On Song

Her pop band may have run out of steam long ago, but former Viva girl Pratichee is determined to be a hot item again. She is trying to woo the masses afresh with a solo album predictably titled, With Love-Pratichee. It has an "Indian feel" and "a song for everyone", says the crooner who continues to be in touch with the former band members. Singing may be top priority for now, but the pretty lass has her eyes trained on Bollywood as well. It may, however, depend on how well the public reciprocates her latest offering of love.

Talk Time

When starring in Balaji soaps, she lets her work speak for itself. But now and then Malavika Shivpuri just likes to speak. Which is probably why you missed her in Soni Razdan's Nazar-she dubbed for Pakistani actor Meera. "I've been dubbing since the age of nine," says Shivpuri, who will now lend her voice to French-Chinese actor Mylene Jampanoi in the foreign production Valley Of Flowers. Hear, hear.

Closing In On Fame

He may not turn every girl's head in town, but Vivek Madaan had the country lapping up his antics in the Close-Up advertisement. It also helped him inch closer to Bollywood. Besides the four films already in his kitty, including the Mahima Chaudhary starrer The Film, Madaan has also bagged a role in Rajkumar Santoshi's Family-Ties of Blood, which stars Amitabh Bachchan. "He is someone I have always looked up to," says the 26-year-old, who stumbled upon acting. We think he is the one to look out for.

Tuned Out Of Politics

The son of a politician, it may well be in his DNA to make the public dance to his tunes. But Mukul Deora prefers to do it from a different platform. The 30-year-old composer has played disc jockey at most Mumbai nightclubs and is set to release his debut album Stray with an "electronic hip-hop sound". Not only has he produced the album but has also done the vocals for some tracks. So while brother Milind follows in the footsteps of their father, Congress leader Murli Deora, Mukul is happy flying to London to shoot a music video with Partizan Productions. He dreams of touring the globe with his music some day. But will he make the politicians rock?

-Compiled by Kimi Dangor

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