Shreya Ghoshal started her singing career at the age of 16, when Sanjay Leela Bhansali spotted her on the sets of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. He was so mesmerised by the young singer’s voice that he made her an offer instantly: to be the voice of Paro in Devdas, in 2000. The film released a couple of years later and Shreya picked up several awards – including a National Award and a Filmfare trophy – for the Best Playback Singer (female). The time when only one or two singers ruled the musical roost is today a thing of the past and a huge number of singers have come and gone in the last decade, but Shreya has managed to hold her own, growing into one of the top playback singers of the industry. We look at some of the iconic songs that established her as one of the most remarkable and versatile singers of this generation….

Dola re, Bairi piya and Silsila ye chahat ka – Devdas

While Dola re (a duet Shreya sang with Kavita Krishnamurthy) got Shreya several awards, Silsila… and Bairi piya were her first solos. As soon as the music of Devdas was out, it was clear that the young singer had great potential.

Jaadu hai nasha hai – Jism

The sensuality and soothing texture of her voice won her accolades for this one, considered to be one of the sexiest songs of all time.

Yeh ishq hai -Jab We Met

This song became hugely popular and it is one of the most fun and melodious songs she has sung.

Piyu bole – Parineeta

Shreya, with Sonu Nigam for company (the two have created magic on several occasions), sang this melodiously romantic song with total sweetness and innocence.

Ooh la la – The Dirty Picture

This one had to have an 80s feel and Vishal-Shekhar felt that Shreya could bring out the sexiness while keeping the old world charm alive. It became one of the biggest hits of her career.

Chikni Chameli- Agneepath

Shreya’s first out and out item number, Chikni Chameli is a fast-paced number. Not many believe that Shreya is capable of singing a high-voltage tune. But she proved that she can bring forth energy and naughtiness when a song demands it!

After being appreciated for her performance in female-centric "Ishqiya", "No One Killed Jessica" and "The Dirty Picture", actress Vidya Balan carries forwards the legacy of hits with "Kahaani", which has reportedly collected Rs.2.95 crore on its opening day.

Released Friday, the drama-thriller made at a shoestring budget of Rs.8 crore is receiving positive response from both the critics and audiences

"The film has opened very well. The collection in India on Friday was Rs. 2.95 crore and on Saturday it earned Rs. 4.5 crore. A full-pack show is expected on Sunday. The film will definitely survive for over a week," Taran Adarsh told IANS.

In director Sujoy Ghosh's Vidya is cast as a software programmer. She comes to Kolkata from London in search of her husband, who is the father of her unborn child.

Gautam Dutta, COO, PVR said that the film has superseded their expectation.

"The response we are getting for the film is phenomenal. There are families coming together to watch the movie. And since it is a women-centric film, there are group of females coming to watch the film. We are expecting a 80 percent occupancy all over India on weekend, which is something we did not expect. And the film should be able to do a good business," Dutta told IANS.

It is being co-distributed by Pen India Pvt. Ltd, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Boundscript Motion Pictures Pvt. Ltd

" 'Kahaani' is a film that is made for serious and sensible cinegoers. Vidya's performance is being appreciated by audience. The film is not entertaining like 'The Dirty Picture', that is why it has a niche audience. But it will not only recover its cost but also earn profits," said Delhi based distributor Joginder Mahajan.

If the story and Viday's charma are attracting audiences, distributor Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts Ltd says word of mouth is also helping the film a lot in gaining success.

"It is houseful in multiplexes and we are expecting collection of Rs.5 crore on Sunday. It is the word of mouth that is bringing people to the theaters," Ghai said.
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Bollywood actor John Abraham has been released on bail, after being detained by the police on charges of rash and negligent driving. In April 2006, the actor had run into two pedestrians while riding a motorbike in the Khar Danda area, Mumbai.

Bandra court sentenced him for 15 days imprisonment on Friday afternoon, for which the actor sought bail. The bail plea was heard in Mumbai High Court today.

The bail was reportedly granted to the actor against Rs. 20,000. Now, he can aslo appeal at the upper court to squash the 15 day custody pronounced by the Sessions Court.

Earlier, In October 2010, the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate Court had sentenced the actor to 15 days imprisonment in the same case. However, Abraham had filed a plea against the same.

Kahaani is an absolutely remarkable film for three reasons. First, it is the tautest, most involving thriller to have come out of Hindi cinema in years. Second, it is a stunningly shot city film, made inestimably more memorable by the simple move of stepping out of supremely overused Mumbai streets and increasingly familiar Delhi locations into a startlingly cinematic Kolkata. And third, it contains another bravura performance from the marvellous Vidya Balan, stepping back into the arc lights, even as the thunderous applause for The Dirty Picture continues to ring in her ears (and ours).

As Vidya Venkatesan Bagchi, a woman who arrives in Kolkata distressed and seven months pregnant, to search for a husband who has gone missing, Balan demonstrates yet again how immense the possibilities are for a talented actress who can get beyond the Bollywood preoccupation with looking glamorous on screen. Just as she filled out Silk’s ample curves with ease, giving us a glimpse of a sexuality that is joyous, libidinal and free, Balan in Kahaani embraces with grace and fullness the traditionally kept-out-of-sight body of the heavily pregnant woman.

The pregnant female body has always been in plain view, but I cannot think of another instance when it has been so unapologetically present, at least on the Hindi film screen, as it is in Kahaani. As a recent piece in Open magazine points out, Sujoy Ghosh has been preoccupied with the transformative power of motherhood for quite some time. His first film, the light and breezy Jhankaar Beats (2003), was a more or less all-boys film but featured a pregnant Juhi Chawla as the calming, strong presence in a rather confused male universe.

Dubai, Mar 8 (ANI): Vidya Balan, who recently received a national award for her performance in 'The Dirty picture', visited the Dubai Foundation For Women And Children on the eve of International Women's Day.

Instead of basking in the glory of her first national awards, the 34-year-old actress chose to shine a light on the needs of abused women with her visit her DFWAC.

Balan, who is in the UAE to premiere her film 'Kahaani', spent the afternoon listening to women who are recovering from abusive relationships and human trafficking at DFWAC, a Dubai government-supported shelter.

"I salute you. You are very courageous and you have shown tremendous strength and maturity far beyond your age," Gulf News quoted her as saying.

During those moments, the 'Guru' star was a woman who was trying to understand and empathise with the difficulties faced by another human being.

While the visit to DFWAC was not part of Balan's promotion for 'Kahaani', the woman-centric film finds the actress playing the role of an abandoned, pregnant woman with only her own conviction for support.

"She is a strong character in the film, she is a woman like you.

"There will be subtitles, so you can also enjoy the movie - you must see it," she said.

Balan, who had earlier revealed that she found her strength in the film industry "because the power lies in making my own choices", saluted the spirit shown by the two girls.

"On the eve of Women's Day, my salute goes to these two girls I interacted with and to millions all over the world who have not let their circumstances become their biggest handicap. It takes a lot of courage to step out of the situation," she added.