OUT OF BONDS: Rajnikanth's mannerisms

The cigarette flies up, twirls in the air and suddenly it's in his mouth. A trademark Rajnikanth mannerism, and apparently one that no one will be able to copy any longer. For the Tamil superstar has issued a warning against aping the gestures and dialogues of Baba, the movie that signals the end of his three-year hibernation (his last release was Padayappa). His trademarks have inevitably spawned imitations and improvisations, one line from his 1995 hit Baasha probably being most often aped. It goes: "Naan oru thadavai sonna nooru thadavai sonna madhiri (I may say it once, but it means it is said a hundred times.)"

A novel publicity stunt or the beginning of the end for Rajnikanth's legion of mimics? Film star Mammootty, for one, is all support for the man's effort to protect his style. But judging by the buzz the movie has created, Baba looks sure to provide Rajniphiles with enough material to mimic until his next release. Directed by Suresh Krishna and with Manisha Koirala as the female lead, Baba has been sold for a total of Rs 30 crore. A Chennai magazine that invited readers to send in dialogues for Baba was flooded with hundreds of entries. Some likened Rajnikanth to the ultimate saviour and members of the Holy Trinity. The plot is still hush hush. The only Baba still released to the public shows Rajnikanth with his right hand fingers forming a mudra-like gesture. Does that mean Bharatnatyam dancers had better retire if they don't want to be sued?

-Arun Ram

GOLDEN PUMPKIN

FLIP FLOP: Dev on cricket

He loves it. He loves it not. Kapil Dev's attachment to Indian cricket remains mysterious. First, he swears during the match-fixing drama that he will have nothing to do with cricket. Then he appears on assorted golf courses, leaving no one in doubt as to what his sport of choice is. He aims, he claims, to represent India in golf too, and become a double international.

Just when it was safe to start reading the sports pages again, Dev lashes out at the "attitude" and "commitment" of players like Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, "I get the impression that they are not part of a team unit." Strange because that should mean he did an awful job as India coach himself from 1999-2000. Surely, fostering fellow-feeling should have been a piece of cake for the all-time great team man and World Cup winning captain. Or does all this have to do more with the fact that the current Indian team, having had its fill of Dev, is not afraid to say so? First the seniors put in a request to the BCCI for a professional coach from overseas. Now, the birdies say, they have asked BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya to diplomatically undo his appointment of Dev as the team's fast bowling coach for the 2003 World Cup. Hell hath no fury than a superstar scorned perhaps?

SIGNPOSTS

CLOSED: An 11-year-old TADA case against Akali leader S.S. Mann, by a Delhi court which said the prosecution was not interested in the trial.

AWARDED: The Sanskriti Award for Social Achievement, 2000, to the Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan.

DIED: Cecil Saldanha, 75, botanist and conservationist, in Bangalore.

APPOINTED: ITC chief Yogi C. Deveshwar, (above) as chairman, IIM, Kolkata.

CONFERRED: This year's Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award, on noted lyricist Sameer.

APPOINTED: As advisers to Uttar Pradesh Governor V.K. Shastri, retired IAS officers B.N. Tiwari and Sunita Kandpal and former IPS officer B.S. Inamdar.

DIED: Bhavanam Venkatram, 71, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, in Hyderabad.