Celina Jaitley is in a state of shock after her brother had a near-fatal accident in an army cantonment town in Madhya Pradesh.

“He could’ve died on the road, right there…my parents’ only son, my brother,” Celina, who has featured in films like “No Entry” and “Apna Sapna Money Money”, told IANS. The accident took place in Mhow.

“And would you believe, my brother Vikrant, a captain in the army, who was posted in Lebanon with the UN peacekeeping force, lay in a pool of blood for 25 minutes unattended after being in a hit-and-run accident. People just stood and stared at this army man in uniform as he lay dying,” she added.

“Until a Muslim gentleman passed by, saw the scene, found my brother’s mobile thrown off at a distance. The gentleman, god bless his soul, dialled the last number on my brother’s mobile which happened to belong to my father, a retired army colonel.

“Can you imagine a father being told his only son is lying unconscious in a pool of blood on the road? My father ran all the way from our home to the spot. Fortunately, an army doctor who happened to be passing by had taken charge of the situation by the time my father arrived.

“They both kept screaming and shouting at my brother to keep him from slipping into coma until they reached the hospital. Otherwise anything could’ve happened.”

The actress was busy shooting for Rohit Shetty’s “Golmaal Returns” in Goa. On hearing the news, she rushed home.

“I had to rush to Mhow to be with my parents. I felt really guilty that I wasn’t there for them when this happened. Then I had to rush back to Goa because it was the climax shooting of ‘Golmaal Returns’ and there was no way I could be relieved. I shot the climax, then rushed back to be with my parents.

“I’ve hardly slept in the last one week. Fortunately, he is now out of danger and has been shifted to Lucknow. But no one can imagine what I’ve gone through.”

What really bothers Celina beyond the immediate crisis is the apathy of common people.

“No one helped my brother. Women just stood there with their dupattas to their mouths, men just looked on curiously, when everyone in Mhow knows my father as retired Colonel Vikram Jaitley. Our home is known as the Jaitley kothi.

“In fact, some over-concerned types took my brother’s shattered helmet from the accident site and gave it to my mother at home who was deliberately kept clueless about my brother. She thought the worst had happened.” However, the worse is over.

Courtesy : www.bollywoodworld.com

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Aman Siddiqui, Juhi Chawla, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Rajpal Yadav, Satish Shah
Director: Vivek Sharma
Ratings: ** 1/2

“Bhootnath” is that rare film set in Goa where you don’t see a single bikini-clad woman. The songs are colourful, but they are done with the devilish delight of a rock concert rather than the calculated manoeuvres of choreographic manipulation.

Indeed, debutant director Vivek Sharma harks back to an artless innocence to tell the tale of a benign ghost who comes to life.

The film’s most delectable aspect is the rapport that grows between the ghost (Amitabh Bachchan) and the fearless little boy (Aman Siddiqui) who comes to live in the dead man’s mansion, takes on the ghost and even gets the better of him. Both Bachchan and the boy have a ball. So do we, in portions.

The film’s best scenes feature the Big B with the incredibly confident and polished Aman. The pair just takes over the screen and makes you forget the narrative’s all-too-apparent flaws.

There are plot-holes large enough to make “Bhootnath” an uneasy bumpy ride. But Amitabh and Aman make you smile as they frolic, sing, banter and deliver some really heartwarming homilies on the quality of existence.

Of late, the Big B has been repeatedly seen in interactive situations with little kids. After Ayesha Kapoor in “Black”, Rucha Vaidya in “Ek Ajnabee” and Sweeni Khare in “Cheeni Kum”, he brings a sense of cross-generation harmony with another acutely cute and young co-star.

While the kids in the other three films were traumatized to one degree or another, Aman plays a normal, bratty but sensitive kid, yet another addition to the growing brood of brilliant child actors in Bollywood after Darsheel Safary in “Taare Zameen Par”.

The director lets the child be. He imposes no adult perceptions on him. The narration consequently carries an air of old-world naivete to the end. There are no breaks for romantic songs, item numbers and other modern day quirks and compromises.

“Bhootnath” glides forward with the unconscious skill of a little boat in a tranquil lake, which knows where it wants to go without creating any stress within the pace of the grace.

And what would Bhootnath be without the Big B, sportingly sharing lines, visuals, songs and drama with a child who gives him tit for tat, and more?

The rapport between the wandering spirit and the spirited kid could have fallen apart were it not for the cool camaraderie between them. While one is unschooled in acting therefore totally spontaneous, the other is so skilled and schooled that he readily redefines what is cool.

The duo apart, the other characters are largely sketchy. Rajpal Yadav with shoe-polish on his face plays one of the stereotypical Goan drunkards.

Priyanshu Chatterjee as the dead man’s ungrateful son struggles to give substance to an under-written role. His character brings into play the age-old conflict between old-world values where a home was considered much more than financial asset, and the new generation which thinks property can be easily bought. Known for their movies that convey moral messages, producers B.R. and Ravi Chopra couldn’t let go of the chance to make a social statement.

Juhi Chawla as the flustered mom is sweet and angelic. But she is unable to add anything to the drama beyond a point.

Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan in a guest appearance clearly tries to improvise on the badly written dialogues mainly in scenes where he pokes fun at his wife’s cooking.

Shah Rukh and Juhi continue to share a quaint if not crackling chemistry. But the chemistry here is clearly between the ghost of a 65-year-old and a 10-year-old child who knows he’s up against a formidable adversary.

Or maybe he doesn’t. Sometimes the motivations underlying spontaneity can be the very opposite of fear.

“Bhootnath” tells us ghosts are not scary, they can be fun. At the end of the blithe film we believe the director even if we don’t belive in ghosts at all.

Kajol has spoken about how she is coping after the loss of her father Shomu Mukherjee and how her family are helping her.

Talking to an Indian daily, the actress said, “I am coping quite well. The best way to deal with death is to immerse yourself in work. Also, my daughter and husband need me to be around. My father had been suffering for a long time. I think it was more a freedom from the pain he was undergoing, than anything else.”

Talking further on how she is handling the death, Kajol reveals, “I do a lot of mindless reading. Give me Mills & Boon or a mushy pulp fiction novel and I’ll be happy.”

It has been reported in the Indian media that popular Bollywood actress Vidya Balan made a mockery of herself at a party in London last week.

The actress is rumoured to have got drunk and then insulted fellow party goers. One has to keep in mind that Vidya is not usually like this and, because of the excessive drinking, could have lost her senses.Vidya will soon be seen on-screen opposite hot actor Shahid Kapur in Kismet Konnection.

It was a moment of glory for Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit as she received the prestigious Padma Shri award today (May 10) from President Pratibha Patil for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

The actor who is in the country with her husband Dr. Shriram Nene especially to receive the award is exceedingly happy with this recognition.

“It is a great honour. I am elated,” said Padma Shri Madhuri Dixit.

Noted industrialist Ratan Tata, NRI steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, Metroman E Sreedharan and chess wizard Viswanathan Anand were also among the recipients of the Padma awards.

Former bureaucrat PN Dhar, former Chief Justice of India AS Anand and Nobel-prize winning environmentalist RK Pachauri also received the prestigious Padma Vibhushan at a glittering function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Adding glamour to the event were Hollywood director Manoj Night Shyamalan, Punjabi folk singer Hans Raj Hans, versatile actor Tom Alter and footballer Baichung Bhutia, who received Padma Shri awards.

Melody queen P Susheela and noted economists Lord Meghnad Desai, Kaushik Basu and Padma Desai also received the Padma Bhushan award.

The best round of applause was reserved for Tata, who was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, Bhutia, Shyamalan and Dixit, who received the Padma Shri.

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams did not turn up to receive the Padam Bhushan while respected Russian diplomat Yuli Mikhailovich Vorontsov’s daughter received the award conferred on him posthumously.

Ignoring the clamour for Bharat Ratna triggered by BJP leader LK Advani’s letter to the Prime Minister proposing Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name, the government decided against naming anyone for the award for the seventh consecutive year this time.

Bharat Ratna was last given in 2001 to Lata Mangeshkar and Ustad Bismillah Khan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several union ministers attended the function.

Among the Padma Bhushan recipients were veena exponent Ustad Asad Ali Khan, industrialist Baba Neelkanth Kalyani, tribal leader Mian Bashir Ahmed, Inderjit Kaur, Jasdev Singh, Kantipudi Padmanabhaiah, Nirmal Kumar Ganguly, Suresh Kumar Neotia, Sushil Kumar Saxena, Viswanathan Ramachandran and Ravindra Kelekar.

Those who received Padma Shri included Aheibam Jayant Kumar Singh, Amitabh Mattoo, Barkha Dutt, Bholabhai Patel, Cannigaiper Uthamaroyan Velmurugendran, Pandit Gokulotsav Maharaj, Heisnam Sabitri, Indu Bushan Sinha, Jawahar Wattal, KS Nishar Ahmed and Kaleem Ullah Khan.

French national Colette Mathur and Russian theatre personality Gennadi Mikhailovich Pechnikov also received the honour.

Karuna Mary Braganza, Kasturi Lal Chopra, Kekoo M Gandhy, Kutikuppala Surya Rao, Madan Mohan Sabharwal, Mohan Chandra Pant, Moozhikkulam Kochukuttan Chakkyar, Rakesh Kumar Jain, Sant Singh Virmani, Sheela Barthakur, Sirkazhi G Siva Chidambaram, Surjya Kanta Hazarika, Vellur Ramachandra Gowrishankar, Yella Venkateswara Rao, Mohammed Yusuf Taing also received the Padma Shri.

The female lead for “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” has been announced by Yash Raj Productions in a press release. The lucky girl to make her debut opposite Shahrukh Khan is model Anushka Sharma.

Said Yash Chopra, “We were looking first and foremost for someone who could truly embody the spirit of small town Punjab and we know we have found her in Anushka. And while she has no previous acting experience, we have seen that unique spark in her that makes us confident that she will be a standout even opposite Shah Rukh. ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ will go on the floors on the 16th of May and will hit theatres worldwide on the 12th of December.”

When Bollywood actress Kajol, who is currently on the panel of judges of Zee TV’s reality show “Rock N Roll Family” along with husband Ajay Devgan and mother Tanuja, broke down on the sets of the show, her husband chose not to console her.

While everyone on the sets was busy preparing for the next performance, Kajol started crying on the sets for no apparent reason Monday.

Satish Dutt, the director of the show, told IANS on phone from Mumbai: “Yes, Kajol was crying badly and everybody was there at the sets. I called Ajay and asked him what had happened to her. He said that ever since Kajol’s dad has expired, she has been crying very often since she misses him a lot.”

Kajol’s father, director Shomu Mukherjee, died April 10.

Dutt added that although Kajol’s mother Tanuja hugged her, Ajay opted to stay away and let her calm down on her own.

Courtesy : www.bollywoodworld.com

The arms licence issued to film actress Soha Ali Khan, whose rifle was allegedly used by her father and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to kill a blackbuck, was cancelled on Thursday by a court in Gurgaon.

Gurgaon District Magistrate Rakesh Gupta cancelled the licence issued to Soha in November 1996 on the ground that she had not attained the mandatory age of 21 years when Soha applied for the licence.

According to the district officials, Soha was only 18 years old when she sought the licence. Under the Arms Act, a person has to be 21 years to get a weapon licence.

The DM, however, took no action against Soha. The original file relating to the licence has gone missing, the officials said.

They maintained that when she got her licence renewed in 2005, Soha did not make any reference to the weapon being allegedly used by Pataudi to hunt a blackbuck in adjoining Jhajjar district.

Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu played a perfect brand ambassador at the launch of a perfume brand as she refused to respond to any questions related to her upcoming films like “Bachna Aye Hasino” in the capital Wednesday.

She was here to launch the entry of the US-based perfume brand Alcome Perfumes & Cosmetics into the Indian markets.

Looking stunning in a vermillion coloured long, backless gown with a perfume bottle intact in her hand, Bipasha chose to speak to the press only about the brand, ignoring all other questions.

She said: “It is an appropriate question. It is a wrong day to be discussing films. I would answer these questions some other time. I am here for Alcome today.”

Although she did not entertain any questions from the journalists present there, the actress, riding high on “Race” success, was quite friendly with the photographers.

About the brand, she said: “‘Alcome’ is a must buy. It is passionate and stylish. It has different fragrances for different moods. I like it and that’s why I’m here.”

Courtesy : www.bollywoodworld.com
 

A press statement is been issued by Malaika Arora Khan of her being a brand ambassador of a Swedish cosmetics company and not that of Ponds. It seems she was a part of the launch event, but not to endorse the products but only to perform at the event. The statement reads out - Model and actress Malaika Arora Khan, brand ambassador of ORIFLAME was there just to perform at the event. The rumours about Malaika endorsing Ponds are untrue. She confirms, “I am the brand ambassador and spokesperson for Oriflame India. I was present at the Hindustan Unilever event on 17th April 2008 as a performer. I was not there to launch or to endorse any product of Ponds (product of Hindustan Unilever), but only for performance. The organizers have misled the media / press to believe that I am endorsing PONDS which never was the case.”

Malaika kept reticent on the whole issue, “I don’t understand where all these stories are emanating from. I only endorse Oriflame India, natural Swedish cosmetics company and will continue doing so. I have long term association with Oriflame and I am very happy with it.”

So, now it should be clear for the people at large and also those who must have ignited this thought about Malaika being a celebrity endorsing one brand i.e. Oriflame and not the other - Ponds.

Here is a good news for Priyanka Chopra’s fans. They will get to see Priyanka in a new avatar in Madhur Bhandarkar upcoming flick Fashion. She is portraying a popular model who gets pregnant at the climax. Her pregnancy scene is quite controversial and has already gathered much media attention.

The director refuted the news that Fashion is based on the real life incident of a top model. It is even rumored that Priyanka had some differences with Madhur regarding her pregnancy scene and wanted him to change the climax as it would form a wrong impression on her image. To her demand, he has made some changes keeping the theme intact.

Priyanka had cut her weight to a great amount to fit to the role as she is playing the role of a model. Her role in Fashion is quite challenging and Madhur had portrayed her totally in a new style. Kangna Ranaut will play another important character. Last year was not quite promising for her as Salaam-E-Ishq and Big Brother failed to click at the box office. However, 2008 is looking good for her as Goldie Behl’s Drona and Harry Baweja’s Love story 2050 will hit the silver screen.

Courtesy : www.bollywoodmantra.com

Mumbai, (IANS) Shooting of “Ghajini” is temporarily halted after its leading man Aamir Khan injured his hamstring muscle yet again while shooting for the mystery thriller in Hyderabad. He is advised three weeks bed rest.

The accident happened Sunday afternoon.

“It happened when we were shooting some crucial sequences with Aamir. Although he had supported his leg, he got into an awkward position while shooting and he seriously injured himself again. Shooting can wait. Right now we are worried about his well being,” said director A.R. Murgadoss in a press statement.

The star has been asked to take complete bed rest for three weeks and the shooting of the film, which is a Hindi remake of a Tamil blockbuster of the same name, has been delayed till then.

“He will be coming to Mumbai in a day or two once doctors allow him to travel after which he will rest at his Bandra residence,” said a source.

Just last week, Aamir had injured his hamstring while performing an action sequence following which he took rest for a couple of days before getting back to work.

“Aamir did not want the shooting of ‘Ghajini’ to suffer because of his injury. Everyone on the sets was against him pushing himself, but Aamir was insistent that we should shoot close ups. He spoke to the director and decided to shoot the close up sequences, which wouldn’t aggravate his injury,” said a source from the sets.

However, it was a bad idea as his muscle got further strained.

“He was chasing the bad guy and his leg was in an awkward position and now his hamstring muscle is torn. After the shot was canned, Aamir couldn’t get up for almost 40 minutes.

“Initially, everyone on the sets thought that Aamir was pulling a fast one, but only when he screamed in pain, everyone got into action.”

A physiotherapist was present on the set and he requested for a specialist to be called in. Aamir had to be carried and was taken to a local hospital.

Courtest : www.bollywoodworld.com

Kareena Kapoor has just danced with Shahrukh Khan for the second time. It’s for Priyadarshan’s Billoo Barbar. And its composer Pritam Chakraborty is sure that it will be a smash hit like Kareena’s other item song ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ with Shahrukh in Don. Says Pritam, “The Don song was a re-mix. My item song ‘Theek Hai Theek Hai’ sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Sukhwinder for Kareena and Shahrukh in Billo Barbar is an absolute original. And if today I’m doing my most creatively satisfying work, I give Kareena a lot of credit for it.”

What is it about Kareena Kapoor that our new-age composers get inspired by her? Earlier he wasn’t supposed to do the music in Golmaal Returns. “But then I heard Kareena is part of the sequel. And I kicked myself, ‘Shit I wish I could do it.’ To my good fortune Vishal-Shekhar who were supposed to do Golmaal Returns, backed out. I jumped in, rang up Shekhar and asked him, ‘Tu nahin kar rahan hai?’ When he confirmed they were out, I was over the moon. I’ve composed a rocking item song ‘Maine Tujhse Pyar Kiya Hai’ for Kareena in Golmaal Returns.”

Earlier Anu Malik used to claim that he formed an indelible team with Kareena. With all his big projects from her debut Refugee to Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai to the ambitious (though not successful) Yaadein, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon and Khushi, Anu had once said to me. “I don’t know what it is about Bebo. But she brings out the best in me. And I think I do the same for her.”

Now suddenly once again Kareena is the muse for another composer. The high-flying Pritam Chakraborty, who’s just composed two songs ‘Don’t Stop’ and ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’ for Shahrukh’s Knight Riders, thinks Kareena is his lucky mascot. “It’s more than that actually. I just feel I’m linked by a creative satellite to her. It started with the ‘Its Rocking’ item-song in Kya Love Story Hai. You’ve to admit it presented Kareena like never before. And it brought me loads of popularity too. Then I did Jab We Met which I think is a turning point in my career. If it wasn’t for Kareena my songs like ‘Yeh Ishq Haye’, ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’ and ‘Nagara’ wouldn’t have become a rage. And no matter what some people say ‘Yeh Ishq Haye’ is an original composition. I’d say if today I’m doing original work it’s because Kareena inspires me.”

So taken up is Pritam with his new-found muse that he wants to compose for all of Kareena’s films. “I know that isn’t possible. But I’d like to try,” says Pritam emotionally.

Courtesy : www.oneindia.in

The new face of Bollywood Deepika Padukone is a busy bee these days. She is overloaded with work and hardly finds time to spend with her beau Ranbir Kapoor. For months long, she is out of station, shooting in Bangkok for Chandni Chowk to China with Akshay Kumar and did not get free time to meet her boyfriend.

To spend time together in an isolate place apart from work, she even purchased a house close to Ranbir’s residence in Bandra but outdoor shooting restricts her from relaxing in her residence too. She has recently stepped into Bollywood but work is keeping her busy 24/7. Unable to bear the distance from his love for a long time, Ranbir also dropped on the set of Chandni Chowk to China to meet her.

After completing Chandni Chowk to China, she will be off to Venice to shoot a song with Ranbir in Siddharth Anand’s Bachna Eh Haseeno. Immediately after that she would be busy with Imtiaz Ali’s romantic film with Saif Ali Khan. Deepika is struggling between love and work. 365 days seems insufficient for her.