the Buzz

Bombshell Bips can’t

Bong bombshell Bipasha Basu always looks stunning in a sari, and we’ve seen her in one often enough, both on and off the screen. But would you believe that they beauteous Bips finds it tough to drape a sari? The actress revealed this at fashion show held recently, where she walked the ramp with her Jodi co-star R Madhavan to showcase designer Rocky S’s collection.

“I think the sari is a very beautiful attire as it makes a woman look elegant but yes for me, sari draping is tough thing. It takes me a little while to wrap it around and to carry it properly,” Bipasha said

The Basu babe looked stunning in a heavily embroidered blue and , while Madhavan opted sherwani, as they sashayed down the ramp to the Darmiyaan, from their movie. The event showcased wedding collections, so obviously Bipasha had to answer the usual questions about her views on matrimony. The actress who broke up with hunky actor John Abraham about a year ago, seemed happy to answer questions.

“I am very busy, no time to find the groom but Madhavan and Rocky are helping me to find a suitable boy.

Once I find a guy, I will get married,”

So queue up, guys, Bips is still footloose and fancy-free!

Back to books, Bollywood!

That’s actor John Abraham’s advice to the film industry. The hunky actor feels that instead of getting inspired by Hollywood films, Bollywood filmmakers should start adapting stories from books. Perhaps it was a spur of the moment inspiration, as John made the comment at a book launch in Mumbai.

film 7 Khoon Maaf which was based on Ruskin Bond’s short story Susanna’s Seven Husbands. John is currently gearing up for his next release Housefull 2 which, unfortunately for John, isn’t based on a literary masterpiece, in fact quite the contrary. Poor John, hope the big guns in Bollywood brush up on their reading.

SRK can’t teach bachcha

“English is a very funny language,” was Shah Rukh Khan’s reaction as he sat down to give his son Aryan some lessons in the language.

“Teaching clauses and phrases to son, workout cancelled. Who made up these English rules... it’s so much easier… the English on Twitter and SMS,” tweeted Shah Rukh, who is nevertheless fluent in the language. While King Khan indirectly lauded the use of abbreviations and slangs in social networking mediums, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is currently in hospital for medical treatment, has often been amused by it. Well, the challenge of battling with shudh high school English could be a daunting one to King Khan, as he’s so used to Hinglish in films and SMS-speak to network, unlike our super-erudite Big B.

The best Bollywood combination

Actress and social activist Shabana Azmi feels that when it comes to music, the combination of her lyricist husband Javed Akhtar and composer A.R. Rahman is unbeatable.

“I personally feel that today the combination of Javed and Rahman is the best. I am not saying that Rahman’s work with anyone else like Gulzar or Prasoon Joshi is not good, but Javed and Rahman’s combination is the best,” said the 61-yearold actress at a special screening of actor Prateik’s film Ekk Deewana Tha and give a thumbs up to actors who are open about their love lives, one must admit that there’s a certain grace and dignity in Vidya’s unique approach of handling her relationship in the public eye.

At the ceremony of the recently concluded Zee Cine Awards 2012 in Macau, Vidya (pictured here in her tribute to southern sirens), clinched a trophy. During her acceptance speech, after thanking everyone else, she spoke of the two new connections in her life that have proved to be her good luck charms. She thanked her young niece and nephew whose presence in her life, she claims, has in her life who makes every day worth living” - ahem ... clearly a reference to beau Siddharth Roy Kapoor without actually spelling out his name. So Vidya is in a slot of her own - a breed of actors who believe in acknowledging the existence of a love life without the compulsion of shouting out the partner’s name from rooftops. Smart!

And while on her, it must be said that love is very becoming of Vidya – who’s been looking radiant and glowing these days. Or maybe that has something to do with the applause coming her way wherever she goes.

“In our industry we get a lot of inspiration from other films, especially English films. But I think the best inspiration you can get is out of books,” said the 39-year-old actor. “Even English films that have done well, got their inspiration out of books. I think it’s important to read and get new ideas,” he added.

Now its hard to imagine John with his super-hot image sitting down with a good book, but surprisingly the actor confesses that he’s a fan of author Jeffrey Archer. And if he were to make a film based on a book, which one would that be? No surprises here, as John revealed, “I love Jeffrey Archer and have read all his books. If I have to make a Hindi picture, I would definitely make it on a Jeffrey Archer book.”

The actor recently featured in the

Guess Who

She comes from a filmi family, but has made a name for herself in designing

The songs of the movie are penned by Javed Akhtar, while the Oscar winning Rahman has composed the music for the film. Earlier, Rahman-Javed Akhtar had teamed up for Zubeidaa, Lagaan, Swades Akbar. There’s no denying that their has seen more success than most duos.

Shabana also sent out her blessings to Prateik and wished him success. “Prateik is my child and I pray for him the same way I pray for my children, that he should be happy always and continue to work always,” said Shabana who was named for the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian honour, this year.

Directed by Gautham Menon, the recently released Ekk Deewana Tha has Prateik romancing British model Amy Jackson, and their on-screen chemistry has been so potent that speculation is rife in B-town on whether they’ve taken their act to a more personal level. Well, if that snippet of gossip does turn out to be true, let’s hope that both pairs enjoy more success.

Big B getting better

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is getting better, after another stint in hospital to battle health problems with his kidney. Signs of improvement in his blood test reports meant the Big B didn’t need a second surgery, much to his relief and the relief of his family. He also tried to walk a few steps, but, at the time of going to press, he didn’t reveal actual discharge details. Can’t blame him, half of the country’s parked just outside the hospital, waiting for a glimpse of their hero.

Being confined to a hospital room hasn’t daunted the actor at all. He spends his time relaxing, surfing the net, spending time with the family, watching TV and invariably, posting on his blog. The Big B has indeed succumbed to the ailment of the ill – that of posting intricate details of his sickness on his blog. However, his descriptive powers being as fascinating as his acting, the posts actually make interesting reading, even as he described taking a few steps while holding on to the drip stand, or shared his observations on the necessity of keeping the body moving.

The 69-year-old underwent abdominal surgeries recently, and is likely to spend some more time in hospital. Son Abhishek is impressed with his dad’s ability to crack jokes despite his pain. He feels that Amitabh’s famous dialogue “Mard ko dard nahi hota from the movie Mard couldn’t have been more pertinent than now, when the megastar is battling severe medical conditions, and is still in his fun spirits.

The megastar’s health problems are related to his almost fatal accident in 1982 on the sets of the that the actor, who ruled the Hindi film industry for decades post the success of 1973-action movie Zanjeer battling with health problems. This is his third stint in hospital and we hope it’s his last. Good luck and get well soon, Big B!

Housefull is now empty

Akshay Kumar is happy about wrapping up the Housefull 2 shoot, but sad that the experience has come to an end. He says that all the cast and crew members will miss being with one another.

“Last day, last shot, last moment of Housefull 2. We may be smiling now but when we wake up we’ll be sad for sure. No matter what happens we’ve LOVED every minute,” Akshay posted on his Twitter page, along with a picture of the movie’s team.

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala, director Sajid Khan, and other actors Jacqueline Fernandes, Asin Thottumkal and John Abraham, besides Akshay, are part of the The movie is a sequel to the 2010 comedy film Housefull, and you can bet the cast, crew and Akshay himself are hoping that the sequel will be as successful as its predecessor!

Gattu wins special mention at 62nd Berlinale

Indian filmmaker Rajan Khosa’s Gattu has won a special mention at the 62nd Berlinale for capturing the ironies, the complexities and the vitality of India. At the recently concluded award ceremony of the international film festival, the eye; and in particular, the boundless ingenuity of the young rascal was utterly duelling spectacle throughout, children, adults and all humanity, about not taking no for an answer screenings at four venues. In addition

What’s Aamir Khan doing at the MCG?

Organising a mass rendering of his Lagaan number O Paalanhare because that’s the only thing that can save the Indian cricket team…. Shailesh Kumar

Shailesh wins a pack of two new Hindi film CDs to GUESS WHO? Farah Khan Ali, Suzanne Roshan’s sister

Mosaic was a part of the Talent Project Market for up-and-coming producers and directors to present their film projects to experienced co-producers and financiers.

Here’s hoping that Indian cinema sees much more exposure on the international film circuit.