All in the family

Shilpa Shetty’s list of fans is growing by leaps and bounds. Now we are told that British reality TV star and singer Peter Andre has been bowled over by our leggy beauty. The Mysterious Girl singer says he admires Shetty for the way she dealt with racism in the much talked of UK show Big Brother. And Andre apparently admires her so much that he is keen to meet her to take a tip or two on reality television from the actress. Clearly, Shetty is the mother of all reality show stars. Or do we mean big brother?

Love in tragedy

When it comes to reel life, you just can’t beat real life. At least that’s what director Gulbahar Singh seems to think. After Ek Thi Rani Aisi Bhi based on the life of Vijaya Raje Scindia of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Singh is now ready to shoot for a film based on Delhi’s Uphaar cinema tragedy of 1997. The film will be called June 13 — which is the day when the hall caught fire, killing 59 people. “The tragedy left a deep impact on me. It was a pure case of criminal negligence and I feel we haven’t learnt from the mistakes,” says Singh, whose directorial ventures include The Goal, starring Irrfan Khan, and Dattak with Rajit Kapoor. Singh, however, plans to turn June 13 into a love story. “It will be an absorbing movie,” he says.

Son sets

Barack Obama has a Bangalore-bashing friend in U.R. Ananthamurthy. The Jnanpith award winner has announced that he is packing his bags and leaving hometown Bangalore for good. He is relocating to Mysore after living in Bangalore for 10 years. And that’s surprising for Ananthamurthy has been a true son of Karnataka. He proposed that Bangalore be called Bengaluru and rallied against IT companies for not employing Kannadigas. He sat on a satyagraha demanding national theatre status for regional theatre groups in the city. But now the 77-year-old Kannada writer is giving up on Bangalore. He says the city’s wealth has put him off. Also, it has no regard for Kannada, its mother tongue, rues the writer. So while Obama bats for Buffalo for business, Ananthamurthy prefers Mysore to the Silicon City. Big is not always beautiful.

Golden words

Mothers are good when it comes to giving advice. And Sharmila Tagore — with her three active offspring — is no exception. So what does she have to say to her daughter Soha Ali Khan, who’s now appearing on television as the host of a new game show? “Smile a lot,” says the Begum, who dimpled her way to people’s heart in Bollywood with her first Hindi film Kashmir Ki Kali in 1964. The senior actress has also urged the junior to be herself. And Tagore has imparted a final three-word mantra to her daughter. “Don’t wear heels,” she says. The diminutive lady knows that you are as tall as your deeds, inches be damned.

Hello Hollywood

Put on your dancing shoes — and keep time with US consul general in Calcutta Beth A. Payne. Payne is all set to take audiences in the city on a nostalgic tour of Hollywood at the American Center on Wednesday. Teaming up with her colleagues and Calcutta singer Gopa Ghosh, Payne will present a musical programme featuring songs made famous by Hollywood stars — from Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Doris Day to Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman. Wouldn’t it be loverly?