An odd controversy tied to the politics of the just concluded election erupted on Twitter recently dragging the names of all the three Khans into it. It began with images of purported tweets from the accounts of the superstars in which they said that they would leave India if Narendra Modi became prime minister.

The tweet with Shah Rukh’s name said: ‘It’s my challenge to entire world that if @narendramodiji will become next PM then I shall not leave only twitter but India also forever.’ Salman’s and Aamir’s so-called tweets were also similar in tone. They were obviously fake tweets created for the sole purpose of generating controversy.

Given that it looked as if they were made from the official accounts, the images went viral. While Salman and Aamir ignored it, Shah Rukh surprisingly chose to respond with a tweet of his own and it was dripping with sarcasm. He tweeted: “Good time to tell all fools who r talking of a tweet that I didn’t tweet, u suck as much as the grammar of that fake tweet & I’m being kind.”

That, of course, put paid to the whole thing. This also shows how Shah Rukh’s relationship with twitter itself has changed. There was a time when he went off the social networking site because he was just not used to the kind of comments he was getting.

But now he seems to have understood the medium much better and uses it instead of being wary about it.  Meanwhile in another bit of news concerning him, it was revealed that Shah Rukh was the runners’ up in the list of richest actors in the world. He ranked just after Jerry Seinfeld who was first but ahead of many Hollywood stars. Not bad for a self-made man who came with practically nothing when he began his career.

 

Is it over?

Deepika Padukone’s going all guns blazing in Bollywood. In television shows whenever stars are asked who is the best actress nowadays, the answer is inevitably Deepika. And now her latest release is with the biggest superstar of all — Rajnikanth. Kochadaiyaan is not exactly a Bollywood flick given but it is being screened in the Hindi belt. It remains to be seen how it will do in those parts but down south India it is expected to be a superhit.

And Deepika, who has had a run of blockbusters, would have added another feather to her cap. No wonder then that all the top producers are lining up at her doorstep. Karan Johar is said to be wooing her for his next project despite her having not taken up Shuddhi, one of his really ambitious projects. Meanwhile, news about her life on the personal front has taken a curious turn. It was taken as more or less established fact that she and Ranveer Singh have a thing going. At least he seemed smitten, constantly flirting with her in public and making them look like a cosy couple.

But now he is saying in interviews that they are not having a relationship. What is surprising is that these are not vague assertions but categorical statements. Some in the media have already started speculating that the affair might be over. Deepika, of course, has been silent on the issue. If it really is a break up then it is a matter of time before the details come out.

 

Hitched again

Anurag Kashyap is a prime example of how you should take public statements of celebrities with a pinch of salt when it comes to their private lives. It was just a couple of months ago that he was in the chat show Koffee with Karan talking about how he “had not given up” on the relationship with Kalki Koechlin.

The couple had separated some time back. After the show, a lot was written about how Anurag was still hoping for them to get back together, that he was still in love and so on. But now comes news that he is having a relationship with someone else altogether.

The person in question is also working with him as an assistant editor in his present project Bombay Velvet. Anurag has been candid about the relationship and when asked by a newspaper, said that it’s a happy time for him and he is not going to hide it.

Meanwhile, the couple have been going on foreign jaunts together and it does seem to be not one of those casual flings. And when it comes to Kalki, Anurag is ready with the oldest line in Bollywood —‘we are still good friends’.

 

Riding the downturn

When the times are good everyone comes calling but when fortune takes a dive there is no one at your doorstep. Imran Khan must be going through one of the toughest phases in his life. Nothing seems to be working.

It has been two years since he has delivered a hit and that can be a long time in Bollywood. His last movie Gori Tere Pyaar Mein was a dud and the one before that Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara! was an equally big flop.  But this is where the problem seems to have become exacerbated — the producers of both the movies seem to have disconnected on him and vice versa. Soon after the Once Upon a Time debacle, it became reported that Imran wouldn’t feature in Ekta Kapoor’s next project Milan Talkies.

This was Imran’s decision and he probably just couldn’t deal with Ekta’s histrionics. But the second instance is more telling. Recently, there were rumours that Imran has had a falling out with Karan Johar, the producer of Gori Tere Pyar Mein.

A report in a newspaper said that Karan had not even wished Imran when it became known that he was going to become a father. And Imran was offered no role in any movie from Karan’s production house. And this after Imran has given two hits with Karan as producer. For Imran’s luck to change he desperately needs a hit.

 

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