Zeenat Aman in the 1970s successfully paved the way from the ramp to the silver screen, setting a trend for years to come. Since then, there has been a steady rise of models trying their luck in Bollywood and, with every passing decade, their numbers have increased manifold.The successful careers of model-turned-actresses like Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra Juhi Chawla, Bipasha Basu and Sushmita Sen have proved that the ramp can be a stepping stone to the glamorous world of Bollywood.

Enthiram, the newly named Tamil pic that was earlier called Robot will start shooting in Machu Piccu in Peru. It features mega stars Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai and is slated to be the most expensive Indian movie ever with a budget of Rs 140 crore. Shooting starts on September 8th.

Enthiram will see technical features that are unprecedented for an Indian movie. It has roped in the best of international talent to embellish its cinematography , costumes, and action sequences.

Hollywood costume designer Mary E. Vogt – the expert who designed the futuristic suits and gadgets in Men in Black, Bat Man Returns and Inspector Gadget – will design the robots to be featured in Enthiram. She will also design the futuristic suits that will be donned by the artists.

Manish Malhotra will design the ‘normal costumes’ that will reflect the futuristic fashion that might be prevalent in the period depicted in Enthiram. The costume designer, who had worked in innumerable Bollywood projects, had already worked with Rajnikanth in Sivaji.

Stan Winston Studios, which have been catering to all animatronics needs of Hollywood, will take care of the animatronics involved in this film. Iron Man, Terminator, Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, and I-Robot are some of the movies that testify Stan Winston Studios’ efficiency. They will also be aided by companies like CafeEFX ILM, Tippet, Centro and Menfond.

Stunt choreographer Yuen Woo Ping, who choreographed the stunning and visually appealing stunts of Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill, will take care of all the stunts of this film.
With such international talent involved, Enthiram promises to be at least a visually enticing spectacle if not a super hit movie.

It was BIG so far, it is bound to be BIGGER from here on. 'Dhak Dhak' Queen Madhuri Dixit has joined the show and stakes have gone further up from here. There would be seven shows in USA over next few days and as is pretty much expected by now (looking at the response in Toronto and Trinidad), they are all already sold out. And yes, Madhuri would be featuring in each of these shows.

Talking about Madhuri, the young ones on the show are already smitten by her charm and grace. That she is gorgeous is hardly a secret but her friendly and cool persona has impressed everyone out there. No wonder, Abhishek, Riteish, Vishal, and Shekhar can't help being mighty impressed by her demeanor.

Further publicity for the tour is on in full swing in LA. There was almost a daylong press conference held in the city and to everyone's mighty surprise, apart from (obvious) arrival of Indian media, there were also dozens of US based media people present for covering the event. Believe it or not but in there were channel representatives from Afghanistan as well as Persia. Yes, there were Indians galore as well (quite a few belonging to 'Desi' channels and web portals) but what was heartening was to see Fox channel running a special on Unforgettable as well. Videos from the press conference and the tour were beamed by an hour on the channel with international repute! No wonder, LA is rightly termed, as an international center of entertainment
While there is quite some 'khushi' in the Unforgettable camp, there is a hint of 'gham' as well! Amitabh Bachchan is ill and has been down with flu. It is widely suspected that Shekhar is the reason behind that! Reason? He caught flu the moment he landed in Toronto and while he has more or less recovered, seemingly it has been passed on to Big B! Last one heard, everyone is laughing around and keeping a distance from the composer!!!

Flu means that Amitabh Bachchan has been out of circulation for two days now. So while all the youngsters are having fun and attending press conferences and cracking jokes and roaming around, the Senior B is keeping all precautions to be in his best shape before the mega event on the night of 26th July. Being grounded by Mrs. Jaya Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, Big B has his laptop for company and is keeping himself busy blogging with his fans and followers around the globe!

Meanwhile, if Madhuri Dixit has made nostalgia come alive all over again for her US fans, Aishwarya Rai is turning out to be the perfect representation of the Indian film industry. She is enjoying a pleasant double role here. While for a wide section she is representing India, for quite a few Americans she is being treated as 'one of them' due to her presence in International cinema for last so many years. She is being queried about the release of the latest installment of 'The Pink Panther' and other impending Hollywood projects. However, not to be carried away and respecting the troupe she is a part of; Ash is sending out clear vibes that she is an Indian at heart and well demonstrated her priorities.

Going by the true spirit of 'chilling out', everyone went for the screening of 'The Dark Knight'. While Abhishek, Aishwarya and Riteish couldn't resist having a dekko at the film within a day of their landing at LA, Vishal and Shekhar went a day later! Once again, appreciation for the special effects and action in the film came for all around appreciation.

- A lot happened in terms of Bollywood meeting Hollywood over the week gone by. While the team of 'Kambakth Ishq' can't top going gaga over Sylvester Stallone, the team of Unforgettable too had an encounter, which would be unforgettable for them in years to come. They came across face to face with Kevin Costner in the hotel where they all are staying. Costner was in town for the premier of his latest movie 'Swing Vote' and met everyone individually. He has been invited for the show and it has to be seen if he too gets bitten by the Bollywood big!

- Those who visited Universal Studios to witness the shooting of 'Kambakth Ishq' were in for some surreal moments awaiting them. It was quite an experience to see Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and the likes to be shooting on the sets of a Hollywood studio, something that is unprecedented. There were countless onlookers at the shoot was in progress. Later in the evening, Sabeer Khan (director of 'Kambakth Ishq') celebrated his birthday by taking Vishal, Shekhar, and Anvita (dialogue and lyrics writer of the film) for a private gathering in a Japanese gathering. Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna, Aftab Shivdasani, and the film's crew joined them as well. All of them have been extended an invitation for the show now!

- On the personal front, even Vishal and Shekhar were in for some surreal moments as they got to spend some quality time with Madhuri Dixit all by themselves. The two were strolling around in a mall where they happened to see Madhuri as well. She, along with her husband, looked like a little lost in finding directions in the mall and was looking for a mall. This is when the composer duo came for her rescue (!) and bailed her out. Smiling ever since then, they haven't stopped gushing and blushing! Jokes apart, one facet of hers which has been managed to impress them both is her pleasant and chilled out nature. Not carrying any airs or starry tantrums around her, Madhuri stayed on to be humble-as-ever in her conversations!

- Talking more about Madhuri, highlight of the evening of July 26 is going to be, what else, but the coming together of the Queen and Ash for the 'Dola Dola' number. Envisaged to be executed at a grand scale, everyone is looking out with a bated breath for this one performance. Looking at the response in Trinidad where maximum applause came for anything and everything which was pure Indian in nature and presentation, it won't be surprising if this Ismail Darbar composition goes to win accolades all over again.

Stay tuned!

Toronto, July 20: Mega star Amitabh Bachchan has thanked his fans and followers for the overwhelming response that he has got for his ‘Unforgettable’ tour in Canada. Big B, who is presently abroad for the same, accompanied by a volley of stars which includes- Akshay Kumar, Shilpa Shetty, Riteish Deshmukh, Madhuri Dixit and last but not the least, the much in love couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.

Amitabh in his blog writes, “What a show. Incredible, non stop adrenalin!! And the Torontonians, got it right this time, were just unbelievable. They spurred us on and item after item just went like a bomb. This show is packaged so well that all credit should go to the managers for putting in a fantastic presentation. Such an overwhelming experience and all thanks to the prayers and good wishes of all you readers and fans. God looked after us he heard your prayers and He is truly great.”

According to the reports, the venue was sold out and the tiers of the venue had to be opened to accommodate more people. Big B has also thanked the dazzling envoy of stars accompanying him, by saying, “I have seen it before and have been there. I am old and a veteran now on such experiences, but for the youngsters I felt proud and happy. A first for them and I hope one that continues for long. Each one of them so full of energy and confidence. Akshay brilliant as always, bringing the house down, Ritesh so lovable, the banners in the audience of ‘Ritesh you Rock’, ‘Bachchans we love you’, just kept popping up, Priety cute and confident, Vishal and Shekhar rocking the place, never ever seen this side of them, their favorite numbers from Om Shanti Om and Bluffmaster and so many other hit films creating a frenzy, Shiamak’s untiring dancers such a delight, their precision and energy so invigorating. The band, dynamite. Abhi and Ash in several of their hit songs, pumping up the audience into a riot of screams and shouts. Not a moment to breathe. It just kept coming wave after wave. So delighted.”

Big B further writes, “We are not here for the money. It is an opportunity for us to meet and greet our fans and provide them entertainment for a few hours. That is our wealth and our most prized jewelry. Nothing more. We want to put up a show that reflects the technical finesse and quality of any other in the western world and yes in order to do that a cost is involved. This is between the producers and the promoters, not us. I would be happy to do a concert for free and have done so on many occasions. We feel blessed to have your affection and love. That is supreme for us. Nothing more.”

The Bachchans’ have now moved to Trinidad for their next show. Looks like the family has yet another win at their hands.