Salman prefers Imran over Hrithik

The ‘Dabangg’ Khan didn’t want the ‘Agneepath’ star on Bigg Boss finale episode

Salman Khan

Salman Khan surely knows how to get his way. So even if he is not hosting ‘Bigg Boss’ full time, he has a say in every matter – especially when it come to guests on the show.

A tabloid reports that the ‘Bodyguard’ actor put his foot down when the channel decided to get Hrithik Roshan for the grand finale episode. Duggu was supposed to be on the show along with Sanjay Dutt (who also stars in the film) to promote ‘Agneepath’ which releases later this month.
But when Salman, who is the main host of the show, got to know of Hrithik’s presence, he raised major objections. He said he would rather have friend Imran Khan on the episode and promote his next film ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’.

Apparently, the objection stems from the ill-will that Salman bears against Hrithik. During ‘Guzaarish’, Sallu had made some rather uncharitable remarks about the film to which Hrithik had responded. Moreover, Agneepath stars another not-so-favourite person of Khan – Priyanka Chopra.

The channel had no choice but to give in and now the finale episode will apparently feature Sanjay Dutt along with producer Karan Johar and Imran Khan. KJo, of course, is in a win-win situation as both ‘Agneepath’ and ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’ are his productions.

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Pooja Bedi asked to stay away from Bigg Boss finale

Actress Pooja Bedi says she has been asked to refrain from attending the grand finale of Colors' reality show "Bigg Boss 5", in which she was a participant.

"Have been informed by channel that I'm not to attend finale, despite it being mandatory in my contract! Wonder why! Any guesses?" Pooja posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

"Have asked channel to state reason I cannot be there at finale to cheer my friends on! Also, till yesterday I was to do a medley! What changed?" she added.

The actress, daughter of veteran actor Kabir Bedi and Odissi exponent Protima Gauri Bedi, caught limelight for endorsing Kama Sutra in the 1990s, and she went on to be popular for her Marilyn Monroe skirt act in "Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander".

Pooja entered the "Bigg Boss 5" house Oct 2, 2011, and she was evicted towards the end of November.

Recently, the 41-year-old was in spotlight for her comments against "Bigg Boss 5" host Salman Khan, as she felt he hurt her fellow inmate and friend, Akashdeep Saigal aka Sky.

It is believed that perhaps her comments didn't go down too well with Salman.

However, in a host of replies to tweets from her fans, Pooja posted: "Never said anything derogatory about channel or production house! And its my perogative to react to contestants or host of my show. If anchors can be unfair or awful to contestants, contestants have a right to speak up in their or their friends defence!"

"I have requested an official explanation from channel, but they haven't given me one yet! Let them decide how to say it. Channel and production never had issues with any of statements I've made! If they had, they'd have intimated me immediately."

According to a tabloid, even Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan's plans of promoting Karan Johar's forthcoming film "Agneepath", on the show have been scrapped.

It is believed Hrithik and Salman share a cold war ever since the former reacted to Salman's comments against "Guzaarish" director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. So now, Imran Khan will perhaps attend the finale to promote "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu", also produced by Johar.

Post the news, Pooja wrote: "Mumbai Mirror article today! Hrithik not allowed in #BB5 finale! Guess I'm not the only victim! Wow!"

The finale of the reality show is to be held Saturday. Among the final contestants are Juhi Parmar, Amar Upadhyay, Mahek Chahal, Siddharth Bharadwaj and Sky.

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Sunny Leone exclusively speaks about life as a Porn Star

Sunny Leone speaks to Subhash K Jha on life as a Porn Star

What is it like being a porn star?
I believe I lead my life just the way I want to. I am free to do what I want without any restrictions.

Are you recognized on the road back home in Canada?
Not when I am without makeup. Only when I’m all dressed up with my hair and makeup.

You made a conscious choice to be an adult actress. What was your parents’ reaction to your career choice?
I informed my parents after I won the Penthouse cover-of-the-year and 100, 000 dollars. It was impossible to keep it a secret.

How would they react? Obviously there was a confrontation between us. They were upset at first.

Eventually they came to terms with the fact that it is what I’ve chosen to do with my life. With time they came to know I’m still their daughter, still the same person.

You’re truly blessed to have such understanding parents. 
Yes, I am

While you were inside Bigg Boss house your ex-fiance Matt Erikson apparently released your first adult-film together without your consent?
I am not sure about what has actually happened. But in the adult industry there are certain rules that must be followed. If for some reason he has released content that he does not own, then …

Was your parting with Matt unpleasant?
We didn’t see eye-to-eye. It didn’t work out. I am a happy person today. I’m a better wise person today. I know exactly what I want in a man now.

What do you want in a man?
Exactly what I have in Daniel (Weber). He is everything that I could ever imagine. We own a business together.

Do you hope to marry this guy?
Over and over again.

What are your plans now?
To try and get back to a normal life, as much as possible. I will be in Mumbai till after the Grand Finale of Bigg Boss.

Mahesh Bhatt is waiting to sign you?
Every Indian girl abroad grows up watching these beautiful actresses in Hindi films on television, dreaming if she could ever be part of it. I am no different. But the option (of doing a Hindi film) wasn’t there. Now it is there. So I’d love to work with Mahesh Bhatt.

Who among the Indian actresses do you find beautiful?
I think Aishwarya Rai is absolutely gorgeous.

Are you considering a career in Bollywood?
I hope so. To be a part of that gallery of beautiful actresses I grew up watching…is a mesmerizing thought.

The last Bollywood film I really enjoyed was Salman Khan’s Bodyguard. That was the last film I watched before I went into Bigg Boss house.

Mahesh Bhatt was deeply moved by his encounter with you?
When Mr Bhatt came into the House it was the first time I could speak freely on the show.

I didn’t have to censor what I was saying, or to choose my words carefully so as to not give away my identity. He knew who I was. He knew my background.

Mr Bhatt and his daughter had been following my career for quite some time. For the first time since I went into Bigg Boss I was able to be who I was and talk freely without fear of others getting judgemental.

You went into Bigg Boss with your profession as an adult star a secret. Didn’t that give you a kind of freedom from being judged?
No it didn’t. I had to grope around in the House to give them a sense of who I was as a person, and not for what I did as a career. That was tough.

It was very important for them to come to terms with my personality before I revealed my true identity.

What was their reaction when they got to know that you are an adult actress?
I had confided in Juhi Parmar about who I was before I announced it to the world (laughs) and then I told the others who I was, what I did for a living and why I was there on Bigg Boss.

And what was their reaction?
They were surprisingly okay with it. That was an absolutely pleasant surprise. If anyone had issues with what I did, I’d have known.

Would it have been embarrassing if ayone had issues?
No. I’ve been doing adult porn for ten years. I’ve met all sorts of people. Those who like me, those who dislike me for what I am and what I do, those who hate or appreciate my choice of profession. I wasn’t really bothered with the reactions I’d get in Bigg Boss.

How was the experience in Bigg Boss?
It was interesting watching the dynamics within the House. Language was a problem. This was the first time I had to understand and speak Hindi.

But you are Punjabi?
Yes. But I was born and raised in Canada and America. When one lives there and the language of communication in the household is not Hindi or Punjabi, then one doesn’t know these languages.

Inside the Bigg Boss house every time there was a situation or an argument it was difficult for me to take it forward in Hindi.

You looked very pained on the show?
I did? There were lots of arguments. I had never been so vulnerable in my entire life. But it was a learning experience.

I laughed a lot on the show. I’ve never laughed so much before. That made it easier for the weeks to go by.

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Vivek gets Rs 80 lakh for doing nothing

Vivek Oberoi still took his fee home despite his much-hyped performance at a New Year's Eve bash getting canned at the last minute

Without even having to groove to a single beat of the music, Vivek Oberoi walked away with a cool Rs 80 lakh cheque from the organisers of a New Year's Eve bash that the actor was supposed to perform at.

Over 2, 000 people had gathered at the Country Club in Andheri to see Vivek in action. But with cops stalling the party, the audience returned home disappointed.

Says an eyewitness, "Vivek had rehearsed for his show all day on December 30 and he was at the venue with his dance troupe by 3.30 pm on the 31st.

The show was supposed to start around 9 pm, but the cops barged in claiming that the club hadn't acquired necessary permissions." The actor, however, got his fee that was promised to him, anyway.

The crowds were irked when they realised that the actor wouldn't be performing and their New Year plans and the cost of the tickets had gone for a toss.

Adds the source, "After a point, the crowd got uncontrollable and people started getting violent.

Some of them started demanding their money back and the others insisted that they get Vivek to come back on stage."

The actor had by then left the venue, as advised by the police, to avoid more trouble.

However, once the organisers had settled the matter with the police, they called Vivek back to the venue, requesting him to continue with his performance.

Says the source, "Vivek was on his way home. But when they called him back, he returned immediately thinking the issue might have been sorted out. However, when he reached the venue, the cops were still there and eventually he could hardly perform."

In the end, the evening didn't turn out that bad for the actor who went home with his cheque. Vivek is currently holidaying with his family, and will resume work on Jan 6.

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Rana caught in the act, seen cosying up with Trisha in Goa

The South actor was seen recently cosying up to longtime sweetheart Trisha 

Back home in Mumbai, Rana Daggubati and Bipasha Basu may have been tagged as a couple, with both of them party hopping together and the South star even offering a shoulder to Bips to cry on, after her split with John Abraham.

But in Goa, Rana painted a very different picture, as he was spotted cosying up to long-time girlfriend and South actress Trisha, as they both attended the Sunburn music festival.

Says an eyewitness, "Rana and Trisha were hanging out at the family lounge at the venue and looked like they were having the time of their lives."

However, he made sure none of the photographers got a chance to take snaps of them together. Adds the eyewitness, "They both were pretty high."

In an earlier interview to Mid Day, Bipasha had said, "Rana is a very sweet guy. But I won't say I am dating anyone right now. I'm just getting to know them." She who was supposed to attend the music festival, backed out at the last minute and we can only wonder why.

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Shocking: Bipasha locks herself in a storeroom

Bipasha Basu refused to let herself out of a storeroom at an event unless she was provided with a bigger security cover

An otherwise hassle-free actress, Bipasha Basu recently threw a tantrum at an event in Bangalore where she refused to come out of a storeroom after spotting a huge crowd of fans waiting outside.

Bips is generally quite a sport when it comes to interacting with people and meeting commitments during public events.

But this time, at the launch of a jewellery store, the actress got paranoid when she spotted a sea of people who had thronged the venue.

The actress then locked herself up in a storeroom and refused to step out unless she was provided with 20 extra bouncers.

Says an eye-witness, "Bipasha was visiting one of her favourite jewellery stores, so initially she was quite excited about the whole event. But when she saw the kind of crowd that had arrived to get a glimpse of her, she got a little paranoid."

Adds the source, "There were 25 bouncers at the venue already and the event was running late. But the actress absolutely refused to step out unless they arranged for more security, which obviously put the organisers in bit of a jam."

The event was not just delayed but even cut short. The organisers apparently were quite helpless and could do little but provide her with what she wanted.

"The event venue wasn't that big and nobody really anticipated such crowds. Thankfully, by the end of it, all things were sorted, " concludes our source.

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Vindu Dara Singh hits out at Pooja Missra and Pooja Bedi

Actor Vindu Dara Singh, who won the third season of "Bigg Boss", has hit out at Pooja Missra and Pooja Bedi for alleging favouritism in the ongoing season of the show.

"It has been two years since I won 'Bigg Boss' but, like every year, this year also some contestants are crying after being evicted. Twitter is a medium that I will never get to like... some silly girls go and accuse and say anything about two of the biggest and best people in the industry," said Vindu.

While Pooja Missra alleged favouritism for Mahek Chahal, Pooja Bedi accused Salman Khan for demoralising Akashdeep Saigal in the house. The grand finale of "Bigg Boss 5" will be telecast Saturday.

"The show is the best and it takes out the worst in contestants along with their best. Wish the two Poojas forget 'Bigg Boss 5' and move ahead because whosoever is advising them to do this kind of publicity, is leading them on to the wrong path. Even today there is no clear winner and let's see who does win this crazy session," he added.

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Is Sunny Leone scaring off Bollywood actors already?

After being evicted from Bigg Boss, pornstar Sunny Leone targeted contestant Amar Upadhyay, alleging that he kissed her hand and picked her up against her wishes, while carrying out fun tasks assigned to Housemates on the reality show.

In an interview to a prominent newspaper, the pornstar from Canada mounted a scathing attack on the Indian actor and claimed, “It's the first time in my entire career that I've had to tell a man (Amar) more than once not to be a certain way.

That's why I didn't exactly know how to handle the situation as it was coming, other than talking to him as an adult. In my real life, no one comes near me or no one even tries to get fresh or do anything – it just doesn't happen.”

Amar Upadhyay’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar clarified that the actor’s ‘acts’ of kissing Leone on her hand or picking her up during a rain dance on the show, “were strictly part of the ‘entertainment tasks’ given to the Housemates on Bigg Boss.”

Replying to Sunny’s bizarre claims, he said, “Sunny Leone a respected pornstar! She should be careful before uttering such words against a family man and an actor who has been admired and adored on Indian television for his role of the righteous Mihir Virani in Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which even propelled him as a superstar on television with a huge fan following.”

“Sunny is planning to enter Bollywood. Showing such disrespect for a family man and massacring the reputation of an Indian actor even before she officially signs her first Bollywood movie, could reflect badly on her and scare off most reputed Indian actors and producers,” the publicist pointed out.

Indeed, Sunny seems to have committed professional hara-kiri. India is a country of great morality and culture and this frivolous accusation could make her career in Bollywood an uphill task now.

It can be noted here that Bigg Boss co-host Sanjay Dutt, who had rightfully come to Amar’s support during one of the elimination rounds earlier, was said to be planning to work with Sunny.

But the rumours have been denied. Quoting a source, a prominent newspaper clarified, “Sanju wouldn’t be comfortable working with Leone and has no interest in signing her on whatsoever.”

The other Bigg Boss co-host Salman Khan, who was said to be considering Sunny for a film, hasn’t announced anything; while Mahesh Bhatt is yet to officially sign her for Jism 2, a movie he discussed with her on entering the Bigg Boss House as a guest last month.

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Bigg Boss 5 Update - Day 87

Mahek Chahal's suspicions about Sky, and Amar Upadhyay's apology

Mahek Chahal

The day opens on a very lively song ‘Tunak Tunak’ to which every contestant is seen grooving. The Punjabi song hits off a conversation between the two Punjabi kudis in the house – Mahek Chahal and Sunny Leone.

Mahek asks Sunny about which part of Punjab she belongs to and the two also talk about Sunny’s extended family staying in a remote part of Punjab.

As the day progresses, Amar Upadhyay, Sidharth Bhardwaj and Mahek discuss who will leave the house in the coming weekend. Mahek starts talking about Sky and his self-centered attitude. The trio continue to discuss how Sky (Akashdeep Sehgal) would use steroids once out of the house to get back in shape as he’s lost his bulky figure after being there.

Sunny, while talking to Sky, mentions how she watched the show before entering and how she would only and solely watch fights throughout the show.

Bigg Boss gives the housemates a chance to watch one of their moments in the house, where Amar gets to watch his fight with Pooja Misrra over bangles. After watching the clip, Amar starts feeling bad and is upset over how he fought with Pooja . He apologizes to the entire house and and says that he totally agrees with Salman Khan, who'd said that fights look pathetic.

Soon after Amar apologizes to the trio, he walks out of the garden area to the room as he begins to feel awkward. Sky pacifies him saying that all of them have behaved just the same and that he does not need to feel awkward about any of it.

Soon Sky is seen talking to Mahek, Amar and Sidharth about last weekend when he was ready to leave the house. He mentions how Juhi Parmar had unintentionally triggered his actions by telling him that he had been insulted way too many times on the show.

As the conversation takes a different turn, Mahek tells Sky that all that happens on 'Bigg Boss' is just and fair. No one contestant is favoured or looked down upon.

In the evening, Juhi gets to watch one of her moments too and the moment she chooses is to watch her jail task clip.

As the day ends, Sky suspects Amar and Sidharth of receiving a secret task and talks to Juhi about it.

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The 10 Best Movies of 2011

From 'No One Killed Jessica' to 'Bol', check 'em out!

 

No One Killed Jessica

2011 was a year of amazing variety in Bollywood. From good old-fashioned masala fare - 'Singham', 'Force' and, of course, 'Bodyguard' to techno wonders - Ra.One - to real-life inspired stories that touched a chord - 'No One Killed Jessica' and 'The Dirty Picture'. Read on to know which movies we, at Masala!, have chosen as our top 10 and what we liked about them.

'No One Killed Jessica'
Cast: Rani Mukerjee and Vidya Balan
What We Loved: Hard-hitting, entertaining and a message movie without falling in the trap of being a message movie considering that it tackled the real-life case of the Jessica Lal murder.
Standout Star: Rani Mukherjee rocked, but she was overshadowed just a tad by Vidya Balan’s portrayal of Jessica's sister Sabrina
Standout Scene: A preoccupied Sabrina walking down the street, so lost in her thoughts that she doesn't see an elephant

'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Kalki Koechlin and Katrina Kaif
What We Loved: The way Imran (Farhan) take cares of the expensive handbag makes us laugh every time we think about it. Picturesque Spain and Abhay Deol rock throughout the movie. We did think Hrithik Roshan’s acting was a bit mechanical; also, is it just us or did he use too much bronzer?
Standout Star: Farhan Akhtar - we can’t imagine anyone else in the role of Imran. The way Farhan cracks jokes to hide his emotions and his awesome poetry made the character amazingly real.
Standout Scene: It has to be when Imran (Farhan) finally gets to meets his dad (Naseeruddin Shah). As always Naseeruddin Shah sets the benchmark.

'Delhi Belly'
Cast: Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapoor and Poorna Jagannath
What We Loved: The mad situations, the nutty humour, the crazy songs and the perfect-for-the part actors (Vijay Raaz as the matter-of-fact gangster rocked)
Standout Star: Vir Das, he makes you laugh and cry all at the same time at his character's track
Standout Scene: The scene where the trio of friends attempt a robbery - howlarious!

'Bodyguard'
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Mahesh Manjrekar
What We Loved: Surprise, surprise! 'Bodyguard' didn’t have crass, double-meaning jokes like most movies of the genre. Instead, this simple love story seasoned with action was complete paisa-vasool for Sallu fans.
Standout Star: Obviously Salman Khan! Our Topless Tornado doesn’t disappoint! He didn’t go over-the-top in this movie and looked oh-so sexy in his bodyguard uniform. Of course, no movie is complete without him going shirtless but who’s complaining!
Standout Scene: It’s definitely the one where Lucky Singh (Salman) practices his love confession with Divya (Kareena) until his 'real' love comes along. We got a bit senti during that scene, Salman looked sooo childlike and absolutely convincing!

'Ra.One'
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Armaan Verma
What We Loved: It’s a benchmark for a sci-fi flick! Indian cinema has never seen such a visual spectacle even if it did lack on an overall 'wow' quality because of the script.
Standout Star: The kid, Armaan Verma - he gave a super-confident performance in the movie!
Standout Scene: Rajnikant’s cameo - he's a superstar for all seasons!

'Shaitan'
Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Rajeev Khandewal, Shiv Pandit, Kirti Kulhari, Gulshan Devia and Neil Bhoopalam
What We Loved: The movie takes you for a rollercoaster ride, it’s thrilling and at the same time you fear what’s going to happen next.
Standout Star: Rajeev Khandewal - he is definitely an actor to watch out for.
Standout Scene: The scene where one of the youngsters cooped in a rundown house plays tennis and the camera moves with the tennis ball. Intense!

'Shor in the City'
Cast: Tushaar Kapoor, Nikhil Dwivedi, Pitobash, Sundeep Kishan, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Radhika Apte and Preeti Desai
What We Loved: A great script and a sincere effort put in by the whole cast.
Standout Star: None. The film rests on the shoulders of the full cast, without any of them it wouldn’t have been able achieve what it has.
Standout Scene: The funniest scene we came across was about an arms dealer being interrupted by a phone call

'Bol'
Cast: Atif Aslam, Iman Ali, Mahira Khan, Humaima Malick, Shafqat Cheema, Manzar Sehbai, Zaib Rehman and Amr Kashmiri
What We Loved: The hard-hitting theme of the movie, dealing with the abuse of women, is chilling to core and was portrayed so realistically.
Standout Star: It’s a tie between Humaima Malick and Manzar Sehbai. You can’t imagine anyone else in the characters of Zainab and Hakeem Sahib.
Standout Scene: When Zainab tells her sisters to live a normal life - touching and heart-breaking at the same time.

'The Dirty Picture'
Cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and Tushaar Kapoor
What We Loved: Just the sheer boldness of the subject - it takes guts to conceptualise and execute a movie on a complex character who lived life so completely her way. Take a bow, producer Ekta Kapoor.
Standout Star: Vidya Balan, for her gut-wrenchingly honest portrayal of Reshma
Standout Scene: The monologue that seems to drain Vidya's character and get everybody in the audience thinking

'Tanu Weds Manu'
Cast: R Madhavan and Kangana Ranaut
What We Loved: A love story that's also a family entertainer - hard to find these days.
Standout Star: R Madhavan, with his family-packs abs and sincerity, is drool worthy.
Standout Scene: The film has some wonderful moments but the best one was when Manu confides to his best friend that Tanu doesn't want to marry him.

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