Shahid, John Abraham and Kangana in Saajan remake

Known for his love triangle stories, director Lawrence D'Souza is back with a bang.

He wants to recreate the magic of his film Saajan.

"Yes I am back and am planning to revive the Sanjay, Salman and Madhuri starrer Saajan. My writers Rajiv Kaul and Praful Parikh are working on a script. It will be a love triangle. The backdrop of Saajan was Ooty while this film will have a backdrop of Kashmir," he informs.

Saajan had an interesting pairing of Sanjay Dutt, Salman and Madhuri Dixit and it is believed that Lawrence is now planning to sign John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut for the main leads.

He confirms, "Yes I want this star cast as its apt for my script. My heroine is a Kashmiri girl and Kangana fits the bill."

Kangana to play Geetanjali in Madhur’s Fashion

For all you fans, who are wondering the whereabouts of Kangana Ranaut, well here is some good news. The actress is gearing up for her next in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion and here is some scoop about her role.

Recently, model Geetanjali made headlines when the once successful model, who walked the ramp for big names, was seen begging on the streets of Delhi.

Fashion is all about the dark side of the glamour world and Kangana will be seen revealing it all in the movie.

Kangana will also play the arch rival of Priyanka Chopra and the two will be seen competing in the 'cat' race. Kangana is quite excited about playing a powerful character of Geetanjali and is doing her homework on the role.

So get ready to see Miss Ranaut walk straight from the ramp to the streets!

Kangana Ranaut bares her soul

She was only 18 when she signed her first film - Gangster - and from then on there's been no stopping for Kangana Ranaut , who has made a definite mark for herself in Bollywood.

She recently gave an interview to Times Of India in which she opens up her heart and gets candid on various memories:

Did you always want to be an actress?
In my hometown Himachal, we didn't have a single theatre. If someone would get a DVD in the village, we would all circulate it, such was the scene there.

It's quite backward and I didn't know half of the actors from the industry then. I knew Preity Zinta because she is from the hills and looks like a fresh apple! When I used to watch films never did I once imagine that someday people would watch me too on the big screen.

So how did acting happen?
I was a science student and wanted to be a doctor. I used to study for 19 hours a day and secure around 90 per cent. Even in severe winters, I used to get up at 3 am and sit to study. But I failed to clear my pre-medical test and that was a turning point in my life.

That's when I decided I didn't want to study anymore and wanted to move out of my house. I wanted my space and freedom so I moved to Delhi and lived there with a friend. But even then, I didn't know what I wanted to do. A modelling agency spotted me and liked me because of my curly hair and lean body.

They said they would groom me and send me for shows to Paris. But gradually I felt being a model was as good as being a mannequin and there was no scope for creativity, that's when I took up theatre in Delhi.

Do you feel lonely up there?
Yes, I do feel lonely. I don't have a single friend in the industry and often feel a vaccum inside. I read a book or do meditation in my spare time. I feel all of us are lonely, we only pretend to be happy.

Life is so short and people play so many games. They talk bad about others and don't have a single good thing to say about others. Sometimes I wonder why people waste their lives in such a way.

Complete Interview

Kangana@Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2008

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut presents a creation by Indian designers Priya and Chintans at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2008 collection in New Delhi.

More than 40 designers will be showcasing their spring and summer collections for 2008 at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, vying to catch the attention of up to 80 international buyers during the five-day extravaganza.

Kangana turns designer!

She's already acknowledged as a powerhouse actress where emoting is concerned, but did you know that Kangana Ranaut also excels in designing clothes - for herself, we mean.

Yes, the actress designs almost 90 per cent of her clothes, be it on screen or off it, and is already setting trends. And of course, having such a great body, half her work is already done for her. We don't know if the other designers are feeling left out though!

But one thing is for sure, Kangna's supermodel body, talent and star-presence is a combination that is hard to resist. No wonder, director Sameer Karnik has recently signed her for his next film opposite Bobby Deol.

Sure, Kangana is fast becoming any filmmaker's delight!

Also see: Bobby, Kangana in Samir's Roshan

Will Kangana be Salman's leading lady in Pokhiri Remake?

According to Subhash K. Jha of IndiaFm, the resourceful Boney Kapoor is ready to start a re-make of the Telugu film Pokhiri directed by South India's rubberman Prabhu Deva. Salman Khan has been signed to play the role immortalized by Mahesh Babu in Telugu. But who will play Salman's leading lady?

“We don't want any of the girls who have already worked with Salman. In the Pokhiri remake we want to create a fresh pair with Salman and a girl he has never worked with. I think audiences are tired of watching him with the established heroines,” said Boney on Thursday before he left for a ten-day trip to London and LA.

One possibility that was seriously considered was Asin, the Telugu actress who co-starred with Mahesh Babu in the original. But Asin has apparently signed an exclusive contract for the Hindi remake of another South Indian blockbuster Gajini opposite Aamir Khan.

Now Boney is looking at Kangana. “Both my wife Sridevi and I saw her work in Gangster and thought there was something really special about her. She isn't like the other girls in Bollywood. She has a very unique personality.”

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Kangna-Aditya tiff turns sours

What started with Aditya Panscholi allegedly abusing and punching actress Kangana Ranaut in an autorickshaw two months ago, finally ended in a dramatic break-up between the duo inside a police station in Mumbai last week.

Kangana went to the Versova police station and lodged a complaint against Aditya for troubling her and forcing her to continue their relationship.

She also said that Aditya has been abusing her on phone and sending her threatening messages. Apparently, she was so petrified of Aditya that she consulted a senior police officer in Mumbai before finally lodging the complaint.

Kangana claimed in the complaint that Aditya may harm her and is continuously interfering in her life. Aditya, not to be left behind, has lodged a counter complaint against Kangana saying she is maligning him without a reason.

Says a senior police officer, "Kangana and Aditya have filed complaints against each other and we are looking into the matter." While both of them remained incommunicado, Aditya's wife Zarina refused to comment on the matter.

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Kangana opts out of Rakesh Roshan's film

The Metro-centric Kangana is very clear in her head about her likes and dislikes. So when Rakesh Roshan approached her for a role in the comedy Krazy 4 that he's producing, she declined politely arguing that there was little scope for her to perform in a film that featured four male stars in the lead.

Kangana confirms she was indeed offered the comedy. "I won't say I wasn't tempted. Who doesn't want to work with Mr Rakesh Roshan? I'd have been happy to be part of Krazy 4 because I am dying to do a comedy. Sadly there was little scope for me to perform. When I expressed my misgivings Mr Roshan was very nice. Very different from some other filmmakers who turn nasty when you decline to do their films."

The role has now gone to Diya Mirza.

Bobby, Kangana in Samir's Roshan

While the Kyun...Ho Gaya Na director's biggie project Mera Bharat Mahaan with Preity and Salman is being put together, Samir Karnik has decided to do a quirky quickie, a kind of follow-up to his ready-for-release Nanhe Jaisalmer (now entitled Nanhe).

Entitled Roshan, the new Karnik project brings together the rapidly- rising Kangana Ranaut with her Shakalaka Boom Boom co-star Bobby Deol. Bobby, of course is now a favourite of Karnik. The actor, who plays himself in Nanhe, just can't stop praising the director, the film and his young co-star Dwij Yadav who plays the title role.

In an intriguing reprise of his earlier film, Karnik again brings together Bobby and his Nanhe co-star Dwij in Roshan, with Kangana thrown in for good measure. According to sources, Bobby who played actor Bobby Deol in Nanhe, plays a doctor in Roshan. Both the films are designed as intimate arthouse products meant to be carried to film festivals. According to a source, "Nanhe and now Roshan are Bobby's passport to the festival circuit."

To be produced by Eros Entertainment, Roshan's cinematography will be done by the inimitable Binod Pradhan. It starts shooting on 6 May.

Kangana Ranaut to do an ad with Salman Khan

If there are any doubts about Kangana Ranaut's growing clout in the entertainment market, her latest triumph should put all questions to rest. She's not only been chosen by international shoe company Red Tape to endorse their brand, the actress will shoot with Salman Khan for a TV ad.

"Until now they manufactured footwear only for men. And Salman was their brand ambassador. The company is launching its female line-up with me. And that's quite an honour, considering it's my first endorsement," Kangana said.

What made them choose her?

"It was my casual looks, I guess. The brand isn't associated with formal shoes - only sporty footwear, sneakers etc. They want me to endorse their shoes in my jeans and with my curly hair. Very youth-oriented. And the fact that they expect my career to grow with their new female line up of shoes makes the endorsement a bigger responsibility for me."

The actress, who made a successful debut with Gangster-A Love Story and repeated it with Woh Lamhe, recently shot spots for hoardings and magazines.

Apparently Red Tape has paid Kangana a whopping figure and has promised to enhance the amount by 30 percent in the next financial year.

"At this rate I'll soon realise my dream of buying my own house. The shoes and my career are supposed to journey together. It's a good thought."

"I'm excited about the ad with Salman. I've always been his fan. I think he's the only rock star in our cinema. I had watched him dance at an awards function and hoped I'd be paired with him one day. It's happening sooner than I thought."

Kangana's bodyguard is a journalist!

A really wild story doing the rounds is that Kangana has got herself a bodyguard named Moin given to her by Aditya Pancholi for her safeguard.

Kangana has a good laugh over that one. "First of all I don't need a bodyguard and that too one given by Aditya Pancholi? Why should he get me a bodyguard? If I need one I'll get one myself. Secondly Moin is a journalist and a dear friend and almost a guardian.

He's much senior to me and very small in physique and frail. If anything happens, I'd have to act as his bodyguard."

Kangana is tired of insinuations about her and Aditya. "I thought these talks would stop by now. Aditya and his family are very dear to me. Such nonsense is making things awkward for all of us. Aditya's daughter Sanaa and I go to Kathak class together. Adityaji treats me exactly like Sanaa. Why should we allow people to spoil things between us? It's even said that I live in an apartment belonging to Aditya. That's so ridiculous. I live in a rented place. And I plan to buy my own place as soon as I collect enough money."

Kangana is adamant about keeping romantic complications out of her life. "It's a big headache to have a boyfriend, whether he's more successful or less successful than me, a boyfriend is still trouble. I'm too free-spirited to run my life according to any other person's whims and fancies."

'I wished Jesse Metcalfe would seduce me'

Just two films old, Kangana Ranaut, who walked the red carpet at the Dubai International Film Festival with Hollywood's most recognised names, is overjoyed because she got to see her teen icon Jesse Metcalfe.

Metcalfe, who plays John Rowland in the series "Desperate Housewives", was also present at the fest.

"I've had a secret crush on Jesse whose name I didn't know. But like any 19-year-old my heart would skip beats when he seduced Eva Longoria in 'Desperate Housewives'. I'd wish he'd seduce me. And, now, there he was sitting right in the row in front of me at the premiere of Emilio Estavez's new film 'Bobby'," Kangana told.

Did she try to approach Metcalfe?

"No. I didn't have the courage. But I kept staring at the back of his head rather," said Kangana.

Also walking the red carpet with Kangana on Sunday were distinguished American actors Joshua Jackson and Laurence Fishburne.

Kangana walks the red carpet in Dubai

It was a night she won't forget easily. On Sunday evening Kangana Ranaut walked the red carpet at the Dubai Festival with some of Hollywood's most recognized names, and also the teen icon Jesse Metcalfe who plays John Rowland in the series Desperate Housewives.

Whispers Kangana, "I've had a secret crush on Jesse whose name I didn't know. But like any 19-year old my heart would kip beats when he seduced Eva Longoria in Desperate Housewives. I'd wish he'd seduce me. And now there he was sitting right in the row in front of me at the premiere of Emilio Estavez's new film Bobby."

Did she make bold to approach Jesse? "No. I didn't have the courage. But I kept staring at the back of his head rather than the screen," giggles Kangana from Dubai.

Also walking the red carpet with Kangana on Sunday were such distinguished American actors as Laurence Fishburne and Joshua Jackson.

In Dubai she's being repeatedly mistaken for an American Mexican . "I guess it's coz of my hair and looks. From now on I've decided to wear a sari at all international events," Kangana vows even as she wows the Middle Eastern audience.

"There was a party for us yesterday which the Prince of Morocco attended." Apparently the Prince made more than a passing note of Kangana.

But she wants to come back home to be with her sister. "My sister Rangoli keeps sending miss-you messages. She's all alone in Mumbai and I just want to return."

"Saree Seems to be the Hardest Word"

Kangana Ranaut has made a premature new -year resolution.

"I'll never ever in my life wear a saree again," she vows. "I wore the apparel for the first time in my life on Thursday evening for Emran Hashmi's wedding reception. And I could've died of suffocation! I couldn't move. I was repeatedly tripping over my face, trying to balance on my feet, taking mincing steps… Never again. Even it means being unpatriotic, I won't even wear a saree for any of my films."

The saree was a last –minute brain wave. "My designer has been extra-busy these days, what with all the awards functions for which exclusive designs have to be created. When I decided to go for Emran's reception at the last minute, the designer decided to deck me up in a saree. It was the biggest mistake of my life."

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Kangana wants a husband like Hrithik

Actress Kangana Ranaut is so impressed by Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan that she wants to get married to somebody as cultured and as nice.

She met Hrithik at the recent Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) in Kuala Lumpur where she was honoured with the best female debutante for her role in Gangster - A Love Story.

"In a world filled with dishonourable intentions Hrithik is such a thorough gentleman. He knows how to make a lady feel special. He spoke to me as if I was the best actress in the world," Kangana said."I think his wife is very lucky. Where can I find a husband like that?" sighs Kangana, who has no one that special in her life.

Kangana wins best debutant award in Singapore

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is on cloud nine after bagging the best debutant award for her role in her debut vehicle, 'Gangster - A Love Story', at the Asian Festival Of 1st Films in Singapore.

She's the first Indian actress to win the prestigious award.

Recalling the thrill of winning her first award, Kangana told IANS: 'It was Kunal Kohli who informed me about the award. My life's first award and that too in Singapore where I was pitched against three other names!'

The nominees for the award also included Aditi Rao Hydari, for her moving portrayal of a vulnerable devdasi (temple dancer), in debutant director Sharda Ramanathan's Tamil film 'Sringaram'.

But if transparent vulnerability and a power to strip the soul naked in front of the camera are the favoured flavour of the awards season this year, then Kangana in director Anurag Basu's 'Gangster' is the leader of the bright young pack.

The Asian Festival Of 1st Films acquires a special significance because films from all over the world compete for the honours.

The jury members this year, who chose Kangana, included Hong Kong actress Cecilia Yip, American writer-producer James Hart, British filmmaker Michael Yorke and India's own Ketan Mehta.

'I'm swimming in the clouds. This isn't only my first award it's also an international award. And I'm the first Indian actress award to get it!' enthused Kangana.

'Unfortunately, I couldn't be there at Singapore to receive my first award.

By the time I came to know about it, and that I was required to collect my best debutant award on Dec 6, it was too late to get a visa. I tried my best though.'

Apparently, Vishesh Films hadn't entered 'Gangster' in the festival until filmmaker Kunal Kohli pointed out the keen possibility of Kangana winning the best debutant award.

Once the film made its way casually to Singapore, no organisation in Mumbai or Singapore was willing to fund the actress' travel to the city state.

'If that was the case I'd have happily paid for my own ticket to Singapore.

The best debutant award at the Asian Festival Of 1st Films was not only a great honour for me personally but also for our movie industry.

'No Indian actress has ever received the award. I'd have been very proud to be there. I guess this is one of those things that wasn't meant to be,' said Kangana.

Days later she received her second award - the best debutante of the year - at the Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) concluded on in Kuala Lumpur.

One question that remains after Kangana's singular victory at Singapore - Why is Bollywood so reluctant and disorganised in facing up to the requirements of international festivals?

Two months ago Shirish Kunder's directorial debut 'Jaan-e-Mann' couldn't make it to a festival in New York on time. And now Kangana fails to make it to Singapore for an honour never given to any actress in Bollywood.

Maybe Bollywood needs to get seriously organised before thinking international.

Image shift for Kangana Ranaut

In Bollywood, where an artist can get easily type-casted into a role, escaping a mould isn't easy. For talented Kangana Ranaut, who has already made her mark by two power-packed performances in her initial films, it wasn't that difficult. Anurag Basu, with whom she made her debut in Gangster, is ready to experiment with her in different roles.

Kangana has earlier played the role of a traumatised woman both in Gangster and Woh Lamhe. Now, she's all set to play the role of a con girl in Anurag Basu's yet-to-be-titled film. Basu believes that Kangana has a lot untapped potential in her. The actress is already working in the director's other film Metro.

Meanwhile, Kangana will get a complete makeover for this movie. She has a glamorous role where she also gets to do two item songs. Along with Kangana, it is also Basu's first with item numbers.