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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Ben Kingsley to play Shah Jahan to Aishwarya’s Mumtaz

Actor Ben Kingsley, who won an Oscar for playing Mahatma Gandhi 27 years ago, is back in India.

The actor plans to play Mughal emperor Shah Jahan with Aishwarya Rai as Mumtaz Mahal in the period film Taj.

Kingsley, 65, last worked with Aishwarya, 34, in The Last Legion in 2007.

The actor said his wife Daniela Barbosa de Carneiro would play Shah Jahan’s first wife Kandahari Begum.

Aishwarya told reporters: “During the shooting of The Last Legion, (Kingsley) had shared the idea with me. I have just received the draft of the script and now we are planning to take it forward.”

Kingsley said the focus of the film would be the building of the Taj Mahal and the isolation and loneliness of the man (Shah Jahan) who built it. “All of this is held together by love and the power of love, which transcends the prison cell and even death,” Kingsley said.

The actor plans to start shooting in India from the autumn of 2010. “I am looking for Indian producers and finances for the film,” he said.

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Highest paid Bollywood actresses

5. Bipasha Basu: This dusky beauty has certainly cemented her position as an A-list actress. With several hits to her name in different genres, she is quite a popular choice for producers. Bipasha charges about 2 crores.

 

4. Katrina Kaif: This beautiful lady has back to back hit to her name. So what if she isn’t exactly known for her acting and can’t speak Hindi properly? She takes in about 3 crores a movie.


 
3. Kareena Kapoor: She won over our hearts with Jab We Met and shocked us with Tashan, but this bundle of talent is surely a force to be reckoned. Though many hits to her name, she charges a modest amount of 3.5 to 4 crores.



2. Priyanka Chopra: Dostana and Fashion happened. And then life changed for her. She has gathered quite a lot of fan following, and is very popular. She has hiked her price to about 5 crores after her successful films.

 

1. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Though not on the scene for quite a long time, this green eyed actress demands quite a high price. The Bachchan bahurani did burn her hands in Hollywood, with films like Mistress of Spice to her credit, but she has hiked her fees to about 6 crores. If she manages to do a Jodhaa Akbar, then it should be fine. Otherwise 6 crores for an Umraao Jaan or The Last Legion does seem a bit extravagant.

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Aishwarya Rai Barbie Doll set to hit the stores

As the Barbie doll completes its 50th year, Mattel Toys has decided to launch a Barbie doll based on the looks of beautiful Aishwarya Bachchan. The actress is said to have been approached by the makers, a couple of months back. But Aishwarya Wanted to be sure about the entire look of the doll.“Aishwarya is quite happy and thrilled that she had been approached for this honour. But she is very particular about her image and therefore didn’t want the doll to look anything that she wasn’t comfortable with,” reveals our source.

Further the source also adds that the early reports of the doll have been Good and so Mattel Toys is now planning to speed up production and distribute the dolls within India and internationally in countries like United Kingdom and Dubai where Bollywood has a strong fan following, especially Aishwarya Bachchan’s fans.

About Aishwarya's look our source said, ” Aishwarya's Barbie will be very close to the real life superstar and will come complete with Aishwarya’s green eyes and her designer outfits. In fact leading designers have been approached to create both Indian and Western outfits to go with the Aishwarya Barbie.

With the Aishwarya Barbie Doll all set to hit our shops, the actress will join the ranks of Hollywood divas like Beyoncé Knowles, Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Ross, who have all had their own limited edition celebrity Barbies.

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Ravana story leaked?

If my trusted aides are to be believed, the much guarded plot of Mani Ratnam's Abhishek – Aishwarya starrer bilingual Ravana is doing the rounds already!

The story of the film goes like this: Abhishek Bachchan's sister gets publicly humiliated by the character played by South star Vikram.

An angry Abhishek seeks revenge and storms into Vikram’s house. But he doesn't find him there. Wanting to teach him a lesson, Abhishek kidnaps Vikram's wife played by Aishwarya Rai. Chased by the police, Abhishek hides in the nearby jungle. And guess what? Both of Abhi-Ash end up falling in love.

What follows next forms the rest of the film. Ravana is supposedly a modern day take on the Ramayana with Abhishek playing the title role. But it's Abhi-Ash's love affair that brings in the twist in the tale. Mani's wife Suhasini makes her Bollywood debut with Ravana.

According to grapevine Govinda's character is a take on Hanuman from Ramayana who aides Vikram to reach Abhishek.

Ravi Kissen plays Abhishek's trusted aide while Nikhil Dwivedi plays a cop. The film in its Tamil version will be called Ashokavanam with Prithviraj Sukumar playing Abhishek's role.

Actress-dancer Shobana has done the choreography.
source : IBN LIVE

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Ash and Rajini's romance in a Benz?

Shooting for the Rajinikanth-Aishwarya Rai starrer Endhiran, which was on at Vellore, is all set to shift soon to Kulu Manali. It is believed that director Shankar has incorporated a few romantic scenes between the duo which is sure to set the screens sizzling. One of the scenes to be shot in Kulu Manali will be one such, the lead pair romancing in a car! For his scene, it is believed that a top model Benz car has been purchased, and the car cost around Rs One Crore! The buzz is that another brand new Merc was blown in an action scene shot earlier! The superstar is playing a double role in the movie, and it is said that he is working out intensely to look young and match up to Aishwarya Rai in the film.

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Aishwarya-Hrithik once again in Bhansali’s next

Mumbai, Nov 11: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and hubby dearest Abhishek Bachchan with their perfect Bachchan mannerisms, have often been touted as the golden couple, but when it comes to business the filmmakers simply choose to ignore this picture perfect couple. And they march ahead to cast the sultry beauty Ash opposite her reel prince charming Hrithik Roshan.

After delivering a smash-hit flick like ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, the gorgeous twosome have once again caught the fancy of yet another acclaimed director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The filmmaker, who faced much flak for his failed close-to-heart project ‘Saawariya’ is all set to make a spectacular return with the ‘it’ couple of filmdom.

But unlike popular belief that the director has bought the two together for his magnum opus project ‘Heera Mandi’, we have learnt that Sanjay has drawn an all-new script for the couple.

A news daily even quoted a source as saying, "Sanjay has been trying to get his Heera Mandi off the ground for a long time. Because of the film's sheer magnitude and the hassles of getting an ensemble cast together for a single shooting schedule, he gave up and began penning his next, a romantic feature, earlier this year."

The film that will hit floor in July this year, will have the director working with Hrithik for the very first time.

Well, here’s hoping that Aishwarya’s reel ‘saawariya’ proves lucky for Sanjay!

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Mani Ratnam's magnum opus 'Ravana' shooting stopped in kerala

Shooting of Mani Ratnam's magnum opus 'Ravana' had to be stopped after the film's crew violated an agreement with the Kerala Forest Department.

The Malayatoor Forest is a well known location for eco-tourism, and is a two-hour drive from Kochi. "They were given sanction to shoot for 20 days in a two month period and we found a violation by the film crew and ordered the shooting to be stopped," said Krishnadev Prasad Sahu of the forest division on the fifth day of the shoot.

The reason for the cancellation was said to be the temporary huts that the crew had constructed in the area.

"As per the rules they cannot erect any structure, these three huts had been constructed by them and that led to the cancellation of the permission," Sahu added.

The reason for constructing the huts according to film's crew was to keep the equipment safe from rain.

The film stars—Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai—who were to arrive in Kochi next week as the schedule was in place before Bachchan senior took ill. Sahu added that permission was unlikely to be granted again to resume the shooting of the bilingual film.

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Bollywood : Find who is the next superstar

Mumbai: If you're curious about what's in and what's out in Bollywood and who is the next superstar in B-town then this 57th issue of Screen India has all the answers.

The results form an all-India survey reveal that when it comes to viewership preferences mindless comedies are a favourite with cinegoers while Romance comes in second followed by Historical and Psychological Thrillers.

And if you've been rooting for Ranbir Kapoor as the next big things in Bollywood then don’t worry he is the strongest contender for the next superstar followed by Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and last but not the least Imran Khan.

THE HOTTEST: The changing face of bollywood. New starts take the lead.

Do Indian filmgoers mind on-screen kissing and Item Numbers- 48% objecting to kissing and raunchy songs while 45% don’t seem to mind it at all.

Moving on to the path breakers -- 28% of those surveyed believe that Aamir Khan represents the changing face of Bollywood, while Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan follow.

But the big surprise here is Katrina Kaif who is leading the among the actresses as the changing face of Bollywood with names like Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor following in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th position respectively.

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Aishwarya Rai on 'Vogue' cover

Aishwarya Rai, may stopped wearing the crown a year after she was declared Miss World 1994 but she continues to rule hearts, in India and abroad, as a symbol of breathtaking beauty and awe inspiring glamour that is quintessentially Indian. Photo Credit: Vogue India

September 25, 2008 (Sawf News) - Aishwarya Rai, may have stopped wearing the crown a year after she was declared Miss World 1994 but she continues to rule hearts, in India and abroad, as a symbol of breathtaking beauty and awe inspiring glamour that is quintessentially Indian.

So it is no surprise that Vogue India chose her to grace their first anniversary issue cover.

The 34-year-old Bollywood star, hailed by many as the most beautiful woman in the world, was photographed by Farrokh Chothia for the October issue of the magazine, dubbed the Glamour issue.

Speaking on her experience shooting for the Glamour issue, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan said, "Glamour is innate - it's an extension of your attitude, your persona. You've got to be yourself. Any veneer you have will crack, eventually. It's got to stand the test of time."

Picking Aishwarya as the cover girl was probably a no brainer for Vogue India Editor, Priya Tanna. When you are looking for the headiest blend of glamour and beauty all GPS systems lead you to wherever Aishwarya is in this world!

"Right from our selection of India's 50 most glamorous women to our exclusive interviews with Marc Jacobs, Shah Rukh Khan and John Galliano, this issue is packed with the world's most glamorous people-people for whom India is inspiring and exciting", says Priya. "Who better to grace the cover of this mega-issue than India's most famous and beautiful face, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who stopped in the middle of her successful Unforgettable tour to shoot her first Vogue cover and talk with us about how glamour has changed her life."

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Aishwarya and Rajini danced at world heritage site for 'Endhiran'

Mumbai, Sept 24: What happens when super-duper star Rajinikanth and world’s most beautiful woman, Aishwarya Rai dance arm-in-arm? Obviously, an unprecedented visual treat! Yes, recently the awesome-twosome shot an amazing dance sequence for their forthcoming film ‘Robot’. The lady was seen wearing ostrich feathers and her Rajini sir was at his stylish best. The spicy song sequence was shot at the UNESCO declared world famous heritage site - Machu Pichhu in Peru and the film went on to become the first ever shot there. Wow!

‘Robot’, one of the most promising movies of 2008, has been in news for more than one reason. Earlier, Shah Rukh had to star in the film but due to 'creative differences' with dirtector Shankar, he opted out. In walked the ‘baap’ of all superstars – the one and only Rajinikanth. After some hussle and tussle between SRK and director Shankar, the film was renamed as Enthiram. Grapevine also has it that Shankar will be shooting for his film in other exotic locales like South America, too.

The film is to be produced by Ayngaran and Eros International. AR Rahman has been roped in for music. This will be the second film for Ash under Shankar's direction after 'Jeans'.








Earlier, in an interview to a news daily, Aishwarya talked in glowing details about the Tamil superstar, “Rajini Sir is such a wonderful human being. He has been so close to the family, too. I am glad and honoured to be working with him."

When asked about heroines getting sidelined in a Rajini film, Aishwarya refuted the claim, "I don't think it's a fair statement. You can't but be fascinated by this phenomenon called Rajini sir. He is so super-fascinating and intriguing to his audience. I don't think it's a deliberate attempt by any director to sideline any actor/character working along with him."

Hubby Abhishek, do we smell something burning? As for us, we can’t help but wait eagerly to see the fascinating pair onscreen!
Tags: aiswarya rai, rajinikanth ,Endhiran ,images, pictutrs, photos, stills leaked,Shooting Report,Peru,Shankar

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Bachchan's "The Unforgettable Tour " in US

New York: The Bachchans wrapped up the North American leg of their ongoing Unforgettable tour with a performance in New York City over the weekend.

Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan along with Madhuri Dixit Nene, spoke about their American experiences before staging their show in New York City over the weekend.

"I'm happy to state that despite all the criticism and the cynicism, we have not changed our style. And I would now like to believe that the very fact that it was criticised has now become the tour's USP which is of course, excellent news to us," said Big B.

"I would also say that we haven't changed our style and that perhaps, the Western audience's taste has changed," he added.

While Big B was glad about moulding the audience into the Bachchan's taste, Abhishek was overwhelmed by the response the tour got.

"If I can speak for everyone, it's really been wonderful because we never expected so many people to know us. We never expected so many people to show up. We really didn't expect this great a response. And it's truly been overwhelming," said Abhishek.

And for Aishwarya the tour was all about bonding.

"I've always referred to the tour as it kind of takes you back to college and summer camp, where we got the opportunity to spend time together, which we don't normally get when we're working on film," she said.

"of course, we do spend time like a family, but then everyday is a morning to night working shift, as making a movie is a tough task," she added.

'The Unforgettable Tour' wrapped its North American tour on August 15 and is now headed to London, Netherlands and Germany.

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Nakshatra Diamonds repalced Aishwarya Rai with Katrina Kaif

It’s the much accepted trend on the B-town that faces get replaced with newer ones and it’s only the gifted ones that remain in people’s mind. But again, it’s the gifted ones who even sometimes replace the old faces in such a way that people don’t try to get back recapping the old ones.

It’s exactly the case that happened with Katrina Kaif and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Well, it’s not a matter with any film that Kat baby has replaced the once most preferable Ash but it’s with a brand endorsement deal that the babes of Bollywood fought for few times and ultimately the green beau Kat has won the cap.

Remember the glitzy ads of Nakshatra Diamonds that showcased Ash at one of her best looks ever but from now on the hapless Ash will no longer be seen with glistening stones endorsed to her beauty.

The latest hook of the B-town, Kat will take Ash’s place for the brand and will soon be seen posing for diamonds.

And to top the cake the in house report reveals that Kat has been offered much a higher amount than what was offered to the Bachchan bahu in the year 2004 while she was signed for the brand.

If that seems winning enough for Kat, you have to hold your heart for even something more exciting. Times back an online poll revealed that Kat is the hottest chick whose pics were downloaded more than what was found with the images of Ash.

Hmmm… it seems like people are forgetting Ash bit by bit. Well, it’s very natural phenomenon with the Bollywood.

And Ash, whether you accept it or not, your days are dwindling enough for pushing you to the edge of career and better you learn to adieu the audience with the remaining prestige. Who can say, Kat will soon take even that chance from you!

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Aishwarya's at Cannes

Aishwarya at Cannes More pics

As she walked down the red carpet at Cannes with Eva Longoria, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan finally proved that she was a pro at the routine, be it Bollywood or Hollywood.

But Ash has taken her time to earn these designer stripes. Her debut at the film festival seven years ago, and for a few consecutive years, was nothing less than a design disaster.

What she wore was the big issue, with the Indian designers throwing up their manicured hands in the air and asking Ash to shape up. And that is what the Bachchan bahu has done, although she took her own sweet time over it. Dressed in a Roberto Cavalli number, she ensured that the petite Longoria – Hollywood A-lister she may be – couldn’t take attention away from her. Here’s the design frat doffing their hats to the beauty and her Cannes bit...

Rocky S: Ash is looking stunning, just like one of the Hollywood actresses who are a pro at the red carpet. She surely has evolved and Ash’s sense of dressing just keeps getting better every year. She is looking at par with Eva Longoria and French actress Rachida Brakni, who walked with her on the red carpet. Her hair is right, her purse is right and I like the fact that she has not used to jewellery to mess up the look. Rating: 9/10

Tarun Tahiliani: She is getting better by the day. As it is, she has a stunning personality and I guess whatever she wears looks good on her. She has had some bad dress days initially at Cannes. While I had liked her ice blue dress she wore last time at Cannes, this is looking fabulous. She needs to keep herself on this track. Rating: 9/10

Narendra Kumar Ahmed: Aishwarya is doing a good job by wearing this dress for the red carpet. I don’t think today you have to proclaim you identity as an Indian by wearing a saree. You can be wearing a western gown and still retain your identity, which is what Ash is doing. I guess she went wrong at Cannes the first few times because even she was new and did not know what worked and what didn’t. Her first few appearances were low on confidence and tentative. But this time, she can stand up to Eva Longoria. I would like to call her the new sex symbol of India now! Rating: 8/10

Anna Singh: Ash is looking stunning and very charming. She is happy and confident within and that is making her look gorgeous. I think she has evolved as a person too. What had not worked for her earlier at Cannes were the last minute preparations. She is more prepared now. Rating: 10/10

Varun Bahl: While Ash is looking stunning, I don’t see her wearing a dress like this in India. And that is because in India, nobody wears clothes like this. Then why experiment abroad for a red carpet? She could have worn a saree instead. It is an inherently Indian dress and she looks great in it.

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First meeting of Abhishek & Aishwarya

Sarkar Raj has a lot going for it. It is Ram Gopal Varma's most anticipated film of the year, Abhishek and Aishwarya's first film together post marriage, and reportedly one of Amitabh's best roles ever.

RGV also had a clear idea on what he wanted from each and every scene. Like, for example, the first scene Abhi-Ash shot after marriage—where their screen characters were meeting for the first time.

The director felt that the sense of newness that the couple was feeling in their relationship (as well as the self consciousness) would translate into great chemistry tempered with doubt on screen. And he certainly got what he wanted.

Sarkar Raj is an intense political drama. A study of power, it explores the politics of development and takes a fresh look at the tradition versus modernity debate.

When Anita Rajan (Aishwarya Rai), CEO of the international company Sheppard Power Plant, brings before the Nagres a power plant proposal for rural Maharashtra, insightful Shankar (Abhishek Bachchan) is quick to realise its benefits for the people. After convincing Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan), who is against it for various reasons, Shankar undertakes a journey with Anita to the villages of Maharashtra to mobilise support.

However, things are not what they seem and Shankar's dream project gradually becomes a political minefield. In this backdrop, evil forces gang up to bring down the regime of Sarkar and obliterate Shankar's name from the political horizon.

Sarkar Raj is definitely not a sequel to Sarkar, but a new story with the same characters. Let's hope RGV won't have any reason to go into hiding after this film hits the screens.

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