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Third Eye: A poetic justice

Focus: I don’t want to compare my mother with anybody: Rahul

It’s high time to have new approach to policing

Sushmita attempts at recreating herself and challenging her craft with every film has resulted in a career graph with more troughs than peaks. "If one is successful while being stuck in a rut, doing the same kind of roles people have loved, I don’t think that’s success. Ten years down the line, I want people to point to my generation of actresses and say, ‘There were all these successful actresses and then, there was that crazy one.’ I want to be the crazy one." With an attitude like that, it’s surprising that the actress has survived for so long. "It hasn’t been easy and I don’t recommend this to everyone. I have survived only because my beliefs are strong enough to override Fridays and the perceptions and concepts that the industry works on." When it’s not work, Sushmita’s got her hands full with another baby in the house. "My sister’s adopted a girl. Renee (Sush’s adopted daughter) now has a baby sister, Aaliya, to play with. She is hyper possessive about Aaliya.

Call it quirky coincidence, but the M-word’s hot in Bollywood right now. Look at the only films that have raked it in of late and you’ll know. Munna Bhai MBBS, Murder, Masti and now Main Hoon Na - the hit list is all about films that have names starting with the letter M. Given that most of Mumbai’s hyper superstitious lot spend more time on names and numerology than scripts, M’s what matters. No, we don’t know yet if Ekta Kapoor is contemplating a switch from her chosen letter K - her big screen trip so far has been rather rough after all. The idiot box sultana tried translating those sizzling TRPs into box-office dollops by sticking to her chosen letter, but Kyu Kii Main Jhut Nahin Bolta, Kuch To Hai and Krishna Cottage came a cropper. In fact, K is also the chosen letter of Rakesh Roshan and Karan Johar. But then, Roshan’s had mixed results (For every Koi Mil Gaya or Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, he’s churned out a Koyla, a King Uncle or a Khel) and Johar’s Kal Ho Naa Ho, despite Shah Rukh Khan, is only a semi-hit. So, should producers scramble to register all the M titles? "Every letter carries a vibration that should be in sync with the film’s storyline," says Bollywood’s favourite numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani. "More than the first letter, it’s the total of all letters in the title that matters."

In terms of drama, both reel and real, this is huge. The God of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, plays - who else - Godfather. And the drama quotient reaches an all-time high when son Abhishek plays Michael Corleone, the Godfather's son, in Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar . For Abhishek, reticent, shy, brooding, intense and hot, 2004 promises to be a quality year with a capital Q as the market gets ready to welcome him in five major releases. "I keep saying that if you can’t do it with quality, do it with quantity. Give them no choice, flood the multiplexes with my films and one of them will click," he jokes. But quality has followed him. Topline filmmakers have queued up. Be it Boney Kapoor’s Run, Mani Ratnam’s Yuva, Varma’s Naach, Sanjay Gadvi’s Dhoom , and Revathy’s Phir Milenge , it’s raining Abhishek this year. "I don’t know if anybody is vying for me, but I am thankful to them for showing faith in me," he says. But in terms of hype and drama, Sarkar promises to be big both professionally and personally. Abhishek’s Dad forms a crucial subtext. In real life, his and Amitabh’s is one of the most endearing father-son relationships in Bollywood. "God is my friend but Dad is my best friend. When low or sad, I reach out for him and my family." Cut to Godfather where the Don Corleone and Michael relationship is stuff that drama and passion are made of. "Ramu and I discussed the project throughout the making of Naach," Abhishek says. "I will play anything Ramu gives me. I have complete faith in him."

Media baron Barjinder Singh Hamdard has created history of sorts by becoming the only active and established journalist in the country to have dared to venture into the field of music with his intensely emotional and romantic number ------ ‘Jazbaat’. True to its title, "Jazbaat" is a bunch of Hindi-Pubjabi ghazals and songs, which not only depict longings of a true lover, but shades of his emotive outbursts. Going by his performance, which beats many a professional singer, Hamdard’s only competitor can be Bhupen Hazarika, another potent combination of a journalist, musician and singer. "I failed to stop myself. It was spontaneous. My inner-self kept pricking me for years till I came out with ‘Jazbaat’ after a great deal of pondering over the subject. While I was young, I dreamed to be a "Tansen," said Barjinder Singh, the Editor-in-Chief of daily Ajit after an initial reluctance. "Jazbaat" , which has been adorned with music by music director Gurdip Singh, was released by former Prime Minister Inder kumar Gujral at Jalandhar’s Desh Bhagat Yaadgaar Hall in last December. Some of his ghazals include "Dono Jahan Ko Teri Mohabbat Mein Haarke. Who jaa Raha Hai Koyi Shab-e-gham Guzaar ke," of "Duniya Ne Teri Yaad Se Begaana Kar Diya," followed by, "Ek Fursate Gunah Mili, Who Bhi Chaar Din, Dekhe Hain Humne Hausle Parvar Digaar Ke." The resolve of a lover to reaffirm his conviction with every passing moment has been depicted through. "Marna Teri Gali Mein, Zeena Teri Gali Mein, Mit Zaaegi Hamaari Duniya, Teri Gali Mein."

Amisha plays the role of a Bengali girl in the film. These days, she has lot of respect for the Bengalis, their culture and their thinkers. I love Bengali writers like Rabindranath Tagore and Arundathi Roy. Their books are so great! she said. We didnt want to shatter her ego, but Arundathi Roy isn't all that Bengali. Her father was Bengali but she had been living with her mother since her childhood in Kerala. The book that made her a global star was about Kerala.

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