| SAIF Ali Khan and girlfriend Kareena Kapoor joined Shahrukh Khan, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif in Chicago for an Asian Day event to cele- brate the independence of India and Pakistan. All eyes on the ladies to see how they get along, Bips and Kats don’t get along because of their boy- friends but Bebo is cordial towards both. With Sallu and John Abraham absent, perhaps some patching up may occur. THIS Kat is on the move — she has landed a plumb role in Dostana 2 in which Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham will once again put on their comical gay act but this time with competition from another pink couple played by Arjun Rampal and Riteish Deshmukh. She also is being lined up for a Yash Raj production opposite Shahrukh Khan. SRK has spoken for the first time about his new film My Name is Khan, clarifying “it’s not about terrorism or 9/11. It’s about a relationship between two people, between an individual and the state and between an individual and the country. In short, there are the three important components: love story, Islam and a mild form of autism, which form the core of the movie.” 20th Century Fox is involved in talks to distribute it. GOVINDA and Salman Khan are poised for their third film in quick succession with a sequel to Partner set to roll and as far as Chi Chi is concerned, Sallu is the man! “Sal- man is the best person in the industry and his family is fabulous. When I was in trouble (after failing in politics), I call- ed David Dhawan and told him that I wanted to make a comeback. David contacted Salman and he gave me work. He also gave me a lot of love and respect. When you are insecure and need work, the environment that you work in matters a lot. I had debts and he stood by me and helped me out. That’s why I am thankful to him.” THE director of Love Aaj Kal, Imtiaz Ali, has revealed why newcomer Giselle Monteiro hardly spoke in his movie. She’s Brazilian and although she plays a demure Punjabi lass, she doesn’t know Hindi, nor can she do Indian dance “to save her life”. Monteiro approached Ali for the role of Saif Ali Khan’s European girlfriend but didn’t have the look he required. It was only after his wife suggested she may be suited to play Harleen that he decided to give her a break. Her two dialogues were easily dubbed but she had choreographer Saroj Khan pulling out her hair as she struggled to master the steps for the song. SAIF Ali Khan attributes the choice of a lion-head logo for his Illuminati Films banner to girlfriend Kareena. Bebo gifted him and his partner, Dinesh Vijan, a pair of silver lions on the day they initiated their office, as both are Leo’s and before long it became their official logo. Saif’s convinced that Bebo’s turned his life around, pointing out that Love Aaj Kal did better business than Singh Is Kinng abroad and just marginally less than Ghajini in India. If he wants to repay her, he should start by buying a house in the Alps as Bebo is keen to settle in Switzerland. She reckons, “If Johnny Depp can stay in Paris and work in Los Angeles, then surely I can stay in Switzerland and work in Mumbai or wherever it is that I am required to be.’’ PRIYANKA Chopra has racked up a following of some 22000 followers on Twitter in just a month, overtaking Mallika Sherawat (12000) and Gul Panag (13000) who got in before her. Although Mallika may be trail- ing right now, one thing that she can boast about is that she was the first Asian star to be invited to Twitter’s HQ in San Francisco. In another first for the buxom babe, the Los Angeles City Council has declared her an honorary citizen. All that for someone who isn’t even a Bollywood A grader, proof that it’s not what you know... TWITTER has its downside too — just ask Sonam Kapoor. She reflected recently on how much she enjoyed a meal of butter chicken and biryani which came back to bite as it led to this subsequent tweet, “I am in major trouble. Apparently my updates are also checked by my trainer, who read my messages about biryani and butter chicken. He got me!” WORD around Tinseltown is that Rani Mukerjee has donned a bikini in her comeback movie Dil Bole Hadippa opposite Sha- hid Kapur. If it’s true, it’ll totally eclipse the scenes in which she dresses up as a boy to join Shahid’s cricket team. Rani’s been working out with Satyadev Chaurasia who gave Aamir Khan his Ghajini look and is keen to show off the results “if the role requires it”, off course. Rani’s comeback will continue with Ashutosh Gowariker’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, a period film about the Chittagong Uprising of 1930, based on Manini Chatterjee’s acclaimed novel Do and Die. SHAHID Kapur’s moving out of the building in Mumbai’s Versova suburb where former girlfriend Priyanka Chopra also owns an apartment. No sinister reason, just that he needs a more spacious pad although it could be that he wants to get away from his folks as his father Pankaj resides a floor be- neath him and his mother, Neelima Azim, is also close by. JOHN Abraham gave girlfriend Bipasha Basu an assortment of expensive light fittings for her new apartment. According to Bips, he imported all the chandeliers and light fixtures that she liked from Spain and Italy and had them installed just before she took occupation. HAVING dropped her surname Patel, Ameesha isn’t ready to add on another one just yet and has turned down a proposal from her London-based tycoon boyfriend Kanav Puri. Although she is committed to the relationship, marriage isn’t on the agenda as she wants concentrate on her career. The couple are currently conducting a long- distance relationship as Puri is in London. If Ramadaan is a time for fasting, then Eid is a time for feasting, but for Salman Khan’s it will be a time for fisting as Boney Kapoor’s long- delayed Wanted is set to release. Sallu stars opposite Ayesha Takia in this Pokiri remake, directed by dance master Prabhu Deva, who used his choreographing skills to devise some thrilling fight sequences. Sallu plays a goon who carries out all his master’s instructions without asking questions. After God Tussi Great Ho and Yuvvraaj, a hit at the box office is where he really needs it. There must have been a major catastrophe worse than “hell or high water” because Kandhasamy will now be releasing worldwide on August 21, a week later than last announced. At the last media conference, director Susi Gan- esan and producer Kalaipuli S Dhanu announced that “come hell or high water, Kandha- samy will release on August 15.The latest delay has been attributed to final editing and the signing of agreements for international release. The film will release across more than 950 screens, a new Indian record. Vikram saw the film at a special screening a week ago and said it would compare favourably with any Hollywood film. Will Kandhasamy release on the South African circuit? If there is any Tamil film that should release in South Africa this year, it should be Kandhasamy. The delay in the release of Kandhasamy will mean that Cheran’s Pokkisham will now enjoy a solo release on August 14. Widely touted as the sequel to the record-breaking Autograph, Pokkisham sees Cheran and Padmapriya in the lead roles. The success of this film is crucial to Cheran whose Maya Kannaadi was a colossal flop. His last film, Raaman Thediya Seedhai saw Cheran share the lead with Nithin Sathya and he must now prove he had what it takes to be a solo lead star. Following the entry of Radha’s daughter to films, another yesteryear actress is getting ready for the introduction of her daughter to films. Sri Devi, who was a firm favourite with audiences from the late 1970s through to the 1980s, is looking at scripts to launch her daughter, Jhanvi, in a Telugu film. Sri Devi started her film career as a child artist and her many film credits as a child artist included Sivaji Ganesan’s Vasantha Maaligai and MGR’s Nam Naadu. As an adult, she ruled Kodambakkam in the 1980s with a string of hit films that included 16 Vayathiniley, Kavari Maan and the national-award winner Moondraam Pirrai (dubbed into Hindi as Sadma) before moving to the North and conquering Bollywood with her stunning looks and unrivalled talent. By a remarkable coincidence, while Radha’s daughter is to make her debut opposite Nagarjunna’s elder son, Sri Devi’s daughter will make her debut opposite Nagarjunna’s younger son. Is there romance brewing between Sandhya and Saandhanu Bhagyaraj? The two have been seen a lot in each other’s company until Saandhanu commenced work on his Telugu film. A family friend said that Sandhya and Sanadhunu’s sister, Saranya, were close friends and that is the reason that the two of them have been seen together. Could this have anything to do with Sandhya’s recent announcement that she would not like to continue her acting career after marriage? (Nudge-nudge-hint-hint.) The computer graphics team from Hollywood’s The Lord of the Rings will test their skills in the forthcoming Tamil film Ponnar Shankar. Prasanth plays the lead role in this film penned by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. The team have a plan to transform Kushbu into a 16-year-old girl (That I’ve got to see!) and Jayaram into a 20-year- old youngster. I wonder if this is now going to prolong the shelf life of our superstars who still want to play 20-something characters in their films. |
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