Bollywood’s International Khiladi Akshay Kumar has gone international alright. The actor who is the brand ambassador for the from India for the Special Olympics World Winter Games for the past three years has been made the torchbearer of the prestigious the 2010 Winter Olympic Games at Vancouver in Canada. The actor is over the moon to have been chosen for such an honorable position flagging off the most revered sportsmanship event in the world.

This news comes right after Akshay was bestowed with the Katana — a high Japanese honour in Karate, only to be presented with the torch by Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper in Mumbai on November 16. Akki is also a Canadian citizen and has hailed Canada as one of his most favourite places in the world. A source close to the event adds, ‘Akshay will fly to Canada for the games which are held from January 30 to February 14, 2010. At a high power and exclusive lunch for 50 CEOs of prominent tourism companies, the Canadian PM will introduce Akshay as the sole torch bearer from India for the Olympics.The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) will bring the Olympic Torch to the luncheon.’ This is also the first time an exception is being made and the Olympic Torch will be presented to an actor and not a sportsperson.

The source further adds, ‘A sitting head of the state invites someone from another nation to represent their country. This is a very huge honour for Akshay and he rightly deserves it.’ Also our very own Indian skiers Tashi Lundup and Jamyang Namgial have qualified for the Winter Olympics.

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Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq, which earlier this year rocked the B.O. with a bumper opening, has now bagged yet another prestigious honour. The film, which recently won an award for ‘Best Locations’, has been invited by the Library of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences to be a part of its permanent Core Collection.

The screenplay of the film will be part of the Library of Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences and made accessible for research purposes only to students, filmmakers, writers, actors and other regular patrons of the Library.

It may be recalled that Kambakkht Ishq was even shot at the prestigious Kodak Theatre where the Academy awards are held each year. Now having bagged this honour, the makers of Kambakkht Ishq (namely producer Sajid Nadiadwala and director Sabbir Khan) would surely be thrilled to bits with this piece of good news.

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This is a story that Akshay Kumar really doesn’t want to be told. But in times when cameras arrive at the place of charity before the star’s charitable act, the star’s quiet act of generosity is somewhat touching.

A few days after the release of Blue the film’s director who openly hero-worships Akshay Kumar, was traveling with the star when suddenly Akshay stopped the car, pulled out a wads of thick currency notes and gently handed it over to Tony who was understandably stunned.

“This is for all the spotboys in Blue. Please divide it among them as a Diwali bonus. Blue couldn’t have happened without them, ” Akshay told Tony.

Says the director, “It was 2.5 lakh rupees and I quietly distributed it among the 18 spotboys of Blue. I kept quiet about it because Akshay asked me to. But now when you ask about it, I’ve to admit such largesse is rare in our film industry.”

In a way the director is right. Who pulls out wads of currency notes in this day and age of credit cards?

Says Tony, ‘You’ve to look at it from the point of view of the spot boys who are the most neglected breed in Bollywood.No one looks their way let alone reward their hard work. You had to see the glint in their eyes when they received Akshay’s gift. I’ve now become a bigger fan of Akshay Kumar.”

Akshay now intends to hold a special screening of Blue for all the family and friends of the spotboys.

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Kareena said, ‘I am looking forward to doing roles that I connect with. Kurbaan, for instance, has a socio-political theme and is about what is happening in the world today. It is relevant and I connected with it.’

When asked about the kind of roles she wants to do, she replied, ‘I want to work with off-beat directors like Sudhir Mishra, Rajkumar Gupta and Dibakar Banerjee but my role has to be meaty. I don’t want to be just a beautiful and glamourous doll. I don’t have to do a small role in an offbeat film just to prove I can act. I am looking for a serious challenge and a title role in an offbeat film, like I have had in Chameli, Omkara and Dev.’

And Kurbaan and 3 Idiots were challenging in different ways. ‘They will take me beyond whatever I have done and achieved so far.’

She is currently absorbed in KJo’s remake of Stepmom. ‘This is an important and challenging role for me because I am sharing space with Kajol, who is a spectacular actress. I have to make sure my performance is up to the mark. I also have the responsibility of essaying Julia Roberts’ character to perfection, which is why I attended some acting workshops. My character is a contemporary and urban girl. I am so absorbed in this movie that I haven’t got time to think about anything else, not even Saif’s Agent Vinod, which is like an in-house film for me.’

Main aurr Mrs. Khanna has proved to be a debacle. When asked about it, she said, ‘I did the film for emotional reasons. Karisma and Salman have been buddies and co-stars. She asked me to do it and I couldn’t say no.’

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It’s final now! Veteran actor Rajesh Khanna, who recently won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the IIFA Awards 2009, will soon be entering the Bigg Boss 3 house as a wild card entry within the next two weeks.

Apparently, TV channel Colors had approached the actor before the show began. But Khanna agreed to be a part of the show on condition that he be allowed to drink inside the House. But things have changed now.

With Kamaal R Khan’s inglorious booting-out on Wednesday, the channel is once again negotiating with Rajesh Khanna. This time Rajesh Khanna says he’s willing to give up on his hard drinks till he is inside the house because, apparently, he finds the friction, tension and drama on theshow far more intoxicating than the drinks.

“We’ve opened up negotiations with Mr Khanna and he has agreed to be on the show. We will be introducing him in the show as a wildcard entry in the next two weeks,” adds the source.

Rumour has it that Khanna will be paid the highest amount ever given to a contestant on the show. While the actor is more than happy about his inclusion, it is believed that his son-in-law, Akshay Kumar is fuming with Pa-in-law’s choice, as he doesn’t want Khanna to make his life public.

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Wills Lifestyle, ITC’s premium fashion brand, today announced that actress Gul Panag will be the ‘Twitter Face’ at the forthcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, India’s foremost fashion and trade event.

Wills Lifestyle has initiated this association with the critically acclaimed actress to explore the platform of new age media to engage with the patrons of WIFW in an interesting fashion. For the very first time in the world, a celebrity will tweet directly from the event venue on the on-goings of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. It is an effort taken towards striking an instant connect with their patrons and followers of the fashion week. Recognizing the growing popularity of Twitter in India and especially of Gul Panag on this platform, Wills Lifestyle decided to take on board Gul Panag as the ‘Twitter Face’ to cover the event for this medium.

Gul Panag will be present at the venue on all five action-packed days to review the shows and tweet on the daily dose of fashion week news. She will connect with her followers and share her views on the ramp shows, upload pictures of the event and respond to tweets. All Tweeters can now follow Gul Panag’s page and get live updates from the event itself! They also stand to win invites to the event by following her updates.

Atul Chand, Divisional Chief Executive – ITC’s Lifestyle Retailing Business Divison, said, “This season we are delighted to associate with Gul Panag to be the Twitter face of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. Gul Panag is a regular on twitter and enjoys a lot of support and fan following on the website. Through this association we will be able to reach out to a large fan following on Twitter and create excitement around WIFW.”

Speaking on this association, Gul Panag said “I am proud to be associated with Wills Lifestyle in this unique way. I promise to bring to my fans and followers regular updates from the venue and to give them a glimpse of the fashion’s grandest celebration, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. Watch-out for my tweets as you stand to win a chance to get invited to the event.”

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