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It looks like there's no expiry date to this relationship. 2013 proved that the love affair between the UAE and Bollywood stars continues to flourish, with everyone who's anyone in Bollywood (and a few who are not) flocking to the UAE for work and play. While Shah Rukh Khan was here mostly for work, there were dozen others who lent colour to our lives. tabloid! picks out top moments from the year gone by ...

Most gracious celebrity of 2013:

Priyanka Chopra for Gunday, December

On the personal front, Priyanka Chopra had a tough year after losing her father to cancer. But the singer-actress proved she's made of sterner stuff. Professional as ever, Chopra charmed the world's media at the Dubai International Film Festival, while in town to unveil the teaser of her forthcoming film Gunday. She plays a cabaret dancer.

"Don't ever try that at home," she joked. Our highlight? The sight of this Guess girl jumping in delight at seeing her picture on the cover of tabloid!'s first Friday edition, which also featured a photo of late rapper Tupac Shakur " one of her faves.

Most dramatic entry of the year: Akshay Kumar for Boss, October

Bollywood's top action hero appeased his inner adrenaline junkie by zooming in on a jet-ski and jumping aboard a yacht filled with journalists. He had one complaint though: it wasn't fast enough.

"I love speed and I do my own stunts in a film because I enjoy pushing myself."

Most roguish actors of the year:

Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor for Gunday, December 2013

Boys will be boys rung true for actors Singh and Kapoor, who spent interview time pulling at journalists' cheeks (well, this one's), hugging fans and playing pranks. But when they do get down to business, they talk sense. The Gunday interaction wasn't Singh's first brush with Dubai this year " he was also in town for Lootera and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. It was interesting to watch him act affectionate with his rumoured girlfriend and co-star Deepika Padukone.

"Who wouldn't give up their life for her?" said Singh, with a wink. But the declaration came with a disclaimer that he was referring to her character " their film was Bollywood's Gujarati version of Romeo And Juliet.

Most chilled-out star of the year:

Shahid Kapur for Phata Poster Nikhla Hero in September and R ... Rajkumar in December

Shahid Kapur is notorious for being disciplined " he will stop midway through an interview if he feels that his hair isn't combed the right way or that the photographer isn't taking his profile shots from the right angle, but we witnessed a different Kapoor in 2013, exuding happiness and apparently loosened up. When we questioned his role in R ... Rajkumar, in which he plays a street-smart guy who courts his love interest in a relentless, creepy way, he responds with: "Come on, what are you 65? Just have some fun with it."

Most temperamental star of the year:

Katrina Kaif at a jewellery launch in December

She may look like a million bucks, but she isn't the most enjoyable star to interview. Kaif is guarded on a good day and may come across as frosty on a bad one. tabloid! witnessed it first-hand when she came to Dubai to launch a diamond jewellery range. Unlike Bipasha Basu, who, given a similar duty a few months before, bedazzled the local press with her charm, Kaif was studiously aloof. Remember, she had a rough year that included damning photographs of her vacationing on the sly with her rumoured boyfriend, Ranbir Kapoor, on an Ibiza beach. She wasn't happy when the pictures were splashed across all Indian and global magazines.

"There's no rocky relationship with the media. Let's not generalise ... it was my statement on a certain kind of paparazzi," said Kaif, who had responded with a stern reprimand asking media to respect her private space. But she admitted that she would love a beach wedding, if she ever got hitched. "I don't generally talk about my personal life. But I can say for the moment there are no plans to get married."

Most endearing star of the year:

Nawazzuddin Siddiqui at Diff

He was in an ill-fitting jacket and didn't look too comfortable walking down the red carpet rolled out for him for the premiere of The Lunchbox at this year's Diff. Ask him about it and he says: "Acting is easy. This is not easy for me. But I know I should learn to get used to it."

Most surprising entry of the year:

The Happy New Team dressed in UAE national dress

What better way to show your love for a country than to embrace its local attire and customs? Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, leader of the Happy New Year team (Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood and Boman Irani) did just that by dressing up in kanduras and goutras at the press conference to discuss their month-long film shoot at Atlantis. While Khan chose a black kandura, the others wore traditional white.

"The credit for us wearing the local attire has to go to Abhishek Bachchan. It was his idea to show our appreciation for a city that has given us so much support and love," said Khan. The team also filmed at Dubai Mall's Ice Rink.

Most over-exposed celebrity in Dubai:

Shah Rukh Khan for Chennai Express promotions in August, Happy New Year shoot in September and Access All Areas concert in December.

Who said familiarity breeds contempt? Towards Shah Rukh Khan, all we feel is respect for his ceaseless energy and charm. Bollywood's biggest star was in Dubai for its most historic days, ending his fast during Ramadan with his fans in Arabian Centre in August, swooping into Dubai in September to shoot director Farah Khan's Happy New Year with his Chennai Express co-star Deepika Padukone, returning in December for the Access All Areas concert on the eve of UAE National Day. But our highlight was when he congratulated Dubai on its Expo 2020 bid win and dedicated his song-dance spectacle to that great landmark. "It's a marvellously big thing and it's also UAE's National Day. Come and celebrate with us," said Khan at a packed press conference.

Boldest celebrity of the year:

Sunny Leone's cage dance " cancelled at the last minute " in April

It isn't often that you meet celebrities who aren't cagey about their past, especially if it is as colourful such as the one Leone has led. But she is, so often, the exception.

"We play roles in movies and act in stories " those are not real and are fictional. We are entertainers but in my personal life I am like everybody else. I have a husband, two dogs and I am normal when it comes to all of that. I don't believe in hiding my family members. I want to live my life the way I want to. I don' t want to live it in a manner where I feel I need to lie about it," said Leone.