Alia Bhatt: I cant cry at the drop of the hat

All of 19 years, Alia Bhatt is seeing a frothy beginning for herself in the feel good world of Karan Johar's Student Of The Year. However, it is also expected that in this emotional roller coaster ride, there would be quite a few tears required to be dropped as well in addition to smiles, songs and dances. If Alia is to be believed, while everything else was still okay for her, her biggest challenge was to get the emotional scenes right.

"Yeah, I can't cry at the drop of the hat," smiles Alia, "I am just 19 years old and new to the world of films; I am still growing. I have also come to realise that heavy duty emotional scenes aren't my forte as yet at least."

While Alia is candid enough to confess about areas where she is still in a learning mode, she is pretty much at home when it comes to song and dance routine in the film.

"Well, I may not be a perfect dancer; however I can give the right expressions. Even when it comes to easy going scenes, I am very comfortable. I am also fine when I have natural conversations with people. Okay, so I may not have done a great job but have surely given my best. There are some rough edges for sure but then this is my first film and I am still learning," she says.

Is she being plain modest, realistic or guarded? Well, come 19th October and it would be known to one and all.

I never watch my films: Rani Mukerji

As we are ushered into Rani Mukerji's tastefully done up office, we are strictly told that Rani won't be available for photo shoot. Few minutes later we find out why. Sitting with a freshly scrubbed face with minimal makeup, the actress looked relaxed and very much at peace. Rani is one of the very few actresses who never had any qualms about working in a multi-starrer. "Multi starrers are infact lot of fun as it like a picnic with so many stars working together," she says.

What were the challenges involved in working in a thriller?
My first suspense thriller and I can't divulge much as to what were the challenges involved. We have taken care to not reveal the suspense to the media and to the audience. That was the main challenge which will revealed on the first day's first show and after that it will be an experience to understand whether people will still come and watch the film after knowing what the suspense is.

The trailer has created enough buzz around the film. How important is it to get the first trailer right?
Getting the first promo right is important because it determines people's decision whether they want to see the film or not. The trailer has to create a sense of intrigue in the audience's mind.

You never had qualms about working in a multi-starrer right from the early stage of your career. Now that you have reached a certain stage in your career, don't you think you should only focus on solos?
Not at all. Multi starrers are infact lot of fun as it like a picnic with so many stars working together. Unfortunately in this film, Kareena and I didn't have any work together and it would have been great if we had scenes together.

Apart from box-office numbers, what is your definition of a good film?
For me, a film which stays in audience's mind for a decade is a good film. For me that is most important and I have always kept that in mind while doing a film.

You have done different genres of films. Every actor has a certain comfort zone. What's yours?
My comfort zone is probably doing romantic comedy or drama as these are something that I really enjoy doing.

No matter what genre, romance is the main essence of every film. Do you think Bollywood is scared of experimenting?
It is not about Bollywood. I think the innate nature of Indians is that we are in love and it is something we always live by. We look forward to a happy family life and love in general and that's why films which show a positive side to a story and has a happy ending work better with us. That's what works best as that's what they aspire for as individuals living in India. That's the reason why some film makers tend to make such films though there are film makers who are experimenting a lot with various subjects and they too are getting recognition. I too love watching happy love stories.

When you watch a film, are you able to keep the actor in you out and just enjoy the film?
I do think that at times but it is not something which always occurs to you when you are watching a film. I think as long as the character is doing its job of what is required to be done, it is fine.

'Aaiyaa' got a mixed response from the audience. Did that bother you?
It can't bother me because as actors, we are meant to do projects and not meant to forecast whether it will work or not. We work hard because we feel that this is a film that will entertain the audiences. But at the end of the day, if a film story doesn't work, one has to accept that and move on.

After all these years, how do you feel while facing the first shot in the film?
Even after all these years, I am anxious to know how the character will turn out to be, especially on the first day because you have to get the nuances of the character right. This is important because in the first scene itself you have to figure out how different this character can turn out to be and how you can set it apart from the characters you have played earlier.

Do you sit and enjoy the end product or are you ready to move on to the next?
I am always ready to move on to the next and that happens when you stop shooting for the particular film. As a creative person, I would want to keep discovering and coming up with something which is spectacular and surprise my audiences with different roles. If I don't move on how can I work on my other projects? I never even watch my own films ever.

Katrina Kaif receives Brand Endorser of the Year award

The International Advertising Association Leadership Awards (IAA) held at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, recently saw Bollywood's box office queen Katrina Kaif honored as 'Brand Endorser of the Year' at the associations first ever award function in India.

Representing many big brands, Katrina Kaif proved to be the rightful owner of the award with an unmatched brand success track record.

With nominations helmed by a Research Company, the actress was declared Brand Endorser of the Year by the virtue of her huge fan following, screen presence and value she lends to her brands.

Not too long ago, Katrina Kaif was also voted the most powerful celebrity endorser, in a celebrity-brand association recall study and also ranked the Most Favorite Film Star - Female.

While there's no doubting Katrina Kaif being a consistent lucky mascot at the box office, she has also gone on to be the front runner on the popularity charts, beating her contemporaries for 2 consecutive years. Katrina Kaif emerged in the Numero Uno position on an esteemed trade magazine's annual report card - that conducted a detailed study on the collections and territory-wise performance of Bollywood's leading actors.

I Love New Year new poster released

After seeing Sunny Deol s boyish side in the first poster of upcoming flick I Love New Year, where the macho actor was seen wearing boxer shorts and an impish smile, the latest poster of the film seems to focus on Sunny as a romantic hero.

The second poster of the film shows a miffed looking Kangana Ranaut sitting by a fire-place with Sunny Deol sitting beside her, looking as if he is trying to mollify the pretty lass with a very 'good boy'expression on his face.

Directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, I Love New Year is a love story about two strangers in the United States, who are brought together by an unusual sequence of events on New Year' Eve.

Lady Gaga postpones shows

Pop star Lady Gaga said on Tuesday she was suffering from a severe inflammation of the joints that left her temporarily unable to walk, forcing her to postpone a handful of upcoming shows on the North American leg of her world tour.

"I am completely devastated and heartsick. I've been hiding this injury and pain from my staff for a month, praying it would heal, but after last night's performance, I could not walk," the singer said in a statement.

Her condition is called synovitis, an inflammation that sometimes follows a sprain, strain or injury.

Gaga posted a similar message in a series of tweets to her 34 million Twitter followers.

"I will hopefully heal as soon as possible and be at 500 percent again, which is what you deserve," she said.

The singer postponed shows in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday, in Detroit on Saturday and in Hamilton, Ontario, on Sunday.

Lady Gaga, 26, has been on the road for two years on her "Born This Way Ball" world tour. Her website showed tour dates through March 20.

The 200-plus date tour has taken the singer across six continents and was ranked as the sixth top-grossing tour of 2012 by Billboard magazine.

Pregnant Kate s rounded belly pictures make a splash overseas

An Italian magazine ignored the protests of Britain's royal family on Wednesday to publish pictures of Prince William's pregnant wife Kate in a blue bikini on a private island.

The gossip magazine Chi, owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, defended its decision to splash pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge showing off her "rounded belly" by implying they were taken in public.

"It is not possible to talk about a breach of privacy when public personalities are photographed in a public, open place such as (a) beach, attended by bathers," Chi editor Alfonso Signorini said in an emailed statement.

Wednesday's six-page insert headlined "Kate & William - Honeymoon for three" is not the first time Chi has earned the ire of the British royals. In September it published topless pictures of the duchess, who was known as Kate Middleton before she married a future king of England.

The images, which were condemned by William's office, St James's Palace, as a "clear breach of the couple's right to privacy", show the duchess walking on a beach on the island of Mustique with a visible "baby bump".

"The reportage portrays a couple in love in a happy moment as they walk on the seashore...Where is the scandal?," Signorini said.

In one picture Kate is seen pulling up her hair as she walks on a Mustique beach, an island favoured by the British royals for its secluded, palm-fringed shores and a favourite of the Queen Elizabeth's late sister Princess Margaret.

"A rounded belly can now be seen and the princess has a softer silhouette compared to how she was during their honeymoon in the Seychelles in 2011," one of the captions read.

Another shot showed Kate walking with her arm on the shoulder of her 30-year-old husband William, second in line to the British throne. He is wearing thigh-length shorts in matching blue.

"After initial problems, the pregnancy is now proceeding serenely," the magazine writes.

TWITTERATI DEBATE

Signorini did not provide details about the source of the pictures but said they were bought from an international agency.

MailOnline, the online edition of Britain's Daily Mail newspaper cited media reports that the pictures might have been taken by a holiday maker on a public beach or from a boat using a long-lens camera.

The British media have refrained from publishing the pictures as they fight stricter regulations recommended by a judge-led inquiry following a phone-hacking scandal centred on Rupert Murdoch's tabloids.

The shots have surfaced on tabloids and websites worldwide, prompting a debate on social media.

"Here's an Idea: If you don't want photos published of you pregnant in a bikini, DON'T go OUTSIDE in one!", a tweet by @fashionoffice read.

Chi's publications have stirred memories of the world media's relentless pursuit of William's mother, Princess Diana who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 as she was being chased by paparazzi.

MailOnline said publishers in the United States, France and Germany had lined up to publish the pictures, saying they could fetch a total of over 100,000 pounds.

Kate's sister Pippa, 30, her brother James Middleton and friend James Matthews were also pictured in the magazine as they walked the beach in coloured beachwear.

Chi is controlled by Berlusconi's publishing company Mondadori(MOED.MI).

John Mayer loves how independent Katy Perry

The 35-year-old singer - who is famed for his womanising ways and previously dated stars including Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz - is head-over-heels in love with the 'Firework' singer and loves that she has her own career and friends to focus on.

A source said: 'He loves that she's so independent and doesn't cling to him like a lovesick barnacle. Katy, of course, loves a bad boy but she's going to let a man stomp all over her.

'She's really quite sassy with John and he loves it. He needs someone to take him down a notch.'

John's friends are also impressed with Katy - who was previously married to Russell Brand - and believe she has changed him for the better.

The insider added to America's OK! magazine: 'John has changed. There's a kind of humility about him these days and that's due to Katy. He's said she's got the him, hook, line and sinker and he wants to spend the rest of his life making her happy.

Jennifer Lawrence s Silver Linings clothes up for auction

Clothing worn by Jennifer Lawrence in her Oscar-winning role as an outspoken young widow in comedy "Silver Linings Playbook" went up for auction on Tuesday, just two days after the Academy Awards ceremony.

Memorabilia dealer Nate D. Sanders put the skin-tight white dance pants, winter coat and sports bra Lawrence wore in the film up for sale in the online auction that will end on Thursday.

The items are expected to fetch between $500 and $1,500 following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win on Sunday.

"She's now on the record for having an Academy Award, which definitely gives it (the items) status now," said Laura Yntema, spokeswoman for auction house Nate D. Sanders.

"The Hunger Games" star also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her "Silver Linings Playbook" performance.

Five items, either worn by Lawrence or from her wardrobe on the film, are up for auction with starting bids at $100.

They include the custom-tailored skin-tight white pants Lawrence wore during the film's climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper.

The black, full-length double-breasted Moda International wool coat is a size six. The teal sports bra by Gap Body will be sold together with an extra-small blue Threads 4 Thought long-sleeved shirt.

The auction also has nine clothing items either worn or from the wardrobe of Cooper, and two items from the wardrobe of supporting actor Chris Tucker.

Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can fetch high prices from fans and collectors.

Murder 3: Doesnt go in for the kill

The latest addition to the “Murder” franchise is a lot of things, but one thing it isn’t is true to its name. Don’t expect a lot of shooting and slashing.

“Murder 3” is a Bhatt franchise, so the title hardly matters. All movies associated with them have pretty much the same structure and tone, a little bit of skin show, some nasal, high-pitch songs and the mystery element that forms the major chunk of the film.

Debutant director Vishesh Bhatt makes an “official” remake of the Colombian film “The Hidden Face” and doesn’t veer from the original story line at all.

Randeep Hooda plays Vikram, a photographer who shoots everything from calendars to wildlife (one of the opening shots shows Hooda shooting ostriches and zebras grazing peacefully near leopards in a meadow).

He moves to India with his architect girlfriend Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari) on a lucrative contract and the two move in to a palatial house.

Their domestic bliss is interrupted when Roshni disappears, and the police suspect Vikram of having something to do with it, but find no conclusive proof. Meanwhile, tired of pining after his girlfriend, Vikram takes to drinking and falls in love with a waitress (Sara Loren).

She soon moves in with him, but is spooked by the strange happenings in the house. There are voices coming out of a tap, water draining out mysteriously and of course, the staple of horror film-makers – lights going off.

The first half is sluggish, but the pace picks up immediately in the second half, when the twist is revealed. Bhatt manages to create a few thrilling moments, but they are momentary and the film never quite completely manages to engage you.

A large part of this can be attributed to lazy scripting and directing, and the acting never seems to convey the desperation and emotions the characters should be going through.

Songs interrupt a few crucial scenes and Bhatt doesn’t quite manage to wrap it all up together in the end. The end is meant to be mysterious, but instead, seems hurried.

This is a harmless film, one that is neither good nor bad. It might have been better if the director had managed to bring in a potent psychological angle to it, but that never happens.

Veena Malik's First Look In 'The Dirty Picture

Veena Malik goes BOLD – Vidya Balan’s bold act in ‘The Dirty Picture’ is one of the hottest movies in Indian Cinema but it seems that sex bombshell Veena has gone one step further to expose in Kannada version ‘Dirty Picture: Silk Sakkath Maga’. For more Bollywood news and gossip Subscribe at Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter twitter.com