Rani Mukherjee has apologized to the media for the scuffle that broke out in Varanasi between her bodyguards and journalists on Monday. The incident took place while Rani was shooting for her film Chudiyan under the banner of Yashraj productions.  "On behalf of my production, I am apologizing to the media if some misbehavior has happened with the press. We will also want the press to apologize because if they have misbehaved then they should not be reluctant to say sorry," Rani said.  All her responses to media questions were heavily laced with sarcasm and made with a haughty and disdainful demeanor, leaving one wondering what she was trying to achieve through the press conference.

Diya Mirza says she was very unhappy as a child as she suffered from low self-esteem. Her parents had to teach her self-respect, Mirza, a beauty queen and model turned actress, said in an interview with The Times of India on Tuesday.  “I hated everything about myself, my looks, my hair, even my name,” she said.  “I always looked for approval from my peer group and, in return, was treated like a doormat,” she said. Mirza said her parents instilled confidence in her own abilities and encouraged her to be independent and self-sufficient.

The Big B announced this year's International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in the House Of Commons in Yorkshire. Jet-lagged but all set to shoot for Sholay the next morning the Big B takes time off to talk about the Yorkshire experience. "The host country offered me a state honor. Yorkshire has five counties and mayors of each county, the sheriff and all the ministers were present at the presentation ceremony. They booked a special train for me to travel from London to Leeds. When I arrived at the station I was given a red-carpet welcome with the Mayor and his wife there to receive me  while a brass band played."

An ardent fan of Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor is set to organize a cricket tournament named after her. The tournament, organized by 22-year-old Hayatulla Khan, is to be held sometime soon in Kotda village, near Delhi. As many as 16 teams from different rural areas are likely to participate in the cricketing event. Khan, who is a tailor, is known in his neighborhood for his fondness for Kareena. The walls in his house are covered with posters and photographs of the actress. According to his friends, Khan liked Kareena after seeing her first film "Refugee". "I like Kareena's eyes the most. I also like the way she dresses and carries herself," said Khan.

It has been reported lately that everyone had a glimpse of the other side of the normally reticent and reclusive star Akshaye Khanna.  While on a photo shoot, Akshaye just took off on a speedboat in the chopping waves of the sea, leaving everyone stunned.  And the latest is that Akshaye is on a lookout for seaside properties in Goa and Mandwa. He wants to buy a major estate adjoining the sea so that he can surf the high sea.  Presently Akshaye is on a month and a half shooting stint in Dubai.

Mumbai, Donning the garb of a girl was a big challenge for actor Riteish Deshmukh in his recently released film "Apna Sapna Money Money". Rishi Kapoor did it in "Raffoo Chakkar" many years ago. Kamal Haasan did a spectacular job of it in "Chachi 420" more recently. "I can't even begin to compare myself with those two. They were absolutely brilliant. But yes, I'm in drag for most of 'Apna Sapna Money Money'. And it felt weird," said Riteish

Vivah will be the first bollywood movie to premiere online. Rajshri Media (P) Limited, the digital media and entertainment arm of the Rajshri group, launches rajshri.com, a broadband entertainment destination online for premium Indian video content. In an unprecedented move, rajshri.com premieres Sooraj R. Barjatya’s eagerly awaited movie Vivah online, day and date with its worldwide theatrical release. The online premiere is aimed predominantly at the growing number of international consumers for Bollywood entertainment, who are both broadband enabled and technology savvy.  Three versions of Vivah are be available on rajshri.com which started on November 10, 2006: original theatrical version in Hindi, theatrical version in Hindi with English subtitles and its Telugu version, Parinayam. Consumers will be offered options to stream the movie on their PCs or download the movie with a limited 72-hour license.

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