Before the Australian Open, she was just an extremely talented player. Now she is a role model, a beacon of hope. M.S. Unnikrishnan charts the meteoric rise of Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza has broken away from the restrictive mould of Indian tennis to enter the big league. In a country starved of sporting icons, Sania’s show on her Grand Slam debut in the Australian Open Tennis Championship has spread the sweet fragrance of success.

Brand wagon

Oops…she does it again
Saurabh and Gaurav on pop princess Britney Spears, who has been declared the highest-selling female artiste of this century.
The 23-year-old superstar has left such artists as Madonna, Kylie, Dido, Celine Dion, Buyonce and Christina Anguilera behind and is displaying a near-unprecedented annual selling power. Britney Spears has released five albums and her overall sale is a massive 60 million. This year she received her seventh Grammy nomination in the category of Best Dance Recording for Toxic.

Gayatri’s mantra
From missing the Miss India crown by a whisker to getting a dream start in Bollywood, it’s been a remarkable journey for Gayatri Joshi.
Avinash Kalla talks to the Swades girl, who wants to get noticed by her work.
This winner of the Hero Honda Screen award for the best debut actor makes no effort to hide her excitement as she sports a smile from ear to ear. Recognition from the industry, a Bollywood superstar as her first co-star and a celebrated director to guide her, what could a debutant actress ask for?