GENDER BENDER

The cat is out of the bag. The actor who played son to Shah Rukh Khan in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and to Sushmita Sen in Vaastu Shastra is actually a girl named Ahsaas. The eight-year old actor has recently played the lead in My Friend Ganesha. Ever since she courted fame for her role in Vaastu Shastra, she was always portrayed as a boy onscreen. However, all this is now set for a change. “Now that she is older, Ahsaas is excited about growing her hair and dressing up as a girl,” says her mother Kulbir Kaur Badesron, a television actress herself. She is currently in talks with director Kunal Kohli for a forthcoming film in which she has ensured that Ahsaas gets to play a girl. Looks like Ahsaas is ready for some serious girl power.

Taste of Gandhigiri

Bhumika Chawla, who shot into limelight with Tere Naam, is now going for a deglamourised look in Gandhi My Father. Paired with Akshaye Khanna, she plays Gulab, the eldest daughter-in-law of Mahatma Gandhi. “Playing a non-fictional character is rare and challenging for an artist. Working on something based on real-life facts was a good experience,” says Chawla. Even as she awaits the release of the film, the 27-year-old actor has her hands full with Telugu, Bhojpuri and Punjabi films.

-Compiled by Aditi Pai