Hot 'n' Spicy Page

Almost two years back, the extremely hot n sizzling Urvashi Sharma scorched the big screen with her debut film Naqaab opposite Bobby Deol and Akshaye Khanna.

So much so, that she was touted as the next big thing not only because of her drop-dead-gorgeous looks but also because of the confidence she exuded on screen.

What held her back was a severe contract with Tips and after the recent fallout between her and the production company, Urvashi is raring to go again -- and this time, she's bagged films with the likes of Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Shabana Azmi, Revathy and Jaya Bachchan. The only difference between then and now is Urvashi's sexy makeover -- she's all out to make a mark.

As I enter Hotel Sun N' Sand in Juhu, Mumbai, where the photo-shoot for this feature is taking place, I am quite taken aback when I see this beauty.

Flaunting her perfectly sculpted figure into different coloured bikinis, Urvashi makes it look like the outfits are custom-made for her. I watch her as she gently moulds her into this radiant, confident woman who has no qualms in showing off the best of herself by being outrageously sexy. Urvashi has always had this very different charisma about her.

Urvashi always wanted to be a part of this glamour world and she has absolutely no qualms in admitting it. "I really enjoy being on the stage. You know, when I was in school, I used to perform and do everything to stay away from studies; be it sports, singing, dancing or whatever. I used to love the fact that I was on stage and everybody was looking at me. It gave me a different kind of a high. Plus, I am also a very good looking girl so I always got that extra attention. And it was this extra importance that has got me where I am today," she beams.

Not many know that Urvashi did print and television modelling for quite a while before joining films but she never really got down to walking on the ramp. As she explains, "There is a very strong reason why I never did ramp modelling. I used to get Rs 10000 for a one day's show and was called for the rehearsals, dress fittings and all two days continuously. So, it was like working for two days and getting paid for one day, that too peanuts. When I did TV ads, I used to get about a lakh after which I used to sit at home and enjoy life for a month. It always made more sense for me to do television ads and not ramp work. But whatever said and done, modelling was like a stepping stone for me. It's my passion and it's what got me the recognition I have today."

It was also because of these modelling assignments that she was spotted and approached for Naqaab. Urvashi smiles as she speaks, "Kumarji (Taurani) saw a lot of my ads and contacted me. He saw me at the time when there were five commercials of mine on air. First I did the 'Something Something' video with Mika for Tips, then I did another video for them called Doorie with Atif Aslam, which was such a super duper hit that they decided to do a film with me. I think it was the best launch I could ever ask for and all of it happened very quickly."

A painting of pop diva Madonna in the nude with her ex-husband, film director Guy Ritchie, flopped at an auction Saturday.

Brian Clements, head of the McTear's auction house, said there were a few bids for the oil painting by Scottish artist Peter Howson, but none that reached the minimum requirement of 15,000 pounds ($24,277).

The oil painting, from 2005, depicts Madonna lying naked in the foreground while Ritchie rests a hand on her thigh. The two divorced last year after almost eight years of marriage.

The picture had been expected to sell for 22,000 pounds.

Amitabh Bachchan, in Total Recall , a two-part tribute right from his days in Anand to what he is busy with now, the struggle years, the breakthrough with Zanjeer, his conflict with the media, Sholay, his friendships in the industry, the Big B in his own words. Like, his chemistry with Dharamendra while making Sholay: “We lived in the same hotel, we used the same car and there was great bonding... one day we got stuck in a traffic jam in Bangalore and the car broke down. The crowd suddenly saw Dharamji and me. They started mobbing us. So in true Veeru and Jai style we got out and got into a rickshaw... and we went this entire 30-40 km in a three-wheeler coz we wanted to get out of it...”

Then Schumacher, in Times Drive, discusses his life after racing, his new motorcycle hobby, and his campaign against drunken driving. In a message that should warm the hearts of Mumbai’s traffic cops, Schumacher says, “When I go out with a group of friends, one of them becomes a designated driver. The second option is public transportation. For me, it’s just one magic word — Taxi. If I happen to have a good time with my friends and I had a couple of drinks, I would call a taxi and drive home safely.”

To add on to the fervor of IPL, there is a contest in the air, no not the regular man of the match or star of the match ones that follow the cricket matches, but it is the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa. The finals of the IPL will also see the winner of IPL Miss Bollywood amongst forty eight South African women, all from different walks of life.

From each game a contestant is selected from the crowd and the finalists, in all 16 of them, will line up for the contest and compete for 50,000 rands in cash, a flight ticket to India and a tour through Bollywood besides the title.

Now this has added much spice and excitement in the tournament, however, a controversy also emerged as news reports suggested that the winner, IPL Miss Bollywood will get a role in Bollywood movie. Further speculation that made news was the crowning lady will star opposite ShahRukh Khan.

But, this news are said to have gone with the wind and as of now there is no smoke in the air. It has been made clear that there is no role in Bollywood movie, the winner is only assured of a guided tour of Bollywood.

The list of finalists included promising businesswomen, students, budding lawyers and even models and actresses. The criteria of selection have not been divulged but official reports suggest that it’s not a rigid scorecard of a typical beauty contest.

With Salman Khan refusing to use his clout to get his colleagues to make an appearance on 10 Ka Dum, the show still has no celebrities on board

With Salman Khan refusing to pull strings to bring in fellow actors for the second season of 10 ka Dum, a popular game show that he hosts on Sony, the channel is having a tough time roping in celebrities on their own.

A source said, The makers have approached actors like Ajay Devgan and Kajol, Sanjay Dutt with wife Manyata, Bipasha Basu, Mallika Sherawat, Shilpa Shetty, Anil Kapoor and Sonam to appear as guests on 10 Ka Dum, however they still have not got confirmations from any of them.

In the last season, many of the stars like, Ranbir Kapoor-Deepika Padukone, Govinda-David Dhawan had willingly agreed to be part of the show because of the good relations they shared with Salman Khan. However, with the actor no longer being in the picture, they all want to be paid to make an appearance. The source elaborated, the norm is that celebs don’t charge the channel for making an appearance. They also don’t take the money they win in the game show back home they always donate it to a charitable organization. But this time round, none of the actors are interested in making an appearance for free. They are quoting a high sum, between Rs 30 to 40 lakh. However, the budget of the show doesnt permits this. So, now the channel has approached Sohail Khan, Salman’s brother to put in a word to the actors. As a backup plan, they have also approached a lot of small-time actors, who will be more than willing to share the stage with Salman free of cost.

But now the buzz is that Bollywood’s lovely Kapoor sisters, Karisma and Kareena, are confirmed guests to kick off the first episode of the game show’s second season on Monday.

A source close to the Kapoor girls admitted, “They were approached by the channel. Karisma is busy tending to her daughter Samaira and Kareena’s occupied with professional commitments, but still — the two sisters readily agreed to go on the show because they are fond of Salman. Both girls have always declined invitations by reality shows earlier to appear together... but for Salman’s sake, they made an exception.”

Besides Kareena’s fondness for Salman, the two are also co-stars in Main Aur Mrs Khanna, which is also why she decided to be part of Sallu’s show. In the last season, the actor had used his considerable goodwill in Bollywood to get stars like Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone and Aamir Khan and nephew Imran to appear on his show. This time round, rumours are that he isn’t exerting his pull to do so, and the channel was approaching the stars on its own.

After sporting a sexy bikini in Kidnap, the actress is now all clad in leather for the cover of ‘The Man’ magazine's latest issue.

Minissha Lamba looks scorching on the cover of ‘The Man’.

(Photo Courtesy: ‘The Man’).

The Chocolate Hero Ranbir Kapoor has kept aside his boyish charm and decided to sport the turban and a rugged beard in Shimit Amin’s Rocket Singh — Salesman of the year. And one lady who is on top of the world with his new look is mom Neetu Singh. “I, being a Sardarni, my dream of seeing Ranbir as a sardar have been fulfilled!

His look in Rocket Singh makes me wonder how he’d have looked in real life if I were married to a sardar,” said Neetu laughing, “He looks so handsome in his Sikh avatar,” gushed mommy dearest, who’s sure that her son as Rocket Singh will ‘Rock it’!

Freida Pinto’s currently shooting for her film Miral in Jerusalem, Israel.

The lady will speak English in an Arabic accent. Sporting shoulder-length hair, the actress who has gained a few kilos post Slumdog..., has become so popular with the paparazzi that they didn’t even spare her during loo breaks!

Pictures of Freida marching towards the loo during her shoot and even getting out of it have become hot property! The actress who made it to the list of the top 100 most beautiful people in the world is apparently being chased by scribes and impatient photographers who want to capture her every move on and off the sets, and her recent Loo break pictures are examples of the media’s excessive interest in her. Truly wonder how Freida’s coping with the paparazzi... She’s probably blushing even after flushing these days!

A scene in the film 99 required the lead actors to ride bikes.

Soha Ali Khan confessed she had never learnt the skill. So she started taking lessons and was able to ride one just in time for the shoot. On the day of the shoot, she found out that bikes didn’t mean bicycles, but motorcycles. Though scared initially, she bravely got on one and started driving. The adventure ended though when she hit the curb and almost fell off. No serious injury but the idea was scrapped.

The filmmakers decided to put Soha on the same bike behind Kunal Khemu and have Cyrus Broacha ride the other bike instead. As it turns out Cyrus has been seriously scarred about riding bikes. “As a kid I was riding my bike and almost ran down a nun! Since then my mother banned me from riding bikes,” says Cyrus.

Somehow they convinced Cyrus to get on the bike and finished the scene. Thankfully there were no nuns on the road that day!

This is a rare sight. We never got to see the world’s most beautiful woman Aishwarya Rai in any swimwear again after her Miss World days, except for one of her initial films Aa Ab Laut Chale .

How different did the svelte Miss Universe Sushmita Sen look in 1994.

Minissha Lamba is doing her best to maintain the hot body that had the audience drooling as she sizzled under a waterfall in Kidnap.

If you think Freida Pinto became a star overnight, think again. The girl seems to have worked hard in the modeling world much before Slumdog happened. This picture clicked in the year 2007 proves just that.

Deepika Padukone scorched the Kingfisher Calendar with her sexy figure in this classy bikini.

Vidya Balan’s costumes in Ishqiya are being altered to fit her changed size; she has lost 10 kilos

Last month, we told you about Vidya Balan’s drastic weight loss. While Vidya is more than happy after losing 10 kilos, the producers of Ishqiya, Vishal Bharadwaj and Manasi Maroo have a new problem on hand. They have to alter Vidya’s costumes as they no longer fit the actress. Confirming this, Abhishek Chaubey, the director said, yes we were compelled to alter Vidya’s outfits. But the overall effect is that she is looking gorgeous in the film.

A source said, there is a lot of patchwork left for which Vidya has to again wear the outfits she wore during the films shoot. But the clothes have become quite loose for Vidya now.

While Vidya remained unavailable for comment, Maroo did not deny the story. For the scenes that are yet to be canned, we will have to take fresh measurements. I can’t quantify Vidyas weight loss but I must say she has lost a substantial amount of weight, said Maroo.

In Ishqiya, Vidya plays a complex character and fools the uncle-nephew jodi played by Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi respectively. They will be seen speaking the U.P. dialect.

Salman Khan is set to host the second season of Dus Ka Dum. But this time he will not be as involved with the show as he was last year.

A source said, "This is a result of the huge pay cut that has happened this season. It is believed that Salman was paid Rs 89 crore in the first season, but in the second season he will be paid only Rs 44 crore. And with the pay cut, Salman has also cut down on his involvement. He has refused to use his clout with his star friends and colleagues to get them on the show."

A source close to the actor said, "Salman recently had a meeting with the programming heads. He made it very clear that he would no longer be responsible for inviting his friends and celebs as guests on the show. He will do his job of hosting and that will be about it."

Danish Khan, Vice President - Marketing Sony Entertainment said, "Salman has a star attraction and he'll be seen in great style as usual; a big grand entry is planned for him." When questioned about Salman's decision to not ask celebrities to participate, given the drastic cut in payment for the 2nd season, he said, "I am not aware of this. He is involved in the production but there is no hard and fast rule as to what he is supposed to do. We are in the process of talking to a lot of celebs from all walks of life and we will let you know the line-up soon. As far as money is concerned, as a policy we can't disclose the amount paid for either season."

Star power does a lot of good to any show. The source said, "Salman's word carries a lot of weight and that's how he managed to get top notch actors and star friends like Rani Mukerji who is rarely seen on TV, or Govinda-David, Ranbir-Deepika, or his brothers together on the show. Getting people together on a television show is not always possible unless you are a Salman Khan or a ShahRukh Khan."

The shoot for Dus Ka Dum will begin as soon as Salman is back from London where he is shooting for Veer.

Kareena Kapoor seems to be taking a lot of inspiration from Aamir Khan. What else can explain her penchant to don a new look in every film that she signs.

After losing weight for Tashan she gained a few pounds for Rensil D’Silva’s film. Now, we hear the gal plans to chop off her tresses for her movie with Karan Johar that also stars Kajol and is a remake of the Hollywood film Step Mom.

Sources say, “This is the first time Kareena’s going to go for a Haircut for a role. Though her look has to be decided she is keen to look drastically different.”

The forever hot n sexy Kangna Ranaut returned to Mumbai from a gruelling month-long shooting of a Telugu film to horrifying rumours of how she had done a Nude Scene down South.

Kangna is enraged. “Nude? I’d never do a nude scene in my entire life even if someone makes me do it at gun point. I come from a very conservative background. If my parents were to ever see that I’ve crossed the line of morality they’d drag me back to Himachal. Yes, I’ve done aesthetically shot pictures which reveal my physique. And why not? I’ve worked really hard on getting my body muscular and toned.”

But nudes? “No way. I’ve never posed in the nude, never will, no matter how right the zeroes on the cheque are. I’ve an inbuilt censor code.”

So, how did these rumours of going ‘all the way’ start? “You tell me. Journalists started calling up my Telugu director Puri Jagannath in Hyderabad while we were shooting. He, poor man, was so scandalized he almost had a heart attack. Puri is one of the most successful and respected filmmakers of Telugu cinema.”

Clarifying that there are no nude sequences in the Telugu film Kangna says, “Even the much-hyped ‘nude’ scene in Raaz 2 was a hoax. I wore a body suit in the bath tub. I don’t think taking off all of one’s clothes is a cool thing to do.”

Kangna is back in Mumbai for a couple of days only for costume and makeup trials for Ekta Kapoor’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbai.

“I play the only glamour element in the otherwise dark film. This would be my most glamorous role. My look has to go from the late 1960s to the 1970s.” Kangna’s clothes are being done by Manoshi Nath who did the ‘stylized’ look on Dibakar Banerjee’s Oye Lucky Luck Oye.

After having lived for years with his parents at Galaxy Apartments, Bandra, albeit on different floors, is Salman Khan ready to move away from the Family Home. The actor has bought an impressive penthouse in Aquamarine building, which is located at Carter Road.

A source said, the flat belonged to the president of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee, Kripa Shankar Singhs son, Sanjay. He had bought the flat for investment purpose. Sanjay sealed the deal with Salman recently. Buzz is, Salman bought the penthouse from Sanjay for approximately Rs 20 crore. Salman has bought the top two floors in the six-storey building. The beauty of Salman’s penthouse is the sea view, visible from his terrace. Also, the penthouse guarantees absolute privacy. Each floor has a spacious hall, kitchen and four more rooms, added our source.

Currently, the interior designing work is on in full swing at Salman’s New Home. Interestingly, music director Anu Malik has also bought flats in the building. Flats in the third and fourth floor belong to Anu Malik, said our source. Real estate sources confirmed the news and said, Yes, the 5th and 6th floor belong to Salman, while the 3rd and 4th floors are Anu Malik’s. Salman’s father Salim Khan neither denied nor confirmed the story. He disconnected the phone as soon as we asked him about Salmans new penthouse.

Incidentally, Salman has also invested in a plot of land at Carter Road to build his dream bungalow. Will he eventually move into one of his new homes or has he bought them only for investment purpose. Only time will tell.

Katrina Kaif demands seven costume changes instead of three for a music video for New York Coco Channel once said: 'Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.' Recently, Katrina Kaif made sure she got her way and did the latter. Katrina put her foot down and said that she needed seven changes of clothes for a music video in Yash Raj Films' New York. The incident in question happened at Yash Raj Studios, Andheri.

Initially, Aditya Chopra and choreographer Ahmed Khan had decided on three costume changes for Katrina. But keeping in mind her glamorous image, Katrina asked for four more. When Ahmed reached the sets, Katrina told him that three changes wouldn’t be sufficient. A surprised Ahmed did not agree with Katrina’s demand. Moreover, he knew that he would have to inform Aditya Chopra before giving in to Katrina’s wish. However, when Katrina politely told Ahmed that she would have it no other way he had no choice but to call Aditya who was busy in his office upstairs.

Aditya told Ahmed that he was okay with seven changes if the choreographer had no problem. Thereafter, Ahmed told Katrina that she could have what she wanted. Once the green signal was given by Aditya, four additional costumes were arranged much to Katrina’s delight.

Ahmed confirmed and said, Yes, Katrina wanted seven changes in the music video. I wasn’t too excited with the idea initially, but when I saw the final result, I think she was right. The music video has worked out brilliantly.

However, I made it clear to Katrina that seven costume changes should not eat into the time of the shoot, and it didn’t , he added.

If you think that shorts are the beach-only gear, then it’s time to know that it has become the everyday choice. Let’s have a look at the celebs’ chic way to beat the heat and have a chill-time season...

The hip hop gear showing off her fabulous figure flatters the attractive fitness girl, Sherlyn Chopra.

A pair of highly accessorized blue huggers and a deep purple halter brings out the wicked side of the bootylicious babe Priyanka Chopra. The sexy shorts surely makes the mercury soar.

Trust Kareena Kapoor, dressed in virginal white shorts, to make you feel that it's time to get your legs out of hibernation!

It’s an all-out war to make Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor’s last film together a worthy farewell. Boney Kapoor, who has three films including Wanted and It’s My Life ready for release, is at the moment focusing entirely on giving Milenge-Milenge a 2009 look.

And for this purpose the Milenge Milenge crew recently slipped into Delhi to re-shoot portions of the film that might have got dated.

Says the film’s director Satish Kaushik, “Yes, we have re-shot portions of Milenge Milenge in Delhi. The entire film is set in Delhi, just like my other hit film Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai with Kareena. In fact I was supposed to do another film with Kareena (Dil Chor with Abhishek Bachchan) for Boney. Instead we did Milenge Milenge.”

Interestingly, it was Kareena who recommended Shahid for the role. But her personal relationship never interfered with the project.

Explains Satish, “Both Kareena and Shahid have been complete professionals. If Milenge Milenge has taken so long to be completed it’s not because of the artistes. Everything from my personal family problems to the tsunami happened to Milenge Milenge. One schedule in Bangkok got cancelled at the last minute. The tsunami stuck and everyone got washed away in the tides where we were supposed to shoot. If the film could survive the tsunami, what’s a bit of negativity about a delayed project? Pakeezah and Mughal-e-Azam were in the making for decades.”

Another tsunami hit Milenge Milenge when Salman Khan, who was supposed to make a special appearance, opted out because he discovered he couldn’t get along with Shahid Kapur.

Far from putting the project on the back burner producer Boney Kapoor and director Satish Kaushik are more determined than ever before to release Milenge Milenge, which is their version of Peter Chelsom’s 2001 rom-com Serendipity this summer.

The Shahid Kapoor-Kareena Kapoor starrer is about two people involved elsewhere, who after a chance encounter, decide to give their feeling for one another a chance to grow.

Vivek Oberoi is suddenly back in business, and how! Whether it’s for a film that he is doing with Ram Gopal Varma or for a film that he isn’t doing with Satish Kaushik (featuring Abhishek Bachchan)... Oberoi seems to be in the news constantly.

Currently in New York shooting for Rensil d’Silva’s untitled film (not called Jehad) Vivek has endeared himself to the film’s other principal leads Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, and not just because they share camera space so comfortably, but because he was directly instrumental in getting them an impromptu holiday in New York, ahead of the holiday that they have planned after the schedule in New York.

It so happened that Vivek had plenty of solo scenes which apparently Oberoi suggested to the director be shot all in a bunch so that Saif and Kareena could take time off.

Resultantly Saif and Kareena ended up with two full empty days in New York. Laughs Kareena from New York, “Yeah, Saif and I got a two-day break in the middle of our hectic schedule because Vivek’s scenes are being shot. Saif and I just chilled out, saw some films, and ate at our favourite restaurant. It was an unexpected treat. Thanks to Vivek.”

Kareena seems to be renewing her friendship with Vivek. “If you remember we did one of my best films Yuva together. He was very sweet and considerate then. I find no change in him. Yes, Vivek and I friends.”

Even before Deepika Padukone, Kim Sharma, Shonali Nagrani, Isha Sharvani and the more recent Sayali Bhagat and Laxmi Rai were ‘courted’ by cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Sreesanth, M S Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik, the romance between Bollywood babes and cricketers dates back to the early 60s when the Willow displayed considerable prowess off the field.

It was during one such India sojourn that South Africa’s maverick captain Gary Sobers was bowled over by Anju Mahendru, a model and upcoming actress then. It was a brief romance, which resulted in a secret engagement. Romantic tales of Tiger Pataudi wooing Sharmila Tagore, Imran Khan’s link up with Zeenat Aman, Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan’s marriage to Reena Roy, Sourav Ganguly almost risking his marriage for Nagma are part of folklore.

Over decades such liaisons have time and again proved that cricket and Bollywood are connected with each other. Anju says, “It’s cute to see a cricketer and an actress together, but honestly, today’s romances have more to do with publicity and well-strategised marketing. There are no genuine emotions involved here, unlike our time, when romances were born out of love.”

Anju candidly confesses that as a teenager she was wooed by Gary at a common friend’s house through dance. “I was too young to understand what hit me,” she recalls fondly. “Guess I was swept away by all the attention he showered. For me it was a big high as he would invite me and my family to all the matches. Imagine it was such a high when the vice-captain of a team would come and look after us in between the match. I felt like a queen,” she says.

Anju says before she could realize the gravity of the situation, Gary proposed to her with a ring one night in an old Kolkata bungalow. “We all were dancing and suddenly he gave me a ring and I wore it without much thought. No doubt I was infatuated, but I realized I wasn’t in love and it was too soon for such a big step,” she recalls laughing.

Later that night, a guilt-ridden Anju discussed it with her friends and decided she would give back the ring next morning to Sobers. But somehow things didn’t work out and Gary had to leave for London. “Honestly, I was already seeing Kaka (Rajesh Khanna) at that time. We had a fight, and I guess on a rebound I had an affair with Gary,” she admits candidly. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like Gary. I don’t know what could have happened had Kaka not got back into my life again. I called Gary from Kaka’s home, and called off the engagement,” she says.

“In England you can be sued if you marry somebody else when you are engaged to somebody. So Gary wanted a letter from me saying that we called off the engagement and I sent him one because by than he had met someone,” she says. When fate brought them back together, eight years later at a cricket match in Sharjah, the duo bonded as friends. “There was no awkwardness as we had moved on. We laughed so much that day,” she remembers fondly.

‘Mean Girls’ star Lindsay Lohan has defended her recent weight loss, following critics’ remarks that she has gotten very thin.

Lindsay, 22, who debut her startlingly skinny figure while in Hawaii last week, says that she has been eating. “I’ve been eating enough,” US magazine quoted her.

A source revealed that the 5’5” actress showcased a skin-and-bones physique while on the island. “I’ve never seen hipbones that stick out so much,” the source stated.

It was also revealed that Lindsay has been taking Adderall, a prescription drug usually given to people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, to lose weight. “She takes Adderall all the time,” another source said.

“She gets jittery because of the way the pills affect her. It's a major reason why she's losing weight,” the source added.

A Swish Car with giant wheels being washed by a knockout babe in her skimpiest, drenched by water gushing out of a hose pipe.

A lethal combo and an age-old male fantasy. While it’s originally and essentially a very Hollywood concept, it’s ‘inspired’ several of our film-makers as well. Salaam Namaste director Sidharth Anand even got a dumb blonde to do the washing. But not everyone got it right, with most of these scenes looking tacky, unnecessary and far from sensual.

Director Raj Sippy’s Woh had a car wash scene picturised on Priyanshu Chatterjee and Laila. It’s the Cool Hand Luke scene, in which a hot blonde (Joy Harmon), bathed in lather cleans a car before the watchful eyes of a bunch of shirtless men looking mesmerised, that inspired him. “I wanted a similar sensuous scene in Woh assisted by music. Camera angles make all the difference in such scenes,” says Raj.

Several unheard-of Bollywood sleaze fests have relied on such scenes to pull in the crowd, but have lacked the mandatory finesse for a car wash scene. So, you have a desperate Dia Mirza trying all her moves as she washes a car that definitely doesn’t need one in a song in Koi Mere Dil Main Hai, leaving co-star Rakesh Bapat wide-eyed. Neha Dhupia also lost her inhibitions before Sonu Sood in the car wash scene in Sheesha. The film’s director Ashu Trikha says it had a tantalising effect. “Initially, the song wasn’t part of Sheesha. I thought of shooting it with music as the character was deaf and dumb. But words made it more sensual,” adds Ashu.

While the same can’t be said about Sonu, Anil Kapoor looked more at ease in Sun Suniyo from Musafir, chilling with a beer bottle, as Koena Mitra plays temptress washing a Merc whose number plate reads MH 06 W600. That’s director Sanjay Gupta’s car. Sanjay admits his reference was the scene featuring Liv Tyler in One Night at McCool’s. Even the colour of Koena’s dress is similar to the one Liv wore. “I was more bothered about my Merc than Koena. She even asked me once, ‘You mind asking how I’m doing?’” laughs Gupta, adding, “The fine line between erotica and sleaze is razor sharp. If I had the villain instead of Anil in the scene or a young boy leching from the window, it could have turned bawdy.”

Contemporary soaps in the west like Desperate Housewives, One Tree Hill, Ally Mc Beal (Ally fantasises about a man washing a car) and Sunset Beach have given their own twist to this scene. The one in the latter appears effortlessly cute. It’s this ‘cute’ effect that Kambakkht Ishq director Sabbir Khan hopes to achieve through the car wash scene in his film. “There’s no song, it’s not seductive, but a cute moment in which Amrita Arora’s washing a Beetle early in the morning and Aftab Shivadasani, who plays her hubby, gets slightly turned on. Since the film’s very Hollywood and set there, I incorporated it,” says Sabbir.

If an actor is known by the van he keeps, then ShahRukh Khan is the undisputed Baadshah of Bollywood.

The actor recently gifted himself a personalized vanity van designed by Dilip Chhabaria. The biggest van in Bollywood so far, it has been designed keeping SRK’s tastes in mind.

DC, as Dilip is popularly known, says, “We delivered Shah Rukh his van a week ago. It took us four whole months to build it, making it one of our most ambitious projects. Normally, we design vans that are eight to nine metres in length. But this one’s 14 metres long. But since a 14-metre van can’t be easily navigated, we’ve used a hydraulic system that enables the van to reduce in size when in motion. It can later expand to double its size when stationary.”

Describing the van, DC says, “The van is a Volvo that is available in India, but what distinguishes this van from that of others is its chassis. We’ve used the biggest one. With five rooms inside, SRK will have the comfort of a lounge with bar, a gym, an office, a bedroom and a wash room with a shower. And since SRK is a technofreak, we’ve designed the van keeping that in mind, with an abundant scope for technology. The entire van has dual system for everything and new software has been created and programmed on the computer, converting all switches to touch screen. So, when SRK’s in a party mood, the lights can work as party lights, and when he wants to relax, the lights can shift to relax mode.”

Telling about Shah Rukh’s involvement in the making of the van, DC adds, “SRK was keen to have certain things his way, so he has put in a lot of effort in the project. And the result of course, is one of the best designs we’ve created.”

Bollywood Hot n Sexy Actress Shamita Shetty’s hotel room in South Africa was ransacked by Baboons.

Shamita, who is accompanying her sister, actress Shilpa in South Africa, was on a safari in Singita Game Reserves with Shilpa and her beau Raj Kundra and some “close friends and family in tow”.

“...It’s been a great weekend. Shamita loved every bit of it till she went to her room and discovered it was ransacked by the baboons... Apparently they knew where the mini bar is and we were warned when we checked in to keep all doors locked when we leave the room...Obviously, someone didn’t listen,” Shilpa posted on her blog. The incident took place at the Singita Lebombo Lodge, where Shilpa and others were taking a break from the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Pregnant Heidi Klum started stripping in front of cameras during a recent appearance on the Ellen Degeneres'' U.S. chat show.

The German beauty agreed to donate the Alice Temperley dress she was wearing on the show as an auction item for DeGeneres' ongoing charity drive.

However, when the host encouraged her to start stripping, the daring supermodel started peeling off the straps of the dress.

Although DeGeneres held up a napkin to cover the pregnant model initially, she finally realized that the impromptu strip could land her in soup.

And, thus, the host brought Heidi’s strip to an end and a screen was brought on to allow the model to disrobe safely as striptease music was played.

Heidi later reappeared wearing a white robe, reports Contactmusic . The Temperley dress is now up for grabs on eBay.com.

She’s the girl of the moment. Genelia D’Souza who is a superstar in Andhra Pradesh — “They actually write scripts for me here,’’ she says modestly.

Post Aamir Khan’s home production Jaane Tu ... Ya Jaane Na, this 20-something actress is inundated with movie offers.

Speaking to BT from Hyderabad where she is shooting for a Telugu thriller, Genelia is majorly excited about having signed Ken Ghosh’s Yahoo, where she plays a choreographer.

“It’s my first film with Shahid Kapur who is a phenomenal dancer; and I’m nervous as hell at the thought of having to match steps with him,’’ she says.

The Mumbai girl says she did hear that Jiah Khan was earlier to play her role; but adds, “I accepted the role because it is challenging for me as an actor. Also, I share a good rapport with the film corporation who is producing Yahoo.’’

Genelia says that by the end of the year, she will be virtually breathless because she has Boney Kapoor’s It’s My Life, Abbas Mustan’s Life Partners and UTV’s Hook Ya Crook with John Abraham also coming up.

“Fortunately for me, each of the roles I’m doing is different from the other,’’ says the actress. While she is eager for a sequel to Jaane Tu ... to happen, she is also happy that film-makers in Andhra — where she is invariably the protagonist — keep finding her roles where she can push the envelope. “For now, I’m happy to yahoo in Bollywood,’’ she says.

Many actresses are called housebreakers ... but there are some home-makers as well. Preity Zinta is one of them. Apparently, PZ is the one who helped actor Eesha Koppikhar hook up with boyfriend Timmy Narang, whom she’ll wed soon.

Preity and Eesha became good friends while shooting for Har Pal. That’s when Preity thought that Timmy and Eesha were perfect for each other. “Preity was instrumental in getting us together,” confessed Koppikhar. “She told Timmy a few good words about me, and then told me a few good words about him!

However, she never took names in her conversations so I never knew which ‘guy’ she was talking about. She tried to make us meet several times, but it never worked out.

But once, Timmy and I casually met at a party and hit it off immediately. We started dating, without quite knowing that Preity was actually trying to get the two of us together!

When I met Preity again, I found out that the ‘guy’ she used to talk to me about was Timmy!” Now is this one straight outta a dramatic flick or what? Even KJo can find a cue or two here!

Well, not really. Neetu Chandra just decided to indulge in a prank on the sets of Jagmohan Mundhra’s Apartment.

What really happened was that the first day that Neetu Chandra went on the sets, she spotted an assistant director wearing red shoes and complimented him on that. “

The next day he wore black, so I told him that he will have to continue wearing those red shoes, or I won’t shoot,” she says with a smile, “So the simple guy kept wearing the same red shoes everyday.

One day he came up to me and said apologetically that since his red shoes are dirty, he won’t be able to wear them the next day. In front of everyone, I told him very sternly that unless he wears yellows shoes the next day, I will not shoot and he will be answerable for the shoot’s delay,” she says. And guess what the AD did? “He came wearing yellow shoes!” laughs Neetu, “I hugged him in front of everyone and told him that I was just bullying him.” Hmmm we say quit bullying others Neetu, you never know when tables can turn!

Ameesha Patel is heavily into vegetables.

Ameesha now prefers carrots, lettuce and tomatoes to any kind of meat. When we spent a day with her for a ZOOM exclusive on the sets of Run Bhola Run, she was surrounded by salads and sprouts. And since she was waiting for her co-star Govinda, she had time to eat, take a power nap, chat and eat again. But she was quick to take up for Govinda.

“He is so good at his work that he finishes five hours work in just two hours. It is a pleasure to watch him work. And see, I got my beauty sleep and you guys, your interview also, na?” Right. We can’t argue, but we’re trying to figure if Amee is giving the credit for her gorgeous new look to Govinda here. We’re confused yaar!

Recently, Kareena Kapoor had to shoot for 36 hours without a break.

The actress has a choc-a-block schedule, thanks to films like Kambakkht Ishq, 3 Idiots, Agent Vinod, Mr and Mrs Khanna and an untitled movie by Rensil D’silva – all of which are bein shot in different locations.

Says a source, “She just went rushing from one set to another, shooting continuously without complaining about tiredness or lack of sleep. The unit members of her films were saying this is what stars are made of.” Well, all we can say is, keep it up, gal!