What’s common between Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and the hero of yesterday’s India-Australia World Cup quarter final, Suresh Raina? Of course, their Zodiac sign, Scorpio. All three, plus a host of other Bollywood and cricket stars, belong to this zodiac sign that is considered the most deadly of all. Lets us find out how.

Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan’s is a typical rags-to-riches story. Not to say that he came from an impoverished background before he became Bollywood’s biggest super star, but he did come from a humble home in Delhi. But as is common with Scorpios, SRK never rested till he achieved what he wanted. He made few friends and stayed loyal to them; he saw the world in a black and white and set out to conquer it. The fearless, determined and hardworking SRK finally made it to the top of Bollywood and has stayed there with grace and wit for many years now. He is open with his friends and the media and greets even the spot boy on his sets very warmly, but very few know the real SRK. Like he is the King Khan, he is also the King of Scorpios. The world’s waiting now for his Ra.One.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
She came from a conservative middle class family and went on to become the leading actress for almost a decade, winning acclaim in India and abroad. Renowned for her green eyes and beautiful demeanour, the Scorpio in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan makes her powerful and passionate. Being the quintessential Scorpio, Ash also loves competition, whether at work or play, although she might not say it in so many words. And hasn’t she beaten all competition by being the heroine of the highest grossing film India has ever seen – Endhiran (Robot).

More on Scorpios: Reputed to be the “most powerful” sign of the zodiac, Scorpios lead fate filled lives and have intense and dramatic personal relationships. Passion, desire and power go hand in hand for Scorpios. They are different from all other zodiac signs and this difference has them walking, working and loving to a different beat. They are wise beyond their years and act as leaders and are an inspiration to others.

Suresh Raina
He’s a quiet, obedient boy from the innards of India, who rose up the ranks to become one of the most competent cricketers we have today in the Indian team. Just like the typical Scorpio, Raina looks up to his elders, like when he remarked after the Indian win over Australia in the World Cup quarter finals, “One hi-five from Sachin (Tendulkar) made all the difference.” His greatest strengths are his determination, passion and motivation and, of course, the burning desire to take the cup back home.

Brett Lee
He has been around for ages and has inspired hundreds of fast bowlers around the world. And being the Scorpio that he is, Brett Lee knows how to take defeat on the chin, but, at the same time, never give up. So, even after he hurt his eye in the quarter final match against India, he got bandaged and back to the ground in no time, ready to give the Indian batsmen a difficult time. Like all Scorpios, Brett Lee doesn’t have the word ‘quit’ in his dictionary and more often than not, he gets the work done

Aishwarya Rai, the former Miss World and one of the leading Bollywood actresses, delivered as many as 4 film releases in 2010. And if critical acclaim is anything to go by, then it has been a mixed year with its share of good and bad.
4 Aishwarya-starrer films that got released last year are ‘Raavan’, ‘Action Replayy’, ‘Guzaarish’ and ‘Endhiran’. Out of these 4, only 1 (Endhiran) could rock the box office primarily as it starred the Demi-God of South Rajinikanth. Aishwarya, despite putting up a brilliant portrayal, got largely overshadowed by the peerless prowess of Rajinikanth.
However, despite the fact that ‘Guzaarish’ did a miserable business in the cash windows, it brought laurels and trophies to Aishwarya for her winsome rendition of a doting nurse. For playing that role of Sophie, she raked up trophies for Best Actress (Critics) in Zee Cine Awards and Best Actress- Drama category at the recently concluded Stardust Awards.
But coming to two of the biggest duds of the year, her films ‘Action Replayy’ and ‘Raavan’ licked dust at box office and were torn apart by critics. Even her performance was not up to the mark in these two films for which she has been conferred the Ghanta Awards for Worst Actress of the year.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was not feeling well, but she still managed to put on a performance at this year’s Zee Cine Awards.
The dancing queen showed off moves from movies like Endhiran, the Robot and Action Replayy, and the crowd went wild more than once!

It’s easy to see that Ash is not in top shape, but her fellow B-town colleagues, including Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar and Deepika Padukone encourage her from the sidelines.
We’re sure they’ve been in the same situation several times and knows how she feels. Check out Ash’s moves and let us know what you think; hot or not?

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai had an eventful 2010 which saw four of her films getting a release. Though Aishwarya didn’t get the kind of box office response that she deserved, she starred in 3 magnum opuses if money is anything to go by.
For instance, she starred in the film ‘Robot’ or ‘Endhiran’ that was the most expensive film made in India. Made at a cost of over Rs 150 crore it paired Aishwarya up with the South Indian Demi-God Rajinikanth. And this film did a staggering business at box office and at some parts (like Chennai) the theatre owners had to run early morning (3 am) shows to meet the sky-high demand. The only glitch is that Aishwarya was basically a candy floss in that film which was basically a Rajinikanth bonanza.
Apart from ‘Robot’, Aishwarya Rai starred in another expensive film in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Raavan.’ ‘Raavan’ was the 2nd most expensive film of the year and was inspired from the Hindu epic ‘Ramayan.’ However, despite all the hype and hoopla, this ‘Raavan’ was beheaded by critics and audience.
Aishwarya also starred in the 3rd most expensive film of 2010 in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Guzaarish.’ Made at a budget of over Rs 50 crore, this film starring Hrithik Roshan and Ash was heavily appreciated by the critics. The film, indeed, was poetically beautiful with a poignant storyline and masterly cinematography. But unfortunately, ‘Guzaarish’ was a dud at the box office.

Salman Khan, Shahrukh, Katrina Kaif are the ones who, hitherto, had a good 2010 with their respective films doing well at the box office. But the leading actress Aishwarya Rai hasn’t seen the kind of success she would have liked to see.
2010 was one of the busiest years of Aishwarya’s career with 4 of her films hitting the big screen. But unfortunately, for some reason or the other, the audience chose to stay away from the theatres with the exception of ‘Endhiran’.
All 3 of her Bollywood ventures namely ‘Raavan’, ‘Action Replayy’ and ‘Guzaarish’ sank at the cash box. The success of ‘Endhiran’ was credited to the larger-than-life presence of actor Rajinikanth.

But Aishwarya is unfazed by the commercial failures of her film and has cited her elation at the way her year has gone by. Hard work has been her mantra this season and she is happy that she has garnered acclaim from critics and her loyalists. That mesmeric smile is still playing on her apple red lips.
Aishwarya is not very anguished over the failure of her films and is happy that the year went remarkably well for her as she got to play a variety of characters from a nurse in ‘Guzaarish’ to a nagging woman in ‘Action Replayy’.
At 37-plus, she is surely giving her younger counterparts a run for their money. Aishwarya is still the top bracketed actress and is often the first choice of many filmmakers. Let’s see how the new year shapes out for her.

Unfazed by the fate of her films at the box office, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan counts her blessings as she reaps the fruits of years of hard work.

This year, except “Endhiran”, “Guzaarish”, “Raavan” and “Action Replayy” haven’t done too well at the BO. How much does that bother you?
Not at all. I got a great review for each of the films that I worked in, whether it was “Endhiran”, “Raavan”, “Action Replayy” or “Guzaarish”, so for me, it’s been a terrific year. Everything that I set out to accomplish when I took on these movies, as an actor, and in terms of the response I was looking for, I have been able to. Because, as an actor with so many years of experience now, you know when you take on a subject what potential the character per se holds. No one can ever preordain the destiny of a film and I say destiny because it’s literally that. After so many years, you cannot necessarily say that a great film is a superhit or it’s the other way around. I’m happy that the response from critics and audience has been so overwhelming for each of the characters essayed, no matter how different they were from each other.

From the devoted nurse, Sophie, in “Guzaarish” to the quarrelsome Mala in “Action Replayy”, how difficult was it shifting gears?
That’s your commitment, your craft and, of course, that’s the objective that I seek as an actor. When you are starting out and you are asked what sort of an actor you want to be, you say ‘versatile’ and after years of experience if you get to do that year after year, you regard yourself blessed. I’ve been doing that for the last couple of years, but this year, as the releases were in such quick succession, it became glaringly obvious to viewers and critics. It’s been 1.5-2 years of hard work.

With so much hard work involved, how important is it for you that your film does well at the box-office?
As a team member – I say that because I’m a team player – everybody would want their films to succeed because at the end of the day, you are an industry and it is a business on which the livelihood of many people depends, not ours, by the grace of God, but for many others. We all work for the love of art, but we do recognise it is a full-fledged industry. Hence everybody seeks the obvious commercial success of every venture taken on and if that doesn’t happen, then as a team, it feels bad. But the individual fruits that one comes away with it is when it becomes much sweeter. When your effort is recognized, you come away with your reward and try harder the next time.

While working harder, do you intend to do things any differently next year to counter whatever happened this year at the BO?
I’ve never had such thoughts. It’s been a dream journey for any aspiring actor, in terms of the variety of work. I’ve worked with the best of directors not just once, but a couple of times, got to essay so many characters, break across genres and languages… it’s rare and a blessing.

Do you feel lucky that you are a part of Bollywood at this point in time?
I have carved my own journey from the beginning. The potential of different kinds of cinema will have its fruition depending on the way its business is planned. Bearing in mind the business of cinema, it’s a great time for creative explosion. But I haven’t suddenly changed my mode of work or my search for doing different kind of genres.

It’s a star shower on TV… from Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar to Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit. What would it take for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to host or judge a reality show?
Time, the mindset, the inclination and a very exciting opportunity. A lot of ideas have been brought to me in the last couple of years… but so far, I haven’t had the time, and hence haven’t thought about taking on anything. Anything that I take on, I want to be able to participate completely in and commit myself the way I have on every venture.

You always say age is a state of mind and have often cited the example of your father-in-law. Does Bollywood think that way?
I would’ve talked about him even if I hadn’t been family, he’s the most glaring example that you can see. Also, I’m not judgmental, and so far, I haven’t experienced being judged. On that front, I’m fortunate to have met likeminded professionals and got to do the kind of work I wanted to.

How do you manage your time, between shoots and taking care of your family?
Manage, prioritise and commit to whatever you take on and get on with whatever next you have planned.

How was the experience of shooting in Rome with Kate Winslet and Chi Lin?
Rome is a beautiful city. It was very hot… I had never been there in summer. I was there very briefly to shoot for “Jeans”, and to go back there and experience that summer could be so hot was a revelation for all of us. Coming from India, it was embarrassing to say that we have experienced summer. But then again, when you watch the commercial, you don’t see that. We were all so committed to what we were doing, that you only see us having a great time.

Besides Longines, what else do you and Kate Winslet have in common?
Not only Kate, even Chi Lin. When we worked together, we realised that the way we work, the way we are as women, our thoughts, outlook to life, the work that we do, are very similar. We are very basic people, who have a mix of the old world and are the women of today. We all have deep-rooted values, cultural understanding and are committed to our craft.

There’s time to work and there’s time to be with family. Having been busy with a number of projects lately, Aishwarya Rai is now taking a break.

The actress recently became a proud aunt after her brother Aditya’s wife gave birth to a baby boy on November 26. Ash is now itching to be with the newborn baby and help her bhabi (sis-in-law) in taking care of the little one.

So, no more new films for Ash for at least two months which she has reserved for family.

For the good part of this year, Ash has been busy with shootings and promotions of her films Guzaarish, Action Replayy, Endhiran (Robot) and Raavan. She’s also been shooting for ads and attending high-profile events like Cannes on the side.

She’ll now return to work next year, possibly in February.

With Endhiran The Robot turning out to be all the rage at box office, Aishwarya Rai is back in the limelight. She’s posing pretty on the cover of the October issue of Hi Blitz magazine.

With the punchline ‘Aishwarya Rai – Her Parisian Love Affair’, the cover has the beautiful actress posing in an intricately embroidered ethnic outfit, a stunning neck piece and a head gear. She’s seen holding a cute poodle.

Catch the cover below:

Robo movie review: Endhiran Tamil movie reviews put Aishwarya on the margins as Rajnikanth is the only one being talked about.

This is a reality, though onscreen and people are loving it like nothing else. Rajnikant and Aishwarya Rai starrer Robot or Endhiran is going very strong at the box office and film pundits are of the opinion that this film may set a new record in high film grossing.

It is the third day of the launch and you can see the long queues of film buff standing outside the theaters in search of the elusive tickets.

But sadly the tickets are not available and people have to return empty handed. But if you are lucky and you find someone selling the ticket, you may have to shell out extremely high price for it.

Meanwhile rajini’s acting is coming in for praise from all sides. All newspapers and news portals’ reviewers are showering praise on the great actor that Rajni is and their praise sometimes look closer to admiration for the best Indian actor.

If there was any scientific and futuristic film, it is Enthiran and nothing else.

An Independent review showers praise on the super star and the film and says, “Even by the usually brash standards of popular Indian cinema, Rajinikanth is no ordinary star. A balding former Bangalore bus conductor who makes no effort to hide his paunch, the actor has a connection with fans that his rivals can only wish to match. He famously makes little effort at realism in his films”.

A review in the Hindu says, “With Enthiran, this magic is unabashed and unrelenting from the first frame to the last. Director Shankar not only deviates a great deal from the tried and tested ‘Superstar’ formula by putting the story firmly in the centre, but also presents Rajinikanth in an avatar not seen in a long while”.

Rajnikanth starrer Endhiran (Robot or Robo) has rammed into the theatres with an explosive, box office shattering punch and has gone on to rewrite history. From what one hears about the Chennai crowd going berserk over Rajnikanth posters, the film, surely, has sort of stamped its undisputed dominance on the silver screen.
Despite the lavishness of the costumes, the opulence of the sets and the grandeur of the large-scaled technology, one feels that Aishwarya Rai merely wasted away her talent for this movie which had only Rajnikanth written all over it.
It’s true that the monumental success of Endhiran marks another megahit in Aishwarya’s CV but it can’t be denied that at a phase when Aish should do more women-centric roles, the portrayal of Sana in this film will not bring any laurels or critical acclaim for her.
It may be argued that the first-time teaming up of Rajni and Aish is a big welcome from the cine goers, still Ash had nothing more to do here than to change attires in every 20 seconds and look utterly gorgeous.

In the past, we have seen her in meatier roles as in ‘Provoked’ or even a ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ but perhaps this eye-candy of a role in Endhiran wouldn’t be remembered for long; neither would it add to her glittering cap which is laden with some brightly embellished jewels.