Book talk

What’s black and white and red all over? Not a racially mixed congregation of Communists, as you would think, but the symbol of publishers Penguin. The enduring image of the black-and-white bird in a reddish orange globe was rather prominent in the capital earlier this week. The occasion was the 20th year of Penguin India — and anybody who is somebody (including Shobhaa De in a curious ensemble of zebra stripes and actor Dev Anand all wrapped up in scarves and sleeves) had come together to party. In the midst of all the speeches that came before the fun and the frolic, Penguin announced its annual lecture series. The first of the lot will be delivered by Pulitzer prize-winning globalisation guru Thomas Friedman in New Delhi in October this year. Penguin author Arundhati Roy, whose contrary views on globalisation can fill a volume, too, may have something to say about that. But the lady — resplendent in a pale sari with a flaming blouse and a purse to match — was clearly having too good a time at the do to voice her view. And, for all you know, she will be the one to grace the lecture podium next year. It takes all kinds to make the world — and all kinds of views to make a publishing house.

Party pooper

Everybody knows that actor Muzamil Ibrahim doesn’t quite get along with director Pooja Bhatt. But Ibrahim, who acted in Bhatt’s new film, Dhokha, is not going to go into the old routine of letting bygones be bygones. So while he is all praise for the senior Bhatt, Mahesh, and his co-star, Tulip Joshi, he is not all that complimentary when the topic veers around to the daunting daughter. She has a way, he says, of dealing with people that “may not go down well with them all the time.” We know what he’s talking about. The last time Bhatt Jr made a comment about Ibrahim gate-crashing her party, the actor was suitably miffed. As far as dhokhas go, that one, clearly, was a grand betrayal.

Reelin’ & rockin’

The guitar-toting singing sensation of Assam — Zubeen Garg — is on song. After the release of his debut CD Zindagi, Garg is now eyeing the big screen. He is all set to direct and act in a Bollywood film called Chakra. “It will not be an out and out commercial venture, but it will deal with a serious topic that is close to my heart,” he says. The film will take off at some point of time, no doubt, but right now Garg is looking forward to the puja season, when his Bengali album Tumi will be released. “I have translated eight of my best Assamese songs into Bengali and I am sure they will be huge hits,” says the singer who has so far sung around 7,000 numbers, including songs in Marathi, Telugu, Tamil and Punjabi. The boy is set to make a record. And, yes, in more ways than one.

Sporting gal

If you have the will, you get the stick — the hockey stick, that is. Sagarika Ghatge knows the hurdles she had to overcome to clinch the role of the glamorous Preeti Sabharwal in the film Chak De! India. For one, she had to muster up courage to ask her parents if she could join the big bad world of cinema. “They are really strict, I didn’t tell them that I would like to act,” she said in an interview. But there was no stopping Ghatge when she heard that auditions were being held for a new release starring Shah Rukh Khan — even though her examinations were round the corner. What apparently helped her was the fact that she was active in sports in her school days and had a thorough knowledge of hockey. Now, with the success of Chak De! India, she is getting offers for lead roles from big banners. And the sport that she is, Ghatge can’t wait to face the camera again.

Farmers’ champion

Sceptics, take note: there’s more to Rahul Gandhi than his dimples. The other day, he sat through a lecture on farmers’ suicide in Parliament House. Addressing quite a large gathering of MPs and their guests for the Speaker’s Lecture was journalist and Magsaysay award winner P. Sainath. Gandhi, it was noticed, didn’t just listen with rapt attention but even took copious notes. The MP from Amethi, whose heart beats for industry, seems to have a soft spot for the country’s agriculture workers too. But how soft is the Rs 3,750-crore question.