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Kajol is on a weight losing spree, Reason? Her latest project with Karan Johar! The lady who will be starring in My Name Is Khan is doing all things possible to fit the bill and some super sexy dresses.

“She couldn’t say no as she plays an NRI woman in the film and as per the look of her character she has to look thin. Hence she had to forego her binging habit and start with a special diet. She is currently in Los Angeles shooting for the film with her two good friends, Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan, ” says a unit hand.

Her instructor is taking care that Kajol includes lots of nuts, especially almonds in her diet. Apart from keeping a tab on the calorie intake, Kajol is sweating it out at the gym too to cut that extra flab.

Interestingly, SRK had stopped working out as his six pack abs look was not required in Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

As far as his look in My Name Is Khan is concerned, he plays an NRI Muslim man here and is required to look lean. We hope that the all new lean looking Kajol and Khan create the same on screen magic like their previous films.

In this New Year special episode of ‘Oye! It’s Friday! ‘, it’s Priyanka, Priyanka and just Priyanka all the way. She shares quite a few facets of her personality, some known, some unknown. What impresses though is her much acknowledged and appreciated ‘honesty’ that is put to play once again as Farhan Akhtar, the host quizzes her on a variety of topics.

- Are you aware about any regrets that Priyanka Chopra has in her life? Well, she does have, as she reveals that although she has worked hard to achieve her current success, she regrets not graduating and receiving her degree.

She began her college years at Jai Hind College in Mumbai but had to give it up soon after winning the Miss World pageant. But Farhan has a trick up his sleeve! On ‘Oye! It’s Friday! ‘ he proudly felicitated Priyanka with a BA degree! The whole experience was quite moving for Priyanka! Check out in the show what was this degree all about!

- Priyanka is known for her down-to-earth attitude and her penchant for fun. In the show, Farhan had quite a few tricks up his sleeve for PC and not one to give up without trying, the sporting lass tried her hand at everything that was thrown at her.

Watch out for her participation in a gag that pokes fun at stars and their supposed eating habits to trying her hand out at playing the ’submissive TV serial bahu’ for Farhan. Even more interesting is to see Priyanka enjoying every moment of all the fun around her!

- What happens when a singer teaches an actor how to sing? This is what Farhan tried with Priyanka as he asked her to hum a tune from his movie Rock on!

Trying to get Priyanka to sound exactly like him, Farhan even put her through an impromptu music coaching session. Though Priyanka found it tough initially to please Farhan, in the end she left the audience shocked with her near perfect act!

- Priyanka couldn’t even resist taking a cue from the young, prodigious drummer Aadar Jain, and tried her hand at drumming! With a short yet spirited performance, Priyanka – the first time drummer – received a nod of approval from the young genius and the host! Catch Priyanka’s hidden talents unveiled only on ‘Oye! It’s Friday! ‘

- Farhan also uncovered the fact about Priyanka being a big time prankster who loves pulling gags on her co-stars and friends.

Many of her pranks seem to involve mobile phones! In a shocking revelation, Priyanka recounted an incident that happened on the sets of Bluffmaster where she was shooting with Abhishek Bachchan. Apparently, Priyanka sneaked off Abhishek’s phone and sent a rude message to Rani Mukerjee from his phone!

Needless to say, Rani was quite upset with him and when AB Jr. found out, he was very upset. Recently, Priyanka tried a similar trick on Ashutosh Gowarikar while shooting for What’s your Rashee?. Wanna check out Ashu dear’s reaction?

- Not many people are aware that Priyanka Chopra has been quite an action lady since her childhood. Priyanka reveals one particular incident when she was in the 10th grade in the US.

One of her schoolmates unfairly accused Priyanka of flirting with her boyfriend! Not the kind who would appreciate being accused falsely, she challenged the girl to a duel on the basketball court at lunch break. What ensued was a battle royale, where PC punched the girl and broke her nose. Any lessons that young Priyanka learn after the incident?

- Priyanka Chopra has a fetish for collecting photographs! The quintessential family girl, Priyanka has a penchant for collecting all kinds of pictures of her family from her ancestors to her own childhood and growing years. Her ideal pastime is to sort out her collection of photographs. No wonder, she always leaves home with a camera!

To find out more about how Priyanka makes the most of her moments, watch ‘Oye! It’s Friday! ‘ with Farhan Akhtar, January 2nd at 10:00 pm on NDTV Imagine.

Katrina Kaif had a good 2008, thanks to Akshay Kumar and now she’ll have three guys vying for her attention in a brand new rom-com.

The movie is being planned by her make-up artist Subhash Singh and will be his first production venture.

He has chosen a subject that puts Katrina at the centre of the plot. Three men will woo her on the lines of ‘There’s something about Mary’.

Apparently the new producer, along with his partner, the failed actress Prerna Virendra, has finalized Ranbir Kapoor and John Abraham for the two male leads.

But no one has been officially signed yet. Katrina has said ‘yes’ but is yet to sign on the dotted line.

The make up artiste turned producer thinks that it is a project that does full justice to Katrina’s image and will have her in her elements.

Keeping in mind the fact that Katrina’s an wooden actress who got lucky, it’s really difficult to believe that she will do justice to any role that requires her to emote and act.

The buzz is that Kat seems willing to help her make-up man make a transition into film production. Well, the babe’s desperate to show off her so called acting skills as well.

Apparently Aziz Mirza is being considered to direct the film.

We wonder what the fate of the film will be like in the end!

After setting the big screen on fire with ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ in ‘Don’, Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor are set to sizzle together in an item song yet again.

The item number ‘Marjaani’ from ‘Billu Barber’ has just hit the airwaves and is already getting a lot of attention.

The song is being composed by Pritam and the good news is that the song has lived up to the expectations and is an absolute sizzler.

Kareena is seen sizzling and is matching steps with the nimble footed SRK in the song. Many feel that the number has class and its lilting music is bound to catch on and top the popularity charts.

Kareena and SRK were seen together on screen for the first time in ‘Asoka’. Though they didn’t click as a pair, the ’sizzle’ factor was very much there.

But then Kareena has competition from other girls in ‘Billu Barber’.

In two more dance numbers in the film, SRK will be seen shaking a leg with Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone.

Rumour has it that none of the three actresses have accepted any money from SRK for the item numbers and have done it for friendship.

Reportedly the story of ‘Billu Barber’ revolves around Irrfan Khan, who plays the barber. SRK was originally making a special appearance in the movie but now the makers have decided to increase his footage in the film.

The buzz is that the debacle of ‘Kuselan’ starring Rajinikanth, the Tamil original on which ‘Billu Barber’ has led to the makers to think this way!

So SRK becomes the lucky mascot of another one of his home

After her breakup with her boyfriend of many years, Kelly Dorji, Lara Dutta had become quite secretive about her relationships.

So it was never all that clear whether she and her one time pal Dino Morea were actually seeing each other or not. The recent buzz said that they were indeed together and have broken up now.

Reportedly the two crossed one another’s path at the bash Shahrukh and Gauri had thrown at Mannat.

Dino Morea and Lara Dutta were guests there too. When Lara saw Dino getting closer to his ex-girlfriend, designer Nandita Mahtani, she left the party and Dino followed her.

A source confirms, “Lara, Dino, Preity, Ness, and Nandita were all seen having a conversation. Later, Preity and Ness started mingling with other guests and the trio was left to themselves. Dino and Nandita were in the chatty mode, and were seen joking and laughing. It was obvious that Lara wasn’t too comfortable with her beau’s ex around.”

Apparently at one point, Lara even saw Nandita sitting on Dino’s lap. It was then that she lost her patience and left the party. On seeing her leave, Morea too excused himself and followed her.

A source adds, “Yes, they had a tiff over Nandy but they talked and things are fine now.”

So what’s cooking guys? These two need to make up their minds fast. Seriously.

Imran’s dear mamu Aamir Khan made sure that he had a grand launch in Bollywood. So Imran Khan is trying hard to now return the favour.

The lad is not charging any money for Aamir’s next home production ‘Delhi Belly’ in which he plays the lead role. The movie is currently on the floors.

Imran calls his decision to do the movie for free is his way of saying thank you to his mamu Aamir. He’s mighty grateful to mamu dearest for giving him a grand launch with the superhit ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ in July. He could show off all his skills with the film.

Aamir had slogged hard and had gone through a lot to promote the film and make sure it is widely accepted by the audiences.

Imran very well understands the fact that no producer would do for actors what Aamir did for him.

Now Imran is making sure that he pays back by working for free and not letting himself be treated as a star on the sets of the film.

The word is that he travels economy class with the film’s crew and expects no special comforts that others in the unit don’t have. He says it’s more like a homecoming for Imran after doing ‘Kidnap’ and ‘Luck’ with outside banners.

This mama-bhanja jodi really get along like a house on fire and can do anything for each other.

By Subhash K Jha

Salman Khan’s birthday celebration on his farm at Panvel on Saturday had an unexpected 14-year old guest from Karachi.

He was none other than than Adnan Sami’s son Azaan who’s currently visiting his father in Mumbai.

Azaan’s bonding with Salman at the latter’s birthday is now the talk of tinsel town. Apparently the star, known to connect instinctively with his young fans took to Azaan in a big way and made sure the boy felt comfortable in the alien environment.

In fact all the guests including Adnan were agog when Azaan and Salman disappeared for almost an hour.

Laughs Adnan, “Later I came to know that Salman took Azaan for a ride on his buggy scooter (an all-terrain vehicle) on the beach. My boy was simply blown way. He says it was one of the best experiences of his life.

His hair was windswept when he came back with Salman and he had that far-away look in his eyes that I hadn’t seen while Azaan did the other fun things in Mumbai with me.

Salman is a very dear friend. And although he had hordes of birthday guests to look after he made my boy feel special and comfortable. I’ll never forget that.”

And now Azaan want a buggy scooter of his own. “Of course I’ll get it for him. There’s nothing I won’t get Azaan. All he has to say is he wants it. On the way to Salman’s farmhouse in Panvel Azaan tasted Mumbai’s junk food, pao-bhaji, bhel-puri etc, for the first time. Now he wants to take some of that also back for his mother.”

But the one baggage that would be toughest to transport from Mumbai to Karachi is Adnan’s pet golden-labrador Rock. Apart from the practical problems of transporation there’s an emotional obstacle to the canine migration.

Adnan’s second wife and Azaan’s stepmother Sabah is very attached to Rock.

Says the doting father, “There’s nothing I’d deny my boy. But this is between Sabah and Azaan. Rock is very attached to my wife. And now he has taken a shine to my son in time at all. My dog even sleeps comfortably on the same bed as my son. Azaan does want to take him back.”

Earlier Adnan had offered to send another of his dogs Jazz to Karachi for Rock. Jazz is now with Adnan’s parents in Houston.

“So it’s now Salman’s buggy, Sabah’s dog and Mumbai’s bhel-puri that my son wants to take back to Karachi.”

Quite a goodwill ambassador from Pakistan, this 14-year old!

She may have starred in hit comic capers like “Namastey London”, “Partner”, “Welcome” and “Singh Is Kinng”, but actress Katrina Kaif says she is yet to do an “out and out comic role”.

“I think I have yet to do a great comic role. I have done a lot of comedy films but I don’t think I have done an out and out comic role,” she told.

According to Katrina, her character in “Namastey London” was kind of funny but not a real comic role. “I still haven’t really done a comedy yet,” she said.

By Subhash K Jha

Shah Rukh-Salman Ki Ladaai:
It was like the Mahabharat-remixed. Two towering superstars exchanging heated words and almost coming to blows at the poor embarrassed Katrina Kaif’s birthday party, in full view of the entire film industry.

The next morning Mumbai was buzzing with details about the biggest Bollywood fight of 2008. Stars were personally calling up scribes to give inside information. Salman and Shah Rukh’s friends began to plan their wardrobe for Katrina’s next birthday ….er, bash.

Now Katrina is dreading her next birthday. Her boyfriend always makes the occasion more explosive than she cares to make it.

The year started with an eye-brow raising issue. Should Hrithik Roshan be pulled up by environmentalists for riding an elephant?

But since the creature seemed happy enough in the hero’s company focus shifted from animal welfare to protection of history. Sigh ! When it comes being a celebrity you just can’t win the battle for selfpreservation. Here’s looking at the major controversies of 2008.

Jodhaa Ache-Bar:
Just when Ashutosh Gowariker’s massive costume drama was on release, a section of irate people (who hadn’t seen the film) tried to stall the film’s release (to ensure nobody sees it).

They claimed Rani Jodhaa was never married to Emperor Akbar. If they weren’t then Prince Salim had a lot to be answerable for in school.

Fortunately there was no controversy about the fact that the celluloid Jodhaa Aishwarya Rai was married in real life to Abhishek Bachchan and yet formed a fabulous pair with Hrithik Rosshan in Dhoom 2, Jodhaa-Akbar and now in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next. Go figure

Dil Hai Ki Maanyata Nahin:
Marriage, it’s being said, has done Sanjay Dutt a lot of good. While his physique has gone slimmer his bank balance has grown a lot fatter, thanks to the opportunistic ‘friends’ who have been asked to take a long walk.

The marriage, however, happened under a cloud of controversies with Dutt’s darling sisters and even his trans-Atlantic daughter seeing no reason behind the shaadi. To top it all over and above the unsavoury parivarik bickering we had individuals making legal claims on Mrs Dutt’s marital status.

Lekin yeh shaadi nahin ‘kho’ sakti. Dutt’s friends say this marriage is for keeps.

Harman-Hrithik-Imran….
Yeh Chakkar Kya Hai???? : First Harman kept insisting he was no Hrithik clone. And yet continued to do all the things Hrithik did in the beginning of his career, like assist his dad, act in a special-effects driven film, etc.

Harman spoke, walked and looked like Hrithik. But insisted hum aaapke hain no clone Then Harman’s camp claimed Imran Khan’s powerful Mamu was out to destroy his debut film. By the time Love Story 2050 and Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na hit the theatres on the same Friday it all seemed like a sad and bad case of a persecution complex.

Dude, the junta just didn’t like your picture-show.Period.

Ramu: Wah Taj! :
There are many theories about why Ram Gopal Varma decided to saunter into the devastated Taj hotel.

While many think the director was being snoopy and insensitive a minority feels he had no clue about what had happened inside and strolled in for coffee with his actor Riteish Deshmukh. Once inside Ramu realized he had put his foot in the mouth of a controversy. Hota hai.

Another theory doing the rounds is that Ramu actually ordered his driver to drop him at Raj (as in Thackeray) to discuss Sarkar 3. The driver misheard.

Jaya Versus Raj Thackeray:
A chance remark at the Drona music function triggered off a chain reaction from Maharashtra’s most anti-North Indian politician. It was not clear what Raj Saab wanted. An apology from Jaya? Or visa and passport facilities for non –Maharashtrians? In any case Drona gave every much reason for rona-dhona.

By Subhash K Jha

Sameera Reddy has been shooting on the outskirts of Jodhpur in Rajasthan with peacocks. For the last 46 days. The film entitled Yeh Hausla has her playing a Dalit woman.Now leaving for Singapore to do the new Priyadarshan comedy is a bit of a stretch for Sameera.

“Where I shot with Nagesh was a different world completely without trappings of urban life.I felt I had gone back to basics, ” sighs Sameera.

“I was in a ghagra-choli walking barefeet in the mud and these peacocks would accompany me everywhere. I’ve never been so close to Nature before. And the thought of flying off to Bangkok for my next film gives me strange feeling of cultural dislocation.”

The Kukunoor film came Sameera’s way almost by default. It’s a role Smita Patil would’ve played for sure if she were alive.

Kukunoor has been hearing Bengali auteur director Buddhdeb Dasgupta comparing Sameera to Smita after working with her in two films.

That’s how Sameera landed in Smita’s chappals… barefeet, that is.

After walking in the parched desertland for 46 days playing this spirited no -nonsense Dalit woman Sameera’s feet seem ready to take on the world.

Nagesh too has forgotten the injury caused by his last release Bombay To Bangkok. When the release of Nagesh Kukunoor’s Aashayein featuring John Abraham got delayed the director didn’t waste time.

Off he went to Jodhpur for a start-to-finish one-stretch shooting of a film entitled Yeh Hausla on the life of a Dalit woman, a very Smita Patil kind of character for which he signed Sameera Reddy.

Sameera who’s just back in Mumbai after shooting the film is in a state of shock. “I never knew I could do these things.

And this Smita Patil comparison is getting uncanny. It was Buddhadeb Dsagputa who first compared me with her. And now doing Yeh Hausla I actually felt I was connecting with Smita’s spirit. Maybe it was the pure unspoilt ambience and that whole spirit of Chakra and Manthan that Smita is associated with.”

Sameera has returned exhausted but satiated with the experience. “I feel I’ve gone to acting school. Nagesh has taught me so much, I’ve connected with emotions within myself that I never knew existed. Other actors came and went. But I was there for the full 47-day schedule, I’m in every frame of the film.”

It was John Abraham who told Sameera to grab the role with both hands. “He also told me to do it at one stretch. I realized it was the only way to play this character. I didn’t return to Mumbai even for a day.”

Looking back at the experience Sameera sighs, “I feel I’m now born as an actor. When people see me in Yeh Hausla I hope they see me and not just Smita Patil.”