Since it began, the Femina Miss India pageant has evolved considerably with the changing face of the Indian woman, global beauty and fashion trends. In the year 2007-2008 we conducted auditions across 12 major cities in India. Over and above we also launched the first ever Miss India South, an exclusive pageant

Perhaps the costliest theme and team anthem produced by Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra. The duo are also joint owners of Rajasthan Royal, co-produced music video for the RR and spent close to one crore to bring it out. Industry people say that they would even hire a jet aircraft during the shoot and had rented it in-demand female voice Sunidhi Chauhan of rendering the song. The music video is named Halla Bol and was released after a nice bash at a 5 star hotel few days back.
‘Halla bol’ song video was shot in Jaipur and its surroundings. Rajasthan Royal, there were 2008 champions said thank you this way by Shilpa and Raj.

The music and text for “Halla bol ‘is given by Anand Raj Anand, and it is Ken Ghosh who directed the video. Shilpa and party danced to the song and choreography are Ahmed Khan. The song features several young artists including jumbo, chariots and horses. Reports say that the filming of the song took about 3 days.

The song that starts with chorusing of Rajasthan Royal, has a peppy and catchy melody. The choir, which follows recent shouts Halla bol fill in all the listener’s heart with some kind of a Josh and motivation. Shilpa’s precious gift to video her team RR should certainly motivate players to play to win the championship again.

Freida Pinto told sources in a recent interview, “For someone like me with no godfather in the film industry, it was easier to break into modeling. I did use modeling as a means to get into the film world. I enjoyed modeling. It taught me a lot in terms of being confident and definitely helped me prepare for what was to come next.”

We can’t wait to see what’s ahead for this new talent. Freida Pinto has been in music videos, starred (of course) in “Slumdog Millionaire” and even appeared on the cover of this month’s Vogue India issue. Well brace yourself, because as soon as the ink dries on her check for her upcoming Woody Allen film starring Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, and Naomi Watts, Freida Pinto will become the highest paid Indian actress of all time. The new film that Freida Pinto will be a part of will compensate her with around three million US dollars. Prior to Freida Pinto’s new honor of highest paid Indian actress, Kareena Kapoor was queen. And now the money that Freida Pinto will be making means that she is earning twice as much as top Bollywood actresses are paid. Freida Pinto will definitely need some encouragement after this if she’s to do any Bollywood movies in the future.

Yes, after making an unforgettable style statement at New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Barbie will now walk the ramp at India’s foremost fashion event. This show called Barbie – All Doll’d Up! is the style sweetheart’s first in India and will showcase real-size, Barbie-inspired looks put together by renowned fashion designers from across the country including Wendell Rodricks, Neeta Lulla, Shantanu & Nikhil, Vikram Phadnis and others.

Barbie boasts five decades of fashion heritage, working with more fashion designers than any other brand in the world, and in the process becoming a star admired by major couturiers who dream to get their names associated with the most popular doll in history.

Taking off from New York, the world famous brand invited Indian designers to a contest to celebrate Barbie’s 50th birthday by creating designs with the doll as their muse. The winning designer (who will be announced today at the fashion show) was then invited to design the finale outfit of the event for a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll… and walking the ramp as the showstopper wearing that outfit today will be Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif.

Katrina is delighted with the honour, more so because a Barbie doll bearing likeness to the Bollywood actress is in the pipeline and will come as a great surprise to the world sometime soon. “Every girl at some point of time in her childhood has played with a Barbie doll,” admitted Katrina, “and so have I. She makes a sweet, fun and lively companion.”

It is true, Barbie is the world’s only brand that allows girls to imagine themselves as a mermaid to a movie star, a fairy to a fashionista, and a princess to a president, serving a purpose to girls as they try on different personalities, careers, and explore the world and all of its possibilities without ever having to leave home. She allows girls to dream beyond and know that a woman has choices, having herself represented more than 100 careers in her lifetime.

Bad Boy Salman Khan might run into another failure in his relationship. And if sources are to be believed Salman Khan has slapped Katrina kaif over a small tiff. Is Salman Khan behaving the same way he did with Aishwariya Rai? Is Possessiveness the issue or there is another side to this problem?

As per a Goa Local Newspaper, Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar were shooting in Goa. Sallu Bhai feeling insecure about Kaif with Akki, bumped into the Shooting Sets and had tiff with Katrina. Probably Salman Khan has asked Katrina not to work with Akshay Kumar. But what Salman should know if that Katrina has given almost all her hits with Khiladi Number 1.

This isn’t the first time Salman has slapped Katrina. Few years back, a eye witness accounts to a Mumbai Local Newspaper that Kat and Sallu were sitting in a coffee shop. And suddenly Salman stood up and slapped Katrina. Though Katrina later refused to acknowledge that event!

What is ailing Salman in the relationship? It is said Salman is not happy with Katrina’s closeness with her co-stars. Recently he bumped into the sets of Rajneeti because of the rumours of closeness between Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Before that Salman was not happy with Katrina’s closeness with Akshay Kumar. So much was the fear that Katrina on a chat show said she is not a close friend with Akki! So is insecurity of loosing Katrina causing problems in relationship? Is it the age factor?

Salman earlier had similar in-security problems with Ash, the relationship that run for three years. Salman is said to have barged into sets of Aishwariya, reportedly verbally abused her in front of co-actors, which costed her films and also made her depressed.

We can just hope that Salman learns from his past relationship and ensures a good healthy relationship, else we will see another failed relationship in Bollywood!

Your most recent film Ghajini is now the biggest Bollywood success ever. Did you have any idea that it would be quite as huge as it is?
Aamir Khan (AK): You can hope that, you can hope that for all of your films. But you can never really tell until you see the film with the audience, how it’s going to play with the audience in the theatre. So I think in Ghajini what we set out to make we were in fact able to achieve that. I realised that I’m making a hardcore mainstream film after really long, which is fine. I guess I’m happy to do that.

After this movie made it so big, people said that you were the real “King Khan”. And that you’d kicked off Shah Rukh off his perch because he appeals to the masses but you’ve managed to do this thing that loads of actors would love to do. In that you’ve had both critical and commercial success in spades. How do you do that? How do you stop from being pigeon-holed in one box or another?
AK: Well, you know I just do work which excites me and which I enjoy doing. I just do work which makes me happy. And I have absolutely no intentions of kicking Shah Rukh off his pedestal. Though I have to say I don’t think he ever was on it. But in my opinion the actor who I really look up to is Mr Amitabh Bachchan. He is someone who’s work I really like and he’s a fantastic actor and the kind of stardom that Mr Bachchan has seen none of us can ever hope to see. So for me he’s the guy.

Arguably one of the most talked about aspects of Ghajini was your physique; let’s have a quick look at how you got quite so buff. Good lord, I hope that doesn’t bring back too many painful memories for you, I mean were there not days you just went “oh for a goodness sake no movie is worth this hell?!”
AK: It was tough, it was really tough, and actually there’s a joke in my family and friends, when you want to get Aamir to do something, make a movie around it and he’ll end up doing it. So, I never thought I would ever train, it’s not something I’m into, but when I had to do it for the film I just went all out, did the best I could. It was really painful and it was really tough and when I look at myself… like the other day, I was looking at the photographs, you know, how it began and then I couldn’t believe it, I just couldn’t believe. So when I think about it now, it just seems like a distant dream, because in the last eight months I haven’t trained, because for the new film that I’m doing, my director looked at my physique and said now I want you to lose all of this. So I had to work towards losing it all for the new film that I’m shooting for.

You’re not only a major actor but you also had your directorial debut in Taare Zameen Par. What was it like for you switching to the other side of the camera, at the same time obviously and starring in it?
AK: It was tough, mainly because I wasn’t meant to direct the film to begin with. So I kind of jumped in a week into the shoot. I just went with my gut. Actually, I didn’t even have time to think, quite honestly. And now when I look back I realize that I had reached a point in my career where I had been wanting to direct a film for really long, and the pressure kept keeping me away from it. The fact that it happened this way didn’t give me a chance to think and decide, you know. I just jumped into it because I had to, and I ended up making the film, you know, to the best of my abilities. So I didn’t really, you know maybe if I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t be directing for the next 10 years more, I don’t know. So I guess I’m glad it happened finally because I’m happy with the way the film turned out and I’m happy with the way the kind of impact it had on people.

Lagaan was nominated for an Oscar back in 2001. And that movie was very much credited at the time with putting Bollywood on the map. How important do you think it is though for Indian movies to be recognized by the West?
AK: Lagaan was made for an Indian audience. That it was appreciated and travelled across the world, and people you know, from different places loved the film, it was great and we were all happy about it, we were thrilled. But if we hadn’t done that, it wouldn’t have mattered as much as what the Indian audience thought of it. If you know what I’m trying to say. So up till now, we have all been making films
for our own audience, which is really large and healthy. And we haven’t really looked at an international audience. We haven’t thought of entertaining them, or attempting to entertain them. I think the day we do decide to do that I think we’ll do alright.

Slumdog Millionaire was a huge eye opener, I think, but you know for all the accolades that it got around the world, there were plenty here in India who slammed it. What did you think of it?
AK: It didn’t touch me personally. Emotionally, it didn’t do anything for me. And I suspect it is because I am not used to watching Indians speak English. So you know, all these slum kids talking in English, and the cop…I find it very strange…it didn’t work for me because of that problem.

Aamir… we’ll talk about a side that’s not often seen, but it was a side that broiled over during the terror attacks of your beloved Mumbai. You were extremely vocal in your blog about what was happening. Just take us through what was going on with you personally during that time.
AK: Well, it was really devastating. I mean it was like a nightmare, I couldn’t believe it was happening. And it was also very shocking to see, you know, the audacity with which these attacks were carried out. All the lives that were lost and so many thoughts going through my head at that time. And it was really sad that… that I mean we live in a day and age today where there all over the world there are people, certain number of people at least, who feel that this is how they want to make a point, or want to be heard, or want to hit back, by killing innocent people. Doesn’t make sense to me but I guess, I mean that’s how it is, that’s how it is in the world today.

Certainly, you were speaking to the government in part in your blogs as well, by you know, saying not to negotiate with terrorists. But you also seemed quite critical of what the leadership was doing at the time. Is that how you felt?
AK: No, I wasn’t actually. I wasn’t critical of the leadership at that time. Because I think at that time they were doing the best that they could. But I am critical about how a number of the leaders have been using religion and caste in our politics for decades now. And that only, you know, polarizes people. It spreads a lot of poison and negativity in society.

Your response to the Mumbai terror strikes sort of threw back memories of your 2006 movie Rang de Basanti which was, you know, very political, widely hailed as really getting the youth of this country involved in politics, is it important to you as well to make movies that aren’t just about candy floss?
AK: Yes, of course. I think that the kind of person I am, I get attracted to certain kind of stories. So I can’t help it, I mean, you know. A film like a story like Rang de Basanti comes to me and it actually inspires me first. You know I feel, Wow, this is something I wanna be part of. And you know so first it affects me.

There’s a certain formula that works very well in Bollywood. But back in 2001, Lagaan completely went against any of that formula, you know. It was a film that nobody wanted to take on, a script that nearly died. It was more than three and a half hours long, full of you know, a cast of relative unknowns, compared to you. And yet…
Now you obviously took on that project because you believed that it would work. But did other people think that you were just bonkers?
AK: Yeah. Well, they think that all the time actually. Every time I start a film they’re like hmmm this time he’s going to really mess it up. So it’s really… Everyone who knew me was like, he’s nuts, he’s really done it this time. And then when I did Dil Chahta Hai also, or you know, even Rang de Basanti, Taare Zameen Par they were like hmm childcare and education, ok. But it’s also exciting, you know, when you pick things which are unusual and difficult and are breaking the rules of mainstream cinema.

Nobody would produce Lagaan. So in the end after a bit of convincing, you had to step in and do it. But it sounds like there were major issues
Aamir Khan
Aamir Khan. More Pics
with it. I mean, there was one scene where you had to find 10,000 villagers from somewhere and the town wasn’t even built yet. As a producer, you would’ve had to handle that, I guess. So just talk me through some of the hurdles that you had to get over to do this movie.
AK: Well, Lagaan was especially difficult film to do. I mean, period and very large cast, so many actors you know. And just getting everyone ready for the first shot at eight o’clock was, you have to reach there at four and start getting ready it was quite insane.

In the morning?
AK: In the morning, yes. And the cricket was really tough. Because you know the ball and the bat doesn’t do what you want it to do. And the 10,000 day was a big one because we had to put a lot of teams, went into villages, and said listen we’re shooting a film, and a lot of these villagers haven’t seen a film in their lives. Let alone act in it.

The house that we saw in that clip, you spent a lot of time there as a kid, apparently.
AK: Well, not that house in particular but in Pachghani, in that hill station.

What kind of a childhood did you have?
AK: Well, fairly standard actually. I think my parents looked after us very well. We had a fairly sheltered life. I mean my parents were really against me getting into films. I come from a film family. My father and uncle were both filmmakers. And I faced hell at home. It was like there’s no way you’re getting into films. But I don’t usually listen to people. I just do what I feel like. And then when they realized… actually it was more because they were concerned for me, you know. Every parent is concerned for their children. And they had been through this line and this profession is so uncertain. You know one day you’re up there, the next day you’re nobody and…it’s a really harsh profession.

When you look at those clips from the 80s and 90s do you go you know what I’m really proud of that or do you go oh god I just want to die?
AK: No, I just want to die. I get totally embarrassed. Usually you know when I finish a film within six months I feel eh, this is not good enough. This is where we’ve messed up, and we could’ve done this, and I’ve grown so much as an actor and I can do this much better now. I don’t like my work usually after some time, I don’t like it anymore.

That’s gonna be tough because you’re gonna keep seeing it?
AK: Sooner I just don’t see it. I stop seeing my work. I see it a lot when I’m on the film and you know, I see it with the audience, while it releases, that’s one thing I do for all my films. I watch them with the audience. And the audience doesn’t know I’m in the theatre.

How do they not know?
AK: They don’t know because they’re already in there. And then I walk in, I stand at the back, I go into the projection room, those windows there, peep out and I can see everyone, I can hear them. So you can see them shifting in their seats if they don’t like the scene. You can actually see that happen. So when the film is not working, you’ll suddenly hear a lot of chairs you know, chair sounds…shifting, coughing, so you know you’re losing the audience there.

Did you go in to the projection room and watch movies that didn’t do so well like Mela and Mann?
AK: Yes I did. Yes I did. It’s heartbreaking. It’s really heartbreaking. But I think that’s what I’m making these films for, you know. I want, I’m making for the audience and I wanna be there to see how they like it. And if they don’t, I wanna be there to see that.

If you had to name a characteristic of yours that’s gotten you through, that’s helped you to make it to be as big a star as you are now, what would it be?
AK: I think for me it’s been, I’ve always done what makes me happy. I realized very early in my career that you know, whenever I’m taking a decision which I think is the correct decision, or I ought to be doing this. Whenever I’ve done that, I’ve failed miserably. Whenever I thought I was being smart, I’ve ended up making an ass out of myself. But whenever I did what I felt like doing, it worked for me. No matter how ridiculous it may have seemed to others, and no matter how impractical it may have seemed… but whenever I followed my heart and done what makes me happy, it’s worked for me.

‘My parents looked after us very well… we had a fairly sheltered life. I mean my parents were really against me getting into films. I come from a film family. My father and uncle were both filmmakers. And I faced hell at home. It was like there’s no way you’re getting into films,’ Aamir Khan told CNN’s special edition ‘Talk Asia’ to be aired Wednesday 6 p.m.

‘But I don’t usually listen to people. I just do what I feel like. And then when they realized… actually it was more because they were concerned for me, you know.

‘Every parent is concerned for their children. And they had been through this line and this profession is so uncertain. You know one day you’re up there, the next day you’re nobody and it’s a really harsh profession,’ he added.

Aamir Khan is a son of renowned film producer Tahir Hussain. His uncle Nasir Hussain is also a film director.

Mamata mata and Singur may have scarred Tata Motors but it hasn’t deterred the company in any way for it continues to push ahead with its Nano project. While the Nano for the Indian masses is scheduled to begin rolling out - in small numbers - from Pantnagar this month, the development team has already firmed up the packaging of what an upscale version could look like for sale in developed markets.

Enter the Nano Europa, fittingly shown as a prototype in Geneva early this month but surely destined for series production by late 2010. Ratan Tata, visionary architect of the world’s cheapest car has been on record to state that henceforth all Tata cars displayed at motor shows would inherently have production written into their make-up and this places the Nano Europa in the “when” and not “if” category.

As you can make out from the images of the car we have from Geneva, the car has the same mono-volume design but it has been enriched with sporty accents, notably in the guise of the stacked headlamps plus those pronounced

wheel arches which now house 14-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P6000 rubber of size 175/50-R14. The preference to slick sporty style is evident not just with the eye-lash style glass slivers on the bonnet which shroud the projector beam headlamps but also an all new bumper with round fog lamps instead of the rectangular ones in the deluxe version of the Indian Nano. I also liked the use of LEDs shaped in hockey-stick profile day time driving lights incorporated into the headlamp cluster.

Even the rear end is different but it continues the round lamp theme from the front bumper with reversing lights built low down in the rear bumper. Interestingly the centrally mounted single exhaust of the Indian Nano has been dispensed with and there is an all new side outlet. The upright rear tail lamp lenses are strikingly different while the rear windscreen has been given a striking black base to enhance the glazed area. Even the roof is done up in black and this does deliver a very striking combination as was evident in both the Nano Europas on the Tata Motors stand at the Palexpo halls in Geneva. One was a yellow and black number which was strikingly beautifully to behold while the silver and black job was elegance personified. The body colour theme also enveloped the door mounted rear view mirrors which had turn signal indicators built into them.