After years of self-imposed exile from fashion, India’s very first supermodel Mehr Jesia Rampal, 37, staged a comeback to help Saif Ali Khan take his first steps on the ramp for Provogue recently.
Q. So it took Saif to draw you out of your sabbatical?
A. I got to know Saif when he and my husband were part of a world tour. I could not say no when Provogue approached me.
Q. Any plans to return to the ramp?
A. That’s over for me. Catwalking has become robotic with no input from models.
Q. How’s the film producer stint going?
A. After I See You, our production company Chasing Ganesha will start work on the next film in 2008.
IN THE CUT Ahana Deol has Bollywood dreams of a different kind. While sister Esha prefers to romance the camera, the younger daughter of Dharmendra and Hema Malini has decided to stay behind it. Ahana, 21, has studied editing at Subhash Ghai’s institute Whistling Woods International, and is preparing for her debut directorial venture. “If she changes her mind, I am open to that as well,” says Malini. A new direction, indeed.
High Rise
Dharm, India’s first full-length film shot on high definition (HD), will see a worldwide premiere at the 60th Cannes Film Festival. And the magician behind the film starring Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak is acclaimed director of photography S. Nallamuthu, 43, the country’s only premier HD cinematographer. Nalla, who has been involved with four other films in this format, has also worked on India’s first environment series, Living on the Edge, and long-running travel show The Great Escape. Here’s one more first to Nalla’s credit.
POWER OF THREE
She’s barely one item number old and already model-turned-Bollywood-debutante Mrinalini Sharma, 27, has struck gold. After a seductive number in Prakash Jha’s Apaharan, Sharma is all set to wow with a three-film contract, including Awarapan and Showbiz, with Mahesh Bhatt’s Vishesh Films. “It’s been a very enlightening experience,” says the sultry babe best remembered from Lucki Ali’s Gori teri ankhen video. With the “fearless and inspiring” Bhatt backing her, looks like Sharma’s all ready to shine.