Veena Malik will not strip for Hollywood

	VEENA MALIK

Veena Malik, who is currently in Dubai finalising her projects for the year 2012, confirms that she will not strip for Hollywood.

Veena, who recently made headlines for allegedly posing nude for a magazine's cover page, is upset about rumours that claim she will strip for Hollywood. Veena at a press meet mentions, 'I will never strip for any industry. These are absolutely silly comments coming from press and media which upset me and my fans. I'm an actress and every actor in this industry does what their role requires. So, I will act according to my roles, but that does not mean that I've forgotten my values.''

Veena is looking forward to the release of her debut item song'Channo' in Nitin Manmohan's -GALI GALI CHOR HAI that will release 2012.


'I am working on three films that are releasing this year apart from the television reality show 'Swayamvar'. However, I have had many offers from international publications which required a bold shoot, but I refused them. I work on certain principles and prefer doing what suits my personality and style.''

Veena will also be visiting Pakistan to see her family. 'Every father has the right to teach their child if they think they are wrong. My father is no different, but as of now my dad has cooled down and we are totally fine. I'll be seeing them all in few weeks. And I am really excited about it.''

Veena Malik will be seen in films like ZINDAGI 50/50, DAAL MEIN KUCH KAALA HAI, MUMBAI 125KM supposedly releasing in the year 2012.

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Till now I was only being compared to XYZ: Zarine Khan

Actress Zarine Khan, who was more in news for being a Katrina Kaif-look alike than for her performance in her debut film "Veer", is happy that finally she is being recognised as 'Zarine'.

"Till now I was only being compared to XYZ and I was really struggling to make a mark for myself... probably I am on the right path to make my individuality, which gives me immense pleasure, " said the 27-year-old, who earned praise for her item song "Character Dheela" in "Ready".

The actress had a dream debut opposite Salman Khan and is being tagged 'lucky baby' of Bollywood.

Though she is trying to find a firm foothold, Zarine says she has no idols.

"To be very honest, I have no idols because I never wanted to become an actress. I have become an actress by destiny. But yes, I do look up to a lot of people here.

Everybody is a superstar, everybody is so big in their own way. So, I look up to everybody and learn from everybody, " said Zarine who is also working in Tamil film "Karikalan".

She is looking forward to a happening 2012 as she has two big films - "Housefull 2" and "Partner 2" - lined up for release.

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Pooja Misrra calls porn star Sunny Leone a fake sati-savitri

A mini war seems to be brewing between ex-Bigg Boss Housemates firebrand Pooja Misrra and porn star Sunny Leone!

While Pooja was termed ‘entertainment’ of Bigg Boss Season 5, Sunny, who entered the reality show as a Wild Card Entry, disappointed many, who were expecting scandals and controversies from her presence.

Pooja, who was called ‘The Man of the Series’ by co-host Sanjay Dutt, terms Sunny “a fake sati-savitri” adding that her appearance on Bigg Boss was “dull, boring and without charisma.”

True, inspite of Sunny’s PR machinery working overtime to make her look larger-than-life during Bigg Boss, more or less, the gal came across as just another Katrina Kaif look-alike, trying to make hay while the sun shines!

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Shahid is Priyanka’s true hero

He rescues his ex girlfriend from a mob!

Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor

Being an on-again, off-again boyfriend to a pretty woman is a difficult job. Ask Shahid Kapoor. When the actors were in a relationship, he would constantly pretend that he was single and rubbish all rumours. He also had to carefully plan his amorous trysts with the former Miss World so that they wouldn’t be caught by the media’s roving eye. But despite their break-up, it seems Shahid has a huge soft spot for his former lady love. Or perhaps he was just playing the gallant knight in shining armour. Whatever be the reason, Shahid proved he truly cares about Priyanka when he protected her from a mob of over 30,000 fans recently!

According to an eyewitness, thousands of fans turned up at the Daulatabad Fort, where Shahid and Piggy Chops were both shooting for Kunal Kohli's upcoming film titled ‘Teri Meri Kahaani.’ As time passed, the crowd, anxious to catch a glimpse of the stars became so uncontrollable that it led to a stampede.

The source added that the setting of green hills, lakes, the historic fort and the presence of the young, charming actors resulted in a frenzy with over-eager fans trying to get close to the gorgeous Ms Chopra.

Priyanka started getting a bit jittery when Shahid, like a protective lover, swooped her up and took her away from the crowd. When director Kunal Kohli (‘Break Ke Baad,’ ‘Hum Tum’) was approached for comment he denied the incident altogether and said he was too busy filming the movie to notice anything that happened outside the sets.

Well we don’t know about Kunal but we do know one man who has his constant attention on Priyanka and is ready to put himself in harm’s way to keep her safe!

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Priyanka mobbed Shahid comes to rescue

Not for the first time, Shahid Kapoor played the gallant protective co-star and friend to Priyanka Chopra. Remember how he had rushed to her rescue in a neighbourly show of solidarity when there was an income-tax raid at her home?

This time the number of people who swooped down on Priyanka was far larger…Approximately 40, 000 curious, eager, aggressive tourists and bystanders showed up to ogle, jostle and heckle in the backwater town of Aurangabad in Bihar.

It was a nightmarish experience for Priyanka and Shahid earlier this week when they descended on the dusty Bihar town to shoot a song at the Fort. The crowds were apparently uncontrollable and had to be warned off and threatened to back off.

Says an eyewitness, “The Aurangabad Fort has at any given time as many as 12, 000 visitors. Kunal Kohli couldn’t get permission to restrict the area. So he had to shoot with PC and Shahid with the fort open to the public. As news spread about the two stars shooting in Aurangabad, crowds swelled inside the fort to unmanageable numbers. ”

After a point during the shooting of the song, things began to get out of hand. Onlookers would repeatedly get into camera range, and when they were told to back off they became aggressive unruly and finally unmanageable.

This is where Shahid had to step in and make sure Priyanka was kept away from harm.

The larger nightmare for the actress was getting to the fort. The cars carrying Shahid, Priyanka and Kunal Kohli’s unit had to halt a good two miles away from the interior of the fort. There was no choice but to walk the rest of the way.



Says a source, “It was the longest walk of PC’s life. There were thousands of people forming a gauntlet as she along with Shahid and Kunal Kohli’s unit, made their way inside the fort on foot.

Of course there was an elaborate security bandobast. But how could 75 security personnel guarantee the behaviour of thousands of people? Anything could’ve happened. And several times during the long walk to the fort Shahid had to physically shield PC from advancing groups of hysterical fans. ”

Kunal Kohli tried to play down the whole experience. “We did have some difficulties. But it was all fine. The walk was tough. We had to go up to the foot of the fort on Tata Sumos and then there was no road, so we had no choice but to walk.

I’ve to say Priyanka is a very gutsy girl. We were all concerned about her security specially. But she was calm. Inside the Fort people just bought tickets and kept trooping in.

Yeah, we did have problems keeping them out of camera range and on a couple of occasions there were aggressive fans who tried to muscle in their way to get Shahid and Priyanka’s attention. I’ve to thank the local administration and my team for managing the shoot. ”

But Kohli’s troubles at Aurangabad are not over. Apparently fans and gawkers who had collected at the fort have taken pictures of Shahid and Priyanka shooting the song together and posted the pictures on micro- blogging sites, thereby giving away the pair’s carefully-guarded look.

Says Kunal Kohli, “The song is set in 1910 and we had worked hard on Priyanka and Shahid’s look. But the look is out on Twitter. How do you control fans from clicking pictures?

You can’t! You just have to bear with it. But I really don’t think the crowds in Aurangabad were doing anything they shouldn’t have. It was perfectly justifiable for them to get excited about two big stars in their small town.

The last star who shot in Aurangabad was Sunil Dutt more than thirty years ago. We tried to keep it a secret. But that was impossible. ”

Quips Kohli, “There was no really drastic rowdyism in Aurangabad. We leave that to Rowdy Rathore which comes into theatres a week before us in June. ”

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Hrithik Roshan turns 38

Bollywood wished the actor on his special day

Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik Roshan turns a year older day. The actor, who made his debut 11 years ago (‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai’ released on Jan 14, 2000), has another exciting year to look forward to with the release of ‘Agneepath’ later this month. While the actor said he will have a ‘working birthday’ today, his colleagues and buddies from the industry took to twitter to wish him a happy birthday! Here's what they tweeted:

Abhishek Bachchan: happy birthday @iHrithik have a great year brobraz!!!

Farhan Akhtar: Did miss @iHrithik our 3rd Mantal Bwoy. Believe his back is troubling him. Hope it will be behind him soon.

Ranveer Singh: Happy birthday to my inspiration, my idol, my hero @iHrithik. Love u sir, always keep entertaining and inspiring. Prayers and luck to u.

Preity Zinta: @iHrithik Happy Birthday to My Dearest Hottest & Sweetest Friend with the nicest heart !!! Love you... Have a Rocking 2012 .... Muaah !

Dharma Productions: Here's wishing @iHrithik a very Happy Birthday! May this year takes you to a whole new level of Success :)

Vivek Oberoi: @iHrithik happy birthday bro! hope u have a great one.

Sophie Choudry: Here's wishing the fairest of them all, truly handsome, lovely & incredibly talented @iHrithik a very happy b'day!Hv a super year Duggu! Hugs.

Dabboo Ratnani: Hrithik's the Hottest in #Dabbooratnani 2012 Calendar, Says The Times of India.

Viacom18 Movies: Here's wishing a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the man with 6 fingers and unlimited talent, HRITHIK ROSHAN!

UTV Stars: #HappyBirthday to the Greek God of #Bollywood, @iHrithik. Have a Rocking one!

UTV Motion Pictures: He dances. He acts. He fights. He tames elephants. Happy b'day @iHrithik!

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LONDON PARIS NEW YORK to release on March 2nd

Fox Star Studios and Rose Movies' coming-of-age romantic comedy LONDON, PARIS, NEW YORK is soon to see its release, scheduled for the 2nd March, 2012.

Promising to bring the wit back into Bollywood's romantic comedies, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK starring Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari, mirrors the 3 states of love set in an international scenario, and also marks the directorial debut of Anu Menon.

	ALI ZAFAR and ADITI RAO HYDARI in LONDON PARIS NEW YORK

Capturing the angst of the young twenties, LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is the story of Nikhil and Lalitha two completely different individuals who are drawn to each other in spite of their differences or perhaps because of it. The film follows their journey of love as they meet in London, Paris and New York for a night in each city.

Says producer Shrishti Arya, ''The film is completely shot internationally. We are happy to be working with Anu Menon who with her background of London Film School brings to the project the right balance of understanding emotional appeal in an international setting.'' 

LONDON PARIS NEW YORK also marks Ali Zafar's debut as music composer. After proving his mettle at playback singing ,the actor, singer, painter and lyricist is kicked about the music of his forthcoming film, that promises to be anything but conventional.

Apart from composing the music for the film, Ali has also penned its lyrics. Says Ali Zafar, ''I wanted to create sounds that are fresh and since the film touches on different emotions I could experiment with genres. There are many 'live' instruments used to give the songs an organic feel. It's not going to be conventional.''

Adds Vijay Singh, CEO Fox Star Studios India, ''We are happy to announce that LONDON PARIS NEW YORK is set to release on the 2nd March, 2012. This coming-of-age comedy is a project that we are very excited about. It's a step towards bringing something different to the romantic-comedy palette that will appeal to the youth. It speaks their language , reflects their aspirations and the angst and joys of falling in love. The music of the film is very special and will appeal to the heartbeat of the youth.''

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Meet the real Emraan Hashmi!

The serial kisser of Bollywood Emraan Hashmi may mask a brash and bold guy image and flashes his cool demeanour on-screen, but off screen the actor is altogether a different personality. The reticent actor doesn't like to mingle too much as he can't stand hypocrites, unprofessional, loud and obnoxious people.

	download EMRAAN HASHMI wallpapers

When we asked the actor about 5 things that irk him, Emraan candidly replied, "I hate hypocrites, unprofessional people, loud and obnoxious people and bad body odour. I also hate when people cut my car while I am driving which is quite unavoidable in Mumbai."


So if you're a hardcore Emraan Hashmi fan and if you're desperately seeking to meet the star and make friendship with him, better avoid the aforesaid things!

 

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Katrina finds herself a new 'Bodyguard'!

	view FARHAN AKHTAR'S BIRTHDAY BASH picture gallery

The 'Bodyguard' of choice for the whole of Bollywood is Salman Khan. His sister Alvira even famously tweeted - 'Even a Superhero needs a Bodyguard' (poking fun at RA.ONE's debacle). But at a recent party thrown by Farhan Akhtar, the lovelyKatrina, whilst making a quick exit, was mobbed by a crowd leaving her helpless and stranded. All of a sudden, someone from the party came out and took her to safety. Interestingly, it was none other than Farhan Akhtar himself as he was caught on channel Zoom's camera.


Looks like Salman has some serious competition in his 'Bodyguard-of-Choice' status in Bollywood.

 

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Bollywood A-listers at Dabboo Ratnani's 2012 calendar launch

 

 

	SHAHRUKH KHAN, PRIYANKA CHOPRA, HRITHIK ROSHAN, BIPASHA BASU and ABHISHEK BACHCHAN

It was a starry night when Bollywood's topnotch actors turned up for Dabboo Ratnani's annual calendar launch party on January 9, 2012. Among the attendees were superstars Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Vidya Balan et al. We take you through the glitz and glam of this very exciting event.

	ABHISHEK BACHCHAN, SHAHRUKH KHAN and DABBOO RATNANI

SRK and Junior Bachchan were snapped together with Dabboo. They really seemed to be having a gala time.

	HRITHIK ROSHAN and SHAHRUKH KHAN with BABY RATNANI

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Ajay Devgn is Abhineta No. 1!

	AJAY DEVGN

Ajay Devgn previously, at a press meet, claimed that award functions are rigged and that they felicitate each and every Bollywood celebrity with one or more awards. He even claimed that nominations are increased if all the invited celebrities turn up at the award function. But, now Ajay has at least one award that he may be proud of. The actor has been rewarded with Abhineta No. 1 by the people of India through Bhaskar Bollywood Awards. Ajay received maximum number of votes from people to win the remarkable title.


Bhaskar Bollywood Awards may receive more recommendations from the industry as it empowers people to choose their favourite superstar on their own. Apparently, people decided the categories, nominations and even chose the winners. They even had the power to reject nominations and add their own favourites to the nomination list in different categories.

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Ranbir & Deepika's 'date' clash!

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone have been in the news for their renewed friendship ever since the duo signed the film YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI. However, it seems that the latest news can disappoint the actors and push the two friends to compete against each other. The release date of their next outings has clashed as both Ranbir's BARFI! and Deepika's COCKTAIL are set to release on July 13, 2012.

	RANBIR KAPOOR and DEEPIKA PADUKONE

BARFI! was on hold for a while since Ranbir was extensively working onROCKSTAR. Similarly, COCKTAIL too has taken some time to reach the finishing line as the lead actor of the film Saif Ali Khan was overtly occupied with AGENT VINOD.


According to a source, "Anurag Basu can't afford to delay BARFI! any further. The director wants to release the film and move on to his next venture immediately. Ranbir understands that as well which means he won't push for further delays either. On the other hand, Deepika shares a great rapport with Saif after working with him in LOVE AAJ KALand AARAKSHAN. She too realises that the film is really important for him."

"There is another hitch though," informs a trade follower, "It is not just about Ranbir and Deepika taking on each other but the producers of both the films will also have to be wary of superstar Ajay Devgn. Ajay was the first to block this date (13th July) for BOL BACHCHAN. With Rohit Shetty as a director, Ajay's film looks massive any ways, especially after SINGHAM."

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Shah Rukh Khan and Angelina Jolie to warm up Berlin winter

He is the Don out to conquer Europe after having already conquered the hearts of German women. He is also the badshah of Bollywood whose films have been top dollar earners overseas.

	SHAH RUKH KHAN and ANGELINA JOLIE

She is one of the most desirable and beautiful women and the highest paid actress on the Earth, apart from being an Oscar and Golden Globe winner, and the companion of Brad Pitt, the hunky and iconic Hollywood star. She has now turned a film director. Angelina Jolie will present her directorial debut IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY in the Berlinale Special programme of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival that begins on 9th February 2012. It will be the German premiere of the film that had a limited release in the US last December.

Shah Rukh Khan will also be in Berlin with his film DON 2-THE RETURN OF THE KING. The film is directed by Farhan Akhtar an apart from SRK, stars Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, and Boman Irani. The film was shot in Berlin and the Berliners, especially the young German ladies, are looking forward to the film's German premiere in Berlinale, marking its official release in Germany.

Both the films are in the Berlinale Special section of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) and the presence of these sizzling hot stars is expected to warm up the proceedings at the festival quite considerably.

(Rajesh Kumar Singh is Editorial Consultant for Festivals and Markets for BollywoodTrade.com. He is a filmmaker, critic and market analyst)

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Aishwarya Rai invites Oprah Winfrey

The Bachchans will host the talk show queen during her visit to India

Aishwarya Rai

Rumour has it that the self-made billionaire Oprah Winfrey will visit India soon and her hosts will be none other than B’wood’s power family, the Bachchans.
This will be Oprah’s maiden visit to India and she has received an invite from Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan who had featured on the ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ a few years ago.

Apparently, the 57-year-old TV personality and philanthropist has a packed schedule including a rendezvous with spiritual guru Deepak Chopra for her upcoming show. She will also deliver a speech at the Jaipur Literary Festival which will be held on 21 and 22 January, 2012. Oprah herself confirmed the news with the tweet, “Never been to India, it's been on my vision board forever.”

According to a source, Ash is looking forward to the visit because she has been good friends with Oprah ever since her she appeared twice on the talk show and has even maintained constant touch with the media mogul during her international tours. The source added that Ash wants to keep the event low-key and also host a private dinner party for Oprah either on January 23 or 24.

It seems like ‘Ice Queen’ of B’wood shares a good rapport with Oprah. After all, it was on her show in 2009 that the actress first publicly talked about her relationship with Abhishek. We are certain that Oprah will enjoy the famous Bachchan hospitality!

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Bollywood wishes Farhan Akhtar as he turns 38

The multi-talented Farhan Akhtar, who turned 38, was flooded with birthday wishes as celebrities from the tinsel town wished him on his micro-blogging site.

Greeting his fans and friends, Akhtar tweeted, "Thank you all for your wishes. making the day very special indeed."

	view FARHAN AKHTAR'S BIRTHDAY BASH picture gallery

In 2011, Akhtar entertained his fans as the lovable Imran in ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA and then as a director gained appreciations for his last released movie of the year, DON 2.

Meanwhile, his Twitter page was flooding with wishes as B-town celebrities greeted him on his birthday.


"Happy birthday to my close childhood buddy and of the finest film minds I know!!! Have the best year ever," director Karan Johar posted on Farhan's social networking page.

Abhishek Bachchan tweeted, "And here's wishing my buddy Farhan a super birthday."

Bollywood actor and his step-mother Shabana Azmi also wished him on Twitter, "Happy birthday Farhan."

"Happy happiest birthday Adi....lovely evening last night, the chicken curry OMG need the recipe. Rock On forever," actor Arjun Rampal greeted Akhtar.

Gorgeous actor Sonam Kapoor tweeted, "My first shoot with the birthday boy Farhan today. Really looking forward to it!"

Akhtar has entertained his fans in several movies like ROCK ON, LUCK BY CHANCE, KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK and ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA.

As a director Farhan had touched his fans' hearts with movies like DIL CHAHTA HAI, LAKSHYA, DON: THE CHASE BEGINS AGAIN and DON 2: THE KING IS BACK.

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Sonam Abhay starrer on the lines of AJAB PREM KI...

The suspense is out. Ever since it was announced that Rajkumar Santoshi would be making a film with Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol, one wondered about its genre. It was presumed that this film may turn out to be a dramatic affair since it is one genre that Santoshi excels in. However, now it has been revealed that the film would be an out and out comedy.

	SONAM KAPOOR and ABHAY DEOL

'This film would be on the same lines of AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI,' informs a source. 'However it isn't the sequel of the Ranbir Kapoor - Katrina Kaifstarrer that Santoshi was planning earlier; this one is an altogether different film. It is going to be a riotous fun affair,' the source added.

Sonam had acted in only one out and out comedy film so far, THANK YOU. And ironically in that film she had the most serious part even though Rimi Sen and Celina Jaitley had some uproarious scenes. 

'In this film Sonam would be able to bring out her comic side. She has done too many serious films of late (MAUSAM and DELHI 6 to name a few). After an action outing like PLAYERS, she now wants to explore the comic genre with this new film. Also with Abhay in the midst of affairs, it is going to be one 'different' outing for sure. After all, Abhay's straight faced comic act has won him quite a few accolades in ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA as well,' the source adds.

Now the million dollar question that arises is whether the film will go on floors soon. After all, in the past there have been a couple of films announced by Rajkumar Santoshi that failed to take off, most notably POWER (which incidentally was supposed to feature Anil Kapoor).

'This one is happening for sure. In fact as we talk, logistics are being finalised for the film. It would go on floors in the next couple of months,' the source reassures.

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Catch the Big Boss 5 grand finale drama

	SANJAY DUTT and SALMAN KHAN

Amidst all the drama, glamour and entertainment, the grand finale of Big Boss Season 5 concluded. Besides host Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt's great camaraderie, others who amused us with their sassy acts include:

	RAKHI SAWANT

Rakhi Sawant: The drama queen Rakhi Sawant grooved on the popular numbersNakka Mukka from THE DIRTY PICTURE and Chikni Chameli from AGNEEPATH.

	SANJAY DUTT, RAKHI SAWANT and SALMAN KHAN

Later on the attention-grabber, Rakhi made Salman and Sanjay dance along with her. She also went on to pester the duo to offer her a role in their films.

	SANJAY DUTT, SALMAN KHAN, IMRAN KHAN and KARAN JOHAR

Karan Johar and Imran Khan: Filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Imran Khan, who went to promote their upcoming film EK MAIN AUR EKK TU, had a gala time at Big Boss show.

	SANJAY DUTT, SALMAN KHAN, IMRAN KHAN and KARAN JOHAR

The foursome - Salman, Sanjay, Imran and Karan bonded big time and entertained the viewers with their playful acts.

	DANISH KHAN PROPOSING MAHEK CHAHAL

Mahek Chahal: The final contender Mahek Chahal's long-time boyfriend Danish Khan took this opportunity to propose to her on stage in front of millions of TV viewers. He even went down on his knees. The blushing Mahek was amazed and eagerly accepted his proposal, much to Danish's delight.

	SANJAY DUTT, POOJA MISSRA and SALMAN KHAN

Pooja Missra:The loud-mouthed Pooja Missra also performed on the finale show and made sarcastic remarks on all the other contestants present. She also flaunted a written text on her back which read 'Spare Me'

	SUNNY LEONE WITH HER HUSBAND

The another highlight of the show was Sunny Leone was spotted with her husband . Sunny's marriage thing got revealed on the finale day.

	SANJAY DUTT, SALMAN KHAN and SUNNY LEONE

Sunny Leone, who's known for her bold image, looked pretty in the salwar suit as she performed on the grand finale.

 

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Oprah Winfrey may visit Bachchans at home

Abhi-Ash might host Oprah Winfrey on her trip to the city, two and half years after appearing together on her chat show 

On her first-ever trip to India, it will not be just work that will keep Oprah, one of the world's most famous chat show hosts, busy.

Apparently, the TV personality who is also known for her philanthropic works, will meet some close friends too. Buzz is that the international icon will visit Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan and meet their newborn baby girl as well.

Oprah is said to be visiting India to meet spiritual guru Deepak Chopra for her upcoming new show and is also expected to speak at the Jaipur Literary Festival on January 21 and 22.

Oprah is said to be trying to fit in a quick visit to Mumbai amidst all this. She tweeted last week, "Never been to India, it's been on my vision board forever."

Adds a source, "Aishwarya has been a guest on Oprah's show twice and her second time was with Abhishek post their wedding.

She has been in touch with Oprah even during her international tours, and the Bachchans are keen to have her home." They plan to keep it as low key as possible by hosting a very private dinner between Janusry 23 and 24.

Adds the source, "When the couple was on their show in 2009, it was for the first time Abhi-Ash spoke on a public platform about their relationship.

So they do share a very warm rapport with Oprah and they want her to be as comfortable as possible." Chances are that Abhishek might fly down to Jaipur or Delhi to escort Oprah to Mumbai.

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Serious to Item Diva: Chitrangada Singh's new avatars

First she opted for a glamorous role in "Desi Boyz" and then she gave a nod to an item number.

Actress Chitrangada Singh, otherwise known for serious roles, surprised all and sundry last year and says the response has been encouraging.

"I really hope 2012 turns out to be a year full of surprises for me, and surprises spring after one another.

I am really happy with the kind of response I received for my work in 'Desi Boyz'. It was really encouraging and I am looking forward to more good work this year, " Chitrangada told.

The dusky beauty, who will be seen on an upcoming episode of UTV Stars' "Superstar Santa", made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi", and was subsequently seen in films like "Sorry Bhai!", "Basra" and "Yeh Saali Zindagi".

"Desi Boyz", which also featured Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, was a radically different project for her. Nevertheless, she loved it, and the audience loved her in it too.

No wonder she feels her fans will appreciate her item song in Shirish Kunder's 3D project "Joker".

"The item song was hard, we rehearsed for it a lot and it has turned out to be fabulous. It is not into-the-face, the music is very catchy and the choreography by Farah (Khan) is very sensuous. It was great fun doing it, " said the 35-year-old.

In 2012, she is looking forward to "I, Me Aur Main" with John, and Sudhir Mishra's film with Arjun Rampal.

"'I, Me Aur Main' is going to be a great film. John is fantastic in it. It is an emotional, yet comedy film about a man, his relationships, his busy life in a metro city...it's basically about men. The film was a lot of fun and has a lot of drama, " she said of the movie, expected to release within the first quarter of the year.

"Sudhir's film is about sexual harassment, it is about a woman's ambition in the workplace and how that is curbed...so it's an interesting script, and I am extremely excited about it, " she added.

In the meantime, she has had to turn down an offer to work with Kamal Haasan, who had reportedly contacted her for a role in his Hindi-Tamil bi-lingual "Vishwaroopam". But she had to refuse as the dates clashed with those she kept aside for Mishra's film.

"I had to refuse the offer. I would love to work with him (Kamal), he is a legend to work with, " said the actress.

On the small screen, Chitrangada says she loved playing Santa for a bit, on the show "Superstar Santa", where celebrities play peacemakers between two common people.

"Santa is too big a role to play. But it's always nice when as celebrities, we can do something for common people, " she said.

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Koena Mitra gets a surprise birthday bash

When Koena Mitra tried calling her near and dear ones on Friday night, she was wondering why they were not answering her calls.

She was perturbed as she couldn't make any party-sharty plans for her birthday on Saturday. However, a surprise unfolded for her, when her dosts started arriving at her Oshiwara pad.

And by midnight, they were all there to bring in her 28th janamdin. Bas, aur kya? She couldn't stop grinning till the bash wrapped up.

Later, she also had a puja, a tradition initiated by her mother in Kolkata that she's been following even after moving to Mumbai.

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