Minissha, Shobhaa De

lock horns on Twitter

A catfight has broken out on Twitter between columnist Shobhaa De and Bollywood actress Minissha Lamba on the latter's run-in with the customs department for carrying jewellery worth nearly Rs 50 lakh.

De mocked Lamba, who was detained by the customs officials at Mumbai airport for carrying undeclared gold and diamond jewellery, in a caustic tweet on Friday.

De wrote on her Twitter page, "Poor Minissha: Lamba race ki ghodi or lame duck? Warning to other Bollywood wannabes to leave those borrowed rocks at home. Dazzle wt yr talent (sic)."

Lamba promptly retorted, "Ms De, real writers write books. Slandering on #Twitter is a job of the less gifted. 'Dazzle with your talent' Ms.De, Not ur slander ;) (sic)"

Lamba, who attended the premiere of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris at Cannes, was detained at the airport on Wednesday for not declaring jewellery estimated to be worth Rs 35-50 lakhs, has claimed that the ornaments were for promotional purpose and did not belong to her.

The 26-year-old, who was let off past midnight after being grilled for over 16 hours on her arrival from Cannes, was questioned again on Thursday, during which she admitted that she was not aware of the procedure of declaring the jewellery which she claimed had been carried from India for her stint at the international film festival.

Indian celebrities, relatively new to Twitter, have recently taken to exchanging ammo on the social networking site on the lines of their western counterparts. De herself was infamously alluded to as "fossil" by actress Sonam Kapoor and director Punit Malhotra on Twitter.

Recently, ad-man Suhel Seth and filmmaker Pritish Nandy took nasty pot shots at each other on Twitter. There is also a brewing cold war between filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and Johar, both known for making films of completely contrasting genres.

Being half-Indian is no problem in Bollywood: Angela Jonsson

Being half-Indian is no problem

in Bollywood: Angela Jonsson

Born in Chennai to an Icelandic father and Mangalorean mother, 21-year-old model Angela Jonsson maintains that being half-Indian is no disadvantage in making it big in the Bollywood film industry any more.

"I don't think being a half-Indian impedes entry into Bollywood any more. In fact, I would like to believe that I have been blessed with the best of both worlds," Angela told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

There was a time when half-Indians and foreigners were offered only typical roles, but the scenario has changed ever since experimental scripts have come into play, said the model, more in the news for her link-up with actor Ranbir Kapoor.

"Also, the industry has become open and encouraging to newcomers. Films with newcomers seem to be getting a good response at the box office. So I am hoping for the best for myself too," she added.

The fair, slim and trim young girl's tryst with showbiz began when Angela won the 2011 Kingfisher Calendar Model Hunt, and went on to feature in the 2011 edition of the calendar.

But what has brought her in limelight is her link-up with a star like Ranbir.

Is that going to help her get a push in the industry?

"A lot has been written about this. And so far, and henceforth, I choose not to comment on it. It is a personal thing, and I would like whatever it is to remain personal," she commented.

As of now, Angela is concentrating on improving her acting, which was not in her scheme of things until a few months back.

She is taking dance, diction as well as acting classes to improve her chances of getting work in Bollywood.

"I want to be good at my craft before I get into anything. So it was important for me to enroll in an acting course, a diction class to improve my Hindi, and also dance classes. Once I am prepared, I should start auditioning seriously," Angela said.

Dance is something Angela has always been passionate about, and she feels that could be a bonus for her in the film industry.

"I've always loved being on stage. But I never thought I would get into acting. I had been learning various forms of dancing for a long time. Dance is a big thing in Bollywood, so I hope my talent helps me grow in it," she said.

Buoyed by the success of songs like "Sheila ki jawaani" and "Munni badnaam hui", Angela, who is now based in Mumbai's Bandra, said she is open to "item numbers" as well.

"I would love to do an item number. Why not! Top actresses have done it and those songs have become a rage. Item songs have a 'wow' factor and that's what they are there for in films. For sure, I wouldn't mind doing it."

Bollywood’s biker babes.

Bollywood’s biker babes.

Riding a bike is not a guy’s thing anymore, as our Bollywood divas give tough competition to their male counterparts

Kat rides a Harley Davidson

Katrina Kaif, 26, is the latest to hop on to the bandwagon. In the film Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara, she plays an adventure e-loving girl who loves to ride bikes. She did not know how to ride one, so she trained on light bikes before riding a Harley Davidson in the film. “A lighter bike is good to learn balancing in the initial days. After familiarising myself with the vehicle here, I moved on to heavier bikes, which were required for my part,” says Kaif.Bebo rides a Hayabusa

Though Kareena Kapoor, 30, has hopped on a bike many a time, the diva admits she is scared of riding one. She rode it in Golmaal 3, 3 Idiots and in a TV commercial for a brand she endorses, but the truth is that she considers it a nightmare. It is said that Bebo, who looks confident on a Hayabusa, is not a confident rider in real life. So the directors mount her bike on a trolley which is pulled from the front in order to give an impression that Kareena is a smooth rider.

Kangy rides a Bullet

Kangna Ranaut, 24, rode a 600cc Bullet through the narrow lanes of Kanpur in her last release, Tanu Weds Manu. Kangy was not a trained rider, so she did take some assistance. In one such take, she unfortunately met with a bad accident and even injured her left foot. Nevertheless, instead of asking for a body double, she got onto the bike again once the wounds had healed, and delivered the shot perfectly.

PC rides a racing bike

Priyanka Chopra, 28, was at her biker best while shooting for Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 3, where she was seen performing stunts on two wheels. In the show, Priyanka rode a bike while male bikers chased her. In the past, too, she has wielded the throttle for movies such as Don - The Chase Begins. She is expected to show her biking abilities once again in the sequel to Don, co-starring actor Shah Rukh Khan.

Anushka rides a Yamaha

Anushka Sharma’s bike act in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi won maximum cheers and whistles from the audience. Though the 23-year-old model-turned-actor knows how to ride a bike, the stunt was performed with the help of trolleys that pulled the bike, assistants who made it happen and director Aditya Chopra who made it look real on screen. “Anushka learned riding a bike during her college days, and used to go on drives with her friends. She loves riding it, and is not one to go pillion,” says her publicist.

Gul rides an Enfield

Gul Panag, 32, is one of the first Bollywood actors who was seen riding a bike not just on screen, but off it as well. She is part of various biking clubs and has always promoted safe riding. Panag’s latest Bollywood ride was in Turning 30, with co-star Purab Kohli as pillion. Gul even had a motorcycle wedding, where the baraatis came on Royal Enfields. “I want to ride a bike, but let me act like a shy bride,” she had said before her big day, but hopped on to one nevertheless.

Other famous star bikers are:

John Abraham

Abhishek Bachchan

Shahid Kapoor

Salman Khan

Arjun Rampal

Kunal Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor

Uday Chopra 

Salman Khan: Katrina will never produce any film

Salman Khan: Katrina

will never produce any film

There's perhaps no one in the industry who knows Katrina Kaif as much as Salman Khan does. They were believed to be seeing each other for a long time and are still believed to be very good friends. 

There's a buzz in the industry that Katrina Kaif wants to cast Aamir Khan in her maiden production venture. When asked Salman about his reaction, he said, "I will make sure that Aamir does the film for her." On being asked if he would like to be a part of the film, Salman said, "I don't have the dates. I am already doing a (different) film (Kabir Khan's EK THA TIGER) with her. Katrina will never produce any film." 

Well, it seems Salman Khan doesn't believe in Katrina's capabilities as a producer. We wonder what Katrina has to say on this.

My joy multiplied with Rekha's win: Bhardwaj

Vishal Bhardwaj bagged his fourth national award on Thursday, but more than being happy for himself, the filmmaker-singer-composer was elated over his wife's first win.

Both were honoured for the film IshqiyaGodmother, Blue Umbrella and Omkara in different categories.

"Definitely the feeling that you get when you receive an award for the first time is totally different, but whenever you get an award, it's a great feeling and it instills more confidence in you. Especially a national award," he said

"It is the most prestigious award. All the other popular awards are either run by some film magazine or corporate houses, but this is an award by the country. So country is felicitating and honouring you, which is great," he added.

"Ishqiya" songs "Ibn-e-batuta", "Dil toh bachcha hai ji" and "Ab mujhe koi" were not only liked by the masses, but also music experts.

Was he expecting the award?

"Usually when the songs become popular, they don't get national award. My previous film for which I got a national award for music direction was 'Godmother', and the songs were not popular.

"My most popular music, be it in Omkara, Maachis or Kaminey, didn't get a national award. So I was not expecting and that is the beauty of national award, when you don't expect it, you get it," he added.

The couple has major celebration plans with their close friends and family Thursday night.

"We are meeting our friends today (Thursday) and we will get drunk, dance, celebrate and the celebrations will go on for sometime," said Vishal.

SONAM KAPOOR FOR L'OREAL

SONAM KAPOOR  FOR  L'OREAL

Sonam Kapoor took the red carpet at Cannes by storm dressed in a white and black Jean Paul Gaultier with make up by L'Oreal. The new on the scene Bollywood star who is brand ambassador for the French company spent time shooting some ads. We have these exclusive shots! All we can say is Lookin' Gorgeous Sonam!

Sameera gets sister Sushma to design her pad.

“Sameera” gets sister Sushma

to design her pad.

Sameera Reddy has been shooting round-the-clock for Prabhudeva's upcoming film and Priyadarshan's Tezz.

In the midst of all of this, Sameera has requested her sister Sushma (who shares the same taste) to design her new house at Bandra as she has no time. 

Sushma is more then happy to help and to try her hand at interior designing. Not only that, but she also plans to convert two rooms into one and make a walk-in wardrobe out of it. 

Courtesy:Hi Fi Mumbai

Rishi Kapoor, Arbaaz

on cloud nine.

Rishi Kapoor and Arbaaz Khan expressed their happiness in various ways after their films Do Dooni Chaar and Dabangg were named for national awards.

Arbaaz's debut production venture Dabangg was named the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment at the 58th National Film Awards announced on Thursday.

"It's a proud moment for my entire family and the team of Dabangg. The national award is extremely prestigious. I am over the moon," said Arbaaz.

On hearing that Do Dooni Chaar has won the award for best Hindi film, Rishi Kapoor was virtually dancing in New York.

"Here we are talking about a sequel to Do Dooni Chaar and now it has won the national award. Wowwwwwwww!!!. I am so happy to see such a small film make such a big noise all the way here in the US. Sequel ka haq banta hai (It deserves sequel)," said Rishi.

In the south, the ailing Rajnikanth's son-in-law Dhanush won the best actor award forAadukalam. His wife Aishwarya said: "The good news comes at a time when the family is in distress. I'm extremely proud of Dhanush. He has done my father proud too."

Such is the predominence of regional cinema in this year's national awards that Hindi filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan has won awards for his stunning Marathi film Mee Sindhutal Sapkal. The film won the special jury award, best male playback singer for Suresh Wadkar and best screenpaly (adapted) for Anant Mahadevan and Sanjay Pawar.

"I'm humbled and honoured that an emotional film about a woman who spreads goodwill has made such an impact," said Mahadevan.

Bollywood filmmaker J.P. Dutta, who chaired the national award jury this year, said: "It was a pleasure to see cinema from all over the country making such an impact. It's about time we stopped looking at Bollywood as the fulcrum of Indian cinema. There's so much quality work happening all over the country. This year's national awards are proof of it."

AMITABH BACHCHAN AND HIS "BACHCHAN BOL" COMES TO THE UK

AMITABH BACHCHAN AND HIS

"BACHCHAN BOL" COMES TO THE UK

On May 18th Inside India brings its celebrity voice blogging service to the UK with the launch of a revolutionary new product called "Bachchan Bol". Yes, THE Amitabh Bachchan's "vog" will now be available to the UK fans! Already with 2.5 million subscribers in India which is set to grow to 10 million in the next six months, it’s now the turn of the UK to receive this Indian tech sensation. This launch marks the first in UK but plans to expand globally to other celebrities from film, TV, sport and fashion are in motion.

Vocal Blogging - Vogging™ is unique service live on your mobile phone, allowing you to hear India’s most revered and loved actor Amitabh Bachchan, tell you directly about his thoughts, anytime & anywhere at the push of a button.

Beyond Twitter. Beyond Facebook. And in addition to his popular online blog, Bachchan Bol is the new frontier in social networking and for him to stay connected to his fans. 

The trademark deep baritone voice, the tall, brooding persona, and intense eyes, made Amitabh Bachchan the ideal "Angry Young Man" in the 1970s, thereby changing the face of Hindi cinema. Today he is still one of the hardest working and most loved personalities of Indian Cinema.

Talking about the vog, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan said, "Bachchan Bol empowers me with a personal platform on which I can connect and 'speak' directly with my fans across the country anywhere and anytime. This is my bol/diary&... my way... From my films to my family, from my country to my city, you will be able to hear about it all, in my own voice, in my own diary, direct to you on your mobile phone" 

A spokesperson for Inside India said, "We are honoured and excited to launch this project with such a fantastic icon of Indian cinema. We know the power of Indian entertainment and we are firmly embedded in the innovation of technology and the digital world. Combining these two elements we are paving a new way for social networking, starting it in the world's most exciting country and taking it across the globe."

On the Vog, Mr. Bachchan will share his day-to-day personal and professional experiences with regular updates, available to mobile users at a monthly subscription or pay-per-minute pricing model. This is an easy to do and empowering service for both Mr. Bachchan and fan and not only gives Mr. Bachchan complete control over what he wishes to share but allows the fans to access him in an unrivalled way.

GEN-X: The future of Bollywood

There's no questioning the fact that Youngistan rules! Not underestimating the potential of the urban youth market Bollywood has now taken to wowing Gen-X with films that appeal to young sensibilities tackling contemporary issues that are not just content strong but also set the cash registers ringing.

Setting the trend, the biggest winners of 2010 happened to be films like Balaji's LOVE SEX AURR DHOKHA, UTV Spotboy's UDAAN and Walkwater's TERE BIN LADEN and keeping to the trend of catering to the youth the next two months of 2011's offerings include films like Ekta Kapoor's RAGINI MMS, Red Chillies's ALWAYS KABHI KABHI,Viacom18 & Anurag Kashyap's SHAITAN and UTV & Sanjay Leela Bhansali Production's MY FRIEND PINTO.

Explains famed theater personality, Roshan Abbas who makes his directorial debut with Red Chillies ALWAYS KABHI KABHI, "50% of India is under 35. A young audience wants younger themes, actors and stories. And with young actors stories that are about the youth make them far more identifiable. Young people would like AKK because it will mirror their life"

Bollywood is going young as filmmakers today are waking up to the potential of the teen market and crafting films for them. Gen-X films are a commercially viable option with the youth comprising of a major percentage of the audience. Via com 18 Motion Pictures' new brand Tipping Point Films will cater to the evolving sensibilities of the urban, Indian youth by offering edgy and engaging film content whereas Balaji's brand ALT Entertainment broke all barriers with their LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA that addressed contemporary issues in an in-your-face manner.

Says Ekta Kapoor, "The youth today are looking to watch films that they can relate to and subjects that are contemporary. They want to be spoken to in their own language-LSD looked closely at voyeurism while our latest offering RAGINI MMS is an intelligent sensual paranormal thriller that will really speak to the youth "

In attempt to capture the hearts and imagination of the youth Yash Raj Film's launched their new youth studio Y-Films and director Karan Johar revisits his roots and is out next with STUDENT OF THE YEAR- a high school musical.

Says Bijoy Nambier, director of SHAITAN, "More and more film makers are getting into making movies for the youth because until now this was a highly ignored segment. Youth movies are not restricted to candy floss romance. SHAITAN for example has them as the main protagonists in an edge of the seat realistic thriller. It should appeal to them because they will identify and relate to the characters, the world, the language, the music and the way it is presented."

Producers and directors today have realized the importance of targeting the youth as a primary audience � and hence most of the movies dominating this year are young film offerings by industry biggies like Ekta Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar and the likes.

The social networking generation comprise of smart, well informed, focused urban teens �socially committed and career oriented and could make or break a film in the span of minutes keeping a movie maker well on his/her toes. Taking the mediocre route doesn't help in promoting these films Gen-X demands unconventional, creative and out-of the box methods that a few have mastered.

Revealed: Mithun da's son Mimoh plots revenge

Mithun da's son has made a list of those who have insulted him since his debut film bombed; says he'll get even when he gets famous

Talk about being fully filmy. Star son Mahaakshay Chakraborty aka Mimoh, son of yesteryear stars Mithun Chakraborty and Yogita Bali, has promised to get even with all those "eminent persons from the industry" who said he wasn't fit to join Bollywood. 

What made it tougher for him, says Mimoh, was seeing other star kids 'get their due'. "I would see all these other star-sons bag the best roles and date the hottest girls in the industry. I'd wonder when my turn would come."

Sore at the way he was treated after his debut film Jimmy (2008) sank without a trace, Mimoh said, "People in this industry are not kind to failure. When Jimmy bombed, they made me a punching bag. I became the star-son who proved that lineage doesn't work." 

"People who could never hit out at my father decided to get even with him by hitting out at me. One eminent person from the industry said I was not fit to be a junior artiste even." 

Mimoh, however, chose to refrain from taking names. "I've made a list of all those people who have insulted and humiliated me. At the moment I'm too small an actor to get even. But soon enough I'll name the people who have hurt me and my family, " he said. 

Mimoh is back with last week's release, Haunted, Vikram Bhatt's latest horror flick that has been made in 3-D.

SHAHID'S BREAKING NEWS ???

SHAHID'S  BREAKING  NEWS  ???

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who recently celebrated his eight years as a full-fledged member of the film fraternity was involved in an accident while shooting from his father Pankaj Kapoor's film Mausam.

While shooting in Jogeshwari, Shahid fell off a giant wheel and almost broke his hand. He was given medical aid, and sources have said that he did not fall from great height, so his hand injury was not very severe and he has been advised to rest by the doctor.

Incidentally, this is not the first time Shahid has injured himself while shooting for Mausam. Last year while in Scotland, Kapoor hurt his back, due to which the shooting schedule of the film was stopped for several days. However, Shahid's injury won't cause much problem regarding the completion of the film, as the film is almost ready to enter the post production stage save a few days of patchwork shooting.

The BollySpice team wishes Shahid a speedy recovery.

Will 2012 be Aamir's year?

 Will 2012 be Aamir's year?

A birdie insists that 2012 will be Aamir Khan's year. AK begins the year with Reema Kagti's film, scheduled to release in January. The year end with a Dhoom 3 bang in December. While he essays a cop in the former, in Dhoom 3 he is the bad guy. The wait begins..

Madhuri to star opposite Sanjay Dutt in Satte Pe Satta remake

Madhuri to star opposite Sanjay

Dutt in Satte Pe Satta remake.

After months of speculation on who would star opposite Sanjay Dutt in Satte Pe Satta remake, the official announcement has now been made and it's none other than Madhuri Dixit who has bagged the coveted role.

While Sanjay Dutt will reprise the role played by Big B in the original cult classic, Madhuri will be seen in the character played by Hema Malini in the original. It may be recalled that Madhuri and Sanjay have been part of several hit films in the past such as Saajan, Khalnayak andThanedaar. It will no doubt be interesting to see this jodi re-create magic once again on the silver screen.

Satte Pe Satta remake is being directed by Soham Shah and produced by Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd. in association with Sanjay Dutt Productions.

Jiah Khan to change her name?

Actress Jiah Khan is planning to change her name back to the original one, Nafisa.

The British-born Indian actress took to microblogging site Twitter to reveal her plans and wrote: "Thinking of changing my name back to my original name Nafisa...what do you guys think? Needs some more opinions."

The 23-year-old made her Bollywood debut with megastar Amitabh Bachchan in "Nishabd" in 2007 and has done films like "Housefull" and "Ghajini".

GANGSTER VIVEK IS BACK!

GANGSTER VIVEK IS BACK!

The rumour mills have only just died down about this Princebeing a part of Dhoom 3, but it seems this actor's career is most definitely on the up. Vivek Oberoi has been most appreciated for the characters he plays that are raw, real and rugged. It seems his voice and rough look suit these kinds of characters and if the grapevine has any substance this time, he is all set to play a gangster all over again in the forthcoming Zila Ghaziabad.

Produced by Vinod Bachchan, most recently known for the popular Tanu Weds Manu, and steered by Anand Kumar, the film is based on northern gang wars in the 80-90s. Oberoi is all set to take on the role of Dharamvir Gujjar, a fugitive residing in Ghaziabad. Vinod said in an interview "The film is based on land mafia and Vivek is an ex criminal. Based in a small town, this film is about his character's fight against the corrupt system of mafia and politicians. There are various layers to the film – it involves farmer's problems, suicides and the underworld." 

The movie will also stars the under-rated Arshad Warsi who will play Dharamvir's archenemy. Warsi's role rumoured to be an absolute negative character. It is also thought that Sanjay Dutt has more or less been confirmed for a part in the movie too. 

Kumar, it seems, thought Oberoi was perfect for such a role following his popularity and diction in films such as Company and Shootout at Lokhandwala. It is thought that Oberoi will be seen sporting a moustache one again but this time being accompanied with a slight stubbley look, to keep a little difference in appearance to him in Rakht Charitra last year. The actor will be working on his physique for the role in keeping with his gangster portrayal and he is also currently working on his pronunciation with Ghaziabad native and writer Vinay Sharma.

Warsi confirmed that this is the first time he is going to be playing a villainous role but he also went on to say that all of the three characters have negative shades to them. The shooting is set to begin in June and will be shot primarily Maharastra and Ghaziabad, to show a true portrayal of the gang wars of the time.