Naseer in Brooks’ Hamlet
IT’S been a case of ‘better late than never’ for Naseeruddin Shah who has waited for this moment since 1991, when Peter Brooks visited Mumbai last to stage his international classic, Mahabharata. The latter had then promised to cast him in a play some time in the future.

Beauty queens: Bitten by the acting bug
WITH a glittering tiara firmly on their heads, most (read all) beauty queens tragically have a sudden stroke of amnesia and forget the pledge that they had made only moments earlier to work for the poor and the underprivileged and to serve humanity. And before you can so much as say “showbiz”, that’s exactly where they are headed. 

Yukta Mookhey

Making his day
FOR over three of the four decades he’s been in films he has personified the quintessential hero. The man who smiles wryly in the face of danger. The man who can coolly taunt a gun-toting assassin by saying. “Go ahead punk, make my day.”

• Danger, she said

Neetu, Rishi: Together again?
AFTER a long, long time things finally seem to be going right for Rishi Kapoor and wife Neetu Singh. First one heard stories that the couple, who had not been on talking terms for the last three years, had reached some sort of an understanding during Chimpu Kapoor’s wedding.

Naseer in Brooks’ Hamlet

IT’S been a case of ‘better late than never’ for Naseeruddin Shah who has waited for this moment since 1991, when Peter Brooks visited Mumbai last to stage his international classic, Mahabharata. The latter had then promised to cast him in a play some time in the future.

“I am flattered that Peter Brooks remembered me after ten years,” remarked the actor upon being told that the ‘world’s greatest theatre director’ had decided to cast him as Rosencrantz in an upcoming production of Hamlet.

Describing it as a god sent opportunity, the 50-year-old Shah dispelled all rumours that he was unhappy with the role, which was too insignificant for his celebrity status. “This would give me the opportunity to prove my craft before a world audience.”

Shah, who had been going slow with his commitments in the Mumbai film industry, was on a holiday in Paris when the call from Brooks came. “I had gone in all humility just to be associated with Peter Brooks and escape from the frustration of doing those wretched Hindi films,” he said.

Without holding back his feelings, he revealed that he was constantly living in the fear of “turning into one of the characters of Hindi movies” if he continued with those films without a break. “I have burnt my bridges with the Hindi film industry,” he declared.

“My decision to leave for Paris also forced me to turn down opportunities and to drop out from other projects,” said the actor who has been involved in the production of over 100 English and Hindi plays, besides appearing in about 75 movies in the past 27 years.

Hamlet opens at Theatre des Bouffes du Nord at Paris and would be followed by shows at Strasbourg, New York, Chicago, Vienna, Tokyo and Kyoto till August 2001. “Apart from my dream to act in a Woody Allen film, I really wanted this to happen to me,” Shah added.

— MF

Beauty queens: Bitten by the acting bug

WITH a glittering tiara firmly on their heads, most (read all) beauty queens tragically have a sudden stroke of amnesia and forget the pledge that they had made only moments earlier to work for the poor and the underprivileged and to serve humanity. And before you can so much as say “showbiz”, that’s exactly where they are headed. It should come as no surprise that two more beauty queens — Yukta Mookhey and Diana Hayden — are all set to follow in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors — Zeenat Aman, Meenakshi Sheshadari, Juhi Chawla, Sonu Walia, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai... oops, I am out of breath.

Producers have reportedly been eager to sign Yukta ever since she became Miss World. After repeatedly using her height as an excuse to avoid getting into films, she has finally scrummed to the lure of Bollywood. She has signed her first film, Pyaasa, produced by Ramesh Sharma and directed by South Indian director A Muthu who has previously directed Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya. She has chosen to star against a newcomer — Sayeed Zulfi. Aftab Shivdasani also stars in the film. Apart from this, she has also signed a film with Tinnu Anand.

Unlike Yukta, Diana is not keen on the song-and-dance routine of Bollywood and has regularly turned down offers for the last three years. If latest rumours are to be believed she is headed West and has landed a film opposite, hold your breath, Burce Willis. While refusing to confirm any such happy tidings, Diana has admitted that she is considering a few Hollywood scripts but has not signed anything yet.

Making his day

FOR over three of the four decades he’s been in films he has personified the quintessential hero. The man who smiles wryly in the face of danger. The man who can coolly taunt a gun-toting assassin by saying. “Go ahead punk, make my day.”

But in personal life it is no punk who’s made Clint Eastwood’s day. It’s wife Dina Ruiz. The TV broadcaster has given up her high profile job for their one-year-old daughter, Morgan.

The issue which had caused considerable consternation in the Eastwood household has finally been laid to rest with Dina deciding to swap her TV career for her gender-defined role of bringing up a baby.

As in his professional life, Clint has kept alive the virility in his personal life as well. He was first married in 1954 to Maggie Johnson. In between he fathered a daughter, Kimber, by actress Roxanne Tunis. He and Maggie later had two kids of their own — Kylie, now 20 and Alison, 25.

He then had a live-in relationship with actress Sondra Lock which ended in an ugly alimony case. Later he had a live-in partnership with Frances Fisher, mother of his fourth child, Francesca. The liaison ended in 1994 and Eastwood married Dina Ruiz, current wife and mother of his fifth child.

At 70 he may not be a force to reckon with in Hollywood, but in real life Eastwood is as macho as they come.

Danger, she said

SHE’s tempted death again. A couple of years ago when Nicole Kidman and husband Tom Cruise were in Scotland she stood on the top of a hill to strike a pose for a picture Tom was clicking. But in her enthusiasm she backed up too far and fell off the edge and hung on for dear life till a helicopter came to her rescue.

Recently Nicole re-experienced a similar nightmare. On a holiday in Italy, she took a guide and climbed up an active volcano without Tom Cruise who had gone swimming on the beach.

However, by the time she reached the top it was already pitch dark and the wind was blowing like a banshee. Nicole panicked when she thought of the three hour climbdown. The guide suggested that they go from the other side of the volcano which was shorter but very dangerous.

The arduous downhill trek took over two hours one wrong footstep would have meant death. Meanwhile Cruise pressed the panic buttons and reportedly a rescue helicopter circled the volcano till the badly bruised Nicole and her guide were discovered, much to the relief of Cruise. Never again, says Nicole recalling the nightmare. But those who know her also know that she will go and do something like that all over again.

— Newsmen Features

Neetu, Rishi: Together again?

AFTER a long, long time things finally seem to be going right for Rishi Kapoor and wife Neetu Singh. First one heard stories that the couple, who had not been on talking terms for the last three years, had reached some sort of an understanding during Chimpu Kapoor’s wedding. Neetu, who had always been close to Chimpu, decided not to let her differences with Rishi come in the way of her being part of the marriage ceremonies. She participated in the festivities and this, it seems, gave her and Rishi the opportunity to patch up their differences.

Now one hears that they have been offered big bucks to do a teleserial together. The serial is an Indian version of Tim Allen’s popular comedy Home Improvement. The show depicts the lighter side of bringing up kids, hilarious family situations and the funny and sometimes bizzare events that go to make up Tim’s home life. Rishi and Neetu have been offered serials in the past but always turned them down because Rishi did not have dates to spare in between tight acting and directing schedules. But now, it seems, the two are considering the offer seriously. The megabucks apart, perhaps a little comedy is just what the they need!

—Glitzy