Asin is a blend of Indian & Western looks

Southern beauty Asin Thottumkal calls herself the contemporary modern woman and says that her name signifies that too.



"A is taken from Sanskrit, which is the first letter of the alphabets and Sin is English for Hindi word 'paap'. So Asin means pure, something without sin. It's a combination of the East and the West.



"It stands for contemporary India because now we are neither fully traditional nor completely westernised. We are a blend of both. So my name is me, a contemporary modern woman," said the 25-year-old.



Asin, who was last seen in Ready with Salman Khan, has paired with Akshay Kumar in Housefull 2.

Sajid doesnt want Jacky to do item songs

We recently reported the bonding between Jacqueline Fernandez and her Housefull 2 director Sajid Khan.



Now the possessive beau has started to affect her professional decisions, too. Apparently, Khan forbade her from doing an item number for Desi Boyz starring Akshay Kumar and John Abraham. Says an insider, "Director Rohit Dhawan and producer Krishika Lulla were keen that Jackie do an item song for DB. However, she refused the song saying Sajid (Khan) wouldn't like it. Apparently, the director has a say in whatever Jackie does, personally and professionally. The 'official' reason is that if Jackie acts with John in Desi Boyz (it releases before Housefull 2), the pairing would lose its freshness for Sajid's film."



Khan refutes the buzz, "She hasn't discussed anything with me. It's her choice... I will never interfere with anyone's career. If she asks me, I will definitely stop her. Jackie is paired opposite John in my film. If she performs an item song with Akshay and John in Desi Boyz and it releases before my film, it will affect the freshness of my film. I won't allow any of my pairs - Akshay-Asin, John-Jackie and Riteish-Zarine - to do item songs together in anyone else's film before Housefull 2 releases."



When asked if he didn't want Jackie to turn down the song because of their personal equation, Khan says, "I don't discuss my personal life." Jacqueline says, "Sajid is the director of my next film, Housefull 2. He wants to see John and me as a fresh screen pair with this film. Doing the DB song would've killed that element, so I respected his decision and passed on the opportunity."



Krishika adds, "Jacqueline told me Sajid wouldn't allow her to do the song."

I dont have a bikini body: Zareen Khan

What’s so great about donning a bikini? Zareen Khan perhaps thinks so and is in no mood to flaunt a bikini as she feels she doesn’t have a perfect body.

Why so, Zareen? We loved you in the song Character Dheela and you looked so fit and fab. The Veer beauty has trashed the rumours that she will be sporting a bikini in the Housefull sequel. In the first part, the three actresses, whether it was Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta or Jia Khan, all sported a two-piece. Thus speculations were rife that Zareen will also slip into a bikini for the sequel.

“There is no bikini scene in the film and moreover I haven’t got a body for it,” confirms the actress, who was even called Fatrina (a fatter version of Katrina Kaif) during her Veer days.

Then why gym-shym, Zareen? Isn’t she working hard on her body for Housefull 2? The actress says it is because her character needs to look glamorous, and also she wants to be at par with the other heroines. Aha...competition!

Housefull 2 also stars Asin, along with Akshay Kumar and Ritesh Deshmukh.

Genelia out of the equation..

Genelia D'Souza will no longer be a part of Bol Bachchan.

Though Genelia was supposed to star opposite Abhishek Bachchan in this Rohit Shetty film, there were differences that cropped up between the makers and the actress to which this decision was taken.

A hunt is now on for the second lead in the film that has Ajay Devgn and Asin topping the cast with Abhishek joining in as well.

“For Genelia this could have been a ticket into a big Bollywood commercial film. In fact, she was banking on the film since Rohit has an impeccable record when it comes to delivering hits. Moreover the film is said to be a remake of a cult classic like Golmaal (the old one starring Amol Palekar), which means a successful outing was guaranteed,” said a source.

However, there were issues that cropped up before the film had gone on the floors.

“All was certainly not well between Genelia and the makers of Bol Bachchan. Genelia was not quite happy with her role as she felt she deserved better due to her reasonably successful stint down south.

“On the other hand, the makers were not too happy with her either. The differences did not seem to end and it was in the interest of both parties to call it a day.”

No one knows whether Genelia was asked to leave or it was the petite actress who chose to walk out. However, the fact remains that as of now there is a spot vacant for another girl to step in.

Since the film is looking at going on the floors pretty soon, it is currently a critical situation for Bol Bachchan to find an instant replacement.

“A decision has to be taken in a jiffy as Ajay, Asin and Abhishek have already allocated their dates and have to move on to their other respective projects soon.”

Asin goes back ..

After a brief gap, reigning queen Asin is reportedly making a return to her home industry Mollywood!

It is said that Asin will be the heroine opposite megastar Mammootty in his upcoming Mathilukalkkappuram, sequel to National award winning Mathilukal, directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 1990.

In Mathilukalkkappuram, she is essaying the character Narayani, immortalized by K.P.A.C. Lalitha in the original. Unlike K.P.A.C. Lalitha's Narayani, whose voice is only heard from the other side of the jail wall, Asin will make her on screen presence in the sequel. The shooting of the film will take place in Thanjavur. Mammootty's Play House is the producer.

Lucky Charm

Puri Jagannadh gave Asin a break with a role in his Telugu blockbuster 'Amma Naana O Tamilammayi'. It is to be noted that she reprised the same role in the Tamil remake M. Kumaran s/o Mahalakshmi, making her debut with a grand success.

The director is currently on a hot streak with his films like Pokkiri and Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap hitting the bull's eye at the box office. And with this going on, all the Bollywood A-listers are keen on working with him.

There is a talk that Amma Naana O Tamilammayi will also be remade in Hindi with Salman Khan in the lead for which Asin has expressed her desire to reprise her role again which Puri seconds as a good idea with Asin being Salman's lucky charm.

With Salman being so unlikely to raise objections, Puri and Asin would soon be joinging hands again if all goes as planned.

YRF Vs Nadiadwala

Once in a while comes a clash between two star-studded films.

No sooner did Yash Raj Films announced that Ek Tha Tiger would release on the 1st of June next year, the news came that Sajid Nadiadwala’s Housefull 2 would also hit the screens the same day.

Trade analysts predict that the release of the two films will keep the box office cash box jingling.

While the YRF film has Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead, Housefull 2 has stars like Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Asin, Zarine Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Shazahn Padamsee, Rishi Kapoor,Randhir Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty.

Incidentally, Nadiadwala’s Housefull opened to packed houses and was one of the biggest hits of 2010.

Ileana's ticket to Bollywood..

Ileana who is the highest paid actress in the South, has just booked herself a first-class ticket to Bollywood!

Ileana will be starring opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Anurag Basu's Barfi playing a very interesting character as the story arc for this role starts with her being a teenager and finishes at 60!

Ranbir will be a deaf-mute in this film. There is another meaty heroine role and word is that it will either go to Asin or Priyanka Chopra.

The Nanban heroine would have preferred a solo launch but she accepted as the role allows her to perform while showing off her glam side as well.

This is certainly an unconventional launch but Ileana is quite sure of making it work for her.

2 out of 3 Khans..

Asin has officially entered a golden era in her career. She is one of the lucky few to have worked with two out of the three Khans in Bollywood. Not only that but she has delivered blockbuster hits with them that have smashed records at the box office and made her the lucky mascot for the Khans.

With Aamir Khan, Asin had Ghajini which exceeded all expectations and propelled her into the highest echelons of stardom. And unlike other Bollywood wannashines, she did not grab every offer that came her way though there were offers aplenty. She bided her time and released her second film with Salman Khan, London Dreams which crashed and burned at the box office. Insiders wrote her off as a one-film wonder. But then Ready with Salman Khan came along and went on to become one of the biggest grossers in Bollywood history.

Asin has consolidated her position in Bollywood, and is all set to become the reigning Queen Bee. Her next project is Housefull 2 with stars like Akshay Kumar and John Abraham.

The big news for Asin is that of Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's Two States with Shahrukh Khan, who is very keen on working with Asin. With the Khan triumvirate by her side, Asin definitely has an impressive triumph in Bollywood.

Asin acting Pricey after two hits!

It may appear as a shock to many of you but currently Asin has only one project in hand in the form of Housefull 2. Zarine Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez have already been cast as the other two leading ladies, which means Asin will have to share her screen space with them.

If the buzz is to be believed, a well known Bollywood producer wants to cast Asin but is displeased about the fact that she is quoting the same price as the likes of Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Now that’s too much to ask for!

Anyway, Asin’s good friend Salman Khan, despite willing to would not be able to grant her a role since the leading actresses of all his upcoming movies have been cast. Here is a look at Salman’s upcoming movies and leading ladies - Bodyguard with Kareena Kapoor, Ek Tha Tiger with Katrina Kaif and Kick and Dabangg 2 with Sonakshi Sinha.

Reportedly, the Kollywood producers and directors too are unhappy about the fact that she goldbricked them when she started receiving offers from Bollywood. Other than her only hit movie this year, Kaavalan starring Vijay, Asin has no Kollywood offers in her kitty. Whereas other stars like Ileana D Cruz, Deepika Padukone and Sonakshi Sinha have been receiving quite a few offers.

It is shocking that despite the super success of Ready, Asin is still falling short of offers. No Kollywood and no Bollywood, Asin? ever thought about moving to Hollywood?

Salman's next with AR Murugadoss

Ghajini director A R Murugadoss has been missing-in-action from B-town since delivering one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema, there is now word that he is being roped in to make a film with Salman Khan.

As reported, a leading producer in Mumbai is working towards bringing Salman and Murugadoss together. This comes as a surprise as it was largely speculated that Murugadoss would be directing Shahrukh Khan next, and there were reports that the two had met to discuss a project.

Murugadoss is currently finishing up 7am Arivu, a Tamil film, and it will be some time before his next project gets underway. Besides, Salman’s schedule is packed with films and one cannot foresee how he could jam in another film.

There is no confirmation from either Salman Khan or A R Murugadoss and no news of the two meeting to discuss any project, so not much can be made of this report.

Whenever this pairing does happen, it will be a sight to see brawny Salman Khan -- the original muscleman of Bollywood -- directed by Murugadoss in an Action thriller!

No bikini for Asin and Zarine?

Moving onto the production of Housefull 2, sequel to Housefull which has already begun and the filmmakers have opted out for London as their first stop.

While things are running smoothing, not everything is going to plan as accordingly to reports, director Sajid Khan is having a difficult time in persuading his heroines, Asin Thottumkal and Zarine Khan into wearing a bikini.

Sajid wants to incorporate the same sort of glamorous look he did with the original Housefull, where his leading ladies, Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone and Jiah Khan were seen dancing around in hot bikini’s.

But unfortunately, Asin and Zarine are just not comfortable in wearing one, and we don’t blame them, they certainly don’t match up to the likes of Sajid’s previous actresses. Though Zarine is said to have lost weight, we don’t think she could pull off a bikini just yet, and as for Asin she has clearly gained weight in the movie Ready.

On the other hand, heroine number three, Jacqueline Fernandez has given her director the green light and has absolutely no qualms about wearing a bikini. No surprises there!

We’re guessing Sajid never mentioned the bikini look with Asin and Zarine before they signed on the dotted line. Anyhow, the two stars have come across very confident about what they believe; they’re not called Salman Khan’s leading ladies for no reason.

Do you think Asin and Zarine are being unreasonable? Or are they doing the right thing?

"Asin overdid it, Nayan underplayed" - Trisha

Actress Trisha is busy reprising Nayanthara's role in the Telugu version of Bodyguard which Kareena Kapoor is playing in Hindi. Paired opposite Venkatesh in the film, the actress says she has completed the first schedule of the film.

With Trisha and Kareena playing Nayanthara's role, there has been a lot of buzz as to who will be the best and whether the other two will live up to or be better than the original act. Asin played the role in Tamil in Kaavalan opposite Vijay. Comparisons between the four actresses have been making headlines but Trisha said in a recent interview that she wants to be herself and stand out. She's also quoted as saying that she believes Nayan underplayed her role while Asin overdid it.

In Chennai on a break from shoot, Trisha took up the cause for dogs and encouraged people to adopt a pet.

Hottie Jacqueline accepts all bikini offers

Director Sajid Khan is having tough time convincing his leading actress Asin and Zareen to wear bikini for Housefull 2.

Sajid wants H2 to be as glamourous as the prequel. The director is expecting his glam girls to don the bikini just like Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone and Jiah Khan did in the original. But as we all know, both, Asin and Zareen aren't comfortable sporting bikini.

It is believed that as per Sajid's instructions Zareen has lost weight to look glamorous for the film but bikini is out of question. Now that both the actresses are not convinced, Sajid has no option left but to concentrate on Jacqueline Fernandes to add the perfect glam quotient in the film.

The bold and beautiful Srilankan beauty Jacqueline has confirmed to sport the two piece. Hope that will give much-needed relief to director Sajid!

"Ready" collects 69.5 crores in its first week

Competition is scared of Salman Khan. Filmmakers have flinched at the thought of releasing their movies not just alongside Ready but even a week before or after. And those who have braved the competition have found fewer footfalls coming their way, this Friday’s release Shaitan being the case in point.

Produced by Anurag Kashyap, Shaitan opened to a rather poor 20 to 25 percent response at theatres. Even the flattering reviews by critics failed to see more seat bums in theatres.

The crowds continued to be drawn to Ready, which though panned by the critics, is minting money like there’s no tomorrow. First it became the second highest grosser of the opening weekend (second only to Salman Khan’s own Dabangg), now it has rounded off its first-week collection with a figure of Rs. 69.50 crores, thereby taking the third position on the list of all-time first-week collections of Bollywood films.

Moreover, Ready’s good run is far from over. The film might touch the Rs. 100 crore mark by next Friday or Sunday, which means that Salman Khan’s supremacy over box office continues unabated.

Among the other releases of this Friday, Love Express and West Is West took a poor start. Much better was the new Hollywood release X-Men: First Class.

The coming Friday would see multiple releases: Always Kabhi Kabhi, Bheja Fry 2, Bin Bulaaye Baraati, Bhindi Bazaar Inc, Cycle Kick and My Husband’s Wife.

Asin's Worries ..

Even before she could celebrate the box office success of her last film, actress Asin Thottumkal seems to be bogged down by a fresh set of problems these days. According to sources close to the actress, the London visa of almost all her staff members have been delayed, forcing her to fly there alone for Sajid Khan’s Housefull 2.

“Asin has just been informed that no one from her team of make-up persons and stylists have been granted a visa to go and shoot in London. Only Asin’s visa has arrived. She is really worried as it is a long outdoor shooting schedule and no actor these days shoots without their staff members, specially the make-up man because he or she is like a lifeline to the actor,” says a source close to Asin.

But Asin has decided to fly off to London alone because if she is delayed, the whole shooting schedule (which also involves actors Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Rishi Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty) will be delayed. Asin doesn’t want this to happen.

“She will probably have to rely on somebody else’s make-up person for the time being, to keep the shoots going. Asin doesn’t want to make everybody wait because of her,” says the source, adding that the visa of the staff members might be delayed for more than a week. This means that almost half of the shooting will be over by the time her own staff members reach the venue.
When we tried to get in touch with Asin, one of her close friends reverted, confirming that the visas were delayed. “She is just wishing that her staff’s visas are cleared soon but right now she is preparing to fly off to London,” says the friend.

"Ready" rocks the Box Office

The Salman Khan magic is working again. His latest film Ready, despite being panned by majority of critics, is drawing footfalls to theatres. The Ready box office figures already have the distributors heaving a sigh of relief and eyeing a fat profit as well.

Directed by Anees Bazmee, the comedy film starring Asin and Salman Khan opened to a rip-roaring start on Friday. It saw the occupancy of 60 to 80 percent at both multiplexes and single screen theatres. Some shows in the evening registered a house-full.

Coming less than a year after Dabangg, which recorded the best opening weekend collections for any Hindi film to date, Ready is not going as strong as Dabangg did, but is likely to surpass the first-day collection of 3 Idiots (Rs 13 crores). Ready’s Friday business is expected to be between Rs 12 to 14 crores. Not to be ignored is the fact that 3 Idiots released during the Christmas weekend while Ready has released at the peak of summers, with no festival around.

The business in the coming days will decide whether Ready is a superhit or a hit or an average performer. The film isn’t likely to flop.

The release of Ready has also punctured the collections of other Bollywood releases. Pyaar Ka Punchnama, which has done the business of Rs. 9 crore approx in two weeks, saw a steep fall in its collections on Friday, and so did Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted - 3D, which has already become a hit with more than Rs 26 crores since its release.

Salman & Asin sizzling chemistry off screen

Salman Khan and Asin were in the capital to promote their film Ready. What particularly came to our notice during the press meet was a caring Salman, who sat besides Asin and watched her animated expressions with an amusing glance.

Asin recently went on record to say she is very fond of Salman Khan. The actor is not only a good co-star but is also very supportive and has even referred her to some producers. However, what Asin likes the most about Salman is his bindaas attitude -- he is a man with no pretence or façade.

At the press meet too we could see their ‘Ready’ chemistry. Salman was chivalrous and was seen taking good care of Asin. The star, who is also a fitness freak, has even helped Asin with her gym sessions during the shoot of Ready. He has even given Asin a few workout tips. Oh yes! it definitely shows in Ready; Asin is looking fit, gorgeous and curvaceous.

Now, we know why the lassie is going gaga over Salman Khan.

Romancing The King of Khans . .

After romancing two of the three Khans in Bollywood (Aamir Khan in Ghajini and Salman Khan in London Dreams and Ready), Bollywood and Kollywood's sensational beauty Asin is all set to romance the third but the King of all Khans. Thats right, Asin would be seen romancing Shahrukh Khan in his new film titled '2 States', a screen adaption of Chetan Bhagat's bestseller of the same title to be directed by Vishal Bhardwaj.

According to sources, Asin was the first choice for the project and is chosen to play the lead role by both Sajid Nadiadwala,the producer and Vishal Bhardwaj, the director because of the Tamil origin of the lead female character in the novel. Besides, Asin is already working in Nadiadwala's another production Housefull 2.

2 States chronicles around the life of a young couple Krish and Ananya, who go against their parents for a 'Cross Cultural' marriage between Delhi and Tamil Nadu bearing fruit to their romance that blossomed while studying at IIM,Ahmedabad.

Curious Case of Salman : In Reverse mode ?

Sumit Dutt, who directed Salman Khan in the songs "Character dheela" and "Dhinka chika" for ‘Ready’, was surprised by the 45-year-old star's energy levels and said that he has become more energetic than he was when he worked with him in 2008.

'Salman in reverse mode, energy level increasing'

"This is my second experience with Salman. The first song I did was for 'Hello'. I directed him in 'Phone ki ghanti bajti hai'. Salman is in reverse mode. His energy level is increasing," Dutt told IANS. "He is so charged up and really out to deliver now. Today, he is a style icon, so whatever he does, people love it, whether its pulling his collar or his shirt. Also, I have noticed that now he puts much more into what he is doing," he added.

Both "Character dheela" and "Dhinka chika" are currently reigning over the popularity charts.

Directed by Anees Bazmee, 'Ready', a remake of the 2008 Telugu film of the same name, also stars Asin Thottumkal, Paresh Rawal, Arya Babbar and Mahesh Manjrekar. The film will hit the screens June 3.