Aishwarya made goodwill ambassador of a NGO

IANS

NEW DELHI: On her 36th birthday Sunday, Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai has been named the first goodwill ambassador for Smile Train, a charity that works worldwide for children with cleft lip.
The former Miss World has partnered with the NGO, in association with her own charity - Aishwarya Rai Foundation - and will spread awareness and garner resources to help the movement, said a press release.
"God has given me plenty of reasons to smile and I feel it's time to spread it around. There are a lot of children out there who so desperately need help, but can't receive timely care because their families cannot afford this surgery or are ill-educated about this condition.
"Working with Smile Train, if I can make a difference in their lives, it will certainly make me feel honoured and blessed," Aishwarya said.
As the goodwill ambassador, Aishwarya will actively work to help Smile Train provide free cleft surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world, including India.
According to information provided by the NGO, over one million children await cleft surgery in India alone, and currently only 50 percent children born with cleft in India get the medical assistance required. And Smile Train officials feel Aishwarya will be of immense help in taking forward their movement globally.
"Aishwarya's universal appeal and star power will be a priceless asset to our organisation, and we consider it a great privilege to have her represent our organisation," Smile Train president Brian Mullaney said.
"Her poise, intelligence and dedication to our mission will catapult the work that we do to new and exciting heights. Since she is a global superstar, it makes her the perfect representative for our global organisation. There is no corner of the world where she isn't known, and in each of those corners, there is a Smile Train hospital that is helping kids every day of the year," he added.
The rising concern for kids born with a cleft was raised worldwide through Smile Train's recent Oscar-winning movie "Smile Pinki". The 39-minute documentary made by Megan Mylan shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. It was made in Hindi and Bhojpuri and won the 81st Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).

Nothing like 'Kurbaan' has been seen before, says Karan Johar

Filmmaker rules out comparisons will other movies

Karan Johar's upcoming "Kurbaan" is being likened to films on terror like "New York" and "Fanaa" but the filmmaker is no longer giving the straight-jacketed 'It's truly different' reply. He has instead left it to the audiences to find out if there are any similarities between the movies."That's because this isn't the first time that it's happening to a film coming from Dharma Productions. When 'Wake Up Sid' was being made, people asked whether it had any similarities to 'Lakshya'. Now when the movie has released and is finding so much appreciation, the same people are coming back and telling me that 'Oh, this one was so different'," Karan told IANS. He has quite a few other examples -- "Kal Ho Naa Ho" was said to be a remake of "Anand" while "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" appeared to have its germ in "Silsila". "And didn't all these 'germs' just disappear when the films released and talked their own language? See, the fact is that originality has always been the strength of Dharma Productions. We don't like to emulate other films. "This is why I would rather talk about 'Kurbaan' and its so-called similarities after it is out in theatres. That's because by that time audiences would have seen the film and realised that 'Kurbaan' is a film about its own world," Karan said. Directed by Rensil D'Silva, 'Kurbaan' stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Asked about the film, Karan said: "There is very little that you can compare this film with any other Hindi films that you name. It's just that the protagonists are in a zone where terror is on the forefront. "At 'Kurbaan', we are scratching the surface a little harder when it comes to global terrorism. We are dealing with an absolutely different tone and syntax." He rues that audiences as well as filmmakers have started looking at every product suspiciously. "The sad part is that whenever a new film comes, whether from my company or any other, we start believing that people are not really offering anything original. We start looking for inspirations and immediately draw a connect. This has happened time and again. It's so unfortunate that we have lost faith in originality," said Karan. He is however happy that first time director Rensil D'Silva has brought in a different point of view in the film. "'Kurbaan' is written by me but has taken a great dimension due to the virtue of Rensil's own point of view. This is something that comes across quite strongly in the film. "Since he comes with a global thought process, it has penetrated into the narrative of the film as well. There is an intellectual look at the situation without any bias in the narrative. I can proudly declare that 'Kurbaan' isn't anything like what has been seen on celluloid before." Also starring Vivek Oberoi, Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Dia Mirza in key roles, "Kurbaan" is set for a Nov 20 release. Indo-Asian News Service

Aishwarya celebrating 36th birthday

She’s set out to make millions smile

On her 36th birthday today (Nov 1), Aishwarya Rai has been named the first goodwill ambassador for Smile Train, a charity that works worldwide for children with cleft lip.The former Miss World has partnered with the NGO, in association with her own charity - Aishwarya Rai Foundation - and will spread awareness and garner resources to help the movement, said a press release. "God has given me plenty of reasons to smile and I feel it's time to spread it around. There are a lot of children out there who so desperately need help, but can't receive timely care because their families cannot afford this surgery or are ill-educated about this condition. "Working with Smile Train, if I can make a difference in their lives, it will certainly make me feel honoured and blessed," Aishwarya said. As the goodwill ambassador, Aishwarya will actively work to help Smile Train provide free cleft surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world, including India. According to information provided by the NGO, over one million children await cleft surgery in India alone, and currently only 50 percent children born with cleft in India get the medical assistance required. And Smile Train officials feel Aishwarya will be of immense help in taking forward their movement globally. "Aishwarya's universal appeal and star power will be a priceless asset to our organisation, and we consider it a great privilege to have her represent our organisation," Smile Train president Brian Mullaney said. "Her poise, intelligence and dedication to our mission will catapult the work that we do to new and exciting heights. Since she is a global superstar, it makes her the perfect representative for our global organisation. There is no corner of the world where she isn't known, and in each of those corners, there is a Smile Train hospital that is helping kids every day of the year," he added. The rising concern for kids born with a cleft was raised worldwide through Smile Train's recent Oscar-winning movie "Smile Pinki". The 39-minute documentary made by Megan Mylan shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. It was made in Hindi and Bhojpuri and won the 81st Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Meanwhile, Ash's megastar father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan wished her a "long prosperous life" on her birthday."We have... just brought in Aishwarya's birthday and wished her love and happiness and a long prosperous life. It was just the family," Amitabh posted on his blog early Sunday morning.Indo-Asian News Service

Genelia's learning Greek!

She wants to be prepared for her trip to Greece

The “Jaane Tu Jaane Na” girl Genelia D'Souza, who is not conversant with Hindi, is all set to learn Greek now! Apparently she is preparing for her visit to Greece where she will be shooting for Anees Bazmee's “It’s my Life” with Harman Baweja. Genelia is learning the basics of the language but she finds it quite difficult. According to sources, she has learnt to speak some basic words in Greek like Good Morning, Good Afternoon etc. As far as we know, Genelia generally finds languages difficult, especially Hindi!

The kissing scene goes missing

Lip-lock between Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Malavade chopped from 'Kidnap'

The much talked about kissing scene between Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Malavade has been chopped from “Kidnap”. According to director Sanjay Gadhvi, the scene was cut in response to the feedback from the audience. The viewers were not happy to see an elderly couple lip-locked and hence after much consideration he decided to remove the scene from the film. Also, there were rumours that Sanju's wife, Manyata, had issues with the scene. When contacted, Manyata denied the rumour saying she had nothing to do with the removal of the scene and that she does not interfere in Sanju's work. www.masala.com/

Kareena to launch her own website

It is going to be fashion oriented

Joining the league of international stars like Victoria Beckham, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor is all set to launch her own website.The site would inform netizens about the actress' latest fashion trends."Kareena's official website is going to be on an absolutely tech savvy format. It's going to be on the lines of the sites of international stars like Victoria Beckham, Madonna and Jennifer," a source close to the actress revealed on Tuesday.The source added: "Her website is going to be more fashion oriented. The site will have updates not only of Kareena's fashion trends but also other trends that take place all over the globe". The actress has been known for her fashion presence even in the fashion fraternity and looks forward to sharing her trend sense with her fans through the site."She has sound knowledge about the fashion industry and the website will give her a chance to share her fashion knowledge with her fans. There have been a number of occasions when Kareena has even actively participated in designing her own costumes for films," said the source.Kareena is also the brand ambassador of a global fashion retail chain Globus.Indo-Asian News Service www.masala.com/newsletter

Oscar bound film’s director denied US visa

US consulate in Mumbai did not know Paresh Mokashi

Paresh Mokashi, whose Marathi film "Harishchandrachi Factory" has been selected as India's official entry to the Oscars, is stuck without a visa to the US.The US consulate in Mumbai refused to give him the visa, saying they didn't know him or that his film is going for the Oscars. "I don't really blame them. I didn't have a face that was instantly recognisable. They didn't know who I was. And I had no papers to prove that this disoriented looking man had made a film that had been sent to the Oscars," Mokashi told IANS. The director had no papers, not even a letter from the Academy Awards committee to prove his eligibility for the visa because he had given all the documents to his producers - UTV. "Whatever intimation I received about the Oscar entry from the US, I handed over to UTV. But, of course, the US consulate didn't say I was lying. They rightly felt I was not eligible until I had the documents. This was my first encounter for an American visa. And naturally my first trip to the US," said Mokashi. "The only time I've been abroad was to London to shoot a part of 'Hrishchandrachi Factory'. So I was completely unaware of how things work. I don't know how to handle it," added the director who had to mortgage his property to make the film. UTV had to step in to rescue the director, who needs to be in LA from Nov 2. "The US consulate has promised to give me a visa after taking my passport. They said they'd grant me a visa. Let's see. They had yet to decide for how long and in what capacity. They seem to have a very thin line dividing the people who want to visit for genuine reasons from those who are wrongly motivated," he said. Mokashi hopes to be in the US for 25 days in November to promote the film for the Oscars. "I need to understand the situation. I've never been to the Oscars, have no idea of how the Oscars work. I also need to be back for the film's release in India. Then I return to the US to be with the film till the Oscars," he said. Indo-Asian News Service

Kalki and beau Anurag Kashyap scripting a film together

He thinks she’s a better writer than him

"Dev D" actress Kalki Koechlin says her boyfriend Anurag Kashyap, who has written screenplays and dialogues for memorable films like "Satya" and "Black Friday", thinks she is a better writer than him."Anurag thinks he is a useless writer. He thinks I'm a much better dialogue writer than him. He thinks a lot about the whole plot and not so much about the individual dialogues," Kalki, who made her acting debut with Kashyap's directorial venture "Dev D", told IANS in an interview in New Delhi. "But I don't think I can ever direct anything like him because I don't have that overall vision. I can never think of the whole script, which I think is the director's forte. I can only write for the moment," added the 26-year-old who is co-scripting a film with her beau. "Anurag and I are doing a film together, which is very exciting. But I can't talk anything about it right now except that it's a thriller. "It's his idea. He narrated it to me a year back and asked me if I wanted to write it. I initially denied because I didn't think I could take that responsibility but then I wrote the first draft and he transformed it by adding more pieces and putting them together to give it the form of a story," she explained. Kalki describes Kashyap as an open minded director. "He gives you the space and lets you do things on your own. He always gives a chance to the deserving," she said, on the sidelines of the 11th edition of the annual Osian's Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema. Talking about her relationship with Kashyap, she said: "Being together with him has worked a lot in our professional life too because we have been constantly challenging our creative sensibilities. Both of us are very intense in the way we think and take things." Before venturing into films with "Dev D", she studied "drama and theatre in university" and "majored in scriptwriting and acting". The film is a contemporary interpretation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic novel "Devdas" and Kalki played the role of a prostitute Chanda in it. Born to French parents, Kalki apparently took Hindi lessons for "Dev D" and is still working on her dialect and diction. "I still have to work a lot on it (Hindi)," said the actress who is fluent in French and Tamil. Her other projects are Bijoy Nambiar's "Shaitan" and Kaizad Gustad's next. Kalki's wish list also includes penning "a book someday". Indo-Asian News Service

Ranbir, Katrina dazzle on the ramp

Saturday, 31 October, 2009

Everything about Rohit Bal’s show was grand

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif sashayed down the ramp at the grand finale of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) for designer Rohit Bal (pictured left), bringing down the curtains on the five-day event in style on Wednesday (Oct 28) night.Dressed in an embroidered white sherwani, Ranbir managed to steal the hearts of many girls in the audience, who couldn't stop gushing about the star's chocolaty looks. Pretty Katrina Kaif, attired in a short white dress, looked like a Barbie doll. Another highlight of the show was a live performance by Orissa's Prince Dance Group that recently won the dance reality show "India's Got Talent". Since Bal is always associated with grandeur, the sets reflected flamboyance and style. The glass ramp had gold lotus flowers underneath. The main show area was draped with golden curtains. Complementing the ambience perfectly were the clothes that talked about the Mughal era when India was the land of maharajas (kings). The collection was appropriately called Yasas, which means grand in Sanskrit. Talking about his collection, Bal said: "The collection is a reflection of incredible talent that we have in India in terms of artisans and craftsmanship. The line is an ode to India's rich heritage." "It is about India, which was once known as the 'Golden Peacock'. Through this line, I am bringing that golden era back to India," he added. The collection had a mix of brocades, velvets in the pre-Mughal and Mughal designs like long and short anarkalis, sherwanis, jodhpuri pants, dresses and long coats. The collection will also be retailed through Wills Lifestyle outlets across India. Indo-Asian News Service

Only brother Farhan has been finalised among cast

Saturday, 31 October, 2009

He was her last resort for her critically-acclaimed directorial debut "Luck By Chance". But for her second film Zoya Akhtar has specially written a part for brother Farhan."It's a road movie set in Spain about three boys and one of the three characters is definitely Farhan. I knew I wanted him. I was very clear that I wanted to work with him again," said Zoya. Daughter of well-known lyricist Javed Akhtar, Zoya informed that her writer filmmaker-actor brother will not only act in the film, but also pen the dialogues for it. "I am writing this film with Reema Kagti. I'm wrapping up the script but as of now it is not locked yet. Then probably I'll sit with Farhan for the dialogues and the casting," she said. Throwing light on the film, she said: "It's a coming of age genre. But it'll be simpler than ‘Luck By Chance' and simpler to understand. A feel-good factor will be there in that sense," said Zoya on the sidelines of the ongoing 11th annual Osian's Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema in New Delhi. Asked is her movie was in any sense a follow up to the upcoming Abhay Deol-starrer "Road Movie", she said: "The trend's been there. Look at ‘Jab We Met'. It is a road film. It's got that vibe of a road movie. And the promos to the ‘Road Movie' are gorgeous too."Indo-Asian News Service