Newlyweds Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan among the stars at the Cannes Film Festival

Aishwarya Rai is a household name in many countries. Now the Bollywood actress, who married fellow film star Abhishek Bachchan last month, is getting used to a new moniker.
"This is the first travel where people start calling you, `Hello Mrs. Bachchan, good evening,'" Rai told AP Television News on Wednesday.
"I've maybe done a double take at times, but pleasantly so, it makes us smile, so it's been good," she said.
Rai, 33, a former Miss World, interrupted her honeymoon for a visit to the Cannes Film Festival. She is at the French Riviera resort as part of the team of models for cosmetics company L'Oreal.
She was in the audience - and on the red carpet - for Wednesday's opening-night festival screening of Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights."
Once she is back in India, Rai said she will continue work on her latest film, the 16th-century royal love story "Jodha-Akbar."
Her screen credits include 2004's "Bride & Prejudice," directed by Gurinder Chadha.

Bhatts sign Mrinalini Sharma for a 3 film deal

Bhatts sign Mrinalini Sharma for a 3 film deal

Continuing their trend of introducing new talents, the next one on the Bhatt’s list is Mrinalini Sharma who marks her debut with Mohit Suri’s Awarapan. However the actress has already starred in Prakash Jha’s Apaharan. “Yes, that’ true”, confirms Mrinalini “But that was just a cameo in an item song. I agreed to do that because I wanted to work with Prakash Jha. He is such an esteemed director. Sadly, though as per the placement of the film the entire cameo and half the song had to be cut out because the pre climax situation killed the base of the film. So for me Awarapan is my launch film.” So how does it feel making a start with the Bhatts? “Oh, I feel extremely lucky. They are fabulous people to work with. It’s such a big banner who gives great opportunities to newcomers. I don’t know if any other banner has that courage to take newcomers and make them stars. For them, script is always bigger than actors and that is what I like about them. Vishesh Films doesn’t fear taking newcomers in fact they show lot of confidence in them. I really don’t know many people in this industry who have power to do that. I think I am really lucky that I am working with an excellent production house on a brilliant script.” And what’s so brilliant about the script? “Basically it’s based on the theme of freedom. I play a Pakistani girl called Reema. She gets trapped into human trafficking trade, which is very prevalent currently in the Southeast Asian market. Her journey thereafter and how Emraan eventually helps her to attain her ultimate mission of freedom in life is shown in the film.” So with Emraan at the helm of affairs, the next question becomes quite obvious. And Mrinalini is smart enough to get the hint. “No, the script doesn’t demand any kissing scene. Emraan’s love interest in the film is played by Shreya Sharan but even between the two it is a very clean love story. Basically, his character and mine don’t have a romantic angle. He becomes my friend and eventually takes me to my destination which also becomes his final destination.” So what next after Awarapan? “Well, there’s Showbiz directed by popular choreographer Raju Khan.” That’s going pretty fast in Bollywood. “That’s true. In fact Showbiz went on floors even before Awarapan, though the latter will release first”. But isn’t Showbiz, again, produced by Bhatts? “Well, I have signed a three film contract with Bhatts”, explains the actress. “I have done two films with them and there is one pending. They haven’t started the third film as yet. They are perpetually working on the script and I am sure it won’t be too long before we start”. So what’s she doing in Showbiz? “I play Shikha Verma. She is the chief head of a channel. It deals with the media at large. It talks about the good side and the bad side of glamour world. It says people from the entertainment industry also have right to privacy. They are just like any normal person.” Showbiz has another newcomer who is paired opposite Mrinalini. “His name is Tushar and he’s an excellent costar. He will have a brilliant future in the industry. He is very good looking and extremely talented. He is also very well versed with the technique of filmmaking because he has assisted in Vishesh Films for five years prior to this film”.

Madhuri, finally made her Bollywood comeback

Mumbai, May 5: Bollywood's heroine number one is back with her 1000-watt smile in Aaja Nach Le, The actress who is not talking about her comeback film Dixit still knows how to stay in the news.
Madhuri was in Kohlapur a few days ago for the Maratha Film Awards where she presented director Yash Chopra with the Life Time Achievement award. The she rushed back to Mumbai and came over to cheer painter Purunendu Mandal at his exhibition at the Nehru Centre. A fan of M.F. Husain after he made Gajagamini with her, Madhuri is now taking an avid interest in art stating that the surreality of the artist made her love his work.
Back to her film Aaj Nachle, she says that this was the right film to do. "It was indeed the best film for me to stage a comeback," she says of the Anil Mehta film which is being produced by Yashraj.

Madhuri is working out like a new comer

It was a heart-warming scene to begin a day. I saw Madhuri Dixit returning home at nine in the morning. She was back after a grueling session at the gym. It has been a regular routine and a must for her every morning since he returned to Mumbai on December 6, with the determination to come back as an actress with dignity, a comeback to prove what she could not but always wanted to during all the years she ruled Hindi films as a superstar. She has taken to the gym seriously and has already lost five kilos in fifteen days and hopes to loose some more to keep her self fit to taken on the rough and tumble of every day life as an actress. Madhuri has taken her decision to work in film against very sincerely. She working on her physique, looks and personality like a new comer who is just about to start work on her first film. Yash Chopra, the man who is launching the new Madhuri says : 'it is amazing how she has taken up the challenge. I saw her yesterday and believe me she was looking much better and more beautiful than she look when she was doing 'Dil To Paagal Hain' with me which was more than ten years ago. No one can say she is a married woman now and a mother of two boys. I am also amazed to see the seriousness with which she has decided to start work again,' Yash Chopra, under whose banner she is returning to film, says.Madhuri is also getting ready to face the camera again. She has gone on a strict diet. She has taken to her dancing practice, specially Kathak and spends time working on her diction, her dialogue delivery and body language. She knows what is expected of her to play the role she is playing and is going out of her way to reach a stage of perfection. 'I know I have to be very careful. It is my responsibility more than the responsibility of any one else. I know the kinds of expectations but I have greater expectation from my self. I have asked Yash Raj Film for time before they start the film because I want to re-discover the actress in me. I can not go on the sets thinking that I am an experience actress and I don't have to work hard on anything. I am aware of all the changes in the making of films. I know there has been so much progress made in technology and in every sphere of filmmaking. I have so much to know and get ready for before the film takes off,' Madhuri, looking stunningly beautiful without any make-up says. She knows she has to make all kind of adjustments in life, as a wife and a mother specially. Her husband, Dr.Shriram Nene who came to Mumbai with their children and had planned to stay at least till Madhuri started work but had to rush back because of some emergency. The boys, Arrin and Ryan will be in Mumbai for some time but will leave for Denver when it will be time for them to go to school. Madhuri will make adjustments according to the needs of her family and she has made it very clear that it will always be her family first for her.She will seriously consider some films it have already been offered to her and make her major plan about her career only after she has spent some time in the industry. The film with which she is returning will go on the floors some time in January according to plans made by Yash Raj Films.The only things known about the film as of now is that Madhuri is playing the center character. The story revolved around her with a whole lot of children. There will be no romantic hero in the film but there will be several character associated with her character. According to a very reliable source it is the story of an actress and will have a number of highly dramatic and emotional scenes. Music will certainly be a major highlight of the film.The film as is known by now is being directed by Anil Mehta, the cinematographer of films like 'Lagaan' and 'Devdas'. Anil says that he always wanted to be a director and he knew that he would make his first film with Madhuri and no one else. 'I was very unhappy when she left but somewhere I new that my dream would be fulfilled and now that I can see my dream being fulfilled I am going to take all the care to take care of my dreams and give it a powerful persona and a meaning. I don't want to say anything more. Let my work began. I am anxiously waiting for that day, that first shot,' Mehta says.Yash Raj Films, Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra have promised Anil all the cooperation to fulfilled his dreams. Madhuri doesn't know much about Anil's prowess as a director but is very keen to know and the way the preparation are being made for the launch, it looks like preparing for a festival, a wedding or a major happening in a family. Madhuri wonders why so much 'fuss' is being made about her coming back and she says she is not being modest, she really means it. She doesn't know her own importance, it seems.

Jessica Simpson

she took her love life off tv and is getting it out of the tabs, but jessica simpson let andrew goldman into her parlor for some straight talk.

Something big is happening," Jessica Simpson declares, opening her eyes so wide that it seems as if she's about to announce something earth-shattering, like that she's decided to shave her head and start work on a death metal album. After a long pause, she comes out with it: "I am so happy right now."Happy?In light of what Simpson has experienced recently, her declaration is no less surprising than if she'd actually pulled out a pair of shears and started hacking away at her curls. The world fell head over heels for Simpson during her rocketlike professional ascent as a young bride. How cruel would it be to turn its back on her during the traumatic upheaval she's faced since the ending of her fairy-tale marriage to Nick Lachey? What Grinch-like heart would hold it against Simpson if, rather than put on a good face, she wanted to plunk down a bottle of Jack Daniel's, dissolve into a puddle of drunken tears, and warble a few Hank Williams tunes, her only accompaniment the occasional cymbal crash of her wedding china smashing against the wall? The newly divorced deserve a wide berth for their emotions, and Simpson espe­cially so, considering that on the heels of her split, she hit another snag. Billboard, upon hearing the title track from last summer's A Public Affair, her postdivorce album, pronounced the Madonna-reminiscent single "perfect" and predicted the song was good enough to make "habitual Simpson detractors see her in a new light." But the album, for whatever reason these things happen, hasn't sold as well as might be expected for a performer whose face moved tabloids from the newsstands week after week. Health problems? There was that internal bleeding discovered last year around the time she was filming Employee of the Month; doctors found the presence of the little bugger thought to cause ulcers. Recently, Simpson tells me, after she was still feeling not quite right, an allergist delivered news that would chill the heart of anyone reared on Texan cuisine: She's allergic to cheese. And wheat. Oh, and tomatoes, hot peppers, coffee, corn, and chocolate.So what could convince us that all is butterflies and buttercups in the world of Jessica Simpson right now? Perhaps a new romance, with, as the gossips have been speculating, shaggy-haired singer John Mayer? "I want to tell you everything, but I have to sew my lips together," she says of her dating life. "It's hurt me in the past. I really hope you understand." Apparently, we've just got to take her word for it. "People don't need to know why," she says. "They just need to experience it."

MANDY MOORE

MANDY MOORE IS DONE BEING A POP MUSIC ALSO-RAN AND SOMEBODY'S GIRLFRIEND। NOW—WITH ANOTHER BIG PUSH AT FILM STARDOM AND A BRAVE NEW ALBUM—CAN SHE CONVINCE ALL THOSE DOUBTERS? ANDREW GOLDMAN THINKS SO.

Mandy Moore's shiny black Prius whirs through slow lunchtime traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, her speakers thumping the loping bass line of "Extraordinary," a track from her first album in four years, next month's Wild Hope। "Sorry it's so loud," she says sheepishly, her thin eyebrows raised into a contrite scrunch, an expression you see a lot since Moore's big on making unnecessary apologies for stuff like having to run to the bathroom, talking too much, or her entire pre-2003 musical oeuvre। And though the girl does have a remarkable capacity for breathless chatting, as the song kicks in, she falls completely silent। She grips the wheel tightly with both hands, rocks out not one little bit, and even when stopped in traffic, keeps her eyes glued to the road, which seems to provide an excuse to avoid gauging her passenger's reaction, good or bad। Moore's sensitivity is understandable. Though it's gotten to the point now where you want to plunge a Drano-filled syringe into your neck if you hear another comely pop star utter the words, "This is my most personal album yet," you'd have to forgive Moore if she said it. (Thankfully, she doesn't.) She cowrote every song on the album—and not in the sense that she showed up in a studio, changed an "ooh" to an "ahh" on some producer's verse, then slapped her name on it. "It was 50/50 or more on her end with me," says Rachael Yamagata, the indie troubadour of heartbreak, about the songs she wrote with Moore. "Mandy's not trying to be a singer-songwriter. She is a singer-songwriter." Moore spilled her guts into a Moleskine notebook. (Getting your heart stomped on by a schnozzy TV actor would seem to lend itself to journaling.) Then, in modest kitchens, home studios, and hotel rooms with some respected but little-known artists, converted those feeling into songs.Her label, Warner Bros., wasn't grooving on the organic direction she was taking. Executives were insistent that if she wanted to write, why not give it a go with the type of proven commodities who had written megahits with, say, Ashlee Simpson and Kelly Clarkson? Moore tried it. It didn't work for her. "What's the point of getting onstage and singing music my heart wasn't behind anymore?" she'd said earlier. "I might as well sing karaoke in a hotel bar. I'd actually be more content doing that." So she left Warner Bros. and decided to allow her management company, the Firm, to release the album on its record label so that she could stick with her ragtaggier crew, which included Yamagata, twangy Boston singer Lori McKenna, and the husband-and-wife folk duo the Weepies, who collaborated on five of the album's songs, including "Extraordinary," the track we're listening to in her car right now.

Jessica Biel Wants Respect As an Actress

Jessica Biel says she still struggles to get respect in Hollywood। ``Parts that I really want aren't going to me,'' the 25-year-old actress says in Elle magazine's June issue, on newsstands Tuesday.

``Like `The Other Boleyn Girl' with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. I don't want to say that there's nothing I love that I can have. But there's still the occasional script that the director doesn't want to see you for. They want that top tier of girls.''
Biel, who began her career on the family-friendly TV series ``7th Heaven,'' has starred in such movies as ``The Illusionist,'' ``Home of the Brave'' and ``Next.'' In July, she can be seen with Adam Sandler and Kevin James in ``I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.''
Lately, she has been a fixture in the tabloids and on red carpets, sitting front row at Paris fashion week and sending celeb gawkers into a tizzy over her alleged fling with Justin Timberlake।

``The scary thing about having this opportunity is that if it's `your moment,' that eventually disappears,'' says Biel। ``I think about reaching for `the moment' but never really achieving it. That way, I'm always striving.''

Asked if media attention makes dating hard, she says, ``It makes everything hard because you can't even go to pick up a prescription without somebody trying to snap a photo of what you have in your Longs Drugs bag।

``Thank goodness I'm a nice person.''

Paris Hilton better like chicken। The hotel heiress was sentenced Friday to 45 days at the Century Regional Detention Center, Los Angeles County's jailhouse for women just south of downtown in Lynwood.

Inmates get three low-sodium meals a day, with dinner the only hot meal। Beef and pork aren't permitted - ``it's all poultry-based,'' said Capt. Alice Scott, who oversees the 2,200-inmate facility she describes as ``a very nice place.''

Like other high-profile Los Angeles County inmates - O।J. Simpson, Robert Blake, Robert Mitchum, Sirhan Sirhan and Charles Manson - Hilton will be segregated from the general population for her own safety, living in a one- or two-person cell.

Her cell will be Spartan: 12-by-8 feet with a toilet, sink and a window 6 inches wide। She'll comb her blonde locks in a mirror made of polished metal.

Breakfast is served between 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m., hours when Hilton sometimes gets in after a night of partying.
Inmates in segregation are allowed outside their cells for at least an hour each day to shower, watch television in the day room, participate in outdoor recreation or talk on the telephone, Scott said. There are a bank of phones that use prepaid phone cards - cellular telephones and Blackberries aren't allowed.
There have been other celebrities at the women's jail. Actress Daryl Hannah, arrested last year for failing to leave a 14-acre inner-city garden where farmers were being evicted, spent a few hours there.
A year ago, former ``Lost'' actress Michelle Rodriguez showed up to serve a 60-day jail sentence for violating probation terms after her drunken driving arrest in Hawaii. She was released in hours because of overcrowding.
Sometimes stars are allowed to do their time in a jail of their choosing. In such cases celebrities pay a daily room-and-board fee to the smaller jails, which afford them more privacy and comfort.
Sean Penn found a jail in Bridgeport, a remote town on the eastern flank of the Sierra, to serve a 60-day sentence in 1987 for fighting with a photographer in violation of his probation for a barroom brawl.
Cop-slapping actress Zsa Zsa Gabor served three days behind bars in 1990 at the El Segundo jail near the Los Angeles International Airport. She paid $85 a day.
But the judge in Hilton's case wouldn't allow such an arrangement, so she'll head to Lynwood on June 5.

Liv Tyler to be the Hulk's new love interest

American actress Liv Tyler is reportedly lined up for the new Hulk flick.
The Lord of the Rings actress will be playing Hulk's co-researcher and love interest Dr। Betty Ross in the film.

Earlier, the role was played by Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Connelly.
Universal Pictures new superhero film will begin shooting in summer in Toronto, Moviehole reports।

The film which is based on the fictional Marvel Comics character the Hulk, will be directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the scientist who transforms into the Hulk.

SRK-Kajol magical jodi to rock again!

Ever since Karan Johar's Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna boomed at the box-office. Karan is busy reading scripts after scripts and has finally zeroed on a script that will feature the magical jodi of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, which rocked Bollywood in the 90's. Infact the couple's movie, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge is still running in Mumbai's Maratha Mandir cinema non-stop for the past 11 years, running consecutively with packed houses week after weeks and has now entered in the 565 weeks! A unique record unmatched by any movie ever in the Universe!!!
Kajol who was seen in Karan's Kank for a flicker of a second, has been focusing more in hubby Ajay Devgan's production house. Kajol is planning to star in one of their home production with a hard-hitting women oriented movie. However being quite intimute to Karan Johar camp she could not deny Karan. But still she is yet to go through the script and sign the dotted lines… Meanwhile Karan is hunting locations in New York as the buzz has it that the film will be a social comment and will be exclusively shot in New York.

SRK promotes Priyanka Chopra?

The latest buzz in tinsel town is that Miss India and current heartthrob of Bollywood Priyanka Chopra is being promoted by Shah Rukh Khan. As the phrase goes, “There is no smoke without fire”. Hence in this case the literal smoke came when Priyanka Chopra hit headlines as the brand ambassador of a watch company that has SRK as its male brand ambassador. It’s believed that Shah Rukh himself gave the idea of a lady ambassador to the watch company. On his suggestion the company decided to have one, and when the hunt began for a Model, SRK proposed Priyanka’s name and the company gave the nod. It’s reported Shah Rukh has not promoted Priyanka for the first time. According to insiders, it was Shah Rukh who replaced Sushmita Sen with Priyanka Chopra in Don. And not only this recently when Aamir Khan was having hard time finding a perfect actress for his movie Gajgamini, Shah Rukh suggested Priyanka’s name…. Assuring Aamir a great performance Shah Rukh said, “I vouch for her!”

Britney Spears’ Dad Bashes Her, Defends Larry Rudolph

Last week, Alec Baldwin tore his 11-year old daughter, Ireland, a new one.

Now the great Jamie Spears (right) has done the same - albeit with a little less profanity and disturbing rage - to his 25-year-old offspring.

Britney Spears’ white trash dad has gone out of his way to publicly criticize his eldest daughter, saying she blames her family and her manager for problems that are her own damn fault!

In an e-mail to the New York Post’s Page Six column, Spears defends Britney’s former manager, Larry Rudolph, whom Britney reportedly gave the ax April 13.

“When Larry Rudolph talked Britney into going into rehab, he was doing what her mother, father and a team of professionals with over 100 years of experience knew needed to be done,” Jamie Spears writes.

“She was out of control. Larry was the one chosen by the team to roll up his sleeves and deliver the message, to help save her life.

“The Spears family would like to publicly apologize to Larry Rudolph for our daughter’s statements about him over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, she blames him and her family for where she is at today with her kids and career. Larry has always been there for Britney. For this, we will forever be grateful to him.”

In a recent online video posted by a Los Angeles photography agency, the always entertaining Britney Spears makes an apparent reference to Rudolph.

“My management totally knew what they were doing when they sent me to rehab,” she says sarcastically. “They were sooo right.”

The crotch shot queen, who checked out of Promises Malibu Treatment Center in March after a month-long stay, told Page Six via her rep:

“I am praying for my father. We never had a good relationship. It’s sad that all the men in my life do not know how to accept a real woman’s love. I am concentrating on my work and my life right now.”

All the men in Britney’s life? Is that limited to Jamie Spears and her most recent ex-husband, Kevin Federline? Hasn’t FedEx gone out of his way to be there for Britney Spears and their kids since she went off the deep end?

And does Britney’s claim also include the fringe dudes such as Jason Alexander, J.R. Rotem, Columbus Short, Isaac Cohen, Jason Filyaw and Howie Day? Surely some of those fellas were decent dudes who cared about her.

Liz – Arun, the honeymoon is over

The Liz Hurley- Arun Nayar wedding created a sizzle when Vinod Nayar decided to disown his sons owing to the humiliation cast by the duo. This has led many Indians to think about their homebred betas marrying firang bahus.

The recent days were flooded with voluminous razzmatazz about Indian businessman Arun Nayar and Hollywood megastar, Liz Hurley’s splendid wedding. The couple plunged in a weeklong marathon of partying and making merry to celebrate their union. The dream wedding soon took an ugly turn when Vinod Nayar, Arun’s father claimed to have been almost thrown out of his own son’s wedding.

The episode seems to have risen a number of eyebrows and has given the media loads of spiced up gossip to ponder over. As per the sources, Vinod Nayar wants to have nothing to do with his son Arun and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth after the way they behaved with him and his relatives.

The corniest part was that Vinod was restrained from blessing his son at the Hindu wedding in Jodhpur as an unseeingly tiff broke out between him and his sons at the venue and he was thrashed out of the premises.

Vinod, 66, is the owner of a private textile firm and is a very dignified person. He was shaken to the core in response to the behavior put up by Arun and Liz. He said that the duo has shamelessly gone beyond all limits to humiliate him and his family members.

He was offended by the fact that Liz sold her wedding to Hello magazine for an amount of $5 million and commercialized what should have been a private family affair. The glitterati were given far more importance than the family.

According to Vinod, Liz has a solid appetite for Attention and lets nothing come in the way when it comes to claiming it. He added that He and his second wife, Joanne were treated like second citizens throughout the ceremonies. At one point he even mentioned that when he stood up to dance at the mehndi ceremony he was asked by his sons to stop behaving in such a way as it was too Indian and could easily offend Liz.

Arun and Liz got married in two ceremonies spread over two different continents—in Britain and the India. The grand venue in India was Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur. A display of events led him to feel shattered and instigated him to disown his sons.

Vinod was not allowed to bless the couple during the Hindu ceremony, where according to tradition the bride is welcomed by her father-in-law. This triggered a fight between him and his sons who wanted him out of the venue immediately. The Indian guests were also treated poorly in comparison to the European guests. Elizabeth turned down a $87,000 necklace presented by Vinod and chose to wear the necklace that belonged to Gunna, Arun’s mother. In another instance, Arun snatched a camera from his father when Liz shouted that it threatened the magazine deal.

The most astonishing revelation was that Liz and Arun had not included Vinod and Joanne’s name in the guest list nor had they bothered to invite Arun’s grandmother who was reduced to tears in her old age. He was constantly avoided and felt rather dejected throughout the ceremony.

He mentioned that he always knew that Liz wanted attention and was a very ambitious woman but at the same time he thought that she was a warm, family oriented woman. He was in awe of her beauty and grace. But the way she treated him and Joanne, Arun’s stepmother, has changed his opinion of her. It seems Liz only wants attention and has no feelings for her in-laws.

The whole event has left the world startled. Indians seem to gush about family values and traditions but are simply hollow from within. The changing trends in the society are reflecting in the values of the children. This particular incident came in the eyes of millions of people because it was a celebrity wedding. There are a number of instances wherein Indian betas wed firang bahus and forget all about their parents and loved ones. The trend has soon picked up pace and the foreign bred betas are merrily bringing home bahus who are unaware of the Indian traditions and customs.

A common saying goes: love is blind. Can we say that this kind of a relationship will go a long way that has begun on the shaky foundation of family disputes? Will Arun and Liz Nayar stay happily ever after even after having been disowned by Vinod?

Marriages are made in heaven and love marriages have become a norm. In our country where a marriage is supposed to be the union of two families, in the western world it is a bond between two individuals. The marriage vows end with, “ I do” and not,”We do”.

Is it really the wise on our part to blame the bride or groom who tie the knot and promise to stay with each other for the rest of their lives. The bottom line still remains that our roots are Indian but globalization has killed our ethnicity. We have forgotten everything in front of money and glamour. Our ambitions see no limits and values come in the way.

For some this might be a publicity gimmick but few will deny that getting a firang bahu is becoming a fad. Social circuits are flooded with snobbish mothers-in-law gushing endlessly over their foreign returned betas and alien bahus. Is it wise to blame the young couple for the ragged values?

This throws light on the changing times and trends in our country. People tend to look at a non-resident Indian with more respect than a local. It is us who set the ways and then crib about the whole structure.

Hurley and Nayer Could Face Jail over 'Breached' Customs at Indian Wedding

HOLLYWOOD - Newlyweds Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar could face three years in jail after being accused of breaching Hindu customs with their Indian wedding last month. Vishnu Khandelwal--who has never met the couple--has begun legal proceedings against the newly married pair insisting they broke with Hindu law. And he claims Arun's father, Vinod Nayar, has offered to testify against his son and daughter-in-law. The pair have been disowned by Nayar Sr. after he claimed he and his second wife Joanne were made to feel like "second class citizens" at the ceremony. And despite legal experts claiming it is unlikely the couple would end up in jail, the prosecution will use their £2 million ($3.9 million) magazine deal with Hello! as evidence against the couple. Prosecuting lawyer Hm Saraswat says, "An arrest warrant could be issued for Arun and Liz as soon as the prosecution has made its case--either because they are summoned to give evidence or they have been found guilty. "We have our own religious beliefs including that the bride and bridegroom must behave soberly, and in this case they have both taken drink. Pictures of kissing in Hello! magazine is against our culture. We are using the Hello! pictures to prove our case. "Vinod Nayer told me that when Arun Nayer and Liz Hurley came to the marriage mandap (marriage site), Arun Nayer left his footwear outside the mandap but Liz Hurley refused to remove her footwear. "When we worship we must remove our shoes because we pray to God and at that time shoes should be removed. "Our intention is to prove that the proceedings adopted by both the accused for their marriage is against our Hindu rites."

'I feel sorry for Richard Gere!'

Shilpa Shetty is upset about the Hollywood heartthrob being demonised over a kiss (we wholeheartedly agree)
Shilpa Shetty is back in the hot seat. On Sunday night, at a public event to promote awareness for HIV/Aids in Delhi, Hollywood actor Richard Gere swept her into his arms and planted a volley of kisses on her cheek. The 3,000 odd truck drivers who witnessed the act were apparently scandalised, or so the ‘unbiased’ news channels would have us believe.After all, it’s against our Bharatiya sanskruti and all that. Over to the miss to discuss the kiss, then.What was your first reaction when Richard Gere kissed you? I was taken aback naturally, but it was really harmless. It was in good humour and I thought it was rather sweet of him. Yes, what he did might not be a part of “our culture”, but let’s not forget that he doesn’t belong to our culture.
Did you have any idea he’d kiss you on stage?No. It was a very impromptu thing and he was miming a scene from his film Shall We Dance. Richard is a very warm person. In the afternoon, when we were having lunch together, we forged a genuine bond and I asked him to show me something from Shall We Dance. So he did that impromptu act on stage and went down on his knees as shown in the film. The next thing I know, people are burning effigies of him! He was just trying to entertain everyone.It’s upset the moral brigade…Isn’t it also a part of our culture to respect our guests? Atithi deva bhava? If a foreigner comes to our country, in stead of respecting the work he’s doing, if we start burning his effigies we will only look foolish. I request everyone to please take note of the huge body of work, time and money he has put into our country for the cause and awareness of HIV/Aids.Richard can’t communicate in Hindi, so he came with an interpreter and also told Parmeshwar Godrej to translate. He’s been working for our country for the last nine years. Next time, a foreigner will have second thoughts before doing something for us.Tell us about the event.It was a forum for truck drivers at the Sanjay Gandhi Stadium in Delhi. Richard met the head of the Truck Drivers Association as truck drivers are the main victims of HIV/Aids. He explained to them not to indulge in unsafe sex and also why it is important to wear condoms. Truck drivers go on long trips and often indulge in casual and unprotected sex, so they are the most common victims of the disease. Did you talk to Gere about ‘the kiss’ after the event?No. He has already left for Kathmandu (Nepal). After the event got over, we chatted briefly but not about the kiss and it’s fallout. He’s a wonderful man. I am not saying this because he’s a huge celebrity and has asked me to join his organisation. I know the kind of work he has been doing for HIV/Aids awareness and we don’t want it to stop. I have been a part of the Heroes Project for nearly four years.Has Gere apologised?I think he will. I spoke to Parmeshwar (Godrej) yesterday and Gere has sent her a note saying he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I feel bad for him. Let’s react to more important issues and not blow things out of proportion. Do you remember the furore that was created when Padmini Kolhapure kissed Prince Charles and Shabana Azmi kissed Nelson Mandela? Yes, but Richard kissed me on the cheek and not on the lips. Some TV channels are comparing my incident to the Rakhi Sawant-Mika kiss. It’s ridiculous! It’s not as if Richard took off my saree pallu or something. The crowd didn’t react negatively. They were cheering and excited.Would you apologise if you were asked to?Why should I? I haven’t done anything wrong. Did you expect the backlash or did it take you by surprise?Nothing takes me by surprise any more. It’s my humble request to everyone — be responsible. Why are some people hell-bent on making us look foolish? What are we trying to tell people?We are living in a democracy. Let’s not misuse the freedom of expression. In any case, I think most women were jealous of Richard’s actions towards me (laughs). It’s every woman’s dream come true!How did your parents react to Gere’s actions?They didn’t react but they are worried about people burning effigies. In fact, they thought it was being blown out of proportion. I was shooting yesterday and people constantly badgered me about it. I wouldn’t have reacted but I decided to because I don’t want anything to come in the way of the cause that we have set out to work for.