Aishwarya Rai’s shape, subject of intense debate

The shape, which Aishwarya Rai is in five months after her pregnancy, has generated unusual public interest with the Bachchan bahu coming in for some criticism for the “oodles of weight” gained by the actress, Zee News reports.

But some celebrities who have been associated with the 38-year-old Bollywood star including Designer Sabyasachi defended her, saying that like any other woman the new mother would definitely take some time to shed pregnancy weight. The trigger for the reactions came following the publication of some pictures of the former Miss World while emerging out of a party hosted by eminent industrialist Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai last week. Married to Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya gave birth to her first baby, a daughter, on November 16, 2011.

The pictures set off a buzz on the Internet and in the social media with articles, videos, blogs and tweets highlighting her “oodles of weight”, “double chin” and calling the photos of the beauty queen “shocking”. Some social media write-ups sought to suggest that the star is not taking her weight gain seriously. However, some blogs and tweets too have come out in Aishwarya`s defence with comments that the focus on her post-pregnancy weight gain was pathetic.

A video compilation of her recent photos attracted comments like: “She is a Bollywood actress and being a part of showbiz it is her duty to look good and fit. Till now she has been praised for her beauty, so it is only fair that she should also be criticized if she is not able to live up to it.

She needs to learn from people like Victoria Beckham who are back to size zero weeks after their delivery! She needs to lose that weight. It’s been close to five months already!”

On the other hand, there are many who believe that five months is not enough time to shed weight and that the comments on her figure are “harsh”.

Designer Sabyasachi, who made Aishwarya`s costumes for ‘Raavan’, said, “Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has just delivered a baby and like any other woman she would definitely take time to put off that weight.” “She`s a super celebrity and I think she is doing a commendable job by showing her real side to the media. Earlier, she was criticised for being unreal and plastic,” Sabyasachi told reporters.

Aishwarya looked a lot slimmer at the press conference conducted by the Bachchans at their residence, Jalsa, immediately after the baby`s arrival. But in recent photographs, Bollywood watchers say it seems as if she is heavier by five to six kilos. Designer Rina Dhaka says that a new mother gains weight especially when she is taking care of her baby.

“It is very difficult for a woman to shed that weight. I think the media is being very harsh on her. They are deliberately printing those photos which are taken at an angle which makes her look fat or highlights her double chin,” Rina said. Source:Daily Times Pakistan

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan is pregnant

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan is pregnant with her first child in her marriage to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan, it has been revealed.Amitabh Bachchan, her father-in-law, delivered the news to followers on Twitter, dispelling months of rumours.

He tweeted: "T 410 -NEWS NEWS NEWS !! I AM GOING TO BECOME A GRANDFATHER .. AISHWARYA EXPECTING .. SO HAPPY AND THRILLED !!!"

The couple have been married for four years, but have persistently batted away rumours that they are planning to start a family.

The 37-year old actress described her husband as potentially a "good father" in 2009, because of his role playing the parent of his own dad Amitabh in their film Paa.

Amitabh last year criticised the media for its speculation that his daughter-in-law and son were unable to conceive despite reportedly stalling her career in preparation.

Salman, Ash top online search poll

Ex-couple Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were the most searched celebrities online in the month of May, according to a recent survey.

Salman’s latest film, Ready, was named the most popular movie of the month. He’s also been in the news for his charity work.. He is followed by Shahid Kapoor at number two, Shah Rukh Khan at three, Akshay Kumar at four and Aamir Khan at five. The survey pegged Rai as number one after the announcement of her film Heroine at the Cannes Film Festival. Next in line is Katrina Kaif, followed by Kareena Kapoor. Rounding off the list are Sonam Kapoor at number four, and Zarine Khan at five.

Aishwarya Rai praises Cannes actresses

Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan has praised fellow L'Oreal spokeswomen Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto for their appearances at Cannes this year.

The actress will be marking ten years as the Indian ambassador for the make-up brand, The Times of India reports.

Speaking to the paper, she said: "I am happy that with Sonam and Freida, both beautiful women, being invited to the festival this year, India will have a stronger presence, which is a clear sign of the growing importance of the country."

Kapoor was reportedly asked to replace 37-year old Rai-Bachchan in 2009 after the latter was considered to old to connect with younger L'Oreal consumers.

At the time, she praised Rai-Bachchan's career and said that she would be happy to achieve a "tenth" of the same success.

Slumdog Millionaire's Pinto was also asked to represent the brand in 2009, after achieving fame in the Danny Boyle film.

Aishwarya Rai honours acheivers of Lavasa Women's Drive 2011

Actress Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan presented awards to winners of the third Lavasa Women's Drive 2011, a car rally that promotes solidarity and creation of social awareness among women.

She honoured recovering cancer patients and other acheivers at a glittering ceremony here last evening.

The Lavasa Women's Drive was about celebration of the different aspects of life with strength, belief and conviction, along with keeping the faith, Ms Rai-Bachchan said.

"Diseases like cancer should not be feared, and the ceremony has been a humbling experience. They (patients) have been an inspiration for their sheer courage to wake up everyday and conquer cancer," she said.

She further said Indian women need to undertake regular tests for cancer.

"Living the life of a celebrity is one filled with moments of joy and pride on a daily basis. I believe in celebrating the gift of life on a daily basis and sharing it with somebody," she added.

Aishwarya honours breast cancer fighter

Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan presented special awards to the winners of the Lavasa Women’s Drive at a glittering ceremony here on Friday night.

It was an emotional moment when she handed out a special award to Anisha Oberoi for her continual fight against breast cancer and to Dr. K. Dinshaw, Director of TATA Memorial Hospital for her exemplary work in cancer research.

The third edition of the Lavasa Women’s Drive culminated with a glamorous award night on Friday at The Hyatt Regency.


Lavasa Women’s Drive (LWD) is an all women drive which is an expression of solidarity to unite various social causes and create awareness through friendships and achievements.

After concluding events comprising of the LWD anthem launch and the Mumbai and Pune flag offs, the award night was a celebration to set the momentum for International Womens Day.


Anuradha Paraskar, Sr. Vice President – Marketing, Lavasa Corporation Ltd played a perfect host as she welcomed the participants and briefed them on the agenda for the evening.

Celebrities such as Jackky Bhagnani and his co-star Pooja Gupta handed over a few awards and also spoke about their upcoming film while the suave Arjan Bajwa and Adnam Sami greeted winners.


Bharati of Comedy Circus fame had participants in splits with her performance. Alque Padamsee, Malvika Sanghavi and Suresh Bhojwani paid a visit.

“The third edition of the Lavasa Women’s Drive was a whopping success. The passionate involvement of all the participants was exemplary,” said Paraskar.

Whilst at Lavasa, not only did they all enjoy the events but in fact many cancer survivors came forth and shared their experiences urging all women to be careful and prevent cancer. Lavasa is proud to own this unique concept which is fun filled yet compassionate in nature and looks forward to making it better and better over the years!” said Paraskar.

The participants won awards in various categories including awards for Best Message, Best Dressed, Most Popular Team, Most Spirited Team, and High on Anthem Award etc.

Singer Shweta Pandit mesmerized audience with her rendition of latest bollywood numbers. Her spirited performance had women dancing till wee hours.

In short it was an evening to remember for all the participants who braved the ghats of Sahyadri to reach Lavasa to create awareness about various causes including women’s cancer.

Aishwarya Rai once again on Vogue cover

Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai has made it to the cover of Vogue for the third time, sporting an all black feathered look. The magazine carries interesting tidbits on the former beauty queen from 10 men who know her well.

The magazine has spoken to people including Ash's husband Abhishek Bachchan, designer Manish Malhotra, director Ashutosh Gowariker and ace make-up artist Mickey Contractor, said a statement.

Abhishek shared the memories of his first meeting with Ash saying: "The first time I met Aishwarya was in August 1997. I was on a recce for my father's film 'Mrityudata' in Switzerland and she was shooting her first film 'Aur Pyar Ho Gaya' with my dear friend Bobby Deol. I remember one evening Bobby invited me over to his hotel for dinner and Aishwarya and the rest of the unit were there. That was the first time I actually met her."

"If you ask her, she will tell you the same thing - that the minute we came together, we both knew that this was something for keeps. So, there wasn't just this 'one' defining moment, it always felt perfect," he added.

Others too have shared similar interesting episodes related to the beauty queen.

Anaita Shroff Adajania, the fashion director for Vogue India magazine, has styled her for the shoot.

Longoria 'finalizes divorce from Parker'

Eva Longoria is officially divorced from basketball player Tony Parker.

According to In Touch Weekly, Longoria finalized her divorce on January 28.

"The divorce documents will come through today, she is happy and moving forward with her life," said a friend of Longoria's on Friday.

Longoria and Parker were married for three years. They split in November amid reports that Parker had cheated on Longoria.

 However, Parker still denies that any infidelity occurred.

L'Oreal clears air on Aishwarya Rai -replacement

Cosmetic major L'Oreal Paris on Saturday said reports on actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being replaced as the face of L'Oreal Paris due to her not being a part of their New Year commercial, are 'untrue'.

"We are shocked and surprised to read in some sections of the media/press about Ms. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being replaced as the face of L'Oreal Paris," said an official statement on Saturday.

"L'Oreal Paris strongly reiterates that this is absolutely untrue and that Ms. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan continues to be our valued spokesperson, as she has since 2000. While she remains an integral part of the L'Oreal Paris world wide Dream Team, she was unfortunately unavailable for our New Year commercial shoot due to prior commitments."

"She is one of the most iconic women of our times and is certainly the face of L'Oreal Paris internationally and in India for a range of products which include campaigns for Total Repair 5, Excellence Crème, Color Riche, Hydrafresh," read the statement.

According to reports, Ash was replaced by 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor Freida Pinto after the former Miss World refused to be a part of L'Oreal's 'Happy New Year 2011' campaign.

Aishwarya Rai to sue Elle magazine cover 'skin-whitening' scandal

Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is fuming over Elle magazine cover 'skin-whitening' scandal, reveal her pals.

Fans of the actress were left stunned last week after her skin appeared to have been digitally lightened on the cover of the magazine's new issue.

According to friends, the 37-year-old Bollywood star, who is widely believed to be the world''s most beautiful woman, is said to be considering suing the Indian version of the title over what has been deemed ''racist airbrushing''.

The actress herself has not commented on the situation, but friends of the 'Bride and Prejudice' star have said she is ''furious''.

"Aishwarya''s first reaction was disbelief," the Daily Mail quoted one of herpal as saying.

"She believed that these things don''t happen anymore. Not in this day and age when women are recognised for their merit, and not for the colour of their skin.

"She is currently verifying this skin-whitening allegation. If there is any proof of this, she might even take action," the pal said.

"She is clearly the global face of the contemporary Indian woman. The last thing she''d want is to have a global image coloured by a racial suggestion," another pal added.

Neither Elle magazine or Mrs Bachan were available for comment today.

The actress, a former Miss World who is married to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan, is thought to be too preoccupied by her father, who is ill, to look into the matter further.

Elle in race row for whitening Ash's skin

Fashion bible Elle magazine has been caught in a race row after reportedly whitening the skin of Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on its cover.

Readers reacted with anger after it was suggested that the fashion magazine might have digitally "bleached" the complexion of the former Miss World.

The 37-year-old, who has also starred in Bride & Prejudice and The Pink Panther 2, appears on the cover of this month's Indian edition of the magazine. However, her skin appears to be several shades lighter than her normal colour.

Inside the magazine, she is again pictured in a series of shots, all showing her with pale skin, reports the Daily Mail.

Fans have been posting angry comments online about the latest cover, with one saying: "It's annoying because it seems like lighter skin is always in fashion as if darker skin is something to be frowned upon."

Kareena Kapoor fills Rai Bachchan role

Kareena Kapoor will reportedly play the role initially planned for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani.

According to the Times of India, Bhansali hoped to make the epic 18th century love story in 2003 with Bachcan and Salman Khan but the project was shelved when the couple's relationship ended.

Bhansali is allegedly reviving the project after casting Kareena Kapoor in the lead female role opposite Khan.

The story is based on Indian folklore about General Peshwa Bajirao and his wife Mastani.



'Guzaarish' producers defend smoking scene

The producers of Guzaarish have defended Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s smoking scene in the film, describing it as a script requirement.

Responding to a protest letter sent by the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), producers UTV said: "The scene in which the character played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is shown smoking was merely a creative requirement for the script."

The organisation objected to posters for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film featuring the scene in which the actress smokes.

"The poster of the film picks and chooses the same frame in their advertisement campaign. Actually this is a clandestine advertisement of a tobacco product," a NOTE spokesperson told PTI.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Is she plain lucky?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has become quite the epitome of success despite her latest three flicks not doing so well at the box office. This star has more than proved her star status not only in India but also abroad as everyone who is interested in the world of glitz and glamour is well aware by now.

However the actress in her is not yet satiated and she is thus reportedly going in for a signing up on quite a few new projects these days. The most popular star wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has also proved that marriage is a jinx for any actress in B town and has got a lot of important projects in her kitty right after she tied the nuptial knot with Abhishek Bachchan.

These days there is news floating around that director Vishal Bharadwaj is planning to sign Aishwarya and Hrithik Roshan for his project on the Shakespearean play Hamlet.

Now this amazing play by the most coveted playwright like Shakespeare that too with the ace director like Vishal Bharadwaj and two of the most hot and happening stars of Bollywood like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan as the lead pair, actually sounds quite the perfect combination for a super hit flick!

As is known Aishwarya and Hrithik have looked extremely convincing as a couple in Dhoom 2 and Jodha Akbar, not to forget the amazing pair in the just released Guzaarish, it really seems like a dream project is about to begin for this deadly hot duo.

Now with Ash getting such great offers even as she has crossed the 35 plus mark in her birthday count one really wonders –is she plain lucky to get to work with the best of directors in B town?

Longoria's husband 'also seeks divorce'

Eva Longoria's husband Tony Parker has reportedly counterfiled for divorce only two days after the actress began legal proceedings to dissolve their marriage.

TMZ claims that Parker filed the papers in Bexar County, Texas, citing that the marriage had become "insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities".

The papers also claim that the marital conflict has resulted in there being no chance of reconciliation between the pair.

Longoria filed for divorce from the NBA star earlier this week following the alleged discovery of more than a hundred text messages on Parker's phone between himself and his teammate's wife Erin Barry.

The couple married in July 2007 and were forced to deny Parker's involvement in an affair with model Alexandra Paressant only five months later.

Eva Longoria & Tony Parker: Divorce Update

While many of their fans were caught off-guard when they filed for divorce, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker's split was a long time coming.

According to Parker’s rep, “Eva and Tony have been discussing their situation privately. He was aware that she would be filing for divorce in Los Angeles."

“Tony did not file for divorce in Texas and did not hire divorce attorneys in either Texas or California. He plans to continue to keep their discussions of this matter private."

Meanwhile, an inside source leaked that everything came crashing down between Eva and Tony when Longoria found that her hubby had been keeping information about Erin Berry (his teammate’s wife) a secret.

“Tony had Erin’s personal information stored in an electronic program that only he could access. But one day he forgot to close the program and that’s when Eva found it. It was a double shot for her because not only did she find all the information but Eva also realized immediately that Tony had taken steps to hide it from her. The fact that Tony had been hiding Erin’s information and their correspondence made Eva feel like he had been lying to her for months, and basically he had been.”

Eva Longoria Splitting Up with Basketball Hubby Tony Parker

For many days, rumors have been going around about Eva Longoria divorcing her husband. Just yesterday, the actress has finally confirmed that she and basketball star Tony Parker are finally splitting up. The Desperate Housewives star has filed a divorce yesterday in Los Angeles because of the rumors that his husband has cheated on her with another wife of an NBA player.

She filed the divorce with the reason of having irreconcilable differences. Longoria, however, said that she still loves her husband and she is very affected by all that’s happening at present. She opened up to her friend, Mario Lopez, that the reason behind the separation is because of the cheating of Tony and the NBA wife who, sadly, is their mutual friend.

According to sources, Longoria read a couple of inappropriate text messages between Tony and the woman. Everything was confirmed by another NBA wife friend who claimed that she spent a long time dealing with the weight of what she knows is happening.

Tony, on the other hand, is now rumored to be begging for forgiveness for his actions. Eva, sadly, does not seem too moved by his apologies. The ex-couple have been together for almost 7 years and was wed in a fairytale setting three years ago. Too bad their ending is not too fairytale sweet.