SRK gets support from Bollywood

Shah Rukh Khan may not show it but he is definitely upset with the way his team is performing at the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders has lost all its matches, except one, and is at the bottom in the points table.

SRK has come back to Mumbai and will be going back to South Africa only after his team wins a match.

And, as far as his cricket team goes, the industry seems to be with Shah Rukh, even his rivals.

After Aamir Khan made peace with him due to the multiplex issues, it is now Akshay Kumar who is by his side.

Akki, who is currently shooting in Singapore, wishes SRK's Kolkata Knight Riders all the best on his blog.

"The most important thing to me my IPL! I called up my producer and said I don't care where I stay even if it's in the back of a kitchen, I need to watch my IPL. Bad news, my hotel didn't have the channel so what else could I do but personally find the hotel manager and fold my hands in humble request and plead and plead for whatever it takes to please get that channel.

”By the next day, I was sitting in my room watching KKR vs PK XI. Happy is not enough to describe how I was feeling. And wow! What a season it's been. Seriously, I wish the best for all the teams, you have me on the edge of my seat, and I'd like to send my best regards to Shah Rukh Khan's Knight Riders, they've put up a good fight. So don't worry boys, you will always be loved”, he wrote on the blog.

Meanwhile, there have been reports that SRK is in talks with companies to sell off his share in Kolkata Knight Riders and get out of cricket.

SRK is said to be negotiating with Nokia, Anil Ambani and the Sahara Group to dispose off his share in the IPL team.

His PR agency, however, has denied the reports and said Shah Rukh has a major holding in Kolkata Knight Riders and is still emotionally attached to it.

All the three companies too have denied the report but have said they would definitely buy Shah Rukh’s stake it if they are approached by him.

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What to expect at the IIFA this year

The International Indian Film Academy is a first-of-its-kind effort to promote Indian cinema globally, thus reaching out to millions of its fans. An annual event, it honours its talents with an awards night show fun-filled with performances from various artists to represent not only their work, but also to promote Bollywood on alien shores.

IIFA AwardsPREVIOUSLY, starting with the Millennium Dome, London, IIFA has traveled through Sun City, Malaysia, Johannesburg, Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai, and Yorkshire. This year the gala event is being held in Macau.

What is the schedule of the event?

The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will unfurl in the exotic locale of The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel in Macau, China. The 10th edition of IIFA will be held at the picturesque resort during June 11 – 13, 2009.

Which Celebs are NOT attending IIFA?

Here’s the lowdown first, superstars Shahrukh Khan, and Akshay Kumar, have both used the family vacation bahana to not show up at the awards function event. A source close to the Kumar family reveals, Akki had worked out his summer vacation schedule to make time for his son Aarav, and despite the organizers promising both heaven and earth, Akshay will not budge.”

We smell a rat there. Seems, like the previous IIFA events in the past, which have become a Bachchan parivaar extravaganza, none of the major stars want to be over-shadowed by the luminaries.

Take the case of Shahrukh Khan, who has been quoted in the media, being non-committal to his presence at the show.

Who is attending? You must have guessed by now!

Which Celebs have backed out of their IIFA performance?

Bebolicious Kareena Kapoor was supposed to perform Marjani from Billu at the IIFA 2009 ceremony, but she has reportedly dumped the idea. Why you ask?

She obviously wanted to be the event opener and the one to close it with her dhamakedaar performances but since Big B is the brand ambassador and the key performance spots are booked for the khaandaan, she had to re-think her decision.

She decided to jump out of the fray and join beau Saif Ali Khan to watch the T20 event in England. IIFA show organizers have surely been fed a healthy dose of Bebo-ism.

After Bebo, ex beau Shahid Kapur, followed suit. Since his break-up with Priyanka, they too have decided not to perform at the event, where they were supposed to be the hottest item on the menu.

They were due to do a medley number on their Kaminay numbers, which would have been a treat.

"I was looking forward to performing at IIFA and showcasing Kaminay. However, my commitment to my producer has to be honored. I regret being unable to attend this year, " Shahid quoted in a statement.

Producers of the show have been sorely missing on masala this year.

What to look forward to tomorrow?

We will tell you who is performing apart from the Bachchans. Which film will unveil its first look at IIFA?

Find out, as StarBoxOffice brings you that and all the gossip tomorrow.

In Pics: Akshay and Kareena at Kambakkht Ishq media meet

Kareena apprehensive about kissing Akshay

While Kareena is not the one who does not kiss on screen, wonder why she initially refused to kiss Akshay Kumar in “Kambakkht Ishq”?
Kareena has earlier had lip-locking scenes with Fardeen in “Dev”, and Shahid Kapur in “Jab We Met”. But when she was given a kissing scene with Akshay, she initially refused to do it. She agreed only after much convincing.

Might be she was trying to keep beau Saif happy because we can’t think of anything else that has changed from the times she kissed to now.

Women are good for only one thing: Akshay Kumar

Kambakkht Ishq is on the eve of release on 10th July, 09. StarBoxOffice spoke to Akshay Kumar on his film and his experience working with Hollywood stars.

Finally, your latest release is just around the corner. Are you happy?
I am very happy about it. ‘Kaun khush nahi hoga’. I am working continuously and almost three films are ready to release. I was not happy with the strike which seemed like it would never end. It’s very good that the strike is over and now we have come to an agreement and finally our films are releasing.

You are playing the character of a stunt man- you must have had a free hand with that?
I am playing the character of Viraj Shergill, a flamboyantly adventurous stuntman in Hollywood. I got an opportunity to do stunts with Superman, Rambo which was great. But the film is not about stunts, it’s actually about the battle of the sexes. And let me tell you that the woman always wins.

Do you have an English version of KI releasing simultaneously since it features so many Hollywood biggies?
I actually don’t know about it because they signed me as an actor not as a distributor or exhibitor but I will find it out and let you know. But I guess it will be right to have an English version for the international market although we haven’t dubbed in English for the film.

Sabir Khan is a new director so how was it working with him? Anything you’d like to share about working with a new director?
I have always enjoyed working with new directors. And the suprising thing is I have always given hits with new directors whether it is Vipul Shah , Sajid Khan or Naresh Malhotra. When I heard the concept from Sabir I saw a hunger in his eyes as new directors are always raring to go. He is very hard working with lots of new ideas. So I just agreed to do the film.

How technically different is Kambakhht Ishq from other Sajid Nadiadwala films you have done?
Starting from the beginning where it is Judwaa, or Mujhse Shaadi Karogi all his films have something new to offer. I guess this is his biggest film releasing. The uniqueness of this project this time is that he has got all Hollywood actors in it.

Hollywood work culture is different from here. Did you feel the same?
They play it safe, everything is carefully planned. I had to sign lots of papers before I do a stunt scene. Here its like, ‘Chalo sets tayyar hai, kudo, gira toh nahi hai, jaldi kudo, dhadaam’ and their they just show us that what you have to do and what safety they are giving us. Lots of things we had learnt from there as well. When I tell them about our work culture they are very shocked.

So do you think the USP of the film is your stunts?
I am just playing a stunt man character in this film, they have not written the whole katha on my stunts alone.

This is the seventh time you are working with Kareena. Anything special this time?
I have taken the whole theka of the Kapoor girls almost. I have done 14 with Karishma and 7 with Kareena. So let’s see how many more I can do with their kids in the near future.

Talking about Sylvester Stallone what did you pick up from him?
That man has lots to say for all his movies and everything especially about his experience. And the best thing is we shared a lot of stories in Thailand because he has shot all Rambo films in Thailand and I have lived there for quite a while. The special thing about his style of working is he used to stand with script in his hand and he would rote all his dialogues as well as all of ours. So I have learnt not to only mug your own dialogues but also that of your co-stars so that you know what the next person will say, and you can help them with it.

We saw the promo in which you say that women are good for only one thing. What is it?
Ya, for motherhood. Have you heard the complete dialogue? It’s about motherhood I swear. (He laughs and signs of).

StarBoxOffice hopes Akshay bounces back in the fray with his kambakkht film. He is good for only one thing! You tell us what you think, our lips are sealed.

Golden Decade Honours to be given at IIFA 2009

In its tenth year, the IIFA Academy has decided to institute a special set of awards to commemorate the last decade of Indian Cinema. It has put together nominations in five major categories for The Videocon IIFA Golden Decade Honours, which will be announced at the IDEA IIFA Awards on June 13 in Macau. The five categories are: Star of the Decade – Male, Star of the Decade – Female, Movie of the Decade, Director of the Decade and Music of the Decade.

The nominations are as follows:

Star of the decade – Male: Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan.

Star of the decade – Female: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherji, Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra.

Movie of the decade: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000), Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2001), Lagaan (2002), Devdas (2003), Kal Ho Na Ho (2004), Veer Zaara (2005), Black (2006), Chak De India (2008) and Rang De Basanti (2007).

Music of the decade: Taal (2000) - AR Rahman; Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2001) - Rajesh Roshan; Lagaan (2002) - AR Rahman; Saathiya (2003) - AR Rahman; Kal Ho Na Ho (2004) - Shankar Ehsaan Loy; Veer Zaara (2005) - Madan Mohan; Bunty Aur Babli (2006) - Shankar Ehsan Loy; Rang De Basanti (2007) - AR Rahman and Guru (2008) - AR Rahman.

Director of the decade: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000), Devdas (2003) and Black (2006); Rakesh Roshan for Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2001) and Koi Mil Gaya (2004); Ashutosh Gowarikar for Lagaan (2002); Yash Chopra for Veer Zaara (2005); Raj Kumar Hirani for Lage Raho…. (2007) and Shimit Amin for Chak De India (2008).

Akshay hurt by ruckus over unbuttoning episode

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is miffed with Anil Naik, who filed a case against him and his wife Twinkle for obscene behaviour in public during the recent Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW). The actor feels Naik tries to seek publicity by harassing celebrities like him, Milind Soman and Mamta Kulkarni, says a close friend.

"Akshay is very hurt by the whole episode especially since the man behind the campaign had earlier harassed a very dear co-star Mamta Kulkarni. This man Anil Naik had earlier filed similar obscenity complaints against Milind Soman and Madhu Spare. He apparently thrives on getting publicity from seeking out celebrities from the entertainment world and harassing them," a close friend of the actor told IANS.

During the LIFW in early April, Akshay had made his wife unbutton his jeans while walking the ramp for Levi’s (pictured above). Akshay's unbuttoning act had kicked up a storm with some private individuals lodging police complaints, accusing Akshay of immoral and indecent behaviour in public.

On Monday morning when Akshay returned from Singapore after shooting for Priyadarshan's "Dan Dana Dan", he was quickly taken to the police station, arrested and released on bail.

"When he reached Mumbai, press persons called to ask if he had been captured, as though he was a dangerous fugitive. But what had he done? Opened one button of his jeans, and that too by his wife," said the friend.

After being released Akshay drove off to Karjat to join Aishwarya Rai for the shooting of Vipul Shah's "Instant Replay".

Kareena, Akshay kiss

It’s not only her bathing costume scene from Kambhakt Ishq that Kareena Kapoor has contractually prevented from being aired or put on hoardings.

Apparently, there’s also a sensual kiss she enjoys in the film with Akshay Kumar that’s being given the miss. You won’t see that popping up on your television screen during the film’s promos.

Barring a fleeting peck with Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani’s Dev, the only time Kareena did a kissing scene was in Jab We Met with Shahid Kapoor whom she was then seeing. And, now she’s done one with Saif Ali Khan in Rensil D’Silva’s film.

Kissing Akshay was problematic for Kareena. The actress was reportedly hesitant. Akshay was her sister Karisma’s co-star. As a 12-year-old, she had vsited Karisma’s sets and hid shyly from him. And Akshay treats her like a kid. He’s very protective of her. So he, too, was hesitant. But they knew that the kiss comes at a point in the plot when an intimacy beyond the superficial had to be shown. Both stars took their respective soul mates into confidence before getting into it. Neither Saif nor Twinkle minded. So, they kissed!

Bollywood backs Akshay

Akshay Kumar’s sexy catwalk gimmick at the Lakme Fashion Week may have got him arrested, but the industry is standing four square behind the star

Does being a celebrity get you into trouble where others might escape?

That's what Bollywood thinks firmly. Akshay Kumar was booked, and then released, for having his wife Twinkle unbutton the top of his Levi's. Nothing was seen, no harm done. But a case for obscenity was filed and Twinkle was arrested and charged, and then Akshay also was.

"It's a small matter and one should overlook it," said Anees Bazmi. Bazmi directed Akshay in his two biggest hits, Singh is Kinng and Welcome. He feels that there was nothing in the act that merited someone feeling offended.

"This is the price for being famous," said Sonu Sood, a friend of Akshay's, "controversy follows you if you are an actor." He said the issue was "totally blown out of proportion."

Asked for a comment, a family member of Salman Khan's said that the star had nothing to say on this, but in general agreed that actors were judged differently.

Marc Robinson, the choreograoher for the Tarun Tahiliani Levi's show, the event where the 'offending' act happened, offered sympathy but had no comment: "I can't say anything about this because I was the producer of the show."

Akshay himself has refused to apologise for the act and said that it was spontaneous and not vulgar.

The incident itself appeared to have been harmless when shown on TV and in newspaper photographs. Akshay sashayed down the ramp and then asked his wife to undo the top button of his jeans, which she smilingly did.

A social worker then filed a case claiming the act was obscene.

Bollywood extravaganza at IPL finals

Akshay, Kareena, Rani, Bipasha to perform at closing ceremony

Indian politics took a backseat to Bollywood in the biggest South African weekly, the Sunday Times, with photographs of film stars participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) gala finale hogging page three, while the Congress party win at the general elections got only two short columns on page 15.

Despite having a weekly supplement called 'Extra' for South African Indian readers, which features Bollywood news as well, the Sunday Times prominently used pictures of Bipasha Basu, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherji and Akshay Kumar in an article highlighting the Bollywood extravaganza that will follow the final of the IPL at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesberg next Sunday (May 24).

Celebrated choreographer Shiamak Davar will coordinate the Bollywood extravaganza, in which 750 people will be involved.

"A closing ceremony should always leave a lump in one's throat," the weekly quoted Etienne de Villiers, the South African born advisor to IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

"It's going to be an acknowledgement of the role that South Africa has played in the success of the IPL."

The IPL games, featuring eight teams, were played at several South African cities to packed stadiums. It was moved here because of security concerns during parliamentary elections in India.

The closing ceremony will also feature 2,000 floating lanterns released into the sky as fans rock to the music of reggae star Eddie Grant; Indian and South African drummers; and the latest South African Idols winners, Jason Hartman and Sasha-Lee Davids.

Following an SMS voting bungle, the two Idols winners are the first ever joint winners of an Idols contest that takes place in many countries across the globe to find a local singing star.

Davids was first announced the winner. But after it was discovered that almost 200,000 viewers' votes had not come through in time, Hartman was declared a joint winner.

Meanwhile, 48 young South African women are holding thumbs to see which 16 of them will go through to the finals of the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa to be held at the Wanderers in Johannesberg next Sunday (May 24).

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been selecting one finalist at every game to eventually have six women representing each of the eight teams in the series that is being played out in South Africa.

Voting for the 48 finalists started at midnight on Saturday, with votes closing at 18:00 SA time on Monday evening. Fans can cast their votes on the website www.iplt20.com.

The 16 finalists will all feature in a contest before the final game at the Wanderers next Sunday (May 24) to vie for a prize of 50,000 rands in cash, a flight to India, and a guided tour through Bollywood that initially was also expected to include an audition for a Bollywood role, but that still appears to be uncertain.

The finalists include budding lawyers, accountants and auditors; businesswomen, students, models, actresses, teachers and a radiographer.

The final two contestants were announced on Saturday (May 16) during games in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg.

One of them was 24-year-old Phylicia Ramdin of Glenanda, south of Johannesburg. She was picked from the crowd attending the clash between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Deccan Chargers held at the Wanderers.

Ramdin is currently an insurance analyst but is determined to become a successful businesswoman: "I'm enthusiastic, positive and goal driven. I believe we need to always have a positive outlook on life and go after what you want with determination."

"The IPL has been great, watching the cricketing talent, team strategies and the unity of the crowds that come to watch", added Ramdin.

Earlier on Saturday Rohini Jaga of Port Elizabeth was selected as a contestant in the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa competition during the DLF IPL game held at St. George's Park.

Jaga, 20, who has a passion for figures and is currently a B.Com Accounting student at the University of Port Elizabeth, recently went on holiday to India: "My dad studied in India and took us on a journey through the subcontinent. It was vastly different to places I have visited before. I was very taken with the culture; it's truly a land of contrasts and beauty."

Akshay Kumar arrested and released on bail

It was not a happy homecoming for Akshay Kumar who was returning home after nearly a month of staying abroad. Akki, who arrived in Mumbai late last night, was arrested by cops at the Vakola police station early today morning. He was, however, subsequently released on bail.

It may be recalled that the actor was embroiled in a huge controversy when his wife Twinkle Khanna unbuttoned his jeans at the recently held Lakme India Fashion Week. An activist Anil Nair had taken offence and filed a case against the couple.

Akshay was arrested for the same case early today morning. However, since his case was a bailable one he was sanctioned bail. Earlier even his wife Twinkle was arrested and released on bail. One hopes this is the last of all miseries for Akki and Twinkle.

Mr and Mrs Padmashri

Akshay Kumar has a terrific sense of humour.

On the sets of Vipul Shah’s Action Replay in Karjat, two days before he and his co-star in the film Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan left for New Delhi to receive the Padmashri; Akki was heard joking with unit-members saying, “Please meet ‘Mr and Mrs Padmashri’ meaning Aishwarya and me.’’ Incidentally the actor also loves doing photo-shoots with Aishwarya; and those who saw their smashing chemistry on the BT cover-photograph recently also recalled, Akki and Ash shooting for some terrific poolside pictures at a bungalow in Madh Island when Ash was a green-horn and Akki wasn’t the big dude that he is now. Judging from the terrific screen chemistry that these two A-list actors share, Vipul Shah has a winner on hands already.

Akshay Kumar and Twinkle miss son Aarav while shooting in Singapore

Akshay Kumar and wife Twinkle, who are currently in Singapore, are missing their son Aarav. Reason? The seven-year-old could not accompany his mom and his dad, who is shooting for Priyadarshan's De Dhana Dhan. Aarav is staying with his daadi here.

Explains Akki, "Aarav had to be in Mumbai because of school. I don't want him to miss his studies even for a day. I want him to excel at everything from studies to sports."

Akshay does miss his son a lot, though. "But I want him to learn to be self-sufficient early in his life."
Akki's kid is quickly becoming a karate champion. But he isn't learning the art from his dad, who's a martial arts expert himself. Akshay has hired a karate guru for Aarav.

Explains the actor, "It's a known fact that children are shy and reluctant to learn any skill from their own parents. That's why you have even renowned classical musicians sending their own children to another guru rather than train the next generation themselves. Aarav is learning from a professional guru, and is quickly becoming a champ."

The proud father has himself been learning a new skill in Singapore. "I picked up cable skiing, a very tough water sports here in Singapore. The way to survive and be the fittest among the competition is to keep learning all the time. That's what I want my son to understand."

As he is shooting mostly in the nights, Akshay spends the day playing dutiful husband to Twinkle taking her shopping to the swankiest of malls of Singapore.

"I myself have been away from home for two months now," says Akshay. "I do miss home but it's good to work away from Mumbai as more work gets done. In 15 days, we've covered a month's work in Singapore."

Akshay says Katrina’s best in his latest blog

For all you Akshay fans we present to you his latest blog entry. Read below.

“What an eventful week it’s been...
Being a man of many physical talents, by god I met my match this week; I have never fallen on my ass so many times in one day I swear... You know at the back of my mind I’ve always wondered what is going to be ‘that’ thing in life I’m gonna find unbelievably difficult??... Ha Ha, I’ve found it... Coz I’ve always used my determination, talent, and hard work to get me through everything. Well on this particular stunt all I needed was the perfect technique and tons of luck... Well have a guess; I had neither of those on my side this week... So what is it that Akshay Kumar found so hilariously hard to do?? Ladies and Gentlemen it was Water Skiing...

Yes, there’s me standing on my board, never done it before in my life, my director Priyadarshan has given me half an hour to practice and then expecting me to give a shot of a life time... Well surprise surprise, water skiing ain’t that easy, it looks so graceful and easy and killer cool to do, you know, anyone could do it. Well I’m sorry, I was so so wrong, it’s ridiculously harder than it looks and so much funnier. I jumped on my board ready to fly off and maybe even produce some somersaults off the ramps, but HELL NO... I fell off that thing quicker than anyone could say ‘Singh is Kinng,’ It was more like Singh the belly flop king...

When my head came out of water I had to force myself to stop laughing and get back on the board before Priyanji saw his hero’s face down and bum up in the water ;o)

So back up I go, needless to say it took a few more times than first expected to nail this thing, but by lunch not only had I cracked it, I was carrying the incredibly beautiful and brave Katrina Kaif on my back whilst whizzing round on this thing like it was second nature. And that’s when you know you’re a good actor, when you’re made to do something that technically scares the crap out of you but you smile for the shot and make everyone think AHH they’re so in love, then the minute you hit the water at mega speed there’s no smile, just a battered body that’s praying for the shot to be OK’d so you can brush yourself down and appreciate dry land again. So I must say hats off to Katrina, she did extremely well, not many heroines I know would have tried and succeeded as much as Kat did, well done girl...

As you can tell I’m still shooting in Singapore for De Dana Dan, the Famous
Priyadarshan is the fastest film Director on the planet. The man doesn't believe in taking your time, he’s a ‘Wham Bam Thank You Mam, next shot please kind of guy. We’re in the last week till pack up, and then back to my beloved Bombay... I haven’t been there since my very tame Unbuttoned Lakme Fashion Show ;o) so fans wish me luck!!!
Hey did anyone see “X-Men Origins Wolverine”? Amazing movie, haven't seen that kind of cinema since Batman the Dark Knight... Hugh Jackman is definitely one of the most multitalented actors I've ever seen. Did you see him hosting the Oscars? I've never known a Hollywood actor apart from Will Smith that could sing/ dance/ joke/ be merry/ with the nut cracking sarcasm of a gentleman. He really does deserve the best actor; I can't help but respect him...
Well young ones, until my next adventure, take care and “only laugh at others when you can totally laugh at yourself” That's all I can say...”

Love and Prayers
Your Akshay; o)

Skiing is not King for Akshay

Akshay Kumar made a meal out of a skiing shot when he tried, and failed, before he finally succeeded carting Katrina around in the water.

Action man Akshay Kumar has been failing at a water sport that Katrina has been excelling at.

Shooting for De Dhana Dhan in Singapore, the star says he was "given half an hour to practice" a scene where he was to water ski. "Surprise, surprise! Water skiing ain't that easy," the star writes in his blog. He thought at first that "it looks so graceful and easy and killer cool to do, you know, anyone could do it." So, Akshay "jumped on my board ready to fly off and even produce some somersaults off the ramps, but HELL, NO... I fell off this thing quicker than anyone could say 'Singh is Kinng'. It was more like Singh the belly flop king."

But the sporty actor wasn't embarrassed. "When my head came out of water, I had to force myself to stop laughing and get back on the board before Priyanji saw his hero’s face down and bum up in the water ;o)".

And then, of course, he triumphed. "So back up I go. Needless to say, it took a few more times than first expected to nail this thing, but by lunch, not only had I cracked it, I was carrying the incredibly beautiful and brave Katrina Kaif on my back whilst whizzing round on this thing like it was second nature." "And that’s when you know you’re a good actor, when you’re made to do something that technically scares the crap out of you, but you smile for the shot and make everyone think 'AHH, they’re so in love', then the minute you hit the water at mega speed, there’s no smile, just a battered body that’s praying for the shot to be OK'd."

He added that Kats "did extremely well" and that "not many heroines I know would have tried and succeeded" as her.

Other than praise Katrina, Akshay also had warm words for Hugh Jackman, whose movie X-Men Wolverine is just out. Akshay caught it in Singapore and said: "Amazing movie! Haven't seen that kind of cinema since Batman - The Dark Knight… Hugh Jackman is definitely one of the most multi-talented actors I've ever seen. Did you see him hosting the Oscars? I've never known a Hollywood actor apart from Will Smith that could sing/ dance/ joke/ be merry/ with the nut-cracking sarcasm of a gentleman. He really does deserve the Best Actor; I can't help, but respect him…"

Akki at Madame Tussauds

After SRK and the Bachchans, it might be the turn of Akki to have a statue of his put up at the famous wax museum of Madame Tussauds. Having recently got the Padma Shri, Akshay is an ideal candidate for this.

Madame Tussauds is visited by thousands of Indians every year and they put up statues regularly of those that they think will bring in more people. And who brought in more people to cinema halls last year than Akki?

Bollywood Stars who gave Voting Day a miss

Thursday (30^th April) saw quite a few Bollywood bigwigs take out time from their busy schedule to cast their vote for the Elections. The ballot centres in Bandra, Juhu and Andheri areas of Mumbai saw stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, the Bachchan parivaar, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Farhan Akhtar etc. troop in to cast their vote. However, there were quite a few B-town celebs, who in spite of being pretty active in asking people to vote decided to give the V-Day (Voting Day) a miss themselves. We brings you a list of a few Bollywood stars 'Jo Bolte Kuch Hai Aur Karte Kuch Hain'

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena was part of the special video created by Karan Johar and Tarun Mansukhani encouraging citizens to go and vote. However, when the V-day came, Bebo was nowhere in the picture. Apparently, Kareena is shooting for Karan Johar's production along with Saif Ali Khan and Vivek Oberoi in the US of A and hence couldn't make it. Well, that certainly doesn't count as an excuse cos if Aamir and Shah Rukh could fly down from US and South Africa respectively for casting their Vote, Kareena surely could have. This is one Tashan of Bebo which failed to impress us one bit.

Shahid Kapoor

Kareena's once-upon-a- time 'good friend' Shahid Kapoor also didn't make it to cast his Vote and this despite him being in town. We really don't know the reason why but considering Shahid's 'good friend' Priyanka Chopra was also missing, we cant help but wonder if they were upto something Chup Chup Ke.

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra was full of emotions encouraging people to go and vote in the special video created by Karan Johar and Tarun Mansukhani. However, when the V-Day came, the actress was conspicuous by her absence. PC…we all are keen to know more on What's your Reason rather than What's Your Raashee?

Salman Khan

Sallu was here, there and everywhere during the pre-election campaigning; hence it was indeed extremely surprising that the actor after encouraging people to go and Vote decided to give V-day a miss himself. The actor apparently was busy shooting in London for his film Veer at a time when he was most 'Wanted' in Mumbai to cast his vote.

Imran Khan

It was Imran Khan who came up with the idea of making a special video asking people to vote. Imran along with Karan Johar and Tarun Mansukhani gathered some of B-town's biggest stars for this initiative but when it was his time to Vote, Imran himself couldn't get his finger inked. The Reason: Imran was not eligible as he is an American citizen. Poor Imran indeed couldn't practice what he preached so hard.

Preity Zinta & Shilpa Shetty

Bollywood beauties Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty also didn't make it to cast their vote. They were busy cheering their respective teams 'Kings XI Punjab' and 'Rajasthan Royals' at the on-going IPL matches in South Africa. Looks like they didn't realize that the opportunity to vote comes only once in 5 years unlike the IPL which is an annual event

Deepika Padukone and Asin

The South Indian babes Deepika Padukone and Asin couldn't vote in Mumbai as Deepika is originally from Bangalore while Asin is from Kerala. Hope these two beauties at least have voted in their respective home town.

Akshay Kumar

Akki was among the other B-town celebs who gave Voting a miss. The star was busy shooting for Priyadarshan's film De Dhana Dhan in Singapore. Akki when you can travel from Chandni Chowk to China in 3 hours you surely could have come down from Singapore to Mumbai and exercised your right to vote as a responsible citizen.

Ajay Devgan and Kajol

Probably the biggest shocker comes in the form of Ajay Devgan and Kajol who were busy holidaying in Goa and didn't find it necessary to come down and cast their vote. Ajay what's the point in doing a film on Rajniti when you can't even come and vote for the leaders in whose hands lies the future of our country?

Akshay left Life Partner over money, says director

Writer-turned-director Rumi Jafry had finalised Akshay Kumar for his second film "Life Partner", but says the star, who is known to charge exorbitant fees, backed out of the project on monetary issues.

"Akshay had a huge role in 'Life Partner'. He had already said yes to the role and all dates were fixed. He was equally excited but due to price issues between him and the producers Abbas-Mustan he backed out of the project," Jafry told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

"I also discussed the matter with Abbas-bhai but he said 'to let him go' as they could not settle on a price. We then roped in Govinda and luckily the role has come out very well," the director added.

The film marks director duo Abbas-Mustan's entry as producers for filmmakers other than themselves.

"Life Partner" is a comedy and Jafry, who as a writer has been associated with comedies throughout his career, says audiences expect him to deliver funny films as a director too.

"Taking my previous record into account, audiences expect comedies from me and I deliver that. But I always try to and will keep a Hrishi-da (Mukherjee) touch in my movies with a message infused with laughter in all of them," said Jafry, who has scripted hit romantic comedies like "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" (2004), "Hero No.1" (1997) and "Coolie No.1" (1995).

Set in Cape Town, South Africa, the film deals with the theme of "marriage" and stars Tusshar Kapoor, Prachi Desai, Fardeen Khan, Genelia D'Souza and Govinda in pivotal roles.

Tusshar plays a Gujarati guy who believes in arranged marriage and Prachi plays his wife, while Fardeen's character believes in love marriage and is paired with Genelia.

Govinda plays a divorce lawyer, who doesn't believe in the convention of marriage at all. The film also has a surprise element - the actress opposite Govinda.

"The film is about relationships and is an out-and-out comedy. Like all my films, even this one has a message - marriage is an essential part of life. As the world is progressing, relationships are crumbling and are not that deep any more. I'm sure it will leave the audiences thinking without compromising on their laughter," Jafry said.

What is interesting is that he zeroed in on the story after it was given a "sensible" nod by superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

"I came out with the idea for the movie while I was writing 'Chalte Chalte' (2003) in Greece. I was discussing it with Shah Rukh (Khan) and Rani (Mukerji) and Shah Rukh asked me to make a film on it. He gave such a positive reaction to it and considering his sensibility and understanding of scripts, I realised I should go for it," he said.

Told that the storyline sounds similar to the 1982 film "Shriman Shrimati", Jafry said: "I haven't even heard of any such movie. Now that you've said it, I'll have to watch it. There's no other inspiration behind "Life Partner" than the crumbling of relationships."

The movie was completed very quickly. "It took me five years to complete my first project, so I made sure to wrap up the second in only five months," quipped Jafry.

"Life Partner" was slated to release May 1, but has been pushed forward due to the ongoing revenue-sharing tussle between producers and multiplexes.

Dimple defends Akki's 'unbuttoning' act

Akshay Kumar has a very spunky defender – his mother-in-law, Dimple Kapadia

The actress doesn’t mince words when she’s asked for her opinion on the controversy over Twinkle unbuttoning Akki’s jeans at a Mumbai fashion show.

“F*** all this news!” she says. “By God’s grace, both my girls are happy and doing really well. If the world wants to presume things – let it. So many times, such things have been shown on television, and nobody says anything. They should either stop doing this moral policing or stop what’s being shown on TV first!”

But hasn’t she gotten used to these things yet? Many would have said many different things about her donning a bikini in Bobby and scorching the silver screen in 1973. “No, not at all. In fact, nobody even raised an eyebrow,” pat comes her reply. If things were so cool then, she must be finding it really hard to digest all this now. “I am not only shocked but also stunned at people’s reaction. What Akshay and Twinkle did was just for fun. It was just humour, not anything lurid, there was no vulgarity or any display of physical assets!” she adds.
What would she tell the moral policing experts, then? “Maybe their wives don’t open the buttons on their pants. I think they should try that. I know I’ve made a tall statement, but I stand by it,” she says.