Download posters of Maharathi starring Paresh Rawal, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Boman Irani, Tara Sharma, Vivek Shauq.

It was one debt that Himesh Reshammiya would gladly forever repay. The actor-music director-singer paid an ode to millions of his rickshaw driver and cabbie fans in the concert that was curtain raiser to Bhushan Kumar’s Karzzzz at the Andheri sports Complex on Oct 12.

A star-studded performance, the act hosted by Mona Singh and Cyrus Broacha opened with Vineet from Saregama and Akriti Kakkar. Riya Sen in sensuous black set the stage afire with a medley of Tere Liye, Lagi Choote Na Junoon and Sisak. This was followed by a comic act. Amrita Arora in black and silver with Mirchi, Tandoori nights and Jumme Raat medley sizzled next.

Tulsi Kumar in a stunning electric blue outfit performed a medley of Mohabbat Ki from Aksar, Tum Sason Me, Afsana Banake f Hai Tadap, Tere Naal and Tere Bin Chain Na Aaye to a thunderous applause.

Black seemed to be the norm with a Neha Dhupia in a jet black figure-hugging dress with Tera Mera Mera… Suroor, Aameen, Shakalaka Boom Boom and Zara Jhoom Jhoom. Amisha Patel rocked in a black and silver combo to Soniye Soniye, Janabe Janiya and Jhalak Dikhlaja.

The Karzzzz curtain-raiser followed and then came time for a colourfully decorated auto rickshaw entrée with Himesh Reshammiya taking centrestage. This time out, he had a lot of kids joining him and singing along in his act.

Bhushan Kumar then felicitated Himesh with a platinum disc honour. A visibly emotional Himesh acknowledged that Bhushan was one man who first believed in him and gave him the break he strived for. At a time when most people forget to look back as they grow in life, this was one touching act from Himesh that Bhushan acknowledged and respected as well.

Bhushan was joined by his pretty director wife Divya Khosla Kumar, Shweta Kumar, the heroine of Karzzzz, Tulsi Kumar, Vinod Bhanushali and director Ajay Kapoor and the rest of the team who made the concert happen.

Karzzzz curtain raiser was hosted by T-Series and Star Plus and produced and managed by Carving Dreams Live, a division of Carving Dreams Entertainment.

KARZZZZ is a film that explores the psychological traits every human being possesses, some of them so powerful that it leads them to commit vices of greed, obsession, hatred, deceit, betrayal, MURDER… Set amidst the majestic and breathtaking locales of South Africa, KARZZZZ is a remake of the 1980 Subhash Ghai hit “Karz”. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar & Krishan Kumar of T-Series, directed by Satish Kaushik and stars Himesh Reshammiya, Urmila Matondkar, debutante Shweta Kumar, Gulshan Grover, Raj Babbar & Danny Denzongpa. Karzzzz is slated to release on October 17. The concert will be telecast on Star Plus on Nov 9.

What: Chivas Fashion Tour Finale
Where: ITC Grand Central, Parel, Mumbai
When: Sunday (night), 28 September 2008

What: Ritu Kumar show at HDIL India Couture Week
Where: Grand Hyatt, Santacruz, Mumbai
When: Tuesday (night), 16 September 2008
Present at the Event: Priyanka Chopra, Neha, Riya & Raima Sen, Anu Diwan, Gul Panag, Rosa, Shruti Seth, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi and others

HDIL India Couture Week was launched at a gala event at Grand Hyatt with a fashion show by ace designer Ritu Kumar. Bollywood beauties Priyanka Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Riya and Raima Sen walked the ramp with other models.

The Indian Films-Studio 18 released Singh Is Kinng took home the box-office gold internationally, emerging as the biggest Bollywood title of 2008 and the numero uno in the career of its protagonist and superstar Akshay Kumar. (Interestingly, Kumar’s all-time No.2 performer, Welcome, was also released by Studio 18 in December 2007.)

In addition to the key overseas markets, US/Canada, UK and UAE, Singh Is Kinng saw a wide day-and-date release by Studio 18 in Trinidad & Tobago, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Mauritius, Fiji, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Australia and New Zealand, among other countries.

Distributed on 275 prints in these markets, Singh Is Kinng mopped up more than INR 12 cr (approx. US$ 3 million) just in its opening weekend.

In North America, on 112 prints (including 28 in Canada - the widest release for a Bollywood film ever), Singh… popped open to a thunderous response ringing up an estimated $1.2 million.

In the UK & Ireland, on 70 prints, it grossed £62,533 on its previews and notched a solid £430,748 over the weekend, taking its cum. to a gigantic £493,281 and placing it at No.7 in the UK Top 10 chart. In terms of per theatre average for the weekend, Singh Is Kinng devoured the prevailing Hollywood blockbusters in the UK, much the same as the US, where it was ranked at No.15.

In the Middle East, on 33 prints, the gross was in excess of 2.02 million AED.

Singh Is Kinng, produced by Vipul Shah’s Blockbuster Movies, features the hit duo, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, ably supported by Neha Dhupia, Om Puri, Kirron Kher, Sonu Sood, Javed Jaffrey and others. It features a much-hyped collaboration on the title track with legendary rapper, Snoop Doggy Dogg.

After the super success of Jab We Met, Welcome & now Singh Is Kinng, Indian Films - Studio 18 has an impressive slate of international releases in 2008, which include Sanjay Gadhvi’s Kidnap, starring Sanjay Dutt and Imraan Khan, Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Returns featuring Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade, Celina Jaitly and Tusshar Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor Productions’ Shortkut, toplining Akshaye Khanna, Amrita Rao and Arshad Warsi.

Everyone knows that the newest way to gain recognition in the film world is to create a controversy right? So who’s in the limelight these days, trying to do so? None other than Neha Dhupia.

The repercussions weren’t bad enough for Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty, to teach you anything Neha? Apparently not as this most recent stunt was more dramatic and it was also with a man named Richard, but not Gere.

The story goes that actress Neha Dhupia was shooting for the Channel V film Apna Style Zara Hatke. Virgin Atlantic’s Richard Branson was in Mumbai for the launch of his telecom service in association with Tata and visited the sets of the film.

Dhupia, pretty in red, was finishing a shoot. Richard then came on stage and kissed her right on her lips, gave her a tight hug and then lifted her and turned her upside down.
Supposedly, Dhupia had no clue as to what was happening.

Since her career in Bollywood has not yet taken off, this could be a publicity stunt intended to bring Dhupia into the limelight, while promoting the film at the same time.

Let’s see what the authorities have to say about this stunt and what the consequences will be this time.

Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. That’s the tagline of Mithya but it could apply in this case. Besides celebrating her boyfriend Ranvir Shourey’s recently released film Mithya, where he is seen in a lead role for the very first time, Konkana Sen Sharma was thrilled to have her mother Aparna Sen present at the premier.

Aparna is not often seen on the social circuit, which brought the pleasant surprise to her daughter. Not only that, but the fact that Aparna even posed with the two and seemed to be quite pleased with them being together. This could means she has formally accepted their relationship, since the two have already been living together.

After playing the lead pair in Mixed Doubles, the two fell for each other in real life. We heard back in November, just before their release of Aaja Nachle that they were planning their wedding. Koko was working on getting her marriage trousseau ready and shopping for furniture, while Shourey was hunting for honeymoon destinations. Shourey and Sharma were also seen at Sen’s book launch on February 5th. (see above picture)

Director Rajat Kapoor’s Mithya also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Neha Dhupia and Vinay Pathak. It is a comedy inspired from Indian mythology about a conversation between Lord Vishnu and Narad on the meaning of Maya. Kapoor wanted to make Mithya nine years back with Shah in the lead. Finally, it came to fruition with Shourey as the protagonist and Shah with an important role as well.