Abhishek getting his one pack for Raavan!

Mani Ratnam's Guru was a career defining film for Abhishek Bachchan. Though his first hit was Dhoom, it was Guru which brought him universal accolades as an accomplished actor and was also his first solo hit. It was for his character in Guru that Abhishek had to put on a lot of weight and then he had to keep some of it for Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar Raj, where he had to look slightly heavier set. But that was the past and now Abhishek is looking trim and fit. People seeing Abhishek on the sets of Mani Ratnam's Raavan were pleasantly surprised to him back in shipshape.

Abhishek says jokingly that while everyone was working on a six–pack ab, he was working on one pack! On a serious note, he adds that he has worked hard to get back in shape as it was really very difficult to shed 14 kgs., which he had acquired during the shooting of Guru and had to stick to till Sarkar Raj. And is very happy to be back to his original weight from Bunty Aur Babli days.

Well, that is certainly good news for the fans of Abhishek Bachchan, and for that they have to thank John Abraham and his trainer who were instrumental in inspiring Abhishek to follow the fitness program devised to get the Dostana hot bod for John. Here's a cheer to their friendship!

Abhishek and Aishwarya’s next big flick runs into money troubles

Mani Ratnam’s current in-production Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Ravana is in trouble, as the money is cut-back.

“Mani was expecting to shoot the film on a lavish scale as Reliance Big Pictures were pumping in the money. But now that the world is under a financial crises, Reliance have told Mani that the cash will be considerably less than as previously said,” says a source.

The actual figures are not known, but insiders say that Mani will now only be getting Rs 60 crore, half of what he would have got initially.

Apart from Abhishek and Aishwarya, the film features Govinda, Vikram, Prabhu, Pritviraj, Karthi and Priyamani.

Hrithik, Salman, Abhishek in a thriller?

If reports are to be believed then we might get to see Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Ajay Devgan and Bobby Deol together in a film.

The actors have been approached by Heroes film director Sameer Karnik and Vikas Kapoor for an adventure flick.

The director duo has reportedly decided to invest Rs 90 crore for the big project and are close to finalising the deals with all actors concerned. The film is also likely to have current hot favourite Priyanka Chopra as the female lead.

The director duo has confirmed the reports but said they were yet to sign any of the stars. If this deal comes through then it is going to be an amazing effort. Let's wish the director duo all the best!

Abhi-Ash to move out of Jalsa?

Abhishek and Aishwarya have properties all over the country and in Dubai too. The latest acquisition for the couple is a flat in Juhu’s Pinnacle Dreams which has 7 flats of approximately 2000 sq ft. each.

Since the last couple of days, rumours were rife about the junior Bachchan couple moving out of Jalsa and shifting base to the newly acquired place so as to be close to their parents home and yet have space of their own.

While Mr. and Mrs. Abhishek Bachchan were out of town shooting in the jungles of Kochi for their forthcoming film Ravana , Indiatimes Movies got in touch with Big B to know the real story. “Abhi has no plans of moving out,” said Papa Bachchan. With this, Big B has put all speculations to rest and declared that the Bachchan’s are one big happy family.

Pinnacle Dreams is Producer Vashu Bhagnani’s property and is located just opposite Jalsa. It also has a flat in the name of Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty. We asked Shilpa about when she plans to move into her new pad and she said she is not done with doing up the flat as yet.

I'm so lucky to have a son like Abhishek

The Big B is back to work on the 15 November finally. He resumes work after a much- needed break in Udaipur.

Confirming his return to the arclights the Big B says, "I'm starting on 15th with Leena Yadav's Teen Patti. There isn't much pending work there."

He was in Udaipur taking a break with his personal physician accompanying him.

"I needed to get away from home. I needed time to myself, to read and write. And to watch the films that I've been meaning to for a long time.It was so peaceful out here. I should do this more often. But where is the time to take time off?"

They don't call him the Big B for nothing. Generous and considerate towards his fans and well-wishers to the point of self-destruction the Big B is more than willing to meet the disappointed hordes who were turned away on his birthday after his sudden illness.

"My fans are never a burden. They are welcome any time. I publicly meet them every Sunday and specific ones get to meet me on my films' sets. No issues there."

The Big B regrets the fact that his illness took away his fans' excitement on his birthday. "However health issues do not wait for an opportune moment. They happen. It is nature. It is biological. We do not have control over them. Yes, this one happened on my birthday. So what?"

He is supremely pleased to be home. "But I do regret not being able to meet the well-wishers that assemble to greet me. I am sure they have understood the gravity of the situation. There will be other moments to make up for the loss."

Family friends like Karan Johar and Sanjay Dutt who are abroad, kept calling to express their concern throughout the Big B's week-long hospitalization. And he was overwhelmed and embarrassed by the extra attention.

Commenting regretfully on the postponement of Abhishek and Aishwarya's schedule of Mani Ratnam's film the Big B says, "They were to leave the next day but stayed back and rescheduled their programme because of my condition.

I generally do not like the idea of attention and of disturbing others with my condition, but I shall respect their decision even if they disagree with me. Particularly so now."

The general opinion about Abhishek is that he's as good a son to his father as the Big B was to his.

The Big B says with peternal pride. "I am grateful that others think so compassionately about Abhishek. My father is not alive to give an assessment of what he thought of me as a son. But I am. And I am happy and full of pride to have Abhishek as my devoted son."

Back to work, a small portion of Shootjit Sircar's Shoebite remains to be shot. "That's the working title. We needed to wait for a particular climate to shoot the remaining work.

That is now ready and we shall be finishing the entire shoot soon. I'm also in the process of sorting out the dates for the film to be produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.. Good to have so much variety thrown in my direction."

In the meanwhile AB Corp Ltd is ready to resume operations.

The Big B isn't too pleased by the suggestion that his production company had slowed down. "I laugh at the constant refrain of 'AB. Corp resuming production'. Resuming ? We have been in production all along. Yes, they may not have attracted attention.But we are there. I shall keep you abreast as time approaches on our projects."

Priyanka feels ignored by Jo-Abhi

In a conversation with Priyanka, we discovered that the sexy siren of Bollywood is feeling ignored by the star cast of her forthcoming film- Dostana. It seems like John and Abhishek just cannot get enough of each other- not only on-screen but also, off-screen. The blame could be put on none other than Karan Johar who drilled in the characters into their brains to an extent that they actually shared the on-screen chemistry, off-screen too!



Talking of the gay culture in the film, Piggy Chops feels lucky as such an issue is previously seen in her recent film- Fashion, where Madhur Bhandarkar’s focused on the serious side of gays. But, she says that Dostana would be the first full- fledged commercial movie on gay culture.

However, the audience too is excited to watch the film, also because Priyanka’s hot avatar has done the trick!

I love Abhishek to death: John Abraham

The ‘reel’ life hot couple John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan get along so well together that one really wonders why most of the Bollywood beauties can’t even tolerate the sight of each other. John-Abhi’s ‘Dostana’ is certainly a lesson for the beauties like Bipasha and Deepika who apparently cant’t even stand each other.

Well, the lover boy’s recently shot for yet another number in ‘Dostana’, ‘Maa Da Ladla’ but only this time they had to shoot for it separately. And, John definitely missed him, “Abhishek is not a co-star or colleague. He's a friend. I dote on him. I love him to death. We never compete. We complement each other in ‘Dostana’. We share a great chemistry. Abhishek and I are a couple in the film”, a news daily quoted John as saying.

Talk about the reel life fantasies turning into real life fantasy!

Here’s what Director Tarun Masukhani had to say about the whole idea of shooting the two inseparable lovers separately, “I deliberately didn't shoot the song with John and Abhishek together. I wanted at least this one song 'Maa Da Ladla' to look different from the rest of the film where they're constantly together, fooling around, chumming it up. They shot individually, so the masti of the rest of the movie was missing on the sets, Unlike for ‘Desi Girl’ where all of us shot together. It was so much fun”, a news daily quoted the director as saying.

Well, it’s all good if the two hotties aren’t considering proposing each other, that would definitely be a shocker!

Abhishek loses 15 kgs for Ravan

Abhishek Bachchan is working hard on his look for Mani Ratnam’s Ravan. The actor has trimmed his hair short and has lost almost 15 kgs by spending most of his free time in the gym.

Our source said, “Mani Ratnam wants Abhishek to have a chiselled body for the role of Ravan. This is why Abhishek is working hard on his body. Mani also suggested that Abhishek sport a crew cut so that he looks convincing as Ravan. Hakim Alim has worked on Abhishek’s new hairstyle.”

The actor is currently shooting in Kerala for Mani’s film.

“Most of the actors including Abhishek Bachchan and Ravi Kishan have got this haircut. They all look so different now,” said the source.

Mani has even asked his actors to develop their upper body because of which the actors have been asked to lose weight. Abhishek is also on a strict diet. “Abhishek and Ravi work out between shots. They are shooting in the jungles of Kerala,” said the source.

Meanwhile, there is going to be a small celebration for Aishwarya Rai on her 35th birthday today. According to sources close to Aishwarya who plays Sita in Mani’s film, she will be shooting all day long and is likely to have a small party for the unit of Ravan after the day’s shoot wraps up. Mani Ratnam who believes the best time for shooting is either before sunrise or after sunset will shoot only till evening after which the couple will be allowed to celebrate.

“Although they have been shooting without a break, the entire unit will try to squeeze out time to celebrate Ash’s birthday in the evening. Mani Ratnam wanted to begin shooting sometime ago but he decided to postpone the schedule as Amitabh Bachchan was hospitalised. Mani now has been shooting continuously so that he can complete the entire schedule on time,” added our source

“Ash usually makes it a point to be at home on her birthdays so that she can personally attend to all the calls and the bouquets that she receives. However, this time she will be celebrating her birthday on the set of Mani’s film. But, she is happy that Abhishek is with her on her special day,” the source said.

When contacted, Hari Singh, Aishwarya’s business manager confirmed the birthday celebrations and said, “It is Ash's birthday so they will definitely be celebrating it. The unit has something in store for her. But I have no idea about what the exact plans are.”

When asked about Abhishek’s look in Ravan, Hari Singh said, “It will be unethical on my part to reveal anything about the film right now.”

Abhi-Ash visit Kedarnath shrine

Abhishek Bachchan along with his actress wife Aishwarya Rai [Images] and mother Jaya Bachchan visited the Kedarnath shrine and offered prayers to Lord Shiva [Images] in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on Friday.

Samajwadi Party leader and their family friend Amar Singh [Images] and parents of Aishwarya Rai also accompanied them to Kedarnath shrine, Rudraprayag SP Neeru Garg said.

The Bachchan family, who reached here by three choppers at around 1030 am, spent more than an hour performing puja at the temple, situated at a height of 3581 meter in Garhwal Himalayas. They also had parikrama around the famous Hindu shrine of Lord Shiva, under the guidance of the temple priests, Garg said.

After having lunch at the guest house here, they left the place at around 0045 pm. Kedarnath shrine is situated on the bank of river Mandakini [Images], a tributary of Ganga and attracts lakhs of pilgrims every year. The Bachchan family, however, refused to talk to the mediapersons gathered at the shrine area.

Hrithik, Saif, SRK and Abhi-Ash to come together

It's got to be the biggest rock concert ever. On the initiative of three like-minded people --Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal and Ritesh Sidhwani --12 rock bands are getting together on 31 October for the Rock On For Humanity concert at the MMRDA Ground at Bandra-Kurla to raise funds for a pediatric medical camp in Bihar.

Farhan who spearheaded this charitable concern asks, "Why a rock concert? Why not the usual film-related naach-gana that is far easier to organize as a fund-raiser.

We at Rock On For Humanity felt the idea of raising money for medical assistance must connect with the young urban youth. Though this concert has nothing to do with my film Rock On somehow the idea of a rock concert does have a bearing on the way the young responded to the film."

At the core of this sprawling charity concert will be 12 rock bands from all over the country.

"And that would include Parikrama with whom Saif Ali Khan plays guitar.And yes Saif will be playing the guitar with Parikrama that evening.

I'll be performing with Shankar-Ehsaan Loy. In addition Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be coming on stage to address the crowds.

We hope to raise a sizeable amount of money that evening because it's a one-off endeavour. We hope to raise enough money to a pediatric camp in Bihar."

Jaya Bachchan: My bahurani is the best!

It's not a hidden fact that the Bachchans dote on their favourite bahurani. Come on, aren't they always openly showing off their affection for Ash who they lovingly called Pari in public?

This time matriarch of the family Jaya Bachchan has decided to defend their darling bahu in public in a heart to heart conversation with People magazine.

She has spoken in length about her connection with reigning superstar Shah Rukh Khan and her disappointment over his alleged remarks about daughter-in-law Aishwarya during the infamous SRK-Salman spat.

She's even gone to the extent of saying that she would slap SRK if he says anything derogatory about daughter-in-law dearest!

And if he would have done it in front of her, she would have done it there and then!

Big B hospitalised

Amitabh Bachchan walks through a crowd as he leaves a hospital in Mumbai on October 11, 2008. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 66, was taken to the hospital after reportedly suffering abdominal pain. Bachchan underwent bowel surgery and was in hospital for nearly three weeks in November 2005. One of those weeks was spent in intensive care. He also suffered a severe stomach injury on the same day in 1982 while shooting his film Coolie. With a career spanning four decades in the movie industry, doctors warned Bachchan to slow down when he returned to work.

Wife’s like that: Aishwarya

That’s what wives are for, we suppose. Abhishek Bachchan’s super-hyped superhero flick Drona has proved to be a super dud. But despite the harsh critical and audience feedback, wife Aishwarya is all praise. The younger Mrs Bachchan arrived in a pale yellow outfit at a Longines store launch in Delhi. And all the actress could do was laud hubby and his film. While we appreciated her standing by Abhi through thick and thin, we also thought she may have gone on a wee bit too much.
“I think he’s a wonderful actor. I’ve always admired his approach to his work. You have to admire all the actors (in Drona), I did. Abhishek played Drona realistically. I viewed the film through a child’s eyes. It has to be perceived as a fantasy adventure,” and so on and so forth. Aishwarya even went on to heave praise on Priyanka Chopra and Kay Kay Menon, her husband’s co-stars. And it was then that we realised she was only being her politically correct self.
What followed were more accolades for the directors of her forthcoming films, Robot and Ravana. Ash continued to say the nicest things about Shankar and Mani Ratnam. Next, was the Unforgettable Tour she’s just returned from. Although, actors like Preity Zinta and Riteish Deshmukh reportedly had some trouble during the trip, Aishwarya seemed to have enjoyed every bit of it. When it came to turning her attention back to the event she was at, Ash was quick. “I believe in the brand, in its outlook. I believe in their motto, ‘Elegance is an attitude’. It stands true to my own approach,” she said.

Aishwarya and Abhishek head to God's own country

Bollywood couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan will soon head to Kerala to shoot Mani Ratnam’s next film.

The duo is pairing again for Ratnam’s movie which is tentatively titled ‘Ravan’ and also features south superstar Vikram opposite Ash and Abhi in a love triangle. Though grapevine has had it that the movie is based on the ancient epic ‘Ramayana’, the film’s lead actors have denied it.

Ash and Abhi will soon join the film’s shooting unit in a forest near the Athirapally waterfalls in Kerala, reports say.

Mani Ratnam has always captured the natural beauty of the state in his films, be it ‘Roza’ or Dil Se or Guru . In fact, the songs “Jiya Jale” (in Dil Se) and “Barso Re” (in Guru) were picturized at the Athirapally waterfalls.

After the poor run of Drona at the box-office, Abhishek has a special reason to look forward to this film with Ratnam who has been instrumental in shaping Abhi’s acting career by extracting from him unanimously acclaimed performances in Yuva and ‘Guru’.

Love actually: Aishwarya speaks on life with Abhishek

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai can't stop gushing about her husband Abhishek Bachchan and says they share a special bond and she identifies a lot with him.

"I admire him for his approach to work. He understands cinema so well that he is not afraid of taking risks. He stands by his family, friends all the time and because of this I identify a lot with him," Aishwarya told IANS in New Delhi on Saturday.

"I know him for a very long time now. Together we have grown from actors to colleagues to friends and now we share a very special bond. It is definitely a nice feeling," she added.

Aishwarya, the brand ambassador of Swiss watch brand Longines, was in the national capital to open its exclusive boutique in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon.

Dressed in a one-shoulder lemon dress, the actress was in a chirpy mood.

She will soon be seen in Shankar's Robot.

"Shankar had approached me previously to work with him, but it never materialised. Finally, everything landed in place and here we are together after ten years," Aishwarya said.

"It was great working with Rajinikanth, who is a brilliant actor. The only tough thing about the movie was studying Tamil again in order to pronounce the words properly," she added.

Other than this, the actress will soon start shooting for Mani Ratnam's Ravana with husband Abhishek.

"I don't want to reveal much about it but in another 10 days, we will start shooting for the movie. I am looking forward to working again with Mani," she added.

After being a part of the 'Unforgettable' World Tour, the actress feels that the tour gave her an opportunity to mingle with all her family members.

"I have done so many world tours, but this one was special because it was my first tour after marriage. We were there for work but when the family is together, work becomes fun," she said.

Beginning with Mumbai, the "Unforgettable" tour will soon be staged in India, though the dates and venues have not been finalised yet.

Shahrukh's wife Gauri hugs Abhishek

By starring together in Kal Kisne Dekha, SRK and Big B have already put all those rumors about their differences to rest and now by attending the premiere of Abhishek Bachchan’s Drona, King Khan has put a full stop to all the rumors about his severe ties with the Bachchans family and has shunned the news of their differences. Shahrukh accompanied by his wife Gauri and the duo wished Abhishek all the success for his new flick. Gauri hugged Abhi and wished him all the very best. Shahrukh said: 'I am excited to see Abhishek in the film. I think he has really put in great efforts for the film and I wish him all success.'

Speaking to reporters, SRK said, 'All the disputes between me and Mr. Bachchan are media created and there is no ill feeling between us. At this point in my career, I should always talk about how good it is to be an actor so that people get positive impression about the actors and Bollywood in particular. We should stay away from the gossips because it does no good to anybody.’

Apart from the entire Bachchan family, the premiere was attended by many bigwigs of the industry.

Abhishek will play Ravan in Mani Ratnam film

Contrary to rumours that Abhishek Bachchan will play Lord Rama in Mani Ratnam's Ravana, the filmmaker has finalized south star Vikram to play Ram in the film.

Instead, Abhishek will play the role of Ravana. Although Abhishek had played a grey character in Mani Ratnam's Yuva, Ravana is his first film where he will be playing an out-and-out villain.

Ajay Gehi (of Maqbool fame) and Ravi Kishan will play the roles of Ravan’s brothers, Vibheeshan and Kumbhakaran, respectively. However, Mani is yet to finalise an actor who will play Lakshman.

Ravana will be shot in South India and some parts of Srilanka and will go on the floor in the first week of October. The film will be made in three languages - Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

Abhi likes Ash's supremacy

Both Ash and Abhi are in the glamour world. Aishwarya, a former miss world has already created a niche in B-Town and has the potential to make things big but Abhi is still to firm his position and establish himself a successful solo actor. In spite of professional differences, Ash and Abhi are leading a blissful married life and did not any allow any black shadow to outshine in their relationship and at the same time, Abhi is also not bothered being overshadow by his wife Aishwarya and instead enjoys her every success.

At this year Cannes Film Festival, Ash shined throughout while Abhi received low reception. When he was asked as how he felt to be overshadowed by his wife, Abhishek proudly replied, "Although the intention behind such questions is obviously not honorable, I don’t get rattled at all. It’s a pleasure to be overshadowed by the most beautiful woman in the world. I had a ball doing the `Unforgettable` concerts with Aishwarya."

Abhi is happy that Ash is flying all the way from Brazil to join him at the premiere of Drona. "It sounds very romantic to say my wife is flying down especially to be at my film's premiere. But sadly, it is not true. Her schedule for Shankar’s Robot was supposed to wrap up a week before the premiere, and it did. So she was going to be in Mumbai for the Drona premiere anyway", he quipped.

It seems AshAbhi will go miles ahead than Jaya-Amitabh.

Abhishek Bachchan wants Drona and Krrish to meet

If Abhishek Bachchan had his way, he would want a film to be made in which Drona and Krrish meet.

Finally, the D-day has arrived for Drona , the much-touted special effects treat with a smattering of mythology and martial arts – thanks to Priyanka Chopra displaying her skills at Gatka, a special fighting form from Punjab. The film, directed by Goldie Behl boasts of as many as 1500 special effects, some of which include Abhishek’s gravity defying stunts or sand-storms assuming the shape of a face a la ‘The Mummy’.

Abhishek says he was captivated by the movie’s subject the first time Goldie narrated it to him. Apart from acting in the movie, Abhishek kept chipping in his suggestions throughout the making of ‘Drona’. For instance, Goldie had initially wanted Priyanka to play Abhi’s love interest only. But Abhi thought she should also play Drona’s bodyguard in the film because the character of her father was a bodyguard of Drona’s father. It was a simple case of duties passing down the generations. Goldie liked the idea and changed Priyanka’s role accordingly.

Both Abhi and Priyanka had to undergo rigorous physical training for their respective roles. In the film, Abhishek plays a man born to a clan of legendary warriors who were entrusted the duty to protect a very important secret. Kay Kay Menon plays an evil magician who wants to possess that secret. Priyanka plays a warrior who helps Drona realize his identity and helps him in his mission.

Though Abhishek denies that he plays a superhero in the film, he does admit that his character does many supernormal things. And apart from wishing to work in the ‘Drona’ sequel (which has been planned even before the film’s release) Abhishek also wants Drona to meet Krrish in some film. The character was a superhero played by Hrithik Roshan in his dad’s movie Krrish .

“It would be great to have the two of them together in a film. I’m sure the fans would love it,” Abhishek says.

Well, we’ll take a call after watching ‘Drona’.

Past perfect, Peace at last

The Bachchans seem to be in a mood to forgive and forget. Buzz is that the Kapoor sisters - Karisma and Kareena have been invited to the premiere of Abhishek Bachchan's Drona, which will be held today.

Does this mean that the discord between the Kapoors and Bachchans ever since Abhishek's engagement with Karisma ended on a bitter note finally has an amicable conclusion?

Apparently, it was Drona's director and Abhishek's childhood friend, Goldie Behl who played peacemaker.
When contacted, Goldie said, “Karisma and Kareena are my cousins.

My mother Madhu Behl (fondly known as Bubbles) was a Kapoor before marriage. She is the daughter of veteran actor Kamal Kapoor.”

Incidentally, this is the first Bachchan premiere for which the Kapoor sisters have been invited since the marital alliance between the two families ended.

The Kapoors too are willing to respond warmly to this peacemaking gesture. Kareena openly said that she would like to work with Abhishek again after their debut film, Refugee and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. But, Abhishek has always maintained a stoic silence.

He had refused to comment even when it was rumoured that Kareena was gently eased out of Abhishek's upcoming film, Dostana and replaced by Priyanka Chopra.

However, Abhishek too is ready to make peace. Expressing his approval of the Kapoor sisters' presence at the Drona premiere, Abhishek said, “I would love to work with Bebo (Kareena) again.

She was my first heroine and that makes her very special.” And if you thought an invitation to the Drona premiere is the only peacemaking effort between the Bachchans and Kapoors, there's more to it.

Karisma has been signed as a judge on the music reality show, Nach Baliye, which is produced by Wizcraft, who are extremely close to the Bachchans.

Wizcraft had organised the Bachchans recently concluded Unforgettable Tour. And it is highly unlikely that Karisma was considered by Wizcraft without the Bachchans' tacit approval.