Britney Spears: 'I love Bollywood'

New Delhi, July 28 -- Britney Spears has just struck a chord with Sonu Nigam, quite literally, and next on the American pop star's wishlist is Bollywood.

"I have always loved Bollywood and have been into that dance culture for a long time. I have done a couple of Bollywood inspired numbers in my shows and worn some of the most glam desi outfits on tour ... I love that Indian films incorporate so much music. I'd give it a shot!" says the 29-year-old singer, who collaborated with Nigam and Desi Hits to come up with an Indian remix of her latest single, I Wanna Go.

"I worked with an Indian choreographer who taught me some of the intricate hand movements and hip shakes on both (her songs) Circus and Femme Fatale," she adds, hoping to come to India soon and rubbishing rumours that she did, back in 2009 too. "It was 100% a rumour. But, I'm sure to come one day and when I do, we're gonna do it big!"

The word 'choreographer' rings a bell, reminding us of the speculation around an affair between her and Sandiip Soparrkar, which later turned out to be false. "I'm kind of used to it and I don't let this nonsense get to me, but I'm glad that the Indian media (HT City) is checking its facts out," she says.

Apart from the dhols and desi tunes, another Indian offering that clicks with her is the food. "I travel to London a lot, and I think they have great Indian food there. I like the chicken tikka - I know it's popular, but there is a reason why!"

Bond wants to see Ghajini!

Mumbai, July 30 -- The James Bond franchise may have a significant audience in India, but the actor who is currently playing the super spy has never had the chance to watch a Bollywood film. But that doesn't mean Daniel Craig doesn't want to.

"I haven't seen any Indian film yet, but I have heard a lot about Ghajini (2008) and Dabangg (2010) and would love to watch them whenever I get a chance," says Daniel, portions of whose next superagent flick, Bond 23, will reportedly be shot in India. "The film is coming along fine, I'm very excited to get back in to the 007 mode," the actor adds.

Even though Daniel's been in the business for about two decades, he's known more for his last two 007 films - Quantum Of Solace (2008) and Casino Royale (2006). And though the 'Bond' tag seems like a tough one to live up to, Daniel doesn't feel it has changed much for him. "I don't think that makes any difference," says the actor, who has played the part of Jake Lonergan in Jon Favreau's Cowboys And Aliens (CB&A), which is currently playing in city theatres. "I will also be playing characters like Red Rackham in Tintin and Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. All this after doing two Bond films."

CB&A, which is a cinematic adaptation of the graphic novel by the same name, mixes the genres of 'western' and 'sci-fi alien attack'. Director Favreau, who has previously helmed superhero films like Iron Man 1 and 2 from the Marvel Comics universe, was single-handedly responsible for roping in the actor. "I like reading graphic novels, but I only read CB&A after I'd heard the script from Jon. I was intrigued by the story and ended up reading the book."

Reportedly, Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr was initially approached for the part, but had to decline due to date issues. Did working with Favreau make him possibly want to do a superhero film? "I thought James Bond was a superhero," he says, with a smile

Daniel Craig: Bond will be shot in India

New Delhi, July 31 -- There is no secret James Bond can't keep; but actor Daniel Craig spills the beans on the elusive spy's plans. India, says Craig, is on Bond's hit list in the 23rd installment of the franchise, tentatively called Bond 23.

"There is definitely a plan to do that (shoot Bond 23 in India). It's premature to talk about it as of now. I don't want to make any public announcement, but there is definitely a plan," says 43-year-old Craig, in his stiff upper lip British accent, as we caught up with him in Mexico during the promotion of his upcoming flick, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

But, there's one secret Craig is trying hard to keep and that's his personal life. The actor tied the knot with Hollywood star Rachel Weisz, 41, in New York, and the couple has avoided the limelight since. Mention the paparazzi and his expression becomes stern. "Life is great; it feels good to have a partner like Rachel. But it's just that as long as I can keep my private life private, I'm all good with it," he says.

Craig is currently riding high on the success of his latest film Cowboys & Aliens and says he expects it to do well in India. "My expectations from the Indian audiences are high. I think the audiences there are fond of the action genre," he says.

He hasn't seen any Bollywood films, but says as a huge fan of action films, he can't wait to get in on the thrill. "I have heard a lot about Ghajini (2008) and Dabangg (2010) and would love to watch them whenever I get a chance," says Craig.

He's not sure when that will be, but he does let on that filming for Bond 23 will start at the end of the year. "The next Bond will start in October or November. I'm really excited about the script, it's fantastic," he says. Craig became a household name after his debut as Bond in Casino Royale (2006), a fact he accepts with modesty. "I was glad to know that Bond fans accepted me after Pierce Brosnan, who was incredible as James Bond," he says

Brad Pitt felt no sparks with Kidman

London, Aug 9 (IANS) Actor Brad Pitt had initially pulled out of his 2005 film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" because he felt a lack of chemistry with the movie's original actress, Nicole Kidman, claims a book.

The film's producer Arnon Milchan says Pitt, 47, was unhappy as there were no sparks with Kidman. But when he cast Angelina Jolie, Pitt called back to say he was happy to play the role, reports thesun.co.uk.

It was quite a life-changing decision for Pitt, who was then married to Jennifer Aniston, as he fell in love with Jolie.

"Jen didn't believe he was involved. He eventually admitted it. Jen was furious and threw him out," said Milchan.

Kirsten loves spending time with parents!

London, Aug 8 (IANS) Actress Kirsten Dunst says her family are the most important thing in her life and she loves spending time with her parents and grandparents.

"I speak to them every day. My grandmother lives with my mother and I worry about not seeing her enough. I love my grandparents. I can never understand why people put family into care homes. I feel proud that I've earned enough money to buy a house for my mother and grandmother,"contactmusic.com quoted the 29-year-old as saying.

"My grandfather in Germany was so proud of my Best Actress award. He was telling all his friends, he got to be the guy with the big news. I loved that," she added.

Kirsten lives with her younger brother Christian and admits she's "lucky" to have one of the wonderful family.

"I'm lucky with my family. My younger brother Christian lives with me and when I'm not working I travel. I see friends," said Kirsten.

latest entertainment news in india

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) After sizzling on Bollywood screen for almost a decade, dusky beauty Bipasha Basu has signed her first international project — English-French director Roland Joffe’s “Singularity”.

The 31-year-old is extremely excited and admits she does have butterflies in her stomach.

“I am very excited…but have to admit that I am also a little nervous. Everything happened really fast,” Bipasha told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Bipasha met Joffe in a chance encounter at the Taj Land’s End Hotel in Mumbai in September.

The $33 million movie, written by Ajey Jhankar, is a riveting tale of an impossible love set across two time periods and continents.

It is set in the backdrop of the First Anglo-Maratha War of the 18th century and revolves around four characters – a British officer in colonial India and the Indian woman he falls in love with, an American marine biologist and his researcher lover — who gets trapped in a wrecked British merchant ship.

The film will be shot in Australia and India. Bipasha will be flying to Brisbane in the first week of November.

Bipasha, who will be missing Diwali for the initial rehearsals for the film, says she would have loved to get some more time to prepare for her role.

“I am not getting much of preparation time right now. I have been given just eight days to prepare for underwater scenes and horse riding…I wish I had at least a month’s time for preparation,” she said.

As much as she would have liked to, Bipasha is also not getting much time to brush up on her history.

“There is just no time before I fly out! I have finished all my pending endorsement assignments and now I will try and grasp whatever I can there itself,” she said.

Nevertheless, she is looking forward to working with Hollywood actors.

“The script is fantastic. They have a lot of expertise in their field…it’s going to be a whole lot of hard work, and it’s going to be great fun to adapt to their system of working,” she said.

“Singularity” also stars Bollywood actor Abhay Deol besides Hollywood stars Chris Pine, Josh Hartnett, Olga Kurylenko, Christopher Egan and Shane Briant, among others.

Bipasha will shoot from the third week of November till the last week of December in Brisbane.

Her upcoming Indian projects include “Dum Maaro Dum” and Abbas-Mustan’s “Players”.

Bipasha is glad that Abbas-Mustan, who gave her a launchpad with 2001 film “Ajnabee”, were accommodating enough to adjust their dates so that she could give her nod to “Singularity”.

The film is tentatively slated for a 2011 release.

aishwaria rai entertainment news in india

Klang (Malaysia), Nov 1 (IANS) Traditional dresses worn by Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai in the films “Raavan” and “Robot”, which have been runaway hits here this year, are the flavour of the season as Malaysian Indians shop for Deepavali.

The churidar and long-sleeved kameez Aishwarya wore as a dance teacher who gets kidnapped in the modern-day version of the “Ramayana” are a hit among women shoppers.

Both the Tamil (“Raavanan”) and Hindi versions (“Raavan”) released here, while the Aishwarya-starrer “Robot” with megastar Rajnikant was a huge hit.

The traditional dresses – called masakali – have been in the market since early this year. But sales have peaked as Deepavali approaches.

The salwar-kameez also come with transparent long sleeves and chudidar pants, the New Straits Times reported Monday.

Malaysia is home to 2.1 million ethnic Indians, a bulk of them Tamils who throng to Chennai-made films. But craze for Bollywood films transcends racial lines. The Bachchans – Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek and Aishwarya – and the Khans – Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman and Saif Ali – are immensely popular here.

Thiyananthan Bathumalai, managing director of Harekrishna Silk, said most of the masakali dresses in the market were inspired by movie stars.

“For example, we now have ‘Robot masakali’, which was inspired from the movie ‘Endhiran’ (‘Robot’) and ‘Raavan masakali’, which was inspired by ‘Raavan’,” he said.

Thiyananthan said many customers ask for masakali suits on entering his shop.

“People still ask for ‘Anarkali suits’ or ‘Patiala suits’ which were the craze some time ago. But this year, it looks like Aishwarya Rai is leading,” he said.

In Kuala Lumpur, trader M. Maniam said many people ask for Punjabi suits or saris worn in particular movies.

“Every year, we have customers asking for a particular sari or suit that was worn by an actress in a movie. This year, everyone is asking for masakali suits which were worn by Aishwarya Rai.”

The trader, who operates at the KL Sentral car park, said most of his dresses came from India.

Meanwhile, a resolution taken by Indian shopkeepers in Malaysia to keep the prices reasonable has won praises from the government.

The government has imposed a price ceiling on essential commodities. But some Indian shops are selling well below the ceiling price.

One shop in George Town was found selling imported Australian lentils at a big discount from the stipulated ceiling price.

This caught Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Tan Lian Hoe by surprise during her visit here.

Tan lauded the trader, saying: “It is a sensible move by traders not to charge customers at the maximum price during festivities.

Deepika Padukone Biography (BioData

Birth Name Deepika Padukone
Height 5’9″
Sex Female
Nationality Indian
Birth Date January 5th, 1986
Birth Place Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Languages Hindi, English, Kannada
Profession Bollywood Actress, Model
Education Completed schooling in Bangalore, India
Father Prakash Padukone (Former World badminton Champion) from Bangalore, India
Mother Ujjala Padukone from Bangalore, India
Deepika Padukone Biography (biodata):

Deepika Padukone was born on 5th January 1986 in Mangalore, Karnataka. She is daughter of former World badminton Champion Prakash Padukone. Deepika is known as an Indian supermodel and a bollywood actress

Ajay the most versatile actor: Kajol

Mumbai, Dec 8 (IANS) Ajay Devgn is the most versatile actor, says his wife Kajol, who also believes that the man in the real is more impressive than all his reel characters.

“I personally think Ajay is the most versatile actor that we have today. He has been successful in all genres – whether comedy or drama,” Kajol told reporters Wednesday at the music launch of their upcoming action animation movie “Toonpur ka Superhero”.

She can’t be more right as the 41-year-old proved his verstality with five releases this year which were different from each other – he was seen in two comedies “Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge” and “Golmaal 3″, political thriller “Raajneeti”, crime saga “Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai” and a film on honour killing titled “Aakrosh”.

When asked which character of Ajay impressed her the most, Kajol said: “I’m very impressed with Ajay Devgn in real life (more) than any of his on screen characters.”

Both will be seen in “Toonpur Ka Superhero”, which is produced by Krishika Lulla and Kumar Mangat Pathak. Kireet Khurana has directed the movie, which will hit the screens Dec 24.

Talking about her experience of working again with Ajay after the 2008 release “U, Me Aur Hum”, Kajol said: “It’s great fun working with people you know. The best part is that you’re comfortable with each other.”

And why did she decide to be a part of an animation film?

“I liked the idea a lot. Most importantly, the script and the screenplay were very good. All the cartoons were very interesting characters. The whole script was very tight. So I decided to do it,” she said.

Shahid Kapoor BioData (Biography

Name: Shahid Kapoor
Nationality: Indian
Birthdate: February 25, 1981
Parents: Neelima Azim and Pankaj Kapur (divorced), Stepmom is Supriya Pathak
Schooling: Gyanbharati (Delhi) and Rajhans Vidyalaya (Mumbai)
Residence: Lokhandwala, Andheri, Mumbai
Religion: Dad is Hindu, Mother is Muslim
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
Pets: None
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Weight: 70 kgs (170-175 lbs.)
Height: 5′ 7″
Closer To: His mother, with his father he’s a bit restrained
Passion: Acting, dancing, and playing cricket
Favorite Actor/Actress: His dad (Pankaj Kapur) and Julia Roberts