Petty Ms Pretty

THERE8217;S no denying the fact that she8217;s immensely beautiful, but Riya Sen also has the word unprofessional written all over her fac...

THERE8217;S no denying the fact that she8217;s immensely beautiful, but Riya Sen also has the word unprofessional written all over her face. Everyone in Bollywood is aware of the fact that there8217;s a controversy brewing over the script of the soon-to-be-released Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar, which debutant filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh insists has been whacked by DVPV producer Viveck Vaswani from his Sujoy8217;s own script for his under-production film, Jhankaar Beats. Now little Ms Sen, who plays a starring role in Ghosh8217;s film, has gone and made a special appearance in Vaswani8217;s flick, much to the shock of everyone in Bollywood film circles. Shame, shame to the moppet who8217;s betrayed her film-maker for a big wad of moolah!

The Raaz of Success

BIPASHA Basu is fast turning out to be a lucky mascot for filmmakers. In her debut film Ajnabee, she made a lasting impression despite the fact that the film also boasted the presence of the very talented Kareena Kapoor. Ajnabee, although not a blockbuster hit, made decent money for the producers. Her second film Raaz, although panned unanimously by the critics, turned out a big moneyspinner. Even her fleeting appearance in Aankhen turned that film into a money-earner, and although she played second fiddle to just about everyone in Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai, she was definitely one of the film8217;s biggest strengths. As a result, the film didn8217;t exactly die out on a whimper, but ended up making more money than both the Bhagat Singh films which released on the same day. In her forthcoming film Gunaah, sexy Bipasha has a full length role opposite now-off-now-on boyfriend Dino Morea, and reportedly the film has enough steamy scenes with Bipasha to keep the frontbenchers glued to their seats.

Congratulations in Order?

A RED-HOT rumour is doing the rounds in Bollywood, and although everyone is shocked by it, there seems to be some truth to it. One much-married aging leading actor, whose recent home production bombed at the box-office, is supposedly having a rip-roaring scene with this sexy siren who starred opposite him in the film. The actor, one of the finest of his generation, has been seen opting for character roles of late, and has suffered a downslide in his career over the last few years. The actress, not too long ago attached to Bollywood8217;s most famous Casanova, is now single after she was dumped in favour of another actress whom her former boyfriend eventually married. Looks like both stars have found solace in each other.

Love on8230; oops, of the Job

MAKING many movies together are Jimmy Shergill and Hrishita Bhatt who will be seen first in Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar together, and then in Thigmanshu Dhulia8217;s gritty Haasil. Rumours of a relationship between the two have been scoffed at by both actors who insist that the only thing they share is a love for the acting job. Happily married Jimmy says he8217;s found a wonderful friend a co-star in Hrishita with whom he vibes well on screen. In Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar, the twos rekindle the spirit of such old R D Burman gems as Raat kali ek khwaab among others. And in Haasil, yet another take on the underworld, insiders say audiences can look forward to an intense award-winning performance from Jimmy, while Hrishita draws attention for her chillingly sensitive performance as his love interest.

Sister Act

AMISHA Patel8217;s younger brother Ashmit has already begun shooting for his debut film Intehaan, which Vikram Bhatt is directing for Mukesh Bhatt. Cast opposite the first-time actor is former airhostess and recent 8216;Maska Chaska8217; model Vidya Malawade who was also among the 14 finalists on MTV8217;s recent veejay hunt. Unitwalas say Vikram Bhatt is extra protective of his young actor and is very patient with the boy. Of course, insiders say that8217;s because Vikram is currently dating Ashmit8217;s sis Amisha.

Dutt8217;s Not Fair

WHY this jinx every time Subhash Ghai and Sanjay Dutt decide to work together? When Ghai had signed Dutt for his Mukul Anand-directed production Trimurti many years ago, the project had to be completed without Sanju baba star because he ran into legal trouble and was subsequently arrested. Now that Ghai has signed him up again for his David Dhawan-directed production Ek Aur Ek Gyaraah, there is again controversy brewing around Dutt, this time over the Chhota Shakeel tapes. Although Ghai and Dhawan are shooting their film at breakneck pace, Bollywoodwalas are concerned things might come to an abrupt halt if Dutt faces legal hassles again.

Khan8217;t Do This

ANOTHER lot who may end up suffering immensely because of Dutt8217;s dilemmas is the Khan khandaan. The recent Salman Khan-starrer Yeh Hai Jalwa which, in any case, was not doing great business at the box-office has been pulled out from several cinemas because Dutt makes a special appearance in the film. Now the next film likely to suffer because of Dutt8217;s presence in it is Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, in which Salman8217;s chhota bhai Sohail Khan makes his acting debut. Dutt, once again makes a special appearance 8212; as, of all things, an underworld don!

The Number You8217;ve Dialled8230;

WHILE on Dutt, it8217;s interesting the effect his infamous tapes and the associated controversy has had on Bollywood. Filmstars, filmmakers and hanger-ons just don8217;t answer their cell-phones to unrecognisable numbers anymore. If the call is answered, it is more than likely it will be a spot boy, a hairdresser or a make-up person at the other end, rather than the actor or the director. Nobody wants to be in the awkward position of receiving a call from a bhai and not know whether to do him a favour or not!

Nagging Doubt

Does Madhuri Dixit pull off her television gig as well she does her film assignments?

Jackie Shroff: 8216;8216;Oh come on! Madhuri is Madhuri. She8217;s brilliant at whatever she does. I think she8217;s a good host on television because she has great screen presence. No doubt about that.8217;8217;

Sajid Khan: 8216;8216;No. Madhuri Dixit is not a good television anchor. She acts while she hosts the show, and that8217;s confusing the audience. Just like Govinda cannot host a show because he is an actor, Madhuri is also good at acting, but not at hosting a television show.8217;8217;

Rinke Khanna: 8216;8216;Madhuri has this unique ability of putting life into whatever she does. She has immense screen presence, and she makes as good a television anchor person as she does a film actress.8217;8217;

Hrishita Bhatt: 8216;8216;She8217;s looking fabulous on the show. In fact I8217;m sure the audience loves her on television. After Devdas, she8217;s again Number One, and that has added to her popularity today.8217;8217;