Starry night
There's no better place to be a fly on the wall and watch the action unfurl than at the run-up to an awards ceremony where Bollywood's movers and shakers collide
Battle of the K's
The boundaries were drawn, the battle-plans decided and the warring factions had sworn not to budge from their starry demands. Fortunately, the warpath pointed towards the heroines who had come to practise their dances for the Zee Cine Awards ceremony 2008 (ZCA) on April 25 and not an actual battlefield.
Their arsenals included cold stares, refusing to greet one another, stony silences and making sure that their paths didn't cross when they got on stage to practice their moves.
The battle between the actresses Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor in the lead, was a fierce one. They were within two metres of each other for several hours, and their refusal to acknowledge each other and if-looks-could-kill stares did not go unnoticed.
Surprisingly, Kareena's boyfriend Saif decided to be honourable by calling out to Katrina by her last name and giving her a friendly hug. But come to think of it, Saif summoned up the courage only after he made sure that his girlfriend wasn't within hearing distance.
Vidya Balan and Neha Dhupia were in a mutinous mode, too.
Meanwhile, the boys had no such problems . Camaraderie, goodwill and diplomacy were their strong points. The Khans (Shah Rukh and Saif) image image heavily laced with feel-good factor says it all.
Saif gets defensive
Saif Ali Khan is willing to indulge journalists as long as they refrain from asking uncomfortable questions about his latest release Tashan. Quiz him about it and his defences go up and this is what we get:"I am interested only in the making of a movie. Once it's done, I move on to the next one. That's it. Next question."
Take two?
"They (Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan) were over-the-top. I did not like them," said Sajjid Khan, when asked whether Karan Johar and he would adopt a satirical style of compering.
Struck by Salman
If there was one person who was sorely missed at ZCA 2008, it was Salman Khan. He was rumoured to have dropped out at the last minute, and we knew there was no replacement for him... until we spotted Upen Patel. This struggling actor seemed to be nursing a heavy Salman hangover. From stripping at the drop of the hat to holding his breath till his six-pack bulged, he made sure that viewers did not miss Salman.
Memory lapse
"For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the designer of my gown or jewellery,"confessed Deepika Padukone.
