Hairy tale

Kangna Ranaut is in a hairy situation. The actress — known for her roles in films like Gangster, Life in a... Metro and Fashion — will sport 12 different hairdos in the upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. So why does Ranaut need to appear in 12 different looks? That’s not very clear. But what we do know for sure is that a whopping Rs 20 lakh has been spent on her coiffeur. Apparently, her role in the film was inspired by yesteryear actress Madhubala. But was the stunning Madhubala famous for elaborate coifs? Her biographers will be able to answer that one. Meanwhile, we shall wait for Ranaut’s rendition — with our hair in a braid!

Pancham perfect

Some things live forever. Such as the magic of R.D. Burman. Brahmanand Siingh, a Mumbai-based writer and filmmaker, explores that magic once again with his documentary on R.D. Burman called Pancham Unmixed: Mujhe Chalte Janaa Hai. The two-hour film charts Burman’s journey from his days as an apprentice under his father, S.D. Burman, to his first hit numbers in Teesri Manzil to the 1990s when he shot back into the limelight composing the music for 1942 – A Love Story. It also features interviews with people Burman worked with. For instance, director Vidhu Vinod Chopra talks about how he had to draw the composer out from one of the lowest points in his life to make the music of his film, 1942 – A Love Story. This one’s bound to be a treat for lovers of the inimitable R.D. Burman.

Secular deal

Looks like stars will pay obeisance to every god, demigod and icon in the hope of striking gold at the box office. That’s exactly what Akshay Kumar did while he was busy promoting his latest film Khatta Meetha. Kumar, once a fail-safe star but now labouring under a string of flops, offered prayers at Nagpur’s famous Ganesh Tekdi temple, a gurdwara and also a mosque. And then, clearly in an effort to leave no stone…er, statue…unturned, he even visited Dalit icon Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s statue! Tut tut, Akki. To be truly secular in your prayers for divine benediction, you needed to visit a church too.

English, Celina

Does Celina Jaitley have a thing for English language titles? Otherwise, why is it that all her upcoming Hindi films have English names? Be it Anees Azmee’s Thank You, Neeraj Vora’s Run Bhola Run, or Subhash Ghai’s Hello Darling, or Aditya Dutt’s Will You Marry Me? Celina Jaitley seems to be making it a point to work only in films that have angrezi titles. Of course, one has to admit that Bollywood has come out with a flurry of English-titled Hindi movies of late (Wake Up Sid, I Hate Luv Storys, Well Done Abba, to name just a few). And no doubt there is some hard-to-fathom cinematic and commercial logic to it. But wonder if Jaitley has become partial to the Queen’s lingo ever since her films No Entry and Golmaal Returns did well at the box office. Will the formula work in future? Watch this space.

Winning ways

Sugandha is going places. The actress, who made a name for herself in her debut film, the Imran Khan starrer Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, has been winning accolades for her role in the film Tere Bin Laden. “Not just the audience — even the industry people have appreciated my role as Zoya. In fact, I was offered the role after director Abhishek Sharma saw my performance in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na,” says Sugandha, who plays a make-up artist who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur in Tere Bin Laden. Her next movie is an Indo-American venture called Patang. “I play a lead role in the film and a very challenging one at that,” says Sugandha, who is also a singer and a Salsa dancer. Well, hope she can make the audience dance to her tune.