Gay abandon

If people are gay, Celina Jaitley is happy. And she is happier still that the Delhi High Court has overturned a ban on homosexuality. The actress is one of the few people in Bollywood to have openly supported the gay community in India. The friend of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, who recently re-launched a gay magazine called Bombay Dost, says she is full of “great pride and tears” over the judgement. “Homosexuality is now legal in India. Our long battle is won and with pride the gay can walk with their heads held high,” she says. As a campaigner of causes, she, certainly, can walk with her head held high.

Willie, won’t he?

The bard’s got his share of fans in Calcutta. And quite a few of them are expected to gather on July 18 at an event to mark William Shakespeare’s impact on Bengal’s stage. Academy Theatre, a Calcutta-based theatre research and production group, is getting ready to present a musical evening at the G.D. Birla Sabhaghar. Mahakabir Manchagan will feature Shakespeare’s songs and readings from plays as presented in Bengali theatre. The songs will be sung by Debjit Bandopadhyay and Riddhi Bandopadhyay, while actor Saumitra Chatterjee and critic Ananda Lal will read from Bengali translations and original versions of Shakespeare’s plays. That should bring work, for the city has old ties with Shakespeare. Not many know that a student of Fort William College in Calcutta, Claude Monckton, was the first to stage a Shakespearean play on a Bengali stage in 1809. The play was The Tempest. And as we can see, a storm continues to sweep Willie’s fans off their feet in the city.

Daddy Uncool

Father knows best is not something that you should say to Asin Thottukamal. The girl who wooed audiences in Aamir Khan’s Ghajini is in a bit of trouble these days. Apparently, her father has been accompanying her to film sets and, much to the dismay of her co-stars, interfering in filmmaking. Now Asin has been asked to leave her father behind when she reports for shooting. She is doing just that, and everybody is happy. Dad may have other views on the subject, but daddy’s girl seems to have done the right thing. But wonder what she said to him to keep him back at home. Papa, don’t preach?

White might

You can call it the second coming. But the goras now descending on India are not the masters, but mere players. German model-actress Claudia Ciesla, however, hopes to rise above the rest. Claudia, who is acting in Bollywood and Tollywood, and whose first film here was a mouthful called Karma, Crime, Passion and Reincarnation, doesn’t want to be a one-film wonder. So, as a first step, the actress is learning Hindi so that she doesn’t get stuck with all the ‘koi hai’ roles. She is watching a lot of Bollywood films to pick up the nuances of Hindi. Her impressive list of DVDs includes Black, Om Shanti Om and Jodhaa Akbar. Does that mean that Claudia, who acted in the Bengali film 10:10, is now going to build up a Bengali film collection? And what’s next? Bhojpuri?

Light is right

If you remember Tabassum, you probably belong to that generation which first saw television in black and white. But guess what? Gen X is now getting a glimpse of the lady who was to India once what Oprah is to the world. The actress, who started out as a child artiste and became a big name with her television interviews decades ago, now features in Zee TV’s comedy show Ladies Special. Apparently, because of some injuries on her leg, she can no longer wear the normal saris that Indian women drape themselves in. And since those hurt her legs, 67-year-old Tabassum is going to wear her special saris for the serial. These just weigh 60 grams each. Clearly, this is one lady who doesn’t like to throw her weight around.