous woman as Kamini had that kind of a look. And i was quite skinny so I told him 'Don't worry I'll put on weight for the character." I also went and sat in the sun to look tanned. I had to look as natural as possible as there was no make-up used in the movie except for one scene. And to be honest putting on weight was easy, my biggest challenge was how will she talk in two languages English and Hindi and how do I make it sound convincing.

And how comfortable were you doing the sensuous roles and wearing skimpy clothes?

You see Ketan had made it very clear right from the beginning if you are not comfortable don't sign the film, don't get in to anything half heartedly. I did not think about it. I studied the paintings of Ravi Verma. And as far as the attire was concerned, I didn't even wear any skin tights or coloured bras, I wore it just like how woman in Kerala those days use to. I was quite comfortable with what i wore. And if you are not it just shows. Why do you think that foreign actresses look good in a bikini? Some of the foreigners wear the most ridiculous bikinis and it suits them. It suits them just because they are comfortable wearing one.

Ravi Verma was quite a controversial painter, whats your take on his kind of paintings.

If an artist has to worry about a hundred things before his creation then what's the point? An artist should have the freedom of expression. You can't call anything dirty. What comes to the mind is natural. Unless of course you are talking about things like abusing a child. That is unacceptable. But there is nothing wrong when something is done between two equals.

Where will we see you next?

I'm doing Kal Kisne Dekha where I will be playing a negative role. And guess what here I had to lose nine kilos for the film! It is a regular kind of action movie. I am also coming out with a movie 'Diamond Murders' which is based on Sherlock Homes. Its a complicated film you'll have to just wait and see what it is all about.

Star Screen Awards 2009 Winners | Winners List of 15th Star Screen Awards 2009

January 14th, 2009

Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra Wednesday won the Star Screen Awards 2008 for the best male and female actors.Hrithik got the honour for his lead role in "Jodhaa Akbar" while Priyanka won it for her role in Madhur Bhandarkar's "Fashion".

The period movie "Jodhaa Akbar" directed by Ashutosh Gowariker also won the best film award at a late evening function here.

2nd source tells us that results are these

Best Debut Male: Farhan Akhtar
Best Debut Female: Asin
Best Background score AR Rahman
Best Playback Singer-Male: KK
Best Playback Singer-Female: Shilpa Rao
Best Action: Race
Best Cinematography: Jason West, Rock ON
Best Lyrics: Anvita Dutt Guptan
Best Story: Neeraj Pandey, A Wednesday
Best Choreography: Khwaja Mere Khwaja, Jodhaa Akbar
Best Supporting Actor: Arjun Ramphal
Best Supporting Actress: S Goswami
Best Actor Male - Akshay Kumar
Best Actor Female - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Please Keep on checking for more updates on this

Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par out of the Oscar race

January 14th, 2009

Aamir Khan's hit directorial debut Taare Zameen Par, which was India's official entry to the Oscars, did not make it beyond the initial rounds of screening in the Best Foreign Film category. This film was selected over other critically acclaimed films such as A Wednesday, Rock On, Telugu film Ghanya, Mumbai Meri Jaan, etc.

This year, in the 81st Academy Awards, out of the 65 films that qualified in the category, only 9 films will go to the next round of voting. India's nomination — Taare Zameen Par — did not figure in the nine films shortlisted for the next round. Much hopes were put on Khan's film, especially after A R Rahman won the Golden Globe for the Best Music score in Slumdog Millionaire.

One of the films out of the nine shortlisted films features the acclaimed Israeli documentary Waltz with Bashir directed by Ari Folman, which won the Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Film category. The films were chosen by a committee comprising several hundred Academy members. The 9 shortlisted films will go through another round of voting and then only 5 films will be nominated and in the running for the 81st Annual Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category. The 5 nominees will be announced on January 22.

The 9 shortlisted films:

3 Monkeys, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (director) — Turkey
Departures, Yojiro Takita (director) — Japan
Everlasting Moments, Jan Troell (director) — Sweden
Revanche, Gotz Spielmann (director) — Austria
Tear This Heart Out, Roberto Sneider (director) — Mexico
The Necessities of Life, Benoit Pilon(director) — Canada
The Class, Laurent Cantet (director) — France
The Baader Meinhof Complex, Uli Edel (director) — Germany
Waltz with Bashir, Ari Folman(director) — Israel

AB Corp calls off Rs15 billion deal with Reliance BIG Entertainment's

January 14th, 2009

The recession has claimed another victim

Reliance BIG Entertainment's mega deal of Rs 15 billion with Amitabh Bachchan's AB Corp has fizzled out.

The two companies had entered into a contract in June 2008 to make feature films and TV serials. The first couple of films that the companies had finalised were Pa, directed by Balki and Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi's Kunal Avadana.

Our source from the industry reveals, "Reliance has been going through a major up and down for some time now. Most of the filmmakers making films with Reliance have been asked to cut costs.

Some of the films that Reliance is producing have been asked to rework on their budget, while price of some of the films they are distributing have also been reduced. Most of the films like Vashu Bhagnani's Do Knot Disturb and Kal Kissne Dekha, Ravi Chopra's Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai and many others have to be reconsidered by Reliance.

After the deal with Reliance fizzled out, AB Corp is all set to join hands with Studio 18 to make Pa with them. The deal with Pa is almost done while talks are also on for Kunal Avadana."

Another source elaborates, "The deal between AB Corp and Reliance is fallen through as Reliance was taking its own time and there was no clarity from their side as to when they wanted to start the film."

When contacted, the official spokesperson of Reliance said they did not wish to comment. However, Sandeep Bhargav of Indian Films (TV 18) says, "It is too premature to discuss anything."

Amitabh Bachchan remained unavailable for comment.

Kabhi khushi kabhi gham

January 14th, 2009

Is it possible for two actresses to remain friends? Ask Vidya Balan and Raima Sen who are as thick as thieves

In Bollywood there are many friendships that start from the reels and extend onto real life. Vidya Balan and Raima Sen are one such. On Sunday evening, an eyewitness caught Vidya and Raima bonding like school girls. The two actresses seemed to be having a great time at Juhu's Prithvi café taking the entire place by surprise.

The witness said, "Vidya and Raima walked into the Prithvi Cafe instantly drawing our attention. Vidya was dressed in a white chikan salwar kurta while Raima was in a pair of jeans and a white shirt. They were giggling and enjoying each other's company. It appeared as if the two were catching up after a long time."

Since the café was full, they didn't find a place to sit says the witness. "Vidya and Raima were about to walk out when the manager made place for them. They had a glass of the famous Prithvi cutting chai while most present there were ogling at them.When they stepped out, they could not locate their cars. So they hopped into a rickshaw and sped away like a breeze even before gapers like us could realise anything."

Raima confirmed to us, "Vidya and I have been good friends since our Parineeta days. However, this is something very personal and I don't want to talk about it."

Meanwhile, Vidya remained unavailable for comment.

After a spat with Vatsal Sheth, Esha Deol stalled the shooting of Exchange Offer

January 14th, 2009

Some people refuse to grow with age.Take the case of 26-year-old Esha Deol and 28-year-old Vatsal Sheth, co-stars in Shivam Nair's Exchange Offer, who fought over their respective schools being the best in Juhu.

A source close to the production house said, "During the film's shooting in Goa, Esha and Vatsal hit it off well. They both shared the common ground of being from Juhu.On that fateful day, Esha and Vatsal first began talking about their childhood and eventually started discussing the schools in Juhu. Very soon their discussion turned into a heated argument. The bone of contention was whose school was the best? Eventually, Esha got so upset that she stormed out of the sets and locked herself in her vanity van for two and a half hours, bringing the shooting to a grinding halt. It sounds funny and unbelievable that two grown up actors can fight over such frivolous issues."

Vatsal Sheth confirmed the news and said, "Yes, you heard right. we started arguing about which school - Esha's Jamnabai Narsee or my Utpal Shanghvi - was better. We both went about advocating our schools for nearly 45 minutes, before realising that we were fighting. Thereafter, she went her way and I went mine. It seems so bizarre that despite being grown ups, we were fighting like kids. The next day, I did not dare to rake up the issue again."

We tried contacting Esha but she remained unavailable for comment.

Delhi 6 Songs Track List | Delhi 6 Tracks

January 14th, 2009

Aarti (Tumre Bhavan Mein)
Singers: Rekha Bharadwaj, Kishori Gowariker, Shraddha Pandit, Sujata Majumdar
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): 3:01

Arziyan
Singers: Javed Ali, Kailash Kher
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): 8:42

Bhor Bhaye
Singers: Shreya Ghosal, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Gujri Todi
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): 3:19

Delhi 6
Singers: Blaaze, Benny Dayal, Vivinenne Pocha, Tanvi, Claire
Lyricist: Vivinenne Pocha, Claire
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): 3:36

Dil Gira Dafatan
Music Label:T-Series
Singers: Ash King, Backing Chinmayee
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): 5:40

Genda Phool
Singers: Rekha Bharadwaj, Shraddha Pandit, Sujata Majumdar
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman, Rajat Dholakia
Duration (mm:ss): 2:50

Hey Kaala Bandar
Singers: Karthik, Naresh, Srinivas, Bony Chakravarthy
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): 5:53

Masakali
Singers: Mohit Chouhan
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): 4:51

Noor
Singers: Amitabh Bachchan
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman
Duration (mm:ss): :5:00

Rehna Tu
Singers: A R Rahman, Benny Dayal, Tanvi
Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi
Music Director: A R Rahman

Ranbir Katrina Dating ? Ranbir Kapoor Katrina Kaif Latest News

January 13th, 2009

'Good friends' Ranbir and Katrina catch up over dinner. PS: Deepika and Sallu are not in town

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were spotted having a late-night dinner at the Grand Hyatt on Sunday night at around half past one.

Interestingly, Ranbir's girlfriend Deepika Padukone is not town as she is busy with the world premieres of her latest film Chandni Chowk to China. Also, Kat's love interest Salman Khan is out of the country shooting for Vipul Shah's London Dreams.

A private setting

An eyewitness present at the venue reveals, "It was interesting that these two came by themselves. They were immersed in deep conversation all through the dinner.

Usually, actors choose to dine at the popular China House but the two young actors chose a more private setting for their dinner, obviously because they didn't want to be bump into the regular star clientele of the restaurant."

Describing their mood, the source adds, "Kat was in a jovial mood. Ranbir too was cracking jokes and entertaining her with his one-liners."

Ranbir and Kat got friendly on the sets of their upcoming film Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. They are both of the same age, and enjoy each other's company. This is the first time the two have been spotted in public having dinner, which lasted way past midnight. Their sighting only adds to speculations about the 'real' status of their apparent 'friendship'.

However Katrina denies being at the dinner, "No, I was not there for any dinner. I have been rehearsing around the clock for the Screen Awards."

Despite repeated attempts, Ranbir remained unavailable for comment.

Biography - Madhuri Dixit

Madhuri Dixit’s allure lies in her classic good looks and poise. The much sought after actress was the muse of artist M.F.Hussain and is tagged as an outstanding dancer adding that extra bit of spice to the film screens.

Ek Do Teen
Madhuri Shankar Dixit was born on 15th May 1967 into a Marathi Brahmin family in Mumbai, India. Her parents are Shankar and Snehalata Dixit. She is the youngest of four children. She has two older sisters Rupa and Bharati and an older brother Ajit.

Madhuri studied at the Parle College and considered a future in micro-biology. She also trained in Kathak for over eight years.

She was linked with actor Sanjay Dutt before she married Sriram Madhav Nene, a surgeon based in the USA in 1999. They have two sons, Arin born in 2003 and Ryan in 2005. The family lives in Denver, Colorado.

The Government of India conferred Madhuri the Padma Shri Award, the highest civilian award in 2008.

Queen of Hearts
It took Madhuri Dixit a little over three years before she shot to fame before you could say ek, do ,teen.

1984 to 1989 Madhuri’s first movie was Abodh in 1984 and after a few forgettable performances, she appeared in Dayavan, a remake of the Tamil hit Nayagan, with Vinod Khanna and Feroz Khan. Tezaab with Anil Kapoor became a box office hit and she followed this with performances in Ram Lakhan, Prem Prathiyaga, Tridev and Parinda which became India’s official entry to the Oscars. Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor enjoyed a successful chemistry on screen and worked together in many movies.

1990 to 1995 Madhuri won the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1990 for her role as Madhu in Indra Kumar’s Dil opposite Aamir Khan. Saajan, a love triangle, starring Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt did good business in 1991. She starred with Anil Kapoor in 1992 in movies like Khel, Zindagi Ek Jua and Beta. One of Madhuri’s most famous dance sequences Dhak Dhak Karne Laga was from Beta. She won another Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In 1993, Khalnayak with Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff was a blockbuster while her dance sequence Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai created ripples as she sets off to trap the criminal Ballu. If Anjaam with Shah Rukh Khan in 1994 failed to do well, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun with Salman Khan broke records and added another feather, a rather bright one, in her cap. She won her third Filmfare Best Actress Award. She had two releases in 1995, Raja and Yaarana.

1996 to 2009
Madhuri’s success rate tapered until the 1997 release Yash Chopra’s Dil to Paagal Hai as Pooja, a dancer. In 2000, she faced Anil Kapoor once again in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Pukar as Anjali who wreaks havoc in the life of Major Jaidev Rajvansh. She was also seen in M.F.Hussain’s Gaja Gamini. The movie famously inspired by her, explores the different facets of a woman.
In 2001, she played Jhanki in Lajja that centered around strong female characters. In Devdas, a much anticipated release in 2002, Madhuri donned the role of a courtesan Chandramukhi whose love for Devdas doesn’t save him. Her portrayal of the courtesan won her the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

She moved away from Bollywood for five years and returned back in Aaja Nachle in 2007 as Dia who is trying to bring the Ajanta Theater back on to it’s feet. The movie refused to take off at the box office.

Biography - Rimi Sen

Rimi Sen (b. on September 21, 1981 in Kolkata, India) is an Indian actress working in the Bollywood film industry. In an interview with journalist Vickey Lalwani, Sen revealed that she does not use her real name, Shoumitra Sen, "because it is so unusual." Sen moved to Mumbai to become a film actress. She was first noticed when she auditioned for a Coca-Cola advertisement, impressing Priyadarshan, the director of the ad. Priyadarshan cast her in his hit film Hungama, establishing her in Bollywood.

She then played Amitabh Bachchan's and Hema Malini's granddaughter in the hit film Baghban. Her next big hit was the Yashraj produced Dhoom. Her next releases Phir Hera Pheri and Golmaal have been successful at the box office. Her latest release Dhoom 2, released on November 24, 2006, is another big hit, though she has very little presence in the film. Rimi is now going by the screen name Rimii. She explains the name change as a career move: there are many other Sens working in Bollywood right now, and a single name may help her stand out from the crowd and stay apart from others.
Glamsham.com interviewed Sen in July 2006, discussing her movie Golmaal. In the interview Sen said, "I play a sweet and beautiful girl in the film. The best thing that I like about the film is that though it has four heroes, I am the only heroine. Rohit Shetty is amazing as a director. He can make even a black African look pretty." Ligali, an African British group, condemned her statements and said it showed "how normalized anti-African ideology is within Bollywood and its audiences. It would be unlikely that her racist comments will hinder her career or that of the journalist and media organisation that published this anti-African statement."

Jaspreet Pandohar, Bollywood film critic for BBC Movies Online, said that Sen's comments were "shameful but not entirely surprising. It not only reflects her ignorance of other cultures and belief that black people can be naturally beautiful, but also illustrates India and Bollywood long-running obsession with fair skin. The sad thing is Rimi probably doesn't even realise her comments can be construed as offensive and maybe sometimes even racist . It would be practically unheard of a British actor making these kinds of racist comments in the open and to the media. She's currently still in Indian Cinema."

Biography - Tabu

Tabu on November 4, 1970 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India) is an award-winning actress who has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and English films. Largely considered to be one of the best actresses working in the film industry, she has won the coveted National Film Award for Best Actress twice. She is best known for her critically acclaimed acting in many films rather than achieving box office success. She is considered one of the finest and most versatile actresses in the country. Despite a few exceptions, Tabu is known best for her willingness to play characters in artistic, low-budget films that go on to garner more critical appreciation than they do substantial box office figures such as in Maqbool or Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities . Known to be selective on her film roles the actress has said, "I do films which move me and most of all, the unit and the director should appeal to me."

Tabassum "Tabu" Hashmi began her career in the film Hum Naujawan (1985) at the age of fifteen; she played Dev Anand's daughter in the film. Her first role as an actress was in the Telugu film Coolie No. 1. Her first release in Hindi as a leading lady was Pehla Pehla Pyar which went un-noticed. She came into prominence with her role in Vijaypath (1994) opposite Ajay Devgan for which she received the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. This was followed by many films that did not do well at the box office. In 1996, Tabu had eight releases. Two films Saajan Chale Sasural and Jeet went on to be hits; both were within the top five films of that year. Her other significant film, Maachis, was critically acclaimed. Her role as a Punjabi woman caught in the rise of Sikh insurgency was acclaimed; she went on to win her first National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance. Tabu first release of 1997 was Border. The movie was about the real life events surrounding the Battle of Longewala during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. She played the role of Sunny Deol's wife. Her role was small but the film went on to be the biggest hit of 1997. That year, she also starred in the critically acclaimed film Virasat. The film was an average success at the box office; Tabu won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. In 1999 she starred in two successful multi-starrer films Biwi No.1 and Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United. Both were the first and second biggest hits of that year respectively. In 2000, the actress starred in Hera Pheri and Astitva. The former was a box office success whilst the latter was critically acclaimed. She received her third Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for Astitva. 2001 saw her star in Chandni Bar directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. Her portrayal of a bar dancer met with unanimous praise, and she won her second National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance. Critic, Taran Adarsh said, "Chandni Bar is Tabu's film all the way and there are no two opinions on that. Her performance deserves the highest marks and of course, all the awards. Her work is flawless and the impact her character makes on the minds of the viewer is also due to a tailor-made role". Another critic mentioned, "if there is one actress who can carry a film on her shoulders, it is Tabu. As usual, she sparkles". She has acted in a number of Telugu movies, many of them very successful, such as Coolie No. 1 and Ninne Pelladatha', the latter being one of her most famous and popular movie'. In 2003, Tabu starred in an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The actress played Nimmi based on the character Lady Macbeth. The film titled Maqbool was directed by Vishal Bharadwaj and premiered at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. Maqbool was a box office failure but was met with huge acclaim. Tabu's performance opened to much appreciation; critic Ron Ahluwalia said, "Tabu shines in a dark role. The most versatile actress in Bollywood takes to villainy like a second nature. She is menacing and seductive, but keeps an innocent look on her face, making her even viler. The way Tabu delivers her taunts simply perfect. Her gradual insanity is heart-wrenching and her final outburst is easily the highlight of the film." Another critic said, "Tabu is fantastic in a complex role. Her performance in the film is worthy of awards. After Chandni Bar, this is another role that will be remembered for a long, long time." She had a supporting role in Fanaa (2006), with Aamir Khan and Kajol. The film went on to become the fourth biggest hit of that year. In 2007, Tabu starred in her first Hollywood film, The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair. The film was a huge hit overseas. She also starred in Cheeni Kum in which she played a 34 year-old woman who falls in love with a 64 year-old played by Amitabh Bachchan. Critics were generally positive towards the film; Taran Adarsh said, "Tabu stands on her feet despite a formidable co-star's domineering presence. She's excellent." Though the film did not do as well domestically, it was a huge hit overseas especially in UK and USA.

Tabu was born in Hyderabad. Soon after, her parents divorced. Her mother was a school teacher and her maternal grandparents were retired professors who ran a school. Her grandfather, Mohammed Ahsan was a Mathematics professor and her grandmother was an English Literature professor. Tabu moved to Mumbai in 1983 and studied at St. Xavier's College for two years. she also went to St. Anns high school in Hyderabad. She is the niece of Shabana Azmi and the younger sister of actress Farha Naaz. She has homes in Mumbai and Hyderabad. She is the life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy Of Film and Television, Noida. In 1998, Tabu was charged with poaching two blackbucks in Kankani during the filming of Hum Saath Saath Hain along with co-stars Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre and Neelam. The charges were dropped soon after and Tabu was acquitted.

Biography - Kajol

Kajol is well known for her acting prowess, exuberance and a family of successful filmi-types. At once, vulnerable, fierce and a complete natural.

The Fourth Generation
Kajol was born to actress Tanuja and film producer Shomu Mukherjee on 5th August 1975. She was born into a Bengali-Marathi family. Her family reads like the who’s who of the film industry – great grandmother Rattan Bai; maternal grandmother Shobana Samarth; maternal aunt Nutan who won the five Filmfare Best Actress Awards; paternal uncles Joy and Deb Mukherjee who were producers; paternal grandfather Sashadhar Mukherjee, a filmmaker married to Satirani Devi, the sister of Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and Kishore Kumar; sister Tanisha; husband Ajay Devgan; cousins Rani Mukherji and Mohnish Behl.

She did her schooling at St.Joseph’s in Panchgani till she was seventeen when she quit school to play actress.

She married actor turned producer Ajay Devgan in 1999 and the couple had a daughter Nysa when she took a break from movies, making a comeback in 2006.

Making waves
1992 to 1997
Kajol made her debut with Bekhudi in 1992 in which her real life mother Tanuja played reel-life mommy. It was Baazigar in 1993 with Shah Rukh Khan that earned her recognition as an actress worth watching out for. Yeh Dillagi, a remake of Sabrina, in which she plays Sapna who is pursued by two brothers won her a nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 1995, she had quite a few releases that were average performers like Taaqat, Hulchul and Gundaraj. Karan Arjun did well. But it was Dilwale Dulhaniya le Jaayenge that broke records and is still running in theaters. The Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role as Simran was well-deserved. She enjoyed a good run of success in 1997 with Gupt for which she won the Filmfare Best Villain Award, Hamesha that was about re-incarnation, Ishq that was a romantic comedy where she paired off well with Ajay Devgan and the Tamil movie Minsaara Kanavu that won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award South.

1998 to 2003
The year 1998 was another big year as all her releases turned out to be hits. Pyaar Kiya Tho Darna Kya with Salman Khan; Dushman where she played a double role; Pyaar Tho Hona Hi Tha, a reworked version of the comedy French Kiss with Ajay Devgan; Kuch Kuch Hota Hai that saw her transform from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan and had Aman and Rahul swooning over her. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance as Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

She had three releases in 1999 with Dil Kya Kare, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehete Hai and Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya. In 2000, she played the lead Anna in Raju Chacha that was produced by Ajay Devgan. The movie did not meet the set expectations. Kuch Katti Kuch Meethi had her in a double role and Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, an opulent family drama won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

2006 to 2009
Kajol, after a break of three years, made a come back with Fanaa, a story about a blind girl Zooni who falls in love with a terrorist that was played by Aamir Khan. It won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She made some appearances in song sequences in Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna, Om Shanthi Om and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. In 2008, she starred in U, Me Aur Hum which was directed and produced by Ajay Devgan and did reasonably well.
She is currently working on another Johar movie My Name Is Khan with Shah Rukh Khan and Koochie Koochie Hota Hai which is an animated version of her hit Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Biography - Namitha

Namitha Kapoor is a famous South Indian actress and a former model.

Namitha Kapoor born on May 10th, 1981 in Surat in Gujarat State, India has participated in several local beauty pageants before she won the 'Miss Surat' title in 1998 and missed her 2001 Miss India crown by a whisker and ended up being a second runner-up.

However, she got noticed by the industry people and thus began her career in showbiz world. Her celluloid journey down south with "Gemini" and Sontam", both Telugu films released in 2004 were quite a hit. The same year, her Tamil movie, "Engal Anna" starring opposite Vijayakanth became the biggest hit. Finally the hottest actress settled in Chennai getting plump roles in Tamil movies. She has also acted in an English movie, "Maya" {2007} and a lone Hindi movie, "Love Ke Chakker Mein" {2006}. She has rendered brilliant performance in almost all South Indian language movies.

Before she turned actress, the 5' 9" beautiful model has appeared in several television commercials endorsing the products such as Arun Ice cream, Nile herbal shampoo, Himani herbal soap, Himani cream, and Manikchand Ghutka.

Born to a businessman father and a housewife mother, Namitha Kapoor did her graduation in English literature. The marvelous actress has set her sights on the top slots in South Indian movies and aims to reach them one day.

The Gorgeous, Sexy and Beautiful actress is just making a name for herself in the film industry and many fans believe that this really hot & gorgeous actress with a sexy body language will make it big even in the Hindi movie industry.

Biography - Bhavana

Bhavana is a sensational young south Indian actress who was born in Kerala on 6th June 1986. Her father is Balachandran and mother Pushpa. She has got a brother named Jayadev.

She made her movie debut in Malayalam with 2002 hit movie ‘Nammal’. This movie was directed by director Kamal. She handled a comparatively less important role in the movie but her performance was so groundbreaking that it brought her much praise and became one of the main highlights of the movie.

The great success of her debut movie has made her a teenage sensation in no time and this put her name right into the list of
top young stars of Malayalam movie industry. That wasn’t all; she even won a special jury award for her performance in the
movie.

Winning so much appreciation for a debut movie is a great thing but even from that point many can go down into
oblivion if they fail to deliver success again. But this wasn’t even an option for Bhavana. She did not disappoint her fans and junkies and delivered success again.

In Malayalam she had back to back hits which include ‘CID moosa’, ‘Swapnakkoodu’, ‘Chronic Bachelor’ and ‘Naran’. After her success in Kerala she ventured into Tamil where even bigger success was waiting for her. She was first offered ‘Koodal Nagar’ opposite Bharath in Tamil but was delayed due to some reason unknown. ‘Chithiram Pesuthadi’ is her first released Tamil film and it was a huge hit. Obviously she received countless offers in kollywood after this and she signed a handful of movies which include ‘Kizhakku Kadalkarai Salai’, ‘Veyil’ and ‘Deepavali’. All of these were big hits and her star value skyrocketed.

Her first signed Tamil movie ‘Koodal nagar’ came out his year and she also appeared with Madhavan in his movie ‘Arya’. And her yet another movie with Madhavan is all set to be released towards the end of this year. Recently she turned down a movie offer to act against Simbu saying that she don’t want to be associated with him because of the kind of tainted image he is having now in the industry.

Bhavana is a name that she has adopted prior to her movie entry and her real name is Karhika and friends call her Kathi. Her father G. Balachandran is an assistant cameraman and has done many Malayalam movies.

Biography - Nayantara

Nayanthara Biography :

Popular South Indian actress Nayanthara also known as Nayantara was born on November 18, 1984 in Kerala, India. Her real name is Diana Kurien and she was raised in a Tiruvalla based Christian family. She completed her B.A. Literature and was planning on becoming a Charted Accountant before a big movie break came her way. Nayanthara just could not say no to the movie offer and then the rest was all history. Many refer to Nayanthara as the perfect balance between beauty and acting. She is currently one of the busiest actresses in the southern film industry and has acted in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies. Initially she was known to perfectly play the role of a ‘seeda saada homely girl’, but now she has transformed her image and has started accepting more glamorous roles. This young actress is now looking more sexier than ever and has a long way to go in the South Indian Film industry.

Nayanthara - Debut in Malayalam Movies :

Nayanthara made her debut in movies with the Malayalam movie 'Manassinakkare', directed by Sathyan Anthikad opposite Jayaram (2003). The movie went on to become a huge commercial success and immediately Nayanthara became famous. Soon she was flooded with new movie offers. In her second Malayalam movie, she played the role of a Ghost who falls in love with the hero, in the movie 'Vismayathumbathu' opposite Malayalam superstar Mohanlal. The movie did not live up to its high expectations and failed to do well at the box office. She then acted in one more Malayalam film opposite Mohanlal, 'Natturajavu' before moving over to Tamil movies.

Nayanthara - Queen of the Tamil Film Industry :

After her leading roles in Malayalam movies Nayanthara was still looking for a break in big budget movies. It was not long before her gorgeous looks and amazing acting talent caught the attention of directors from the Tamil Film industry. Her first Tamil movie was'Ayya' (2005) opposite famous actor Sarat Kumar. Her second movie 'Chandramukhi' opposite superstar Rajnikanth made her instantly famous. The movie was a huge hit and Nayanthara soon became a household name in Tamil Nadu. She has a huge fan following amongst the Tamil movie lovers and is presently one of the top actresses in the Tamil industry.

The Splash into Tollywood :

Before her entry into Tollywood, Nayanthara was already famous amongst the Telugu moviegoers, who liked her in the dubbed version of the movie 'Chandramukhi'. She had captured the hearts of the Telugu movie fans with two of the biggest hit movies in recent times like 'Lakshmi' and 'Boss'. Following the huge success of her Telugu movies, Nayanthara is said to be so over booked with new movies that she is rejecting some of the biggest names in South Indian Film industry due to lack of dates.

Biography - Preeti Jhangiani

Model turned actress, Preeti Jhangiani was born on 18th August 1980. When she first made her entry into the world of greasepaint, as the wispy chhui mui girl in a music video, everyone whispered, "Who's that girl?" And when she made it to the list of three newcomers to be introduced in the eternal romantic Yash Chopra's star bonanza, Mohobbatein(2000). The film starred Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan as well as five other debutantes (Shamita Shetty, Uday Chopra, Jugal Hansraj, Kim Sharma and Jimmy Shergill). The film was a huge hit and started her film career. Cine-goers knew that Preeti Jhangiani had arrived. Out of the three girls who debuted in the film, Preeti, as critics and audiences professed, gained most out of the mileage. Her goody-two-shoes image, her delicate profile, Preeti seemed to fit hand-in-glove for the role of most conventional Hindi films. Soon, producers started queuing outside her house with scripts and signing amounts.

And predictably, within a couple of months, Preeti had signed over twelve films. Much would have been expected to happen in this stunner's life. And much indeed did happen. Like a whip of rotten luck, she fell ill, the after effects of which turned the course of her life. The strong antibiotics she consumed left rather harsh effects of her angelic visage. One of the reasons being weight fluctuations. And almost overnight, the films disappeared. Such is the fickleness of fame and fortune.

But Preeti didn't lose heart. She stayed put and did the best she could to sustain the career that had fallen into the eye of a hurricane. Meanwhile, Feroz Nadiadwala's Awara Paagal Deewana happened. The colossal hit came with the promise of sunshine, but proved to be a fluke.

From film sources are to be believed, Preeti is all set to tie the nuptial knot with (Feroz Nadiadwala's younger brother) Mustaq. Preeti Jhangiani's hobbies are watching romantic movies, web browsing and listening music.

Filmography -

Chand Ke Paar Chalo (2006)
Ssukh (2005)
Chaahat Ek Nasha (2005)
Chehraa (2005)
Aan: Men at Work (2004)
LOC Kargil (2003)
Annarth (2002)
Waah! Tera Kya Kehna (2002)
Awara Paagal Deewana (2002)
Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (2002)
Mohabbatein (2000)
Thammudu (1999)
Mazhavillu (1999)

Biography - Juhi Chawla

Juhi Chawla Biography :

Juhi Chawla born 13 November 1967 in Ludhiana, Punjab, is a popular Indian actress.Juhi Chawla was the first child born to Mona Chawla and a Dr. S Chawla. She has one brother named Sanjeev. She was the winner of Miss India title in 1984, later she won Best Costume Award for the Miss Universe contest in 1984.

From beauty contests, she moved into film - with her movie debut being Sultanat in 1986. Her first big hit was Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988, in which she starred with Aamir Khan. This Romeo and Juliet story of persecuted teenage lovers was an enormous success and launched Aamir's and Juhi's careers. Juhi Chawla is married to industrialist Jai Mehta and is the mother of two children. She has one daughter and one son. Her daughter's name is Janhvi and her son's name is Arjun. Her mother was killed in Prague by a driver who ran over her with his car during the shooting of Duplicate.

Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi have been friends ever since their first film "Raju Bangaya Gentleman" went on to owning a film production firm with Aziz Mirza which they have called Dreamz Unlimited. The first film to come out of Dreamz Unlimited starred both Juhi and Shah Rukh and was called Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. It was not much of a success. The Yash Raj Camp proved lucky. She accepted a small cameo in Chandni (1989), to later be cast in the critically accliamed Aaina (1993) opposite Jackie Shroff, and then in one of her biggest hits Darr (1993) with Sunny Deol and Shahrukh Khan. Her pairing with Aamir Khan has been repeatedly successful with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1989), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) and later on Ishq (1997) becoming hits.

She has teamed up successfully with Shahrukh Khan too, delivering his first big hit Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and then later on with Darr, Duplicate and Yes Boss. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1993 for Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and a Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress for 3 Deewarein. Juhi has recently appeared in critically acclaimed films like Teen Deewarein, Bas Ek Pal, 7.5 Phere and My Brother Nikhil and will soon be seen in Nikhil Advani's Salaam E Ishq: A Tribute To Love, Ravi Chopra's Bhoothnath with Amitabh Bachchan and another film called Swami co-starring Manoj Bajpai to be directed by Ganesh Acharya. Today Juhi Chawla is recognized as one of India's most versatile actresses. She's been playing lead roles for more than 20 years, something rarely any Bollywood actress has achieved.

Anurag Kashyap’s Gulaal Preview

January 14th, 2009

Anurag Kashyap would be seeing two of his films releasing in consecutive months. While ‘Dev D’ arrives on 7th February, ‘Gulaal’, the project closest to Anurag Kashyap’s heart, is eying a 13th March release.

Apparently, ‘Gulal’ took shape in 2001, when Anurag Kashyap was listening to songs from Pyaasa and ‘Paanch’ was struggling with censors. Inspired by a song from Pyaasa, “Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai”, the film is a dedication to Sahir Ludhianwi, the lyricist of the song and all other poets who had a vision of India.

Gulaal is set in Rajpur a fictional city of Rajasthan, where a member of the erstwhile royal family stakes claim to the land of Rajasthan and wants to go back to the days of royalty. He wants Rajputana back from the Government of India and challenges the very idea of democracy. His history backs him, his people too, but the power corrupts him.

Similar to a Shakespearean fable of desire, lost identities, love, greed, violence, murder, deceit, power and innocence, it is a film inspired by poetry; the forgotten male, macho world of power, corruption and greed, where women are just means to an end while nobody can be trusted. It’s a film that brings back poetry to cinema, songs that inspire us, shake us; sometimes a thriller, a drama, but poignant, shocking and provocative. It’s a film about the conflict created as a modern India tries to break the shackles of its past.

The film sees Kay Kay Menon playing the role of one of the key protagonists called Dukey Bana who masterminds a Rajputana movement in order to have a separate state ruled by Rajputs.

A Zee Limelight presentation, ‘Gulal’ has music lyrics by Piyush Mishra and stars Aditya Srivastav, Piyush Mishra, Raj Singh Chaudhary, Ayesha Mohan, Abhimanyu Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Mahi Gill, Pankaj Jha, Jessie Randhawa and Mukesh Bhatt in principal roles.

Aamir Khan tops Rakeysh’s wish list

January 14th, 2009

‘Rang de Basanti’ came and won hearts three years back.It took Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra three years to put together ‘Delhi 6′.

Now that the movie is almost ready, his RDB star Aamir Khan is high up on his wish list as he thinks about his next film.

And this movie is about the life of legendary actor-producer-director Guru Dutt.

Reportedly the untitled movie has been scripted by Nasreen Munni Kabir, who has also written the book ‘Guru Dutt: A Life in Cinema’.

Mehra wants to start the movie by the end of the year, but things can be confirmed only after concrete talks with Aamir Khan

The actor is currently working in Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘3 Idiots’ and his wife Kiran Rao’s ‘Dhobi Ghat’. And everyone knows how particular Aamir is about the subject, the script and other things related to his movies

He’s also handling his home productions ‘Delhi Belly’ directed by Abhinay Deo and a film on farmers’ suicides.

Incidentally, Guru Dutt’s ‘Kaagaz ke Phool’ was itself a semi-autobiographical with him as a failed filmmaker and dealing with his relationship with his wife as well as the woman he loved. The black-and-white film flopped when it was first released in 1959 but later managed to get classic status.

Shilpa’s praying for Jade Goody’s recovery

January 14th, 2009

Shilpa Shetty has revealed that she’s praying for her once upon a time tormentor, former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Jade Goody’s recovery.

Goody is suffering form cervical cancer and has been undergoing aggressive chemotherapy to treat the condition.

According to Dailymail.co.uk, the reality TV personalities came close following their notorious on-screen rift on the show two years ago which made the British public brand Goody as a racist.

The 33 year old actress was one of the first to hear of Goody’s condition while she was presenting the second season of the Indian version of ‘Big Brother’, ‘Big Boss’ last year.

The reality show specialist has been given a 50 percent chance of survival following a hysterectomy in September last year and is undergoing a course of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and blood transfusions in Britain.

Shilpa has said, “What happened between us in the past means nothing compared to what Jade is going through today. Every night I pray for a miracle to save her life. You wouldn’t wish this on your worst enemy.”

She’s added, “I was one of the first people to be told and I kept saying over and over to myself. It can’t be true’. I remember calling Jade at Mumbai airport and telling her to hang in there and be strong for her kids. We couldn’t control ourselves and cried over the phone.”

According to Shilpa, the 27 year old has maintained her sense of humor about the situation, particularly with her five year old son Bobby, and four-year-old Freddie.

She’s said, “I heard Jade joked to her sons that her hair loss was caused by using the wrong shampoo, so at least she hasn’t lost her sense of humor. How she has handled herself has been nothing short of amazing. Being a working mother of two small children is a hard enough job on its own without having to battle such a serious illness at the same time.”

The actress who’s made an inspirational movie on Aids like ‘Phir Milenge’ has promised to go to Britain in order to support Goody.

Sonali Bendre hits back on Anu Malek

January 14th, 2009

Annu Malek must know by now that whenever he is away everybody has a ball — at his expense. Kailash Kher brought along a cut out of Annu Malek and mimicked his comments. Javed Akhtar added his own brand of humor to the proceedings. Even Hussain and Chang did not miss the opportunity to have fun at his expense. Sonu Niigam mimicked him. But Sonali got the once in a lifetime chance to do what she always wanted to do… put a tape across Annu Malek’s mouth! So what if she did it to his cut out. Chang worried about what Annu would do to them when he watches the episode, said: “He will chew us alive.” “We’ll put the tape across his mouth then, and he will not be able to chew us.” added Hussain. He will not chew them – he will definitely kill them.

Stay tuned to this episode, this Friday, January 16 at 9.00 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television.

Siddharth Kannan returns to his first love

January 13th, 2009

Well no, this is no lady love we are talking about. But Siddharth Kannan’s first love that happens to be radio that he started off his career with. The man who is also known for entering the Limca Book of Records as the youngest RJ at the age of 14 when he started, is now back after almost a gap of five years. Once having been the Big B of radio, Sid kept a low profile, concentrating on anchoring and producing shows, but has returned on the jockeying circuit with Meow fm.

Sid says this is a completely fun show as he has the liberty to do whatever he wishes on the show. “It’s a complete no format show, so I can talk and do anything on the show. It goes from being completely witty to having the most serious conversation with listeners. It’s a complete package never heard before.” Says Sid.

Well knowing you Siddharth, it’s assured to be a complete fun show.