About Buddha: The founder of Buddhism, Lord Buddha is popularly known as the “Light of Asia.” Lord Buddha’s (like Mahavira’s) date of birth and the date of death were the same. He is considered as the 9^th reincarnation of Lord Vishnu by some and the principles of Buddhism which he propounded were offshoots of Hinduism.

Buddha Purnima celebrates the birth of Gautam Buddha (563 BC) and is the most important religious festival for all practicing Buddhists. It also encompasses Buddha’s enlightenment (Nirvana) and his passing away (Parinirvana). Buddhism does not attach any importance to revering any gods or deities: it is a way of life…

Born into the royal family of Shakya clan, he was christened Siddharth Gautama at birth. His questioning mind made him wonder why there was suffering in the world. He chanced upon the “Four Noble Truths:

Life is suffering
Attachment leads to suffering
It is possible to stop suffering
Take the path towards ending suffering

He saw renunciation and austerity as the path to salvation and he devised the

Noble Eight-fold or Middle Path:

Right View
Right Effort
Right Action
Right Speech
Right Intention
Right Livelihood
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Buddhism, with its simplistic teachings won many hearts in India. People also gravitated towards Buddhism to escape the oppressive and dogmatic rise of Brahmanism in Hinduism. Buddhism endorsed right conduct, respect, ethical values, moral obedience and meditation. The teachings were simple enough for all to follow…

The emphasis in Buddhism is on the practical aspect for spiritual and mental enlightenment which alone can liberate the soul and free humans from misery, suffering and delusions. Attachment was frowned upon, while compassion towards every living being (humans, animals and birds) was encouraged and stress was laid on theories of Karma and rebirth.

Buddha’s teachings are as relevant today as when they were first taught 2500 years ago…

Buddha Purnima Date: This year Buddha Purnima (or Buddha Jayanti / Vesak / Vaishakha) falls on 25^th May 2013…

!! Happy Buddha Purnima !!

Bollywood’s Fashionista, Sonam Kapoor banks on a huge nose ring at Cannes Film Festival 2013 – Thumbs-up or Thumbs-down?

Sonam Tweeted: Thank you @soninamrata @rheakapoor and @lorealparisin I felt like a princess.

L’Oréal Paris brand ambassador and international sensation Freida Pinto walked the red carpet at the Cannes opening ceremony with impeccable makeup from the L’Oréal Paris L’Or Sunset Collection!

How to get Freida Pinto Cannes Festival 2013 look?

Face: L’Oréal Paris True Match liquid foundation- Amber- N7

L’Oréal Paris True Match Press Powder- Caramel Beige W7

Eyes:   L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Palette Infiniment Bronze # E3

Lips:    L’Oréal Paris Infallable Lipstick-Tender Berry # 519

Whoever said that two female actors can’t be friends has certainly not seen the camaraderie that L’Oréal Paris brand ambassadors Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto shared on the first day of Festival De Cannes 2013.

By the looks of it, these two gorgeous ladies have almost formed a mutual admiration society towards each other. We don’t know the real crux of this friendship, but can assure you that both of them are most definitely worth it!

Sonam Kapur at Cannes Festival 2013 – Day 2

Image of Sonam Kapoor walking the red carpet at Cannes 2013

Sonam and Freida were seen enjoying each other’s company and spent a lot of time together bonding over lunch, cocktails, and even the press interviews organized by L’Oréal Paris on the terrace of the Martinez Hotel in France.

Who impressed you the most – Sonam or Freida?

(Courtesy: L’Oréal Paris)

Aurangzeb Movie – Aurangzeb is slated to be released on May 17^th, 2013. The buzz going around is that this Bollywood blockbuster will launch the face of the year…Sasha Agha.

The grapevine is abuzz with rumours that “Aurangzeb” will be a remake of “Trishul” –the blockbuster from the Yash Raj Films (YRF) camp a few years ago. The story of Aurangzeb revolves around the nefarious goings-on in the real-estate industry, and is peppered with action, romance and melodious songs. The Aurangzeb star cast includes Jackie Shroff, Sasha Agha, Arjun Kapoor, Swara Bhasker, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Rishi Kapoor, Amrita Singh and Sikander Kher

This action-packed, crime thriller will see the hottest debut of the year, with the launch of doe-eyed Sasha Agha (daughter of Salma Agha) in “Aurangzeb” opposite Arjun Kapoor. Apart from being an actress, Sasha is also an aspiring singer, like her mother. All of 19 years, hazel-eyed and petulant, Sasha hopes to create a stir with her classic old-world-beauty and charm….

What do you think will she make it big in Bollywood?

Debuts in 2013

Plenty of fresh faces will add lustre to the silver screen through 2013…

The hot Southern bombshell Tamannaah recently migrated to Bollywood with her much-touted debut in Himmatwala opposite Ajay Devgan. Despite her good looks, sharp curves and the mega-publicity, the film and Tamannaah turned out to be plain lukewarm.

Taapsee Pannu made her easy-to-miss and rather shrill debut with “Chashme-Bad-Door”

Siddhant Kapoor (son of Shakti Kapoor) recently made his debut in “Shootout at Wadala.” He plays a gang member called Gyancho but is pretty easy to miss! Rajkumar Yadav, Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh kick-started their movie careers with “Kai Po Che” recently.

Despite inordinate delays, Tiger Shroff (son of superstar Jackie Shroff) hopes to launch his film career with “Heropanti” this year.

2013 will be the acid test for these newcomers! Let’s see what the stars have in store for these stars…

When Akshaya Tritiya: Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of Vaishakh. Whilst Hindus across the country get set to buy their piece of gold on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya and ensure year-long prosperity, the Jains celebrate the day as “Akha Teej.” This year Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated on 13th May, 2013.

But Akshaya Tritiya is not just about buying gold! Akshaya Tritiya holds far deeper significance and is considered amongst the three and a half auspicious mahurats in the Hindu almanac. The rest are Dussehra, Gudi Padwa and Dhanteras.

These auspicious mahurats allow people to freely commence just about any venture: business, shopping, weddings, engagements, construction, housewarming etc.

Farmers in Orissa, Haryana and Punjab start ploughing the fields on this auspicious day. While the Puri temple begins construction of the chariot for the rath yatra, the Bengalis start new audit books on this day (hal khata).

Even Lord Kubera (treasurer of the Gods) is known to have prayed to goddess Lakshmi on this day and it is considered an auspicious day to conduct mass weddings.

Legend has it that on this day, Krishna presented the exiled Pandavas with a bowl (Akshaya patra) which would always remain full and this was also the day Sudhama visited Lord Krishna, after his coronation. The river Ganges is known to have descended on earth on this auspicious day.

Akshaya Tritiya holds great significance amongst Hindus and is an important date in the Vedic calendar. It marks the birthday of Lord Parashuram and it is widely believed that it was on this auspicious day that Ganesha and Ved Vyas commenced writing the great epic, Mahabharat.

The day is considered extremely auspicious for it is synonymous with prosperity, growth and good luck. “Akshaya” means imperishable, eternal and the never diminishing.

It is widely believed that charity done, knowledge gained, ventures started or valuables bought on this day will bring abundance, good fortune, success and prosperity.

!! Happy Akshaya Tritiya !!

Bees Saal Baad : This was followed by the spine-chilling “Bees Saal Baad” setting a trend in Bollywood for horror-genre movies soon to be followed by the spooky “Bhoot Bangla” and “Gumnaam”.

Purana Mandir: The Ramsay brothers held a macabre sway over horror flicks where blood, gore, graveyards, monsters, demons, sleaze, zombies and ghosts reigned supreme: few horror films by Ramsay brothers included Do Gaz Zameen ke Neeche, Purana Mandir, Band Darwaza, Veerana etc.

Jaani Dushman: They let their imagination go wild with the monster story Jaani Dushman, punctuated with shrieks in a thick forest and scary coffins creaking open.

Gehrayee: While the fantasy thriller “Nagin” recounted the (mythical) tale of revenge taken by a female snake for the death of her lover, another horror movie “Gehrayee” delved into the world of spirits and tantrik. It was inspired by “The Exorcist” and the lead character was played by Padmini Kolhapure.

Red Rose: “Red Rose” exposed the dark and bloodthirsty side of human character.

Dahshat: “Dahshat” was the tale of a mad scientist whose experiments go terribly wrong. Horror-genre movies like Ruhani Taqat and Qabristan instead of scaring the audience, ended up providing comic relief!

Bhoot Returns: Ram Gopal Verma’s Bhoot threaded spirits with horror and the supernatural.

Ragini MMS: The most recent foray into horror-scape was with “Aatma” starring Bipasha Basu and the bold horror film, Ragini MMS. Buzz is
Ragini MMS 2 starring Sunny Leone is in the pipeline.

Go Goa Gone: The newest kid on the horror block is the movie Go Goa Gone, described as an adventurous, comic, thrilling and horrifying film.

This Zomcom holds the distinction of being India’s first zombie movie: complete with the walking dead and unbelievable special effects that could scare you to tears!

The Go Goa Gone star cast includes Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das and Puja Gupta.

Among these Hindi horror movies which is your favorite?

He works hard because he likes to win. He also works hard because he believes in being the best. And he also works hard because, Shah Rukh Khan is a perfectionist.

The gizmo freak that SRK is, not many know, has a central remote for all electric and electronic appliances in his house, Mannat. His love for technology made him start his own VFX studio. So for him to be cast as an HD Inspector of quality control in the latest Dish HD TVC was, but apt.

He is seen picking on even the slightest imperfections on the sets of different scenes like the bindi of bahu not being perfectly round in a Hindi serial, dancer’s nail not being chipped in a Bollywood item song and crocodile’s tooth not looking clean in wildlife documentary! He points and rectify these mistakes because, Dish truHD+, mein sab dikhta hai. Watch out for SRK in this quirky new avatar.

Do you like Shahrukh Khan in this new avataar?

Sharing with you few Shahrukh Khan pics from his Facebook page:

Exclusive Shahrukh Khan pic

Photo of Shahrukh Khan in Bombay Talkies

Shahrukh Khan Upcoming movies

Happy New Year

Chennai Express

“Back from ‘The Great Gatsby’ premiere and has to be said… the EF (extended family) was the main attraction. Simply superb! American media, fans, security in shock. Thank you my ED, and thank you to those that cheered their lungs out. US media thought Leonardo had come, when noise went up,” Big B tweeted post his “fantastic” experience.

He added had it not been for his extended family, his fans, crowding the stands, “no one would have even noticed me”.

The red carpet event was “emotional” for him. “I really have no words to express my gratitude to all of you that cheered in virtual world, and on the streets of NYC… indebted,” posted the 70-year-old.

“The Great Gatsby“, directed by Baz Luhrmann, marks Amitabh’s Hollywood debut. He plays Meyer Wolfsheim in the $125 million 3D project, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the same name.

The movie, which also stars Tobey Maguire and Leonardo Di Caprio, will open the 66th edition of Cannes International Film Festival, starting May 15. Amitabh will join the team on the red carpet there too.

@The Great Gatsby men at work

The Great Gatsby as Leonardo DiCaprio

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is happy with his current life, and says he does not wish to repeat anything from the past. “I’m really fine the way I am today and look. With age, comes more wisdom and more relaxation, so I probably wouldn’t wanna repeat anything,” DiCaprio told here at the premiere of his new film “The Great Gatsby“.

DiCaprio, 38, has been part of hits like “Titanic”, “The Aviator”, “The Departed” and “Inception”. The actor feels lucky for the kind of opportunities he has got till now.

“You go into this industry, and I’ve been incredibly fortunate, incredibly lucky to have the opportunity that I have and to me what’s always paramount is the work and I want to continue to do this and be believable in my roles,” he said.

The Great Gatsby Daisy (Carey Mulligan)…

Actress Carey Mulligan (Daisy Great Gatsby) says she did not have a crush on her “The Great Gatsby” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio when she was a teenager, even though he was a hearthrob back then.

In “The Great Gatsby”, directed by Baz Luhrrman, Mulligan has filmed numerous steamy scenes with DiCaprio. She admits she wasn’t one of the many young girls who succumbed to the the actor’s good looks when he made a name for himself with 1997 film “Titanic”.

“Well, he wasn’t my pin-up, but he was for a lot of my girlfriends. Michael Schumacher (was my pin-up). I used to watch Formula 1 with my dad when I was little,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Mulligan as saying. The 29-year-old, who plays heartbroken Daisy in “The Great Gatsby”, said she still couldn’t help but give in to the actor’s charm when she auditioned for the role for the forthcoming project. “When I did the audition with Leo in New York I walked away grinning. Just the idea that if I never got any further, I had just spent an hour and a half acting with Leonardo DiCaprio,” she said.

“I was terrified of reading with him, but it said in the script that Daisy kisses Gatsby so I asked if I should and (director) Baz (Luhrmann) said yes, so I kissed him,” she added.

Isla Fisher plotted to steal vintage ‘Gatsby’ costumes

Actress Isla Fisher who plays Myrtle Wilson says she and her co-star Carey Mulligan were so obsessed with the 1920s vintage dresses they wore for “The Great Gatsby” that they attempted to smuggle them out of the sets.

Fisher and her co-star wore the dresses for Baz Luhrmann’s film, which is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel of the same name, reports contactmusic.com.

“It’s weird, normally on set you find yourself holed up in your trailer. Waiting for call time, but those guys were just so disarmingly lovely. And I think we were all so enamoured with the costumes and sets that we waned to hang around even when we weren’t shooting,” said the 37-year-old.

“Carey and I were plotting how to steal our costumes and sneak them off set. Sadly, that didn’t work out too well. But they were all great,” she added.

Few exclusive pics from the movie premier

Fitzgerald Suite at the Crowne Plaza

Gatsby Premiere party at @The Plaza Hotel

Setting of the Gatsby Premiere party

Nina Dobrev

Kate Mulvany pic

Will you watch The Great Gatsby film?

(Courtesy: IANS)

“Nothing has been planned as of now. But I would love to do another romantic film,” Kapur told IANS. On how he has been feeling since the release of Aashiqui 2 movie, the actor said that initially he was tense but then relaxed as the film did well.

“It all started on Friday with tension and anxiety and wondering how it will turn out. From then, it went to being more relaxed on Saturday and euphoric on Sunday. It’s been quite a journey, but a good one,” Aditya Roy Kapur said.

The actor is the youngest in his family with producer Siddharth Roy Kapur and actor-director Kunaal Roy Kapur being his older brothers. Aditya is still treated as the baby of the family.

“My family is reacting very well. They all really liked Aashiqui 2 film. They were all feeling very happy. They find it funny that I am part of such a successful movie…I am still the kid in the house, so it is a special feeling,” Aditya added.

Kapur is assured that the movie’s grand slam will mark a change in his career. “Once you do a film and it does well, people’s perception of you changes. I am sure it would change a lot for me in my career,” said the Aashiqui 2 actor who has been earlier a part of films like “Action Replayy” and “Guzaarish“.

He voiced that he has been celebrating his triumph since the release of the film. “I have celebrated these past few nights. I guess I will continue to do so today as well,” he disclosed. “I am waiting for filmmakers to come up with some interesting scripts.”

Apart from “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, Kapur doesn’t have anything else on his plate as of now and is waiting for the right script.

Bewitching and one of Bollywood’s most desireable bachelor Shahid Kapoor is busy in schedule wrap ups of his upcoming movies these days. Yesterday Shahid Tweeted: Sched wrap for RAMBO RAJKUMAR..Back to PPNH now for its last schedule will wrap the film by mid may

We bring you few behind the scene pics of Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D Cruz on the sets of Phata Poster Nikla Hero…

Fresh look, fresh pair – you like this new jodi of Shahid & Ileana? Rate it on a scale on 5…

Unseen picture of Shahid Kapoor driving his red Jaguar on the sets of Phata Poster Nikla Hero

Latest pics of Shahid Kapoor with fans on the sets.

Phata Poster Nikla Hero Release Date: 23 August 2013

Shahid Kapoor in a song of Phata Poster Nikla Hero (PPNH)

Pretty hot Illeana D Cruz – (the girl who tamed the horse…? Jokes apart) Post her captivating & appreciable debut performance in Barfi, Ileana has become a new craze among Bollywood Directors.

Movies of Ileana D Cruz to watch out for in 2013 are Rana in Telugu & Phata Poster Nikla Hero in Hindi.

Bollywood has Kapoors & Khans in bounty – which ‘Kapoor’ you think will make it big this year in 2013:

Sonam (in Raanjhanaa)
Kareena (in Satyagraha )
Ranbir (in Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwani)
Shahid (in Phata Poster Nikla & Rambo Rajkumar with hot Sonakshi Sinha)
Arjun (in Aurangzeb)
Tusshar (in shootout at Wadala)?

Hope we didn’t miss any Kapoor?

Under the capable direction of Rajkumar Santoshi, Shahid would be seen essaying the character of a cop in ‘Phata Poster Nikla Hero’ and Ileana D’Cruz plays his love interest in this romantic action film.

We wish you all the best Sasha, post Teri Meri Kahaani dud we know you need it the most.

Shahid Kapoor Upcoming movies:

Phata Poster Nikla Hero (Aug 2013)
A Slumdog Millionaire Goes Dancing (Oct 2013)
Rambo Rajkumar (15 Nov 2013)
Kismat Konnection 2 (Apr 2014)
Pocket Maar (Sep 2014)

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Though not related, sharing with you dear readers exclusive latest pics of super hot Shilpa Shetty Kundra and hubby Raj Kundra cheer for their team Rajasthan Royals. #IPL2013. Shilpa Shetty looks amazing after loosing almost 18 kgs in less than five months only!!!

Shilpa Shetty poses for the shutter bugs with husband Raj Kundra and sister Shamita Shetty

Keep sharing & smiling – Are you Buzzin’ today?

(Contributed by: Suchi Goyal)