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. ”

Suddenly Bangkok beckons Bollywood bigtime. Half the film industry is currently stationed in the State Of Sin, though for work rather than pleasure.

First of all, the 4 As….Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao have been in Bangkok for a month shooting for Neera Vora’s Shortcut.

Another A-star Akshay Kumar is also in Bangkok with his pretty co-star Deepika Padukone shooting for Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk To China.

Contrary to reports Ranbir Kapoor flew to Bangkok on Friday not to join Deepika but for a photosession for Filmfare magazine.

Bangkok, in fact, is currently the hottest spot not only for film shooting but also other glam-related events.

Priyanka Chopra flew to Bangkok last week to do an ad with Saif Ali Khan.

“It was touch-and-go because I had to wrap up the ad then rush back to Mumbai and then rush to Miami for Tarun Mansukhani’s Dostana. But the rush was worth it because I always like going to Bangkok for holidays and work.”

Sammir Dattani who’s holidaying in Bangkok and Pataya with his friends,ran into several colleagues from the industry.

“The entire industry seemed to be there, either holidaying or working.And why not? Bangkok is a fun spot and at the same time very work-oriented. I shot for my comedy Dhoom Dhadaka in Bangkok. Now I’m back here for holiday.”

Sammir sees more and more of Bollywood making a beeline for Bangkok this year, and never mind if Nagesh Kukunoor’s Bombay To Bangkok was a big thud.

Priyanka Chopra’s dream home is ready and the actress is delighted. But she hasn’t moved in yet and will do so when she has the time to do it up herself.

‘I’ll have my house-warming party and move to my new place only when I return from Miami in July. My parents have shifted though, leaving me by myself in our old place,’ she grumbled good-naturedly.

‘Last week my parents had a house-warming party for their friends. Since I had no time, I refrained from inviting any of my friends. Isn’t that sad? We had to postpone our shift several times. We were supposed to move in last Diwali, but the interiors had to be completed,’ the actress told.

Priyanka is house-proud. ‘It’s such a feeling to own a home that I’ve watched come up brick by brick. Full marks to Suzanne Roshan for making my dream home a reality. I think her aesthetics are very close to mine.

My parents’ apartment and mine are adjacent (as they were in our earlier residence) and are so beautifully done. Both have been done up differently.’

Since Priyanka is shooting non-stop to complete Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Fashion’ before rushing off to complete ‘Dostana’, she can’t pack beyond the stuff she’ll need for her trip to Miami.

‘But my mom is packing my belongings that I’ve accumulated over the years. I wish I had more time to enjoy this important move in my life.

But I am free only in July after I finish shooting ‘Fashion’ and Karan Johar’s ‘Dostana’. After that, no more assignments for the time being and only then will I get some time to move in and enjoy my new home.

‘Until then, I’ll be happy watching my parents enjoy our new home. Their happiness means more to me than my own,’ she said.

Actress Priyanka Chopra is not Bollywood’s face of Pepsi any more. She has walked out of the deal because she was not happy with the money being offered to her.

The electronic media has been going to town about how Priyanka had been “ousted” from her cola status. “Wrong!” says a very close friend of the actress.

“Priyanka just couldn’t agree with the price that was being offered. The Pepsi people wanted her to work for the same fee again that they paid her earlier. Priyanka wanted to re-negotiate the deal. When the company didn’t budge, she opted out,” the source said.

Adds the friend: “Priyanka is flush with endorsement assignments. In fact, she’s at this very moment shooting an ad with Saif Ali Khan in Bangkok.”

Choreographer Saroj Khan’s plan of casting Priyanka Chopra in her first directorial film ‘Sati’ has been consigned to flames.

The noted choreographer is turning to direction with a hard-hitting, women-oriented film called ‘Sati’, which is written by Makrand Deshpande. Priyanka had the script narration from Saroj Khan for a couple of times before she reportedly gave her verbal consent to the project.

However, just weeks before the film’s shooting was to begin, the actress has excused herself from the movie. Reports say she has signed a plum three-film deal with UTV that leaves her no time for Saroj’s film.

Another theory doing the rounds is that Priyanka was daunted by her challenging role in ‘Sati’.

The movie required Priyanka to play an actress who gets to enact the role of a friend who committed sati.

According to Makrand Deshpande, the role is very demanding and would drain an actress.

So was that why Priyanka got cold feet?

Whatever the case, the fact is she is out of ‘Sati’, and Saroj Khan is left searching for a suitable replacement.

Madhur Bandakar’s Fashion seems to be running into all sort of trouble. We hear that there has been a huge showdown between the leading ladies Priyanka and Kangana Ranaut on the sets just a few days back.

There were also rumours that Priyanka has even had the climax of the film changed.

However, Priyanka said that they have not changed the climax but they just discussed about it. While, the director said that a climax of a movie is open for change.

Actually Priyanka has been working really hard for the film. She has lost a lot of weight to resemble an anorexic model however she was not very comfortable with the original end of the film.

In the originalinal script, Priyanka sleeps around with several men but remains unperturbed even after she gets pregnant. Priyanka was not willing to play this part as it may hurt her image so she coerced director to give into her demands and finally change the climax of the film.

Madhur who is known to make no compromises on any aspect has however has decided to relent to his actress’s demands this time round.

According to insiders Priyanka threw such a fit that Madhur was left with little choice but to give in to her demands.

“Madhur was put under extreme pressure by Priyanka. Initially, Madhur had slated Kareena or Bipasha to play the lead role but eventually settled for Priyanka because he felt she would do justice to the character and look what she has done,” said a source.

Recently filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani too was at the receiving end from Priyanka. The sultry star put a spanner in the works when she refused to wear a bikini for his forthcoming movie Dostana.

Tarun claims that he had already informed the actress that she had to work out and be in shape for a bikini scene in the movie.

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.

Priyanka Chopra has her hands full assuming the various avatars she portrays. But we aren’t talking about the myriad roles she has played in her films thus far. From Daddy’s little girl to Miss Piggy Chops, (nickname courtesy Abhishek Bachchan), to the poster child for workaholics anonymous, she has quite a repertoire of identities.

“Yes, I don them all and I ain’t complaining,” laughs Priyanka, with a revelation that she is a workaholic to the core. “I hate taking even a day off from my work. Out of the day’s 24 hours I don’t mind working for 15. If I’m not shooting, you will surely find me reading scripts or discussing my costumes.”

Sounds like she’s personifying the Wonder Woman bit to the hilt. Speaking of which, what’s up on that front? “Wonder Woman isn’t happening, at least not as of now,” she lets on, albeit a tad guarded. “There were talks. But if and when it happens, I will surely talk about it.”

What she is willing to talk about though, is her upcoming film Salaam-e-Ishq . “I loved being a part of it and working with Salman again,” smiles Priyanka, whose song Saiya Re from the movie will be exclusively aired on Radio Mirchi on January 12. “Salman is one person who doesn’t show his heart of gold. We have a great relationship, yelling and fighting with each other all the time.”

Privacy, however is the one thing that Priyanka feels has been taken away from her by the film industry. “To me loss of privacy is a small price to pay for fame and adulation,” she says unblinkingly. “But I do know when and where to draw the line. I would never let people know who I am seeing or where I eat or sleep. I like to keep that little bit of myself just for myself!”

Bollywood superstar and Pepsi’s brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan boarded Pepsi’s “Blue Billion Express” train on Sunday to cheer the Indian cricket team when India beat England by four wickets at the ICC Champions Trophy match at the Sawai Man Singh cricket stadium in Jaipur.

Shah Rukh, who took a ride on a train after seven years, was accompanied by his “Don” co-star Priyanka Chopra, who also endorses Pepsi.

The 11-bogey special train done up in blue and white with a catchline that resonates through all of Pepsi’s ad campaigns – “Oooooh Aaaaah India, Aaaaah Yaaaaa India!” – written on it chugged out of Delhi’s Safdarjang station early Sunday with about a 100 cricket fans.

The platform looked like a set from a Bollywood flick with blue and white balloons adorning the platform, and girls and boys dressed in the Pepsi uniform dancing to the catchline song. Turbaned waiters served snacks to passengers, and Pepsi products could be picked up for free.

The “Blue Billion Express” – clearly India’s biggest road show ever – is the first major brand-specific communication that Pepsi has come out with after high level of pesticides were allegedly found by Centre for Science and Environment.

On the importance of sports, the actor said: “We should encourage our youth to plays sports, if not for anything else, then for its team spirit. I think games should not be glamorised, but commercialised.

“There should be enough money in the sport, so that we can have ‘professional’ sportspersons. No parent should be able to question the choice of his child’s decision to become a sportsperson.

Asked about his favourite cricketer, he said: “I have a lot of favourites. And some of them are good friends too. But I think it is we who make or break a team. It is fans who can make a team win by cheering them.”

“We will win this cup and the World Cup too … Inshallah.”

Comparing a cricket match to a Bollywood film he said the tension was the same in both. Before the match is played or before the movie is set for release – there is this big question mark about the end result.

Priyanka, dressed in a white top and short denim skirt, said her favourite cricketer was Rahul Dravid. “He is my favourite, and also looks great, which only helps,” she laughed.

She said she gets “mad” each time the Indian team loses a match.

Pepsi’s marketing head Punita Lal said: “Pepsi has unbottled the passion of cricket in India. The game has never been about fans, it has always been about stars. For the first time a big brand is focussing on fans.”

A special feature of the train was a cricket museum created inside it, displaying exclusive cricket memorabilia such as the ICC Champion’s trophy and a cricket bat that belongs to star cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on display.