Karan Johar has been refused permission to shoot in stations in London so his untitled film starring Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi, had to be relocated to Philadelphia, USA.

The film, which also stars Saif Ali Khan in a guest role, is about life in the western world today. Johar is expected to release the film middle of 2009.

STAR OF THE YEAR – MALE
Akshay Kumar (Heyy Babyy/Namastey London)

STAR OF THE YEAR – FEMALE
Kareena Kapoor (Jab We Met)

EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS FOR BEST ACTOR
Shahid Kapoor (Jab We Met)

BEST FILM AWARD
Jab We Met

THE DREAM DIRECTOR AWARD
Farah Khan (Om Shanti Om)

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Vivek Oberoi (Shootout At Lokhandwala)

ACTOR PAR EXCELLENCE
Dharmendra

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Irrfaan Khan (The Namesake)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Tisca Chopra (Taare Zameen Par)

BEST ACTOR IN A NEGATIVE ROLE – MALE
Arjun Rampal (Om Shanti Om)

SUPERSTAR OF TOMMOROW – MALE
Ranbir Kapoor (Saawariya)

SUPERSTAR OF TOMMOROW – FEMALE
Sonam Kapoor (Saawariya)

HOTTEST FILM PRODUCER
Anil Kapoor (Gandhi My Father)

HOTTEST YOUNG FILM MAKER
Shimit Amin (Chak De India)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE – MALE
Shreyas Talpade (Om Shanti Om)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE – FEMALE
Kangana Ranaut (Life… In a Metro)

THE NEW MENACE
Shilpa Shukla – (Chak De India)

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE BY LYRICIST
Sandeep Nath – Saawariya (’Yoon Shabnami Pehle Nahi Thi Chandni’)

NEW MUSICAL SENSATION – FEMALE
Anoushka Manchanda – Cash (Aye Chori)

NEW MUSICAL SENSATION – MALE
Krishna & Salim Merchant – Chak De India (Maula Mere)

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE BY A MUSIC DIRECTOR
Monty Sharma (Saawariya)

What: Vivek Oberoi shoots for Fresh Fizzy commercial
Where: Pawan Hans (Juhu Aerodrome), Mumbai
When: January 8, 2008

It was a night to remember. The generally silent helipad at Pawan Hans, Juhu was abuzz with activity. A giant light almost making a day out of the night that it was, Vivek Oberoi in bright red and silver body-tight shirt, sporting long hair and an infectious smile, gyrated to the fresh and fizzy music besides huge trucks that screamed Fresh Fizzy.

The man wielding the megaphone for the music album that would later be deftly scissored into a 10-seconder was Anand Oberoi. Brothers in arms, Anand and Vivek came together for the first time in twelve years. Time saw Vivek growing to be an actor, his cousin Anand is an ad-man of repute. With his company, OMM specializing in creating strong nationalistic images of family-owned brands, Anand has carved a niche for himself in the circuit.

Vivek was cheerful and bubbly humming the Pritam-crafted number at the venue, keeping in spirit with the fizzy drink that he endorsed. “I loved the concept, the look, feel and the largeness of the ad, though it was for a family-owned brand. The concept rocked. Though bhai and I are close from childhood, this is the first time we worked together. At times, I wondered whether to call him Sir or bhai in the middle of the shoot,” said a visibly emotional Vivek.

Anand Oberoi was clear Vivek was the perfect choice, and not just because they were brothers. “Vivek is the soul of any party he goes. When he works he works hard and when he parties, he parties harder. And he has a clear preference for non-alcoholic beverages. The brand fit was clearly what Vivek is in real life and hence the choice.”

Adds Anand, “Through the album, we want to give the message to the youth of today that one can party, have fun and have a whale of a time without drinking alcohol. Vivek’s attitude goes with the brand. He is funky and new. No breaking rules. Be creative and bring the same fun in life. That’s him in a nutshell.”

Vivek has another point to make, “The brand represents playfulness, creativity and today’s youth who want to be in control. They don’t want to go against authorities and limitations but would like to have their way. I can associate with the youth who want to work hard and party harder, and at the same time, explore new possibilities. I choose my own projects and roles that I am essaying in my films. I control my life.”

View Vivek Oberoi’s Anti-alcohol anthem! Picture Gallery
The album sees a lot of Oberoi junior. There is music, there are stunts, there is dance and there is the sound of bottles that create some foot-tapping fiesta entertainingly done by Vivek.

The concept goes thus. Youngsters partying find themselves in the middle of silence with the cops shutting off the loud music. Vivek enters sees everyone dejected, and with his cool attitude makes the party comes live again. He does a creative stunt with Fresh Fizzy, creates music out of the bottle, calls for the whole truck of the beverage, and gets the party to rock without the liquor quotient.

Now that is surely something to ponder about, given the wake of the New Year alcohol tragedies.

Vivek Oberoi was supposed to be taking part in Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladdin starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Ritesh Deshmukh, as Ritesh’s friend in the film. However, that is the case no longer. As always, the rumor mills start churning out a number of reasons why.

One idea that is circulating is that Oberoi’s asking price is too high. Another suggests that Bachchan isn’t very keen to work with Oberoi. Whatever the reason, Oberoi has decided to opt out of the film, easing the pressure off Ghosh.

Sahil Khan is the man stepping into his shoes, as the film begins shooting during the first week of January, if all goes according to plan.

Interestingly enough, Aladdin is supposed to be the first Bollywood film to be shot entirely in front of a green screen. All the scenes will be done in front of a digital screen and later worked on and enhanced by SFX technicians.