Ranbir's 'Barfee' shoot disrupted by angry crowd

Just when things had started looking quite rosy in the Hill town, an undesired incident left a “Bad taste” in director Anurag Basu’s mouth, presently shooting for the film Barfee in Darjeeling. Coupled with this, over enthusiasm of the swelling crowds resulted in the shoot being cancelled on Thursday . The fate of future shoot in Darjeeling hangs on a thin line as Basu remains indecisive.

Writer film director Anurag Basu shot to fame with films Murder, Gangster, Life in a Metro and Kites. At present he is shooting romantic thriller Barfee starring Ranbir Kappoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D’Cruz.

Trouble ensued when school children tried to cross the ropes put up by the shooting crew at the Chowrasta in Darjeeling at around 7.40 am. According to Mahendra Thami a local resident, one of the crew members was directing his colleague to keep stringent vigil as the ropes were being breached (people were crossing over.)

“A lady misunderstood it and thought that the crew member had abused her. She immediately started reacting aggressively and some others in the crowd joined in” stated Thami.

The agitated section of the crowd demanded an apology from the Director and even after he explained things the matter refused to die down. Basu then discontinued the shoot. On the advice of the local hands the Director met Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) President Bimal Gurung. The GJM Chief assured him of all cooperation.

Later in a press conference Basu stated “I was directing my crew members to allow the school students to pass when a section of the crowd started demanding for apologies. Even after I explained matters, they failed to see reason.”

Basu tried to downplay the incident stating that such things were not unheard of during shootings, specially involving high profile stars. However he did not fail to add “it has left a little bad taste in my mouth. I could have shot the film in any hill station in India but I preferred to come to Darjeeling as I have an emotional bonding with this place and I love the place. I have written many scripts here. I had conceptualized Barfee in Darjeeling”.

Basu stated that in the next three days he will decide on the future schedules of the shoot in Darjeeling (till when to continue.) “I will return in September for the next schedule of the shoot. This is no issue” stated Basu.

Binay Tamang, Assistant Secretary, GJM, talking to the media stated “we want to reinstate the past glory of Darjeeling. Some anti social elements tried to disrupt the shoot. We have taken the matter very seriously and will ensure that there is no reoccurrence of such incidents. They are our guests and we apologize. We will even deploy the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) to assist in crowd control.”

“We have asked the film unit to lodge a formal complaint and we will take legal action against the trouble makers. The process of identification of the trouble makers has already begun” stated Kunal Agarwal, Additional Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling.

Putting to rest rumors of Priyanka Chopra not arriving yet for the scheduled shoot to Darjeeling, Basu stated “Only Ranbir Kapoor and Ileana D’Cruz were scheduled to shoot in Darjeeling in this part. The shoot is taking place as per schedule.”

With matters being put to rest, Barfee ran into a fresh hurdle with over enthusiastic crowds not willing to budge from the Chowrasta. Matters got worse with Ranbir Kapoor making an appearance.

Despite repeated attempts the crowd could not be cleared. Finally Basu was compelled to call it a day.

Maryada Ramanna Vs Komaram Puli

The year 2010 has wrapped up its first half and the second half has begun. So far, the box office has been somewhat shaky but the expectations are high on the second half given the films that are in the pipeline. Now, two movies are making a lot of noise and they are ‘Maryada Ramanna’ and ‘Komaram Puli’. So, here is a look at both films and what are their pros and cons. Positives: ‘Maryada Ramanna’ has got high expectations since it is coming from the camp of the tough taskmaster S S Rajamouli who holds a record for bringing in only super hits. Similarly, ‘Komaram Puli’ has been high on expectations since it has power star Pawan Kalyan and it has been made lavishly. Comedian Sunil has already scored a hit as a hero with his ‘Andaala Ramudu’ so his presence as a hero for ‘Maryada Ramanna’ is causing interest. As it is, the title for both films has raised a lot of curiosity among the audience. Pawan Kalyan and director S J Suryah teamed up many years ago and came up with the super hit movie ‘Khushi’ so their combo looks promising for ‘Komaram Puli’. The heroines Saloni (Maryada Ramanna), Nikeesha Patel (Komaram Puli) have got high sex appeal and they would be a treat for the mass audience. The music department has got the names of biggies- Keeravani for ‘Maryada Ramanna’ and Oscar winner A R Rahman for ‘Komaram Puli’. The films are releasing at a time when there are no threats in the form of other biggies so the chances of having good openings and steady collections are strong. Negatives: The Tollywood audience likes to see Sunil as that innocent and naïve kind of person which exudes a lot of laughter but if his role is anything different here, then the scoring will go down. As for ‘Komaram Puli’, the film has been in the making since a very long time and usually films that take a long time tend to lose their flavor. The audio of both films has got mediocre response despite the presence of famous names as music directors. ‘Maryada Ramanna’ has got Rayalaseema backdrop and if it has to do with faction then it may not appeal so much since the audience has seen a lot of that lately. ‘Komaram Puli’ shows Pawan Kalyan as a cop but then his outfits and looks have been quite jazzy, so if the realism context is missing then the viewers will give thumbs down. The expectation levels of the audience is higher than normal for both films so they must be able to match up to that which is a challenge. So, here’s wishing the very best of success for both ‘Maryada Ramanna’ and ‘Komaram Puli’ and may the good film shine at the box office.    Bollywood, Bollywood cinema news, Bollywood Events, bollywood actresses,

Mahesh Babu’s Wife Busy-Busy

If you thought that prince Mahesh Babu will be on his toes for the next year or two then perhaps you should read this. It appears that even his wife Namratha has not been sitting idle. Apparently, the buzz is that since it is the comeback venture of Mahesh right now, she has taken a special interest. Well, Namratha has reportedly focused on the costumes and hair style of Mahesh in the film and it is also heard that she was taking care of the title and the design of the title. Those who are close to the couple say that Namratha is not leaving any stone unturned to ensure that her hubby looks as handsome and dashing as ever. The working stills of ‘Khaleja’ were also received and the outfits of Mahesh Babu got a very good response. So, part of that credit must be given to his wifey Namratha. It is heard that this former beauty queen’s target is to release the posters of the film on August 9th since that happens to be Mahesh Babu’s birthday.

Big Hero Celebrates Birthday With ‘Lamp’ And ‘God’

He is known as the hottest star of the southern circuit and though he hails from Kollywood, he has a strong following in Tollywood as well. He is none other than Suriya and today is his birthday. Being the son of a veteran star Sivakumar, acting came naturally to Suriya and he turns 35 today. Sources say that Suriya has decided to celebrate his birthday with two people. They are his daughter and his latest addition son. While the daughter is named ‘Diya’ which means lamp in English, Suriya has named his son as ‘Dev’ meaning ‘God’. So, Suriya’s celebrations will take place with Lamp and God by his side. His recent venture ‘Yamudu’ has been declared a commercial profit grosser. Now, Suriya has taken the film ‘Rakta Charitra’ to a new level with his intense performance. Great Andhra wishes Suriya a very happy birthday and all success.

Maryada Ramanna’ Block-Black-Bleak

The time has come to find out whether all that hype and hoopla that has been created for this film will stand or not. We are talking about the film ‘Maryada Ramanna’ and for starters, everything seems to be going the right way for the makers and the film’s hero Sunil as well. Reports have arrived from across all parts of the city and few key business centers that all tickets are blocked. Even the multiplexes and stand alone theaters have declared that their shows are houseful. So now, the only option is black and many say that the scope of getting even that is bleak. With this, it is looking clear that ‘Maryada Ramanna’ will have a tremendous opening collection and if the film does have that material in it, then there is no doubt that this monsoon will have its first bumper hit, yet again from the tough taskmaster S S Rajamouli. Good luck to him for that!!

Here's a first look at the Hrithik and Zoya Akhtar's film in Spain

Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin are in Spain shooting Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The cast is filming most of the scenes in and around Madrid.



A few fans got a chance to get up close and personal with the actors and take pictures with them while they were shooting.



Recently the actors shot a scene depicting them having a mock fight with tomatoes on the streets of Spain. The scene is inspired by the annual La Tomatina event in Bunol near Valencia.



The highlight of the festival is the tomato fight which takes place between 11am and 1pm on that day. The event has become one of the highlights on Spain's summer festival calendar with thousands of people flocking to this little Valencian town.

Both Katrina and Hrithik were drenched in tomato pulp and had a great time shooting the scene. With Sussanne Roshan joining the team, the cast keeps themselves busy indulging in adventure sports and playing board games.

Heroine 'Smoking' Being A Bride

This is not a film shot. It’s not a shot break in film shooting. It’s real picture. Manisha Koirala, the actress who got married to Samrat Dahal in Kathmandu is seen smoking this way after her wedding. Manisha never feels embarrassed smoking in public. She never fears of any law as well. Celebrities smoking in public show a detrimental effect to society as per present law. And ladies smoking this way would certainly have bigger effect. Although it happened in Kathmandu, it effects Indian youth and ladies, say sources. Bride having smoke in bridal sindoor is certainly a rare thing that people see.

source:greatandhra

Telly Star Ekta's rare appearance, hot Brinda Parekh

Brinda Parekh,Ekta kapoor

Hurry Now You Can Pose With Genelia In Calendar!!!

To all those who are big fans of the bubbly beauty Genelia, here is a good news. If you get lucky then you could well be the chosen one to pose with the chirpy starlet not just for a picture but also for a calendar of the latest edition of the Fast Track Company.

Apparently, Genny is the brand ambassador for the Fast Track products and as part of their campaign; they have come up with this. So if you want to know more, you will have to rush to the stores which are at Begumpet and Himayatnagar in the city of Hyderabad.

Well, nothing like posing with this long legged beauty who has been turning hot ever since she stepped into Bollywood. Get set for the gorgeous Genny folks.

Parul Yadav hot stills collection - Bollybreak Exclusive

actressparulyadavhotpho

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Imran and Sonam got cosy at Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand

Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor got cosy at Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand. The actors were shooting a romantic love song for Punit Malhotra's I Hate Luv Storys. Sources reveal the song has Imran romancing Sonam and getting intimate with her.



Recently a video of the song leaked on the net. It shows Imran dressed in a lime green shirt getting close to Sonam in a blue dress.

Punit recently wrapped up the shoot of the film in Mumbai and is now busy with postproduction work. An all-out romantic drama, the film has Imran Khan paired opposite Bruna Abdallah and Sonam opposite Sammir Dattani.

Check the video out here: http://ow.ly/1p2sw

Akshay forces Farah to arrange a helicopter

Farah Khan displayed her motherly side recently while shooting for Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif at Malshej Ghat. Akshay wanted to return home after the shoots to be with his son, who was in Mumbai, which is why he declined the offer to stay in Malshej Ghat for 21 days.

This obviously meant extra expenses for Farah Khan. The director, who had brought her triplets to Malshej Ghat told Akshay that when she could bring her children from Mumbai, why he couldn’t stay on. But when Akshay refused to stay, she understood his feelings, being a mother herself and arranged for a helicopter for him.

She did it because Akshay told her that he didn’t want to be away from his son for this long. Once again, Farah’s shown her side as the true friend, hasn’t she?

Bachchan family attends London Asian Film Festival

So why was the Bachchan family absent from this year's Filmfare awards? The entire family was present in London to attend the 12th annual London Asian Film Festival called 'Tongues on Fire' which kick started on March 5 and will go on till March 14.


The first lady of Bollywood Jaya Bachchan and son Abhishek Bachchan from India's foremost acting dynasty, renowned director and screenwriter Shyam Benegal, yesteryear's filmstar Sharmila Tagore together with her actor daughter Soha Ali Khan were among the stars of Asian cinema flocking to London for 'Tongues on Fire', the capital's only Asian Film Festival celebrating the very best in Asian cinema - Bollywood and beyond - with films from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and even Afghanistan.

Karan Johan and Nikhil back as friends

Call it cliched but it's an oft repeated statement when it comes to relationships in Bollywood - 'Nothing is permanent in the industry; whether it is friendship or enmity'. This is why it always makes for a pleasant sight when misunderstandings are cleared and relationships come back to normalcy.

Buzz up!
This is what happened recently with Karan Johar and Nikhil Advani, friends for over three decades, who parted ways after Kal Ho Naa Ho. It came as a shocker for quite a few because the film was a major success at the box office and many believed that this 'jodi' would go on to make many more blockbusters in the years to come. Unfortunately that was not the case to be as both treaded different paths in years to follow.


Karan Johar went on to make films with other fresh talent while Nikhil too went independent with films like Salaam- E- Ishq and Chandni Chowk To China. However, it was obvious that both men wouldn't be carrying bad blood for a long duration. With a passage of time, things settled down and both Karan and Nikhil were ready with their next films - My Name Is Khan and Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai (directed by debutant Milap Zaveri) respectively. Nikhil openly supported Karan when My Name Is Khan was facing trouble around its release. Meanwhile, what came as a pleasant surprise to all was when Karan spearheaded the campaign for Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai by deciding to introduce the film, its theme and the cast to the world.

This happened at a recently held award function which was co-hosted by Karan Johar. Not just did he announce the arrival of Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai in theatres soon, he also took a personal interest in stating quite a few flattering things about this romantic comedy which stars Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez as the lead pair. Ensuring that the film gets visibility not just in front of the bigwigs of the film fraternity who were present at the event that was held last week, he (in a way) also announced in a subtle way that he didn't carry any ill-will for Nikhil and his film.

No wonder, writer turned director Milap can be seen smiling from ear to ear. "For me it was a great professional as well as personal moment. For Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, I obviously want the best. After all it is my first baby. We were aware about the award ceremony and since our film arrives in a month from now, it made sense to have a launch at the biggest of the platforms. What better way to do it than by having someone of the stature of Karan Johar going ahead and talking about your film."

However, while this was a dream that he nurtured, there was always this bit of hesitation around whether Karan would agree to support his film. Milap discussed this with Nikhil and together they decided to approach Karan.

"It didn't take a moment for Karan to say yes to my request", says Milap in a cheerful tone, "Once he heard the concept of the film (which is about a girl from Venus arriving at Earth to find true love), he promised to give his full support. Never once did he bring up the topic of the rift that he had with Nikhil years back. This is why for me it was a personal win as well because no one seemed to be carrying a grudge any more."

When contacted, Nikhil said, "It is a personal matter so it won't be fair on my part to discuss too much around this. Having said that, it is always nice when people support your film. People grow up in life and we have done that as well. Karan has been a dear friend for 37 years and him taking up the mantle to kick start Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai was a great moment for all of us. Now it's upon us to use this platform to our benefit and take the promotion forward. Milap has made a beautiful film and we are very proud of it."

With music by Sajid Wajid and lyrics by Sameer, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai is presented by Warner Bros and is a co-production of Nikhil Advani and Mukesh Talreja. Also starring Ruslaan Mumtaz, Sonal Sehgal and Vishal Malhotra in principal roles, the film releases all over on 9th April.

Bollywood, Bollywood Events, Bollywood gossips,

Hot Couple Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir 's night out in casino

Luck has got a lot to do with life. Lady luck smiled on actors Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra recently while shooting for their film abroad. They got the chance to spend the whole night in a casino in Las Vegas.


Well, the cast and crew of Anjaana Anjaani got the surprise of their lives while shooting in Las Vegas. After completing the shooting at a famous casino, producer Sajid Nadiadwala told them that they could spend the night away in it.


The entire team tried to make the best use of the opportunity and tried their hands at various games from roulette to blackjack to slot machines. Surprisingly, nobody in the team could compete the lead pair. Ranbir won almost everything and Priyanka came a close second.


Bollywood, Bollywood hot gossips, Bollywood gossips, Bollywood Events,

Ash shoots for Holi

The last hit Holi number that Bollywood churned out was Do me a favour...let’s play Holi from the Akshay Kumar-Priyanka Chopra starrer Waqt — Race Against Time.

That was in 2005. Five years later, Vipul Shah is testing the waters shooting yet another Holi song. This time with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Neha Dhupia using organic colours in Action Replayy. Instead of the regular Holi song visuals of chiffon-clad heroines drenched to the bone, the AR Holi song — Jali toh bujhi na kasam se koila ho gayee haan — has been shot without water.

Says Vipul, “We saw no point in wasting 70-80 tankers of water for a three-day shoot, given that Mumbai is facing a water crisis. As a responsible citizen, we chose the dry Holi concept to picturise this Shreya Ghoshal song, penned by Irshad Kamil.” But can Vipul himself conceive of playing a dry Holi? “It’s difficult but I will be this year. I haven’t seen Ash playing Holi but I expect to meet her today. Neha is in Bangkok and I’m not sure if I’ll meet her.” As to why there are so few Holi songs in Hindi films now, Vipul says, “My Waqt song became a huge hit. But then, it’s played only during festivals. There’s no fun in shooting a beautiful song that’s played only during festivals. However, the AR song isn’t just a celebration of Holi. One has to wait for the film to release to find out.”

3 Idiots shines at Filmfare Awards

3 Idiots made a clean sweep at the 55th Idea Filmfare awards by winning most of the popular choice awards, followed by Firaaq, Dev D and Paa

And the Black Lady goes to...

Popular Awards

Best Film: Vidhu Vinod Chopra for 3 Idiots
Rekha handed over the award to the 3 Idiots team including Maddy, Omi, Boman, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani.

Best Director: Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Rajkumar Hirani received the award from Ramesh Sippy.

Best Actor in Leading Role (Male): Amitabh Bachchan for Paa
In his absence Vidya Balan received the award. Vishal Bhardwaj on stage said, "Diye ko ujaala dikhaane jaisa hai.”

Best Actor in Leading Role (Female): Vidya Balan for Paa
Sri Devi and Boney kapoor presented the award to the lovely lady.

Best Supporting Actor (Male): Boman Irani for 3 Idiots
Bipasha Basu and Ramesh Taurani were there on stage to present the award.

Best Supporting Actor (Female): Kalki Koechlin for Dev D
Neil Mukesh and Kunal Kohli gave the award to Kalki. She thanked everyone from the Dev D team and ended the speech by saying, “I also want to thank the most important person in my life, Anurag Kashyap.”

Best Debutante Director (Male): Ayan Mukherjee for Wake Up Sid
Deepika Padukone and Idea head honcho presented the award. Meanwhile, Karan Johar tweets, “I feel like a proud parent.”

Best Debutante Director (Female): Zoya Akhtar for Luck By Chance
Javed Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar presented the award to Zoya, making the moment more special for her.

Best Dialogue: Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra for 3 idiots
Minissha Lamba presented the Best Dialogue Award. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a happy man today, 3 Idiots has won three awards so far, but he is hungry for more.

Best Screenplay: Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi for 3 Idiots
Urmila Matondkar and Abbas-Mastan presented the award to the duo.

Best Story: Abhijat Joshi and Rajkumar Hirani for 3 Idiots
Genelia D'Souza and Harman Baweja gave the award.

Ranbir-Priyanka ice-skating in New York City

It was meant to be Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor ice-skating together at the Central Park in New York for Anjaana Anjaani …the first film couple since John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale in 2001’s Serendipity to get the privilege of being captured on camera gliding on ice at that location. Alas, filmmaker proposes. Actress disposes. Priyanka had to return to India for four days to promote her new film Pyaar Impossible.

Buzz up!
The field, rather the icing rink, was left clear for Ranbir Kapoor who for three consecutive nights skated non-stop all night in Central Park. Not just that Ranbir spent all of the New Year weekend in New York learning how to skate. Says producer Sajid Nadiadwala, “Ranbir’s dedication to get it absolutely right just took our breath away. He is relentless in focusing on getting it right. He had to skate alone because Priyanka had to return to Mumbai. He skated for three nights from 11 pm to 4 am in minus-6 degree temperature in Central Park.”


It was important to can all the footage in those three nights. Says Sajid, “We were the first film unit since ‘Serendipity’ to get permission to shoot in Central Park’s icing rink and we had limited time. But the weather was freezing. We were worried how we’d manage it. We underestimated Ranbir’s passion for excellence. He skated non-stop all night for three nights.”

It was only after those three nights of super-frozen weather conditions that Ranbir finally fell on his bed with utter exhaustion. He’s gradually recovering from the marathon ice-sport. Says Sajid, “The footage we’ve captured of Ranbir ice-skating shows his ballet-like elegance and precision. I don’t think we’ve ever got anything like this before.”

Apparently Priyanka had a sneak peek at the footage of Ranbir ice-skating and has expressed a desire to do some of it herself. Apparently Ranbir and Priyanka don’t just play a combative couple in Anjaana Anjaani, they’re also ruthlessly competitive while shooting. Says a source, “It’s hard to say which of the two rushes to the monitor first after every shot. There’s a minor marathon race on location after every shot.” From New York ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ now moves to Las Vegas where Ranbir and Priyanka intend to out-gamble one another.

Shekhar Kapur seeks Hrithik

Internationally-renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s Paani may become a reality after all. Like someone joked, if Shekhar doesn’t make it now,

when water woes are a hard-hitting reality, then when will he make it?

Reports say that Shekhar is tweaking his script. And he has allegedly approached Bollywood hottie Hrithik Roshan for the lead with a combination of actors from the West. News has it that Rakesh Roshan was reportedly haggling with Shekhar on Hrithik’s price. And that is where the last round of talks ended. For Rakesh, his son is priceless. What price Shekhar puts on the light-eyed actor is something that will eventually find its way to the press. For the moment everyone is tight-lipped.

Drunk hotelier abuses Bipasha

Bipasha Basu came down to Delhi for what was expected to be just another promotional activity by a celeb. It turned out to be anything but that,

as accusations of starry tantrums, breach of contract, abusive behaviour, harassment – many of them contradictory – flew around. Bipasha and Shemaroo say that she was being coerced into being part of the hotel chairman’s birthday celebrations. The chairman, Ashok Mittal, predictably denies this. TOI brings you all sides of the story

‘Mittal was sloshed, abusive and threatening’
Bipasha’s PR team’s take: “Initially, Bipasha was supposed to release the DVD in Delhi on February 4 and in Mumbai on February 5, but since John had time on the fourth, they launched the DVD in Mumbai first.
We met Ashok Mittal for the event and he agreed to sponsor the entire launch. He also said that since it’s his birthday on the 5th, he’d like Bipasha to come for his birthday party and cut the cake. We told him that actors charge a fee for such events and that Bipasha too would ask for that. Then he said that he’d sponsor the launch, which would include, besides the rooms, tickets, backdrop, projector, light and sound, ground travel and security. Ashok Mittal said that he can only give his BMW for ground transport and I should arrange for the rest. We gave him an estimated bill of Rs 2.9 lakh for the entire arrangement. He initially gave a cheque for one lakh, but the day the cheque had to be encashed, there was a stop payment order on it.
We called Bobby, who was handling event management for them. He came to meet us, requested that we get the event done smoothly and gave another cheque of Rs 1 lakh. This cheque was cleared, but now, we were a bit apprehensive. We were told that we’d be paid the pending amount as soon as Bipasha reached the hotel.

But when Bipasha came and was through with her press conference, Ashok Mittal asked for her to come and join him in his celebrations. It was around 11.30 and Bipasha had already retired for the day and was fast asleep. Mittal called his hotel security and asked them to surround Bipasha’s room. The bouncers that had been hired for

Bipasha’s security from our side, were thrown out of the hotel and the hotel staff misbehaved
with them.Mittal, who was completely sloshed, then started a heated argument with us and used inappropriate language for Bipasha and demanded that Bipasha be called outside. He was accompanied by some goons who brandished guns and they even misbehaved with the senior management from Shemaroo, Bipasha’s partners in the DVD venture.

He then started talking in a filthy language with everyone and said, “Give me Rs 25 lakh right now or call the sl** out.” It was then that the Shemaroo MD took matters in his own hands and paid Mittal Rs 10,40,000 by credit card immediately. However, the Mittals then called the media to her room, alleging that she had asked for Rs 30 lakh and began cooking all sorts of stories about her.She left the hotel at 5 in the morning, with the media still camped outside her room.”

‘Hotel staff asked us to leave’
One of Bipasha’s security guards says: “Ashok Mittal was involved in a heated argument with Danny outside the lift near Bipasha’s room. They were talking about their contract. When they came and asked for her, we told them that Madam had already been sleeping for over an hour and it was impossible to disturb her. But Mittal kept insisting that they at least make him speak to her on the phone. But everyone refused. At this point, over a dozen people came, including staff members, and asked us to leave the hotel.We left the hotel at around 1.30 in the night and came back at 6 in the morning. By that time, madam had already left.”

‘ Bipasha had not come here for anybody’s birthday’
Hiren Gada, director, Shemaroo Entertainment, says: “It is usual in promotional events such as this to have a venue partner. And accordingly, we had drawn up a contract with the Ramada Plaza people. The after party attendance of Bipasha was also agreed upon as part of the whole deal. But nowhere was it mentioned that it was the hotel’s chairman, Ashok Mittal’s birthday, and that Bipasha will have to be part of that too and cut a cake. Everything was going smoothly, in fact, at the press conference, even Mrs Mittal was called on stage, and Bipasha had then told her that she will be down in some time.
After the conference, when Bipasha was, in fact, getting ready to come down to the party, the hotel manager went and told her that it was the chairman’s birthday and that she would have to cut a cake with him for that. Bipasha very politely said that this is not what she had come here for, and that whatever was need in relation to the launch of the DVD, she has already done that. We met Mr Mittal at the lift lobby at around 11 pm. He was drunk out of his wits – sloshed is the word. He told us ‘mein jaata hoon aur bolta hoon neeche aane ko.’ We told him that won’t help, and cited an example, saying that stars charge money for such things. But he began to abuse us. We said we’re willing to settle things amicably. He drew up a bill of a huge amount. We paid it immediately without any questions. After all this, they told the media all sorts of wrong things. They threw out the security staff we had hired for the event and Bipasha’s security and gave the media people present there her room number at 1.20 in the night. Things only got uglier from there on, and we told the waiting media people that she will make a statement in the morning before leaving, and Bipasha did that at 5.30 in the morning. She told them she had fulfilled her part of the commitment. There is a contract, and there is a spirit of things. After we settled the bill, the hotel staff is telling everyone that we still owe some money. I have the breakup, we paid them Rs 7,53,395 for the event and Rs 2,90,000 for the logistical costs.
It is they who still have to give us 1,10,000 of the promised four lakhs.”

Tanuja, Bipasha’s publicist, says: “Our friend helped us get out of the hostage-like situation in 2 cars, a Honda City and a D’zire was arranged by him to drop us to the airport.”

‘We got a call at 2.30 am for vehicles’
The friend who sent Bipasha the cars in the morning, says: “Bipasha’s a friend. We got a call at around 2-2.30 in the night and they said that they needed cars to go to the airport in the morning. At that point, I called my office staff in Delhi and sent them a couple of cars for Bipasha. In fact, these were my personal cars.”

‘Hamara toh image hi kharaab ho gaya’
Ashok Mittal, chairman, Ramada Plaza, says: “The deal was that we will be the hospitality partners, and as part of the deal, we were to give free room, suites, boarding and lodging, high tea for 150, dinner for 100 people, the banquet hall for the press conference complimentary, plus Rs 4 lakhs to the organisers. And the contract that we drew up was that she will come down to the party at 10.30 pm, for a minimum of 15 minutes.

The story of her being heckled is nonsense. From the time she landed at 12 pm till the 5.30 in the morning on Saturday, when we finally facilitated her safe exit from the hotel room because mediapersons were waiting for her right outside her room, I haven’t met her even once. In fact, when she landed, I sent my personal car – the BMW – to get her picked up and later, gave her a car to ensure she’s safely dropped at the airport in the morning.

Everything was fine till 9 pm. At 10.30 she was supposed to come down to the party as planned. At 10.55, I checked, and was told that she was coming down in 10-15 minutes. Then it turned to 11.30, so I decided to go and take a look myself. At the lift lobby on Bipasha’s floor, I met three or four people – from Shemaroo, and a lady, who told me ‘Iss kaam ke liye toh woh 30 lakh rupiye leti hai.’ Later, I discovered that the lady is Tanuja, Bipasha’s PR. I had a friend with me, he said we will lose face. Please take 4-5 lakh rupees more and ask her to come down. But she did not agree to this. Hamara toh image kharab ho hi gaya tha, but I did not want a scuffle. So I told them, in that case, pay the bill of whatever cost has been incurred and excuse me out of this whole mess. They paid the bill immediately, it was 10.44 lakh, via credit card. Then, we informed the press. And then, I went my way. The press must’ve got upset, I don’t know how they got her room number, but they all went and began to bang on the door. I came to know of this at around 1.30 am. I got concerned for Bipasha’s safety and since the hotel rules say that we cannot have outside security people after a certain point in the night, we got our guards to guard Bipasha’s room. And in the morning, we also ensured that she was safely dropped off to the airport.”