Ajay Devgan makes friends online!

The actor/director who is known to keep a low profile, recently made a sweet gesture by talking to fans over the internet on the occasion of Friendships Day almost the entire day !

Apparently Ajay was looking for an appropriate day to interact with fans and took this opportunity to answer friend requests all over the web based social networking sites and communities like Facebook, Myspace along with his personal website. Unlike Ajay's abilities and understanding of the technical aspects involving film making, nowadays Ajay concentrates and devotes a lot of time on his computer and web. Interestingly it was observed that Ajay also insisted on the true identity like the picture of the person who wishes to be his friend before accepting their request.

Looks like nothing stops the man from insisting on perfection. All we have to say is, Good going Ajay, as there are millions who wish to reach you!

Pooja Bedi just got 'netted'

Look who's blogging these days! It's none other than Pooja Bedi, who has suddenly found the need to connect with her fans! Pooja believes that there is more to her than that which is gossiped about and it's through her blog that she intends to reveal the real Pooja. Well, with her bold and speak out loud attitude, we guess the woman can prove to be one hell of an agony aunt on the Net, besides of course her revelation part of it!

Now, Shah Rukh, Aamir, Abhishek make it to Forbes list

NEW YORK: After the business titans like Ambanis and Mittals, it is the turn of the three young icons of Indian entertainment world - Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan -- to make it to a Forbes list.

The US publication, known for its rankings of wealthiest persons across the world, has named these Bollywood stars among ten celebrities adding star-power to mobile phones.

The two Khans and the junior Bachchan have been joined by two international sport stars Maria Sharapova and David Beckham, four singers Usher, Fergie, Rain and Andy Lau and race car driver Danica Patrick in the 'Ten Celebs and Their Cells' list published on the Forbes website.

"Once upon a time, perfume and designer jean makers were the ones who relied on celebrities to add a bit of star-dust glamour to their products. Add to that list, now, mobile phone makers," the report said.

While Shah Rukh endorses mobile phones made by Nokia, the world's biggest cellphone maker, Abhishek and Aimer are brand ambassadors for Motorola and Samsung phones respectively.

Among other celebrities, Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova endorses Sony Ericsson phones, while soccer star David Beckham is a brand ambassador for Motorola RAZR2 phone.

Forbes said the ten celebrities are "some of the big ones who want you to join their handheld club."

"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 to David Beckham to lend an ear-- and a smile-- to selling cellphones," it added.

Kareena Enters The Cover Page Of Verve

The actress Kareena Kapoor has been going places post jab we met and the weight loss. And one of the places she has made her mark is on the coverpage of Verge. The latest issue has the profiles of top female achievers of which, Bebo is one. The magazine though, hasn’t given any ranking. The list includes ladies like Katrina Kaif, Ekta Kapoor, Preity Zinta etc…
With Kareena being the 1st choice of most of the magazine covers, looks like she’s gonna ace this field too.

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Shorter the hotter

Wrap it up: Kim Sharma just can't resist wearing this exotic and captivating piece


Deepika might have brought the retro look back with 'Om Shanti Om' but short and petite is still hitting the big screen. Take a look at these hot Bollywood divas clad in stunning outfits.

Sensous me: The latest trends come to life with charismatic Udita.

Negar Khan opts for teeny weeny dress. After all it flaunts her best assets

Yet unseen: Small and crispy is in the menu this summer for luscious Soha.

Hot in short: The budding girl, Meghna can play well with fashion and style

Fashion all the way: Mahek spreads her fragrance in her contemporary looks


Fashion frat: Turn your gaze to the fashionable world with Mallika. (BCCL Photo)

Yukta makes a comeback!

Meanwhile, Ex Miss world, Yukta Mookhey is making her much delayed debut in a film called Memsaheb. And we must admire the guts of the makers who have put up larger than life hoardings of Ms Mookhey all over the city.

"This is my best performance till date," she was heard telling someone.

Really? Which other performances is she talking about? Anyway the big question is... are we really interested to see this Memsaheb on the big screen?

Imran following Aamir’s footsteps

Imran khan is one lucky fellow. He has the most awaited dream debut to his credit with Aamir Khan's third production Jaane Tu...Ya jaane na after Lagaan and Taare Zameen Par , directed by Abbas Tyrewala. His uncle Aamir Khan is going head over heels to make his nephew's debut ‘The debut of the year’.

Both Mama - Bhanja have many things in common. Both of their first films i.e Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jaane Tu... are young and fresh romantic films, where Aamir's second film was a film on sports, Imran’s second is an out and out thriller.

But one similarity between the two which very few people happen to know is that both of them started their career as assistant directors and both harboured dreams of becoming a director. Where Aamir assisted his uncle Nasir Hussain for 2 years before he did a screen test for his debut film, Imran too assisted various directors for some time before he gave a screen test for Jaane Tu....

Now after all Aamir finally made his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par , we wonder when Imran will make his debut as a director.

Bachchans in Apoorva Lakhia’s films

Apoorva Lakhia is on a career high these days. He has just completed his ambitious project Mission Istanbul and the tattooed director has already been signed by big banners. One of his forthcoming films which is untitled as of now will be produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Films while producer Vashu Bhagnani has signed him for his next in which Abhishek Bachchanwill play the lead role.

Apart from this two, Apoorva has also been signed for producer Sohial Maklai’s forthcoming film. According to an insider Apoorva has been signed for a whopping price for a film in which Amitabh Bachchan and Zayed Khan will be seen in main lead. This untitled film will be presented by SAREGAMA.

Apoorva’s last film Shoot Out... was critically acclaimed and the result can clearly be seen..

Bollwood's Hottest Actresses

Yana Gupta first achieved international fame as a model, appearing in numerous ad campaigns and magazine covers. It was her performance in the song ‘Babuji’ in Dum, which turned her into Bollywood's hottest diva

The dusky beauty shocked the audiences with her sizzling item numbers in the movie Road. Sexy Bollywood girl, Koena Mitra looked ravishing in the ‘Saqi saqi’ number. Now she is doing many movies as lead but her sultry-siren tag is simply refusing to die down


One film wonder Kim Sharma got recognition in Bollywood with the movie Mohobatein, but could not maintain the tag. She just did some item numbers and affairs that made her the talk of the town.



Aishwarya Rai started her career as a model and became the most beautiful woman of the world in 1994 when she won the Miss World title. A poll conducted by Hello Magazine, brands her as the most attractive woman of 2003. She is also listed in Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world

Bollywood's hottest divas

She made us groove in various item numbers, such as ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ for the movie Dil Se and ‘Maahi Ve’ in Kaante
Remember the pretty young lass squeezing her butt in the music video 'Chadti jawani'? Negar Khan became the most sought after item girl after that.


Payal Rohtagi, after Tauba Tauba with no efforts was the sexy siren. The damsel is a software engineer and plays a teacher who has an affair with a 15-year-old boy. The promos of the movie were stunning, with a boy applying sunscreen lotion on a half-nude woman


Priyanka Chopra's claim to fame came when she won the Miss World beauty pageant in the new millennium. Before entering films, she thought about becoming a software engineer or a criminal psychologist

People pretty much looked through her when she starred in Sohail Khan's Maine Dil Tujhko Diya. But Darna Mana Hai transformed the girl-next-door to the girl you wished were next door. Her next release Musafir saw yet another sexy side of hers

My first income was just fifty rupees: SRK

All time hot item for news, Shah Rukh Khan, has recently started hitting news for his television appearance for Paanchvi Pass, too. Starting his career with 1988 Doordarshan serial Fauji, Shah Rukh Khan has traversed a long to reach his status of King Khan. Here he has taken out few moments to have a bird’s eye view at his past life, his true colour and bit more…

Q. Who is the actual Shah Rukh Khan – an actor, a businessman, a father or a husband?A. Even I don’t know who the actual Shah Rukh is as because I spend most of my time portraying different characters. Most of the time we play such characters who are much superior from any point of view. But there is one common factor in each of the character I play and that factor is emotion. It’s impossible to depict a true sketch of a character without proper emotion. But, when I stay at home I show my true emotions as a father and a husband. And I don’t know how much truth I can maintain while talking about my role of a father outside my home.

Q. Where do you find yourself at the best of your professional graph – as a host or as an actor?
A. Whether it’s in acting or hosting a show, success stays with me for very short period of time. I feel reaching height only when I make my cameraman or director astonished with the best of my performance. I feel really happy when all those shots reach the remote areas of the country and people feel them from the core of their hearts.

Q. What did your teachers think about when you were in school?
A. I used to be very mischievous in school but teachers always forgave me seeing the beautiful dimples. That’s how my smile was famously known as the Satan’s smile. Despite being so naughty I was the monitor of my class because I always topped in the class. Reading less was enough for me to bag best numbers. I had interest in everything other than learning.

Q. Any memorable incident of those days?
A. I still can remember that my few friends, including me, were doing masti because of which all of those friends were suspended from the school. My absence from the school on that very day saved me from suspension. The five of us were the best buddies in school. We later on decided to beg pardon from the principal. All my friends were very jealous of me as I was not suspended. I agreed on going with them to the principal and told them that everything would be alright. We went to meet the principal. He was quite friendly with me and that day also he started talking to me very generously which my friends could not accept. All of a sudden they started revealing my tomfooleries one after the other. The aftermath was very obvious. Along with my friends, the principal suspended me also. Still I can remember all those four friends.

Q. With your KBC you offered people an amount of two crores and the amount has reached to five crores with your on going show Paanchvi Pass… What was your first income?
A. If I am not wrong then my first income was just fifty rupees. There was Sri Ram center beside my home. Even Film Fare Awards ceremonies were held at the center. Once there was the concert of Ghulam Ali Sahab at that center. I volunteered in the show and earned fifty bucks for that. I took my friends to visit Taj Mahal with that amount.

Q. What do excite your children most?
A. They feel excitement in all those things that excites me. They are all very excited with what their father does.

Q. What do you think of education?
A. All throughout my life I have believed that there is nothing more important than education. But the same education sometimes brings in tension and creates lot of problems. Today people stress more on becoming first than learning something. When I hear the cut off marks for colleges now-a-days, I get traumatized thinking that was I a student at this time, I would never have reached college though I passed my tenth with 92%. I think about how to make today’s generation realize to go ahead despite having all the pressures from education and job. I want an environment where children themselves wish to go to school. I would request all the schools not to create pressure on children for education.

Shahid Plays a spooky prank on Vidya Balan

Shahid Kapoor’s kismat didn’t konnect well with him when he decided a prank on her co-star Vidya Balan while shooting in Canada for his upcoming flick Kismat Konnection. After knowing Vida’s weakness of getting petrified of spooky stories and ghosts, the chocolaty boy bought a horrifyingly mask to scare the day lights out of her. As planned, Shahid, along with the other unit members waited for the night to carry on their Vidya darao mission.Accompanied by his team, Shahid wore the mask and knocked at Vidya’s door, expecting none other than Vidya to open the door. Even the unit members were pretty excited to catch a glimpse of Vidya’s scared stiff reaction and eagerly waited outside Vidya’s room to watch the fun.A source reveals, “The entire unit was waiting with bated breath outside Vidya’s door as they were all in on Shahid’s prank. But guess what happened?” Well, it was time for the joke to be on Shahid because it was not Vidya but her mother who opened the door. Shahid was shocked out of his wits when he saw Vidya’s mother, while Vidya’s mother stood too stunned to react.

A unit hand reveals, “Vidya’s mom didn’t know it was Shahid who was behind the mask. She thought he was an intruder so she held on to him tightly and called for security. Of course when the security guys came, everyone cracked up because the entire unit was in on the plan as Shahid had taken everyone into confidence”.

The entire unit burst into laughter and Shahid joined in on the joke by laughing nonstop. Well, Shahid, being in Bollywood for so long, you must have guessed, where there’s an actress there has to be her mom, too.

Don't you dare, David

Don't you dare, David! Posh keeps a close eye on Becks as he tries not to ogle basketball cheerleaders again

It looks as though Victoria Beckham has had enough of husband David’s court-side ogling of the cheerleaders at LA Lakers basketball games.

The LA Galaxy player has been spending a good amount of his free time at the Staples Centre in LA, and has been snapped a few times with his eyes on round bouncy things- and we’re not talking the basketballs.

The front row seats which are just a few feet from the court are hot tickets for celebrities and basket ball fans alike and now Victoria,34 knows why.

Victoria keeps her husband David Beckham in check as he admires the
scantilly clad cheerleaders at an LA Lakers game

David sneaks a quick peak at the blonde beauty when wife Victoria is distracted David keeps his attention on Victoria as the blond cheerleader shakes her behind in front of him
So this time around- despite her obvious disinterest in the game- the former Spice Girl wasn't taking any chances and decided to join David at the match to keep her husbands gaze away from the scantily clad cheerleaders.
But the hot-pant wearing, mid rift showing cheerleaders strutted their stuff in front of the Beckhams as they entertained the crowd.
And as hard as David, 33 tried to keep his gaze firmly fixed on the match his eyes wandered a few times to the disapproval of Victoria who gave him a few menacing looks. Even Victoria Beckham couldn't help taking a glimpse of the well toned blonde Victoria looks unimpressed and David keeps his eyes firmly shut as the line of cheerleaders walk past them
Posh -who is know for her glum looks- couldn’t hide her annoyance at the line women with their meagre attire who seemed set on standing in front of her husband to perform their dance routine.
And although she kept David in check on several occasions even she couldn't help taking glimpse at the well toned cheerleaders.
In one instance it almost looked like Posh wanted her Spice days back as she admired the tanned body of one of blonde dancers. There there: David gives Victoria a gentle pat on the back
David even tried to shut his eyes a few times in an attempt to block out the sexy ladies dancing just a few feet from where he was sitting.
Luckily for Victoria, David only had eyes for her and even gave his wife a few reassuring pats on the back.

Hot Sherlyn looks haute in a brown bikini

The oomph girl of B'wood, Sherlyn looks haute in a brown bikini.


The darker side of Sherlyn Chopra revealed in here in a bikini.

View More hot Wallpapers

Bollywood Columns -Learning and some gyaan

Bhopal is a city of beautiful lakes, but nothing can beat it’s heat. We were shooting on the rocks which were like an oven. Some people fainted. But the local populace are a cool lot.. I have seen people traveling in open jeeps around the lakes. Since Bhopal is a very Nawabi City, it is a very good break from the busy life of Bombay.

I am learning the flute from Raghuveer Yadav, inspite of the very little spare time we get. Paresh Rawal is such a diligent man that I have never met an actor like him. He has all healthy habits. I have been inspired by him. So every morning I drag myself to the gym. He is very particular about exercises. And here I am, a complete foodie. I just sit and eat. I like their salads and deserts. I haven’t had sweets for a very long time. I love the local desserts like Kheer, Phirni, Gulab Jamuns.

Apart from eating, I love horse riding. I sat on a horse last march, after fifteen years and I got completely hooked. I even wanted to partake in the Olympics. Today, I have got myself a really expensive horse from Germany. And to make matters more promising, this year in February, I got the best upcoming rider title.
So as long as I am in Bhopal, its learning to play the flute and exercises that is keeping me busy.

Upcoming movie-Sarkar Raj

When Anita Rajan, CEO of an international firm, brings a power plant proposal to set up in rural Maharashtra, before the Nagres, the insightful Shankar is quick to realize its benefits. After convincing Sarkar, Shankar along with Anita goes to the villages to mobilize support of the masses. However, things are not what they seem to be. From shady fixers with an eye on multi-million kick-backs to wannnabes who are ready to incite millions of people against the highly controversial project, Shankar's dream project gradually becomes a political minefield. Evil forces gang up to bring down the regime of Sarkar and obliterate Shankar's name from the political horizon.

Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Govind Namdeo

Crew

Publicity Designer:Rahul Nanda, Himanshu Nanda
Story Writer:Prashant Pandey
Sound Designer:Debashish Mishra
Director:Ram Gopal Varma
Producer:Pravin Nischol, Z Picture Company, Ram Gopal Varma

Music

Music Director:Bapi - Tutul
Background Sound:Amar Mohile
Music Company:T-Series

Tashan Movie Review

Genre: Action / Romance
Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya
Production House: Yash Raj Films
Music: Vishal - Shekhar
Star Cast: Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor
Release Date: 25 April 2008

If you have had your fill of drama and somberness, and are looking for some Bollywood-style entertainment, Tashan is just the movie for you. The movie is an out and out entertainer, with lots of action and fun, and will definitely keep you hooked. The plot, though with quite a few twists and turns, manages to engage your attention. The best part is that the film does not overdo any of the aspects and keeps them within reasonable limits. In case of Tashan, one needs to commend the dialogue writers, who definitely manage to make you smile.

The lines seem to come as pleasing refreshments. Though the movie offers style quotient in abundance, it does not lead to a drop in the storyline or the performance. As you look behind all the show and glamour, you get to see that not only does the story move forward, but the characters grow with it as well. Except for a few loopholes here and there, Tashan manages to impress you. The locales are good and the style quotient pretty high. If the editing would have been as good as Aki Narula's clothes, the movie could have been termed perfect.

Coming down to performances, Anil Kapoor is at his very best. His character as the don, who is dangerous, yet manages to tickle your funny bone, is flawless. Akshay Kumar again manages to take most of your applause. He plays his part to perfection and totally gets into the character. Kareena Kapoor is doing what she was supposed to do, look sexy. Nevertheless, she manages to deliver a good performance. After Omkara and Race, much more was expected from Saif. However, the role failed to do justice to him. All in all, if you are in for some entertainment, Tashan is a movie worth spending those bucks!

Tashan Pre-release Review

One of the most awaited films of 2008 is Tashan. Starring Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor and Akshay Kumar, this movie marks the comeback of Anil and Akshay to the Yash Raj banner. Anil Kapoor’s last film with the banner was Lamhe (with Sridevi). Tashan is all set to be released on April 25th 2008. The movie is directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, who had written the dialogues for hit movies like Dhoom and its sequel.

The movie has all the actors donning a glamorous and rugged urban look. But what sets the temperature soaring is the fact that apparently Kareena Kapoor will be sporting a two-piece in the film. Quite a feast for the eyes for all Kareena fans! Saif, Anil and Akshay have been groomed thoroughly and they all sport an ultra-stylish look for the film. The music has been composed by the popular pair Vishal - Shekhar, which means there is just one word to describe it – Pulsating!

According to reports, Saif Ali Khan’s son Ibrahim will be debuting with this film too. The movie has been shot extensively in a variety of locales which include Kerala, Rajasthan, Haridwar, Ladakh, Mumbai and Greece. During the shooting in Mumbai, many pictures of Kareena and Saif were circulated over the internet and daily tabloids, thus generating more interest in the movie. One just has to wait and watch how the movie scores with the audience.

Sonu Nigam Kissed in Mumbai

Katrina Kaif plays prank on Sanjay Gupta

New Delhi, April 20 : Actress Katrina Kaif, who features in the promotional video of Vijay Mallya's Indian Premier League (IPL) team 'Royal Challengers', surprised everyone when she played a prank while shooting the song.


She took the mike, changed her voice and announced that Katrina had fainted due to the non-stop shooting in the sweltering heat.

The shoot had started at 7 a.m. at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai owned by the Cricket Club of India (CCI).

The whole unit panicked and frantically started searching for her but couldn't find her for nearly half an hour. Director Sanjay Gupta and choreographer Bosco were tense since they had to finish the shoot in the limited time allotted by the authorities.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Katrina emerge, having a good laugh.

When contacted, Gupta laughed and said: "Hey who told you that? Katrina was lovely to work with."

Last year Katrina gave hits like "Namastey London", "Apne", "Welcome" and "Partner", and this year her film "Race" has done well at the box office.

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'Kismat Konnection' to release in July

After delivering hit film "Race", Ramesh Taurani's Tips Films is now all set to release its next big project "Kismat Konnection" on July 11, 2008.

Directed by Aziz Mirza, the film stars Shahid Kapoor and Vidya Balan and is expected to become a big hit with audiences.


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Sikandar Kher's debut scene cost Rs.15 million

Newcomer Sikander Kher's introductory scene in his debut film "Woodstock Villa" reportedly cost a whopping Rs.15 million to shoot.

Director Hansal Mehta confirmed that the producer spent quite extravagantly for the introductory scene, which is expected to be similar to Tom Cruise' entry in the 1990 classic film "Days of Thunder".

In the scene, Sikandar is seen riding an imported Yamaha MT 01 bike with smoke in the background. The scene required three days of shooting.

Mehta feels that Sikandar, son of actors Anupam and Kirron Kher, is a powerhouse of talent and a natural born star. He is however not surprised by Sikandar's capabilities, as he believes that the actor has a certain pedigree, given the work of his parents.

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Shiney Ahuja stuns with his stunts in "Hijack"

Actor Shiney Ahuja, known for his intense looks and powerful emoting, will enthral audiences with his power-packed performance in the action thriller "Hijack".

The film, which is ad filmmaker Kunal Shivdasani's debut, is filled with action sequences and thrilling visual as well as sound effects.

The first action promo of "Hijack", expected to hit theatres in June, features Shiney performing mid-air stunts as he leaps on to a flying helicopter and an aircraft in a convincing way.

The movie's promo focuses on how a well-planned plane hijack is foiled.

Shiney fights back six people who have hijacked the flight with 198 passengers on board.

The film also stars Esha Deol.

Hollywood Video

U me aur Hum Movie Review

Subhash K. Jha, Film: “U, Me Aur Hum”; Cast: Ajay Devgan, Kajol, Sumeet Raghavan, Divya Dutta, Isha Sharwani and Karan Khanna; Director: Ajay Devgan: Ratings: ***1/2

Nothing that Ajay Devgan has done in the past prepares us for the poise, poignancy and sensitivity of his directorial debut. “U, Me Aur Hum” is one of those tender and tactile melodramas that leave you with minty thoughts and dewy eyes.

The heart is completely at the right place as Ajay, turning director with a élan that thumbs its nose gently at all those who scoff at his actioner’s antecedents, tells the story of a husband whose gentle ministrations take his Alzheimer’s stricken wife from her absentminded youth to blanked-out old age.

The journey gives us insights into the man-woman relationship and the intricate commitments of a marriage as seen through the eyes that go beyond the romance and excitement of courtship to an area where dark clouds gather over a relationship and threaten its annihilation.

The trick, says Ajay’s soft but persuasive film, is to hold on, to value the things that make life worth living. There is an interesting reversal of the age-hold cinematic formula where the husband is looked after by the wife through rain and shine.

Ajay plays the caring husband who wins the feisty (if it’s Kajol it cannot be any other way) waitress on a cruise that seems to go on and on and on.

Luckily, the narrative doesn’t get ’see’ sick. To be sure, the film could have avoided a prolonged courtship that tells us nothing more about life than what we don’t already know in the first 15 minutes.

Ajay gets to the point halfway through. The narrative quickly comes to grips with the theme as the solemn doctor (Sachin Khadekar) announces the absent-mindedness, which has been stalking Pia for a while, is actually Alzheimer’s.

The realisation of the gravity of the illness, coming to terms with it and finally recognizing the reality of an unshakeable love and faith beyond the obvious hardships of a troubled compatibility…. these are themes that are given a surprisingly low key treatment by the first-time director.

Ajay’s directorial speciality is the interweavement of the characters through some wittily and cleverly written dialogues (Ashwin Dheer), which always tell us more than what we hear.

The film’s substantial emotional impact depends entirely on the performances, not just Ajay and Kjaol but their two sets of friends - Sumeet Raghavan and Divya Dutta as the constantly quarrelling divorce bound couple, and Karan Khanna and Isha Sharwani as the soon to be wed couple.

Sumeet is a special revelation. He’s quiet and attentive in scenes that require him to be that.

But of course the chemistry between the lead players guides the destiny of this remarkable film. Kajol’s powerhouse performance, punctuated and italicised by moments where she hungrily sinks her teeth into emotional depths seldom afforded to commercial actors, comes as no surprise.

However, her makeup sometimes gives her a caked look. Never mind. This is a film where we can easily look beyond the mask.

Ajay bowls you over. To find him measuring up to his wife’s dizzying histrionics is an amazing experience. Jim Broadbent looking after his Alzheimer’s-stricken wife Judi Dench in “Iris” couldn’t have done better.

One sequence in the restaurant where Ajay is required to give a long, bitter and ironical monologue on man’s innate selfishness after he leaves his wife at a care centre, will stand out among the sincerest expressions of the human ego seen in cinema.

Ajay’s command over his craft and the language of heart take you by surprise.

Some of the sequences showing Kajol’s mental blanking-out are so vivid they make your hairs stand on end. That nerve wracking moment when the mother nearly ends up drowning her baby in the bath tub or that poignant interlude when the husband leaves his wife at the hospital are so wonderfully devised and executed you wonder which came first: the thought to make a film on Alzheimer’s or the characters who inhabit this dark yet uplifting theme.

The film has its flaws. It sometimes tries too hard to be trendily philosophical in its dialogues and ends up sounding phoney.

The pseudo-philosophical lyrics for the songs sound like cheap rip-offs of Gulzar. Also, the narrative doesn’t seem to follow the linear path.

The back-and-forth editing pyrotechnics where key incidents are recreated in flashy flashbacks are distracting. However, Aseem Bajaj’s cinematography does much to create a smooth homogenous look and mood for the narrative.

The film takes us through a world of love pain and acceptance with such transparent honesty of purpose that at the end of it you only wonder one thing… why can’t more movies be like “U, Me Aur Hum”?

Bollywood's slim and sexy brigade

There was a time when weight wasn't an issue. Be it Madhubala or Meena Kumari, the legendary divas were loved and celebrated for their wholesome beauty.
And then came the petite brigade of Sharmila Tagore, Saira Bano and Sadhana. The curvaceous troika of Asha Parekh, Tanuja and Mumtaz had no problems dealing with their slender competitors.

The 1970s saw the advent of slim beauties Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi. Though it was always the monopoly of buxom ladies like Hema Malini, Raakhee, Rekha or Neetu Singh at the top, it was ditto for voluptuous numero uno of the past like Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.

The real reason why these women attained giddy levels of popularity was talent -- tons of it. Today, however, the emphasis is increasingly on looks, projection and not being too subtle about it.

The film industry, these days, is filled with former beauty queens and models and so the slimness quotient is on an all-time high.

No wonder the roly-poly Ayesha Takia, who got tremendous flak for her super chubby appearance in No Smoking and Sunday, has dropped food from her life with a vengeance. Recently, there were reports of her getting for a liposuction, which were rubbished by her folks.

While the 'getting-skinny-with-it' trend is booming to unhealthy levels in Hollywood, Bollywood is slowly catching up. For now, our girls are content losing weight, toning fat, doing power yoga, following weird diets and generally flaunting what they've got to the hilt with dramatic makeovers.

rediff.com takes a look at actresses, who have worked hard on becoming real slim and sexy.

Breaking the mould Bollywood pegs hope on special roles

A common thread running through over-the-top comic caper "Krazzy 4" and sombrely romantic "U, Me Aur Hum" is the theme of mental illness.

While actor Ajay Devgan has chosen Alzheimer's, which leads to gradual memory loss, as the subject for his directorial debut "U Me Aur Hum", actor-turned-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan has depicted the world from the eyes of four mentally unstable men in the much hyped "Krazzy 4".

In the former, Kajol, one of Bollywood's most talented female actors, essays the role of a young woman who suffers from Alzheimer's. How the aliment tests her marriage forms the core of the film, which tries to strike a balance with a breezy first half.

The last time Kajol was seen on the big screen was in "Fanaa" in which she portrayed the role of a visibly challenged Kashmiri girl to perfection. The actor has become very selective after her marriage to Ajay and it seems she is willing to take up only very special roles.

And such roles are coming by much more frequently in Bollywood, which is desperately seeking to break the mould in a bid to keep its increasingly discerning audiences hooked.

"After a spate of movies featuring roles of physically challenged people, including 'Black' and 'Iqbal' on one hand and slapsticks like 'Pyare Mohan' and 'Tom, Dick and Harry' on the other, Mumbai dream merchants now seem to be focusing on tales of the mentally challenged," said a trade observer.

Ajay's film comes on the heels of superstar Aamir Khan's directorial debut "Taare Zameen Par", which was based on autism. The film, a surprise blockbuster, took a sensitive view of the differently-abled and promoted inclusiveness.

On a less serious note, "Krazzy 4", which also released Friday, brings together acting powerhouses like Irfan Khan, Juhi Chawla and Arshad Warsi in an attempt to trickle the funny bone and at the same time deliver a moral message.

Produced by Rakesh Roshan, the film is a comedy about four mentally unstable men and how their view of a world, which is going increasingly insane, makes more sense.

The film that features two special item numbers by Shah Rukh Khan and Rakhi Sawant, respectively, and one promotional number by heartthrob Hrithik Roshan has generated a lot of buzz but is also facing rough weather.

The controversy surrounding the film's music has died down but now the film has been branded as "insensitive" for its portrayal of the mentally ill.

A concerned citizen, Rukmini Pillai, has filed a complaint with the Central Board of Film Certification, stating: "The filmmakers need to be more attuned to the social fabric and appreciate that people with mental illnesses aren't just lying on the streets and in asylums."

Earlier, Pillai had reportedly succeeded in securing three cuts to the film "Woh Lamhe", which depicted schizophrenic film star Parveen Babi.

For long, the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry represented the mentally challenged as comic supporting characters that add an amusing sideshow to the central story.

Dinesh Bhugra, who has written a book that analysis depiction of mental illness in Hindi films, says that compared with Hollywood's portrayal of psychological ailments, Indian cinema is perhaps less enlightened.

"There are fewer Bollywood films that look at mental illness in a serious and sympathetic way," he said.

This, he argues, gives an impression that "Indian cinema may be 30 to 40 years behind Hollywood's image of psychiatry."

Remember Salman Khan in "Kyon Ki", where the lead's illness bears no resemblance to any realistic mental illness, Ajay in "Main Aisa Hi Hoon", which tried hard to deal with autism, and Hrithik in "Koi... Mil Gaya", where he has a developmental disorder about which almost nothing is known, except perhaps that it's 'cute'.

Most such films played up mental illness for pathos, trying very hard to make their protagonists earn the audience's sympathy, but came out as non-serious.

At the same time, films like "15 Park Avenue" and "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" had their heart in the right place, but not the marketing power.

It remains to be seen whether films like "U, Me Aur Hum" and "Krazzy 4" can find the balance between marketability and sensitivity like "Taare Zameen Par" did.

Source: indiatimes.com

Hot Girls from Bollywood

Celina Jaitley:
Looking like an Egyptian beauty, and why not, after all she is the brand ambassador for tourism of Egypt.

Sherlyn Chopra:

Me and my body.. Sherlyn is the most talked about actress on the internet. And it has got nothing to do with her acting... the bare all girl has currently had a ass job done to give it that perfect shape.

Kareena Kapoor:

the latest bikini girl. Bebo is perhaps the highest actor in Bollywood, earning the maximum through endorsements, stage shows, appearances and of course, movies..

Deepika Padukone:

The latest siren.. Deepika is the new kid on the block and is enjoying every moment under the sun.. biggest banners, biggest corporates and the biggest of stars keep her company these days..

Bipasha Basu:

The best Bengali bombshell.. She started the trend with Jism, which was followed by almost every actress intinsel town. Being bad pays big bucks and the best in the business is our very own Bips

Mallika Sherawat:

The Sleeping Beauty: Hidden in her ivory tower, the actress who loved creating headlines has gone underground. Mallu, pl remember, out of sight is out of mind..

Mallika in demand

Mallika Sherawat has always been in demand. Sometimes by the media, sometimes by older men.. remember Parresh Rawal and Nana Patekar are her big friends.. and now it's the men on her set.

Mallika is currently shooting for Sanjay Chhel's Maan Gaye Mughall-e-Azam and the schedule has been a long and tough one. After a long and gruelling day, the director fired some spot boys for their slipshod work.

To the astonishment of one and all, Mallika stood up for the spot boys and asked Chhel, the director to take it easy. She said, Please don't shout on the sets. It creates too much of unpleasantness and no work is done. So please calm yourself and talk to them properly."

There was a stunned silence. Sanchita, who is the production in charge of the film remarked, "I have never seen any actor stand up for these workers. It's a great feeling. I wish more and more actors would take up the cause for them. They are under paid and over worked, so a little bit of compassion helps their morale."

Since that day, all the workers are Mallika's biggest fans. They attend to her slightest whims and pamper her. Good going, Mallika. It’s nice to see someone stand up for the cine workers who contribute a lot to India's glitz and glamour.

Sanjay Dutt’s marriage woes

In the latest series of events in Sanjay Dutt’s marriage, the actor has now declared that he is not married to Manyata. The Munnabhai actor has been courting disaster or rather disaster dogs him at every step and has been doing so for some time now.

Post the conviction and subsequent release the second time around from Pune’s Yerawada Jail, the actor was excited about settling down with one time actress Manyata. But fate deemed otherwise.

The actor who registered his marriage on the 7th of Feb in Goa, returned to Mumbai for a hindu marriage ceremony on the 12th of the same month. Close friends attended the wedding and a very excited, elated and exhilarated Sanju Baba met the press fraternity waxing loud his love and marriage to the former dancer.

Soon trouble knocked on his doorstep. The Goa court found that the address given by Manyata was false and the subsequently following a lot of police questioning, the Goa marriage was declared null and void.

Sanju Baba’s close friend revealed, “Sanju was very upset when he realized that Manyata married him in Goa so that she could be a partner to his assets. As per Portuguese laws, the spouse automatically inherits 50% of the assets.”

But that matter soon got drowned in a fresh controversy. This time it was the arrival of a character named Miraj who claimed to be Manyata’s husband. Apparently Manyata is yet to divorce him and she also has conceived a child through him. The Bandra family court stayed the petition and ordered Dutt and Manyata to be present at the next court proceedings. Following that order, the court has also said that if Dutt has married her, he was also liable to be prosecuted.

After such a lot of hue and cry, the battle weary Sanjay Dutt has announced that he is not married to Manyata. I say, one does feel sorry for the man. But all we can say is that, better luck next time.

Dare you honk, warns Amitabh Bachchan!

It does look like Amitabh Bachchan will at last be in the good books of some politicians. After all, he is going out of his way to support the traffic initiative in Mumbai.

The actor, who flew off to Miami only recently, to be with beta Abhishek whilst he shoots for Karan Johar's Dostana , has been a part of some 'Horn Not OK' campaigns which he shot for before his departure, explains DCP Traffic, Harish Baijal. "We approached Mr. Bachchan to do a few video spots for educating motorists on safe driving techniques - like the one he had done for Polio – and Mr. Bachchan willingly agreed," said the DCP.

We learn that Bachchan has also roped in Ravi Chopra and will support the initiative through his forthcoming film Bhoothnath, So, if you honk unnecessarily or switch lanes dangerously, this bhooth is watching! Drive safely!

BollySpice's Power List

Power - it's what drives everybody in this industry. Power in the Bollywood industry consists of influence on the media and the audience. An influence which increases during the years, but also vanishes in an instant. So, for 2007's edition of BollySpice's Power List, we have thought to take into consideration the artists' popularity, their reliability for getting hits, and their overall performance. Also, we have come up with power lists for specific genres such as actors, actresses, directors, and music directors which are based on the same criteria.

BollySpice's Power List of 2007:

1. Akshay Kumar

Number of Movies in 2007: Four
Number of Hits: Four
Reliability Rate: 100%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Roles: Leading Actor

2. Shahrukh Khan

Number of Movies in 2007: Two
Number of Hits: Two
Reliability Rate: 100%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Roles: Leading Actor

3. Kareena Kapoor

Number of Movies in 2007: One
Number of Hits: One
Reliability Rate: 100%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Role: Leading Actress

4. Aamir Khan

Number of Movies in 2007: One
Number of Hits: One
Reliability Rate: 100%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Role: Supporting Actor, Director, and Producer

5. Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Number of Movies: Two and One respectively
Number of Hits: One
Reliability Rate: 50% and 100% respectively
Popularity Rate: 100% Both
Role: Leading Actor and Actress

6. Yash Raj Films

Number of Movies: Five
Number of Hits: One
Reliability Rate: 20%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Role: Producers

7. Amitabh Bachchan

Number of Movies: Five
Number of Hits: Two
Reliability Rate: 40%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Role: Leading Actor

8. A R Rahman

Number of Movies: One
Number of Hits: One
Reliability Rate: 100%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Role: Music Director

9. Madhuri Dixit

Number of Movies: One
Number of Hits: Zero
Reliability Rate: 0%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Role: Leading Actress

10. Salman Khan

Number of Movies: Three
Number of Hits: One
Reliability Rate: 33%
Popularity Rate: 100%
Role: Leading Actor

Bollyspice's Most Powerful Actors of 2007:

1. Akshay Kumar
2. Shah Rukh Khan
3. Aamir Khan
4. Abhishek Bachchan
5. Amitabh Bachchan
6. Salman Khan
7. Sanjay Dutt
8. Saif Ali Khan
9. Shahid Kapur
10. Ranbir Kapoor/Neil Nitin Mukesh

BollySpice's Most Powerful Actresses of 2007:

1. Kareena Kapoor
2. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
3. Madhuri Dixit
4. Tabu
5. Vidya Balan
6. Konkona Sen Sharma
7. Rani Mukerji
8. Katrina Kaif
9. Bipasha Basu
10. Deepika Padukone/Sonam Kapoor

BollySpice's Most Powerful Directors of 2007:

1. Aamir Khan
2. Mani Ratnam
3. Shimit Amin
4. Imtiaz Ali
5. Farah Khan
6. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
7. Anurag Basu
8. Priyadarshan
9. Sriram Raghavan
10. Sajid Khan

BollySpice's Most Powerful Music Directors of 2007:

1. A R Rahman
2. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
3. Pritam
4. Vishal-Shekar
5. Himesh Reshammiya