Star fathers bond over star kids!

Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Athiya Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi’s daddys have a reason to revive friendships

Over the years, actors bonded when they co-starred in films, forging strong friendships that have weathered the trials of time. Today, as star fathers, they take pleasure in watching their children pair up on screen.

The latest dad dosts to see their kids team up are Jackie Shroff and Shakti Kapoor (they’ve been friends for 32 years) and Suniel Shetty and Aditya Pancholi (friends for 19 years). Jackie’s son Tiger will be acting with Shakti’s daughter Shraddha Kapoor  in Sajid Nadiadwala’s next directed by Sabbir Khan while Suniel’s daughter Athiya and Aditya’s son Sooraj have already started shooting for Salman Khan’s Hero, directed by Nikhil Advani.

Here’s what the star dads had to say about their friendships and their children as screen pairs…

Jackie Shroff

I met Shaktiji first in Teen Batti, where I used to live. I was the hero of my area and he was shooting somewhere down the road. My gang of boys came and told me some handsome guy was shooting in my area. I was like, ‘Kya apne se zyada handsome hai?’ So I went to see this guy. Shaktiji and Uday Chandra were shooting for Khel Khiladi Ka (1977). Before that, I used to think we were the best looking dudes around but we took a look at their faces and saw them looking so cool… we returned from the shoot, our tails between our legs. The first film we shot together was Hero. That’s where we connected. Shaktiji always loved and took great care of my mom. He would tell me, ‘Jaggu, flat mein paisa daalo, gaadi mein nahi.’ Shaktiji is like my older brother and mentor. He is an angel who always had a good word for me. We had a blast shooting for Swami Dada. He is one of the finest actors I know. The film with Shraddha and Tiger will be like a trip down memory lane…. They have been friends since school and now, it’s fantastic that they are working together!

Shakti Kapoor

Jackie and I are very close. He’s like my kid brother. We first met on the sets of Dev Anand’sSwami Dada (1982) where he played my henchman. Jaggu mere peeche khada rehta tha and I used to tell Dev saab, ‘Yeh ladka bahut bada hero banega ek din. Why have you given him such a small role?’ I later heard that Jackie was a huge fan of Dev saab and that he was happy to give even a passing shot. He was such a good-looking guy! Simply dressed… Jaggu looked so dashing. I would tell him, ‘You don’t know what you look like’. I became a big fan of his. He used to have a waist of 28 inches and rock solid — not an inch of fat. And look at fate… When Jackie was launched as a hero in Subhash Ghai’s Hero, I played the film’s villain. Nobody knows this about Jackie. When he started shooting for Hero he used to live in town and would come to Juhu to shoot at one of the studios. By the time he reached the sets all the money in his pocket would become zero! Jaggu used to give everything away to the beggars. “Yeh lele bhidu tere paas khana nahi hai,”… And all the beggars used to surround him especially at Mahim Church. One day, Jackie’s mother and I were sitting and I told her that he was giving all his money away, but hadn’t a roof over his head. His mother told me that Jackie listens to one man only and that was Shakti Kapoor.

After that, I made his life miserable. I kept nagging him to buy a house. Jaggu started saving money and when he bought his home in Bandra Bandstand, the first thing he did was call me up and say, “Shakkubaba (his nickname for me) I want to give you a good news. I have finally bought a house.’ Hero became a super-duper hit, me and Subhash Ghai threw a party on a ship. Jaggu and I hugged and then we both cried… We never thought he would become such a huge star!

I am very happy that his son is acting with my daughter today. Tiger is like my own son. I don’t know him too well as he wouldn’t come on the sets often but I’ve heard that he’s taken after his father. Today, all the sons — Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor – are all grown up, but used to sit on my lap as children. I am very proud that they are doing so well today.

Aditya Pancholi

Athiya is like my daughter, she’s my brother Suniel’s daughter. We have worked in several films together and I have always found him to be a lovely person, very professional and strictly on time. Suniel is always into some business or the other, always doing something. He has business acumen and yet, has maintained his relationships with his friends so beautifully. I like the fact that he’s so disciplined. He doesn’t drink or smoke and has no vices. Suniel is a good inspiration for the youngsters. I remember a funny incident with him which only Suniel, Saif and people connected to the film will understand, We were shooting for Ek Tha Raja in Bhavnagar in Gujarat and suddenly one day we had to vacate our rooms, clean the cars, cancel the schedule and run back to Mumbai (laughs). We’ve shared a very warm friendship where we looked out for each other. I am very happy with the way Hero has turned out. I saw some rushes and Athiya and Sooraj are looking great together. I am very happy to see these youngsters doing so well today.

Suniel Shetty

I have known Nirmal (Aditya Pancholi) since our first film Suraksha (1995) – almost 20 years ago. I am very impressed with Nirmal’s acting. His film Saathi best showcases his acting talent. There is a lot of potential in him – he has a great personality, too. Nirmal is one of the few men in the industry who aggressively stands by his family, work, relationships and friends. I tend to always get along with stars like him, Salman, Ajay and Sanju for that reason. We stand up for each other. Today with Athiya and Sooraj working in a film together, it has made the relationship stronger. A combination of friendship and business is continuing forward in such a beautiful way. I am very happy about the entire setup my daughter Athiya is working with — producer Salman Khan, the director Nikhil Advani or Sooraj himself. I have seen bits of the film and have really liked what I’ve seen so far. There is no manipulation in my relationship with Nirmal or Salman – it’s straight from the heart. Nikhil is living and breathing the film and is obsessed with the film and the kids — what more can a father want? First, Sooraj was signed, Athiya came in later but when I got to know I thought it was the perfect combination — Salman, Reshma Shetty and Sooraj. Sooraj is in a league of his own and I can make that judgement call. When people were criticiSing Tiger, I had said that he will take it to a different level. Today, Tiger has already established himself in B and C centres. Sooraj too will win a lot of hearts.

Biwi ho toh aisi

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Ayushmann Khurrana's wife Tahira Kashyap is a woman of many talents. She is a lecturer and mass communication professor at a college in Mumbai and the author of books I Promise and Souled Out. She used to run her own public relations agency in Chandigarh, after which she joined a radio channel in Punjab as its programming head. She has also directed a short film and buzz is, she may be directing a Bollywood film next.

Says an insider, "Tahira has directed the short film Phatte Haal and those who have seen it have been impressed by her sensitivity. Ayushmann loved it and has been urging her to direct a Bollywood film. She's giving the matter some thought as she's currently very busy with their baby daughter, her work and her third book."

Ayushmann's spokesperson says, "Tahira has no plans at all to direct any Bollywood films. As of now, she only wants to concentrate on her writing. The short film is an amateur film made in conjunction with the members of the theater group that she mentors in Chandigarh and it's still under production. Phatte Haal is the story of one of the most faithful and endearing pets - about a stray dog who had his proverbial day and the kid who got his candy, both living in the fringes of the society. Together they make a happy little world for themselves, and it doesn't take much."

The source adds, "She also wants amateurs to make short films under her production company, Honeybee Productions."

CBI will now investigate the Jiah Khan death case

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The Bombay High Court today handed over to CBI the probe into Bollywood actress Jiah Khan's death, five months after Mumbai police concluded it was a case of suicide and charged her live-in partner Suraj Pancholi with abetting it.

The 25-year-old British-American actress was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her Juhu home on June 3 last year. Noting that they wanted the truth to emerge, a division bench of justices V M Kanade and P D Kode directed CBI to take over the case from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai police immediately and carry out further probe.

The order was passed on a petition filed by Jiah's mother Rabia Khan, who had raised strong suspicions about her daughter's death being a case of murder and not suicide, as claimed by police in its charge sheet filed in January this year. The court, while handing over the case to CBI, said it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of investigation done by the police. The judges made it clear that they were not finding fault with Juhu Police who had probed the case.

The court had earlier asked the state and police to form an SIT to probe whether it was a case of murder as Rabia had disputed the investigations by producing forensic evidence privately obtained by her to indicate that her daughter could have been killed. However, SIT did not begin the probe as Rabia had objected to the investigating team having the same officers who had conducted the probe earlier.

The court today said that it was handing over the case to CBI because SIT had the same officers who had probed it earlier and also as Rabia had produced reports of forensic experts to indicate that there was lacuna in the probe.

The Judges also asked the police and the state to extend logistical support and other help required by CBI to carry out further probe.

Juhu police had in January filed a charge sheet in the case, accusing Suraj, son of actors couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, of abetting Jiah's suicide. Suraj had a live-in relationship with Jiah and had allegedly sent a "break up" bouquet to her which prompted her to take the extreme step, police had claimed in the charge sheet.

The court noted that Rabia had cited circumstances to point out there was a possibility of Jiah having been killed. She also produced reports of forensic experts on the injury marks found on the deceased.
Rabia, in her petition, referred to an air-conditioner in Jiah's bedroom being on but windows open when she was found dead. There was no explanation as to how Jiah reached the ceiling fan to hang herself when there was no stool in the house, Rabia said, claiming there was a foul play.

Rabia blamed Suraj for her daughter's death and said she had carried out a sting operation on a few witnesses who said in an audio recording that they had not told the police what had been recorded in their statements, thereby raising doubts about the police version that Jiah had committed suicide. Rabia alleged that the police had ignored the opinion of a forensic expert procured by her.

The expert said prominent injury mark on her neck was not possible to have been caused by a muslin 'dupatta' Jiah was claimed to have used to hang herself. Also, the injury mark had two prominent outer lines running parallel to each other which was possible if a belt was used for murder. Besides, injury marks on the lips, chin and hands of the deceased had not been explained at all, she alleged.

Government pleader Purnima Kantharia, however, refuted the allegations, saying the points of doubt raised by Rabia had been covered by the police in their probe. The murder angle had also been investigated and ruled out. Kantharia said the window of Jiah's room was open because a friend of Rabia had told the police that she had opened it as she wanted to smoke.

The government pleader also ruled out the possibility of someone entering Jiah's room from the window as there was a garden below and there would be mud marks in case of an intrusion. As regards Rabia's allegation that fresh blood marks were found in the room adjoining Jiah's bedroom where she was found dead, Kantharia said the blood sample did not match either with Jiah or accused Suraj. 

When Stars work... Phukat main

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When Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and The Voice fame took up Begin Again, which also stars Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, he decided to do it for free. "I did this movie for no money," he told a magazine. We take a look at Bollywood actors who have worked free of cost either out of friendship or because they liked the part.

Amitabh Bachchan
Starred in his make-up man's Deepak Sawant's Bhojpuri films, Ganga,Gangotriand Ganga Devi for free. He said on his blog, "(Sawant) has been with me for 35 years and never ever missed a single day... (He) started with humble beginnings and has produced three films with me in them… Such individuals and the Bhojpuri films, that have limited releases, need all the encouragement… I work for him and never charge... it is not a monetary matter for me… his contribution is greater than my fee." He also did Kaante gratis, out of gratitude for Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt who "supported me in my struggling days in the film industry". He did Shah Rukh Khan's Paheli because of their friendship. In The Great Gatsby, where he has a special appearance as the Jew gambler, Meyer Wolfsheim, for which he said he "refused remuneration". Bol Bachchan, which starred his son Abhishek, had Big B shaking a leg to the title track. He didn't charge out of goodwill for Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn, who was co-producing the film.

Salman Khan
The man, who is said to have a heart of gold, never refuses his friends when they request him for a cameo appearance in their films. Not only that Salman, doesn't charge a penny for those outings. So far, he has done an item song Po po for Ajay Devgn in Son Of Sardaar, Wallah re wallah in Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan and recently appeared with Akshay Kumar for the latter's production Fugly. Earlier he has done cameos in Ravi Chopra's Bandaa Yeh Bindaas Hai and Sawan Kumar Tak's Saawan for free when they were going through a financial crisis.

Shah Rukh Khan
The Badshah of Bollywood not only agreed to do an item number Breakfree for the Irrfan Khan-Arshad Warsi starrer Krazzy 4 for free but when there were monetary issues concerning his outfits, he coughed it up himself! The connection was their super hits together: Karan Arjun and Koyla. He also returned Amitabh Bachchan's favour of working in his film Paheli for free, by making a cameo appearance in Big B's Bhootnath Returnsgratis. He did Dulha Mil Gaya for Viveck Vaswani, who he knew from his TV days.

Kareena Kapoor
This glamorous diva has done two songs completely free of cost for the hitherto warring Khans, Salman and Shah Rukh. For her Marjaani number with SRK in Billu, Kareena refused to accept a fee. When Salman requested her do an item number Fevicol forDabangg 2, Bebo did not charge a penny.

Katrina Kaif
When her hairstylist Pomila Hunter turned producer with the film Main Krishna Hoon, the actress not only made an appearance in the film free of cost, she went all out to promote it too! She dropped in at a special screening of the film for kids from an NGO, and interacted with them. Reportedly, didn't charge Karan Johar for Agneepath's Chikni Chameli(He did gift her a Ferrari for her effort though!).

Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt refused to accept any fee for his action-packed sequence in Ra.One. He was shooting for Agneepath then and had beefed up for his villainous role in the film. That's when Shah Rukh Khan and Ra.One director Anubhav Sinha thought of roping him for a cameo. Though his dates were blocked, he readily agreed to come on board and is said to have given his inputs to the action sequence.

Priyanka Chopra
The desi girl did Khudaya Khair song gratis for Shah Rukh Khan's Billu. She is said to have returned the cheque sent to her after she shot for the number!

Sonakshi Sinha
The Dabangg actress who has done maximum films with Akshay Kumar starting withRowdy Rathore, Joker, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara and Holiday has done cameos in his other films too! Not surprisingly, when Sonakshi grooved to Har Kisi Ko Nahi Miltaand Party All Night in Akshay's Boss sans any fees.

Rani Mukerji
Rani and Karan Johar have a long-standing friendship from the days of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.Since then, whenever the doe-eyed actress has done a cameo in Karan's films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, she hasn't charged a penny.

Kajol:
Karan Johar considers the hazel-eyed actress his good luck charm. Apart from the films she has done with him since like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and My Name Is Khan, Kajol has made a cameo in all his productions. Every film, Karan has directed or produced since then has Kajol either doing a full-fledged role or a cameo.

30-odd actors
Around 30 actors, from Dharmendra to Govinda to Shabana Azmi, appeared in theDeewangi song in Om Shanti Om and none of them charged a fee!

Priyanka, Kangana, Rani, Anushka : Bollywood Beauties who underwent plastic surgery!

Many Bollywood actresses went under the knife to change their God given looks and to have more enhanced beauty flaws. Plastic surgery seems to be common depends on how lucky you are to have it? I suppose we have entered in the age of surgeries which has become one of the most necessities of life. Surgeries include implantation of hair, nose, lips, and breast. Technology can help a creepy person look flawless within fraction of seconds. Here are some celebrities who underwent the painful process yet look damn creepy and awful, checkout.

1. Anushka Sharma – An Enhancement goes waste

Anushka Sharma Queens of so many hearts, God alone knows why she messed up with an artificial surgery? When she gave her first debut, she was fairly pretty and the gorgeous one. And look now what happened to her.’

2. Priyanka Chopra – Miss World create wonders with her beauty

Miss World’s surgery is now known to all. She underwent the knife to correct the shape her lips and make them thinner and juicy. Also tried treatment for her skin to look fair and get rid of the dusky look.

3. Rani Mukherjee – Aiyyaaa isse ab dekh ke kuch kuch hota hai…

Rani Mukherjee did her nose job and now her nose looks straighter and angular compared to her first look. The image clearly shows the drastic change in her! Anyways she still looks evergreen, ain’t she?

4. Kangana Ranaut – Cute and bubbly look of Drama Queen

Kangana Ranaut’s nose has been given a different and a improved look, due to which she looks more gorgeous and even her skin tone has improved.

Why has Kareena Kapoor Khan suddenly become bindaas?

Bebo has given quite a few quotes in the last few days…

Something’s up with Kareena Kapoor. Either she has entirely let go of all worldly decorum that calls for couching one’s language or she has been taking private tuitions from Kamaal R Khan on“How to make attention-seeking statements for the heck of it!” She has given us a string of quotes in the recent past and her latest one is “I have always said that I have been slightly mad.”

The entire Shuddhi controversy brought Kareena back from the dead as prior to that nobody was caring much about her career. She made it to the news by turning down Shuddhi and went on to strategically give quotes that would keep her in the lime-light. She was quoted saying, “Will Salman be part of Shuddhi? It is all created by you all (media). Shuddhi is shelved. Karan is working on The Warrior remake I think with Siddharth Malhotra and Akshay Kumar… this is what Karan said. It (shooting) will start in August,” Yep she went ahead and took the libery to comment on a project she is not even a part of!

A little birdie told us how Kareena didn’t even shy away from bitching about Alia Bhatt who idolises her and was heard saying that she doesn’t like to be compared to the Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniaactor. That too after pouting for a selfie with her at the airport! Such double standards! Perhaps the insecurity of not being the most popular actor in the industry anymore has made Bebo bitter and pushed her to make statements like,” I think I am the most commercial heroine” and ““I don’ t think like a typical actor!” and also, “I don’t have anything to prove to anyone right now.”

She also repeatedly bragged about playing a prostitute onscreen for some strange reason and said, “ I was 21 when I played the role of a prostitute in Chameli and then again played it inTalaash.” thus trying desperately to establish that she is a bold actor. But it doesn’t seem like she is getting many offers as she hardly has any interesting projects in her kitty. Shuddhi could have been great for her career but Bebo thought it wiser to turn down Karan Johar’s dream project.

About her absence from social media Kareena says, “I don’t understand what’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram!” Considering that Bebo is famously known as the most vain Gossip Queen of B-Town, her concept of not understanding social networking sounds like an outrageous lie to us. Perhaps she is threatened by the humongous fan following of the younger crop of actors, who can tell?

We can see through her obvious attempts at salvaging what is left of her popularity by slurring other successful actors and making bizarre statement without a care in the world. Well Bebo, we just hope that your attention-hogging antics actually do you some good otherwise we wouldn’t be left with much of a choice but to agree with you on about you being mad.

The Ambassadors of Time

Brands become objects of desire when associated with their ambassadors. We showcase a few

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Aishwarya Rai
Actress Aishwarya Rai, Longines Ambassador of Elegance, has embodied the brand’s slogan, "Elegance is an attitude" for more than 13 years.  
In 1994, she won the Miss World title and was soon courted by Bollywood. Today she is considered as the top grosser in the film industry. She has made international strides. Aishwarya is on the Cannes festival jury. Her first Hollywood film, Bride and Prejudice, was released in 2004, followed by other American productions. 
Aishwarya says, "It’s a great feeling to be associated for more than 13 years with a brand which is rooted in tradition, heritage and elegance".

Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek has been the brand ambassador for nearly seven years, "The company is like a family to me. No matter where I go with Omega, I am always made to feel welcome and at home." An oustanding performer, he has nearly fifty films and more than several awards to his credit. Stephen Urquhart, President Omega, says, "We are proud of our long association with Abhishek. He has millions of fans who already know that he embodies style, elegance and charm. He communicates these values, shared by our brand, to one of the world’s most vibrant cultures and dynamic markets."
 

Deepika Padukone
Tissot is a familiar name in the world of smart luxury. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone’s partnership with Tissot began in December 2007, after her successful debut film, Om Shanti Om. Her abilities were quickly acknowledged, and she won an incredible nine out of ten film awards from illustrious bodies in 2008. She continues to pick up awards, in India, Canada and around the world. It’s not just acting that she excels at— the actress is sporty too and has played badminton at the national level, proving she is multi-talented. This natural aptitude made her an obvious fit for Tissot. 
She sees many similarities between herself and her favourite Tissot models, as they are all timeless and will always be in style. While she loves many different styles, she has a soft spot for those sprinkled with diamonds. 
"The Tissot classic gold dial with a tan strap is my favourite watch. I also like the Luxury Automatic—it has a power reserve of 80 hours. Besides, a chronometer in this price range is unheard of. I believe time is important, but valuing other people’s time is even more important," says Deepika.
 

Shah Rukh Khan
Tag Heuer signed Shah Rukh Khan as its first Indian brand ambassador in 2003 and it continues to enjoy the 11-year association. His unflagging quest for excellence has made him a successful actor and businessman with an enviable fan following. He embodies Tag Heuer’s unique set of core values: innovation, prestige, performance, precision, and above all passion.
"A Tag Heuer was the first luxury watch that I ever bought," said SRK. "I remember the sense of achievement that I felt".
His favourite watch is Calibre 1887 Automatic Chronograph 43mm.
 

Yuvraj Singh
"As a child it was a dream to own a luxury watch. Now at 30, I not only own a watch, but also have my name associated with one of the world’s most prestigious watch brand, Ulysse Nardin. The case back of the 62 pieces of Yuvraj, the limited edition, is engraved with my signature. I am extremely proud and honoured." The Yuvraj Watch is a limited edition of the Executive Dual Time version renowned for its unique timezone quick-setting system.
In the words of Patrik Hoffmann, CEO of Ulysse Nardin, "Yuvraj is already a legend in cricket. Ulysse Nardin has chosen to join this tradition in India, which is as important as watchmaking in Switzerland".