Both Darsheel Safary and Kareena Kapoor have one thing in common. No, not Saif Ali Khan, but Aamir Khan.

Darsheel, who with his rocking performance and bucktoothed grin, won over the audiences of Taare Zameen Par, even had producer-director Aamir eating out of his hands. Aamir readily admitted defeat in all his pre-release interviews and said that Darsheel was the hero of the film.

Now, Kareena Kapoor may be on the arm of Saif Ali Khan, but admits to being a die-hard fan of another Khan, Aamir.

It is another matter that Kareena went on record in her early stardom days that she would give anything to star with Shah Rukh Khan, who she claimed was a peformer without parallel.

Okay, so Aamir adores Darsheel, and Kareena adores Aamir. But this wonderful equation works out like this: Darsheel has said in his latest interview that he adores Kareena!

Being nominated under the Best Actor category at the Filmfare Awards, little Darsheel Safary’s moving performance had him competing with four adult superstars, including Shah Rukh, whom in an earlier interview he precociously dismissed as no competition!

Ask all those who have watched Taare Zameen Par which actor rules their heart and the answer is Darsheel Safary. Of course, SRK is not one to give any quarter to anyone, adult or child, and bagged the Best Actor award anyway.

In a recent television interview Darsheel candidly admitted that he was a Kareena Kapoor fan and the one thinbg he was looking forward to, after Taare Zameen Par, was to meet the vivacious actress in person at some award function.

After Darsheel, it is Kareena’s turn with Aamir as she will be acting opposite the pint sized superstar in Raju Hirani’s next film. Reportedly Kareena is very excited about being paired opposite the intense Khan.

Kareena has worked with SRK and Salman and now Saif, too. But never with Aamir before. Her elder sister Karisma had paired magnificently with Aamir in Raja Hindustani years ago. With Raju’s film, she should make a fabulous pair with Aamir.

Trade insiders are equally axcited at the prospect and are touting the Aamir-Kareena duo to be bigger than the first-time pairing of Aamir and Kajol in Fanaa. If Kajol was making a kind of comeback as numero uno, today it is Kareena who is ruling the roost.

Amisha Patel seems to have burried the hatchet with director Priyadarshan over her Bhool Bhulaiya fiasco and now working in his next, Billoo Barber, which will indeed be produced by Shah Rukh Khan.

The film is a comedy about two childhood friends – a barber and a rich filmstar. While SRK plays the superstar, Irrfan Khan is playing the his barber friend who comes to meet him after many years.

The film is apparently inspired from the Krishna-Sudama episode and reported to be a remake of Malayalam film Katha Parayumbol.

Though Amisha plays the barber’s wife in the movie, she will also have some scenes with SRK. This would be the second time Amisha would share the screen space with King Khan after her miniscule cameo with him in Om Shanti Om .

Actress Amisha Patel has landed a plum role in Shah Rukh Khan’s home production Billoo Barber.

To be directed by Priyadarshan , the film will be a comedy about two childhood friends – a barber and a rich filmstar. Shah Rukh Khan plays the superstar and Irrfan Khan plays his barber friend who comes to meet him after many years.

The film is apparently inspired from the mythical Krishna-Sudama story. It is reported to be a remake of Malayalam film Katha Parayumbol .

In ‘Billoo Barber’, Amisha Patel will play Irrfan’s wife. Earlier, Tabu was reportedly considered for the role but the actress did not agree for reasons better known to her.

Though Amisha plays the barber’s wife in the movie, she will also have some scenes with SRK. This would be the second time Amisha would share the screen space with King Khan after her miniscule cameo with him in Om Shanti Om .

Amisha has turned a new leaf in her life after separating from her ex boyfriend Vikram Bhatt . She is already playing a substantial role in Kunal Kohli’s next film with Yashraj Films. Now, with a meaty role in a SRK film, Amisha’s career is set to catapult to a new high.

On personal front, the actress has found love in a Delhi-based businessman Kanav Puri. She was spotted with him at the recently-held fashion week.

Deepika Padukone is proving to be a pretty indecisiveness girl at this moment.

The Om Shanti Om beauty who was caught shuttling between Ranbir Kapoor and Yuvraj Singh just some time back is being linked with Nihar Pandya, her ex-flame, once again.

The duo had been seen soptted together several times of late but if the love bug bit them again, we don’t know.

According to some Padukone is trying to find her future with Ranbir Kapoor only espacially after Yuvraj Singh fiasco.

Just a few days back she was shooting a soft drink commercial with Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor when Nihar arrived on the set of the ad film, she preferred RK over Nihar, whom she did not welcome.

Though Deepika did not exactly ignore him, but he could sense that her attention was clearly divided. There was an awkward moment between the two men, who did not exchange even a single word.

So, Poor guys left the sets soon enough leaving Deepika giggling with Kapoor lad once again.

The onllokers on sets reveal that they enjoyed the shoot and loved spending quality time with each other. That’s not all, the couple were also spotted chatting and exchanging sweet nothings at a suburban coffee shop in Mumbai!

Is Sonam Kapoor listening?

is proving to be a pretty indecisiveness girl at this moment.

The Om Shanti Om beauty who was caught shuttling between Ranbir Kapoor and Yuvraj Singh just some time back is being linked with Nihar Pandya, her ex-flame, once again.

The duo had been seen soptted together several times of late but if the love bug bit them again, we don’t know.

According to some Padukone is trying to find her future with Ranbir Kapoor only espacially after Yuvraj Singh fiasco.

Just a few days back she was shooting a soft drink commercial with Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor when Nihar arrived on the set of the ad film, she preferred RK over Nihar, whom she did not welcome.

Though Deepika did not exactly ignore him, but he could sense that her attention was clearly divided. There was an awkward moment between the two men, who did not exchange even a single word.

So, Poor guys left the sets soon enough leaving Deepika giggling with Kapoor lad once again.

The onllokers on sets reveal that they enjoyed the shoot and loved spending quality time with each other. That’s not all, the couple were also spotted chatting and exchanging sweet nothings at a suburban coffee shop in Mumbai!

Is Sonam Kapoor listening?

Bollywood actor, Shah Rukh Khan has been given a notice for public smoking by a Panaji based NGO called “The National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication”. Shah Rukh was caught smoking in public during the HT Leadership Summit earlier this month and also at the 20-20 cricket series in Mumbai.

The actor has 15 days to reply and in case he doesn’t reply, he may even face a penalty or imprisonment.

The aforementioned NGO had also served a notice to Amitabh Bachchan for promoting smoking on hoardings.

Well, Shah Rukh, just take care in the future!

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has dubbed as media exaggeration stories about rivalry between him and mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

“Some of it is exaggerated. Like stories about rivalry between me and Mr. Bachchan,” SRK said in an interaction at the Hindustan Leadership Summit in New Delhi on Saturday.

The actor said the new, nascent media was offering a log of jobs and the people who were being recruited did not have a good idea of what should be done.

SRK, however, said a lot of the reportage also made people in politics as well as in the entertainment world more accountable.
“I have used the media for my gains time and again. Now, I can’t complain that they are using me. We have a synergy here. We go along hand-in-hand,” said the superstar.

The actor, who will next be seen in the Farah Khan directed Om Shanti Om releasing next month, also rubbished the idea that his new fitter avatar was a result of any fear of the newcomers in Bollywood.

“I am trying to play a young, 2007 film star who has six pack and long hair. I was under no pressure (from the younger actors),” he said responding to a question on the motivation for building his body. If you think I am scared of being dethroned as the King of Bollywood, I would say shut up,” SRK said.

Not keen to join the list of Indian actors looking for international exposure, SRK said he would prefer to get an Oscar that is by India and for the world.

The screen icon admitted that he has never been approached by any Hollywood filmmaker, but said he believed that working in the West could not be a pre-requisite or requirement for an actor to be considered good.

“I don’t think working in Hollywood is going to make me a better actor,” SRK said.

SRK said he was tired of attending the likes of Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival and promoting Indian cinema there.
SRK said his dream was to “get an Oscar by India, in India for the world. And I hope that comes through.” “I would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven,” he said.

The Bollywood star said the Indian film industry could go global if it spruced up its infrastructure and brought about changes in the format of the films by shortening them to a length of around one-and-a-half hours.

SRK, however, said songs and dance should be retained as these were the USP of Indian films.

To another question, SRK said he was not in favour of banning smoking or drinking scenes in films, saying films have to reflect the reality.

“Films do reflect the reality. And if you are playing a bad guy, you need to look bad,” SRK said.

Asked what he would like to do if he was given the chance to run the country for a day, SRK said: “I want to make public utilities and amenities for women all over the country. I have tremendous amount of respect for women.”

“When I am driving through smaller towns, I see there are no amenities for women where they can have some privacy,” SRK said.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has turned down an offer from the Madame Tussauds museum in London to make his life size wax statue.

The Madame Tussauds has the wax statues of Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan , the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

“The persons from the museum had approached Salman Khan about two to three weeks ago to make the statue of his. However, he has taken the decision today not to accept the offer,” Salman’s secretary Vikas Kapoor said in Mumbai on Monday.

Kapoor said Salman had not given any specific reason for refusing the offer.

Salman is at present not in Mumbai and is in Austria where he is shooting for a movie. He is expected to return later this week.

Salman has had two stints in jail on the charge of killing black bucks in Rajasthan during a film shoot. He is now out on interim bail while his appeal is being heard in the Rajasthan High Court.

He had also allegedly mowed down a pavement dweller while driving his Sports Utility Vehicle in 2002 in suburban Bandra.

‘Chak De India’ is getting Shahrukh Khan all the well deserved praises. The actor has almost revived the dying game of hockey in India with his motivational movie.

Now, just when we thought that King Khan would become the brand ambassador for the sport, we were surprised to learn that the hockey Federation opted for Suniel Shetty instead. Suniel Shetty confirmed the news as he shared that he never expected this coming his way especially because he has played Hockey just for kicks and he has always been more passionate about cricket.

Anna added, “I suppose they relate me to fitness, wellness and sporting activities and they hope to revive hockey as the national game.” Suniel, who is known for his golden heart, is not charging any fees to become the ambassador in fact, he will do his best to see that there are sufficient funds to train the kids with a passion for the game.

Suniel, who turned 46 this week, feels that this is a perfect birthday present for him. Suniel all we can say, “Anna, Chak De India.”

The much-awaited Shah Rukh Khan starrer Chak De India opened in theatres Friday to a heartening response from the audience, who have not only liked the unusual storyline but also the superstar’s portrayal of a no-nonsense hockey coach of a women’s team.

The Yashraj Films production, directed by Shimit Amin, is SRK’s first film of this year. It narrates the story of an Indian women’s hockey team coach, Kabir Khan, whose goal is to see his team win the World Cup.

“We had waited for a long time to see Shah Rukh in a new film and he has repaid us all with a very good one,” said a diehard fan. “He is brilliant in the movie and I think everyone will like his new look.”

SRK sports a stubble in the film and portrays a stern coach who swears by discipline. The film has created a lot of buzz with its songs and promos.

Audiences are comparing his performance in this film with his earlier critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful Swades.
“After ‘Swades’, this is Shah Rukh’s best performance. He is mind blowing. Everybody must see this film. This is the best film that I have seen this year,” said, a college student.

‘Chak De India’ has not received an overwhelming response in terms of advance bookings. Theatre owners are however hopeful that the positive word of mouth feedback from audiences will see collections go up in the coming week.

“It has not been a great response till now as far as advance bookings are considered, but positive response from the people who have seen the film will act as word of mouth promotion and pull in people to the theatres, ” said Ashish Shukla, CEO of PVR Ltd. “We are very confident that the film will pick up in the coming week.”

With the collections of 2007 so far proving no match for the windfall of last year, which rode on hits like Krrish , Dhoom:2 , Don and Rang De Basanti , all hopes are now pinned on ‘Chak De India’ and some forthcoming releases like Taare Zameen Par , Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag and Jodha Akbar to turn the falling box office fortunes around.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been chosen by the French government for the award of officier Dans L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (officer of the order of arts and letters).

The award is in recognition of SRK’s exceptional career as well as his contribution to the development of Indo-French cooperation in cinema, a French Embassy release said in New Delhi today.

Last year, the French government had selected Bollywood mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan for its highest civilian award, Legion of Honour.

Describing SRK as an actor of great talent and unmatched popularity, French Ambassador Dominique Girard said, “The award also stands testimony to our gratitude to Shah Rukh Khan for his cooperation with the French cinema industry at a time when we are determined to further deepen the Indo-French collaboration in this field.”

The date for the award-presentation ceremony has not been decided yet.

The French government gives this award to persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of the arts in France and throughout the world.

Since 1957, the honour has been bestowed on several famous personalities such as author Mahasweta Devi, artist S H Raza and Hollywood actors Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman.

The work which depicted a scene from ‘Mugal-e-Azam’ was almost entirely done by Husain, named by Forbes magazine as the “Picasso of India” with the King Khan giving some “nervous strokes” at the finish.

“Whatever we do can be turned into a masterpiece, because he is the master,” said SRK about the 92-year-old artist adding that it was an honour to be able to share canvas with the veteran artist known for walking bare feet and for carrying a paintbrush wherever he goes.

The painting featured a man in sand-coloured clothing fanning the face of his lover, Anarkali, who is reclining near a musician playing a sitar.

Only the sitar was to be completed by Husain and SRK in front of the live audience on Saturday. As the actor carefully filled in the bottom portion of the sitar nervously, Husain took the paintbrush away to the amusement of audience.

Asked about SRK’s contribution to his painting, Husain said: “Being an artist, whether you are a painter or an actor, we are bound to add some colour, something to whatever we do. The painting is almost done, I am lucky that Shah Rukh is with me for the final touches.”

“I am not an artist by a long shot, but I’m here to just enjoy the evening as I hope many of you will too,” SRK, who was accompanied by wife Gauri, a well known art collector, and children Aryan and Suhana, said.

Husain said women in his paintings are his way of depicting his mother who died when he was a toddler. “I seek my mother in the women I depict in my paintings,” he said. Husain and SRK wrote their signatures in the upper right corner of the piece. The “Art for Freedom” event was held to raise support for art and media.

The display was part of the auction of 35 works done by top artists like S H Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Jogen Chowdhury, Jatin Das, Aparna Caur and Yusuf Arakkal.

Much of the works were a collaborative effort between top artists and high-profile Indian and UK celebrities.

While London-based artist Angeli Sonwani worked along Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin, NRI industrialist Sir Ghulam Noon teamed up with Paresh Maity, Shamshad Husain with Surina Narula, Farhan Mujeeb with actor Naseeruddin Shah among others.

Anjana Kuthiala, the artist who has painted many portraits of SRK, said collaborative art pieces have become a big trend today. Her own painting called ‘SRK and the flowering tree’ has contributions from celebrities like playback singer Sonu Nigam and SRK’s mother-in-law Savita Chibber.

The auction market for Indian art alone, according to Bonhams, has almost tripled from 26 million pounds in 2006 to its current rate of 75 million pounds.

Strict security will be in place in India’s film capital when Bollywood belle Aishwarya Rai weds screen legend son Abhishek Bachchan this week, with fans unlikely to catch even a glimpse of the event.

The three days of wedding ceremonies are due to begin on Wednesday at the Bachchan residence in Mumbai, India’s bustling financial and entertainment hub.

Fire extinguishers will be on hand in case crazed fans of the couple set themselves on fire in disappointment or try to perform Hindu fire ceremonies to break the marriage, the Mumbai Mirror tabloid reported.

About 500 police, some with metal detectors, would also be in place, the daily reported.

Rai, 33, is a former Miss World, while Abhishek’s father is actor Amitabh Bachchan, who enjoys iconic status in India.

The media have reported extensively on the wedding arrangements and guest list, but the wedding was likely to be a quiet and private affair, with only a handful of Bollywood stars and close friends invited.

Media reports attributed the likely low-key arrangements to the poor health of Abhishek’s grandmother Teji.

Four-page wedding invitations — with the couple’s initials “AA” embossed on the cover — have been sent out to select friends.

Bollywood heart-throb Shah Rukh Khan — a younger rival of Amitabh Bachchan in the national popularity stakes — and Rai’s former actor boyfriend Salman Khan have not been invited.

“I have not been invited to the wedding. Regardless, I wish the couple best,” Shah Rukh Khan told Mumbai tabloid Mid-day.

Those lucky enough to get invited kept mum.

“The Bachchans have asked us to keep this wedding a private issue and therefore we are maintaining silence,” said actor Suniel Shetty, who was invited to the exclusive function.

The country’s powerful Gandhi family, led by the country’s ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, had also been invited, the media reported.

But the family was seen as unlikely to attend, having reportedly fallen out with the Bachchans over politics.

Among those on the guest list are Bollywood’s major players including director Yash Chopra and filmmaker Karan Johar, as well as industrialist Anil Ambani — whose father built the country’s biggest listed firm, Reliance Industries.

Media reports said that jewellery for Rai had been specially brought from eastern Kolkata city, while henna used to decorate the bride’s hands came from the western desert state of Rajasthan.

The bride will also be wearing silk saris from the city of Varanasi, in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

The ceremonies will begin with the traditional sangeet, or music ceremony, during which relatives of the couple sing and dance.

The henna ceremony — during which the bride’s hands are painted — will be held at Rai’s house, called La Mer, on Thursday.

After the main wedding ceremony on Friday, Rai will take part in another tradition in which the bride bids an emotional farewell to her parents.

The pair — dubbed “Abhiash” by local media in a melding of their two names in the same fashion as “Brangelina” for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — were engaged in January.

Abhishek is also an actor and together they have scored two hits in recent months, with their latest film “Guru” collecting 850 million rupees (19.7 million dollars) at the box office in January.

Last year, “Dhoom 2″ was the highest grossing film in India, collecting 1.65 billion rupees (38 million dollars) in the last quarter of the year.

One big favor that Shah Rukh Khan does as the host on KBC is he can get all his buddies to come on the hot seat.

After the star-studded Valentine’s special, SRK has just recorded yet another super-special for KBC. This time it’s a Holi special featuring his two KANK co-stars Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee.

The episode went off like a charm. Says a source from the set, “There were rumours about a fall-out between Preity and Rani who were once best friends. But SRK has a special of knack of making all his heroines feel special. Earlier this week on Koffee With Karan he actually made Kajol and her cousin Rani Mukherjee who self admittedly don’t socialize together sit together on one sofa and be civil to one another. Now on KBC Preity and Rani got along like a house on fire.”

Though the exact prize money won by the two leading ladies is not known they won close to Rs 50 lakhs together.