Sonam: I am not dating anyone

The actress announces her single status loud and clear

Sonam Kapoor

It looks like a certain Punit Malhotra doesn’t exist in the life of Sonam Kapoor. The world might talk about their link-up but the ‘Mausam’ actress would have us believe she is still single. Sonam, it appears, wants to clear every controversy including her alleged animosity for Shahid Kapoor.

A few days ago it was reported that Sonam, who had worked in Punit’s directorial debut ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ (her only hit so far!) had turned down his next film because Shahid, her ‘Mausam’ co-star had been signed on as the male lead.

However, the actress took to twitter to shoot down all the reports: "I'm hearing the funniest rumours about myself! In Thailand, and all I can say is I'm on the floor laughing."
"Okay morning guys I'm not mad at Shahid Kapoor or Punit Malhotra and I'm not dating anyone! I'm minding my own business and working," she further tweeted.

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Abhishek wants a film on climate change

Let’s hope he chooses a decent script this time!

Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan is perhaps looking at newer ideas to prop up his flagging career. The actor whose last release, the thriller ‘Players’ was a flop, now wants to work in a socially conscious film on climate change. “I want to make a film about saving the environment and bring about a change. I don't know if anyone of you is willing to fund a movie like this, but I plan to act in it," Abhishek said at an event recently.

"The challenge is to get a story that is compelling enough for Indian audiences to see. I know there are one or two films like 'Day After Tomorrow' that have been successful in the West and people came out thinking what if this actually happens tomorrow," said Abhishek.

"If I make a film just talking about climate change, it would be boring to watch. The real challenge is to make a film that would be engrossing enough for the audiences to come out and watch and deal with the issues," he added.

Abhishek was honoured with the Green Globe award for his efforts towards creating a greener environment and he was due to receive the trophy from Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger. However Arnold reportedly gave the function a miss and was seen enjoying the sights and sounds of Delhi!

Well, whether Abhishek acts in a film on climate change or a train heist, our only advice is – choose your script wisely!

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Dia Mirza to tie the knot soon?

Apparently, the actress and her boyfriend Sahil Sangha have set a 2013 date

Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha

It looks like Bollywood is in a mood to celebrate romance like never before. 2012 began with the big fat Riteish-Genelia wedding and we hear Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan will walk down the aisle sometime in March as well.

Now yet another couple has decided to take their relationship to the next level – the pretty Dia Mirza and her suave boyfriend and business partner, Sahil Sangha. Buzz is that the duo, who had planned to tie the knot at the end of 2012, has now mutually decided to shift the date to 2013. The wedding is most likely to take place in Mumbai.

Dia has been dating Sahil, the director of her first home production ‘Love Breakups Zindagi’ for the last couple of years. When contacted, the actress didn’t confirm the date but admitted that Sahil and she are looking at sometime next year and have begun planning for the big day. Apparently, the couple has taken the families into confidence as well.

We wish them all the luck!

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Yuvraj Singh has cancer

The top Indian cricketer is now undergoing chemotherapy in the US

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh, known as much for his fiery performances on the cricket field as his eventful personal life, has been diagnosed with cancer. Earlier, it had been revealed that the 30-year-old was suffering from a tumour in his lungs, and now it’s been confirmed that the growth is malignant.

Apparently, the cricketer’s ailment was first misdiagnosed by an Indian hospital. Yuvraj is now being treated at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston, America.

It's shocking news for cricket fans, but the good news is that Yuvi will be better soon. The cricketer’s physiotherapist Dr Jatin Chaudhary has clarified that the illness is curable and that Yuvraj is likely to be fit again by May 2012.

Chaudhary added that the rare tumour, parts of which are just above the artery of Yuvraj’s heart, was detected in stage one itself. Chemotherapy sessions for Yuvi began after he reached the US on January 26, and he will not be requiring surgery. It is believed that his treatment should be completed by the end of March, after which he will undergo a CT scan to check his progress.

Yuvraj is a powerhouse on the field and was Player of the Tournament in the World Cup in 2011, which India won, with 362 runs, 15 wickets and four Man-of-the-Match awards.

He’s got a Bollywood connection too, often being seen at showbiz events – he was earlier in a relationship with actress Kim Sharma and was also linked to Deepika Padukone and Neha Dhupia.

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Inside Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza’s Starry Wedding

From Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan, everyone was there

Meet Mr and Mrs Ritesh Deshmukh

There’s nothing that brings Bollywood together like a big wedding, and Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza’s marriage and reception over February 3-4 2012 in Mumbai showed just that. As the long-time couple (they’d been seeing each other for eight years) tied the knot, T’town’s biggest names joined in the celebrations. From Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan, everyone was there.

Riteish and Genelia had a traditional Maharashtrian wedding on February 3 in Mumbai. The groom made his entry on a white horse in traditional style and also wore typical Maharashtrian headgear. He was obviously in great spirits, even tweeting about the marriage before and as it happened. Riteish first wrote that he just “saw the Last sunset as a Bachelor.”

Later, post wedding, the star posted a pic of himself and Genelia, both looking amazing, saying simply, “Mr and Mrs Deshmukh.”

Abhishek Bachchan was at the wedding with his mum Jaya, Shah Rukh Khan and Shahid Kapoor were there, and also on the guest list were many other stars including Ajay Devgn and Kajol.

The wedding was also attended by several bigwigs from the political and business world, all friends of Riteish’s politican dad Vilasrao Deshmukh. Maharashtra chief minister Prthviraj Chauhan and the Thackerays were among the guests as were the Ambanis and the Godrejs.

The wedding reception on February 4 was equally grand with Riteish looking handsome in a black bandhgala and Genelia absolutely stunning in a dark peach lehenga with a draped dupatta and heavy gold emboirdery all over the outfit.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attended the reception, accompanied by Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, Imran Khan and Avantika Malik, Anushka Sharma, Bipasha Basu, Madhuri Dixit, Kangna Ranaut, Rekha, Jacqueline Fernandes and Sajid Khan were among the other high-profile guests.

Later, Riteish and Genelia also had a Christian wedding at St Anne's Church in Mumbai.

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Talaash is unlike other action films

Bollywood Masala Magazine chatted with Rani Mukherji when she was in the UAE to launch Radio Mirchi

Rani Mukherji

As you tune into Radio Mirchi (97.3FM in Abu Dhabi, 88.8FM in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and 95.6FM in Al Ain) you may hear foot-tapping music and a million voices bursting out, but one voice that ensured the radio station was welcomed to a raucous applause in the UAE was none other than Rani Mukherji’s. Dressed in a beautiful sari, Rani was present at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi along with Prakash Pandey, the CEO of Entertainment in India (ENIL, which owns Radio Mirchi), Sandeep Sud, the station’s programming head Sandeep Sud and Radio Mirchi’s partners Abu Dhabi Media group represented by CEO Malcolm Wall and director Abdul Rahman Awadh Al Harthi. Masala.com chatted up the ‘Talaash’ actress on movies, music and radio habits!

Did you listen to a lot of radio while growing up? 
Not really. People may not know this but I was very studious as a kid. Books and friends took up most of my time. The only time I heard radio, being a Bengali, was during Durga Puja. My mother used to tune in to listen to prayers early in the morning.

If you were asked to manage a radio channel, what kind of programmes would you have on air? 
I would ensure that programmes on music topped the list. Any kind of music is good since it soothes you, excites you and makes you want to dance. People listen to music on all occasions so I can’t think of anything better to beat that.

There are a lot of action movies this year in the pipeline from ‘Agent Vinod,’ ‘Dabangg 2,’ ‘Race 2,’ to ‘Tezz’. What makes your upcoming movie ‘Taalash’ with Aamir any different?
Well just because two movies have action scenes it doesn’t make them both similar! ‘Taalash’ has a different script altogether with psychological thrills.

You have another interesting movie coming up, ‘Aiyaa’ starring south Indian star Prithviraj. The movie has been in the news since you have dialogues in Marathi. How difficult was it to learn the language? 
It wasn’t difficult at all. I was born and raised in Mumbai. I learnt Marathi in school for three year. Moreover, our household help used to talk to me in Marathi. Of course, it required time and effort to become fluent in the language. But this is what makes my role in ‘Aiyaa’ interesting and challenging!

Is there one fact about Rani Mukherji that her fans don’t know about? 
I bake really good cakes!

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Bollywood mourns Raj Kanwar’s death

The director, 53, passed away in Singapore

Raj Kanwar

Director Raj Kanwar, who gave both Shah Rukh and Priyanka Chopra their first major roles in Bollywood, died in Singapore on February 3. The filmmaker, 53, had been suffering a kidney problem for over a year and had flown out for a transplant. He passed away before the surgery.

Kanwar’s last rites will take place at the Oshiwara cremation ground in Mumbai on February 5. He is survived by his wife and two sons Karan, 20, and Abhay, 16.

Kanwar was the director behind some of the biggest hits of the 90s including `Judaai`, `Jeet`, `Badal` and `Laadla`. He also helmed ‘Deewana’ and ‘Andaaz’, which made Shah Rukh and Priyanka Bollywood forces to reckon with.

The director’s last film was `Sadiyaan` starring Rishi Kapoor, Hema Malini and Rekha. It was the debut of Shatrughan Sinha’s son Luv.

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Sonam behind Deepika-Siddharth break-up?

Though it hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but it is believed that Deepika Padukone and Siddharth Mallya have parted ways.

According to the grapevine, Sonam Kapoor is behind the couple's break-up.

A TV news channel has claimed that the Director of United Breweries is now trying to woo the 26-year-old.

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Is Kangna trying to get even with Dutt

There's more to Kangna Ranaut's decision to act in Shootout In Wadala in a role that was rejected by others. Normally most established actresses would shun such an offer but for Kangs this was also her way of giving it back to her estranged pal Sanjay Dutt.

Rival camps?
Shootout in Wadala is Dutt's bete noire Sanjay Gupta's flick. And anyone owing allegiance (or wanting to) to the star will not be part of a Gupta project.

Says a source, "This is a clear indication that she has now decided to move into the enemy's camp. Stars like Vidya Balan and Asin who were approached for the role, turned it down. But Kangna did not mind it at all."

Past woes
Shootout at Wadala, which revolves around the first encounter killing in the city in the early '80s was launched in August last year with John Abraham and Anil Kapoor.

It's had its share of casting woes involving Vivek Oberoi. Adds the source, "Kangna feels this is her way of getting even with Sanjay Dutt by bonding with his enemy."

Where it all started
At one time, Kangna was extremely close to both Sanjay and Maanayata Dutt.

But when she started making statements about her proximity to them and leaving behind their other close friend Ameesha Patel, things began souring.

Kangs then found herself being sidelines from her flick Rascal, which was produced by Dutt. She felt it was being done at Dutt's behest. As a result, she acted difficult while dubbing for Rascals.

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Agneepath wipes out the rest

This week's releases, 'Gali Gali Chor Hai' and the others stood no chance as the Karan Johar film cruised full steam ahead.

Agneepath continues to blaze at the box office. On its second Friday, it netted more than what Gali Gali Chor Hai earned in the first three days since its release on February 3.

The Hrithik Roshan-Sanjay Dutt-Rishi Kapoor starrer crossed Rs 100 crore on Sunday.

Pegging the first weekend numbers of Gali Gali... at R 4 crore, veteran trade analyst Amod Mehra points out that in places like Nagpur and Amravati, the shows were cancelled.

"In many centres, there were no shows on Monday," he said, attributing it to lack of hype. "No saleable star cast, no proper publicity, no good music either. The title Gali Gali Chor Hai didn't attract any attention either."

Delhi based distributor Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts Ltd attributes the failure of the Akshaye Khanna film to zero audience interest. "People didn't seem even remotely curious to see the film."

Sharing the same sentiment, a head of a national multiplex chain sighed at Khanna's predicament. "Akshaye was a promising actor at one time.

But despite being a very good performer, his choice of subjects and lack of enthusiasm for promotion and publicity have affected his movies at the box office," he said, on condition of anonymity.

None of the English releases Love You To Death, Man On The Ledge, Journey 2 and Chronicle registered any numbers. On the contrary, The Descendants continued to generate interest despite a limited release.


"Noteworthy nominations at the forthcoming Oscars has kept the curiosity on the George Clooney film going," informs Prakhar Joshi, programming head at PVR Cinemas.

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