The Asian News Blog

The Abhi-Ash wedding lore is reaching its crescendo with just a few more hours to the eagerly awaited event!

Jaya Bachchan has trashed all rumours of a stand off between her and Ash and in a special interview to Karan Johar she told the world “I have always loved her.”
And now it looks like Ash could even be the end of Abhishek if you believe in superstition.
You see the union could end up disastrous because Ash’s astrological chart is ‘manglik’ meaning under Hindu tradition she will bring misfortune, maybe even death to whoever marries her unless she marries another ‘manglik’ like herself, which Abhishek is not.
Now that kind of news will make most men run very very far, but not Abhishek and his very religious family.
The beautiful actress is reported to have taken part in several ‘cleansing ceremonies’ to try to rid herself of the ‘manglik’ curse. One solution advised by astrologers is to marry a banana tree to ward off evil.
The Bachchans have taken their future daughter-in-law to visit numerous temples. In one to the Tirupati Temple, Bachchan senior is believed to have donated millions of rupees plus 100 kilograms of gold and planted an invitation for his son’s wedding at the deity’s feet.
Even the date of the wedding was apparently chosen because it is considered the most auspicious in the Hindu calendar.

Police have also stepped up security as fans danced in the streets to celebrate Friday’s wedding of two of Bollywood stars.
Police also questioned a fan, Jhanvi Kapoor, who cut her wrist outside the Bachchan home in Mumbai, claiming the star had promised to marry her.
“We didn’t register a complaint as Jhanvi Kapoor had no case,” said police officer A. Mohite. “This is a stunt.”
Red and pink flowers, encircled by gold and green curtains, covered a huge air-conditioned tent in a garden adjoining the Bachchan family home where Rai and Bachchan will exchange garlands and wedding vows later today.
The media has dubbed the event “India’s wedding of the year,” but have been kept out as this is going to be one private affair.
Talks have been circulating the city about who is on the guest list but more importantly who is not.
The Khans – Shah Rukh, Salman and Amir – were amongst those snubbed when they did not receive an invitation.
Some of the others who have also been snubbed include Fardeen, Saif and Zayed.
The reason for Shah Rukh missing out on the event is attributed to his widely publicised feud with acting legend Amitabh Bachchan.
But Shah Rukh was happy to extend his best wishes. He told Indian press: “They have not invited me. Regardless, I wish them the best.”
The wedding invitations, accompanied by a box of chocolates, is designed in the shape of a poetry book.
It also has a poem, about new beginnings by the Big B’s father, legendary poet Harivanshrai Bachchan.
The wedding ceremony will take place at Big B’s Prateeksha home in Mumbai.
The wedding festivities have been planned as low key but elegant affair due to the long illness of Amitabh’s mother Teji.

ESHA Deol will surprise her fans with some breath-taking stunts in her forthcoming film. Director Anubhav Sinha’s movie CASH has Esha doing many action sequences. The actress refused to use a duplicate and insisted on doing her own stunts.

Though Esha is not allowed to reveal much about her role in the film, she does spill a few beans. She will be seen delivering high-flying kicks and doing a high-speed car chase. Even though she is adept in driving, Esha had to undergo training under an expert in Cape Town, South Africa, before shooting her action scenes.
Esha says she likes action movies like KILL BILL and wishes Bollywood would make more girlie action flicks.

NOT only is she endowned with a pretty face, the most charming smile and a candid demeanour, Ayesha Takia is also one of the most talented newcomers around. With several awards in her pocket as the most promising newcomer and more recently for her scintillating performance in Dor, the young actress is on a firm ground.

Here the chirpy Ayesha talks about her to-be-released film Kya Love Story Hai, a breezy love story by debutant director Lovely Singh, out on April 20:
After an intense film like Dor how was it working in a love story like Kya Love Story Hai?
I consider myself very lucky to be doing a good balance of films. Dor was very demanding emotionally, and had drained me completely. I am extremely proud of Dor. Working in Kya Love Story Hai was fun! I enjoy doing love stories! In this film, I play Kaajal a young and vivacious today’s girl who has a firm value base. It rejuvenated me!
What is it about Kya Love Story Hai that will draw the audiences?
It a love story and love is a universal sentiment! Love stories always find a universal audience. Love is an integral part of every individual’s life. One is either in love or is waiting to fall in love. So everyone will connect with Kya Love Story Hai. I am a very romantic person myself!
What is so special about Kya Love Story Hai?
I think its strength lies in its simplicity. It’s a simple love story that has been treated and executed very well. The film’s director Lovely Singh has kept it very close to life and made it as real as possible. It has brilliant music and with Cape Town as the backdrop, its beaches and landscapes have given the film a unique and exotic flavour.
You are looking exceptionally striking in Kya Love Story Hai?
It is all thanks to Manish Malhotra! He went out of his way to experiment and give me this look of a very vivacious and sprighty girl. Though the chic dresses and cool tops are not clothes I would wear in real life, I really enjoyed wearing them for Kya Love Story Hai.

How was it working with your co-star Tusshar Kapoor? It’s your first film with him!
I found Tusshar to be one of the most uncomplicated and easy persons to work with. As an actor he is extremely hard working, and dedicated to his craft and gets involved with every aspect of the film. As a person he is great fun. Like me, he is a foodie and we had a great time gorging on exotic sea food almost every day of the shoot!
The sensational song It’s Rocking Yaara Kabhi Ishq To Karo……picturised on Kareena Kapoor is a huge, huge hit. Do you ever wish it had been picturised on you?
I have set a few rules for myself. Not doing item numbers is one of them as i am not comfortable wearing the kind of clothes one has to, for these numbers. But yes, Kareena is looking gorgeous and I am very glad that people are loving it and it is high up on all the music charts!
The music of Kya Love Story Hai is very young and foot-tapping. Which is your favourite track?
I love all the tracks of the film. Pritam has done a great job. But Jeena Kya Tere Bina …..is the one i can listen to again and again. When shooting for the film we were in Cape Town for 40 days and I was missing my boyfriend Farhan. This song echoes my sentiments I felt at that time!
What are your expectations from the film?
I have great expectations from Kya Love Story Hai. It’s a sweet and emotional romance for families! You’ll come out with a smile on your face!
Expecting any awards this time?
It’s great to get them, but I don’t take up a film hoping I will get an award for it. My award is the people’s appreciation of my work!
(STUDIO 18 WILL RELEASE KYA LOVE STORY HAI INTERNATIONALLY ON APRIL 20. FOR CINEMA LISTINGS VISIT WWW.STUDIO18INDIA.COM)

THE CREAM OF BOLLYWOOD TALENT BATTLE IT OUT IN A STAR-STUDDED CLIMAX TO THE LAST IN THE CURRENT SERIES OF KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI ON STAR PLUS

Not to be missed by Bollywood enthusiasts and fans of the show alike, in a spectacular finale of the ever popular TV game show on STAR Plus, Kaun Banega Crorepati welcomes on stage pin-ups Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra who engage in a battle of the brains with the hottest new industry couple – Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.

Kaun Banega Crorepati? Watch STAR Plus on Thursday 19th April at 9pm.

The latest emotional drama to emerge from STAR Plus’s treasure trove is the compelling drama series Kayamath – launching on 23rd April, and to be aired at 9pm, Monday – Thursday.

Kayamath – an endearing and original love story is Balaji Telefilms’ first presentation on the channel, centering on ‘Praachi’ – an innocent, introverted and lovable girl, inhabiting a world where women project power, confidence and ruthlessness. With strong emotional attachments to her father and also with her best friend – ‘Neev’, Kayamath is the charming story about Praachi’s discovery of her love for Neev, and their journey from being just friends, to lovers and soul mates.
The character of Praachi is played by accomplished starlet, Panchi Bora, while Kayamath also stars veteran actor, Mohnish Behl as Praachi’s father, debutant Jay Bhansuli, who plays the role of best friend, Neev, and Prachi Shah, as Aarti (Praachi’s mother). The cast also features an ensemble of other key characters, played by Shabbir Alhuwalia, Neena Kulkarni, Shenaz Patel, Suraj Thapar, Amita Chandikar and Mini Tiwari, among others.
Kayamath heralds yet another landmark piece of TV programming, to add to STAR Plus’s ever-increasing repertoire of sure-hit ratings winners. Commenting on the show’s concept, Shailja Kejriwal, Senior Creative Director of STAR India, comments “With Kayamath coming at a primetime slot, our endeavour is to unfold an intense, passionate love story which carries a simple plot through its relatable characters.”

My ex husband is stalking me and giving my friends crank calls. One friend, a white girl, says she’s been getting calls at 1am, all she can hear is kitchen clatter, menu orders being barked out to what she thinks is a chef and Asian men laughing in the background.
Another friend has had so far 21 different men ring her up. It turns out these men received a text message from someone saying “Hi my name is XX, please ring me on dis number XXXX” and in one day she was bombarded with phone calls. Some of the men were polite. She explained to them what she thinks has happened and many have not rang back. But then there’s others, who can’t speak a word of English and keep telling her that they want to be friends, even “special” friends. Others have been kind enough to give us the original mobile number from where the text came from.
We decided to ring, and guess who answered the phone? The ex. Just to be sure we rang again, it was definitely him. My friend was very pissed off and just as she started to give him an earful, his phone went dead and that particular number has been turned off since then.
But that’s not all, some male colleagues at work have also been getting strange calls, again they can hear kitchen clatter and Asian voices. I dare not say it’s my ex, I feel embarrassed about it as it is, instead I listen, too embarrassed to say anything to them and inside the anger is just building up, I want to rip his face off!
The ex had a habit of always going through my phone. I never had anything to hide so always left my phone lying around and he must have just taken down everybody’s number, the sad pathetic bastard.
And now I have started getting crank calls by various different men. Again some wanted to be friends, others ring up at 3am and make disgusting love making sounds down the phone.
Right now I am really really mad and just want to rinse his neck. My dad has told the ex’s uncle but that is not going to achieve anything. Now I might be getting paranoid, but I even get the feeling i’m being followed sometimes. I don’t tell my mum because she always worries he might break into the house and kill me and this will only make her more paranoid.
Dante sleeps with his phone on every night in case I need him and has even threatened to go down to the restaurant where the ex works and beat him up. I told him I will love that but it wasn’t necessary, if anybody was going to beat anybody up it will be me and I plan to knock the ex out.
I am now changing my number, both my friends have had to do the same.
I’ve also rang immigration to tell them that we have separated. Legally he is allowed to stay here until his visa runs out, but if he tries to make an application for indefinite leave and put my false signature on, immigration will know straightaway.
On top of that my aunt all off a sudden started putting pressure on me to get back together again. She thinks it looks bad on the family especially as she is trying to get her daughters married and when potential in-laws heard about me, my aunt says it reflected badly on them. However, it turns out only one family had made a comment about me, but nobody else really cared and I told my aunt in the most nicest way that I wasn’t going to do anything to please anybody except myself – as selfish as that maybe!
Sometimes I have felt guilty about the split and have even felt sorry for the ex at times. Once I even considered making him legal. But now I HATE him like I’ve never hated anybody before and I don’t usually hate people, in fact I can’t think of anybody that I hate, but the EX, I HATE him, I hope lightning strikes him, I hope he chokes on his food, I want the roads to open up and swallow him so he never resurfaces again. I want to publicly humiliate him, you know how they do in these Asian dramas, slap him across the face in a room full of people with everybody looking on thinking he deserves it but shocked at the same time cos he was slapped by a woman.
Honestly though I can’t wait to get my hands on him!

Stunning Bollywood star and former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai launched a new exhibition of photographs entitled ‘Faces’ at Drury Lane’s Bollywood inspired restaurant – Sitaaray. The photographs are part of a tribute to the stars of Indian cinema by legendary Bollywood photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha that will be on display at the restaurant during April.

Celebrating 75 years of Indian cinema, the ‘Faces’ exhibition is a showcase of imagery from Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who has captured the greatest icons of Indian cinema from actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to Bollywood beauties Shilpa Shetty and Aishwarya Rai in his unique and celebrated style.
Aishwarya who was also in town to promote her new film offered her support for Gautam’s exhibition. Gautam and Aishwarya have worked together several times over the years, he shot her for various advertising campaigns during her modelling career and for a number of her films. His coffee table book called ‘Faces’ contains 45 film personalities beginning with Durga Khote, one of India’s first ladies of cinema and ending with Aishwarya Rai.
Gautam Rajadhyaksha is considered India’s best-known celebrity photographer, having photographed almost all the icons of the Indian Film industry and holds the distinction of having the largest number of cover pictures in glossy magazines in India. He is the most sought after photographer in the nation for anyone who wants to get noticed.
Gautam’s photography career started over 20 years ago, when his friend, legendary actress Shabana Azmi asked him to shoot her for a film magazine, after which he gave up a career in advertising and came to be known as India’s best known star photographer. In December 2006, Shabana Azmi and her husband, leading lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar, formally opened Sitaaray and launched Sitaaray’s first cultural event ‘Kaifi Aur Main’ – a play based on the life of Kaifi Azmi.
Following the unveiling, Gautam provided an exceptional insight into his photography with ‘an hour with Gautam’ during which he took guests down memory lane with anecdotes and experiences of his career accompanied by an audio visual presentation of his portraits of the much loved icons of Indian cinema.
Sitaaray – a restaurant that celebrates India’s two greatest exports – its cuisine and its cinema, with its enchanting décor and delicious food, kick started their festivities to commemorate 75 years of Indian cinema, with a dinner for IIFA Ambassador and Superstar of the Millennium – Amitabh Bachchan last Wednesday.
Sitaaray will be hosting the ‘Faces’ exhibition from 4th April to 21st April 2007. The exhibition will include the sale of Gautam Rajadhyaksha’s photographs and a limited edition poster commissioned by Sitaaray.

Friday 6th April saw significant audiences drawn to watch Jag Mundhra’s highly acclaimed new film, Provoked.

With its compelling subject matter (based on the true account of Kiranjit Ahluwalia’s torment in a ten-year, abusive marriage, culminating in the killing of her husband, her life imprisonment for murder and subsequent release on the grounds of provocation) and an accomplished cast of both Bollywood and mainstream stars such as Aishwarya Rai, Nandita Das, Robbi Coltrane, Miranda Richardson and Steve McFadden, Provoked was a popular choice among film audiences over the Easter weekend and is forecast to continue attracting moviegoers well into the forthcoming weeks.

A new movie map, which celebrates the range of locations across the capital to feature in Bollywood films, was launched by Film London and Visit London.
As well as featuring numerous venues in central London including museums, shopping centres and well-known landmarks, the map also covers locations across the breadth of the capital from Osterley Park(Kabhi Khushie Kabhie Gham) in the west, through to Stratford Station (Mujhse Dosti Karoge) and Canary Wharf (I…Proud to be an Indian) in the east.
The capital is proving an increasingly popular destination for Indian crews, with over 40 Bollywood productions filmed in London last year, including Salaam-E-Ishq and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. Film London plays a vital role in supporting Indian productions, providing crews with assistance, support and advice and liaising with different venues, agencies and local authorities to ensure filming is as seamless as possible.
Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London said: “This map demonstrates Bollywood’s real contribution to London’s economy, its cultural vibrancy, and status as an international centre for film production. Bollywood films also offer a unique take on some of London’s iconic landmarks, giving Londoners the opportunity to see them in a new light and showcasing the capital on cinema screens across the globe.”
James Bidwell, CEO Visit London said: “London continues to be an inspirational setting for many Bollywood films with a mixture of traditional, modern and diverse locations available. The Bollywood Movie Map will give fans of Indian cinema the chance to visit the locations and landmarks immortalised on screen from over 20 top Bollywood films and follow in the footsteps of their favourite stars.”
This is the eighth in a series of movie maps which are designed to encourage tourists, Londoners and film-lovers alike to discover the capital through films shot in the city.
Maps are currently available in tourist information centres around the UK and overseas, Cineworld cinemas and hundreds of restaurants, bars, cafes and cinemas in London’s West End.
The launch of the map coincides with the unveiling of a waxwork of Shah Rukh Khan, an A-list Bollywood star at Madame Tussauds. Two of Shah Rukh Khan’s most popular films Kabhi Khushie Kabhie Gham and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge are featured in the Bollywood Movie Map.
Londoners and visitors to the capital will also be able to sample the richness of India’s culture, when the capital stages India Now, a spectacular three-month season celebrating Indian culture and including business events, backed by the Mayor of London. This will culminate in an India-themed Regent Street Festival at the beginning of September, which is expected to attract up to 500,000 people. India will also be the theme of the annual cultural arts festival that takes place in Trafalgar Square each August. These activities complement the annual celebrations for Diwali, Eid and Vaisakhi and the London Mela.
India Now will take place in advance of a planned visit to Mumbai and Delhi towards the end of the year by the Mayor, aimed at strengthening links between London and India.

Among the industry’s most prolific producers, Mukesh Bhatt and Mahesh Bhatt (Vishesh Films) have tied up with Studio 18 for the international release of the Bhatts’ most ambitious and costly venture to date, Awarapan.

Directed by Mohit Suri of Zeher and Woh Lamhe fame, Awarapan features Emraan Hashmi (pictured above), south superstar Shreya Saran (who will soon be seen opposite Rajnikanth in the mega Tamil blockbuster, Sivaji) and the Apaharan bombshell, Mrinalini Sharma (last seen in the sensational item number opposite Ajay Devgan.) In true Bhatt tradition, the romantic thriller, shot in Hong Kong, will boast of chartbusting music by Pritam, on Sa Re Ga Ma.
Awarapan will also be the Bhatts’ and Emraan Hashmi’s first principal theatrical outing in the overseas market. The International Division of Studio 18 has become synonymous with promoting and making a success of films with new names ( Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Kya Love Story Hai) internationally, and Awarapan will be their next from the 2007 line-up.
Remarked Ashoka Holla, Senior Vice President – International Business at Studio 18, “It is a known fact that the Bhatts are extremely passionate producers and work hard in promoting their films. It is unfortunate that many of their recent works have not made it overseas despite the enormous success of their music. Studio 18 is happy to initiate an association with them on Awarapan and work jointly towards giving it due visibility and a credible theatrical release internationally.”
Stated Mukesh Bhatt, “We are proud to be associated with the Raghav Bahl-promoted TV 18 group. It is one of the best corporate houses in the business and the International Distribution team at Studio 18 comprises young, experienced and dynamic members who have repeatedly proven their credentials. We look forward to working with them on Awarapan.”
Awarapan is due to release worldwide on June 29.