The Indianisation of Sunny Leone

Porn star Sunny Leone's website 'Indianised' after stint on Bigg Boss 

Currently lodged in Bigg Boss, international porn star Sunny Leone has a new trick up her sleeve for her official website. This week, the site saw a bit of a revamp and a ‘new look’ with a special banner having sentences added in Hindi on the home page.

Obviously, the porn sensation, who plans to make a big splash in the Indian market, is aiming to spruce up her brand and image and make it slightly India-compatible, while retaining its core porn-USPs, before she makes her Bollywood debut after Bigg Boss.

“Sunny Leone is in the business of exposure and awareness. Entertainment and hype are her tools and ammunition,” remarks celebrity publicist Dale; a specialist with Bigg Boss, having handled the media for the maximum number of controversial celebrities on reality shows including Shilpa Shetty (during Big Brother), Rakhi Sawant, Kashmera Shah, Ashmit Patel, Sherlyn Chopra, Pooja Misrra and Amar Upadhyay (Bigg Boss).

“Make no mistake! India is a huge and lucrative market for Brand Sunny Leone. Though Sunny is based out of Canada, we should not forget that she is born Karen Malhotra and has Indian origins.



With her appearance and demure behaviour on India’s biggest reality show Bigg Boss, she is obviously trying to sanitize and Indianize her porn star brand and image,” the Bollywood PR expert points out.

“The new Indianized look of her international website with Hindi lines added on the new improved homepage, is just a step further in that direction,” he adds.



Sunny has already expressed her intentions of entering Bollywood. Dale even asserts that his sources tell him that apart from Mahesh Bhatt, who discussed his forthcoming film Jism 2 with Sunny on Bigg Boss, even Salman Khan is planning a film with her.

“So whether the conservatives like it our not, the time has come to accept Sunny Leone as part of our entertainment industry. In fact, from a PR point of view, further resistance from Indian audiences will only translate into more power to her existence in the Indian entertainment industry,” Dale analyses.

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Will Bollywood get bigger and better in 2012?

The year 2011 has been quite a celebration for Bollywood. Both unconventional and commercial cinemas have equally succeeded in generating monetary benefits. But, that does not necessarily indicate a good year for all the actors in the industry. While few have done incredibly well, others have failed to make a mark this year.

Though arguable, it seems that the biggest disappointment of the year has beenShahrukh Khan. While the actor failed to impress a section of audience with his much hyped film RA.ONE, his December release DON 2 also could not receive critics' thumps up. Interestingly, according to the trade experts, it was also noticed that Shahrukh no more falls in Aamir Khan and Salman Khan's category to generate massive monetary benefits. But, he still remains to be the undisputed King Khan of the industry. We hope he strikes back and revamps his stature with his 2012 film with Yash Chopra for which he starts shooting in the first week of January.

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After Salman, its Rajesh and Twinkle Khanna!

Bollywood's superstar Salman Khan celebrated his birthday recently and now it is time for some celebrations for the dearest father-daughter duo Rajesh Khanna andTwinkle Khanna on their birthday on December 29, 2011.

Very few are as special as Twinkle to share their birthday with their proud parents. To make it more special, her dear husband Akshay Kumar has planned a private party in Goa. Dimple Kapadia, Aarav and Rinke Khanna are also joining the merry gang. According to media reports, there are about twenty five invitees for the party. 

Rajesh Khanna, popularly known as Kaka, was not keeping well for the past few months. So, Akshay planned a private celebration with family and close friends. But, as we all know, that our favourite Kaka just 'hates tears', is moving quickly in life. He has now signed three new films with top producers. Kaka at several interactions with the media has mentioned that these films will present him in a newer and different avatar and wants his fans to come and watch him in the theatres.

We at glamsham.com wish Rajesh Khanna and Twinkle Khanna all the good fortunes.

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Bhansali gets going with Farah Khan starrer

Sanjay Leela Bhansali is bubbling with excitement. And why not? After all he is enjoying his association with Akshay Kumar and Prabhu Deva in ROWDY RATHORE and also getting entire machinery in place for the shoot of SHIRIN FARHAD KI NIKAL PADI (with Boman Irani and Farah Khan - who incidentally makes her debut as an actress) which goes on floor this month.

Even though there were talks of a fall-out with Farah Khan after their SAAWARIYA and OM SHANTI OM clashed with each other, Bhansali has not just resumed a friendly relationship with Farah Khan but is now also giving her a break as an actress, something that surprised her as well with SHIRIN FARHAD KI NIKAL PADI. Really, what happened there?

"Guess Farah ki yahan nikal padi," laughs Bhansali, "See, the film is titled SHIRIN FARHAD KI NIKAL PADI (it was earlier titled plain and simple SHIRIN FARHAD) and when you see the film, you would realize that Farah was just apt to play a contemporary Shirin here. Now this is one movie which is a comedy in the right sense of the word." 

With so much happening in his professional life as a producer and his directorial outing just six months away (he confirms that come May and he would bring his own film on floors), Bhansali claims that he has never been more excited. No wonder, he has shaken hands with none other than Akshay Kumar and Prabhu Deva for ROWDY RATHORE, a film which is just not in his zone if one goes by his track record of films like DEVDAS, HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM, BLACK and others.

"For that matter even MY FRIEND PINTO wasn't in my zone," says Bhansali, "See, these are different kind of films that I am attempting, something that I have never done before. Like Prabhu Deva is an entirely different kind of talent. On the other hand Akshay Kumar is a different kind of a star. Inherently though, both Prabhu as well as Akshay have this hardcore commercial bent of mind. They boast of this great track record of the work they have done over the years. Believe me, it's fun to be making films with them!"

Hope all this fun translates on screen as well.

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Post DON 2 success, Farhan earns his break

Farhan Akhtar  is dying to take a break from work. With DON 2 out of his way and taking a very good opening that would ensure that at least a hit status is round the corner, Farhan is managing to breathe easy. As a producer his TALAASH is six months away which means he can now afford to take a break, something that he hasn't done since he faced the camera for ROCK ON.

Informs a friend of the filmmaker/actor, "Farhan hadn't imagined in his wildest of dreams that he would become mighty busy as a filmmaker as well as an actor when he first acted in ROCK ON. It seemed like just a solitary film that he wanted to experiment with and then return to making movies as a producer and director. However that was not the case to be and resultantly, he had to multitask with his various assignments." 

This meant that immediately after ROCK ON, he completed LUCK BY CHANCE as well, his second film as an actor. In fact acting bug bit him to such an extent that he went on to score a hat trick of acting assignments with KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK.

"Meanwhile he was also getting his other productions in place along with partner Ritesh Sidhwani. For months at stretch there was no break in sight for him as he started biggies like GAME and ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA. Moreover his directorial assignment DON 2 also started taking shape while Aamir Khan's biggie TALAASH has taken its own time to reach the finishing line. It has been over three years since ROCK ON and Farhan hasn't had time for himself. He is now desperate to give himself and his family some private time which would be away from the world of films," the friend continues.

"While there are productions like TALAASH and ROCK ON 2 taking shape next year, I am busy listening to newer scripts, both as an actor and a filmmaker. I would be taking time to decide on that as I don't want to commit and then have second thoughts later," says Farhan, "Meanwhile, I am taking time off in January and February. It has been ages since I did that."

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BREAKAWAY breaks record of 3 IDIOTS in Canada

	BREAKAWAY

Akshay Kumar has a lot to smile about this year end. Delighted with the success ofBREAKAWAY in Canada, an ecstatic Akshay said, "We are extremely proud of the success we have achieved with BREAKAWAY. We are glad to report that BREAKAWAY is now the highest grossing Canadian English movie in 2011 in Canada as it has struck a chord with foreign audience looking for stories they can connect with."

The cross-cultural hockey drama set in the Indo-Canadian community of Toronto has been well accepted by the audience. The Canadian Prime Minister, Honorable Stephen Harper, has highly acclaimed the movie, calling it a must watch. When asked to recommend a movie for the holiday season, BREAKAWAY was the first in his mind.

The BREAKAWAY cast is very unique. It includes Rob Lowe, Canadian comedian Russell Peters and has been the launch pad for Debutant Vinay Virmani as a Lead Actor. For Vinay, BREAKAWAY will always be a special one since his work has been acclaimed by the critics and appreciated by global audiences."The Indian release of BREAKAWAY as SPEEDY SINGHS has opened many doors and I appreciate the support the film has received internationally. You'll see a lot more of me in Bollywood in future," promises Vinay Virmani.

The movie also had cameo appearances by Akshay Kumar and the world renowned Hip Hop artistes Drake and Ludacris. This was their first appearance in any role in Bollywood. Ludacris has also lent his voice for the movie track 'Shera Di Kaum'. This was also their first appearance in any Bollywood film.

Anupam Kher as the father of the protagonist has also lent his stature to the multi-cultural project in a powerhouse performance.

BREAKAWAY has also broken records established by 3 IDIOTS and Deepa Mehta's WATER and is now the highest grossing movie of any cross cultural or Bollywood genre in Canada.

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Vidya Balan joins Achievers' Club

Bollywood actor Vidya Balan will be seen sharing her secrets, rise to fame and life story at a special 14-part televised series Achievers' Club.

Beam Inc has flagged off its 11th edition of the Teacher's Achievement Awards with Achievers' Club. Leading to the Teacher's Achievement Awards to be hosted in February next year, the Achiever's Club will showcase the glittery, glamorous and fabulous lives of self-made achievers of India.

	view VIDYA BALAN picture gallery

The Achievers' Club is an exclusive series where India's most celebrated achievers like KP Singh, Vidya Balan, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Naveen Jindal, Manish Arora, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and many more will share their success mantras and millionaire lifestyle with the host Vir Sanghvi. 

Harish Moolchandani, CEO & Managing Director Beam India & ISC said, ''With the debut of the Achievers' Club on Star World, we would like to showcase to the world the celebrated life of achievers, their lifestyle and their passions as shared with Vir Sanghvi in the series.''

Each episode showcases the lifestyle of famous achievers and their homes, their passions and their celebrated life including their vacation homes, luxury cars, planes, yachts et al.

The show aims to see the real lives of the self made achievers who are the inspiration to humanity through each episode.

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Abusive Mahek Chahal fans put in place for attacking Pooja Bedi!

A few hundred Mahek Chahal supporters on Twitter who are known to create a ruckus in support of their ‘idol’, got a shock when celebrity publicist and Bigg Boss specialist Dale Bhagwagar took them on in a verbal fight to the finish, on the social networking site.

‘Mahekians’ as they call themselves, apart from some other contestants, have been repeatedly attacking ex-Bigg Boss Housemate Pooja Bedi, on her Twitter, ever since she exposed some points about Mahek and openly spoke to the media about the starlet’s ‘closeness’ to Salman Khan and a ‘bias’ towards her on India’s biggest reality show.

This week, when Pooja posted a web link on her Twitter, of an article which exposed a speculated ‘conspiracy’ behind getting Mahek evicted from Bigg Boss and planting her back on the show after clarification interviews in a pre-planned exercise, the few hundred Mahekians pounced on Pooja, flooding her account with scathing remarks.

In a gesture of solidarity, Dale Bhagwagar, who is well known for handling the media for some of the most controversial Bollywood celebrities on reality shows including Shilpa Shetty (during Big Brother), Rakhi Sawant, Kashmera Shah, Ashmit Patel, Sherlyn Chopra and Pooja Misrra (Bigg Boss), stood up in Pooja Bedi’s support.

Informing the Twitterati that Pooja Bedi was his ‘phone friend’ and also on his BlackBerry Messenger, Dale fully supported her over the scathing verbal attacks on the social networking site. Resultantly, the Mahekians began abusing him too, least realizing that the PR guru is a pro at handling crisis management.

Giving it back to them tooth and nail, Dale pulled up the indecent Mahekians one after the other, reminding them how “rude and arrogant” they were; even stating that they were “a blot on the lovely Mahek as her so- called fans.”

Searching Google, he defiantly put up many other links of articles on his Twitter, similar to the one Pooja Bedi had posted, challenging the Mahekian Twitterati in a multiple-tweet-duel which lasted for more than 12 hours. Dale posted almost 400 replies in a rejoinder to thousands of tweets by the abusive fans of the starlet.

“I have nothing against Mahek Chahal, but I will not tolerate any rudeness and arrogance towards me or Pooja Bedi, ” tweeted the PR specialist, declaring that he will now also support Pooja Bedi whenever she wants to say anything about any Bigg Boss contestant including Mahek Chahal.

Ultimately, when the Mahekians realized the issue could be blown out of proportion in national media and could go against their ‘idol’, some of them started sending diplomatic tweets to the publicist, who was in no mood to listen to them this time.

“I don’t think even Mahek would like such obnoxiously rude fans. Shame on you all, ” he reiterated on Twitter.

“Thanks Dale for the support! Glad to join hands and expose the malaise in the system and set things right! Hugs and love! I wonder what Mahekians will say if I had to reveal all that I DO KNOW!!

They’d flee and disassociate from her instantly! Mahekians only reflect their ‘idol’ with their abusive offensive behaviour! Why bother with trash? Let them rot in peace, ” replied Pooja Bedi.

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Katrina Kaif in London for New Year

Katrina is set for a short vacay with her mum and sisters

Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif has had a busy year in 2011, but as it ends, she’s taking things easy. The actress is headed to London for a short holiday with her family, and the idea is to just chill.

Katrina has said that she’s really looking forward to the vacation, even though it’s a short one. She plans to catch up with her mum and sisters at their London home.

‘Chikni Chameli’, Kat’s recent item number in Karan Johar’s ‘Agneepath’ remake, is what’s creating a buzz in Bollywood these days, and she admits that the attention feels good.

She has a lot on her plate in 2012 too, with ‘Dhoom 3’, ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and Yash Chopra’s directorial venture. But for now, until she returns to Mumbai in the first week of January in the new year, it’s family time for Katrina Kaif.

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Bipasha Basu wants to get married

Does it have something to do with rumours that John Abraham is getting hitched?

Bipasha Basu

Bollywood is abuzz with rumours that John Abraham might be tying the knot soon - has this affected his ex Bipasha Basu? Well, when Bips was asked about the buzz, she said that no one close to her was getting married anytime soon. She added that even if they were, she'd wish them luck and leave it at that.

Quizzed about her own marriage plans, Bipasha said that she was ready for marriage. The catch is that she wants someone to find a guy for her. So what's the criteria to be Bips' man? The actress has said that she wants someone who is handsome and has a great sense of humour. Plus, it doesn't matter if he's not from Bollywood.

Meanwhile, Bipasha has apparently decided to join the item number bandwagon. Apparently, she has been approached for a song in the Telugu remake of a Bollywood blockbuster and is asking for a whopping Rs 1 crore to be a part of it. Will she get it? Watch this space for updates!

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Abhishek’s on nappy duty for Beti B

Plus, the Bachchans have still not decided on a name for the baby

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai have still not decided on a name for their baby girl, who is over a month old now. The family is still looking for the right name, and Abhishek has promised that he will share it as soon as it is decided.

"I would let you know as soon as I have decided upon a name," Abhishek said at a press conference to promote his upcoming release 'Players' in Bangalore.

Asked if his little girl resembled Aishwarya, Abhishek said, "Thankfully she (daughter) resembles her mother, but I have been told by the veterans that children's face changes over time ... I think it sounds better she looks like her mother."

The new dad still seemed overwhelmed by the feeling of having a daughter saying,"No matter how good your vocabulary is, you can never get the words to describe what you feel when you see the child... It is wonderful."

And the dad is rerpotedly pitching in to help take care of the bay despite his busy schedule. We hear that Abhi is on nappy changing duty for the little one at night!

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Things Cant be Accepted in Bollywood

2011 was a landmark year in Hindi cinema. In the glut of conventional, big-budget action films, romcoms and sci-fi bonanzas, were several standout films that astonished viewers with their sass, attitude and unabashed portrayal of all that was once considered forbidden in Hindi cinema.

In this two part series, we chronicle the seven sins that Bollywood gleefully indulged in this year, from making hit songs about potty to getting A-list heroines to play unregretful murderers.

1. The sh*t can't hit the ceiling
Broken in: 'Delhi Belly'

Even while making Delhi Belly, we knew that it would create a lot of ripples. Either it would break taboos, or become one itself, " laughs director Abhinay Deo, grateful that the film managed to do the former in 2011.

True to its tagline 'Sh*t Happens', this no-interval, bilingual release dished out toilet humour and flatulence jokes by the minute, sending audiences into fits of laughter. Besides the three strugglers -- Imran Khan, Vir Das and Kunaal Roy Kapoor -- sh*t assumed enough importance to become the fourth character in this irreverent comedy.

In the league of Hollywood productions like American Pie, an unembarrassed Delhi Belly defied conventional norms about the liberal use of scatological humour and potty jokes in a hit film.

Deo, who admits he wanted to make a no-holds-barred film says, "Our industry can be quite hypocritical. We do things off-screen but when it comes to movies we soften the edges. If you are indulging in toilet humour, why should you hold back?"



Referencing the scene in which the villain spills out faeces on a silk cloth from a box that is supposed to contain diamonds, he explains, "Normally that scene would have stopped at the expressions before the sh*t came out of the box. But I wanted to show it the way it would happen in real life. That ended up becoming an iconic scene where people said, 'Oh my god, they have actually shown it.'"

Not to mention the wildly popular Bhaag DK Bose, a cleverly packaged double entendre anthem, that had the audience splitting its sides. Deo credits producer Aamir Khan.

"Before Aamir, most of the industry had gone through the script and turned it down. Honestly, the acceptance of Delhi Belly by the audience is a milestone in our industry. It is a sign which says that people were ready for this; we were just not giving it to them."

2. A heroine can't express herself sexually
Broken in: 'The Dirty Picture'



In Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture, one of 2011's most-talked-about films, A-list heroine Vidya Balan, playing Silk, imitates the orgasmic sounds of her loud, in-the-act neighbours with abandon. She later repeats it to bring realism in a sensuous scene, to raucous applause, while simultaneously shattering several taboos hitherto associated with the Hindi film heroine.

Throughout the film, Balan, as Silk, flaunts her ample curves, happily uses her sexuality to further her career, woos and has a torrid affair with a leading star (played by Naseeruddin Shah), and later indulges in a relationships with his blood brother.

Unlike olden times, however, in 2011, Silk's brazen dialogues (sample this: 'Holi khelne ka shaukh to bahut hai par teri pichkari me dum nahin'), and unapologetic expression does not earn her the label of a vamp. Instead, Silk is portrayed as and ends up being an object of sympathy.



In the size-zero age of surfboard abs, the actress unabashedly flaunts a roll of tummy flab. Balan's rationale is clear, "Some people might think my character is shameless, but I don't think so.

She is a girl who wants to make the most out of each moment and each opportunity. She is not cheap. She is just having fun in life. Today, women have become open about their sexuality and they can choose whom to be with. That is feminism, freedom and liberation."

"The Dirty Picture was made by women -- my mother and I, " points out Ekta Kapoor, the producer. "We did not want boldness to become crassness." Indeed, Balan has proven that true boldness isn't just in skin show but in attitude. Bikini-clad heroines who have for long presented themselves as eternally coy will now have to contend with this new standard.

3. Heroes can't play male escorts
Broken in: 'Desi Boyz'



Female prostitution has been a popular theme in Indian cinema from time immemorial, from Bimal Roy's Devdas (1955) and Muzafar Ali's Umrao Jaan (1981) to Pradeep Sarkar's Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007).

But in 2011, Hindi films have moved on. When director Rohit Dhawan dared to portray two major mainstream heroes -- Akshay Kumar and John Abraham -- as male escorts in Desi Boyz, he made heroes strip for cash, and drop the cloak of 'respectability'.

Dhawan may have treated the subject lightly, but the statement he made with his big-budget film's entry into forbidden territory is anything but.

In a refreshing change of course, the film also subjects the male body to objectification --Abraham and Kumar's abs were exposed with as much panache as the cleavage we so frequently see cameras focused on in a Katrina Kaif or a Malaika Arora Khan item song.



The best part? The heroes were game for these roles. Kumar says, "Films are made on prostitution, so why should there be a problem making a film based on male escorts?

We fulfil the fantasies of women in this film. We are playing men women fantasise about -- air force officers, pilots, doctors, etc. This happens everywhere." Abraham agrees, "There is nothing wrong with the profession. Indian cinema has opened up to subjects like these."

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Poonam Pandey, Sunny Leone climb the popularity chart

The year 2011 saw mainly two hotties rise to fame – porn star Sunny Leone and bomb shell internet diva Poonam Pandey.

The two have in different ways risen to popularity this year among the Indian audience.

Poonam Pandey

Model Poonam Pandey rose to fame after she claimed to strip naked if that helped Team India win the Cricket World Cup.

Though India won the cup, Poonam Pandey backed out at the last minute.

However, she later came up with many sizzling pictures and videos, few of them being “My Bathing Secrets” and “My Bedroom Secrets”.

The leggy lass is so famous now that even hotel heiress Paris Hilton is known to be following her on Twitter.

Poonam Pandey had also caught the attention of a well-known US based mobile gaming company and has been approached to build a Strip Poker Game on her for the Android and iOS mobile users.

Sunny Leone

Nobody in India knew about porn star Sunny Leone a few months ago.

However, when she entered the Bigg Boss 5 house and began downplaying her porn image, curiosity rose and she soon became the most searched celebrity on search engines, out doing Bollywood celebrities like Katrina Kaif.

Sunny Leone was distinct and refused to grab the limelight by picking fights or abusing in the Bigg Boss 5house.

Born Karanjit Kaur and named Karen Malhotra, Sunny Leone is an Indo-Canadian, who has acted in many porn movies.

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Stop treating Pregnancy like an illness, says the 'very pregnant' Lara Dutta

Lara Dutta is not planning to take a very long maternity leave.

After her baby at the end of February she will start a film in May for her production company Bheegi Basanti which may or may not star her.

Says the “very pregnant” Lara, “I am definitely producing another film in May 2012.

Yes it will have me in the lead. And again, like Challo Dilli where my co-star was Vinay Pathak the pairing would be very unconventional.

In case I can’t get before the camera I will produce another film without me in the cast in May and then do the film with me in the lead from August. ”

Lara says this is a crucial time for the couple. “Mahesh has the Olympics. I’ve motherhood to look forward to. So we’ve other important commitments.

But I most certainly plan to remain an actress and a producer. It’s something that I learnt from Shah Rukh Khan during Don 2. He told me he was happy to see the actresses turning producers and advised me to continue with my career. ”

At the moment Lara is all charged up for motherhood, “It’s by far the most important role of my life. But there are other roles too. Those cannot be marginalized. I don’t do anything half-heartedly.

I never became an actress to enhance my bank balance. The zeroes in my cheques never mattered. All the work that I’ve done so far as an actress is what I really believed in. ”

Lara’s next release and the only one for a while until she returns after motherhood is Don 2.

“It’s a small role. I did it because I wanted to work with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani and with Shah Rukh Khan. ”

Lara’s part is credited as a “special appearance” in Don 2.

“It’s a very special film for me. Farhan and Ritesh had offered me two films. I couldn’t do the first one and I couldn’t resist being in the second one. Don is a huge franchise.

It’s very exciting to be part of it. And I’m so happy people have appreciated my song in the gold dress. Here I am heavily pregnant while people out there are talking of as being this hot temptress in the number. I like the feeling, ” she laughs throatily.

On a more serious note Lara is all set to produce a pre-natal yoga video. The actress feels there’s an urgent need in our country for women to come to terms with their pregnancy and how to conduct themselves before motherhood.

Says Lara, “Pregnancy is treated almost like an illness in some sections of our society. I’ve been my normal self during pregnancy.

I want other women who get nervous and anxious to experience the same comfort level as me and to not feel awkward about their weight or baby bump.

Have I been conducting myself with dignity and grace? I don’t claim any exclusivity on the condition that I am in. I just feel motherhood should be a happy stress-free period for all women. ”

Ask Lara about whether she wants a boy or a girl and she says. “Mahesh and I have no preferences. We’re just happy we’ll be parents. ”

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This Santa wears high heels and sorts out love discords

Had a fight with your girlfriend? Superstar Santa will save the day. UTV Stars' new holiday special lets you dial a celeb to help sort out discords with your lover or friend

All it takes is a camera crew, a do-gooder celebrity, some obsessive planning and a glitzy television set to get your long-lost buddy back in your life. Just ask Swarna Mudgal and Priyanka Bhatnagari, contestants on the first episode of Superstar Santa, UTV Stars' latest show, that takes off from Live My Life, where fans can live the life of their favourite filmstars for a day.

Superstar Santa was conceptualised by Shifa Maitra, head of Programming, whose team is also behind the popular Emotional Atyachaar. The show seeks out sparring friends and family members and attempts to patch things up between them with help from celebrities.

"We realised that for our target viewer who is aged between 18 and 24, relationships are a major concern. They aren't too hassled by materialistic things. We approached some filmstars and they were quite kicked about the idea, " says Maitra.

The first episode, which was filmed earlier, will have I Hate Luv Storys actor Sonam Kapoor smoothen creases between two duelling roommates, Mudgal and Bhatnagari. In future shows, celebrities like Imran Khan and Chitrangda Singh will play agony aunts.

"We purposely chose young celebrities because they would be able to connect with the audience.We have a thorough screening process for contestants to make sure the cases are genuine and not just people who want to get on TV, " explains Maitra.

Celebrities then choose a case that they would be interested in solving and the channel arranges a face-to-face between the warring friends.

Twenty one year-old Mudgal was told about the show by a former employer at a production house. An aspiring actor, she was required to fill a form and make a video explaining her tale before she was called for an interview by the channel.

"They made a video about me and my story, they asked for photographs of my friends and then told me they would help. Many friends tried to patch us up but it didn't work, " narrates Mudgal.

Mudgal believes Kapoor was able to understand their plight because "she's a girl and she understood my problem".

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Curtain raiser - Part 2: The most anticipated films of 2012

We list some more projects lined up in the coming year...

With the movie calendar of 2012 packed with new bollywood releases, we pick up from where we left yesterday, as reported Curtain Raiser, listing some more of next year's films.

Shanghai: Inspired by Greek writer Vassilis Vassilikos's acclaimed novel Z, Dibaker Bannerjee spins a tale on Maharashtra politicians' aspirations of turning Mumbai into Shanghai.

Hence the name for this political thriller that features Abhay Deol, Emraan Hashmi and Kalki Koechlin.
Release: To be announced

Gali Gali Chor Hai: Undeterred by the debacle of his directorial debut, writer Rumi Jafri is sure of his next, Gali Gali Chor Hai. The slice of life film features Akshaye Khanna as the Common Man who becomes a victim of the corrupt system.

How the cashier at a bank who plays Lord Hanuman in the local RamLeela overcomes his circumstances forms the crux of the movie.
Release: February 3

Ek Deewana Tha: A decade since Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein, director Gautam Memon returns to Bollywood with his second movie. Like his first, Ek Deewana Tha too is a remake of his own Tamil hit, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. Prateik and Amy Jackson play the lead pair in this cross-cultural romance, the music of which has been composed by maestro A R Rahman
Release: February 17

London, Paris, New York: Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao feature in this romcom spanning three countries. Ali is also composing the music and rending his own playback. First-timer Anu Menon directs the film produced by Goldie Behl and Srishti Arya.
Release: March

Kya Super Kool Hain Hum: Tusshar Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh return in this sequel of Kya Kool Hain Hum under the aegis of the writer-turned-director Sachin Yardi. Angela Jonnson and Neha Sharma replace Neha Dhupia and Eeshaa Koppikhar from the first movie and are supported by Bipasha Basu, Sarah Jane Dias and Chunky Panday.
Release: April 6

Jannat 2: Riding on the success of Jannat, producers Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt are back with yet another sequel.

Under the direction of Kunal Deshmukh, Emraan Hashmi is joined in this film about match fixing by Randeep Hooda and Prachi Desai. Release: April 27

Raaz 3: Nearly a decade since the first Raaz went on to become a runaway hit, director Vikram Bhatt rejoins producer uncles Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt for yet another scary thriller.

Emraan Hashmi, who played an artist in Raaz 2 returns for a trilogy that also features Jacqueline Fernandez.
Release: August 31

Khiladi 786: More than 10 years since International Khiladi, Akshay Kumar returns in his most-famous avatar, this time in and as Khiladi 786. Helmed by Ashish R Mohan, the action comedy features Himesh Reshammiya too, who is also co-producing it with Akshay.
Release: November 14 (Diwali)

Yash Chopra's next: Seven years after Veer-Zaara, the master of romance returns with his favourite Shah Rukh Khan. Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma are said to join him in this love triangle, the shooting for which starts early January.
Release: November 14 (Diwali)

Race 2: Directed by Abbas-Mustan, John Abraham steps in to join Saif Ali Khan and Anil Kapoor in this suspense thriller that takes off after Akshaye Khanna and Katrina Kaif's characters end in the first movie. Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ameesha Patel to sizzle in place of Bipasha, Katrina and Sameera Reddy.
Release: November 30

Chashme Buddoor: Putting the debacle of Rascals behind him, David Dhawan embarks on the remake of Sai Paranjpe's acclaimed hit, Chashme Buddoor. Ali Zafar reprises Faroukh Shaikh's role, aided by Divyendhu Sharma and Siddharth. The comedy also features Tapasi, Anupam Kher, Rishi Kapoor and Raveena Tandon.
Release: To be announced

Student Of The Year: For the first time since his debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, director Karan Johar's film doesn't star Shah Rukh Khan.

However, he's onboard as the co-producer as KJo directs star kids Varun Dhawan (son of David Dhawan) and Alia Bhatt (daughter of Mahesh Bhatt) in this campus romance.
Release: To be announced

Ghayal Returns: More than two decades since the Rajkumar Santoshi-helmed movie stormed the box-office, Sunny Deol is back to playing a mature Ajay Verma.

Old friend Rahul Rawail, who directed his first hits like Betaab and Arjun is at the helm to also help boost the Vijeyta Films banner.
Release: November 14 (Diwali)

Thaanedaar Returns: Southern whiz K S Ravikumar makes his Hindi debut with the remake of Saamy. Sanjay Dutt reprises the protagonist cop essayed by Vikram in the Tamil hit. Asin plays his love interest while Prakash Raj is the bad man.
Release: November 14 (Diwali)

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B-Town has gala time at Salman's birthday bash

Salman Khan's 46th birthday turned out to be memorable for most celebrity invitees like his "Dabangg" co-star Sonu Sood and anchor Mini Mathur.

Salman celebrated his birthday with family and friends in Mumbai Tuesday night.

"Had a mad, crazy time at Tiger's birthday yesterday!!" tweeted Mini, while actor Nikhil Dwivedi posted: "Salman Khan's party was one of the warmest and coolest party that I've been to in a long time...and to see Govinda dance on the floor.. Magic!"

Sonu, who played villain in Salman's blockbuster "Dabangg", especially came here for the party.

"Came from Hyderabad to Mumbai for Salman bhai's birthday at 1 a.m. and now at 5 a.m. heading back to Hyderabad straight to the location for my shoot," he posted on his Twitter page.

The party was held at his farmhouse, Arpita Farms, named after Salman's sister. The actor has had a successful year with movies like "Ready" and "Bodyguard".

His success streak is expected to continue with movies like "Dabangg 2" and "Ek Tha Tiger".

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