First Take

Looks like US ambassador Robert D. Blackwill is fast on his way tobecoming a favourite in the Capital. His round-table dinners make for the best place todiscuss diplomacy and politics...And what of that other Downtown regular, theindefatigable Pawan Verma? We hear he is very fruitfully occupied,translating the second set of poems by the prime minister...George Harrison’sdeath has been bringing his India connection into focus. Even his son has a Hindi name, Dhanimeaning wealthy...

While sis Kareena is hogging much silverscreen space, KarismaKapoor is proving to be quite a muse for Shyam Benegal. He hascast her yet again in a Carmen-inspired role originally to have been played by MadhuriDixit. Either of the two Khannas—Rahul or Akshaye—willplay the hero...More Bollywood trivia. We hear Sushmita Sen has decidedto postpone her wedding from February to June next year. All because she has signed abrand new film with Shahrukh Khan...

Guess who’s coming over to usher in the New Year? Heart-throb Hrithikand Suzanne will be at the Golden Palms Resort owned by his in-laws, alsothe venue of his wedding last December... There’s celebration in Annavaru’s(elder brother) household. Dr Rajkumar’s youngest son, Puneet,will act in a Kannada movie Appu after hibernation from the screen. Appu, incidentally, isPuneet’s pet name... Legislator-turned-actor Yogeshwar has decidedto pay homage to brave Indian soldiers who fought against Pak forces in Kargil. He ismaking a Kannada movie, Sainika. It has been exclusively shot in the Kargilsector... Malayalam filmmaker Shaji N. Karun is an unhappy man thesedays. Ever since A.K. Antony’s men took over the affairs of the state, he has beenkept out of all decisions, cinematic, in Kerala. A feeling he is yet to get used to as hewas central to every film-related event in Kerala during the Left regime. Now the stateculture minister G. Karthikeyan turns only to Adoor Gopalakrishnan for guidance.Considering Shaji’s run of controversies recently, from the film festivals held inthe state under his direction to the state film awards, it’s time he cooled his heelsfor a while...