Journalism of Courage
Some stars are taking time off to pursue personal hobbies
Once upon a time,film stars would head to exotic locations for some sun and sand in between movies. But increasingly,a young brigade of actors is adding different facets to their personalities when taking a break from shoots,or even the forced break courtesy the producer-multiplex powwow.
Bipasha Basu just announced she was taking a month off to learn belly-dancing. Though the actress is yet to embark on her choice of play,that shes kept the long-time dream intact on her priority list today,makes it worth a mention.
However,the one actor who is taking time out to fulfill his ambitious newfound hobby over everything else is Abhay Deol. Not getting distracted by the fame coming his way post Dev Ds success,the youngest Deol is in New York to pursue an advanced coursed in welding. This,after he just couldnt get enough of it during the three-month course on the subject that he attended some time back,even as Dev D premiered in India.
The urge to explore newer avenues is not restricted to meaningful holidays alone. Even while taking time off between shoots,stars are making the most of their time and resources. Photography,which started as a fun pastime in-between shoots for Dor in Rajasthan,has today become a serious hobby for Shreyas Talpade when shooting on outdoor locations. I have come a long way from my Dor days when it comes to understanding technicalities like aperture,shutter speed,lighting and so on, confesses Talpade who recently turned on the shutters on his co-stars from Hook Ya Crook while shooting in Hyderabad.
Similarly,thrilled with their swimming-with-the-white-sharks experience in the Bahamas for Blue,Akshay Kumar,Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan kept at it even when after the director announced pack-up. So much so,that the trios names are now up at the local beachs Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Hollywood heartthrobs Sean Connery,Pierce Brosnan and Johnny Depp among others.
The latest member to this get-more-out-of-life club is Rock On!! star Purab Kohli. A trained deep-sea diver,he is just back in the city after visiting the white sharks of South Africa. Recalling his experience,he says,The authorities put out a bait of flesh and blood,and before we knew it,I was surrounded by these gigantic 15-foot long creatures. Soon,one of the sharks was barely 12 inches away from me. When she bit into that piece of meat,I could see her saw-like teeth in full close-up.
From the girl gang,combining business with pleasure is the petite Minissha Lamba. While shooting for Shyam Bengals Well Done Abba in Hyderabad,the actress has found an alternative for tedious gym workouts in the form of squash classes. To ensure that her new hobby class keeps a complete check on calories,the actress was seen spending a good two hours on the court everyday. Needless to say,Lamba is all set to win herself Tinseltowns squash championship.
