Ritu Kumar at India Couture Week

Ritu Kumar marked 40 years in fashion with an exclusive show at the first-ever couture week in India. The oldest design house put together a retrospective anniversary collection with a fusion of classical designs and modern twists. Models Neha Dhupia and Priyanka Chopra strutted down the runway in Kumar's spectacular collection

Ritu Kumar's Collection

Neha Dhupia in Royal Colors

Neha Dhupia in Royal Colors

Is Neha Dhupia graying already?

The sizzling hot Neha Dhupia has given a new definition to the term bold. While her act in Julie did slot her in the bold and beautiful category, of late, Neha’s style of wearing her bindaas attitude is quite attention grabbing. No, she is not doing a sexy item number for any film and neither is she doing another controversial film. And since her relationship with squash pro, Ritwik Bhattacharya is stale news, we do not mean to her dating escapades either.

The lady in question was recently spotted at a fashionable do with a small lock of gray hair on display. When someone pointed it out to her, with a surprising amount of nonchalance, she said, “I was born with this patch of gray hair. It’s nothing new. It’s just showing today.” Now, that’s being bold the Neha Dhupia way. In Bollywood, where every fine line counts, she seems unperturbed by the media focusing on her grays.

As for her ‘bold’ tag, Neha believes that vulgarity lies in the eyes of the beholder. Although she doesn’t regret the various tags been imposed on her, she says, “I think being bold is a plus. As for being vulgar, it is in the minds of the people who watch it. If you don’t have a clean mind you will find it vulgar.” Touché!

Was Neha Dhupia drunk before an expensive film shoot?

Bollywood rumour mongers are saying that Neha Dhupia failed to arrive for a shoot in Bangkok because she was drunk!

The shoot of Paritossh Painter’s debut flick Paying Guests was delayed because of Neha Dhupia with the official reason being ‘missed flight’. However, some sources say that it was due to excessive partying the night before.

According to a source from the unit, “Apart from having catfights with Celina in Bangkok, Neha was the hot topic of conversation because she failed to report for the shooting of the film. This irritated her co-stars who were kept waiting endlessly. Neha had taken a day off to fly to Dubai for a show. The unit was expecting her the following day and her scenes were planned along with the other cast members but she missed her flight after a night of partying.”

The source continues, “She didn’t turn up in Bangkok as committed, and she didn’t even inform the crew about the delay. They kept trying to reach her but they only managed to get through to her the next day and she said she couldn’t return on time because she had to stay back because she missed her flight.”

When Neha was challenged about this, she responded by saying, “I don’t drink. I don’t even know what alcohol tastes like. Unlike other actors, I don’t even do drugs. I did reach late because I missed my flight and there was some miscommunication between the airline and me.”

Paying Guests is a woman orientated sex flick that also features Celina Jaitley, Ashish Choudhary and Riya Sen. The film is expected for release early 2009.

Neha happy with her sexy image

At a time when every other actor is looking for an image makeover, there is Neha Dhupia happy being the way she is. The beauty who got tagged as a sexy and glamorous actress with her role in the controversial Julie, has no issues being tagged so. In fact, Neha is happy with the image she has and doesn’t mind using it to her benefit. She says, “I don’t think you need to change your image to prove yourself as an actor. Just do your job well and people will eventually realize your potential.”

After her offbeat film Mithya, Neha is ready to work with all genres. Speaking about her films in hand, she says, “I am working on a film titled Maharathi. Then there’s I Am 24, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and an untitled project with Emraan Hashmi.” Now hot property in Bollywood, ask Neha if her winning the Miss India title had anything to do with her success and she feels otherwise. According to her, “There is nothing easy or tough. You need to work around it. Miss India was just a platform. Success has to do with the opportunity you get.” Let’s hope she maintains this momentum.