Das capital

Funnyman Vir Das is on a high. The stand-up comic, who played the nerdy Bong Arup in Aamir Khan’s laugh-a-minute film Delhi Belly, says that he is now inundated with acting offers. “I have never got so many film scripts in my entire life,” he exclaims. But Das is not in a hurry to sign any films. “I am off to Europe and will be busy for the next two months with my stand-up comedy show History of India. I will take a call after that,” he says. But worry not, Vir Das fans. If you are dying to see him on the silver screen again, watch out for him in Tanuja Chandra’s upcoming film Raakh. But alas, we are told he won’t be doing a comic turn here. Come on, Vir, give us the funnies again!

Babu basics

If you thought that the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) and the babudom it spawns should be consigned to the trash heap of history, think again. At least that’s what former IAS officer and information and broadcasting secretary Bhaskar Ghose says. While launching his book,The Service of the State, in Delhi last week, Ghose argued that the IAS was still the best career option for today’s youth, even though its once sterling reputation has been tarnished by allegations of corruption, subservience to politicians and declining standards of efficiency. In his book the retired bureaucrat has addressed various questions regarding the role and effectiveness of the IAS. So is this book a paean to the much-maligned service or a meaningful assessment of it? You’ll have to read it to find out.

High and mighty

Arjun Vajpai is no ordinary teenager. Two months back, Vajpai, a 17-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, planted the tricolour on the snow-clad Mt Lhotse. He is the youngest person to conquer the summit, which is just 332 metres lower than the Everest. Vajpai was also the youngest person in the world to climb Mt Everest — a feat he accomplished when he was just 16. “My dream is to conquer all the 14 peaks in the world which are above 8,000 metres,” says an exuberant Vajpai. And his inspiration is none other than Reinhold Messner, the Italian mountaineer who was the first to summit all 14 “eight thousanders”. Clearly, Vajpai knows how to aim high.

Pop pep

Anil Kapoor isn’t the only new Indian star shining in the West. Playback singer Sonu Nigam too seems to have cracked that glass ceiling and is up and away, making a name for himself in the US entertainment industry. Nigam will sing with none other than pop queen Britney Spears in her new single I Wanna Go. Both artists confirmed the collaboration on Twitter, with Spears gushing that she was “so excited” about having Nigam on board. This isn’t the first time Nigam has worked with a Western artist, though. Earlier this year, he collaborated with Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s brother, on a tribute to the King of Pop, which they performed at this year’s IIFA awards ceremony in Toronto. Way to go, Sonu!

Debut dreams

A famous — and controversial — father and a Bollywood theme are usually enough to create a bit of a buzz around a debut novel. That’s exactly what is happening in the case of Rajal Pitroda, daughter of Sam Pitroda, the architect of India’s telecom revolution. The 33-year-old Los Angeles-based Rajal’s book, Starstruck, explores the underbelly of the Mumbai film industry. It’s told from the perspective of an Indian American, who travels to Mumbai from New York on a magazine assignment only to realise that there’s more to the tinsel town than just song and dance. The book, which is to be published later this month, seems to be the latest addition to the list of Bollywood-inspired novels — a genre that perhaps began with Shobhaa De’s Starry Nights in the 1990s. Well, no harm in replaying a formula that’s tried and tested.