Some people do crossword puzzles while
waiting at airports. Kola Venkata Krishna Mohan, 40, gambled on a
lottery. The businessman from Vijayawada was whiling away time at Heathrow, when he put
money on the Euro lottery on a whim. Three months on comes the news that he's won $19.8
million (Rs 83 crore). "I've seen many ups and downs in my life, but this is
overwhelming," says the tubby winner. We hear that he hadn't even mentioned the
lottery to his wife because he shelled out $600 on it. Small change now.
Star Wars
This
war will never fizzle out. Pepsi has just chosen Manisha Koirala to give
it a thumbs up. "I'm delighted," gushes the lovely lady, now the choice of the
new generation. "We welcome her," adds Pepsi's Vibha Rishi, making it all
official. And pooh, how could anybody think that Pepsi thought of Manya because Karisma
Kapoor, her arch rival in Bollywood, has been Coke's girl all of this season? For
more news on the cola wars, ask us. Aamir Khan who, if you remember, did that famous Pepsi
ad with Aishwarya Rai and Mahima Choudhury, is being courted to now say it for Coke.
Again, nothing to do with Shah Rukh's affair with Pepsi. You'll know Aamir's decision by
next month. Aha.
A Victor Emerges
We've known him all this while as the
serious actor. Now watch him on the other side of the fence. Come January and Victor
Banerjee will be doing a Barry Norman for BBC World, as anchor of Film India,
a weekly programme and the channel's first India-based film show. Rumour has it that
Alyque Padamsee and Roshan Seth were two names that might have been. "Victor's
perfect for the show," says executive producer Anita Horam, "smart but casual
and with a great storytelling style." But after years of being at the receiving end,
will criticising come easy?
The Germ of an Idea
It's the smallest source of inspiration
the world has never seen. A virus. Last week, 1,800 artists in Ahmedabad
worked their imagination on a 2.5 km long canvas to create what might end up being the
world's longest painting. The point, incidentally, was to create awareness about the
state's polio immunisation drive. Point taken, but artist Bhupen Khakhar who
was there couldn't resist a chuckle: "I had never even dreamt of such a spectacle. It
was a great experience." The organisers are eyeing a Guinness Book entry. Of
course.
Some people do crossword puzzles while
waiting at airports. Kola Venkata Krishna Mohan, 40, gambled on a
lottery. The businessman from Vijayawada was whiling away time at Heathrow, when he put
money on the Euro lottery on a whim. Three months on comes the news that he's won $19.8
million (Rs 83 crore). "I've seen many ups and downs in my life, but this is
overwhelming," says the tubby winner. We hear that he hadn't even mentioned the
lottery to his wife because he shelled out $600 on it. Small change now. 
This
war will never fizzle out. Pepsi has just chosen Manisha Koirala to give
it a thumbs up. "I'm delighted," gushes the lovely lady, now the choice of the
new generation. "We welcome her," adds Pepsi's Vibha Rishi, making it all
official. And pooh, how could anybody think that Pepsi thought of Manya because Karisma
Kapoor, her arch rival in Bollywood, has been Coke's girl all of this season? For
more news on the cola wars, ask us. Aamir Khan who, if you remember, did that famous Pepsi
ad with Aishwarya Rai and Mahima Choudhury, is being courted to now say it for Coke.
Again, nothing to do with Shah Rukh's affair with Pepsi. You'll know Aamir's decision by
next month. Aha. 
We've known him all this while as the
serious actor. Now watch him on the other side of the fence. Come January and Victor
Banerjee will be doing a Barry Norman for BBC World, as anchor of Film India,
a weekly programme and the channel's first India-based film show. Rumour has it that
Alyque Padamsee and Roshan Seth were two names that might have been. "Victor's
perfect for the show," says executive producer Anita Horam, "smart but casual
and with a great storytelling style." But after years of being at the receiving end,
will criticising come easy? 
It's the smallest source of inspiration
the world has never seen. A virus. Last week, 1,800 artists in Ahmedabad
worked their imagination on a 2.5 km long canvas to create what might end up being the
world's longest painting. The point, incidentally, was to create awareness about the
state's polio immunisation drive. Point taken, but artist Bhupen Khakhar who
was there couldn't resist a chuckle: "I had never even dreamt of such a spectacle. It
was a great experience." The organisers are eyeing a Guinness Book entry. Of
course.
