No link-up please, says nervous Preity

Actress Preity Zinta is nervous before the 55th Idea Filmfare Award 2009, which will take place on Saturday, February 27.
She tweets, “Filmfare Awards are coming near and I am already nervous ! Most actors are nervous because they are wondering if they will get awards... I am nervous because if I end up going with someone from the opposite sex that person might get linked up with me. What to do?”
The dimpled actress, who hasn’t been nominated this year, says, “I think I will nominate myself for the Missing in Action Filmfare Award since I have not had a movie for a year and half!”
On a suggestion that she take her dad or brother along, or even go alone, she responds, “I know but I hate getting dressed up and then becoming ... Miss Only the Lonely!” C’mon, Preity, brave those flashbulbs... so what if we’ll be watching!

Osama in Bollywood?

Jaane kitne mulkon ki police Osama Bin Laden ko dhoond rahi hai, but the feared and famous man is going to be in a Bollywood film this July.

Well, not really, but there’s nothing wrong in settling for second best, right? Producer Pooja Shetty Deora’s upcoming flick, Tere Bin Laden, is all about Osama, but not really about him.

A young Pakistani reporter wants to go to USA, but his visa keeps getting rejected. As fate would have it, one day, he meets an Osama lookalike and decides to make a clip with the impostor, in a bid to sell it to a television channel as a scoop. But, as is expected, the FBI gets on his trail and the reporter is on a ride from there on. Directed by Abhishek Sharma, the movie has an unconventional cast that includes Pakistani prince of pop Ali Zafar, Chinmay Mandlekar, Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, Chirag Vohra and Piyush Mishra, among others.

After 2003, when theatre veteran Barry John starred in Roysten Abel’s Othello as Iago, he’ll now be seen in Tere Bin Laden, playing a pivotal role. Piyush Mishra too makes an appearance here after Gulaal, though he’s not given the music for this one.

Deepika ,Shahid .. Whats cooking?

From the time Shahid Kapoor visited a building complex in Bandra to meet filmmaker Kunal Kohli, the paparazzi has been hanging around a tree in the same complex.

One photographer almost lost his camera hanging from a branch. Coming back to Shahid he first went to Kunal and then he reportedly strayed. He dashed into a building that has Deepika Padukone in it. Sources close to Shahid say that he discovered Deepika stays there quite accidentally. However, what is interesting is, that now Shahid apparently loves this neighbourhood and makes nocturnal visits regularly. One of Deepika’s very helpful neighbours says, “I was in my balcony smoking a cigarette at 3.30 am and spotted Shahid’s SUV parked there.” Whether the actor was visiting Kunal or Deepika is a little bit of a mystery. Since Deepika was on Shahid’s birthday guest list last night... one seems to think the scales are tilted in favour of Deepika over Kunal. Kareena Kapoor, Vidya Balan and Priyanka Chopra are persona non-grata on the young actor’s list. Deep inside new feelings seem to have erupted.

Rishi takes panga with Dimple

Look what all is happening at the Patiala House. Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor, yes the same stars who rocked the 70s with their debut film Bobby, play fight on the sets of Nikhil Advani’s film all the time.

Dimple has all the stars in the house amused when she jokingly tells Rishi, “Aye Kapoor mere se panga mat le.” And Rishi of course, is his usual self, very strict and a no-nonsense person. He even shouts at the other actors. “Go give your shot,” he’ll say if he sees anybody wasting away their time. Dimple doesn’t spare her son-in-law Akshay Kumar too. When she’s talking to him about Twinkle, Dimple says ‘teri biwi’ so Akshay too refers to his wife in the same fashion, ‘teri beti...’, he tells Dimple. This house is indeed rocking!

Arjun, Ranbir need their smoke

The lengths to which directors have to go for their movies is sometimes unbelievable. But even Prakash Jha had never imagined he would have to do what he did for his Raajneeti actors, Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor, while they were filming a vital scene.

The story goes that the cast and crew of the film were shooting in Bhopal for a very important sequence. The shot required the cast to be drenched in muddy water and colours. However Arjun and Ranbir, who are regular smokers, suddenly were desperate to have the cancer stick but realised they couldn’t because of the condition they were in.

So when Prakash Jha called them to explain the next scene, the duo was not very attentive and seemed preoccupied. Finally, when Jha demanded to know what the matter was, they both explained that they could not pay attention because they were dying for a smoke.

They even jokingly requested Prakash Jha to put in a smoking scene just so that they could smoke. Poor Prakash Jha ha no option but to hold the cigarette in his hands while they puffed away.” Ranbir was so happy that he got up and hugged Prakash Jha, ruining his clean clothes in the process.

Succumbing to pressure from Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor, Prakash Jha held a cigarette so they could smoke handsfree...

The source further adds, “All three of them still laugh about it. Prakash Jha now makes fun of Arjun and Ranbir over the incident whenever he recalls himself passing the cigarette from one to another. It was so funny, the whole unit was in splits.”

When contacted Prakash Jha admitted, “Yes, they had mud all over them. They told me that if I don’t let them smoke, it would affect the shot. So, I had to ... humko apne haathon se cigarette pilani padi.”

A diabetes tracking van for Big B

Amitabh Bachchan will be presented with a diabetes tracking van, called ‘Amitabh,’ by British PM Gordon Brown at an event in London. Silver Star, an organisation under the patronage of Indian-origin British MP, Keith Vaz, will donate this bus to help screen people for diabetes in Mumbai.

“Some months back, I’d gone to Goa to launch the MDU (Module Diabetic Unit) there. The van is being called ‘Amitabh,’ which is a little embarrassing. Other MDUs shall be launched in Delhi and Kerala as well,” the Big B said online.

Gauahar bitten by the ‘acting’ bug

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year registered collections in certain centres that were as low as 15 to 20 per cent say trade gurus. Yet Gauahar Khan, who made her debut in this flick, keeps talking of how impactful her role was.

Guess Gauahar knows something the trade guys know nothing about. Anyway, the reason why this model-turned-actress is back in the news is because of the musical Kingdom of Dreams — in which she is the lead alongside Vivek Oberoi and Isha Sharvani. The svelte lass may set pulses racing, but Gauahar makes it more than clear that she is single and absolutely ‘not ready’ to mingle. “I’m kind of anti-men,” she says cheekily adding, “Unfortunately for them, only smart men get to converse with me.” Meanwhile, modelling is almost a closed chapter in Gauahar’s book of life. “Now the only thing that will get me back on the ramp is if I am asked to be a showstopper. My passion and heart lies in acting and that’s my focus,” she says.