SRK & Rani - Anything you can do

But Anil Kapoor's beloved daughter won't give in to all his demands much like her 'Delhi-6' character Bittu, who wants to be free

She's sophisticated, charming and talented, much like her supremely successful father Anil Kapoor. Her much-hyped debut “Saawariya” might have been the debacle of the year but like her tenacious father, she's not about to let the failure pull her down. Sonam's back with “Delhi-6” by none other than Rang De Basanti's celebrated director Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, and that too opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Sonam plays this young loveable girl Bittu in the movie, someone so ordinary and yet so special. The actress admits her character represents “80 per cent of the people in India” – the youth. Mehra is an ace when it comes to youth-oriented subjects – the revolution that “Rang De Basanti” started is still on. "Bittu doesn't want to become a graduate then marry someone her father chooses for her. She wants to create her own identity. Those between the ages of 18 and 28 will identify with my character. “Delhi-6” is a universal story that everybody will like," says Sonam. The pretty actress admits to being similar to Bittu in her own life. She's been torn between following her parents' wishes and being her own person. "I don't want to hurt my parents or go against their wishes," she says. But there are differences between her and Bittu, the biggest being the socioeconomic class the two belong to. "Plus I am from Mumbai and she's from Delhi. Girls from Mumbai are very different from those in Delhi."

How did Shilpa Shetty react when she met the Queen of Jordan in South Africa? She tells Masala! all...

Shilpa Shetty may not know too much about cricket, but we have to admit she has stayed with her cricket team right through the IPL, quite unlike some superstars we could mention.In an exclusive interview, she tells Masala! what else she has been up to in SA...We heard you met Queen Rania. How did that happen?We were staying in the same hotel in Johannesburg. One day when I entered the lobby I saw Queen Rania walking down with her entourage. So I politely stepped aside. We exchanged smiles and then she actually stopped and spoke to me! I had no idea she would even know of me, but as we spoke I realised that London was her second home.I was overwhelmed by her kindness and humility. I met her for a second time the same day by the pool and we had an extended conversation then and even exchanged telephone numbers.I invited her to join us at the president’s box at the Wanderers stadium for a Rajasthan Royals game. She very sweetly accepted and came for her first T20 match.

Slumdog star explains his life’s mantra on the sidelines of the Cartier Dubai Polo Challenge 09

Indian actor Anil Kapoor, who played the key role of the Millionaire show anchor in the multiple-Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, says he has never been afraid to experiment – or fail.“I’m always ready to fail, to fall flat on my face. If you want to do something exceptional, want to be someone different, you have to be ready to fail. “Sometimes, just for the heck of it, I like to experiment, take up a role and a movie that’s totally different,” he told masala.com in an interview. Slumdog, Kapoor agreed, was one such experiment. “And now look at the results!” he said.Kapoor said he was thrilled with all the positive reaction Slumdog had triggered in India. And he dismissed all the negative reaction, no matter where it came from. “Such criticism cannot be taken seriously,” he said.Kapoor vividly remembered every moment at the Oscars. “I could hardly control myself,” he said. “My wife kept SMS-ing me, ‘try and control yourself!’. Can you imagine what it felt like? There I was, in Kodak Theatre, listening to an Indian composer sing, watching Indian dancers move. I was so, SO proud when Rahman and Resul went up on stage to receive their Oscars! That was one of the proudest moments of my life – ever!”Anil Kapoor, already a successful star in Indian cinema with superhits such as Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Mr India and Race, is now ready to screen his own production, Shortcut.

Akshay Kumar talks about his second flop of the year and things he's really worried about

His success spell broke early this year, when “Chandni Chowk To China” dashed all the hopes that were riding on it. But the reputation that Akshay Kumar has built over the years came to his rescue. And he came out virtually unscathed from the fiasco. But now “8X10 Tasveer”, his second release of the year, has also failed to click.We get Akki talking on the film and issues that are of concern to him. Excerpts… Do you think the audience failed to relate to the film's title? That is a possibility. I remember I did a film titled ‘Daag, The Fire’ which was quite confusing as daag and fire are different things. And yet the film worked. But it’s possible that the title of the film impacts its performance. Having said that, I feel “8X10 Tasveer” is very good title for the film and we couldn’t come up with anything better. When I got the script too the title written on it was ‘8X10’ and Nagesh was convinced it works. So we went ahead with it

Choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant hopes to get him there

Leading Indian choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant's semi-autobiographical musical "The Merchants of Bollywood" is set to be staged in Malaysia in July and she hopes to get superstar Shah Rukh Khan to attend the gala."I am very excited to see it being staged here in Malaysia. Perhaps I can try pulling Shah Rukh from his busy schedule to come and see the show in Kuala Lumpur," said Vaibhavi, who is in Kuala Lumpur to promote the musical, The Star newspaper said on Tuesday. Highly popular in Malaysia, Khan was made a Datuk, a traditional Malaysian knighthood, earlier this year. Vaibhavi is one of the most sought after choreographers in Bollywood, working with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh. The 90-minute musical will feature 48 songs including smash hits from Bollywood movies. The cast of 53 will go through 1,200 costume changes and wear 2,500 pieces of Indian jewellery. The musical showcases the artistry of classical Indian dance moves fused with modern dance genres, funk, disco and hip-hop.

Goes berserk dancing with Davar’s mom

From May 29 to June 3, dance guru Shiamak Davar presented his Summer FunkTM Workshop and Show 2009 in Mumbai. This year, Shiamak is celebrating 25 years in show business in India, 15 years of offering students the Summer Funk™ platform and 20 years of his classes in Mumbai.More than 20,000 family members and friends watched students perform over five days at the Shanmukananda Auditorium. Among the guests was Abhishek Bachchan, who went berserk dancing with Shiamak’s mother on stage. “Summer Funk is the best thing on Earth,” he said.Also seen rocking were singers Abhijeet and music director Adesh Srivastava, along with his wife Vijeyta