Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai starrer 'Guzaarish' - meaning 'request' in English - is set for a Peru release in February this year, as Bollywood looks towards newer markets.  'Guzaarish' deals with the serious subject of euthanasia and received a four out of five star review from newspaper The Times of India, which called it, "one of the most unusual love stories of recent times".

The fact that the film has already won recognition in markets outside of India, including in France, gives UTV Motion Pictures reason to be hopeful about its reception in Latin America.  "Latin America as a new market is a focus for us. The Indian population is limited in Peru, which makes it even more significant an achievement to have managed a release for the film there. We're looking forward to the Guzaarish release in Peru," Fox News quoted Amrita Pandey, Senior Vice President of International Distribution and Syndication at UTV Motion Pictures as saying.
 
Apart from 'Guzaarish', trailers of the upcoming Bollywood flick 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' have been translated to Spanish and will also be coming soon to theatres in Peru.  'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' - meaning, 'You and I' in English - is a romantic comedy starring Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Its plot has been compared by some to the American film, 'What Happens in Vegas' and the Mexican film, 'Recien Cazado'.
 
Although it is difficult to predict the success of such ventures, it seems that traditional Bollywood films, known for their dramatic and romantic themes which can often times come across as a little cheesy would do quite well with Spanish-speaking audiences; after all, this also describes an already well-loved Latin American phenomenon - the telenovela.
 
Bollywood films have enjoyed a global following in the diasporic South Asian community for generations, but it's only been in the past decade that these films have benefited from considerable attention by Anglo-American and other non-Hindi speaking audiences, as evidenced by the success of such recent films as 'My Name is Khan' and '3 Idiots'.

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Guess who took it upon herself to welcome the Prime Minister on Twitter? Poonam Pandey — not nude but in a bikini this time. The PM, who joined the microblog on Monday, was in for a more-than-warm welcome from the 19-year-old model who is infamous for her stripping antics. Pandey tweeted a picture in a white bikini on Tuesday and wrote, “I Heard @PMOIndia is on Twitter, does he Knows that @iPoonampandey is on Twitter too .. so a Welcoming Pic (sic).”

When asked about her little ‘gift’, she said, “I got to know he is on Twitter. I keep tweeting pictures for my followers so I thought, why not one for him!” She says she is awaiting his reply: “He has not replied yet. If he does, I will tweet another photo for him.”

Why welcome him with a semi-clad photo? “He is a big personality. At least someone should welcome him. I’m lucky that I’m the one who did it. I hope he follows me. For those who didn’t like the gesture, I do what I do. Let people talk.”

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Though Priyanka Chopra has always been in the news but this time she was for there for the wrong reasons. The recent news about her being spotted at wee hours with Shah Rukh Khan outside his office created a stir in industry circles. This news pained Shah Rukh’s wife Gauri too. In fact, she had been there for the rehearsal of Zee Awards function as she would be co-hosting it with Shah Rukh at Macau on Jan 21st. But, the rumors have led to Shah Rukh keeping a distance from Priyanka for the sake of his family life. His is bad for Priyanka too as she is already at a big distance from the other Khan - Salman – since the days of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Khanna’. You may recall that such rumors had adversely affected the family lives of several male stars.

Twinkle had warned hubby Akshay Kumar against working with Priyanka Chopra after rumors of an affair on the sets of ‘Aitraaz’ surfaced, Mahima Chaudhary and Suniel Shetty didn't work together at the behest of Mana Shetty, Hrithik and Kareena Kapoor have stayed away from each other because of Susanne Roshan. Anyway, Priyanka Chopra is in Macau for the Zee Cine Awards, but she is also looking forward to chalk out some family time for her parents too. She twittered: "Ferrying to Macau...The ocean calms me...I`m so excited my parents are coming...dad going to hang out with me after so long... Priorities for this trip...family time...shoot for a commercial today and rehearsal tonight! And that`s just today".
 

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Veteran music composer Pyarelal of composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal and actor Aruna Irani will be conferred the lifetime achievement award at the 57th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012, reveals megastar Amitabh Bachchan. "Filmfare wishes to acknowledge two personalities that have contributed greatly to our industry and they talk to me about them because I shall not be able to be at the function," Amitabh wrote on his blog bigb.bigadda.

"It is a lifetime achievement award for the music duo and the masters in their craft Laxmikant Pyarelal - Laxmi ji we have sadly lost. The other is for my very first leading lady Aruna Irani, a fine and most accomplished artist in any field of performance, one that began her career in the most humble beginnings and worked her way up to glory and fame. So proud of them all and the fact that they be honored thus," he added.

The legendary music duo of Laxmikant-Pyarelal created some soulful songs like Chahunga Main Tujhe, Sawan Ka Mahina, Yeh Jeevan Hai and Paisa Ye Paisa. Aruna was cast opposite Amitabh in the 1972 film Bombay To Goa as the leading lady. Later, Aruna played supporting roles in many of his films like Roti, Kapada Aur Makaan, Yaarana and Shahenshah. The award function will be held Jan 29 at Film City, Goregaon.

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New Year Started and its time to see our favorites girls on the calendar for the year. Dabboo Ratnani, who is known to come out with calendar every year has already finished the shoot and final stills are awaited, till then see the sneak peek into what Priyanka Chopra look in the upcoming calendar.

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It seems superstar Shahrukh Khan has been sandwitched between the two ladies's fight. Gauri Khan who reportedly has been very upset with her husband Shahrukh's rumoured affair wife Priyanka Chopra, yet again gives a royal ignore to the actress.

It all happened at the venue of Zee Cine Awards 2012. If reports are to be believed, when Gauri walked up to the stage to say 'hello' to choreographer Shiamak Davar, PC rushed to Gauri to greet her. But unexpectedly Gauri ignored her and did not reciprocate the gesture.

Oops, though that was an obvious feedback from Gauri, but it was definitely an insult for Priyanka. So is Gauri upset with her hubby's 3 am episode with Priyanka?

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If you want to look right, you have to learn to love your body, says model-turned-Bollywood item girl Yana Gupta who is also a budding non-fiction writer.

"Love yourself unconditionally. If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see, you don't start it... It all starts with the love, energy and the relaxation that comes into your life with loving yourself," Yana told IANS at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Glowing after her battle to get the right body and inner calm, she lent a touch of glamour to the literature gala where she dropped in to promote her book, "How to Love Your Body and Have the Body You Love" - a fitness guide book published by Penguin India.

The Mumbai-based Yana points to three simple ways to freedom from body blues. "Eat small portions of healthy food and eat often, be comfortable with yourself and learn to love yourself. Clothes can be the creative expression of yourself... It can make you feel this is me and gives you room to be more creative," the fitness diva said.

Her book is the story of her life - a recall of her victory over the demons in her head that got to her body. She tried every diet and fitness regime that could get her back to shape.

But the fear tore at her psyche till she found love within herself and balance. "I was human as anyone else and there was something about myself that was stopping me from being happy," Yana said. She writes of her experience with eating disorders to prescribe healthy eating habits, best nutrition and right workouts to young Indians on the move.

"I had a complicated relationship with food. I was trying to look the way they wanted me to. Lot of women in this country are under the same pressure to look a particular way," she said. The self-help tips in the media can force "women to be harsh on their body... and they go on trying to get the right look".

Yana said she wanted to bust a few myths about the perfect body and fitness. "I was supposed to have the perfect body... but I never really saw myself as perfect. It is not about kilos... healthy diets make you feel different," she said.

Yana, of Czech origin, cooks her own meals. "I use the steaming method to cook and carry food with me all the time - even on flights. I recommend certain ways to cook in my book."Yana's book explores alternatives too - like how to make the best out of 'dabba' meals so common in cities like Mumbai.

"But there is so much freedom in how you are and accepting it. I feel this is an issue for women... they have to appreciate themselves for how they look like," she said. Yana is working on another book -- "a non-fiction about relationships".

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The mystery girl behind the wet white sheet in the "Jism 2" poster has finally been unveiled. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt confirmed Thursday that the leading lady of the movie is Indian Canadian porn star Sunny Leone.

"Sunny Leone is the heroine of Pooja Bhatt's 'JISM 2'. Now watch this brave girl unfold her soul and rise higher and higher," Bhatt wrote on his Twitter page. Leone came to the limelight in India with her stint in the fifth season of controversial reality show "Bigg Boss". She was offered a role in the movie when Bhatt entered the show briefly to meet her. But the nature of her role was kept under wraps so far.

Leone is upbeat about bagging the lead role. "Hey everyone! So excited to be working on 'JISM 2'. Remember to follow @jism2 to get all the movie news first," Sunny, whose real name is Karen Malhotra, tweeted.

While Sunny plays the female lead, the film will have two male protagonists and Bhatt's actress-turned-filmmaker daughter Pooja, the producer of "Jism 2" is in a dilemma over whom to sign. "While my dream that is #JISM2 comes closer to realization with @sunnyleone my nightmare with regards to casting my two leading men begins," Pooja posted.

"Finding one 'man' in this business is tough enough and we need to cast two in #JISM2! I suspect strongly that it is masochism that drives me," she added. Sunny's entry into the "Bigg Boss 5" created a quite a stir, with the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) reportedly asking the Colors channel to ensure that Leone does not use the show to her advantage.

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The edit room of Dharma Productions, located in suburban Mumbai, is a chaotic place as journalists wait for Sanjay Dutt to arrive. When he does, his towering presence in that crammed room brings a pause to the conversations.

In this interview with Ankur Pathak, Dutt talks about playing a villain in Karan Johar's upcoming revenge drama Agneepath, how he is way past the stage where films help him grow as a person, and also why he would never allow his daughter to make a career in the movies. The antagonist of Agneepath has risen to heroic fame. Tell us about the Voldemort-like Kancha Cheena.

He's a kind of villain never seen in Indian cinema. I have been in this industry for over 30 years and have come across all kinds of villains. They are all somewhat alike. They enter in one scene looking menacing but eventually, get bashed up by the hero. What sort of villain is that?

Kancha Cheena is a very unpredictable character. He has interpreted the Bhagwad Gita in a weird way of his own. All his decisions and moves are directly or indirectly influenced by that holy book. He is a very complex character who is exceedingly difficult to process. It's a brilliantly written character.

If you look at any Hollywood superhero films, their baddies are just too powerful. In fact, they are so overbearing, the good guy gets the beating almost throughout the film.  In fact, I see a lot of parallels between Kancha and The Joker from The Dark Knight. It's great that both Karan Johar (the producer) and Karan Malhotra (the director) have come up with a negative character that is so larger-than-life that defeating him towards the end makes the hero worthy of the title.

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Bipasha Basu's song titled by her name is creating a lot of buzz. Not because it's from her upcoming film Jodi Breakers, also starring R Madhavan, but parts of the number bear an uncanny resemblance to international hit Beautiful Liar, featuring Beyonce and Shakira.

However, music director Salim Merchant of Salim-Sulaiman fame defends the track. "I don't really know which song you are talking about, but what we have created is an original number. We make sure none of our music sounds similar to anyone else's. Even if it sounds similar, it will never be entirely the same," he told Mid Day, adding that the whole song should be heard first.

Bipasha is excited about the song. "If we have a certain name in films or songs, they become very popular. So, I was known as Billo for the longest time. Over the years, a lot of filmmakers asked if they could name my character Bipasha or make a song with the name in it, but I have always been apprehensive about it," she told HT Cafe.

"Salim-Sulaiman first made the composition and presented it to me. I really love their works. And I made my manager, family members and friends listen to it, and everyone simply loved it," she added. Choreographed by Bosco-Ceaser, Bips also worked on her styling in the song. She said, "My stylist Shyamalee and I worked on it because I work on my looks myself."On being asked about the Beyonce number, however, she told Mid Day: "Oh really? I didn't know that."Now, the high-flier that Bipasha is, it does seem a bit hard to digest that she hasn't heard one of the most sensational international songs ever made.

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