Bollywood bids a tearful adieu to Hrishikesh Mukherjee!

The illustrious veteran director and Dadasaheb Phalke Awardee Hrishikesh Mukherjee passed away on 27th August after a prolonged illness. The end for this octogenarian Bollywood doyen came at 4.40pm at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, following renal failure and heart related complications. He had devised a new genre of Hindi films through a cocktail of simplicity and warmth to create some of the best family dramas that included "Musafir", "Anari", "Anupama", "Anand", "Guddi", "Bawarchi", " Abhimaan", "Namak Haraam", "Mili", "Chupke Chupke", "Golmaal", "Khoobsurat", "Sadma" and the recent "Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kaate".

Later, on the 29th, his mortal remains were cremated at Shivaji Park electric crematorium at Dadar. A long list of stars, whose career was shaped by Hrishikesh Mukherjee paid tearful homage to the departed soul. Among others, actresses Jaya Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Deepti Naval, lyricist Gulzar and veteran directors Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Shyam Benegal as well as young film makers such as Naguesh Kukunoor and Rajkumar Hirani were prominent.

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan paid his last tribute to the deceased director saying that "Hrishida was like a father figure to me and my wife, Jaya. Working with him was an unbelievable experience because his style of film-making was never to compromise on quality and on the story ideas". Dharmendra also bade a remorseful farewell to his mentor, crediting his early success to Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

Tragedy strikes at Shah Rukh Khan's bungalow !

A security guard posted sat the bungalow of Bollywood Badshah Shahrukh Khan was tragically killed by a colleague, whose gun had accidentally went off at the time of fiddling with it. The guards, belonging to a private security agency, were on duty at Khan's house overlooking the Arabian Sea in Mumbai's Bandra suburb when the incident occurred in the early hours of the independence day. The firing, Tuesday, spread panic in the upmarket area and people rushed out of their homes, residents said.

Shekar Suman plans a Hospital in Patna!

The payback time for Bihar's representatives in Bollywood continues. Coming on the heels of the projects by filmmaker Prakash Jha to build multiplexes in Patna, Madhubani and other places; and veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha's proposed film city in Patna, it is now the turn of actor tuened TV star Shekhar Suman to come up with a proposal to set up an ultra modern heart hospital for children in Patna in the memory of his son Ayush who died of a heart disease. Suman is said to have met the Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and conveyed hm about his proposal.

Things are not going right for some Bollywood girls !!

The sizzling Bipasha Basu has publicly accused two organizers of an India Day parade at Edison Township, New Jersey, of harassing her physically and mentally. She did not took part in the parade , visited by over 10000 Indians, but later took the stage to voice her allegations that she was abused by the two people who were traveling with her en route to the parade. Her protest was interrupted by the organizers and a miffed Basu left the function in a bitter taste.

Back home, the sweet and talented Ayesha Takia had a close shave with death, while shooting for Nagesh Kukunoor's "Dor". Enacting in a train sequence, she tripped over a pipe lying in the platform at Jisamgarh, Rajasthan and fell very close to the railway tracks. Ayesha though was badly hurt, must have been lucky to survive, as the train was moving through the tracks at that time.

Kareena Kapoor to be felicitated !!

Kareena kapoor has been nominated to receive the biennial Smita Patil Memorial Award for her outstanding contribution to the Hindi film industry. Awarded by Priyadarshini Academy, an NGO that has been conducting these award ceremonies since 1984, the ceremony will be hosted on the 19th of September at Hilton towers in Mumbai. Vilasrao

Last, but not the least - the Bachcchans !!

Indian cinegoers will have their plate full of the Bachchans in the month of December. Two of Amitabh's much awaited movie - Vidhu Vinod Chopra's "Eklavya" and Ravi Chopra's "Baabul" are to be released on the same day - on December 8. Though it is highly possible that the two films will eat up into one another's market, yet the directors have stuck to the decision of releasing their films on that particular day.

At the same time, Abhishek Bachchan's "Guru", co-starred by Aishwarya Rai and directed by Mani ratnam will be released a fortnight later. Abhishek, however, has a number of films lined up for release. It includes J.P. Dutta's "Umrao Jaan", Sanjay Gadhvi's "Dhoom 2", Shaad Ali's "jhoom Barabar Jhoom" and Apoorva lakhia's "Shoot Out at Lokkha-ndwala".