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21 Bollywood beauties dance for Sajid's 'Hey Baby'
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 22    When TV host-turned-director Sajid Khan decided to shoot a song for his film "Hey Baby" with 21 leading ladies, sister Farah took time off to choreograph the historic number.

The leading ladies who gladly participated in the marathon song included Ameesha Patel, Diya Mirza, Koena Mitra, Shamita Shetty, Neha Dhupia, Malaika and sister Amrita Arora, Amrita Rao, Tara Sharma, Minissha Lamba, Celina Jaitley, Riya Sen, Sophie and Masumi.

Aarti Chabria and Hrishita Bhatt also participated.

"They're all my friends. They did it for me. And I'd do the same for them if they asked me," Sajid told IANS.

Sajid gets emotional while talking about his sister.
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"Farah had once choreographed me in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 'Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kate'. And we've done a lot of stage shows together. She's now choreographed my first song in my first film as director. Sajid Nadiadwala (the producer) and Farah are like my two eyes and arms."

He dismisses rumours of not getting along with his brother-in-law Shirish Kunder. "We share a healthy camaraderie. Farah today lives separately. But we keep a constant vigil on each other.

"Like any brother, I felt cheated when someone came and took her way. But it's an inevitable cycle of life, and I'm all right with it."

Sajid is excited about the cast.

"Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan, Vidya Balan are all working together for the first time. None of these actors have worked with me, Farah or Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy before. Trust me you've never seen these actors do anything like this earlier."

Sajid wants to make the kind of film he would like to see.

"I'm a member of the audience first, then a director. I don't like boring films."

The buzz is that Sajid is re-making the hit "Three Men & A Baby" but he dismisses this.

"Just because my film has three men and a baby in it? My film is as much 'Three Men & A Baby' as 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S.' was 'Patch Adams' or 'Tehzeeb' was
'Autumn Sonata' or 'Sholay' was 'Magnificent 7'. When you see 'Hey Baby' you'll know what I mean."

The baby being the pivotal character, how does Sajid intend to get its expressions right?

"I wouldn't like to talk about it now. But yes, the baby's expressions will be as real as it can be ... with some technical wizardry helping us get it right. We've got the F-X guys behind 'Matrix', 'Lord Of The Rings' and 'King Kong' to assist us.

"I intend to do my entire post-production and sound mix in Australia at the 20th Century Fox studios."

"Hey Baby" will be shot in Australia, France, Udaipur and Mumbai.

"I gave the scripting two years of my life. For the first six months I constantly kept changing the story until I got it right.

"I've grown up watching films of every kind. I won't make the mistakes that I've seen my predecessors made. That's why I laugh when people accuse me of re-making 'Three Men & A Baby'. I'm not that stupid."

Before one reacts to that Sajid poses a question.

"Do you know why I chose Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to do the music for 'Hey Baby'? That's because their name doesn't figure in the list of copycats on a website devoted to exposing plagiarism in Hindi film music."

Sajid and producer Nadiadwala have been experimenting extensively on how to get the little baby's looks right.

"Nadiadwala likes to spend a lot of money. But I'm not one of those who'll splurge. I want to make a film that will justify the Rs.400 million budget."

Doesn't the budget scare Sajid? "I'd be as scared if I was making a Rs.40 million movie. The responsibility is the same."

After "Hey Baby" Sajid plans to return to his first love - television.

"I've given my career on television a backseat. Once 'Hey Baby' goes into post-production I'll return to TV.

Any marriage plans?

"I'm 35 now. I'll give myself another five years to settle down. No, I don't have a girlfriend. I don't like to be answerable to anyone. I'm alone. But I'm not lonely. Besides, I'm never at home."
 

Shilpa Shetty puts racism on British public agenda (COMMENTARY)
By Prasun Sonwalkar

Shilpa Shetty will be long remembered for doing what the Commission for Racial Equality and other institutions have been struggling to do - put racism on top of Britain's public agenda.

The issue has been lurking around for some time but not under such blinding media torchlight that "Celebrity Big Brother" show has come under. The last time racism hit the headlines - but not to this extent - was in 1999 when the inquiry into Afro-Caribbean teenager Stephen Lawrence's murder called the police force "institutionally racist".

For nearly two weeks now, old and new media - print, radio, television, chatrooms, blogs - have been clogged with debates around Jade Goody's unseemly conduct towards Bollywood actor Shilpa touched a raw nerve in Britain's large non-white minority.

But large numbers of the white community have also voiced revulsion over Goody's 'colourful' comments. Driven by political correctness or not, almost everyone has rushed to proclaim their stand against racism, right from Prime Minister Tony Blair downwards.

As the strong reaction shows, the Asian community in Britain is remarkably networked. The many fissures within the community are pushed into the background when faced with the curse of racism. The vast majority of Asians who have born and brought up in Britain (and new migrants) have at some point faced racism - overt or covert.

Of course, nobody believes that the Goody-Shilpa spat will overnight change attitudes, despite the overwhelming majority voting to evict Goody from the Big Brother house. But the show has indeed brought to the surface how much remains to be done to weed out racism from British society.

The Shilpa show also highlighted the economic strength of Britain's Asian community - not only as consumers but also as wealth creators. The strength of what is called the 'brown pound' has become more important at a time when Indian investment has been flooding into Britain and creating jobs.

Apart from the main sponsor Carphone Warehouse, companies whose food, furniture and electrical goods are used in the Big Brother house have asked for their products to be removed from the show. These include Indian origin entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria's Cobra Beer and United Biscuits.

There are already signs that the row is hastening ongoing official measures to further strengthen Britain's multicultural mosaic. Education secretary Alan Johnson has promised to overhaul citizenship lessons in schools to dispel racist and ignorant attitudes. Johnson's plans include discussions of core national values such as fairness and mutual respect and debate about what "Britishness" means. Children will also learn about the way immigrant groups throughout history have forged the shape of the nation.

Johnson said: "The current debate over Big Brother has highlighted the need to make sure our schools focus on the core British values of justice and tolerance. We want the world to be talking about the respect and understanding we give all cultures, not the ignorance and bigotry shown on our TV screens.

"Britain is a nation built from and by people from other countries, from the Romans and William the Conqueror right through modern history. We owe a debt of gratitude to all the people that make up Britain today: immigrants from Pakistan, India and the West Indies have helped build our new welfare system and our public services, particularly the NHS."

John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, said the row had exposed "an ugly underbelly in society" and added that the furore had highlighted how people "are only too ready to point the finger at the foreigner, or those who might not fit in".

Meanwhile, Vanni Treves, a former chairman of Channel 4, has expressed outrage at the Big Brother show, calling it a "grotesque travesty" of what Channel 4 is supposed to be. He wants the show to be taken off the air for good. Under the terms of the 2003 Communications Act, Channel 4 is expected to "demonstrate innovation, experimentation and creativity, appeal to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society and to include programmes of an educational nature".

Although it is state-owned, the channel is self-financing. However, because of its public service remit, it does not pay for access to the analogue system through which it broadcasts. Rival channels, including ITV and Five, do have to pay.

The row comes at a bad time for Channel 4, which wants government money to help it fill a black hole caused by an expected drop in advertising revenue.

Launched in 2000, Big Brother has been Channel 4's biggest money-spinner, accounting for around seven percent of its 800 million pounds advertising income. The loss of the show would deliver a major blow to the station whose profits slumped by two thirds to 20 million pounds last year as a result of falling advertising revenues and rising costs. Reports say that Channel 4 executives have already frozen their £600 million programme budget.

According to latest statistics, viewing figures for the show rose sharply with audiences peaked at 8.8 million when host Davina McCall interviewed Goody Friday night. Around 7.4 million watched Goody leave the house earlier that evening - 40 percent of the total TV audience.

(Prasun Sonwalkar is the Europe Editor of IANS. He can be reached at sprasun@yahoo.co.uk)
 

I'm re-living my childhood with my kids: A.R. Rahman
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 22    Noted composer A.R. Rahman, who recently turned 40, is trying to make up for all that he missed in his formative years by spending quality time with his children.

Rahman, who celebrated 40th birthday Jan 6 - the day on which his son also turned four - said he's entering the most important decade of his life.

"So far I've just been busy living life. From my childhood I was surrounded by grownups, I never got a chance to enjoy being a child. It took me a while to realise how young I was. By the time I realised I was missing out on youthful activity; I was no longer young, Rahman told IANS.

"Now, I'm re-living my childhood with my three children. If I'm able to give them everything that I couldn't afford, they too are giving me back something vital."

He and his son share the same birthday.

"My son turned four on Jan 6. Yeah, he and I share the same birthday. I don't know how that happened."

And what does he make of the 40 years of his life?

"My life has always been a journey. When I was in my 20s I went through the most turbulent and hectic time of my life. Now I spend as much time as possible with my children Khatija (11), Rahima (8) and Amin (4).

"My studio in Chennai is right opposite my house, so they spend a lot of time with me. All they've to do is cross the road and they're with me."

Three of his works will compete for an Oscar in the best original song category.

"They've short-listed 56 songs, of which three - 'Khalbali' and 'Luka chuppi' (from 'Rang De Basanti') and 'Chan chan' (from 'Water') - are mine.

"I was expecting a list of 500-600 songs, I'm quite surprised. I think the way they look at our films and music abroad has completely changed now. There's a lot more respect for what we do. They don't think of us as oddities any longer. They don't think of us as dancing around trees."

Rahman chose the three songs for the Oscars on his own.

"I chose 'Luka chuppi' because of Lataji (Mangeshkar). She's the pride of the nation. I don't know what the outcome would be. I think it's a big honour to be there.

"God willing, if my song gets nominated, I'll be there in Los Angeles. But to get to the last 56 songs is quite an honour. My agent in Los Angeles was sweet enough to take care of all the nitty-gritty," Rehman stated

I was not in hiding: Rani Mukerji (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumabi, Jan 22    Rani Mukerji, who has resurfaced after a long hiatus, says she was not in hiding but doesn't like "intrusions" into her personal life.

"I really don't like to let the world know what I'm doing every day of my life. I was not hiding anywhere. The truth is I was shooting in New York for (Siddharth Anand's) 'Tara Rum Pum'," Rani told IANS.

"Do you know, Siddharth was with me in school? He had earlier assisted Kunal Kohli on 'Mujhse Dosti Karoge'. And now he was directing me! As for Saif Ali Khan, how he has evolved since 'Hum Tum'! He's such a focussed and committed actor!"

Explaining her suddenly reclusive status, Rani said: "I was completely cut off from Mumbai in New York. It was fun to be on my own. And when I got homesick, my parents visited me. When I'm on location abroad, I generally like to remain totally cut off.

"This time my absence seemed glaring because I was not present for the release of a major film like 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' (KANK). Everyone wondered why I wasn't here to promote it."

Far away in New York, Rani really bonded with choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant.

"She wasn't just my choreographer there, but also my companion," said Rani emotionally.

Since she hasn't really spoken about her role as the confused wife in KANK, Rani does so now.

"Why is it that a wife must be happy just because her husband is seemingly perfect and happy with her? What if the woman finds love after finding this supposedly perfect husband? A man can find passion outside marriage no matter how attentive his wife is. But a woman doing the same is unacceptable.

"I think we need to salute Karan Johar for dealing with the very important issue of passionless marriages in urban settings with such maturity. I'm very proud of being in KANK."

And she's equally proud of "Baabul".

"You know, people often talk about the daughter-in-law being equal in status to the daughter. But does anyone actually believe in this? My father-in-law in 'Baabul' does. I think audiences got to see all all-new side of me and Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) after 'Black' and KANK in the film."

The stressful situation in Varanasi while shooting for Pradeep Sarkar's untitled film took its toll on Rani and she fell ill.

This was Rani's third film to be shot in the holy city.

"And why the stress? Can you believe that they burnt my photographs in Varanasi? What have I done? I wasn't even aware of what had transpired before I arrived for the press conference. I came to know there was some kind of a scuffle.

"I came there after shooting, hot and tired and in no mood to answer personal questions. What was so wrong if I said my marriage is my parents' concern? I really feel men get intimidated by women who assert themselves, specially if the woman happens to be Bengali."

Rani even apologised for her behaviour at the conference but it didn't seem enough.

"I was asked to say sorry for my behaviour at the press conference, which I did. Now they're turning it around to say I didn't say sorry properly. They're saying, 'We're going to break Rani's bangles.' They've even named the film 'Choodiyan', for god knows what reason.

"The people who think my sorry isn't good enough, let me tell them I'm a well brought-up girl. If you talk decently with me I'm humble. And for their information, I'm a UP girl too. My father is from Jhansi. So there."

Amidst all this, pandemonium Rani is delighted by the fact that the local authorities love her performances in "Bunty Aur Babli" and "Black".

"They're going on and on about my contrasting performances in the two. That feels good, specially when you're being hammered for no reason."

Speaking of "Black", talk veers to Sanjay Bhansali's "Saawariya", for which Rani has completed a schedule with her favourite director.

"Since I've been keeping a low-profile, people have been making up stories about how I play a courtesan in 'Saawariya'. No such thing! Let the film be released and everyone will see what we have done together."

Talking about her friendship with Bhansali, Rani said: "There're very few relationships in the industry that go way beyond work. I'm there for Bhansali and his mother even if we don't work together again. But what I'd really like as a greedy actress is for him to make another film with me and Amit uncle (Amitabh Bachchan)."

Amit uncle brings Rani to Jaya aunty.

"I've always admired Jaya aunty's work. I looked forward to work with her, and now it's happened," she said.
 

My AIDS films will ride on Bollywood hits: Mira Nair
 
New Delhi, Jan 22    Award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair plans to make a series of four films aimed at spreading awareness about AIDS and plans to attach them to Bollywood hits to reach out to more people.

For her the AIDS JaaGo project, Nair has collaborated with Avahan, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's India AIDS Initiative.

"They (films) are going to piggyback on Bollywood blockbusters and find the masses who are going to watch blockbusters. They will be permanently linked to A-grade Bollywood movies and going by the reach of Bollywood it will be shown in India and abroad," Nair told reporters here Monday.

"It will be a part of the DVD if that can be worked out. In addition, we will have a one-hour film where the collection of the four films will be clubbed together along with the panel of directors speaking. And that will be showcased in a massive way on television and film festivals," she added.

When asked what prompted her to venture into this field, she said: "I came to it after an intimate loss but also because of the general fact that how terrible it is."

She has picked up the choicest of filmmakers - Vishal Bhardwaj, Farhan Akhtar and Santosh Sivan - who each will make a 12-minute film, along with one by herself.

Bhardwaj has already finished his script for a thriller and would start casting.

"You need to have a good story to make a good film," said Bhardwaj.

Sivan, who has roped in Prabhu Deva, will centre his film on the sufferings of a boy who suffers from the disease. He is going to shoot the film in Mysore.

Nair's 12-minute film is born out of a real life incident and would star Irrfan Khan, Shiney Ahuja, Raima Sen and Sameera Reddy.

"The films are expected to be complete by June 15. After that it will take us six to eight weeks to put them together. It would be ready to be shown from Sep 1 onwards.

"They are going to be low budgets and we are not making salaries out of these movies. Everyone will be paid but it will be a sort of token amount rather than the millions mostly make. The idea is not to make money but to make exciting cinema. It will look as good as other movies but it will not make people's pocket fatter."

Nair said that if the series will be a success, she would continue it next year.

"If the series would be success there is a chance we could make another four films with other four directors next year and so that's the idea. I hope we continue to the series.

"The films are for the mass general audience and it will target youngsters too."

For the distribution of the film, she said: "I am depending on my personal relationships and people wanting to have business with us. The only absolute agreement I have is with UTV. I am depending on them to make it a permanent part of their blockbusters.

"Also, I plan to meet Manmohan Shetty of Adlabs. He is very much in solidarity with the idea. And I am also going to see Yash Chopra. They are the people I know and they have been told about it and I am confident they will agree because of the calibre of films we are going to give them.

"The onus lies on us and the actors to make the film more entertaining, unpredictable and exciting cinema rather than lecture or commercials. People will come to see blockbuster but would go home talking about our film."
 

Shah Rukh magic prevails on KBC
 
Mumbai, Jan 22    Shah Rukh Khan Monday night strode into the millions of homes as new Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) host and charmed the audiences with his instant wit and warmth.

Proving sceptics wrong, Shah Rukh, clad in a black suit, comfortably stepped into Amitabh Bachchan's shoes as the anchor of the popular quiz show.

If the first two seasons of KBC were mega hit, with Shah Rukh it's set to scale new heights of success in its third season.

On day one of the show, he was at his hilarious best.

He said: "I am going to unlock KBC - but before that I would like to answer a few questions. People asked me, 'Will you speak in Hindi?' I will talk more, rock youngsters and shock you with my jokes sometimes.

"I was also asked, 'what kind of coat you will wear?" Whatever you want me to wear I will wear it. I will even wear petticoat," said Shah Rukh.

Said Virendra Popli, senior vice president (interactive) of STAR India PVt Ltd: "We are loving it. It's a great show and initial response is phenomenal. And, of course, we are relived. As far as future plans go we are planning to build up on it."

Fans' verdict was also positive.

"He is going to be super-hit as he is doing what he is best at. He is an intelligent conversationalist and he made it obvious on the show," said Neeraj Kumar, a Delhi-based professional

They say the first impression is the last impression and Shah Rukh has surely started on the right note. Though his persona is different from that of Amitabh, he has managed to keep the spirit and essence of the quiz show intact.

If anything, you can feel the generation gap between the two superstars - Shah Rukh is wittier, livelier and more easy-going with his contestants.

He was very friendly with Sarkar, the first day's contestant, and even shared pleasantries with his wife as well.

Shah Rukh's official language is going to be 'Hinglish' and instead of "lock kiya jaye" he says: "Freeze kar diya jaye".

Like his fans this is a big moment for King Khan too so he is rejoicing it at the Taj Hotel here with Samir Nair, Popli, and 400 STAR employees.

The show's launch was preceded by a stylishly shot hip-hop music video and, as usual, the king of Bollywood was at his best in it.
 

Rakeysh Mehra ecstatic about BAFTA nomination
By Subhash K. Jha,  

Mumbai, Jan 23    Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's "Rang De Basanti" couldn't make it to the Oscar nominations, but the director is thrilled that his film has been short-listed for the prestigious British Academy Of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) non-English language award.

Earlier, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Devdas" had got the honour for 'film not in the English language' category.

"Have you seen the other nominations?" Mehra said excitedly.

" 'Rang De Basanti' shares the list with Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' and Pedro Almodovar's 'Volver'. We're in excellent company. I spoke to A.R. Rahman in Toronto. He was thrilled. The entire team is over the moon. In fact, we're putting together a documentary on the film where Rahman says 'Rang De...' has changed his career," Mehra told IANS.

BAFTA held screenings of the film, which has Aamir Khan and Soha Ali Khan playing important roles, in Los Angeles, New York and London.

"I attended those screenings and also the extremely enlightening Q&A sessions after the screenings. We kept talking until 1.30 a.m. In India we'd have gone home. Just goes to show distances are being bridged not just in the corporate world but also in the entertainment business.

"The thing about BAFTA is it's the European counterpart of the Oscars. The Europeans take this award very seriously."

Mehra is sill receiving congratulatory calls.

"People in London, who informed me, said it was a huge honour for Indian cinema. The foreign-film category is hugely competitive. How do I explain the endless run of 'Rang De Basanti'? I think the emotions there are very basic.

On Feb 11 Mehra is going to be in London for BAFTA with the entire "Rang De Basanti" team.

But the bifurcation of the best film and best director awards in some of the Indian popular awards, with only one-half going to "Rang De Basanti", has exasperated Mehra.

"They've 90 categories, somewhere you can see the awards being politicised. Okay, I don't mind if I don't get best director. But how can 'Rang De...' not be awarded for editing or lyrics??

"The lyrics have given the film a poetic perspective. Popular awards are being given out to balance the picture. If a film is good, embrace it, please. By sheer mathematics, if 'Rang De...' gets maximum nominations, it should equal to best film. I'm not annoyed, only amused."

"Indian cinema is changing. So should the awards. But RDB is representing India at BAFTA. So I'm not complaining."

On a brighter note, what will Mehra be wearing at BAFTA?

"Anything from my wardrobe, yaar! Are you suggesting a designer? No way. I haven't budgeted for that kind of extravagance."

On Jan 26 "Rang De..." gets re-released in India.

"It's just 25 prints. To watch it again would be fun."
 

Marriage yes, but not right now: Sanjay Dutt (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha,  

Mumbai, Jan 23    Sanjay Dutt says media speculation about his marriage with Maanyata makes him uncomfortable and he would appreciate being left alone.

"The day I'm married all my friends and well-wishers will know about it. Marriage is something I'm looking forward to. It's perhaps that anchor which I need. Yeah, I do feel the need to settle down. But not right now. My top priority is to get out of my legal hassles. Only then will I think about other aspects of my life," Sanjay told IANS in an interview.

Apparently, in a fit of drunken defiance, he told a journalist he's married to his girlfriend, and what can he do about it? And the news spread at an amazing speed.

His intentions behind being seen with Maanyata at an awards function appear almost naïve.

"She wanted to see a (glamorous) show like that. Of course, I was aware her presence would make people curious. But I never imagined they'd start maligning her name. That's a terrible thing to do. She's a sweet simple soul. I can't imagine why they're saying such terrible things about her. I wish people would leave the two of us alone."

He is more than willing to step out in the open with her but doesn't appreciate media speculation.

"All this speculation is making me very uncomfortable. The truth is, I've known Maanyata for four years. She comes from a very conservative business family. Why all this dirt about her? I'm not denying her past. Everyone has a past. I've one. So does she, I'm sure.

"Why rake it up just to humiliate her? This is especially unfair since what's been written about her is untrue. How can they pull her down just because she is involved with me?

"Of course, I'm proud of her. My intention of taking her to the awards function was very simple. She had never been to a grand awards function. And I wanted her to see one," said Sanjay.

Sanjay, who got a further reprieve as a special TADA court trying the 1993 serial blasts case extended his bail till Feb 6, now wants to improve his public image.

"So far I've been so tied down with my court cases I've had no time for anything. But, now, that I'm hopefully out of it I promise a better image to myself. I was so tense because of my court cases that I couldn't work. I didn't shoot for six months.

"I'm back to work with Sanjay Gupta's 'Dus Kahaniyan', Indra Kumar's 'Dhamaal' and, of course, the third Munnabhai film that will start by the end of the year, if all goes well. Then there's Sanjay Gupta's 'Alibaug' and Shyam Benegal's 'Chamki Chameli'."

Sanjay admitted that after his father's death he has become quite lonely.

"God has been kind. And I've full faith in the judiciary. I wish things would become okay in my life again. I've been alone for a large part of my life. After dad's (Sunil Dutt) death I feel especially alone."

But he is willing to carry forward his father's legacy.

"I now feel like the man of the family. I've watched my sisters grow up. I feel responsible towards them. I've got to carry my dad's good work forward. I've taken over dad's charitable work, with the cancer foundation, for AIDS and his efforts with an institute called SUPPORT to help street kids overcome drug addiction."

Now, perhaps, Sanjay needs to think about himself a bit.

"I feel the need to settle down. I'm still not able to go out of the country. But my daughter (who lives in the US) keeps visiting. My daughter is all of 18 now. She's attending a college in the US, her chosen subject is forensic science."

He became emotional while talking about the film industry's support.

"When they decided to do a signature campaign for me in December I stopped them. I'm just too grateful to them for standing by me. Without them I don't know what I'd have done."

Shilpa gets more support from Bollywood
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 23    Even as the tormentor of Shilpa Shetty has been voted out of British reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother", Bollywood is still rallying in her support.

Anupam Kher (a judge on "Zee Cine Stars"): To be called such names is just not unparliamentary. It's appalling. I don't know how it (was) allowed. Having said that I must say reality television is all about grief... and that's the brief.

No, I never force tears out of the contestants on Zee Cine Stars. But the tears don't hurt the TRPs. Shilpa went with her eyes open. And look what her presence has done to the show! "Big Brother" is being watched by everyone! I love the dignity with which she handled herself. But governments getting into the game show? Now that according to me is a bit too much!

Arshad Warsi (host of "Bigg Boss"): First of all, let me say Shilpa is beautiful, articulate and very camera friendly. Hence she was a sitting target for all the other inmates at "Big Brother".

I must say the show's format is about pushing each other over the brink. When you go into "Big Brother" you're ready to face this kind of behaviour. That's what the show is about. I'm proud of Shilpa. If she's affecting them, it means she's better than all of them in there.

Dino Morea: If they're calling Shilpa a "dog" or refusing to eat the food cooked by her, it doesn't amount to racism, thought that's bad enough. But if they're making snide references to her skin colour and her accent and calling her "Paki" then I'm afraid this is a serious issue, and we need to take very serious note of it. I was offered the Indian version of "Big Brother" but I refused "Bigg Boss".

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: I think the show is being given too much importance.

Ekta Kapoor: It's amazing how she has maintained her dignity. Hats off to her. I'd have given it back to those racial snobs so hard they'd have been crying about discrimination.

Aryan Vaid: I've been on the Indian counterpart ("Bigg Boss"). Believe me, it's tough and its scary and scarring. The fact that Shilpa's humiliation on "Big Brother" is being discussed in British parliament shows the matter cannot be taken lightly.

But to make this an issue of 'us' against 'them' is slightly premature. Let's not forget that in the "Big Brother" house people resort to a lot of mind games... Everyone in there is under a lot of pressure.

Simi Garewal: I don't believe any living creature should be humiliated... and definitely not for public entertainment. Still, I don't think Shilpa should walk out mid-game. I think the channel should disallow racial slurs. But you know what? This is going to be the trend now. Every country will have reality shows just to win eyeballs. I only hope racial discrimination doesn't become a TRP boosting device.

IANS