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.

A 19-year-old boy clung on to the rear of popular Bengali actor Subhashis Chattopadhyay's car and travelled for more than 40 km just to express his immense desire to become an actor!

The incident occurred late Sunday night under Taldanga police station area in West Bengal's Bankura district when Swarup Barik of Khichka village clung on to the exhaust pipe of the actor's car, local reports said.

Though Barik sustained burn injuries on the way, he never gave up with the hope of realising his dream of becoming an actor.

'I was surprised to find the youth had not fallen off the car,' said Subhashis, known for his slapstick comedy.

It was actress Locket Chatterjee who spotted the youth clinging on to the car and thought he must be a dacoit or a Maoist. She was travelling in another car.

Both actors were returning after performing at a yatra (a folk theatre) in Bankura.

'I suddenly saw a figure clinging on to Subhashis's car and thought he was trying to attack us. I tried to contact Subhashis but his mobile phone was switched off. I then asked my driver to overtake his car and asked for police help. I was scared,' Locket said.

When Subhashis's car stopped, the youth scampered out, claiming innocence.

'My ultimate dream is to become an actor. My favourite actor is Subhashisda. When he came to my village to perform in a yatra, I thought I would be able to express my deep desire to join films, but could not meet him. So I chose to travel this way,' Swarup said.

'The boy had done it out of sheer excitement. We have made him write a note, saying he would never take such a risk in future,' said Jitendra Nath Mukhopadhyay, inspector-in-charge of Bankura Sadar police station.

Farah's father Kamran Khan's chances of making it big as a filmmaker, and the family fell on trying times. SLB's father Navin, too, met with a similar fate in the tricky world of showbiz and took to alcohol, resulting in traumatic childhood memories for the Black director.

Bhansali and Farah went on to assist filmmakers Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Mansoor Khan on Parinda and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander respectively. Interestingly, Farah's career took an unintentional turn as a choreographer on the sets of JJWS, whereas Bhansali was appointed as the director of a song on Chopra's bleak story about two brothers and the mafia.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali entered the Bollywood landscape silently, with not-so-successful Khamoshi, but he really hit the marquee with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which went on to become one of the most successful films in the year and put Bhansali at front of successful directors. Bhansali continued his success march with really-mega-budget Devdas, churning out enough money to justify the big budget, even resulting in the selection for India's official entry to best foreign-language film at Academy awards, only to be ousted too early just like most of Indian films. Strengthening Bhansali as one of looked upon figure of Bollywood, but surprising was yet to come. In 2005, Bhansali came up with "breakthrough cinema", "critically-acclaimed", "beautifully crafted" et al BLACK.
Coming to Saawariya, Saawariya is adaptation of Fryodor Dostoevsky's short story White Nights. Russian authors are known for their dark, depressing love stories about unrequited love, with most of the stories ending in agony, nervousness and depression. As a screenplay, the story is best.

On the other hand,Farah  won accolades for her dance directing skills with songs like Dhol bajne laga (Virasat), Chaiyyan Chaiyyan (Dil Se..) and Idhar chala (Koi… Mil Gaya). Her work in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair and the Broadway musical, Bombay Dreams, gave her international exposure. The latter also earned her a nomination, along with Anthony Van Laast, at the prestigious Tony Awards in 2004.

Her dream of making films became a reality when buddy SRK decided to produce and star in her debut, Main Hoon Na. Not only did Farah successfully introduce the audience to a 'spoof', but she also went on to become the first ever lady director to be nominated for a Filmfare award in the Best Director category.

Om Shanti Om is Farah's second film as opposed to Saawariya , which is Bhansali's fifth film. Although both directors launch newcomers, model turned actress Deepika Padukone (OSO).Bhansali introduce to Rishi and Neetu Kapoor's son Ranbir and Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam, who debut in Saawariya,

So, Let's see who will be the king of audience heart.

Raveena Tandon, who took a sabbatical after marriage and motherhood, is planning to face the camera again, tempted by some of the offers coming her way.

"One of them is a movie where I've the central role. So far, post-marriage the offers have been rather okay types. But this one is a woman-oriented film. See, if I do a film now it can't be the usual pony-tailed Jill-in-a-drill kind of thing. I'd be happy to do this one film, as long as they don't clash with my daughter's routine," Raveena told IANS.

The other offer, which "Mast" girl Raveena is tight-lipped about, is for a non-fiction programme on a news channel.

"Doing TV is even easier for me because I can synchronise my clock according to Rasha's schedules. In any case, she's the least problematic child. Not at all cranky like her mother," said Raveena, who has two kids.

The National Award winning actress would be the latest in a long queue of married actresses who have returned after motherhood.

The successful ones were Rakhee, who returned with "Kabhi Kabhie" and "Tapasya", Sharmila Tagore, who did her most successful films like "Aradhana", "Amar Prem" and "Mausam" after marriage, Dimple Kapadia had a fabulous innings post marriage and motherhood with "Sagar", "Rudaali" and "Lekin" and Hema Malini, who continues to be a queen way past marriage and grownup daughters.

Crores at stake
The first big clash will take place on November 9 with Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om releasing on the same day as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya. Then UTV's Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal faces competition from Sanjay Gupta's Dus Kahaniyaan.

Following these movies is the Madhuri Dixit-starrer Aaja Nachle, which is keenly awaited because the actor is making a comeback with this film. In December, Anees Bazmee's Welcome, Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par , Sudhir Mishra's Khoya Khoya Chaand and Gupta's Woodstock Villa are set to hit the theatres.

The right combination of films makes the coming months all the more interesting.  Viewers will have a period film in Khoya Khoya Chand, a complete masala package in Om Shanti Om and a children's film in Taare Zameen Par, which is also Aamir's debut venture as a director.

"I would put it (the money that is at stake) at roughly Rs 200 crore," says trade expert Taran Adarsh. What makes the situation more interesting is the number of big stars whose films are up for release — starting from Shah Rukh Khan to Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit. One also cannot forget Akshay Kumar, who has had three hits in a row with Namastey London, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

"Diwali has never been so big. With Om Shanti Om being sold at Rs 75 crore and Saawariya costing around Rs 45 crore, it's going to be quite interesting. The industry might as well get three new stars in Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone," says trade expert Komal Nahta.

The right combination of films makes the coming months all the more interesting.  Viewers will have a period film in Khoya Khoya Chand, a complete masala package in Om Shanti Om and a children's film in Taare Zameen Par, which is also Aamir's debut venture as a director.

What went wrong?
Adarsh attributes the lack of big hits so far this year to "bad scripts and bad films". We have had successes such as Guru
(Rs 41,65,00,000), Heyy Babyy (Rs 51,60,00,000), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Rs 41,27,00,000) and Chak De! India (Rs 63,64,00,000) along with Namastey London, Partner, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Aap Kaa Surroor and average films such as Life In A Metro, Dhamaal and Bheja Fry. However, that super-duper blockbuster hasn't quite arrived except for Chak De!.

Jab We Met is doing well, but certainly cannot be called a blockbuster. By this time last year, there were blockbusters in Krrish, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Rang De Basanti and super-hits in Fanaa and Phir Hera Pheri to mention a few.

Duds such as Salaam-e-Ishq, Eklavya¸ Nishabd, Tara Rum Pum, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag have not quite made producers and analysts happy. With Laaga Chunari Mein Daag also not really faring well at the box office, the concerns seem justified.

"In the absence of good films, the audience is left to choose from ordinary fare," says filmmaker Sudhir Mishra who has his Khoya Khoya Chand, which is reportedly based on the love story between Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rahman, coming up later this year. "The year 2007 is not even close to what 2006 was. We cannot say it has been a very good year so far with many expected hits biting the dust," says Nahta.

A lot depends on how the coming two months turn out. "Om… will get a great opening and so will Saawariya. It's the perfect blend with all sorts of films in store. Taare Zameen Par will be good, too," says Dhan Dhan Dhan Goal director Vivek Agnihotri.