Mumbai model is heroine of Shankardada Zindabad

It's official now. The pal... pal... pal... girl from Lage Raho Munnabhai, Vidya Balan, has refused to act in the Telugu remake of the same film Shankardada Zindabad despite the producers and the director, Prabhudeva, falling head over heels to convince her why she must do the film in Telugu too. But Balan refused to be cowed down by the emotional blackmailing of the Tollywood bigwigs. So now they've settled for a sexy Mumbai model Karishma Kotak. The shooting of the film is currently underway in and around Hyderabad and the grapevine has it that Prabhudeva has been doing a marvellous job in shaping up the film the way Chiranjeevi wants it. Must give it to the boneless wonder for perfectly honing his good PR skills.

Bobbili Raja II, first among sequels?

You have to give it to them. Tollywood heroes, producers and directors have a roving eye. Not for quality. But for stealing ideas. Or rather getting 'inspired' by them. Fed up with his carefully cultivated image for the last God alone knows how many odd years, Venkatesh wants to do something different. Which means doing the same thing in a different mould. Which again means doing the same old thing. One morning, predictably after he heard about the stupendous succes of Dhoom: 2 and Lage Raho Munnabhai, he got a brain wave that he too should go the Bollywood way and do sequels. Not for anything else. Only to rake in the moolah. But instead of calling and telling producers or directors, for some strange reason he has started dropping hints. What more, he has already made up his mind about the films he want to do sequels -- Bobbili Raja (Is he asking B Gopal to approch him with a script for BR II?) and Gharshana. But why only those two Venkibhai? Why not Chanti, which put you in the top league from a little somebody? Sorry, sorry, you have your own reasons. But why Gharshana, which hasn't done too well at the box office? Anyway it's your own business, we can only wish you all the best.

PS: What would they call Bobbili Raja -- II? Bobbili Raja: Return to the Jungle?

Tarun gets a slim chance or is it a breather?

Tarun, the little big boy, who blazed a trail with Nuvve Kaavaali, has done a vanishing act in the last couple of years. Before you can think 'wonder where he went', a little birdie tells us that he has gone to, where else, the US of A to learn, what else, the ropes of direction. Not a bad decision. In fact, it is the right thing to do when you don't have offers rather than sit and sulk that producers don't recognise his talent anymore. But, you know, producers are a weird lot. Just as when he was getting a hang of things, they decide that they knew all along that Tarun had talent and want to give him roles. And who else, it's R B Choudary, who is better known for his remakes who has decided to take the chance with the bloated Tarun. Choudary is seriously considering, and it is almost confirmed, that he has decided to remake the Tamil 'Punnagai Desam' with a Tamil director Shah Jahan. Will Tarun be second time lucky?

Mahesh Babu is an unwanted guest of honour!!

Can you believe this? The reigning star of Telugu cinema is an unwanted guest in a Telugu household? Weird as it may sound, it's true to the last word. In his new film, Atidhi, that is currently underway Mahesh Babu goes to a house like a guest in the face of unsmiling members of the family. Soon their lack of cordiality turns into an ire and they want him out of the house. That is till our hero spins his magic and gets entrenched in the house. And when he wants to leave, the family wouldn't allow him to. Strage are the ways of the people. Directed by Surendra Reddy, Atidhi, has just completed shooting two songs in Austria and Dubai. And it has the homely Amrita Rao as the leading girl. Will it go on to become a super duper grosser like Pokiri? Let's wait and watch.