HOLLYWOOD SCAN
Going green Demi style

SHE is the latest to join the fashion brigade of ecology-conscious Hollywood denizens. But Demi Moore carries her environment friendliness to ridiculous limits. Recently she ripped out the air conditioning in her house and had solar heating and cooling put in along with a water purifier. Now the only household cleansing agent allowed is baking soda and nothing would do except biodegradable laundry products. And anyone who wears perfumes is barred from the household because of the number of chemicals used in them. What next? Maybe Demi Moore would retreat to the Brazilian rainforest in her frenzied hurry to go back to nature!

Michelle Pfieffer must consider herself one of the most professional food connoisseurs in Hollywood. She sent back a plate of potato salad at the upmarket ‘Daily Grill’ saying the spuds were not well done. When the dish was brought back she took one look at it and sent the waiter marching back saying it wasn’t hot enough. When the dish was done up to her expectations and brought to her for the third time she complained that the butter had not been applied evenly on the spuds. Though the manager almost tore his hair in exasperation, he invited Michelle to the kitchen and asked her to supervise the way she wanted her spud salad. — NF

Dorjee makes film debut
By Sitesh Debnath

KELLY DORJEE’s only claim to fame was being Lara Dutta’s steady boyfriend. To begin with he was a ramp model then he became a veejay, then a television host and is now ready to make his splash as a film hero.

Dorjee’s launch vehicle is an English film, Auroville 316 by debut-making director Shamin Desai. Co-starring Dodo Bhujwala and Meghna Reddy, the 110-minute feature is being shot on a start-to-finish schedule on the barren wastes of Bhuj, in Gujarat.

"It is a film that would break geographical boundaries and cultural barriers," explains Dorjee. "There are no special allusions about India. It is just about three people in a surreal disposition. The plot could be set anywhere in the world."

Dorjee plays a hitchhiker who is traversing the country with his drag queen friend (played by Dodo). Somewhere, along the way they meet another traveller (Meghna) and the growing intimacy between the girl and Dorjee, stirs up feelings of jealousy in Dodo. Finally, he kills Dorjee.

Says Desai: "I have a rash against commercial cinema. I don’t understand it. So mine is more of a reactionary movie to what is happening around. I am trying to show an alternative India in Auroville 316."

He explains the darker shades of the reel Dorjee as a "guy lapsing into bisexuality because he has not been very successful as a heterosexual and takes his chances with this 42-year-old drag queen — and tries his chances at being gay".

Adds Dorjee: "I am not the hero of the film. I am just its main protagonist. And I have no pretensions of being a superstar like Amitabh Bachchan or Shahrukh Khan. If other filmmakers like my work in Auroville 316, they will offer me suitable roles..." 

— MF

Close on the heels of reports about a possible break-up of Sanjay Dutt’s marriage with Rhea Pillai because of Sanjay’s alleged relationship with Preity Zinta, denials are flying thick and fast. Ask Preity about it and she says that it is a "big, massive lie" and that Sanjay is like a "big brother" to her. Sanjay says that he has been "absolutely faithful" to Rhea and she has not walked out on him. And although Preity had told him that she had a crush on him when she was in school, he "treats her like a kid sister" now. Rhea is, meanwhile, conspicuous by her silence.

Apparently, Raveena Tandon isn’t too happy that her calibre as an actress is being recognised only in Daman. What about the 70-odd films like Ziddi, Andaaz Apna Apna, Mohra, Dulhe Raja, etc, in which she starred and some of which were hits, she asks. How come an actor’s artistic capabilities are noticed only when he or she does so-called off-beat films? Why are roles in which the actress wears cotton saris and no make-up considered the only ones worth doing? After all, she says, a good performance in a commercial film deserves as much praise as a good performance in an off-beat film. Besides, dancing with 10 kgs of jewellery and make-up is more difficult. Point taken, maam.

—Glitzy

Young celebrities turn veg!

"INDIA has a long tradition and religious heritage of vegetarianism. Indeed, it can lead the way for the whole world to go vegetarian and give animals a kinder, more ethical treatment. They have as much right to live peacefully on this earth as have human beings," says Jason Baker, head of the NGO People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), "Our new public awareness campaign was kicked off in the year 2001 with many celebrities worldwide supporting us. We are happy that seasoned celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sir Paul McCartney, Martina Navratilova, Bryan Admas, Drew Barrymore, Richard Gere, Pamela Anderson, Woody Harrelson, Alicia Silverstone, Natalie Portman and many others have led the way in accepting vegetarianism as a healthier, more spiritual way of life. They have inspired the younger celebrities to follow suit and now, there is a worldwide movement to prevent the inhuman treatment and slaughter of animals for fun or food."

To speed up their efforts to create an awareness of the ‘go veggie’ slogan, PETA has enlisted the help of many famous models and stars in India. "PETA wants to draw young non-vegetarians in India towards a veggie lifestyle, and recognise the increasing popularity of vegetarianism in Europe, Britain and the USA. Millions worldwide are switching to vegetarian diets for a healthier life. Vegetables provide all the nutrients needed by us and add a sense of well being to the body. Additionally, many people have been witness to the cruelty involved in raising animals for slaughter and in the production of meat for human consumption. Add to this the effect of new research — which says that the burgeoning rate of heart disease, cancer and strokes is the result of meat-heavydiets — and young people are convinced of the need to change their food habits. India, particularly, has such a vast treasure of vegetarian delicacies that it can share it with the world and help bring about a revolution."

To start off, PETA has created an ad campaign, shot by famed fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar, featuring top model and Mrs. World 2001 Aditi Govitrikar with John Abraham, for publicising the cause. Hemant Trevedi, now famous as the designer of all costumes for international beauty pageant contestants, has created history by designing ‘outfits’ made of lettuce, drumsticks, cauliflower, red cabbage and spring onions, and ‘accessories’ out of lady fingers, chillies and green peas.

John Abraham, the topmost male model in the Indian fashion industry today, turned vegetarian when he realised that some animals never see the sun in the farms. "They are kept in dark, crowded places, crammed into cages which are so small that they can hardly turn around. Old animals are mercilessly killed. In the abattoir, some animals are left to bleed to death, others are hacked and skinned while still alive," he says, "This is absolutely unethical!"

Aditi Govitrikar, as a doctor, feels that eating vegetarian food is the only way to keep fit. "When you eat meat, you eat toxins and cholesterol-making fat. Vegetarian food is powerful enough and has all the necessary vitamins and proteins." Other Indian celebrities who are supporting the PETA campaign are Amitabh Bachchan, Mahima Choudhary, Juhi Chawla and Anil Kumble.