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Akshay
had a very severe back pain for which he had to cancel his shoot. Usually, Akshay Kumar is very dedicated to his work and hardly cancels his shoot. But the pain took over his head and he was bound to cancel his shoot for his own production, Patiala House.

Akki has been working non-stop for Nikhil Advani’s film at Mehboob studio and has acquired the back pain during an action sequence. A source reveals, "Since he performs stunts on his own, it takes a greater toll on the back. And he's had a back problem for a really long time. The pain wasn't getting any lesser. Akshay decided to call it a wrap and rest for the day. The doctor advised the actor physiotherapy and adequate rest."

Since he is the producer of the film, he doesn’t mind taking a break but he has the record of carrying shooting for other producers in the past even in the adverse condition. Confirms Nikhil Advani, "Yes, Akshay hurt his back while shooting. His back got strained earlier in the day during his exercises, but after the shoot, it got further aggravated."

In spite of the unbearable pain Akki joined the Mumbai Marathon as he was committed to it.

After giving several hits in a row last year, suddenly Katrina Kaif has little to look forward to this year.

A source close to the actress reveals, “Most of Katrina’s movies have been romcoms or commercial cinema. This year she has Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti, which is more serious cinema compared to her other movies. She wants to broaden her horizons and work for issue-based films, like the ones Madhur Bhandarkar does. Katrina likes all his films, more so because they are women-centric. Also, his lead actresses have won accolades for their performance and that has boosted their career graph. She has been sending him feelers.”

Meanwhile unconfirmed reports say that Katrina is being signed for the sequel of Dostana by Dharma Productions, besides Imtiaz Ali’s next opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan. But our source says, “Apart from Rajneeti, which releases this year, Katrina has just one project in hand, the Abbas Mustan remake of The Italian Job. A lot of projects have been spoken about, but as of now nothing has been signed officially.”

Apparently what could be a trigger for Katrina is the fact that her closest competitors, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor, have a sufficient number of movies lined up and are also experimenting with different genres. “Not to be left behind in the rat race, Katrina is making her moves to remain in the top bracket,” adds the source.

But when contacted, Katrina said, “Not true at all. I am pretty tied up with my films already.” When quizzed whether she’s been in touch with Madhur, Katrina said, “No. I have not connected with him.” Despite repeated calls and messages, Bhadarkar remained unavailable for comment.

Paresh Rawal's acting skills are well-known and the popular actor also dons the producer's hat for several television serials but the veteran is clear that he will not turn director in the near future.

The 59-year-old, who made his acting debut with the 1984 film Holi, has had a successful career as a television producer with his production house, Play Time Creations, having churned out shows like Teen Bahuraaniya, Main Aisi Kyunn Hoon and Laagi Tujhse Lagan, among others.

But he has no plans to helm a film or a serial.

"I have no desire to direct. At the moment I am happy with production and acting," said Paresh on phone from Mumbai.

After the success of Paa, where he played grandfather to Amitabh Bachchan's progeric character Auro, Paresh is ready with two films - Road To Sangam and Rann - both releasing on Jan 29.

While in Amit Rai's Road To Sangam, he essays the role of a devout Muslim, in Ram Gopal Varma's Rann, he plays a corrupt politician.

Asked if he was nervous about the box office fate of the two films, he said: "I don't get nervous now. I do my job with utmost dedication. My work is to listen to the director. I feel satisfied after doing the film. The rest is in people's hands."

Road To Sangam, set in present-day Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, revolves round the character of Hashmatullah, a Muslim mechanic played by Paresh, who rebuilt an old car to ferry an urn containing Gandhiji's ashes to commemorate his death anniversary.

The film by a first-time director also stars Om Puri.

Paresh said he had no problems working with a newcomer. "I didn't have any apprehensions in working with a new director. Even if you work with an established filmmaker, there is no guarantee that the film will work. So, as far as I'm concerned, all that is important to me is that the film is made well," said Paresh, who has acted in hit films like Naam, Hero No1, Welcome, Cheeni Kum, Golmaal and Hera Pheri.

The yet-to-release film has been applauded at various international film festivals. It won three awards -- best foreign film, best foreign film original score and best foreign film production design -- at the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.

Road To Sangam also bagged the audience choice award for best film by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), best first film of a director award at the International Film Festival of South Africa and best feature film award at the Radar Hamburg Film Festival in Germany.

After Road To Sangam and Rann, Paresh will return to comedy with Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, which features Ajay Devgn and Konkana Sen Sharma.

Shahid Kapoor has always maintained Kaminey to be the path-breaking film in his career with due respect to Jab We Met which definitely became the turning point. The chocolaty hero has come a long way and has made many heads turn towards him through his brilliant performances including his latest Chance Pe Dance as per the critics who though are not impressed with the film.

However, the point remains, whether Shahid is still satisfied with the way his career is shaping. To which he says, “Kaminey is a very special film which has added new dimensions to my career. I think as an actor one has to break certain shackles and boundaries and if one manages to that then that’s what one calls an ideal actor, for your fans expect nothing but something out of box every time they see you on-screen.”


So, who do you think fits in the category of ideal actor Shahid? He replies, “I think Aamir Khan
. He is in a different league altogether and he’s doing some fantastic work. And to reach that level would take me years.”

Even as event brand ambassador John Abraham arrived with his trademark dimpled smile, smaller stars decided to put body and sole (pun intended) on the line.

Regulars Gul Panag and Milind Soman ran the half-marathon, infusing the 21 km with some glam and glitz. Akshay Kumar was spotted amongst the supporters; maybe one of Bollywood's fittest would run the race in a few years time. One spotted Genelia D'Souza and Riteish Deshmukh. Vidya Balan was walking for Nanhi Kali while Mr Popeye himself, Shahid Kapoor (of the bulging biceps) added to the celebrity line-up.

Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor starrer super duper hit flick ‘3 Idiots’, which broke all records of box office collection in India and abroad, has inspired director Indra Kumar (who had earlier directed Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit in blockbuster ‘Dil’) to announce a film ‘3 Losers’ with Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Anil Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna.

The film will be a comedy and is to be produced under the banner of Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Pvt Ltd instead of Indra Kumar’s own banner. The flick is expected to go on the floors in the middle of this year itself (perhaps, to cash in on the unprecedented success of ‘3 Idiots’).

Though Indra Kumar was successful with comedies like ‘Masti’ and ‘Dhamaal’, will he be able to repeat the success of Aamir Khan’s ‘3 Idiots’ without the presence of Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood. In fact, this is a billion dollar question but nobody wants to answer before watching the final product.

Unlike Aamir Khan starrer ‘3 Idiots’, Indra Kumar’s ‘3 Losers’ will have four main lead to be played by Sanjay, Anil, Akshaye and Govinda, but he insists on keeping the name ‘3 Losers’(perhaps to take advantage of the name ‘3 idiots’). However, the four heroines who will feature opposite these bollywood biggies in the flick, are yet to be finalized.

Though Indra Kumar is going with his plan to make ‘3 Losers’ on the lines of ‘3 Idiots’, but the industry watchers are not very hopeful of his film getting anywhere near to Aamir’s flick, without having any big stars like SRK, Aamir or Salman.

They point out to the fact that Aamir Khan takes pain not only to select a suitable topic but also invests the whole year single- mindedly to the project. Even after that Aamir Khan evolves an innovative strategy to publicize the film before its release, and this works wonder for him at the box office.

But if anyone else can copy Aamir Khan is a big question.

Seamlessly blending the traditional with the modern, the music spanned the differences of language, enthralling old and young, touching the very heart strings at a time when Australia-India bilateral relations have come under strain following attacks on Indians in this country.

Music transcends boundaries and Saturday night it did, as Sydneysiders were taken on a journey of peace and joy by Rahman and his amazing troupe of nearly 40 musicians, dancers and supporting artists over 2-1/2 hours even as ominous clouds threatened to give way. A steady drizzle began as the sonorous sounds of "Khwaja Mere Khwaja" filled the cool night air.

It being one of the most anticipated concerts staged as part of the three-week Sydney Festival, people had begun securing places as early as 12 p.m. to get up and close with their music idol at the Parramatta Park, in the western Sydney suburb of Parramatta which has the largest population of Indian and South Asians in Australia.

Even the American-born Premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, couldn't conceal her excitement.

She said: "This event is a celebration of Indian culture, music and dance and acknowledges the invaluable contribution that the Indian community has made to the social fabric of NSW. It sends a clear message that NSW is a welcoming place for people of every country to study, live and work."

For the 20 young boys and girls, who got a chance to perform with the world renowned maestro, it was the most exhilarating experience.

"It was a mind blowing opportunity that comes probably only once in a lifetime. We had intense rehearsals for five days and were really nervous, but once on stage, the energy and power of the music just consumed us all," Akshita Mohan, 18, a resident of suburban Westleigh who was one of the supporting dancers told to source.

It is not often that an artiste of Rahman's calibre performs for free, but that is typical of the man and his music.

"The concert is a gesture of friendship and goodwill between the two countries. I hope this solidarity continues to grow and blossom through the coming years," said Rahman amidst deafening applause.

For those who couldn't brave the crowds, the concert was telecast live by Australian Broadcasting Corporation to 44 countries with Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, who plays for Chennai Super Kings as one of the hosts.

Rahman, who flew back home Sunday morning, was a guest of the NSW state government and Sydney Festival, which is Australia's largest annual cultural event, showcasing a broad spectrum of Australian and international dance, theatre, visual arts and music.

As festival director Lindy Hume told IANS: "There are only a handful of living artists in any genre whose work is instantly and easily embraced in both eastern and western cultures - and one of them is A.R. Rahman. The message of this concert is one of harmony and cultural understanding between Australia and India, two countries who share so much more than a national day (Jan 26) and love of cricket."

The mesmerising performance, enhanced by state-of-the-art digital projections, ended on a high with the magical power and vitality of "Jai Ho" reaching a crescendo in "Vande Mataram" as fireworks lit the night sky.

After nearly three years in the making, 'Aayirathil Oruvan' has finally hit the theatres as a Pongal fare. A much anticipated film from ace director Selvaraghavan, who had revealed both intelligence and sensitivity in his earlier films, this one was meant to be an adventure saga of epic proportions, which would justify the long time taken for production and the talent and crores poured into its making. But watching it, all that one feels is a sense of disillusionment. And that this time, the director has taken on more than he can chew. That he had let himself be confused trying to blend in fantasy with reality, the ancient with the modern, and missed out on the essential sensibility and conviction, while narrating the fictional Chola-Pandiya centuries-old conflict carried out to the present day.

And it’s not that the director lacked inspiration for his tale. We can find here an amalgam of various films. Like King Solomon’s Mines, Spartacus, Mackenna’s Gold and the Lara Croft…adventure sagas. He could at least have structured it all in a neat, sensible and convincing manner to suit Indian nativity. But the script is crammed, and as the tale unfolds, the director seems to lose his grip on his narration which turns jerky and tedious. There are appalling flaws, loopholes and unanswered questions. Every genre has its own logic, but this is given the go-by here. It’s an exasperating journey, which at times seems never-ending, specially in the latter part.

The film does have an opening that promises an exciting adventure to follow. The earlier portions move briskly. It opens in a brief flashback to centuries ago, where the Chola-Pandiya conflict results in the Chola king leaving to some remote island near Vietnam. To discourage his trail being followed, the king had laid seven traps, through water and land, fire-storms, snakes and antagonistic tribals. It’s back to the present where an archeologist (Pothan) goes missing on this trail. Anita (Sen), commissioned on a secret expedition under the command of military man Ravi (Perumal trying hard to fit in) to unravel the mystery, ropes in Lavanya (Andrea), the missing man’s daughter, and an archeologist herself. Joining them is a boorish coolie and guide (Karthi) and his men. After crossing the hurdles, the team finally reaches the place — a secret settlement, far removed from civilization. The end is open for a sequel.

Reema seems to have no clue about her role, and its just her sensuousness that has been exploited. Andrea has the right attitude and body language to carry out woman-centric roles but is hardly given any challenging moments here. Karthi as the cocky coolie is lovable, and it's he who peps the narration in the earlier part. Partibhan’s entry is impressive, his look and demeanour lend an exotic touch to the character of the Chola king. But the impact is lost in the poorly structured subsequent scenes. The songs which had sounded catchy and situational, lose out owing to bad picturisation. There are scenes that can’t be digested even by a moron. Like the one where Ravi suddenly whips out a mobile phone in a no man’s land, and sends some instructions. It’s not just that the cell phone magically worked after all the weeks (months?) of misadventures, no recharge and no signal towers but the dozen choppers that suddenly appear and drop Indian commandos in parachutes, which seem to have intruded along foreign territories to the island with absolutely no problem! The antics of this team too are shameful to say the least.

It’s a big let-down from a maker who had the potential to create a product that was sensible and convincingly structured. 'Ayirathil Oruvan' is not a Pongal fare that one can relish. Rather it's one that has gone awry.

Imran Khan's female fans are heartbroken as Bollywood's most adorable hero exchanged rings with his long time girlfriend Avantika Malik. Imran arrived at the Malik farmhouse at Karjat with Avantika where the engagement took place. The 27-year-old Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na star has been dating Avantika for more than five years now She is the daughter of TV18 honcho Vandana Malik.

The engagement ceremony was a very private one attended only by family and close friends. Imran’s mamu Aamir Khan arrived with wife Kiran Rao accompanied by son Junaid. Aamir's ex-wife Reena and estranged brother Faisal Khan also attended the engagement. Also present were Aamir's parents Tahir Hussain and wife Zeenat, uncle Mansoor Khan. Others present included Karan Johar, Kunal Kohli, Purab Kohli, Kunal Kapoor and Abhay Deol.


Imran wanted to make the engagement special for Avantika and gifted her with a Volkswagen Beetle which he especially imported from Europe. Imran had imported the Red Beetle over a month ago to gift Avantika.

After playing a prince early in his career in portions of 1992 film Suryavanshi, macho star Salman Khan is returning to period drama in his latest venture Veer that releases Friday.

Interestingly, the epic has been written by Salman 20 years ago and is an Eros International Media Ltd presentation and Vijay Galani Moviez production.

"I had written the story 20 years ago, but at that time it wasn't possible to make the film. I thought now is the right time to make it, so I did... I showed the story to my father (noted writer Salim Khan) and the biggest fear was what is he going to say. But he said it's a good story," Salman said.



Made at a budget of around Rs 44 crore, (Rs 440 million) Veer has been directed by Anil Sharma and marks the big screen debut of Zarine Khan, who is said to have a close resemblance to Salman's actress girlfriend Katrina Kaif.

"It's a love story set in the backdrop of a war for independence. I play a Rajasthani princess," said Zarine.

Shot extensively in Rajasthan, it is a story of bravery, treachery and love.

Set in colonial India, the film encapsulates a period when the British enslaved India with their divide and rule policy and kings and nawabs fell for it, except for the Pindaris who preferred death to dishonour and fought till their last breath. Salman plays one of the bravest and strongest Pindari soldiers named Veer.

As Veer takes on the might of the British Empire, he also has to fight the conniving King of Madavgarh as well as his own jealous tribesmen. The stakes are high as he has to avenge his father's dishonour as well as get over the hurdles in love as he romances princess Yashodhara, the daughter of his sworn enemy.

Also shot in Britain, it is also the first Bollywood film to be shot in the premises of Buckingham Palace.

Despite having the facility of special effects, the film also boasts of using thousands of real horses and other animals for authenticity.

What is to be seen is whether Veer relives Salman's last year's magic at the box office thanks to massive hit Wanted, which marked his return to action.