MOTHER 2001
The other day an ace lenser who’d dropped in at Kamalistan to cover the shoot of Tips’ new film was in for a shock when he bumped into Rekha. She shot him a look and in that distinctive husky voice said, "You must have come to meet my daughters." The man was taken aback.

When did she have a daughter or rather two? "When I signed this film," Rekha laughed. She plays mother to Mahima and Preity in the film.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Meanwhile we had an encounter with Sri’s Jahanvi the other day. The little one was dressed in a red ghagra choli, gajras adorning her false plaits, bangles jingling on her wrists and a smile lighting up her face. As she flitted from one room to the next you could see her growing up into a beautiful and talented actress just like mama. "Ayee yoo, no!" Sri squealed in mock horror. "I’d rather she didn’t." Unfortunately, it looks like she won’t have much of a say in the matter.

During the course of the evening a friend of Sri’s beckoned Jahanvi over and told her with a deadpan expression, "Jahanvi, I’m very hungry. I think I’ll cut up your face, sprinkle a little lime juice on it and make a meal of it." Jahanvi giggled at the thought and danced away. Amazed, the friend looked at mama Sri for an explanation. She laughed and admitted that papa Boney had made a habit of making a mock meal of Jahanvi’s pretty face so the thought wasn’t new to her. "She thinks it’s normal for someone to want to eat her face," Sri chuckled.

JAHANVI’S THE CHOSEN ONE
Juhi Chawla called back to say she had thought over our suggestion of renaming her bundle of joy Junaili but since no one was quite sure exactly what it meant, she had decided to stick to her first choice.

"Sridevi’s Jahanvi will have to just get used to the idea of having another Jahanvi around," she laughed and confessed that though she’s enjoying playing mama she can’t wait to get back to the studios. "I’m having a story session everyday," she informed.

We know why producers are so keen to get the nod from her. Juhi’s never looked prettier.

A BRAVE NEW VOICE
Meanwhile Javed’s patni Shabana came in for some sharp criticism from family and friends for her very submissive Anupamaa. "Isn’t it time you gave it back to that husband of yours?" they questioned. And to Shabana’s surprised delight in the very next episode, when her husband accuses her of having an affair with an old college friend she tells him with icy disdain, "After 20 years of marriage I don’t think I owe you any explanations." Bravo! Anupamaa finally finding her voice.

UNSTARRY HRISHITAA
Hrishitaa Bhatt celebrated her birthday on May 10 and despite her star status it was a rather unpretentious and low-key celebration.With family and good friends.The Shararat girl still has her feet firmly planted on the ground.

A REVERSAL OF ROLES
There was a time when Anupam Kher was flying off to new lands for new films every other day. Today Hotel Horizon and the sets of Om Jai Jagdish has become like a second home to the debutant director whose world has come to revolve around "Start sound, cut and print." It’s wife Kiron who in a complete reversal of roles has now become the jet-setter. Tripping between New York and New Zealand, from one character to the next, one studio to another, the bitten-by-the-travel bug-patni must be giving her pati a complex. Or may be he’s just happy that she’s getting to see the world he made his own once.

THE DIMPLED DIRECTOR-TO-BE
Sharmila Tagore is ready for her third innings. As a director. She’s been toying with this "marvellous idea" for a while now and very soon will get started on her film that will have no singing, dancing and running around the conifers. Instead it will be a nostalgic ride down memory lane. Meanwhile, la Tagore is also ready to get back into the act provided Shekhar Kapur and Rituparno Ghosh wield the megaphone. Ah yes, she’s also open to offers from a few select phirang directors. Well, all she has to do is flash those gorgeous dimples and they’ll come running.

VASHU HAS SOMETHING TO SAY
Vashu Bhagnani has something to say you and he’s not sparing any effort to let the world know Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. Buses, cars, walls and houses are plastered with posters of his new film. So much so that the other day Pahlaj Nihalani warned laughingly, "Don’t you go anywhere near Vashu in white clothes. You’ll come away carrying the name of his film." Touche.

IN PRAISE OF THE NIGHTINGALE
"Music is the language of God. It has no barriers or borders or boundaries. It knows no religion and politics. This religion only has servants, disciples and devotees. It is this feeling of music which I have treated like the language of God, that has earned me the love and admiration of millions of people all over the world during the last 50 years".

That was Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar speaking at a felicitation function at the Yashwant Rao Pratishthan in Mumbai last week. Dilip Kumar who was the chief guest presented her with a variety of her portraits, both old and new, a citation written in gold and wrapped in silk and a replica of the Bharat Ratna. A large number of celebrities who were present in the jam-packed auditorium also presented a number of mementoes to her. Dilip Kumar said that Lata was a rare boon granted by God to man. She had soared to the top-most heights and yet was so very simple.

Sharad Pawar, Chairman of the Pratishthan, remembered the late P L Deshpande feelings towards Lata. "PL in one of his speeches said he was not sure if there was God above in Heaven but he was absolutely sure that there was the sun and moon in the so-called Heaven and on earth he was only sure that there was Lata Mangeshkar," Pawar announced. It was truly a memorable evening for the nightingale.

Pic of the Month
Sharabani Mukerji And Mukesh Tiwari in Mitti (Hindi) and Oh Kolkata (English)