Vidya Balan

By Jilawatan

Bollywood’s A-list actresses, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vidya Balan will be handing out backstage passes into the glitzy and glamourous world of the showbiz industry with their next releases titled; Heroine and The Dirty Picture.
However, Aish and director Madhur Bhandarkar are one step ahead with their film Heroine, which has already been launched at the Cannes Film Festival, and what better place to create awareness than at an international event? The film is said to be an entertaining, daring, emotional, shocking, glamorous, scandalous behind-the-scenes look at the reality of the showbiz world. The buzz is that the movie is based on the real life story of America’s pop and cultural icon, Marilyn Monroe, however the Heroine team begs to differ and says it’s a story of a Bollywood star.
Film marker Madhur Bhandarkar, who is known for his female orientated movies having previously worked with some of Bollywood’s top actresses, Tabu, Konkana Sen Sharama, Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra, was asked why has he opted out for Aishwarya this time to be his lucky mascot? At the Cannes film festival he told the press, “Rai is a much-talked about actress internationally and I think she truly is a global star in every sense.”
On the other hand, director Milan Luthna has decided to cast the recent award winning actress, Vidya Balan in the movie, The Dirty Picture. Rumour has it that the movie will have elements of soft porn incorporated, however the director has reassured Vidya she will not be presented in a cheap manner, but shown in an aesthetically artistic and sensual manner with a touch of class.
In the meantime, Vidya has been asked to study the English films, Burlesque and Chicago – even the big stars in Bollywood have homework to do!
So which movie are you looking forward to watching?

By Jilawatan

It was last reported that Bipasha and Kareena have buried the hatchet and now we hear that Bipasha has out grown even John’s co-star of Salaam-E-Ishq, with whom he was linked at that time. Recently, when KJo threw a grand party at his residence, it was attended by friends John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Riteish Deshmukh, Vidya Balan and Rahul Khanna among others. Traveling back in time when John and Vidya were shooting for the above mentioned film, Bips had a problem with Vidya as she was getting close to John which was not acceptable to Bips at all. However, now that Bips is in making up mode she was seen enjoying the party with Vidya.

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan is no stranger to link-ups and is often linked with her co-stars. But such rumours have left her embarrassed on more occasions than one. Take the case of Shahid Kapur. Tongues started wagging during the shooting of Kismet Konnection but post the film’s release, Shahid not only refused to acknowledge their relationship, he even started giving Vidya a wide berth, leaving her red-faced.

And now, the same treatment is being meted out to her by John Abraham.

Her chemistry with John during the filming of Salaam-E-Ishq was so good that his girlfriend, Bipasha Basu, forbid John from ever working with Vidya again.

And it now turns out that diktat still holds.

A li’l birdie told us that John was again offered a film with Vidya but he backed out at the last minute, apparently because he does want trouble in his paradise.

And what’s worse for Vidya, after John, the film’s director approached Bobby Deol, but even he refused to sign on the dotted line.

We wonder if that is because Bollywood’s wives and girlfriends can’t bear their men working with her or because the actors themselves are scared of Vidya stealing their thunder on screen, now that she has established herself with films such as Paa and Ishqiya.

By Jilawatan

If film-maker Priyadarshan has his way, you might soon get to see John Abraham and Vidya Balan sizzling on screen together again.

The actors in a still from Salaam-E-Ishq, the last movie John and Vidya worked in together.

The duo was seen together for the first and last time in the film Salaam-E-Ishq in 2007.

While the filming of Salaam-E-Ishq was in progress, rumours of an affair between Vidya and John started doing the rounds. This, in turn, apparently caused a lot of discord in John’s relationship with girlfriend Bipasha Basu. Thereafter, John and Vidya never acted together.

But now Priyadarshan is apparently playing peacemaker to break the ice between John and Vidya. He is trying to woo them for a film.

A source said, “Priyadarshan has had meetings with Vidya and has informed her about the project. Looks like it will be another comedy caper.

“He also likes John’s acting ability and feels he has one of the best comic timings in the industry. So Priyadarshan is doing all he can to bring a truce between John and Vidya.

“Getting both John and Vidya on for a project is a mighty task as they don’t really work with each other anymore. But now that a few years have passed by since rumours of an affair between John and Vidya, and John and Bipasha’s relationship is very stable, the project may finally take off.”

By Jilawatan

Neil Nitin Mukesh Vidya Balan A hot looker, a great dancer, and a super actor – Neil Nitin Mukesh is definitely one of the hottest stars we have today. The actor has not only worked on some of the best scripts and played some of the most challenging roles in the past few years, but has also bagged the opportunity to share screen space with some of the sexiest B-town babes.

We have already seen Neil scorch the screens with Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse and the hunk is all set to romance Deepika Padukone in Yash Raj banner’s ‘Lafange Parinde’.

Neil’s also looking forward to working with Priyanka Chopra. He pairs up with the lady in Vishal Bharadwaj’s tentatively titled ‘Saath Khoon Maaf’. The hunk plays one of Priyanka’s seven husbands in the film. But ask him who is on his wish list and the actor is quick to reply, “Vidya Balan,” he blushes.

“I have worked with some of the hottest actresses we have but what makes them hot is that they are great people. I am right now working with Deepika and she is a great actress. She knows the medium very well and we have a lot of fun on the sets. In the future I will like to work with Vidya Balan. She is a fabulous actress,” says Neil.

Well we wish Neil’s wish comes true soon.

Question: Do you think Neil Nitin Mukesh and Vidya Balan will make a good on-screen pair? Leave your comments below…

By Jilawatan

Vidya Balan is one actor who has been enjoying the second best success rate after Katrina Kaif when it comes to box office success. Ever since her debut in PARINEETA, she has been delivering box office successes with PAA being her latest conquest. Now that ISHQIYA is ready for release, one wonders how she made up her mind to get into the shoes of ‘Krishna’ (her character in the film) which is diametrically opposite to her on screen image.

“Really, there wasn’t much thinking to do”, says Vidya, “I believe that today’s film makers are ready to try different kind of subjects. This is why even I don’t fear if the character I play is truly unconventional. In fact it instead becomes dicey when film makers want you to do conventional roles. You only end up thinking whether you would enjoy your stint on the sets because you get a sense beforehand that there won’t be much to do.”

Was that the reason why she said no to ALL THE BEST where she was approached for the role that was eventually played by Bipasha Basu?

“On the contrary I was thrilled that Rohit wanted me for ALL THE BEST”, says Vidya, “It was a fun script but the dates for the film were clashing with PAA. See, in my head there are absolutely no restrictions about the kind of projects I want to be a part of. I know ALL THE BEST would have been wonderful for me in just the same way as was for PAA. Now with ISHQIYA, I am getting into an altogether different zone. I am blessed to be approached for films across genres.”

By Jilawatan

It needed the Bombay Times to make this happen… bring all of Bollywood that was in Mumbai on December 4, under one roof for the
merriest party of the year! They came to celebrate BT’s 15th anniversary. And to say the party rocked would be an understatement. True, the who’s who of B-Town have made it under one roof for several causes and celebrations in the past. But what made the BT bash exciting and exclusive was the camaraderie that was witnessed between the legends, the badshahs and the beauties of Bollywood at Mumbai’s historic landmark, the Taj Mahal Hotel & Tower, that night.

The sultry Bipasha Basu promised she would there at 10.45 pm with hunky beau John Abraham, and this striking twosome did exactly that. Ajay Devgn wrapped up his shoot at 10 pm on Versova Beach, took a detour to Juhu to fetch wife Kajol who had just returned from Sydney. And before the clock hit 12, lo and behold — this superstar couple were with us.

Karan Johar made a solo entry, looking dapper as always, talking animatedly on his cell phone, unmindful of the bevy of beauties who longed for him to include them in his power gaze. Priyanka Chopra came in like Pretty Woman with her efficient entourage trailing silently behind. We were warned that Shah Rukh Khan would make a back door entry; gates were checked… and yet nothing could check the madness and the mayhem when the Badshah arrived. Akshay Kumar was almost making it to another location, or so said his manager… but the Khiladi rarely goes wrong when wife Tina is around. So there they were in the midst of our revelry, this handsome pair… cordoned off by their own personal security, causing a mini pandemonium.

The security cordon at the Taj gates crumbled for a few minutes when the biggest Bollywood phenomenon to have walked the earth arrived. Fresh from the accolades of Paa, and driving down from Lonavala just for us, Amitabh Bachchan came with his superstar son Abhishek. And, as if on cue, the diminutive bundle of talent Vidya Balan followed, causing a flutter in the lobby. Next morning, even while Bollywood slept off the effects of its BT hangover, the energy-plus Big B flew off to Chennai.

Aamir Khan, of course, warned us he’d be late. But for the second time in one evening the crowds on Apollo Bunder outside the Gateway of India broke into a midnight dance when the numero uno drove in. Dressed in a Tee-shirt that he designed, Aamir came in solo from his own fashion show…

Interspersed by the glittering arrivals in between of Bollywood hotties Sameera Reddy, Kangna Ranaut, Shriya Saran, Neetu Chandra, Payal Rohatgi, Anupama Verma, Riya Sen, Mugdha Godse, Sushma Reddy, Sherlyn Chopra, Shenaz Treasuryvala, former Miss Indias Parvathy Omanakuttan and Simran Kaur Mundi, Miss World Diana Hayden… this was a show that even the most hardcore cynic would have to admit was the party of the year. Tellyland’s glitterati also turned up in force, from Ronit Roy to Urvashi Dholakia. Truly, if the BT Party was filmed, it would have a golden jubilee run..

By Jilawatan

Not many are aware that Vidya Balan was the first choice for Ajay Devgan’s home production, All The Best. She was first approached by Ajay and Rohit Shetty, the director of All The Best, but eventually this very same role went to Bipasha Basu.

By Jilawatan

Bipasha Basu is known for not being friends with her co-stars, especially the female ones. She has admitted to having an issue with Katrina Kaif. She and Kareena had a tiff during the making of Ajnabee, and she didn’t even get along with Neil Nitin Mukesh, her co-star in Aa Dekhen Zara. Her problem with Vidya Balan started when John and Vidya starred together in Salaam-e-Ishq. The two had intimate scenes in the movie which sparked rumours about something cooking between the two. A little later, news of a split between John and Bipasha followed and Bips had asked John to not do film with Vidya.

Though they have avoided each other at previous events, Bipsha Basu extended the olive branch to Vidya Balan at the recently held success party forAll The Best. A source tells us, ‘Bipasha was already present at the party when Vidya walked in. She has worked with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan in the past, which is why she was there. Vidya was talking to cast and crew members who told her that she had been considered for Bipasha’s role in the movie. Suddenly, Bipasha walked up to her and hugged her. Vidya was a little surprised with Bips’ display of affection. They then talked like old, long lost friends.’

Bipasha refused to acknowledge that she had had a problem with Vidya Balan, who refused to comment on the issue. Don’t be surprised if you read about Bips’ new-found friendship with Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor.

By Jilawatan

Bipasha Basu and Vidya Balan, the warring actresses have ended their battle. The cold war that was on between themended in ‘All The Best’ party at a five-star hotel, where Bipasha went up to Vidya and hugged her.

The cold war began after rumours of John Abraham’s chemistry with Vidya Balan on the sets of Salaam–e-Ishq came out in 2007. It is said that despite Nikhil Advani calling a cut for a romantic scene under a dupatta, John and Vidya continued to remain inside the dupatta for at least a minute before coming out of it.

Apparently, Bipasha was so furious that she asked John to never work with Vidya again. This time however, Bipasha decided to forgive and forget as she patched up with the actress.

According to the buzz, when Vidya came to the party, she was given a warm welcome by Bips. During a discussion with the cast and crew of the film, Vidya was informed that she was the original choice for Bips role in the flick. Post chatting up with the crew, Bips came to greet Vidya and surprised everyone.

Confirming the story, a source told a news daily, “Bipasha just went up to Vidya and hugged her. Later, John too spoke to Vidya.”

Talking about Vidya, Bips told the news daily, “I never had any problem with Vidya. Many ridiculous stories are printed every day in the media. I don’t change my attitude towards people according to them.”

However, Vidya chose to remain mum about the issue.