Mugdha returns home for putting vote

Mugdha Godse has been busy shooting in the sweltering heat of Mumbai, but the model-turned-actress made a small trip to her hometown Pune recently.

No, this wasn’t a holiday. Mugdha travelled back home to cast her vote for the Lok Sabha elections. Director Madhur Bhandarkar agreed to give her a day off from the shooting of Jail, so she can go home.

she is so proud to vote :Amrita Rao

Shocking as it may sound,Amrita Rao who has been in two of the most successful films of the decade –Farah Khan’s Main Hoon Na and Sooraj Barjatya’s Vivah and whose success rate and iconic status is certainly higher than most of her contemporaries, was not asked to part of Karan Johar-Tarun Mansukhani’s Vote Aapke Haath Mein Hai campaign.

When asked about this surprising omission Amrita laughs away the query. “You’ll have to ask them why I wasn’t part of it.”

Amrita, it would seem, has antagonized the Johar-Chopra’s by refusing to do Bachna Ae Haseenon. She a was offered the role that Minissha Lamba finally did.

Says Amrita, “I won’t say I’m tired of playing the sweet girl nextdoor who looks at life each day with wide-eyed wonder. But I do crave for a change of image. In my next release Short Cut I play a very glamorous girl. For the first time I’m being dressed up by Manish Malhotra. That does say something about the characters I’ve played so far. So yes I declined Bachna Ae Haeseenon . I couldn’t relate to the character.”

No one says no to a Yash Chopra presentation. Amrita’s behaviour was secretly described as “high-handed” and “reckless”.

And now she was refused a place among Bollywood’s 30-minus icons in Karan Johar’s voting-awareness film although everyone from Kareena Kapoor to Ritesh Deshmukh featured in it.

Not that Amrita was brooding over being left out. On Thursday Amrita Rao voted for the first time. So excited was she by the prospect of casting her vote that she reached the polling booth even before the gates had opened.

“At 7 am I was the first voter at the booth in the municipal school in Mahim.I feel so proud of being able to vote for the first time. I keep looking at the black mark on my finger proudly. For years I envied that tell-tale mark on my parents’ finger.”

Priyanka Will you marry me ....

Reports of the Scottish actor’s visit to India, especially to meet Priyanka Chopra, raised many eyebrows.

The couple has left many wondering after she hosted a special party for him on Thursday at her new residence at Raj Classic, Versova. It was on the pretext of a housewarming party, a celebration which the actress had been postponing for months.

The party which went on until 4 am started sedately but warmed up as the evening progressed. A close friend who was among the select guest list present on Thursday night said, “Of course the party was for Gerard who was completely besotted by Priyanka and kept proposing to her every half hour. It's become a standing joke rather a ‘kneeling’ joke between them. ‘Will you marry me?’ he knelt and said every half hour while she would burst into laughter. She’s clearly not interested on being Mrs Butler.”

Contrary to reports, Butler is not in India to scout for locations for a film. He’s travelling across India with some male friends. “He’s already been to the Taj Mahal and all the other tourist places. He leaves India early next week. Meeting and spending time with Priyanka was definitely a part of Gerard’s plan,” said the friend. “So Priyanka combined the long-postponed housewarming with Gerard’s presence.”

The selected guest list comprised Sussane and Hrithik Roshan, Gauri and Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, Imran Khan and Avantika, Farah Khan and Shrish Kunder, Mahip and Sanjay Kapoor, Meher Jessia and Arjun Rampal, Kangana Ranaut minus Adhyayan, and Farhan Akhtar, who came without his wife, but his friend and business partner Ritesh Sidhwani. Priyanka’s parents were also present at the perky party. Among the absentees were Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji.

The lady made a rather jittery host, running around attending to the guests more than they needed to be. Laughed the friend, “Priyanka had never in her life hosted a party before. She wanted to do it just right. It was okay if she over-did the hospitality as long as she didn’t lack in her role as a hostess. The Mediterranean food was ordered from Aurus and was quite a hit with the selected invitees.”

Sussane Roshan who has done the interior design of the house, we hear, couldn’t help but look around with much admiration, while husband Hrithik beamed on proudly. Clearly, the problems between this couple have been ironed out.

Neighbour and beau Shahid Kapur walked in too, but with choreographer Ahmed Khan. The two burnt the dance floor soon enough. At one point, Priyanka and Gerard took to the dance floor as well, a choreographic chemistry that was noted by guests present. And yes, he did propose to her one more time here as well.