3’S COMPANY

Others in the shadow of the underworld: Sanjay Dutt: Faces trial in the Mumbai blasts case Nadeem Saifee: Charged with conspiring to kill T-Series boss Gulshan Kumar Monica Bedi: Arrested by Portugal police with gangster boyfriend, Abu Salem.

If it?s Bollywood, it?s got to be siblings separated at birth. Or else, it?s formula number two ? the story of mistaken identities.

But, when the standard masala fare of the Hindi potboiler spilled into real life this week, doe-eyed actress Nagma was understandably hassled. An underworld crony?s vague allegations now threaten to derail not only her long-and-yet-fledgling film career, but also an aspiring future in politics.

But then, Nagma has often been misunderstood in a career marked more by oomph than histrionics. The media always referred to her as a south Indian siren. But, contrary to popular perception, Nagma was born Namrata Sadana and belongs to Punjab. That?s why when Nagma entered politics, the equally glamorous but more secure post-retirement plan for fading Bollywood stars, her first assignment was to campaign for an independent candidate in Abohar-Fazlika in Punjab.

Since then, much water has flown under the cowbelt bridges. Nagma joined the Congress last year and canvassed for her party in this round of Assembly elections. But a day after she returned from her Jharkhand campaign last Sunday, Nagma found herself in the news. A confession made by a Dawood Ibrahim associate arrested by the police to probe a gutka-underworld nexus was part of legal documents submitted before a special court in Mumbai. The confession, recorded by a Mumbai deputy commissioner in October, 2004, mentioned that Jamiruddin alias Jumbo had delivered to the Bandra apartment of ?film actress Nagma? Rs 10 lakh of hawala money sent by Dawood?s brother, Anees Ibrahim.

The sensational information flashed by the national media sent Nagma scurrying for cover. She vehemently denied having any links with the underworld and claimed that the allegations were politically motivated to finish what she euphemistically called her political career. ?It is a case of mistaken identity,? she said. All that the deputy commissioner was willing to say was this: ?I did record the confessional statement, but I do not know whether the reference was to this Nagma.?

Police records do show the existence of a small-time actress called Nagma, whose mother Tabassum Khan was arrested for her alleged links with the Dawood gang in January, 2002. But it is likely that the CBI is going to summon the better-known Nagma for questioning. For also under the scanner is Nagma?s reported friendship with Sachin Joshi, the son of Goa gutka owner, Jagdish Joshi. Nagma is believed to have helped Joshi bag a few roles in south Indian films, where her younger sister, Jyotika, is also a star. Joshi, meanwhile, has denied that Nagma helped him launch his film career.

Nagma, understandably, is upset. She doesn?t want to talk about the issue, and certainly not to the media. ?The media has been unfair to me. I have nothing more to say,? she says.

Of course, the unkind would say that the media has just given Nagma her few moments in the sun. For, as far as her film career is concerned, Nagma has never really hit the headlines. She launched her career opposite Salman Khan in the 1990 film, Baaghi, but has since then mostly played the part of a sidekick to the main stars.

Though she did better in the south, where she starred with top actors such as Prabhu Deva, Arvind Swami, Rajnikant and Nagarjuna, Nagma has been in the spotlight more for her off-screen antics. Reports about a romance and the subsequent break-up with cricket?s Sourav Ganguly kept her in the news for a while. ?It was good riddance to whatever it was? and for whatever it was worth,? she told a news magazine later.

With neither her career nor her love life taking off, Nagma turned spiritual. She joined the Art of Living spiritual courses and later gave lucid reasons why she did so. ?As a child, I have felt protected by this image of Christ with a beard and in flowing white robes... From the very first time that I laid my eyes on Guruji (Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar), I got goosebumps,? she said.

If all goes well for Nagma, the mystery of the mistaken identity would get sorted out in the last scene, and Nagma would be back where she belongs ? somewhere on the big screen. Meanwhile, she is looking eastwards. She stars with Victor Banerjee and Sharad Kapoor in a Bengali film, Parinam, released last week. She also announced recently that she would direct an animation film for children.

No, the lady isn?t hanging up her bustier yet.