Director Vijay Saturday put an end to rumours about his relationship with actress Amala Paul by announcing that they plan to get married soon.

"I herewith take this opportunity to announce my conversion of status from single to couple. The search for my life partner ends here as I have found my soul mate in Amala Paul. She's the girl with the most beautiful heart and I will truly treasure her with utmost care and love," Vijay said in a statement.

The duo reportedly started dating while working together in the Tamil film "Deiva Thirumagal".

"We will meet the media and friends with personal invitations of our wedding. Currently, Amala has got a few commitments and I'm expecting my close to heart project 'Saivam' to release. Only after all this, we will be able to spare more time towards the celebration of our life," he added.

Amala is currently awaiting the release of Tamil romantic-comedy "Vella Illa Pattathari" with Dhanush. She is also working on Tamil and Telugu projects "Kitna" and "Vastha Nee Venuka", respectively.

Film: "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum"; Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Nazriya Nazim, Madhoo, Pandiarajan, John Vijai, Abhinav and Vinu Chakravarthy; Director: Balaji Mohan; Rating: ***1/2

In his second directorial "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum", Balaji Mohan tells us that if you know when to speak and when not to, then most of our problems are easily resolved. He has a brilliant premise to convince us with exactly what he wants to deliver through the film, which undeniably is a smart romantic-comedy (much better than several films in the same genre in the recent past), with spurts of humour and satire at regular intervals to keep us entertained.

It's an almost brilliant film that contradicts itself at several junctures for reasons that are never explained and left to be figured out by the viewer.

When an imaginary disease called 'Dumb Flu' plagues the inhabitants of Panimalai, forcing everybody to stop speaking because it aggravates when you do, the fate of a few characters that have issues with communication is tested.

The first half of the film, which I think was brilliantly executed, harps on the importance of speaking at the right place, at the right time and at every given opportunity. The course of the events during this half has the spotlight on characters that either struggle to express what they want to or on those who won't stop speaking.

It focuses on a writer-turned-housewife who struggles to tell her husband that she wants to write again, a young doctor who can't tell her possessive boyfriend that she doesn't like to be controlled and a school boy who fears telling his parents that he's more passionate about drawing than studies.

Interestingly, all the aforementioned characters belong to the same family. Throughout the first half, efforts are made by the director to push these characters to open up and express what they want to. You appreciate this effort because you connect with these characters that are so real that you might find them in your own life.

It is in the second half that you feel the film contradicts itself. Contrary to the first half, the characters are made to stop talking because of 'Dumb Flu'. There are absolutely no dialogues (but for some voiceovers) and the narrative style is akin to Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times".

The director, who urges us to speak throughout the first half, suddenly asks us to shut up. The director, who said most of our problems are resolved when we sit and discuss, wants us to shut up. Doesn't that contradict the very essence of the film that was built intelligently in the first half?

Nevertheless, you don't complain about the film because it dares to address several sensitive issues with a pinch of salt. From how Tamil cinema is being constantly attacked by fringe groups to dirty politicians and politics, Balaji slaps everybody in the face and makes them shut up. Of course, all this is done by striking a perfect balance between humour and satire.

Heavily inspired by Woody Allen's style of storytelling, Balaji presents a kind of narrative that Tamil audiences are not used to. Still, they cheer for it because it's creative. He keeps making brief appearances throughout the film in a very funny role of a news reporter, eventually proving how crooked and TRP-oriented the media is in this country.

On the acting front, debutant Dulquer Salmaan is a treat to watch. He earns extra brownie points for dubbing in his own voice and speaking flawless Tamil. Nazriya comfortably slips into the shoes of a character so contrary to the ones she has played in the past. The supporting cast featuring Arjun, Abhinav, Vinu, John and others played their respective roles to perfection.

Sean Roldan keeps the film alive with his music and knows how to use it as a narrative, especially in the second half that hardly has any dialogues. Tighter editing was required in the second half which becomes a little tedious to sit through due to the slow narrative.

To enjoy "Vaayai Moodi Pesavum", just shut up and watch it!

Actress Vidya Balan, who was active in the promotional tours for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards earlier this year, has left many guessing the reason behind her absence from the main event.

"Vidya had to cancel her plans at the last moment," said a source from the organisers.

The National award-winning actress was due to attend a special session here, but Priyanka Chopra filled in for her.

Vidya was also slated to be part of a Master Class Panel with Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey. Now, Priyanka will attend the same, scheduled to be held here Saturday.

The IIFA gala started here Wednesday, and it will culminate with a star-studded and glittering awards ceremony Saturday night at the sprawling Raymond James Stadium.

The footprint of the over $2 billion Indian cinema industry is rapidly growing overseas, says National Award-winning filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. He stresses that while non-traditional markets are vital, the US, powered by a three-million strong Indian diaspora, remains the biggest international market for Indian moviemakers.

"America is an important market for us. It is important for us to have a (wide) presence there as it is the final frontier for the business of films and the biggest market for us overseas," Mehra told IANS before leaving for the US earlier this week.

He is currently in Tampa Bay, Florida for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend and awards, which is Bollywood's biggest celebration on international shores.

IIFA has so far travelled to places like London, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Macau and Singapore, leaving indelible impressions of Hindi cinema and giving an impetus to tourism in each of these places over the years. In its 15th year, the four-day extravaganza has made its debut in the US, the world's largest economy, and Mehra believes this is "more seminal" than one thinks it is.

"There's a FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, where various important talks take place. I have been on the advisory board for IIFA and I feel they are doing a great job by opening the doors for our cinema in more ways than one," he added.

From his career as an ad filmmaker to a feature filmmaker, Mehra has spent close to three decades in Indian showbiz. He has also witnessed the escalating demand and interest of the foreign markets in cinema from the country.

"I remember taking 'Rang De Basanti' (in 2006)...the market in the US is most certainly growing. Now we have our films in the US, the UAE, Australia and Britain, but we need a stronger presence in the US, and we need to go beyond the diaspora to explore more non-traditional markets," he said.

Mehra's last entertainer, "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", a biopic which was recently named the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment by the National Film Awards jury, was released in multiple territories abroad - the US, Australia, Britain, Fiji, Singapore, Thailand, Malasiya, Hong Kong, East Africa, South Africa, Indonesia, the UAE and New Zealand.

The film has already bagged nine technical awards at IIFA, and it is the frontrunner with 10 nominations as far as the popular awards of the gala are concerned. The winners will be announced during the culminating night Saturday.

Meanwhile, the filmmaker is excited that "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", the Farhan Akhtar-starrer which tells the life story of former athlete Milkha Singh, will open to audiences with over 70 prints in Japan thanks to entertainment company Nikkatsu Corporation.

Thus, he believes, the business of Indian films is only poised to grow.

The 50-year-old filmmaker is also credited with films like "Aks" and "Delhi-6". His "Rang De Basanti" also won the National Film Award for best popular film providing wholesome entertainment and was India's official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the best foreign language film category.

His next offering is a musical. Titled "Mirza Sahibaan", it will launch two newcomers - Harshvardhan Kapoor, son of actor Anil Kapoor; and Saiyami Kher, niece of talented actress Tanvi Azmi and granddaughter of yesteryear's leading leady Usha Kiran.

Actor Prakash Raj says he walked out of Mahesh Babu-starrer Telugu actioner "Aagadu" because he had some creative differences with its director Srinu Vaitla.

He has denied that he was asked to leave the project due to his rude behaviour with an assistant director. Prakash allegedly behaved rudely with assistant director Surya on the film's sets recently.

"I walked out of the project following some creative differences with Srinu. I even shot for a day and then decided to quit. Srinu and I mutually agreed with my decision and didn't have any qualms about it. But this matter was blown out of proportion by some people," Prakash told IANS.

Surya had lodged a complaint against Prakash Raj over his behaviour with the Director's Association and Movie Artists Association (MAA). Following which, rumours were circulated about a possible ban on the actor.

"I never misbehaved with anyone on the sets. I did receive a letter from MAA, but I was surprised to know that they didn't even hear what I had to say about these allegations before taking any action. Some people have fabricated this story against me. When the time comes, I will publicly reveal their names," he added.

Sonu Sood has replaced Prakash Raj and has started shooting for "Aagadu", which also features Tamannah Bhatia.

Prakash says he will submit a detailed letter to MAA to prove his innocence.

"I will submit a letter with a video to prove my innocence. If I'm proven wrong, I'm ready to face the consequences," he said.

Prakash Raj has faced several ban threats in the past for his behaviour, but since he's one of the most sought after actors directors and producers seldom press charges against him.

Bollywood's undisputed king of comedy, actor Govinda, has nothing against sex comedies, which are a trend in tinsel towns nowadays. However, whether he will be part of such a project or not is a decision he would want to consult his wife for.

Asked about his take on sex comedies, Govinda said here: "I feel whatever gives business...somewhere it is right. Something which is accepted by everybody cannot be wrong. Whichever comedy it might be, I think comedy is comedy."

Is he open to sex comedies?

Pat came the reply: "Well I will have to ask Sunita (my wife) about that,"

While he seems to be embracing the new twist to comedy films in the Hindi movie world, he is also happy about young and new talent in the industry.

"Ranveer, Varun...everybody is doing well. These youngsters are working hard. We have never worked so hard. In our times, we were only actors, we were not body builders.

"The youngsters are great, they are fantastic...May god bless them," he added.

Govinda is here to attend the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, with his wife Sunita in tow.

Actor Govinda's wife Sunita, who accompanied her husband to International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2014, says that her daughter Narmada has refused 30 films in three years.

Narmada has been planning to make her debut for a long time and when asked when will she be launched, Sunita said: "She has refused 30 films in last three years. She wants to do Govinda kind of films. She wants to do comedy films. She is in talking terms with many people now let's see."

"Narmada doesn't like to work under pressure. Yes being a star kid there will be a lot of expectations from her as she will also be compared to her father Govinda," she added.

Sunita, who has been a strong pillar in Govinda's life, says that the actor does consider her advice before signing a film.

"Before doing any films he takes my opinion on that and if I don't like the subject, he doesn't do that film. I am the boss at home (laughs). Its been 30 years of our marriage and it has been a great journey so far. He is a wonderful husband, father, son..."

Yash Raj Films' (YRF) upcoming movie "Dawat-E-Ishq", which was slated to release in June, will now hit the screens on Teacher's Day Sep 5.

A source close to the project says producer Aditya Chopra felt the need to add a couple of songs to the film. Since the additional shoot would take some more time, they chose to push the release date.

Also, early September has emerged to be a good time for YRF over the past few years.

"Sep 5 is a lucky date for YRF as 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' and 'Shuddh Desi Romance' releasing around the same weekend. We are hoping to be lucky once again as this film has a very fresh concept," said a source.

The film, is directed by Habib Faisal and it stars Aditya Roy Kapur and Parineeti Chopra.

German model and Bollywood actress Evelyn Sharma, who has been working hard to learn Hindi, was surprised upon receiving compliments for her Hindi diction by actor Ranbir Kapoor.

"Hindi can be quite difficult to master, and I have been working extremely hard to understand the nuances of the language. It feels nice to be acknowledged and noticed for something you are consciously working towards and it feels better coming from my early co-stars," Evelyn said in a statement.

Ranbir has shared few scenes with the actress in "Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani" and complimented Evelyn on grasping the language. It left the actress excited about her efforts as she feels that her hardwork is finally reflecting both on and off-screen.

Actor Amit Sadh, who underwent a foot surgery recently, says he is taking baby steps towards learning how to walk again.

The actor underwent the surgery at a Mumbai hospital Wednesday.

The "Phoonk 2" star posted on his official Facebook page: "Learning to walk again! Gratitude, love for all prayers and wishes. You gotta learn to crawl before you learn to walk."

Amit's leg was fractured last month while he was shooting in Shimla for Subhash Kapoor's "Guddu Rangeela".

The selfie bug bit celebrities and fans at the green carpet of the technical categories of Bollywood's most extravagant celebration, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards 2014 here.

The star-studded event here saw actors and filmmakers not only looking their best, but much in action wherein they clicked selfies with their fans and even posed for candid pictures.

Hrithik Roshan, who walked the green carpet, looking his usual dapper self, said: "This has a magical effect on me. Now I am over excited after looking at my fans. It's a great feeling to be here today."

Vivek Oberoi agreed: "There is so much of energy here and look at the fans showering their love on us...what more can we ask for?"

"I am here to clap and cheer for the lovely people who make us look good," he added.

"Jhakaas" actor Anil Kapoor's fans greeted him with whistles galore, and to top it all, they sang his hit song "One Two Ka Four" in unison when he took to the green carpet.

Vaani Kapoor of "Shuddh Desi Romance" fame, also felt the excitement and said: "It's so nice to be here. I am happy...all these fans they are making my day."

The stars said that they were attending the technical awards distribution at the event Friday to applaud the technicians.

"A film is made with so much effort, so we are here to cheer the technicians. I am here to applaud them," said Bipasha.

Other celebrities who attended the event included Deepika Padukone, Madhuri Dixit, Kareena Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Shabana Azmi, Arshad Warsi, Boney Kapoor and Sridevi, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharman Joshi, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Shatrughan Sinha and Dia Mirza.

The event was co-hosted by Saif Ali Khan and Vir Das, who regaled the audience with their sense of humour.

"Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" won nine technical awards at IIFA 2014. The former athlete, on whose life the National award-winning movie is made, is attending the IIFA gala.

Amrican actor John Travolta Saturday said he is a big fan of Hindi films and feels they are "very original and full of life".

"I liked 'Slumdog Millionaire' which wasn't a bollywood film but somewhat reflects India. I recently saw 'Ram Leela'... I find Hindi films very original and full of life, they capture your attention and have universal themes, so yes I am a big fan of Hindi films," Travolta said at the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2014 here.

He said that Bollywood's influence was felt more widely and that musicals in Hollywood were rare.

"Anil Kapoor and Aamir Khan are among few actors I've interacted with. I think Bollywood actors have an amazing script sense. I'm confident that they can help develop the connection between the two industries," he added.

"I think Bollywood has no inhibitions and that reflets in their movies. It'll be great to watch the same in Hollywood films.

"The video 'Exotic' was beautiful. Priyanka and Pitbull were amazing and that exemplified what should be. I've always felt acting, song and dance should go in sync. I've always been more satisfied doing both. I wish people get more excited about musicals."

When asked whom would he like to work with in Bollywood, he said, "I liked the girl in 'Ram Leela'. She is amazing. She is great... I've also watched '3 Idiots', 'Lagaan' and 'Krishh'."

Explaining the difference between award ceremonies in the West and in India, he said: "I think an award like IIFA has a lot of credibility. In the West we have several award ceremonies, and each claims to be bigger than the other. But this ceremony of Bollywood is recognised internationally. I'm happy to be a part of the grand celebration this year and hope we continue to build good connections and keep making good movies."

The 15th Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend kicked off in Tampa Bay, Florida April 23. The event will come to an end Saturday evening.

Filmmaker Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra's "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", which has already garnered several awards, claimed nine technical awards at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2014 being held here.

"Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" bagged the awards for best cinematography (Binod Pradhan), best screenplay (Prasoon Joshi), best dialogue (Prasoon Joshi), best editing (P.S. Bharti), best sound design (Nakul Kamte), best sound mixing (Pranav Shukla), best background score (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy), best costume designing (Dolly Ahluwalia) and best make-up (Vikram Gaikwad).

Milkha Singh grabbed the limelight during the award show, as Farhan Akhtar sang "Zinda" from the movie and "Senorita" from "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" and later got down from the stage and hugged the Olympian.

Singer Mika Singh sang some of his hit songs, and also got Hrithik Roshan on stage who grooved to his "Agal Bagal" song from "Phata Poster Nikla Hero".

Sonakshi Sinha and Bipasha Basu also performed to a few dance numbers.

Rakesh Roshan's "Krrish 3" won two awards - best action (Sham Kaushal and Tony Ching Siu Tung) and best special effects-visuals (Keitan Yadav and Haresh Hingorani - Red Chillies VFX).

Rohit Shetty's blockbuster hit "Chennai Express" won for best song recording (Vinod Verma for "Lungi Dance") and best sound mixing (Anup Dev) along with "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag".

Filmmaker Sekhar Kammula has denied rumours that he was upset with actress Nayantara for not attending the recent audio launch of his film "Anamika", southern remake of "Kahaani". He says everything is fine between them.

"I have immense respect for Nayantara as an actress. She's a thorough professional and she couldn't attend the audio launch due to sudden commitments. I was not upset with her about it and everything between us is fine," Kammula told IANS.

"She will start promoting the film this week. I'm extremely happy with the way the film has come out. I'm excited as well as nervous about the release," he added.

The southern actress reprises the role of Bollywood actress Vidya Balan in "Anamika", which will release May 1 worldwide in Tamil and Telugu.

The film also features Vaibhav Reddy, Pasupathy and Harshvardhan Rane in important roles.

Ace Telugu comedian M.S. Narayana, who will soon be seen playing the lead in spoof-comedy "Crazywala" - about Aam Aadmi Party, has another film titled "Nawab Basha" in a lead role lined up for release.

He will be seen playing the title character of Nawab in "Nawab Basha".

"I keep getting offers to play lead roles every now and then, but I'm very choosy about the scripts. Of course, all my films are high on comedy, but I ensure there's something for the audience to take back home," Narayana told IANS

"If 'Crazywala' is about the state of politics in our country, 'Nawab Basha' is about how money controls most of our lives. Most of our lives are dictated by money and when we lose or gain some, we change so much as an individual. This is what we have tried to show in the film," he added.

Narayana says that irrespective of the role being offered to him, he would always like to entertain audiences.

"It doesn't matter if I'm playing a lead role or that of a comedian; I want my audience to have entertainment worth their money. People wonder why I sometimes do silly roles, but it's for these roles that audiences laughed the most," he said.

Directed by Rajesh Putra, "Nawab Basha" also features Rahul, Varun and Nagma in important roles.

National Award-winning Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who attended a panel discussion on acting with Hollywood actor-filmmaker Kevin Spacey at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards here, says she has a huge fear of failure.

Priyanka has proved her mettle through films like "Saat Khoon Maaf", "Barfi!", "Fashion", but says she always had the fear of failure.

"I have a huge fear of failure. Failure drives me. If the film fails, it feels bad. I stay in a room for two weeks. When I was doing 'Barfi!', people told me it is not a heroine kind of a film, don't do it. But I was sure I will do it and I am happy with the response," she said.

Recalling her journey as an actress in the Hindi film industry, she said: "For me, acting happened by chance. I was 17 years old when I became Miss World. I was reading a leading film magazine and I happened to read the interview of Amitabh Bachchan where he said how many scenes one does in a film is not important. What is important is that people should remember you when they come out of the theatre after watching the film.

"In commercial Indian cinema, female actors don't have parts to prove. But I feel fortunate that whatever roles I have done till now, be it big or small, all have done well for me," she added.

Priyanka, however, prefers stage shows over films as "it is gratifying to be on stage and see the instant gratification".

The model-turned-actress, who bagged the prestigious National Film Award for her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar's "Fashion", says she never expected to win the award.

"I never expected that I could get the National Award. I got a call at 4 a.m. and then I went off to sleep. After some time, people started knocking at the door for interviews. And I realised, I was not dreaming. It is an incredible feeling. My parents were with me and it felt really nice. It was a special experience of my life," she said.

Actor-producer Abhay Deol, who graced the Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards here, says it's good to celebrate cinema but when there are excessive number of awards, one tends to lose credibility.

"I think to celebrate cinema is great but sometimes when there are too many then you tend to lose credibility and I don't think as an artist you can attend each and every award ceremony. I think as long as there is transparency and award function is pure in awarding an artist then it's fine.

"Sometimes a deserving person gets an award and sometimes a non-deserving person gets an award. Well, I could never attend awards and like I said there are some deserving people who get awards so here I am for IIFA," Abhay told reporters here.

The "Socha Na Tha" star, who was miffed with reports that claim he is under huge financial crisis after the debacle of his production venture "One By Two', says it's a complete lie.

"That was a complete lie and I was very upset they manipulated me by getting a quote from me they were like 'Oh, you taking a loan' and they put a story out there in a wrong way and said that I am broke and all. I was extremely disappointed ... It was a complete lie," he said.

The IIFA gala started here April 23, and it concluded April 26 night.

Debutant director Karthik G. Krish says the character played by actor Vaibhav Reddy in the upcoming Tamil romantic-comedy "Kappal" has been designed keeping in mind yesteryear actor Karthik from "Mouna Ragam".

"You'll see the Vaibhav you haven't seen so far. You can find Karthik's attitude from 'Mouna Ragam' in him. He plays two characters and we've given him two different looks for the same," Krish told IANS.

Krish says it's a story Vaibhav was destined to do.

"When you're writing a story, you tend to visualise an actor keeping in mind the kind of roles they've done in the past. You try to find if your character in the story can be related to any actor. During this process, I zeroed in on Vaibhav as I felt he was destined to do it," he added.

The film, which has been produced by I Studios, also features newcomer Sonam Bajwa.

Krish, who had assisted ace Tamil filmmaker S. Shankar in the past, says working with him has made him a holistic filmmaker.

"Working with Shankar sir has not only taught me the art of making films, but also prepared me to be a holistic filmmaker. Direction is not only about writing a film and directing it, it's also about handling situations using presence of mind. I learnt all this from him," he said.

"Sometimes as a director, you'll have to face situations when actors don't show up on time on sets or when rain plays spoilsport. If you don't know how to handle these situations, you can't be a director. I had hands on experience about handling such situations while working with Shankar sir," he added.

Krish had worked with Shankar on films such as "Sivaji" and "Enthiran".

So, you thought having a 'trophy husband' was enough? That you could revel in his popularity, splurge his moolah and lounge at beauty parlours and kitty parties all day? Get a reality check, dear ladies! Take a cue from Bollywood's star wives club -- names like Gauri Khan, Twinkle Khanna and Adhuna Akhtar always had the choice to do all that and more, but instead, they chose to follow their passion and become entrepreneurs.

Add to that, names like Suzzane Khan, Mana Shetty and Shilpa Shetty.

Their fields are different -- from interior designing and hairstyling to wellness clubs and philanthropy -- but to the curious me, a common factor binds them all: the desire to carve their own niche; a niche away from the shadow of their husbands' success stories.

Take, for instance, Gauri Khan, wife of Bollywood 'badshah' Shah Rukh Khan. A devoted wife and mother, Gauri's tryst with interior designing happened at her house Mannat itself, but she gave her hobby a professional twist by collaborating with another star wife, Suzzane, who is a qualified interior designer.

Suzzane, estranged wife of Hrithik Roshan, has an Associate of Arts Degree in interior design from Brooks College in Long Beach, California. She gained hands-on experience while working with her mother's interior firm, and has worked on homes of celebrities like Rani Mukerji and Priyanka Chopra.

She has her own brands, and together with Gauri, she recently announced the launch of their latest real estate project, Naira. A luxury mansion project in Goa, it will involve 12 luxury villas which will have a limited edition collection of furniture and accessories from Suzzane's The Charcoal Project.

Earlier this year, Gauri also launched her own design store named The Design Cell, much to Shah Rukh's delight and pride.

Twinkle and Mana are also names to reckon with when it comes to the interior design and decor business.

Twinkle, star kid of Bollywood's first 'superstar' Rajesh Khanna, is married to tinsel town's 'khiladi' Akshay Kumar. Had she wanted, she could've sat back and enjoyed a life of, first, being a star kid, and then, a star wife. But she tried her luck in films and then settled to follow her passion. She opened a decor store, The White Window, and penned her own success story.

Mana, who is actor Suniel Shetty's better half, too takes pride in being multi-faceted. She not only runs an interiors store, she also designs homes, runs an NGO called Save The Children India and even hosts a fundraising exhibition.

In an interview with Mana in 2010, I remember asking her whether being a celebrity wife gives a fillip to her endeavours. She gave a promising response: “I am not always Mana Shetty… I am also just Mana.”

“I have an identity of my own. At least I think so and I believe in it. That's why I keep doing a lot of things on my own. Yes, I do have Suniel 100 percent behind me, but I think it does make a lot of difference when you do something on your own and you're not just a celebrity's wife,” she said.

True, that!

No wonder that when Adhuna Akhtar got married to actor-producer Farhan Akhtar, she didn't give up her first love -- hairstyling -- to be a star wife. She is now a celebrity hairstylist and even works for movies.

Let's count in Shilpa Shetty too! Agreed that she herself is a big name in Bollywood, and who managed to “loot” the hearts of UP and Bihar with her beauty and moves, but marrying a London-based businessman threw up an option of leading a relaxed life. What did she choose?

Shilpa is now a film producer, co-owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals, she runs the chain of luxury wellness chain IOSIS, and even has her own fitness DVDs. Her latest is a foray into the jewellery business. Woah!

The inference here transcends the fact that these women have stepped out from a zone which could be comfortable and stress-free. It lies in the fact that whether you have a wealthy spouse, who is famous and popular, it can't take away the individuality that a woman can carve for herself -- not just in a relationship, but in the outside world too!

Bollywood actress Nargis Fakhri, who recently shot for her first international film titled "Spy" in the US, caught up with global rapper Curtis Jackson, popular as 50 Cent.

Nargis was clicked with the "Candy Shop" hitmaker during the shoot of "Spy".

Also starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and Jude Law, 50 Cent essays a brief role in the film being directed by Paul Feig.

The film will see the "Rockstar" star in her first action role.