Bollywood Buzz December 2002
Salman?s
Accidental Wisdom
It was a scene straight out of a Hindi masala flick: A hero?s welcome being given to the ?villain? of the piece. Salman Khan came home to a rousing reception after spending 17 days in jail in the hit-and-run case that hit the headlines all of October. His ground floor flat at Galaxy Apartments in Bandra was teeming with his industry friends, among them Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta, Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Kapoor. It was party time again in the Khan household. The court after keeping everyone on tenterhooks, had released him on conditional bail. According to Salman, his jail stint was educative and helped him put things in proper perspective. ?Perhaps I needed to go inside. I have always lived a life of luxury, had never seen so much of pain and discomfort.? He added that though he would always pick up people from streets who met with accidents, it was unfortunate that he could not do so when his own car hit somebody. ?I did not want to leave but a mob gathered and started throwing stones. I was left with no choice that night but to leave much against my wishes. The site of the accident keeps coming back to me like in a filmy flashback.? Touche!
Dimple?s Pardesi Leela
The gorgeous and now mellow Dimple Kapadia returns to the screen after a hiatus with an English movie Leela, yet another film from our Indian diaspora which explores the cultural hang-ups confronting ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis). Dimple plays a visiting professor to the US who develops a bond with her 18-year-old student Kris played by newcomer Amol Mhatre. A kind of Summer of ?42 on the US campus, the boy?s attraction for his teacher blossoms into a mature love story. The encounter changes their perspectives, enriches their lives and forces them to think about themselves. The film offers a fairly refreshing take on Indians in the land of burgers and basketball. Directed by debutant Somnath Sen, an Indian who lives in the US of A, the bold and unconventional film also stars Vinod Khanna, Deepti Naval and Gulshan Grover. Leela has done the festival rounds. It was screened at the Reel World Festival where it bagged the Special Jury Award and also at the Manchester Film Festival.
Manisha Rides Fate?s Roller Coaster
The stars have not been favourable to this particular star of late ? yes, we?re talking of Manisha Koirala. After being at the receiving end of the court?s snub in the controversial Ek Chhotisi Love Story case, she was courted by a canine! Manya was merrily playing with the pet dog of her fashion designer friend when all of a sudden it turned ferocious and bit deep into her shapely leg. That?s not all, the spate of bad luck continued to dog her even after she had recovered from the bite. The pretty actress turned producer met with a horrible accident on the sets of her first home production Paisa Vasool and broke her arm. She was laid up for several days, shooting schedules thrown haywire. Phew! That sure is a hat-trick of ill-luck!
But after all this happy days are here again for the Nepalese beauty. Manisha was invited by the Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two of America?s best known academic institutions, in November to give a talk on her new movie Escape to Taliban. ?I am glad the Harvard University has shown so much interest. Escape to Taliban was a story just waiting to be told,? said Manisha.
Filmi Wedding?
It was a ?marriage? that rocked Bollywood like no marriage had in recent times. The couple involved: Aamir Khan and Preity Zinta. Shocked? Well, actually so were these two. Newspapers screamed that the two lovebirds who shared a strong chemistry since their Dil Chahta Hai days had got married at an unknown location overseas, even though Aamir?s divorce had yet to come through. Preity says she was zapped when messages from all over began pouring in congratulating her on this quiet and sudden development. Her friends teased her for not telling them about it. ?Sure I share an excellent rapport with Aamir, he?s a great guy but this is stretching things a bit too far.? Preity then went on to reveal that she?s very much in love with someone special in her life (her Danish boyfriend Laars?) but didn?t want to talk about it as it was too personal. The pretty girl also added that she met Aamir at a party that very evening and he was very apologetic about her name being dragged into all this mess. But as things stand, Preity?s denials have not silenced the rumours, especially with Aamir maintaining a stony silence. The actor meanwhile is said to be attending counselling sessions with his wife Reena in an effort to save his beleaguered marriage.
Talking of marriage, after Abhishek and Karisma, there?s another couple who are ready for the saat pheras. We?re talking of Sonali Bendre and Goldie Behl. Yes, the two got officially engaged on October 11 and married on November 13. Goldie by the way is Abhishek?s childhood buddy. He had also directed Bachchan Jr in that nightmare called Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai.
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