HANSIKA MOTWANI HAS NO QUALMS ABOUT EXPOSING, IN FACT SHE LOVES IT

ON HER TRYST WITH FILMS
I'm in love with the camera. I eat, sleep and study acting. I'm not threatened by anyone. Age is on my side. I've the talent and am in no hurry.


ON EXPOSING:
In keeping with my role, whatever my director suggests, I'll do. If I play a prostitute, I'll have to expose.


ON HER PERENNIALLY SWEET 16 IMAGE:
No, I'm not 16. But that's what everyone thinks. I don't blame them because for the past four years, most websites haven't changed my age. So, even though I'm 20 years old, people think I'm still 16. But I'm a big girl.



HANSIKA'S FILMOGRAPHY

AS HEROINE
* Aap Kaa Surroor (2007)
* Desamuduru (2006)

AS A CHILD ARTISTE
* Aabra Ka Daabra (2004)
* Hum Kaun Hai (2004)
* Jaago (2004)
* Hawa (2003)
* Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)
* Escape from Taliban (2003)

NISHA KOTHARI UNPLUGGED: I REVEAL BECAUSE I LOOK SEXY IN A SHORT SKIRT OR HOT PANTS

ON HER PROPENSITY TO SHED CLOTHES ON SCREEN
I have a beautiful body and can carry any outfit with grace. If I reveal or do intimate scenes that's only because I am convinced the role needs it. The director has to convince me that the scene is required, and I know that I look sexy and not vulgar donning a short skirt or hot pants.


ON HER CHARACTER GHUNGROO IN RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG
It's a very peppy character. She is a tapori who puffs beedi (hopelessly imitating her favourite actor Rajnikanth), drives an autorickshaw (called Laila) and looks after her parents. People are bound to compare this character with Basanti played by Hemaji in Sholay, but though both have the same flavour -- they are entirely different in attitude, and have been treated differently. I am sure people will love me and my character.


ON WORKING WITH SUSHMITA SEN, AJAY DEVGAN, AND EMRAAN HASHMI
There was a time when I would dream of working with these stars and today I am sharing the screen space with them. It is like a dream come true. The best part is that these senior actors make the newcomer feel so comfortable on the sets that you feel you have been working for ages with them.


ON HER LOVE FOR DANCE
You just have to put on the music and I can break into a jig. I love to dance and sometimes when I am feeling low, I put on soft music and dance


ON WHAT SHE LOVES TO DO GENERALLY
I either play video games, work out or catch up with my sleep. I don't party at all. I am a traditional person and like to maintain a low profile. I have a long way to go and I am concentrating only on my work.

AMAZING VIDEO OF AN INFANT PLAYING WITH A DEADLY POISONOUS COBRA

WANNA SING AND DANCE WITH RAMBHA AND SANGHAVI? THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? JOIN THEM IN THE FUN

JLO HAS THE BEST BUTT IN HOLLYWOOD, GETS THE LARGEST SHARE OF VOTES IN THE SUN POLL

Jennifer Lopez's famous derriere has been voted the best butt in Hollywood. The sexy Latina topped the poll even though recent photos seemed to show that her bottom had succumbed to dreaded cellulite.

Coming in close on JLo's heels at second place on the list was the 'Bootylicious' Beyonce, reports the Sun.

The singer was in turn followed by Justin Timberlake's current lady love Jessica Biel, who came in third.

The top five was rounded off by Timberlake's ex-ladylove Cameron Diaz, and Black Eyed Peas' lead singer Fergie, who came in at fourth and fifth place respectively.

THE TOP 10 'BEST BOTTOMS IN HOLLYWOOD''

#1 JENNIFER LOPEZ

#2 BEYONCE

#3 JESSICA BIEL

#4 CAMERON DIAZ

#5 FERGIE

#6 HALLE BERRY

#7 EVA LONGORIA

#8 KIM KARDASHIAN

#9 TYRA BANKS

#10 MARIAH CAREY

IF YOU ENDEAVOUR TO GO FOR THE FORD, TAKE A LOOK AT THE SUV

The latest version of Ford’s popular Endeavour SUV has been recently launched. It is priced at Rs 15.44 lakh for the two-wheel-drive version, and Rs.16.39 lakh for the four-wheel drive variant.

With additional features such as two-tone paint and wood finish on the interiors, the 'Limited Edition' version is available for the next few months priced at Rs 16.28 lakh.

Ford expects a major part of the sales, up to 80 per cent, to come from the 2WD version, which is in line with the global trend for this model.

The new SUV has a much needed power boost as the biggest change is the more powerful 143bhp, 2.5-litre common-rail diesel engine, compared to the earlier 116bhp unit.

Plans to launch the diesel version of the Fusion in October are also being made and this will be powered by the Fiesta’s 1.4-litre common-rail diesel engine.

LET THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM GROW WITH EVERY PASSING DAY WITH FULL OF LIFE AND VITALITY

GIVING LIFE TO THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM
A map of India decked with plants and flowers at Satyadeva nursery on the eve of Independence Day in Kadiapu Lanka in East Godavari district

YSR LEAVING FOR DELHI TOMORROW TO CALL ON SONIA GANDHI

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy will be leaving for New Delhi on August 16 to finalise the proposed visit of United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi to the State on September 1.

Sonia is visiting the state in connection with the launch of prestigious second-phase of Indiramma Housing Programme for the poor.

She will also review Rajiv Swagruha programme meant for the middle-class. The Cabinet meeting scheduled for August 16 is postponed to August 21.

YSR SHARES HIS LONG JOURNEY FROM A 'SUB-JUNIOR' CONGRESS LEADER TO THE APCC PRESIDENT AND ULTIMATELY THE CHIEFMINISTERSHIP

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy turned nostalgic on Tuesday when he recalled how former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi stumped him by offering the post of president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee in 1983, which he had never asked for.

"After the Congress lost 1983 elections that brought the Telugu Desam Party to power, I had an opportunity to travel with Rajiv Gandhi from New Delhi to Hyderabad," Dr Reddy said explaining how the late leader, who was the AICC general secretary then, asked him the reason for the party’s debacle in the elections.

"I prevailed upon him to understand the need to give due recognition to youth, a suggestion that he instantly agreed. I urged him to nominate a young MLA from the weaker sections as the PCC president," Dr Reddy said, addressing the Andhra Pradesh Youth Congress and District Youth Congress office-bearer’s convention at Jubilee Hall in Hyderabad.

"He had gone back to Delhi and summoned me and said that he had thorough discussions with seniors and felt that I was the most suited for the PCC chief’s post," the Chief Minister recalled, and admitted that it took a few minutes for him to believe it.

"I took up the challenge and that was the beginning of my political elevation," he said and noted that he was a 'sub-junior' Congress leader, when he became the PCC president. "I was elected MLA from Pulivendula when I was only 28 years old and a district youth Congress secretary," he remarked.

He advised youth Congress leaders to wait for opportunities.

Responding to a complaint by district youth Congress leaders that local legislators were indifferent in taking up forming booth-level committees, Dr Reddy said they could discuss with district in-charge ministers and DCC chiefs and complete the exercise.

Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy, State Youth Congress president T J R Sudhakar and others were present.

(Courtesy: The Hindu)

YAMADONGA IS A GOOD ENTERTAINER FOR THE FRONT-BENCHERS, BUT WHAT IS SO NEW ABOUT IT?

It takes guts to make a movie based on Yamalokam, especially when everyone of us is familiar with such themes. First it was the Senior NTR, who essayed a phenomenal performance as the odd man out in Yamalokam, in Yamagola, so much so, that it has gone on to become a milestone in Telugu cinema. Later S V KRishna Reddy managed to recreate the magic with Ali in Yamaleela. Of course, it turned out to be a xeroxed version of the original with the mother sentiment thrown in. In between, Chiranjeevi too did his own version of the theme which became a runaway success. And now director S S Rajamouli treads the beaten track with Junior NTR as the man who has Yama Dharmaraju in a fix. And, we must say, it was a good effort on the part of Rajamouli to dish out an out-and-out entertainer.

Like all themes go, there is not much to talk about the theme. Death plays the villain in the life of Raja, who is unable to cash in on his big theft, as the guy who gets the job done is dead before he can pay NTR his reward. So, he starts cursing Yama Dharmaraja, who decides to right the wrongs.

And so goes the movie. An entertainer, it has some phenomenal dialogues between Mohan Babu and Junior NTR. The film has some wonderful graphic wonders which bring about the two NTRs -- the junior and senior -- in one sequence. It is an amazing effort, and the film will be talked about more for this than for anything else.

Then there are the ladies -- the more the merrier seems to be Rajamouli's policy -- to add that glam quotient to the film.

But we must say that it is a pure entertainer, and Rajamouli doesn't seem to have enough time to devote to the story and the screenplay. He only seems to concentrate on the Yamalokam scenes to the neglect of the theme. Anyway, if you can leave your mind back at home, which you should always do when you go to watch a Telugu film, it will entertain. If not, perish the thought of watching the film.

BOLLYWOOD TO RECREATE ITS MAGIC AT INDIA INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS AT LOS ANGELES

A star-studded six-day celebration of India's Independence Day in Los Angeles is expected to witness participation of Bollywood's leading stars like Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan as well as spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Christened 'India Splendor,' the event planned by MGLOBAL Trust will also feature a fashion show, exhibition of several Bollywood movies and an art workshop. It will culminate in a gala evening on August 15.

The event is being organised in association with UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, International Creative Management and ArtWallah, a non-profit body promoting art.

Organisers say they expect Rishi Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu from Bollywood to participate, besides Aishwarya and Abhishek. Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is also expected to give a discourse.

Former tennis star and film producer Ashok Amritraj is the goodwill ambassador for the event.

MCorp Global Chairman of Indian conglomerate Bhupendra Kumar Modi announced that his company has donated $1 million to the ArtWallah, which will be earmarked for art education at Los Angeles public schools. "Our vision has been to bring all the facets of Indian culture, including our booming film industry, to the US in jointly celebrating this momentous mark in history."

The event will also feature film makers like Mani Ratnam and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. There will be a special tribute to Indian film legend Raj Kapoor.

It is also expected to attract Hollywood community, including industry professionals, studio executives and talent agency heads. The opening night will feature screening of Shah Rukh Khan's film Chak De India. Other movies to be screened include Guru, Eklavya and Gandhi.

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE FOR NASEERUDDIN SHAH: DEVOTES MAXIMUM ENERGIES TO THEATRE

Naseeruddin Shah's versatility may have traversed many paths to create a distinct identity both for himself as an actor and for Indian cinema but it is the stage --his first love -- that always beckons him.

For more than three decades he strode with ease in both parallel and mainstream cinema, narrowing the distinction between the two, winning awards and accolades with aplomb but his heart was always in the theatre.

Shah now wants to devote his maximum energies to theatre though acting in films will continue but not with the same degree of priority.

He along with his friend Benjamin Gilani had set up the theatre group 'Motley' in 1979 with just four actors, doing plays in English with Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot being their first production.

"Initially, we did plays only in English because to us English is as Indian as any other Indian language. However, later, when we wanted to do plays in Hindi, we found that there very few good plays in the language with playwrights unwilling to write for the stage," Shah said.

In Hindi, the theatre died out with the advent of the talkies with all good playwrights turning into scriptwriters and there was a sudden vacuum with no original playwrights.

On the other hand, other genre of Hindi and Urdu literature like the short stories was very rich and so "we decided to adapt stories for the theatre."

INDIA'S I T TRAINING MARKET REGISTERS 46% GROWTH: DATAQUEST SURVEY

Domestic IT training market has recorded a growth of 46 per cent year-on-year at Rs 2,135 crore in 2006-07, with corporate training and exports being the key drivers, a latest survey reported.

The survey by IT magazine Dataquest stated, with this growth, the country's largest IT trainer NIIT has posted a total revenue of Rs 795 crore at a growth rate of 77 per cent.

NIIT's flagship GNIIT programme recorded an increase of 112 per cent YoY, the survey reported.

WE HEAR, VENU AND NARESH HAVE BECOME THE NOISIET GUYS OF TOLLYWOOD, WHAT IS THEIR ALLARI ALL ABOUT?

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CRACKS THE WHIP ON SMOKING AND DRINKING IN FILMS

Health Minister A Ramadoss can find some support from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in his efforts to curb smoking, as the draft content code of I&B Ministry proposes to classify TV broadcast of smoking under category 'A'.

The draft content code not only proposes to to classify TV broadcast of smoking, use of illegal drugs, tobacco and consumption of alcohol on television under the 'A' category but also plans to restrict TV channels from stereotyping women as passive or submissive so as to promote or glorify their subordinate or secondary role in the society.

It also proposes to allow screening of adult programmes only between 11 pm to 4 am.

With this, the glorification of women's submissiveness and sacrifices for the their families would now become a thing of the past.

The guidelines prohibits portrayal of women as primarily driven by sexual impulses or the female body or form as an object of sexual exploitation.

The content code entails that smoking or alcohol consumption can be shown under the 'A' category "only if it does not glamorise use or misuse of such products and omit to highlight the ill-effects on personal health or criminal tendencies.

According to the code, depiction of use and details of production of such products shall not be a part of any programme classified as 'U' and 'U/A', while song and dance sequences highlighting such activities will not be allowed in programmes meant for family viewing.

It, however, said depiction of public health messages or programmes on de-addiction shall not be governed by above restrictions.

As per the code, which will be a part of the Broadcasting Bill to be introduced during the monsoon session of Parliament, Broadcaster Service Providers (BSP) have been given time till August five to give their comments.

However, the broadcasters are against any government's interference on the content matters as they are self regulated an have asked for more time to respond on the Broadcasting Bill and the content code.

SKY-GAZERS SPOT THE JUPITER STARTING TODAY FOR SIX MONTHS

The sky-gazers have an opportunity to spot Jupiter with a naked eye in the evening upto third week of December from today.

It will be the second bright object after the Moon, according to Raghunandan Kumar, founder secretary Planetary Society India.

After the third week of December, Jupiter can be spotted only in the morning skies.

It can be spotted from all over India towards South East and South direction.

One of the easiest ways to identify planets among tons of stars is "planets do not twinkle, whereas stars twinkle when one observes the night sky from earth", he said.

TENDULKAR IS SOMETHING SPECIAL, VERY FREAKISH AND ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL, SAYS ALLAN DONALD

Showering praise on Sachin Tendulkar, former South African pacer and England bowling coach Allan Donald said the Mumbaiikar is the best batsman of present era and deserves to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket.

Donald said the veteran Indian willower, who became the third player to accumulate 11,000 Test runs during the second day's play of the second cricket Test against England, was the best in the business and could carry on for a few more years.

"In my era, I think he is the best player I have ever had the pleasure of playing against. He is something special, very freakish, and I think that what he has done for the game and his country has been absolutely phenomenal," Donald said while paying tribute to Tendulkar.

Donald said Tendulkar can carry on playing for a few more years and can go past Brian Lara's record of scoring most number of Test runs (11,953).

"There is a lot more cricket in Tendulkar. He still looks so boyish. It's is a bit scary to notice how many hundreds he has notched up in Test cricket and not to mention those one-day hundreds.

"He's just a credit to cricket. I know he has been through a bad trot with injuries over the last couple of years but he looked his old self out there. I hope there is still a lot more cricket in Sachin because it's unbelievable how many years he's stuck it out and achieved what he has. I hope he goes past Brian Lara's record - he deserves it," Donald said.

With England on the ropes in the second Test, Donald felt that his bowlers had given everything on a wicket that just got a bit better on the second afternoon.

"It was a good day's Test cricket, a classic hard day's toil on a pitch that has got a bit better. With a bit of luck it could have gone the other way - the ball did fly past the edge and a few balls were nicked through but credit to India, they fought hard."

Donald also defended the verbal volleys his bowlers resorted to as Dinesh Kaarthick and Wasim Jaffer stitched together a splendid opening stand of 147 runs.

"There comes a time when a partnership needs to be broken and you need to fire someone up," explained Donald.

"It was right to bowl two lengths, mix it up a bit and change the field. Jimmy (Anderson) stuck up his hand and anything could have happened in that spell. When a partnership gets over 100 you need to be aggressive and he did it well," he said.

BOLLYWOOD BAKWAS: IS SHILPA SHETTY THE DIVA OF ALL THE GOOD THINGS?

Raj Kundra apologises to Shilpa Shetty and her family for his wife, Kavita's "shocking allegations"

Is Shilpa Shetty quite as charming and saintly as she's been painted?

The hair-stylists of Bollywood's bold and beautiful denizens, 24 in all, are coming together for a Cut-A-Thon next Sunday and offering to give 300 fans the film star style and look.

Karan Johar not only makes his actors shed copious tears on screen, but off it too.

Take a dekko of how the Bollywood heroes have transformed over the years from the simpleton to the sizzling hero.

Not just US and Britain, even Shanghai grooves to Bollywood beats

Bollywood stars are not just entertainers, they have designs on your clothes too