Missed me doing action? Coming back soon, says Suniel Shetty

                                                    Suniel Shetty is taking a U-turn and returning to where he started in Bollywood - action. The macho actor, who is taking a sabbatical from producing movies after facing losses, is pumping his muscles to crush some bones on the big screen for a resurrection.

"There are plans to come back to action. I am working hard on my body and fitness for that. I will do something that is extra extraordinary. It will be a patriotic film," Anna, as he is fondly called, told IANS in an interview.

"The script is ready and I am playing a central character in the film. The action in it will be unbelievable. Hopefully, it will work," added the 49-year-old, who drifted to comedy with movies like "Hera Pheri" and "Hulchul" for a new innings.

Asked if the film will be a contemporary or period outing, the fit actor nodded for the former.

Prodded to reveal more, he said: "I wouldn't like to talk about it until it happens. But it's just that they (the characters) are in the raw, in the jungle and up in the mountains. So there will be a lot of commando oufit action up there."

Suniel, who will reach the milestone age next year, is also pumping metal hard for the film and to mould his muscles into an age defying body cover.

"I am training hard for it. I am much leaner now and far more ripped than I was, but I want to go down even further. I want to be very sporty than I have ever been. I want to be really lean and ripped," said the actor, who looked everything but his age in a more toned than ever avatar.

"I am also hitting 50 next year and when people believe they are getting older at that age, I want to believe I am younger," he added looking dapper in full sleeve black t-shirt and blue jeans.

So will the movie be a home production?

"No home productions for me right now because in the two years I did productions, I lost a lot of time as I was not acting. There's too much stress with productions," said the actor, who couldn't impress lady luck when he turned producer in 2003 with his banner "Popcorn Motion Pictures" and produced duds like "Khel" and "Rakht".

Suniel injected action in the common man's home as a desi Schwarzenegger in his 1992 debut "Balwan". While he jumped bridges in the movie to save women from goons and slithered in paint in a dark godown to break the antagonist's jaw, he became the contemporary He-Man in Bollywood.

A Black Belt in kick boxing, he kept the decade packed with more of muscle power in outings like "Waqt Hamara Hai", "Mohra", "Suraksha", "Shastra", "Rakshak", "Krishna", "Aakrosh" and "Dus", to name a few.

"I missed action and I am happy that films like 'Wanted', 'Ghajini' and 'Dabangg' brought back action in such a big way. It is larger than life," said the actor.

Apart from fame, the action image, however, proved fatal for Suniel when it came to comedy.

"It (comedy) was something that was natural in me but because of my structure and because of the action that I did, people didn't see that side of me. But I am not held on to my forte by doing only action as the thing that sells. I wanted a change of image and I am working towards it," said the father of two, who received critical plaudits for his role in the Maoist drama "Red Alert: The War Within".

Apart from action and comedy he also has to his credit patriotic outings like "Border", "Refugee" and "LOC: Kargil".

For his almost two-decade journey in Bollywood, he said: "There have been highs and lows but the day I get out of the industry, I just want people to say, 'he was a nice guy... he was a good actor and a good human being'. That's why I also make a conscious effort to make sure that I don't hurt anybody," he said, sporting a childlike smile.

A "family man", who likes to keep it low-profile, the actor also owns restaurants specialising in Udupi cuisine and clothing boutiques. "I am also trying to revise my water sports business in Mumbai."

As for films, his other future projects include a venture on capital punishment and "Thank You".

Never thought of changing surname: Kiran Rao

                                                    Unlike other star wives, Kiran Rao - the better half of superstar Aamir Khan - uses her maiden surname and says that the thought of changing her surname to Khan never occurred to her or to Aamir.

"I've grown with my name and have had it for so many years. I have always wondered how people change their names. I'm quite comfortable with Rao and even Aamir is, he never asked me to change my surname," Kiran told reporters here

"I don't mind calling myself Mrs. Khan but its definitely nicer to be called what I have been referred to for all these years," she added.

Kiran, who was at an event to launch a new promo of her forthcoming directorial debut "Dhobi Ghat", also revealed that she is a fan of Salman Khan and initially had wanted a special appearance by the actor in her film.

"In the film, Prateik's character is someone who wants to be an actor and is a huge fan of Salman Khan, so initially when I was writing the film, I had thought I'll ask Salman to make a guest appearance but then that part didn't fit in the film at all, so we dropped it.

"I myself like Salman a lot and this is my tribute to him. Since we have shown that Prateik's character has his (Salman's) posters in his room and wears a bracelet which is quite similar to the one Slaman wears in real life," she said.

"Dhobi Ghat", slated for a Dec 21 release, also stars Aamir and is the story of four individuals and how their lives are intertwined with each other.

Secret behind Vidya-Rani's kiss!

                                                  Vidya Balan always shies away from controversy. Even when reports of her being sidelined, during the promotions of No One Killed Jessica surfaced, she maintained strict silence. But when co-star Rani Mukerji ‘mock-kissed’ her at a media event, heads turned.

“Rani and I were fed up of answering questions about whether we had catfights. The truth is that we didn’t have any. Someone asked us if we had kissed and made up, so in the heat of the moment we did a mock kiss. I don’t need that kind of publicity, and neither does the film,” says Balan.

vidya balanThe actor will be seen playing model Jessica Lall’s younger sister Sabrina in the film. She and Mukerji, who dons the role of a reporter, team up to take the criminal to task and fight for Jessica’s justice. When asked why she wasn’t part of initial promotions for the film, Balan says, “Sabrina is like a wallflower… shy, awkward, timid and yet ready to take charge. Over the years, she transforms into a real-life hero. The role has more silence than dialogue.”

Balan was pleased about the fact that the Jessica case verdict came out while the film was still being shot. According to her, hearing that news was reassuring.

Even though the film borrows a lot from the actual case, it is not a docudrama: “It’s a dramatised version of the actual event.” She also met two people who called the No One Killed Jessica thappad (slap) help line to offer solutions to their problems. “We had an astounding response. Five thousand people called up on an average every day — to complain about eve teasing, harassment and other issues,” she says.

Refuting reports of her having earmarked three weeks to lose weight and practice for dance sequences in Ekta Kapoor’s The Dirty Picture, Balan says, “We have to figure out what preparations need to be put in. We haven’t even had a meeting yet.” She does add that there might be scope for an item number in the film. She will be seen playing the role of South siren Silk Smitha.

The actor was also recently approached to host a couple of television shows. She has previously starred on UTV Bindaas’ Love Lockup. However, she maintains, “No recent TV offers have excited me. I’m open to doing a short stint on television for up to three months.” While Vibhu Puri’s Chenab Gandhi with Amitabh Bachchan has been shelved, Balan has finished shooting for Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahani and Santosh Sivan’s Malayalam film Urumi, which will release around mid-2011. “Urumi is a gift to my parents, as they’ve always wanted me to do a Malayalam film,” she says, adding, “A love story and comedy film are around the corner; news of which I will announce soon.”

Hum Dono in colour!

                                                          After 50 years of its black and white release, Dev Anand is all set to bring his classic Hum Dono to screens in colour this February. “This time it will be in colour — Cinemascope and Dolby Digital,” says the veteran actor. The global release of the film is scheduled on January 28, while the Indian release is on February 4.

“Cinema is a medium that touches emotions irrespective of language or culture. I am sure that the film will create a similar magic not just in India but across the world,” says Anand.

Dev AnandBarry Sandrew, the Founder of Legend films, whose company specialises in colouring some of the best Hollywood black and white films such as cult classic Night of The Living Dead, and who took on the task of colouring this one, says, “I saw the film and was really impressed … the coloured version has been enhanced a lot in quality and am sure will be a treat for his fans. It is looking spectacular. In fact, a 3D version of Hum Dono Rangeen is also being contemplated.”

Why is Kat furious these days?

                                       Katrina Kaif is livid and it's all because of some rumour about her and her ex-beau Salman Khan doing the rounds in the industry. A peeved Kat is losing her cool because of reports, which claim that Kat spent her New Year cozying up with Salman in Dubai.

Katrina, who always spends year-end with family, could not be with them because of work in Mumbai. A rather irritated Kat told Mumbai Mirror, "I'm here in Mumbai rehearsing for my performance at an awards function next week. Why would I go to Dubai? If I could be away from my commitments in India I'd be with my family in London, as I always am at this time."

Buzz was that Kat went to Dubai to celebrate his birthday.

KatrinaLosing her temper, Kat said, "Why would I not visit his home? And why would I try to hide the visit? Have I ever said I am no longer friends with Salman and his family?

The actress has made it very clear that even if she or Salman were to start seeing other people, she would always be close to Salman and his family.

Last, we saw Kat and Salman together was on the sets of Bigg Boss and the meeting left Kat teary eyed. Wonder if, all this temper stems from there