Das capital

Motherhood may have brought a lot of joy to Nandita Das, but that doesn’t mean she is giving up her film career. The thinking man’s actress who donned the director’s hat with Firaaq — a film based on the Godhra riots — is now all set to make another movie. The film, whose working title is Trafficking, is about three women who are forced into sexual slavery. According to Das, the storyline was so powerful that she said yes to it the moment she was asked to direct it. We’re not surprised. After all, Das is known for her determination to raise her voice against social evils.

It’s different

Emraan Hashmi can’t stop raving about his role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s next film, Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji. He plays — no prizes for guessing — a man who’s only interested in money and the women in his life. Which, of course, is what he played in Murder, Crook, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, etc etc. So what’s new, Emraan? Apparently, a lot, if we go by what the actor says. The man who has earned the sobriquet of “serial kisser”, says that this one is a Bollywood rom com with a difference (oh, not that hackneyed word again!) since there would be a touch of Bhandarkar realism to it. Well, we can’t wait to find out how “different” this one will be.

Lead creed

We liked him in Guru. We liked him in the Airtel ads. And we loved him in 3 Idiots. Yet R. Madhavan, a huge star in Tamil films — and a fine actor to boot — has been struggling to make it big in a lead role in Bollywood. That may be about to change. The actor’s new movie, Tanu Weds Manu, has him playing the lead, with the comely Kangana Ranaut starring opposite him. The grapevine has it that the movie is a romantic comedy about a mismatched couple who get hitched. Sounds right up Madhavan’s street, since the actor has often evinced an interest to work in this genre. Let’s hope this one works for him.

Kat call

Eat your heart out, fans of Kareena Kapoor. Bollywood bombshell Katrina Kaif has emerged as the most downloaded celebrity by Indian mobile users in 2010. The survey, conducted by Airtel, shows Kaif pipping other Bolly beauties to the post, including Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. That shows Kaif’s sex appeal is unaffected by the box office performances of her films. So even if Tees Maar Khan has turned out to be a bit of a ho-hum movie, Kaif reigns supreme in the hearts and minds of star-struck Indians. And giving her company is none other than bad boy Salman Khan, who, says the survey, is the most downloaded male star. Two good!

Past blast

Ranbir Kapoor may be a chip off the old block. But he doesn’t seem to be keen to reprise the roles his old man did. The Kapoor scion, whose dreamy eyes are said to be setting a thousand female hearts aflutter, has apparently refused Arbaaz Khan’s offer to play the role of Akbar in the remake of the 70s blockbuster Amar Akbar Anthony. As we all know, it was dad Rishi who played the lovable Akbar in the original film. So why this reluctance to follow in his father’s footsteps? We can’t say. What we can tell you, however, is that Kapoor Junior was quite keen to essay the role of Anthony — played by none other than Amitabh Bachchan in the original. He may not get it, though. The buzz is that Khan has already chosen his brother Salman for the role. Now, now, Ranbir, there are scores of other Big B movies that may get remade — with you as the leading man.