Entertainment Buzz

Of all the greetings that Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray received on his 50th birthday Tuesday, one stood out – “best compliments” from none other than Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan who had been targeted by the party this year.

The birthday wishes were conveyed not through a traditional greeting card, but in a half-page advertisement released in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna. It said, “With Best Compliments From…Red Chillies Entertainment”, the film company owned by Shah Rukh.

Coming as it did just a few months after the Sena had launched an all-out campaign against the superstar, the impact of the ad was not lost on either readers or Uddhav.

“I am accepting best wishes from everybody,” is all that Uddhav chose to say when asked about the ad this afternoon.

The olive branch extended by Shah Rukh – in the form of the advertisement – comes nearly six months after the Sena had launched an all-out campaign against the superstar following the release of his blockbuster, “My Name Is Khan”, in February this year. The party was angry with him for speaking in favour of Pakistani cricketers for the Indian Premier League.
The issue had pitted the state government and the Shiv Sena against each other in a controversy that raged for nearly 10 days and prompted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to make a visit to Mumbai Feb 5 and thumb the saffron party in its bastion.

Age indeed is no bar for the sprightly Dev Anand. The actor was in the spotlight on Tuesday night at an event to introduce his upcoming film, and his charm and josh (for life and films) was just the same!

Always the gentleman, the actor had sent out personally signed invitations to the guests and continued to charm those present with his wit, will and usual ways. His son Suniel Anand, Vijay Kalantri and Shravan were also present at this gathering.

Can two mothers make a home? And can two powerhouse actresses exist peacefully on the same set? Yes, if you have Karan Johar trouble-shooting.

Once again Bollywood’s premiere filmmaker has managed to pull off another first. Dharma Productions’ We Are Family that will hit the screens on September 3, is an intimate, emotional film. “UTV and I decided to release it on September 3 because it’s a film meant for women and family audience, and we wanted an opposition-free clean week,” says Karan. He adds, “It’s the first official adaptation in Bollywood of a Hollywood film — Step-Mom in this case.” He points out that Dharma is fortunate to have a good equation with Hollywood giants such as Fox (My Name is Khan) and now Sony Pictures (We Are Family).

And whether it is getting the lyrics of a song — like he did with Pretty Woman for Kal Ho Na Ho or whether it is adapting the 1998 Susan Sarandon-Julia Roberts film Step-Mom, Karan believes it must be done officially. “There is just no other way to do it than in collaboration with the foreign studio or with getting the official remake rights,’’ says he. He is happy, too, that UTV Motion Pictures is also on board this project that brings together two of his favourite actresses — Kajol and Kareena Kapoor.

“These two return as a pair after they worked with me in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Siddharth Malhotra,
my director, has brought these two women of substance, in substantial roles, for the first time. And, as a viewer and a cinegoer, I was truly excited to see their pairing. I’m also happy that Arjun Rampal has solidly held his own despite being thrown in with these two solid performers in what I describe as an intimate family experience.’’ Karan is particularly proud of the fact that the debutante director has managed to get the desired performances from his actors. “I personally think WAF will provide the audience a happy laugh and a good cry.’’

That was Mahesh Bhupathi’s response when asked about Lara Dutta on a recent visit to Delhi.

While the actress was here to walk as the showstopper for Rina Dhaka at the Pearls Infrastructure Delhi Couture Week, Bhupathi was in the city to attend a school’s function.

Which is why, despite it being a Sunday, the kids were more than excited to go to school, for once!
At the press conference, he requested that no personal questions be asked (read questions about his divorce and new GF, Lara Dutta) in front of the schoolchildren. However, when we caught him later and asked if he had any plans of entering Bollywood, his reply was short (even if not sweet), “I don’t know.” When asked what he liked about Lara, he seemed unprepared for the question and shot back, “Who Lara? I don’t know.”

He was, however, right on time at the event and was greeted by a crowd of eager parents and students who surrounded him, asking for autographs. He jumped the railings and entered the school building in order to avoid the crowd, rather than walking till the door.

Which actress wouldn’t want a break from donning the greasepaint once in a while? Everyone would… but Katrina Kaif says she has no qualms sitting in front of her make-up artist and getting decked up every single day of her life.

“That’s because I don’t need to apply much make-up. I get done in a few minutes and besides the team that works on me is so good that I have fun all the time,” she said. The other actresses, who have to apply layers and layers of make-up to hide their flaws, must be truly envious. If Kat is hinting at anyone in particular, then she might end up having more enemies now.

A Family Court order directs Adnan Sami’s third wife Roya Fariyabi to leave the house he’s living in since it belongs to his second wife Sabah Galadari.

Adnan Sami’s marriage woes have surfaced again. In a few days from now, his third wife Roya Fariyabi will have to leave the Oberoi Skyheights flat in Lokhandwala for good. She is currently living there with Adnan.

Recently, Roya and Adnan returned from Islamabad after meeting his parents, only to receive an order fom the Family Court stating that only Adnan can live in their flat.

Since the flat Adnan is currently living in belongs to his second wife Sabah Galadari, divorcing her will actually have fewer benefits for him. He might just be homeless, unless of course he finds an alternative accomodation by that time.

Strangely, Adnan has not paid heed to the Family Court order. A source says, “If Roya does not leave the flat, Adnan’s second wife Sabah Galadari will file legal proceedings against him. Thereafter, the law will ensure that he vacates the flat.”

The Family Court’s order has come in the wake of an application filed by Sabah under the provision of the Protection Of Women From Domestic Violence Act, “Sabah has started another war now. She is not going to take anything lying down,” says the source.

Sabah discovered Roya’s presence in the flat when she went to check on her pet dogs. Adnan had left them unattended (reported by Mumbai Mirror, June 14, 2010). “Sabah saw that the dogs were not getting adequate food. Also, they had been kept chained for long periods of time.

The animals were in a terrible state. Sabah decided that she would free the dogs and get them to her place, but after consulting her well-wishers, she decided against it. Her friends told her that she might get into serious trouble as Adnan might levy false allegations of theft against her,” adds the source.

Is it just the dogs or does Sabah have a problem with Roya living with Adnan in that house? “Sabah doesn’t have any problem if Roya lives with Adnan,” says the source, “Frankly, she is least interested in Adnan’s life now. All that she wants is that Adnan should obey the law.

When the Court had told Adnan that nobody except him was allowed in the flat, what right did he have to disobey the directive? This is breach of order. Sabah is the owner of three flats in Oberoi Skyheights.”

Explaining the deal, Sabah’s friend says, “Adnan was very keen to get plush flats in Oberoi Skyheights. Sabah gave him a loan of Rs 5.3 crore. But Adnan was unable to repay the loan. So, he gifted all these flats to Sabah. This happened in 2008 much before Adnan and Sabah’s marriage hit the rocks.”

Sabah’s lawyer Mrunalini Deshmukh neither confirms nor denies the story. She says, “As the matter is subjudice, I can’t talk about it.”

Adnan’s lawyer V Krishnan however confirms and says, “Yes, Adnan has received the Family Court order saying that only he can reside in that flat. He will fight it out. We have filed an appeal against that order.”

When told that Sabah may file legal proceedings if he refuses to vacate the flat, Krishnan adds, “The matter is now pending at High Court. I can’t talk any further about this.”

It’s been 12 years since Neelima Azeem gave a dance performance on stage. Come August 14, the dancer-turned-actor is all set to stage a comeback to perform at the National Festival of Indian Classical Dance.

On the same night, dance lovers of Kolkata will also witness Kuchipudi performances by Raja and Radha Reddy, Odissi recitals by Esha Deol and sister Ahana Deol and a Bharatnatyam performance by Hema Malini.

The Festival begins on August 10 with Vyjayanthimala Bali presenting Sita. This will be followed by recitals by Malavika Sen and Vishal Krishna. “On August 11, we have recitals by Bharati Shivaji, Sujata Mahapatra and Rajendra Gangani. The latter will be accompanied by Pt Kumar Bose on the tabla. The following day will see recitals by Malavika Sarukkai, Madhuri Mazumdar and Moulik Shah. Pt Anindya Chatterjee will be accompanying Shah on the tabla. On August 13, the programme will begin with a recital by Swapna Sundari, followed by Sutapa Talukdar’s Odissi recital. The final act will be by Pt Rammohan Maharaj, who will be accompanied by Pt Kumar Bose,” says Shouvik Dasgupta, the man behind the Festival.

Ask Neelima about her comeback show in Kolkata, and she says, “It’s been 12 years since I stopped dancing on stage. Passionate about dance, I could never imagine doing it in half measures. Eight months ago, I was nursing a foot injury. It’s quite challenging for me to dance now since my injured left foot is the one that’s used for the chakkars. I’m glad to be returning to the stage in Kolkata. I also have other shows coming up in Mumbai, Delhi and Indore. I’ll begin my recital with a symbolic presentation that has a Sufi feel. Then, I shall go on to the traditional Kathak recital before dancing to a ghazal of Dr Iqbal. The final act will be a tarana in raag Malhar.” What about the buzz that son Shahid will be coming down to Kolkata to introduce her on stage? “He might come. As a mother, I might get a little distracted worrying about his security if he is there in the audience. That apart, his presence will only energise me on stage,” she adds.

Does she have any plans of doing a fusion dance show with Shahid? “The idea sounds good,” she says, adding, “But the budget for such a show would be humungous. It would also come along with star trappings. If the show is on that scale, I could bounce the idea off him. But I would want to have all the details on paper before I proceed.”

Meanwhile, Neelima is also planning to return to Kolkata soon to shoot her directorial debut. With her Nawab Nautanki being ‘stalled for the time being’, Neelima has now decided to begin shooting Tere Saath Hun Mein — a film set in the mountains. “Soon after my show in Delhi, I will be returning to this part of India to shoot my film in monasteries of Darjeeling, Gangtok and even, Nepal. My film is a love story that’s shrouded in mystery. It’s about an aspiring writer who discovers life and love.” Will the film see Shahid in the lead? “No,” she says, adding, “I need a fresh face to play the aspiring writer. While I’ve cast a new boy and girl as leads, the supporting cast has known faces. I’ll reveal those names later.”

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has roped in Chinese-American actor Tom Wu for his home production “Ra.One”.

“…a big welcome to Tom Wu in the film cast. He is so humble and such a sport… really nice to have him on board,” Shah Rukh, 44, posted on his Twitter page. Tom Wu, a martial arts expert, was earlier seen in films like “Revolver”, “Shanghai Knights”, “Batman Begins” and “Tomb Raider II”.

According to earlier reports, action legend Jackie Chan was approached for a role in the action flick.

“Ra.One” will also see Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor. American singer Akon too is part of the crew as he recorded a song for the movie.

The film is expected to release in 2011. Shah Rukh, who is currently shooting for the film in London, is a little unwell. “Antibiotics have sucked all energy out of me. Throat feeling better now… can go on the sets and make some noise to feel important hopefully,” he wrote on his Twitter.

21-year-old youth from Delhi was sending lyricist Javed Akhtar threatening emails for his views on a fatwa against working women.

A 21-year-old from Delhi was held on Monday for sending threatening emails to lyricist Javed Akhtar for his views on a fatwa issued by a Muslim seminary. Anees-ul-Islam Abdul Kalam, who works in the hospitality sector, was arrested in Mumbai and produced in a local court, which remanded him to police custody till July 29.

A few months ago, the Darul Uloom Deoband had issued a fatwa saying it was un-Islamic for women to work in offices in proximity with men, and declared that families accepting their income was against Sharia law. Akhtar had participated in a debate on a TV channel on May 11. Speaking against it, he had reportedly called a Muslim cleric ‘insane’ for the fatwa against working women. After receiving threatening emails following the show’s telecast, he lodged a police complaint.

Investigators traced the email to a cyber cafe in Humayunpur in Delhi. They traced the sender’s whereabouts in Delhi, Kanpur and Jaloun, but he managed to dodge them. In preliminary interrogation, Anees said he was offended by Akhtar’s views on the fatwa. When contacted, Akhtar said, “I have heard that someone has been arrested. I thank the police for the prompt action.

This Asin has four legs. And no, we are not referring to the Ghajini actress per se. This is the reference to the trailer of director Pandiraj’s Vamsam in which the lead actress Sunaina makes a passing reference to the actress.

The irony is that it has nothing to do with actress Asin. Wondering what the hullabaloo is all about, then? Asin is the name of the cow that plays cupid between the lead pair Sunaina and Arulnidhi. “I have no intention of hurting anybody. Since Asin is a popular actress in Tamil cinema, we named the cow Asin for the recall value. The cow acts as a love messenger between the hero and heroine,” explains Pandiraj who earlier directed the hit film Pasanga.