Katrina severes ties with Salman

There can't be smoke without fire. So, you have a reason to listen to rumours too. And here is the latest gossip in Bollywood. Lovebirds Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan managed to keep their relationship intact in spite of the rumours that they were splitting. However, the true colour is slowly but surely coming out.

The news is spreading like wild fire that Katrina is disappointed with boyfriend Salman. She is said to have severed ties with him following his spat with Shahrukh Khan on her birthday. She is blaming Salman for the controversy, as she thinks he should have behaved well as the host of the party. What hurt the actress even more was that he didn't listen to her request to offer an apology
It is said that the spark between the lovers is missing. Sources said that they rarely talk to each other on the sets of their film Yuvraaj by Subhash Ghai. The other wise jolly couple retreated to their respective make up vans after the shooting of every scene.

Something must have gone wrong with the couple if the rumours are to be believed. Or who knows if this is just a publicity stunt for their film Yuvraaj!

Rajini's Kuselan release in Karnataka still doubtful

Activists here Wednesday vowed to block the release of the forthcoming Rajnikanth-starrer 'Kuselan' in Karnataka, saying the Tamil superstar should apologise for his 'anti-Kannadiga' statements.

The threat comes days after the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) had given its nod for the film's release in the state.


On Monday, Rajnikanth had written a letter to KFCC president and actress Jayamala to ensure that his film got a release in Karnataka Aug 1, along with its launch in Tamil Nadu. He had clarified that he had never intended to hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas.


Terming the superstar's letter just a publicity stunt, former legislators Vatal Nagaraj and Prabhakara Reddy at a press conference here asked Rajnikanth to come out with a public apology.


'We will not allow the release of the film in Karnataka, come what may,' said Nagaraj, who addressed reporters along with many leaders of pro-Kannada organisations including a faction of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.


Some Kannada organisations had been demanding that 'Kuselan' be released in the state only after a seven-week moratorium as Rajnikanth had allegedly hurt the sentiments of Kannadigas by supporting Tamil Nadu on a row over a drinking water project in Hogenekkal, on the border between the two states.


The superstar had joined the Tamil film fraternity in a daylong protest fast in April against Karnataka's objections to the Rs.13.3 billion Hogenekkal project that is expected to benefit about three million people in two Tamil Nadu districts.


Karnataka is opposed to the project, saying its share of the Cauvery river waters will be affected.


The actor, in his letter to Jayamala, had stressed that he had never intended to hurt the feelings of Kannadigas by speaking at the rally. He also added that he did not want his fans in Krantaka to miss out on his film.

Said Nagaraj: 'This is not an apology letter. It is just an eye wash, an attempt by Rajnikanth to ensure his film gets released without any problems. The fact is that Rajnikanth, who was born and brought up in Karnataka, has acted against the interests of the state by stating that Tamil Nadu has the right to take up the Hogenakal project.'


Added Narayana Gowda, president of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike: 'We wanted an apology from Rajnikanth. He should call a media conference and announce that he regrets what he spoke at the rally in Chennai.'


However, the KFCC is confident that 'Kuselan' will be released as scheduled.


'The threat of protests was there even during the release of Rajnikanth's previous film 'Sivaji' and even Kamal Haasan's 'Dasavathaaram'. But both films were released without any problems. We are sure that 'Kuselan' would also be released on Aug 1,' said a KFCC official.

Indians start drinking alcohol at 13

There are over 62 million alcohol drinkers in India and the age of initiation is just 13.5 years, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said Tuesday.

'The age of initiation to alcohol has come down from 19 years in 1986 to 13.5 years in 2006,' Ramadoss said.

'In India alone, there are 62.5 million alcohol users and their numbers are increasing rapidly. It is documented that more than 50 percent of all drinkers in India come under the criterion for hazardous drinking,' he added, while speaking at the India-Brazil-South Africa health ministers' conference here.

Reminding the delegates about the 58th World Health Assembly's warning on the harmful effects of drinking, the minister said: 'Drinking is among the foremost underlying causes of diseases, domestic violence against women and children, disability, social problems and pre-mature deaths'.

To denounce drinking and create awareness about its ill effects, the minister proposed to observe World No Alcohol Day' on Oct 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

'In making this suggestion, I voice the sentiments of 1/6th of humanity living in the world's largest democracy (India).

'In addition, we would also like to urge the institution of a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control similar to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,' Ramadoss said, while seeking support of Brazil and South Africa to fight the alcohol menace.

Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao, South African Health Minister Tshabalala Msimang and health officials from both countries are in India for the summit.

Akshay's girl problems

It is tough once you reach then top. One of the first problems that any actor faces is getting a suitable heroine to star opposite him since the shelf life of a heroine is perceived to be shorter in Hindi films... Amitabh Bachchan faced the problem and in recent years even the likes of Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have also faced this problem. Now it is Akshay Kumar's turn.

Akshay is having a problem with getting a suitable heroine for his next projects. The options are not that many and hence the actor's producers are forced to look at new faces, which is what all the Khans are doing anyway.

Priyanka Chopra is persona non grata for him. As for Katrina Kaif, the actor has already done too many films with her. The actor, who is doing Priyadarshan's next called Aise Ko Taisa, is finding a problem getting a heroine to star opposite him for the movie. South sensation Asin was supposed to star in the film, but she appears to have backed out.

The producer, Ratan Jain, is believed to be trying to get Deepika Padukone to star in the movie. Akshay is already doing a movie with her. But the problem that arose with Deepika is that she wants her role to be bigger. The film is a comedy and the heroine's part is not the main one.

The film already stars Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty and will have three girls. But right, the director and producer's concern is to get a heroine for Akshay. They are still in talks with Deepika and are hopeful of finding a solution. It seems that like the Khans before him, he will now have to scout for younger and newer faces to star opposite him.

Angelina Jolie to be the next Catwoman?

Lara Croft actress Angelina Jolie may soon be seen portraying the role of Catwoman in a future Batman movie.

Julie Newmar, who popularised the Catwoman after she played the feline villain in 1960s TV series, would love Angelina to bring alive the character once again if the Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan decides to revive the character in a future sequel.

"Angelina would own the part, my industry friends tell me she has made inquiries about the role," Contactmusic quoted Julie, as telling the New York Daily News.

"I can understand how it would pique her interest, Catwoman is Batman's one true love, She's tremendously popular with women because she's both a heroine and a villainess," she added.

After Julie Newmar, the role has been essayed by actresses like Eartha Kitt, Lee Meriwether, Hally Berry and Michelle Pfeiffer.

I'm single and loving it

Former beauty queen Lara Dutta says she is enjoying her single status and is no hurry to get into a new relationship as work is keeping her really busy.

'I'm blissfully single. There's no one whom I'm even remotely interested in. And I'm in no hurry. After nine years, I'm alone. And I'm enjoying it,' Lara, who broke up with he ex-boyfriend Kelly Dorji, told IANS.

'Right now I'm so busy. I'm running around like a headless chicken,' the actress said.

Asked about her equation with Kelly, she said: 'Wonderful. We've spent so many good years together. No one can take away those from us. Kelly and I know each other too well to drift apart. There's a lot of mutual respect. And that will always remain.'

The actress' kitty is full with good projects, which includes Sudhir Mishra's modern version of 'Devdas' where she plays Paro.

'Sudhir Mishra's 'Devdas' isn't really a period film. It's very literate and layered and I'd have to dig really deep into myself to play Paro. She is a dark, ambitious and self-destructive character.'

Lara is also doing 'Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai' with Govinda and 'Blue', an out and out action film with Akshay Kumar.

Japan celebrates the belly button festival

It was belly-up for thousands of people who indulged in a weekend of navel gazing at a festival dedicated to the belly button in central Japan. Children and adults alike, many of them sporting painted stomachs, took part at the annual Belly Button Festival in Shibukawa, north of Tokyo, where dancing in the streets is compulsory.

“The belly button is traditionally believed to be located in the middle of the body and the most important part. Our town, Shibukawa, is also called the belly button of Japan, and that is how this festival began,” said festival organizer Kazuo Yamada. The festival is based on a traditional Japanese form of entertainment where revellers paint a face on their torsos and stomachs and pretend it is a head. A kimono is then wrapped around the waist and the person’s real head is hidden by a large cloth hat. The belly button is traditionally painted into a mouth.

These days, modern motifs and Japanese anime designs have crept in to the festival, which city officials said is all about having fun. “It’s about everyone doing something together. But it’s essentially pretty silly so it’s just about having fun and going for the ride,” said Hironori Kanou, a 26-year-old city hall employee who was walking around with a painted belly. The only thing festival-goers take seriously is dancing: participants sashayed through the streets of Shibukawa for over two hours in the sweltering heat.

Now Amitabh plays Abhishek's grandad!

Amitabh Bachchan is known to sign on unusual roles and the latest is that the superstar will play his son Abhishek's grandad in Rakeysh Mehra's forthcoming 'Dilli 6'.

Mehra's semi-autobiographical film has Abhishek playing the lead and also stars Sonam Kapoor, who made her debut in 'Saawariya'. He also roped in Amitabh to play a specially written cameo.

Confirming the news, Amitabh said: 'I play Abhishek's grandfather in Dilli 6.'

Interestingly, the film already has veteran actress Waheeda Rehman. And one of the Big B's incentives for stepping into the picture so late is to share screen space with his favourite actress.

Amitabh has earlier worked with Mehra in 'Aks'. And with 'Dilli 6' almost complete, Mehra already has plans of casting Amitabh in his next film unusually titled 'Paanch Kaurav'.

'It's too early to talk about 'Paanch Kaurav'. But it's in the caper-adventure genre. And it would be my third film with the Big B. I couldn't get luckier. I've also done three films with Abhishek,' chuckled Mehra, whose last film was 'Rang De Basanti'.

'I was supposed to do Abhishek's launch film 'Samjhauta Express' and then we were to do 'Bhairavi' (with all the three Bachchans including Jaya). We had gone so deep into the discussions that we both feel we've already worked in those two films together. So our comfort level in 'Dilli 6' is as high as it would be for any director-actor team that has done three films together,' the director said.

Mallika Sherawat to return Rs 25 Lks to Studio 18

Mallika Sherawat to return Rs 25 Lks to Studio 18 Based on a complaint lodged by Studio 18, Bollywood star Mallika Sherawat has been asked by the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) to pay back the signing amount of Rs 25 Lakhs to the producers of the film Masquerade.

Sajjad Chunawala, of Studio 18, stated that the actress signed the agreement to act in the lead role in the film Masquerade. She also accepted a signing amount of Rs 25 Lakhs.

Then she allegedly demanded the production house to replace the movie’s director, Kundan Shah. When Studio 18 refused to budge, she demanded the cinematographer be replaced with one of her choice, Madhu Ambat, who demanded Rs 40 lakhs for the assignment.

The production house turned down her demand, saying the choice of the cinematographer was always the director’s prerogative. Mallika Sherawat then walked out of the movie, throwing the project into disarray.

IMPPA has now ordered her to return the signing amount of Rs 25 lakhs within one month or face the consequences of being banned from Bollywood

How you can write that perfect love song

It's that time of the year in India when many a young man's fancies turn to love. At such times, men behave silly and begin spouting poetry and singing bally love songs to the girl of their dreams, even if they sing so inaudibly as for the girl not to hear it and be aware of their fancies.

For those who are the love song-singing type, we have a few tips for you. When it comes to trying out the tuneful vocal chords on the object of your affections, nothing would work better than a song that comes straight from the heart, one that you wrote yourself!

But how can one suddenly acquire these lyrical qualities overnight, I hear you ask? Fear not, help is at hand, from the expert... me (ha ha!).

Real Names in Bollywood!!!!!!

All that we know is not completely true. There are many changed names in Bollywood and obviously we know only a few. Here is the list of Bollywood celebrities (both living and dead) whose names are different in reality and something else on screen. List is given in alphabetical order.

Aamir Khan - Aamir Hussain Khan
Ajay Devgan - Vishal Devgan
Ajit - Hamid Ali Khan
Akshay Kumar - Rajiv Bhatia
Amitabh Bachchan - Amit Srivastav
Ashok Kumar - Kumud Ganguly
AR Rehman- Dilip Kumar
Bobby Deol - Vijay Singh Deol
Dev Anand - Devdutt Pishorimal Anand
Dharmendra - Dharam Singh Deol
Dilip Kumar - Yusuf Khan
Govinda - Govinda Arun Ahuja
Jeetendra - Ravi Kapoor
John Abraham - Farhan Abraham
Johnny Lever - Badruddin Qazi
Kamal Haasan- Alwarpettai Aandavar
Kumar Gaurav - Manoj Tulli
Lucky Ali - Maqsood Mehmood Ali
Madhubala - Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi
Mahima Chaudhry - Ritu Chaudhry
Mallika Sherawat - Reema Lamba
Manoj Kumar - Hare Krishna Goswami
Nana Patekar - Vishwanath Patekar
Raj Kumar - Kulbushan Pandit
Rajesh Khanna - Jatin Khanna
Rajnikant - Sivaji Rao Gaekwad
Rekha - Bhanurekha Ganesan
Salman Khan- Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan
Sanjeev Kumar - Haribhai Jarivala
Shammi Kapoor - Shamsher Raj Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor – Balbir Raj Kapoor
Sunil Dutt - Balraj Dutt
Sunny Deol - Ajay Singh Deol
Tuntun : Uma Devi Khatri

Watermelon: It's the Natural Answer to Viagra

We in India are known for our fetish for natural products. From clothes to bags to drugs, we have marketed ourselves as the world's original environmentalists. Well not exactly. But we always claim to go back to nature for our subsistence. That's why a natural substitute for Viagra was just a matter of time.

And this substitute is tasty too. Recommended by doctors – okay, they say doctors only recommend apples, but we all know the apple is only a representative for all fruit – the watermelon, says an Indian researcher in the US, has juices that are good enough to stir any man's.

This jolly old fruit (as the Brits would say) has certain phyto-nutrients, or beneficial ingredients, like lycopene, beta carotene and citrulline, among whose special abilities is their power to relax blood vessels, which is pretty much what Viagra does too. The difference is that watermelon is not partial to any one organ and is generally benevolent to the whole body, which may be why men have not recognised its benefits before.

The catch, however, lies here. It's simple really, if you think about it. The watermelon is, after all, just another fruit. And as we all know, most fruits are supposed to be seasonal. For the benefit of our readers, we at Asylum did a bit of research and found that the watermelon is in season usually from May to October. It is at the peak of its form from around mid-June to late August.

But this only means it will serve your needs at certain times of the year. So... well, it's up to you to decide what you want to do with it. Just eat it, we say – it's a jolly old fruit anyway!