SOUTH SIZZLE

She created a sensation with her Kingfisher swimsuit calendar appearance. Now south Indian beauty Sheetal Menon is all set to make her film debut in Brahm, opposite models-turned-actors Milind Soman and Dino Morea. Ironically, Menon plays a successful ramp model with a troubled past in the film. It has been a strategic move for this model who has trained under Anupam Kher. "I always wanted to act. And this is a performance-oriented role where I portray a complicated character," says the dusky damsel. All the more southern sizzle, we say.

Sound of Music

CARRY ON, DOC

She may be training to be a doctor but she's winning accolades for making films. Trupti Gilada, a 21-year-old MBBS student from Mumbai, was part of the team that made Fear and Loathing, a three-minute film on aids, judged the best film at MTV International and Staying Alive's 48fest Film Competition. Says Gilada, "The theme was HIV/AIDS and we were given 48 hours to edit, shoot and script a film. We wanted to reach out to the common man. The award was the icing on the cake." From mbbs to films-quite a leap, Trupti.

Holly-Wooed

Violinist Kala Ramnath has added one more feather to her cap. She will be recording for The Blood Diamond-a Hollywood production starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Jennifer Connelly-with renowned composer James Newton Howard, who has composed music for films like Titanic and King Kong. Ramnath, a disciple of Pandit Jasraj, also recorded with composer George Acogny for his film Dark Streets. "It was exciting to take Indian music to Hollywood," she says.

-Compiled by Kimi Dangor

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