Mumbai: After playing the 'middle' Jamal in "Slumdog Millionaire", Tanay Cheda is set to star in "My Name Is Khan" in which his grownup version will be essayed by no less than Shah Rukh Khan.

But the 12-year-old boy who belongs to a business family is quite clear about one thing - he is not signing any more films as he wants to concentrate on studies.

"In Karan Johar's 'My Name Is Khan', I play the childhood portions of Shah Rukh Khan's role. It's a small role and a very important film. And it will be shot during my holidays," Cheda said.

Tinsel town's original queen Rani Mukherji who had been lying low for sometime now and almost seemed to be vanished from the Bollywood front (be it films, events or parties, promotions etc) is back with a bang!

Well the pretty lady (who was keeping a low profile all this while) was recently spotted at the launch event of a new spa in suburban Mumbai alongwith many other B-town's popular faces. And trust the lady indeed surprised one and all with her new avatar when she stepped to the event. It was a treat to see Rani in her new slim and trim look. The bulging eyes couldn't stop gazing at her.

Those who are thinking whether Rani is inspired by Kareena's size 'zero' figure than let us tell you that this drastic change is because of her upcoming film where she is playing a sportsperson. For that matter, Rani went through grueling work-out sessions to get a perfect toned up body. And it was Aamir Khan's personal trainer Satyajit Chourasia who helped her out.

Madonna left Malawi on her private jet after being rebuffed in an attempt to adopt a second child from the poor African nation, air traffic control officials said.

Police roadblocks prevented reporters from approaching the airport but one police officer said Madonna carried David, her adopted Malawian son, up the steps of the Gulfstream jet. It was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, air traffic officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to journalists.

The singer's lawyer has said that she will appeal against a court ruling that she is not eligible to adopt a three year old orphan girl, Chifundo Mercy James, because she hasn't lived in Malawi.

London: Pop superstar Madonna's adopted son David Banda met his real father in Malawi but could not recognise him.

David did not know the language and they had to communicate through an interpreter, an entertainment website reported.Father Yohane said: "He asked me in English who I was and what I do. When I told him, 'I am your daddy' he looked surprised."

"We spent three hours together... he played with my nose and although he did not know who I was he asked me lots of questions. David is quite chatty and intelligent. He asked whether I ride horses but I told him horses are for the rich. He asked me why I am poor.

Warsaw (IANS) Shah Rukh Khan once again stole the hearts of the Polish fans with his performance in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' at the Second Bollywood Film Festival in Poland where Aamir Khan's 'Taare Zameen Par' and Deepa Mehta's 'Water' were also screened.

Shah Rukh, who is almost a household name in Poland, didn't leave much scope for others to replace him in the hearts of his fans at the weeklong festival entitled 'Experience the Taste of India' that concluded Sunday.

'Shah Rukh is well-established in our psyche and we feel close to him with his performances. For us, it doesn't matter who are the other great stars in India these days - whether it is Amitabh (Bachchan) or his son Abhishek, Aamir Khan or Hrithik Roshan,' said Anusia Sancewicz, a well-known media personality.

Bollywood star Salman Khan spent his weekend wooing voters for Congress nominee Anu Tandon in this Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh.

The star, who is quite a rage with youngsters, drew fabulous crowds at each of the five Holi Milan functions, organised by Tandon to give a fillip to her political ambitions.

Despite being a first timer, Tandon has earned a lot of goodwill with the people in this largely rural and under-developed constituency, which lies sandwitched between Uttar Pradesh's two leading citites - Lucknow and Kanpur.

Mumbai: In Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar’s camaraderie is not just an actor-director relationship but a ‘very close’ friendship. Talking to a newspaper, Karan Johar spoke about his latest venture ‘My Name is Khan’ and his relation with Bollywood’s original Khan – Shah Rukh Khan .

‘My Name is Khan’ revolves around Shah Rukh’s character – Rizwan Khan, an autistic who struggles with poor socializing skills. For Karan Johar, the master craftsman who is famous for his mushy romantic flicks is aware of the fact that he is treading an unknown path and herein comes his candid confession – “I am the wrong man to direct this film.” Yet, the ace director was quick to reply that he “How can I not have romance in my films?”

Talking about ‘My Name is Khan’ and his decision to go for the unfamiliar, Johar said that, “Every filmmaker has to evolve some time. I wanted to make a film in the realm outside my comfort zone. And Shibani Bhatija came up with this mind-blowing script that challenged my abilities.”

It's been a while since one has been priviledged to see so much of actor Naseeruddin Shah. It all began with Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday, which released last year and created quite a stir. One of the reasons for the buzz around the movie was Naseer's performance and the one scene that he shared with Anupam Kher.

Last Friday, two films starring Naseer hit the screens. One of them was Nandita Das's Firaaq and the second was Raja Menon's Barah Aana. The actor has been at his vintage best in both these films. While Firaaq sees him play an important part of an ensemble, Barah Aana has him in the lead along with Vijay Raaz. The characters of Shukla, the bullied driver of Barah Aana and Khansaab of Firaaq, are characters diametrically opposed to each other, with hardly anything in common except for the man essaying them.

But it is to Naseer's credit that he becomes the character that he plays. The actor has gradually moved to a place in life where he is very clear that he only wants to be part of projects that he feels will be worth his while. Among his forthcoming projects, which of course, fall into this category, are Vishal Bharadwaj's Ishqiya, which sees him playing the romantic lead opposite Vidya Balan.

Minissha Lamba’s excitement knows no bounds. And, naturally so. The actress is shooting for the great Shyam Benegal. The film, Well Done Abba, stars Boman Irani, Ila Arun, Ravi Kishan and Sameer Dattani. Needless to say, Minissha is on cloud nine. “It is a dream come true for me. I have always admired Mr Benegal as a filmmaker. I recently expressed my desire to work with him to a friend. And lo, one day I get a call asking to work with him on his next film. You know the old saying, ‘be careful what you wish for.’ Well, I got my wish,” says the jubilant actress.

Talking about the film, she says, “It is a political satire and we are currently shooting in Hyderabad. It is a wonderful experience for me, as I lived in Hyderabad for a year when I was young.” She seems to be enjoying every minute of it. “We are shooting on the outskirts of the city. It is a very private and secluded place, so it’s been fun shooting.”

More known for her serious roles, isn’t she afraid of being typecast? “I don’t think so. I always try to take on different role. And I always try to see a script as a member of the audience. If I like the script then I will definitely do it.”

Before leaving India, Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue said she was enamoured of all things Indian - from the food to the Taj Mahal. One person she refused to be charmed by was India's personal wonder - Shah Rukh Khan.

Kylie was in India to shoot for the Akshay Kumar starrer Blue in which she is set to make a guest appearance and also do an item song of sorts. While she wanted to soak up India, she did want to maintain a distance from Indians, and this included stars of great stature.

In an interview Kylie mentioned Om Shanti Om as one of her favourite Bollywood films. Upon reading this, SRK got in touch with her to arrange a meeting, but the pop-star refused point blank to see him.

If there is one man who does not think twice before experimenting with his films it is Vinay Pathak. His ability to experiment with disruptive genre of films is what has made him gain foothold in the industry in quite a small time. It is this ability to flirt with disruption that gets manifest again through STRAIGHT, a film that is going to unravel the nuances associated with having homosexual preferences, and how they struggle to be latent. The struggle is more so pronounced, when the preference is between a gay partner and a ladylove.

As the subject still is a taboo STRAIGHT has again been positioned outside India that is in London to unravel the nuances of homosexual preferences, and the dilemma is juxtaposed interestingly when it veneers to the lady love and the film shifts back to India. It indeed is an interesting trend that when the producers are trying to experiment with the genre of homosexuality in a Hindi film, they are situating the film outside India either in USA or in UK, as it was in DOSTANA, which was situated in USA, and STRAIGHT which has been positioned in England, London to be specific.

Vinay Pathak by the kind of films that he has been doing subconsciously, or consciously since his advent on the silver screen with BHEJA FRY has brought back the sensibilities of the average middle class sensibilities and aspirations through his characterization.

After flooding the sexy Bollywood actress with attention at a Dubai event recently, Branson is now keen on turning Priyanka into a comic-strip heroine for his publishing house. The character will look like Priyanka and also be named after her. With this, the actress becomes the first Bollywood star and second Indian, after Sachin Tendulkar, to feature in an international comic book series.

Priyanka, of course, is delighted with Branson’s decision. “It’s a great honour,” the actress said, “big filmmakers and actors like John Woo, Nicolas Cage, Shekhar Kapoor and Terry Gilliam are associated with Branson’s comics. Even Tendulkar has a comic book series with him. I’m working on two projects. One is a completely fictional story and character. The other will be a super hero who looks like me and will borrow things from my life.”

The actress said the idea behind all this is that she is trying to go beyond being only an actor. “I like taking on projects that take me beyond the expected and forward as a person and professional. The comic book is one more endeavour in that direction,” said Priyanka.

New Delhi: Bobby Deol didn't bother about the pouring rain and freezing temperature while shooting fight scenes in muddy fields for Sangeeth Sivan's "Ek - The Power of One" in Punjab in December, leaving producer Jaswant Khera highly impressed.

According to a source, the film unit was shooting for a major action sequence amid heavy rains. Even the vanity vans of the actors had to be parked around two kilometres away from the location and the unit members took long gaps between shots because of the weather.

For Bobby's convenience, the producer even requested the actor to go and rest in the van as he was worried about his health, but Bobby insisted that if the entire unit could bear the weather so could he, added the source.

They say perfect things take their own sweet time to happen! Hope the same holds true for the industry's renowned producer Boney Kapoor who gave us a superhit film NO ENTRY.

Though his much-touted Salman Khan starrer WANTED got delayed a bit due to its extended post-production work but now the fans will enjoy all the fruits for the long wait as the makers have finalized 3rd July 2009 as its final release date.

Boney Kapoor's ambitious film WANTED a remake of the regional film POKHRI which did phenomenal business both in Tamil and Telegu, is directed by popular choreographer/actor Prabhu Deva. WANTED is his first directorial venture in Hindi. It has the chart bursting music by duo Sajid-Wajid.

He returned home to a kind of hysterical fanfare that exhausted and alarmed him. Rahman has been beleaguered by a blitzkrieg of attention. He is finding it tough to cope with all the adulation. Suffering from serious fatigue the maestro has decided to go completely underground for a while.

After cancelling his work-related trip to London, Rahman has now disappeared from his home in Chennai to destinations unknown. Presumably he has surfaced in Bengaluru . But none of his close family and friends are telling his fans, admirers and the media about his whereabouts.

A close friend, on condition of anonymity, spilled the beans. “All the international and national attention finally got to Rahman. He is essentially a very very shy artiste. All he cares about is God and his music, in that order. He doesn't talk about anything else. Going on stage and being the cynosure of thousands of eyes is death for him. He went into hiding with only his God and music for company.”

London: 'Slumdog Millionaire' star Freida Pinto may become the new Bond girl in the next spy adventure.

According to sources, the 24-year-old stunner was invited to a screen test for the 007 movie. The actress was first spotted by producers during the casting for 'Quantum of Solace'.

And following Danny Boyle’s Slumdog’s awards success she has become the hottest property in Hollywood. Freida could follow in the footsteps of Bond babes such as Plenty O’Toole in 1971 classic 'Diamonds Are Forever'.

Eros International has announced the worldwide release of Sujoy Ghosh's ALADIN on 24th July 2009.

The keenly anticipated film packed with great action, adventure, music and romance stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Riteish Deshmukh and will mark the debut of Jacqueline Fernandes.

ALADIN is also one of the first Hindi films where a film studio announced plans to produce a sequel before the release of the film. Having seen the first cut of ALADIN, Eros had announced the sequel even before the film's release where the original cast is expected to return.

Entertainment conglomerate Yash Raj Films (YRF) has withdrawn its over 10-year-old distribution deal with filmmaker Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, saying it is a "purely business decision".

"As always, Dharma Productions had offered some films to us. However, at this point in time we have taken a conscious decision not to acquire any films but to only produce and distribute our own," said Rafiq Gangjee, Vice President (Marketing and Communication).

"They respected and accepted this. It is purely a business decision," Gangjee said.YRF's association with Johar dates back to the director's first movie Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998. It has since then been distributing all of Johar's productions, including Kabhi Khushi Khabie Gham, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Dostana.

Mumbai: Farah Khan surprised debutant director Anthony D'Souza not just by agreeing to choreograph a song in his film "Blue" with Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue but by insisting on doing it free for her "dear friend".

"We've the cheque ready. But she won't accept it. Farah won't take any money for the Kylie Minogue song, although it's a very lengthy and taxing number. She says she can't charge me because I'm a very old and dear friend," said D'Souza.

D'Souza and choreographer-director Farah have known each other for 18 years. "I first got to know her in 1991. I made ads and music videos . She went on to make a name for herself as a choreographer and then a filmmaker. I had decided she'd choreograph for me when I turn director. When this complicated number came my way I knew it was Farah's call. But I didn't know she'd insist on doing it for free," he said.

New Delhi(IANS) After penning award-winning scripts like 'Salaam Bombay!', 'Mississippi Masala' and 'The Namesake', writer-photographer Sooni Taraporewala has donned the director's hat for her self-written maiden venture 'Little Zizou' - a rib tickling take on the Parsi community.

'Parsis have a culture just like anybody else. I chose to set my debut film within the Parsi world because it is so fascinating and so rarely seen,' Taraporewala told IANS in an e-mail interview from Mumbai.

'It is a world I am very close to, I am very familiar with and I am confident about depicting accurately,' she added.

The media loves Salman Khan. Where he goes, tamasha is bound to follow. And Sallu didn’t fail to disappoint.

He came to the sangeet in a blue tee and jeans. When he stepped out at 4.30 am in a white shirt and high spirits, the press and TV cameramen knew big things were about to happen. The action began when a journo unwisely asked if Sallu had got the chance at the sangeet to patch-up with SRK.

Visibly irritated by the question, Salman looked like he might pounce on the journo... but instead looked for his car. Nowhere in sight! Any other Bollywood biggie might have gone back inside, called for the car, and then given the driver hell.

A court convicted a man of murdering a teenage actor who acted in the latest Harry Potter film, during a fight last May outside a bar in Sidcup in southeast London.

Karl Bishop, 22, was found guilty of killing 18-year-old Rob Knox with two kitchen knives after the actor stepped in to protect his younger brother Jamie, who he heard had been threatened by the convict.

Knox, who had played the part of Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was stabbed five times, once fatally in a main artery, as he tried to protect his younger brother, Jamie, from Bishop's attack. He died in hospital later that evening.

New Delhi(IANS) Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking suspension of his conviction for possessing firearms during the 1993 Mumbai serial terror bombings to enable him fight the forthcoming general elections.

Dutt, who was sentenced to six years in jail by an anti-terror court, moved the court seeking parity with cricketer-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu, whose conviction in a case of unintentional killing was stayed by the apex court in 2007 to enable him run for elections.

Dutt's plea is slated to be heard Friday, said advocate Gaurav Bhatia, who moved the apex court on behalf of the cine star. Dutt is expected to stand from the Lucknow seat on a Samajwadi Party ticket.

Asin received the Best Debutante Award, but the lovely girl felt a bit “weird” about it.“It feels a little funny to receive a debut award after you’ve done a few films. But yes, Ghajini is my first Hindi film.

I got a Filmfare Award even for my South Ghajini at the South Filmfare awards. I enjoy cinema, be it Bollywood or South. I love the grandeur of these awards and I’m not going to leave Bollywood so soon. I’m addicted to it already. But that doesn’t make South cinema any less.

I love South cinema, and will continue to be a part of it for as long as I live. I’ll do movies in whichever part of India, the only pre-requisite is that the script has to be interesting,” she says. So that’s the North and South of Asin’s story so far.

Mumbai(IANS) The last time they worked together was in the 1983 movie 'Sadma'. Now, after 26 years, Gulzar is once again teaming up with Ilayaraja for 'SRK' and says the music maestro's ability to create 'perfect harmony' is still intact.

'The last time Ilayaraja and I came together was for Balu Mahendra's 'Sadma'. Now we're working together in another film after so many years,' Gulzar told IANS.

'His aptitude and skills for creating the perfect harmony have not altered at all. Ilayaraja is one of his kind. I wish he was heard more often in Hindi cinema,' said the lyricist, who has just won an Oscar for his song 'Jai ho' in 'Slumdog Millionaire'.