Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has held the numero uno position amongst Bollywood damsels for quite a long time and is regarded as the most bankable actor from India in the Western cinematic world. She recently ranked highest among all the Indian actors and the only female actor from the country to be in Forbes' Most Powerful Actor list (see box).

The Bachchan bahu, who surprised many with her villainous act in The Pink Panther 2, is modest about all these accolades. "All I can say is thanks. I do my job and the audience appreciates my work," she says, adding, "I have never played an out-and-out nasty character, but yes, in The Pink Panther 2 I'm quite a tough cookie."

If one couple could break the 'K' ceiling of the small screen with their droll, it was this couple — Disha Vakani and Dilip Joshi — whose innocent humour has milled its way into thousands of Indian hearts. After doing cameos in films such as Jodhaa Akbar and Hum Apke Hain Koun, both Disha and Dilip found their destiny on the small screen. The entire team of the comedy serial, Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah, visited Ahmedabad to celebrate the completion of 100 episodes. After Hrs caught up with the duo to get a glimpse into their reel and real life.

Movies have always spun off a new trend, and the simple yet effervescent jhola bag, that can't really go out of vogue with the city's youngsters, has another reason to stay put, with Sonam Kapoor making a style statement with the bag, in her recent release Delhi 6.

Bags come in all shapes and styles, but one thing that will always be a favourite for many, is the jhola, usually associated with the intellectual bunch. “The jhola signifies a carefree personality and exudes confidence,” says Saumya S, a student at Christ University who owns many of them and coordinates them with her outfit everyday. “You can carry it with almost everything you wear and is convenient,” she adds.

At a time when people are being identified by where they 'come from', the only solution is perhaps to embrace the world as one place. Rooting one's faith into something that John Lennon had conveyed many years ago when he wrote the song Imagine, it's eventually up to the people to dissolve boundaries. And we see bits of it every day, be it through art, music, poetry or films.

The Festival of Poland, in Bangalore, aims to bring two diametrically opposite worlds together. Here is where similarities resurface and connections  are built.

It was supposed to be the biggest day for the Kannada film industry but it ended up being the biggest disaster. Over one lakh people, who had turned up at Palace Grounds on Sunday to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars at the industry's platinum jubilee celebrations, went berserk after they were denied entry to the venue. According to some officials, only 25,000 seats were allotted for the event but more people turned up since it was a Sunday.

The trouble started when a huge crowd, waiting at the Palace Grounds' entry to watch the stars go in, swelled. When actress Bhavana Rao arrived in her car, a mob stopped her vehicle. Some climbed atop the car while others ripped a door off to catch a glimpse of the actress.

Wellington, Mar 1 : Pop star Britney Spears has reportedly been approached