Editor, unleashed

So what is the man who famously described his job as the second most important one in the country doing these days? Former editor Dileep Padgaonkar, who modestly put the Prime Minister ahead of him in the hierarchy of important people, is the editor of a new journal, brought out on the lines of New York-based Foreign Affairs. The quarterly, India & Global Affairs, has an impressive list of editorial advisors that includes Amartya Sen, Kiran Karnik, Meghnad Desai, Sunil Bharti Mittal, R.K. Pachauri and Shabana Azmi. The Sakaal publication, which seeks to reach out to those who want more than what the existing magazines have to offer, was launched on Thursday in the capital. And guess who cut the ribbon? Who else but the Prime Minister.

Detective dared

Nothing scares Feluda — Bengali literature’s much loved private eye — but actor Sabyasachi Chakrabarty makes no such claims. Chakrabarty, who once again plays Feluda in the new Sandip Ray film Kailashe Kelengkari says there was one thing that rattled him in the film. “Feluda dons a disguise in this film for a major segment and this made me rather scared,” he says. The fact that he had to partly cover his face for the disguise was something that Chakrabarty was clearly not comfortable with. But the actor is looking forward to acting in a few more Feluda films with Ray. “And for that, I would have to keep fit because an old Feluda would be slightly out of place,” he says with a laugh. Chakrabarty knows what he is talking about. For detectives never grow old; they just get more clued in.

Ms Do-it-all

Ever wondered what the credential line on Nafisa Ali’s visiting card might read like? Ex swimming champion, Miss India, Bollywood diva, almost parliamentarian... the list of her exploits simply rolls on and on. And in case you thought the ageless beauty queen had tired of trying her gifted hands at everything that came her way, you are mistaken. For Ali has just decided to play gender rights activist, by consenting to inaugurate a tri-continental film festival that opens in New Delhi on Friday. Organised by Breakthrough, an international non-profit organisation whose work in India covers issues such as domestic violence and the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, the festival will feature documentaries from Latin America, Africa and Asia, and will be held simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore. As for Ali, it seems it’s time for her to order in a fresh set of visiting cards.

Wear and tear

Mallika Sherawat knows what to wear, and what not to wear. In her new film Ugly aur Pagli, Sherawat had a bit of a spat with the film crew because of a particular dress that she hoped to don, and producer Rangita Nandy had reservations about. Nandy wanted her to wear a dress that she had designed for a sensuous dance sequence. “But Mallika was hell-bent on wearing the dress that she had set her eyes on,” says a source at Pritish Nandy Communications. Nandy capitulated. And, then, of course, Sherawat discovered that the producer knew best, for the costume that she had chosen didn’t suit the scene. So the Jatni from Rohtak reshot the scenes, this time in Nandy’s dress. Of course, it was a song and dance about nothing at all.

Mum’s the word

The stage has always been Ramanjit Kaur’s domain, but Calcutta’s theatre actress says her role in Deepa Mehta’s new film has helped her hone her skills. Kaur plays the role of a “tormented wife” and mother of two (with Preity Zinta as the protagonist) in Heaven on Earth — and she says it’s unlike any role that she has portrayed so far. “Deepa offered me the role saying that it fitted me perfectly, and I accepted it even without seeing the script,” says Kaur, now back in the city after six weeks of location shooting in Canada. Kaur is not averse to taking up other roles, as long as she has something substantial to do. But there is one problem. “I am too shy to go to people asking for roles in films,” says Kaur, who is associated with the theatre group The Company. Mehta’s film may now speak for her.