Amisha Patel- Biography

Cover of Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage

Amisha Patel hails from a true multi-racial family as her father Amit
Patel is a Gujrati Maharashtrian and her mother Asha Patel is a
Sindhi. Her family is that of reputed lawyers and politicians.

Amisha is not just a famous Bollywood actress but also a Biogenetic
Engineer from a university in United States. Amisha is also a gold
medalist in economics. Before getting into films, she worked for a
financial company, but she did not continue for long.

Her inclination was towards art and cinema and hence she soon joined
Satyadev Dubey’s theatre group. With her excellent foreign degree and
superb family background, Amisha could easily don the seat of the CEO
of her family business, but fate had another calling for her.

Crediting her family connections for her first break in films, it so
happened that at a at a dinner at the Roshan’s house, Rakesh Roshan
offered Amisha a role in ‘Kaho Na Pyaar Hai’. The film was a superhit
and marked Hrithik Roshan's debut.

After ‘Kaho Na Pyar Hao’, life was not a bed of roses for Amisha. She
had number of flop films like ‘Suno Sasurji’ with Aftab Shivdasani,
‘Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage’ with Hrithik, ‘Yeh hai Jalwa’ with
Salman, ‘Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar’ with Jimmy Shergil. But then ‘Gadar’
opposite Sunny Deol became one of the biggest hit of Indian cinema.
Amisha’s stunning performance in the film made her to stand in the
front row of actresses in Bollywood.

In real life, Amisha is coy and simple. She had been accused of
link-ups with Vikram Bhatt and Kunal Kohli. She is however, now, happy
seeing a NRI buisnessmam Kanav Puri.

However, her performance in the 2006 film Ankahee, received critical
recognition, and she followed it with a supporting role in the hit
Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007).As of 2009, Patel will be seen in two comic
films, Run Bhola Run and Chatur Singh Two Star, that are scheduled to
release on summer 2009. Patel has also signed a three-film deal with
Yash Raj Films. One of the films will be directed by Shaad Ali.

Advantages of using CFL lighting

Compact Fluorescent Light or CFL as they are commonly known as have increasing become the lighting of choice - be it in homes or offices. Let's look at the advantages of having CFL lighting over the normal bulbs.

First consider the various environmental impacts of using CFL. I guess around 4 years back an European Union ruling compelled all businesses in EU to dispose of most lamps, including fluorescent types in an environmentally considerate manner. This obligation now extends to USA and a host of other countries as well.

Make sure you install 10% more light than you need as the light output falls off with age, also the light output will not reach maximum until they are at running temperature.

Flicker from CFL lamps should not be an issue when they are new as the frequency at which they operate is around 20,000 Hz, however, as they age the smoothing capacitor in the power supply of the lamp circuit looses its capacity and the 50Hz mains flicker may become apparent to some more sensitive people. The solution is to change the lamp OR run them off 240V DIRECT CURRENT from a battery supply charged by your UPS perhaps.

A regular bulb creates light by heating a tungsten wire to white hot. 90% of the energy consumed by the lamp is lost as heat into the surrounding environment. A typical incandescent (ordinary) bulb has an efficiency of 12 to 15 lumens per watt (12 Lm/w). In other words you only get 15 units of light for every unit of electricity you put in. Now compare this with a CFL. This lamp creates light by exciting atoms of mercury vapour, making them give off ultra violet light. This UV then hits the white coating on the inside of the lamp and is converted into the light we see. Very little heat is produced in this process, giving this type of lamp an efficiency of 60 Lm/w which is 4 or 5 times greater than the ordinary bulb. So a 20 watt CFL will give the same light as a 100 watt bulb at one fifth of the cost (or electricity used and lower carbon emissions etc). You can also use them as Shop Work Lights.

Also, CFLs last about 5 times longer than incandescent. In addition to cost savings you're also saving electricity which reduces the demand for new power plants.

There are those that still argue against them based on their mercury content, but it's just silly. The mercury level in bulbs today is so low as to run no risk to the user. Where it is a problem is when they're disposed of, so the best thing to do is recycle them properly.

So yes, they are worth it. LEDs will probably be the ideal light in the future but for now they have many hurdles to overcome (cost, lack of fill lighting). For at least the next 5 years, CFLs are the way to go.

Penelope Cruz in Venice

It was most certainly an affair to remember, and Penelope Cruz was excited to see her gal pal.......

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Vodafone ZooZoo Cartoon Ads: Are they real humans?

ZooZoo's are the new eye-catching and very funny looking creatures in the new Vodafone ads that are mostly screened during the current IPL matches. But little did anyone know that they were real human's that were acting the show and not some animated character's as most of us had previously thought off. ZooZoo have now become an icon for Vodafone. Fresh from the Vodafone's Ad inventory, these cute and pesky looking characters promote most of Vodafone's services in a very funny, quirky and laughable way.

ZooZoo's were conceptualized by the Ad agency O&M for the latest Vodafone Ad campaigns. ZooZoo characters though they look like animated characters are actually played by real people. The real people are dressed in white outfits. The sets have been constructed by shadows created by spray painting.

It seems that the production team divided the outfit into two separate parts - body and head. The body part of the outfit was stuffed with foam in some places, while the head was attached separately. To make it look bigger than a human head, a harder material called Perspex was used, which in turn was stuffed with foam (with scope for ventilation). Here's how they decided on the size of ZooZoo's head: a human head would typically reach up to the mouth level of this giant Zoozoo head. So the creators kept the hands and legs thin. Also, the cast comprised mostly of women – and occasionally children coz they fitted well into it. The thin limbs, contrasted with big bellies and a bulbous head, all add to the illusion that these creatures are ‘smaller’ than humans.

Sets were actually created to suit the size of the Zoozoos. Cinematically, ZooZoo's actual size was a trick: the creatures look smaller than they actually are on screen, this was done deliberately to portray a different world of sorts. For this, the speed of shooting was altered, it is originally shot in a high-speed format to make them look the size that they do and also make their movements look funny.

Also, another trick up the sleves of O&M was to use simple backdrops that were created and spray painted with neutral Greys – a colour of choice so that attention isn’t diverted from the ZooZoo's (main characters). And also for a supposedly ‘outdoor’ shot, even the shadow of a Zoozoo was kept ‘live’ and not done in post production: it was painted in a darker shade of grey on the ground!!. And an even lighting was maintained throughout. O&M claims that there was virtually no post production work done.

The films were shot by Nirvana Films in Cape Town, South Africa, with the help of a local production house there, called Platypus. Incidentally, the same combination of people also worked on the ‘Happy to Help’ series last year round for Vodafone.

Also there is a very cool ZooZoo community on Facebook which has thousands of fans(including me). The group has ZooZoo commercials that have been released so far, ZooZoo emoticons and also ‘Tag me’ application.

You can also watch all the ZooZoo Video's online here.

Part III Aishwairya Rai Biography

Aishwarya - Vivek Relationship

Salman Khan and Ashwairya Rai split was a traumatising phase of this
beautiful lady. The scars were rather deep on her soul than her body.
Those were difficult days, people noticed the bruises on her body but
the glitter of fame hid the bruises on her souls. It is a difficult
time for a self respecting confident woman to coupe the after affects
of domestic violence.



During this time, Vivek Oberoi came in Aishwarya’s life as a friend.

Aishwarya Rai usually refuses to kiss on the screen in her movies but
sometimes she does and this is one of such rare occasions when
Aishwarya Rai kissed Vivek Oberoi for a scene in the movie ‘Kyon! ho
gaya na’.

The media tried their best to give a different meaning to their
friendship. Vivek also got vocal on this private issue and openly
expressed his love for the most beautiful Indian woman alive. But,
Aishwarya never gave any hint that she is attached with Vivek Oberoi
in a romantic way. During this time, Vivek also claimed that he had
been repeatedly threatened by Aishwarya’s ex-boyfriend Salman Khan.
This friendship lasted for three years and Aishwarya finally had to
end it up. She never wanted to have anything more than casual
friendship with Vivek but apparently Vivek didn’t understand that.

Aishwarya Rai then worked in a movie titled ‘Provoked‘, the story of
an Indian girl who suffered from domestic violence and abuse by her
husband and ends up in the jail after killing him. While promoting the
movie, Aishwarya Rai spoke against domestic violence and confessed
that she herself had been a victim.

V/A JUMP IN MY CAR - Volume 1

V/A JUMP IN MY CAR Volume 1 cd 2009 320kbps

A BLIND TEST !

It's just a game ... you must find the 21 songs and bands featuring on the 'Jump in my car'compilation ...Then email me the solution at sonsofthedolls@gmail.com !!!You will be the winner of the month and ... get our ROCK'N'ROLL RESPECT !!!
PS : solution in one week ! for the first volume, the game is easy ... good luck to you !
CD covers created by Max !

THE CELIBATE RIFLES - The Celibate Rifles

THE CELIBATE RIFLES The Celibate Rifles (aka '5 languages') cd 1984 320 kbps

Wild desire / Kiss Me Deadly / Pretty Colours / Back In The Red / Darlinghurst Confidential / Thank You America / Rainforest / Netherworld / Electric Snake River .

Produced by Kent Steedman & Dave Connor.

The Celibate Rifles : Damien Lovelock : vocals / Kent Steedman : guitar / Dave Morris : guitar / Phil Jacquet : drums / Michael Couvret : bass.

Australia's Celibate Rifles, the band that almost single-handedly carried the torch of Detroit rock & roll into the '90s (and beyond?), have done the unthinkable: They've released an acoustic disc. Actually, it's not fully acoustic, but rather "on the quiet," as the title suggests. Here we have our heroes redoing eight of their older numbers and four electric cover versions of Australian rock songs. Of the older songs, "Netherworld" and "Sentinel" are two of the band's dark and moody jam numbers, which are even spookier in this dense acoustic setting, not to mention the classics "Jesus on TV" and the rarely performed "Electric Snake River." Of the covers, particularly notable are the Lipstick Killers' "Hindu Gods of Love," an underground hit from 1979 which got released stateside by Bomp Records. The Rifles turn up the juice and these last few songs could have been called "on the loud." Also, "Boys (What Did the Detective Say)," by the Sports (remember them?), rocks furiously. As on all Rifles recordings, the playing throughout the disc is exemplary. The turbo acoustic guitars of Kent Steedman and Dave Morris mesh with Damien Lovelock's monotone and highly literate lyrics to create something a bit different, but yet the same. In other words, even though the Celibate Rifles are known for their sh*t-hot playing, energy, and insight, this lacks only the volume -- not the thunder. G. Ginsberg -Allmusic

MYSTIK MOTORCYCLES - Fuck off and die !

MYSTIK MOTORCYCLES Fuck off and die cd 2003 320 kbps

Whipped cream / I wanna sex your mama / Born to rock / Pussycat / (For ever) Mystik motorcycles / Bad boys black leather / All I need / Hot 16 / Slave 4 me / Glam for fame / I wanna sex your mama (video).

Produced by J. Levrett.

Mystik Motorcycles : R. Gordon : lead vocals & lead guitar / R. 'Mustang' Hässler : bass & backing vocals / S. Aaron Levy : drums & backing vocals / B. 'Stone' Rockett : rhythm guitar & backing vocals / R. 'Rose' Virago : guitar .

'The MYSTIK MOTORCYCLES are an amazing band from France that have recently relocated to Montreal. The first time that I saw them was at L'Escogriffe last February and I was totally blowned away! I just couldn't believe how refreshing it was to blend old school rock n' roll with a real glam punk attitude. I was very impressed and excited because I had never heard something like that before. This type of band is exactly what the music industry was waiting for in a long time and they are now based in my hometown. Rondelius Gordon's vocals are very wild and unique and the band members are all outstanding musicians with a genuine bad boy attitude. I just wanted to share my excitment about this band and their music. If you ever get the chance to see the MYSTIK MOTORCYCLES live, don't miss it! They are definitely the new talk of the town! ' P. Chica

Grab part two HERE !

Sophiya Choudhary Wallpaper

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JOHNNY THUNDERS - In cold blood / Diary of a lover

JOHNNY THUNDERS In cold blood / Diary of a lover Maxi 45 t/ mini lp 1983 New Rose / PVC records wav
In cold blood* / Just another girl* / Green onions°/ Diary of a lover° / Look in my eyes° / Endless party*.
Produced by Jimmy Miller & Johnny Thunders.
* Recorded at Downtown recorders - Boston, 1983 - Johnny Thunders : guitar, vocals & bass / Billy Rogers : drums / Joe Mazzari : guitar on "Endless party" / Simon Ritt : accoustic guitar & harmonica on "Endless party".
° Recorded at Euphoria Sound Studios , Revere, Mass. - Johnny Thunders : guitar, vocals & bass / Walter Lure : guitar / Billy Rogers : drums / Simon Ritt , Keith Chagnon : percussion / Carl Biancucci : additional bass on "Green onions" / Terry, Marie & gang : handclaps.

"On the other hand, the "In Cold Blood" EP is actually far more rewarding and in itself worthy of a 7* award, I reckon. The title track is another of his Greatest Hits with its degrading grind capturing the sneer of Johnny's street-life. Similarly, a brutish cover of the staple of any rock'n'roll diet - "Green Onions" - underlines Johnny's role in bringing rock'n'roll down to its dirtiest and most debauched, without losing any of the authenticity. Another semi-Greatest Hit is included in the form of the deceptively sentimental ballad "Diary of a Lover". Indeed, the five song EP perfectly captures Johnny's whole shtick in a convenient microcosm. Even with genuine punk now a distant memory Johnny was still able to do his own thing without being tainted with the condemnation of irrelevancy. The fact is, though, five new studio songs in five years simply is not adequate reward for his fans' loyalty". source

This is the studio material from the "In Cold Blood" sessions. The order of the tracks has changed and there is the added track 'Endless Party'. This LP was released by JEM Records just before they went bankrupt so it's hard to find now.

Part 2 here !

DOLLHOUSE - The Basement Takes

DOLLHOUSE The Basement Takes 10'' 2005

What You Want / The New Land Of The Free / I'm A Man On The Move / Bang Bang Bang C'Mon Baby / Blowing My Mind / All my Luck Is Gone .

Produced by Dollhouse.

Dollhouse are a classic rock band with heavy soul & blues influences hailing from Sweden.They have recorded three very good albums "Rock'n'roll Circus", "Royal Rendez-vous" & "Rock'n'Roll Revival" & a few collectible singles with nice cover artwork...
"Brother Michael Davis (Low-end Minister, Holy Parish of the Motor City Five) has pronounced that Dollhouse are “what the MC5 wished we could sound like. Maybe the fact that we didn’t grow up in the 1990s in a small town in Sweden was the problem.”
It is indeed strange that Dollhouse grew up in 90s Sweden and ended up sounding like speed-fuelled revolutionaries at the arse-end of the 60s. But life, like rock’n’roll, is weird like that." Classic rock

On this 10' you can find a collection of songs from the first album and some unpublished songs.

Buy it here!

THE ZILLIONAIRES - The Zillionaires

THE ZILLIONAIRES The Zillionaires cd 1999 Pelado rcds 320 kbps

Everything's Coming Up Bruises /Go To School / Holly, Beth, Mary Jo And Me / I'm A Jinx / Girl From Planet Cool / Braindead / Nice Guy Syndrome / Lack of Couth / Up To My Neck In You / Have Some Fun / I'm Not One / Teenage Heartattack / Dum Rock 'n' Roll / Throw A Fit.

Produced by Jeff Dahl.

The Zillionaires : Dave : drums / Mike :bass / Aaron : guitar, vocals.
The Zillionaires' debut long-player is a big, bad, rowdy, ferocious rock record that slams and smashes to the tune of a killer beat . Primitive, trashy fun may not be trendy, but it remains a vital piece of american tradition ! To allow it to die would be a tragedy !

Listen to this recording. What's the first quality of the Zillionaires that grabs you by the throat ? That's right - ENERGY ! The Zillionaires have no desire to create your easy listening soundtrack. They have come to get in your face and compel you to move! And unlike the cast of thousands of bands now tearing up the commercial charts , this rock outfit can back up its monster riffs with quality tunes!

Forget about money ! Forget about fame! It's the music that matters! Soaked in Little Richard's sweat and Iggy's blood, the sonic assault of Utah greatest rock and roll band is headed straight for your eardrums - and your soul, too ! J. Rutledge, Now Wave Magazine.

Divya Bharti- The Biography

Divya Bharti was born in Mumbai to Om Prakash and Meeta. This beautiful girl started early in films, when she was hardly 14 and half years.

Telugu films such as "Nila Penne", "Dharma Kshetram", "Tholi Mudhu", "Rowdy Alludu "and "Assembly Rowdy".

Then Divya Bharti shifted to Bollywood and made her debut with "Vishwatma" in 1992. The film had average success at box office but Divya Bharti shot into fame with the song 'Saat Samundar Paar ……' in the movie "Vishwatma". Afterwards, Divya Bharati gave super hit film "Deewana" opposite Sharukh Khan and Rishi Kapoor. Thereafter, Divya Bharati acted in 13 films amidst speculation that she is next Sridevi.

Divya Bharti fell in love with film producer Saajid Nadiadwala and married him secretly. But her life tragically came to an end when she fell from fifth floor of her flat in Yari Road, Versova. The circumstances behind her death were considered suspicious by the media however police could not find any evidence to prove that it was murder. Two of Divya Bharti's films "Rang" and "Satranj" were released after her death. She died at the age of 19.

Her noted films are Dil Aashna Hai, Dil Ka kya Kasoor, Balwaan, kshatriya, Deewana, Dil Hi To Hai, Dushman Zamana, Jaan Se Pyara, Shola Aur Shabnam and Vishwatma.

Divya Bharti's under production films at the time of her death were "Mohra", "Laadla", "Kartvya" and "Vijaypath".

Sunil Shetty Biography

Cover of Mohra

An actor who completely depends on his director for his performance, Sunil Shetty could have done better in business boardrooms, but anyway, made his B-Town journey with the completely inconsequential films like Balwan, Gaddar or Prithvi.

His beefcake physique and square jawed face made him a director's ideal choice for an action hero, but his expressionless face gave away the ham actor in him. Yet nothing teaches better than experience.

So after a long barren spell at the box office when around 21 out of his 28 films flopped miserably, Shetty finally saved his dwindling career with films like Mohra and Border. Then the resounding success of Priyadarshan's Hera Pheri gave his career a new lease of life while Refugee and Jungle has got him on cloud nine.

One of the promising stars to have hit the silver screen in the last decade Sunil Shetty stays clear of petty politics of the tinsel world and maintains a low profile. For this reason perhaps he has the choicest projects in his kitty despite his innumerable debacles at the box office.

He has changed his name to Suniel Shetty. He often likes to do patriotic roles eg. Border (1997), Qayamat (2003), Mohra (1994)

He is considered a major action star in Indian cinema and his action abilities was the reason for his success. His beloved wife is Manna Shetty and they have two children named Atiya and Aahan. He is a black belt in Full Contact Kick Boxing.

Watch IPL Cricket matches Online for Free

Yes, you can now watch the ongoing IPL matches online for free from any part of the world. All you need is access to the internet and a free software from Microsoft called Silverlight.

The official IPL site - www.iplt20.com has started to offer live telecast (not actually live), but works only on Internet Explorer with Silverlight 2 installed. But for those who're on the go, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the availability of IPL Live on mobile phones too!

Many of my pals who tried watching it this way last evening said that the live coverage from http://live.iplt20.com suffered from frequent downtimes since the match started. The live coverage is viewable on Firefox browser by installing Moonlight, an Open Source alternative of Silverlight too.

Microsoft Silverlight works fine on Internet Explorer and Google Chrome browser. However, the continuous downtime of the DLF IPL Live stream has been kind of disheartening for users who feel promises were not fulfilled. BTW, mobile users will be charged per sec for watching live updates on their mobile by mobile service operators - so watch out for the bills too.

Screenshot on how to watch at the page.

Related :Watch Cricket matches LIVE online for free

The Best Online websites to morph your photos for Free

You must have seen some funny images posted on profiles of friends in social networking websites. Some snaps show your friend's on the front page of prominent magazines like Time, Fobes, The Week, etc. and sometimes their images are plastered to walls as advertisement and people starring it. These look cool at many times and you might have too wanted to get images of yourself onto such places.

There are many free websites online that allow you to upload images to incorporate different things such as other clipart, text, text boxes, etc.. Or just for mounting on other predefined images. Here is a small selection of the best websites to morph photos.

WriteOnIt : This is absolutely a fun site to check out. It allows you to include your image on posters, magazine covers (with your own head - like the one above) and other photomontages. Also, there is no need for a registration.

Hairmixer : This site allows you to swap faces and hair. It has an option for you to upload your own photos or use the ones available online too.


Kyolo : This is a pretty basic site. In it, it only allows you to add text balloons to images. This can be useful at times when you want to make fun of your pals. Also you need to register.

PhotoFunia : The best site I must say!! Kinda different website which allows you to place the image you upload into an integrated picture. The final work can be easily downloaded or created as an avatar without registering.

FunPhotoBox : Very similar to the above website, but with other effects, and new listings every week. It also has a great feature to allow you to select the area of the photo you want to show. Also, no registration is required.

Ransom Note Generator : This website creates a text composed of letters cut from a magazine. You can place any image as a wallpaper and see the fun around your desk. No registration is required.

BigHugeLabs : This website offers many options. You can easily add text balloons, motivational posters, "warholizar" your photo, given to, and so on. It has a wide range of possibilities, but requires registration.

FaceInHole : classic put your face on the body of another kinda site. Many options and also up to date.

AutoMotivator : You know those posters that are in some offices with motivational phrases supposedly? Here you can do the same. Of course, it's more fun to parody them. Lets you save the image on your computer or directly to Flickr or ImageShack (which is very cool). This site is part of a larger one called Wigflip, which give you other options to create graphics for your website with your own text, like post-it or labels. No registration required.

Have some fun with your images and fool a few folks too!!

Maria Sharapova HQ Photoshoot

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Yanni Music Video

Yanni born in a picturesque village that no one ever gave thought to leaving, and he's now known in every corner of the globe. Yanni is, without a doubt, a musical phenomenon, one of those rare artists whose music defies borders and boundaries - whose music speaks to people of all races, all nations. And there is more than ample evidence to support such statements. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in psychology, after trading the Grecian sunshine for frosty winters, he would seek a life in music, though he could not read a note and wrote wholly original works that, then and now, defy categorizing. From the beginning, he operated with a simple creed: a faith in hard work and keeping an open mind.

Yanni’s first Grammy-nominated album was Dare to Dream (1992), which produced the vocal single “@ria,” popularized by an award-winning British Airways commercial. His following album, In My Time, a gentler collection of piano-focused pieces, was also nominated for a Grammy Award and attained Platinum status.

THE NOMADS - Stagger in the snow

THE NOMADS Stagger in the snow tape 1984 320 kbp

By this time THE NOMADS' repertoir mostly consisted of obscure garage, punk and r&b covers that normal Swedish people never had heard of. And if they had, they wouldn't have recognized the songs after they went through the psychotic fuzzed-out noise-treatment THE NOMADS gave them. (Some evil people even dare to say that in the beginning THE NOMADS' live act was a disaster. Raw, energetic, noisy and un-compromising but, still, a sonic disaster...Not like the great liveband they are today). source

PS: This tape has a very rough sound !

Shabana Azmi - The Biography

Image by Bollywoodzone via Flickr

Shabana Azmi (born 18 September, 1950 in New Delhi, India) is one of the leading actresses of Indian cinema. Also a social activist,her performances in different genres of films have garnered her accolades and awards including five wins of National Film Award for Best Actress.

Shabana Azmi hails from a renowned Muslim family with film connections. Her parents were, Kaifi Azmi - a renowned Indian poet and writer of Urdu, and Shaukat Azmi - a well known stage actress. Her brother, Baba Azmi, is a cinematographer. Her parents had an active social life, and their home was always throbbing with people and activities. Farah, Naaz and Tabu are her nieces.

In the initial stage of her career, she was linked to noted film director Shekhar Kapur, but married Javed Akhtar, a lyricist, poet and Bollywood scriptwriter on 9 December, 1984. It was Akhtar's second marriage, the first being with the Bollywood scriptwriter, Honey Irani.

Early in childhood, the environment in her home inculcated into her a respect for family ties, social and human values; and her parents always supported her to develop a passion for intellectual stimulation and growth. This is greatly reflected in her body of work.

She completed her graduation degree in Psychology from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, followed by a course in Acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. She topped the list of successful candidates of 1972.

Her first movie to be released was Shyam Benegal's Ankur (1972), which won the national award. However, her first film was an art film, made by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Faalsa, which was released in 1974. Her roles in both the films attracted positive comments both from the reviewers and the audiences.

She received the national awards consecutively for three years from 1983 to 1985 for her roles in movies, Arth, Khandhar and Paar. Another film named Godmother (1999) brought her another national award taking her tally to five national awards.

Shabana's acting has been characterized by a life like real depiction of the roles played by her.

In Mandi, for instance, she acted as a madam of a whorehouse, and to act this role she put on weight and even chewed betel. Real life like portrayals continued in almost all of her movies with a variety of roles, including a tragic role of a woman named Jamini resigned to her destiny in Khandhar, and a typical urban Indian wife, homemaker and mother in Masoom.

She also did many roles in experimental and parallel Indian cinema. Deepa Mehta's 1996 film Fire, depicts her as a lesbian lonely woman, Radha, in love with her sister-in-law (perhaps the first in Indian cinema) and drew severe protests from many social groups of India, and also threats of ban by Indian authorities. Her role as Radha brought her international recognition with the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 32nd Chicago Film Festival and Jury Award for Best Actress at Outfest, Los Angeles.

Some of her noted films with the legendary film-makers of all times include Shyam Benegal's Nishant (1975), Junoon (1978), Susman (1986), and Antarnaad (1992); Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi; Mrinal Sen's Khandhar, Genesis, Ek Din Achanak; Saeed Mirza's Albert Pinto Ko Guussa Kyon Aata Hai; Sai Paranjpye's Sparsh and Disha; Gautam Ghose' Paar; Aparna Sen's Picnic and Sati ; Mahesh Bhatt's Arth; Vinay Shukla's Godmother.

Her other films include the commercially successful Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish (of Manmohan Desai) and Prakash Mehra's Jwalamukhi.

Azmi has taken on in her spree a number of Hollywood productions, the first being John Schlesinger's Madame Sousatzka (1988), followed by Roland Joffe's City of Joy (1992), among others.

Shabana's debut to the small screen began with her acting in a soap opera with a cause, Anupama, that is, the unique or the unparallel. She did the role of a modern Indian woman who while endorsing the traditional Indian ethos and values negotiated more freedom for herself.

She had also participated in many stage plays, and notable among them include M. S. Sathyu's Safed Kundali (1980), which was a version of the Caucasian Chalk Circle; and Farouque Shaikh's Tumhari Amrita, which ran almost five years.

She toured Singapore for about a month on an assignment by the Singapore Repertory Theatre Company, doing role in Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of Ibsen's Doll House, which was directed by Rey Buono.

Shabana Azmi has been a committed social activist, active in fighting AIDS and injustice in real life. In a Bengali film named Meghla Aakash she played the role of a physician treating AIDS patients. Shabana Azmi has voiced her opinion on a variety of issues. Initially, her activism drew skepticism and was dubbed by some as a publicity gimmick. However, she proved her critics wrong and used her celebrity status to emerge as a high-profile social activist.

She had participated in several plays and demonstrations denouncing communalism.

In 1989, along with Swami Agnivesh and Asghar Ali Engineer, she undertook a four day march for communal harmony from New Delhi to Meerut.

Among the neglected social groups whose causes she has advocated are slum dwellers, displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrants and victims of the earthquake at Latur (Maharashtra, India). The 1993 Mumbai riots appalled her and she emerged as a forceful critic of religious extremism. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, she opposed the advice of an important religious leader calling upon the Muslims of India to join the people of Afghanistan in their fight by retorting that the leader go there alone. Her strong reaction encouraged other moderate Muslim leaders to counsel restraint and tolerance, and to shun terrorism.

Actors Biography - Boman Irani

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Boman Irani was a photographer by profession. He started his career as theatre artiste with a cameo in Alyque Padamsee's play "Roshni". Then Boman Irani portrayed Mahatma Gandhi in the Feroz Abbas Khan play "Mahatma vs. Gandhi". This play explored Gandhi's troubled relationship with his eldest son Harilal Gandhi.

Boman made his debut in Bollywood with the film "Josh", but he shot to fame with portrayal of eccentric character Dr. J. C. Asthana in the film "Munnabhai M B B S".

He has also appeared in the film "Lage Raho Munnabhai" as Lucky Singh. Since then he has done many films playing a variety of character and supporting roles ranging from comic roles in films such as "Main Hoon Na ", "Waqt" and "Khosla Ka Ghosla " as well as serious roles in "Lakshya", "Veer-Zaara" and the English language film "Being Cyrus".

His versatility reflects in the fact that the roles that he has done ranging from father, friend, uncle, doctor, corrupt businessman, eccentric murderer and police officer. Boman Irani has also featured in advertisements of Fanta, Krackjack, TATA Indica and many more.

Films he has acted in includes Dhan Dhana Dhan , Heyy Babyy, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Eklavya, Don, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Yun Hota To Kya Hota, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Shaadi Se Pehle, Being Cyrus, Bluffmaster, Kal, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara, No Entry, My Wife's Murder, Page 3, Veer-Zaara, Lakshya, Main Hoon Na, Munnabhai M.B.B.S. and Darna Mana Hai.

Boman Irani follows Zoroastrianism and hails from the Gujarati speaking Parsi community of Mumbai, Maharashtra.He is among the tallest actors of Bollywood, standing tall at 6'3". He has received Filmfare Best Supporting Role Award for "Munnabhai MBBS"

Ashwairya Rai Biography Part II

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Aishwarya had become the darling of India appeared in popular Bollywood films Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in 1999, Taal 1999 and Mohabbatein in 2000.

Particularly interesting is how the media treated her in her early bollywood days. She was tempestuous, sexy and drop-dead gorgeous but she wasn’t aptly praised for her acting skills. For example, the Tribune India has a little paragraph about her activities, published on 28th of November 1999:

Aishwarya Rai has oodles of sex appeal. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Taal or the long line of filmmakers queuing outside her door is ample proof of this. It seems even the Southie directors are under her spell! This despite her forays into Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar and Ashok Amritraj’s Jeans being damp squibs. Ash is starring in a Telugu film Raavoya Chandamama, a remake of Mann (which was a remake of An Affair to Remember) starring Nagarjuna and Anjana Jhaveri. So where does Ash fit in? In Rani’s sexy one song appearance for a fat sum!

Planet bollywood published a review of Aishwarya’s first super hit Hindi film, ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and there was only one line about Aishwarya’s performance in the movie: Aishwarya Rai is brilliant in her dances and adequate in an author-backed role.

Aishwarya Salman Affair is another highlight of her personal life that came out in open and made it to headlines.

While the world was enjoying and praising her performance in ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ Aishwarya was having a serious relationship with Salman Khan. The two stars that people loved so much were in love with each other. The affair started on the sets of ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and soon there were news everywhere about the two stars dating. The affair lasted for two years and ended in a tragic way.

Salman Khan is infamous for his obsessively possessive attitude towards his girlfriends. He treated Aishwarya the same way. The media got the lead of this bad treatment when Aishwarya appeared in an award ceremony with a black eye. When asked about it Aishwarya totally dismissed these rumors. Later Aishwarya accused Salman Khan treating her badly and her parents even filed a police complain against Salman Khan for breaking the windows and furniture of their house and beating their door four hours in an intoxicated tone.

Their relationship finally ended in March 2002 when Salman Khan abused Aishwarya infront of Abhishek Bachchan and the crew on sets of Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Kuch Na Kaho’. Later, he also appeared during the shootings of Aziz Mirza’s Shahrukh-Aishwarya movie, drunk and accused Shahrukh Khan of getting too friendly with his girlfriend. Salman was not able to accept the reality and he continued harassing Aishwarya Rai and finally Aishwarya had to tell media about it.

Salman and I broke up last March, but he isn’t able to come to terms with it, Salman hounds me and causes physical injuries to himself when I refuse to take his calls.

After we broke up, he would call me and talk rubbish. He also suspected me of having affairs with my co-stars. I was linked up with everyone, from Abhishekh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened.

Let others say what they want. But every person concerned knows the truth… God is the witness.

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THE WILD KINGS - Down at wild kingdom

SINGLES THE WILD KINGS Down at wild kingdom / Career of evil sp 2004 Wild kingdom Rcds wav
Produced by Chips K.
The Wild Kings : R. Eriksson : drums /M. Karlsson : lead vocals, rhythm guitar / C. Kiesbye : lead vocals, lead guitar / H. Kiviaho : lead vocals, bass.
Guests on A side : backing vocals : O. Bengtsson, C. von Schewen , H. Walse & N. Royale / Percussion : J. Wall /On B side : O. Ahlgren : lead vocals.

Chips K . : "I came up with the name "Wild Kings" minutes before we went on stage so the other guys were a bit surprised when I introduced us. They didn't know we were a "real band" with a name. I also wrote the lyrics to "Down at Wild kingdom" a couple of minutes before we went on. It was all very spontaneous".... "This was actually the start of the "Wild Kings" but it wasn't planned to be anything more than a one-off thing. But the guys at the club asked us if we could be the house band".
Heikki : "Since we had such a great time and all of us really worked together musically we said yes. I don't know how often we will do this. You don't want to turn into a professional cover band. We'll do it as longs as it's fun for us".

Chips K. , H. Kiviaho of Sator & R. Eriksson of the Hellacopters were involved in this side band !Only one single was recorded in 2004 by the Wild Kings on the Wild Kingdom label ! The A side sounds like a 'copters classic & the b side is a cover of the great Blue Öyster Cult tune : "Career of evil" ( A. Bouchard & Patti Smith ) recorded live in Stockholm.

Saif Ali Khan- The Biography

Saif Ali Khan is the son of the famous couple Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, former captain of Indian cricket team, and Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore. He studied in Lawrence School and attended Lockers Park Prep School. Later, he followed in his father`s footsteps by attending Winchester College, a famous independent school for boys in UK.



He hails from the family of the Nawabs of Pataudi.

But surprisingly, he choose his mother's profession and debuted in 1993 in ‘Aashik Awara’ and gave another average movie ‘Parampara’. The very next year he starred in the hit ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anar’i. After this, his career graph remained unnoticed until the very popular ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, where he got his successful turn. Since then he has gone on to prove himself as an excellent actor.

He married Amrita Singh in 1991 and divorced in 2004. Since then, has been linked with Rosa Catalano, but is presently dating Kareena Kapoor. Saif Ali Khan was charged with blackbuck poaching in 1998.

His role as ‘Langda Tyagi’, the villain in ‘Omkara’, and his obsession for Kareena that shows in his ‘Kareena’ tattoo is what he is more popular for. Saif is an excellent guitarist.
Now he has turned producer too with his production company Ilumanati Films and its very first movie is Love Aaj Kal. It will star Saif opposite Deepika Padukone.

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Childhood Memories

When Gulli-Danda & Kanche (marbles) were more popular than cricket. When we always had friends to play aais-paais (I Spy), chhepan-chhepai & pitthoo anytime...

When we desperately waited for 'Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi' (Doordarshan serial) When chitrahaar, vikram-baitaal, Dada Daadi Ki Kahaniyaanwere so fulfilling. When there was just one Tv in every five houses and...

When Bisleris were not sold in the trains and we were worrying if papas will get back into the train in time or not when they were getting down at stations to fill up the water bottle...

When we were going to bed by 9.00pm sharp except for the 'Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi' day...

When Holis & Diwalis meant mostly hand-made pakwaans and sweets and moms seeking our help while preparing them ...

When Maths teachers were not worried of our Mummies and papas while slapping/beating us...

When we were exchanging comics and stamps and Chacha-Chaudaris & Billus were our heroes...

When we were in Nanihaals every summer and loved flying kites and plucking and eating unripe mangoes and leechies...

When one movie every Sunday evening on television was more than asked for and 'ek do teen chaar' and 'Rajani' inspired us...

When 50 paisa meant at least 10 toffees...

When left over pages of the last years notebooks were used for rough work or even fair work...
When 'Chelpark' and 'Natraaj' were encouraged against 'Reynolds & family'...

When the first rain meant getting drenched and playing in water and mud and making 'kaagaj ki kishtis'...

When there were no phones to tell friends that we will be at their homes at six in the evening...

When our parents always had 15 paise blue colored 'Antardesis' and 5 paise machli wale stamps at home...

When we remembered tens of jokes and were not finding 'ice-cream & papa' type jokes foolish enough to stop us from laughing...

When we were not seeing patakhes on Diwalis and gulaalson Holis as air and noise polluting or allergic agents...

The list can be endless...

On the serious note I would like to summarize with...

When we were using our hearts more than our brains, even for scientifically brainy activities like 'thinking' and 'deciding'...

When we were crying and laughing more often, more openly and more sincerely...

When we were enjoying our present more than worrying about our future...

When being emotional was not synonymous to being weak...

When sharing worries and happiness didn't mean getting vulnerable to the listener...
When blacks and whites were the favorite colors instead of greys...

When journeys also were important and not just the destinations...

When life was a passenger's sleeper giving enough time and opportunity to enjoy the sceneries from its open and transparent glass windows instead of some super fast's second ac with its curtained, closed and dark windows...

I really miss them(From the bottom of my heart).. don't u?

Ashwairya Rai Biography Part I

AISHWARYA RAI is one of Bollywood’s pre-eminent leading ladies. This talented beauty thurst upon the world stage when her striking beauty, poise and commanding intelligence won her the Miss World crown in 1994.

India’s top Bollywood directors were soon lining up to work with Ash.

Entry into Bollywood

Her film debut in Mani Rathnam’s IRUVAR (1997) received critical acclaim and her performance in Rahul Rawail’s …AUR PAAR HO GAYA (1997) garnered her the Best Female Debutante Award.

Journey Further

In 2000, she was awarded Best Actress by FilmFare for her work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM, and in that same year, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her special appearance in Aditya Chopra’s MOHABBATEIN

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In 2001, Ash was nominated for FilmFare’s Best Actress Award for Satish Kaushik’s HAMARA DIL AAPKE PAAS HAI.




Ash’s star continued to rise in 2002 working again with Sajay Leela Bhansali in DEVDAS. DEVDAS was the most ambitious and most successful film in Bollywood history. It became the first Bollywood picture to ever receive a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival and broke box-office records in India and the United States.

2003 brought even more exciting opportunities. Ash became the first Indian actor to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Ash is also the latest member of the elite L’Oreal Dream Team, joining beauties Catherine Deneuve & Andie MacDowell as their international ambassador.

Magazine Covers Ash graced

She graced the covers of India Today and the prestigious Time Magazine. Time has also listed her on their list of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World Today’. She has graced numerous covers in numerous countries worldwide including the USA, UK, China, Russia, Israel, United Emirates, Germany, Italy, Spain and France. Ash was also listed on Rolling Stone Magazine’s annual ‘Hot List’, Hello Magazine’s ‘Most Attractive Women in the World’, Stuff Magazine, FHM magazine, V-Life from Variety Magazine, GQ Magazine, New York Times Magazine, Harper’s & Queen and countless others.

International Projects

2004 saw Aishwarya take on the leading role in her first English language film in BRIDE & PREJUDICE for Gurinder Chadha.

Aishwarya’s other film credits include Manit Ratnam’s GURU; THE MISTRESS OF SPICES for director Paul Berges, Jag Mundhra’s PROVOKED, J.P. Dutta’s UMRAO JAAN and Sanjay Gadhvi’s DHOOM 2.

Aishwarya’s career continues to grow even stronger post-marriage so much so that there is lot more to reveal. Check it out in the next.

THE NITECAPS - Go to the line

THE NITECAPS Go to te line lp 1982 Sire records 320 kbps

Same situation / Go to the line / Hot Pavement / Can't let one more day go by / Somebody cares / Give me one more chance / Little too long / Black tears / The new me / Is this the dream ?/ Good times (medley).

Produced by C. Langer & A. Winstanley.

The Nitecaps : J. Xavier : lead vocals, guitar / A. Maddy : vocals, guitar / P. Jordan : bass, vocals / S. Brown : drums, vocals.

The Nitecaps were a new wave group from the 1980s that had one album on the Sire label but they had more in common with some UK bands like ABC than they did with the skinny-tie sound going on when this came out in 1982. Because of that, "Go To The Line" has a more lasting, classic sound in 2008 than most releases of its ilk.

"Sire spent the money where it mattered: top-notch production from C. Langer and A. Winstanley and the full-time assistance of the Uptown Horns. (Langer and Winstanley never met a horn they didn`t like.) The Nitecaps had some small claim to fame when they entered the studio; guitarist/vocalist J. Xavier had played in The Voidoids, bassist P. Jordan had been subbing in The New York Dolls. "Go To The Line" went in a different direction: horn-flavored new wave/pop similar to English Beat . Xavier, however, is an R&B growler, which would seem to be the natural enemy of new wave. So even with the horns and a boatload of tuneful tracks from Xavier, The Nitecaps suffer by straddling the line between new wave pop band and R&B bar band. The energy in the songs lies in their melody; "The New Me," "Go To The Line" and "Can`t Let One More Day Go By" don`t need to be overplayed like sweaty R&B numbers to succeed. But then there`s that bar band mentality that says you`ve got to play your hearts out to win over listeners. What they should have focused on, instead, was a marketable gimmick. I know that sounds awfully shallow, but pop music is an overcrowded field, and you weren`t going to champion The Nitecaps just because they wrote some catchy songs. Think of the bands with less talent who got more out of the same kind of music: Skafish, Romeo Void. Those bands were quirky, and you can market quirky. You can`t market a posse of pastel-colored Easter eggs as a borderline new wave pop band when they probably didn`t have a whole lot of interest in being a new wave band in the first place. And so "Go To The Line" proved to be the end of the line for The Nitecaps, which is a shame. It`s not hard to imagine Xavier and the band maturing to the point where they could have released a very good album. As it is, they left behind a pretty good album, worth picking up in a used record store if you felt the `80s new wave/pop party ended too early."-ConnollyCo.

You want more Nitecaps ? Here's a live concert HERE !