Slideshow - Bollywood’s Bikini Babes

Killer Curves Nothing highlights the killer curves of Bollywood babes better than a bikini. But how much can a bikini excite if it were not for the hot bods that don it? To see the curvy babes of Bollywood in a two-piece or a swimsuit can be worth the price of a ticket for many a movie buff. For most of the actresses, putting on a two-piece is often the “demand of the script” thing and for some it’s simply a publicity gimmick. The truth is, to flaunt oneself in a bikini is not easy; ask our Bolly divas and they will tell you how hard it is to get that perfect shape - a bikini bod. From, former beauty queens Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta, new comers like Shruti Haasan and Minissha Lamba, the glamorous Kareena Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty, to Rani Mukherjee, the newest to join the bikini brigade. Here, we have some hot actresses, who have dared to wear a bikini. Hold your breath…

Rani Mukherjee She is the latest to join the bikini brigade. Who could have imagined an actress like Rani Mukherjee, mainly seen in sarees and salwars, would don a bikini, that too in a Yashraj film. The test of her oomph quotient is still not over. Kareena Kapoor She created hullabaloo with her bikini avatar in Tashan and people still love to talk about Kareena Kapoor in that lime-green, teeny-weeny two-piece and, of course, her size-zero figure. Priyanka Chopra For even the swimsuit round at Miss World pageant she gave a miss to bikini and worn a monokini. In Dostana again Priyanka Chopra chose a single piece swimsuit that was like a bikini from the back side. The lady seems to have something against the two-pieces. Bipasha Basu The sultry, dusky babe not only entices you with her seductive glances but also with her curvy body. Bipasha Basu wore bikini in Dhoom 2 and made the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai almost forgetta Lara Dutta She might have done innumerable photo shoots in that itsy-bitsy swim wear, but the sensuous Lara Dutta has for the first time donned a bikini for the movie Blue, and what a svelte figure the lady has. Marvelous to the eyes Shilpa Shetty This lithe lass is just too perfect for a bikini, but the sexy Shilpa Shetty never wore a bikini for silver screen; it was only a bikini top in ‘Dostana’. Now that’s a bummer! Minissha Lamba The chirpy babe tried to look hot as well as sizzling in a white bikini in Kidnap, providing her co-star Imran Khan ample reason to kidnap her. Minissha Lamba has made a leap from being a girl-next-door to a siren that sends men swooning. Shruti Haasan We don’t know why Kamal Haasan’s talented daughter had to be in a bikini for her maiden film Luck as we know by now it wasn’t for the script’s sake. Nevertheless, Shruti Haasan knows how to flaunt what she’s got.

Shruthi rocks in Unnaipol Oruvan

If you’ve not heard Unnaipol Oruvan’s songs, then you better get down to that right away! Shruthi Haasan bore quite a pressure on her young shoulders when she took on the challenging task of composing music for her father Kamal Haasan’s upcoming Unnaipol Oruvan. Directed by Chakri Toleti, Unnaipol Oruvan is the Tamil version of Bollywood movie A Wednesday. For those who have not watched the Hindi movie, the core theme of the story is terrorism, hence there is no time for running around trees in the flick. With the seriousness of the subject in mind, Shruthi has done a commendable job with the music. The songs use a lot of techno beats combined with hard-hitting lyrics. The numbers are unlike any you’ve heard recently, and though they may not be the kind you’ll be humming while you’re driving to work, they really grab your attention.

What really takes you by surprise is the voice of a very young child saying in the middle of the title song ‘I am the new face of terrorism’. It immediately awakens your senses to the mood of the movie and the current terrorist situation in the world, a situation that is robbing children of their innocence. Another song that quite intrigues is 'Allah Jane' sung by Kamal Haasan. He has used a very different voice modulation – one that is more nasal, in an endeavour to sound more like an Islamic priest, and hits the mark. Shruthi’s version of the same song has her vibrancy in every line of the composition. 'Nilai Varuma' is a duet by Bombay Jeyashree and Kamal – a rather interesting combo, with both of them putting their full souls into awakening the world to the increase in violence. The music blends western beats and Indian classical ragas, deftly. Shruthi turns singer yet again with 'Vanam Ellai Illai' along with rapster Blaaze – another upbeat song, this time about hope and strength.

The verdict on the album: Shruthi Haasan has proved she’s worthy of the 'Music Composer' title, and Kamal Haasan can stand tall, proud that his daughter has such an amazing musical talent!

Moviebuzz Kamal &Sruthi meet the Internet media!

Kamal Hassan had an exclusive tete-e-tete with the Internet media on the eve of the audio release of his new film Unnaipol Oruvan at a five star hotel in Chennai.

The actor was in his elements, being extremely friendly with his humour sense taking the front seat.

After briefly introducing his daughter Sruthi Hassan the music director of Unnaipol Oruvan, Kamal was all set to answer the questions posted by the Internet media. He said: “For you people, it might be a remake of A Wednesday but for me, it is Unnnaipol Oruvan. Only small changes have been made to the original”.

Sruthi said that she does not intend to talk as her audio will speak for itself. There are five songs in the audio though only two songs will be there in the film as background score and they are the soul of the film.

“My dad was clear what he wanted and hence, it was easy for me to work with him. Blazee has written Tamil lyrics for the first time along with Dad and Manushiaputran. Dad has also sung a song in the album”.

About Mohanlal, his co-actor in the film, Kamal said: “ I got him to do the role as he is a star and an actor par excellence. He is a natural actor, does his work quietly without making a hue and cry about it and that’s his USP”

On his 50 years in cinema Kamal said in a lighter vein: “ Even if I did very few films in 50 years or didn’t do any films at all, it would have been 50 years since I came into films. So the credit of my 50 years in cinema should go to my producers, director and above all people who accepted me as an actor”.

He also added that songs were incorporated in the Tamil version of the film as songs are an integral part of Tamil culture and cinema for a very long time. He also shot back at a journo who asked him if Sruthi is a good music director: “Then why do you think, I spend so much money and send her abroad to study music?

He also said that Politics is boring for him and he is a performer and will be here to entertain us with more number of films and releases at regular intervals in future. The actor patiently gave sound bytes to each and every Internet site and left the venue with a smile on his face.

What's cooking between Abhishek and Shruti?

Abhishek Kapoor (Gattu) and Shruti Hassan like each other a lot but admit to little else than a mutual admiration society. The director first met the actress when he was considering her for a part in his film 3 Mistakes Of My Life, based on Chetan Bhagat's book. When the duo met, they clicked instantly. Apart from the fact that he made India's first rock film Rock On!! and she is a rock chica, they had a lot more in common.

Buzz up!

Says a source, "Gattu and Shruti are definitely interested in each other but it's too early to say if they will date. Shruti, who is somewhat of a wild child, was charmed by Gattu, who is known to be mature and balanced for his age. Gattu, too, in his way has always been attracted to beautiful, intelligent women who are known to be strong-willed. His list of women include Twinkle Khanna, Raveena Tandon and Pooja Bhatt. And Shruti seems to be his type of girl."

Elaborating on the Gattu-Shruti friendship the source adds, "Right now, they are testing the waters. They've stayed in touch after that first meeting and they often chat and exchange text messages. They are just getting to know each other and have been communicating regularly on Facebook as well. But both are being extremely cautious about their friendship right now even the normally straightforward Shruti, who loves to talk on anything and everything, is being guarded."

Gattu denies that he is in talks with Shruti for his film, "That's news to me," he says and adds that he met her through an agent a few months ago. "I barely know her and haven't been in touch with her. Currently, I am single and working with Ubali Choudhury, on the drafts of my next film, which is based on Chetan Bhagat's 3 Mistakes Of My Life."

He insists she isn't in consideration for his film, but he's all praise for the actress who makes her debut in Luck, "Shruti has a great personality and is very talented. I am sure she will do very well in her career. I have seen her in the Luck promos and liked them. She looks very promising and sings beautifully."

Shruti, too, denies being in talks with Gattu for a role, "I am not in talks with Gattu for any film. I haven't gone on a date with Gattu or anybody else for a long time. Unfortunately, I don't know Gattu very well." Unfortunately? "I loved Rock On!! Gattu is a very talented director and I would love to work with someone as talented as him."

Bollywood newcomers prefer good scripts over big banners

Teenage pregnancy, terrorism, an out-and-out actioner or a spooky jungle thriller-Bollywood newcomers like Shruthi Haasan, Ruslaan Mumtaaz and Arunoday Singh are opting for different themes and strong scripts rather than being lured by big banners and typical potboilers.

Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruthi chose an unconventional debut in Luck, a hardcore action film.

"I've never understood what is or is not commercial. I chose Luck because I loved the concept. I'm glad I was a part of it. I chose a script that excited me and I will continue to do so-whatever the genre may be," 23-year-old Shruthi told IANS.

Similar is the case with Arunoday Singh, grandson of Congress veteran Arjun Singh. Arunoday is making his entry into Bollywood with Piyush Jha's Sikandar and he plays a militant. Set in Kashmir, the film is slated to hit screens Aug 21.

The budding actor says he can't fathom the need for a marked difference between commercial and non-commercial cinema in Bollywood.

"I don't know why there is an understanding here that films with a serious subject are inherently better than typical masala films. It's not like that.

If the story and the script of a film are interesting-that's all that matters," said Arunoday, who had been living abroad for nine years.

He says doing a film like Sikandar, which has terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as its backdrop, was not at all a deliberate effort to do something out of the box.

"I've just arrived in Bollywood. It's not like I had to choose a certain role. I was keen to just work and didn't think it was practical to wait for someone to launch me. I had economic reasons to get work as well.

"But when I heard what Piyush (Jha) wrote for 'Sikandar', I really liked it.

It is a very strong script and that's why I'm proud and grateful to have been cast in the film. The film is not preachy-it doesn't give a biased view on terrorism," said Arunoday.

While Shruthi and Arunoday made a conscious choice of doing 'script-based' roles, Ruslaan just happened to be roped in for Teree Sang, Satish Kaushik's take on teenage pregnancy.

"My first movie Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar was not a commercial one and I wanted my second project to be a commercial one. When I was approached by Satish Kaushik for Teree Sang, I gave my nod, thinking his films are always commercial in theme and presentation. But after reading the script, I realised it was not. But I'm glad I did it," Ruslaan said.

"The film just has a non-commercial theme, teenage pregnancy, interspersed with a love story. It has turned out to be a great learning experience for me and I've grown a lot with this role. Ultimately, it's the character that makes you a hero-not always your acting," he said.

Another newcomer to make an unconventional entry is Gautam Rode. He plays a superstar in Ram Gopal Varma's adventure thriller Agyaat, which again is not a regular Hindi potboiler.

For Gautam, his choice of Agyaat was a mix of three things-a "gripping story", "different character" and the "way Ram Gopal Varma narrated it".

"I took up Agyaat after the way I was approached for it. Ramu approached me for the film in November. He met me for an hour and the way he narrated my character and told me about the film, I was assured it wasn't going to be a regular role," Gautam said.

Having said that, the 31-year-old actor says he felt it was a risk doing such an offbeat film-but was confident about going ahead with it.

"I was open to taking risks. I knew it was not going to be a conventional story with 8 to 10 songs in it. All I saw was that it was a combination of a good script, a good banner and a fabulous director," he added.

Shruti on her relationship with Imran Khan

Imran Khan, it is learnt doesn’t like the tag of a chocolate hero given to him post his debut film, the romantic comedy Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’s success. In fact, it seems he detests the word even today. The actor made it clear that he did not want to be associated with that tag anymore during his recent interview “Please don’t call me that. I have been trying to come out of that tag after Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and have been doing different roles,” he says.

During the press meet when he was further prodded with questions like whether he consider his co-star Shruti Hassan in Luck as a kid sister, Imran looked stunned and replied, “She is a close family friend, and I have known her since we were kids. She is my co-star and a friend.”

Shruti chose to take a call on that question and said, “Let’s not get into the brother sister relationships. We have been friends for the last so many years that I have lost count. We are romancing each other in the film so just keep to that. One can’t romance a brother, in fact the thought itself is repugnant, don’t make such insinuations in the future,”

Reacting on this Imran quipped this time, “Don’t use the word sister, it sounds horrible. We are more of friends. And one cannot romance a sister. It sounds very repulsive.”