Actress Tara Deshpande has kicked off India’s first collaborative e-novel, TheMotive. If you’re a character in search of a plot, simply log on to themotive.net.
Revathi has directed India’s first all-women crew film—in English. Aparna Sentoo will soon direct Mr and Mrs Iyer, her first English film after 36 Chowringhee Lane.
Radio Jhoothistan—with no trace of irony, that’s what Sushma Swaraj’scalling her programme to counter Pak propaganda. There’ll be a Goebbelsian take forTV too.
The most bizarre Bollywood title in 2002 may be Ooh...Aah...Ouch. Unless, that is, theymake a love pentangle called Ek Murgi Char Chor (and shorten it to E=MC2).
Chennai got its first pub in ’01—alas, all its discotheques shut down. Andthe most unpopular item on the airdropped American food in Afghanistan? Strawberry jam!
Chin 2 Bhonsle, grandson of Asha, has floated India’s first boy band, A Band of Boys. Channel V will go one better, with a reality show to yield an Indian Spice Girls.
Suraj Balajee, the child in Asoka, returns in summer 2002 with a 3-D film, The Magician. The last one was in ’98, a remake of the pioneering My Dear Kuttichattan.
Roland Joffe, he of City of Joy, will soon renew his India connection with the firstEnglish-Hindi Hollywood production. It’ll be called The Invaders aka Aakraman.
Producers fined five top Tamil stars, including Prashant and the buxom Rambha Rs 2 lakheach for appearing on TV in 2001. Five directors too got the treatment.
What got Mrinal-da to stir out of hibernation after eight years to make Swadesh?
AnIslamabad subziwallah’s reaction to a Rajdeep Sardesai poser on war—"nuksan".