People should stop talking about my age now: Tendulkar

"I think as long as you are mentally strong and prepared to go through the grind, age does not really matter. I think everyone should just stop talking about the age factor. If I can score a double hundred at 37, I don't think age really matters," he said after being named the most stylish player of the match at the post-match presentation.

The veteran right-hander has 48 Test hundreds against his name and though his knock played a crucial role in saving the match for India, he chose to praise the contributions of debutant Suresh Raina (120) and opener Virender Sehwag (99).

"Suresh built an important partnership with me and all credit to him. And the start that Sehwag gave us was also crucial," he said.

India are 0-1 down in the series after losing the series-opener and Tendulkar said the team is desperate to latch on to the top spot in the ICC Test rankings which the visitors stand to lose if they go down 0-2.

"Being number one is important for us. We got here through a process and we hope to continue this process in the next match and win it," he said.

Review: Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

Milan Luthria’s “Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai” relives Mumbai underworld’s lost era, the Bombay (as it was called then) where the nexus between the gangster, the police, the politician and the Bollywood fraternity made it difficult to discern between the good, the bad and the ugly.

Inspired by Haji Mastan’s life, the film is set against the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld’s early days, a period before gang wars had unsettled the maximum city. A time when there was still honour among thieves, where the protagonist who’s a criminal also has a heart of gold. His dishonest and sometimes criminal methods to earn money were justified by his benevolence to the needy. While he smuggled at night, during the day he emerged as the messiah of the poor.

Ajay Devgn runs the business of organized crime successfully with as less bloodshed and murk as possible. While his effective territorial division manages to curtail rivalry among the underworld mafia, he misjudges his trusted lieutenant. The lust for power, greed and betrayal cause the eventual rift.

Ajay Devgn as Sultan Mirza is back in his elements as the anti-hero;  cold-blooded and menacing one moment and romantic and compassionate the next. Devgn’s is a subtle and understated performance. His character has various shades of grey and he commands respect and inspires awe among peers and enemies alike.

Most of the cast deliver – Kangana Ranaut acts well and looks lovely with her big eyelashes and fancy hairdos. Prachi Desai appears vulnerable as the conflicted girlfriend. A special mention for Randeep Hooda, who as ACP Agnel Wilson, does a commendable job. He exudes a raw intensity as the honest police officer who means business. The only weak link is Emraan Hashmi, whose performance lacks both the intensity and aggression that the character demands. At times, it looks like he is trying hard to do a Sanjay Dutt of ‘Vaastav’.

Complete with a cabaret, long-collared nylon shirts and 1970’s mise-en-scene, the film manages to recreate a lost era. The film plays with shades, the blacks, the whites and especially the greys. While the plot builds up well, the narrative steadily loses steam. It’s definitely watchable but a tighter script would have done wonders. What could have been a thrilling tale is nothing different from what we have seen before.

Review: Inception

Christopher Nolan is seen somewhat as a visionary in cinema by some and as an overrated self-serving egomaniac by the rest, but let’s face it, he made non-linear storytelling fashionable. And if the plot were to run backwards, as in Memento, only those who can (or at least attempt to) piece the movie together from end to start can actually have a conversation about it. Which was a task that even Aamir Khan, seen somewhat as the most intelligent film star/film-maker around, couldn’t do. His staunch refusal to accept the fact that Ghajini was an Indianised Memento is testament to the fact.

I haven’t seen The Dark Knight to pronounce judgement on it, and I do know that I’m in the minority and will be looked at with much disdain for not being “with it”, as you’ll say (I’ll get around to it soon, I promise), but I’ve seen Memento and I’ve read enough about Christopher Nolan to know he’s blessed with a vivid imagination. And the fact that The Dark Knight has more recall value in Nolan’s oeuvre and Memento gets a perfunctory afterthought-esque mention irks me no end.

Now take another non-linear narrative – here, a story within a story unfolds that adds to your frustration layer by layer, scene by scene, character by character that by the time you’ve figured out what’s happening in one story, there’s a development in the sub-story that makes you question yourself.

Now (spoiler alert!) compound it two times, add a sub-plot that is (supposed to be) the emotional crux of the story, lead the audience along on one idea and segue just as the audience is about to expect some form of closure, throw in some gravity-defying stunts and fight scenes, get a busy city square to fold on itself and then seal the deal with a climax that doesn’t offer you any concrete answers.

Are you with me so far?

Here’s the plot – a step up from the usual treatment that movies based on dreams or the subconscious get. Think Eternal Sunshine, Vanilla Sky, What Dreams May Come – you get the picture. Filmmakers tend to associate dreams with romanticism, finer emotions, et al (I’m not counting Kubrick here). What if we could treat dreams as a reality outside reality, an alternate world where things happen beyond our control, and sometimes, as a direct result of it? Nolan gives Inception this treatment.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, dream-stealer par excellence by profession, who can get into the minds of unsuspecting individuals in power and “extract” their thoughts for a price – he’s a thought-extractor-for-hire in the world of corporate espionage. While on one such mission, he’s approached by Saito (Ken Watanabe) to “plant” an idea into a business rival’s (Fischer, played by the ever dependable Cillian Murphy) mind, something Cobb hasn’t done so far in his enviable career of dream invasion. This job offer also gives him a chance at redemption and gaining his old life back which, due to vicissitudes of fate, he’s had to leave behind. He puts together a team of expert conmen in the typical heist-movie style – strategist Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), newbie architect Ariadne (Ellen Page), shapeshifter Eames (a very assured Thomas Hardy) and the druid Yusuf (Dileep Rao) who can give them the chemical means to proceed on their mission. And as with all Nolan protagonists, Cobb comes with some weighty baggage.

Now begins the wild ride that, despite some plot slip-ups (Spoiler alert: I think I noticed some sky in the scene where a busy Parisian street folds on itself), tepid attempts at repartee between Eames and Arthur and a tad too emotional sub-plot (or the basis, as Eames would put it) delivers some fantastic thrills, and sheer movie-watching fun for a little over two hours. The high points of the movie are the stunts, effects, photography and the layering of the plot, and the lowest point is the overindulged emotional core of the movie, the relationship between Cobb and Mal, his wife, played by delicate beauty Marion Cotillard (she’ll always be Edith Piaf to me).

Leonardo DiCaprio seems to have arrived on the sets of Inception straight from the sets of Shutter Island/The Departed. Marion Cotillard shines in some scenes, but she doesn’t have much scope for histrionics. Ellen “Juno” Page is ready to move on from being a teenage mother, but seems to be a perfunctory “girly” add to Cobb’s team.

Think Clive Owen’s suavity and easy charm, add Gerard Butler’s brash and brawn to it, weave in a day’s stubble – and you have Thomas Hardy. Easily the best-sketched character of the lot, Hardy is fantastic as the “Pretender” of the dream-invading team. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the next Jude Law, mark my words (impossible as it may seem and I hope Jude Law never retires). Hair slicked back, sharp-jawed and with charm writ large on his face, he is a refreshing change from the heartbroken twenty-something from 500 Days of Summer. Michael Caine, pardon me, Sir Michael Caine gets about two and a half minutes of screen time, and Nolan gets no points from me for that, especially when Tom Berenger gets more than 10 minutes (with all due respect to him). But then again, when isn’t Michael Caine criminally underused?

Inception is at its core a spectacle – a grand, self-assured, elaborate brain-tease of a movie that attempts to be nothing but. And on that level, it delivers. Not many movies can have you walking out the theater with a grin plastered on your face – especially after a (sounds like) mind-tuck of an ending. You can spend endless hours discussing and debating the climax of the movie, you can go on about glaring loopholes in the plot, but at the end of it all, you have to give credit where it’s due. Dreams within dreams in labyrinthine mind mazes that leave you with enough room for interpretation and discussions with movie fanatics for years to come are one of those things you just *can’t* get in real life. And even if you do, how much do you really remember after you’ve woken up?

Go watch Inception. I’m looking forward to my dreams tonight.

'Tendulkar deserves World Cup win'

Sachin Tendulkar deserves a World Cup victory under his belt but to realise this dream the batting icon needs players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni to fire in 2011 home event, says former Kiwi fast bowler Danny Morrison.

"Sachin Tendulkar, the master, deserves to have some sort of winners' medal hanging round his neck but it's not all about him. Cricket is a tough game and it's also about whether Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag,Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni can deliver for India. Can they do it for Sachin?," Morrison said at an ICC audio-cricket show.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also feels that India will be strong contenders to lift the World Cup.

"I think India has the best opportunity to lift the World Cup this time round. It has to be good for them playing on home turf. It adds pressure but that's part of hosting.

"You feel that India want something special to happen and this year I think you've got to go with the India team to emulate the 1983 side led by Kapil Dev," said Morrison, who claimed 126 ODI wickets and 160 in Tests.

India will co-host the 2011 edition along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in February-March

Barenaked Indian Ladies

It recently came to light that bodacious babe Bips dared to bare all torso-upwards during her days as a struggling model. Before burning up the silver screen with her bold moves in the Bhatt camp’s glorious ode to marital infidelity, Jism, Bips shot an ad in the buff for New York Lotto, where she ‘prepares’ herself for joyful communion with a prince, played by Vivek Oberoi.

The 1-minute-long ad shows a naked Bips being bathed by helpful maidens with a languorous side shot, a la Helen Hunt in ‘As Good As It Gets’, where you can see something, but not really. It’s a very tasteful (isn’t that the preferred adjective for controversial nudity?) shot and the only thing one can get indignant about is that she does all this for a man who sports a Sadhana fringe.

Speaking of yesteryear heroines, Bollywood beauties have, for want of a better expression, gone quasi-commando in movies through the ages. The showman of the millennium, Raj Kapoor, had not one, not two, but three women exposing ample or hints of flesh in his masterpiece, Mera Naam Joker. (Simi Garewal hadn’t yet discovered white then, I suppose). Then there was Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, who might have championed the (Shakespearean?) cause of beauty lying in the eyes of the beholder, especially if the all-seeing eyes are a tad, um, downcast and Mukesh was lending you his voice to serenade your lady onscreen. What about the oh-so-tender shot of Mandakini calling out to Chimpu Kapoor against the backdrop of gushing rapids in Ram Teri Ganga Maili? Nobody’s discovered the answer to “Why Chimpu Kapoor?” so far.

If you’re seeking similar instances that are not restricted to the silver screen, there was the Madhu Sapre-Milind Soman Tuff Shoes ad, in which both were as naked as the day they were born but for the shoes on their feet with a slithering snake for company, doing what the maple leaf does in such situations. (This was pre-Marathi Mhanoos/Mulgi days, I think). And who can forget danseuse Protima Bedi who streaked on a beach in the wee hours of the morning on a day you were most likely sleeping, blissfully unaware of the beauty of sunrise. You think Maradona was inspired by this, perhaps?

Barenaked Indian ladies have either been the reason for wild box-office success, overnight stardom or controversies that resonate years after they bade adieu to modesty.

Alternatives to iPhone 4

Apple’s iPhone 4 was labeled as the smartest phone ever. But it might not be for everyone. If you are not going the Apple way, then there are plenty of other options that you might want to consider. iPhone 4 isn’t in India yet, but the earlier version is available and is priced around Rs 35,000. Not all phones listed here are launched in India, but the ones that are, are definitely a lot cheaper than even the iPhone 3GS. Here are a few alternatives to iPhone 4 (when launched in India):

Left: Nokia N900 and Right: Motorola Milestone

Motorola Milestone



Milestone is sure to grab the attention of camera lovers with an 8MP sensor and a multi-touch screen. With a 3.7 inch wide-screen, you can also watch your favourite movie (the resolution is just superb!). Specs wise, Milestone seems to be the frontrunner featuring an Android OS, full slide-out Qwerty keyboard – with five-way navigation key, a powerful ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor. It is expected to be launched in India soon.



Nokia N900



Move on from Android. The N900 is the first phone from Nokia, which runs on Maemo 5, a new OS that competes with the best Smartphone available today. The N900 is a touch screen, full Qwerty slider phone and one of the most talked about members of the N-Series recently. The phone has an impressive array of features which include powerful ARM Cortex-A8 600MHz Processor with 256 MB of RAM and a 3.5 inch 800×480 pixel resistive touchscreen display. It has 5 MP Camera with Dual LED Flash. With 32GB internal memory, you can’t crib about storage. So here is a fascinating device which is cheaper than iPhone 4 and is available in India for approximately Rs 30,000.

Left: HTC Legend, Right: HTC Desire

HTC Desire



With a 1GHz processor, 3.7-inch screen and Android 2.1, this is every inch an iPhone 4 battler. It has a micro SD card slot which has scope for a lot more memory storage than the iPhone 4′s 16 or 32GB fixed space; depending on how many cards you can buy. It has a 5 MP camera with LED flash. It can’t shoot HD (1280 x 720) videos like the iPhone 4, but rather shoots at DVD resolution (720 x 480). The Desire also has an optical track pad. It is expected to launch in India soon.



HTC Legend



Now, the HTC Legend can be called the smart hero. In terms of looks, this surely matches the iPhones with its shiny aluminium body. Now, this is HTC’s first android 2.1 device and with a much better UI than its predecessor, the HTC Hero. The Legend will work with Android updates.

Left: Samsung Galaxy S i9000, Right: Samsung Wave

Samsung Galaxy S i9000



Samsung Galaxy S is a worthy alternative to the iPhone4 with its 4 inch wide screen and a super AMOLED screen. An Android based Smartphone, it has a 1GHz processor and is running on Android 2.1. It has a 5MP camera, HD (720p) video playback, and up to 16GB of onboard memory. It is priced at approximately Rs 28,000.



Samsung Wave



It is definitely creating waves in the tech world with already 1 million phones sold last month in India. Again no Android, Samsung launched its own OS ‘Bada’ in Wave. The Wave has the world’s first Super AMOLED display on a Smartphone and benefits from a superb 1GHz processor which offers users the best performance. It is also first to support Bluetooth 3.0 in India. Now, aggressively priced at Rs 18,000, this phone is the best bet for a good Smartphone.

Sen…sational Smooch: Riya Liplocks Suraj!

It's a liplock that's gonna set the grapevine buzzing now. Reportedly, Riya Sen was partying reaaaaaallllllll hard and having a ball at a fancy South Mumbai party spot. And in no time, she was high as the proverbial kite!

Close sources squeal that Suraj, scion of Aditya Panscholi, was close at hand… and before he could gather his wits… Suraj found himself being held in a tight cinch and a suuuuuuppppperrr tight liplock with Riya, even as the youngster struggled to break free. From both, Sen and embarrassment.
Hic, hic, hic…. quite unSensible, Riya.

Dr Tathagat Tulsi, 22, becomes Professor Tulsi at IIT Bombay

He completed high school at the age of 9, had a B.Sc at 10, an M.Sc in Physics at 12, and a PhD in Quantum Computing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, at 21. In 2003, Time named him among the world's seven most gifted youngsters. Now, at age 22, Patna-born prodigy Tathagat Avtar Tulsi has become possibly the youngest assistant professor at IIT.

Tulsi will teach Physics at IIT Bombay from July 19, having chosen the institute over Waterloo University, Canada, and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal, both of which had offered him jobs.
"I turned down Waterloo despite an impressive pay package because I do not want to go abroad now," Tulsi told The Indian Express over the phone from Patna. "My dream is to set up a lab focused on quantum computation in India, and one day help develop a largescale quantum computation-based supercomputer. IIT Bombay offers me these possibilities."

IIT Bombay confirmed that Tulsi is set to join its faculty. In an appointment letter sent on June 30, IIT Bombay Director Prof Devang V Khakar informed Tulsi that the institute's Board of Governors was pleased to offer him assistant professorship on contract at the Department of Physics.Hailed early as a wonder boy, Tulsi suffered humiliation in August 2001 when a delegation of scientists taken by the Department of Science & Technology to Lindau in Germany for an interaction with Nobel laureates, suggested that he was a "fake prodigy" who had "mugged up" jargon which he spouted unthinkingly.
A hurt Tulsi went into a shell for several years. He returned to news this February after he became the youngest holder of a PhD in India."Back then it hurt a lot. But I have put the humiliation behind me, and now feel that I have achieved something. I am very happy to join an IIT as faculty. I am looking forward to teaching and research," Tulsi said.

Management Tip of the Day: 4 things your employees need from you

The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (http:\\www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters.

Traditional leaders see the employee-boss relationship as a transaction: money in exchange for labour.
Transformational leaders know and recognize that employees want much more than that. Here are the four things your people need to succeed:Love. This may sound touchy-feely, but love simply means focused concern that is exclusively for that person's good. Show your employees you care about them and their futures.Growth. No one wants to be exactly where they are forever. Create a culture that allows your people to grow and expand.
Contribution. To feel fulfilled, employees must know that they are contributing to the whole. Emphasize the ways that their work matters to the organization.Meaning. We are meaning-seeking creatures. Share a vision that demonstrates that all of your employees are engaged in a larger purpose.Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Four Things Employees Need from Leaders" by Cleve Stevens.

Bebo's Beaming More In Morocco

Kareena Kapoor couldn't have asked for more from Morocco. Currently filming for 'Agent Vinod' alongside Saif Ali Khan, Bebo was thrilled to smithereens when she discovered that her popularity is no less on Moroccon soil.
Reportedly, the actress was consistently approached by youngsters there, who were keen on bagging her autograph and clicking keepsake photographs. What's better, many of them sang songs from 'Jab We Met' and told KK that they were expressly eager to watch her Karan Johar production 'We Are Family.'
KK's amazed and overwhelmed that fans in Morocco were following her work so closely. Bravo, Bebo.

Iconic ‘Prancing Horse’ India-Bound

“Ferrari doesn’t sell really a car, it sells a dream.”



Let it be the launch of the world’s cheapest car or the acquisition of JLR, Ratan Tata never stops to amuse us; and this time, by bringing the iconic Ferrari to India.



BSMotoring reports that Ferrari is looking to open its first dealership in India in the next six to eight months and is likely to appoint Tata Motors or a sub-division of it as its sole Indian distributor and dealer. With Tata-Fiat joint venture in full swing in India and Fiat being the parent company of Ferrari, the move appears to be practical and convenient.



Speaking to BBC News, Ferrari Chairman Luca Di Montezemolo said that he is looking at opening a dealership here in India this year itself, although that might be a little premature. Ferrari is planning to open two dealerships in two of the largest metros in India, New Delhi and Mumbai with the latter most likely to be the first one.



Ferrari manufactures road-going sportscars, supercars and grand tourers and sells in excess of 6500 units a year. Its model lineup includes the California, 458 Italia, the 599 GTB and the 612 Scaglietti. “In the future we will sell a Ferrari with four-wheel drive but we will never sell a family Ferrari,” Mr Montezemolo states.

Why Men Prefer Bad Girls

This post was triggered off by something I heard on the radio last evening on my way back home.  A lot has been said and many a storm has brewed over several cups of tea and coffee on what men and women want – not just in terms of each other or in a relationship, but in general.  And, I for one, don’t have an answer yet. Don’t think any one of either sex does.  There’s way too much oestrogen and testosterone on television for anybody’s good to make such a decision.
But to return to the discussion on radio, that, in turn, led to this post – do men prefer bad girls? Now this is as random as it can get, considering we’re not defining the term ‘bad’. Sundry men called in to say they’d prefer ‘bad girls’ because they’re ‘more fun’.
Yeah sure! And might I ask, what their idea of ‘fun’ is? The excitement and thrill of doing ‘naughty’ things that ‘stuck-up’, ‘good girls’ wouldn’t do, like taking off on a bike to an unknown destination till the cops come after you?   They say they get along better with the ‘bad girls’ — you know “great minds think alike” and all that; they’re an impulsive lot, don’t care much for a relationship and yet give the boys a good time. Whatever their idea of  ‘fun’, this lot of men believe only ‘bad’  girls are good for them, as the cliche goes.
As Donna Summer’s critically acclaimed number goes:
mister, do you want to spend some time, oh yeah
I got what you want
you got what I need
I’ll be your baby
come and spend it on me


Then there is the shameless lot that prefers a ‘bad girl’ as a girlfriend but would like a ‘good girl’ for a wife. And that’s the quintessential middle-class Indian guy for you. They desire the undesirable, they hanker for the forbidden fruit but when it comes to making choices,  Mommy dearest will pick the  ripest, prettiest, can’t-say-no-to fruit of the lot. They are the hypocrites who want the best of both worlds.  And then as my colleague Tarun says:  “Mature men don’t go for ‘bad girls’.” These are the ones that give gyaan on ‘responsibility’ and such like when they talk of  ‘settling down’.
Unlike MJ, they aren’t man enough to say:
I’m Big, I’m Bad-
Come On
(Really, Really Bad)
You Know I’m Big, I’m Bad-
You Know It
(Really, Really Bad)



But they want the ‘bad girls’ to liven up their lives just before they settle to a life of unadulterated, blissful domesticity. Really in this day and age, is there such a categorisation of good and bad? Or do you just do it? You know, go for the kill?



Maybe it’s time they think beyond just sport (no, I don’t mean football) – the good, the bad and the ugly part of it. Be the metrosexual man and own up, step out of the closet and talk about what you really like about the ‘bad girls’ apart from the ‘fun’ part of it.



Tell us, if you have the… oh, never mind.

World Cup Quotes on-the-fly

The goal-scorer in Spain’s dramatic World Cup win over Holland, an ecstatic Andres Iniesta, had this to say on his game/tournament winning goal:

When I struck it (the ball), it just had to go in.

Sic.
The rest of his Spanish teammates have also shared their moment of joy. On the contrary, the Dutch were a dejected lot and angry too. Blaming the referee Howard Webb, Holland striker Dirk Kuyt said:

We are angry because we were so close. The referee was slightly more for them than for us. That ultimately cost us the cup.

But this World Cup will not be remembered for quotes of the finalists, as much as it is for the ones on Vuvuzelas, Paul the octopus and Maradona, Ronaldo and their outspoken ilk. Here are some:
Paul has had an extended period under the World Cup glare, and why not – after all unlike any of 32 teams, Paul’s the only one with a 100% World Cup record. In fact even on his greatest day, Iniesta didn’t forget to mention Paul, saying

The Octopus will now be very popular in Spain.

The Germans fans however have turned their backs on their once ‘beloved’ Paul. Their sentiment has been expressed by Der Western, a German daily which said:

Paul should be fried, barbequed or turned into a seafood salad or paella.

[Also read: Indian celebrities on Paul]
While Paul might have won over the world, the same cannot be said on the Vuvuzelas. The constant drone of the instrument has vexed players and viewers alike.

“It is impossible to communicate, it’s like being deaf”, said Messi on the Vuvuzela.

Casting coup to bring Titanic star & Ash together?

IS Aishwarya Rai- Bachchan all set to work with Kate Winslet? If the buzz is to be believed, a global cosmetics brand that Ash endorses could team the Bollywood superstar with the Titanic heroine Kate Winslet for a new ad- film.

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Ash is the Indian brand ambassador of the brand in question. Kate promotes a luxury brand owned by the same cosmetics house. Reports suggested that the two actresses could be roped in to add their special star power to promote both brands.

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Neither Ash nor her spokesperson are confirming the reports yet. "The media will be informed if any development takes place," Ash's spokesperson said. Though the Aishwarya camp was tightlipped, there were reports that the ad film will be shot in Italy within the next couple of weeks. Reportedly, the ad film will be shot over two days.

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These reports have gained ground because Ash is scheduled to head for Italy soon.
"Aishwarya may be offered the ad depending on how things fall in place.
Several logistics have to be worked out," informs a source. It shouldn't be a problem for the actress to shoot for the film as she has already wrapped up major portions of her forthcoming films, the source added.

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If Kate and Ash indeed come together for the ad- campaign, it will be a never- before casting coup. In India, Kate Winslet, despite winning the Oscar for her role in The Reader , will always be popular as the Titanic girl.

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In the meantime, Ash made news for Rahul Dholakia's forthcoming Lamhaa . A scene in the film has Anupam Kher's character sarcastically saying that news channels were more interested in whether Aishwarya Rai managed to see the moon than in the plight of Kashmiris.

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Dholakia feared a backlash from Ash's father- in- law Amitabh Bachchan over the dialogue. So the film's trailer was shown to the Bachchans. A relieved Dholakia said: "He understood that Ash's reference was only a metaphor for glamour and celebrity." Next year, Ash is set to work with Vishal Bhardwaj on a femalecentric project.

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Despite the debacle of Raavan , Ash has a busy year ahead. She will be seen with Rajnikanth in Shankar's Endhiran followed by a comic outing in Vipul Shah's Action Replayy opposite Akshay Kumar. She will also be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish, co- starring Hrithik Roshan.
Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.