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BOLLYWOOD | Guftugu:

Star Power and Chaos Mark Sanjana Jon Debut | Neha Dhupia to Represent Bollywood in Jessica Simpson's Show | Shilpa Shetty's Firm Sued for 6 Million Pounds | Brazil to Bollywood | One Costume | Loud Music | Too Busy | Unfazed by Gossip | Difficult Role | Diwali Mistake | Poor Oscar Choices

Star Power and Chaos Mark Sanjana Jon Debut


Miss Universe Natalie Glebova (l) in an item from the Sanjana Jon (r) collection

Sanjana Jon's starry show at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week with celebrity siblings turned rough here as the crowd trying to catch a glimpse of their favourite superstars caused confusion and chaos forcing them to leave in a hurry.

Jon's debut at the WIFW brought the who's who of Bollywood and other celebrity siblings including Salman Khan-Sohail Khan, Sushmita Sen-Rajiv Sen, Riya Sen-Raima Sen, Amaan Ali Khan-Ayaan Ali Khan, Shibani Kashyap, boxing champion Vijender Singh and his brother, music composer Sajid-Wajid.

Sanjana, sister of celebrity Indian-American fashion designer Anand Jon, who was sentenced to 59 years of imprisonment on rape and sexual assault charges by a U.S. court, has been campaigning for her brother's release and the show was part of it.

The news of Salman Khan getting out to interact with media spread like wildfire followed by a chaotic scene, which led the star to leave no sooner than he had arrived.

"The bytes will be taken here, it's so crowdy. I better take a leave," Salman said.

"Sanjana is a very dear friend and she has suffered a lot during her brother's trial. I have interacted with Anand and I never felt he was a bad guy. She went through a lot of trauma and is trying to financially rebuild herself and I will help her in whatever way I can," Salman had said earlier. The theme of the show was to hightlight the importance of love between siblings and Indian family values.

"All of them are like my brothers. My show is an attempt to show family values," Sanjana said after the show.

But the event was a huge exercise for the security with media and crowd going into a frenzy to catch the stars.

"Everyone jumped onto the stars and created a furore but maybe the interaction should have been done inside the show area. It would have been easier for us to handle the crowd then," a security guard told PTI, adding that a proper stage should have been created to keep a tab on the crowd.

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Neha Dhupia to Represent Bollywood in Jessica Simpson's Show


Neha Dhupia in “De Dana Dan.”

Actress Neha Dhupia has been chosen as the beauty ambassador of Bollywood on Hollywood actress Jessica Simpson's reality TV show Price of Beauty.

In the show, the Dukes of Hazzard actress and her crew go around the world to find out, how different people perceive beauty.

And Simpson has planned a special segment on Bollywood for which they have selected Neha as their beauty ambassador.

Neha was noticed by the makers in her US mini series "Bollywood Hero.”

The shoot is scheduled to start from next week in India's commercial capital Mumbai and according to sources Jessica and her crew have also planned for a big Bollywood party once the shoot gets over.

Simpson informed her fans about the upcoming trip to India through her twitter page.

"@kenpaves and I are going to India!!!! (sic)" she twittered.

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Shilpa Shetty's Firm Sued for 6 Million Pounds


Shilpa Shetty

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has been sued for 6 million pounds by the former boss of her newly acquired restaurant chain, on grounds of unfair dismissal.

Jamal Hirani, 42, founder of fast-food chain Tiffinbites, is claiming that he was forced out to make way for the star and had earlier filed a lawsuit in an industrial tribunal claiming more than 1.5 million pounds, according to a report in  London Evening Standard online.

He has now filed a 6 million pounds lawsuit in High Court, based on the 30 percent of the firm he previously owned.

Hirani alleges that he was forced out by colleagues in a process that led to the firm closing and opening under a new name, the V8 Gourmet Group.

"They manufactured false accusations against me. This ultimately was my company and I have been removed. I understand that since I have left Shilpa Shetty has invested in the business," said Hirani.

Shetty, 34 who became a household name in Britain after winning the reality show Celebrity Big Brother, recently became the company's co-chairwoman after she and fiance Raj Kundra paid 6 million pounds to buy a 33 percent stake in it.

A spokesman for the actress reacted to the controversy by saying, "The case refers to events that happened before Shilpa and Raj joined. She was always aware this tribunal was coming up and hopes for a fair outcome."

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Brazil to Bollywood


Giselle Monteiro

Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro, better known in India as Harleen Kaur from Saif Ali Khan starrer Love Aaj Kal, is keen to continue working in Bollywood films.

"I want to continue acting in Bollywood and will start shooting for Purani Jeans soon," said Monteiro, who walked on the ramp in Delhi for the first time on the second day of the Wills India Fashion Week.

The 19-year-old model, who walked twice in the day for designers Kavita Bhartia and Ranna Gill, was more than happy to be the part of a fashion show in India.

"This is my first ramp walk at WIFW and I am glad to be working with new designers and new collections," said Monteiro.

Talking about the difference between modelling in India and abroad, she said, "India is a different market altogether and the designs here are so colourful. I am happy to have been accepted in the fashion circuit here."

Gill, who showcased her “I am Every Woman” spring summer 2010 collection at the WIFW, said that she fell in love with Monteiro after seeing the film.

"I loved Giselle so much in the film that I asked her to be the showstopper for my show and she said 'Yes,'" said Gill.

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One Costume


Abhishek Bachchan in “Paa.”

Actors are known for frequently changing costumes in their films, but Abhishek Bachchan shot 90 percent of his upcoming film Paa dressed in a single costume.

The junior Bachchan is seen wearing a white kurta pyjama for a major portion of film because he is playing the role of a politician, a production house source said.

To ensure that the clothes worn by the actor remain neat and clean, director R. Balakrishnan had even ordered 10 sets of the same kurta pyjama.

Interestingly, for the remaining 10 percent of the movie, Abhishek had over thirty costume changes.

"Abhishek plays a young forward-thinking politician who follows in the footsteps of his father played by Paresh Rawal," explains Balakrishnan.

Bachchan said he didn't mind the limited wardrobe he has in the movie. "It was a welcome change to not have so many different costumes. And most importantly it was the requirement of the film," he said.

Paa, scheduled to release Dec. 4, is a sensitive story about the relationship between a father and son who is suffering from a disease. The movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan.

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Loud Music


Hrithik Roshan in “Luck By Chance.”

Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan had some uninvited guests at the birthday bash of his mother when police turned up to warn the actor against playing loud music at his suburban Juhu residence.

The Kites actor had thrown a huge party to celebrate the birthday of his mother Pinky Roshan and had invited the who's who of Bollywood including celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Amisha Patel and Shilpa Shetty.

But the loud music at the party annoyed the actor's neighbors, who called the police to intervene. Police reached Roshan's 8th floor apartment in Plazzo building in Juhu Vile Parle Development area at around 2:15 a.m. after receiving calls from a neighbor.

"The first call was about a crowd outside the building. Ramachandra Mane, one of our officers, went there to check and found that a party was thrown by Roshans," Ramesh Sawant, assistant police inspector of Juhu Police Station, told PTI.

"There was another call complaining about loud music being played at Roshan's flat. We again inspected the place and spoke to Hrithik, who told us that they were winding up the party and the volume was low," said Sawant.

"However, we warned Hrithik not to play loud music and do anything that may inconvenience people," he said, adding that no complaint was registered as no violation of rules was established.

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Too Busy


Aishwarya Rai in “Sarkar Raj.”

Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is too busy with her film projects to judge a reality show on small screen, her publicist said, denying reports that the actress had asked for a hefty price.

Aishwarya was reportedly offered to judge Dance Premier League on Sony TV. The show is now being judged by actress Rani Mukherjee and choreographer Shiamak Davar.

"Various proposals (of judging reality shows) have come along but her schedules thus far have not allowed her to even consider the same," a statement issued by her publicist said.

Aishwarya is presently busy with a grueling schedule of Guzaarish, while three of her other films—Endhiran (Robot), Action Replay and Ravaan—are nearing completion.

Clarifying reports that the Bachchan bahu had demanded a hefty amount for judging an ongoing reality show, it said the subject of money never arose as discussions with the channel did not even go beyond schedules and dates.

"It's alarming and rather sad to see that a channel by issuing such a statement is trying to ride on the popularity of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to get publicity for their reality show," it said.

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Unfazed by Gossip


Amitabh Bachchan in “Aladin.”

Even as a new film threatens to rake up dirt about the alleged Parveen Babi-Amitabh Bachchan relationship, the superstar dismisses the old accusations saying that such controversies have stopped affecting him.

The film Three Kings by Hollywood director Reynold Baines reportedly revolves around the controversial actress and the three men in her life, director Mahesh Bhatt, actor Kabir Bedi and Bachchan, but the shahanshah of Bollywood is far from perturbed.

"I don't know where they are getting all this rubbish from because it's all untrue. But what can you do, it is another artist's perception of who I am," Bachchan told PTI in an exclusive interview.

Apart from wife Jaya, Bachchan made the maximum films with Babi, including cult classics like Don and Amar Akbar Anthony.

So when Babi, who was reportedly suffering from schizophrenia, accused Bachchan of conspiring to kill her in a court petition filed in 1992, it grabbed headlines.

Though the court dismissed the case for lack of evidence, the incident caused plenty of negative press for Bachchan.

"When you have got accused of all kinds of things from national scandals to this, you just learn to take it. How is this any less than Bofors or Barabanki, or the recent fraud which I have been accused of?

"All these things are part and parcel of my life now, so I just lie back and enjoy," said Bachchan.

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Difficult Role


Neil Nitin Mukesh in “Jail.”

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh was hesitant initially when director Madhur Bhandarkar asked him to do a full monty for a scene in the upcoming Jail, which he says is the toughest film of his career.

"I was first hesitant because I knew that millions of viewers would be watching it. I did it because I have the highest regard for Madhur, who was very confident with the script and convinced me to go ahead with the scene," says Mukesh.

The actor was in the capital recently for the film's promotion along with director Madhur Bhandarkar and co-actor Manoj Bajpai.

Neil Nitin says he was initially apprehensive about doing the scene because he thought it might cause embarrassment to his parents. "It is the role my parents would be proud of," he says.

"The film follows a strict chronological order from first to the last scene to enable the audience to understand the emotional quotient of the character. I had to go through a method acting approach and lived almost like an inmate to feel the kind of psychological changes that a prisoner undergoes inside the four walls of a jail," says the 26-year-old actor.

For the grandson of the legendary singer Mukesh, "This is the most difficult role" of his career.

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Diwali Mistake

Bollywood actor-producer Sohail Khan, whose Salman-Kareena starrer Main Aur Mrs Khanna received a lukewarm response at the box office, feels that film's Diwali release clashing with other big movies was the "biggest mistake.”

"To be honest, we got poor response for the movie in the initial days of its release. In the first two days the collection touched 30-40 percent," Sohail told PTI.

He conceded that it was a mistake to release the movie during Diwali, when two other big films, Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt's Blue and Ajay Devgan's multi-starrer All The Best also opened Oct. 16.

"It was the biggest mistake to release the movie during Diwali. It was a learning experience and people often learn from their mistakes," Sohail said.

"During Diwali, there is a festive mood. People are busy with celebrations. Too many movies divide the audience...then there are other sources of entertainment as well," he added.

Sohail, who tied up with UTV for his newly released Main Aur Mrs Khanna, however, is optimistic about its prospects in the coming weeks.

"As a product (film) I'm happy with it and expect it to do well. It is picking up and we are eyeing the collections to go up to 70 percent in the coming days," he said.

He advocated the need for a separate body in the film industry to decide on the release of a movie.

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Poor Oscar Choices

Oscar-winning sound technician Resul Pookutty says the Film Federation of India is not nominating right movies for the Academy awards.

"Why are we not figuring ourselves in the foreign film category is a good question that we should ask filmmakers of the country. Why are we falling behind? We should ask the film federation why we are not sending the right films," Pookutty told PTI.

Pookutty says that there is a misconception about the Oscars that the awards are for Indian movies.

"Oscar is for American movies that had been shown in American theatres. The only way Indian films can appear is in the foreign category. We are competing with so many other countries that are making fabulous movies for many years," says Pookutty.

The Slumdog Millionaire sound technician, who also will be a part of the elite 6,000 member organisation (Academy of Motion Pictures) that chooses the winners of Oscars, believes that media plays an important role in making people aware of movie making.

Pookutty, also a member of jury in the recently concluded India International Disability Film Festival, organised by Ability Foundation, said films on differently-abled people should make a positive change in society.

"My capacity this year is a part of the foundation as a jury member.Whatever the foundation asks me to do in future I will continue to do in my own capacity as a person and also a technician.”

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AUTO REVIEW: 2010 Mazda CX-7 Sport
BOLLYWOOD: Film Review: All the Best
BOLLYWOOD: Guftugu
TAMIL FILM: Aadhavan
COMMUNITY: Diwali & Annakut
COMMUNITY: News Briefs
INFOTECH INDIA: Briefs
HOROSCOPE: November


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