- 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".
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Odds And Ends
Odds And Ends
