Bollywood Buzz! Award for veteran Waheeda and more

Award for veteran Waheeda
Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman will soon receive the inaugural Centenary Award for the Indian Film Personality of the Year, a special honour to commemorate 100 years of Indian cinema. The 77-year-old actress will receive the honour at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari whose ministry set up the award congratulated the veteran actress on the accolade.
“Congratulations to Waheeda Rehmanji for being conferred the inaugural Centenary Award for the Indian Film Personality of the Year-2013,” he tweeted.
The award consists of a cash component of Rs.10 lakh and a citation.
Waheeda Rehman has graced the screens of Indian cinema since 1955, when she starred in the Telugu film Jayasimha. A year later she made her debut in the Hindi film industry with C.I.D., and has never looked back.
In a career spaning over five decades, she has appeared in over 70 films with hits like Guide, Pyaasa, Man Mandir, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Teesri Kasam, Ram Aur Shyam, Reshma Aur Shera and Neel Kamal to her credit. Waheeda also featured in the 2006 superhit movie Rang De Basanti. Winner of several awards, she was also conferred with Padma Shri in 1972 and Padma Bhushan in 2011.
Well done and well deserved, Waheeda Rehman!
 
Amna set for India?
Tall, dusky, confident and all of 23, Amna Ilyas is in the spotlight on ramps of the nascent yet booming scene of Pakistan’s fashion industry. And having tasted filmdom with Zinda Bhaag, she is now hopeful of clinching more movie offers. Naturally from India. And why not?
“I am thinking of quitting modelling and focussing on acting,” Amna stated recently when attending the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
“A lot of films are being made in Pakistan right now and we are very happy about that. They are not big budget films, but small ones, which are nice. I currently have two scripts,” said the actress, who plays the female lead in Zinda Bhaag, the first movie that her nation has sent for Oscar consideration in the last 50 years.
Zinda Bhaag, which is turning out to be a commercially profitable venture for producer Mazhar Zaidi and co-directors Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, is currently doing the rounds at film festivals. The film is turning out to be a beacon of hope for Pakistan’s film industry, which had collapsed around the 1990s.
Amna says she doesn’t intend to be fussy, Hollywood or Bollywood will do to promote her acting talent. “See… hopes are there from Hollywood as well, it will be great, but yes, India is close by and we look at it as a big industry,” said Amna who intends visiting India soon to scout for work.
A fan of designer Manish Malhotra, she will also be flaunting creations by him.
Karachi-based Amna walks and talks with the panache and boldness of a seasoned talent, having been at the pinnacle of Pakistan’s fashion scene after she started her stint in modelling five years ago. She has worked with top-rated designers, and has been, surprisingly, supported by her family and a ‘chilled out’ community which is generally conservative – and Amna can’t be more thankful about that. Things are changing now for many, says the beauty, whose elder sisters are former models.
“Being a model in Pakistan is great. Fashion is on a boom right now. We had our first fashion week in 2007 and since then, a series of fashion events are happening,” claimed Amna. “Because of the fact that we have a bit of a conservative environment, a lot of girls were not able to do what they wanted. But now things are changing in Pakistan and people are becoming more modern and upfront. They want to change – and by that I mean, they want to move with the world. So, there are now a lot of people like me who are getting a chance to work abroad and travel”.
Well, it won’t be long before Amna is signed up by some interested Indian filmmaker anxious to improve Indo-Pak relations. Let’s hope it’s sooner than later!
 
Deepika’s hat-trick
No, it’s not about her elegant or otherwise headgear, it’s just that Deepika Padukone is going from victory to victory. Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela has just hit the jackpot, making it her third blockbuster winner in the year, following Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express. Naturally, the actress is receiving plaudits from all quarters.
From playing nerdy Naina to South Indian Meenamma and now a Gujarati girl in Ram-leela, the 27-year-old has proved her versatility with the three movies.
In Ram-leela, Deepika not just looks stunning, but she has also delivered an outstanding performance, qualities which have added to the film’s resounding success. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali presented the fresh pair of Ranveer Singh and Deepika to narrate William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in desi style with Gujarat as its backdrop. It is believed the film garnered over Rs.16 crore on its opening day.
“I haven’t received so many congratulations in a while. Everybody is saying this is the kind of cinema they like to see me make. It’s a great feeling when your hard work pays off,” stated an elated Bhansali. The movie has Bhansali’s trademark touch of capturing culture and traditions vividly.
Deepika, daughter of veteran badminton player Prakash Padukone, made her Bollywood debut with Farah Khan-directed 2007 hit Om Shanti Om, where she played Shah Rukh Khan’s love interest.
She then appeared in films like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Chandni Chowk To China, Love Aaj Kal, Housefull, Break Ke Baad, Aarakshan and Desi Boyz, but it was only after her bold character portrayal of Veronica in Cocktail that Bollywood realised her hidden potential.
Deepika will next be seen in Finding Fanny and Happy New Year. And at the rate she’s going, it’s likely that 2014 will be a ripper of a year for Deepika once again!
 
Bachchan buzz
News about Bollywood’s first family is always exciting, and it has been particularly so on November 16. The 71-year-old megastar enjoyed his granddaughter Aaradhya’s second birthday, just as master blaster Sachin Tendulkar was chosen for the prestigious Bharat Ratna award, and Ram-leela was released. “An icon retires, a Ratna to his name, the nextgen celebrates her 2nd year… and Bhansali’s Ram-leela mesmerises. Too much in a day,” Big B tweeted on his Twitter handle SrBachchan. He also praised the movie on the microblogging website, tweeting, “Ram-leela! The genius of Sanjay Leela (Bhansali), the passion of Deepika (Padukone) and Ranveer (Singh), the guile of Supriya (Pathak) and the rawness of Richa (Chaddha)!”
Meanwhile, Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan have been praised for their generosity by none other than renowned Hollywood actress Sharon Stone, who is in India for an amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research) fundraising event. Aishwarya and Abhishek hosted the event, which was a grand success. Stone was impressed by their involvement, commenting on Aishwarya’s graciousness in participating and the couple’s generosity in hosting the event.
“I love this country, India is beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan…” said Stone enthusiastically.
So that’s it from the Bachchans, but keep watching this space…
 
Sunny determined to break jinx
Actor Sunny Deol, who was eagerly looking forward to work in Ghayal Returns, says the project has been jinxed, but he is determined to make it happen. Ghayal Returns is a sequel to the 1990 revenge action drama Ghayal, which was a big box office hit and considerably boosted the actor’s career at the time. But Sunny feels the film is jinxed. “Ghayal Return‘ is something which I don’t want to talk about because usko nazar lag gayi hai kisi ki (someone has cast an evil spell on the project). But it is happening for sure,” said Sunny, who had teamed up with Meenakshi Seshadri and Raj Babbar in the original. The 57-year-old said he has been trying to make the sequel ever since the original released, which is a long, long time indeed!
“The first time, I was sure that we would make the film in the same year, but I don’t know why it didn’t happen. We tried the second time, with no success. This is my third attempt and I am certain that it will happen,” said the actor whose recent hits are Apne and Yamla Pagla Deewana. According to the actor, Ghayal Returns will begin from where Ghayal left off and we can only hope that Sunny doesn’t get ghayal in the process!
 
Urvashi cool about romancing Sunny
Model-actress Urvashi Rautela is just 19, but she has shot romantic scenes with 57-year-old Sunny Deol for Singh Saab The Great. And the discrepancy in age doesn’t bother the young debutante. Age is merely a number, she says.
“Age doesn’t matter to me. What’s there in the age? It’s just a number! If Rajnikanth can romance Aishwarya Rai… I know it’s a big age gap, but we are all very professional and as long as we look great together, nothing matters,” said Urvashi with admirable practicality for one so young. The actress claims that she was “not at all” sceptical before signing the film, because her “chemistry” with Sunny looks “great on screen”.
Urvashi shot to fame after bagging the Miss Universe India title in 2012, but she was later dethroned because she didn’t meet the age requirement. A dancer trained in five different forms, she says she would love to do a film where she is able to harness her talent to the hilt. “I have learned five different dance forms including Bharatnatyam, kathak, hip-hop, jazz, belly dancing. That’s the reason I would like to do a film on dance,” she said. Singh Saab The Great releases soon, so it won’t be long before we see if the Urvashi-Sunny chemistry works on screen!
 
Rakesh ready for a rest
Rakesh Roshan is ready to take a well-deserved rest after the success of Krrish 3, his latest superhero directorial venture starring son Hrithik the hunk. He wants the leisure to bask in the glow of unending appreciation coming his way for making a movie that is high on emotions and packed with international-level special effects. But the veteran actor was nervous when he started making the film. “I wasn’t confident about pulling off the same level of excellence as the Hollywood superhero films. But somewhere, God gave me strength and I worked exactly as I had planned,” Rakesh admitted.
Apparently Hrithik wanted to play the super-villian, but dad was having none of it! “When he told me that, I flatly refused. If Hrithik had played the super-villain, we’d have to sit at home and watch the film,” said Rakesh firmly.
So would he ever think of making a film without his pyaara beta?
“Make a film without Hrithik? Why would I do that? I’ve the best star-actor in my house. Why would I go to anyone else?” asked Rakesh indignantly.
“Hrithik was my right-hand man throughout the making of Krrish 3. The two of us are completely professional on the sets. We speak to one another as director and actor on the sets. We don’t whisper to one another. If he asks for one more take, I don’t give it to him because he’s my son, but because I know the shot will get better if he is asking for a retake,” he explained.
So will there be a Krrish 4?
“Right now I am exhausted. My mind is blank. I may make a love story or an action film before Krrish 4. Let’s see how the success of Krrish 3 pans out. Right now my happiness comes from seeing my wife and daughter’s smiles. They’ve seen Hrithik and me work so hard,” he stated.
Well, we think it’s only a matter of time before Krrish 4 is announced, and this time, perhaps poor Hrithik will be allowed to play the super-villain!