MUKOYAR

Malaika Arora who has so far done some way-to-go-go item songs agreed to do her first regional item song in the Telugu film with the reigning superstar Mahesh Babu.And only because Mahesh's wife Namrata Shirodhkar who's an old friend, requested Malaika. But once in Hyderabad to shoot the song Malaika was in for a confounding culture shock."I never thought I'd dance in a regional film. She said they needed me to do a song and dance. I thought I wouldn't be able to mouth those Telugu words. But Namrata convinced me. It was ages since I had met her.I told her the entire team including the choreographer was unknown to me, and I wouldn't be comfortable. And to me being comfortable in what I do is very important.She told me to just relax and promised to be there for me. When I heard the track I found it very cool."Malaika still can't believe the experience. "I had taken my friends along and at the end of it they were wondering if it was for real. "

After a sensitive cameo act in Shaurya, you are back doing a light-hearted film like Welcome to Sajjanpur… How does it feel?I am super duper excited (laughs). Being a part of a Shyam Benegal movie was actually a high point for me when I first read the script. He is somebody who is liked and revered by everyone in my community.In fact, not many people know that we belong to same community and we speak the same language (Konkani). So, people like Girsh Karnad, Ananth Nag, and Shyam Benegal have always been looked upon by our community.Then of course I happened to see Zubeidaa when I was studying and that is one film that I still count as one of my favorite films. So when Shyamji called me for this role, I didn't ask him any questions and I just said yes to the film. Because, I so wanted to be on board under his direction. Did you ever ask him why did he think of you for this role?I did ask him and he said that he had seen me in Vivah and felt that I most appropriately suited the role

Priyadarshan's dream town Pollachi where he shot some of his favourite films turned into a bit of a nightmare last week when heavy rains disrupted the shooting of Billo Barbar at a time when Shah Rukh Khan's dates were in the imminent danger of being wasted.And if you think that was the end of Priyan's ordeal, here's more. One night an extremely poisonous snake entered Lara Dutta's room in Pollachi.Recounts her co-star Irrfan Khan, "To her credit, Lara handled the situation very sensibly and bravely, probably because she didn't know how poisonous the snake was. If it had bitten her it would've been disastrous.But then Lara is nothing if not spunky. I've realized that facing the camera with her was as challenging as co-starring with Tabu or Dimple Kapadia. Lara is the most underrated actress I've worked with."More problems for Lara. Apparently her mom has taken ill very seriously. Says Irrfan, "I could sense she was tense and dealing wi

If restaurants had their way, Himesh Reshammiya's 'tandoori' sizzlers may well turn out to be a standing item on their menu cards. Reason?Going by the popularity of the latest Himesh chartbuster 'Tandoori Nights' from Satish Kaushik directed 'Karzzzz', quite a few restaurant owners, especially in Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, have started serving 'tandoori' and grilled food.Not just that, going by the trend of theme parties, 'tandoor' has well become a buzz word with youngsters hosting 'Tandoori Nights' special.Says a source close to Himesh Reshammiya who plays the triple role of actor, composer and singer in T-Series' home production 'Karzzzz', "This is simply unprecedented and something that none of us could see coming.We couldn't even imagine in our dreams that a song's popularity would impact parties in such a manner. We have been told that numerous restaurants, discotheques and clubs have started 'Tand