Divya Dutta's 'real' item song experience!

Divya Dutta was well received by audiences and critics alike in the character of the straightforward 'Jalebi' in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's DELHI-6. Not stopping at that, Divya it seems is all set to heat up the Bollywood circuit. For starters, the actress also plays a very hot item number in HAAT, THE WEEKLY BAZAAR. Divya is quite excited about the film. ''The film is being directed by Seema Kapoor and it's a good bold subject. But I am moreso excited because I have a kickass role in the film'' says Divya.

Ask her about the item number and Divya just cannot stop raving about it. ''It is an item number and believe it or not I have performed in front of a real audience in the open in Rajasthan. There are no junior artistes in the song. I have been used to shooting in a closed studios and junior artistes throwing money at you but this was one experience I can never forget,'' says Divya.

''We were shooting in this village in Rajasthan and my director informed me that it would be out in the open with villagers watching me. Initially I was awkward and my steps went wrong. But being an artiste I could not let these simple things effect me. I had to go ahead. As I started dancing and gyrating with the typical thumkaas I heard wolf whistles and this encouraged me. I realized that the villagers were enjoying it so I went ahead without any hitches. Moreover, to my wonders I saw villagers literally throwing money on the stage. After a long time I saw the 'atthanni' (the fifty paise coins) being hurled on the stage. It was indeed a life time experience. I enjoyed it,'' reveals Divya.

Well Divya certainly seems to be on a roll now.

Hrithik Roshan back to his daredevilry

Hrithik Roshan, the superhero of Bollywood is back to doing daring action stunts. This time it will not be for a movie but for a commercial that he shot lately. Hrithik was in South Africa recently shooting for a Godrej Cinthol TV Commercial under the direction of Abhinay Deo who is directing Aamir Khan Productions' DELHI BELLY.

Our source informs, ''Hrithik shot for the TV commercial in South Africa for four days and it required him to jump from a great height and also a lot of running, putting pressure on his knees. After a long time Hrithik has done action sequence. Even during the shooting of his upcoming film KITES, he would not only avoid action sequences but also be very careful about strenuous dancing, which could have put pressure on his knees.''

It may be recalled that Hrithik had injured his knees during the shooting of super hero flick KRRISH, which got aggravated during the shoot of Ashutosh Gowarikar's JODHAA AKBAR. Since that time Hrithik has undergone surgery two times-first in Mumbai and second in Los Angeles.

Aamna: My TV popularity should not drive my film roles

A fortnight back, Aamna Shariff was seen in ALOO CHAAT. The film didn't go on to do much at the box office and Aamna Shariff too was deprived of a platform that could have touted her as the next big thing from the world of television. Even though Aamna has moved on, she defends her choice of the film.


''When I signed on ALOO CHAAT, it was done with all the confidence. There are no regrets attached to my choice. When the makers approached me for the role, they did so like they would have had done for any newcomer. Frankly, I liked their attitude because they didn't want me to do the film just in order to cash in on my TV popularity. They took me on because they felt that I could truly do justice to the role'', says Aamna who is guarded about her upcoming films which are in the pipeline.

''One thing is for sure though that I will never allow my TV stint to be a deciding factor for the film makers. They have to approach me for the parts that they believe would suit me'', she adds, ''I am open to glamorous roles as well but then the fact is that audiences have seen enough of glamour. Now the trend is changing and people want to see good content based film. That's the kind of movies I wish to do''.

Now that her first film has released, how does she feel her transition from TV to Bollywood has been?

''Honestly, it wasn't very easy or tough for transition. I never thought on those lines'', she smiles, ''But yes, it was good to be a part of 'naach-gaana' routine. I continue to get compliments for my songs like 'Dhadke Jiya' as well as RDB's music video of 'Aloo Chaat'. It has been fun so far.''

SHAHRUKH KHAN : No six-packs in RAB NE BANA DI JODI!

All those who were waiting to have another glimpse of King Khan's envious six-packs, are in for a disappointment of sorts! Well, not exactly once we hear out what SRK has to say about his upcoming RAB NE BANA DI JODI.

Speaking about his role and get up in the Aditya Chopra directed venture, RAB NE BANA DI JODI, opposite debutante Anushka Sharma, SRK reveals that he has not worked out for four months. And this was intentional as he did not want to show off his muscles, rather those famous six-pack 'Dard-E-Disco' abs of OM SHANTI OM. The actor discloses the reason behind the same and it is a very logical and an interesting one.

He explains that the muscles were coming in the way of the character that he is playing in RAB NE BANA DI JODI. He essays the role of a very normal, regular person, quite unlike the flamboyant Om from his blockbuster hit of last year, the 87 crore OM SHANTI OM.

As of today, the next offering from the DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE and MOHABBATEIN team, RAB NE BANA DI JODI, is all set to release globally on December 12.

Tulip Joshi cut 4 cakes for her B'day!

Capt. Vinod Nair hosted a huge birthday bash for the beautiful Tulip Joshi at a suburban hotel over the weekend where more than 200 people turned up to wish the pretty actress!!! Dressed in white, Tulip stood out among the guests, and along with the dashing Capt. Vinod was seen personally attending to the guests who varied from industrialists and businessmen to Bollywood celebrities.

Bollywood turned out in big numbers to wish Tulip who was celebrating her birthday over the weekend. Seen were Bunty Walia, Nitin Manmohan, Rohit Roy, Preety Jhangiani and Parvin Dabbas, Kim Sharma who made a quick appearance and left only to return later to enjoy the party, Nisha Jamval and her husband, Ashmit Patel, Manoj Bohra and Teejay Sidhu, Anuj Saxena, Viren Shah of Roopam, Hazel, Anant Mahadevan who came in early, Shahwar Ali, Vatsal Seth, Sidharth Kannan and Aushima who was shimmering in a black dress while Rakesh Shreshta came in fashionably late!!! Shirish Kunder made a rare appearance.

At the stroke of midnight, with everyone singing the birthday song, Tulip cut not one or two, but 4 cakes!!!!! Looks like the lady believes in quadrupling her happiness quotient!!!

With Indian and Chinese starters and unlimited drinks doing the rounds, the guests were seen having one ball of a time!!! Hazel stuck to the dance floor, enjoying grooving to the foot tapping English music and giving her company was Vatsal Seth. Anuj Saxena was also seen shaking his leg! The guests kept pouring even past midnight and seemed to be enjoying themselves to the hilt!!!

Here's wishing Tulip a happy birthday and we hope this turns out to be a rocking year for her!

Salman khan indeed has dum

When the curtains were brought down on 10 KA DUM, the debut programme of Salman Khan on Sony television, the views expressed in some quarters that hiring him for this programme may not be a win-win situation for the channel. But the immense popularity of the programme has dispelled the thought. The USP of the programme has been the informality that Salman brought out in all the episodes and this is what increased its TRP.

Stars have made their debuts in various TV programmes but they have been guarded in their interaction with the audiences, but Salman threw all the caution to the winds, right from dancing along with them, to allowing them to pull his legs for his impeding marriage. Not a single episode went by, where this issue was not taken up, but he replied to all of them with his elfin charm and floored the audience and the participants with his response.

Such was the warmth that Salman brought out into the programme that he led the skeptics eat crow, when he invited Akshay and Katrina together on the programme, and Katrina was courageous enough to pull his legs for hugging and kissing the female partners. Even though it may have been stage-managed the sheer fact that he allowed to be questioned on the same, was a clever ploy to do away with the Casanova image with which he has been associated in the media.

He also was candid enough to come out with his differences with Shah Rukh Khan and he was vocal about his opinion. It was his charm that made even Aamir Khan appear in a realty show and have fun. As Aamir himself acknowledged that people of his ilk are like laborers who have to work to get their dues, but Salman is the real star who lets people eat out of his hand, if he so decides.

As the prgramme was based on the probabilities as the deciding factor for winnability of a question, the probability of Salman being immensely popular has turned into a certainty as the curtains have come down on 10 KA DUM. There is no need for any audience poll. When the second season of 10 KA DUM starts, it would indeed be interesting to watch whether he invites BIG B along with his family and would have settled the issue of his impeding marriage by then.

Amitabh Bachchan to host 'Big B's Den'

As part of its special programming centred around the Unforgettable Tour which features the greatest superstars of Indian Cinema, NDTV Imagine gives audiences a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan in an exciting new role as host of a 3 part series show titled Big B's Den.

For three consecutive Fridays beginning September 19, 2008, Big B's Den will present an intimate conversation between Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Riteish Deshmukh and Vishal-Shekar of the highly successful Unforgettable Tour. Each week Big B will put his guests in the hot seat and don the hat of the host, getting his celebrity guests to let their hair down and be at their candid best!

The first episode of this 3 part series which airs on Friday, September 19th at 10:00 p.m features Big B in conversation with Abhishek Bachchan. Known for his sharp wit and for pulling practical jokes on his friends and family, Abhishek turns the tables on his dad and takes over as the host of the show, putting his father on the hot seat! This fun and entertaining episode captures the bond shared by the country's most loved father-son duo. And Big B does not disappoint!!! From his first live performances to his nicknames for each of the stars on the Unforgettable Tour and from fan reactions to spending quality time with his family, he gets candid with all his answers.

With Bollywood's greatest superstar as host, the show promises to be entertaining and insightful, giving audiences a glimpse of the intimate details and experience from the Unforgettable Tour from each of these stars.

Enter the Big B's Den every Friday at 10:00 pm only on NDTV Imagine for your weekly quota of some Unforgettable facts of this truly unforgettable tour straight from the brightest stars of Bollywood themselves.

Bhushan Kumar's KARZZZZ arrives on 17th October!

Bhushan Kumar's upcoming flick KARZZZZ, directed by Satish Kaushik is all set for release on 17th October 2008. The promos of the film are already on air which can be seen on all the major channels.

Produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar of T-Series, KARZZZZ is a remake of Subhash Ghai's 1980 film about reincarnation. Director Indra Kumar's daughter Shweta will make her debut with KARZZZZ and play the lead role of Tina Munim opposite Himesh Reshammiya who will don Rishi Kapoor's role for the same.

Directed by Satish Kaushik, the film also stars Urmila Matondkar, Gulshan Grover, Danny Denzongpa, Rohini Hatangadi and Raj Babbar. Himesh Reshammiya also scores a hat trick by acting, singing and composing the music for the film!!!

T-Series has bought the remake rights from Mukta Arts for the original film KARZ directed by Subhash Ghai. Big Pictures is releasing the film worldwide.

Diwali gets crowded as GOLMAAL RETURNS!

Just last week we had told you about the Diwali week line-up, now consisting of BILLOO BARBER, HEROES and ROADSIDE ROMEO. We had also hinted that the Rohit Shetty directed GOLMAAL RETURNS, which was originally scheduled to release during the same week but was postponed, planning to return back to its original date. Well, that is how it has actually turned out to be!

The Ajay Devgan-Kareena Kapoor starrer GOLMAAL RETURNS, a sequel to GOLMAAL, will once again hit the screens on 24th October 2008, as was the earlier schedule.

For those who are not aware as to why a host of releases, featuring the likes of Sunny Deol, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, Salman Khan, Preity Zinta and Kareena Kapoor etc are centering on the above mentioned date, it is because of the postponement of the Akshay-Deepika starrer CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA and the Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif venture YUVRAAJ, which were schedule to release during the Diwali week.

Bips-Yuvi get sporty!!!

Style and sports came together with the renowned cricketer Yuvraj Singh and famous actress Bipasha Basu outdoor campaign for Reebok today. Interestingly, the first offer went to Bips' beau John Abraham who wrangled himself out of the ad due to a commitment with Wrangler. If you recall, John sported Reebok in GOAL.

Nevertheless, Yuvi is a worthy replacement being a stylish sports icon for the youth. This blending with Bipasha's style and class makes this campaign one of its kind. Reebok feels that this combination will make a difference. Says a Reebok spokesperson, ''The chemistry between the duo is evident. And the combination looks classy not just in this ad campaign, but the looks for the other sub-brands. We will have the classic, rugby looks among others that will be revealed.''

Bipasha is naturally elated with the Yuvi combination. ''It is fun and Yuvi is a bundle of energy. It feels great working with him,'' she says, adding that the same goes for working with the entire Indian cricket squad.

Talking of the brand, Bipasha has a few things to say. ''The stylish clothes and patterns are amazing. You can call Reebok a confluence of sorts and style. I associate with it as it is the kind of clothing I wear, being a fitness conscious person myself. I am sporty person and these clothes are a part of my life.''

Pooja Batra's Sylvester Connection!!

With the news being full of Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards being the first Hollywood stars to act in a Hindi movie, apparently there's an Indian factor that has brought them to our shores!!

Word is that none other than actress Pooja Batra who now lives in Los Angeles has made the connection!!

When we contacted Pooja for confirmation, she gushed, 'Yes, Sajid Nadiawala is the one who thought of the script and role and since I know a lot of people in Hollywood, he approached me. It wasn't an easy task. Even though there is a lot of awareness of our films here, no one wanted to test the waters. It took a fair amount of persistence and knowledge of the industry here, but I was able to ultimately deliver. Since Sajid, Sly and Denise are all my friends, it was great to bring them together for this project!

Well, some roots just don't die especially Indian ones for Pooja

'Still Reading Khan' becomes 'Shah Rukh Can'!

He is probably one of the most written about actor of the Hindi film industry. Yes, we are talking about Shah Rukh Khan, whose biography, 'Still Reading Khan', by good friend Mushtaq Shiekh, hit the stores in 2006 and generated phenomenal sales. In fact, the online orders were one of the highest ever for any category.

Well, for the fans of Bollywood's global superstar, who are craving for more, we have some good news. An updated version of 'Still Reading Khan', titled 'Shah Rukh Can', once again by Mushtaq Shiekh, is all set to hit the stands next month. As per Shiekh himself, there are going to be exclusive never before details about King Khan's personality, fears and dislikes.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and book a copy in advance!

John Abraham to co-produce Abbas'1-800-LOVE!

The man responsible for immensely successful blockbuster of the year JAANE TU...YA JAANE NA, Abbas Tyrewala has already begun his work on his next outing 1-800-LOVE, which would be a mature love story unlike JTYJN.

As per the latest reports of the B-town, Abbas has approached one of the hottest hunks of Bollywood - John Abraham - to play the lead character for his next directorial venture. So excited was John after hearing the script of the film that he instantly gave his nod for the film. Not only this, if the reports are to be believed than John will also co-produce the film apart from acting in the film. However the female lead is yet to be finalized.

Abbas'1-800-LOVE is said to be inspired from the toll-free help lines in the United States of America. Tyrewala's wife Pakhi has scripted the film which would be a romantic comedy. And this project would take off by next year.

Abbas Tyrewala's next, a mature love story!

Writer-director Abbas Tyrewala's JAANE TU...YA JAANE NA has been accepted as the year's biggest success by every possible source. In fact, trade estimates that after accounting for all the rights (theatrical and non theatrical), JT...YJN will yield more profits for Aamir Khan and PVR than their last super-hit production, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR.

However, the man responsible for the hugely successful JAANE TU...YA JAANE NA does not believe in basking in past (or should we say recent!) glories and has already moved on, as we had told you last week.

Since there have been a number of stories circulating in the media about Abbas's next directorial venture, we decided to ask the man himself about his future plans. Abbas says "Yes, I will definitely direct again and this time (unlike JT...YJN) it will be a mature love story, nearer to my age!" We further queried him about when the project is likely to take off and Abbas told us, "It will only be next year."

Well, now that things are clear, and from the man himself, we hope that all the speculations about Abbas Tyrewala's next directorial venture will end!

Madhuri going 36-24-36!!!

The heartthrob of millions, Madhuri Dixit is heard to be seen in 36-24-36. No the actress is not pushing hard to get the dream figure out here. But the atypical title 36-24-36 happens to be her forthcoming flick with Meghna Gulzar. Daughter of the famous poet, writer & director Gulzar saab, Meghna Gulzar who earlier gave films like FILHAAL, JUST MARRIED and a segment in DUS KAHANIYAAN is all set to start a film titled 36-24-36 with Madhuri Dixit Nene.

According to the hearsay 36-24-36 will be an out and out comedy film. As the title suggests the film would be about weight loss and measurements. According to Meghna, Madhuri will play the central protagonist in the film. If everything goes accordingly than this would be the first time Madhuri will be seen in a comic role. The film will be produced by Pritish Nandy communications.

Currently Madhuri is busy with Bachchans 'The Unforgettable Tour' and in talks with Meghna Gulzar. More details on 36-24-36 will be finalised after Madhuri finishes with the tour.

Shamita Shetty: The Hit Item!

Remember the 'Sharara sharara' number from MERE YAAR KI SHAADI HAI? The most sizzling item number of Shamita Shetty!

The song had become an instant hit! In fact Shamita and 'Sharara sharara'... became synonyms. Such was its popularity!

And the gorgeous actress is now ready to cast her spell on the audience once again. This time around for the Desi version of HARRY POTTER called HARRY PUTTAR. This children's film will have Shamita dancing on a song that promises to be appealing to the kids. For Shamita it's a privilege to be a part of the children's film. The actress has been an avid HARRY POTTER fan and is glad to be a part of the Desi version. Says Shamita, ''I said yes to this very special track because it was a chlildren's film. It was something special!''

Interestingly the songs that Shamita has done till date have all been chartbusters. The 'Woh lamhe' from ZEHER that had Shamita with Emraan Hashmi had turned an instant rage.

The director of HARRY PUTTAR hopes that the song that Shamita is doing will top the list too.

Amitabh Bachchan decade old film ready for release

Yet again, it seems that Amitabh Bachchan may finally have his backlog film ZAMAANAT hit the screens. In the last 4 years, the film which stars Bachchan as the lead protagonist (he plays a blind lawyer fighting Arshad Warsi's case in the court), came close to release at least 4 times. However, time and again it got stalled.

Now just as one thought that the film had been relegated to the cans for good, the latest news which has arrived is that this film, which is directed by veteran filmmaker S Ramanathan, would eventually hit the screens in the month of September.

The film's shooting had incidentally kick started way back in the 1996 when Arshad Warsi had just made his debut with Big B's ABCL production TERE MERE SAPNE. At hat time ZAMAANAT had created a casting coup of sorts since it featured then-reigning queen Karisma Kapoor opposite a newcomer Warsi. Moreover with Bachchan heading the star cast in this action thriller, ZAMAANAT seemed like a winner in the making.

In addition, it was only the second time ever that Bachchan was playing a lawyer after MAHAAN where he had enacted a triple role. However, even though most of the film's shooting had been completed before the start of the 21st century, numerous production hassles resulted in ZAMAANAT being delayed with every passing year.

Eventually sometime in 2006, heat started picking up around the film finally making it to the theaters. Promotion too caught full swing while the release date was announced as well. However, unfortunate as the case was with ZAMAANAT ever since it's shooting had begun, there were last minute hassles which resulted in the film being stuck for the umpteenth time.

Now with September 2008 looking like a possible time period for the film's arrival, one waits to see if ZAMAANAT indeed keeps it's word this time around.

Shahid shakes the top five with third solo triumph!

Just recently (July 15) we carried an article (checkout -Folks, its time for Shahid's annual solo hit!) predicting the third consecutive solo success for teenage heartthrob Shahid Kapoor. We talked about how Shahid had given two humongous solo hits during the last two years by way of VIVAH and JAB WE MET. We also stated that there are strong chances of Shahid continuing the winning trend through another solo triumph with Aziz Mirza's KISMAT KONNECTION.

Well, that is exactly how it has gone. Despite the fact that Shahid's current KISMAT KONNECTION is not carrying very good reports and has not been released at most of the PVR Cinemas (barring East Punjab), the film is looking at a 21 crore opening week total! Given that KISMAT KONNECTION is barely a 17-18 crore movie, and a 35 crore final total being very much possible, a hit tag looks a foregone conclusion.

Quite a feat one has to accept considering how the year has gone by for the Hindi film industry, with just four clear hits in the last seven months. It appears that the time is not far when Shahid Kapoor is officially acknowledged as one of the top five stars of Bollywood!

Blockbuster JTYJN - Biggest ever success for a newcomer

JAANE TU YA JAANE NAA has turned out to be a blockbuster at the box office. Not just that, it has also created a record for Imran Khan who now has the biggest grosser to his credit when it comes to a debut film.

Sustaining itself brilliantly with increased number of prints in its second week, the film has barely shown a fall in collections and collected another 17 crores at the box office. This brings its two week total to more than 37 crores which leaves behind the collections of all those blockbusters/super hits in the last couple of decades which featured newcomers.

The films that we are talking about are KAHO NAA...PYAAR HAI, MAINE PYAAR KIYA, QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK and ISHQ VISHK - each of which had it's main lead being seen in a lead role (in a commercial set-up) for the first time. Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Shahid Kapoor - each of them had a great kick start to their career when the aforementioned films went on to be huge hits. The collections for these films (incidentally all of them belonged to romantic genre) were huge and turned the actors into a household name.

The same has now happened for Imran Khan for whom JAANE TU YA JAANE NAA has turned out to be a great beginning. Collections speak for themselves as 37 crores in just two weeks is far more than what any debutant leading hero has enjoyed in the past.

With 50 crores collections being a given for this Abbas Tyrewala film, it now has to be seen whether the film goes on to top 60 crores, a benchmark set by the two biggest grossers of 2008 so far - RACE and JODHAA AKBAR!

Big B-Arjun-Preity film in September

Big B and Preity Zinta may have embarked on their UNFORGETTABLES tour but when they are back in a few weeks from now, they would be holding the center stage once again. This time it would be for the big screen as their art-house film THE LAST LEAR has finally closed on a release date for itself. A Planman Motion Pictures' production, THE LAST LEAR has now been confirmed for 12th September.

Based on Utpal Dutt's play 'Aajker Shahjahan', THE LAST LEAR is a film in the English language and is directed by Rituparno Ghosh whose Bengali film KHELA released in the week gone by). Apart from Big B and Preity Zinta, the film also stars Arjun Rampal in a key role (who goes offbeat for the second time after MOKSHA). Others in the starcast are Shefali Chhaya, Divya Dutta, Jishu Sengupta and Prosenjit.

Stated to be one of the most challenging roles that Amitabh Bachchan has ever portrayed, the film features him in a part where he acts as an aging Shakespearean actor who takes on one of the bard's most challenging roles.