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Journalism of Courage
THE late wisdom tooth, a corn on the left foot and inauguration of the first-ever eyelash salon are all fantastic reasons to pull out all the stops. Only if it has to do with the celebrity circus 8230; er circuit. Here are some of the beautiful Frankensteins we8217;ve helped create.
The I-Me-Myself Syndrome
Talk about faces, he has the most camera-friendly one in the event management industry. In fact, Marc Robinson makes sure he8217;s the most prominent figure. Be it a Latino night at a hot nightclub, a rave in Goa or a bowling alley8217;s anniversary, Marc8217;s presence hounds those flash bulbs. So what if he8217;s organising all these events? His once-upon-a-time celeb status still holds good for him. Besides, old habits die hard.
Here8217;s another who specialises in the paparazzi thrust. If the quintessential grapevine took human form then it would look like London-based industrialist Abhishek Verma. The only difference being that this grapevine8217;s gossip centres around himself. The son of former Rajya Sabha member Veena Verma takes utmost interest in divulging details of his love life to the media. First, he touted his Greek goddess Evelina Papantoniou Miss Greece 2001 and floated rumours of tying the knot on a ship in Goa. More recently, Verma informed journos that he has moved on to a German beauty, who8217;s expected to visit next week. Talk about never leaving questions unanswered. But the Casanova forgets one tiny detail. Who8217;s asking?
Divya Palat the girl who fizzed to fame with the Aamir Khan Coca Cola ad also tracks anyone in newsville who can flash the spotlight on her face. Recently, she chased the media to 8216;cover8217; her birthday party at a five-star nightclub. 8216;8216;A photographer should pose no problem,8217;8217; she chirped, when a reporter who was incessantly badgered, jokingly asked whether she should attend with one in tow. In fact, she even published an article for the internet edition of a well-known publication, that highlighted the fact that she studied at the same university as Chelsea Clinton. Palat8217;s entire write-up was dedicated to 8216;An encounter with the daughter of the President of the USA8217;.
The All-for-a-Cause Variety
There8217;s an entire list of people who want to milk the charitable cause cow dry. If it8217;s not Shaina NC opening a floodgate of fashion shows to serve the needy read venue free-of-cost and celebrity models who come with a charity tag attached, it8217;s veteran actress Rati Agnihotri who has attached herself to an urban cause. Menopause is Rati8217;s latest hook and the publicity department at Vimla Patil Associates is sparing no effort to tell the world about the actress8217; contribution to womanhood. 8216;8216;Some of the best looking women in India are grandmothers! They can have an active sex life till well into their sixties,8217;8217; says Rati in one of the notes which came with her portfolio pictures see below. We hear you loud and clear.
Sunil Alagh, ex-Britannia CEO, hitched a ride on the 8216;Save The Tiger8217; campaign. It8217;s just incidental that the samaritan8217;s company owns a brand called Tiger biscuits, so no point growling at him. Show some empathy, we love those who dare to care.
And you have to be deaf if you haven8217;t heard the voice of the nation coming from film-maker Mahesh Bhatt8217;s voice box. Nuclear disarmament, sex on television, post-earthquake crisis in Gujarat and8212;this one takes the cake8212; an appearance at a lecture on Searches For Extraterrestrial Life organised by The British Council. Maybe Bhatt8217;s researching for a desi E.T.. Is Rakesh Roshan listening?
The Victimised Sorority
And if Senior Bhatt is busy promoting himself, then junior does a brilliant job of pushing her films. Even before the livewire sexual tension around Jism fizzled out, Bhatt sprung a new surprise about her love life that ran into an entire column. More recently, she mailed a release with a photocopy of Variety8217;s Cannes Daily8217; that carried a review of Jism. Bhatt says it 8216;8216;was read by every delegate, film-maker and actor/technician who attended Cannes8230;8217;8217; and goes on to add, 8216;8216;We feel you might enjoy reading this review and sharing it with your associates and friends.8217;8217;
Did anyone just say Manisha Koirala? Her Ek Chhoti Si Love Story saga that unspooled just before the film8217;s release, had everyone rushing for a piece of the skin show. Shashilal Nair and Koirala clashed in court and Koirala8217;s body double spun a tear-jerker about big bad Bollywood.
Talk about media bash-up. Actor Raja Bundela 8216;stage-managed8217; an assault on himself after the preview of his film Pratha in Bhopal. After crying wolf, he surrendered to the police.
And you have to give it to the master puppeteer, the one with the curse of the gab, who roped in an entire battalion of journalists into his living room to witness a monologue. The 8216;warrior8217; spoke of Salman8217;s harassing calls and how he couldn8217;t be a part of the silent film industry. His parting shot, 8216;8216;I didn8217;t want to blow this out of proportion, but settle things amicably with his family.8217;8217;
Call it perfect timing. But no sooner did the Vivek Oberoi-Salman Khan bash come to an end, the injury on the little toe of her left foot made headlines. And who could forget her poignant note justifying her unkempt appearance at Cannes? Chin up Ash, we8217;re always with you. You8217;re the camera8217;s favourite child.
The Sideshow Sparklers
Virender Sehwag isn8217;t screaming himself hoarse about being on Time magazine8217;s cover. But photographer Atul Kasbekar, who shot the picture, has been cranking up the sound systems. For surround-sound effect, he8217;s even been mailing around a photograph of him and Sehwag, along with a copy of the magazine. 8216;8216;Quotes from Sehwag can be arranged,8217;8217; reads the accompanying note.
The Sex-Sells Clan
Kudos to the budding actress who works really hard to get things off her chest. So when the Khwahish flames died, the news about Mallika Sherawat 8216;being stalked8217; was spread around like wildfire. She whimpered: 8216;8216;You know how Indian men react to movies with sex in them. Now I need a bodyguard to guard my body.8217;8217; Meanwhile, she8217;s been busy finding some space on The Washington Post.
The Star-Sells Breed
Baiju Parthan may have been cradled in Ashish Balram Nagpal8217;s Gallery, but we8217;ve caught more stars rising from here than at an awards night. Sure, it8217;s the sheer thrill of gazing at an Anjolie Ela Menon that drives them to the gallery, so Nagpal makes it a big point to invite everyone associated with tinsel town to his shows8212;Diya Mirza, Manish Malhotra 8230; it8217;s not his fault that they attract the paparazzi to the gallery, is it?
The Anything-Sells Tribe
Classical dancer Shanta Rati Mishra8217;s performances are a visual treat. But calls from her publicity managers are turning into an ocular nightmare. The dancer is willing to contribute to any given column8212;on food, utility, art, beauty or fashion. Will someone please tell her hire-hands for the 256th frustrating time that we cannot publish her work?
With inputs from Shailaja Tripathi in New Delhi
