Amitabh Bhattacharya may be a much-in-demand lyricist today but he never came to Bollywood to write songs. He always dreamed of becoming a singer. Song-writing happened to him by accident. Actually, close friend Amit Trivedi pushed Amitabh into penning songs. Amit got his break in films with Anurag Kashyap's Dev D when he was asked to score its music. Amit turned to Amitabh for the lyrics. Very reluctantly, Amitabh agreed to push his pen.

Once successful, Amit tried pushing his luck the second time when he soon bagged the assignment to compose songs for Aamir. Again, Amitabh Bhattacharya agreed but only grudgingly. In fact, so keen was Bhattacharya to become a singer that he did not give his full name in the credits of the two films, choosing instead to go only by his first name, 'Amitabh', for fear of being branded a lyricist. The songs of Dev D became huge hits and, as luck would have it, it was lyricist Amitabh Verma who started getting all the congratulatory messages for the lovely songs. Anyway, by the time Aamir released in 2008 and Dev D, in 2009, Amitabh Bhattacharya had been flooded with so many song-writing assignments that he had no option but to turn a full-time lyricist. Of course, his passion for singing persists and so, Amitabh occasionally also lends his voice to songs. Among the films for which the talented lyricist has sung are Wake Up Sid!, Housefull, Udaan, Band Baaja Baaraat and No One Killed Jessica.

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In our continuing series of guest blog posts, Koimoi.com brings to you the 'view' by one of our readers, who lists down reasons why he thinks Shah Rukh Khan is king of Bollywood. Read on…

Firstly, I wish to clarify that this article is not against Salman Khan or any other Bollywood actor. It is just my view, the view of a die-hard SRK fan. I accept that Salman Khan was good in his films like Wanted, Dabangg and Ready. I even accept that Aamir Khan was good in 3 idiots. But when it comes to choosing one from so many, I just love SRK. Here's why…

Unlike many of current crop of Hindi cinema stars, who came from film families, King Khan was born in a middle class family in Delhi. His father ran a transport company and his mother was a magistrate. He was 15 years old when his father passed away due to cancer; his treatment had been expensive due to which their family business collapsed. Shah Rukh's mother worked day and night to build the business back but never insisted that her son follow her into it. He came to Mumbai and started his career with a small advertisement assignment.

Shah Rukh Khan is not an obvious Bollywood hero. He can dance but not as elegantly as other actors. He is also not as good-looking as other Bollywood stars such as Hrithik Roshan. His only power is his acting.

Despite being in the industry for more the 17 years and in spite of being called the king of romance, SRK is a very honest and decent human being. More often than not, we hear stories that the lead pair of a film is having an affair. But for SRK, we have never come across such stories or rumours. Also, no actress ever has had any problem working with him, over these many years. Not surprisingly, he is the favourite co-star of almost all his female co-actresses.

We all know that in many of his films there were special appearances of SRK's friends. His friends never say 'no' to him. But he knows well how to return the favour.

This is a point which I would like to mention about Shah Rukh Khan is that he is cool, he is nice. But, he is quite arrogant too and that is absolutely fine when you are such a huge superstar. He did not apologize to Shiv Sena when felt he was not on the wrong side, even if it had a negative effect on the release of My Name Is Khan in Maharashtra.

Many do not consider Shah Rukh Khan as a versatile actor as they see him only as a romantic hero. However, if one digs deeper into his films, one realises that SRK has done and can do any kind of role. From the lover boy as Raj in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, to the patriotic Rahul in the Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani; from the cunning detective in Baadshah to the stylish Don in Don 2; from the music professor in Mohabbatein to evil lover in Darr. And who can forget his role as a superhero in the Ra.One. King Khan has really done a variety of roles.

He is also the star who is the most successful at the box-office. His last flop was seven years ago, Paheli (2005).

King Khan, with his humour and elegant style, is known to entertain millions of people watching him in different award functions and stage shows. We all know that he is the best host in India. No award function can be boring if it is hosted by Shah Rukh Khan.

In India, no other celebrity has more brands associated to his name. Moreover, as we saw during the promotion of Ra.One, a never before kind of campaign was conducted by him, with at least 50 various brands in tie-up for promotion of the film.

Not all the Bollywood stars are popular abroad. Most of them are like lions in their own den. But King Khan is an exception. Mostly, all his films are hits abroad and are well received there by critics as well as the public. Besides, he is more popular than any other Indian Personality globally.

All say that Salman Khan has been known to launch new actresses. But two of the top actresses today (Anushka Sharma and Deepika Padukone) have debuted opposite the King Khan. Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta also made their debuts with Shah Rukh Khan.

Nimit Shah is a 12th standard student and a Bollywood buff.

Want to get famous? Want to share your analysis about a star or film? Koimoi.com invites you to write about your favourite films, stars or anything Bollywood! Check out more details here.

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View the original article here

Hrithik Roshan, known to his friends as Duggu, is son of well known actor-turned-director Rakesh Roshan.

After appearing as a child artist in some films in the 80s, Hrithik worked as assistant director in his father's films, Karan Arjun (1995) and Koyla (1997). While Karan Arjun was a hit, Koyla, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit failed to make a mark at the box-office.

In the year 2000 Hrithik made his debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai. This film, where the actor played a double role, turned out to be the debut which any aspiring actor could dream of; Hrithik tasted overnight success. Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, directed by his father, turned out to a super-hit and earned Hrithik two Filmfare awards for best debut and best actor; he is the only actor to earn these two awards simultaneously for a single film.

After Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai Hrithik did a film Fiza which failed at the box-office. In the same year (2000) Hrithik played the role of Altaaf Khan, a Kashmiri militant, in Mission Kashmir. This film, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, did good business at box-office and Hrithik's performance was appreciated.

Hrithik Roshan was seen opposite Kareena Kapoor in Subhash Ghai's Yaadein in 2001, but the film was a major flop. In the same year Hrithik was again paired opposite Kareena by Karan Johar in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…This multi-star cast film was a blockbuster and earned Hrithik a Filmfare nomination for the Best Supporting Actor.

Hrithik Roshan witnessed a bad patch in his career in year 2002, as his all three releases – Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum and Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage failed at the box-office.

Koi…Mil Gaya marked Hrithik's comeback in 2003; he played a role of a mentally challenged young boy in this sci-fi film which was directed by his father Rakesh Roshan. The film was a super-hit.

Up next, Hrithik played a role of a purposeless urban youth who finds his purpose in life, in Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya. The film is considered as a cult film but it failed to do well at the box-office.

In 2006, Hrithik played a superhero in Krrish, which was sequel to Koi…Mil Gaya, again directed by father Rakesh Roshan, who considers the alphabet 'K' very lucky for him. Krrish  was a super-hit.

This was the second movie in Yash Raj Film's Dhoomseries; Hrithik was seen as a master thief in this hit which earned him a Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category.

This was the most splendid performance of 2008. Hrithik Roshan played the role of Emperor Akbar in Ashutosh Gowariker's period film – Jodhaa Akbar. The actor played this challenging role with ease and yet again won the Filmfare Award in the Best Actor category.

In 2010, Hrithik was paired opposite Barbara Mori in Kites; despite high expectations this film failed to fly high. His next film was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish  which was an average grosser at the box-office but was critically appreciated.

Hrithik Roshan's latest release before Agneepath was Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011); he played the role of a suave financial trader in the film. This multi-star cast film also featured Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar and Katrina Kaif. This film was one of the best films of 2011, both creatively and commercially.

The wait is almost over and Hrithik Roshan starrer Agneepath is all set to release on January 26, 2012. Hrithik will be seen playing the role of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, which was played earlier by Amitabh Bachchan in 1990's Hindi film of the same title. Since no film has been able to make a mark at box-office yet in 2012, all eyes are set on Agneepath and the expectations are high.

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View the original article here

Initial reports of the Hrithik Roshan starrer, Agneepath, are excellent after 2-3 trial shows of the film were held earlier this week. Industry sources have said that Agneepath is a film for the masses and the family audience. "It has action and emotion which will entice the audience," said a person who has seen the film.

Produced by Karan Johar, Agneepath is a remake of Karan's father, Yash Johar's 1990 film with the same title, starring Amitabh Bachchan. Karan's film is directed by Karan Malhotra and stars Hrithik with Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt. The film is set to release on Republic Day (January 26).

Koimoi.com Editor Komal Nahta has predicted that with the extraordinary craze for Agneepath, the film is sure to get a bumper opening.

Have you booked your tickets for Agneepath? How do you think the film will fare at the box-office? Share your views in the comments section below:

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Anna Hazare, whose anti-corruption movement received plenty of support from Bollywood stars, seems to be returning the favour. Hazare, who came into the limelight after leading the Jan Lokpal movement late last year, watched Rumi Jaffery's Gali Gali Chor Hai along with scores of villagers at Ralegaon Siddhi village in Maharastra, India, on January 24 night.

The film, which portrays a common man's hopes to see a corruption-free India, is set to release on February 3, 2012. On the occasion Hazare was accompanied by producer Nitin Manmohan, director Rumi Jaffery and star cast of the film – Akshaye Khanna, Shriya Saran, Mugdha Godse and Anu Kapoor.

The social worker praised the cast for the effort and appreciated the film. "It supports my message and movement. Every youth, every child, all age people in India should watch this film as it motivates the depth of being a common man and it motivates every individual to be a good citizen and have a corrupt free country. This Republic season every Indian should be corrupt free from within first and then work towards fighting corruption," said Anna Hazare.

Producer Nitin Manmohan said , "I was thrilled to see Anna's reactions watching my film. Two thousand villagers stood up and clapped and that was my reward."

Director Rumi Jaffery called the occasion as a proud moment for him. "I was sitting next to Anna and every gesture and expression of his was making me feel happy," Jaffery added.

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View the original article here

It has often been debated whether the trend of showing either the entire song of a film or large chunks of it on television channels and on websites like YouTube before the release of that film is sensible marketing or not. If a song is a chartbuster, its popularity, more often than not, ensures that the public would make a beeline to the cinemas for the film when it hits the screens to watch, among other things, that hit song. But if the public has already seen the song, that too day in and day out, before the film actually releases, the question is: wouldn't they feel less inclined to go to the cinema hall to see the same song over again? In a way, the repeated hammering of the song may have spoilt the charm for the audience because an overkill, after all, is an overkill.

Conversely, those who profess that it is wise to show the song in toto before release, believe that the tempo of the promotion of the film needs to be maintained till the day of release, and a sure way of doing that is to repeat a hit song on television channels. Obviously, their further argument is that there are other highlights in the film, besides the song, which are kept under wraps and which, therefore, would give the audience value for their money when they visit a cinema to watch the film. They also feel, the pleasure of watching a song on the big screen is far greater than of watching it on the TV or computer screen – and this joy can be multiplied if the song has become a rage due to its constant promotion on the audiovisual medium as against on the audio medium only.

But it wouldn't be wrong to say that there are films nowadays in which the only highlight/s is/are so completely shown on TV and the Internet platforms – and so many times – that there is nothing that remains for the public to enjoy in the cinema hall as they've already seen whatever there was to see in the film – and repeatedly! This problem never arose before television became such a popular medium for film promotion. In the good old days, the medium of radio was used to promote films and since that medium did not have the ability to show the song being promoted on it, there was no fear about the public not going to watch the film, because the visual appeal of the hit song could only be enjoyed in the dark of the cinema hall.

In recent times, the Chikni Chameli song from Agneepath has become a chartbuster and it is available for free viewing on almost every platform. Of course, one can very safely assume that Karan Johar's Agneepath would be watchworthy for more reasons than just Chikni Chameli but still, the question that begs an answer is: should Karan have opened his Chameli card or given only a hint to the audience that its picturisation on Katrina Kaif was another ace up his sleeve just like the music?

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Komal Nahta, the Editor of Koimoi.com, is Bollywood's most trusted trade analyst & film reviewer. You can follow him on Twitter and check out his Video Blog.

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Mumbai, Jan 23 (IANS) Actor Prateik refuses to divulge whether rumours that he is dating his "Ek tha Deewana" co-star Amy Jackson are true or not.

"Whether it is true or false, I think it is for me and Amy to know and for the whole world to keep guessing," the 25-year-old said at a promotional shoot of the Gautham Menon-directed film, releasing Feb 17.

Prateik and British model Amy are being spotted together a lot thanks to the movie's promotion, adding fuel to the fire about their relationship status.

However, the only subject Prateik preferred to talk about was his character in the film.

"I am playing the character of a middle class Maharashtrian boy who is around 25 years of age and wants to become a film director. Then Amy's character enters his life and he falls in love at first sight and then he wants both the things. He wants to become a film director and get his love as well," said Prateik, who was last seen in "My Friend Pinto".

The son of actor Raj Babbar and late actress Smita Patil, Prateik made his Bollywood debut with "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na" in 2008. Since then, he has starred in films like "Dhobi Ghat", "Dum Maaro Dum" and "Aarakshan". He is also filming for "Isaaq", an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet".

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Mumbai, Jan 25 (TruthDive): Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt confirmed on Thursday that the leading lady of the movie, JISM 2  is Indo-Canadian porn star, Sunny Leone.

Sunny Leone landed in India as a porn star from the US and left the country with a handsome Bollywood offer.

"Sunny Leone is the heroine of Pooja Bhatt's 'JISM 2'. Now, watch this brave girl unfold her soul and rise higher and higher," Pooja Bhatt wrote on his Twitter page.

Pooja Bhatt, the actress-turned-filmmaker, daughter of Mahesh Bhatt, is currently busy with pre-production work of "Jism 2?, which will go on floors soon. Pooja, who has made films like "Zakhm", "Jism" and "Paap", asserts that she likes to associate with people who are genuine.

But, the nation has been too eager to know about Sunny's secret role in the film. Pooja Bhatt spoke extensively about it. Pooja reveals that Sunny's role is based on the legendary Helen. She will be playing the new age Helen.

About Sunny's character in 'Jism2', Pooja said she would play a woman caught in the crossfire of two men trying to seduce her and are in turn being seduced by her!

Pooja Bhatt believes that casting plays an important role in moviemaking, and an actor's personality must match with the character one plays. That is precisely the reason why she chose Sunny Leone for the lead part in "Jism 2?.

"We have done authentic casting in 'Jism 2'. We have taken Sunny Leone because we want a girl who plays that kind of part and persona," said Pooja.

"It is very important that you cast authentically. Everyone talks about out-of-the-box casting but no one does it," added the 39-year-old. Two male actors are yet to be finalised for the film.

"While my dream that is #JISM2 comes closer to realisation with @sunnyleone my nightmare with regards to casting my two leading men begins," Pooja posted.

"Finding one 'man' in this business is tough enough and we need to cast two in #JISM2! I suspect strongly that it is masochism that drives me," she added.

Sunny Leone is expected to come to Delhi in March to shoot for the film.

Mumbai, Jan 24 (IANS) Karan Johar's "Agneepath" remake has received a thumbs up from Bollywood celebrities, who attended a special screening of the much-awaited movie here.

The Tuesday night screening saw attendance from celebrities like Arbaaz Khan and Arjun Rampal and they are all impressed with the remake of the 1990 film.

The Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra-starrer, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra, is set for release Thursday, and here's what B-Town had to say about it:

Arjun Rampal: It was mind blowing. It's a superb film. Go and watch "Agneepath." You guys are going to be blown away.

Zayed Khan: All the performances are fabulous. Finally, superb kind of movies are back. It's amazing. Hrithik, Sanjay, Priyanka, everybody was outstanding.

Arbaaz Khan: I think the director has done a fantastic job and it's a very good remake of the earlier "Agneepath". Sanjay's performance is fantastic, Hrithik is looking very good and he has acted very well as well. I think the star of the film is the director.

Dino Morea: I think the remake that they have made is amazing. Hrithik and Sanjay have done a fabulous job. It was fantastic.

View the original article here

The Miss Universe 2000 was last seen at Parmeshwar Godrej's party, which was attended by Oprah Winfrey. After the party, she tweeted, @Oprah and @iamsrk, two people I absolutely adore! Thank you for making my day! Now can go into labour happily! :-).

It looks like Mahesh's wish has come true. He expressed his desire to have a girl when his wife's baby shower was held last month.

In the final days before labour, Lara wrote on her Twitter page: "It's fun having my parents here and getting the house baby ready! Anticipation and excitement in the air!:-) feels good 2 start 2012 like that."

The proud parents have not released nor posted a picture of the baby yet.

Cuba date for Salman, Katrina

SALMAN Khan and Katrina Kaif will soon be in Cuba for a month to shoot their upcoming movie titled Ek Tha Tiger. The location was chosen as the warm climate would not give Salman much pain.

The actor is suffering from a nerve disorder which results in intense pain in his jaw which gets worse when the weather is cold. When shooting took place in Ireland a few months ago, Salman was said to have suffered severe pain due to the cold weather.

As the movie is a romantic thriller, Salman will be required to do some stunts. Katrina, who is Salman's ex-girlfriend and still on good terms with him, is expected to keep an eye on him while in Cuba. Ek Tha Tiger  is directed by Kabir Khan and produced by Aditya Chopra. It is expected to be released in August.

Bollywood turns out to meet Oprah

MANY Bollywood stars, directors and producers had the opportunity to meet Oprah Winfrey on her maiden trip to India at a private function hosted by socialite Parmeshwar Godrej, spouse of Indian industrialist Adi Godrej.

Prior to the party, the talk show queen dropped by the Bachchan household to visit Aishwarya and Abhishek's baby.

Oprah had both the Bollywood stars on her Oprah show once. There, Aishwarya presented a saree to Oprah.

The couple together with Amitabh, drove Oprah to the party. Oprah, who has started her show titled Next Chapter,  on her own network, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), had earlier posted on a social networking site that she'd be in India "to shoot Deepak Chopra there for Next Chapter."

No rivalry here
LAST week, reports emerged in many online entertainment portals that Aishwarya Rajnikanth and her sister Soundarya were fighting to release their films at the same time.

This has irked Aishwarya, who is married to actor Dhanush. She lashed out against those reports, saying that both sisters were not in a tussle over their films, reports IndiaGlitz.com.  

"Soundarya is into animation and I'm into feature films. Why will there be any rivalry? Even Surya and Karthi are part of this industry, how come no one talks about rivalry between them? Why is it that only when Rajinikanth is involved you want to write controversies?" she asked.

"I don't think you have ever seen Appa in Dhanush's movie related functions. It's hurting when people say or write such things," she said.

Trisha to star in Samaran

KOLLYWOOD actress Trisha has found a friend in her Samaran co-star, Sunaina, reports IndiaGlitz.com.

"She is the new addition to my friends' list. Sunaina is a nice girl," said Trisha. "Sunaina plays a surprise role in Samaran. Her character in the film is a total opposite to the ones she has played so far.

Trisha will act alongside Vishal, who she refers to as a long time friend.

"Both of us have been wanting to share screen space for years. But it did not take place as we were busy with our commitments. We were to act together in Sathyam. So I could not say no when he approached me to be part of

Samaran. Also, the story and my character impressed me a lot," she said. Samaran is an action adventure, directed by Thiru who gave cinemagoers Theeratha Vilayattu
Pillai.

Saif to play a spy

THE first look of Saif Ali Khan's upcoming Agent Vinod is out. The poster shows Saif with his back and holding a gun, giving it a James Bond feel.

He plays a spy, Agent Vinod, in the movie. Kareena Kapoor, his real life girlfriend, plays his leading lady, Iram.

Both actors are expected to do stunts in the film slated for release on March 23. The film is a Saif Ali Khan production under the banner Illuminati Films, reports BollywoodHungama.com. It is directed by Sriram Raghavan.

According to the director, the film is full of action and suspense. Music is by Pritam.

Although there was a Hindi movie of the same title in 1977, the director has clarified that this film is not a remake of the earlier film.

Kamal wraps up shooting

LEGENDARY actor Kamalhaasan's upcoming film Viswaroopam has just finished shooting some scenes in the US, reports SuperGoodMovies.com. According to the report, it was done under tight security to avoid leaks.

The next shooting schedule will be in Chennai. Word has it that he will take on more than one character in the film. Kamal is also directing and producing the film. His youngest daughter Akshara, who studied filmmaking, is said to be helping him behind the scenes.

Raja Sen feels 2011 may be remembered as the year that laid down Bollywood's new pecking order.

For the better part of the last decade, it's been almost unanimously acknowledged that Aamir Khan knows what he's doing. Sure, he might seem too far out on a limb, but as the pieces fall, he always ends up topping himself and standing taller than before.

So the industry -- this industry that relies so heavily on what Conventional Wisdom and Trade Pundits say -- has, incredibly enough, thrown in the towel and given up trying to beat Aamir.

This year the two films Aamir produced, Dhobi Ghat and Delhi Belly, were radical products for the Indian market, and could not be more dramatically different from each other.

The first, directed by Khan's wife Kiran Rao, was a serene and artistic look at Mumbai, with understated performances and music. It felt a bit like a film school graduation movie, except with excellent production values, and Khan himself starred as a scowling artist.

The second, directed by Abhinay Deo, was anything but mellow. A loud and sloppy kerfuffle that made an anthem out of a swearword and stood apart as the most gloriously foul-mouthed Hindi film of all time, where Khan starred as a 1980s movie-star caricature.

The first won him -- well, not really critical encomiums -- at least brownie points from the missus, as well as some money where there would otherwise have been none at all, for a half-English arthouse film in a country of Dabanggs.

The other was one of the year's most lauded hits, one slapped on the back for breaking new ground. (Yes, it essentially swore a lot, but one of the things Aamir invites is hyperbole.)

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Mumbai, Jan 24 (IANS) Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma is gearing up to set the stage on fire with three popular telly actors -- Nandish Sandhu, Sushant Singh Rajput and Shabbir Ahluwalia at the seventh edition of Chevrolet Apsara Awards.

The "Band Baaja Baaraat" actress will perform a bit of hip-hop dance as well as entertain the audience with some Maharashtrian folk style dance lezim on stage.

She will also share the stage with the three TV actors. While she will groove to "Dum dum" with Nandish, Anushka will be matching the steps with Sushant on "Thag le" and Shabbir on "Jazba".

There's more to the performances. Soon-to-be married couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza are said to bring their real-life love story alive on stage while performing at the award function Jan 25 in Yash Raj Studios. They are likely to emulate the story of their eight-year-old romantic journey.

The show will be hosted by Karan Johar and Farah Khan.

View the original article here

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, 2011 Jan was a golden period.Bollywood had winners in No One killed Jessica and Yamla Pagla Deewana that released on January 7 and 14 respectively.The start of 2012 has been very very poor.''

Abbas Mustan's Players tanked leaving many of those who invested in this film in a state of shock.

The following week saw five small films including the not so bad Chaalis Chauraasi and Tutiya Dil sinking.Now all hopes are automatically pinned on Agneepath that is the solo Bollywood release on the Republic Day weekend.

However sensing that they have a chance to get a clear window; three Hollywood films are releasing alongside Agneepath.

Steven Soderbergh's Haywire has been advanced by a week to keep Paramount Films of India's Contraband companyon January 26.

Fox Star India is also releasing the George Clooney flick The Descendants.

Suddenly Agneepath has ample company at the multiplex ticket windows throughout the world.

Dirty Picture was not a one off last year. One-fifth of all films released in the country last year were classified as "adult" by the Censor Board.

Two hundred of the 1,02
6 films accorded certification by the Central Board for Film Certification in 2011 were given adult certification. Officials at CBFC stated that the number of adult films also increased as the directors and producers of these films refused to go through the process of cutting their films and removing scenes to seek a universal certification. "They instead went in for an adult certification," sources said. Sources stated that the number of adult films being released in the country has been increasing gradually over the years. In 2010, the number of adult films certified was approximately 175.
In all, 1,026 films were released in the country till October 2011. Of these, the highest number of films were in Hindi (175), followed by Telugu (157), Tamil (150), Kannada (108), Bangla (100), Marathi (77) and Bhojpuri (64).
Of these films, the Censor board accorded universal certification to 482 films, U/A certification to 344 and adult certification to 200 films. During the year, the board also allowed the release of 210 foreign films of which 84 were classified as adult. In another marked pattern, the board also approved certification of 40 digital films in the same period.

The 36-year-old has undergone a makeover and is now sporting a lean and sexy look. She will be grooving to a host of popular songs including 'Chikni Chameli' 'Ooh La La' and 'Madhubala' at the upcoming function.

Best known for her performances in 'Gadar' and 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai', the actress went through a dull phase thereafter and has found a way of salvaging her reputation by featuring in her own films.

She has started her own production company, under which two films, directed by David Dhawan and Priyadarshan will be made. Her last release 'Chatur Singh Two Star' was a box office dud. However, she has Abbas-Mustan's 'Race 2', 'Bhaiyyaji Superhit' with Sunny Deol and 'Shortcut Romeo' with Neil Nitin Mukesh in her kitty.

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Actress Katrina Kaif, who is very close to actor Salman Khan belongs to his close coterie of friends.

However, she shocked everyone with her proximity to actor Shah Rukh Khan and his close set of friends, when she travelled to Macau with them.

Katrina, who is doing a film with SRK seems to have got along really well, not only with his close friends, but with wife Gauri too. The duo was spotted at Hong Kong airport, browsing around at the duty-free shops and were even bonding over gizmos and TV shows. Katrina who is apparently a huge fan of Game of Thrones shared her tablet with Gauri who was then seen enjoying the show on it.

That is not all. Katrina, who is performing on stage at the Zee Cine Awards was rehearsing for her act on stage before SRK and Priyanka started their rehearsals.

Katrina was practicing continuously for three hours before Gauri arrived at the designated area where the rehearsals were on.

By then Katrina had finished practising and was super-tired.

On seeing Kat, Gauri walked up to her and asked her if she was yet to start. Gauri apparently loved Kat's item numbers — Sheila Ki Jawaani and Chikni Chameli and was waiting to see some dance moves before the real act.

But she was disappointed when Kat said that her practice was over.

She wanted to catch some of it before the live acton stage. Well, looks like Katrina is one actor, Gauri really approves of.

The duo, who have been dating since eight years, will be tying the knot on February 3. The couple, which was secretive about their relationship all this time, will be performing together at the Apsara Awards.

The buzz is that the couple's act on stage has a wedding theme with a 'band baaja baaraat' happening in presence of entire film fraternity.

"The performance will emulate the story of their meeting and the romantic journey that has brought them to this juncture. The romance will unfold at the Apsara Awards," sources said.

They will be performing for the awards event on Wednesday at the Yash Raj Studios.

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Signed

Interestingly, at an internal creative meeting, the makers pointed out that Chikni Chameli was also a Lavani song, which might lead to comparisons.

"But Vidya wasn't worried. She loves Katrina's energetic dance steps, but pointed out that she could take Lavani to another level by giving it a totally new twist," says an insider from the unit.

While Kat's number is high on sex appeal, Vidya will be doing an "aesthetic and less sensual number" considering the nature of Ferrari Ki Sawaari. "It will be an entertaining song, but the authenticity of the dance form will be maintained throughout," says the insider.

To put her best foot forward, Vidya will rehearse for about three weeks with expert dancers, getting comfortable with the nuances of Lavani. The number is expected to be shot in a month.

When contacted, director Rajesh Mapuskar confirms: "Yes, we have finally short-listed a Lavani number for Ferrari Ki Sawaari." Ask him about the clash with Chikni chameli and he laughs: "For us, the best part is that Vidya is extremely excited. As far as Katrina's song is concerned, it only inspired all of us, including Vidya, to do better."

The actor is pleased with the development, saying, "It's exciting to be a part of the Ferrari Ki Sawaari team, where I will be dancing to a Lavani song."

Lavani on the big screen
These stars also shook a leg to the Maharashtrian folk dance.

Helen: The dancing diva was possibly the first to make the dance form popular with her hit number, Mungda in Inkaar (1978).
Madhuri Dixit: Performed Humko Aajkal Hai in Sailaab (1990) and Me Kolahpur Se Aayi Hoon in Anjaam (1994).
Shweta Bhardwaj: She danced with Naseeruddin Shah and others in Chaalis Chauraasi.
Rani Mukerji: In Anurag Kashyap's Aiyya, she is likely to perform a traditional Lavani dance, choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant.

If there is one man who is actively seen on both a cricket pitch and a cinema screen, it is none other than Shahrukh Khan! In an interview, Shahrukh Khan talks about his co-star Katrina Kaif and the expectations from his team Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming season of Indian Premier League!

Speaking about his next film starring Katrina Kaif, Shahrukh said that Kat is a really hardworking actress who gives her best to make and sound the character that she is playing believable! He even said that though he and Katrina Kaif are not the best of friends, they share a decent professional relationship and do not rake over old coals (the infamous Salman Khan-Shahrukh Khan spat on Katrina Kaif's birthday).

Anyhow, as the next season of the Indian Premier League is approaching, SRK, like everyone else, is thrilled! Though King Khan said he might not be available for the upcoming auctions, he said that regardless of what he might be doing, like the past four seasons he will always be there for his team and his family.

He added that the team members have been practicing really hard and he hopes Kolkata Knight Riders performs brilliantly this season!

Anyhow, it was nice to see Shahrukh Khan talking about K K K K Kiran…err…Katrina Kaif and Kolkata Knight Riders! Tee-hee.

The film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is a biographical sport drama film , inspired by the life of Milkha Singh, one of the earliest sport icons of India.

The film will trace Milkha's childhood in today's Pakistan, the partition, and his achievements as an athlete in independent India.

Actor-filmmaker Farhan is playing the legendary sportsman Milkha Singh in the movie and has devoted all his energies in getting ready to play the role.

"He (Farhan) has been going through a rigorous training schedule. And he wants to meet Havaldar Gurdev Singh because he is behind the success of Milkha Singh and helped him become the Flying Sikh from a local guy," sources said.

We want Farhan's character to look as authentic as possible, Mehra said.

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Ever since Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif began to shoot for Ek Tha Tiger, Kat has been full of surprises for her ex-flame. Latest being, when she impressed Salman with her improved Hindi diction, which also led Salman calling her 'desi'.

Kat has come a long way from her rigid British accent to pure desi style, something Salman can't withhold raving about. The superstar is enjoying every moment working with Kat in Ek Tha Tiger.

Ek Tha Tiger will release this Eid and it will be interesting to watch how the rapport between the two has translated on the screen, especially when the duo's sharing the screen space after a long time.

Stars dazzle at Zee Cine awards in Macau. Celebrities are in full attendance at the Zee Cine Awards and the evening saw sizzling performance by the stars. The couple that dazzled the most was Ranbir Kapoor and his ex-flame Katrina Kaif. Kat shake her legs in 'Chikni Chameli' tune and 'Sheila KI Jawani'. She was applauded a lot by the audience. She was also awarded with international icon female award.

Ranbir enchanted the audience with his first live performance on songs like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Sadda Haq and Prem Ki Naiya. He bagged the best actor popular award for 'Rockstar'. Later, Ranbir joined Shahid Kapoor on the stage and the duo paid a tribute to late Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand. Rockstar sweep away maximum award at the award show. It got into it's credit Best Director, Best Film (Popular), Best Music (AR Rahman), Best Singer (Mohit Chauhan for Jo Bhi Main) and Best Lyrics award.

The host of the evening Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra steal the show with their mimicry and one liner. The award show was a complete hit and charmed the audience of Macau.

Sanjay Dutt's look as the evil Kancha Cheena in the new "Agneepath" has garnered appreciation for the actor from all spheres, even more than the all-white look of lead actor Hrithik Roshan himself, but Sanjay says he is not trying to outdo anyone.

"We are not here to overshadow anybody, we have been very comfortable during the film. This film has been made without egos and it is not about competition. Hrithik is fantastic in the film," Sanjay told reporters here Monday.

He was here with Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan to promote "Agneepath", which is set to hit the screens Jan 26.

Even Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik admits that he is, in no way, trying to compete with a "talent" as "great" as Sanjay.

"First of all you have to give credit to the talent (Sanjay), I think it is a very rare thing that in one role he projects epitome of goodness in 'Munnabhai', then does something extremely negative like Kancha Cheena and still blows your mind away," said Hrithik.

"As an actor my job is not to compete against talent that great, but my only duty is to be honest to my character. There is competition between our characters Vijay and Kancha Cheena and not us as actors," he added. – IANS

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When it comes to Bollywood remakes of Tamil blockbusters, high-action macho police stories find their easy way into B'town.

Remember how Suriya's Khakka Khakka directed by Gautham Menon, Suriya's Singham was remade in Hindi with the same name and Ajay Devgan in the cop's role.

Now, the big news is that Gautham Menon's yet another super hit cop story Vettayadu Vilayadu, which starred Kamal Haasan and Jothika, is going to B'town soon and Shahrukh Khan is touted to play Kamal's character in the film.

According to yet another source, Manickam Narayanan of Seventh Channel, who produced the high action Vettayadu Vilayadu, has already dubbed it in Hindi and titled it The Hunt. Since he wants to release it directly, the possibility of remaking VV is bleak.

When DC contacted Manickam, he did agree that VV has been dubbed in Hindi. "I could not use The Hunt as the title because someone had already registered it with the Mumbai Producers Council.

So, I changed mine to The Smart Hunt and am still contemplating on releasing the dubbed version.

Gautham approached me recently and suggested that instead of going in for a dubbed version, we remake Vettayadu Vilayadu jointly since the story has pan India appeal. It is still at the discussion stage."