SRK refuses to step into Raj Thackeray’s shoes

Shahrukh Khan has been in the news for all the wrong reasons these days. Just on the heels of receiving flak for his alleged comment on Prophet Mohammed, his refusal to play Raj Thackeray has hit the headlines hard.

It is said that Shahrukh turned down the offer to play Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray in the film Mumbai Tiger by Raju Kokate. Now, Marathi film and stage actor Ashok Shinde has been roped in to play Raj Thackeray’s role.

Shahrukh seems to be tired of all the controversies surrounding him. It may be recalled that many non-Marathi actors including Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh were targeted by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena not long ago.

Dhoni must get back his form

India face a challenge of redeeming themselves with a depleted side in West Indies, reports SportsCenter’s Muhammed Ashar Khan.

But the task seems doubly difficult with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s transformed batting style that has gone from explosive to calm and accumulating.

Dhoni was given the reigns of the Indian team in 2007 for his ability to rocket the ball over the boundary at will and perform in pressure situations. But ever since becoming the captain, his brute power seems to have disserted him.

The 27-year-old known for his helicopter shot that would sail to the back of the stands has been taken over by a mellow, defensive approach.

“Dhoni is certainly not as aggressive as he used to be and he will have to be careful about it because like this he will neither be here nor there,” said Chetan Chauhan, former India cricketer.

Dhoni owns the record of the highest score by a wicketkeeper. He hit a colossal 183 not out against Sri Lanka in 2005, to take over Adam Gilchrist tally. But after becoming the captain, the destructive batsman’s strike rate in one-day internationals has fallen from 96 to 85 runs per hundred balls.

Even in the Twenty20 format where you have to score at a blistering pace, Dhoni’s strike rate has reduced from 128 in the inaugural World Twenty20 to just 96 in the second edition of the tournament.

There have been times when Dhoni has come up the batting order, but he has been happy to let his other illustrious hitters in the team to take center-stage.

The captain’s extended honeymoon of a successful run for the past one year seems to be over with the team’s dismal performance in the World T20 in England. From now on, his every hit and miss will be under scrutiny.

First Look of Movie Dil Bole Hadippa

First Look of Movie Dil Bole Hadippa

Michael Jackson Dies

We've just learned Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived.

LaToya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.

SRK can Wait, kids can't

Another name for Farah Khan would be master juggler. The choreographer turned filmmaker juggles can really multitask between her professional commitments like direction, choreography, acting and judging reality shows, and taking care of her triplets -- Czar, and daughters Diva and Anya.

Farah, who is currently judging a reality show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, said, "My house is very close to the sets of the show (Yashraj Studio) so I bring my children with me. Everyone is so warm on the sets which makes it easy for me to judge this show."

The triplets are also starting school next week and Farah doesn't want to miss accompanying them to school. "My kids have grown up. Now they are one year and four months old and will be going to toddler's school from next week. I will be accompanying them to the school thrice in a week. The kids grow up so fast. Now I want to spend as much time with them as possible," she said.

Talking about their personality, she said, "Though they are born a minute apart, they're completely different. My son wants what the daughters have. The girls are bonding very well and are playing with each other.

Talking about the show, she said, "We have got an excellent response for this show. I was quite surprised to know that Shah Rukh Khan liked the show. I really don't know how he gets the time to watch television. I guess his son Aryan must have liked the show and that is why he saw it because SRK normally doesn't watch TV."

After wrapping up the show Farah will head to the US for Karan Johar's My Name is Khan which stars Shah Rukh and Kajol . "I have a 4-5 days schedule for My Name is Khan where I'm choreographing a song. Karan was sweet enough to even adjust his dates for me. Initially I was to go for eight days to San Francisco but then he reduced it to four. Though I am very excited to be shooting with the gang again, I can't stay without my babies for four days. I don't know what I am going to do," she added.

After her commitment to My Name is Khan, Farah plans to concentrate fully on her kids. "I will dedicate my full time to my kids. I want to see them growing up. Films and other such promises will keep coming in future but this time with kids will not," she said.

Speaking about her cameo in Milab Javeri's film Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, Farah said, "They told me it's a cameo and made me shoot for six days. I asked them whether I was the second lead of the film [smiles]. I went for the dubbing which has come out well. I can play only myself because I am a bad actor."

Talking about her new project Happy New Year, she stated, "Things are shaping up slowly. My script will be ready by the end of July."

Farah is also doing a chat show for a popular channel but didn't give any details.

Kick the butt before it affects your memory!

Smoking can damage brain cells triggering memory loss and speeding up neuro-related disorders, a new study has claimed.

“We found that NNK, a major nitrosamine and a potent cancer-causing chemical in tobacco smoke can harm nerve cells of the brain,” says Dr Anirban Basu, a scientist with Manesar (Gurgaon)-based National Brain Research Centre (NBRC).

According to him, NNK is present in all forms of tobacco and thus enters the body through smoking and tobacco chewing.

Explaining the mechanism, Basu said, “NNK turns into a cancer-causing chemical once it is through the body’s metabolism. It triggers white blood cells in the brain’s immune system to attack healthy cells.

“NNK does not damages the brain directly. At first it causes inflammation in brain cells similar to that which leads to disorders like multiple sclerosis,” he said.

The brain immune cells, which generally act as the clean up crew for the central nervous system, destroy damaged cells by realising toxins and engulfing them, he said.

“Over-activation of immune cells for a prolonged period can have adverse effect on the surrounding neurons and can even lead to neuronal death.”

“The result of the work is confirmed both in culture systems and also in mice model. This finding is important considering how indispensable a healthy brain is for a healthy body,” Basu says.

Cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemical agents including 60 carcinogens, many of which are also poisonous in their own right.

“This study intends to bring forth the detrimental affects of smoking on nerve cells of the brain and raise public awareness of the dangers of smoking and to deter people from choosing this costly habit,” Debapriya Ghosh, another research assistant with NBRC who was part of this work, said.

Rare Pic: Katrina Kaif’s New Nakshatra Ad