Bollywood meets Hollywood to raise funds for Punjab eye hospital

 A colourful 'Bollywood meets Hollywood' event showcasing the culture of India, dance, music, and a fashion show, will be held here next Saturday to raise funds for a new eye hospital in Punjab.

One-third of the intake would be provided to Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF), a US registered non-profit organisation that plans to open another hospital in Punjab by the end of 2012 with a net budget of $4 million.

To raise funds, Tejash Natali, a supporter and donor of SEF along with Manan Singh Katohora, a South Asian filmmaker and events promoter, are hosting the 'Bollywood meets Hollywood' at the well-known upscale lounge 'I, Indian Experience' in Washington.

The event will feature a colourful, creative live art developed by Drishty D'Costa where women from different countries applaud India as a diversified country, the organisers said.

The women will present the vivid colours of a unified India, illustrating their culture and diversity uniting for a cause to help the underprivileged.

SEF works in partnership with Sankara Eye Care Institutions (SECI), India, towards eradicating curable blindness in India by raising funds to support eyecare activities, including construction of state-of-the-art free eye hospitals and conducting free eye surgeries.

Founded in 1998 by K. Muralidharan, K. Sridharan, and Khushnood Ahmad, SEF has performed more than 70,000 free cataract surgeries a year and has managed to double the funds every year to develop hospitals, cure blindness, and other eye-related diseases over the years.

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Emma Brown Garett chooses Bollywood over Hollywood

Emma Brown Garett, who made her acting debut with Bengali film 'Shukno Lanka', is determined to stay here and make it big in the Indian film industry.

Brown is the latest addition to the list which includes 'Raajneeti' actress Sarah Thompson, 'Kites' star Barabara Mori and 'Rang De Basanti's Alice Patten. But unlike her contemporaries, who disappear after one film, Brown shifted to Mumbai two-and-a-half years ago with her husband to act in Bollywood.

"There is a romantic element to coming and working in India. It is challenging as an actress. Everybody asks me, 'Why dont you go to Hollywood?' I say, 'Why not Bollywood?' As an actress I always want to try something different. And the work is here. So I am here to stay," Brown told.

Brown, who has trained at the Dramatic arts school in Australia, has made the maximum city her home and has no intention of going back anytime soon.

The actress will be next seen in Rohan Sippy's 'Dum Maro Dum' with Abhiskek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu and Dharmendra-Sunny Deol starrer 'Yamla Pagla Deewana'.

Although she began her career with a Bengali film and then went onto work in Bollywood, Brown insists the transition has been an exciting challenge.

"It is a big difference going from Tollywood to Bollywood. You can't judge one against the another but I have quite enjoyed the transition," said Brown, refusing to divulge further details about her roles in the two films.

The actress feels that directors are making way for foreign characters in movies in order to give their films an international appeal.

"Bollywood scripts are changing. A lot of these actresses are playing wives and girlfriends. Directors and writers are using these characters to have a greater appeal in the international film fests. It is an added way of getting noticed," said Brown.

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Hrithik Roshan : The Indian Superman is coming back With Krish 2

The magic of the Indian Superman is going to be back with Krish 2.The film is obviously going to be made by Rakesh Roshan and the lead to be played by Hrithik Roshan.

However, the leading lady is not going to be Priyanka Chopra. Even Katrina Kaif who had been approached could not be finalized due to her commitment with the Dostana 2 project as the dates for both the shooting schedule are clashing.

So finally it is Deepika Padukone who is on the project and reportedly the shooting has taken off with a big bang.

Speaking of Krish, we have seen the jungle boy jumping from one tree to another rather like Tarzan, in the first half turning into a suave young modern happening character in the other half, which turned out to be a great idea for a hit movie.

It remains to be seen what new turns and twists take place in the sequel so as to make it an interesting movie to watch. Considering the father son’s combined efforts in the earlier ventures like Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Koi Mil Gaya,

Krish it is surely going to be one super duper movie to watch.

The only factor is that the leading ladies like Amisha Patel, Priety Zinta,and Priyanka Chopra are not there so what remains to be seen is the chemistry between the two leading actors.

Happy birthday to Rajinikanth

Superstar Rajinikanth turns 60 today (December 12). We at sify.com wish him all the best. So what’s the superstar doing on his birthday?

The star who normally escapes from the fanfare and hysteria whipped up by his fans in Chennai, to unknown Himalayan destinations for solitude and introspection is this time very much at home.

As usual he is avoiding the media and fan frenzy and keeping a low profile. The buzz is that he will be locked up at his new Mahavatar Babaji Ashram that he has built near Chengalpet and celebrating the birthday in total solitude.

His family and close friends have organized a Shashitabadapoorthi puja (60th birthday celebrations) at the famous Tirukkadiyur temple near Tiruchi.

Individual fans and artist who are close to him like Lawrence and director SP Muthuraman are conducting their own “feeding the poor” programmes at Choolaimedu.

Earlier on Friday, Rajinikanth launched a book written by one of his fans Kundrathur Raju, at his Poes Garden residence.

As the Boss steps into his 60th year he is still the ‘numero uno’ star of Kollywood. 2010 will be a significant year as his Endhiran- The Robot is set to release.

Katrina Kaif- Akshay Kumar: The rain song mystery

It was for the film De Dana Dan’s promotion that the rain song between Katrina Saif and Akshay Kumar was shown in all the promos and music videos of the film. The sizzling chemistry between the two just couldn’t be missed by one and all. During the first week it was evident that most of them were going to watchthe film for the song itself.

It was a very disappointed audience that had come out of the theatres during the first screenings as the song had been eliminated. Most of them had admitted that through outthe film they had been waiting for the song but in the end they had to go home without an inkling of what had happened to the song.

Now, after a lot of complaints and diminishing ticket sales the film makers decided to put the song back in the film to woo its audience back. It however remains to be seen whether the audience is yet interested in seeing the song or now even they have second thoughts.

Anyway the comedy has been liked by many people and if things go well then, like other Priyadarshan’s comedy hits this film too can  reach the super hit bracket.

Ranbir Kapoor voted Sexiest Man Alive

Ranbir Kapoor, the new 'It' boy of Bollywood may have trounced favourites like Shahrukh Khan and John Abraham to be voted the 'Sexiest Man Alive' by People magazine, but the actor says that he does not consider himself sexy.

The 27-year-old actor said that there are 'a thousand things' wrong with his face and body and therefore the title is a total surprise.

"I really don't know what sexy is. I am confused as I don't consider myself sexy. There are a thousand things that are wrong with my face and body," said the actor.

Ranbir who will be seen on the cover of the magazine shirtless on a beach, said that he believes in the old adage 'handsome is what handsome does'.

"When I was growing up, my mom told me handsome is what handsome does. So Amitabh Bachchan is sexy to me in all his films, Shahrukh is sexy in DDLJ and Aamir is sexy in Rang De Basanti," said Ranbir.

The Wake Up Sid actor said that the best part about the title is that he is now in the same league as Johnny Depp, who won the title internationally this year.

"I feel like I'm Johnny Depp," said the actor adding, "I've had a good year so I attribute winning this title to those things."

Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapur rekindle their romance

‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ is one adage that stands true in the case of Shahid Kapur and Priyanka Chopra. The lovebirds, who had recently ended their romantic sojourn, are reportedly back together after they bumped into each other in Bangkok. And reunion is sure good for the hot duo as they are happier than ever.

Ending their months long affair, the couple had churned juicy fodder for the ever so curious gossipmongers. However, if the latest reports are to be believed then the two actors have rekindled their relationship.

So how did the couple get back together?

As per sources, after their split, both Shahid and Priyanka headed to Bangkok for their respective film shoots. While Priyanka was there for Sajid Nadiadwala`s next, Shahid was shooting for a Yash Raj film. And as coincidence would have it, the duo bumped into each other during their stay at the same hotel.

What’s next is anybody’s guess? Cupid stuck again and the two realised that they could not live without each other.

A source close to the two revealed to a daily, “Shahid, who`d initiated `the break` realised that he`d made a mistake. He found that he still had feelings for Priyanka. He felt that he rushed into the decision and hadn`t taken the time to understand her better. He knew he wanted her back in his life but wasn`t too sure how she would react to him because he`d dumped her when she believed all along that they were perfect for each other. Shahid befriended Chopra`s best friend and close confidante, Tammana Sharma, who played Cupid between them the second time around".

Well back in the arms of her beau, Priyanka sure has found all the reasons to be happy again. Here’s wishing the happy couple a stronger relationship and a happy affair!

Hot and Sexy Actress in Bollywood

 

Amrita Arora: She may not have any big hits, but Amrita Arora is always the preferred one for adding that glam quotient to the movie. Even 'Kambakkhat Ishq' with Kareena in her size zero and Denise Richards in a bikini could not do without Amrita. And marriage has only done her more good!

 

Amrita Rao: She charmed you with her pretty looks first in 'Ishq Vishk' and then as a small town simpleton in 'Vivaah'. And then she made a smooth transition from the girl-next-door to a bikini-babe with 'Short Kut- The Con Is On'. The movie may have bombed but her chic look became the talk of the town.

Kareena Kapoor: This versatile actress has experimented with her looks a lot. She debuted in a deglamorised role in the critically acclaimed 'Refugee' but took everyone by surprise as Pooh in 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham'. And as if that was not enough, she got into her now much talked about size-zero. Wonder what's coming next Bebo?

Dia Mirza: Former beauty queen Dia carries a sari as gracefully as she does this little black dress for her look in 'Acid Factory'.

Lara Dutta: Her bikini look may not have worked in 'Andaaz'. But she was appreciated a lot for her style in 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' and 'Partner'. And now she is grabbing all the eyeballs with her now much appreciated bikini look in 'Blue'!

Bipasha Basu: This hottie has always been in news for her style and body. And rightly so. Bips has been the most consistent front runner in the Bollywood hot-brigade. 'Killer' are her looks in her forthcoming movie 'All The Best' that Ajay Devgan could not wait to propose her! Maxim certainly did not title her the 'Hottest woman' for nothing.

Priyanka Chopra: Be it a golden bikini, a sexy sari or no frills salwar-kameez, Piggy Chops has pulled it of beautifully.

Ash was always good in studies and zoology was her favorite subject. She wanted to pursue medicine but could not do so due to personal reasons. She instead took up Architecture.

Top 5 Highest paid Bollywood actress

1. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan:

She takes in about 6 crores a movie. Often cited by the media as the most beautiful woman in the world. Rai made her movie debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar (1997) and had her first commercial success in the Tamil movie Jeans (1998). She came to the attention of Bollywood in the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Her performance in the film won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 2002 she appeared in Bhansali's next project, Devdas (2002), for which she won her second Best Actress Award at the Filmfare. After a low phase in her career during 2003-2005, she appeared in the blockbuster Dhoom 2 (2006), which turned out to be her biggest Bollywood commercial success. She later appeared in films like Guru (2007) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008), which were commercially successful and got her critical acclaim. Rai has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in the Indian film industry.

2. Priyanka Chopra:

She has hiked her price to about 5 crores after her successful films. Chopra made her acting debut with the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan. The following year, she made her Hindi film debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and followed it with the hit Andaaz, for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004 she became the second woman to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award, which she received for her critically acclaimed performance in Aitraaz. Chopra would later have commercial success with films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Krrish (2006) and Don - The Chase Begins Again. Chopra earned a Filmfare Best Actress Award for her portrayal of a model in Fashion (2008) and has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Bollywood.

3. Kareena Kapoor:
She takes in about 3.5 to 4 crores. After receiving negative reviews for a series of repetitive roles between 2002 and 2003, Kapoor accepted more demanding parts in order to avoid being typecast. Consequently, from 2004 to 2006 she was recognized by critics for displaying greater versatility. Her portrayal of a sex worker in Chameli (2004) proved to be the turning point in her career and garnered her Filmfare Special Performance Award. She later received two Critics Awards for Best Actress at the Filmfare ceremony for her performances in the critically acclaimed Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006).


4. Katrina Kaif:
She takes in about 3 crores a movie. Katrina Kaif born Katrina Turquotte on July 16, 1984 is a Hong Kong-born British-Indian actress and model who has appeared in Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. Since 2007 she has starred in several commercially successful films, which made her one of the popular actresses in current Bollywood.










5. Bipasha Basu:
Bipasha charges about 2 crores. Bipasha Basu born January 7, 1979 is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood films and a former model. She was the winner of the Ford's Godrej Cintho Supermodel contest for 1996 and is currently one of the mainstream actresses in Bollywood. She is often cited by popular magazines and newspapers as one of Asia's sexiest celebrity women.