Priyanka-Shahid: Love Couch Se Bike Tak

Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra wouldn't admit to being a couple on Koffee With Karan but their exit journey from the venue dictated a different story On-off couple Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor shot for Koffee With Karan on Sunday. However, defiantly dodged all attempts by the host to get them into a confessional mode. While the two may not have declared their relationship status on national television, eyewitnesses swear that PC and Shaks left the shoot separately (she in her car and he on his bike) but after a three-minute drive, Shahid stopped his bike, Priyanka got out of her car and on to his bike. They sped off soon after. A source reveals that the point behind Shaks and PC's appearance on the show was to prove to the world that they are NOT a couple. At least, not any more. An insider reveals, "They share a warm chemistry. Www.Mediapanga.Com They text-messaged each other and reached the venue on time. They indulged in humorous banter with one another and with Karan. At one point, the host asked them point-blank, if they were a real-life couple. The answer was so non-committal and long-winded that even the seasoned host was left scratching his head." We'll believe our eyes and we'll let the 'lovebirds' say all they want on TV. Fair deal?

Oooh So Nasty Priyanka: Does Kareena have a computer in the first place

Bollywood ladies are known for their catfights. But so openly ahem!! But then, K Jo can make that happen on his show ‘Koffee with Karan’. Kareena and Priyanka got engaged in this real nasty fight. Friendly during the making of Aitraaz but then later turned foes over the fact that Priyanka ‘Piggy Chopps’ was with her ex beau Shahid Kapur, the duo exchanged scathing remarks between each other. Taking another potshot at the female scion of the Kapoor khandaan, Piggy Chopps said that though she is extremely flattered at being praised by the lady for her acting skills, she doesn’t know of anyone in the industry who takes her seriously. Work wise or personally? Well Saif has to answer that. Kareena aka Bebo asked innocently as to where on earth did Piggy Chopps get that ‘accent’ of hers. And pat came the reply from our Desi Girl “from the same place where her boyfriend (Saif Ali Khan) got his." This was a smart reminder to Bebo and all those who were tuned in, that apart from chote nawab Saif, even she had the good fortune to study abroad. And here is the one that stole the show. The question which Karan asked on the show was that what she would like to steal from the computers of Bollywood superstars like SRK, Shahid, Kareena and others. Miss World very promptly enquired giggling "Does Kareena have a computer in the first place?" Naughty Piggy Chops; now that‘s underestimating Bebo a bit too much. Even if she doesn’t have one, I guess Saif must have gifted her one, by now. Or even better, the company for whom she models can surely gift their brand ambassador one single piece. Isn’t it?

First Look:Censor chops nude scenes from Barbara film

Due-for-release Barbara Mori flick to not retain frontal nudity scenes. Hindi version to have even more cuts Here's a sneak peek at steamy pictures from Barbara Mori's Spanish film La Mujer De Mi Hermano (My Brother's Wife) that will never make it to the Hindi dubbed version. The film will release in India in English as well as Hindi. While the English version has been passed with an 'A' certificate, the Hindi adaptation has been sent for censor review. The international version has frontal nudity and intimate sex scenes, the desi version will be trimmed keeping the audience in mind. A source reveals, "The Spanish version has frontal nudity and a lot of intimate lovemaking scenes. While the English version has retained some of those scenes barring the frontal shot, the Censor board is bound to suggest major cuts for the Hindi one." Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

The guy who beat Farhan-Emraan to act with Abhishek

By Waqas Tanoli Rohan Sippy’s gritty hard-hitting Traffic-inspired film on the drug racket in Goa has finally found a second hero. After being offered to Farhan Akhtar and Emran Hashmi the role has finally gone to the Telugu star-on-the-rise Rana Daggubati who made his acting debut in Telugu with the hard-hitting political thriller Leader. Rana isn’t just a johnny-come-lately in tinsel town. He comes from an extremely illustrious film family. Rana’s grandfather is illustrious Andhra-based actor-turned-producer D Rama Naidu (who has produced 110 films including superhits in Hindi like Premnagar and Tohfa). His father is another distinguished producer Suresh Babu. And Rana’s uncle is the popular Telugu actor Venkatesh. Rana was chosen to play Abhishek Bachchan’s co-star apparently for his correct looks and talent. Says a source, “It’s a character of a Goan musician. That’s why they wanted Farhan Akhtar. When Rohan saw Rana’s picture he was stuck by how Goan the Telugu actor looked. The Sippys saw Rana’s film Leader and knew he was right. The role is as powerful as Abhishek’s.” The formalities were completed last week. Rana would now be another South Indian actor trying his luck in Hindi films after the likes of Kamal Haasan. Rajnikant, Chiranjeevi and Rana’s uncle Venkatesh (who was launched opposite Karisma Kapoor in Anari by his father D Rama Naidu in 1993) Interestingly Rana Daggubati would be the second Telgu star to make his debut in Hindi in 2010. Ram Gopal Varma is launching Suriya in Rakta Charitra. When contacted Rohan Sippy confirmed the casting. “Yes I’ve signed Rana for the film I’m directing.”

Look at yourself... you have an eight pack

By Ashfaq Ahmad After months of silence, Shahid Kapoor has decided to put an end to the controversy surrounding his alleged differences with filmmaker Ken Ghosh. The actor says they never had any personal conflict while making "Chance Pe Dance" and that he doesn't need to be treated like a star on the sets of Ghosh's movie. "When working on any assignment, who doesn't have an argument or a debate? Now you may choose to call it a fight, battle or a war at your own will, but the fact remains that in any creative assignment, there are bound to be different points of view, " Shahid told. "Don't you too get into situations when you have an idea different from your colleagues? Ken is probably one director with whom I share a comfort level better than many other filmmakers with whom I have worked in the past, " said Shahid, who started his acting career with Ghosh's "Ishq Vishk". "We both started off together. I worked in 'Ishq Vishk' which was his debut film as a movie director. On his sets, I am not required to be treated as a star. Both of us can walk up to each other and make suggestions and express our likes and dislikes, " he added. Asked why he took so long to respond to negative reports, Shahid said: "There was no point clarifying my stance over the Ken issue. I was anyway out of India shooting for my next film with Parmeet Sethi. Yes, such tit-bits did reach my ears, but as long as Ken and me were clear about our stance, we chose to ignore such talks." But doesn't he feel a positive statement at the right time could have helped ease matters? "What's the point in justifying and further igniting the so-called issue when people have already made up their minds on what to write. While I chose to be quiet all this while, I think now is the right time for people to know that it was all a non-issue to begin with and things were and are perfectly fine between us, " he said. Shahid Kapoor may have worked hard on his body for his forthcoming film "Chance Pe Dance", but the actor says it was director Ken Ghosh who noticed his eight packs first. "Ken wanted me to have a fit body and my workouts were aimed at making sure I looked and felt as fit as possible. It was during the shoot of the 'Pump It Up' song that Ken called me in the middle of a shot and asked me to come near the monitor. He had a mischievous smile on his face and said - 'Look at yourself... you have an eight pack!'" Shahid told. "That was the first time I realised that all my hard work to look fit had borne fruit. The first person to notice the eight pack was Ken and not me, " he added. Shahid had to give up sugar and all white carbohydrates like rice and white bread for nearly a year. But with such results, one wonders if he would have been complaining. Starring Genelia D'Souza as his leading lady, "Chance Pe Dance" is produced by UTV Motion Pictures and is scheduled for a Jan 15 release. And Shahid is happy with the way the film has shaped up. "With this film, Ken is back in his comfort zone as he has managed to pull things off very nicely. Yes, things didn't work out in our last outing 'Fida' but in 'Chance Pe Dance' he is back doing what he enjoys most. He has told a simple story in a simple way. Also, since the film is quite close to the way our personal lives have shaped, both of us could perfectly relate to the situations that are told on screen, " said Shahid.

Priyanka Chopra opens up on her relationship status

Priyanka Chopra has never confessed her love in public. Though grapevine was abuzz with talks around Priyanka linked with Harman Baweja and later with Shahid Kapoor, all the parties always chose to remain quiet about it. Even as tabloids and glossies are filled with stories around her personal life, Priyanka has kept her silence while working on her professional life shooting for 'What's Your Raashee?', 'Kaminey', 'Pyaar Impossible' and now 'Anjaana Anjaani'. For someone who prefers her work to do all the talking than her alleged affairs, Priyanka (rightly) believes that enough is enough. Finally opening up, Priyanka has now declared loud and clear that she is not seeing anyone, is very much single and there would indeed be a day when she would have really something 'big' to talk about. "Aur kya, mera bhi number aayega", laughs Priyanka without getting ruffled with constant queries coming her way for more than a year now, "I am waiting for the day when I have something to state. You will just have to wait for a while." But doesn't she get bothered by all idle talks, gossips, grapevine and speculations? After all she has been doing quite good in her career, is easily one of the best and the top female actors that we have in the country today, is maintaining a good hit record and is easily pretty reliable when it comes to delivering goods. In such a scenario, don't such constant link-ups followed by break-ups (and sometimes reunions) make her wonder if being in public scrutiny all the time really a good idea? "See, such speculations and rumours are part of an actor's profession so I just take it all with a pinch of salt", she continues to smile, "I am just holding on to things. What's the point when there is hardly anything substantial enough to talk about? But yes, let me state on record that I am very much single. Period."

Salman can't see Katrina getting intimate with other heroes

By Vicky Even as Bipasha Basu rushed back from Goa to Mumbai to watch her boyfriend John Abraham’s career-defining performance in New York, the film’s leading lady Katrina Kaif whose performance has been bathed in praise is yet to convince her companion to watch what the world is raving about. Yes, believe it or not, Salman has not watched New York as yet. Katrina hasn’t been able to convince him to do so. He won’t watch it now, he won’t watch later. Period. Says a close friend of Katrina, “It really really puzzles and hurts her as to why Salman chooses to ignore all her films. It isn’t as if he doesn’t watch any films. He does. But when it comes to Katrina he suffers from a mental blockade.” Apparently Salman doesn’t like the thought of watching his girlfriend share physical proximity with any of his co-stars. In fact, according to close friends even when she wears the slightest of revealing clothes in his presence Salman asks her to change. Ironically while Salman has probably never seen any of Katrina’s films, Katrina makes it a point to watch all of his films. Says the friend, “She doesn’t miss any of Salman’s films. Whether it’s a premiere or just a regular screening Katrina is there to support anything that Salman does.” Apparently Katrina is trying hard to convince Salman to watch New York. But with the John Abraham factor looming large over New York the chances of getting her man to share her moment of glory seem rather dim.

Shit, Michael Jackson is gone!

By Mediapanga.Com - Vicky Bollywood reacts to Michael Jackson’s death Minissha Lamba: “It’s devastating to know Michael Jackson is no more. He revolutionized pop music. It was sad to see someone who gave joy to millions around the world with his songs, go through so much in the last decade of his life. Destiny makes you the King, and then decides to snatch away your happiness. Shilpa Shetty: “I still can’t believe Michael Jackson is gone! When my Dad told me I thought he was joking. I’ve always been a huge fan of Michael. I’m shattered. I had booked tickets to watch his show at 02 in London. They got cancelled and re-scheduled. To call him an icon would be an understatement. I still can’t believe it! Urmila Matondkar: “There have been many many famous entertainers and there will be others. But none like Michael Jackson. He’s truly an inspiration to entertainers in every part of the world. His singing and dancing were beyond any language, culture caste or religion. No wonder he had fans in the biggest metros and remotest villages. Mithun Chakraborty: “He can never go. He will always be with us. He was the greatest ever. The God of dancing. Immortal Subhash Ghai: “Michael Jackson was a symbol of fire, passion and energy. He changed the way civilization looked at popular entertainment. The youth all over including India followed him. Anu Malik: “Michael Jackson the king of pop, the king of music, the king of kings was insulted and humiliated in his lifetime. They called him wacko jacko. They didn’t know, such a legend would never return to our world. The same people want to sing his praises now. MJ was a gentle soul, a remarkable musician, a true rock star. I want to remember him by his music. I am heartbroken by his death. And I’m amused how everyone is tripping over to praise this great soul. Maybe the soul of this great achiever rest in ever-lasting peace. Amrita Rao: “I’m a huge Michael Jackson fan. This news is devastating. He had the best body language ever. In ‘Thriller’ just his expressions and selfconfidence make him look like the most handsome man on earth. The world will miss him. And for many of us, it’s like losing a childhood friend.” Anushka Sharma: “Oh my God! I’m utterly shocked. Michael Jackson’s ‘Black Or White’ was one of the few western pop tunes I was introduced to in my early teens. We’ve lost a musical genius and a splendid performer. His music will live forever. He was undoubtedly a genius. Pritam Chakraborty: “It was so hard to believe! The first news flash this morning had a question mark. Is MJ dead? I hope he wasn’t. But he was. It’s one of the saddest days in world music. May his soul rest in peace. MJ is immortal. His legacy will linger luminously for lifetimes. Tusshar Kapoor: “It’s very depressing to hear about Michael Jackson’s death. I spent my childhood listening to his songs and watching his videos. He was my ultimate pop icon. His death makes me realize the hard uncertainties of life. Dino Morea: “It’s awful. I’ve been glued to CNN since morning. I’ve watched just about every video of his, heard and danced to every song. Heck, I even have scratches of his unreleased tracks! He was truly the legend, just about the greatest performer to date. I used to try to dance like him at every school and college party. I don’t think anyone can match Michael’s steps or stage presence. I don’t think there was any part of the globe that Michael didn’t reach with his music. I was to go for his concert in the UK next month. Aadesh Shrivastav: “His demise has left a void in the music industry that can never be filled. His music and dancing took stardom to another level. He was an incomparable performer. Asin: “Michael Jackson is a legend. I absolutely love his music and dance. His music defined a generation, just like Elvis Presley and the Beatles before him. ‘Heal The World’ is my favourite Michael Jackson track. It left an indelible imprint on my mind. This is is a big loss to all us MJ fans. I already miss him Sammir Dattani: “Shit, Michael Jackson gone! I was supposed to go for his concert which coincided with my sister’s graduation in London. Damn, now I’ll never see get to see the original moonwalker. I’ll just made do with Darsheel in Tare Zameen Par. Amrita Arora: “I’m hugely shocked and saddened. We’ve lost the world’s biggest and most beloved entertainer. Michael is dead. But his music will live forever. Malaika Arora: “I’m in total shock. For me MJ is the greatest, a true legend. The King will live on through his music. Himesh Reshammiya: “He was a legend and an inspiration for everyone in music. I think his popularity was unmatched. I truly pray for his soul to rest in peace.”

Katrina Breaks Down: I can't believe I can act so well

By Tanoli Last week at a special screening of Kabir Khan’s New York Katrina Kaif broke down after she saw what was on screen. “It was embarrassing. This has never happened to me before. I was deeply moved by the film. And I couldn’t believe what my director Kabir Khan had achieved in my performance. I kept staring at myself. ‘That’s me!’ I exclaimed at the end of the film.” This is the first time that Katrina has played a character who echoes her own personality. “So far all my characters have been pretty alien to me. Even the London girl in Chandigarh in Namaste London was not at all like me. But the girl in New York connects deeply with me. Or do I connect with her? It’s symbiotic, I think.” When he saw what synthesis of ‘actor’ and ‘character’ had been achieved she simply broke down. Remembering that evening Katrina says, “It was a very private screening. Only members of the cast, our director his wife, the producer and his wife were there. I’ve never been so impressed by any of my films. So far they’ve all been in the orbit of escapist entertainment. New York is my first realistic film.I’m proud of all my films. But this is new chapter in my career.” Katrina will be devoting the next two weeks solely to promoting the film. “So far our producers Yashraj Films haven’t allowed us to talk about New York. Even now I can’t talk much about it without giving away the plot. But I’m very proud of what we’ve done.”

If impotent couples can marry why can't lesbians or gays

In her latest blog post Celina addresses detractors who feel threatened by gay rights with a meticulously reasoned defence. She quips: 'Nobody wants you to change your sexual preference'.

Here are some of the excerpts from her post:

Of recent a group called YUVA has challenged my movement and sent a letter to the police / various politicians and, can you believe it, to the Pope as well (from what I’ve heard) to take action against me. I have only one thing to say to them...

I am a motivator and an activist; I am here to do things with love and peace. India is the world’s largest democracy and just like they are expressing their views, other people also have the right to express their views and practice their basic fundamental rights.

In case they forgot, the list is mentioned / available in any 5th grade civics book. However, let me refresh their memories with a few fundamental rights... especially those that imply to my movement...

RIGHT TO CONSTITUTIONAL REMEDY

Right to constitutional remedies empowers the citizens to move a court of law in case of any denial of the fundamental rights.

Once again, thanks to many supporters (especially iTimes), my best friend Indu (who people think is my mystery man), all my fans — especially 12-year-old Astangla who wrote to me by postcard from Kohima to tell me she understands me... thank-you all for making this possible.

I took out time to research points which bother the non-supporters and here they are: I welcome more feedback from people who have constructive points to offer...

So let’s begin with what exactly is Section 377....

Section 377 of Indian Penal Code basically bans gay sex and has to be amended/overturned as this law has been used to systematically persecute, blackmail arrest and terrorize sexual minorities.

The legislation was introduced by British colonial authorities and does not reflect on Hindu cultural values. Section 377 was drafted as early as 1860 and it reads as follows: “Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.”

The irony about this law is it is a British colonial relic... and while the Brits have changed their homosexuality related legislation, we in India are still clinging on to it for our lives.

Being gay is not a western / new concept. Homosexuality has existed since the homo erectus became homo sapien. In fact, according to zoologists, homosexual behaviour is seen in over 1, 500 species of animals.

Many societies, including classical Greece and Rome, ancient China and pre-colonial America had accepted homosexuality as a part of every day life.

In ancient Greece, sex between men was not uncommon and was considered a natural part of the socialisation process. The term “army of lovers” also comes from this period. Each man in the army had a male partner who fought beside him in battle.

The idea being that an army of lovers would fight to protect each other more fiercely than a regular army. While in some tribes in Papua New Guinea when a woman is pregnant her husband will have sex with other men.

Furthermore in certain African tribes homosexual men are honoured so highly they are given the right to perform religious acts normally reserved for priestesses.

If we look at the origins of the European Judeo-Christian culture we can see that homosexuality has been attacked to a greater or lesser extent from about the 17th century BC. At this time the Jews were returning from exile in Babylon.

Until then, homosexuality had been associated with the rituals of many religions. The Jews were afraid that their culture would be absorbed into the surrounding peoples and thus developed a series of laws that separated them from their neighbours. These laws became the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament.

One of the practices that was changed to create a sense of national identity was that homosexuality was banned.

So far this is what ‘I’ know historically about homosexuality...more to come soon from my further research.

If two adults out of consent want to live their lives together then why should a third party get offended? In what way does a gay union disrupt our regular lives?

At least people are getting together for love and not for war and for using religion to harm innocent people. The first country to allow same-sex couples to enter into legally recognized marriage was the Netherlands, effective in 2001.

Since then, six other countries and seven US states have followed suit, though voters in California revoked it. Additionally, Israel, the US state of New York and Washington DC recognize legal same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions but do not perform their own.

To think of same sex marriage is of utmost importance because as a human right every one has the right to “have a family” and if two people are capable of creating a loving environment, why not.

According to certain bloggers, they say gay marriages will cause population to decrease (some were worried about extinction as well), because marriage is meant to procreate. Consider this. If there is a necessary link between marriage and procreation, strange consequences would follow.

A state could and, to be consistent, should prohibit marriage in which one or both partners are sterile or impotent. If procreation is the essential goal of marriage, why should postmenopausal women be allowed to marry? Surely, discrimination against sterile, impotent, or aged couples would be unacceptable to citizens of many different perspectives.

The rationale would be that marriage serves functions that are as important as, if not more important than, procreation, including interpersonal commitment, religious or moral expression, sexual satisfaction, and the legal entitlements associated with spouse-hood.

If elderly, sterile, or impotent couples cannot be denied the right to marry because of a traditional link between marriage and procreation, neither can lesbian or gay couples be denied the right for that type of reason.

Come on people, why are we finding silly reasons to hate? Here I am spending hours on trying to convince you to accept and not reject. My reason to speak on this platform is to invoke passion for your fellow beings... that’s it.

Nobody wants you to change your sexual preference, nobody wants you to start embracing an alternate way of living, I just want you to be nice. It’s ok if you do not support the cause but that doesn’t give you a reason to hate...

Courtesy: itimes.com

I was physically abused: Neetu Chandra

"What does it take for a woman in the film industry to work with her dignity intact?" asks the anguished actress Neetu Chandra who last month was allegedly, brutally abused and manhandled by Telugu director Rajshekhar and his producer-wife Jivitha Rajshekhar. And now Neetu has hired the services of a Mumbai lawyer Jamshed Mistry to fight for what she thinks is her right to work with dignity. She has sent strongly-worded letters of complaint to Women's Rights and Human Rights commission and is all set to meet the Commissioner of Police in Hyderabad to apprise him of this situation and of her further, legal, actions. Neetu says she's suing the director and his wife for "Threatening to kill...mental torture, physically (sic) hitting and abusing, defamation, harming my work..." According to Neetu, while working for a Telugu film Satyamev Jayate, the lead Rajshekhar and his director-wife Jivitha tortured and threatened Neetu, physically abused her and insulted her in front of the unit, made her work for inhuman (15-20 hours) per day and forced her to shoot when she could hardly stand. Things came to a sordid head on December 22. "My left eye turned blood red because of lack of sleep, stress and strain, and I contacted the director informing her about this. Jivitha herself gave me a doctor's number in Hyderabad. We were shooting in Ramoji Rao Film City, which is 90 minutes drive from Hyderabad. I tried dragging myself to the shoot as much as I could and the call time still remained early. We shot till 2:30 at night again with that infected eye and by this time I was down with fever too. Before the pack up when I asked my director Mrs. Jivitha Rajshekhar about the next day's schedule, she said, 9:00 A.M. sharp." However, Neetu was in no condition to shoot the next morning. "Four days of round-the-clock shooting had completely exhausted me, working for 18-20 hours a day was inhuman and my body could not take it any further because of the infection in my left eye, and I was also suffering from fever. I was shivering and literally shaking. I kept on dragging myself for my shots, so as to not cause any further delay, as it was also the last day of my schedule. I reached the sets on December 23rd morning at 9:00 A.M., but the shoot started again after 2-3 hours. By 7:00 P.M. I informed the director Jivitha that I was sinking and I could not drag myself further." Neetu suggested the unit use a body double. "It has been used for almost every other actor in this film in the past but never for me because I was always there... Mr. Rajshekhar gave me a few drops of some medicine as he's a naturopath but there was no improvement in my condition. However, every time I told her this, the director Jivitha said we will finish it soon. " The situation snowballed at 12:30 A.M. "My body just gave up and I could not stand. I had two Crocins and my assistant Shravan kept me covered with a shawl. I tried my level best to stand up for couple of hours. Mr. Rajshekhar, as usual kept on joking around with other co-actors, taking his sweet time in his make-up and hair setup. I remember while I could hardly stand and still was trying my best, Mr. Raj Shekhar took 10-15 shots for one dialogue. And with every shot, he use to spend at least 5-10 minutes, instead of learning the dialogues well in advance. He was the only one who completely neglected me whereas, other co-stars of mine including Shivaji, Shiva Reddy and Sherryl Pinto and the whole unit, kept on insisting I rest. I kept on telling my director that I was sinking. After telling her repeatedly no one listened to me, I had no option but to rush to my room... I felt that I was about to faint." That's when the physical abuse started. "The moment I reached my room, instead of calling me on phone, at-least 7-10 men with Rajshekhar and his wife Jivitha barged into my room, hitting my assistants and threatening me and screaming at me. He said, 'Who do you think you are?' And Mrs. Jivitha threatened, 'We will make you stand. How dare you?' When I protested Rajshekhar threatened, 'Don't argue and you better stand before I change from a man into something else.' I was highly unwell, scared by seeing so many people pushing my assistant and threatening me and my staff and Mr. Rajshekhar screaming at the top of his voice which was uncalled for." That's when the Rajshekhar got really violent with Neetu. "As I started moving out of my bed, Raj Shekhar HIT ME FROM BEHIND. Rajshekhar said, 'You better start moving fast.' He hit me from my room till the lift on the floor, and he kept on threatening to kill me. Raj Shekhar said, 'I will kill you. You don't know me. What can you do?'When I reached the hotel portico down, I was physically hit and abused in front of the hotel staff, guard and all the others standing there. My body had completely given up. All these people were standing in the corner waiting for my car. When the car arrived, Rajshekhar again pushed and threatened me and said, 'you don't know what I can do to you.' I sat in the car and reached the set. I somehow finished the shoot and he kept on screaming and insulting me on the sets in front of the whole unit. The moment I finished, it was around 2:30 A.M., one of the assistant directors came to say that I was done. I quietly got up and left for the hotel." Neetu was petrified. "All my staff from Mumbai who came with me were so scared knowing that Rajshekhar carries a gun and that he is a local from Hyderabad and we don't know anyone there. We escaped at around 2:45 A.M. from my hotel. My flight was at 9:00 in the morning and we had to wait for 5 hours at the airport. But we felt safer and secure there. I took a 9:00 A.M. flight and reached my parents and after that I was under treatment for a week. I was in a state of shock. My mind completely stopped working and now that I feel little better I would like to file a case against both Mr. Rajshekhar and his wife Mrs. Jeevitha Rajshekhar." Ends Neetu, "I've worked with the biggest of filmmakers Priyadarshan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Dibakar Banerjee, Rahul Dholakia, Raj Kanwar and Vipul Shah. They've all treated with great dignity. This incident has scared the hell out of me. Would Mr. Rajshekhar and his wife dare to behave this way with a male actor?"

Men still find Aishwarya a desirable woman

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is proving to be an ageless beauty. She's made to the sexy, hot and beautiful lists around the world many times. Now she's been voted as the most desirable woman in the world. Age han't deterred this woman in any way. The happily married actress has been ranked 48th in the annual survey titled 'Top 50 Most Desirable Women in the World' conducted by leading men's portal AskMen. Though her name features towards the end, she still managed to outshine an internationally renowned face like that of singer-actress Beyonce. Ash is the only Indian beauty in the top 50. Voters were asked to select their ideal partner based on 'intelligence, charisma and ambition' in the survey. The list is topped by American actress Eva Mendes followed by other names like Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson, Rihanna, Angelina Jolie, Heidi Klum and Jessica Alba. Two years back Ash was voted the 9th most beautiful woman in a survey by Harpers and Queen. But even after marriage and at 35 she's considered piping hot. Ash has also cleverly managed her career after marriage. She has movies like Mani Ratnam's 'Ravana' with hubby Abhishek Bachchan, 'Endhiran' (Robot) with Rajinikanth, a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film opposite Hrithik Roshan, a Farhan Akhtar-Ritesh Sidhwani production co- starring Abhi and a film with Akshay Kumar. Well, this dame seems to deservingly have all the luck.

Katrina's big embarassment in New York

Katrina Kaif and John Abraham might be big stars in India. But they are nobodies in New York. This they realized only a while ago. Interestingly these two are acting in a movie called 'New York'. Such is the irony of the situation. The two were denied entry to a nightclub in New York when they were trying to join a party for a crew member on their movie 'New York'. A source says, "When they were stopped at the nightclub, they tried to reason with the bouncers that they were well known and respected people from India. John and Katrina told them that they were film stars from India but the bouncers only stared at them. The bouncers had no clue what John and Katrina were talking about." But the experience hasn't stopped Katrina to encourage her sister to study in New York. The buzz is that she has been encouraging her sister, Isabelle Kaif who wishes to join the industry in a year or two, to sign up at the Lee Strasberg Theatre School in New York. And despite her wooden acting in all her films, things in India have been going great. She's been nominated for a Best Indian Award along with others such as Manmohan Singh and Aamir Khan. She thinks it's a great honour to be considered to be in the same league as great achievers. Well, in spite of everything, Kat sure has lots of reasons to smile about!

Big Fight: It's Priyanka vs Kareena once again

Now that the ultra-prolific and passionately-productive Shyam Benegal has decided to revive his costliest project Chamki, a desi version of Georges Bizet's 1845 opera Carmen the question is, who will play the challenging title role of a free-spirited fiery-tempered gypsy? Though Benegal is at the moment reluctant to reveal details, sources close to the project claim that the closest contenders for the role are Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. Both have already been approached in the past for Chamki. But chose to opt out before the final yes for various reasons. Says the source, "Kareena was excited to begin with. She was supremely charged by the role and what Shyam Babu had done with her sister Karisma in Zubeida. But then she opted out, as she often does from offbeat challenges like Deepa Mehta's Water and Rituparno Ghosh's Raincoat pleading it was too early for her to attempt something so unconventional. Then came Priyanka Chopra who was quite kicked about the part. But she and the film's then-producer Sanjay Gupta had a fall-out earlier when she had said no to his Musafir. The role then went to Urmila Matondkar who had monetary issues with the producer." With the film changing hands from Sanjay Gupta to Reliance it is undertood that money is no longer an issue. If sources are to be believed Chamki has now gone back to the two original choices Kareena and Priyanka. Says the source, "Kareena continues to have reservations about non-mainstream cinema. She was recently offered another heroine-oriented film by Rituparno Ghosh. She declined. Barring Pritish Nandy Communications Chameli she has never returned to non-mainstream cinema. But now Chamki, set in Rajasthan, is being re-designed as a big broad epic musical with super choreography and lavish songs by Javed Akhtar and A R Rahman. No expense will be spared to make Chamki a big blockbuster." According to sources Priyanka more than Kareena is the natural choice to play Chamki since the role requires a trained dancer. Priyanka when contacted said she was open to the offer. "But I read the script ages ago. The whole project now has to evaluated afresh. And who wouldn't want to work with Shyam Benegal?"

I admit I have no friends in Mumbai: Deepika

Being a star at 23 is not easy. Deepika has no friends in Mumbai. And she doesn't have any qualms in admitting it. So busy is the stunning actress that she went off for the North American and London premieres of Chandni Chowk To China just when her sister Anisha was playing at a national golf tournament in Pune. "Yes Anisha who's five years younger to me and the baby of the family was playing in Pune just when I left for my premieres. I'd have definitely liked to watch her, " says Deepika wistfully. "But then maybe having family around to watch her play would make her selfconscious. She needs to find her own identity away from the family cocoon. And for that we need to leave her along to swim in the waters and face the storms. So in a way it was good that I wasn't around when she played." Deepika has been traveling unchaperoned all through the year. "Both me and my sister have been taught to be selfdependent. I am 23 and very proud of it. I'm young and raring to go. Age has nothing to do with maturity. I started traveling alone at a very young age (12) as a badminton player. That made feel responsible from a very young age. I learnt to travel in a team share dormitories and bathrooms. You could say I've roughed it out. My parents made sure my sister and I were brought up with normal workingclass values." She says she isn't into celebrations. "I've never been the partying type. I'm not much into celebrations ever since I moved to Mumbai to become an actress. I don't have any friends to call over. Earlier when I was in Bangalore I used to call all my friends over for my birthday over and then take them bowling or to watch a movie…" She trails off. "Now all my free days are spent with my family. My entire family comes down from Bangalore to Mumbai for my birthday every year. It becomes a family reunion time. The came to visit me around my birthday. My Dad, mom and sister were here. We also paid a visit to Tirupathi for my birthday this year." And now Deepika travelled all across the US, Toronto and London, all on her own. "Why do you say that? " she shoots back. "I had the Chandni Chowk To China team with me. We were hopping from city to city. The only sleep I got was on flight."

Shahid gets close to Vidya again

Shahid Kapur has been dillydallying with his love life for a while now. After his breakup with Kareena Kapoor, there was a buzz that he was close to Amrita Rao, then Vidya Balan, followed by Sania Mirza and Priyanka Chopra. Some said that he was close to Priyanka now but it seems his friendship with 'Kismet Konnection' co-star Vidya Balan is still going strong too. Shahid was seen with the much mature looking Vidya at Aurus, a Juhu lounge bar in Mumbai recently. When both came to Aurus, the table was already booked on Shahid's name, as he had made the reservation himself. He was dressed in a brown jacket and dark blue jeans and black shoes. Shahid arrived on his sports bike and Vidya came in her car wearing a yellow suit. The table was away from the common area. A source has said, "Shahid and Vidya have had been out for dinners in the past but with common friend designer Shabina Khan and others. However, this was the first time they were spotted having dinner all by themselves". It's been said that they ordered dinner with dessert. They didn't seem to be in a rush and stayed on till very late in the night. The buzz is that Tabu was sitting a few tables away from them. She apparently noticed the duo but did not go to join them. Basically Shahid and Vidya enjoyed each other's company without a care in the world. Post his break up, Shahid sure has been having an interesting love life. We wonder what the next twist is going to be.

Has Kareena broken up with Saif?

Post the success of 'Jab We Met', Kareena Kapoor has been all over the place. Her relationship with Chotey Nawab Saif Ali Khan and the fact that they were seen joint at the hip at loads of places also made sure that it was so. Shoots and social gatherings kept her in the news, but the movie for which she developed her size zero frame-'Tashan' flopped badly. Only the Diwali release 'Gomaal Returns' made money but then the credit for the same doesn't go to her fully. After all, it was a multi-starrer with a lot of boy bonding. This sort of depressed the actress who thought that her career is going downhill and that's why she's decided to make her high profile relationship low profile now. In the New Year she's realized that being in the media glare all the time with Saif is harming her. So she's decided to play it safe and is not breaking up completely. Instead she's keeping her private life away from the media. Well, it seems Kareena has realized what was needed to be realized. Let's see if this strategy actually helps her out in the long run or not.