What is the Chennai film industry talking about now? For over a week, the Tamil press has been going berserk with reports that superstar Kamal Haasan, 48, and Sarika, former Mumbai actress and Haasan's second wife, are heading for divorce. The couple are not taking calls, but sources close to Haasan say Sarika made the first move. Professionally too, the actor has had trouble: his last film Abhay bombed, and his ambitious period project Marudanayakam has been infinitely shelved. Tamil cinema's nonconformist couple-who wed after the birth of their first child 14 years ago-has issued no denials yet.

A Shot at Power

Kapoor (second from left) with team Sansad

Maybe the Americans are already making a film on 9/11. But Bollywood may get there sooner, with its own version of India's date with terrorism on December 13. After the incessant TV clips of terrorists storming Parliament, there will now be a 70 mm interpretation called Sansad. For good box-office measure, director Kumar Jay throws in a terrorist (Sharad Kapoor) and six songs. The script has Kapoor, who comes to Delhi to implement the attack, falling in love. But the story is the least of Jay's concerns now. "They won't allow me to shoot inside Parliament," he rues. No way. Last heard, Jay was scouting for a building that looked anything like the real thing.

Amma as Godmother

Esha Deol's disastrous debut must have stirred Hema Malini. Must be why she's now directing Esha herself. For her daughter's sake-and her own-the dream girl is all set to wield the directorial baton a second time. The first was for Dil Aashna Hai starring Shah Rukh Khan and the late Divya Bharati. The film incidentally dwelt on a girl left to fend for herself by an irresponsible mother. Not so Hema. The script of her unnamed film is still being written, but she says, "Esha's already so scared." We know of one other star-mom who pitched in with a script for a film called Dil Ka Rishta: Vrinda Rai for Ash Rai.

Not Off the Beaten Track

It has now become clear what a crash course to filmdom entails: enrol in a beauty pageant (it doesn't matter that you don't win, just sign up), snag a couple of ads and blaze an entry into the TV soap factory. Gauri Karnik, 24, is no exception. A string of serials behind her (Little Mirchi Thoda Pepper, Sukanya), the one time Miss India contestant-gone-unlucky has had a recent spot of luck. Tanuja Chandra has cast her in her next film Sur opposite Lucky Ali. Chandra took her on board for her "prettiness and strength of character". Seems like the crash course really helped.

-Compiled by Methil Renuka