Kajol, Kareena together for Karan’s forthcoming venture

Karan Johar has done it again. After casting Kajol and Kareena Kapoor for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, way back in 2001, he’s got the two talented actresses again for his forthcoming venture.

According to sources, “Kajol and Kareena have been finalised for Karan Johar’s forthcoming film, which will start once the actors are free from their on-going films.”

The film, which is yet untitled is based on the Hollywood film, Stepmom (1998), starring Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts. The shooting of the film will begin as soon as Kajol wraps up the shoot of Karan’s My Name Is Khan, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. So how did the casting come about? “Karan, who is directing Kajol in My Name Is Khan is very happy with her work.When queried about Kareena’s presence in Karan’s film, Kareena’s secretary maintained a diplomatic stand and said, “Kareena would never say no to Karan.”

Amitabh Bachchan gets court notice on tax exemption

New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan Monday got a notice from the Supreme Court on a plea challenging a judicial verdict allowing 30 percent tax rebate on his income to the tune of Rs.509 million in fiscal 2001-02.

A bench of Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justice Aftab Alam sought Bachchan's stand on the lawsuit by the union government's Income Tax Department.

The bench also asked the actor to account for his 2001-02 income and expenditure with appropriate proof and adjourned the matter for final hearing on Oct 28.

The case largely pertains to the actor's income from the popular TV game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' on Star TV.

The Bombay High Court had allowed the actor to avail the tax relief accepting his plea that as an artist he was entitled to the exemption as per section 80 RR of the Income Tax Act.

The Income Tax Department, however, challenged the high court ruling contending that section 80 RR of the IT Act grants tax rebates only to those artistes who earn either by performing outside the country or receive payment from foreign agencies.

The tax authorities have contended that the TV show was produced by Indian firm Star India Ltd. that renders him ineligible for the tax rebate.

Celina Jaitley denied entry in dad's Bangkok pub

Mumbai, May 4 (IANS) Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley was denied entry in a Bangkok pub and restaurant owned by her dad, courtesy the short school uniform which she was wearing.

The guards not only failed to recognise her but also suspected her to be underage and stopped her from going inside.

Celina was shooting for 'Paying Guest' in Bangkok and one of the sequences required her along with the other leading ladies Neha Dhupia, Riya Sen and Sayali Bhagat to be dressed in a school uniform.

Why did she choose to hop over to the pub dressed like that?

'First and foremost I had no clue that guards would stop me at the gate. Also, I was in the middle of a sequence and didn't feel like getting in and out of costumes. I was anyways enjoying myself in a school dress and though it may have scandalised quite a few out there, I didn't mind that at all,' Celina told IANS.

'In the first place, it was anyway quite funny to be dressed in a tight white shirt, red and black short skirt, hair band, white socks and black shoes. And then this incident happened where I was denied entry in my own pub. It was as funny as it could have got,' she added.

Celina tried to catch the attention of her dad through the glass pane. She waved at him and shouted along till the time he managed to realise her presence at the pub.

'Imagine his shock at seeing his girl dressed up like this. He was in a meeting with his business associates and they all had a collective expression of disbelief on their faces. My dad just came out, spoke to me for a while, lent me some money for shopping and went back in. He was so sure that he didn't want a girl who may not have been underage but definitely looked like one get into his pub. For him, rules are rules,' she said.

After this, Celina walked into the nearest luxury mall for shopping.

'I made sure that I blew away all the money that I had laid my hands on. I wasn't allowed to get into the pub and I vowed to make up for that lost opportunity,' she said.

Directed by first timer Paritosh Painter and produced by Subhash Ghai, 'Paying Guest' also stars Shreyas Talpade, Ashish Chaudhary, Javed Jaffrey and Vatsal Sheth and Celina says: 'It was back to being school and eight of us were having a rollicking time.'

The film is ready and the release date would be announced after the stand off between producers and multiplexes is resolved.

Kareena Kapoor on Filmfare May 2009

Katrina Kaif shares some light moments with Imran Khan

Now, it seems here that beautiful Katrina Kaif loves to bond with her young co-stars. Last time, while shooting for ‘Azab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’, she got along so well with Ranbir Kapoor that Deepika Padukone had to drop in at the sets unannounced to check if there was something going on between the two.

Now, when Kaif and Imran Khan have been signed on by Sanjay Gandhvi for his next film, a romantic comedy, the two stars have already begun bonding even though the film is yet to go on the floors.

Both of them are attending the acting and speech classes together organized by Sanjay prior to the film’s shoot. The two also indulged in fun when they met at a suburban gym in Mumbai. Katrina, who is otherwise reserved, tried pulling Imran’s leg by joking that his height and weight are less in comparison to hers. However, when measured, she was proved wrong as Imran outnumbered her in both weight and height.

We also hear that Dibakar Banerjee (Khosla Ka Ghosla fame) is also considering both Katrina and Imran for his next. He is also keen to rope in Abhay Deol , who is likely to play a gay character in the flick.

Ranbir Kapoor in a geeky avataar

Pehchaan Kaun? Yes, this is Ranbir Kapoor, the brand ambassador for Panasonic, who has gone all geeky for the advertisement of their LCD’s range.

The ad features two Ranbir Kapoors as neighbours -a cool one and the geeky. Both manage to get a bunch of girls with the help of their Panasonic. Seems that the company has paid a huge sum to get the actor to play the role of two different characters, and sure enough Ranbir looked surprisingly comfortable in both roles.

All the more, Ranbir is all praises for the company and says, “Being associated with the Panasonic family is definitely a big honor for me and also a big responsibility knowing that it’s such a global plan…marketing such a big product…it gives me such great privilege and honor just to be associated with the family of Panasonic.”

How do you like this new look of Ranbir? Share your comments with us….

Ash to work with Vivek and Salman?

Aishwarya Rai Comedy and entertainment are no longer restricted to Bollywood. They have seeped into the media reportage of the happenings in the industry.

One such funny rumour that took tinsel town by surprise was of Aishwarya Rai agreeing to act in a film with her two ex beaus – Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi . The rumour said that director Satish Kaushik had managed to do the impossible by getting Ash’s nod to star opposite the two male actors in his movie titled ‘Tansen’.

Now, this is a kind of rumour that stumped the happily married Ash more than anyone. While she has graciously chosen to ignore the gossip rather than waste her time denying it, Kaushik, who has been flooded with calls about the casting coup, is upset, to say the least.

The director says that far from approaching Vivek or Salman for his film, he has not even talked to Ash about it. So the question of Ash working with the two male stars doesn’t arise at all?

Kaushik does concede that he had mentioned Abhishek Bachchan ’s name as a probable actor for the cast because “he suits the role” and has a star persona as well. But from where does the rumour of Salman and Vivek as Ash’s co-stars began, Kaushik hasn’t a clue.

So as things stand now, Rajshri Productions, who are producing ‘Tansen’, have approached Abhishek, and the actor has agreed to sit for a script narration. That’s it. Whether he signs the film or not will be known after the script, which is currently being worked upon, is finished.

Arshad Warsi becomes a fitness freak

Arshad Warsi, who is known for tickling audiences' funny bones as Circuit in the Munnabhai series, is turning into a fitness freak.

"Running for 45 minutes every day is a must. I also see to it that I have balanced meals at regular intervals five times a day since it is not advisable to keep your stomach empty for long hours at a stretch. It's a different thing if you are on a fast," said Arshad in a press statement.

The actor, whose latest flick Ek Se Bure Do has turned out to be a disaster, is now looking forward to Shortkut - The Con Is On, Vishal Bharadwaj's Ishqiyan and his own home production Kaun Bola.

Kangana Ranaut shoots a nude scen

Kangana Ranaut is definitely someone to watch out for in her career as you never know what she may do next to demand your attention. From her very first movie Gangster she opted for the lesser explored roles and amazed audiences one film after the other.

The latest triumph or shall we say adventure in the talented young actress’s career is her next Telugu film Puri Jaganath to be directed by the maker of the blockbuster Pokiri (to be remade in Hindi as Wanted – Dead or Alive). Kangana’s entrance into Telugu cinema is considered special for several reasons including that she is debuting with the hottest maker of current times however her debut in the film industry based in Andhra Pradesh is special for one more reason. Sources of Mid-Day revealed the actress has indeed agreed to shoot a nude sequence for the film, which her character demanded.

Kangana has tested the dangerous waters of explicit scenes many times before and that too very esthetically. The actress had appeared in controversial yet stunning shot in Daboo Ratnani’s recent calendar, which had created quite a rukus in the wider community. One may also recall that she shot for the much talked about wardrobe malfunction scene for her role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s award winning Fashion. Not to forget the semi-nude scene she did for Raaz – The Mystery Continues.

After looking back at all that she has tried and triumphed over in recent times one can certainly say that the actress remains professional to the core and all these events are more than justified. One can only imagine the same applied to the Puri Jaganth project.

Abhishek Bachchan more blessed than parents: Rakeysh Mehra

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who directed Abhishek Bachchan for the first time in 'Delhi-6', says he is a 'pedigree' actor and is far more 'blessed' than his parents Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan.

'In terms of balance, Abhishek is far more blessed than both his parents. He is a thoroughbred and a pedigree. He has styles from both his mother and father but possesses the sensitivity and softness of his mother,' Mehra told IANS.

Mehra, who worked with Amitabh in 'Aks', was also all praise for Abhishek's acting style.

'Abhishek is in his nascent stage as an actor but he has got a whole lot of experience as an actor. He delves into the character and lately he's started doing that more often. I remember while shooting for 'Delhi-6', I couldn't believe that it's Abhishek when he completely got into the character of Roshan (the protagonist).

SRK may replace Aamir in Farhan-Ritesh venture

They say that two swords can’t lie in the same cover and so is true with two Bollywood biggies Aamir Khan and Farhan Akhtar who seemed to have fallen out with each other from their next venture together. Now, Shah Rukh Khan will apparently replace Aamir Khan in this next Farhan Akhtar-Ritesh Sidhwani venture.

Inside sources say that Ritesh approached Aamir with a script on the sets of ‘3 Idiots’ but they had such a major disagreement over payment and percentages that Ritesh left the sets in a huff. Aamir demanded an exhorbitant amount for the movie together with a hefty share of the percentage.

Ritesh confirmed that he had talks with Aamir which failed. He also confirmed that they were looking for another actor, but if it was SRK or someone else would be revealed in good time. Aamir on the other hand said that the money was not the issue. It was the script which he didn’t like.

It may be mentioned here that Aamir, Farhan and Ritesh have given a smash hit with ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, but the viewers won’t get to see the trio re-create their magic, or so it seems.