On Naxal issue: Arjun Rampal feels violence is not the answer

Actor Arjun Rampal, who essays the role of a police officer in Prakash Jha's 'Chakravyuh', which is based on the issue of Naxals, says he was not much aware about the movement of the outlaws till he started shooting for the film, and believes that violence is not the solution.

"I was not that aware about how organized they (Naxals) are, how strongly it is funded, how rapidly it has come into our country, and what a big war it really is. My character in the film believes that if the system stops working then you don't have to destroy it but instead repair it," Arjun told reporters here, last night, at the first look of 'Chakravyuh'. "By violence, atrocities no one is going to get anything. And that is what the character believes and that is what I also believe. I don't think that violence is really the answer," he said. While, shooting for this film Arjun was saddened to see the plight of people living in the interiors. "I have gone and visited the interiors of India where we have shot and you see the way the villagers are living, its so sad and depressing.

Inside actresses' lives - the fascination continues

What is life like behind the arclights? What compromises do women make in their journey to stardom? Do the glitz and glamour come for a price? From Shyam Benegal to Milan Luthria, filmmakers down the decades have tried giving insights to the questions asked by obsessive fans.

It's a recurring trend with forthcoming movies like Heroine and Raaz 3 delving into the same theme. Some are biographical, some fiction and others thinly veiled fiction.

'David' is incredible: Neil Nitin Mukesh

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh is working on Bejoy Nambiar's David and says he is in love with the script and his look in the film.
"The progress on Bejoy Nambiar's David is incredible. Every passing day makes me feel more proud that I am working on this film. Shooting set and atmosphere is great," tweeted the 30-year-old.
"Super technical team and costars. Our director of photography Shanu and action director Javed Bhai are brilliant minds," he further tweeted.
Neil is also loving every bit of the preparation for his role in the movie especially the costumes.
"I love the look of David. Styling has been designed by Ameera. Keep a look out for David," he posted.
The film also features Vikram, Lara Dutta, Vinay Virmani, Tabu and Isha Sharvani.

Can’t be 'Kool' without Ritesh: Tusshar Kapoor

Riding high on the recent success of his adult situational comedy Kya Super Kool Hain Hum, (KSKHH) Tusshar Kapoor confirms that the third part of the film is in the offing.

On being asked whether Ritesh will continue to be his partner in crime, he said, "Yes, we are definitely planning third part of Kya Super..., but We haven't finalised a title for the film yet. Ritesh and I will be there and it won't be without him." Thwarting the comments from critics and moral polices, the film managed to pull crowd at the ticket window.

Explaining what made the film click at the box office, he said, "What actually worked for the film is its marketing and the buzz created around the film. KSKHH got a good opening, and it further surged on Saturday and Sunday. So, the first three days proves it was well-accepted."

Neha's first solo item song

Though Irrfan Khan has been instrumental in lowering the heat off the sequel to Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, the filmmakers have decided to speckle the script with at least one steam by introducing an item number by Neha Dhupia.

This number is also Neha's first in a solo item song. The song, that has been composed by Sandeep Chowta and written by Kausar Munir, will be shot against the idyllic backdrop of Jaipur next month. Usar Munir has penned the lyrics. Says the producer of the film Rahul Mittra, "Neha is a talented actress and a good dancer. I'm glad her first solo item number is in our film."

Salman Khan is no James Bond: Kabir Khan

Director of Ek Tha Tiger, Kabir Khan speaks on his Salman Khan starrer spy film.

After Agent Vinod, Ek Tha Tiger is the recent spy thriller which is more of a love story that has been received well by Salman fans.

Director Kabir Khan didn't set out to make a James Bond though. In an exclusive interview with Times of India.com, Kabir said, "RAW agents are glamorized in Indian films. They don't wear fancy suits or drive sexy cars. They don't flaunt cool gadgets either. Even their accommodation in anything but fancy. I have tried to keep Tiger as real as possible. Salman Khan is no James Bond in the film. Also, in Indian films, every hero is James Bond anyway. He fights with the goons singlehandedly and gets the girls. I wanted to keep the action as realistic as possible."

Bollywood is celebrating womanhood: Huma

Huma Qureshi, who grabbed attention in her debut film Gangs Of Wasseypur, believes that the definition for female actresses is changing in Bollywood.
Huma is overwhelmed with the positive response for GOW from audience. The actress believes that the industry is changing and about the same, she said, "I think Bollywood is celebrating womanhood. Initially, films based on women used to be considered as boring films. Now, movies like The Dirty Picture, Kahaani have changed the vision for female oriented cinema."

Huma celebrated Iftaari party along with the team of Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 in Mumbai

Emraan’s Eidi for fans on Eid!

A special Urdu poster of Raaz 3 will be launched on Eid's occasion.
Salman's Ek Tha Tiger was to release on Eid but was preponed and released on 15th August instead. Emran Hashmi has thus taken Salman's spot in a way as his Raaz 3 is lined up for release. Our source revealed, "Emraan has been having the same fan base of Salman, and the production had got requests and mails asking for Emraan's poster of his upcoming movie Raaz 3 in his native Urdu. So for their sake the production has come up with a special poster for Eid in Urdu."
Vijay Singh from the film's co-producers Fox Studios said, "There is no denying the huge mass-appeal Emraan Hashmi has. His fan following is astounding so much so that we had several requests for a special poster for Eid. We will now have a special Urdu poster done for him."

Salman is more popular than me: Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan is in Chicago for three months. In a candid mood, he tells TOI why he has been missing from the big screen for such a long duration, who his close friends are, among other things. Excerpts of an exclusive interview with the superstar...

You've been missing from the big screen for nearly two years!
When my next movie releases in November this year, it will actually be close to two years since Dhobi Ghat (January 2011). I have rarely done three movies one after another. I'm not used to that style of working. But since I was consumed with my television show for the better part of this year, the movies had to wait.

 

Madhuri, Saroj to set a new benchmark

If Madhuri Dixit is doing a movie, it is impossible to imagine it without a dance number. The versatile actress, whose performances are incomplete without her trademark latkas and jhatkas, will be setting a new benchmark in her next film, Gulab Gang, the songs of which will be choreographed by Saroj Khan. Interestingly, the veteran choreographer and the nimble-footed actress will be teaming up after a decade, since Devdas, their last outing together.

Incidentally, Khan's name was suggested by producer Anubhav Sinha, who had assisted Pankuj Parashar on the film Rajkumar, for which the actress and the choreographer worked together. "I remember Sarojji showing the steps to Madhuri, who would perform them with such ease and grace as if she had done them before," recalls Sinha. Predictably, director Soumik Sen too felt Sinha was right in choosing Khan. He enthuses that although Madhuri might be looking simpler as the story is set in rural India, they're "planning to do something spectacular in terms of the choreography". Sen adds, "Every Madhuri dance number has always set a new benchmark, that's our intention too." Needless to say, Madhuri's excited about working with Khan after such a long time. As Sen says, "Madhuri feels that Sarojji is immaculate with details and ensures that the facial expressions are in perfect sync with the mood of the song and the character."

Sachiin’s birthday celebrations in Goa

Sachiin Joshi celebrated his birthday (August 7) with elan in Goa. The actor brought in his B-day at a plush hotel that overlooks the tranquil Sal River.
 

The affair was strictly limited to his family and friends, who had travelled to Goa making it a memorable day. "I wanted to be away from our chaotic city and hus decided to party in Goa. But this birthday is special because I have decided to be more responsible." Wife Urvashi Sharma Joshi presented him with a huge portrait of himself that she got made especially from a painter based in Jalgaon, Maharashtra. A shy Sachiin revealed, "I was touched! The painting is so life-like and looks like a photograph." Sachiin was also moved by the calls that he received from friends wishing him on his speical day. The party boasted of some of the best wines and liquor and a lavish Italian spread prepared by the chef of the hotel. "Believe me, we continued to be in a party mood for over four days; there was no stopping us. What better way to unwind but in the party capital of India, Goa!," he laughed. Now back the actor will start shooting for his upcoming venture Mumbai Mirror once again.

Soha Ali Khan manhandled!

While shooting for a brutal scene in her new film, Chaarfutiya Chhokre, Soha Ali Khan didn't allow any still cameraman be on the sets. "Usually there's a photographer present on the sets clicking pictures for continuity's sake.
But we had to do away with them for this particular scene," revealed a unit source. Apparently, the scene, a crucial part of the film, required the villain (played by actor Zakir Hussain), rip apart her shirt in a disgusted manner exposing her. The source said, "In the scene, Soha is thrown in front of Zakir who starts to beat her and humiliate her and in the process has to tear off her shirt completely. She felt uncomfortable doing the scene in the presence of the photographers. But once they were off the sets, Soha, like a thorough professional, played the victim and allowed the villains to be their most evil selves." Soha was manhandled and pushed and in the bargain landed up getting badly bruised. "Despite injuries, she continued to shoot and refused to use a duplicate.
The manhandling caused red patches and marks on her arms and the back. There were places she was badly wounded too and had to be given medical aid," concluded our source.

Vivek’s rooting for Karishma

If the buzz going about tinsel town is any indication, then it looks like Karishma Tanna is more than just Vivek Oberoi's co-star in the latter's film, tentatively titled Sher.

An industry source tells us that the actor has been strongly recommending his heroine to every producer, director who offers him a movie.
The lissome lass who was first noticed in tele-serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Koi Dil Mein Hai, and had a blink-and-miss role in Dosti: Friends Forever, is playing Oberoi's love interest in Soham's movie based on the Gujarati gangster, Sharman Munjha.
Last heard, Vivs was trying to coax director Indra Kumar to cast Karishma opposite him in the sequel to Masti.
Wonder what Mrs Priyanka Oberoi has to say about her hubby Vivs recommending Karishma so strongly to the producers and directors. Or shouldn't we ask?

An actress has a shelf life, says Vikram Bhatt

Director Vikram Bhatt, whose forthcoming film 'Raaz 3' apparently has references of his relationship with actress Ameesha Patel, says, he understands the pain of an actress who rises to fame and the sudden downfall.

"I have these memories of a girl (Ameesha) who was fighting hard to bring back the time gone by and I too was having my struggle with the bad phase. So it is not just about her, it is also about me. But, luckily I was able to re-invent myself because I am a director, who doesn't have a shelf life," Vikram told PTI, without accepting or denying that Bipasha's role in 'Raaz 3' was inspired by Ameesha's life.

In 'Raaz 3', Bipasha plays an actress who is at the top of her career and sees a sudden downfall with another budding actress, Esha Gupta, taking her place. To regain her position in the industry, Bipasha resorts to black magic. Emraan Hashmi plays the role of a director in the movie.

Earlier, noted Bollywood director-producer Mahesh Bhatt had said that 'Raaz 3' contains a slice from Bipasha Basu's life.

"It also coincides with Bipasha Basu's life where she is feeling the breath of extinction as the younger girls have come in who may elbow her out," Mahesh had said.

Vikram also said somewhere the film's story coincides with that of Bipasha Basu, himself and writer Shagufta Rafique. However, the 43-year-old director did not divulge much on it, and only mentioned that there is a "surprise element" in the film.

An actress has shelf life and that is the unfortunate part, he said.

"The case with an actress is that she has a shelf life. And that is the unfortunate part. Like Ameesha, even Preity (Zinta) faced similar problems. I feel Hindi film heroes cannot age anytime. Like Aamir Khan today does films with younger actresses," Vikram said.

"Today Aamir is 47-year-old but he can play a college student in '3 Idiots' but we will not accept Madhuri Dixit that way. It is unfortunate that actress is used only for glamour quotient," he said.

Overacting easy for Boman Irani

Actor Boman Irani reveals that dubbing for animation film " Delhi Safari" required a lot of exaggeration and he found it easy as as he is brilliant at "overacting".

"We had to act out everything that you see on screen and exaggerate it for animation. Whether it is our expressions or our body movement, or whether it is our physicality or punching each other or falling and tumbling, we did everything. And overacting is something I can do very easily. So it wasn't very difficult for me but it was quite a learning experience for all of us," he said here Thursday at a press conference held for the movie.

The 52-year-old says acting is all about how convincingly you can lie.

"You have to believe that person (character you are playing) is you. Because acting is about lying, it's how well you lie, how truthfully you lie and how much of that lie is the audience accepting and how much of it do you believe in," said Boman.

"It's a noble lie at the end of the day. If you lie nobly, then you have done a good job," he added.

Directed by Nikhil Advani, 3D animation film "Delhi Safari" also has voiceovers by Govinda, Akshaye Khanna, Urmila Matondkar, Suniel Shetty and child artist Swini Khara.

The film is slated for an Oct 19 release.

My wife my greatest critic: Kabir Khan

Whenever Kabir Khan wants an honest opinon on his work, the director relies on his wife, TV anchor Mini Mathur, because she won't hesitate to tell him that his work is "terrible".

"She is my conscious sounding board. She is the first person who sees my script; she is the first person who sees my film, she is the strongest critic. She knows that nobody will tell me the way my film has come out," Kabir told IANS.

"If there is something that she has not liked, she will clearly tell me on my face. She will say, 'it is terrible'. My wife Mini is my greatest critic.

"She is also somebody who loves the kind of stuff I do. We talk about our professional life. She is part and parcel of entire process of all my films," he added.

When asked whether would he direct Mini in the near future, Kabir said: "Mini, for some strange reason, has decided not to act. Once in a while she does, but that is for a friend. You will not see me directing her."

After critically acclaimed "Kabul Express" and "New York", Kabir is currently gearing up for the release of his third film " Ek Tha Tiger". Featuring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, it is scheduled for an Aug 15 release.

Ajay Devgn's 'Himmatwala' set for Holi release

Filmmaker Sajid Khan's "Himmatwala", featuring Ajay Devgn and Southern actress Tamannaah, will hit the silver screens March 29, 2013 , two days after Holi.

Produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani, "Himmatwala" is the official remake of 1983 blockbuster of the same name, which had Jeetendra and Sridevi in lead roles. That itself was a remake of 1981 Telugu film " Ooriki Monagadu".

The first look of new "Himmatwala" is already out, which revives the retro feel of the 1980s. The caption of the poster also reads "29th March 2013.....The 80s Will Be Back".

Sajid recently recorded the popular song "Taaki o taki" in the voices of Mika and Shreya Ghoshal and the music has been composed by duo of Sajid-Wajid along with a live 100-musician orchestra.

The audience should have entertainment: Salman Khan

He's had four back-to-back blockbusters and expectations from his next release "Ek Tha Tiger" are enormous, but Salman Khan appears quite oblivious to the pressure and says almost philosophically that whatever a film's fate, the audience is always right and must be entertained.

Following "Wanted", "Dabangg", "Ready" and "Bodyguard", all of which crossed the Rs.100 crore mark at the Bollywood box office, Salman is now ready with "Ek Tha Tiger" that releases Aug 15. He isn't nervous one bit because all he wants to do is to entertain.

 

Minissha to represent India at Los Angeles

India's Independence Day is celebrated across the United States-showcasing India's cultural diversity and rising economic growth. Every year The Independence Day Parade witnesses a number of celebrities from India, right from Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone to Bipasha Basu. This year the sexy siren Minissha Lamba will be the grand Marshal of the parade and will represent India by being the flag bearer at the Parade.

"Every year the atmosphere is charged with festivity and vibrancy of Indian culture, with many people waving the tricolor and quite a few dressed in the colors of the national flag. It is the best parade I have seen, and I am so very excited about being a flag bearer and representing India at the Independence Day parade at Los Angeles." says Minissha Lamba.

August 15th is a very important day in the lives of Indians. The Indian American community, spread across the United States, takes pride in celebrating India Day every year; honoring their mother land also deepening their commitment and bond to India. The India Day Parade in Los Angeles, marking the celebrations of India's Independence Day, has become an increasingly popular event and attracts large crowds around the New York region, making it the biggest such event outside India. This year will be no exception. Over 50,000 people would came to witness the showcasing of the rich cultural extravaganza at Los Angeles on 10th August, 2012.

Sequels are safe option: Mahesh Bhatt

With films like " Jannat 2", " Murder 2" and now " Raaz 3", Vishesh Films seems to have turned into a sequel making machine and Mahesh Bhatt advocates its policy, saying with sequels you are secure.

"A sequel guarantees a safety net with at least 40 percent collection at the box office in comparison to the original film. This happens because the brand has a recall value," he told IANS.

"Films like 'Jannat 2', 'Murder 2', 'Raaz 2' amongst other have all been successful for us. Today, the only yardstick to measure the response of a film is the box office collection and the opening weekend collection," he added.

Jackie Shroff teams up with Amrita Singh for YRF's film

Actor Jackie Shroff and Amrita Singh would be paired together again after almost two decades in Yash Raj Films' 'Aurangzeb'.

Jackie and Amrita had shared screen space for Yash Chopra's 1993 film 'Aaina'.

After signing Yash Raj Films' 'Dhoom 3', Jackie has also been finalised for yet another project 'Aurangzeb'.

"Yes I am doing 'Aurangzeb' opposite Amrita. I can't talk about the film or my role," Jackie told PTI adding that he starts shooting for the movie from August 11.

Meanwhile, after the success of 'Ishaqzaade', actor Arjun Kapoor will be seen in 'Aurangzeb'.

Directed by Atul Sabharwal, the movie will present Arjun in a double role.

Jackie is also looking forward to the release of a Marathi film 'Hridaynath' and KC Bokadia's 'Dirty Politics'.

To be released soon, 'Hridaynath' is a story of Mr Sawant, a teacher by profession with great principles, whom people come to seek advice. However, he undergoes heart transplantation and emerges with new-found principles.

"It is a very nice and interesting film. I play a school master, an introvert person with good principles. In the second half of the film how my character changes and why, that's what the story is," Jackie said.

Jackie also stars in 'Dirty Politics', alongwith Om Puri, Ashutosh Rana, Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Mallika Sherawat and others.

The shooting for the film is still underway and the second schedule will begin from October.

UP life can provide masala to any movie: Dileep Shukla

His creation - the mischievious Kanpur cop Chulbul Pandey - has almost become a fixture in every moviegoers' memory. And with "Dabangg 2", scriptwriter Dileep Shukla promises to recreate the magic, despite the fact that his cowriter, director Abhinav Kashyap, is not a part of the sequel. "Ek insaan ke jaane se itna farak nahi padta," shrugs Shukla, and adds, "A film is a creation of many people's thoughts, ideas and inspirations. You mark my words, "Dabangg 2" will be great."

 

TV actress Jennifer Winget shoots her debut film

Raahat Kazmi who is the director of film 'Love Kiya Aur Lagg Gayi' made under the banner of Shreeram Entertainment house produced by Harish Sharma planned the shoot of climax at Russian Villa in Malad west where entire cast of the film was present. Jennifer Winget and Vinod Dixit are making their debut in this film.
Shaurabh Shukla, Mukesh Tiwari, Bijendra Kala, Mushtaq Khan, Jawed Sheikh and Pawan Malhotra were the other artist for the shoot.The film is an out and out comedy. Jennifer is very happy to be part of this film.The film has music by Rashid Khan and Babloo Kumar and lyrics has been penned down by Krishna Bhardwaj.The film's dailogue is written by Sanjay- Amar and picturised by Sethuraman.Buniyad Ahmed is the executive producer of the film.

Devdas has all the ingredients of an erotic movie: Eijaz Khan

'Jism 2' — erotica has been the buzzword in both the literary and movie world. TOI quizzes celebs on which role sets their pulse racing

Eijaz Khan
I would choose Devdas. Both Dilip Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan have played Devdas with elan. But my take would be more on the erotic lines. Devdas has all the ingredients of an erotic movie. It has passion play, tragedy and romance. It's the perfect choice for a new-age adaptation that explores the erotic angle in forbidden romance between a man who drinks to forget his sorrows and a hooker with a golden heart. Audiences identify with the character since there is a Devdas in every person. It is only the degree of identification and expression of the emotion that varies. People wish to hide their latent Devdas traits but I'm sure there will be a lot of takers who've want to see how the man fantasized and pined for the woman in the kotha. The character has immense depth and it evokes sentiments. To bring that alive on screen would be a challenge that I'd love to take up.

Hollywood hottie Angelina Jolie has reportedly expressed a desire to play Anastasia Steele in the movie adaptation of Fifty Shades Of Grey. Jolie, who had heard a lot about the Christian Grey bestseller, bought a copy of the book apparently thinking she'd love to feature in what has become the hot topic on everyone's lips at the moment. Closer home, there is no less interest in erotic thrillers. The sheer excitement of exploring the many layers of bold and kinky love has set the pulse racing here in our own backyards too. TOI asks actors which literary or filmi character would they want to revisit in order to give an erotic twist.

Sameera Reddy
My pick would be Anarkali from "Mughal-e-Azam". In the earlier version, she was a simpleton but a court dancer nonetheless. The K Asif movie starring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala and Durga Khote loosely followed an episode in the life of Prince Salim and his love for the court dancer — Anarkali. This relationship was disapproved by emperor Akbar and also a matter of envy for a another dancer who wished to be the queen. I would want to do a remake version of the film that would give a twist in terms of subtle sexiness, not an outright erotic angle.

Arunoday Singh
I have read Fifty Shades Of Grey. I am not someone who would like revisiting old films. Ray's films, for example, should never be touched even if one is thinking of giving an erotic twist to the way he explored the relationship between the brother-in-law and sister-in-law ("Charulata"). As for other Indian movies exploring love triangles, they've always remained very superficial.

Perhaps, India is still not prepared to see that level of naked truth. Fact is, we are a highly sexual species which needs to heal the hypocrisy. It'd be cool to give a quirky erotic twist to the "Vikram and Betaal" saga. I always thought that Betaal was a woman and would like to give an erotic twist to their stories.

Richa Chadda
Draupadi is probably one of the extremely rare cases of respected and acceptable polyandry in our culture. Even though her five husbands mortgaged her modesty, the cheerharan bit had strong sexual undercurrents. What would Draupadi say? Did she enjoy the fact that unlike most women, she was spoilt for choice! Was she flattered that Bheem killed Duryodhana on the pretext of avenging her? I always found Draupadi interesting. She's never been cited as an 'ideal' bahu unlike Sita. The latter had to go underground even after an agnipariksha! Prehistoric male chauvinism, I'd say! I think the directors who can give breathing space to female characters would tell the story nicely.

Tannishtha Chatterjee
I'd want to revisit Binodini's character from "Chokher Bali" and give an erotic angle to a tale of a widow's suppressed sexuality. When Binodini accepts the invitation of Rajlakshmi to live with her and her son, Mahendra (who had rejected a former marriage proposal with Binodini), the latter is already married to Ashalata. The strong undercurrents of attraction between Binodini and Mahendra can be given an erotic interpretation even as the text explores a tale of adultery, deceit and sorrow that arose from a deep sense of repression and dissatisfaction

Om Puri plays Maoist Kobad Ghandy

Prakash Jha's best-kept secret in his new film Chakravyuha exploring Maoist insurgency is out. Om Puri plays the real-life character of the controversial capitalist-turned-Maoist Kobad Ghandy.

Ghandy's fascinating journey from Malabar Hill to the Naxalite jungles of Karnataka has flummoxed fascinated and fired the imagination of generations of social scientists. At 63 Ghandy's saga continues to be in enigma of social protest and insurgency.

Emraan, Vidya to shoot with secret cameras

The director Rajkumar Gupta of Ghanchakkar plans to shoot his lead pair Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan in busy areas of South Mumbai with secret cameras. Such locational liberties with two of the most popular stars in places like Worli, Nariman Point, Colaba and Fort, appears potentially dangerously.
Laughs Gupta, "It is suicidal. I plan to shoot with them in South Mumbai from the second week of September with secret cameras. But I can't predict how secret Emraan and Vidya's impromptu presence on the crowded streets and sites of South Mumbai can be. While we are shooting in relatively quiet spots of Mumbai in August during the rains the September schedule is a b**ch."
Emraan and Vidya need substantial workshop training to face the camera as a loud boisterous Punjabi couple.
Says Gupta, "They play characters they've never played before. It a challenge to them as much to them. I am sure Emraan will accommodate us as much as possible."
Freshly joining the Ghanchakkar cast are Rajesh Sharma who played the helpful cop in Gupta's No One Killed Jessica, and Namit Das the bright young actor who played Ranbir Kapoor's pal in Wake Up Sid.

Tiger to roar in the city of Nawabs

Salman Khan is coming down to Lucknow for the promotion of his upcoming film 'Ek Tha Tiger'. Salman had a tight schedule and he had an option of visiting only one more place but he chose to visit Lucknow.
The city of Nawabs finally managed to call Salman to their place over any other city. Lucknow people are surely going to be lucky to have Salman in their city. Salman feels that he has a huge fan following in Lucknow, so he is quite eager to go and meet his fans.

Along with the fans, one more thing which is attracting him to go Lucknow is the very famous food out there. Lucknow is very famous about its various cuisines. And especially now being the season of Ramzaan, Lucknow has many other mouth watering cuisines to serve to Sallu Bhai. The Tundey Ke Kababs, biryani, Kashimiri Chai, Kulche-Nahari are just a few enough to tempt the tiger.

Ek Tha Tiger is a film very close to Salman Khan and for his fans of Lucknow to be a part of it is surely going to be an epic moment for them.

Nana Patekar makes Priyan quit smoking

He used to be a chain smoker but managed to kick the butt (and alcohol) nearly four years ago. And now, Nana Patekar, who is working closely with director Priyadarshan on Percept Pictures' Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal, has succeeded in influencing Priyan (as Priyadarshan is fondly called), who used to be a heavy smoker, to give up the habit.
Self-professed teetotaller Nana told TOI, "Priyan is like a little child. He is so excited by his film that he lives and breathes it, and doesn't take care of his health. I had asked him to quit smoking but when Priyan met me this time and told me he is indeed quitting the addiction, I felt very happy. Smoking kills you."
Asked how he managed to quit smoking and drinking, Nana said, "It happened suddenly. One morning, I just got up and said, 'No more cigarettes.'" We do hope Priyan sticks to his decision.

Salman Khan 'Being Tiger' now!

That he supports an NGO by the name 'Being Human' is well known. However, at a promotional event for his upcoming Eid release Ek Tha Tiger yesterday, Salman Khan was spotted sporting a tee that read 'Being Tiger' instead.
An eyewitness told TOI, "The T-shirt he wore was personalised for him. He thought it would add more impact during the promotions of his film. However, later, Salman loved the quote so much that he decided this will be added to the latest collection of the 'Being Human' merchandise." All the excitement notwithstanding, one can't help but notice that the star looks very tired in the photograph. Sources close to the actor say he has been very busy with various shows and events promoting Ek Tha Tiger that the weariness is now showing. Obviously, Salman has too much on his plate and his health issues aren't making it any easier for the actor. We do hope the pressure of 'Being Tiger' doesn't get in the way of Salman's remaining human.

Rajkumar Yadav to do a full monty

After John Abraham in New York and Neil Nitin Mukesh in Jail, it's Rajkumar Yadav's turn to do a full monty in his next film titled Shahid, based on the fascinating true story of slain human rights lawyer and activist Shahid Azmi.
Explaining that the stripping on celluloid is not for titillation, director Hansal Mehta told TOI, "The nakedness of the character is symbolic of the violation of human rights and stripping of equality in our society. The scene in question is very intense, where the protagonist is detained by the police and stripped naked as part of an interrogation. It was emotionally draining for Rajkumar. My initial instruction to him was to remove only his shirt but ultimately we decided, he had to strip. As I said, the nudity is symbolic."
Rajkumar has acted in films like Love Sex Dhoka, Ragini MMS, Shaitan and more recently, Gangs of Wasseypur.

Dhoom 3: Aamir Khan starts 'Dhoom 3' shooting

Aamir Khan left for Chicago on Monday night along with wife Kiran Rao and son Azad. And he obviously did not waste time to start shooting.
On Wednesday, the actor was seen on the roads of Chicago, outside the Fairmont hotel, Millenium Park, pretend-riding a bike a la Dhoom style.
After all, it was for the third installment of the successful YRF franchise he was shooting for.
Interestingly, the front tyre of the bike was removed and it was attached to a towing vehicle where the cameras were kept.