February 16, 1998

It's a match made in celluloid heaven, she a fourth-generation Kapoor, he the son of Bollywood producer-director-once-actor Rakesh Roshan. But Kareena Kapoor and Rithik Roshan ain't getting married; they're just acting together. The light-skinned, light-eyed, right-gened couple make their debut in Kaho na Pyar Hai, a romantic thriller being written, produced and directed by Roshan sr. But the girl whom sister Karisma calls "my biggest critic" is not taking any chances -- she's enrolled in acting classes. Rithik's done the same for acting, dance and diction. Says Anupam Kher, whose acting workshop the young Roshan attended last December: "He's a very focused actor. That's half the battle won." For the other half, just watch your screens, buddies.

At Your Service

A memorial to the Mahatma ... happens all the time. Except that this one, a multi-faith church service in London, was attended by Richard Attenborough (the man who made Gandhi, also Gandhi Foundation president), Ben Kingsley who played the Mahatma, Geraldine James (Miraben) and Saeed Jaffrey (Sardar Patel). The silence was almost tangible as Jaffrey read out Jawaharlal Nehru's speech that moved millions on that day in 1948: "The light has gone out of our lives ..." No acting here, just feeling.

Billy and Me

Breakfast in bed: We've all had the luxury. But breakfast with Bill in Washington? No chance. Last week, Navin Chawla -- chairperson of the Delhi Vidyut Board, also Mother Teresa's biographer -- was one of the chosen ones at the 46th National Prayer Breakfast hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton. "To me, this was an appreciation of Mother Teresa and my book," said Chawla over the phone from Washington after the gathering. The annual affair includes select invitees from across the world, but never mind the rest of the crowd. Mrs C remembered her meeting with Chawla at the Mother's funeral last year, and his book (or so she tells him) is part of her private collection. Not breakfast diplomacy, of course.

Green Revolution

They broke the laws of the land -- an eight-year-old groom and a two-year-old bride! But so transfixed was the groom that he stood rooted to the spot, waiting for his true love for eight long years! Ask our lovelorn hero why he did it, and he won't speak. How could he? He's a banyan tree, resident of the 1,000-year-old Sree Ramachandra temple premises at Thrikkalathur in Kerala. His bride: a neem. No, this is not an April Fool's joke in Feb! The sacred greens -- dressed in white for the big day last month -- were joined for life before hundreds of devotees with all the elaborate Vedic rituals of a traditional Brahmin wedding. Any pre-nuptial jitters? The couple were too busy for that. Right before they were wed, the banyan was put through an upanayanam (a ritual observed when a Brahmin boy attains puberty), given a sacred thread, and named Ashwathanarayanan at his namakaranam. Says B. Rajeev, a Temple Protection Committee member: "The ceremony underscores our traditional respect for trees." As for the happy couple, they're not willing to be quoted, but you can bet the honeymoon's not over.

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