Hard Kaur Dances the Pasodoble Up to the Top On Jhalak Dikhlaja Jaa

By: Mufsin Mahbub

Hard Kaur has been on the top 3 of the leader since last week , but she never was able to reach number one or wowed the judges with her dancing. Will all that change after this week's performance? You bet it did!

Hard Kaur and Savio definitely had the look of doing the pasodoble by wearing clothes that resemble the people of Spain and the art of bullfighting. Hard Kaur looked stunning with her partner who was dressed up as a matador. The song they used was "Pyaar Ki Yeh Kahani" from the film "Honeymoon Travels" The song had a lot of salsa techniques that was used in Hard Kaur's dance. It was a grand performance, especially when part of her skirt turned out to be a cape that a bullfighter uses. It was also great to see Savio spin Hard Kaur like a top spinning no stop to end the performance. What a stroke of genius!

All the judges were in awe after the performance was over. I guess it was a sign that they liked it.

Juhi Chawla said "You were outstanding!"

Vaibhavi Merchant made a joke telling them "did you forget something?" It turned out to be a hug for Hard Kaur and Savio for their brilliant performance. She said that the entire "act was flawless. It was an outstanding performance."

Saroj Khan didn't have any words to express her dance, so she said that she gives Hard Kaur a lot of salutes to her. She gave her money as a token of her brilliant performance.

Boman Irani, who came by to the show to promote his film '99' with Kunal Khemu, said to Hard Kaur if she can be part of his next film. Hard Kaur said that she would do it only if he rapped for her! Well, Boman did on her behest.

She was the top of the leader board after so many weeks, making her safe from the eliminations. She was tied for first place with football star Baichung. This elimination went to soap star Monica Bedi who was the hardest working contestant on the show and everyone gave her props for staying in the competition.

Now we ask you JDJ fans if Hard Kaur can repeat the same success for next week? Watch the video of her performance below.

Rani Mukherji's Father Admitted to Hospital

Rani Mukhrji has been out of the limelight lately, but the petite actress was given quite a shock when she learned her father was suddenly rushed to the hospital. Rani is known to be a Daddy’s girl and is quite attached to him, so imagine her dismay when she heard the news.

According to reports Rani’s father, Ram Mukherji was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Jaslok Hospital after he complained of pain and restlessness. All throughout the ordeal, rani was by her father’s side and the whole family was extremely worried. However, he is now out of danger and is stable.

Hospital authorities released this statement saying, “Yes, Ram Mukherji was rushed to Jaslok from his Juhu residence around noon on Thursday. He is under the care of Dr. Sushil Munshi, a senior cardiologist with our hospital. He is doing fine now.”

With Rani’s father having health problems in the past, this latest health scare the family must have understandably been frightened. The exact details of what Ram Mukherji have not been released as yet.

Rani’s older brother Raja Mukherji was on his way to the hospital when he said, “He has been a heart patient and it is one of those routine check ups. He’s out of danger and there is nothing to worry about.”

We hear at Desi Hits! wish Ram Mukherji well and hope he recovers from any illness he’s suffering from.

Shahrukh Khan Joins the Blog Bandwagon

He’s the King of Bollywood, and now Shahrukh Khan has joined some of his peers like, Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan on the blog bandwagon. For the first time we get to read Shahrukh’s thoughts straight from his own hands typing away on his keyboard on the Kolkata Knight Riders’ official website! As you may know, Shahrukh is in South Africa for the IPL season and he wrote his first blog after his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, was defeated by the Rajasthan Royals in their last match on April 23. Check out some excerpts below!

The beginning of a new day!

“When the season started, I thought I would write every couple of days to all our fans that visit our site.

Firstly, thanks for doing so and a special thanks to all who believe in the Knight Riders and support us as a team. Apologies for not being a regular at my blog or actually not even writing the first entry with the start of the season. So here is the first one.

I thought I would start the first write up by detailing the threshold and culture of this franchise. That would have been apt if we hadn't started playing. Right now, as I write at 5 a.m. in Cape Town, having lost yet another game, which we could have won, the heart is heavy and the mind is numb. Full marks to Rajasthan Royals for proving that a true champion team does not choke at the finish line. Congratulations guys.”

“I treat this team as I treat my own children. I am quite a doting father and perhaps a bit too emotionally involved with all the things my team goes through. I feel like crying when they lose and go wild with happiness when they win. Throughout the tournament last year, my only concern was that the team members should not in any way feel sad or bad after the losses we suffered. If I could, I would want to take all the disappointments they face with every loss or a bad performance onto myself. As much as I try, I now realise that it is not possible.”
“The harder I run, the farther I can go. The more I pray, the less I feel the burden of performance. Also I am learning that after doing all this, there is no guarantee of winning everyday. So all one can do is to give it your best shot and leave the rest.”

“This is getting as long as a Test Match, and I need to end it. I can feel the first rays of the Sun beginning to break through. A new day is about to begin. The defeat still lingers thick in my mind…so I will try and sleep it off and start afresh again. I know my boys will do the same. We will face our disappointments head on with a smile and a prayer. I close my eyes with these thoughts from Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts;

Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,

Or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,

Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;

Who strives valiantly;

Who errs, who comes short again and again,

Because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

But who does actually strive to do deeds;

Who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;

Who spends himself in a worthy cause;

Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,

And who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,

So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who

neither know

Victory nor Defeat.”

Katrina Kaif Rules the Bollywood Ad World

There’s no denying Katrina Kaif has taken Bollywood by storm! Say what you want about her acting skills, but the mixed beauty has won over thousands of hearts. Now she has another feather to add to her cap! Katrina is the Bollywood actress with the maximum number of endorsements in 2008. According to the latest TAM Adex study, Katrina is the only woman on the list of top five Indian celebrities who are popular around the world.

So who’s number one? Well that is of course taken by Shahrukh Khan who endorses a total of 21 products! Whoa, talk about a busy man! Next is skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni with Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan coming in third and fourth. Katrina takes the fifth spot as the only female with her peers Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor not coming close.

So what does Katrina endorse that got her to the fifth position? Well, she’s currently endorsing 12 brands like, Veet, Slice, Nakshatra, Aamsutra, Godrej, Spice Telecom, Dyna Sandal Soap and Pantene. She took over Nakshatra from Aishwarya Rai Bachcan, replaced Priyanka Chopra in the Spice Telecom ad and took over for Sushmita Sen to become the face of Pantene Shampoo. Wow, seems like there could be some resentment towards Katrina for all the ads she’s been taking in place of other Bollywood actresses!

It’s being said that the reason Katrina is so popular is of course her gorgeous looks, but also her international appeal. She has a face that can look European, Indian or American and thus makes her more viable in International markets as well as in India. Plus, let’s face it, it’s always a treat to watch her appear in advertisements!

So what do you guys think about Katrina being the Bollywood actress with the most endorsement deals in 2008? Drop us a comment with your thoughts!

Salman Khan Sings a Track for 'Wanted'

Even with a bad 2008 and a list of flops, Salman Khan is still widely considered a bankable Bollywood star. For his latest film, the highly anticipated, ‘Wanted,’ we now hear he will not only be acting int eh film, but he will also sing a special promotional track for it! Those who are lucky enough to have heard the track already can’t stop raving about it!

In fact the film’s music producer Sajid (of the Sajid-Wajid duo) was quoted as saying, “being in Salman bhai’s company for so many years, I have realized that, whatever Salman bhai does, he gives his 200%. And as far as this song is concerned, all that I can say is that it’s a resultant of the long-time pending urge that he was nurturing to sing. Over a period of time, after regular jamming, we (Wajid and me) realized that Salman has become very melodius and versatile in his verses and voice.”

Apparently the song has “101 sounds, all of which are selectively hand-picked by Salman himself.” There is a feeling of pain in the track, yet according to Sajid, it has been recorded at 140 beats per minute and has a very “today feel.”

The last time Salman recorded a track for a film was for ‘Hello Brother’ which was also musically composed by Sajid-Wajid. Salman is known to have one of the best voices as far as singing goes, out of the three Khan’s (Shahrukh and Aamir). He’s even released his own album in the past and this just adds to his singing credibility. As in the past both Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan have sung tracks for their films.

So what do you guys think about Salman recording a track for his film, ‘Wanted’? Are you interested in hearing it? Drop us a comment with your thoughts!

Anoop Desai is Dropping out of College

After being voted off of American idol, Anoop Desai has giving his thoughts on his futureplans. The Desi
Idol was pursuing a master's degree at the University of North Carolina before his American Idol
audition. After being chosen to go to Hollywood, Anoop Desai put his college life on hold for dreams of pop stardom. However, with the competition now over, Desai has no intentions of going back to college; instead he plans to pursue a record contract. Back at the University of North Carolina, Anoop Desai was doing a post-graduate course on folklore and studied political science and American studies. In his free time, Desai would sing in the College's a capella group, the UNC Clef Hangers.

Desi Hits! Wonders how Anoop Desai's parents must be taking the news of their son. His father, a
computer software designer and his mother, a biochemist seem to be fond of learning. But we can't
blame Desai. While there is no official contract on the table for Desai who wants to focus on pop and
R&B, he does have one thing going for him, The American Idol Tour. The tour starts in the summer and
runs through America. And we don't think Desai will have to worry about money, the 2008 tour had a
total revenue of $29.3 million dollars.

But the question looms, will Anoop Desai go on to stardom. The last Desi to make it into the top 10 on
American Idol was Sanjaya Malakar who has faded out fast. Can Anoop Desai reach stardom like past
castoff Chris Daughtry or will he be another Sanjaya Malakar. And was Desai smart in leaving the
University of North Carolina to pursue a musical career. While we appreciate his boldness, we just
have to wonder how it will play out for the latest American Idol castoff, let us know what you think
about Anoop Desai's decision at Desi Hits!

RDB and Raghav Transcend on NYC

Artists like RDB and Raghav are always working hard round the clock to bring you the freshest music around. RDB have teamed up recently with vocalist Nindy Kaur (the first female singer to work with them) and came out with "Par Laga Dhe Veh (4 Minutes)". Meanwhile Raghav has been spending all his time constructing his highly anticipated and long awaited album 'Identity'. He's already unleashed songs like "Humrahee" and "My Kinda Girl" to give us a taste of the awesome stuff he's doing for the new record.

Well, in addition to spending time in the studio, these hot artists are also on tour. Where do they find the time! Both RDB and Raghav have managed to squeeze some much needed performance time into their crazy schedule. Tonight they will both be dropping in the New York City area to wow their fans and hopefully make some new ones in the process.

It wasn't that long ago that Jay Sean was surrounded by hundreds of fans in the Big Apple, so hopefully RDB and Raghav will have the same effect on the city that never sleeps. With the release of new songs and albums just around the corner for both RDB and Raghav; these shows will definitely be worth the price of admission to hear some brand new stuff.

To get fans geared up RDB and Raghav will also be doing interviews and press meets for the news media. As if they already didn't have enough on their plate! So be on the lookout for some exclusive information direct from the source within the next couple of days! We always strive to get all the latest on all of the artists you love.

So we want to know who you're excited to see as RDB and Raghav tour. Do you think that they will generate as much energy as Jay Sean did when he was in NYC? Or do you think that they have a long way to go before they can catch up to Jay Sean's success. Give us your thoughts on these artists and tell us if you think they're on par with Jay Sean or off the charts!

Photos: Dev Patel and Freida Pinto Caught Together

We gave you some exclusive news about 'Slumdog Millionaire' co-stars Freida Pinto and Dev Patel who were caught together in Israel on a lunch date. Now we want to show you some exclusive photos of the two together and looked like some lip action going on.

In the past, Dev and Freida denied that they were together and that they are just friends.

Dev and Freida were recently spotted on an intimate lunch date in Israel where Pinto is on location for the French-Israeli co-production 'Miral'.

Patel, who turned 19 yesterday and Pinto, 24, have in the past denied they are anything more than friends.
However, for Patel to take time off and go to Israel to be with Freida around his birthday, the friendship would have to be a special.

Anil Kapoor, their co-star in 'Slumdog Millionaire', seems to have sensed the special nature of their friendship well.

When he appeared on Ryan Seacrest's Morning Show on KIIS FM on February 18, Seacrest asked Kapoor:
"Dev and Freida, is there any action going on behind the scene there?"

Anil Kapoor, who has a reputation of talking straight, did not hesitate in replying, "As a matter of fact...when I meet them I feel there is something happening."

"Ah Ha!" went Ryan. "I knew it!"

"But she says I have to look after him and I have to baby sit him and that kind of stuff... [I think] this is the beginning of something exciting happening.

"They definitely make a great pair...both of them look very good together," Anil added.

Now we want to know from you guys if you think that Dev and Freida make a good couple after looking at these exclusive photos. Send us your comments.

Celina Jaitley Reveals Her First Boyfriend was Gay

By: Mufsin Mahbub

Celina Jaitley has met with great success with films like 'No Entry' and 'Golmaal Returns' by sizzling up the screen with her presence.

Apart from her films, Celina's commendable work for gay rights has also kept her busy. She walked at the Gay Parade held in Mumbai but not many know what actually made her fight for the gay, bisexual and transgender cause. Celina revealed to Stardust Magazine that the first man she fell in love with turned out to be gay.

"My first boyfriend was gay and that's the reason I continued being a gay rights activist." The only question is how did she discover he was gay?

"I had newly moved to study in Kolkata and had also just started modeling. I met him there when I went to a nightclub for the first time in my life. We became good friends. He later proposed and I accepted eagerly as I had never been in a relationship in my life before. I got to know that he was gay within a couple of months but didn't know how to deal with it. He wouldn't accept it openly that he was gay and continued relationships with other men while I remained a girlfriend to show everyone he was straight."

But Celina doesn't hold any grudges. "He came out of the closet soon after and we ended up becoming good friends but he dealt with the dilemma and trauma of abusive relationships, hiding his sexuality from his parents and family. His story ended last year when he passed away of heart failure due to bulimia. But the long lost love for this person also continues be a major factor in my life to pursue my quest for gay rights in India. I've had gay friends all my life. They always stood by me whenever I needed them. There was a time when if you were a homosexual, you were considered a eunuch. Unfortunately, that was the understanding of homosexuality in India. I realized I couldn't sit quietly anymore and I had to stand up," she said.

Celina had faced hurdles for supporting this cause. "There is a Bollywood website where they have abused me and called me a lesbian. I have got threatening letters from certain cultural activists but I have carried on because somebody has to take the first step. This is a human rights issue and not a charity. I worked with a gay group in Kolkata for homosexuals as well. I have also worked in HIV awareness camps. I hope to do much more and the health ministry is also very supportive of it. There is a student community, which has supported my Facebook group," she informs.

Celina also had no doubts about playing a homosexual on screen. "If John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan can do it, I am sure somebody and I can do it also. There is nothing wrong in it. Love has no language - be it between two men, women or heterosexuals. Whether you portray it in a funny or provocative way, love is love," she states.

Now that you have read to her story, we want your opinion on Celina Jaitley's support for homosexuals. Is she doing the right thing standing up for what she believes in? Since she mentioned that she has no problem playing a lesbian on screen, do you think she can pull it off? Give us your thoughts on this actress-turned-activist.

Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia Call It Quits

The superstar actress Preity Zinta and her beau Bombay Dyeing heir Ness Wadia have been together since about 2005. There has been a rocky, public and yet in many ways private relationship. There have been just as many speculations about the couple splitting as there have been about the couple making it official and finally getting married. Preity Zinta who normally tries to keep her personal life private, couldn't hold it in any longer and all was finally revealed.

It's finally been made official. After being together for about four years, Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia have called it quits. There was the normal denial stage, but Preity Zinta has finally succumbed and reported that the rumors were not just gossip. The news was released in a kind of unusual way. She had to make it known to those that worked closely with her and somehow (what a shock) the information leaked.

A source in Cape Town said "As there has been a lot of buzz about their personal equation, Preity being extremely professional, felt it was important to clear the air. She owed it to her team members, so she sent an official mail to those associated with the team. Now there are no more hushed whispers when both Preity and Ness are around nor are people uncomfortable around them. It is really mature of her to be so straight and clear cut about her personal and professional life...But the warmth and affection between them has now gone kaput. It is clear for everyone to notice."

We want to know what our readers think about Preity Zinta and boyfriend Ness Wadia breaking up. Do you think that it was inevitable? Or are you actually surprised that they ended such a long relationship? Give us your thoughts on the end of Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia's love affair.