Last week actor Salman Khan headed out of the country when former girlfriend Aishwarya Rai married Abhishek Bachchan. His secretary Vikas had said that Khan was in Dubai for "some personal work", and it was assumed that he was there to keep current girlfriend Katrina Kaif company (she's shooting for Abbas Mustan's Race). However, the real reason the actor was overseas is because he was due for the next session of hair weaving, needed to be done following his hair transplant procedure last year! "Salman left for Dubai last week to start the second phase of the hair transplant procedure. Salman underwent hair weaving in Dubai with an American surgeon" said a source."

Khan returned to Mumbai yesterday, after spending some time under observation in Dubai. Last year, too, Salman had gone to Dubai for a hair transplant, but the surgery didn't turn out well. This prompted him to shave his hair off, pushing back the schedule of films like Jaan-E-Mann, Partner and God Tussi Great Ho (owing to continuity purposes). To give the star some balding company, his hairstylists, Darshan and Aalim, his cook Jaffer, make-up guy Raju and even his spot boy Mohan went bald so he wouldn't feel like the odd man out. Sallu then went for another hair transplant procedure some months later, and thankfully, it turned out fine this time around!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/salmans-hair-raising-tale.html

She made you open your mouth wide with her bold scenes and bolder statements… She swept you off your feet with her belle dance ‘Mayya Mayya’ in ‘Guru’…. Now, Mallika Sherawat is all set to get your blood rushing with her negative role in Himesh Reshamiya’s debut film ‘Aap Ka Suroor’.

Produced by Vinay Tarneja and directed by Prashant Chadha, ‘Aap Ka Suroor’ is getting a worldwide release on June 29th. A fresh new face Riya is being introduced along with Himesh. Mallika’s character is pivotal to the story and she plays a bad girl in the movie. One out of the seven tracks is based on her character.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/mallika-sherawat-turns-bad.html

Dia Mirza got a shock of her life when she did not get to dub for the scene shot by her for ‘Shootout At Lokhandwala’. Her role has been cut shot and this has been done by none other than her boyfriend and film’s director Apoorva Lakhia. Apoorva says that the decision to cut the scenes was taken during editing and an actor must think about the movie more than his or her role. On the other hand, Dia says that the scenes were cut without intimating her and this will definitely hamper the movie rather than benfitting it.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/dia-mirza-upset-with-her-boyfriend.html

Tabu is one actress who is known for her acting talents and excellent performance in many challenging roles. However, this 30+ actress is still unmarried. Tabu has had a lot of link-ups in the industry including Sajid Nadiawala and Sanjay Dutt. The latest addition to this list is Sushmita Sen’s ex-boyfriend Randeep Hooda who was seen in the recently released flick ‘Risk’. Sources say that they met at a discotheque in Juhu. Randeep ushered such paises on Tabu that the lady slipped off and now the couple is meeting frequently. Seems Tabu has made up her mind to say a full and final goodbye to her career so that she can romance freely.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/tabu-back-to-romance.html

On 23th April Yana Gupta turned a year older. But it's almost impossible to reach and wish her on her birthday. One of her close friends says, "She has disappeared for two days. And informed me that she wouldn't be reachable." Might be, she had a good time with beau Aftab Shivdasani.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/yana-gupta-disappears-on-her-birthday.html

Finally Saif Ali Khan moved to his new apartment. He's taking care of each and every detail over there, from the shade of the drapes to the decor of the bedroom. Except this he is also planning to throw a party for his family and friends. Where he will be the host.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/saif-ali-khan-moved-to-his-new.html

Did you hear a multi-starer after Salaam-E-Ishq? You didn’t? then here it is- Sameer Karnik’s next film will have Salman Khan, Preity Zinta, Sohail Khan, Amrita Arora, Sunny and Bobby Deol, Mithun Chakroborty and Vatsal Sheth. Oh…that’s a long list! Karnik had drifted into oblivion after ‘Kyon, Ho Gaya Na…?’ but will come back with two of his film readying for the release- Nanhe Jaisalmer (Bobby Deol starer) and Roshan. The multi-starer film will be called ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’. No, it won’t be a patriotic film. It can be said third in the trilogy- Nanhe Jaisalmer is based on belief, Roshan is based on hope and MBM is based on pride. The film is about a road trip taken by some youngsters and they’re trying to figure the logic behind the logo on every truck or lorry that they pass, which says, ‘Mera Bharat Mahaan’.” Let’s hope this movie has than just promises to offer the audience.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/salman-preity-come-together-again-with.html

Aishwarya- Abhishek marriage has left many schedules haywire and not everyone is happy about such a thing. Rani Mukherjee, who has been a great co-star with Abhishek Bachchan is annoyed. Not because she wasn’t invited for the wedding, but because Abhishek has delayed the shoot of their next film ‘Lagaa Chunari Mein Daag’ for which they are paired together for his honeymoon plans. Because oh this delay Rani’s other projects would also suffer. Well you can’t actually blame her after such a thing. It takes good amount of strength to digest that in spite of being a good family friend, she wasn’t invited for the wedding because of Ash’s dislikes for her, and to top all that this professional delay!Aishwarya Rai has decided to take up the Bachchan title by her own will and this information was passed to media by Big B. Also that both Aishwarya and Abhishek will stay with Big B and Jaya Bachchan instead of staying separate. Big B also expressed his and Jaya’s wish for Ash to continue her career. But not everyone in the industry is anyway interested to work with Ash.

“I have not seen any of her movies. I don’t know her and really don’t want to know,” said Mahesh Bhatt when asked to comment on Ash’s career graph. Wondering on that statement? I am not!
Let us wait and see what else comes up in the wake of their marriage but till then enjoy their post-marriage photos. Aishwarya and Abhishek in Anil Ambani’s private jet on their journey to Tirumala.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/ash-abhi-controversies-post-marriage.html

This apparently is the maiden flick of one Lovely Singh. Lovely name, (no pun intended), bakwas movie! C’mon, Lovely puttar, Indian cinema is progressing; the movies are getting smarter and better and the audience is spoilt for a choice. Then, why a movie like this yaar, which has no head, tail nor middle?

The age of ‘leave-your-brain-behind’ movies are long gone and forgotten, then why are you bent on reliving the past Indian cinema wants to forget? We have younger directors with fresh ideas and even younger actors, some of who have untapped potential. Moreover, in the recent past, Bollywood has seen movies that far surpass Indian standards. And after watching movies like WATER, EKLAVYA – The Royal Guard, BLACK FRIDAY and THE NAMESAKE, to name a few, did you really think his movie of yours had a ghost of a chance? Or were you thinking at all when filming this movie in scenic South Africa? That reminds me, was there a need to shoot the film there? It could have been shot at Currey Road!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/film-reviews-kya-love-story-hai.html

The movie has been nominated for the Taurus World Stunt Awards taking place in LA on May 20.

After wowing audiences in India, the highly stylised Dhoom 2 has now created a record of sorts. The Aishwarya Rai-Hrithik Roshan starrer has become the first Hindi film ever to be nominated in the Foreign Film Category of the Taurus World Stunt Awards.

Allan Amin, the stunt director of the film, has been invited to Los Angeles for the award ceremony on May 20. “”It is indeed a rare privilege. I am so glad that I have been given this opportunity,” says an excited Amin.

The buzz is that if Allan wins the award, he will be receiving it from Hollywood hottie Keanu Reeves. However, the list of other foreign films vying for this award has not yet been announced. MI3, Casino Royale, Déjà Vu and Fast and Furious 3 are the films nominated in the main category. No wonder Amin is so excited...after all he will be mingling with the best in the stunt business!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/dhoom-2-in-hollywood.html

Bollywood's reigning queen Rani Mukerji doesn't regret doing "Baabul" that turned cold turkey at the box office and is quite upbeat about her next film "Ta Ra Rum Pum". She says she has modelled her performance in the film, releasing Friday, on her mother.
"When I read the script I was so ecstatic I called Siddharth (Anand) immediately. I completely identified with the script. I thought of my own mother who handled all of us through every crisis in our lives. I've modelled my performance on my mother. There are little moments in 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' that wrench your guts.... And I got to play mother for the first time - to such professional kids at that,"

Angelina Idnani and Ali Haji play Rani and Saif Ali Khan's children in the film.

"We had a lovely time because of them. Saif and I became children with the young actors. It's a story that will touch everybody."

And the third kid?

"You mean Saif? It's so wonderful working with him. What fun we had! Saif and I have grown together as actors. 'Hum Tum' was a breakthrough film for both of us. It got me my first best actress award. The film bonded us. He has come a long way from 'Hum Tum' to 'Ta Ra Rum Pum'."

Rani says she has also changed with age - the chemistry is different.

"Saif and I are not friends off the sets. We don't chat on the phone and we don't go out for dinner together. But on camera we share great chemistry. We're a great help to each other. If he's stuck on a scene he doesn't hesitate to ask for my advice.

"I really wish Saif well in life. And I know he feels the same for me. We are both very vain about ourselves. We keep looking at each other's performances and patting each other on the back."

And the supposed fights they had in New York?

"I never react to rumours. The truth was out when Saif and I talked about the film. Do you see any bitterness between us?"

She was Mira Nair's first choice for "The Namesake" and Rani says she regrets not working with the NRI director.

"I don't regret missing out on 'The Namesake' but I regret not working with Mira. I loved Jumpa Lahiri's novel and I love the film. Being a Bengali, I completely relate to the ambience.

"Many of my aunts live in the US the way the protagonist does. But I wasn't convinced about playing mother to a 25-year old boy. And I said so to Mira. She completely understood. Also, Karan's film happened at the same time. So I apologised to Mira," said Rani.

Rani says she is very fond of Nair.

"I love meeting her whenever I'm in New York. In fact I bumped into her while shooting for Karan Johar's 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'. We were once shooting below her house. I'm very fond of her and I'm sure we'll work together. 'The Namesake' isn't Mira's last film, you know," Rani chortled.

Rani is very happy for Tabu who is getting rave reviews for her performance.

"Every role has a destiny. And I genuinely think Tabu was suited for the role. She was superb."

Rani's last release 'Baabul' was a bit of a blown-up babble. Tell her that and she jumps to the film's defence.

"To be very honest my parents wanted me to do 'Baabul'. It's been quite a while since I'd done a film on their say-so. And I'm happy that I did it. 'Baabul' was a cause every person relates to. See, a film has to touch a core audience and 'Baabul' did that. We made it with conviction."

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/rani-models-her-ta-ra-rum-pum.html

Aishwarya-Abhishek wedding news continues…excluding the media scuffle and the suicide attempt by an aspiring actress that happened during the wedding time span, everything else was fine with the Big Fat Bollywood marriage. The actress has been proved guilty of treason and Amitabh Bachchan has apologized for the media scuffle. So even those problems are cleared.

The couple yesterday paid a visit to Tirumala Balaji and performed pooja for two hours, which obviously frustrated the other devotees who were restricted entry to the temple. After they took blessings from at the temple the couple flew to Venice for their Honeymoon. The honeymoon package was gifted by Abhishek’s sister Shweta Nanda. So atleast the Honeymoon is not sponsored.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/aishwarya-abhishek-fly-venice-for.html

The Bollywood’s most wanted couple is out at Venice enjoying their Honeymoon. But the wedding has left many others enjoy the knot. ‘Aishwarya Rai’- the name sure comes with a value and the value isn’t any small- it runs into crores. Rai’s entry into the Bachchan Family has made the Bachchan clan worth Rs 700 crore! Wooph…that is a big fat amount…wonder how many zeros are those! And everyone from the Mehndi Walla at Sajot, Rajasthan to people like us sitting and typing about the golden couple are reaping the benefits of their wedding. And ad world is the one going to reap the most as Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan are Brand Ambassadors of quite a handful world famous Brands. Reid & Taylor, Ford Fiesta, L’oreal being a few of them. Big B charges upto Rs 5 crore per ad, followed by Aishwarya who charges Rs 3 crore per ad while Abhishek, who wasn’t far behind, has recently raised his brand value after hits like Mani Ratnam’s ‘Guru’ and ‘Bunty aur Babli’. And the marriage no doubt had many cash registers ringing. With special launches like L’Oreal that first time launched an exclusive Aishwarya Shade collection- Color Riche range, Tender Beige on the 21st of April the profit has been proved right. So people in business- be it any (including media) - should give more blessings to the couple to go ahead and be popular always! Enjoy the Pics too!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/aishwarya-abhishek-wedding-photos-worth.html

Ash-Abhi wedding has sure been selling hot but something has been selling even hotter than that. Wondering what? Of course SRK! Nothing on earth apart from SRK can overpower the name of Bachchans. Distribution rights for Om Shanti Om is being bided at high rates by leading houses named Studio 18, Sony and Adlabs. The bid being sold is supposedly touching Rs 55 crore, a huge amount in Bollywood. Flm trade analyst Amod Mehra was quoted saying, “These corporate bodies have approached Shah Rukh for all rights to OSO, including India and overseas distribution along with satellite, audio and home video rights for 10 years. The amount they are offering him is higher than what Nikhil Advani’s Salaam-E-Ishq was paid last year. That was a first of its kind deal at Rs 42 crore. Other than Yash Raj (Chopras) and Dharma (Karan Johar), none of the other production houses have the power or the moolah to sign Shah Rukh Khan, which is why he rarely works for other banners. But when a corporate entity that can’t sign Shah Rukh gets a readymade SRK film with everything in place, it’s like a dream come true. Hence they’re more than willing to cough up such extravagant amounts. A Shah Rukh Khan film gives them terrific branding and also makes their stock soar.” After all the media attention shifting to Aishwarya and Abhishek, it is finally time to talk Bollywood Business which always goes around SRK.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/om-shanti-om-bid-touching-rs-55-crore.html

He sure has lot of stories to tell. The man whom Bollywood loves the most, Sanjay Dutt’s life is going to be put on shelves for people to read. The brainchild of director Sanjay Gupta, the biography promises to mirror the actor’s life.

“What a life and what a story it would make! There’s too much there to be compressed into a three-hour movie. Only a book-like format can do justice to Sanju’s story,” says Gupta. The hunt is going on for a professional writer who could pen it down in the right manner. It won’t be a single book but a three volume one. Well for a man of that varied experience three volumes would just suffice. We are eager for the book. This is also inducing White Feathers to come up with star biographies in the coming decade.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/sanjay-dutts-biography.html

I guess no one missed the fervent kiss that Richard Gere placed on Shilpa Shetty’s cheeks. Gere termed it as an innocent kiss and Miss Shetty is also very comfortable with it. But one thing Ms. Shetty is not comfortable with is public’s response to the whole incident.

“I don’t want us to look like idiots in front of the foreign media. I didn’t understand what was happening. And then I saw everything being blown out of proportion on TV. I am not allowed to work, my entire shooting has been disrupted. Richard Gere called me three times since the morning to apologize and said that he didn’t want to hurt the sentiments of Indian people. And if he did, he is sorry. We went there for a cause. Richard doesn’t belong to our country, and he is so passionate about the cause,” said an angry Shilpa. The incident happened when Gere and Shilpa were at Delhi to promote AIDS awareness programs.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/shilpa-shetty-it-was-just-kiss-on-my.html

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Rishi Kapoor, Upen Patel

Director: Vipul Shah

Trust Akshay Kumar to play the dependable, noble man waiting for his wife to succumb to his charms even if it takes him (and her) forever.

He did it in "Dhadkan". Now he does it with finesse in Vipul Shah's neatly-written film about a mal-adjusted British-Asian family in London grappling with the vagaries of a socio-cultural system that makes children of Indians and Pakistanis more Britons than the British.

Or so believes Katrina Kaif, whose character is similar to that of Saira Banu in Manoj Kumar's "Purab Aur Paschim". Katrina brings into play all the uncertainties of a generation that's caught between Indian tradition and the pubs of Britain.

Shah keeps his story of a British Indian girl's journey into the heart of Punjab and a Punjabi lover-boy tightly reined-in. It highlights the cultural conflicts that Britain throws up for migrants.

London is captured not as an exotic city but the hub of a hectic cultural conflict, which sometimes reminds us of Gurinder Chaddha's "Bend It Like Beckham". At times, Shah takes off into a world of comic candour, portraying the nuclear British Asian family in all its parodic glory.

Suresh Nair's writing skills are on display in almost every scene. He brings parody and poignancy into picturesque play. Watch Rishi Kapoor and his Punjabi son-in-law Akshay Kumar bond over beer and giggle at the dining table.

The narration moves into the streets of London with as much fluency as the dusty gullies of Punjab. Bringing Indian and British cultures together are the outstanding technicians and actors. Jonathan Bloom's camera captures London's ethnic underbelly well.

Rishi Kapoor as the worried father of a spoilt London lass is great. Katrina finally comes into her own. She's the portrait of bubbly brattiness.

Shah, whose earlier films relied heavily on Gujarati theatre, comes into his own too. He takes gentle but stinging swipes at the rootlessness that characterises the torn lives of Indians abroad.
The Indian Diaspora becomes the subject for a strong, drama-driven celebration of music, songs and an ironic humour that pokes fun at conventions that irrigate and yet retard the growth of Indian cinema.

Only the Pakistani sub-plot, with Upen Patel, doesn't gel with the plot. Shah tries to give the film darker shades than the genre permits. Thankfully these lunges at socio-cultural profundity do not scar the narrative.

Watching this film is like chewing on a gum that retains its flavour much longer than you expect.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/film-reviews-namastey-london.html

Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Neha Dhupia, Om Puri, Rohit Roy, Simone Singh, Vivek Shauq, Kamini Khanna
Producer: Prabhu

Director: Anand Kumar

We've seen small-budget, 'zara hatke' films like "Khosla Ka Ghosla" and "Pyaar Ke Side Effects" turn into good entertainers and rake in moolah at the box office. Something similar was expected from first time director Anand Kumar's "Delhii Heights". But he disappoints. If Kumar had executed the story cleverly and concentrated on fewer characters, he could have made it an appealing fare.

In the movie, Delhii Heights is the name of a high-rise apartment in the capital and the story revolves around the people living in it.

Neha Dhupia and Jimmy Shergill, who are working in rival ad agencies, are the protagonists in this slice-of-life story. The other couple in the film is played by Simone Singh and Rohit Roy, who is a big time flirt.

Apart from them, other residents of the apartments are Om Puri, who plays a sardar, Vivek Shauq, a bookie, and a band of four boys just whiling away their time doing nonsensical things.
Too cluttered!

The story is about Jimmy and Neha and how their work messes up their personal lives ... And finally how they find a solution to put their married life on track.

In the meantime, Simone catches her flirtatious husband red-handed with another woman. She walks out on him but an accident forces her to reconsider her decision.

The story is too predictable to keep the audiences hooked. If the director had concentrated on the main plot instead of meandering in too many directions, it could have been a good movie.

As for performances, Om Puri takes the cake and the rest of the cast seems to be just okay ... you don't mind flaws in the performances because you know their limitations.

Songs are tolerable but the background score by the debutant music director Rabbi Shergill works as a deterrent and doesn't really enhance the situations in the film.
In short, you can give it a miss!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/film-reviews-delhi-heights.html

If there is one movie you MUST see in 2007, it should be The Namesake. The movie is based on the critically acclaimed novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. The film, directed by Mira Nair beautifully illustrates the story of the Ganguli family and their transcending lives between Calcutta and New York. The film stars Kal Penn, his first serious dramatic role after breaking into Hollywood as a comedic actor in films such as Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Van Wilder, and American Desi. The film also stars Tabu, who has starred in numerous Bollywood movies and Irfan Khan who made his acting debut in Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay!

For anyone who was born in another country and moved to America; this film is especially emotional. The movie truly hits home for many South-Asian American. Ashoke and Ashima (played by Tabu and Irfan Khan) spend years trying to adapt to America as immigrants and they find themselves struggling to connect with their own children, Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair). An important theme throughout the movie is the importance of family. For many immigrants their extended family is not comprised of relatives; but friends whom they share a common past with. The film addresses this immense challenge of creating a home, family and a close-knit community in a foreign land.

During the New York premiere, director Mira Nair described the film as, "This film is a dil ka tukra, a piece of my heart - a seesaw of two great cities of the world - New York and Kolkata." Like many of us, even when we adapt to a new country and a new culture, there is a part of us that feels that we don't quite belong and constantly feel foreign to a place that we consider home.

The story is not simply about Indians, but a modern coming-of-age story beautifully captured on film. Most importantly, it is a film that families should watch together. The combination of Mira Nair's directing and the talented cast, the film is emotionally powerful and engages the audience from the opening scene until the credits roll.

The Namesake is scheduled for wide release in March 2007.

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/film-reviews-namesake.html

Everybody has been waiting for Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan wedding but has anyone asked what does Ash’s former boyfriend is doing? Well he is also planning for his wedding with the gorgeous girlfriend Katrina Kaif with whom has been steady for long now. A week before the rumors flew that Salman has announced his wedding with the beauty before Ash and Abhi wed. Though this piece of news has got no confirmation, brother Arbaaz Khan says Salman can surprise everyone any time. Bollywood would surely enjoy another much awaited wedding. No dearth of beauties for Sallu bhai han!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/are-salman-and-katrina-getting-married.html

The greatest news of all and biggest disappointment to media is here! Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are back together sharing not just a frame but also the whole film. Both the stars have settled all the rumors regarding their fight with the same thing that flared up the rumors. Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan will be seen together in DON 2, the sequel to Farhan Akhtar’s Don.

The sequel will be shot extensively in Philippines. But Ritesh Siddwani and Farhan Akhtar has decided to give some relief to media by making the two bollywood kings against each other in the movie. Oh I can’t wait for the movie! And you guys know where to catch more about the film, of course on our site!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/big-b-and-king-khan-together-in-don-2.html

It is official that nine days down the line, no Khans including the top three Khans will attend the grand and much awaited Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya wedding. Aamir is not a close friend to invite, Shah Rukh is obviously not invited but the star sure wishes his best luck for their married life and Salman Khan, who was rumored to have been personally invited for the weddings, is all surprised to hear the media even decided his wedding gift for Abhishek when he was not even invited. Not just the three of them but also Farah, Feroz, Sajid, Zayed and Saif have been excluded from the invitee list. Sources say, “Karan Johar, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Kajol and Sunil Shetty are the only stars to be invited. They are all close to Abhishek. If they hadn’t been invited, it would definitely have been strange.” And the reason cited for all the major exclusions is Teji Bachchan’s health. Strange thing is that when Shweta and Nikhil Nanda were getting married, Big B made a similar small list and cited Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s deteriorating health as the reason. Also ponder that even when Amitabh and Jaya Bhaduri got married, only 15 members were invited. So instead of all the sorry reasons Bachchans can just say they want to keep the wedding a very private affair. Ooph…kya nakhare!

URL: http://cool-bollywoodgossip.blogspot.com/2007/04/invitee-list-for-abhishek-bachchan-and.html