She has crafted 45 "works of art" for the French, with subtle Ganesha and Buddha motifs. Now, Poonam Soni will showcase her jewellery collection at India Week, a special window on India at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development meet in Paris. "I will host a jewellery conference and a wine-and-cheese evening for 100 select guests, including the mayor," says an elated Soni. Paris today, the world next?

Taking A Bow

He loves the Max Payne video game and action movies like Mr & Mrs Smith, but Messrs Payne and Pitt have nothing on 20-year-old archer Jayanta Talukdar. The Guwahati native, now a rising star in his sport, is ranked world No. 1 in the recurve bow after a gold medal win at the World Cup in Croatia. Only a perfect ten off his final arrow would secure gold. "All I had to do was shoot perfectly", he says of the time he nailed the bull's-eye. The Asian Games this year are next and then, of course, the Olympics.

THE ROAD TO FAME

Delhi-based actor Tannishtha Chatterjee is no brick in the wall. The Bengali girl, who has worked with German filmmaker Florian Gallenberger on Shadows of Time, will play the lead in the film Brick Lane, based on Monica Ali's critically acclaimed book of the same name. "I visited the area, met people of the Bangladeshi community and found their immigrant experience intriguing," says Chatterjee, who believes the film is very contemporary as it deals with the "West and Islam" conundrum. While shooting begins in June, she is looking forward to meeting the author in London. Here's looking at another stunning export.

CROSSOVER STAR

From tortured bahus to cultural ambassadors, Indian soap stars are taking the friendship route to Pakistani TV. Tina Parakh, most famous for her roles in Balaji's Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasauti Zindagi Kay, is all set to act in a Pakistani TV series called Dhadkan, her third show across the border in seven months. "Unlike soaps which go on for years, each show is of 14 episodes, so you can play different characters in a short span of time," says Parakh, who has picked up fluent Urdu. Pakistan prime time, anyone?

-Compiled by Kimi Dangor

Index