Indian actress to play Pakistani premiere

She was a one-time Indian beauty queen and Bollywood buxom. Now she will depict the life of a former prime minister of Pakistan, it was reported January 26th.

Sushmita Sen reportedly accepted a role in an upcoming biopic produced by Pakistani filmmakers, enacting the role of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto. The avant-garde Bhutto was assassinated December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

“The producers are waiting for a clearance from the Pakistan People’s Party (Bhutto`s party),” Sen told reporters. “Once we get the go-ahead, we will start the movie.”

To pay proper respect to the forward-thinking former prime minister, who was the only female to lead a Muslim nation, Sen has been reading extensively about Bhutto’s life, as well as watching raw footage of her public appearances.

The film, tentatively titled Benazir Bhutto: The Movie, will be co-produced by Pakistani producers Zaid Aziz and Henna Rai of the Karachi-based production company Vox Vision and Leicester-based Sum Films, respectively. According to spokesmen for both companies, the movie will be bilingual, in both English and Urdu.

Filming locations will reportedly take place in Pakistan, Britain, Dubai, and the United States –- all locations where Bhutto spent portions of her life.

The announcement of a Bollywood actress playing the lead role in a biopic of a martyred Pakistani leader –- made by Pakistani filmmakers, no less –- comes at an odd time.

Only a few hours after the announcement was made, a plea was filed with the Islamabad High Court to ban the screening of all Indian movies in Pakistan.

Two of Bollywood’s best honored as top civilians

In a year, two Indian stars continue to make Bollywood more mainstream around the world. The motherland decided to return the favor with the country’s top civilian honor.

The Government of India awarded Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan the Padma Shree on January 26th, known as Republic Day in India. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Indian Republic.

Rai Bachchan has become the face of Bollywood around the world. Her first major Hollywood project, Pink Panther 2, is set to open in American theaters next month. She is also working on the set of Mani Ratnam’s Raavana, which also stars he husband, Abhishek Bachchan.

Meanwhile, Kumar recently starred in Chandni Chowk to China, one of the first crossover films produced by a Hollywood studio (Warner Bros.) with an all-Bollywood cast and a Bollywood director.

Kumar is now working on his next Hollywood-Bollywood crossover, Kambakkht Ishq, which also stars Kareena Kapoor, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Routh, and Denise Richards.

Only one other Bollywood star was a Padma Shree recipient –- Helen.

King of Bollywood goes under the knife

Shah Rukh Khan will be out of commission for a bit as he goes into the surgery room to undergo an operation on his left shoulder. Specifically, Khan will endure the shoulder arthroscopy procedure to repair a tear in the supraspinatus muscle.

Khan recently returned to India after filming My Name is Khan with Kajol in Los Angeles, and presenting at the Golden Globe Awards.