'For Valentine, John filled the house with rose petals!': Bips (10:45 AM February 8th)
Pals routinely refer to her as a "gem of a person." And her romantic link with John Abraham has been well documented in assorted periodicals. Not surprisingly, Bipasha Basu, brand...


Kat's Sweet Bhojpuri Error! (10:45 AM February 8th)
Three tutors.. and a celeb student. Bhojpuri superstars: Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan, together with Manoj Bajpai were saddled with the onus of getting Katrina Kaif to mouth a few lines in'¦...


Poet Booked!: Spouse Shaukat Limns Kaifi (10:45 AM February 8th)
If every man is a book unto himself'¦ his spouse should be the one to read it. Shaukat Kaifi, wife of the late poet lyricist Kaifi Azmi, illumines the person behind the persona in 'Kaifi and...


Name Game, Warsi Style (10:45 AM February 8th)
It's a title go round. Earlier christened 'Kaun Bola', Arshid Warsi's flick has been elevated to being called'¦ 'Hum Tum Aur Ghost'. The name change was the brainchild of...


Star To 'TRP' Tsar': Abhishek (10:45 AM February 8th)
Yipppieeee!! It's official now. :)))))) Abhishek Bachchan is the new uber kool compere, the one commanding the highest TRPs. BINGO! What's more commendable is that he's raced ahead...


'Slumdog Millionaire' worst film I have seen, says Karnad (09:05 AM February 8th)
Panaji, Feb 8 (IANS) Padma Bhushan awardee and Jnanpith award winner Girish Karnad Monday called 'Slumdog Millionaire' the worst film he has ever seen...


Pranab stands by Shah Rukh (08:35 AM February 8th)
Kolkata, Feb 8 (IANS) Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan, who faced the Shiv Sena's ire for saying he would have liked to include Pakistani players in his Kolkata Knight Riders team for the the...


Chavan dares VHP, will watch SRK's 'My Name...' with family (07:35 AM February 8th)
New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Stating that nobody would be allowed to disrupt the release of superstar Shah Rukh Khan's 'My Name Is Khan', Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan Monday...


I remember walking the ramp in a lehenga: John Abraham (07:05 AM February 8th)
Kolkata, Feb 8 (IANS) In his early days as a model John Abraham had even walked the ramp in a lehenga! The macho actor said though some in the audience had balked at his outfit, he is grateful...


I think Bipasha is coming out with second DVD: John (07:05 AM February 8th)
Kolkata, Feb 8 (IANS) John Abraham is impressed with girlfriend Bipasha Basu's fitness DVD for women and says it's equally good for men and soon she may come out with the second edition...


Bachchan ecstatic after wearing 'air-conditioned' dhoti (06:45 AM February 8th)
New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan believes in 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do' and he followed suit while in Kerala recently by donning the local dress code...


Tabu to feature in music video for Rashid Ali's debut album (04:23 AM February 8th)
Tabu, who is currently busy promoting her upcoming film Toh Baat Pakki, will soon be seen for the first time ever in a music video for Rashid Ali's debut album. In case you are wondering, Rashid is the same guy who sang the hugely popular 'Kabhi Kabhi Aditi' track from Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na. Tabu will be shooting for the music video soon in Hyderabad and noted ad filmmaker Trilok has been entrusted the task of directing the video. Rashid's debut album is being released under KM Music label with mentor A.R.Rahman being the executive producer. Rashid, who is based in London, was in Chennai for almost 3 months busy with his maiden album. While he himself has composed and sung the songs, yet another Rahman protegee Raqueeb Alam has written the lyrics. The album is likely to release in a couple of months.


Mallika Sherawat cast with 'Avatar' star Laz Alonso in Love, Barack (04:20 AM February 8th)
Mallika Sherawat has been cast opposite Avatar co-star Laz Alonso in the feature Love, Barack, a political romantic comedy set during the frantic and intoxicating days leading up to 2008 U.S. Presidential election. Mallika will play the female lead and central character Aretha Gupta, a devoted, local Obama volunteer coordinator. The story, a snapshot of a moment in time that was filled with hope, change, and passionate debate, follows the romantic and political rollercoaster that develops when, the month before Election Day, Democrat Aretha unexpectedly falls for her Republican counterpart (Alonso), a handsome, dynamic African-American working for the local McCain office. On signing up for the film, Mallika said, "Laz Alonso is a talented and exciting actor. I'm very lucky to be working with him." To be directed by Doug McHenry, the film will also feature acclaimed actress Ruby Dee (Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominee for 2007's American Gangster) and comedy veteran Gerry Bednob and Loretta Devine.


Protestors again stop Telugu film screening in Telangana (04:10 AM February 8th)
Hyderabad, Feb 8 (IANS) Pro-Telangana activists Monday stopped screening of Telugu film 'Adurs', starring Junior NTR, in several parts of Telangana region...


Shah Rukh and I are connected to each other: Karan Johar (03:20 AM February 8th)
Mumbai, Feb 8 (IANS) It is common knowledge that 'My Name Is Khan' is going through a storm. However, in the midst of it all, Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar are standing by each other...


Pricey 'Paani', Priceless Hrithik! (02:48 AM February 8th)
It's a watery step for cinema. And if all flows right'¦ then Shekhar Kapoor's 'Paani' won't remain a liquid pipedream. With water woes making headlines, Shekhar Kapur should...


Saifeena: Valentine Paris Bonding'¦ (02:48 AM February 8th)
The spotlight will be on Saifeena. Channel crews and journos chasing Bebo and Saif for romantic bytes for this Valentine, will have to do a rethink. Simply coz' the dazzling duo won't...


Akshay and Aishwarya go retro; will sport 70's look in Action Replayy (01:32 AM February 8th)
On the sets of Vipul Shah's time-travel caper Action Replayy, Akshay Kumar's retro-wig which he wears for his 1970s look is his most prized possession. Apparently, the wig designed by one of Hollywood's biggest makeup artistes Paul Pattison (who's done films like Braveheart and Mission Impossible 2) made Akshay paranoid. He was petrified of losing it. Says Vipul, "Since we haven't copied our 1970s look from Hindi films, Akshay and Aishwarya sat down to look at real- life footage from the decade to get the look right. They specially looked at television footage of live cricket matches in the 1970s. Akshay was busy peering at the pavilion of spectators, what they wore, how they spoke moved their body language. That's how he conceived his character in the 70s. That's where Paul Pattison's wig came in." There are 400 other wigs all done under Pattison's supervision for junior artistes posing as people in the 1970s. Says Vipul, "We were very particular about the 1970s look recreated at the Nitin Chandrakant Desai's studio in Karjat. We needed the cars from the 70s which we had to get from all over India from private owners at a very heavy price. The BEST buses in the 1970s were very different from their counterparts today. Getting authentic BEST buses from the 70s was the hardest part of the whole era-recreation. Getting Akshay and Aishwarya to go retro was the easiest thing. They had a ball getting into their wigs clothes and body language." We saw Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone travelling back to the 1970s in Om Shanti Om. But Akshay was adamant about doing his retro-look very different from SRK. Director Vipul Shah takes serious umbrage to the suggestion that the retro look in his film is similar to Om Shanti Om. "We haven't copied anything from the films of the 1970s (as Om Shanti Om has). If we got into that 35 mm space, we'd have ended up copying only Mr. Bachchan's clothes and style. Akshay insisted we do more authentic research. We dug into archival material on the clothes mannerisms and people of the 1970s." And now Vipul Shah is paranoid about his 1970s look going out. "We, Akshay's designer Shabina Khan, Aishwarya's designer Manish Malhotra and all of us have worked really, really hard to give Action Replayy a unique look. If that look is leaked out we'd lose our biggest USP." Much like the Big B's Paa look which was given out prematurely. "We're taking stringent steps to ensure the confidentiality of our look," says Vipul. And what does he have to say to Action Replayy being compared with Back To The Future? "Well earlier my film was supposed to be The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Now that accusation has been wrongly passed on to another film (Paa). Now I'm supposed to have copied Back To The Future. Again, untrue. If anything all time-travel films including mine are inspired by H.G Wells' Time Machine."


Movie Review: My Name is Khan (01:22 AM February 8th)
MY NAME IS KHAN makes two strong statements... The first: B.C. and A.D. are designations used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. There's a third designation now - 9/11. Post September 11, the world stands divided. Terrorist outfits continue to strike in the name of religion and the common man, not even remotely associated with these groups, is bearing the brunt. The world is not a safe place anymore. The second statement: There're two sets of people in this world - the good and the bad. No matter how strong the evil forces are, good always triumphs. Write your own movie review of My Name Is Khan MY NAME IS KHAN mirrors the era we live in. Not a day goes by when you haven't heard/read/watched news of terror attacks and innocents being killed. We live in turbulent times. Also, the movie states - and states very strongly, without mincing words - Not all Muslims are terrorists. Karan Johar's cinema got more real from KABHI ALVIDA NAA KEHNA onwards. In MY NAME IS KHAN, the storyteller attempts to make a social statement and succeeds completely. At the same time, it takes no sides. If the protagonist says 'My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist', it also exposes those who misadvise the youth with inflammatory and rabble-rousing speeches. Karan's take on the issue deserves the highest praise, since a subject like this is difficult to attempt. Final word? MY NAME IS KHAN is Karan, SRK and Kajol's best outing to date. Do I need to add anything more? Rizvan Khan [Shah Rukh Khan moves to San Francisco and lives with his brother [Jimmy Shergill] and sister-in-law [Sonya Jehan]. Rizvan, who has Asperger's syndrome, falls in love with Mandira [Kajol]. Despite protests from his brother, they get married and start a small business together. They are happy until September 11, when attitudes towards Muslims undergo a sea-change. When tragedy strikes, Mandira is devastated and they split. Rizvan is confused and upset that the love of his life has left him. To win her back, he embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across America. Let me alert you. The story unfolds feverishly from the very start itself. So if you miss a scene or two, chances are you would've missed some vital links in the story. The fact is, there's too much happening in the first half. Although the narrative tends to get leisurely-paced at times, the wheels continue to move from one episode to another. A number of sequences are endearing. For instance, the romance between SRK and Kajol is subtle, yet charming. But it's SRK's relationship with Kajol and their kid that's one of the best parts of the movie. Your heart bleeds when an accident occurs and their lives are torn apart. Kajol's outburst - first, when her son meets with a catastrophe and second, when she confronts SRK - are truly shattering. MY NAME IS KHAN's strength lies in the fact that you root for Khan all through. At the same time, you are weighed down when he's in a vulnerable situation, especially when he's labelled a terrorist and thrown behind bars. You don't realize it, but the fact is that you, as a spectator, have already got entwined in Rizvan and Mandira's lives. There's a slight hitch in the second hour, when SRK returns to Georgia to save a hurricane-ravaged hamlet. Also, the media exercise tends to add to the length of the film. Nonetheless, it's a minor hiccup that doesn't rob the film of its punch. There's just one word to illustrate Karan's direction - exemplary. One of the finest storytellers of our generation, he deserves brownie points for deviating from 'Karan Johar brand of cinema' and attempting a film that knocks on your heart and stimulates your mind. With MY NAME IS KHAN, Karan takes rapid strides as a storyteller. Shibani Bathija's screenplay is truly arresting. Shibani and Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are noteworthy and many a times, applaud-worthy. Ravi K. Chandran's cinematography is awe-inspiring. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music gels well with the nature of the film. When a film stars two of the finest talents of the country, you expect nothing but the best. SRK, well, how does one describe his performance? To state that this is his best work so far would be cutting short the praise he truly deserves. In fact, no amount of praise can do sufficient justice to his portrayal of Rizvan Khan, who has Asperger's syndrome. His latest work is several notches above anything he has done before. The only compliment that I can think of is, SRK has a new screen-name now. Raj is passe, Rizvan it is. Kajol is pure dynamite and casting her for this character was the most appropriate decision. No other actress could've matched SRK in histrionics the way Kajol has. In fact, SRK and Kajol compliment each other wonderfully well and this film only proves it yet again. It's a powerhouse performance from this supremely talented actress. The film boasts of a number of capable actors, but the ones who leave a rock-solid impact are - in this order - Zarina Wahab, Sonya Jehan, Jimmy Shergill, Arjun Mathur, Parvin Dabas and Arif Zakaria. Sugandha Garg is confident. Navneet Nishan supports well. Vinay Pathak leaves a mark in a brief role. Tanay Chheda [young SRK] and Yuvaan Makaar [SRK and Kajol's son Sameer] are excellent. The American actors, especially the kid who plays Sameer's friend, deserves mention. On the whole, MY NAME IS KHAN is a fascinating love story, has an angle of religion and a world-shaking incident as a backdrop. It not only entertains, but also mesmerises, enthrals and captivates the viewer in those 2.40 hours. At the same time, a film like MY NAME IS KHAN is sure to have a far-reaching influence due to its noble theme. I strongly advocate, don't miss this one! Rating: 


Vidya Balan styles up for 'Verve' and 'The Man' (09:11 PM February 7th)
Vidya Balan has a string of movies to her credit- Parineeta, Munnabhai, Salaam-e-ishq, Guru, Eklavya, Heyy Babyy, Halla Bol, Bhool Bhulaiya, Kismet Konnection and most recently Paa. All these movies have given her critical acclaim for her acting talents, but nothing could give the sensuous tag to her the way the most recent 'Ishqiya' has [...]


Aishwarya Rai beats Kareena Kapoor (09:05 PM February 7th)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan may have chosen to take it easy post her marriage, but a recent development in her career has made all those speechless who feel that the beautiful actress' career is no longer on an upswing. She has broken the record of Kareena Kapoor with her whopping ten crores contract for her latest [...]


Sameera Reddy to go de-glam for Nagesh Kukunoor (09:02 PM February 7th)
Sameera Reddy's career has been facing a slow down since a couple of years. Lately, the hot siren has signed a project with Nagesh Kukunoor titled 'Yeh Honsla' in which she will be seen in a de-glam avatar. She will portray the role of a Rajasthani village belle in this one without makeup and with a [...]


Anoushka Sharma is YRF darling (08:58 PM February 7th)
Though Anoushka Sharma delivered a mega hit with her debut venture 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi', she does not seem to have impressed any other banner except Yash Raj Films. Her second film is with Shahid Kapoor under YRF. Now, YRF has signed her for the third venture opposite a newcomer Ranveer Singh. The film will [...]


Anurag Basu about his differences with Rakesh Roshan over Kites (05:34 AM February 6th)
Anurag Basu and his producer Rakesh Roshan don't see eye-to-eye on Kites, so much so that the director says he has no inkling when Kites is releasing. Says Anurag, "I'm just a technician on the film, just like the cinematographer or editor. I know as much as anyone else who has worked on Kites. But I've heard the film is being released on May 14 or May 21. I don't know which date it actually is. But I'm happy it's finally being released." For the first time, Anurag Basu openly admits there were differences with producer Rakesh Roshan. "I wouldn't call them creative differences. Because we were both creating the same film and moving in the same direction. But yes, Rakeshji's vision of cinema is quite different from mine." There were constant arguments between the producer and director about how the film was to be shot. Explains Anurag, "See, Rakeshji was not just the producer of Kites. He's also a very big director with a vast experience as filmmaker behind him. He naturally had very strong opinions on how the film should be shot." Anurag has learnt the hard way never to make a film for a producer who's also a director. "It's all fine now. Over and done with. I just hope all the hard work is worth the effort." Kites was taken away from Anurag and given to Hollywood director Brett Ratner to be edited. Anurag was none too pleased with the unexpected shift of power in the creative equation. Significantly, Anurag doesn't feature in any of the publicity and marketing of Kites. Says the director, "I still maintain I had no creative differences with Rakesh Roshanji. When I didn't have any hesitation in walking out of my first directorial venture Kuch Toh Hai when I had differences with my producer Ekta Kapoor, why would I not do the same with Kites if necessary, when I've proved myself as a director with Gangster and Life...In A Metro."


Micromax signs on Akshay Kumar as brand ambassador (05:10 AM February 6th)
He is a man, who has definitely not just changed the rules of the game, but also has rewritten it, in his own terms. He is none other than Bollywood's very own Akshay Kumar. He is one of the Numero Uno stars that Bollywood can easily back on due to his mass appeal. No wonder then, not just the filmmakers, but also the ad fraternity guys are queuing up at his doorstep to sign him on. After having endorsed a million products including the likes of Thums Up, Levis, X-Box 360 etc..., the superstar will now be seen endorsing wireless solutions provider Micromax. According to Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources, Akshay has been signed by the said telecom company in accordance to his 'instant connect' with the classes and masses alike. The source also added that knowing Akki's 'market status', the said company has shelled out a 'macro' bomb of an amount as Akki's remuneration. No wonder they say, ' Make hay...while the sun shines'! What say, Akki baba!


Amrita Arora blessed with baby boy (05:03 AM February 6th)
Amrita Arora, who got married to Shakeel Ladak in March '09, gave birth to a baby boy yesterday morning. At the hospital with her was her husband Shakeel and her family members. Bollywood has welcomed the new addition with the first Tweet coming from Riteish Deshmukh that said, "Congratulations AMU n Shakeel. It's a beautiful baby BOY." We Bollywood Hungama congratulate and give our best wishes to Amrita and Shakeel.


Veteran actor Sujit Kumar passes away (08:12 AM February 5th)
Veteran actor-producer Sujit Kumar, who worked in innumerable Hindi films passed away this morning, at the age of 75. Kumar was well-known for his roles in film like Aradhana, Ittefaq, Dharam Veer and innumerable Hindi films in the 70's and 80's. Sujit Kumar was suffering from cancer for a long time. He is survived by his son Jatin Kumar and daughter Henna. We at Bollywood Hungama offer our condolences to his family.


Bipasha Basu launches her fitness DVD (01:27 AM February 5th)
After Shilpa Shetty, Bipasha Basu too has come out with her fitness DVD titled 'BB Love Yourself'. The first release from Bips will be Fit & Fabulous, a do-it-yourself DVD devised for a 25-minute workout which promises to cut fat and tone up muscles. Bipasha Basu, who has always been a fitness freak says, 'œLove yourself [...]


Katrina Kaif sweeps Bihar off its feet with her Bhojpuri (01:24 AM February 5th)
On Tuesday afternoon Katrina along with her 'Rajneeti' co-stars Arjun Rampal and Manoj Tiwari flew into Patna in a private jet hired by Prakash Jha. They headed straight from the airport to Jha's residence in the suburbs. The reason was the inauguration of her director Prakash Jha's news channel at Patna's Shri Krishna Memorial Auditorium [...]


Mallika Sherawat to make an on-screen pair with Laz Alonso (02:54 AM February 4th)
It seems like Bollywood has lost Mallika Sherawat completely to Hollywood. The latest project bagged in by this sexy bombshell is 'Love Barack' where she is cast opposite none other than AVATAR co-star Laz Alonso. The movie is a political romantic comedy set during the frantic and intoxicating days leading up to 2008 U.S. Presidential [...]


Meet the brides-to-be for Rahul Ka Swayamvar (02:50 AM February 4th)
Rahul Mahajan, son of late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan, will begin his quest for a bride on TV starting Monday. He will choose his bride from 15 women who were selected after much scrutiny from over 16,000 applicants from across the country. Among the 15 girls who will participate on the show, [...]


Ameesha Patel and Kanav Puri no longer together (11:28 PM February 2nd)
After spending many lonely years post her breakup with Vikram Bhatt, Ameesha Patel found solace in her NRI boyfriend Kanav Puri and they were into steady relationship for the past three years. However, since past eight months, trouble has been creeping into their relationship. The reason for this trouble is that while Kanav wants to settle [...]


Katrina Kaif launches Femina's 50 most beautiful women issue (11:24 PM February 2nd)
Femina has come out with its latest issue which celebrates 50 most beautiful women. The magazine conducted a multi-media poll and guess who emerged as the winner! Obviously and undoubtedly, it was Katrina Kaif who has already been awarded the Best Female Style Icon at IIFA Awards and was the most searched Indian celeb on [...]