THE TOP 10 HIGEST PAID HOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES: A HOLLYWOOD REPORTER LIST FOR 2006

1. NICOLE KIDMAN: $16-$17 MILLION

2. REESE WITHERSPOON: $15 MILLION

3. RENEE ZELLWEGER: $15 MILLION

4. DREW BARRYMORE: $15 MILLION

5. CAMERON DIAZ: $15 MILLION

6. HALLE BERRY: $14 MILLION

7. CHARLIZE THERON: $10 MILLION

8. ANGELINA JOLIE: $10 MILLION

9. KIRSTEN DUNST: $8-10 MILLION

10. JENNIFER ANISTON: $8 MILLION

JESSICA ALBA HAS THE SEXIEST WIGGLE! AND THIS COMES FROM CAMBRIDGE MATHEMATICIANS

Actress Jessica Alba has the sexiest wiggle in movies -- according to a team of Cambridge mathematicians.

The academics say that the Fantastic Four beauty has the precise ratio between waist and hips for the ultimate sexy strut, reports The Telegraph.

This ratio provides the body with the right torso strength to produce a more angular swing and bounce to the hips during the walking motion.

Hair removal firm Veet commissioned experts from Cambridge University's maths department to look at famous women to see what gives them their wiggle.

They worked out that a 0.7 ratio of waist to hips -- such as 36in hips and a 25in waist -- should make a perfect sway, like Jessica's.

Alba’s wiggle beat off similar sashays from Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria, Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie and even the sexy Marilyn Monroe.

While Monroe was a fraction off the target ratio with 0.69, the Cambridge team said that Alba had the perfect proportions.

HYDERABAD BLASTS: TOLL RISES TO 42, 50 INJURED

At least 42 people, including five women and seven students, have been killed and 50 injured in two explosions at a crowded park and a popular eatery in Hyderabad on Saturday evening, three months after the Mecca Masjid blasts, police said today.

The week-end outing at the popular Gokul Chat shop at Koti locality turned into a tragedy when a deafening explosion ripped through it killing 32 people and wounding 21, they said.

Five minutes earlier, 10 people, most of them from outside the state, were killed and 29 injured in another blast in an open air auditorium in Lumbini Park near the state secretariat in the heart of the city when a laser show was underway, they said.

The blast at the auditorium, where 500 people were present, was so powerful that some bodies were flung in the air. Among the dead at the Lumbini Park were two students from Ahmedabad.

Four Railways employee are among those killed in the blasts.

The condition of some of the injured was stated to be serious, police said.

Hyderabad Collector Chandravadan said round-the-clock medical care is being provided to the victims by experts.

"Critical care support is being provided to them at several hospitals including corporate hospitals. Every effort is being made to help the victims."

TENDULKAR CAN ONLY LAUGH AT UMPIRING GOOF-UPS

Much like a beautiful early morning dream evaporating to the deafening sounds of alarm clock, Sachin Tendulkar was stopped in his strides -- not for the first time in recent weeks -- as he stood on the threshold of scoring a majestic hundred in the second one-dayer against England.

As umpire Ian Gould ruled him out caught behind off Andrew Flintoff for 99 -- even though the ball came off his arm guard -- he condemned Tendulkar to a much familiar nightmare that he has been subjected to in recent weeks.

"I guess, I have missed four or five hundreds in the last two months," said Tendulkar, as he pondered over the jinx.

Indeed, for someone whose impeccable behaviour on and off the field is well documented, Tendulkar displayed customary grace in refusing to make any comment about the decision.

"No comments about the umpiring," said Tendulkar. However, what he left unsaid was that everyone has seen it.

RASHMI BECOMES YOUNGEST INDIAN TO CROSS ENGLISH CHANNEL TWICE

Nineteen-year-old Rashmi Sharma became the youngest Indian woman to cross the English Channel twice, when she completed the 34 kilometer distance in a little over 13 hours on Saturday, according to information received in Kolkata.

Rashmi, who successfully swam the Channel for the first time on July 19 last year, completed her double conquest in the wee hours, her family sources said.

Rashmi, a Kolkata girl, started her swim at Samphirer Hoe Beach of England's Dover City at 1150 am (IST) yesterday.

She emerged ashore from the ice-cold waters at Cross Gris Nez of Calais, France, at 12-55 am (IST) this morning, the sources said.

"However, we don't have the official time yet," they said.

Rashmi is the second Indian woman to cross the English channel twice. Celebrated swimmer Bula Chowdhury conquered the English Channel in 1989 and 1999.

The sources said though the distance was 34 kilometers, she had to swim eight to nine kliometers more because of the current.

Rashmi took her first lessons in swimming at the Khidirpore Swimming Club, and considers her mother Kiran Sharma as her main inspiration.

Expressing joy over Rashmi's feat, Bula said "It's a great achievement. Crossing the English Channel is the toughest of assignments for a swimmer. The water is biting cold. One needs to have extreme perseverance and tenacity to succeed. I congratulate her".

HuJi ACTIVIST IS KEY SUSPECT OF HYDERABAD BLASTS

Harkat-ul-Jehad-i-Islami (HuJi) activist Mohammed Abdul Sahed alias Bilal, wanted for the blasts on the Samjhauta Express, is believed to be a key suspect in Saturday night's twin attacks in Hyderabad, official sources said.

They said yesterday's blasts were quite similar to that of Mecca mosque explosions in Hyderabad in May this year in which Bilal is suspected to be the mastermind.

Sources said that the two blasts were triggered suspectedly by a mobile phone, a modus operandi used in the Mecca masjid explosions.

The sources said that some of the sleeper cells of Jaish-e-Mohammed could also have been used by the HuJi, as both the militant outfits follow the Deobandi sect of Islam.

Bilal, who took over the command of HuJu on October 12, 2005, has been on the list of most wanted terrorists after he masterminded a suicide attack on the Special Task Force's headquarters in Hyderabad that left one police personnel dead.

Bilal, who is believed to be in Karachi, is also wanted for the blasts on the Samjauta Express in February that left 68 people dead.

An associate of Rasool Khan "Party", a Gujarat resident, Bilal, has been instrumental in sending youths for arms training to Pakistan through Dhaka and some Gulf states, sources said.

The CBI has already procured a red-corner notice from interpol against Shahid

SALMAN KHAN IS OFF TO PRISON, IS PRISONER NO 343

Salman Khan, one of Bollywood's top actors on Saturday became "prisoner no 343" at the Jodhpur Central Jail after he was arrested and jailed for five years for hunting an endangered chinkara deer in 1998.

Salman, 41, looked subdued and was mostly quiet as policemen took him into custody on his arrival from Mumbai by a Jet Airways flight and rushed him in a police jeep to a courtroom before sending him to jail.

The dramatic jailing, which drew hundreds of his fans to the court and the prison complex, came a day after a district court upheld the five-year jail term given to Salman by a lower court.

Salman has been convicted of poaching a chinkara deer at the Ghoda farm near Jodhpur on the night of September 28, 1998 while filming Sooraj Barjatya's blockbuster Hum Saath Saath Hain.

Jail sources told IANS that Salman had been sent to barrack no 1.5, where the hugely popular actor had spent three nights in April 2006 before he got bail. Giving him company is Mahesh, who was with Salman during his first jail also.

Jail officials said Salman may be a celebrity but he would wear the white prison dress like everyone else and get no special treatment.

"We will follow the Jail Manual strictly and no additional (facilities) will be provided to Salman," senior jail official Ota Ram said.

The actor, Ram said, would be allowed to meet three people in 15 days.

"His food would also be similar to what is given to other jail inmates," the official said. Other sources said this would mostly be chapatis and lentils. But since the actor had been sentenced to undergo "simple imprisonment", he would not have to do any hard labour.

When he landed in Jodhpur, Salman was dressed in a white T-shirt, jeans and sporting sunglasses. Accompanying him were his brother Sohail, bodyguard Shera and his counsel Dipesh Mehta.

A large number of journalists and fans gathered at the airport and later outside the court and jail to catch a glimpse of the star. The police had a tough time controlling the crowds.

"We took him into custody and took him to court, which ordered that the actor be taken to Jodhpur Central Jail," a police official told IANS.

Salman is the second Bollywood star to be jailed in a span of a month. Sanjay Dutt spent 23 nights in Mumbai and Pune prisons after being convicted under the Arms Act in the 1993 Mumbai bombings. He is currently out on bail.

Although the killing of the deer by Salman and his friends had evoked widespread revulsion, there was no dearth of Salman lovers on Saturday.

"He is my hero and is suffering because of his celebrity status," insisted Rupali Singh, a college student who described herself an ardent devotee of the Bollywood actor.

According to legal experts, Salman will have to spend at least two nights in jail as the court does not sit on Saturday and Sunday too is a holiday. Any bail plea can be taken up only on Monday.

However, Salman's lawyers Saturday filed a revision petition in the Rajasthan High Court on Saturday.

BRAHMANANDAM HAS A KNACK OF GETTING BEATEN UP, HERO OR HEROINE NO BAR

HIS ANGLO-TELUGU COMEDY IN CHENNAKESAVA REDDY


AND HIS COOL COMEDY IN ATHADU

CHITRAM BHALARE VICHITRAM WILL ALWAYS REMAIN ONE OF THE HILARIOUS COMEDIES IN TELUGU CINEMA: CHECK IT OUT

NISHA KOTHARI IS BOWLED OVER BY TOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS' PROFESSIONALISM, ANY TAKERS?

ON HER FORAYS INTO TOLLYWOOD:
I am currently working opposite Balakrishna in Okka Mogadu. It's been a fantastic experience. I am awe struck by the colour and vibrancy of Telugu cinema. The people are very cordial and thorough professionals. I would love to work again provided the opportunity.

ON HER SEX SYMBOL IMAGE:
It's very flattering and embarrassing at the same time. I don't think I am sexy at all. I am a very conservative person at heart. But it's some thing that comes with a job and I have not done anything that's vulgar. But I do not want to be typecast and want to try out different roles and grow as an actress.

ON HER ENTRY INTO FILMS:
I had actually made my debut as Amoga in a Tamil film Jay Jay opposite Madhavan in 2003. I had left my portfolio at Ramuji's office and to my surprise I got a call for an audition and I was offered a role in Sarkar. All of a sudden I was rubbing shoulders with stalwarts like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Ajay Devagan. It's been a great learning experience so far but I still have miles to go.

ON BASANTI VS GHUNGROO:
It would be unfair to compare me with a legend like Hema Malini. My character has no shades of Basanti. Ghungroo is a city girl who is in stark contrast with the village bred Basanti. She is a tomboy who smokes bidis (imitating her favourite actor- Rajnikanth), is fearless and speaks a tapori lingo. I had to work very hard on my body language and expression, as she wears a new expression in every scene. Now it's up to the audience to decide.

ON HER IDEAL MAN:
I'd rather wait for him to turn up for the element of surprise.

ABHISHEK SAYS ASH TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFE

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, newly married to co-star and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, is so much in love that he says when it comes to sharing things his wife takes precedence over all.

"You always give things first to the wife, and then you have," the actor said, adding that this was how marriages worked among Indians.

Though he may not admit it, Bachchan struck gold at the box office with several hit films around the time he began dating Rai. Now, all he will say is that his time has come.

The two tied the knot in April and industry analysts say their marriage created Bollywood's ultimate power couple.

The wedding celebrations sent India's celebrity-obsessed media into frenzy, and even months later, public interest in the couple -- likened to Hollywood duo Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie -- remains as strong with talk that Rai could be pregnant.

But Bachchan scotched the speculation. "That's incorrect ... there's no such good news. When there is, I will tell you," he said, on the sidelines of an endorsement event late on Thursday.

Rai, 33, and Bachchan, 31, have worked together in at least five films. Rai was crowned Miss World in 1994.

YAMADONGA CREATES A NEW RECORD IN FIRST WEEK COLLECTIONS

NON-BAILABLE WARRANT ISSUED AGAINST SALMAN KHAN IN CHINKARA CASE

A non-bailable warrant was issued for Salman Khan after a court dismissed his appeal against a five-year prison term given to him for poaching an endangered chinkara.

District and Sessions Judge K R Singhvi upheld a lower court's judgement of April 2006 sentencing Salman to prison in the poaching case.

However, the actor evaded immediate arrest, as he did not appear in the court.

The court of the chief judicial magistrate, which convicted Salman last year, issued the non-bailable warrant against the actor in the afternoon and sent it to local police for execution.

In his ruling, Judge Singhvi described the grounds used by Salman for his appeal against his conviction as "baseless".

Salman's sister Alvira was present in the court as the judge forfeited his bail bond and directed him to surrender. The judge also rejected an application filed by Salman's counsel for giving him time to surrender.

Police officials said they would act after receiving the warrant. "We are prepared to send our teams to arrest Salman. As soon as we get the NBW issued by the court, teams will move out," Additional Superintendent of Police Sawai Singh Godara said.

Salman's lawyers said they planned to file a revision petition in the Rajasthan High Court. They will also file an application in the High Court seeking the suspension of his sentence and the hearing of his case on priority.

The star was convicted for poaching a chinkara in September 1999 during the shooting of the film Hum Saath Saath Hain.

DID JAIL AUTHORITIES SHOOT OBJECTIONABLE PHOTOGRAPHS OF MONICA BEDI?

Accusing the jail authorities of allegedly clicking "objectionable" photographs of former Bollywood actress and gangster Abu Salem's companion Monica Bedi, during her stay in the prison, Madhya Pradesh Congress on Friday sought the resignation of Jail Minister Antar Singh Arya and demanded action against the erring officials.

"Objectionable photographs of Monica Bedi were clicked through secret cameras installed in bathrooms at the Central Jail here, where she was staying while being tried in a fake passport case," State Congress Spokesman Manak Agrawal alleged.

"The photographs were used to prepare indecent MMS of Bedi and circulated," he said making public some MMS before reporters which he claimed to have acquired from a jail official.

The cameras were removed from the jail after her counsel P C Vedi had raised the issue, Agrawal claimed.

Calling for a probe into the matter, while promising to make available all the evidence related to the indecent act, Agrawal demanded the resignation of Arya besides action against officials involved in the episode.

However, Central Jail Superintendent Purshottam Somkunwar described the allegations as "totally baseless". The cameras were never installed in any of the women's cell in the jail premises, he said.

"The purported MMS may be generated through 'trick photography', he said, adding a high-level probe into the allegations will make things absolutely clear.

RATATOUILLE IS A TECHNICAL WONDER, BUT LACKS THE QUIRKY LINES

Ratatouille is a tremendous technical achievement -- it just seems to lack that mad, brilliant quirk we've come to expect from Pixar -- and director Brad Bird, whose last offerings were The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. Animation doesn't get any better.

READ ON

AKSHAY KUMAR TO STAR IN FIRST INDIAN FILM TO BE SHOT IN CHINA

Bollywood has joined hands with Hollywood major Warner Brothers for Made in China, the first Indian movie to be shot in China.

Shooting for the film, which will feature action star Akshay Kumar and model Deepika Padukone, will begin in January 2008, Warner Bros said in a release Thursday.

Akshay will play a lowly Mumbai cook who is mistaken for a martial arts hero in the movie to be directed by Nikhil Advani of "Kal Ho Na Ho" fame.

The script has been written by Shridhar Raghavan and the music is to be composed by Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonca.

Shooting on location in China will mark a first for an Indian production, said Warner Bros, which is making its initial foray into Bollywood.

The movie will be produced by Ramesh Sippy Productions and Advani's Orion Pictures, while Warner Bros will distribute it worldwide.

Ramesh Sippy, the director of "Sholay", said: "At the turn of the century there was a lot of promise in the air about globalisation in Indian cinema and now with this venture, RSP and Orion are joining hands with Warner Bros, bringing that dream closer to reality.

"Certainly what we hope to achieve at the minimum is a greater knowledge and understanding of the workings and systems of Hollywood and the Indian film industry. And I am sure we both stand to gain a lot from each other."

Blaise Fernandes, country manager for Warner Bros Entertainment India, said, "We'll count on our partners' expertise and will do everything in our power to make a well-crafted, popular and successful Indian film."

WANNA KEEP YOUR CLOTHES FRESH FOREVER? THEN APPLY TITANIUM OXIDE

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Believe it or not -- people would need only one set of clothes if titanium oxide in its molecular form was applied to them. Such clothes would not absorb sweat or any external particles and would retain an everlasting shine.

"Man would require only one T-shirt or any other clothes since they would not get dirtied by dust or any other particles if the chemical was used by applying nano- technology," A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller of Research and Development in DRDO, said during an interaction with college students here.

"You can just wipe off tea if it falls on the shirt. It will not be absorbed by the shirt. The shine would remain," Pillai said, much to the surprise of over 800 students and faculty members assembled for the function.

Applying titanium oxide to the clothes would not cause any harm to the human skin, he assured.

Pillai jokingly remarked that the revenues of the textile industry would dip since people would be happy with one or two sets of clothes.

The DRDO has been conducting research in nano-technology for quite some time.

HEYY BABYY IS A SPECIAL FILM FOR ME: AKSHAY KUMAR

He is the one actor in tinsel town who has always proved his critics wrong. When he was labelled as an action hero with his 'Khiladi' series films, he did romantic films, negative shade characters and comic roles and proved everyone wrong by his acting and always added feathers in his cap. Now, Akshay Kumar who has been doing consecutive hits is all set with his latest comic film 'Heyy Babyy' which according to him is a very special film.

At Rajasthan's Jaisalmer city shooting for Yash Raj film's upcoming film 'Tashan,' Akshay spoke on various issues candidly with PTI exclusively over phone from Jaisalmer despite his hectic schedule.

'Heyy Babyy,' he said, it is a very special movie for me, because i have done this film only for my little son Aaarav. And i did this because I had never worked with a child artiste, and with this film i have learned that how difficult is this to shoot a film with a child artiste," he said.

They (producer and director) ensure everything for the baby Juhaina who has played vital role in the film. Mind you this baby is only star in the film and we had three doctors and three nurses round the clock for the baby, he said.

"At this stage of my career, working with the child artiste taught me that they are big stars," Akshay Kumar said.

There was no shooting when the baby was sleeping, we were instructed not to disturb the mood of baby when he was having food. All of us (Ritesh Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan, Akshay Kumar) had to wait on the set to get his mood right for the shoot.

It was also heard that during the shooting of the film, Akshay proved to be the best babysitter as whenever the baby got into restless mood on the sets, Akki used to take baby onto his lap and soothe her. Up to some extent that's true. Not only me but Ritesh too had looked after the baby well. It was a memorable experience that would not be forgotten, he said.

On the storyline of the film, Akshay, said, "Main kuch nahien bataoonga (I will not tell anything)." All what I can tell you is that people of every age especially kids, parents and grandparents are going to enjoy the film. It is the funiest film that would also make people cry."

Is it true that the film is based on famous Hollywood film 'Three men and a baby?' No, only similarly in our film is that we too have three men and a baby but it is an altogether different film in terms of story telling and direction," he said.

Akshay recalls how he called his costar Vidya Balan up and pretending to be an Australian journalist requested for a interview. She agreed and I interviewed her for about 20 minutes, I had switched on the speaker of my cellphone and let other crew members listen to our conversation. She did that interview so seriously."

'Heyy Babyy' is the directorial debut of anchor Saajid Khan (Farah Khan's brother). Akshay Kumar said he " I know him for the last 20 years.

With this film I can say confidently that film industry has lost a comic actor but we got a good director who would be appreciated for the work he has done in Heyy Babyy." On his stunts and actions the actor says he is ready with Nikhil Advani's 'Made in China' in which he would be seen with all stunts and action.

"I have done action again almost after five years. And when I was doing such film after a long time I thought I should do something special to the audience, and people would definitely love the action and stunts of this film," he said.

Akshay is presently wrapping up the shooting of Yash Raj productions 'Tashan' where he has teamed up with Saif Ali Khan almost after 10 years. He said, "I cannot say much on this film. All what I can tell you is that I am with Saif after 10 years and he is the best co-star to work with."

FROM BOND GIRL TO SITA, IT IS QUITE A TRANSFORMATIION TO SHILPA SHETTY

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty will play the role of Sita in a movie on Hanuman, her media manager Del Bhagwagar said on Wednesday night.

Shilpa agreed to accept the role after weighing pros and cons, he said.

The film is to be produced by Puru Patel who is talking to Hollywood star Keno Reev of "Matrix" series fame to play the role of Rama, Bhagwagar told Aaj Tak.

The producer is also in talks with some Hollywood actors to play the character of Hanuman, he added.

Bhagwagar said the actress had got 10-11 offers from the UK, 6-7 offers from the US to act in films there but she has so far agreed to act only in the project being undertaken by Patel.

BAMBOO WORK 'ENRICHES' SANJAY DUTT, WHO IS OUT ON BAIL TODAY

When actor Sanjay Dutt walked free out of Yerwada central prison this morning, he was richer by Rs 25 paid for the work done by him under rigorous imprisonment drill.

"Munnabhai" of the celluloid screen, Dutt, a convict in 1993 Mumbai blast case, who spent three weeks behind bars had been weaving and enmeshing bamboo chairs under "cane work" category of manual labour, said jail superitendent Rajendra Dhamne.

Though the highly paid Bollywood actor known for acting skills, Dutt was treated as an unskilled labourer under training which entitled him to wages of Rs 12.50 for an eight hours shift called "vardi" in jail parlance.

His work hours were counted after he finished learning the job which totalled 16 hours equivalant to "two vardis", at the rate of Rs 12.50, Dhamne said.

The actor sentenced to six years RI under the Arms Act, showed good application at assigned work and made nearly two sets of cane chairs consisting of seat and back-support, jail sources said.

IF YOU TASTE SUCCESS IN TOLLYWOOD, WILL TEMPTRESSES BE FAR BEHIND?

Success is really relative. Because the more successful you are, the more relatives you have! Anyone who is someone rushes in to bask in the glory of your 'relative' success. And if it is Film Nagar, there are the baaja bhajantrees, called politely in English as bootlickers, who would do anything to hang around with you. Of course, it is not for nothing that they are hankering for your attention. They wait for their pound of flesh when the time is ripe.

You may manage to keep them at bay, but how would one tackle with the biggest relatives of them all -- the temptresses, who will stop at nothing to lure the successful ones with their Page 3 guile and their carefully cultivated oomph and charm? There are only two options: You either run away from them or fall prey to their machinations. And the latter is the fate of many successful filmmakers in the Telugu film industry.

It is learnt that a family of three brothers in Film Nagar, which has successfully carved a niche for itself in Tollywood as producers, is unfortunately caught in the wile company of three such temptresses. Of the three brothers, the first one is reportedly going around with a social butterfly, the Page 3 type. An ex-NRI managed to hook on to the second. And the last, we hear, is revelling in the cosy company of a popular Telugu actor's daughter.

Like every fling, their affairs too started off as one of those passing fancies, but today, it looks like that they are steeped in the "comfort zone" of these not-so-lovely ladies to figure out the extent of damage they have done to their family relationships. We hear that at least one of the brother's marriages is on the rocks. Will the others follow suit? Going by the way, these women have been weilding sway over these guys, looks like it may not be far off.

NOKIA CONTROVERSY: 'DUPLICATE' BATTERY SALES TAKE A HIT

The Nokia BL-5C battery

With reports of some cellphones not functioning properly while getting charged or during thunderstorms and unsafe batteries being recalled by one of the largest cellphone manufacturer, Nokia, the grey market of duplicate batteries has taken a hit.

"Earlier, we had brisk sales of duplicate cellphone batteries which used to cost much cheaper than the original ones but now because of the Nokia controversy, the sales have dipped," says Pintu, a shop owner in Gaffar Market, New Delhi, one of the biggest grey markets for cellphones in the capital.

While Nokia may have issued a warning about a batch of defective cellphone batteries offering free replacements, even grey market buyers have now become smarter. "We usually have different range of cellphone batteries catering to all kinds of people. Since the controversy, the demand for lower end batteries has dropped considerably," says Tarloch Singh, another cellphone shop owner in the capital.

He adds that even though duplicate battery still sells, it is the better ones with a higher price than local batteries are in demand.

According to Indian Cellular Association (ICA), of the 45 million replacement batteries in the Indian mobile market, about 80 per cent are counterfeit and unsafe.(ICA), of the 45 million replacement batteries in the Indian mobile market, about 80 per cent are counterfeit and unsafe.

RANVIR SHOREY WANTS TO DIRECT, BUT CONFUSED ON WHAT KIND OF FILM TO DO

VJ-turned-actor Ranvir of 'Bheja Fry' fame says he desires to go behind the camera and that there is a budding director in him. However, he is not very clear what kind of film he would want to choose for his first directorial venture.

"Yes, I would like to direct a film. But right now I have no idea what kind of film it would be," quips Ranvir, who has earned critical acclaim for his films like 'Khosla Ka Ghosla', 'Pyar Ke Side Effects', 'Bheja Fry' etc.

The actor is quite happy with the way his career is shaping up. With big films like Yash Raj's 'Aaja Nachle', in which Madhuri Dixit is making her comeback, and Rajat Kapoor's 'Mithya' in his kitty, he sure would be more than delighted.

"I am happy about ''Nachle'. Getting the film is, in someway, recognition of my work," avers Ranvir, without revealing anything about his role in the film except that he plays "a man in love with Madhuri." The actor, who started his career with some blink-you-miss roles in films like 'Ek Chhoti Si Lovestory', 'Jism', 'Lakshya', has sure come a long way since his VJing days. He's been part of some big multi-starers like Reema Kagti's 'Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd', Naseeruddin Shah's 'Yun Hota To Kya Hota' and Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Traffic Signal'. He will now be seen in Rahul Rawail's 'Buddha Mar Gaya' and Anurag Kashyap's 'No Smoking' which also stars John Abraham.

RAM GOPAL VARMA WANTS TO DIRECT AN EROTIC FILM, NO NOT NOW, BUT SOMEDAY

He has explored the gory mob world and dabbled in the supernatural, but for Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma nothing gets him excited like refined erotica.

By Indian standards, Varma is unconventional, even bold, and he raised conservative eyebrows last year with a film about love between a girl and a man old enough to be her grandfather.

Like most Bollywood cinema, titillation is integral to his films -- mostly explored through raunchy dance numbers by the heroines. But Varma says if there was one genre of cinema he wanted to explore honestly, it was the erotic.

"I think I can capture the subject through my camera," the filmmaker told Reuters. "I would love to direct an erotic film someday."

And, in India, more often than not that would mean courting controversy. "I honestly don't care about it," he said.

The 45-year-old filmmaker, an acknowledged Bollywood master at making gangster movies, is no stranger to controversy -- be it making a Lolita-esque film or remaking a Bollywood classic.

Varma's remake this year of the landmark 1975 film "Sholay" (Embers) -- which he calls "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag" (Ram Gopal Varma's Fire) -- first had critics denouncing the attempt at tinkering with classics and then it got into trouble for trying to use the original title.

Varma says the flak actually gave him strength to finish the film -- which is due out this year and narrates the story of two reformed crooks who save a village from a blood-thirsty bandit.

"I have never taken so much care with my other movies," he said. "When I went ahead with the idea of remaking 'Sholay', I knew it was a classic and somebody else's masterpiece which I should take good care of."

Bollywood is remaking a slew of classic Hindi movies, egged on by what it says is the creative challenge of packaging old blockbusters for modern audiences. But many criticize the trend, saying it reflects creative bankruptcy.

Varma disagrees. "It's a new work at the end of the day," he said. "I think there's nothing wrong with someone getting inspired from a masterpiece and then going ahead and trying to recreate the film's spirit in a new time and space."

The style and look of the remakes are also obviously new.

For instance, Varma in his remake of "Sholay" stunned Bollywood by casting Amitabh Bachchan in the iconoclastic role of Gabbar Singh, the merciless villain, while in the original version he was one of the two heroes.

Such is his passion for cinema that Varma, who made his directorial debut in 1989 and has directed 27 films, says he would be dead if he wasn't making films.

"I think I would have been a big failure," he said. "I guess I would have been too bored with life and may have possibly died too. Seriously, I cannot imagine my life without films."

VAJPAYEE'S CONDITION STABLE, TO BE DISCHARGED TOMORROW

New Delhi, Aug. 22 (PTI): The condition of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to AIIMS here after he complained of giddiness, is stable and he will be discharged tomorrow.

The condition of the 83-year-old BJP leader is "stable and satisfactory", AIIMS spokesperson Shakti Gupta said in a release today.

Vajpayee had his morning breakfast and his vital signs are normal, the release said.

"He will be kept in hospital for one more day to complete all investigations," the release said.

Vajpayee was admitted to a private ward in the Cardio-Thoracic and Neuro-Sciences Centre of AIIMS after he complained of drowsiness and giddiness yesterday.

A team of doctors, including a cardiologist and neurologist, are looking after him.

BOMB HOAX IN NAMPALLY CRIMINAL COURT

Proceedings at the Nampally criminal court here were disrupted for over three hours today following a bomb scare in the four-storey building that later proved to be a hoax.

Commotion prevailed in the court as advocates, staff and public ran outside the building, which houses 35 court rooms, after an anonymous caller rang up the second and third metropolitan sessions judges' chambers at 10 am and warned that four bombs planted in the premises might explode at any moment, police said.

Two calls were received by court staff, who immediately alerted police. Soon after, four bomb disposal and sniffer dogs teams, comprising 15 personnel of the City Security Wing, rushed to the court and searched the building for about three hours but found no explosives, police said.

"No explosive material was found and the bomb threat calls turned out to be a hoax," a bomb disposal team member said.

Officials said the calls were made from a from a public telephone booth.

This was the second bomb threat received by the court in the past one month. Earlier, the court had received a similar call on July 18.

SENSEX SURGES 291 POINTS AT MIDSESSION

In volatile trading, the benchmark Sensex surged over 291 points at midsession on the Bombay Stock Exchange today on emergence of buying by funds amid brokers covering their short positions.

The key index moved in a wide range of 14,280 and 13,870 points on heavy alternate bouts of trading in fundamentally strong stocks led by heavy-machinery and information technology company stocks.

The Sensex gained 291.22 points at 14,280.33 at 13:00 hours, while the wide-based National Stock Exchange's Nifty gained 87.50 points at 4,162.40. The Nifty had fallen to 4,040.15 in morning deals.

The Sensex had plunged 438 points yesterday on political developments over the nuclear issue after the last week's bearish trend over widening sub-prime mortgage problems in US markets.

"The fresh firmness in the market came on speculations that the US Federal Reserve cutting the discount rate might help the market to defuse a crisis in the credit markets and revive demand for riskier assets like equities, Mumbai-based broker Ratnesh Gupta said.

Asian stocks rose on the back of rebound in US stocks for the fourth day yesterday, giving positive signals to the Indian markets, even discounting the political crisis at home, Gupta said.

Reliance Industries, which has the world's third biggest refinery and is the heaviest on the Sensex, jumped Rs 8.15, or 0.5 per cent, to Rs 1,755.5.

Infosys Technologies rose Rs 10, or 0.6 per cent, to Rs 1,771. India's second-largest software exporter expanded into Latin America by setting up a software development and sales unit in Monterrey, Mexico. These two companies carry almost one-fifth of the total weightage on the Sensex.

LINDSAY LOHAN MAY ESCAPE DRUG CHARGES: REPORT

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is disinclined to charge Lindsay Lohan with three drug-related felonies, a decision that could spare the troubled actress from a prison sentence, celebrity news outlet TMZ.com reported on Tuesday.

The charges are connected with Lohan's two recent arrests for drunken driving, first in May when she crashed her car on Beverly Hills, and then in July when she was involved in a late-night car chase in Santa Monica.

TMZ, citing unidentified law enforcement sources, said the 21-year-old actress would likely face misdemeanor drunk-driving charges for both incidents. If found guilty of both, she would serve a minimum of four days in jail, TMZ.com said.

Legal experts have said Lohan could face up to three years behind bars if confronted with the full weight of the law.

Asked about the TMZ.com report, district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the office has not yet received the Santa Monica case and the Beverly Hills case remains under review.

"A public discussion of potential charges prior to a case being filed would be inappropriate and potentially unethical," she said.

Gibbons also denied TMZ.com's report that charges could be filed on Wednesday.

After the Beverly Hills incident, cocaine was found in Lohan's car. After the Santa Monica chase, she was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, cocaine possession, bringing a controlled substance into custody and driving on a suspended license.

Lohan, who has done two rehab stints this year, has seen her promising film career plummet in recent years. Last month, she starred as stripper abducted by a sadistic killer in the box office bomb "I Know Who Killed Me."

LINDSAY LOHAN: I AM SEXY, AND MY BREASTS HAVE BEEN A REALLY BIG HIT

It seems Lindsay Lohan’s third rehab stint isn’t affecting her enough to think beyond her sexy persona. The 21-year-old, who posed in stockings and suspenders for Jill Stuart’s lingerie range declared that she felt she was sexy in Maxim's 10th anniversary September issue.

"I like to think of myself as sexy," New York Daily News quoted Lohan, as saying. "My breasts have been a really big hit," she said.

The troubled starlet also insisted that so much 'fame' doesn’t let her trust many people. "There are so many people I can't trust," she said.

KARUNYA GETS READY TO SHAKE A LEG WITH PRETTY DAMSELS, WHILE ABHIJEET IS GROOVING TO SUFI MUSIC

A glorious loser in the Indian Idol contest, the Hyderabad-based singer N C Karunya nevertheless seems bent upon becoming the idol for millions.

After having the State swaying to his number Orugallu Pilla in Sainikudu and acquiring national fame with his Bollywood entry through Lage Raho Munnabhai, he will now be seen dancing around with pretty damsels and making love protestations in his latest Indipop album.

The album Karunya, his debut venture with Times Music, was released on Monday jointly by his Guru and uncle N C Murthy and producer of Sainikudu C Ashwini Dutt.

"The album is me, energetic and bubbly," the shy-faced youth said at the release function.

Through his album, Karunya said, he wanted to reach those millions who did not know of him.

He also urged music fans to abstain from downloading from the internet if they wanted the music industry to survive.

Composed by Leslie Lewis and directed by Madhu Sarkar, the album has nine songs along with a pin-up poster of the singer. It is available across the country at Rs 150.

...ABHIJEET GETS GROOVING TO SUFI MUSIC



Abhijeet Sawant became a star overnight after winning the show Indian Idol. And, cashing in on his popularity , he released an album, Aapka Abhijeet Sawant, and followed it up with a music video Mohabbatein Lutaunga. He has done playback singing too for half a dozen Hindi movies.

And now, he has come out with a new music video which is already creating waves. Talking about his latest album, he says, "It's a rock-based album with a touch of Sufi music. As our main target was the youth audience, it is very peppy and youthful."

Abhijeet has done playback singing for movies like Aashiq Banaya Aapne: Love Takes Over, Jawani Diwani, etc. So, how was the experience? "It was really good. When you are singing for an album, you are expressing your own thoughts, while playback singing is like putting across someone else's thoughts. It's just that when you are singing for films, the platform is bigger than an album. Still, personally, I like to do albums," says he.

Abhijeet says that he has become more professional now "than I used to be". "I never dreamt that I will become so successful. But, with success comes the pressure of responsibilities. So, now, I have the responsibility of completing the things I have started , making them successful , and maintaining the success ratio," he explains .

Considering that Abhijeet comes from a nonfilmy background, how difficult was it working in the film industry? "Initially, I was a tad intimidated by the filmy atmosphere. So, it took me some time to adjust. As I am new to this field, it will take me some time to establish myself as a playback singer. But, one day, I want to sing for Shah Rukh Khan."

And, who are his role models? "Kishore Kumar and Sonu Nigam are my idols in this field," he says. As far as music directors are concerned, Abhijeet literally worships A R Rahman . "He has such a command on each and every style of music -- it's admirable. Plus, he always keeps experimenting. According to me, he is the number one music director in the industry," he declares.

Sonu Nigam, Himesh Reshmmiya and a number of other playback singers have made forays into acting. Does he intend to follow in their footsteps? "There are offers, but I haven't given a thought to acting yet. First, I want to establish myself as a singer. Only then will I think about acting ," says he.

After Abhijeet won Indian Idol, it was reported that he received a lot of marriage proposals from his female fans. So, does he have any plans of getting married in the near future? "I am going to get married in a year's time. Most probably, it will be an arranged marriage, and that too to the girl of my parents' choice. For me, my parents' choice is very important," he says matter-of-factly.

CHANDRABABU NAIDU'S ROAD SHOW IS NOT EXACTLY A GREAT SHOW

TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu has asked youth and women to fight against the government for closure of belt shops. "There are belt shops everywhere but there is no drinking water rural areas," he said.

Addressing meetings at Kothavalasa and along the route to S Kota, Naidu, who reached Jangalapalem, the border village, two-and-half-hours behind schedule from Visakhapatnam in an open top jeep, said, "My only wish is too see the poor and the farmers happy. The TDP will stand by them."

Expressing satisfaction with the good response from public to his roadshow, Naidu said NTR had founded the party with an aim to uplift the poor, and the partymen would rededicate themselves to cherish the founder’s goal.

He said that the State government had neglected the poor and encouraged contractors during its over three-year-rule. It was ready to allot hundreds of acres of land to rich entrepreneurs, but it was against giving 60 sq yards for construction of houses to the poor, the TDP president said.

The government acquired 350 acres of land in near Kothavalasa for a glass factory and paid Rs 1 lakh per acre as compensation to farmers. After the entrepreneur went back, the government sold the same land at Rs 3 lakh per acre to a cement factory, he said, and criticised the government’s anti-people policies.

He assured farmers of support in their fight against Jindal’s Alumina.

Earlier, at Jangalapalem and at Kothavalasa, Naidu unveiled the statues of late NTR. Party senior leaders P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, M V V S Murty, Y Ramana Murty and others accompanied him.

UPA GOVERNMENT SHOULD SCRAP NUCLEAR DEAL

Naidu said the UPA Government should scrap the nuclear deal with the United States in deference to popular opinion.

In a brief chat with reporters at the Vizag airport, he said the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) would bring pressure on the coalition not to budge under pressure from the Bush administration.

Stating that the deal would be counter-productive and not in the larger interest of the nation, he said the UPA would be held responsible if elections were thrust on the public.

Naidu said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi were acting like agents of the US, and feared that the US would start implementing its hidden agenda once the deal came into force.

He said only the Congress was keen on implementing the deal and claimed that all other major parties were totally opposed to the agreement known as 123.

TOO MANY THINGS HAPPENING IN THE TELUGU TELEVISION INDUSTRY

As competition gets stiff, Telugu television channels are forced to shed their usual lethargy and search for means to stay in the race. While the new players are getting ready to step into the arena, the existing channels are not exactly sitting and watching the show unfold.

The scene is really turning hot on the news and current affairs front and the industry is rife with gossip on each other’s moves -- on who’s joining whom and the pay packets. From technicians to newscasters, things seem to be in a state of flux and in the next few months, the fate of many players will be decided.

And with the departure of every staffer, the common talking point is which channel he or she is going to end up with like -- "Is she going to Asianet?" or "Heard he is negotiating with Maa..."

But ever wonder why the Telugu television is failing to throw up new faces to host the ever increasing game and other shows. A few newcomers did make an impression and looked set for a long innings but somewhere down the line they have failed to clear the ground. Hence, we continue to see the same old faces, flashing the same old smiles and coming out with same old chatter being dished out year after year.

Eleven-year-old Kaushik Babu is on the roll. After some sterling performances on different channels in daily and weekly serials, the child artist has also won plaudits for his performance on the silver screen. The Nandi award winner these days is in news for the multi-lingual serial ‘Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa’ and his portrayal of the title role. The initiative has completed 150 episodes and is marching toward the 200 episode milestone.

ATAL BIHARI COMPLAINS OF GIDDINESS, HOSPITALISED, BUT DOCTORS SAY HE IS STABLE

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was on Tuesday admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he complained of giddiness, is stable. "He is stable, conscious, with normal vital signs," said AIIMS spokesperson Dr Shakti Gupta.

Vajpayee, 83, was admitted to a private ward in the Cardio-Thoracic and Neuro-Sciences Centre after he complained of drowsiness and giddiness in the morning. "He is under observation. We are carrying out various investigations," he said, adding that some more tests will be carried out tomorrow, before the BJP leader will be discharged from the hospital.

"A team of doctors, including cardiologist and neurologist, are looking after him," he said.

AUSTRALIANS ARE KEEPING A CLOSE WATCH ON ZAHEER KHAN, SAYS BRET LEE

A month before Ricky Ponting arrives in India with his team for an ODI series, Zaheer Khan -- after his dazzling display in England -- has become a subject of research for the Australians, revealed their pace spearhead Brett Lee.

The Australians will be in India for playing seven ODIs starting September 29 and Lee felt Zaheer would be a big threat to their aim of a series sweep. "We have been watching him very closely and I must say that he has done amazingly well in England. In fact, we are doing a bit of research on him," Lee, who is in the capital to launch the new watch collection of Timex, told reporters on Tuesday.

Zaheer won the Man of the Series award in the recently concluded Test series after picking up 16 wickets. "I am very impressed with his determination. He has tremendous control over the ball, and it looks he has worked very hard after being on the sidelines for some time.

"But ultimately it's all about putting the ball into the right areas and he has been doing it with consistency. Considering that he was not even in the team till some months ago, his comeback is just great."

Lee, who will return to the field in next month's Twenty20 World Championship after being sidelined by an ankle injury in February, said although the stars of the Indian team were now on the wrong side of 30's, they would still be a handful for the Aussies. "I don't think that age would have any effect on the likes of (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Sourav) Ganguly, (Rahul) Dravid or V V S Laxman. These guys never let anything affect them when they are playing against us.

"They have this knack of coming up with their best when they play Australia. We'll have to be wary of that," he said.

On the upcoming Twenty20 World Championship, Lee felt South Africa and England would start favourites as these sides have had the most experience of playing the shortest form of the game. "South Africa and England are favourites because they are more experienced. I think we also have good chance but we have not been exposed to Twenty20 much and it would be a challenge adapting to the format," he said.

"And we are taking the whole thing very seriously. After all, it is a world championship. As a bowler, I know it would be hard on me but I am preparing myself. I think 40 runs in four overs shouldn't be too bad," he said.

Despite Twenty20 being hard on the bowlers, Lee said he was all for the format as it would popularise the game. "Twenty20 has lot of merit. It lasts barely four hours. It is entertaining for the crowd and children are not going to get sunburn if they turn up at the stadium," he quipped.

Lee sidestepped queries on the upcoming Indian Cricket League and said only time would tell whether it would prove to be good for the game in India. "I have been reading about ICL in the papers. But I have got nothing to do with. As far as I am concerned, I am happy playing for Australia," he said.

About his Bollywood dreams, Lee said although he has received a couple of offers but the debut would have to wait as he was focused on cricket for now. "Bollywood will happen one day. I want to make my debut with Amitabh Bachchan but there is still some time before that happens," he said.

THE GREAT INDIAN FAT WEDDING IS GETTING FATTER THIS SEASON

It might be a 'seasonal' industry, thriving only during the auspicious months of the year but with an estimated worth of Rs 1,25,000 crore, the Indian wedding industry is getting bigger and fatter.

With the industry growing at an average rate of 25 per cent per annum, the lavishness doled out by Indians on weddings is just getting larger this season as exhibitors and even designers from Pakistan entering the market to target the customers who have begun shopping for the post October marriage season.

"The weddings just grown larger only. The latest trend is now to fly out the barat comprising 250-350 people to Kaula Lampur or Singapore to have the wedding there," says Tarun Sarda, CEO, Vintage Group, Vivaha Interactive, the organisers of Vivaha exhibitions.

Citing seven such weddings which have taken place in foreign locations, such as Sunway Lagoon and the Palace of the Golden Horses in Malayasia recently, he adds, "Everyone is trying to outdo each other. With the property and stock boom, India has seen new generation of millionaires coming up and the lavishness that they indulge in weddings are just mind-blowing."

Gone are the days when great weddings were the ones to be held at some five-star hotel with baratis trooping in fanning Rs 10 bundles, points out wedding organisers and industry experts.

SHAH RUKH KHAN GETS A ROYAL RESPONSE TO HIS BOOK 'KING OF BOLLYWOOD'

Actor Shah Rukh Khan shows his biographical book King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan by Anupama Chopra at a function held to celebtrate the book's success, in Mumbai on Monday. Over 10,000 copies in have been sold in a span of two weeks.

IF SALMAN IS DRAWING A PAINTING FOR AMRITA ARORA, WHY IS THE CATHOLIC FORUM UPSET?

The Catholic Secular Forum has threatened to file a first information report against Bollywood actor Salman Khan for his decision to paint the famous 'Last Supper' scene for actress Amrita Arora.

Khan is reported to have announced that he would replace Jesus Christ and his disciples with Arora and members of her family. The fact came to light after Arora spoke about the painting in an interview to an English daily.

The Mumbai-based Christian activist organisation has also threatened to hold a demonstration outside Arora's house if Khan proceeds with his art project.

The forum has asked Union Minister for Minority Affairs A R Antulay to take up the issue with the actor. "If Khan does not offer an apology or deny the reports, we will register a case against him tomorrow," said CSF General Secretary Joseph Dias.

BREATHER FOR SANJAY DUTT: SUPREME COURT GRANTS BAIL, MAY BE RELEASED TOMORROW

The Supreme Court on Monday granted bail to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, jailed for six years for receiving guns from gangsters involved in the country's worst bombings.

Dutt, 48, began serving his six year sentence on July 31 in a prison in Pune -- less the 16 months he served while awaiting trial over the bomb attacks which killed 257 people in India's commercial capital of Mumbai in 1993.

Dutt's lawyers said the actor could be released from jail in the city of Pune on Tuesday. "There is a lot of paperwork involved. He is expected to be released tomorrow," said Karan Singh, one of Dutt's lawyers.

The lawyers had petitioned the court against his conviction and sought bail until that petition was ruled on. But they said they could not argue the case as they were yet to get a copy of the judgment of the Mumbai court.

A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice agreed and said that "the nature of the offence and the evidence is very difficult to examine at this stage", and granted bail to Dutt until the lawyers get a copy of the verdict.

An official at the Mumbai court said it could start delivering copies of the sentencing of the 100 people convicted in the case from September. Dutt was among the last of the 100 to be sentenced.

BOLLYWOOD THRILLED

Dutt's appeal said his conviction by a special anti-terrorism court in Mumbai was based on his confession that he had later retracted. "A retracted confession is a weak piece of evidence," the petition said, arguing that the conviction should also be overturned because no arms or ammunition were ever recovered from Dutt or his home.

The petition, which said Dutt should be granted bail because he was "not likely to commit any offence while on bail", urged the court to award him some form of punishment other than jail.

Bollywood, the world's largest film industry by ticket sales, had backed the actor saying he deserved a second chance because he was impulsive but not dangerous.

On Monday, the industry welcomed his bail. "It's fantastic news," said top Bollywood producer Ravi Chopra. "He's learnt the lessons he had to learn and now we hope the court takes a lenient view."

Industry analysts hoped that the actor would be out long enough to complete three underproduction films. "If he is out for, say, 60 days and shoots every day then he should be able to finish them," said Bollywood trade analyst Komal Nahta. "There's about 500 million rupees ($12 million) riding on him."

Dutt, a droopy-eyed, muscular actor, earned fame playing gangsters and the anti-hero and also tried his hand at comedy in recent years.

In jail, he undertook carpentry as prison labor and was paid about half a dollar a day. He ate the frugal jail meals and shared a toilet.

JAYAPRADA ISN'T YET OUT OF FILMS, HERE SHE TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

ON HER DEBUT IN TELUGU FILMS
My mother loved art and got me enrolled in music and dance classes. I began learning traditional Indian dance forms when I was only seven. My dancing skills were noticed at the school’s annual function and I ended up bagging a three-minute role in the Telugu film Bhoomi Kosam. I was paid Rs 10 for the role.

ON THE REACTION OF HER FRIENDS
I suddenly became a star even for my close friends. The distance they were maintaining made me uncomfortable

ON HER ENTRY INTO BOLLYWOOD
My big break in Hindi films came in Sargam in which I portrayed the role of a mute dancer. The film was a remake of the Telugu film Siri Siri Muvva. I observed mute students closely in preparation for the role. The film opposite Rishi Kapoor was a resounding success.

ON HER INTIAL LANGUAGE PROBLEMS IN BOLLYWOOD
I kept a tutor who rehearsed my lines. I was keen to do my own dubbing. I would get up at 5 am, take my Hindi class and then leave for my shoot. I would again work on my diction at night.

ON HER FIRST BREAK WITH AMITABH BACHCHAN IN SHARABI
It was my first film opposite Amitji. I was very nervous on the sets. But he made me feel comfortable and corrected my lines. And the comfort level we shared was apparent on the screen. Amitji is a unique and sensitive artiste. Acting opposite him, one can learn a lot by carefully observing his skills.

ON HER NEW FILMS
I am playing a character similar to that of Jhansi ki Rani in a Kannada film. It is about a fiery queen who fought the British in 1800. In October, I will do a Bengali film directed by Ashok Vishwanath. It will be shot in 45 days in Kolkata. Then there is a Tamil film Dasavatharam with Kamal Haasan.

ON DEHA HER UPCOMING HINDI FILM
Mahesh Manjrekar plays my husband. Even though he cheats on his wife and distrusts her, the wife struggles to keep the marriage going.

ON WHAT KIND OF FILMS SHE LIKES
After a hard day's work, people want to watch entertaining movies. Thought-provoking films like Black are also being made. Of course, I don’t like classics like Mughal-e-Azam being remade. I cannot imagine anyone else playing the character of Dilip Kumar or Madhubala in that historic film.

ON HER REPORTED RIVALRY WITH SRIDEVI
There was no jealously. All our films were done in a professional manner.

MANOJ KUMAR IS DOING WHAT EVERYONE DOES AT HIS AGE, DATING SUBHASHINI'S DAUGHTER POOJA

Manoj Kumar


Pooja on the extreme right

What do you do when you don't have films on hand? If you are a struggling actor, you would do the rounds of producers and directors, and take all that bashan they give you. But, if you are an actor's son, you would party, flirt with women or generally have a ball. And wait for dad to produce his next film to promote you. That is precisely what Mohan Babu's son, Manoj Kumar, is doing. With his father's attempt at putting him on the pedestal of success having coming to nought, the restless youngster is in a haste to make headway on the personal front at least. We hear, that he his dating Subhashini's daughter Pooja. Now, Subhashini is Jayasudha's younger sister, and her daughter has acted in a film with Arjun, which was an inevitable whitewash, as she was not considered to have the looks. But that is then, and today, she seems to have metamorphosed into a pretty young thing. And being in the same position as Manoj is, without no offers to come by, both of them have become the thickest of pals and are seen cootchie-cooing with each other. What more, they are childhood friends, and so, it didn't take much effort on their part to break the ice. Wonder what Mohan Babu must be thinking about his son's dalliances.

IS THERE A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO BADMOUTH YAMADONGA?

Yamadonga couldn't have come at a more opportune moment for Junior NTR. And the actor who hasn't given a creditable hit in recent years is basking in the unusual success of Yamadonga. And he deserves every bit of the masses' adoration. For, he has taken his life seriously, meticulously planned his career, shunted out the woman, Sameera Reddy, who has managed to rub her jinx on him for a while, and most importantly, shed those extra kilos to look young and trim. Of course, he has to thank Chiranjeevi for having made a lousy remake of Lage Raho Munnabhai, for his film's resounding success.

As Shankardada Zindabad bites the dust, and Ram Charan Teja's Chirutha gets ready for release, the success of Yamadonga seems to be sending the shivers down the collective spines of the Chiranjeevi camp followers. And, we hear, that some people are already spreading malicious rumours that Yamadonga is an average grosser, and that it wouldn't last for long in the theatres. But the collections have an entirely different story to narrate.

All this badmouthing is done with a purpose: if Yamadonga goes on to become a rip-roaring hit, as it is already showing signs of moving in that direction, there wouldn't be any theatres left for the release of Chirutha. Poor Chiranjeevi though that his Shankardada Zindabad would go on to become another Lage Raho Munnabhai cutting an emotional chord with the masses. And that his son, Ram Charan Teja, could ride on the crest of its success, with the release of his film Chirutha, following soon after.

But Chiranjeevi's calculations have not only gone woefully awry, but now, NTR has become a new thorn in his side, or rather on his son's side. And so begins the exercise to downgrade the film. This is not only meant to scare the distributors but also create a space for his son who, despite all the pomp and show, surrounding the film is spending sleepless nights.

Well, Ram Charan, don't get restless over your lack of sleep, you would have to spend many more sleepless nights in the days to come.

RAHUL DRAVID: INDIA HAS AN UNHEALTHY OBSESSION WITH WORLD CUP

Rahul Dravid does not foresee himself playing the next World Cup and the Team India captain insists India has an unhealthy obsession with the quadrennial cricketing extravaganza. "It is probably unlikely that I will play another World Cup. I am already 34 and by next World Cup, I would be 38. The game is getting younger and people are coming on. You never know what future has in store, but you have to be realistic," Dravid said.

Always under tremendous pressure to perform, Dravid felt the cricket-loving public just goes crazy during the World Cup. "I genuinely believe we have an unhealthy obsession with World Cup and the build up starts too early in India. We should have done better with the team we had. I went there with a positive set of mind but things did not work out."

India's disastrous Caribbean campaign saw his side losing to Bangladesh and failing to reach the Super Eight stage and Dravid admitted it rankles him. "I knew this was my last World Cup and so I was very disappointed," he told a TV channel.

But the disappointment is now a matter of the past, claims Dravid. "After the World Cup, I did get emotional for a while but you move on. I tried to put everything in perspective and balance life. After all, there are new challenges and new things to do," he said.

"My life did not stop for we could not do better in the World Cup. Other countries are very good in finding the balance, like the Australians who never stop in raising the bar."

ABHISHEK, AISHWARYA TO KICK OFF 'THE UNFORGETTABLE' BOLLYWOOD TOUR OF THE WORLD

The upcoming Unforgettable Tour, which celebrates the world of Bollywood, will kick off with a performance here by Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan in the summer of 2008.

The actors, dubbed the "Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt of Bollywood" by the media in Toronto, were greeted by a mob of fans when they made the announcement about the tour on Saturday.

The Unforgettable Tour is an 18-country series of stage shows by Bollywood's hottest stars. "If all goes well, and god willing, we will premiere The Unforgettable Tour in the city of Toronto because we feel that it is the best city to premiere the tour in," Abhishek said during a press conference that also included Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, a Canadian website reported.

The Bachchans said The Unforgettable Tour also aims to raise awareness about global warming. "Terrible, terrible things are happening to this earth of ours and we want to use this platform to try to acquaint people about what it's about and what they can do," said Abhishek. "We're using this opportunity to spread the word."

Abhishek, the son of Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan, said Toronto was home to a large number of fans of Indian cinema. It was also where the Abhishek and Aishwarya, who were married in April, premiered their film Guru in January.

The globe-trotting tour will feature concerts showcasing the lavish song-and-dance numbers from popular Bollywood films. The three Bachchans and other South Asian film stars are set to take the stage during the shows.

Lara Dutta, Bipasha Basu and Ritesh Deshmukh were among those on the line-up when the musical extravaganza was first announced in June during festivities around the International Indian Film Academy Awards at Sheffield in Britain.

Set to begin next summer, The Unforgettable Tour is scheduled to stop in Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, London, Cairo, Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The organisers also plan to make a TV special revealing life behind the scenes on the road with the performers as they proceed with the tour.