Short Takes

SAYING IT TOGETHER
THEY drove in in style, in his swank new Mercedes, in a manner befitting the nation’s current heartthrob. He drove, while she sat beside him, co-navigating. A perfect picture, that sends hungry flashbulbs popping. Only our own lensman isn’t around to click them in their cosy togetherness.

Togetherness, did we say? Well, not quite. Not when there are two burly moustachioed hulks, their bodyguards, of course, watching them from the backseat, their weather eyes scurrying hither and thither. Talk about flies in the applepie.

HRITHIK ROSHAN and bride to be, SUZANNE KHAN turn out to be the people most sought after at the do -- the launch of Pappa Rakesh’s forthcoming movie, Karobaar. It’s them the shutterbugs seek, all eager for a photo-op with them together. And they pose not only with Pappa Rakesh and Mamma Pinky, but also with all the glitterati who’ve made it to the bash.

It’s not just the paparazzi who’re hounding them at every turn. Pretty young things almost throw themselves at Hrithik, to gloat, pose for keepsakes and solicit autographs. Suzanne only smiles all the while, embarrassed, yet indulgent. And Hrithik is at his best behaviour, firm and polite at the same time.

THE TANGLED WEB SHE WEAVES

PUNARADHIVASAM. That’s been one of her latest flings with Malayalam cinema, and it’s carting away awards by the truckloads. Directed by adman VK Prakash, a former alumni of the School of Drama, Calicut, the film weaves a tangled web of relationships caught up in a welter of emotions. And judging from the guesstimates of those in the know, the film could well fetch NANDITA DAS her first national award.

She plays Shalini, a girl caught up in a live-in relationhip with an older man, a friend who helps her family tide over a severe financial crunch. She’s mentally resigned to her lot in life, though a part of her still yearns for something better. Like the other four lead characters in this offbeat movie, she’s caught up in an island of her own making. She explores new relationships, that however do not develop into anything meaningful.

Prakash invests the film with images that do not follow any sequence, with bursts of flashbacks and flash forwards that lend it a quality of sharp edges. Appropriate, perhaps, for a tale of strained relationships.

Clearly, a national award for the movie appears on the cards. Question is, can Nandita wrench it away from the other top contenders? It’s the closest she’s got to the national award, and evidently, she’s in with a fighting chance.

THE CATWALK CAN WAIT
LISA RAY’s done just what she does quite well on the ramp -- stage an emphatic, triumphant exit. She’s cat-walked off the Pantaloon movie Na Tum Jano Na Hum. The reason? Well, clearly with the likes of Hrithik Roshan and Esha Deol hogging all the footage, Lisa figured she’d be reduced to a mere sideshow, a bombshell that props up the story.

So of the two films she’d signed, Lisa’s left with just one -- the Vikram Bhatt romance, Tumko Meri Kasam. Fortunately there’s a lot more meat to it, and she’s certainly not about to cat-walk off this one.

Talking of Lisa Ray reminds one, we’ll soon see a veritable avalanche of ramp scorchers staging their movie debuts. First off the block will be Milind Soman with Tarkieb, followed by Arjun Rampal with the offbeat Moksh and Jadh. The sultry Bipasha Basu could be next, followed by the likes of Rahul Dev, Riya Sen, Raima Sen Verma, John Abraham and, not to forget, Aryan Vaid,

Malaika Arora, who had the world go chaiyya chaiyya with desire, with her hip-squiggling routine, offers us another spot of ‘navel’-gazing with Bichchoo. Laila Rouass follows up Split Wide Open with another seductive turn, this time with a Jagmohan Mundhra movie. Sophia Haque’s all set to sizzle again with Snip, just as she did with Khoobsurat.

And remember, we’re not even talking of Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai, here. So tell us, has the ramp become a finishing school for a career in the movies?

RAT RACES ARE FOR RATS
SHE appears to have little to do in Josh, the current flavour of the season at the box-office, but for giving Shah Rukh Khan a resounding slap in the face in the first half. The film’s zoomed off to a flyer, especially in Mumbai, but it’s hard to foresee PRIYA GILL corner much of the glory given her miniscule role.
After the emphatic, regal entry she staged in the movies with Tere Mere Sapne, Priya hasn’t had a dream run yet. Bade Dilwala was a wet squib at the turnstiles, though Sirf Tum wasn’t, and neither has done much for her besides keeping her in circulation.

Other worthies like Mahima Chowdhury, Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, who started off around the same time as she did, seem to be doing a lot better for themselves. Priya Gill has had to take up several offers down South, such as Priyadarshan’s Malayalam hit, Megham.

Priya has no regrets though. She doesn’t care to be known as a sex symbol, or play the bombshell with a pout. "Others are welcome to zip ahead in the rat race. I, for one, am no rat," she says.

PLAYING THE LUCKLESS SISTER
IT could well rank among Tabu’s best performances ever. And just as Nandita Das has caught the eye of movie connoisseurs down South with a moving display as Shalini, a girl who agrees to a live-in relationship with an elderly benefactor, Tabu’s done so with her intense performance as Sowmya in Rajiv Menon’s (that’s right, the former adman) Tamil movie, Kandukondein Kandukondein.

Sowmya’s the eldest in a family of three sisters. Her widowed mother makes no bones of the fact that Sowmya isn’t her favourite. She’s had two broken engagements, and ends up being stigmatised for it, for no fault of hers. Tabu brings Sowmya’s internal conflicts hynotically alive with a rare sensitivity, as the girl who yearns for love, and responds hesitantly to the overtures of yet another suitor, this time a struggling filmmaker (Ajit).

Tabu isn’t the only notable performer in the movie, but in a way, she’s its central character and effortlessly catches the eye. For Tabu-baiters, for whom she’s, well, taboo, Menon’s film may well be an education.

There’s one catch in the story, though. If you thought there’s a national award lurking round the corner somewhere, for Tabu, perish the thought. Win awards she will not. She does not speak her own lines and gets them dubbed, instead, which automatically disqualifies her.

AUGUST AWAITED
SHE made news recently, when she was snapped up by Kalpana Lajmi for a key role in her forthcoming Daman, which hits the screens in August. Word spread that RAVEENA TANDON was now on the look-out for roles of substance, and tired of the dancing-around-trees bit. Meaningful stuff, as her role, sans make-up, in Shool, was what she preferred, people said...
Well, the film, where she has the likes of Sayaji Shinde, Sanjay Suri and Raima Sen for company, is over and done now. And we can scarcely wait to see how Raveena’s fared in what obviously has been her most challenging role to date. But Lajmi isn’t waiting to know the film’s outcome at the b-o. She’s already signed Raveena again, for her next, a film to be produced by Vinay Sinha (of Andaz Apna Apna fame). Lajmi, it goes without saying, is pleased as punch with Raveena’s performance, her dedication and involvement. What’s more, she can’t seem to stop singing her praises.

Good for the glam girls. First it was Tabu, then Karisma, and now Raveena.

WELCOME, THE SINGING HERO
THEY’VE hit it off again, SONU NIGAM and composer duo, NIKHIL-VINAY. Seems as if music’s bound to happen each time the three pals get together. The last time they did so, their songs for Bewaffa Sanam had become popular, remember? Now, the team has an even bigger hit on its hands. No, this time it isn’t with movie soundtrack, but a private album, Jaan.
The album has eight lilting romantic numbers rendered ever so soulfully by Sonu. And, needless to say, it’s been selling like hot cakes. Perhaps, it’s the latest video from the album, Jaane kyon main tujhko din raat sochta hoon, featuring Sonu himself, which has helped hike sales figures at the outlets. Now that Sonu’s all set to make his debut as hero, and has already signed five films from the leading banners, the news should come as music to Sonu’s ears. In fact, people are already closely watching the video to see if there are any traces of emoting skills on view on the video. Judging from the sales of the album, Sonu sure has a great deal of goodwill he can bank on.

Now, if only he can come up with acting skills to match his talent for crooning, we’ll soon be in for our next big singing hero, after Kishore Kumar. And that will be well worth celebrating, what say?

ECLIPSED!
AS Tabu’s younger sibling in Rajiv Menon’s Kandukondein Kandukondein, AISHWARYA RAI comes through quite creditably, performing her role of the prettier sister with minimum fuss. And maximum aplomb.

Yet, let’s face it. Ash, for all the bubbly charm she exudes, is effectively overshadowed by others in the cast. Tabu walks away with our sympathy. As does Mammootty, as the maimed war veteran who secretly dotes on Ash, though he knows she’s in love with Abbas, a chitfund agent. Hobbling around on a Jaipur foot, he brings an understated pathos to bear on the role, and a lump to our throats. Sri Vidya as the sisters’ mother and Raghuvaran in a cameo, as a software entrepreneur also catch the eye in what is a memorable movie. So Ash has been eclipsed by the rest, something that’s seldom happened to her even in Hindi films.

STARDOM BEFORE DEBUT
THERE’S no mistaking the fact that he’s his father’s son. No, it isn’t so much the appearance, or even the legendary voice that reminds one of the Big B. Rather, it’s the remarkable assurance with which he faces the moviecam.

The fortunate few who’ve been treated to sneak previews of JP Dutta’s long-awaited Refugee insist ABHISHEK BACHCHAN is a legend in the making. Irrespective of how the movie fares at the turnstiles, its hero is here to stay, they say.

Abhishek is already well into his next film, Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya, directed by debutant A Muthu, and co-starring Keerti Reddy. The Raj Kanwar movie, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, where he has Aishwarya Rai playing his lady love, will be released soon after Refugee, we’re told. And there’s at least one more Abhishek film in the pipeline, Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai.

Among all the directors he’s worked with, Abhishek admits JP Dutta is in a league all his own. Evidently, the two men inhabit a mutual admiration society. Dutta describes Abhishek as potential dynamite, while here’s how the latter returns the favour: "JP’s not just a brilliant director, but also a very dear friend. He’s always treated me like a son, and prepared me completely for a career in films. I consider it a rare privilege to make my debut with a JP movie."

Compiled by Shaju George Alex
With inputs from Salma Khatib