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April 27, 2000
5 QUESTIONS
BILLBOARD
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MAKING WAVES
MEMORIES
MOVIES CHAT
QUOTE MARTIAL
REVIEWS
ROUGH CUTS
SHORT TAKES
SOUTHERN SPICE
THE LIST
WISH THE STARS
ARCHIVES
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'Do I have to be in love?'
Do I have to be in love with someone constantly? Does there have to be a man in my life all the time?" ask Tabu, when faced with a barrage of queries about her alleged romance with Milind Soman. She admits to the friendship, but denies the romance angle with a passion. And as if to tease the scribes, she does not mind openly flirting with Milind when he comes visiting her on the sets. But then, does she have to go to such great lengths to show her fondness for the star by recommending him to all her producers? Not everyone is a Major Ashok Kaul, who has cast Milind in his production for Zee Films. One more film with Milind, of course, means Tabu can spend more time with him!
Watch out for Kareena
Kareena Kapoor is poised to go places and how! Initial reports of her performance in J P Dutta's Refugee are said to be terrific. Not just that, insiders claim she is so good, she will easily outshine the hero of the film, Abhishek Bachchan. Though the Bachchans are not showing any outward concern or panic, a concerned Big B has apparently been making discreet enquiries and chatting up the filmmaker in the hope that his son is not left in the shadows.
Poonam in dotcom land
Poonam Dhillon kept refusing all the offers that came her way. Simply because she did not want to play a mother (as yet). Neither did she want to wait in the wings.What was on her mind was actually rather futuristic. Poonam, exposed to the wonders of the Net, has been having secret parleys with many dotcoms, which has yielded fruitful results. Not only will she be the editor-in-charge of an entertainment portal, but she will also be on the board of directors of a talent search portal. And the money she is getting for lending her name here is far better than what she would have got from the film industry.
Change of music
Either Karan Johar is genuinely looking for a change, or else it is the poor compositions that they dished out for close pal Shah Rukh Khan's home production, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, that prompted the Kuch Kuch... director to sign up Anu Malik. Yes, Jatin-Lalit are not composing music for Karan's next, despite contributing to the success of his debut venture with their lilting music. Anu is naturally on seventh heaven and is said to be giving the young director all the time and attention. He knows that once he keeps Karan happy, the Yash Chopra banner too might fall into his lap.
Dr Nene: A class apart
Dr Shriram Nene, our dhak-dhak Madhuri Dixit's husband, may not have known or gauged the actress's popularity before he married her. But even though he is aware of it now, he does not want to bask in her reflected glory. Lesser-known mortals were throwing tantrums and creating a scene during a recent flight that Madhuri took, along with some of her colleagues, for a show. But Dr Nene was said to be silently sitting with a book, totally absorbed in it, with eyes and ears only for his wife. That is why it seems virtually impossible to believe all those rumours about him giving up his profession (which is said to be very dear to him) to handle some business Madhuri hopes to start. And we are sure that Madhuri wouldn't want it either.
Rani's PR pressure
Must grant Rani Mukherjee her due! She's a smart cookie. At a private screening of her Bobby Deol starrer, Badal, Rani did not mind missing the screening, but made it a point to stand close to Bobby for the short duration that he was present in the preview theatre. And that is not
all! Rani enters a party with her eyes wide open and makes a beeline for the people who matter, absolutely ignoring those who don't. But this professional stance has not really got her anywhere. Because Karan has opted for Kajol, Raj Kanwar for Kareena, and even good pal Govinda is currently recommending Preity Zinta. Probably that is why Rani is desperately trying to improve her PR. But, in the bargain, she's rubbing a lot more people the wrong way.
Manoj-Neha chakkar
Now that he has gained a foothold in Bollywood, Manoj Bajpai is taking the liberty of recommending his girlfriend, Neha, to his filmmaker friends. While once he denied her existence in his life, today Manoj makes it a point to suggest that Neha would definitely suit the role. One filmmaker who has consented to toe the line is Hansal Mehta, who is currently making Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar with the actor. Next, he is planning Netwa, once again with Manoj. But perhaps what the lady will treasure more is Manoj officially acknowledging her presence in his life than him getting her film roles.
Salman sees sense
Salman Khan had better start behaving himself. It is fine for him to play truant with the press or even get nasty with them. But when he tried doing the same with the public, it was different story. Apparently, Salman is said to have got rather nasty with his fans during a recent show in Ahmedabad and they got unruly. It was only after well-meaning friends made him see sense and called for truce that the show took place. Needless to add, Salman performed with full gusto and returned home without being booed.
Here's the latest...
Let us keep you updated on some of the issues we have talking about. Esha Deol is definitely doing Boney Kapoor's film. Madhuri Dixit will play Chandramukhi in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film where Shah Rukh Khan will essay the title role of Devdas, with Aishwarya Rai completing the triangle. But the struggle to know which film of Esha's will make it to the winning post still continues.
And the blast from the past
Did you know that the title role of Nagin, which Reena Roy essayed with great aplomb, was first offered to Neetu Singh? And that she thought it was too negative a role? Ditto Rekha and Yogeeta Bali. Sarika was considered as well, but everyone felt she was too young. Hema Malini refused to even listen to the subject. And it was this film that catapulted Reena into the top bracket.
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