'We Kissed Really Well'

Says Amanda Seyfried about her kissing scenes with Megan Fox

A lot of people around the world were very jealous when the sexy pair locked lips as they shared the screen in Jennifer's Body. Starring in the 2009 horror comedy, the duo had a bit of a smooch and Amanda thinks they worked "really well together".

The star told W magazine: "We kissed really well together. We have similar kissing styles! If I watch the scene, it's actually really sexy ... We got it done for the masses, and sadly, the masses didn't show up."

While the movie might have performed poorly at the box office, it's clearly still a fond memory for Amanda and who can blame her?!

Despite Jennifer's Body not being the big break she might have hoped for, the star revealed she started to feel "really famous" last year after appearing in blockbuster musical Les Miserables.

She admitted: "It may be that I'm older, and it may be that social media is everywhere now. I don't think I was really famous until last year and I felt like no one paid much attention to what I was doing. That was good. But Les Mis was an international hit, and that changed things. Before, I was a little more anonymous."

Liz locks lips with tycoon

There's nothing like a romantic smooch to put a smile on a girl's face. So it was no wonder English model Liz Hurley was beaming like a Cheshire cat on Thursday evening after sharing a very public snog with her new squeeze, David Yarrow.

The brunette beauty was seen arriving at the tycoon's Chelsea pad. David gave Liz a romantic goodnight kiss, and a cheeky bum squeeze, before they realised they were being snapped.

Liz's passionate public embrace comes just weeks after rumours emerged that her ex-lover Shane Warne enjoyed a four-hour tryst with Ultimo boss Michelle Mone.

However, it seemed Shane wasn't a happy bunny seeing the pics of Liz and tweeted: "Was just sent some pictures, wow, some people move on quickly. Maybe now it's time to take up my single friends suggestions & join tinder !"

Nawaz replaces Farhan

 

Buzz is, he will now play the cop who chases don Shah Rukh in Raees.

Ever since it was reported that Farhan Akhtar had opted out of Rahul Dholakia's Raees, speculations have been rife about who would replace the actor. Mirror has learnt that it will probably be Nawazuddin Siddiqui who is in advanced talks with the production company, Excel Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role as a local don.

According to a source close to the development, Nawaz would be an apt choice to play the cop as it is a performance-oriented role. 

 The source added, "It is a meaty role and Nawaz will be sharing quality screen time with Shah Rukh."

"That's the reason Farhan was drawn to it as soon as he heard the script. But with Shah Rukh's injuries the shoot of Raees got pushed forward. Zoya's (Akhtar) Dil Dhadakne Do also got delayed and eventually Farhan's dates for Raees were clashing with those that he had allotted to Bijoy Nambiar's film for Vinod Chopra. Farhan eventually realised that he would have to let this film go as he didn't want to delay the project any further. If all goes well, Raees should now roll post monsoon," the source elaborated.

The film is set in Gujarat and Shah Rukh apparently plays an Indianised mafia head in the film. A team of Hollywood make-up artistes are being flown down to do the look tests with him. They will be experimenting with different hair styles, beards, eyebrows and scars (Mirror, January 21).

Excel Entertainment remained unavailable for comment.

Prize moments

Randeep Hooda impresses at the National Equestrian Championship.

Mirror had earlier reported (March 8, 2014) that Randeep Hooda would take part in the National Equestrian Championship, which flagged off in Delhi on March 11, in two categories, show jumping and dressage.

The three-day event concluded yesterday and the actor trotted home with five medals--two golds, one silver and two bronzes.

"All the medals came in the first two days, by the third day both my horse and me were exhausted even before we entered the arena. A few silly mistakes cost us a medal and we ended up in fourth place. Still, it's my best ever performance and I surprised myself as I hadn't had much time to practise in the last month-and-a-half because of my film commitment. I just wanted to participate. But six years of training paid off," says Randeep who is now gearing up for another attempt in the show jumping competition which starts on March 19

Interestingly the horse that won him the two golds and a silver, is well past its prime. "Johnny Walker came to me as a rescue case, completely hairless. In the last six years I was often told to sell it, but I held on and my confidence paid off. Johnny Walker is special," says an elated Hooda. 

The other equine, Simply Supreme, previously owned by the Poonawallas, was one of the best race horses in the country and came to Randeep five years ago. "Fifteen-year-old Simply Supreme hasn't competed in a while, but still managed to land a bronze. It's a show jumper and I'm hoping we'll put up a good show later in the month too," says Randeep.

The last few days have been a blur, from waking up early for the competition and then dashing off to report for the Kick shoot.

"Sajid bhai (Nadiadwala) had set an 11 am call time and I didn't want to be late," says Randeep, who's been doing a lot of the "action stuff" with Salman Khan but not atop a horse.

"But the medals have given me a reason to show off to Salman and Sajid bhai," he smiles. 

Mona and Vidyut back together

 

Last April, Mona Singh and Vidyut Jamwal hit rock bottom in their relationship after an allegedly doctored MMS of hers was leaked online. But, it seems the lovers have now reconciled.

Recently, the couple was spotted enjoying a hearty meal at a plush suburban hotel. And keeping them company was Gaurav Gera who had worked with Mona in the TV show Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and still shares a cordial relationship with the actress.

A friend of Vidyut told Mirror, "Mona and Vidyut were absolutely smitten with each other and were even contemplating marriage. But, then with the MMS coming out, things got a little uncomfortable between the two. But, recently they reconnected and cleared the air. They realised that it was foolish of them to have parted ways over such a trivial issue. They are still very much in love and have rekindled their romance."

Both Mona and Vidyut remained unavailable for comment. 
The two were introduced through common friends in 2011 and a year later, in an interview Vidyut opened up and admitted that he was indeed dating the actress. In April 20, 2013, Mirror had reported how her relationship with Vidyut hit a rough patch after the MMS surfaced. When Mona was nowhere to be seen during the release of Vidyut's debut film Commando just weeks after, speculations were rife that the two have split. However, neither Mona nor Vidyut ever confirmed the news.

Saif Ali Khan charged for assault

Two years after Saif Ali Khan allegedly assaulted a South-Africa-based businessman and his father-in-law at a Mumbai hotel, a local court yesterday framed charges against the actor and his two friends, Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi, under Section 325 (assault) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, public prosecutor Wajeed Sheikh said.

However, the trio pleaded not guilty after the metropolitan court read out the charges to them.

Saif and his friends had been arrested following a complaint filed by NRI businessman Iqbal Mir Sharma after the two allegedly got into a fight at the Taj Hotel on February 22, 2012. The trio was later released on bail. 

The 42-year-old actor was accompanied by his wife Kareena Kapoor, sister-in-law Karishma Kapoor, their friends Malaika Arora Khan and her sister Amrita Arora and some male friends when the brawl broke out.

According to police, when Sharma protested to the raucous chatter of the actor and his friends, Saif allegedly threatened them and subsequently punched Sharma in the nose, fracturing it.

The NRI businessman had also accused Saif and his friends of hitting his father-in-law Raman Patel.

Saif had maintained that Sharma made provocative statements and used abusive language against the women accompanying him and this led to the ruckus.

The police had filed a charge sheet against the trio on December 21, 2012. 

All for love

 We spotted Virat Kohli exiting the Mumbai airport, having flown in from Columbo. No, there isn't any India-Sri Lanka series on the horizon but Virat's lady love, Anushka Sharma, is in the island nation shooting for Bombay Velvet.

Apparently, the cricketer dropped in to spend some "quality time" with the actress who had two easy days in this leg of the film's schedule.

Said a source, "The two remained in their hotel room and Virat was careful not to drop on the movie set, especially when the members of the press were present. But the duo explored a couple of exotic locales around the Tissa region, where the set has been erected."

Virat posed for photographs with the air hostess, but the moment he learnt that of journalists were around, he disappeared into the shadows. But we managed to click him before he became Mr India. It seems Katrina Kaif is not the only one who cannot wait to rush to Ranbir Kapoor's side whenever she can steal a few days off from her busy schedule.

Sona croons for a parrot

 The animated musical Rio 2 has Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg lending their voices for the birds, Jewel and Blu. And Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan have been roped in by producers Fox Star Studios to parrot for the lovable macaws in the dubbed Hindi version. While voicing the delightfully funny lines, Sonakshi ended up crooning a few too.

According to a source, "The dubbing happened last Saturday. It took only a couple of hours and Sonakshi had a real blast. And during an interesting party sequence she sang a few lines too."

When contacted the actress confirmed the news saying, "I really enjoyed dubbing for the film and I felt that both Imran and I were perfect for the characters of Blu and Jewel. There's a scene where the two macaws are dancing and singing so they made us sing a few lines too. It was a novel experience but super fun because I love singing. I'd have loved to sing more but unfortunately, I'm just a bathroom singer." The actress turns singer for the Hollywood flick, Rio 2.


The sequel to the 2011 film will open in theatres on April 11. It releases in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

The comedy unveils in the Brazilian city of Rio De Janero and will see Blu and Jewel, along with their three kids, leave placid domesticity behind for a journey to the Amazon rain forest. 

Walking a thin line

 The makeover has not been an easy one though as Ranbir is juggling the buff avatar of Bombay Velvet with Jagga Jasoos where he plays a lanky teenager. To keep up with these physical demands, the actor carted his personal chef and trainer for the Lanka schedule. Ranbir Kapoor had to go from a buff street fighter to a wiry teenager and then back again...

In Sri Lanka Ranbir Kapoor walks into the spectacular set of Bombay Velvet in Sri Lanka wearing a red cap, white vest and blue denims, a jaunty cigarette hanging off his lips. The actor's transformation into Johnny Balraj, the ambitious street fighter who goes on to rule the Bombay of the '50s, is complete.

"I have to look like a toughie in Bombay Velvet, so I had to bulk up for the role. And then when I shoot for Anurag's (Basu) Jagga Jasoos I have to metamorphose into an 18-year-old wiry boy. I've been working out everyday, first to gain muscle and then to lose it all for a lean frame," says Ranbir.

The actor ranks the physical transformation as the easy bit of the preparation. The extreme makeovers, a la Farhan Akhtar in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club, does not impress him. "I don't think it is a big deal, the emotional investment is the tougher part. Growing your hair or a beard or losing weight is easy," the actor shrugs.

Prodded by his trainer Ranbir would hit the gym religiously every day but soon got bored of the regime. So he invited director Anurag Kashyap to join him. The rotund director is now sporting a trimmer frame, thanks to these exercise sessions.

Working out with Anurag was a perk for Ranbir too who says that he accepted Bombay Velvet just so that he could collaborate with the director. "I think his treatment of the story is unprecedented in scale and there is a lot to exploring in the character I play," says the actor.  

His last release Besharam, opened to bad collections and worse reviews, ending his successful two-year run, but no regrets. "I took the biggest risk with Saawaariya. Besharam failed and it was disappointing but I have been taught not to take failure to my heart and success to my head. This time there is more pressure on Anurag as it is his magnum opus," he laughs. "But Bombay Velvet is my most romantic film, it's my Titanic or Gone With The Wind,"the actor signs off.  

Vidya takes a break

 The actress has told Sujoy Ghosh that she can't shoot for his next film in May as she needs some time for herself.

Since Thursday, the Bollywood grapevine has been abuzz with whispers that Vidya Balan has pulled out of both the films she had in her kitty- Sujoy Ghosh's next costarring Irrfan Khan and Mohit Suri's Hamari Adhuri Kahani with Emraan Hashmi and Rajkummar Rao. Her last two films, Ghanchakkar and Shaadi Ke Side Effects, did not live up to the expectations and rumour has it that the actress wants to evaluate her future plans.

When contacted, Mahesh Bhatt, the producer of Suri's film, told Mirror, "As far as Hamari Adhuri Kahani is concerned, Vidya is still on board. She asked for the details before she left for the US. Why would she make enquiries if she didn't want to do my film?"

But a close friend of Vidya spilled the beans. "Vidya may do the film with the Bhatts as it has been pushed back because of Emraan's son's health issue. But she is definitely taking a break."

The first collateral damage of Vidya's decision is Sujoy Ghosh's next. Ghosh, who was scheduled to roll with the film in May, is obviously not a happy man. 

"Vidya has told him that he can go ahead with another actress, but Sujoy says that he will wait for her. But, that will of course leave Irrfan with a gaping hole in his date diary in May," said the source.

So, why the sabbatical? "She's exhausted after back-to-back shoots and promotions for both films. She wants to do only endorsements for a while," revealed the source.

An equally strong rumour doing the rounds is that Vidya is pregnant. The actress who has put on a few kilos recently had denied it and the friend maintained that she is not in the family way.

Vidya will next be seen playing a detective in Bobby Jassos.

Both Vidya and Sujoy remained unavailable for comment.

Imran out of Bhavesh Joshi

Motwane confirms that the actor has opted out of his film.

Imran Khan's second coming as a Gujarati 'superhero' has been scuppered. The actor has opted out of Vikramaditya Motwane's Bhavesh Joshi, creating uncertainty about both the film and the actor's career. Though there seems to be no specific reasons for his exit, the film's producers, Phantom Films, have put the project on the back burner for now.

Vikramaditya is going back to the drawing board to rework the lead character as the role was written with Imran in mind. There may be a replacement but as of now the project is on a standstill.

When contacted, Vikramaditya confirmed the news saying, "Yes, Imran Khan is not doing my film. We will have to figure a way out now. I am back to working on the script." 


Imran was last seen in Gori Tere Pyaar Mein opposite Kareena Kapoor, the film didn't live upto the hype generated. Bhavesh Joshi, a socio-drama about a Gujarati immigrant in Mumbai was supposed to roll in February this year. But the announcement of Imran's wife Avantika's pregnancy reportedly caused a delay as the actor wanted to spend time with her.