Kaur sisters; Hero (above)

British soccer star David Beckham, his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria, and their son Brooklyn have been depicted as Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha in a painting titled From Zero To Hero to be shown in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Seated on a throne, Beckham has a pregnant Victoria in a strapless dress on one lap, his son on another. The work by British Indian twins Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh has enraged Hindus in Britain, but say the artists: "The couple are seen in the light of the perfect union between sport, celebrity and media."

Buoying Back

Some forgotten starlets turn to TV. Others, like Sheeba, take a shot at theatre. For those who have never heard of her, Sheeba had been a model in Dubai before she packed her designer-bags and came to Mumbai in the early 1990s. She landed roles in a few flops (check the lineup: Miss 420, Mr Bond, Boyfriend) and was subsequently wiped out of Bollywood memory-she blames it on her then secretary. But now that she's back, in a Dinyar Contractor play called I Love You Two, the recent resurgence might not be so short-lived, considering she has a film too, Radheshyam Seetaram with Sunil Shetty and Aishwarya Rai. And yes, she has also got herself a new secretary.

His Working Style

War-torn afghanistan may not be a pretty sight, but not so its interim leader Hamid Karzai—he has not a thread out of place. After wowing fashionistas in the West, and a fashion assemblage in Milan-when Gucci boss Tom Ford called him one of the chicest dressers-it was New Delhi's turn to be taken last week. The suave leader, impeccably suited in a purple-green striped silk tunic, knee-length shirt and trousers, enthralled Indian politicians and industry captains with his elegance and lucid diction. An ethnic Pashtoon, the 44-year-old Karzai's surreptitious entry on the fashion conscience might just inspire the Karzai East-West look on New York ramps next season.

Taj Without Mumtaz

When Akbar Khan announced Taj Mahal--An Eternal Love Story last year, it drew more ink because of the lady who was to play Mumtaz Mahal--Aishwarya Rai. The film is currently being shot on a war footing at the Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur, but Rai is not a part of it. There are other names: Manisha Koirala (Jahan Ara), Kim Sharma (Laadli Begum), Pooja Batra (Noorjehan), but who's Mumtaz? All Khan will say is she will be a new face and "even my wife does not know". But Rai? "At one point I did feel she would be apt. But she has many projects. And I can't change my shooting dates to suit stars." The portrait on the left is history.

-Compiled by Methil Renuka