June 22, 1998

That famous hourglass, that clingy leather and the smouldering smile flash across TV screens as she shakes a leg in the popular music video Gur naal ishq mitha. What next for MTV veejay and model Malaika Arora? Go to Ooty and dance with Shah Rukh Khan and 30 others atop a moving train perhaps? Been there, done that. And the train wasn't the only thing steaming as Arora donned the backless choli for a dance sequence in Mani Ratnam's first Hindi film Dil Se. Says the veejay of her maiden Bollywood jig: "Initially when I got up there I was scared, but in a week's time we could've danced on a plane." Depending on what she wears, that would be something to see.

Italy Comes Calling

Some women have all the luck. Or in Samira Nanda's case some women just have the look. As a veejay, her Eveready Red Alert show may have been passe. So what? The Italian garment house Prada was bowled over by her style. Indeed, Prada was so impressed that it flew her straight into the heart of Milan. "And now I'm all over the Italian fashion magazines," coos Nanda. The best part? The clothes. "The fit, the cut, the quality, the texture -- everything was so perfect," she gushes. So was the clothes horse, quite clearly.

Desi Diana

It had to happen. Diana, beloved of Britain, is being Indianised in Princess, a new TV series. "It makes for great drama," says producer Sid Das of UTV. He argues Diana's experiences strike a chord in India. The cerebral Kitu Gidwani plays Di, Vijayendra Ghatge is Charles and Mohan Kapur does the Dodi. Shooting began with the notorious car accident. That's easy, but how will they recreate St Paul's cathedral for the wedding scene? Well, there's always the Birla Mandir.

Pretty Women and a Man

Sridevi, Karisma Kapoor, Urmila Matondkar, Gauri 'Shah Rukh' Khan, Rhea Pillai-Dutt and Kajol. What would bring these beautiful women together? A man, actually. When Manish Malhotra, Bollywood's high-profile image stylist, launched fashion shop Reverie (which he co-owns with socialite Avanti Birla and lawyer Kajal Anand), his filmworld pals were only too willing to pose for his catalogue. "That's the relationship I've built over seven years' work," says Malhotra. The man who gave Matondkar a makeover in Rangeela and created an all-new Karisma in Raja Hindustani is set to give a facelift to the masses with his "look-store": you can pick up coordinated clothes, shoes and jewellery, all at one go. And come out looking like a star.

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