I'll never get a boob-job done

Kangana Ranaut who once boasted about her serene nature and flawless skin is now all stressed up. Perhaps hard life in a metro, work pressure and erratic hours are taking toll on this small-town actor's health.

But her hard work has paid her well. After two years of hardship Ranaut has bought her dream home at Turner Road.

“It was way too expensive but I am stubborn and so I decided to buy it. I’m moving in the next two months. The apartment is currently being done up. It’s got three rooms — one for me, one for my sister and one for my parents, whenever they visit,” she tells.

Kangana has been saving to pay the installments, reportedly getting paid Rs 75 lakh per film, and spending next to nothing on other activities.

Incidentally, Rani and Priyanka are also shifting into their dream homes in the next few months. “It’s a race to the finish between us,” says Kangana.

But she keeps this healthy competition on the home front only because when it comes to looks Kangana is pretty satisfied with what she has got.

In a candid interview recently she said that she will never go through a boob-job. Even though most of her fellow stars have had silicone implants she is in no hurry to increase her bust-size. According to her she will put more weight on her acting than on other places.

Says Kangana, "These girls feel this is the best way to attract men and become a sex symbol, but little do they realise that it has an adverse effect on their health. I will never get carried away. I’ve often heard men talk about buxom women but I want to know what matters more: a nice pair of boobs or a girl with a good heart?"

Tanuja plays a colourful aunty in Haal-E-Dil

Kumar Mangat’s forthcoming film Haal-E-Dil offers an interesting role for veteran actress Tanuja. She plays a very colorful aunty in Mangat’s Home Production. It is believed that Kumar Mangat who is a friend of Ajay Devgan insisted Ajay to talk to Tanuja about this role. Ajay Devgan read the synopsis and found the character very interesting and recommended it to Tanuja. Finally, Tanuja decided to be part of the film after reading the script. According to Mangat, Tanuja’s character is very interesting and people will be amazed to see her in this role. It is something which Tanuja has never done before. Haal-E-Dil is directed by Anil Devgan. The film stars Kumar Mangat’s daughter Amita Mangat and Shekhar Suman’s son Adhyayan in the lead roles. Haal-E-Dil will be releasing by the end of this year.

Amitabh calls me 'Maalkin'...

Not too many people know this. But Mr Bachchan addresses Shefali Shah as 'maalkin'.

"I know!" she laughs. "It's very embarrassing when he called me that all during my husband's film Waqt and now during The Last Lear. Maybe because I was the producer's wife? To my horror he called me that during Last Lear too.

On the first day of the shoot he warned everybody, 'Don't go by her face, Because by and by she'll start changing everything on the sets…Hey,I don't do that! Of course I was critical on Vipul's set. That was my home production. But on another set I wouldn't cross the line. "

After Gandhi My Father Shefali Shah plays her producer Anil Kapoor's wife in the Subhash Ghai production Black & White.

Is she worried about the leap in intention?

"Not really," says Shefali. "Black & White is not a running-around-trees film. It's again a socially relevant film. Anilji is the hero and I'm the conventional leading lady. But I don't wear makeup, good clothes and sing songs."

Shefali informs that it was Anil who recommended Shefali. "But had it not been a good role I wouldn't have done Black & White. But it's not Gandhi My Father. Not at all. …nor is it The Last Lear, the English-language film that I've completed with Rituparno Ghosh."

The vastly talented and grossly under-used Shefali Shah is on the threshold of a new beginning in her career.

Her role as Kasturba in Feroz Abbas Khan's Gandhi My Father is already garnering rave reviews. In fact Akshaye Khanna has gone on-record to say it's the best performance in India by a female actor.

"I know Akshaye said that. And I'm deeply grateful. We've just returned from the film's world premiere and the response was overwhelming. Unfortunately Nelson Mandela couldn't come due to ill health. That was really sad, though he did send a message.

But the South African president and the whole cabinet was there. After the screening there was a stunned silence. They all told me they couldn't believe I look so different in person. A local lady who could barely speak English told me I made her cry.

I feel this film goes beyond boundaries. It's really moving. The premiere was unbelievable. Gandhi My Father is about selfless creation. Every actor and technician believed in what they were doing.

They thought of the film, not of their own interests. We all got an insight into lives that went way beyond art and acting. "

Shefali has been losing weight. "And so has my husband Vipul. I finally look the way I want to."

God forbid, Shefali gets typecast as an old woman after Gandhi My Father, a la Rohini Hattangadi after Attenborough's Gandhi.

"No way!" avers Shefali. "Because I'm the young Kasturba in most of the film. And the cinematographer has made me look look better than ever before….I don't think after this role the industry will typecast me. And even if they do, it's up to me to take or leave their offers. I've always been choosy anyway. Even if I do one film every two years it has to be something special."

Gandhi, she considers, her most important film so far. "Though I feel I could still have done better. I've never been more focused. Obviously I want to be appreciated. And I want the appreciation to be translated into a lot more. I'm at a stage where I think good things will happen to me. People are now willing to cast me in main leads.Somewhere I think I lacked the focus earlier."

Last Lear is another very special for Shefali. "I'm one of the central characters in both Gandhi My Father and The Last Lear. In Ritu's film I play my age and someone who looks after Amitji's character. I must tell you, after Vipul's unit, Ritu's was the most warm and organized unit I've worked with…very caring.

Bade pyar se thande dimaag se kaam hua. I've worked with productions where scenes are written on the sets. Sometimes I've played a character who has nothing to do with the scene given to me."

And yet she did a bit role in Yashraj Films' Mohabbatein.

"I don't regret doing that. It was a small role. But there was one good scene. After Gandhi and The Last Lear I may not do it. I took a break from acting to look after my babies, got back into shape. And now this is like my comeback. I've never felt better."

Bipasha & Saif's Racy Love scene!

Not in real life but for their forthcoming film ‘Race’, Bipasha Basu and Saif Ali Khan will be getting intimate for a lovemaking scene.

The Saif and Bipasha friendship has been making headlines of late. Bips has often been spotted with Saif at parties, social dos and restaurants. In fact, their growing proximity has fueled the speculation of a possible rift between Bipasha and her boyfriend John Abraham.

Now, the latest dope on Bips and Saif is that they will be seen enacting a passionate lovemaking scene in director duo Abbas-Mastan’s next thriller ‘Race’. The scene will be part of a song in the film.

While sources at TIPS (film’s producers) say the scene is yet to be shot, there are some media reports that allege that the scene has already been shot in relative secrecy.

According to reports, the sequence was recently shot at a studio in Goregaon East. During this intimate scene between Saif and Bipasha, everybody in the unit, except a few technicians, was asked to leave the sets.

If this is true, then it is obviously understandable that the lovemaking scene was very steamy.

Tips Films, the producers of Race, intend to use the risqué scenes extensively as part of the promos for the film.

Ramesh Taurani from Tips Films says: "Yes it is true that we have very hot scenes featuring Saif and Bipasha, which are part of a song."

Race is a thriller set in South Africa which features Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif.