Bhairavi Goswami, and Lying About Aishwarya For Publicity

How does a second-rate Bollywood actress get her name in the news just long enough to land herself a spot on a reality show/talk show/get a book deal/anything else that'll get her some cash?

You poke at the Bachchans in public.

It would be completely unsurprising if that's what Bhairavi Goswami is doing at the moment.  All that crap the other day about Aishwarya getting IVF treatments so she can continue the line of Bachchan men?  Probably made up off the top of her head.  She gave pretty much the shadiest interview ever to the Times of India this weekend and it's pretty clear she's trying to act like she never said anything.  So either she was lying and it got more attention than she wanted or someone tapped her on the shoulder and reminded her where she stands on the totem pole of film industry power.  Namely at the bottom.

She's got a good point about the desire for male children and good for her for pointing out (yet again) the disparate levels of female vs. male children born in states like UP.  But come on already with the Aishwarya stuff.  Either you know something or you don't.  Don't be f'ing coy, it's so tiresome.  Be a doll and spill the goss' or shut the hell up.

Just saying.

Bhairavi Goswami Has Something to Say About Aishwarya Rai

Bheja Fry actress Bhairavi Goswami took to Twitter today with some strange (and if true, tragic) gossip.

"Nauseating 2 read superstars givg interviews abt wanting a girl baby whn she has gone 2 Bangkok to an IVF clinic which specializes in boy babies. Height of hypocrisy. They knw damn well its a boy, aftr all she has to produce a male heir at any cost - Typical UP mentality, no wonder that state has such high female foeticide."

She was clever enough at least not to specifically say who she was talking about but we all know she's referring to Aishwarya (Amitabh is from UP).


I'm of two minds on this.  Bhairavi hasn't offered any proof of her claim, and I'm sort of inclined to think it's a wild claim made up for media attention.  And yet...I don't find the idea of it either shocking or surprising.  After a weekend spent watching The Tudors (where Jonathan Rhys-Meyers spends 24 episodes in a row demanding a son and divorcing and beheading the women who aren't able to give him one) the idea of a woman (particularly one who lives in a still-patriarchal society) going to the ends of the earth (or in this case Thailand) to make sure the child she's carrying is a boy isn't out of the realm of possibility.


Fucking depressing, yes.  Medieval, yes.  Impossible?  No.


Whether it's true or not, there's one thing I know for sure:  Bhairavi Goswami is officially off the Bachchan Christmas card list.

Some New Looks

I didn't follow any of the casting shenanigan stories when it came to Heroine, and I'm still not that psyched about the film--Aishwarya's a mediocre actress on all but her very best days and after having seen Page 3 and the hot mess that was Fashion I'm not really digging the idea of sitting through yet another Madhur Bhandarkar "deep dark industry expose" film (unless there's a drinking game involved).  I'll do it though, because I love Arjun Rampal and Arunoday Singh, and because I'm more than mildly curious how they're going to deal with Aishwarya's pregnancy.

From the looks of this just-released shot of Aishwarya in costume it looks like they're dealing with it by wrapping her in a silver sack.

Another film I haven't been following all that much (a Bollywood blogger who doesn't really follow films...novel concept) is Singularity.  There was a time when I considered myself a Josh Hartnett connoisseur, but 1999 is in the past now and the only reason I know about this film at all is because of my love love love for Abhay Deol.  I have to say it just sounds...wrong...to put Abhay in a period film (well, a period part of a film at any rate).  I'm sure he can pull it off but he's a modern actor with a modern look and I'm not sure how I feel about this look on him...

Yeah, that's Abhay Deol, with a beard and long hair.  I...don't know what to say.

The rest of Singularity's B'Town cast is ok.  Bipasha Basu stars as Josh's love interest (or the love interest of the dude who looks like Josh Hartnett who Josh Hartnett dreams about while he's a vegetable in a hospital) and I'm guessing the casting session went something like this: 

Producer 1:  Find me a hot Indian actress.

Producer 2:  Well there's this actress named Konkona...I hear she's pretty badass.

Producer 1:  Can she act?  She can?  Ok, she's probably too expensive for us then.  How about this Bipasha person, who can't act but has a nice rack?

Producer 2:  Done and done.

Atul Kulkarni's in the cast as well which is...awesome?  I think that's the right word.  I've always had this little crush on him...I even halfheartedly started sketching a little script where he and Vijay Raaz play small-town buddy cops who have a "you distract this guy while I go flirt with his wife" routine.

Um.  Ahem.  Yes.

Aishwarya's Pregnant!

The NY Daily News Is In Horrible Need of An Editor (And a Clue)

I don't have much to say on the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan/Elle "controversy," except that the entire cover looks washed out and I'm not willing to give Aish any props for having refused to endorse lightening creams when these ads are still out there for the world to see:

HOWEVER.  This morning the New York Daily News decided to tackle the topic.  Naturally the NY Daily News is a highly reputable (snicker) totally professional (chortle) error free (rollicking laughter) publication, but even so I was surprised (actually was I?  Hmm.) to see this crap floating around.

Let's talk about the three things that are wrong here.

1.  Her name is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.  Not Bachran.  This isn't just a typo, it was done consistently throughout the article and in the accompanying sidebar.  I was so frustrated by it that I had to tweet (TWEET! gah) a message to the NYDN to get them to fix it.  There's no excuse for misspelling a major celebrity's name--it's on the cover of the magazine in the picture they included for the story.  Can't spell her name?  Just look at the picture!  Lame.

2.  She did not "say she may take legal action" as the headline suggests.  The Times of India (in a typically obnoxious, vague, and poorly sourced article) said that "someone close to the actress" said that she was upset and "might do something."  The source never said she would sue and Aishwarya certainly has not given a quote to anyone about this.  So how about we try to be a bit more accurate in our headlines?

3.  "Consider" suing.  Not "conside" suing. That one was probably a legitimate typo but I'm feeling especially bitchy today.

Grumble grumble grrrr.

Aishwarya and Abhishek on Love Bollywood

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan will be chatting about Raavan with Raj and Pablo LIVE on the BBC Asian Network's Love Bollywood this Saturday at 9am GMT!  Don't miss it!

It's a Wedding! (Kajra Re)

I'll be at a wedding in NY this weekend, so no posts for a week.  But no worries, I'm leaving you with a song I heard at no less than four weddings in the last two years.  Enjoy!!

Extras: Aishwarya's L'Oreal Interview, Abhay on Femina

A few extra tidbits for everyone today:

Here's Aishwarya pimping for L'Oreal and looking lovely (though sounding a bit...faux...in the accent department).  It's nice to see a touch of personality from her, even if it's in a packaged makeup promo!




And speaking of lovely, here's Abhay Deol on the cover of the June issue of Femina.  Looking hot as always! 

I will say I'm a bit sad to be promised some shirtless Kunal Kapoor in this issue and then not be able to find the pictures! So in the spirit of not depriving anyone of a bit of Kunal swooning, an oldie but a goodie:

Raavan Trailer!

Ok, I caved.  I've gone Raavan crazy!  I simply can't wait for this film--I'm not always in the Aishwarya camp but I'm always interested in what Abhishek's doing, and Raavan is looking like an incredible film for him.  I'm excited to see Vikram as well; I've not seen any of his films yet, so Raavan will be my first (and of course I'll be watching the Tamil version of the film, which stars Aishwarya and Vikram as well, with Vikram in Abhishek's role).

I love love love this trailer, especially Abhishek's "dusssssssss sar vaale" at the end.

Aishwarya Rai in Scorsese's Next Film?

Rumor has it that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be appearing in American director Martin Scorsese's next film.  Seems that Scorsese has had a yen for Aishwarya ever since seeing her in Devdas, and has made plans with her during their time together at the Cannes Film Festival.  Can't wait for more details! 

Martin Scorsese Floored By Aishwarya Rai

Martin Scorsese Keen on Casting Aishwarya Rai

Raavan Posters!

I'm ridiculously excited about Raavan--mostly the Hindi version, because of Abhishek, but of course I'll watch them both!  It releases June 18 and I've tried as much as possible to stay away from spoilers, trailers, etc., because I really want it to be fresh and new and surprising when I watch it, but I couldn't stay away from the site today, and nabbed the official posters to share with you.  I also grabbed a copy of the pic that's been freaking me out all day (in a good way, in a good way) and gave a listen to some of the background score.  If you want to saturate yourself in the mood of the film, definitely give the site a look. 

Raavan--The Film

And now some visuals!  These posters are all for the Hindi version of the film, but the Tamil posters are on the site as well.

 

And what I like to call "the eyes picture," which seriously I find a bit terrifying, but at the same time I can't look away from:

 

The Stars Do Cannes: Mallika, Aishwarya, Deepika, and Abhishek

The filmi world is being well (mostly, anyways) represented at the Cannes Film Festival this year.  Aishwarya Rai has been looking stunning as usual, Abhishek is finally by her side on day 3 and looking handsome as always, Deepika was beautifully elegant and Mallika was...well...you'll see.

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Elie Saab

 This pic has been all over the net; I think the gown is truly stunning but I thought the massive hair (you don't see it as much in this pic but ohhh trust me, it was sky high) was a distracting mistake.  She looks gorgeous at any rate--very feminine and pretty.

 

 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Giorgio Armani Privé

I love this look on her--very bold and dramatic.  The guys on the left are definitely enjoying the view!

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Raavan photocall

Simple, elegant daytime look.  Love the hair, this is so much better than the first night's big bouffant! 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Raavan photocall (full length)

Soooo part of me wants that Raavan poster for my wall, but the other part of me knows it'd be way too terrifying to wake up to each morning.  I love Abhishek but love only goes so far, you know?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan

 Abhishek!  Abhi finally turns up at Cannes (to promote his new film Raavan). 

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (in Sabyasachi) and Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek looks his perfect, handsome self, with Aishwarya on his arm in an elegant sari by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Gucci

Her most beautiful look so far.  Simple and elegant.

 

Deepika Padukone in a sari by Rohit Bal

Deepika looks stunning here, but the real star of the photo is obviously the man with the balloon pants standing next to her.  I have a strange need to know who that is, and why he thought that might be a good idea.

 

Mallika Sherawat

Here we have Mallika Sherawat, showing us one (actually two) of the things that made her famous...

 

Mallika Sherawat

...and the other.  Bless her, I love Mallika.  I've seen her on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, follow her on Twitter, and have caught more than a few of her interviews, and all indications are that she's a sweet girl and a lovely person, so I feel a bit bad coming out and calling her trashy, but with an outfit like that, and compared to Aish and Deepika, can a person really blame me? 

All Abhishek, All the Time

Not gonna lie, I'm totally in love with Abhishek Bachchan, and he's been all over the place recently. Earlier I linked to CNN's "Connector of the Day" preview for him; sadly my question (about his thoughts on doing more comedies, which I think he has a real talent for) didn't make the cut, but a few interesting ones did (and one completely banal, annoying Q about what it's like being married to "the most beautiful woman in the world." Someone should inform CNN that AB is NOT Mr. Aishwarya Rai.).

Here's Abhishek's Connector of the Day interview.  The conversation is a bit scattered, but one interesting tidbit is that he and Aishwarya are scheduled to star in a remake of Abhimaan, the 1973 film which starred his parents (Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Badhuri) and concerns a man who becomes jealous of his wife's success.  It's being scripted by Rajiv Menon--can't wait to see how it turns out!

(Seems to be a lot of Abhimaan confusion--will they or won't they, etc.  I'm going to go with Abhishek on this one and say the film is definitely on.)

For those who can't watch the video, this article goes a bit further in depth on Abhi's opinion that more Hollywood actors should come try their hand at Bollywood. 

Gossip Roundup--Dec 11

Priyanka Chopra at Miss World
Priyanka Chopra, a Miss World winner in 2000, has jetted off to Johannesburg, South Africa to serve as a judge for this year's pageant.  The 2009 Miss World Pageant begins December 12.

As an aside, I get that Priyanka is a former winner and that it isn't unusual to have past title-holders come back to judge, but is it possible for maybe one day to go by where Priyanka doesn't try to further peg herself into the "fashionista" slot?  Now not only are all of her roles in the fashionable-fashiony-fashion designer vein, but her real life is too?  Please please expand a bit Priyanka.  Please.

Aishwarya Rai to Star Opposite Ben Kingsley

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been cast opposite Ben Kingsley in the 2011 release "Taj Mahal."  Kingsley, an Academy Award winner for the 1982 hit film Gandhi, in which he portrayed the title character, will play Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who ruled Northern India in the 17th century.  Aishwarya naturally has been cast as his wife, the beautiful Mumtaz Mahal, for whom Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal.  (Interestingly, Sir Ben's real-life wife has been cast as the Emperor's first wife, Khandari Begum.) Kingsley's own production team is helming the $30 million project, with shooting scheduled to begin in July. 

Irrfan Khan Too Shy to Dance?

In this installment of "news that makes me love Irrfan Khan even more than I already do," it seems that Irrfan was too shy to film his dance sequence in front of co-star Kangna Ranaut.  He had to ask the director to get her to leave before he could bring himself to pull off the moves.  How sweet!

Song of the Day--Tere Bina (Guru)

Tere Bina

Film: Guru
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhavan, Vidya Balan
Music by: AR Rahman

If I had to make a list of the top-5 most romantic Hindi songs, Tere Bina would be on it.  The picturization is absolutely perfect; the choreography is alternately sweet and teasing, and Aishwarya looks absolutely adorable in this.  Her facial expressions range from childlike and bemused (and who wouldn't be bemused at Abhi's awkward-yet-cute dancing?) to adoring.  I have to admit I've never cared much for her, but the devastated and hurt look in her eyes as she stares at her husband over the train tracks at the beginning of the song?  That won me over.  The emotion she conveyed in that simple look blew me away.  Mani Ratnam certainly knows how to bring out her best performances.  Abhishek is, of course and as always, divine.

As soon as this movie came out I said to myself that if I ever deigned to get married, it would be to a person who is as moved by this song as I am.  So boys, keep that in mind.