Vidya Balan in shape and style

Vidya Balan has always faced criticism for her weight and lack of fashion ssense, but this time Balan is out to give an answer to the critics. Not only she has lost ten kilos but has also decided to move to Sabyasachi for her own styling.

Her new avatar was just too adorable as she appeared at hotel Ramada Plaza for the launch of an all-new brand Dabur Uveda – Skincare Expert from Ayurveda. She looked slim and in shape in her red and black salwar kameez.

Her career is also on a roll. She stars opposite the junior and senior Bachchan in ‘Pa’ and also has Vishal Bharadwaj’s next called ‘Ishqiya’, where she will be seen opposite Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi. She has also been signed by Yash Chopra’s next to be directed by Yash Chopra himself. It is the same project which was supposed to star Aamir Khan along with Preity Zinta.

Here are some pics from the event of the launch of Dabur Uveda.

Meet the Harleen of ‘Love Aaj Kal’- Giselle Monteiro

Not much was revealed by Imtiaz Ali about his Punjabi girl in ‘Love Aaj Kal’ playing the character of Saif’s love interest as Harleen. The girl is a Brazilian model Giselle Monteiro.

Imtiaz Ali says, “She is actually a Brazilian girl named Giselle Monteiro. Why a Brazilian girl to play an old-fashioned Punjabi girl? Well, I was auditioning girls from all over the country to play the Punjabi girl opposite the Sikh Saif. I couldn’t find the right girl to play the 1965 ki ‘gali mein rehne wali ladki, purane zamane ki’.”

Giselle came to Ali through dress designer Anaita Shroff for the role of Jo, Saif’s Caucasian girlfriend in the second half. However, she landed up with the role of Harleen.

Giselle could not speak Hindi at all, but she had only two lines to speak, which were dubbed. Initially, Saif was apprehensive about the fact that he would look too old with a 18 year old girl but then he pulled it off completely. However, there was a complete mess when it came to a dancing sequence at the engagement.

“We wanted to put her through the paces with Sarojji (choreographer Saroj Khan), but it never happened. Sarojji didn’t have the time. For a foreigner to get the Indian ‘adaa’ right is very tough.

“We take for granted those nakhra-jhatka-matka, which we’ve seen our sisters perform at weddings. Indian girls have those ‘adaas’ without being trained. But for a foreigner it is tough,” said Ali.

Well, Giselle! Welcome to Bollywood and wish you a very bright future here!

‘Living with the superstar’ - Knowing Shahrukh better

‘Living with the superstar’ is a documentary by Discovery Travel and Living portraying the different shades of superstar Shahrukh Khan as a businessman, international name, a dedicated father and husband and as a Bollywood superstar.

The channel had started shooting for the documentary long back when SRK was in Mumbai shooting the music video for Kolkata Knight Riders. From there the crew went to South Africa, and then followed SRK to San Francisco, where he was shooting for Karan Johar’s ‘My Name is Khan’.

The documentary revelas the unseen side of SRK and the fact that he is a very simple, neat and clean human being without any superstar tantrums. He traveled in one car with his man Friday and security officer. He drinks at least 20 small cups of cold coffee and is a chain smoker.

The last part of the documentary has SRK with his family in London doing varied things like teaching his daughter Suhana to cycle, playing games with his son Aryan at Hyde Park, having lunches at cafes with wife Gauri and his children, and many other glimpses of his life. SRK was in London with wife and family to finalize the apartment he just bought there.

The shooting of the documentary is complete and Discovery’s Travel and Living channel will broadcast it after the editing is complete.

Abhishek & Aishwarya hide in the jungles of Kerala

Bollywood’s celebrity couple Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan hardly get to spend some romantic time alone given their busy schedules but then this was the last thing they wanted as having to spend time alone in this manner.

It all happened on Wednesday in the jungles of Athirapilly in Kerala where they were shooting for Mani Ratnam’s ‘Raavan’. Abhi-Ash along with Mani Ratnam had gone to check out an elephant which was supposed to participate in the shooting from next week.

The elephant went out of control killing the mahout and taking off on a stampede. As a result, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Mani had to spend their time hiding in the jungles until people who could control the elephant and rescue the couple could reach.

They had to spend around ten hours without food or water until they were rescued late at night. But until then there was no news of their safety and wellbeing and not to mention here that Bachchan family and Aishwarya’s parents were very worried.

Given the amount of pains the unit has taken to shoot ‘Raavan’ right from director’s health scare to an elephant out on stampede to severe viral infections and malaria, this film, when released, will definitely make up for the efforts put in.

Priyanka Chopra looks gorgeous at Nokia phones launch

Priyanka Chopra is on a high these days. She has given a row of hits and has bagged in many prestigious awards in recent months. She has some of the most prestigious brands associated with her and given the kind of stunning beauty she has been endowed with, no wonder big companies are in a queue to sign her as their brand ambassador.

Recently, Nokia unveiled new and latest phones Nokia 6700 and Nokia 6303 for the suave and savvy Indian consumers who are looking for superior functionality with premium finish at competitive prices. The launch was made by none other than Piggie Chops who looked absolutely gorgeous and picture perfect in a black mini dress. Check out the shots from the event.

Sensational Shahid and Priyanka on ‘Cineblitz’

How sensuous can a pair get? Check out the latest issue of ‘Cineblitz’ to get an answer to this question. The issue has stunning shots of Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra oozing loads of sensuality and intimacy. The pair is awaiting eagerly for the release of ‘Kaminey’. While the gossip columns are painted red with their so-called romantic linkup, the couple is yet to disclose the truth behind these rumors.

Meanwhile, Shahid opens up in the issue saying that he has had a very public breakup and is definitely not in a mood to make his relationships public any further. The issue also has some candid talks with Shruti Hassan and Irrfan Khan.

Rakhi Sawant to continue working post marriage

Finally, Miss Rakhi Sawant is going to turn into Mrs. Rakhi Parujanwala on August 2 on the smaller screen. However, Rakhi has refused to quit work and join her Toronto based husband. Moreover, she would also not want her husband to quit work and become as ‘Gharjamai’. So, Toronto-based entrepreneur Elesh Parujanwala has decided to shift base to Mumbai from Toronto.

Speaking about his future plans, Elesh said, “There won’t be any need for a long-distance marriage, or for Rakhi to join me in Toronto. I’ve already shifted a part of my business from Toronto to Mumbai and I intend to stay put in Mumbai for a very long time.”

On his taking part in this reality show, Elesh explains, “At first I was skeptical. In fact I initially expressed my misgivings to the program’s creators. I didn’t want my children to one day ask me why I married their mom on a game show. But I’m glad I came on ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamvar’. It isn’t a game, though it may be a show being watched by millions. For Rakhi and for me it’s a matter of life and death.”

”I used to watch Rakhi Sawant in her films and her music videos. At that time I never thought I’d one day be asking her hand for marriage. Life is funny,” he laughs.

Apparently, Rakhi’s brother Ravi Kishan helped and guided her in choosing Elesh over and above other contestants. Says Ravi Kishan, “Elesh always stood out. And I told Rakhi this. The less said about some of the other contestants the better. One of them Manmohan Tiwari had so much attitude, it was almost like he was trying to be the small screen’s Ravi Kishan. Sadly the channel encouraged him to behave the way he did, arguing that it enhanced the TRPs. He behaved very badly with Rakhi. He had a girlfriend tucked away all the time. Why was he wooing Rakhi then? I told her Elesh was the best guy for her.”