DIL CHAHTA WAS A REAL EYEOPENER: IT TAUGHT ME SOME AMAZING THINGS THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED

ASIN IS FLYING HIGH IN BOLLYWOOD, GETS READY TO DO AN ENGLISH FILM TOO

Asin is one heroine who has done exceptionally well in Tollywood and moved on to other industries, not because she doesn't have the acting talent or the good looks, only because she has done too many films, and the audience expects beautiful belles to dance around with the aged heroes. So, she has been busy in Tamil and Malayalam. And doing some great films there too.

Now that she has prove her mettle down south, she is slowly inching her way into Bollywood and also paving her way to act in cross-cultural cinema. The kind that directors like Nagesh Kukunoor makes. She is acting in an English film, which will be based on a short story by renowned Malayalam writer, M T Vasudevan Nair. There are huge plans of roping in Kamal Haasan to do the lead role, and if that happens it would be the right shot in the arm for Asin. In case Kamal turns down the offer, Mohanlal may be taken to play the lead. Either way, it is going to be a great break for Asin. And not without reason. The film, we are told, may star some renowned Hollywood actors too. And if that happens, all the attention would be on this Mallu Kutty.

She is already hogging the limelight for her role in the Hindi remake of Ghazni, and she is acting with none other than Aamir Khan. What more, she is also being tipped as the heroine for the Hindi remake of Pokiri, starring Salman Khan in Mahesh Babu's role, and being directed by the boneless wonder Prabhu Deva.

Her next big film in Tamil is Dasavataram, the Kamal Haasan starrer, which is tipped to be the next best thing to happen to Tamil film industry after Sivaji: The Boss.

Good going Asin, may all your ventures yield you tonnes and tonnes of money and admiration.

BIPASHA BASU GETS READY TO SIZZLE IN RAAZ-2, MAHESH BHATT'S SENSUOUS SEQUEL TO RAAZ

# AAMIR KHAN AND SALMAN KHAN TO COME TOGETHER?

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# WILL SRK's CHAK DE INDIA DO A LAGAAN FOR INDIAN HOCKEY?
Will Shah Rukh Khan revive people's interest in hockey with his new film Chak De India in which he plays a women's team coach? Former hockey greats believe the Bollywood Badshah might just score for the national sport in this regard. Hockey, we all know, lags far behind cricket, football and even tennis in the Indian popularity stakes. Our sportsmen are making their mark internationally in other disciplines, but the national sport is languishing. So there is all round appreciation that Bollywood has decided to do something about it. SRK and Chak De India might just be the shot in the arm that hockey so desperately needs, feel sports people who also follow films. It might encourage youth to take up hockey again.

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# HERE'S BIPASHA'S LATEST RAAZ
Sultry siren Bipasha Basu, who shot to fame with Mahesh Bhatt's Raaz, will sizzle once again in the sequel too.

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CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? AMITABH BACHCHAN IS SCARED THAT HE MIGHT LAND IN FINANCIAL DOLDRUMS, THAT'S WHY HE IS ACTING!!

# AMITABH BACHCHAN'S FAMILY IS KEEPING SUCH HIGH VISIBILITY BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF ANOTHER BANKRUPTCY!
"We as a family are still haunted by the grave depression and the virtual bankruptcy we have experienced in our lifetime. We believe in continuing to work. We are afraid, what if those days are upon us again?" said Amitabh Bachchan during an interaction with Express employees at Express Towers in Mumbai.

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# IT'S ALMOST FINAL: AMITABH BACHCHAN AND AAMIR KHAN ARE WILLING TO ACT TOGETHER
For the first time Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan and superstar Aamir Khan may star together in a film. Years ago, a film was being planned with both Bachchan and Aamir and it also starred Madhuri Dixit , but it was shelved.

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# AMITABH BACHCHAN MAY ACT IN RIDLEY SCOTT'S NEW FILM ON AL QAEDA
Even as he gears up to share screen space with Johnny Depp in Mira Nair's screen adaptation of the Gregory David Robert's novel Shantaram, Amitabh Bachchan might also add Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe as his co-stars for Ridley Scott's next.

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RAJNIKANTH IS THE BOSS OF THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY, AND NEITHER BIG B NOR ANY OF THE KHANS COME ANYWHERE NEAR

Neither Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood’s highest paid actor, nor anyone in the Khan trio of Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman, gets paid over Rs 15 crore per film as Rajni does.

Bachchan gets up to Rs 6 crore per film. The fees of the Khan trio range between Rs 3 crore and Rs 5 crore per film. But then Bachchan does about half a dozen films every year while Rajni’s average now is about one film every two years.

Even in technological inputs, Rajni’s films are often ahead of their Hindi counterparts. Sivaji: The Boss, for instance, was made in Super 35 cinemascope format with the latest processing and scanning skills, and with a very high-pixel resolution.

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BOLLYWOOD BILLBOARD: NOTABLE QUOTES FROM BOLLYWOOD BADSHAHS

"I don't like it (the term Bollywood). I describe it as the Hindi film industry or the Indian film industry. Why call it something derived from a western name? Somehow I feel it is a little degrading. It has now found its way into the Oxford English Dictionary, so it's going to be there for eternity now."

-- Amitabh Bachchan talking to New Statesman

"Shah Rukh has recently bought an Audi A6 car for Aryan and Suhana (his children). Shah Rukh who already has five foreign-made cars wanted a safe and state-of-the-art car for his kids. The car has been delivered to him yesterday. The car is in the league of the most luxurious cars. Shah Rukh himself uses a BMW, which he is very fond of."

-- A source told Mumbai Mirror

"Hi Guys, this is Aamir. It's been 6 years since Lagaan released in theatres across the world, and while the DVD has been released all over, in India it has only just come out. Reason? My ignorance as a producer resulted in my signing a contract, which restricted me from releasing it for 5 years in India. In a day and age when DVDs release within weeks of the theatrical release, do you'll think people will be interested in Lagaan?"

-- Aamir Khan writes in his blog

"Yes, I really like it (his new film Aap Kaa Surroor, which is releasing today). When I had started shooting, people said I had gone crazy. I have not turned into an actor to merely fulfill my ambition. There was a conviction within me that acting will come naturally to me."

-- Singer Himesh Reshammiya on why he turned actor

"Absolutely. I mean this decision (to take up acting again) was taken after we (my husband and I) discussed the matter at length. We both kind of sat down and made a conscious decision whether I should be doing this or not and he has always supported me. He told me that if I don’t want to, I can sit at home and look after the kids. But, if you feel you want to do something, then I am with you all the way whatever the decision will be."

-- Madhuri Dixit tell Karan Johar on his show Koffee with Karan about how her husband supported her to take up acting

"If they (Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan) had any problems, why would they agree to do the second film together? I don't know what goes on in their heads, I don't know. But they were fine on the sets, sharing biryanis and jokes.

-- Producer Sajid Naidiadwala on the reported differences between Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan

ASIN TALKS BIG, AND CAN'T STOP TALKING: WILL SOMEONE TELL HER TO SHUT UP AND PUT UP?

Asin, who has wowed the South Indian audiences with her mesmerising beauty and her acting talent, has been consistent in one thing: teaming up with all the top actors. She has acted with almost all of them in Telugu -- Balakrishna, Venkatesh, Nagarjuna, Pawan Kalyan, Ravi Teja -- you name the star and she has done films with them. Without exception. Maybe Mahesh Babu looks a little too young besides her, which is why he hadn't opted her in his films, and it will take some time for Chiranjeevi to realise her potential.

Not just Tollywood, she is even a name to reckon with in Kollywood -- the Tamily film industry. And now she is pairing opposite Aamir Khan and she is on cloud 9. And she can't help boasting. "Everyone has been saying that after Hema Malini and Sri Devi, I will be as popular in the country." It's a little too much Asin, without even finishing your first film in Bollywood. We know you have the talent and the looks, but they make a good combination when it is tempered with modesty.

Why only Bollywood, she throws around names like Hollywood too. "Wherever I go, whether it is Bollywood or Hollywood, I will still remain Asin," says she. But who wanted you change, Asin?

She also claims that she is not apprehensive about anyone stealing her position in the Telugu film industry. What position does she enjoy in the Telugu film industry today? None. Because the likes of Ileana have pushed her out of the scene long time back. And, as far as we know, no Tollywood filmmaker is planning to cast her against the top heroes her.

It is not difficult to fathom her big airs. Right now, she is doing Dasavataram with Kamal Hassan, apart from Aamir Khan, which explains her haughty talk.

AISHWARYA BACHCHAN PLOUGHS A LONELY FURROW IN BOLLWOOD: ALL THE TOP ACTORS REFUSE TO WORK WITH HER

It may sound ridiculous. But it is true. No one is willing to be teamed with the reigning queen of Bollywood. Aishwarya Rai, has more enemies than friends in the industry. Some of her own making and some because of her marriage to Aishwarya Bachchan. The truth is, today, none of the superstars of Bollywood are willing to work with her. Let me repeat, none. You know why Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi can never be paired with her. Shah Rukh Khan has a running feud with the Bachchan family ever since he replaced the Big B in the Kaun Banega Crorepati programme, and swears he would have nothing to do with the Bachchan family, and this includes Aishwarya Rai. Similarly, Aamir Khan is pissed off with her for turning down his request to act with him in Mangal Pandey -- The Rising. Saif Ali Kahan has pulled out Karan Johar venture, where he was supposed to act with Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, as he thinks that the duo would steal the thunder from under his feet. And we hear that he is telling Bollywood filmmakers that he doesn't want to act with Aishwarya Rai anymore. Must have been the Khan effect. And this leaves us with Hrithik Roshan. It seems he was perturbed with all the hulla-bulla the Bachchan family made over the kissing scene in Dhoom 2. Poor Aishwarya Rai, marriage seems to have done more bad than good to her. Do we hear Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji and Priyanka Chopra rolling on the ground with laughter?

Siddharth caught in a catch-22 situation

It is not always a boon to be well versed with the technical aspects of filmmaking. And too much of planning might go against you. Siddharth has realised this hard truth a little too late. After the super duper success of Nuvvostanante Nenoddantaana in Tollywood, and Nuvvostanante Nenoddantaana in Bollywood, he was flooded with offers. Some of the big banners queued up in front of his house for his dates. But, Siddharth, who knew the nuances of filmmaking, was not to yield to any one of them. Except M S Raju, who he proclaims is his godfather. He was so choosy about the kind of films he wanted to do that when Davi Dhawan, the showman of Bollywood, wanted to make a film with him, Siddharth a la Aamir Khan, was not happy with the one-line story narrated by Dhawan. So, he told Dhawan to come back with the full script of the film. Dhawan was shell-shocked with Siddharth's attitude that it took a couple of days for him to come back to his senses. Dhawan, as you know, is known for tickling the funny bone of the Hindi audiences, and many heroes and heroines wait for his call to act in his films. What more, he is never known to have given anyone, including Amitabh Bachchan, the full script of his films. Siddharth has not only lost an opportunity to make it big in Bollywood, but with his latest films turning turtle at the box-office, doesn't have many filmmakers in Tollywood either who are eager to cast him in their films. Tamil, anyway, is ruled out, as he has been concentrating on Telugu cinema for sometime now. And, therefore, Siddharth is a forgotten chapter there. It takes some real guts, Siddharth, to burn your boats when you have set sail on a long journey.