Amitabh Bachchan felicitated at Mumbai film festival November 6, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Other News.Tags: 11th Mumbai Film Festival, amitabh bachchan, Mumbai Academy of Moving Images
add a comment
Organizers of the 11th Mumbai Film Festival have given megastar Amitabh Bachchan a Lifetime Achievement award for completing 40 years in
the entertainment industry.Receiving the award from Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, Bachchan Thursday evening thanked the noted directors who recognized his talent and the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) for giving him the award.
Indian Actress To Enroll At HBS November 6, 2009
Posted by Wandena in News.Tags: deal-making, Harvard, Harvard Business School, Monica Sharma, negotiating
add a comment
Bollywood star will take course on negotiating, deal-making next month
Renowned Bollywood actress Preity Zinta is adding to her resume of blockbusters by enrolling in an executive course at Harvard Business School next month to study negotiating and deal-making, the Indian media reported this week.
Zinta, who already spends a significant amount of time in the United States, told the Indian media she decided to hit the books to enhance her experience in the country.
“I thought that since I spend so much time in the US, I might as well use the experience better,” Zinta said in an interview with Indian Express.
Zinta, who is recognizable by her right dimple, has starred in popular Hindi movies such as “Kal Ho Naa Ho,” “Veer-Zaara” and “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.” She debuted in Bollywood over 10 years ago and currently appears on “Behind the Seams”—a reality television show that follows the lives of cricketers on the Kings XI Punjab team, of which Zinta is a part owner.
In previous interviews, Zinta has not explained her interest in coursework, and a spokesman at the Business School declined to comment further on her status as a student, citing privacy concerns.
Richard S. Delacy, a Harvard preceptor in Urdu-Hindi, said that Zinta has shown an appetite for tackling challenges in her acting career.
“She’s known to be one of the most intelligent actors in India,” Delacy said, describing Zinta as an “A-list star” comparable to Julia Roberts or Renee Zellweger. “She seems to be more of a thinking person based on the roles she’s taken.”
Bijoy M. Misra, outreach coordinator of the department of Sanskrit and Indian studies, said he was pleased to hear that Zinta will be studying at the Business School. It may benefit film stars to develop business skills and to involve themselves in a more intellectual environment, he said.
Students in the South Asian community at Harvard also expressed their excitement for Zinta’s arrival.
“Her attendance really shows how relevant a business education can be in various industries and in a global context,” wrote Monica Sharma, co-president of the Business School’s South-Asian Business Association, in an e-mailed statement.
Preity wants to play ball! November 5, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Charity Appearances, News.Tags: Dream Girls team, NBA, saif ali khan, Shah Rukh Khan
1 comment so far
Preity Zinta has not hung up her designer boots and called it quits, on the contrary she’s put on sports shoes now.
The actress who was away from Bollywood for “just six weeks and has not migrated to LA”, came up with the idea of making money for her charity by forming an all-international girls’ basketball squad called the Dream Girls team.
“The players will be internationally-famous women like film stars, supermodels, socialites and, of course, there’ll be me – the captain – and we’ll be playing with professional basketball teams around the world. American experts from NBA will train us,” said Preity, who stands 5 feet 5 inches tall in her socks but has quite a sporting background. “Nobody knows I’ve been a gymnast for 11 years, I did karate for nine years, I am very good at basketball and I rifle shoot too,” she said, adding, “People said that it was a crazy idea to give one-and-a half years to IPL, but then today, financially, I don’t have to care for the rest of my life.”
Does that mean she won’t do films for money anymore? “Are you kidding? I’m not retiring to the jungles! Of course, money is important. I do charity and all but I still need to wear my brands, travel first class and pamper myself. I believe more in living rich than dying rich. My biggest fear is to die broke, ex-film star,” laughed the bubbly actress who devotes a lot of time to causes like child trafficking and the upliftment of women.
“I want to do full-on commercial films now,” she said. And for that, she conducted a poll on the net where she asked fans who they would like to see her with. “There’s a tie between Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh! I’m going to go in search of them now,” laughed Preity.
Source
Preity Zinta is leaving Bollywood for Harvard November 4, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Behind The Seam, News.Tags: Behind the Seams, Harvard, Harvard Business School
add a comment
Preity Zinta is leaving Bollywood for B-school. “Yes, I’m going to the Harvard Business School to study a short executive course in negotiating and deal-making,” she says. “I thought that since I spend so much time in the US, I might as well use the experience better. I applied to Harvard and got accepted, so I’m quite kicked about going there next month.”
So does this keen interest in business mean we won’t be seeing her much on the big screen? “Not at all,” she says, “I want to make sure that I can balance acting and business. In fact, I’m currently buried under a pile of scripts and am reading each one to make sure that I don’t miss out on anything good. I want to do a role that I’ve never done before.”
She’s also busy with the television show Behind the Seams which she is hosting and producing. But Zinta admits that she hasn’t watched television for the past two months. “TV soaps have these close-ups of people in dark black kohl and it really scares me,” she says. “Reality shows are also staged, so there’s nothing real in them. So what’s there to watch?” Behind the Seams too is a kind of reality show as it takes you through the journey of the Kings XI Punjab team. “It’s a reality show but there’s no acting involved. It’s about cricketers and you really can’t expect cricketers to start acting,” she laughs.
Preity’s back in Mumbai October 22, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Interviews.Tags: holiday, ipl, Movies
7 comments
Preity Zinta is back in Mumbai. People in the film industry had begun to wonder whether she had migrated from India. Preity laughs, “I haven’t
migrated to the US or any other country.
I’m not going anywhere. Mumbai is my home and I am working here. I took a much-needed break after the IPL.”
But while Preity was away, her home in Mumbai was ransacked and robbed, allegedly by her domestic help. She says, “Mere ghar main ho gayi solid chori. They took money and some jewellery. My mother came to Mumbai, spotted the theft and reported it immediately. It was her money that they took.”
After a six-week, well spent vacation with brother and friends, Preity is back. She has always been travelling extensively, “I’ve always been a gypsy. Whether for my outdoor shoots or holidays, I’m frequently out of the country. On my way back, I stopped over in London.”
Now she’s back to listening to scripts. “I’m listening to some really interesting projects. Hopefully, I’ll be signing a couple of films shortly. That would shut those up who want to write me off.”
She is proud to admit that she is financially independent, “I’ll never be broke and never have to depend on a man for money. Putting my time and effort into IPL was a wise decision.”
Preity has had a make over and is back with a bang, “Seriously, I’ve come back, rejuvenated and charged and raring to go.”
No seats! October 17, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Other News.Tags: arjun rampal, HDIL India Couture Week, Karan Johar and Varun Bhal Show
2 comments
Preity and Arjun miss their seats at Karan’s show
Preity Zinta had more than a ringside view at good friend Karan Johar’s debut fashion show last evening. By the time the pretty lady arrived, the show had already begun. Not wanting to miss a further minute, Preity casually plonked herself right on the ground, right next to the ramp!
Maybe Arjun Rampal could learn a lesson or two from her. He casually sauntered in midway through the show and stood right next to the ramp, cheering lustily. It was a good show of support, but quite inconvenient for the audiences, who had to repeatedly ask the actor to stop blocking their view.
What happened to Preity’s couture sense? October 16, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Other News, Rumours.Tags: akash arora, Anjana Bhargav, being humain show, Fashion, Ness Wadia, Pallavi Mohan
6 comments
What’s wrong with Preity Zinta? That’s the question fans of the Bollywood style diva are asking ever since she shocked them with her cheerleader-meets-pin-up girl avatar at Salman Khan’s Being Human show at the ongoing HDIL India Couture Week in Mumbai.
Known to be a trendsetter, the actress’s sartorial sense fell flat on Tuesday when she appeared in a micro mini paired with a fitted tee and a drastically different look — copper coloured hair in a fringed bang cut (those are in vogue by the way). With puffy eyes and a plump face, the actress also appeared slightly fuller than she normally is.
While Preity played the perfect cheerleader to dear friend Sallu, shouting and clapping for his celeb models, her own makeover didn’t get a nod of approval from many. In fact, we even overheard someone remark, “She has got the new look just to prove that she has moved on in life post her break-up with Ness.”
Designer Anjana Bhargav said, “Separately, the tee and the mini are quite nice. But with the belt, it is neither here nor there. I can’t call the look formal, nor can I call it casual or hip. It is just mismatched. Oops!”
Designer Pallavi Mohan called her “a very different Preity Zinta”. “A pair of good fit denim might have added much more to the look than this skirt,” she added. Stylist and wardrobe consultant Varsha Bhawnani concurred, “Maybe it’s all about being experimental.”
Meanwhile, it’s not just her new look that’s creating a buzz. Preity is also rumoured to be seeing a Dubai-based businessman named Akash Arora. “Of late, Preity has been spending a lot of time with Arora, whose company provides mobile, internet and live streaming of IPL matches,” reveals a source. Arora is also the co-sponsor of the Mohali Team, which is jointly owned by Preity. Recently, the duo was spotted in Las Vegas, and as per sources, seemed quite into each other.
Preity cheers for Salman! October 14, 2009
Posted by Wandena in News.Tags: Aamir Khan, ajay devgan, Akshay Kumar, being humain fashion show, Farah Khan, govinda, HDIL India Couture Week, Katrina Kaif, manish malhotra, saif ali khan, Salman Khan, sanjay dutt, sohail khan
6 comments
Bollywood actress Preity Zinta played the role of a perfect cheerleader for dear friend Salman Khan whose “Being Human” show at the ongoing HDIL India Couture Week here late Tuesday saw many celebrities strutting down the ramp.
Dressed in a “Being Human” sleeveless T-shirt and sporting a new look with fringes falling perfectly on her forehead, the actress looked as ravishing as ever.
Sitting with her friend choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan and fashion designer Manish Malhotra, the actress started shouting from the very first moment when Salman Khan started the show and sashayed down the ramp.
“Wow! Salman! Salman!,” shouted Zinta and continued clapping till he left the ramp.
It was not just for Salman, she also cheered for other celebrities like Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Sanjay Dutt, Katrina Kaif, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan with equal enthusiasm.
Farah Khan and Manish Malhotra joined her and together left no stone unturned to pep up the atmosphere.
“I must tell you that my throat is already gone. I was so happy that all this shouting and cheering just happened. The show was all about being human and being together. It celebrated togetherness of the industry and this is what had me do all the shouting. But it is worth it,” Preity told IANS after the show.
Commenting on Aamir Khan’s ramp debut, she said that the actor looked cute.
“I think he was looking very cute on the ramp. He is already so charming and you can’t take that away from him,” she said.
Check out photos from the event here.
Preity Zinta on Love Bollywood October 13, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Other News.Tags: BCC Asian Network, Love Bollywood, Raj and Pablo
1 comment so far
Preity Zinta will join Raj and Pablo in their studio on October 17th for a Diwali special. Make sure you tune in at Love Bollywood at BCC Asian Network on the 17th on 09:00 am to hear Preity.
More information here.
Preity Zinta at the Cairo International Film Festival October 9, 2009
Posted by Wandena in Other News.Tags: Rani Mukherjee, cairo international film festival, sridevi
2 comments
The Arabic newspaper Akhbar Elyom has reported in their article that Preity Zinta together with other Bollywood celebrities will attend the Cairo International Film Festival starting at November 10 – 20th. The stars include Rani Mukherjee and Sridevi Kapoor. They will attend various premiers of Indian movies and attend the opening and closing ceremony.
