Busy Aishwarya turns down reality show offer

Actress Aishwarya Rai, who was supposed to feature on Sony TV’s reality show Dance Premier League, couldn’t accept the offer due to her packed schedule and not on account of money issues, her publicist said.

“A recent news story issued by a channel suggested Aishwarya Rai was ousted by Madhuri Dixit for one of their reality shows, citing money as an issue. We would wish to clarify that this is an act of fiction, fact being that Aishwarya, who is known to be a thorough professional, had to refuse the show on account of her commitment to films,” her publicist said in a press statement.

The show is now being judged by Rani Mukerji along with dance guru Shiamak Davar.

Aishwarya is currently busy shooting Sanjay Leela’s Guzaarish.

“Her movies like Endhiran, Action Replay and Ravana are all nearing completion, so the subject of money and costing never did arise as discussions did not go beyond schedules and dates.

“The proposal had come to Aishwarya through the Moranis (the show producers) and even Shiamak pushed Aishwarya to do the show, but the dates could just not be worked out,” said the publicist.

Adnan Sami Injured, Jermaine Escapes During Music Video Shoot

It looks like the music video featuring Jermaine Jackson and Adnan Sami paying a tribute to the various sights sounds and scales of Mumbai city is jinxed. Initially permission was denied to shoot in certain sensitive parts of Mumbai, apparently because both Adnan and Jermaine are not Indian citizens.

Adnan had to use all his influence to get shooting permission at places like the Gateway Of India.

Then last week on the day when the video was to be shot the rains washed away all of Adnan and Jermaine’s plans.

Finally on Friday the shooting started in various parts of the Mumbai. The last day of shooting on Sunday almost ended in catastrophe was Adnan was injured in the sea waters near the Gateway Of India.

On Sunday a speedboat speeded a little too fast in the sea-waters near the Gateway Of India and singer Adnan Sami who was shooting with Jermaine Jackson for a music video was badly hurt.

“Nothing to worry about, though. I’ll be repaired in no time at all,” said Adnan from his home a day after the injury.

So what happened? Adnan tries to play down the potentially calamitous sequence of events when the boat was shot tearing the sea waters and heading towards the Gateway.

“I guess the man navigating the boat took his job a little too seriously. He was moving too fast through the water and the boat almost toppled over and turned turtle. I was knocked against a hard surface in the boat.”

Adnan’s left hand and thumb were badly injured. “Fortunately there are no fractures. But the pain and swelling were alarming. I couldn’t move my hand. But we had to continue shooting because we had no permission to shoot in that area beyond Sunday.”

Adnan shot through the pain, with painkiller- shots to vitiate the pain.

“I’m just thankful that Jermaine wasn’t in the boat when it almost capsized. That would’ve been one helluva story he’d have carried back home,” chuckled Adnan from his home where he’s now recovering.

Actresses today have no dignity- Farah khan

FARAH KHAN, who is now getting ready to direct her third venture Happy New Year for producer Shah Rukh Khan tells that she had shot SRK like Ramgopal Varma shoots his heroines…

Was it always your dream to be a director?

I confess that I had joined the industry as Mansoor Khan’s assistant in direction on the sets of his film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander only to learn the ropes of the trade as a director, almost a decade ago. However every evening, I used to ask all the dancers to practice the steps that I had devised, to know in what way the dances were different from the ones choreographed by Saroj Khan. One evening, director Mansoor noticed the session.

How did you bag your first assignment?

I shot to fame as a choreographer with the slow motion number Pehla Nasha thanks to Saroj Khan by default. It so happened, that Saroj had left Mansoor’s unit high and dry one day and flown down South to do choreography for a South Indian film, leaving Mansoor Khan with no other alternative but to ask me to step in and rescue him by taking up the choreography for his film. A choreographer was born that day.

Is it true that your mother had acted as Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan’s heroine?

Yes. Not many are aware of the fact that my mother had actually acted as the heroine opposite Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan four decades ago. In fact I, Sajid Khan and Salman Khan had almost grown up together during our childhood and our families have known each other for donkey’s years.

Why do you say that it would be tough for you to direct a film for any other producer after working with King Khan?

I feel that Shah Rukh is the best. After working with an actor like Shah Rukh Khan, it is very difficult for me to work with any other actor. Just imagine I had to take a three second shot and I had told Shah Rukh Khan that I’d require 98 cameras for it. Shah Rukh spent 20 lakhs and got those 90 cameras flown in from London. Though I had told him not to splurge unnecessarily as we could easily do away with it, Shah Rukh told me that he did not believe in compromising on quality.

Is it true that Main Hoon Na was titled The Outsider initially?

Yes. It is interesting to note that the working title of Main Hoon Na before it went on the floors was actually The Outsider, for almost two years. I had written the script in English and every time there was any untoward incident on the sets, Shah Rukh would say Just Trust me. When Abbas Tyrewala started translating the dialogues, there was this line Main Hoon Na coming up in the place of Just Trust Me. When I told Sajid that the title of my film would be Main Hoon Na he told me that it sounded like a Sudhir Mishra film. Karan said that Main Hoon Na was a horrible title while Shah Rukh told me bahut kharab title hai. However I insisted on the title since I wasn’t into K titles like Karan and Ekta Kapoor. My gamble paid off and every one agreed that Main Hoon Na was the apt title after I went ahead and recorded the title song with Anu Malik as the composer.

What do you think about the actresses of today?

Frankly I feel that the actresses of today do not have the poise and the dignity which the girls in 70’s have had. In Om Shanti Om, Deepika fitted the role well, like Hemaji in the 70’s. To prepare Deepika for the role, we gave her voice training and dance classes, besides the three month training in acting course with Anupam Kher.

How tough was it for you to get Shah Rukh Khan to shed his excess weight and get into his six pack abs for Om Shanti Om?

Shah Rukh asked me to give him three months and he worked hard and told me that if he did not get at least six packs he would not remove his shirt in front of the camera, though I felt that at least once he should do an item song. I think it is a great change- over at the age of 42 when others become too old. I shot Shah Rukh like Ramgopal Varma shoots his heroines.

What do you like the best about being a director?

I enjoy being a director the most because as a director, I get to decide each and everything connected with the film, including recording only the songs which I want. I feel that direction is the most fulfilling job. The worst job is writing for the simple reason that it does not come easy to me.

Which episode of Tere Mere Beach Mein touched you the most?

The best thing about Tere Mere Beach Mein was that nothing in the show was actually scripted. After we decided on the theme of each episode, I asked questions randomly

I was touched by the episode on Hrithik. There is this comfort factor with each of my guests which I think will not come if they do not have a personal equation with you. Trust factor works a lot in a talk show like this. If they feel that they are uncomfortable answering any particular question, I readily offer to edit it out, because the idea is that the audiences should identify with what the stars had gone through in their lives and have a connect.

Tell me about your kids!

I have two daughters and one son. I have named my son Czar. Czar means an emperor. I have named my two daughters Diva and Anya. Diva is an Italian word for prima Donna, the main singer in the opera. Anya means inexhaustible in Sanskrit and graceful in Russian. Diva and Czar are similar looking but not identical. Its is said that one in two million triples are identical My daughters are maa ki laadlis and are chipkoos whereas my son is dad”s laadla. He is elder by two minutes.

For Salman’s show, Preity was the cheerleader

Bollywood actress Preity Zinta played the role of a perfect cheerleader for dear friend Salman Khan whose “Being Human” show at the ongoing HDIL India Couture Week here late Tuesday saw many celebrities strutting down the ramp.

Dressed in a “Being Human” sleeveless T-shirt and sporting a new look with fringes falling perfectly on her forehead, the actress looked as ravishing as ever.

Sitting with her friend choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan and fashion designer Manish Malhotra, the actress started shouting from the very first moment when Salman Khan started the show and sashayed down the ramp.

“Wow! Salman! Salman!,” shouted Zinta and continued clapping till he left the ramp.

It was not just for Salman, she also cheered for other celebrities like Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Sanjay Dutt, Katrina Kaif, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan with equal enthusiasm.

Farah Khan and Manish Malhotra joined her and together left no stone unturned to pep up the atmosphere.

“I must tell you that my throat is already gone. I was so happy that all this shouting and cheering just happened. The show was all about being human and being together. It celebrated togetherness of the industry and this is what had me do all the shouting. But it is worth it,” Preity said after the show.

Commenting on Aamir Khan’s ramp debut, she said that the actor looked cute.

“I think he was looking very cute on the ramp. He is already so charming and you can’t take that away from him,” she said.

A kiss on forehead, from Helen to Salma Khan

This was a spontaneous gesture. The moment three brothers Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan walked hand-in-hand on the ramp, stepmother Helen kissed their real mom Salma Khan on her forehead to cherish the moment of togetherness.

The magical moment came during Salman’s “Being Human” show on the second day of the HDIL India Couture Week.

“It was spontaneous. I didn’t know what came to my mind at that moment. But it was a very proud moment for the family and just to share that moment of togetherness, I kissed Salma on her forehead,” Helen said.

This was the first time that the whole Khan family had made a public appearance together. With Salma and Helen sitting next to each other and their daughter-in-law Malaika Arora Khan and daughter Arpita cheering for all of them in the audience, the family bonding was at its peak.

“Today we had everyone here except for my father, who I am sure is sitting somewhere up above and watching us and it is him who has guided me to take this path and come up with this fashion show,” said Salman Khan.

“It is an incredible and memorable moment for me,” he added.

At the end of the show, the three brothers pushed their mothers Salma and Helen respectively to walk the ramp with them.

For Salman’s charity “Being Human” show, the Bollywood industry had come in full support with as many as 10 celebrities walking the ramp and many sitting in the audience to cheer for them.

The show saw the ramp debut of Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgn who looked a bit nervous, while Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Sanjay Dutt, Katrina Kaif, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan walked with poise.

Among Bollywood stars who cheered for them with the audience was choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan, Bollywood actors Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen, Amisha Patel, Amrita Arora, Twinkle Khanna, Malaika Arora Khan, fashion designer Manish Malhotra, filmmaker Boney Kapoor with his wife Sridevi and two daughters, and cricketer Yuvraj Singh.

For the show, the clothes were designed by designer duo Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna, Ashish Soni, Gavin Miguel and Rocky S, among others.

Jai Ho concert at Kolkata’s Salt Lake stadium

A R Rahman announced his Jai Ho’ concert at Salt Lake stadium on November 14, five years after he rocked a packed house at the same location.

The show is being organized by The Liver Foundation West Bengal and will help spread awareness about liver ailments and raise funds. President of the Liver Foundation, West Bengal, Ashokananda Konar urged everyone to come forward and support the cause.

Sourav Ganguly has been instrumental in supporting the foundation since its foundation. A few years back in Siliguri, the two maestros had come together with urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya to help a child, who was suffering from liver disease, recuperate.

He could not afford the cost of treatment. They hope that a lot of people benefit from the initiative taken up by the Liver Foundation.

Rehman had last performed at the stadium five years back. He was touched by the love and affection showered on him by the 90,000-strong audience at the show. This time he hopes it will be a bigger success, more so because he feels privileged and honoured to be called to perform for a noble cause.

Though he receives a stream of requests for performances, this concert was chosen by Rahman for its deservingness. It will form a part of his nationwide chain of concerts that has already been taken to Calicut, Pune and Chennai.

Rahman said he had experimented with Tagore and other Bengali songs in a few of his Tamil films. Asked to pick a favourite song from his vast range of compositions, Rahman said, that it is very difficult to pick and choose. However, the songs composed for Roja are really very special for him.

Shilpa Shetty's restaurant chain in UK sued for £6 million

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's restaurant chain in the UK, V8 Gourmet Group, has been sued of six million pounds by a former CEO of the company.According to reports, Jamal Hirani, former CEO of Gourmet Restaurants (V8G purchased it in 2009), which owned Tiffinbites, Bombay Bicycle Club and Vama restaurant in King's Road, has alleged that he was forced to move out of the group to make way for the Bollywood actress.Hirani said he was forced out of the firm by Anthony Ridgewell, the main investor in Gourmet, and his brothers Arjun and Andy Varma. Shilpa and fiance Raj Kundra had paid six million pounds to acquire a 33 per cent stake in the company. It was announced last week that Shetty will be the company's new co-chairwoman, the London Evening Standard reports.It is also believed that Hirani has approached an employment tribunal claiming more than 1.5 million pounds in compensation for unfair dismissal.

I am too shy to walk the ramp: Twinkle Khanna

Both her mother Dimple Kapadia and hubby Akshay Kumar have sashayed down the ramp numerous times but Bollywood actress Twinkle Khanna says that she is too shy to do it.
'I am too shy to walk the ramp. I am not at all interested. All I like is to sit back and watch Akshay, my mom or my friends doing the honour. You will never see me walking the ramp,' Twinkle said at the inaugural show of HDIL India Couture Week that started here Monday.
'I am happy as an interior designer and that is something I am best at. I would like to stick to it,' she added.
Dressed in a fuchsia short dress, Twinkle looked gorgeous. Her presence at the event was due to her jewellery designer friend Farah Khan.
'I am here to cheer for her. She is a friend and an excellent jewellery designer as well,' Twinkle said.

Sridevi mesmerises audience at India Couture Week

The moment she stepped on the ramp, the main show area was filled with cheers as the audience couldn't stop looking at Bollywood actress Sridevi. The actress looked stunning in a black gown as she walked the ramp for jewellery designer Queenie Dhody at the inaugural jewellery show of HDIL India Couture Week here late Monday.
'She is looking so stunning. Just look at her, she is so beautiful,' said a mesmerised member of the audience.
As soon as she started walking the ramp, some one from the audience shouted: 'Come on Sridevi, you are the best.'
It was not just the audience, even Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan, Dimple Kapadia, Boney Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Sanjay Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Dia Mirza, Zayed Khan and Karan Johar clapped relentlessly till she left the ramp.
'She looked like a diva. Just look at her, it seems that she is getting younger day by day. The way she has maintained herself is amazing,' Raveena Tandon said after the show.
This is the first time that HDIL-ICW had a high-end jewellery show that featured four jewellery designers - Devaunshi Mehta, Farah Khan, Queenie Dhody and Maheep Kapoor - who came out with their dazzling collections.
Talking about her jewellery line Dhody said that high-end jewellery had become very popular among people.
'People now want to own a piece of jewellery that is exclusive. This exquisite line of hand-made jewellery has both precious and semi-precious stones with fine craftsmanship that makes it very exclusive and everyone should at least own one piece,' she said.

From the catwalk, Suzanne blows kisses at Hrithik Roshan

Together they make a picture perfect couple and are very much in love. This was proved when Suzanne Khan blew kisses at Hrithik Roshan while she sashayed down the ramp at the inaugural show of HDIL India Couture Week for her sister and jewellery designer Farah Khan.
The show kicked off here late Monday night.
Contrary to recent rumours that talked about the couple's split because of Hrithik's equation with his co-star Barbara Mori in the upcoming film 'Kites', the duo looked very much together.
Dressed in an off-shoulder black gown by designer duo Gauri-Nainika, Suzanne's entry on the ramp was acknowledged by hooting and clapping by an array of Bollywood stars including her hubby and her brother Zayed Khan.
While Hrithik kept looking at her and clapped continuously while she was on the ramp, Suzanne acknowledged him by blowing a kiss and turning her head towards him till she finished the walk.
The surprise element of the show was Bollywood actress Genelia D'Souza who walked the ramp for Farah Khan.
The front row had several Bollywood stars such as Dimple Kapadia, Boney Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna, Sanjay Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Dia Mirza, Zayed Khan and Karan Johar.
This is the first time that HDIL-ICW had a high-end jewellery show that featured four jewellery designers - Devaunshi Mehta, Farah Khan, Queenie Dhody and Maheep Kapoor - who came out with their dazzling collections.
After the show Zayed Khan said that it was a wonderful feeling to have both his sisters walk the ramp.
'It feels good when you watch your sisters walk hand in hand on the ramp. Looking at Farah's collection, all I can say is that she is the best,' he said.

Bad boy Salman Khan rescues Kareena Kapoor

So far we’ve heard horror stories of Salman Khan’s misbehaviour with his leading ladies. But Kareena Kapoor has a different story to tell.
“Salman has always been very protective. He has been there for me whenever I needed him. That’s partly to do with the fact that my sister Karisma is very close friends with Salman and also his favourite co-star,” Kareena, who features with him in “Main Aurr Mrs Khanna”, said.
Just how caring Salman can be was proven to Kareena when they were shooting a romantic song on the Phi Phi Beach in Thailand for his home production “Main Aur Mrs Khanna”, releasing Friday.
The beach is not sandy but pebbled. And Kareena had to go barefeet into the water with Salman. But before she could reach even halfway, she cut her foot badly on a sharp pebble.
“Kareena doubled up in pain and almost fell to the ground. Salman reflexively reached for her and swooped her into his arms. And he carried her to the water,” said a source.
The shot has been retained, although it was never meant to be part of the film.
“Throughout the shooting you could see the special bonding that they had. But that day on Phi Phi Island it got really special,” said film’s director Prem Soni.
“We came much further into the land from the sea than we imagined. When it was time to go back, we realised we had to walk through the pebbled beach and wade into almost head-deep water before reaching our boat. We had to do it. Otherwise we’d have to spend the night on the beach without food or water.
“Kareena was in this long gown and barefoot. She was in pain. Before we knew it he swooped her into his arms and carried her into a boat. It was a very romantic-looking moment and we couldn’t let it go,” he added.

Shilpa Shetty visits Taj Mahal with beau

Shilpa Shetty and her London-based beau Raj Kundra visited the Taj Mahal here Monday afternoon and spent close to an hour exploring the monument of love.According to tourist guides, a huge crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of Shilpa, but was kept at bay thanks to the 34-year-old’s personal security guards.
Shilpa, who is staying at hotel Amar Vilas here, chose to keep away from the media.
Shilpa met Kundra after her win in the reality show “Celebrity Big Brother” in 2007 in London. The two have formed a successful business partnership. Their business empire includes a $16.2 million (10 million pounds) stake in the Rajasthan Royals Twenty20 cricket team and a recently acquired food and beverage company, Gourmet Creations.
The couple have teamed up with Andy Varma, celebrity chef and head of the wholesale division and business development of the V8 Gourmet group to bring out ready meals, pickles and chutneys across Europe.

Yash Chopra honoured at Pusan film fest

Veteran Bollywood director filmmaker Yash Chopra was honoured as the Asian filmmaker of the year at the ongoing 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) in South Korea.The filmmaker was felicitated by film festival director Kim Dong-ho Friday.
“You have to prove that you’re good once again. You’re only as good as your last film,” Chopra said in a brief acceptance speech.
Chopra’s production house Yash Raj Films also had a strong presence at PIFF considering his popular films, including “Lamhe”, “Dhoom 2″, “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” and “New York”, were showcased in a retrospective section at the fest.
Kabir Khan, who directed “New York”, which is about three friends and the impact of 9/11 on their friendship, was also present at the event.
PIFF, one of the largest film festivals in Asia, is being held Oct 8-16.

Bollywood takes liberty with Sufi music: Hans Raj Hans

In the fields of Punjab where he grew up, farmers would sing Sufi songs, even his family sang. That is how popular singer Hans Raj Hans learnt his music. Today, he believes, Bollywood takes liberty with the genre."The words and the essence of the 'kalams' (works) cannot change, only the orchestra can change. It is a good thing that Sufism and its music are reaching out to the masses, but the music should not detract from tradition. The exponents cannot play around with the compositions of the great saints," Hans Raj said.The musician, who has performed with Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, feels, "Bollywood has been taking liberty with Sufi music".Hans Raj nurtures a dream - he wants to build an ashram for Sufi music so that the centuries-old genre can be passed on to future generations."I want to build an ashram of Sufi music for children. But someone has to set it up for me," said the noted Sufi musician, who performed at the Delhi International Arts Festival on Saturday."The road to Sufiana is tough," Hans Raj says. "Most contemporary musicians want to become stars overnight. It is not possible to achieve instant fame in Sufi music - it takes time to become famous," the musician said.Walking down memory lane, Hans Raj says: "I was born in Shafipur, a village near Jallandhar which is home to the dargah of Sufi saint Shafi Mohammed."Every year, the shrine hosts a 'Sufi darvesh' (live congregation of Sufi saints) that is attended by minstrels from across the country and Pakistan. My village is steeped in Sufi music."I was very young, around five or six, when I first heard farmers sing Sufi folk songs in groups while working in their fields. Even my family sang. I followed them around and learned the songs," said Hans Raj, who grew up in a family of farmers.He has also been conferred the Padma Shri for his contribution to music. "I have been singing for more than 20 years," the musician said.Hans Raj, who spreads the message of "peace and amity" through his music, is known for his "live border concerts"."Every year, on the midnight of August 14, I visit the Pakistan border and perform at a candle light concert to reach out to the people of Pakistan. Over the years, it has become an important event on Punjab's Independence Day calendar," he said."This year too, I went to the border and sang in the presence of politicians, performers, journalists and intellectuals, including Salima Hashmi, the daughter of Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. My border concerts have also been attended by (writer-poet) Gulzar and (actor) Raj Babbar," he said.Hans Raj, who is passing on his legacy of Sufi and folk music to his two sons, likes to sing "in places where my music is appreciated"."People who love Sufi music are always drawn to my concerts. They are blessed," he said.The musician has cut several Indipop albums."This year, I released an album of Baba Farid's kalams set to music by Jagjit Singh. I try to bring a classical touch to Sufi folk," Hans Raj said.Distinguishing between "Punjabi, Rajasthani and Kashmiri Sufi music", he said, "Sufi folk from Punjab is very similar to that of Rajasthan in language. They are a blend of Urdu, Hindi and the local language."The Sufi songs from Kashmir are mostly in Urdu and the Kashmiri language. But the philosophy is one - to reach god through music," he said.The musician is currently working on an album of Punjabi folk songs.

Buckingham Palace to swing to Bollywood music!

Buckingham Palace will swing to the rhythms of Bollywood music and dance on Tuesday in what promises to be a boisterous celebration in anticipation of a coming visit by President Pratibha Patil.British Asian dance group Nutkhut is to stage its massive dance, Bollywood Steps, inside Buckingham Palace Tuesday in a reception in advance of Patil's Oct 24-27 visit - a first for the 172-year-old royal residence.The dance, which played out to audiences of thousands at the Town Hall in the city of Birmingham Oct 9-10, has been choreographed by dancer Simmy Gupta, whose rehearsals were so loud she blew speakers, she said."There were eight dhols on the stage. They were really loud, so we had to have the music really loud. We literally blew a speaker during rehearsals. We had it on full blast, we had smoke coming out of it, but it really sounded amazing," Gupta said.While she has described Bollywood Steps, created two years ago, as "spectacular" and a "really big show", it remains to be seen if the dance will shake the 775 rooms of Buckingham Palace.A Palace spokesman would only say the show will run for 15 minutes inside the palace ballroom before a reception for some 250 invited guests - prominent members from among the two million strong British Indian community.Invitees who will be received by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip include screen actors Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar, cricketers Monty Panesar and Vikram Solanki, TV newsreader Krishnan Gurumurthy and Tim Singh, founder of the successful New Look chain of high street fashion stores."There will be a cross-section of guests. The reception will be Indian-themed," said a spokesman for Buckingham Palace. The guests will be drawn from Indian nationals who live or work in Britain, or British nationals with a strong connection to India or those who work for Indo-British organisations.The Indian food and canapes served at the reception will be cooked by chefs from Buckingham Palace and London's oldest Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy.The Palace spokesman wouldn't speculate if the Queen was a fan of Bollywood music and curry, saying, "I wouldn't really want to go into it. That's not really the reason for the reception. It's a tradition for the Queen to throw a reception in advance of all state visits."

Naseeruddin Shah, Anurag Kashyap nominated for APSA

Actor Naseeruddin Shah and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap will vie for top honours at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) this year with four of Indian films being nominated in different categories.
‘Dev-D’, ‘A Wednesday’, ‘Tahaan’ and ‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’ will compete with entries from Australia, Iran, Israel, Japan, and China among other countries.
Malini Fonseka has been nominated in the Best Actress Category for her role as the overbearing matriarch in Sri Lankan-India co-production ‘Akasa Kusum’ (Flowers of the Sky).
The awards will be announced on November 26 at the third annual APSA ceremony on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Kashyap has been nominated for Achievement in Direction for ‘Dev-D’, a modern take on Sharat Chandra’s classic ’Devdas’ about unrequited love.
Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has been nominated in the Best Performance by actor for his role of ‘the common man’ in ’A Wednesday’
‘Mumbai Meri Jaan’, which depicts the city as it tries to come to terms with the loss of life and property after July 2006 serial blasts, has been nominated for Best Screen play by Yogesh Vinayak Joshi and Upendra Sidhaye.
Santosh Sivan’s film ‘Tahaan’, about a Kashmiri child’s journey in search of his beloved donkey, will vie for an award in the Best Children Film category.
“Nominees were determined from a record number of 212 entries from 43 countries,” APSA Chairman Des Power said while announcing the nominations.
The awards are collaboration between CNN International, UNESCO and International Federation of Film Producers Associations.

Resul Pookutty becomes Academy member

Oscar winning sound technician Resul Pookutty will join compatriot, music maestro A R Rahman, as a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and hopes that the membership will help him attract good work in Hollywood.
Pookutty will be a part of the elite 6000 member organisation that chooses the winners of the most prestigious awards in the world of cinema, the Oscars.
“I received the invitation to become a member of the Academy while I was still in India. You need the sponsorship of two governors from the Board to become a member. Those formalities were completed during my recent trip to Los Angeles. I consider it a great honour and am thrilled,” Pookutty told PTI.
The sound artiste who was in the capital to attend an event organised by the DAV Institute of Management said that despite winning multiple awards, including an Oscar and a BAFTA for his work in the Mumbai based potboiler ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, he is still waiting for good work from Hollywood to come his way.
But the 38-year-old is hopeful that membership in the Academy will boost his profile in Hollywood.
“At this stage in my career, I will not do a B grade film, just because it is a Hollywood project. The best work is handled by the unions of technicians and it is difficult to break into the market if you are not a member. But I am hopeful that an Academy membership will help,” said Pookutty.

My excitement about birthdays is long gone, says Big B

Gifts had started pouring in at his landmark residence 'Jalsa' weeks earlier and he has been busy cutting cakes at public ceremonies, but Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan who turns 67 on October 11, says that his enthusiasm about birthdays has long died.

The thespian who will soon complete his 40th year in the film industry, said that he "goes along blowing candles", because he does not want to hurt the sentiments of his well-wishers and fans.

"It is the time of the year for cakes and their excesses and I shall be blowing candles a plenty. But stopping them would be a sacrilege and so one goes along.... That is the norm and one goes along with it, though the excitement of birthdays and gifts has long since gone by," wrote Big B on his blog.

His on-screen 'angry young man' alter-ego may scoff, but the real life Bachchan, who has got upto 4000 birthday wishes from fans across the world, whom he calls his extended family, said that he is immensely touched by the gestures, though giving interviews to the media for the occasion irks him. "There is a line up of media interviews starting off from tomorrow morning. You do one you do a hundred," wrote the star.

While most of his contemporaries have long retired, the Big B is enjoying a peak in his career with the best of roles coming his way and he has also consolidated his position as the most bankable star on TV with his role as pop philosopher on the reality TV show 'Big Boss'. The TV crew had arranged for a small celebration and Bachchan will again be cutting a cake today at the launch of his much awaited film 'Rann'.

"A cake was in store for me by the end of the evening by the unit and the multitude of people that have been working so hard on this show... Tomorrow the team of Rann wish to bring in the first look launch for the film at a theatre near by and again cut a cake for my birth," wrote Bachchan.

The actor has successfully avoided getting stereotyped in the industry as his upcoming films see him in a myriad of avatars, from a modern genie in 'Aladin' to a media tycoon in 'Rann'. But Bachchan who has won three National and 12 Filmfare awards among countless others, is best remembered as the 'angry young man' of filmlore. The actor who started his Bollywood journey with 'Saat Hindustani', interestingly got his dream break after 13 straight flops with 'Zanjeer', which was turned down by then superstars Dev Anand and Rajkumar.

The journey that began has not ended till date, though there were plenty of road blocks on the way, including bankruptcy and a near death experience. While filming Coolie in 1982, Bachchan suffered a near fatal intestinal injury during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar. He remained critically ill in hospital for many months, at times close to death.

The public response included prayers in temples and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him, while later there were long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating. More than two decades later, the actor fondly called the 'Shehenshah of Bollywood' is still thriving with no plans of fading away.

Girls misbehaved with me in ‘Bigg Boss’: Jaya Sawant

Item girl Rakhi Sawant’s mother Jaya has been badmouthing her female co-participants in “Bigg Boss” ever since she was evicted from the popular reality TV show.
“The girls didn’t behave well with me at all. They used to talk in English in front of me despite knowing that I don’t understand the language and then used to make fun of me and laugh at me, I didn’t like it at all,” Jaya, who was the first to make an exit from the third season of “Bigg Boss” Friday, told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

She was quick to point out two incidents when the women, especially Shamita Shetty, Tanaaz Currim, Poonam Dhillon and Aditi Govitrikar sniggered at her and disrespected her on the show, where she was locked up with 12 celebrity participants.

“Once I had to ask the audience to vote for me. So Vindu (Vindu Dara Singh) told me I should sit in front of the camera and ask for votes in Marathi. And when I did so, these girls just started laughing. Later, they said that it seemed like I was chanting - ‘Bhaaji lelo, bhaaji lelo’ (Buy vegetables). That time I started crying,” Jaya said.

Jaya, who worked as a nurse earlier, says she specifically faced a problem with actress Tanaaz Currim.

“On one of the days when we were all having food, Tanaaz asked everyone if anyone wanted a chapati. I said ‘I want two’. She gave me one and then when I went and asked her for another one, she shouted at me and asked me to go and sit at the dining table. She then gave the chapati to her husband (Bakhtiyaar Irani). I felt very hurt,” she mainained.

However, Jaya said the males in the “Bigg Boss” house were extremely sensitive to her needs and addressed her as “Mummy”.

“Rohit (Verma) always helped me and spoke to me like a son and so did Vindu. They took care of all my needs. But the girls were too much,” she said and added that the women didn’t even leave warm water for her to take a bath.

She is also upset that she couldn’t completely achieve her aim behind participating in the show - convincing her daughter Rakhi to reconcile with her.

“I came on the show for Rakhi - so that she forgets all differences and comes back to me. I don’t even know why she stopped talking to me. But I will keep trying as long as I can. Rest, I can only wish the best for my daughter.

“I hope Jesus blesses her with whatever she needs in life,” she added.

Jaya was the only non-celebrity contestant on the show, where she didn’t fail to hold back her melodramatic ways. She shed tears, danced and sang, much to the amusement of the other house members.

Why Rakhi-Jaya rapport went kaput?

The reality show Bigg Boss 3 has once again brought controversy queen, Rakhi Sawant into limelight, but for this time Rakhi is not alone, she is in frame with her mother Jaya Sawant who the first contestant to go out of BB3.

Even if in reality, this mother-daughter would not speak to each other , but they will be definitely together on screen at least to degrade each other. “Jaya and Rakhi are not speaking to each other for almost a year and Jaya completely blames Abhishekh Awasthi (ex-flame of Rakhi) for her sour relationship with the daughter. In an TV interview she blamed him for creating grudges in my family,” chirps the little birdie.

“Rakhi on other side is blaming her mom for creating bitterness between her’s and Abhishekh relation.

She doesn’t want to bond with her mother. Rakhi is fed up with her family members and says that she is no more going to earn money for them and wants to live alone and happy for life time,” source added.

So now, the mystery is that who exactly is the culprit?. Is that Abhisehekh, Jaya or Rakhi herself for the separations? Only Rakhi could answer this but she was not available for any comments.