Saif to be crowned the new Nawab of Pataudi

But he won't use his father's princely title

Saif Ali Khan is set to be crowned the tenth Nawab of Pataudi. As per tradition, after his father Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's death (September 22), he will take over the title and become the head of the state of Pataudi in Haryana. The ceremony is scheduled for the end of October, 40 days after the passing away of Tiger Pataudi.  

The people of the state are apparently very keen to have Saif crowned in a proper ceremony. Though princely states have been abolished in India, there is a sentimental attachment to the Pataudi family. Mansur Ali Khan was always a popular figure and so were his wife Sharmila Tagore and kids - Saif as well as his sisters Saba and Soha.

As the new Nawab, Saif will be responsible for the family estate, ancestral home, trust, hospital and other charitable functions.

The actor said, however, that he would not use the title of 'Nawab' as it was an 'anachronism'. He also wanted people to remember his father as the last Nawab of Pataudi. 

Salman will watch 'Rascals'

Is it to prove there is no rift between him and Sanjay?

Though he is running out of time, Salman Khan wants to watch his buddy David Dhawan's ‘Rascals’ before he leaves for Dublin to resume shooting and the director, in the meantime, is ensuring that the film is screened for all and sundry.

Salman incidentally never watches any film. But since this is his soul-brother Sanjay Dutt's first production, Salman is willing to make an exception. "Salman is very disturbed by the recent reports suggesting a rift between him and Dutt. He wants to somehow fit a screening of 'Rascals' in his airtight schedule, so he can recommend the film to his fans. It's the least that he can do. David was overwhelmed to hear this, since he knows Salman doesn't watch films," says a source.

David spent a delightful Saturday evening with Salman, Ajay Devgn and Sanjay shooting for ‘Bigg Boss’.

"We all become the 'Rascals' on the set. It was Salman and Sanju's first day of shooting for the show. Seeing their camaraderie I've decided to cast them together in a comedy," David says.

While other directors and producers tend to be ultra-secretive refusing to let a single soul watch their films before release, David has gone the other route with his new comedy. Every single day there are two-three screenings for friends, friends of friends, and friends of those friends.

In fact there are so many screenings that Sanjay, who turns a full-fledged producer with ‘Rascals’ has cancelled plans of an elaborate premiere.

No bikini please, it's Katrina Kaif

We've got deets on the special clause in her contract for 'Dhoom:3'

The 'Dhoom' franchise is known to feature Bollywood hotties at their best. The women in particular have had no issues showing off their amazing figures for the Yash Raj series - think Esha Deol and Bipasha Basu who both donned bikinis for their roles in 'Dhoom' and 'Dhoom: 2'. Even Aishwarya Rai wore hot pants and tiny skirts for her role as Sunehri in 'Dhoom:2'.
So it was only natural that there was a strong buzz that Katrina Kaif, who's signed on for 'Dhoom:3', would be wearing a bikini in the film. Rumour was that Aditya Chopra had insisted on the scene. But that's not happening - Kat has apparently gotten Aditya to agree to a no-bikini clause in her contract.

We hear that Katrina was quite averse to wearing a two-piece (though she wore one for her Bollywood debut 'Boom') and managed to convince Adi that things would work just as well if she didn't have to wear one for the movie. What's surprising is that Kat had her way, when, reportedly, Bipasha and Esha weren't given the option to say no. She seems to be following in the footsteps of Aishwarya, who had a similar no-bikini clause when she signed 'Dhoom:2'. 
With back-to-back hits and movies with Salman, Aamir and SRK ahead, Kat is pretty much the new queen of Bollywood. Watch this space for more updates on her 'Dhoom:3' adventure!

The Prince and the Showgirl - A Love Story

Inside Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore's enduring romance



  Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's death on September 22 brought to an end an enduring romance. When Sharmila Tagore tied the knot with the erstwhile royal 42 years ago, it was not only a marriage of cricket and cinema, but also one that broke many stereotypes.

He was a Nawab from a well-known Muslim family and she was a Hindu who belonged to the illustrious Tagore family. As she was to admit many times in later years, Pataudi, popularly known as Tiger, proved to be an exceptionally liberal companion.

Be it her wearing a bikini in 'An Evening In Paris' in 1967, when they were courting, or taking up glamorous roles after marriage in 1969 and later motherhood - he always stood by her, always the ideal partner.

She once said in an interview, "I haven't given up anything (after marrying Tiger). He is very liberal in his views. I've gained a lot of experience and gained another culture, cuisine, and way of dressing. I've benefited a lot."

Their marriage was not expected to last - she converted, becoming Ayesha Sultana - but they proved naysayers wrong.

She once told a reporter, "If Tiger and I make attempts to promote harmony, I do not know how far we will succeed. People will say that I am not a Muslim and that Tiger is a Hindu fanatic."

The couple had three children - Saif, Saba and Soha - but Tiger never stopped her from carrying on in showbiz. In fact, she gave most of her hits after marriage and motherhood.

Many years down the line, when he was arrested for poaching, the actress stood by her husband like a rock.

Death may have snatched away the man from the woman, but like an advertisement they did together, in popular imagination - Pataudi and Sharmila will live on together.

'Agneepath' release postponed

Karan Johar's Hrithik starrer will now hit theatres on January 26, 2012

Karan Johar's 'Agneepath', which was planned for a January 13, 2012 release, will now release on Republic Day January 26.

" 'Agneepath' is now releasing on the 26th of january, 2012....," Karan posted on his Twitter page.

Karan's 'Agneepath', a remake of Amitabh Bachchan starrer, is a tribute to his father, filmmaker Yash Johar's 1990 cult film of the same name.

Directed by debutant Karan Malhotra, the action-drama will see Hrithik Roshan playing the iconic character of Vijay Deenanath Chauhan while Sanjay Dutt will play villain Kancha Cheena.

The others playing important roles in the film are Rishi Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

Salman Khan:Taxmen's Delight

He's paid a whopping Rs 5 crores as advance tax for this quarter

Riding high on the success of his last release 'Bodyguard', which took in a stupendous Rs 100 crores at the box office, Salman Khan is spreading the cheer...even to the tax department. Sallu has paid a massive Rs 5 crores in advance tax just for this quarter. Income tax department sources reveal that this amount is almost thrice what he paid earlier.

It's been a wave of hits for Salman in the last three years - 'Wanted', 'Dabangg' and 'Bodyguard' all released during Eid in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. 'Bodyguard', in particular, is the biggest hit hit Bollywood has ever seen.

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan's tax payments remained steady at Rs 5 cores. Aamir Khan's outgoings increased by 50 lakhs to reach Rs 4.5 crores. Akshay Kumar's advanced tax payments increased from Rs 4 crores to Rs 5 crores. Newbie Ranbir Kapoor's numbers remained steady at Rs 2.5 crores.

Aamir in B'wood's 'Three Musketeers' movie?

We've got more on the Hindi remake of the classic novel

Author Alexandre Dumas' popular novel 'Three Musketeers' is likely to be turned into a film in Hindi, and the buzz is that several top stars will be part of it.

PVR Pictures is said to be in talks with Summit Entertainment, the distributors of the Hollywood film 'The Three Musketeers', for the Hindi remake and reportedly they are considering Aamir Khan and Priyanka Chopra to play important roles.

"They are considering casting Aamir as the Duke of Buckingham and Priyanka as Milady de Winter, who is one of the villains in the film. But the actors to play the three musketeers are still not known," a source revealed.

'Three Musketeers', considered a literary classic, follows Porthos, Athos and Aramis who served the king of France as his best musketeers. After discovering an evil conspiracy to overthrow the king, the trio come across a young, aspiring hero, D'Artagnan, and take him under their wing. Together, the four embark on a mission to bust the plot that not only threatens the crown, but the future of Europe itself.