TELEVISION Is he Not A Nice Man to Know? IT’s chat show viewers will be talking about for a long, long time. By and about a man whose life has been the constant source of conversation material for gossip mills and cocktail circuits. Not A Nice Man to Know on Star Plus, gives millions of Khushwant Singh’s fans a chance to see him on television on a subject he is completely at ease with — women. The programme sees Khushwant Singh at his vintage bet, a culmination of 40 years as an editor, author and columnist. The show is a take-off on Singh’s carefully cultivated image of “a ladies man”. It is believed that he is someone women often trust with their darkest secrets. He is also a shrewd and sympathetic listener. The chat show will have a guest list of 13 women, who have registered on Khushwant’s emotional and literary radar over the years. In Not A Nice Man To Know he will bring out in his inimitable style, the distinguishing traits of these women as he talks to them about their work, life, beliefs, fears, hopes, aspirations and attitudes. And who are these tantalising women — Tehmina Durrani, Persis Khambatta, Sharmila Tagore, Pretima Gauri, and Ramola Bachchan — the list could be endless as far as Khushwant is concerned, but here he will restrict himself to only 13 and keep viewers hopping that he does a sequel. Against all odds It’s about a woman’s metamorphosis..... from a repressed, meek and subdued victim of injustice to a strong defender of her convictions. The end of darkness, leading to a new dawn, that’s what Manzil on Star Plus is all about. The protagonist, Mrinalini, could well be one of millions of women across India, coping with similar situations in their daily routines — a domineering husband, no freedom of thought or expression, leading a life they have no control over. Mrinalini is educated and talented, yet she lives in perpetual dread of her demanding and unloving husband, a rich and successful man. They have only one child, a vivacious and ebullient daughter, Shamli, who’s just graduated from college, wants to study further, and is in love with a research scholar, Avinash, much to the disapproval of her father. And that forms the basis of this powerful drama starring Kiran Kumar, Raza Murad, Smita Jayakar, and Renuka Shahane. A must-see series which would touch every woman’s life in some way. Speaking diplomatically An imaginative new offering from Zee India TV, The Diplomacy Show, will each week address a contemporary theme with an eminent guest providing a counter-point. The issues discussed include themes like; Is BJP as an international brand? Indo-US military ties; Is China India’s number one enemy? And more. The show has also on offer the Gujral Exclusive where the former Prime Minister talks on issues like India’s relationship with China, Pakistan and other countries. There are invited guests like former Foreign Secretary J.N. Dixit, Lt Gen V.K. Singh and a list of other luminaries. Mandira’s a natural The bright arclights of television are beckoning her. And Mandira Malhoutra has responded enthusiastically to the challenge. The jet-setting 5 feet 9 inch Delhi model is all set for the big break. Apart for doing commercials for upmarket companies like Whirlpool, S. Kumar, Four Square, Digjam, Rooh Afza, Liberty, Singer, Hero and a lot more, Mandira has featured in an Archies music video and even modelled for BBC’s Style. After passing out from college last year, she says she has taken time off to experiment with her ideas. “My real aim is to go into television production.” A stunning face like her’s behind the camera? Quite a loss for TV viewers! Khichri family What happens in a joint family where the father is from Kashmir, the mother from Kanyakumari, the bahus from Punjab, Bengal and Gujarat while the sons are in absolutely diverse professions? There’s great mirth and merriment. Or at least that’s what the producers of Hum Sub Ek Hain would have us believe. The serial revolves around the Kachroo family where the joys of sharing and caring, the sense of interdependence and belongingness are depicted in an unusual way. The authenticity of the characters played lies in the fact that the stars actually belong to the regions that they are shown to hail from. There is no dearth of situational possibilities... what with various regional festivals, mannerisms and ideologies... all under one single roof. A total potpourri of a family which would keep you in splits. A Tango in Dubai Channel (V)’s VJ Meghana Reddy and Mangta Hai recently travelled to Dubai for the inauguration of Planet Hollywood. What did she do there? Well for one, she went stargazing. From Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis to Patrick Swayze, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and many more. Meghana caught up with all of them. She even joined in all the fun and excitement in Dubai. And Channel V didn’t miss the opportunity of making a stirring programme on the Dubai star show. So if you missed seeing Meghana talking to the stars and giving you a taste of some Hollywood magic, stay tuned. The show’s going to have many repeats. — Mukesh Khosla Mein Solah Baras Ki Dev Anand has now finished the post production of his film Mein Solah Baras Ki and is all set to release the film shortly. The film which has been extensively shot in Scotland, Ladakh, and Rajasthan, including in the famous Ajmer Sharif, has shaped up well. The rushes of the film suggest that his venture is much better than his earlier production Gangster where several scenes were even canned out of focus. The highlight of the film is Dev Anand playing himself. And yes, he is introducing a fresh face in this film called Sabrina opposite Jas Arora. Dev is following on footsteps of Sushmita Sen who played herself in Mahesh Bhatt’s Dastak. Dev Anand, when he had just finished his last film Gangster, said that his next film’s subject might be on his experiences when he would visit USA and Canada for the premieres of his film. And that turned out to be true. For a girl kept following Dev Anand throughout. “She was a 16-year-old. I was moving from city to city where felicitation programmes were being organised for me by the Asians there. And here was this little girl who kept calling me and following me relentlessly. I was intrigued by this little girl’s overwhelming interest in a star who did not belong to her generation at all. I met her and asked a few questions and she confessed that she wanted to be a film star and that she had read and heard that Dev Anand casts new faces in his films and they went on to become great movie stars.” For Dev Anand it was not an portentous experience. For apart from the appreciable amount of mail from prospective stars that is dropped by the Bandra Post Office, he also has many youngsters walking into Anand, his theatre cum office complex in Bandra, seeking a meeting with him. “People tend to assume that Dev Anand is inaccessible, but it is not like that. I meet people who come here from faraway places to have a word with me or have a photograph clicked with me. But this girl from the USA set me thinking. I couldn’t promise her a film because she was not star material. She did not have the potential to become a heroine. Yet her tale of the home she deserted to follow a star in the hope of fulfilling an ambition enraptured me.” In his film Dev has depicted the girl as a lonely teenager who watched films endlessly and was drawn to the escapism that Indian films glorify. “True, the girl was enamoured by reel life incidents,” he says. It is strange that all movies made around film stars or makers have never managed to succeed. Be it Kagaz Ke Phool, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee or even Saaz. But Dev Anand is sanguine and upbeat. The reason being Sabrina. The girl exudes a lot of charm and is very spontaneous. Dev got down to writing his script and he kept in mind a promise that he had made to his NRI fans during his long tour of USA and England, that he would return to make a film about their love for Indian stars. And thus for the first time in the history of Hindi celluloid, a star had to hold a mirror to himself and his life and times with equitable candour and get away with it throughout the film. The script Dev has evolved for Mein Solah Baras Ki is rather close to the realities of the life of Dev Anand, the star. Subtly autobiographical in content, the screenplay revolves round a 16-year-old fan who meets Dev Anand and Dev gives her a leading role in his new film. She undergoes all the transformation that all new entrants in filmdom have to willy nilly undergo. She achieves stardom and in the process finds herself plunging deep into an emotional crisis. Dev’s concept is commendable for he has been bold enough to expose himself as a star through a medium which has ironically given him the camouflages and trappings of a legendary movie star. “Stories spin off just like that in my mind,” he says, sans modesty. “I have often asked myself questions about Dev Anand the star. At times I am amazed at the following I have. So I said to myself ‘why don’t I present myself before the people who care for me as myself.” Mukesh Khosla