Aishwarya Rai still endorses L'Oreal

Officials of cosmetic firm L'Oreal Paris have denied reports that Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai has been replaced by Frieda Pinto as the new brand ambassador.

Reports of Frieda replacing Aishwarya came up after the "Slumdog Millionaire" star featured in L'Oreal's 'Happy New Year' television commercial.

"We are shocked and surprised to read in some sections of the media/press about Ms. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being replaced as the face of L'Oreal Paris," said an official statement from the firm.

"L'Oreal Paris strongly reiterates that this is absolutely untrue and that Ms. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan continues to be our valued spokesperson, as she has since 2000. While she remains an integral part of the L'Oreal Paris world wide Dream Team, she was unfortunately unavailable for our New Year commercial shoot due to prior commitments.

"She is one of the most iconic women of our times and is certainly the face of L'Oreal Paris internationally and in India for a range of products which include campaigns for Total Repair 5, Excellence Crème, Color Riche, Hydrafresh," the statement added.

Hrithik seeks sister-in-law's forgiveness on birthday

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan believes in simple joys. So, for his 37th birthday Monday, all that the actor wanted was forgiveness from his sister-in-law Farah Khan Ali, who was upset with him over an issue.

"Hello tweeple. I have upset d one person responsible 4 introducing me 2 dis twitterworld my beautiful FarahKhanAli who I love very much. u think u guys cld help her forgive me, since I'm human n since its my b'day tom? Love u all soo much! (sic)" Hrithik posted on his Twitter page Sunday.

Farah is the eldest sister of Hrithik's wife Sussanne.

Hrithik's public apology on the micro-blogging site melted Farah's heart, after which she posted: "OMG. Duggu did u have to do this on twitter. U know I love u unconditionally and the people u love the most sometimes hurt u too. Love u and Suss and will see u tom. Happy Birthday my brother. May u both live a long and happy life. (sic)"

She followed up the post with a warm birthday wish for the actor.

"Happy B'day to a great soul, pure & giving. Love u Duggu. May u never experience a moment of sadness or a bad health. Love always."

Actors like Bipasha Basu and Arjun Rampal wished Hrithik on Twitter as well.

"Happy happy birthday Rockstar, fly high always, love you," posted Arjun.

Imran, Avantika tie the knot, to honeymoon in Thailand!

Bollywood's chocolate boy Imran Khan finally bid adieu to bachelorhood and married long time girlfriend Avantika Malik here Monday. He said he is very happy.

The couple is off to Thailand Tuesday for their honeymoon but not alone - 50 guests will be accompanying the newly-weds.

Imran, who had been dating Avantika for the past eight years, had a registered marriage at his superstar uncle Aamir Khan's house in Pali Hill.

After the wedding, Imran came to his house with his newlywed wife in a black Porsche decorated with white flags with "Just Married" written on them. The house was decorated with flowers and lights

Both wore beautiful traditional wedding costumes - Avantika was wearing a light grey lehenga choli with a red border and gold work and Imran was dressed in a black bandhgala.

"I'm not feeling married right now, it will take some time to sink in. I'm very happy" Imran told reporters after reaching home.

Asked how he felt after breaking the hearts of his female fans, the 27-year-old said: "I've been in a relationship for the past eight years so the point of breaking hearts doesn't arise. Everyone always knew that I'm dating and was never single, so getting married is nothing new."

Imran's maternal uncle, Aamir was dressed in black sherwani with self-print and a maroon churidar and his wife Kiran Rao went traditional too, donning a purple-gold lehenga choli.

"We are very happy for both of them and all our blessing are with them. I hope they have a happy married life and have lots of kids," said a visibly elated Aamir.

The actor will be hosting a grand reception once the couple returns from their honeymoon. The date has not been fixed, but it is scheduled for the end of this month.

After the wedding, the couple hosted a quiet dinner for close family and friends at Taj Lands End Hotel.

Kareena loses weight again!

Kareena Kapoor's weight fluctuates like the sensex! One day you can count all the bones on her body and the next she glows with all the right weight on her. Yet again after putting on weight for Golmaal 3, she's back to her skinny self for an item number in Ra.One.

Famous dietician Rujuta Divekar had chalked out three different diet plans for Kareena.

Rujuta told Mid-Day, "For the shoot of Ra.One's Chammak Challo, she had to fit in to this sexy white dress. To attain that perfect figure, we had a Mumbai diet charted out on her return to the city, one for her stay in Las Vegas another for her 24-hour flight from Mumbai to Las Vegas via London and then back again to Mumbai after the shoot ended. She lost five kilos for the Ra.One song but still ended up looking fit and fabulous."

The dietician, who has previously planned diets for Kareena, said that it was very difficult to plan this one. "We had two diets in place one for 10 days and one for the nights. It was very tough to find the right food in Vegas as they were shooting outside."

Incidentally, during the shoot of Ra.One, Kareena had to eat several pan cakes topped with maple syrup. That got Rujuta extremely worried but Kareena managed to stick to the diet perfectly.

During the shoot of the song, Kareena ate makhaanas (lotus seeds) to sustain energy and necessary nutrients.

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".

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

Arjun is Ra.one

                                               All those awaiting the release of the Shah Rukh Khan film Ra.One are in for a bit of a surprise as contrary to popular belief, in this multi-crore budget sci-fi, it is not the King Khan who plays the lead role of Ra.One but actor Arjun Rampal.

According to sources, Shah Rukh Khan plays a double role in the film, a scientist and the good robot, G.One

Hrithik Roshan: A year of action

                                                                        The past year may not have been great for him at the box office — with both Kites and Guzaarish bombing big time— but actor Hrithik Roshan has no complaints. The actor has no real wishes for 2011, only a determination to work harder and harder. “I really don’t believe in asking and wishing. I believe that you get what you deserve. I just hope I keep believing that so it will make me work harder and harder.”

About his lack of success last year, he is pragmatic. “Well, Kites was in the commercial space. So I accept that not doing well. But it is not really fair to judge a film like Guzaarish right now. For a film like this, the entire spectrum of markets around the globe is still open.”

Still deeply moved by his role as a paraplegic in Guzaarish, the actor says what he has got from the film is far more than anything in the past ten years from any of his other films. “I have to be in gratitude and not complain at all because otherwise, He is watching you. He will get angry and punish you.”

After Guzaarish, Hrithik was quoted as saying, ‘I want to get back to doing what the audience wants to see me as.’ Explaining what he meant, he says, “At heart, I am an explorer. You have to truly juice out life, especially as artistes. As artistes, we have to be adventurous. Sometimes, you meander and just go with your heart and take that journey. I was on that curve where I wanted to know what my abilities are, what is my heart asking me to do and why is it asking me to do these things. Now it’s coming around a full circle where there is a volcano inside all of us. You are waiting to explode and that is what I feel right now with my next films, starting with Agneepath and Krrish 2.”

How does it feel to fill in the boots of Amitabh Bachchan in the remake of Agneepath? “If the question was to fill those boots, I could use 10,000 adjectives like fool, stupid, preposterous, ridiculous, idiot to explain that action; but that is not what I am doing. It’s not about filling those shoes. It is a different, much younger script. It’s about a boy with rage. I don’t want to give the story away completely but it is not the way you saw it earlier. The way you will see it now is different from what it was.”

Having put on weight for his role in Guzaarish, Hrithik says he’s ready for the upcoming action. “My next action film, Agneepath, starts in February, and then Krrish 2. For a year, I will be jumping around, breaking my bones. I am so raring to go, I can jump now for you.”

New episodes of `Little Krishna' animation series in Malaysia

                                                                  Thirteen new episodes of "Little Krishna", the story about the Hindu deity depicted as an infant or a young boy playing a flute, have come to Malaysian viewers in animated form, in time for the Thaipusam festival of the Tamils.

The series was launched earlier this week by Ashish Sharad Kulkarni and Tejonidhi Bhandare, Big Animation's CEO and head of finance respectively.

Big Animation is the production house behind the animation and is an entertainment wing of the Reliance group, India.

Scripted by Emmy award winner Jeffrey Scott and directed by Vincent Edwards (of "Spider Man: TV Series"), "Little Krishna" won the Best Animation award at the Asian Television Awards (ATF) in Singapore and five Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Frames awards as well as three Golden Cursor awards.

Released this week were volumes 3 and 4, with total 13 episodes, with each episode running for 22 minutes.

Volume 1 and Volume 2 were released for Thaipusam last February, the New Straits Times said Saturday.

Malaysia is home to 2.1 million ethnic Indians, a bulk of them Tamils.

Mayank Shekhar's Review: Ada

Direction: Tanveer Ahmed
Cast: Ayaan Ahmed, Nauheed Cyrusi
Rating: *

Words in relatively chaste Urdu, most would agree, makes commonplace dialogue, even gibberish, sound like poetry. So goes a voice like Gulzar’s throughout this film, gargling what’s
probably meant to be Rumi’s works.

Colour tones change with every scene. Background score changes genres. Dubbing is never in sync; editing, abrupt.

A brooding dodo sits on a bench, looks up to the sky, peers down a terrace…. Every few minutes, he walks out of his main door, lands straight into a gambling or drinking den. A gun in each hand, he furiously shoots randoms down, wipes his mouth with his wrist later!

This prominently lisping revolutionary is curiously modelled on the evolutionary primate: bonded hair loosely falls over the sides of his forehead, the face is unshaven from above the lip and under the chin; he walks with a hunchback and casually mumbles, “Main khooni, peshawar khooni (I’m a murderer, murderer by profession). Before taking another life, “I die many deaths!” He does this “not for lust, fame, money or power,” you see.

He does this for you, the eternally ungrateful — his gun is the “shield for the people.” He has a promise to his dead father to keep: “to cleanse this city (Mumbai, of course) with all sincerity, love and humility!”

Rahul Roy plays that dead daddy. He’s a poet, and he knows it. He comes back to a more coloured screen for his cameo to repeat, “Agar daku Valmiki ban sakta hai toh Valmiki daku nahin ban sakta? (If a dacoit can author Ramayan, can’t a writer become a dacoit?)” Heady stuff.

The deranged son agrees, groans, “Mein sabse bada daku banoonga. Iss sheher ke Duryodhan, Kans, Ravan, sabko maroonga. Maroonga! (I’ll become the city’s biggest dacoit, will kill all villains).” This ADA group consists of other underworld type hammies with names like ‘D’Coshta’, ‘Akraam bhai’ and the lot. Gulzar-like voice resurfaces to recite garbled poetry. Background score switches genres again.

A R Rahman has had to compose music for this dumbness. His work in Hindi movies have been terribly uininspiring lately. He’s looked westward for his finest scores instead.

You can tell why. They fetch him Oscars and Golden Globe shortlists (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Couples Retreat). His stuff here gets dumped into shoddiness like this (or Lakeer, or Yuvraj, or Jhootha Hi Sahi, why, even Delhi 6). The Madras maestro is clearly no more Bollywood’s number one composer. Which is fair. Sachin isn’t the best domestic cricketer either — he’s probably the best in the world. That’s where Rahman deserves to be — better for the world that way. “Mein sabse bada daku banoonga,” anyone?

Kangana has her way with 'Tanu Weds Manu'

                                                                             "Tanu Weds Manu", which will see the fresh pairing of Kangana Ranaut and R. Madhavan, was initially titled "Manu Weds Tanu" but the name was changed at the lead actress' behest.

Director Anand Rai felt "Manu Weds Tanu" was an appropriate title, but Kangana who plays Tanu in the film, insisted that the title should be "Tanu Weds Manu" and not "Manu Weds Tanu" because the narrative unfolds from Tanu's point of view, said a source.

The director was taken aback, but Kangana explained her point saying Tanu, a small town, wild girl, is the one in the commanding position compared to Madhavan's character Manu who is shown as a simple NRI guy in the comedy.

When the director spoke to Madhavan, thinking he would get upset, the actor saw the point immediately and readily agreed with Kangana.

"It's true that the film was earlier titled 'Manu Weds Tanu'. However, we felt that 'Tanu Weds Manu' was a more suitable title, according to the demands of the script. So we decided to go with 'Tanu Weds Manu'," said Rai.

It’s my turn to dance to Farah's tunes: Sonakshi

                                                                             Dabangg is one of the year’s biggest blockbusters and the best new face of 2010, Sonakshi Sinha, admits that it feels wonderful to have made box-office history with her debut film. “But the one who’s really on top of the world is my dad (Shatrughan Sinha) who’s happy for and proud of me,” she beams.

“He relays with childlike delight every compliment he hears. He’s also a little bemused because suddenly, he’s not the only one getting the attention, despite one of his finest performances in Rakht Charitra. And his pampered darling is taking some of her own decisions too,” says she.

Lil’ Ms Sinha admits to being the obdurate sorts since she was a child. She points out that when everyone expected her to get into acting, she took up fashion designing. When they thought that she would never lose her puppy fat, she proved she could. “Then, they said I’d be just another star kid who was all talk and no show. I showed them I could do more than just talk,” she says.

Come 2011 and she has Shirish Kunder’s Joker to look forward to. Co-starring Akshay Kumar, she describes the film as “a real story in 3D”. Apart from the SFX, she’s looking forward to an item number choreographed by Farah Khan: “Farah had the choice of choreographing Tere mast mast do naina… and Munni badnaam hui… in Dabangg. She chose to do Munni… and made it the country’s siren call. Then, she turned Katrina into a sizzling Sheila in Tees Maar Khan. Now it’s my turn to dance to her tunes.”

There’s also Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kick. Even though it is a Telugu remake, it has some changes that should make it a bigger and better film. “Besides, it has Salman Khan,” she reasons.

He’s been recommending her and even presented her with a Being Human watch? “I bought the watch myself and the money went to his charity,” she clarifies. Sonakshi is looking forward to returning with Chulbul Pandey in the Dabangg sequel. That won’t be for a while though, since Salman is busy. Meanwhile, there’s Race 2 and Housefull 2, and reportedly, she’s the chosen one for both. But Sonakshi is wary of revealing too much too soon.

According to her, in some of these films, she’ll be seen in very different avatars. More glam, more westernised, but definitely no bikinis. “Since I was a child I’ve known what was off-limits. I’ve never run around in bikinis and shorts and I’m unlikely to do something that would make me uncomfortable. Why should I, when everyone wants a sister, daughter or wife like Rajjo?” she argues.

And will she walk the ramp again after her big Humpty Dumpty fall in the Lakme Fashion Week?

“It wasn’t a big or bad deal. But it was caught on tape and the media went to town with it,” she protests, pointing out that after that, she’s walked a more complicated ramp without stress.

“There was a time when designers wanted me because I was Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter,” she recalls. “I still am, but now they want me because I’m Sonakshi Sinha.”

Tracks to bring in 2011!

                                                                It comes out as a surprise that in a Bollywood centric city, international songs have been clear favourites as far as DJs in Mumbai are concerned. Most acknowledge the need to play Bollywood music to entertain the masses. But when it comes to ringing in the New Year, three out of 10 listed The time... by the Black Eyed Peas, as their most-spinned song.

The song is on the band’s recent album, The Beginning, which is chorused on the Dirty Dancing hit ‘(I’ve had) The time of my life.. Sheila ki jawani... from Tees Maar Khan and I got a feeling by the Black Eyed Peas tied as the Katrinasecond most spin-worthy tracks.

The Black Eyed Peas is a party favourite with five of the 10 DJs, who selected their songs to play at New Year’s eve parties. Munni badnaam hui..., one of the biggest hits of the year, features only in one DJ’s list.

1 DJ Akhtar, Renaissance, Powai
I will be playing either Munni badnaam hui... or Sheila ki jawani.... I haven’t decided on which one, but it is going to be one of these, as I will be playing to more than 3,000 people.

Since Bollywood sells amongst the masses, I will also play Laila o Laila... from Qurbani and a few Bappi Lahiri and RD Burman remixes, which I have specially produced for the New Year.

2 DJ Kiran, Valhala, Churchgate
I will play mostly Bollywood songs, depending on the crowd. I will bring in the New Year either with a remix
of Tees Maar Khan title track or Sheila ki jawani... or play contemporary English hits by Akon or Black Eyed Peas.

3 DJ Hiren, Sahara Star, Vile Parle
At Seduction 2011, I will be playing Munni badnaam hui..., Sheila ki jawani..., Amplifier..., Mithi mithi bolo... from Aisha and also The time..., by the Black Eyed Peas. For the final countdown I will play I got a feeling... by the Black Eyed Peas or Final countdown... by Europe.

4 DJ Ricky, Manchester United Café, Lower Parel
I will bring in the New Year by playing The time... (Dirty bit) by the Black Eyed Peas, as the song is very upbeat and has amazing lyrics that talk about good times. It’s a perfect track to make the club atmosphere crazy.

5 DJ Reji, Bonobo, Bandra
I will be playing The time... by the Black Eyed Peas at midnight. I guess it’s very popular and brings back old memories. Other tracks that I play will be Bollywood, especially from the last decade.

6 DJ Akbar Sami, Renaissance Club, Versova
I will be playing a soundtrack called, The anthem... by David Guetta. I have recreated it by adding numbers along with the sound. I will also play Bollywood numbers along with tracks by Black Eyed Peas and Akon.

7 Meldan DaCunha, better known as Big M, Soul Fry Casa, Fort
I will play Auld lang syne... which is a traditional Scottish poem played to bring in the New Year. Then I will play Soca music, which is very popular at my outlet and has community members also joining in to sing.

8 DJ Joel, Blue Sea, Worli
There have been a lot of commercial hits this year. So other than the Bollywood favourites Munni badnaam hui... and Sheila ki jawani... I have selected tracks by Axwell. But to bring in the New Year, I will spin The time... by the Black Eyed Peas.

9 DJ Emaan, Dome, InterContinental, Marine Drive
The song I would be playing is Party animal... by David Guetta feat Akon because it’s everyone’s favorite at the moment. It relates to people partying in the New Year.

10 DJ Henson, Gadda da Vida, Novotel, Juhu
I will be playing I got a feeling... by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s a song that is sure to get people into the feel of New Year.

Top 10 Bollywood songs

                                                                                          The year 2010 offered a wide range of Bollywood songs. While raunchy numbers like Munni badnaam hui kept the adrenaline pumping, soft and romantic numbers such as Dil toh bachcha hai jee and Pee loon caressed listeners' hearts and the Sufi number Sajda spelt bliss for music lovers.

The year cannot be dedicated to any one musician - from Pritam Chakraborty to Vishal-Shekhar; all enjoyed a fair share of the spotlight. But amid singers it was Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who made it big with a couple of hits.

Here're the most popular songs of 2010:

MunniDil toh bachcha hai jee: It was a melodious beginning to the year with the romantic number from Ishqiya. Vishal Bharadwaj directed the music and roped in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to sing the song that instantly struck a chord with listeners. The sound of the accordion was prominent in the composition and was reminiscent of Raj Kapoor songs.

Sajda: Composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy mesmerised listeners with this song from the film My Name Is Khan. Once again sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan along with Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma, the Sufi number tugged at one's heartstrings. The sounds of tablas and dholaks were moulded together so beautifully that it helped the song become a chartbuster and stay on top for a long time.

Aap ka kya hoga (Dhanno): An interesting remix was packed into the Housefull album by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in the guise of Aapka kya hoga (Dhanno). Sung by Mika Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Sajid Khan, it revisited Amitabh Bachchan's popular song Apni to jaise taise from the 1981 superhit Lawaaris. The hit number appealed even after a makeover because the composers retained a few original lyrics. It was a winner all the way and made everyone dance to its tunes.

Bin tere: The song from I Hate Luv Storys managed to bring out the hidden romantic side in all of us. Composed by director duo Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravijiani, it surely is a soulful and melodious number. The simple lyrics were beautifully rendered by Shafqat Amanat Ali with ample support from Sunidhi.

Pee loon: The soft love ballad from the crime thriller Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai still occupies air time on most of the radio channels. Pritam Chakroborty's composition and Mohit Chauhan's voice have spelt magic for the song. It also contains traces of Sufi elements that add edge to the song.

Gal mithi mithi: This track is an amazing folk outing by Tochi Raina and is not like any run-of-the-mill Punjabi number. Composed by Amit Trivedi of Dev D fame for Aisha, the fast number instantly made its mark because of the unpredictable orchestration and the fun element woven together intelligently.

Munni badnaam hui: One of the most popular item numbers of the year, the fast-paced, catchy song with a rustic flavour created a nationwide sensation. Composed by Lalit Pandit and sung by Mamta Sharma and Aishwarya, Munni... from the superhit film Dabangg is still ruling the roost.

Tere mast mast do nain: Dabangg gave another hit in Tere mast..., but this time the composers were brothers Sajid-Wajid. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan crooned the moderately paced romantic track with such expertise that it made people sit up and take notice.

Zor ka jhatka: Even though the film failed to take off at the box office, this song from Action Replayy flew higher and higher on popularity charts. Sung by Daler Mehndi, Richa Sharma and Master Salim, Pritam's composition was appreciated for its quirky lyrics and unusual orchestration.

Sheila Ki jawaani: As they say the best is always reserved for the last, this song appeared almost at the end of the year and was an instant hit thanks to its urban appeal and a raunchy feel. It's giving competition to Munni badnaam hui for the best item number crown.

Brilliantly sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and composed by Vishal-Shekhar, the Tees Maar Khan number has foot tapping beats and an impressive composition has made it a favourite among people of all ages. With an urban appeal and a raunchy feel, the song is currently ruling every music chart.

Asha Bhosle's never heard before dance number released

                                                                   She has crooned over 12,000 songs in 18 languages but aficionados of legendary singer Asha Bhosle can rejoice as one of her never released dance numbers from a shelved 1970s movie has been released online.

Called "Aaj ki shaam pahloo mein tu", the seductive dance number was written by Naqsh Lyallpuri and recorded in the 1970s for a shelved film that was then tentatively titled "Rehnuma".

Composed by late Madan Mohan, the song has an alterante tune for the antara and is available on the composer's website www.madanmohan.in.

Four never before heard Asha Bhosle-Madan Mohan songs were also released last year in the album "Tere Bagair".

The two have given many a hit songs like "Jhumka gira re", "Sabah se yeh kahdo", "Zameen se humen aasman par", etc.

Bollywood's slip-of-the-tongue moments!

                                Here are some slip-of-the-tongue comments our dear celebs made in 2010.

Abhishek Bachchan He claimed that he jumped off the cliff for a stunt in Mani Ratnam’s film, Raavan. “I told Mani that if the local boys could do it, so could I, only if there was a professional diver to train me. The only thought in my mind was ‘Oh, my god, I am going to die,” he said. Later, M Balram, a national-level swimmer, said, “I had done the stunt.”

Preity Zinta
The actor mixed up Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan with Rajput leader Prithviraj Chauhan. Zinta tweeted, “Prithviraj Chauhan is r new CM; he’s the namesake of a fearless Rajput King! We hope he can b an inspiring leader & do justice 2 his name (sic)!” Actor Amitabh Bachchan corrected her. “Preity, its Chavan not Chauhan.” Preity’s mistake got the blogosphere and news channels abuzz about her ignorance.

Sonam Kapoor
Columnist Shobhaa De criticised the actor’s film, I Hate Luv Storys, and said that filmmaker Punit Malhotra should be spanked. Punit in turn tweeted, “Shobhaa De is an old fossil who is going through menopause and getting no action.” Actor Sonam Kapoor replied to the comment and a controversy erupted that died down with an apology from Sonam to De.

Prahlad Kakkar
He took a dig at actor Abhishek Bachchan when he said, “Abhishek has 17 flops in a row and is still going strong. He should be in Guinness Book of Records.” In a reply, Abhi said Kakkar should be a comedian.

Priyanka Chopra
She got flak when she returned from a shooting schedule in Srinagar and commented, “I enjoyed Kashmir but I am happy to be back to civilisation.” Following the uproar, she had to clarify.

Ajay Devgn
He got into a foot-in-mouth situation when he addressed railway Minister Mamta Banerjee as the information and broadcasting minister at an event.

Anil Kapoor
The actor said Abhay Deol needs “serious help in every way because he is doing all the wrong things”. Deol called Anil a “waste of time” and said he needs help “to not get affected by him.”

Deepika Padukone
She advised former lover Ranbir Kapoor “to endorse a brand of condoms”. It created buzz and Ranbir replied, “This is good. We should spread AIDS awareness.”

Salman Khan
He landed himself in a soup when he gave an interview to a channel in Pakistan saying that the Mumbai terror attacks got attention because the “elites were targeted”. Political parties jumped on his case, and he had to issue an apology by saying, “I apologise if I may have hurt anyone’s sentiments.”

John Abraham
He claimed that he had done Aashayein for free because it was based on a social issue. “I felt that the nature of the film was such that it should be made, that is why I didn’t take any money for it,” he said. However, Shailendra Singh of PPT, the film’s distributor said, “John and Nagesh got their full payment.”

Deepika-Mallya Jr holiday together!

                                                               Seems like love is in the air and Deepika Padukone and her 'good friend' Siddharth Mallya are basking in it! Dips and Mallya Jr were spotted at Mumbai International Airport and were headed to England together, Mid-Day reported.

While they decided to celebrate Christmas in India, it is believed that the two jet-set to London to bring in the new year.

The actress was spotted in her casual jeans and furry boots while Siddharth was seen in a leather jacket and a muffler.

Seeing Deepika's non winter attire and the fact that London is freezing at this time, one can't help but wonder if Siddharth is going to provide Dips-Sidall the warmth!

I may contribute to Akshay's film again: Pakistani rapper Bohemia

                                                      US-based Pakistani rapper Bohemia, who collaborated with Akshay Kumar in "Chandni Chowk To China" for the snazzy version of the title track, is expecting to ink another deal with the Bollywood star.

"Last month I had a meeting with Akshay bhai again. Hopefully, I will again contribute in his another film. Talks are on with many other filmmakers and very soon things will be finalised," Bohemia told IANS.

"My fan base started in America and now whatever I get from outside is an added bonus. Now Bollywood is helping me. Akshay Kumar approached me for 'Chandni Chowk to China' and I could not say no as I am his big fan," he said.

Bohemia feels hip-hop or rap is not culture or society bound.

"Hip-hop and rap is something that represents a whole culture. In other forms of music there are many restrictions and you are compartmentalised into certain compositions. But rap is absolutely free, you are just naked in front of your audience and that is the real test of any musician's abilities.

"I have many fans. I do not know the reason why they are so impressed with me as I never do anything to impress anybody. I just go to the stage and scream my heart out.

"I am never bothered about my looks and clothes like other singers. I think that rap represents a culture and most of the youngsters easily relate to it."

Born as Roger David in Karachi, Pakistan, Bohemia shifted to the US when his parents decided to migrate there 14 years ago. He is now based in California. Bohemia's grandfather had converted from Sikhism to Christianity.

Talking about his fan following in India, he said: "Whenever I come to India, there is a huge queue of youngsters outside my hotel room and at the venues. I like to take out time for them and teach them about hip-hop and rap music. Hopefully, in future I would find more time to interact with youngsters and some concrete planning is on my cards," he said.

Bohemia, a big fan of Mirza Ghalib, feels rap is fast picking up in India.

"Rap is a cool quotient for kids. I do not find any difference between Indian kids and those from other countries. Kids in Europe and America are also doing the same thing. It took about 25 to 30 years for rap music to develop in America. In India, you just wait for another five years," said the singer.

Bohemia became an instant hit in 2003 with his first album "Vich Pardesan De" and followed it with "Pesa Nasha Pyar" and "Da Rap Star".

Talking about his inspiration, Bohemia said: "I was a mamma's boy and I was only 16 when my mom passed away. I was a dejected teenager in a new country.

I did not even know the language. I wanted to leave the school and home. I wanted to kill myself.

"I was on streets, running here and there, struggling in life. I did not really trust anyone. I was very blunt. The anguish, struggle and difficult phase were my inspiration. I started becoming friends with black Americans who are very good in rap. I learned many things like the English language from them," said Bohemia.

He is not too happy with the DJ culture and said: "DJs don't have knowledge of music, they are only doing mixtures. In India, we do not have DJ culture; we are just copying what we are seeing in the west. For making good music, we have to be creative."