Priyanka Chopra 'glitters' at Golden Globes 2017

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra made a stunning debut on the red carpet of the 74th Golden Globe Awards in a golden gilded Ralph Lauren gown with a plunging v-neckline.

Priyanka, who will be presenting an award at the ceremony, found global popularity with American TV show "Quantico". She is also set to make her Hollywood debut with "Baywatch" soon.

With a touch of maroon-hued lipstick, styled by Cristina Ehrlich, Priyanka posed for the shutterbugs confidently on the red carpet here on Sunday, reports hollywoodreporter.com.



Priyanka made stunning fashionable debuts at the red carpet of Oscars and Emmys last year.

The other presenters at the gala includes names like Leonardo DiCaprio,Viola Davis, Sylvester Stallone, Chris Hemsworth, Brie Larson, Sofia Vergara, Zoe Saldana, Mandy Moore, Gal Gadot, Carl Weathers, Drew Barrymore, Matt Damon, Laura Dern, Goldie Hawn, Nicole Kidman, Diego Luna and Sienna Miller.

Hosted by Jimmy Fallon, the Golden Globes is being held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

OMG! Swami Om threatens Salman, says won't let the finale happen

The most notorious contestant of Bigg Boss 10 Swami Om was shown an exit door in yesterday's episode after his appalling act. The action of the self-proclaimed Godman was so disgusting that host Salman Khan went beyond his routine to meet the contestants. Salman, who is usually seen on the weekend episodes, hosted a special Salman ka Vaar segment last night. The superstar condemned Swami's actions in strong words and called him a dhongi.

But seems even an ouster from the reality show too hasn't taught any lesson to Swami Om. Post his exit Swami Om threatened he wouldn't let the finale to happen if not taken back inside the house in coming two weeks. Swami made this comments when he was interviewed about his actions by journalist Dibang. When then journalist asked if he was threatening the makers, Swami Om asserted he very much was.

All hell breaks loose as #OmSwami opens up in an exclusive interview with #BiggBoss! Tune in to #BB10WeekendKaVaar tonight at 9 PM! pic.twitter.com/dOfIaD91Ry

— Bigg Boss (@BiggBoss) January 7, 2017

Since the beginning of the show, Swami Om did many things which were neither liked by his co-contestants nor the viewers. But, he crossed all limits when he threw his piss on Bani J and Rohan Mehra in a task, a few days ago. When he was locked in the jail of the house after the incident, Swami Om defended himself by saying it was water and nothing else. But not even the makers bought his defense and sent security guards to take him out of the house.



After the exit, Swami Om made the same kind of demeaning statements that he made inside the house. Only this time he didn't even leave Salman Khan. In a TV interview that he gave after his exit, Swami Om reportedly called Salman an anti-national and ISI agent. In his rant against the makers, Swami Om said that contestants adulterated his food with drugs and plotted to kill him.

A look at his statements and his behavior leads us to think- is there no limit to stooping low for this man? Maybe no.

Check Out: Did Kahaani manage to recreate history?

Back in 2012 when Kahaani had released, the film had opened to Rs. 3 crore on Friday. However, it had enjoyed very good word of mouth and its weekend had closed at Rs. 15 crore. Now in 2016 when Kahaani 2 has released and opened to Rs. 4.25 crore, the weekend is Rs. 16.75 crore*. This is better than Kahaani though if one compares with the hike in ticket rates over last four years, there isn't much of a difference. Nonetheless, considering the fact that response to sequels/franchise affairs has been largely terrible in 2016, it is still a relief of sorts that Kahaani 2 has at least done decent business.

Now it has to be seen how quick does Kahaani 2 manage to surpass the Week One collections of Kahaani. The Vidya Balan starrer had collected Rs. 22.75 crore after its first week and that mark should be crossed by Kahaani 2 as well. The real challenge though would be to proceed from that point on since word of mouth for Kahaani had spread phenomenally from second week onwards. It is going to be a wait and watch situation for Sujoy Ghosh and company till the second weekend.

Meanwhile, Dear Zindagi had stayed afloat in its second weekend. The collections came from the select cities where the film's target audience lies and that has resulted in the sum total of Rs. 59 crore been achieved so far. By the time the second week comes to a close, Rs. 65 crore would be surpassed. From there on, it would boil down to how big Befikre opens and sustains as it would make a difference of Rs. 3-5 crore in the lifetime collections of the Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan starrer.

*Estimates. Final numbers awaited

Big Question: Why Sunny is annoyed?

MTV Splitsvilla 9's love guru, Sunny Leone has been the most approachable person on the show and has always encouraged contestants to form connections in the Villa. Sunny was seen supporting Karan Chhabra and Shreeradhe's connection in the past and in the upcoming episode, Sunny will be seen getting irked at Nikhil for choosing his gang (or wolfpack as Nikhil calls it) over his connection, Mia. (All for love!)

Sunny was upset with Nikhil for choosing his friends- Martina, Kavya, Gurmeet and Varun over his connection Mia in all the tasks and dumping ground. Seeing Mia distressed and furious with Nikhil for giving more preference to Martina, Sunny tried making Nikhil understand that his whole and sole reason for being in the villa is Mia who blindly follows what Nikhil says.



On the rift between Mia and Nikhil, Sunny said, `I think it's the jealousy of the friendship. The friendship among the four of them is stronger than any connection here. You have to take the word group out of your sentence. It is a problem. Mia hangs on to every word Nikhil says. Mia does it all.`

Shocking: Can Kangana get arrested on Hrithik's complaint?

In reaction to mid-day's Page 1 story about Hrithik Roshan naming Kangana Ranaut in fake email ID case FIR, actress says she'll cooperate with police; reserves her right to file a criminal complaint against Hrithik for hacking into her email

Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee in reply to the summons states that "No Police Officer can summon my client Ms. Kangana Ranaut or her sister Ms. Rangoli to any police station to record their statement as a witness under Section 160 of CRPC. The Witness summons sent to my client and her sister by the Police Officer is patently illegal, as no woman can ever be called to the police station to record their statements as per the provisions of law."

"Nonetheless my client who is shown to be a victim as per the claims of Mr. Hrithik Roshan has herself willingly expressed her desire to co-operate with the officers in accordance to the provisions of law, as well as in her reply to the Summons she has duly reserved her rights to file an appropriate criminal complaint against Mr.

Hrithik Roshan and his associates for hacking two of her email accounts, which includes the email from which Mr. Hrithik Roshan admittedly claims to have personally received about 1439 emails from my client on his correct email id as well the email from which my client was communicating with the alleged imposter.

The Crux of the matter is simple Mr. Hrithik Roshan had admittedly full knowledge of the so-called imposter in the month of May 2014. However, he did not wish to take any action against the so-called imposter for good seven months nor did he as a responsible citizen, then bother to take the required details of the imposter from my client during those seven months.

Thereafter sometime in December 2014 Mr. Hrithik Roshan filed an informal complaint with the cyber cell, with full knowledge that no investigation shall be carried out by the Police on an informal complaint. During this time Mr. Hrithik Roshan admittedly started receiving mails from my client on his correct email id for more than a year, however he did not block them for reasons best known to him. Mr. Hrithik Roshan then thereafter sent a defamation Notice to my client stating my client defamed him because "Silly-Ex" referred to by my client in one of her interviews was him.

In his Notice, he claimed that he did not know my client socially at all. He also interalia claimed that he was receiving 50 emails a day from my client. He further specifically claimed that my client was using his name to gain publicity. In reply to his Advocate's notice, I on behalf of my client proved the extent of blatant lies that his notice contained and questioned him as to how was he attending my client's private birthday party with his entire family and my client was attending his party besides his sister's and his father's birthday party as well, if he did not know my client socially at all. Besides I questioned him on his exaggerated claims of receiving 50 emails from my client ever day and why did he prudently not block my client if it was one-way communication. The basis of sending a defamation notice was also questioned as no case for defamation was made out in the Notice. Mr. Hrithik Roshan was also prudently questioned as to why no case was registered against an imposter at the right time when it was required. He was required to act on my Notice within 7 days.



However thereafter he cleverly chose to maintain a 'dignified silence' as there could not have been any good reply to my notice where his statements were proved to be blatant lies. Subsequent to this he conveniently chose to divert all media attention to a so-called imposter to deviate from the main subject of having criminally threatened my client and having intimidated her, without any provocation or good reason at all. As a matter of fact it is my client who has actually suffered and has yet maintained a dignified silence so far. These acts of deviating media attention is another unintelligent attempt. Things were started by Mr. Hrithik Roshan and he should come forward and end it in a proper manner."

When it all started
According to the FIR registered by Hrithik, the matter unfolded on May 24, 2014 at the birthday party of director Karan Johar. Kangana approached Hrithik and thanked him for praising her work in the movie Queen. However, Hrithik said he had not watched the film and had never conversed with her over e-mails.

In December that same year, Hrithik filed a written application to the cyber police station. mid-day had reported on the matter. He claimed he has a personal e-mail ID, which is hroshan@imac.com and he usually interacts with his friends and fans on this, while Kangana was having a conversation on hroshan@email.com.

Kangana claims it was Hrithik speaking to her on the e-mail ID.

Hrithik breaks silence over tussle
Roshan later released a statement on the matter, which said, `Out of respect for everyone involved, I followed the legal path to resolve the matter in question so as to keep it private. It was a breach of ethics to reveal the contents of a private legal notice. Dignified silence is dignified up to a point, but there comes a time when the silence needs to be broken to protect one's name, family and image.`

`The crux of the matter is that the mail id hroshan@email.com does NOT belong to me. I had filed a complaint in this regard with Mumbai cyber crime cell on 12th December 2014 when I learnt of this impersonator communicating with the said person. I have absolutely NO CONNECTION with this ID.`

The first complaint
Hrithik files a complaint, accusing an unknown person of using an e-mail address similar to his. The actor had asked the police to get the account terminated and also trace its owner. In the complaint, Hrithik mentioned the case of a young girl, who has sent many of her photographs and video clips to the impostor's account, thinking she was sending it to Hrithik.

Legal tussle ensues
Earlier this month, Hrithik sent a legal notice to Kangana demanding a public apology for defaming him. Kangana responded with a 22-page missive. Hrithik's notice, however, seems to have referred to an interview where Kangana said, `I don't know why exes do silly things to get your attention.` Hrithik has apparently claimed that even after he had clarified he had never conversed with Kangana, she began sending emails to his original e-mail ID. Sources alleged Kangana had sent `titillating, absurd and senseless photographs and videos to Hrithik's original email ID.`

FIR registered against impostor
Hrithik approaches the cyber police station at BKC to register an FIR in his complaint on an unknown person impersonating him and allegedly speaking to Kangana on his behalf from the e-mail address. Sources said that after the FIR, police have approached a few people associated with the actor to get details on the suspicious e-mail ID and the communications made from it.

Watch Video! Sunny's sensual 'One Night Stand' exposed

When Sunny debuted in Bollywood with Jism 2, everyone who had heard about this sexy diva was desperately waiting to have the first glimpse of this sizzling siren. And probably it was the power of Sunny's sex appeal only that despite Jism 2's sinking at the BO Sunny's career took off towards the horizon. Then came movies like Ragini MMS 2, Ek Paheli Leela and a few tantalising item songs with which Sunny pushed the hotness quotient to the next level. And now this sex goddess is here again to make all the guys drool over her.

Yes, you got it right we are talking about the recently released teaser of Sunny's upcoming nocturnal delight 'One Night Stand' where she is literally soaring the mercury while getting raunchy with Tarun Virwani. Although this recently released teaser doesn't reveal much about the movie, whatever it suggests that hints that this saga revolves around love, lust and betrayal.

So till the time you get complete delight in your saucer, keep pampering yourself with this small yet spicy teaser featuring Sunny the sex diva...

Shocking! Did Sunny slap journalist publicly?

The actor went ahead with her professional commitment to perform at a Surat event despite two perv attacks; husband says she will now 'think a thousand times before coming to Gujarat again'

Bollywood actress Sunny Leone literally left a reporter red-faced at a Holi event yesterday. Leone slapped a journalist at a five-star hotel in Gujarat in a fit of rage after she was asked how much she charges for 'night programmes' now that she is a movie star.

The Indo-Canadian actress was in Surat for a Holi event titled, 'Play Holi with Sunny Leone'. Post the incident the organisers were anxious if she would perform at the event.

Sunny Leone performed at the event in Surat later on. Her husband Daniel Weber (right) said they did not take action against the organisers as they were college students

But being a thorough professional, Sunny danced to popular Bollywood numbers for 15 minutes, as promised. However, she strictly informed the organisers that she would come to the event only if there is no media inside.

Sunny, along with her husband Daniel Weber had arrived at the hotel early in the morning. Soon, a drunk intruder entered her room and asked for odd favours from her. Since the intruder had left the door open, she did not let the incident take an ugly turn and took things under control.

However, Leone lost her cool when a reporter from a national news channel started interviewing her in the corridor. Just a few questions in, the reporter asked Leone, "You were a porn star earlier, now you are a film star. So how much do you charge now?"



Listening to the question, Leone got angry asked the reporter to repeat the question and the reporter said, "How much do you charge for a night program?" She didn't take a minute to react and slapped the journalist in front of the hotel staff and visitors and went back to her hotel room.

Reacting to the incident, her husband Daniel Webber told mid-day, "Sunny has given an apt reply to the reporter so we are not filing any police complaint. The organisers were also college kids so we do not want their careers to be damaged. But henceforth, Sunny will think a thousand times before coming to Gujarat."

Watch! SRK gifts 'Fan' anthem to his 'Jabra fans'

They flocked in hundreds to the venue, waited for hours with relentless enthusiasm and excitement to see their star Shah Rukh Khan and finally got a present from him in the form of a special song of his upcoming film 'Fan'.

The 50-year-old actor launched the film's anthem 'Jabra Fan' at Hansraj College of Delhi University, from where he did his graduation.

"I am lucky that the college authorities have given me permission to come here and launch one of my favourite songs... It's a special moment for me to come back to my college after so many years," Shah Rukh said after launching the anthem.

The song has been completely shot in the capital. Film's director Maneesh Sharma, also a Hansraj alumni, said it is just a promotional track. "It won't be a part of the film. It is just a promotional song. We are having the premiere here in our college."

Students from various colleges started gathering at the venue from around 11 am. It looked like a scene taken from the first teaser of the movie, as not only the college ground, but also the roads of North Campus were clogged by fans waiting to get a glimpse of their hero.

A large number of police officials and bouncers were on duty to manage the crowd and avoid any unruly circumstances. The superstar was scheduled to arrive at 4.30 pm and just an hour before he reached, a few students fainted due to overcrowding.

Before officially launching the track, Shah Rukh greeted his fans with his signature pose and also talked about his graduation days.

The college presented the 'Dilwale' actor with a calendar made by its students.



'Fan' features Shah Rukh in double avatars, one as a superstar and the other his young lookalike admirer, Gaurav. The peppy number, composed by music duo Vishal-Shekhar, introduces Gaurav, and shows him dancing in front of locations like Red Fort, hopping on-and-off from DTC bus and singing 'Mai tera hai re tera, jabra fan hogaya'.

The much-awaited Yash Raj film is due to hit theatres on April 15.

Delhi court to hear complaint against Salman, Shahrukh

A lawyer has filed a criminal complaint against Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan and a TV channel after the two actors were allegedly shown wearing shoes on the set of a temple.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate V.K. Gautam listed for January 22 the complaint filed by Gaurav Gulati, who sought action against the two actors on charges of hurting religious feelings.

He told the court that he noticed on a YouTube post dated December 15, 2015 that the actors wore shoes on the sets of a Kali temple while shooting for a reality TV show. An idol of goddess Kali was seen in the backdrop, he said.

The plea also sought action against the producer and director of the reality show and the TV channel.

Shocking Revelation: 16 mistakes of Mumbai police in Salman probe

Police top brass makes list of elementary errors the investigating officer made in the 2002 hit-and-run case against Salman Khan and circulates it to all police stations.

The Mumbai police top brass has issued a circular to all police stations highlighting the lapses and discrepancies in the 2002 hit-and-run case in which the Bombay High Court recently acquitted actor Salman Khan.

The circular, issued by the additional commissioner of police (crime) KMM Prasanna, mentions 16 among the several procedural lapses of the police's case the high court highlighted in its judgment.

The state had recently told the high court it would challenge the acquittal in the apex court. While the Bandra police are in the process of drafting the state's appeal, Prasanna has asked all police officers to learn from investigating officer's mistakes and ensure that such goof-ups do not occur again.

Officers from various police stations told mid-day that the unprecedented pointing out of lapses in a particular case has come as a surprise to many. Maharashtra has been plagued by one of the lowest conviction rates among all states in the country.

Sources said the goof-ups in the case were not isolated and that they were noticed in most hit-and-run cases. Taking Salman's case as the benchmark for shoddy investigation, officers have been asked to ensure they present watertight argument when cases come up for trial.

"Whatever anomalies the court pointed out, we have just passed on to our staff," said Prasanna. "That does not mean we accept them (points). We are only pointing it out to our men so that such things don't happen in the future."

The actor's acquittal in the high court came after a lower court had sentenced him to five years. The police came under tremendous criticism for leaving several key discrepancies in the investigation, which went against the prosecution.



What the circular states
Following are the 16 points mentioned in the circular:

1. Bills were collected from Rain Bar in Santacruz, where the prosecution had alleged that Salman Khan drank liquor, without due certification under Section 65 (B) of the Evidence Act.

2. Bills of JW Marriott Hotel and parking tag were seized by the police but were not shown in the panchanama, creating doubts about the evidence regarding where the actor went after leaving Rain Bar.

3. There are handwritten endorsements on the computer extracts in the bills of Rain Bar, but no evidence was collected as to who took the said endorsements, and how.

4. The actor was available from the morning of September 28, 2002, for medical test at the Bandra police station, but he was only taken to JJ Hospital in the afternoon for blood sample collection.

5. While the blood sample of the deceased, Narula, was taken at Bhabha Hospital, why was the actor's blood sample collected at JJ Hospital? No explanation was given.

6. Though the blood samples had come on September 28, 2002, to the Bandra police station from JJ Hospital, they were sent to the Forensic Laboratory in Kalina only on September 30, 2002. Till then, they were kept in the police station where, the court had said, they might have been either tampered with or not stored properly.

7. A chain of custody of blood samples was not properly established and because of the missing link, biological evidence was not trustworthy.

8. Statement of the constable who brought blood samples of accused from hospital to police station was not recorded and he was not examined.

9. Important anomaly - 6 ml of blood extracted from actors body in two containers, but FDL received only 4 ml of blood.

10. Receiving clerk of FSL not examined.

11. The investigating officer did not verify the medical papers while collecting them. Blood collection reports shows many discrepancies and defects, which were admitted.

12. No charge under Section 66 (i) (b) of the Bombay Prohibition Act was framed.

13. In two places, the FIR was altered, but no explanation was given.

14. Under Section 161, statements were not recorded of witness. Nobody says Salman was driving the vehicle.

15. The defence had said that the tyre had burst, which was the reason of the crash but the tyre was not sent to the forensic laboratory to deny their claims.

16. Actor Kamal Khan was not summoned to the trial when his address was available with cops though he could have been a great witness for the police.

Finally 'Sultan' has found his love!

Putting to rest all speculation over who will star opposite Salman Khan in Yash Raj Films' upcoming project 'Sultan', it has been revealed that the prestigious role has been bagged by Anushka Sharma.

Produced by Aditya Chopra and written-directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, 'Sultan' will release on Eid 2016.

Anushka, who made her debut in Hindi cinema in 2008 took to Twitter, to share a photograph of herself hugging the "Dabangg" star.

The "NH10" actress captioned the image saying: "Sultan".



Actress Parineeti Chopra had earlier denied reports that she will star alongside Salman. The actress had taken to Twitter to clarify that she was not doing the much anticipated film. "Guys, I am not doing 'Sultan', please put all rumours and speculations to rest and let me announce my next film when the time is right," Parineeti had tweeted in December.

Later there was also speculation that there would be two heroines starring opposite Salman in the film. The buzz had earlier been that both the girls would be newcomers.

Actress Kriti Sanon too had been linked to the film. A media report had suggested that Kriti was wary of signing 'Sultan' as then she would have to sign up as a Yash Raj Films talent. However, Kriti had cleared the air on the news, via Twitter. "I'd like to clarify again that I have not been offered 'Sultan'. So the question of YRF putting any conditions doesn't arise," Kriti tweeted.

'Sultan', which has been shot in Karjat, is reportedly based on the life of a wrestler, essayed by the 'Dabangg' actor.

One of the fittest stars of Bollywood, Salman has gone through intensive training for wrestling and mixed martial arts for Zafar's directorial with international action director Larnell Stovall.

Watch: Sunny Leone sizzles in 'Hor Nach' song from 'Mastizaade'

Sunny Leone raises the tempo in two different avatars in the new party song from her upcoming sex comedy 'Mastizaade'.

This is the second song to be released from 'Mastizaade' after 'Rom Rom Romantic'. The song also features Tusshar Kapoor and Vir Das. Take a look:

'Mastizaade' ran into trouble earlier this year for its risque content. The film was denied a censor certificate in May and was given an 'A' certificate only in August.

Director Milap Zaveri has said that the censor board did not cut a single scene from the film even though it initially denied a certificate to the movie (Read full story).

A trailer of the film has already crossed 11 million views.

'Mastizaade' was slated to release on December 4, but the date was pushed ahead to avoid a clash with the erotic thriller 'Hate Story 3'. 'Mastizaade' will now release on January 29.

Co-written by Milap and Mushtaq Sheikh, 'Mastizaade' is a raunchy comedy of errors revolving around Aditya Chotia (Vir Das) and Sunny Kele (Tusshar Kapoor) who fall for the twin sisters, Lily and Laila, played by Sunny Leone.



Milap has earlier penned movies like 'Masti' franchise, 'Housefull' and directed 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai'.

Big money riding on Bollywood's top guns and young stars in 2016

Bollywood's 2016 calendar seems exciting with a heady mix of biopics, thrillers, rom-coms, period dramas and actioners. The first week will unfold with a big-banner film, 'Wazir' starring Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar. Unlike 2015, this year will have the three Khans - Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir - gracing the silver screen in never-seen-before avatars. B-Town's Gen-Y has some promising releases, too. And when one talks of mega projects, numbers come into play. Here's a lowdown on how much moolah is riding on some of the A-league actors:

Katrina Kaif


The bet: Rs 130-150 cr
Lowdown: 'Phantom', her only release in 2015, received mixed response and barely touched the Rs 55-crore mark in the domestic market. 2016 promises to be big for her with two exciting films lined up for release - Abhishek Kapoor's 'Fitoor' and 'Jagga Jasoos' with beau Ranbir Kapoor.

Akshay Kumar


The bet: Rs 200-230 cr
Lowdown: He is the only star who does at least four films annually and rarely does he miss bull's eye at the box office. In 2016, the actor has three Hindi films including Raja Krishna Menon's 'Airlift', Sajid-Farhad's 'Housefull 3' and Neeraj Pandey's 'Rustom'. That apart, he will be seen in the Rajinikanth-starrer 'Robot 2'.

Shah Rukh Khan

The bet: Rs 140-150 cr
Lowdown: The superstar's sole outing in 2015, 'Dilwale', broke into the Rs 100-crore club and is doing exceptionally well in the overseas market. This year, however, he will be aiming bigger with two much-anticipated releases - Maneesh Sharma's 'Fan' and Rahul Dholakia's 'Raees'.

Kangana Ranaut


The bet: Rs 70 cr
Lowdown: Last year, Kangana tasted success with 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns', but her other two films, 'Katti Batti' and 'I Love New Year' (with Sunny Deol which was shot several years ago but released last year, much to her displeasure) hardly found takers. We hear the actress has now decided to do one film per year. So, Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Rangoon' with Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan might be her only release in 2016.

Sushant Singh Rajput

The bet: Rs 120-150 cr
Lowdown: After a not-so-great last year as 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' failed to impress the audience despite critical acclaim, Sushant is looking at 2016 with renewed hope. After all, he will be seen in the highly anticipated biopic on Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He also has Dinesh Vijan's untitled next with Kriti Sanon.

Kareena Kapoor Khan

The bet: Rs 90-100 cr
Lowdown: While Bebo basked in the success of 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' last year, she is set to have a bigger 2016 with two films slated to hit the marquee. One is Abhishek Chaubey's 'Udta Punjab' and the other, R Balki's 'Ki and Ka'.

Aamir Khan

The bet: Rs 130 cr
Lowdown: Mr Perfectionist prefers to do one film per year, but he was MIA in 2015 - except that he did a voiceover for Zoya Akhtar's 'Dil Dhadakne Do' (for Pluto Mehra, a bullmastiff). This year end, he will be seen playing a wrestling coach in Nitesh Tiwari's 'Dangal'.

Ajay Devgn

The bet: Rs 60-70 cr
Lowdown: The actor had a decent 2015 with 'Drishyam' doing average business at the box office. This Diwali, the actor will grace the 70mm screens with his directorial venture, 'Shivaay'. Newcomer Sayesha Saigal has been cast opposite him.

Priyanka Chopra


The bet: Rs 30-35 cr
Lowdown: Although busy with the shoot of her American TV series 'Quantico', PeeCee was seen on the silver screen twice and her X'mas outing, 'Bajirao Mastani' continues to be a big draw. But this year, she has decided to go slow with only one release - Prakash Jha's 'Jai Gangaajal' in which she will be seen as a firebrand cop.

Anushka Sharma


The bet: Rs 100-110 cr
Lowdown: Last year, this actress turned producer with 'NH10' and went on to do two more films after that - 'Bombay Velvet', a BO disaster, and 'Dil Dhadakne Do', which had an ensemble cast and did quite well at ticket counters. In 2016, she seems to be taking it easy with just one film, Karan Johar's next 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'.

Salman Khan

The bet: Rs 90-100 cr
Lowdown: For the 'Dabangg' star, last year was super successful. While 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' grossed upwards of Rs 300 crore, 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' made around Rs 210 crore. He is now gearing up for his big release, 'Sultan' in which he plays a wrestler. Slated for an Eid release, the film will clash with SRK's 'Raees'.

Hrithik Roshan

The bet: Rs 110 cr
Lowdown: In 2015, he went missing from the big screen and shot for Ashutosh Gowariker's dream project 'Mohenjo Daro', which will be his only release this year. Being a period drama, the budget is quite high. Hrithik has been paired opposite newbie Pooja Hegde.

Alia Bhatt

The bet: Rs 100-120 cr
Lowdown: Her pairing with Shahid Kapoor in Shaandaar may not have worked last year, but this pretty face will be seen with him again in 'Udta Punjab' this year. Her other release will be 'Kapoor & Sons', from the stable of her mentor Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.

Ranbir Kapoor


The bet: Rs 150-200 cr
Lowdown: He went missing from the scene in 2014 and last year didn't exactly prove fruitful for him. 2015's biggest dud, 'Bombay Velvet' belonged to this rising star. He did a cameo in 'Roy', which also bombed at the box office and Imtiaz Ali's 'Tamasha' did just about average business (R61 crore). This year, he will be seen in diverse avatars - a detective in Anurag Basu's 'Jagga Jasoos' and a romantic in Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'.

Shahid Kapoor

The bet: Rs 100-120 cr
Lowdown: 2015 was memorable for Shahid from a personal point of view (he got married), but on professional front, it was quite forgettable with Vikas Bahl's 'Shaandaar' biting the dust. This year, he has two big releases - Abhishek Chaubey's 'Udta Punjab' and Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Rangoon'.

Sonam Kapoor

The bet: Rs 30 cr
Lowdown: After a successful 2015 courtesy 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo', she is gearing up for 'Neerja', a biopic on braveheart Neerja Bhanot, who lost her life while rescuing passengers on board an ill-fated Pan Am flight which was hijacked.

A New Wave: The year 2016 belongs to sports based Films

In Bollywood, sports-based films have never had too many takers. Over the years, only a few such movies, like Awwal Number (1990), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Lagaan (2001) and Chak De! India (2007), have managed to hit the big screen. But the last few years have witnessed a shift, with films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (BMB; 2013) and Mary Kom (MK; 2014) hitting the bullseye. In fact, 2016 will see a slew of sports-based stories on the big screen.

Salman Khan will be seen wrestling and trying out mixed martial arts in director Ali Abbas Zafar's Sultan. Aamir Khan will play ex-wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat in director Nitesh Tiwari's Dangal, which is based on the struggles Phogat had to face to train his daughters in wrestling. Also, cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni's life will be brought to the silver screen by Sushant Singh Rajput, in director Neeraj Pandey's biopic on the ODI Indian skipper. On the other hand, R Madhavan stars in Saala Khadoos (SK), a sports drama revolving around boxing.

"Earlier, film-makers usually made movies that were considered safe, like love stories, action films, etc. Also, most of the sports-based films that were attempted in the earlier decades didn't do well, so no one ventured into that territory for many years. Now is a good time as far as the variety in plots is concerned, because film-makers are trying different kinds of stories. I'm glad that more sports films are now being made in India," says film-maker Rajkumar Hirani, who has produced SK. He adds, "Sports films are usually about the triumph of an underdog, and they make you feel good. Such movies are happy films."



Also, in queue is the biopic on former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin, starring Emraan Hashmi in the lead. It is being directed by Anthony D'Souza. A film on shuttler Saina Nehwal is also in the pipeline; it will be directed by Amole Gupte. Biopics on personalities like wrestler Gama Pehalwan (to be directed by Parmeet Sethi), footballer Sibdas Bhaduri (to be helmed by Shoojit Sircar), Dhyan Chand (to be made by Karan Johar) and hockey player Sandeep Singh (to be made by Chitrangda Singh) are being planned too.

"Sports have always captured the imagination of our nation. With time, India has seen the emergence of more and more sports icons from different fields. It's not just their achievements, but also their struggles, which make their journeys fascinating and inspiring," says Tiwari.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels that the actors' desire to do more challenging roles has also spurred this trend. "Despite being a sports-loving nation, unfortunately, we haven't generously experimented with sports as a theme in our films. But now, actors want to experiment with fresher themes and sports provide a gripping backdrop. It's great that some of the top names in Bollywood are part of such films," he says.

On the other hand, exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi feels that the success of BMB and MK has "tilted the scales" in the favour of such movies. "Since we have been watching these sports or hearing about these many sports personalities since childhood, the sheer connect with such films is immediate and very strong," he says.

Why Bollywood is going all out while promoting s@x comedies

Bollywood has finally come of age and is promoting their adult flicks unabashedly and without a pretense. We take a look at what makes filmmakers more in-your-face today

There is no denying that Bollywood has evolved over a period of time. Filmmakers are no longer being coy about promoting their adult flicks under the guise of thrillers and comedies, but are openly marketing the genre, as they seem to be getting more and more comfortable with the idea.

The first half of 2016 will see three sex comedies, 'Kya Kool Hain Hum 3', 'Mastizaade' and 'Great Grand Masti', making their way to theatres. The trailers of 'Kya Kool Hain Hum 3' and 'Mastizaade', which released recently, have already created a buzz among the audience and, in a one-of-its-kind move, the former is being called the first porn-com in India. So, what makes the makers more in- your-face today?

Being accepted
The reason why films relying heavily on sexual content are doing well at the box-office is that the audience is open to all genre of films today. Says trade analyst Akshaye Rathi, "Sex comedies in India are getting bolder and audience is showing interest in the genre. Many sex comedies are popular in the international market, but in India the market has grown in the past five years. According to me, the genre will enjoy its moment for a while in the country. As far as introducing the word porn-com is concerned, I think it's a great marketing gimmick. It is a brave and smart decision."

While the audience is accepting the genre, it can also be said that an increasing number of producers are backing sex comedies as well.

Gizele Thakral, who features in Kya Kool Hain Hum says, "Producers backing sex comedies is a testimony to the genre being accepted by Indian audiences. Box-office collections also show that if you have a good story, making sex comedies is no longer a risky affair. Also, called Kya Kool... a porn-com is a genius stroke by Ekta (Kapoor). It will arouse curiosity and audience will be more interested in watching the film."



Important to have fun
Actors such as Aftab Shivadasani and Vir Das who have starred in films with heavy sexual content feel that it is high time people stopped considering sex as taboo and had fun with it instead. "We are a country of over a billion people. We didn't get to that number through telepathy. Someone somewhere is having sex. We might as well have a sense of humour about it and have some fun with it," says Das, who stars in the upcoming 'Mastizaade'.

Aftab Shivdasani, who will be seen in 'Kya Kool Hain Hum 3' and 'Great Grand Masti', seconds Das's opinion and says, "I believe that it is important to have a sense of humour. There are a few sensitive issues which should be dealt in a particular manner, but there are some issues which should be dealt with humorously/lightly. I know for a fact that a lot of people criticise such films, but secretly enjoy watching it. I am not hypocrite, if I choose to be a part of an adult film, I will have to use my sense of humour accordingly. We should be open-minded."

The other side
It's a fact that films revolving around adult content make a lot of money at the box office but on the other hand, the returns on satellite are very low due to censor issues.

Says Komal Nahta, "The market for sex comedies in India is growing but the films' success depends only on the box office collection since there is hardly any return on satellite. This genre is not for satellite television. So producers have to ensure that the film is rightly budgeted properly."

Rangita Nandy, producer, PNC, opines that films with adult content were always popular, but Bollywood has given them a stepchild treatment. She says, "Films with adult content have always been popular in India, but yes, despite their success, Bollywood has always treated them like stepchildren. Actors, even banners, have shied away from the genre. But through the years, the numbers on the genre have only exploded. This means, like it or not, these movies have a thriving, flourishing and expanding audience.

And that has its respect amongst the business community of Bollywood. Every change that enhances box office collections are welcome. And really, these are adult themed movies for an adult audience and for the large part, we are adults. Rangita adds, "So where's the taboo? But I guess, the taboo associated with the genre will remain till respectable, A-grade actors sign on board like in Hollywood with films like Hangover 1-2-3, Wedding Crashers, etc. Until then the genre will be celebrated as a super money spinning machine. No harm or taboo in that."

Rudeshock: Are Salman and Iulia heading for a splitsville?

Apparently, Salman Khan had an argument with his rumoured ladylove Iulia Vantur post his 50th birthday bash.

If gossip mills are to be believed, Salman Khan is becoming possessive about rumoured girlfriend, Romanian actress-anchor Iulia Vantur. Post his 50th birthday bash with his family and close industry friends, the star was apparently sulking over Iulia mingling with his guests, a little too much for his liking.

An eyewitness says, "Salman was a bit upset because he didn't like that Iulia getting over friendly with some guests at the party. An argument of sorts followed."

A source close to the actor confirms the news and says, "Yes, Salman bhai was a bit unhappy with Iulia and when the party wrapped up, he conveyed the same to her politely. He didn't yell at her."

Salman Khan's bash had a huge, glittering turnout and Iulia was seen photobombing a few of his snapshots with guests.

2015 Recap: Bollywood 'couples' who kept rumour mills buzzing

2015 saw a number of Bollywood stars being linked up, but they kept us guessing all year long. Wonder if they will continue to play coy

Secret dinners, hush hush holidays, sweet exchanges on social media and more, but they will not admit to being a twosome. This year, a few Bollywood actors kept rumour mills buzzing for their off-screen chemistry with co-stars or industry outsiders, but they have still not confirmed their relationship status. A look at such 'couples':

Pulkit Samrat and Yami Gautam


The two started seeing each other while working for Divya Khosla Kumar's upcoming film 'Sanam Re'. By the time the Simla schedule began, they had become inseparable, claim sources. The link up buzz followed with cracks in Pulkit's marriage (to longtime sweetheart Shweta Rohira, Salman Khan's rakhi sister). The wife has confirmed that she is splitting from Pulkit, but he and Yami don't seem ready yet to talk about their relationship.

Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra


When they debuted together in 'Student of the Year' (2012), they were just as friendly as co-stars are expected to be. But somewhere down the line, the two seemed to have gotten serious about each other. Ever since they returned from their 2015 New Year holiday, they are speculated to be a couple. The buzz reached a crescendo when they began shooting for Shakun Batra's 'Kapoor & Sons' earlier this year. A long schedule in Coonoor and Ooty apparently ignited the spark. Alia has been clicked visiting Sid's home in Bandra though the two evade being spotted together in public. When asked about their relationship, they prefer to just smile. If the grapevine is to be believed, the two are going strong.

Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover


Bips took everyone by surprise when she agreed to star opposite the television actor in the horror flick, 'Alone'. During the shoot, both were going through personal upheavals - the actress had parted ways with beau Harman Baweja while Karan's marriage with actress Jennifer Winget had ended. Initially, it appeared that their love story was a publicity stunt for their film. But long after the film released, Bips and Karan continue to paint the town red with their romance. The duo is often spotted at nightclubs and have even holidayed together. The two have been posting their lovey dovey snapshots on social media, but still refuse to admit that they are a couple.

Best of 2015: Top Bollywood films of the year

It was a mixed bag for Bollywood in 2015 where content-driven films found space while superstars-led movies earned big bucks, with the year ending on a high note after the success of Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer "Dilwale" and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Bajirao Mastani".

'Bajirao Mastani'


Stars were seen experimenting in the big budget format as Salman ditched his action-man image to play a simpleton in "Bajrangi Bhaijaan". He had another hit in "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", which was big on nostalgia so was Shah Rukh's box office outing "Dilwale", whose promotions were centered around his iconic chemistry with Kajol.

'Dilwale'


The unusual father-daughter chemistry of Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone in "Piku" was loved by the audience, Akshay Kumar's thriller "Baby", based on covet operations and S S Rajamouli's epic historical film "Baahubali" too received appreciation from people. Ajay Devgn-starrer "Drishyam" was also a major success.

'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'


The year, however, truly belonged to Deepika as she had three back-to-back hits with "Piku", "Tamasha" and "Bajirao Mastani". Kangana Ranaut's dual performance in "Tanu Weds Manu Returns" raked in big moolah at the box office but her second outing "Katti Batti" failed to replicate the success of her earlier release.

'Piku'


Small budget movies like "NH10", "Manjhi - The Mountain Man," "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", "Masaan", "Titli" and "Angry Indian Goddesses" were lauded for their content. Chaitanya Tamhane's Marathi film "Court" was one of the most appreciated films of the year. It won the National Award for the best picture and was also announced as India's official entry to the 88th Annual Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

2015 Rewind: 8 lessons Bollywood taught us

As they say, nothing goes waste. As the year comes to a close, hitlist sifts through the hits and flops and controversies of 2015 to see the gems of lessons, some sweet and some bitter, that came out of them...

Music has boundaries and bullies do win sometimes.


Ghulam Ali

Shiv Sena yet again reared its head to protest against Pakistani Ghazal singer Ghulam Ali from performing in Mumbai. Ali chose not to perform anywhere else in India.

Nobody's a holy cow


Bombay Velvet

The giant disaster called 'Bombay Velvet' was a clear example that you could take one of country's hotshot and maverick directors to pair with one of the most promising stars, but it won't guarantee success. Some call it lack of focus, some arrogance, but the truth is there is no fixed formula for anything.

Exes can be friends, especially if there is also a film promotion involved


Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone have always maintained that they share a cordial relationship even after their break-up; call us cynical but the professing of undying love for each other just before the release of their film together was a little hard to digest, even then.

In the testosterone-driven world of cricket, a woman's presence can only be a distraction


Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma.

It started from India's tour of England last year and continued during this year's semi-finals. When Virat Kohli performed badly on the pitch, fans looking for a scapegoat, chose to blame his 'jinxed' actress-girlfriend Anushka Sharma. Ironically, when Kohli regained form, she was not given any credit.

Even the purest can be censored


Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

Who would think that Sooraj Barjatya will be introduced to the special pair of scissors that the Censor Board so proudly possesses (for 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo')?



Sooraj Barjatya

While poor Soorajji must still be reeling under shock, the board continues giving us a free ride on the time machine back to the dark ages.

Free speech is a farce


Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan

The biggest stars of the biggest democratic nation of the world, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan 'dared' to speak about growing intolerance in the country, and there was an immediate and ugly backlash from people, political parties, bhakts and their idle uncles.

Success is a responsibility
His supremely confident debut Queen put director Vikas Bahl on a pedestal. However, it didn't take long for him to be brought down to mother earth, with his drug addled mess called 'Shaandaar'.



Vikas Bahl

Hopefully, he will operate better from here than seventh heaven.

Bond can do everything, but can't kiss for more than 007 seconds in India



James Bond

The Censor Board's sometimes archaic, sometimes haphazard manner of functioning, how could one forget that James Bond fans were not allowed to watch their hero smooch the delicious Monica Bellucci for 'too long' in Spectre. The board was worried a kiss lasting for a few more seconds would corrupt the impressionable minds. (No looking for logic here, please. We have given up on that exercise a while ago.)