Short Takes

LOVE’S LABOUR’S DONE
For Tara Deshpande, these are PRTs of another kind. PRTs as in pre-release tensions. No, it isn’t a movie premiere she’s sitting on, but a book, of all things. This, her second tome, is titled A Love Of Any Kind, and is due to hit the stands in September.

Love in all its facets -- between parent and child, or siblings or friends or within marriage -- that, in essence is the grist to the Deshpande mill. Fifty And Done, her first book, was a collection of verse and short stories. This one is, too, though the focus is essentially on the verse this time.

What’s next for Tara, then, now that love’s labour’s over and done? Acting, of course. Studying creative writing’s on her mind, as well. "My work is marked by energy and vulnerability. Training in writing may help avoid over-writing and jerky cadence," she reasons.

So there. Fans of the actress have no cause for worry. For though there’s no knowing when the muse will come visiting the poet again, chances are, we may have the actress for ourselves for another couple of years, at any rate.

Question is, does she write half as well as she acts? Come September, we’ll know.

NETIZEN COME LATELY
Her snapshots are already doing the rounds of websites, courtesy her fans. Now, Channel V veejay, LAILA ROUASS is all set to put up her own website, becoming the umpteenth showbiz personality to do so.
Rouass, who caught the eye of filmbuffs with that sensational semiclad performance in Dev Benegal’s Split Wide Open, hopes to better her prospects as a netizen. Among others who’ve already jumped aboard the Internet bandwagon are models Inder Mohan, Sushma Reddy, Tarun Raghavan, veejay Nafisa Joseph and model-cum-actress Helen Brodie. No, they haven’t been swamped by international offers courtesy their websites, as yet. Inder Mohan, for instance, posted his portfolio in the virtual realm two years ago. But though it’s boosted his visibility to a large extent, the exposure’s yet to translate into mega offers in the real world.

Sure, the websites have done no harm. And the movers and shakers in showbiz are waking up to the potential on the web, Rouass, among them. Who knows, it could well mean the start of something big, here. We’ll keep you posted.

KOWTOWING TO THE WOMEN
He's just stunned film festival buffs around the world with a performance in the buff in Dev Benegal’s Split Wide Open. A performance for which he’s even won the best actor award at the Singapore fest. Now, RAHUL BOSE has caught Mumbai by pleasant surprise, penning a column, called ‘The Second Sex’ for a city tabloid, thus becoming the latest celebrity to turn columnist.

For a tyro with the pen, he’s come up with an engaging piece, alright. Titled "Women, the wiser, better species," it’s, you guessed it, a tribute to the charismatic women in his life. No, there aren’t any salacious confessions, here, for the women he refers to are his mother and sister. The drift of the article? Well, why do today’s women tolerate International Women’s Day, he pontificates, especially when all it does is lead people to think they’re a special interest group, like the lepers and the homeless. "The last thing women need is the world’s condescension," he says. Womenfolk are bound to be delighted by that one. You bet!

SECOND HOME, DOWN SOUTH
Until not so long ago, he was a leading light on the boob tube, courtesy serials such as Saaya. He’s since graduated to the big time, thanks to the Mani Ratnam flick now showing in theatres in Tamil Nadu, Alaipayuthey. MADHAVAN, of course.

The exposure, it turns out, has been just what the doctor ordered for the genial, fun-loving hunk. Already, he’s been signed for Ratnam’s next for home banner, Madras Talkies, and six other plum assignments down South. And these are by no means all, for negotiations are currently on for a couple of Hindi films as well.

"Sincere TV actors should get at least one opportunity to work with the likes of Mani Sir," gushes Madhavan. It was two years ago that Madhavan first met Ratnam, soon after the latter had just launched a man-hunt for Iruvar. He’d worked with cinematographer Santosh Sivan, a Madras Talkies regular, in an ad film, and Sivan had suggested to Ratnam that he give Madhavan a look-in. Obviously impressed, Ratnam promised Madhavan a break soon enough.

The break’s been two years coming. But importantly, Madhavan’s made the most of it. Can he do the same with the offer in Hindi films? Now, that’s sure to be one helluva challenge.

MUM’S THE WORD FOR NOW
"I shan’t talk to the press again for the next one year," he quips. And sure enough, SHAH RUKH KHAN’s just granted an interview to SCREEN, that promises to be his last in a good while.
No, don’t ask us why. We aren’t telling. Has he just gotten bored with all the quotable yakkity-yak he’s had to do of late, both to the print and electronic media? Or have the over-inquisitive presshounds managed to rub him up the wrong side again -- inferring, for instance, that he’s had some role to play in all the betting hungama, or linking him to the murdered diamond merchant, Ashraf Patel? Or, come to think of it, is he going to get so obsessively involved with work that he won’t find time for interviews any more? Well, grab hold of SCREEN, next week. And you’ll know why.

SIMULATING A KISS
The Hai re mera dil track in Mansoor Khan’s Josh is tops among today’s chartbusters. The lilting tune and sensuous scenes have combined to make it a huge draw. So too, has the presence of AISHWARYA RAI and Chandrachur Singh in a passionate clinch.
The track may, in all likelihood, have been a bigger craze had Ash agreed to kiss Chandrachur. No, it isn’t Chandrachur that Ash has been objecting to. She has a ban on kissing scenes per se, no matter who the hero is. Others like Karisma Kapoor and Twinkle may have long since lifted such a ban -- remember their gooey-wet, lip-to-lip clinches with Aamir in Raja Hindustani and Mela? Well, but not Ash.
Not that the inventive Mansoor Khan hasn’t found a way out. Thanks to trick-lights and clever camera angles, he’s managed to create kisses where none exists. And the pair happily settles for simulated kisses before the camera.

Now, don’t tell us you weren’t warned.

HOT PROPERTY AGAIN
He is easily the most sought-after star at the Jungle do. Ballroom at the Regent, Mumbai. He is dressed for the occasion, too, in his dark suit and designer stubble. Sure enough, the paparazzi and TV crews patiently await their turn to grill him. And FARDEEN KHAN is poise personified. Even when, every now and then, he is jostled by the click-happy shutterbugs ever eager to catch him on film.

Fardeen’s quietly set aside the none-too-happy memories of his debut, courtesy the disastrous home production, Prem Aggan. And Jungle seems to have revived not only media interest in Fardeen, but also stirred up a demand for his films in the movie trade. All in a matter of months, Fardeen’s signed ventures with the likes of E Nivas, Rajat Mukerji, Mahesh Manjrekar, Mehul Kumar and Shubir Mukherji. What’s more, dad Feroze is directing him again, too, in a film that co-stars Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai.

In Jungle, he has a more significant role to play than even pal, Sunil Shetty has. Fardeen appears certain to become hot property once the movie hits the turnstiles. By the looks of it, that will be crunch time for the Khan, with a lot of eyes trained on whether he manages to deliver. But he’s pretty cool about it. "In an industry where an actor’s worth is measured by his film’s performance at the b-o, I’d better not resent the pressure. But I can only do my part well, remember. There’s only so much I can do," he cautions.

THE TOAST OF THE
BALLROOM
It's a packed ballroom at The Regent, as the teeming guests and gatecrashers loiter around in animated circles, awaiting her arrival. She’s the last to arrive among the Junglefolk, and its every bit a stately entry as it turns out. Perfectly coiffeured, and decked in a copper silk outfit, she walks in with her parents and niece in tow.

Promptly, she becomes the toast of the party as cameramen seeking a photo-op and scribes hungry for soundbytes quickly abandon the scotches they’re nursing and mill around her. And URMILA MATONDKAR is in her elements, treating the pesky pressfolk with the consummate grace of a seasoned pro.

Problem is, there isn’t much of the evening left when she arrives. And she doesn’t tarry long. It’s been a taxing, two-shift day at work for Ms Matondkar. And ditto for the morrow. So, obligations met, pronto, she does the vanishing act. All within an hour of her arrival.

A CASE OF MEDIA SAVVY
As at every film party, almost everyone who’s somebody big at the Jungle bash is desperate to grab attention. To convince the world their work is of earthshaking consequence to the rest of humanity, to psyche themselves into feeling important.

Not SUNIL SHETTY and wife, Manna, though. Friendly and approachable, they’re seen settling for the quiet corner, having fun together. Their joy is infectious, it turns out, and the Shettys turn out to be a popular, sought-after couple at the bash. They let the likes of Fardeen Khan, Makarand Deshpande, Kashmira Shah and Smriti Mishra bask in the limelight, while they plump for a low profile.
Shetty gets asked who hogs the footage more in the film, Fardeen or himself. "FK (Fardeen) of course," he replies. "FK’s a star already. But wait till the movie’s released, he’s going to become an even bigger star," he predicts.

It sure takes the rare sort to praise the competition. And an even rarer sort to let others corner the glory, don’t you agree?

THE BUG IN HER SYSTEM
She may have come up trumps at the Lux Zee Cine Awards, walking away with the trophy for 1999’s best debutante -- remember her eminently forgettable first film, Pyar Mein Kabhie Kabhie? But RINKE KHANNA, Twinkle’s younger sibling, is yet to sign a second movie offer.

It’s hardly surprising, then, that her affairs with theatre and books continue unabated, even now, when much of her conversation, in interviews with the press, ought to have revolved around the movies. Theatre can be a hardy, persistent bug in the system, especially if one’s served out an apprenticeship on the stage. With Rinke, it’s an abiding passion.

Here now, are a few Rinke keepsakes on the subject:
*** Theatre helps you grow with each performance, and hence, it is a quicker way of learning.

*** Directors can’t help you beyond a point. They can tell you how to go about the scenes during rehearsals. But once the rehearsals are done, and the actual performance is on, you’re entirely on your own.
*** Theatre gives you a certain high. When you are on stage, you are entirely focussed. Even if you’ve rehearsed the lines ten times, on stage the scenes feel completely new.

*** Sometimes, you’re aware of other actors, or the audience. At other times, you’re completely unaware of your surroundings, almost as if you inhabit a bubble. It’s moments like these that you keep going back to theatre.

Shaju George Alex