Is Aishwarya Rai pregnant?

Can't say for sure. And even if Abhishek Bachchan is indeed becoming a daddy, shouldn't that be the Bachchans' private affair. The media, as expected, is lapping up the news.

Sample this news item in The Times of India - "Aishwarya Bachchan, is reportedly expecting and Abhishek is gonna be a dad. Amitabh Bachchan, meanwhile, is going to be the grand-daddy of them all!"

But this headline in the South Asian Women's Forum takes the cake - "Aishwarya carrying Bachchan bun in the oven?" Could you get any cruder than that?

Bollywood's most famous family may be denying the rumours but I am sure they wouldn't take too kindly to the headline on The Spoof - "New Aishwarya Rai wax statue shows her four months pregnant".

And guess what The Spoof has done to my story on a Casablanca adaptation being shot in India - "Bollywood Casablanca Remake To Star That Mohit Bloke". And do check out the photo of Aishwarya in that story.

REVIEW - Dr Ravi & Mr Hyde

When a real-life physician is consumed by a desire to make a film, should we presume it's midlife crisis? Dr Ravi & Mr Hyde (2007) may be a low-budget film shot in just five days but it's high on funny moments.

Dr Ravi Godse, an Indian-origin doctor settled in the US, believes that directing and producing a "timeless classic" motion picture is his true calling. So what if it's his own life he's depicting. It's a journey fraught with many obstacles -

- a wife who speaks about things "briefly for two hours"
- a publisher who recovers the cost of printing from the author
- a gangster who thinks Ravi is sleeping with his girlfriend
- a film school classmate who thinks he's enrolled for photography
- and colleagues who dive under the sheets every time Dr Ravi walks in

The protagonist is a sort of Mr Bean character - though perhaps much more refined. He dances despite having two left feet. And endears himself to the audience.

My only regret is the director didn't focus more on Dr Ravi's film. What happened to it eventually - was it panned or did it shockingly win an Oscar? Yes, the answer might be hidden in Ravi's direct-to-camera monologues but I wasn't satisfied. A happy though unrealistic ending would have worked wonders for a film that is otherwise peppered with witty one-liners.

Sample this -

Some areas in this country are still slow. In fact in certain places, the prostitutes are still virgins

Yes, the film takes a dig at everything under the sun, even Americans. After all, they wouldn't know if Japan is in Asia.

Kudos to Godse himself for a crisp plot and a tight screenplay. At 87 minutes, Dr Ravi & Mr Hyde is eminently watchable, thanks also to some good editing, which ensures that the scenes follow each other in perfect harmony.

On the flipside, the viewer sometimes gets the feeling he's watching a well-rehearsed play. Some characters, played by Ravi Godse's real-life friends and colleagues, are not professional actors. They do try hard but lack the kind of spontaneity that comes, ironically, only with experience.

Dr Ravi & Mr Hyde didn't get a theatrical release in the US but word-of-mouth publicity about its DVDs may generate the buzz it truly deserves.

Verdict: *** Worth a watch. Ravi Godse's attempts at dancing should be reason enough.

Blog interview with Dr Ravi Godse
Watch 2-minute trailor
Buy DVDS here

BLOG INTERVIEW - Shiva Keshavan

Meet Shiva Keshavan. At 25, he's India's most famous luger and the most likely candidate to win the country a rare medal at the Winter Olympics.

A Winter Olympic sport since 1964, luge involves a high-speed sled ride through a semi-circular ice track.

At this young age, Keshavan's already a veteran - having taken part in three Winter Olympics and now preparing for his fourth at Vancouver 2010.

At Torino last year, he finished 25th - a creditable result considering only one second separated him from the gold medallist in terms of best lap time.

Moreover, Keshavan did it against all odds - no funding or help from a defunct national luge association. And he had to compete on an inferior-quality sled because he can't afford the best.

Because his mother is Italian, the Italians had even offered him citizenship but Keshavan refused. But disgusted with the state of affairs in India, the young luger has now set up his own sports federation to help fellow athletes.

But Keshavan told Toe Knee Unplugged he hadn't participated in any events last winter because he didn't have any funds to do so.

Here are some excerpts from the interview -

"I have not received any help from the Sports Ministry. My application for a grant of five lakh for five years was accepted but after the Olympics I have got no word from anybody. I suspect it is the well known bureaucracy that is so good at making funds vanish under its cloak."

"The winter sports federation IFISTS is in place. Bureaucracy has it that three years must pass before it gets any recognition."

"I did not participate in any race due to a total absence of funds last winter. I did maintain myself in form by training on my own. My performance in Torino gave me confidence in my potential to move further up the world rankings. I want to give the world's top some sweat at Vancouver 2010."

"I have not been in contact with the Italian team. Despite my part Italian origins, I feel a sense of belongingness to India and I think it is here that I can make a larger difference."

"I wanted to share the fact that I have not been given my certificate, medal and Olympian pin badge for my participation at the Torino Olympics. I am sure that it is a deliberate action and that athletes dedicting themselves to the glory of their country must be given more respect."

"I am currently in India and plan to remain here for some time. I would like to dedicate myself to sports development in India. I also hope to continue my training with adequate facilities and realise my true potential in luge."

"I am currently negotiating with a company for sponsorship so will not comment before something is finalised."

"I have completed my university with specialisation in international relations from the University of Florence. One of my main areas of interest was the role of non-government organisations. I also have an NGO of my own, La Giraffa which has done its share of projects not only in India."

Other Exclusive Interviews on this blog
Ravi Godse
Sona Mohapatra
Mahesh Dattani
Ruchi Narain

July 2007 Blog Mela

Falstaff is struck down by Paraphernalegia

8 by 52 was wonderstruck when her yoga teacher asked kya aapne shauch kiya?

Dilip D'Souza bumps into a flower lady

Bikkupedia is now addicted to all food Bengali

Great Bong waxes eloquent on Sonu Nigam's tryst with some Jha

Jabberwock describes the morons he met at Osian's Cinefan

Sassy Satan hangs out at Shibani Kashyap's hangout house

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi is perplexed by the sex buddy syndrome

Moonstruck Maniac thinks Vinod Khanna is the sexiest man in Bollywood

Black Muddy River muses on the death of the Harry Potter era

ALSO VISIT
March 2007 Blog Mela
April 2007 Blog Mela
May 2007 Blog Mela
June 2007 Blog Mela

Osian's-Cinefan 2007: Satyajit Ray who?

Unfortunately, if Satyajit Ray were alive today and made his best film ever, it still may not get a place in a film festival.

Blasphemy? I don't think so. These words by German author and critic Klaus Eder do ring true.

Eder, FIPRESCI General Secretary and a jury member at the Osian's-Cinefan film festival 2007, said Hollywood was exerting too much pressure on Cannes, Venice and Berlin festivals. And leaving little space for films from India and Asia.

According to Eder, the Rome festival flew in Nicole Kidman for its opening ceremony while the Istanbul festival grabbed Gerard Depardieu. There's a tendency even in small film festivals today to look for celebrities, paying them obscene amounts and holding red-carpet events.

Eder's right. Thank God the Osian's-Cinefan film festival doesn't need a Bachchan or a Shahrukh to stir things up. Nandita Das and Konkona Sen are regular guests though and Hollywood is still a strict no-no. And there's no question of asking - Satyajit Ray who?

Exclusive Coverage of Osian's-Cinefan 2007 film festival

Osian's-Cinefan 2007: Konkona Sen

Some excerpts from Konkona Sen's interactive session at Osian's-Cinefan film festival 2007 -

I am a very shy person and find it very strange when people I don't know walk up to me and start talking. Sometimes they are very boring

I don't feel I belong to any industry. I am aware of my space as an individual

I was adamant about having bound scripts. Then I found some people don't write a good script but make wonderful films

I nearly died when I looked at my costumes and dialogues for Traffic Signal. I kept pronouncing 'bhadve' as 'bhavre'

While preparing for Mr and Mrs Iyer, I practised the accent by playing the dialogues back on tape. I used to practise the Tam Bram accent with Mom even while shopping

I was very nervous during Omkara. The dialogues were in the western UP dialect. And at the time, I thought I sucked.

Exclusive Coverage of Osian's-Cinefan 2007 film festival

Osian's-Cinefan 2007: The Awards

Indian Competition
BEST FILM: Paruthiveeran

BEST ACTOR: Kay Kay Menon for Shoonya

BEST ACTRESS: Priyamani for Paruthiveeran

JURY AWARD: Frozen

Asian and Arab Competition
BEST FILM: Desert Dream

BEST ACTOR: Lotfi Abdelli for Making Of

BEST ACTRESS: Cherry Pie Picache for Foster Child

JURY AWARD: Lonesome Trees and Making Of

Other Awards
FIRST FEATURE: Crossing the Dust and Woven Stories of the Other

FIPRESCI AWARD: Ploy

NETPAC AWARD: Dancing Bells

Exclusive Coverage of Osian's-Cinefan 2007 film festival

Osian's-Cinefan 2007: Of guards and ushers

Well, there's no beating the security guards at Siri Fort Auditorium no matter who you are. Food and drinks are NOT allowed inside. VJ-turned-actor Ranvir Shorey learned this the hard way this week when a guard forced him to chuck his Fountain Pepsi before allowing him to enter.

Would just love the look on Shahrukh Khan's face if a guard did this to him at the Osian's-Cinefan film festival.

Am sure Manoj Bajpai would agree. After all, he's been a regular at Siri Fort in his student days, working as an usher to earn money while dabbling in theatre. In fact, it was within these hallowed walls that he first watched Heat and Dust.

Is that why his film Return to Rajapur seems so much like a remake of the Merchant-Ivory film? Try telling that to him. He just wouldn't agree.

On the whole, Osian's-Cinefan has been fun. Especially the kind of stuff I have been hearing from fellow audience members. One ecstatic girl pointed to IIPM head Arindam Chaudhuri and wondered aloud how he looks like Bipasha Basu's twin.

A couple of middle-aged aunts tut-tutted during Rupa Ganguly's lesbian romp in Jara Brishtie Bhijechilo. How Draupadi has changed, they must have been wondering.

And while Shoonya was being screened, the man sitting next to me fell asleep and started snoring. Now, it's a very serious film with several pregnant moments of silence. So, you can easily imagine the giggles that broke out when this man's snores echoed in the auditorium in tandem with the action on screen.

Can't blame the poor guy though. Watching up to four films on a daily basis is tough work and by the night show, one is prone to frequent spells of yawning. But it's just a matter of ten days, right? Sleep can wait for now. Films are more important.

Exclusive Coverage of Osian's-Cinefan 2007 film festival

Osian's Cinefan: Vivek Oberoi or superstar?

Vivek Oberoi is no Shahrukh Khan, but judging by the media attention he got at the Osian's-Cinefan film festival in New Delhi, this Bollywood actor has reasons to be happy.

Not so the media.

Reporters and cameramen, waiting patiently in the VIP Lounge Room to interview Vivek (yes, he's back to spelling his name this way) got a rude shock when the actor waltzed in an hour late and then slipped out through the back door.

Apparently, he had used the stage entrance to go directly to the auditorium where his film Omkara was being screened on Wednesday night.

One television reporter had been pushed in the melee and she blew her top. Even the other mediapersons were having none of it. One irate correspondent remarked that this had also happened on Day One when Manisha Koirala escaped the paparazzi.

The PR team avoided a fracas by getting Vivek to meet the press in the foyer following his Omkara introduction. The poor guy was quickly surrounded by the press and over the next 20 minutes, complained frequently of "feeling claustrophobic".

That's still a small price to pay for being courted by the media, right?

Overheard: If a nobody like Vivek Oberoi shows such nakhras, what will we do if Amitabh Bachchan or Shahrukh turn up at Osian's-Cinefan film festival?

Exclusive Coverage of Osian's-Cinefan 2007 film festival