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Snap happy
Sonakshi Sinha, Shatrughan’s comely daughter who had a blazing debut in Dabangg, may have been a little upset with her first flop,Joker, but that sure didn’t stop her from having fun while shooting for her upcoming film Son of Sardar. We hear that Sinha, who has recently developed a passion for photography, spent a lot of time in Patiala wandering around and shooting pictures with her SLR camera. “I have always liked art and sketching and since I have been travelling to beautiful places for my films, I want to capture all those moments with my SLR!” says Sinha. Incidentally, the actress is also a keen cook and is known for her whistling skills as well. A many-faceted talent, what?
Amitabh app
Amitabh Bachchan must have been inundated with gifts on his 70th birthday. But this one was somewhat special. Techzone, a global developer, publisher and distributor of entertainment content, launched an app called the “BigB app” to celebrate the occasion. The application, priced $2.99, allows users to browse and download content related to the superstar who has straddled Indian cinema for more than four decades. What’s more, it’s integrated with the Bachchan’s Twitter pages (@SrBachchan) where fans can view his tweets and get an insight into his life. “Looking at the ever increasing love for celebrities, we decided to start building apps specifically dedicated to celebs. And who better to start with than Mr. Bachchan,” says Naveen Bhandari, director, Techzone. Clearly, it’s a matter of time before legions of fanboys and fangirls get their hands on to Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan or Hrithik Roshan apps.
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New beginning
Trouble seemed to be Kaizad Gustad’s second name. His debut film, Boom, tanked at the box office in 2003. His next film, Mumbai Central, never saw the light of day. To top it all, he landed in jail after an actress was killed while Mumbai Central was being shot. But Gustad is now back from the doldrums. He will direct a film called Baghdad Meets Saddam. He’s written the script himself and is now busy deciding on the cast. Let’s hope Gustad comes out of his run of bad luck.
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Desi grub
Some may find German model-turned-Bollywood wannabe Claudia Ciesla good enough to eat. But Ciesla too has a surprising eat list. When in India she doesn’t long for schnitzel or wurst or apple strudel. Rather, what she salivates over are idlis and dosas — and dear me — even rasgullas! In fact, she is reported to have said that she’s gorged on desi chow so much that she’s almost forgotten what German food is like! At this rate, we should make her an honorary Indian. But a word of caution, Claudia. Tucking into too many idlis and dosas may get you a figure like Silk Smitha’s in her later days. And that is hardly an appetising thought.
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Mentor Mani
Famously reticent director Mani Ratnam has finally decided to open up. In Conversations with Mani Ratnam, published by Penguin India, Ratnam talks about his working relationship with superstars like A.R. Rahman (who he had launched in the film Roja), Aishwarya Rai, and Kamal Haasan. Film buffs will love the book as it is peppered with interesting anecdotes: how Kamal Haasan requested a co-actor in Nayakan (inspired by The Godfather) to jab him hard to make him “shiver” when he sees his son’s dead body in the film. Or, how he picked Aishwarya Rai to act in Iruvar, because he wanted a “modern traditional looking girl”. The foreword to the book is written by none other than A.R. Rahman where he admits that he still runs his film compositions through Ratnam. What makes Mani weave his magic? The book may have some answers.