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Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who recently won the Celebrity Big Brother, Britain's Channel 4 TV's reality show after raking up a race row that attracted global attention, says she will never again take part in a reality TV show.

Shilpa already has, among many others, an offer for doing a musical for British composer Lord Andrew Lloy Webber.

"No way," the 31-year-old Shilpa told Daily Mirror of the UK. "I was shocked by the lack of respect, the burping, farting, drinking and swearing. Great Britain is where Shakespeare was from - it's known for its culture and high tea, but I didn't see any of that, apart from Cleo."

Dismissing complaints that she acted superior and controlling during the show, Shilpa Shetty said: "I was never controlling - I just wanted to go with the flow. There was never a time when I said: You have to do it my way."

"When Jade Goody said I was spending too much time in the kitchen, I took a backseat. I like to defuse trouble."

She has also been approached about writing a book, has dozens of film and TV offers. And, Andrew Lloyd Webber is said to be keen for her to star in a musical.

Getting very personal, Shilpa told the Daily Mirror that she now wants to pay attention to her love life, that she is now ready for a boyfriend.

"I'm single and ready to mingle!" the long-legged beauty told the interviewer, while confessing to having not dated anyone for 18 months.

After much drama, some chicken curry and a raging debate on racism, Shilpa Shetty has emerged a bigger celebrity from the Big Brother show than she was when it started three weeks ago. She has extended her stay in Britain, as her mother Sunanda is keen on looking for a match for her.

But potential suitors are likely to be grilled by her businessman father Surendra, Shilpa said.

"If a guy wants to take me out, he must seek my dad's permission first. That's just the way it works. I secretly brief them about the best answers to give to my father's questions before they face him," she revealed.

Shilpa says an arranged marriage will not do for her. "I want to fall madly in love with someone and be whisked off my feet," Daily Mirror quoted her as saying.

Shilpa admitted that lately her parents had been putting pressure on her to marry, since it was relatively old to be single at 31. But she added that she wouldn't want to marry just because of her age, since too many people made that mistake.

What does it cost to be Shilpa's suitor? "I'm a pretty low-maintenance girlfriend - all I ask is that he buys me lots of diamonds," an Indian news agency quoted her as saying.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 6:48 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

What's in store for Shilpa Shetty after Big Brother?

It is generally believed that, after winning the British Channel 4 reality television show Celebrity Big Brother, after a great deal of international controversy over alleged racist remarks against her, Shilpa Shetty's career is set to ascend.

However, filmmakers of Bollywood are divided over her future as they feel it is difficult to predict what course her career would take now.

Some of the filmmakers feel that Shilpa's popularity will certainly rise, while others think that it will benefit her more in terms of products endorsement and Hollywood assignments rather than films in India.

According to Komal Nahta, a film industry analyst, "Shilpa will get more Hollywood films than Bollywood films. She will also get more endorsements in India."

Shilpa Shetty's career hit had an all-time low in the last six years as none of her films made it at the box office. Her biggest hit was Dhadkan. Lately, she has been seen doing only `item numbers.'

Shilpa had said before the 2004 release of Phir Milenge: "Box-office success is immaterial to me. I do films only for creative satisfaction."

Though Abhishek Bachchan's career picked up after Phir Milenge, Shilpa was not in demand despite winning critical acclaim for her acting in the film.

Shilpa acted in Dus, where her role was lost among the presence of heroes like Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek and Zayed Khan. Then came Fareb, her last film, which failed miserably at the box office.

Shilpa Shetty made her debut at the age of 17 in Baazigar, opposite Shah Rukh Khan, but never got an opportunity to prove her acting.

At 31, and with over three dozen films to her credit, Shilpa is perhaps best remembered for her role in Dhadkan, with Suniel Shetty and Akshay Kumar, than any other film.

"There have been many times that people have written me off. Five years ago, I was completely written off. Then there was Dhadkan and I came back," she said.

Her career is so thin now that she has only two films – Metro and Apne.

"Shilpa's height is one disadvantage which limits her to select heroes," said another film industry analyst.

According to Anurag Basu, director of Metro, "I am hopeful for Shilpa because people will now take her seriously in India. She thought she would come out in the first round and told me to be ready for shoot by January 15, but she hung on and won. My film will get a good market in the United Kingdom when it is released in April. Shilpa is already in demand in the UK and I am hopeful the film will work for all of us because of her new popularity," said a confident Basu.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 8:29 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Jade Goody `depressed and suicidal'

Is the fallen Celebrity Big Brother star Jade Goody "on the brink" of suicide?

That is what London's The Sun newspaper says.

It says that Jade Goody, who has been condemned for her alleged racist comments against Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, "is not just out ever since; she is down too, literally."

According to The Sun, Goody is, in fact, "on the brink of suicide" after being branded as a racist and kicked off the show.

Another newspaper, however, quoted Goody as having denied the rumours that she is suicidal.

However, Goody's agent John Noel, said she was being treated by doctors for "shock and depression." He alleged that Goody was a victim of bullying at the hands of the media.

"She has publicly apologised to Shilpa and to the country on national television," Noel said, and went on to scold the media for doing to Jade what Jade is accused of doing to Shilpa.

A visibly shaken Jade Goody, 25, erupted into tears on a British television show last weekend, saying that she feared her two sons would be "rejected." She pleaded her innocence, saying: "In my biggest rage, I've never come out with a racist comment."

"I just want to get it clear to everybody out there that I am not a racist. My biggest fear is that my kids will be rejected and not that I'll never work again. I hadn't much to lose before, but I have now. I have got two children. I don't want them rejected because of me," she said.

Goody was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother on Friday night without the presence of a crowd after the controversial racism row blew up last week.

In an interview given to a newspaper on Sunday after her eviction from the show, a distraught Goody had admitted she had racially bullied Shilpa Shetty, and lamented the international furore her taunts had caused.

After reportedly using offensive racial slurs such as `pig' and `dog,' on national television, Goody is facing irreversible damage to her career and a very angry public.

British newspapers have reported over the weekend that Goody is facing a tough career struggle ahead. They say the disgraced Celebrity star has been doing what she can to save her career now that her public image has been tarnished and media support has been lost to a large degree.

The Sun's editorial two days ago had said Goody's previous public image was "a meticulously manufactured lie."

Jade Goody has earned millions of pounds through television, magazine deals, and products ranging from an autobiography, to perfume and fitness DVDs.

Police are now investigating the allegations against Goody.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 8:04 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Shah Rukh Khan vs Amitabh Bachchan in KBC: Criticism and comparisons

Big effing deal.

There was KBC and KBC 2 with the so-called Big B, and now we have KBC 3 with the so-called King Khan. You can compare the 'gravitas' of Amitabh Bachchan with the chirpiness of Shah Rukh Khan all you want, but frankly, does it matter? KBC3 is not going to change Indian television - unlike the original Kaun Banega Crorepati hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, and so what? I don't think even Shah Rukh has no such ambitions.

I did not think it was worth writing about how they compare to each other, but then when you run a site, sometimes there are things you can't avoid - like writing about a 'topless' Mallika Sherawat or Pamela Anderson's ideal man. So this time too, I resisted it a bit like always do, but then I came across this piece by Raja Sen in Rediff, and thought it was time I came and gave my two bits too on comparing the two KBC hosts.

Which is why we wince a little when watching him fill Amitabh Bachchan's hotseat.

I did not wince. I thought Mr Amitabh Bachchan often looked ridiculous in the faux serious get-up and gravitas, and SRK's over-eagerness looks a bit ridiculous too. But if everytime I watch ridiculousness on TV and wince, I would look like a feverish Prabhu Deva. Who does not look ridiculous on TV? Prannoy Roy looks ridiculous when he interviews a Musharraff or even a Dhoni; Sagarika Ghose looks ridiculous interviewing anyone; Bigg Boss inmates regularly make us want to hide our ears and eyes to avoid contamination; the corniness of Saroj Khan; the overly sweet Nach Baliye couples and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa sentimental moments. Wince?

Bachchan's acting has often been great; and he has his moments too that can make us wince. If I did wince, it was when I saw the Big B wearing some crappy motorcyclist's leather jacket in KBC 2. Screw wincing I say.

So SRK wants to freeze, not lock. It is not computerji, its Compaqda or computergaru. Big fucking deal. (Sorry, sometimes I think saying effing would be enough, and then I decide against it later. Please go ahead and wince.)

Then came the Bangla-butchering. While both Khan and Bachchan are anything but maach-eating natives, Amitabh's sophistication shone through in his near-pristine attempts at any language -- then again, to be fair, he did marry into a very Bangla family.

I say again, big fucking deal. No Indian host is capable of pronouncing every language correctly even with practice. It is considered a friendly gesture to attempt to speak someone else's language, even badly. Most of us smile indulgently and laugh with the speaker when they inevitably screw it up. Amitabh's sophistication shone through? Amitabh and sophistication? You should see Amitabh in an interveiw with Cyrus Broacha and you will know something about his sophistication. He talks like a prick. It is not important in any way at all about how a Bachchan manages to speak Bengali language reasonably well. So it is a big disgrace to him and all Tamilians if Bachchan can't speak Kannada well?

So a Shah Rukh botched it up? Tomorrow Shah Rukh may botch up Tamil, or Malayalam (my language). You know, I will just grin and let it go. The attempt to speak another language is always laudable, and for that you have to think that a language is just a means of communication, not something which God came and shat right into your native tongues.

Raja Sen further writes:

Which brings us to a major issue: Shah Rukh persistently tosses us a smirk we haven't quite deciphered yet. Is this condescension towards these contestants, nervousness, or defiance against the Big B? He started his show trying to get a laugh with overpure Hindi, and occasionally licking his lips in a clear show of nerves. We're used to him being irresistibly cocksure and full of great bluster, and this anxiety to please, nay outdo, isn't quite becoming of him. What say you, Compaq-garu?

You are worried about a smirk, and someone else may be worried about Big B's 'coming down to the common man' airs. Let him lick his lips, maybe its too dry in the studios. Was there anxiety? Maybe. Who wouldn't be nervous, when there are people waiting to see how massively you fail trying to fill Big B's big boots? Do go ahead, Shah Rukh, and feel free to make a fool of yourself. This is TV after all. The Bachchan fans will be dead and gone in a little while, and you will be there talking to a generation who watched DDLJ before they watched Deewar or Don. And they will fawn over you the same way these old fogies fawn over anything Bachchan does, whether in KBC or in the movies.

These TV programmes are meant to be corny, and they will remain corny. This is not BBC's Hard Talk we are talking about here. It is just a matter of your corniness versus my corniness. Sorry, perhaps my irritation at the constant comparisons between Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan is showing through. I am no fan of SRK or Big or small letters from the alphabet.

As far as age is concerned, I think I am at that middle age where SRK and Bachchan both look a little stupid sometimes, and as actors and superstars who have millions of fans, they have every right to look stupid when they choose. But what I know is that the Bachchan-obsessed will all soon vanish as the market demographics speedily take a turn towards the under-25 year olds, and the comparisons soon would become irrelevant. And SRK would rule for a few more decades perhaps, and then someone else would take over. Shah Rukh Khan just needs to wait till the Bachchan fan-writers go senile, which can happen sooner than I expect.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 6:31 AM 4 comments

Friday, January 19, 2007

'Come back, Shilpa'

Even as the Shilpa Shetty episode boiled over, the Bollywood star's mother Sunanda Shetty wanted her daughter to rush back home. The senior Shetty has said that she wished her daughter would stop enduring what she said was racist abuse on the British reality TV programme "Big Brother" and quit the show.

Allegations of racist abuse meted out to Shilpa Shetty by fellow contestants on the Celebrity Big Brother show had forced India to ask the British government to check if race laws have broken. The issue has boiled over to being a bilateral problem.

It has been reported that the 31-year-old svelte Shilpa was repeatedly reduced to tears, called names, had her accent mocked and insulted by some of her fellow housemates who appeared to gang up on her. According to some reports, housemate Danielle Lloyd even said: "Shilpa should f*** off home. She can't even speak English".

This is more than Sunanda Shetty can digest. A visibly fuming Sunanda told the media on Thursday that "as a person I wouldn't have tolerated it. I would have walked out." Adding that Shilpa is more tolerant, she said she thinks that the show is not more important that self-respect."

Justifying India's reaction, Sunanda Shetty said that the people of India care about their country and their culture. "Shilpa is representing her country and she has been extremely dignified and gracious with her housemates", she added.

Meanwhile the broadcaster, Channel 4, has clarified that that Shilpa Shetty was not subjected to racial abuse but that there had been a culture and class clash. The episode has triggered more reactions. The latest came from Carphone Warehouse, Europe's biggest mobile phone retailer. The company suspended sponsorship of the programme because it did not want its name associated with claims of racist bullying.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 10:26 AM 0 comments

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Shilpa Shetty and racism in Celebrity Big Brother - my take

In a Reality Show, there is no script. People are just expected to act the way they are, talk the way they are and react the way they are. At least that is the theory. And as long as there is no violence, nobody interferes. Or maybe orgies. I don't know.

So what is the right way to react to something like the Celebrity Big Brother Show on Channel 4 in the UK?

We have all seen clips of what has transpired between the participants in Big Brother. Shilpa Shetty, the Indian second-ring actress, is paid more than the others to participate in the show. And in little less than the two weeks that she has been there, the three white women in the show have turned against her, and she against them. Four letter words and innuendoes have flown, and Shilpa has shed tears. The governments have got into the act, Shilpa has declared and withdrawn allegations of racism. The Indian government has reacted, and so have the British establishment. The Sun tabloid wants everyone to show that Britain is not a racist country, and people should vote Jade Goody out of the show today.

I am trying to tackle the points of contention one by one. Please bear with me.

Shilpa the super Indian actress:

Shilpa walked in there as the only brown girl. The other participants have no idea of who she is. They are told she is a Bollywood actress with millions of fans. They sort of believe it. And any actor or actress in India may have millions of fans, as we populate pretty fast, and the definition of a fan is unclear.

Shilpa being described as a dog:
Hmm. I regularly describe people of all races as dogs, asses, mules, rabbits, penguins, cows, snakes. Is there anything wrong in describing people so? Not for me. I shall continue calling people names, despite any political correctness involved, and irrespective of race.

Shilpa cooking with onions:
I think this is what led to the 'dog' incident. From Shilpa's point of view, why can't she cook with onions? But point is, was she cooking for those who may not like it? If she was cooking for herself, that's fine. If Danielle Lloyd was protesting her being served food cooked by Shilpa Shetty, why does she have to eat it? I do not know if the show demands that people cook food for each other. Let Shilpa cook with onions or mud or little stones, frankly I don't see how it matters to others. And I don't see why Shilpa should bother if others don't like what she cooks either.

Indians being thin and sickly:
I don't know who said it. It was something about undercooked food or overcooked food. Many Indians are thin and sickly because of no food. And if all the really obsese people in India go to UK, probably their little islands would sink into the sea.

Class clash?
Maybe. Shilpa has that massively artificial behavior and smile, a bit like Aishwarya Rai. Is an Indian actress classier than the white model and reality TV star? I don't know. Shilpa Shetty has been in movies for 17 years or so I think, and that has earned her a large sum of money, and probably she has lived in the lap of luxury for a long time. Perhaps money makes people classy. Jade Goody and Danielle Lloyd has been described in the British Press as trailer trash. But even they are not exactly poor - though may be new money while Shilpa is older money.

Not being able to pronounce Shilpa's name
This is rubbish. Two syllables are all there are to it, and anyone should be able to. I think they were just making fun of her. That's like saying Danielle sounds like the name of a man or Germaine sounds like the name of a woman. Who cares!

Shilpa a Diva?
Not from what I have seen. Rekha, thats a diva. Many of our Indian socialites can pull off a convincing act of being a diva too. Shilpa Shetty is just very boring.

Who started the fighting?
I don't know. There have been arguments galore it seems. How can people who met each other just a few days back fight? To like each other, you need some time, right? Or even to hate each other? Here Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody have been at each other's throats so naturally, I wonder how this even developed. Don't you just look away if someone unfamiliar to you does something strange? Do you oppose it right then and there if you have to live with them for a while?

Who knows where those fingers have been.
Good point. The reference is to the Indian habit of wiping their arse with water and using their left hand. It is natural for people who use a tissue to get scared of Shilpa Shetty wirping her arse and then touching their food with her hands. Come on people, this is India, and what is so surprising if people who clean their arse after a good shit in a different way are psyched by this habit of ours? It is our proud habit. Anyway, the westerners who wipe their buttholes with tissues - that is no brilliant way of cleaning up either. I suspect a lab analysis of western and Indian arseholes after a similar shitting session will show up a larger quantity of remaining turd particles around the western arsehole. I once read a blogger who convinced Americans on this.

Anyway, the point is, what was Shilpa doing, touching their food with her fingers? Why go around touching their food? She likes doing it? Shes a food-fondler? I have been with many strange people in my life, and have never touched their food. What is the need? I fail to understand why Shilpa did it. Or maybe she did it while cooking. Anyway, they were making fun of her I think.

Shilpa Poppadum
This is too funny. Jade Goody can pronounce the word Poppadum? She can pronounce it and not pronounce Shilpa? Anyway Shetty being a Tamilian, this is an apt nickname, and I don't think its racism at all. I am a south Indian, and if a white man or noth Indian calls me poppadum, I would burst out laughing. And would be quite amazed that they even know the word. Such potshots are each other's color, race and religion make life interesting.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 11:43 PM 0 comments

Shetty abuse: Sponsor pulls out, police record abuse as racial incident!

This is getting more and more interesting - after the governments of UK and India were forced to react considering public sentiment, Hertfordshire police began a criminal investigation after recording the abusive behavior on Celebrity Big Brother UK as a racial incident.

Meanwhile, the main sponsor of the show, Carphone Warehouse, have pulled out. The company which has been the sponsor of the show for a while, told the channel producers to "remove our name and branding" from the show with immediate effect.

The issue became a hot potato after Shilpa Shetty herself alleged on the show that the bullying is racist.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the three white guests on the show could have technically committed racial abuse.

The Guardian also reported:

Hertfordshire Constabulary is investigating allegations of racist behaviour in the Big Brother house and will be conducting enquiries, including a review of the tapes.

Meanwhile, the statement from Carphone Warehouse said that

"Our concern has rapidly mounted about the broadcast behaviour of individuals within the Big Brother house. We are totally against all forms of racism and bullying...'

'As a result, we feel that as long as this continues, we are unable to associate our brand with the programme,' chief executive Charles Dunstone said.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 7:34 AM 0 comments

Shah Rukh Khan wax statue at Madame Tussaud's wax museum in April

BY A CORRESPONDENT

Shah Rukh Khan's wax statue will unveiled at Madame Tussaud's museum in London in April this year. A Madame Tussaud's spokesperson confirmed the news to Indian Express in London.

Shah Rukh Khan will be leaving for London in February for a session with the Madame Tussaud's sculptors. The life-size wax statue will be opened to public in Easter.

With this, Shah Rukh Khan joins Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai as the other Bollywood stars to join the wax museum at Madame Tussaud's London. Amitabh Bachchan's wax statue at Madame Tussaud's is believed to be watched by 25 lakh visitors to the wax museum every year. The museum, every year, unveils a total of just 15 statues.

A few years back, Madame Tussaud's had unwittingly kicked off popularity spat with its survey on India's most popular actor. Amitabh Bachchan won the poll, and Shah Rukh was second. EVer since, media has been harping on the Bachchan-Shah Rukh face-off in Bollywood. Recently, Shah Rukh Khan took over as host of KBC-III (Kaun Banega Crorepati) a game show on television in India. Earlier, Kaun Banega Crorepati was hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. 41-year old Shah Rukh Khan made his Bollywood debut in 1988. He has acted in about 60 films so far.

Meanwhile, Australian singer Kylie Minogue became the only person with four statues at Madame Tussaud's wax museum. Only the British Queen has more - five statues at Madame Tussaud's.

Kylie Minogue's new wax statue will wear a red silk dress and sitting on a crescent moon. This will be the first perfumed statue at Madame Tussaud's was museum. The statue will get a daily spray of her own fragrance Darling. Kylie had her first wax statue unveiled in 1989, a second in 1997 and a third in 2005.

Madame Tussaud's was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the major attraction at the museum is the Chamber of Horrors. This features statues of several victims and murderers of the French Revolution. Madame Tussaud's is a major tourist attraction in London. Madame Tussaud's has branches in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and New York City. It also plans to open a branch in Hollywood.

Recently, Madame Tassaud's museum was in the news for all the wrong reasons. Greek media picked on the fact that one of their leaders was placed in the museum, facing the back of Turkish leader Ataturk.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 6:49 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Aishwarya Rai has been Bachchan bahu for long

Though Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, Bollywood's hottest lover couple, announced their engagement just two days ago, on Sunday, Aishwarya had been "fulfilling the role of a dutiful daughter-in-law long before their relationship was made public."

The revelation comes from a close family friend, who says: "For a while now, Aishwarya has been a dutiful bahu (daughter-in-law) at their residence, so much so that Jayaji (Jaya Bachchan) has completely warmed up to her and has been telling friends for a while that Aishwarya will fit wonderfully into their household."

The family friend added: "Aishwarya has made it very clear to her parents that all marriage details will be decided by them. The same goes for the Bachchans."

Interestingly, both Bachchan and Aishwarya have maintained what may be described as discreet distance and silence, even as the couple have been hogging the headlines and engaging the minds of movie fans ever since the announcement of the engagement on Sunday night.

While Abhishek flew off the next morning with his mother Jaya to Rajasthan for the shooting of Goldie Behl's Drona, Aishwarya chose to be with her family on Monday before heading for Karjat to shoot for Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodha-Akbar.

Thus both have left all the subsequent details, including the wedding date, to the parents.

"It is," according to the family friend, "almost like an arranged marriage with love thrown in. We all knew Abhishek and Aishwarya were getting close to one another for a long time, but neither spoke about it. And, since they are very private people, we thought it unwise to probe beyond a point."

"We just let their relationship take a natural course. We are genuinely happy to discover that the two of them have decided to be together."

Now, everyone concerned is waiting for the date of the biggest wedding of the year.

Labels: celebrity

posted by a correspondent @ 10:26 AM 0 comments

Monday, January 08, 2007

Dev Anand's autobiography to tell it all

The autobiography of Dev Anand, the evergreen hero of Bollywood, is to hit the stands in March, 2007.

Dev Anand reportedly “tells it all” in his autobiography, which narrates six decades of his legendary journey in the film industry and his personal life. He has been writing the book for the past three years.

When asked about the book, to be published by Penguin, the 83-year-old actor,said in his usual disarming manner: “It will be about me, me and myself.”

He continued: “The book offers a ringside view of my life and my six decades in this industry. I started writing it in New York when the United States was attacking Baghdad three years ago.”

The book also includes lesser-known snippets about his romantic affair with Suraiya and other details from his colourful life. Dev Anand promises his book to be a “tantalising read” for his fans as well as lovers of cinema.

Labels: celebrity, movies

posted by a correspondent @ 7:17 AM 0 comments

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