Nazar - Hindi Film Review

For those who expect a whole lot of oomph to be crammed into this thriller, there's bad news. Pakistani import Meera's Bollywood debut proves her to be a competent actress. But she doesn't have the quality that could have elevated the film's mass acceptance level.



"Nazar" is a poor man's - or woman's - version of this week's other film "Naina". The director's loose grip over her plot is matched by an absence of technical wherewithal in the story.



All through the longish drama we are treated to the protagonist's purportedly eerie hallucinations. Yup. Like Urmila Matondkar in "Naina", Meera can 'see' the dead before they die. Too bad she doesn't get us involved in the way the other film does. The fault lies not so much with the central performance as the failure of the director to create an ambience conducive to constant fear and foreboding.

There are too many destructive distractions. At one point in the second-half she runs out of plot and takes the lead couple for a song under the waterfall.



The plot never re-surfaces from the watery diversion. Though debutant director Soni Razdan doesn't apply brakes in the narrative for a song or a comic romp, she constantly keeps putting the characters into crises that seem complex from above but are pretty absurd in close-up.

The four main characters, an actress (Meera), a cop (Ashmit Patel with hair almost as lengthy as the narrative, the cop's colleague (Koel Puri, squinting her eyes into a Chinese grimace) and a doctor (Aly Khan).



The storytelling is pale and uninviting. The zero chemistry between the lead pair makes matters worse. While Meera looks a lot larger than Ashmit Patel, he walks around looking more like a drum player in a garage rock band than a cop. Given a crisis, she'd probably protect him instead of vice versa.

The tentative scene-stealer is the talented Koel Puri who struggles to invest a semblance of intelligence into a film that's structured like a de-escalating whodunit. Throughout we sense a catastrophe far beyond the immediate crisis, namely the serial killing of beer-bar dancers.



"Ha, serial killings happen only in Hollywood films," scoffs senior cop Avtar Gill.

They sure do, and far more professionally. The build-up and the denouement in "Nazar" are amateurish enough to make the next episode of the long-running TV series "CID" look like Hitchcock's "Psycho".

A serious psychological subtext is lacking in "Nazar". There is an attempt to introduce 'issues' such as the plight of beer-bar dancers and the HIV virus into the plot. But the narrative just doesn't seem to support ideas that go beyond the shallow slasher aspirations of the product.

Watch out for Gujarati stage actress Sarita Joshi in one sequence and Neena Gupta's sufiyana qawwali. They both go over-the-top. But no sweat. Self-control isn't one of this film's primary virtues.

Hrithik might play Rambo’s stepson!

Grapevine is abuzz that Hrithik Roshan is being considered to play the role of Sylvester Stallone’s adopted Afghani son in ‘Rambo IV’.



The announcement of the project has already been made in a press release by Nu Image/Millenium Films that have acquired the film’s rights from Miramax/Dimension Films.

As we have already reported, the film will be shot in Bulgaria, the US and certain locations in India early next year.

Reports quote Stallone as saying that ‘Rambo IV’ (also titled ‘Holy Wars’) will be based on a hostage situation involving his 10-year-old daughter in the film.

But an early online draft of ‘Holy Wars’ states that the movie will have John Rambo (Stallone) as a committed family man working at the UN headquarters in New York. Things take a turn for the worse after a few Islamic terrorists siege the UNHQ. And among the terrorists is Rambo’s adopted Afghani stepson.

The draft alludes to Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan as an actor under consideration to play the role of Afghani stepson.

Hrithik played a terrorist in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Mission Kashmir . He also has a strong physical resemblance to Stallone.

However, there has been no official confirmation of Hrithik’s presence in ‘Holy Wars’ as yet.

Shah Rukh Khan – The King in Dubai

It is not just like that Shah Rukh Khan is known as the King Khan. The first Global Indian Film Awards in Dubai bore testimony to the fact that how popular SRK is in the region.

SRK virtually swept the first Global Indian Film Awards in Dubai with films starring him or produced by him including Main Hoon Na , Veer Zaara and Swades bagging the largest number of honours.

At the gala awards ceremony at the Al Wasl Stadium which came as a fitting finale last night to the three-day extravaganza held in Dubai to coincide with the Dubai Shopping Festival, SRK got the best acting awards for Swades while Main Hoon Na which is SRK's production received awards for best film, best director ( Farah Khan ) and best villain for Sunil Shetty .

Swades also won the best newcomer award for Gayatri Joshi while Veer Zaara was awarded for best supporting actress Divya Dutta , and best story by Aditya Chopra .

Rani Mukherjee who was in the nominations in two categories received the best actress award for Hum Tum whose director Kunal Kohli also received the best screenplay award. Rani had also been nominated as supporting actress for Veer Zaara.

Former Miss World Priyanka Chopra received the award for the best actress in a negative role for Aitraaz , while Akshay Kumar won the best supporting role award for Mujhse Shaadi Karogi .

Arshad Warsi who had won accolades for his support to Sanjay Dutt in Munnabhai MBBS received the best comic role in the film Hulchul .

Maqbool by Vishal Bhardwaj won the best dialogue award for Abbas Tyrewala.

The popular awards were chosen on the basis of votes polled by overseas Indians, once again proving that SRK holds the sway in this part of the world. This popularity became evident when the outfit worn by him in Main Hoon Na in the qawaali scene had been auctioned for 30,000 dirhams (Rs 3.9 lakh) in a charity auction for tsunami victims.

SRK also received the loudest cheers as he came up on stage, though audiences were disappointed that he did not perform at the awards event.

Main Hoon Na also won two technical awards - art direction for Sabu Cyril, and action for Attam Amin, while Dhoom received the award for editor Rameshwar Bhagat, and the costumes award went to Vikram Phadnis for Mujhse Shaadi Karogi.

Lakshya directed by Farhan Akhtar received awards for choreographer Prabhu Deva and cameraman Christopher Popp.

Those who performed included Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor , Shahid Kapur , Lara Dutta , Amrita Rao and Saif Ali Khan at the programme compered by Gulshan Grover , and beauty queens Celina Jaitley and Diana Hayden .

Film personalities who came up on stage to give away the awards included Feroz Khan , SRK, Madhur Bandarkar , Rajiv Rai , Bipasha Basu , Shekhar Suman , Abbas and Mustan, Smita Thackeray, David Dhawan , John Abraham , Rattan Jain of Venus, Shakti Kapoor , Salman Khan , Ajay Chandran Nair of Global Events who had organised the show in collaboration with Popcorn Entertainment and Syed Al Naboudah of the Dubai Shopping Festival who were among the main sponsors.

Suresh Gopi: Action hero back in action!

He carved out a niche for himself with a genre of his own: action films! So much so that Suresh Gopi became an instant hit with youngsters and children alike. A host of action movies followed, Commissioner, Ekalavyan, Satyameva Jayathe, Pathram and Nariman, to name a few.



The super success of the action genre pitchforked debonair Suresh to the pinnacle of fame. The feat is all the more creditable, considering that he achieved it at a time when Mammootty and Mohanlal were reigning supreme in Malayalam cinema.

But all good things must come to an end. After a while, the audience got tired of it all. The result: action movies became passé, and our action hero found himself out on a limb.

So, what did the angry young man of Malayalam cinema do? He quietly did the fadeout, and devoted himself to social causes. The last of the action movies series came in 2001 entitled "Nariman".

Well, three years after, the sabbatical is over for Suresh Gopi. Action films are once again the in-thing. The taste buds of the audience seem to be craving for action fare again. Consequently, the 'angry young man' who played many a memorable supercop, guns blazing and mouthing punchy dialogues, is back in action!

The tall and mustachioed hero is busy, again, much to the delight and relief of his myriad fans. Two of his movies are in the pipeline.

The first film " Bharatchandran IPS" is being directed by Renjit. In the film, Suresh plays the supercop out to cleanse the stinking system. Then there is another film named SP. Here again, Gopi plays the lead role as a police officer who takes on the baddies.

So, once again, Kerala will resonate, as of old, to children, youngsters and mimicry artistes mouthing many a memorable Suresh Gopi punchline. An unforgettable one is: "Ormayundo Ee Mugham? (Do you remember this face?)

We do, Suresh, and welcome back!

Students blacken Shakti Kapoor’s face

Bollywood actor Shakti Kapoor had an unpleasant surprise waiting for him at the airport in Nagpur, where he has gone for a performance.



When Shakti Kapoor arrived at the Nagpur airport on Monday morning, he was approached by students belonging to National Students Union of India (NSUI), the organization of students affiliated to Congress.

The students told Kapoor that they wanted to honor him with a garland and a tilak.

Kapoor, who is in the city to perform in a show, accepted the invitation.

A little while later, another group of NSUI students approached the actor and emptied a bottle of ink on him.

Kapoor is quoted as saying about the incident: “I knew people had heard of my arrival in Nagpur, but I wasn't aware of the intention of these students.”

“They had a bottle of blue ink with them. They poured the entire bottle on me and started shouted slogans like NSUI zindabad,” says the actor.

Just a few months back, Shakti Kapoor was caught on camera in a sting operation asking sexual favors from a journalist posing as a Bollywood aspirant. Kapoor thinks that the Nagpur incident was perhaps the reaction of students to the sting operation episode.

Ammu regrets her sleaze act

One thing Amrita Arora regrets in her life is doing Girlfriend. "I am the kind of person who doesn’t regret things in life. But this is one instance when I felt I shouldn’t have done it," she says.

But what is it that got her to sign the film in the first place? "I was given to understand that the film would take a stand on lesbianism. I thought it was something progressive. But when I attended the premier, I was horrified at what I saw. Instead of sending out a message, the film just became a part of the sleaze fest," she says.

Gossip mills have it that she even had a showdown with her parents at the premier. “Now that is stretching things too far. None of that happened. It was just that my parents were very very very upset with what they saw and understandably so. They left the screening midway,” she tells us. "But I learnt from it and have decided that I won’t venture into anything that might disgust my parents," Ammu owns up.

Twist in the story: Ask Ishaa about her experience of working in Girlfriend and she says, “I shared a better chemistry with Amrita than my co star Aashish”.
Wonder what that means?

Praise for Mallika Sherawat

Seems like Mallika Sherawat has won a number of fans worldwide. While at Cannes to promote her new film The Myth, the actress found praise coming her way from none other than the reputed Time magazine.

Writes Mary Corliss in Time, “We also met Mallika Sherawat, the Bollywood bombshell (her steamy musical Murder was India’s top-grossing film last year), who will co-star with Jackie in his new film, The Myth.

Articulate, friendly and forthrightly ambitions, Sherawat impressed the two visiting Americans.

Aishwarya will be Prithviraj's Sanjukta

Two prominent Bollywood filmmakers want to make a film on Rajput king Prithviraj and his ladylove Sanjukta. And both of them want to cast Aishwarya Rai in the female lead.

Vying for the epic project are Raj Kumar Santoshi and Chandraprakash Diwedi.

Aishwarya told IANS: "Raj Santoshi and I almost did Prithviraj-Sanjukta. But then we zeroed in on another subject called 'Saamna', which we're starting later this year. But Prithviraj-Sanjukta...is very much on, though not necessarily with Rajji.

"Chandraprakash Diwedi wanted to make the same subject. He earlier offered me 'Pinjar'. I couldn't do 'Pinjar'. But he was adamant to do Prithviraj-Sanjukta with me. I told him I was ethically committed to Raj Santoshi for the subject. He said, 'Do both'.

"But why should two good filmmakers make the same film? The core personality of the historical figure gets diluted in the duplication."

Aishwarya has a point. This happened with Santoshi and Guddu Dhanoa's bio-pics on Bhagat Singh.

"The whole idea gets lost in superficial comparisons. I spoke to both. We've decided I'll be Sanjukta for whoever makes the film first.

"They both agreed only one of them would make the film. This was the settlement worked out amicably among the three of us. Both Raj ji and Chandraprakash ji have done ample research and are ready to share their knowledge with each other."

So who will finally make this prestigious costume epic? Perhaps Diwedi.

Santoshi is currently busy with "Family", featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar. After that he goes straight into "Saamna" with Aishwarya, Ajay Devgan and Akshay. Thereafter he's working on another film with Ajay.

The kind of discipline, dedication and focus required for an immense project like Prithviraj-Sanjukta is to be found only in a filmmaker with one assignment on hand.

After proving himself in the partition saga "Pinjar", Diwedi will probably wangle the prized project.

But Santoshi or Diwedi, Aishwarya wins both ways.

Desert Dreams promises to be the real one

MUSCAT — Are you one of those Gulf Malayalis or, more specifically, an Oman-based Malayali who has been cribbing that Gulf stage shows are a sham; Malayali film stars and other junior artistes are coming to the Gulf with hastily done programmes and simply take the Gulf Malayalis for a ride?

If you are one of them, then here is a show that promises to be not just different, but the “real stage show” that understands the pulse of the Gulf and set to be a blockbuster of all times.

Desert Dreams 2005, with a potentially volatile entertainment package and top Malayalam film stars, promises to ignite an explosion of fun and enjoyment on stage.

The show is being brought to Oman this week by Hameed Stage Muscat, a major show organiser in town with strings of successful stage shows here.

The first show has been scheduled for May 24 at Sheraton Hotel, Ruwi, and there will be another show at the same venue on May 26.

A third performance has been scheduled for May 25 at Al Wadi Hotel in Sohar.

All the shows will begin at 8.30pm.

“And this time, we promise you that with Desert Dreams, we will unveil one of the best stage shows to hit the Gulf,” said P. M. Hameed of Hameed Stage Muscat (Hamed Al Jabry Trading).

The show on May 24 is mainly for families, but everyone is welcome, says Hameed.

Desert Dreams will be featuring the leading lights of the Malayalam celluloid world such as Sreenivasan, Mukesh, Jagadish, Rahman, Kunchacko Boban, Jayasoorya, Janardhanan, Aniyappan, Kavya Madhavan, Bhavana, Meenakshi, Samvrutha, Geethu Mohandas, Kalpana, Bindu Panicker and singers like Rajesh, Nikhil, Ranjini Jose, etc.

In short, there would be around 68 members in this team, each a heavyweight in their own right.

The director of this show is Rajeev Kumar and it will be choreographed by Harikumar.

“We have all been waiting for nearly a year to get this group together and they have finally got together and so, I am sure it will be worth the wait.

“With stalwarts like Sreenivasan, currently a rage after his role in the Mohanlal starrer, Udayananu Thaaram, and other top artistes like Mukesh, Rahman and Jagdish, we are going to witness a real entertainment spectacle,” Hameed said.

This would be Hameed’s 24th show. Hameed’s successful earlier stints include Summer in Arabia, Alukkas Millennium Nite, Golden Dreams, Midad Sandhya, Mohabbat, Ragam Thalam, etc.

“But this one will beat them all.”

“So much care has been taken to bring this group together; so much planning, so much effort has gone into it.

“The team includes some of the best dancers in the entertainment industry in India. In fact, this is the first time that dancers from the Tamil, Telugu, apart from Malayalam film scene are being brought here.

“Mark my words, it will be a rollicking hit, and so I would like to invite all to be part of a show that will not just draw in a good crowd, but also give you a satisfied feeling of being part of a success story.”

Sponsors of Desert Dreams in Oman include Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Marmul Travel & Tours, Sheetal, Happy Centre and Geely Al Hashar & Co.

Tickets are priced at RO3, RO5, RO10 and RO20 (2 + 2). Besides, VVIP tickets are also available.

Aishwarya's love life has been turbulent

She is excruciatingly perfect looking, with a drop-dead-gorgeous figure and is successful to boot. Yet, if all that is rumoured and written about her is to be believed, Aishwarya Rai has an amazing propensity for getting herself into trouble when it comes to love and relationships.

First it was the Ranjeev Mulchandani episode. Rai was apparently in a relationship with the then model, a matter that was kept largely under wraps until Manisha Koirala brought it into the media spotlight. The initial controversy was that Mulchandani had dumped Rai for Koirala. Then it got ugly.

Koirala claimed that she had discovered some love letters that Mulchandani had written to Rai, and promptly dumped him. Rai, through it all, insisted that Mulchandani was one of her ‘‘closest friends, and nothing more’’. Scene two, with Rai and Salman Khan featuring as key players, was chronicled better. At least Rai admitted that there had been a relationship. From their courting days on the sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam to their turbulent exchanges — her black eye (widely believed to be courtesy Khan) at a televised awards ceremony and Khan’s midnight ranting at her apartment suite — being a few incidents. Throw in some abusive behaviour on the sets of a couple of films starring Rai, where co-stars too were at the receiving end of Khan’s ire. Then it was learnt that Rai and Khan had split up, followed not long after by a rumour that the two had tied the knot.

There may have been no truth in that one, but it soon became clear that the sometimes-on, sometimes-off relationship was on again. Finally, after even Rai’s parents expressed their displeasure over her chosen man, the long time lovers split up for good. Then Vivek Oberoi, assisted by his gift of Sunshine (the now-famous puppy), stepped into Rai’s heart. Yet, Oberoi notwithstanding, is it all over between Rai and Salman Khan? If Arbaaz Khan is to be believed, Rai is still playing the tease. Calling his brother and chatting — her ‘‘regular nonsense’’ as he described it. He also added that while Oberoi confessed to having “something special” with Rai that he hopes will culminate in marriage, Rai told Salman that Vivek and her are “just good friends”. Where have we heard that one before? The fact is that while Rai tries her damnedest to keep her love life out of the news and away from public speculation, the men in her life can’t seem to do the same. They’re moved, by insecurity perhaps, into significant physical or vocal reactions. Salman Khan’s reactions to the beautiful Rai have always been volatile, though implied through association — drunken brawls, car accidents, tantrums and the like — in response to interviews and rumours.

Now Oberoi has all but told the world what Salman Khan thinks is going on between Aishwarya and Vivek, in a televised press conference no less, and what he hasn’t said, Arbaaz Khan has. Our question is this: Why has Rai not been able to make that final cut from Khan? Especially considering the new man in her life thinks that they have “something special” going. Lingering feelings? Misplaced affection? Just wanting attention from whichever quarter she can get it? Only Rai has the answers. But here’s a fact: Khan and Rai are now doing a film together. And that will not help matters at all.

Dileep dogged by diffidence!

After a slew of flops, his "Kochirajavu" is enjoying a reasonable run at the box office. But even the moderate success of "Kochirajavu" does not seem to have restored the confidence of young hero Dileep.

A sign of his sense of insecurity shows in his decision to have two heroines even in his forthcoming movie "Chandhupottu".

Unsure of the box office response, Dileep has gone in for the 'double prop' in terms of heroine support. Consequently, in the Lal-Jose-directed "Chandhupottu, he will have Gopika and Bhavana as heroines.

While this is Gopika's first film with Dileep, for Bhavana, "Chandhupottu" happens to be her fourth film with the hero with the 'comedy touch'. Her earlier films with Dileep were CID Musa, Thilakkam and Runway.

Interestingly, this is the third time that a Dileep movie will boast of two heroines. In "Kochirajavu" itself, Gopalakrishna Pillai alias Dileep had two heroines: ravishing Rambha and comely Kavya Madhavan. And Kavya once again proved Dileep’s lucky mascot. "Kochirajavu" is doing well, much to the relief of hit-starved Dileep.

His earlier Lal-Jose film "Rasikan" also featured two leading ladies " Samvruta and Haripriya.

The conclusion is inevitable: diffident Dileep is still in no position to abandon the crutch of support from his heroines.

Shyla Lopez - hot scenes in Tamil film

Miss India 1992 Shyla Lopez is a leading model. Now she has been signed for a Tamil film Boys and Girls directed by Rajagopalan. Rajagopalan produced and distributed Malayalam films. The film is about a real life incident that took place in a school in USA. A thirteen year boy and an adult teacher fell in love. The teacher got pregnant. The case went to court who ordered that the teacher be jailed for having sex with a minor. Despite this the teacher and the boy continued to be in love.

Shyla Lopez plays the teacher and Arjun a new face plays the student. The film is shot in the campus in London.

Smooch scenes and real hot bedroom scenes are galore in the film. Shyla who hails from Bangalore was first offered a Tamil film by Action King Arjun. Shyla accompanied Lara Dutta for the shooting of Arasatchi. But fate willed her to act opposite newcomer Arjun. She says that all the smooches and roll in the bed are done by the character in the film and it is not me she argues. “One has to give up something to get a name in films,"she states. Wonder what she has given up?

Interview with Nayantara

Nayantara made a memorable debut in Malayalam film Manassinnakkare in which her hero was Jayaram. Fabulous offers followed. She went on to play the heroine of Mohanlal in Vismayathumbathu. Nayantara again impressed as the sister of the Megastar in Natturajavu. She is acting in Rapaakal and Thaskaraveeran, both Mammootty starrers. She shifted to Tamil and made a striking debut with Sarath starrer Ayya. She shot to fame overnight when she was chosen to play Rajnikanth's heroine in Chandramukhi.

What does your name signify?

‘Nayan’ means eyes, ‘Tara’ means stars. Eyes which sparkle like stars (smiles)

How did you feel when you got selected for Chandramukhi?

Vasu sir's wife saw my Malayalam film Manasinakkare and recommended me. I was shooting for my first Tamil film. I could not believe that I was going to be cast as Rajni sir's heroine because he has been paired opposite the topmost heroines. They all (including the director) saw me only on the first day of the shooting.

Tell us your experiences with Rajinikanth.

It was a great enriching experience working with Rajini sir. You get to know lot of things from him as an actor and also as a person. He is very dedicated, punctual and unassuming, despite a superstar.

Why do you work only with senior artistes?

(Smiles) I was getting offers from them only. What’s wrong in it? I enjoy working with senior artistes. Some girls don't like it, but I do! And when an offer comes from superstar Rajini, no one sees him as a senior artiste. I think he is beyond all these.

As far as Ayya is concerned, I played a role which suited my age only. Both Sarath sir and Rajini are very comfortable to work with. Both are soft and humble.

In Malayalam too, you seem to toeing the line of the Superstars and rejecting the offers from young heroes!

I have no such compulsion. I am ready to act with any hero but to tell the truth I have not got any offers to act with young heroes in Malayalam.

Any romances when you were studying?

I was studying in Gujarat's Jamnagar. I didn't even now what love was. I was in my Class VI. My classmate, a Punjabi boy, gave me a love letter. Since then I have got many love letters, but all the affections were one sided. I don't make a fuss about them.


You made headlines when you announced that you are not going to get married at all. Comment!

I didn’t expect it to make such big news. But I have learnt a lesson- never open your heart to media.

When you were signed to act in Manassinakkare, you didn't know who Sheela was?

It's true! My father was an Indian Air Force officer. I spent my childhood away from Kerala. I didn't have much exposure to South Indian films. I knew only the names of Mohanlal, Mammootty, Jayaram and Suresh Gopi. All I saw were Hindi films. Now I have acted with her once again in Chandramukhi.

If not an actress, what would you have become?

I was studying chartered accountancy and also doing my degree in English Literature when I got first film offer. So I would have become a chartered accountant if I had not become an actress.

What about other language offers?

I am getting offers from Telugu. I am waiting for the right script. I had a Hindi film offer too, but it was not a commercial film. It was to be directed by a lady from Bengal. It had an excellent script but I wouldn't be able to do certain portions in the film. I could not tell her to change those scenes because they were very vital for the film. So I did not accept the offer.

Vivek - Aishwarya marriage isn't happening now

What he thought was an innocuous TV interview has turned out to be a nightmare after Vivek Oberoi was quoted as saying he would marry his love Aishwarya Rai. And Vivek is seething with rage and indignation.

A one-to-one with veteran journalist Prabhu Chawla on the programme "Seedhi Baat" on the Aaj Tak channel has stirred up more trouble than Vivek had ever wanted or expected.

A close friend of the couple said: "It isn't really Vivek's fault. He never wanted to speak about Ash during the interview. He was forced into doing so because he was repeatedly asked provocative questions about Ash.

"He never said he's marrying her right now or even in the near future. When he was asked if he would marry her, he naturally said yes. Which man of integrity wouldn't want to marry the woman he loves?"

"Vivek doesn't like keeping quiet when aspersions are cast on people he loves. He thinks it isn't the honourable thing to do. And he's ready to face the consequences."

In the interview, Vivek was repeatedly asked about Aishwarya and his marriage plans.

Countering the interviewer's questioning, Vivek said he answered as good as he got, only to find his words twisted out of context and beamed on the channel piecemeal to spotlight the juicier parts.

An offended Vivek said: "From now on I'll insist that my interviews be used in totality. All I'll say is my intentions towards Aishwarya Rai are honourable, and so is my attitude to the press.

"I believe the press needs to draw a line between news-worthiness and conscientious reporting. Surely we can't have half-truths and distortions passing off as fact especially in an interview conducted by a serious political journalist.

"I don't wish to say anything more."

Apparently the interview, recorded when Vivek went to Delhi last week to attend an event organised by TV Today at which his tsunami relief project was granted around Rs 8 million rupees, and its focus on his relationship with Aishwarya has caused immense distress in the Rai household.

Aishwarya prefers to keep her private life out of the public glare. Such discussions on matters close to her heart are deeply distasteful to her.

Vivek has now decided to be extremely cautious in his public utterances and will take no questions on Aishwarya in interviews.

As for the supposed marriage, the couple's friend said there would be no wedding bells for Aishwarya and Vivek for quite some time.