A jasoos is telling me that Shah Rukh Khan is mighty excited these days. After returning from his long chutti, which he spent across Europe, he’s back to the gruelling schedule of Anubhav Sinha’s Ra.One. And he’s now excited about shooting with Kareena Kapoor. My tweety

bird has told me this morning that in the film, Bebo jaan has some dialogues in Chinese, which she has been burning the midnight oil to learn. And Khan is being so supportive.
He sits with her for hours and helps her rehearse. His other attraction on the set is the bunch of ‘kars’ (yes, that’s how he spells cars) that have been brought in to complete the sci-fi look of the film. Now, I really am looking forward to watching kars, Kareena and Khan!

Kareena will be seen playing a mother in two upcoming releases — the Karan Joharproduced We Are Family and Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra. 1 . We Are Family is the remake of the 1998 Hollywood blockbuster, Stepmom , with Kareena reprising Julia Robert’s role. She will be seen as the stepmom to the kids of Kajol, who will play the role done by Susan Sarandon in the original.

In the Anubhav Sinha – directed Ra. 1 , Kareena will be seen as the glamorous mother of an eight – year – old. It is believed that the actress will cut a rather oomphy picture of a modern – day mom in the film, flaunting outfits designed by her costume designer friend Manish Malhotra.

“ I play a very regular metro – centric working girl in We Are Family . I walk, talk, dress like a working girl. Also, I’ll be using no make – up in the film,” Kareena said about her role.

In contrast, her look in Ra. 1 will be ultra chic, ranging from short dresses to skirts to tight – fitting tops. Designer Malhotra earlier said Ra. 1 was based in London. So, Kareena needed to dress accordingly.

Kareena was believed to be looking absolutely gorgeous in Ra. 1 despite playing a mother. Reportedly, SRK’s wife Gauri — officially the film’s producer — was impressed with Kareena’s stunning looks after watching the initial rushes.

Kareena is the only actress among Bollywood’s top divas to play a mother. Her rivals, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra have all avoided playing a screen mother.

In Bollywood, it’s generally considered a big risk for top heroines to play such a role. Till date, only older actresses such as Kajol and Juhi Chawla have played mother’s roles.

Aishwarya Rai – Bachchan and c went for the motherly image in Kuch Naa Kaho and Kyunki Main Jhooth Nahi Bolta respectively. But those films flopped. Coming back to We Are Family , Malhotra had a hard time bringing down Kareena’s glamour – quotient and make her look like an ordinary working woman. That’s why Kareena’s clothes designed by Malhotra will be less glamorous in this film than what is generally associated with a glam Bebo.

In We Are Family , directed by Siddharth Malhotra, Kareena will also be seen donning a new hairstyle. She has already stated that the Bollywood version of Stepmom is very different from the original.

“ My role is also a big departure from what Julia Roberts played in Stepmom ,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kareena is all set to start shooting for Madhur Bhandarkar’s next film, Heroine , in which her role is believed to be inspired by Hollywood classic beauty Marilyn Monroe. Currently, she is wrapping up the final schedules of Golmaal 3 and Ra. 1

Today, if a new film starring Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor would have been announced, it would have made a huge noise for sure. However, that is missing in case of Milenge Milenge because the stars themselves are not quite leading from the front for the film’s promotion. Shahid Kapoor is in UK shooting for Mausam while Kareena Kapoor is off to Morocco to complete a quick schedule for Agent Vinod. Incidentally, both these films are their home productions.

Buzz up!
With no stars available for the film’s promotion, it has indeed been quite some effort for producers Boney Kapoor and director Satish Kaushik to ready the film for release, six years after it was launched. No wonder, the trade can’t be expected to be abuzz with much excitement and the film is only being looked at as a gamble. Around half a decade back, when Hum Tumhaare Hai Sanam (Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit) was released after a similar delay, it had still managed to do good business at the box office. It was surprising for sure and all one can hope this week is good for the surprise factor to help Milenge Milenge as well.

The fact remains though that the film can’t really be expected to take the kind of opening that would make it safe on the first day itself. Anything more than 50% would be a happy situation for the makers here though the question is whether such occupancy is possible, especially because I Hate Luv Storys is doing well. Still, star value coupled with some good music could result in Milenge Milenge turning out to be a face saver at the least.

The other release of the week, Red Alert – The War Within, hasn’t been promoted adequately despite its topic theme (Naxal issue in the country) and the critical acclaim it has received internationally. Ready for quite some time now, the film had all the time in the world to have made use of some good marketing strategy being put to effective use and a good promotional drive taking it through. However, the makers surprisingly chose to stay low which means it would be a miracle if the film holds on. Don’t quite expect an opening of sorts here though critical acclaim could well come in for this Ananth Mahadevan directed film.

Kareena Kapoor has three films under production, Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One, Saif Ali Khan’s Agent Vinod and Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal 3. However, the actress who may also be doing Karan Johar’s next production with Imran Khan, insists that she won’t work on any other movie

Kapoor and the National Award-winning director were to team up previously for Page 3, but the actress was committed to Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara at the time and had to turn down the offer.
Bhandarkar went back to her with Fashion, but once again dates were a problem and the role went to Priyanka Chopra who bagged the National Award for her performance. With Heroine, she is hoping to get third time lucky.
“It’s the right subject for Madhur and me to work on together. I promise to give my heart and soul to just this one film, once it goes on the floors, since it is a performance-oriented role.” she says.

The film is partly inspired by the life of Hollywood diva Marilyn Monroe and Kapoor admits it’s a “scary proposition”. But she’s banking on her director to guide her well. He will be supplying the research material on Monroe. “We’ll be adapting some of Marilyn’s famous roles. There will also be moments from her headline grabbing personal life, which may be emotionally draining, but I’m ready for it,” Kapoor asserts.

Her homework will come from watching old films, not just Monroe’s, but our classic divas like Madhubala, Nargis and Waheeda Rehman too. “I love old movies,” she smiles. “That’s what I do whenever I get a day off. It helps me get into character. This role is tailor-made for me because I’ve been a heroine since I was in my mother’s womb. I eat, drink and breathe acting.”

Won’t she have to put on a few extra kilos for the role? “I’m quite healthy now, thank you. No more size zero for me. I don’t mind putting on 10-12 kilos provided I’m not doing any other movie around that time.”

SRK has been tweeting regularly about Ra.One but she’s not been too forthcoming on the superhero fantasy. All we know is that she’s playing Khan’s wife and the mother of a child. “Well, the family is based in London and there are loads of visual effects,” she says. “Our chemistry was great in Asoka (2001) and I’m sure Shah Rukh and I will sizzle on screen again.”

Dino Morea may have been lying low for a while, but the actor-model is gunning for a comeback with a slew of new endorsements to his name.
His most recent catch? Ambassador for the same watch company that Kareena Kapoor endorses.
His choice
“I chose to endorse Chronotech since it is an Italian brand and also features Kareena Kapoor as the ambassador for the women’s watches. Everything put together, it sounded like an interesting deal.”
Morea insists his disappearing act wasn’t because he wasn’t getting any offers, but agrees that he’s now jumping onto the brand bandwagon.
He reveals, “I was being approached for endorsements that just didn’t click. But now I’ll be shooting for the ad soon, and if the creative team thinks that it’s the right way to go, I won’t mind sharing the spotlight with Kareena. I guess I’m back to doing what I started off with.”
Ask him why watches have gone from being a practical accessory to a luxury item and he replies, “There are two kinds of people — those who collect expensive watches because they love them, and those who wear watches because they look nice and are practical. I’m not a watch collector, but I think it’s a great business to get into.”
His next contract will be for an innerwear brand, a trend that seems to be sweeping through.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is already the brand ambassador of Dollar innerwear, while Shah Rukh Khan used to endorse Lux Cozy.
Underwear obsession
“I don’t think it’s a trend in Bollywood. It’s just that India has a huge population and if you want to shout from the rooftops about your brands, it makes sense to have a famous face as ambassador,” he reasons. Though he’s keeping mum about the deal, Morea promises that his ad appearances will be simple and sexy, and not too macho like most other underwear brands. “Yes, I will be going bare-bodied for the shoot. But I don’t know yet if they need me to strip down to my
underwear,” he grins.
Dino’s dressing rules
We asked the dapper dresser (remember he’s also dating fashion designer Nandita Mahtani) his rules for dressing and he complied.
* Cell phone- In this day and age, I think man would be incomplete without his cell phone. But phone etiquette is very important. Never chat on the phone if you’re with a group of people. That’s just anti-social and kills the conversation.
* Watch- every man needs to know the time and there’s something classy about wearing a watch. Plus, there are enough women who are impressed by a man who wears a watch. It’s a symbol of your status.
* Cologne- It’s important for a man to smell nice
* Comfortable underwear- I’m a boxers kind of guy, I like to hang loose. Though you should wear whatever suits your fancy. I have boxers with all kinds of funky prints like cartoon characters and comic strips.

Kareena Kapoor shimmered in a red and black outfit at the I Am She 2010: Miss Universe India Pageant event at The National Centre Performing Arts, Mumbai, on Friday, May 28.

Kareena Kapoor shimmered in a red and black outfit at the I Am She 2010: Miss Universe India Pageant event at The National Centre Performing Arts, Mumbai, on Friday, May 28. Photo Credit: Sawf News
Kareena wore a red sequined halter top atop a black sequined cami and lighweight black silk harem pants with bubble hem, front pockets and long golden chain details. She accessorized with black square toe leather pumps, multiple bangles in her left arm, and multiple rings in both her hands. Her long glossy brown hair styled away from her face was left open with a side parting. She wore light lip gloss but departed from her signature eye makeup focussing more on the eye shadow than the dark thick eye liner.

Saif ali Khan arrives at the I Am She 2010: Miss Universe India Pageant event at The National Centre Performing Arts, Mumbai, on Friday, May 28. Photo Credit: Sawf News
Kareena’s boyfriend, Saif Ali Khan, performed at the event.

Others present at the event included Sushmita Sen, Shah Rukh Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Neha Dhupia and Farah Khan among others.

Ushoshi Sengupta, 21, was declared the winner at the run-up pageant finale organized by Sushmita Sen’s production company named, Tantra Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (TEPL). Tantra is the licensee for Miss Universe India Pageant 2010. The winner will be the official representative of India at the Miss Universe 2010 beauty pageant at Las Vegas, Nevada in A

Kareena Kapoor will draw inspiration from four Hollywood icons – Ava Gardner, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe – for Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Heroine. She plays a Bollywood actress in it. Bhandarkar has specially prepared a documentary featuring the four legends for Kareena to prepare for her role.

If the absence of Bollywood greats from Kareena’s method preparation for the role amazes you, Bhandarkar’s explanation for it is even more baffling. “I haven’t found anything interesting about Indian actresses,” he declares.

Reports, however, are rife that Bhandarkar chose to avoid Indian legends because he couldn’t find authentic material on actresses such as Madhubala and Meena Kumari, or their reported affairs.

“The documentary is meant to help Kareena acquire the perfect body language. She has to understand the way older actresses would talk, sit or walk because she plays a glamorous star in my film,” says Bhandarkar.

Kareena plans to watch the documentary after wrapping up Ra.One and Golmaal 3. Shooting for Heroine would reportedly start around the end of this year. That gives Kareena ample time to do her homework.

Bhandarkar added that Kareena would be provided with additional research material. The filmmaker refuted claims that his film was meant to be a bio-pic of any specific actress. “It’s a modern film set in 2010,” he said.

A few days back, Bhandarkar finalised the title Heroine. The name was already registered by filmmaker Guddu Dhanoa, so Bhandarkar decided to donate Rs 1 lakh to Dhanoa’s charity and obtain rights to the title. “I wanted a one- word title,” said Bhandarkar.

Kareena is wrapping up Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal 3 in Goa now. She is also doing Shah Rukh Khan’s superhero flick, Ra. One and getting ready to start boyfriend Saif Ali Khan’s next production, Agent Vinod. It will be directed by Shriram Raghavan and will see Kareena do some high- voltage action with Saif.

Bhandarkar, though, plans to take up a romantic comedy before starting Heroine. Starring favourites Neil Nitin Mukesh and Mugdha Godse, the film will be titled Dil Toh Baccha Hai ( DTBH ). “I will wrap up the film by October to start work on Heroine,” Bhandarkar said. For DTBH , he is also believed to be in talks with Sanjay Dutt for a special role.

Kareena’s arch-rival Katrina Kaif is all set to play the gorgeous Madhubala in Anurag Basu’s upcoming biopic on Kishore Kumar. Ranbir Kapoor plays the legendary playback singer in Basu’s film. The buzz is Kat is doing her homework by watching hits such as Mughal-e-Azam, Mahaland Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi to perfect the body language & nuances.

This is an extra special year for Kareena Kapoor. No, she isn’t tying the knot with the Junior Nawab of Pataudi, but this calendar year is truly significant for her in many ways.

Besides not having one single day or one single night free for the next five months because of her work commitment, Bebo, who will be living out of suitcases and travelling to almost every exotic location in the world, says she has made time for three important short personal breaks.

On August 16, Saif Ali Khan will be ringing in his 40th birthday and Bebo has a surprise planned for him. “I can’t tell you what it is or where I am whisking him off to,” she says impishly. “I will be shooting with Shah Rukh Khan on a foreign location at that point for Ra-1, so I’ll have to check and see how I can steal 24 hours off to be with my man. I’ll have to ask SRK for permission!”

On September 21, Bebo will turn 30 and this time around, the Nawab and his chotti begum will be in Prague shooting for Agent Vinod. “Here Saif is the producer,” she laughs. “So I’ll have to get permission from him to celebrate my birthday. I’m hoping he’ll be happy to oblige.”

From October to December 14, Kareena is scheduled to be shooting Heroine with Madhur Bhandarkar. “From December 15 to Jan 5, 2011, I’m going to my Swiss chalet,” says the Bollywood diva.

“After working round the clock, I think I deserve to put my feet up and have a nice vacation in the Alps for Christmas and New Year,” says Bebo. “I have one simple motto,” she adds, “If I’m going to work hard (like I have done for the last 10 years) then I must party harder. What use is my name, fame and money if it can’t get me four vacations a year? Preferably in a different world capital each time,” she chuckles.

Shah Rukh Khan, the badshah of bollywood who plays lead in Red Chillies Entertainment’s upcoming flick ‘ Ra.1’ opposite sizzling hot Kareena Kapoor, has been calling up and coordinating her and Arjun Rampal’s dates for the shoot before going on the set.

Shah Rukh Khan’s extra work does not stop here but he has to go all the way asking his technicians for details, if anything was needed on the set to give the required special effects etc (this is important as the film is sci fi and special effects are most important part of it).

Sources close to production house say that Shah Rukh Khan even discusses payment issues with his stars and ensures that they were paid on time without any hassles. Though some of extra work load has also been taken by director Anubhav Sinha, but it is Shah Rukh Khan who has been playing the double role of actor as well as producer and provider of everything to everyone on the sets of the flick.

This all has been necessitated by the fact that Shah Rukh Khan’s most trusted man Bobby Chawla, who is also actress Juhi Chawla’s brother, has been in the hospital for a long time and is unable to perform his duties.

Earlier, Shah Rukh Khan would totally depend on the work of Bobby Chawla who was also the CEO of Red Chillies Entertainment. Shah Rukh Khan was even by the side of Bobby Chawla at the hospital for several days, but eventually work got priority and he returned to shoot for Anubhav Sinha’s ‘Ra.1’.

‘Ra 1’ is an ambitious flick from Shah Rukh Khan’s production house starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and others in prominent roles. Shah Rukh Khan plays a famous scientist in the film, who is based in London and working on developing a robot.

The trouble starts after Shah Rukh Khan has developed the ‘Robot’and his own creation would not listen to him. So much so that the Robot becomes a menace to whole world and the scientist prepares to remove him from this world.

Kareena Kapoor plays Shah Rukh Khan’s wife who stays with him in London. The couple also has an eight year old son. However, this mother role does not restrict Kareena Kapoor from flaunting her beautiful figure in designer’s outfit as the mom is based in UK and does not need to follow Indian wear sari etc.

The film will also see for the first time Shah Rukh Khan playing the part of a super hero in his bollywood career

Rumours have it that Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor have had a patchy couple of weeks.

They have both been sighted alone on promotional parties and even when out shopping. A source has stated, “Kareena has had a lot of work on her shoulders and hasn’t the time to spend around family and Saif. She used to attend his sets all the time, but recently she hasn’t been seen”.

This week Saif is has been spotted by himself on Chowpatty eating lots of Pani Puri’s, he has stated in the past that whenever he feels depressed he likes to go and eat lots of Pani Puri’s.

Kareena Kapoor was attending her promotional duties for her upcoming movie RA 1 starring alongside Shah Rukh Khan. In the past we seen Saif with her at all times.

The both are yet to make any comments on whether this is true but signs are showing of the rough road in their relationship. Maybe the tattoo wasn’t such a great idea Saif?