Times top 10 Most Desirable Men of 2011: The Winners

1) Salman Khan
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: Given his current streak of successes, it sure seems that Salman Khan can do no wrong. With Ready and Bodyguard breaking box office records, 2011 undoubtedly was Salman Khan's year. Off-screen, controversy's favourite child has steered clear of trouble. He underwent surgery last year and had to take time off to rest and recuperate. Yet, he managed to fulfill all his professional commitments.
Relationship Status: Single
Desirability Quotient: This good-looking man is also known to have a heart of gold. On screen, his action sequences and comic turns are known to send crowds into a tizzy. Of course, it does help that the charismatic Sallu is in great shape physically and age seems to have had no effect on him.


2)Ranbir Kapoor
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: Rishi and Neetu's son is a superstar in the making. As far as performances go, he only gets better with each passing role. He showed his mettle with 2011's Rockstar in a role that outshone every other performance last year.
Desirability Quotient (DQ): He's got the looks, the lineage, is young, and makes the ladies swoon.
Relationship Status: Dating Katrina Kaif again. Sorry, girls! Fun Fact: He's moving into a place of his own soon. He's moved up a spot in the list. Did we hear him go Sadda Haq Aithe Rakh?

3)Hrithik Roshan
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: Rakesh Roshan's son is built like a Greek god. And he works pretty hard in the gym to keep his bod that way. He works equally hard on his performances and in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, one got to see an image quite contrary to what he usually portrays. The man cried, dammit!
Relationship Status: Married to Sussanne.
DQ: Last year's Most Desirable Man is humble, genuine, has a body to kill for and those light eyes make us weak-kneed.
Fun Fact: Has a wax statue in Madame Tussauds and is occasionally known to wax eloquent. How many actors can claim that?

4)John Abraham
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: The former model came to prominence with his constant state of shirtlessness, a trait he played to great effect in last year's Force and Desi Boyz. There was also an interesting turn he made in 7 Khoon Maaf.
Relationship Status: Dating investment banker Priya Runchal. Split from girlfriend of several years Bipasha Basu last year.
DQ: Has been in great shape for as long as we can remember. Seems to have let go of commitment issues.
Fun Factor: Johnny boy is finally out... flaunting the new girl in
his life!

 5) Mahesh Babu
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: He is one of Telugu cinema's leading actors of his generation. His debut won him several awards. As did some of his latter films, most notably Pokiri. The only film he starred in last year, Dookudu, had the Telugu film industry's largest worldwide opening.
Relationship Status: Married to former Bollywood actress Namrata Shirodkar.
DQ: He might have chocolate boy looks, but the actor is undeniably known for his powerful screen presence.

6)Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Who: Cricketer
Claim to fame: One of India's most successful cricket captains, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been a force to reckon with, mostly for his devil-may-care attitude and for his many endorsements. Whatever this Jharkand boy says or does these days makes news.
Relationship Status: Married to Sakshi Singh Rawat.
DQ: Charismatic and attractive. Girls love his rugged charm.

7)Shah Rukh Khan
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: Known by several names, most famously as King Khan, he is a force of nature in overseas markets. His RA.One and Don 2 hit box-office gold in India and worldwide. Stuff superstars are made of.
Relationship Status: Married to Gauri Khan.
DQ: A workaholic, he still finds time for his family. He's intelligent, suave and a true-blue performer.

8)Shahid Kapoor
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: Shahid is veteran actor Pankaj Kapur's son and finally saw the release of his father's directorial debut through, hiccups notwithstanding. Delivers outstanding performances.
Relationship Status: Single
DQ: The quintessential good boy. This boy has no vices, unless you count breaking hearts. He's got the six-pack and he charms the ladies with his unassuming nature. Over a million fans on Twitter. He's one of India's most eligible bachelors.

9)Imran Khan
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: Counts Aamir Khan as his maamu. Had a dream debut. A few flops followed, but Imran bounced back in due course. Last year, showed off his funny side with Delhi Belly. And Mere Brother Ki Dulhan.
Relationship Status: Married to Avantika Malik.
DQ: He's committed to his wife, dedicated to his work and he's one of the most level-headed actors we have. Pretty mature for his age.


10)Arjun Rampal
Who: Actor
Claim to fame: The former supermodel has had his fair share of ups and downs, and a slew of critics bashing him from every quarter, but has always managed to stay in the hunt. A National Award winner, he also played the title role in last year's Shah Rukh-starrer RA.One. This guy is slowly and surely heading up the ladder.
Relationship status: Married to former supermodel Mehr Jesia.
DQ: Great looks, effortlessly stylish, erudite as well!

'Agneepath' brings Hrithik back in Top-5 zone

'Agneepath' has proven to be a goldmine for those who had invested in it. The film, after a terrific first day and a heart stopping second day went on to be really stable for its next six days (it had released on Thursday), hence enjoying a bountiful extended week. With over 85 crore in its kitty, the film entered it's second weekend on a high as well, hence crossing the 100 crore mark.

Though earlier it had seemed that mixed word of mouth would hamper its progress after a very good weekend, all such fears have now been laid to rest since this Karan Johar production has numbers to speak for themselves. Now the next immediate target for the film is to cross the 'Ra.One'/'Ghajini' total of 115 crore and come close to the 120 crore milestone set by 'Ready'.

With the super-success of the film, Hrithik Roshan has now left behind the twin disappointment of 'Kites' and 'Guzaarish' that had pushed it's stocks down in 2010. With multistarrer 'Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara' last year and now a solo superhit in the form of 'Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara' this year, Hrithik has placed himself firmly into the Top-5 zone.

The film is also special for Karan Malhotra who is now the first debutant director ever to start his Bollywood sojourn with a century. As for Karan Johar, he now has yet another big success against the name of his production house and is now expectedly gung ho about his next release 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu'.

On the other hand Priyanka Chopra too sustains herself in Top-3 zone with first 'Don 2' and now 'Agneepath' scoring a century. Not to mention Sanjay Dutt who finally has a box office success to his name after a couple of inconsequential releases in the form of 'Rascals' and 'Chatur Singh Two Star'.

Don’t judge Pakistan through Veena Malik: Ali Zafar

Pakistani actress Veena Malik is controversy's favourite child but it would be unfair to judge the entire country on the basis of what she does in India, actor-singer Ali Zafar says.

"You have to understand that she's an individual and you can't judge the entire community on the basis of one person's behaviour. You shouldn't even judge Pakistan through me. The whole Pakistan is not like Ali Zafar or Veena Malik," Ali told IANS.

"And such individuals are there in very entertainment industry. In India also there are women who ride on controversies. It happens everywhere. It happens even in Hollywood," he added.

Veena came to limelight after her link up with tainted Pakistani bowler Mohammad Asif. She rose to fame in India after appearing in the fourth season of controversial reality show "Bigg Boss".

Ever since she has been making headlines for her alleged link up with her "Bigg Boss" inmate, actor Ashmit Patel, or her sudden disappearance while shooting for the Bollywood movie "Mumbai 125 kilometres".

Ali says he makes sure he doesn't do anything that gives a bad name to his country.

"I pay all my taxes. I make sure all paper work is in place and streamlined. I want to work in a manner so that I stay away from controversies," he said.

"Whatever films I do, I make sure that I don't do scenes or say dialogues or do stuff that could hurt people back home. In my capacity, I try and keep everyone happy but that's just me. Everybody has their own style of working," he added.

For Ali, being controversial is not the best method to boost one's career.

"It's unfortunate...I think one should avoid controversies as long as possible, they may help you in the short run, but I don't think those who are talented need controversies to boost their career," he said.

"It's always good to stay away so that you can work smoothly. You try to stay away from trouble for your own sake and for the sake of other people. I think anybody who comes from there (Pakistan) to here (India) should be cautious and conscious, otherwise it puts others into bad light," he added.

After making a name in his home country with his albums, Ali forayed into Bollywood with debutant director Abhishek Sharma's "Tere Bin Laden" (2010), which won him critical acclaim from all over.

He was later seen in Yash Raj's "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan" and right now he is looking forward to the release of his new Hindi film " London Paris New York", which hits the silver screen March 2.

Best actresses of 2011(BOLLY-SPICE)

5. kalki koechlin

Kalki Koechlin may be a surprise and unconventional addition to the list for some readers, but in 2011 she managed to pull off strong performances without the super celebrity tag that some of her contemporaries hold. She had quite a year with four different films, and in each she portrayed a completely different character. 2011 started off with Shaitan and her performance as Amy in the off-beat film was given great reviews. She then held her own against the boys of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara as the uptight Natasha. We also saw her starring opposite Prateik in the comedy My Friend Pinto. However, it was her outstanding performance in That Girl in Yellow Boots, which is one of the main reasons she is on our list. Our reviewer Katherine Matthews said of her performance in the film, “Her Ruth is layered, resourceful and determined, yet naive and vulnerable at her core, and Koechlin brings force and a luminous grace to her portrayal.”

 4. Kareena Kapoor

The star had a very busy year in 2011. She had two releases with Bodyguard and Ra. One, both of which were smash hits at the box office. Both characters, while central to the story, were sidelined somewhat in the more hero-driven films starring Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan respectively. While not really a big stretch for the actress, Kareena, portrayed both characters with effortless ease, energy and that indefinable screen presence that she has. We cannot wait to see her next year in the purely actress backed role of Heroine. We have a feeling she will be moving up our list for her performance in that film!

 3. Katrina Kaif

 

Her star power increased quite a bit in 2011 with great performances in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. In both films, Katrina had a new vibe and edge, which was fabulous. In Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Katrina as Laila was only a small part of the film but you remember her and her performance. As our review said, “she brought a breath of fresh air to the screen”. One of the main reasons she shines in the film is the fabulous connection Katrina had in her scenes with Hrithik. We all are really looking forward to seeing them starring opposite each other in a very romantic film soon. Her major release of 2011 was the comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan opposite Imran Khan and Ali Zafar. Kat rocked it as Dimple and played the character with great zest, fun and also a very cool edge. With both performances Katrina looked more at home in front of the camera and let herself fall into the characters so we lost Katrina and just saw Dimple and Laila. 2012 looks to be a good year again with films opposite Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Yash Chopra’s next with Shah Rukh Khan! We are excited to see what she brings us next.

2. Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra has enjoyed top positions in previous BollySpice lists, but for 2011 she finds herself in second place. Although 7 Khoon Maaf did not fare so well at the cinema complexes, it received great critical acclaim, with Priyanka being singled out for her honest performance. While working heavily for her next project, Priyanka found time to make a special appearance in the most expensive film and blockbuster hit Ra.One. She ended the year with a bang with Don 2 reprising her role as Roma. Her chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan once again blazed on screen and if there is a Don 3, we know we will be there to see what happens next. With roles in the highly anticipated films, Barfee and Agneepath we can certainly expect to see Priyanka on this list for next year.

1. Vidya Balan

 

Vidya takes the number one spot on the BollySpice list of Best Actress and none is more deserving. For some time Vidya has been loved for her honest and brave performances but has always considered herself distant from the race for the Bollyqueen crown. 2011 certainly started as the year of the Balan and finished in the same manner. After strong performances in Paa (2009) and Ishqiya (2010), it was unclear how Vidya would top her performances in 2011, but she silenced her critics as Sabrina Lall in No One Killed Jessica. BollySpice reviewer Steven Baker noted that Balan “fills the screen with fragility and a quiet emptiness” allowing the audience to follow her emotional journey from a “wounded sister” to a vocal citizen fighting for justice. She then went in a total opposite direction for the next film and took on the glamour of 80s Indian cinema forThe Dirty Picture. Like her character says in The Dirty Picture, only three things work in this business being entertainment, entertainment and entertainment and that is certainly what her character Silk offered fans. Reviewer Prateeksha Khot said that Silk is “the most courageous and outrageous character any actress has probably ever played, Vidya reinforces the fact that Ishqiya, Paa and No One Killed Jessica are not flukes.” With so many faces to one character, Vidya makes each as convincing and emotional as the last, reminding her audiences why she is an actor and not just a star. Vidya may take the top spot on this list but it is clear that this won’t be her only award for her films in 2011. Let’s hope that Vidya can lead the way for more female centric roles to take centre stage.

"Ghost" movie review

 By- Prateeksha knot

Trying to cash in on the Friday 13th legend, Bharat Shah released his horror saga Ghost this Friday. Directed by Puja Jatinder Bedi, it stars Shiney Ahuja (his first movie after the scandal) and Sayali Bhagat.

Frankly speaking, that’s all you really should know about the movie. This silly hotchpotch doesn’t even have a decent story to its credit. The writer tries to add religion, revenge, suspense and what not and fails miserably. After the beginning credits itself you realize that it was a bad move to decide to watch this movie (or maybe, like the movie says, it is Gods punishment for your sins). We have a nurse performing an item song to a doctor, we have the female lead Dr Suhani (Sayali) who appears least bothered about the murders of her colleagues and keeps on asking the investigating office (Shiney) to take a break from solving the case and have coffee. And we have the lead actor who appears to take his urgent investigation as a nine-to-five job and keeps on breaking into songs with the lady love. Lastly, the “ghost” breaks into a dance with Sandip Soparrkar in end credits…

The “horror” movie is made more interesting with the amazing performances by the lead pair. Sayali plays a doctor in the movie who seems to have only night shifts, wears short dresses to the hospital (like a viewer aptly commented, her doctor’s coat was longer than her dress) and all she seems to do is either walk along the empty corridors following the “sound” or sing songs with the male lead. Which brings us to Shiney Ahuja. Shiney does his usual what he is best at – look white and expressionless. In fact I think he would make a good Edward Cullen instead of the investigating officer cum Roadies wannabe show champ (“Shadak Chap” Seriously?). When one talks about horror movies, the visual and special effects play a very important part. The director in an interview had claimed that the special effects of this movie are at par with those of Hollywood and “Computer graphics used in the film are one of its highlights” – I have never laughed so much in my life before. Ghost has special effects which would make a Ramsay movie look rich in visuals. The ghost has a blazing nose and eyes; beyond that I really don’t need to tell you more- you get the idea. I wouldn’t even waste time in talking about the music, direction, editing, screenplay, cinematography – they are either shoddy (like the special effects) or non-existent (like the promised scares).

I seriously wanted to give this movie the benefit of doubt and checked if it was a canned movie released ages later. Apparently not. The censor board it seems cut a few scenes short as they were pretty violent. I wish they had deleted all the scenes from this movie. Not scared, but I am definitely scarred for life now.

Shilpa's dress causes international stir

While most Indian fashion designers would maintain that our traditional garment, the sari, is one of the best known Indian outfits on the international fashion scene, when a UK tabloid called an anarkali suit a sari recently, the readers took no time to show their umbrage online. On Friday, Daily Mail carried an article on Bollywood actor and ex Big Brother winner, Shilpa Shetty, making her first post pregnancy appearance. While the actor wore an off white and red anarkali suit with a duppatta, the report called the garment a sari; apparently failing to recognise the Indian outfit. ‘Shilpa Shetty’s sari shows off her baby bump’, read the headline. Soon enough, people started posting comments on the tabloid website about the faux pas.

“That’s not a sari. It’s called an Anarkali,” posted ZB from India. Another comment, posted by Zak, read, “Its Not a sari it’s a freakin anarkali dress (sic).” Indian designers feel that at a time when a global fashion giant like Hermes has come up with an exclusive sari collection and designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier have done their interpretation of the sari, such ignorance is amusing. “While sari is a garment that fascinates the west, it’s sad that not many know about it still,” says designer Ritu Kumar. Chavi Taneja, a design student in Delhi says, “Westerners may get confused between an anarkali and a churidaar, but a sari has been worn by many global celebs.” However, designer Anand Bhushan says, “Even we may not be able to tell an abaya from a burqa. So, we shouldn’t feel hurt. After all, Hermes did a whole sari collection. What bigger compliment do we need?"

highest gross earning movies of 2011

2011 emerged out as a year of records. This year four movies managed to pull beyond the billion rupee margin. Listed below are the movies that made it big at the box office this year.



Bodyguard: 

This Eid, Salman Khan smeared the big screen grooving with the hottest "Bollywood Babe" Kareena Kapoor. After Dabangg and Wanted, this is his third hit consecutively. Bodyguard was released on 31 August 2011 across 2,250 screens in 70 Indian cities and with 482 prints across the overseas territory. Bodyguard did not create the same waves in terms of monies as Khan's previous blockbusters, but it received a mega domestic opening of 22 crore on the very first day. The film set another box office record, netting 100.10 crore ($19.02 million) in its first week, thus becoming the highest opening week grossing Bollywood film. Bodyguard has grossed 229 crore ($43.51 million) worldwide, and has emerged as Bollywood's second highest-grossing film ever. It is also the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2011. 

Ra.One:

SRK takes the liberty to come up with different subject under his own production house. The Kahn went crazy to promote and market his movie. The fascinating subject and the "Chammak Challo" girl Kareena managed to pull the crowd to the theatres. With an estimated budget of 125 crore ($23.75 million),Ra.One curved out to be the second-most expensive film ever produced in Indian cinema, following Enthiran (2010). Adding to it, an estimated 52 crore ($9.88 million) was splurged on marketing through various partnerships, which set the record for the largest marketing budget in India. 10 crore ($1.9 million) were spent by Red Chillies Entertainment, while the other costs were covered by partners like McDonald's associated with the Ra.One Brand. The movie was premiered in Dubai, Toronto and London during October. The film released across 3,100 screens in India and 904 prints overseas in both 2D and 3D. Dubbed in Tamil and Telegu, it turned out to be the largest Indian cinematic release in the world. However, the film's box office performance was expressed as "average" by trade pundits. According to its distributors, Ra.One is the second highest-grossing Bollywood film worldwide. It earned 240 crore ($45.6 million) from all its versions. 

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara :

 Zindagi Na Mile Dobara (ZNMD) was shot in some of the attention-grabbing landscapes of the country. The multi-starrer movie was said to have striking resemblance to Farhan Akhtar's "Dil Chahta Hai", but Zoya was successful in gripping the audiences with focus on Love, Life, Bachelorhood and Relationships. The film had a wide release in 1800 screens and was a critical and commercial success. ZNMD grossed 152 crore ($28.88 million) net and hence became the tenth highest grossing Bollywood film according to worldwide gross collections.

The Dirty Picture:

  

  

The "OO LALA" babe Vidya Balan took everyone by surprise this year, as she portrayed the oomph and character of Silk Smithha, an actress noted for her erotic roles. After a success of 'Love, Sex and Dhoka', the ALT Entertainment tickled the masses with another niche. The movie emerged out as a Super Hit at the box office after second week. On the first day, The Dirty Picture Hindi version had grossed around 8.85 crore ($1.68 million) net, while the Telugu version had collected around 20 lakh ($38,000). By the end of the first week, the film netted a total of 50 crore ($9.5 million), in the process became the biggest opening ever for a women-oriented film in the history of Indian Cinema. It collected 11.50 crore ($2.19 million) net on its second weekend. In the international markets, the film released day-and-date in the UAE, UK, North America, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, Kenya, Tanzania, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hong Kong. Its net opening in these territories was approximately 3.5 crore ($665,000). Ekta Kapoor once again managed to flow with a gross collection of  20.32 crore at the box office in India alone. 

Ready: 

This Romantic Comedy drama of false identity set mostly in Thailand has yet again black out Salman Khan Fans. Despite of no freshness in the character as compared to Chulbul Pandey in Dabanng, the film did manage to get a domestic weekend gross of 40.5 crore. According to Komal Nahta, Ready has netted around 130 crore ($24.7 million) in India in six weeks. The film grossed 179 crore ($34.01 million) worldwide, and managed an all-India distributor share of 64.58 crore ($12.27 million), the third highest ever at the time of its release. Box office India declared it to be a Blockbuster, and it was called an All Time Blockbuster by Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama. The film held the record for the third highest grossing Bollywood film ever domestically after its theatrical run. 

Singham:

The crisp dialogue-baazi, the pompous heroism and power-packed action was what Singham was all about. Drifting from his comic role in Golmaal, Ajay Devgan burned the screen with his fiery performance. The movie started well occupying around 90 percent of single screen and 50-60 percent at the multiplexes. The film collected 35 crore ($6.65 million) in first four days and grossed an approximate of 44.2 crores in the opening weekend in India.

Murder 2:

 Bhatt camp, much known for its sensuous products came up with Murder 2 this year, banking on the great music and the kissing sensation Emraan Hashmi. The "Oomph-Oozing" Jacqueline Fernandez, an item number and the several twists in the story managed the pull of audiences. The movie had a gross collection of approximate of 35 crore in its opening weekend. Box Office India elevated the film to Blockbuster status after the second weekend. 

Delly Belly : 

 The Khans ruled the box office this year. Amir Khan, 'The Midas King', turned Delhi Belly into gold with his mere touch. Risking his movie with all new actors except Imran Khan and the language full of slangs, Amir hit the right cord of the viewers. The movie was a great hit among youngsters. Exposing the under belly of Delhi, the movie is shot in style. The film opened very well at the box office. It collected around 36 crore in first week of screening all around India and $1.6 million (7.25 crore) overseas. The film collected 55 crore net gross in India by the end of its third week, being declared a super hit. Delhi Belly grossed 92 crore worldwide. 

Rockstar: 

 "Sadda Haq" turned out as an anthem for youth as soon the music of the movie was launched. The created ripples all over. Though the movie was declared as a semi-hit, it brought along compliments for Ranbir. Rockstar saw a very good opening with good response at multiplexes with collections averaging in the 60-70 percent range, but single screens observed a lower capacity at around 30-40 percent. Rockstar collected 10 crore ($1.9 million) nett on its opening day, thus becoming the second highest opener after Ready in the non-festival season. The film grossed 67.49 crore ($12.82 million) nett. It managed to gross $1.65 million from all overseas markets, which was termed below the mark. The film collected 1,85,000 pounds in UK, $6,12,000 in North America, $1,00,000 in Australia and $3,70,000 in UAE. 

Don2: 

The most awaited and hyped movie of 2011 finally hit the theatres on Christmas. With Don 2, SRK registers his name in the list of actor as well as producer for Don 2. Don 2 had a good opening with an 80 percent occupancy levels all over India. In multiplexes occupancy stood at 80-85 percent and in single screens it stood at 70-75 percent. On the first day, the film collected 14.77 crore ($2.81 million) net from its Hindi version and 53 lakh ($100,000) net from the Tamil and Telugu versions and became the third highest opening day grosser. As of now the Hindi version has earned net total to 69.06 crore ($13.12 million). Several records were created by the movie on the opening day overseas. The film grossed $550,000 from 164 theaters in the United States and beat My Name Is Khan which opened to $445,000. In the United Kingdom the film collected $527,000 in three days from 76 theaters.

Aishwarya at Oscar 2011

Aishwarya Rai – Oscar Awards 2011. Aishwarya Rai Sizzles during 83rd Annual Academy Awards 2011. Aishwarya Rai was first time invited by Oscar committee to attend the celebs pack ceremony of Oscars awards. She looks good in shining gown at the event. She was arrived with her husband Abhishek Bachchan who was looking somewhat “dumb” and a standby. Anyway checkout Aishwarya Rai Oscars.

"CHINKI CHAMELI" oh my god what is she doing......really funny...