Given a choice Rajeev Khandelwal was happy being attached to his girlfriend Manjiri Kamtikar because he knew marriage or not, he was in love with her for keeps and he didn't need any formal announcement to prove it. But the engagement to be held in May is being done to comply with the lady's parent's wishes... Says Rajeev, "Manjiri and her parents come from a world far removed from cinema and the entertainment industry. They don't understand the workings of Bollywood and their knowledge of what goes on here is based on what they read and see on television. You can't blame them for thinking actors are not to be trusted." Manjiri's parents were anxious that he make the association formal. Gallantly, Rajeev volunteered an engagement ceremony. Says Rajeev, "But I don't know how it got out. I haven't discussed it with anyone. Manjiri's parents or my parents in all their innocence must have shared the information with some people." Rajeev enjoys the distance that his girlfriend provides from the goings-on in the industry. "She works in an ad agency and is far removed from show world. She keeps me grounded. I'm looking forward to spending my life with her."

Her debut film Aladin may not have worked at the B.O. but that hasn't deterred Jacqueline Fernandez one bit. In fact, the gorgeous actress, who will be seen next in Milap Zaveri's directorial debut Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai (JKSAH), has caught the attention of many-a-top filmmakers one of them being Sajid Khan. The story goes that Sajid was so impressed with Jacqueline in JKSAH that he decided on casting her in a special appearance in his film Housefull. Says director Milap Zaveri, "Everyone knows that Jackie has done a special appearance in a song in Housefull but no one knows how she bagged that. It so happened that Sajid Nadiadwala and Sajid Khan were looking for an actress to do a guest appearance in the 'Apni Toh Jaise Taise' track when they saw JKSAH. They both loved the film and especially Jackie's performance and decided on casting her in that song." Sajid Khan also is happy that he cast Jacqueline for the cameo in the song. "Jackie fit the bill perfectly. I really liked her work in JKSAH and thought she looked really hot in some sequences. So we (producer Sajid Nadiadwala and I) immediately zeroed in on her for a small part in the 'Apni Toh Jaise Taise' track." Looks like JKSAH has already begun doing wonders for Jacqueline's career even before its release.

It seems like the whole of Bollywood has taken to Charity and Philanthropy, and not far behind in this race is Deepika Padukone. She has recently adopted a village in Maharashtra by the name of Ambegaon that needed a do-gooder desperately. Her adoption of the village was part of the Greenathon campaign and since Ambegaon village was facing major electricity crisis, Miss Padukone decided to do the needful. She decided to sponsor them. Picking this village over others wasn't a spur of the moment decision for her. She did a lot of reading and research before she gave the village a helping hand. Going the whole way, Deepika plans to visit the village in the near future again to see the progress. That's being a responsible citizen. What say?

In the last few years, many ad filmmakers such as Pradeep Sarkar, R.Balki, Rensil D'Silva, etc. have made an entry into Bollywood as directors. The latest person from the ad fraternity to join the film fraternity is none other than Vijay Lalwani, director of the recently released romantic thriller Karthik Calling Karthik (KCK). The Farhan- Deepika starrer has been garnering rave reviews and Vijay's directorial skills have fetched him a lot of praise. Now that the film is released since two weeks, we at Bollywood Hungama give you a chance to ask Vijay Lalwani all that you want about KCK, his future projects and much more through an exclusive Live Video Chat on Friday, March 12, at 1600 hrs IST. Don't miss!!!

When Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif met for a shoot on Monday, it was just like old times when they shot for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Raajneeti last year. The twosome was fiercely competitive when they shot for the two films. So it was when they shot again together on Monday. The competitive spirit has taken over Raajneeti in a big way. Both Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif see the film as a passport to the National Awards. With stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Manoj Bajpai, Nana Patekar and Ajay Devgn in the cast, the young stars of the show have decided to pull out all stops to ensure their performances are noticed at the right places. All efforts are now on by Ranbir and Katrina to ensure optimum audience participation in Raajneeti. A music video, only a part of which will be included in the film and the rest used for promotion, is to be shot. Says the director Prakash Jha, "We certainly don't want to pitch Raajneeti as a dry political drama .Ranbir and Katrina are big commercial stars. We want their fans to see our film as an entertainer. At an edited length of about 3 hours' playing-time, we want viewers to be glued to the edge of their seats. I wouldn't call it a multi- star cast film .I'd call it a multi-actor film." With the Ranbir-Katrina jodi being hotter-than-July, a certain amount of spicing up is certainly the order of the day. And the hit jodi is more than willing to shoot extra days to ensure the product gets them maximum attention. On Monday, Ranbir and Katrina did some additional shooting for Raajneeti at Mona Shourie's Future Studios long after their dates for Raajneeti had dried up. Ranbir Kapoor just back from Las Vegas rushed to the shooting. close-ups and continuity shots were shot with the two. A sizzling music video featuring Ranbir, Katrina and Arjun Rampal is also on the cards. So who says politicians can't dance? Says Prakash, "We did some patchwork shooting on Monday, close-ups, etc. Yes. It's for the betterment of the end-product. We all want Raajneeti to be a big success. Katrina and Ranbir have surrendered themselves completely to the project and will do whatever is required."

If there is something that can actually give an inferiority complex to the best adhesive in the world, then, it has to be the 'bond' between T-Series and Music. Testimonies to this fact stand in the form of some of the recent all-time musical hits, from the stable of T-Series and which has found its place in every heart. Continuing the tradition of 'an eye for superhit music', T-Series has gone ahead and acquired the music rights of five films of Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd. These are Khatta Meetha (directed by Priyadarshan, starring Akshay Kumar and Trisha Krishnan), Golmaal 3 (directed by Rohit Shetty, starring Ajay Devgn, Kunal Khemu, Shreyas Talpade and Kareena Kapoor), Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan (starring Akshay Kumar, Akshaye Khanna, Katrina Kaif), Neeraj Vora's Run Bhola Run (starring Govinda, Tusshar Kapoor) and an untitled film starring Saif Ali Khan and is being directed by Kunal Kohli. With this mega deal, T-Series once again proves that when it comes to supremacy in music, they are simply second to none!

India's largest entertainment convention the FICCI Frames is back with a bang! The biggest of the names from Bollywood, Hollywood and the Indian corporate sector will mull over the future of the film industry at Hotel Renaissance, Mumbai from 16-18th March 2010. Adding glitz to the annual event will be a power packed line of international speakers, renowned Hollywood producer Lawrence Bender, Hollywood scriptwriter Steven De Souza, The French Film Commissions' Franck Priot and Bollywood stalwarts like Karan Johar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Bose, Anurag Kashyap and others. FICCI Frames' Digital Media partner Hungama Digital Media Entertainment and Lawrence Bender will also hold a special screening of Bender's latest film, Countdown to Zero. Bender's films have, over the past 20 years, been nominated for 29 Academy Awards (including three for Best Picture) and have won five. His recent films include Inglorious Basterds and An Inconvenient Truth. Bender's latest Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs. With its newfound global recognition, the Indian films industry is a front runner in international business interest. Says renowned Bollywood screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey, who will also be speaking at Frames this year, "Like any other cultural export i.e. literature, heritage, even our films can be the ambassadors of our country. The power of Indian cinema is more than any other power in this country." Citing the example of Slumdog Millionaire, Pandey adds, "Though Slumdog Millionaire was not completely an Indian film, it exposed India to the whole world. We have all the capabilities including the right talent, stories and expertise which can take the industry to the top. All that we need is the right sensibility and a global perspective of film making." Instituted by FICCI and organized with the aim of positioning the Indian entertainment industry, the annually held FICCI Frames is amongst the premier in the business conventions in the country.

Readers may recollect that Bollywood Hungama had reported that 'X-Shades', the leading name in eyewear, after having roped in Sanjay Dutt, has now roped in the Sunil 'Macho Man' Shetty as well as the hottie Bruna Abdullah as their brand ambassadors. Speaking exclusively to Bollywood Hungama about this association, Sujit Jain, Director Shades Lifestyle Ltd. said, "We thought that along with design and quality, we needed to create an aspirational value for the brand. What could be better than joining hands with style icons like Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty." One wonders if any Bollywood director plans to cast the three actors together in a film.

Priyadarshan is one director who has the highest success rate in Bollywood currently. He has tried his hands in almost all genres of films and come out as a winner. It is this same man, who has now signed a three-film deal with Percept Picture Company (PPC). As a part of the deal, the prolific filmmaker will be now directing 3 films namely AIDS, Grrr (horror movie) and a sequel to the laugh riot Malamaal Weekly, story and screenplay of which are ready for the film, while the production schedule is to be finalized soon. As far as Grrr is concerned, insiders say that it's an out and out action packed thriller about a beastly ghost in the jungle. It pounces on its prey from the darkness... a blur of orange and black. No one has seen it and whoever did... has never came back to tell the tale. All in all, it simply means its jingle all the way for both, the viewers as well as Priyadarshan himself!

After Sanjay Gadhvi's proposed Parisian romance 7 Days & 7 Nights In Paris which apparently has now been relocated to Punjab, we now have the Rajeev Khandelwal starrer Joker being relocated from New Zealand to Ooty at the eleventh hour. The emotional father-son story directed by Kumar Gaurav's cousin Vikram Tuli, featuring Rajeev with the 5-year old Shrey Bawa was supposed to be shot from the end of January to the middle of February in New Zealand. But the film's main drama has now been shot in Ooty. Rajeev feels the shift of location makes no difference to the essential emotions of the film. He has never felt more challenged as an actor. Quips Rajeev, "That's because I've never had a more challenging co-star. Shrey Bawa who plays my son is just 5. But he's a veteran compared with me. He has done innumerable ads. And he played Priyanka Chopra and Bobby Deol's son in Dostana. He gives me the shivers. I just can't keep up with him." Apparently, the Bawa boy is so brilliant he makes Rajeev fumble with his lines. In the dramatic scenes, Rajeev often has to ask for retakes. Bawa gets its right the first time. Says Rajeev, "This is a very emotional father-son story. Many times I get too choked to say my dialogues. But Shrey never slips up. He's the best actor I've worked with." Where does that leave Prachi Desai who plays Rajeev's love interest in Joker? Rajeev is mighty excited by the new jodi. "Prachi and I go back a long way. We were both part of Ekta Kapoor's Balaji soaps. Now when I see us together in this film I wonder why no one thought of casting us together before." Rajeev has also signed a film to be produced by Nariman Irani's production house who had done the original Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Don. Entitled Taiynaat the Khandelwal starrer will be directed by debutant Ehsan Hyder. This would be the fourth film of Rajeev's career and all four with debutant directors. "And there's a fifth debutant director Vibhu Puri coming up in Chenab Gandhi," Rajeev says happily.

Remember the horror flick that made you jump off your seat. The one where every time something invisible used to shock Bipasha Basu, you would feel eerie too. Yes! We are talking about Raaz. The one that was directed by none other than Vikram Bhatt. After his film1920, he is now yet again ready to release the spooks with Shaapit. This time again like 1920, the film will have newcomers, namely, Udit Narayan's son Aditya Narayan and Shweta Agarwal. Has Vikarm taken a penchant for spine chillers, here is your chance to put your curiosity to rest as we bring this director with a will to stand apart right here at Bollywood Hungama's Celebrity Video chat. So get your questions ready and login on Wednesday, March 10, at 1500 hrs IST.

After winning multiple Filmfare awards for her directorial debut, it was a grand homecoming of sorts of Nandita Das in Kolkata which is not really her hometown. Nandita is an Oriya by parentage. But because of the number of films she has done in Bengali she's often mistaken for a Bengali. So it was when she landed in Kolkata last Sunday. Armed ecstatically as she was with her 4 Filmfare awards for Firaaq, the city greeted her with open-armed ovation. "The last film I shot in Kolkata was Paddakhep (Footsteps) with Soumitra Chatterjee," she says from the sets of Onir's Afia. "We're now shooting all over the city." Nandita is naturally overjoyed with the Filmfare awards for Firaaq. "To be honest I was surprised to find Firaaq's nomination in so many categories. It shows that even the popular space is acknowledging a film like Firaaq that tends to be slotted as a niche film. But getting 4 awards for costume, sound, editing and finally the Critic's Choice Award for the best film of the year! It sure was a surprise." This was the first time Filmfare award function that Nandita attended. And she's impressed. "I had gone expecting nothing, had come to see the much talked- about spectacle, which is sure was." Nandita feels Firaaq which was clumsily released would now get a new lease of life. "These awards are a big help to a film that was so badly released and so many people just didn't get to see it. They create a curiosity in people's mind. I met so many people from the fraternity who said the first DVD they were going to get is that of Firaaq!" The impact of Firaaq has stunned Nandita. "What matters to me is that people see the film as a story I keenly wanted to tell and wanted it to reach the audiences. Thankfully a film's shelf life is much longer than a release. All those who have seen it, friends and strangers have championed the film and I am so grateful for that. I am really thankful to Filmfare and the critics who are known to be difficult to please, for helping spread Firaaq." Nandita is now looking at directing another film. "Having won about 10 awards each internationally and in India, and getting an overwhelming reaction from those who have seen it, it is time I start my next project. I have begun thinking of a story, although the journey of bringing it to life is long." In the meanwhile, there's Onir's Afia where she plays a wife desperate to be a mother. Nandita has done her own research on sperm banks before plunging into the part. "I did a bit of homework on the net and had a long chat with Onir who has done extensive research on the net...But it's more about the space to make your own choice. And that's a universal desire!"

Some have called him Dream Merchant and others called him a Showman. Whatever it might be one thing is certain that Subhash Ghai is what you call as an alchemist, just as he touches something, it turns into gold. Over the years every aspiring actor has waited with bated breath to work under his famed banner Mukta Arts, the same banner that gave the audience unforgettable films such as Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Pardes, Taal and Aitraaz to name a few. Subhash Ghai is now all set to present his next production Right Yaa Wrong, directed by Neeraj Pathak and starring Sunny Deol, Irrfan Khan and Eesha Koppikhar. After being in this industry for so many years as a director, producer, screenplay writer and story writer, it's hard to think of Bollywood without him. He has literally seen this industry grow and having him on Bollywood Hungama's live chat is such an honour. Subhash Ghai will be live on Bollywood Hungama's Celebrity Chat, today, March 9, 1600 hrs IST.

It's a common adage that every doctor's son goes onto become a doctor, an engineer's son goes onto become an engineer, an architect's son goes onto become an architect'... so on and so forth. Ever wondered as to what will a son of a Superstar go onto become? Well, the answer is... a Superstar! Which is exactly the case with Abhishek Bachchan. For 'starters' (if any), Amitabh Bachchan is not just the name that's synonymous with being the Superstar of the Millennium' and likes, he is also the name that's synonymous with the launch of a million FMCG brands (and still counting!). Well, following his very footsteps is his son Abhishek, who is now all set to become the 'Brand Ambassador of Videocon DTH'. Abhishek, to his credit, has the brand ambassadorship of a zillion brands including the likes of IDEA, Lux, Motorola, American Express ...to name a few. According to Bollywood Hungama's confirmed sources, "When the head honchos of Videocon were looking at the possible names for the post of the Brand Ambassador, Abhishek's was one name that emerged as the obvious and unanimous choice, courtesy, his clean image as well as the BO performances of his films. And that he will be instantly recognized in the western, eastern and northern markets. The source also added that the tagline of the campaign is supposed to be 'Videocon D2H: Direct Hai, Correct Hai' and that the company is planning to spend a whopping Rs. 100 crore for the ad campaign for a period of one year! Rumors also have it that Abhishek was paid a whopping amount for the said deal. What's interesting in the DTH space is that, while Abhishek Bachchan gets chosen as the Brand Ambassador of Videocon DTH, its is Shah Rukh Khan is endorsing Zee's DTH brand 'Dish TV', while it is the never-say-old Papa Bachchan, who was endorsing Reliance Communications' DTH venture Big TV! All in all, the eyeball wars are now more 'Direct'. What say, Abhishek?

He is 'Mr. Hot' while she is 'Miss Cool'. He says 'Waah! Life Ho Tho Aisi'... while she exclaims 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. And together they form 'Badmaash Company'! We are indeed talking about Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, who will now be seen complementing each other in YRF's next. Well, if you thought that, this was the news that we are telling you, then, our answer is no. According to our confirmed sources, news is that Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma have now been chosen as the Brand Ambassadors of the skin care major Vaseline. This is one pair which the industry folks are waiting with bated breath to see. One may have to wait for a while to see this golden pair's magic on the silver screen, but for now you can definitely get a glimpse of them in the TVCs of Vaseline, that's supposed to go on air soon!