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Amrita Rao Says 慛o

Will Sunjay Dutt do the 'march'!  

The deadly Dutt has been on a real high these days. He's seen portions of the sequel to Munnabhai M.B.B.S, called, Munnabhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi and he's not stopped grinning since then. "If people thought that Munnabhai M.B.B.S was a riot, you don't know what this one will be. You're sure to fall off your chair with a laughing spell," says Dutt. And of course, Sunju has become Vidhu Vinod Chopra's hot-favourite. Somehow, VVC has proved lucky for the actor too, both the films he's done with Chopra (Munnabhai and Parineeta) have won him critical acclaim. Other than the sequel, Sunju is doing Chopra's big project, Eklavya which repeats the Parineeta gang - Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan and Raima Sen. To top it all, Amitabh Bachchan plays the other lead in this one. Wonder what Sunju will do to promote Munnabhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi, probably wear a dhoti and go on a Dandi march for starters. Now that will cause a riot of a different kind for sure. Wotsay, gals?  

Bipasha: Sans make-up for corporate look!  

Bipasha is taking her role of Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate rather seriously. And those who are waiting to see her glamorous corporate look will be rather disappointed though, as the actress who is known for her glamorous roles has this time decided to go without make-up. She抯 gone in for a simple girl-next-door look. "Whenever she would put some make-up, the director Madhur would politely tell her to go and wash her face. He refused to shoot till she appeared without any make -up," says a unit member. Now it remains to be seen how well her new corporate looks goes down with her fans.   

Riya Sen: Animal lover!  

Some actresses just can抰 keep away from their pets, and Riya Sen is one such actress. She actually has three pet dogs at home who are called Dasho Sen, Tashi Sen and Poochi Sen. When you ask her why the surname, she says they are part of her family so how can they not share the family name? Those around her claim that considering how adamant Riya can be regarding her views once she has made them up, it is better to not argue with her. Unfortunately for Riya, her pets take her love so much for granted that they never listen to anything she says and always do the opposite of whatever she instructs them to do!   

Amrita Rao: Driven to tears & smiles!  

When dawn breaks and everyone rises, the petite Amrita Rao is in deep slumber. Well, don't blame it on a sleeping disorder; it's her tough shooting schedule that's taking a toll on her. She's been shuttling between two sets (Pyare Mohan and Vivaah). "I shoot most of the night, so when everyone is up and awake, I'm ready to crash. But that's hardly a few hours of sleep," says Amrita. And funnily, both the films are so contrasting, that while she wears the comedy cap in Pyare Mohan, she wears her emotions on her sleeve in another. "In fact, I was shooting for some of the most emotional scenes of Vivaah while shooting the later. It was quite a learning experience for me - to switch off and switch on between two drastically different roles," she explains. Now which of these roles drives us to the theatres, we will wait and see!   

Diya Mirza to co-host SaReGaMaPa with Shaan

All roads this evening will lead to the Andheri Sports Complex where the two `SaReGaMaPa' finalists, Debojit and Vinit, will clash for last time.

Hours before the event, Debojit is at his calm-and-collected best. "Whatever I've achieved - where I've come - is more than enough. I feel the blessings that my mother gave me before her death have borne fruits. This week alone I've received 5 lakh votes from my home in Assam. I can't begin to tell you how confident it makes me feel. Do I feel nervous or excited about the Grand Finale? No匢'm not thinking of the results at all. I'm thinking only of my singing and how to sing to my best level possible匢'm happy with whatever God has planned for me tomorrow. I'm really excited about singing the song my mentor Ismail Durbar has composed for me. It's a Sufi gana卾ery very soulful. And Ranjit Barot has arranged it. I never thought I'd stand in front of so many thousands of people including some of the biggest musicians and stars , and be watched by millions of people at home at such a live event, singing such a beautiful song composed specially for me. It's a dream come true."

Diya Mirza

Sonali Kulkarni: Sexiest housewife?

"I am the driving force of Taxi No 9 2 11," says Sonali Kulkarni, when quizzed about her role in the film. Dressed in a funky orange spaghetti strap kurta, the actress appears quite at ease while chatting with us.

"I play a completely sensuous wife. The whole world is going to feel like marrying me -- I can bet on that. Every man who watches the film will wish for a wife like that," she adds. Her character Sarita is a Maharashtrian lady married to Raghav Shastri or Raghu (Nana Patekar) who plays a taxi driver. The film is supposed to be an action-packed humorous thriller.

Sarita loves her husband but isn't a lovey-dovey wife. She is very practical and tells her husband to leave his ego behind and respect traffic rules. Was it difficult working with Patekar? "He comes up with a lot of suggestions. It was a fortunate experience for me," she says. "He drives everybody crazy. He compels everybody to be there in the film, in that moment. He is a co-actor who is fully there to help you. He is such a brilliant actor himself."

She remembers an incident -- a crucial scene in the film -- where husband and wife have a prolonged fight. "It could have become monotonous, but it has come out with many flavours. We shot the whole scene in one go and there wasn't a single retake." Apparently, there was a lot of improvisation on the sets, which added a lot of colour to the final product.

When asked about her experience with the other actors, Sonali says, "They are all nice. John (Abraham) is adorable. He doesn't carry the baggage of his good looks and is absolutely chilled out. Sameera (Reddy) and I don't have a scene together, so we only shared space on a photo shoot."

About director Milan Luthria, she says, "Even if I am the driving force, Milan has the key to the taxi. It was his narration that made me do the film. I look a lot younger than Nana, so they were not too sure if we would make a good couple. But the industry is opening up a bit these days, and they are trying various combinations. Milan understands an actor's problems when it comes to delivering a particular emotion. He comes up with solutions."

Considering she plays a taxi driver's wife, does she drive? "In my earlier days, I used to travel by train. Then came a bicycle, followed by a two-wheeler and my first Maruti 800. Now, when I drive a Toyota Corolla, I feel a great sense of achievement."

The actress is currently awaiting the release of Taxi. She is working with Suniel Shetty and Rajpal Yadav on Ram Gopal Varma's Darna Zaroori Hai. Then, there is Kaaran, directed by debutant Manoj Gaikwad and starring Deepti Naval, Seema Biswas and Benjamin Gilani. Kulkarni is also doing M F Husain's biographical film.

What kind of roles do you want to do, we ask, finally. "I want to dance a lot," she replies, "and I want to do the comedy bit. I want to work with Salman Khan, Saif, Priyadarshan and David Dhavan. I want to work opposite Hrithik Roshan as his lead actress. I have played his mother once, but I would like to romance him on screen."

Light a lamp with Urmila

Urmila fans, rejoice.

The actress is back and looking terrific in Pankuj Parashar's upcoming film, Banaras - A Mystic Love Story.

The Chalbaaz director has crafted a love story with a spiritual backdrop. Shot in Varanasi over 45 days, Parashar says the new film "does not fit into a genre."

The film also stars Ashmit Patel, Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia. Parashar aims to introduce a young Indian audience to the glorious wonders of the holy city.

The film's music is by Himesh Reshammiya, and Banaras is scheduled to hit theatres on April 7.

Meanwhile, the film's official web site has a 'diya' feature, wherein you can make a wish and float a lamp on the Ganga, virtually.

The film's makers assure that they will, in turn, perform a real puja in your name at the Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

We can just pray the film is as original as that idea.

The stars talk about romantic films

They have created a great many romantic classics that couples across the country and abroad have 'oooh'ed and 'aaah'ed to with loved ones. We thought it would be nice, therefore, to ask the stars what their idea of a romantic film was. This is what they told us:

Amitabh Bachchan: "My favourite romantic film is Guru Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool

Your hottest Bollywood women!

10. Kareena Kapoor
Bebo has always been one of Bollywood's most glamorous women, and we're betting her low rank on the list is probably because she hasn't had a hit in a while.



9. Rekha
She might be a Bollywood veteran, but she continues to enigmatically rule our imaginations.



8. Rani Mukherjee
From Kuch Kuchh Hota Hai to Babli, Rani has always had an undefinable appeal: The girl you'd like to take home to your folks, as well as the girl you'd like to take to, well, Khandala.



7. Aishwarya Rai
As many will no doubt testify, she is one enchanting woman. This is a big year for Ash, with several major Indian and international releases. As long as we get to see enough of her!



6. Katrina Kaif
Speaking of Sallu's girlfriends, they just seem to get increasingly gorgeous. This is one Kat who makes all men purr helplessly.



5. Sushmita Sen
Justifiably crowned the best looking woman in the universe, Sush effortlessly balances ravishing looks with substance and grace - a rare combination for Bollywood.



4. Shilpa Shetty
God, how this woman makes us drool. The Dus heroine boasts of a perfect 10, with a body to kill for and a smile to match. Wow.



3. Priyanka Chopra
She's 23. And claims tantalisingly to be single. The only reason we can think of is that there are men waging wars to be first in line. A true sizzler, this one.



2. Bipasha Basu
John Abraham, we hate you! It isn't fair for any one man to be on the receiving end of Bips' affections. Sigh. The woman with the awesomely-improved figure almost topped your list this year.



1. Mallika Sherawat
In the end, it had to be her. Her films might have been disasters, and her fashion sense might have left women across the country complaining, but men, like us and Jackie Chan, didn't really see much reason to be upset.Ms Sherawat is undeniably an icon. She has pushed-up her way through Bollywood's crop, and become an adjective. Now, when a young Indian girl is skimpily dressed, her friends hiss and say 'she's doing a Mallika.'Don't listen to them, Mallika. Half the country is jealous; the other half is wistful.



[ Last edited by  Gadis_Venus at 8-9-2006 04:18 PM ]

Hottest Hunks

Abhishek Bachchan
After Dus and Bluffmaster, Abhishek's trendy stubble helped him inch forward in the polls, just ahead (though it was a very close call) of Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan. Right now, Abhi's having a blast.



Shah Rukh Khan
King Khan may have hit 40, but, from all the messages readers posted, they just can't get enough of his smouldering eyes.Rejoice, SRK-fans, the actor has at least three films coming up this year.



Akshay Kumar
Akki, currently making waves as the industry's funniest leading man, is now turning to romance. Women don't complain, as long as they get more opportunities to ogle at the tall hunk.



John Abraham
All girls are jealous of Bipasha Basu, as is proved by her boyfriend featuring in almost every single message readers posted. Cool and stylish, John has made sure Bollywood takes models seriously.



Salman Khan
The choice was unanimous. Sallu tops the list with an overwhelming majority. Looks like taking your shirt off helps. Salman's been around for quite a while, but he's always been Bollywood's favourite pin-up boy.



[ Last edited by Gadis_Venus at 25-2-2006 09:05 PM ]

Actor Shahrukh Khan to endorse Compaq Presario

After Pepsi, Lux and other several ads actor Shahrukh Khan will endorse Compaq Presario, the brand from Hewlett Packard.

Khan who has already endorsed many big products feels great to be part of the Compaq Presario. This is for the first time he is endorsing a computer brand. The actor feels proud to add this in his portfolio. He believes that kids nowadays are so active and taking interests in computers. The brand Compaq Presario was bought over by HP in 2001 and includes notebooks, PDAs and desktop computers.

It is believed that Khan charges anything between Rs 5 crore to 7 crore for a brand endorsement, which is close to Big B抯 charges.  

Models can be brainy too: John Abraham

He has got to be the busiest actor in the world. John Abraham has recovered from his recent illness卆nd how!
"If taking it easy means the kind of routine that I'm following then yeah, I'm taking it easy," he chuckles all the way from London.

Right now he's in London promoting his next release Taxi 9211. He returns to Mumbai on Thursday and leaves for Sri Lanka "One of my favourite spots after Water" the same day to launch a Yamaha mo'bike. "Then right after that I'm in Dubai for the promotion of 9211. Then I return to India and tour major cities. Finally I'm in Dubai for the Zee awards. That's when I'll get a chance to be home again."

Right now John's schedule looks crazy. For Valentine's Day he had to give Bipasha Basu's company the miss. "I'm here in London. And she was busy shooting in Mumbai. This was the first Valentine when we weren't together. But she's a truly understanding girl. No issues."

The issue on hand is Taxi 9211 . "You know when I saw the film I was blown. It's just 1 hour and 55 minutes long. And it's unlike anything I've done before. It's about two guys who are basically losers, and their adventure together. I think it's a film I'm very confident about. The director Milan Luthria belongs to the Mahesh Bhatt school of filmmaking. And Mr Bhatt has always been a favourite. Nana Patekar and I are such different individuals and actors匴e had a blast shooting together."

There're two new happenings in John's life. "I've started my own website . In just fifteen days there have been 1.5 million hits. It's unbelievable. Yeah , I guess for a guy who came from the outside I've come a long way. There're three kinds of actors梩hose that are industry-made, those that are media-made and those that are audience-made. I feel I belong to the last category. It's the love of my audience that's kept me going in spite of some of my films not doing well. Except Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq and Ravi Chopra's Babul I really don't have too many big-banner films on hand. I've a lot of hard work to do. I feel I've a lot of limitations. And I need to keep working hard to overcome those limitations."

The other big happening in John's life is a cell-phone game called Velocity which he has developed personally in collaboration with his career mangers Matrix and a company called Small Devices. "It's something that I thought of. Sure beats the image that model-turned-actors have of not being brainy, huh? And now the game is ready. We've sent it out on a trial basis to consumers. And the response has been very encouraging. We'll launch it as soon as we zero- in on a date."

John lights up at the mention of the wondrous 'W' word. "I think Water with Deepa Mehta was a learning experience. No one believed I could carry off the dhoti and the Sanskrit shlokas. Even I find it hard to believe . I'm so proud to be part of a film like Water卆nd to be part of an industry which has made Rang De Basanti. I think it's one of the best films I've seen Even Zinda which did just okay at the boxoffice pushes the envelope."

He pauses to reflect on his career, and adds, "You know when I came in I was the outsider. But no less than Mr Amitabh Bachchan agreed to act with me in Aetbaar. So I guess I didn't do too badly for myself. Taxi 9211 smells good. I like what's on my plate."  

Sporty Esha is a true blue professional

She is the dream girl of today, sporty and sensuous. Acting runs in her blood. Se is Esha Deol,who made waves with her performance in Dhoom.

A free-wheeling chat with the Deol dudette:

You had slapped Amrita Rao during one of the shoots in Bangkok. So how are you managing to work with her in the film Pyare Mohan?
It抯 true that I slapped her because of her misbehavior but I owe her a lot too. She has helped me improve my acting skills. I think I have learnt a lot from her. I feel obliged to her for her contribution.

Does it mean that your relations with her are back to normal?
In fact we both behave like professionals should. I will not say that we are best of friends. We are on talking terms when we are doing some scenes together. We discuss when something is common for both of us on the shooting location.

Isn抰 this kind of relation creating any hurdles in the production of the film?
Not at all. We have done our best to keep our personal problems away from the work. We have forgotten what happened in the past and we are now very cooperative to each other for the sake of work. When we are shooting a particular scene together we try to be in perfect harmony.

Dhoom was a big success for you but you were dropped for Dhoom II. Are you disappointed?
I was a little disappointed when I came to know this but then I realised that it抯 not the end of the world for me. I know Dhoom gave me a great break in Bollywood and I should not forget to thank Aditya Chopra for that. I learnt that second part is being done in a different way so it might not have the kind
of role which suits me in the opinion of the director.

Madhavan returns as Thambi

R. Madhavan is ecstatic. First, it was a nine-minute role in Rang De Basanti that won him much adulation and accolades. "I am honestly pleasantly surprised. The only reason I did it was because of Aamir," he says.

And now, it's his Thambi that has generated a positive buzz after its preview at Good Luck theatre on Tuesday.

"After a long time I came across a director who told me a story that made me hug him," beams Madhavan. "Seeman is so good with lines that I was wondering how come he never got a chance before."

Thambi is an anti-thesis to the classical revenge tale. "I play a character who has shades of Gandhi and Bose. A crusader who uses a little violence against violence. Like a line in the movie that goes: "a person putting a scalpel to your heart is not being violent, he's treating you. Open heart surgery is not violence, it's the cure," he explains.

"Ours is the only country where even if you have to say `silence' you have to scream it out. That's also from the movie. Seeman has to be the best dialogue writer in the industry. The movie is full of such one-liners. It completely blew my mind," adds the actor. "The problem was finding a producer until Murli Manohar very defiantly came forward to take it to a larger canvas."

Is he able to relate to a full-fledged commercial Tamil film sensibility after a very refined Rang De Basanti? "I am making a film for a Tamil audience. I wish I had the formulae where I knew what my audience was. When I get to Madurai they introduce me as the hero of Minnale and Run. In New York, they say I'm the actor from Alai Payuthey, Anbe Sivam and Ayudha Ezhuthu, when I go to foreign universities, they say I've done super hits like Kannathil Muthamittal, Nala Damayanti and Anbe Sivam. Some movies that don't do well here are cult-hits abroad, being among the highest selling DVDs. So which is my target audience? Internet users, theatre-goers, movie halls abroad, critics or a Telugu audience, which will watch a dubbed version of my film?"

Isn't he just happy he doesn't have an image trap to add to that? "Yes, luckily there's no image trap for me. The weightage, of course, I am seen as a romantic hero, but they know I'm going to come out with something different."

The box office in Bollywood, he hopes, will be kinder to him. "I've been very unlucky, but I believe it has to do with the timing of the release. Rehna Hai ... went on to be a retro-hit. I have a fond feeling that the Hindi film industry is waiting to give me my first solo hit soon."

"Rakeysh Mehra recently told me how most of my films will be found in the archives even years later for one reason or the other. Be it Anbe Sivam or Alai Payuthey or Aayitha Ezhuthu or Rang De Basanti or Kannathil Muthamittal ... I am proud that I've been here for five years and done 10 films worth their place in the archives," says Madhavan, who recently scored another hit with his game show `Deal Ya No Deal.' "I had to opt out because there was no way I could give them 10 floating days in a month with my existing commitments," he adds.

Though he has three films to choose from in Hindi post Rang De Basanti, Madhavan plans to concentrate on Tamil this year with Balasekaran's Arya and Madhesh's Sarkar in the pipeline.

SQ154

Once Miss India, now renowned artist
Shah Rukh is her muse  





BOLLYWOOD actress Madhuri Dixit used to be one.

  
In the 1990s, the 39-year-old Madhuri was the source of inspiration for Indian artist MF Husain.

Now Shah Rukh Khan has the honour of being an artist's muse.

She is Anjanna Kuthiala, who has painted 20 canvasses depicting the 40-year-old actor in various roles - from a Greek god to an Arab sheikh.

The series is called Shah Rukh Khan - A Poem Of Art In Cinema.

One painting from the series, Paheli (Riddle) is named after his film, which is India's entry in this year's Best Foreign Language Film category for the Oscars.

You will find it here in Singapore on exhibition and for sale at Mumbai Se.

The New Paper caught up with Anjanna when she was in town recently and asked the obvious question: Why paint Shah Rukh?

'It was not something I planned. I don't paint men, I only paint women,' said the 51-year-old former Miss India, pointing to her other piece of work on display. It depicts an Indian woman in a hut and is entitled Indian Jewel.

Anjanna's work is showcased with 60 other pieces of art from contemporary Indian artists, like Laila Khan Rajpal, the daughter of Hindi film actor Feroz Khan. She also made an appearance at the exhibition. (See report on facing page.)

Anjanna called the inspiration to paint Shah Rukh a 'divine calling'.

'I was not a great fan of Shah Rukh. I didn't like his movies then. I thought he was such a brat, so over the top.

'Then I saw him in Asoka. His eyes were amazing. He had blazing eyes. What intensity,' she exclaimed.

Asoka was a 2001 historical film based on an ancient Indian king who rejected war to become a Buddhist. Shah Rukh acted in the title role.

While the critics thought it was a disaster, Anjanna saw the film as a series of paintings in motion.

'It triggered something in me. I had to paint this guy. There was something more to him than just an actor. It was the most extraordinary thing I have ever done,' said the Delhi-based painter.

While Shah Rukh didn't pose for her, she had his office send her photographs and stills from his films.

'I was deluged with photographs. He was everywhere - on the walls, his songs were playing on my stereo,' said Anjanna.

'My husband and son, fortunately, took it very well.'

Her Shah Rukh series made its debut in Mumbai in January last year and the King of Bollywood was at the inauguration.

Without charge, added Anjanna gleefully, making a reference to Shah Rukh's reputation for showing up at events only if he is paid handsomely.

In fact, the star nearly didn't show up as he was stuck in Dubai for an awards show the day before the inauguration, she said.

'The entire media was coming because of Shah Rukh. For two hours, I went berserk.

'A friend told me, 'You've not even paid him. He's not bothered, why should he come?' But he chartered a flight (back to Mumbai) and he did not give me the bill, by the way,' she said.

While the painting may have been a result of 'divine calling', the price tag for the 'divine result' is a hefty $27,650.

Anjanna's other work, Indian Jewel, is priced at $15,600.

She is also in talks with an international watch company to exhibit the works in other parts of South-east Asia.


The exhibition of contemporary Indian artists is on at Mumbai Se at Palais Renaissance from now until 26 Feb. Admission is free.



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Bollywood pedigree, but she chooses art instead
  

WITH Bollywood babe looks, blonde-streaked hair and blood ties to showbiz personalities, you would think Laila Khan Rajpal would be in the Hindi film industry.

Her father is the flamboyant veteran actor Feroz Khan and her brother is Fardeen, whose recent wedding hit the headlines of almost every Indian newspaper.

The 35-year-old artist, whose untitled oil painting is on show at Mumbai Se, told The New Paper she never felt pressured to be an actress.

'We were not greatly encouraged or exposed. I am a bit of a reserved and shy person. You definitely need to get rid of all that if you want to become an actress,' she said..

'I am quite private and I like a large part of my life to be private.

Even though she is not an actress, the word Bollywood does annoy her.

She said: 'Our film industry has its own character, we have our own flavour, why do we have to take it from a Western word? I hate it.'

Laila went to the Slade School of Fine Art, one of the premier art schools in London in the 1990s, after earning her BA in English literature.

Another reason she turned to painting instead of acting was that she could have much more creative control over her work.

'With painting, I can exercise complete control and it's my expression,' she said. 'Nothing can take away that expression.

'The criticism will be mine. The praise will be mine.'

Abhishek will endorse LG home appliances

After Zayed Khan now this year viewers can see Abhishek Bachchan endorsing LG products. LG Electronics India Pvt Ltd (LGEIL) has signed Abhishek Bachchan as brand ambassador for its home appliances.

Last year Zayed Khan was signed for LG Electronics like mobile phones and DVD players. It is also the first time that LG has signed on a brand ambassador to launch new positioning, lending a differential appeal to the whole category.

A two year contract has been signed by Abhishek to endorse the entire range of home appliances of the company. However, the actor feels that the LG Electronics is synonymous with quality and commitment to consumers the world over.

When Shah Rukh held back a plane

Well most of us dream about being a celeb and a part of the glamorous world. How cool it would be if we were famous and had a huge fan following. It would feel so great when people recognize you and go out of their way to do things for you.

Well most of our famous Bollywood stars do live this kind of life. With the kind of craze people have for the stars, their life is very much like a prince or princess. This is one upside of being a star. But then again there is another aspect to this. Where there are few stars who never miss an opportunity to reveal their identity and take advantage of their stardom for personal gains, there are some wise ones in Bollywood who don抰 believe in misusing their fame for getting favors.

Shah Rukh Khan is one such star. Over the years the star has got so many well wishers everywhere that people just need to know that he needs something and the most impossible thing on earth will get done for him. But he refuses to use his name for any personal gain. Shah Rukh says that never in his life has he used his name to get rooms in hotels or even at customs and traditions. If there is no table available in the restaurant, he would rather wait for a table like others than pass a message that Shah Rukh Khan wants a place. Though there has been an instance when Shah Rukh made a plane wait for half an hour. But, then again this was not for his own good. This was when there was a bomb blast at Colombo where the star and his troupe were to perform. Shah Rukh wanted all the actors and their families to get back home soon and safely. He himself didn抰 board that flight but let others go safely first.

Says Shah Rukh that this was one time when he used his stardom but then it was the situation which demanded for desperate measures. Besides he went on to apologize to everyone on board. Well, we don抰 think the star misused his name. In fact it shows the concern the star has for other people who work with him.  

Big B, Rani & Black at Filmfare

Amid all that colour it was a Black evening. The powerful Sanjay Leela Bhansali film took all that mattered at the 51st Fair One Annual Filmfare Awards. And what's more, the Big B was there to receive his awards in person, a first this year.

For those who came in late, Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee were the predictable winners of the prestigious Best Actor and Best Actress awards for their intense portrayals in Black.

Black won the best film Award and Bhansali, appropriately dressed in the colour of the evening, took home a Filmfare for Best Director. Amitabh too wore black, Rani was in all white.

And if that - and a clutch of other technical and popular awards - were not enough, Amitabh and Rani won the Critics' Awards too.

Aby's Baby, who is undoubtedly the most happening thing about Bollywood this season, won the Filmfare for the best supporting actor for Sarkar and said his father was the greatest actor ever. No one seemed to demur.

Abhishek also performed to his rocking Right Here, Right Now from Bluffmaster . Before him, the evening was dotted with some spectacular performances that included a rare turn by Madhuri Dixit and a sensual remix version of Kajra Re by Aishwarya Rai.

Some moments of nostalgia when Shamita Shetty paid tribute to Praveen Babi by performing to some of the latter's popular songs.

Even the costume was very Babi, akin to the golden body suit that the glamour queen wore in Namak Halal for the Jawaani Jaaneman number.

Others who took home a statuette included Delhi boy Shiny Ahuja, who has been scoring high for Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi . Ahuja won the award for best male debutant.

Parineeta's Vidya Balan was the female counterpart, her second award of the evening. She was earlier declared Face of the Year.

Nana Patekar was the expected winner in the negative role category for Apaharan , and Akshay Kumar took home a Filmfare for Best actor in a Comic Role for Garam Masala . The little Black wonder Ayesha Kapoor was Best Supporting Actress, but did not attend the show.

The music awards were a Bunty Aur Babli affair. Save Himesh Reshammiya who was Best Playback Singer Male for Aashiq Banaya Aapne , Alisha Chinoy best female singer for Kajra Re .

Many awardees didn't turn up to receive their awards, but Amitabh was there to a standing ovation. He thanked everyone for their prayers and good wishes that helped him get well. An emotional Jaya Bachchan watched from the audience.

Bunty Aur Babli also won Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy the award for best music and Gulzar for best lyrics in Kajra Re .

And yes, Shabana Azmi got a Lifetime Achievement Award and didn't quite look the part of a veteran. They are getting younger every year.

Amitabh Bachchan


Rani Mukherjee

Akshay releases Ritu Beri's book priced at Rs.1 lakh

Making it clear that he was not much of a book reader but was here in the Capital only for a friend, Bollywood star Akshay Kumar on Saturday released fashion designer Ritu Beri's maiden book, "`Firefly: A Fairytale", at Hotel Hyatt Regency.

Dressed in an immaculate white shirt and jeans, Akshay said: "I am not a book lover but am here for my dear friend Ritu. This will be the first book that I will read. But I have been instructed not to open the book right now as it will be officially released early next month."

Thanking Akshay for giving the Filmfare awards function a miss to attend her book launch, Ritu said the actor had shown that he has a "super heart''. "Dressing up Akshay has been very easy for me as he is a clotheshorse and a trendsetter."

About her book, Ritu said: "I cannot be presumptuous enough to write down my own autobiography. Fashion has been portrayed in a casual yet in a fun sort of way. Earlier, I was commissioned by Penguin to pen down the book but it turned out to be too costly so I decided to publish it myself." Stating that the book was about those things that give her creativity a spark, Ritu said: "The book is about all creative things like architecture, history, women and their beauty. It illustrates unbelievable similarities of various cultures of the world and is about innumerable influences on fashion like the intrigue of history, the drama of architecture, the experimental play of photography, the magic of Paris and refined art. There is a chapter on Paris that has played an important part in my evolution as a designer." The designer said professionally she was having a great time as she recently got an opportunity to dress Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman. So far, only 100 copies of the book - which deals with Ritu's dreams to conquer the global fashion world - have been published and will be available at her store and at various book houses at an unbelievable price of Rs. 1 lakh.

Akshay Kumar & Ritu Beri