Shaken & stirred: Eva Green

It?s the mother of all ironies. The new Bond babe, the beautiful French actress Eva Green, has replaced former Bond bloke Pierce Brosnan as the spokesperson for the Italian watchmaker Breil. The 25-year-old star, who made a stunning debut in Bernardo Bertolucci?s The Dreamers and then followed it up with Ridley Scott?s Kingdom of Heaven, is all set to play the enticing Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale which will, of course, have an all-new 007 in Daniel Craig.

Incidentally, Eva, who was a theatre actress before Bertolucci discovered her for his 1960s teenager film about sex and movies, has a twin sister named Joy, who is far removed from the world of glamour, tending to horses mostly. In landing the coveted role of the next Bond girl, the French girl edged out a list of possible contenders, including Oscar winner Charlize Theron, Thandie Newton, Olivia Wilde and Kimberly Davies ? not to forget our very own Aishwarya Rai.

What?s more, Eva and Daniel have reportedly shot for a hot-hot-hot love-making scene on the beaches of Nassau a couple of weeks back. Casino Royale is said to be the first film where the British superagent goes naked.

Strangers no more: Rimjhim and Chandrayee in Jam

In a jam

A traffic jam is all that it takes for three women on the road to bond in Mandira Mitra?s telefilm titled Jam. Small talk sparks a friendship when three women run into each other during a traffic jam and drop into a coffee shop to kill time. The one-hour telefilm features Bidita Chakraborty, Chandrayee Ghosh and Rimjhim Mitra. ?I think only women can do such weird things like spending a day with complete strangers. All the three characters are stereotypes. There is no attempt to explore them as individuals because I wanted to look at some types. And I love dealing with stereotypes,? says Mandira, who has conceived the story and penned the screenplay for Tara Muzik.

So, with their names reflecting their natures, there?s Binita (Bidita), the soft, gentle and submissive type who gets off a bus meekly when a jam brings traffic to a halt. Half-Tamilian Tejaswini (Rimjhim) is the bold and assertive kind who fights with the cabbie and hits the road, while Mohini (Chandrayee) is the suave manipulative charmer who talks her way through trouble when her car adds to the traffic mess.

?It?s not a simple linear narrative and it?s not action-driven. As the women go on chatting, their lives are revealed in flashes. And I have given each of the actors enough space to emote,? says the FTII graduate, now busy scripting her debut feature film. Mandira has made several documentaries, commissioned by Doordarshan. Though not issue-based, her work has revolved mostly around women, primarily from the rural belts of Bengal.

Familiar faces

The title character in the latest Balaji serial Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka may be a newcomer (Sanjeeda) but the STAR One serial from the house of Ekta Kapoor (the first for the channel) has also brought back many stalwarts to the small screen.

Firstly, there is the evergreen Dara Singh, who plays Nimmo?s lovable Dadaji in the serial, but the real surprise package is Dadiji, played by theatre veteran Dolly Thakore, who was last seen in Madhur Bhandarkar?s Page 3.

Navneet Nishan, the original diva of the small screen for her pathbreaking portrayal of Tara, plays Parminder Sehgal, Eijaaz Khan?s (who plays Nimmo?s love interest) aunt in the serial. She is fondly known as Pam and her role is that of a hoity-toity wannabe socialite.

Sujata Mehta plays Nimmo?s fashion designer mother. She owns a boutique that has some of the top celebrities of the city as its customers. Then there?s Muni Jha who plays Nimmo?s father, a typical middle-class man who is a father of three daughters. And finally there?s Bharti Achrekar who plays the role of Kantaben, the maid of the household.

Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka comes Monday to Thursday, 10 pm on STAR One.