SAAWARIYA TO OPEN SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK ON NOV 7

Saawariya, the first Bollywood production from a Hollywood studio, is to open a prominent festival of South Asian films in New York on November 7 and release commercially two days later in over 80 theatres in North America.

Produced by Sony Pictures and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, it is the much awaited debut film of Ranbir Kapoor (son of actor Rishi Kapoor) and Sonam Kapoor (daughter of actor-producer Anil Kapoor).

Saawariya is the timeless tale of two young star-crossed lovers from different religions whose passions almost take them to the brink of self-destruction. It is based on Dostoevsky's short story White Nights.

It is the main draw at the five-day Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival, which will screen 70 films, including diaspora, Bollywood and short films.

The festival's closing film is The Last Lear by Rituparno Ghosh, considered heir to the legendary Satyajit Ray. The film has Amitabh Bachchan playing an ageing Shakespearean actor who takes on the bard's most challenging role. It is based on Utpal Dutt's play Aajker Shahjahan.

The festival will conclude with six awards being presented for best film, best director, best actor, best actress, best documentary and best short film.

MIAAC film festival's executive director Aroon Shivdasani said 2007 marks a groundbreaking year as Hollywood studios such as Warner Brothers, Viacom, Disney and Sony Pictures have started to invest in Bollywood films.

The festival, now in its seventh year, has earlier featured films by Mira Nair, Ismail Merchant, Deepa Mehta, Gurinder Chaddha and Nagesh Kukunoor.

The festival is organised by the Indo-American Arts Council, which is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes Indian artistes in the fields of performing, literary, visual and folk and fusion arts.

GABBAR KA GUSSA: KISNEY LAGAYI YE AAG?

ISKA JAWAAB HUMKO DEDE THAKUR

DID YOU KNOW? ABHISHEK HAD 15 FLOPS BEFORE HE FINALLY GOT A HIT

AND THE ACTOR WAS SO DISGUSTED BY HIS DISCOURAGING CAREER THAT HE WANTED TO BID GOOD-BYE TO FILMS, UNTIL...

After a string of flop movies early in his career, actor Abhishek Bachchan thought he had joined the wrong profession. But, a dressing down from his father Amitabh made him decide to stick it out in Bollywood.

"Yes, I went to my dad and told him I think I made a mistake," he said. "He fired me. He said I didn't bring you up to quit. I have faith in you. He said just go back and keep working," Abhishek told NDTV.

"Dad asked me to spend time in front of the camera and learn to improve as long as I get an opportunity," said Abhishek, who was once considered a pale shadow of his father.

Asked what crossed his mind after his 15th flop, Abhishek said, "It becomes a habit. It's very weird."

Queried whether it is difficult to handle failure now that he had had quite a few hits, he said it is comparatively easier to handle failure in the early days of one's career.

"Initially when you start you still live in hope. You know your first film does not do well, it hurts -- second, third...it hurts but still you believe in yourself," he said.

The actor said he was enjoying his married life with Aishwarya Rai. "The best part is that you get to live with your best friend. Somebody you enjoy spending time with, which I think is the reasonable criteria to get married. It's wonderful. I am enjoying myself," he said.

When asked whether the film industry's most eligible bachelor is now its most besotted husband, Abhishek said every husband should be besotted. "I do not know if it is correct to call me the most eligible bachelor. I never believed that. I know many people were considered far more eligible then me. As far as besotted is concerned, every husband should be besotted," he said.

"I think it is important for every husband to care for his wife and family and they should not marry if they do not. You should get married if you are prepared to live with somebody for life," he said matter-of-factly.

Asked whether the Bachchan family discusses films at the dining table, Abhishek said talk about movies was totally banned at the table. "Ma does not allow film talk at the table. After my sister got married, there were only three of us, and I was just starting my career and then a little bit of that would slip in," he said.

"You just get a typical glare that a mother gives a child when you do something wrong," he explained.

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.

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."

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.

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.

A TICKET TO INDIA'S CINEMATIC HISTORY

Pravinbhai Thakker's eyes are alit as he displays his treasure, handling each piece carefully, explaining its significance and reminiscing about the effort his nearly 40 year long obsession has taken to maintain.

Thakker, a former peon with the Golden Tobacco Company has a unique hobby, one that is symbolic of the nation's obsession with cinema -- he has a collection of 3,397 movie tickets that he has collected painstakingly since 1968.

"I have worked with a tobacco company for 28 years, but never smoked a cigarette. My only vice is that I have to watch the latest movie every week and then store away the ticket. Each ticket is a memory of some celluloid moment that I have enjoyed," Thakker says.

"I watched my first movie in 1957, when I was all of 19. The movie was Mother India and the ticket at the time was 69 paise. At the time I used to work as a helper in a store in Central Mumbai, and earned a total of 12 anna per day," he says with a smile.

Thakkers collection fills up an entire suitcase, with tickets marked according to the year. Dog eared, torn and literally falling to pieces, some of his tickets date way back as 1968 and cost as little as 50 paise.

Each piece has markings on it, stating the date and time the movie was watched, the number of reels it had, the number of people Thakker watched the movie with.

In many ways, his collection is a chronicle of India's cinematic history from the late 60's and Thakker has been a avid witness to the movie revolution India has witnessed.

"I have so far spent Rs 31,407.37 on my hobby, but no regrets. My children are all settled. My family does not begrudge my this hobby at all, and I am happy to continue with it," Thakker says.

His achievement has also been noted in the Limca Book of Records in the year 2003.

Having watched so many films, however makes Pravinbhai somewhat of an expert on Indian cinema, and he is not afraid of airing his opinions on the same.

"Amitabh Bachchan should retire now," he declares, saying "he has overstretched himself. I remember him in his earlier days, and he has none of the energy that he displayed then. Of course, he still remains one of my favourite actors".

Thakker also has something to say on the new breed of multiplexes springing up all over the city. "They are too expensive. With Rs 200 I can watch four movies in a single screen theatre, but it may not even buy me a single ticket in one of these new fangled multiplexes. And after all, they both show the same movie, isn't it", he asks with a twinkle in his eye.

SHILPA SHETTY IS BASKING IN THE GLORY OF HER ENGLISH SUMMER -- GETS LEEDS UNIVERSITY DOCTORATE

Bollywood diva Shilpa Shetty, who attained international fame with her success in the reality television show, Celebrity Big Brother,is surprised at being chosen for an honorary doctorate by a leading UK university.

The 32-year-old, who became the youngest Indian actor to receive the honour from Leeds Metropolitan University, felt it was a "huge honour" to join the ranks of Yash Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan and Shabana Azmi.

"It came as a huge surprise to me as well. But I was really, really humbled and I accept it. I don't know how to react," she told CNN-IBN in London on being chosen for the honour for her outstanding contribution to cultural diversity.

The Mangalore-born actor said it is going to be a "life-long relationship" with the university, but at the moment she will prefer to bask in the glory.

"...They bestowed this honour to me. So I have to act responsibly and I have tried my best to do my best in whatever I have done in my life and I am going to continue to do so," she said.

PARTNERS IN CRIME, GOVINDA AND SALMAN KHAN, TAKE A DIG AT EACH OTHER

Govinda and Salman Khan are the latest victims of the promotion bugs unleashed these days by film producers in the name of getting eyeballs and innovation. After having seen Amitabh Bachchan interviewed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra for Eklavya - The Royal Guard, and Bachchan yet again in an interview format with Tabu for Cheeni Kum, now we have Govinda and Salman Khan quizzing each other for their forthcoming film Partner.


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RAJNI'S COOOOOOOOOOL STYLE BECOMES A RAGE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY!

Rajnikanth in his latest Tamil flick Sivaji: The Boss sports a stylish pair of sunglasses, Amitabh Bacchchan plays a bespectacled 64-year-old cook in Cheeni Kum, and the major cast of Metro -- Irfaan Khan, Kangana Ranaut and Konkona SenSharma -- all sport zero power spectacles.

"No wonder 75 per cent of the people do not follow the optical store salesman's suggestion. They are influenced by movies and various magazines, newspapers and printed matter. Market trends keep fluctuating and things are much different than a few years ago when where one particular trend used to dominate for years. Today, fashion is changing very fast and the hot designs keep changing rapidly," says Tarun Sachdeva, of Eye Essentials, which deals in vision correcting aids, spectacle frames etc.

With more and more actors wearing glasses on screen, the common man is following suit and becoming choosy about the frames and quality of glasses. Multi-coloured and broad-sized frames are 'hot'. "Sunglasses and frames are available for Rs 1,000 and Rs 60,000," says Lalit Kalra, Director, Dayal Opticals. Also, with increasing brand consciousness people are aware of the varieties of frames and sunglasses available.

"They have fixed ideas about the type of brand they want," says Manoj Soni, Laurence and Mayo, Connaught Place. He says, "Earlier people might have been vaguely aware of some sunglass brands but nowadays due to huge advertisments in the media there is a growing awareness in the market about the wide variety of choice available to them."

Manoj Soni adds, "While customers may demand specific brands for frames awareness about lenses is still insufficient in the market." Vogue Prada, Versace, Bovigare, Gucci are the most popular brands. The latest trend is that of titanium metal because they are very flexible and strong and almost impossible to break," he says.

IS RAM GOPAL VARMA RENAMING THE TITLE OF HIS FILM SHOLAY TO RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG?

Has Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma decided to release the remake of yesteryear's blockbuster Sholay by changing the much publicised title Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay?
A high drama was witnessed on the issue on Wednesday in the Delhi High Court as Sascha Sippy, who claims to be the owner of the film Sholay cited a news report that Varma has decided to release the movie on July 13 by not only changing the title, but also changing the names of popular characters like "Gabbar Singh" and "Basanti".
The title has been changed from Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay to Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag and the popular characters Gabbar Singh and Basanti have been renamed as "Babban Singh" and "Ghungroo", Sippy's counsel Pravin Anand contended, referring to a report on a website. He said Varma's interview in this regard was aired on Monday on a national channel.
Justice Gita Mittal before whom a petition of infringement of trade mark and copyright on Sholay was pending against Varma, said if the change of title and name of character was acceptable to Sippy, it would end the issue of release of the film in question.
However, senior advocate Rajiv Nayar and Amit Naik, counsel for Varma, expressed ignorance of the interview and said they did not have any idea of any such interview on any channel.
In view of the conflicting statements by the contesting parties, the court directed them to take instructions from their clients and inform it about the facts.
Amit Naik, after brief adjournment, informed the court that his client (Varma) had not given any such interview. He said the film cannot be released as it would require a lot of promotional activities.
Following which Sippy's counsel decided not to raise the issue and proceeded ahead with the routine arguments to establish that Varma's film could not be released by using the title Sholay.
The court, in an interim order in October last, had stayed the release of Varma's much hyped remake of the 1970s' blockbuster Sholay.
The court was hearing a suit filed by Sippy Films Pvt Ltd and Sholay Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, owned by Sascha Sippy and Shan Uttam Singh, to permanently restrain Varma from releasing the film Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay maintaining the use of the name Sholay by any other entity amounts to infringement of trade mark and copyright.
The roadblocks for the release of the film in which superstar Amitabh Bachchan has assumed the role of "Gabbar Singh" came on a lawsuit filed by the grandson of G P Sippy, who had produced Sholay.
Sippy had contended that they also have copyright on the use of character "Gabbar Singh" which was played by late Amjad Khan in Sholay.
Sascha Sippy, director of the Sippy Films, claimed that the late G P Sippy's son Ajit Sippy who reportedly sold the copyrights to Varma, had no such rights himself to transfer the same to others.
The suit was filed after it was reported that Verma had began shooting the film titled -- Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay.
The suit said the use of names -- Sholay and Gabbar Singh -- by Varma also amounts to infringement of moral right as there was threat to destruction of original work.
He submitted that the script and screenplay of Sholay are the original literary works, protected under Sections 14 and 51 of the Copyright Act of 1957.


LINDSAY LOHAN PROMISES SHE'LL LEAD A QUIETER LIFE

BIG B TO LEND HIS VOICE TO HIS LATER FATHER HARVANSH RAI BACHCHAN'S POEMS

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is set to recite his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan's poems at a literary and cultural festival in New York next month.

The event called "Bachchan Sandhya" will be held on Aug 18 at the Lincoln Center - a premier venue for the performing arts.

The cultural do has been organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, US, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of India's independence and the centenary of late Harivansh Rai Bachchan, a celebrated Hindi poet and litterateur.

On the occasion, Amitabh's wife and actress Jaya Bachchan will offer her own reminiscences about the life and achievements of her father-in-law.

A dance-drama entitled Jeevan, based on Bachchan's poems, will be presented by renowned Kathak dancer and choreographer Vaswati Mishra and her troupe.

Bachchan's best-known work is Madhushala, a series of quatrains or rubai. On the surface, the book seems like an ode to alcohol, but is actually an allegory about the complexity of life. Madhushala has been recited by Amitabh and sung by Manna De on tape.

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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WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? READ ON WHAT THE PHILOSOPHERS, POLITICIANS, AND POPULAR PERSONALITIES HAVE TO SAY

PLATO - For the greater good.

ARISTOTLE - It is the nature of chickens to cross roads.

KARL MARX - It was a historical inevitability.

TIMOTHY LEARY - Because that's the only trip the establishment would let it take.

SADDAM HUSSEIN - This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.

CAPTAIN JAMES T KIRK - To boldly go where no chicken has gone before.

HIPPOCRATES - Because of an excess of phlegm in its pancreas.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR - I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.

MOSES - And God came down from the Heavens, and He said unto the chicken, "Thou shalt cross the road." And the chicken crossed the road, and there was much rejoicing.

RICHARD M NIXON - The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat, the chicken did NOT cross the road.

MACHIAVELLI - The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Who cares why? The end of crossing the road justifies whatever motive there was.

BILL GATES - The newly released Chicken 2003, will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook.

DARWIN - Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally selected in such a way that they are now genetically disposed to cross roads.

EINSTEIN - Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road moved beneath the chicken depends upon your frame of reference and relativity.

GEORGE BUSH - We are committed to establishing a democracy where chickens freely cross roads without oppression from terrorist organizations.

AZHARUDDIN - I am totally innocent, you know, I'm unnecessarily being dragged into this, you know, because I'm from the minority.. I neither know the chicken nor the road, you know?

GEORGE FERNANDES - I am deeply hurt that this question is being asked after my 40 clean years of public life. I don't own a house, or a car, leave alone a chicken!

MULAYAM SINGH YADAV - I demand a 50% reservation of the road for the chicken class, so that they can cross the road freely without their motives being questioned.

ARJUN SINGH - Our policy will ensure the development of socially underprivileged chickens so that they can also cross roads.

ABDUL KALAM - Yes, why did the chickens cross the road? .. please tell me why? .. they crossed to go to the other side of the road... now repeat after me ....

L K ADVANI - see Pakistani hand in this ...

VATAL NAGRAJ - No Tamil or outside chickens will be allowed to cross our roads, our roads are meant only for Kanadiga chickens!.

BAL THACKERAY - Chickens crossing the roads is against our culture, my followers will stone all such chickens which cross the road.

JAYALALITHAA - From reliable sources I've got the information that the chicken belongs to Karunanidhi. He is making his chicken cross the road to create law & order problems. The chicken has now been imprisoned under POTA.

AMITACH BACHCHAN - The chicken has crossed the road?.. are you sure.. very sure ... really sure...

M VENKAIAH NAIDU - "We are very sure of the fact that the chicken did not cross the road. It's a conspiracy by the congress. The poor chicken has been made a scapegoat in this whole issue"

HARIKISHEN SINGH SURJEET - We are adopting a wait and watch policy. We have convened a meeting of the third front today. We will decide the future course of action after the chicken comes back..

MANEKA GANDHI - Chicken crossed the road alone...!! If a vehicle had passed over it, we would have lost one of our dearest creatures. Ban all vehicles from using the road. Protect our chickens...

SALMAN KHAN - I ran over the chicken (Hic!). It was not intentional ...... It was accidental (Hic!)... ... you're now asking this question to me only because I'm a celebrity(Hic!)

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

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