Hrithik Roshan to Salman Khan: Bollywood actors who are second choices

As Hrithik Roshan gears up to play the lead in Ashutosh Gowariker’s next, based on the Indus Valley civilisation (in a film called Mohenjo-Daro), not many know that Sushant Singh Rajput had been in talks for the same role. 

But even as Hrithik takes over from Sushant, the latter, coincidentally, is set to star in Shekhar Kapur’s next – Paani – a futuristic project set in Mumbai – which was earlier supposed to feature Hrithik in the lead. 

"Originally, Gowariker had offered the film to Hrithik. In between, when it seemed like the actor wouldn’t be able to take it up, he was in talks with Sushant," says an insider. 

On being contacted, Gowariker says, "Hrithik has always been the first choice. Clearly, Mohenjo Daro was destined to be made with him, as three years later, we are ready to begin shoot." 

Meanwhile, Sushant says (via a text response), "All I know is that I’m a part of Paani next, and wouldn’t like to comment on any other project." 

However, this isn’t the only coincidence. Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor were in a similar situation last year. Ranveer was the first choice for Anurag Kashyap’s  Bombay Velvet; when he couldn’t take it up (due to date issues), Ranbir was signed. Again, after Ranbir opted out of Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do, Ranveer replaced him. 

Ranveer, on being contacted, says, "After the film is made, no one cares who it was offered to [first]. Such things become irrelevant very fast. For me, it has absolutely no significance. It didn’t matter to me what the history of the casting was."Did you know.

Dibakar Banerjee and Sushant Singh Rajput have announced their upcoming film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy. Browse through and checkout the men in Kolkata. 

Aamir Khan turned down Darr (1993), which was later done by Shah Rukh Khan. Years later, SRK said no to Lagaan (2001) and 3 Idiots (2009), which were taken up by Aamir.

Salman Khan was offered Baazigar (1993) and later Chak De! India (2007). Both were taken up by Shah Rukh Khan. 

Later, Shah Rukh Khan was offered Ek Tha Tiger (2012), which eventually starred Salman. 

Rumours suggest that Katrina Kaif turned down Chennai Express (2013) and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), both of which went to Deepika Padukone. 

Again, Deepika Padukone was apparently the first choice for Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012) and Dhoom:3 (2013), which eventually featured Katrina.

Copyright: hindustantimes.com.com

Sandalwood actresses who get sexier this year

Despite the monsoon, the temperature in the city was scorching recently when Bangalore Times announced its Most Desirable Women list for the year 2013. The yearly lineup gives you the top 25 beauties in the city and this year, many Sandalwood hotties made an impressive jump.



Kriti Kharbanda has reason to cheer. The leggy lass who was ranked second last year, piped Ramya to clinch the top spot.


Nidhi Subbaiah, who is now trying her luck in Bollywood, jumped two spots — from number four last year to number six this year. Then there's the Chennai Express sizzler Priya Mani, who was ranked seven last year but rose to number five this year. Rukmini Vijaykumar sure is doing something right as the curly haired hottie, who was at number 11 last year, is ranked at number seven this time. Last, but not least, is Govindaya Namaha siren Parul Yadav. The screen scorcher was at number 24 last year and has now clinched the 22nd position.


Copyright: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Hit-n-run: Unsure if Salman was drunk, Bar Manager tells court

A manager of liquor bar in Juhu today identified Bollywood actor Salman Khan in a Mumbai court, saying the actor had come to the restaurant with friends hours before his car was involved in an accident in 2002, but said he was not sure whether the Bollywood actor had taken drinks, reported The Times of India.

The prosecution's case is that the actor had taken drinks in "Rain Bar" along with his friends and was allegedly under the influence of liquor on September 28, 2002, when his car rammed into a bakery in suburban Bandra killing one person and injuring four others.

Rizwan, who was the manager of Rain Bar at the relevant time, told the court that Salman's group had ordered drinks and snacks but he's not sure whether Salman had consumed drinks himself as the order had been taken by a waiter.

Rizwan said that he had escorted the group to the main door of the restaurant when they were leaving the bar between 1.15 am to 1.30 a.m. He added that the actor was not smelling of liquor and was also walking like a normal person.

Rizwan was shown bills of the particular table which was occupied by Salman and his group. He identified the bills saying that these belonged to "Rain Bar".

During cross-examination by Salman's lawyer Srikant Shivade, Rizwan said that from his cabin he could not see who was standing at the counter as the lights in the restaurant were dim. He further said it is not possible to say who was consuming drinks and having snacks.

Earlier a waiter of the same bar had identified Salman coming to the restaurant with friends. He had also said that he had not noticed the actor consuming drinks, although his group had ordered.

Both these witnesses were examined by the prosecution to convince the court that the actor had consumed drinks before the mishap on the ill-fated day.

Copyright: dawn.com

Did Preity Zinta's 'expletives' provoke Ness Wadia?

The Priety-Ness case is getting murkier by the day. A report reveals what exactly happened on May 30, that lead to the altercation between the Bollywood actress and her former boyfriend Ness Wadia.

DNA had earlier reported that the former couple shared cold vibes ever since they parted ways and even during team meetings (both Preity and Ness are co-owners of Indian Premiere League franchise - Kings XI Punjab).

“It was a special day for Ness and he was the first in his contingent to arrive at the stadium a few minutes past 8 pm. Imagine his shock when he found that not a single seat in the VIP enclosure was available. He was panicking as he called an official from the team and also the IPL organisers to understand why there were no seats for him. By this time his mother arrived along with his nephew (Jeh and Celina Wadia’s son) they had no option but to keep standing as officials scrambled to find them a place to sit. After a humiliating wait that extended to twenty minutes, finally two seats were arranged together and a third one was given in a separate row,” said a guest who was present there.

"Despite the fact that she had been told by King XI officials that Maureen (Ness' mother) and other Wadia family members were expected any time in the stands and the seats were reserved for them, apparently Preity insisted that her guests be allowed to occupy the vacant chairs and told officials to leave it to her to ‘handle’ Ness. But when all this fuss was unfolding barely 10 feet away from her, Preity, who was in the front row, kept chatting animatedly with her friends as if she hadn’t noticed," reported Mumbaiwalla.

“Naturally, Ness was extremely upset,” Mumbaiwalla.com quoted a guest as saying.

According to an eyewitness, after seating his mother and nephew, Ness had walked up to the front row to reach where Preity was standing near the balcony railing.

“He leaned over to speak in her ear and that’s when he held her by the hand – it was a pretty natural thing in the circumstances because there was too much noise for him to speak to her from a distance,” said the source to Mumbaiwalla.

This is the nature of the conversation that followed based on interviews of some guests, though the words spoken may not be exactly the same:

NESS: What’s going on here?

PREITY: What do you mean what’s going on?

NESS: Why have you taken all the seats?

PREITY: So what? You came late. How was I supposed to know?

NESS: It’s my birthday and you knew my mother was coming. She’s 71 and she’s been standing for nearly half an hour. You’ve shown your true colours.

PREITY: Don’t you dare talk to me like that.

NESS: You are really so disrespectful. This is what you are.

PREITY: Why don’t you just f#@k off!

NESS: Listen to yourself….you’re showing your true colours

“In the end it was Ness who had to back off,” a person closely associated with the Kings XI franchise told Mumbaiwalla.

From the conversation, it seems as if it was because of what Preity said, Ness lost his cool. But this is just one side of the story.

The police investigation might bring the truth forward.

Copyright: zeenews.india.com

Why Award Show-Shy Aamir Khan Made an Exception for the Parivaar

Aamir is currently working on the third season of Satyamev Jayate. 

Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who chooses to give a miss to film award functions, decided to turn up for the Star Parivaar Awards event here recently. The host of Satyamev Jayate said the small screen medium is vital to him.

"For me, being a part of TV is very important. My films are (for) entertainment but through TV, I am bringing forward social causes and (to) move towards a better future," Aamir said here.

He is currently working on the third season of Satyamev Jayate, via which he raises important social issues of the country. 

"We are currently working on the third season of Satyamev Jayate. We are researching on the topics and it is going good," the 48-year-old said. 

What brought him to the Star Parivaar Awards held here on Sunday? 

"I have been working with Star for many months and when they invited me, I was happy to come," he added.

Satyamev Jayate season one went on air on Star Plus on May 2012 while the second season was aired in March 2014 and ended in April. 

The Star Parivaar Awards will telecast on June 29. 

Copyright: movies.ndtv.com

Sunny Leone's Tollywood debut to be as school teacher?

That day has finally arrived when Sunny Leone is having a hard time keeping up with the countless movie offers that keep pouring in. The list includes her Tollywood debut that'll see her play a school teacher?

A leading daily reports, Sunny will play the role of a glamourous school teacher in her Telugu debut Current Teega opposite Manchu Manoj. Not only that, the lady will sizzle in one poker hot song in the film.

Sunny Leone will be making her Tollywood debut with Current Teega.

Some of the main roles in the film will be acted out by Rakul Preet Singh and Jagapathi Babu.

The film, directed by G Nageswara Reddy, is said to be a remake of the Tamil movie, Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam, starring Sivakarthikeyan, Sathyaraj and Sri Divya.

Copyright: indiatoday.intoday.in

'Humshakals' makes over Rs 25 crore in two days

Tagged as "the comedy of ghastly errors" and "a two-and-a-half-hour show reel of plotless, witless, joyless offensiveness", director Sajid Khan's latest offering 'Humshakals' has collected over Rs.25 crore in two days.

The total collection now stands at Rs.25.09 crore in just two days (Friday and Saturday), said a statement.

Writer Milap Zaveri, whose adult comedy 'Grand Masti' was panned by critics last year, is also happy with the film's performance.

The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor, and has been made at a cost of Rs 75 crore.

"'Humshakals' is super steady on Saturday! No drop Despite the unprecedented negativity against it! Brilliant! Audiences chose to go for it!," he tweeted.

The entertainer starring Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Tammannaah Bhatia, Esha Gupta and Bipasha Basu is made at a cost of Rs.75 crore.

The Fox Star Studios and Vashu Bhagnani's co-production has already sold its satellite and music rights for Rs.45 crore.

Copyright: ibnlive.in.com

Sexy hotties of cyberspace

Sunny Leone: Karenjit Kaur Vohra, better known as Sunny Leone, has acted in ‘Ragini MMS 2’ which made very decent profits and ‘Jackpot,’ a super flop. But the real thing going for her is that certain sections of the industry want to sign her badly. Porn film background, hence sex scenes: the logic is simple. So surfers chase her, madly. Good for her. She is attracting all the eyeballs.

Poonam Pandey: Pray, what has she done except post nude pics and lewd tweets on twitter where countless people have turned into her devotees? She acted in a film called ‘Nasha’, promised to strip if India won the 2011 World Cup (she eventually didn’t) and turned into one of the most searched actor celebs on the net. Interesting, no?

Sherlyn Chopra: If she is the only star, millions have turned into star gazers. ‘Red Swastik’ was her claim to fame – God knows how, since few watched it – and ‘Kamasutra 3D’ which the Indian audience has no idea about, another talking point of her career. Like Poonam, Sherlyn too has put twitter to great use, posting pics that has multiplied her number of followers. The only question is: when will this ever get translated into one okay performance on the silver screen?

Veena Malik: This Pakistani actor burst into the Indian public’s consciousness after her appearance in Bigg Boss’s fourth season in 2010. The hardly subtle hints at her affair with co-participant Ashmit Patel accompanied by visual support catapulted her to some sort of fame. Although she has done a fair amount of work in Pakistan, her only film some Indians would have heard of ‘Zindagi 50-50.’ So, from where has she managed to get so much attention? Your guess is as good as ours.

Mallika Sherawat: Mallika? Even now? You bet. Just check the net. Frankly, while it is her sex appeal – and the ability to flaunt without inhibitions – that has got her such a devoted following, she has some work and delivered hits too. ‘Khwahish’ was bad but a hit nonetheless. She was the reason why ‘Murder’ worked, while ‘Pyar Ke Side Effects’ was actually a good film. For quite sometime, however, she has been hardly delivering. But millions of tongues continue to pop out at her sight. Not surprising. She was why a Sunny Leone managed to happen after a few years.

Copyright: saharasamay.com

Blonde bombshells of Hollywood

Blonde bombshells have been larger than life sex symbols in Hollywood since time immemorial. These sex symbols reigned supreme as the most sought-after and admired actresses in show business. Let's take a look at some of the top blondes in the glamor industry today. The first name that comes to mind is of the sensuous supermodel, actress Kate Upton. After a very public dis from a Victoria's Secret casting director back in 2012, Kate went on to become the most successful Sports Illustrated Model ever. Kate has recently entered Hollywood by getting a full fledged role, unlike her past appearances, in the movie The Other Woman.

Another sexy Sports Illustrated model on this list is Brooklyn Decker. The 27-year-old currently stars on the comedy Friends with Better Lives.

The gorgeous Australian actress Naomi Watts recently returned to the big screen as Princess Diana in the bioflick Diana.

Shakira, who is currently a judge on The Voice, and her Spanish soccer star boyfriend Gerard Pique welcomed their son Milan into the world last year. A yummy mummy for sure this one.

British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley set the ramp on fire at the Victoria Secret fashion show. The fashion model has a killer fashion taste. The 27-year-old is said to be dating Hollywood action star Jason Statham.

You have seen her as Penny on The Big Bang Theory. Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting just moved into Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom's former pad with hubby Ryan Sweeting.

Jessica Simpson made the big screen melt with her hotness in Dukes of Hazzard. The mother of two is all set to settle down with her longtime partner NFL player Eric Johnson.

Carrie Underwood is an American Idol winner and the pretties if we may add.

Copyright: saharasamay.com

Film Review: 'Humshakals' is for those who enjoy Sajid Khan brand humor

Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Tamannah, and Esha Gupta

Directed by: Sajid Khan

Rating: **

What's it's about: 

It's a madcap comedy. Sajid Khan dedicates his film to Kishore Kumar, Peter Sellers and Jim Carrey. It's about a rich man and his buddy and an evil uncle.

What's good: 

Sajid Khan is known for a certain kind of comedy. And it has always worked for him. He has his audience and he unapologetically caters to them. So while you might find the jokes corny or cheesy, the drag act a drag, and the comedy of errors a little overdone, his fans lap it up. There are many funny scenes in the film, even if it doesn't work for you in entirety, you will enjoy it in parts. The scene where Riteish and Saif are hanging in the men's room is hysterical. Riteish is on familiar ground in a comedy, while Saif returns to it after a long time. They have good chemistry without which the film would have fallen flat. Ram Kapoor's Johnny character with third stage OCD makes for many funny situations. Hate to admit it, but the OTT men-in-drag act was entertaining. Sajid even takes potshots at himself by using his last film as a form of torture in a mental asylum. Slow clap for that.

What's not: 

The three times the fun in the form in the triple role for Ashok and Kumar. The actresses have nothing to do except appear in songs. The overly gay characters are offending. And I won't even mention the vertically challenged humans. The climax was written was 12-year-olds. At one point you want it to end.

What to do: 

If you enjoy Sajid Khan brand of humour, then this one is for you.

Copyright: dnaindia.com