Veena Malik in Big Boss 4

Bigg Boss 4 ex-inmate Veena Malik, who was criticised by a Muslim cleric for her “immoral” behaviour inside the house, has lashed out at the cleric who had criticized her during a widely watched television exchange this week.

The unusual outburst, punctuated by tears, came at a sensitive time in a country where Islamic fundamentalism is spreading and liberals are increasingly afraid to express their views.

“What is your problem with me? You tell me your problem!” an angry Veena Malik asked the Muslim scholar, who accused her of insulting Islam.

Earlier this month, a liberal Pakistani governor was shot dead for opposing the country’s harsh laws against blasphemy.

In the aftermath, his killer was cheered as a hero among many in the public, shocking the country’s small liberal establishment.

Malik, 26, participated recently on Bigg Boss, an Indian version of Big Brother.

Clips of the show on the internet include ones in which she appears cozy with Indian actor Ashmit Patel. Those scenes, and her involvement with a show in Pakistan’s arch rival India, prompted criticism online and on the air.

“You have insulted Pakistan and Islam,” Mufti Abdul Qawi accused her on the Express TV channel talk show via a television link. The exchange first aired Friday and then again Saturday.

A furious Malik shot back, saying Qawi targeted her because she is a woman, reminding him that the Quran admonishes men not to stare at a woman’s beauty beyond a first glance, and telling him there were bigger problems in Pakistan, including the alleged rape of children at mosques.

During the exchange, Qawi admitted he had not seen the clips of the show but had heard about it from others. “What does your Islam say, mufti sir?” Veena asked. “You issue edicts on the basis of hearsay.”

Malik said she had read the Quran and she knew what lines not to cross as a Muslim as well as an entertainer in South Asia. She pointed out that she never kissed Patel, for instance.

“I am a Muslim woman, and I know my limits,” she said. The cleric seemed unable to respond to her flood of words.

Malik’s fierce outburst sparked a barrage of comments on Twitter. While some writers said they didn’t agree with her and one called her a “porn star,” others said she was brave for standing up to the Pakistani clerical establishment, especially when such an act can mean personal danger.

Wrote one supporter: “The only way to talk to these bloody clerics is to talk down to them. Veena Malik did just that, and how. Good for her!”

[HT]

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan has said that if their work schedules permit they would definitely go to attend the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards to be held in Toronto.

“I don’t know when it is but obviously if we are free and not working, yes we’ll go for it. We’ll see if we could accommodate it, but if we are busy making films then obviously we won’t be able to go there,” Abhishek, who graces the cover of latest issue ofStardust magazine along with wife Aishwarya Rai, told reporters here Thursday on night.

“Because if we don’t make the films we won’t get nominated the next year so we have to concentrate on our work. If our schedule permits let’s see,” he added. The actor was in the capital to unveil the latest issue of the magazine along with Aishwarya.Megastar Amitabh Bachchan had been the brand ambassador of IIFA ever since its inception in 2000. However, Big B created a stir when he revealed on microblogging site Twitter that he will not attend the ceremony in Toronto as IIFA said it no longer requires his services.

An official statement from the organizers said that they have aborted the concept of brand ambassador.

“Due to unexplainable reasons, after announcing the event as brand ambassador, Bachchan couldn’t participate in the IIFA weekend at Sri Lanka last year. Following this, IIFA aborted the concept of a brand ambassador,” said Sabbas Joseph, director Wizcraft, which organizes the event.

The statement also said: “The Bachchan family has been an intrinsic part of IIFA every year, and in this regard we have already shared with them a proposal about their participation this year too.”

The awards ceremony will be held in Toronto from June 23-25

Mixed reviews of Dhobi Ghat haven’t upset director Kiran Rao and she believes those who liked the film are her target audience as she had always maintained that the film was not for everyone. “I have heard different things. I have enjoyed some of the reviews very much. Some reviews were of people who didn’t like the film that much. I am happy that some people liked it and they are the kind of people for whom we made this film,” Kiran told reporters at a photo exhibition on Mumbai at PVR Juhu Friday.

“This is an unusual film and not for everyone’s taste, which was expected. I am glad that that the audience I made the film for are liking it,” she added.

Kiran’s directorial debut is set in Mumbai. She tries to portray the city in its true colours through four people who come from very different backgrounds. When their worlds intersect, this leaves them forever altered.

Monica Dogra (Shai) plays an Indian-American banker who is in the city for a photographic expedition, Prateik Babbar (Munna) is a washerboy and Kriti Malhotra essays Yasmin, while Aamir Khan, who is also producing the film, plays a seclusive modern art painter.

Prateik has garnered rave reviews for his performance from all corners and Kiran is also all praise for him.

“Prateik is already a big name in Bollywood, according to me. He has just arrived and has already proven himself with this film. He is a very versatile and very nuanced actor. I certainly hope he is going to get a lot more roles in future,” said Kiran.

There was an appreciable footfall for Dhobi Ghat in the opening shows in PVR, says a source.

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- By Roshmila Bhattacharya

On a scale of 10, Kiran Rao gives Aamir Khan a 9 ½ as an actor and as a director. As a producer, it’s a 10. For Aamir, Kiran rates a 9 as writer-director. He gives her a 9 as an actor too. Is Kiran an aspiring actor? “I’m not,” she retorts. “Never say never but I have no intentions of facing the camera at the moment even though I was into dramatics when in school and college.”

Sighing regretfully, her husband says, “She was reading Yasmin so well that I tried to coax her to do the role. But ziddi hai ladki (the girl is stubborn), she wouldn’t agree. Eventually, Kriti (Malhotra) played the part beautifully. But it would have been fun to romance Kiran on screen.”

Kiran was coaxed by a friend to join the Lagaan team as assistant director even though she had barely watched 10 Hindi films in her life before that. Qayamat Se Qaymat Tak was the one movie she watched from beginning to end on her new VCR. She met Aamir on the Lagaansets. He was still married to Reena Dutta at the time. But after the film’s release, they amicably ended their 15-year marriage.

That was in December 2002. Three years later, on December 28, Aamir married Kiran under the Special Marriage Act. “Reena and I had run away together and got married in the courtroom. I had a civil registered marriage with Kiran too, but after that, we went off to Panchgani for a four-day ‘personalised’ wedding. The New Year revelry stretched to a marriage and a honeymoon that involved around 200 family and close friends. And the honeymoon continues,” says Aamir, running a gentle finger down his wife’s cheeks, drawing a smile.

More recently, his nephew Imran Khan married steady date Avantika Malik in a similar wedding that continued to a Thai honeymoon with family and close friends. It must have brought back fond memories though Aamir and Kiran didn’t accompany the couple to Thailand?

“I don’t think there were any similarities,” says Aamir. “When I married Reena, I was only 21 and not really ready for marriage. And with Kiran, it was a second marriage and both of us were sensitive to that fact. Imran and Avantika have been together for eight years now. They are mature, strong individuals with minds of their own and were ready for a commitment. That’s how it should be.”

Kiran admits that she plans to catch up on sleep now, and hasn’t started work on any new projects.  “Aamir is the one who’ll start work on a new film soon.”

It’s a thriller, written by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. Kagti is directing it too. “It’s an exciting script and brings me back with my 3 Idiots heroine, Kareena (Kapoor) and Rani (Mukherji) with whom I’ve doneGhulam and Mangal Panday,” he says shortly, running a hand through his short crop.

It’s time to leave Dhobi Ghat behind but before we do that, I have to ask Kiran for one never-forgotten memory from the shoot. “Going back to Masjid Bandar to film after the attacks on Taj and Oberoi Hotels and VT station. It gave me the shivers because two days earlier, we had packed up around 6 pm. Many members from my team took the train home,” she narrates. “They caught trains between 7 and 7.30. Half an hour later, Ajmal Kasab entered the station and began spraying bullets everywhere. We could have lost some friends. I’ll never forget that.”

The season of patch-ups continues, as long-term foes Aishwarya Rai and Aamir Khan settled their differences at Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna’s anniversary party. The actors had a fall-out when Aishwarya backed out of Mangal Pandey at the last moment.

A source said, “Aishwarya had come much before Aamir arrived. Normally, Ash leaves most parties in not more than 10 minutes. However, at this one, when she learnt that Aamir and Kiran were on their way, Ash decided to wait. When Aamir and Kiran arrived, Aishwarya met Aamir and spoke to him warmly. They discussed quite a few things including Kiran’s film Dhobi Ghat. Both Ash and Aamir were together at the party for some time but Aamir had to leave early, so he left with Kiran.” The minute Aamir left the party, Aishwarya also made a move towards the exit door. It seems she came there only to have a chat with Aamir. The source further said, “Aamir has always been on very good terms with Amitabh Bachchan and would meet up with him whenever he could. However, there has been a problem between Ash and him for the longest time, which finally seems to have ended.”

-HT

Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu has finally put an end to rumours that she has parted ways with long time beau, actor John Abraham, saying they are very much together and “fine”. “Hi all! Speculation is a part of r business! I knw d warmth n love tht i get frm u al!Everything is fine wth John n me:) Thank u! (sic),” Bipasha posted on micro-blogging site Twitter. The actress, who has been with John for the past eight years, does not like rumours about her relationship. “I hope ppl realise tht evryones life n relationships cn b treated wth a lil dignity here n nt GOSSIP!Al of us r real human beings after al!? (sic),” she wrote.

For now, Bipasha is excited about her first international film, English-French director Roland Joffe’s Singularity, and posted the first look of the movie on Twitter as well. She plays Tulaja, a Maratha warrior in the film, which has been extensively shot in Australia. Bipasha stars opposite Josh Hartnett in the movie.

-HT

Seems like there is no end to Salman Khan’s foes! Just when you thought the list ends with his latest arch enemy Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood’s Greek god Hrithik Roshan is reportedly in no mood to befriend Salman. Earlier, it had appeared that Hrithik had forgiven Salman for his nasty comments about Guzaarish. Later, when Salman ridiculed Hrithik and called him a child, Hrithik appeared rather passive. Hrithik said in an interview, “Salman must have said it with affection. And I don’t think there is anything wrong in being a child.” However, under the veneer of calmness, Hrithik was reportedly fuming with rage. Recently, Hrithik took potshots at Salman on an episode of Koffee with Karan. Duggu shot back at Sallu and said, “Salman thinks that the world is conspiring against him, but that’s not true. We all love him.” He later clarified that he did not want to use Koffee With Karan as a medium to comment on Salman. Evidently, all’s not well between the two stars. Let’s see how Salman reacts to Hrithik’s jibe when he appears on Koffee With Karan.

-HT

Come Eid this year, and Salman Khan may just complete his hat trick at the box office with the Malayalam hit Bodyguard’s Hindi remake My Love Story. The actor is paired with Kareena Kapoor in the film, which will be directed by Siddique. His 2009 release, Wanted, directed by actor-director Prabhu Deva set the cash registers ringing. It was followed by Abhinav Kashyap’s directorial debut Dabangg in 2010, which became the biggest commercial hit of the year. Both the films released around Eid.

Given that My Love Story is also expected to release around the same time this year, does Khan feel the pressure to deliver a hit third time in a row? “No, I don’t feel the pressure. In fact, I don’t want anyone including the actors, producer or director to feel any pressure. If a film has everything that the public wants in an entertaining movie, it will work, regardless of the weekend it opens in,” he says.

Dabangg released during a relatively no-competition week. Is he planning the same for My Love Story? “That’s something that I didn’t decide. We set a date and stuck to it. Even this year, I’m not going to decide which other film or films will release with mine,” says Khan. “In any case, the number of films we produce in a year, and release in a week doesn’t vary with a common man’s income. It will increase at its own pace. So he will watch only those films that promise him paisa vasool entertainment. If my film promises that to him, it will work, whether it comes from one, none or many films at the box office that week.”

During both years when Khan rocked the box office, he was also on the small screen with 10 Ka Dum 2 in 2009 and Bigg Boss 4 in 2010. In fact, the latter was announced in the week that Dabangg released. “Again, something that I didn’t plan and would not be planning this year too,” asserts Khan. “If any show works out, whether it’s 10 Ka Dum 3, Bigg Boss 5 or any other show, since I am a very flexible host, and the on-air dates are such that I’m on TV and on the big screen at the same time, it will be a pure coincidence.”

-HT

But she admits the filmmaking process in the Hindi film industry is changing for good. “But I’ve noticed that the industry is changing and I want to be a part of that change. And it was the script of Dhobhi Ghat that changed my mind. Then of course I had seen a lot of films like Taare Zameen Par and Udaan which are fantastic and amazing. I guess Bollywood filmmaking in general is now going in a direction where there is space for alternative cinema,” she added, clearing her throat.

A professional singer with a band called Shaa’ir + Func (S+F), Monica didn’t budge despite repeated attempts by Aamir’s wife Kiran Rao’s audition calls for her directorial debut. Not many know that Kiran took a fancy for the 28-year-old the moment she saw her for the first time on the cover of Time Out Mumbai before tracing her on Facebook for an audition. “I was in London at that time and was unavailable to go for audition. Then when I heard that they had auditioned sort of everybody in Delhi and Mumbai and still haven’t found the right fit, and approached me the second time, I agreed. The second screen test I gave was with Aamir himself and the third day I was offered the role. Once I read the script, I just loved it and there was no way I could have said no,” said Monica, whose only stint in Bollywood so far has been the song Dooriyan bhi hain zaroori from Break Ke Baad.

The singer in her will now be on screen Friday as a character, Shai, an NRI investment banker and passionate photographer who comes to Mumbai on a sabbatical. Dhobi Ghat also stars Aamir, Prateik Babbar and debutante Kriti Malhotra. She was asked:  “How was it rubbing shoulders with Aamir?”

“Honestly, it was crazy and something like from outer space to be acting with him. I was a big fan of Aamir from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Rangeela days. It was fantastic in every different way. Aamir is so seasoned and it was an opportunity to learn from someone like him,” said an elated Monica, who is also fond of Rani Mukerji and would like to share screen space with Nandita Das and Abhay Deol.

Daughter of Kashmiri immigrants, Monica is a Maryland-raised musician, who grew up listening to Hindu devotional songs, ghazals and hits of Lata Mangeshkar. Living in Mumbai for five years now, she is trained in musical theatre, dance, drama and voice from NYU. Having toured 20 different countries with her band for four years, Monica made heads turn when she attended the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year with the movie and she described the experience as nothing less than “phenomenal, fairytale and crazy”. Asked if she has also lent her vocals for any song in Dhobi Ghat, she said: “I don’t sing in the film but they are including a track from my new album in the score of the movie.” A self-confessed “conversational Hindi” speaker, she is “seeking out lessons” in the language but finds it easier to describe her feelings “poetically” in English. As for other movies, she is “reading scripts” and “now open to doing more films in the future – the kind that fits into the area of independent and alternate cinema”.

-HT

There’s sex, drugs and infidelity. Priyanka Chopra gets intimate with her seven on-screen husbands, including John Abraham. No wonder then, that Vishal Bhardwaj’s upcoming flick, 7 Khoon Maaf has been given an ‘A’ certificate by the Censor Board. But no one is complaining, as it means the film releases on February 18, without any cuts. “Neither Priyanka nor John was awkward during the intimate scenes. They are both very professional,” says a source from the film unit, who did not wish to be named. “This is John Abraham’s boldest role, ever. He plays a hedonistic character. He is seen bedding multiple partners, and even wears noodle strap tops and satin bows in bed,” adds the source. “We knew right from the beginning that we are making an adult film. The audience is mature, and it is not about specific scenes in the film,” says Vikas Bahl of UTV, the movie’s producers. The film’s director, Bhardwaj, too, doesn’t mind the A certificate. “I am happy with the ‘A’ certificate. The film has already been chosen for the Panorama section of the Berlin International film Festival, and that’s a matter of pride.”

-HT