Nobody Loves Me

Masoom Forever

He8217;s had several opportunities and this looks like the final one. Jugal Hansraj is perhaps, destined to be remembered forever as the adorable child actor from Masoom. His role in Aa Gale Lag Jaa opposite Masoom alumnus Urmila Matondkar and his part in Mohabbatein didn8217;t do very much for him. Up for release is his latest film, the Rajshris8217; romance, Hum Pyaar Tumhi Se Kar Baithe, in which he plays leading man to newcomer Tina Ranaa. If this doesn8217;t do the trick, nothing will, say Bollywood insiders. Television, the young actor insists, is not his cup of tea. But it8217;s unlikely that another filmmaker will risk casting the pretty boy in a leading role again.

8216;Super8217;natural

Here8217;s another little surprise: In Honey Irani8217;s directorial debut Armaan, which stars Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Preity Zinta and Gracy Singh, the Big B plays 8212; guess what 8212; a ghost! He appears in spirit form in his son8217;s Anil Kapoor dreams and advises him. After playing father of the ghost in Mohabbatein remember Aishwarya Rai, he8217;s taken on the invisible mantle himself this time.

Akki Can Act

Look who8217;s pulling up his socks now, it8217;s Akshay Kumar. The young man from Bangkok who worked as a Chinese cook once is determined to prove he can act8230; After positive reviews for his performances in Ajnabee and Awara Paagal Deewana, he8217;s now signed up for films with a bunch of directors likely to exploit his full talent. There8217;s Madhur Bhandarkar8217;s Police Force, which also stars Shatrughan Sinha, Sunil Shetty and Tabu. He will also be a part of the ensemble cast of Rajkumar Santoshi8217;s Khaki to which Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna and Jaya Prada have already committed themselves. And finally, there is likely to be a big ambitious venture to be directed by Ramgopal Varma, which Bharat Shah will produce. Perhaps it8217;s his baby son Araav that8217;s brought him the good luck.

The Good Side

After making news for all the wrong reasons these past few months, Salman Khan is again in the public eye 8212; this time for Dev Anand8217;s latest film, Love In Times Square. The promos are on television, and in the midst of all the obscure faces one notices Salman Khan strumming a guitar. Devsaab, while planning the movie, was mighty pleased to receive a call from Salman, who insisted on playing a small role in the film. The indefatigable filmmaker cast him as a pop singer, a role which required only a few days8217; work. According to Dev Anand, Salman even volunteered to do the role free.

Verrry Special

Remember you read it here first8230; In Mani Ratnam8217;s Alaipayuthe, it was Arvind Swamy and Khushboo who made uncredited special appearances at the end of the film. In that film8217;s desi remake Saathiya, which stars Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee in leading roles, the two stars who make the special appearances are none other than Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu. It was, apparently, Yash Chopra one of the co-producers of Saathiya who roped in Shah Rukh Khan for the cameo, while Mani Ratnam himself beckoned Tabu to play the role opposite Shah Rukh. Sorry we8217;re spilling the beans so early in the day, but somebody8217;s got to do it8230;