MUMBAI  - From a time when Bollywood stars only wore traditional outfits during festivals, they are now emptying their pockets in high-end designer shops to experiment with their look for "Diwali".

Bollywood has seen an evolution of fashion from the mid 1990's when ornate traditional outfits dominated. Many stars now have hired their own style gurus who constantly innovate with their look and wardrobe.

Bollywood designers say this "Diwali", the Hindu festival of lights, will see the actors mixing simple formal shirts and trousers with rugged jackets and leather shoes. Some may even prefer the traditional bright coloured lavish kurtas.

"The men will be simple and sober but classy and urban," said Narendra Kumar, whose list of clients include Bollywood star John Abraham and directors Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rakesh Roshan.

For the women, designers have dished out a wide range of outfits from the plunging neckline tops and shirts to skirts and shiny dresses. The traditional stitch work and printed salwar-kameez in golds, reds, greens and blues are in demand too.

"The preference is tilted towards wearing the traditional stuff this time," said designer Anita Dongre, who dresses up the likes of Mallika Sherawat. "But there is a great demand for the Western outfits too. Westerns are must for the Diwali parties."

Designers also feel the Bollywood icons will prefer wearing their attitude this "Diwali" rather than following a trend.

"This Diwali will see a lot of bling and shine from our stars and everyone will try to look as different from the other as possible," said Raghavendra Rathore. "Now the stars want to set a trend and not follow one."

Speaking of stores, she just launched her design store Babita M in Juhu, Mumbai recently. Chak De gals Sagarika Ghatge and Vidya Malvade modelled her designs which mostly is "fusion and trendy, not traditional Indian.

Her association with Sagarika and Vidya goes back to their post release events for which she dressed them,"I gave them casual chic clothes and accessories and they loved it," she announces happily.

Her latest collection comprises of dresses and trouser tops in "chiffons and geogettes with Swaroski work". Her favourite lot is the "satin with lots of texturing - with leather, lycra and prints" and she often gets her own prints worked on the fabric,"That's my speciality," she points out.

Babita's filmy friends always subscribed to her sense of style and patronised her designs. Geeta Basra, Niharika Khan, Achla Sachdev, Neha Hirani(Kimaya store owner) and Aparna Tilak attended the launch of the store.

She launched an outlet in New York and her "bling" dresses with sequins and emobroidery detailing turned out to be hot favourites with tourists as well as natives.

Ask her about the most stylish Bollywood actress and she says,"Definitely Bipasha Basu, she can carry off any dress with complete ease. Preity Zinta is always fashionably correct."

Making her fashion statement, Babita says,"Wear anything you are comfortable and confident in. The best of my balloon dresses is going no where if it doesn't suit you. Think of the occasion and wearability of the garment," she concludes.

Celebrity Big Brother star Shilpa Shetty suffered a new humiliation as her new venture, musical Miss Bollywood was panned by critics.

The Bollywood actress became a household name after she stood up to Big Brother bullies Jade Goody and Danielle Lloyd and ex-S Clubber Jo O'Meara.

But critics have savaged her new show, with one branding it an "ill-conceived, half-baked star vehicle".

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Panned: Shilpa Shetty's latest venture, musical Miss Bollywood has been panned by critics

Shilpa stars in the show which is set in London in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

Mayor Benjamin (Josh Moran) has decided that his opening gala should be a celebration of cultural diversity at the same time as he decrees the demolition of some of the buildings standing in the way of the building of an Olympic Village.

And Shetty plays Maya, a naïve and modest dancer who has come from India to invest all of her savings into a Bollywood Dance Academy in one of the buildings.

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Disappointment: It is the latest in a string of disappointments for Shilpa since leaving the Big Brother house following the racist row which catapulted her to fame

The show, scripted by the Bollywood screenwriter Niranjan Iyengar, exploits Shetty's Celebrity Big Brother ordeal, which at the time caused a national outcry.

And it includes jokes about her notorious kissing encounter with Richard Gere, which saw the star disgraced in her homeland and almost prosecuted for indecency.

The Times' arts critic Sam Marlowe dismissed the show as "lacklustre".

Marlowe said: "It's a shame that, having endured Celebrity Big Brother with such dignity, she has gone on to capitalise on the experience with a substandard project that reeks of cynicism."

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Lacklustre: Critic Sam Marlowe called the production, which is touring in the regions, 'lacklustre' and 'mechanical'

He added: "The dancers are mechanical, the script diabolical, the acting amateurish and the costumes look nastily cheap.

"It all lacks brio and excitement; and though she is elegant to the last, Shetty alone isn't enough to make it worthwhile."

Critic Kevin Bourke of the Manchester Evening News was a little kinder. He said: "...the last twenty minutes or so of this Bollywood-on-stage fantasy are fantastic fun...".

But he added: "With its Big Brother, Richard Gere and 'goody, goody' gags, the show can feel like a panto".

It is the latest in a string of disappointments for Shetty who has failed to capitalise on her fame since leaving the Big Brother house.

Miss Bollywood is currently touring the UK.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - An exotic tale of murder and reincarnation will battle a romantic musical inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's novella in two of this year's biggest Bollywood films opening on Friday.

Weeks of publicity have built up huge anticipation for "Om Shanti Om" and "Saawariya" (Beloved), the year's blockbusters for "Diwali", Bollywood's most important movie-going season coinciding with the Hindu festival of lights.

The industry, the world's largest by ticket sales, is waiting eagerly to see if the two films can reduce losses in a year in which most big productions have bitten the dust and only a few low-budget ventures have tasted moderate success.

Though its makers haven't said so, "Saawariya" is apparently inspired by Dostoevsky's sentimental novella "White Nights", where a chance meeting of a boy and a girl leads to unrequited love and heartbreak.

"Saawariya is a simple but exotic love story," director Sanjay Leela Bhansali wrote on the film's Web site (www.saawariyafilm.com). "True love is divine. It has to have yearning, disappointment and agony."

On the other hand, "Om Shanti Om", starring superstar Shah Rukh Khan, is more of an action drama.

Khan plays an aspiring actor of the 1970s who dies and is immediately reincarnated in the present day. He tries to solve the mystery of his death and find the lady love from his past life.

(L to R) Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya and Amitabh Bachchan at police show.

7 November 2007 (Sawf News) - Bollywood A listers Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan were present at the event held at Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai, Monday, Nov 5.

(L to R) Shahrukh Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Deepika Padukone and Arjun Rampal at police show.

The Bachchans stole the show with a rare joint appearance that reminded everyone of their formidable brand value.

(L to R)Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Shahrukh Khan and Shreyas Talpade at police show.

For Shah Rukh Khan, who has been untiring and relentless in promoting his film Om Shanti Om, the event was another big opportunity. He performed a dance number from the film with Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal and Shreyas Talpade.

Saif Ali Khan at police show.

Amongst other Bollywood stars present on the occasion were Mallika Sherawat, Arshad Warsi, Priyanka Chopra, Raza Murad, Sonam Kapoor, Esha Deol, Urmila Matondkar, Meghna, Nisha Kothari, Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Jeetendra, Rakesh Roshan, Sonali Bendre, Bobey Kapoor and Sridevi, Dia Mirza, Riya Sen, Emraan Hashmi and Mona Singh.

Rani Mukerji at police show.

Those that performed on the occasion included Adnan Sami, Kailash Kher, Raageshwari, Kunal Ganjawala, Bappi Lahiri and Jojo.

November 08, 2007

She's just a new comer and in her second movie she is getting a chance to work with Abhishek Bacchan. I'm talking about Sonam Kapoor. Her movie Saawariya is not yet released and she has signed a movie opposite Abhishek Bacchan. She will be doing Delhi 6 opposite Jr. Bacchan. The movie is directed by Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra. Sonam is really lucky to get a Rakeysh Mehra Movie in her second film. We still do not know much about the movie as it has not been revealed. Lets wait and watch for the promos to be out.