'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqui gets 7 years in jail for rape of US lady!

Mahmood Farooqui, the co-director of the much-admired movie Peepli Live has been found guilty of rape and been sentenced to seven years in jail. He was also ordered to pay to pay a fine of Rs 50,000.

Mr Farooqui was charged with the rape of a 35-year-old woman from Columbia University who was in India for research work for her doctoral thesis. The lady in question is said to be an American national.

Farooqui, who also specializes in the art of Urdu storytelling called Dastangoi, was on July 30 convicted of raping the American woman at his Sukhdev Vihar residence last year. The filmmaker, who at the time of the conviction was out on bail, was taken into custody soon after the court found him guilty.

The crime dates back to March 28, 2015, when Mr Farooqui invited the victim for dinner at his house.

As per news, the lady in question reached the director's house at 9 pm on that date and found him very intoxicated. He asked her to go to his office in the other room. He is said to have later forced himself on her.

Seemingly, during the trial, the American researcher stood by her complaint and reiterated that Mr Farooqui raped her. He is said to have denied the charge and claimed that he was falsely implicated.

Tiger Shroff and Jacqueline Fernandez launch song 'Beat Pe Booty'!

For the third song of the movie, it was a well informed decision taken by the makers of A Flying Jatt to fly across the Jatt [Tiger Shroff] and his love interest [Jacqueline Fernandez] to three different cities in a single day to launch it.

Fascinatingly titled Beat Pe Booty, the song featuring Tiger and Jacqueline is hyped to be one of the major highlights of the superhero action comedy. Later, when it came to making all the right noises around the song, it was felt that a multi-city tour would rightly facilitate its 'Live' launch.

The selected cities? Ahmedabad, Surat and Mumbai.

"Typically, the songs are either launched online or an event is held in a major city like Mumbai or Delhi. It is unheard of to have a launch across three cities and that too in a single day with the lead pair. Tiger and Jacqueline were totally game for it," reveals our source from Balaji.

Since 'Beat Pe Booty' is being pitched as the 'Club Song of the Year', Tiger, Jacqueline and Remo are not just presenting the audio-visuals of the song, but are also dancing along in front of the live viewers and entertaining them. It won't be long before the song is also unveiled online and it would be interesting to see what the team has to offer after a melodic Toota Jo Kabhi Taara, which was launched recently.

Big B gets 24 million likes on Facebook outstanding SRK, Akshay and Aamir!

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who uses social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with his admirers, has now crossed 24 million followers on his Facebook page, managing to beat Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar!

Taking to his Facebook page, the Big B posted, ''AND the BIG news .. !! 24 million followers on FaceBook ... thank you all for this .. such a long and trusted journey .. may we continue in this vein even further ..Anek anek dhanyavaad .. 24 million ho gaye FB pe .. ye aap sab ka pyaar aur aashirwaad hai jo mujhe yahan tak le aaya ..''

Shah Rukh Khan has close to 20 million followers, while Aamir Khan only has 15 million and Akshay Kumar has over 20 million followers.

Actress Sunny Leone sizzles in a calendar for a condom brand!

Dabboo Ratnani, who is one of the most sought after professional photographer in India, lately shot a calendar for a condom brand, whose ambassador is the sultry Sunny Leone.

Dabboo released three images of the adult sensation, from the calendar and she is looking smoldering in them. Dabboo's newest muse is seen wearing bikinis in the pictures, which have been shot at numerous exotic locations.

Shilpa Shetty to act in an inspirational TV series?

Beautiful actress Shilpa Shetty, who had hosted reality show Bigg Boss in 2008 and has also judged a few dance reality shows, will now be a part of a TV series, we overhear.

A source close to Shilpa told, ''The show will have 20-22 episodes, something like Anil Kapoor's ongoing TV series.'' Apparently, a Mumbai-based production house thought Shilpa was perfect for the show. ''It is based on real-life incidents and will feature inspirational stories,'' disclosed the source, adding that the actor is yet to go through the script and take a call. ''She has been busy with her brand endorsements, entrepreneurial ventures and fitness-related projects,'' further added the source.

When communicated, Shilpa tells that while she doesn't mind taking on a show with limited episodes, long-running daily soaps are a no-no. ''Though I admire the dedication of TV actors [in such shows], I don't have the time for daily soaps. TV needs a lot of time and energy,'' she reveals.

SRK and Big B are thrilled as GST Bill gets cleared!

The Goods And Service Tax bill got passed on Wednesday, when 203 MPs in Rajya Sabha voted in favour of it. GST - a single national tax that replaces a complex mesh of indirect taxes, is expected to roll out by April 2017.

GST has been trending since yesterday and even Bollywood celebrities are excited now that it has been cleared. Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan tweeted their delight after the bill got passed but, they did mention that they don’t understand it much.

Big B posted, ''GST Bill.. debated for long, finally passed .. have no idea what it means ..!! Everyone excited...''

SRK wrote, ''Notwithstanding my limited knowledge of Financial stuff, the #GSTBill is an awesome advancement for our country’s potential. Congrats to us.''

Shahid Kapoor is now Deepika's husband in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati!

The makers of Padmavati were having a hard time finding a husband for their leading lady Deepika Padukone but, now it seems that their casting woes have finally come to an end.

If news are to believed, then Sanjay Leela Bhansali has roped in Shahid Kapoor to play the role of Padmavati's husband, King of Chittor, Raja Rawal Ratan Singh. We overhear that Sanjay Leela Bhansali had to make the character stronger and also offer a fat paycheck to Shahid to make him come on board.

Previously, names of actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Fawad Khan were also doing the rounds, for the role but, things didn't work out. Shahid we hear has already started working on his physique and is also growing his beard, to get into the skin of his character.

Hrithik Roshan learns Awadhi’s diction for 'Thug'!

We had previously informed that Hrithik Roshan will be next seen in YRF film Thug, which will be on the lines of The Pirates Of The Caribbean and we have some fresh news about the project for fans of the light-eyed hunk.

We have learned that Hrithik will be seen talking in Awadhi throughout the movie and for this, he will learn the language and the diction from a linguist. Apart from this, Hrithik will also undergo training in horse-riding and sword-fighting for his role in the film, which will be helmed by Vijay Krishna Acharya (of Dhoom fame).

Hrithik lately wrapped up shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker's magnum opus Mohenjo Daro, which releases on August 12.

Kangana Ranaut's lawyer accuses Mumbai Police for tarnishing her image!

A day after officials of the Cyber Crime Cell of the Mumbai Police confirmed that they have traced the email address of the impostor in the Hrithik Roshan-Kangana Ranaut controversy to the United States, Kangana lashed out at the cops, accusing them of tarnishing her image.

In a letter to the police department, Kangana alleged that some police personnel are giving ''loose statements'' to the media and in the process tarnishing her name, image and reputation. Among these false statements, Kangana tells, are those about her being summoned to the department, and about the summons letter being emailed to her on 7 April. The police department has been asked by Kangana’s lawyer Rizwan Siddiquee to immediately issue a clarification in this regard.

On 5 March that Hrithik filed an FIR with the Cyber Crime Cell of the Mumbai police against an unknown person, for creating a fake email address in his name and misleading his fans, including Kangana. On 2 April, the police withdrew its first witness summons to Kangana, asking her to fix a date, time and place of her suitability to record her statement.

Kareena Kapoor plays the role of Dr. Shivani Gupta in 'Udta Punjab'!

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan will be next seen playing a doctor in forthcoming movie Udta Punjab and the makers of the movie disclosed her look on social media.

In the still, Kareena is seen wearing a white coat typically worn by doctors with a simple salwar kameez under it. The actress will be seen playing the role of Dr. Shivani Gupta, who moves from the big city to the interiors of Punjab to treat victims of drug abuse. Kareena will be paired opposite Diljit Dosanjh, who plays a tough cop in the movie.

Alongside Kareena and Diljit, Udta Punjab also stars Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.

I have very few dialogues in Traffic, says Manoj Bajpayee!

Manoj Bajpayee, who had amazed everybody with his restrained yet intense performance in Hansal Mehta's Aligarh, will be next seen in Traffic, in which he plays a traffic constable, but the Satya star has some bad news for his fans, who may be keenly awaiting the release of the movie.

While at the trailer launch of the movie, Manoj told, ''Throughout the film, I'm just sitting in a car and turning the steering wheel. The action revolves around me in the film, so my dialogues are minimal and almost as good as nothing. And whatever little dialogues I had, they have been all shown in the trailer.''

Traffic, which is the remake of a South movie, also starring Jimmy Sheirgill, Sachin Khedekar, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Parambrata Chatterjee among others, hits theatres on May 6.

Hollywood beauty Devika Bhise desires to work with Aamir and Rajkumar Hirani!

Hollywood actress of Indian origin, Devika Bhise, who’s getting excellent reviews for her power-packed act in forthcoming biographical drama, The Man Who Knew Infinity, which is based on the life of mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan, tells that she wouldn't mind doing a Bollywood movie, provided she gets the right script.

The actress, who plays Ramanujan’s wife Janaki in the film, is quite intrigued with Bollywood and wouldn’t mind doing a Hindi movie. When asked, if she would want to work in a Bollywood film, Devika Bhise told, “Bollywood is such an interesting place and the roles and the movies that are being created, have definitely changed over the last couple of years and are continuing to change so, I think, if I get the right project, I would definitely want to do that. As of now, I haven’t read any script that I have loved.”

When asked to name a Bollywood actor she would want to work with, the actress told, “There are a lot of great Bollywood actors but I think one of the problems is that these actors accept every role that they get and as a result, they do roles after roles, instead of immersing themselves into their characters. Aamir Khan, I think is an amazing actor and he is choosy about his roles. Everything that I have watched him in, he has done an excellent job and therefore, I would like to work with him. Hrithik Roshan too is a great actor and he is also very handsome (laughs).”

When quizzed about the Indian directors she aspires to work with, Bhise told, “I would love to work with Rajkumar Hirani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.”

Mary Kom’s actor Darshan Kumar learns pure Urdu for 'Sarbjit'!

Darshan Kumaar, who shot to fame with Omung Kumar's Mary Kom, will be next seen in Kumar's forthcoming directorial Sarbjit, in which he will play a Pakistani lawyer and we heard that Kumaar learned Urdu for his role as he will be seen speaking in the language in the movie.

The actor will be playing the role of Awais Sheikh, a Pakistani lawyer who left no stone unturned to get justice for Sarbjit Singh, an Indian farmer, who was convicted on charges of espionage.

A source close to the fine actor disclosed that as Darshan is playing a Pakistani lawyer, most of his dialogues required him to speak in pure Urdu. The actor, who hails from a Jat family, had never spoken authentic Urdu but for the role, the actor learnt basic Urdu words and the accent too.  It is also known that to get an in-depth knowledge of his character, Darshan had regularly been in touch with the real Awais Sheikh, who is presently in Sweden.

Darshan Kumaar told, "I have been to Pakistan couple of times for my theatre shows, while staying in Lahore i had interacted with locals quite often so I had a few images in my mind on how their body language and accent is. During that time I discovered that a lot of them speak Urdu with a touch of Punjabi language and my friends who were based there helped me to catch the language. That's how i gained my initial knowledge and then it was all about mugging the dialogues and doing continuous rehearsals.''

Apart from Darshan Kumaar, Sarbjit also stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadda.

Pakistani actors Mahira and Fawad’s blazing chemistry in a recent ad!

Pakistani actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, who romanced each other in popular Pakistani serial Humsafar, have set the temperature soaring with their sizzling chemistry in a recent ad film.

The actors have come together for a new Pakistani commercial for a toiletry brand and they have already broken the internet with the sensuous advertisement. The ad shows Mahira trying to grab Fawad’s attention, who gets pulled towards her because of her powerful scent.

While Fawad has already carved a niche for himself in the Indian film industry, Mahira is all set to mark her Bollywood debut with Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees.

Ranbir’s cold response for Katrina’s patch up efforts!

Bollywood's pair Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor, who were in a live-in relationship, broke up earlier this year and they just met at a common friend's bash.

Spectators say that when the two came face to face, things became pretty intense. Seemingly, the Katrina actually went up to Ranbir and asked him if they could give their relationship another chance. But, she got very saddened with his response as he refused to entertain the thought.

Katrina got very upset with his cold response but we hear that most guests present at the party saw this as a chance for Kaif to finally move on. People close to the alienated couple say that she gave all of herself into this relationship and Kapoor let her down very bad.

In the meantime, the twosome is shooting for Anurag Basu's Jagga Jasoos.