Singing with Enrique was great: Sunidhi Chauhan

Mumbai, Feb 7 (IANS) Bollywood singer Sunidhi Chauhan, known for her versatility, has gone global and recorded a track with Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. She termed the experience "great" but felt there is not much difference in song recording in India and abroad.

"The experience was great. I have already recorded the song. Unfortunately I can't talk much about it. But it's in the process and will be out very soon," Sunidhi told IANS in an interview.

She and Enrique sang "I Can Feel You", which has both Hindi and English lyrics. Sunidhi has also shot for a video with the Spanish singer for the song that is slated to be out this month.

The 27-year-old Indian singer has belted out chartbuster songs like "Ruki ruki" ("Mast"), "Dhoom machale" ("Dhoom"), "Deedar de" ("Dus"), "Beedi" ("Omkara"), "Sajnaji vari vari" ("Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd."), "Chor bazari" ("Love Aaj Kal") and most recently "Sheila Ki Jawani" ("Tees Maar Khan").

Asked if she found any difference while recording a song internationally and when in India, Sunidhi, who wants to collaborate with singer Mariah Carey someday, said: "There is not much difference."

"The difference is in the song and the atmosphere. It's a nice experience. But when it comes to singing, it's all the same," she added.

Sunidhi has been in Bollywood for more than a decade now, but the entry of new singers in the industry doesn't scare her. She believes that being good at work is the survival tactic.

"It's not tough to survive in the industry. You just have to sing better than everyone else and you survive. It's a simple equation. You give your 100 percent time and discipline, and work so hard that people see and appreciate," she said.

"As long as you know that working hard is the mantra, you will not find it hard to survive in the industry," she added.

The singer made her debut as a reality show judge in "Indian Idol" last year.

So any plans of taking up acting like Sonu Nigam and Himesh Reshammiya?

"I did TV, I've done a couple of videos and I'm quite happy with that. When it comes to acting, I believe that unless I'm sure of what I want to do, I don't get into it," Sunidhi said.

"For acting, I still haven't got that inner voice. So I wouldn't like to go ahead with it now. But as soon as I feel I'm ready, I wont mind doing it," she added.

"I believe in instincts, whatever my instinct says, I do that," Sunidhi said.

And how does she feel when she looks back at her journey till now?

"To be really frank, I don't look back to analyse how the journey has been because I feel that the journey has begun now. It's not that I have done a lot in life. I need to do lot more. So I don't relate to that feeling of looking back."

I should be having kids by 33: Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif’s love life is, of course, the perennial hot topic, what with constant rumours now on whether she’s on-off with Salman Khan or Ranbir Kapoor.

But when asked about her marriage, she tells GQ magazine, “Do I see myself married in two years? I don’t really know. I think by
the time I’m around 33, I should be having kids.”Kaif adds, “But you can’t plan it. I do want to get married, but do I want to have a child grow up without a father? No. I think you need more security.”

Currently busy shooting for Yash Raj’s Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, she tells the men’s mag, “Lack of sleep is dangerous. When I feel tired, I want to put on hats and scarves and build a wall around myself.” According to Kaif, working in films is a wonderful business, but can be very tricky too.

“You’re being watched and judged by a lot of people. You live through the newspapers.” Overt displays of female sexuality, for example, are out. “I’m not comfortable beyond a certain line of sensuality. I think it can be offensive to certain sectors of your audience. It’s important that it comes across as you.”

Kaif’s reluctance to open up extends to her wildly nomadic childhood. Born in Hong Kong, the magazine informs, she left with her British mother Suzanne Turquotte, a veteran NGO activist, when she was two or three, spending time in France and Japan and then Hawaii by the age of 11, before arriving in London at 13. “I have a lot of feelings of being lost and shy and isolated. I felt alien,” she says. “It makes you feel unsettled in your mind. You crave somewhere to settle (down).”

To sound easier on the Indian ear, Katrina took the name of her Kashmiri-British father, Mohammed Kaif, with her Bollywood debut at age 18.

Anushka Sharma: 'I don't watch cricket

Mumbai, Feb. 11 -- I know nothing about cricket," laughs Anushka Sharma, who plays the lead in Patiala House that releases today, and revolves hugely around India's favourite sport. The only time that she followed the game was during one of the World Cups when she was in class 10.

"I still don't know why I was watching it. But there was something that had me hooked on to it. I watched every match and read up all the details. And after that World Cup, I didn't ever switch on the TV to watch a cricket match. But I wouldn't run in the opposite direction if my father or brother were watching it."

The actor, however, is not averse to the idea of watching the upcoming World Cup matches in stadiums across India. But they are not on her priority list. "Any sport becomes fascinating when you watch it live, in a packed stadium with hundreds and thousands of spectators cheering for different teams and players. I don't mind watching any game for that matter, even if I know very little about it," says Sharma, adding that she may watch a match or two at home, if she has the time.

Back home, her brother and father, she says, are big cricket fanatics. "They won't move from their seats, sometimes keeping their postures constant because they think if they change it, a key player will get out. My brother and his friends don't entertain anyone in the room if Team India goes through a grim situation during the match," says Sharma, with a chuckle.

She admits that while shooting for Patiala House, she faced a problem recognising most of the cricketers on the sets. "Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds were in the news then. So, I recalled their faces clearly. But I couldn't identify the others," reminisces Sharma.

"But I didn't let anyone know that I was poor with cricket. If Akshay (co-star Kumar) introduced me to one of them, I would smile and nod as if I had their match statistics running at the back of my mind. The minute Akshay turned around, I would ask Nikhil (director Advani) to tell me who had I spoken to or shaken hands with just then."

R Madhavan would like to be Tarzan

From acting in serials to hosting shows like Tol Mol Ke Bol and Deal Ya No Deal, to working in both Tamil as well as Hindi films, Madhavan has donned several hats. He worked in hit movies like Guru and Rang De Basanti, but it was with the blockbuster 3 Idiots that he tasted real popularity and success.

And now, he is back on the silver screen with a surprisingly small budget film, Tanu Weds Manu, where he is paired with Kangana Ranaut for the first time.

One word that describes you best?
Unpredictable.

If a traffic constable hauled you up, what would you do?
I would duly pay the fine and take the receipt.

What makes you feel sexy?
I feel sexy when a woman whom I find sexy finds me sexy!

Which superhero would you like to be and why?
I guess Tarzan, then I wouldn’t have to worry about clothes!

Share a secret with us... trust us, we’ll only print it!
I love food.

What did you do with your first pay cheque?
I gave half of it to temples and the other half to my parents.

You are late for work and all the roads are jammed. Choose a mode of transport: a cycle, a horse or a skateboard. Why?
I would stick to a cycle for the simple reason that I don’t know how to ride a horse and skateboarding is alien to me.

What is the weirdest thing that ever went into your mouth?
Gossip!

Your first kiss was…
It proved that girls’ lips are sweet.

Love is…
…Unconditional.

The one law you would break if you could get away with it?
Paying my road tax.

Earth’s crowded and chock full of trash. Choose another planet.
Heaven.

If you could have chosen your own name, what would you have chosen?
Narsimhan – it would have terrified everyone.

If you could be born either rich or intelligent, which one would you choose? You can’t say ‘both’.
I prefer to be born rich.

One tune you can’t get out of your head?
Mile sur mera tumhara.

Choose: Air India or Indian Railways?
Indian Railways. There’s nothing more romantic than going on a train journey.

What makes your day?
A nice, warm hug and a kiss in the morning.

If you were the last person left on Earth, what would you do?
I would find ways and means to procreate.

The last movie that made you cry?
The comedy grown ups. I laughed so much that tears came out of my eyes.

If you could have had a star perform at your wedding, who would it be and why?
It would’ve definitely been Michael Jackson.

Life in the fast food lane: choose your menu.
IT would surely include pani puri, dahi puri and curd rice.

I proposed on Valentine’s Day: Hrithik

He’s been voted the most desirable Valentine by a woman’s magazine for his Greek God looks and his fortune. The compliment has put matching smiles on Hrithik Roshan and wife Sussanne’s faces. “Love should always make you smile. If it brings pain, anger, sadness and hate, then it’s obsession,” reasons
the star.

Hrithik has played the lover boy in countless films down the last decade and singles out Koi…Mil Gaya, Jodhaa Akbar and Guzaarish among his most memorable cinematic romances.

For Hrithik, February 14 is a celebration of love in its many forms. In some countries, a stranger leaves sweets out for children and he’d want to do the same for his sons. In some parts, it’s about celebrating your roots and remembering the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for love. “I don’t believe in dying for love, it’s more courageous to live. But everyday, we make small, sweet sacrifices because we want to,” he points out. “And our love for our grandparents and parents keep us rooted.”

One Valentine’s Day, a year after he started dating Sussanne, he went down on his knees on Juhu beach in Mumbai and proposed to her. “I’d known since I was 12 that she was the girl for me, but that was the big moment, complete with a ring,” he smiles. “Earlier, on another February 14, I’d told her those three all-important words, ‘I love you’.”

A month ago, at an award ceremony in Singapore, Sussanne publicly declared her love for him, and an overwhelmed Hrithik is trying hard to match up. “I’m a shy guy, it’s hard to be so spontaneous in front of the world. But on February 27, Sussanne will be opening her shop and I’m so proud of her. For 15 years, she has supported me in my career. Now I want to be her pillar and punching board,” he asserts.

Priyanka Chopra: 'His statements have really upset me'

Mumbai, Feb. 16 -- Even as she is looking forward to the release of 7 Khoon Maaf this Friday, an altercation with one of her co-stars has left a bitter taste in Priyanka Chopra's mouth.

The mere mention of Annu Kapoor, who plays one of her seven husbands in Vishal Bhardwaj's screen adaptation of Ruskin Bond's novella, Sussanna's Seven Husbands, is enough to miff the usually politically correct Chopra.

It all started when Kapoor was questioned about Chopra's reported reservations about doing intimate scenes with him. When we reminded Chopra that Kapoor felt she had reservations because he is her father, Dr Ashok Chopra's friend, she says she's not certain he said that. "I read that Annu Sir had said: 'I'm not good-looking, I'm not a hero. Agar main hero hota (if I had been a hero), then maybe she would have done intimate scenes with me. Because otherwise, she doesn't have a problem doing intimate scenes with heroes. If talent goes out of the window, I guess you just need to be good looking,'" she recalls.

"If he wants to do intimate scenes and pass such cheap comments, then he should do those kind of films. Such scenes were never part of our film," states Chopra. She makes no attempt to hide the fact that she is still upset and angry because of Kapoor's remarks. "I'm very irritated. I don't think unko aisa kehna shobha deta hai (saying such things doesn't suit him at all).

However, she quickly adds that probably Kapoor didn't think his remarks would trouble her. "I don't think he knew that his comments would upset me. But, his statements have really upset me. It was very wrong of him to speak the way he did." No wonder when asked whom she got along with best during the making of the movie, Priyanka quickly replies, "Vishal sir." (Director Vishal Bhardwaj)

When we contacted Kapoor to know his reaction to Chopra's angry statements, the actor, who is currently in Berlin where 7 Khoon Maaf is being screened, replied via a text message: "I have never ever uttered a single word for or against Priyanka, allegedly about her refusing to do any scene with me. It's none of my business, it is between the director and her."
]
He added, "When I'm asked about my feelings about playing her husband, I have said that people will judge my performance on merit rather than based on whether I'm playing husband to Priyanka or Meryl Streep. I may be a character artiste but I'm an artiste with character. My elderly advice to Priyanka: 'Beta (Well, I do affectionately address her as beta), don't take all this too seriously. Don't get stressed. You're a wonderful actress. God bless you.'"

I wasn't nervous performing with dad Naseer: Vivaan Shah

Mumbai, Feb 17 (IANS) His father is an award-winning actor and is known for his powerful performances but Naseeruddin Shah's college-going son Vivaan was not at all nervous while sharing screen space with his veteran dad in his debut film "7 Khoon Maaf".

"Our characters are interesting and both the characters have very colourful picturisation; yet there is a huge contrast between the two characters. I was not nervous while performing with my father. Every time he was there on the set, I was motivated and charged up even more," said Vivaan, 21, who feels "Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai" is his father's best film and his favourite.

"With my father being such a big actor, there will be a pressure on me. I will try my best to look at it in a healthy way so that the pressure will have a constructive influence on me and help me to do better and be better."

Vivaan, younger son of Naseer, plays Priyanka Chopra's fourth husband in director Vishal Bharadwaj's dark thriller "7 Khoon Maaf".

Talking about his character, he said: "My character ages from 17 to 40 years. I grow up to be a forensic scientist and all through I build a relationship with Susanna. I had to put on five kilograms to fit the bill of a 40-year-old. My character goes though a huge contrast."

And Naseer too plays one of the seven husbands of Priyanka in the movie.

Based on author Ruskin Bond's short story "Susanne's Seven Husbands", the film captures the romantic misadventures of Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes, a beautiful woman who over the course of 35 years gets married seven times and all her spouses mysteriously die.

Working on this film was a learning experience for this student.

"I learnt everything about professionalism; work ethics, about how the industry works, about acting; shooting and how so many efforts combine in making films. I think that's the biggest lessons I have learnt," said Vivaan who is in the final year of graduation.

"7 Khoon Maaf" is set to release worldwide Friday.

How did the role come to you?

"It's a complicated affair. Vishalji had seen me and observed me when he was still in the process of casting and was contemplating whom to cast for the crucial character. One day he calls me to his office and asks me if I want to audition. Again he sort of observed me and told me that I have been considered for the character," said the actor who wants to dip his fingers in both the flavours of movies - art house and commercial cinema.

Though he has started his acting journey, the youngster wasn't interested in facing the camera at all.

"No, I never wanted to get into acting. I always had this strong determination that I don't want to be an actor because ever since I was a kid, my parents being in the industry, it was always something that was expected from me. So there was a determination that I will show them (friends) by not being an actor. I thought I will be an engineer or anything, but never an actor. But this determination evaporated when Vishalji called me."