No time for love: Anushka

Anushka Sharma’s off to London to attend the premiere of her latest film. And she says that she wouldn’t be embarrassed to watch the intimate scenes she shares with co-star Shahid Kapoor with her family.

I’ve never hidden anything from them. The biggest reason I signed the film was because of my brother. He has a gut feeling about films despite not being from the industry (he’s in the merchant navy). And the intimate scenes with Shahid are not a big deal. Audiences today don’t have closed minds,” she says.

This is her second film after her debut in 2008. Why is so little happening in her career? “It’s a conscious decision to do as many different roles as possible. Lots of films came my way after Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. But, it’s extremely boring to do the same thing. Unfortunately, the role you play in your first film is a reference point for most people. But, if doing the right kind of films means not being everywhere all the time, I’m ok with it,” states Anushka. All the films she’s chosen till now are big banner projects. “I want to do very classy, good work. It’s the script that matters,” she says. What about established actors? First Shah Rukh Khan, now Shahid and then, it’s Akshay Kumar, who’s her co-star in Patiala House. “I can’t decide the actors I’ll work with. But, I’d be stupid to deny that films with these stars get bigger openings because of the kind of fan following they have,” she maintains.

Anushka isn’t looking at multi-starrers at this point, though. “It’s important for me to do strong roles as I’ve just started my career. When I’m a bigger name, doing better than I’m doing right now, I’ll consider them,” she says.

Isn’t love important to her? “There’s no time for love. Relationships require commitment. I’m too selfish at the moment to be in one. My antenna is not up for love,” she smiles.

Sonam's world’s biggest mush queen

Sonam Kapoor has seen Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge at least 20 times and says she will not tire if she has to see it another 20 times over. “It is one of my most favourite films,’’ says Bollywood’s youngest livewire actress. “The chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol is amazing. I just love them.’’ Simultaneously, she confesses, “I’m the world’s biggest mush queen with a voracious appetite for love stories.”

Quite naturally, Sonam is super-excited about her July 2, release, Punit Malhotra’s I Hate Luv Stories.

“It’s a fabulous film,’’ she says. “And, it has me playing me. I’m playing Simran who advocates love stories, whereas Imran Khan is Jay, and he’s a cynic. Of course, everyone knows that opposites attract and that is what happens in our case.’’

Gushing uncontrollably about IHLS, Sonam adds, “I loved working with Karan Johar. He is one guy who treats me like an individual. He knows my dad, Anil Kapoor, but when he approached me to play the lead in his film, he spoke to me like an independent person who makes her own decisions.’’

Dharma Productions, says Sonam, spoils its actors. “I was pampered by everyone from director Punit to Karan,’’ she smiles. She admits to having got along like a house on fire with Imran, though on screen they’re constantly pulling each other’s legs. “I personally like guys who have a great sense of humour, are well brought up, and have a good body. I like the concept of tall, dark and handsome. Imran may not fit the bill in every sense, however, we have great screen chemistry. He is a super talented actor and kept me on my toes as an actress.’’

Follow us on Twitter for more stories

Recommending IHLS to everyone who believes in love, Sonam says, “The nice thing about love stories is that they bring a smile to your face.’’ She’s excited Aisha — her release after IHLS, is also a romantic film. “Yet they are so different in their approach. I don’t want to give away too much,’’ she says, “but I can tell you that as an actor, both have been equally challenging. And for the audience, both will be equally entertaining.’’

Football fever grips Shilpa

I was a big hit & an embarrassment because she loved to dance at every gathering as a kid, says Shilpa Shetty; as she’s judging another dance reality show

This is your second reality show as a judge, after Jhalak Dikhla Ja. Will you employ the same strategies will there be something different now?

Well Zara Nach Ke Dikha a different show. Jhalak was a different format and this one’s a different format. This one concentrates on the whole war of the sexes. It’s the women against the men, and I am obviously going to support talent, whether it’s a woman or a man.

Who do u think makes for better dancers – girls or boys?

That would be a little difficult – for me to just generalise. Every person has their own USP and forte, and it’s just a question of who is better on that day. It’s pretty much like Twenty20 cricket I guess!

There are reports that you and Raj are starting a football league?

It’s too early in the day to discuss that right now. I definitely believe that football needs to be promoted in this country. We’re a nation of a billion people and we can definitely afford to have another sport. And football is very much loved. We definitely want to promote football. I don’t wanna make any comments in terms of what we’re going to do, we’re still working on it.

Do you think football can take off in a big way here when everyone’s so obsessed with cricket?

You know you’ll be surprised to see how many football fanatics we have in this country. Do you know we nearly have 300,000 registered footballers in this country? These are all things that we got to know, very recently, and you'd be surprised, there are a lot of people who turn to the UEFA, the English premier league, the world cup is welcomed always, so it’s just a question of the right timing and the right kind of promotion.

Do you think after your super successful stint on Celebrity Big Brother, you have become a hot favourite as a reality show judge in India?

No, I don’t see it like that. I’m basically a dancer, classically trained, and I love dancing. I’ve learnt Bharatnatyam for eight years, and I’ve also learnt Odissi and jazz. So I think that is why they picked me to be a judge on the show. I love dancing so much, I idolised Saroj Khan ever since I saw Ek Do Teen. When I did my first song with her, Kitaben Bahut Si, I was so overwhelmed, I had tears in my eyes.

So were you one of those little girls who practiced jhatkas in front of the mirror?

Oh yes. And my parents tell me that when I was a baby and I’d cry, all they had to do was put on some music and I’d be smiling and dancing in my baby cot. And my parents loved to show off. Every gathering we went to, all they had to do was say the word ‘dance’, and I’d be on the floor!

So you were a big hit at parties?

Yeah. And it was embarrassing!

When will we see you in a Bollywood film?

Well, right now I have really taken a break. I’m only doing this programme because it’s not demanding for me in terms of time. There’s been too much stuff happening and I’ve hardly had time to spend with my husband! We’ve been married for the last four and a half months and it still hasn’t sunk in that I’m married. So maybe, whenever I feel the need to take time out to do a film, I would do a film. You know I would give an arm and a leg to do a good role, but right now there’s nothing that has come my way that would make me put it before my family life. I’d rather give priority to my family life.

With so much happening, how do you manage to spend time with your husband?

The IPL kind of kept us together. All our businesses, I think we do everything together, in India. So that’s allowed us to spend time together. But at the end of a day, with coming back to him, I’m quite happy. I think the good thing about our marriages is that, touchwood, we’ve not allowed anything to change after marriage. Other than the fact that I come back to the same house! So we’ve not allowed marriage to affect us! (laughs)

People are saying you are planning to write your autobiography, is that true?

No, no. I have been approached, a couple of times, but I haven’t taken up the offer. It’s a little too early for me to write my autobiography, it makes me sound like an old hag! I’ll have to accumulate a lot many more experiences in my life and I have a long way to go, so I kind of, very kindly said no!

Will Lara, Mahesh tie the knot?

Looks like Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi are serious about taking their relationship to the next level. The couple was spotted at Mahalaxmi temple on Saturday afternoon.

Lara and Mahesh drove down to Mahalaxmi temple in a white Accord. An eyewitness says, “Lara was dressed in a plain white dress and was wearing trendy sunglasses and Mahesh was dressed in denims and a white tee. The couple was busy talking to each other till they entered the main temple.”

“After the darshan they were in the temple for 20 minutes before walking back to their car,” adds the source.

Though Lara and Mahesh have tried to avoid talking to the press about their relationship, they have not shied away from making public appearances together. They made their first public appearance at the Filmfare Awards in February this year.

We had also reported about Mahesh moving from Bangalore to Mumbai for good to be closer to Lara.

His rented Bandra apartment is 10 minutes away from Lara’s house. The actress is also actively involved in doing up Mahesh’s new house.

I'm politically correct: Deepika

I don’t want to burn out so young, so soon, says Deepika Padukone, because in her line of work, it’s very easy for that to happen

How irritating is the media focus, the prying into your life all the time – since you aren’t someone who grew up with the flashbulbs in your face?

Initially, it took me a little time to get used to how it functioned, but now I’m used to it.

I understand that there is a need for people wanting to know. My basic philosophy is that if you understand why anything in life happens, then half your problems in life are solved. If you understand why the media asks the sort of questions they do, if you understand why certain situations happen – understanding situations makes you happier as a person, lets you deal with those situations in an easier manner.

You have described yourself as shy and reserved. Some would describe you as someone who is just too smart to say anything wrong, who watches every word ... which version is true?

I know the sort of stuff people call me. I know people think that I’m very politically correct, but actually, I am like that as a person. I am very shy, I am reserved, I think before I speak, and while I do have my moments when I am spontaneous sometimes, even that is usually not out of context. I think I have opened up a lot more now, but by nature, I am a very quiet person ...

You think before you talk ...

I think before I talk, yes, that’s just the way I am. It’s not intentional. It’s not that I am scared about saying something wrong or anything like that. But it’s just me!

It’s happening even as we speak ...

Well, yeah! I think it’s the way I’ve been brought up. I don’t think I can ever be, you know, what you call muhphat. It’s just the way I have been brought up; I went to convent school, you’re taught manners, you’re taught to speak a certain way, you’re taught to think before you speak. Add to that the kind of upbringing my father has given me, to try and be as calm as possible, to absorb as much as I can, to never get frazzled in situations, to handle things in a mature manner. You can be rubbed the wrong way many, many times – but maturity and dignity and grace comes when you’re in bad situations, and you show how you deal with them. That’s when people can judge how dignified or how graceful you are ... this is how I think.

You seem to be someone who would look to, so to say, mentally detox, switch off at the end of a working day?

I do, I do. My life is such that I’m constantly surrounded by different kinds of people, by different attitudes, but when I come back home – I live alone – I look forward to the time before I go to bed. Since I am a very quiet person, my home is also very quiet. I take that time to sort of let my day sink in, to go over what has happened. That’s my ‘me time’. I do things for myself, I light a candle, just relax, have my dinner ... and go to sleep!

The industry’s supposedly 24/7 lifestyle hasn’t changed that?

No, and I don’t want it to ever change. Because I don’t want to lose the fire that I have in me, the excitement that I have to go back and do my work every day, to face the world and its challenges every morning – I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to burn out. Because in the kind of industry that I am, with the kind of work that I am doing right now, it’s very easy for that to happen. And I don’t want to let that happen to me, so young, so soon.

You’re seeing that happening to other people in the industry, and learning from them ... ?

Not necessarily only in my profession, I see it happening all around me, I see youngsters, at a very young age, working round the clock...

Er, if I may interrupt, not just youngsters ...

Everybody! Everybody, I think. In the last few years, everybody’s life has become so much about work that people are losing out on relationships, quality family time. I think our society and its culture is changing, and, at least as far as I am concerned, I don’t think it’s a good thing. I think it’s nice to have a good balance.

Today, people want to move out at a young age, don’t spend much time with family, are constantly working. If you’re not working, you’re with your friends, or partying ... work is good, but you need to have a life beyond it, too. It tends to bring a fresh approach to the way you approach work as well. A lot of businessmen go out and play a round of golf on Sunday morning – I think it’s a great idea.

You don’t usually exhibit emotional responses to things, unlike the celebs who respond to comments – especially to anything negative – with high-decibel responses.

I have my bouncing boards, I discuss things with them, even if I don’t share it in public or don’t let it show that way. I have my mother and my friends who are very, very close to me, and I can talk to them on absolutely anything under the sun.

And I don’t keep things within me. If something’s troubling me, I pick up the phone and talk about it, discuss it, that’s it. I don’t hold on to negativity, I don’t keep grudges. I forgive and – well, I may not forget, but I definitely forgive. And I move on in life.

That ‘may not forget’ is stored?

Memories are memories, good or bad, they stay with you anyways. But yes, I forgive very easily. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but that is the way I am. I can’t keep thinking about something. I’ll move on.

Friends from school, college – do they still relate to you on the same wavelength, after all that’s changed for you?

Absolutely. They are my closest friends. Of course, ever since I moved to Bombay, there are many friends I can hang out with, I can spend time with, but my 3am friends still are my childhood friends. We’ve been together since Nursery...

Since Nursery?

Yeah, there are three of us, best friends – Sreela, Hiteshi and myself. Right from day one of school, we’ve been together, and even today, any place, any time, we’re always connected. There are two other close friends; they are people I don’t talk to everyday. One of them is married and lives in the US while one is working in London – I don’t get to speak to them that often, but whenever we meet, it’s like we just met yesterday.

And these friends are the ones who’ll be the first to tell you if stardom goes to your head?

Absolutely. I don’t think anybody should change, actually. But these friends and my family are my reality check, and I know that if I would change, they would be the first people to tell me. When I meet my family, old friends, everyone talks about how I’m still the same – and I take that as a compliment!

Yoga, composure, forgiveness, balance... You’re a spiritual person?

Yes.

You believe in destiny?

Yes, absolutely.

Would you add three As – become Deepikaaaa – if you were asked to?

Absolutely not. I don’t fall in that category. It’s not something that I have been taught to believe in. Maybe it works for some people, great. But I believe in the other kind of destiny. I believe in the Energy and the Power, and in the right kind of destiny, as in certain things are meant to be yours, certain things are meant to be for you. But that also doesn’t mean you put your feet up and wait for God and destiny to do it all for you. You have to work to fulfil your destiny.

You’re content with life, career, as it is today?

Absolutely. though I haven’t achieved what I want to be, and where I want to be, yet.

This ‘what you want to be, where you want to be’, isn’t necessarily about this many movies, this much money, is it?

It’s definitely not that. I cannot work like a machine, and say I’ll work in six films a year, and for each film I’ll charge so much, so that by the end of the year I’d have made X amount of money – that’s definitely not it. I am not a part of the industry as a business. I do it because I love it, am passionate about it, I love being in front of the camera. I don’t need to work; I don’t need to support a family, it’s not a business.

You loved it from day one, or has it taken time to figure it out?

I always knew that I’d always be part of this industry. I knew that – it has to do with what you attract to yourself and to a degree it has to do with destiny also – I somewhere always knew that I would be part of the glamour world; I knew that I’d become a model, and from there I would go on to become a part of Indian cinema – so it’s something I always looked forward to.

And from what stage of life did you know that this is where you were heading?

Very young, very young! Though I did start playing professional badminton, I knew that at some point I would give it up and at some point I’d start modeling, and model for a few years, and I knew that I’ll get a good break and be a part of Hindi cinema... I knew pretty early, actually, I think fourth, fifth standard.

And so when it all began to fall in place, it wasn’t a surprise really?

No, I wasn’t in shock or something, ki ‘Oh My God, mujhe kya ho raha hai, it is so unreal to be true.’ When it happened, it was a nice feeling, but somewhere I knew it was going to happen. It’s ‘wow,’ but it’s not surprise. I’ve worked towards it. When you want something, you work towards it, you achieve it, and you knew you could – it’s a great feeling.In any case, I believe you should never get overjoyed by your success, and don’t let failure get to you, either. In either case, understand what has happened, and move on!

What are you looking at now? What’s going to unfold?

I don’t know, I mean, I know! Problem is, this is going into PRINT, and I don’t like, like, talking about it, discussing it... I have a plan for myself, there are certain things that I want to achieve for myself, that I want for myself...

Ok, so we won’t print the stuff you think will get people commenting about it, deal?

(Laughs) I’m not worried about what people are going to say! It’s more to do with a little bit of superstition that I don’t like to talk about things before they happen, so that...

Nazar and all that?

A little bit... yeah. But where do I see myself two years from now, umm, I see myself doing lots of films with good directors I want to work with...

You’re a strong gut feeling person, aren’t you?

Well, yeah! My gut feeling is... I’m normally right. 99 per cent of the time I’m right when it comes to my gut feel. That’s also because I’m a very sensitive and receptive person. And the only other person who’s noticed that about me is Imtiaz. He tells me that I’m a very receptive person.

The equanimity of failure and success bit - does that mean cine awards don’t matter?

No! Anybody would love to win an award, anyone!

Can you switch off from cinema, take a break for a year, not miss the camera?

No! I can do everything else, but this has to be happening alongside. I cannot switch off. I can not give this up for something else in life – absolutely not, because that’s my plan in life, it’s my direction and my calling...

When the media recurrently links you to A, B and C – do you feel the need to explain?

Ahh... sometimes I feel the need to clarify, sometimes I feel there is no need to clarify...

Would you like to clarify now?

I can definitely say that whatever is being said is absolutely untrue. I think somewhere I’ve always been honest about the people in my life. So when I reach a stage when I need to talk about it, I will talk about it. What is more annoying are false stories. But I guess – I don’t even know if one should react to it, or not react to it – I don’t know how to deal with it. It’s just something that I choose to ignore.

The stories come with specifics – real or imaginary. So if your denials are general, one doesn’t even know what you are negating. So how does that help?

Hmmm... see, what I would say is, very simply, if I go out with somebody for dinner or a movie, that doesn’t mean I’m dating somebody. Yes, I understand that I need to be ‘responsible,’ but at the same time I will not stop myself from leading the kind of life that I want to live. This is the world that I am in, these are the kind of people I am surrounded by, and these are the people I will make friends with. People don’t need to jump to conclusions. Likewise, if I am sitting with the owner of my team, and we hug because our team has won, that does not mean we are dating – we are celebrating the victory of our team. But then people want to jump to conclusions – and now it’s come to a point where every week, or every second week, there’s a new person supposedly in my life. After a while it gets a little distasteful, it’s giving out a wrong impression about me which is not true. Which is why I think I should speak now – because when I choose to keep quiet, I keep quiet because I think, accha chalo, it’ll come and it’ll go. But then – one thing leads to another leads to another. There is no need to jump to conclusions. If there is someone I need to talk about, I will talk about it!

So if you had to tick a status on a Facebook profile, what would it be?

Ha, ha...! I would skip the question!!

If you keep it a blank, others will look to fill it with conjecture, won’t they?

Right now I choose to skip it, and I’ll be back to fill that space soon – either way!

Nursing with love: Soha

Soha Ali Khan flew into Goa four days ago to spend time with the Golmaal 3 unit. Most people assumed she had gone there to bond with her brother’s girlfriend Kareena Kapoor, who is the leading lady of the film.

But the truth is that Soha heard that her ‘good friend’ Kunal Khemu, who is also a part of the Golmaal-3 starcast, had met with an accident while doing a stunt scene.

Rohit Shetty, the director of the film, confirms the news of the mishap. Says he, “Kunal was on a water ski and he injured his leg really badly.’’

One of the unit members said that at one point, Kunal was in so much pain that they thought he had fractured his leg. And that he would be rendered unfit for shooting for a few days. However, it turned out that his injury wasn’t that serious and he is now able to continue shooting with a sprain bandage on his upper leg, just above his knee.

Obviously, Soha heard of the accident and she immediately rushed to Goa to check how badly Kunal had injured himself. What’s more, after she landed there, she apparently decided to hang out in Goa for a few days making sure that Kunal didn’t take any risks with his injured leg and attempt any dangerous action scenes in his hurt state.

An insider says that it was indeed very sweet to see the way Soha cared for Kunal hanging around the sets, though the temperature on the Goa beach where the unit is stationed is a raging 38 degrees.

Of course, the fact that Bebo is around makes things that much simpler. “Soha gets along famously with most of the actors who are around,’’ says the source. “Seeing her sitting around with the cast actually makes it seem like she is part of the unit too.’’

And is Kunal happy with this development? Those who have seen the actor in the last few days say he looks more than happy to Soha around. And he is absolutely basking in all the extra attention that he has been getting.

No Big B's remake for SRK

The friendship between Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan was an enviable one. A dynamic director had teamed up with a man whose sheer star power gave credence to her vision of cinema . Together, they delivered hits and the partnership seemed rock solid. And then, as they say, good things never last.

One fine day the friendship went sour, shocking the entire industry. Was it a temporary phase or did the fissures run too deep? What no one knew was what transpired between the two.

Here’s the real story of what went on behind the scenes between two powerful, s trong headed people. The news was already out that Farah Khan was doing Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar. Shah Rukh had kept her waiting too long, and naturally one can’t wait forever. However, the repercussions were probably more far reaching than Farah bargained for as this took a toll on her next project.

One day, Farah told Shah Rukh that she had decided to remake the 1982 blockbuster Satte Pe Satta. The star, who was already a bit upset that Farah hadn’t waited to do Tees Maar Khan with him, heard her out patiently. But the verdict was a firm no.

Shah Rukh told Farah that he doesn’t want to do the Satte Pe Satta remake. But Farah had already spoken to Raj Sippy’s son Mintoo about buying the rights. Minto was more than happy to sell them to Farah,who was naturally very disappointed with Shah Rukh’s decision.

What stung Farah was that Shah Rukh told her that he didn’t want to do a remake of a film starring Amitabh Bachchan. Fair point, but she pointed out that he had done Don with Ritesh Siddhwani and Farhan Akhtar. Shah Rukh retaliated by saying that she had come to him on the rebound.

Farah left the meeting calmly. “But,” the source added, “How long could Farah wait for him? He even refused Shirish Kunder’s film and didn’t show interest in the film based on Anuj Chauhan’s novel The Zoya Factor which Shirish was supposed to direct for his production house It was because of Farah’s love and respect for Shah Rukh that she went to him for the Satte Pe Satta remake.”A source close to Raj Sippy says, “Yes, Farah is very keen to remake Satte Pe Satta.”