Sri Rama Rajyam at IFFI

Bapu-directed Sri Rama Rajyam will have a special screening on November 28, at the International Film Festival in Goa. The film will be screened for around 500 international journalists. Sri Rama Rajyam has extraordinary special effects along with a wonderful storyline depicted well by veteran director Bapu. The film, made on a whopping budget, has opened to positive talks. Based on the story of Lava-Kusa, Balayya acts as Lord Rama and Nayanthara plays the role of Sita. ANR has appeared as Valmiki Maharshi. Ilayaraja has scored music for the film. Yalamanchili Sai Baba is the producer.

John ko gussa kyun aata hai? Revealed

The media has been buzzing with reports of the apparent fisticuffs John Abraham got into with a persistent fan, at a promotional event for Desi Boyz in Pune. Photos of John supposedly shoving the man away roughly were circulated online and in the press. But a fan who witnessed the event has stepped forward to explain what really happened.

“A girl in the crowd was having a really tough time dealing with a guy’s incessant lewd remarks. John saw that she was uncomfortable, stopped the event immediately and pulled her away,” our source revealed. Contrary to reports, there was no scuffle, the fan added: “John just pushed the man away in the process of getting the girl away from the scene. A big issue was made out of a small incident.” A friend of the actor affirmed, “John has always treated women with a lot of respect. It infuriates him to see anyone misbehaving with a woman.”

Rajinikanth's daughter, Soundarya, clears rumours on 'Rana'

Recently there was a rumour doing rounds that Rana, superstar Rajinikanth’s mega venture, had begun shooting in Bengaluru with a three-day schedule.

The grapevine was buzzing that Rajinikanth and Deepika Padukone (who is making her debut in Tamil) were spotted a few days ago at Nice Road, the six lane expressway connecting Bengaluru to Mysore.

It was even said that K.S. Ravikumar was shooting a few important scenes at an exclusive set that had been erected for the purpose.

But when Soundarya, one of the producers of Rana was contacted by DC, she rubbished the report as ‘baseless rumours’.

Is Don 2 in trouble because of Ra.One?

Shah Rukh Khan may have faced a lot of flak for Ra.One’s weak content. But, will it impact how audiences perceive Don 2? That seems to be the question on everyone’s mind as the Christmas release of Farhan Akhtar’s thrilling caper approaches.

However, SRK’s many supporters are only too ready to defend him, saying much is being made of the mixed critical response towards Ra.One, which was in the final analysis, an unequivocal commercial hit. Says a senior film-maker, “So many people have vested interests with a multi-crore project. Moreover, it’s an easy way for people to get attention, talking about someone as big as SRK.” Industry watchers also say that Ra.One’s fate will have no bearing on SRK’s ability to draw crowds to the theatres for Don 2. “SRK’s fan base is very much intact,” says a trade analyst. “Don 2’s promos have already generated a lot of excitement.”

'Kolaveri' crosses 4 mn mark, Big B hooked on to it

Why This Kolaveri Di, already a rage, seems on a record breaking spree. In less than a day, the song has got more than a million hits on YouTube and so far has registered 4,052,189 hits.

The promo of the song was released on YouTube Nov 16 and spread like a viral, thanks to its funny, nonsense Tanglish (Tamil-English). On Thursday evening, the song notched up to 3,020,014 hits on YouTube, and suprisingly the count spiralled to 4,052,189 by Friday noon.

Amitabh Bachchan is going gaga over the foot-tapping music and says he just can't get enough of the song sung by Tamil star Dhanush for his film 3, which is being directed by his wife Aishwarya, the daughter of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth. The song has been composed by 18-year-old Anirudh Ravichander.

"'Why this Kolaveri Kolaveri Kolaveri Di' .. Ahh...just not leaving the lips and the mind and the system...such an endearing experience. Brings a smile and laughter and rhythm instantly to the face... get to YouTube, type Dhanush and Kolaveri Di... its his latest song that has become a rage all over," Amitabh posted on his blog Bigb.bigadda.com.

"Dhanush, son-in-law of Rajinikanth, a young brigade superstar in Tamil Cinema married to Aishwarya, Rajini's daughter...its lovely. 'Kolaveri...' Tamil for rejected lovers rage, in a sweet way...now getting used as verbiage in almost any walk of life, social, political...every where!! tremendous," he posted.

The Bollywood megastar is so impressed by the song that he even posted a few lines praising the song on his Twitter.

"This Kolaveri is veri veri endearing .. just not leaving the sound waves in the mind-u... what-a what-a what-a do-u," tweeted Amitabh.

Justin Bieber takes paternity test

Teen sensation Justin Bieber has undergone a DNA test to put an end to allegations that he fathered a child with a California woman.

Mariah Yeater, 20, hit headlines earlier this month after sensationally claiming the singer had a fling with her following a Los Angeles concert last year, Contactmusic reported.

And in a bid to put the rumours to rest, the 'Baby' hitmaker voluntarily took a DNA test on November 18.

"(He) doesn't mind. He's like, 'I'm just going to go ahead... (with) it and be fine,'" said Scooter Braun, Bieber's manager.

Lady Gaga to receive LGBT honour

Pop star Lady Gaga is to be honoured in recognition of her work with lesbians, gays and bisexuals.

Gaga will be honoured by the Trevor Project, a non-profit company that offers suicide-prevention services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

The award will be given to her at the annual Trevor Live event. Google Inc will receive a special Trevor 2020 award, reports contactmusic.com.

"Our young are at the centre of a health crisis, and vocal leaders like Lady Gaga and technology leaders like Google have stepped up to help change our culture," said David McFarland, Trevor Project CEO and executive officer.

"We are proud to honour Lady Gaga with the Trevor Hero Award and Google Inc with the Trevor 2020 award for their work to help young people express their true selves with pride," McFarland added.

The Trevor Live event is slated to take place on December 4 at the Hollywood Palladiu.

‘A desi lifestyle is my secret’

I’m a very basic guy. Despite being in the industry for so long, I still don't understand the glitz and glamour that go with it,” says Akshay Kumar. The actor who has been in the industry for over two decades feels that things are just hotting up for him as far as Bollywood is concerned.

After almost 10 years of doing mainly comic roles, the original Khiladi will be seen again in an action film soon. “I’m just about to start shooting for Rowdy Rathore and I still feel as nervous and anxious as I felt during my initial days. I really value my success,” he smiles. Currently, Akshay is thrilled about the positive response he is getting for his fresh look in Desi Boyz. Despite the pressure and the erratic working hours, how does he manage to look so good? “My secret is to follow a desi lifestyle. I don’t drink and smoke. I hit the pillow at 10 pm. I eat healthy and meditate regularly,” says the actor.

That’s quite an unusual lifestyle for a Bollywood star but the results are there for all to see. But with a lot of new actors coming in, does a veteran like Akshay feel the pressure to look and perform his best? “Certainly there is competition. But I take it in a positive way. Every actor worth his name is trying his best. That’s what our industry is all about. The day you stop bothering about competition, you might become complacent,” says Khiladi Kumar.

Akshay is probably the only actor who has had the chance to share screen space with most of the other big names. With Hera Pheri, Bhagam Bhaag, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and now Desi Boyz, he has managed to hold his own in multi-starrers as well. The buzz is that post Force, John Abraham is taking tips from Akshay to establish his action hero image. “John is a fabulous guy. It was a delight working with him in Garam Masala. In Desi Boyz, we just share a mad chemistry and that works for the film. I’m always there to help him,” assures the superstar.

I hold the ninth Bachchan of the family: Amitabh

With the birth of Aishwarya and Abhishek's daughter, megastar Amitabh Bachchan has welcomed the ninth Bachchan in the family, which was started by his father, noted poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

The 69-year-old actor has a younger brother Ajitabh, his two children, who has two children and is already a grandfather to his daughter, Shweta's two children.

"Dad! I hold the 9th Bachchan in my hands... this family that you started. Amitabh, Ajitabh (brother), Shweta(daughter) Nilima and Namrata (Ajitabh's daughters), Abhishek,(son) Naina and Bhim (Shweta's children) and now this beauty, unnamed so far," an emotional Big B wrote on his blog.

"I hope you and Ma look upon us from above and bless us and your latest addition. To carry forward what then may have seemed a somewhat limited expectation. The tradition continues and may it prosper by your love and your aashirvaad (blessing)," Bachchan wrote.

Aishwarya, 38, gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday morning at a private hospital in Mumbai.

The National award winning actor, who has become a paternal grandfather for the first time, was all praise for the new angel in his life. "The soft innocence of nature rests in my arms, oblivious of what else happens around her. Occasionally she opens her large and what looks now to be eyes of the lighter hue, which those that have dealt with similar, know shall change with time.

"Often the gentlest of smiles quiver across her pouted upper lip, the shut eyes bringing expression through the brows and the settling down to that dream she must dream. Her head covered in the littlest of head gear she will ever adorn, snuggles into her mini quilt of varied colors dominated by the pink softness of its material," he added.

Daughter comes first for Abhishek

Getting it right at the box office with Players is important for Abhishek Bachchan. But it’s certainly not more important than his little baby daughter.

And that’s the message Abhi chose to send out this Wednesday when he cancelled a promotional trip to Dubai for his upcoming film to spend more time with his little bundle of joy.

Now the Dubai trip had been in the pipeline for a long time, and all the male cast members were expected to be a part of the promotional event. “November 25 was fixed as the day when the event would take place,” says a well-placed source from the production house.

“We had worked out the schedule taking into account the dates that Bobby Deol, Sikandar Kher and Abhishek gave. Ash’s delivery date had also been factored in.”

But a dad has to do what a dad has to do, and so it was that even though the entire trip had to be called off once Abhi pulled out, no one is complaining. “Everybody understands how big a moment this is for Abhi and Aishwarya,” our source added.
In the meantime, the Players’ production team is trying to get another promotional event in place.

“Dubai is a really important sector in terms of film promotion, so we would have to organise at least some sort of event there,” a harried spokesperson told us.

Well, we hope this is an alternative that keeps Abhi’s new family commitments in mind. After all, with the Bachchan parivaar, it’s always a case of hum saath, saath hain!

Vidya gets unapologetic

Vidya Balan is busy fending off questions about her sensuous, bold avatar in The Dirty Picture. About shedding her demure image, Vidya says, “Milan (Luthria) kept telling me, ‘Just psyche yourself to be bold, bindaas, everything else will follow’. I understood that it was about being free, fearless and uninhibited.”
Vidya also says that she found her “bold” mentality spilling over into her real-life persona: “Our work does have a direct or indirect impact on us,” the actress says. “I’m more unapologetic about my choices now, especially being a woman.” And do those “choices” she’s unapologetic about include Vidya’s rumoured relationship with UTV honcho Siddharth Roy Kapoor?

Beauty queens rule B’town in December

It happens only in India! Come December and a record of sorts will be created when five former Miss Indias will be see on the big screen.

Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Neha Dhupia, Sayali Bhagat and Simran Kaur Mundi are the beauty queens whose films will release within a week or two of each other.

“This is unprecedented,” says a trade observer. “There have been times when two beauty queens have had corresponding releases or co-starred in a film. But five of them at one go, is a remarkable coincidence.”

So while Don 2 will see Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta come together on screen eight years after Andaaz, Neha’s long pending Pappu Can’t Dance Saala is finally seeing the light of day.

Sayali Bhagat’s Ghost is also being released after some months’ delay, while Simran Kaur Mundi’s Jo Hum Chahein is being termed as a 'fresh affair'.

While industrywallahs say the Guiness Book of World Records should be approached, film-makers have also said that the 'beauty queen' tag might work as a good promotional tool.

As for us, we’ll just be enjoying the sight of so many lovely women on screen, and leave the marketing shenanigans to Bollywood.

Ajay-Saif reach a compromise

And now, a sigh of relief.

After sending trade pundits into a tizzy by announcing the same release date for their films, Son of Sardar and Race 2 respectively, Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan have now ensured that they give each other a wide berth — at the box office.

Both actors were initially said to be intent on a Diwali 2012 release, but have now reached some sort of compromise.

“Ajay definitely has a connection with the festive season, which got him great returns on his Golmaal films,” a trade analyst points out.

“But Race 2 is one of the highly anticipated films of next year, so had the two releases coincided, both parties would have suffered some losses.”

Industry observers say that Saif and Ajay may have changed their minds however, at the thought that there were already two films planned for the same time: The untitled YRF film with Shah Rukh Khan and Khiladi 786 starring Akshay Kumar.

“Both Saif and Ajay are senior actors and must not have wanted to create any bad blood by jumping into the fray,” says an eminent film-maker. Now if only all Bollywood could develop as mature a perspective.

Suriya gets ‘anti-social’

At a time when celebrities and most movie stars are smitten by social networking websites and are incessantly promoting their films and personal details on the likes of Twitter and Facebook, this hot and happening star, Suriya, dares differ.

Though the 7 Aum Arivu actor is present on these sites, albeit through a ghost account, he did candidly admit to this newspaper that he will never be a part of social networking sites openly. He confirms that he is present on the sites but just to check what’s happening.

Expressing amazement about the love and affection of his fans he says, “Yes, there are lots of well wishers who shower me with love and support. They blindly admire whatever I do. Their updates on the sites really amaze me. They respect my work and their comments are heart-warming,” he observes.

However, he cannot bear the negativity. “It’s sad. The kind of filth and venom you find on social networking sites. I have seen people writing graffiti in school and theatre toilets, but they have no qualms about posting similar stuff on these sites. In fact, they seem to get a big kick out of it.”

With the kind of fan following he has, can he not influence a change?

He says skeptically, “I don’t see anything changing. It’s very sad. I faithfully follow A.R. Rahman in this respect. He used to say, ‘Even if there is negativity, I follow only the path of love’.” Suriya is aware of the temporary nature of his profession.

“I am not saying I am a perfect actor and that I will always be successful. I know it’s not permanent. So far, so good, you never know what tomorrow has in store for you.”

Attributing his success to hard work he says, “Whatever I am today did not come easy or by luck. I have had to endure my share of brickbats for 6 to 7 years to reach this position. The same goes with my brother, Karthi, who did just 2 films in 5 years. He worked hard. Everybody gets an opportunity sooner or later and I think we have made the best of what we got and have risen to this level.”

He suddenly goes back to his pet peeve about people spewing nastiness on social networking sites. “They are misusing a public forum. By abusing others, their success is not going to come to you. You can watch films and comment on them instead of getting too personal. To comment personally on an actor or their family, is inhuman.”

Ending his tirade against social networking sites and people who misuse it he says, “I don’t mean any actor per se. I am referring to their fans too. They should really grow. As far as I am concerned these insults will not affect any committed actor’s success or performance in any way and those who indulge in such demeaning activity should realise that.”

Selvaraghavan moves from darkness to light

Selvaraghavan is an altered man.

There are discernible sea changes in the ace filmmaker’s personality after his marriage to Geethanjali. He’s lightened up. Those who’ve seen the sneak preview of his upcoming flick Mayakkam Enna are convinced his new optimistic attitude is reflected on screen.

“Unlike his earlier movies, which portrayed the darker side of life, there’s a lot of positive energy in ME,” confides a reliable source to DC.

The movie, which stars Dhanush and Richa Gangopadhyay, focuses on the lifestyle of the young generation. Dhanush will be seen in the sprightly role of aspiring photographer Karthik Subramanian.
Meanwhile, the much-hyped flick has already been censored and given a UA certification.

Though initially the makers scheduled ME for a December release, Selva confirmed to this newspaper that they have advanced it by a week. Which means the movie will hit cinema halls on November 25.

It will be the sole release on that day, in the hope of raking in a better opening. G.V. Prakash’s music is already a hit.

Srihari praises Bhumika Chawla

"Bhumika has been a splendid producer,” affirms director Srihari.

He’s just completed his first venture in Telugu, Takita Takita. Some portions were shot again in Tamil and now the Tamil version, Thulli Ezhundadhu Kadhal, is ready for release. He says he was lucky to get a producer like actress Bhumika for his debut film.

Besides playing a vital role in the movie, Bhumika has been an ideal producer, confirms Srihari.

“Unlike other producers, Bhumika and her husband Bharat Thakur never interfered in my work and gave me total creative freedom. She showed that she trusted my talent completely and never came to the location even once, except for the 14 days when she shot for her portions.”

The director explains that he and Bhumika had sat together and discussed the script for a sizeable length of time, so she was confident he could handle it.

“Bhumika was clear what she wanted from me. We spent almost eight months on the script before we started filming. Everyone had perfect clarity. That’s why Bhumika decided she would visit the spot as a producer, only if required.”

Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza confirmed reports that they will be tying knot next year

Bollywood actors Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza have confirmed reports that they will be tying the knot next year.

"Its an exciting new chapter in our lives and all your wishes and blessings make it even more beautiful and special for Riteish and me," Genelia wrote on Twitter.

Wishes started pouring in for the couple, since the time the news of their wedding started floating around.

"Am thrilled to bits and excited about one of my closest friends upcoming wedding!! @Riteishd is truly a special guy!! And he and @geneliad make an absolutely wonderful couple!! Big love to them!!," filmmaker Karan Johar had tweeted.

"@Riteishd Congratulations 'Chupe Rustom' lol..time for celebrations. Love to G," actor Arjun Rampal said.

"@Riteishd happy happy for u Rits and @ geneliad at the announcement, congrats, good luck and God bless," celebrity photographer Atul Kasbekar tweeted.

"One of my closest friends just gave me the best news! I am so happy. Good things happen to good people! Thats what makes every day worth it. Yes, the 'good things and good people' tweet was about @geneliad and @Riteishd. She is like family to me and he is a treasure! Thrilled," actor Siddharth said.

"@Riteishd U & gene have balanced career & personal life with equal priority! Inspiring! My best wishes Ritz!," actress Amrita Rao said.

"Thanking everyone for the best wishes..A big thank you for all your good wishes. Love you all," Riteish tweeted.

Riteish and Genelia began seeing each other on the sets of their Bollywood debut, 'Tujhe Meri Kasam' in 2003. Neither of them ever publicly acknowledged their relationship but Riteish, son of Congress minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, said in a media report recently that they will seal their relationship with a wedding in 2012.