Tees Maar Khan is Censor-bored

The Censor Board put the film through a near guillotine with 18 cuts. Director Farah Khan took it to the revising committee and has come out a winner

Tees Maar Khan is censored with a U/A certificate but not before some unwanted hiccups. The film had been given some really uncalled for cuts by the Censor Board committee in Mumbai and Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder had to go to the revising committee to get the certificate for the film. The revising committee passed the film without much debate.

They even asked for the phrase 'Maa ki aankh' to be removed; Golmaal Returns had the same dialogue

Our source said, "Some of the members at the censor board were unreasonable and demanded some unjustified cuts from the film. In fact they even asked the word Sheila to be removed from the song Sheila ki fawani. Some of the other cuts involved scenes where Katrina Kaif's naval wasvisible. They even asked for the

phrase 'Maa ki aankh' to be removed; Golmaal Returns had the same dialogue even in its promos barely a month ago. Some other words like tawaif, etc were also asked to be removed. Farah Khan did not accept these cuts and took the film to the revising committee in Delhi. The committee of seven members saw the film on Thursday and did not find anything so earth-shattering in the film to warrant 18 cuts. The film was passed with only a couple of cuts and a passing certificate will be issued to the film early week."

Pankaja Thakur, Censor executive, said, "We are not giving any statements on Tees Maar Khan till the whole process ends. For us the process is not over yet." Farah and Shirish remained unavailable for comment. Still reeling from the 'maar' at the hands of the Censors, we presume.

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Shiney Ahuja gets judicial custody till July 2

In a relief of sorts for Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja who is facing a rape charge, a Mumbai court Thursday did not extend his police custody and sent him to judicial custody till July 2.
Shiney was arrested Sunday after his teenaged housemaid complained to police that he had raped her. His police custody ended Thursday.

Making a plea for extending his police custody, the police lawyer said it was necessary to carry out further investigations and to prevent the accused from tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.

However, Shiney's lawyer Shrikant Shivade argued that since the investigations were almost completed, there was no need for his further police custody.

Accepting the defendant's contention, the magistrate of the Andheri court sent him to judicial custody.

Shivade later told mediapersons that he would appeal against the court order and seek bail for the accused actor.

The lawyer clarified that Shiney has not made any confession of rape as speculated in a section of the media.

The actor's wife Anupam, who was present in the court, expressed her satisfaction with the court ruling and said: 'Shiney's one step closer home.'

Anupam had put up a spirited defence of her husband Wednesday, telling the media that Shiney was being framed in the rape case as he is a celebrity and a soft target. She, however, declined to name who was behind the frame-up.

Under judicial custody, the actor will be lodged in the high-security Arthur Road Jail in south Mumbai.

The jail also houses Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab and the Special Court where the Mumbai terror attacks trial is being held by Special Judge M.L. Tahilyani.

The Oshiwara police late Sunday picked up Shiney from his Versova home after his maid lodged the rape complaint.

Later, the investigators searched Shiney's house and sent him and the victim for medical and DNA tests.

The complainant-victim hails from Kokbaan village in the coastal Konkan region of western Maharashtra, and lived in Vasai suburb of neighbouring Thane district. She commuted daily by train from Vasai to Andheri to work at Shiney's residence for the past one year.

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Salman Khan loses his temper once more

Salman Khan once again loses his temper. The incident happened early this morning (March 6), when Salman attended Amrita Arora and Shakeel Ladak's wedding sangeet. Salman who was enjoying himself a little too much was pacing about and then suddenly decided to take off his shirt.

Also attending the party was Shah Rukh Khan. The two actors reportedly had an argument several months ago at Katrina Kaif's birthday bash. As Salman was about to leave reporters asked him about patching-up with SRK. This was when Salman flew off the handle.

And soon after getting furious with reporters Salman Khan who had come to the party in a Mercedes, left instead in an autorickshaw.

(With inputs from Times Now)

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Love Story 2 : Hurman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra get back together

All those who were glad that Priyanka Chopra was single again after her break-up with Hurman Baweja, there’s news for you. Priyanka and Hurman are trying to get back together. Their dead relationship got a chance to renew itself earlier this month while the two were shooting together in the snowy landscapes of Chicago. Reveals a source, “It seems Priyanka realised how important Hurman is to her life. They were together constantly in Chicago.”

But in such a scenario, where does Priyanka and Shahid Kapur’s growing ‘friendship’stand? A close friend of Priyanka and Hurman jumps to their defence, asking, “Would it mean that Priyanka is dating Shahid if they exchange friendly banter on a social networking website like Facebook? Well, Hurman did ask her about this and that’s when they realised how deeply they care for each other.”

Apparently, the reason for the break-up was Priyanka’s two hits, Fashion and Dostana, and Hurman’s two flops, Love Story 2050 and Victory. Their friend rubbishes such reasons and says, “People forget that Priyanka knew the Baweja family before Hurman took to acting. They’re both working hard on getting back the magic in their relationship, especially Hurman.”

When contacted about their patch-up, Priyanka didged a direct answer by saying, “I will always stand by Hurman.”

She added, “I enjoyed Victory immensely. He came across very well as a cricketer.”

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I don't want to hurt anyone: Shah Rukh Khan

An interview of Shah Rukh Khan with CNN-IBN on issue of the title of Shah Rukh Khan's film Billu Barber.

The title of Shah Rukh Khan's Billu Barber has upset the salon and hairdressers union. Now with no option left before the release, King Khan has decided to take off the word 'barber' from its publicity posters.

CNN-IBN: It's too late to change the title of the film Billu Barber, but Shah Rukh you're doing everything to not upset anyone?

Shah Rukh Khan: I had a discussion with the association of hair dressers and salons in Maharashtra. And I've pokes to the associations in other cities on the phone. I don't think we were wrong in ever using the word 'barber' and that is what be stand by. But they have their own take on that. The film has been made with a good feeling. So, I'd rather not hurt anyone, because it's not going to affect my film.

CNN-IBN: So what will be your next step since the prints are out and the posters have been put up?

Shah Rukh Khan: We will put a piece of paper on the word 'barber' on the posters and hoardings which belong to the production which is Red Chillies, wherever it can be done. It's a little expensive to try and change the posters which we couldn't have done.

CNN-IBN: The censor cleared your film, so didn't you try to negotiate with these associations? Did you try to make them understand that the term 'barber' isn't a derogatory one?

Shah Rukh Khan: If they understood that they wouldn't have had an issue with it. In this case I was very clear that there is no legality involved and I would just like to make sure that people aren't unhappy. I think I'm also a little mellow since I'm going for my surgery, so I don't want to hurt anyone.

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She's ready for action

Asin saves a little boy from being run over

Asin jumped from her car to save a child on one of the busiest road in Andheri. A source said,"Asin was in her car near Infinity Mall, Andheri, when she saw a little boy standing right in the middle the road. The poor boy seemed lost and looked complately puzzled with all the cars whizzing by. So much so that he didn't notice a car rushing towards him.

Asin simply ran out of her car, jumped across the barrier, lifted the child and in the process, lost her balance and fell with a thud. The child fell on Asin and was saved. Asin, however suffered severe bruises on her arm and wrist. She did not feel any pain at that moment but was shocked to find swollen hands on the following day. Her arms were wrapped in bandages for several days and Asin had to wear full sleeve costumes for her photo shoots."

Asin confirmed but refused to divulge any other details, she said, " this is somthing personal, I don't want to talk about it."

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At 30, Bipasha Basu looking for serious roles

She came into the limelight with her coffee bean complexion in Ajnabee and was called a scorcher for her skin show in Jism. But Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu, who turns 30 on Wednesday, has now moved on from being just a sex icon and is signing on mature roles.

Voted the Sexiest Asian woman in 2007 by the British weekly newspaper Eastern Eye, the starlet of films like Rudraksh, No Entry, Omkara and Dhoom 2 is taking steps towards signing on for serious roles.

"If I don't like what's being offered, I won't sign anything (any more)," Bipasha had earlier said.

Her stint with arthouse movie started with Prakash Jha's 2005 political drama Apaharan. He presented her in a deglamourised role, but it was Ajay Devgan who had an author-backed role.

Bipasha's first meatier role was in Madhur Bhandarkar's critically acclaimed 2006 film Corporate. She proved her mettle and both critics and audiences applauded her performance. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.

Last year she did Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film Shob Charitro Kalponik and is currently doing Sudipto Chattopadhyaya's Pankh and Rahul Dholakia's Lamhaa.

Despite churning out fewer hits and more misses, the actress, who entered filmdom in 2001, constantly hogged the limelight, thanks to her oomph factor.

Her long-awaited share of fame came in 2008 with hits like Race and Bachna Ae Haseeno. She is now breaking from convention and taking on new challenges.

For Lamhaa, Bipasha is all set to change the dynamics of physical appearances of a Kashmiri girl.

"When you think of a Kashmiri girl in our movies, what comes to mind is a fair-skinned, light-eyed girl. But I want to disprove that myth. The pre-conceived notions have to be overcome," said Bipasha.

The actress is bent on looking convincing in the role and had even invited a Kashmiri woman to Mumbai in order to study her body language, speech patterns and mannerisms to get into the character.

"I think I'm going to be more keen on getting it right than the director. I've never done a film like this before. The role requires me to be someone else altogether.

"And for this I needed help. I wanted to play the character the way girls really are today in Kashmir. Very basic," explained the actress, who is dating Bollywood hunk John Abraham.

Unlike other actors, Bipasha is not very keen to try her luck in Hollywood.

"No filmmakers of Hollywood are willing to sign any Bollywood actor without a screen test apart from Aishwarya Rai. They seem to know no Hindi film actors, not even Amitabh Bachchan.

"I found out that I will have to start again (there) from scratch like screen tests and other tantrums. They treat you like a newcomer. So I've decided to stay in Mumbai and be the 'queen' here," she had said.

"India is a very comfortable place for us because we have already made a niche here. So why would anyone want to go and struggle there? I don't want to go and struggle. I have gone through my struggle."

Her other future projects include Aa Dekhen Zara and Freeze.

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Aamir was invited on board Ghajini by film's villain

Aamir Khan's Ghajini may be running to packed houses, but not many know that it was the film's villain Pradeep Rawat who got the superstar interested in the movie that was originally made in Tamil.

"Aamir Khan usually has Diwali parties at his house. It was at one of these parties that Pradeep Rawat, who has worked with him in a couple of films like Lagaan and Sarfarosh, told him about the film," said Madhu Mantena, one of the producers of Ghajini.

Rawat had played the villain in the Tamil version that starred Surya and Asin Thottumkal in the lead roles.

"Rawat told him that he had just worked in a film down south that had become a huge hit and now the producers wanted to remake it in Hindi. Mr. Khan saw the film, liked it and was immediately on board," Mantena, who is COO of Sa Re Ga Ma films division, said.

Rawat, Asin and director A.R. Murugadoss are the common links between the Tamil version and the Hindi remake.

Then why is Surya, the lead actor of the Tamil version, not part of the film?

"If you have a chance of producing a film with Aamir Khan, would you go for producing it with Surya?" the producer quipped.

Mantena, who worked as CEO of Ram Gopal Varma's Factory for four years, said being a producer was his long-term ambition and he could not have thought of a better project for his maiden venture.

Allu Arvind, one of the biggest producers down south, had bought the rights of Ghajini and was planning to remake it in Hindi.

"As we have been partners for a long time, Allu Arvind offered me to produce the film and I thought it was the best offer to venture into my long-time ambition of being a producer," Mantena said.

Mantena said he now plans to dub the film in Spanish and release it in the US and Spain in about two months' time.

"Usually most big films are dubbed in German and released in Germany, but we are dubbing Ghajini in Spanish because I feel Spanish emotions are very close to Indian emotions."

He said that though Spain has a small market, it would get good play in the US.

"The Spanish community is the second largest community after the Americans in the US. So we plan to give it a mainstream Spanish release in the US. We are mainly targeting the west coast and Mexican borders that have a huge Spanish population," Mantena said.

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David Dhawan's Hook Ya Crook to go on floors on Jan 7

David Dhawan's next directorial venture "Hook Ya Crook" will go on
the floors next month, UTV Motion Pictures, which will produce the
movie, announced on Saturday.

The movie, a comedy, has John Abraham in the lead role with Amrita Rao and R. Siddharth, who last appeared in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's "Rang De Basanti" in 2006.
Written by Rensil D'Silva, "Hook Ya Crook" is Dhawan's first movie to be launched after the success of Salman Khan starrer "Partner".
This will be John Abraham's second movie with UTV Motion Pictures after "Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal."

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Shilpa injured, but not out of action

 

Shilpa Shetty’s got a wrist in plaster. She was rendered hors de combat while practising cartwheels for the new action film she is planning to produce that has been written by Mushtaq Sheikh.

“Either that, or I’ve torn a ligament because of the wear and tear of weight training,” rued the actress with the hour-glass figure. She’s been told to take it easy at least for three months. “So I can’t shoot for the film,” added Shilpa, regretting that her ambitious multi-starrer has to be on hold. But, undaunted, Shilpa has picked up all the scripts at hand and is reading them so that she can start working.

“It will have to be a script which is not complicated, less painful and not a multi-starrer,” admitted the actress.
As a first time producer, she realises a multi-starrer might not be the best way to go. “I wouldn’t get dates from the actors. It’s quite a difficult task. I kept other projects on hold because of my film. I realised that I had turned more of a producer and less of an actress. So now I’m going to turn that around and complete the films I’ve signed,” said Shilpa.

Looking at the bright side, she agreed that it was good thing that her mega budget film was hold during this period of recession. “Due to the global meltdown, the financiers want to cut down on costs which is not possible,” said the actress.

So, what does Shilpa Shetty intend to do now? “I’ll wear a long-sleeved dress to camouflage the plaster on my wrist while doing Big Boss for Colours. And a fat kada when shooting for Sunny Deol’s The Man,” said the actress, making light of her problems.

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Movie Review : Golmaal Returns

Director: Rohit Shetty
Cast: Ajay Devgan, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Arshad Warsi

The breaking news is that Golmaal Returns is a clear rip-off of a 1973 Hindi film Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar . And though the era-old film was a decent story in itself and even remade as a Marathi film in the 80s, the Golmaal sequel doesn’t match up to either while deriving from both.

Gopal (Ajay Devgan) is married to a size-zero couch potato Ekta (Kareena Kapoor) who, influenced by her K-serials, keeps suspecting her husband at the slightest provocation. One fateful night Gopal gets stranded in a yacht with Mira (Celina Jaitley). While framing a fake story to suit her wife, Gopal spontaneously invents Anthony Gonsalves as his friend cum previous night partner. He makes his office subordinate Laxman Prasad (Shreyas Talpade) his partner in crime, posing him as Anthony Gonsalves.

While seeking inspiration so far from the original, the writer attempts to infuse uncalled for innovation by adding a murder mystery to the plot with Inspector Madhav (Arshad Warsi) suspecting Gopal behind the killing. The screenplay is reworked to accommodate the leading quartet and is revised with spoofs so contemporary that at times it makes you wonder if the script drafts were devised on the sets.

There are subtle references to the earlier episode though this one isn’t a continuation of the first part. Vrajesh Hirjee’s serpentine act is repeated from the original and there’s also a tribute-cum-takeoff on the missing member Sharman Joshi. The film takes forward its legacy of ‘Black comedy’ and also adds Bhansali’s Saawariya to the spoof-list. The humour varies from superior to slapdash variety ranging from subtle satire on Saif-Kareena tattoos to the overstated Ekta Kapoor soap spoofs. There are some intended parodies which never take off like the character names Gopal Kumar Santoshi and Mira Nair. Then there are some jokes that clearly fall flat like the Ajay Devgan – Celina Jaitley salsa sequence on the yacht.

The writer wittily evades the censor scissors by having the mute Tusshar Kapoor indulge in most of the cursing. But script supervisor Robin Bhatt keeps making intermittent appearances with some lame internet jokes. Sample one gem of a dialogue when Kareena says, “Main serial watcher hoon aur mere pati serial killer nahi ho sakte”. The first half is thankfully devoid of any song tracks and you don’t mind excusing the only action item number in the second half that is declared to be derived from Rajnikant’s Sivaji – The Boss.

In trademark Anees Bazmee – Priyadarshan brand of comedies, the climax gets together the entire cast including supporting actors to villain sidekicks for a silly and intentionally exaggerated ending.

Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade share capable chemistry and comic timing in the film and come up with the most entertaining acts. Tusshar’s mute act ranges from the absolutely incomprehensible to the palpably peculiar antics. Shreyas has a natural flair for comedy and makes you laugh with effortless ease. Ajay Devgan is decent but Arshad Warsi is underused. Amrita Arora can’t act to save her life and while not much is expected from Celina or Anjana, even Kareena fails to impress. Her talent isn’t justified in her shallow characterization.

Golmaal Returns reloads its cast with some new girls but doesn’t replenish its humour with more wit and imaginative gags.

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Actress Dia Mirza, who had walked the ramp during the last edition of LFW in April, will not be seen at any of the fashion weeks in Delhi.

Dia, who was here recently, told us, “I love walking the ramp. Modelling is still very close to my heart and I love the adrenaline rush that a show gives. The thunderous applause and fashionable dresses – I love it all. But this time, I will not be here when the fashion weeks happen in Delhi. I will be in Cape Town , finishing the last leg of shooting for Ramu’s film Acid Factory.”

The actress, it seems, has also fallen in love with Delhi. “I am happy that work keeps bringing me to Delhi. I simply love the city,” she said.

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Sanjay Dutt's 'EMI' role inspired by real loan recovery agent

Sanjay Dutt plays 'Sattarbhai', a bully who collects loan instalments from bank debtors, in his forthcoming film 'EMI'. The character has been inspired by a real-life collecting agent and the Bollywood actor spent a lot of time with him to get his act right.

'Sanju sir's character is modelled on a real-life agent. In fact, the whole film's plot about all these debt collectors who have the thankless job of getting bank loans back from debtors was inspired by the real-life Sattarbhai,' said TV tsarina Ekta Kapoor, who is co-producing the film with Suniel Shetty.

The real-life character's identity is, however, being kept a secret right now.

Said Suniel Shetty: 'We don't want the real Sattarbhai to come into the picture until Sanju baba's fictional avatar is properly unveiled to the public.'

Sanjay Dutt met, interacted with and studied the real-life Sattarbhai very closely to get into the skin of the character. And he was glad that he wasn't playing an underworld gangster yet again.

'This is my most seriously funny and socially relevant character since Munnabhai. And I'm happy to be doing something that doesn't require me to go into the underworld,' he quipped.

As for the real Sattarbhai, he is free to share the thrill of the film unless he suddenly decides to demand a bigger share in the movie's investments.

This isn't the first time this question has cropped up. When Preity Zinta played a real-life battered wife in Deepa Mehta's 'Heaven On Earth', the woman who inspired the character suddenly came forward to demand a huge amount of money.

'She demanded an obscenely astronomical sum of money that really put Deepa Mehta off,' a member of the 'Heaven On Earth' team said.

However, producers Ekta and Suniel seem pretty sure their real character won't suddenly demand his pound of flesh.

'He's more than happy to be a role model for a character that Sanju baba is playing. We'll include him in the promotional events of 'EMI' very soon,' said Suniel.

There's also the debate of 'EMI' sharing its title with the international music label. Any copyright hassles on the anvil?

'But we've registered our title. And EMI is accepted bank jargon, short for Equated Monthly Instalments. If EMI is a music company, then we're glad to be keeping such musical company,' Suniel joked.

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Abhishek, two Bollywood Khans in Forbes' 10 'cell celebs' list

Three Bollywood stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan, feature in Forbes magazine's list of 10 celebrities who are brand ambassadors for different mobile phone companies.

The three Indian actors are joined by football star David Beckham and tennis champion Maria Sharapova on the list released by the US magazine, otherwise known for its billionaire rankings. Sharapova endorses Sony Ericsson phones and Beckham lends his name to the Motorola RAZR2 phone.

While Shah Rukh lends star power to mobile phones made by Nokia, Abhishek and Aamir endorse Motorola and Samsung phones respectively.

The Forbes report said that Nokia, the world's largest phone manufacturer, 'doesn't work with many celebrities but makes an exception for Shah Rukh, who says he has used Nokia phones for more than a decade.'

It added that after a popular commercial last December, the company sponsored Shah Rukh's Indian Premier League cricket team earlier this year.

The magazine said Abhishek, a former LG Electronics' brand ambassador, now represents Motorola phones in India, and that he is 'Bollywood royalty, thanks to his famous actor father, Amitabh Bachchan, and glamorous actress wife Aishwarya Rai'.

About Aamir, the report said: 'After appearing in his first movie at eight, Bollywood star Aamir now produces and directs films, as well as acts. Samsung has said it is counting on his popularity to help it double its market share in India this year.'

Samsung also claimed that Aamir's work mirrors their brand's 'qualities of innovation, change, discovery, self-expression and excellence in performance'.

Explaining how mobile phone companies are now emulating perfume and designer jean makers in hiring celebrities, Forbes said: 'As nearly everyone on the planet seems to have a cellphone, device makers must work harder to win new customers. Cool designs and low prices help, of course. But so do celebrities. That's led phone makers to recruit some A-listers from Usher (a singer) to David Beckham to lend an ear and a smile to selling cellphones.'

Others in the magazine's 'Ten Celebs and Their Cells' list are singers Fergie, Rain (also known as Jung Ji Hoon), Andy Lau and race car driver Danica Patrick.

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Movie Review : Singh is Kinng

 Singh is Kinng (comedy)
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Om Puri
Direction: Anees Bazmee
Critics rating:  
Blame it on the charisma of Akshay Kumar, but Singh is Kinng is going to find its audience despite being a no-brainer. And, the audience isn't going to be just the Singhs, spilling across the globe. It's going to be people like us who are suckers for corny comedy that breeze across the screen in a string of unstoppable gaffes, demanding nothing from you, other than a bunch of goofy grins. Of course, it does take the chutzpah of Akshay Kumar, the box office's current badshah , to make the bakwas bindaas . Catch him chasing stray chicks in his pind (read village) in Punjab or refusing to change his underwear, despite being in it for three days and you can't help say c-h-e-e-s-e. Or else, hear him introduce himself as 'Happy Singh' to a bunch of firangs , and you'll end up feeling happy too. Comedy does seem to flow effortlessly from this actor who seems to have taken over where Govinda left off...

Okay, so this one's truly cheesy with a Munnabhai heart at its core. ‘Happy Singh’ is the proverbial do-gooder who tries to help any and everyone, even if it means engaging with ruthless killers and mafia kingpins. He leaves his village and sets off for Australia to bring back a bunch of bonny sardarjis to their wailing moms and dads. So what if the Sardar brotherhood has metamorphosed into a mafia gang in distant shores, headed by two chalk-and-cheese brothers (Sonu Sood and Jaaved Jaffrey). Happy Singh is here to browbeat them onto the path of goodness, ek baar phir . One by one, the rogues undergo their life-changing experience -- calling for some rowdy fun and games - and end up reformed souls.

The magic of Munnabhai , this time in a turban, seems to have worked again. There, in distant Australia, with a short song-dance trek to Egypt, this desi joker win hearts and influences people with his rustic charms. The gangsters end up as good guys, the lonely flower seller (Kiron Kher) finds a foster son and the tattoo-flaunting law student (Katrina Kaif) finds a pucca Hindustani husband, a la Namastey London. Easy to understand why Akshay is proving to be King Midas at the box office. His rustic, anti-urbane heroics in film after film instantly raise the underdog on a pedestal and strike a chord with the aam janta , the way Govinda did in the 1990s with his red pants, purple jackets and nonsensical lyrics. (Remember 'what is mobile number?')

The film has an entertaining first half which sees some great camaraderie between the village boys, Om Puri and Akshay Kumar. The second half does get cluttered, clumsy and loose with loads of wasted talent in the likes of Ranvir Shorey, Javed Jaffrey and a side-lined Om Puri. Even some of the songs get deafening and inarticulate in a bid to celebrate Punjabiyat . But hey, there's that crackling chemical equation between the missy and the munda (Katrina and Akshay) to keep the hungama high, as they did in Namastey London and Welcome . Don't go looking for king-size entertainment and this King con might just end up as breezy time-pass.

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Rab is on Shah Rukh’s side

Never mind if Tashan and Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic weren’t eventful. Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is all set to bring back Yash Chopra’s lost glory.



Looks like Shah Rukh Khan will prove to be their lucky charm once again after Chak De... India. At least that’s what numerologist Niraj Mancchanda predicts.



He tells us, “Rab Ne... will be the biggest hit of 2008. It comes to number 42 just like Dil Toh Pagal Hai did and that number vibrates with both Yash Chopra who is a number 9 and Aditya Chopra who is a number 3. The movie may might break records.” So, SRK need not worry about losing his throne or crown.

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'RK' breathes down Deepika's neck!

Don’t know how far this is true, but the word is strong that Deepika Padukone has taken a tip from Saif Ali Khan and professed her devotion to her beloved with a tattoo.



Saif’s “Kareena” tattoo on his forearm is now legend. But Deepika, being shyer and more private than the flamboyant Khan, is reported to have got the initials “RK” daintily tattooed on the nape of her neck.



It can’t be seen, naturally. But Deepika is said to have revealed the tattoo to a friend and spoken about it on the air waves. Bollywood, of course, loves such displays of affection, and if true, some crafty filmmaker must already be considering how to show Deepika’s RK on screen first!

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I rarely talk to Kareena: Shahid

That Shahid Kapoor is a man of few words is fairly well-known. After maintaining a dignified silence over his much-publicised break-up with longtime girlfriend Kareena Kapoor, the only thing he wants to talk about is work.



To begin with, after a six-month stint away from the media, the reclusive Shahid, who’s not really basked in the success of Jab We Met, finally has plenty to look forward to.



And we are not talking about his ‘friendship’ with Sania Mirza, Vidya Balan or Amrita Rao, which has ensured he’s got reams of printspace. Shahid’s got a brand new film (Kismet Konnection), what looks like an image makeover and a cheerful attitude about life in general.



His character in KK is a lot like the real Shahid. “Much like him, during my struggle days, I have spoken white lies just like we all do in our quest for success,” he says.



Quiz him about those rumours linking him with Vidya Balan, who’s rumoured to be ‘close’ to him and Shahid firmly admits that while shooting, “Vidya and I have become good friends. It was fun working with her as she is a great actor and an easy person to work with. We look good together on screen and I hope people like us”. A gentle query about his one-time friend Kareena Kapoor, and Shahid sounds diplomatic and cagey, “Kareena and I rarely talk. Beyond that I would not like to talk about it.”



In fact, even though he has been spotted watching Sania Mirza’s matches at Wimbledon and the two are reported to be serious about each other, Shahid



doesn’t seem to be in a tell-all mood. Not that he denies his liaison with Sania, but he doesn’t seem keen on talking about his love life at this point. “I am a normal 27-year-old guy. But honestly, there’s no romance

brewing in my life. I don’t want to hide the details, but I don’t want to talk about them either. I believe some things in my life are personal and I would like to restrict information on my personal life. Eventually, people will know what the truth is.” he says.

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Review : Mehbooba

Mehbooba (romance)

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala

Direction: Afzal Khan 



SANJAY Dutt looks young and natty. Manisha Koirala is slim and trim. Kader Khan is still around. And Ajay Devgan is callow and boyish. Well, it doesn't take long for you to guess the time period of this of the film. Neither through the characters nor through the plot which is older than the formula itself.



Sanjay Dutt is the immoral playboy who wants a one-night stand with the virtuous Manisha Koirala who teaches him a lesson. She slaps him, not once but twice, in full public view, and ends up being slapped, duped and dumped by the raging tycoon who's still lusting. This time, for revenge. Enter brother, Ajay Devgan, who rescues the damsel and offers her marriage, only to find out that his brother is still longing for the crying girl. Only this time, it's love not lust.



So who gets the girl? Game to find out? Guess the time's over for these treacly tales by now. Specially when all the actors have aged and progressed to more meatier roles.  

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Movie Review : Love Story 2050

Love Story 2050 (romance)

Cast: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra

Direction: Harry Baweja 



PRIYANKA Chopra makes a promise to boyfriend Harman Baweja in India's first full blown sci-fi film. She promises to give him a thandi-thandi kiss after feasting on some strawberry ice cream. Well, the kiss never happens -- the ice cream's bumped out of her hands -- and all that we are left with is a thandi-thandi film.



There is no passion, no action, no jaadu in this mega-budgeted futuristic love story. Even the special effects are more of the picture postcard variety -- vignettes from the future, where the Mumbai skyline is dotted with pink and purple highrises, flying cars, sky buses, shell houses and the sci-fi menagerie comprises a pink teddy bear, a female robot, a Harman-look alike evil android and a poor cousin of Darth Vader (was that Gulshan Grover behind the iron mask?). Of course, there's the old-fashioned oval time machine, chauffeured by a buffoonish Boman Irani with a bad hair day, as he push-buttons our hero to Mumbai 2050.



And thank God for that! For the only thing that works in favour of the film is the gawk factor. Curiosity about the futuristic vision does make for a few compelling moments, post-interval. Specially since the first half is a soppy tale of two lovers who swear eternal love that is abruptly cut short by a banal accident. Desperate lover boy follows his dear departed into the next janam where she's a red-haired diva, with a terrible dress sense, entertaining the world from the Mumbai skies. Of course she's forgotten him, but he's brought her old janam's diary along. So that, all it takes is a few flips of the dog-eared pages to rekindle the thanda-thanda flame.



Harman may have hogged the headlines for his Hrithik-like dance moves and resemblance. Ironically, he doesn't seem to have a Hrithik-like dream debut ( Kaho Naa Pyar Hai ). The actor actually struggles in the small emotional bits, while Priyanka Chopra displays nothing of her characteristic on-screen verve. Finally, it's the zero storyline that works against this sigh-fi film. 

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