MUMBAI: Although actor Abhay Deol, who carved a niche for himself with unconventional roles in films like Dev D, has been never been afraid to experiment, he was pretty reluctant to work for the television industry. Contrary to his personal preference and in a rather unplanned way, Deol will now be seen on the small screen hosting the show Connected Hum Tum on Zee TV.

“I never thought of being part of the small screen. I was sure that if anything they said was for TV, I would say no without even thinking about it,” said Deol.

After constant persuasion from his manager, Deol finally decided to have a look at the script of the show, and to his surprise, he got interested in it.

“I asked myself ‘What is it about TV that you are not open to?’ The interest generated through the show made me question my close-mindedness towards TV.”

Connected Hum Tum is about six women, who will capture every moment of their lives on camera while Deol will try to link their stories together.

The 37-year-old actor was launched by his uncle Dharmendra in his home production Socha Na Tha opposite actor Ayesha Takia.

When Deol, who appears rather detached from his roots, was asked how it feels to be born in a star family, he said, “One gets bored as there is nothing black and white in life. At some places it’s an advantage and at some it’s a disadvantage. It depends on person to person, situation to situation and project to project.”

Deol, who has worked in films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Aisha, also came clean about his relationship with actor and supermodel Preeti Desai.

“We have a regular relationship like any two people in love, with its ups and downs, good and bad,” he said. Despite the fact that his family is conservative, he says that they have finally become comfortable with his relationship.

The actor will next be seen in the film One By Two alongside Desai. The film is also his debut as a producer. He will also be seen in a special appearance in the Sonam Kapoor-Dhanush starrer Raanjhnaa releasing June 21.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2013.                    

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

MUMBAI: With limited roles available in Bollywood films for senior actors, the popular chocolate hero of the 1980s, Rishi Kapoor, says that he is “a competent actor” and would like to try out character roles instead of being typecast as a typical onscreen dad.

Kapoor, who wowed audiences with his role as the ruthless underworld lord Rauf Lala in the recent remake of Agneepath, said, “I am not trying to be modest, but I have tried to experiment with my look in different roles. I don’t want to do a standard father’s role. Instead, I would like to do character roles and bring something new to the table.”

The actor, who starred in Bollywood hits such as Bobby, Prem Rog and Khel Khel Mein in his earlier days, was seen playing a father in films like Fanaa and Namastey London.

“If I am in a film, the makers should take complete advantage of the fact that I can perform. I feel I am a competent actor and I would like to perform,” added the actor, who proved his competence as an actor by playing a middle-class school teacher Santosh Duggal in the National Award winning film, Do Dooni Chaar.

Kapoor was also seen playing a cop in director Atul Sabharwal’s film Aurangzeb which released this Friday.

Kapoor says he is playing “a Haryanvi cop in the film. I have cut my hair short to relate more to the character.”

He is also part of his son Ranbir Kappor’s upcoming project Besharam, which is directed by Abhinav Kashyap and also stars his wife Neetu Singh.

Talking about the film, Kapoor said, “It’s been good, but I still feel they need to put more of us, we have just done one sequence and by the time we realised we are working together, it was over. Although there wasn’t a single moment of discomfort when we were working together, it was quite enjoyable. It’s been great fun,” said the 60-year-old.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2013.                    

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

Sashaa, who was previously implicated in an MMS scandal, said her mother, Salma is very supportive. “She is very supportive, she always guides me. She is like a friend in my life … She has always been there for me and she is very protective,” Sashaa told IANS. “I do consult her. She always asks me if I am comfortable carrying it [the role]. I like it when she says these things because it gives you a clear picture of things,” she said.

Sashaa admits the pressure increases when one comes from a film family. “I think when you belong to a film family, people notice you more. But they will pick you up only if you have the talent. If I was just her [Salma’s] daughter, and I didn’t have the talent in me, I wouldn’t have got this film,” she said.

Her future plan is to try different roles on screen. “I want to do different kinds of looks and characters. I never want to repeat stuff. It has to keep changing,” she said.

Sashaa is well aware of the competitive nature of the film industry. But she has a positive attitude towards it. “As an artist, I always appreciate and enjoy everyone who entertains me on screen and makes me feel like I connect to them – whether it is Parineeti Chopra or Anushka Sharma. I am the kind of person who will encourage my co-actors. This is how it should be,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2013.

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

Actor, Veena Malik, who is known to stir up controversies and was linked to Bollywood actor Ashmit Patel post the reality TV series Big Boss 4, says that he was never a friend. Rather, she only believes in maintaining a friendship with her career.

“Ashmit was never my friend. We met in Bigg Boss [season 4] and after that we haven’t met. I am just working and have a friendship with my career,” said Veena.

Even though it appeared that Veena and Ashmit had bonded well during and after the show, with the two being seen together at various events, they never really gave a clear picture of their relationship.

The actor, who will be seen working alongside Ashmit in the film Supermodel, added, “I have no connection with anyone who I met in Bigg Boss. They don’t even exist in my life.”

Veena will next be seen in the upcoming film, Zindagi 50-50 which is scheduled to release on May 24. The movie also features actors Rajan Verma, Rajpal Yadav and Riya Sen. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2013.

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

MUMBAI: Veteran Bollywood  actor Naseeruddin Shah and US-based Indian film-maker Mira Nair have worked together in Monsoon Wedding and he has nothing but compliments for her. Shah is in complete awe of the director’s positive attitude and her perseverance to experiment with different styles of film-making.

“She [Mira Nair] is very brave. She experiments with a lot of different styles of film-making and she is not afraid of failing. I really admire that spirit about her,” said Naseer, who worked with Nair in 2001.

So far Nair has directed Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, Mississippi Masala and Vanity Fair, among others.

While Salaam Bombay! showed the day-to-day life of street children in Mumbai, Monsoon Wedding was about a chaotic Punjabi Indian wedding.

Mira’s latest drama The Reluctant Fundamentalist is based on author Mohsin Hamid’s novel of the same name that talks about the changing scenario in post 9/11 US through a young Pakistani immigrant in the US.

Naseer, who has read the novel already, is quite confident that the film will be hard-hitting and truthful.

“It [The Reluctant Fundamentalist] will be a truthful, hard-hitting and entertaining movie,” said the 59-year-old, who was present at the premiere of The Reluctant Fundamentalist in Mumbai on Wednesday.

“I can’t quite imagine how it [the novel] has been made into a movie and that’s why I am so curious about it,” he added.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist stars Britain-based Pakistani origin actor Riz Ahmed along with Hollywood biggies Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber and Bollywood veterans Shabana Azmi and Om Puri.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.                    

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

NEW DEHLI: While most women in Bollywood thrive on all sorts of yoga techniques to keep in shape, actor Hrithik Roshan’s wife and popular interior designer, Suzanne Roshan says that being a working mother and constantly running after her kids is what keeps her fit and energetic at all times.

A mother to two sons, Hrehaan and Hridhaan, Suzanne says, “I am a very hardworking mother and my kids keep me fit.” She believes that it is not easy being a working mother; juggling two things at a time. “I have got two sons and they are seven and five and I believe that the most difficult thing in this world is to be a working mother. Being a working mother doesn’t give you a chance to be lazy.” She added, “It means that you are always on the go and that I think keeps me fit and motivated.”

With an Associate of Arts Degree in interior designing from Brooks College in California, Suzanne first started working for her mother Zarine Khan’s interior firm. Now, she is a businesswoman and a designer on her own with her venture, Suzanne Roshan’s House of Design.

Suzanne, who has also designed Rani Mukherji and Priyanka Chopra’s place, talked about her passion for designing. “I have always been a design student and my mind was focused on designing from a young age. So, for me, creativity is a very satisfying and motivating process,” she said.

Although she is well-known for her work, Suzanne is not the only star wife whose interest lies in interior designing with Twinkle Khanna, Akshay Kumar’s wife, also joining the race. When asked if the competition has intensified, she said, “I do my work with only one intention and that is that I have to think differently. Nothing else matters to me. I don’t get involved in any other things, they are all my friends.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.                    

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

LONDON: British supermodel Kate Moss has revealed that she fights the signs of ageing by ducking her face in ice-cold water.

“I fill a sink with ice and cucumber. It tightens everything, making you look and feel awake. It’s a bit Joan Crawford but it works,” thesun.co.uk quoted the 39-year-old model as saying.

She even hailed ex-model Jerry Hall, 56, as one of her idols.

Director and producer Ajay Yadav regrets his decision to rope in actor Meera for his project Bhadaas and rues that she has back-stabbed him by refusing to promote the movie. “Forget about the promotion, she hasn’t even completed the film. She didn’t even come for the dubbing,” Yadav told IANS.

“She has back-stabbed us and now, when I called her for the promotion, she said she will not promote as she is busy with some other work. She told us to go ahead and release the film and that she will not come for promotions,” added the film-maker.

Meera made her Bollywood debut with film-maker Soni Razdan’s 2005 movie Nazar and after that she featured in Kasak, but none could impress the box office.

A psychological thriller, Bhadaas features Meera in the lead role.

This was Yadav’s first experience with a Pakistani actor and he vows not to work with talent from the neighbouring country again.

“This is the first time I ever worked with a Pakistani actor and my personal experience has been very bad. It was the biggest mistake I made that I cast Meera, who back-stabbed me,” he said. Oops! Looks like Meera has some making up to do.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2013.                    

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

MUMBAI: Everyone has childhood crushes and for Ranbir Kapoor, it was the Bollywood diva — Madhuri Dixit. And now that he’s gotten the chance to bust a move with the woman of his dreams in a special song Ghagra in his forthcoming film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, he couldn’t be happier. He was all praise for her work ethic and professionalism.

“It was great to shoot with Madhuri,” said Ranbir, about the song that has been choreographed by Farah Khan. “Today, even after accomplishing so much and the kind of hard work she put in over the years, she is still so sincere, hardworking, passionate and talented.”

“She is there [on the sets] to only do her work and is always there on time,” he added.

Ranbir grew up watching her films; she has worked with his father-actor Rishi Kapoor in several projects including Yaraana, Sahibaan and Prem Granth.

He admitted that he was quite heartbroken when he found out Madhuri had married Sriram Nene in 1999. He was only 17 at the time.

“The first woman I fell in love with was Madhuri Dixit and the first woman who gave me a heartbreak was Madhuri Dixit when she got married. Just the fact that I got an opportunity to dance with her and see her on the sets, was amazing,” said the 30-year-old.

The Bollywood heartthrob also confessed that he had to “bribe” his friend and the film’s director Ayan Mukerji to let him kiss her in the song.

“I bribed Ayan, as he is my friend. In the song, I found out that I had to kiss her on the cheek, so that was a lovely experience,” said Ranbir, who even danced with the Dhak Dhak girl on the sets of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa last year while promoting Barfi!.

Set to release on May 31, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani also features actors Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Roy Kapoor.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2013.                    

Like Life & Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.

LOS ANGELES: Singer Jennifer Lopez has not given up on her idea of having a fairytale love story and might walk down aisle again in future.

The 43-year-old has two children Emme and Maximilian with ex-husband Marc Anthony and is currently dating dancer Casper Smart.

Contactmusic.com reports that she shared her plans about marrying on chat show “Entertainment Tonight”. She said: “I don’t know – probably, I like it. I like the idea of it, I always have. As a girl, you never really give up on that fairytale completely.”

The singer shares a comfortable relationship with Smart, 25.

“It’s a sweet relationship. It’s kind, it’s healthy. He’s a creative partner to me. He knows what I want to accomplish. He helps me and I help him, and it kind of works that way,” she said.

Jlo was married to Anthony for eight years and ended their marriage in 2012. She has been earlier married to Ojani Noa and Cris Judd.