Rakhi Sawant's nautanki continues

Can you guess of whom we are talking about? Well its non other than controversial queen Rakhi Sawant. The actress is essaying a good role in the up coming flick Dil Bole Hadippa. “I portray the character of Shanno who is a big nautanki. She is bindaas and a different but strong girl. I had a great time shooting with Rani and Shahid in the film. There is also a dance sequence where Rani flirts with me in a song,” says Rakhi.

There is Sherlin too in the movie so was there any competitive environment for you? “My competition is with the biggies of the industry like Ash, Kareena and Rani Mukherjee not with small time actress,” she stated in an interview with an entertainment channel. You have done an item song too in the film. “Yes it was with Rani as I said earlier and we had a gala time while shooting it,” she concludes. With her upcoming film Dil Bole Hadippa soon to release, Ms Sawant is flying high

MJ's family to fly his DNA samples to clinic

Michael Jackson's worried family are planning to fly his DNA samples to a secure English clinic, in order to prevent it from unscrupulous fortune seekers who could use it to create a new heir to the star's mega fortune.

The King of Pop's family took the decision after they found out that the 'Thriller' star gave a sperm sample to a Los Angeles donor bank last year, when he was considering having a fourth child.

And as the legal battle over the singer's multi-billion dollar estate is going on, the Jacksons are not ready to trust anyone. Friends close to the family fear that rogue elements could use the sperm sample to give birth to a new claimant to Jacko's riches.

"It might sound crazy but when it comes to Michael anything is possible," the Mirror quoted a source as saying.

It was recently revealed that the singer approached British doctor Susan Etok last October about having his fourth child.

"With everything that's at stake the last thing the Jackson family need is someone using his sperm to give birth to a child and produce another potential heir to Michael's estate," said a source.

"The family know Michael authorised a number of people to access this sperm sample. The problem is they don't know who has access and given that a number of doctors have been implicated in his death then something sinister could easily happen," added the source.

Another reason for Jackson storing samples could be that he knew his drug problems might damage his DNA. The sperm was cryogenically frozen to allow it to be preserved indefinitely.

Moving the sample to London would cost 900 pounds for transport. The annual storage fee would amount to another 125 pounds.

World's unluckiest Wedding

Bankruptcy, broken bones and a burglary almost ruin ken, karen porter's shaadi

Kenneth and Karen Porter carefully arranged their wedding day, but nothing could have prepared them for the chaos that would follow.

The couple saw a succession of companies involved in their wedding wedding shops, hotels and even airlines go bust before their big day.

They saw the bridal gown store burgled, their holiday plans fall apart and even watched in horror as an iron bought to remove creases from the wedding dress blew up before their eyes.

But since the pair tied the knot nearly two weeks ago, their fortunes have improved they even enjoyed fine weather on their week-long honeymoon.

"We had been planning the wedding for more than a year," said Karen. "But it was one thing after another. It's been a really hard year."

"Everybody who's dealt with us has had bad luck. It's been a nightmare. But the wedding was perfect," she said.

Run of Bad Luck

* The airline and hotel provider for their Greek honeymoon went broke soon after the two booked.

* The shop where Karen had ordered her wedding dress was burgled.

* The hotel booked for their reception went bankrupt the Porters forfeited their £300
(Rs 24,000) deposit.

* They got tickets to Michael Jackson's show, but he died.

* Karen underwent a foot operation which left her unable to wear shoes up until a week before the wedding. She feared she'd marry in slippers.

* Tickets for a replacement concert, to see Oasis, had to be cancelled after Karen's foot operation meant she couldn't walk.

* The hand-held steamer bought to steam her wedding clothes blew up.

Katrina Kaif didn't replace me: Aishwarya Rai

World's most beautiful woman Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who had endorsed many brands in the past now seem to be replaced by young and beautiful Katrina Kaif.

The jewellery brand Nakshatra has replaced Aishwarya with Katrina now. Katrina is the reigning princess of the Nakshatra's diamonds. She is the new diamond queen instead of Ash.

As per the rumours when Ash was quizzed about been replaced by Katrina she simply stated that she didn't renew her contract with the jewellery brand. It was her choice not to do so.

She claims that no one ever dropped her instead she chose not to renew certain contracts like the Cola brand since her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and hubby Abhishek Bachchan were endorsing the rival cola brand. She didn't want any confusion in the consumers mind.

Well Ash we are sure you weren't replaced since you insist!

Salman says Shahrukh is insecure

Salman Khan Seems to be in no mood to bury the hatchet with Shahrukh Khan. A few weeks back he had taken a take a dig at SRK by calling his airport detention as 'no big deal'. Now the actor has termed Shahrukh as the most insecure actor in the industry. In a recent interaction with the media Salman said the if Shahrukh could get rid of his insecurity he would become a nice guy.

The Wanted added that they were good friends as both of them started their career at the same time. But with increase in fame and money Shahrukh's insecurities increased and he could not bear others achieving success around him. Well seems like a new can of worms between the two has just be opened. It will be interesting to see how King Khan reacts to that.

Aishwarya on equal footing with Katrina

In an industry where the age and marital status of an actress can matter more than her looks and talent, Aishwarya Rai has been an exception. She has trod the road on her own terms, making little or no compromise and emerging as the most prominent international face of Bollywood.

But of late, there have been rumours that she’s getting sidelined by Katrina Kaif, whose meteoric rise to the top league of Bollywood has knocked many a pretty babe off their pedestal. For instance, it’s believed that Ash lost an endorsement with a leading jewellery brand because of Katrina, who’s the brand’s new ambassador.

“I would like to say this loud and clear; I chose not to renew my contract with the jewellery brand,” Ash revealed to a journo at the launch of the Conquest Ceramic series of Longines watches in Hyderabad a few days back.

Clarifying further, Ash revealed that she had a contract with another brand and the said jewelers were under that brand. But once the jewelers and the brand parted ways she decided not to continue with her endorsement.

To drive her point home, Ash stressed that she’s never been dropped by any brand she’s endorsed so far. It’s she who has chosen to dissociate herself from certain brands for one reason or another.

So even as we see Katrina emerging as the new endorsement queen from Bollywood, let’s not forget Ash is not behind. Her endorsement of an international cosmetic brand has been taking her to Cannes Film Festival annually since last many years.

Katrina still has to clinch something of that proportion.

Bollywood Catfights

Deepika Padukone-Kareena Kapoor

Blame it on Saif Ali Khan to create a rift between Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor. Had he not gone about telling everyone, whoever cared to listen to him, that how much he missed Bebo in the film, the two beauties would have been at least cordial with each other. The constant bickering irked Deeps so much that she took to making comments on Kareena’s act in Kambakkht Ishq. Bebo too added fuel to fire by terming KI to be a better film than Love Aaj Kal. They still refuse to get along well.
Aishwarya Rai-Sonam Kapoor

The international brand L’Oreal might not have imagined in their wildest dreams what the Indian press was about to witness when they signed Sonam Kapoor as their fresh face. Immediately rumors of the brand dumping elderly Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for newbie Sonam started to make rounds. Though later it was learnd that Ash is still the brand ambassador of the brand, the rumours went out of hand with Sonam calling Ash Aunty and her father addressing Ash as Chaiwali at an awards do. And the latest from the grapevine is that the two actresses still can’t endure each other.
Priyanka Chopra-Kareena Kapoor

Friendship comes full circle for Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. They were thick friends once with both going for shopping sprees often. But when Piggy Chops got nasty with Kareena’s character in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Bebo saw red and damned PC forever. They fought vehemently spitting venom against each other. But recently at an award function, both were seen bonding, chatting and having hearty laughs! Not to say everyone’s pleasantly surprised!
Priyanka Chopra-Kangna Ranaut

When Fashion was in the making, reports of the two leading ladies Kangna Ranaut and Priyanka Chopra gelling like house on fire hit the tabloids. While many were happy to know it thinking that for a change two actresses were getting along well, there were many who were prophesying its doom. And of course, latter won! The two beauties joined the fighting fray, blaming each other for stealing the thunder after the film’s release. As of now, they are as distant as two rails on a railway track.
Kareena Kapoor-Ameesha Patel

Though not much is said and written about this catfight, it’s a known affair for every one in the industry. Ever since Kareena dropped out of Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai and Ameesha Patel roped in, the two actresses have shared cold vibes. They are yet to forgive and forget for a fight, which apparently was instigated by the producer of the film Rakesh Roshan. He didn’t like Hrithik and Bebo’s closeness towards each other off camera and so dumped Kareena.
Sushmita Sen-Aishwarya Rai

They were great friends as both were from the same industry, namely modeling. They even contested at the Miss India competition where Sushmita stole the crown from under Ash’s nose. Adding fuel to the fire, Sush went on to win the Miss Universe title too which was a big blow to Ash’s vanity. Since then, the two beauty queens have never seen eye-to-eye. Even though Ash’s filmy career rocketed with more speed then Sush, the rivalry persists between the two.
Rani Mukherji-Preity Zinta

Though there is no apparent reason for their spat, Rani Mukherji and Priety Zinta share cold vibes every time they bump into each other. Initially, the girls were thick friends and had worked in many films together. But due to some reason, which is still a mystery, the two decided not to cross each other’s path. Though both neither accept their friendship nor their fight, they do agree that they are not sworn in friends or enemies either.
Rani Mukherji-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya and Rani Mukherji were not just pals but best friends. While Ash used to rave about Rani’s histrionics, Rani used to be all praises about Ash’s beauty and wit. But their closeness went kaput, thanks to Salman Khan. In those days, Ash and Sallu were often seen fighting. Bugged by all this, Salman barged into the sets of SRK-Ash starrer Chalte Chalte abusing Ash and accusing Shah Rukh. SRK immediately dumped Ash and roped in Rani. Since then the best friends were heard making snide remarks at each other at every occasion.
Jaya Bachchan-Rekha

This is one fight, which snowballed in front of everyone. What many don’t know is that Rekha and Jaya were great friends and even had flats in the same building. The diva was even instrumental in getting Amitabh Bachchan hooked to Jaya. But all hell broke loose when Jaya reportedly discovered about her husband’s illicit affair with Rekha. Though every thing is hunky-dory between AB and her, she doesn’t seem to be able to forgive and forget Rekha for backstabbing her.

Kareena Kapoor yet again on Filmfare covers

Size zero girl Kareena Kapoor is the reigning fashion diva of Bollywood. So, it does not come as a surprise when we find glossy magazine covers repeating the pretty lass over and over again.
This is the third time Kareena Kapoor is on the covers of ‘Filmfare’ magazine.
She sizzles in a bright yellow dress on the September issue of the magazine and looks extremely confident exposing her hot long legs without any footwear.
Not to mention here that the girl has as much of right attitude as her acting skills!

Kareena is very special to Abhishek

A lot has been said and written between the soured relationship between the Kapoors and the Bachchans. The two families haven't been in the best of terms after the Bachchan's broke Abhishek's engagement Karisma in 2003. Karisma later got married to she married to industrialist Sanjay Kapur while Abhishek tied the knot with Aishwarya. But the two families never got on well together since that incident

But now Abhishek Bachchan [^] has come out in open and praised Kareena Kapoor along with whom he had made his debut in JP Dutta's Refugee. In a recent interview Abhishek said that Kareena will also be a special actress for him since they made their start in Bollywood together. He also said that she was a sweet girl and one of the finest actress in the present circuit.

On being quizzed about working with Kareena, Abhishek excitedly replied that he would love to work with her again although there was a rumour that the two were against the idea of starring opposite each other. There is buzz around the industry that Abhishek and Kareena might star together Randhir Kapoor's upcoming movie.

Irrfan surprises Dia with a lip kiss!

Irrfan Khan is not one of those heroes who romances with so many heroines in his films. Majority of his films had him in powerful character roles, which earned him a lot accolades. But perhaps the actor longs for the sugar daddy romance of our films and its gestures like hugging, kissing etc on screen even if he's not required to. Yes you heard right! And so keen was he to taste it that in spite of directions to kiss Dia Mirza on the cheek he coolly kissed her on the lips much to the horror of the actress! Ugh!

A source said that they were shooting a vital sequence in South Africa for Acid Factory. It was a scene where Dia introduces Irrfan to Fardeen Khan and Irrfan was supposed to give a peck on her cheeks to tell Fardeen that he's not supposed to encroach in his territory as he doubts both of having an affair. However, surprising everyone, Irrfan kissed Dia on the lips. Dia was visibly upset with the actor's act, as it was not part of the script. She didn't make a fuss about it on the sets but later called up Sanjay Gupta and made her displeasure apparent. That's it? Sigh!

Though she made her annoyance apparent to Sanjay Gupta, she was in no mood to be pro-Irrfan when asked about the incident. She said that she indeed was surprised but didn't pay much heed to it knowing Irrfan's geniuses. (Irrfan is a genius in kissing...hey that's a news!) She maintained that it was hardly a kiss, which everyone's making out of it (oh really?) She asserted that she didn't feel violated or bad about it (So you enjoyed it right?). She doesn't see it as Irrfan's intentions to cross the line. He just did it to establish the chemistry between them in the scene. So why did you call up daddy Gupta for condolences?

When asked, Sanjay accepted that Dia did call him up to tell him about the incident. He too echoed Dia's views (as if reading from some dialogue sheet circulated between Dia and him). He said that perhaps (?) Irrfan wanted to make the scene to be more believable and if people see the rushes of the scene, they would know Khan succeeded in it. And since Dia is cool about it he didn't feel like interfering. Hmmm...point taken, Gupta?

Irrfan we don't see any need for you to come clean on the issue as your wronged co-star and director have given you a clean chit. However, we must say, that was a great way to kiss an actress...all in the name of being believable! Cht Cht!

Salman Khan bats for IPL team ownership

Actor Salman Khan has evinced interest in owning an Indian Premier League (IPL) team. The actor met Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner

of IPL in Mumbai on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of buying one of the two new teams to be added to the tournament in the fourth season that will start in 2011.

“Salman Khan has been interested in owning an IPL team for a while now. We met to discuss the details,” Mr Modi confirmed to mediapersons on the sidelines of the IPL franchise owners’ workshop.

The Mukesh Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians has so far been the most expensive acquisition at $112 million. Earlier this year, Raj Kundra, an NRI entrepreneur and his partner Shilpa Shetty, acquired a 11.7% stake in the Jaipur franchise of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals, for $16.39 million valuing the franchise at $140 million. The IPL, so far, has not yet decided which cities will be added, though names like Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Vishakhaptanam are doing the rounds. The city that gets the highest bidder will be the new IPL team.

Apart from Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt are also reportedly interested in owning IPL teams. The request for proposal and tender for the two new teams will be floated by December and the auction will take place in January 2010. This is done to give the new owners enough time to set up a team and participate in the auction for IPL 4 for the new players.

SAIF TO SELDOM WORK WITH KAREENA

Saif Ali Khan isn't as simple as he looks like. This is evident from the very fact that Chhote Nawab opted to play opposite a young and pretty Deepika Padukone in his home production 'Love Aaj Kal', and not with her ladylove Kareena Kapoor. Besides, it is learnt that he often pushes filmmakers into casting his ladylove Kareena in their movies. It's for nothing that the actor faced flak from co-star Deepika for promoting his girlfriend Bebo during the promotion of 'Love Aaj Kal' though Bebo claims otherwise. Anyway, Saif has now decided to set the record straight.

He only wants to work with his lady 'once in a while'! He explains, "I mean there is so much Saif-Kareena going on even off-screen that no good director will be least interested in casting us." Note it carefully. In the same breath, he justifies casting of Kareena in his next production venture 'Agent Vinod' by stating that this decision rested solely on credentials and his heart had nothing to do with it. Saif has also refuted the report that he would act in 'Race 2' with Kareena Kapoor.

The girl with two vaginas

Suffering periods that lasted up to 21 days and finding sex difficult, Lauren Williams knew that something was wrong.

The 28-year-old from Chingford, Essex, was stunned to discover she had been born with a rare medical condition, which left her with two vaginas, two wombs and two cervixes.

Following the shocking diagnosis, and after an operation to create one single vagina, Lauren is enjoying life more and is even able to laugh about her unique configuration.

In her early twenties, Lauren could never have guessed the reason why she found some sexual positions uncomfortable.

"I just presumed I must have a short vagina." It was only when she went for a smear test at 24 that she was alerted to the fact that she could have a medical problem. Lauren explains: "I'd had smear tests done before but they were all with nurses. This time I saw a doctor who said that something didn't look quite right down there and referred me to a gynaecologist."

By this time, Lauren also had concerns about her periods which were lasting 21 days. "I put it down to the fact that I'd been using a contraceptive implant for three years which had made my cycle go haywire."

The gynaecologist diagnosed Lauren with a bicornuate uterus, which meant that it had a septum down the middle giving it the shape of a heart.

As this could have increased her chances of miscarriage in the future, she was booked in for an operation to fix it.

After coming round from the anaesthetic, a doctor came to tell her that she'd been misdiagnosed.

"He arrived with a troop of other medics and sat on my bed," Lauren recalls. "He seemed quite excited and said that they'd got the prognosis wrong. I didn't have a bicornuate uterus after all. I actually had two of everything. Two uteruses, two cervixes and two vaginas. I was shocked. I'd never noticed that I had two vaginas and none of my previous boyfriends had either. Even the doctor said he'd never seen anything like it before."

The surgeon removed the barrier between her two vaginas, leaving her with one big one. "The vagina I was using was half the size of a normal one."

Following the operation Lauren had to keep packing her vagina with giant swabs to prevent a new barrier from forming.

"I'd never really examined myself down there before," she says. "But it seemed strange to me how none of the doctors and nurses that I'd seen over the years had cottoned on to the problem."

"I was worried that I'd been left with a huge vagina, but I felt uncomfortable about bringing it up with the doctors." It was two weeks before Lauren was able to have sex with her boyfriend of a year, Mike, 31.

"He wasn't at all fazed by my medical revelation, but the first time we made love after the operation was a big deal for me. I felt like I was some sort of born again virgin. The sex was fine though and I no longer found certain positions uncomfortable."

Lauren has now been able to lead a normal life. "Having two of everything doesn't bother me. I find it quite amusing and don't mind telling people about it." If she decides to have a family she will have to take extra precautions while pregnant. "The doctor told me that conceiving won't be a problem as the uterus with the baby inside will push the other one to one side. But I'll have to use condoms throughout the pregnancy to stop myself falling pregnant in my other womb. That's going to feel really weird."

Lauren separated from Mike in March last year and has been single ever since.

"My vagina looks completely normal so I've got no fears about getting into a new relationship. As a veterinary nurse I compare myself to a cat as they've got two uterine horns! I accept who I am and any boyfriend will have to too inside and out."

Mallika has kind words for Ash

It is very rare that in tinsel town actress have admiration for each other but Bollywood bombshell Mallika Sherawat [^] has showered praises on Aishwarya Bachchan on Twitter. A fan had tweeted her that she was creating waves and had taken over Aishwarya. Having kind words for the Bachchan Bahu the sizzling hot Mallika said that former Miss World makes waves on her own and was one of a kind actress in the industry.

Mallika surely is having the Time [^] of her life after she was bestowed with an Honorary Citizenship by the City of Los Angeles. Perhaps to share her excitement with other Bollywood star she doesn't mind showering praises on them. Such praise coming from one of the hottest actresses in Bollywood will surely make Aishwarya [^] feel proud. After all many young actresses feel Aishwarya is 'Aunty Ji'. Sonam we hope you are listening!

Saif hunts for his childhood sweetheart

If you thought Saif Ali Khan was all a Kareena Kapoor's man, think again. The Chhote Nawab is hunting for his ex-girlfriend. Well he isn't surely searching for the whereabouts his Italian ex-girlfriend Rozza Catalano but for his childhood sweetheart whom he hasn't seen in decades but whose memories he still cherishes.

In his latest blog Saif mentions that he is searching for “the girl I grew up with.” Although he doesn't name the girl claims to have spent his childhood with her but later lost touch. In what could make the script for his next home production Saif remembers bidding her goodbye when he was seven years old never to see her again in his life.


All that our Chhote Nawab has is a Bollywood style torn photograph of the girl wearing the butterfly charm he gave her. Although it has been more than three decades Saif refuses to give up his quest to find her. He says he will meet her as his heart wants it. Well all we can says is Kareena beware Saif was never a one woman's man.

I appear for all of eight minutes in ‘Blue’: Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif is seething with rage as the producers of ‘Blue’ are promoting her as a part of the main cast in spite of the fact that she just made a guest appearance in the film. The swishy beauty, who had agreed to make a brief appearance in the film as a goodwill gesture for pals Akshay and director Tony D`Souza, is now repenting her decision.

Breathing fire on the filmmakers for trying to dupe the audiences by highlighting her act in teasers, the actress has clarified that her ‘Blue’ act is a blink performance.

Breathing fire on the filmmakers for trying to dupe the audiences by highlighting her act in teasers, the actress has clarified that her ‘Blue’ act is a blink performance.

Ever since the film’s snapshot hit screens, fans have been going gaga over Katrina’s hot chick look. So much so is the lass highlighted in the teasers that many have now come to believe that Kat has a substantial role in the film.

Stressed over the matter, Katrina told a news daily, "I am only in the film because Akshay Kumar, who has a super role in the underwater caper, asked me to. It’s a very small role. I appear for all of eight minutes in Blue. That`s it. And it would be like the producers shooting themselves in their foot if they made me seem like a part of the cast."

Talking about the original deal that she had struck out with the filmmakers, the sizzler said, "They promised to keep me out of the hoardings and all publicity and also to bill me as a guest appearance in the credits because that`s what it is. I don`t even go underwater with the rest of the cast."

Well, it’s time that the producers call Katrina’s performance a blink act or they are bound to leave audiences sore.

Muslims irked by Salman's comments

Bollywood stars may have been sympathetic towards Shahrukh Khan after his detention at the Newark International Airport but Salman dismissed the event as 'no big deal.' This was nothing unexpected as the two Khans have been in a state of war since Katrina Kaif's birthday bash more than a year ago. Salman's comments have however not gone down too well with the Muslim community who are up in arms against the actor.

A few Muslim groups felt Salman's comments to be very derogatory. They even protested outside his house in Mumbai demanding an apology from the actor. They argued that in such times when majority of Muslims were being treated as terrorists in US, Salman should have stood firmly behind Shahrukh forgetting his personal grudges. They added that it was a matter concerning the entire community and both the stars should not cling to their prejudices against each other.

Ironical it may sound but the same people who are standing behind King Khan were up in arms against the actor two months back. They had protested against Shahrukh and even issued a fatwa for his alleged comments in the Time N Style magazine. Shahrukh was accused of using unparliamentary language against the Prophet.

Shahid accepts Saif Ali Khan's apology

Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan seem to be burying all the hatchet and moving closer toe ending their unofficial Cold War. A few days back Saif had apologies to Shahid over his claims that he was the first choice for the movie Kaminey and director Vishal Bhardwaj had cast Shahid because he had turned down the film.

In an interview to a television channel Shahid had said that he appreciated Saif's apology. Trying to sound politically correct the Kaminey star added that he had always believed that Saif was a very talented actor who had delivered a brilliant with his performance in Vishal's earlier movie Omkara.

Mallika will become an honorary citizen of Los Angeles on I-Day eve

The Los Angeles City Council has decided to make Mallika Sherawat an honorary citizen. This will be the first time the city of Los Angeles will officially confer an honour on any B-Town celebrity.

Recognised
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other members of the LA City Council will do the needful on the eve of India's Independence Day. On the occasion, the city will recognise Ms Sherawat as an honorary citizen and present a resolution for her extraordinary career and charitable efforts.



Celeb-studded event
Says a source close to Mallika, "It will be a celebrity -studded event where many special guests are expected to attend. Some of these will include her Hollywood friends like world-famous composer Yanni, film director Jay Chandrashekar, CAA super agent Emanuel Nunez, film director Jesse Dylan (son of musician Bob Dylan), Hisss director Jennifer Lynch and producer Govind Menon among others. Mallika has personally invited all of them to the event."

The event will be open to the public and Mallika will also sign autographs for fans before and after the event.
The source adds, "Mallika has been residing in Los Angeles at a penthouse apartment in one of the most expensive areas of the city.

Firsts and favourites
In a string of firsts, Mallika is also the first star from Asia to be invited to the Twitter headquarters and the first B-Town star to have a Hollywood milkshake named after her. She a favourite on the Los Angeles social scene, charitable circuit and even at rock- star parties. This fall, she will star in her first all-American project, playing a character inspired in part by Kamala Harris (the Attorney General of San Francisco)."

After the event, Mallika and her guests will come together again for brunch.

Making it official
Excerpts of the letter from the City of Los Angeles:
"Ms Sherawat,
...I invite you, along with family and friends, to join the Los Angeles City Council and Mayor in a council presentation recognising your extraordinary contributions to our great city on August 14, 2009 at 10 am in Council Chambers. In addition to recognising you in council, we would also like to present to you a resolution honoring your career and contributions."

At $25, Sherlyn Chopra's website allows to watch her uncensored videos

Sexy siren Sherlyn Chopra is offering people the chance to be part of a one-of-its kind Platinum Club on her website (www.sherlynchopra.com).

What you get

A Platinum Club member gets access to her uncensored videos, and a chance to spend a day with her at a photo shoot or on the set of her upcoming movie. 150 members have already registered for this offer to get up close and personal with Sherlyn.

Pay the price

Chopra says, "Members have to pay an annual fee of 25 dollars and in return, they get a whole lot of offers like merchandise from my online store, gift hampers, and other goodies (see box)."

As of now, her site has over 2500 members in her fan club. Sherlyn says the idea to open a Platinum club came after fan requests to get a chance to spend time with her. "being a member allows my fans to not only get free merchandise but also a chance to meet, and spend time with me."

Limited access
Platinum membership allows member to.. # View Sherlyn's latest uncensored photoshoot videos. # Chat online with her twice a month. # Download her official Bikini 2009 Desktop Wallpaper Calendar for free. # Watch Sherlyn's hot and sexy pictures from her latest photoshoot. # The lucky winners get to meet Sherlyn over a cup of hot chocolate or an exotic meal at a five star hotel. # Lucky winners get served French champagne while they watch Sherlyn in flesh and blood as she gets outrageous during her next photoshoot in the exotic deserts of Rajasthan! # Platinum Club members could avail 30% discount on Sherlyn's exclusive merchandise in SC STORE. # The first 100 Platinum Club members get a special birthday greeting from Sherlyn. # 25 lucky winners get invited to the audio release party of Sherlyn's next music album. # A free makeover for lucky winners. Sherlyn along with her personal team will give a brand new look to the lucky winners.

SRK, Aamir and Big B Ka Emosanal Attyachaar!

Maa…mein aa gaya…

Screams the young boy; tearing the crowd gathered in-front of his house, only to find his mommy dead.

Nahiii!

The famous words said by the hero, drown in the loud crash of the medicine bottle and wails of audience in theater.

Action…Drama and loads of ‘rona dhona’ in bolly-flicks is something Indian cinema is renowned for. Touching the chords with right emotional components has been prevalent since a long time.

Dreadful death of a positive character due to cancer and tuberculosis would give a filmmaker masala and make audience drown the theater with their woeful tears. Indian cinema has come a long way, and so has the trend of diseases.

Today Mommy doesn’t die on khatiyas from a mere fever. Our filmmakers in tinsel town have been innovative to churn out storylines based on new set of syndromes that always existed, but were never touched upon.

In this brave new era, Bollywood is embracing disability and is not shunning it to sub-plots; making a difference, filmmakers today convey a message to make aam junta sensitive to medical conditions that were earlier locked up in Pagalkhaanas.

Taare Zameen Par (Dyslexia):
Actor-producer Aamir Khan reinvented his career as a director with this masterpiece, which brought him countless laurels.

Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) a dyslexic patient finds difficulty in reading and writing. His misery goes unnoticed even by his parents, in the name of carelessness.

Misery reaches its last stage when Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) Ishaan’s painting teacher first discovers his disease and induces a great level of conviction by making things easily teachable to him.

Taare Zameen Par conveyed the message- every child is special and parents should let them live to the fullest without any pressure.

My Name Is Khan (Autism):
My Name Is Khan is yet to hit the silver screens. This SRK-Kajol starrer has already created buzz due to the beautiful on-screen couple making a comeback.

My Name Is Khan revolves around a very sensitive condition called Autism, a syndrome that impacts social interaction abilities. SRK suffering from this disease eventually falls in a big soup. What happens next is interesting to witness. The story has been penned down and directed by Karan Johar.

U Me Aur Hum (Alzheimer):
‘I will there with you in your thick and thin’ promises Ajay (Ajay Devgan) to Piya (Kajol) who are happily married. However, fate has something else in store for them.

Piya a patient of Alzheimer tends to forget things and eventually it leads to a total memory loss, where she can recognize none, not even her husband and son. A well-directed film by Ajay Devgan, it got critical acclaim for its portrayal of Alzheimer Disease in a sensitive way.

Woh Lamhe (Schizophrenia):
Loosely based on the life of late Parveen Babi; Kangana Ranaut stepped into the shoes of sensuous actress, who in her later stages suffered from schizophrenia. Kangana Ranaut fitted in the glove perfectly.

Rituparna Gupta is another actress in a complex author-backed role in Beti Kromi, who brought into limelight the fatal consequences like miscarriage of this disorder and garnered loads of critical acclaim for her performance.

Luck (Dextrocardia):
Dextrocardia is definitely not a disease, but an unusual case of a person born with their heart situated on the right side, instead of left.

Such is the extent of ignorance– that when this medical condition was showcased in LUCK, it did not go down well with many, including critics. Imran Khan is discovered with his heart on the right side, when he escapes death as bullet crosses his chest from the left side where a heart is usually located.

Pa (Progeria):
Child is father of the man, here in ‘Pa’; it can be interpreted quite literally, as Abhishek plays on-screen father to his real dad Amitabh Bachchan. Sounds confusing?

Well it’s not really that hard to understand, if you understand Progeria, a rare genetic condition in which a person ages 4-6 times faster than an average human being. Premature aging should pretty much explain the reason for Big B to play sonny to his sonny!

Cheeni Kum director, ad whiz R. Balakrishnan aka Balki is directing ‘Pa’. Balki is keeping his film and Big B’s kiddie look a big secret; we say what’s all the hush-hush about, after all Balki we can watch better on Progeria- Robin Williams JACK is on DVD you know!

John fills Bipasha's world with lights

Bipasha Basu took off to spend some quality time with boyfriend John Abraham, who is shooting in London. But before she did, he arranged for a beautiful house-warming surprise for her. The actress, who has just moved into her newly done-up place, says, "John bought all the chandeliers and beautiful light fixtures that I had liked from all over the world and put them up all over my apartment. He had planned all this with my interior designer Ahsan and made the payments before he left for London." The actor is shooting for Abbas Tyrewalla's 1-800-Love Story in London.

Bipasha is very touched by her beau's gesture, "John knew how much effort and time I had spent in choosing each and every item in my home after six months of research after going through many catalogs and videos from all over. All my chandeliers and light fixtures are from Italy and Spain, there's even one in the bathroom. It was amazing to see all the chandeliers lit up!"

John had bought the home accessories without her knowledge and with Ahsan's help. On July 29, the actress had her griha pravesh and that's when she saw all the trouble John had taken. "I was surprised totally. I am so excited with my gift. I have to plan now what to give John for his home."

The actress will spend time with John briefly before flying to the US to join Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif for the Bollywood Meet And Greet show with fans in USA. "They are just appearances in Houston and Chicago and no singing or dancing is involved."

Facebook community for Dilip Kumar

The Indian film fraternity is trying to seek 100,000 solidarity comments on a social networking website to urge the government to confer the prestigious Bharat Ratna upon Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar.

A community titled "Dilip Kumar for Bharat Ratna" on Facebook that now has over 850 members dedicated to the cause was started at the behest of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Bhatt said he was not the only one who wishes that the 86-year-old be awarded the country's highest civilian honour.

"It is the entire industry's effort. From every region, stalwarts have come out to appeal for him. I was just a foot soldier. It is the Indian film industry's effort, not an individual's effort," Bhatt told IANS via SMS.

The group has been primarily created to seek solidarity from people so that the administrators of the website can bind all the comments in a book and submit it to the president and the prime minister.

The members of the community have been asked to "leave a comment or endorse by replying a one liner - 'I endorse that Dilip Kumar is the most deserving person to be honoured with the Bharat Ratna'".

Dilip Kumar, who is married to actress Saira Bano, is known for his landmark performances in films like Devdas, Madhumati, Ganga Jamuna, Mughal-E-Azam, Shakti and Karma.

Many of his fans as well as members of the industry have put out individual comments.

Posts like "Honouring Dilip Kumar is honouring Bollywood", "He deserves Bharat Ratna. Period" and "Bharat Ratna....most certainly. He is an icon in the truest sense of the word!" are splashed on the online community's website.

Celebrities supporting the cause include actors like Rajeev Khandelwal, Mukul Dev, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Varun Badola, Randeep Hooda and Urvashi Dholakia. Film critic and filmmaker Khalid Mohammed, director Prabhakar Shukla and popular Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila have also joined the effort.

"Dilip Kumar is one of the finest actors in the Indian film industry. He did only 64 films in his career and is still regarded as the best. He is like Lata Mangeshkar, you won't get another Lata...Similarly, you won't get another Dilip Kumar. In the true sense, he is Bharat Ratna," said Shukla, known for his film Gudiyaa.

Till date no actor has received the Bharat Ratna award. In 1992, acclaimed filmmaker Satyajit Ray was the first person from the entertainment industry to have been conferred the honour.

Music greats like Carnatic music vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi, sitar player Ravi Shankar, singer Lata Mangeshkar, shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan and classical singer Bhimsen Joshi became its proud recipients.

I am no Husain: Salman Khan

He makes a face when he is very angry with himself. Sometimes it's his mom's, his girlfriend's, his friends' -- he takes hours scratching his drawing pencil on the canvas behind closed doors of his studio at Bandstand. Today, those "faces" are worth somewhere around Rs6 crore.

"Salman had wanted to exhibit his paintings before, but now he is open to auctioning them for physically challenged kids. We have spoken to a few people and most have agreed that the base price of each of his paintings will be Rs50 lakh," says a close friend of the star, adding that they are looking at putting up 10-12 canvases under the hammer.
When we checked in with Salman, he quips, "You make it sound as if I am Picasso or Dali. I am no Husain, meri jaan. I am an actor and I only sketch when I am not doing anything. But if my efforts can help these lovely kids, then why not? I will be holding the exhibition soon. I am open to auctioning them and of course, I am not taking any money home."

Salman reveals that he decided to work for challenged kids when he met a few hearing impaired children from DEEDS, a public charitable trust.

"I have never seen such a lovely bunch of kids before. They were so excited when I was playing with them! I couldn't believe when the person accompanying them told me that they could not hear a word that I was telling them. I realised that I have been working for children before but I now need to work for challenged kids. I heard that they have a school for the deaf at Dehradun, I am sure if we join hands, there will be more such institutes in the country," Salman adds.

What about his photographs that he planned to exhibit? "You can't put up all that sh** on show. I don't think I will put that up. I have left my camera in Jodhpur. So I am not taking photographs anymore," he says.

Katrina garces ELLE cover

Mallika rocks with Ozzy Ozbourne

Mallika Sherawat was recently spotted hanging out with rock stars at the famed Sunset Strip music venue The House Of Blues.

She was a special guest of Donovan Leitch (son of legendary musician Donovan) at the gig where she mingled with the likes of Ace Frehely, Duff McKagan, Dave Navarro, Billy Duffy and Ozzy Ozbourne.

After spending some time back stage, Mallika came down before the stage and tweeted throughout the night about her experience. "OMG! Ozzy's on right now! I have no eardrums left!" she wrote on her Twitter account.

When someone asked her what she thought of the concert, she replied, "Please speak up, I really can't hear anything at all!"

But she did confess later, "For my first rock concert, it couldn't have been better!"

Is Roadies' Palak the new Rakhi Sawant?

Uber 'bitchy' Palak from the sixth season of Roadies is now being compared to the queen of tabloid hogs, Rakhi Sawant.

Rakhi Sawant got viewers hooked on to her Swayamwar show the whole of last month while Palak starred as teh celebrity contestant in ‘Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’. Palak however opted to be eliminated from the show. “Wahan itne keede aur machar the,” Palak is quoted as saying by a news daily. She further adds, “A three-week survival is an achievement.”

However Palak has better memories of this show compared to her fellow participants in Rodies. She continues to remain friends with akash, Mona and Nigar Khan who were the other contestants in ‘Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’. According to her, Roadies presented her in a wrong way and that she is not scrappy and spoilt like she was shown. Palak refuses to talk about Roadies and also avoids questions about the other roadies.

Palak may not be Rakhi Sawant, but she continues to remain in tabloids with her strange remarks. Like Rakhi, she was a small time actress and model crossing over to reality shows.

Akshay fulfills 20 year old dream, launches Karate Championship

When he entered the industry, he knew two things - Punches and Kicking! Acting followed and though it took a few films for the industry (as well as himself) to realize his acting potential, it was Akshay's expertise in martial arts that kept the show running for him. The young man who flew from Chandni Chowk to Bangkok and landed in Mumbai, his initial films like Mr. Bond, Ashaant, Paandav, Kaayda Kanoon and many more ran in theaters solely on his action power!

Now close to 20 years after establishing himself in the industry, Akshay Kumar is all set to be living his dream. He is now sponsoring a Karate Championship for the youngsters so that they can enhance their talent, represent the country and then move on to showcase their skills and abilities at an International level.

The championship has rightly been termed as 'Akshay Kumar 1st Invitational Open National Karate Championship'. The event is expected to see participation from as many as 2000 athletes who would be traveling to Mumbai from across the country. The Championships would be held from 22nd-25th October 2009 at Andheri Sports Complex Mumbai.

Says an official connected to the championship, "Akshay has always been passionate about Karate and is especially considerate about the fact that there is so much talent in the country that needs to be nurtured. He was particularly moved by the plight of some really talented athletes who could reach the highest level if given an opportunity but haven't been able to do so because of lack of funds. With this championship, he wishes to create a platform where young and budding talent from all over India would get together and get into a world class fighting event. This event will also promote Karate and Martial Arts to the remotest corners of the country."

Saif won't mind kissing men

Bollywood superstar Saif Ali Khan, who has touched a new high after Love Aaj Kal's sucess, would not shy away from playing a gay character.

As per the recent reports, Dostana was first offered to Saif, Abhishek and Aishwarya but Saif refused as he thought that the other two stars' presence might overshadow his performance.

And he maintained that the gay thing didn't scare him off and he won't mind doing a gay kiss scene, if required.

LAK's Punjabi kudi is a Brazilian model

At last the mystery of the mysterious Punjabi girl in Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal who gets royally wooed and won by the Sardar Saif has been solved. The girl, a Brazilian model named Giselle Monteiro couldn't speak Hindi or dance to save her life.

In fact the sequence showing her dancing at her engagement drove the entire unit up the wall. Apparently, our Brazilian babe just couldn't get the steps right. Says Imtiaz, "We wanted to put her through the paces with Sarojji (choreographer Saroj Khan). But it never happened. Sarojji didn't have the time. For a foreigner to get the Indian adaa right is very tough. We take for granted those nakhra-jhatka-matka which we've seen our sisters perform at weddings. Indian girls have those adaas without being trained. But for a foreigner, it is tough. Giselle could've done with a bit more training than guidance."


So who's this mysterious girl who throughout the making of Love Aaj Kal was referred to by her screen name 'Harleen'? Even when she became visible in the trailers she remained inaccessible to the public.

Imtiaz Ali finally reveals Harleen's true identity. "She is actually a Brazilian girl named Giselle Monteiro. Why a Brazilian girl to play an old-fashioned Punjabi girl? Well, I was auditioning girls from all over the country to play the Punjabi girl opposite the Sikh Saif. I couldn't find the right girl to play the 1965 ki gali mein rehne wali ladki, purane zamane ki."

Giselle one day walked into Imtiaz's office to play another part. "Giselle came to me through dress designer Anaita Shroff. She was to play Jo, Saif's Caucasian girlfriend in the second-half. She wasn't right for Jo. But my wife, who was there, suggested Giselle for Harleen. I turned and looked at Giselle and realized she is Brazil's Harleen. She didn't know how to speak Hindi. But she had only two lines to speak, which we dubbed."

Significantly, Giselle understood the old-world values of her small-town character better than an urban Indian actress would have. Says Imtiaz, "The small-town mentality in every part of the world is similar." A lot of interest in Giselle is being shown by Bollywood now that Love Aaj Kal is released. Says Imtiaz, "She has been traveling all alone all over the world from the age of 17. She's 19 now. Saif kept grumbling he'd look too old with Giselle. But he pulled it off completely."

Abhishek's politico friends assist him in 'netagiri'

Having a father, who is a role model for the nation and has essayed brilliant roles, Abhishek Bachchan rarely has to look for inspiration beyond Amitabh Bachchan. But when Jr Bahchcan has to play a part that hasn’t been tried and tested by his father - he simply looks at his childhood pals for motivation.


The actor, who will be seen playing a people’s politician in Balki’s next ‘Paa’, has taken the advice of his ‘neta’ buddies to add originality to the part.

And it’s not the country’s most good-looking politician Rahul Gandhi that Abhishek went for tips. Jr Bachchan decided to take help from his other boyhood friends - Congress MPs Sachin Pilot, 32, and Milind Deora, 33.

Confirming the news, Abhishek told reporters, “I styled my look on Sachin, and my character is based on Milind.”

Nevertheless, our sources suggest that even though Abhishek has taken tips from Deora and Pilot, his character in the film is inspired by the young congress legatee Rahul Gandhi.

Well considering the cold war between the Gandhis and the Bachchans, Abhishek must have felt imprudent to consult Rahul on this one

Saif wanted to kiss SRK

Saif Ali Khan was offered Dostana by Karan Johar at the time Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were being considered. Saifu however declined the offer, ‘I didn't really chicken out - I mean I just thought, I think there was Abhishek and Aishwarya in the movie at the time I was being offered it and I was just wondering if I needed to do that and how I would fit in really and I told Karan that’, he told Rajeev Masand on his talk show, To Catch A Star.

Aish and Abhi hogging the limelight could have been the only reason for his Saifu’s refusal. For everyone knows Saif and Shah Rukh were the ones who bought being gay out of the Bollywood closet. Their camaraderie in Kal Ho Na Ho is legendary and Karan owes the success of Dostana to the two of them literally. He went on to say, ‘The gay thing didn't scare me off. In fact I don't think they (Abhishek and John) actually kiss. I would have.’

Incidentally, SRK too didn’t have a problem snogging in the film if he was offered Dostana, to which Saif added, ‘Yeah I would have kissed Shah Rukh.’SRK has even gone to speak about it earlier, saying he was disappointed how the kiss was shot in the film.

Truthfully, we can’t imagine Saif do a John in Dostana and thank heavens Priyanka replaced Aishwarya. But if Karan wants to recreate the magic of Dostana, Saif and Shah Rukh going at it with each other surely is the hit formula for Dostana 2, what say? Just make sure Bebo is cast in Priyanka's role.

Mallika Sherawat wants to be part of an Indian Charlie's Angels

Mallika Sherawat wants someone to make a desi version of Charlie's Angles starring herself, Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu. She is so excited about the idea of this film that she is even endorsing a petition about it on her twitter page.

The actress got the idea of this film when a inquisitive fan posted on her twitter page asking if she would ever consider being a part of a film like this. The actress was really kicked about the idea and expressed her excitement about doing such a project.

For some time now Mallika has been busy tweeting about this imaginary film idea and asking her followers on the social networking to sign up on the petition. So far there have been only 36 signatories who have shown their excitement about a project like this.

Rakhi wants a second swayamvar

If you thought Rakhi Ka Swayamvar on NDTV Imagine was a drama, Rakhi Sawant had preserved her best for the grand finale. The live telecast of her swayamvar seemed it would never end as the drama queen did all the possible nakhras and nautankis. Elesh Parujanwala, Manas Katyal and Chittiz Jain seemed like cattle waiting for their buyer.

At one instance when she was quizzed about whom she would get engaged to Rakhi jokingly said she wanted a 'second swayamvar'. The audience burst out in laughter but the three would be grooms held their breathe. With Rakhi in the driving seat anything was possible. It may be recalled that she had walked out of Nach Baliye 3 after she lost in the finals.

Rakhi finally put the garland around Elesh's neck and exchanged rings with him. The drama queen who had promised to get married by the end of the show has settled for just an engagement. The reason well she wants to know her would be life partner off the camera. Since Rakhi's isn't married NDTV Imagine might just have enough ideas to script a Rakhi Ka Swayamvar season two.

Mika wanted to teach a lesson to Rakhi!

Mika Singh, the popular singer, is one of the three new entrants on Sony Entertainment Television’s ‘Iss jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’.

While Rakhi is trying to find herself a suitor in Mumbai, Mika, after spending only one day in the jungle was ready to reveal his deep dark secrets. Not only that, Mika also probed Aakaashh on his relationship with Farah Khan but our bad boy chose to keep mum, and instead asked him about his infamous kiss-sa with Rakhi.

Mika started with his side of the story and here’s what it was! Mika had thrown a birthday bash, where he had actually invited Rakhi's boyfriend. But Rakhi tagged along with her boyfriend and was being overfriendly with Mika.

So much so that she smacked on the birthday boy's face in front of his bodyguards. Mika didn't appreciate this behavior and wanted to teach Rakhi a lesson.

That is when an angry Mika kissed Rakhi… and she left the party, only to return after 2 hours with a whole bunch of people to fight… the issue was stretched to such an extent that it reached the court.

Mika wanted to settle it but Rakhi was in no mood to do so. And the rest as we all know is history. Aakaashh says that Mika’s kiss made Rakhi popular, otherwise who knew her before this.

Of course we all know what the kiss did to her… that’s why her latest show had one of the suitors repeat history and kiss her several times.

Now Rakhi could not take him to court, so she got him eliminated instead. We are sure Ms Rakhi Parujanwala will not appreciate this confession at all!

Girls can and will be stronger than boys: Priyanka

Priyanka Chopra, one of the top actresses of Hindi Film Industry talks about the importance of educating the girl child, female infanticide and foeticide. The actress also mentioned about the great respect for the people like Kalpana Chawala, Sania Nehwal and Sania Mirza.

Piggy Chops states, “I am not only proud but also respect them because they have made women proud.”

But what hurts Priyanka Chopra the most is that still today women are not given the due respect they deserve. “I feel very hurt when some parents tell their daughters that she is not equal to a son. It’s so demeaning and insulting.

Even today so many female foeticide are taking place just for the want of a son and so many affluent families are involved in it.”

Elaborating on one of the incident the actress says, “Recently there was this shocking incident where a girl child was found on the streets of South Mumbai. They had abandoned her after her birth.”

Priyanka also insists about the importance to educate the girl child in our country. “I feel every girl should be educated and stand on her own feet. It’s high time for people realized that a girl can, is and will be stronger than boys.

It is very important that a girl is educated and is self dependent. Only then will she be able to raise a better family and in turn a better society.”

Not many know that Priyanka in her own way has been trying to educate girls from the poor family. “I try and buy books for my maids children or pay their fees so that their girls are educated. I think by doing such small amends we can educate the girl child of our country,” she concludes.

Piggy Chops her self is one of the excellent example of a woman power. Great going girl...

No room for love

...if you are a lesbian couple in the Capital. While the law may have changed, Delhi hotels are yet to step out of the closet. Ishita Sharma and Vasudha Grover find out

Delhi watched as the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community celebrated the decriminalisation of Article 377, even pitched in when the stepping-out parties were thrown. But a month after the landmark ruling and a lot of brouhaha, it seems saadi Dilli hasn't really had a change of heart.

MiD DAY reporters Ishita Sharma and Vasudha Grover posed as a lesbian couple and went searching for the most basic requirement - a hotel room to spend some cosy time. The response they received ranged from curiosity to embarrassing questions and even ignorance.

Girls only?

We started with the affordable hotels of Karol Bagh. Our first stop was Crown DLX, where the owner refused to rent out a room to 'only girls'. "Agar Delhi mein rehte ho to apne ghar jao (If you have a home in Delhi, go there)," said the bespectacled man, as he showed us the door.

The manager at our next stop, Hotel Arihant, was more accommodating maybe because his hotel seemed to have seen better days. But even he was perplexed about our 'couple' status.

Our final destination at Karol Bagh was Hotel Sunstar, whose owner asked, "Aap dono ladkiyon ko room mein karna kya hai (What will you girls do in a room?)" Embarrassed, we thought it was best to leave.

Five-star no-deals

After touring a few hotels in the Paharganj area and being greeted with the same doubtful response, we decided to approach a more expensive and respectable hotel. We walked into the jazzy Le Meridien property at Connaught Place.

We asked for a room and hinted we needed it for just a couple of hours. The hotel staff was polite and accommodating but wasn't too eager to show us the room. After 30 minutes of waiting and being ignored, we walked out.

Two to tango? (Left to right) The two reporters at Paharganj, at Le Meridien hotel and at the Kalkaji gym

Work out

After failing to find a room, we decided to try our luck at gyms. We approached Fitness Finesse, a unisex stylish wellness lounge at Kalkaji.

Even before we could introduce ourselves as a couple, the man at the counter offered us a 'couple discount' and added we need not come to the gym together. We guessed the moolah was enough to keep him quiet.
The final verdict: if you are a member of the LGBT community and wish to spend some private time with your loved one, don't eye rooms in Delhi hotels.

Harleen Kaur is a Brazilian model, Giselle Monteiro

At last the mystery of the mysterious Punjabi girl in Imtiaz Ali’s Love Aaj Kal who gets royally wooed and won by the Sardar Saif has been solved.

The girl, a Brazilian model named Giselle Monteiro couldn’t speak Hindi or dance to save life. In fact the sequence showing her dancing at her engagement drove the entire unit up the wall. Apparently our Brazilian babe just couldn’t get the steps right.

Says Imtiaz, “We wanted to put her through the paces with Saroj-ji (choreographer Saroj Khan). But it never happened. Sarojji didn’t have the time. For a foreigner to get the Indian adaa right is very tough.

We take for granted those nakhra-jhatka-matka which we’ve seen our sisters perform at weddings. Indian girls have those adaas without being trained. But for a foreigner it is tough. Giselle could’ve done with a but more training than guidance. ”

So who’s this mysterious girl who throughout the making of Love Aaj Kal was referred to by her screen name ‘Harleen’. Even when she became visible in the trailers she remained inaccessible to the public.

Imtiaz Ali finally reveals Harleen’s true identity. “She is actually a Brazilian girl named Giselle Monteiro. Why a Brazilian girl to play an oldfashioned Punjabi girl?

Well, I was auditioning girls from all over the country to play the Punjabi girl opposite the Sikh Saif. I couldn’t find the right girl to play the 1965 ki gali mein rehne wali ladki, purane zamane ki.”

Giselle one day walked into Imtiaz’s office to play another part. “Giselle came to me through dress designer Anaita Shroff. She was to play Jo, Saif ‘s Caucasian girlfriend in the second-half. She wasn’t right for Jo.

But my wife who was there suggested Giselle for Harleen.I turned and looked at Giselle and realized she is Brazil’s Harleen. She didn’t know how to speak Hindi. But she had only two lines to speak, which we dubbed.”

Significantly Giselle understood the old-world values of her small-town character better than a urban Indian actress would have. Says Imtiaz, “The small-town mentality in every part of the world is similar.”

A lot of interest in Giselle is being shown by Bollywood now that Love Aaj Kal is released. Says Imtiaz, “She has been traveling all alone from all over the world from the age of 17. She’s 19 now.

Saif kept grumbling he’d look too old with Giselle. But he pulled it off completely.”

Kareena Missed Saif’s Love Aaj Kal Premier

Love Aaj Kal had a grand premier but Kareena Kapoor gave a miss it what was the most important day in her beau’s life. The reason, well Kareena was too tired to attend the premier and preferred lounging in a spa at Hotel Leela Kempinski in Gurgaon. Saif and Deepika Padukone walked down the red carpet together with Saif having and sizzling Deepika in his arms.

Kareena’s name had always been linked to the movie with Saif admitting to that fact that he wanted Kareena in his first home production. Director Imtiaz Ali was adamant on having Deepika and had it his way. Deepika Padukone wasn’t happy Kareena’s name being talked about more than hers and this led to a cold war between the two.

Kareena Kapoor might have skipped that premier as she did not want to see Deepika playing a character which could have so easily been hers. Or she might not have felt comfortable seeing Saif and Deepika walk hand in hand. Whatever be the reasons Bebo it was the most important day in Saif’s career and fatigue was no excuse to skip the premier!