Amisha Patel Ki Dhukh-Bari Yaadein: Slams Subhash Ghai for her ills, shock everyone

Of late Amisha Patel has been displaying an exceptionally agreessive and defensive stance in her press interviews.

But what happened during a radio interview on Tuesday to promote her new film Shortcut Romeo left her co-star Neil Nitin Mukesh stumped and also caused considerable offense to Subhash Ghai.

During the course of the chat on radio, Amisha spoke about how she was ousted from Subhash Ghai's 2001 film Yaadein featuring Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor, due to filmy politics.

Amisha didn't stop there. She went on to express relief and happiness at her alleged ouster, considering how the film finally turned out.

The remark immediately triggered off a chain of offended sensibilities.

Says a member of the team that accompanied the actors, `When Amisha said this we were were all shocked. Neil didn't know where to look. His whole face went red.

Actors as a rule don't talk about the roles that they don't do, and that too in a gloating tone celebrating the said film's failure. Besides, if Amisha lost Yaadein to Kareena didn't Amisha replace Kareena in Kaho Na. . . Pyar Hai?`

As for Subhash Ghai he chose the path of a dignified silence, refusing to react to an acrimonious salvo that seems to have come 12 years too late.

`God bless you, ` was all Ghai would say to Amisha.

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Postmortem report says actress Jiah Khan died of hanging

Postmortem report of Jiah Khan has concluded that the Bollywood actress died due to hanging and no external injuries were found on her body, police said today.

Jiah (25) hanged herself at her residence in western Mumbai on June 3, allegedly over broken relationship with aspiring actor Suraj Pancholi, son of actor couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab.


Police arrested Suraj (21) and booked him on the charge of abetment to suicide following the incident. The actress' mother blamed Suraj for driving her daughter to suicide and later handed over a six-page letter, purportedly written by Jiah, to police, throwing light on the relationship between the two.

The letter did not mention the person it is addressed to and narrates emotional travails of its writer. Police are yet to verify if the letter was indeed written by Jiah and are awaiting report of handwriting experts.

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Viacom18 to co-produce PC's Mary Kom biopic and Akki's 'Gabbar'

Viacom18 Motion Pictures has joined hands with Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions to co-produce Akshay Kumar-starrer `Gabbar` and the much-talked about biopic on Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom, starring Priyanka Chopra.

`Gabbar`, to be directed by Krish of `Vedam` and `Gam Yam` fame, is a remake of Tamil blockbuster `Ramana`, while the Mary Kom Biopic is helmed by Omung Kumar.


`We are proud to add the projects to our slate. This step reflects our belief in venturing boldly into associations with passionate, like-minded partners to deliver great content,` Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, said in a statement.

Bhansali is also `extremely happy` with the association as `their passion and understanding for cinema remains same as ours`, he said.

The movie on Mary Kom went on floor this week, and the shooting of `Gabbar` is likely to begin later this year.

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Glad to have had very understanding parents: Deepika

the daughter of a famous father, and a celebrity in her own right. However, actor Deepika Padukone stresses the importance of keeping yourself grounded.

She tells CS, `I am glad to have had very understanding parents, who have always encouraged me to follow my dreams.

They have taught me to think and live independently.` She also reveals, `They never show excessive curiosity towards Bollywood or life of film actors. Nor do they ask me about every party or event that I attend.


It's another thing that I like to share my life with them, but they are never too bothered.` They surely don't want the fame to get to your head, Dips! 

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Smitten local ladies treat 'Bullet Raja' Saif with biryani

So smitten were the local ladies in Lucknow by Saif Ali Khan that they treated the actor and 'Bullet Raja' team with some yummy fare

While shooting for his upcoming film Bullett Raja in Lucknow, Saif Ali Khan was in for some good luck.

According to sources, some of the ladies from the locality where they were shooting, were so happy with the presence of the cast and crew, that they treated the team with biryani and other homemade food.


After a hard day's work, the entire unit of director Tigmanshu Dhulia's next apparently tucked into some delicious mutton biryani.

A unit hand says, `We have been shooting in Lucknow for quite some time now. We were all feeling very homesick. A group of women suddenly knocked on our doors and offered biryani to Saif. He was all praise and next day huge dabbas were delivered for the entire team. It was yummy.`

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Censored: Song mentioning Katrina, Kareena in trouble

Be warned. If your newly-born daughter has the name of a leading lady, a government body may come forward with an objection.

An item song performed by Mumait Khan in Ashuu Trikha's forthcoming film Enemmy has the Censor Board stepping in with firm hands. The names of four women Katrina, Kareena, Bipasha and Priyanka in an item song have been replaced by 'Miss India' and 'Miss World. '


The original lyrics written by Shabbir Ahmed went, Mujhko pataane ka hai tension, Udaaye koi rogda udaaye pension/Dil pe kadam jo main rakh doon/ Katrina ko Kareena ko paani kam chai kar doon... Bipasha ko Priyanka ko, paani kam chai kar doon. .. `

Says the angry director, `Kareena, Katrina, Bipasha and Priyanka are for me not the actresses but just four names. `

Says the director, `The song mentions four common Indian names which the Censor Board, in its wisdom, thinks refers to four popular Indian actresses. They wanted us to get a verbal NOC(no-objection certificate) from these actresses before clearing it. `

Trikha is astounded by the absurd logic applied to the song. `My argument is very simple. Why does the Censor Board believe that the names mentioned in the song are exclusive to the actresses? There are hundreds of girls and women with the same names. Besides that my lyrics are in no way derogatory to the names mentioned. `

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Huma's claim: I am Naseeruddin Shah's biggest fan

Actress Huma Qureshi, who is sharing the screen space with veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah in 'Dedh Ishqiya', describes herself as the veteran's biggest fan and says it was an honour to work with him in the movie

'Naseer sir is so amazing... I am his biggest fan and I have seen all his plays. It's an honour to work with him. We have almost finished the shooting for the film,' Huma told .


The 'Gangs of Wasseypur' fame actress would also 'love to dance with her co-actress Madhuri Dixit' in 'Dedh Ishqiya', 'but I haven't done any dance with her yet... let's see.'

Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, 'Dedh Ishqiya' is a sequel to 'Ishqiya' and the film also features Arshad Warsi. 

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has dinner on board a train

Both the sarlets are good friends and will be doing some belly dancing moves, which has been choreographed by Arvind Thakur.

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Maryam Zakaria and Scarlet Wilson to do a item song

Western imports Maryam Zakaria and Scarlet Wilson will be soon doing a special song in Tusshar Kapoor's upcoming film

Both the sarlets are good friends and will be doing some belly dancing moves, which has been choreographed by Arvind Thakur.

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'Ghanchakkar' gets U/A certificate

Actor Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi's forthcoming film "Ghanchakkar" has been certified U/A by the Central Board of Film Certification. Director Rajkumar Gupta is "delighted".

"'Ghanchakkar' is an out-and-out masala entertainer and I'm waiting to see the reaction from the audiences. I expect full families to come to see this comic thriller," said Gupta.

The film, which features Emraan as a Maharashtrian man, and Vidya as his loud Punjabi housewife, is slated to hit the screens June 28.

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Puja Gupta feels 'Shortcut Romeo' is her debut film

Actress Puja Gupta has already featured in films like "F.A.L.T.U." and "Go Goa Gone," but feels her next movie, "Shortcut Romeo", is her real debut.

"I feel this is my debut film. Neil (Nitin Mukesh) says that about me a lot as well and I hope people really like me in this avatar," the 24-year-old said here Thursday at a special screening of the film.

Puja believes it is her first big commercial romantic film and so, it is very dear to her.

"I am shaking (shivering out of nervousness) right now because for me, it is my first full commercial big film, where I am this actress, running around jungles and singing songs. It's my first romantic film, so it's very dear to me," Puja said.

Directed by Susi Ganesh, "Shortcut Romeo" also stars actress Ameesha Patel. It hit theatres Friday.

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Did Farhan hijack a film's show for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag promo?

'Lakeer Ka Fakeer' actor accuses Farhan Akhtar and the team of his upcoming biopic of hijacking the film's show for their own interests

There was much buzz about the trailer launch of Farhan Akhtar's upcoming film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag at a suburban theatre on Wednesday evening.

However, we hear that in order to organise the event, the makers of the biopic wanted a screen absolutely free. Incidentally, the multiplex was running shows of Farhan's co-production along with another film Lakeer Ka Fakeer.

Actor Ajaz Khan, who stars in Lakeer... alleges that the producers of the biopic bought out all the tickets for the 5.40 pm show of his film and held the launch event at the same screen. Khan says that while his film had only one show during the day, Farhan's event started much behind its scheduled time.

A disgruntled Khan says, `My film had only one show. Fukrey however had multiple shows during the day. Why didn't Farhan cancel one of his shows to hold his event? That too, they started the launch two hours late. The big actors don't want small actors like us to grow. `

It was only when a friend informed the actor that he couldn't get a ticket because Lakeer... was running 'houseful' at the theatre that Khan realised what had happened.

`My friend wanted to watch my film. But he was turned away as all the tickets were sold out. I was surprised as just the previous day, there were only a few tickets that were sold. It's sad that those who wanted to watch my film weren't able to do so.

Right now, more than the money it's the word-of-mouth publicity for my film that matters to me most.`

While both Farhan and his spokesperson didn't reply to our many SMSes, an official from the theatre, on conditions of anonymity, says, `The 5.40 pm show of Lakeer Ka Fakeer was houseful, as the tickets were bought off by the team of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag for their event.`

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'Bold' Poonam Pandey wants to go beyond boldness

Controversial model-turned-actress Poonam Pandey, known for her outrageous photographs and statements, clarifies that she isn't cut out just for bold roles. She wants to do much more.

The actress has gone over 'bold' in her forthcoming film `Nasha`. But she says: `Honestly speaking, it's not like I have always wanted to do bold films. I would love to experiment with different types of roles."

"Right now, I haven't thought much. I am just focussing on 'Nasha' right now,` the 20-year-old said here Wednesday during the shoot of a pole dance sequence.

Even Amit Saxena, who has directed her in "Nasha", vouches that Poonam has the talent to feature in all kinds of film genres.

`She would fit any genre. It's breathtaking to watch this talent. She is absolutely new, she is doing this for the first time and there is absolutely no inhibitions that she has," said Saxena.

Talking about her capability, he said: `She has gone from comic moments to serious moments. I feel she will be able to do any genre and do full justice to it."

"Nasha" tells the story of an 18-year-old boy who falls in love with an older woman, played by Poonam. The movie releases July 26.

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'Sunny Leone has helped me in getting in shape'

Newbie Rekha Rana will be seen in Kumar Raj's upcoming film. Rekha is a fan of Sunny Leone's fitness


She recalls they used to workout in the same gym together and bonded well during the sessions.

Rekha says, `Sunny has a very friendly nature and I admire her a lot.` Rekha follows a hardcore fitness regime. I used to take fitness tips from her and she has helped me a lot in getting in shape.` 

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What? Katrina-Ranbir drive auto rickshaws at late night!

Buzz is that, Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif drive rickshaws around Pali Hill late at night

Screenwriter and filmmaker Melanie Easton spotted Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor at a fine dining restobar at Bandra on Tuesday


There was also Aamir Khan, Karan Johar and Sidharth Malhotra. After putting up a picture of hers with Aamir and Ranbir, she also tweeted what she got to know from one of the autorickshaw drivers.

She wrote, `Tonight we had a rickshaw driver who told us that late at night, Katrina and Ranbir go out and drive rickshaws around Pali Hill... they got stopped by police while Kat was driving the rickshaw, then cops took her autograph.`

Also, when someone asked her on her micro-blogging site if Ranbir and Kat sat together, she replied, `They sat together at the table and were chatting and some hand touching happened. The end.`

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John's upcoming production has a quirky title - Banana

Actor-producer John Abraham's upcoming production has a quirky title - "Banana"! He says it is "a slice-of-life film", which traces the journey from adolescence to teenage, and he admits the project is special to him.

"'Banana' is a film about adolescence to teenage. It's about a young boy and how he deals with the new adventures in his life. It's a slice-of-life kind of a film and it is a very real film," John told reporters at the launch of music album "Pitol Soku" by rock band JOI here Thursday.


He believes the movie will appeal to all viewers from all age groups.

"I am sure the target audience of this film is from the youngsters to all the old people out there because everyone will reminisce what they've gone through. It's a very special film," added the 40-year-old.

The movie has an "absolutely new cast", revealed John. It is directed by Sajid Ali.

"Sajid has got some amazing people for 'Banana.' I am sure they will be amazing," said John

"Banana" will hit the floors in October. Besides this, John's other productions in the pipeline are "Hamara Bajaj" and "Madras Cafe". He forayed into film production with "Vicky Donor", which turned out to be hugely successful and critically acclaimed.

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People see Deols as boisterous, but I'm different: Abhay Deol

The coolest thing about Abhay Deol is that he more often than not ends a reply on a witty note.

Famous for not mincing words and speaking up for what he believes is right, the 37-year-old makes no bone about the vanity of stardom or the purity of his profession. Thrilled about playing a students' leader in his upcoming film, Abhay talks to CS in a candid chat about topics ranging from career to cinema:


Not choosy, just conscious
I am more of a conscious actor and I look for relatability more than anything else -- provided I fit the bill for the role. I have always believed that you have a choice to make and the quality of your work depends on your choices.

And that is the reason why I have been choosy enough to have stuck to films that are high on good content. To me, there's no commercial cinema or offbeat cinema as such. There are only formula and non-formula films.

The other Deol
I just do what I feel I should be doing and most of the times, I find myself thinking with my heart and not my head. People look at the Deols as boisterous, but I choose my films with the focus on exhibiting my individuality. And I think, if you do things you're creatively inclined towards, then you will get the image that you want.

Clubs in cinema
If there's a film out there, it has something to do with commerce or else it won't be there in the first place. So, in that sense, every film is commercial. Besides, who wouldn't want to see his or her film in the 100 crore club? It's just a matter of perception and hope for a platform where even offbeat films can gain a better reach without resorting to just the niche audience.

Rising outsiders
There are many people from the outside coming in and that's allowing experimentation. The industry is family-owned and family-run and I don't see that changing in the near future.

But at the same time, outsiders have been wholly embraced and the general outlook towards innovative ideas has broadened. Earlier, films were categorically either action or romance or comedy. Now, there is much more to expect from cinema.

Facing the facts
Looks are superficial. You can make an average person look handsome or you can make a beautiful person look disgusting. That's the power of the camera.

So, I don't feel that more actors with non- conventional looks making it big in the industry is an indicator of Bollywood maturing. There are many other markers to conclude that Hindi cinema is moving ahead. One needs to look for those!

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When big brands sued Big Bollywood films

In the wake of recent events marked by commercial brands suing Bollywood films for (mis)using certain brand names, we take a look at films that fell into controversies for doing so


'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani': On a law suit filed by the manufacturer of squash Rooh Afza, the Delhi High Court restrained the makers of the film from releasing the movie on TV due to some allegedly objectionable dialogues.

The court also issued notices to the director, producer and dialogue writers of the film and posted the matter for hearing on July 16. The manufacturer claimed that the product was a household name in the country and outside India and the film contained some "objectionable" dialogues about the Unani recipe.

'Ankur Arora Murder Case': A legal notice was sent to Vikram Bhatt's production by a popular biscuit brand for allegedly defaming its image in his ready to release movie.

A medical thriller, the film's trailer shows that a child dies on the operation table because he ate the biscuit just before the surgery.

The makers agreed to do away by appropriately editing the images of the biscuit.

'Barfi!': A legal notice was slapped on the makers of 'Barfi!' for allegedly referring to the 'Murphy munna' and 'Murphy radio' without taking permissions from the iconic radio brand.

While they claimed the film infringed the copyrights of their registered trademarks without obtaining a NOC, they also added that if the notice is not taken seriously, the company will be filing a legal suit against the producers, thus bringing a stay on the film's release.

'Delhi Belly': Hyundai Motor India Limited considered legal action against Aamir Khan for 'depicting their car in a derogatory manner'.

'This car is so bad that it looks like something that would result if a donkey f***ed a rickshaw' was a line from Aamir Khan productions' 'Delhi Belly'. The dialogue was said in reference to a red car that looked like Santro.

'Dabangg': The chartbuster hit item number in 'Dabangg', 'Munni badnaam hui' rubbed the manufacturers of the balm in a wrong way when Zandu Pharmaceuticals sent a legal notice to Arbaaz Khan Productions.

They had taken objection to the line 'Main Zandu balm hui darling tere liye', in the item number featuring Arbaaz Khan's wife Malaika Arora Khan and had asked the producers to withdraw the song or delete the product's name, failing which the firm had threatened civil and criminal action against the producers.

Though they later agreed to settle the issue out of court with the makers and even use 'Munni Badnaam' in their ad-jingle.

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Hotties who hate pesky journos in real but love them in reel

They might be resenting pesky questions by scribes in real-life, but actresses seem keen on playing journalists on screen

Journalism seems to be the most popular profession for actresses on the big screen lately. Being a scribe is the latest trend in Bollywood with several of the female brigade essaying reporters with beats as diverse as crime, war and news.


It seems like they are happy to find themselves on the other side -- asking questions instead of answering them! And they hope to be as gritty and persuasive to get the right and true story.

Kareena Kapoor
She plays a television reporter in Prakash Jha's upcoming film and is pretty impressed with the aggression that journalists display.

Bebo has tried to imbibe this determination in her character too. She has reportedly stated that she has sought inspiration from all the reporters she has been interacting with over the years. The driving force being 'I need to get this answer and will do anything for it'.

Neha Dhupia
The actress essays the role of a scribe in Rensil D'Silva's upcoming project. As a crime reporter, she is thrilled to be on the other side of the fence for a change. Neha has been used to answering posers put by scribes.

For a change, at least on the big screen she is now getting a chance to field those awkward questions. Instead of answering questions, she is asking them.

Nargis Fakhri
For her second B-Town outing after Rockstar, she has been cast as a journalist in Shoojit Sircar's film in which John Abraham is her co-star. The actress took upon the onus of training herself for the role.

Her character requires her to do action sequences as well as extreme adventure sport. She spent some time in Australia to put in a stint with the experts in Sydney. Nargis also watched documentaries by network journalists on war coverage as she essays one. She was apparently selected, as her role also required a bit of oomph factor.

Raveena Tandon

In Sudipto Chattopadhyaya's film that has done the festival rounds and won awards, Raveena has picked on the role of a journalist-columnist who forms an intense relationship with a boy younger than her. This is also her comeback film after a gap.

Amrita Rao

She is said to play an extremely honest journalist in Anil Sharma's upcoming film starring Sunny Deol. She has apparently interacted with some scribes to get a feel of the character.

In the past

Some other actresses who have essayed scribes...

>> Preity Zinta played a TV reporter covering the Kargil war in Lakshya. Her character was apparently inspired by TV news personality Barkha Dutt.

>> Rani Mukerji was a feisty crime reporter in No One Killed Jessica.

>> Konkona Sen Sharma covered the party beat as a journalist in Page 3.

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Ouch! Any vanity issues, Anushka?

Apparently, the actress locked herself inside her van after seeing extra with similar make-up

Now, we have all heard about actresses apparently clashing with each over bagging films and preferred co-stars.


Insiders say that Anushka Sharma recently threw a tantrum on the sets of an ad film for a skin care brand. While at the location in Mumbai, Anushka apparently spotted an extra sporting a similar hairstyle and make- up as her.

A source from the sets says, Anushka is a very sorted actress. But that day turned out to be a bit different. She was very miffed and went back to her vanity van and refused to return for the shoot until the other girl's look was changed.

It was only after the extra's hair and make-up were altered that Anushka finally agreed to resume shooting. Anushka's spokesperson vehemently denies the buzz. `There is not an iota of truth in this,` she states.

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Madhuri Dixit set to make IIFA debut

Known for her iconic dance moves, Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit is all set to make her debut at the IIFA and says she is very excited about it

The 14th edition of Videocon DDB IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) weekend will start July 4 and the actress will perform on some of her unforgettable songs on July 6 at the 15,000-seat Cotai Arena in The Venetian Macao.


'I have never been to an IIFA before and I'm very excited to be performing on the IIFA stage for the first time. I think that it a great fit especially since we're celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema,` Madhuri said in a statement.

With 100 years of Indian Cinema being the theme of this year's celebrations, Madhuri will recreate the magic of cinema with her most memorable numbers including "Ghagra" from "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", "Dance of Envy" from "Dil Toh Pagal Hai" and "Ek do teen", the song that made her a queen of hearts in the 1980s. The IIFA Awards 2013 will be choreographed by Remo Fernandes. 

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Who is pressurizing Jiah's mother to drop charges against Sooraj?

Jiah Khan's mother Rabia says she has been receiving several calls from the film fraternity asking her to withdraw her complaint against Sooraj Pancholi

The Jiah Khan suicide case has taken another turn after her mother Rabia claimed that several Bollywood bigwigs have asked her to withdraw her complaint against Sooraj Pancholi, who has been arrested for abetting the suicide.

Sooraj Pancholi, whose police custody was extended, said in his confession that he had assaulted Jiah once during a holiday eight months ago, following which she had slit her wrists.

Sooraj was arrested on Monday in the wake of a six-page letter penned by Jiah, which her mother Rabia handed over to the cops. Based on the contents of the letter, the officers on Monday recorded the statements of Rabia and other family members who had alleged that Jiah's troubled relationship with Sooraj was the cause of her death.

Rabia Khan (left) said that she would not drop the case under any circumstance and would push forward till justice is met

However, now, Rabia claims that several B-Town stars approached her and asked her to drop the complaint. But Rabia said that she would push the case forward and would under no circumstance withdraw the complaint. `I have received many calls from the Bollywood fraternity asking me to withdraw the case and settle the matter, as they believe Sooraj is innocent,` she said.

Abortion reports

Meanwhile, investigating officials in the case said that they had received medical report from the hospital where Jiah had undergone an abortion. `We have received the medical reports from the hospital where the foetus was aborted,` said an official.

According to Juhu police, Sooraj knew of the pregnancy and the abortion and that her sisters Karishma and Kavita also knew of the incident. Based on this information, cops took down Karishma's statement again.

The police have also already taken the primary information from the doctor who Jiah and Sooraj had gone to for the procedure. They have also called in a handwriting expert to match the writing from the suicide note and the five love letters that were found at Sooraj's home.

Cops also revealed that in the last one year, the couple had visited Khandala, Lonavala and even gone to Goa for a vacation. In his statement to the police, Sooraj accepted that he had assaulted Jiah during a fight in Goa eight months ago after which Jiah had slit her wrists in a bid to kill herself.

Facebook page to demand justice for Jiah

A Facebook page titled, 'Justice for Jiah Khan', was launched on Monday on the networking site. An initiative by a news and content website, it is reportedly supported by several Bollywood artists and media professionals. The page states that Jiah's suicide was completely sudden, unexpected and uncalled for. She was a strong, determined person and it is obvious there is much more than what meets the eye, the page says.

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