Shanghai Toasts Priyanka Chopra with its Golden Goblet!

My amblings are amiable this week. Mourning Michael's memory not only mellows my mood, but my musings, too. This week Bollywood's mentionables will not be massacred, er, messed with. And we return this week to Priyanka Chopra...

That said, Jin Jue! Or may the Best in Film walk away with the Shanghai International Film Festivals' Golden Goblet award.

And Priyanka Chopra did...

Her hard work has paid off, and this week she drank from, I mean walked away with, the Golden Goblet in hand. The Jin Jue or Golden Goblet/Cup award is reputedly the top award of the Shanghai Festival.

This is a coup for Ms. Chopra in light of last week's insult: Director Ashutosh Gowariker charged that perhaps Priyanka Chopra was not the most "natural" winner of the Best Actress Award at the Indian Film Academy Awards, but only a candidate due to her "hard work." Let us recall Gowariker's unfortunate public reflection on Priyanka's win, and Aishwarya Rai's loss: "Maybe it is because you are very hard-working and she is a natural..."

It appears that loads of others disagree: Priyanka Chopra has won ten awards in the past six months alone. The Shanghai International Film Festival is known as one of the largest film festivals in Asia, making it clear that her talent is recognized far and wide. Even Danny Boyle, astonishingly astute director of Slumdog Millionaire and 2009's president of the Shanghai jury competition, believed in Priyanka's natural and hardworking abilities.

I only hope that all of this attention doesn't lead to jealousies among her peers - those possessing natural talents as well as the simply hardworking. After all Priyanka herself passed on the opportunity to pop a revenge jab at Gowariker in her acceptance speech. This is the knowing nuance that distinguishes the desiring from the deserving, in my opinion.

Ms. Chopra not only deserved, and won, the most desired award

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of the evening, but also became the first Indian to do so. Kudos!

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Does Ness Wadia Have a New Girlfriend?

After a four year long relationship, it seems like Ness Wadia got over it pretty quickly. While he and Preity Zinta haven't been in the public eye as much since the split, all of that has changed as Ness Wadia was seen on the arm of a new woman.

Preity Zinta told DNA that she's "getting away from it all," by going to the U.S. for about a month. Well this seems like the perfect time for Ness Wadia's big reveal. And we're not talking about a new color in textiles.

On Wednesday night, Ness Wadia made a very public appearance at a men's magazine party with Delhi-based heiress and model Ayesha Thapar. A source said, "They were clearly very comfortable in each other's company. Ness came in only for a brief while and he didn't socialize much. But yes, he and Ayesha seemed to be enjoying each other's company when he was at the party."

Is a rebound Ness Wadia's way of mending a broken heart? That we're not sure of, but it's clear that Preity Zinta is going to be faced with some very real issues when she gets back. What do our readers think about all of this? Make sure to leave us your comments.

Priyanka Chopra Wins Top Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival

Bollywood starlet Priyanka Chopra might need to purchase a bigger mantel to display her awards on. The actress has had a busy year so far, bringing in 10 awards in the past six months. Just this past weekend (June 21, 2009) she was presented her 10th from the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF).

The award is called the 'Jin Jue' Award and is the most coveted of the entire ceremony, well aren't you lucky Ms. Chopra. Priyanka Chopra is the first Indian actor to be given this award in recognition of her contribution to film.

Priyanka Chopra was happy to say that "I feel very privileged to receive this honor from the Shanghai International Film Festival. As an actor, it is very encouraging to be recognized for your work. For me, an award such as this on such a big international platform gives me an opportunity to present India and our cinema to the world."

Let us know what you think about Priyanka bringing in all this award winning bling. Think she deserves it or would you rather see another Bollywood staple getting some affection.

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