WHAT's BREWING BETWEEN A SOUTH STAR AND CELINA JAITLY?

Friday, January 28, 2005 12:39:15 IST
Actors and their affairs, crushes and obsessions never cease to make news. This time the stud-muffin in question is the 24-year old Tollywood actor, Vishnuvardhan Babu (known as Vishnu), and the pretty bird, is the unarguable glam-girl, Celina Jaitly.

    
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The ravishing Celina has been romantically linked to Fardeen Khan something she vehemently denies. "Fardeen is a very close friend and a special co-star. We are also family friends," she had said when quizzed about her short-lived affair with him on the sets of Janasheen. Sometime back she broke off with her Swedish boyfriend, Alex, and candidly admitted, "I am very emotionally hurt that Alex and I have broken up. Our relationship was under strain because of heavy career demands. Alex never really understood the life of an actress. It's taking him time to understand the situation and the fact that I'm a known face. It will take me some time to get over it but I am trying. I am also working very hard to keep my mind above all this." Alex was working for the Swedish Foreign Service and was posted in Dubai some years back. Now if the chirp-chirp in the South cinema circles is anything to go by, Celina and Vishnu, are quite an item these days. Like most of our Bollywood actresses, Celina too has turned Southwards. But unlike them it is more than a professional shift. The two became friends, and got close to each other when Vishnu's father (the noted South actor and producer, Mohan Babu) approached Celina (after watching her in Khel!) to play the main lead (the role of Madhulatha) opposite his son in his home-production, Suryam. The well-known V. Samudra directed the film. Critics, most of whom even panned Vishnu's performance saying that it would take a while before this hunk of a newcomer's career would take off, tore the film (which released in December last year) to shreds. (This is father-son's second film, the first one being quite disastrous as well!) Luckily for Celina, she found fair appreciation. Her well-cut figure and sincere performance won her accolades but also got gossipmongers' tongues wagging. The other regional actress, Veda, who pines for Suryam's love in the film, was virtually sidetracked while Celina hogged the mileage thanks to her Bollywood star status. The poster-scape in Hyderabad was dominated by a sizzling visual of Vishnu and Celina passionately kissing, as did the inlay cards of the Suryam audio. That Vishnu had something going for Celina during the shoot (some of it in New Zealand) is no news but Celina also appears to have been pretty smitten by him, even if for a short time, if our sources are anything to go by. Even after the film's release, the two have been in touch regularly. A little bird adds that when Vishnu was in Mumbai recently, Celina and he spent substantial time together. Of course, when someone quizzed Vishnu about this down South, he laughed off the 'rumour' saying, "Celina's a buddy. We laugh about the rumours!" Amusingly enough, he even claims to be extremely shy around girls (considering he was educated for a good part in the US!). He added, "I'm the kind of person who can't even ask for a glass of water from a waiter in a restaurant." The two obviously haven't strayed away from the ever-dependable 'just good friends' excuse! Celina (who will be seen in Boney Kapoor's 'No Entry' and Vashu Bhagnani's Silsilay: Affairs Of The Heart) echoed the cliché on being asked about Vishnu. "He would remain a great friend all through my life," she remarked. That time will tell! While Suryam, the film, has fared well mainly in the 'B' and 'C' centres, Vishnu and Celina's real-life love story is a hit all over!   

“I’m ‘off men’ right now …!” – Celina’s ‘Celibacy’!
MADHUREETA MUKHERJEE

INDIATIMES MOVIES





After ‘Janasheen’, the South industry has seen more of you than Bollywood. Why have you been missing?
“Let me correct that, I didn’t ‘move’ down South; instead, like many others, I did a stint for Telugu films. Actresses like Aishwarya and Tabu have also done South films for the simple experience. It’s a great learning experience, working with such a technically superior crew; I can feel a distinct difference in my performance after doing ‘Suryam’. I can even dance better to massy numbers now. In Bollywood, I have a good line-up of films - ‘No Entry’ and ‘Idiot’ are complete and there are about four untitled projects following.”


http://movies.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=1010106

You pride yourself on being a Feroz Khan discovery - aren’t you doing his next film?
“When Mr. Khan ventures into making new films, I’ll definitely be a part of it. Talking about FK makes me sentimental about ‘Janasheen’; it’s a film that will always be my janasheen – close to my heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start my career. When I go abroad for shows, I’m shocked at my own fan following; I can’t believe that with just two movies to my credit, I have so many fans! I’m sure my first two films, ‘Khel’ and ‘Janasheen’, have done justice to me. And, yes, I still pride myself on being ‘a Feroz Khan girl’!”
http://images.photogallery.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?photoID= 677002

http://images.photogallery.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?photoID= 677002

the whole interview:

“I’m ‘off men’ right now …!” – Celina’s ‘Celibacy’!
MADHUREETA MUKHERJEE

INDIATIMES MOVIES





After ‘Janasheen’, the South industry has seen more of you than Bollywood. Why have you been missing?
“Let me correct that, I didn’t ‘move’ down South; instead, like many others, I did a stint for Telugu films. Actresses like Aishwarya and Tabu have also done South films for the simple experience. It’s a great learning experience, working with such a technically superior crew; I can feel a distinct difference in my performance after doing ‘Suryam’. I can even dance better to massy numbers now. In Bollywood, I have a good line-up of films - ‘No Entry’ and ‘Idiot’ are complete and there are about four untitled projects following.”


How did you fit into the typical dusky and voluptuous mould that South actresses have?
“I didn’t ever think I could fit into that mould; in fact, while shooting for the film, I was terribly underweight and the crew members thought I might just pass out some day.”

How did you cope with the negative criticism you received at the start of your career?
“I received some flak only post-‘Khel’ - that’s when I decided to stop going on a signing spree. I didn’t want to get stuck in the loop of glamorous, ***y roles that most women, who look like me, are usually offered. ‘Janasheen’ did fairly well as a massy film, so I didn’t have much to complain about.”
You pride yourself on being a Feroz Khan discovery - aren’t you doing his next film?
“When Mr. Khan ventures into making new films, I’ll definitely be a part of it. Talking about FK makes me sentimental about ‘Janasheen’; it’s a film that will always be my janasheen – close to my heart. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start my career. When I go abroad for shows, I’m shocked at my own fan following; I can’t believe that with just two movies to my credit, I have so many fans! I’m sure my first two films, ‘Khel’ and ‘Janasheen’, have done justice to me. And, yes, I still pride myself on being ‘a Feroz Khan girl’!”
People have compared you to Zeenat Aman. Did that give you a dizzying high?
“I couldn’t ask for a better compliment. She’s a woman I’ve admired and wanted to be like always. I remember when I met her in Delhi for the first time it was like instant chemistry! I walked up to her and blatantly told her that I was her ardent admirer. She turned to me saying that she loved watching me on-screen, also that her sons were my fans. It was such exciting shock to hear a compliment coming from someone I truly worship and aspire to be. It’s the best compliment I’ve ever received.”
Talking about admirers - one hasn’t heard of a man in your life in a long time now. Any silent admirer in waiting?
“I’m at a stage where I’m ‘off men’ right now, and that’s simply because I’m not ready for a relationship at this point. If I get involved now, I’ll make the man’s life miserable. There’s too much work stress, and I don’t want to deal with any more personal stress that will affect me professionally. You can get more time with your partner if you are in a live-in relationship, and I’m definitely not ready for that either. If I do get in to a relationship, it will be long-term thing, something permanent. For now, I’m doing great as a single woman.”

No Entry is a comedy with two couples whose lives are troubled with the arrival of a young beautiful girl.
Fardeen: "No entry is about suspecting wives and lying husbands. It's the first time that I'm doing an entire comic movie .The film is the story of 3 couples. Lara Dutta plays Anil Kapoor's over-possessive wife. On the other hand Esha Deol blindly trusts her husband played by Salman Khan. Celina Jaitley plays Fardeen Khan's fiancée. And the leading ladies get a threat in their love lives in the form of Bipasha Basu. Each of them presumes Bipasha to be having an affair with their respective leading men. Recently choreographer B. H. Tharun Kumar (who also directed the comedy caper Nayee Padosan) picturized a hot song with the three leading ladies. Hot because the three girls Lara, Esha and Celina were crooning ,"We are hot. Very very hot" in the song, just to mock at their seductive threat in the film- Bipasha...

Piping hot: Celina’s foodie secrets
Asmita Aggarwal
   

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It’s hard to believe that Bollywood’s green-eyed beauty Celina Jaitely is a foodie. Her petite frame, long tresses and almost anorexic looks hardly showed any signs of the huge Italian meal she confessed to have had at A D Singh’s Olive in the Capital. “I actually eat a lot and I like experimenting with the food I eat. It’s not that I take this experimentation too far like trying out frog legs and all that, but yes, I’m a seafood addict, so I relish mussels, prawns, fish and shrimps,” says Jaitely.

Jaitely however, enjoys dhaba food more than five-star food. She even organises someone to deliver dhaba food to her room during her fleeting visits to the Capital. “There’s nothing to beat the kali dal and the butter naan from dhabas. The food here is fresh and clean better than any five-star hotel I’ve ever visited,” informs Jaitely. However, she likes her food spicy, in fact the hotter it is the better, so Thai remains her all-time favourite. Coming back to the Capital is a respite for Jaitely from the concrete jungle-Mumbai. “The greenery and open spaces are a welcome change for my sore eyes. I love coming here also because many of my relatives and friends live here,” says Jaitely during a trip to the Capital.

Shimla-born Jaitely is better known for her bikini number in Janasheen and a steamy number in Khel with Ajay Jadeja. She is a graduate of commerce from St Xavier’s College Kolkata. Interestingly, Jaitely who has films like No Entry and Idiot slated for release this year, has just signed her first Telugu film with Mohan Babu Production and is busy shooting in Hyderabad. Jaitely will be starring opposite Vishnu (Mohan Babu’s son) playing a down-to-earth girl from a rich family. “I accepted the film because it’s technically superior in many ways. The stunts of the main lead will be graphically enhanced adding a new dimension. Though this film is meant for the South but a Bollywood version is in the offing later,” concludes Jaitely.

Simply Celina
Celina is half-Kashmiri and her mom is from Afghanistan.

She’s a die-hard Formula One fan and cheers for Renault driver Fernando Anos.

Celina plays a simple girl in Idiot (where she’s paired opposite Zayed Khan) a remake of Telugu film Appu.

Is an outdoor person who loves skiing, wind-surfing and was also part of the NCC in school.

This goes w/that picture!

An Exclusive: Bollywood at HELP! Telethon Concert


By Manav Manglani,

Indian Entertainment Industry Creates Television History

Help! Telethon aired LIVE across borders

Mumbai, 7 February, 2005: The Indian entertainment industry created history as the star-studded fundraiser Help! Telethon in aid of victims of the recent Tsunami disaster was showcased at the MMRDA Grounds, Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai on Sunday. Help! Telethon was a joint effort by the Indian Film and Television industry initiated by the Film & Television Producers Guild and major event management companies led by Wizcraft International Entertainment, G.S. Entertainment and Cineyug.


In a historic first, all major news channels forgot competition, as a simulcast of the Help! Telethon was aired LIVE from 7 PM onwards on ten news channels and three radio channels.


It was the day of Bollywood's largest contribution towards the tsunami tragedy and perhaps India's biggest charity telethon event in history. The news channels participating in this historic effort included DD News, Zee News, Zee Business, Star News, NDTV Profit, NDTV India, NDTV 24x7, Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, and CNBC TV-18, besides Pakistani broadcasters GEO and ARY Digital. Radio Mirchi, Radio City and Red FM - three radio channels in Mumbai - were also part of the telethon. All the partner channels connected with viewers and encouraged people from across the world to donate to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund A/c HELP.


The Help! Concert and Telethon was inaugurated by the Chief Minster, Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, along with Union Minister of Sports, Sunil Dutt and Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Jaipal Reddy.

While the Help! Telethon was being beamed from one venue at the MMRDA grounds, the star-studded blockbuster Help! Concert was performed.
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sunjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Aishwarya Rai, Suneil Shetty, Javed Akhtar, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra, Zayed Khan, Mallika Sherawat, Kareena Kapoor, Dr. L. Subramanium, Kavita Krishnamurthy-Subramanium and Seeta Subramanium, Isha Sharwani, Moammar Rana, Dino Morea, Uday Chopra, Fardeen Khan, Malaika Arora, Om Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Javed Akhtar, Gulshan Grover, Jackie Shroff, Bobby Deol, Lara Dutta, Isha Sharwani, Celina Jaitley were all a part of the Help! Telethon.

Ramu restarts 'Idiot'
By Vickey Lalwani ©2005 Bollyvista.com






Zayed and Celina at the Mahurat of 'Idiot'
The latest on the grapevine is that Ram Gopal Varma is bailing out 'Idiot' starring Zayed Khan and Celina Jaitley, produced by A. Poornachandra Rao and directed by Deepak Shivdasdani. 'Idiot' had run into trouble after its initial schedules.

When Ramu (as he is fondly called) declared his interest in the film, the star cast offered their dates immediately. Last heard, shooting has resumed and moving at brisk pace.

'Idiot' to be completed!

By Our Correspondent ©2004 Bollyvista.com







Zayed Khan and Celina Jaitly's 'Idiot' (being directed by Deepak Shivdasani of 'Julie') has been in the making for a long time and even stalled after there were differences between the producer and director, and actor and director. The film has shaped up badly, according to reports, which is why the producer (A. Purnachandra Rao) has sought his friend Ram Gopal Varma's help to rope in another director (one of his erstwhile assistants) to complete the remaining 20% of the film.

Desperately seeking a director!

By Our Correspondent ©2004 Bollyvista.com







Years back, noted Southside producer A. Purnachandra Rao had started a film with Zayed Khan and Celina Jaitly called 'Idiot'. To be directed by Deepak Shivdasani (of 'Julie'), the film was supposed to have been ready and released months back. But if rumours are to be believed, Zayed was not happy with the way the film was shaping up and even developed problems with the director. He stalled the film by refusing to allot dates. It seems even the producer and director had problems. The result? The film is 80% complete but the producer is now looking for a director who can complete the balance 20% of the film. Any takers?

Zayed Khan realizes at last

By Vickey Lalwani ©2004 Bollyvista.com







That director Dipak Shivdasani was upset with Zayed Khan (who made a forgettable debut in 'Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne' opposite Esha Deol) because Zayed was not giving him dates, is an old story.

'Idiot' was launched with many positive vibes at a suburban college setting of Mumbai. Zayed's entire family was there to support him on the first day, when 'Idiot' was launched. Zayed who is paired opposite Celina lost the enthusiasm, which was initially seen in him. A bit of snooping around had revealed that he was not happy with the way the film had shaped up. He also wanted some portions to be changed. But nobody listened to him. So, he decided to play truant on the sets so that 'Idiot' gets postponed and his other film- Shah Rukh's home production 'Main Hoon Na'- where he plays Shah Rukh's brother, releases first and infuses some life into his dead career.

Latest, Shivdasani and Khan have kissed and made up. Zayed has agreed to give dates in February. Better sense has prevailed upon the non-happening Khan. Actually, it should have happened long back. In case you didn't know, Zayed was lucky to get the leading role in 'Idiot'. Perhaps it was partly because Zayed shares a very good rapport with the film's producer A. Purnachandra Rao.

Now, let's see if Shivdasani can make it to the screen before Shah Rukh Khan. Or has Zayed made doubly sure before allotting the dates that Shivdasani would not be able to? Let's see.

i dont like her..