TOUGI-IIE PRIYANKA READY TO TAKE ON A FIGI-IT

No, Priyanka Chopra is not talking about the box office competition, but about actually beating someone up phys i cally! And the actress strongly feels that every woman should learn some form of self- defence Priyan ka may have now lost all the muscle she built up for her role as five-time boxing champion M C. Mary Korn in her forthcoming film, but she says she's now fitter and stronger to give a tough fight to anyone

"Today, I can beat anyone up, it feels great," Priyanka , one of the Hindi film industry's most indomitable actors exclaimed whi l e she was on the move for her promotiona l commitments for Mary Kom

Building the muscles for the movie, which brings to screen the inspirational story of Manipur- based boxer Mary Korn, made Priyanka "very tired''. But it was definitely worth it, she says

"Today, I may not be able to beat another boxer in a boxing ring, but I'l l be able to give her a tough fight I've l earnt that much"

The experience has also led to the realisation that women must learn some form of self-defence

Given the way Indian society is changing, viewers are beginni ng to expect Bollywood films with strong female lead roles Priyanka, like some of her contemporaries (Rani in Mardaani or Madhuri -Juhi in Gu/aabi Gang), is happy to lend a hand Or a fist!

I think girls should be able to do what they want, be free and not be worried about protecting themselves But I think that in the wor l d that we live in today, unless the l aws that have been made to protect us have been implemented well enough, we should learn some form of self-defence just for confidence

"You may not be able to beat a guy who's coming at you, but you'l l be abl e to put up a fight. And that can really scare some people off. So, with that, you wil l be able to say, 'You cannot take advantage of me"'.

All that toughness has definitely been showing in the last few weeks, as the 32-year- old has been tire lessly promoting her latest film wh il e still working on her new project Oil Dhadakne Do, battling the flu, and managing to fit in some h igh-profile partyi ng such as with the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan or mock-spa rr ing with mega star Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of his KBC. Mary Kom , directed by first-timer Omung Kumar, wil l prem i ere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 4 Sept.

The film has been given tax-free status in many Indian states

Kapoor sisters are besties for life

They are more than just siblings Actress Sonam Kapoor and her producer sister Rhea are best buddies too, with Sonam seeing her sister as a phi losopher and guide

The duo had worked together i n the 2010 release Aisha; their next project together i s Khoobsurat a remake of Hrishi kesh Mukherjee's hit 1980 movie of the same name

"When we worked on Aisha she was 2 1 and I was 23,"said Sonam. "For that film PVR be l ieved in us as a team, and now Di sney has"

"Rhea and I are partners in whatever we do and this is another project that we felt worked and it's a new way of showcas ing something She i s my business partner and my best friend We work and live together," she added However, she admits that, being two very different personalities, they can h ave differences of opinion - even sisterly catfights, but it's al l part of the game and no harm is done.

Directed by Shashanka Ghosh, Khoobsurat marks popular Pakistani actor Fawad Khan's Boll ywood debut

"The film is an ode to Hrishikesh Muherjee's films We are fans of Mili, Guddi and Khubsoorat. The basic premise is the same, it's about this young g ir l coming into the fami l y and making their li fe khoobsurat but the story is completely different," she sa i d

Bipasha for Honey Singh

Actress Bipasha Basu is so impressed with rapper-singer Yo Yo Honey Singh that she is keen to work with him

"I will be foolish if I don't want to;' Bipasha said on the sets of Honey Singh's singing reality show India's Raw Star "I wou l d l ove to work w ith him because his songs are very popu lar. People love his songs and you can rea ll y dance to them He has got a great groove to al l his songs''. Further praising him, the 35-year-old said: "Honey Singh has the magic touch He is the Midas man of music today"

With i n a short span oftime, Honey Singh has become quite popular in B-town Right from superstar Shahrukh Khan to megastar Amitabh Bachchan, he has composed and sung for most of the top-notch actors His biggest hit was Lungi Dance for Chennai Express Recent ly, Sonakshi Sinha featured in the music video Desi Kalakaarfrom his upcom ing al bum

As of now, Bipasha i s looking forward to the release of her fi l m Creature 30 on Sep 12

Big B trends on Twitter with 10 million

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, an avid user of socia l media has amassed a following of over 10 mi llion users on Twitter His target is to double the figure "Thank you all that follow me! Next target 20," Amitabh tweeted recently

K.APOOR

The most followed Twitter user in India, the 7 1-year-old is known for h i s versatility on the p l atform

He keeps h i s fans entertained by frequent ly tweeting about issues of national and i nternational importance, sharing moments from his personal and professiona l life, and connecting with his fans personally by replying to them directly on Twitter, through over 33,000 Tweets t ill now

The actor is also known for initiating new trends on the platform and recently launched an initiative called #BachchanBol via which every Wednesday, the actor shares fun and interesting facts with his followers. Go Bi g B!

Mardaani-style policing not ideal for police: Human rights body

Impressed by Rani Mukerji 's new movie Mardaanl, which sees the actress playi ng a po lice officer on a m i ssion against trafficking of girls, a top police officer in Bihar had requested district chiefs to arrange shows for al l policemen to take inspiration from i t for the fight against chi ld trafficking

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has written an open letter urging that this shou ld not be allowed because the styl e of policing in the film promotes "violent" and "encounter- style" pol icing i n the name of"efficiency"

The CHRI says, "No doubt the heroine of Mardaani, Shivani has certain qualities that every police officer must uphold Honesty and corrupt ion- free po l ice conduct is what the public l ook up to police officers for However, Shivani's conduct invol ves gross violations of the Constitution, cr iminal procedure, and fair tr ial rights of the suspect. The i ncreased emphasis on violence as the so lution to solving al l probl ems re-emphasises bad practice, wh ich the po l ice i s everyday being accused of"

The organ isation commends the film for cr itically examining and continu ing the debate on tackling sex trafficking

However, it notes, "Your endorsement promotes violent and 'encounter-style' policing in the name of'efficiency'.

Criminals must be brought to justice through legal and responsible policing, el se we risk losing the distinction between criminals and the police service" lndiawaale will become dance anthem: Shekhar

Do take note, Rani and YRF!

Shekhar of composer duo VishalShekhar says their song lndiawaale, which they've composed for Shahrukh Khan's forthcoming film Happy New Year, will become a dance anthem.

Vishal-She khar, who performed at a Bangalore Ganesh Utsav event recently,