Ayesha Takia to sue Kingfisher Airlines

A day after Ayesha Takia tweeted about her sister Natasha being allegedly mistreated by an airline’s personnel, the actress is still fuming and is determined to take legal action against the airline.

Making it worse was a taunting tweet by the airline owner’s son which implied he was unaware of who Ayesha Takia and what the hullaballoo she was creating was all about.

Laughing off the jibe Ayesha scoffs, “We’re getting our lawyers to send a letter to the airline to take action against their staff.The letter will reach the airline authorities shortly.I was tweeting about how the airline staff treated Natasha.I didn’t make any personal comments on anyone.So if someone has a personal grudge against me that’s his problem.”

Recounting the alleged horror that her sister went through Ayesha says, “A senior staff member of an airline at Delhi airport misbehaved with my sister. He sent her back and forth from counter to counter for four hours even when she said she was unwell. They threatened to throw her out of the airport if she kept questioning and pressurizing them for her ticket. Then they tore her boarding pass and told her to buy a new one if she wanted to fly back to Mumbai on their airline.”

Continuing with the tale of trauma Ayesha says, “Natasha had to buy a new ticket from Air India .Since she was traveling alone beyond a point, she didn’t want to deal with the rudeness of the allegedly misbehaved airline ground-staff.”

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No engagement plans: Kareena

Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor Tuesday rubbished reports that she and her beau Saif Ali Khan are planning to get formally engaged on Feb 10.

Setting the record straight, the actress said: "It's completely false, there are no such plans."

The actress was in the capital to promote her forthcoming film "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu", which is releasing Friday, along with her co-star Imran Khan and director Shakun Batra.

Ever since Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza have tied the knot, Kareena has been stormed with questions about her marriage plans.

When asked, she Dodged the question saying, "There are no plans as of now. We are only looking forward to the release of 'Agent Vinod'. It will release in March."

But Imran, known for his witty replies, joked, "(Kareena and Saif will get married) one week after the release of 'Agent Vinod' and that's April 1st, the April Fool's Day."

He looked at Kareena and added: "You could have taken my answer, it would definitely have made headlines."

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Ayesha and Siddharth’s twitter war

The actress might sue Kingfisher Airlines after their staff allegedly harassed her sister

Ayesha Takia

B’wood has perhaps forgotten the slapgate episode between Sirish Kunder and SRK especially since there is another interesting feud brewing between an odd pair. Two days ago Ayesha Takia unleashed her temper following billionaire Siddharth Mallya’s nasty comments on Twitter.

The spat started when Ayesha tweeted about Kingfisher Airline’s harassment of her sister, Natasha. When KFA’s heir apparent got wind of the news he retorted with equal fury.
Ayesha’s tweet that led to Sid’s ire read-"The worst airline, kingfisher...This disgustingly behaved Kingfisher staff called Vinay Podwal just tore my sister's boarding pass n misbehaved with her."

Sidhartha replied with sarcasm-"Been getting retweets about Ayesha Takia and KFA. Not too sure who she is, an actor of some sorts?"

The next tweet from Ayesha confirmed she wasn’t a pacifist- "I will rant Sidharth Mallya, what will you do? This is your way of dealing with hospitality business? Wow! Learn manners and respect."

Sid Mallya who possibly got a lot of flak from the public for his unsavory remark decided then to keep his lips sealed. In fact, several bloggers and writers felt that Sid’s attitude was arrogant and certainly not custormer-friendly.

But his silence did nothing to assuage Ayesha; she spoke to a tabloid and revealed that she was definitely going to take Kingfisher Airlines to court for the harassment her sister faced.

Natasha, meanwhile, recounting the events said that when she missed a connecting flight to Mumbai from Delhi and tried to explain her case to KFA they ended up wasting three hours of her time by sending her from counter to counter. When she finally got another ticket and boarded the flight the boarding pass was torn by a staff named Vinay Podwal.

Wake up Sid! He might be hot and desirable but such an attitude is a definite no-no.

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Kareena to do intimate scenes for ‘Heroine’

Will boyfriend Saif object?

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor may have smooched and done some steamy scenes in her previous movies but after ‘Kurbaan’ the actress and her beau Saif Ali Khan had said they would refrain from such scenes on the big screen. So when Madhur Bhandarkar had asked her to perform some hot scenes in the much-awaited ‘Heroine’ with co-star Arjun Rampal she had put her foot down. But it seems finally Madhur has managed to have his way.

Insiders say that Kareena has agreed to get intimate with Arjun for a scene in the film where she first starts smoking and drinking and then ends up getting up, close and very personal with him. Apparently, the actress has discussed every detail of the scene with Bhandarkar and has been assured that it will be shot ‘aesthetically’ (but naturally!).

To ensure that things are smooth, Bhandarkar has reportedly even ensured that there would be very few people in the room and only a few assistants. Interestingly, news reports suggest that they have also been asked to sign a ‘confidentiality contract’.

Madhur himself preferred to remain tight-lipped about the entire issue and simply said that Kareena is a very professional actress. We guess that means she doesn’t say no to the director’s orders!

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A sequel to ‘Aashiqui’ planned

Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri team up again to remake the musical

A still from 'Aashiqui'

Those who grew up in the 90s will remember ‘Aashiqui’ as one of the biggest hits of that era with fantastic music that is still popular. Twenty-one years later, the film that made stars out of Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal is back and is all set for a sequel.

Mahesh Bhatt, the director of the film, announced it saying, “21 years later, Bhushan Kumar and Mohit Suri have come together to dream the same dream that we did years ago. ‘Aashiqui 2’ will dare to rise up to the expectations ignited by this ageless musical and continue the legacy. It will be written by Shagufta Rafique and it is not a REMAKE!"

Mahesh added that ‘Aashiqui’ was a special movie for him since it was almost autobiographical and dealt with the story of his own first love. Apparently in 1991 Mahesh and Gulshan Kumar (the late T-series honcho and Bhushan Kumar’s father) had a pact wherein Gulshan asked the director to make a musical love story that will remain in the hears of every Indian for decades to come.

After 21 years, the magic of ‘Aashiqui’ is all set to win hearts all over again. Will this one be as big as the first one? Only time will tell!

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Is Vivek Oberoi`s career jinxed?

For the third time in the recent past, the actor has been unceremoniously ousted from a project.

Looks like Vivek Oberoi has lost yet another project. After losing out on Shiva's Bloody Paki, Sanjay Gupta's Shootout At Wadala, this time it is Bejoy Nambiar's second project David. Apparently the actor had problems with the role from the beginning.

The film is a three-story feature on three different characters all named David. Says our source, "Vivek had problems with his role from Day One. He kept wondering who were the actors playing the other roles. Then he even suggested that he play all three Davids. The suggestion was politely turned down by the director."

Finally, in a meeting held by the film's producers resulted in the decision to axe Vivek. Buzz is that efforts are on to replace Vivek with Neil Nitin Mukesh. While Vivek remained unavailable for comment, his business managers maintain he is still a part of the project.

Director Nambiar however said, "I can't say anything at the moment. My schedules for the film have gone for a toss. So I think there's some problem with Vivek's dates."

The others
The young debutant from Speedy Singh, Vinay Virmani, might be cast as one of the three Davids in the film.

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Bollywood's Flip-Flop Love Stories

 

Now that's what we call Pyaar ka Punchnama. The recent Deepika-Sidhartha-Sonam confusion has us wondering what's actually happening. So here are a few jumbles of this much talked-about love story of tinsel town. 2. Deepika - Ranbir Reunion Speculations. A few reports correlated the the split to the return of ex-beau Ranbir in Deepika's life. Even Ranbir's feet-touching gesture in an award ceremony fetched a lot of paparazzi attention and was interpreted as signal of reunion of the two. 3. Deepika - Nihar Patch Up While all this was still being figured out, rumour has it that Deepika has again found ex-beau Nihar Pandya's shoulder to cry on. Apparently, the model and struggling actor has also signed a movie movie inspired from his own split with Deepika. 4. Sidharth - Sonam Rumours Well if the latest rumors are to be believed, then the major cause behind Deepika-Mallya split is Mallya's evolving interest towards Sonam. Reports even suggest that Sid was often seen wooing Sonam with everything at his disposal. 5. Style Diva's Refusal Style diva Sonam's version of story says that this is one of the funniest things she has ever heard about herself. She is neither mad at (Punti Malhotra) nor dating anyone (Sidharth Mallya).

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No more action films, vows Kareena Kapoor

No more action-packed movies, says Kareena Kapoor, who has done daredevil stunts in the spy thriller "Agent Vinod", which is her boyfriend Saif Ali Khan's home production.

"I don't enjoy action films. I don't like action scenes and stunts. I like conversational and romantic films like 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu'. I am scared of action and gun shots. Saif used to get angry and say 'you can't do that'" said Kareena.

"No more action films for me, no more harness and no stunts at all! After 'Agent Vinod', I enjoy song and dance sequences much more," she added.

"Agent Vinod" is slated for a March 23 release.

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Bipasha`s Hollywood movie stalled

The actress' dream to go international comes crashing down as her film opposite Josh Hartnett is stalled for going over-budget.

It was the film she was banking on to launch her international career. But looks like Bipasha Basu's Hollywood dreams have hit a roadblock as her much talked about film Singularity is stalled indefinitely.

The film, which was elaborately shot in Rajasthan last year has apparently gone Rs 80 crore over-budget putting the producers in a fix.

Says a source, "There were financial issues in the film from the very beginning. Even when they were shooting in Australia there were money problems.

They finished the first two schedules of the film and then realised that a lot more money would be required to complete the rest of the shoot. Director Roland Joffe was hoping to resume shoot soon, but now it seems impossible."

The budget of the film at the moment is over R 150 crore, which is much higher than the estimated budget. Adds the source, "Singularity is a period drama and hence a very extravagant film.

To crunch the budget and hence cut down sequences would be out of question as it will not do justice to the script." Apart from Josh Hartnett and Neve Campbell, the rest of the cast includes Abhay Deol, Atul Kulkarni and Milind Gunaji.

And naturally they would all be looking forward to the film being finally made. The source adds, "At this point the producers are not just short of finance but are also under debt that cannot be repaid without the film being complete."

Buzz was that Bips had grand plans of bringing Josh Hartnett down to India for an extensive promotional campaign for the film. Also, Singularity was initially titled The Invaders and was supposed to star Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi.

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All fired up

Entrepreneur Atinirmal Pagarani on his foray into fashion from real estate

 

Atinirmal Pagarani is your typical man about town. He parties and socialises with the cream of Dubai with as much aplomb as he manages his multi-million dirham ventures in Dubai and beyond. The managing director of the Yogi Group might know all about the rather dry world of real estate and construction but that hasn’t stopped him from exploring his passions and venturing into new exciting though untested territories, like fashion and retailing! And the reason he is comfortable with both extremes is because of his willingness to push the envelope and become a student all over again before pursuing a new business.

Ati also has mastered the art of maintaining a delicate balance in life – at work and at home! As he believes, “It’s tough but what’s got to be done, has to be done!” The young entrepreneur shares his success formulas in a chat with Masala!

What were your childhood and formative years like?
My parents are originally from Mumbai but I was born and raised in Dubai. I completed my schooling from The Indian High School and lived for four years in the UK for my graduate and post-graduate studies. My childhood was like that of any other kid whose family had migrated from India. Dad came to this city almost five decades ago. He started his life as a janitor in Yamaha Motors but gradually he worked his way up and became very successful.

I was the youngest of five kids and very pampered! My parents believed in showing their love for me through food. The result was that at one point I weighed nearly 140 kgs! Even today, my friends and family members are curious to know how I lost all that weight (laughs)!

My formative years were a lot of fun – travelling all over the world, indulging in crazy adventures and killing myself in the gym to get into shape!

Can you tell us a little about your work?
Well, I am the MD of Yogi Group (dad being the Chairman and my elder brother, the Deputy Chairman). Our group basically does anything and everything to a property except perhaps demolish it (laughs)!

Jokes apart, we are involved in all aspects of real estate – from buying, selling or leasing properties and constructing and maintaining them to facilities management, buying and selling of building materials, interior works and more. The group has now branched into the fashion and food industry. My work is very diverse and also demands a lot of travelling as we are currently active in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Mumbai, Riyadh and Jubail.

Yogi Group has had a remarkable success story. How did it start and grow to such an extent?
The group was started by my dad, Ghanshyam J Pagarani almost five decades ago. Our first venture was real estate. Dad was a very social person and he had close ties with several local families in the city. These families would often seek his help in leasing properties to Indians who had migrated to Dubai. Initially, he did it to merely help his friends but later thought of turning it a business. He always believed it was better to be your own boss than work for someone else! Thus Yogi Real Estate and Hassan Abdulla Darwesh Real Estate came into being.

In a few years he decided to broaden his horizons and start constructing buildings instead of just leasing or selling existing ones. It was simply a case of backward integration and soon we branched into companies dealing with trading and construction of building materials, leasing of equipment and so on. That’s how the ball began to roll!

What challenges did you face when you were setting up all these companies?
Since each company dealt with different activities, it was quite challenging to strike a balance. But it was also interesting as each division of the Yogi Group demanded a different approach thereby making life fresh and adventurous. We Pagaranis don’t know what monotony and boredom with one style of work is (laughs)! It does get tricky at times but we need to maintain a balance. If we have been successful in doing so, it’s largely due to our very efficient staff.

You recently tied up with Anjalee & Arjun Kapoor. What is it like working in the fashion industry after making a mark in the real estate and construction sector?
Fashion has always interested me but more from a buyer or shopper’s point of view. Styling family and close friends came naturally. I guess I have an eye for good fashion! I think I was almost destined to get into this industry.

Anjalee & Arjun Kapoor have been good friends and they always wanted to have a presence in the Middle Eastern market. They kept visiting Dubai to check out potential retail spaces with me. Gradually we decided to get into this together. I had to train myself and learn a lot about the retail business for I didn’t want to promise and not deliver. So I worked really hard to pick up the nuances of the business and fortunately things fell into place. I would not call it a shift as everything is running smoothly. I would say it was simply meant to be.

Working in the fashion industry has been fun but it’s also challenging and extremely competitive. The figures are way different when you compare it to construction or real estate but then again fashion is a passion and you cannot think about figures and numbers all the time!

I found it easier to get into this sector as I am a social person and the industry suited me. Being out there, being available, observant, critical, selective and open to changes with time has made it more exciting to be in this field.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
I would just advise them to do lots and lots of homework before stepping into anything new. Blindly getting into any venture because everyone else is doing it, is simply not worth it.

Prayers and hard work equals success. Whenever you are starting something new, put in all that you have and some day it will show positive results. Another important quality is patience, especially while working in competitive markets like the Middle East.

I must re-emphasise the importance of having good staff. Be extremely selective about who you recruit, it makes all the difference between the success and failure of your venture. Finally, start a business because you want to, not because you have to.

How do you handle the stress that comes with a role at your level?
Stress is a part and parcel of life, whatever sector you are in. I try to deal with problems by maintaining a disciplined diet, getting regular exercises and ensuring I have a peaceful, drama-free personal life! I make sure to be there for my family whenever they need me. I also have a good social circle and believe in taking holidays from time to time!

I feel it’s very important to take care of your health if you want to be truly stress-free. Everything else follows if you are physically and mentally fit. What is the point of earning all that money if you end up using it on medicines or hospital bills?

Where do you see yourself five years from now?
God willing, I hope to see myself equally happy five years from now as I am today. The future is a mystery and I would rather wait for it than worry about it and ruin my present! I am quite spiritual and feel God has something in mind for me and it’s for the best. Whatever has to happen five years from now will be better or as good!

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Sexiness lies in confidence: Sameera Reddy

Sameera Reddy believes that sexiness lies in the confidence and the attitude of a person. The sassy actor has never shied away from the cameras, no matter what.

Proud of her nickname -- Sexy Sam -- she says, "I am muhfaat (out spoken). I say whatever I feel, bindaas.

Some people just don't seem to get this aspect of being sexy right. No matter how much you show off, if you don't know how to confidently converse with the people around you, then it's a complete disaster.

"She adds, "Many say I have a really husky and deep voice and that they find it very sexy." Well Sam, we like it too!

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Pinky Punjabi to sizzle India

Move over Sheila, Munni, and Jalebi Bai!! Move over Chikni Chameli!!!

Presenting Pinky Punjabi, the new IT girl in Bollywood!! She will soon grab the attention of the entire nation!

The very hot and sexy Mandy Takhar, who plays lead in the upcoming movie Bumboo, will play the part of Pinky Punjabi, the sizzling hot item girl in the movie, to turn the heat on!!

With extremely captivating music and lyrics, the makers are sure that Pinky Punjabi will soon become as big as Chikni Chameli and definitely overshadow the hit item songs of the past year.

Now with all the hype about Pinky, we are waiting with anticipation for the item song to be released. The makers of Bumboo have released the 1st poster of the movie on 21st January, 2012.

Bumboo is the remake of French cult comedy movie based on the original story “L'emmerdeur” by Francis Veber. The movie ‘Bumboo’ has been directed by Jagdish Rajpurohit and produced by RCL Motion Pictures.

Bumboo will be released in the summer of 2012.

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