Suitable Match For Shilpa Shetty?

Shilpa Shetty’s mother, Sunanda, has made no secret of her desire for her daughter to find a suitable match - and now her prayers may just have been answered.

According to sources the 32-year-old Celebrity Big Brother bombshell has found love with one of Britain’s Asian entrepreneurs - self-made millionaire Raj Kundra, 30. London-born Kundra, the son of a gold and diamond trader, has made a £6 million fortune in fashion, diamonds and film.

He is reportedly into film financing. He had put his money in a film called Mere Jeevan Saathi was much delayed and sank at the box-office.

The film It Could Be You, with Naseeruddin Shah and Kirron Kher, has the name of Kundra’s wife Kavita as producer.

The Kundras recently had a baby girl but if sources are to be believed, Raj and Kavita are heading for an expensive divorce.

Raj was seen escorting Shilpa at the IIFA awards in Yorkshire some weeks ago and also the man behind Shilpa’s new perfume, S2, and the couple began their fragrant affair last month while working on the scent.

Apne Swepts Overseas Audiences Off Their Feet

After leaving cinegoers across India ”moist eyed” with their ”heart warming” presence in Apne, the strong bond of love and togetherness between the yesteryears’ matinee idol Dharmendra and his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol has also swept overseas audiences off their feet.

Having won box office success and critical acclaim galore at home, this ode to the deep bond of love and togetherness between Dharmendra and his sons Sunny and Bobby, has rocked the box office in various overseas markets.

‘Apne’, which has yesteryears’ Bollywood idol Dharmendra team up with his sons Sunny and Bobby for the first time on the Silver screen, has drawn in huge audiences in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom, becoming the first Bollywood film featuring Dharmendra or Sunny to make a mark overseas.

Released on June 29 all over the world, ‘Apne’ made it to the top ten on the box office charts in the United Kingdom in its opening weekend, figuring on the seventh position among the top ten films.

‘Apne’, had box office earnings of 179,457 UK pounds (Rs 1.5 crore) in its opening weekend on 41 cinema screens.

‘Apne’ figured on the chart alongside Hollywood blockbusters like ‘Shrek the Third’, ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’, ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’.

What is further remarkable about the film’s box office performance in the UK is that ‘Apne’ had the second best per screen average of 4,377 UK pounds (Rs 3.5 lakh) among the UK top ten films, behind only ‘Shrek-The Third’ (which had a per screen average of 31,103 UK pounds).

The place in the UK top ten makes ‘Apne’ the first film featuring Dharmendra or his son Sunny to earn this distinction.

The film also attracted packed crowds in cinema halls in the United States, Canada and Australia.

In Australia the film has earnings of Rs 10 lakh in the opening weekend.

Trade sources said hundreds of fans of Dharmendra and Sunny in the Canadian city of Vancouver had to return disappointed after they failed to get a ticket to the premiere show of ‘Apne’, held on June 30.

Dharmendra was given a lifetime achievement award by DBR Entertainment while the Punjabi newspaper Quami Ekta honoured him for his contributions to the Indian cinema.

Featuring the three Deols along with Kiron Kher , Shilpa Shetty and Katrina Kaif as their leading ladies, ‘Apne’ is the story of a disgraced boxer (Dharmendra) who wants to get back his honour by making his elder son (Sunny) a boxer of international repute.

However, ultimately it is the younger son (Bobby) who steps in to fulfill his father’s dream when the elder one refuses to become a boxer.

Bipasha Basu In A Lip-Lock With Cristiano Ronaldo?

Bipasha Basu was caught kissing football hottie Cristiano Ronaldo in Lisbon, fuelling rumours that there’s truth in the John-Bips split.

SHE went to Lisbon to announce that the Taj Mahal had made it to the list of the new seven wonders, but found a ‘wonder’ful connection all of her own.

Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu was caught on camera in a lip-lock with Footballer of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo, 22, who is as famous for scoring off the field as on it.

Eyewitnesses have reportedly said, “The chemistry between Bipasha and Ronaldo was very apparent. They were flirting with each other and Ronaldo even volunteered to show her around the city. Bipasha was more than happy.”

The duo were spotted dancing at a nightclub, Belem Club, according to London’s Daily Mirror, and Bipasha was demonstrating some Bollywood dance steps to her good-looking escort. Should a lot be read into the kiss?

The last week has seen two other highprofile celebrity relationships going through turbulence because of PDAs by one partner: rocker Pete Doherty has reportedly been thrown out of their home by supermodel Kate Moss after being caught getting physical with a mystery South African mystery brunette, while Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard’s fiance, Ellen Rives, has been spotted without her engagement ring following reports that Lampard had spent the evening with another woman at a Las Vegas resort on a boys-only trip last week.

In this situation, talking it out with your partner would be the logical thing to do, according to psychologist Dr Ruhaina Khan. “Both would need to assess what’s real about that situation. Some might react violently, others might prefer to talk things through,” she says.

Of course, with both Bipasha and Ronaldo being glamour figures, the situation has generated greater hype than it should. “Just because she’s a public figure doesn’t mean she can’t have her own life.

Reactions, judgements - all depend on the people, the scenario in question,” adds Dr Ruhaina. High-profile fashionista Nisha Jamval says don’t get judgemental. “If Bipasha has made a choice of her own, I have nothing to say. Life is about choices, and as long as you’re not hurting anyone and you are single, it’s nice to know what’s around the corner! I’d say, good for her,” she says.

But often with celebs, people are quick to jump to conclusions. “I’ve seen a recent headline, ‘Missing Nisha’s cleavage’ . Why should people judge me for wearing spaghetti straps or holding a glass of wine? I don’t have to wear khadi and kolhapuris. People should judge me by how I conduct myself.”

Designer Manoviraj Khosla is all for the kiss. “Good for Bipasha, I’d say! If she’s getting a chance to kiss Ronaldo, she should go for it. If I got the chance to kiss Catherine Zeta-Jones or Angelina Jolie, I wouldn’t pass it up! And anybody who says otherwise is lying.” Don’t judge the kiss, he adds, because it could mean little. “You’re excited about meeting someone like him, it’s a kick. If it’s a one-off thing, then it’s no big deal. If it’s a relationship , then worry about it. And men are basically liars. They go around doing their own thing but can’t stand it when a woman does it too.”

Priyanka Chopra’s First Birthday Bash

 

Come July 18 and Priyanka Chopra, the current flavour of Bollywood, turns 25 and this year, for the first time, she is planning to throw a party for her family and close friends.

This is the first time the actress is throwing a party on her birthday since she has joined Bollywood.

“That’s true. I’ve never had any kind of party ever since I came into this industry. Friends keep teasing me about it. I’m not a party person. Believe it or not, I’m shy of crowds. Also, the past few years have hardly given me reason to feel like celebrating,” says Priyanka, whose voice gets distant as she recalls her father’s serious illness.

“Yeah, I’m having a birthday party for the first time. Not a huge one. Just 40-50 close friends and family. That’s all.

“I can’t believe how much time has passed. I’m suddenly feeling old. Seriously. Professionally, I’ve no reason to complain. At home we’ve gone through some turbulent times. Hopefully, we’re out of it,” she said.

Priyanka’s brother Siddharth also turns a year older this week.

“My brother Siddharth celebrates his birthday on July 12 while my birthday is six days later,” Priyanka said.

So will there be a joint celebration for the Chopra siblings?

“I’d love to have one. But Siddharth is turning 18 and he wants to bring in his birthday in a big way with his friends. So he will have a big party of his own.”

Katrina Kaif Dubbing Her Own Lines

Katrina Kaif is finally dubbing her own lines and is highly inclined to continue this trend of hearing herself speak in her own voice now onwards. Katrina says that dubbing in your own voice really adds to the performance.

“When I look back where someone else dubbed for me, I go, ‘No, no, no! That’s not me!’ But in Namastey London and Apne, I felt I was watching and hearing myself,” says the excited actress.

Katrina was previously dubbed for Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar although she was sure her voice suited the character just fine. She has come a long way to synchronise her voice and personality in her latest releases in two years time.

Indian film industry has given her a lot and still has lots to offer her feels Katrina, being completely at home in Bollywood.

She sees every unit as a different entity with its own rhythm and atmosphere.

“A Vipul Shah production is different from a David Dhawan set-up, but I don’t think I ever retired to my van for either Namastey London or Partner. With Vipul, I go blah-blah all day long,” says Katrina.

But Katrina misses her family at the end of the day, getting homesick. That’s when she takes off to Chennai to be with her mother and sisters.

Katrina was recently in Abbas-Mustaan’s Race for a song. Saif Ali Khan and Bipasha Basu made her feel really comfortable and welcome.

Vidya Balan Fed Up Of Rumours

It’s become a tradition to link up Vidya Balan with her every male co-star.

First she was linked with John Abraham and now its Shahid Kapur. Denying the rumors, she says, “What are they talking about? I haven’t even been in touch with the people they are linking me up with. They are all wonderful people, but for God’s sake - an affair?

Just because I share a comfort level and good chemistry with a co-star n screen, does not mean anything. If I share a great camaraderie with Boman Irani, will I be linked with him as well? That wouldn’t make interesting news!

As long as the people who matter know the truth, I don’t care. Kuchh to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna….” she has few films in a line - ‘Halla Bol’, ‘Hey Baby’, an untitled film with Aziz Mirza and one more film with Priyadarshan.

Apne: Movie Review

Starring: Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Shilpa Shetty, Katrina Kaif, Kirron Kher, Victor Banerjee
Directed By: Anil Sharma

They all hug each other quite often. The men hug up-front, unabashedly. The ladies creep up on the men from behind them and hold them close to their heart.

In Apne heart and craft come together to create an amazing graph. Apne is a very warm film. It exudes the comforting, heady scent of lives lived in a ruptured repose manifested in scenes that are written with the lavish and meticulous exactitude of emotions invested prudently in long-term action plans.

Yes, the narration is lengthy, sometimes tedious. What, for example, was the need for that ridiculous ‘rock’ song with one of Bobby Deol’s hands in his pocket?

The length is understandable in a film that puts forward Dharmendra, playing a Punjabi Stallone who has been diagraced in the boxing championsip, and his troubled relationship with an elder son (Sunny) who won’t box, and his younger son (Bobby) who can’t.

Caught between the ‘can’t’ and the ‘won’t’ of lives that share tears and chuckles as destiny reigns hard blows on the knuckles, this portrait of bona- fide emotions is free of naqal.

Full marks to Neeraj Pathak’s screenplay for creating a near-perfect vehicle for the trio of Punjab da Puttars who excel in shedding tears, together and apart. Papa Dharam and his two sons share another common ground. They are seem to suffer a perpetual bad- hair day.

Let not the awkward toupees and hairstyles come in the way of appreciating the deep-focussed melodrama’s undulating motions of light and shade.

Cinematographer Kabir Lal paints the frames in colours several shades deeper than life. And that’s the way it is meant to be.

Though the ladies are engagingly portrayed (Shilpa Shetty as the introverted Sunny’s exuberant wife reminds you of Kajol in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham) this is a patriarchal story, populated with men who fight for self, family, country and morality on territory as far-ranging as the terrace of a Punjabi village, the boxing ring in New York and most importantly, the human heartland where most of life’s most ironic games are played by God and man.

Other recent films like Rahul Rawail’s Jo Bole So Nihal, Gurinder Chadha’s Bride & Prejudice and Vipul Shah’s Namaste London have gone to Punjab and then onwards on a journey to the West to take stock of the moral waste-land.

Anil Sharma gets it right, in almost every frame. The stretched-out plot takes the Deols and their elegant women and surprisingly-restrained adversaries through several continents and time zones.

Proving himself a master storyteller, Sharma never loses the threads of the plot as the characters scatter across the contients trying to restore family honour in hostile circumstances.

Yes, the narration gets excessively dramatic towards the end. But the magic of the real-life family being alchemized on screen is preserved until the very end.

Let’s stand and applaud Anil Sharma for attempting a theme so vast and dramatic showcasing two generations of Deol plunged into the vortex of a battle that takes them through several levels of emotions and revelations to arrive to a kind of liberating denouement that comes our way in the movies once in a while.

Indeed this Anil Sharma’s Gadar of the boxing ring. It takes hungering leaps into the hemisphere of the Deols’ most precious family ties. Sharma picks up threads of lingering sorrow and abiding ties to weave a tale that’s as sweet tender strong and resonant as any grandma’s tale about the simple god-fearing family which didn’t buckle under pressure.

It’s not the content as much the tightly-clenched treatment that gives the film a feeling of uncompromised ardour.

Swarming with characters and over-sentimental songs about family ties, Apne manages to hold its head high above the intrinsically treacly situation that Anil Sharma creates for the Deols.

The performances are fine as long as you aren’t looking for Brandos and Azmis in the cast. The immensely -gifted Victor Banerjee’s as the Deols’ sounding board is the odd one our specially when he materializes with prayer beads on screen to pray for Bobby’s quick recovery.

Good God!

This could have been one more mawkish attempt to bring together a family that suffers and celebrates together. Instead Apne is our own Rocky.

In fact, better. Not only are the boxing sequences first-rate, the emotions that the macho men invest into each other’s lives makes them look like giants who think big and act for the camera fearlessly.

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