I won’t mind wearing a bikini if required: Anjana Sukhani

Mumbai, April 24 (IANS) Anjana Sukhani says she is game for bikinis if her role really demands it. Though she has adopted a glamorous persona in films like ‘Golmaal Returns’ and ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’, the actress is yet to join the bikini brigade.

‘It’s not in my wish list either. However, there comes a point in your career where you get a film that requires you to shed your inhibitions. Of course, the role that I play has to be of utmost importance – if it is justified for the character to wear a bikini, then I won’t fret about it,’ Anjana told IANS.

Skin show has taken a different dimension in the last few months with actresses like Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Minissha Lamba and Amisha Patel getting into the swim wear for their roles. Also with dozens of film and fashion magazines hitting the stands, actresses are making a bee line to be seen on the cover.

‘I’m very sure about the fact that posing seductively for the camera doesn’t really pay. It can’t help you grab work. What eventually matters is how talented you are and whether you can deliver goods on the screen,’ said the actress who had grabbed attention in the Cadbury ad with superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

But being in the glamour world where beauty sells, isn’t that a dicey statement to make?

‘Of course, looking pretty is a valuable thing, but then talent matters as well’, said Anjana. ‘At the end of the day, it is about coming up with a balancing act. Being ‘just pretty’ or ‘just talented’ doesn’t help because one of them working just in isolation can’t take you anywhere. You have to have a good mix of both.’

‘My dad has always said that you should do things that reflect the goal that you want to ultimately meet. If a small step taken by me helps me get closer to that goal, I won’t mind doing that as long as I don’t cross any limits,’ she added.

In that case, how does she look back at her first few steps when she had just started her career with films like ‘Humdum’ (2005) and ‘Sun Zarra’ (2006)?

‘I continue to be emotionally attached to these films because those earlier steps reaffirmed that I existed and paved the way for me to appear in bigger and better films. I didn’t come from a filmy family; nor did I have any supermodel experience that could help me get work. Those were testing times and everything that I decided to do, I had to do it on my own without any godfather supporting me.’

With ‘Jashn’, ‘Tum Milo toh Sahi’ and ‘Allah Ke Banday’ in the pipeline, life is certainly looking up for Anjana.

‘Certainly. I am glad that these are turning out to be good times. I stand by all my decisions in the past and, regardless of whether they have succeeded or failed, I have no regrets,’ she said.

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Kareena with Ranbir?

This might sound like a real surprise. Now, a well known producer in B-Town is trying to accomplish what might be the perfect formula to hit the bulls at the box-office.

The buzz is that Kareena and Ranbir Kapoor are being approached to act together in an upcoming film. Though no confirmations are available, but the move will surely spark interest among the Kapoor fans. It must be recalled that Kareena has many a times spoken candidly about her desire to pair opposite Ranbir. But, this time, it seems her wish is coming true.

Tags: Box Office, bulls, buzz, confirmations, desire, Kareena, Kareena Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, surprise, upcoming film
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Karan Johar trains lens on slums with ‘Slumdog’ kid

Mumbai, April 21 (IANS) He is known for making designer films, but Karan Johar recently shot some key sequences of his ‘My Name Is Khan’ in a slum here with ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ kid Tanay Cheda.

Karan said Tanay, who played the ‘middle’ Jamal in the multiple Oscar-winning film, made Shah Rukh Khan’s childhood look convincing for the film.

The director chose him to play young Shah Rukh because of not only his facial likeness to the star but also Tanay’s instant connectivity with the Mumbai slums and thereafter the Western audience.

‘Tanay is exceptionally talented. He was able to imbibe Shah Rukh’s character traits and use them to make SRK’s childhood look convincing,’ said Karan.

The scenes with Tanay were shot in Borivali along with actress Zarina Wahab, who plays Shah Rukh’s mother in the movie. The director now intends to cast Tanay as junior SRK whenever required, much in the way that Master Mayur played the young Amitabh Bachchan in a series of films.

Though the take-off point for ‘My Name Is Khan’ is 9/11, not a single shot is taken in New York. The film is set in Los Angeles and San Francisco – two of the most expensive cities in the US for shooting.

While Karan Johar’s production of Rensil de Silva’s Kareena Kapoor-Saif Ali Khan film on terrorism will have Philadelphia masquerading as New York, his own directorial take on terrorism and the isolation of the working-class Muslim has gone to two US cities.

Karan shot in LA earlier this year and leaves for San Francisco in May for a 40-day schedule.

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Sharman Joshi finds a friend in Chetan Bhagat

Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi is shooting for ‘Three Idiots’, based on Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller ‘Five Point Someone’, and says he has stuck a ’special chord’ of camaraderie with the author.

‘Chetan and I have become very good friends. We like each other so much that I got to read his third and most-awaited book ‘Three Mistakes of My Life’ in the manuscript form even before it was released in the market,’ Sharman told IANS.

Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film is being directed by Rajkumar Hirani and also stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead apart from Sharman.

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Jimmy Sheirgill: I experienced hero worship for the first time

Jimmy Sheirgill has been around for 13 long years and has seen numerous ups and downs in his career. He has been a part of numerous successful films and has seen quite some adulation coming his way, especially post the super success of A WEDNESDAY. However, he was in for a shock, a pleasant one at that, when he was welcomed by thousands of cheering fans while on a promotional tour across the state of Punjab for the release of his Punjabi film TERA MERA KI RISHTA.

“I really don’t have much words for the beautiful experience that I had during my interaction with youth in the promotion of TERA MERA KI RISHTA”, says Jimmy who is paired with Kulraj Randhawa (of ‘Kareena Kareena’ fame) in the film, “You had to be there to believe it as we went across the state while passing through numerous cities, towns and villages.”

Apparently, so emotionally charged was Jimmy during the tour that he simply broke down at one of the events.

“I have learnt one simple but very important thing that an actor should always respect his audience. I have been around for so many years and have always kept this thought at the back of my mind. But now, I am sure that I will be making a conscious effort to respect the feelings of my audience”, says an emotionally choked Jimmy who is out now on the global promotion of the tour.

“With the kind of cheering that I saw around our troupe whenever we used to pass through the cities, I have come to realize what exactly is the meaning of hero worship. People of Punjab are so simple yet very passionate. They have this intrinsic ‘pyaar’ and ‘izzat ki bhaavna’ in them all the time. Now I know that I will never ever compromise in my choice of roles. No, never again would I do so in my life”, Jimmy resolves.

In the meanwhile global promotion is heating up in a big way for this EROS release with premier in Vancouver. Also, Jimmy would be globe trotting across Europe, US, UK and Australia to create buzz around the film.

“Yes, I am literally traveling across the globe for TERA MERA KI RISHTA. I will be making stops in Canada, USA, UK, Norway, New Zealand and Australia. I am told by the producers that it is the costliest Punjabi movie ever made. I have reasons to believe that because the makers have left no stones unturned to make it a rich film”, he says enthusiastically.

TERA MERA KI RISHTA also boasts of prominent Bollywood names like Raj Babbar, Anupam Kher and Archana Puran Singh in supporting roles. The film releases today all over.

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Rani Mukherjee’s toned figure revealed!

Rachana, Bollywood Trade News Network
Tinsel town’s original queen Rani Mukherji who had been lying low for sometime now and almost seemed to be vanished from the Bollywood front (be it films, events or parties, promotions etc) is back with a bang!

Well the pretty lady (who was keeping a low profile all this while) was recently spotted at the launch event of a new spa in suburban Mumbai alongwith many other B-town’s popular faces. And trust the lady indeed surprised one and all with her new avatar when she stepped to the event. It was a treat to see Rani in her new slim and trim look. The bulging eyes couldn’t stop gazing at her.

Those who are thinking whether Rani is inspired by Kareena’s size ‘zero’ figure than let us tell you that this drastic change is because of her upcoming film where she is playing a sportsperson. For that matter, Rani went through grueling work-out sessions to get a perfect toned up body. And it was Aamir Khan’s personal trainer Satyajit Chourasia who helped her out.

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Who will play Jessica Lal in ‘Aamir’ director’s film?

Mumbai, April 8 (IANS) ‘Aamir’ director Rajkumar Gupta’s next film is based on the sensational Jessica Lal murder and he approached Kareena Kapoor to play one of the two protagonists. But so far he hasn’t been able to finalise anyone for the lead roles in ‘No One Killed Jessica’.

‘I did approach Kareena Kapoor initially to play one of the two protagonists. But nothing more can be said about the casting right now,’ Gupta told IANS.

Jessica Lal was gunned down in a New Delhi restaurant in April 1999. Manu Sharma, son of a former minister, is serving a life term for killing her.

‘All I can say at this moment is that the film and its script which I’ve just completed is inspired by a headline that I saw in the Times Of India in 2006 which said, ‘No One Killed Jessica’ (when all the accused in the sensational case were acquitted). It immediately set me thinking. Over the years, as the case dragged on, that headline acquired immense ironical overtones,’ he added

‘No One Killed Jessica’ will need two leading female performers – one will play Jessica and the other will be cast as her sister Sabrina who fought for justice on Jessica’s behalf.

The director, whose edgy hard-hitting drama ‘Aamir’ earned rave reviews in 2007, intends to give the same gritty treatment to his second film as well.

Apart from ‘No One Killed Jessica’, Gupta had also written the script of recently released ‘Barah Aana’.

Though Gupta is all for the way first time director Raja Menon had directed his script, he admits he would have filmed the script differently.

‘I’d have made ‘Barah Aana’ edgier, more gritty and fast-paced. That’s the treatment I had envisaged for the screenplay.

‘Also, it isn’t clear in the film why Naseeruddin Shah’s character doesn’t speak. He just looks angry. The fact is the character has nothing more to say to the world. This aspect doesn’t come across in the film,’ Gupta said.

Gupta also feels that Arjun Mathur is miscast as a Bihari waiter in ‘Barah Aana’.

‘I’d have cast someone like Deepak Dobriyal. But that’s neither here nor there. ‘Barah Aana’ is fine the way it is,’ he said.

Would Gupta write more scripts for other directors?

‘I don’t know. ‘Barah Aana’ was a commitment from before I directed ‘Aamir’. Right now my concentration is on casting for ‘No One Killed Jessica’. I just hope I don’t end up casting whoever is available. I need two very strong young actresses.’

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Salman to clash with Vivek on November 27th!

Salman Khans most ambitious film till date VEER has been scheduled for a November 27th release. And surprisingly on the same date Dharma Productions yet to be titled Saif-Kareena-Vivek starrer, directed by Rensil DSilva, is also being planned for release.

It will be for the first time that any of Salmans film will clash with that of old foe Vivek Oberois. While, Salmans VEER is a much bigger project, said to be having 100 crore budget, Viveks film can prove tough competition to VEER because of its topical subject and coming together of Karan Johar and UTV’s smart marketing strategies. It is learnt to have a plot line quiet similar to that of 1999 released Hollywood thriller, ARLINGTON ROAD. In the film, Saif and Kareena play a Muslim couple who are terrorists living a double life. Vivek is the second lead in the film and he is also a terrorist. And Minissha Lamba who plays a journalist is his love interest. Om Puri also has an important role in the film. Irrfan was approached to play the role of a terrorist in the film but he turned it down.

If one recollects, in April 2003, Vivek Oberoi had held a press conference at his house complaining about Salman Khan harassing him over phone and giving him life threats for his then relationship with Aishwarya Rai. Salman had that time not reacted to the negative publicity he got from this episode but it is learnt that he made sure that Vivek was almost ostracized by most industrywalas. Post his break up with Ash, Vivek on many occasions tried patching up with Salman, but in vain. The controversial Khan always chose to ignore him and hinted that he will never forgive him.

Well Vivek looks like your idea of patch-up will have to take a backseat and get ready for one more clash in the form of Box-office!

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Debutants to look forward in 2009

Sampurn, Bollywood Trade News Network
Year 2008 saw hordes of debutants like Imran Khan, Hurman Baweja, Farhan Akhtar, Prachi Desai, Rajeev Khandelwal, Anushka Sharma and Asin making it big in Bollywood. Now the year 2009 is all set to encourage some more budding talents in industry. Let’s have a look at these new faces.

Jacqueline Fernandes: Miss Sri Lanka 2006 Jacqueline will step her foot in Bollywood with Sujoy Ghosh’s ALADIN. She plays the character of Jasmine while Aladin is none other than Ritiesh Deshmukh. The film is expected to release in summer 2009.

Pakhi Tyrewala: Wife of blockbuster film JAANE TU YAA JAANE NA director Abbas Tyrewala, Palkhi will make her debut with 1-800 LOVE starring John Abraham alongside. The film is directed by Abbas himself. And produced by John Abraham. The film’s shooting will commence by March 2009 in Boston and expected to hit the screens by the year end. Apparently before making her debut Palkhi worked as a casting director who did casting for Aamir’s TZP and JTYJN.

Jackky Bhagnani: Bollywood’s well-known producer Vashu Bhagnani is launching his son Jackky in KAL KISSNE DEKHA. This film is directed by BHOOTHNATH director Vivek Sharma. This film will see many guest appearances made by the stars like SRK, Sanjay Dutt and Juhi Chawla respectively. The film is scheduled for April-May 2009 release.

Lisa Lazarus: Salman Khan’s much-touted film VEER has Miss UK 2008 Lisa Lazarus as the female lead. It is being said that she is look alike of Salman’s lady love Katrina. She had started shooting for the film in 2008 end and now the film is eyeing for release in mid 2009.

Mona Singh: One time popular telly-soap – Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi’s lead Mona is making her debut this year in Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 IDIOTS. Mona is playing Kareena Kapoor’s on-screen sister and her fans will be surprised to see her on big screen this December.

Vaishali Desai: Grand daughter of yesteryears renowned director late Manmohan Desai and winner of Miss. India 2005 pageant – Vaishali is making her debut as the lead actress in Vashu Bhagnani romantic-thriller KAL KISNE DEKHA which is due to hit the theatres in April-May 2009. She is paired with Jackky Bhagnani.

Hope these newcomers will leave the same mark in Bollywood in year 2009 as their counterparts did in 2008.

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Four street dogs have a poll job on hand

Lily, Sally, Kareena and the lone male Teja used to roam the streets, but they will soon be reporting for election duty in the restive, forested terrain of the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh. The job on hand will need all their dogged determination – sniffing out explosives.

The four street dogs, which ‘graduated’ from the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in Bastar, will make a poll debut of sorts in the April 16 elections in the state. They have been specially deployed to the area known as a stronghold of Maoist rebels who have called for a poll boycott.

‘The mongrels Lily, Sally, Kareena and Teja are going to Bastar for poll duty where guerrillas have laid landmines for years to prevent security forces from entering forested stretches,’ Girdhari Nayak, additional director general, Chhattisgarh Armed Forces, told IANS.

He said, ‘The mongrels have got poll assignments for the first time in India.’

The four mongrels completed a nine-month explosive detection course in April last year at the CTJWC. They will now have to sniff out explosives up to 12 inches below the ground surface.

The officer said the street dogs will mainly be deployed for VIP security, de-mining and escorting polling parties in violence-hit pockets where Maoists may have buried landmines in bulk.

‘These mongrels are tougher and sharper than labradors and alsatians that are favoured traditionally in India as sniffer dogs,’ Nayak said.

‘I found these street dogs more handy for police in thickly forested, Maoist-infested, difficult terrain as they can survive in high temperatures and walk up to 25 km on foot a day while labradors and alsatians are sensitive to climate.’

Brigadier (Retd) B.K. Ponwar, the CTJWC director, said: ‘Our mongrels are making their poll assignment debut in this elections, they will be deployed in Bastar’s terror ground to ensure safety. They will alert cops in case explosives are kept under the ground surface so that the democratic process takes place in right earnest.’

The state has 11 Lok Sabha seats that go to the polls in the first phase – April 16 – and police have a tough task ahead, especially in the backdrop of large-scale violence in the November assembly polls.

The CTJWC that trains policemen to ‘take on guerrillas like a guerrilla’ had for the first time in India picked up four puppies from roadside locations and made them graduate in 2008 to replace elite alsatians and labrador sniffer dogs.

Ponwar remarked, ‘There is always a big gamble for the security forces taking labradors and alsatians to thick forested areas like Bastar where you can’t come out of the war zone for three to four days because they have a lot of veterinary problems.

‘But street dogs hardly fall sick and can walk long distances in jungle terrain plus they are low maintenance and entail no purchase cost whereas one labradors or alsatians cost about Rs.85,000 each.’

Tags: alsatians, counter terrorism, dogged determination, explosive detection, forested terrain, ground surface, guerrillas, high temperatures, jungle warfare, Kareena, Labradors, maoist, maoist rebels, maoists, mongrels, poll boycott, poll duty, sniffer dogs, street dogs, time in india
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A R Rahman to soon knock on Airtel digital TV customers’ door

New Delhi, Feb 27 (ANI/Business Wire India): Bharti Airtel Limited today announced a mega promotion for its DTH service – digitalTV – offering its customers the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a chance to bring home A R Rahman, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir.

In addition, customers stand a chance to win a number of other exciting prizes. The offer is valid till May 31.

Announcing this offer, Deepak Srivastava, CEO – DTH, Bharti Airtel, said, “Airtel digitalTV has redefined the digital home entertainment experience in the country, bringing in many firsts like a Universal Remote for operating both the set top box and TV and the only MPEG4 standard with DVB S2 technology that gives exceptional picture clarity and consistently high quality audio. With this unique offer, we are giving our customers a never-before opportunity to bring home their favourite stars and thousands of other exciting prizes – and to experience magical entertainment at home.”

All that a participant needs to do is to buy a digitalTV from Airtel, send an SMS to 53030 with the message ‘digitaltv’ followed by space and the Consumer ID number. In response, an SMS will be sent to the customer to complete the slogan, “I love ‘digitalTV’ because.” The entry will be complete once the slogan is filled out and sent back to 53030. An eminent jury will then examine the completed entries and choose the winners periodically. This offer is open to customers across the country, except in Tamil Nadu.

The Airtel digitalTV service is available across the country and is supported by 24×7 customer care available in 8 different languages and a team of 800 professionally trained service engineers.

Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is Asia’s leading integrated telecom services provider with operations in India and Sri Lanka with an aggregate of over 91 million customers as of end of January 2009, consisting of 88.38 million mobile customers. Bharti Airtel Limited has been voted as India’s most innovative company, in a survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal. (ANI)

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‘FICCI frames 2009′ underway in Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 18 (ANI): The Asia’s largest convention on the business of entertainment ‘FICCI frames 2009′ is currently underway in Mumbai.

The three-day long convention is a forum, which gives a chance for leading names from media and entertainment industry to share a common platform with government representatives.

Host of Bollywood’s most popular filmmakers and actors like Yash Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Priety Zinta, Shilpa Shetty were seen attending this gala event.

Lifetime achievement ward was given to Danny Glover, an African American character actor.

Glover said that he was proud to be in the company of greatest actors of the world.

“I am absolutely excited and proud to accept this award. I get a chance to be in the company of the artists here. And here I certainly want to mention the name of Amitabh Bachchan, one of the great actors of the world,” said Glover.

Amitabh Bachchan on other hand thanked FICCI for making the world understand Indian cinema better.

“I would like to give FICCI a great deal of importance for joining hands with the Indian film industry and helping us make the world understand our profession,” said Bachchan.

This year FICCI Frames expects nearly 2000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates from the media and entertainment industry. It will cover the entire gamut of media and entertainment like films, TV, radio, digital entertainment, animation, gaming and visual effects. (ANI)

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Shah Rukh Khan’s house attacked

Shah Rukh Khan’s house attacked

Two motorcycle-borne miscreants hurled a bottle of kerosene at actor Shah Rukh Khan’s Bandra residence, Mannat, at around 2.30 am on Friday. Nobody was injured.

Security personnel at Khan’s bungalow were unable to note the registration number of the bike in the darkness. A complaint was lodged at the Bandra police station.

According to reports, a fundamentalist group was upset with the use of certain words in the song, Marjaani, marjaani, featuring Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the film Billu.

On Friday morning a group of protesters gathered outside Bandra’s G-7 cinema complex, where Billu was being screened, and broke glass panes and tore away posters.

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Saree Made Easy

Saree Made Easy

Hooked and sorted So what exactly is a ready-to-wear garment? These are saris that you have to slip into and hook them on the right and left. There are some with inbuilt petticoats too. Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova wearing an Indian sari looks on during a press conference at a resort near Lonavala 150 kilometers northeast of Bombay, India. (AP Photo)

There are also poncho saris that are worn by putting one’s neck through it. A ready-to-wear lungi has to be hooked on both sides while a dhoti can easily be worn like a trouser. Bipasha Basu poses during a photo call for the film ‘Get Set Goal’, at the 60th International film festival in Cannes, southern France. (AP Photo)“It’s not just lack of time but the skills too that has led to the popularity of these structured saris. Shaina NC who has been selling such saris for the past five years now, says, “These saris make the body look shapely and slim.” Sushmita Sen displays a creation by Indian designer Gazala during a fashion show, in Bombay, India. (AP Photo)Designer Puja Nayyar customises them to sculpt the body. “When people come, I make arrangements for the sari to be held at the shoulders and the pleats are picked, the dhoti and the lungi detailed.” Lara Dutta poses during the welcome reception for the start of the 2001 Miss Universe contest, in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. (AP Photo)Lal, the manager of Chhabbra 555, ethnic fashion store says that the concept of a sari lehenga is in vogue. This is an outfit which has a skirt and a pallaattached to it which is simply tucked in and then draped. Kareena Kapoor and Sridevi, smile as they arrive to attend a function to celebrate 75 years of Lux into Indian Market, in Bombay, India. (AP Photo)

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Actress Talk – Enviable bods who trust yoga

Enviable bods who trust yoga

Are you finding it difficult to cope up with the everyday stress? ‘Yoga’ could be your path to nirvana. Yoga is a way of life and is not bound to any religion, which makes it all the more popular. Here is a look at some of the famous celebs, both in Bollywood and Hollywood who endorses ‘Yoga’.Yoga is Shilpa Shetty’s fitness mantra. An avid fan, she agrees that yoga is a holistic approach to life. She says that it strengthens, tones and cures, both the mind and the body. May be that is why she cut instructional videos on yoga to ensure that it reaches out to the masses, especially in the US and UK. Who does not long for a figure like Shilpa’s? In photo: Actress Shilpa Shetty attends the UK premiere of ‘Life In A Metro’, at the Empire Leicester Square on May 8, 2007 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)Kareena turns to yoga for relaxation and that perfectly toned figure. An exponent of the power yoga, Kareena, practices a hybrid East-meets-West routine where stress is laid on flexibility and functional training. In photo: Kareena Kapoor walks the red carpet at the opening of the International Indian Film Academy awards at the Amsterdam Arena on June 11, 2005 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Dutch glittering awards ceremony, dubbed the Oscars of Bollywood, honours achievements of the Indian film industry and of Asians in World Cinema. (Photo :Getty Images)Mallika Sherawat flaunts a perfect figure and she credits yoga for it. A yoga freak, she goes all out to promote it too. In photo: Actress Mallika Sherawat poses for a portrait while promoting the film ‘The Myth’ at the Toronto International Film Festival September 16, 2005 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo:Getty Images)Ash, too is a person who finds time to stick to her yoga schedule even if she misses out on her regular workouts. In photo: Actress Aishwarya Rai arrives for the premiere of Miramax’s ‘Bride And Prejudice’ February 9, 2005 in New York City. (Photo:Getty Images)Katrina Kaif, is a self confessed fitness freak. She practices power yoga too. Despite her busy schedule, she follows a stringent work out regime and says that she never misses out on her yoga sessions. In photo: Katrina Kaif attends a fundraising fashion show in aid of the IIFA Foundation Charity, part of the International Indian Film Academy Awards, celebrating the Indian film industry on June 15, 2006 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Winners receive a trophy depicting the sun, with two rays coming together to symbolise the coming together of Indian and World cinema. (Photo: Getty Images)Kangana Ranaut is among those celebs who never misses out too. She says that she never misses out on pranayam and meditation which forms a part of yoga regime and helps her keep trim. In photo: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut presents a creation by Indian designers Prriya & Chintans at the Wills India Fashion Week, Spring Summer 2008, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007. (AP Photo)The famous model Christy Turlington is an yoga freak too. This enterprising model came out with her own book, Living Yoga: Creating A Life Practice. She also models for an ayurvedic skincare line as well as yoga-wear line. In photo: Christy Turlington and Edward Burns arrive at Chanel Fine Jewelry’s ‘Night of Diamonds’ dinner at The Plaza Hotel on January 16, 2008 in New York City. (Photo: Getty Images)Madonna too turns to yoga to keep fit. An exponent of the Ashtanga yoga, which is all about dynamic movements and transitions between the postures, she feels yoga is a metaphor for life itself. In photo:Madonna performs during her ‘Sticky & Sweet’ tour at Boardwalk Hall on November 22, 2008 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo: Getty Images)Reese Witherspoon loves yoga. Even though she says that she does not spend too much time on it, she is one of those people who would never miss out on a day’s session. In photo: Actress Reese Witherspoon arrives on the red carpet of the Los Angeles Premiere of ‘Four Christmases’ held at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater on November 20, 2008 in Hollywood, California. (Photo: Getty Images)Jennifer Aniston, has time and again said that yoga has helped her get over her split with Brad Pitt, in addition to giving her that fabulous body. She was among the first to join the bandwagon when Hollywood started going the yoga way. In photo: Actress Jennifer Aniston arrives for a special screening of ‘The Break-Up’ on June 12, 2006 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo :Getty Images)Meg Ryan took up yoga to help her regain a focus on life as well as to keep fit. Meg Ryan has always been a step ahead to educate others about yoga through different interviews she has given. In photo: Actress Meg Ryan attends a photocall for ‘The Women’ at the Hotel de Rome on November 26, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo :Getty Images)Yoga, according to Gwyneth Paltrow, has helped her rediscover her ‘inner woman’. It gives her ample relaxation and that perfect body. In photo: Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, wearing Chopard necklace and earrings, arrives to attend the ‘Two Lovers’ premiere on November 04, 2008 in Paris, France. (Photo: Getty Images)A trendsetter of sorts, Uma Thurman, practices a different style of yoga called the ‘Hatha Yoga’. And she hits the news for doing it when ever she can find time. In photo: Actress Uma Thurman attends the opening of the new Jivamukti Yoga School on May 17, 2006 in New York City. (Photo: Getty Images)Have you dreamed of having a figure like Charlize? The secret is yoga here too. And for Charlize, it is a way of life and something she never shies away from it. In photo: Actress Charlize Theron attends the 5th Anniversary of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund at Skylight Studios on November 17, 2008 in New York City. (Photo: Getty Images)Ashley Judd took to yoga to fight off the blues, and then, she was hooked. She finds time for yoga in her busy schedule. In photo: Actress Ashley Judd attends the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2009 in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Getty Images)

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Noted environmentalist Erin Brokovich felicitates Kareena Kapoor

Mumbai, Feb 7 (ANI): Renowned environmental activist Erin Brokovich presented Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor with an award for her contribution to art and cinema.

She said that it was indeed an honour to receive the award from none other than Erin Brokovich, an American legal clerk, who was well portrayed by Hollywood’s Julia Roberts in the film ‘Erin’.

Speaking to the media, the candid young lady sent a message out to the youth that one should have faith in oneself to achieve new heights.

“I think this is a great honour that they have chosen me for this award, but it definitely gives me a lot of strength and confidence to continue to do what I have always done which is believe in my heart and believe in myself and of course my dreams. I tell the entire youth of this country that follow your heart and follow your dreams because that makes you achieve what you actually want to,” said Kapoor.

Interestingly, Kapoor seems to be happy with the fact that women in India are now making it to the top.

Congress Party Chief Sonia Gandhi has been listed as one of the most powerful women of the world, has found a new admirer in Kapoor.

With time she has proved her mettle and earned accolades for her character role in films like ‘Chameli’. She won the first Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in ‘Jab We Met’.(ANI)

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Preity Zinta reported to be bowled over by Aussie cricketer

Mumbai, Jan. 18 (ANI): Bollywood beauty Preity Zinta, who owns IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab, has been bowled over by the Aussie star, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The player’s partner is aware of the hot gossip and is said to be furious.

But according to a realbollywood.com report, Preity and her beau Ness Wadia were in Canada on a holiday.

But unlike other B-Town couples like Saif-Kareena, Ranbir-Deepika and even Abhishek-Aishwarya, they are not all over the place and keep quite a low profile.

In fact many don’t even know where the bubbly actress celebrated New Year’s Eve! The buzz is that she brought in the New Year with her long time boyfriend in Canada. There both had gone skiing there to make the trip all the more romantic.

That’s not all. She has hired a trainer recently to get a better figure. She is also keeping a watch on her diet. She has already lost lots of weight and is looking stunning. (ANI)

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I don’t want to be ‘Size zero’ anymore: Kareena

In her next release Kambhakt Ishq Kareena plays a surgeon who moonlights as a super-model.

A surgeon who’s a super-model? Sounds like a deadly combination.

“Yeah my character flies to Italy to become a super-model to support herself financially. I didn’t want to play the character looking like an international model because she’s basically in another profession.

So she can’t really have the figure of Victoria Beckham, can she? I had to look more filled up. Again, for my next release Mr & Mrs Khanna with Salman I play a wife.

So I wanted to look more filled up. Not that wives can’t be curvaceous. The one I played in Golmaal Returns certainly was.”

For her forthcoming films Size 0 is out. No more international anorexic looks for her. Kareena Kapoor is down to a healthy normal desi girl’s model-like figure.

Reason? “My forthcoming releases required me to get back to a fuller shape.

Now Kareena has decided to hold steady with her new weight. “I weigh 54 kgs now, which for a girl my height is quite fine. People used to wonder what ‘Size 0? is and I’d joke, ‘Just look at me’. I don’t want that anymore. I want to look like a nice normal healthy girl.”

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Saif Ali Khan: I will marry Kareena Kapoor ‘very shortly’

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who dumped girlfriend Rosa Catalano for Kareena Kapoor in 2007, says he will marry his new found love “very shortly.” Kareena is all set to visit Saif’s parents in his ancestral village in Pataudi, Haryana, shortly.

Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, who dumped girlfriend Rosa Catalano for Kareena Kapoor in 2007, says he will marry his new found love “very shortly.” Kareena is all set to visit Saif’s parents in his ancestral village in Pataudi, Haryana, shortly.

“This relationship is ‘IT’ for me,” Khan told IANS. “Today I feel very settled and very happy, though a bit lonely. And when I’ve bad days, I feel I’m being ungrateful.”

“I’m now looking forward to settling down with Kareena. Our marriage will happen very shortly as soon as we both have a little less work on hand and we can give the marriage quality time. Also, her family has to be ready for our marriage,” he added.

Khan married actress Amrita Singh in October 1991 but separated after thirteen years of marriage and two children, a daughter named Sara and a son named Ibrahim.

Khan began dating Rosa Catalano shortly after he divorced Amrita in 2004.

Talking about Kareena’s visit to Pataudi, Khan said, “Yes, Kareena has been invited to Pataudi. It’d have been earlier, but it was too hot. Winter is when our family reunions happen every year and Kareena is now part of the family. My parents are extremely fond of Kareena.”

- IANS

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