Big B turns 70

it was a night to end all nights, and a party to end all parties as the cream of the Hindi and South Indian film industry turned up to wish megastar Amitabh

Bachchan on his 70th birthday on October 11. The party held on October 10 was organised by Jaya Bachchan, and was held at the Reliance Mediaworks in Film City in Goregaon. Over 800 guests, dressed in their best, graced the occasion from ageing stars to the young crop to politicians and producers.

Amitabh himself looked dashing in a knee-length black velvet kurta, looking content at being the centre of attention from his immediate family including wife Jaya, son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya, daughter Shweta Nanda and her husband and children. A special moment for him was being wished by his grand-daughter

Aaradhya, who also made a brief appearance when the cake was being cut.

The Big B was his charming self, unfazed by the media frenzy and posing for shutterbugs while he thanked everyone for their wishes.

From veteran actor Dilip Kumar and wife Saira Bano, to legendary villain Pran and Shashi Kapoor who both turned up in wheelchairs, and the indomitable Rajnikanth, the venue buzzed with the best in the industry.

Celebrities like Karan Johar, Anil Ambani, Aditya Godrej, Kumaramangalam Birla, Mulayam Singh Yadav with son Akhilesh, Chaggan Bhujbal, Uddhav Thackeray with wife and son also attended, rubbing shoulders with Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, Jeetendra, Waheeda Rehman, Prem Chopra, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor with wife Neetu, Moushmi Chatterjee, Aruna Irani, Yash Chopra with wife Pamela, Sridevi with husband Boney Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Jeetendra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Priety Zinta, Vidya Balan, Bipasha Bau, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit with husband, Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Juhi Chawla, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Govinda.

The entrance of the megastar’s home, his bungalow called Jalsa, was adorned with garlands and hundreds of people from different walks of life, gathered outside his house to catch a glimpse of the iconic actor and wish him a long life.

But the highlight of the Big B’s birthday was the launch of a book of artwork inspired by the superstar in Mumbai. Aptly titled B Seventy, the book is a tribute to Big B by 70 leading artists of the country.

“A part from the sale of these artworks will be donated for quality education of the girl child,” Jaya Bachchan, who released the book, said. She had, in fact, conceptualised the idea along with adman Piyush Pandey, a fitting tribute for a great actor and the face of the Indian film industry.

With a birthday so memorable a milestone, all we can do is wish Amitabh Bachchan a happy and contented life. Good luck always!

“There is no dearth of Kishore Kumar fans. Most of the requests are for Kishore Kumar songs - be it on mails, Facebook or Twitter or on the telephone. They come each single day without a miss,” she said. Kishore Kumar, fondly known as Kishoreda, gave the Indian film industry hit songs like O Hansini, Aa chal ke tujhe, Pyar manga tumhi se, Pal pal dil ke paas, Hawa ke saath saath, Chukar mere mann ka and Jahaan teri ye nazar hai

Kishoreda’s songs have a timeless charm, with melodies and lyrics which make them hard to forget, especially his evergreen romantic songs.

The singer, who won many Filmfare awards for songs like Roop tera mastana, Pag ghoongru bandh and Hume aur jeene ki, is very much with us through his talent and art, says Pakistani singer Adnan Sami.

gUeSS WHo ?

“(Kishoreda) has sung so many songs he is alive through his work. We have all the reasons to celebrate his existence in our lives,” he said.

And of course, thanks to the internet, young people too can easily access Kishore’s songs, and popular numbers like Zindagi ek safar, Gaadi bula rahi and O majhi re have crossed over a billion hits on YouTube.

However, fans between the age group of 30-50 years still buy CDs and DVDs of his old melodies.

Quirky and eccentric as he may have been, Kishore Kumar’s talent as a singer and actor remains unchanged through the years. A true legend indeed!

reddy proud to be dusky

Sameera Reddy has the most beautiful skin, a lovely dusky shade and adding this to her stunning good looks and voluptuous figure, she’s a pretty hot package. The actress has recently performed a racy item number in Chakravyuh, and she’s happy with the way her career has shaped up.

“I am so proud of my dusky look. I am so proud to have black eyes, black hair and a dusky skin. I am a tall voluptuous girl and I can never be thin,” said Sameera confidently in an interview.

The actress, who has appeared in Hindi films like Race, No Entry and De Dana Dan apart from a host of southern films, admits her dusky look helped her bag the song in Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh

“When Prakash Jha called, he said he wanted me to do an item song and he couldn’t think of anyone else for it. He basically wanted a very earthy and rustic look for his song. It’s a very realistic film and this song was needed in the second half of the film,” revealed Sameera.

“He liked the fact that I am fit. He wanted someone with a dusky skin,” she added.

The 29-year-old is also happy that she has managed to carve a niche for herself in showbiz without a godfather.

“I always say that without any filmy background, I have done whatever I wanted to do in life. I am happy the way my career has shaped up and there are no regrets. I am glad to be a part of southern films as well which are being remade in Hindi. My latest (Tamil) film Vettai is being remade in Hindi,” she said.

Soon to be released Chakravyuh has an eclectic cast featuring Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Esha Gupta, Manoj Bajpayee, Kabir Bedi and Anjali Patil. So don’t miss out on Sameera strutting her stuff!

Constantly overshadowed by moretalented older sister and better-known best friend

Sensational sweet success

After wowing Indian audiences with its unusual storyline and superb acting, Barfi! is now making roadways into the international film circuit. The movie will be India’s official entry for the foreign film entry at the Oscars, but it also recently won hearts at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, evoking a standing ovation from an audience of 4,000 people. Needless to say, but we will – the lead actors Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor are thrilled. Ranbir, who played a deaf and mute man named Murphy in the movie, says the team is “thrilled by the amazing reception”.

“We received a standing ovation at the end of the screening which was both exhilarating and humbling for us. Barfi! is a very special film for all of us involved,” he said in a statement.

Priyanka, who essayed an autistic girl named Jhilmil, echoed his views, saying “I am thrilled with the response received for the film and also for my performance. This was the first film festival to showcase Barfi! and I’m looking forward to many more.”

The movie won hearts with its moving narrative about love between the two key characters, and has managed to cross the Rs.6 million mark from the overseas market.

It seems that a worldwide audience is now set to give Indian cinema a chance to prove the worth of some of its movies. Moving away from the stereotypical commercial baloney dished out by Bollywood, it’s a refreshing run for the talented team. Now it’s fingers crossed for sweet success at the Oscars! Good luck!

A secret

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji may be friendly, outgoing and charismatic, but she sure knows when to zip it when it comes to the media asking awkward questions. One of these was a query to confirm rumours that she is married to filmmaker Aditya Chopra, who, the buzz says, she has been seeing for a while now.

“My name has been linked with several people, but (God) will decide who will become my life partner,” said Rani on a TV show recently.

Rani, whose latest film released recently, reacted strongly to media reports about her secret marriage to Aditya, elder son of acclaimed filmmaker Yash Chopra.

“The media can’t even decide which year the wedding took place. Was it 2007, or 2009, or 2012? Let them (media) make up their mind first.

I am fortunate that the people of this country consider me as their daughter and they are worried about my marriage. But birth, death and marriage are in the hands of upar waala and what is ordained, shall happen,” said the actress a touch philosophically, who sported a rudraksha string on her left wrist.

“As far as my marriage with Aditya is concerned, I can only say, Main toh abhi kunwaari hoon (I am still unmarried),” she added, effectively quashing the hopes of a fresh scandal for mediawallas. But it’s early days yet, let’s wait and see if the Rani-Aditya jodi becomes a permanent one, with the blessings of upar waala!

Political films make a point

Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, best known for films like Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar, says that he supports movies based on political issues as he believes they can have a profound influence on the people.

“As far as political movies are concerned, they have a strong impact because politics is a very important force in our lives. If we want any change, then we should elect only those people who can bring that change in the country,” said the 48-year-old at the screening of In The Name Of Tai. The newly-released movie is the story of a village woman who suffers in the process of protecting the lands of the farmers from the clutches of powerful builders, and politicians.

“I think a film on politics tends to make you think, can show you a new direction and can create an environment where you can take decisions, as to whom to

Gowariker’s last release was country. We’ll just have to wait

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Last issue Caption Contest winning entry the pangs of separation, although franchise was a conscious decision for him. The talented director admits he will definitely miss being a part of , a Yash Raj Films project that as it is very close to my heart. It was a conscious decision to not direct making the same kind of cinema. I didn’t want to go on doing the same thing again and again,” he said.

The previous two films of Dhoom franchise turned out to be blockbusters with Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra reprising their roles as ACP Jai Dixit and Ali, respectively. Gadhvi generously hopes the third instalment becomes a bigger hit.

The director’s latest film is romantic comedy Ajab Gazabb Love, which features Jackky Bhagnani and southern actress Neha Subbaiah. Well, all we can wish for is that Gadhvi’s latest venture is as sensational as Dhoom! IANS karan: maybe if i stand real close to you they’ll stop calling me names… Vidya: you are what you are, Babes, nothing will change that.

Sukumar Iyer glenorchy, Tasmania

Sukumar wins a music CD of new Hindi film Aiyyaa

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