Piggy Chops-Mallika Sherawat twittering around

Who says two actresses can’t be good friends. After Asin who said that actresses can be friends, we have another new example of great friendship bubbling err twittering in the Film Industry. Well we are talking about the new friends Priyanka Chopra and Mallika Sherawat.
These two gorgeous actresses have been busy twittering updates and exchanging pleasantries on Twitter. Piggy chops chats seems to be more exciting, while Mallika is busy hissing with hers. They are sharing a great rapport on twitter which is for all to see.
Their chats seem to be more causal and laidback, like commenting on each other status message, wishing luck and much more. It seems they are gelling well with each other on this networking site, but we don’t know what’s the mamla, as we haven’t seen both of them together chatting around.
Is it that the two will be working together or its just pure friendship between the vivacious women’s? Well for now that is something very interesting to watch out for.

Rajeev becomes swami for SRK!

Rajeev Bhardwaj has crossed his finger for his forthcoming flick “SRK’ by Warner Brothers. Film also stars Vinay Pathak and Rituparna Sengupta and is due for release by the end of the next month.
He is playing a swami in the film. “Many educated people do take up spirituality and serve in temple. My character is of a swami in the film to which, the protagonist comes in contact for a reason,” he briefs about his role. It’s a lighthearted film directed by Ajay Verma. “There are many comic situations in the film,” he reluctantly divulges.
He has spectacularly created waves with his stints on television all these years and will continue to do so with his forthcoming serial as well as a reality show. So guys here comes another actor whose acting passion sees no boundaries of medium.

Shilpa Shetty temple controversy not serious: Police

No serious case was made out against Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty for apparently breaking the rules while shooting at Orissa’s revered Sakhigopal temple, the police said Saturday, adding they were trying to find out if she had hurt religious sentiments.
Shetty was accused of entering the Gopinath Deb temple of Sakhigopal near Puri Thursday with her shoes on.

The temple authorities later filed a complaint with the Satyabadi police station against the actress.

“The temple executive Sachidananda Das along with some staff members of the temple have filed a complaint against Shilpa Shetty. They have complained that the Bollywood actress has violated the shrine rules,” said officer in-charge of Satyabadi police station Prasanna Kumar Biswal.

“I was present when the actress reached the spot as we had instructions to go there for her protection. The crew had already taken the permission of temple authorities to shoot there. Since the complaint has come we are looking into the matter. No serious case is made out against the actress as per IPC (Indian Penal code),” Biswal said.

“We are trying to find out whether she has hurt the religious sentiments by entering the temple with shoes on. We are also discussing the matter with senior officials before we file a case,” he said.

“Some people seem to have unnecessarily dragged in Shilpa Shetty. However, we are investigating the matter,” Biswal said.

Eros pays Akshay-John to strip on pole

Rohit Dhawan, the son of filmmaker-editor David Dhawan has finally got third time lucky
Rohit was earlier supposed to make his directorial debut with a film titled Come on Pappu. This film was to star Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor and a chimpanzee but its producers Percept Picture Company supposedly backed out due to lack of funds. Then it seems Rohit completely dropped the idea of making this film. He then worked on his own script and prepared his own set up for this film starring Akshay Kumar and John Abraham in the lead. Apparently, he took this project to Studio 18 but they refused to go ahead with it because of Akshay Kumar’s high price demand and John Abraham’s mega fee hike post back to back successes of Dostana and New York.
But finally Rohit got his dream debut project fulfilled when he approached another corporate biggie third time around. Eros International gave nod to his proposal and it will now be made under their banner. This film is a romantic comedy and will feature Akki-John playing pole dancers in a strip club. They had last worked together in 2005’s comic hit Garam Masala.

Saif and Deepika’s clothes sell like hot pakodas

The only topic of discussion aaj kal is nothing but Love Aaj Kal.
Whether it is the film’s lead cast- Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, or its music or the costumes that the stars have worn in the film, there’s tremendous hype surrounding it. So much so that at an event held at Juhu Shopper’s Stop a huge crowd had gathered. They all wanted to have a dekko of Saif Ali Khan who was expected to arrive there to promote the film The clothes that Saif and Deepika have worn in the film were put up for sale.
The costumes vanished from shelf within minutes. The marketing team of Shopper’s Stop never expected this kind of response from fans. A source from the marketing team said, “What appealed to the people was that they could relate to Saif and Deepika’s costumes in the film. They are as casual as the common man wearing it on the street. Plus they are absolutely affordable. No wonder they got sold like hot pakodas on a rainy day.”

Movie Review: Love Aaj Kal

Love Aaj Kal: Definitely not to be missed
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, debutantes Giselle Monteiro and Florence Brudenell Bruce, Rishi Kapoor and Rahul Khanna (Sp.App)
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Studying in London, Jai (Saif) and Meera (Deepika) are in a relationship for two years but when career beckons, they mutually break off their relationship. Meera prepares to go to India to pursue her career in old historical places restorations whereas Jai waits in London with a hope of getting his dream job in San Fransico’s Golden Gate Co. The couple though broken off decides to keep in touch via net and phone calls and continue to remain friends. Restaurant owner Veer Singh (Rishi Kapoor) is a silent observer to their break up process since it happens in his restaurant. Unable to bear the far too casual approach related to affairs of heart of the couple, he tries to convince a reluctant Jai that he is making a mistake. Sensing that Jai is not taking him seriously, Veer then starts narrating him his own love story with Harleen Kaur (Giselle Monteiro) which took place far back in 1965 in Delhi. From then on begins the unfolding of these two love stories running parallel together which incidentally end up with a similar culmination after many twists and turns which also are similar despite the different period zones.
After making the much loved Jab We Met, Imtiaz Ali succeeds in giving us an extremely different love story that we have never witnessed before on Indian screen. He scores high on his writing and his treatment of the film. In the initial 10 minutes he successfully establishes Saif and Deepika’s relationship and their character quirks. He surprises you then by putting a melancholic song (Ye Dooriyan) as opening credits role showing montages of various important twists of the plot that lie ahead. In fact his screenplay is indeed full of surprises ahead, especially in the second half. As you begin to anticipate a particular thing happening ahead in the plot, almost 9 times out of 10 he proves you wrong. Making the film extremely relatable to everyone who has ever been in love and broken off with his/her partner, Imtiaz takes it notches higher by his dialogues that sound simple but convey a lot. Plenty of scenes stay with you as you come out. Imtiaz has repeated his technical team trio of JWM – Aarti Bajaj (Editing), Teddy Maurya (Art Direction) and Cinematographer (N. Nataraj Subramaniam) and each of them have excelled in their respective departments. Music of the film by Pritam is already ruling the charts and thankfully none of the songs act as speed breakers. The picturisation of Main Kya Hoon in San Francisco showing various changes in Saif is simply fantastic.
Without any doubt, these are career best performances of both Saif and Deepika and it should not be a surprise if they both end up winning most of awards for this year. Saif has always been at ease playing the cool no strings attached dude but in here he also succeeds in playing the brooding romantic Sardar Veer Singh very well and is extremely impressive in the post interval emotional sequences. Deepika wins hearts not just by looking extremely attractive throughout but also with the effortless ease she portrays her complex character. Rishi Kapoor is extremely loveable as the mature Veer Singh and lends tremendous dignity to his character. Debutante Giselle Monteiro manages to speak volumes just through her expressions. Rahul Khanna in a special appearance is good and suits the character perfectly well. Raj Zutshi playing Harleen’s father reminds of Pawan Malhotra’s character of Kareena’s uncle in Jab We Met. Florence Brudenell Bruce playing Saif’s Swiss girlfriend doesn’t have much to do but manages to do a good job.
Love Aaj Kal is a film definitely not to be missed. It offers us something fresh and and is a unique experiment in story telling and direction that works big time. It is one film that Saif, Deepika and Imtiaz shall always be proud of whenever they look back at their career.

Marriage made in heaven, or on TV? Rakhi decides Sunday

Will she? Won’t she? Rakhi Sawant moved from being an outspoken item girl to a coy bride, and now the question whether she will actually get married through her televised ’swayamvar’ has middle class India in a thrall.

The “wedding” is slated for Sunday on her show “Rakhi ka Swayamvar” — which saw Rakhi choosing the most suitable groom from a list of 16 in 25 episodes — and excitement is peaking.

“It has to be the Canadian guy”, “She will walk out without marrying”, “There will be a wild card entry”, “The contestants would be asked to choose between money and Rakhi”, “Who cares?”… just some of the random thoughts and queries of the many viewers that NDTV Imagine added after the reality show began June 29.

Dressed in Indian finery and suitably demure, Rakhi shortlisted five grooms and even went to their homes to get to know the families. As the feisty bit actress who hit the limelight with her outrageous statements, not to forget the kissing controversy with singer Mika, played the ideal Indian ‘bahu’, viewers happily tuned in every weeknight.

On Sunday, the speculation will come to an end when Rakhi announces whom she will marry. And everybody has a view.

“It’s likely that the show is a farce, because most of the shows that generate huge publicity are planned for that purpose. Maybe she will marry him for the show, with a pre-nuptial agreement and then annul the marriage…unless the chosen one is rich enough to stay with,” said Jaya Kumar Mathur, a housewife.

There are others who did not share Jaya’s cynicism and said Rakhi could actually be looking for true love.

According to Saniya Mehta, for instance, it is quite possible she will settle down with one of the final three contenders - Toronto-based Gujarati boy Elesh Parujanwala, young aspirant Manas Katyal and businessman Chhitiz Jain, both of whom stay in New Delhi.

“But unless the groom shifts to Mumbai, which is Rakhi’s workplace, her life would not be smooth after the show. She should take her decision carefully,” said Mehta who feels Parujanwala is the best suitor for the item girl.

Channel officials are equally clueless.

“It would be a big decision for Rakhi. There is new speculation every day about the climax of the show, but even we can’t tell anything as of now. Ultimately what will happen on Sunday will be entirely Rakhi’s call,” Nikhil Madhok, vice president (marketing and communications) of NDTV Imagine, told.

“If she says she wants to marry the same day, we are all set with the preparations. If not, it’s for her to decide because it’s her life,” he added.

The preparations are grand. Whatever the decision, Rakhi will be dressed in a Neeta Lulla creation and wear jewellery designed by Farah Ali Khan, including a necklace worth Rs.3 million.

Of course, like any other grand Indian wedding, a multi-cuisine buffet dinner will be laid out. The menu, planned by Rakhi herself, will include Gujarati, Punjabi and Maharashtrian delicacies.

The guest list will be equally impressive, including TV celebrities as well as Bollywood stars. Rumours are rife that Bollywood’s ace director Karan Johar, who invited Rakhi on his chat show “Koffee With Karan” that saw A-list actors such as Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, is expected to be one of the invitees.

The show, the first of its kind in India, has brought unprecedented TRP (television rating points) success for NDTV Imagine. The premiere of the one-hour show saw ratings soar to 3.5 percent. The channel is hoping that Sunday’s episode will be even better.

In the original American show, “The Bachelorette”, the contestant in many cases didn’t get married or didn’t last too long. There was one exception — Trista Rehn who married physiotherapist Ryan Sutter in the maiden season of the show in 2003 and now has two children.

Will it be happily ever after for Rakhi too?

Kareena Kapoor returns Rs. 1 million to producer

Just few days back there were reports about Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association aka IMPPA receiving a complaint from M/s PJ Sughand Production Pvt Ltd against Kareena Kapoor. Sughand Production had claimed Kareena had taken Rs. 10 lakhs as a signing amount for their film and had refused to return back the sum after she refused to commit dates for their project. But now it is learnt that Kareena Kapoor has refunded the amount.
The production company was reportedly facing some serious financial trouble after the death of Jhamu Sughandh who had financed films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Aks among others and was in desperate need of the refund from Kareena. The Kambakkht Ishq actress has settled the amount back in quick time. In fact so happy are IMPPA with her prompt steps that they even sent her a thanking letter for settling the claim in short span of time.

They say “Behind a successful man there is a woman’. Somehow our tinsel town cries out a different equation- in Bollywood “Behind a fashion-queen ther

Salman Khan is extremely popular in Bollywood for his whole hearted generosity to even strangers who approach him for help. There have been plenty of instances when Salman has gone out of his way to do things for his industry friends and even his films’ unit members and staff just to bring a smile on their face. Now it seems his good habit has rubbed off on younger brother Sohail as well.
Reveals a source, “Sohail is presently in a great mood since his Main Aur Mrs Khanna starring Salman and Kareena, is finally ready to release. The promos of the film that have been delayed long will go on air soon. But Sohail has his post-production team and editing staff to thank for it as they have finished the editing and other post production chores in double the time. And Sohail, who was mighty impressed, immediately ordered a set of hi-end Swiss watches from the manufacturer and asked them to be delivered pronto. Sohail also organised a private party for the team of technicians, who worked on the project and personally gave them the watches much to their surprise and excitement.”.

Bollywood Divas and their Rich Sugar Daddy!

They say “Behind a successful man there is a woman’. Somehow our tinsel town cries out a different equation- in Bollywood “Behind a fashion-queen there is a Rich Sugar Daddy.’ Who effectively takes care of all her bills, and efficiently pays them all on time!
Preity Zinta: This dimple-cheeked diva lassoed the businessman Ness Wadia with her irresistible charm. Mr. Wadia might not have contributed much in her flourishing career; still, considering Preity’s restrained financial background, he definitely brought a sea of change in her life-style by elevating her status-quotient. With her Rich Sugar Daddy paying up for the Gucci’s and Versace’s Preity dropped her favorite tom-boyish look and fluttered around in society events all dressed up in high-fashion! The T-shirts and Jeans went to the bottom of the trashcan, and out came the designer-torn jeans for the IPL matches. Out-of-the-blue she became one of the most vibrant personalities with tremendous glamour quotient basking in the luxury of Chloé, Jimmy Choo, Fendi, Marchesa, Bottega, Michael Kors, Christian Louboutin, Missoni, Badgley Mischka, Dior…the list goes on!
Preity traveled first class all the way- from mass to class, with a GO from her Rich Sugar Daddy Ness of-course!
Katrina Kaif: This Anglo-Indian does not boast of a wealthy family background despite foreign upbringing. But Katrina Kaif’s stars changed overnight with the entry of much, much older to her macho man of B-town Salman Khan who brought her in the limelight. Katrina might be mum about her marriage with Salman but deep down inside she can’t deny the fact that the awesome status, which she enjoys today is all credits to her Bollywood Godfather Salman.
Shilpa Shetty: This Indian beauty with perfect curves slogged throughout her career just to be counted among the A-listers of Bollywood. Although, she proved her power-prowess by winning the reality show Big Brother, still her acting and financial graph remained unchanged. But then a short visit from cupid changed everything for her, from Fashion Street to Louis Vuitton, her tastes underwent a major revamp all thanks to an infatuated millionaire sugar daddy ready to pay up for a wink and a smile. Her life too is blessed with a rich man who also recently turned producer- Raj Kundra. A flat in central London and co-ownership in one of the IPL teams- Rajasthan Royals says it all.
Mallika Sherawat: Mallika Sherawat has broken all bounds. Although she is officially not dating Jackie Chan, but the sexy-siren is taking a good advantage of the famous man’s fondness for her. Her society datebook (read Twitter) is full of Hollywood events and she is schmoozing with some big names in Hollywood. It all started with action-thriller Myth and now as they say- they lived happy ever after!
Rani Mukherjee: Rani Mukherjee is an exception among the list of female-actors mentioned above. This bong-beauty has filmy origins that made her stepping in Bollywood a cakewalk. However, her association with Yash Raj especially Aditya Chopra has worked wonders for her, both professionally and personally. Rani Mukherjee today is an integral part of the Yash Raj camp, and that in itself should sum it all. Interestingly, Aditya has not directed his ladylove in any of his films till date and there seems no such chance in the near future too. However, his presence in her personal life and Rani being a part of Yash Raj camp has definitely brought a sea of change to her status quotient, and this definitely wields her immense power to be counted as one of the top actress of B-Town.

Meera is just like me!- Deepika

Deepika says her character in Love Aaj Kal is exactly like her. “It was so much “me’ that sometimes I felt maybe I wasn’t doing anything on camera. I had to look to my director Imtiaz Ali for reassurance. I was reacting on camera the way I do in real life. So far I was always doing things that didn’t come naturally to me. This is my most honest performance. I can feel the growth in me in the four films and six roles that I’ve done so far. I’ve become freer with my emotions and lines.”
In London Deepika is for the first time improvising on her lines. “I feel confident enough now to give my inputs. Yes I can move around the emotions of my character. I know my space a lot better.”
Deepika hopes to create magic with Akshay in Housefull. It was rumoured that Akshay had lost faith in his pairing with Deepika after Chandni Chowk to China.
Deepika scoffs at the rumour. “If that was true you think he would be doing another film with me at this moment? I don’t think there’s any formula for success. The failure of China Chowk to China didn’t affect me. Of course, considering the effort we all put in I was upset. I guess hard work isn’t enough. But I learnt a few skills during Chandni Chowk, which I’ll use in other experiences of my life.”

Where’s secularism, asks Emraan after being denied house

“Am I a criminal or a terrorist?” asked an upset Emraan Hashmi Friday. The Bollywood actor alleged he had been denied a house he wanted to buy in the upmarket Pali Hill area of Mumbai because he was Muslim.
The actor, who was not given a no objection certificate (NOC), believes the housing society in Pali Hill was hiding the real reason for its refusal.

“This has political connotations, so they don’t want to talk about it openly. Yesterday (Thursday), they told me that I can’t get the NOC. I asked them why aren’t you giving me the certificate — am I a criminal, or a terrorist or have I done anything illegal?” Emraan told reporters here with his uncle and well-known filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt by his side.

“It is strange that they don’t tell you on your face that you can’t get a house because you are a Muslim. It would have been easier if they would have told me openly. What they told me is that they can’t allow me to live there because I am a serial kisser and my presence will have a bad influence on the children staying there.

“Being a celebrity if I’m facing problems in buying a house here, I wonder what kind of problems others would have been facing. All the time we are talking about secularism but with such incidents what secularism are people talking about?” asked the actor.

Emraan said someone suggested to him that he purchase the house in the name of his wife Parveen, who is a Hindu. “I can do that, but why should I do that?” he asked.

Bhatt said such discrimination was a serious problem plaguing the country.

“Even 62 years after independence, the virus of communalism is alive in an area like Pali Hill, which is known as India’s Beverly Hills where stars like Sunil Dutt lived and Dilip Kumar is still living there. It’s a serious problem and is the country ready to accept that communalism is still surviving?” he said.

“There are also certain societies in the area that do not give NOCs to non-Hindus,” he said.

Emraan, who featured in films like “Murder”, “Gangster - A Love Story”, wanted to buy a house in Pali Hill so that he could stay close to his parents, but the actor was refused the NOC by Pali Hill’s Nibbana Cooperative Society.

He has filed a complaint with the State Minorities’ Commission, demanding action against the society members. The society reportedly has mostly Hindus and a couple of Catholic families.

This is not the first time Hashmi has faced such a problem.

“I faced a similar situation in August 2007, when I was looking for a house in the same area; residents and brokers told me I would not be able to get a house because I was a Muslim. But I later managed to get one,” Emraan told a newspaper Thursday.

Earlier Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar had faced problems in getting a house in Juhu and TV actor Aamir Khan filed a litigation after being refused a house in Lokhandwala.

‘Love Aaj Kal’ is just another love story

Film: “Love Aaj Kal”

Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Khanna

Director: Imtiaz Ali

Midway into the second half of “Love Aaj Kal”, Rahul Khanna screams at Deepika Padukone and asks her to make it clear what she actually wants in life. That’s one of the very few moments in the film audiences can really empathise with.

After all, this is what you as a viewer also feel throughout the love story of Saif Ali Khan and Deepika - what do they really want?

They break off, but haven’t quite drifted apart. “After all it’s an era of communication,” says Saif. So much so that even when the ‘once in love and perhaps still in love’ couple decide to take care of their lives separately rather than getting into an ugly long distance relationship, they continue to meet and greet and paint the city of Dilli red.

It’s just that continuous talks around ‘how we are happier today when compared to yesterday’ become monotonous after a while. It seems good though in the initial reels of the film. In fact, the first 20 minutes of the film are excellent when the director wraps up the beginning and the end of the Saif-Deepika love story.

While watching this portion of the film, you do feel that “Love Aaj Kal” is indeed treading a very original path. In fact, the entire ‘break up party’ introduction is an ace in the hands of Imtiaz Ali and he plays his cards brilliantly.

So far, so excellent but this is the point from which the film starts taking a dip. Rishi Kapoor’s emergence in the story gets a good kickstart. But the entire flashback angle with Rishi narrating his own story, something which sounds quite exciting on paper, doesn’t really carry the same punch as the Saif-Deepika story.

In fact, whenever the film goes into past mode, it dips and only Deepika’s re-emergence on the scene lights up things. Watch out for the scene where she finally decides to move on and brings on a fake smile in front of the mirror.

The interim love story of Saif and his Swiss girlfriend brings the pace down again, hence making for an uneven ride till interval.

Post interval portions don’t quite help things much as the ‘Dilli bhraman’ of Saif and Deepika looks fake.

Just when it seemed that the film had come to an abrupt end, there is this twist in the story that makes one wonder if “Love Aaj Kal” is the same movie that started so impressively and ended in such an ordinary manner!

If not for the performances and the music, the film would have dipped even further.

Deepika is excellent as she brings in a certain casual feel to the entire ‘getting in love and then breaking up’ part. Watch out for Saif in those excellent monologues once every 30 minutes or in the brilliantly narrated sequence that goes along with ‘main kya hoon’.

Rishi hardly gets scope but is nice in his earlier scenes; one wonders though what made Rahul sign a film that doesn’t fetch him a single decent scene!

Yes, one understands where Ali was coming from when he decided to convey that the emotion of love was just the same across different generations. In the end, however, “Love Aaj Kal” turns out to be just another love story.

Two Bollywood films to be premiered at Toronto film fest

Yash Raj Films’ “Dil Bole Hadippa” and Ashutosh Gowariker’s “What’s Your Rashee?” will have their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) here in September, organisers have announced.
The world’s biggest audience-based film festival runs Sep 10-19.

Set for release Sep 18 in India, “Dil Bole Hadippa” is directed by Anurag Singh. It is a hilarious drama-comedy with Shahid Kapoor (Rohan) and Rani Mukherjee (Veera Kaur) in lead roles.

It also features Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Rakhee Sawant and Sherlyn Chopra.

The highlights of the film include Veera Kaur putting on a turban and beard and becoming Veer Pratap Singh to play cricket in a village where girls are forbidden from playing the sport.

Her performance earns her a place in Rohan’s team, kicking off their roller-coaster journey filled with music, romance and comedy through Punjab and beyond, said a statement by the organisers here.

“What’s Your Rashee?”, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, is another Indian film making its international premiere at the festival.

Based on the Gujarati novel “Kimball Ravenswood” by Madhu Arya, this romantic comedy stars Priyanka Chopra and her former beau Harman Baweja.

Its storyline revolves around a young man who has always wanted to marry for love. When he is suddenly told that he must find his dream girl within 10 days to save his family from ruin, he discovers that finding her in a hurry is tough.

Deepa Mehta’s “Heaven on Earth” had its world premiere at the festival last year. Anees Bazmee’s hit “Singh is Kinng” and Nandita Das’s directorial debut “Firaaq” also had their gala premiere last year.

Called a people’s festival as opposed to industry-based Cannes, the Toronto festival generates revenue by selling over 300,000 tickets each year.

Last year, more than 300 films from 64 countries were screened at the festival which has become a major global film festival since its beginning in 1976.

Nandita Das new head of Children’s Film Society

ctress-director Nandita Das has been appointed the new chairperson of the Children’s Films Society of India (CFSI).
“The tenure of her appointment … shall be for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” read an official statement.

Earlier, the post was held by actress-social activist Nafisa Ali. It fell vacant when she resigned to contest the Lok Sabha election from Lucknow on Samajwadi Party ticket this year.

Nandita, who is best known for her performances in Deepa Mehta’s “Fire and “Earth”, is the daughter of celebrated Indian painter Jatin Das.

The 39-year-old recently donned the directors’s hat for “Firaaq”

CELINA JAITLEY SHOWERS PUNE POLICE WITH FLOWERS

Celina Jaitley, the socially conscious beauty queen and Bollywood star, sent bouquets and a card recently to the Commissioner of Police Shri Satyapal Singh and DCP (Special Branch) Shri R.P. Sengaonkar who have been instrumental in banning the use of horses, elephants and camels into the city of Pune.
“Thank you for standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Celina wrote in the card. “All of us from PETA appreciate your efforts and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Anuradha Sawhney of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says, “Humane people around the world are watching India’s treatment of animals. We applaud the Pune officers for taking action and urge other officers to do so, too.”
Why are Celina and PETA happy about the ban? Horses are forced to pull carts in the sweltering heat on the crowded streets of Pune and other cities, they live a miserable life. They are forced to pull oversized loads and must try to dodge cars, taxis and bicycles. It is not unusual for horses to suffer from untreated injuries, and most horses never see a veterinarian in their lifetime.
Elephants are a common sight on roads and outside temples in the city of Pune typically with a mahout astride the animal, poking a painful ankush behind his sensitive ears to keep him moving in the confusing and alien traffic of cars, his ears assaulted by the cacophony of horns and urban noises, his tender feet made to walk on the scorching-hot, pothole-ridden roads. The methods used to control elephants are very cruel and cause a threat to the mahouts as well. Hands-on training requires absolute domination of elephants by their keepers, which can only be achieved by inflicting pain on the animals with an ankush or iron and wooden sticks and then reinforcing the threat of more pain.
Across Pune, camels have been taken out of their desert homes and forced to pull carts and carry people for “entertainment’. Joyride operators often ignore the animals’ most basic needs. Camels are housed with no shelter from the elements and are not provided adequate food. The animals are forced to carry riders all day long in the blazing sun with few rest or water breaks. Many become emaciated, exhausted and ill. Camels are forced to carry heavy and ill-fitting saddles that chafe and leave them with sores, which are typically concealed from tourists with decorations. The joyride operators ignore the animals’ distress and provide them with no veterinary care. Left untreated, the galls grow progressively more painful and often develop into acute infections. According to a news report, the “demand for the camels who are transported from Rajasthan to Pune for giving joyrides, goes up during festivals, not being able to survive the drastic change in living conditions, however, they soon weather away making way for next lot.”

Big B pays homage to Rajmata Gayatri Devi

Amitabh Bachchan is presently in Singapore at the moment with wife Jaya Bachchan busy attending to an ill Amar Singh, who is undergoing treatment there. But he managed to take some time out to visit a nearby temple to offer prayers for Rajmata Gayatri Devi’s peaceful soul in heaven after he heard of her demise.
Big B in his homage to the late Rajmata writes in his blog, “As a young student in the Delhi University I used to sneak into the Jaipur Polo ground, next to the Air Force colony opposite the Gymkhana Club in Delhi, to watch some of the finest polo players of the country, riding majestically on thoroughbreds competing with some of the finest teams from overseas. The Maharaja of Jaipur, a great proponent of the game, would play there and accompanying him used to be his wife, the Rajmata Gayatri Devi, in her soft and pastel flowered chiffon’s, a picture of grace and beauty. It was expensive to get into those grounds and to find a place on the stands to watch the fast paced “chukkers’, but we managed to get in and kept ourselves at a distance from all the main activities. Never in my born days had I ever imagined that one day I would get to meet this lady. But time and circumstances changed that. While working in Calcutta we moved around socially in a group of common friends who were related to the Cooch Behars- as royalty from that region was addressed. The Maharaja of Cooch Behar himself a great polo player and the brother to Gayatri Devi a most distinguished and handsome man, would often play at the polo ground in and around the Victoria Memorial and the race course and we would gather around to ogle at them on Sunday evenings. He had, had a fall from his horse during one of the games and a severe concussion to the head had kept him in-firmed for long.”
He continues, “After joining the movies there were many visits to the pink city of Jaipur for shootings and that is when a formal introduction with the Rajmata took place. Of the many private palaces that belong to the Jaipurs, some have been converted into grand hotels and I have had the pleasure of staying in them and enjoyed their exquisite regal ambience. I was later asked by Gayatri Devi ji to inaugurate one of the functions at the girls school that she started, now a flourishing institution. Some years ago she had invited me to be the chief guest at a charity she promoted for the under privileged and cannot forget what a gracious host she was that evening. On another occasion she called me over for a private lunch at her Lily Pond residence, serving me personally with delicious vegetarian delicacies which she had so considerately asked her kitchen to prepare. She wrote a personal note to me a few years back to seek my involvement for another event that she was inaugurating, but time constraints kept me away. That was the last communication I had had with her. The many palaces of these princely states have some of the most unique artifacts that I have ever seen. Crystal-ware and silver, paintings, art work, the “pichvai’ murals rare and beyond value. At one of the smaller private palaces, now converted into a boutique hotel, where Queen Elizabeth had stayed during her visit to India, there is a painting of Gayatri Devi’s mother. And I shall have to say this, that her beauty was unmatched. Gayatri Devi documented her enchanted and eventful life in her autobiography; a fairy tale of this lovely Princess from Cooch Behar. May she rest in peace!”

Sharmila Tagore remembers ‘fun times’ with Gayatri Devi

Yesteryears actress Sharmila Tagore remembers Gayatri Devi, the ‘rajmata’ of Jaipur, as the one who made her comfortable at her wedding to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a woman who lived cricket and movies, and the woman who added the “glamour” quotient to parliament.

“Aunty Ayesha (Gyatri Devi) was a personal friend of my mother-in-law. The two families have been very, very close. It was a very long association. She was very much part of my wedding and she was very fond of cricket. Once she asked me a question about cricket and I didn’t know the answer and she said, ‘Why don’t you know? Aren’t you married to Tiger (Pataudi)?

“In fact, we were in London when she fell ill. She was admitted to a hospital. She was remarkably versatile. She was very keenly interested in sports and has written a cookbook… I’ve a signed copy,” Sharmila told .

She says that Gayatri Devi was a good host too.

“When she was in a roomful of people, she made every single person feel special. When I got engaged to Tiger, she came across the entire length of the room and talked to me in Bengali. That one-to-one made me feel so special. That time I was so young and so frightened. Her attention made me feel so confident. I’ve never forgotten that,” she said.

Sharmila says that even in her last days, she was very particular about her appearance as well as movies.

“Even very recently she would dress up and come out. In London, when we were there recently, she wanted to see the new Keira Knightley film ‘The Duchess’. I remembered, how I had arranged a show of my film ‘Anupama’ in the 1960s for aunty Ayesha’s mother who was in a wheelchair. I told aunty Ayesha if ‘The Duchess’ was in India, I’d have definitely arranged a special screening for her….

“She joined parliament and was such a glamorous presence there. And she coped with the jail sentence with such dignity. Until the end there were so many dignitaries in her house. My husband was very close to aunty Ayesha. She was exceptionally fond of him. I remember we were at a very well-known designer’s exhibition and she said, ‘Is it a table cloth or something to wear?’ We burst out laughing.

“She really enjoyed life. Her husband taught her all the etiquettes. He groomed her and made her what she was. She was the patron of the arts. And she did a lot for polo. I’ll most certainly miss her.

“If a film on her life was made today, I can’t think of anyone who could fit in. She had a quality that’s hard to find these days. The way she held herself, the way she moved… that’s hard to replicate. She was a fun person to be with. Not one of those boring people. She was great fun to be.”

Love Aaj Kal: Love In Every Era

This had to be coming its way for quite sometime, after some blundering steps here and there. Finally,“Love aj Kal” aka LAK, arrives full square and looks like it is meant to score high with the audience. The storyline is fresh and settling and leads the audience along on a journey that is of comfortable pace.

Imtiaz Ali’s latest is not meant to disappoint any one. A lot of expectations had been trained on him in relation with LAK, after his second venture “Jab We Met” took the box-office by storm and sealed the fates of both the leads, Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, in the higher rungs of the industry.
In his this venture, Ali takes to look at love as an unchanging phenomenon in any era, and if changed, how is it perceived now.

We therefore have a very experienced and elderly Veer Singh (essayed by Rishi Kapoor) and Jai (Saif) sit and tell their tales of love to each other, to prove in the end that love is never changing. Veer tries showing Jai how love acts as a driving force, which Jai plays down saying it is a notion of an era that is by gone. What Ali tries to put across is that love used to make people a whole lot serious in earlier times. Now, people getting serious about their life and profession, bid adieu to love. However, love finds its own course in due time.

Saif as Jai is successful in his portrayal of the emotions that he under goes as he goes blundering through life, sometimes discovering love, at others disowning it because of his ego, and well, because he is human. Deepika Padukone plays Jai’s love interest Meera and fits the role to perfection so that it looks tailor made for her.

Aamir gives Kunal Kapoor bodybuilding tips for Doga

Kunal Kapoor has been preparing hard for his role in Anurag Kashyap’s next Doga, which is based on comic book action hero. Anurag has told Kunal to build his physique 50 times much than what he currently is, and he has to do it in a limited time. Kunal had already been training himself, but since it was not possible within a limited time Kunal it seems approached his Rang De Basanti co-star Aamir Khan to help him out.
Sources inform that, “Ever since Aamir Khan developed his physique for Ghajini in a quick time, it has impressed Kunal so much that he has been taking special tips from Aamir Khan for the role. He is also seen working out at Aamir’s personal gym too. Kunal’s character is supposed to look very strong physically since he is playing a desi superhero kind of character. The film also requires him to learn certain skills; one such is “Paco’ also known as free running. Paco helps in building stamina and agility.”
Doga is the alter-ego of an orphan, Suraj whom Daku Halkan Singh finds in a garbage dump as an infant. He is brought up by Daku Halkan Singh, but treated like a dog. While in Halkan’s care, Suraj witnesses endless horrors that ultimately led to his becoming Doga. To seek revenge, Suraj becomes Doga, and wears a dog mask to hide his identity. He is also considered to be the second most popular character created by Raj comics due to his huge fan following after Nagraj.
Kapoor loves to experiment onscreen and this role he says, is one of the most exciting and exhilarating experiences he has encountered.