Short Takes

VINTAGE WINE
That haunting aawaz
Think of tragedy queen Meena Kumari and what comes to mind right away is her husky, seductive voice - the famous soaz bhari aawaz. Meena Kumari wasn’t exactly born with that soul-stirring voice, but she cultivated it. She picked it up from Kamal Amrohi. The noted writer-director had a way with words - he spoke in chaste Urdu - in that haunting tone. He could captivate a gathering with his flowing, flowery language. So much so that sightless patrons went again and again to listen to the arresting dialogues of Mughal-E-Azam that he had penned. The man was a wordsmith of sorts and articulate - he coined the popular screen terms like Zille-elahi, Ba adab ba mulaiza hoshiyar and Takhlia (meaning disperse), which till today are used in any historical film or teleserial, with royalty as the background. We raise a toast to the mesmerising memory of Amrohi couple, who continue to regale cinegoers with their voice and words.

Papa don’t preach
When we quizzed protective papa Deol about yielding to baby Deol’s demands and letting her enter the big, bad world of showbiz, Dharamji shrugged helplessly,"You can’t really control kids these days. They know what they want, no matter what - they will have it their way. I saw no point in smothering her aspirations, so I consented. And what do you know, even the younger one wants to join films," he confides agonisingly. Looks like Esha won’t let papa preach and young Aahna is also following suit. A role for Hema to play the star mama and grandmom Jaya to get back into the act all over again.

A chopper please!
If the director asked, he could even get the moon for the shooting. Boney Kapoor is a King producer, as they call him in the film circles. He is a committed producer who won’t ever let his unit down. Pointer in case is the Kashmir schedule of Pukar where director Raj Santoshi commented casually over dinner that he could have used one more helicopter for next day’s shoot. Pronto! Boney got cracking, he dialled buddy CM Farooque Abdullah and set wheels in motion. He procured the helicopter from Delhi overnight. Another thing altogether that Santoshi changed his mind last minute and never put the prize helicopter to use. But the point is that Boney produced the chopper even in the troubled valley. Resourcful and resilient, that’s how Mr Kapoor is.

Towards production
Yup, that’s exactly what is on MPK gal’s mind these days. After taking a prolonged maternity break, Bhagyashree is back in business. The pretty woman is toying with the idea of producing a Hindi flick and her professional advisor is none other than her guru and mentor, the Rajshri whizkid Soorajbabu. She may or mayn’t star in the film herself, but she’s busy readying a proposal at the moment. We hope in her interest that she won’t thrust dear hubby Himalaya on her fans again. Audience is not interested in any package deal. Bhags must surely know that by now.

Starting young
Kaho Naa...Pyar Hai isn’t the first time that Hrithik Roshan’s visiting the silver screen. He was a knicker-bockered school lad when dad Rakesh had intorduced him in a pivotal role in Bhagwan Dada, in which Rajnikant played the title role. It was the story of a don who reforms because of a young lad - played by none other than our lean, mean Hrithik. "Right then I had noticed a spark in him," relates proud papa as he launches his laadla beta as the hero of his latest production.

Bros in arms
When it comes to discussing the dismal fate of Dillagi, Bobby Deol sounds wounded, "Even if we haven’t got a thumping b.o. verdict for the film, I maintain that this is my best film yet. Many a great films have suffered at the box office but that cannot undermine the merit of the film. My brother has made a great film ,it’s sad that luck didn’t favour this once," he nods in disbelief. How badly has his dear bhaiya taken the debacle, we ask. Bobby dimples and says,"Bhaiya is concentrating on acting for the time being but I am sure he will go behind the camera soon. He’s a fab director," asserts Bobs. What if he couldn’t impress the audience at large, Sunny has a loyal fan right there at home.

Fragrance of bliss
Just received an invite to Madhuri Nene nee Dixit’s wedding reception to be held on December 18 at The Club in Andheri. Simple yet stylish, chic yet conventional - the reception card reflects refined taste of the celebrating family. Deep maroon handmade paper with a dancing Ganesh (we suspect, a Hussain handiwork) etched on it, the golden lettered card is wrapped in a white fragrant papyrus that emanates a lingering fragrance of sandal. The timing is also so very conviniently middle class - late evening to early night. Just what you would expect of a sensible yet scintillating screen siren Mads. So folks with an invite like that and an invitee like divine Dix - we won’t miss the reception at any cost. Watch this space for more on Madhuri and her miya (we have heard he’s tall, fair, light-eyed and drop-dead-gorgeos)!

Time to watch
If it was Omega for Shah Rukh Khan, it’s Longines for Aishwarya Rai. As the Indian ambasadoress of Longines, the Swiss chronometer, Ash radiated an aura of achievement and elegance at the promotional campaign launched recently. Swathed in a becoming Shadab Durazi creation of gold and coffee brown, Ash sported the dress watch, which we were told cost over a lakh of rupees. When questioned about the practicality of the watch, Ash smiled and reasoned,"This is a land where accessories have always been regarded as an important extension of wardrobe."

Sporting a diamond studded model of Longines, she explained why she endorses the brand,"I have chosen this watch because it conveys the essence of modern woman very subtly. It doesn’t scream for attention - just like me," she flashed her famous smile. Ash was gifted with three of those over-a-lakh Longines, well deserved token of appreciation of the timeless beauty.

Bubbly, brainy
Debutant Amisha Patel of Kaho Na...Pyar Hai has lofty political connections - she’s the grand-daughter of Rajni Patel, the famous politician. And she has a hefty academic record - gold medallist in Economics from US. She’s usually spotted clicking at her lap-top or buried in a serious volume of Economics on the sets. But then the young lady has no chip her shoulder. "A lot of people are intimidated by my behaviour on the sets. But hey, it isn’t as if I am the only qualified gal here. Look around and the industry is full of highly educated and gifted people," she points out. Here’s a gal with the right attitude and orientation. We are sure even luck will favour this spunky newcomer.

Biding his time
It’s sun, sea and sand for Chandrachur Singh right now as he’s shooting for Mansoor Khan’s Josh there. He has Ash and Shah Rukh for company, yet he isn’t exactly jumping with joy. He’s in a contempletive, introspective mood lately," Even an immensely talented Akshaye Khanna isn’t riding high on the crest of success. Is there anything that can guarantee sucess? There are ups and downs in every actor’s career. All we can do is face the adversities with fortitude and savour success in all humility," he reflects. However pensive he may sound, the Maachis man isn’t really disheartened by the lean phase he’s passing through,"I still have Josh, Friends and Vikram Bhatt’s next to redeem myself," he observes optimistically. Keep the faith and someday luck will smile upon you pal, we sure of that.

Deepa Karmalkar with INPUTS from UTN, Salma Khatib     and ALok Mathur