Book to book

Film buffs are a touchy lot. And nothing irritates them more than being told that the book was better than the film. But now film lovers can come up with a suitable retort to that snooty remark: the book on the making of the film was even better. For that is an emerging trend. A book is written, a film is made on the book, and a book is written on the making of the film. And filmmaker Mira Nair has just shown that it can be done rather well too. She filmed Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and is now out with a book on the film. The Penguin volume has essays by people who were involved with the film — from director Nair to actor Riz Ahmed and author Hamid — and lots of pictures. Who says once a book is done, the author’s work is over?

Coffee creative

Coffee shops have traditionally been the crucible of creative ideas. Poet Souvik Bandyopadhyay had that in mind when he opened Cafela, a coffee shop in Calcutta’s Jatin Das Road. The café’s USP is that it’s dedicated to Bengali poetry and hosts poetry reading sessions and book launches regularly. This evening, literary buffs can attend the launch of books of poems by Dipan Mitra and Alok Bandyopadhyay in the presence of writer Gautam Bhadra and poet Yashodhara Roy Chaudhuri. “The main idea is to go beyond run-of-the-mill coffee shops and encourage poets to mingle with young readers,” says Bandyopadhyay. Coffee and poetry — now that’s a cool combo.

Foreign voice

If Bollywood can do it, so can Tamil cinema. Shah Rukh Khan got R&B star Akon (in pic) to sing Chhammak Chhallo in his movie Ra. One. And now Tamil actor Simbu has also got the singer to record a track for his album, Love Anthem. “The experience was mind-blowing,” gushes the actor, who has sung in most of his films and also played the role of Salman Khan in the Tamil remake of Dabangg. “Akon is a simple guy with no airs,” he says. However, Simbu doesn’t intend to stop with Akon. Rumour has it that he is planning to fly in pop star Rihanna to sing another song for his album. Take that, Bollywood.

Cup of joy

Good news has a way of multiplying. Take Tannishtha Chatterjee, who recently won the national award in the Special Mention category for her performance in the film Dekh Indian Circus. Now the actress will be travelling to Cannes with the film Monsoon Shootout, where she plays a lead role. Chatterjee, who made a mark in the film Brick Lane, says it was tough playing the role of a gangster in Monsoon Shootout, but the effort was worth it. Directed by Amit Kumar, the movie is in the running for the Caméra d’Or given to a first film. If that happens, Chatterjee’s cup of joy will be truly full.

Anti hero

The film Khal Nayak seems to be inextricably linked to Sanjay Dutt’s brushes with the law. The actor was arrested shortly after the release of the action thriller — where he played an escaped con — for his involvement in the 1993 Bombay blasts. And now, after Dutt has been convicted for possession of arms in the same case, director Subhash Ghai has announced that he will remake his blockbuster film. Ghai is believed to have approached a choreographer-turned-director to helm this film. But the director is not giving away too much about the project. “We don’t want to reveal much now. We are looking to present the story in a contemporary way.” Contemporary? Does that mean we’ll see shades of Dutt’s life story here?