Kama Sutra may have been cold-shouldered by Indian
censors, but Mira Nair is still hot property. The director of Salaam
Bombay, MississippiMasala and The Perez Family has won
the 1997 Muse Award, given by the New York Women in Film and Television (WIFT). Take a
look at the list of previous winners -- Jodie Foster, Diane Keaton, Holly Hunter, Dustin
Hoffman and Robert DeNiro, to name an illustrious few -- and you'll know why that's high
praise, but WIFT piles it on further. Their comment: Nair's work "bristles with
emotional complexity, fine performances, a refined cinematic sensibility and an
extraordinary cultural heritage". Says the irrepressible achiever: "It feels
good, especially on days when you're feeling like used toilet paper." You mean it
happens to you too?! (That's us in an incredulous tone.) "Oh yes," she wails,
"just look at how my film Kama Sutra is being treated in my own country." But on
a cheerful note she adds: "The recognition is nice, but for me the real thing is to
keep working." Aha, so now we know. Kam (work) is her sutra (formula) for success.
The Official Picture
He practises homeopathy, he's also an avid horticulturist. Next
week watch out for a new avatar, as high-flying Union Revenue Secretary N
K Singh unveils his lens-eye view of Japan (he was with the Indian Embassy from
1981-86) at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery. Says the latest bureaucrat gone arty: "You
can't live in Japan without being drawn to nature. One autumn, driving down the road, I
saw these lovely colours. So I got off the car, set up my tripod, and spent an entire 10
minutes clicking. You know, there were rows of cars behind, but nobody honked. They
understood." He should try that in India. Gosh, we can hear those horns already!
Power Play
It's a tough role, but Aly Khan has had plenty of
practice. The star of TV and stage -- Hamlet in (you guessed it!) Hamlet, Lakshman in
Legend of Ram -- is making his film debut in Private Detective. The compliment is that
it's being made by reputed theatre director Rajat Kapoor and co-stars Naseeruddin Shah. A
compliment well-deserved. Says Alyque Padamsee who directed Khan in the play Begum Sumroo:
"Aly is an extremely intense actor. He exudes a brooding sexuality." Oh, we
noticed that! But Padamsee has noticed much more. "Aly packs in a lot of power in his
performances," he adds. As for the hero of our story, he has his priorities right
when he says, "Theatre is a balm and tv pays the bills." And films? The bigger
bills, of course.
Air Dresser
The world's favourite airline will now wear a sari. And Meera
Mehta is helping them ... Hmm, let's see if we can explain that ... In an effort
to defreeze their stiff upper lip, British Airways (BA) is painting traditional designs
from across the world -- a tartan from Scotland, an Egyptian tent panel, a sari from
Paithan near Aurangabad -- on the tails of their planes. So along came the ba bosses to
India, picked up a sari styled by Mehta, and put the design on their planes. See for
yourself! Says Mehta, 47, a designer for 22 years: "This is even better than having
someone wear it." It's a familiar feeling. One of her saris adorns a friend's house
as a wall hanging. Guess that's what happens when your CV includes such sundry
achievements as "designed costumes for National-Award-winning film Utsav" and
"designed Paithani saris that won 1993 and 1995 National Awards for Master
Craftspersons and Weavers". Next addition: "Sari design used on British Airways
aircraft." Now that's an interesting twist in the tail ... oops ... tale.
Kama Sutra may have been cold-shouldered by Indian
censors, but Mira Nair is still hot property. The director of Salaam
Bombay, Mississippi Masala and The Perez Family has won
the 1997 Muse Award, given by the New York Women in Film and Television (WIFT). Take a
look at the list of previous winners -- Jodie Foster, Diane Keaton, Holly Hunter, Dustin
Hoffman and Robert DeNiro, to name an illustrious few -- and you'll know why that's high
praise, but WIFT piles it on further. Their comment: Nair's work "bristles with
emotional complexity, fine performances, a refined cinematic sensibility and an
extraordinary cultural heritage". Says the irrepressible achiever: "It feels
good, especially on days when you're feeling like used toilet paper." You mean it
happens to you too?! (That's us in an incredulous tone.) "Oh yes," she wails,
"just look at how my film Kama Sutra is being treated in my own country." But on
a cheerful note she adds: "The recognition is nice, but for me the real thing is to
keep working." Aha, so now we know. Kam (work) is her sutra (formula) for success. 
He practises homeopathy, he's also an avid horticulturist. Next
week watch out for a new avatar, as high-flying Union Revenue Secretary N
K Singh unveils his lens-eye view of Japan (he was with the Indian Embassy from
1981-86) at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery. Says the latest bureaucrat gone arty: "You
can't live in Japan without being drawn to nature. One autumn, driving down the road, I
saw these lovely colours. So I got off the car, set up my tripod, and spent an entire 10
minutes clicking. You know, there were rows of cars behind, but nobody honked. They
understood." He should try that in India. Gosh, we can hear those horns already! 
It's a tough role, but Aly Khan has had plenty of
practice. The star of TV and stage -- Hamlet in (you guessed it!) Hamlet, Lakshman in
Legend of Ram -- is making his film debut in Private Detective. The compliment is that
it's being made by reputed theatre director Rajat Kapoor and co-stars Naseeruddin Shah. A
compliment well-deserved. Says Alyque Padamsee who directed Khan in the play Begum Sumroo:
"Aly is an extremely intense actor. He exudes a brooding sexuality." Oh, we
noticed that! But Padamsee has noticed much more. "Aly packs in a lot of power in his
performances," he adds. As for the hero of our story, he has his priorities right
when he says, "Theatre is a balm and tv pays the bills." And films? The bigger
bills, of course. 
The world's favourite airline will now wear a sari. And Meera
Mehta is helping them ... Hmm, let's see if we can explain that ... In an effort
to defreeze their stiff upper lip, British Airways (BA) is painting traditional designs
from across the world -- a tartan from Scotland, an Egyptian tent panel, a sari from
Paithan near Aurangabad -- on the tails of their planes. So along came the ba bosses to
India, picked up a sari styled by Mehta, and put the design on their planes. See for
yourself! Says Mehta, 47, a designer for 22 years: "This is even better than having
someone wear it." It's a familiar feeling. One of her saris adorns a friend's house
as a wall hanging. Guess that's what happens when your CV includes such sundry
achievements as "designed costumes for National-Award-winning film Utsav" and
"designed Paithani saris that won 1993 and 1995 National Awards for Master
Craftspersons and Weavers". Next addition: "Sari design used on British Airways
aircraft." Now that's an interesting twist in the tail ... oops ... tale. 
