Andhranews

Sushmita Sen has opted out of the Richard Gere-starrer The Expat. Sources close to the actress say that Sen’s neck sprain and the subsequent set-back had made her shooting schedules go haywire, leaving her no choice but to back out of the international project. “Sushmita is going to be busy with other commitments too. She is keen to launch her own production house. All these things are going to keep her occupied. It is going to be impossible for her to squeeze out time for this international film. Obviously, she is saddened by this, but there’s always a next time,” said the source. Sushmita has just completed Tanuja Chandra’s Zindaggi Rocks where she has been paired with Shiny Ahuja. “It is one film she is looking forward to,” said the source.

Debutant director Dibakar Banerjee narrates an experience that he had with Anupam Kher while playing Dumb Charades on the sets of Khosla Ka Ghosla in Delhi. “After the day’s shooting, the unit including Kher, Boman Irani and I would invariably land up playing the game and Anupam would cheat shamelessly. He would also come up with such tough film names that would be so difficult for the opposite person to guess. We’d have a ball, nevertheless!”

For those not familiar with Dibakar, he comes from the ad world and is making his debut as a director with Khosla Ka Ghosla. Describing Anupam and Boman as amazing actors, Dibakar says that he was lucky to have them together in his debut venture. “Anupam and Boman are coming together for the first time. They are fantastic actors and in my film, they create a riot.” Dibakar adds, “Boman, for the first time, speaks in a typical North Indian Punjabi accent without exaggerating it. It took him a while to grasp the accent that they speak Hindi in. But he worked hard at it.”

When asked what sets Khosla Ka Ghosla apart from the comedies that have released recently, Banerjee says, “The uniqueness of this film is that it is set in Delhi and takes into consideration the life of a middle-class man there. Hindi films have touched upon subjects of love, underworld, NRIs and the life of the rich and famous, but rarely have we come across films that tell the tale of the common man, and that too, based in Delhi. I have tried to capture the never-seen-before nuances of Delhi.”

Actress Samantha Morton was kicked out of Sir Elton John’s mansion, after smashing one of his prized possessions at a dinner party. The Alberto Giacometti sculpture, worth tens of thousands of pounds, was destroyed during a dinner party at the bespectacled superstar’s lavish pad in London’s Holland Park.

The party was to celebrate the launch of London’s new Versace store and was hosted by style icon Elizabeth Hurley and Elton’s partner David Furnish. Elton was away in New York at the time, but is believed to be distraught at the loss of the prized statue.

A partygoer tells the Daily Mirror newspaper, “Judg-ing by David’s appalled reaction, the statue was obviously worth a lot of money. He seemed very flustered and worried. He was hosting the party without Elton and the last thing he needed was for something like this to happen.” Furnish’s spokesperson says, “A smashed sculpture won’t overshadow what was a fantastic evening, raising money for a breast cancer charity.”

Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker regrets her decision to wear black at her wedding because she didn’t want to call attention to herself by donning a traditional white gown. Parker has been married to actor Matthew Broderick for the past nine years and although they live their lives in the spotlight, they didn’t want any unnecessary attention on their special day.

She explains, “I wore black on my wedding day, and I really regret that. I was too embarrassed to get married in white, and both Matthew and I were reluctant to have people pay so much attention to us. Which is ridiculous, because that’s when you can relish the attention, when it’s natural. We treated it like it was a big party on a Monday night and I regret it.”

British pop star Robbie Williams has confessed he may end up dating a man after a series of unsuccessful relationships with women. The ex-Take That boy band member, who has been linked to model Rachel Hunter and actress Nicole Kidman, is notorious for his womanising past. But the Angels star, who strongly believes his perfect partner is out there, may give up on women altogether to find his soulmate.

Williams says, “Living in Los Angeles, I’ve been on so many dates. I’ve developed relationships that have been short-lived, for whatever reason. The press have never found out. But I believe there’s one person out there for everybody. I hope that she, whoever I choose, is a good person. Or he, you never know, you never know.”

Hollywood actress Katie Holmes has hit back at media reports about her elusive baby Suri and her relationship with Tom Cruise. According to ananova.com, Holmes is furious with rumours that surrounded her and her family over the last few months, including the question of whether Suri existed.

She told a magazine, “The gossip eats away at me because it’s just not OK. Some of the crap, the stuff that’s said about my parents and my siblings (implying they didn’t approve of her relationship with Tom), is really frustrating. And the stuff they say about Suri? You shouldn’t say that about us, and you can’t say that about my child. This is my family, and I care so much about them.”

She is also appalled at reports about Cruise and his so-called bad behaviour during her pregnancy. She said, “To see someone as caring and good as Tom and to see how things just get so twisted and turned around. I mean, where does it come from?”

Actor Stephen Dorff has been branded a sex pest by his new co-star Jaime Murray, because he wouldn’t leave her alone. Hollywood newcomer Murray says her 13 co-star, who has been linked with Pamela Anderson and Juliette Lewis, couldn’t keep his hands off her — but his attentive touch did not have the desired effect.

She says, “He’s an out of control sex pest. He wouldn’t stop hassling me. He kept stroking my neck and hair, and finding excuses to touch me. God help any girl who’s with him — he can’t keep it in his trousers. Once you spend time with him, he becomes less attractive. I’m just thankful we didn’t have to have any sex in the film.”