Mirch trailer : Something really hot for you

Here is something really hot for you. Mirch has hit the headlines hard and has become a much-hyped film overnight – thanks to its hot and sexy trailer

Yes, the trailer of Mirch is full of lovemaking scenes. The actors are seen kissing, sharing the same bed and even massaging. There is a scene similar to the one in Titanic, but in Mirch, the hero does body paint literally. As if that's not enough, the heroine goes topless in one of the scenes.

Mirch is a celebration of womanhood and deals with gender equality in relationship. It is a sex comedy with lots of wit and intelligence. Directed by Vinay Shukla, it features Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Shahana Goswami, Ila Arun, Shreyas Talpade and others in the lead roles. It is set for release tomorrow, December 3.

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Arvind Swamy - Gayathri divorce settlement for 75 Lakhs

Actor Arvind Swamy and his wife Gayathri Ramamurthy, who had filed for divorce
, appeared before a family court in Chennai on Wednesday (December 1). Reports have claimed that the actor will pay Rs. 75 lakhs as divorce settlement and 1 lakh per month for her monthly maintenance.

After being separated close to seven years, the estranged couple moved the family court in May seeking divorce by mutual consent. After recording evidence on their plea, Principal judge S Meenakshi Sundaram adjourned the hearing to December 10 for further proceedings.

Arvind Swamy and Gayathri Ramamurthy got married in 1994. They have two children, Adhira Swamy (14) and Rudra Swamy (9). It is also said that the children will be in Arvind's custody.

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Dhobi Ghat (Trailer)

Written and directed by Aamir Khan's wife, Kiran Rao, the Aamir Khan produced movie Dhobi Ghat follows four different characters who all live and work in the washer area known as Dhobi Ghat near Mahalaxmi Station on the Western Railway in Mumbai. The washers, who are called dhobis, work with local hotels and hospitals and their job consists of washing clothes in the open air. This 'outdoor laundry' has even become a tourist attraction.

Dhobi Ghat stars Prateik Babbar, Aamir Khan, Monica Dogra and Kriti Malhotra. Aamir Khan plays a painter named Arun, Prateik Babbar portrays Munna, a washer, Kriti Malhotra plays a Muslim girl called Yasmin and Monica Dogra portrays a banker named Shai who is only in India on holiday.

The movie follows these four individuals and shows how their lives are intertwined. "Dhobi Ghat is my homage to Mumbai and its people - people on the trains, in the boats, stuck in traffic, perched on the construction sites, sitting by the sea, thinking of tomorrow," director Kiran Rao told reporters. "What started five years ago as a vague idea is now a 100-minute reality and I am most excited and very nervous," she added.

Shai and Arun meet during the opening of Arun's new art show. They end up sleeping together but in the morning they part ways thinking they will probably never meet again. Munna, a young dhobi whose job it is to wash Shai's clothes, dreams of becoming an actor. He convinces Shai to help him with his portfolio and in return, he promises the banker to show her the real city. They become friends but Munna soon falls in love with Shai.

Dhobi Ghat hits theaters on January 21, 2011. Check out the trailer here and let us know if you think it will be a hit or a miss.

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Shah Rukh Khan's 300 feet jump from building in Berlin for Don 2 (Video)

ShahRukh jumps 300 ft off the Park Inn Hotel for Don 2

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Salman Khan out, Sanjay Dutt in : Dus Ka Dum

Negotiations have fallen through with Salman. He is out of Dus Ka Dum.

Sanjay Dutt whom Salman has acknowledged as his mentor and guru in the past, will step into Salman's place. This would be Dutt's first tryst with television.

So far Dutt has shied away from television arguing that the medium would cramp his style. It was Dutt's good friends the Bachchans who convinced him to go for it.

The Big B whom Dutt considers his mentor and is a pioneer among celluloid stars on television, is at this very moment ready to sign on for another season of Kaun Banega Crorepati with Sony Entertainment even before the current season is half-done.

A source said, "Sanju was in two minds. One look at Amitji's track-record on the home-viewing medium convinced Sanju to go for it."

Negotiations between Salman Khan and the channel have fallen through due to "irreconcilable financial differences". The channel has quietly moved on.

They've zeroed in on what they think would make for an even more interesting host on Dus Ka Dum.

A very reliable and unquestionable source from the channel confirms that discussions with Sanjay Dutt have reached a final stage.

"We've also been in very serious discussions with Anil Kapoor. Neither Sanjay Dutt nor Anil has done television before. That's what places them above Salman Khan in our list of hosts," a source said.

Apparently Anil who played a Kaun Banega Crorepati-styled game-show host in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire was the channel's first choice to host Dus Ka Dum after Salman.

However Anil would be busy shooting for Mission Impossible 4 at the time when Dus Ka Dum is slated to go on air. So Dutt it is.

Apparently the channel is willing to pay Sanjay Dutt a hefty amount of money to get him to do television. But no one is willing to disclose the sum being offered to Dutt.

A channel source said, "We're just happy to have him on board. At any cost."

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The Chronicles of Narnia 3' to release in India ahead of US

The third movie in the 'Chronicles of Narnia' franchise will unspool in India a week prior to its US release.

'The Chronicles of Narnia
: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' is releasing in the US on December 10 but Indian fanswill get to see the movie on December 3.

The 3D film will release with around 800 plus prints and in four languages including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, a statement said.

Hollywood films are usually released in India either on the same day or a few days, even months after its release in the US but considering the huge popularity of the movie here, Fox Star Studios decided to release it in India first.

"We are delighted to offer our Narnia fans this unique opportunity and that too in 3D and multiple Indian languages.

It's great entertainment which will appeal to a wide cross-section of demographics across the country," said Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios India.

Based on C S Lewis fantasy novels, the film trace the adventure of four children -- Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, who are transported in the magic land of Narnia after finding a secret wardrobe in Professor Digory Kirke.

Their time in Narnia leads to a series of adventures as they help talking lion king Aslan in his fight against evil.

In 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader', the children return to Narnia and join prince Caspian's voyage to find the seven lords who were banished when his evil uncle Miraz took over the throne.

The two other films in the series were 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' and 'Prince Caspian' released in 2005 and 2008 respectively.

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Salman Khan has pledged to donate his bone marrow

Khan urged people to donate their bone marrow to save lives.

"It's simple to donate bone marrow. You don't have to spend money for it. I think everybody should go and donate bone marrow," said Khan.

Bone marrow is used for transplants that are life saving for patients suffering from blood cancer, thalassemia, aplastic anemia, congenital immuno-deficiency states and other such blood related diseases.

"Do it for yourself. God forbids if you ever require bone marrow, then people who think like you will also donate bone marrow for you. So, it will be easy for you to find one," said Khan.

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Miss World in nude photo scandal

It's not for the first time that a beauty queen is embroiled in a nude photo controversy. A nude picture of the recently crowned Miss World 2010, Alexandria Mills has emerged that was apparently taken in her bathroom. The 18-year-old took a nude photograph of herself over the summer, taken in what
related stories

appears to be her bathroom, and sent it to her boyfriend at the time, RadarOnline.com finds out.

RadarOnline.com has seen and verified the authenticity of the photo.

Miss World 2010 Alexandria Mills is the first woman from the United States to ever win the title. She beat out 115 other competitors.

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Veena Malik smooch co-inmate in Bigg Boss 4

Veena Malik who's grabbing headlines for her flirty ways on Bigg Boss has been caught smooching one of her co-inmates on Bigg Boss. But it seems, the footage would be edited before presenting it to the audience.
Buzz has it that a hidden camera has captured shocking footage
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of Veena and a male inmate getting ‘touchy and feely’ before going completely overboard with their passionate displays, reports spicezee.

The footage is of two minutes, where the duo can be seen sharing a passionate smooch and fondling each other, oblivious of everything around them.

Veena MalikThere is a strong buzz that the complete footage would not be presented on the show as it's too explicit to be shown on television.

We wonder if it's Ashmit Patel who's keen on another MMS scandal, or Hrishant who's Veena's latest crush on show.

Veena Malik's controversies
* Her entrance in the Bigg Boss created a furore, when Shiv Sena protested against participation of Pakistani artistes in the show.

* Veena was caught getting cosy with co-inmate Ashmit Patel.

* Soon after, Veena Malik declared her crush for another co-inmate Hrishant Goswami.

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Salman-John cold war end

The ice seems to have melted between Bollywood actors John Abraham and Salman Khan after four years of avoiding one another. The misunderstandings that had risen between the two muscle men in a stage show met its end at the sets of Desi Boyz.

During a shooting of the movie in Mehboob Studios, Salman dropped in to see Akshay Kumar and the other actors, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Chitrangada Singh and Sanjay Dutt, who were also present. On spotting John he went up to him and hugged him. They were also seen to have lunch together.

So now there is one less foe in Salman Khan’s list. Let’s just hope that the other issues too can be resolved as amicably.

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Pamela Anderson to enter Bigg Boss 4

The rumour of Pamela Anderson entering the Bigg Boss house has been put to rest as this time the news is much more concrete. The Baywatch star is all set to enter the Bigg Boss' house and spice up the show.

A week before Bigg Boss season 4 went on air; there was a strong buzz about Pamela Anderson making an entry in the Bigg Boss house. However, the news faded away as there was no sight of her after the show started.

Our source from the channel says, "Initially, Pamela had some disagreements over the amount of money offered to her. That’s the reason there was a delay in signing the deal. However, the channel locked the deal last week."
The source continues, “The Hollywood babe will be arriving in India on Monday morning. A press conference will be held on Tuesday and she will enter the house on Wednesday. This particular episode of her entry will be aired on Thursday.”Pamela has a huge fan following among Indian men and it would be a delight to watch her mingle with other housemates. Dolly has had a verbal spat with almost all the housemates and only time will tell if she picks up a fight with the Hollywood actress too.

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Emraan Hashmi to act in 'XXX' movie

Unfazed with the dismal box office results of their recent release Crook, the Bhatts are back with another film. They have brought on board director Kunal Deshmukh, of Tum Mile fame, for his third venture with them.

Tentatively called XXX, it has three stories on sex and crime. Sounds familiar? But the Bhatts refute any similarity to Love, Sex Aur Dhokha . "It is a bold concept and explores the city culture," says Kunal. It isn't clear if Emraan Hashmi will act in the film, but it would be a shame if he missed out on a film right up his alley.

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Mallika Sherawat kiss with snake in Hisss

Bollywood bombshell Mallika Sherawat, known for her bold persona both on screen and off it, locks lips with a snake in her upcoming film 'Hisss' and says that it was her best kiss till date.

"I had to kiss a snake. It was a rainy scene and I had to shoot the sequence with the snake. And believe me that was my best on-screen kiss till date," Mallika told PTI. The actress essays the role of a nagin, (a snake woman) in 'Hisss' that hit screens tomorrow. "This film most certainly will be hotter and bolder than my previous films," Mallika said, adding, audiences can expect more from 'Hisss' as it "surpasses 'Murder' and 'Khawish' in terms of oomph." Directed by Jennifer Lynch, the film also features Irrfan Khan and Divya Dutta in key roles. Mallika, who is busy promoting 'Hisss', admitted that, her brother objected to her nude scenes in the film. "I know what I am doing..It is my job after all," she said. The actress went on to say, "'Hisss' is the first nagin film after a long break of over 20 years. It is indeed the sexiest and also the scariest."My movie is quite different from the previous naagin movies. It is a modern day naagin film replete with special effects, sound and graphics. You can see the transformation from a snake into human and from human to a snake," she said. About her character, the actress said, "I play the role of a naagin, whose mate has been captured and she is out seeking revenge from the culprits."Mallika feels 'Hisss' is going to be a hit abroad because of foreigner's fascination with Indian mythology. "I think the film will be a great hit abroad as 'naagin' is known to be the "fertility goddess" and people are very fascinated with the mythological stories from India," she said.

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Twins for Sanjay Dutt and Manyata

Actor Sanjay Dutt and his wife Manyata Dutt today became proud parents of twins.

Manyata delivered the babies, a boy and a girl, at the Breach Candy hospital here this afternoon, the actor's aide said. Sanju 'baba' was present, he added. Manyata was recently seen at the 'Mata Ki Chowki', function held in the Dutt household, telling those gathered that the twins were all set to put their small feet into the world.

Sanjay Dutt has a daughter Trishala with his first wife Richa Sharma. Trishala lives in the US and has just received her graduation certificate.

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Katy Perry and British - Russell Brand Indian Wedding This Saturday In Jaipur

American pop star Katy Perry and British comedian Russell Brand have arrived in India. The couple, and their guests, are in Rajasthan for their Indian-themed wedding, which will span six days, before culminating in a final ceremony on Saturday. Perry and Brand were spotted at the London airport on Tuesday, before boarding a flight to India. Perry sported a gold nose ring, traditionally worn by Indian brides. The two are currently staying at the wedding venue, the Aman-I-Khas resort, near Ranthambor National Park. On Wednesday morning, Perry pleaded privacy on her Twitter account. “Greatest gift u can give us is respect and love during this private time (sic),” she wrote.

However, it has done little to curb media enthusiasm. Everything from her wedding dress to the rituals, are being scrutinised internationally. Her wedding dress is being designed by Lebanese fashion designer Reem Reem Acra, who has dressed Catherine Zeta Jones and Angelina Jolie in the past. Indian designers Falguni and Shane Peacock are also working on her trousseau. “We are in touch with Katy’s stylist and manager; we’re still finalising the details,” said Falguni. Indian jewellery designer Hanut Singh has made the engagement rings for the couple. “I helped design the rings,” he says.

“Brand will produce a box of red wedding bangles, which he will wash in milk and then place on Perry’s wrists. Afterwards, there will be a band and fireworks,” reported British tabloid Daily Mail. The paper also quoted rap singer P Diddy saying that he will sing at the reception. Besides Rihanna and P Diddy, the guest list includes TV show host Jonathan Ross, Little Britain star David Williams and supermodel Lara Stone.

Katy’s wild bachelorette party
International pop star Rihanna took her role as Katy Perry’s bridesmaid rather seriously. The singer recently hosted a wild bachelorette party for Perry in Las Vegas, along with a few close friends. Celebrity blog, Just Jared, reported that Perry cut an erotic-themed cake that read, ‘C-t Gratulations’. The two stars then attended a Cirque Du Soleil performance before heading to a nightclub and then to a strip bar, where Perry reportedly got a lap dance.

Married, already?
Amid the hype about their upcoming wedding, some reports suggest that Perry and Brand may have already tied the knot. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Brand was spotted in London wearing a wedding band on his left ring finger. Rumours are further fanned by the fact that Perry, in an interview in June, had said that she was already married. Their spokespersons have kept mum on the matter.

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Akshay Kumar injured

Akshay Kumar's stint as a deejay at a suburban club in Mumbai on Saturday night nearly ended in disaster. The star who was out to have fun at the club playing his favourite songs from the 1970s, ended up with injuries in his arms legs and back.

Mob fury beat down on Akshay, his co-star Aditya Roy Kapoor and director Vipul Shah when youngsters were not allowed to enter the jam-packed club. They vented their fury on the club-lobby, shattering the glass cases and breaking the furniture as Akshay and his team tried to make their get-away from the back entrance.


But to no avail. There were people jamming the backdoor too. Akshay, Vipul and Aditya had no choice but to push their way through the relatively smaller melee at the backdoor. In the bustle Akshay was injured.

Shudders Vipul, "It was a nightmare. It took us a good half an hour to make our way from the back entrance to Akshay's car. By then the damage was done."

Akshay has forbidden his colleagues who were with him on Saturday evening from talking about his injuries.

"Achcha nahin lagta. They were well-meaning fans," Akshay reasons.

To recap to Saturday evening, Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Bachchan were supposed to act as deejays on Saturday night at the club Polyster. Aishwarya couldn't make it. So Akshay braved the club armed with his favourite 1970s tracks including John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever, 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' (Aap Ki Kasam), 'La Bamba' and 'Tum Kya Jaano' (Hum Kissise Kam Nahin).

Akshay was supposed to zip into the club, spend 20 minutes DJing and leave quickly before the crowds started swelling. He was in the club as part of a promotion for his new film Action Replayy.

But Akshay got greedy.

Says Vipul, "Akshay really began enjoying himself. Instead of 20 minutes, he stayed a good 45 minutes. By then the word had spread around the club that Akshay Kumar was the deejay of the evening. The club could hold around 400 people. We expected an additional 500 people."

Within half an hour the crowd increased, with people trying to get into the Club.

Shudders Vipul, "The door of the club had to be shut. Those who couldn't get in got restless and angry. They started breaking all the glass and furniture. We fled through the backdoor. But not before facing the mob at the back entrance."

Looking back Vipul sighs, "Thank God Aishwarya couldn't make it. I can't begin to imagine what would've happened if she was present."

Says Akshay, "Hota hai. It was good fun. I got to play my favourite John Travolta track. It's a pity my event with John didn't materialize. I was out of town when he was in Mumbai. And when I returned he had left Mumbai."

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I'm in love with Nayanthara: Prabhu Deva

Finally, Prabhu Deva has confessed about his love for Nayanthara. The shy and reticent actor-cum-director, who is in Malsej Ghaj shooting for Santosh Sivan’s Urumi , said, “As far as Nayanthara is concerned, she is special. Yes I am in love with Nayanthara and we will be getting married soon. It’s a personal decision and I don’t like to talk about it to the media. Basically I’m not comfortable opening my heart out to the media.” The grapevine has it that he is sending across signals about his forthcoming marriage which should take place before the year is out.

For the last two years, they have been in love but even after the actress tattooed his name on her wrist, Prabhu kept a studied silence. Now, for the first time, he has confessed his love for Nayan.

Prabhu is not keen that she continue with her career and says, “Nayan, very contrary to the glam image that you see on screen, is a home bird and very simple. Any man who is in love would like to spend more time with his woman. I am no different and there is no meaning in both of us being busy and having no time for each other. She had a beautiful innings and I know very well that she is a top actress who is much in demand. She has stood by me in my difficult times and her support was like an oasis in the desert.”

Meanwhile, sources close to Nayanthara state that she has decided to quit movies when she is riding a wave, now that her solo heroine film with Arya ( Boss Engira Baskaran ) has taken the year’s best ever opening at the box-office. They confirm that Nayan is preparing to turn housewife and look after Prabhu’s life and career.

All these years, Prabhu has hardly given any interviews, leave alone talk about his love life. The filmmaker first met Nayanthara during the shoot of his Villu and they became close. He was instrumental in making Nayan a better dancer. The buzz is that Prabhu Deva has made his intentions clear now.

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Wasim Akram - Sushmita Sen Affair

Pakistan's former cricket captain Wasim Akram thinks Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen is "pretty" and he would "like to be paired with her" if he ever chose to star in a movie.

In an interview with Pakistani TV channel Samaa, Wasim answered a wide range of questions about his personal life, cricket career and life after cricket in a candid manner.

When asked about Sushmita Sen, he said "she is pretty" and gave a smile, hinting at the much talked-about relationship between him and the Bollywood heartthrob.

The Indian and Pakistani media had been abuzz about Wasim dating Sushmita when both were hosting a dance show on an Indian channel together. Wasim had denied the rumours.

"A second marriage is out of question at the moment," said Wasim, whose wife Huma died of multiple organ failure at a Chennai hospital last year.

He said that he was "a romantic person at heart and would like to take Angelina Jolie for a date if given a chance". "I turned to show-business after leaving cricket because I wanted to try something different," he argued, adding that he is enjoying his new stint "as much as the first one".

"If I get another life, I would like to become Wasim Akram again," he said.

Regarding the Indian Premier League (IPL), the former fast bowler said, "It is quite a bit of fun and sheer entertainment". He said the T20 cricket, is "entertaining but unfortunately (it has) no quality".

Wasim said that he had always made himself available for coaching youngsters but the approach of Pakistan Cricket Borad (PCB) has "never been proper" in this regard. "I would probably prefer to work as manager or chief selector instead of chairman PCB if given an opportunity," he said in response to another query.

"I was offered the coaching job before Waqar Younis but had prior contracts for the next year or so," he revealed.

On his rivalry with Waqar during the hey day of their career, he said "we both were young and wanted to outperform each other. In the end, it was good for the team," he recalled.

The king of swing bowling said that "inclusion in ICC Hall of Fame was the biggest honour for him".

He did not rule out a stint in politics like his mentor Imran Khan but said "it may come after five-ten years when I have weighed myself".

On the current spot-fixing crisis, he said that "PCB and ICC are confused and don't know how to react".

"The authorities should have made it mandatory for the players much earlier to get their agents cleared from ICC," he said, adding, the "real truth regarding the three Pakistan players and the validity of the allegations is yet to surface".

"All this is getting too much to handle and I hope that the air clears soon," he added.

Three Pakistan players - Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir - are currently suspended for their alleged involvement in spot fixing and bowling no-balls after taking bribes from an alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed during the team's recent England tour.

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'A' certificate for Aakrosh

Ajay Devgn starrer Aakrosh is releasing with an 'A' certificate this week but the film's makers are not too worried as they say that the movie is aimed at a mature audience.

"Aakrosh wasn't designed as a kiddie flick in any case. This is a dramatic affair and inspired by true events that have been rocking the nation for a few years now. Honour killing is a serious issue and we want the adults in the country to wake up to this fact," producer Kumar Mangat told PTI.

When this Priyadarshan-directed film was presented before the Censor board, a huge list of cuts were suggested since the it makes a direct reference to honour killings and also carries a strong undertone of religion and political violence coupled with raw language.

"They wanted us to make more than a dozen odd cuts due to these factors. If we would have consented to that, Aakrosh would have got a U/A certificate," said Mangat.

"However, we couldn't agree on this. If we would have introduced those cuts, the core essence of the film would have been lost. The purpose of making this film was to expose the harsh reality of our society rather than delivering a sugar coated feel good message," he added.

The producer says that although the 'A' certificate is not desirable, but he is happy that they didn't have to compromise on the flavour of the film.

"It was not the best case scenario but still, given the circumstances, it is okay. Now there are only 3-4 cuts in the film but we are happy that we didn't have to compromise with the flavour. Omkara too was given an 'A' certificate but the film was a success and is hailed as a cult film. Such films
find their target audience so I am not worried," he said.

"With this film, we are happy to making our small contribution to the society. If Aakrosh can ruffle a few feathers and make our responsible society wake up to the atrocities being committed by some nefarious elements in this world, I would feel that it was worth it to make the film", said Mangat.

Aakrosh stars Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Paresh Rawal in principal roles with Reema Sen and Amita Pathak as strong supporting characters. Sameera Reddy and Urvashi Sharma have also been roped in for special item numbers that have been put to tune by Pritam. The film releases all over on October

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Phoonk 2 - Review

Ramgopal Varma's love for horror and supernatural continues. This time, in Phoonk 2, the team behind Phoonk promise more chills, more thrills and more screams. But what you get to hear at the end of the screening is a moan, since Phoonk 2 lacks the chills, thrills and screams that were the mainstay of its first part.

A sequel works if it goes one step ahead of the first part, in terms of content mainly. But Phoonk 2 doesn't take a step forward, but a step backwards. So what's the problem? Let's get into the introspection mode...

The problem is, what does the viewer expect from Phoonk 2? More terrifying and scary moments, right? But Phoonk 2 comes across as one of those usual revenge films, which tries so hard to create an eerie atmosphere, but never succeeds. It's more of a slasher film actually!

The problem is, the pace of Phoonk 2 is excruciatingly slow, which just doesn't work or a horror film. The story unravels at a snail's pace and with hardly any terrifying/eerie moments in those two hours, the film falls flat on its face.

The problem is, Phoonk 2 fails in its writing. The idea is a master stroke and had writer turned director Milind Gadagkar handled it right, Phoonk 2 would've scared the daylights out of you. But the film looks incomplete and the viewer keeps wondering, where did the spirit disappear?

Final word? Phoonk 2 lacks the grip of Phoonk. A complete letdown!

Phoonk ends with the killing of Madhu [Ashwini Kalsekar], the woman who casts a black magic spell on Rajiv's [Sudeep] daughter Raksha [Ahsaas Channa]. PHOONK 2 begins with Madhu's ghost returning from the grave to seek revenge on the family.

Rajiv moves with his family to a new place. Raksha and her brother Rohan begin exploring the new place and the surroundings -- the lonely beach and then the woods behind the house. The terror begins with Raksha and Rohan finding a doll in the woods and then it progresses to a series of highly traumatizing experiences for the whole family.

Manja [Zakir Hussain], the only man whom Rajiv could turn to, meets a gruesome death at the hands of Madhu's ghost. Madhu seeks revenge on Rajiv by torturing his loved ones -- his wife Aarti [Amruta Khanvilkar] and their children, Raksha and Rohan -- in unimaginably cruel ways.

Debutante director Milind Gadagkar uses every trick in the book to make Phoonk 2 work - night shots, secluded bungalow, eerie silence, captivating sound design and zany camera angles. Gadagkar does everything right, but conveniently forgets that any film, irrespective of its genre, works if the story is captivating and moves constantly. In this case, the story just doesn't move in the first hour, except towards the interval point.

The post-interval portions show some movement, but a number of questions remain unanswered. What do Amit Sadh and Neeru see in the jungles that they start running helter-skelter? Also, if the spirit could enter a body [in this case, the wife's], where does it disappear when the wife falls off the terrace towards the end? Ideally, you expect the spirit to come face to face and battle it out with the already cornered Sudeep and his two kids. But the spirit doesn't!

Gadagkar had a brilliant idea, but he fails to translate it well on celluloid. To make matters worse, the film just doesn't scare you one bit. The sound design is right, while the movement of the camera reminds you so much of RGV-directed movies.

Sudeep does a fairly okay job. Amruta Khanvilkar is expressive enough. The kids, Ahsaas and the kid playing her brother - are efficient. Neeru and Amit Sadh don't get much scope. Ashwini Kalsekar is hardly there. Ganesh Yadav, Zakir Hussain and Jeeva make brief appearances. Anu Ansari is okay.

On the whole, Phoonk 2 is a good idea gone horribly wrong. Disappointing!

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Abhishek and Aishwarya to celebrate third anniversary in US

Bollywood star couple Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai are set to ring in their third wedding anniversary Tuesday in the US, according to sources close to the actors. Abhishek's father Amitabh Bachchan on his blog Sunday said that the couple was taking a flight to New York. A source close to the couple told IANS from Mumbai: "The two have gone to an undisclosed destination and will be back in time for the music release of 'Raavan' on April 24." Abhishek too posted on his Twitter page: "...It's Houdini time again. Have managed to abduct the wife. See you all soon." According to another source, the duo have been planning this holiday so that they could spend some time together after keeping busy with their respective shooting schedules. Last year, the actors took out time for a week-long vacation while they were shooting for Mani Ratnam's "Raavan", which is among their most awaited films this year. On their first anniversary, Abhishek was busy shooting in Miami for "Dostana", but wife Aishwarya joined him there. The couple got married in 2007 in a grand wedding ceremony at Bachchan's residence Prateeksha in Mumbai.

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Shahid, Kareena patched up?

Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had hugged and patched up, even Kareena ended her cold war with Aishwarya - it all happened at Karan Johar’s birthday party last year. And Karan is now taking his gift of playing Bollywood peacemaker to the next level.

Last week he played the catalyst, making Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor not only acknowledge each other’s presence but actually strike up a conversation, and a pretty warm one at that.

The venue for this patch up was Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow, Mannat, where King Khan had hosted a celebration for My Name Is Khan.

Says a source, “Shahid and Kareena came face to face and everyone thought they would simply ignore each other like they have on so many occasions in the past. But this time, Karan happened to be present right there and instead of marching past each other, they slowed down for a bit. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

Even after the ice was broken, neither Shahid or Kareena seemed in a rush to get back to more comfortable company. They had a pretty warm exchange and a little later even Saif, who was present at the party, joined them.

“Shahid and Kareena have finally decided to leave their acrimonious past behind them. This was very evident in the manner all three of them - Shahid, Kareena and Saif - interacted with each other at Shah Rukh’s party,” adds our source.

While both Shahid and Kareena could not be reached for comment, Kareena’s official spokesperson said, “Kareena has no problem with anybody, including Shahid.” For the record, Shahid and Kareena, who were in a serious relationship for three years, parted ways in 2007, a few days before Imtiaz Ali’s Jab We Met hit the theatres.

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Amitabh Bachchan demands apology from the media

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is in no mood to forgive and forget daily tabloid Mumbai Mirror for allegedly invading the privacy of his daughter-in-law actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and for claiming that she can't risk pregnancy due to stomach tuberculosis. He has demanded an apology from the newspaper.

"The unprofessional and slanderous nature of this article in such an esteemed and respected newspaper as the Mumbai Mirror is deeply disturbing. It brings the author of this article into disrepute. It brings the editor that published this article into disrepute. It brings this particular newspaper into disrepute. It brings the profession of journalism into disrepute," Amitabh posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com.

"This article is in violation of the journalistic norms of conduct as published by the Press Council of India. Beyond your own disgrace, you have caused grievous distress and harm to the Bachchan family," he added.

The article in question, "Pregnant Pause - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan", was printed in the Thursday edition of the tabloid and alleged that Aishwarya is suffering from contracted tuberculosis of the stomach and as a consequence of this disease and its treatment, she is unable to conceive. The article also said that Amitabh has been pressing the duo for a grandson and was "therefore gender prejudiced".

The 67-year-old has written to Meenal Baghel, the editor of Mumbai Mirror.

He posted: "Due to the illicit nature of this slander, I request a retraction and full apology. The full apology comprises the names of the individual journalist and chief editor, the journalist's and editor's unqualified retraction and refutation of the contents of the article, the apology should be addressed to both Aishwarya Rai Bachchan first and specifically, and also to the Bachchan family in general.

"The apology is to be printed on the first page of the entertainment section of the Mumbai Mirror on the same page, in the same size print, and including the signatures of the aforementioned journalist and editor and an immediate donation of a sum of (amount to be decided by members of my extended family of the blog) to a national charitable foundation of your choosing that supports those who suffer from tuberculosis and an article in your newspaper highlighting its work."

Aishwarya had written to the tabloid Thursday asking for a denial and apology of equal prominence. The retraction was printed in the next edition.

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Akshay Kumar cancels shoot

Akshay Kumar, who is known as being a no-hassles actor and for shooting despite injuries or ailments, recently cancelled a shoot.

Reportedly, the actor was suffering from a sprain in his back that compelled him to cancel the shoot for his own production, Patiala House.

Akki has been shooting non-stop for the Nikhil Advani film at Mehboob Studios. He sprained his back during an action scene.

A source told a tabloid, "Since he performs stunts on his own, it takes a toll on his back. And he's had a back problem for a really long time. The pain wasn't getting any lesser. So, Akshay decided to rest for the day. The doctor advised the actor physiotherapy and adequate rest."

Being the producer, Akshay didn't hesitate to take a break. "No-one else lost money by his cancelling the shoot, so Akshay didn't think twice. He's had a record of working in the industry without ever cancelling a shoot, only because he doesn't like the producer to suffer losses at his expense," the source told the tabloid.

Akshay, however, managed to make it to the Mumbai Marathon yesterday. Well, it seems the actor is all set to be back in action.

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Big B, Kareena bag Stardust Awards

Various artists like Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kiaf set the stage on fire with their performances.

The winners in leading categories

The Stardust ‘Best Film and Director’ 2010 Award went to film “Chintuji” while Preity Zinta bagged ‘Best Actress’ for her film “Videsh”.

Amitabh Bachchan took the ‘Star of the Year’ award for his mind-blowing performance in “Paa” whereas Kareena Kapoor grabbed ‘Star of the Year Female’ for her films “Kurbaan” and “3 Idiots”.

The ‘Stardust Editor's Choice--Director’ award went to Rohit Shetty for his movie"All The Best".

Shahid Kapoor was awarded 'Stardust Editor's Choice-- Best Actor’ award while best editor's choice actress went to Kareena Kapoor for "Kurbaan".

Other categories

Ranbir Kapoor won the ‘Superstar of Tomorrow-Male’ award for his performance in “Wake Up Sid” & “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani”.

Abhimanyu Singh bagged ‘Breakthrough Performance—Male’ award for “Gulaal”. ‘Breakthrough Performance— Female’ award went to Shahana Goswami for “Firaaq”.

“Love Aaj Kal” won the ‘Hottest Film of the Year’. Ayaan Mukherjee got ‘Hottest New Director’ for his film “Wake up Sid”.

The award for ‘Exciting New Face’ went to Jacqueline Fernandez of “Aladdin” fame.

Akshay Kumar won ‘Best Actor – Popular’ award for the movie “Blue” whereas ‘Best Actress – Popular’ female award went to Katrina Kaif for her performance in films “New York”, and “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani”.

At the ceremony Rekha was honoured with ‘Stardust Editor's Choice Icon of the Industry’ award.

Kareena and Saif engaged?

The award rehearsals showed Kareena Kapoor wearing a ring on her left finger. Rumors sparked that the hottie is engaged to hearthrob Saif.

However, when confronted by the reporters actress neither denied nor confirmed anything.

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Salman bowled over by My Name Is Khan

Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan’s ambitious film My Name is Khan is impressing the top notch actors of Bollywood who also happen to be professional as well as personal rivals. Yes, you guessed it right we are talking about SRK and Salman.

Recently, perfectionist Aamir had praised the concept of film after watching its promos and now its Salman who is all praises for the movie even before its release. Salman said, “Shahrukh’s character seems to be much matured from the promos and the subject of the film seems to be very interesting. The movie looks promising from its promos.” Considering the enmity between Salman and Shahrukh since last year, this review from Salman was quite a shocker.

But as they say good work should always be appreciated and after all only an artist knows the true value of another artist.

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Imran Khan gets engaged

Imran Khan got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Avantika Malik at the Malik farmhouse in Karjat on Saturday.

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Salman Khan to auction his paintings

Actor Salman Khan has decided to auction his paintings done on the sets for his dream project 'Veer' for charity.

'Veer', brainchild of the actor, is directed by Anil Sharma and chronicles the story of a Pindari soldier of the 18th century. The film has been scripted by Salman himself.

According to sources close to the actor, Salman would take some time out on the sets of the film to settle down with canvas and brush to indulge in his passion ? painting.

"After wrapping up a shot or sometimes even in between Salman would just get inspired and rush to his canvas and paint. He has completed at least 4 -5 paintings. They have turned out so well that the actor is being encouraged to auction them for a good cause." sources said.

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'Endhiran' will be a surprise: Shankar

Director Shankar, who has been tight-lipped so far about his action-packed sci-fi Tamil film "Endhiran" starring superstar Rajnikant and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, reveals that the movie is almost finished and has lots of surprises in store for the audience.

"'Endhiran' is almost complete. 90 percent of the shooting is over," Shankar wrote on his blog www.directorshankaronline.com.

"I have just finished the action sequences of the film 'Endhiran' in Pune and Lonawala. both the leading artists of the film were present during the shooting," he wrote.

Shankar has also uploaded some of the stills of the film on his blog. This is said to be the first official release of the stills of the movie.

A year ago some pictures taken surreptitiously during the shooting of a song in Peru in South America were released and Shankar had protested, saying it was a pirated work.

Shankar launched the blog Jan 1 in a bid to interact with his fans.

The other sections of the blog that will update fans about the progress on the film have not been activated yet.

"While (his last blockbuster) 'Sivaji' was about black money and corruption, 'Endhiran' is about an andro humanoid robot Prem. The first half of 'Endhiran' is full of surprises. The second half is a roller coaster ride," he wrote.

The director also promises to share information about the making of his magnum opus "Endhiran".

Being made on a budget of Rs.125 crore, the film has hogged the limelight since it was launched. Sun Pictures is producing it.

Shankar, whose "Sivaji" was released on June 15 in 2007, may screen "Endhiran" in April or June this year.

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Genelia denies she’s getting married to Ritesh Deshmukh

Mumbai, January 6 -- Genelia D'Souza is one angry lady nowadays. With rumors of her impending marriage to actor Riteish Deshmukh, the petite actress is now in a clarifying mood saying she is not getting married to anyone for the time being.
Genelia dismissed rumors as untrue

On Tuesday, Genelia communicated that reports of her nuptials were false by making an official statement she was not heading to the altar anytime soon.

She said, "To set the record straight, I am not getting married to anyone. I have always maintained that my personal life is not something I would like to discuss. But this time since it was something that would affect my family, I decided to take a stand.”

The starlet also mentioned that her films and brands are important to her as of now, and she would like to keep it that way.

Genelia's "Chance Pe Dance"
Though the actress is bent on disagreeing, it is believed by industry insiders that Genelia and Ritesh Deshmukh’s romance began on the sets of Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003). Reported in a well-known tabloid, it says the couple is planning to get married this year.

However the Bollywood actress’ reply didn’t say much when she stated that, “"It's rather funny that we have to read about the progress in our lives in the press before we even know it ourselves. I wonder how news like that can be put out without any confirmation from the people whose lives are being discussed."

The actress is now all set for the release of her upcoming filmShahid Kapoor

. Chance Pe Dance will be releasing on Jan 15. Chance Pe Dance where she is paired with

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Sachin likes Big B in Paa

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has received lots of compliments for his performance in Paa and the latest to join the bandwagon is Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar . "Sachin Tendulkar called to personally compliment me on Paa," the 68-year-old posted on his blog. "I was waiting for him to finish his cricket matches with Sri Lanka and then invite him over to see the film at a private screening. But he beat me to it and went to a theatre and saw the film," Amitabh added. Paa that released Dec 4 saw Amitabh playing Auro, a 12-year-old child suffering from progeria, a disease that accelerates ageing. The film was directed by R. Balakrishnan and also starred Vidya Balan and Abhishek Bachchan.

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