Shahrukh Khan has decided that its time he takes his next stride in the small screen and not just anchor shows. King Khan will soon turn a producer for the entertainment channel E24. The channel is run by Anuradha Prasad of the B.A.G Films & Media Limited. SRK’s better half Gauri Khan will be hosting a chat show on the channel

Shahrukh incidentally started his carrer in the small screen with the serials like Dil Dariya, Fauji and Circus. Shahrukh had also hosted the third season of Kaun Banega Crorepati. However his last show Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hai failed to impress the audience and the channel had shorten the number of episodes in the show. Source

It’s not just Deepika Padukone who’s in news post Om Shanti Om. Incidentally, everything that is related to her becomes news. Now, call it Deepika’s charisma or news value. The news monger has it that Deepika’s former beau and model Nihar Pandya will soon be seen in movies. Though both Nihar and Deepika and he started off with music videos at around the same time, Deepika moved ahead in her career and relationships. Nihar might not be as famous as his ex girlfriend but he too was seen in a brief role in Williard Carroll’s Marigold that starred Salman Khan and Ali Larter. The aspiring actor will now, however, get a better launch vehicle.

The buzz doing the rounds is that Prashant Chadha, best buddy of Himesh Reshammiya is all set to introduce Nihar to B-Town. About doing Marigold he maintains, “It was just one of those projects to get a feel of filmdom.” Incidentally, Himesh’s music video, I Love You Sayonee, featured Nihar while Aap Kaa Surroor had Deepika. Says Nihar, “That is the only music video I have done. Himesh is like family to me and have known Himesh for a long time.” According to an insider, “This is purely the reason why Prashant is planning a project with Nihar. It’s because of the bonding that he shares with Himesh. They have been talking about it for a while but till things don’t take shape, they don’t want to divulge details about it.” Source

Bollywood actor Preity Zinta will be conferred with the Smita Patil Memorial Award 2008 for her ‘outstanding’ contribution to the Hindi film industry. ‘Priety’s name has been announced for the award,’ said sources close to the actor.

The biennial award is given by an NGO Priyadarshini Academy engaged in socio-cultural and educational activities.

Priyadarshini Academy has been holding the biennial award function since its inception in 1984. In the past, distinguished celebrities like Yash chopra, Karishma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit have been bestowed with this ward. Kareena Kapoor was the recipient of the award in 2006. Source

Imran Khan, the recent sensation of Bollywood is about to get muscular now according to a song from his debut movie.

The young star has been hitting the gym to work out regularly and has improved his diet habits to put on some weight and develop some muscles. This, he is doing not to be in the league of Bollywood’s brawny men, but for his roles in his next two films both of which are full-on action flicks.

Sources have it, “The role of a fresh college graduate in ‘Jaane Tu’ did not require Imran to look muscular. Rather he had to appear vulnerable. And since Imran is naturally thin, he wasn’t told to work on his physique. But that look doesn’t go well in action roles. Therefore, Imran is toning up his body.”

Imran plays significant roles in director Sanjay Gadhvi’s (of Dhoom and Dhoom 2 fame) next action-packed thriller Kidnap and director Soham Shah’s (of Kaal ) Luck in which he is paired with Kamal Haasan ’s daughter Shruti Haasan. Source

Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif has featured on the cover of Damas-designed ‘Kohl’, which is covered with 91 grams of gold and encrusted with 622 diamonds. This special edition front cover is reportedly valued at more than USD 10,000 and will be auctioned for charity. The specially commissioned Kohl cover will be displayed at various Damas stores throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council until October 2008, when it will be auctioned at a gala charity event.

The magazine stills, that have been shot by famous celebrity photographer Avinash Gowariker, will see Katrina dressed in a sleek black sleeveless dress.

With her latest achievement, the stunning beauty has overtaken all the other heroines and can be content with the fact that now she is indeed the most recognized and preferred face among the leading ladies to add glamour and style when it comes to products and publications. Source

Katrina Kaif’s all the stars are in the correct place at the time for her, resulting in 5 smash hit back to back with another two in waiting.

Presently Katrina is shooting with the latest heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor for Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. According to unit members she is having a blast shooting in Ooty.

In fact, this film will mark Katrina Kaif’s first film with the younger generation heroes of her age. And according to sources on the sets, the good looking pair shares an extremely great chemistry.  

“It’s the first time Kat is paired opposite a hero of her age. So obviously with two young good looking people getting together on screen, the chemistry is bound to be awesome. Everyone who was present on the sets of the film couldn’t stop raving about how good they look together!” Source

Five years back from now when Aishwarya was just a co-star to Abhishek he had promised something to Aish. It happened during the making of their film Kuch Na Kaho in 2003 when Ash was headed for a world tour and tipped the organizers of the shows to ask Abhishek to be a part of the tour. Abhishek turned down the offer because he had no dates to spare. Since then Ash has been taunting him for that. But Abhi made a promise to her that one day he would definitely accompany her on a world tour.

Years passed and their lives turned out such that they ended up falling in love and getting married. Now, what did not materialize five years ago is finally going to happen.

For, Abhishek and Ash are headed to the ‘Unforgettable’ tour that will travel to Canada, the US and the UK. This is the couple’s first tour together. They, along with Pa Amitabh Bachchan , are at the helm of the tour. The tour begins with a concert in Toronto on Friday. More

Bollywood diva Priyanka Chopra point-blank refused to kiss Harman at a crucial juncture in the plot….or perhaps ‘point-blank’ isn’t the correct term to describe Priyanka’s reasonable decision to not smooch on screen, even if the co-star happens to be her real-life boy-friend.

When asked about the kiss that the Ms gave a miss Harman laughed, “How did you get to know about? It’s true both Dad and I felt a kiss would have been most appropriate midway through the narration when the first Priyanka character dies in my arms. Dad had written a kiss into the story here. I was supposed to kiss her as she dies in my arms. But Priyanka chose not to shoot the kiss. We respected her decision and let it be.”

But what’s with Priyanka’s reluctance to express love in a natural way, with a kiss specially when the co-star is Harman? “That’s exactly why she didn’t do the kiss, ” explains Harman. “She couldn’t make a concession with me because then other filmmakers would’ve accused her of preferential treatment. So we simply scrapped the smooch.” Priyanka incidentally, had done a kiss in her first film Andaaz.

“But that’s when she was new and had no choice. Now on principle she won’t kiss on screen. I respect her decision,” defends Harman. Priyanka is pretty clear on the issue. “It doesn’t matter who the co-star. I won’t do certain things on screen.” Source

Bollywood bombshell Celina Jaitely may not have too many hits to her credit, but with two foreign productions in hand the Bollywood beauty says that the ‘whole world’ knows her!

‘Nobody knew Madhuri Dixit before ‘Ek Do Teen’, though she had done films before she did the song, ‘ Celina told over phone from Mumbai. ‘But the whole world knows Celina Jaitley, I have a glamorous and sexy image. People recognise me all over the world, ‘ the actress remarked. Asked about her ever-increasing glamour quotient, she said: ‘I must have done a good job and that is the reason why I’m famous for my glamorous image. I have thousands of fans all over the world. People like the way I act and this image has given me a lot.

‘There are many actors who’ve done multiple roles but still suffer from an identity crisis and, on the contrary, I need bodyguards all the time because of my status, ‘ added Celina. So isn’t she afraid of being typecast as a sex symbol?

‘My job is to give the audience what they like and I do that. It’s been four and a half years in the industry and I have achieved a lot.’ Source

Riya Sen and Sir Salman Rushdie has struck up a close friendship according to our sources. The 61-year-old author met the actress in January through a mutual friend in Mumbai and soon invited her to New York.

Rushdie, whose novel Midnight’s Children was voted last week as the best ever Booker prize-winning novel, split with model Padma Lakshmi after their marriage broke down last year and now friends of Riya say the author is “pursuing” her. The pair are said to be exchanging emails regularly and Riya said: “We get on really well, but we are just friends. I met him through a family friend.”

The 27-year-old also confirmed she had been invited to New York but insisted: “No really, we are not an item.” She added: “I have spoken to him a few times. I think when you are Salman Rushdie, you must get bored with people who always want to talk to you about literature. We didn’t talk about any of that.” Source