SIDDHARTH SHRUTI BOND BIG TIME

Good friends siddharth suryanaryan and shruti hassan have been bonding, both on the sets of off it, over everything from scripts to books.
A source said, "siddharth is happy to have found a friend in shruti, as they has a lot of common interests. Besides music and movies, the two have spotted discussing about everything under the sun. During one of there long chat sessions, they also discovered their mutual love for books, Ever since, they young actors have been bonding over their favourite for books.
what's more, siddharth and shruti have also been to exchanging books by their favourite authors."

KATRINA TO BE PAID RS 2 CRORE TO PERFORM

After debating over Mallika sherawat, deepika padukone, Bipasha basu and katrina kaif, a star hotel in mumbai, has zeroed in on new year's Even. If reports are to be believed, kats is being paid Rs two crores for this performance. Shee is the first actress to be paid such a huge sum for a single show.
Our source said, "Mallika started this trend three years ago, when she was paid Rs 90 lakhs to perform on new year's eve at the hotel. Bipasha followed suit next year. For this year's show, the management considered many names before they decided to rope in either Deepika or katrina. However, Kats was final choice as she as many hit numbers to her credit. Deepika is just four films old and apart from om shanti om, her films don't have too many dance numbers. Katrina will be performing on songs from her films, singh is king, partner, welcome and maine pyaar kyon kiya."

NO COLD WAR BETWEEN RANBIR AND UPEN

Upen patel vehemently denies reports that claim he is upset about being ignored in the promotions of Ajab prem ki Ghazab kahani.
"I am happy with the film. These stories are baseless. My role has shaped out exactly the way it was narrated to me."
Upen also denies that Ranbir kapoor wanted to keep him out the film's publicity. "Ranbir is aprofessional and he comes from a family that has been in the film industry for years. He would never interfere in such matters. Ranbir is above such petty acts," upen adds.

ABHISHEK GOOFS UP

Abhishek Bachchan's recent goof up had his twitter followers sniggering at him, The actor, Who is currently shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker's khele Hum jee jaan say, referred to author Manini De. who hapens to be an actress.
Our source said, "Abhishek has posted on his Twitter account -"Manini De, the author of the book, on which the film is based, is on the set 2days it's a big relief to get her guidance and approval."
Manini chatterjee is the author on whose book, Do And Die: The chittagong uprising, 1930-34 Ashutosh's film is based on.

AAMIR ENJOYED HIS ACT AS A VENTRILOQUIST

Aamir khan is gung ho about playing a ventriloquist in his latest Tata sky ad campaign that is on air currently needless to say the perfectionist that Aamir is, went all out to get into the skin of the character. He worked on everything personally-right from the look, to the hair and the costume.
Aamir was trained to play the role of a ventriloquist to perfection by the eminent ventriloquist Ramdas Padhyay. Yhe two were seen sharing candid moments on the sets. Aamir was enthusiastic about gainig as much knowledge as he could from the veteran in the field.
Talking about his experience of working in the ad campaign, Aamir says, "The says, "The television has become a puppet in our hands and this is the concept we are trying to show through the ad. Now, we can watch Tv at any time that is convenient for us. It was great fun working towards getting my act right. Here, both characters had to be brought to life at one time, which was difficult. It takes a ventriloquist years of training to master this art." The ad has been directed by the award-winning ad man prasoon pandey. Pandey says, "it has Aamir playing two roles. Ithink the viewers will enjoy seeing Aamir in his new avatar." Aamir's 70's look, complete with sideburns and a bow tie, has been designed by ace stylist Arjun Bhasin,

SRK NOT KEEN ON PLAYING LALIT MODI

Word is out that shah Rukh khan has rejected the offer of playing lait modi, the indian premier league commissioner, in a film to be produced by percept picture compay. The film to be producers wanted to reportedly to rope in madhur bhandarkar as its director. A source said, "shailendra singh met up with shah Rukh khan recently. The two discussed the film on the controversial life of Lalit modi and madhur Bhandarkar was said to have been signed up for the film. Shailendra singh had maintained that modi's life had been thoroughly researched upon and that shridhar Raghavan was asked to pen down the script. Lalit Modi was gung-ho about the film too. The story was to be fictionalised with some masala added to it."
When contacted, Shailendra singh, Jt MD, percept picture company denied having met shah rukh khan. "Shah rukh khan is our ideal choice. He would perfect for the role of Lalit Modi. He fits the bill to the T."
whaen asked wich actors would they be willing cast besides Shah Rukh, Singh replied, "Neil Nitin Mukesh or Shahid kapoor."

SHAHID CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM MUMBAI

Shahid kapoor is back home . The actor who was shooting in the philadelphia, us, for yash Raj film's untitled venture being directed by parmeet sethi, is back in mumbai after a long schedule. Anushka and shahid had a ball of a time shooting there and the unit would usually end up partying every night, said a source. However, shahid was longing to get back home too. "Thought shahid is fond of travelling abroad, at the end of the day, he cannot stay too far away from his mumbai home and doesn't like long schedules outside of the city. It is his comfort zone. "
The actor, however has more reasons to celebrate. Ratan tata gifted him a stunning range rover worth rs1.45 crore.
"Being presented with the keys of a cool ride by the world's top most industrialist, was a dream come true for shahid. He is elated," said our source close to the actor

SHAHZAN CATCHES RANBIR'S FANCY

Ranbir kapoor is the man of the moment close on the heels of reports of his break-up with girlfriend Deepika padukone, there's another scandal brewing. While the reason for there love story allegedly going kaput was being attributed to Ranbir's mother neetu singh and his friendship with co-star katrina kaif, we hear that there is one more girl in picture now - Shazahn Padamsee, Ranbir's co-star in Rocket singh. A source reveals, "The two met on the sets of the film and hit it off instantly. They are pretty close now and deepika is not too happy. Ranbir and Shazahn enjoy each other's company and they keep in touch constantly. They also make it a point to meet up whenever they are free. There's already so much speculation about the rift between Deepika and Ranbir and this new friendship has only made things worse. While Ranbirwas noy available for comment, Shazahn replied by saying, "No, this is untrue. Ranbir is my co-star and friend, that's all."

SAIF-KAREENA TO HEAD TO MOROCCO

Shriram Raghavan's much hyped film Agent vinod, will finally hit the floors in january 2010. Our source said, "shriram is currently in canada. It's a business cum personal trip. Besides meeting his friends, shriram is also going to hunt for picturesque locations in canada, a large portion of the film is going to be shout in Morocco. There are a few scenes that will be shot in Europe too." When contacted, Raghavan said, "yes, i am currently looking various locations in canada for Agent vinod." He also revealed that nearly 70 per cent of the film will be shot in morecco. "I travelled to morocco to hunt locations and found the place beautiful. The locales are a perfect backdrop for the film's plot. The shooting will be completet by june," he adds.

SRK AIMS FOR EIGHT PACK ABS

Looks like shah Rukh is not ready to forget arch rival Aamir khan's eight pack abs. When the actor recently flew down to the capital to support the delhi Half Marathon, he said he would only run once he sngged the eight pack look.
Whil promising to run at least two kilometers next year, the actor said, "Delhi lives my heart. I used to participate in 100and 200 metres races while in school. I have six-pack absnow, but i well soon get eight-packs as well. And once I am fit, I will participate in this marathon."
The actor who was avid hockey player had to give up on the game following a knee injury. Shah Rukh, an athlete at heart, is known to readily support any sport.
"I consider marathon a medium that connects people from all over the world. Some years back it was said that half marathons like these would not be possible in india, but the success of Delhi Half Marathon has bocken this myth. It is now counted among one of the biggest marathons in the world," said the actor.
The chak De! india star looked very pleased to see people from all age groups turning up for the event. "I am happy to see people from all ages, especially children, participating in this marathon. Along with studies, sport is equally important for one's progress. For that, event like Delhi half marathon are very important. Along with sports like cricket and hockey, India is also making progress in the field of boxing now," he said

IMRAN WANTS TO PLAY SAFE

Imran khan seems to be in a picky mood these days. after kidnap and luck turned out to be box office disasters, imran wants to play it safe. He wants to work in only romantic comedies with big banners. The first one to bear the brunt of this decision is his close friend Dibikar Banerjee, whose film with imran, which also starred Abhay Deol and Katrina kaif, is stuck.
a source said , "imran has decided that he would only work with the big banners, He told Dibakar, who is known for making experimental films, that he is no longer interested in working with him. Imran has Delhi Belly coming up, which is also an experimental flick. Imran has requested his uncle Aamir not to rush up the release of Delhi belly as he wants to finish Karan Johar's I hate love stories, a romantic comedy, which he feels is a much safer bet. The actor even refused kunal kohli's film which was to be directed by Danish khan. He wants to take on further chances with new directors."

AMITABH MAY STAR IN PRAKASH'S NEXT FILM

If all go well, Amitabh bachchan will play the lead in prakash jha's next film, titled Aarakshan. our source revealed, "prakash jha has nearly completed the shooting of Rajniti. There's only a few days of work left which will be comleted soon. Once the film releases, jha will begin the shooting of Aarakshan. He has already told Anjum Rajabali to start writing it's screenplay." The director has already narrated the story to Amitabh Bachchan. "jha briefly discussed the story of Aarakshan with Bachchan. Amitabh liked whant he heard and called up jha for a detailed narration " the film is based on the controversial issue of reservations that had rocked the nation in the late 1980s. "The reservations for the schedule cast and schedule tribes and other backword class were upped by nearly 50 percent in educational institutions and in public sector jobs then, causing many people to react strongly," adds the source. When contacted Amitabh Bachchan said, "We have met and talked about the subject. But noting has been fianlised as yet."

JAILBIRDS NEIL AND MANOJ WALK THE RAMP

Madhur Bhandarkar may be gearing up to a release his next film jail, but he still seems to be in the grip of his last film, Fashion. In a reprisal of sorts of the Fashion them, Bhandarkar was seen walking down the ramp with his jail stars neil nitin mukesha, manoj bajpayee and mugdha Godse, as part of designer Reynu Tando's show at the wills india fashion week which concluded in Delhi recently. Quite interestingly, the theer boys were seen handcuffed to each other. And that's not all. Neil and manoj sported prisoner outfits to up curiosity around their film. Ask Manoj whose idea it was to promote the film on the ramp and he saya, "It was suggested by our director Madhur bhandarkar. I really appreciate the idea. We never expected such applause from the audience. I also thank the designer who got the look spot on." Manoj believes that the right publicity matters a lot in spreading the word about one's product. "In today's world of marketing, the makers are more aware of ways to promote their films. Moreeover, fashion and films go a hand in hand now,"he adds. The cast had also visited the tihar jail in Delhi and Manoj seems to be fascinated by the way the way jail operates. "This jail helps the prisoners become aware of their potentials by engaging them in different activities like making handicrafts, etc. Surprisingly, revenue of almost Rs 2.5 crore is obtained from here. By the time the prisoners are out of the jail, they are totally transformed."

STYLISH FLICK WITH A STALE PEG

prabhas spells style and director puri jagannadh adds that "ish". Stylish though, Ek Niranjan's peg is a stale "lost and found" but the plot is thick and smells fresh. Whisked away by a cradle snatcher chidambaram {Makarand Deshpande}, Niranjan {prabhas}is made to beg on the strees as chhotu. When he grows up to be a child,he helps the police catch chidambaram and is rewarded with a rupee. Overwhelmed, he taks to catching rogues and handing them over to the police for a prince, in the process becomes a bounty hunter, loathed by crimilas and grudgingly loved by the police. The job requires guts, so gore follows. In every rel.
The romintic part comes with th sameera {kangana Ranaut}, a guitar teacher with a bunch of kids in tow. She is wooed by by chhotu who befrinds her when he is hunting down her brother, a criminal who works for johnny bhai {sonu sood}, mafia don. Of all the misdeeds of the world, johnny bhai is a sadist who kills girls for fun. Jai jagannadh. Style and presentation apart, Ek Niranjan, which could have been a taut thriller, turns out to be a never-ending film with a fight a second and one song a minute interspersed with comedy starring brahmanamdam, venu madhav and ali {in india} and switzerland of course. One wonders why jagannadh cast kangana ranaut. Prabhas too appeared reluctant to act with her . Her debut in T' wood falls flat. The director also wasted makarand Deshpande as the cradle snatcher. Sonu sood as johnny Bhai lives up to the expectations with his unique style of villainy. But brahmaji as the villain's sidekick comes a cropper. Tanikella Bharani as chhotu's father is convincing. Fight by shiva are stunning, while cinematographer shyam k. Naidu, cruises you effortlessly along the long haul for which you can blame only varma. Either he must have packed him off on a holiday during editing. All the songs are a hit, with Mani Sharma providing pulsating beast. You can forgive jaganndh for one of many song-and-dance sequences in which he pays tribute to the king of pop Michael jackson. Prabhas steals the show all the way. It is because of him audience either hung on or yawend away. If it is not politically incoreect, he shouldn't be calling himself a "bounty hunter", it is a "bounty hunter". The film is jagannadh's puri with spicy masala but full of gravy. Alakh Niranjan.

KATRINA SPELLS TROUBLE

Looking at salman bend backwords and forwards to promote his film, I was very curious to find out if he roped in girfriend Katrina kaif to help him charm the crowds abit more. Unfortunately, kats proved to be of no help. This is not really surprising because all movi stars are in love with themselves first, then their current movies and after that come the love interests in their lives, So Katrina is busy promoting her film Ajab prem ki ghazab kahani with ranbir kapoor. Fair enough, the girl needs to promote her moviw too, but what's interesting to note is that unlinke salman who is promoting his film alone, minus leading lady Asin, katrina is going all out to be with Ranbir kapoor in the film's promotion. She seems to be so smitten by both Ranbir and thir film together that she is sidelining her other release De Dhana Dhan. Now that has caused a lot of bad blood between the makers of the other film and deepika and Ranbir too. Salman is too busy to notice what is going on but when he does it isn't going to be too pleasent for katrina either. Can you imagine what might happen if katrina spells trouble in deepika's paradise?she just might step into Kats' shoes with salman! anyting is passible in the musical chair relationships in industry?

SALLU SELLS TICKETS AND WOOS MEDIA TOO

Hello am back with hotter and better gossip as usual. Let's begin with salman khan. My journo friends are in shock and can't get over the media friendly, polite and good-nature start they are meeting these days. They need to pinch them-selves to realise that the brat has indeed trans-formed into a gentleman. Yeasr back, nimra, a colleague of mine at a film magazine went to interview him and he told her that he would talk on condition that she neither wrote down or recorded what he said. He just wanted her to memorise the conversation! And then his friends keep complaining how he is misquoted and misunderstood in the media.
Anyways, all that's a thing of the past as sallu is willing to do anything and suffer any fool as long as his film London Dreams gets a healthy dose of publicity and is declared a hit. Salman is even doing what he has never done before. Going all out to woo that media-both print, television and radio. Radio listeners in London are going to hear Salman as an added bonus.
That's not all, if Aamir Khan went to Dheli and set up impromptu hair cutting salons on the street to promote Ghajine then Salman went to dehi to sell tickets for London Draems. The purpos was achieved and crowds thronged the theater to by the tickets-this way at least he has ensured that the box office will ring no matter what.
After attending the premiere of the film in dubai, he is currently in London to promote the movie. T want of a hit really makes people do strang things.