I'm taking sanyas from TV: Smriti

She was and still is, in many ways, Indian television's most famous and favourite bahu. Setting the benchmark for many future reel daughters-in-law through her show "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi", Indian television phenomenon, Smriti Irani has now entered Telugu filmdom with, "Jai Bolo Telangana. 


While the shift from TV to films is almost like a natural progression, one wonders what brought the actor-turned-politician to Telugu cinema, that too in a movie dealing with the issue of Telangana? I was reccomended to the director of the movie, N Shankar, by a journalist. 


Shankar was looking for a neutral face to play the character of a woman who has lost a lot due to the agitations. I heard the script and gave my nod immediately. For me, as long as the script is interesting, language doesn't matter. In fact, I just did a Bengali movie in which I play a woman who completes all her responsibilities towards her family and goes in 
pursuit of her own dreams," explains Smriti. 


While regional cinema welcomes her with open arms, Hindi films are still off her radar. "I did get offers from mainstream Hindi cinema projects, but they were similar to my image in "Kyunki Saas..." That did not excite me," she reveals. 


Smriti, who has done an impressive research on Telangana for the film, assures that the movie doesn't take sides. "Cinema doesn't take sides. If it does, it won't be successful," However, she opines that the agitation for a separate state is a genuine wish of the people in the region. "My mom worked in Vizag for sometime and I am aware of the agitations in the state. I have spoken to the people in the interiors — Karimnagar, Warangal et al, and realized that the agitation is genuine at the grass root levels and not just intellectual. The demand for a separate state is close their hearts," observes Smriti. And while at it, she also plans to tour the state on behalf of her party (BJP) sometime soon. 


Surprisingly, in both her Bengali and Telugu films, Smriti plays an older woman. Doesn't that bother her? "Well, I played a much older woman in "Kyunki Saas..." than what I am playing now. I'm a confident actor and my on screen looks don't matter." 


Having started a TV production company that is is now producing Gujarati plays, Smriti also runs an NGO, and heads the women's wing of the BJP. She however confesses that her first love among all the other things she is doing now, is politics. "After I joined politics I went to places where without even basic transport facility. I saw the length and breadth of this country. Life is very rosy in cities, but extremely tough in rural 


areas. Politics has taught me a lot. I have decided to take sanyas from TV for the next two years because politics is a huge responsibility. When my party needs me, I can't say I'm busy. For now politics is my priority," she confirms. 


While she enjoys being a mom, Smriti feels that multi-tasking comes naturally to Indian women. She attributes her hassle-free career to a supportive family. "My family has a history of working women. It is a joint family, so kids are taken care of even if I am travelling 25 days a month. We know how to balance work and family time quite well." 


Despite the influx of reality and game shows, she believes the Indian audience have not shifted their loyalty from family sagas. ""Kyunki Saas ..." was magic on TV. Today the highest TRPs of the most successful TV show is lesser than the lowest ratings "Kyunki Saas..." ever got. It's tough for any programme to break that record. The audience hasn't changed much because human emotions are limited. When I am unemployed, I know I can go back to TV. I will never be out of work. My goal in life is to be better than yesterday in terms of work," she says before signing off. 


Read more: I'm taking sanyas from TV: Smriti - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/Im-taking-sanyas-from-TV-Smriti/articleshow/7071384.cms#ixzz17ghJG7uT

Khalli's the new captain of Bigg Boss

Day 66 in the Bigg Boss house starts with loads of surprises and mixed emotions. The alarm bell rings with vodafone song 'Little things you do for me'. 


The weighing scale task gets over and it's the time for housemates to heave a sigh of relief. Bigg boss announces the results and Ashmit reads out the letter sent by Bigg Boss. The letter says that the housemates did not succeed in doing the task well and hence they get 0 budget. While Dolly who did her secret task of making veena and Shweta sit on the weighing scale continuously for almost 12 hours gets 3 times more budget. She is given a discretion that she can have the three time more budget all to herself, can order whatever she wants and need not eat with other housemates if she so wishes to. When the housemates learn this, they get upset but Dolly is too happy about winning the task and orders for Chicken, Badam etc. 


After this the housemates wait for thier new captain. As per the changed format, three names are nominated for the captaincy role and the names being Dolly, Seema and Khali. Khali manages to win maximum votes. Even Dolly and Seema vote for Khali. Khali becomes the house-captain.for the second time. Housemates then discuss that they are relieved that Dolly is no more the captain of the house. 


Later in the night Ashmit and Sara have a tiff. Sara tells Ashmit that she now wants to leave the house and has started missing 'Ted' (Ali). To this Ashmit over-reacts and tells Sara that she is a two faced personality and is not genuine. Sara tries to reason with him when Ashmit shouts and tells her that She kept on nominating Veena continuously despite of being a friend. She always goes to Shweta and bitches about him and Veena. This leads to a very big fight till Veena comes in between and separates Ashmit and Sara from the fight. 


The atmosphere of the house gets disturbed. All the housemates discuss about the nominations to be held tomorrow. 


Read more: - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv-/Khallis-the-new-captain-of-Bigg-Boss/articleshow/7071663.cms#ixzz17gfSWJdZ

Movie Review - No Problem

Story: Take two petty crooks (Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna), a mean gangster and his moll (Suniel Shetty and Neetu Chandra), a bumbling cop and his schizophrenic wife (Anil Kapoor and Sushmita Sen), a bimbette on the beach (Kangana Ranaut), a bank heist and a puppet in the hands of all these people ( Paresh Rawal) and shake them all together in madcap measure...End result: a bunch of clueless people hunting for a cachet of stolen diamonds and relentlessly stepping on each other's toes. 


Movie Review: Anees Bazmee is fast donning the mantle of the comedy king in commercial Bollywood. Having delivered big laugh riots like Singh is Kinng, Welcome and No Entry, Bazmee seems to be spinning box office magic in a style reminiscent of David Dhawan's oeuvre during the 1990s. There's a similar incoherence and a method in his madness as he spins implausible yarns that have just one objective. They want to tickle your funny bone, any which way, even if means throwing reason and logic out of the window. But hey, when did the desi box office ever bother about inanities like sense and sensibility. 


So go ahead and have a blast with a film that celebrates chaos and hopes to be the stress buster you have been looking for after a hectic twenty-tenner. And yes, don't forget your crispies because this one's meant to pop the corn with its crazy characters and its cornball humour. Leading the brat pack is Anil Kapoor who tries a desi Pink Panther with his foolish cop act. He may have the responsibility of nabbing all the criminals running around in sylvan South Africa, but rest assured his handcuffs -- meant for the bad guys -- are always going to hang loose on his hips and the bullets in his gun will never meet their target. Small wonder then, hardcore robber Marco (Suniel Shetty) can barely stifle a yawn when the bumbling officer announces his arrival. But his foolishness elicits the best response from his wife, Sushmita Sen, who is torn between loving her husband or killing him for his stupidity. Her murderous bouts are the high point of the film, as are Paresh Rawal's attempts to set things right by setting them all wrong. Both Sanjay Dutt and Akshaye Khanna too seem to get their comic timing right as the goon buddys who are out to make a fast buck. Sadly, Kangana Ranaut's attempts to re-fashion her image from girl interrupted to giggly-headed beauty queen don't seem to have an edge. 


The film does seem to be roughly edited in places and could do with some nips and tucks. Even the music (Sajid Wajid, Pritam, Anand Raj Anand) doesn't have the chartbuster flavour of the Singh is Kinng audio track. But rest assured, No Problem will make you forget your problems, provided you are willing to get goofy and give up your quest for meaning in masala


Read more: No Problem - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/No-Problem/articleshow/7059572.cms#ixzz17geA5BKr

Kissing Jolie was easy: Depp

Johnny Depp feels on-screen kisses are always awkward but it wasn't difficult filming kissing co-star Angelina Jolie in 'The Tourist'.

"I've had more difficult days at work," mirror quoted Depp, 47, as saying.

"But those kind of things are always awkward. So you just laugh your way through, and you just kind of giggle and feel stupid," he said.


Read more:- The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-interviews/Kissing-Jolie-was-easy-Depp/articleshow/7070674.cms#ixzz17gdOjtbb

Katy wants to be called Mrs.Brand

Newly wed Katy Perry has revealed that she wants to become Mrs. Katy Brand.

The Firework songstress chatted to Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime chat show this week about how she has already begun the process to legally take her husband Russell Brand's name, reports the Daily Mail.

When asked if she already gets called Mrs Brand she admitted: "I do actually!"

"Sometimes when people try to get my attention, like at an event or something and they want special attention," she added

Read more: - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-interviews/Katy-wants-to-be-called-MrsBrand/articleshow/7071290.cms#ixzz17gcAq2yn

I'm not even kind of lesbian:Oprah

In an emotional interview with Barbara Walters, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey dismissed rumours that she's gay . 


"I am not even kind of lesbian" the Daily Telegraph quoted her as saying in response to a question about her close relationship with best friend Gayle King. 


In an excerpt released Wednesday, the unmarried Winfrey declared herself frustrated that gay rumours continue to follow the pair. 


"I have said we are not gay enough times. I am not lesbian, I''m not even kind of lesbian," she said. 


"The reason why it irritates me is somebody must think I''m lying. Why would you want to hide it? That''s not the way I run my life," the billionaire said. 


Earlier in the interview, Winfrey struggled to put into words how much King means to her life. 


"She is the mother I never had; she is the sister everybody would want; she is the friend that everybody deserves. I don''t know a better person," Winfrey said through tears. 


When asked why the larger-than-life host could not maintain her composure, Winfrey called for tissues to staunch the tears. 


"I wasn''t going to cry here. It''s making me cry because I''m thinking about how much I probably have never told her that," she said. 


The complete special airs in the US this week while Oprah is in Down Under for her " Ultimate Australian Adventure."


Read more:- The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-interviews/Im-not-even-kind-of-lesbianOprah/articleshow/7070493.cms#ixzz17gbRgj8f

Emraan won't miss a kiss!

He's the self-professed serial kisser. And every time he claims he'll stop the 'lip-smacking' act, he's back at it again with a lovely missey every time.

Apparently, few years ago, in an interview, Emraan had confessed that he would stop kissing the day he becomes a daddy. But well, the 'kiss'sa went on. Recently, when zoOm refreshed his memory about his promise, he paused and said, "Well, life is all about contradictions. At times it is surprising how you say certain things and then, eventually, change your agenda." Hmnnn...so much for philosophy, Emraan. We're just talking about kiss here.

We doubt you think so hard before one of those smoochies onscreen, huh? So, keep kissing. Who is stopping you? Not us, at least.... For more Bollywood news and gossip, watch Planet Bollywood, everyday at 7pm only on zoOm.

Read more: Emraan won't miss a kiss! - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Emraan-wont-miss-a-kiss-/articleshow/7070891.cms#ixzz17gayjFQ4

Delhi replaces Mumbai in bollywood

For any movie that dealt with reality, or the simple pleasures of life, a scene in Chowpatty in Juhu was a must in the '70s, '80s, and even in the '90s, just as a romantic scene involved a drive down Marine Drive. But that backdrop and those landmarks have been replaced over the years as an increasing number of movies are now being based in, and therefore, shot in Delhi . 


The new stories, often by Delhiites who've found a foothold in Tinseltown, are stories of their memories and experiences in the capital. They keep coming back to the city that shaped their formative years even though their profession drags them to Mumbai. As director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says, "I've moved out of Delhi, but Delhi hasn't moved out of me." 


Many of these movie makers are well-versed with the modern Delhi as well as its lifestyle options and geo-social nuances. If Auro wants a ride in the Metro, "Paa" will have to be shot in Delhi, right? Think of the film "Aisha", with its beautiful houses and gorgeous clothes, and abundant brands. This glamourous film was an out and out Delhi Bollywood film! Or if "Delhi-6" needs a foggy, wintery morning, can Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra think of any place else to shoot? 


The mushrooming nightclubs in the city provide another yo-place for filmmakers to shoot movies revolving around youngsters. Imtiaz chose Delhi pubs for his "Rockstar", and much before that, Urmila Matondkar had shot at a Delhi pub for "Ek Haseena Thi". 


More and more filmwallahs find that shooting in Delhi farmhouses is a delight. Often while scouting for locations, they've realised that Delhi has a climate and culture like no other place in the country, and that weaving their projects around this maximum city will lend a very unique flavour to their movie. 


There are other things these directors notice too. As the writer of "Aisha", Devika Bhagat, puts it, "When I was asked to adapt "Emma", I immediately thought it fitted Delhi perfectly because the Delhi society here is based on fairly clear class structures." 


While locations are one reason, Delhiites also make for interesting characters for directors. Is there a quintessential Delhi girl that they've discovered in their movies? Well, many of them are trying to. As actress Sonam Kapoor, who has shot two films in Delhi, says, "The basic reason for choosing Delhi is that it has many stories to say. More than Bombay, there are a lot of real people here in the city." 


So there. As filmmakers shoot more films here, Delhiites you better be prepared to come across Bollywood celebs – perhaps right in your locality – more often now. 




Read more: - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Delhi-replaces-Mumbai-in-bollywood/articleshow/7071237.cms#ixzz17gaa3SEM