Most Wanted Female

Socialite Evenings

SPOTTED Akshay Kumar, a very pregnant Twinkle Khanna and Rinke Khanna attending the premiere of Rahul Bose8217;s Everybody Says I8217;m Fine at Regal Cinema in Mumbai last week. Namrata Shirodkar, who was sitting nearby, embraced the couple and exchanged polite nothings, while Pooja Bhatt gave Akki a big bear hug in the foyer outside. Spotted Kaizad Gustad at the party at the Taj later, accompanied by Boom producer Ayesha Shroff.

Beating the Path to Locarno

MR and Mrs Iyer, the Aparna Sen movie that film aficionados have been waiting for, is to be screened at Locarno. So is the digital video, Let8217;s Talk, directed by debutant Ram Madhwani. Rahul Bose is the protagonist in the first, while his pal Boman Irani plays the lead role in the second. Apart from the fact that both actors are known faces in the world of English theatre, the pals have something else in common: Bose8217;s debut effort as director, Everybody Says I8217;m Fine, also has Irani essaying a key role. With Everybody Says8230; already released, movie buffs will be hoping Mr and Mrs Iyer and Let8217;s Talk will also see the light of the day in India.

Acting Pricey

WHEN filmmaker Ketan Mehta who has directed Shah Rukh Khan in both Maya Memsaab and Oh Darling Yeh Hai India approached the Devdas star recently with a role in the next film he was planning, the actor heard him out patiently and said he would consider the offer. When the director began calling Shah Rukh8217;s secretary to check if the star would be willing to do the film, he was glad to hear that Shah Rukh had agreed out of sentimental reasons. But, we hear Shah Rukh has given his secretary strict instructions not to allot dates for the film for the next seven years or so. Ketan Mehta, not surprisingly, was spotted leaving the actor8217;s office with an expression that couldn8217;t be put down to either excitement or disgust.

Walled In?

HYDERABAD Blues director Nagesh Kukunoor is finally ready with his latest offering Teen Deewarein. Unlike his first few films, the latest is about a prisoner 8212; played by Jackie Shroff 8212; on death row. Should the film hit the screens on August 23, as scheduled, it will be up against a glut of movies scheduled to release the same day, including Kaante and Agnivarsha, both of which star Amitabh Bachchan, the Preity-Arjun-Mahima starrer Dil Hai Tumhara and Ramgopal Varma8217;s Road.

Model Behaviour

THE staff at Bandra8217;s Otter8217;s Club will vouch for Arjun Rampal8217;s good manners8230; A regular at the club ever since he was a fledgling model, Arjun hasn8217;t changed a bit since he got big and famous. He8217;s still on backslapping terms with the gym instructor and the waiters, and he throws no starry tantrums even when his order takes way too long to show up. The waiters love to serve him because he always gives them generous tips. The next time you see a bunch of hotel staff surrounding him, remember, it8217;s not for his autograph.

Two Minutes of Shah Rukh

GO through the list of 30-odd Indian films bound for the Locarno fest, and you8217;ll be pardoned for thinking none of Shah Rukh Khan8217;s films have made the cut. But one film has 8212; writer Arundhati Roy8217;s intriguing 1989 effort, In Which Annie Gives It Those. Though Shah Rukh8217;s name isn8217;t even mentioned in the credits, you can8217;t miss him in that rare, two-minute walk-on role, gauche and thoroughly un-SRK-like as a college student with a chikna hair-do. So the next time someone tells you SRK made his screen debut on television with Fauji, tell them you know better. In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones came earlier than Fauji did, a fact even SRK8217;s many fans seem to forget.

Ek Chhoti Si Publicity Stunt?

THERE is some talk in Bollywood that the whole jhagda between actress Manisha Koirala and filmmaker Shashilal Nair over the supposedly steamy scenes he has included in his film, Ek Chhoti Si Love Story is nothing more than a publicity gimmick. Koirala and Nair, close friends, are believed to have hatched this plan to bring some attention to their otherwise obscure film which might have come and gone without a trace, had it not made the kind of splash it has now8230;

Dil Chahta Hai8230; Farhan!

You know you8217;ve made it in Bollywood when virtually everyone on the who8217;s-who list shows up at your little do. At celebrations to mark the golden jubilee of Farhan Akhtar8217;s Dil Chahta Hai , not only did the film8217;s six stars Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Dimple Kapadia show up, but just about every single mover and shaker 8212; including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Vivek Oberoi, Gurinder Chadha, Fardeen Khan, Sonali Bendre, Bobby Deol, Rani Mukherjee, Rahul Khanna, Arbaaz Khan, Sanjay Kapoor, and Sohail Khan 8212; put in an appearance. It8217;s not uncommon for a whole galaxy of stars to show up for a prominent filmmaker8217;s party shortly before he8217;s ready to announce his next film. But what8217;s interesting in the case of this party is that Farhan8217;s already announced the cast of his next film, Lakshya. Of course, the turnout could have something to do with the fact that his parents Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani have immense goodwill in the industry.