Thodi gup-shup

Aishwarya Rai and her family are amused and enraged by media reports claiming that a clarification has been issued about the supposedly drunken bodyguard's high-handed conduct at the Pushkar temple last week when the actress paid a visit there. "No such clarification has been issued because no incident took place at the Pushkar temple. The entire episode is fabricated just like the story of the priest at the Madurai temple who is supposed to have seen Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan exchange garlands," said a reliable source. "The Pushkar incident is again an example of the hounding that Aishwarya and her family have been facing throughout 2006," the source added.

A close friend of Aishwarya tried her best to put the matter into perspective. The friend said, "Aishwarya has been visiting temples and dargahs for years now. It is her habit to visit religious places wherever she is shooting. Since Ashutosh Gowariker's schedule in Rajasthan for Jodha-Akbar was over, she decided to visit the temple and dargah before leaving the place. She has been doing the same during all her outdoor shootings. Why is such a big deal being made if she visited a dargah or a temple this time? Why attribute hidden meanings and agendas to such simple gestures? Aishwarya tried to keep her visit to the holy places as low profile as possible. What can she do if everything she does gets blown out of all proportion?"

There is also much distress among the Dhoom 2 actress' friends and family over her constant media-association with Abhishek as well. Her friends feel she has been hounded throughout 2006. "There is more to her than who she is seeing. She is keeping quiet because that is her nature. But she is far from amused by all the speculation about her life," said another source close to the Aishwarya.

"Even the issue about someone sending her money in an envelope from South Africa was blown out of proportion. She had no knowledge of the man or his money. She did whatever the law required. Now nearly two months have passed. When the authorities know who sent her the money, why hasn't anything been done to question him?" asks Aishwarya's friend.

Actress Koena Mitra is going ga ga over her New Year's eve performance with renowned Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, actors Shahid Kapur, Priyanka Chopra and musician A.R. Rahman. "It was a night I will never forget. It wasn't just the best live show I have performed in, but the best live show I have ever seen," Koena said.

"For four hours, the crowds were on their feet. I had never performed in front of a standing crowd before. Normally, when you have a seated crowd, you could end up with the worst deal — audiences eating, or worse, drinking, as you perform. For once, the crowds were totally with us. The audience's enthusiasm just kept our energy level going," the Musafir actress said.

"All of us — Nelly, Priyanka, Shahid, Rahmanji and me — felt so alive. There was no room to get tired," said Koena, who performed a medley of all her hit songs. Koena says that she is bowled over by the sheer professionalism of the firangs. "I am not just talking about the sound and equipment, but also the ambience created," she said.