SHORT TAKES

EVERYTHING’S FINE
More on Ghai. Shah Rukh Khan denies any friction with his Pardes director. So why is he keeping away from all functions organised by him? “Because I’ve been busy,” the Khan argues. He reminds you that he was shooting for Dil Se in Delhi and so couldn’t make it to the muhurat of Taal. But Manisha was there? “Yeah, because she wasn’t shooting that day,” he points out and adds that he was there for the Rotary Club function Ghai organised with his wife. “Everything is just fine,” he assures you.

JUHI CHAWLA TOWELS NOW
Recently, when we were visiting Juhi Chawla we were surprised to find her using initialled towels. Had she started manufacturing special Juhi Chawla towels? “No way!” she giggled. Three months ago she happened to see Kadar Khan using towels printed with his name. When she enquired about them, he told her that he had a friend who indulged this whim and she confessed that she would also get a kick using towels with her name boldly printed on them. After the shoot was over she forgot all about the initialled towels till one day she opened her door and found a man standing there with three packets of Juhi Chawla towels. “Kadar Khan had placed the order. It was a lovely gesture,” chirpy Chawla smiles.

GRATEFULLY YOURS
After Subhash Ghai’s showdown with Mahima everyone was expecting fireworks when they learnt that his other protege, Apoorva Agnihotri had also done an ad for Siyaram. But Ghai seems to be pretty cool about Apoorva’s new adventure perhaps because this time he was informed about the campaign well in advance and his discovery even promised to contribute 35 per cent of the takings to the welfare fund set up by Ghai. Apoorva’s doing more such ads and he’s confident that accepting these offers won’t get him into trouble with his mentor as long as he’s open about them. “You can’t betray the man who’s made you what you are today. I know I shall always be grateful to Subhashji ,” he says fervently.

HOLLYWOOD FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Gulshan Grover is in a dilemma. Thanks to all the talk about his stint in Hollywood now if anyone enquires about his whereabouts and they learn that he’s out of town they just jump to the conclusion that he’s in LA when he could well be in Ooty or Goa. “It’s so exasperating,” Gullu sighs. “I’ve lost so many offers because of this misconception.” So now he’s decided that he’ll concentrate on Hindi films and leave Hollywood for the holidays.

NO DESPERATE HURRY
Abbas has caught the eye in Rajshri’s music video, Yehi Hai Prem.The teen idol insists that he wants to be associated with good projects which is why he did this video. “I liked the concept,” he maintains. And Sooraj Barjatya too, no doubt? Didn’t he do the video hoping he’d bag a role in Sooraj’s next? “No, that thought was never in my mind,” he shakes his head. He insists that he’s busy down South and is in no desperate hurry to make it in Hindi films. “I don’t have to go looking for roles and grabbing anything and everything I get,” he asserts.

ONE FOR THE RECORD
Chandrachur Singh, as we’ve told you before, is an enthusiastic singer who never misses on on his riyaaz. Recently, when the Maachis boy had some free time he booked a recording studio and recorded four songs in his own voice, numbers his brother had composed and which you will now find him listening to on the sets. However, Singh has no plans of cutting an album of turning into a Kishore Kumar in the near future. “I’m good but not that good,” he grins.

NOT A LOSER
Mukul Dev had pinned a lot of hopes on Qila and now that the film has sunk without a trace you wonder if Mukul has changed his mind about doing big projects only. “No, I haven’t,” he assures you. “Qila may have flopped but I don’t regret the experience. I got the chance to work with legends like Dilip sahab and Rekhaji and it was perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Also I think it was one of my better performances and got me a few words of praise. So I see I wasn’t the loser in any way.”

HOPING FOR THE BEST
After Prem and Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja Anil Kapoor has once again got together with Satish Kaushik. And if anyone asks him why he’s repeating his mistakes, Anil stands up for his friend and director and points out that the films may have flopped but Satish’s work was appreciated. “This time we’re better prepared. Everything upto the mark. Now we can’t go wrong,” he says optimistically.