Chatter box

Mad about basketball
This Valentine’s Day,Nina Manuel’s date will be Dino Morea. And there is nothing for girlfriend Lara Dutta to fret over. This was only for a special Valentine’s Day episode of After Hrs on Zee Café when host Nina spent the day chatting up the model-turned-actor. Dino,who’s passionate about basketball,couldn’t stop raving about his recent trip to Los Angeles where he and ladylove sat in a full-access VIP box at an NBA game. Not only did the love birds meet their favorite basketball player Kobe Bryant but they also mingled with Hollywood stars Jack Nicholson and Andy Garcia who shared their VIP box. Dino,who’s quite a basketball player,is toying with the idea of promoting the sport in India. That is perhaps the reason why he autographed a basketball on the show. The basketball is up for grabs as a contest prize this weekend as the V-Day special.

Labour of love
MONA Singh is one versatile actress,who carries every role with élan whether it is portraying a bespectacled Jassi or proving her dancing mettle on stage. Recently, she was approached to work on a Valentine’s Day episode on Love Ne Bana Di Jodi— a spoof on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi,which is going to air on Star Plus. Mona was very nervous when she signed on the event since she had to replicate the character of Taani from the movie. To pull off the character perfectly,Mona specially watched the movie and studied Taani’s character. On the day of the shoot,she delivered the character of Taani with confidence and did it to perfection,along with her Jassi co-star Gaurav Gera,who played the part of SRK. Now that’s what we call dedication.

In her shoes
THINGS sure keep happening on reality shows. In its very first month,Dance India Dance has replaced its host. Saumya Tandon of Jab We Met fame will now step into the shoes of RJ Tarana Raja. Sources say that Tarana was replaced because she was looking a little tired and jaded on screen and her chemistry with Jay Bhanushali was completely missing. Saumya is very excited about the project and is looking forward to meeting the whole team,especially the legendary Mithunda. An elated Saumya says,“ A sutradhar has so many roles to play in any show,be that of a friend,philosopher or guide. You are considered to be the central point of the show that connects all the chords. It’s the first time on television that I am going to anchor a show and am quite nervous about the idea. I am grateful to Zee TV for this offer.”