Class act

Kamal Haasan clearly doesn’t believe that cinema is only about acting or directing. Our man from the south knows that it’s also about brainstorming. Next week, the superstar will be fronting a major conclave in Chennai, in which the likes of his new-found friend, Hollywood filmmaker Barry Osborne (Lord of the Rings), will conduct a workshop on making a “global film”. Haasan will conduct a screenwriting workshop along with director Rohan Sippy (Dum Maaro Dum) and actor Saurabh Shukla. There will even be a session with the special effects supervisor of none other than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Good show, Kamal!

Comic comeback

Ravi Baswani is dead. Long live Ravi Baswani. That’s the mantra which promises to trap you around Diwali this year. Six years after comedy man Baswani’s death, his cult film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron — also starring Naseeruddin Shah — will be screened in cinemas across the country. “I am very excited and hope that the audiences are as excited,” says director Kundan Shah. They should be. After all, the film, almost 30 years after its release, still holds a special place in India. It’s the picture that launched a million laughs.

Meal deal

If Sridevi is here, can Amar Singh be far behind? The politician — one can’t say former, for you don’t know when he’ll bounce back — laid out the red carpet for Sridevi’s comeback film last week. He invited some 300 people to a special screening of English Vinglish at a south Delhi mall, and then took them to a plush restaurant in the same mall for a satisfying meal. The only problem was that there were too many people for the restaurant to accommodate. So, like a feast in a Bengali wedding, the guests were fed in batches. One lot saw the film, while the other lot ate, and vice versa. You have to give it to the old Calcutta boy. But then, when it comes to feeding people, no one knows better than those from the eastern metropolis.

Deo to Deol

Down Under is coming Well Up. Indeed, the Indo-Australian connection is going from strength to strength. If Dhoom 3 boasts of Australian model Tabrett Bethell, then the Deols are all set to showcase Russian-born and Austraila-bred model Kristina Akheeva (in picture). Yes, she is the same woman who was sighted with Shahid Kapoor in a suburban Mumbai café a little while ago. Akheeva, who has modelled on the telly for shampoos and deos, is now all set to play a coy Punjabi girl for Yamla Pagla Deewana 2. “I am very excited. I have wanted to act ever since I was a kid,” she says, adding that in the last one year, she has fallen in love with Bollywood — “especially the colours and the music.” Akheena in YPD2 will be paired opposite Sunny Deol. Wonder what saadda Shahid has to say about that.

Fun with F1

He may not be setting the Formula One tracks on fire worldwide, but Narain Karthikeyan was in his element at the Buddh International Circuit on the outskirts of Delhi recently. Karthikeyan burned some serious rubber zipping around the circuit in a Jaguar at an event organised by the luxury car maker. Not surprisingly, he was mobbed by his fans soon after he completed a few laps on the track. The racer is brimming with hope about the Indian leg of the second year of the Formula One race on the same circuit later this month, when he will be rubbing shoulders with the best in the business. For his fans, though, he is already the king of the track. And they are all set for Zoom-2 to Vroom-2.