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Zinta dil!

Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta may be putting a lot of work into her career. And she really is. But she also knows how to let her hair down.

She drew attention after she was picked for Shekhar Kapur's Tararumpum, but has yet to shoot for the film since Shekhar was elsewhere, directing other things, including one Oscar aspirant,Elizabeth.

She was noticed following a teensy weensy cameo in Dil Se, and ahead lies Soldier opposite Bobby Deol.

But when she gets off the sets, she is a party animal, boogeying away into the wee hours. She used to first move around with Kishen Kumar who even bought her a flat in the upmarket Lokhandwala Complex in suburban Bombay, but dropped him and the flat soon after his brother Gulshan Kumar was gunned down.

Last heard, the former Ms Liril was painting the town red with actor-veejay Marc Robinson.

Shekhar grilled

Shekhar Kapur

Shekhar Kapur may have it easier with Indian interviewers who are either friends or who look up to him in awe. But he had a tougher time recently when he appeared on Hard Talk on BBC recently.

The director tended to ramble and was a bit too, you know, exuberant to be believable while the interviewer Tim Sebastian got increasingly dry and more and more polite.

Sebastian let him go on awhile about his love affair with Bombay, about how rich and poor lived side by side without the twain ever meeting, and then admitting he had a degree from London stashed away if things ever went wrong. How his team used to break an auspicious coconut every day, how the unit members imitated him going "Cut, cut, cut" like an agitated hen...

Then Sebastian stepped in to inquire about his wife, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy, and how they found time for each other, since he was abroad so often. Shekhar replied, and the interviewer suggested that perhaps he wasn't all that committed to the relationship. And Shekhar denied it quickly.

While some viewers thought the interview went rather well for Kapur, others thought he was just humoured. Judge for yourself whenever BBC runs it again.

Rinki eyes the marquee

The last of the Khannas is taking her first daintily step onto celluloid sometime soon.Rinki Khanna (who earlier revelled in the name Chinky Khanna), daughter of Rajesh and Dimple and younger sister of Twinkle is apparently being honed for the big day.

This is the same girl who opted to study commerce and management when she was offered Barsaat. But now that she is considering a film career, as a preliminary, she worked with that doyen of theatre, Satyadev Dubey. She has one play with him behind her and one ahead. Preparation, as we said, for Bollywood.

She was dropped from J P Dutta's Aakhri Mughal, but only because she was too short to star opposite Abhishek Bachchan.

And just when she'd become important enough for the rumour mills to speak of her, Rinki clarified she had little to do with Siddharth, brother of Manisha Koirala -- good friends and all that kind of thing.

Looks, at times, like the lady's already arrived.

Rumours in his life

David Dhawan.

We heard panic stories that David Dhawan's comedy, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was losing ground while Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai was going strong.

A few quick calls later, we learnt that was doing unexpectedly well, raking in Rs 160 million to date.

Things were helped by the fact that the cable operators haven't been able to get prints, the cops having got vigilant after the film industry complained.

But David Dhawan is still very upset with the trade mags for summarily dismissing his film.

"When they write off a film like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, how can you believe them," he seethes.

"It's the greatest honour for a director if the film is sold out on the day of the muhurat," he said, adding that the film was a hit because of Amitabh. For though many of his films with Govinda were superhits, none had made money like BMCM has.

Model No 1

Karisma Kapoor.

Not satisfied with being the star she is in Bollywood, Karisma Kapoor wants to queen over the modelling world too.

The pretty actress, who came back from the Jodhpur shoot just before her colleagues got embroiled in a poaching incident, now has time to spare for a Coke ad.

Besides corporate houses, she's endorsing Lux soap and Dabur Amla hair oil, this time produced by Yash Chopra.

Deo's due

The Hindi audiences don't have the time of the day for him but he is a top Marathi star.

Ajinkya Deo's last two releases in Marathi, Sarkarnama and Shandyug, did well, but his most notable role in a Hindi film in six years was in V Ramarao's Sansar, with the main roles being played by Anupam Kher, Rekha and Raj Babbar.

Ajinkya has won the state award for best actor for his debut performance in Ardhangi and, later, for Sarja.

Incidentally Sarja, produced by father Ramesh Deo, also won the national award for the best film. Ajinkya has also acted in the epoch-making Maherchi Sadi.

"I was all set to pursue studies in the US (for an MS in computer science)," says the new icon of Marathi cinema who deferred his terms thrice.

But you can see he's still hoping he gains a footing in Hindi cinema...

Anil the brat

Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Anil Kapoor gave Hrishikesh Mukherjee endless trouble during the shooting of Jhoot Bole Kauva Kaate.

Later he relented, but still wouldn't give the veteran sufficient dates. But as time passed, the moustache grew again and Hrishida asked the hero to get rid of it again. Again Kapoor refused, this time demanding that the director change the script to allow for the moustache.

Hrishida refused and, finally, the actor agreed to get rid off the offending facial hair -- if the director changed some other scenes.

Tired, the directed agreed to it and now the film is finally ready for release.

Sonali's run

Sonali Bendre

The average run of Major Saab and the debacle ofAngaaray hasn't discouraged Sonali Bendre, an update on whom was long overdue.

Well, she's feeling upbeat despite Sooraj Barjatiya's multi-starrer Hum Hain Saath Saath being held up because the stars went poaching -- well, even she was involved in that.

On the personal front, there was talk that she was getting close to Abhishek Bachchan during the making of Major Saab. And now she is being linked withGoldie Behl, the young producer of Angaaray who picked her up from the airport when she landed in Bombay.

But we still aren't sure where the lady is heading. We suspect that even the pretty lady doesn't.

Struck speechless

Sorry if we rewind to BMCM again. But we must tell you there is one person out there who has a serious grouse against its makers.

Jeetu Verma, who began his film career as a horse supplier, also choreographed songs in Vansh and other movies before shifting to acting, even doing a film in Hollywood.

But producer Vashu Bhagnani and gang apparently thought little of it when they offered him an "important" role that would have him on for a large part of the movie.

He was on a large percentage of the time as the villain's understudy, but throughout he didn't have a thing to say!

We were there when Bhagnani called to ask him to collect his cheque of Rs 50,000. Verma told him that since he had to suffer the mortification of remaining silent throughout a role, couldn't he be paid a bit more? Apparently not.

He has a better opportunity in China Gate where he plays the villain's brother, and a pretty good one in the up and coming Soldier.

-- V S Srinivasan