SHORT TAKES

THE SMALL B
Vishal Bakshi. Yeah, we know you’ve never heard of him. He’s one more star aspirant in movie town who moved out of manufacturing footwear for the defence forces and detergents to making movies. Tall, fair and handsome, he already has two films lined up for release, Esmayeel Shroff’s Love Junction and Sanjay and Yogesh Bali’s Dil Churaya Aap Ne. What Ajay Devgan’s namesake (Ajay’s real name is Vishaal, you remember?) is most excited about is that Ratan Jain of Venus had initially pencilled in Govinda and Shah Rukh Khan for the lead of Love Junction. When they didn’t have dates to spare he gave Vishal a long second look and decided he’d do. “Shah Rukh’s my inspiration. I really admire him. And the BIG B too. Wasn’t Amitabh brilliant in Sharaabi?” he gushes. He sure was and now watch out for this Small B.

A POLITICIAN WITH A PURPOSE
Raj Babbar is playing a ruthless and corrupt politician in Kulbhushan Gupta’s Vidroh. He promises that the role will be an eye opener. “I want the people to know the truth about our netas, how the game of politics is being played,” he points out. He’s accepted the role, he insists, for this purpose and is confident that it won’t mar his chances as a politician. Raj campaigned for the Samajwadi Party during the last elections.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT
Only months ago, Manik Bedi was a red-hot newcomer and signing films by the dozen. But after two duds, Ram Aur Shyam and Bhai Bhai he suddenly has no takers. But the Bedi claims that as far as he’s concerned nothing’s changed. “I was not on a high when producers were queueing up to sign me. And I’m not going through a low because they’re not doing so today. Good times don’t last forever but then, neither do the bad times. In fact, I think I’m lucky I grabbed so many of the offers because now so many of them are lined up for release,” he says wisely. Jane Jigar, Dand Nayak, Sar Utha Kar Jiyo, Majboor and Hitler... He’s confident that at least one of them will do the trick and the offers will be flooding in again.

BACK IN THE ARC LIGHTS
Remember Ektaa? The pretty kid of Awwal Number who’d knocked Aamir Khan for a six. That was reel life. In real life she clean-bowled Mohnish and then quitting early settled down to happy matrimony. She and Mohnish were soon proud parents of a lil’ girl who’s not so lil’ anymore. And now that Ektaa doesn’t have to be a full-time mama she’s back to her first love. She’ll be making a comeback with Mahesh Manjrekar’s

Vaastav in which she’s playing Mohnish’s love again. Obviously, this is one love affair that’s still going strong.

REAL CHINA AND CHOCOLATES
Last week we told you about how Sunny Deol, the director, got emotionally involved when narrating a scene to his leading lady. This week we have some more info about his dream project, London which is being kept strictly under wraps. Sunny, we’ve heard, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the film looks ’real’. Even if that means shooting with real china crockery edged with real gold and stocking the fridge with slabs and slabs of Swiss chocs for Anjan Shrivastava to nibble on. No, Anjan’s not complaining. Where else would the common man get to savour such delicacies.

AND NOW FOR A DAUGHTER
Very soon Aamir Khan is going to be a father again and this time he’s hoping it’ll be a girl. “I already have a son, Junaid. Now I want to get him a sister to play with. That way we’ll be one happy and complete family,” he beams.

BIG BUSINESS IS RISKY BUSINESS
Producer Salim who’s made so many big bonanzas in the past— Batwara, Qayamat, Baazi and Aadmi —is working on films with new stars and modest budgets now. And the reason is that Salim frankly admits that it’s getting increasingly difficult to make lavish, star-studded entertainers. “You have to mortgage your house and that’s not something I’m willing to do,” he points out. So for the last three years he’s concentrated on smaller films like Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and a Bengali film few outside amar sonar Bangla have heard of. And their success has convinced him that our audience will always patronise a good film never mind if it doesn’t have any big names. “That’s why for my next film Mehndi I’ve once again chosen to work with promising new talents like Faraaz Khan and Rani Mukerji,” he says with the shrewdness of a business magnate.