‘Sports Was Clean During Father’s Time’

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, daughter of badminton icon Prakash Padukone, says sports was pure and clean during her father’s time. She rues how malpractices such as spot-fixing can give any sport a bad name.

Following news of actor Vindu Dara Singh’s association in the recent spot-fixing scandal of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Deepika says it is sad how because of a few people, several others come in the ambit of doubt.

“It gives a bad name to the sport. It is unfair just because of a few people following this malpractice, you start doubting everybody else. As a country if you want to shine or if you want to be on the same level economically or otherwise (with others), I think it’s important that sports people in our country do really well and this (spot-fixing) is not really helping that,” Deepika told reporters at an event.

“It’s sad. I have grown up in a generation where I have seen my father (play), and sport at that time was so pure and clean. So, to see it go down this route is very disappointing,” she added.

Calling the spot-fixing scandal “shameful”, Deepika’s “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” co-star Ranbir Kapoor said: “IPL has become such a great entertaining platform for the world right now and when such things crop up – like people playing dirty, it’s unfortunate.”

“There is no justification to it and I hope people who are concerned in this mischief should be punished. It is not fair to the people who are playing the sport with the right intention,” he added.

Sherlyn Chopra Grooves In Indian Attire At Cannes

Mumbai: Actress Sherlyn Chopra grabbed the paparazzi’s attention by grooving at the 66th Cannes International Film Festival wearing a white and gold Indian lehenga choli. She is there to promote her movie “Kamasutra 3D” with the team.

The film’s director Rupesh Paul said Sherlyn was “very excited and she grooved for the paparazzi without any hesitation”.

“It was the midnight screening of an Italian movie. Sherlyn was in a lehenga choli and the French media asked Sherlyn to pose. When the paparazzi encouraged her, she started dancing to my surprise,” said Paul.

“It was one of the choreographed numbers, which we trained her to shoot for ‘Kamasutra 3D’,” he added.

Sherlyn, who last year became the first Indian actress to pose for adult film magazine Playboy, flaunted south Indian-style jewellery with the outfit, and donned minimal makeup.

This was her second time at the red carpet this year.

The film’s team is there since May 15, when the fest took off, to unveil the second trailer of their film.

Before leaving for Cannes, Paul said they will also be revealing the name of the Hollywood actress who will be the lead in the movie’s sequel “Kamasutra 4D”, at the fest.

Aishwarya Rai at Cannes

New Delhi: Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is busy with the ongoing 66th Cannes International Film Festival, is extending her stay in the French riviera to attend a fashion show for amFar (The American Foundation for AIDS Research).

“The Ultimate Gold Collection Fashion Show” for AIDS research will see Aishwarya walking the red carpet dressed in an exquisite gold-themed outfit designed by Tarun Tahiliani.

Aishwarya, who is at Cannes as the ambassador of leading cosmetic brand L’Oreal Paris, has been a supporter of AIDS research and has attended the amFar event at Cannes a couple of times now.

She has made arrangements to extend her stay at the movie extravaganza so that she could attend the fashion fundraiser Thursday. Aishwarya will also participate in the auction, proceeds of which will go towards AIDS research.

Aishwarya has been asked to wear a gold-themed Tarun Tahiliani outfit for the gala since he is going to be the only Indian designer showing his creations at the Ultimate Gold Collection Fashion Show.

The annual star-studded event, which draws in the creme de la creme of international cinema, is celebrating gold this year. As part of a unique fashion show, forty top models will showcase a collection of gold gowns and jewellery from legendary and emerging fashion houses across the globe.

Sonam Flaunts Voluminous D&G Gown At Cannes

New Delhi: Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor oozed oomph in a voluminous white floral gown by Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana on day two of the 66th Cannes International Film Festival.

The actress flaunted a D&G gown at the premiere of “Jeune & Jolie” after making India-inspired statements in apparel by Anamika Khanna and Shehla Khan on the first day of the extravaganza. She is at the Cannes fest as the L’Oreal Paris ambassador.

“Sonam Kapoor in custom Dolce and Gabbana for Cannes 2013,” Sonam’s sister Rhea posted on Twitter, along with a picture of the actress.

Sonam’s sharp shoulder blades were accentuated thanks to the off-shoulder gown, which she teamed with matching lilac footwear. She accessorised the gown with an elegant necklace from her jewellery designer mother Sunita Kapoor’s collection.

Sonam’s side swept hair-do went with the look.

A statement by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, on the official Dolce & Gabbana Facebook page, reads: “Sonam Kapoor for us represents the epitome of the golden era of Hollywood, thanks to her natural elegance, her femininity and class.”

“Those years around the 1950s that have made us dream for so long. For her, we created a special piece dress that could emphasise her unique beauty.”

On the kick-off day at the Cannes film fest, the 27-year-old actress was spotted at the star-studded premiere of “The Great Gatsby”. She chose to wear an Anamika Khanna couture creation – an off white sari teamed with a lattice work full-sleeve jacket. To add a zing to her look, she even wore a nose ring.

Later in the day, Sonam opted for a black lace lehanga by Mumbai based designer Shehla Khan at the film fest.

IIFA 2013 To Be Held In Macau

Gurgaon: The 14th International Indian Film Academy awards (IIFA) will be held in Macau from June 4 it was announced here Tuesday. This is the second time that the event will be held in the city.

The three-day event will take off at The Venetian Macao. “IIFA is a pioneering initiative that opens new doors and creates myriad opportunities for the film industry, taking it to new shores each year,” actor Abhishek Bachchan told reporters at a press meet at the Kingdom Of Dreams here.

“I experienced the IIFA celebrations at the Venetian Macao in 2009 and it was a spectacular three-day celebration of Indian cinema. We trust that IIFA will plan their celebrations this year befitting the 100 years of our industry,” he added.

The nominations for the award were announced in April and director Anurag Basu’s “Barfi!” leads the pack with 12.

Pran Conferred Phalke Award At Home

Mumbai: In a rare gesture, union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari specially flew down to Mumbai to present the prestigious 44th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement to veteran character actor Pran Kishan Sikand, famous as Pran.

The frail 93-year-old Pran was unable to travel to New Delhi May 3 when the national film awards were given away by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Tewari was accompanied by Information and Broadcasting secretary U.K. Varma, officials from the ministry and from the Directorate of Film Festivals. He presented the award, comprising a Swarn Kamal, a citation, a shawl and a cash prize of Rs.one million (Rs.10 lakh) to Pran.

“It is an honour for me to present this award to Pran saheb in person, in the centenary year of Indian cinema. Pran saheb is one of the most deserving persons to get the award and this has added lustre to the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,” Tewari said, paying glorious tributes to Pran.

India’s highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, is given annually since 1969 to recognise the contribution of film personalities towards the development of Indian cinema and their distinguished contribution to the growth and promotion of the medium.

Born in 1920 in Delhi, Pran started his career as a photographer in 1940, but a chance meeting with a film producer got him his first role in a film called “Yamla Jat”.

After a brief pause due to Partition in 1947, when he moved from Lahore to Bombay, with the help of the renowned writer Saadat Hasan Manto and actor Shyam, Pran got a break in Bombay Talkies’ film “Ziddi”, in which Dev Anand played the lead role.

Since then, Pran never looked back and acted in over 400 movies spanning six decades, bringing to each role new mannerisms and style and holding generations spellbound by his acting skills and lending new dimensions to his earlier negative image with outstanding character roles in his later career.

Some of his memorable movies are “Azaad”, “Madhumati”, “Devdas”, “Dil Diya Dard Liya”, “Ram Aur Shyam”, “Aadmi”, “Ziddi”, “Munimji”, “Amardeep”, “Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai”, “Chori Chori”, “Chhalia”, and “Zanjeer”, among others.

Neetu-Ranbir Voted Best Mother-Son Team

New Delhi: Neetu Singh and Ranbir Kapoor were voted as India’s most popular mother-son and Tanuja-Kajol as best mom-daughter team in an online poll conducted by Shaadi.com.

The poll, conducted on the occasion of Mother’s Day, suggested that 82.26 percent of Indian women believe that actress Neetu and her actor-son Ranbir share the popular mother-son relationship.

Actress Tanuja and her actress-daughter Kajol topped the most popular mother-daughter relationship list with 60.48 percent votes.

In the best mom cateogory, Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai, who gave birth to her first child Aaradhya in 2011, was voted as the most popular mother, receiving 52.38 percent of the votes.

“Dhak-dhak girl” Madhuri Dixit Nene was second with 29.27 percent votes in the category and Sridevi, who won hearts with her comeback film “English Vinglish”, was voted third with 18.35 percent votes.

Gourav Rakshit, COO, Shaadi.com, said: “The poll showcases some of the most successful Indian women whose love and dedication also makes them popular mothers. This suggests that people are looking at celebrities as real people with real relationships.”

He added: “The poll is part of the consistent research that Shaadi.com conducts in an attempt to gauge the preferences of today’s youth.”

When it comes to striking the right balance between their career and family life, people voted for Malaika Arora Khan and she topped the charts with 40.1 percent votes.

In the same category, boxer Mary Kom won second spot with 30.37 percent votes, while Congress president Sonia Gandhi got 29.53 percent votes.

The online poll received over 16,000 responses.

Aishwarya, Sonam, Freida For Cannes Red Carpet

New Delhi: Indian actresses Aishwarya Rai, Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto will walk the red carpet at the forthcoming Cannes International Film Festival on different occasions. They will sport looks inspired by Bollywood’s different eras.

The trio will walk as brand ambassadors of beauty brand L’Oreal Paris, which completes 16 years as the official make-up artist for the Cannes film fest. With the gala celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema this year, L’Oreal Paris will commemorate the occasion with L’Or Sunset, a new make-up line.

“As the festival celebrates Indian cinema this year, L’Oreal Paris will bring alive iconic make-up trends inspired by Bollywood that will be sported by both our Indian and international brand ambassadors,” Manashi Guha, marketing manager, L’Oreal Paris, said in a statement.

Aishwarya will be making her 12th consecutive appearance this year. She will also be the guest of honour at a special evening celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema at Cannes May 19, besides walking the red carpet May 20. She feels proud.

“It is great to see the Indian film industry being celebrated and honoured on the occasion of its 100th anniversary at an internationally respected platform like the Cannes film festival. This truly signifies the impact made by India on world cinema,” said Aishwarya.

This year marks Sonam’s third visit to Cannes. She will be present at the opening ceremony of Festival de Cannes May 15, and she will walk the red carpet May 16 as well. She is “absolutely delighted” as “this is the first time I will be part of the opening ceremony”.

“Cannes is celebrating Indian Cinema this year and I have never been more proud to be a part of this creative industry. I hope that the Bollywood inspired make-up looks we don this year at Cannes will make global style statements,” she said.

Freida, who is popular in international circuits, too will be seen at the opening ceremony. She said: “I am very glad to see that India is getting a lot of recognition at global platforms such as Cannes. Indian cinema has come a long way and is making a tremendous impact internationally and the new and young crop of indie and alternative filmmakers are definitely game changers to watch out for.”

Indian Film Industry Turns 100

Mumbai: The Indian film industry turned 100 Friday and Bollywood celebrities like Anupam Kher and Govinda hail its overall growth and say they are grateful to be a part of the filmdom.

Actor Anupam Kher: There are news and entertaining channels, there are shopping malls, there are multiplexes, there are restaurants. So the audience are not completely dependent on cinema. That’s why I say it’s a golden age for the Hindi cinema. You can make the kind of films you want to and audience may like them.

Actor Govinda: On behalf of my family, I want to thank everyone. We got all the name, fame, respect and everything here. Thank you so much the Indian film industry. A lot of good has happened in 100 years. There has been improvement. The improvement has been such that now we have gone international… So it has been good.

Now, it has become more good for the youngsters. Whatever they do today, for that they get name, fame and international acclaim.

Actor-director Saurabh Shukla: The journey has been good so far. Starting from Dadasaheb Phalke, the industry has grown progressively and has reached up to this level. This is a very important and special year for our industry.

Composer Lalit Pandit said: Marvellous change has come in the Indian cinema. Technically, we have advanced very much. In music also we have advanced, in terms of structure of sound and recording…a lot of facilities have come now. More advanced films are being made now, comparatively very different subjects are being made now.

Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik: Our cinema will progress more. I just want the piracy to be stopped and more theatres to be opened. There should be digital theatres so that the cinema can reach the small and remote areas, villages. Thus, its reach will increase. It’s very important to achieve it especially in the year of 100 years of indian cinema.