Who will be the Gujarati Juliet? Not Bebo for sure!

Sources say that instead of being deterred by leading lady Kareena Kapoor's walkout, Sanjay Leela Bhansali continues with his big plans for his epic love story 'Ram Leela'


Kareena Kapoor may have marched out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming romance film, but the filmmaker is yet not ready to hang his head in disappointment.

In fact, according to sources, he has bigger plans in place, the first step of which is to take lead actor Ranveer Singh on a trip to Gujarat to prep him for his role. Our source from the film says, “Bhansali is planning to take Ranveer to Gujarat in order to make him familiar with the place, where the film is set, apart from introducing him to the crewmembers.”

With Bebo exiting the project, buzz is that Bhansali could be looking for a fresh face. And in case, the filmmaker decides to go with a tried and tested actress to cast as his Gujarati heroine, here’s looking at the timetables of some of our Bollywood actresses who could suit the part. But it looks like all of them have a rather choc-o-bloc schedule to start shooting next month.


Deepika Padukone: Dippy has the sequel of Race in her kitty. She is currently shooting for her film opposite Ranbir Kapoor. And then she will start working on Chennai Express.


Anushka Sharma: Right now, she is shooting for her Yash Chopra project, post which she will do Raju Hirani’s next.


Sonam Kapoor: Sonam is currently working on Rakeysh Mehra’s next and will start work on Ranjhana.


Katrina Kaif: The actress is shooting for Yash Chopra’s film opposite SRK. And then there is Dhoom 3 opposite Aamir Khan, apart from promotional activities around her spy thriller opposite Salman Khan.
Vidya Balan: Vids has Ghanchakkar and Shaadi Ke Side Effects.


Priyanka Chopra: PC could be Bhansali’s only hope among A-list actresses. She has no other film apart from the remake of Zanjeer.


Jumping the gun?

Sources close to PC recently claimed that she had been approached to play the female lead in this Bhansali project. However, informers inside Bhansali’s camp indicate that PC’s ‘friends’ may have made the announcement a tad too early. Especially, since a new face could also be considered.

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Arjun very miffed with Bhandarkar due to his 'Heroine' Kareena

Apparently, the actor is angry with the director for the way his role has shaped up in ‘Heroine’

Arjun Rampal was said to have been over the moon when Madhur Bhandarkar signed him for his heroine-centric film opposite Kareena Kapoor.

However, latest is that Arjun is rather miffed with the filmmaker for the way his character has shaped up, and that Bebo manages to steal all the thunder from him.

Our source says, “It was quite clear to the crewmembers of the film that Arjun was not at all happy.” We sent a SMS to Arjun regarding our story. However, the actor who is busy holidaying in Bali chose not to revert.

Madhur however denies the source’s claim and states, “No, Arjun is very happy with the film. He got busy with his other film commitments. We will resume our shoot from July 18. In fact, recently he changed his hairstyle and I am looking forward to incorporate it in the next schedule.”

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Kareena to star in the next Dharma movie

Dharma Productions is all set as they have a new actress for their next production, they have signed Kareena for their new movie. The movie is to be produced by Karan Johar and directed by Punit Malhotra.

The trio met at the Dharma productions office at Khar recently, where they went through a lengthy discussion.

After the discussion Kareena was finally convinced about the role and is now a part of the upcoming Dharma movie. She will be paired against Imran Khan who plays the male lead actor for the movie.

There have been several controversies surrounding the movie in regards to the cast for the movie. There were rumors of numerous actors who were supposed to be a part of the movie, but now we finally have Kareena who be playing the lead role.

This is the second time Kareena and Imran will come together on screen under the Dharma banner, the first time the two came together was for the movie ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’.

The movie received quite a lot of praise from audiences and people loved their chemistry on screen. Dharma productions have always believed in perfection, especially when it means pairing the perfect stars.

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Kareena, the showstopper?

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor is likely to walk the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) winter-festive 2012 runway at the grand finale to be jointly presented by designer Kallol Dutta and duo Pankaj-Nidhi.

The forthcoming edition will be held here Aug 3-7.

"Kareena walked for Manish Malhotra two seasons ago and we have shared the work with her. We are already working with her (for this season). Kareena is taking out time for that, " Purnima Lamba, head (Innovations), Lakme, told.

However, Lamba says nothing is finalised for Kareena's grand finale catwalk.

"At this point we haven't decided the prospect of it, but she (Kareena) is very excited to walk for us. So Kareena might be the showstopper, " said Lamba.

In the last season, veteran designer Rohit Bal presented an outstanding finale. But this time fairly new designers like Kallol Dutta and Pankaj-Nidhi are getting the chance.

Lamba said: "I don't see there is any risk. As somebody who has invested in the future of fashion, it is my responsibility to give them a voice...The concept of bringing fresh perspective to the finale was very exciting. So we were very thrilled to get them on board and they both have very individual takes on fashion."

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Immortals of Meluha: Hrithik as God but Who will play Goddess Sati?

Apparently, Priyanka and Kareena are pitted against each other to play the female lead in Immortals of Meluha film 


Ever since Karan Johar acquired the film rights for the novel Immortals of Meluha, there has been much talk about which stars would step into the shoes of Shiva and Sati — the protagonists of the novel. 

Close on the heels of buzz that Hrithik Roshan could play the male god, we now tell you that Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra are pitted against each other to play Sati. 


Our source says, “The rumour mills have been suggesting names like Vidya Balan, PC and even Katrina to play Sati. Now, the battle is between Kareena and Priyanka.”

While Kareena has been a favourite with the Karan Johar camp, Priyanka has delivered two hits for the filmmaker, with Dostana and Agneepath. 


And with Bebo and PC having engaged in very public bashing of each other on Karan’s TV chat show, it only remains to be seen in whose favour the scales will tip.

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Kareena to play Prime Minister of India

Bebo who is in news for walking out of 'Ram Leela' on one hand might be slated to play PM of India in Prakash Jha's political sequel 


While Kareena Kapoor is in news for her walking out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela, another piece of news doing rounds is that she will soon be seen playing a politician in Prakash Jha’s next film. She will be paired opposite Ajay Devgn.

Going de-glam
A source informs, “Kareena Kapoor will be seen playing a female Prime Minister of India in Prakash Jha’s political sequel. 

The film is expected to go on the floors by the end of the year and apparently it was Ajay who suggested that Kareena should play the role. Jha immediately agreed and after Omkara it will be her first major performance-oriented role where she would also be de- glamorised.”


Scanning the globe


Our source says that Bebo is excited to don the avatar of a politician. “Jha and Kareena have spoken. The necessary formalities need to be worked out. For this role, she is all set to do some major research and has already asked her team to shortlist the names of all major female prime ministers all across the world.

She will then do research about their lives and their mannerisms. She does not want her glamorous image to overshadow her performance in the film, ” says the source.

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Step Up Revolution' actress find Kareena graceful

"Step Up Revolution" actress Kathryn McCormick grooved to the tunes of Bollywood song "Marjaani" featuring Kareena Kapoor in preparation for her stint in an international dance reality show, and says she found the Indian actress very graceful.

Though she couldn't understand the lyrics, McCormick admits she enjoyed dancing on the song that was a part of 2009 Hindi film "Billu".

"I danced on a Bollywood number in 'So You Think You Can Dance 6' (in 2009) and it was amazing. I loved to dance on that, although I could understand nothing in it. My choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan for the Bollywood dance, told me a lot about the Indian dance forms and Bollywood, " McCormick said in an email interaction.

"I got the opportunity of watching a few Bollywood songs during 'So You Think You Can Dance' and I saw the video of the song of the Indian actress Kareena Kapoor. She was so graceful, " she added.

Though McCormick didn't get the winner's trophy, her stint gave a push to her movie career.

After the show, she landed a small role in 2009 film "Fame" and she is now set to be seen in the lead role in dance-based film "Step Up Revolution". Directed by Scott Speer, it is the fourth instalment of "Step Up" franchise, and will release July 27.

She says it is a "special" project.

"It is my first movie as a lead. Both 'Fame' and 'Step Up Revolution' are based on dance, but the difference is the 'Fame' was based on the students of the New York Academy of Performing Arts and 'Step Up' is about flash mob. Both the lives are very different, " she said.

The actress admits it was fun working on the film, and guarantees it will bring something fresh to the viewers.

"The film is incredible. There is romance, there is high energy dancing, it has a little bit of sauce, a romantic contemporary number. It is a blend of everything you have seen before in a completely new vibrant feel for dance movie, " she added.

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Sridevi, Kareena to clash at box office

Sridevi's comeback film "English Vinglish" will clash with Kareena Kapoor's much talked about "Heroine" at the box office as both the films are coming out Sep 21. The former's producer R. Balki is unperturbed.

Both are women-centric films - but after much deliberation, "English Vinglish" co-producers Balki and Eros Entertainment have decided to stick to the original release date.

While "English Vinglish" is directed by Balki's wife, Gauri Shindi, while Madhur Bhandarkar wielded the shot for "Heroine".

"We believe every film, no matter what the gender of its protagonist, has its own audience. I am sure Madhur Bhandarkar's film ('Heroine') will be very exciting. But the prospect of seeing Sridevi again is equally exciting," said Balki.

Having had his say, Balki is now ready to move into the shadows, and "let the two ladies have their say".

"I have done what I had to. I'm just the film's producer. Now it's up to Sri and Gauri to take the film to the audience," he added.

Interestingly, "English Vinglish" has a cameo by Bollywood's Amitabh Bachchan and he did it free of cost.

"With Amitji, I wouldn't dare to discuss money," said Balki, who directed the megastar in "Cheeni Kum" and "Paa".

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Did Kareena and Ekta have a fall-out over Emraan Haashmi?

After Bebo's recent dismissal of her Emraan Hashmi production, sources indicate that close buddies Ekta Kapoor may not be feeling too kindly about Kareena anymore


Close pals Ekta Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor may not on the best of terms these days. It all started when Bebo was supposed to do the sequel of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai that Ekta is producing. 

But the actress reportedly walked out at the last moment and had to be replaced by Sonakshi Sinha. Now, apparently Ekta is not happy with Bebo’s antics.

A source informs, “Ekta was not happy with the fact that Kareena opted out at the last minute. However, Ekta who is also doing a co-production with Karan Johar, to be directed by Akshay Roy and stars Emraan Hashmi really wanted Bebo to sign this film.


Apparently, Kareena did not even hear the script. Ekta was very unhappy about it and has been telling people that she will never work with her in the future.”


The source adds, “A couple of days back, Ekta also had a funny status message on her phone, which could indicate: Damaged Psycho + Dumb Bimbo = Heroine (we wonder if she was referring to Bebo’s next release). This clearly shows that she is not very happy with Bebo.” 

When we contacted Kareena Kapoor, she rubbished the news. Ekta however chose not to reply to our SMS.

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Saif-Kareena marriage, a Hindu ceremony?

Eagerly awaited Kareena Kapoor – Saif Ali Kahn wedding is surrounded by hype. The bride Kareena has reportedly asked to retain her identity and she will not opt for conversion unlike her mother-in law Sharmila Tagore,

The newly anointed Nawab of Pataudi Saif and Kareena are getting married on October 16 at Pataudi Palace in Pataudi village. She has reportedly favoured for Hindu marriage ceremony and will not covert to Islam.

Although, she will adorn Sharmila’s bridal dress Shararkurti with Dupatta but will not acquire a Muslim name unlike her mother in law. Saif had already shown his positive side to it in a recent interview,” I would never want her (Kareena) to change her religion. That is the trouble with religion really... it expects conversion. I don't buy or believe that. I think it's good that the government, too, has â?unless I'm misinformed about the law amended to include it in the Special Marriage Act. If and when we do get married, no one has to change his or her religion,"

Kareena has number of times maintained that she respects all religions and used to visit church as child. Her mother Babita’s mom was catholic. In earlier inter-faith marriage, Sharmila and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi had Nikah ceremony in 1969. Sharmila, a Benagli from Rabindranath Tagore family had converted to Islam under name of Ayesha Begum. Earlier Saif’s first marriage to Amrita Singh in 1991 was a muslim ceremony. Amrita, a Sikh had converted to Islam and adopted a Muslim name.

Meanwhile, preparations for marriages are in full swing at the Pataudi Palace. According to sources Sharmila is currently in London and is likely to return on July 20 and then the main preparation will take place.

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First Look: Kareena's cheeks have sunk without a trace!

Kareena Kapoor was spotted at the airport with mom Babita 

Bebo’s cheeks appeared to be sinking and she was not even trying to pout! 

Has she tried to do a size zero on her face? Or taken a bit of help? Every time Kareena returns from abroad, she looks alag.

Remember earlier this year she was spotted with a bulging belly! Hmmm...

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When Kareena said No More

A birdie visiting London spotted Karisma and Kareena Kapoor along with Amrita Singh Ladak at Novikov hotel at Berkeley Street in London late night

A group of fans approached Bebo for a snapshot but the actress was in no mood to get clicked and told them a firm no. Hmmm…

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Emraan's efforts of wooing Kareena go all in vain

She may not be too impressed, but the actor reportedly left no stone unturned in wooing Kareena Kapoor to be his leading lady

Kareena Kapoor may have refused to sign on the dotted line for Ekta Kapoor-Karan Johar’s next, but that definitely isn’t due to the lack of efforts made by Emraan Hashmi to woo her.

Buzz is that Emraan, who plays the male elad in the film, wanted Kareena to be his leading lady.

The makers of the film, to be directed by Akshay Roy, were looking out for an actress to star opposite Emraan.

Our source says, “Everyone thought Kareena would fit the bill. She was sent the script, which she liked, but she wasn’t able to sort out her dates for the film. Finally, the role went to Deepika Padukone.”

In fact, word is that Emraan went a step ahead and even arranged for a special screening of Shanghai for Bebo.

Our source claims, “Kareena loved Shanghai and was interested in working with Emraan. But she couldn’t arrange her dates alongside Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next. Post her wedding in October, she will start shooting for the second schedule of the film.”

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Are Saif-Bebo racing to the altar?

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor appear to be on a mission to meet all professional deadlines before their impending wedding in October


While Saif Ali Khan’s work schedule seems to be crammed right now with his professional commitments, looks like the actor is determined to make sure his impending wedding with Kareena Kapoor is stress free — at least from the work end. 

Their wedding is rumoured to take place at Pataudi on October 16 with a lavish reception in Mumbai the same day. It seems both Saif and Kareena are planning to effortlessly juggle their timetables to comfortably fit in their wedding schedule.

The groom’s calendar:

Saif is currently shooting for the sequel of his 2008 film in Turkey with Abbas Mustan. The film has two more weeks of shooting left. On returning from Turkey in July, Saif will shoot for his fourth home production with directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, which incidentally has been delayed on several previous occasions.




Confirms Raj, “ We will shoot for a couple of days in first week of July and then Saif will start promoting his film with Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. Once their film releases, we will again start shooting.” 

Contrary to speculations, Saif in fact has a full-fledged role in the film and is required to give 18 days for the shoot. The tentative date for release is around October this year. Judwaa 2 and his thriller with Anurag Basu will commence in 2013.

The bride’s calendar:

Looks like Kareena too is making sure she is free by October. Currently, shooting for Madhur Bhandarkar’s film, she will soon start work on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next that will last a month. 

Post that, all that’s left to do is to promote her heroine-oriented film with Madhur, which is slotted for a September release.

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Emraan beats Ranbir, Imran Khan: To romance Kareena or Katrina

Four back-to-back hits and a rousing performance in his latest release Shanghai, and Emraan Hashmi seems to be going places. From the time when A-lister heroines shied away from working with him… ‘cut’ to Kareena and Katrina both being prime candidates to pair opposite Emraan. 


Yup, the Mahesh Bhatt protégé has come a long way. 

We’ve now learnt from an extremely reliable source that Emraan has pipped the competition namely Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan, to play the lead in the first joint production of Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor. 

Says the source, “The merger of Karan’s Dharma and Ekta’s Balajee is monumental and the cast has to reflect the importance of the union. The film to be directed by newbie Akhshoy Roy is an edgy love story. 

An unconventional devil-may-care 27-28 year-old hero was needed. Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan were the immediate choices. But then Emraan who is currently Balajee’s blue-eyed boy seemed the best bet. ”




Interestingly Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif have been approached to play Emraan’s love interest. 

Says the source, “Both Karan and Ekta feel the Emraan-Katrina pair would be magic. ”

However Katrina’s dates don’t seem to be working out. Curiously after the overhwhelming response to Chikni chameli for Dharma’s Agneepath nothing seems to be working out between Karan and Katrina. A case of mismatched kundlis, perhaps? 

Apparently Katrina loved the script. 

“But she wouldn’t be able to find a window in her schedule for the film, ” says a source close to Katrina.

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Sridevi avoids a clash with Bebo

Sridevi's comeback film 'English Vinglish' has been postponed to avoid a clash with Kareena's 'Heroine' which will release on Sep 21st

But now Sri’s film has been pushed to October 4 to avoid a clash. As both the films are woman-centric, the makers thought it was pointless to compete with Bebo’s film.

Madhur had fixed September 21 as the release date to coincide with Kareena’s birth date. Now let’s see who will be lucky.

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I like Katrina and Kareena's Item Songs: Malaika Arora Khan

Model-turned-actress Malaika Arora Khan says Bollywood is open to artists from all across the world and everybody is welcome. 

"Whether Indian girls or foreigners, I don't know what is the difference. They all are artists, whether you are from here, whether you are from Taiwan, whether you are from wherever in the world, I think this industry is open to everybody. This place is for everyone, so everyone is welcome to be here to perform and be a part of the industry," she said. 

The actress who has some of the best item songs to her credit like "Munni Badnam" and "Anarkali disco chali", says she likes other item songs too.

"Some really cool songs have been out in the recent past. I like (Kareena Kapoor's) 'Chhammak Chhallo' very much. I like (Katrina Kaif's) 'Chikni Chameli'. I think these are really cool," the 39-year-old said here Tuesday when she was asked about her favourite item songs.

Malaika was at the Four Season Hotel here to launch the Taiwan Excellence Campaign 2012. 


Meanwhile, she revealed that the music of her home production "Dabangg 2" is still in the pipeline and she has not decided whether she would do an item number in it.

"We are in the process of shooting the film. But what we want to do for the songs, that is still in the pipeline. Nothing is decided." 

Malaika was last seen in the item song "Anarkali" in "Housefull 2".

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Kareena doesn't want to keep a bodyguard

Kareena Kapoor doesn’t believe in keeping a bodyguard, as she doesn’t like her fans being treated badly. She believes that whatever she has achieved so far is because of them, which is why she always makes it a point to give autographs and allows her fans to click a picture with her. The only time the actor keeps a bodyguard is when she is making an appearance in a crowded place.



But considering her next film is titled Bodyguard, ask her if her opinion has changed now and she just smiles and says that co-star Salman Khan is her new bodyguard.

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Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor take a secret break!

The Kapoor khandaan may be in mourning and the two actors, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan may have hectic schedules, but they always make time for love and leisure. The two took off for a quiet vacation to London on Sunday night. The couple will be living it up and enjoying some bonding time.



A much needed break for Bebo, who shooting schedules and promotional appearances lined up for a while. Plus, the passing of her grand-uncle would have also taken a toll on the young lady.



"Last week they were shooting for Agent Vinod, but nobody knew what Kareena had planned for Saif's birthday. She requested Saif's production partner Dinesh Vijan for five days off from the shoot to whisk him off to London. This year, Saif's birthday plans have been kept completely quiet and nobody except their families know where they are. They are staying at their favourite hotel Claridge's. Kareena even made all the arrangements for the birthday dinner on Tuesday night at an exclusive resto-bar in London," a source revealed to TOI.



While Kareena completed most of her professional commitments before leaving. Saif, on the other hand, can't be too far away from work. He has some meeting scheduled for his time in London as well. "They don't want anybody to know about their vacation, so they quietly flew out on August 14. This time the couple didn't want anybody to know what Kareena's birthday plans for Saif were. Their close friends got to know only the next day," the source added.

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Kareena Is In A Fix - Shahrukh Or Salman?

Kareena Kapoor is one of the rare B-town celebrities who can manage a sound relationship with both the Khans - Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan simultaneously.

When Shahrukh recently came to Delhi to promote his film Ra.One, Kareena was missing from the event. The reason? Well, she is currently shooting for her upcoming movie Bodyguard with the Dabangg Khan - Salman.

If the buzz is to be believed, Kareena was mighty upset about the fact that she could not join Shahrukh in Delhi. Another buzz is that King Khan is waiting for Kareena Kapoor to join him for the promotions, so that he can officially launch the much awaited item song - Wanna Be My Chammak Challo. But Shahrukh understands that the shooting of Bodyguard cannot be left in between.

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