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Nov 15, 1999
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 Scent of a Woman
She's enthralled millions with her movie songs. He's poured his millions
into movies. Last week, film financier Bharat Shah put his money on Lata
Mangeshkar again at the launch of Lata Eau De Parfum, the fragrance named after
the music legend. At an auction of the very first bottle, watched by industry hotshots,
Shah outbid the rest with his offer of Rs 3.5 lakh. "It was not the price that
mattered but the quality," he says, "both the perfume and Lataji are
priceless." A 60 ml bottle otherwise costs Rs 1,700 so you can bet your bottom dollar
he means it.
 Seth in Action
It's a change of scene for actor Roshan Seth. Best known
as Nehru in Gandhi, Seth has just done a cameo as a Pakistani soldier in the
Hollywood action flick Vertical Limit, directed by Golden Eye man Martin
Campbell. From India's first PM to India's arch enemy has been such a long journey for
this fine talent. He recently drew critical acclaim with Sturla Gunnarson's Such A
Long Journey. Vertical Limit, he says, "was a stimulating
experience". Like watching him on screen.
 The Big Bash
Some people blow out candles on their birthdays. Others blow the whole
thing up. To mark megastar Rajnikanth's 49 years on the planet and 25
years in films, wife Latha is having a megabash. "This will be a
four-part celebration christened Rajni 25 Millennium Show," she says. There's a
week-long Rajni film fest in Chennai starting December 12; a display of memorabilia, movie
stills and so on at Nehru Stadium; a sale of commemorative coins, stamps and books; and a
cultural function on December 23, the highlight of which, says Latha, is that "I will
sing on the dais". Beats the cake-and-candles routine any day.
 Honouring Adoor
Why's Adoor Gopalakrishnan smiling? Well, the multiple
national and international award winner has become the only Indian director other than
Satyajit Ray to be honoured with a retro by Paris' prestigious centre for cinema,
Cinematheque Francaise. "It's great to be positioned near the great Ray," says
the 58-year-old filmmaker. The retro showcases all his eight feature films (Swayamvaram,
Kodiyettam, Elipathayam, Mukhamukham, Anantaram, Mathilukal, Vidheyan, Kathapurushan),
a recent documentary on Kathakali maestro Gopi and a documentary on Adoor made by Rajiv
Mehrotra. Flattering.
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