Even as London girl Katrina Kaif is trying to find her feet in Bollywood, here's another damsel from the UK who is ready to take a filmi plunge. Newcomer Geeta Basra will be seen romancing Emraan Hashmi and Ashmit Patel in director Aditya Datt's Dil Diya Hai. Ironically, she plays an Indian girl who is excited about visiting Britain. Says Datt, "Her Hindi wasn't bad, but we have fine-tuned it in a two-month workshop." And will Basra be seen in any lip-locks with serial kisser Emraan Hashmi? "You will just have to wait and watch," responds Datt. Not a case of kiss and tell.

Call From Cannes

Mumbai-based animation artist Gitanjali Rao's 15-minute animated film, Printed Rainbow, is the first Indian film to be selected in the short films category in the critics' section at the Cannes Film Festival this year. "It's one of those things you dream about," says the 33-year old. Written, directed and produced by Rao, the film is inspired by her mother and her pet cat. Looks like this cat sure got the cream.

PAPA'S GIRL

Her father might have gained notoriety with his name coming up in connection with bar girl Tarannum, but 19-year-old Sanaa Panscholi, daughter of Aditya Panscholi, is all set to make her Bollywood debut in Viveck Vaswani's Direct Dil Se, co-starring MTV veejay Rannvijay Singh. "I always knew I would get into films some day," says the spunky youngster. For now, she is "working hard and having fun".

Hip Shaker

Bombshell Shakira is all set to do the bhangra, thanks to Mumbai boy Manish Menghani. The 24-year-old disc jockey has given an "Arabhangra" (Arabic-Bhangra) twist to her hit number La Tortura for Sony BMG. "I was ecstatic when her producers approved the remix," says Menghani, who is working with the Adlabs Films radio venture. While he rules out Hindi remix albums, we are waiting to see how the La Tortura remix rocks. After all, Hips Don't Lie.

-Compiled by Kimi Dangor

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