Rumor Has it

Remember Rahul? Who could forget Anjali? Get prepared to see their animal passion..literally. Karan Johar is making a remake of the film but this time in cartoon called Kuchi Kuchi Hota Hai. The characters will be played by different animals all with the original voices of Rani, Kajol and of course Shah Rukh Khan. KKHH was the defining moment in all of our young lives, we all danced to Koi Milgaya, chanted "but he's your best friend yaar" and some of us even played basketball in sari's. Let's see if the next generation catches onto the cartoon flick or will it just be a flashback to our younger years. Oh Karan...tum ne na jaane kya, sapane dikhaa'e. ~*~Reshma Dhawan~*~

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Just when we thought Sonu Nigam bared his soul through his music we get to experience a little bit more! His new album which is classical music based will have a mythological video to go along with it. This time we get a treat not only for our ears but for our eyes, he will be shirtless for the video. Along with that he is also working on an album in Kannada. For someone who always wow'ed us with his voice lets see if taking off his shirt was the right choice! ~*~Reshma Dhawan~*~

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It is a known fact that girls spend too much time waiting for a boy to call them. Checking your phone every five seconds, making sure you don't lose service and then making up excuses when he does not call. He must have lost my number and is desperately trying to find it as we speak. Now imagine you are not waiting for just any boy to call, you are waiting for THE boy to call. On Monday January 13, 2008 the longest wait in my twenty five years of life began. Anxiously waiting for the one and only boy for me, John Abraham!

Three years of loving him and after a few months of waiting I finally managed to land a phone interview with my man. So what's thirty more minutes right? It is now midnight, the moment between yesterday and tomorrow when I received the first message saying the call will happen in thirty minutes. Screaming at the top of my lungs, I run to my room to prepare, but not before assuring my poor father that there were no robbers, wild animals, or heart attacks provoking me to scream so loud. Ooops. Note to self, must learn to express excitement quietly in the middle of the night. Time passed by slowly but surely, I went over my list. Clean room..check. Go over interview...check. Wear something cuter..check. Breath..check. Finally I was approaching the last three minutes. Then I panic. Was I supposed to call him? Or was he supposed to call me? I quickly send out a message. PHEW, crisis averted I get the proper instructions and now it is time. Three years of wishing, three months of persisting, thirty minutes of screaming, and three minutes of panicking all came down to the moment. Ring Ring Ring.....

Reshma: What has been your favorite role to date and why?
John: My favorite role I would have to say is Jism, because I personally love doing intense roles they are closer to what I believe in. I think my next role in Aashayein which means hope will be my new favorite when it comes out.

Reshma: How did you feel when you found out you were going to be in your first film? What did you say to yourself? How do you feel each time someone calls you and says they want you to play a particular role?
John: I honestly did not think about it, Mahesh bhatt approached me and said you seem to have the intensity that a lot of actors lack and you have the body and face. I really did not have time to think about it the only time I thought about it was when I saw it. I was amazed with what I had done.

Reshma: You are known to choose offbeat films, what attracted you to films like Water, Kabul Express, and No smoking?
John: I loved all three scripts, I thought they were brilliant! I look at films as an actor. As an actor there are two things you need to do 1) satisfy yourself with the kind of work your doing 2) satisfy you audience. Sometimes you succeed in one, sometimes you succeed in the other, sometimes both, you need to draw a balance

Reshma:
You have been getting a lot of criticism for No Smoking, what is your reaction to all of this?
John: I think it's a film close to my heart, unfortunately it was positioned wrongly in India. In the roman film festival it got a lot of acclaim but in India we positioned it wrongly. A lot of people will discuss what I do, but watch the film for the novelty of the film.

Reshma: Tell me a little bit about the community service projects you are into.
John: Well PETA and Habitat for Humanity are the biggest ones, and I am involved with Make A Wish Foundation through my mother which helps terminally ill children.

Reshma: Do you have a saying or quote that you live your life by, or cheers you up when you are having a bad day?
John: I just believe that if your not living on the edge your wasting space!

Reshma: I consider you to be a role model to today's youth, which is no easy task! What do you think a role model for today's youth needs to have?
John: It's a very essential responsibility to have. I think a role model needs to remember to behave like yourself and think what is morally right. There are a lot of people who follow what you do and there are a lot of people watching. Don't put on an act, do it from your heart, be who you are.

Reshma: If you could eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
John: I would have to say Daal.

Reshma: What was your favorite children's story growing up?
John: Pinocchio, and Rapunzel (laughs a little)

All I can say is that you have not experienced life until you have heard John say "yes, my love" to you. With that I am off, I have some day dreams to catch up on. ~*~Reshma Dhawan~*~

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Once Upon a time...There was Akbar..Once Upon a time there was Mariam Zumani

There is a place, far far away from us all. Where the girls wear beautiful dresses with mirrors all over them, and the light from the mirrors waltz together in the air, making the land shine. In this land there was an Emperor. A great emperor who ruled this land. His name was Akbar and his love was Mariam. Akbar, like most great rulers did not begin as a tall man standing before his people giving them pride, hope and most of all courage. He began as a 13 year old boy, a little prince the son of Nasiruddin Humayun. He grew up as most children do to be the great Emperor we all know of today.

Somewhere in history Mariam got changed to Jodhaa and their , love story is now the most awaited film of 2008. Starring Hritik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. It's a 16th century romance between two cultures, two religions, and two different people. The love story begins with a political alliance between King Bharmel of Amer who gave his daughters hand in marriage to Emperor Akbar. The secret is that there has been little documentation about their relationship! It has been left almost completely up to the imagination of director Ashutosh Gowariker. On the other hand Mughal-e-Azam which told the story of Salim, Akbar's son and his love Anarkali was an actual documented pyar ki kahani.

The trailers look so regal and the music seems to match the scenes perfectly! There are only five songs to go with the soundtrack. The music is by AR Rahman and lyrics by Javed Akhtar, Javed Ali, Sonu Nigam, Bela Shende. A.R. Rahman himself even performed the songs! The best song (ok that's another opinion) is by far Jash-E-bahaara. The rest of them need to grow on me. Have you ever listened to a soundtrack and liked it but didn't love it. Then you saw the movie and listened to the soundtrack for two months straight? That's what I am pretty sure will happen with Jodhaa Akbar. Can't wait!~*~Reshma Dhawan~*~

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1) He ran in the Mumbai Marathon this past week, the event had over 30,000 participants running for five different causes. There was a fabulous carnival after where everyone wore black and red. They even gave out masks for all the guests. Take the mask off John; you're too good looking to cover your face!

2) John absolutely adores kids. He is very much involved with the Make a Wish Foundation in India that helps terminally ill children. His family is also very involved with this cause along with many others. AMAZING

3) On January 27, 2008 is he will be attending a film festival organized by the French Embassy called Rendezvous with French Cinema in India. Rumor has it the French Prez Nicolas Sarkozy and his girlfriend Carla Bruni will be there. Ladies get your cameras ready.

4) John is a trained footballer. He considered going pro but decided against it. Go buy the DVD Goal(the real one, not the pirated one, show some respect) and check out his crazy skills! There's some great behind the scenes footage where he puts the ball in his shirt.....she swoons...

5) His favorite song is Pehla Nasha from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. Whenever asked to sing that's the song he chooses and looks adorable doing it I might add. He is a huge Aamir Khan fan as well! We have oh so much in common.

6) John Abraham's clothing line is HOT. That may be more of an opinion than a fact but oh well! He approves everything and even does the designing. The best part is that there's a J stitch on his jeans right where it counts, you know what I'm talking about ;). On Koffee with Karan he told a story about how he met Penelope Cruz on the red carpet and was showing a group of girls the J stitch on his jeans. She walked by and said "what's going on" and he pointed to his J stitch. The line is also coming out with "innerwear" and accessories as well. Hehe innerwear...hmmm...

7) In the film Aasheyein John plays a cancer victim who finds out he is sick the same day he wins the lottery. John is known to play deep roles that definitely suit him well! He is the kind of actor that puts himself in the character he is playing and even lost an insane amount of weight to fit the role as a cancer patient.

8) John will be seen in Deepa Mehta's next film known as Luna where he will be playing an environmental activist along side Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz, and Chris Cooper.
9) Always save the best for last, despite his demanding schedule John still takes the time to go on his personal website and write stories and updates for the millions of fans that are inspired by him.

Posted by Rumor has it at 12:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Now don't you want to see what those infamous new abs feel like? Ok settle down he's married but I'm pretty sure you could score a hug! Desi You's very own partner SAAVN along with Jet Airways and Verizon Wireless is offering two lucky winners tickets to India and the once in a lifetime chance to meet Shah Rukh Khan. The best part all you have to do is text BOLLY to 3404 to download the Dard-E-Disco ringtone on your Verizon Wireless VCAST phone or submit your entry at www.saavn.com/verizon. Don't worry all you have to buy is the perfect outfit because there is no purchase necessary. Check out www.saavn.com/verizon for the official rules!~*~Reshma Dhawan~*~

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I was recently lucky enough to get the chance to do an interview with Tushar Jalota the newest addition to the list of the Bollywood boys. I must say this guy is one of the best looking finds yet. He has the abs, the smile, the gorgeous eyes, the height and best of all the personality. He is funny, sweet, good looking, and talented all wrapped up in a 6 foot whatever package! With his first film Showbiz that released in December this guy has a bright future waiting for him around the corner.

Reshma: I read that you were an assistant director and you were hesitant to do your first film, what was it like when you decided that you could in fact do this?
Tushar: You did read correctly. I did spend close to 5 years working as an assistant director in Vishesh Films under the ever watchful eyes of my mentor, Mr. Mahesh Bhatt (Bhatt saab). I have worked on all of six films which include Gunaah, Saaya, Murder, Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Zeher and Kalyug. It was at this point that Bhatt saab suddenly saw me in a different light and strongly recommended that I take a plunge into the world of acting. Before I knew it, I found myself being hauled off to Anupam Kher's Acting School, Actor Prepares. At that point the Bhatt's were working on a script that talked about the dark side of show business and the media and they needed a lead protagonist who had not been seen earlier. I just flowed along with Bhatt saab's scheme of things and today I'm very happy that I did.
When we started shooting, I thought that as an actor I would get all the preferential treatment that I used to have to give the actors during my assisting days. Much to my dismay, I found that the entire crew still treated me as one of their own. Hence, Zero preferential treatment !!!! (Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr) But in a way it was fabulous as well because my first film was spent in the company of people whom I considered family.

Reshma: Who was your favorite actor/actress growing up? Who or what inspired you to work in films?
Tushar: My favourite actor was and still is the same - Aamir Khan. His power packed performances in films like Qayamet Se Qayamet Tak, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Andaz Apna Apna, Ghulam, Lagaan, Dil Chahta Hai etc. excited me and raised my curiosity about film-making. This curiosity about film-making was the driving force behind me joining Vishesh Films. From then on Bhatt saab became my singular mentor and inspiration. With each day that passed by, my fascination with my job grew more and more and before I could blink 5 years had flown by.

Reshma: Do you play any sports?
Tushar: Cricket. It's a passion in India and it's a bigger passion for me. I've spent my childhood eating, sleeping and breathing cricket. I have toured England as a part of the Bombay club team. I've also captained my college cricket team for as long as 4 years. Unfortunately, I hurt my back and couldn't take up cricket professionally.

Reshma: What do you like to do in your spare time?
Tushar: I watch movies, spend time with friends, play a little bit of cricket every now and then. But most of my spare time is spent ensuring that I never have any more spare time!

Reshma: I heard you were dating your co-star from Showbiz, the lovely miss Mrinalini Sharma, is it true?
Tushar: Even I've heard that .......

Reshma: Do you believe in soul mates?
Tushar: Well I believe that many souls means many mates.

Reshma: What is the first thing you look at in a girl?
Tushar: The fact that she's already looking at me !

Reshma: What was your first date like?
Tushar: Ummmmm ......

Reshma: Will you take me out on a date when I come to Mumbai?
Tushar: You really want me to answer that because then everyone will find out about us ;)

The rest of the conversation is for me to know and you to guess! So now a little bit about the movie Showbiz. It's a Mahesh Bhatt film that did not do well with the media in India because it showed the dark side of fame and talks about the media becoming a menace in today's day and age and how it has lost all sense of propriety and responsibility. An interesting topic that has never really been touched based upon before. The acting was amazing especially since it was both stars first films. Now whatever the media's opinion about the film is their BIZ but Tushar Jalota stole the SHOW! ~*~Reshma Dhawan~*~

Posted by Rumor has it at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBacks (0)

Good day Bollywood bums! You've entered the Desi You blog, to catch up on news, movie reviews, previews, and every once in awhile something to make you jump off your seats and say woah, what! So kick back, real life can be so exhausting at times! Throw away your cares and join me for the latest in a world where you can Dhoom, Jhoom, or just plain Chak De.

Now you may be wondering who I am, where did this blog come from and why does this chick think she can write about films a world away. All valid concerns yes, but I can assure you I am very qualified for this job. I can give you any fact on John Abraham in under 5 seconds or less, test me. Truthfully I was destined for this from childhood. When I landed in Mumbai for the first time my uncle asked me what I wanted to do my first day, are you hungry? Jet lagging? I said no to all of these after all I was a 6 year old on a business trip. I had a meeting with Aamir Khan. The rest of my trip became research for meeting the man of my dreams. Sure I did not do any of the research as that I was 6, but I made sure not a day went by where there was information being brought back to headquarters (my uncles flat) as to Mr. Khans whereabouts. My hard work eventually paid off by our 4th day after arriving. So off to his house we went dressed in my favorite dress, and pigtails. Hours went by as we stood outside waiting for him to come outside. When he did I had no words. My mom had to call out to him and ask him to take a picture with us. He hugged us and signed an autograph and went on his way. Destiny and some perseverance brought me to my first love and the same will inspire me to bring you the very best from the land of Indian, actors, actresses, films, news, and the occasional gossip. Thanks for taking the time to read my romance novel! We'll be in touch. ~*~Reshma~*~

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