Preity Zinta returns with an unusual story

After having some bitter experiences at IPL, Preity Zinta returns to Mumbai with Deepa Mehta’s upcoming flick, "Heaven on Earth".

But she has an unusual role to play in the movie. According to sources, her lead pair is not any handsome hero with 6-pack abs or fancy dance moves but-hold your breathe- a snake.

Apparently the story of the film goes like this. Preity plays “Chand”, an innocent girl who is harassed by her in- laws after she marries a Canadian NRI, “Rocky”.

To her rescue comes a snake, which lives in her back yard and saves her from her abusive husband and in-laws.

“Initially, when Preity read the script, she was very excited about her character, but when the shoot began, it became hard for the actress to get deep into the skin of the character”, says a source.

Dia Mirza sizzles in Acid Factory

In Bollywood, where the frame of fame and fortune changes with every Friday, there are very few who can actually live upto their name. Dia Mirza is definitely one of them! After having set afire many films with her powerful performances, she is all set to blaze the screen once again with her forthcoming flick Acid Factory. Dia will be seen in a glam-chic avatar in the film.

The credit goes to none other than Nikhil Mehra, of the famous Nikhil-Shantanu duo, who, at the behest of a brief given by Sanjay Gupta, has given Dia a very structured, sexy and an action-oriented look. Of all her outfits in the film, we strongly feel that the highlight should be her flaming red dress, which simply stuns the onlooker at the mere sight.

As for Nikhil, he, today, is a man who is far more just satisfied as he says that Dia simply loves these dresses and that she has been working like dog to do full justice to the outfits. On his own admission, Nikhil says that Dia looks hotter than ever before in Acid Factory, and a little peek-a-boo on the red outfit 'reveals' that it's a gown with a slit showing off her legs and a gun-thigh strap; something which is slightly inspired by Sin City. There's also another look where she wears a well-fitting jackets while the dress has a provocative neckline.

Well, looking at this hot Bollywood actress, all we can say is 'Dia's attire will surely have the whole country on fire.

Fitness tips from Neha Dhupia

Neha Dhupia has been a fitness freak. She is one of Bollywood's hottest pinup girls, and is better known for her straight talk, daring roles, striking features and smokin' hot bod.

"I really got into keeping fit during my Miss India days. People think that just because you're an actress, you have to watch your weight and stay slim. While this is true to some extent, fitness is more about health than looking good. Whether you're an actress or someone who works in a bank, fitness should be one of your priorities. Saying that you're too busy, that there's no time left for a workout is just an excuse -- one must make time”, says Neha.

Here are few tips from Neha to keep in shape and an insight into her fitness regime:

• I'm not into any diet as such. I eat a bit of everything that the body requires, but the key is not to indulge. People have a tendency to over-indulge in things they like. Watch what you eat and don't binge! It's not necessary to fill your stomach to its full capacity at every meal -- upto about 80 percent should suffice and you should avoid over-eating at all costs.

• Drink plenty of water. Water is good for the body in general and it's excellent for your skin -- it will keep your complexion clear.

• My fitness routine consists of a combination of yoga and cardio -- I find it works best for me. I do yoga for about an hour every single day and about 30 minutes to an hour of cardio every other day. Everything depends on the amount of time I have in hand, of course, but I never miss yoga. Also, on outdoor shoots, I always carry a good pair of shoes -- I do some running if I can.

• I think one should be sensible about one's fitness routine. You should listen to your body -- what works for me may not work for someone else. Your body tells you exactly what it needs. There are days when you wake up and your body will tell you not to push it today, to just take it easy. And then there'll be days when you know you've put on a few extra pounds and need to put in an extra effort.

• Stop making excuses. People need to stop making lame excuses about time and work etc. No matter what age you are or what profession you're in, working out is a must. Looking and keeping fit is important.

• Find the right kind of motivation. These days my motivation and inspiration is my mother. She has inspired me to really push myself and get into shape. At the age of 53, she has shed 13 kilos in just a few months. When I saw her improvement, I asked myself, "If she can do it, why can't I?"

• The whole size zero issue is blown out of proportion, it's all based on media hype. Every woman wants to be slim but not every woman can reach size zero. Whichever diet you go on or fitness routine you follow, always keep your health in check.

• Keep a mantra in mind -- remember the saying 'No pain, no gain'? Well, when it comes to fitness and your weight, it's 'No pain, no loss'!!

Priyanka Chopra high on demand

Former Miss World and Bollywood Actress Priyanka Chopra is on a roll these days. Though she hasn't had any major releases thus far, she has a lot to look forward to. The most important of course, being Love Story 2050. But the latest is that this actress, who has quite a few big films in her kitty, has bagged Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Talisman.

The actress, who was recently called one of the sexiest actresses by co star Hrithik Roshan, already has Ashutosh Gowariker's next in her bag. Though she has not had any releases thus far, there are quite a few of her films which are up for release later this year, like Dostana, Drona, God Tussi Great Ho and Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion. But the story doing the rounds is that the actress turned down Farhan Akhtar's next only so that she could allot dates to Chopra's next, to be directed by Ram Madhvani. The Talisman is said to be based on the novel Chandrakanta and Amitabh Bachchan has already been finalized for the film. Some more actors are expected to be finalised soon for this fantasy thriller.

Kashmira is making me famous, quotes Rakhi

Rakhi Sawant loves publicity of all kinds - positive or negative. And she doesn't mind even if it comes from her rivals like Kashmira Shah.

“Whether she loves me or hates me, she has made me famous by playing my role”, says Rakhi.

Kashmira apparently played an item girl named Rakhi who aspires to become an actress in a big budget musical called City of Dreams held in Mumbai last week.

But the Jungle girl maintained that her role had no resemblance to Rakhi. However, Rakhi asserts that it was undoubtedly a character inspired by her life.

“Kashmira definitely played Rakhi Sawant's role in that play. It was entirely based on me”, says Rakhi, who has just won a reality dance contest, Yeh Hai Jalwa.

She added, “Kashmera is such a girl that you befriend her and then she would backstab you. She never talks anything positive. I associate only negativity with her”.

Rakhi's remarks are a continuation of the war of words between the two Bollywood Item Girls.
Kashmira had recently said of Rakhi: “I love to hate her and I hate to love her”.

Vinay Pathak shares screen with SRK in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Vinay Pathak is witty, smart, adorable, and talented and much more. After his stint in Bheja Fry directors and producers are lining outside his house. So he has been signed for a number of film projects.

In addition to all that, now he has another film in the Yash Raj Film's camp after Aaja Nachle. Vinay will now appear in Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. "Yes, I have signed Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in which I will be playing an important role. But I cannot divulge into any details as the director and producer have clearly asked me not to do so. And I really cannot break a promise", says Vinay.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi will be Aditya Chopra's directorial venture after 8 years. The film has Shah Rukh Khan and debutante Anushka Sharma. His last film was Mohabbatein. On the other hand, Vinay Pathak has a release on June 27 titled Via Darjeeling.

Has Rani Mukherjee lost her magic

Under Yash Raj Films banner, Rani Mukherjee will be seen showering magic in Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic directed by Kunal Kohli, but in real life, she seems to have lost her magic. Her magic could not work on the audiences for either of her releases last year, be it Laaga Chunari Mein Daag or Saawariyan and now her magic has failed to work on her brands as well.

Apparently Nestle India has decided to part ways with Rani who was the brand ambassador for their Munch brand for the past four years. Buzz has it that Nestle felt Rani was too old for their image and hence they want to opt for a younger face.

If that wasn't bad enough, event Fanta, another brand which Rani used to endorse has also decided against renewing their contract with her. Well all we can say is that maybe Rani losing these brands now will open up doors for her with new brands very soon as we can't imagine Rani ever really losing her winning magic.

Kangana Ranaut denies all rumours

Kangana Ranaut denies all the rumours directed towards her. Regarding her wafer thin- so called size zero looks she said, “There is nothing called size zero. It has been created by the media. People fall under pressure and go on a crash diet to get that perfect figure.”

So she doesn’t believe in the size zero obsessions. But weren’t she and co-star Priyanka Chopra pressurized to lose weight for next project titled Fashion.

“I don’t know about Priyanka but I was never asked to lose weight,” clarifies Kangana.

But regarding Fashion, the second rumour to float around was that Kangana and Priyanka were indulging in cat fights. Kangana was quick to reply, “I haven’t even heard about this rumour.”

A fresh attack on Kangana was her rumoured affair with Mohit Suri, her director in Raaz-2.

“Please let me tell you that I have nothing to do with my directors. Mohit loves his girlfriend so please don’t create these rumours,” says Kangana.

Vinay Pathak all set to play SRK

Believe it or not but Vinay Pathak is going to play SRK in one of his upcoming films. Not just that, the film is also titled SRK and is all set to attract quite some eyeballs once it gets readied for release.

"Yes, Vinay Pathak is doing this film called SRK and he also plays the title role. However, the name that he shares with Shah Rukh Khan is just coincidental. The film has nothing to do with the superstar since Vinay's SRK stands for Shivaji Ramchandra Khote", confirms a source.

So, that's the mystery behind the name. Who are the other people attached to the film? "Manoj Joshi, who has been a regular with Priyadarshan and Madhur Bhandarkar and has acted in practically all their films during last 6-7 years, plays Vinay's father", adds the source, "The film also stars Rituaparna Sengupta and Dilip Prabhavalkar in key roles."

The film is produced by Warner Bros. and has first timer Ajay Varma at the helm of direction. Apparently, the film is a Malayalam remake. The film mainly deals with situational humor instead of being an out and out comedy.

Amitabh Bachchan voted as the Sexiest Asian Vegetarian

He has a secret to his good looks and health even at the age of 60. Inspite of reaching his second childhood, Amitabh Bachchan is undoubtedly the sexiest man. And People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) agree with this completely.

PETA conducted a survey, according to which Amitabh Bachchan was voted as the sexiest vegetarian male in the whole of Asia. Among other Asian contenders in the running, besides Amitabh, Madhavan was the only Indian contender. Among the Asian female contenders Bollywood actresses like Hema Malini, Kareena Kapoor, Mahima Chaudhry and Vidya Balan were considered. However, it was Hong Kong's singer-actress Faye Wong who was voted as Asia's sexiest vegetarian female.

Sexy sisters now turn business women

Shilpa Shetty and Shamita Shetty, who are among the sexiest actress in bollywood, seem to have a break in their acting careers in order to concentrate on their new business. For those of you who are in the dark, The Shetty Sisters have started their own production house and are planning to have two films on the floors before the end of the year.

Of course they will be taking the help of Raj Kundra, who had produced the film Stranger, but attained more fame once he started seeing Shilpa.

Along with setting up the new production house, Shamita is currently working on a promotional song for "Hari Puttar”, something she is doing for good friend Manish Puri, the CEO of Mirchi Movies, which is producing the film. Shamita, who hasn't been seen recently on the big screen, is apparently waiting for a perfect script to take her next big step as she is currently unhappy with the roles coming her way.

Shamita also confirms that the film from their production house will not have the two sisters together but rather may see each sister featuring in a film each.

Celina Jaitley fears over an item number

Celina Jaitley is doing an item number alongside Amrita Arora and Kareena Kapoor in Golmaal Returns and is slightly worried about Bebo's friendship with Malaika Arora's kid sister. It seems that Amrita and Kareena are thick friends and Celina feels threatened that her part in the item number might be chopped and theirs increased. Celina is worried about the best moves in the song going to the two friends, thanks to Kareena's clout in the industry. She even took her fears to director Rohit Shetty but he assured her not to worry.

One may wonder why this hoo-ha over an item number? It can also be infered that Celina's career has been declined. When she came in, she was compared with Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai. Then she displayed her acting talents or lack thereof and slowly and steadily her career went into a decline. Yes, we do hear some or the other controversy surrounding Celina but they're not enough to give her good breaks. Being a tabloid fodder may help you stay in public eye but can't promise you success.

Britney Spears being considered for Emmy Awards

The producers of the TV show How I Met Your Mother were so impressed with pop star Britney Spears' performance on the show that they are pushing her name for an Emmy award.

Spears made a a guest appearance on the show. And the ratings for the show went up when Spears played a naïve secretary in two episodes. She now qualifies for an Emmy.

Spears will be competing against 41 other actresses including Mary-Kate Olson. The awards for excellence in television will be given in September.

Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan come face to face

Kamal Haasan's mega project Dasavatharam has opened across cinema halls and the film is being talked about, as it's the first time ever in the history of cinema that an actor would be seen in 10 different roles.

A special screening of this Tamil flick was held in Chennai and present at this screening was none another than superstar Rajinikanth. Needless to say, both Rajini and Kamal are considered as Demi-Gods down South and enjoy a tremendous fan following. So what was “Sivaji- The Boss”' reaction to his colleague's film. According to sources, Rajini was simply bowled over by the film and termed it as 'extraordinary'. With praises coming from none other than Rajini Sir himself, Kamal Haasan must be feeling all the more thrilled.

The magnum-opus which also stars Mallika Sherawat, Asin and Jaya Prada is directed by noted filmmaker K.S.Ravikumar. Bollywood's ace composer Himesh Reshammiya has given the music for this film which is being released with a record number of prints in India.

Mona Singh targetting Bollywood

Jassi aka Mona Singh, who became a TV icon and a day to day name in India and rest of the world after her stellar performance in the TV Serial Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, after gaining superstardom on the idiot box she went through a make over to present a glamorous Mona Singh.

Mona has been exclusive in selecting work thereafter. She has appeared only in reality shows and shunned TV Soaps. She has also grown in stature by hosting a number of Awards functions and Bollywood events. She will now be hosting a reality show on makeovers.

Mona Singh is waiting for the perfect launch in Bollywood. On being asked about acting in movies this is what she had to say “I’ve got some good scripts. Let’s see. Movies is unknown territory, I want to be very careful and make the right decision. I’m not a star kid who’ll get a second chance”.

Yuvraj Singh to bowl Diyva Dutta

After IPL Yuvraj Singh seems to be in a mood to party and celebrate, but for what?

Whatever the reason, he was spotted him at a suburban night spot, flashing his usual infectious smile and dancing away to glory.

After sometime his roving eyes caught up with another damsel. And on closer look, she turned out to be Divya Dutta.

Rest assured, both the Punjabis were soon caught in a deep animated conversation jabbering away in punjabi . What’s cooking guys?

Maybe they are just good friends. Well that’s where everything starts, isn’t it?

Aishwarya Rai to play the role of Benazir Bhutto

Bollywood top actress Aishwarya Rai is all set to play the role of Daughter of the East, Benazir Bhutto.

It would take a woman of substance to play the role of Benazir Bhutto, the assassinated former prime minister of Pakistan , admired the world over, including both sides of the border.

Aishwarya Rai is acclaimed for her beauty and carriage worldwide and is also now part of the first family of Bollywood namely the Bachchans. She resonates the power and beauty that Benazir commanded.

The project is to be taken up by UTV. Prominent lyricist Neelesh Misra of ‘Johnny Gaddaar’ and ‘Jannat’ fame has been approached to create the screenplay.

Speaking to reporters, Misra maintained that though he had been offered the project he is yet to give his final nod.

Reports also confirmed that the producers are holding talks with the Bhutto’s family and the Pakistan government for their consent.

If the project goes smoothly, it will be the role of a lifetime for Aishwarya Rai and a milestone in Indo-Pak relations.

Malaika Arora reveals her weakness

Model turned anchor turned item girl Malaika Arora reveals the best thing that has happened to her.

'Arhaan is the best thing that happened to me. For anyone it's the greatest joy to have a child and for every mother her child is her weakness. And, yes, he is my weakness,' says the 'Chhaiya Chhaiya' girl. And she thanks Arhaan for whatever she is today.

The 34-year-old is all geared up for her first full-length role as an actress opposite Arjun Rampal in Suniel Shetty's EMI.

'I am really excited about 'EMI'. I play Arjun's love interest in the film. The film talks about easy monthly instalments (EMI) and how people who take such loans are not able to repay them,' adds Malaika.

On being asked if there are any films with Arbaaz in the pipeline, Malaika said: 'There's no film as of now, but there is a song that I am doing with him. I have done a song with him earlier (for Shubha Mudgal's album Dholna), but this is the first time I am pairing up with him for a film song.'

The couple will soon be seen grooving to a number in Indrajith Lankesh's 'Shaadi Ke After Effects'.

Apart from her stint on television as MTV's popular video jockey, Malaika has played judge on reality dance show 'Nach Baliye' and also hosted NDTV Imagine's music show 'Dhoom Macha De'.

City of Dreams to be the first bollywood musical

Morani Brothers' and Ashish Gidwani Productions' City of Dreams- is going to be the first bollywood musical, which will be premiered on June 13 at Mumbai's St. Andrews Auditorium. Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Karan Johar, Urmila Matonkar, Arjun Rampal and Rakhi Sawant will be a part it.

The musical drama stars Nasreen Morani in the central role and is based on the story of a small-town girl who comes to Mumbai with stars in her eyes to become an actress. The two-hour extravaganza boasts of larger-than-life sets and props and is jointly directed by Gautam Joglekar and Mohammed Morani.

All the stars will be seen as narrators in an audio-visual playing intermittently. Five more shows are lined up in Mumbai.

Kajol says YES to Karan Johar

Bollywood actress Kajol has finally given the green signal to Karan Johar for his next movie, ‘ My Name Is Khan.’

This has ended weeks of speculation on who is going to be the female lead opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the movie.

When Kajol was offered the role first she was hesitant to commit giving the excuse that she had not gone through the screenplay completely and that she was hesitant to leave her little baby Nysa alone for long periods of shooting.

This had started the speculation that a miffed Karan Johar was setting sights on Bollywood bombshell Kareena Kapoor in the place of Kajol.

Finally, hubby Ajay Devgan confirmed the news saying that, “Kajol indeed took a long time to take a call on her participation in Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan, but the problem was that she had not heard the script in detail. This week, she took a long look at the script and finally said ‘yes’.”

Kareena Kapoor is the loser and will have to wait for another opportunity to work with Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan.

Now everyone hopes that the magical team of Karan Johar- Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol will deliver a spectacular movie on the lines of previous hits like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum.