PALLAVI SET FOR TAMIL DEBUT

Besharam girl and our very own Pallavi Sharda has been roped in by filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon for his yet untitled Tamil romantic drama. The film also features Silambarasan aka Simbu. "I wanted a heroine who could give us bulk dates and I know for a fact that all the established actresses are extremely busy, and therefore, I roped in Pallavi. Moreover, when I met her, I liked her confidence and eventually signed her on," Menon said recently

Pallavi, who had earlier starred in films such as My Name is Khan and Dus Tola, has already shot for nearly two weeks for the film , which was launched recently and is expected to be completed by February 2014.

Looks like Melbourne girl Pallavi is ready to take on not just Bollywood, but the Indian film industry!

Kar isma and her cause

Actress Karisma Kapoor, who is choosy about her performances, actually bent the rules for Our Girl Our Pride, an initiative to empower the girl child. She said it's also a 'tribute to a ll the ladies'from her family

"It was a fabulous day and I strongly be lieve in the cause. I generally don't perform. I am quite choosy about it, but today I performed and paid tribute to all the Kapoor ladies, including (late grandmother) Geeta Bali, (aunt) Neetu Singh, and my mom Babita and sister Kareena supporting the cause," said Karisma, known for her powerpacked performances in Fiza and Zubeidaa. The actress performed as part of a unique programming initiative of NDTV, which in association with Vedanta and campaign ambassador and actress Priyanka Chopra, dedicated Dec 1 to honour the country s girls on its network channels with a live telecast from 10am. The campaign's aim is to create awareness about issues related to the girl child and fight for her rights.

Karisma who is also a mother, says her life completely changed after the birth of her daughter Samaira. "My life has become more beautiful after giving birth to a daughter It's great to have a daughter;' she said and added, "I am blessed to have a daughter and a son''.

Other participants in the initiative included actress Kajol, and tennis Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza, among others.

Isn' t it great to see Bollywood's belles getting into the groove to support India's girl children? Good on you Karisma!

Love is lost on Deepika

Deepika Padukone is riding high on a string of successful movies, is certainly not keen on wasting time on a romantic relationship.

"I don' t think I am ready for a relationship at the moment. I don't think my career has anything to do with my relationship. It's just that I am in a happy space right now and not ready to be in a relationship," said the 27-year-old actress.

Deepika, who had a roaring relationsh i p with actor Ranbir Kapoor in the past, said, "I think igniting the spark means keeping the romance alive in your relationship by doing the unexpected. Surprise your partner in pleasant ways, something that he or she wouldn't anticipate".

"Nowadays, couples tend to take each other for granted because they feel they know each other inside out which results in loss of spark and enthusiasm in the relation. The second most important thing is to not lose yourself Take care of yourself, your space and only then

DEEPIK.A PADUK.ONE

will you be able to take care of your relationship '.

Meanwhile Deepika is basking in the success of her latest release Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-lee/a. Her fluid and energy-packed dance i n the Nagada sang dhol song from the movie has been widely appreciated but she doubts if she can recreate the grandeur of the number in other performance forums sans the film's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She says the song's popularity was the "least expected of the lot''.

On the Bollywood front, she has completed Homi Adajania's English language film Finding Fanny, which shou ld release soon. "I am also doing Happy New Year with Abh i shek Bachchan and Shah Rukh, all fun boys to work with. I am also looking forward to start lmtiaz's film with Ranbir,"said Deepika, whose flight of fame seems to be reaching new heights

So is there any chance of a holiday sometime soon? "I am sure I can squeeze in some family time, it's always welcome;' said the 27-year-old.

Well , we hope 20 14 is a hit for this young, talented actress

Kareena goes crazy!

In what will be a completely different avatar, Kareena Kapoor-Khan will be reinvented in Dev Benegal's fi lm Bombay Samurai. Post- marriage, she seemed to flounder in her choices with a halfhearted crusader's role in Prakash Jha's Satyagraha and the totally inane social activist's role in Gori Tere Pyaar Mein. With Bombay Samurai, Kareena fina ll y seems to have got her post-marriage formula right.

According to sources, the film is "a crazy zany rollicking rollercoaster ride with amazing twists and turns There are seven to eight pivotal characters. But Kareena and Farhan (Akhtar) pres i de

Kareena Kapoor

over the show They play a couple like no other seen before in our films . They are wacky and unpredictable The two actors will have a ball p laying their outgoing zestfu l characters;' the source added Both Kareena and Farhan were keen to work with one another " I' ve seen Kareena's work She i s consistently excellent. I was keen to work w ith her Dev's film gives us a chance to try something different:' said Farhan And of course, Kareena expressed the highest admiration for Farhan, "I admire Farhan for being multi-talented. Which other director has done so well as an actor?

The Farhan-Kareena film starts after Kareena 's annual holiday in Switzerland in December where she sneaks off without fail every year, to enjoy her annual Christmas- New Year holiday in Switzerland with husband Saif Ali Khan. So get ready to see Kareena in crazy, zany mode!

Karisma Kapoor

Priyanka on her perfect partner

" My partner should be a male version of me;' said actress Priyanka Chopra when asked recently on what she was lo oking for in a prospective life partner.

The actress admits that she has a long list of benchmarks, so watch out boys, this lady i sn't going to be easy to please " I have a very long list and very high standards. He has to be a gentleman, he has to be intelligent, someone I respect and funny, not stupid funny but witty funny, charming;' the 31-year-old said recent ly

Priyanka added that it does not matter whether he is an actor or not, but she " would never respect a guy who is not an achiever''.

Let's wish Priyanka luck in finding her Mr Me!

Bachchan at his best Megastar Amitabh Bachchan d e livered the Penguin Annual Lecture 2013 podium, much to the joy of an eclectic

WI-IO WORE IT BETTER?

Priy Anka Chopra

audience of almost a thousand, and left them more star- struck as he spoke about empowering the country's women, Indian cinema, poetry and more

The 7 1-year-old, looking handsome in a black formal suit presented the lecture at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Del hi.

He touch ed upon his memories of his father, the late legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, whose birth anniversary was on Nov 27. "A decade without him;' sighed Amitabh as he shared some of his conversations with his father dur ing the lecture

Releases roundup

The Bollywood filmmaking scene is buzzing currently, with anticipation for some and disappointment for others. FilmmakerTigmanshu Dhulia 's much anticipated Bullett Raja didn't quite shatter the box office as many expected, but it did reasonably well by earning about Rsl 3 crore in just two days after its release Wonder if that made Dhu lia happy or sad?

The film starring Saif Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha is based in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, and has been described as a feast of guns, grime, and g lory

R Rajkumar starring Shahid Kapoor and again, Sonakshi Sinha will release soon, and sources say that it's a very impressive crime thriller Being a Prabhudheva film, there i s a lot of hope from the film, as he has a reputation for solid box office hits.

T he Aamir Khan-starrer action th r iller Dhoom 3 wi ll hit screens on December 20, and will see Aamir in a negative role. This is another sure-hit film , say pundits, what with Aamir's renowned Midas touch

Director-produce r Anubhav Sinha is gearing up for the release of his Madhuri Dixit-starrer production Gulaab Gang, about the women vigilante group Sinha has directed Shah Rukh Khan - starrer superhero film Ra.One and multi -starrer Dus, so this may be his next hit. Gulaab Gang is directed by Soumik Sen and will see Madhuri as the protagonist, wh i le Juhi Chawla will be seen as the antagonist.

Cobie Smulders or Sushmita Sen in Nina Ricci?

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So that's what Bollywood has in store for its fans, watch this space for more movie masala