Gopika to wed Dr. Ajilesh on July 17 at Angamaly

Heroine Gopika is getting married to Ajilesh on 17th of this month. Ajilesh is a doctor from Ernakulam in Kerala. He is now settled in London.

The Engagement ceremony was held on 13th of this month at Gopika's native place Tiruchuru (Kerala).

Gopika leaves the industry at a time when her career is at its peak.

She was perfect for homely and bubbly girls’ roles.
Gopika’s second film, For the People, was a huge hit and Gopika was suddenly became movie goers favourite.
Cheran introduced her to Tamil thorugh Autograph and it became a huge hit.
Her latest Malayalam hit, Annan Thampi, which released on Vishu.

Amrita Rao

Amrita Rao:
'There's no denying Bipasha is sexy…'

2004 was a great year for you - you won appreciation and nominations for ‘MHN’, yet the awards didn’t fall into your lap. Very disappointed, were you?
“It was a complete honour even being nominated with such senior actresses like Rani Mukherjee, but I don’t see any reason why I should be disappointed. Even a nomination is a reward, isn’t it? And if we actresses started assessing our work on the basis of awards, then disappointments will be a-plenty. There are many good actresses and a lot of good work happening. Our achievements don’t begin and end with awards but, yes, awards are encouraging.”

This year you’re back with two big banners, and your first hit co-star, Shahid Kapur. Old screen-romance revives?
“Yeah, we’re hoping the ‘Ishq Vishq’ luck will strike again. We do have this amazing comfort level. You know, there are some screen pairs that people don’t forget, like Anil Kapoor–Madhuri, Shah Rukh-Kajol...and what’s interesting is that even after two years, people remember Shahid and me as a great screen pair.”

The John Mathew Mathan film has hot sex symbol Bipasha Basu with you in the lead roles. Any fire on the sets?

“No way! Just like there was no fire on the sets of ‘MHN’ with a diva like Sushmita Sen. There’s no denying that Bipasha is very sexy, but we have such defined roles in the film that there’s no scope for rivalry. Besides, we got along very well. I think I have this strange bonding with Bongs - first Sushmita and now Bipasha!”

How comfortable are you with Shahid’s actress-girlfriend, Kareena?
“I haven’t worked with her, but I’m totally comfortable with her and I think she is, too. Bebo is a cool girl.”

Do you think you’re getting type-cast as this sweet-girl-next-door? That can limit the kind of roles you could get...
“I don’t really think the image is ‘sweet-girl-next-door’, because though Sanjana in ‘MHN’ was sweet, she wasn’t anything like the next-door girl. And you’ll see that my character in ‘Life Ho Toh Aise’ is starkly different. Now just because one doesn’t see me in a film emerging from the sea wearing a swimsuit, it doesn’t mean that I’m only doing candy floss, college-kid kinds of roles, right? The directors who approach me know exactly what I’m capable of and to what extent I can go.”

So that’s why you’re known to be extra choosy about your roles and do fewer films...
“I’m choosy because you have to see to believe what kind of scripts filmmakers come up with - they are hilariously silly! I can’t imagine from where they think of such stories; at times like that, you almost feel that Hindi cinema hasn’t moved for decades. Out of so many that I hear, there might be only one or two worth considering. There’s no choice but to be choosy.”

Like most actresses, do you believe that the industry is largely male dominated?
“Yes, I do think so. But it’s slowly changing, as scripts are being written with women in mind. It takes a lot more guts for a filmmaker to go ahead and make women-oriented subjects in our scenario.”

And the casting couch...?
“At first, when anyone asked me about it, I’d be offended, but this seems to be the talk of the town now. I think these things happen at every level in life in any profession. But how far one will go depends entirely on them. At the end of the day, it’s all about your family background and your upbringing. It’s your values that make you, or don’t let you do certain things.”

If you got a call from Steven Spielberg tomorrow offering you a Hollywood project, what would you say?
“It would be exciting to think that he’s considered me for his film - very few would want to turn down a Spielberg film. But if the film demands nudity, it will be a sure no-no for me!”

AISHWARYA Always Smiling

Abhishek Bachchan said his wife is uncomplicated and “always smiling,” in a newspaper interview published Wednesday, describing how he met and fell in love with Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai.

Bachchan and Rai were married in April in what Indian media dubbed “The Wedding of the Century” — an extravagant affair that had photographers and cameramen camped for days outside their homes in suburban Mumbai.

The two became friends when they worked together on the 2000 movie “Dhai Akshar Prem Ke,” but cupid didn’t strike until they filmed “Dhoom 2″ five years later.

Soon after Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, they were paired together again in Kuch Naa Kaho (2003) but it wasn’t till Aishwarya and he jived together to the beats of Kajra Re in Bunty Aur Babli, right under the eyes of dad Amitabh Bachchan, that the sparks began to fly. The romantic drama, Umrao Jaan, was supposed to be their big film together. When it hit the floors Abhishek and Aishwarya had not started dating, but well before its release they were known, though not acknowledged, to be an item. The film, though made with a lot of passion, failed to stir audiences and onscreen chemistry between the couple remained lackluster. Dhoom 2 shortly followed Umrao Jaan. Though Abhishek was not paired opposite Aishwarya the two spent a lot of time together on the sets and that seems to have done it. “We started dating in the latter half of the film as ‘Dhoom 2′ was shot for over a year-and-a-half,” he said.

“There are so many things I love about Aishwarya. She’s very human and unaffected and down-to-earth,” Bachchan told The Times. “A simple little girl who is always smiling and that’s very endearing.”

But he said it was difficult to pinpoint when he fell in love.

“There was no defining moment as such,” said Bachchan. “I cannot explain it in words.”