Abhishek will make a great Paa – Aishwarya Rai br/

New Delhi, Aishwarya Rai says she is fully convinced that actor-husband Abhishek Bachchan will make a good father in real life because he is so “real and rooted”.

“Everybody has been asking me if Abhishek will be a good pa (father) in connection with the release of our forthcoming production ‘Paa’. I think it’s silly for me to be even making the statement. It’s given – I married the man. So obviously I have the conviction in the husband he is or the father he will be,” Aishwarya, 36, told IANS in an interview here.

Asked about Abhishek’s qualities that would make him a good father, Aishwarya laughed and said: “He is very real, very rooted and very human – which I absolutely relate to. His values are evident for everybody to see. We have known each other for so many years.

“I’ve seen him with his niece and nephew since the time they were babies. He is so great with kids and I’ve seen that for the longest time with (his sister Shweta’s children) Navya (Naveli) and Agastya. I have no doubts on him whatsoever.”

Aishwarya, who will be seen with Abhishek in “Ravana”, was in the capital Monday to launch the Longines PrimaLuna, a new watch range inspired by the moon and galaxy.

Sporting a sleek piece herself that matched with an elaborate yet elegant black and cream off-shoulder gown, Aishwarya was at peace talking about her personal life.

Asked whether she would want a daughter or a son, she said: “Come on…Aren’t you like moving at a really fast pace…! Whatever god has in store for us in life (will come)… Life itself is a blessing, let alone to have opportunity to be able to bring a life into this world.

“It’s really not in our hands …it’s in god’s hands. I hope I am just blessed with that experience, I am really looking forward to it and we will certainly cherish it,” she added.

Her mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan is a member of the Samajwadi Party, but Aishwarya is doubtful if she will ever head in that direction.

“Life has been so full – haven’t even thought about it (entering politics). My life is evidently extremely full in terms of the amount of responsibilities and experiences I am currently having.

“And I believe, anything you take, you have to be able to commit to and give a lot of yourself to. And I think at this point, life is full and that’s what I am giving (my best) to,” she said.

On the work front, the former beauty queen is busy with big ticket projects such as Mani Ratnam’s “Ravana”, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Guzaarish”, Rajnikant starrer “Endhiran” and Vipul Shah’s “Action Replay”.

The actress is likely to feature as Mumtaz Mahal with acclaimed Hollywood actor Ben Kingsley in “Taj”, which is based on Taj Mahal.

“After ‘The Last Legion’, Sir Ben and I were keen to work together in another project. He has now come with the final draft and he has just sent it over to me. Once we agree on everything, we will take the project forward. He will start scouting for the locations soon,” she said.

For now, Aishwarya is looking forward to AB Corp’s “Paa”, which features her father-in-law, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, and Abhishek. The film releases Friday.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Bhansali bends rules for Aishwarya Rai br/

Mumbai, Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known to be a stickler for strict schedules during filming, but he is voluntarily giving Aishwarya Rai a few days break from the shooting of “Guzaarish” so that she can attend the premiere of “Paa” that has her husband and father-in-law in lead roles.

“It’s no big deal. Adjusting my schedule is the least I can do for someone who has been a dear friend for many years. But this was not done for Aishwarya. It was for ‘Paa’ and Amitji. It’s a very special moment for the family,” Bhansali told IANS.

Releasing Friday, “Paa” is produced by AB Corp. The film is about a father-son-son-father relationship – while Abhishek Bachchan plays a politician, Amitabh will be seen as his 13-year-old son suffering from progeria, a disease that accelerates the ageing process.

While Aishwarya will play a perfect host at the “Paa” premeire Dec 3 here, Bhansali will shoot solo scenes with the film’s leading man Hrithik Roshan.

“Aishwarya is not just Sanjay’s leading lady. After doing three films together, they are family. Sanjay saw how stressed Aishawarya was trying to balance her tight schedules for ‘Guzaarish’ with the time required to pitch in with real-life pa for ‘Paa’.

“In fact, Mr. Bachchan has been running around alone inviting the film fraternity for the premiere on December 3 since Abhishek has been shooting non-stop in Goa for Ashutosh Gowariker and Jayaji is in Delhi attending parliament,” said a friend of Bhansali and Aishwarya.

“When she expressed her helplessness about not being available for Amitji to make arrangements for the premiere, Sanjay made up his mind to give her those crucial days on and before the premiere off, although it meant considerable schedule adjustment on his part,” added the friend.

Aishwarya has been juggling her “Guzaarish” schedule with her duties as a hostess for family events to the best of her abilities. On Saturday evening she was present as an integral part of the Bachchan family with husband Abhishek, sister-in-law Shweta and the Big’s B bother Ajitabh Bachchan’s kids for a poetry reading on Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s birth anniversary.

“She had little time to prepare her poems. But she recited Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s lines like a true Bachchan,” said a close friend of Aishwarya.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Bollywood’s married actresses a hit in ad world br/

New Delhi, Bollywood may not be kind to married actresses, but they sure have a special place in the ad world. Their marital status helps these heroines sell a host of goods, especially household products like soaps, biscuits and washing machines.

While Kajol is the brand ambassador of products like Knorr Soups, Olay cream, Alpenliebe candy and Whirlpool appliances, Juhi Chawla has Kurkure snacks, Ashoka pickles and soft drink Rooh Afza in her kitty.

Karisma Kapoor endorses products like Khaitan Fans, Shaktibhog flour and Priyagold biscuits. Then there is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who boasts of a glitzy lineup of products like Lux soaps, L’Oreal beauty products and Longines watches.

So what makes married actresses a hot favourite in the advertising world?

“Once married, Hindi film actresses stop being alluring and being part of the average Indian male’s dreams. People do not expect married actresses to run around trees. But they continue to enjoy a certain nostalgic relationship in the minds of the audience,” Sai Nagesh, chief growth officer of Dentsu Media India, told IANS.

“In the hugely cluttered media platforms, a married actress endorsing a brand does get that extra attention from the audience – a curious but extra glance.”

Sonali Bendre, 34, who endorses Pril soap, Surya bulbs and tubes and Omega watches among others, was recently taken on board as the brand ambassador of the health brand Dr. Morepen.

“Sonali is a perfect example of an Indian woman handling brilliantly both professional and personal duties with ease, an aspiration for every Indian woman…She has a universal appeal that extends to everyone across age groups,” said Sushil Suri, chairman and managing director, Morepen Labs.

“We believe her endorsement of Dr.Morepen will go a long way in reinforcing the attributes of the brand and reiterate the position of ‘Dr.Morepen.”

The actresses themselves often prefer advertisements to full-fledged films as the former are less time consuming.

“It’s just that I like to do things when the time is right according to me. When I was full-fledged into films, I didn’t have time to do endorsements. And now I have a little time on my hands and I have realised that ads don’t take a lot of time…That’s why I am more open to them now,” Kajol was once quoted as saying.

In terms of money too, ads are not a bad idea. Industry sources reveal that actresses are being paid anywhere between Rs.8 million and Rs.20 million depending upon their popularity and number of personal appearances to promote it.

According to media estimates, Aishwarya takes home nearly Rs.1 billion from advertising assignments annually.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Ben Kingsley’s wife might team up with Aishwarya Rai in Taj br/

Panaji, (BollywoodWorld.com) Actress Aishwarya Rai might be pitted against Ben Kingsley’s wife Daniela Lavender in his dream project “Taj”, a film about Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his quest to build the Taj Mahal.

“Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play Mumtaz in the movie, if she approves the script and loves it. Daniela would be playing Kandahari Begum, Shah Jahan’s first wife in the film,” Kingsley told reporters in Panaji Monday.

The actor, who is here as guest of honour for the 40th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), said he will play the emperor in the film.

But he feels that making “Taj” won’t be easy.

“I suppose it’s very foolish or very brave attempt to do a movie on Shah Jahan. If I can show him in a human way, if I can portray him as a man amongst us — I might be able to add to many explanations on how Taj was built,” Kingsley said.

He added that the script had arrived less than a week ago and that he would be scouting in India for funds for his $25 to $27 million project.

“During my few days in India, we have to raise funds. It’s not fully financed,” said Kingsley who drew accolades from the world over for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough’s highly acclaimed film “Gandhi”.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Rising rumours can damage my relationship with Aishwarya Rai – Vipul Shah br/

New Delhi, (BollywoodWorld.com) Filmmaker Vipul Shah says he is worried about his friendship with Aishwarya Rai who is working in his film “Action Replay” as people are making “systematic attempts to destroy” their relationship.

“Aishwarya is a very respectable professional. It hurts to see how her sheer hard work is ridiculed to build one spicy story by the media. She has been a soft target. And the sort of rumours rising now can damage my relationship with her. She has been my friend for a long time and I am afraid I will have a fallout with her,” Shah told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

“There are certain people who are making systematic attempts to destroy my relationship with Aishwarya. There are gossip mongers who are spreading baseless rumours that she has refused to dub for ‘Action Replay’ after seeing the rushes. But none of this is true,” he added.

Shah gives three reasons to prove that all the rumours are baseless.

“Firstly, when the shooting of the film has not been completed, where’s the question of the rushes and dubbing? Secondly, I haven’t even seen the ‘edit’ of the film. After the shoot completes, it will take at least two and a half months to put it in order for a final cut; so there is no need for dubbing at the moment.

“And lastly, ‘Action Replay’ is in sync sound, so dubbing is totally out of the question. Besides, I have been busy for ‘London Dreams’; Aishwarya has been busy shooting ‘Ravana’ and ‘Guzaarish’. She has been travelling a lot so we didn’t even have time to take ‘Action Replay’ forward. What is the logic behind these rumours then?” he added.

This apart, there were also rumours that Aishwarya had repeatedly rejected one of music composer Pritam Chakraborty’s song for the film. But Shah denies it.

“It was I who had rejected Pritam’s song thrice, not Aishwarya. The song was for her entry in the film and I wanted to crack a big song. I never allow my actors to my music recording studio – then from where have these rumours come out from?” he asked in an agitated tone.

Shah, who made hits like “Singh Is Kinng” and “Namastey London”, is yet to shoot the last leg of the movie, which also features actor Akshay Kumar and Neha Dhupia.

“The last schedule of the film is still pending. We have planned to shoot it in December or January. Currently I am doing the recce for the locations,” he said.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya made goodwill ambassador of Smile Train NGO on birthday br/

New Delhi, (BollywoodWorld.com) On her 36th birthday Sunday, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai has been named the first goodwill ambassador for Smile Train, a charity that works worldwide for children with cleft lip.

The former Miss World has partnered with the NGO, in association with her own charity – Aishwarya Rai Foundation – and will spread awareness and garner resources to help the movement, said a press release.

“God has given me plenty of reasons to smile and I feel it’s time to spread it around. There are a lot of children out there who so desperately need help, but can’t receive timely care because their families cannot afford this surgery or are ill-educated about this condition.

“Working with Smile Train, if I can make a difference in their lives, it will certainly make me feel honoured and blessed,” Aishwarya said.

As the goodwill ambassador, Aishwarya will actively work to help Smile Train provide free cleft surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world, including India.

According to information provided by the NGO, over one million children await cleft surgery in India alone, and currently only 50 percent children born with cleft in India get the medical assistance required. And Smile Train officials feel Aishwarya will be of immense help in taking forward their movement globally.

“Aishwarya’s universal appeal and star power will be a priceless asset to our organisation, and we consider it a great privilege to have her represent our organisation,” Smile Train president Brian Mullaney said.

“Her poise, intelligence and dedication to our mission will catapult the work that we do to new and exciting heights. Since she is a global superstar, it makes her the perfect representative for our global organisation. There is no corner of the world where she isn’t known, and in each of those corners, there is a Smile Train hospital that is helping kids every day of the year,” he added.

The rising concern for kids born with a cleft was raised worldwide through Smile Train’s recent Oscar-winning movie “Smile Pinki”. The 39-minute documentary made by Megan Mylan shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. It was made in Hindi and Bhojpuri and won the 81st Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya turned down reality show over film commitments br/

Mumbai, Actress Aishwarya Rai, who was supposed to feature on Sony TV’s reality show “Dance Premier League”, couldn’t accept the offer due to her packed schedule and not on account of money issues, her publicist said Tuesday.

“A recent news story issued by a channel suggested Aishwarya Rai was ousted by Madhuri Dixit for one of their reality shows, citing money as an issue. We would wish to clarify that this is an act of fiction, fact being that Aishwarya, who is known to be a thorough professional, had to refuse the show on account of her commitment to films,” her publicist said in a press statement.

The show is now being judged by Rani Mukerji along with dance guru Shiamak Davar.

Aishwarya is currently busy shooting Sanjay Leela’s “Guzaarish”.

“Her movies like ‘Endhiran’, ‘Action Replay’ and ‘Ravana’ are all nearing completion, so the subject of money and costing never did arise as discussions did not go beyond schedules and dates.

“The proposal had come to Aishwarya through the Moranis (the show producers) and even Shiamak pushed Aishwarya to do the show, but the dates could just not be worked out,” said the publicist.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Ashutosh never discussed “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se” with me: Aishwarya br/

New Delhi, Aishwarya Rai has refuted rumours that she was to play the female lead opposite her husband Abhishek Bachchan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s next “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se”. The actress says that the director knew about her packed schedule and the discussion never took place.

Recent media reports suggested that Aishwarya was to play the lead role before Asin was finalised for the film opposite actor Abhishek. But both – the actress and filmmaker – deny it.

“I don’t have the dates right now as my schedule diary is super packed. This film (‘Khelein Hum…’) starts next month. So there never was that possibility,” Aishwarya, who played Rajput princess Jodhabai in Gowariker’s historical epic “Jodhaa Akbar”, told IANS.

“And since Ashu (Ashutosh Gowariker) is a close friend and his main lead is my husband, they obviously knew it. So the discussion didn’t even arise,” she added.

Gowariker confirmed it saying: “I had not approached her (Aishwarya) for ‘Khelein Hum…’. Aishwarya, for me, belongs to a fairytale. She is a quintessential princess and by far one of the finest actresses we have.

“But we need to plan things in advance. She is extremely professional and hence I would never like to upset her schedules in any way. I’m very happy with the coming together of Abhishek and Asin.”

“Khelein Hum…” will feature Abhishek as freedom fighter Surya Sen, who was the chief architect of anti-British freedom movement in Chittagong, now in Bangladesh.

This will be Gowariker’s second period film after “Lagaan”.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya Rai down with chest infection br/

New Delhi, Actress Aishwarya Rai is down with a “chest infection” and “flu-like symptoms” and her father-in-law, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, is worried.

“Aishwarya has taken ill and is down with chest infection and flu like symptoms. She had a high fever yesterday, but is settling down today,” he posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com Saturday from Singapore.

“It’s worrying to be so far away from children and not be there to look after them. Yes, they are mature and married and responsible, but children will always remain children,” he added. Aishwarya is married to Bachchan’s son Abhishek.

The 66-year-old veteran is in Singapore to look after his friend and Samajwadi Party chief Amar Singh, who underwent medical treatment there.

“I stay back till he (Amar Singh) is sound enough to travel back,” he wrote.

Apparently Bachchan also is suffering from a “strained back”.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya happy with two mega southern projects br/

Chennai, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai is elated over bagging the main leads in two mega south Indian projects – Mani Ratnam’s “Ravan” and Shankar’s “Endhiran”.

“Shankar had approached me previously to work with him, but it never materialised. Finally, everything landed in place and here we are working together after 10 years,” said Aishwarya on the sets of “Ravan”.

Tamil superstar Rajinikant, who is playing the male lead in “Endhiran”, was also very keen to work with Aishwarya and had tried to sign her for his earlier ventures – “Padaiyappa” and “Chandramukhi”, but the actress could not spare the dates.

Speaking about Ratnam’s “Ravan”, in which she once again teams up with her husband Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya said: “I don’t want to reveal much about it. Working with Mani is always a delight. He is a man of perfection. I am lucky to act in his movies again and again.”

Aishwarya was earlier seen in Ratnam’s “Iruvar” and “Guru”, in which Abhishek was in the main lead.

While shooting for “Ravan” in the jungles of Kerala, the entire cast and crew had a scary experience when an elephant ran amok and killed 51-year-old mahout Andavan.

The actors including Abhishek, Aishwarya, Vikram, Prabhu and Munna had to take shelter in a guest house.

According to sources, the film personalities spent the night in the forest guest house and survived on bread and eggs. After 12 hours of tension and waiting, the crew returned to their hotel.

Now the cast and crew of “Ravan” has moved to Ooty where the remaining portions of the film will be shot.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Beware gossip-mongers, celebrities will take you to court br/

New Delhi, There are stories and rumours galore about film stars, but celebrities are no longer willing to tolerate gossip that will affect their relationships. Many like Aishwarya Rai, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar have threatened legal action to stop gossip-mongers from spreading false news about their personal lives.

Recently an article titled, “Career more important than family”, published by a website infuriated Aishwarya so much that she issued a statement saying she would take legal action against those who are spreading rumours about her.

According to Archana Sadanand of Imagesmiths, who handles the publicity for Aishwarya, a celebrity’s life is in the public domain but circulating untrue statements about them affects their personal lives.

“Yes, a celebrity’s life is there in the public domain but writing things that are untrue and attributing false statements to them affect their personal lives and in such cases the best way out is legal recourse,” Archana told IANS.

“A rumour is a rumour until it takes the shape of newsprint or media space… when we authenticate any such information by broadcasting, we in a way are adding to our readership or viewership.

“But we seem to forget that a life, a person is attached to such rumours and in most cases these rumours have a snowball effect,” said Archana, whose client list also includes big names like Akshay Kumar and Imran Khan.

In the past actors like Saif Ali Khan and Akshay too have threatened legal action against gossip-mongers.

Saif was at the receiving end when The New York Post reported that he had thrown attitude in a local bar and was thrown out. He then threatened to take the newspaper to court.

“I’m considering taking legal action against the paper. The article is slanderous and completely baseless,” Saif, who was shooting for Siddharth Anand’s “Tara Rum Pum” then, had said.

Akshay too decided to act against those spreading rumours of a discord in his married life with Twinkle Khanna.

Akshay and Twinkle’s spokesperson released a statement that said: “They will not stand for false and malicious reporting by any publication any more. They have sent a legal notice to the publication concerned for the false report that they published on July 24, 2007, and they will take them to court.”

Akshay also threatened to sue a British tabloid for giving false “details” of his and ex-girlfriend Shilpa Shetty’s personal lives. It was published soon after Shilpa won British reality TV show “Celebrity Big Brother” in 2007.

“I will never talk about a lady in those terms, this is totally baseless, I’ve never spoken to the said newspaper and I will seek legal recourse,” Akshay was quoted as saying that time.

Said Rajnigandha Shekhawat, another publicist: “Rumours can take a completely nasty turn sometimes with absolutely no bearing on the truth… I think it’s fair if the actors threaten to sue.”

“However, rumour-mongering is a big part of a celebrity’s life and most of them are now aware that there is no escaping it,” said Rajnigandha, whose clients include Shahid Kapoor, Sonal Chauhan, Vir Das and Purab Kohli.

Even southern actors have come down heavily on people circulating false news.

Recently, when Tamil actress Trisha was accused of entering into an unsavoury argument with former India cricketer Hemang Badani at a hotel, she issued a stern denial and said that certain “vested interests” have been spreading rumours about her.

“I won’t keep mum from now onwards. Whosoever writes or says anything bad about me, I won’t mind taking them to court,” she had said.

Many feel that stars seek legal help not just to safeguard their personal lives but also to protect their image.

“Actors survive on image, it’s their bread and butter. So how can they take somebody trying to tarnish it so lightly? And in the clutter today, image has become more important…It’s part of the marketing strategy of celebrities,” said Neelam Gupta, who handles the publicity of singer Sukhwinder among others.

But rumours about stars have always done the rounds. So are celebrities becoming more impatient now?

“I don’t agree. I’ve heard of stars in the 1980s going and beating up editors of film magazines! That’s something I haven’t heard of in recent years,” said Rajnigandha.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Film shoot disrupted by wild elephant to resume Friday br/

Thiruvananthapuram, The shooting of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai starrer “Raavan”, disrupted when an elephant ran amok in the jungle where it is being shot, will resume Friday, cinematographer Santosh Sivan said here Thursday.

“We will resume shooting tomorrow (Friday),” Sivan told IANS.

The tusker, whose name is Kunju, killed 51-year-old mahout Andavan. After the incident, the road at nearby Athirapally forest was blocked and the cast and crew of Mani Ratnam’s film could not return to their hotel.

“We didn’t see much since we were shooting on the other side of the bridge… so we couldn’t cross over… we had to stop shooting, but I didn’t see anything except the confusion. We had to spend a few hours in a guest house in the forest,” said Sivan.

Neither the actors nor any crew member of the film was injured.

Later the elephant was chained and tranquilised by veterinary doctors.

Besides Abhishek and Aishwarya, “Raavan” also stars Vikram, Govinda and Manisha Koirala. It is being made in Hindi and Tamil simultaneously.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Hollywood make-up artist makes Aishwarya look old br/

Mumbai, From a glam girl to historical character — Bollywood screen diva Aishwarya Rai has played a variety of roles. Now for “Action Replay” she will don the look of an old woman and director Vipul Shah says he hired a Hollywood make-up artist to get the right make up on her face.

If certain media reports are to be believed, Aishwarya threw tantrums about getting her make-up done by someone other than her own make-up man, but Shah says otherwise.

“Ash did her old age make up with Paul, a Hollywood make-up artist. When we did it the first time, it didn’t work out well. When you are doing age make-up, you can’t correct it so it had to be removed fully and done again,” said Shah in a statement.

The filmmaker, who has made movies like “Waqt – The Race Against Time” and “Singh Is Kinng”, says the actress shot the scenes patiently.

“It took us six hours to get her look right. We started shooting at three in the morning and the shooting went on till 7 a.m.,” he said.

“Action Replay” also stars Akshay Kumar. The story progresses backwards in time.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya Rai to crack down on ‘false’ write ups about her br/

Mumbai, Upset over “fabricated” media stories about her private life, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has threatened legal action against those responsible, a statement issued by her publicist said Thursday.

“Certain sections of the press have been behaving in a callous manner and have been putting together articles or pieces without any semblance of truth and furthermore they have been attributing quotes to the actor which are baseless and false. Previously our client preferred to remain silent to let better sense prevail be it the news when she was married off to a tree or otherwise. This silence should not be misconstrued as a weakness,” the statement read.

The statement was issued to counter an article titled “Career more important than family” by a website where one of the quotes attributed to the actress read: “If I want to remain in the film industry then I need to stay fit”, that implied that she will not have children. The article also stated that her actor-husband Abhishek Bachchan was in agreement with her stand.

“She is one actress who never made any statements that her marriage can wait and she will focus on her career. When she did, she got her family’s blessings and got married in the middle of a film and has been a thorough professional even after her wedding,” the statement said.

“We must not forget that besides being a star in every right Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is about a daughter, a wife, and a daughter in law, a symbol of our tradition and she has always believed and practiced values that govern our society. Irresponsible statements about her private life will not be left to grow without a strong rebuttal,” it added.

The statement also warned of strict legal action against those behind such stories about the 35-year-old.

“This may be read and understood in no uncertain terms that hence forth we would be forced to take legal recourse in any such event of a piece or article appearing without any credibility or which is an absolute fabrication of one’s imagination… We must respect Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for her stand to remain silent on such baseless rumors but it would be wrong to use her name to further a personal cause or career,” it read.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Imran Khan keen to work with Kareena, not Aishwarya br/

New Delhi, He is the latest heartthrob in tinsel town and there are many actresses who would love to be paired opposite him. But the two-film-old Imran Khan would rather share screen space with Kareena Kapoor than Aishwarya Rai.

“No,” said Imran when asked whether he is keen to work with former beauty queen-turned-actress Aishwarya. “I’m most keen to work with Kareena. Both of us shot for a chat show last week and I had great fun,” Imran told reporters here Thursday.

Dressed in a casual blue T-shirt and a tattered and torn pair of blue jeans, Imran was at his wittiest and generous best at an event to celebrate the success of FM Radio Mirchi’s show “18 Hamesha” along with RJ Stutee.

Imran, who also came here to promote his upcoming film “Luck”, not only hugged young girls but also 50 plus women when they screamed out his name in excitement and cheered every time he flashed a smile for the shutterbugs.

He even sang few lines of the hit song “Kabhi kabhi Aditi…” from his debut film “Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na” and did a jig on the song “Pappu can’t dance…” from the same movie on a special request by his young female fans. He also sang the original song “Jaane tu ya jaane na”.

Though Imran looked little embarrassed due to all the attention he was getting, he loved every bit of his interaction with the fans.

“I always love meeting my audiences and fans face-to-face and I love interacting with them at live events such as these. I feel I make fans for life,” Imran told IANS.

“Luck”, which releases July 24, also stars Imran’s childhood friend Shruthi Haasan who is debuting with the film. Apart from them, the action thriller, directed by Soham Shah of “Kaal” fame, has Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty and Ravi Kissen.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya Rai is today’s ‘dreamgirl’, says Hema Malini br/

Noida, For Bollywood’s original ‘dreamgirl’ Hema Malini, beauty queen-turned-actress Aishwarya Rai is the only one who deserves the ‘dreamgirl’ tag among all the new age actresses.

“Whoever is on top is the dreamgirl. I feel it is Aishwarya Rai,” Hema told reporters on being asked who, according to her, deserves to be called the ‘dreamgirl’ nowadays.

Taking about the hardships an actress has to face, she said: “An actress’ life is the same – nothing has changed. It is what it was even 20 years back. They have to work very hard, make themselves look beautiful and need a lot of dedication to remain at the top,” said Hema, who was in this suburb of the national capital Monday to felicitate winners of supermarket Big Bazaar’s ‘Meet The Dreamgirl’ contest.

Snubbing the whole idea of having a size zero figure, Hema said: “There’s no need (for a size zero figure). I was not a size zero. You must have a flat stomach – not a pot belly – and a nice and beautiful face – at least a tolerable face – and you can be an actress.”

Dressed in a pale yellow, elegant sari, the 60-year-old actress was at her forthright best when asked about her future projects.

“I’ve signed one or two (films) which are held up because of the financial problems in the whole world. Otherwise I would have finished those two and they would have released by now.”

“One is with Nana Patekar which Deepa Sahi is directing, and the other is with another producer. It is not right to expose everything about a film,” she said.

Another film that Hema is working on is “Ek Thi Rani Aisi Bhi” – in which she will play a role based on the life of prominent political figure Vijayaraje Scindia.

Hema, who has delivered hits like “Seeta Aur Geeta”, “Satte Pe Satta”, and “Sholay” in the past, is also toying with the idea of getting into production and returning to direction after almost 17 years.

“I’m planning to start production. I don’t want to say much about it because every time I talk about these things, they never happen. It’s my desire to make lovely films because I am an artist and a very creative person,” she said.

“But filmmaking is not a joke…so many things are involved,” she added.

The actress, who had her first stint with direction in 1992 with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Dil Aashna Hai”, says she would want to be a liberal producer and not want to impose her ideas on the youth.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya should have got IIFA award for ‘Jodhaa Akbar’: Jaya br/

Mumbai, Priyanka Chopra is a “good actress” but daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai was more deserving of the best actress award for her work in “Jodhaa Akbar” at the 10th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) (awards) in Macau, says Jaya Bachchan.

“For all I know she must be really good in ‘Fashion’. I haven’t seen it. But I’ve seen Priyanka’s work in ‘Dostana’ and liked it. She’s undoubtedly a good actress,” Jaya told IANS.

“I don’t have any objection to her winning the award at IIFA. But I wonder why Aishwarya’s fine performance was ignored. I think she and the ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ cinematographer Kiran Deohans richly deserved recognition for their work,” she added.

A lot has been said and written about “Jodhaa Akbar” director Ashutosh Gowariker’s comments on Priyanka not deserving the best actress award for her performance in “Fashion” at the IIFA.

While most sections of the industry have come forward to deride Gowariker for what they see as his childish and impulsive outburst, the one aspect of his criticism against the IIFA jury awarding Priyanka and not Aishwarya that has raised eyebrows is his mention of Jaya on stage to substantiate his public objection.

“Priyanka, you are a very hardworking actress but I was just discussing with Jayaji why Aishwarya did not get the best actress award,” Gowariker said when he came on stage to collect best director award for “Jodhaa Akbar” from Jaya, Abhishek and Aishwarya.

Surprisingly, Jaya not only stands up for Gowariker, but also gives him a clean chit for mentioning her in his speech.

“First of all it is being presumed that Ashutosh unnecessarily mentioned my name regarding Aishwarya’s omission from the awards. The fact is, I suggested he bring up the question on stage at IIFA. We were discussing why Aishwarya has not been given any award for ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ and I suggested Ashutosh bring up the matter. So when he mentioned my name, he wasn’t doing anything wrong,” she said.

Commenting on Aishwarya’s performance in the film, she said: “The entire principal cast and crew of ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ have been rightly nominated for the popular awards and have won also. I find it very strange that Aishwarya, who lived her part and looked every inch the royal Rajasthani queen in her body language and overall performance, was ignored.”

source: bollywoodworld.com

Shahrukh apologizes to Aishwarya Rai at Karan Johar’s party br/

Karan Johar’s birthday party puts an end to Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s dushmani. They came, attended the party and became friends thereby putting an end to the year’s long rivalry. The two has been sharing a bitter relationship from the days of ‘Chalte Chalte’ after King Khan dropped Ash and signed Rani Mukherjee. Their relationship further damaged when SRK and his family were not invited to Ash-Abhi’s wedding.

Their relationship finally came to an end after SRK passed unceremonious comment against Aishwarya during Katrina’s birthday bash. After that very event, the Bachchan family had almost cut ties with Shahrukh. On Monday night, when Shahrukh with family and Ash with hubby Abhishek came across, SRK extended olive branch to Ash and apologized to her for the wrong.

A source gives an inside details of the happening, “A few minutes into the conversation with Ash, SRK apologized to her.” He said, ‘I think I owe you an apology because in some way I have wronged you.” Then what after the patch-up, the Bachchans and the Khans set the dance floor on fire, they danced, chatted and had fun the entire night.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya not behind Sonam’s broken Cannes dream br/

Mumbai, There were rumours that actress and L’Oreal ambassador Aishwarya Rai may have held back Sonam Kapoor from walking the Cannes red carpet. But sources close to the former beauty queen say she didn’t even know that Sonam was to visit the French film festival.

“She (Aishwarya) did not even know that Sonam was going to be at Cannes because she was there for just two days (May 13-14) where her days were packed with back-to-back interactions with the international media, fashion shoots for various European fashion magazines and other business meetings besides attending all the events at the festival,” a source close to Aishwarya told IANS.

“Anyone can go to the Cannes Film Festival as a visitor and that is how many in the film fraternity and normal public go from across the world.”

Confusion ensued when L’Oreal issued a list of those ambassadors that were to represent the brand at the French festival and Sonam’s name was missing from it. This, despite a formal announcement made by the company officials on Sonam’s presence at the Cannes at a press conference in Mumbai on May 10.

Sonam, who was earlier set to leave for Cannes Monday and was excited to rub shoulders with Aishwarya and Hollywood A-listers like Elizabeth Banks and Eva Longoria, finally did not go for the film festival when company officials asked her to stay back.

According to media reports released thereafter, Aishwarya was not very upbeat about the fact that Sonam would share the same stage with her as the face of L’Oreal and asked company officials to deny her the opportunity of being there.

But clarifying their decision of holding back Sonam to go for Cannes, a spokesperson from L’Oreal said in a press release: “We do not want to take part in or encourage any controversy involving our spokespeople. There were adverse reports in certain sections of media after some comments by Sonam Kapoor, which were presented out of context.

“Following this, in order to avoid further escalation, we have advised Sonam not to go to Cannes as was planned earlier, bearing in mind that there would be more interesting opportunities for future appearances in Europe for her.”

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya goes beyond glitz halo, campaigns social cause br/

Aishwarya Rai, a regular at the Cannes Film Festival red carpet and L’Oreal brand ambassador, is going beyond her glitz and glamour tag. She is beginning to reinvent herself on the global scene as an activist for social and humanitarian causes.

As a step in that direction, the Bollywood diva will, alongside Queen Noor of Jordan, address a press conference May 14 at Hotel Martinez here to announce the third edition of the International Tribunes Cinema Verite event that will take place in Geneva (Oct 6 to 8) and Paris (Oct 9-10) later this year.

Cinema Verite is a special film event dedicated to films and social actions that promote human rights and the eight Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations.

The Cinema Verite event, hosted by the Cinema Verite Institute, has in past years seen the participation of Hollywood actresses like Susan Sarandon, Meg Ryan, Ellen Birkin and Sharon Stone. Aishwarya will be the first non-Hollywood actress to lend her name to the cause.

Her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, who is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 62nd Cannes Film festival, will also be present at the press meet.

This year’s Cinema Verite event will include a special focus on India with the screening of Ram Gopal Varma’s “Sarkar Raj”, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya and Abhishek. The drama had Aishwarya in the role of an executive of a power sector multinational who is sent to oversee the setting up of a plant in rural India.

Also to be screened at the Cinema Verite event is “Bullshit”, a documentary made by Swedish filmmakers Pea Holmquist and Suzanne Khardalian about the work and vision of Indian environmental activist and nuclear physicist Vandana Shiva and her organisation, Navdanya.

The 73-minute-film was shot over a period of two years and followed Vandana as she, among other things, supervised work on her organic farm at the foot of the Himalayas, took on American biotech giant Monsanto and fought alongside the Dalit villagers of Kerala to try and close down a Coca-Cola plant.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya declines to be immortalised as Barbie br/

New Delhi, Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai has declined to be immortalised as a Barbie doll, due to her professional commitments.

It was earlier reported that representatives of the 35-year-old actress were in negotiations with Barbie’s manufacturer Mattel, who planned to give the iconic doll a Bollywood face. But the deal did not take off.

Since 1994 when Aishwarya won the Miss World title, the company has made numerous attempts to make a celebrity doll modelled on the Indian beauty. However, she could never get time for their endeavour, due to her professional commitments, she said.

Yet again on the doll’s 50th anniversary, Aishwarya was approached to appear decked up as a celebrity Barbie.

“Mattel was keen to have the actress walk the ramp on Lakme Fashion Week ‘Barbie dolled up’ in a winning design as Single Likeness Barbie, which would be unveiled and auctioned for a charity of her choice,” said a statement issued by Aishwarya’s spokesperson.

However, the actress opted out due to her prior commitments as she did not want to cause inconvenience to the film-makers she was working with by taking time out for the event.

source: bollywoodworld.com

Aishwarya may be the new face of Barbie in India br/

London, Beauty queen-turned-actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could be the next to join the league of female Hollywood celebrities like Beyonce Knowles and Elizabeth Taylor to have the next “celebrity Barbie” doll modelled on her.

Representatives of the 35-year-old were reported to be in negotiations with Barbie’s manufacturer Mattel as it plans to give the iconic doll a Bollywood face and sell throughout India, the Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

If the deal happens, the new Barbie will have Aishwarya’s green eyes and wear outfits created by top Indian designers.

source: bollywoodworld.com