Katrina Kaif’s sizzling number ‘Sexy Lady’ in Race, followed by the announcement of an item song in the sporty film Blue, has given the lady a va-va-voom image.

She’s surprisingly uncomfortable with her sensuous image. “I want to retain the image of the girl nextdoor. I don’t want the hot image. Even in ‘Sexy Lady’ I’m fully clothed.I’m still the girl nextdoor. It’s not the conventionally sexy kind of song. ”

Race where she’s pitched for the sensuous sweepstakes against Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy has Katrina pulling out all the stops to erase the homely wholesome image.

The lady demurs. “I don’t think so. Everything in Race looks larger-than-life very fulsome urgent and exaggerated. The actors are styled accordingly. I haven’t done anything like it. Everyone’s talking about it. I guess that’s a good sign.”

Katrina is equally reluctant to accept she’s doing the most expensive item song ever in Tony’s Blue.

“I wouldn’t know about how expensive it is. But I’m doing a special appearance in Blue and the song-dance is part of it.Yeah I’m part of the film in a unique way.

Akshay Kumar got me into it. As for the expenses,nowadays so many numbers are thrown into the public’s face. I don’t think it’s right for actors to talk about the financial side of a film.”

Next, ask her about the status of her relationship with Salman Khan and she clams up. “I’d like to keep that personal.”

Is it right to presume she’s still with Mr Khan? “You can presume whatever you like. You can presume I’m an alien from outerspace, if you like. Right now I’m in a very happy place.

Even rumours of us actresses fighting for space in Race is way off the mark. I’ve my own place in Race. My confidence-level has grown in recent times, and yes, it’s partly because of the hits that I’ve had.”

After a number of films where her voice was dubbed Katrina finally used her own voice in Namaste London. And now she says she has dubbed for Race.

“I’ve been working very hard on my diction. I try to speak in Hindi in my daily dealings.”

After being with Salman who patented the name Prem in a series of films, Katrina seems stuck with another Prem, Ranbir Kapoor, who’s her co-star in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.

“I guess they’re worth being stuck with.” She replies tongue-in-cheek. “I just love the script, my character and Ranbir’s role. He’s so much into his work. I’m also getting there. For me acting is no longer a hobby.”

Priyanka Chopra has been shooting nights for Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. And no, it isn’t because they needed to rework the script.

“I don’t know where these stories come from. Apparently I asked Madhur to change the climax of the plot so that my character doesn’t get pregnant.

Now where did that come from? Madhur is a very competent director. Do you think he’d allow any actor to tamper with the script? Yes, the two of us sat down on the script and threshed it out over 6-7 months.

Once that was done, we went by the script completely. I’d be the last person to ask for changes once I begin shooting. ”

As for her character getting pregnant Priyanka laughs, “That was never in the script. The ending was decided at the scripting stage. The girl was never meant to get pregnant.

Why would I shy away from doing something unconventional? I started with Aitraaz which was as unconventional as they come. I’m so amused by all the speculation about Fashion.

Just shows how much interest the film is generating. In spite of the constant attention we’ve shot a majority of the film. We’re all working really hard on it. ”

As for the film being inspired by the lives of real- life ramp -walkers Priyanka clears the air. ” Fashion is a work of fiction.

It’s not meant to be a khulasa (frankspeak) on the modeling world. Basically it’s the story of this one girl’s biographical journey, just like Tabu in Madhur’s Chandni Bar or Bipasha in Corporate.

The fashion world is my character’s backdrop. My character could very well have been a part of the any other profession. ”

Priyanka admits she has never been more nervous about any of her films. “It’s a very nerve-wracking character and I hope I’m able to live up to people’s expectations. ”

Priyanka has to cram in as much of the shooting as possible for Fashion before she rushes off in March to Miami for Karan Johar’s Dostana directed by Tarun Mansukhani.

“That would be a welcome sunny seaside change after shooting the intense scenes indoors on a set for Fashion. It’s a young peppy frothy film. Totally different from Fashion. ”

This Friday’s release Race has Bipasha Basu doing some extremely risky stunts.

When it comes to showing her spunk, Bips is not behind men. While the film’s leading men – Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna – did dangerous stunts for ‘Race’, Bipasha, too, did a very risky scene that could have cost her dearly.

The sultry actress ran just meters away from an exploding car for an action sequence in the film.

The sequence shows Bipasha in her BMW, being chased by a killer. When her car gets stuck and she sees the killer driving at full hilt to ram into her car, Bipasha leaves her vehicle just in the nick of time. The killer rams into her car and it explodes and is blown into the air.

The scene was shot under the guidance of experienced action director Allan Amin. But there was a genuine risk that the blown car might land on Bipasha during the scene.

Initially, Allan thought that Bipasha might not agree to do the scene, considering the risk involved. But the actress was game for it.

Before the scene Allan took every possible precaution. The scene also needed to be canned in a single shot.

Everyone on the sets was nervous before the shot. Bipasha was just 20 steps away from the car that was to be blown into the air. Director duo Abbas-Mastan called ‘action’. Bipasha ran. The car exploded. It flew over Bipasha’s head and landed some distance away.

Thankfully, the actress was safe and the shot was ‘okayed’.

Bipasha says she isn’t really scared of doing risky stunts. The only thing that haunts her is the fear of heights.

Well, she is already at a high place in Bollywood. Aren’t you Bips.

Actress Bipasha Basu, who recently cut her hair really short, surprised audiences at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) Wednesday by sporting her signature long tresses once again while walking the ramp for designer duo Gauri and Nainika Karan.

‘See how wonderful stylists are today! In the morning I had short hair and now I have long hair,’ Bipasha told.

‘I had to revert to my long tresses because it was important for the look,’ she said.

Asked about her association with the designers, she said: ‘I have a very close association with Gauri and Nainika and they have made me look beautiful on many occasions.’

‘They are two little dynamites, who are very talented and their clothes are very elegant and royal,’ she added.

The show saw a series of lavish romantic gowns, with Bipasha setting the ramp ablaze in a blush pink ‘Cinderella’ dress, having an empire cut bustier and a velvet band across her left shoulder.

It opened with a model dressed in a soft, merino wool and tweed attire with subtle, pared-down cuts. The show saw plush duchesse satin folded, pleated, darted, draped, bunched-up and ballooned in strong silhouettes.

‘We started with muted brown and subtle shades to first appeal to an audience, which is not comfortable sporting bright and vivid colours,’ Gauri said after the show, which also had Bollywood actor Amisha Patel in audience.

Rich black velvet bands were used throughout the entire line, giving it a sharp and tailored edge. Golden and scarlet roses delicately woven into wispy black fabric brought an element of fairy tale fantasy to dresses in feminine cuts.

‘Our collection is very feminine, rich, strong, sexy, glamorous and structured. However, we didn’t draw inspiration from a single subject but a variety of them. This time we just did what we wanted,’ the designer said.

The palette had colours ranging from magenta, blood red and pink to acid green black and white.

Fabrics like satin, velvet, tulle and lace were used to design A-line dresses paired with shorts or pants.

‘The use of these fabrics signifies opulence,’ she explained.

Denying reports that she has been booted out from the second run of ‘Miss Bollywood’, Shilpa Shetty says she would love to do the successful West End musical again.

A report in a prominent newspaper said that the show’s promoter Farhath Hussain, who organises Bollywood shows all over Britain, was in talks with Bipasha Basu , Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta to get into Shilpa’s shoes for the second innings over price differences.

When contacted, Shilpa refused to comment on Hussain, but said: “The musical has been a wonderful experience. I’ve been there, seen it and done it. I would love to do it again, but when I have the time and dates.”

Her publicist Dale Bhagwagar termed the talk about another actress stepping into Shilpa’s shoes as mere speculation.

“Shilpa is to ‘Miss Bollywood’ what Angelina Jolie is to Lara Croft. Moreover, license holders of the musical are Harris International in Dubai and so there is no question of anyone else booting her out,” he said.

“There are no immediate plans for a second run only because Shilpa is going to be busy with announced and unannounced films, endorsements and other assignments chalked out till mid-2009,” he added.

M.S. Ajmal of Harris International said: “After our run in Germany, Britain and Holland, offers are constantly pouring in from Australia and the US for putting up shows of the musical.

“Ever since ‘Big Brother’ and Richard Gere happened to her, Shilpa is in great demand in all these countries and is looked upon as the face of contemporary Bollywood. But we haven’t zeroed in on plans for a second innings yet.”

Bhagwagar also denied that Shilpa escalated her price after ‘Miss Bollywood’ became a roaring success, putting Hussain in a quandary.

“Shilpa is an extremely professional person and not the kind to trouble anyone. She’s a rich girl and doesn’t run after money. She’s been lucky to get what she deserves,” Bhagwagar said.

“In the last few months, while we witnessed a metamorphosis in Brand Shilpa from an actress to diva, she has been offered astronomical amounts for certain film projects in Bollywood too. But she is choosing only those which will give her complete creative satisfaction,” he added.

The film fraternity has condemned the molestation of two women in Mumbai by a mob on New Year’s Eve.

While actress and social activist Shabana Azmi feels that surety of punishment for offenders can be an effective deterrent, Bipasha Basu says it is a “collective responsibility to keep the city clean and common people should try to help in such a situation”.

Bipasha Basu: “Those dirty hooligans who apparently molested two women on New Year’s day should be punished so severely that no pervert would dare to try these dirty ugly acts ever again.

The offenders should be tracked down and disciplined publicly. I’ve been a single woman in Mumbai and used to be proud of the city.

But cheap and filthy men like the ones who struck on New Year’s day are destroying the city’s safe reputation.

And why should only cops be responsible for the law and order? Even the man on the road should help in such a situation. Ultimately it’s the people who define a city.

Shabana Azmi: “Take Back The Night was a slogan coined by a the women’s movement to demand basic security for women. Every rule of civilized society demands that security should be provided for women.

We used to pride ourselves on Mumbai being a safe city. Surety of punishment for the offenders is a more effective deterrent than the severity of punishment.”

Vaibhavi Merchant: “Going to any public place on 31 st December is scary specially in Mumbai. This incident only verifies my worst fears about the city.

Only the cops can keep the city safe. It’s really sad the such an incident went unnoticed. They should’ve thrashed the shit out of those drunken louts.

However Mumbai cannot be called unsafe because of some hooligans.This incident should serve as a wakeup-call for 2009.

Sushmita Sen: “It’s a repulsive incident. I feel very violated and upset when humanbeings relinquish their human qualities and begin to behave like beasts. It’s not a question of Mumbai alone.

It’s not a geographical issue. Disgraceful people like these molestors make the world an unsafe place. I pray these offenders are caught and punished severely.My heart goes out to both the couples.

Hema Malini: “I thought Mumbai was the safest city in the world. This incident has shocked me. Those men should be punished right away, and that too in public. And the cops how did they allow it happen?

I feel parents with daughters should be careful on nights like these when men are drunk.

Malaika Arora: “I’ve always considered Bombay to be a safe place for women. But not any longer. I’m sure most women in the city feel the same way after the shocking barbaric incident.

Mahesh Bhatt: “Mumbai has always been unsafe. My wife was once molested way back in the 1980s and had to fight her way out of a mob. The media is now spotlighting the average Indian’s repressed sexuality.

Arbaaz Khan: “Mumbai is surely one of the safest cities in the world. However some recent incidents are alarming and cause for worry.”

Raveena Tandon: “I wouldn’t say Mumbai is completely unsafe. But it’s getting there. The authorities should punish the offenders so severely that it sets an example for future. No one should dare to do what happened with those two women on New Year’s.

Koena Mitra: “Why only Mumbai city? No city is swafe any more for women. I feel for the two women who were manhandled on New Year’s even. Poor things! My soul trembles at what they must have gone through.

Nobody is safe anywhere. All us showbiz girls like Bipasha, Tanushree and Celina are out of towners. No matter how much security we have we’re still not safe.

We really need much harsher punishments for eveteasers. Punish them so hard, cut off their limbs, so they wouldn’t dare to misbehave with women again.”

Bollywood hottie Bipasha Basu is all set to make her presence felt in Hollywood.

Bipasha caught the attention of many people throughout the world when she hosted the New Seven Wonders of the World event in Lisbon in July with Hollywood stars Hilary Swank and Ben Kingsley. After that, Bipasha signed Simone Sheffield as her manager in Hollywood. Simone is already the international manager of Aishwarya Rai .

Talking about Bipasha’s foray into Hollywood, Simone told a Mumbai-based tabloid that Bipasha will work in two English movies to be made by prominent Hollywood studios.

Simone further adds that Bipasha has got another Hollywood offer on the table but things are not yet finalized because the male star of the film is still to be decided.

While Simone refuses to reveal anything about these projects, there is a rumour going around that Bipasha is being considered for a plum role in the future episodes of famous TV series ‘Lost’.

Of late, Bollywood beauties have begun catching a lot of attention in Hollywood. Aishwarya Rai is already working in Pink Panther 2. Mallika Sherawat will be seen as a Muslim woman in Unveiled. Celina Jaitely also signed a Hollywood project recently.

The rumours of Bipasha Basu and John Abraham split are not new, but this time the rumours don’t seem to be just grapevine.

After the world’s most revered young footballer Cristiano Ronaldo kissed Bipasha in a local club in Portugal, the split rumours gained strength. The intimate pictures of the two kissing and dancing were all over the place.

Bipasha had reportedly claimed that those pictures were taken at an opportune moment but maintained that she was completely bowled over by the PFA Young Player of the Year 2007 and said that he was now a good friend and was keen on mailing her everyday.

Dark clouds hovered over the relationship when Bollywood was abuzz with the news that Saif Ali Khan had shown keen interest in Bipasha and climbed high in her good books, industry insiders reveal.

Latest in that string is that apparently Saif has changed his gym and shifted to Bipasha’s gym to spend more and quality time with her, post his break up with Italian heiress Rosa.

A year back the thaw in the celebrity couple was publicly visible when John and Vidya Balan co-starred in Salaam-e-Ishq.

Sources from the industry disclose on terms of confidentiality that Bipasha-John relationship barely managed to keep floor ever since John was smitten by Vidya’s beauty.

Vidya, now a close friend of John, recently commented on the relationship blues that John is facing “When two people are in a relationship and when media speculates on link ups that can put pressure on the relationship,” signaling that after all the rumours may just be true.

The split rumours ceased when John and Bipasha made a public appearance together on the celebrity show Koffee with Karan. During the promotion of their film Goal in Cannes everything seemed fine until there was a murmur that Bipasha supposedly commented that she is single after 10 years. Her secretary however refused to comment on this.

The Jism star dated Dino Morea before the relationship with John which went on for nearly five years.

One of Bipasha’s dreams came true at Lisbon. “I got to meet my favourite footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. For two months I had been raving to my boyfriend John that I’d meet Cristiano at IIFA. They had promised to make him walk with me. I was crushed when it didn’t happen.

Who was to know that I’d party with him just weeks after IIFA?! I was like a fan to begin with. But after we bonded we just became two individuals bonding as buddies over an important international event. We’re pals now. If I ever have to see a football game all I’ve to do is ask Cristiano.”

Bipasha became a football fan ever since she met John. “I’ve been Cristiano’s fan for five years…Both John and I. I haven’t yet told him the details of my partying with Cristiano. I will as soon as he returns from his outdoors.”

Actually the duo hit so well that Ronaldo, who has reportedly been dating former Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson for months, was spotted kissing Bips at a VIP party in his home country of Portugal.

An onlooker told the leading tabloid: “Cristiano and Bipasha were all over each other. They were kissing and he was being very tender, cupping her face and staring into her eyes.”

When asked about the ‘Kiss’, Bipasha said: “Yes, it is me in the picture. It was taken at an opportune moment and has been taken out of context. Again, it looks like a case of irresponsible assumptions.”

Bipasha danced and partied with The Man United footballer until her sole was bruised. “I felt like a princess. He paid me so many compliments. He danced with me throughout the night.

There were 50,000 jealous women staring at us. I must’ve got so much Portuguese bud-dua that night. The local girls wanted to murder me. Now he wants to e-mail me regularly”.

During dinner Cristiano told Bipasha he’s a big fan of Bollywood. “I thought he was just trying to be sweet. I told him he didn’t have to say he liked Bollywood films just to please me. But he called his mother, spoke to her in Portuguese.

She loves Indian films for their emotional content. That wasn’t the end of it. Cristiano fished out his cellphone and made me hear Tujhse naraaz nahin from Masoom. He said, ‘Now do you believe me?’

Bipasha laughs at the memory hours after landing back in Mumbai. “Though he looks older, Cristiano is very young….just a boy. Now I’ve told him I’m only his fan on the field. Beyond the field he’s my friend.

I’ve told him I’m his first Indian friend. We discussed John and my football film Goal. I’ve invited Cristiano to India.”

If you are a John or Bipasha fan, then there is sad news for you.

In fact, this bit of information is for all those who have been trying too hard to prove that lovebirds Bipasha Basu and John Abraham have split.

Well guys, here is a picture for all of you to see that the awesome twosome is very much rocking as a couple else why would Bipasha follow beau John all the way to Kuala Lumpur for a film event?

Aishwarya Rai may have a very beautiful face, but she can’t beat Bipasha Basu in sex appeal.

Being sexy is not just about wearing skimpy outfits or giving ‘I am wild’ look to the camera. It is more about attitude and how one carries oneself in revealing clothes.

Sanjay Gadhvi’s movie ‘Dhoom 2′ pits gorgeous Ash against sultry Bipasha in what is seen by many as the battle for looking sexier. Sorry to say that Ash comes nowhere near Bipasha in looking hot.

In her introductory scene in the film, Ash is shown completely dressed in black outfit (of a thief) and wearing a mask. A few minutes later, she takes off her dress in front of the hero (Hrithik Roshan) and stands in a tiny top and shorts.

The posture she strikes is supposed to be sexy, but is far from it. What you see is Ash standing with her arms slightly akimbo, her pelvis stiff and her bust ostentatiously protruding to the thief in front of her. Now, that is supposed to be ’sex appeal’ for you.

Bipasha, on the other hand, oozes oomph in her very first scene when she is shown shooting at a target while dressed in a tight white T-shirt and jeans. The camera catches the angle of her bust from sideways, highlighting to the maximum Bipasha’s anatomical assets.

Ash, on the other hand, exudes nothing but fatigue. Ironically, she looks the most appealing in a blue, dinner dress that covers her completely from her neck to her knees. She is unable to carry herself naturally in other skimpy dresses like a black catsuit, a golden dress and a two-piece outfit in the final song.

In this battle of sex appeal, Bipasha is truly the winner.

The silver screen will be set ablaze when three Bollywood hotties Mallika Sherawat, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif team up for a movie.

The oomph quotient will touch an all-time high with the coming together of the three beautiful and sensuous belles in a yet-untitled Tips venture, to be directed by Abbas-Mustan.

This is perhaps one movie where the female cast will hog limelight over the male starcast that includes Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Fardeen Khan. However, some doubts are being cast whether Fardeen will do the movie or not.

What’s more, Mallika, Katrina and Bipasha will be portrayed equally stylish and glamourous in the movie. And the comparisons between them are quite inevitable.

The film is a story of two brothers, each trying to prove himself better than the other. While Saif and Fardeen will play brothers, Anil Kapoor will be seen playing a cop.

The story of the film is penned by Shiraaz Ahmed, the writer of films like Humraaz and Aitraaz.

The movie will be a thriller like any of Abbas-Mustan flicks. It is likely to roll in August next year.

TheHimalayanTimes.com