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Kabir Khan knew he was in the hot seat when he took on the job of directing Salman Khan on what's said to be YRF's most expensive and this year's highly anticipated movie. Waiting to talk to Kabir, I think back to a chance meeting couple of years ago. Back then Kabir was releasing his dark political thriller New York . We sometimes like to believe that, on a white screen that brings us all kinds of shock, gore, mayhem or entertainment, there is one man who is about to bring all this together in one movie - Kabir Khan in the next four days will be renamed - 'The Man who made the Tiger'. It's a volatile mix of two Khans coming together - Kabir and Salman. Both possess relentless energy and enthusiasm but from what I know and have seen Kabir's work on the big screen, he dramatises this personal tension and creates a hallucinatory realism that is so engaging and entertaining. Add to that the Salman mania. And Tiger might just create new record at the BO. Present

The first thing that catches your attention about 'Agent Vinod - The Jungfrau Encounter' is not just the fact that there is a comic book which has been released based on the motion picture character (Agent Vinod) but also that it has hit the stands rather late in the day. It would have made much more impact had it arrived around the release of the film. However, it has hit the stands now. In a way it is also topical to some extent because 'The Bourne Legacy' has just hit the screens and since  Agent Vinod  too prides itself on being a spy thriller, it may well be time to find a Hollywood-Bollywood connect. In that sense 'The Jungfrau Encounter' really scores high because just when Bollywood flicks are trying to make their presence felt through comic books too (Uday Chopra has just released  Ek Tha Tiger  and  Dhoom  series on comics), this one makes a very good mark. Not just does it have a definite story to be told; it also has certain depth to it as well as

After a brief hiatus, Emraan Hashmi would be back to doing what he does best i.e. get intimate with his leading ladies on screen. Promos of  Raaz 3  are out and there are enough indications of Emraan heating up the screen with both Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta. " Shanghai  didn't have any scope for him and Kalki to get passionate as there was hardly any love story between them. On the other hand, even though  Jannat 2  had a love story being integral to the plot, the chemistry between him and Esha couldn't be developed. Now with  Raaz 3  featuring the duo again, the script has been worked around in such a way that diehard fans of Emraan won't complain. There is quite some eye candy in store for them", says a source attached to the film. Though Emraan has followed a no-kissing policy for quite some time now and is only occasionally seen breaking the self imposed shackles, it is expected that in  Raaz 3  he would go all out again. "When you have Bipasha Basu in

There's always a quintessential luck factor that towers everything in Bollywood, which is exactly what has happened in the forthcoming Vivek Oberoi-Mallika Sherawat starrer  Kismet Love Paisa Dilli  ( KLPD ). The director of the film Sanjay Khanduri considers Neha Dhupia as a lucky mascot. No wonder then, he just couldn't afford to give her a miss when he thought of making  KLPD . That explains the reason as to who the mysterious lady in white saree is. A source close to makers spilled the beans by saying, "In the promo when you see Vivek starring at a woman in the white saree, it is Neha and not Mallika as people may think. Sanjay considers Neha as a lucky mascot and requested her to do a cameo in the venture. With Neha being appreciated in Sanjay's sleeper hit  Ek Challis Ki Last Local , she willingly obliged. Though Neha hasn't yet seen the promo of  KLPD  that has been garnering positive response all over she stated that it was a just a friendly appearance&q

Abhishek Bachchan who was invited for the London Olympics recently attended a gala which was held at The House of St. Barnabas that featured the world's most celebrated Olympic swimmers, including Chad Le Clos, Alex Popov and Natalie Coughlin. The night saw a host of athletes and VIPs mixing with friends of Omega, whilst enjoying Kettle One based 'Streamline Smash' cocktails and an array of molecular canapés. Musical entertainment for the evening was provided by DJ Ben Bridgewater who was accompanied by percussionist Tom Carr on the bongos.  However, the highlight was when Abhishek met up with U.S. Olympic Swimmers Natalie Coughlin attending 'Spotlight On Swimming' at OMEGA House, OMEGA's official residence during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

If one lists down, the hottest Bollywood heroes ever, Arjun Rampal will definitely feature on the top. The latest issue of Hello which features the 'Men About Town' starts off its list with the Bollywood star who has been playing dark characters of late. Suavely attired in a well cut suit and an equally well groomed stubble, Arjun seems the uber cool man. Delving into the enigma that is Arjun, the magazine explores this actor, DJ, producer and night club owner discovering a whole new side that changes the conventional term of 'Hero'.

The wonderfully talented  Saathiya  director Shaad Ali, son of Muzaffar Ali, is back from the wilderness. Nothing was heard from Shaad after his box office fiasco  Jhoom Barabar Jhoom  in 2007. Sporadic tidbits as to Shaad's plans to settle in his native village in Uttar Pradesh and to join politics kept trickling into Mumbai from Lucknow and Kanpur where Shaad was stationed. Now, 5 years later, Shaad is back. A surprise call from the soft spoken director ended all speculation. Shaad is ready to direct his next film, and then he goes on to his raison d'être, the film that he was born to make, so to speak. First  Kill Dil . Yes, that's the breezy but not frivolous romantic film Shaad starts at the end of the year with his buddy Ranveer Singh in the lead. Speaking from Kanpur, Shaad said, "I want the title to convey the theme and mood film. And I think I've got it bang-on.  Kill Dil  is a film about the tricks that the heart plays on the unsuspecting victim of love.

1982 saw box-office triumphs like  Prem Rog, Vidhaata  and Namak Halaal  and critically-acclaimed films like  Shakti . But the one film that managed both was BR Films'  Nikaah . Like Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Taare Zameen Par  and  3 Idiots  in later times, BR Films'  Nikaah  ushered in a change in society by its gripping, yet moving storyline that challenged orthodox norms. The beauty of it all was that it was done without hurting anyone's sentiments, spurring controversies and extra-legal hassles. No one disrupted screenings, held  morchas  or resorted to agitation. It is entirely thanks to producer-director and Dadasaheb Phalke laureate B.R.Chopra that this issue-based film managed this tough tightrope. This writer, not being a film critic then, could not for various reasons watch this film till it was running well past its 40th week in 1983 (yes, it completed a Golden Jubilee run and was among the five highest-grossing movies of that year!) and the matinee show was packed! 

It's time to end all the speculations. Ever since  Ek Tha Tiger was launched, there were various numbers that were thrown in around the film's cost. While some said it was made in a cost effective manner and was wrapped up in Rs.60 crores, a few even pegged it as high as Rs.90 crores. However, we have managed to dig into our sources and the number has been revealed at a very high, though manageable, Rs.75 crores. Confirms our source, "Yes, that's the cost in which  Ek Tha Tiger  has been made. It also includes Salman's fee. This is indeed the most expensive film produced by Yash Raj Films and is also the costliest that Salman has featured in."  To be fair to the film,  Ek Tha Tiger  was also meant to be a mega project. However, given the fact that Chopras have been making films for decades now and hence know ways of cost saving, Rs.75 crores is a huge amount by all standards. Even if one considers the fact that in all probability Salman Khan has taken home Rs.