Size zero is boring: Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan, who spoke at the HT Leadership Summit on Saturday noon, finds size zero very boring and is happy with her curvy figure. She had even put on 12 kilos for her role as Silk in The Dirty Picture.

She says: "Size zero is boring, women should look like women. I can identify with

my character Silk in The Dirty Picture. I can enjoy and celebrate my body like Silk."

Vidya's boldest film till date, The Dirty Picture, has garnered positive response from B-Town as well as the film critics. "I'm very happy with the response to The Dirty Picture. I'm lucky to be a part of such a film. On one hand Silk's a walking-talking sex bomb and on other she's child-like at heart."

Vidya says the film is not a biopic on South siren Silk Smitha. "The Dirty Picture is not a biopic on Silk. I haven't seen too much of Silk Smitha's work."

Vidya has had an incredible journey from TV serial Hum Paanch to The Dirty Picture. "I had what it took to get ahead in B-Town. I'm living my dream, film world is not bad. I have dabbled in every medium- advertising, TV and films. I had also heard about casting couch and all when I came to the industry. But I feel people will treat you the way you want. Everyone knew I'm here to work, I didn't encounter any problem. Things always work-out in the best possible manner if you have faith in yourself," says the proud actor.

Next, the curvy actor will be seen in Kahaani: "My next film Kahaani is a thriller set in Kolkata. The film revolves around a six-month pregnant lady."

Bipasha Basu to do item number?

If all goes well, Bipasha Basu might soon be putting on her dancing shoes for a full-fledged item number. Interestingly, the actor has never done one before. And if the current buzz is anything to go by, she is apparently the top choice for a special track featuring Sanjay Dutt, for Anand Kumar’s

Zilla Ghaziabad.

“The makers are trying to rope Bipasha in. The discussions are in the final stages. Since the film is set in a rustic milieu, she will be required to don a similar avatar. If things work out as planned, she might revisit her Beedi Jalaile… and Namak Isq ka… days,” informs a film unit member. When contacted, producer Vinod Bachchan says: “Yes, Bipasha might do the song, but we are yet to lock all the details.”

However, Sanjay Dutt’s business manager Dharam Oberoi insists nothing is finalised yet: “We’ll take a final call in a week’s time. By then, the picture will be clear. It’s too early to comment right now.”

Bipasha Basu has never done an item number for a film, where she isn’t the leading actor. But she has had her fair share of chartbuster tracks such as Mehbooba… (Ajnabee), Beedi Jalaile… (Omkara), No Entry… (No Entry) and Lucky Boy… (Bachna Ae Haseeno).

In the past, Bipasha has only made exceptions for a few special appearances in songs like Phoonk De… with ex-boyfriend John Abraham in No Smoking and a fleeting appearance in Shah Rukh Khan’s Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte… for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Although Bipasha remained unavailable for a comment, her business manager denied that the actor has been approached for the item number.

Geeta goes for the spin!
Even as Bipasha Basu is being finalised for an item outing in Zilla Ghaziabad, The Train girl Geeta Basra has already shot an item number for producer Vinod Bachchan’s film. For the track, makers erected a special set at Kamalistan Studios, complete with a rustic setting and scores of dancers. Of late, Geeta has been constantly making headlines about her relationship and an impending marriage with Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh.

Veena Malik denies posing nude for magazine

Veena Malik appeared nude on the cover of FHM magazine with an ‘ISI’ tattoo on her arm, but has been forced to deny it after it sparked outrage among conservatives in Pakistan - both for her nudity and the reference to the country’s intelligence agency. The controversial photo appears on
the December issue of the magazine.

The image, which was revealed on FHM India’s website, Facebook page and Twitter account simultaneously, shows her nude with her arms and one leg positioned to cover her breasts and pubic area.

On her arm are emblazoned the initials ''ISI'' - the acronym for Pakistan''s feared Inter-Services Intelligence agency - with the tag line, ‘hand in the end of the world too?’

But Malik has denied posing for the lads’ mag and insists that the photo is morphed.

“I have never posed nude. I have never done anything like that ever,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.
Veena Malik on the cover of FHm magazine

“My manager and legal team is looking into the matter. We will take legal action against them,” she added.

FHM India’s editor, Kabeer Sharma, said that nothing had been doctored, and that the magazine could prove the photo’s authenticity.

“We have video footage of the shoot as well as emails from Veena about how she’s looking forward to the cover,” BBC quoted him as saying.

Sharma said the reference to Pakistani intelligence was meant to be light-hearted, saying: “In India we joke about this... if anything goes wrong... we say the ISI must be behind this.”

When Lady Gaga danced in her underwear

Lady Gaga revealed that she found her time as a go-go dancer ‘liberating’ and was not at all uncomfortable performing in her underwear.
She said the experience was ‘exciting’ as it helped her earn money to fulfill her career dreams.
“It’s quite exhilarating to dress in your
underwear and have men coo over you all night. It’s quite liberating, if you’re into that sort of thing,” the Daily Telegraph quoted her as telling Britian’s Elle magazine.

“Some people don’t like it but for me, I was getting paid to perform so I was very excited,” she said.

“I was getting 400 bucks a night, so I could go to Kinko’s and get the expensive paper and get it laser-printed and make nice flyers, not like the ones everyone else had. And get my demo tapes copied,” she added.

No competition with Priyanka: Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif wrapped up the shoot of her Agneepath item song Chikni Chameli… on Wednesday, after working on it for 10 days at Film City in Goregaon. News of the actor starring in the song surfaced a few weeks ago. Even though the track is yet to be released, the producers hope it will create the

buzz that songs like Munni Badnaam Hui..., Sheila ki Jawani... and Chammak Challo... did in the past.

“I hope and pray it becomes bigger than any of the previous item songs. As actors, we love doing better than what’s been done in the past. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in expecting that,” says Katrina, who managed to make some time for the remake of the 1990-hit featuring Amitabh Bachchan, from the on-going Ek Tha Tiger schedule in Delhi. She adds, “Now, I’m waiting to see the audience’s reaction. It’s a desi-rustic number. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

Produced by Karan Johar and directed by Karan Malhotra of Dharma Productions, Agneepath stars Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles.

Apart from Ek Tha Tiger with Salman Khan, next year Katrina will also complete the shoot for another Yash Raj film — director Yash Chopra’s comeback venture with Shah Rukh Khan. The yet-to-be titled project is set to go on the floors in January. The first film releases on Eid and the latter on Diwali. This year, Kareena Kapoor had a similar string of releases with Bodyguard and RA.One. And the industry is abuzz with rumours of brewing competition between the leading ladies. But Katrina brushes it aside as a mere coincidence.

“I don’t plan the release dates for my films. And this talk about competition really doesn’t matter. I don’t perceive things like that,” she says, adding, “There’s no competition with Kareena or with anyone else at the box-office. The only thing that matters is that my films should make money because there are a lot of people, including technicians and workers, whose incomes are at stake. Whether my films become bigger hits than anyone else’s or not, is irrelevant.”

‘Priyanka won’t be overshadowed’
Ask Katrina, whether roping her in for the track Chikni Chameli… might take away from Agneepath’s leading lady, Priyanka Chopra, who also has a few song and dance numbers, and she says, “We’re all a team. Why would we compete with each other? Priyanka is as happy as Hrithik and Sanjay. And as a producer, Karan won’t allow this to happen. She won’t be overshadowed. In fact, it didn’t even come to my mind that this is also how my item song could be perceived.

SRK drops dancing shoes for action song

Trust Shah Rukh Khan and Farhan Akhtar to do the unthinkable. The two artistes, who have teamed up again for Don 2, are giving Bollywood choreography a new twist. On Wednesday, filmmaker-actor Farhan finished shooting a video for the song Mujhko Pehchaan Lo… for the sequel to his 2006 hit at Yash
Raj Studio.
Interestingly, unlike other music videos that have dance moves, this one has been shot like an action sequence by choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant and Farhan. As a result, the audiences will now get to see a lot more action and stunts instead of the same old archetypal dance moves.

“It has come out very nicely. It was a collective decision by Farhan, Shah Rukh and Vaibhavi, and the entire song looks sleek and stylish,” says a unit member.

The director too is excited about the final product. “Instead of an oft-repeated song-and-dance treatment, we’ve opted to visualise the song as an action scene. And to see Don vanquish his opponents while casually singing the words is surreal, but very intriguing,” says Farhan.

Merchant, who has worked on songs like Kajra Re… and Chance Pe Dance… in the past, finds the entire experience “unique”. She says, “Shah Rukh is lip syncing and performing some stunts for the song. All of this is a very unique experience for me.” Don 2 that also stars Priyanka Chopra hits theatres on December 23.

Hrithik Roshan is the sexiest Asian man

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has emerged as the sexiest Asian Man in the World of the year 2011.

According to a survey conducted by the Eastern Eye Weekly, Hrithik, 37, beat off tough competition from high profile stars to top the 50-strong list.

The popular A-list actor won by the

biggest ever margin in the history of the men's list to topple last year's winner Ranbir Kapoor, who finished sixth.

Hrithik, who was third last year, got votes from all over the world from fans of different ages and cultures  via social networking sites like Twitter.

Described by many as a Greek God, Hrithik went back to winning ways in 2011 playing the lead role in mega-hit movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and also had his wax statue added to the Madame Tussauds museum in London.

"He also shot for the hotly anticipated Agneepath remake, featured as a judge on hit TV show Just Dance and signed up for hotly anticipated superhero movie sequel Krrish 2," the weekly said.

Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor was the surprise runner up, with Shah Rukh Khan in the third and Salman Khan in the fourth position.