Dipika Padukone

Profile

Date of Birth: 5th January, 1986.
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Debut Film: "Om Shanti Om"
Film Awards: Best Newcomer Female Star Screen Award for "Om Shanti Om "

Mini Biography
Deepika Padukone was born at Copenhagen (Denmark) to famous Indian Badminton player Prakash Padukone and Ujjala Padukon. She did her schooling from Sophia's High School, Bangalore and completed her undergraduate program from Mount Carmel College. Dipika Padukone was a state level Badminton player but she did not take her game to the national level as she had set her sights on the glamorous world of showbiz. Deepika was a proud member of dance club run by his father. She has appeared in advertisements of Liril soap, Dabur Lal powder, plus shampoo and Limca. Deepika Padukon has received many prestigious modeling offers including brand ambassadorship of the Jewels of India, an annual jewellery festival. Deepika Padukone entered the international modeling arena with her first campaign with Maybelline, one of the most renowned cosmetic brands.

Deepika also featured as one of the models for the Kingfisher swimsuit calendar for the year 2006. Dipika did a music video for 'Naam Hai Tera' a song from the pop album Aap Ka Suroor, an independent album by singer Himesh Reshammiya. Deepika Padukone made her film debut with the Kannad film "Aishwarya". She won appreciation for her performance in her debut movie. Deepika made her Bollywood debut with "Om Shanti Om" opposite Shah Rukh Khan. In the movie, she has been depicted as a 1970s superstar Shantipriya and later as Sandhya.

Filmography
Om Shanti Om, Aishwarya (Kannad).

Trivia

• Deepika got acting training from Anupam Kher's academy.
• Like the usual trend in Bollywood, Deepika Padukone has already been linked with various men and the recent gossip is her relationship with the famous cricketer Mahindra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh.
• She has always admired three women in the industry whom she saw acting when she was growing up and they are none other than Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and of course Aishwariya Rai.
• Deepika has a younger sister named Anisha.
• Her mother Ujjala is a travel agent.

Celina Jaitley

Profile

Date of Birth: 9th June 1981, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Nickname: Chinky, Chinto
Height: 5' 6" (1.68 m)
Education: Bachelor of Commerce.
Debut Film: "Janasheen" opposite Fardeen Khan.
Film Awards: None

Mini Biography
Celina Jaitley is daughter of an army officer. Her mother is an Afghani and is a child psychologist by profession. Celina has a brother who is also an army officer. After graduation, Celina Jetley did a marketing job in a Cell phone company in Kolkata. In Kolkata, Celina participated in a local beauty contest just for the heck of participation and to everybody's surprise she emerged victorious. This encouraged Celina to participate in Miss India contest. She was crowned Miss India in 2001. Celina Jaitley stepped in the world of Bollywood cinema with "Janasheen". In spite of her bold scenes, the movie could not do any wonders at the Box Office though she earned the title of sex symbol with all her bikini shots. Her next film was "Khel" opposite Sunny deol, which also failed at box office. In spite of all these failures Celina Jetley continues to get roles in movies. She also appeared in the video "Zara Nazron Se Kehdo" by the Bombay Vikings.

Filmography
Shaka laka Boom Boom, Red, No Entry, Apna Sapna Money Money, Tom Dick and Harry, Zinda, Jawani Diwani, Silsiilay,

Trivia

• Celina was fourth runner up at the 2001 Miss Universe pageant.
• Her favorite actor is Aamir Khan and favorite actress is Aishwarya Rai.
• She wanted to be a Pilot or a Doctor in armed forces.
• Her hobbies are- Surfing the net, reading, sketching and listening to music.
• Celina Jetley is a great fan of Amitabh Bachchan and Sushmita Sen. She dreams to work with them some day.
• In her upcoming movie Red, Celina Jaitley is playing the role of a young widow who gets involved in an intense physical and emotional relationship with Aftab Shivdasani.

Amrita Arora

Personal Profile

Date of Birth: 31st January, 1981.
Nickname: Ammu
Address: Plot No198, Poojakunj Apartments, Sher-e-Punjab Colony, Andheri East, Mumbai-400 093
Height: 5' 5" (1.65 m)
Education: Graduate in Psychology, Sophia College (Mumbai)
Debut Film: "Kitne Door Kitne Paas"

Mini Biography
Amrita Arora was born in a traditional Maharashtrian family at Mumbai (Bombay). She is the younger sister of Malaika Arora, the well known model and actress. Amrita Arora followed footsteps of her elder sister. She started her career as Model and gradually moved into being a Video jockey. Amrita hosted shows such as "MTV House Full" and "MTV Chill Out". She also featured in many advertisements such as Ponds, Elle 18 and Sunsilk Fruitamins. Amrita Arora made her debut in Bollywood with the film "Kitne Door Kitne Pass" opposite Fardeen Khan. Her first film was unsuccessful at the Box Office. Amrita's first successful movie was "Awara Paagal Deewana" directed by Vikram Bhatt. After that, a series of flop film followed including the controversial film "Girlfriend" with Isha Koppikar (a film about lesbian relationship). She was romantically linked to Kevin Otter, Upen Patel and Ashmit Patel. Currently she is said to be dating Usman Afzaal.

Filmography
Amrita Arora Famous Movies: Deewana, Kayanaat, Raakh, Speed, Heyy Babyy Red - the dark side, Jeet , Fight Club, Rakht, Girlfriend , Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, Kitne Door Kitne Paas , Awara Paagal Deewana, Ab Ke Baras.

Trivia

• One of memorable experience of Amrita is winning MTV VJ hunt.
• Her father died of cancer.
• Her best friend in the film industry is Kareena Kapoor.
• Born on the same date as the actress Preity Zinta.

Amisha Patel

Personal Profile

Date of Birth: 9th June 1976, Mumbai (Bombay), India.
Address: 51, Shahaka Building, B Road, Church Gate, (Mumbai) Bombay- 400020
Height: 5' 2½" (1.59 m)
Education: Graduate in Economics from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Debut Film: "kaho Na Pyar Hai" directed by Rakesh Roshan
Film Awards: The Filmfare Special Award for "Gadar Ek Prem Katha", Kalashree sensational discovery award for "Kaho Na Pyar Hai", Zee Cine Best female Debut Award for" Kaho Na Pyar Hai"

Mini Biography
Amisha Patel is the grand daughter of famous lawyer and former justice Rajni patel. The name Amisha is a combination of Amisha Patel's parent's name, Amit & Asha. She has an elder brother named Asmit Patel, who is also a film actor. After graduation she worked for a finance company and did occasional modeling. Ameesha returned back to India and joined Satyadev Dubey's theatre and started acting in plays. She was spotted by Rakesh Roshan in a family party and signed her for "Kaho Na Pyar Hai" opposite his son, Hrithik Roshan. The film was the biggest blockbuster of the year and Amisha became a star overnight. After "Kaho Na Pyar Hai", Amesha did many films and all of them were unsuccessful at the Box Office except "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha". "Gadar" was a super hit film and gave new boost to her acting career. She won many awards for her performance in Gadar. Besides acting in Hindi movies Amisha Patel also did four Telugu movies. Her recent released film is" Bhool Bhoolaiya". Amisha Patel has recently signed a new film, directed by Kunal Kohli, which will also star Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee.

Filmography
Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Gadar Ek Prem Katha, Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar, Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage , Kya Yeh Hai Jalwa , Humraaz , Parwana, Suno Sasurjee, Naani [Telugu] , Vaada, Elaan , Zameer, Narasimhudu [Telugu],The Rising, Mere Jeevan Saathi , Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai, Teesri Aankh ,Tathastu, Aap Ki Khatir, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Hey Baby, Bhool Bhulaiya, Happy Birthday, Badri [Telugu]

Trivia

• She has strained relations with her parents and she accuses them of swindling her finances.
• She was linked to Bunty Walia before her live-in relationship with director Vikram Bhatt.

Aishwarya Rai

Personal Profile

Date of Birth: 1st November, 1973, Mangalore (Karnataka), India.
Nick Name: Ash, Gullu, Aishu.
Address: Pratiksha (Residence of Amitabh Bachchan), 10th Rd, J.V.P.D. Scheme, Bombay 400049
Height: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Education: Bachelor of Architecture.
Debut Film: "Iruvar" (Tamil) directed by Mani Ratnam, Aur Pyar Ho Gaya (Hindi) directed by Rahul Rawail

Film Awards
Miss photogenic and Miss World Title at London (1994)
Femina Miss India World Title (1994)
International Indian Film Academy awards: Best actress for "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam "(2000), Best Actress for "Devdas" (2003),
Filmfare Awards: Best Actress (Tamil) For "Jeans "(1999), Best Actress for "Hum Dil De Sanam" (2000), Best Actress for "Devdas" (2003)

Mini Biography
The Beauty Queen, Aishwarya Rai was born in a traditional south Indian family. She got her education at Mumbai (Bombay) and started modeling during her graduation. Aishwarya became a household name in India when she featured in Pepsi advertisement with Mahima Chaudhary. This gorgeous model was now set to rock the world with her beauty and intelligence. Aishwarya Rai took the glamour world by storm by winning the Miss World crown at Sun City in 1994. The leading directors of Bollywood were soon lined up to work with Ash.

Aishwarya Rai made her debut with Mani Ratnam's "Iruvar" (Tamil). Aishwarya received critical acclaim for her performance in "Iruvar". She was introduced to Bollywood by film director Rahul Rawail in his film"Aur Pyar Ho Gaya" and she won the Best Female Debutant Award for her performance in this film. The turning point in her acting career came with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's " Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and she went on to win International Indian Film Academy Best Actress award and the Fimlfare Best Actress Award for her performance.

Aishwarya did a number of movies with different directors such as Aditya Chopra (Mohabbatein) and Satish kaushik (Hamara Dil Aap Ke Pas Hai). Aishwarya again worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the film "Devdas" which became memorable in a number of ways- "Devdas" was the biggest blockbuster of the film Industry and the first Bollywood movie to have special screening at Canne's Film Festival. Later, Ash was made a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, the first Indian actress to have this honour. She also featured on the covers of India Today and the Time Magazine. Time Magazine has also listed her in their list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World Today". She also became the first Indian female actress to be immortalized in wax at the world famous Madame Tussaud's wax museum in London. Aishwarya is married to Bollywood star Abhisekh Bachchan.

Filmography
Jodhaa Akbar, Provoked, Guru, Dhoom 2, Umrao Jaan, The Mistress Of Spices The Last Legion, Saamna, Bunty Aur Babli, Shabd, Raincoat, Balle Balle! From Amritsar To L.A, Kyun! Ho Gaya Na, Khakee, Kuch Naa Kaho, Dil Ka Rishta Chokher Bali, Shakti, Devdas, 23rd March 1931 Shaheed, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Albela, Mohabbatein, Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, Josh, Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke, Taal, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Aa Ab Laut Chalen and Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya.

Trivia

• A Tulip named after her name.
• Ash turned down the role opposite Jackie Chan in the movie "Time Breaker".
• She made her first commercial for Camlin Pencil when she was in 9th grade.
• She suffered an accident on the sets of "Khakee" when a car driven by a stuntman got out of control.
• Aishwarya Rai is now married to Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, son of the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
• She won miss photogenic and miss World Title at London (1994)
• She won Femina Miss India World Title (1994)

Amrita Rao

Personal Profile

Date of Birth: 17th June 1981, Chitrapur, India.
Height: 5' (1.52 m)
Education: Graduate in Psychology.
Debut Film: "Ab ke Baras"
Film Awards: Filmfare Award for Best Female Debutante for "Ishq Vishk"

Mini Biography
Amrita Rao was born in a conservative Saraswat Brahmin family. Amrita Rao started her career in showbiz industry as a model and then graduated to acting in films. Her first assignment was for the "Fairever face cream". Since then Amrita Rao has appeared in more than thirty five advertisements. She was noticed by the film director Raj Kanwar in Cadbury's Perk advertisement and signed her for his movie "Ab Ke Baras". "Ab Ke Baras" did not do well at the Box Office but she was admired and appreciated for her performance. Her second film "Ishk Vishk "was a super hit. Amrita Rao won the Filmfare Best Debutant award for her performance in the movie "Ishk Vishk". Since then she never looked back and Amrita was offered variety of roles in the coming films. Her other hit movies are "Masti", "Main Hoon Na"& "Vivah". After that Amrita did a number of films but most of them could not make any impact at the Box Office.

Filmography
Vivah, Pyare Mohan, My Name is Anthony Gonsalvez, Shikhar, Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi, Deewar, Main Hoon Na, Masti, Ishq Vishk, The Legend of Bhagat Singh.

Trivia

• Amrita is great fan of Amir Khan and Sharukh Khan.
• Her favorite actress is Shabana Azmi.
• She loves to drink Nariyal Paani.
• M F Hussain was impressed by the Amrita's look in Sooraj Barjatya film "Vivah". He has planned to start a series of paintings inspired by "Vivah "and Amrita Rao.
• Her father's name is Deepak Rao.
• Her zodiac sign is Gemini.

Harrison Ford injured on set of Star Wars: Episode VII

By HT

Actor Harrison Ford was injured on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII on Thursday and taken to a hospital for treatment, a Disney representative said.

Ford, 71, hurt his ankle while filming at Pinewood Studios,  on the outskirts of London, Disney spokesman Paul Roeder said. Filming will continue on schedule while Ford recovers. The actor was taken to nearby John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Thames Valley Police said on its official Twitter feed that police responded to an incident where "a 71-year-old man was airlifted to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening." A second tweet said the mishap "is believed to have involved a garage door."

Vanessa Davies, a unit publicist for the Star Wars film, said any reports that Ford suffered other injuries as well were untrue.

The actor is reprising his role as Han Solo in the highly anticipated Disney reboot of the Star Wars franchise, directed by JJ Abrams and scheduled for release in December 2015.

It is the first of three new films that will continue the saga created by George Lucas, after Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.05 billion.

 

The film's plot has been kept a secret, but Abrams has said the cast will include Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis and Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o.

The movie is set 30 years after Return of the Jedi.

- See more at: http://www.bollywood.com/hollywood-news/harrison-ford-injured-set-star-wars-episode-vii#sthash.CyuVnrBs.dpuf

Nicole gives India a miss!

By HT

Mumbai, June 14 -- A date clash is keeping Hollywood diva Nicole Kidman from visiting India this month. Actor-producer Uday Chopra had invited her for the premiere (in Mumbai) of his maiden international coproduction that stars her in the lead role.

But, Nicole had to decline the offer, as she's travelling to China during the time. While talking to Uday, the Oscar-winning actor had told him that she loves India. "Since we were talking a lot about India, I asked her to come for the premiere of the movie.

She asked me, 'When are you launching it?' When I told her it's June 13, she said, 'I am going for the Shanghai Film Festival' (around the same time). So, things didn't work out, but she really wanted to come," he says.

Uday hopes to make another film with Nicole and "bring her back to India". "Nicole, in fact, mentioned to me that she has been to India a couple of times, and loves Goa," adds Uday.

- See more at: http://www.bollywood.com/hollywood-news/nicole-gives-india-miss#sthash.5nRYKzCk.dpuf

Digital or celluloid: Tarantino, Abrams debate filmmaking

By HT

Director Quentin Tarantino lambasts digital film-making as nothing less than the "death of cinema as I know it". Converts hail it as a democratising force for good that is cheaper and faster than celluloid.

A debate is raging in the film world about the merits of shooting movies on 35mm film versus digital cameras. In one corner are those who believe digital's practical and economic benefits make it impossible to resist. In the other, "purists" such as Tarantino and "The Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan who cherish the visual "texture" of 35mm and warn that something important is being lost.

"The fact that most films now are not presented in 35mm means that the war is lost," Tarantino  told the Cannes Film Festival last month, describing digital projections as "just television in public". " Apparently the whole world is OK with television in public -- but what I knew as cinema is dead!" the "Pulp Fiction" and Kill Bill director said.

Just 'nostalgia'

JJ Abrams, another celluloid devotee, who has just started shooting the new "Star Wars" movie, has also warned that without 35mm "the standard for the highest, best quality" will be lost.

Nolan, meanwhile, predicts that studios will allow 35mm to completely disappear unless directors insist on it.

Alain Roulleau, whose family has run Paris's oldest cinema since 1948, however, dismisses all this as "nostalgia" -- and points out that most studios have already stopped supplying films in 35mm.

Located on the slopes of Montmartre, Paris's old artists' quarter, Studio 28 with its Jean Cocteau-designed lamps and painted red steps, has old-world charm in buckets. In the projection room, though, Roulleau has made sure this small independent cinema is bang up to date.

Roulleau took the decision to install digital projection equipment four years ago and admits he "almost cried" when he saw the quality of the first digital images, which he described as "very icy, too perfect, with no atmosphere". Fortunately, he says, since then the quality has seen constant improvements and in the past year he has shown only two films in 35mm. "When you have a 35mm print, when the print is quite new the image is perfect, but after two weeks in a theatre you have little dark spots on the screen from the dust," he added.

"With digital, from the first screening to the last, six months later, it's the same quality of image," he said.

Others stress that even movies shot in 35mm are now quickly converted to digital for distribution and that the real clincher is the impact on the studios' bottom line.

Printing just one film on 35mm film and delivering it to the cinema where it will be shown can cost $1,500 alone -- compared to $150 for digital. With a copy needed for each of several thousand cinemas, it is easy to see why digital seems to have won the day.

Patrick DiRenna, founder of the New York-based Digital Film Academy, called the shift to digital a natural evolution, adding that the lower start-up costs were allowing new voices to be heard.

Clay not marble

"The cameras are now almost completely there. The only thing that's lacking at this point is a slight level of picture quality, but that will change and in exchange we have a democratisation with artists who are now really able to do their work," he said.

Shooting a film on a digital camera, he said, was like "sculpting in clay not marble" with directors able to keep reshaping until "you get to where you need to go". And he predicted that Tarantino too would eventually be won round. "Great artists like Quentin Tarantino are generally uncomfortable when they come across something new," he said. "Charlie Chaplin's discomfort with talkies is a perfect example -- but when he finally made the adjustment, he turned around and made the The Great Dictator and his mastery showed through again," he further said.

For now, however, Tarantino shows no sign of wavering. In Cannes, he added that he viewed the current generation of film-makers as a lost cause and lived in hope that 35mm could make a comeback. "I'm hopeful that we're going through a woozy, romantic period with the ease of digital. While this generation is completely hopeless, (I hope) that the next generation that will come up will demand the real thing -- in the way that after 20 years, albums are slowly coming back," he said.

- See more at: http://www.bollywood.com/hollywood-news/digital-or-celluloid-tarantino-abrams-debate-filmmaking#sthash.2CCy0eWN.dpuf

Juhi Chawla: 'Parineeti is very good'

By HT

Mumbai, June 18 -- The younger lot of actresses is often compared to the more - established seniors - the recent case saw Alia Bhatt being likened to Kareena Kapoor Khan. But Juhi Chawla is not one to compare herself to a younger actress.

Ask her if she has been keeping tabs on the newer faces and she says, "I have seen Parineeti's (Chopra) films and she is very good. But seriously, I can't see myself from a third-person perspective (to make a comparison). I don't know what I was and what I am like, so I don't know how to compare."    

Juhi isn't fully updated about the new actresses since she admits that she hasn't been able to watch many films in recent times. "I haven't watched many [Hindi] films of late - at least for a couple of months. The last few films I ended up watching were the ones my children dragged me to, like Spider-Man, though. And, I didn't really want to. I told them, 'I want to go and watch my Hindi movies'," she says with a laugh.    

Even though she's out of touch with recent releases, Juhi has kept in touch with her old Bollywood friends. Thanks to the recently concluded Indian Premier League, she has often been seen with her co-star, Shah Rukh Khan, with whom she co-owns a team.

When asked if she has been in touch with other co-stars like Aamir Khan and Anil Kapoor, she says, "I don't meet them very often. I bump into them once in a while at film events. It's mostly when you work together that you remain in touch."

- See more at: http://www.bollywood.com/celebrities/juhi-chawla/news/juhi-chawla-parineeti-very-good#sthash.jZ0FBdjt.dpuf

Cohen: 'Hrithik's not doing a film with me'

By HT

New Delhi, June 18 -- Hollywood filmmaker Rob Cohen has dismissed reports that Hrithik Roshan will be part of his next film.

Buzz started doing the rounds after Hrithik was spotted dining with Cohen in Mumbai. "It's easy to calculate and say Hrithik met Rob Cohen and since Rob is known for the Fast & Furious series, they're doing an action film together. But no such thing is happening," Rob reportedly said to a tabloid.

Hrithik, too, is said to have slammed the speculation.

- See more at: http://www.bollywood.com/celebrities/hrithik-roshan/news/cohen-hrithiks-not-doing-film-me#sthash.LhfBsExr.dpuf

Kick trailer crosses 5 million hits on YouTube

By HT

The first trailer of Salman Khan's Kick, which also stars Randeep Hooda, Jacqueline Fernandes and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is setting its own record of sorts.

Released on YouTube on Sunday evening, the film's first trailer has already crossed the 5 million hits mark in just three days -- 5.1 million to be exact.

The film marks the directorial debut of producer Sajid Nadiadwala and is slated to hit theatres this Eid.

Even superstar Amitabh Bachchan seems to be impressed with the film and compared it to Hollywood films in a twitter post on Monday. "Did you see the trailer of 'KICK'..baaadooom !! Compares with anything that the other 'wood' brings out from their high end films !" he tweeted.

Earlier reports suggested that international teams were hired to work on VFX for Kick that has been shot in Delhi, Dubai, Poland and Mumbai, among other places.

- See more at: http://www.bollywood.com/movies/kick/news/kick-trailer-crosses-5-million-hits-youtube#sthash.fPdzKFEN.dpuf

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