Snippets of news: 2010 through the eyes of hairdressers

A Taiwanese stylist now working in Beijing reflected on the social change happening around her while a barber in Santiago recalled a year in the limelight for Chile.

Alexandros Kyriakakas, Athens, Greece

Obviously the situation right now is very rough.
In one year everything collapsed. There is now a lot of unemployment and fear.
Customers come less frequently and only for the basics.
They are very concerned about what exactly they are going to have done, and how much money it is going to cost.
Just two or three years ago, there was always a smile on the client's face.
Now you do not see that - everyone looks sad and angry.
That is very bad energy, you know?
And it is contagious.

Cai Huilin (English name: Amy), Beijing, China

I am from Taiwan but have been in mainland China for two years now, working as a hairstylist at the Tony Studio. My husband's business is in China and I came with him.
When I was in Taiwan, the foreigners did not speak much Chinese and I only had the basic vocabulary for my job - cut, short, long, etc. I could not communicate more complicated ideas. So whenever a foreigner walked into my salon, I got so scared.

Continue reading the main story

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One of my customers told me that he went to Taiwan for the first time and was glued to the TV in the hotel - so much so that he did not go out to dinner with the family”

End Quote

Here in Beijing, there are many foreign customers but most of the foreigners can speak very good Chinese. At first I was really surprised about that. I believe it is because China's economy is developing so fast, and also because they know they will always be a minority in this country. They have to learn good Chinese for their own survival.

China has come a long way. I remembered I was afraid of coming to China because I was worried that I would have to use a public toilet without doors. The China that I see now is very different. The service that people are getting here in Tony Studio is up to the same standard as services in Taiwan, if not better.
Mainland Chinese people have been able to visit Taiwan since July 2009. My customers often ask me where they should visit and what they should eat before they go on such tours.
Some customers are very curious about the news media in Taiwan. The news in Taiwan is not censored like it is in China. The TV channels are privately owned, they broadcast whatever they want to, it is a more democratic place.
One of my customers told me that he went to Taiwan for the first time and was glued to the TV in the hotel - so much so that he did not go out to dinner with the family - he stayed in the hotel just to watch the political debate shows on TV. He was so surprised that people can be so direct on television. He was really fascinated to see the members of parliament debating and fighting on TV.

Ricardo Hernandez, Santiago, Chile

I work with my father. We have had our barbershop for more than 45 years.
My father is from Parral, and my grandma and my brothers and sisters live there. Parral was close to the epicentre of February's earthquake, and like a lot of other towns there it was really badly hit. My grandma's adobe house, which was about 80 years old, collapsed completely. Thankfully she was not there, otherwise she would be dead for sure. It was a real family tradition to go to that house, we used to go every summer.
The earthquake was a talking point for our customers, not just in the days and weeks afterwards, but for a couple of months. It still is. We do not watch much television here in the shop, but during the World Cup, the earthquake, the rescue of the miners, we had the TV on all day.
Let us hope that next year is quieter than this one. I do not think we will have another earthquake. In terms of our business here, let us hope that 2011 is as good as 2010, or even a little better. People will always need their hair cut.

William Isaac, Miami, US

People here are so image-conscious. We are always beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty. My salon is a central area for diet, for nutrition, for plastic surgery - you name it, we have a number, we know somebody.
One of my regulars [comes] the same time, every week. She drinks her usual white wine. She takes a diet pill. She is ready to go. She works for a pharmaceutical company which was her father's. She is probably very well off but it has not gone to her head yet and she has been with me for years. I have seen her go through her break-ups, make-ups, crying, hung-over.
And then we have those clients that think they are rich or want to be rich. They will come in with their Louis Vuitton bag, designer shirt, designer shoes, designer everything, and they give you the worst attitude and they make your life difficult, and they do not have money - they just have credit cards.
There is a lot of money in this industry but I would like to give my clients options instead of just - boom - they come to the front desk and its six or seven hundred dollars.
Two years ago everyone was spending money, spending money, spending money and they did not care, there were no issues. Now I think they have to think twice about what they spend.
Miami in the 1980s was like, wow. I think that eventually we will get back to that. It was a playground but there has to be somebody to serve those on the playground.
Yesterday was a very interesting day. I had to deal with somebody who had not slept for three days. She was chemically imbalanced. She was, like, sleeping one moment, then laughing. She is an artist and she has been sinking for years and years and years. I think I get a lot of the crazy people in the salon but I like it, it is fun. Just a few of the desperate housewives of Miami.

Not so happily ever as Indian divorce rate doubles

Most of those splitting up are members of the thriving, urban middle class

It is wedding season in India, the time of year when astrologers say the omens are best for a long and successful marriage.

Traditionally these were arranged by the two families and the weight of social pressure ensured divorces hardly ever happened.
But as it grows wealthier, so India's old taboos are being challenged, and the chances of this year's newly-weds staying together for the rest of their lives are slimmer than ever.
"There has been a huge change, a drastic change and divorce rates are increasing," Dr Geetanjali Sharma, a marriage counsellor working in Gurgaon, a wealthy Delhi satellite city, told the BBC.
"There's been a 100% increase in divorce rates in the past five years alone."

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They don't want to put more efforts into a relationship to fix the issues”

End Quote Dr Geetanjali Sharma Marriage counsellor

Most of those splitting up are members of India's thriving, urban middle class whose lives have been transformed by India's boom, and whose aspirations are radically different to those of their parents and grandparents.

Nowhere represents those changes better than Gurgaon, which only two decades ago was little more than a village.
Its buffalos and mustard fields have now made way for shopping malls, coffee shops and multi-national IT companies. A state-of-the-art metro line connecting Gurgaon with Delhi, 25km (16 miles) away, was only recently opened.
And while millions of Indians might aspire to live in Gurgaon's high-rise apartment blocks, they are, according to Dr Sharma, populated by many unhappy couples.
Escapism The pressures of the modern workplace make a bigger difference, she thinks, than whether it was a traditional arranged marriage, or a so-called "love marriage".
"I feel people are concentrating more on the careers and less on their personal lives," she said.

Like wedding henna, Indian marriages are not always permanent these days

"I also feel they lack patience and tolerance. They don't want to put more efforts into a relationship to fix the issues, and they feel that escapism is the solution."
India still has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world, with about one in 1,000 marriages collapsing, according to recent studies.
But the courts are now seeing so many new cases that the government has proposed making divorce easier and faster, in line with other countries.
As things stand, contested divorces can drag on for years.
Delhi High Court is the only place where Mohit, who works for a successful IT firm, now gets to meet his wife.
They fell in love as teenagers, married in their early 20s and separated three years ago when she walked out.
Honeymoon's over While he awaits a final court settlement, Mohit (who did not want his surname to be made public) has been left contemplating what went wrong and why.
"I was way too young to realise that being in love and being married are slightly different - in fact humongously different," he told me.

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We Indian males want our wives to be really progressive, but at the same time to cook food for us”

End Quote Mohit Divorcee

"We used to fight about pretty much everything, you know. Let's say that the first fight we had was pretty early, as in just after we got back from our honeymoon."

Mohit puts the failure down to a culture clash between the old India and the new.
For a start, he says, his mother-in-law disapproved of their marriage, and his family also interfered.
He admits that sometimes he too found it hard to accept that his wife had her own career.
"Today the Indian male, as opposed to earlier, is a very complex entity. We want our wives to be really progressive, modern, so to say, which is why we married them in the first place," he said.
"But at the same time we still want our wives to cook food for us. We want our wives to be there when we get back home."
Stigma Swarupa (who also did not want her full name revealed) finalised her divorce in December.
She too left her husband - which she says is only possible for women who are financially independent or who have the support of their parents. In the past this would have been more or less unthinkable.

Aisle be damned: Some blame broken marriages on the culture clash between the old and new India

Swarupa believes that divorce has certainly become more socially acceptable in India, but there are still problems.
"Personally, I don't feel scared to tell people that I am a divorced person but stigmas are still there and it comes out in very odd places," she said.
"I've been house-hunting near my ex-husband's [home], but you know it is very difficult to get a house because people are very sceptical about giving it to a single woman."
It seems inevitable that the divorce rate is going to continue to rise - which is good news for some.
Vivek Pahwa, for example, runs a Mumbai-based matchmaking website for divorcees called Secondshaadi.com.
He claims to get as many as 4,000 new customers every month.
"Ours is a relatively young website, but in the three years since we have started, I have seen a remarkable shift in people's perceptions about divorce," he says. "It is not only limited to metros like Delhi and Mumbai. Business is good."

Bachchans Are Proud of Aishwarya!

Amitabh Bachchan expressed his feelings on his blog on daughter-in-law Aishwarya’s felicitation with the Padmashree Award.

“Aishwarya’s Padma decoration is the fifth in the family. My father received Padmabhushan, myself with (two) Padmashri and Padmabhushan and Jaya was receipient of Padmashri. Five Padma awardees in one family. God is generous and kind,” Bachchan wrote in his blog.

We hope Abhi gets the sixth one… sooner or later!

Angelina Jolie News: Sexy Angie photo on SALT movie poster hot topic of debate -- WHY?

 

Angelina Jolie News!
The new movie poster is out for the Angelina Jolie movie SALT.
Now the subject of debate on celebrity gossip blogs is about what people think of Angie's look in the sexy picture.
Too much trademark Angelina Jolie sex appeal or too little?
[May 22 -- Report + Commentary + photo + video]


ANGELINA JOLIE IS EVELYN SALT
Angelina Jolie plays sexy spy character Evelyn Salt, and in the role changes her trademark look repeatedly to disguise her character with a wide variety of wigs and costumes.
That's why it is rather funny that Angie's name is in the news for her new movie poster.
Critics say while the poster looks great artistically, the photo of the fictional character Salt does not look like Angelina Jolie.
Here's the hot topic celebrity gossip report posted on May 19 from E! Online. They write:
The tagline on this new movie poster may read "Who is Salt?" but a better question would be: "Where is Angelina Jolie?"
Because we just don't see her here.
Yes, the woman certainly looks like the film's star and, for the sake of argument, we'll assume that it is.
But seriously, what's going on with her face?
This seems like yet another example of Photoshopping gone horribly wrong.
It's one thing to erase a pimple or minimize a wrinkle, but is it really necessary to go to this extreme on an otherwise pretty flawless mug?
One comment poster replied, "She looks really bad. We saw the trailer for Salt and my husband leaned over and said "what happened to her? She looks terrible." So, I don't think it's photoshop, I think it's her."
Another said, "Angelina's beauty is incomparable and rare. Ange would have looked more beautiful without any photoshopping but if you watch her on the video her look is different, the dark wig with a fringe and different eye make up, that look is much more like the poster. Angelina is unique, even with the accentuation of her cheekbones (which she could do with blusher), slight change to her nose (able to achieve same effect with combinations of light and dark foundation) and bronze on the lips accentuates them less. Ange prefers minimal makeup, doesn't need it! What I don't get is why the media spotlight on this photo, ALL movie posters look nothing like the actual actors. Why single out this one?? So much jealousy out there."

We think both comments have merit, as Jolie has 6 young children and such a hectic schedule volunteering for the United Nations, that she must be exhausted. While she is beautiful, no doubt, she's also constantly pushing herself so far and so fast that she often burn off way too many calories. The gaunt look beginning in her cheeks is indicative that she is 1) Over 30 and 2) just gave birth in short time to three babies -- and breast feeding serious depletes the body's vitality when it comes to looking like the global standard of youth and beauty.

 

It also means the woman might need some well deserved rest and sleep.

 

Whatever the case, we're still planning on going to see the movie on the big screen, and will undoubtedly buy a copy when the action adventure spy thriller comes out on Blu-Ray DVD.

 

ifetime Amanda Knox Movie Set to Air Next Year, Hayden Panettiere to Star Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-504083_162-504083.html?keyword=Amanda+Knox&tag=contentMain;contentBody#ixzz19gINB7cP

Amanda Knox and Hayden Panettiere (AP)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Lifetime Television is set to produce a made-for-TV movie about Amanda Knox, the American exchange student convicted of murdering Meredith Kercher, her British roommate, while studying abroad in Italy, and they already have their star - "Heroes" actress Hayden Panettiere.

Bishop Eddie Long (PICTURES): Who is The Pastor Accused in Sex Scandal?

Bishop Eddie Long (CBS/The Early Show)

ATLANTA (CBS/AP) New pictures have surfaced of Bishop Eddie Long, prominent pastor of a 25,000-member megachurch outside Atlanta, as a third man has come forward accusing the anti-gay advocate of coercing him into sex.


CBS News' Erica Hill reports the pastor allegedly sent his accusers numerous photos of himself including at least several of him wearing spandex and workout clothes.
It's not known precisely how the photos surfaced.
B.J. Bernstein, an attorney for the three plaintiffs, said Long sent her clients dozens of e-mails, but they weren't "overly sexual," she said.
Long canceled an interview with the Tom Joyner Morning Show Thursday, opting instead to make his first public response to the sex allegations during a service at his Atlanta-area church on Sunday, according to his lawyer, who appeared on the nationally syndicated radio show in Long's absence.
Attorney Craig Gillen told Joyner that Long took young men on trips as part of a mentoring program, but stands by his denial of claims that he had sex with three of them.
In lawsuits filed this week, three men who were members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church claimed Long coerced them into sexual relations with gifts including cars, cash and travel when they were 17 or 18 years old. The sprawling church in Lithonia, Ga., about 18 miles outside of Atlanta, counts politicians, celebrities and the county sheriff among its members and hosted four U.S. presidents during the 2006 funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King.
One of the claims in the lawsuits is that Long had sexual contact with the young men, who were enrolled in New Birth's ministry for teen boys, during trips he took them on in the U.S. and abroad. Gillen said the travel was part of a mentoring program that other young men also participated in.
Gillen also read a statement from Long in which the pastor, a married father of four, said he's anxious to respond to the allegations but that his lawyer has advised him not to yet.
"Let me be clear. The charges against me and New Birth are false," Long's statement said.
Gillen also said the three making the allegations were motivated by money, adding that one of them is accused of breaking into Long's office.
In addition to canceling the radio show appearance, an expected Thursday news conference with Long was also called off.
Long was appointed pastor of New Birth in 1987. At that time the church had about 150 members. Less than four years later, the church had grown to more than 8,000 members. Athletes and entertainers claim membership at the church, which now boasts an over 25,000 strong membership, and among its prominent clergy is the Rev. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Long's church was among those named in 2007 in a Senate committee's investigation into a half-dozen Christian ministries over their financing.
Long has called for a national ban on same-sex marriage and his church counsels gay members to become straight. In 2004, he led a march with Bernice King to her father's Atlanta grave to support a national constitutional amendment to protect marriage "between one man and one woman." He also has released several gospel albums, authored books on relationships and spirituality, and hosts a weekly television program.
Gillen said Long will speak directly about the allegations to his church congregation Sunday

Rihanna Looks Hot And Sexy In GQ January Cover

American singer and songwriter Rihanna, who is busy enjoying the success of her latest music album `Loud' has yet another project in her kitty to boast about. Rihanna will next be seen on the covers of British magazine GQ in its January 2011 issue. According to reports, Rihanna's picture on the magazine's cover will be a bestseller because she apparently looks smoking hot in the pictures. Apart from the very sexy pictures, the January issue of the British GQ magazine will also feature an interview of the `Music of the Sun' hit maker.
Rihanna has bared her heart on the January issue of the monthly magazine. Not only does the singer speak about her latest music venture `Loud', she also speaks about her relationship status. It is no more an unknown fact that Rihanna has moved on from Chris Brown after reports about their abusive relationship surfaced in the media. In the interview for the GQ magazine, Rihanna says that it was for good that she came out of her relationship with Chris Brown and now that she is into another relationship, she feels free and liberated. Rihanna is presently dating sportsman Matt Kemp.
The cover of the January issue of GQ magazine shows Rihanna dressed in black, whereas pictures of the singer gracing the pages of next month's issue of the monthly magazine shows her sporting revealing costumes, which leave a lot to the imagination of the male readers of men's magazine. While Rihanna flirts with roses in one picture, she goes for the lingerie look in another. The January issue of GQ magazine is expected to sell out fast from stands owing to the super hot photographs of Rihanna.
--Sampurn Wire

Om Puri raps for Amol Palekar's next on SEL's tunes

Amol Palekar is ready to direct his next film which goes on floor next month. Ask him any details on the starcast, theme or even the title of the film and he remains tight-lipped. However the one thing the director tips us on the film is about its music. "Music is going to blaze the charts all the way!"

Currently recording music for his film, Amol Palekar has managed an interesting combination of music maestros for his film in the form of music directors Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and lyricist Gulzar.

Palekar is in complete adoration for Gulzar who also wrote the lyrics for his last Hindi film Paheli. "He is a ZAR; he just rules over his pen; dictates his words; commands our emotions through his atypical lines. What a sensitive, popular and endearing Emperor. Gulzarjee's exceptional imagery, brilliant sense of beats, and precise choice of apt words have been offering a striking treat for last 50 years."

The mutual admiration society continues with singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan praising the musical sense of director Amol Palekar �Paheli�s music is unforgettable; we just loved it! Amoljee's musical Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaaye had also offered a vivacious track. So when Amoljee briefed us about the songs for his next film, we were very charged. The song situations are so hilarious that we had to conceive electrifying tunes�.

This trio has just recorded two songs. What�s interesting is that Om Puri with his rock-solid base voice also tuned in for a stirring rap number for one of the songs.

Emraan Hashmi to team up with the Bhatts & Mohit Suri for Raaz 3

Sequels and their sequels are here to stay. First Munnabhai MBBS and Golmaal, now there's Raaz which threatens to turn into a Raaz-ma-taz, what with the second part of the Bhatt's spook saga getting an unexpectedly solid opening.

Emraan Hashmi who has been lying low during the publicity, thanks to all the focus on the real-life Kangna-Adhyayan pair, says he feels vindicated by the audiences' response. "My wife kept telling me I should try the genre. I had never done horror before. It's believed in the trade that horror films open well and then soon fizzle out. But then it was also believed that a film looking at the seamier side of cricket (Jannat) would never do well. I like to walk the lonely path. That's why you don't see me at parties and functions. Maybe that's why I play the part of the loner and watch another guy take away the girl I love," Emraan chuckles drawing attention to his loser-lover's role in Gangster, Awarapan and now Raaz-TMC.

And now, Emraan is all set to return to Raaz -TMC. After the encouraging opening, the team of Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, director Mohit Suri and Emraan met to discuss the third Raaz movie.

"Yes we're on," says Emraan. "The third part will be directed by Mohit. And I'll play the lead. The rest of the details are yet to be decided. The cast of the second Raaz film was totally new. And I think I'm going to be the only actor common to Raaz 2 and 3."

He says he didn't feel left out of the publicity. "Kangna and Adhyayan are a real-life couple. I can't concoct an affair just to be noticed. I was confident my work would speak for itself. Sure enough I believe people clap when I come on screen the first time. I do have fan base, though it might be small."

With two successes Jannat and Raaz 2, Emraan feels secure enough to start a family. "We're trying for a baby and we should be parents by next year. One is never prepared for fatherhood. And if I wait to be fully prepared it will never happen. But I'm getting into the mindset now."

"Bhatt-saab hasn't directed it, yet 'Jashnn' is a Mahesh Bhatt film" - Raksha & Hasnain Hyderabadwala

They made THE KILLER and THE TRAIN and then took a two-year break. Now, Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala, the director duo, are back with Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt's JASHNN - THE MUSIC WITHIN. "Bhatt-saab once said that to make a successful film, you need to incorporate something that is a part of your own life. So that's what we did. JASHNN is about a nobody, vying to be a somebody, just like us. Also, this one's an original, hence the time gap," Raksha justifies. Unlike their previous two, this film is a complete original.

Rumor has it that Mahesh Bhatt has 'directed' portions of the film. "Several scenes from the film are as emotional as his JANAM and SAARANSH, so he needed to be there to guide us. Bhatt-saab hasn't directed JASHNN, but we'd still say that it's a Mahesh Bhatt film," both echo. Why not Emraan Hashmi this time? "We needed someone young to pass off as a 20-year-old and I could see the anguish in Adhyayan after HAAL-E-DIL flopped. In fact, it was Emraan who suggested his name," the duo justify.

Not many are aware that Mohit Suri has shot the videos of the film. "At Vishesh Films, we work like a family, the jobs are distributed. In fact, you'd be surprised to know that Mohit hasn't done most of the videos of his films either. Someone else did it for him," they clarify.

Fox Star Studios India announces its tie up with Rohan Sippy's Dum Maaro Dum

After having had a successful last two years with Slumdog Millionaire, Avatar and My Name is Khan, Fox Star Studios announced its association with Ramesh Sippy Entertainment for their latest project Dum Maaro Dum, produced by Ramesh Sippy and directed by Rohan Sippy.

"We are happy to reiterate our vision of working with the best talent in the business and are sure that with the winning pair of Rohan and Abhishek we are looking to create a thriller that promises edge of the seat entertainment and is great fun to watch. The movie will appeal to people of all ages as the story is set in Goa with a background of realism." said Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios India.

Commenting on this association, director Rohan Sippy said, "Fox Star Studios has managed to establish a strong presence in the Indian Film industry in a very short time and have ably demonstrated their marketing and distribution capabilities - we are extremely excited to partner on our next project with people who are like minded and have vision to take the film places. The movie stars Abhishek Bachchan who plays a cop which is reminiscent of Mr.Bachchan's iconic representation of a cop in the film Zanjeer."

Dum Maaro Dum reunites Rohan Sippy and Abhishek Bachchan once again after Bluffmaster, a film which won both critical acclaim and commercial success. Besides Abhishek Bachchan, Dum Maaro Dum also stars Bipasha Basu, Aditya Panscholi, Prateik Babbar and also provides a platform to Rana Dagubatti who is a well known star in Andhra Pradesh and would be making his Hindi film debut with this flick. The film, keeping in mind the title, will have new sounds and music created by the affable Pritam.

Dum Maaro Dum is an exciting action packed thriller which races through the by-lanes, beach shacks and raves of India's largest tourist destination Goa. Populated with unforgettable characters, punctuated with a soundtrack that moves from haunting Konkani songs to pulsating dance music and shot right in the midst of the teeming international tourist hotspots, the film takes you on a trip that will have you on the edge of your seat.

High Court passes order to seal Sanjay Dutt's Mumbai properties

They say that old incidents always comes back one way or the other, either to make you feel nostalgic or to haunt you. In case of Sanjay Dutt, it's the latter that holds true.

The Bombay High Court has passed an order to seal Sanjay Dutt's Mumbai property after producer Shakeel Noorani dragged the actor to court over losses incurred due to him abandoning a film. The case so far: In the year 2002, Shakeel Noorani launched the film Jaan Ki Baazi that had Sanjay Dutt in the lead along with Priyanka Chopra. Noorani claims that halfway through the shooting of the film, Dutt cancelled the shooting and that despite repeated attempts to contact him, he didn't respond. That's the reason why Noorani took a step to move to Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA) seeking help, who in turn, had called Sanjay for hearing him but the arbitration committee adjourned the case twice on his request. The IMPPA, then, told Noorani to move to court, which had the High Court executing decree attaching the assets of Sanjay Dutt, which includes his residence in, Imperial Heights building at Pali Hill, Nargis Dutt Road, Bandra and his office, Sanjay Dutt Productions, Mayfair Melody at Tagore Road in Santacruz.

Noorani, on his part, claimed Rs 2.03 crore from Sanjay Dutt, which also includes Rs 50 lakh paid to him as signing amount. Noorani's lawyer Ashok Sarogi told the media that Sanjay has an option of either paying the said amount of money within 30 days or else his properties (residence and office) would be auctioned.

On the other hand, Sanjay Dutt's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said that they will have a look at the decree execution order of the High Court and also the IMPPA award and then decide on appropriate action to be taken in this matter.

Film Federation of India members postpone their All India Bandh indefinitely

The copyright issue has been something that has been creating a furore within the film industry for a while now so much so that several members of the film fraternity had a high profile meeting with senior leaders of the Congress and the UPA Government in Delhi yesterday. Among the political bigwigs who attended this meeting were Congress General Secretary - Shri Ahmed Patel, Hon'ble I&B Minister - Mrs Ambika Soni & Hon'ble HRD Minister- Shri Kapil Sibal. The meeting was held to discuss many of the long pending grievances of the Film Industry such as Copyright amendment bill, heavy and multiple tax burden on the film sector, statutory radio licensing and royalty issues etc.

The meeting seems to have ended on a positive note. The senior Congress /UPA leaders have appreciated the seriousness of the copyright amendment act if implemented in the current form and the various other concerns shared by the members of the film industry. The Congress/UPA leaders have assured the members of the film industry that Justice will be done and no arbitrary decisions will be taken by the government, which can jeopardise the industry. The Government is committed to the principles of justice rather than personalities.

The film industry and the UPA leaders have agreed to find a solution to these issues at the earliest and continue to have a dialogue on an on-going basis.

Meanwhile The Film Federation of India (representing production, distribution and exhibition sectors and the representatives of the various film Industry bodies) who were initially supposed to declare an All India Bandh on 6th January 2010, have now decided to defer the bandh indefinitely. This Bandh was planned to protest against the anti industry attitude of the government however after yesterday's meeting with senior Congress / UPA leaders things seemed to have arrived at a consensus. This decision was taken at a press conference held by the members of the film fraternity today in Mumbai. Present at the press conference today in Mumbai were Mukesh Bhatt, Ramesh Sippy, T.P Agarwal (President of Film Federation of India), Dinesh Chaturvedi (Vice President of Film Federation of India) and Ashok Pandit.

Said Mukesh Bhatt, "The industry has been facing various issues, like copyright issue, heavy taxation among other things, which has brought the industry to a paralytic stage. However, yesterday we had a very important meeting with senior leaders of the Congress and the UPA Government, including Congress General Secretary - Ahmed Patel, I&B minister Ambika Soni and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, we got a very positive response. In fact they greeted us with a very positive statement 'this government is committed to the principles of justice and not personalities.'"

Adds Mukesh Bhatt "We have also been instructed to engage with the authors and composers and look for a reasonable outcome, which is practical, without jeopardising our business. And the government has assured us that both the sides will be heard fairly, and only then will the law be implemented. Therefore we have decided that the bandh, which was to be enforced pan India, has now been postponed, as we have been delighted with positive response. The bandh was to protest against the behaviour of the government, towards the producers. However, in the light of this positive response, it has opened the door for a fair approach, so we have unanimously decided to postpone the bandh, the bandh is postponed till all our legitimate demands are met with. We are not here to fight, but our sustenance is threatened and therefore we want to have a positive word with the composers and find a fair solution."

Said Ramesh Sippy, "We were informed of the law, which would take away our rights. I'm sure if Javed Sa'ab was fighting for something, it must be for something unjust, but the Government escalated the matter without consulting with us, and therefore our voice remained unheard. Therefore, before yesterday's meeting we had a sentiment of there being no other way out. However, now we feel the government is open to taking in account our point of view, and we are very happy that they are seeking justice for both sides, and not just passing a one-sided law. We are hopeful of sitting down and resolving this issue."

When questioned whether they were open to discussion with Javed Akhtar, T.P Agarwal said, "We have never banned Javed Sa'ab, we had simply advised producers to not sign him till this matter is not resolved. But he is one of us, and has always been, so we will of course discuss the situation with him."

Well, the tide seems to be changing, with ban scheduled for 6th January cancelled, and with a resolve on the producers' part to find a solution suitable to both sides. The issue between the producers and composers is now poised at a crucial point.

S-E-L to compose ICC Cricket World Cup 2011's official theme song

The coming year 2011 promises to be a treat for all cricket lovers as the mother of all tournaments - The ICC Cricket World Cup- is scheduled to take place from Feb 19 to April 2nd. This time the World Cup is being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The countdown to cricket's biggest tournament has already kicked off with just 50 days to go. When you talk about cricket, can Bollywood be far behind? Well, not really, and this time Bollywood would be making its presence felt through the musical trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The trio have composed the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011's official theme song.

The song is titled 'De Ghuma Ke' which in itself is a passionate expression that creatively captures the fierce sense of competition and the desire to win. The song has been composed in 3 different versions namely Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese that will feature in the build-up to and during the tournament in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

For all of you who can't wait to hear this pulsating number, there's good news. The song will be released on December 31st via various radio networks in India and also on ESPN STAR Sports, ICC's global production and broadcast rights holde

"You will find variations in journalism & some of it has gone to its zilch" - Gul Panag

By Devansh Patel, January 25, 2010 - 18:34 IST

It is a natural gift of the human psyche to be able to terrify itself and by qualification learn how to terrify others in order to control them through manipulation by fear. The new barons are those from the Press and the Media....and of course, director Ram Gopal Varma. Read on. Their control over the minds of the populace is greater now than at any other time in the earth's history. Media communication is the latest power in the history of suppression and like all suppressive devices it appears to offer that which it deprives you of; freedom of speech and interchange of information. Today, the power of the media moguls has grown in tandem with the increasing innovation and effect of communication technologies. Today, the Media barons built an industry of immense wealth and power and refined their persuasive methods to a fine technological pitch. Today a well-oiled intelligence gathering machine of global proportions is run by a 'new aristocracy' which has established the industry as a multi-national controller of the minds of ordinary people. To make matters more interesting and intriguing, Ramu's Rann is all set to enhance the media's position and produce an unseen oligarchy of immense power. The film, which deals with the media, politics and industrialist nexus is all set to release on January 29 with a battle-cry of one-upmanship. For starters, Gul Panag, who will be seen in Rann opposite Riteish Deshmukh, voices her opinion on the film, the political nexus, journalism and the question to which we all are looking an answer to: Will we ever know the truth?

Has journalism gone to its zilch now?
Not just journalists, but most of us have preconceived notions. They are fine, as long as you're in the business of reporting facts and making opinions. When your job is to report facts and only facts, and leave the people to form their own opinions, if you come from a point of view where you already have a preconceived notion, then you can imagine how much objectivity there's going to be in that kind of reporting. As a nation, we are a very prejudice lot, judgemental; we live in a society which believes in poking their nose in other peoples business. But the question is: Where do our reporters come from? The answer is: From the same society. So yes, you will find variations in journalism and some of it has gone to its zilch.

But our readers are to be blamed too. Right? They prefer Page 3 girls over credible columnists
That's how it is. That's how the people are formed and are evolved. But the same people do read Vir Sanhvi and Shekar Gupta columns, the two most credible writers we have. But the fact is, whether you like it or not, we do flip the entertainment pages first. They are more interesting. Which is why, if there was an amalgamation of entertainment that actually tries to make a difference, we'd have achieved our objective. But we don't let that happen. People come with a preconceived notion that just because we come from the entertainment world, we have no interest in anything else. As an eye grabbing section of the society, from the CEO's to the doctors and lawyers, everybody opens the entertainment pages. If only there was a little bit of effort put in by the fourth estate, in trying to see what these people really want to do and stop painting them with the same brush of disdain and condescending thoughts that they look at them with, there might be some good that comes out of it.

Coming back to the film, how convincing does Rann look?
I don't know. The beauty of all Ram Gopal Varma films is that the action is always happening outside the film. That's his style of cinema. He talks about something and then something happens outside. In the film, you'll just see the before and the after. That is indeed for an extremely evolved audience. You're not spoon feeding the audience with what's going on, which is great. Rann is Ram Gopal Varma's attempt to highlight the nexus that does exist between the politicians, media house and the industrialists. Top political parties have interests in the media houses, allegedly, which is quite visible by the fact that they don't really cross a particular barrier when it comes to reporting about the politicians. In reference to industrialists, so many of them own a large stake in publishing houses, electronic channels. Thus biased news looks convincing to all of us.

So in an all male dominated section of films, media, politics and industrialists, how significant is Rann for you?
Not so significant. I mean, you cannot super-impose a woman in a film like Rann, except for the fact that Suchitra Krishnamurthy who works in a news channel in the film. But it's not about significance. It's about my gut instinct and when I heard the story, this was the film I wanted to be a part of. I've always admired Ram Gopal Varma. The more time I spend with a director like him, the more I understand how intelligent he is. Rann is not a story of domestic lives. It's a story about people's work place.

Do you think politics inspires the media?
Yes. 80% are our news stories are linked to what's happening in Delhi, after all, that is the power centre of this country. And that is something that each one of us is involved in. That's a single time thread that involves every single Indian because we elect these people, we put them in power and they are our servants. So yes, politicians are public servants and we need to keep track of what they're doing. If we don't know what's happening in our country, we are failing as a democracy.

And how safe is our India now?
As safe or as unsafe as it was before. It is not possible to protect against terrorism when the perpetrators of terror are ready to kill themselves. It's just not possible. We can only contain the damage that they inflict.

You spend a fortune, buy a page and the news is yours. All we need is more customers, right?
Well, that's pretty much what it is. A lot of leading newspapers sell their space. But that's business.

Music takes a front seat in any of RGV's films
Yes, he does have a very good ear for music. I think music in a film like Rann brings out the feeling of nationalism and patriotism. It does evoke a very strong emotion, which is why I really liked the banned song: 'Jana Gana Rann'. What's interesting is the fact that we all relate to what's going on.

You're a writer yourself. Why don't you voice your opinion through your writing?
For me, it's really when I feel like writing, I write. Not otherwise. Honestly, I don't enjoy the pressure of deadlines. That's why my blog comes to rescue. I wrote 600 words on my blog from the airport just because I felt strongly about something.

You've got such a gorgeous smile and look beautiful that you can surely anchor any news channel.
Thank you. But I think there is always room to be heard if you're lucid in your own thoughts. Most people don't know what they're talking about which is why they don't make sense. It's also the way you speak that's critical. I've been to places where extremely eloquent people have spoken but they are just so boring to listen to but what they are saying is so interesting but not how they're saying it.

Will we ever know the truth?
I'm reading a very interesting book at the moment called 1984 by George Orwell. It's about a system where truth is obliterated. Even the past has been altered to suit the present. There was this move to alter history text books to favour Hinduism. So there has always been an attempt to super-impose what you think is favourable to you.

Not from Gul Panag's point of view, will Rann work for a citizen of India?
Today, films are actually a function of economics. You make a film at a certain budget. No matter what people said about Agyaat, it worked because of the shoe string budget it was made on. Technically, the film worked. You make a Blue and it doesn't work. Rann is not made on a tight budget, it's not an extravagant film, it's not gone over its allotted days of shoot and it got packed up before the actual time of pack up. Eventually, there is a market for a film like Rann but it may not be the entire country. As long as the budget is tight and the right people watch the film, the film will work.

As long as Ram Gopal Varma is there, controversy is bound to happen
Controversy is as much media created as supported by the person in the centre of a controversy. If you refuse to comment on a situation and are not easing it out, you're increasing the controversy.

Define Ram Gopal Varma in one word
I can say intelligent but that'll be too simple. I'd say, very discerning. He is not a guy you can make small talk with.

"Gul is living an urban single girl life" - Alankrita Shrivastava

Alankrita Shrivastava. Heard her name before? No! Ok, what about Prakash Jha? Yes! Now combine the two and you'll see Turning 30. It's a pun because their combine age would make it sound they're turning old. Anyway, the debutant director is all set to release her first film under Prakash Jha Productions and can't thank her stars enough. Again a pun because she really can't thank Gul Panag and Purab Kohli enough. In her early thirties, Alankrita comes across as a confident first timer. But that's what all debutants come across like, right? Right! So then here you go. Please welcome the lady in her thirties, Alankrita Shrivastava. By the way, did I just miss on one point that describes her? It's her submerged assurance and a determined mind that says 'never say never'.....and she did it. UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama's London correspondent gets chatty with Bollywood newest debutant.

A great beginning

Turning 30 is a great beginning for me. But I am so busy that I can't feel anything right now. It's a numb feeling. I am about to debut as a director. Turning 30 is a perfect start because I really wanted to tell this story. I have told it my way too.

Urban Single and Energetic - Gul Panag

I had to think a lot about Gul's character in the film as the entire film revolves around this character. Moreover, I had to think a lot about who will do this part. I think Gul had that 'high-city-girl' kind of energy that I needed. She lives a fast paced life, never lazy, always on the move, etc. She is living an urban single girl life and that's what I wanted for my film. I knew she is a great performer too. I saw Manorama Six Feet Under and I had made up my mind to cast her. Gul had to commit to this film a lot as she was there in every scene of the film, except a couple. She has been alongside me in thick and thin and is now leaving no stone unturned for the films promotion too.


The right decision

Prakash Jha knew that I came into his company so that one day I'd make my own film. All associate directors aspire to become directors eventually. I had the same aspirations. The question was - 'When was I ready to take up the challenge?' After I finished with Khoya Khoya Chand, is when I felt that the time has come to start thinking about my first film.

Guiding force - Prakash Jha

Prakashji was a major guiding force for me. I showed my first draft to him and he came up with some points of feedback. Then I wrote another draft and he again made some pointers. Finally, the third draft was liked by him in its totality. I told him that I wanted Purab Kohli and Gul Panag in the film. He decided the parameters of the budget and all, met Purab and Gul and the rest, he left it to me. He just came on the sets for a couple of days, once to say hi to Gul and Purab and on the other to wish me luck.

'Hinglish' or 'English'

There was a time when there used to be very few writers who used to write in English. That was all that it was. The time has again come where English writing is being used in the film in terms of dialogues and the actual lingo. As far as Indian films are concerned, there are a few directors who embark on the same philosophy of using English as one of their languages in their films. After all, bilingual films do appeal to a large section of our cine-going audiences.


Perfect and punctual - Purab Kohli

By the time I finished writing the film, I decided that I wanted to cast Purab Kohli. It was really a delight to work with him. He is so sweet and so much fun. He has been really supportive and has done a fabulous job in Turning 30. He is a very spontaneous and a sensitive actor. He has delivered an honest performance.

Is Turning 30 India's answer to Bridget Jones's Diary?

The promos of Gul Panag starrer Turning 30 do bear an uncanny resemblance to the Hollywood cult classic Bridget Jones's Diary which starred Renee Zellweger in the lead role. After all, both films are woman-centric and deal with problems faced by a woman with respect to her job, friends and of course love life.

We quizzed director Alankrita Shrivastava who makes her debut with Turning 30 if her film is India's answer to Bridget Jones's Diary and this is what she said, "I wouldn't call it India's answer to Bridget Jones's Diary but it is India's answer to the chick flicks genre. I have always enjoyed watching chick flicks and hence wrote a story that deals with issues plaguing most women of the present generation when they are past their twenties and entering their thirties."

Elaborating more on her film, Alankrita says, "Gul's character Naina in the film faces issues which any modern, urban, independent girl could face. These are issues relating to her love life, politics at work, friends' circle etc. Also unlike Renee Zellweger's character in Bridget Jones's Diary, Naina is an achiever, a go-getter and someone who will come up triumphs against all odds despite fighting her own battle. It's a tribute of sorts to the modern woman."

Considering that the film projects Woman Power like never before, wouldn't it have been better to release the film on International Women's Day in March. Says Alankrita, "Yeah...that would have been great but to be honest I've been too busy working on the film to look into these things and believe that the producers and distributors are the best people to take a call on the release date. I am happy that my film is releasing (Jan 14) and can't thank Mr. Prakash Jha enough without whose support and vision this dream of mine wouldn't have become a reality.

"I'm not playing Mujibur Rahman" - Amitabh Bachchan

A report in a section of the press stating that Amitabh Bachchan would be playing the role of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has the mega-star completely stumped, puzzled, and amused.

"I've no idea what all this is about. Lots of media persons have been calling since yesterday. I can't say where and how this report originated from. But it is not true," said the Big B from London on Saturday morning just before he boarded his flight back to Mumbai. Not only does the report state with absolute authority that the Big B plays Mujbir Rahman, it also quotes the film's producer as saying that the rest of the Bachchan clan, Abhishek and Aishwarya, will also feature in this bio-pic.

Continues the Big B, "I've no clue about this. There's nothing to it. At least not as far as I'm concerned. I'm hearing all this talk about this film for the first time." This isn't the first time that producers have made premature or unfounded announcements about the Big B's presence in a project. But it would have been interesting to watch him play a historical character. In all these years of superstardom, the Big B has never played a biographic figure. The closest he came to it was in Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar where his role had shades of Bal Thackeray.

Shammi Kapoor's son directs Rishi Kapoor!

Aditya Raj Kapoor, son of the charming actor of yesteryears Shammi Kapoor, is taking up his second directorial venture in style! Despite being born and brought up in a filmy-family that left its mark in Hindi cinema, Aditya is making yet another English film, studded with some of the industry�s biggest stars.

Written and directed by Aditya Kapoor, Don�t Stop Dreaming is a film that features Aditya�s cousin brother, the famous Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor plays a character named Groovy! Groovy is a former Asian pop-star who later gets into the clothes and textile business. But this is not the first time Rishi and Aditya have worked together. Rishi played the role of Om Suri in Aditya�s earlier directorial venture Sambar Salsa. Rishi is not the only one who has worked with Aditya twice in a row. Singer-composer-actor Taz of �Stereo Nation� fame made his acting debut in Sambar Salsa. He didn�t sign any other films until he was offered Don�t Stop Dreaming. The music of this film, which mostly includes club anthems, has also been composed by him.

Don�t Stop Dreaming will also mark the international debut of Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty. Reportedly, Suniel only makes a cameo in this film and hasn�t charged a penny for it! The movie also has other multi-cultural cast including Michelle Collins and Richard Blackwood. Collins, who makes her film debut with Don�t Stop Dreaming, plays Rishi Kapoor�s wife. Aditya believes that handling so many stars from varied backgrounds was a big challenge, but all worth the effort.

Don�t Stop Dreaming is a musical comedy about a group of young friends who want to leave their mark on the musical front. Set entirely in Birmingham, known as the Bhangra Capital of the world, the story revolves around these youngsters who come together and form a multi-cultural band that fuses eastern music with the western tunes. They start off by performing at a pub but, as the name suggests, they don�t stop dreaming of going higher! Aditya is putting final touches to the film now. It is speculated to release on March 16 in the UK. Although Aditya is more interested in making English films, he plans to work on the remake of his dad�s film Dil Deke Dekho next year.

Shammi and Shashi Kapoor hospitalised

The Kapoor legends so to say, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, brothers aged 79 and 72 respectively, are suffering from age related ailments. They both have been hospitalised for the past few days.

While Shammiji is suffering from kidney ailments and is recuperating at Breach Candy hospital, Shashiji is admitted at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri. Amitabh Bachchan who visited both at their respective hospitals tweeted and blogged about the visit, "went to visit Shashi Kapoor in hospital and pained to see him in such condition...prayers for him please." He also mentioned about the visit to Shammi Kapoor on his blog as he wrote, "I have been to visit Shammi Kapoor in hospital. He is unwell, in a different hospital. He was his most charming self as always and joked and laughed over his condition."

Bollywood Hungama wishes the two superstars of yesteryears a speedy recovery.

Ajay Devgn to star in Neeraj Pandey's Special Chabbis

Neeraj Pandey, who shot into the limelight with his critically acclaimed film A Wednesday, is now ready to shoot his next outing. His next directorial venture titled Special Chabbis, is a film based on a real life incident where twenty six men, posing as Income Tax officials, carried out a mock raid on a leading jewellery store in Mumbai and seized jewellery worth millions, never to return.

Bollywood Hungama has learnt from a source close to the actor that, "Yes Ajay did hear the script for the film and has also agreed to do it, though at this point no more details are available of the film."

Special Chabbis will have Ajay playing the main lead and will also have an ensemble cast. The film is scheduled to go on floors early next year.

Big B lends voice to Aamir Khan Productions' Delhi Belly

Not too long ago, the media was rife with tussle between the 'perfectionist' Aamir Khan and the stalwart of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan, over the latter's film Black. When everything seemed lost, there was an olive branch extended and Bachchan and Aamir once again became close friends. Now Bachchan Sr. will be lending his voice to Aamir Khan Productions' forthcoming film Delhi Belly.

One may recall, Amitabh Bachchan, had lent the voice earlier too for Aamir Khan's first home production Lagaan.

Couple of days ago, Aamir and Kiran were seen visiting Amitabh Bachchan on sets of a film where he was shooting. After a long closed door meeting and catching up, they left almost after two hours. And yesterday morning Amitabh Bachchan dubbed in a suburban studio for Delhi Belly.

Bachchan's voice-over will also be heard in the first trailer of Delhi Belly that will be attached with Dhobi Ghat on Jan 21. The said piece will be an introductory piece and what's interesting is that Aamir has written the piece.

Aamir has been concentrating and working diligently with Abhinav Deo the director on the final edit of Delhi Belly.

Delhi Belly stars Imran Khan, Kunal Roy Kapur and Vir Das in lead roles.

Bollywood’s top ten controversies 2010

Bollywood and controversies go hand in hand. Some of these are genuine, while others may have been staged for cheap publicity.  Here are the Top 10 Controversies. Here are the top 10 Bollywood 'chatpata' controversies which made sure that our lives became more interesting this year...

1)Ranbir, Deepika and Sonam - Love birds Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor broke up and it opened up the pandora's box. Deepika along with Sonam Kapoor joined forces and ripped the boy apart, in the name of jest, in Karan Johar's show, Koffee with Karan. All said in jest and humour but papa Rishi Kapoor took it to heart. He has unofficially declared that Ranbir will not be working with Deepika or Sonam for at least a while. Next, Sonam's papa Anil Kapoor jumped into the boxing arena by saying, it's silly of Rishi to take such petty fights so seriously. Now that the papas have got involved, doesn't look like this controversy will die soon.

2)Yana Gupta’s pantyless stunt - The item song Babu ji zara dheere chalo instantly catapulted this Czech beauty to fame in Bollywood. Hardly anything followed after, except for her on and off relationship status with Aftab Shivdasani. But boy, is she back! Yaana Gupta graced a Child Reach NGO event in a scintillating LBD sans her panty. The item girl brushed away the supposed stunt saying that she headed to the event right after her 'pantyless' dance sessions.

3)Neetu Chandra cricket scam - Neetu Chandra has enough number of controversies in her kitty, be it the sizzling photoshoot or her tiff with Pakistani actress Veena Malik over the recent cricket scam.Reports claim that the actress was in touch with Pakistani cricketer Mohammed Asif who was incidentally involved in the cricket scam. Veena Malik, the Pakistani actress who is currently a participant in the reality show Bigg Boss 4, was in a relationship with the cricketer for quite sometime. Neetu's name was dragged into the scandal when Veena stated that the cricketer was in touch with an Indian actress before the scandal came out. Thanks to the controversies, a lot of meaty roles from down South have come her way.

4)Salman Vs Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hrithik - This is recent. A tabloid reported that the mischievous Khan at an event made fun of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film, Guzaarish. 'Usme machchar udti hai par koi makkhi bhi nahin gaya dekhne...' he is reported to have said, apart from other things. While Bhansali sulked, Hrithik took up the cudgels and chided Salman for not being too graceful.

5)Abatement to suicide case against Rakhi Sawant - The reality star and item girl has never managed a safe distance from scandals. Mika Singh's smooch made her file a molestation case against the singer. But this time, the law has not favoured Rakhi Sawant. Jhansi district police registered a criminal case against Rakhi in connection with the death of a young man. Rakhi Ka Insaaf hosted by Rakhi revolves around stories of divorce to domestic violence. The usually blunt Rakhi Sawant lashed out at a young man at one of her trials and called him 'impotent'. And this apparently pushed him to commit suicide.

6)Shobhaa De vs Punit, Sonam - Celebrated columnist Shobhaa De didn't like debut director Punit Malhotra's film I Hate Luv Storys and said in her column that he needs to be spanked. Punit straight took her on and tweeted, "Guys please don't take Shobhaa De seriously. She is a fossil going through menopause. She doesn't get action." Sonam Kapoor, who played in the said film jumped into the fray and re-tweeted Punit's tweet. De, enraged by this, wrote in her column that Sonam doesn't show signs of decent upbringing. Soon after, Sonam (apparently at the behest of dad Anil Kapoor) sent an apology tweet to De, saying "I am ashamed for my momentary lapse of judgement. Every writer, journalist and audience is entitled to her opinion and I respect that."

7)Abhishek and Prahlad Kakkar- Abhishek Bachchan and ad man Prahlad Kakkar might have buried the hatchet, but some time back they were at loggerheads. Kakkar passed a comment that the actor should be given a Guinness World Record for surviving in the industry after 17 flops. Well, the adman's constructive criticism didn't go down well with Abhishek. The actor used the social networking site Twitter to hit back: 'I'm already in the Guinness Book of World Records and a very proud son. I hope you give your sons an opportunity to say the same someday.'

8)Knock Out Vs Phonebooth - Finally Hollywood woke up to the plagiarism that Bollywood has been indulging in for years. The makers of Phone Booth took a serious interest in Irrfan Khan- Sanjay Dutt starrer Knock Out as they felt the story is a straight lift from their film. The producers of Knock Out had to pay the studio 1.5 crores as damages.

9)Sonam Kapoor takes on Imran Khan -  Khan and Kapoor have worked together in I Hate Luv Storys, and the chemistry also worked wonders for millions of their fans. But all is not well between the two fresh stars of Bollywood. The tussle between Sonam and Imran began with the rapid fire round on Koffee with Karan. Imran Khan stated that she should do less magazine covers and more roles. In response, Sonam who came on the talk show later, said that she won't take advice from a star who is still 'wet behind the ears'.

10)Shiney Ahuja's maid makes a u-turn - Shiney Ahuja's career kickstarted with Sudhir Mishra's Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. And then there was no looking back until the rape case came to light.The actor who played the hero in many of his films was incarcerated for raping his maid. After much public embarrassment, the maid retracted her statement.Now that the actor's career has gone down the drain, the maid's u-turn in the rape case might not do any favours for the Bollywood actor.

Govt cracks down on Colors for 'excessive violence', 'cruelty'

The I&B ministry found Rishton Se Badi Pratha unsuitable for children.

Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to Colors channel for its serial 'Rishton Se Badi Pratha', saying it portrayed "excessive violence" and "cruelty". The programme which is aired on prime time, is "against good taste" and potrays "excessive violence and cruelty", the ministry said in the notice. "The explicit scenes of torture being inflicted on a female character is barbaric and appears to denigrate women," it said.
The notice went on to say that the programme contains "disturbing visuals and scenes of eccentric and abnormal violence which does not apear to be suitable for children".
Ministry sources said the channel has been advised not to carry content on the show which constitute violation of the programme code as enshrined in the cable network act. The channel has been asked to answer within seven days from receipt of the notice as to why action should not be taken against it as per section 20 of the Cable Act.
'Rishton Se Badi Pratha' is a serial about the problems being faced by a couple who decide to marry against the wishes of their family.
The channel was in trouble earlier when the ministry issued an order last month asking it to shift its popular programme 'Big Boss' from the prime 9 PM slot to after 11 PM, saying it was not fit to be watched by children.
The channel approached the Bombay High Court and was given a stay as the court said it should have been issued a notice first. 'Bigg Boss' managed to get another stay at the second hearing and is still being aired at 9 PM.

Girl-next-door Jacqueline, sizzles in Murder sequel

Jacqueline Fernandez has been signed up for Murder 2.

The first chapter of the film 'Murder' set the male testosterone pumping with overtly bold scenes and yes, of course, the curvy Mallika Sherawat. The Bhatt camp is ready with the sequel to the much talked about film and its rightly called Murder 2. The Murder 2 cast has been changed a bit, with the lead actress Mallika replaced by the leggy Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez. After playing the cute girl next door roles in films like Aladin and Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, Jackie seems to have gone for a complete image makeover and has turned into a siren for the film.
Meanwhile, Murder's lead Emraan Hashmi, remains a part of the sequel. The film is co-written by Mahesh Bhatt and Shagufta Rafique and as per reports coming out, is based on the Nithari killings in Noida.

Shah Rukh Khan to celebrate New Year in Dubai

Shah Rukh Khan is planning to ring in the New Year in Dubai.

The Bollywood superstar and a host of other A-listers are planning to ring in the new year in Dubai. The actor will be joined by his wife Gauri Khan and a group of other Bollywood friends are likely to check into a luxury hotel on the Palm Jumeirah from December 30 to January 1.
Actor Hrithik Roshan and his wife Susanne Khan, director Karan Johar and lawyer Kaajal Anand will also join the King Khan.
Khan, who has a home on the man-made island, however, plans to throw an extravagant party there, Emirates 24/4 reported.
According to the report, actor Chunky Pandey is also on the guest list while Arjun Rampal is reportedly yet to firm up his plans.

Anorexic Model Isabelle Caro Dies at 28

Caro caused a stir after appearing in posters for an anti-anorexia campaign in 2007, but the ads were banned in several countries. File photo

A French model who posed nude for an anti-anorexia campaign while suffering from the illness herself has died at the age of 28, her colleagues confirm.
Isabelle Caro died on 17 November after being treated for an acute respiratory illness, Swiss singer Vincent Bigler, who reportedly was her boyfriend, told journalists.
"She was hospitalised for 15 days with acute respiratory disease and was recently also very tired, but I do not know the cause of her death."
Caro caused a stir after appearing in posters for an anti-anorexia campaign in 2007, but the ads were banned in several countries.
It was not clear why it took so long for her death to be made public.
The anti-anorexia campaign came amid a debate among fashion circles on the use of "ultra-skinny" models on the catwalk.
"I thought this could be a chance to use my suffering to get a message across, and finally put an image on what thinness represents and the danger it leads to - which is death," Caro said at the time.
The model, who was 5ft 4in tall (1.65m) at the time of the poster campaign, reportedly weighed 32kg (five stones).

Madhuri Dixit to pair up once again with Anil Kapoor?

Madhuri Dixit is one star Bollywood is proud of and can never get enough of her. Post marriage Madhuri has kept away from cameras devoting her time and attention to kids and family. Her last film was ‘Aaja Nach Le’ which failed to create a spark at the box office but this has not faded the lady’s adoration in any way.
Now, the reports have it that she may play the role of Sonam Kapoor’s mother in Anil Kapoor’s remake of the Hollywood film, ‘Freaky Friday’. The film revolves around a mother and daughter who magically swap roles for a day.
Bollywood actresses like Shabhana Azmi, Rekha and Kirron Kher had been previousle approached for the role but they all gave a no to the project due to date problems. Now, Madhuri is being considered for the role and if she says yes, it would fulfil Anil Kapoor’s wish which was expresses when he said that he would like to work with his former leading lady again.
Her secretary and previous manager, Rakesh Nath has said, “She has got four-five very good offers. She will definitely do another film soon, but this time we have to be very careful. I’ve worked with other actresses, but Madhuriji is Madhuriji.”
Well, some part of the story definitely seems to be true as Madhuri has tweeted, “Meeting with Anil Kapoor today. Lets see what happens….”

Katrina Kaif to go de-glam after her glam avatar in TMK

Katrina Kaif rocked the nation with her sexy avatar in ‘Tees Maar Khan’ and especially her item song ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’. Now, the actress will be seen in a role in dire contrast to what she played in TMK. This Prakash Jha film titled ‘Satsang’ will see Kats as a woman clad in an ochre robe and in search of spirituality. This upcoming film exposes the multi-billion global religion factory in India.
Her role in Satsang is so complex that even Jha was not sure, initially, if the actress could deliver. “It would be the most challenging part of my career so far,” says Katrina.
She plays the central character in the film which is semi-autobiographical in nature and is that of a woman from the West in search of Oriental spiritualism. Katrina will be seen sans makeup for the film and will have to get informed on the intricacies of the multi-billion religious industry in India.”
Katrina is already geared up for the role and says, “Prakashji and I have discussed the part in detail. This is one film that I’ve do the most preparation for. I’m open to the challenge.”

Big B visits Shashi Kapoor in hospital

The 70's charmer Shashi Kapoor, who has been hospitalised for a while now, had a surprise visitor.

TOI spotted Amitabh Bachchan walking into the hospital to meet him. Big B spent half an hour talking to him and lent a patient ear to Shashi. Amitabh and Shashi were a winning team through the 70s--when they did unforgettable films like Deewar, Trishul, Imaan Dharam and Suhaag.

Both actors care deeply for each other. Shashi, doctors maintain, is suffering from age related problems and refuse to give details on his condition. However, the yesteryear superstar has had very few visitors from the industry. Amitabh, onlookers say, was pained seeing Shashi in such a condition and when he walked out people saw his eyes moist.

Aamir, SRK, Sallu keep controversies alive

Things may have been dull at the box office with big budget films like Kites, Raavan and Guzaarish falling flat one after the other but Bollywood stars and their 'politically incorrect' ways more than made up for the lack of spice onscreen in 2010.

The major film controversies revolved around the three Khans —Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman— and their releases. Aamir's Rancho act in Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots brought audience affection but the film's box office triumph saw the producers and writer Chetan Bhagat fighting over credits. Chetan was upset that his name was given in the last credits while Hirani said the film was partially inspired from the book and the writer had approved everything. Aamir jumped in the ring by calling Bhagat a liar while producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra locked horns with media telling the journalists to 'shut up' when questioned on the controversy only to apologise later. As if 3 Idiots was not enough, Aamir's production Peepli Live was also embroiled in a similar row.

Director Anusha Rizvi and her husband separated themselves from the project over differences with Aamir on credit and promotions. Aamir, who has a reputation of being too interfering as a producer, had also famously fallen out with Amol Gupte during the making of Taare Zameen Par. After his airport detention incident in the US, Shah Rukh continued to dominate headlines. He earned the ire of the Shiv Sena, which threatened to stall the release of the movie after the actor refused to apologise for his comments supporting the inclusion of Pakistani players in IPL.

The issue had the whole industry divided. Many stars including SRK's arch rival Salman came out in the actor's support and commended him for not bowing down to the illogical political pressure but Amitabh Bachchan drew a flak for keeping mum. Salman was another star who was caught with the 'foot- in-the-mouth syndrome' during the release of Dabangg by saying that Pakistan should not be blamed for 26/11 attacks. Salman reportedly told a Pakistani news channel the attacks were a security failure and Pakistan should not be blamed for it but after political parties raised a storm, he apologised.

Deepika, Mallya off to London

Deepika Padukone and her alleged boyfriend, Sidhartha Mallya, packed their bags for a romantic gateaway to London to bring in the New Year.

We hear that Dips and Sidhartha have chalked out a full-fledged plan on what all they want to do this vacation. Right from shopping to partying to bonding with friends in London, Sidhartha and the sexy heroine have their hands full. We also hear that they have plans to tour the countryside.

Looks like the two have a reason to celebrate. For Deepika, with two back to back box office upsets, she would need time to rejuvinate and start the year afresh given the industry has put so much hope on her as the next big thing in Bollywood.

Salman gets advance b'day gift from Kat

Now this is news! When everybody is speculating whether there is a strain in the friendship between Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif especially after it was reported that the macho Bollywood actor's digs about Ranbir Kapoor did not go down too well with Kat, TOI spotted Sallu's ex-flame paying him a visit on Saturday night.

Kat drove into Salman's Galaxy pad in Bandstand (Bandra) late evening and even stayed there for at least one-and-a-half hours bonding with him as well as his family members. We hear that she was there to wish him in advance for his brithday. Family sources tell us that Salman was very friendly with Kat and vice versa and they had a blast chatting up after ages as both were busy with their respective shooting commitments. "Kat had some food at Salman's pad and caught up on some hearty conversation.

By the way they were interacting with each other, nothing seems to be wrong between the relationship that they have been sharing. Kat continues to be close to the entire Khan family and considers Salman to be her advisor and, most importantly, a very close friend. Salman, too, is quite fond of her. They hugged each other and spent at least one hour with just each other." What's also interesting is that Salman even escorted Kat all the way to her car when she was leaving and waited at the door waving to her till her car zoomed away.

Amit Trivedi Five feet something man is sitting quietly in the lobby:

Make ups and Break ups
Rows, ruckus and brawls, the year saw all of that and then some more. Some made news for their public spats or hidden hostilities and others made a show while they hugged, kissed and made up. Whether it was the brash face-off between Dolly Bindra and Shweta Tiwari on "Bigg Boss 4" or the brewing controversies on "Koffee with Karan 3", there was never a time without scrimmage.
This year hurled a surprise for all the film buffs as Bollywood biggies and erstwhile BFFs Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan fell apart following a rift over the casting of Akshay Kumar in "Tees Mar Khan".

The rivalry between Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra resurfaced yet again as the leading ladies hit out at each other on "KWK 3". But all seems well now after the two ladies hugged each other on stage at Mumbai Police Mela. Rishi Kapoor and Karan Johar also came to loggerheads over the episode with Deepika and Sonam when the girls churned out comments on the philandering ways of Ranbir Kapoor.

Another buzz that brought about many smiles was the apparent patch up between T-Town biggies Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu. The strained relations between Bollywood superstars Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan has been repaired. Salman also reportedly broke up with on-off girlfriend Katrina Kaif, while Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia also called it quits earlier in the year.

Sport on
Our sports stars were at their scintillating best this year. Sachin's 50 tons in Test cricket; Gagan Narang becoming the first Indian to qualify for the 2012 Olympics coupled with his career best of four golds at the Common Wealth Games and two silver at the Asian Games; Pankaj Advani becoming World Professional Billiards Champion and winning gold at the Asiad and Saina Nehwal, the only Indian shuttler to have reached No. 2 spot in world ranking have been the high points of the year. It was a very special year for Saina having been awarded the Padmashree in January and the Khel Ratna in August.Status unclear: Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra had barely rekindled their romance there's fresh news about the cracks in that relationship.

Rah- Mania
AR Rahman's fans went into a dizzy overdrive as the maestro scooped a double whammy at the 52nd Grammy Awards for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" this year. But the accolades faded as his Common-wealth Games theme song, "Swagatham" which he scored for a whopping `5 crore was a big letdown.

What an item!
Some latka-jhatkas, some cool naach and yes...a little bit of controversy was the recipe behind the rocking item songs of the year. While 'Munni Badnam Hui' got audiences drooling, it also had its share of controveries (the song was alleged to be a rip-off of a Pakistani qawali from a 1992 film, there were also claims that it was a copy of the Bhojpuri number "Launda badnam" and a balm company even wanted the producers to pay damages for using their brand name in the song without prior permission); while a sexy and trimmer Katrina's moves and grooves in 'Sheila Ki Jawani' got enough eyeballs from the moment the promos came on air. The latest is: PILs have been filed against both songs for violating the basic norms of decency. The debate continues!

Come back
superstars
The year 2010 saw Prince Mahesh Babu's return with "Khaleja" and Pawan Kalyan with "Puli", the films got talked about more for their title controversies than their performance at the BO. Overnight the reclusive Mahesh became accessible and visible all over town with his multiple appearances to promote the film and endorse a leading garment brand.

They are taken!
T-town's eligible bachelors broke a lot of nubile hearts and found their perfect soulmates this year - NTR Junior is slated to tie the nuptial knot with family friend Lakshmi Praneetha and Allu Arjun got engaged with Sneha Reddy at a hush-hush ceremony. Adding grist to the rumor mills was news of Ram Charan Tej's reported engagement with Upasana Kamineni which he denied eventually.

Shaadi Story
This year led us to all sorts of conjugal ceremonies. From the bride's trousseau to the couple's honeymoon destination, everything made news. Among all the shaadi stories, one that stood out for controversies was the Sania- Shoaib nikah. Amidst ayes and nays and much mud slinging, the marriage finally took place drawing attention towards even minutest of the allegations and counter allegations.
Russel Brand-Katy Perry's marriage was also followed closely as the couple tied the knot in Ranthambore in a traditional Hindu wedding. Among other weddings that got the nation hooked were the Vivek Oberoi-Priyanka Alva's which made news for all it's hungama and jamboree, its band, baaja and baraat. While Vivek's wedding made waves right from its first ritual, the wedding of the Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's secret and low-profile marriage with Sakshi Singh Rawat got the fans and media in a dizzy stir.

Among the notable engagements were those of Mahesh Bhupathi with the Bollywood beauty Lara Dutta, and Imran Khan's with long time girlfriend Avantika Malik.

Movies that rocked
If you find yourself humming to the tunes of 'Hud Hud Dabangg' even now, don't blame yourself. The song was catchy and the film was even more infectious. With a scorching run on the box office, catchy dialogues and oodles of masala, "Dabangg" surely broke all the records. Another movie that created much buzz and even more number of Rajnikanthisms (jokes depicting Rajnikanth as a man of extraordinary and supernatural powers) was "Robot". The movie made on a budget of `150 crore once again wooed and wowed Rajni's fans who poured out in large numbers to watch the superstar's big budget movie.

Apart from the above two names, "Peepli Live" has also been in limelight not just for its oozing comic satire but also for its controversies. All said and done, it is India's entry to the Academy Awards in the best Foreign Film Category. In Tollywood while "Leader" and "Ye Maya Chesave" bought the much-needed respite to a year replete with commercial flops, "Prasthanam" and "Vedam" garnered critical acclaim for their offbeat themes.

Shows that stirred
Indian television had its share of hungama. Early in the year, shows like "Emotional Atyachaar" faced the ire of the I&B ministry when they were issued notices for their explicit content. The incident repeated itself when the shows "Bigg Boss" and "Rakhi Ka Insaaf" had to change their time slots to 11 pm, following protests and notices from the ministry.

From Pamela Anderson's visit to the onscreen coziness between Veena Malik and Ashmit Patel, from Sara Khan's controversial wedlock with Ali Merchant to Dolly Bindra's brashness, "Big Boss" has managed to generate more and more controversies with every passing week, even if the TRPs haven't exactly sky-rocketed in inverse proportion. "KWK" too grabbed eyeballs whether it was Kareena and Priyanka's verbal duel or Deepika's wish to gift Ranbir "a pack of condoms". While Madhuri Dixit's entry with "Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 4" made her fans happy, Big B's charisma got his fans glued to KBC-4 too and changed the channel's fortunes too.

Crossovers
Telugu films have made their presence in Bollywood. B-Town biggies were in a tussle to shop for the remake rights of "Kick" and "Ready", while waiting to be remade are "Arundhati" , "Don Seenu" and "Magadheera" to name some. B-town blockbusters that are getting a Tollywood makeover are "Love Aaj Kal" and "3 Idiots". This was also a year when the southern stars took their all-important first bow in Bollytown - Trisha in "Khatta Meetha", Suriya in "Rakth Charitra 2" and Priyamani in "Raavan