[ItzToday.com] Aamir Khan get Barack Obama's nod

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• Aamir Khan get Barack Obama's nod
• A sleepless night for Amitabh Bachchan
• Abhishek Bachchan was ignorant about Chittagong uprising
• Shabana Azmi silence herself about dinner with Obamas
• Saif Ali Khan says no to Hollywood

Aamir Khan get Barack Obama's nod Posted: 08 Nov 2010 03:37 AM PST An invite to the prime minister's private dinner for the US first couple was an honour enough, but when President Barack Obama praised his work, Aamir Khan was on cloud nine. The star, who was invited to the dinner by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence, was cornered by the waiting media persons as soon as the do got over at around 10 p.m. Sunday. "President Obama said he has heard a lot about my work and my films," said Aamir, who was clad in a cream coloured kurta pyjama. "It (the dinner) was an opportunity to meet big personalities. I am a big fan of Manmohan-ji and I am happy that he called me up," he told the journalists. Aamir, 45, also praised the dinner platter and revealed that First Lady Michelle Obama had told him she danced to his title number from "Rang De Basanti". Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar and his actress-activist wife Shabana Azmi were also invited to the grand feast.

A sleepless night for Amitabh Bachchan Posted: 08 Nov 2010 03:30 AM PST Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan says he couldn't sleep a night after Diwali because of the pain in his right rib cage. "After having spent a horrible night, I woke up eventually to fight it rather than succumb. The right rib cage and the region above it has been in a spasm throughout, and so finding any kind of comfort in any sleeping position whatsoever has been a task of immense proportion," wrote Amitabh Bachchan, 67, on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com Despite the gruesome pain, the actor braved it to the gymnasium to complete his exercise regime, which caused him further discomfort. "Struggling across the morning formalities I was able to get myself to the gym, albeit in even greater pain. Once there, it was tougher than most days to cope, not just with the absence of exercise for the many missed days, but also to go through a regimen that promised no relief," he wrote. He then resorted to pain killers to rid him of the unbearable pain. "The important thing was that I survived the drill and then resorted to the age old practice of external relief - the pain killer," he wrote. The megastar says the surreal experience of interacting with an audience was far more relieving than any number of pain killers could have been. "I have to say that even if I had taken a million pain relievers, nothing would have worked as beautifully as the effect of a live audience in personal contact. The masses give us the confidence the strength, the courage and desire to excel and our efforts to achieve that begin to move in unison," he wrote. He also thanked the audience of "Kaun Banega Crorepati 2010" (KBC), a quiz show he hosts for Sony. "Thank you people of the KBC audience...you have converted an unfortunate and somewhat grave situation into one of possibility and that possibility was the conduct of the two episodes that needed to be recorded today," he wrote.

Abhishek Bachchan was ignorant about Chittagong uprising Posted: 08 Nov 2010 03:21 AM PST After box-office dud "Raavan", Abhishek Bachchan is returning to the big screen as freedom fighter Surjya Sen in Ashutosh Gowariker's "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey", based on the Chittagong uprising. The actor says he was embarrassed when offered the role as he was ignorant about the historical episode. "I was embarrassed because as an Indian citizen I didn't know about Surjya Sen, the great Chittagong uprising and these great freedom fighters who laid their lives for our freedom. I felt the story should be told at a wider scale," Abhishek told IANS. Based on journalist Manini Chatterjee's book "Do and Die: The Chittagong Uprising 1930-34", the film is a true story about revolution against the British in Chittagong, then a district in undivided Bengal. The film also stars Deepika Padukone as Kalpana Dutta. Abhishek, 34, was in Shimla to unveil the world's tallest statue of Lord Hanuman. The actor says the film is an attempt to pay tribute to the people involved in the Chittagong uprising. "I did 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey' because I wanted to pay tribute to the freedom fighters of our country. Very little is known about the Chittagong uprising and when I got to know about it, I felt it was a story worth telling. It is Ashutosh and my small way of paying tribute to some great people involved in this revolution," he added. The actor confesses he always tries to do films that present him in a different avatar. "I have always tried, in whatever films I do, to bring out an unexplored side of mine and that's why I do films. As an actor I wish to do something new and something more challenging which brings out a different side of me. There's lot more work to be done," he said. Not many know that Abhishek has a religious side too, which he credits to his grandparents, especially grandmother Teji Bachchan. "I credit my religious beliefs to my grandparents, especially my grandmother because as children she has taught us about Hinduism, other religions, and I owe it to them," said the actor. "She used to tell us about the adventures of Hanuman which all of us still remember," added Abhishek who admits being a god- fearing man. He doesn't fast on Tuesdays, but indeed reads the Hanuman Chalisa. Abhishek got his first break in Bollywood with J.P. Dutta's 2000 release "Refugee" alongside Kareena Kapoor. After that he did films like "Kuch Naa Kaho", "Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai"and "Shararat", but without much success. Constant comparisons with his father, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, made the going tough for Abhishek until Mani Ratnam's "Yuva" in 2004. The action thriller gave him a platform to prove his mettle. After that there was no looking back - from a flop actor Abhishek went on to become a versatile artist by doing a variety of roles in movies like "Sarkar", "Bluffmaster", "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna", "Guru", "Dostana", "Delhi-6" and "Paa".

Shabana Azmi silence herself about dinner with Obamas Posted: 08 Nov 2010 02:08 AM PST She made an annoucement on Twitter about being invited by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for dinner with US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, but post the event Bollywood veteran Shabana Azmi is not willing to divulge any details. "Guys I'm not a reporter and have no intentions of describing the menu, clothes, etc of Obama's dinner at prime minister's house. But yes, all guests did speak to the president and (his) wife," Shabana, who was invited with her lyricist husband Javed Akhtar, posted on Twitter. The actress and social activist is glad that India is in a position to welcome Obama and his wife Michelle confidently. "India used to b a recipient of USA aid. Today, we are in a position to provide jobs to USA So a confident India welcomes Obama with her head held high," she added. Actor-producer Aamir Khan too attended the high-profile dinner Sunday. The Obamas will be leaving India Tuesday morning.

Saif Ali Khan says no to Hollywood Posted: 08 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan says he has no plans to uproot himself to go and work in Hollywood movies. "Not really. I think they are very serious about how they make movies. You have to go and set up a base, start from the scratch about how to speak, how to act. You have to struggle and start all over again," Saif said when he was here for an event. "I am quite happy where I am today and not try to uproot myself by working in Hollywood. I would rather concentrate more and more on being successful in my own field," he added. The 40-year-old was here to participate in the celebrations of Taj Enlighten Film Society, which has been validated as India's largest film society by the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI). Saif is currently busy producing his home production "Agent Vinod" and wishes to make international style movies in future. "I'd like to make films like 'Omkara', 'Parineeta'. We are actually meeting up people in Mumbai to bring in new talent and make international style of cinema. I'll try to make films that are not only successful in monetary terms but also give us creative satisfaction," he said.

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