How Kareena Kapoor was duped

How Kareena was conned into doing few death-defying stunts in 'Agent Vinod'

 Among all things Bebo hates doing, action stunts tops the list. Little wonder that she was very apprehensive about doing action sequences for her upcoming film 'Agent Vinod'. But when you have a supportive boyfriend like Saif, nothing is impossible.

Kareena who was last seen doing stunts in the box-office dud ‘Tashan’ admits that Saif conned her into doing a few death defying stunts in ‘Agent Vinod’. Saif would encourage her by saying that she looks stunning while doing the stunts.

Recently, the actor had suffered a sprained neck when she fell from the safety harness while performing a difficult action scene. Despite her bruises, Kareena continued shooting after taking painkillers and injections.

Saif -Bebo at Padma AwardsShowing 1 of 7 Photos See All Photos Start SlideshowPrevNext

Patil with actors Rekha Ganeshan, Saif Ali Khan Pataudi and Kareena Kapoor during Padma Awards 2010 function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI Photo by Subhav Shukla

Romantic Amnesia For Shahid

Poor, dear Shahid Kapoor. Firstly, former flame Kareena Kapoor didn't so much as spare him a glance, when they almost came face to face. Insiders claim that the two exes were rehearsing for an event within the same premises, and when Bebo stepped out, she spotted Shahid from a distance. Ms. Kapoor swiftly looked away and walked past Mr. Kapoor giving him the cold shoulder treatment (pure vegetarian Shahid!).

After KK, Vidya Balan, an earlier love interest of Kapoor too, gifted him a similar treatment. Apparently, the two were Mumbai bound on the same flight from New Delhi. But when they spotted one another Balan looked right through him. And this time Kapoor too pretended as if she didn't exist there. Pity, their 'Kismat' didn't forge a long 'Konnection.'

Flops rain down on the first Friday of 2010

Accident on Hill Road

Cast: Celina Jaitley , Farooque Sheikh, Abhimanyu Singh.
Director: Mahesh Nair.
Celina's new look.

Unnecessary songs, terrible dialogues, poorly-made film.


Raat Gayi Baat Gayi

Cast: Rajat Kapoor , Vinay Pathak , Neha Dhupia.
Director: Saurabh Shukla .
Entertaining in parts.

Shoddy detailing, bad dialogues.


Bolo Raam

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri , Padmini Kolhapure.
Director: Rakesh Chaturvedi.
Tough!

Brilliant actors wasted.

Aamir and I make fantastic pair – Kareena Kapoor

Mumbai, (BollywoodWorld.com) She is overwhelmed by the response to “3 Idiots” and has no regrets about the size of her role in the hit comedy drama. Kareena Kapoor says she is happy to work with Aamir Khan and pleased by the compliments she has received for their pairing.

“Everyone in one voice thinks we look good together. I think Aamir and I make a fantastic pair. I’d love to do another film with him immediately, this time I don’t want share him with other pivotal characters,” Kareena told IANS.

Reacting to the opinion that she hardly has anything to do in ‘3 Idiots’, Kareena said: “Who says I’ve nothing to do? I’m very much part of the main drama. Would the story move forward if you remove my character?

“Everywhere I go, I am swamped by compliments for the role. The length of the role didn’t matter. I’m just glad to be part of a historic happening,” she said.

“When Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir asked me to be part of their film, I jumped at it. I knew the film would be special because of Raju and Aamir, and I was right. As far as our cinema is concerned, Aamir is god.”

In fact, talks are on with two leading filmmakers including Mani Ratnam who is apparently set to revive his Aamir-Kareena project “Lajjo”. A.R. Rahman and Gulzar have even recorded the songs.

Looking back on last year Kareena feels happy by the response to her performances in “Kurbaan” and “3 Idiots”.

“Both films are very precious to me. ‘Kurbaan’ was intense, ‘3 Idiots’ was more fun. In 2009, I did films with all the Khans…. Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh – I had a song with him in ‘Billu’ – and of course Saif.”

This time Kareena managed to ring in New Year with her family.

“I’ve been running around frantically promoting my film. And then I was ailing for a week. I decided I had to be well for the festive season. Christmas was a very, very special occasion for my mom and sister. But we never get to be together for the occasion.

“This time I was adamant. I made sure I took time off from work so all us girls could spend time together. My mom and I were here in Delhi to spend time with my sister and niece.

“Karisma and I don’t get to spend that much time together. She has her home and husband in Delhi. My career takes me all over the place. Mom cribs we’re never together. This year-end reunion was something we had promised ourselves from long before,” she said.

Wedding Bells Ringing For Kareena & Saif

High-profile Bollywood couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor may be getting married soon. And the confirmation has come from none other than Saif's mother, Sharmila Tagore. (Text courtesy: Hindustantimes.com)

'Kurbaan gave a shock to the system'

Authur J Pais in New York

The pre-release excitement over Kurbaan was not sustained despite some good reviews. But writer Rensil D'Silva [inset], who makes his directorial debut with this film, says it will not be written off.

Best known for his screenplay for Rang De Basanti, D'Silva, 41, discusses films and people that have influenced him the most.

When did you fall in love with the movies?

It started with Star Wars over three decades ago. I had begged my family to take me to that movie. I was amazed to see the spectacle unfold, though my mother (a classical piano teacher) complained during the interval that she did not understand a word of it. But for me, everything in the film was magical.

Is there someone else in the family who loves movies as much as you do?

My mother's father (Walter Netto), who is 95. He used to take me to the movies, and, more importantly, discuss them with me. I saw some of the best Indian and Hollywood films because of him. He also kept a thick notebook, and from 1940 he had been entering the names of the films he had seen, with a few lines about them.

Is the notebook still around?

Very much. I began adding some of the films I had seen and wrote a few lines about them. Just to keep the tradition going. The 400-page book is almost full.


Image: A scene from Kurbaan

Bollywood's best dressed stars of 2009

Style is the heartbeat of showbiz. Year after year, Bollywood stars make their share of fashionable statements on celluloid. And this year saw no shortage of eye-catching action.

While the reigning divas and hunks continue to sparkle, young 'uns, too, showed some flair for dressing up.

Presenting 2009's Top 10 Best Dressed stars on the silver screen, in no particular order.

Kareena Kapoor

While none of her movies rose to the stature of Jab We Met this year, Kareena Kapoor surely didn't disappoint fans who favour her as Bollywood's leading fashionista.

As always, her range was stunning, diverse and effortless. Be it Kurbaan's fusion picks, Main Aur Mrs Khanna's pastel-hued femininity, Kambakkht Ishq's designer brand flamboyance or 3 Idiot's charming simplicity.

This girl sure knows how to pick an outfit and own it.


Image: Kareena Kapoor

I wish Shahid well: Bebo

Kareena Kapoor is one babe who is honest and forthright about it. At least she doesn’t blatantly deny the relationship (like some of our beauties often do), or pretend that jab they met nothing really ever happened.

That’s the cool Kapoor gal for you. Recently during an exclusive interview with ZOOM, when she was asked if she’s in touch with Shahid Kapoor, without appearing even faintly unnerved by the question, she said, “No, we are not in touch. Shahid and I shared a wonderful relationship in the past, the least we can do is wish each other well. At least I know I do that from my side.” Bebo is such a darlin’, no? We see one head nodding already.

First Look: 'Kurbaan'

Avantika (Kareena Kapoor) is a teacher in a university in Delhi. She has come back from New York where she teaches, because her father has suffered a heart attack. During this period, she meets a temporary Professor called Ehsaan Khan (Saif Ali Khan). Soon they begin seeing each other and love blossoms. A few months later, Avantika receives a call from her university in New York, asking her to come back for the Fall Semester. Avantika breaks the news to Ehsaan. He in turn, tells her he doesn't mind coming to the States with her, to find a job. But first they need to get married.

Soon after the marriage, they leave to start a new life in New York. They buy a house in an Indian neighbourhood and move in. Just as they are setting up home, their conservative Muslim neighbours, Hamid and Anjum, invite them over for dinner. The next morning, Salma, one of the women Avantika met the night before at the dinner, visits her under the pretext of gifting her sweets. When Avantika invites her in, Salma tells her that she is in grave danger. Nothing is what it seems. Salma pleads with Avantika to help her. What follows next, is a series of incidents that sucks Avantika into a vortex of danger and intrigue. As her life spirals out of control, Avantika realizes that she is a pawn in a huge game. And no one is to be trusted.

Shooting Kareena 'topless' in Kurbaan

The promos of Saif Ali Khan's film with girlfriend Kareena Kapoor -- Kurbaan -- are out, and it's getting a lot of attention. The music is riding up the charts, and it looks like producer Karan Johar may have a winner on his hands.

The man helming the film is Rensil D'Silva. This may be his first directorial venture but Rensil is not new to the field. An ad man with about 18 years of experience, Rensil has also scripted films like Aks, Rang De Basanti and Mani Ratnam's upcoming film Raavan.

When we asked Rensil why it took him so long to finally direct a film, he said he was 'waiting for the right time.' Well, it looks like the right time has arrived.

Rensil talks to Nithya Ramani about what to expect in Kurbaan and even the much-talked about poster showing a topless Kareena.

You have written the script of Kurbaan as well.

Yes. It is Karan Johar's story. He told me about the film and for the next few months, I couldn't get it off my head. A common friend told Karan that I had loved the story, so he asked me to direct it.


Image: Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Rensil D Silva

Aamir nervous about audience reaction to 'Three Idiots'

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Bollywood star Aamir Khan has finished shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's much awaited '3 Idiots', based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller 'Five Point Someone', and confesses that now he is worried about the audiences' reaction.

'The last one week has been very busy with '3 Idiots' work. The final song is done and now the cut is locked too. I think we have managed to make the film that we set out to. In the coming weeks I will tell you more about the film and what is happening,' Aamir posted on his blog aamirkhan.com/blog.

'As you can well imagine the good old butterflies have begun to spread their wings once again and their feathery touch has started to tickle my insides. I'm tempted to try and snuff them out with smoke...but I won't. I think this time I have quit for good,' he said.

Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, '3 Idiots' also stars Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor and Mona Singh.

Aamir nervous about audience reaction to 'Three Idiots'

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Bollywood star Aamir Khan has finished shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's much awaited '3 Idiots', based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller 'Five Point Someone', and confesses that now he is worried about the audiences' reaction.

'The last one week has been very busy with '3 Idiots' work. The final song is done and now the cut is locked too. I think we have managed to make the film that we set out to. In the coming weeks I will tell you more about the film and what is happening,' Aamir posted on his blog aamirkhan.com/blog.

'As you can well imagine the good old butterflies have begun to spread their wings once again and their feathery touch has started to tickle my insides. I'm tempted to try and snuff them out with smoke...but I won't. I think this time I have quit for good,' he said.

Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, '3 Idiots' also stars Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor and Mona Singh.

'Two flops don't matter to Salman's career'

Prem Soni is one lucky director. In his very first film, he has managed to rope in Bollywood's top stars -- Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Not only that, he's also releasing his film Main Aurr Mrs Khanna on the Diwali weekend, a much-coveted Friday for most producers when the biggest movies get released.

Quite an achievement for for the first-timer, who lived in Spain for 17 years before he joined the Hindi film industry.

"I come from a business background," he says. "I had no connection with the film industry. But I've always wanted to make a film."

He decided to pursue his passion by getting the basics right. "I worked in television for more than a decade before I decided to do films," he says.

He spent two years writing on different subjects until he came out with the script for Main Aurr Mrs Khanna. And it was this script that attracted his lead stars -- and producer Sohail Khan -- to his film.


Image: A scene from Main Aurr Mrs Khanna. Inset: Prem Soni

Kareena Kapoor fulfills a wish

Kareena Kapoor poses for a picture with a child from the 'Make-A-Wish' foundation during a promotional event of her forthcoming movie Main Aurr Mrs Khanna in Mumbai on Sunday.

The movie is directed by first-timer Prem Soni and is scheduled to be released on October 16.


Image: Kareena Kapoor with an unidentified child

Bad boy Salman Khan rescues Kareena Kapoor

Mumbai, Oct 12 So far we've heard horror stories of Salman Khan's misbehaviour with his leading ladies. But Kareena Kapoor has a different story to tell.

'Salman has always been very protective. He has been there for me whenever I needed him. That's partly to do with the fact that my sister Karisma is very close friends with Salman and also his favourite co-star,' Kareena, who features with him in 'Main Aurr Mrs Khanna', told IANS.

Just how caring Salman can be was proven to Kareena when they were shooting a romantic song on the Phi Phi Beach in Thailand for his home production 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna', releasing Friday.

The beach is not sandy but pebbled. And Kareena had to go barefeet into the water with Salman. But before she could reach even halfway, she cut her foot badly on a sharp pebble.

'Kareena doubled up in pain and almost fell to the ground. Salman reflexively reached for her and swooped her into his arms. And he carried her to the water,' said a source.

The shot has been retained, although it was never meant to be part of the film.

'Throughout the shooting you could see the special bonding that they had. But that day on Phi Phi Island it got really special,' said film's director Prem Soni.

'We came much further into the land from the sea than we imagined. When it was time to go back, we realised we had to walk through the pebbled beach and wade into almost head-deep water before reaching our boat. We had to do it. Otherwise we'd have to spend the night on the beach without food or water.

'Kareena was in this long gown and barefoot. She was in pain. Before we knew it he swooped her into his arms and carried her into a boat. It was a very romantic-looking moment and we couldn't let it go,' he added.

Salman, Kareena romance on 125th floor of a hotel! (Snippets)

Salman, Kareena romance on 125th floor of a hotel! (Snippets)

New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor romanced on the 125th floor of a hotel in Melbourne for their forthcoming romantic movie 'Main Aurr Mrs Khanna'.

'Usually the Australian government doesn't allow such film shootings to take place in the Realto hotel, that too on the 125th floor. But when they found out that it was none other than Salman and Kareena who were going to shoot there, they readily agreed,' said a source.

'The view from the 125th floor was breathtaking and overlooked nearly the whole of Melbourne. Most of the romantic scenes between Salman and Kareena have been shot here since the location was important to the scene,' added the source.

Releasing Oct 16, 'Main Aurr Mrs Khanna' is directed by first-time director Prem Soni.

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'Aladin' is the buzz word for Riteish

Riteish Deshmukh is going an extra mile to promote his forthcoming film 'Aladin' - he wears T-shirts with an 'A' embroidered on them for all the promotional events.

'Riteish has got the 'A' of 'Aladin' stitched on several of his t-shirts and vests and makes it a point to wear them at every event relating to the film or during his interactions with the press,' said a source.

Even director Sujoy Ghosh was impressed with Riteish's enthusiasm to promote the film.

'When I met Riteish for the music launch of the film, he was wearing a blue pullover with 'A' on it. I told him it looked very cool and he replied that he's got a whole collection of such t-shirts. That's the kind of passion an actor can have for his work,' he said

In this contemporary take on the classic fairy tale, Riteish will be seen along with Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Jacqueline Fernandez. The film is slated for release Oct 30.

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Rituparna Sengupta caught in Singapore earthquake

Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta was in Singapore when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the Sumatra Island last week.

Singapore is just about 500 kilometres away from Sumatra. Thus, at the time of the earthquake, Rituparna felt the strong tremors and her house started shaking.

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Govinda wants to play variety of roles, loses weight

Comedy king Govinda feels that he should try his hand in other genres as well and is working on his physique for the same. He has already shed 30 kg.

'I am losing weight and making physique to do different cinema... it's just that I am not publicising because then if I am not able to do good after it, then I'll be criticised,' Govinda told IANS.

'I've lost about 30 kg in the last one-and-half years. I've quit dinner and I am eating light. Sometimes I even skip the lunch and my family has been very supportive, especially my wife Sunita,' he added.

The actor has been associated with comic capers, the last being 'Do Knot Disturb' that released Oct 2.

Kajol makes Kareena nervous

Kareena Kapoor is leaving nothing to chance this time. Determined to match strides with the formidable scene-stealer Kajol in the Hindi version of Stepmom, the actress has been quietly attending acting workshops with the film's director Siddharth Malhotra.

"The last time I rehearsed for a part was for Vishal Bharadwaj's Omkara. But that was a more unconventional film and role where I had to get into a milieu and character I knew nothing about. But Stepmom is urban and very contemporary. I play a very normal metro-centric working girl," said Kareena.

Malhotra's film is inspired by director Chris Columbus 1998 hit drama Stepmom, a heartwarming tale of two women - divorced Susan Sarandon and the new woman (Julia Roberts) in her ex-husband's life - and the problems they face to find a common ground of understanding.

And to attend the workshops, Kareena has been stealing time out of the rehearsals for a song she began shooting with Aamir Khan in 3 Idiots. Through the workshops Kareena is discovering how difficult it is to play a normal girl. "I walk, talk, dress like an ordinary working girl. I'll be using no makeup."

Bollywood's ace designer Manish Malhotra too is having a hard time trying to bring down Kareena's glamour quotient in Stepmom to look like an ordinary working woman. "I couldn't cut my hair as planned because of continuity clashes. And I didn't want to cut my long hair. But I'm going for a new hairstyle," said Kareena.

The two actresses start shooting together from the end of this month.

Talking abour Kajol, Kareena said: "She's always been one of my favourite actresses. We worked together in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. But this is something else."

There will be a lot of dramatic scenes between the two women in the movie. "The desi version of Stepmom is very different from the original. My role is also a big departure from what Julia Roberts played in Stepmom," Kareena said.

Aamir Khan and Kareena sizzle in rain for ‘3 Idiots’!

Spicezee Bureau Xboard

Mumbai: Come December and you’ll get to see Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor paired opposite each other for the first time in Raju Hirani’s ‘3 Idiots.’

With the movie in its final stages of completion, Aamir and Kareena were recently spotted cavorting in the rains for as long as three days in Film City. Both the stars have been drenching in simulated rain for a love song for the past three days.

Talking to a news paper, a close source from the film set said, "This is the final song which is being shot on the lead pair. Aamir and Bebo both have to be under water and as they are practically sitting in wet clothes for the whole day, they are taking adequate measures not to fall sick. This is the last shooting stint for the film, after which the film will be termed complete and move towards post production."

Based on Chetan Bhagat’s famous novel ‘Five Point Someone’ and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, ‘3 Idiots’ will hit the theaters during this Christmas. Apart from Aamir and Kareena, ‘3 Idiots’ also stars Sharman Joshi and R Madhavan.

MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA inspired by a true story

As per debutant director Prem Soni, MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA is an absolute original script and not lifted from any American or European film. What's more, it is actually based on an idea that he got from a real life story.
"Around 4 years back, I had seen a close friend of mine going through a troubled marriage. He along with his wife were quite nervous about splitting and were actually trying hard to be with each other", remembers Prem, "The only emotion that bounded them together was that of love. And then there was a third angle to it as well; someone who was looking at them from a different point of view. This third angle was me."

After dropping this bombshell, Prem goes on to elaborate, "Looking at their story from my perspective, I thought that I could write it all well for big screen presentation. I dramatized it and played neutral to both husband and wife here. The way I looked at Mrs. Khanna was perhaps different from the way Mr. Khanna looked at her. This was the basic germ of an idea that I further went on to develop."

Once he presented the script to Salman, he immediately green lighted it.

"I was quite categorical in stating that this was an absolute original script with no references to Hollywood or European cinema. I went to Salman with a bound copy and as luck would have it, he was quite impressed and immediately on board", smiles Prem.

Reflecting on the incidents that happened 4 years back, Prem says, "See, at that time things were a little different as having a good job and a steady career were of paramount importance. Somehow there was a battle of love v/s career in my friend's life too. It's the same battle and different perspective as a resultant that has been explored in MAIN AURR MRS. KHANNA."