A bespectacled studious girl to a glam diva

Actress Vidya Balan has essayed a range of characters in showbiz, but she says she always wanted to do a double role.Her dream came true thanks to her endorsement deal with a new range of snacks brand Aliva.Only Sridevi and Hemaji (Hema Malini) have done it so far. I have always wanted to do a double role.

The 30-second campaign for Aliva’s multi-grain waves will go on air early June.

The ad took me back to ‘Parineeta’. For the longest time after ‘Parineeta’, people just wanted to see me as (in the look of) Parineeta. And they didn’t think I was capable of much else.

Like Oscars, IIFA doesn’t need brand ambassador – Anil Kapoor

Comparing the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards with the Oscars, actor Anil Kapoor says just like the Academy Awards have no brand ambassador, the IIFA needs no one to endorse it too. Nevertheless, he says he would miss having megastar Amitabh Bachchan, IIFA’s former ambassador, at the event in Toronto this year.

For any institution which is honest, sincere and transparent and entertains, you don’t need a brand ambassador! Have you ever heard of a brand ambassador for Oscars or BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards? For an institution like IIFA, one doesn’t need a brand ambassador. Everyone associated is a brand ambassador in himself,” Anil told reporters at a press conference here Thursday.

The three-day IIFA Weekend extravaganza, to be held June 23-25, is expected to draw a huge Bollywood turnout including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Saif Ali Khan and others. However, the Bachchan family, that used to be a regular at the event for a decade, will be missing.

“They will be missed and his absence will be felt 100 percent,” said Anil, who considers himself a “friend of IIFA”.

Anil, who has made a name for himself in the international market too with projects like “Slumdog Millionaire” and TV series “24″, recently shot in Toronto for “Mission Impossible 4″. He says their hospitality is extremely warm, and that Canadians are awaiting to welcome Bollywood with “open arms”.

Comedy, romance, action to hit the box-office Friday

His flawless performance as an irritating guest in the 2007 movie “Bheja Fry” is still remembered by one and all. Vinay Pathak is once again set to take the audiences on a laugh riot with the sequel “Bheja Fry 2″, which releases Friday, along with “Always Kabhi Kabhi” and crime thriller “Bhindi Baazaar Inc”.

The impeccable chemistry between Rajat Kapoor, Vinay and Ranvir Shorey in the film made “Bheja Fry” a big hit among the audiences. However, the sequel doesn’t have Rajat and Ranvir – they have been replaced by Kay Kay and Suresh Menon.

Minissha Lamba too features in the comedy, produced by Mukul Deora and directed by Sagar Ballary.

The story revolves around good-hearted but not worldly-wise tax inspector Bharat Bhushan, who wants to fulfil his long cherished dream of becoming a singer. To make his dream a reality, he enters a game show hoping to win a cash prize with which he will make his own music album.

Eventually, Bhushan goes on to win the competition. Apart from the cash prize he also gets a free cruise trip, during which he meets sadistic business mogul Ajit Talwar (Kay Kay Menon) who is attempting to avoid income tax officials. Due to oddball circumstances owing to mistaken identity, Bhushan and Talwar are left stranded on a deserted island. The story gets interesting as both of them try to find a way out from the island.

Vinay is also making his singing debut with “Bheja Fry 2″. The song titled “Oh Rahi Rahi” is based on the 1960s theme and is filmed entirely in black and white.

While “Bheja Fry” had a shoestring budget of Rs.52 lakh, “Bheja Fry 2″ is said to be made “at a budget 20 times more than the original”. It will be released with 450 to 500 prints.

If you are looking for romance, then badshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan’s production venture “Always Kabhi Kabhi” is the one.

Set in a school, “Always Kabhi Kabhi” is about four youngsters trying to compete with the pressure of growing up and the many firsts that everyone experiences in high school. It stars Zoa Morani, Ali Fazal, Satyajeet Dubey and Giselle Monteiro, popularly known as Harleen Kaur of “Love Aajkal”.

Shah Rukh will be seen in a cameo appearence in a song in the film. The small-budget film is directed by TV host-turned-director Roshan Abbas and is produced under Shah Rukh’s banner Red Chillies Entertainment.

Ankush Bhatt’s long delayed film “Bhindi Baazaar Inc” will bring the thrill element at the box office.

Made on a budget of about Rs.4.50 crore, the film revolves around pickpocketers and how they use their intelligence and spontaneity to survive in the risky profession. Written by Ghalib Asad Bhopali and Kapil Gulati, the film starts with a game of chess and shows how a nobody from nowhere uses his brains and wits to make his way to the top.

The cast of the film includes Kay Kay Menon, Deepti Naval, Pawan Malhotra, Prashant Narayan, Shilpa Shukla, Vedita Pratap Singh and Piyush Mishra. International pop diva Jennifer Lopez’s cousin, Caterina Lopez, will also make her Bollywood debut with an item song in the movie.

Vikram Bhatt to direct Bhoot 2 in 3D

After the super success of Haunted-3D, Vikram Bhatt is certainly on a roll. While he already has a few projects up his sleeve, he has now taken up the mantle of directing one more big project. The buzz doing the rounds is that Vikram will be directing the sequel of Ram Gopal Varma's hit horror film Bhoot.

Bhoot 2, as it will be called, will be made in 3D and feature never-seen-before special effects. Nitin Manmohan, who produced Bhoot, wanted Vikram to direct the sequel. While the official cast is yet to be revealed, there is speculation that most of the original cast members will feature in the sequel as well.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Salman Khan’s checklist for a bride

Bollywood’s Big Fat Wedding…. Avantika weds Imran Khan…

The long-awaited big fat wedding of Bollywood actor Imran Khan and his fiancee Avantika Malik are all set to take place today. The duo are going to have a sunset wedding on a beach in Phuket, Thailand.

The wedding will be hush hush kinds with only the families of the couple. Tuesday night will see the two families and their closest friends heading to Phuket for a three-day celebration. But mamu jaan Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao will not be present for the celebrations as they need to complete the pending work on their forthcoming film, Dhobi Ghat, which releases on January 21.

Says a source, “It’s Avantika’s idea and she has done all the bookings and logistic arrangements. While both sides helped put up all the parties, this Khao Lak trip is completely Avantika’s brainchild.”

Designers Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra, who are taking care of the couple’s wedding dress, revealed that they have designed a scarlet gown for the bride, as it would be a sunset wedding.

The Sangeet ceremony held at Avantika’s farmhouse in Karjat on Saturday night saw Imran’s maamu Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao. Aamir’s ex wife Reena also came. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif too attended the sangeet though they came separately. Boman Irani, Kunal Kapoor, Shahana Goswami, Karan Johar, Minissha Lamba and many other celebrities graced the occasion.

It’s official now!!! Avantika and Imran Khan are married…

Imran and Avantika who were dating for seven years, had a civil registered wedding at home yesterday at 6 pm. It was quite a personal affair amidst only family members from both sides. The couple did not want any religious rituals as they belong to different communities.

Both, the bride and the groom looked ravishing in a Manish Malhotra outfit. The couple later entered their Pali Hill Bungalow in a black Porche. It is the same banglow where Imran Khan’s mother Nuzhat and mamujaan Aamir Khan also got married.

The couple is leavin for a three-day holiday to Phuket tonight.

Present were Aamir Khan and Kiran, his first wife Rina with both the kids Junaid and Ira, Mansoor Khan his wife Tina, Aamir’s mother and Nuzhat’s sisters Nikhat and Farhat.