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From pundit to reformed dacoit, Pankaj continues acting journey
 
Mumbai, July 17   He is one of the most accomplished actors - be it cinema, theatre or TV - and when Pankaj Kapur takes up a film it automatically attracts attention. Right now he is under limelight for playing a reformed dacoit in Rajkumar Santoshi's "Halla Bol".

The film, which is inspired by murdered theatre activist Safdar Hashmi, also stars Ajay Devgan and Vidya Balan.

Talking about his character, Pankaj said: "Well, this man has not been the best of people and goes to jail. In the prison he sees this rehabilitation operation going on and decides to get involved. In the process he gets reformed. When he is released, he tries to work towards what could stop his fellow people from turning into a bad person. And he takes up street theatre to spread his message."

That sounds like the story of Valmiki, who authored great Indian epic "Ramayana".

"No. I did not have anything of that sort in my mind. I played out the role of Sidhu from my imagination. I don't know if there was any such perception in the director's mind. I was not informed of it if there was," the veteran actor told IANS.

"I look at it from a different point of view. I see the character as an artist who wishes to uplift people and want to do something good for them, but he has a past, which is not quite good."
 

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To make his character authentic in "Halla Bol", Pankaj grew beard and kept it till the shooting continued.

"As an actor, I am not comfortable with an artificial beard. The character had to look authentic and real and a little menacing. So I grew the beard."

Panakj says he chose to play a reformed dacoit because it offered him to explore different avenues as an actor.

"I thought it was very different and as an actor I would get to explore something I hadn't done before. Hence, I went in for the film on the narration."

His last film "Dharm" too saw him playing a person who is reformed and a reformer. Pankaj calls it a coincidence.

"It's not a conscious decision. I have always taken up films that I like. And in the process if I have done films, which bring out something that could do society good I thinkit's great. It is always a responsibility on us that we should do something for a good cause. As an artist if I am able to do it, I would surely do it."

The actor, who has done some very thought provoking films, says he gives importance to three things while selecting a film.

"First, the content; second is the script, and third the director. It's very important that the director is capable of doing a good work out of the whole story. The director needs to have a vision and clarity in his mind. It's not enough to know the story, he or she should have the knowledge and efficiency to execute it articulately.

"Also the story is extremely important. Small events and some songs and dance do not make a film. A film needs to have a proper structure and there has to be an output which would be relevant to people who watch it."

Though this is Pankaj's first film with Santoshi as a director, they know each other for a long time.

"Yes, this is the first time I have worked with him. But we have worked together when he was chief assistant director to Govind Nihalani. Even then we believed that he had great potential. And he has proved us right. Look at his body of work. He has done almost everything and done really well.

He is equally thrilled working with Ajay and Vidya. "They are good actors and it's been a nice experience working together. I really enjoyed working in 'Halla Bol'."

Asked what he enjoys most - TV, films or theatre, he said: "Nothing like that. I don't have preferences, but then TV has become very limited for me. We all know that it's saas-bahu sagas. I don't quite identify with these. Theatre of course gives you a different kind of kick as the feedback comes immediately."
 

'Don' girl Priyanka turns 25
New Delhi, July 17   She is a former Miss World and is steadily shaping up to be the queen of Bollywood. Her vivacity and striking good looks have made moviegoers and critics go ga-ga over her. And Priyanka Chopra, who turns 25 Wednesday, has surely had a stride to stardom.

Born in Jamshedpur to Ashok and Madhu Chopra, both doctors, Priyanka's ride to glory began when she won the Miss World title in 2000 that pitchforked her into Bollywood. The beauty became a sensation within a few years.

Priyanka, who received death threats from conservative vigilantes after winning a beauty pageant, first acted in Tamil film "Thamizhan" (2002) and made her Bollywood debut in 2003 in "The Hero: Love Story of a Spy", which won her good reviews.

Her initial years in the industry spelt a mixed bag of fortune for her. From 2003 to 2004 her films did not do well at the box office.

Lady luck shined on her in 2004 with "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi", which became the third highest grossing film. Her negative role in "Aitraaz", a remake of the Demi Moore-starrer "Disclosure", won her critical acclaim and earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Villain.

She also participated in the successful "Temptations" tour with Shah Rukh Khan where she showcased her singing skills to the global audience.

2006 was the best year for the svelte actress. She cut two meaty roles in two of the biggest hits - "Krrish" and Farhan Akhtar's take on the Amitabh Bachchan potboiler "Don".

Priyanka started off 2007 with Nikhil Advani's multi-starrer "Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love", which received lukewarm response.

But with several projects under her belt including "Kismat Talkies", "Kurbani", "Drona", "London Dreams", "God Tussi Great Ho" and "Love Story 2050", Priyanka surely is sitting pretty in the industry.

With limelight comes controversies and Priyanka has also had her share of them like rumours of an affair with Akshay Kumar and her fallout with her secretary.

These, however, haven't really perturbed her. Priyanka's biggest assets remain her versatility with roles and her photogenic silver screen presence. With time, this young beauty is definitely capable of edging out some of the big names and become one of the top actresses of Bollywood.
 
Rajpal returns to theatre after 18-month break
 
Mumbai, July 17   Bollywood's endearing funny man Rajpal Yadav has created magic on stage with his play "Golmaal Pyaar Ka".

The show, that opened Sunday at Ranghsharda auditorium in Bandra, Mumbai, was a huge success with celebrities such as Hema Malini, Aftab Shivadasani, Shekhar Suman and Aadesh Shrivastav attending.

The play, written by Mihir Bhuta and produced by Jatin Rajguru and Bhaskar Shetty, was first shown in the US and later travelled to London. Rajpal returns to theatre after a break of one-and-a-half years.

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Kunal Khemu dances with broken finger

Kunal Khemu is definitely a hardcore professional. While shooting for a dance sequence for an untitled film for Ashtvinayak, the young actor injured his finger. But he ignored the agonising pain and continued shooting, waiting until the evening to for an X-ray to get his finger fixed.

"During the dance my choreographer accidentally twisted one finger. I thought that the pain would go off. But all through the dance sequence, I had to use this hand and my injured finger kept getting more bashing. By evening it was properly swollen and very painful.

"When I showed to the doctor, it turned out that I had indeed sprained it. So he bandaged it with warning that I should not strain and give it a rest," said Kunal.

Undeterred, he showed up next day with bandage and all.

"It was no big deal. After all it was just a sprain in my hand. Taking a day off for this would have been pitiful."

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Masumi - smoking hot!

Remember Masumi? The girl who made her debut in "Chupke Se" opposite Zulfi Syed and did a cameo in "Woh Lamhe" has now signed a three-film deal with Sanjay Gupta.

"Yes, I have a three film contract with White Feather films but I'm not allowed to divulge any details," she said.

She will be seen in Gupta's "Alibaug", "Dus Kahaniyan" and another film that's shortly going to be announced.

The actress has had a makeover and is all set to sizzle in a brand new ooh la la avatar.

 
Monica Bedi's village awaits her return to roots (Lead)
By Jaideep Sarin

Hoshiarpur (Punjab), July 17   Five years after she brought "shame" to her village and family in Punjab's green hinterland by being caught in Portugal with mafia don Abu Salem, former actress Monica Bedi might get a guarded welcome in her ancestral village Chhabewal.

With two court cases of passport forgery going in her favour in recent months, relatives of the woman, known as Salem's moll, expect her to return to Chabbewal, 10 km from here on the highway to Chandigarh.

"I am leaving for Hyderabad. I will consult her lawyer there. Her father Prem is also reaching Hyderabad. We will decide the next course of action after securing her release," Monica's uncle Purshottam Bedi said Tuesday.

Monica, who faces a three-year sentence in one of the cases against her, may have to spend over a month in prison before she is able to walk free forever.

But her lawyers are seeking an exemption from the court in Hyderabad on the ground that she spent time in prison in Lisbon before her extradition to India and want that period to be counted in her term here.

The Bedi family in the village, which is reasonably well off in this part of Punjab that has almost a member of every family who has gone to seek fortunes abroad, expects that Monica will be spending time in the family house here "as she has nowhere else to go".

"Where else will she go?" asked her uncle as he and other relatives prepare to welcome the infamous daughter back home. Her uncle had disowned her after she was arrested in 2002.

However, other residents of the village, with a population of around 5,000 and where everyone knows everyone else, are a bit sceptical of her return.

"She brought bad name to our village because of her links with Abu Salem. Now she has been let off in the court cases. I don't know exactly how to react but we will not disassociate with her now. Maybe she has changed and needs us now," a senior village resident, unwilling to be identified so as not to upset the Bedi family, told a visiting IANS correspondent.

Monica's uncle, who with other family members had migrated to Norway two years ago, returned to the village five months back.

The former Bollywood star, who was once cast with stars like Sanjay Dutt and Govinda, was born Jan 18, 1975 in Chabbewal. Her father Prem Bedi, a registered medical practitioner in the village then, migrated to Norway with his family when she was only a few months old.

Monica had visited the village in 1998 for a few days during the marriage of her brother Bobby. Many people from the area came to see her then because of her Bollywood connection.

The Bedi family still has agriculture land in the village. Last year, a sect of Nihang (warrior) Sikhs from Tarna Dal had volunteered to help Monica in fighting her legal battles and had even offered to provide her physical security.
 
After Gere, Gracy Singh comes to Nepal
 
Kathmandu, July 17   After Hollywood star Richard Gere came to Kathmandu this year to renew old ties and interact with the Tibetan community, it is now the turn of Bollywood's rising star Gracy Singh to follow in his footsteps.

But the actor, who had made a dream debut in the blockbuster "Lagaan" that went on to represent India at the Oscars, is not here on a personal visit. The petite Gracy arrived last week as part of Kannada director Nagendra Prasad's film unit to shoot for a new venture, "Megave, Megave".

Prasad chose to shoot parts of the film in Kathmandu and its neighbouring towns since the locale is appropriate for the love story that literally means clouds.

Popular Kannada hero Ram stars opposite Gracy and the film will also see Nepali belle Saru Joshi make her debut in a Kannada film.

There have been earlier instances of Indian directors looking for local talent.

Dev Anand started the trend in his blockbuster "Hare Ram Hare Krishna". The Sonu Nigam starrer "Love in Nepal" is the latest example. It cast a former Miss Nepal,
Jharana Bajracharya, as the film's sultry siren.

In 2003, when Maoist insurgents called a truce, Bollywood rushed to take advantage of the peace and shot some films in Nepal's picturesque towns.

Govinda and Priyanka Chopra were among those who came to shoot. Karishma Kapoor came on a private visit.

Bollywood star Manisha Koirala keeps coming to Nepal since this is her home. Last week, she came from Mumbai for the last rites of her grandmother Sushila Koirala.

However the weather let Prasad down Tuesday. Though the unit was scheduled to leave Kathmandu early in the day and head for Nagarkot town, known for its scenic beauty, the plan was shelved at the last moment due to an overcast sky and a continuous drizzle.
 
Monica Bedi keen to get back to acting
 
Bhopal, July 17   A day after her acquittal in a fake passport case, Monica Bedi, girl friend of mobster Abu Salem, Tuesday said she would like to resume acting in films and has got a few offers.

Monica, who was acquitted Monday in a fake passport case registered in Bhopal in 2001, is likely to be freed soon. Her acquittal was due to lack of evidence.

Talking to a few private news channels in Bhopal Central jail Tuesday evening, Monica said: "I would like to continue in films."

Monica has acted in about a dozen films like "Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat", "Jaanam Samjha Karo", "Kaala Samrajya", "Tirchhi Topiwale", "Jodi No.1", "Khilona" and "Aashiq Mastana".

"Though I have got some offers, I will not disclose them at this stage. I have also not made any specific plans for returning to films as my exoneration has come as a surprise," Monica said.

Monica, who has been teaching acting to inmates while in Hyderabad jail and yoga, dancing and English to women prisoners in Bhopal, refused to comment on her relations with Salem.

Monica was facing two passport forgery cases - one in Hyderabad and the other in Bhopal. In the Hyderabad case, she was convicted and given a three-year sentence. However, she went in appeal and the Supreme Court suspended her sentence and granted her bail. But she could not execute the bail bond as she was facing another passport forgery case in Bhopal.

The Bhopal case was registered on Nov 28, 2001, at the Koh-E-Fiza police station against Abu Salem, his wife Samira and Monica for having fake passports made using the names Danish Baig, Rubina Baig and Fauzia Osman, respectively.

Bedi was arrested in Lisbon along with Abu Salem in 2002 for entering Portugal with forged documents. After years of legal battle, they were deported to India in Nov 11, 2005, after India promised Portugal that Salem would not receive death sentence.

"Monica will be taken to Hyderabad, where she was convicted in another passport forgery case," Jail Superintendent Purshottam Somkunwar said.

"Her father, P.K. Bedi, has already left Norway for India and is expected to reach Bhopal in a couple of days after which both will go to Hyderabad to execute the bail bond which would enable Monica to walk free," police sources said.


   

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IANS