The first Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant’s career is on the upswing. He gave voice to Mar jaawaan in the film, Aashiq Banaya Aapne, and now he’s going to represent India at the International Idol Challenge. Hope he doesn’t reach there as unprepared as he was on the launch of Indian Idol 2, though. There, he not only fumbled with the lyrics, he also went out of tune.

Pehle tum sign karo, bhai!

Ayesha Takia

What’s the big deal about wearing a bikini and smooching onscreen? Ask Ayesha Takia. We know of some Bollywood babes who will take the plunge, but not without doping nakhras ? like is it the right banner, is it integral to the film, blah blah. But this gal Ayesha isn’t the one to go with the trend. She is very particular about the roles she picks. She makes her producers sign a contract before signing with them! Her contract states she won’t do any lovemaking scenes, will not wear a bikini or do kissing scenes. One might think, ‘Just wait till she gets a big banner’. But then she did the most unthinkable. She turned down a Yash Raj film ? Neal ’N’ Nikki while Tanisha grabbed it. Saying ‘no’ to the Yash Raj banner possibly makes her the first actress to have done so especially at this stage of her career. Well, she wasn’t keen on kissing Uday Chopra, that’s for sure, or for that matter, anyone. Amazing but true she is still considered hot property and still has producers willing to sign on the dotted line of her contract!

Kiran Janjani

No-kiss boy

There are girls in Bollywood who wouldn’t want to kiss onscreen. But have you heard of Bollywood boys saying ‘no’ to kissing onscreen. Well, Kiran Janjani of Oops! fame refused to kiss his costar Malishka in Parto Ghosh’s Sitam ? though the lady was willing! Kiran has got married to his longtime girlfriend and didn’t want to hurt her, so sweet. He has already had a tough time defending himself for all that he did in Oops! No more.

Et tu, Tanu?

Tanushree Datta

Tanushree Dutta is awed by the Indian press. Recently, when she was flipping through a publication while on her way to meet a producer for an international project she read the news of her signing the international film already. Fast! Tanu seems to be following in Mallika’s footsteps ? the project is Chinese and opposite a leading Chinese hero. Jackie Chan? Well, Tanu is keeping her mouth shut, unlike Mallika. But she revealed that she is playing a glam doll from India and Arshad Warsi is also in the film. Now you know why the Jharkhand government honoured her with postcards and stamps featuring her on them?

SPOTLIGHT

Tannishtha Chatterjee

Gora Saab, dusky mem

You have seen Aamir Khan and Vivek Oberoi wooing a British gori mem in Lagaan and Kisna, right? Now get ready to watch Kabir Bedi’s gora son Adam Bedi wooing the dusky Tannishtha Chatterjee in Sanjay Jha’s second feature film, Strings. Shot entirely on location at the Kumbh Mela, Jha’s second film is a 94-minute English-language romantic overture. “It’s a slight film, I know,” admits Jha. “And I don’t know how audiences will react to it. I’ve made it straight from my heart. I’m just as proud of Strings as I was of my first film, Pran Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye.”

Pran Jaaye?with a record number of expletives on the soundtrack got into serious censor trouble. When shown on satellite television recently the soundtrack was a series of beeps more than dialogues. Laughs Jha, “I know. What’s the point of showing a film about chawlwalas when they’re gagged? Let’s stop making films about people whom we can’t stand by.”

Jha foresees some trouble for Strings, including sharp reactions to a British foreigner/tourist courting an Indian girl. The moralists of this land do not take kindly to their bahu-betis being swept away by the ‘corrupt’ outsiders. “I’d rather focus on the bright side. Strings is the first Indian film to be shot completely on location at the Kumbh Mela in the midst of a crowd of 20 lakh people. It wasn’t easy. But I am happy I did it. No point in making a routine love story with two newcomers prancing in New Zealand which disappears faster from the theatres than the hoardings in Mumbai. Might as well do something different,” Jha avers.

With a playing time of 94 minutes where does Strings hope to position itself in the film market? “I’m not worried. The mutiplexes have thrown forward a multitude of options for independent filmmakers like me. I’m sure Strings will find its audience,” Sanjay Jha has his fingers crossed.