Toast of Bollywood

Could Hollywood North also be Bollywood West?

Toronto will be the first North American city to host the "Bollywood Oscars."

With that may come opportunities for Toronto to see the production of more Indian films here, said the vice-chairman of the Canada-India Business Council.

Peter Sutherland, a former ambassador who advises Indian and Canadian businesses about expanding their operations in the two countries, said the awards show will mean more than just the glitz and glamour of the event.

"I think there may be some business opportunities involved in film production itself," Sutherland said. "As you know, in Toronto in particular, in Canada in general, there's a burgeoning film industry. A lot of American films come here to produce.

"That could conceivably happen with Bollywood as well," Sutherland said.

Premier Dalton McGuinty was in Mumbai yesterday for the announcement that Toronto would host the International Indian Film Academy Awards from June 16-19, 2011.

"It brings with it a viewing audience in excess of 350 million, to say nothing of 60,000 tourists who are drawn to this, and the 500 or so stars and producers and the like," McGuinty said.

IIAF director Viraf Sarkari said Toronto made sense to host the Indian film event because of previous experiences here with Bollywood stars.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was in Toronto in July 2008 as part of The Unforgettable Tour, a huge stage show featuring music from Indian movies that was seen by over a million people around the world in six weeks.

In an effort to promote Indian films around the world, the awards show is held in a different city outside of India each year. The inaugural 2000 show was in London and other host cities included Bangkok, Amsterdam, Dubai and Singapore.

"I think it's a great thing for Toronto," Sutherland said.

Anger in India at Bollywood star’s detention in U.S.

MUMBAI, India — Saturday, August 15. Independence Day in India. News trickled in that one of India’s most recognizable faces and names had been detained at an international airport in the United States. Questions about individual freedom, independence, liberty, and laws of the land are still being furiously debated in India.
Shah Rukh Khan said he was detained by authorities at the Newark, New Jersey, airport.
Shah Rukh Khan said he was detained by authorities at the Newark, New Jersey, airport.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan says he was detained by immigration officials in the U.S. for up to two hours and questioned. He says he believes it’s because of his Muslim last name, Khan.

“They kept telling me it’s because my name is common and I was too polite to say, common to what?” says Khan.

U.S. officials deny the superstar was held up because of his name and say the whole process took just 66 minutes – and that too, because the airline had misplaced his bags.

Whatever the reason, the incident has kicked up a furore in India. There’s an outpouring of outrage and anger at the way an Indian VIP was treated. Ambika Soni, India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister, said of the U.S.: “The way they frisk us, I say we frisk them the same way.”

Is she overreacting?

Among all the support fans are offering Khan, there are those who have little sympathy. Fellow Bollywood actor Salman Khan asks: “What’s the big deal? We all have to go through security.”

Do you agree with him? Has this whole incident been blown out of proportion? One observer said: “No-one is above the law of the land, and the U.S. officials were just doing their job.”

We’d love to know what you think. Should Shah Rukh Khan have not made such a fuss about being detained at Newark airport – or do you understand why he felt slighted?

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Mallika Kapur
Filed under: India

Beware gossip-mongers, celebrities will take you to courtS

By BW Team
Posted on 04 Aug 2009 at 11:40am
aishwarya rai gossip 225x300 Beware gossip mongers, celebrities will take you to courtNew Delhi, There are stories and rumours galore about film stars, but celebrities are no longer willing to tolerate gossip that will affect their relationships. Many like Aishwarya Rai, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar have threatened legal action to stop gossip-mongers from spreading false news about their personal lives.

Recently an article titled, “Career more important than family”, published by a website infuriated Aishwarya so much that she issued a statement saying she would take legal action against those who are spreading rumours about her.

According to Archana Sadanand of Imagesmiths, who handles the publicity for Aishwarya, a celebrity’s life is in the public domain but circulating untrue statements about them affects their personal lives.

“Yes, a celebrity’s life is there in the public domain but writing things that are untrue and attributing false statements to them affect their personal lives and in such cases the best way out is legal recourse,” Archana told IANS.

“A rumour is a rumour until it takes the shape of newsprint or media space… when we authenticate any such information by broadcasting, we in a way are adding to our readership or viewership.

“But we seem to forget that a life, a person is attached to such rumours and in most cases these rumours have a snowball effect,” said Archana, whose client list also includes big names like Akshay Kumar and Imran Khan.

In the past actors like Saif Ali Khan and Akshay too have threatened legal action against gossip-mongers.

Saif was at the receiving end when The New York Post reported that he had thrown attitude in a local bar and was thrown out. He then threatened to take the newspaper to court.

“I’m considering taking legal action against the paper. The article is slanderous and completely baseless,” Saif, who was shooting for Siddharth Anand’s “Tara Rum Pum” then, had said.

Akshay too decided to act against those spreading rumours of a discord in his married life with Twinkle Khanna.

Akshay and Twinkle’s spokesperson released a statement that said: “They will not stand for false and malicious reporting by any publication any more. They have sent a legal notice to the publication concerned for the false report that they published on July 24, 2007, and they will take them to court.”

Akshay also threatened to sue a British tabloid for giving false “details” of his and ex-girlfriend Shilpa Shetty’s personal lives. It was published soon after Shilpa won British reality TV show “Celebrity Big Brother” in 2007.

“I will never talk about a lady in those terms, this is totally baseless, I’ve never spoken to the said newspaper and I will seek legal recourse,” Akshay was quoted as saying that time.

Said Rajnigandha Shekhawat, another publicist: “Rumours can take a completely nasty turn sometimes with absolutely no bearing on the truth… I think it’s fair if the actors threaten to sue.”

“However, rumour-mongering is a big part of a celebrity’s life and most of them are now aware that there is no escaping it,” said Rajnigandha, whose clients include Shahid Kapoor, Sonal Chauhan, Vir Das and Purab Kohli.

Even southern actors have come down heavily on people circulating false news.

Recently, when Tamil actress Trisha was accused of entering into an unsavoury argument with former India cricketer Hemang Badani at a hotel, she issued a stern denial and said that certain “vested interests” have been spreading rumours about her.

“I won’t keep mum from now onwards. Whosoever writes or says anything bad about me, I won’t mind taking them to court,” she had said.

Many feel that stars seek legal help not just to safeguard their personal lives but also to protect their image.

“Actors survive on image, it’s their bread and butter. So how can they take somebody trying to tarnish it so lightly? And in the clutter today, image has become more important…It’s part of the marketing strategy of celebrities,” said Neelam Gupta, who handles the publicity of singer Sukhwinder among others.

But rumours about stars have always done the rounds. So are celebrities becoming more impatient now?

“I don’t agree. I’ve heard of stars in the 1980s going and beating up editors of film magazines! That’s something I haven’t heard of in recent years,” said Rajnigandha.

Remembering Michael Jackson on Twitter

Remembering Michael Jackson on Twitter

Forever live the King Michael Jackson

The tragedy of Michael Jackson's death at age 50, reportedly from cardiac arrest, pales in comparison to the tragedy of his life. To understand all that Jackson had and lost requires wiping away three decades of plastic surgeries that deformed him, erratic behavior that made his name synonymous with the warping powers of fame, and a 2005 trial for sexually abusing a child that, even though he was spared of any finding of wrongdoing, made him a pariah to all but the most brainwashed of fans.
But if you can forgive or forget all that, underneath was one of the most talented entertainers of the 20th century. Quincy Jones who produced Jackson's quintessential solo albums was devastated by the news of his passing. "I’ve lost my little brother today," Jones said in a statement, "part of my soul has gone with him." Said Jones: "Divinity brought our souls together... and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the 80’s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all...." long live the king

Maldives Starzshowz

 

Katrina does it again

Whether it may be it her tempestuous romance with Bollywood’s bad boy Salman or her Box Office hits, Katrina Kaif is one such B-town dame who is riding high on the wave of limelight.
Be it her sex quotient or oomph factor, Katrina has pipped reigning queens of Bollywood – Kareena, Priyanka, Deepika and Bipasha time and again.

According to the latest Bollywood news, Katrina Kaif has once again been voted as India’s Sexiest Woman by an international men’s magazine. Last year too, the dainty beauty pipped Kareena, Bipasha and Priyanka. This time, with all these actresses strutting in swimsuits in their flicks, Katrina still topped the popularity charts.

When enquired the graceful actress about her India’s sexy woman tag, Katrina said, “It feels good to be voted by fans and that too in such huge numbers, but I don’t think if you wear a bikini or show skin, you look sexy. I would rather say I’m pretty.”

The actress maintained that the magazine links the gap between East and the West as urban men like her because of her cosmopolitan looks. Of late, Katrina recently topped the Most Seached Actress on the internet.

When asked who is the hottest hunk in Bollywood from among those the svelte actress is working with —Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor? “Only if I’m in love with a man, I find him hot. But I think Neil is the cutest,” quipped the actress!

Bollywood losses pegged at Rs 350 crore (75 MILLION $)

As we go to press, news comes in from an official source in the United Producers and Distributors Forum that Amit Khanna, who has been mediating
Shah Rukh Khan, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Mahesh Bhat in a discussion with the multiplex owners
between the producers and the multiplex lobby will host the final round of talks between the warring parties.

Mahesh Bhatt says, “The champagne will only be uncorked once the paperwork is done.’’ Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan were involved in the final stage of talks, along with Yash Chopra, Ronnie Screwvala, Mukesh Bhatt and Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, “The first quarter of 2009 was disastrous for the film industry. Both film corporations and mutliplexes lost money on movies like Chandni Chowk To China, Victory, Billu and Tasveer 8X10.’’ Dev D is the only one that sailed through with a decent profit margin.

Describing the second quarter of the year 2009 (April to June) as an even bleaker period for the entertainment companies, a trade source says, “This is the darkest period in Bollywood history, thanks to the multiplex-producer stand-off.’’ With revenues hitting an all-time low, it’s almost like writing off the quarter. For producers whose films are on hold, it’s money deferred, but it is a disastrous quarter for multiplex players as well.

“The stand-off will show in every company’s quarterly result. But at the same time, we need to take into account that this is a major crisis. Everyone kept ignoring it, but at some point it needed to be addressed,’’ says Priti Shahni, from one of the leading film corporations.

Though markets have jumped considerably, the share prices of multiplex companies have underperformed mainly due to the stand-off.
Even assuming the strike is called off on May 29, the collective losses between multiplexes, producers and allied businesses is being pegged at Rs 350 crore by industry estimates, with each day of strike costing around Rs 5-7 crore.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bollywood/Bollywood-losses-pegged-at-Rs-350-crore/articleshow/4593123.cms

Shilpa Shetty 'shines' on Vogue cover this month

Mumbai:

If you were to guess the name of the cover girl of the latest edition of Vogue, the above line would definitely make sense. Not just for the reason that it's from her debut film but also because it suits her more than to anyone else this season. With her IPL team Rajasthan Royals' not making it to the finals, Shilpa Shetty did face a defeat recently. But, not the one to sob, Shilpa is raring to go and how! She can be seen sizzling while looking her curvaceous best on the cover of the recent edition of Vogue.

If the title 'The Business of being Shilpa Shetty' is anything to go by, then, it's totally needless to say that the story angle is surely tilting to more of Shilpa - the businesswoman as compared to Shilpa - the actress. Validating this is none other than her 'Prince Charming' Raj Kundra, who says "I saw the international appeal Shilpa had and suggested she make a brand of herself. She's taken to business like a fish to water. I call her India's Martha Stewart".

While talking about the change in her life, Shilpa says, "I like the idea of reinventing myself, of moulding and enhancing one's personality...I am not someone you would call a conventional beauty". To read more about Shilpa - the businesswoman, pick up the latest copy of Vogue.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Shilpa-Shetty--shines--on-Vogue-cover-this-month/467421/

Unite For Hunger And Hope

A great human being Remembering the actor-filmmaker who personified style Obituary: Feroz Khan

Known for his flamboyant persona, Feroz Khan was an actor, director and producer who had a long innings in the Hindi film industry. The actor known for his stylish films "Dharmatma" and "Qurbani" continued to charm audiences with his inimitable style till as late as 2007.

"He always had a star feel in him. He was stylish and elegant even in his old age. He remained a style icon. I met him three or four times after my father's death. Even in his old age he remained stylish and suave and proved that even baldness can be beautiful," Dinesh Gundu Rao, a Karnataka legislator, told IANS.

Members of the Hindi film industry also mourned his death.

"Feroz Khan was, is and will always be there for me. I have no qualms in saying that my life is inspired by him. He is basically a reason why I became a filmmaker. He is a hero figure to me. His death is a very sad moment for all of us," said Bollywood filmmaker Sanjay Gupta.

Other friends of the actor here remember him as a fun loving person who loved Bangalore, the city of his birth.

"He loved Bangalore where he was born. He stayed in Bangalore most of the time in his farmhouse. More than Mumbai, it was in Bangalore that he had spent a larger part of his life. He was part of the racing world of Bangalore. He had shot many films in his farm house in Bangalore," Shivu, a close friend of the actor, fondly recalled.

Feroz Khan was born in Bangalore -- his father Sadiq Ali Khan Tanoli was a Pathan from Ghazni province of Afghanistan and his mother Fatima was an Iranian. He has three brothers Sanjay Khan, Sameer Khan and Akbar Khan.

The actor did his schooling in Bangalore after which he went to Mumbai to pursue a career in Bollywood. He made his debut in "Didi" in 1960. Getting good roles was not easy for the actor and he ended up working in a lesser known English film "Tarzan Goes To India".

But he went on to act in popular films like "Arzoo", "Aurat" and "Safar" as well as playing important roles in his own directorial ventures "Qurbani" and "Dharmatma". He won a Filmfare award for best supporting role in "Aadmi Aur Insaan" in 1970 and was honoured with the lifetime achievement award in 2000.

In 1972, Feroz Khan debuted as director and producer with "Apradh", made under the banner of F.K. Films Pvt Ltd. But it was his second film "Dharmatma", based on the then successful Hollywood thriller "Godfather”, which catapulted him into the big league of Hindi film industry. "Dharmatma", the first Indian film to be shot in Afghanistan, became a blockbuster.

After the success of the film, Feroz Khan became a name to reckon with as an actor, director and producer. His another big hit was "Qurbani" in which he teamed up with Vinod Khanna and Zeenat Aman.

In the Eighties and Nineties, he made films like "Dayavan" and "Yalgaar".

While struggling to find a firm foothold in Bollywood, Feroz Khan married Sundari in 1965. They had a son Fardeen Khan, who is an actor, and a daughter Laila, a painter married to tennis player Rohit Rajpal. Fardeen tied the knot with Natasha Madhwani, daughter of yesteryears actress Mumtaz who had played the leading role in many of Feroz Khan's films.

His brother Sanjay is also an actor and both of them worked together in the hit film "Mela". His brother Akbar too is in films and recently produced and directed "Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story", while Sameer stays in Bangalore.

He also launched his son Fardeen with "Prem Aggan" in 1998 and directed him again in the 2003 film "Janasheen", but both failed at the box office.

Feroz Khan was last seen in the 2007 comedy "Welcome" with Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor.

He passed away late on Sunday (April 26) at his farmhouse in Bangalore after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 69.

Indo-Asian News Service

Copycats get warning from Hollywood

MUMBAI: From lifting tunes to transporting entire scenes and sometimes even "adapting" a storyline to suit the desi audience, in Bollywood, sab
chalta hai. Until April 4, when Hollywood entertainment giant Warner Brothers issued a public notice across newspapers warning members of the Indian film fraternity that Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (Warner) is the joint author and co-owner of the 13-Academy Award-nominated film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The notice, issued by the studio's attorneys Lall & Seth Advocates, clearly stated that there were recent press reports indicating that certain parties were in the process of producing a film in Hindi based on the Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett movie. The notice warned anyone infringing copyright with legal action.

Industry sources say Warner probably pre-empted the notice because a reputed producer who has tied up with another foreign giant is making a Hindi film with an "A-list action star and a light-eyed heroine"-with a storyline resembling that of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

"To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that a Hollywood studio has issued a public notice warning Bollywood producers not to infringe on copyright,'' says Vikramjit Roy, media advisor to a leading Boollywood company.

Earlier, Hollywood actor Will Smith's company Overbrook Entertainment had issued a notice to actor Sohail Khan's production house for making Partner, a film that borrowed its plot from Smith's Hitch. Says an industry source, "Salman's brother Sohail got away with the Partner issue lightly because it was sorted out by a foreign studio who played mediator.''

With infringement of IPR (intellectual property rights) becoming such a focused issue, Hollywood giants have started to watch the Indian film space with a hawk's eye.

Says UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur, "Many Hollywood studios themselves have plans for the Indian market. They're probably planning to remake some of their own films in India. So, they feel it is best to warn those who may cross the line.''

meena.iyer@timesgroup.com

Invest Maldives

Why invest in the Maldives

http://maldivesinvest.blogspot.com/

The Maldives is one of the most attractive investment places among the south-east Asian countries. The Maldives takes an outstanding place, due to its exotic nature and its natural beauty. The country is still considered to be developing and offers very attractive opportunities for the keen investor.

The number of foreigners investing in the Maldives has been rapidly increasing over the past few years. Services provided through such investments include resort management, sea and air transportation, accounting and management and manufacturing.



Potential investment opportunities for the keen investor to tap in are:

* Tourism industry: e.g. development of exotic holiday resort islands
* Property development in the capital Male' and nearby islands
* Air and sea transportation
* Marine based industries such as fish processing, aquaculture and marine culture
* Infrastructure development
* Buy out shares in existing businesses
* Participate as an investor in a new company

With a thorough local knowledge, our experts will advice you how to avoid potential risks to maximise the gain through your foreign capital.

Sophia Handa is Gladrags Mrs India 2009 Congrats

Written by alex
Sunday, 15 March 2009 19:50

A springhtly girl from Mumbai who looked a winner from the start has walked away with the Gladrags Mrs India award for 2009 which concluded in Mumbai.

Celebrity judges Mahima Chaudhry, Neetu Chandra, Sonu Sood and Maureen Wadia, president of Gladrags Beauty Pageants quizzed finalists at what was a glamourous grand finale of India’s only pageant for married women.

Sophia Handa from Mumbai is housewife and her husband is Financial investor. She is just 26 years old.

post thanks to go here for more pics http://www.mastiask.com/pictures/entertainment/mumbai-girl-sophia-handa-is-gladrags-mrs-india-2009.html


CONGRATS TO BOTH SAMEER & SOUN

WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wish New Year in many languages


Afgani Saale Nao Mubbarak
Afrikaans Gelukkige nuwe jaar
Albanian Gezuar Vitin e Ri
Armenian Snorhavor Nor Tari
Arabic Kul 'am wa antum bikhair
Assyrian Sheta Brikhta
Azeri Yeni Iliniz Mubarek!
Bengali Shuvo Nabo Barsho
Breton [Celtic Brythonic language] Bloavezh Mat
Bulgarian ×åñòèòà Íîâà Ãîäèíà(pronounced "Chestita Nova Godina")
Cambodian Soursdey Chhnam Tmei
Catalan FELIÇ ANY NOU
Chinese Xin Nian Kuai Le
Corsican Language Pace e Salute
Croatian Sretna Nova godina!
Cymraeg (Welsh) Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Czech Šťastný Nový rok (or Stastny Novy rok)
Denish Godt Nytår
Dhivehi Ufaaveri Aa Aharakah Edhen
Dutch GELUKKIG NIEUWJAAR!
Eskimo Kiortame pivdluaritlo
Esperanto Felican Novan Jaron
Estonians Head uut aastat!
Ethiopian: MELKAM ADDIS AMET YIHUNELIWO!
Finnish Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French Bonne Annee
Gaelic Bliadhna mhath ur
Galician [NorthWestern Spain] Bo Nadal e Feliz Aninovo
German Prosit Neujahr
Georgian GILOTSAVT AKHAL TSELS!
Greek Kenourios Chronos
Gujarati Nutan Varshbhinandan
Hawaiian Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Hebrew L'Shannah Tovah
Hindi Naye Varsha Ki Shubhkamanyen
Hong kong (Cantonese) Sun Leen Fai Lok
Hungarian Boldog Ooy Ayvet
Indonesian Selamat Tahun Baru
Iranian Sal -e- no mobarak
Iraqi Sanah Jadidah
Irish Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italian: Felice anno nuovo
Japan: Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu
Kabyle: Asegwas Amegaz
Kannada: Hosa Varushadha Shubhashayagalu
Kisii: SOMWAKA OMOYIA OMUYA
Khmer: Sua Sdei tfnam tmei
Korea: Saehae Bock Mani ba deu sei yo!
Kurdish: NEWROZ PIROZBE
Latvian Laimīgo Jauno Gadu!
Lithuanian: Laimingu Naujuju Metu
Laotian: Sabai dee pee mai
Macedonian Srekjna Nova Godina
Madagascar Tratry ny taona
Malay Selamat Tahun Baru
Marathi : Nveen Varshachy Shubhechcha
Malayalam : Puthuvatsara Aashamsakal
Mizo Kum Thar Chibai
Maltese Is-Sena t- Tajba
Nepal Nawa Barsha ko Shuvakamana
Norwegian Godt Nyttår
Papua New Guinea Nupela yia i go long yu
Pampango (Philippines) Masaganang Bayung Banua
Pashto Nawai Kall Mo Mubarak Shah
Persian Sal -e- no mobarak
Philippines Manigong Bagong Taon!
Polish: Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Portuguese Feliz Ano Novo
Punjabi Nave sal di mubarak
Romanian AN NOU FERICIT
Russian S Novim Godom
Samoa Manuia le Tausaga Fou
Serbo-Croatian Sretna nova godina
Sindhi Nayou Saal Mubbarak Hoje
Singhalese Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Siraiki Nawan Saal Shala Mubarak Theevay
Slovak Stastny Novy rok
Slovenian sreèno novo leto
Somali Iyo Sanad Cusub Oo Fiican!
Spanish Feliz Ano ~Nuevo
Swahili Heri Za Mwaka Mpyaº
Swedish GOTT NYTT ÅR! /Gott nytt år!
Sudanese Warsa Enggal
Tamil Eniya Puthandu Nalvazhthukkal
Tibetian Losar Tashi Delek
Telegu Noothana samvatsara shubhakankshalu
Thai Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian Shchastlyvoho Novoho Roku
Urdu Naya Saal Mubbarak Ho
Uzbek Yangi Yil Bilan
Vietnamese Chuc Mung Tan Nien
Welsh : Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!