Shruti Haasan working out to get back in shape

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Shruti Haasan working out to get back in shape

The usually slim and trim Shruti Haasan says she needs to regularize her workout regimen to get back into shape.

"Going to work out starting today! I have been a very bad girl and not worked out properly in two months!!! Got to get back in some kind of shape!" she tweeted.

The 24-year-old, daughter of veteran actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika, made her Bollywood debut opposite Imran Khan in "Luck".

Imran beats Akki and Shahid with Rs 5 crore

Imran Khan replaces Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor as ambassador for leading brand

Imran Khan has replaced Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor as the sole brand ambassador for denim brand Levi Strauss & Co. He stands to earn Rs 5 crore annually, as per the freshly drawn contract.

The seemingly low-profile actor has been busy signing films and inking fresh endorsement deals. Previously, he replaced Hrithik as brand ambassador for Coca-Cola. Sources reveal that a commercial directed by Dibakar Banerjee for the brand featuring Imran and Kalki Koechlin received positive feedback.

Khan is being aggressive about his marketing strategy, says our source, adding, "The success of his last film has worked in his favour. He's very popular with the youth which is why he's getting offers from brands representing the segment. He's extremely conscious about what brand he endorses. Despite getting several offers everyday, he's being very selective."

Apart from signing ads, he has also recently bagged his first Yash Raj project with Katrina and is also working in Dharma Productions' next with Kareena. Imran's next release will be Kunal Kohli's Break Ke Baad in November.

Says Imran, "I would like to do endorse products I use or believe in. I have been wearing Levi's for years and Coke is all I drink." About the success of his cola commercial he adds, "I have been told that they have seen an increase in their market share."

Dabangg sequel: Here's what you can expect...

Here's what you can expect in the sequel that rolls year-end

A sequel to Dabangg is already in the offing. The decision to go ahead with the second instalment was taken over the weekend at an Eid party at Salman Khan's Bandra home.

Producer Arbaaz Khan says, "A sequel is on the cards. And why just a sequel? The film and the main characters have the potential to be carried forward through various channels."

Sonu Sood confirms the developments, "Salman was the most enthusiastic at his Eid party. When he suggested we do the sequel, we started discussing it very seriously."

While other details are yet to be finalised, it is learnt that Dabangg will roll at year-end. And yes, it will have another item song on par with Malaika Arora's Munni Badnaam Hui.

WHAT CHANGES:

>> The plot will now move away from the Uttar Pradesh hinterland to a large city, probably Mumbai

>> Sonu Sood who plays small-town goon-politician Chedi Singh will play a double role in the sequel and will be shown to have a twin brother.

AND WHAT DOESN'T

>> Director Abhinav Singh Kashyap will continue as director. He has been briefed on how the story goes forward.

>> Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha will reprise their roles in the sequel

Karan Johar, Ram Gopal Varma's war of words goes on

Karan Johar may have produced We Are Family, the official Hollywood remake of Stepmom, but his critic filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has several reservations.

"The good thing about official remakes is that we can officially prove to the world how bad as makers we are, " Varma tweets.

In return, Karan posted: "It's sad when extreme failure and death of talent drives filmakers into a zone of negativity... sad!

But that is the unfortunate truth!" This isn't the first time both the filmmakers are caught in a war of words they love making digs at each other.

What is Twinkle doing in Akki-Kat's Tees Maar Khan?

Mrs Akshay Kumar will appear during end credits of Tees Maar Khan. It will be her first appearance on screen in almost a decade

Twinkle returns to the big screen after nearly a decade. As one of the producers of Tees Maar Khan, Akshay Kumar's biwi appears in a walk-on part during the end credits of Farah Khan's flick. The star wife shot for Tees Maar Khan at Capitol theatre in South Mumbai on Saturday.

Explains Farah, "I ensure that the people whose names roll in the credits feature in it as well. Twinkle being one of the producers had to be part of it. She was extremely professional and gave the shot in one take."

During the shoot, Akshay stepped in and was part of the same frame, so the couple will be seen together in the shot.

Though Dimple Kapadia's daughter has featured in a cell phone ad recently and has shot for a magazine cover with the hubby a while back, she opted to be away from the big screen. She preferred instead to keep herself busy with her interior designing business.

For Tees Maar Khan, the end credits has an 'Oscar awards' feel to it. "We redid the Capitol theatre to look like the Kodak theatre where the Academy awards are usually held. All the men dressed in suits while the women in gowns." Twinkle wore a gown from her own personal collection.

Show-and-tell

Farah has her crew appear on screen during the end credits because she feels they too deserve a few moments on screen.

"I began with Main Hoon Na and then followed it up with Om Shanti Om and plan to continue the 'tradition' through all my movies. A lot of these guys work very hard, so I thought of having them on screen. Those few moments give them (and their families) a big high, " says Khan.

On the flipside, she feels there are several who evince interest in being part of her projects for those few seconds of being on the big screen!

Salman makes a committment with Mahie Gill

Bollywood star Salman khan is known to be a man of golden heart, who keeps his every promise, made to anyone. This time, the Dabangg star has promised his co-star Mahie Gill that he will act with her again in another film.

Mahie was seen in a very short but important role in Salman Khan's latest release Dabangg. She was paired with Salman's brother Arbaaz Khan in this movie. The actress, who was first noticed in the 2009 movie Dev D, opposite Abhay Deol, was very excited about her role in Dabangg. But she got disappointed after watching the film's trial last weekend.

A disappointed Mahie expressed her disappointment saying that some of her scenes in the movie had been deleted. The final version of the movie has only a very small part of her performance. Then she met Salman and conveyed her disappointment to him, who in turn consoled her with a promise that he will work with her again in another movie.

A source was quoted saying that the actress really worked very hard in Dabangg but didn't get much of her share in the movie. Her role was deleted in some portions considering the length of the movie.

The source added that Dabangg is a huge film for Mahie, even though she had a very small role. She was very happy to be a part of this movie and satisfied that Salman had assured her personally to act in another film with her.

Hope Salman keeps his promise to Mahie!

Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn patch up

Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn to star in Rohit Shetty flick

In what may well be a casting coup, Rohit Shetty has got rivals Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn to work together again after five years. The two actors have previously co-starred in three films -- Suhaag (1994), Khakee (2004) and Insan (2005).

Shetty, director of the successful Golmaal franchise is planning to bring them back together in his next project, being touted as an action entertainer.

A source close to Rohit reveals, "He has a script in mind which will work only with Ajay and Akshay. It's an all-out action film with unreal stunts along with his trademark dose of comedy. He has already approached the actors and they have agreed to consider the project."

A source analyses their troubled history, "Akshay and Ajay have had similar career graphs -- both started off as action heroes, later moving on to lighter comic roles.

However, they have consciously avoided working with each other since 2005. Even though producers would go to them with projects, they would cite date reasons and steer clear of working with each other."

If Shetty can pull this off, the two actors who usually spar in different films during the festive season may well go guns ablaze for the same film

Did you know?

There was a buzz that Ajay wasn't happy with Akshay's interference during the making of Suhaag where the latter sat in on the film's editing.

Sonakshi jostled in a Mall, Salman furious

Hyderabad is one city that Salman Khan won't forget that easily.

It's the city where last week on Tuesday afternoon Salman, Sonu Sood and Sonakshi Sinha were mobbed jostled bruised and even thrown to the ground, and there was nothing that Salman and his 30 bouncers could do to control the hysterical mob.

The situation got so out of hand that Salman not only left the scene with his colleagues in an obvious fury he even cancelled another major event scheduled in Hyderabad for the same evening and headed straight for the airport to get home as soon as possible.

An eyewitness says, “Salman hates being pushed around in crowds. He feels he is there for the junta, so why do they need to jostle? But what happened at the In-Orbit mall in Hyderabad infuriated Salman. Sonakshi got pushed around. This was intolerable to Salman.

He has made a promise to Sonakshi's father that he will look after her. Salman can't bear to see his promise to the concerned father being compromised in any way. He immediately headed to the airport with her and caught the first flight out of Hyderabad.”

Confirming these incidents Sonu Sood who accompanied Salman and Sonakshi said, “All three of us were pushed around. Sonakshi and I even fell to the ground. I have bruises on my arms and legs. She too was injured.

The bouncers could do nothing. Salman was like, 'This is too much. We can't handle this, let's get out of here.' He cancelled the other event and we headed back to Mumbai by an earlier flight than the one we were booked on.”

Sonakshi who was recovering from the frightening tryst with Hyderabadi hysteria at her home on Wednesday morning was yet to understand the enormity of the situation.

Says Sonakshi, “The crowds in Hyderabad did go out of control. You know how it is when Salman is in public. Everyone wants a picture with him. The security was absolutely ineffective! We had to cancel the second event in Hyderabad and return to Mumbai.”

Sonakshi had to go to Hyderabad unescorted by a female family members. Her mother who generally accompanies her had to stay back in Mumbai due to a serious illness in the family.

Sonu Sood puts what the girl went through in a nutshell. “I guess Sonakshi is learning early in her career how dangerous fan attention can be.”

I started dating when I was in the 10th standard: Dino Morea

Like some of the renowned models who hail from Bangalore, Raghu Mukerjee, Shakeel Sharief, Prasanna, Carun & Mustafa Hussein et al, many Bollywood actors too have their roots firmly entrenched in the Garden City of Bangalore. Abbas, Keerthi Reddy & Lara Dutta are some of them.

Not to speak of the late Funster Mehmood Ali and the entire Khan Clan of Feroz, Sanjay, Akbar, Fardeen and Zayed. Dino Morea is one such actor too, who despite being half Italian, happens to be a Pucca Bangalorean Boy.

While he returned from his recent visit to the city, he got nostalgic about his hometown in this interview with Sampurn Wire's Shaheen Raaj.

“I grew up in Bangalore and I have an Italian Mom who has lived all her life in Bangalore till this date. Needless to say, I did my schooling in Bangalore. We lived near Frazer Town and our house still stands here in all its glory.

I went to the Army school initially and then shifted to Clarence High School where I finished my entire schooling. Then I went to St. Joseph's College and finished my graduation there.

So right from the school and college days, I really think that I had the best time of my life in Bangalore. No doubt I was very much into sports and athletics. In fact I always took part in all the school and college sports. Not only these I had a great bunch of college friends and we all used to attend parties, discotheques and have a blast.”

“Honestly, while in Clarence, I was a good boy. Very simple and down to earth. But when I had joined college, I had realized for the first time that bunking could be such great fun. And once again, honestly, I used to bunk college and hang out outside Kamat Girls' College.

In fact, around that time itself or rather when I was in the 10th standard, I had already started dating girls, going out with them. I mean it was such a great fun going to the movies, to the restaurants with them. Apart from Kamat's College, I and my cronies also used to hang out in an area none other than Brigade road.

Yeah! I have learnt so much in my life from my friends in Bangalore and they have even supported me a lot in all my endeavors. In fact, it's all thanks to them that I am what I am today. Indeed, growing up in Bangalore was so much great fun.

“After finishing my studies I never knew what I would be doing for a living but I was sure of one thing that I wanted to be very rich, make lots of money. So I just went ahead and took part in the Gladrags Mega Manhunt

contest.

I was jubilant when I was selected as a finalist from the Bangalore Zone. Then I took part in its final round in Mumbai and ultimately won Gladrags Mr. India Crown and my life took a daringly different turn from then on. People started calling me for work to Mumbai but making it very clear that they could not fly me down every time.

So if I really wished to work then I had to relocate here. Realizing that I had no other choice, I left Bangalore with a heavy heart and its fondest memories and shifted bag and baggage to Mumbai.” “Of course, I have visited the city quite often to see my parents and spend Christmas and New Year with them. Bangalore has really grown and become more beautiful and prosperous since those bygone days of mine. May it really prosper & grow more.

A couple of years down the line I will go back to Bangalore, settle down there, and make a film about Bangalore, which will be my first ever directorial effort. Not only these, right now I am writing a book on Bangalore, projecting all its past glory, history, mystery, myths & romance of my times. Lastly my parting shot for my entire fellow Bangaloreans would be 'We are all very cool, let's just stay that way.”