Priyanka Chopra - The Indian Uma Thurman?

Priyanka Chopra to star in Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Kill Bill’ inspired movie.

Priyanka Chopra, possibly B'wood's new action heroine

Priyanka who already starred in several box office hits could possibly be adding another hit movie to her list, with the making of Farhan Akhtar’s new action movie.

She made quite an impact on Farhan with her action roles in previous movies. So it seems he cannot wait to cast her as his new lead actress in his upcoming ‘Kill Bill’ inspired movie.

Farhan plans to move away from the ‘Don’ series, at least for now. Meanwhile, Priyanka is very excited and can’t wait to get started on her next action movie. Rumour has it, the new project has already been discussed and planned with PC and the wheels are already in motion.

It looks like Indian Cinema is about to get even more exciting...we can’t wait to see how this turns out!

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Bedazzled!

Jewellery designer and philanthropist Falguni Mehta opens up to Masala! 

 

Falguni Mehta

Falguni Mehta’s simple upbringing and groundedness is apparent from the moment you meet her. Warm and welcoming, her sprawling mansion has a surprisingly intimate feel to it with a generous plethora of art and artefacts adorning every nook and corner. What’s more, this lady is more than accomplished in both her personal and professional pursuits; a jewellery designer extraordinaire and a member of the charity Roshni, under the ICWC umbrella, she has worked in hospitals and medical camps to alleviate some amount of suffering. Her contribution to society at large in the region doesn’t just end there. Along with her husband Yogesh Mehta, Falguni supports many cultural events and causes in Dubai and is an avid music fan too. Her worldly perspective and creative bent makes her a prized addition to the Masala! Awards judges’ panel this year. Here are excerpts of our chat with the wonderful Falguni Mehta...

Where did you grow up? Tell us about your upbringing...
I grew up in Mumbai, India. I had a nice and happy childhood. We were a close knit family and enjoyed life’s simple pleasures.

Can you tell us about your work and how you became a jewellery designer?
I have always loved jewellery and had an eye for it. At some point I started designing my own jewellery which was appreciated by my friends and they asked me to make
some pieces for them; that actually got the ball rolling.

What kind of jewellery do you create? Tell us about your latest collection…
I got together with my jeweller friend in India and we started designing our own line of jewellery with diamonds, precious stones and pearls. Our latest collection is festive in nature. We introduced a few new concepts which were well appreciated by our loyal clientele and the response has been overwhelming. Sometimes to add drama, we introduce enamel, shells, carved stones and more to make our pieces different. Our earrings are very popular.

Can you tell us about being a member of the charity Roshni?
Roshni is a charity group we formed three years ago. We are 13 women who work toward doing our bit for the underprivileged. We have various activities like fund-raising, jail visits, hospital visits and helping in medical camps. We work under the umbrella of the ICWC.

What is a regular day in your life like?
Every day in my life is different as I have a lot of commitments and travel a lot. However, I still try and juggle things around and find time to do all the things I like. I must admit, however, that life does get hectic sometimes, but at the end of it all, I am not complaining.

How do you kick back and relax when you are not working?
Casual dinners and lunches are a great time to unwind and relax. My husband and I take a lot of holidays sometimes mixing work and pleasure. We have a home in London so we just go there for a few days to relax. Our son, Rohan, was studying in Boston and I would go and stay with him for a couple of weeks and come back totally rejuvenated. He is now in Dallas and I hope to spend some time with him there too! Just being together makes us feel so good.

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Katrina has a British accent and I have an American accent" - Nargis Fakhri on DNA

Nargis Fakhri in a recent interview to DNA had this to say about comparisons with Katrina. BTW, I really like her:). Catch the rest of the interview in the link.

There have been a lot of comparisons between you and Katrina Kaif. Some have even said that you look like Katrina Kaif and talk like her when she had started off in Bollywood. Do you agree? What do you feel about the comparisons?
How can I talk or sound like her when she has a British accent and I have an American accent? That’s funny. I think it’s a compliment that they think we look alike. I find her extremely sexy, so if people think that about me too, that’s awesome. But I don’t really think you can compare any two people…makes no sense to me, because we are all so different and unique and special in our own ways.

There are rumours that you have replaced Deepika and Sonam in certain brand endorse ments. What is the USP behind you bagging contracts worth Rs 9 crore even before your film released?
= I don’t know about replacing people, but yes, I have had the honour of being associated with some fantastic brands. I am just happy that they think I am a good fit for their brand. You’ll have to ask them about the USP, because for a brand it is important to find someone that stands for what they do, and someone who can take them forward.

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What’s in store for Aamir and Kiran’s baby?

It looks like B'wood's newest star kid is not going to have it easy

The proud and happy new parents

Astro-numerologist Bhavikk Sangghvi predicts what numbers have in store for Aamir and Kiran’s newborn baby boy. As he was born on December 1st, he is a Number 1 in numerology and will, therefore, much like his dad, have a strong personality and be a leader. In fact, he may even turn out to be arrogant and short tempered!

The little tot's life will not be a bed of roses; he will have his fair share of ups and downs in his life. However, there is nothing to fear really as, if he wears a blue Sapphire, his problems will be ironed out.

Aamir and Kiran's little bundle of joy is destined to be a mama’s boy. Dad Aamir and him may have some ego-ridden issues but there is, again, nothing to worry about as these problems can be easily resolved.

Here's wishing Aamir and Kiran all the best for their new life together!

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Talk of Marriage with Bhajji hampers my career Geeta Basra

That actress Geeta Basra is in a relationship with cricketer Harbhajan Singh is a given. But the engagement-marriage rumours are not only wrong, they are also infuriating to the actress who’s trying to build a career for herself.

Says Geeta indignantly, “He is a dear friend. Look, everyone in this industry has a personal life. I am not saying I am single or not single.

Beyond that, whether we are getting married or not…I am not getting into all that. I am here to work really hard. And it hurts to hear my hard work being trivialized by such rumours.

I’ve shot a terrific item song for Zilla Parishad. Rumours of an engagement or marriage at this juncture would definitely harm my career. There is no shaadi on the anvil.

Such talk will take my career ten steps backwards. I can’t afford that. I’ve just regained lost ground.

When producers hear such rumours they will obviously say, ‘Isski to shaadi hone wali hai. ’ I’ve been hearing such talk for three years. How come I’m not married yet? I am young and I want to make my career. Such rumours do impact my career. ”

Reacting sharply to the latest engagement rumours Geeta says, “I’ve been getting updates about my private life in the papers. Now they’re even drawingup a list of the guests. Let me set the record straight.

He (Harbhajan Singh) is my very good friend. But we aren’t getting engaged or married. My personal life is my personal life. No way am I going to use it to stay in the news. ”

Refuting the January-engagement rumours Geeta says, “I am not getting engaged. Maybe he (Harbhajan Singh) is. You’ve to ask him. Forget enagagement or marriage, I am starting a new movie in January.

Let January come, and the world will know. Why do I need to say anything. As per reports, Itni baar hamari breakup aur shaadi ho chuki hai. I feel there’s no need to clarify anything. ”

Shockingly Geeta’s last release was The Train in 2007. She is making a comeback with a sizzling item song with Sanjay Dutt in Zilla Ghaziabad and the last thing she needs are those annoying rumours of getting legally attached to her cricketer-friend.

She admits she has waited long to sign a new film. “Three years is a very long time in the entertainment industry. But it was a conscious decision. I had so many offers. It was very hard to turn them down.

You can’t imagine the number of films I’ve turned down in the last three years including Golmaal Returns. Even the money was good.

Everyone kept advising me, ‘Geeta, you’ve to be seen’. But I knew what I wanted. I had to wait. And I had no godfather to guide me. ”

All Geeta has done in three years is a music video with Rahet Fateh Ali Khan. “I’m also continued doing a lot of events. So I haven’t been sitting idle. ”

Now she is not in the mood of denying it. Nor is she ready to go public about the relationship.

“Who is giving these reports on my engagement and marriage?It isn’t funny. I’ve waited three years for my career to move forward. And now when things are finally happening the last thing I need is brakes being applied through such false rumours. ”

Geeta gets charged up at talking about her item song. “I love dancing. I always wanted to an item song like Madhuri Dixit’s Ek do teen. In fact I came down from London to Mumbai because I was inspired by Madhuri.

I wanted at least five days to rehearse. But there was no time. I had to virtually get ready in a day. Luckily my choreographer Remo d’Souza is so calm.

It’s so difficult to perform an item song. I don’t know how Madhuri made it look so effortless. ”

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Is this morphed too, Veena Malik?

Veena Malik's controversial shoot has created quite a stir across the border. Mahesh Bhatt had called her and advised her to send a legal notice to all those if she believes that she has been victimized. Hours after this conversation, late on Sunday night, Veena sent a legal notice Maxposure Corporate Media (India) Private Limited, Kabeer Sharma (Chief Editor, FHM Magazine) and photographer Vishal Saxena, where she asked her offenders to pay 10 crore as monetary damages caused. 

In her notice, Veena has stated that she has been "materially misrepresented", "deceived" and "induced to take a photo shoot". She has asked her offenders to cease and desist from continuing with the publication and circulation of her nude photo images in the issue of your magazine FHM December 2011, withdraw the circulation of her nude photograph from the internet site and/or withdraw the circulation of physical copies of the publication of the forthcoming issue FHM, December, 2011, from the market and to pay her a sum of 10,00,00,000/- (Rupees 10 crores only) as and by way of monetary damages caused to her by the illegal act, within a period of 24 hours from the receipt of the notice. Veena's notice claims that she had agreed to shoot four images for the magazine. The first image would be of her wearing a shorts and tee shirt and boots. The second would have her wearing fur coat upto thighs and boots. The third would have her wearing hot pants and broad big belt and that the upper portion of her body would be covered with her hands and an ISI tattoo on her hand. The fourth would have an image with a tattoo of "ISI" appearing on one hand. The actor has claimed that she was assured that no nude photograph of hers would be shot on November 23 at Versova's Aram Nagar and that if any alleged video is shown or published with her nude pictures or frames, the same is a product of being digitally tampered.

Meanwhile, the twist in the tale comes in the form of some nude photos allegedly of Veena that are in circulation online for sometime now. The photos have been uploaded on a blog way back on November 30, 2010, and has people commenting on the shoot too. Bhatt, who saw the nude photos online on Sunday night, said, "A correspondent from Jung told me: "Why are you believing what Veena is telling you? She has posed in the nude earlier here in Pakistan." My reply was: "I am doing this because I don't prejudge people. Let the experts give their verdict. Why is everybody in a hurry to hang her? I am not shocked by her nude images on the Net."

While Veena was busy with a film shoot in Mumbai, her spokesperson, Pratiek Mehta, said, "Veena has never done a nude shoot. I have not seen those photos. If these exist, they are morphed too. We will later decide on what action we want to take against those morphed photos."

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Akshay ends 2011 on a decent note with 'Desi Boyz'

After a decent weekend, 'Desi Boyz' just about managed to hang on for the rest of the week. Though there wasn't any spectacular growth that could have turned around the fortunes of this Akshay Kumar and John Abraham starrer, there wasn't any crash either which meant that the film found itself in a respectable zone at the least.

First week total of this Rohit Dhawan directed film reads a decent 40 crores. This is much better than what Akshay's last few films (barring 'Tees Maar Khan') have done in their first week, what with 'Thank You', 'Patiala House', 'Action Replayy' and 'Khatta Meetha' being left behind. From the preception perspective though this is one film which has fetched most appreciation for itself as well as Akshay. Those who watched the film had good things to say about it as well but surprisingly that didn't reflect in the theatre footfalls. On satellite and home video though the film is all set to enjoy many re-runs for itself.

Though till a week ago it was a given that the film would cross the 50 crore mark, lack of growth over the weekdays coupled with the bumper opening of 'The Dirty Picture' means that the film would end up missing that milestone. An average earner, it has still ended the year on a reasonably good note for Akshay who is now all set for a much better 2012 ahead with 'Housefull 2' and 'Rowdy Rathore' carrying immense hype.

Another release of the week, 'Dam 999', has turned out to be a disaster at the box office and struggled to complete even a week at the box office. With negligible collections to talk about, this would now be least grossing 3D film of all times.

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Paula Patton wants to work with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Hollywood actress Paula Patton, who would be seen in the Tom Cruise starrer upcoming film Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, says, she would love to work with Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan. "I love Aishwarya Rai and would love to work with her. She is really a good-looking woman and a good actress," Paula said.

Paula was present at the Imax Wadala Multiplex, along with the film's lead actor Tom Cruise to promote the upcoming film in India. Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, who plays a role in the film, was also present on the occasion.

Paula also praised Anil Kapoor, describing him as a "very good actor".

"India is a huge market. Indian movies are accepted by audiences almost everywhere. There are lots of fans for Bollywood movies abroad. The industry over here is doing pretty good," Paula told reporters here.

"India is a spiritual place. The people over here are heartwarming. I would love to come here again," she said.

Paula would be seen essaying the role of a secret agent - Jane Carter alongside Tom in the film.

"Tom is a great actor and a producer. He is inspirational. I have always loved him and the 'Mission Impossible' series. It is dream come true for me," she said.

The film releases in India on December 16.

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Kareena Kapoor is the highest paid actress in Bollywood

For those who like to track figures, Kareena Kapoor's may be worth watching. After a long time, a Bollywood heroine has managed to break the glass ceiling. Kareena will get a share in profits from her forthcoming film, Heroine. This makes her a part of the exclusive club of superstars who earn big through film rights.

Kareena, on her part, is playing it down. "Such arrangements depend on the project as well as the actress," she told Sunday Times. "The way the economics of Heroine has been chalked out, one does not really know. But for the budget at which it has been planned, I am being paid pretty well. There is going to be profit sharing as well, in some way."

Trade analysts are not surprised that Kareena is the one who managed to pull this off. Her box-office track record has been impressive. She is, after all, the only heroine who boasts of four hits that have grossed over Rs 100 crore each recently.

But the question that everyone (especially, the other heroines) is asking is whether Kareena's arrangement can set off a trend in B-town? Distributor-producer Shyam Shroff, who has made films like Chandni Bar, categorically says that the concept won't work in India. The Kareena-Heroine deal is an exception, not the norm, he feels. "Pick up any of the five biggest grossers in the last five years and then check the contribution made by the female leads in those movies," he says. Another factor that may go against profit-sharing is Bollywood's notorious lack of transparency. "The way business is conducted here, it is better to get your remuneration upfront rather than wait for future sharings," Shroff adds.

In the last few years, heroines have managed to break the Rs one-crore mark. So, while the Khans command five to six times the price, the top-rung heroines are supposed to be content with Rs 1.5 to 2 crore as their paycheck. Kareena, currently one of the highest paid heroines in the film industry, only earns half of what her cousin Ranbir earns per film. It's not as if Bollywood has not had its share of mega-heroines ' women for whom temples have been built and roles specially scripted. Rikku Rakeshnath, who was Madhuri Dixit's manager, points out that there were several films in which Madhuri was paid more than the hero. "Even today, she is getting a comfortable price," he says.

Yet, producers today don't hesitate to replace even topmost actresses. A leading film critic recalls when Aishwarya Rai had asked for a crore for 10 days of shoot in Mangal Pandey. "The producer refused to pay her the price. Instead, he gave the role to Amisha Patel."

Many also feel that today's heroines don't really deserve the money they demand. "Can any of the present heroines draw a full house on day one? I am all admiration for Kareena, but even she needs to pair up with SRK, Salman or Aamir to be called successful," says veteran film writer and author Udaya Tara Nayar.

On their part, New Age heroines are willing to try out "difficult" roles to justify their price. Katrina not only worked on her language delivery, but accepted an unconventional role in Raajneeti. Priyanka Chopra took a huge risk in doing a film like 7 Khoon Maaf. Kareena, who has done films like Chameli, is all set to play a schizophrenic actress in Heroine.

And now there are reports that Vidya Balan has hiked her price and demanded more than her next film's leading man, Farhan Akhtar. Trade Analyst Amod Mehra thinks it makes sense. "Vidya is one heroine who does not require a hero. She is the hero of the film. Be it Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica and now The Dirty Picture. She is certainly in a position to ask for a hike and I can easily call her the female Aamir Khan of the industry."

Vidya herself feels that women-centric films have started doing well at the box office and it's time heroines get their share of the pie. "Actresses need to take charge and ask more from producers. However, total accountability is also required."

Still, when comparisons are made with Hollywood, our desi beauties are way behind. As Kareena points out, "Angelina's (Jolie) price is more than the business of a top earning film in Bollywood."

But brand endorsements and ads have emerged as a lucrative space for actresses. In most cases, heroines earn more from endorsements than films. Today, Katrina, Kareena, Deepika and Priyanka command a premium in the brand world. Leading photographer Atul Kasbekar has a point when he says, "It's a good time to be a successful actress in B-town."

 

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Kolaveri Di’s’ Super Surprise!

Ranjnikanth is set to jazz up his son-in-law Dhanush's song

South Indian Superstar, Rajnikanth, soon to be in the movie '3'

The super hit song ‘Kolaveri Di’ is going to be spiced up even more! Sources report that South Indian superstar, Rajnikanth, will feature in the song as well as the movie ‘3’.

Apparently the 61-year-old veteran actor was persuaded by his daughter, Aishwarya, who is the director of the movie, and his son-in-law, Dhanush (who has sung the song), to face the camera for ‘3’.

Despite his health problems that started during the shooting of his upcoming movie ‘Rana’ co-starring Deepika Padukone, the actor agreed to please his family.

Rumor has it that shooting for the song ‘Kolaveri Di’ will begin sometime this month (December 2011). In keeping with the title of the movie or for what may even seem like superstitious reasons, three music videos are likely to be shot for the hit song.

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