Bollywood focus: Sayali Bhagat

Born in a traditional Maharashtrian family in Nasik, Sayali Bhagat has big dreams for her future. She got her management degree from Mumbai University.

Born in a traditional Maharashtrian family in Nasik, Sayali Bhagat has big dreams for her future. She got her management degree from Mumbai University.

She has a knack for Indo-Western Fusion dance and she ahs been modeling since quite sometime. Sayali won the Femina Miss India crown in 2004 and like most of her contemporaries, entered the film industry. Prior to this her family had no contact with the Bollywood.

This budding model-cum-actress idolizes Baba Amte for his selfless work and for what he has done for the welfare of the tribals and the lepers. Sayali has also featured in a documentary film that is based on his life.

Sayali made her Bollywood debut in 2007 with The Train. Her co-stars in the movie were newcomer, Geeta Basra and the serial kisser, Emraan Hashmi.

For her, life is like an ice cream and she likes to enjoy every bit of it. No wonder that she enjoys whatever she does and sees that it is done well.

Ayesha waits for Sunday

While Ayesha’s film is all set for release, there is no hint of stress on her pretty face. The chirpy lass appears as happy as ever. Reminiscing about the making of Sunday, she says, “Every second day, they (the cast and crew) would pull a prank on me. It’s been fun.”

After being part of this multi-starrer, Ayesha will be seen opposite Salman Khan in Wanted Dead or Alive. She says she’d rather not talk about the film just yet though. We don’t mind waiting, provided Sunday doesn’t turn out to be a dud.

SRK lecture at Berlin Film festival

Shah Rukh Khan has been invited to deliver a lecture during the forthcoming Berlin Film Festival. He will be speaking on acting, directing, composing, as well as on working conditions in India. He aims to throw light on the various aspects of Indian cinema.

The superstar’s latest magnum opus, Om Shanti Om will also be screened at the festival. While he did a pretty good job playing a student in Main Hoon Na, let’s hope he plays a better real life role as teacher.

Kareena: No time for marriage

The grapevine is abuzz with talk of Bollywood’s hottest couple, Kareena and Saif, tying the knot by the end of the year. However, like most other reports, this has been termed mere rumour. According to Kareena, she has no intentions of marrying for the next three years.

Sources say she is having a great time with Saif and now wants to focus on her career. Currently shooting in Greece for Tashan, Kareena couldn’t attend Saif’s rock concert in Bangalore and Mumbai. She will try not to miss shows in Delhi and Kolkata though.

Big B joins Jodhaa Akbar

Amitabh Bachchan will be joining daughter-in-law Aishwarya and Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar. However, the superstar will not be appearing onscreen; instead, he will be lending his deep, distinctive voice as the movie’s narrator.

In the past, Amitabh narrated for Gowariker’s Oscar-nominated film, Lagaan. The director felt the Big B’s voice was perfect for enhancing the significance of Jodhaa Akbar, too, and requested him to do it. In any case, Big B’s association just might make audiences more eager to watch this highly-awaited film.

Ajay Devgan denies mocking the Khans

For Ajay Devgan the New Year brought with it a great beginning. With Halla Bol already a declared hit and Sunday all set for release, Ajay couldn’t have asked for a better start of 2008. However, along with the bouquets came the brickbats. Reports are that Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan have raised objection over a couple of scenes which seemed like an obvious mockery of the superstars.

The usually silent and brooding Ajay however denies these allegations. He says, “I think it (the alleged rumour) is ridiculous. Some people from the media want to create a rift amongst us by spreading these rumours. I don’t know who it is. You would know better. So you can ask the people who are offended.”

Known for a fairly spotless track record as a Bollywood actor, probably the only other time Ajay got embroiled in a controversy was when he got into a cold war with SRK. However, with time their differences came to an end.

Take a look at this video to hear it from the actor himself, his take on Halla Bol, Sunday, Bollywood camps and more.

One hero, three heroines?

It looks like Akshay Kumar has become Sajid Khan’s first choice. After starring in Sajid’s directorial debut, Heyy Babyy, Akshay has been signed on for the director’s next film, too. The movie will have three heroines, each with a significant role. There are reports that Vidya Balan and Deepika Padukone have nearly sealed the deal. We also hear Bipasha Basu and Sonam Kapoor are being considered.

However, it is likely that Bipasha will reject the role (if offered) because of Vidya Balan. Apparently, recent rumours of an affair between Vidya and Bips’ boyfriend John Abraham had upset her. So, it looks like Sonam Kapoor might eventually take the third spot.
The film is currently in the scripting stage and is expected to be a big budget movie, with shooting taking place at several locations abroad. Now, after the success of Heyy Babyy, which had three heroes and one heroine, let’s see how successful Sajid’s new movie is, with its inverted formula!

Aishwarya dons yet another ‘Taj’

Ex-Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan just doesn’t seem to tire herself of doing historical epic films. After signing Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Jodhaa Akbar and Ben Kingsley’s Taj Mahal, Ash is all set to star in yet another film on the Taj Mahal.

While in Ben Kingsley’s Taj Mahal Ash will play the role of Mumtaz Mahal, in Michael Radford’s Taj she’ll play the role of Salim’s wife Mandi. This fact just fuels the rumours that the Bachchan bahu no longer intends to play bold characters or do intimate scenes in films. The demure Ash has quite a subtle role in Sarkar Raj while in Jodhaa Akbar she plays the role of simple Rajput princess.

Does this mean that we’ll get to see less of Aishwarya on the big screen, considering most of the historical epics have already been taken by other stars?

Akshay Kumar back to stunts::>

Akshay Kumar burst into Bollywood as an action hero at the start of his career. Gradually, that image was relegated to the backburner as his popularity as a comic star grew. But now, it’s “action time” once again for this Khiladi.

Kambakht Ishq, the upcoming Akshay-Kareena starrer, is choc-a-bloc with action. Akshay plays an NRI stuntman in the movie and is all set to push us to the edge of our seats with his wild stunts and martial art moves. To tone his body for this demanding role, the actor has been spending considerable time in the gym. Moreover, an international trainer and a stunt master have been hired to train the actor.

The film will be produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and will also star Kareena Kapoor, who plays a model. Shooting will begin in April and will take place in several Hollywood studios in Los Angeles.

Bollywood focus: Ayesha Takia

Ayesha Takia was born and raised in Mumbai. Her father is a Gujarati and her mother is half British and half Maharashtiran. No wonder then that she grew up speaking English at home.

Ayesha Takia was born and raised in Mumbai. Her father is a Gujarati and her mother is half British and half Maharashtiran. No wonder then that she grew up speaking English at home.

Modeling since the age of four, Ayesha first appeared in a music video of Phalguni Pathak. Later on, she was noticed in the loaded-with-oomph-video titled ‘Shake It Daddy’. Not only did she garner the public’s attention but also bagged her first film.

Ayesha made her debut in Bollywood with Taarzan: The Wonder Car. She went on to do Socha Na Tha which was a debut vehicle for the Deol lad, Abhay. Both the films didn’t do very well at the box-office.

Later, she did quite a few films and none of them were worth a mention. Then came Dor, a smaller budget film in which she plays the role of a young widowed Rajasthani woman living in a traditional joint family. She went on to win a Zee Cine Critics Award for Best Actress for her performance.

In a a poll conducted by Zoom, an Indian TV channel, Ayesha featured as one of the 50 most desirable women of India. This vivacious lady has been dating restaurateur, Farhan Azmi since quite some time, though they have no intenntions of getting married any time soon.