| Amitabh Bachchan lauds first woman crorepati Posted: 21 Nov 2010 03:15 AM PST  Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is all praise for Rahat Taslim from Jharkhand who became the first woman to win Rs.1 crore on his gameshow "Kaun Banega Crorepati". "Rahat Taslim, a small town housewife from Giriddih, Jharkhand as you all may have known by now, won the one crore at KBC," Amitabh posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com. "A simple woman, a Muslim from an unknown village, still under the social and conservative norms of the 'purdah', came out from her house stitching activities that earned her 2000-3000 rupees in order to run the house and made a crore of rupees," he added. Taslim, 37, who is the first contestant of the fourth season of Kaun Banega Crorepati to win Rs.1 crore, had spent most of her life facing endless hardships. While she sews clothes, her husband works with the Mica Trading Corp of India on a salary of Rs.6,000. "She never in her life had opened even a bank account, because of their meagre earnings, had never seen the lakhs that came to her in the form of the zero's on her cheque and had never ever imagined that she would get to the hot seat at KBC," Amitabh wrote. "But she did. Her husband was away working in Cochin in Kerala and she took the initiative to apply first to KBC," he added. Praising her knowledge, Amitabh wrote: "She played like a master, knew most of the answers till she reached the 50 lakh mark and then cracked the million dollar question." The actor wrote that never once did the contestant flinch or express any fear of what she was getting into and was confident from the word go. "What a fantastic moment for the game. What a fantastic moment for women in our country - that given an opportunity, they had the ability to shine like never before. And that the heart of India resides in that little village or town which we know nothing about!" he added. "Well done Rahat, you have become a part of a very important and historic moment not just for the game of KBC, but for the country as well. More, country," he added. 
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| Shabana Azmi applauded Hrithik Roshan's performance in 'Guzaarish' Posted: 21 Nov 2010 03:10 AM PST  Veteran actress Shabana Azmi is completely sold out on Hrithik Roshan's performance in "Guzaarish". She says she would have loved to have a son like him. "If I had a son, I'd like him to be Hrithik. His eyes speak volumes. His body language and his whole demeanour is breathtaking. 'Main to fidaa ho gayi. Actor ho to aisa'," she said. Hrithik is overwhelmed by Shabana's response. "Of all the compliments I've received for 'Guzaarish' so far, Shabanaji's is the best. Actually I haven't had time to allow any of the compliments to sink in," said Hrithik. Even Abhishek Bachchan was seen profusely complimenting Hrithik, thereby putting an end to all the talk about the two not seeing eye-to-eye since Hrithik's pairing with Aishwarya Rai is so much in demand. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, "Guzaarish", that also stars Aishwarya Rai, hit the screens Friday. "You should make an action film. There's so much pent-up violence within you," Abhishek was heard telling Bhansali after the screening. Big B, who has worked with Bhansali, said the film was magical. "The way Sanjay creates on celluloid is just awesome. Everything and everyone perfect. Not a whisper out of place." When asked to comment on his daughter-in-law Aishwarya's performance in "Guzaarish", Amitabh said she was "restrained and dignified". 
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| Ranbir Kapoor got Teacher's Achievement Award Posted: 21 Nov 2010 03:02 AM PST  Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor was awarded the 10th Teacher's Achievement Award for entertainment here Saturday. "I come from the family where both teachers play an important part. Teachers in form of guardian and teachers in form of whiskey. Thanks Teacher's, I'm grateful to you," said Ranbir. The 28-year old actor, who made his debut three years back, received the trophy from veteran actor Anupam Kher and lyricist Prasoon Joshi. Before starting off his career as an actor, Ranbir worked as an assistant with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whom he assisted in "Black". He later made his acting debut in Bhansali's "Saawariya", opposite Sonam Kapoor. The film was a dud at the box office, though his performance was largely appreciated. Ranbir tasted both critical and commercial success with romantic comedy "Bachna Ae Haseeno" the following year. He went on to do films like "Wake Up Sid", "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani", "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year", "Rajneeti" and the recently released "Anjaana Anjaani". Other nominees in the entertainment category included actress Vidya Balan, actor Boman Irani, musician Shantanu Moitra and singer Shaan. Teacher's Achiever of the Decade Award went to Boman, while veteran actress Shabana Azmi received the Teacher's Lifetime Achievement Award. Instituted in 2001, the awards are organised by liquor company Beam Global Spirits and Wine, owner of the Teacher's brand. 
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| Aishwarya Rai dedicated Teacher's People Achiever Award to her father Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:56 AM PST  Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who was honoured with Teacher's People Achiever Award here Saturday, dedicated it to her father Krishnaraj Rai. "Mine was people's choice award and that's always special for me. It really reflects what I always said, that my greatest strength and inspiring force has been the audience, my fans world over, that's what makes it particularly special," Rai told reporters after receiving the award at Hotel Taj Lands End. "Today is my father's birthday, so I dedicate this award to my dad," she added. Actor Ranbir Kapoor received Teacher's Achievement Award for Entertainment, Boman Irani was awarded the achiever of the decade award while actress Shabana Azmi was bestowed with the lifetime achievement award at the 10th edition of the Teacher's Achievement Awards. Instituted in 2001, the awards are organised by liquor company Beam Global Spirits and Wine, owner of the Teacher's brand. 
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| Throat Infection smashed Shilpa Shetty's wedding anniversary Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:51 AM PST  Bad health seems to have ruined Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty's plans to celebrate her first wedding anniversary Monday. The actress, who is married to London-based businessman Raj Kundra, was supposed to fly out of Mumbai to celebrate the occasion. But now she can't due to a bad throat infection. An upset Shilpa wrote on microblogging site Twitter: "My first wedding anniversary tomorrow (Monday) and was diagnosd with Pharyngitis yesterday (Saturday), sick like a dog. Was suppose to leave town but couldn't (What a horrible start)." Shilpa had met Raj after her win on the British reality show "Big Brother" in 2007 and the couple exchanged wedding vows at a close-knit family affair in Khandala last year. The wedding took place as per the Bunt tradition of the Mangalorean community that Shetty belongs to. 
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| Pamela Anderson to cook Indian food for her children Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:45 AM PST  She wore a sari, bindi, jhumkas and bangles, danced to Bollywood numbers and even grasped a few Hindi words. But, of all the things that former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson did in India, she is most excited about having learnt to cook rotis and vegetables, Indian style! Anderson, who was here on a three-day visit to be part of Colors' reality show "Bigg Boss 4", also learnt how to knead the dough thanks to Pakistani actress Veena Malik. But she quips that she still has to master the art of making round rotis. "I cooked rotis, but they were of really weird shapes. I think I'll have to use scissors to shape them into proper circles. All of them were so perfect in making perfect circles. They were doing it with so much ease," Anderson told IANS. The 43-year-old star flew back to Los Angeles Friday night. She said she would want to treat her two children - Brandon, 14, and Dylan 13 - to an Indian meal as soon as possible. "I am going to make rotis and vegetables when I get back to home. I have learnt to make mixed vegetables in Indian style with onions, garlic and ginger, crushed pepper and some masala and turmeric...I have got the list of spices and I am sure I am going to find them. "I'm a vegetarian, you know...and there are so many ways to roast and steam vegetables. I bake them, I roast them and steam them but this is a totally different way. There are so many flavours into it. Not that my kids can have spicy food, but they will like a dish with new spices," added Anderson. For her entry on the show, the usually skimpily dressed Anderson chose to wear a white Ashley Rebello sari, and looked resplendent after teaming it with a sexy blouse. She even packed up some Indian garments to take home. "I am taking some saris with me. The channel guys were very kind and they gave me two saris. I also wore an Ashley Rebello lehenga-choli for one of the days and I am also taking that with me. I wear these kinds of similar things, but not in such beautiful fabrics. I am also taking three sarongs and a churidar-kurta set. I feel Indian drapes are very beautiful, very feminine," she said. While she was in the "Bigg Boss 4" house, Anderson got a taste of Bollywood and learnt to dance on Madhuri Dixit's popular number "Dhak dhak karne lagaa". Once she was out of the show, she even gyrated to "Bigg Boss 4" host Salman Khan's chartbuster "Munni badnaam hui". She told IANS she won't mind being a part of the Indian film industry. "I think it would be fun to work in Bollywood. My decisions are always around my children. How long to be away or what's going on in their life, their school or their sports - they are first and if anything falls okay into their schedule, it happens for me. I think if you prioritise your life, good things happen," said Anderson. Now Anderson is eager to come back on an extensive Indian tour with her children. "It was nice to come here. I am happy that I could come here for a bit. Of course, I wanted to stay long, but because of my children, I have to get home. Once I bring them here, I want to wander, travel around, trek, go to Goa, see Taj Mahal. "Since I have tasted India, it has aroused my interest more in the country. I will go back home and think about it. And I am going to come back for sure," said Anderson. 
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| Imran Khan claims 'Break Ke Baad' would be liked by young Indians Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:37 AM PST  It may sound like yet another romantic comedy from Bollywood, but young Indians at home and abroad would find in "Break Ke Baad" a story that resonates with them, says lead star Imran Khan. "What I like is, it's a young urban story, but at its heart it has a classical romantic element to it," Imran, who was in New York to promote the film set for release in the US Nov 24, told IANS over the phone. One of the rare Bollywood films that opens in the US before India because of Thanksgiving holiday here, "it's about a couple that breaks up, what happens when they are separated and how they are going to grow," said the 27-year-old. "Both have got to start to figure out what to do in life and who they want to be in life," said Imran, who was born in Wisconsin, US, to a Bengali-Indian American father and a sister of Bollywood star Aamir Khan. It was "very enjoyable" working with a very young team right from director Danish Aslam to co-star Deepika Padukone, and he "became a very close friend" with Danish, Deepika, producer Kunal Kohli and all others involved in the making of the film. "So I will always really cherish the memories of making this film." "Deepika was a very accommodating and a very supportive co-star," Imran said. "I really enjoy working with her because as an actor I believe that whoever is acting with me, the better they are, the better my performance becomes. I think her performance made my performance much better." But working with some of the senior Bollywood actors like Navin Nischol and Sharmila Tagore "was honestly a little intimidating", Imran said. "But they were both very sweet and very gentle and very supportive of co-stars." "So, after a first couple of hours, you just see them as actors and forget the stars that they are and feel I can also act with them," he said. "But to me it takes a little time to get over that initial nervousness." The film will be released in India Friday. Imran said he was also very impressed by Danish. "This is Danish's first film as a director, but I think he is an extremely calm and confident director." "The thing is when you are working on a set, 15 things can go wrong every day. But no matter what happened, what the situation was, he always took it in his stride." Imran said he fully supported Danish's rule of not allowing anyone to use a cell phone on the sets as films are these days shot in sync sound, which means the sound that's recorded on the sets is used in the film. If you have cell phones ringing it's also very distracting for an actor," he said. "All of my films, be it 'I Hate Love Stories', 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na', 'Break Ke Baad', even my forthcoming films, they are all shot with sync sound; so it's becoming standard practice." One day Imran would like to get behind the camera too as a director. "Certainly it's something I am very interested in and would like to do in life," though he has no such plans in the near future. "Right now as an actor I am getting to do some good work with people whom I like." Does he have a dream film in mind? "No, that would really depend on when I decide to make a film, what kind of story I have in mind." 
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| Manisha Koirala to bring Bollywood to Nepal Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:30 AM PST  Almost two decades after she left Nepal to carve out an illustrious career in neighbour India's film industry, Bollywood diva Manisha Koirala is now seeking to bring Bollywood to Nepal. Manisha, who will be returning to the Nepali film industry with the winter release of her new film, "Dharma", is now working on a new script that will have three Bollywood stars acting in it - Danny Denzongpa, her close friend Jackie Shroff and the favourite bad man of Bollywood, Gulshan Grover, the Nagarik daily reported Sunday. The 40-year-old actor is said to be working on a script that is based in Nepal. Shooting with the Bollywood stars is expected to start from next month in Kathmandu and sunny city Pokhara, where Manisha herself did a couple of sequences for Dharma. Meant for an international audience, the yet-to-be-titled film will have English subtitles and is also intended for international film festivals. Bollywood made an earlier arrival in Nepal this year when Manisha tied the knot with Nepali entrepreneur Samrat Dahal. Jackie, who wowed guests and the media alike by wearing a traditional Nepali suit, Grover, Govinda and Deepti Naval were among the Bollywood stars invited to the three-day wedding in June that was also attended by Nepal's deposed king Gyanendra Shah and Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. It was Grover's first visit to Nepal and he was struck by the beauty of the Himalayan nation, expressing a desire to invest in a film made here, Manisha said. Jackie had also told her in the past that he wanted to act in a Nepali film but till now, she had not been able to do anything about it, the petite actor said. This year, besides Manisha, Nepal has welcomed two more acclaimed Bollywood stars. Nandita Das, chair of Children's Film Society of India, came down to Kathmandu to attend an Indian film festival while Irfan Khan, who has begun his conquest of Hollywood with his roles in "Slumdog Millionaire" and "A Mighty Heart", came to take part in an international theatre festival. 
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| Christmas sms Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:29 AM PST Christmas may be many things or it may be a few. For you, the joy is each new toy for me it's watching U.
May all the sweet magic Of Christmas conspire To gladden your hearts And fill every desire.
May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you all through the Year. Wishing you a season of blessings from heaven above. Happy Christmas
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| Ranbir Kapoor ready for Deepika Padukone's gift of condoms Posted: 21 Nov 2010 02:22 AM PST  Bollywood hearthrob Ranbir Kapoor says he's quite open to the idea of former girlfriend Deepika Padukone gifting him a pack of condoms and wishes her all the best for her next film "Break Ke Baad". Deepika had wished to gift him a pack of condoms while talking to filmmaker Karan Johar on his chat show "Koffee with Karan". And Ranbir isn't flustered by Deepika's remark and says condoms are one of the most useful gifts as people should be made aware of the importance of safe sex. "I think she said a good thing. Our country should be aware of safe sex and condom is a means to that. And thank you for that," Ranbir said when queried by reporters on the red carpet of the Teacher's Achievement Awards held here late Saturday. Ranbir, who got an award in the field of entertainment, said he wished the actress all the best for her film "Break Ke Baad", which also stars Imran Khan. "Best of luck 'Break-Ke Baad'. It seems really nice...you and Imran are a great couple. Looking forward to see the film," he said. The actor maintains that they share a cordial relationship even after their break-up. "I have always maintained that. Whenever we meet each other, we are very cordial...I wish her and she wishes me," he said. Ranbir, in just three years, has reached an enviable position in Bollywood, garnering both critical and commercial success for his films like "Wake Up Sid", "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani", "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year", "Rajneeti" and "Anjaana Anjaani". He says he feels overwhelmed when his work, however little it is now, is celebrated. On receiving the Teacher's Achievement Award, he said: "I really feel overwhelmed when they celebrate my work as I am fairly new and I don't have that much of body of work. It feels great, it feels awesome...acknowledges whatever I have done," Ranbir said. 
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