Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2009

January 18 was the day when the stars of Bollywood decided to give glamour a backseat for their favorite causes. They took to the streets and created awareness about social issues in their own way at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2009. John Abraham, Arjun Rampal, Vidya Balan, Soha Ali Khan, Rahul Bose, Om Puri, Tina Ambani, Gulshan Grover, Sharmila Tagore- all were seen on the streets under the catchline: Mumbai runs to secure its future.

Arjun Rampal was there to support the participants of the Nina Foundation for spinal cord injury. Vidya Balan was there to cheer the runners from the NGO Nanhi Kali. Former India test team skipper Anil Kumble also decided to take part in the Mumbai Marathon in support of a cause taken up by actor Rahul Bose’s NGO, The Foundation. Besides all these causes, it was terror which topped the marathon agenda.

Milind Soman, a familiar face in the pack, set off for the entire 42-km distance, while others preferred to let their voice do the talking rather than their feet. Actor John Abraham, who participated in the marathon said that it was an excellent display of Mumbai’s spirit and he was proud to be a part of it.

When John & Katrina were bounced back from the nightclub

Currently, Katrina Kaif and John Abraham are in US shooting for director Kabir Khan’s film ‘New York’. It so happened that during the shoot, one of the crew members threw a party at a nightclub and invited Katrina, John and the director to the party. However, when John and Katrina, along with Kabir Khan, got to the club, they were denied entry because they were reportedly not carrying proper identification proofs. They even told the bouncers that they were known stars from India, but the argument apparently cut no ice with the American bouncers.

So, while everyone else were partying hard inside, John and Katrina found themselves bounced out of the nightclub. They even drove back to their hotel and returned with ID proofs. But it was too late by then and the party had already died down.

 

At 30, Bipasha Basu looking for serious roles

 

She came into the limelight with her coffee bean complexion in "Ajnabee" and was called a scorcher for her skin show in "Jism". But Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu, who turns 30 Wednesday, has now moved on from being just a sex icon and is signing on mature roles.Voted the Sexiest Asian woman in 2007 by the British weekly newspaper Eastern Eye, the starlet of films like "Rudraksh", "No Entry", "Omkara" and "Dhoom 2" is taking steps towards signing on for serious roles.
"If I don't like what's being offered, I won't sign anything (any more)," Bipasha had earlier told IANS in an interview.
Her stint with arthouse movie started with Prakash Jha's 2005 political drama "Apaharan". He presented her in a deglamourised role, but it was Ajay Devgan who had an author-backed role.
Bipasha's first meatier role was in Madhur Bhandarkar's critically acclaimed 2006 film "Corporate". She proved her mettle and both critics and audiences applauded her performance. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.
Last year she did Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film "Shob Charitro Kalponik" and is currently doing Sudipto Chattopadhyaya's "Pankh" and Rahul Dholakia's "Lamhaa".
Despite churning out fewer hits and more misses, the actress, who entered filmdom in 2001, constantly hogged the limelight, thanks to her oomph factor.
Her long-awaited share of fame came in 2008 with hits like "Race" and "Bachna Ae Haseeno". She is now breaking from convention and taking on new challenges.
For "Lamhaa", Bipasha is all set to change the dynamics of physical appearances of a Kashmiri girl.
"When you think of a Kashmiri girl in our movies, what comes to mind is a fair-skinned, light-eyed girl. But I want to disprove that myth. The pre-conceived notions have to be overcome," said Bipasha.
The actress is bent on looking convincing in the role and had even invited a Kashmiri woman to Mumbai in order to study her body language, speech patterns and mannerisms to get into the character.
"I think I'm going to be more keen on getting it right than the director. I've never done a film like this before. The role requires me to be someone else altogether.
"And for this I needed help. I wanted to play the character the way girls really are today in Kashmir. Very basic," explained the actress, who is dating Bollywood hunk John Abraham.
Unlike other actors, Bipasha is not very keen to try her luck in Hollywood.
"No filmmakers of Hollywood are willing to sign any Bollywood actor without a screen test apart from Aishwarya Rai. They seem to know no Hindi film actors, not even Amitabh Bachchan.
"I found out that I will have to start again (there) from scratch like screen tests and other tantrums. They treat you like a newcomer. So I've decided to stay in Mumbai and be the 'queen' here," she had said.
"India is a very comfortable place for us because we have already made a niche here. So why would anyone want to go and struggle there? I don't want to go and struggle. I have gone through my struggle."Her other future projects include "Aa Dekhen Zara" and "Freeze".

John Abraham In Awe of Aamir’s Body!

John Abraham had been voted as sexiest male by popular Eastern Eye magazine. People rave about his chiseled body and washboard abs but he is more impressed with Aamir’s body.

He said, “I may be fit but when I look at Aamir Khan and the way he has developed his body just for a role, it scares me,” he adds, “We actors should take a leaf out of his book and look at how he has changed cinema in this country.”

His Daniel-Craig-style-emerging-from-the-sea scene got him quite a bit of attention doubled by Dostana’s super success. His body took more of people’s attention than his acting, but he says,
“I’m never ashamed of talking about my body. Though at times I do feel like a meat shop.”

Aamir on the other hand said, that his body in Ghajini is not the center point of the film and its story. He wished that when people come out of the theatres after watching the film, his performance should take them such a way that his muscular body should be the last thing they remember.

Indeed, as John says - Aamir is truely awe-inspiring!

Bipasha narrates the horror of 26/11

What most of us don’t know that our leggy lass Bipasha Basu was also caught in the mayhem of the terrible terror attacks that brought Mumbai to a standstill.

Bipasha says, “I feel vulnerable and helpless. That’s why I haven’t spoken until now.”

Bipasha was on the way to her home from filmcity when she got stuck in the mayhem, “It happened at Vile Parle as I crossed the area. There was mayhem on the road as my staff and I sat huddled in our car wondering what to do next. Should we go forward? Or go back? I told my driver to drive in the middle of the road as fast as possible,” she says.

Bipasha apparently has been wounded very bad emotionally after the terror attacks, she says, “I’ve been extremely affected by 26/11. I haven’t spoken to anyone about it until now. I don’t know how I can ease the pain of Mumbai. Everyone wants to put forward more than just a point of view. But no one seems to know what to do. I do believe in the mass movement that Mumbai has been seeing over the last three weeks. I think people lighting candles, holding hands, showing their solidarity speaking out…it’s all very effective.”

“I thought this movement would die down after the first few days. But now I feel it’s not losing momentum. And I’m very happy about that. The media is playing a very important part in keeping the movement against terrorism alive. I must admit I thought it would be over after one Sunday. That’s why I kept quiet.”

“I just hope it continues. If the people’s voice continues to be heard whichever government comes into power will be forced to pay heed and provide us with basic security. Sure, our economy is booming and the industries are doing well. But what do we do without security in Mumbai? If the financial capital of India which generates the maximum taxes is hit, how do we sustain global confidence in our country?”

“What happened to Mumbai is a shame for the entire country. I went out socially for the first time this week. Life must go on. The important thing is to not forget the lessons that we’ve learnt from 26/11. Now I feel far less defeated far more optimistic about the future than I did the first few days after Mumbai was attacked. Mumbai won’t forget. We have Zero security in the country. Otherwise how could there be continuous blasts all over the city for so many hours? And if the detonated RDX had not been discovered in time, it could have been worse.”

I saw Neeraj Pandey’s A Wednesday after 26/11. I can’t believe it’s so sensitive and so prophetic. Like Naseeruddin Shah being pushed into destroying terrorism the Common Man is ready take action. A Wednesday should be a textbook on terrorism. All of us should see it and learn its lessons.”

Point taken Bips!!!

John Abraham bares it all in ‘New York’

Cheer up girls! Now is the stripping season for Bollywood hunks. For long, Bollywood actresses have used their weapon of skin baring to make their way to success. Now, it is Bollywood males who are entering into the dare-bare territory.

John Abraham had stripped down to the barest minimum on the beach in “Dostana”. Now, reports say that he has bared it all for a torture scene in his next film “New York”.

The scene in question is for a prison for director Kabir Khan’s flick which narrates the tale of friendship and terrorism.

Earlier, Kunal Kapoor in “Rang De Basanti” and Ranbir Kapoor in “Saawariya” did bare-back scenes that were deleted when the films opened. But John’s nude scene is set to remain in “New York”, which is slated for a January release.

Said a source close to the project: “It’s a prison sequence in the US where John, who is suspected to be a terrorist, is denuded of all dignity. This is how they break your spirit in an American prison when they want you to confess to being a terrorist.

“They make you eat, sleep, urinate and defecate in the same room. Then they begin to strip your dignity down… until you are left in the cold, dingy cell completely naked. John had to enact this sequence.”

The Most Bizarre Thing That Happened To Bipasha!

Bipasha Basu suffered for three long hours when she a tiny piece of gravel went right inside her ear.She confirms saying, “We were doing a heavy duty action scene when this gravel went right inside my ear. I had to be taken to Leelavati hospital, where it had to be sucked out.”
“It wasn’t on the surface. It went right in and I couldn’t move because there was the danger that it would go in deeper and pierce the eardrums. First I tried to shake it out. Then when that didn’t work I decided to let a doctor do the needful,” she added.“The producer and director tried everything. We finally headed towards Leelavati. It was John (Abraham) who got an old ENT specialist friend of his to check me out. The sweet doctor was at another hospital but drove down to Leelavati. At 4.30 p m, he finally put me out of my misery,” Bipasha said.“Who would think such a thing would happen? Normally during an action scene you protect your knees, head etc. But ear? It went straight in with a thud.“I wasn’t moving, I was so petrified the gravel would go deeper into my ear. My parents were petrified. The minute the doctor said it could be taken out I was okay. It was the most bizarre thing that ever happened to me,” the she said.

We hope she is okay now!

Katrina Kaif dazzles at Nakshatra event

That Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai lost the deal of jewelry brand Nakshatra to Katrina Kaif a few months back had already been informed to you at our space. And undoubtedly, the decision of the company seemed to be apt as we saw Katrina sizzling and dazzling at the promotional event for Nakshatra.

Katrina Kaif has been tagged as the Goddess of Luck for promotions and brand endorsements in the industry. A firm believer in destiny, Katrina feels anyone can be what he wants to be and destiny plays a major part in it. God has of course been very kind to her, adds the actress. In a recent interview Katrina had also confessed that she is most comfortable in front of 300 people on a set. Otherwise, she is lost, says Katrina.

However, even after replacing Ash, Katrina feels that she is no comparison for the Bachchan Bahu as she has an iconic status. Katrina has a series of projects lined up for the coming year - there’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani , De Dhana Dhan and the soon-to-be-released New York with co-stars Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and John Abraham respectively.

John and Rahul at Trident Hotel to Promote Mumbai Marathon

John Abraham and Rahul Bose being the part of creative and sensitive bollywood world was present at 26th November’s terrorist attacked hotel TRIDENT as part of press meet to promote Procam’s Mumbai Marathon 2009. They not only attended the press meet only as part of Marathon Promotion but also expressed their opinion about the future course and activities as to be operable in Mumbai.

John said to the presented press persons, “This place is very relevant. This place where you are standing is very relevant to the attacks…this is one of the places where the hostages were held…I hope this marathon gets a lot more meaning to a lot more people.”
Rahul Bose also applauded cause of Marathon and agreed with the views of John, he said, “civilian society to stay together, to challenge the government-this was a failure, what will you do? If you’re about to do something, when, where and how?”

 

John Abraham bares all in 'New York'

 

Mumbai, After he stripped down to the barest minimum on the beach in "Dostana", John Abraham now has reportedly bared all for a torture scene in his next film "New York".In the tale of friendship and terrorism by director Kabir Khan, John has done a complete nude shot for a prison scene.
John would be the third Bollywood actor in recent times to drop all his inhibitions. Earlier, Kunal Kapoor in "Rang De Basanti" and Ranbir Kapoor in "Saawariya" did bare-back scenes that were deleted when the films opened.
But John's nude scene is set to remain in "New York", which is slated for a January release.
Said a source close to the project: "It's a prison sequence in the US where John, who is suspected to be a terrorist, is denuded of all dignity. This is how they break your spirit in an American prison when they want you to confess to being a terrorist.
"They make you eat, sleep, urinate and defecate in the same room. Then they begin to strip your dignity down ... until you are left in the cold, dingy cell completely naked. John had to enact this sequence."
When briefed about the sequence, John apparently didn't hesitate for a second.
"He immediately agreed to do the scene and was quite traumatised at the end of it," the source added.
While John refused to comment on the scene, director Kabir Khan smiled and said: "You'll just have to see the film to know the nature of the scene."

John Abraham voted sexiest Asian male of the year

New Delhi, Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham has been voted the sexiest Asian man of the year by the leading British Asian weekly Eastern Eye.John rose to the top slot from last year's third position by beating previous winner Shah Rukh Khan. Hrithik Roshan remained at the second position for the second year in succession.
The actor's fan following became bigger ever since he flaunted his well-toned body on Miami beaches in the hit movie "Dostana". When the camera panned lovingly over him, many men and women almost swooned.
The judges included Brianna Ragel, editor of Asian Woman Magazine, Che Kurrien, editor of GQ India and Farhad Dadyburjor, former editor of FHM India.
Other British Asians to make it on the top 10 list include Pakistani musician Ali Zafar, model-turned-actor Upen Patel, Ranbir Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Imran Khan, pop singer-songwriter Jay Sean and Britain born Pakistani boxer Amir Khan respectively.

Newcomers like TV presenter Rav Wilding, actors Harman Baweja and Stephen Uppal also find place in the 50 sexiest men list.

Happy Birthday John Abraham

The sexiest actor of Bollywood, John Abraham turns a year older today as his age sums up to 36. John Abraham was born Farhan on December 17, 1972/

John made his foray into the world of modeling by winning Gladrags Manhunt Contest .

John Abraham is famously known as villain ‘Kabir’ from flick Dhoom. He was recently seen in Dostana and looked stunningly hot.

We wish Bipasha’s lucky boy a very happy birthday and success in his future endeavours.

Folks leave birthday wishes for John Abraham in the comments section.

 

John Abraham: I don’t stick my butt out unnecessarily

Yes! That’s John Abraham for you who remains calm and composed even after being ranked as the World’s Sexiest Man in Asia.John says, “I don’t mean to deride or demean anybody and while it’s an honor and feels great, the important thing is that hard work has got me here more than just my physicality. I smile and accept the praise today, tomorrow is another day, I try to be normal and don’t stick my butt out unnecessarily!”John doesn’t believe he is sexy, well the reason is, “People who know me don’t think I’m sexy… they know I’m a regular guy. But the big thing is that if John Abraham can do it, people should feel good… because what’s stopping them from doing it too?”However John cannot stop himself from being happy at being awarded the tag, he says, “It’s nice to be liked by all ages and genders .Though I turn red when little girls of 12 and 13 say I’m so hot! It’s embarrassing but also beautiful. And what can I do, sexy is a part of their lingo!”

Do you folks find John sexy or wannabe?

Bollywood says STOP Piracy - it helps terrorists

Bollywood has come together to inform the common man that the 50 rupees he spends on buying a pirated DVD actually helps terrorist buy arms and ammunition as major chunk of the profit from piracy goes into terror camps.

Here’s what Bollywood is saying about piracy:

Abhay Deol - “I did not know that earlier. I am sure the underworld will have many such sources. The root of the problem is our own prejudices and apathy as a culture. Whether it is the right wing Hindu parties or Muslim parties, innocent people get caught in the cross fire and new terrorists are born. The only way to fight the menace is to start making individual efforts by spreading awareness about such things and respecting the many communities that make this nation.”

Farah Khan - “People should be made to realize that piracy is not just killing an industry but it also has a larger perspective to it. When activities related to terrorism are funded through piracy, one can understand the gravity of the situation. Hence, there has to be a bigger call taken for this. After all it is not just about the industry losing crores. In the last 10 days, I have seen that we do talk a lot when things like these happen but I am also worried that are we doing something about it? Celebrities are coming together to file petition and that has motivated me also to do something, raise a voice, bring up an issue, debate! On one end entertainment is anyways costly, then there is so much of tax. In between you bring in piracy. In such a scenario, a film maker making money is a huge thing in itself. Think about it, if piracy is eradicated, how much enhancement we could see in the movie business!”

John Abraham - “It’s a shame if our people buy these DVDs”

Sajid Khan - “I know this for a fact that piracy is not less than terrorism. The only difference being terrorism kills directly and piracy kills indirectly. Piracy not just kills an industry but also kills entire families by creating losses and recession.”

Sonu Sood - “It should be stopped completely. Every pirated DVD helps them in buying a bullet which is used against our loved ones.”So stop supporting Piracy as you are indirectly supporting Terrorism.

John’s very angry after Mumbai attacks

John Abraham was recently seen inaugurating food and wine show my magazine Upper Crust and represented the never-say-die Mumbai spirit who bounced back after the attacks.However John is quite angry, “I’ve been born and brought up in Mumbai. I may be smiling and laughing now, but I’m so angry that I can beat up someone,” says John.Although the media is being criticized by many for minute by minute coverage of the attacks which helped the terrorist and informed them about every external move, John is quite happy with them.He says, “This is the first time I’m saying this — the media has done a fabulous job. You guys were very good.”Do you guys think that media did the right thing by showing the minute-by-minute coverage of the attacks which ultimately helped the terrorists?