Neha (left) and Lillete in 30 days in September

They share more than just a surname and a passion for acting. After Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding, mother-daughter duo Lillete and Neha Dubey are showing what they can do together on stage. In Mahesh Dattani's 30 Days in September, they play-you got it-a mum and daughter dealing with incest and child abuse. Lillete, 48, had earlier directed Neha, 21, in the play Siren City. This time she's director and co-star. "When you're directing your own child, you tend to be more demanding," says Lillete, "but Neha has a phenomenal memory and is open to learning." Now you know why she gets better with each show.

Loud and Louder

What's all the noise about the Supreme Court ban on loudspeakers after 10 p.m.? When the court imposed the ban, it also drew classical-leave alone rock-music concerts into the net. Explains why the Pune police recently pulled the plug on vocalist Pandit Jasraj's late night rendition at the opening of the Sawai Gandharva music festival. Jasraj, 72, who completes 50 years as a performer this year, is most upset: "Classical music is not pollution. On the contrary, it drives away pollution of the mind." But the anti-noise pollution lobby is firm. Says Debi Goenka of the Bombay Environment Action Group: "Noise pollution means any unwanted sound and there are many who may not like classical music." Jasraj?

Bouquets For Now

Soap buffs would vouch for Sandhya Mridul, Bollywood's newest TV recruit. The crossover is not complete yet: Mridul is still on prime time, playing twins in a new serial Hubahu on Sony. She's also juggling dates for a new film Saathiya with Rani Mukherjee and actor-in-the-wings Vivek Oberoi. A remake of Mani Ratnam's hit Alai Payuthe, which pole-vaulted R. Madhavan, it will have Mridul, 32, playing Mukherjee's elder sister. Yet she harps: "My decisions have not always brought bouquets. I am often misunderstood as arrogant." Maybe she should consult Karreina Kapoor for sound advice.

On a More Serious Note

It's in to be patriotic...Gadar, Maa Tujhe Salaam, and now, Pinjar, a film on Partition based on an Amrita Pritam novel starring Urmila Matondkar. The film's releasing July, but Matondkar seems to be on a rebound. After beau Ram Gopal Varma cast Manisha Koirala in Company, Matondkar's recent shot at freedom in a film could be a state of mind. Don't expect her to scorch the screens in Pinjar though-according to a film rep, it's just the role for her, one that will have her putting in her best yet. Those who loved her hip-grinding routine in Chamma chamma and Kambakht ishq will have to contend with the blasé look of the 1940s for Matondkar. Could be the best thing to happen to her after Varma.

-Compiled by Methil Renuka