Reality World

Mohali (Punjab), (IANS) Preity Zinta, Bollywood star and now one of the four co-owners of the Mohali team of the Indian Premier League (IPL), was a lonely host at her squad's first tie Saturday evening with the stadium here virtually without any stars or many spectators. The over-35,000-capacity Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium had some stands virtually empty, particularly those with expensive tickets. The pavilion terrace block, which is overcrowded during any international match, was almost empty. Only a few people sat in the Rs.3,000 per ticket block. Out of the few thousand spectators, most were in the students' block, where each ticket cost Rs.50, the general block (Rs.250) and another block with tickets costing Rs.750. "The empty stands have more to do with the free pass culture in Chandigarh and Punjab, particularly among VIPs and their families. With not many free passes being given by the IPL, people did not turn up," a member of the PCA organising co...

New Delhi, (IANS) Studies are the first priority for 11-year-old Darsheel Safary, who endeared himself to audiences in "Taare Zameen Par". Having fun is second on the list and movies, surprisingly, come last. "My studies are the most important thing for me. I can't think of anything which is more important than these," Darsheel told IANS here. His priorities are quite clear. "For me, studies come first, then I want to do 'masti' (have fun) like my friends and doing movies come last," quipped the child actor. Darsheel, a Class 6 student, was in the capital to promote health drink Horlicks, of which he's just become the brand ambassador. His mother Sheetal Safary is also very particular about his studies. "Darsheel has a weekly test every Thursday in school. We try our best to make him concentrate on his studies at least on Wednesday. Otherwise, he mostly works on weekends," she said. With his recent tie-up with Horlicks, he has ent...

Mumbai, (IANS) Hrithik Roshan is a strict dad as far as his son's diet goes. Little Hrehaan, who turned two recently, is not allowed to indulge in chocolates. But on his birthday last month, he was given a real treat - chocolate cake, something he's kept away from usually. Said Hrithik: "He can have all kinds of cake...except chocolate. I feel his body doesn't need it for the first few years. Actually you don't need chocolate at all at any stage of your life. It just displaces your hunger for proper food. That really bothers me. The moment a child has a chocolate he grows addicted. "As it is, from the time he (Hrehaan) has a life of his own with his friends he'll have all the access to chocolate. Believe me I know." So is Hrithik a strict father? "Only as far as Hrehaan's diet is concerned. As a child I ate the wrong kind of food. In my later years I really had to clean myself up. It was really tough, and I don't want Hrehaan to go throu...

Mumbai, (IANS) Director Vishal Bharadwaj, known for his Shakespearean dramas, plans to make a feel-good love story now. And Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra are the stars he has in mind this time. But contrary to reports, his film is not a new version of "Romeo and Juliet". "People would love to see me complete my Shakespearean trilogy after 'Macbeth' ('Maqbool') and 'Othello' ('Omkara'). But I'm not doing 'Romeo & Juliet'," says Bharadwaj. "Omkara" starred Ajay Devgan and Kareena Kapoor, while "Maqbool" had Pankaj Kapur, Tabu and Irrfan Khan in the lead roles. Both won much critical acclaim. While Shahid is confirmed for Bharadwaj's next project, talks are on with Priyanka, who is currently shooting in Miami for Tarun Mansukhani's "Dostana". She is expected to give her nod when she returns to Mumbai in May. After his break-up with Kareena, Shahid has been cast opposite various lea...

New Delhi, (IANS) Actress Katrina Kaif, who features in the promotional video of Vijay Mallya's Indian Premier League (IPL) team 'Royal Challengers', surprised everyone when she played a prank while shooting the song. She took the mike, changed her voice and announced that Katrina had fainted due to the non-stop shooting in the sweltering heat. The shoot had started at 7 a.m. at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai owned by the Cricket Club of India (CCI). The whole unit panicked and frantically started searching for her but couldn't find her for nearly half an hour. Director Sanjay Gupta and choreographer Bosco were tense since they had to finish the shoot in the limited time allotted by the authorities. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Katrina emerge, having a good laugh. When contacted, Gupta laughed and said: "Hey who told you that? Katrina was lovely to work with." Last year Katrina gave hits like "Namastey London", "Apne", ...

Newcomer Sikander Kher's introductory scene in his debut film "Woodstock Villa" reportedly cost a whopping Rs.15 million to shoot. Director Hansal Mehta confirmed that the producer spent quite extravagantly for the introductory scene, which is expected to be similar to Tom Cruise' entry in the 1990 classic film "Days of Thunder". In the scene, Sikandar is seen riding an imported Yamaha MT 01 bike with smoke in the background. The scene required three days of shooting. Mehta feels that Sikandar, son of actors Anupam and Kirron Kher, is a powerhouse of talent and a natural born star. He is however not surprised by Sikandar's capabilities, as he believes that the actor has a certain pedigree, given the work of his parents.

Mumbai, (IANS) After a fairy tale wedding and a busy and eventful year, Bollywood's most talked about couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai took a break to celebrate their first wedding anniversary Sunday - away from the prying eyes of the media - in Miami. "Not that they planned so. It just happened," said Amitabh Bachchan of the location. "Abhishek is shooting in Miami for 'Dostana'. And Aishwarya is with him on their marriage anniversary," he added. While the two are enjoying their anniversary in Miami, Amitabh has chosen the day to unveil the first look of "Sarkar Raj", which stars three Bachchans - Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya. Ram Gopal Varma's long-awaited "Sarkar Raj" will be released June 6. A few days before its commercial release, the film, which is a sequel to Varma's "Sarkar", will be premiered at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) to be held in Bangkok. The couple was seen in Mani Ratnam...

Kolkata, (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Vadra cheered for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders that took on Deccan Chargers in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Eden Gardens here Sunday evening. After defeating Bangalore Royal Challengers, this was the Knight Riders' first tie at home. And Shah Rukh had a galaxy of film stars and celebrities on hand to cheer for his team. Also present at the stadium were team co-owner Juhi Chawla, buddy and film director Karan Johar, actors Rani Mukerji, Viveik Oberoi, Mallaika Arora Khan, Arjun Rampal and music composers Bappi Lahiri and Vishal-Shekhar. Shah Rukh also had a full entertainment package for the spectators. It was a euphoric atmosphere at the sell-out Eden Gardens, which also looked like a fortress as some 10,000 policemen were deployed to provide security to the stadium. The evening started with a laser show and Cyrus Broacha jazzing up the atmosphere with his humour wi...

New Delhi, (IANS) India is like a "second home", say members of the popular Pakistani rock band Jal who have produced chartbusters like "Woh Lamhey" and "Aadat". "Though we get the same kind of respect wherever we go, there is something special about being in India," Goher Mumtaz, rhythm guitarist, composer, lyricist and the founder of the band, told IANS. The band members - Farhan Saeed, Shazi and Goher - were in the capital to promote their new album "Boondh", which has 12 songs. "The album includes two unplugged versions of our songs 'Sajni' and 'Humein Itna Pyaar'," said Goher. According to him, India offers a major platform for new talent in Bollywood. "Bollywood is a good and healthy platform which makes India an attractive place to exhibit our talent. And our work is so well appreciated here," the musician said. Goher feels that Indians welcome talent from all corners of the world with open arm...

Mumbai, (IANS) Critically acclaimed actress Nandita Das has just completed shooting her first directorial venture, "Firaaq... In Such Times", about how violence affects people's lives. The filmmaking process consumed her so much that she has no plans to direct another film soon. "During the shooting I said never again. Now I'm not too sure, ha, ha. Though no direction again immediately," Nandita told IANS. "For the past year I've been completely consumed by my film. It's become my 'Arjun ki aankh'. I can't focus on anything else. I'm enjoying the whole process of creating a film. We've named it 'Firaaq... In Such Times' for now and a hunt is on now for a Hindi title." The film is in conversational language. "Some English, Hindi, Urdu. It features an ensemble cast in five different stories. I've taken some terrific theatre actors like Shahana Goswami. I've also taken seasoned actors like Naseeruddin S...

New Delhi, (IANS) He is cocky, young and down-to-earth. Actor Arya Babbar, son of actor-politician Raj Babbar, wears his attitude on his sleeve. "I never wanted to be anything else but an actor. Some people are immensely gifted; they do so many things. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be under the arc lights, though dad says I can be a good politician," Arya told IANS in a free wheeling chat on the sprawling green lawns of the Purana Quila fort in Delhi. The 27-year-old actor has three new movies lined up this year. "There are three significant projects - `The Partition', a Hollywood production about the India-Pakistan split of 1947 starring Jimmy Mistry, Neve Campbell, Irrfan Khan and myself as the antagonist; Kabir Kaushik's 'Chehra' where I play a psychiatrist; and a crossover movie, 'Tune for Her', where I play an Indian music director in love with a white Canadian girl," he said. Born Jan 4, 1981, Arya debuted with "Ab Ke Bara...

New Delhi, (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has no equals in the Hindi film industry and now his business acumen seems set to overshadow that of India's tycoons. Shah Rukh has already got the biggest bang out of each penny that he has so far sunk into Indian Premier League (IPL), the richest domestic cricket tournament in the world. To begin with, he bagged Kolkata Knight Riders for only $75.09 million as against the $111.9 million that industrialist Mukesh Ambani paid for Mumbai and the $111.6 million that liquor baron Vijay Mallya spent for Bangalore team. And in the bargain he also got the country's best stadium and the most fanatical fans. Then when the players went up for auctions, it was Shah Rukh who ended up paying less for the entire team than all the business magnates and their army of advisors. Advised by Kolkata Knight Riders' team captain Saurav Ganguly, who himself hails from a business family, Shah Rukh built up a team, which comprised Ishant Sharma,...