www.hindustantimes.com New Delhi, Monday February 23, 2009, 8 Pages HT City awards Bollywood’s Worst of the Worse in 2008 Team HT City A s the drama of the Oscars unfolds before you, we bring you the results of the anti-Oscars; the 29th Golden Raspberry Award, popularly known as the Razzies. For the past 29 years the Razzies have been giving ‘dis-honours’ to the worst movies of each year. The awards call on viewers all over the world to vote on the ‘Berry Worst’ in each category. They have also been called “the foremost authority on all things that suck on the big screen,” by E!Online.. Announced on the eve of the 81st Academy Awards, this year the Razzies too had a strong India connect thanks to M Night Shyamalan’s The Happening and Mike Myer’s The Love Guru. In fact The Happening, The Love Guru and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were a lot more popular in India than Oscar contenders like the Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Reader, (the latter has yet to release in India, while the former released recently). This year the Razzie for the worst picture went to The Love Guru, with Mike Myers bagging Worst Actor for the same film. Worst Actress honours went to Paris Hilton for The Hottie and the Nottie, who even won Worst Supporting Actress for Repo: The Genetic Opera and Worst Screen Couple with Christine Lakin ‘and either’ Joel David Moor for The Hottie and the Nottie. Pierce Brosnan won Worst Supporting Actor for Mamma Mia while India Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull won the Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip- off or Sequel. Uwe Boll won Best Director for three of his movies 1968: Tunnel Rats, In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,and Postal. The founders of the Razzies are currently negotiating a deal that will allow these awards to be broadcast on television as well. So, next year, those of you fatigued by Oscar-mania can watch the worst win their well deserved accolades. Zabeeh Afaque W hat will Bollywood do if health minister A Ramadoss turns up at its doorstep with a decree that says: ‘No smoking on the sets, because film sets are workplaces’? On hearing from HT City that Salman Khan has been photographed smoking on the sets of Veer in Rajasthan, that’s Ramadoss’ next mis- sion. Bollywood better watch out. The industry reacts cautiously, less vocal this time than it was when Ramadoss wanted smoking scenes out of films. Delhi 6 director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, a smoker himself, upholds the right to light up. “Everybody has a different culture,” says Mehra. “I am fine with it if you are not smoking in anyone’s face.” Singer-actor Sonu Nigam describes himself as “someone who has smoked in his film Love in Nepal, yet doesn’t carry cigarettes”. He is a “firm believer in the freedom to do the things we want to do”. Why do governments have to be hypocriti- cal, he asks. “Worldwide, they allow the sale of tobacco products and behave as if they are innocent,” says Nigam. Abhishek Kapoor, the director of Rock On!!, endorses Ramadoss’ viewpoint. “I think it [smoke-free sets] should be mandatory. It will mean a cleaner work- space and more discipline,” he feels. Actor Purab Kohli, who has given up smoking, wants to work in a ciggy-free zone, too. “Besides the smoke in the air, the stubs on the floor really bother me,” says Purab. But how, asks filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, would the minister ensure smoke-free sets on location shoots? Bhatt Ramadoss’ comment as a rejoin- der after the Delhi High Court allowed smoking on-screen. “I think the minis- ter might be upset that the ruling has gone against him. So a new plan! Not a bad one at all, I admit,” says Bhatt. “The set is a workplace and there should be no smoking, but I wonder if he is going to come with us to an icy mountaintop in the Alps at minus 10 degrees to keep an eye on us. He is welcome but I ain’t buy- ing his ticket!” [email protected] Hall of SHAME Just before the Oscars award the best, the Razzies (dis)honour the worst of 2008 He’s out to get you Nicole turns redhead again P8 says Freida’s ex-fiance as he and his friends boycott the Oscars Neha Sharma and ANI R ohan Antao is a bitter man today. While the whole world has its eyes glued to the Oscars on TV, Rohan is trying to deal with the pain caused by Frieda Pinto's betrayal…and he holds the movie Slumdog Millio- naire and Freida’s co-star Dev Patel responsible. In an interview to the British newspaper News of the World, Rohan reveals that Pinto not only compelled him to stay mum about their eng- agement, for the benefit of the movie, but also snubbed him to be with her onscreen lover. When HT City contacted Rohan’s friends, most of them, on condition of anonymity, claimed that they are solidly with Rohan through this tough phase. “I think Rohan is rather lucky to be rid of an insincere friend early enough,” says the friend who shared the couple’s engage- ment photos with HT City. “I would avoid watching the Oscars,”says another friend before hanging up. In the interview, 24-year-old Rohan Antao further says that Freida dumped him through a phone call while she was pro- moting the film with her 6- year-junior co-star. “She ended it with me after getting close to Dev Patel. Now everywhere I go I see them on billboards. I am devastated,” he says. “I hate the film. It wrecked my relationship. As soon as it became a success and she started spending all her time with Dev, she ended it,” he added. Rohan continues, “She decided she didn’t want to be with me any more. She said she wanted us to be friends. But how can I be when she has destroyed my faith in love?” “She is infatuated with Dev. I don’t know if they were hav- ing a sexual relationship but if I came face to face with him I would have things to say. This is a very hard time for me, because as much as I don’t want to let go, I have to. I wish her success in her career, but I can’t watch the Oscars, and I don’t want to watch the film-it wrecked our love.” [email protected] She is infatuated with Dev. I don’t know if they were having a sexual relation- ship but if I came face to face with him I would have things to say... —ROHAN ANTAO Freida Pinto with Dev Patel Worst Film The Nominees Tashan Drona Love Story 2050 And the award goes to Tashan So busy getting Kareena into a size zero for the film, the filmmakers managed to score a zero for everything else as well. This disaster was brawny and brainless Worst Actor The Nominees Abhishek Bachchan for Drona Harman Baweja for Love Story 2050 Salman Khan for Yuvraaj And the award goes to Abhishek Bachchan For his slow-motion swagger in fast-paced action scenes and wooden expressions Worst Actress The Nominees Rani Mukerjee for Thoda Pyar, Thoda Magic Mallika Sherawat in Maan Gaye ... Katrina Kaif for Yuvvraaj And the award goes to Rani Mukherjee Rani’s inspid acting and poor choice of role, and wardrobe left fans aghast Worst Director The Nominees Vijay Krishna Acharya for Tashan Goldie Behl for Drona Harry Baweja for Love Story 2050 And the award goes to Harry Baweja A botched up plot, plas- tic sets, ridiculous effects...The movie put Indian audiences off Sci Fi forever Worse by far: Paris Hilton and Mike Myers (top) Cancer-stricken reality TV star Jade Goody and her fiance Jack Tweed got mar- ried on Sunday in a lavish ceremony at a country house hotel in UK. The ceremony was aired on cable television, and the photographs sold exclusively to a maga- zine. A brash young British reality TV star whose ups and downs have captivated the nation is approaching her death the same way she has lived — on television. Given just months to live from cervical cancer that has spread to her liver and bowels, 27-year-old Jade Goody saw no reason to turn the cameras off now. — AP Goody’s $200 mn wedding STOP PRESS Anupam Kher gives advice on relation- ships and love I HATE SLUMDOG... A Ramadoss (above) and Salman Khan in the contro- versial pic (right) PTI RAJ K RAJ AP