Trance dance

William Dalrymple writes. He also dances. If you happened to be at the British Council in Delhi on Wednesday, you would have known. At a function organised to mark the launch of his latest book Nine Lives, the proceedings took a rather jovial turn when the writer-historian — obviously elated with the warm response the city’s bookworms showed to his new title — decided to shake a leg with Theyyam dancer Hari Das from Kerala, who along with other folk artistes such as Baul exponent Paban Das and singer Susheela Raman was one of the performers for the evening. Needless to say, his spirited moves on the floor left the audience enthralled. We hope his book will, too.

Step by step

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and you certainly can’t tell a choreographer to mind his steps. Kannada star Ramya learnt that some days ago. She was boycotted by choreographers — a ban that was, however, later lifted. Apparently, when Ramya told the dance coordinator of the film Just Maath Mathalli to learn a few steps before teaching her how to dance, he didn’t take it very well. He filed a complaint with the Karnataka Film Dancers Association, which announced that no choreographer would work with Ramya. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce had to be called in to settle the issue. Ramya went on to apologise, and all was well. A step in time saved nine. Well, it certainly saved Ramya.

Funny bunny

From comedy to sex is a bit of a jump, but Boman Irani is not complaining. The man who tickled old and young ribs alike with his comic acts in Munnabhai MBBS and Khosla ka Ghosla is now all set to play the Indian version of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner in an upcoming comedy Fruit And Nut. In the film directed by television’s funny man and foodie Kunal Vijaykar, Boman plays an old maharaja, Harry Holkar. Cyrus Broacha does some “toilet fun”, and Diya Mirza is the eye candy in the film. Boman has been saying that the role is the funniest he has ever played. And he should know.

Skin show

Beauty is skin deep — literally. Ask Abhishek Bachchan. Some days ago, his wife, Aishwarya, was looking all pale and tired. She had been shooting without a break, and the tough schedule had taken a toll on her skin, leaving it rather dull. Then Ash decided she had to do something about it, and indulged herself in a luxurious spa in Mumbai. The next day — on the sets of Mani Ratnam’s Ravan — she looked so radiant that hubby Abhi couldn’t keep his eyes off his bride. Ash was happy, and so was Mani. After all, his film could do with some real-life chemistry.

Peace project

On a normal day, he belts out his signature fusion music to thousands of Indian college-going fans, who swear they can’t have enough of him. But there are those occasions when musician Raghu Dixit also makes it a point to sing for a cause. Come October 20, and Bangalore-based Dixit — along with his band, the Raghu Dixit Project — will be performing in Amritsar as part of the South Asia Foundation (SAF) Peace Festival, a programme organised to foster Indo-Pak cross-border peace. Organised by the SAF, an NGO with chapters in all nations across South Asia, along with Amritsar-based NGO Punarjyot and the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, a group devoted to the performing arts in Pakistan, the programme intends to infuse the seeds of peace in a region torn apart by decades of bilateral strife. To be held simultaneously in Amritsar, the Attari-Wagah Border and Preet Nagar near Amritsar, the programme also features several other artistes from the two countries. Be there, if you can. It’ll be worth the journey.