Man Wins $100,000 Because He Loses A
Razor! Well, that's almost true. A few weeks ago, Vikas Chandra, GM of a
Kanpur-based firm, went to buy a new razor and was handed one of those ubiquitous
competition entry forms. He filled it to find his life turned upside down. Weeks later,
Gillette, the sponsors, turned up with a ticket for the World Cup football final. There's
more: Chandra and 70 other winners from across the world will do battle in a hi-tech
football video game in Paris. Okay, so the winner doesn't get to sign autographs but
possibly the $100,000 prize will do. Ask Chandra. "I am looking forward to watching
the soccer finals," says he. And? "Yes, the $100,000 is obviously my
priority". We understand.
Heart to Heart
Forget the
diamond cufflinks and Dijon ties. tradition says the way to a man's heart is through his
stomach. Which is how Akshay Kumar surrendered his to that sexy siren of
a chef Shilpa Shetty. When shooting for Dhadkan in Geneva two months ago,
Akshay was miffed that the chef had made only spicy food. So, Shilpa rustled up a
vegetable au gratin and Akshay couldn't refuse the offering. Says the actor now: "We
plan to marry. Our minds are completely set and we are very positive about this
relationship." He, however, denies they are engaged, though his friends insist they
are. All's well that ends well? Not quite. When ex-fiancee Raveena Tandon was told about
it, she replied: "Engaged? Again?" Ouch.
Mystery Girl
Everytime a fresh female face is
unveiled in Bollywood it's routine that she is photographed, interviewed and basically
over-exposed. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is too smart for that. Everyone wants to know about his
new girl Neha in Kareeb? But he won't let her tell. While hero
Bobby Deol doles out interviews, she stays locked up. As producer Vir Chopra says:
"Instead of letting her talk we'd let the audience see her and feel the impact."
Talk about waiting with bated breath.
A Star is Born
Actors are hard to come by in
Bollywood. There's been Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal. Now, says Mahesh
Bhatt, "add Manoj Bajpai to that list". With just a few films
-- the latest being Ram Gopal Varma's Satya -- the Delhi stage actor is hot
property. Varma's already cast Manoj as hero in his next thriller Kaun because "he's
the best actor I've worked with". Adds Shekhar Kapur, who worked with him in Bandit
Queen: "Manoj moulds himself to the characters he plays. I must say he's very
good." And that's the absolute satya.
Man Wins $100,000 Because He Loses A
Razor! Well, that's almost true. A few weeks ago, Vikas Chandra, GM of a
Kanpur-based firm, went to buy a new razor and was handed one of those ubiquitous
competition entry forms. He filled it to find his life turned upside down. Weeks later,
Gillette, the sponsors, turned up with a ticket for the World Cup football final. There's
more: Chandra and 70 other winners from across the world will do battle in a hi-tech
football video game in Paris. Okay, so the winner doesn't get to sign autographs but
possibly the $100,000 prize will do. Ask Chandra. "I am looking forward to watching
the soccer finals," says he. And? "Yes, the $100,000 is obviously my
priority". We understand. 
Forget the
diamond cufflinks and Dijon ties. tradition says the way to a man's heart is through his
stomach. Which is how Akshay Kumar surrendered his to that sexy siren of
a chef Shilpa Shetty. When shooting for Dhadkan in Geneva two months ago,
Akshay was miffed that the chef had made only spicy food. So, Shilpa rustled up a
vegetable au gratin and Akshay couldn't refuse the offering. Says the actor now: "We
plan to marry. Our minds are completely set and we are very positive about this
relationship." He, however, denies they are engaged, though his friends insist they
are. All's well that ends well? Not quite. When ex-fiancee Raveena Tandon was told about
it, she replied: "Engaged? Again?" Ouch. 
Everytime a fresh female face is
unveiled in Bollywood it's routine that she is photographed, interviewed and basically
over-exposed. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is too smart for that. Everyone wants to know about his
new girl Neha in Kareeb? But he won't let her tell. While hero
Bobby Deol doles out interviews, she stays locked up. As producer Vir Chopra says:
"Instead of letting her talk we'd let the audience see her and feel the impact."
Talk about waiting with bated breath. 
Actors are hard to come by in
Bollywood. There's been Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal. Now, says Mahesh
Bhatt, "add Manoj Bajpai to that list". With just a few films
-- the latest being Ram Gopal Varma's Satya -- the Delhi stage actor is hot
property. Varma's already cast Manoj as hero in his next thriller Kaun because "he's
the best actor I've worked with". Adds Shekhar Kapur, who worked with him in Bandit
Queen: "Manoj moulds himself to the characters he plays. I must say he's very
good." And that's the absolute satya.
