Palkon Ko Bhigoyen Kaise...A Ghazal By My Father

Hi There

Check out a new composition... 'Palkon Ko Bhigoyen Kaise'. Its a Ghazal written
by my father Professor Shahryar. My good friend Navneet Kedar has composed it and
has also done the music arrangements. Talented Nabeel Feroz has played
the Acoustic and Electric guitars. I have sung it. Hope you like it.





Neend ki os se palkon ko bhigoyen kaise
Jaagna jiska muqaddar ho, vo soye kaise

Ret daaman mein ho ya dasht mein, bus ret hi hai
Ret mein fasle-tamanna, koi boye kaise

Ye to achcha hai koi, poochnewala, na raha
Kaise kuch log mile the hamein, khoye kaise

Varna sailaab baha le gaya hota, sab kuch,
Aankh ko zapt ki takeed hai, roye kaise.

"I Don't Think I Deserved To Be Nominated": Kareena

"I don't think I deserved to be nominated for the award shows this year," said Kareena Kapoor in an interview with me a short while back. Kareena added that she was in Alps during the time the award shows were held and she was more happy being in Europe. What does she have to say on Salman not being nominated for Bodyguard at award shows?

Kareena spoke about the line 'There is only one Heroine' that comes at the end of the Heroine promo that I saw recently. She says there is 80 days of shoot left for Heroine to be complete. Is she looking forward to winning a National Award for Heroine (considering Madhur Bhandarkar's movies have a penchant for winning National honours on a regular basis). Kareena is super excited about Talaash (she hasn't seen the promo yet). Kapoor is very excited about Agent Vinod's promo.

After Kareena, I interviewed Imran Khan. Imran spoke on the Travelogue that he will be shooting during his visit to Dubai, New York and London. Khan is going to Dubai on Jan 26th night. Kareena will join him there for the day. He will fly to London and New York on subsequent nights. Imran spoke on the reports that have appeared in the newspapers today stating that he will be doing a film with Shahrukh Khan. Are they? He spoke on the so called Camps that exist in Bollywood. Don't tell me that they don't. When can we see Imran working with Aamir? His views on the award shows where he has not even been nominated this year? He is not hosting Filmfare awards with Ranbir this year. Why?

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1st Look Launch Of Agent Vinod

The First Look promo launch event of 'Agent Vinod' is slated to happen tomorrow January 24 in Bombay.

Apart from Agent Vinod, the other promos that are coming with Agneepath on January 26 are

1) Rowdy Rathore
2) Talaash
3) Tezz

I shall be doing a joint video interview with Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor today. Will try and make it Fun.
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Smiles Overpower Frowns

Here's a poem on what my family is going through, due to my father's ill health. He is
suffering from Lung Cancer (last stage). He has stopped speaking and is confined to the bed completely.


Memories chirp
As I walk alone
On a torn road.

Life is longing
To give up
The prolonged battle
With the inevitable;
Tears have dried up,
Knotted hearts
Are more at ease now.

Legacy of wealth
Is a misnomer;
Treasure of creativity,
An eternal revelation.

The road ahead
Is precariously uncertain;
Hopefully,
The smiles
Will always overpower
The frowns.

Shahid, Kareena and Karisma Kapoor

Saif Ali Khan didn't turn up for the Rujuta Diwekar event today but the media was pleasantly surprised to see Karisma Kapoor accompanying Kareena Kapoor.

Shahid Kapoor will be at the press conference of 'Pioneer' where the pioneer products for 2012 will be announced on January 23rd in Bombay.

Those of you inquiring about Hrithik Roshan interview, well, it seems unlikely as he has spoken to very select media.

Heroine, Barfi, Rowdy Rathore....My Thoughts

UTV showcased their movies for 2012 at a Trade event (Unusually called Dhishum Dhishum 2012) in Bombay a short while back. It was an evening for media and insiders (like distributors) from within the film industry. No cameras were allowed, so none of the proceedings were recorded. UTV's CEO Siddharth Roy Kapoor promised that they would continue to shell out interesting projects in 2012. We were shown a nicely put together 20 minute audio visual clip that had video clips from their movies for 2012. We were told that these video clips are not the final promos for these films and work still needs to be done. Let me bring you my thoughts on a few of the noteworthy films that a lot of you out there must be eagerly awaiting.

Heroine: A nice English number played in the background. Kareena Kapoor is showed in various hues and shades. After playing second fiddle to superstars in last few films, Kareena seems to be finally justifying her immense talent. She laughs, purrs, cries, looks vulnerable and steely eyed too. The rise and fall also has an uncanny reference point in The Dirty Picture. Somehow the cigarette smoking scene is a pointer in that direction. I guess The Dirty Picture is too fresh in the memory and hence the comparison comes to my mind. The final word in the promo.... She Is The Only Heroine.

Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana: Sameer Sharma's film based in Punjab starring Kunal Kapoor looks interesting. It is backed by creative producer Anurag Kashyap. A tale about a chicken recipe. Looks fun.

Barfi: Ranbir Kapoor continues to push the envelope of excellence. He is a 'flirt', a 'cheat'. There's South actress Ileana and Priyanka Chopra in an unusual hairpiece. The music in the background is quirky and somehow the whole flavour of the promo carries Charlie Chaplin sense of comic timing.

Rowdy Rathore: A small portion of Rowdy Rathore was shown to us. Akshay Kumar clenches his fist and you can imagine seetis and claps (Singham style) in the single screens. Akshay looks different from the inane repetetive stuff that he has been doing in the last few of his films.

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Jodi Breakers, Saifeena, Apsara Awards

Music launch of Bipasha Basu, R Mahadevan's Jodi Breakers is happening in Bombay on Friday January 20.
Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan will be present at the success party of Rujuta Diwekar's book 'Women and the weight loss tamasha' on January 20 in Bombay. Guess, Agent Vinod promotions are all set to start with this event.

Apsara Awards will be held in Bombay on January 25.
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Bachchans, SRK At Oprah Winfrey Party In Bombay

Oprah Winfrey and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were on the backseat of a car that drove out of Bachchan home Jalsa in Bombay a short while back. Mr Bachchan was in the car along with Abhishek. Bachchans went to socialite Parmeshwar Godrej's party in Juhu, Bombay. So far, Shahrukh Khan, Sameera Reddy, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Kangna Ranaut,Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Raju Hirani, Kabir Bedi, Kalki, Farhan Akhtar, Neelam, Ashutosh Gowariker, Abhay Deol, Preeti Desai, Kiron Kher, Lara Dutta, Dino Morea and Neha Dhupia are a few of the celebrities who've reached the party.There's a lot of crowd outside Parmeshwar Godrej's bungalow and fans are shouting names of the stars.

In other news, I did a long interview with South sensation Shriya Saran a short while back. Saran is paired opposite Akshaye Khanna in Gali Gali Chor Hai. Shriya is having another interesting project directed by Deepa Mehta. It is the adaptation of Salman Rushdie's famous book 'Midnight's Children'. Saran shot for this film in Sri Lanka and Bombay.
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Will Sanjay Dutt Be A Part Of Vaastav Sequel?

Sanjay Dutt is a man of few words. I was given a short time with him a short while back and I tried to make the most of it. He admits Kancha in Agneepath is one of his most notable roles (Khalnayak, Munnabhai and Vaastav being the others). Dutt spoke on Satte Pe Satta remake where he essays Mr Bachchan's role while Karisma Kapoor will play Hema Malini ji's part. "I took blessings from Amit ji and if I could recreate even 10 percent of what he did, I'll be happy," Dutt said. Sanju sir, as he is called these days, also spoke on Munnabhai film that he is starting in September, experience of working with Rajkumar Hirani and can there be a sequel to Vaastav? Check out in Sanjay Dutt's Bollywood Hungama exclusive.....coming soon!
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Famous Five Of Dabboo Ratnani's 2012 Calendar

"I'm very, very excited about my job. After you've earned the name, it's important to keep it up. If you ever say that you are number one, then there's nowhere else to go," says celebrity photographer Dabboo Ratnani, who is basking in the radiant glory of the applause for his 2012 Calendar. Bollywood Hungama spoke exclusively to Dabboo about five of the twenty four Bollywood stars with whom he has shot with, for his latest calendar. You must also check out the videos attached with each picture for some intriguing stories about Dabboo's experience with your favourite stars. So, why does Salman call Dabboo, a 'Gaddar', when was it that he shot with Kajol for the first time and since when does Ratnani know SRK? Time to dig into the feast....


BollywoodHungama Celebrity Slideshow - 1023

Results Of 18th Screen Awards

Best Actor: Ranbir Kapoor (Rockstar)
Best Actress: Vidya Balan (The Dirty Picture)
Best actress popular choice: Deepika Padukone (Aarakshan, Dum Maro Dum)
Best actor popular choice: Shahrukh Khan (Ra.one and Don 2)
Best actress in a supporting role: Aditi Rao Hydari (Yeh Saali Zindagi)
Life time achievement award: Asha Bhosle
Best Director: Milan Luthria (The Dirty Picture)
Best Film: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, The Dirty Picture
Performer of the year: Ekta Kapoor
Most popular jodi: Shahrukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra (Don 2)
Best actor in a comic role: Pitobash (Shor In The City)
Most promising debutante director: Bejoy Nambiar (Shaitaan)
Most Promising newcomer (male): Divyendu (Pyaar ka punchnama)
Most promising newcomer (female): Parineeti Chopra)
Best actor in a negative role (male): Prashant Narayanan (Murder 2)
Best actor in a negative role (female): Priyanka Chopra (Saat Khoon Maaf)
Best actor in a supporting role: Saif (Aarakshan)
Ramnath Goenka Award: Aarakshan
Best Production Design: Shashank Tere (Delhi Belly)
Best Cinematography: R Madhi (Shaitaan)
Best Costumes: Niharika Khan (The Dirty Picture)
Best Dialogues: Farhan-Javed Akhtar (ZNMD) and Rajat Arora (The Dirty Picture)
Best Story-Screenplay: Akshat Varma (Delhi Belly)
Best Ensemble Cast: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi (Achcha Lagta Hai, Aarakshan)
Best Child Artiste: Partho Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba)
Best Music Director: A R Rahman (Rockstar)
Best Playback Singer Female: Shreya Ghoshal for Ooh La La (The Dirty Picture)
Best Singer Male: Mohit Chauhan (Sadda Haq, Phir Se Ud Chala, Rockstar)
Best Choreography: Bosco Ceaser for Senorita (ZNMD)
Best Editing: Huzefa Lakdawala (Delhi Belly)
Best Action: Ra.one
Best background score: Ranjit Barot (Shaitan)
Best Special Effects: Red Chillies (Ra.one)
Best Sound Design: Kunal Sharma (Shaitan)

2011: It's A Wrap!

Let me share a few videos from Bollywood Hungama 2011 It's A Wrap. Hope you like them:

1) It's A Wrap: Uncut Diamonds Of 2011

Here we've chosen actors who won't really add 'glamour' to the glitzy awards-season in Bollywood and hence will be royally ignored. People like the feisty Rajesh Sharma (No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture), gutsy Gulshan Devaiyah (That Girl In Yellow Boots), spunky Partho (Stanley Ka Dabba), inspirational Harsh Mayar (I Am Kalam), the wonderful starcast of 'Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge', very talented Divyendu (Pyaar Ka Punchnaama), awesome Deepak Dobriyal (Tanu Weds Manu), sensational Pitobash (Shor In The City) and more....



It's A Wrap: Best Actors Of 2011

In the Filmfare Awards nominations, Farhan Akhtar has been nominated in Best Supporting Actor category while Hrithik has been nominated in the Best Actor category. Both have been nominated for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It is obvious that the nominations have been done based on the 'supposed' star value prevalent in the industry rather than the merit of performance in the film. In our roundup of best actors, we've chosen Farhan as one of the best actors as he really did shine bringing in variety of emotions.



It's A Wrap: Best Actresses of 2011

It is fine if your star status is evaluated on the basis of your Box Office performance. But when you are being evaluated for 'Best Actress', what should matter is 'acting prowess' Only. Hence Kareena may have had hugely successful 'Bodyguard' and hit 'Ra.one', she doesn't qualify in the 'Best Actress' category. Hopefully, she will be back with a bang in 2012 with 'Heroine'. As an actress that is. Kalki has been featured twice (That Girl In Yellow Boots and Shaitan). Vidya Balan (The Dirty Picture and No One Killed Jessica) will be the toast of the awards season in 2011 (and rightly so) but the fact is, Kalki delivered two superb performances in 2011 (and a useless one in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara).



It's A Wrap: Lost Legends In 2011

Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Bhupen Hazarika, Jagjit Singh, M F Hussain...2011 was really an year of lost legends. This is one video you don't want to miss.



It's A Wrap: Pathbreaking Films Of 2011

A path breaking film is judged on Content as well as Technique.

"Why Hasn't Farhan Made A Sequel To Dil Chahta Hai": Akshaye Khanna

"You are obsessed with Farhan," Akshay Khanna told me in an interview a short while back. "No, I am obsessed with Dil Chahta Hai," I said. I guess, I had asked a wee bit too many questions on DCH and yes I also asked Akshaye that having worked in such films as DCH, why has he worked in some inane films with Priyadarshan and more notably with Anees Bazmi in 'No Problem'. "Farhan has made a sequel to Don, why don't you ask him about a sequel to Dil Chahta Hai. Why hasn't he made it," Akshay asked. Seems like a valid question for Farhan when I meet him next.


I also told him that there's a perception that Khanna has a lot of talent that is yet to be tapped completely and he needs some fine directors to tap it. Known for being very shy and reticent, Akshaye was a bit taken aback I guess.

Well, we had started the interview on a positive note since he narrated several details from his forthcoming film 'Gali Gali Chor Hai'. He seems very confident of the film and says he'll be proud of it irrespective of its fate at the Box Office.

I also asked him about his print interview where he said that he'll marry once Salman gets married. Khanna was a bit upset and said that he made that statement as a joke, which was misrepresented in the story. He had also said in another print interview that marriages are meant for creating kids and ideally one should marry in old age. Akshaye accepted that he had made this statement and he abides by it. He personally feels marriage is too much of a responsibility and he is not willing to take it.

Khanna doesn't want to produce a film but can we see him directing a film at any point of his career? His answer was accompanied by fun animated gestures. I am sure you guys will have have fun watching this interview.
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"Products, Not The Profits, Were The Motivation": Steve Jobs

As I had promised earlier, I would now share my thoughts on Steve Jobs in detail. Walter Isaacson has very succinctly given the account of a genius who had a huge share of personal and professional idiosyncrasies. In fact, in the later part of the book, Walter mentions how Steve suspects that there will be many things in the book that he may not like. Jobs didn't want his biography to look like an "in-house" book. In the course of reading this book, you come across many warts and blemishes mercilessly dissecting the peculiar weirdness of the 'Apple' man.

Steve Jobs was a Fruitarian, a Vegetarian...hence the origin of the name 'Apple' for his company that he founded along with his genius friend Wozniak. He was an adopted kid, who loved his adopted parents till the end of his life. He never forgave his biological father, even though he was nice to his biological mom and loved his real sister Mona whom he met for the first time after becoming famous.

He formed Apple, ensured it reaches dizzying heights of success but in 1985 he was was stripped of almost all his powers by the Board due to his high handedness with the employees. He quit Apple, formed NeXT (which didn't really do wonders) and also went into movie business with Pixar (succeeded to a great degree). Life took a filmi turn, and he was back at 'Apple' after 12 years of having quit his own company. He was reluctant about being wholeheartedly part of Apple once again and chose to become iCEO (interim CEO, Its obvious where the 'i' in iPhones, iPad, iPod came from, even though it was said that the 'i' stood for 'internet'). For the first two years after rejoining, he was drawing a salary of 1$ a year. He revived Apple from the verge of being busted completely. Two years later he asked for an air plane (he didn't like the procedure at airports) for himself as compensation and a whopping sum of money. He immersed himself completely. He realised, he loved 'Apple' more than anything else in the world.

There's a theory behind the 'bite' in the Apple Logo which is as interesting as Jobs' personality. He mastered the art of advertising. He approved the catch line 'Think Different' for Apple after being back at the helm of affairs in 1997. 'Think Different'...they did and brought in a digital revolution. He laid a lot of emphasis on 'Design' of any product. The user experience on all Apple products has to be 'simple' and 'easy'. A hell lot of effort went into making Apple products sleek (Jobs was proficient at using words like 'gorgeous', beautiful', 'incredible' for all his products at his very famous Presentations). He loved poetry, music, arts, movies. There was a constant quest to search for the inner soul. His love for Arts resulted in creation of some fine movies, courtesy Pixar and his love for music (he adored Bob Dylan) was the catalyst in the creation of iTunes (saved the music industry).

Steve Jobs Presents The iPhone To The World




At the end of the book, in the 'Legacy' section, Isaacson lets Steve have the last word. I will quote a few sections in Steve Jobs' own words about his thoughts on technology and the integration of 'humanities and science' and more....

My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation.

Some people say, "Give the customers what they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.

Edwin Land of Polaroid talked about the intersection of the humanities and science. I like that intersection. There's something magical about that place. There are a lot of people innovating, and that's not the main distinction of my career. The reason Apple resonates with people is that there's a deep current of humanity in our innovation. I think great artists and great engineers are similar, in that they both have a desire to express themselves. In fact some of the best people working on the original Mac were poets and musicians on the side. Great artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo were also great at science.

I don't think I run roughshod over people, but if something sucks, I tell people on their face. It's my job to be honest. I know what I'm talking about, and I usually turn out to be right. You've got to be able to be super honest. Maybe there's a better way, a gentlemen's club where we all wear ties and speak in this Brahman language and velvet code-words, but I don't know that way, because I am middle class from California.

You always have to keep pushing to innovate. Dylan could have sung protest songs forever and probably made a lot of money, but he didn't. He had to move on, and when he did, by going electric in 1965, he alienated a lot of people. His 1966 Europe tour was his greatest. He would come on and do a set of acoustic guitar, and the audience loved him. Then he brought out what became The Band, and they would all do an electric set, and the audience sometimes booed. There was one point where he was about to sing "Like A Rolling Stone" and someone from the audience yells "Judas!" And Dylan then says, "Play it fucking loud!" And they did. The Beatles were the same way. They kept evolving, moving, refining their art. That's what I've always tried to do-keep moving. Otherwise, as Dylan says, if you're not busy being born, you're busy dying.

What drove me? I think most creative people want to express appreciation for being able to take advantage of the work that's been done by others before us. I didn't invent the language or mathematics I use. I make little of my own food., none of my own clothes. Everything I do depends on other members of our species and the shoulders that we stand on. And a lot of us want to contribute something back to our species and to add something to the flow. It's about trying to express something in the only way that most of us know how-because we can't write Bob Dylan songs or Tom Stoppard plays. We try to use the talents we do have to express our deep feelings, to show our appreciation of all the contributions that come before us, and to add something to that flow. That's what has driven me.

I strongly believe someone ought to make a film on Steve Jobs. This book provides ample fodder for a solid script. This life ought to be celebrated on silver screen and reach many many more people... What a man. What an inspiration!

Players: 80s Masala Mixed With Soggy Italian Pasta

"Get ready to die," says a blonde girl with a gun on Abhishek's head. Sonam Kapoor gets into action and flats out the bimbo with her "right hand" ka asar. For blondie, I'd say, how the hell did you forget the mantra, 'when you gotta kill, you gotta kill, don't Talk'. Players is filled with such eightees style goofy antics, that beyond a point, bore you immensely. Also, the twist mein twist mein yaaaaaawwwwnnn twist tests your patience. And yes, Rohit Jugraj's attempted-dhansoo dialgoues fall flat.

Victor Dada (Vinod Khanna) is shot in his back. Daughter Naina (Sonam) hugs him. Victor is shot again. But the shooter is so careful that Sonam shouldn't be hit at all. Wah! The 'Players' run riot on the streets of New Zealand, blowing a busy street, driving the Minis in the no-driving area, conveniently breaking the gate of a super rich Mansion etc etc and not a trace of Police obstructing their fun-n-'games'. Was it part of the New Zealand subsidy guys? The prolonged dialoguebaazi between Neil Mukesh and Abhishek slows down the proceedings. You feel like shaking them up, 'get down to some action guys...please!' The needless triangle between Sonam-Abhishek-Bipasha has such a dated feel to it that it bores you further. To add to the 'fun' there's a horny Russian military office who sings 'Mera Joota Hai Japani' in an inebriated state. Russia's ultimate ode to India I guess. Can we invent some more? How about Disco Dancer? I believe Mithun created a big flutter with that film in Russia.

I saw the film in a sparsely filled cinema hall. And yes, there were moments where the crowd cheered lustily. The actual robbery in Russia (even though its over dramatised and silly) elicited lots of whistles. Bipasha's fleeting Bikini wave drenched the soaking-men in the theatre and even the climax on Minis (there are several rounds of it) made the audience feast on the thrill in the neatly choreographed car chase. The camerawork by Ravi Yadav is first rate.

Abhishek Bachchan looks out of shape and his deliberate attempt at oozing laidback coolness doesn't work. There are two scenes where Abhishek plays a Gujju guy and he is bloody good in those scenes. It is high time Junior Bachchan accepts where his 'real' acting talent lies. Each time he plays a well defined character (Guru, Yuva, Dostana), he is first rate. I guess Mr Bachchan ought to stop retweeting those sugar coated goodies on Abhishek. Instead, he must point out Abhishek's strengths and ensure that he hones them damn well.

Bipasha looks great but does nothing that may add punch in her filmography. Sonam displays a bindas attitude with a flair for flaunting her sensuality and comic timing. Bobby Deol sleepwalks through his role. He looked disinterested and his bored expression reminded of the discomfort that he has before media interactions. Omi Vaidya is funny and so is Johny Lever. Neil Mukesh shows spunk as the mean villain though he goes over the top in the second half. His mansion and the way he operated it, somehow reminded of Shakaal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) from Shaan. Editing by Husain Barmawala is a mixed bag. The editing chops are suave but the film should have been shorter by at least 20 minutes. Music is uninspired. None of the songs stand out.

If you don't have anything better and are open to a willing-suspension-of-absolute-disbelief then you may try out Players. Its a half hearted blend of the desi 80s masala with soggy Italian pasta.

Star Rating: 2 stars.
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Aishwarya In Dabboo Ratnani's 2012 Calendar

In an interview recently, Dabboo Ratnani told me that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is also part of Dabboo's 2012 Calendar. Dabboo shot with Aishwarya in early 2011. There is Kajol as well in the Calendar. We at Bollywood Hungama will be doing a Live Webcast of the Calendar launch. It is on January 8 or 9. Many big Bollywood celebrities are expected to be present.

The promo of Kahani will be launched tomorrow noon, January 5 by Vidya Balan. The promo of Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor starrer Tezz will be coming up tomorrow as well. Promo of Department was earlier supposed to be coming with Players but as confirmed by Mr Varma to me, it has been delayed by a couple of weeks. I saw the uncensored promo of Bittoo Boss today. Its very amusing. And controversial.

Karan Johar and Imran Khan shot for the cover of Man's World today. Deepika Padukone has her birthday tomorrow. We will feature an exclusive byte with Deepika tomorrow for her birthday.


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Steve Jobs, Abba's Advice, Silly Awards Season

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson is an extremely engaging book. 'Addictive' will be the right word. The man behind 'Apple' was such a fantastic artiste that it simply mesmerises you. The book is such a glorious read as it also celebrates Jobs' shortcomings (he had many of them). But his sheer passion for thinking differently, getting a great team together to create revolutionary products like iPod, iPhone, iPad and iTunes, giving birth to great movies through Pixar and his sheer will power to rise above all odds is hugely inspiring. He was an indomitable game changer. Will try and write more about the book in detail.

Well, everyone is doing post mortems of the year gone by. Hmmmm, for me 2011 has been the finest year of my life. It has been tough but hugely rewarding. On work front, my interviews have improved by manifolds. My interviews have been widely applauded, and I shall continue to improve my skills.

I was in Aligarh recently. Abba asked me to do an impromptu interview with a noted Hindi writer Prem Kumar who is writing a book on Abba, 'Baaton Mein Mulaqaton Mein Shahryar'. Interview went well and Kumar Saab was visibly impressed. By the end of it, Abba pointed out a mistake and asked me to work on it. I truly admire and thank Abba for this attitude. He is not one of those parents who'll blatantly praise or promote their children out of blind love. He prefers to iron out my mistakes rather than making me complacent.

The awards season will soon start. I find it damn silly and boring. Yes some of the performances are nice. But that's about it. I am thinking of ways to do something different to make our videos at Bollywood Hungama much more interesting. We really slogged hard on producing fine year end special features. The response has been fantastic. We plan to produce many more videos. They will shun gossip and make 'fact based' content look extremely appealing and palatable.

That's it for the time being. Wish all of you happy new year. Enjoy. Be happy. And be yourself, come what may.