The queen of pulp fiction is finally turning to the
facts of her own life. Shobha De has just signed a deal with her regular
publisher Penguin to write her -- gulp -- autobiography. According to CEO David Davidar,
the tome will hit the stands in August, which is pretty much all he's prepared to reveal
about the book. This piece is expected to be written in typical De style. A
no-holds-barred account of her life as a beauty queen, the editorial stints with Stardust
and Society, her transformation as a columnist and her emergence as the Jackie Collins of
India churning out one bestseller after another. After her earlier venture "surviving
men", this will be De's next non-fictional work. She'll be spilling the beans on
socialites, starlets and sundry sirens (and the odd editor). All of Mumbai and much of
Delhi are said to be biting their nails in anticipation, while De herself holidays in Goa.
Remember what they asked about her first book: are you in it? Well, are you?
Act One, Scene One
This is not going to be a retake of Daddy," she
says, but it seems close enough. Actress Pooja Bhatt is making her stage
debut with a Hindi adaptation of Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures, a comedy about a
young daughter coming home and her relationship with a father she's never met before.
Actor Dalip Tahil will play the burnt-out writer-father. "He's known me since I was a
baby," says Bhatt. And while she is "very excited" about the project --
"it's a great chance to hone my Hindi diction and acting skills" -- there is
also a niggling element of stage fright. "There's no second take. I'm so afraid I'll
fall flat on my face," she gushes. The yet-to-be-named play will be produced by
Vikram Singh, a theatre producer from Chennai, and is expected to be up and on by March or
April.
Big Brother Gets Earthy
Little brother's quite a hunk. But big brother MTV
veejay Rahul Khanna could be giving Akshaye a run for his money if
film-maker Deepa Mehta has her way. The bada Khanna has been signed to play the lead in
Earth, the second in the Fire-Earth-Water trilogy. But wasn't Akshaye supposed to have
been playing the lead? Mehta says it's just a nasty rumour. The lead roles will have Rahul
Khanna and Aamir Khan. Shooting for the film -- based on Bapsi Sidhwa's novel Ice Candy
Man -- begins January 6. "Rahul has a brilliant presence," says Mehta. "He
has got the look that I need for the film." Rahul is equally effusive: "Since
I'll be working with an extremely talented cast and since it's my first film there won't
be that much pressure on me." None, if he doesn't take into account the inevitable
comparison with reigning sex symbol younger brother.
Greek To Us
She was named after a Greek nymph and now Indian pop
star Anaida has Greece's leading pop singer-classical pianist-composer
Stefanos Korkolis composing paeans in her praise. He saw Anaida's Sambhalke video and was
bowled over. An invitation to a duet followed. The song, mostly Greek with some Hindi, is
called Anaida. Lyrics run into such profundities as: I'd like to wash your hair in the
Ganges ... I'd like to drown in your eyes ... But, what the hell, the singer says the song
went gold in Greece last week. When do we get to hear it? "Maybe it'll feature on my
next album," she coos. "I'm flattered but also embarrassed by the praise.
Definitely one of the highlights of my year." His too, we're sure.
The queen of pulp fiction is finally turning to the
facts of her own life. Shobha De has just signed a deal with her regular
publisher Penguin to write her -- gulp -- autobiography. According to CEO David Davidar,
the tome will hit the stands in August, which is pretty much all he's prepared to reveal
about the book. This piece is expected to be written in typical De style. A
no-holds-barred account of her life as a beauty queen, the editorial stints with Stardust
and Society, her transformation as a columnist and her emergence as the Jackie Collins of
India churning out one bestseller after another. After her earlier venture "surviving
men", this will be De's next non-fictional work. She'll be spilling the beans on
socialites, starlets and sundry sirens (and the odd editor). All of Mumbai and much of
Delhi are said to be biting their nails in anticipation, while De herself holidays in Goa.
Remember what they asked about her first book: are you in it? Well, are you?
This is not going to be a retake of Daddy," she
says, but it seems close enough. Actress Pooja Bhatt is making her stage
debut with a Hindi adaptation of Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures, a comedy about a
young daughter coming home and her relationship with a father she's never met before.
Actor Dalip Tahil will play the burnt-out writer-father. "He's known me since I was a
baby," says Bhatt. And while she is "very excited" about the project --
"it's a great chance to hone my Hindi diction and acting skills" -- there is
also a niggling element of stage fright. "There's no second take. I'm so afraid I'll
fall flat on my face," she gushes. The yet-to-be-named play will be produced by
Vikram Singh, a theatre producer from Chennai, and is expected to be up and on by March or
April. 
Little brother's quite a hunk. But big brother MTV
veejay Rahul Khanna could be giving Akshaye a run for his money if
film-maker Deepa Mehta has her way. The bada Khanna has been signed to play the lead in
Earth, the second in the Fire-Earth-Water trilogy. But wasn't Akshaye supposed to have
been playing the lead? Mehta says it's just a nasty rumour. The lead roles will have Rahul
Khanna and Aamir Khan. Shooting for the film -- based on Bapsi Sidhwa's novel Ice Candy
Man -- begins January 6. "Rahul has a brilliant presence," says Mehta. "He
has got the look that I need for the film." Rahul is equally effusive: "Since
I'll be working with an extremely talented cast and since it's my first film there won't
be that much pressure on me." None, if he doesn't take into account the inevitable
comparison with reigning sex symbol younger brother.
She was named after a Greek nymph and now Indian pop
star Anaida has Greece's leading pop singer-classical pianist-composer
Stefanos Korkolis composing paeans in her praise. He saw Anaida's Sambhalke video and was
bowled over. An invitation to a duet followed. The song, mostly Greek with some Hindi, is
called Anaida. Lyrics run into such profundities as: I'd like to wash your hair in the
Ganges ... I'd like to drown in your eyes ... But, what the hell, the singer says the song
went gold in Greece last week. When do we get to hear it? "Maybe it'll feature on my
next album," she coos. "I'm flattered but also embarrassed by the praise.
Definitely one of the highlights of my year." His too, we're sure. 
