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Dard-e-Disco, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Nagada Nagada… have been the hit tracks you’ve practically woken up to each day in 2007, thanks to Radio Mirchi! Be it your daily commute or your cooking session at home - radio has been there offering the choicest and uber cool music always. And with so much music in our lives, countdown compilations like Radio Mirchi’s Top 100 songs of 2007 are a musthave to know what to download on your iPods, mobile phones and to know what to hum! Explains Tapas Sen, chief programming officer, Radio Mirchi, “Industry standards are set on the basis of our compilations. We have a great business-to-consumer equation, and through such compilations, we ensure that we have a rocking business-to-business equation too.

It is interesting to note that music directors, songwriters and singers actually follow our compilations to know what is hot or thanda on the music scene.” Sen adds that the procedure involved in selecting a song to be a part of any compilation is exhaustive, “A panel of experts in Mirchi critique the songs. What is popular on various channels on the telly, the over-the-counter sales figures of albums and what listeners have been continuously requesting on the radio are other parameters involved. In a nutshell, the list is a meticulous compilation and the subjectivity factor is pretty high.” So, what have been the big music trends in 2007? Says Tapas, “2007 has been the year of new trends in music. Melody has made a huge comeback and has taken the front seat. Fiercely individualistic lyrics are huge hits with our target audience. It’s more like ‘my music’ and I’d like to mention Gulzar here, who said that he is the best nonsensical songwriter. Songs like Beedi, Billo Rani and Dard-e-Disco are good examples to support this trend. Indi-pop has been inclined towards melody too. New music directors like Monty and Pritam have burst on to the music scene with Saawariya and Life in a… Metro respectively.”

Top Of The Charts

1. Dard-e-Disco - OSO
2. In Dino Life in a… - Metro
3. Saawariya - Title
4. Doorie (House Mix) - Atif Aslam
5. Salaam-e-Ishq - Title
6. Jhoom Jhoom Barabar Jhoom - Title
7. Soni De Nakhre - Partner
8. Assalam O Alaikum (Remix) - Aap Kaa Surroor
9. Ab To Forever - Ta Ra Rum Pum
10. Main Jahan Rahoon - Namastey London

Guess what will be the grand comeback of the New Year? It’s none other than Dimple Kapadia who is making her comeback after a long hiatus. She was last seen in Farhan Akthar’s Dil Chahta Hai, before she went on a sabbatical. And now Dimple will be seen along with Mithun Chakraborty in a film called Pyaar Mein Kabhie and also in the pipeline is another film with Pooja Bhatt and Amrita Singh. Let’s hope we will get to see more of this talented actress in the coming days.

Amrita Rao has turned over a new leaf. The actress with the girl next door image is going for a serious image makeover and is making heads swivel with her new hot and happening image. She was recently spotted walking the ramp in a fashion show, and guess what she was wearing? A backless outfit which had the male audience cheering wildly. Now the big question that arises… is her makeover here to stay?

Post Rang De Basanti, Kunal Kapoor’s run at the box office hasn’t been good. His past few releases - Hattrick, Laga Chunari Mein Daag and Aaja Nachle - have all failed to make their mark at the box office, but the Kapoor boy isn’t disillusioned. Right now, he’s focusing on his next big release, which he says will most likely be Kambakth Ishq that will also feature Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Hopefully the New Year will have lady luck smiling at Kunal again.

Now this is the scoop of the month. Last week an l’ll birdie told us Shahid Kapoor was caught crying in a suburban multiplex. And when we asked him about it, Shahid had a hearty laughed and told us, yes, it’s true, he cried and it because he was visibly moved while watching Aamir Khan’s directorial venture Taare Zameen Par. Shahid has been a die hard Aamir Khan fan and he hasn’t missed any of Aamir’s movies and after watching TZP, Aamir has become his favourite director also, says his friend who accompanied him to see the film. Aamir for sure will be happy to know Shahid’s reaction.

From what we hear, Kareena Kapoor is very eager to be part of Shankar’s Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Robot. So much so that the actor paid a personal visit to SRK to convince him that she is just right for the role.

Known to prepare painstakingly for roles, Kareena doesn’t shy from doing what it takes to deliver her performances. Obviously, she’s going the whole hog to ensure that this plum role, too, falls in her lap. After Asoka, Kareena hasn’t had a chance to act opposite SRK. The buzz is that she really wants to act opposite SRK. Our source reveals, “Ever since Kareena heard that SRK was the leading man of Robot, she immediately made up her mind to do that film too. The actor visited SRK’s Bandra home, Mannat, and in the presence of Gauri Khan, said that she should be considered for the female lead in Shankar’s Robot.”

Kareena has always openly admitted that she is an ardent SRK fan. In fact, earlier, she went out of her way to accommodate Asoka in her schedule to be part of the SRK project. The source said, “She was last paired with SRK in Asoka. They were then seen in Karan Johar’s Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham but they weren’t opposite each other. Since then, she wanted to work with SRK. Shankar’s Robot, she felt, was a good opportunity to work with SRK once again.”

For those unfamiliar with Shankar’s Robot, the director had originally planned the film with Kamal Hassan in the lead. However, the role finally went to Shah Rukh. Although Shankar has chosen to remain secretive about the story of the film, but insiders have it that the film is a science fiction. “It is a futuristic and stylish movie,” our source says.

Subhash Ghai launched his mega directorial venture Yuvraaj starring Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, Katrina Kaif and Boman Irani. A song choreographed by Shiamak Davar was picturised on Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. AR Rahaman has composed the music of the film, Gulzar has penned the lyrics. “A marathon 21 day schedule is going to take place in Western Europe next week,” says Subhash Ghai. Well looks like Salman and Katrina will have each other for company. We don’t think they are going to complain about this outdoor schedule.

Bipasha Basu is all set to cast her spell on Hollywood. The actress has reportedly been offered two films by reputed studios in Los Angeles. Confirming the news, Bipasha’s international manager, Simone Sheffield, says, “Yes, Bipasha Basu is doing not one but two good films, which were offered by prominent Hollywood Studios. Besides the two ventures, she also has an offer on the table that she practically zeroed in on. But, the only thing that’s pending is the casting of the male lead of the film. The specifics will be announced only once the contracts are signed.” Sheffield refused to divulge details about the international films offered to Bipasha.

Our sources also revealed that that the makers of the famous series, Lost, are keen to cast Bipasha in their future episodes. In fact, they had approached her earlier too, but she was not keen to be part of it. When asked about it, Simone said, “Till we sign the contract, I cannot say anything. It is too premature.”

Ever since Bipasha made her presence felt at the announcement ceremony of New Seven Wonders of the World event in Lisbon, she has garnered a lot of attention. And, it is after that event that she appointed Simone Sheffield as her official international manager.

Amitabh Bachchan and son Abhishek were in full form recently. Father and son were shooting on adjacent sets, and unit members had a great time watching the two fool around.

Big B was shooting for his film, Bhootnath, when son Abhishek Bachchan, who was shooting for an ad next door, dropped in on the sets. In fact, the two kept paying each other mini-visits, sharing jokes and generally having fun. During one such break, Big B went to Abhishek’s sets to see him perform when the director sent an assistant to call Big B for a shot. The poor assistant didn’t realise that Abhishek’s shot was on and he simply walked across to call Big B, coming in the way of Abhishek and the camera.

Says a source , “Abhishek was at his jovial best, and declared in front of all that since the assistant had spoilt his shot, he too would go to the sets of Bhootnath to spoil their shot. And, he did actually go over to Big B’s sets during his break. What followed next was hilarious. Abhishek got into Big B’s costumes and got hold of the script. Next, he asked for the cameras to start rolling and started saying Big B’s dialogues from the script. The entire crew was in splits as they watched Abhishek. Even Big B was amused. He turned to the director and said, ‘Oh, You have got a new actor in my place, I should take your leave now.’”

When contacted, director of Bhootnath, Vivek Sharma, confirmed the incident, saying, “Abhishek did drop by on the sets frequently as he was shooting just next door. It was a great experience to watch the great rapport that the father and son share. And yes, Abhishek’s antics did have us all in splits.”