Interviews

Rina Dhaka, one of the pioneers of Indian fashion, says it doesn't matter if she is designing for an international market or an Indian one as long as her clothes are in business. "For me, designing for Naomi Campbell or any of my Indian customers gives me equal pleasure and satisfaction," Dhaka, who has made a mark in women's wear with her bold lines, told IANS in an interview here.

They giggled and reminisced the nine months of strenuous shooting they went through for "Chak De! India" but it was strange to see the go-getter hockey players of the film shed their sporty look, walk around in stilettos and with make-up on. Tanya Abrol, better known as the tough Balbir Kaur, was nicknamed 'The Falling Queen' during the shoot, while Shubhi Mehta or Gunjan Lakhani broke her ankle and had her back all black and blue during the hockey practice sessions, the girls revealed.

Tension is brewing between Sanjay Leela Bhasali and Farah Khan over the release date of their films "Saawariya" and "Om Shanti Om" respectively. The former is upset with his colleague for ridiculing him and his mother on chat shows and interviews. "Making fun of my 75-year-old mother is really not done. I'm proud to have my mother's name as part of my name. No civilised human would want his or her parent ridiculed. Even if 'reliable sources' decide to make fun of my mother to make mileage they'd still have my mother's blessings," Bhansali told IANS.

"Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag" has bombed at the box office, but that hasn't deterred Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan from wanting to work again with the director. "Yes, he (Varma) wants to do 'Time Machine' with Abhishek and me. I'm comfortable working with Ramu. So why not another film? I haven't done a sci-fi before," Amitabh told IANS.

He is rumoured to have a soured relationship with co-star Arshad Warsi and split from long-time girlfriend Bipasha Basu, but John Abraham is unfazed by the grapevine buzz. The actor, busy shooting abroad and pursuing his international goals, says his inaccessibility to the media fans the rumours.

Though he didn't go very far as an actor, Rahul Bajaj has achieved success with his first novel "Bollywood Roulette: Inside the Struggle", which exposes the underbelly of the Hindi film industry. Rahul, who used to be an investment banker in New York but came back to India to take up acting as a profession, says after publishing such a story, he has no hope of getting any roles in future either.

Govinda, who is once again teaming with Salman Khan in the sequel to "Partner", says he is doing the movie for the sake of his fans who want to see him with his "Partner" co-star again. "People have accepted 'Partner' wholeheartedly. Salman, David (Dhawan) and I worked as a family on the sets and audiences saw us as a family in the film. The good vibes always show up," Govinda told IANS.

Item girl Rakhi Sawant, who has signed a new semi-autobiographical Broadway-style Bollywood musical called "Balti Devi: Queen Of Southall", is looking for an image makeover. "If I want I can make people weep like Meena Kumari. I live in India and I do feel uncomfortable with my image sometimes. Whatever I've done so far is because the public demanded it. It's the public that's undressing me," Rakhi told IANS in an interview

As Telugu film "Vanaja", winner of 16 major international awards, opens its commercial run in America, director Rajnesh Domalpalli hopes discerning viewers will come to watch the movie that's yet to be released in India. Released in New York City Friday, the story of a young girl's dream - her desire and determination to be a dancer as she struggles to come of age - was shot in rural Andhra Pradesh - "a place that is as rich and diverse as it is beautiful", Domalpalli said.

Not too many people know the talented TV actress Manasi Joshi is Sharman's sister. She is extremely proud of him because despite the presence of talented Irrfan Khan he managed to stand out in "Metro". In fact, the entire Joshi family saw "Metro" en masse."I'm so proud of Sharman. Though Irrfan is the best of the cast in 'Metro', Sharman holds his own. He has come quite a way and we're all proud of him," Manasi told IANS.

Be it a fascinating Shekhawati style haveli in "Paheli", a temple in the middle of the desert in "Dor" or a Portuguese bungalow in "Bhootnath", production designer Muneesh Sappel's magic is evident in each of these films. "The production designer is a newly coined term and has become quite popular in last two to three years. His or her responsibility is to create a convincing environment to make the drama effective. And with directors keeping an eye on meticulous details, it is not an easy job," Sappel told IANS.

Director Ram Gopal Varma seems quite impressed by Esha Deol and says her acting skills have not been fully exploited. The actress plays an intense role in his new horror-comedy "Darling". "Esha's character in the film has been treated with intensity. She is a good actress who has not been utilised fully," said Varma told IANS. "Darling" releases Sep 7.