Sonam Kapoor Verve photo

Usually it was the big names in Indian fashion and occasionally some of the middle rung fashion houses internationally that were associated with Bollywood. Now, the latest Sonam Kapoor starrer, Aisha, makes Bollywood – fashion history by tying up with top fashion houses Salvatore Ferragamo and Christian Dior. Related: Sonam Kapoor’s I Hate Luv Storys

The movie revolves around a fashionista, played by Sonam Kapoor, who is known for her fashionable tastes in real life too. According to sources at Christian Dior, there will be around sixty Dior dresses used in the film – by Sonam and other female artistes. This is the first instance of fashion’s brand integration taking the movies a step away from mass market products and closer to high end fashion.

Aisha, budgeted at 20 crore rupees also features other brands like DLF Emporio, L’Oreal Paris and Portico. But sources say that the Dior association is visibly the strongest. Sonam will be seen throughout the movie with a lady Dior purse. The male lead for the movie is Abhay Deol, and Dior’s presence will be seen on him as well – with the dapper young star clad in Dior suits. According to sources at portico, about ten or twelve new designs will be introduced by Portico to tentatively coincide with the movie’s release.

Sources say that the tie ups with the fashion brands took almost six months to work out before and during the scripting stage. Both Portico and L’Oreal have a number of TV commercials lined up that uses imaging from the film to promote their products.

Aisha, which is co-produced by PVR Pictures and Anil Kapoor Films Co. Pvt. Ltd, and directed by Rajshree Ojha is set for release on August 6. India and especially Bollywood has been the focus of intense global interest, especially in the areas of dance and music. This move by fashion houses could be a statement of the fact that Bollywood has a far wider impact and reach than anticipated before.

Photo: Megan Fox

There are conflicting stories about why Megan Fox, who launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen in 2004, is out of the Transformers series. Some say that sexy Megan Fox was dumped, but representatives for the actress insist that “it was her decision not to return” to Transformers, a live-action film series based on the Transformers toy line.

The 2007 film Transformers, the first in the series, starred Shia LaBeouf (The Greatest Game Ever Played, Disturbia) as Sam Witwicky, a teenager involved in a war between the daring Autobots and the evil Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery.

Despite controversy generated by her appearance after director Michael Bay asked her to gain 10 pounds, Megan Fox reprised her role in the 2009 sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

But now, putting Transformers behind her, the actress – who’s made it to several “sexiest actress” lists across the world – is focusing on her work in upcoming movies.

First up is Jimmy Hayward’s  Jonah Hex, which is scheduled for a June 18, 2010, release. In Jonah Hex, an adaptation of the DC Comics series about a scarred gunslinger (Josh Brolin) seeking vengeance on a man who killed his family, Megan Fox plays Leila, a gun-wielding prostitute and  Jonah Hex’s love interest.

In April 2009, Megan Fox signed up to play the lead female role in The Crossing. Slated to be released in 2011, The Crossing is the story of a young couple and their involvement in drug trafficking during a vacation to Mexico. Megan Fox’s character and her husband are returning from vacation when the husband is kidnapped. Fox’s character is forced to smuggle heroin across the border to save her husband’s life in this thriller by writers Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi.

Megan Fox will also be seen in Passion Play, in which she portrays Lily, a caged circus freak who has angel-like wings growing from her back. Written and directed by Mitch Glazer, Passion Play is the story of how a troubled trumpet player (Mickey Rourke) saves Lily from a gangster (Bill Murray). Labeled a not-so-typical love story, Passion Play promises to be a different kind of movie.

Megan Fox’s Fathom, currently in pre-production, is also a big project – with this she turns producer. Based on the Aspen Comics series created by the late Michael Turner, Fathom is the tale of Aspen Matthews, a marine biology graduate who is descended from the Blue, a race of humanoid ocean dwellers. Megan Fox, a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of Fathom, is looking forward to playing Aspen Matthews.

It has also been rumored that Megan Fox, who starred as the lead character in the 2009 film Jennifer’s Body, may be in the running for Red Sonja, a comic book adaptation about a female warrior.

Demi Moore with husband Ashton Kutcher

Demi Moore, now married to Ashton Kutcher, has always led an unconventional life – she had moved 30 times by the time she turned 14 years old, she dropped out of high school at 16 and went on to marry rocker Freddy Moore at 18. She then married action star Bruce Willis and has three daughters with him – Rumer, 21; Scout, 18; and Tallulah, 16.

Interest is rising in the saucy memoir promised by Demi Moore, who has 2.7 million followers on Twitter. With almost 40 films and a stint on General Hospital under her belt, a nude and pregnant Vanity Fair cover, a range of co-stars and marriages to two Hollywood stars, Demi Moore’s memoir promises to be an interesting read.

Fans would be keen for details on her 10-year marriage to Bruce Willis and their decision to raise their three children away from Hollywood, as well as a look at life with Ashton Kutcher, actor and social networking guru. Perhaps the book may also look at her short association with Scientology and her relationship with the Kabbalah.

Demi Moore, who in the early 1990s became one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, created a stir with her fabulous-over-40 bikini body in the second installment of Charlie’s Angels. Maybe her new book will include tips on how to keep looking hot post 40.

Secrets from her sets and during time spent with co-stars like Robert Redford, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz may also be part of the book, it is being speculated.

This will not be Demi Moore’s first foray into the world of writing. She was among the women who recently contributed to That’s What She Said: Women Reveal What Men Really Need To Know, a book offering dating advice to men trying to woo women.

The book also had contributions from Madonna and Cameron Diaz. In the book, Demi Moore wrote, “If you want to get our clothes off focus on what you’re giving, not on what you can get! You may be able to score once – but we can smell the stink of selfish desires a mile away and are not interested.”

After The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Demi Moore decided to take a break from her acting career. She returned to the big screen in 2003 as a former member of Charlie’s Angels gone bad in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. In 2006, she appeared in Bobby which also featured husband Ashton Kutcher (they did not have any scenes together). In 2007, she starred in the thriller Mr. Brooks.

She hasn’t been seen around much lately. She debuted as a director in 2008 in a short coming-of-age film Streak. The story of a young woman stuck in a life she no longer wants and how she breaks free, Streak starred Demi Moore’s then 20-year-old daughter Rumer Willis.

In 2009, Demi Moore was seen in Happy Tears, an independent comedy drama by Mitchell Lichtenstein, and in The Joneses, a comedy drama directed by Derrick Borte and starring David Duchovny and Ben Hollingsworth. She is presently working on Bunraku, a martial arts live action/animation hybrid film set around a “Man with No Name” character known as The Drifter.

Photo: Mugdha Godse in a bikini in Help

Exuding confidence while she says she looks the best in a bikini, Mugdha has elaborated in an interview to a daily that she is doing a very filmy bikini scene which has her emerge out of water. The scene will be part of the spooky thriller titled Help in which Mugdha plays a very important role along with Bobby Deol.

The hot model, who started being noticed in Bollywood after her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, is of the opinion that doing a bikini scene needs a good body. If the bikini clad body is a little disproportionate the whole attempt can backfire, she says.

Help, which is scheduled for release on July 9, 2010, deals with the supernatural. Directed by debutant director Rajeev Virani and produced by Sanjay Ahluwalia and Vinay Choksey of Rupali Aum Entertainment, Help has been canned in locations such as Mauritius and Mumbai. The film got completed in a 45-day schedule spread over 8 months and is now awaiting release.

Photo: Mugdha Godse

Tipped to be an authentic gruesome horror venture, Help is expected to bring in praise for Mugdha who believes in ghosts. Explaining that she has had supernatural experiences she says that the film has been made to international standards. Bobby has endorsed this view stating that Help is a venture that is technically perfect. Help will be marketed by its makers as one among the spookiest thrillers of all time.

Rajeev Virani narrates the tale of an avenging spirit which refuses to leave the world of the living in Help. The Bobby-Mugdha couple, cruising through acute marital problems, encounters the spirit in Mugdha’s childhood home and the story takes off on a gruesome note from there. The first look of the movie was showcased at the IIFA event in Colombo.

Her latest release, Killers, directed by Robert Luketic, has the soul of a romantic comedy, but also has a whole lot of action – a departure from the roles Katherine Heigl has done till now.

Lionsgate’s Killers has Katherine Heigl playing Jen Kornfeldt, a “goofy, awkward girl who meets the man of her dreams.” Jen marries her dream man, Spencer Aimes (played by Ashton Kutcher), and the couple lives happily. Three years down the line, Jen finds out that her husband is a government assassin. The movie has received some scathing reviews so far.

Last seen opposite Gerard Butler in 2009’s The Ugly Truth, Katherine Heigl said she was drawn to her Killers character by a single moment – the first date scene when Jen speaks in a robot-like voice at the dinner table and then realizes how ridiculous she sounds.

Life As We Know It is the story of an upcoming caterer Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel), a network sports director. After a disastrous first date, they figure out that the only thing they like about each other is their dislike for each other.

However, when their respective best friends die in an accident, Holly and Eric must set aside their difference for the sake of Sophie, their best friends’ daughter. Will they be able to cope with their careers, social life and living under one roof to care for Sophie?

The film, directed by Greg Berlanti (Brothers and Sisters), also stars Christina Hendricks, Josh Lucas, Faizon Love, Jessica St. Clair, MajandraDelfino and Jean Smart. Life As We Know It is slated for a December 2010 release.

Katherine Heigl, who recently adopted a Korean girl with musician husband Josh Kelley, has been in the news since she failed to show up for the filming of season 6 of Grey’s Anatomy in March 2010. The actress later said she and the network had reached an understanding on her release from their contract.

Katherine Heigl made her acting debut in the 1992 movie That Night. She also appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s King of the Hill before being offered her first leading role in the 1994 comedy My Father the Hero.

She starred in Steven Seagal’s Under Siege 2: Dark Territory in 1995, followed by Disney’s made-for-TV film Wish Upon a Star in 1996.

In 1999, Katherine Heigl made her first foray into the world of television with the role of Isabel Evans on science fiction TV drama Roswell. She went on to appear in three television movies – Evil Never Dies (a modern take on the Frankenstein tale), Love Comes Softly (in which she played Marty Claridge, a young and pregnant newly married woman) and Love’s Enduring Promise (a reprisal of her role as Marty in the sequel to Love Comes Softly).

She also played Romy in the 2005 TV film Romy and Michele: In the Beginning, a prequel to the 1997 film Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.

Her most high-profile role remains that of Dr. Isobel Stevens on ABC’s medical drama. In 2006, Katherine Heigl was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-series, or Motion Picture Made for Television category for her work on Grey’s Anatomy. She appeared in Knocked Up in 2007 and 27 Dresses (with James Marsden) in 2008.

Poster of Raavan movie, that's Abhishek Bachchan. Ten heads not visible.

Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus – a modern take on the Ramayana – also stars Tamil actor Vikram and Govinda. The soundtrack for the film – also being made in Tamil – is composed by Academy Award-winner A.R.Rahman.

As the movie is being made in two languages, there is a bit of a problem when we write about it. The Hindi version’s name is spelt Raavan according to the trailer, but in some of the posters which were leaked, the name was spelt as Ravan.  The Tamil version is spelt Raavana in English.

Photo: Aishwarya Rai in Raavan - or is it Ravan, as you see in this poster?

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan  have done quite a few movies together – Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Naa Kaho, Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2 (in which they were not paired) and Mani Ratnam’s Guru. Of these, only Dhoom 2 and Guru were successes. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan hasn’t had a very good couple of years. Her only releases were The Pink Panther 2 (ho-hum) in 2009 and Sarkar Raaj (hmm) and Jodhaa Akbar (hit) in 2008. Abhishek Bachchan had Sarkar Raaj (hmmm), Drona (big miss) and Dostana (hit) in 2008, following them up with Paa and Delhi-6 (both critically acclaimed, but not very big box office successes)

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan must be hoping that Mani Ratnam’s upcoming movie Ravaana will turn the tide in their favour. The director’s earlier film, Guru, was lucky for Abhiash on the personal front – they announced their engagement after the film was premiered in Toronto.

As of now, the star couple isn’t staying in the shadows. Abhishek Bachchan and wife Aishwarya Rai are busy on the micro-blogging site Twitter. Aishwarya, in fact, seems to have taken it upon herself to convince mom-in-law Jaya to join Twitter.

“A big hello from maa, I am insisting her 2 join Twitter,” Aishwarya Rai Bachchan posted on her Twitter account recently. The Big B prefers to remain busy with his blog.

Back to Raavan. The film will reportedly be premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France this year. Mani Ratnam was thinking of premiering the bilingual film at IIFA in Seoul later this year, but seems to have decided on Cannes now – Raavan (the Hindi version) will be premiered at the festival on May 14. Raavan was originally set for release in 2009.

Believed to be an adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana, there’s a twist in the Raavana tale. Do not expect a full, modern version of the Ramayana here. From what we here, there are some similarities, but there is enough room for Mani Ratnam to claim innocence if anyone accuses him of denigrating Ramayana. The main female character played by Aishwarya Rai is abducted by Abhishek Bachchan (who is the ‘Raavan’ in the Hindi version of the movie. When Vikram, her husband, questions her chastity, she feels sympathetic towards the ‘Raavan’.

Is Mani Ratnam deliberately courting trouble?  Just consider the recent controversies over My Name is Khan starring Shahrukh Khan, or the anger in Mumbai over the use of the name Bombay in the movie Wake Up Sid are examples. Let’s hope Mani Ratnam knows what he is doing!

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are the lead pair in the Hindi version of Raavana. Abhishek is Raavana, Aishwarya plays Sita, Vikram is Rama and Govinda plays a character inspired by Hanuman. In the Tamil version of the movie titled Raavana, Vikram plays Raavana opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Suhasini, Mani Ratnam’s wife, also makes her Bollywood debut with Raavana. Ravi Kissen plays Abhishek’s trusted aide whereas Nikhil Dwivedi plays a cop.

The movie has been produced by Mani Ratnam’s sister Sharda under Ratnam’s banner Madras Talkies. According to unofficial sources, composer A R Rahman has reused two songs he composed earlier – one for Aamir Khan’s shelved film Lajjo and a qawwali composed for Jodhaa Akbar.

Recent media reports suggested that Abhishek Bachchan’s character in Raavan is also based on Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy’s character. Sources said Mani Ratnam was keen to have a strong element of contemporary history in his film – something that’s been seen in earlier films like Roja (terrorism in Kashmir), Bombay (the communal riots in Mumbai), Yuva (college politics) and Guru (a biopic on Dhirubhai Ambani’s life).

However, Abhishek Bachchan has rubbished those reports. “Another piece of great reportage by our ever dependable media. My character in Raavana is NOT based on any Maoist,” he Tweeted recently.
Director Mani Ratnam is reportedly unsure about how to end his film. He is said to have shot four options in Malshej, but no one knows which one will be final. In the first alternative (which could be controversial), Raavan wins over Sita; in the second, she treads the conventional path and returns to Rama; in the third alternative, Raavan dies; and in the fourth, Rama dies.

Even unit members are not aware of which climax will finally make it to the silver screen. Will the Hindi Raavan and the Tamil version Raavana have the same climax? No one’s sure of that either.

Shooting schedules for the film were rigorous and the three principal actors suffered injuries and viral illnesses. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan proved to be the toughest among the three. Co-star Vikram said he had never seen any actress do the kind of stunts Aishwarya has done in Raavana. He added that he had never seen any actress look so beautiful in such difficult circumstances.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also won over the production crew by dubbing her own lines in Tamil for the film. A Tamil tutor coached the actress during the shooting of Raavana, and she reportedly got the accent and tone pat.  Aishwarya will also be dubbing her own lines for another Tamil movie , Shankar’s Endhiran, co-starring Rajnikanth.

The recent Swami Nithyananda sex scandal has also brushed Raavana. Tamil film star Ranjitha, who was allegedly filmed in a compromising position with Swami Nithyananda, plays the role of Raavana’s sister-in-law in the Tamil version of the film.

Sex and the City 2, the much-anticipated sequel to the first movie, releases this summer and picks up the tale two years after Carrie and Mr Big tied the knot. Directed by Michael Patrick King, the film opens with Jay-Z and Alicia Key’s Empire State of Mind playing in the background as Carrie speaks up,  “In two years, amazing things can happen.”

Well, amazing things may happen, but some things remain the same.  Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattralll and Kristen Davis reprise their roles as Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. A little older, a little wiser (really?), but still the same girls who love their Cosmopolitans and designer gear. Like Samantha tells her BFFs: “We made a deal ages ago. Man, babies, doesn’t matter. We’re soul mates.”

Two years of marriage later, romance seems to be on the rocks for Carrie and Mr. Big. As Carrie puts it: “Big and I are getting a little too Mr. and Mrs. Married. We have to work on the sparkle.”

Carrie catches her husband flirting with a hot Spanish woman (yes, Penelope Cruz makes an entry) at a bar; sexy Samantha’s popping anti-aging pills and bed-hopping as usual; Charlotte’s struggling to deal with her two children (Baby Rose and Lily) while Miranda seems to be successfully juggling her family and career life.

Hmm, Manhattan’s most fashion-conscious female foursome doesn’t seem to be doing too well.

Despite all that, the close-knit quarter glitzily romps through their existential crises in this glitzy romp set in New York.

But what happens after you day “I do” and things aren’t really falling into place? The BFFs decide to get away from it all in an entirely new city. The girls head for Abu Dhabi – on an all-expenses paid, women-only trip arranged by, who else but Samantha.

That’s when the, ahem, fun starts. Carrie runs into, guess who? Former fiancé Aiden (John Corbett).

At a chance meeting in a street market, Aiden tells Carrie, “This is the best mirage I’ve ever had.”

Loyal fans will remember the charming and witty furniture designer who romanced Carrie during most of the TV show’s fourth season.

Now for the big question. Will Carrie have an affair with Aiden?

Face to face with her past, a perplexed Carrie doesn’t know what will happen to her present. “We bump into each other half way round the world – I think it means something.”

But Charlotte has some advice. “I think you’re playing with fire.”

What happens next? You’ll have to watch Sex and the City 2 to find out.

The new SATC movie also has a couple of cameos – Liza Minnelli at Stanford’s wedding and Miley Cyrus chilling with Samantha at a movie premiere.

But Miley Cyrus fans, take note. The Hannah Montana star doesn’t have too much to do in Sex and the City 2 movie. According to GossipCop.com, Miley Cyrus appears in the R-rated sequel with Kim Cattrall.

In the scene, Samantha Jones reportedly wants to look “hot and young”. To her horror, she winds up on a red carpet with Miley Cyrus wearing – gasp – the same dress. No wonder that perpetual sidekick Anthony blurts out, “Mother of God. She is wearing the same dress as Hannah Montana!”

Existential crises notwithstanding, we predict an all’s-swell-that-ends-well-ending for this movie

So get those sexy Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks out of the closet. You’ll need them when you go to catch Sex and the City 2.

Photo: Selena Gomez as Beezus plays elder to sister to Joey King's Ramona

Selena Gomez who? The 17-year-old schoolgirl, best known for her portrayal of Alex Russo on Emmy Award-winning Disney series  Wizards of Waverly Place, has bitten a big chunk of Miley Cyrus’ fame pie.

Miley Cyrus has been the undisputed teen star of Disney in the last few years: Fresh, innocent, no-sex-before-marriage… you know the wholesome type Disney loves. But Miley is getting older, and there is a new fresh face on the horizon.

Photos: Selena Gomez and Joey King from the sets of Ramona and Beezus movie

Disney’s latest teen queen is hot and happening right now. After having starred in television movies Another Cinderella Story and Princess Protection Program, Selena Gomez is busy with her new assignments: a $1million movie is planned, there’s Monte Carlo with Nicole Kidman, and a Wizards of Waverly Place fashion range for Asda aimed at girls aged between four and 12.

Selena Gomez recently played to a full house with her band, Selena Gomez and the Scene, at Shepherds Bush Empire, her first UK gig. Later, she thanked her fans for being a part of the show, saying it meant the world to her.

Trailer of Ramona and Beezus movie, starring Joey King and Selena Gomez

Miley has had a good run so far, but she is older now; not exactly a tween. She has had her share of controversies with a co-called sexy photo-shoot with her dad, some leaked mischievous photos, and some boyfriend issues.

Following the success of the Disney show, a soundtrack CD was released in October 2006 featuring Miley Cyrus on eight songs from Hannah Montana. The teen idol began her solo music career began with the release of her debut album, Meet Miley Cyrus, in 2007.

She also starred in Hannah Montana: The Movie, the film spin-off of the series. In 2008, Miley Cyrus was listed in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in The World. That was then. Now, Selena Gomez is winning over more teen votes .

Selena Gomez has all those qualities which Disney so loves, and it is much easier to build up a new fresh-faced star than keep the image intact for someone who is turning into an adult.

Ramona and Beezus poster

The Texas schoolgirl may well topple Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus  from the top of the tween chart.

Born in Grand Prairie, Texas, in 1992, Selena Gomez was seven she got her first acting role on Barney & Friends, the children’s TV show.  She continued with the show for two years. Then came small roles in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the TV film Walker, Texas Ranger. In 2004, she was discovered by Disney during a nationwide talent scout.

Interestingly, she also had a party to play in Hanna Montana. Selena Gomez was cast as Mikayla in “oneoff appearance” that continued for two series.

Alex Russo and the Wizards of Waverly Place, a show about three siblings with magical powers, came her way in 2007. The show was a phenomenal hit, and Forbes named her as one of eight “hot kid stars to watch”.

Selena Gomez has described her success as a “blessing”. She also played down rumours of a feud with Miley Cyrus, saying there was no feud.

Selena Gomez’ first movie, Ramona and Beezus, is already in the news. The movie is based on the book Beezus and Ramona, and Selena will play Beatrice ‘Beezus’ Quimby. Ramona and Beezus is co-produced by Walden Media and 20th Century Fox, and the film is be directed by Elizabeth Allen. The movie release is expected to be on 23 July 2010. If the movie turns out to be successful, it will establish Selena Gomez firmly as the Tween queen.

We have a few photos of Selena Gomez from the sets of Ramona and Beezus here. Watch the movie yourself to make up your mind about whether you are ready to sswitch loyalties from Miley to Selena!
Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, will be seen next with actress Demi Moore in a new movie called LOL.

The movie revolves around a teenage girl who juggles her first heartbreak with her recently divorced mom’s new single life, reports imdb.com. She’s also reportedly planning her wedding to boyfriend Liam Hemsworth, her co-star from the film The Last Song, once she turns 18 this November. The Last Song, Miley’s latest cinematic outing,  is a 2010 coming-of-age drama based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.

Photo: Sushmita Sen

“I am not getting married,” she told PTI news. Appropriate answer to a silly question, we think! After all, if two celebrities hang out together or are even seriously dating, asking them about a potential marriage so soon is absurd. However, a love affair between the cricketer and the actress has the potential to get certain people in India all hot and bothered, as we saw in the case of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik.

Wasim Akram is currently in India in his capacity as the bowling coach for Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders.

There has been speculation about Wasim Akram and Sushmita Sen ever since they hosted Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, a TV reality show, around two years ago. Media reports suggest that Wasim Akram agreed to do the show because of Sushmita Sen.

Sushmita Sen and Wasim Akram first met in Dubai in 2006 for a charity event and stayed in touch. Their camaraderie was apparent on Ek Khiladi, Ek Haseena, the dance show that they judged. However, that was all there was to it at that time – Akram was married and the actress was involved with Mudassar Aziz, her Dulha Mil Gaya director.

The couple reportedly came closer months after the cricket star’s wife, Huma, succumbed to cancer.  Wasim Akram was not available to comment.

Speculation about an affair between Wasim Akram and Sushmita Sen picked up after the two were spotted at a Mumbai nightspot on 5th April.

The Bengali actress hasn’t had a very good run at the box office in recent days. Her last release, Dulha Mil Gaya, came a cropper. Before that, apart from Do Knot Disturb (2009), she only has flops to her credit – Karma, Confessions and Holi (2009), Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag (2007) and Zindaggi Rocks (2006).

The former Miss Universe is now on a quest of her own. She’s tied up with 92.7 BIG FM for ‘I am She’, a contest that will help select the Miss Universe 2010 representative from India.

Promising to promote the spirit of the Indian woman which personifies the combination of beauty and intelligence, Sushmita Sen, who in 1994 became the first Indian woman to bring home the Miss Universe crown, said the contest would be the preliminary of the Miss Universe contest.

Bowled over

Sharmila Tagore and MAK Pataudi

No one expected that a Bengali Hindu girl, from Rabindranath Tagore’s family, would marry the Nawab of Pataudi. But the romance started in 1965, when Tiger Pataudi was introduced to the actress by common friend, and continues to date.

Zeenat Aman and Imran Khan

He was the poster-boy of Pakistan cricket during the 70s and 80s. She was the original Indian “flower child. Imran Khan and Zeenat Aman become the ‘IT’ couple, creating ripples on both sides of the border, but their relationship did not last long.

Amrita Arora and Usman Afzal

Best known as Malaika Arora Khan’s baby sister and Kareena Kapoor’s best friend, Amrita Arora bonded with Usman Afzal. He may have tattooed Amrita’s name on his arm, a la Saif Ali Khan, but the relationship didn’t work. Amrita Arora is now married to Shakeel Ladakh.

Reena Roy and Mohsin Khan

At the height of her stardom, whatever that was, Reena Roy quit movies and married Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan. Years later, after bidding adieu to his cricket career, Mohsin Khan decided to try his luck in Bollywood. The films tanked, the marriage split up and Khan returned to Pakistan.

Photo: Madhuri Dixit in Aaja Nachle

Though Shah has confirmed that Madhuri Dixit would play the lead in one of the films titled ‘Mother: The Indira Gandhi Story’, there is no official word from Madhuri on the same.

While Madhuri will play the role of Indira Gandhi, Hanks and Jones are expected to play the roles of Lyndon B Johnson and Richard Nixon respectively. There are also unconfirmed reports that discussions are ongoing with Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren to play the role of Queen Elizabeth II.

Reports also say Emily Watson, the British actress, would play the role of Margaret Thatcher while Albert Finney would play Peter Ustinov, who was in India expecting to meet her at the time Indira Gandhi was killed.

Mother: The Indira Gandhi Story, which is a biopic, will be made at a budget of 40million pounds and is seen as a collaboration of the Bollywood and Hollywood. The film titled “Mother: The Indira Gandhi Story“, will start filming in April in India, the UK, the US and Russia. Filmmaker Shah said: This is the project of my life, both in its scale and the subject. I have been working on the script for over two decades and it is simply a story that has to be told. It took me years to find a way into her story, but I found it with her role as a mother both to her family and to a nation with its teeming millions. Indira was India.”

The main attraction of the Indira Gandhi biopic will be a 30min war sequence which will be made with special effects and the war will feature India’s 1971 war with Pakistan. It is believed that it was the vistory of this war over Pakistan that made Indira Gandhi India’s war goddess.

The Indira Gandhi feature film will be released at the end of 2010 and will be in Hinglish.

While the first film will show Indira’s personal character and the lives she has had to go through, the second film will show Indira trying to unite India. The second film will also feature the rise of her son Sanjay Gandhi and how Indira was killed by her own bodyguards in 1984.

The 42-year old Madhuri Dixit currently lives in the United States with her husband and two sons.