By Jilawatan

One of Bollywood’s most popular actresses Aishwarya Rai was visiting Calcutta with her husband Abishek Bachchan.

The two had traveled to Calcutta to participate in The Annual Royal Calcutta Turf Club Auction Sale which benefits the elderly citizens of the city.

Last year the auction raised over $18 million and every elderly citizen in Calcutta received his or her very own iPod with 900 of the most popular songs in India pre-programmed into the iPod.

This year the organizers of the auction hope to raise over $22 million which will provide brand new pajamas for every elderly citizen in the city with enough money left over to buy each individual two Three Musketeers Chocolate Bars.

While having lunch at Calcutta’s famed Clandestine Cavern of Calcutta Diner, Ms. Rai was asked by a reporter for India’s Taj Mahal News Agency if she had any movies that she was planning to star in.

By Jilawatan

Talking of Raavan, how can the conversation be complete without any mention of Sita, remarks Rapchik Rajni as she saunters into my boudoir.

Matlab? Meaning, she says that she has some scooplet on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. And the point is that the actress hasn’t yet been finalised for Sir Ben Kinsley’s magnum opus on Taj Mahal. Never mind if Akbar Khan has tried and failed with his hocus-focus, Kinsley sir will be playing Shah Jahan in his costume extravaganza and was reportedly keen on Ashji to play Mumtaz Mahal.

Rajni claims to have got it from Ben saab himself that he’s only confirmed the casting for Zardari Begum so far, but isn’t telling yet. So whether Ashji will play his Mumtaz Mahal or not is something we’re all waiting to watch.

By Jilawatan

Oscar-winning British actor Ben Kingsley, who portrayed Indian independence hero Mohandas Gandhi, this week announced that he will be returning to India to film Taj,a movie about India’s Mogul emperor who, for the love of his wife, ordered the construction of the famous landmark, the Taj Mahal.

Kingsley will play Shah Jahan while India’s Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will take on the role as Mumtaz Mahal in the US$30 million production, Kingsley’s production company SBK Pictures announced.

By Jilawatan

Ben Kingsley, famous for his Oscar-winning portrayal of Indian independence hero Mohandas Gandhi, is reaching deeper into the country’s history with a new role as the Mogul emperor who ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Kingsley will star as Shah Jahan in “Taj,” 27 years after his award-winning performance in “Gandhi.” Indian superstar and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play Mumtaz Mahal in the $25-30 million production, the British actor’s production company, SBK Pictures, said in a statement Wednesday.

The Taj Mahal was built by Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died while she was giving birth to their 14th child. Soon after its completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son and imprisoned at the nearby Agra Fort.