Kareena pips Kat to bag KJo-Balaji film

In December last year, Karan Johar and Ekta Kapoor, the filmmakers who are also best friends, had announced their co-production venture. However, the leading lady for the ambitious project remained undecided. Reportedly, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif were both being considered for the project. And now, Mumbai Mirror has learnt that Bebo has won the battle.

Kareena, who had reportedly opted out of two major projects - Rohit Shetty's Chennai Express and Milan Luthria's Once upon A Time In Mumbaai Part 2 recently, surely had bigger plans up her sleeve. A source close to the film told the newspaper, "Kareena has bagged a very big role in this film. Currently, she is Karan's favourite. He was very happy with her performance in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, directed by Shakun Batra."

In fact, Karan and Ekta have apparently had plans to work together for a very long time. The film that has finally realised their dream will be directed by newbie Akshay Roy. It will go on floors by December, this year.

Karan and Ekta, who have been meeting rather frequently to discuss the film, plan to finish the casting of their co-production by the end of this month.

Our source revealed, "Both Balaji and Dharma are considering Emraan Hashmi for the male lead. In fact, Emraan has recently signed his first Dharma production to be directed by Rensil D'Silva."
 

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Is Kareena bored of the older Khans?

 

Kareena Kapoor has given maximum hits till date. She is one of the most bankable actresses of Bollywood and a favourite of all the Khans. Be it Saif, Salman, Sha Rukh or Aamir all want her in their films.  This year Kareena has many releases namely Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, Talaash and Agent Vinod.

When asked about her experience of working with Imran, to a daily newspaper Kareena said, “Yes. I have been working with 40+ age heroes for a while now, so I wanted to work with a younger hero. Imran and I make a unique pair; he has brought freshness to my repertoire. Everyone’s talking about our chemistry.”

Kareena are you saying you want to work only with young actors? Well, let’s leave it to the actress to decide.

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Kareena looks good only with me: Saif

Saif Ali Khan didn't mince words when asked which of Bollywood's many Khans does his girlfriend, actress Kareena Kapoor look best with.

Apart from Saif, Kareena has so far worked with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and will soon be seen with young Imran Khan in "Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu". After working with Saif in "Tashan" and "Kurbaan", she will be seen with him again in the upcoming " Agent Vinod", set for release March 23.

"Kareena looks good with me and there is no comparison! Apart from me, I don't see anybody (with whom she looks good)," Saif told reporters here on the sidelines of the first poster launch of his production "Agent Vinod".

Kareena, the leading lady of the spy thriller, was missing from the event Wednesday.

Saif explained: "We had to divide to conquer... she will be seen in future promotional activities for the film."

The first poster of the movie features only Saif in it. However, he promises that unlike other action films, the actress has a justified role in his film too.

"Kareena has a very strong role in the film. She has done justice to the role and the role has also done justice to her," Saif said.

The shooting of "Agent Vinod", directed by Sriram Raghavan, took a while. And Saif denies rumours that the delay ensued due to budget hassles.

"The film taking time to complete are the reports given by media. There were lots of rumours that the film is getting delayed, it's getting over the budget... everything was just a rumour. Films take time," he said.

He guarantees that the wait will be worth it, as he said: "The kind of action and locations that we have chosen, I have not seen in much movies. The film must have taken a longer time, but it does not matter as long as the product is interesting."

The film is said to have dollops of action, but Kareena wasn't too comfortable with it.

"She doesn't like doing action, but she is very good at it. She gives pretty intense expressions. As far as I am concerned, I thought it (action) would be fun, but it was very frightening. It's not easy," said Saif.

Besides the unique action sequences, "Agent Vinod" will also have a "different" item song, a 'mujra' picturised on Kareena.

"We thought let's go a different way and try something different in terms of expression. I believe even Dinesh Vijan was pushing for a mujra... we needed to make our item a little bit different," said Saif.

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Kareena perfect choice for Heroine, says Priyanka

Priyanka Chopra admits Madhur Bhandarkar offered his most ambitious project Heroine to her, but she couldn't accept it due to its streak of similarity with Fashion. However, she is sure Kareena Kapoor will do full justice to the role.

"Madhur and I did talk about Heroine. For me, however, it would have been like a Bollywood version of Fashion. Kareena is the perfect choice. She's such a brilliant actor," Priyanka told ETC's "Bollywood Business" host and trade analyst Komal Nahta on his show.

"As a filmmaker, Madhur brings out the best in any actor, and Kareena's such a superior one," she added on the episode to be aired Wednesday.

Both the actresses shared the screen in hit movie Aitraaz.

Aishwarya Rai was the original choice for Heroine, which narrates the journey of a once successful film actress whose career is on the decline.

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Kareena Kapoor Tops Eastern Eye Newspaper's List of 50 Sexiest Asian Women in the World (2011)

Fans of all actresses voted in their thousands and for the last three years Katrina Kaif has come out on top but such is the dream run of Bebo that she bags another accolade to go with her many achievements in the last 12 months. Her Eid release Bodyguard smashed all records and is the highest earner so far this year. Then on Diwali she repeated the magic of her previous Diwali film Golmaal 3 when her Ra-1 became her fourth film to hit triple figures at the Box Office. Not only is she dominating with her movies but she has been immortalized at Madame Tassauds and will break many hearts when she says 'I do' next year in her marriage to Saif Ali Khan. In the recent Airtel Awards she bagged the best Jodi award with Salman Khan and one wouldn't bet against her winning the best actress award too.

As 2011 draws to a close three of her releases next year trailers will be revealed starting with Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Agent Vinod and Talaash. She has also started work on the very exciting Heroine. There seems to be no stopping this Heroine and 2012 could again be her year.

Asjad Nazir (South Asian showbiz journalist, Entertainment Editor of Eastern Eye) who can be found here revealed the results and only 1% separated the top 2.

Full list will be out soon but the top 4 have been revealed

4. Bipasha Basu
3. Priyanka Chopra
2. Katrina Kaif
1. Kareena Kapoor

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'Heroine will be a landmark in Kareena's career'

Madhur Bhandarkar's ambitious project Heroine is back on track with Kareena Kapoor stepping into the shoes of actress Aishwarya Rai as the lead actor and the filmmaker says the movie will be a landmark movie in Bebo's career.

"She (Kareena) is a great star. We have always talked about working together and even discussed a lot of films but nothing Kareenamaterialized. But Heroine is a great script and a great story. I am sure it will be a landmark cinema in Kareena's career," said Bhandarkar at the red carpet of Airtel Super Star Awards.

Bhandarkar's film hit a roadblock after Aishwarya opted out of the project following her pregnancy. Ash gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday.

The filmmaker hopes the film doesn't get into any other problem.

"Heroine is basically a journey in a heroine's life in the contemporary world. It's going to portray how an actress reaches the top and how her life goes through ups and downs. There are lot of catharsis and traumas shown in the film," said Bhandarkar, known for making films like Page 3, Fashion and Traffic Signal.

"Right now, the film is on track and shooting will start November end and we will finish by March-April. Hope you all like it," he added.

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I'm not getting married: Kareena Kapoor

With all the reports of her and Saif's big fat shaadi, Kareena is most amused...

Actress Kareena Kapoor, who is only too happy, to have been the first to star opposite all the Khans and is on cloud nine that her movies are doing well at the box office, says she is in a happy phase of life.

After all the actress is all set to tie the knot in February 2012, right? "Wrong!" says the Bebo! "It's great that people have set my wedding date, have designed my wedding dress and planned my honeymoon without me being aware of it! It's flattering, but no, I'm not getting married, yet!"

On further pushing, Kareena said, "Saif and I are happily in love and happy with each other; We are taking our time. And I assure you, nothing - absolutely nothing - is fixed as yet: no marriage date, no marriage dress, nothing!"

Kareena says the next big thing she is looking forward to is Agent Vinod. "It's a special film. The movie is made on a huge canvas. I am hoping it'll be my next hit. Our fingers are crossed. We have worked so hard on it. Let's hope the effort is worth it," she signs off.

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Of course, I want to work with Hrithik Roshan: Kareena Kapoor

Apparently actor Kareena Kapoor was offered an item song in the Hrithik Roshan starrer Agneepath, but refused the offer. The actor however, reveals that nothing was finalised ever. “Karan (Johar) and I had casually spoken about it, but we never discussed it after that. Karan is like family to me and I will do whatever he asks me to do,” she says without batting an eyelid. And what about doing a film with Hrithik? “Of course, Why not?” Kareena says.

“I would love to work with Duggu, but the real thing is that we haven’t been offered anything substantial together yet. If and when anything that we like comes up, I would love to work with him,” she adds.

On a professional high after her last release with actor Salman Khan, she is now looking forward to her Diwali release with actor Shah Rukh Khan and is excited about her song getting rave reviews. Kareena says that she was always confident that the song would be a hit. “Honestly, I always knew the song would be a hit, right from the first time Shah Rukh made me listen to it. It has a catchy tune to it and it has a mass appeal with Akon singing. I am happy with the way it has turned out.”

While she is awaiting her Diwali release, she is also set to unveil her wax statue at Madame Tussauds in London. She says it hasn’t yet sunk in that she will be joining the likes of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. “It is the culmination of everything that I have worked hard for. I will only believe it once I see it for real,” she says.

Besides that, the actor was recently in the news for apparently having problems with beau Saif Ali Khan’s co-star Deepika Padukone. She was reportedly not happy with the way the duo was bonding on the sets. Ask her about it and she rubbishes it.

“Saif is free to work with whoever he wants and likes. Usually I don’t even know who his co-star is because we don’t discuss these things at all. I don’t have any problems with any of his co-stars.”

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Ra.One: Shahrukh Khan's movie turns a profit in 3 days

Ra.One, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's expensive sci-fi flick, has turned in a profit just three days after release, the head of the production company said on Friday.

Kishore Lulla, the CEO of Eros International, which produced the movie, told ET that Ra.One has broken all box office records for Diwali so far. "I am already into profit ," Lulla said. Shah Rukh Khan's riskiest and most expensive film so far opened on Diwali, Wednesday amidst much expectation about its box office numbers and how it will stack up against rival Salman Khan's Bodyguard, a huge hit when it was released a few months ago.

Bodyguard raked in Rs 21.5 crore in the first day, a record number. Lulla says that RA.One made a net collection of Rs 18.5 crore on the first day, and Rs 25 crore on the second day. Gross (excluding entertainment tax) two-day collections were Rs 67 crore. RA.One's first day collections led many to believe that the movie had underperformed expectations.

The move received mixed reviews and social media, internet chat rooms mobile phone inboxes were abuzz with jokes, sarcastic one-liners about Shah Rukh's labour of love supposedly falling short of viewer expectations. Shah Rukh also had another mountain to climb -- none of his movies so far have crossed Rs 100 crore in revenue, while all three of Salman's biggest hits managed to cross that magic figure.

Bollywood trade figures on Friday are also a shade lower than Lulla with many saying that first day collections were Rs 15.5 crore while the second day was Rs 22-23 crore. But Lulla poo-poohs such comments saying that the movie has set a new record for Diwali with first day collections of Rs 18.5 crore, much higher than Golmal 3, which netted Rs 8.5 crore.

Lulla says that his firm will still end up with 53-55% share of the revenue after the multiplex operators and single-screen theatre owners take their share.

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RA.One review

 

Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Armaan Verma, Shahana Goswami, Tom Wu

Directed by Anubhav Sinha

Rating: Not even One

Science fiction is an oxymoron. And when this genre is sprinkled with moronic humour and logic takes a beating from hell, you know you've punched your tickets for 'RA.One'. With metallic blue and red costumes right out of Falguni Pathak's wardrobe, this out-of-console experience offers laughs, dances and androids touching humans in more ways than considered socially acceptable. Insert coin to read more.

The film sweeps us into a video game fantasy where anything is possible (with a 175-crore-budget, it better be). Game developer, Shekhar Subramanium (Shahrukh Khan) wants to earn his son, Prateek's (Armaan Verma) love and respect. And the only thing that gives Prateek joy is to see his joystick twiddling to spell doom for the most vicious video game super-villain ever. So daddy makes a baddie just like that and calls it RA.One (Arjun Rampal). The game also has a not-so-indestructible superhero called G.One (an emotionally challenged Shahrukh). Please read the box carefully for the 25 permutation-combinations in which RA.One and G.One can kill each other (something to do with the heart being in the body and not in the pocket or anywhere else during combat).

Anyway, it gets nasty as our virtual warriors tear out of the game, 'Terminator 2'-style. Also, thanks to some goofy programming, RA.One is hell-bent on killing Prateek. Naturally, G.One has to do the rescuing and being an android, do it without getting teary-eyed or romantic with Prateek's mum, Sonia (Kareena Kapoor). But who said robots can't ham or chant prophetic life-changing verses coded by its master? No.One!

Humour based on linguistic stereotypes may have worked in 'Zabaan Sambhalke' but now it hardly earns a chuckle. This is assuming the average audience intellect dictates that Tamilians don't always say 'Aiyoo' or pronounce 'keys' as 'kiss'. And even if they do, no amount of laughter track can make this seem funny. No.Fun!

'RA.One' does what no other Sci-Fi movie has done before: it mocks itself. So, the superhero who is manually stopping trains in one scene, is also burning his crotch or sneezing out metallic wires in another. No respect.

Shahrukh's robotic expressions will remind you of his 'My Name is Khan' role, as he confuses machines with differently-abled humans. Kareena's character covers the entire gamut of expressions but isn't memorable or mentionable enough to be regarded. Arjun Rampal has bagged his dream role: an android with mechanical expressions who allows his body to do the talking. Good job, Arjun Rampal's body!

The VFX award would go for most battle arenas, inspired from many popular games. It wouldn't go for the local train swishing out of CST station like a PowerPoint slide.

It's convenient to say that if you have no expectations from 'RA.One', you wouldn't be disappointed. But if you feel so little for the film, why go to watch it at all?

[source: Yahoo!]

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RA.One movie review: Shahrukh Khan scores as a superhero… almost

Used to those mindless movies doing the rounds? King Khan’s latest film is one where you would not want to leave your brains behind

It’s always tough to make a sci-fi film where you have to first make the audience understand the basic premise – the ‘new technology’ that makes things happen. And even tougher when your primary target audience is children. Shahrukh Khan and Anubhav Sinha manage to pull it off barely by a pixel. So Shekhar Subramanian (SRK) is a clumsy, Hindi and Tamil speaking game programmer in London. He has a wife Sonia (Kareena Kapoor) and a kid Prateek. To impress his son, he makes a computer game where the villain RA.One is more powerful than the hero, G.One. Then the unexpected happens. Thanks to the ‘new technology’, RA.One enters the real world. Now he is all set to cause destruction everywhere he goes and even G.One might not be able to stop him.

Kareena really doesn’t have much scope to show off her talent, except in the songs and she shines in them. Shahrukh is in a totally new avatar here and it’s not just the curly hair. His romance is downplayed, he does funny football fights and gets his Tamil wrong. But hey, it is an interesting change from his usual dreamy romantic and full of overacting scenes. And when he has to remain expressionless as he is playing a game character, he still conveys a lot with his blue eyes.

A big cheer for Arjun Rampal. We couldn’t wait for RA.One to come out of the game, just so we could see the hunk. We waited. And waited. The most tragic thing that can happen to a hero, happens to Shekhar and all we are thinking is, where is Arjun? It’s post-interval and he is still to make his appearance. Poor Arjun. And to think he shaved his glorious head of hair just to be in less than half a movie. Despite the length of his role, Arjun makes a heady impact.

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SRK goes all out to make Ra.One a cracker of a Diwali release

Considering that Shahrukh Khan has ventured into an unfamiliar genre of super hero flicks, which has not received much appreciation from Indian public, the superstar is going all out to create awareness and interest in the genre.

Shahrukh kicked off the promotions of 'Ra.One' by releasing the first look of the film on Twitter in January this year, followed by the ten-second trailer of the film during World Cup match in the month of March.

The first theatrical trailer of 'Ra.One' was released three months later during a five city tour and a 3600 ft long fan mail was collected with messages from audiences.

In early September, SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment launched viral marketing campaign for promoting the film more effectively in the online arena.

"Overall marketing idea is of Shahrukh. Considering the movie is the first of its kind being made in India, extraordinary promotions were required. The idea is to create buzz about the movie," Shailja Gupta, Digital & Merchandising head of Red Chillies, said.

An official customised 'Ra.One' channel was launched on YouTube, a first for an Indian film, where audiences can see theatrical promos, songs, events, uncut footage, videos of 'Ra.One' premiere and red carpet events.

Western Union, a leader in global payment services to launch a global campaign, joined hands with Red Chillies for international promotions. Through this, Shahrukh is looking to target Indian families settled abroad.

The makers have also collaborated with the Formula One races as a part of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. SRK launched a digital avatar of G.One, the character he plays in the film and roped in UTV Indiagames to design a social game based on the film, which serves the dual purpose of marketing and entertaining in digital space.

UTV Indiagames also developed digital comics based on the film's characters. Written by Shahrukh, the comic has weekly episodes and serves as prequel to events in the movie. Also, an official G.One store has been launched on the film's official website, where people could buy the film merchandise.

The 45-year-old actor collaborated with several brands like Nokia, Godrej Consumer Products, Coca-Cola, Cinthol, Gitanjali Group, Horlicks, McDonalds and others to promote the film and its merchandise.

"On the digital front, we have tied up with You Tube, UTV Indiagames, Sony playstation and others. Besides promoting on digital platform, we have tied up with several brands... some of them are new and some are which Shahrukh is already associated with," Gupta said.

"Also, we have entered into stationary area with 'Back to School' theme where we have items like pencil, toy laptop, compass box, etc. We have tied up with international partners in places like Germany, Italy, US," she said.

Co-producers and distributors Eros International has recovered money through in-film branding, media endorsements, music and satellite rights. The film has subsidised through brand ties-up with over 25 brands worth over Rs 52 crore.

"Every movie has its own size so accordingly branding is done. Today marketing has become an important crux of filmmaking business. One has to pull audiences to theatres and needs to indulge in innovative marketing," Eros International CFO Kamal Jain said.

"It is an intelligent recovery move. Since investment is huge, there is nothing wrong in recovering the money through effective marketing and distribution. In order to have a wider release of the movie, marketing has to be effective. It is a five day weekend, the movie is getting released in over 3,000 screens in India and over 500 screens worldwide," he said.

From appearing on TV shows to collaborating with brands and using other marketing tools to promote his movie, Shahrukh however, refuses to be labelled as a marketing guru. "These terms are all nonsensical. I think every actor talks about his films in some or the other way and like them I also do things when my film is about to release. I feel I am no marketing guru," Shahrukh had told reporters.

"But I do feel in order to reach out to more people one needs to be innovative so that more and more people can be made aware about your film." Trade Analyst Komal Nahata said, "I would call this clever marketing. It is a smart move to recover money much before the release. It is business-like approach. I don't think he is going overboard with promotions. Since this movie has a huge budget, marketing plays a vital role... it has to be done on a vast scale."

"It is essential for 'Ra.One' to pull up top line margins. The film stands out on the Indian core, like it has good songs, humour, family drama and etc," he said. 'Ra.One', a science-fiction film starring Shahrukh, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in lead roles, is all set to release on October 26.

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My films are competing with each other: Kareena

With 'Ra.One' touted to cross the 100-crore mark at the box office as it releases this Diwali, Kareena Kapoor is staring at her fourth film to achieve such a feat and the actress says it is great that her films are competing with each other.

Her earlier films '3 Idiots', 'Golmaal 3' and 'Bodyguard' grossed more than Rs 100 crores and 'Ra.One' might become Kareena's fourth film to break the box office record, making her the only actor in the history of Indian cinema to achieve this feat.

"It is a wonderful stint to be a part of. To have such great successes like '3 Idiots', 'Golmaal 3' and 'Bodyguard' with Aamir, Ajay and Salman is a wonderful thing. Now with Shahrukh, I am looking forward to 'Ra. One'.

"I keep hearing all such fantabulous box office figures every now and then. If 'Ra.One' indeed manages to do as well as predicted, then nothing better than that. My films are competing with my own films and that is a great feeling," Kareena told PTI.

'Bodyguard' netted over 100 crores in it's extended first week and 'Ra.One' may break the record with a much bigger release on the extended weekend of Diwali.

With such commercial successes in her kitty, Kareena, 31, is well aware of the number game in Bollywood and says the commercial viability of a star is important.

"In this industry you are as good as your last film. Eventually it is all about the commercial viability of the stars. Bollywood is about entertainment; this is what sells here and we can't change that. In fact we must not try to change that and balance it all."

"I may try to please everyone but at the end of it all, basically I have to entertain my fans. I can never forget that basic aspect of my journey as an actress," Kareena said.

It was this thought that made her sign a film like 'Bodyguard' where she knew that the focus would be on co-star Salman Khan. "Bodyguard is the only film in my career where I knew that it would be an instant blockbuster on it's release. Yes there was Salman in it, which is a huge factor, but ultimately I believed in the power of the script."

"Regardless of what is sold about the movie, ultimately there has to be something in it that clicks with the audience, else it won't work. 'Bodyguard' had a superb story and some fantastic twists that added to the film's appeal. Otherwise, as a brand, the film wouldn't have been successful in all languages," she said.

Talking about language, Kareena seems to be having some fun time in 'Ra. One', what with her on-screen son reprimanding her for mouthing words that sound like abuses. "That was sheer fun. I enjoy doing comedy and now after 'Golmaal Returns' and 'Golmaal 3', my role in 'Ra.One' too is a light hearted one. I play this fun loving wife of Shahrukh Khan in the film. There is a lot of 'gaali galaauj' here but then these are words that just seem like 'gaalis' instead of being the real ones. So no stress here."

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Shah Rukh Khan helps Shaheer woo Kareena

Actor Shaheer Sheikh aka Anant of Siddharth Tewary's Navya is on cloud nine these days and he has all the reasons to be so! During the shoot of Diwali Rishton Ki Mithas he got a gift that he will never forget.
But this happiness was only a result of much discomfort and teasing by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Apparently, while shooting for the show, SRK decide to pull Shaheer's leg by telling him that he was too young to be on TV and that he's very amateur to even flirt with Bebo, leave aside dancing with her. As expected, the newcomer was scared throughout the shoot! SRK was in splits when he saw the TV actor frowning and later disclosed that it was just a prank and he was doing a great job. Not only this, King Khan gave some special and unique tips to the lad to woo his lady love Kareena! The lucky newcomer not only got a rare opportunity to meet and greet with Shah Rukh but also got useful tips that he's sure to follow!

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We never fixed wedding date: Kareena

Pataudi's son Saif Ali Khan walks with girlfriend Kareena Kapoor.

Last month, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi’s demise left a huge void in the cricketing world. But long before the legendary cricketer breathed his last, Tiger’s son Saif Ali Khan and his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor made sure they were constantly by his side. Saif and Kareena also cancelled their trip to the
prestigious London Fashion Week (LFW) on September 19 while he was ill. Apparently, the couple was supposed to attend Burberry’s Spring Summer 2012 show.

“Yes, we were supposed to go for LFW around my birthday (September 21). But of course, we had to cancel the trip. We didn’t want to go because of Saif’s father’s ill health. It was for the best that we didn’t go,” says Kareena, who with great excitement had told HT Café in August: “We have been invited and they have also announced that a celebrity couple from Bollywood will attend the fashion show in front row.”

But what Kareena is unhappy about these days are the never-ending speculations about her wedding. After Pataudi’s demise, some reports emerged saying that their wedding — in February 2012 — had been postponed due to Tiger’s death. But Kareena rubbishes it all.

“There was never any fixed date or month for our wedding. Plus, we never discussed it in the press. So, until Saif or I talk about it, no dates can be fixed. And as a rule, we are never going to discuss it in the media. And when we really have to, we will,” she says, adding that people are welcome to speculate. “People shouldn’t believe in what the media reports. We never said it’s going to be happen in February, so how can there be any cancellation? Everyone, apart from Saif and I, seems to know more about our marriage,” says the RA.One actor, who will be seen on the big screen on October 26.

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Kareena picks Aamir over Shah Rukh

Kareena Kapoor, better known of late as the 'Khan Queen', finds herself in an awkward situation thanks to that very celebrated title. The dates of the Toronto premiere of RA.One with Shah Rukh Khan and the shooting schedule of Reema Katgi's Dhuaan with Aamir Khan are apparently clashing.

Not surprisingly Bebo has chosen Mr Perfectionist, whom she has been raving about ever since their blockbuster film 3 Idiots, over 'G One'. A source, however, defends her decision of choosing Aamir over SRK.

"Kareena has to take some special training for an underwater sequence in the film and she needs time for that too. So going for the premiere is out of the question."

The shoot sequence in question was supposed to be shot in the outskirts of Mumbai. It was cancelled last minute due to certain technical issues.

Now, apparently, the location for the shoot has been finally finalised. Since it's one of the last few scenes to be shot, it cannot be delayed again.

Adds the source, "Kareena plays the female lead and SRK obviously wants her around as much as possible. She is trying her best to attend the Dubai and London premieres because she does not want to miss the international premieres of her film."

However, she has not been able to work around her dates for the third global premiere.

"This film is obviously her biggest this year, and she definitely wants to be a part of all promotional events. It's just unfortunate that the premiere is now clashing with the shoot dates of Dhuaan."

The actress will be shooting for Dhuaan on October 26, and hence will not be part of the premiere in Toronto or any other promotional activity on that day for the Shah Rukh-starrer.

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Kareena wants to go the Meryl Streep way

Constant speculation of her marriage has put many a producer on the back foot as far as signing Kareena Kapoor for projects in 2012 goes.

However Bebo fails to understand why this whole marriage mechanism should affect her career. The actress is not even willing to talk about the wedding issue right now since her beau Saif Ali Khan recently lost

his father, Tiger Pataudi. And all of them are going through a quiet time. But more important, Bebo wants it to be known that even after marriage she has no plans to hang up her boots.

Says she, I will act till I live. For me acting is like air, food and water an essential ingredient.'' Kareena says --I want to go the Meryl Streep way from next year. I'd like to some heavy duty performance oriented films.''

She makes a start with Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine and sometime in the future she wants to do movies like The Devil Wears Prada, Bridges of Madison County and Mama Mia. I'm a Meryl Streep fan and

I think age or marital status can never be a deterrent for an actor. The only thing that one needs is passion. Like I said, acting is like the air I breathe. Its that essential.''

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Kareena tears a Roberto Cavalli gown

To what extent can actors go to look sexy? 

Kareena Kapoor ripped a perfet looking Roberto Cavalli gown and turned it into little white dress. All this to heighten the hotness quotient. And how!

Kareena wanted to look glamourous for the track Criminal from RA.One. So she chopped off the gown upon her designer - Manish Malhotra's advice.

"The dress that I wear in the song was actually cut from a gown. The look needed to be glamorous. It was Manish's idea and I think it was great. It was a Roberto Cavalli gown made into a sexy dress," Bebo told Mumbai Mirror.

"We chopped the gown on the sets. The song required that. We cut it out and it worked for the better. Kareena looked hot and we are getting super response to it. Her looks in RA.One are very different from Golmaal 3 and Bodyguard. Feels superb," Manish told the tabloid.

Kareena has always made news for her style statement in films- fluorescent green bikini in Tashan, tee over patialla salwar in Golmaal, poppy orange sari in 3 Idiots and lately over a crore is being spent for her costumes in Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine.

Kareena chopped the Roberto Cavalli gown (left) and turned it into a little white dress.

RA.One will be released in 3D version and video game format as well.

International pop singer Akon has recorded song track Chammak Challo. Michael Schumacher is expected to drive a car carrying RA.One logo on it at the Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India.

SRK has also roped in technicians and special effects artists from Hollywood.

RA.One is SRK's most ambitious venture till date and is being directed by Anubhav Sinha. The film also features Kareena Kapoor as the female lead and Arjun Rampal in a negative avatar.

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Kareena Kapoor rips her gown to look sexy in the ‘Criminal’ song

Carrying the label of a style queen is not easy! Kareena Kapoor, who made glamorous designer dresses popular with her films Kambakkht Ishq and Tashan, turned stylist while shooting for the song Criminal in Ra.One.

During the shoot, Kareena was wearing an expensive Roberto Cavalli gown which was especially ordered for the shoot, but she felt the dress was not sexy enough. Kareena, who can’t compromise on the oomph quotient, along with designer Manish Malhotra decided to tear the full-length gown to make it short. Ooh-la-la! she indeed looks hot in this ultra short dress.

Partners in crime! Manish Malhotra loved the end result. In fact, it was he who came up with the idea to shorten the length of the dress. “We chopped the gown on the sets. The song required that. We cut it out and it worked for the better. Kareena looked hot and we are getting super response to it,” Manish is quoted as saying.

Kareena’s clothes in her films usually generate a lot of buzz, be it Jab We Met, Tashan, or the recently released Bodyguard. In Ra.One, though she plays a mother to a kid, her role is a glamorous one.

Catch the video of the ‘Criminal’ song sung by Akon from Ra.One here:

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SRK wants ‘Ra.One’ collection to exceed recent Box office hits

Actor Shahrukh Khan’s dream project ‘Ra.One’ set up for Diwali release, wishes astonishing business for his film akin to the recent ones that had a dream run at the box office.

Indicating at the success witnessed by the movies of his friend-turned-foe Salman Khan, SRK said, ‘although he is not competing with anyone he would still like for his movie to rise to those heights’.

Shahrukh told reporters that, “Every film has its own space. I am happy that in the recent past there are three or four films which have done great business. When it comes to box office, I hope even my film is good enough. We hope we will be able to touch the success of those films”.

‘Ra.One’ is superhero film directed by Anubhav Sinha, starring SRK, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in lead roles.

It is the most expensive film till date and which will be released in 3D format universally, along with its dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu and German.

SRK said, “When I started making this film it was a very expensive proposition but I thank all our partners not for the money that they have put in but for the belief that they have shown towards this film. And to recover the money the film will have to do business that has never been done before. The business exists…the return exists”.

Ra.one releases on October 26.

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