Hey! Ram for Oscars
By Sitesh Debnath
KAMAL Haasan’s Hey! Ram will represent India at the Oscars next year. The film, which recreates the circumstances leading to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, has been recommended for the award in Best Foreign Film category by a selection committee constituted by the Film Federation of India.

Rinke on a winning spree
SHE’S TERRIFIED of cockroaches. She loves to devour glassful upon glassful of fresh orange juice (“No spiking, please”). She’s turned off by compulsive liars and body odour. She’d love to go on a date with Tom Cruise or Antonio Banderas. She thinks she’s cool as a cucumber... but finds herself boring. She loves theatre and would rather do a good play than a bad film.....

The reindeer man
WHAT is it that Arnold Schwarzenegger likes the most besides a big hit? It’s Christmas. No not just for its festive spirit but because he has a very special mission which he has taken upon himself.

Aging like old wine
HERE’S the mother of all polls. With new year round the corner, it’s time once again to ask the mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all in Hollywood. That’s exactly what most of the celebrity magazines have done. The new Hunters Poll has tabulated all the results of all the magazines and come up with a comprehensive list of top ten Hollywood dazzlers.

Hey! Ram for Oscars
By Sitesh Debnath

KAMAL Haasan’s Hey! Ram will represent India at the Oscars next year. The film, which recreates the circumstances leading to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, has been recommended for the award in Best Foreign Film category by a selection committee constituted by the Film Federation of India (FFI).

Other films which came up before the committee included Hum Saath Saath Hai, Mohabbatein and Mission Kashmir (Hindi), Maa Baap Bhulao Nahi (Gujarati), Chaala Begundi (Telugu), Bharati (Tamil) and Madhura Nombarakattu (Malayalam).

All these films have not only won critical acclaim, but also enjoyed a successful run at the box-office. Hey! Ram however, has not been as successful as other Kamal Haasan films such as Nayakan, Pushpak, Appu Raja and Chachi 420.

With Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Rani Mukherji and Kamal himself leading the cast, Hey! Ram revolves around a fictional character, Saket Ram who embarks on a mission to assassinate the Father of the Nation for what was construed as his pro-Muslim leanings.

That Nathuram Godse, another Hindu fanatic finally fired the bullet, is what history tells us. What Hey! Ram reveals is the undercurrent of tension that builds up between the Hindus and Muslims around India’s Independence with Gandhi eventually becoming a victim.

The committee that recommended the film was headed by the president of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, A. Kothandaramiah with leading industry bigwigs like Anjana Ramesh, Sushma Shiromanee, Prabhat Pandey and Chitra Lakshmanan as members.

Kamal’s earlier bids at the Oscars included starrers like Sagar Sangamam (Telugu), Saagar (Hindi), Thevar Magan, Nayagan, Swathimuthyam, Kuruthipunal and Indian (all Tamil). Incidentally, no Indian film has won the award to date.— MF

Rinke on a winning spree

SHE’S TERRIFIED of cockroaches. She loves to devour glassful upon glassful of fresh orange juice (“No spiking, please”). She’s turned off by compulsive liars and body odour. She’d love to go on a date with Tom Cruise or Antonio Banderas. She thinks she’s cool as a cucumber... but finds herself boring. She loves theatre and would rather do a good play than a bad film.....

She’s Rinke Khanna! Her entire persona has undergone a metamorphosis since the time she made her screen debut in Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi. With the kind of roles ‘n’ movies she’s being offered as of today, it really shouldn’t take her long to emerge a winner in Hindi films.

Mr Flop of the year?

Tearful, but true — Lady Luck just refuses to smile on Abhishek Bachchan... notwithstanding his best attempts. If one, only one, film of his had been a hit. But no, AB Jr was a loser all the way, with three fantastic flops in a row! A hard-to-beat record. He’s very impressive in real life; he only has to learn to translate some of that awesome charisma into his reel life roles.

—Madhur Mittal

The reindeer man

WHAT is it that Arnold Schwarzenegger likes the most besides a big hit? It’s Christmas. No not just for its festive spirit but because he has a very special mission which he has taken upon himself.

Last year after it was reported that burglars had stolen 3,500 toys donated in charity from the Hollenbeck Youth Centre in Los Angeles, the man who reached out to the deprived children was none other than the macho star.

Schwarzenegger’s donations not just matched his big muscles but he also agreed to become Santa Claus for the kids.

So taken in is the star with his new role that he has decided to repeat it again this year. And the shopping centre is beside itself with happiness. Because the Schwarzenegger name is enough to pull mega donations from the cash-flushed Hollywood.

— NF

Aging like old wine

HERE’S the mother of all polls. With new year round the corner, it’s time once again to ask the mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all in Hollywood. That’s exactly what most of the celebrity magazines have done. The new Hunters Poll has tabulated all the results of all the magazines and come up with a comprehensive list of top ten Hollywood dazzlers.

Not surprisingly, the top-of-the-list is pretty woman Julia Roberts who’s been voted as the most desirable, most in-shape and most professional heroine in Hollywood. She’s followed by Demi Moore, Sandra Bullock, Meg Ryan, Sharon Stone, Pamela Anderson Lee, Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch, Jennifer Lopez and Madonna.

But what has surprised most people is the fact that Sophia Loren and Raquel Welch figure in the top ten list as both are well into their sixties. However, the Hunters poll sees nothing unusual about it as a number of people who voted are in their forties and fifties and have been smitten by these two stars since their teens. When it comes to Hollywood glamour, it can never be a case of once smitten twice shy!

— NF