Salman Khan trying to quit smoking

New Delhi, He might be known as the Bollywood brat, but it looks like Salman Khan is now trying to turn a new leaf. He says he is trying to quit smoking.

Asked about the habit that is hard to kick, he said: “I’m trying to (quit smoking)… Smoking is something people start to either enter a social circle or to show off.”

But he does have a word of advice for others trying to quit cigarettes too.

“Once you quit, there are also chances of picking it up again because when you find people around you smoking, you join them to be with them. But it slowly and slowly kills you and people stop only when they are advised by the doctor. So everyone should quit it before reaching that stage,” Salman said.

Designer says ‘Fashion’ was bad, plans Shahid Kapoor starrer

New Delhi, He was so disappointed with Madhur Bhandarkar’s celluloid take on the fashion industry that designer Rahul Jain has decided to wield the megaphone himself. He wants to sign Shahid Kapoor to play the lead role.

Jain says it was his childhood dream to direct a movie, and after watching Priyanka Chopra-Mugdha Godse- Kangana Ranaut-starrer “Fashion”, his dream turned into determination.

” ‘Fashion’ was a very bad movie. I didn’t like it at all. I’m making this movie just to break the notion that fashion is only about glamour. A lot of hard work goes behind it. Today, if we are famous, it’s because of the amount of hard work that we have put in,” Jain told IANS.

“I want Shahid to play lead protagonist in my movie. He has got talent and fits perfectly into the role. The movie revolves around my experiences in the fashion circuit and how I have evolved over the years.”

Describing his yet-to-be-titled movie as a designer’s perspective into the fashion world, the outspoken designer says the movie will show how success, pain, sorrow and struggle are associated with a designer’s life.

“The movie will talk about the pain, agony and discrimination that goes in this fashion circuit. It is not based on any fiction but all that I have observed, seen and dared to talk about. It would be the harsh reality of the fashion world.

“It would talk openly about the exploitation that exists in the fashion world,” said Jain who doesn’t have any formal training in fashion designing.

He gave up his corporate career to explore his creative side and teamed up with Gunjan Arora in 1998. Since then they have been working together for their label Sirali.

Jain has finished the script and says talks with production houses are in the final stage to finance the film. He plans to finalise everything about his project by October.

But before taking the plunge, Jain plans to assist one of his director friends to learn the nuances of direction.

“Whatever I do, I do with perfection; hence I would be assisting one of my friends to learn the basics of direction. It would help me during the making of the movie.”

Shah Rukh may have been victim of random selection parameter

Chicago, Actor Shah Rukh Khan’s two-hour detention and questioning at the Newark International Airport could well be a result of the random selection parameter built into the US immigration’s security system rather than racial profiling.

Now whether that parameter was designed deliberately to focus on people of certain names, religion, background, nationality or race is a different story altogether. On the face of it, Khan may have been randomly picked out by the US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services’ database. The system at the airport threw up Khan’s name for any number of variable reasons. It is hard to speculate on the algorithm that triggered it.

Someone might argue that the Khan = Muslim = possible terrorist = detention logic, although profoundly offensive, it seems to have been built into the system with the rationale that it is better to humiliate a thousand innocent Khans than let a potential terrorist Khan enter the US.

However, this explanation does not make sense because Khan has been visiting the US for many years. As a matter of fact, he only recently finished a shooting schedule of his latest film “My Name is Khan”, which ironically deals with the kind of stereotyping and profiling that he just experienced.

Isn’t the Bureau’s database designed in a way where the immigration officer, who detained Khan, could have instantly pulled up the actor’s record and known about his many past visits? Apparently not, because once the system randomly selects someone it is expected of the officer in question to go through the standard procedure of detention for questioning.

At some level it is understandable that the whole security apparatus has been designed to not just take out potential terrorists in their first attempt but to disrupt their operation at any and every stage. No one at the Bureau is likely to acknowledge that the system works the way it does because of a built-in combination of intelligent and brute logic as well as preordained bias.

Forget the Bureau’s own database; a simple Google search of Khan’s name would have at the very least made the detaining officer question his action. There are 3,610,000 search results of his name on Google. Depending on when it is searched this number is sometimes even higher. Such a Google search should have stopped any reasonable immigration officer in their tracks to wonder that for a terrorist, Khan has managed a fantastic cover of being one of the world’s biggest movie stars.

Perhaps behind creating a security system that depends as much on brute and random logic as intelligent sifting was the deeply embarrassing case of Mohammad Atta, the ringleader of the 9/11 terror attacks.

In 2005, Navy Captain Scott J. Phillpott, who was in charge of the Pentagon’s counter-terrorism project codenamed ‘Able Danger’, created a stir when he said in January 2000 his team had identified Atta as a member of an Al-Qaeda terror cell operating in Brooklyn, New York. And yet Atta was able to travel in and out of the US unmolested. Atta’s lapse was attributed to the fact that he first went by part of his name as Mohamed el-Amir and eventually travelled to the US in June 2000 as Mohammed Atta.

The result of the security churning that followed 9/11 was the compilation of a list of nearly 1.1 million names who were either terror suspects or people of interest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list has been a subject of serious scrutiny and criticism by civil liberties groups, which believe it is sweeping in its reach and more often than not throws up those who have absolutely nothing to do with any terrorist groups.

An internal audit report recently quoted by The Washington Times underscored the failures in managing the list. It said there were at least 10 people who should have been kept out of the US according to the list but were allowed to enter while there were many more who should not have been on it but remain there.

It quoted Democratic Senator Patrick J. Leahy, who as the chairman of the Judiciary Committee has oversight of the FBI, as saying “that the FBI continues to fail to place subjects of terrorism investigations on the watch list is unacceptable”.

“Disturbingly, (the) report reveals that in 72 percent of the cases, the FBI has also failed to remove subjects from the list in a timely manner. … Given the very real and negative consequences to which people on the watch list are subjected, this is unacceptable.”

It is not clear whether Khan’s name is on this list or not but the fact he showed up on the immigration’s database it is conceivable that a similar name is on it. However, it should be rather easy for the law enforcement agencies to specifically exclude someone of Khan’s global recognition from such a list.

Now that every visitor to the US and even permanent residents are fully fingerprinted on arrival every time it is hard to comprehend why specific names attached to specific fingerprints and passport numbers cannot be exempted. For some reason once a person gets on the FBI watch list it is very difficult to get off. The Washington Times story said some 65,000 names were audited and more than a third of it were outdated.

Security experts say that the random selection parameter is designed to make preventive determination more effective. They acknowledge that one of the negative fallouts is that many innocent people get singled out because of this parameter. They also point out that when the national threat index is higher the system is designed to become less discriminating. In simple terms, during heightened alerts it is possible that the system will sweep up many more people with a set of specific names and backgrounds than it would normally do.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, for all domestic and international flights, the current US threat level is High, or Orange, which is just below the highest Red. That may partly explain how the actor was singled out because of his name. It is a form of profiling based on many parameters such as names, religion, ethnicity and nationality.

As Khan acknowledged the immigration officials were polite but the question is not one of etiquette but effectiveness. Khan managed to stir up those who matter because of who he is. Lesser mortals might have had to go through a more nerve-racking experience once red flags go up against their names and they are asked to step aside at the immigration counter.

Post-’New York’, filmmakers look at me differently: John Abraham

Mumbai, Hit film “New York” has completed 50 days at the box office and actor John Abraham says the film industry is looking at him differently now – from being termed as expressionless by critics, he is now being praised for emoting on screen.

“Can you beat that… there was so much negativity thrown about me over the years, but I was keeping my head down and continuing to pick the best from what came my way. I’m glad I did ‘New York’. It just changed the way filmmakers are looking at me today,” John told IANS.

Directed by Kabir Khan, “New York” was the biggest earner of the year before “Kambakkht Ishq” and “Love Aaj Kal” arrived. A clean hit at the box office, this Yash Raj production boasted of critical as well as commercial success.

“The film helped me in a way that today even those people from the industry are calling me who have never done that before. I’m not holding any grudges though… what’s the point in doing that?” said John.

With harsh criticism coming someone’s way, isn’t it natural to have bitterness?

“No, I have actually never been bitter. Instead I have only tried to be as humble as possible, put my head down and work hard. I guess the result is a film like ‘New York’. I hope to be doing many more such performance-oriented films. I work for appreciation more than anything else and I guess my time has started now,” said John.

Known more for his physicality, courtesy movies like “Dhoom” and the recent “Dostana”, it was a welcome shift for John to see critics warming up to his acting abilities.

“What a relief it was…my physicality has been so overpowering but thankfully people looked beyond that in ‘New York’ and talked about my performance too,” said the actor who had earlier impressed audiences in Deepa Mehta’s Oscar-nominated “Water”.

After movies like “Dhoom” and “Kabul Express”, John got an opportunity to work with Yash Raj Films again in “New York”.

“All credit to Adi (Aditya Chopra) who put so much faith in me and roped me in for ‘New York’. I remember telling Adi and Kabir (Khan): give me more of second half in the film and I will make sure that there won’t be a single moist eye in theatre. As you see, the climax is still being remembered for being such a heart-wrenching affair.”

Right now the actor is investing a lot of himself in his next “1-800 Love”. The film is being directed by Abbas Tyrewala and produced by Madhu Mantena of “Ghajini” fame.

“This is yet another special film for me. We can’t go wrong with the film as we have made 200 percent sure that we’ve got everything right on the writing at the pre-production stage itself. In fact, I went through these formal script workshops for the film which was such a great experience,” he said.

John can’t be seen resting though. Before the end of year, he will have one more of his films hitting the screens – David Dhawan’s “Hook Ya Crook”, which is set for a Dec 11 release.

A UTV Motion Pictures production, “Hook Ya Crook” also stars Genelia D’souza, Kay Kay Menon, Shreyas Talpade and Sharad Kapoor with a special appearance by cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The film is set in a prison and revolves around a cricket match played among the inmates.

Aishwarya Rai down with chest infection

New Delhi, Actress Aishwarya Rai is down with a “chest infection” and “flu-like symptoms” and her father-in-law, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, is worried.

“Aishwarya has taken ill and is down with chest infection and flu like symptoms. She had a high fever yesterday, but is settling down today,” he posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com Saturday from Singapore.

“It’s worrying to be so far away from children and not be there to look after them. Yes, they are mature and married and responsible, but children will always remain children,” he added. Aishwarya is married to Bachchan’s son Abhishek.

The 66-year-old veteran is in Singapore to look after his friend and Samajwadi Party chief Amar Singh, who underwent medical treatment there.

“I stay back till he (Amar Singh) is sound enough to travel back,” he wrote.

Apparently Bachchan also is suffering from a “strained back”.

Sanjay Dutt set to scare as Ringmaster in ‘Aladdin’

Mumbai, After being seen as a baddie with a heart of gold in the Munnabhai series of films, Sanjay Dutt is set to don the avatar of deadly gangster Ringmaster in “Aladdin”.

The actor will be seen as a villain who can inspire tremendous awe and fear in the audiences’ mind. Director Sujoy Ghosh feels his character will take villainy to new heights.

“He (Ringmaster) is a fun, evil character. A man who is happy in what he is doing. A man who is good at being bad, whose smile would scare the living daylights out of you. A man so big that even the all powerful genie would be rendered helpless in front of him.

“And to play such a powerful character, I couldn’t think of anyone but Sanjay Dutt. The larger than life persona that he so beautifully portrays on screen is unmatchable,” said Ghosh.

Looks like after Gabbar and Mogambo, perhaps Ringmaster is the next Bollywood villain to strike fear in your hearts.

Scheduled for release this October, “Aladdin”, which stars Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role, is a contemporary look at the classic fairy tale. Riteish Deshmukh will be seen as Aladdin. The film also marks the debut of Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandes.

Packed with fun, music, action and adventure, the film boasts of a visual scale never seen before on Indian screen.

My character in ‘Life Partner’ is a nightmare: Genelia

Mumbai, In “Life Partner”, Genelia D’Souza is cast as a dumb girl and the actress is cringing.

“This girl thinks she knows it all, when she’s clueless. She doesn’t know how dumb she is. She’s got loads of money and time and she keeps trying different vocations. For starters, she attempts a career in singing and she’s a disaster at it,” Genelia told IANS.

Releasing Friday, the film also stars Fardeen Khan, Tusshar Kapoor, Prachi Desai and Govinda.

Playing this scatter-brain was very tough for Genelia.

“I’m not the least like this rich, pampered and clueless chick. And I’d certainly not try my hand at anything I wouldn’t succeed in. But this character keeps bumbling from one experience to another. She’s a nightmare,” she said.

To add to Genelia’s woes her character is hated by one of her favourite actors.

“Govinda, whom I adore, detests me in the film. Every time we’re together, he is snarling and scowling at me. I hated that,” she said.

Saif-Bebo Gripped by Swine Flu Scare?

As the country is gripped in the swine flu paranoia, it has hit Bollywood as well. Karan Johar, whose forthcoming production venture Kurbaan was scheduled to be shot in Pune for two days was cancelled given the spread of the HIN1 virus in the city. Karan Johar didn't want to expose this 180-member crew, and his lead stars Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan to potential danger. We are sure Bebo agrees with KJO's decision. After all it's better to be Saif than sorry!

Four Men and Katrina Kaif

In the much awaited sequel to Dostana, Priyanka Chopra will be replaced by the gorgeous Katrina Kaif. And joining the loony team of John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan in their chase of the leading lady of the film, the filmmaker has signed on two more actors, Arjun Rampal and Riteish Deshmukh in the sequel. So now, Kat will have four men wooing her in the movie. Bring it on! The more the merrier, we say. BTW...how does Sallu feel about Kat working with his ex-flame Aishwarya Rai's hubby Abhishek and his bitter enemy John Abraham again after New York?

Watch Rani Sizzle in a Bikini

On Friday it was told that actress Rani Mukerji may wear a bikini in Dil Bole Hadippa, and on the weekend the sizzling video was out. Now we sincerely apologise for the late post, but we spent until now getting used to seeing the otherwise safe Rani getting wet and wild under the shower in a striped bikini top. We must admit that while the thought of seeing Rani in the flesh had us scared (what with her previously flaunted flab and all), but what we saw turned out to be quite refreshing. Rani seems to have toned up considerably, she's looking young, fresh and manages to keep up with co-star Shahid Kapoor who is a great dancer. But best of all, she's not conscious and that makes the video worth a watch.

Sanjay Khan Plans Mega Film for Zayed

Actor Sanjay Khan is reportedly worried about his son Zayed Khan's acting career. Hold it. Does he still have one? Okay, we're going to stop with the bitchiness..

The veteran actor and filmmaker is planning to make a super big budget film, starring Zayed. This is part of Sanjay's plan to launch Zayed in the big league of Bollywood, and make sure his beta gets his due place in the film industry.

Good luck to the Khans, is all we can say

Shiney's Cell Flooded

The media hoopla on Shiney Ahuja may have died down, but the star has been in jail since June 15, for allegedly raping his maid. He's locked up in Mumbai Arthur Road Jail's Barrack No 1, which also houses gangster Abu Salem, who the star essayed in one of his movies.

So here's the update: The recent rains have resulted in water logging in his barrack, leaving the actor struggling to find a dry corner. He even requested permission to be transferred to a different cell, but the authorities are yet to act on it. That's not where it ends. If it rains, the prisoners are expected to clean up themselves, a rule that Shiney apparently complied with.

Bipasha Gets Married

Okay we're just sensationalising. But how else can we compete with the others? So here's the real deal: Bipasha did get married, but only on celluloid. Rituparno Ghosh's Benglai film Shob Choritro Kalponik (we couldn't pronounce it either) is all about Bipasha Basu's life after marriage to Bengali superstar Prosenjit.

Maybe John will view this shaadi album, feel a twinge of jealousy, and muster up the courage to finally put a ring on it. If he's done fooling around with co-stars and designers, that is. Fine, fine, we'll put the "allegedly" before fooling around. But John, you can't get around this one on a technicality!

Bollywood Heroes Become a Little More Human

From determined farmer to disco dancer, angry young man to romantic lover, the Bollywood hero has had many avatars, but in each, he has been epitomised. Our male protagonists have been able to outrace a car with a bullock cart, single-handedly vanquish fifteen villains, and always get the girl. They have been unbeatable, untouchable - perfect.

But not anymore. A new spate of movies is set to break this mould, centering on heroes that are not necessarily perfect example of their species. And this is not arty, alternative cinema, but mainstream Bollywood flicks starring some of the biggest actors in the industry, including Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Shahid Kapoor.

In Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey, due to release this Friday, Shahid Kapoor has a double role, where he plays estranged twin brothers. The movie is marketed as a "dark comic ride", and boasts all the ingredients of a box office success - guns, drugs, hit songs, and leading actress Priyanka Chopra in a wet white tank top. Shahid too, is the ultimate hero - muscles bulging, he runs with wild horses, seduces women, and parties hard. But, there's a difference. Both twins have extremely noticeable speech defects - one stutters, and the other lisps. The fact that the heroes of such a big production suffer from syndromes much ridiculed in Indian society is unusual indeed, and has been the cause of much speculation in the media.

Karan Johar, famous for his candy floss blockbusters, is now working on My Name is Khan, a film whose protagonist suffers from Asperger's Syndrome (a mild form of Autism, made famous by Forrest Gump and Rain Man), and who is picked up by American authorities in the wake of 9/11, who mistaken his disability for suspicious behavior. The film is apparently based on a true story. Shah Rukh Khan, who is playing the lead character as well as co-producing the movie, told a daily here that the movie is "not about a disabled man's fight against disability. It's a disabled man's fight against the disability that exists in the world -- terrorism, hatred, fighting." My Name is Khan is slated for a February 2010 release, and coincides with three Hollywood upcoming films that also feature Asperger's Syndrome, including Adam.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of India's few leading directors who has tackled disabilities in his past movies, has begun shooting for his next, Guzarish, in which India's version of Sly Stallone - Hrithik Roshan, will play a paraplegic, paralysed from his waist up and confined to a wheelchair for most of the film. The film is rumored to also deal with euthanasia and stars former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. Fans of Hrithik Roshan's famous dance moves and action sequences, both of which will be amply showcased in his upcoming home production Kites, are bound to be disappointed.

It is true that some Indian movies in the past have featured main roles with disabilities - Kajol, a leading actress who will star in My Name is Khan recently played a visually impaired woman, and Rani Mukherjee essayed the role of a visual, hearing and speech impaired girl in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black. But heroes, especially those portrayed by big-named leading men, have until now, been largely untouchable. These upcoming movies, along with spreading awareness of conditions like Asperger's Syndrome and paraplegia, will also hopefully pave the way for an era of protagonists who along with being perfect lovers, dancers, fighters, and sons, will also be just a little more real, and human.

Mallika Pins Hollywood Hopes on Dress

What should I wear to the Tarantino premiere tonite? Would something scandalous be appropriate?This is the tweet Bollywood's sex symbol Mallika Sherawat sent out before the Los Angeles premiere of Quentin Tarantino-directed Inglourious Basterds, teasing her fans, seductively setting the tone for what we saw on the red carpet later that night - a black dress with a see through front, skimpy bits of black covering her modesty. Scandalous indeed.

Now it wasn't the embodiment of elegance, this S&M-meets-Xena-the-warrior-princess look. Not everyone liked the dress. In fact, some critics ripped it apart, calling it her 'Inglourious Moment'. But everyone wrote about it. And that's exactly what she wanted, this Bollywood star who's been known to use shock value as her formula to success. Her first Hindi feature film saw her nonchalantly asking a chemist for a pack of condoms (which she later put to good use, of course), followed by her next big banner film, which also made headlines for its racy content. While international publications preferred to showcase pictures of Tarantino and the star cast of Inglourious…Indian media - online and offline - were abuzz with Ms Sherawat's Los Angeles premiere ticket. Some even ran headlines like 'Hollywood's New IT Girl' and 'Mallika Upstages Jolie', as the curvaceous Bollywood star stood her on in front of the stick-thin Angelina.

The dress in question - love it or hate it - is more than just a dress. As Ms Sherawat is well aware, it has the power to make heads turn, shutterbugs click, journalists write, and if we're being dramatic, make or break her already begun foray into Hollywood. The actress is currently involved in the post-production work of her forthcoming Hollywood flick Hissss, a project she bagged on recommendation of The Myth co-star Jackie Chan, and has reportedly signed another film, where she will play a character partly inspired by Kamala Harris, attorney General of San Francisco.

Add to this, Ms Sherawat has also been hobnobbing with the right peeps in LA - hip hop star Usher met the actress and promised to dedicate a song to her, Ozzy Ozbourne hung out with her before a concert and talk show host Oprah Winfrey planned an India trip with the actress, which was cancelled at the last moment because of the flu scare. She's even got a coveted Hollywood milkshake named after her, joining the likes of Paris Hilton and David Beckham; she's the first Indian celebrity to get invited to Twitter's LA headquarters, and if that wasn't enough, Los Angeles has awarded the actress honorary citizenship!

Now will the revealing dress, reportedly from Frederick's of Hollywood's Black Label Collection, give her well-networked existence in Hollywood that extra push? It's possible. After all, Hollywood does have a history of scandalous dresses raising career graphs! Remember J-LO's threatening-to-come-undone green Versace outfit at the Grammy's in 2000? The palm-leaf patterned dress pushed an on-the-verge-of-a-musical break-through Jennifer Lopez to the good side. "For me, it was one of the eye-opening moments of what a dress could actually do. And I was on the cover of the paper the next day, because of that Versace dress," the star had told People magazine. There's also Elizabeth Hurley's revealing black Versace piece precariously held together by safety pins. After Hurley wore it to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral, she became a household name overnight.

Dress for Headlines. They all do it. But not everyone makes the cut. Looks like Mallika has her hopes pinned on this one.

‘Kaminey’ releasing worldwide, barring in swine flu hit Mumbai

Mumbai, Mumbai will have to wait. With Maharashtra in the grip of swine flu and the country’s entertainment capital’s malls and multiplexes shut down for three days, much awaited films such as “Kaminey” and “Life Partner” will give the city a miss as these are released worldwide.

The swine flu scare has also led to a weeklong shutdown in Mumbai.

“We are going ahead with the release of the film (’Kaminey’) this Friday across the country and worldwide. This will not include the markets of Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai following the directive given by the government. We look forward to release the film in these regions as soon as the cinemas are given permission to re-open,” Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO of UTV Motion Pictures said in a statement released here Wednesday.

“Being a corporate, we are fully insured for the two-day delay we are facing in these markets,” he added.

Aman Gill, director, domestic theatrical distribution of Studio 18, the distributors for “Life Partner”, echoed the view.

“We are going ahead with the worldwide release of ‘Life Partner’ as per schedule, as we can’t stop the release because the prints have already been dispatched. Except Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, we will release the film wherever we can,” Gill told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, “Kaminey” stars A-listers like Shahid Kapoor in a double role and Priyanka Chopra in the lead. Laugh-riot “Life Partner” has been directed by Rumy Jafry and stars Govinda, Tusshar Kapoor, Prachi Desai, Fardeen Khan and Geneila D’Souza.

While “Kaminey” is releasing with 1,200 prints worldwide, “Life Partner” is following suit with around 700 prints globally.

Trade pundits told IANS that the Maharashtra belt accounts for 30 percent of the all India collections for a movie while Delhi and Uttar Pradesh combine accounts for 30 percent of the total business.

Considering a long weekend with the Janmashtami and Independence Day holidays in tandem, insiders claim it to be a “lucrative” period despite any odds.

“We are expecting a very lucrative weekend. Despite all fears, there will be footfalls no matter what. And with both Janmashtami and Aug 15 holidays back-to-back, it is going to bring in a good business,” said a Mumbai distributor, on condition of anonymity.

Tushar Dhingra, COO, BIG Cinemas, however, shrugged off any news about the multiplex closure.

“We have not received any official information about the shut down of the multiplex for next three days. So I am not in any position to comment on this. But if this happens then we will co-operate because health is a priority and you can’t compromise on that,” he told IANS.

Other leading multiplex chains like INOX and Fame refused to comment.

Decade later, Salman Khan the singer returns

Mumbai, A decade after he was last heard as a singer, Salman Khan is back behind the mike for his upcoming release “Wanted”. Composer duo Sajid-Wajid say the song titled “Most Wanted Track” is true to the mood and theme of the film.

“The song is indeed a special part of ‘Wanted’. We wanted to make something ‘dhamakedaar’ for Salman bhai and the idea was to have a track that gives audiences a taste of what the film is all about. This is why you don’t just hear Salman bhai mouthing a few dialogues from the film but also singing in the true sense,” Wajid told IANS.

In the late 1990s, each of Bollywood’s three big Khans tried flexing their vocal chords as singers.

Aamir Khan saw huge success coming his way through the song “Aati kya Khandala” in the 1998 movie “Ghulam”, Shah Rukh Khan’s “Apun bola” that he sang for his 2000 movie “Josh” is heard till date and Salman too came up with a ‘tapori’ hit in “Chandi ki daal par” in “Hello Brother” in 1999.

Salman’s new song has quite a few dialogues. It in fact begins with now-famous dialogue, “Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di…..”, and packs in a lot more such one-liners that are bound to keep the masses and lovers of action cinema happy.

“Most Wanted Track” is currently being played along with the teasers of the film. If those 60 seconds are any indication, then this Boney Kapoor production is pretty much a successful film in the offing.

Courtesy the zany sound, two major aspects of the film are highlighted – Salman and ‘desi’ action – setting the tone for lovers of hardcore masala action.

“Salman Khan has always been known for giving his all to a film where his heart is set. ‘Wanted’ pretty much appears to be the film where he is back in a full-on action avtar five years since the release of ‘Garv – Pride And Honor’,” said a trade insider.

Wajid said: “The film is a full-on commercial affair and we went all out to make the album a complete package affair. Other than this theme track, which is of course the highlight of the film, we have incorporated a few dance numbers. We in fact even got Kamaal Khan, who has done so well with Salman bhai earlier, to sing a song (’Ishq Vishq’) in ‘Wanted’.”

In the past, Salman has been credited as a singer for a couple of songs like “Chal mere bhai” or “Main hoon Yuvraaj”. However, he didn’t sing in the conventional sense for either.

While in the former it was Sanjay Dutt who actually crooned the track, with Salman just chipping in as a drunk younger brother, in the latter he primarily spoke a dialogue or two for around a minute as he introduced his character.

” ‘Most Wanted Track’ is a full-fledged song though. Other than the dialogues, Salman bhai is heard singing ‘Teri yaad satati hai’ as a part of it. He has got the feeling of pain spot on. The genre of the song dictated that he sing in a laidback tone and he has done that perfectly fine,” said Wajid.

Produced by Boney Kapoor, “Wanted” is directed by Prabhu Deva and features Ayesha Takia Azmi opposite Salman Khan. The film also stars Mahesh Manjrekar, Asseem Merchant, Mahek Chhal and Prakash Raj along with Anil Kapoor in a special appearance.

Priyanka is great as an actress: Shahid Kapur

New Delhi, Are they or aren’t they a couple? That’s a question Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur steered clear of, even as he praised his “Kaminey” co-star Priyanka Chopra to the skies saying she is at her “career’s best right now”.

“I always knew Priyanka is a very good actress and after working on ‘Kaminey’ with her, I realised that she has given one of the most splendid performances of her career. I think Priyanka is at her career’s best right now,” Shahid told reporters here Sunday evening.

“Apart from that she is a team player and it’s so great she did this film despite knowing that the hero has a double role. She is a self-assured actor and very confident. She knows whatever she does she’ll give her best and she’ll be noticed and appreciated by the audience,” he added.

Reminiscing on his camaraderie with the beauty queen-turned-actress while filming the movie, he said: “It was amazing and I had a lot of fun working with her. We started our careers almost at the same time (2003).”

The 28-year-old actor was in the capital to be a part of BIG 92.7 FM’s ‘Dilli Ka Kaminaapan Quotient’ contest and promote his film “Kaminey” at the radio station. The contest was won by 15 listeners who had to prove that they are the biggest ‘kamina’ of the city.

Releasing Friday, “Kaminey” has been produced and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures and written-directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Writer-turned-director Amol Gupte makes his onscreen debut in the film.

Shahid is on a chain of promotion visits and has been noticed marketing the movie alone, without the leading lady.

He explained: “Me and Priyanka are doing a lot of promotions together and also individually. We are together promoting (the film) and we recently did a press conference in Bangalore.”

“Kaminey” has had its share of controversies too considering a reported on-off relationship between Shahid and Priyanka.

Shahid kept mum on this but insisted that such rumours added to “pressure” in a celebrity’s life and career.

“People say that any kind of promotion is good promotion but I don’t personally subscribe to that… The rumours add pressure. It’s difficult all the time dealing with all the speculations about your personal life but I guess as an actor it becomes a part of your job… its an occupational hazard. But it’s not a great feeling… you have to learn to deal with it,” he said.

“It’s ok to be a bit inquisitive about anything (from the media’s side) but it’s also important to have a little privacy of your own (for actors),” he added.

Aishwarya happy with two mega southern projects

Chennai, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai is elated over bagging the main leads in two mega south Indian projects – Mani Ratnam’s “Ravan” and Shankar’s “Endhiran”.

“Shankar had approached me previously to work with him, but it never materialised. Finally, everything landed in place and here we are working together after 10 years,” said Aishwarya on the sets of “Ravan”.

Tamil superstar Rajinikant, who is playing the male lead in “Endhiran”, was also very keen to work with Aishwarya and had tried to sign her for his earlier ventures – “Padaiyappa” and “Chandramukhi”, but the actress could not spare the dates.

Speaking about Ratnam’s “Ravan”, in which she once again teams up with her husband Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya said: “I don’t want to reveal much about it. Working with Mani is always a delight. He is a man of perfection. I am lucky to act in his movies again and again.”

Aishwarya was earlier seen in Ratnam’s “Iruvar” and “Guru”, in which Abhishek was in the main lead.

While shooting for “Ravan” in the jungles of Kerala, the entire cast and crew had a scary experience when an elephant ran amok and killed 51-year-old mahout Andavan.

The actors including Abhishek, Aishwarya, Vikram, Prabhu and Munna had to take shelter in a guest house.

According to sources, the film personalities spent the night in the forest guest house and survived on bread and eggs. After 12 hours of tension and waiting, the crew returned to their hotel.

Now the cast and crew of “Ravan” has moved to Ooty where the remaining portions of the film will be shot.

I wasn’t uncomfortable doing intimate scenes: Prachi Desai

Mumbai, After playing Farhan Akhtar’s petite wife in “Rock On!”, Prachi Desai has now teamed up with Tusshar Kapoor in “Life Partner” and she had to shoot some intimate scenes in the film. While she insists she wasn’t uncomfortable, the actress admits she was definitely a bit shy.

“I am a little shy but I don’t know why everyone is saying that I was uncomfortable doing those scenes. In fact, everyone on the set did everything to make me comfortable,” Prachi Desai told IANS in an interview.

Her co-star Tusshar had said that Prachi wasn’t comfortable doing intimate scenes with him and was too much into the “don’t touch me” mode.

The 20-year-old, best known for her role as Bani Walia in television serial “Kassamh Se”, is tired of doing mature roles and wants to play someone more her age.

“I’m waiting to do something young, something that goes with my age. I have had enough of these mature roles. It would be nice if I get to play something close to my age,” Prachi said.

The young actress was in the capital for designer duo Kapil and Monika’s collection for the “Celebrating Vivah 2009″ event and walked the ramp in a heavy, embroidered baby pink lehenga.

Elaborating about her role in director Rumi Jaffrey’s “Life Partner”, Prachi said she could relate to her character and it was easy to play a shy girl.

“In this movie, the role I’m playing is of a very shy girl who likes silence and I am very much like that in real life. I’m very down-to-earth and simple too.”

The actress has also signed a movie “Once Upon A Time” with mentor Ekta Kapoor in which she plays a don’s wife.

Not revealing much about the character Desai said: “It’s too early to talk about it.”

She, however, said that she doesn’t see much of a difference in the work environment between television and movies.

“I don’t miss TV at all. It’s like graduating from school to college. There is not much of difference but, yes, working in showbiz increases the level of expectations of your fans. But those expectations keep us going as we are here because of their love,” she said.

Talking about her dream role, Prachi said she wants to essay the role of Paro in “Devdas” if it is made again for the big screen.

“Paro of ‘Devdas’ is a very beautiful character and Aishwarya Rai looked beautiful in it. Though it would be very difficult to re-create the magic of that movie again on big screen…. if it is done, I would love to essay the role of Paro,” Prachi said.