Murty matters

When television beckons, strong-willed people succumb. And, no, we are not talking about Shah Rukh Khan. The south is happier with the news that Sudha Murty, wife of Infosys chief mentor, N.R. Narayana Murthy, is acting in a popular Kannada serial called Preethi Illada Mele, telecast on ETV. But Murty — who plays the role of a judge in the serial — is not the one to be browbeaten either. Before accepting the role, she made a few do’s-and-don’ts clear to the producers. “No gaudy sarees. No fancy hair-dos. I have to look like myself,” she told the producers. And the producers, of course, agreed. So, last Sunday, Murty, who is the head of Infosys’s social work wing, the Infosys Foundation, gave her mahurat shot. Her script was to read out a lengthy judgment, replete with socially relevant messages. Murty, clearly, is not going to do a Tulsi-ki-saas kind of a role.

Jean pool

Fancy wearing a John Abraham shirt or jeans chosen by the incredible hunk himself? Wrangler US has decided to launch a John Abraham collection of clothes in Asia. Abraham’s designers — from Milan and London — are the ones who design for international label Diesel. But female fans need not be disappointed. Abraham is also deciding on a women’s line. He is confident that he knows what a woman wants. We know that, right, Bips?

Teeing with Karan

There is a continuing buzz in the media and film industry about the meeting of two giants — Prannoy Roy and Karan Johar. Roy’s NDTV and Johar’s production company, Dharma Productions, have come together to start a new entertainment channel. Johar, who calls it a family bonding of sorts, says he will be an ambassador for the NDTV entertainment brand. Clearly, kuch kuch hota hai.

All Reddy

She made her Bollywood debut as a clumsy neurotic journalist in Vivek Agnihotri’s Chocolate. And now model-turned-actress Sushma Reddy is all set to essay the deglamourised look of a mill worker in Mahesh Manjrekar’s latest flick, Big Bazaar. Reddy believes fluency in Marathi is one reason why she clinched the role in the film that takes a hard-hitting look at the life of mill workers in Mumbai who lost their jobs after mill lands went up for sale. “The script is very powerful and the story revolves around a family. I play the role of a sister,” says Reddy. For Sushma — one of the three beautiful Reddy sisters — that should be a cakewalk.

Tuskers, tuskers

After Aamir Khan’s Rang De Basanti and its beastly troubles, it’s now Ashutosh Gowariker’s turn. The world and its brother may be waiting for his magnum opus on Akbar and Jodha Bai, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, but animal rights activists are on the warpath. The activists have submitted a legal notice to the production unit seeking to stop his use of animals in the film.

Gowariker is allegedly using some 26 elephants in the film. “The use of animals in films can only be done with proper permission from the Animal Welfare Board of India,” says Naresh Kadiyan of People For Animals, Haryana. “We have asked Gowariker to produce permission certificates for the use of animals, failing which he will be prosecuted.” When contacted, Gowariker’s secretary refused to comment on the issue but added that the elephants were all being treated well. Behold the behemoths then!