Wet ’n’ wild

Roopa Ganguly is wild about the wild. We have known for long that the actress loves to drive. Now we hear that she gets her kicks driving through the jungles and is fascinated by waterfalls. “The pristine wilderness has a very strong attraction for me that I cannot explain,” she says. “These trips help me to unwind and stay casual and I feel this relaxing attitude is reflected in my acting too.” Roopa lets you know that she is an avid fan of camping out. And while she misses Kolkata when she is shooting in Mumbai, Roopa says she tries to live life in the western city the way she does back home. As for the jungles, there is always Bollywood.

Ho hum

Sanjay Dutt had better look out — he is doing it a bit too often. No, we are not talking about Dutt’s penchant for getting married; we are referring to his new-found love for singing. The actor — who made an impact when he sang with Asha Bhonsle for Asha And Friends — is now picking up the mike for Ekta Kapoor’s new film Kkompany. Sanjay will not only croon but also feature in the video for the song, says a source. Anand Raaj Anand is the composer, and the song is expected to be the film’s title track. “To be honest, the production team thought about it suddenly, while doing a dummy recording of the song. The song couldn’t be featured on any of the three lead characters — Tusshar Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav and Anupam Kher,” says the source. So they thought of Dutt and the actor, being a genial sort, agreed. He is still to record the song, but the film’s producers are not worried. Dutt is known to keep his word. Ask Maanyata.

Band on the run

The Delhi-based band, Indian Ocean, is going places — and literally so. Now, after touring parts of north America, Europe, Asia and Australia, it’s the turn of the neighbourhood. Apparently, the young king of Bhutan likes the group, which plays folk-infused rock, and has invited it to play in Thimpu in May. “Indian Ocean is the sound of contemporary India getting to know itself,” says the band on its website. Clearly, that’s not all — it is also cutting across borders.

Two-piece de resistance

The camera, they say, adds 10 pounds. And actress Bipasha Basu seems to know that too well. That’s why Bips says she’s now going to be very selective about doing bikini scenes. The hot and happenin’ Bong babe, who wore some pretty sizzling stuff in Dhoom 2, has said that she’s only going to wear a bikini when she is on a holiday. Donning a two-piece suit for a shoot, she argues, is a bit too tiring. Apparently you are so worried about your tiers showing that you can’t concentrate on your acting. This is bad news for Bipasha’s fans who love her all the time, but love her most when she is in a bikini. If Bips doesn’t look out there may be another Bikini blast.

Stop Prez!

This is not about all the President’s men, but just about one man. P. Madhavan Nair, who was A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s secretary in Rashtrapati Bhawan, has penned a book about his days with the man who was often called, à la Princess Di, the ‘People’s President.’ So Nair tells all in the book, The Kalam Effect: My Years with the President, to be released by publishers Penguin in New Delhi on Thursday. The book talks about Kalam’s efforts at reaching out to the people, including a child who was unhappy to find that the seesaw in the park near her house was broken. The former IAS officer’s memoirs are meant to keep the Kalam years alive, with little anecdotes and insights into the mind of the man. And maybe, for the first time, we’ll get to know the inside story about the Prez’s tresses.