“Pakistani cinema is going through a rough patch, but slowly it is getting better, with new agedirectors getting into filmmaking and producing films like Bol and Khuda Kay Liye,” Ali told IANS in an interview.

The 31-year-old actor admits that the new generation in Pakistan is opening up to fresh and realistic stories.

“People have rejected those bogus old ways of telling stories as they want something new. Pakistan is witnessing a new wave, thanks to social media. With the help of social media, people have rejected the old norms through commenting, conducting debates and discussion,” Ali said.
“For example, there was a video of a woman who goes to a park and raids couples, asking them whether their parents know about their relationship. People didn’t like it and they stood against it; as a result that girl was held accountable and got fired.

“It feels very nice to see that youth and people are aware, they are more politicized. They all want change. It is a myth that Pakistan is a conservative country,” he added.

Once a prolific moviemaking country, Pakistan had 1,300 cinema halls in the 1970s with an average annual production of around 300 movies. But by 2005, the country had only 270 cinema halls and made about 18 movies a year. The rest of the movie halls have been converted into gas stations,shopping malls or car showrooms.

In 2010, just eight Pakistani movies were produced.

Movie buffs in Pakistan had a hearty appetite for Bollywood movies, but they had to watch pirated copies of Hindi films as the release of Indian films had been banned in Pakistan.

In 2008, the Pakistan government lifted the ban on Indian films and that has given a much-needed boost to the cinema business, says Ali.

“Since Indian films have started coming to Pakistan, people are going to cinemas more often. Now more cinema halls are being constructed. The government has made the rule that every mall should have a theatre and screens and it is certainly getting better,” he added.

In recent times two Pakistani films - Bol and Khuda Kay Liye by Shoaib Mansoor - were not only appreciated on their home turf but also won critical acclaim in the international arena. Mehreen Jabbar’s Ramchand Pakistani, which had Indian actress Nandita Das, too was appreciated globally.

Pakistani filmmaker Mian Adnan Ahmad’s short film Heal won the Best Science Fiction-Fantasy Film award at this year’s Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival.

Although Ali hasn’t done any films in Pakistan, he worked as a model for several commercials. He has also acted in Pakistani TV serials like Lunda-Bazar and Kanch Ke Par and teenage sitcom Kollege Jeans. He is delighted to see the quality of shows being produced in the country.

“I did TV shows to make pocket money so that I can create music. But television is doing great. We have some really good shows being made, so quality work is being produced. There was a time when the quality went off-track, but now it is doing really good,” said Ali, known for giving hit songs like ‘Rangeen’, ‘Sajaniya’ and most recently ‘Madhubala’ from Mere Brother Ki Dulhan.
Ali made his Bollywood debut with Abhishek Sharma’s critically acclaimed Tere Bin Laden and later won accolades for his performance in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. He is now gearing up for the release of another Bollywood venture London, Paris, New York. It is releasing March 2.

“London, Paris, New York is a sweet romantic comedy based in these three cities and has cute bantering between two people (Ali and Aditi Rao Hydari). I play the role of Nikhil Chopra, a rich kid whose father is a film producer and who goes abroad to study filmmaking, thinking he will become a big director one day. He meets Lalitha and things transform into a love story,” he said.

After a musically dull December, last week proved quite eventful; this however does not mean that January has started on the right notes. There is some good news followed by some new videos that will definitely leave a bad taste among the most ardent of fans. The good news is that a new music reality show will be starting that will feature contestants from both Pakistan and India. The bad news is that a noted singer/musician is on a row by producing one distasteful video after the other. Another self-proclaimed celebrity is trying hard to find his way into mainstream media and it seems singing is definitely not his forte. That, dear readers, is not all; after consistent Veena Malik controversies we finally see her land into Bollywood with an 'item' song titled 'Channo'. Let's look into the details of what January has brought us in music.

Sur Kshetra is an upcoming music reality show that aims at bringing the best from both sides of the Pakistan–India border and start a very entertaining musical battle. The two teams will be headed by Atif Aslam and Himesh Reshamiya, having six contestants each. As this gets published, the auditions to be held in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore would already have ended and moved on to their next phase.

There were rumors that producers had contacted female pop artiste Annie Khalid to lead the Pakistani team first. The deal however could not be signed after which Atif Aslam was signed. The singer is an apt choice since he enjoys a fan following in both the countries.

Previously Amanat Ali and child artistes Rouhan Abbas (Chotay Ustad) have proved their mettle in Indian music reality shows. Singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat Amanat Ali among many others have also successfully established a niche for themselves across the border; we can surely say that if Sur Kshetras fate is not fixed like many other reality shows, it might prove to show some tough, healthy competition on screen.

In an interview to Hindustan times, Aslam shared what his own experience in singing had taught him and how he intends to groom his team in Sur Kshetra.

"I'm a pop artiste, who also sings in other genres. In the last couple of years, I've dabbled with Bollywood songs as well. My experience has taught me that training is not a compulsion. You don't need to go from teacher to teacher to learn different music genres. Once you master your basics, you can easily pull of any song," says Atif confidently.

Himesh Reshamiya has been on five reality shows before; for some this fact must be intimidating but Aslam says he is no worried.

"I've always been myself wherever I've performed and worked. I'm going to let my team do the same. I want them to focus and capture every Harkat (embellishment) in every song they plan to perform.

As a mentor, I will not sit with them day and night to preach. I will just pin point where they go wrong, and that should be enough. I respect Himesh and I'm sure he'll groom his team excellently. But he doesn't know what's coming his way from Pakistan."

The show spanning three months will be shot in Dubai. Judges will include Abida Perveen, Runa Laila and Indian singer Suresh Wadkar. It is also being said that Bollywood actress Ayesha Takia will host the show making an appearance on the small screen for the first time.

If this was the ‘50s Hollywood film of our dreams, the Shirish Kunder-SRK brawl would have been way more dignified. For one, SRK would have been wearing awesome stilettos, a sequined dress, and a chinchilla wrap. Kunder would be wearing whatever, but he would be poised to take the G&T the aging star played by SRK would throw in his face with trembling hands. Kunder would still be a heckler, but this little scene would signify the impending end of SRK’s career. Only it would be classy, and we would quote from it, like all the time, like we do Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

In the real life version, SRK and Kunder, who is Farah Khan’s young husband, arrived at a post-Filmfare party, where eyewitnesses report two versions of events: one version states that Kunder followed SRK around and whispered non-sweet nothings in his ear till SRK turned around and made him sit the hell down.The other is that Kunder didn’t know SRK was even at the party and was assaulted by the star as he had dared to make a Twitter joke about Ra.One.

Shirish Kunder, who made the terrific film Tees Maar Khan has also said that Shah Rukh took him by surprise and attacked from the behind, referring to the actor as a f**got, which is really clever wordplay on the situation from a man who thought it was okay to name his kids Czar and Diva, but still never justifiable.

The only way we could comment on the situation either way is we were one of the eyewitnesses, however Farah Khan has officially said the following:

“Shah Rukh has always told me that getting physical is the worst way to sort out a problem, and that it means the attacker has a personal or professional crisis going on. It saddens me to see him doing the same now.”

The Help dominates film honours, Boardwalk Empire tops TV

Civil rights drama The Help took one step closer to the Oscars at this year’s recently concludedScreen Actors Guild Awards. The critically acclaimed film picked up three of the five film awards, injecting excitement into the Oscar race. The cast of the film won the big award of the night, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. “We had such great expectations. The stain of racism and sexism isn’t just for people of colour or women,” said Viola Davis as she spoke for the cast of The Help when it collected its best-ensemble award. “It’s all of our burdens. All of us can inspire change,” she said.

Female actor in a drama series went to American Horror Story’s Jessica Lange. This was a surprising win for Lange as she beat out the likes of Julianna Margulies (who won the award for two years in a row). She admitted that accepting the role was “a leap of faith,” but continued, “It’s great to play such a big character with so much to do.”

The Help may have taken home the top prize but silent film The Artist’s Jean Dujardin is a favourite for the Oscars. After winning big at the Producers Guild and Golden Globe Awards, the actor walked away with the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. The category was a tough battle between Dujardin, Brad Pitt (Moneyball), George Clooney (The Descendants), Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) and Demian Bichir (A Better Life). “I was a very bad student, didn’t listen in class, always dreaming,” Dujardin said, “my teachers called me ‘Jeanof the Moon’ and I realize now that I never stopped dreaming. Thank you very much. Thank you for this dream.”

In a stunning twist, Viola Davis beat Golden Globe winners Michelle Williams and Iron Lady Meryl Streep and walked away with Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her role in The Help while cast member Octavia Spencer picked best supporting actress for her role as a black maid in the adaptation of the bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett.

In the television category, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire won big. Steve Buscemi took home best actor for a second year in a row. “Please stop yelling at me on the street,” he joked of the reaction he occasionally gets to his character, gangster Nucky Thompson. The cast of Boardwalk Empire also won best ensemble in a dramatic series, for the second year in a row. Speaking on behalf of the cast, Steve Buscemi humbly said, “We are so honored. We love doing this show.”

In another corner of the world, a lone cruiser known as Shahid Kapoor is walking the streets by himself, or riding his bike, or whatever. Shahid is out of work for five months everyone, and he is good-naturedly referring to himself as ‘unemployed’, which is cute, because if we were making an upwards of three crore rupees per film, we would find it very easy to make unemployment jokes as well.

Anyway, Shasha isn’t unemployed by choice, because as we all know, he likes working. “I’m unemployed in the next five months. Our film was expected to go on floor, but it has unfortunately been pushed owing to Manish Sharma’s health. He has had a slip disc problem and has been asked to take rest.” Damn that Manish Sharma and his slippery disc. Now we have to wait an extra six months for more Shahid wonderfulness and impossible heroic stunts in our lives.
But Shahid will make the most of his type-A waking hours and will: “Catch up. Catch up with everything we actors tend to miss when we are busy working. So yes, it’s going to be family, friends, music, reading, sport... the usual that comes your way.”

Meanwhile, Shahid is also throwing shade on songs named after actors, as his modest soul shrivels into the corner of a closet within when he considers a song could be named after him.
“It’s very personal. I would be embarrassed by it but I am sure a lot of people will like it. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it. I think in films we play different characters, so how could you have songs on your own name is beyond my logic.”

We don’t think there’s a chance of that happening anytime soon, as what kind of a song would a song called ‘Shahid’ be? Would “Shahid meri shaadi ka khayal dil mein aya hai” be the lyrics? Would the song sound like sweat generated from working on an 8-pack and bronzer left out in the sun? But clever dig, considering two of his exes have item songs with their name as the title.

For weeks now, speculation has been ongoing about Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s short documentary Saving Face. Many wondered if the documentary would make the final cut for the Oscars. And it has. Saving Face is up for an Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject alongside other films like The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement, God is the Bigger Elvis, Incident in New Baghdad and The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.

The film “chronicles the work of acclaimed British Pakistani plastic surgeon, Dr Mohammad Jawad as he travelled to Pakistan and performed reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid violence. Saving Face is an account of such violence told by survivors through their personal journeys of endurance, recovery and reconciliation. It is equally a story about the ways in which women continue to struggle for justice in Pakistan as it is about their resilience and unwavering strength in overcoming difficult circumstances.”

For Sharmeen, the Oscar nomination is simply another achievement in a career that already includes an Emmy win for her film Pakistan’s Taliban Generation (2010).

Speaking about her nomination, Sharmeen said: “I am speechless. An Academy Award nomination is stuff dreams are made of. It has reaffirmed my belief it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, if you put quality work out there, it will be appreciated. I hope I can make Pakistan proud by bringing home an Oscar.”

Saving Face is set to air on America’s premier television cable network HBO, on March 8, 2012.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has revealed that she has been working on a script for a movie about Afghanistan but she is not very confident about it as of now.

"I don't even think it's good. Maybe I'll dig it out, but I don't have the confidence yet to start even thinking in that way," she said.

The 36-year-old, stepped behind the camera to make her directorial debut In The Land Of Blood And Honey, a film she wrote herself about a romance between a Serbian soldier and a Bosnian woman. It has been nominated for a Golden Globe Awards this year and also won a Producer's Guild award.

In news that reinstates our faith in love and other good things, presents like Louis Vuitton, Times ofIndia reports: “Meera will get engaged on February 19. The ceremony will take place in Lahore.” TOI has heard this from a source, who has also revealed that the romance has been brewing secretly for a while. “Naved is a professional pilot. They both have been seeing each other for more than three years now. Finally, Meera wants to settle down in her life, but that doesn’t mean that she will give up acting,” says the source.

Meeraji has taken to Twitter to rubbish this piece of news. “Hi friends I m not getting married,these [are] all rumours,” she has said.

On the other hand, Meera has been tweeting about the mysterious ‘NP’ for a while now.
“NP thanks for a nice Louis Vuitton bag and a Blackberry 9900 phone for new year gift…” she tweeted a while back, “love [you] so much [you are] my baby.”

NP has also wooed Meeraji by buying her dresses, taking her to Atlantis, out for dinner, among other things, which you can follow on @TheMeeraJee on Twitter. Her last tweet about her alleged beau said: “NP is someone who is really close to my heart.”

With Reema having tied the knot recently, it’s not surprising that Meera too might want to follow suit. However, there’s never any telling what the mystery and magic that is known as Meera will get up to. Here’s wishing her the best…for whatever it is that is actually going on.

To say that Rihanna and Chris ‘Fist’ Brown getting back together is dismaying would be an understatement. We realize that we don’t know Rihanna personally, but it’s completely disturbing that she might be hooking up with her former love who had basically beaten her face to a pulp three years ago.

Since then, Rihanna has made TV appearances where she’s talked about abusive relationships, and Chris Brown was pretty much shunned by all. The ex-couple is rumoured to be getting together on the sly, ostensibly because Brown has been ordered by the court to stay 50 feet away from Rihanna at all times, and is currently dating modeling hopeful Karrueche Tran.

Of course this could all be speculation by conspiracy theorists invested in celebrity romances, as apart from one unnamed source saying Brown and Rihanna have been meeting up, all we have to go on is some cryptic tweets by both.

A friend of Brown says that Rihanna and her ex “meet up very casually,” and that “she comes to see him anytime she’s in L.A.” A Rihanna related source says, “Rihanna loves to live dangerously, and talking to and hooking up with Chris is all part of that.”

The mysterious tweets that some are basing their speculation on include one by Rihanna around the start of the year: “How can you lie to her, while u lay with me??? If you don’t have an answer, you don’t have to answer.” A while back the two had tweeted the following a little apart from each other: “Love U more than u know!” Brown had said. A minute later, Rihanna tweeted, “I’ll always love u #1LOVE.”

“He and Rihanna are just friends,” Brown’s rep has said. “He’s not cheating.” Rihanna’s rep had no comment.

The trailer for Ali Zafar’s next film, London, Paris, New York, is up and has already received over a 100, 000 hits. Ali is very optimistic about the film, which you might think sounds very When Harry Met Sally-ish, but he says is totes off the beaten path.

“There are a lot of unique things about the film; it is a hatke love story with a lot of romance and great music,” says Ali. “Our experience from the film, I believe, is different from those who have done similar films in the past.”Ali Zafar is adorable and he knows it, but stresses the film is different. “The characters are different, the story is different. This is our way of telling a love story of today’s time and age. We have made a nice, cute film. We know our targets and hopefully the audience will appreciate the film,” he says.

Meanwhile his LPNY costar Aditi Rao Hyderi is all praises for Ali. “I really, really think Ali is a good human being but he is very naughty,” she says. “That is why I say, ‘Ali is a good h***mi’,” Aditi told reporters at the first look launch of London, Paris, New York in India.

Ali took the compliment in his stride and said: “Aditi has given a new tag to me and I will have to live with it forever.”

Ali has also composed and sung for the film. Music, as he says, is his ultimate passion, but he is a chameleon at work. “When I write, I am in that phase. When I compose, I am a composer. When I am singing, I am a singer. These are the different roles that I play and I am very convenient stepping into each roles,” he says.

Auditions for Sur Ki Baazi close today on the 18th of January 2012
and are being held in Karachi and Lahore!

Angelina Jolie has reportedly gifted a waterfall to partner Brad Pitt on his birthday.

The actress purchased land above and around a waterfall in rural California so that Pitt could recreate his hero Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Fallingwater estate in Pennsylvania. The star couple had visited the 1935 home, built over a waterfall, in 2006.

"Brad has dreamed of a home with the sound of a waterfall cascading under the house and he has always wanted to design his own house. He wants to pull all aspects of nature, light, glass and varying levels into the concept."

Pakistani starlet Veena Malik, who made a splash in the Indian showbiz industry last year with her stint in reality TV ‘Bigg Boss 4,’ regrets the latest controversy that stirred her nation.

The actress has confessed that she has made a mistake by posing for FHM magazine but has categorically denied going nude. However, according to her, the magazine cheated on her by tampering with her images.

Talking to a daily, Veena said, “Yes, of course, both the images were morphed. My upper portion was covered with tattoos. I think if I could rewind this time, I would like to delete. I feel cheated.”

“But we all make mistakes, I have made a mistake, learned from it and want to move on,” she added. Reportedly, Veena’s father had disowned her following the news that shamed him utterly and also called in for severe action against her.

“It has been tragic and traumatic, really sad. It has been very difficult,” the tainted actress said.

Bollywood is abuzz with rumours that John Abraham might be tying the knot soon – has this affected his ex Bipasha Basu? Well, when Bips was asked about the buzz, she said that no one close to her was getting married anytime soon. She added that even if they were, she'd wish them luck and leave it at that.

Quizzed about her own marriage plans, Bipasha said that she was ready for marriage. The catch is that she wants someone to find a guy for her. So what's the criterion to be Bips' man? The actress has said that she wants someone who is handsome and has a great sense of humour. Plus, it doesn't matter if he's not from Bollywood.

“Hai jazba junoon, tu himmat na haar”, is not just a song but a thought and a way of life for a lot us. In our times of depression and at moments when we needed patriotism the most, it was Junoon who gave us jazba. But it’s not just this one song; Junoon has given Pakistan some of the best tunes for the past 20 years. Though the band disbanded quite a while ago with Ali Azmat and Salman Ahmad working on their solo careers, Salman Ahmad recently came out with the 20th Anniversary special album for all Junoon fans. This album has 24 songs; most of which are sung by different artists reworking their favorite Junoon song. What else can you ask for as an anniversary gift from the band itself?

The album features Usman Riaz, Bilal Khan, Aag, Laal, Sajid and Zeeshan, Farhan Saeed etc. The album was launched recently at the Marriott where some of the artists featured on the album were present as well, such as Salman Ahmad, Bilal Khan, Usman Riaz and Jaag. The event started off with a welcome speech and words of appreciation for Junoon by Amin Hashwani and Samina Ahmad. “For me Junoon is not a band or a song, it’s a journey, starting from Zia. They were with us through chaotic times and carried the torch of hope for a people in sadness,” said Amin Hashwani.

Samina Ahmad talked about her and Salman’s non-profit organization Samina and Salman Global Wellness Initiative (SSGWI) and talked about their continuous efforts to show Pakistan as a better country with an emphasis on the brighter side of our country. She talked about how Salman is trying his best to involve Pakistan in international affairs by turning their faces towards us so that they can see who we really are. The couple is trying to celebrate our culture in the West. SSGWI also has also adopted a school in Thatta, “We are focused to making the lives of our people better and believe it’s our responsibility to make people benefit from us.”

Salman spoke about what moral charity means and we need to have good deeds because there are no free lunches in this world. “It has been a great experience for me to work with new talent and giving them the platform to explore themselves,” shared Salman.

The young artists in this album were all inspired by Junoon and the first song that they played was motivated by them. Junoon’s songs were sung and e-mailed to Salman from where he approached the youngsters and made them a part of this album. This album is a journey; a journey of life which will touch the hearts of many people. They all had their experiences to share, “whenever we need to perform we look forward to Junoon’s songs and our first song ‘Khudi’ was also made because of Junoon,” said Jaag band.

The audience was shown a video in which the singers who participated in the album talked about their favourite Junoon song and their appreciation to be included in the anniversary album.

Bilal Khan was seen for a short period at the event but in the video he said, “I love Junoon and I hope that Junoon fans accept me too.” Usman Riaz added, “I was thrilled and honoured when I got the call from Salman to do a song with him, it has always been my dream to work with him which has finally come true.”

In the end, the event changed into a mini concert where all of them, Usman Riaz and Jaag performed alongside Salman Ahmad. They started off with ‘Jugalbandi’, going onto ‘Saaein’, ‘Azadi’, ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ and in the end ‘Jazba Junoon’. There was a surprise in the end when Junaid Jamshed called Salman to congratulate him on his 20 years and sang ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ along with him.

It was an amazing experience to see so much talent under one roof working together by singing and spreading the message of peace and unity.he album is a treat for all Junoon fans, and please while listening to it, don’t say it’s not that good. Of course you can’t recreate Junoon’s magic, but you can treasure it.

The last day of fashion week is always the most exciting. It’s when interest is at its peak and the whole world and their husbands turn up. And that is precisely what happened in Lahore as the PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week drew to a close. The hall was packed to full capacity, there was raucous hooting and cheering and much to talk about.The biggest surprise of the night was the comeback of Karma. Maheen Kardar Ali who has been missing in action for a while made a strong comeback. Karma, which is all about the opulence of the East and into major mass production with outlets around the country and abroad, stuck to what they are good at and presented the kind of collection one wanted to see at Bridal Week. ‘The Enchanted’ line featured gharara jumpsuits, flowing dark capes, versatile blingy frocks that could be worn with tights, jeans or on their own even as they looked fab teamed with shararas and chooridars. Of course regular traditional bridals followed, but her dark, edgy palette and shimmering detail kept things interesting as did the pumping music. The motifs were bold and there was a variety of silhouettes that remains unmatched in other collections one witnessed at this week. Maheen Kardar is thinking bridal, but she is also thinking out of the box. If her last collection for PFDCSunsilk Fashion Week showed that she was ready to start designing again - this one showed a fashion designer who knows what she is good at, what her brand is all about and is all set to deliver. Maheen’s own personality reflects that. Post motherhood, she’s lost a lot of weight, is looking great and has definitely got her groove back and how!The other fantastic show of the night was by jewellery retailers and designers Damas. Theirs was a knock your socks off presentation with Meesha Shafi in a diamond encrusted mask and a glittering Sadaf Malaterre number, crooning ‘Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend’ acapella as girls in little black dresses modeled their BFFs. This was followed by traditional Pakistani jewellery and gorgeous modern pearls. Damas stock quite a few brands apart from their own and they were all on display. Gauging by the show, they have jewellery for everyone and for all occasions. However the standout pieces were of modern jewellery - it’s what you don’t see enough of that catches the eye. Now if a designer were to make eveningwear to go with the diamonddanglers - that would be a show to talk about.Two traditionalists showed that evening, Nida Azwer and Umar Sayeed; and it was a case of the new overshadowing the old completely. Nida’s ‘Awadh Dynasty’ collection was phenomenal in its use of colour, motifs and invoking old world grandeur. When the press release says that “This design house uses pure hand woven silk, lamé and pure French lace for this collection,” one believes it because it shows. Nida Azwer’s attention to detail is superb and at Bridal Week she was in her element. What she showed were investment pieces, the kind you could hand down to your daughter. With her love of long and flowing, she is the ultimate ‘begum designer’. Her prêt, while gorgeous to look at is rather limited in silhouette. It is her love and knowledge of fabrication, embroidery, screen printing, dyeing techniques and embellishment that is her hallmark. More so than at PFDC Sunsilk Fashion Week, it is at PFDC L’Oreal Paris Bridal Week where she shines. Also, her collection was livened up by Sanam Marvi’s incredible performance on stage. It worked beautifully but what folk music has to do with the Awadh dynasty, one has no idea… Umar Sayeed’s collection made for a disappointing finale. He evoked a mehndi, complete with the songs sung at dholkis to which the girls walked oh so slowly, mostly in the same long flowing kameezes. He had restricted his colour palette to gold and beige predominantly, which was a pity because his sense of colour isvery strong. One was reminded of his collection for the Carnival de Couture in Lahore some years ago when he overshadowed both Tarun Tahiliani and Malini Ramani. There were a series of saris at the end with gold borders, and the one standout sari featured a severe black motif on the pallu which is what made it. The mistake Umar Sayeed made was that he went for pretty, when what he is known for and is good at is drama. The high point was definitely Mahira Askari and Fawad Khan who are starring in the hugely popular TV drama Humsafar as his showstoppers. Keep the spark, Umar but lose the ‘Haryala Banna Aaya Re’ - it’s just the wrong vibe for a fashion week. Special mention must be made of Ather Shahzad who styled the show beautifully. From the wicked witch look for Karma’s enchanted to Meesha Shafi’s mesmerizing red lips and kohled eyes, they nailed it for their first fashion week.

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor has emerged as the sexiest Asian woman in the world, according to a survey.

Eastern Eye, a weekly, conducted a survey through social networking sites like twitter and Kareena came out on top, edging out last year's winner Katrina Kaif.

Kareena won by one per cent of votes, the narrowest ever margin and beat off tough competition from some of the most stunning women from around the world.

Katrina, who had won the title for the last three years by a large margin, slipped into second place.

Eastern Eye showbiz editor Asjad Nazir said, "This battle between the two beauties is a sign of things to come in Bollywood in the next few years. Although the list contained pop stars, TV personalities, models and film stars from around the world, the voting quite comprehensively showed that Kareena and Katrina have put a distance between themselves and the rest of the contenders in terms of popularity."

A unit member of a film she is working on reveals how Kat spends most of her time in front of the mirror! No, the girl is not playing 'Mirror, Mirror on the wall' or patching up her blemishes – she has none! This behaviour is imputed to the dancing bug that has bitten the enthusiastic girl, who seems to be jumping at every opportunity to perform an item number.

Actress Katrina Kaif may have been promoted as the 'item girl' post the Sheila Ki Jawani phenomenon. After that she did a 20-second stint for Salman-starrer Bodyguard, and will be seen in two more item numbers! So she is adamant to become a better dancer and keeps practising dance moves in front of the mirror for hours on end.

"She spends hours in front of the mirror and is always looking at improving her dancing. She is honing her dancing skills as seriously as improving her Hindi," We were told.

Veena Malik, who made it big in India after her stint on Bigg Boss 4, is reaping the benefits of fame. It's been over a year since she exited from the reality show, has already signed her fifth Bollywood film.
Titled All We Need Is Love (AWNIL), the film has go on the floors. Says Veena, "In a short span of time, I have already completed four films. AWNIL is my fifth film, and the reason I am doing it is because of the story, which resembles my own life."
Adds Veena, "All the films that I am doing are female-oriented. AWNIL is based on true instances from the film and fashion world. It's not based on imaginations, and will reveal the dark side of both the professions."
The male lead of the film is rumoured to be Arjan Bajwa. "My contract doesn't allow me to disclose the lead actor's name right now. All I can say is that there are a lot of models in it and all the names will be revealed at the film's mahurat." The storyline of the film revolves around the life of a girl (played by Veena), who tastes success as a fashion designer at a very young age.
"After dating seven guys in a short span and dealing with a drug problem, my character in the film realises what true love is all about," says the actor. The film is directed by Atul Garg and features music by Sachin Gupta. It is slated for a February release

Hollywood's fascination with Bollywood stars continues. The latest to join the list is Twilight actor Kristen Stewart, who is a huge fan of superstar Shah Rukh Khan. She calls him an "epitome of romance" and says she would love to work with him.
"Well, I am a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan who is an epitome of romance in Bollywood," Stewart said in an e-mail interaction.
She said if given a chance, he would be the one with whom she would love to do the second part of her movie The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.
"And not just Hollywood but I would love to work with him in Bollywood movies too and for that I am also looking forward to learning Hindi," said the 21-year-old actress.
"I have also seen the promos of his latest movie RA.One which are very impressive and I just loved his look in the movie. I'll definitely watch the movie also. He is truly an inspiration to me," she added.

Saif Ali Khan hasn't spoken about his impending wedding to Kareena Kapoor, till now. Contrary to stories doing the rounds that the wedding - to be held in his ancestral Pataudi Palace – has been postponed thanks to delays with 'Agent Vinod' and his father Mansur Ali Khan's recent death, Saif confirms for the first time that they will marry early next year.

Kareena had always maintained that she and Saif would tie the knot in 2012 but there was some confusion if it would be early 2012 or end of the year. Saif's mother Sharmila Tagore has also declared that her son is planning to marry Kareena very soon.

Saif confirms, "Kareena and I will definitely get married by early next year. We plan to get married in February 2012 after 'Agent Vinod' releases, but if the film's release gets delayed we will still get married by March. We won't postpone the marriage beyond that anymore."

He adds, "Kareena is a wonderful girl and we are extremely compatible. My family and she have always got along well. We share the same values in life, love each other completely and I want to spend more time with her. I am looking forward to the marriage now."

The band is known for its hip, energetic numbers guaranteed to make you move and its back with yet another one even jazzier than the last. Siege has finally released a video for their track 'Ja Isimili' which is a huge contrast to a 'prayer' released by them this Ramadan.

'Ja Isimili' is a fast paced love song and has the signature 'Siege' quality to it – the music is different, catchy and does not sound anything like their previous tracks. The track contains bits from the 'Burushaski' language spoken in parts of Hunza. 'Ja Isimili' means 'My heart's medicine', 'Baeruman Daltaas Hay Tu' means ' How beautiful are you' and 'Ja Shamuligas Hay Tu' means 'You are my pretty princess'.

Following their long absence from music, the band has been consistently releasing quality music. Siege made a welcome comeback with 'Police' – a track that went viral within a few days of its release, theenergy and ease that the trio showed in its video was transmissible. Their next video arriving at the best possible time was 'Aisi Tesi' that was without a doubt the best world cup song produced this season. Here too, the three members including lead vocalist Junaid Younus, Ahsan Parvaiz on lead guitars and Fahad Parvaiz on rhythm guitars poured in all their energy and enthusiasm that was literally infectious. Keeping their tradition of releasing timely music alive, the band released a prayer in time for Ramadan and Independence Day. The opening lines of 'Ae Habib-e-Khuda' were about the country; making this prayer a perfect release for both the overlapping events.

All their recent releases have been loved by the audience and critics alike; a proof being their recent nomination in the (only) local award show. This trio became a perfect choice for a leading beverage and dairy product company that released 'Ja Isimili' back in July. However it was announced by Siege that they will be releasing another video for the same shortly.

Watching the recent video came as a surprise since it was not much different than the sponsored one. The trio is seen dancing on the ramp at Lahore famous 'World Fashion Café' wearing brightly colored 'Ralli' inspired shirts and jackets by the very talented Muneeb Nawaz. So if the video was to be almost the same why was it re – released after a gap of four long months? Junaid Younus, the lead vocalist explains this as an unfortunate error during filming of some new shots that had to be added in the recent video, 'Somehow the directorial team lost the shot data and we had to release the video without adding the newer shots'.

There are other songs and videos that the band is working on. "We will be releasing videos for 'Arzi' and 'Tanhayee main' from the first album and we are busy with our upcoming album as well", he adds.

The future seems promising for this Lahore based band and they are keen to produce bigger, better music. Who knows, they might even bag the award they were nominated for, next year!

Lollywood barbie doll Reema Khan has officially tied the knot with American cardiologist surgeon Dr Tariq Shahab on Wednesday in Virginia court, USA. According to sources, the Nikkah took place at a local court according to American law while Rukhsati will take place on November 18. Reema said that she considers herself very lucky as she will be a part of an educated and respected family.

Regarding wedding preparations, the actress told that she has put amazing Henna designs on her palms and her family members have created a joyful wedding mood all around.

Hassan Shehryar, who is a Pakistani fashion designer of international repute, has prepared the wedding dresses for the bride and groom. The wedding ceremonies began with the Mayun function from Monday.

Reema is in the US with her parents and relatives who will attend the wedding functions. After marriage, the actress will stay in America for few weeks in a house bought by Dr Shahab for his wife.

After its sparkling 2001 debut, the Shrek saga suffered a steady decline in quality over subsequent instalments. While its final entry, 2010's Shrek Forever After, improved slightly over its decidedly mediocre predecessor, Puss in Boots is a surprising delight, a lively and buoyant romp that all but ignores the stale franchise that spawned it. When we meet him in the film, the dashing rogue Puss (Antonio Banderas) is already an infamous outlaw. In search of his next score, he is lured by a beguiling rival, Kitty Softclaws (Salma Hayek), into an ambitious and risky scheme orchestrated by his former childhood friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), to steal magic beans from the murderous bandits Jack and Jill. You'd be hard-pressed to find any Shrek references whatsoever as Puss In Boots is very much its own animal: briskly paced, gorgeously animated and refreshingly devoid of the gratuitous pop-culture references and crude humour that marked the decline of its forebear.

Shah Rukh Khan is known for his latecoming and, if sources are to be believed, the actor didn't spare even pop star Lady Gaga. However, she seems to have had no hard feelings over SRK's delayed arrival for a meeting.

Shah Rukh is said to have reached over an hour late to shoot an exclusive chat show with Gaga in the capital Sunday. The chat show was recorded to be telecast on UTV Bindass in November.
Of the six segments that were scheduled to be shot for the show, only four could be shot due to the resulting time constraint, a source told reporters.

Gaga shot for the four segments and left for the rehearsals of her performance for the F1 after-party Sunday night.

But she didn`t seem to have minded the delay at all. Instead, she gifted Shah Rukh her personal shades for his 11-year-old daughter Suhana.

SRK and Gaga had a nice time chatting with each other about life and career for the show, and even partied together later at night.

Very rarely does a classic track make its way back into the hearts and minds of people with more force than it had the first time. 'Keh Daina' is one of those few tracks that has encapsulated audience in just a matter of days.

Sung originally by the Elvis of the East -Alamgir, this track has been invigorated by an upcoming television show titled Mangoes that depicts the lives of young Indians and Pakistanis trying to settle in their new roles keeping their identities intact.

Another artist that must be held responsible for this newer, fresher version of 'Keh Daina' is Kristie Young an acoustic-soul, singer/songwriter who has done covers of songs by various artists and has been part of a Vancouver based band. The young singer surprised everyone by singing in flawless Urdu along with the legendary Alamgir himself and the two seemed quite at ease with each other singing in perfect harmony. The video has had over 100,000 views on YouTube alone within days of its release and the numbers are multiplying!

The track is more infectious than the original one. The fine tabla playing along with the fresh new energy emanating from the song gets listeners hooked to it within seconds!

Although Alamgir is struggling with his health, he is still quite persistent to make more music. In his video, he is seen prancing around, smiling and visibly enjoying himself. It is after this singer's comeback that his audience found out that Alamgir was gathering funds required for a kidney transplant.

Trust Ekta Kapoor to do the unthinkable. For the first time in the history of Hindi films, the producer has used consumer research as a tool to make casting decisions for her upcoming biggie, Rock The Shaadi. But although lead actor Abhay Deol's pairing with Katrina Kaif was high on the rate charts, it was Genelia D'Souza who topped the likeability test amongst other options.
And Ekta is content with the results. "Genelia was one of our choices even before we did the research. We're glad the sample's choice matched ours," says the TV czarina, adding that Genelia is "extremely popular with the youth and families". "It's proven by the number of brands she endorses."
Ekta's Balaji Telefilms, which has its own research cell to monitor responses for its TV serials on a weekly basis, conducted the research in eight major Indian cities. The sample size of audience was around 600 in each city in the age group of 15 to 25. Abhay was a constant since he had already signed as the male lead.

Dehshatgardi Murdabad' is one song where you don't have to think hard to reflect and decipher what the singer wants to say. There are no hidden meanings and absolutely no symbolism attached to their latest video. Laal shouts out its message boldly and clearly so there are no presumptions about what the band means.

The video teaches its viewers a thing or two about history; starting with a clip showing Hilary Clinton speaking about terrorist organisations that America funded. From the Afghanistan revolution in 1978 to clips and photographs of politicians, dictators and heads of intelligence agencies playing the great game, the song and its video both make sure that their message is loud and clear enough to be heard.

Perhaps the only connotation visible in the video is Rahman's 'fire act'. He chants 'Dehshatgardi Murdabad' while effortlessly balancing and playing with fire wicks. The singer is comfortable spinning them around since he knows he's playing with fire and is prepared to handle any outcomes that may arise from it.

There is more to the video of 'Dehshatgardi Murdabad' than freedom of speech; Taimoor Rahman shows us a side of him that most of us believed the political activist didn't have. He shows us some retro dance moves that would put Fakhr-e-Alam to shame!

Laal's work was celebrated in the first year of its inception. However, as the messages got louder, the media support fast diminished. Their previous video, 'Jhoot Ka Ooncha Serr' was not played on music channels because of its anti-army content. The band has succeeded in gaining a wide fan base on the internet and frequently performs live as well. If 'Jhoot Ka Ooncha Serr' faced an unwritten ban, 'Dehshatgardi Murdabad' is most likely to face an open one. This might not hinder the bands activities since Laal is quite persistently making music and getting recognition for the same.

'Dehshatgardi Murdabad' is an infectious track with some very addictive music. Taimoor Rahman has never been known for his singing abilities and if you have seen or heard some music by Laal you would know what to expect. The video was released on the internet and from the Twitter and Facebook messages that accompanied the unveiling of this track, it was clear that the band does not expect their video to air on all television channels.

Several Bollywood beauties attended the 'godh bharai' ceremony of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The Bachchans hosted a grand ceremony for their daughter-in-law.

Aishwarya's husband actor Abhishek, who was busy shooting for Bol Bachchan in Jaipur, took a day off for the ceremony while his sister Shweta also flew down from Delhi for this big event. Those, who attended the ceremony include Asha Parekh, Sonali Bendre, Saroj Khan, Twinkle Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Manyata Dutt, Vaibhavi Merchant, Bipasha Basu, Urmila Matondkar, Shaina NC and others.

"I went to give in my good wishes and blessings to Aishwarya and her family. It is lovely to see a glowing mother," Shaina said.

The proud daddy Abhishek was overwhelmed with the blessings pouring in from all quarters for the baby.

"Good morning everyone. Thank you so much for all the wishes for Aishwarya on her godh bharai. Read out some of your messages to her," Abhishek wrote on Twitter.

Several Bollywood beauties attended the 'godh bharai' ceremony of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The Bachchans hosted a grand ceremony for their daughter-in-law.

Aishwarya's husband actor Abhishek, who was busy shooting for Bol Bachchan in Jaipur, took a day off for the ceremony while his sister Shweta also flew down from Delhi for this big event. Those, who attended the ceremony include Asha Parekh, Sonali Bendre, Saroj Khan, Twinkle Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Manyata Dutt, Vaibhavi Merchant, Bipasha Basu, Urmila Matondkar, Shaina NC and others.

"I went to give in my good wishes and blessings to Aishwarya and her family. It is lovely to see a glowing mother," Shaina said.

The proud daddy Abhishek was overwhelmed with the blessings pouring in from all quarters for the baby.

"Good morning everyone. Thank you so much for all the wishes for Aishwarya on her godh bharai. Read out some of your messages to her," Abhishek wrote on Twitter.

Singer, actress, and Justin Bieber's lady love Selena Gomez is reportedly at the center of a serious death threat. Gomez and her lawyer reportedly have the LAPD Threat Management Unit on the case involving a man named Thomas Brodnicki. The man reportedly not only has a history of stalking, but has also told his shrink that he is going to kill Gomez. He has reportedly already, in the past, traveled to Los Angeles to meet her and went to her workplace three times. Gomez is allegedly taking the threats serious due to the man's past and his mental state of mind.

Brodnicki has reportedly been mentally evaluated in the past after making threats to other people. During the evaluation, he reportedly mentioned Gomez who apparently has a restraining order on him at this time.

Apparently, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is miffed. Insiders say she's reportedly angry with Kareena Kapoor for stepping into her shoes and doing Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine. Readers will remember that Kareena was Madhur's first choice. But when she declined to do the film, he approached Ash, who signed on the film promptly. Then news of her impending pregnancy put a spoke in the wheel and Madhur was forced to abandon his pet project. Not one to give up so easily, he decided to approach Kareena once again. This time she agreed to do the film and the project was on its feet once again. But this hasn't gone down well with Aishwarya and understandably so. The actress it seems was so stressed about the recent developments that the doctors had to order her to take it easy.

Another thing that irked Ash was the fact that the footage she'd shot for Heroine was floating around in the industry. She immediately returned the signing amount and reportedly forbade the pictures from circulating.

The world famous wax museum Madame Tussauds has expressed its wish to include a statue of a Pakistani actor for the first time. The actor who has made to the list is none other than the legend comedian late Moin Akhtar.

The one of its kind museum is famous for displaying waxworks of historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and famous murderers. Considering Akhtar's extensive work in the field of arts, the museum has contacted his family in Pakistan.

With his unmatched acting skills, production and singing, Moin Akhtar entertained the audiences for 44 long years. The late actor will become the first Pakistani whose statue will be included in the Madame Tussauds. There are, however, report that Moin's family has declined the offer.

Angelina Jolie is no doubt the 'celebrity fantasy' of many men. And, although some women wouldn't mind their partner having a celebrity crush on Ange, Jennifer Aniston is surely the last person that springs tomind when it comes to allowing their beau a crush on her arch nemesis, screen rival.

However, while on the set of Iron Man 2 in 2010, Jen's current man Justin Theroux admitted just that, after he confessed to Keith Middlebrook that his A-list fantasy woman was none other than, wait for it… "Angeline, Jolie." Keith added, "I laughed, saying the only beauty that she has is in her lips," and he quipped, "That's the only place she needs it!"
Poor Jen. Life had finally started looking up for the unlucky-in-love former Friends star, who is spending most of her free time with Justin. Rumours have even been flying that a wedding is on the cards.

But, the news that Justin's film set chat centred on fantasising about Angelina, who famously role Jen's husband Brad Pitt, can be nothing more than devastating for her.

So Katrina was in her hometown, London recently for the premiere of Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. She was received at the airport by a chauffer arranged by Yash Raj Films. So much so good. Little did she know that the simple task of just reaching her hotel will turn into an adventure, once inside the car. It seems that the chauffer didn't know the roads or maybe he did and was just enjoying driving Katrina around. Who knows? He drove her all over London but somehow failed to find the hotel. Initially, Katrina was amused but slowly she reached the end of her tether. When she could take no more, she called up Salman to rescue her. And the Khan, who was also in London, promptly sent his own chauffer driven car. She sighed with relief when she finally reached the hotel. The next day she preferred to travel by Salman's car and gave the boot to the other chauffer. Okay, we won't speculate about their relationship. But what's it they say about a friend in need?

It was an issue faced by Katrina Kaif, and now it's half-Pakistani/half-Czech actress, Nargis Fakhri, who's finding it difficult to get her dialogue right for her new movie, Rockstar, in which she stars opposite Bollywood heartthrob, Ranbir Kapoor.

On-set sources are claiming that the stunning actress's Hindi accent for the film was so bad that director, Imtiaz Ali, had to get her part dubbed by artist Mona Ghosh-Shetty despite Ranbir helping to coach his co-star.

"Imtiaz had to make a call in the end, and he chose to dub Nargis," spilled an insider.
"She's certainly going to have to step up when it comes to taking dialect lessons."

Rockstar sources say that Ali had told the cast and crew to talk to Nargis in Hindi, in order to help the star, but to no avail, finally calling in Ghosh-Shetty, who has dubbed for the likes of Rani Mukerji, Kajol, Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu in the past, to record for Nargis.
"There may be some bits of Nargis' own voice left in," revealed a mole. "It's a shame as she really wants to make it."

Katrina Kaif and her Mere Brother Ki Dulhan co-star, Ali Zafar, are all set to collaborate on a new music album, with the pair getting along so well on the set of their recent hit romcom, that sources say they're "beyond excited" to be heading into the studio to record some tunes together.

"Ali and I have definitely hit it off musically," said Katrina. "We share a lot of common musical interests that we're trying to take further. Let's see where it goes."

And Kat, who has already worked with uber-producer, A R Rahman, singing nursery rhymes on their 2010 children's album, Rhyme Skool, also boasts some pretty good guitar skills, having been taught by Farhan Akhtar during the filming of this year's Zindai Na Milegi Dobara.

When Sania was asked whether she will take her new surname, she said she would keep her surname and play for another three to four years.

The couple now resides in Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Talking about their choice of residence, she said, "Shoaib wanted to live there and I am not fussy about it, so that's where we live now."
When asked about how their relationship developed, she said with a smile on her face that it was through phone. "Suddenly we were constantly messaging each other and we started talking for hours on the phone and that's how it all started for us."

Sania says Shoaib is more romantic than her. "He is more romantic, before the wedding when I was getting my mehndi done, he sat with me for four hours because he wanted to," she said.
She says Shoaib is an easy person to live with, whereas Shoaib said, "She is very adjusting, extremely sweet and very punctual."

"She doesn't get angry," he added with an innocent smile.

Club Caramel is treading the same path many other before it have tried to walk on. There is a lot of commotion around them but none that is admirable. Here too, the focus seems to be on star personality rather than music or even vocals which should be of primary importance for a musical group.

This duo, consisting of the beautiful Kiran Chaudhry and Adnan Sarwar have been performing since 2006. There have been just two releases till date, both this year. Club Caramel is based in Lahore and are known for their live events – covers of famous musicians had been their specialty till now but much recently the band has been focusing on creating original music.

Their debut single was 'Tere Bin' for which they have recently released a video. Previously, the band had also released the video for 'Zindagi', an upbeat number from their upcoming album which was hugely hyped. After the initial euphoria died down, 'Zindagi' had taken its last breaths – the track had nothing outof the ordinary and the video too had failed to create an impact.
However, it seemed that the duo did have potential. That is why many were awaiting their upcoming video. Stills were being pasted on all social media forums and it was evident that Maram and Aabroo had done a stupendous job as always.

'Tere Bin' is a song about broken relationships and the video shows exactly what they mean for some… revenge!

The video starts with the leading lady dressed beautifully in black waiting for her long lost love. The beginning music sequence is pleasing too… theaura, ambiance and the soothing flute by Ahsen Pappu falsely prepare you for better music ahead. This illusion comes tumbling down as soon as the lady seeking revenge breaks into song!

The weak at heart might be forced to pause the track right there and then but for those whose curiosity gets the better of them; more surprises unfold. The scene changes as Kiran Chaudhry stands infront of a dresser – her exterior completely changed as she is molded by the famous styling duo into a Victorian lady with a tailed deep red vintage gown complete with a corset. She stands waiting eagerly for her guest to arrive and he enters on que.

Adnan Sarwar, the guitarist enters in a ruffled shirt and a coat that would put any other to shame. He sits as his lady love makes him a drink while making small talk. Little does he know that as he lays distracted, she adds something poisonous in the beverage and he eagerly gulps it down.

From there onwards the flashbacks start; the story unfolds and we find out that he had in fact broken off their engagement – something he was about to pay for gravely.
He lays stupefied as Kiran shouts out at him; completely ridding herself off all the anguish. Her revenge is not yet complete and she drives a knife down ending her love story finally.
The plot was engaging, so was the styling and ambiance. The same however, cannot be held true for the acting and of course the singing. 'Tere Bin' is a hugely hyped, poorly sung song that proves the claim many local male chauvinists make about the newer lot of female singers in Pakistan. What could have been a soothing track was made victim to a shaky, shrieking voice. If even a fraction of the amount of attention made on the wardrobe, makeup and styling was made on the vocals, 'Tere Bin' would have been a fairly enjoyable track.

Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria says everyone is emotional on the set of the show because they are upset about its end. The drama show is set to finish at the end of the ninth series and the actress, who has played Gabrielle Solis since it began, says everyone on set is constantly "emotional". "I can't – you're going to make me cry already. I can't even think about it. I mean, every episode that we're shooting now is a little sad, because we're like, 'Oh, another scene of all of us in the woods, another scene of all of us playing poker.' It's all emotional – every episode is emotional for all of us," she said. Longoria has many good memories of her stint on the show but she says the early days of the programme were her favourites. "My favourite moment will always be the pilot, the first episode. And kind of that time, too, because it was such madness. We always have fond memories of that time, and I remember Helen Hunt telling me, "There's nothing like the birth of a hit, so remember every moment... It's rare, you know, and we kind of hit the lottery, so it's bittersweet to me to be here and say goodbye," Longoria said.

Ranbir Kapoor may be considered the hottest and the most eligible bachelor of tinseltown, but the young actor doesn't seem to think so. At least that is what he told Amitabh Bachchan when the latter called him the most eligible bachelor on Kaun Banega Crorepati. Ranbir had participated in the quiz show as part of the promotions of his forthcoming film Rockstar. It's not that the Kapoor scion is against marriage. In fact, when he learned that the senior Bachchan had got married at the age of 31, he heaved a sight of relief. So I have another three years to go. But of course there has to be a girl on the scene too. So if I find one, I wouldn't mind tying the knot," smiled the actor. Now that's some good news for all the young girls out there!

“This film is a rare collaboration between Pakistanis,

As we had learnt before, Ranbir Kapoor had dropped out of Mira Nair’s adaptation of Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist as bits of it would be shot in Lahore and he wasn’t comfortable with that. Also because growing a beard would be itchy. Anyway, back then, it had been announced that the Lahore bits would be shot in Delhi, but in a turn of events, Mira Nair not only wants to shoot in Pakistan, but has received permission to do so.

“My father lived in Lahore before the partition of India and Pakistan. I am inspired to make a contemporary film about Pakistan, especially in this day and age when the perceived schism between Islamists and the Western World becomes more pronounced each day,” Mira has said. “In Doha Film Institute, I have a like-minded partner who shares a common belief in this story and its ability to affect change, having supported this project from the very beginning. In this day and age to have creative freedom to make a film that is political, timely and multi-layered is a gift.”

Mohsin Hamid feels strongly about his book being made it into a film, and feels it has come at the right time as well. “Right now in Pakistan there is a feeling of intense isolation,” he says. “So this film means a great deal to me - It is a rare case of artistic collaboration between Pakistanis, Americans and Indians. It tries to humanise what too often is stereotyped. And it tries to break down the walls that separate us, to expand our sense of empathy, and to let us reconnect as artists, as people and as citizens of a shared planet.”

Shah Rukh Khan may be overworked and stressed-out as his most ambitious and expensive project Ra. One nears release, but the superstar never loses his sense of humour and sharp wit. At the music launch of the movie, a rather extravagant affair, the actor was asked about the skin-fitting costume that he wears in the film as the character of G.One. "It was not heavy, but it was extremely uncomfortable as it was difficult to eat, drink, visit the loo and even breathe once I wore it. And I had to wear it for long hours. But what made up for the discomfort was that I had five beautiful women (my dress designer and her assistants) to help me wear the costume and take it off as well," said Khan, flashing his dimples. Now here's one superhero who likes to have his cake and eat it too!

Hotel heiress and international celebrity Paris Hilton, who was in India on a three-day business trip, showed her humanitarian side when she tipped a beggar $100. "When Paris was travelling to launch her bag store, a woman with a baby was begging near her car; she was so moved that she gave her a $100 note," a source said. Paris was in India to launch her new line of bags and her stores.

It's about time Annie Khalid defines her forte. She is without any doubt a style icon – with Ammar Belal'sable hand to carve out varying looks, the diva's actual claim to fame is being overshadowed. From the photo shoots we see in magazines to Annie walking the ramp for the gifted designer, it is becoming quite unclear what her focus is on. Her latest video titled 'Vari Vari' seems more like a promotional campaign for Ammar Belal's creations and less like an enjoyable music video.

So what exactly is our pop princess capable of? She can carry a designer outfit well, sashay over a ramp and look good as the brand ambassador of a UK based hair-dressing brand… we know that much but can she pull out a genuinely good track with an equally appealing music video?

Her previous releases have been disappointing, one with a copied story board and another that was a better attempt but failed to get much recognition. It's about time Annie experimented and thought out of the box. A girl with her caliber can surely pull out something better than 'Vari Vari'.

The video begins and ends on almost the same note. There is however, a drastic makeover that keeps you hooked for one and a half minute max till you eventually lose interest and move on towards something else.

A slightly chubby Annie Khalid moves to the music of 'Vari Vari', the shots later not only reveal what had actually made her go 'Vari' on her beloved but also explain those extra pounds around the previously skinny singer. The culprit, it seems was a cheese cake that the knight in shining armor brought for Annie's birthday. So even if you do manage to watch the video till the end, you realize that it was about the lady assuming that her better half had forgotten her birthday!
With wind blowing in her straightened hair and Styled enough to intimidate Jennifer Lopez, Annie tries to maintain balance so as not to give the local audience something to object to – the singer needs to define herself and make a statement, if its dancing that shes good at, why hesitate to go all out?

The video moves along the same pace only shifting gear towards the end where the protagonist gets surprised. The rest is a mass of lace, legs and lights!

Right from the 'Mahiya' days negative criticism flew her way and the fairly aged comment that Annie can be anything but a singer has become quite dreary. It is high time we grow out of the stereotypical mindset that for a singer to be taken seriously the music has to be either 'sufi' (as is the popular culture these days) or influenced by an age old artists work. We are more accepting and open to music that is far beyond our comprehension. The singer too needs to know that it is not just a changed hair do that people want to see, we want bigger, better music from one of the very few female artists we have.

'Vari Vari' has nothing in it for us to go 'Vari' upon. The lyrics are bland and so is the heavy auto tune… a bit more and Anie will move on from being the Britney Spears to the Cher of Pakistan. Balance and innovation is what is needed here. Balance between fashion and music and innovation in lyrics, vocals and video.

The marriage plans of chote nawab Saif Ali Khan and Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor have been put on hold after the demise of the actor's father – Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

Apparently, Saif and Kareena were supposed to marry in mid-February 2012. Talking to a daily, a source said, "The official mourning period of the family is six months, but the family won't celebrate for the next one year. The plans were already put on hold and we were looking at a date later next year because we expected Nawabsaheb to get better. But tragedy has struck."
Apart from their coy love confessions on talk show Koffee with Karan, according to sources, Saif has apparently picked out a ravishing five-carat solitaire ring for his soon-to-be bride.

"He ordered a selection of diamond rings from a Mumbai based jeweller to choose from," spilled an insider. "And after spending weeks looking for the perfect ring, he finally picked one a week ago."
But this isn't the first time that Saif has given Bebo a solitaire ring, buying her a one-carat rock just months after they started dating in 2007. And Bebo too has hinted that their wedding could be sooner rather than later, gushing of their romance, "I'm a lucky girl. There's love, so there can never be infidelity."

A lot of things have changed in the life of John Abraham. He has not only developed his meso-ectomorph body for Nishikant Kamath's next film Force, but also looking forward to a fresh new beginning with films like Shootout At Wadala and Desi Boyz.

While the actor has surely reached an enviable physical state, the same cannot be said about his emotions.

Opening up about his decade-long relationship with Bipasha Basu, the actor said, "Whatever had to happen has happened. I think we needed to move on. And we did just that." Denying all speculations about John cheating on Bipasha being the reason behind the breakup, the actor said, "Speculations and perceptions are usually wrong. This one is no exception. I respected Bipasha when she was in my life. I still respect her when she is not in my life."

Probably the mere mention of arch rival Salman Khan and the box office collection figures of his recent big hit Bodyguard, and actress Priyanka Chopra, who he is reportedly having an affair with.

At the music launch of Ra.One in Mumbai when a media-person asked Shah Rukh what calculations he has made for his magnum opus (scheduled to release this Diwali) considering the fact that Salman has been repeatedly competing with his own films and box office collections, Shah Rukh while hiding his emotions replied, "Heart doesn't make calculations. We have made the movie from the heart."

But when he was asked about the absence of Priyanka Chopra at the huge event, a visibly annoyed Shahrukh ordered the journalist to sit down while saying, "There's Sanjay Dutt too in the film and even he hasn't come. I am glad that Sanjay and Priyanka (both the actors have done a cameo in Ra.One) didn't come, nahin toh unhe tumhare sawaalon se sharminda hona padta."