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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Kangana Ranaut on Verve Magazine (HAPPY NEW YEAR KANGANA)


Verve starts the year with Kangna Ranaut who graces the cover for the January 2010 issue of Verve looking very beautiful. Her upcoming films are Kites, No Problem, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and others. I wish Kangana Ranaut a new year. She had fantastic 2009 with a big hit "Raaz - The Mystery Continues" and a flop movie "Vaada Raha" and an average "Ek Niranjan". She has done lots of performances today and has grown as an actress and 2010 will be wonderful for her as she will have lots of releases. Her heart got broken this year by Adhyayan Suman, but she has regained that by winning most awards for her act in "Fashion". She gained lot of fans and I hope that in 2010, she becomes an established actress.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Kangna done with dating

Everyone knows Kangna Ranaut, the accomplished actress of today. Here, she talks of her past and how it has made her the person she is.

What sort of a child were you?
I was very quiet. I used to suck my thumb. Other kids would never play with me and I would be sitting in one corner. There was something very strange about me. I didn’t live in the present. I was always in a dream world. I would be dreaming about the shows that I watched like Aladdin or Snow White and I would want to go to their world. My father would hate that I sucked my thumb, he would slap me and put my finger down and then I would cry.

Were your parents strict with you?
I was never a naughty child, never troubled my mother. If you ask my parents they will say that I was very quiet, very peaceful and very scared of them. If they asked me to sit somewhere after five hours I would still be there.
(laughs)

Did you lead a very restricted life?
Yeah, I did. I wasn’t allowed to leave home after 6 o’clock so I would always make sure that I would go out late in the night. Then when my parents would say something like, ‘Andhera ho gaya hai, tum late aayi,’ I would just say ‘yes’. Slowly I became a person who wouldn’t listen to anyone. My father would be very upset with the clothes that I would wear. I don’t know what I wanted to prove. Now when I go home, I usually wear a salwaar kameez and wonder, why was I torturing them? (laughs)

A lot of the restriction came from living in a joint family. I remember having the biggest fights with my grandfather and every one’s jaw would just drop. Nobody had the guts to answer back to him and I was only 12 when I started doing so. He is an IAS officer and had lived all his life in Mumbai and for some strange reason he would always say that first all the males of the family would eat and then the females. I didn’t approve of rules like that and would insist on joining the men at the table. He would leave the table. My parents were quite embarrassed because of me.

When was the first time you fell in love?
I was quite young. He was my English teacher, a very good looking guy and I was just a 13-year-old. That was the time I became aware of my sexuality. We were very comfortable with each other because he had been my teacher since I was eight or nine. But when I was thirteen and he would say, ‘Beta come here..’ or something like that, I would think what’s wrong with him, he doesn’t have to talk this way (laughs aloud). That was a beautiful romance because in my mind I used to romance him and he would be teaching me.

How does living in a small town (Manali) compare to living in Mumbai?
These are two completely different worlds. This one is completely fake and that one is the real world. In Manali people live with animals. They feed them fodder and clean them too. So much of nature is involved there that you stay balanced. Here you deal with cars, roads, buildings and if you see a beggar, you treat him like a building and you treat a building like a human being. There is no reality here. I see so much of balance there, I see no balance here.

What were you studying in Delhi?
Basically I went there for my vacations and then I decided to take admission in some college. Then I met a few people there and got into theatre. If you ask me honestly, I cannot recollect that time. I was like an animal, just wandering around. If someone was going to a modelling agency, I too would go with that person. I wasn’t aware of my actions at all which is a very pathetic and shameful way to live but I was living a life like that.

So coming to Mumbai was also a part of that life?
Yes, my agency Elite sent me to Mumbai. I didn’t ask why I am going to Mumbai or what I will do in Mumbai. I came to Mumbai because I thought everybody came to Mumbai after Delhi. Then one fine day I stopped taking calls from the agency. I stopped going to the auditions. I used to go to town taking trains to give auditions and then within seven days of it all I was fed up. Then I said, ‘Forget it! I am not going to any audition as I don’t get any work.’

Isn’t it all difficult for a young girl to manage?
It is and that’s what gets you into trouble. How do people get into problems? Actually they are the biggest problems for themselves. I got carried away with the life here, the nightlife, discos and the whole city life.

You didn’t have any aspirations?
From childhood I would tell my parents and I would become somebody very famous. They used to be very rude to me when I would say this but for me it was always a matter of fact. I knew I was going to be what I wanted to be even if I had no idea what that was.

And when you were rejected at the auditions, did it dent in your confidence?
It did. I went through a lot of insecurities. I was leading a very random life for a year before I got Gangster. Before that too, I was supposed to do a few films. I didn’t have any concept of A grade or B grade cinema. I had hardly seen 10 films in my life. So if someone said, come to this audition, we want to sign a film with you, I would sign it. Fortunately for me, those films never took off. My parents would tell me that I would never be anyone and they would say all sort of negative things and I would think maybe they were right. I would think of myself as a loser in every sense, not only professionally but also in my personal life. That would scare me but also it wouldn’t last.

Is there anything that you hated about yourself and wanted to change?
I hated everything about myself, my life, everything. When I came here, I was very uncomfortable about the clothes that I wore. I used to wear those really cheap clothes, buy them from streets and wear them and I would look so funny. I used to feel funny, not that I looked funny. Those dresses were not appropriate and no one should go out on the streets in them. They were fine for parties but I had no concept of what to wear and when. And I looked like a 16-year-old coming from some village trying to be modern. Not that I was dumb, I was intelligent but it was just so weird that people kept looking at me not very respectfully and I hated being so uncomfortable. If I had been wearing just jeans and a T-shirt, nobody would have noticed me. That was worse because if you are looking for assignments and modelling work and if nobody notices you then it’s terrible. So I was uncomfortable in every way. I never became friendly with anyone. Life was strange without parents, proper food, proper house, nothing at all in place. I hated everything around me and the way I was. I would go on for weeks and weeks without thinking where I was heading. That was a phase I remember and someday I will definitely make a movie on that.

Was there peer pressure to do things?
I would do whatever others did. It didn’t matter if I liked it or not. It wasn’t peer pressure definitely but because I wanted to be one of them or maybe I wanted to prove that I belonged to this world, I went on like that for years and years. I didn’t hate it at that point of time. If I would have hated it, I would have changed it. But I had no clue what was wrong with my life. It took me two years to realise who I really am. Not that I hated it but I wasn’t happy either.

Were you lonely?
Loneliness was never a problem because whenever I was lonely I would do something that would make me happy. My problem was that I had too many people around me and they never let me be alone. Before I became an actress, I would go for auditions with people, have coffee and come back, normal life, not very different from Delhi. Then after I became an actress, there were designers, ADs, people who roam around the whole day on the sets. They kind of open those doors for you. You get shocked with what is happening around you but you don’t show it. This is how your new life starts and it just takes over.

You also got into some wrong relationships...
Well, when you get into a relationship it’s not wrong at that point of time and I won’t consider anything wrong with them. For me, I have been in two relationships till now, and both have been beautiful in their own way. It was I who was a random soul, and I still am. I still have so many things to learn in life. I am not a perfect person, nobody is perfect. So whatever experience one goes through is because of oneself.

Did you at anytime realise that you were in relationship that you shouldn’t be in?
See, relationships are not that important in my life. I don’t feel any pressure to say that love means everything and blah blah! For me, I don’t think love is something which will make me complete. It’s who I am. I have something to prove and I have a strong urge to do certain things in life. And if I don’t do that, I will be a very unhappy person. I never gave that kind of priority to any relationship. If I would have done that I would have been in a happy relationship and an unhappy career. I am clear about my priorities now. People at times judge me. They say that she says her priority is her career and her ambitions... but that’s ok. I am not ashamed of the fact that it actually is.

Today I am done with dating. Now if I get into a relationship, it will be with a proper plan. Now I would want to be with a man with whom I can see a future and give it more time and energy. If I see a man turning into my husband in the near future then only will I go ahead with a relationship. This is what life or age does to you. You can preserve your innocence but at the same time you cannot deny the fact that you cannot sometimes take another chance with life.

So that means you are not going to fall wildly in love now because you are first going to look into the husband aspect of it.
Yeah. That’s true actually; otherwise I have always fallen in love first and then seen the right and wrong of it.

You are too young to reach this decision. At this age people are still having flings.
Yes, if you start little late. But I started too early. (laughs) I started at 16. (laughs loudly)

Are you still edgy?
That's a very difficult question because to explain who I was is very difficult even for me. I mean nobody knows who they really are. Right now, I am definitely not the person who I want to be. There is still a lot to achieve but I am also definitely not the person I hated to be. I am okay now, peaceful, but I want to be a better person in future. I am sure the better part of me is still to come.

Who do you want to be?
I just want to be a person whose very presence makes people smile. I want to have positivity and grace as a woman. When I came here, I was a tomboy. Not even a tomboy, I was something between a guy and a girl. I want to be a nicer human being so that when I look at myself I should feel proud of myself. Right now I don’t feel proud of myself. Earlier I used to feel shit about me. Whatever I said, I did, everything was wrong. I would always say the wrong thing at the right time. Now I don’t do those things which make me hate myself. I don’t beat myself up everyday when I go home. I am peaceful. But I am not even the person who would be so proud of herself.

Are you ever fake?
Yes, I sometimes say things for the sake of saying things. Like the most common thing that I would say, “How are you?” makes me feel so fake. I prefer to say, "Kaise hain aap?" that makes me realise what I am saying. When I say it, I do really mean, kaise hain aap? So I am watching myself.

When you were in trouble at any point in your life, have you taken any favours from your friends?
I have never ever taken any favour from anyone in my life. I have never called up any friend to discuss my problems or ask them for solutions. I have really great friends who claim to stand by my side when I am in trouble. I have been in trouble but never had the courage to test them because if my time was already bad, I wouldn’t want one more shock. So I never really tested my friends.

When you say you never had the courage, you mean you were scared that they would not be by your side?
I don’t know. I never had the courage to discuss my problems with people around. I have always shown the happier side of me and I will continue to do that. It’s not my friend’s duty or concern to help me out with my troubles. I think it’s unfair to do so.

The presence of friends makes me uncomfortable. It distracts me from the situation. It’s the same with my parents. Even in childhood when I was in trouble, I would lock myself up in my room and would not leave my room until I had solved the problem. I have a lot of faith in my strength but parents and friends get so weak and I just think handling them is much more difficult than handling the situation.

How do you manage to look so different in every film? Is it deliberate?
Honestly, it is. It bores me to death to be the same because for me it’s a character that I have to get into. So I change everything that I can. So I kind of do the fun things so people are shocked but I don’t like myself looking the same all the time.

Sometimes it can be embarrassing. Recently, at the Paa premiere, one of my costars was treating me like a fan. It was only when I said, ‘I am Kangna,’ that he realised that it was me. It’s so embarrassing, we work together for 60 days and they don’t recognise me. It has happened with me a lot. When I was in theatre, my guru used to tell me that it is a blessing in disguise. At times he would give me a guy’s role. He said that you have a face which can be moulded into anything. But another thing that really matters is whether my hair is curly or straight. It changes me so much that sometimes I too wonder about the look. It’s very good for a double role though.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Once Upon A Time in Mumbai is not delayed

It was way back in 2008 when the seeds of Once Upon A Time In Mumbai were sown first. With Ekta Kapoor as the producer, the film was announced with director Milan Luthria at the driving seat. Though Suniel Shetty was supposed to co-produce the film with Ekta Kapoor first with murmurs of Sanjay Dutt being roped in for the role of the central protagonist, that didn't quite happen. Ultimately Ajay Devgn was finalised for the role of a dreaded Mumbai based don (rumoured to be based on Haji Mastan) from the 70s with Emraan Hashmi, Kangna Ranaut and Prachi Desai were roped in as the other principal protagonists.

With such developments taking place in quick succession and the film's shooting also beginning in July 2009, it was expected that Once Upon A Time In Mumbai would be wrapped up in a jiffy and released before the end of year. However, that was not the case to be as the film was taking its own sweet time to reach the finishing mark. With any delay comes speculation, more so since Ekta Kapoor was sitting on the hat trick of box office disasters (EMI, C Kkompany, Mission Istanbul - all released in 2008). Naturally, obituaries were already being written for this Milan Luthria directed film.

It was all around the industry circles that the film was jinxed and would not quite reach the finishing mark. Even though the makers had announced an increase in budget of the film with reports of Ekta being happy with the rushes of what had been shot so far, observers passed this off as a last minute face saving tactic. It was also rumoured that Emraan Hashmi, who has traditionally never been happy in multi star-cast affairs (Good Boy Bad Boy, Chocolate) had started loosing interest in the film while Ajay Devgn, being the senior-most of the lot, was demanding a change in script.

It wasn't a happy situation for Milan either since he was desperate to get back into the groove after having waited for two years since the release of Hat Trick (2007). His Bihaad with Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Balan hadn't quite got on the floors and the filmmaker's frustration was palpable. With recession and a general slowdown in the making of the films turning out to be a final nail in the coffin, it pretty much seemed like a declaration that Once Upon A Time In Mumbai was stalled.

Joginder Tuteja gets into a conversation with Milan who not just confirms that the film is very much on but also hits back at all the accusations around schedules going haywire.

Is Once Upon A Time In Mumbai stalled?
I don't know why there have been so much of speculations around the completion of Once Upon A Time In Mumbai (OUATIM) . We are almost 60% through with the film. In fact as we talk, I am already finalising logistics for another schedule which begins soon. It would go on till early January.

If things are pretty much on track, why have there been so many speculations?
Milan Lithria I guess speculations like these happen because today, most films are made at stretch. The start to finish trend has become so very common that any film that takes longer than 40-50 days to complete is questioned. My own Deewar - Let's Bring Our Heroes Home and Kachche Dhaage were pretty spread out.

Still, wasn't OUATIM planned for an earlier release?
There haven't been any major changes in the plan and the film was always meant to be completed over a period of 6 months. Yes, we could have possibly finished shooting a little earlier but then Ajay was shooting abroad for some time. Post that he had the release of All The Best lined up. Since he was also the producer, he was a little aggressive in promotion. We were fine with this slight wait but no, there wasn't any slowdown internally.

One also hears that there were also quite a few logistics hassles due to the period setting of the film.
More than hassles, I would say these were expected challenges. Unlike the scenario where a film crew either assembles on studio sets at Mumbai or jets away for a start to finish overseas shoot, OUATIM had its own challenges to meet. Due to its period setting, my team had to make sure that at the least, the film looked authentic. This is not one of those films where you can go to London, shoot for two months and come back.

So when do we see the film eventually releasing?
We started shooting in the month of July and we should be wrapping up the film in January. In fact most of Emraan's portions are already shot. Things are shaping up well for the film and even though some industry friends out there are a little worried about the film, we aren't. Once Upon A Time In Mumbai was always planned for a summer release and we are pretty much on target for that.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Kangna Is Unrecognizable in No Problem


Kangna Ranaut stands alone among her contemporaries as the only girl who doesn’t need to drastically change her body type or make-up to look different.

There is just something intrinsically in her features that changes all the time. According to her it is because all her features are small and no one part of her face dominates the others.

Be that as it may in this still from No Problem she looks almost unrecognisable from the girl we are used to seeing. Tell her that and she replies that even her mother tells her that she is constantly changing. “This will continue to happen for the next few years,” she promises, “till my features finally settle down to what they will be for the rest of my life.” She recounts how, when attending red carpet functions, she often passes the bank of photographers who realise who she is only because of her publicist accompanying her.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sushmita and Kangana shakira impresses all

Spotted Sushmita Sen in her sexy new shape and Kangna Ranaut dancing their troubles away on the sets of Rajat Rawail’s No Problem at a local studio.

Both women dressed in designer saris (costing the producer a few lakhs) were in perfect tandem. What is notable is that Kangna who seems petite could actually measure up quite well to the tall Sushmita. Both women wore flat slippers, exposed their flat bellies and shook their hips so seductively that the men who were watching — Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna had their tongues hanging loose.

Akshaye Khanna the youngest guy of the lot also got rewarded by a nice bear hug from sexy Sush... and after she finished, the actor was strutting around looking very pleased. Well, not everyone gets such benevolence from the ex Miss Universe after all.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Sushmita Sen and Kangana Ranaut shake like Shakira



The actresses are presently shooting for a song sequence for Anees Bazmee's No Problem (it's not a sequel to No Entry!). Music composer Pritam has composed a trademark Punjabi hip track that goes Shakira Jaisi Hile Lakhni.

Sush and Kangs, who play sisters in the flick, have been matching steps to Chinni Prakash's choreography.
The two actresses will be making their moves in six yards. While Sushmita has draped herself in an Abu Jani sari worth Rs 4 lakh, Kangna settled for a Suneet Varma creation which costs Rs 3.5 lakh.

The song is being shot at the Filmistan Studios. Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Paresh Rawal and Shakti Kapoor who feature in the film are also in the song that has been penned by lyricist Kumar (of Maa Ka Ladla fame).

Produced by Anil Kapoor, Rajat Rawail and Spice International, No Problem is slated to release in the third quarter of 2010.

Says Rawail, "We have been shooting for this track from Tuesday. Pritam has scored an extremely peppy song that tells them to shake like Shakira! It is a celebration song as Kangna is getting engaged to Akshaye in the film. The dance unfolds in their father Shakti Kapoor's home -- he plays the police commissioner."

After a long schedule in South Africa, Bazmee has started the Mumbai leg of the film's shoot. From next week, they will be shooting at various parts of south Mumbai.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Emraan Gets 6 Packs For Once Upon A Time in Mumbai



Mumbai: After Shah Rukh, Aamir and Shahid, serial-kisser Emraan Hashmi will display six-pack abs in a new film. Developing six-pack abs has become a fad in the film industry and every other actor is hitting the gym to develop it.

According to industry sources, Emraan, who plays a toughie in the film called ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai’, enters into a ferocious battle with an underworld don, reportedly played by Ajay Devgn.

Insiders say that to get the perfect look, the actor followed three months of rigorous exercises and strict diet regime.

The film stars two heroines – Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai and will be out in May or June.

"Once Upon A Time in Mumbai" shooting on

There is no truth to rumours that the shooting of Once Upon A Time In Mumbai has been stalled because of creative differences between producer Ekta Kapoor and the film’s director Milan Luthria. The shooting of the film is currently going on in different locations in Mumbai. Confirmed Luthria. “We are in the middle of the shooting and will break off only at the end of December for New Year and resume again in January. The climax and some songs are left to be filmed, he said. The film stars Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangna Ranaut and Prachi Desai is based on the lives of 70s gangsters who operated in Mumbai.

Acting Is Not MMBS

Kangna Ranaut believes single women shouldn’t be allowed to marry, unless they earn enough to sustain a family. “Such is the norm,” she reasons, “only for the men, which is why they are independent, and the bulk of women are not.” That’s not all, she also stresses that “Women — teens, single, married, mothers — should fight ill-treatment by the opposite sex then and there, to avoid a similar experience again.” Serious talk from someone who insists she’s too young.

Kangna joined Bollywood when she was quite young... “Well, I’m still too young, you see,” she insists. “I’ve never said I didn’t want to be an actor. I wanted to, but knew it’s not a cakewalk. So whenever people used to ask me if I’d step into B’wood, I’d simply reply, ‘Dude, get me there if you can,’ for I knew it’s not easy. Acting is not MBBS — there are no textbooks, no written tests that you can sit for, excel in and get a degree. In the film industry, there’s no rulebook. In fact, before an exam, one knows what one has missed reading, and should have known, to get the right marks. Here, you don’t even know if you’re going wrong!”

When she became a known face, there were discussions on how ‘small town girls’ have made it big in B-town, probing her background, her home town in Himachal... “Let people say whatever they wish to. It’s a beautiful place,” she explains.

She does a touch up of gloss on her lips while talking, and one can’t help but ask about her rumoured ‘lip surgery.’ “Yeah, you will hear that I’ve got my lips, my b**bs, my a**, all plumped up. But all those people who say that, don’t realise what it is to get such a drastic thing done, especially when you are that young, and don’t even have the time for it.” And after a
pause, she adds, “Though, right now, I don’t know how many tucks and surgeries I will need when I’m old.”

And will she marry a man if he doesn’t earn as much money as she does? “I would not demand such a thing from my partner. All I would want is, that I can be myself with him,” she signs off.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

CONGRATULATIONS KANGNA!






Congratulations to Kangna Ranaut! She won the best supporting actress for fashion at Apsara Awards 2009 which was held at Grand Hyatt Hotel. Priyanka Chopra won best actress for Fashion and Hrithik Roshan won best actor for Jodhaa Akbar.
There are the list of winners of 4th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards.
Best Actor in a Leading Role

Hrithik Roshan – Jodhaa Akbar

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Priyanka Chopra – Fashion

Best Movie

Aamir Khan – Taare Zameen Par

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Jimmy Shergill – A Wednesday

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Kangana Ranaut – Fashion

Best Actor in a Comic Role

Anil Kapoor – Welcome

Best Actor in a Negative Role

Akshaye Khanna – Race

Best Debut (Male)

Imran Khan – Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na

Best Debut (Female)

Mugdha Godse – Fashion

Best Choreography

Chinni Prakash, Rekha Prakash – Jodhaa Akbar

Best Lyrics

Prasoon Joshi – Taare Zameen Par – Maa

Best Female Playback Singer

Shreya Ghosal – Singh Is Kinng – Tere Ore

Best Male Playback Singer

Shankar Mahadaven – Taare Zameen Par – Maa

Best Music

A.R. Rahman – Jodhaa Akbar

Best Screenplay

Amol Gupte, Neeraj Pandey – Taare Zameen Par, A Wednesday

Best Dialogue

Neeraj Pandey - A Wednesday

Best Story

Amole Gupte – Taare Zameen Par

Best Cinematography

Kiran Deohans – Jodhaa Akbar

Best Costume Design

Neeta Lulla – Jodhaa Akbar

Best Editing

Shree Narayan Singh – A Wednesday

Best Special Effects

Vaibhay Kumaresh, Dhimant Vyas – Taare Zameen Par

Best Sound Recording

Baylon Fonseca – Rock On!!

Best Re-Recording

Hitendra Ghosh – Jodha Akbar

Best Art Director

Nitin Chandrakant Desai – Jodhaa Akbar

Friday, December 4, 2009

Kangana Ranaut At The Launch of Pratigya





Kangana Ranaut was in Delhi to unveil a new serial for Star Plus called "Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya".

Priyanka Chopra won Aspara Awards

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra bagged the best actress award for Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Fashion” at the Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards here Friday evening.
Priyanka’s father Ashok Chopra received the award on her behalf.

“Oh, I am so happy for her. She has done it again. And getting an award from the patriarch and creators of the film industry is a great thing,” Ashok Chopra told IANS.

Hrithik Roshan was presented the best actor award for Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Jodhaa Akbar”.

The fourth edition of the Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards, which honour excellence in cinema and television was held at a five-star hotel here.

Aamir Khan won two awards - best film and best director - for his directorial debut “Taare Zameen Par”.

Actor Imran Khan, Anil Kapoor, Kangna Ranaut, director Yash Chopra, screenwriter Amole Gupte and Prasoon Joshi attended the event. Oscar-award wining actor Sir Ben Kingsley was also present.

The fourth edition was postponed last year as a mark of respect to the victims of the 26/11 tragedy. The awards for 2009 will be distributed by the Producers’ Guild of India Dec 20.

The Guild jury, including Ravi Chopra, Ketan Desai, and Vashu Bhagnani, had chosen the winners.

Amitabh Big Paa Day

The preparations for the grand premiere of Paa last night had started much earlier with Amitabh Bachchan visiting the venue at Wadala Imax at 1 am yesterday to check out all the arrangements.

Though the main event was scheduled to begin at 8.30 pm, a casually dressed Amitabh arrived at the venue much earlier at 6 pm and the first thing he did was to double check the arrangements.

He changed into natty formals shortly before the guests started arriving.

The Bachchans had divided their responsibilities to ensure that their guests are well-looked after. While Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai were standing at the entrance, Jaya Bachchan was looking after all the guests near the screens on the first floor.

Anil Ambani, his wife Tina and their son were among the first guests to arrive. Some of the power couples who attended the premiere were Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri, Ajay Devgan and wife Kajol, Hrithik and wife Sussanne, and Akshay Kumar and wife Twinkle. SRK sent Gauri and the kids upstairs while he stayed back to chat with the Bachchans for a while. SRK was seen hugging Akshay Kumar. Arshad Warsi and wife Maria were there too.

Ritesh Deshmukh, Dino Morea and Rakeysh Mehra and his wife followed shortly and the director seemed happy to catch up with his Rang De Basanti team Atul Kulkarni and Kunal Kapoor. Sharman Joshi made a late entry.

Ranbir Kapoor and Ritesh were engrossed in a conversation outside screen 3. Aishwarya came upstairs and was seen talking to Ashutosh Gowariker, his wife Sunita and Srishti Behl. Aamir Khan came with his 3 Idiots director Rajkumar Hirani and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Aamir left half-an-hour after the screening began.

Abhishek was seen chatting with Govinda, who came in quite late. Filmmakers David Dhawan, Satish Kaushik and Madhur Bhandarkar were there. Filmmakers Abbas Mustan came all the way from Lonavla.

The screening was held in all the four screens at Imax but it was screen 3, which had the maximum number of stars. The screening of the film started around 10 pm. Kangna Ranaut hung around outside for a while, posing for pictures even though the film had started. She soon went inside the theatre.

Kangana Ranaut at the Paa Premiere

Kangna Ranaut attended the Paa premiere at Imax Wadala and she looked amazing and beautiful. The stars that attended were Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Yash Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Karan Johar, Vishal Bharadwaj, David Dhawan, Ramesh Sippy, Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.



Kangna Ranaut Supports Woman Violence

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut is all set to play the role model for countless women who are subjected to endless harassment and are victims of domestic violence.

“Every girl at some time or the other has been subjected to eve-teasing while studying in school or college. Some girls are even chased by boys in bikes and it becomes risky for them to go to college alone. Even I faced similar problems during my school days. I was just 13 years old when boys used to hum songs behind me and it was irritating. But I never retaliated. Now I feel I should have done something about it,” said Kangana at a press conference here on Thursday.

Kangana has now extended her support to an upcoming TV serial, Mann Ki Awaaz: Pratigya, on Star Plus that deals with the same issue.

“I have been in the Hindi film industry for three years. However, I never got a chance to support any serial that takes up a social cause. Therefore, when Star Plus asked me to support this serial, I agreed. I want women to get entertained as well as understand that they must not allow themselves to get disrespected,” she said.

Kangana, who comes from a small town in Himachal Pradesh, said young women living in small cities are often bullied by men. “In metros, women are able to counter such behaviour but in the interiors they are quite vulnerable. Whether in college or at some other place, women should never allow themselves to be exploited,” she asserted.

Expressing concern over the rise in crime against women, Kangana said the country’s policy-makers must frame stringent laws to fight violence against women.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Kangana Launched Star Plus New Show "Mann Ki Awaaz-Pratigya"

Bollwyood actress Kangana Ranaut has stressed on the need to fight against disrespect towards women by lending support to a television serial that portrays an ordinary girl’s resolve to reclaim her respect.
Titled “Mann Ki Awaaz-Pratigya”, the show was given a head start here Thursday by Kangana, who pledged to do away with mediocrity and stand for her respect and dignity.

“With ‘Pratigya’, we aim to bring alive an icon whose journey is one that women can relate to, identify with and be inspired by. Breaking stereotypes, we have created a protagonist who is not a victim but a reformer,” Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India, said in a statement here Thursday.

Co-produced by Walkwater Media Limited and Spell Bound Production, “Pratigya” stars Pooja Gaur in the lead.

To be telecast from Dec 7, the show will be aired five days a week on Star Plus.