PEECEE AT OSCARS 2017

So she had lots of fun at the Oscars, no doubt giving many Bollywoodwallahs #Oscars #GOALS.

Although she didnot score a presenting gig like last year, our girl squeezed herself into a tight gown (Ralph & Russo), wore US$5 million worth ofjewellery (Lorraine Schwartz) and strapped on the highest heels you have ever seen (no goss on which brand, sorry). She cosied up to her Baywatch co-star Dwayne Johnson on the red carpet, chatted up Dev Patel, andpretendedto interview JenniferAniston backstage for Kelly Ripa's chat show.

Then she gotchangedinto a blacksequinned Michael Kors number and went off to the after-party. And because she hadn't eaten a morselallday, she tucked into a massive juicy burger. (She posted a video of it).

Next day, she saw her name listed on various Best Dressed as well as Worst Dress lists. (Wow, the sheer talent to be able to pull that off).

You've allprobablyseen by nowthe Twitter comparisons about her dress: kaju katli (thanks, AIB, for that one); a vase, a blanket, ashimmeringquilt, a DIY project

Also this one: Who ate the sides of the dress?!

But the Indian actress has stopped fretting over fashion police as everyone is entitledto their own opinion. She said in an interview with IANS before the show, "I used to (get bothered about fashion policing) but not anymore. Now, I wear what I like and what I'm comfortable in and if someone doesn't like that, they don't. They are entitled to their own opinion."

Oh, er, sadly, Priyanka made no comment at all about the most memorable moment of the nightthat came at the end.

Lookingtothe

MOUNTAINS: RAHUL BOSE

Rahul Bose is back in a directorial role after a 16-year break. His new film Poorna is based on Pooma Malvath, the youngest girl in history to climb Mount Everest. She was 13 when she accomplished this feat two years ago.

Rahul claims he was first approached with the project as an actor. But when the project got shelved, he took it on as his own. Of course he still acts in the film, in the role that was first intended for him: Poorna's coach and mentor.

The actor-director claims he was drawn to the film solely because of young Pooma. She comes from a disadvantaged background, but is "astonishingly single-minded and determined''. She hails not from a mountainous region but from fat lands, which make the activity alien to her. But she put her mind to this seemingly impossible task, and went all out to achieve it.

A young Telangana girl Aditi lnamdar plays the main lead.

"It was very difficult to get the right Poorna," Rahul reveals. "When people see the flm, they will realise she carries the film. I was very clear: between casting an actor and casting a climber, I would always opt forthe former. We looked at over 500 girls in Telangana and shortlisted 109. Some of them were decently talented but none with the mix of sensitivity, intuition, resilience under pressure and high emotional intelligence that I was looking for. By then my casting director, Mayank, and his assistant were totally burnt out. We found that in the 110th girl we saw."

Rahul also promises some stunning footage from the summit of the Everest.

Rahul'sfirst film as director was way back in 2001, afilm called Everybody Says I'm Fine. In the interim, the 'thinking woman's actor' Rahul has been a regular on the speaking circuit {having spoken on cinema atYale, secularism at the Oxford, and on gender equality at Harvard) andhas impressed in offbeat films such as Di/ Dhadakne Do.

JIjust happen to be a Himalayan boy," he said. "We've had a house in Kasauli since 1947, so I grew up in the Himalayas. I've trekked till 17000 ft, done Uttarkashi, Sikkim, the hills around Kasauli, so for me this film was a win-win-win: mountains, sport, the girl child and a cinematically phenomenal story."

Poorna is set to release this month.

INSPIRED BYZOHRA SEHGAL: TANNISHTHA CHATTERJEE

Tannishtha Chatterjee, known for her performances infilmslike Rough Book, Angry Indian Goddesses andParched, says she wants to be like the late veteran actressZohra Sehgal.

"I remember the day when I met ZohraSehgal for the f rst time," she recalled recently. "She was 90 and I was 19. Even at her age, I was astonished by seeing her diligent. discipline and commitment to her work.That is a true taste of an artiste. My aspiration is to be that sort of an artiste."

The acclaimed actor, often called 'princess of parallel cinema', added, "I think for an artist, there is no scope of being satisfied. The day you are satisfied with your work, you are stopping yourself from exploring another avenue. It hasn't stopped for me and it is a continuous journey. I am learning andgrowing, andthis process shouldcontinue."

Yes, Zohrawould have agreed!

Tannishtha's latest film is Garth Davis'sLion, whichreceived six Oscar nominations butdidn't register any win. In her new project, the actress willbe seen portraying a historicfigure Doctor Rukhmabai, saidto be India'sfirst practising lady doctor.

APARSHAKTI: GOING FROM STRENGTHTO STRENGTH

Things are looking up for new kid on the block Aparshakti Khurrana, who has a decent role in the upcoming Badrinath Ki Dulhania starring Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan.

"I had a lot offun while on Badri," Aparshakti said recently. "Alia, Varun, Davidji and Karan Johar, are alla happy bunch of people. There was always a fun aspect on the set. Badri is very close to my heart."

The younger brother ofAyushmann Khurana,Aparshakti hasjust come off a grandsuccess with Dangal, where he played an adorable cousin to the Phogat sisters. He nailed it with his physical fitness and Haryanvi accent.

"I never expected my character in Dangalwould be admiredso much,''

liii#iMSi■Ulfy'-

he revealed. "I thoughtpeople would be excited for Aamir Khan, the two girls, andtheirjourney of becoming wrestlers. However, my characterOmkar was appreciated as much as the other characters."

He added, "People have started taking me seriously."

Aparshakti started his career in stage, and worked as a radiojockey andTV anchor.

Badrinath KiDulhania, a romantic comedy, is directed by Shashank Khaitan andslatedto release on 11 March.

SAYANIGUPTA: SCALING HEIGHTS

She claims she is scared of heights. But wejustsawSayani Guptajump off a 40-foot building in her latest flickJohnny LLB2!

It wasn't easy, butthe young actor managedto pull it off.

She credits it allto co-star Akshay Kumar who we allknow is quite theTom Cruise when it comes to doing his own stunts.

"When I saw the stunt person do thejump, I got very nervous.It was not pretty at all. But I stillwantedto do it. The action director Parvez Shaikh was trying to keep me calm and I was like 'I don't wantto bescared,butdo I really have a choice!?"

That's when Akshay, ever the mentor and guide, offered help.

"He gave me some simple tips which made it much easier. I amgratefulto him for being helpful, calm andsuch a master ofstunts.Thanksto him, I could jump with perfect calm!"

Now that's not as bad as it sounds Sayani has begun to make an impression ever since Margarita With a Straw. Herstintsin Fan, Parched and Baar Baar Dekho have not gone noticed, and we await her appearance inJagga Jasoos now.

Khayyam Launches Jukeboxat90

Padma Bhushan awardee and veteran composer MohammedZahur Khayyam, who recently turned 90, has launched hisjukeboxtitled Soothing Melodies of Khayyam on YouTube.

Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. paid tributeto the veteran music composer by launching hisjukebox which features 20 original song videos from hisfilms like Bazaar, Shagoon, Footpath and Lorie among others. It is available on YouTube channel Filmi Gaane.

The NationalAward winner, who celebrated his birthday on 18 February, has composed forfilmslike Kabhi Kabhie, Trishul, Noorie, UmraoJaan and Razia Sultan.

On his birthday, Khayyam also announced the formation ofa charity trust called Khayyam Jagjeet Kaur

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

KENDALJENNER orALIA BHATin BALMAIN?

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KPG Charitable Trust andalso shared the newsthat he is donating his entire wealth valuedaround Rs 10 crore to his own trust, which will help needy artists andtechnicians ofthe film industry.

ITTEFAQ: NO COINCIDENCE

Yash Chopra's 1969film lttefaq (starring Rajesh Khanna and Nanda) is set for a remake, starringSidharth Malhotra andSonakshi Sinha. The 1969 film was itself a remake of 1965 British film Signpost to Murder starringJoanne Woodward.

It is unusual for Bollywood to make a murdermystery, and that too one without any songs in it, and the new version hopes also to be much shorter than usual, at about two hours in length. Red Chillies Entertainment, Dharma Production and BR Films willjointly produce.

Sidharth Malhotra has revealed that the plot will undergo slight changes, as everyone knows what the original film was about, and the same storyline wouldnotleave any mysteryto be unfolded.

The film will release in late 2017.

Whattweetybirdtold Us This Week

Match the following stars to the tweets below Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan again, Alia Bhatt

This was too much fun. @chrissyteigen @KellyRipa #JenniferAniston #backstageshenanigans

41 years of "Kabhi Kabhie" !!

Heregoes the trailer !! #BKDTrailer

My fav films by Yashji #lttefaq is being recreated byAbhay. Thx @S1dharthM @sonakshisinha Akshaye. Also BR & Dharma Films tie up with RCE

Today on Feb 15th 1969 I officially joined the flm industry signed my 1st film 'Saat Hindustani'.

Full respect to the producer of La La Land who announced Moonlight asthe winner. Pure grace.

What's the chitchat between VARUN DHAWAN and ALIA BHATT?

Send in yourresponsesto win@indianlink.com.au andwin a movie pass

What's KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN thinkinghere?

So glad Saifsaid he would lookafter baby while I came here...

PRAJWAL SHRESHTHA KATOOMBA, NSW

Prajwal winsaticket to Hindifilm RunningShaadi

DIV guru

Dear Auntyji

I am really hoping for your advice because I find myself in a weird situation. We have the best neighbours - they arefriendly, helpful, fun and never intrusive. We have known them fortwo years now. Dave is a stay-athome dad and loves doing DIY stuff, and he is really, really good at it.

So, we wentto Darwin for two weeks, and when we returned, we noticed that all the DIY around the house had been done! Dave had used his keys to get inside the house -with our previous permission - and had resealed the grout in the bathroom, fixed cracks in the ceiling, cleaned out the plumbing and left the house pristine Now Auntyji, I was absolutely delighted by this turn of events, but my poor husband felt emasculated. He said itshould have been his role to do thesejobs, but the reality is that Mohit has not done any ofthese necessary tasks since we moved in! When we spoke to Dave, I was most appreciative of it, but Mohit says it was weird for Dave to come into our houseand fixstuff while we were away Because I really like Dave and Tina I have no issues. But what do you think Auntyji, is this odd? And what should Mohit do about this - even though I don t want him to do anything. Thoughts please?

Auntyji Says

Can I have the name ofthis wonderful neighbour so that I can move next to him please? Dave sounds like an ideal mate - he lets himself in, fixes up stuff and leaves the house in pristine condition. Now I understand that poor Mohit feels like a bekaroo, but he brought this on himself. If he had completed these jobs, Dave wouldn't have needed to do this in the first place. So I suggestyou have a chat with your bekaroopatidev, and tell him that this is the result of his laziness. Tell him he should be grateful to have a padosi like Dave.

Also, I think you might need to ponder why Mohit feels this way. Perhaps he is not as concerned about the work done as he is about the fact that there is another man happy and willing to step in where his own deficiencies take shape. So, tell him to either lift his game, or accept the fact thatthere is another man willing to do what he won't. As long as Dave does not try on your lingerie while you are at work, I suggest you let this go. Moh it will get over it. But, keep in mind that everything starts off innocent. Who knows what Dave gets up to while he is home alone. Nothing that a motion-activated recorder won't capture

Can't keep calm, he's turning 40

Dear Auntyji

My husband is shortly turning 40 Now, he says he loves his life, but he hates his job, hasn't given up bad habits like smoking and drinking and is often lazy He has been trying to change jobs for a while, but nothing has happened. He has tried to give up cigarettes, but that is an ongoing saga. All in all, he is not happy to be turning 40. His bestfriend Akash, on the other hand, is not married, but has the best career and a good life Akash is also turning 40 in the same month, and has decided to have a party. My husband thinks it's a good idea to have a party together As I see it, there is nothing to celebrate: hubby is getting older, fatter, unhealthier, with fewer options to change his career What's there to celebrate? Why the party? Fortunately, I have not said anything to hubby, but these are my thoughts. I love my husband dearly, but why all the celebration, Auntyji? Why waste all this good money on a party when he does not have his life in order Do you think I am being a little harsh? I would love to hear your thoughts

Auntyji Says

Wow. You are a hard wife. Your bechara, budda husband is not looking forward to turning cha/is, and the only thing that he has to help him get over the misery of entering his 50th decade is this party, and you want to deny him this. If you say you love him, let him have his party-sharty nah, tumhara kyajaata hai? Granted, you didn't win the lottery of life by ending up with a lazy smoker alcoholic with no career prospects, but abkya karenge, bahut der ho chukinah. I say you let him have his party and be happy for him. Turning 40 is a major milestone and you should be grateful he made it this far. Who's to know what will happen by his 50th? You should totally organise this party and make it the best party ever, ya?