National Film Awards 2006 announced

Sanjay Dutt starrer 'Lagey Raho Munnabhai' which brought to fore 'Gandhigiri' by invoking the values of Mahatma Gandhi, swept the 54th National Film Awards for 2006, by winning four honours, including for best popular film.
It thus became the first Hindi film sequel to repeat the feat of winning the award as "Munnabhai MBBS" had bagged similar honour in 2003.

Veteran Bengali film actor Soumitra Chatterjee won the best actor award for the Bengali film "Podokkhep", while Tamil actress Priyamani won the best actress award for the film "Paruthi Veeran".

Madhur Bhandarkar won the best director award for his film 'Traffic Signal', while 'Khosla Ka Ghosla' won the award for the best Hindi film.

Malayalam film 'Pulijanmam' directed by Priyanandanan, won the honours for the best feature film. "Kabul Express" directed by Kabir Khan shared the honours with Madhu Kaithapuram's Malayalam film 'Ekantham', for the Indira Gandhi award for the best first film of a director.

There has been no announcement on the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema.

Announcing the winners of the 54th National Film Awards 2006, chairman of the jury for feature films, Budhhadeb Dasgupta told reporters here that 'Lagey Raho Munnabhai' won awards for other categories like best lyrics (Swanand Kirkire), best screenplay (Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi), and best supporting actor (Dilip Prabhavalkar, who portrayed Mahatma Gandhi in the film).

Incidentally it was a double bonanza for Prabhavalkar, who also won the award for best supporting actor award for Marathi film 'Shevri'. He had played a benign middle class clerk in Shevri and the award was given to him for portraying two diverse and equally challenging characters. PTI

Katrina sexiest in the world :Poll

It's said that if angels had a language, it would definitely be sweet music. Its not that we disagree, it's just that we would want to enhance the same by saying 'If Angels had a face, then, it would resemble the sensuously angelic beauty, Katrina Kaif'.

And to gauge her beauty in terms of the 'Beauty-meter' would be questioning God's most beautiful creation. However, FHM India, the leading men's magazine, went ahead and did a poll all across to find out the 100 Sexiest Women in the World! And yes, the Katrina Kaif bagged the highest number of votes. She is the Sexiest Woman Alive!

The finalists included the likes of Hollywood superstars Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson, singers Rihanna and Madonna, Bollywood superstars like Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Bipasha Basu, supermodels like Adriana Lima and Gisele Bundchen, amongst several other sexy and successful women in the world. The Global Winner was Transformers star Megan Fox who came second in the poll, while the vivacious Kareena Kapoor was third closely followed by the beautiful Deepika Padukone and sexy Bipasha Basu in the fourth and fifth slot.

"I think it's a nice thing that people have taken the time out to vote for me as FHM's Sexiest Woman in the World, and that's what makes this really special to me," said Katrina Kaif. "This poll is something you have to smile about - it's fun, it's sweet - and I'm really happy to have won this."

Indeed, she is the Sexiest Woman alive!

Abhi-Ash offer cold shoulder to new boy Harman at IIFA

Harman Baweja's debut film Love Story 2050 has yet to hit the marquee. But the newbie has already begun getting negative vibes from industry folk including power couple AbhiAsh, no less! This was evident at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Bangkok.

Says a source, "Harman and ladylove Priyanka Chopra signing a prestigious film like Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Raashee? hasn't gone down well with several industry folk. They are trying to find out how Harman clinched the deal. They want to know if his dad Harry Baweja had anything to do with it."

Adds the source, "It is learnt that even Abhishek is upset. After Jodhaa Akbar, Ash was hoping to sign Ashutosh's next. On the Miami sets of Karan Johar's Dostana, Abhishek, Ash and Priyanka were together but there was no bonding between the Bachchan couple and Priyanka, who incidentally, was given the name Piggy Chops by Abhishek!"

Continues the insider, "Though several stars including Miss Thailand Khun Farung Yuthithum and others walked the ramp at the IIFA 2008 fashion extravaganza on Friday, the night ended on a sour note due to the childish behaviour of the Bachchans."

Priyanka and Harman were show stoppers for Rohit Bal and walked in their Love Story 2050 costumes. "The moment Harman and Priyanka walked on stage Abhishek whispered something to Ash which triggered off a bout of giggles from her.

Ash and Abhi kept laughing, giggling whispering and pointing to the Love Story 2050 couple. The senior Bachchans were seated ahead. Hearing their giggles, Jaya had to turn around and ask what was so funny. Both Jaya and Amitabh realised that Priyanka was feeling uncomfortable," says the insider. A source close to Harman says, "Both Priyanka and Harman couldn't figure out what was so funny. They are very upset about Abhishek and Aishwarya laughing at them."

IIFA Awards

Best Actor
Shahrukh Khan - Chak De India

Best Actress
Kareena Kapoor- Jab We Met

Best Film
Chak De India

Best Director
Shimit Amin - Chak De India

Performance in a Supporting Role (Male)
Irrfan Khan - Life In A... Metro

Performance in a Supporting Role (Female)
Konkona Sen Sharma - Life In A... Metro

Performance in a Comic Role
Govinda - Partner

Performance in a Negative Role
Vivek Oberoi - Shootout At Lokhandwala

Music Director
A.R. Rahman - Barso Re Barso Re (Guru)

Best Story
Jaideep Sahni - Chak De India

Lyrics
Javed Akhtar - Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)

Playback Singer (Male)
Shaan - Jabse Tere Naina (Saawariya)

Playback Singer (Female)
Shreya Ghoshal - Barso Re (Guru)

IIFA SPECIAL AWARDS
Shyam Benegal won the special honours Mumtaz, a popular star of the yesteryears, was also named for the IIFA special honour Akshay Kumar bagged the special award from the host country, Thailand.

STYLE IDEA AWARDS
Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh were also awarded special awards

Photos : The ten avatars of Kamal

Photos : Dasavatharam Music Launch

1.Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi's speech

2.Awesome Threesome (Mallika, Hema Malini and Jayaprada)

3. Superstars( Mammootty and Vijay)

Jackie Chan is reported to have said "WOW" after seeing a preview of the movie

Heroines of the movie (Asin and Mallika Sherawat)

Borat

Borat Sagdiyev (played by Sacha Baron Cohen), a popular Kazakh television personality, leaves his homeland for the "Greatest Country in the World," the "US and A" to make a documentary film at the behest of the fictitious Kazakh Ministry of Information. He leaves behind his mother, his wife, Oxana, and the town rapist, and brings along his producer Azamat Bagatov (played by Ken Davitian), and his pet chicken, Buh-Kaw. Much of the movie features unscripted vignettes of Borat interviewing and interacting with Americans, who believe he is a foreigner with no understanding of American customs.

While in New York, he sees an episode of Baywatch on television and immediately falls in love with Pamela Anderson. While interviewing a panel of feminists, he learns her name and that she lives in California. Informed via telegram that, much to his delight, his violent wife has been molested and killed by a bear, he resolves to go to California to make Anderson his new wife. Borat and Azamat were supposed to remain in New York, but Borat justifies the trip by telling his skeptical producer that "Pearl Harbor is there. So is Texas." Because Azamat is afraid of a repetition of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which he believes were the work of the Jews, he will not fly, so Borat takes driving lessons and buys a dilapidated ice-cream truck for the journey.

During the cross-country trip, Borat acquires a Baywatch television show booklet at a yard sale, and continues gathering footage for his documentary. He meets gay pride parade participants, politicians (including Alan Keyes and Bob Barr) and African American youths playing cee-lo. He is also interviewed on live television and proceeds to disrupt the weather report. Visiting a rodeo, the reporter, after first exciting the crowd with jingoistic, pro-U.S. remarks, sings a fictional Kazakhstan national anthem to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner", which receives a strong negative reaction. Staying at a bed-and-breakfast, Borat and his producer are stunned to learn their hosts are Jewish. Fearful of death ("or worse") at the hands of their hosts, the two "escape" after throwing money toward cockroaches, believing they are their Jewish hosts self-transformed. While Azamat advises a return to New York (where, he believes, "at least there are no Jews"), Borat attempts to purchase a handgun to defend himself against Jews. When told he cannot buy a gun because he is not an American citizen, Borat purchases a bear (which he names after his late wife) for protection.

Borat later attends a private dinner at an eating club in the South, at which he (unintentionally) insults or otherwise offends the other guests, and visits an antique shop with a display of Confederate heritage items, breaking glass and crockery.

The journey is interrupted when Borat, just out of the bathtub, exits the bathroom of his hotel room and sees Azamat masturbating over a picture of Pamela Anderson in the Baywatch book. Borat becomes enraged and reveals that to get Pamela Anderson was his real motive for travelling to California. Azamat becomes livid at Borat's deception, and the situation escalates into a fully nude brawl, with what have been described as homoerotic undertones,^[5] which spills out into the hallway, a crowded elevator, and ultimately into a packed ballroom filled with mortgage brokers at a convention. The two are finally separated by security guards.

As a result, Azamat abandons Borat, taking his passport, all of their money, and their bear, whose head is later seen inside Azamat's motel refrigerator. Borat begins to hitchhike to California, but is soon picked up by Anthony, Justin, and David, drunken fraternity brothers from the University of South Carolina. On learning the reason for his trip, they show him the Pam and Tommy sex video, revealing that she is not the virgin he thought she was. After leaving the three students, Borat becomes despondent, burning the Baywatch booklet and, by mistake, his return ticket to Kazakhstan. He regains his faith after attending a United Pentecostal camp meeting, at which Republican U.S. Representative Chip Pickering and Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice James W. Smith, Jr. are present. He learns to forgive Azamat and Pamela. He accompanies church members on a bus to Los Angeles and disembarks to find Azamat dressed as Oliver Hardy (though Borat thinks that he is dressed as Adolf Hitler). The two reconcile and Azamat tells Borat where to find Pamela Anderson.

Borat finally comes face-to-face with Anderson at a book signing at a Virgin Megastore. After showing Anderson his "traditional marriage sack," Borat pursues her throughout the store in an attempt to abduct her until he is tackled and handcuffed by security guards. Afterwards, Borat seeks out and marries a prostitute named Luenell, whom he had befriended earlier in the film, and returns to Kazakhstan with her. The final scene shows the changes that Borat's observations in America have brought to his village, including the apparent conversion of the people to Christianity (the Kazakh version of which includes crucifixion of Jews) and the introduction of computer-based technology, such as iPods, laptop computers and a high-definition, LCD television.