Chatterbox Stars

While Anusha is an item girl and Maria Goretti tries offbeat cinema, it is the male veejays who are walking off with meaty roles. After Purab (Supari and Bas Yuhin), fellow-Channel V veejay Gaurav Kapur (below) will be seen exchanging glib chatter for emoting in Sssshhh.... Koi Hain. Not to be outdone, rival MTV's Vivan Bathena (above), will play the lead in Prawal Raman's Gayab. "Female veejays only get item numbers because they don't speak Hindi," says Bhatena. With that attitude, it is no surprise he had co-star Antra Mali playing bakra on him on the first day at the sets.

Parminder Nagra, Bend It Like Beckham's teenage football enthusiast is ready to play the field again. This time, she makes her way through the minefield of adult relationships in Channel 4's Second Generation, where she is a sassy seductress cheating on her fiance. Nagra, also seen in the hospital drama ER, says of her role in Second Generation (co-starring Om Puri and Anupam Kher): "There is lots I can do with the character." Going by her Jesse act, it should be worth the wait.

Shock Value

Her embroidered jeans cost more than her entire pay packet for her raunchy act in the Kaliyon ka chaman video. But the attention was worth it. Meghna Naidu caught the eye of Karan Razdan with her hip-gyrations and has been signed on for two of his films. In Hawas, she plays a much-married woman in an extramarital relationship and has more or less the same role in Shock. "Both are bold films exploring a woman's needs but are treated differently," says Naidu. And what about the shock value? "I like sensual cinema where I have the scope to act," she shrugs. The attention is assured, but hopefully this time around the money will be better.

City of Stories

When he has a party, Vijay Goel, the Union minister for youth affairs, serves chaat from his constituency, Chandni Chowk. When he holds the cultural fest Chaudhvi ka Chaand, he gets talent from the old city. So, when he writes a book, what will it be on? Delhi, the Emperor's City: Rediscovery of Chandni Chowk and its Environs is a coffee table book penned by Goel. "Yeh ek kisse-kahaniyon ka sheher hai (The city is full of stories)," he says. A politician should know.

-Compiled by Kanika Gahlaut