Priyanka all set for a double hundred!

With Kareena leading the pack with as many as four 100 crore plus ventures (GOLMAAL 3, 3 IDIOTS, BODYGUARD and RA.ONE), Asin with two films (GHAJINI and READY), Sonakshi Sinha (DABANGG) and Priyanka Chopra (DON 2) having one each, the competition seems to be rising up!

	download PRIYANKA CHOPRA wallpapers

The audiences numero uno Katrina Kaif has three probable 100 crore plus YRF ventures with the three Khans (DHOOM 3, EK THA TIGER and Yash Chopra's SRK film) coming up in 2012, but it is our very own Priyanka who after DON2 : THE KING IS BACK, is all set to repeat the feat with Hrithik Roshan's AGNEEPATH. Yes, Priyanka will have to thank 'Chikni Chameli' Katrina too for hyping the film, apart from the promotional activities that the film has undertaken.


Well, we not only hope for Katrina and Priyanka to score centuries at the box-office but are even hopeful for Sonakshi's ROWDY RATHORE and Asin's HOUSEFULL 2 to score well at the box-office!

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Shiney Ahuja makes a lackluster comeback

This isn't what Shiney Ahuja must have bargained for when he dreamt of making a comeback to Bollywood. His GHOST is releasing this Friday and as things stand today, the film is literally arriving unannounced. As reported by us last month, things had anyways turned sour for him when the film couldn't make it to the December deadline. However a month's delay hasn't helped the cause either as they didn't promote their film adequately.

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''It is indeed a sad situation for Shiney. A film like GHOST really needed a good promotional drive that would have made 'aam janta' aware about its arrival. There was a drive of some sort during November but then suddenly the film was pushed to January which ended up being a spanner in the original plans. Shiney as well as his co-star Sayali Bhagat were doing all that they could in their limited capacity but decision to postpone the film for better prospects has only backfired,' says a trade follower.



This is evident in the manner in which whatever little buzz that GHOST had created has met an untimely death. With not enough funds in hand to promote the film extensively and no build up happening despite the release being well timed (Friday, the 13th is considered as an apt day for horror), GHOST has arrived today as a filler release.

''Let's not ignore the fact that it isn't the only movie to arrive this weekend,' the trade source continues, 'There are other films like CHAALIS CHAURAASI,SADDA ADDA and TUTIYA DIL releasing as well which means it would be a crowded affair. The only solace that Shiney can take is in the fact that if one leaves aside CHAALIS CHAURAASI (Naseeruddin Shah, Kay Kay Menon, Ravi Kissen, Atul Kulkarni), other two films haven't even been heard of and there are no recognizable faces there.''

Moreover since PLAYERS hasn't really set the box office on fire and DON 2 also nearing its theatrical run, Shiney would be hoping that GHOST benefits from word of mouth in an open run ahead. ''Shiney would have to leave it on destiny now,'' says an insider, 'He would be praying for a miracle that audience catch a fancy to GHOST since he has no other choice but to keep his fingers crossed.'

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Shahrukh and Ranveer inspire Vivek Oberoi

Shahrukh Khan as 'Surinder Sahni' from RAB NE BANA DI JODI and Ranveer Singh as 'Bittoo' from BAND BAAJA BAARAAT were liked and praised by many. But, now these characters are also inspiring actor Vivek Oberoi. Vivek, who has been shooting round the clock, has modeled his character in KISMAT LOVE PAISA DILLI on the lines of Singh's character in BBB and also borrows a little from SRK's role in RAB NE BANA DI JODI.

	SHAHRUKH KHAN, VIVEK OBEROI and RANVEER SINGH

Amit Chandrra, the producer of KLPD elaborates, 'Vivek plays a middle class Punjabi boy from Delhi and it's a character that is very different from what he has done in the past.'



According to reports, Vivek has also been observing the young crew on the set to get into the skin of his character, ''Today's youngsters are sorted in their head and have a clear idea of what they want and just observing them makes one learn so much,'' says Vivek.

Well, we only hope that Vivek's efforts get him the desirable results. KLPD also stars Mallika Sherawat as Vivek's lady love and the film is directed by Sanjay Khanduri.

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The Kishore Rafi feel in 4084 song Setting Zhala

Hriday Shetty's CHAALIS CHAURAASI has released today on January 13, 2012 and has received decent reviews. It is very important for a Bollywood film to incorporate great music for the film's success. And CHAALIS CHAURAASI had successfully managed to do so. All the songs in the film has been received well and especially the item song Setting Zhala became immensely popular.

	view MUSIC LAUNCH OF CHAALIS CHAURAASI picture gallery

Setting Zaala is sung by Sonu Nigam and Amit Kumar. Sonu and Amit's combo adds to the song's melody and its infectious beats.



When we asked the composer of the song Lalit Pandit, the reason for roping in Sonu and Amit (instead of his all time favourite Kumar Sanu), he had an interesting reason, 'Yes, it was an intentional decision to get a Kishore-Rafi touch in the song. There is no doubt that Kumar Sanu is a very good singer but his forte is melody and romance and we wanted some naughtiness in the track. That is why we went in for Amit and Sonu.'

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Asin's glamorous look stuns Bollywood!

Bollywood actress Asin is not only restricting herself to be a good actress, but the gorgeous girl is also wooing all with her glam-doll looks lately. The stunning actress, who is known to keep a low profile, is creating a lot of buzz with her new looks and ultra glamorous outfits.

	view B-TOWN BIGGIES AT DABBOO RATNANI'S 2012 CALENDAR LAUNCH picture gallery

The stunner was recently spotted wearing an exquisite nude dress coupled with a black jacket at the launch of Dabboo Ratnani's 2012 calendar.

Not to be forgotten, she also flattered everyone in a lacy black outfit at Farah Khan's party. Asin looked like a complete style diva!

	view BOLLYWOOD STARS GALORE AT FARAH KHAN'S HOUSE WARMING PARTY picture gallery

Industry-wallahs couldn't help but notice and praise her dressing. According to an industry insider, 'Asin has lost some weight and is looking like a million bucks! She is showing an amazing sense of style which makes even the simplest of outfits stand out.'

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See how jealous Bollywood's celebrities are

The shor in the city these days is that Radhika Apte's ‘close friendship’ with Tusshar Kapoor has doomed her career.

With the actor's big sis Ekta disapproving of the love story, it's little wonder then that Radhika is missing out on acting offers.

So much so, that she's gone back to the South to try her luck there.

CS lists out some other jealous celebrities who've been the cause of some grief for their objects of affection:

(*) When Salman and Bruna Abdulah hit it off with each other, Kat's claws came out.

The jealous girlfriend told her then-man to steer clear of the model, and surprisingly, Salman even complied. He stopped promoting Bruna in the industry.

(*) During the filming of Love Aaj Kal, Kareena seemed threatened by Saif's co-star Deepika Padukone and made her displeasure quite apparent.

When asked, Deepika said, "Well that's her insecurity, I can't do anything about that. But we've had no problems... She was on set and watching the shoot even in Hyderabad. As far as I know, there is nothing wrong. I don't think she has anything to worry about."


(*) Bipasha never liked the idea of seeing her then-beau John acting with Vidya Balan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Chenab Gandhi.

News of John and Vidya's budding friendship annoyed Bips and if sources are to be believed, she tried to dissuade John from signing the project. Fortunately for her, it never took off


(*) Priyanka Chopra definitely mustn’t be one of Gauri Khan's favourite actresses. With SRK showing a little extra affection to his Don co-star, Gauri couldn't help but be miffed.

The buzz was that she even told her close friend Mehr Jessia about her irritation with Priyanka, something that Mehr even communicated to SRK, only to be snubbed in return

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The female Akshay Kumar tells what she has learnt from Salman

For someone who had a star-studded debut, Sonakshi Sinha has been out of action for a while. But this Dabangg girl is all set to flood the latter half of this year with four releases.

She laughs, "There is a joke doing the rounds that I have become the female Akshay Kumar for my back-to-back releases."

Sonakshi, who's already had a busy New Year, tells CS about all that she's learnt from the senior actors she's worked with:

Busy me
Guess what, I have been working non-stop since last August. I just had a day off on December 31, so I decided to spend New Year's Eve with my family.

For once, it was a very quiet affair. One thing that I am very happy about is that I have been able to keep my last year's resolution.

Last year I decided to never make a resolution because I usually tend to break it in the first week of the New Year itself.

So thankfully, even this time I haven't made any resolutions that I have to struggle to keep.

The art of learning
Ever since I debuted, things have been going great for me. I have been acting with a variety of senior actors who have taught me much. I feel blessed to be surrounded by such talented people from whom I can learn so much, especially since I never planned to become an actor and I came here knowing nothing.


I picked up the ropes from Salman Khan. He really groomed me well. I couldn't have asked for a better co-star to begin my career with. He was very patient. He taught me how to not take things too seriously and be myself.


Now that I am working with Akshay Kumar on two of my projects, I have realised that he too is an absolute professional. He is always on time and makes sure that his schedule completes on time.

And even though he's so strict about deadlines, he makes sure that he enjoys his time on the sets.


After working with Ajay (Devgn) I've seen how much an actor can contribute to the whole process of filmmaking. He is so involved in aspects of the film that I'm not even aware of. But he helps me understand those aspects.

Star gazing
I am here to do good work and I don't have any reservations about working with any actor -- senior or junior. I've always seen the seniors as heroes. There might be an age difference but it's not visible on screen.

Probably that's the reason why they are still superstars. But, in the future I would definitely love to work with actors of my age as well.

I've got a long list -- Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Abhay Deol and many more. Who knows one of my next films will be with one of them.

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Krrish sequel delayed again? Hrithik having sleepless nights

Apparently Rakesh Roshan is taking it slow because of Hrithik's health issues

It's been a tough few months for Hrithik 'superhero' Roshan. A knee injury, a hand injury and the worst of all, his slip disc has been giving the actor sleepless nights.

However even though he has been training rigorously for the Krrish sequel, he has been apparently advised to take it slow before he starts shooting hardcore action sequences. Result? The film that has already seen too many changes in cast and schedule may be pushed further.

Says a source, "Hrithik cannot really sit or stand at one place for too long even at this point. Also, he has been training regularly, so there is enough pressure on the body." No wonder both his trainers are attached to his hip these days, hovering around him day and night.

Adds the source, "His family members, especially wife Sussanne is worried about his health. So they insist that his trainers stay with him, in case he encounters a problem."

The actor was spotted with the trainers even at photographer Dabboo Ratnani's party and apparently they were very much part of his birthday celebrations too.

"He has been shooting nights for the film, but currently Hrithik is busy with the promotions of Agneepath. So that is taking up a lot of time as well. So it will be a while before they start shooting the real superhero sequences."

Hrithik, who was seen interacting with the media recently, however seemed ready to get into the groove. "I have encountered many health issues in the recent past, but hopefully now things are getting better.

Krrish became such a rage, so we don't want to give the audience anything less." Whoever said getting leaner and meaner was always a good thing!

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Neelam Kothari clears the air on Priyanka-SRK romance rumour

Actress-turned-jewellery designer Neelam Kothari has cleared the air about her alleged role in spreading rumours about Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan.

Earlier, a daily had reported that Priyanka was miffed with Neelam for spreading false news about her affair with King Khan.

It was also claimed that Priyanka and Neelam had an ugly spat over the same issue. Neelam took to Twitter to clarify her role.

"Don't know how to react to a certain article that has come out today, claiming that I am responsible for starting certain rumours.

I'm shocked and hurt with these allegations. This is the first time in the whole of my career I have been dragged into a controversy. Not fair at all!!

Gauri and Sharukh happen to be my dear friends and will continue to be so.. Would never say anythin derogatory about them," Neelam tweeted.

Neelam also said that she never had any kind of fight with Priyanka Chopra.



"As for Priyanka Chopra. No we have never had a fight. Get your facts right people," she tweeted. Meanwhile, Priyanka is yet to react to the incident.

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Bestsellers to Blockbusters: Bollywood's Novel Plans

More and more filmmakers are opting for bestsellers rather than conventional movie scripts

Bollywood, over the years, has drawn heavily from literature. Filmmakers are looking at a slew of award winning books that not only have a huge fan base of their own, but also helps build the curiosity factor around a film.

Makers of adaptations
The veteran filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is particularly fond of adapting literary works into his movies.

His Blue Umbrella was an adaptation of Ruskin Bond's novel by the same title. His movies, Maqbool and Omkara were adapted from Shakespeare's Macbeth and Othello.

His last, Saat Khoon Maaf was based on Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands. Directors like Govind Nihlani, Shyam Benegal, Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta and Anurag Kashyap have quite often adapted novels.

Muses 
Shakespeare has been the biggest muse to Bollywood filmmakers and among the Indian authors, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Premchand have been the favourites.

More than 15 Chattopadhyay novels have been adapted into films, out of which Devdas and Pareenita remain popular. Bollywood filmmakers PC Barua, Bimal Roy, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Anurag Kashyap have made film versions of the novella.

Current flavour
Chetan Bhagat seems to be the current favourite of Bollywood. With two of his books already made into films (including 3 Idiots), two more are on the anvil.



Some films in the making that have been adapted from books are...

Z inspired Shanghai
Dibaker Bannerjee's upcoming political thriller Shanghai starring Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol and Kalki Koelchin is based on the Greek author Vassilis Vassilikos book Z.


Two States: The Story Of My Marriage
Producer Sajid Nadiadwala has bought the rights of the novel. Earlier Siddharth Anand was going to make it with Saif Ali Khan. Later Vishal Bhardwaj came on board with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. The latest news is that Ranbir Kapoor will play the protagonist but whether Imtiaz Ali or Sidharth Anand will direct the film is not clear.


Bombay Velvet
Anurag Kashyap's ambitious project Bombay Velvet that he was going to make with Danny Boyle has been in limbo for more than two years. The film is loosely based on Gyan Prakash's Mumbai Fables. He was initially planning to make this with Shah Rukh and Aamir Khan but later the director denied the news.


Immortals Of Meluha
Karan Johar has landed the movie rights of this debut book by the bestselling author Amish.

Mafia Queens of Mumbai
Vishal Bhardwaj is going to adapt a story from the Mumbai-based crime reporter S Hussain Zaidi's (of Black Friday fame) book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai.


The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Mira Nair's next The Reluctant Fundamentalist is based on Mohsin Hamid's international bestseller. The film will star Kate Hudson. Her last film Namesake was adapted from Jhumpa Lahiri's famous novel with the same title.


Midnight's Children
Deepa Mehta's film is an adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize winning novel Midnight's Children. The film will be a multi- starrer.

Shootout At Wadala
Sanjay Gupta's next is apparently based on S Hussain Zaidi's Dongri to Dubai.

Adapted by Hollywood

2012 will see these international films adapted from books:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by David Fincher stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. It hinges on Stieg Larsson's crime novel and releases this week.

The much-anticipated The Descendants starring George Clooney is based on Kaui Hart Hemmings' work with the same title.

Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close with a 9/11 background has Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock in its big screen adaptation.

Colin Farrell-Keira Knightley starrer film noir London Boulevard builds on Ken Bruen's gangster novel.

Hugo marks Martin Scorsese's debut in 3D.

Yann Martel's bestseller Life of Pi has been adapted into a movie by Ang Lee.

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