It's final – Shilpa Shetty to wed early next year

Much has been speculated about the wedding of Shilpa Shetty to her boyfriend Raj Kundra.

While both Shilpa and Raj have admitted in the past that they do plan to marry someday, the wedding date was never revealed; not until now, that is.

The couple is presently in South Africa for the ongoing IPL tournament and is supporting the Rajasthan Royals team in which they have a stake. While their team hasn’t been off to a good start – losing the first match and getting just a point in the second rain-washed match – Shilpa and Raj have a reason to cheer.

Their respective mothers have reportedly been bonding quite well in Cape Town and have even been planning the couple’s marriage.

Shilpa admits that the match (not the cricket one) has been fixed and the wedding will happen early in 2010, even though she hasn’t disclosed the exact date yet.

In fact, even though the wedding is still many months away, the lovebirds have already decided their nests. In Mumbai, the couple will stay at Shilpa’s Ruia Park bungalow. In London, Raj has bought a sprawling house at St. Georges Hill in Weybridge, where Raj’s parents will also be staying with the couple after their marriage.

Moreover, they have also planned rooms for children in the house.

Deepika Padukone elegant on Filmfare

Deepika Padukone exudes elegance as the cover-girl for Filmfare’s latest edition.

The actress recently launched the magazine’s second issue of April at Vie Lounge, Mumbai. She was eye-catchingly dressed in an off-shoulder, blue and white short dress at the event.

For the cover, Deepika is seen wearing a satin dress in off-white and royal blue colour combination. What is remarkable about the dress is its long frilly ruffled neck-line. Deepika’s hair is done in a classic way, like that of a female from the Victorian era. The cover page has a pale hue and is designed by Subhash. The photo shoot is done by ace advertising and fashion photographer Jatin Kampani.

Emma Watson was destined to play Hermione?

“I wanted it so badly” says Emma Watson when talking of the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. Emma made that remark during an in depth interview in the May edition of Interview magazine, of which she also graces the cover.

In the interview, Emma reveals much more, including how nervous she was that she wouldn't get the part of Hermione during auditions, some of the things she has done with her money, admitting that she was a massive fan of the Harry Potter books prior to auditioning, and much more!

When replying to the follow up question of why she wanted that role ‘so badly’ Emma replied:

“I loved the books—I was a massive fan. I just felt like that part belonged to me. I know that sounds crazy, but from that first audition, I always knew. At the beginning, they were casting the other characters as well—but I always knew I was going out for Hermione. She came so naturally to me. Maybe so much of myself at the time was similar to her. Of course, all this terrified my parents—there were literally thousands and thousands of girls going out for the audition, and my parents were anxious about what I would do if I didn’t get it.”

As for what Emma Watson spent her hard earned cash on, “Hmm . . . I got myself a laptop. I took my dad to Tuscany. He works so hard, my dad, so I rang up his secretary and asked when he was free, and I booked us a holiday. What else? Oh, I got myself a car.”

Miss Watson who recently turned 19 was given access to her £10.5 million fortune for the first time upon her 18th birthday after agreeing to enroll on a crash course on being a multi-millionaire. She then had to consent to have her spending carefully scrutinised by four senior managers at Coutts, bankers for the Queen.

With two more Harry Potter films in the works and such great financial planning we can see a golden future ahead for both Emma and Hermione.

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Bollywood stars add glamour to Bengal campaign

Kolkata, April 20 (IANS) Adding glamour to the Lok Sabha campaign, a host of Bollywood celebrities has descended on West Bengal to woo the electorate.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in the fray from Jangipur in Murshidabad district, roped in veteran star Mithun Chakraborty to sway the voters in the remote rural constituency last weekend.

The news of Mithun's arrival created a sensation among the public, leading to a near-stampede at the venues.

Amidst the pandemonium, Mukherjee himself could not reach one of the meeting sites, unable to pass through the milling crowd.

"I have come here because I have lot of respect for Pranabda," Mithun said, as the crowd seemed to go berserk at the sight of their hero.

"I want Pranabda to occupy a high post after the elections," Mithun said, triggering spontaneous applause from the audience.

Bengal's own Mithun also rushed to Krishnanagar in Nadia district to canvas for fellow film actor and Trinamool Congress candidate Tapas Pal Sunday and again received an enthusiastic response.

Former glamour queen Zeenat Aman trudged to Purulia and proved a big crowd puller during a roadshow for Congress nominee Shantiram Mahato.

People scaled walls, crowded rooftops and windows for a glimpse of the actress, once the heartthrob of the youth for her sizzling performances in films like "Qurbani", "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", and "Hare Rama Hare Krishna".

Last week Trinamool Congress candidate from Kolkata North Sudip Bandopadhyay brought in Mumbai actors like Asrani and Prem Chopra.

Wishing Arshad Warsi a very happy Birthday

He is one of the most 'A'rguably 'R'eal 'S'pontaneous 'H'ero 'A'nd 'D'irector's actor! Well, if you were to pick only the initials of the above, then, all the roads will surely lead to the domain of today's Birthday boy Arshad Warsi! He is the man who gave the term 'circuit' a total makeover, courtesy the hugely successful 'Munnabhai' series!

After having stepped into Bollywood, with the mega musical treat called Tere Mere Sapne, Arshad went on to do films which only paved the way for him to become every cine goer's earnest dream come true! Films like Hero Hindustani, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, Salaam Namaste, Kabul Express, Dhamaal, Golmaal Returns, Sunday etc… will always stand as glowing testimonies to this. It was only after the 'Munnabhai' series that Arshad got his mega superstar status, something that he has kept alive till date, with his choice of films and his dedicated and sincere performances in the same. With an array of films under his belt, the year 2009 only surely promises to be a super cool year for Arshad, the multi talented actor!

Join Bollywood.com as we wish Arshad Warsi a very happy Birthday, by posting your wishes below:

All's fair in love and cricket: Shilpa Shetty

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty whose co-owned Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals faces her friend and superstar Shah Rukh Khan's team Knight Riders in Cape Town Thursday, says "all's fair in love and cricket" despite it being a "difficult" match emotionally.

Jackie Chan faces backlash over China freedom remarks

Hong Kong, April 21 (DPA) Students and politicians in Hong Kong Tuesday hit out at comments by movie star Jackie Chan that Chinese people should be controlled and that too much freedom could harm China.

The "Rush-Hour" star sparked a growing controversy by saying at a business forum Saturday that freedoms had made Hong Kong and Taiwan "chaotic" and adding: "We Chinese need to be controlled."

The 55-year-old actor has drawn a furious backlash from university students in his home city Hong Kong who condemned the comments and demanded an apology.

"We find it most ironic that Mr Chan was speaking about creative film-making in Hong Kong, which hangs on the very spirit of the freedoms we now enjoy," the students said in a statement.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board has received 17 complaints from people asking for Chan to be dumped as the former British colony's tourism ambassador.

Leung Chun-ying, convenor of Hong Kong's executive council, told reporters Tuesday that people in Hong Kong enjoyed "more freedom than most" but insisted they did not abuse the freedoms they were given.

Internet forums set up condemning Chan's remarks attracted thousands of supporters with one forum urging him to go to North Korea if he did not enjoy excessive freedoms.

Chan, 55, made his remarks at the Boao Economic Forum on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, an event attended by senior Communist Party officials including Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

The movie star appeared to take an increasingly pro-China line in recent years, performing in both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and taking a senior role in the China Film Association.

Chan claims his remarks have been taken out of context and was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry and not to freedoms in Chinese society as a whole.