Yousaf Salahuddin’s Haveli oozes cultural magnificence on this cold wintry evening. An unassuming façade, which could easily be missed from the road, opens into a wonderland of history and tradition. Cradled in the glory of the brilliantly lit-up Fort, it basks in the wonders of two worlds: the traditional, which encourages the use of old oil lamps in a power breakdown as opposed to a generator and the modern, which inspires him to build a comfortable living area in his bedroom and bathroom both. His rooftop springs color for Basant and his basement has become the breeding ground for many well-known musicians today. His courtyard is open to public, whether to host a mohallah wedding or shoot a Zille Huma music video. And he’s incomparable as a host, the courtyard becoming an impressive welcome mat to dignitaries from all over the world-Mick Jagger, Madhu Jaffery, Aamir Khan and Boney M included. Yousaf has led many celebrities to stardom, especially musicians and though he as won a bit of inevitable infamy on the way, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Mian Salli embodies the Power of One.

Mahesh Bhatt, leading Indian film maker and director and father of bollywood star, Pooja Bhatt has decided to produce a historical film on legendary, Lal Haveli owned by information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

Mahesh Bhatt visited Lal Haveli a day earlier and went around various parts of haveli. Jhelum will be venue for shooting the film and it will be a real love story.

The film will be co-starred by Pakistani Indian film stars. Indian film star Aamir Khan, Aishwariya Rai and Pakistani actors Reema, Meera and other renowned film stars will take part in shooting of this film. The Bhabhra bazaar, located close to Lal Haveli will figure high in the film. The major set will be arranged in bazaar.

Would you like a Slurpee with that?” says the brown skinned, turban clad Sikh man behind the 7-11 counter. And this introduction serves as the basis for most Americans’ perception of the South Asian experience.

We supposedly work 27 hours a day at gas stations, Patel-owned motels, quick shop marts, Subway stores, computer firms, or emergency wards — and that’s it. On television, our entire culture is represented by television icon Apu Nahasapeemapetalan, the Indian immigrant owner of “Kwik-e- Mart” on The Simpsons. A visually one-dimensional cartoon character with more animation and character than the one-dimensional cardboard caricatures seen in most Hollywood movies, TV shows (with the exception of Naveen Andrews in Lost); talk radio, and academic history books. Desis are also in the news because of “outsourcing:” Our brown brethren of the East are supposedly systematically destroying the American job market by working the same job for 1/10 of the pay.

The Indian press has crowned her the Aishwarya Rai of Pakistan - after Bollywood’s most successful female star.

A household name in Pakistan after having acted in nearly 200 films, Reema is visiting the western Indian city of Bombay - home to India’s famously prolific film industry. At parties thrown in her honour by Indian film legends, Reema says she brings a message of peace from across the border.

“People in both countries want peace,and I bring this message with me to further better relations between the two countries.”

It is a hope echoed by those she has met in Bombay (Mumbai).

The Indian press has crowned her the Aishwarya Rai of Pakistan - after Bollywood’s most successful female star.

A household name in Pakistan after having acted in nearly 200 films, Reema is visiting the western Indian city of Bombay - home to India’s famously prolific film industry. At parties thrown in her honour by Indian film legends, Reema says she brings a message of peace from across the border.

“People in both countries want peace,and I bring this message with me to further better relations between the two countries.”

It is a hope echoed by those she has met in Bombay (Mumbai).

Sahara is certainly turning out to be bigger than the biggest. Why, the company is roping in actors and actresses by the dozen as ambassadors and directors. The latest to join the list is Diya Mirza. The actress will be on the official payroll of the company, if reports are to be believed. Diya, who hasn’t had a hit so far, is probably thanking her stars she’s joined such an elite list as Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai who are also Sahara directors. Now let’s hope this is a sign of a new diya (lamp), a new hope in her career!

After concentrating all her efforts on her home production ‘Dil Ka Rishta’, Ash is now slow to sign films. But don’t be mistaken, the lady is merely picking and choosing her films with great care. So she’s got a great line-up of interesting projects that should last her a long time already. Check out the awesome films in her kitty. There’s Rituparnno Ghosh’s ‘Choker Bali’ (which reportedly she’s already completed); Gurinder Chaddha’s ‘Bride and Prejudice’ which could have a Hollywood actor opposite Ash; Rajkumar Santoshi’s ‘Khakee’ which is already a much talked about film; Sameer Karnik’s ‘Kyon Ho Gaya Na’ with Amitabh Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi; Roland Joffe’s ‘The Invaders’ with Vivek Oberoi; and she could also sign Ketan Mehta’s next film on Mangal Pandey titled ‘1857 – The Rising’ with Aamir Khan, and finally Sanjay Bhansali’s film ‘Bajirao Mastani’. Whew! If that isn’t one helluva package of films, nothing is!

Actress Aishwarya Rai sustained an injury on her left leg while shooting for Khakee at a location near Nasik on April 2.

When IndiaFM called Keshu Ramsay, producer of Khakee, the producer said that the injury is not serious at all. “She has not sustained any injuries on her face or on her body. Her leg will be plastered for a few days, after which she will resume her work.”

Rewaj Team wishes Aishwarya Rai a speedy recovery.

One rumour that’s doing the rounds is that Shahrukh is facing a back problem and he’ll be heading for London soon for surgery. The actor’s last film as leading man was ‘Devdas’ which won him rave reviews and has already landed him a couple of awards. In fact, industry sources say the actor will sweep the awards this year for the Sanjay Bansali film. His leading lady Aishwarya Rai too has received rave reviews for her role in the film. We’re sure SRK’s fans are just waiting for the actor to get back on screen. Well, if we know SRK, that won’t take long!

[ TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

MUMBAI: Devdas, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Rs 50-crore magnum opus about the unrequited love of an alcoholic may not have won an Oscar nomination, but it swept the 48th Manikchand Filmfare awards 2002 ceremony on Friday night.

It won 11 awards, including best film, director (Sanjay Leela Bhansali), actor (Shah Rukh Khan), actress (Aishwarya Rai) and best actress in a supporting role (Madhuri Dixit).

“Everyone asked me why I put in so much money into the story of a loser, but it turned out to be a winner,” said Bhansali.