[Grapevine] Bollywood News for May 26, 2000

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Headlines:

Mr Bachchan's Interview:
Sushmita Sen:The 'Exclusive' is now Rare!
It's Karisma's charisma
Sridevi: A new direction?
Majrooh Sultanpuri dies of lung disease


NOTE: For a funny, touching movie about immigrant Asians in the UK,
see 'East is East'. It tells the story of a British family torn
between their father's Pakistani roots and their British lifestyle.
More detailed review coming soon.



Mr Bachchan's Interview:
  "I feel sorry for Amitabh Bachchan," says Pooja Bedi. Your reaction to that 
  won't be, "Why is she sorry for Mr Bachchan?" It's more likely to be, "Who 
  is Pooja Bedi?"
  
  Who, indeed, is Pooja Bedi. In the answer to that question lie a whole lot 
  of questions about our media and about the celebrities it creates.
  
  But first a bit of background: the Amul India Show's regular anchor was on 
  holiday, so its producers asked Bedi to interview Bachchan. The interview 
  was recorded, then scrapped. Bedi alleges that Bachchan put pressure on Star 
  TV - and the channel succumbed. At least two newspapers put the story on the 
  front page, either reproducing Bedi's letter to Bachchan, or interviewing 
  her at some length on her non-interview.
  
  You can't blame the newspapers for carrying the story. After all, it's a 
  good read, and anything concerning Amitabh Bachchan is news, especially if 
  it shows you that his feet are of clay. Are they? I don't know: everytime I 
  have met him he's had his shoes on, ha, ha.
  But, seriously. The stories made Pooja Bedi into a martyr, while she was 
  actually a beneficiary (all that free publicity), and they made Bachchan 
  into a heavy-handed bully whereas he has actually suffered in silence. Who 
  is to blame but the press? You need only a moment's reflection to realise 
  that someone like Amitabh Bachchan hardly needs to threaten a channel with a 
  boycott to squash an inconsequential and silly interview. (Here is a sample, 
  proudly released by Pooja Bedi herself:
  
  "Why is your hair black and your beard white?"
  "I dye my hair."
  "What would happen if you ran out of dye?" (Bedi giggles uncontrollably).
  
  If, in spite of such overwhelming evidence, the stories are slanted against 
  Bachchan, what does that say about the press' objectivity?
  
  You also wonder why TV 18, the Amul India Shows' producers and Star TV, 
  accepted Bedi as a stand-in anchor/interviewer. What was her track record? 
  As it happens, none: this was apparently her first interview. What led 
  experienced television people to hire a novice to interview a legend, 
  particularly when it is well-known that Bachchan's natural reserve makes him 
  an interviewer's nightmare?
  
  I'll give you the answer to that. The producer and the channel were led up 
  the garden path by that notorious Pied Piper called Celebrity.
  Pooja Bedi is famous. Ergo, she is qualified to be an anchor. No one pauses 
  to ask, "What is she famous for?"
  
  Silly question. Pooja Bedi is famous for being famous. She had a head-start 
  being the child of well-known parents, both of whom, in addition to their 
  achievements, led unconventional lives, and were therefore grist to the 
  publicity mill. The daughter had a shot at acting herself, but gave it up 
  for marriage. In obscure, though no doubt happy, domesticity, would she have 
  disappeared but for television and print's rapacious appetite for visual 
  crutches? She may have retired after a very brief career, but open a 
  magazine and there she pops up, first being a good wife, then a good mom. 
  Obviously, she isn't the only one. There are people all over India who are 
  even more famous than she is for being famous. Bedi at least made an honest 
  attempt at a career; most of the others are described simply as 
  "socialites," a characterisation they hug happily to their ample bosoms. 
  They beam at us wherever we look.
  
  You would have to be a bit of a moralist to mind. Our media, in fact, is a 
  late entrant to the tatlerisation of society. To give just one example: all 
  of us know about Donald Trump, though why on earth should we? He is a rich 
  builder like a lot of others, just more media savvy. We even know Ivana 
  Trump, though her claim to fame is even more tenuous: she is famous for 
  being married, and then not being married to Donald
  Trump. Television's need for pretty faces began the process of pictorial 
  deification, print mimicked it.
  
  We can live with that (as if we have a choice). What we can't is media's 
  inability to tell the difference between the Celebrity of Achievement and 
  the Celebrity of Being There. This failure is what gives a Pooja Bedi the 
  temerity to feel sorry for an Amitabh Bachchan.
  

Discuss your favourite movies and stars on the Bollywood Message board: 
            http://www.mumbai-central.com/mboards/#bollywood
  
Sushmita Sen:The 'Exclusive' is now Rare!
  Yes, so India's done it again. Produced another winning beauty, that the 
  world sorry, Universe can't ignore. We're talking about Ms. India- Universe 
  2000, Lara Dutta. And while this country celebrates yet again the beauty of 
  its female populace, we wonder what the reaction of ex-Ms.Universe, Sushmita 
  is going to be? Considering how she'd always talked about the Ms. World tag 
  being the oft-won title, the Ms. Universe prize seemed a rather elusive and 
  exclusive one, which only she'd appropriated in recent times. Now, with that 
  exclusivity gone we wonder what Ms. Sensational is gonna do. Ask ex Ms. 
  World Aishwarya? Maybe.


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It's Karisma's charisma
  Rani Hindustani Karisma Kapoor has surely made parents Randhir Kapoor and 
  Babita proud. After years of struggle, the actress has come into her own and 
  is today rated as one of the best in the industry.

  Watch out for her next, Kundan Shah's 'Hum To Mohabbat Karega'. Her 
  forthcoming films also include Shyam Benegal's Zubeida and Khalid Mohamed's 
  Fizaa.

To express your opinion about a particular story or news item, write to: 
                         news-editor@mumbai-central.com

Sridevi: A new direction?
  News has just filtered in that Queen Bee Sridevi has decided to refrain from 
  doing hubby Boney's next film because she was in the family way. Of course, 
  this could just be another rumour.

  Especially there is talk of her planning to make inroads into the industry 
  from a completely different direction --- yes, she is reportedly toying with 
  the idea of wielding the directorial baton. So while Boney produces, wifey 
  directs, it could probably star Anil Kapoor and Sanjay. All inhouse, so to 
  speak. Sigh, this surely looks like one picture perfect family, doesn't it?


Majrooh Sultanpuri dies of lung disease

  Poet and film lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, who gave the progressive 
  movement of the Indian Left its war cry, died of a lung disease late 
  Wednesday night. 
  
  The 80-year-old, who was honoured with Indian cinema's highest Award, 
  the Dadasaheb Phalke, a few years back, leaves behind his wife, son and 
  a daughter. 
  
  The end came at the Leelavati hospital in Bandra where he was admitted 
  ten days back with complications of the lungs. 
  
  One of the greatest poets in the Urdu language since the time of Faiz 
  Ahmed Faiz, Sultanpuri was especially famous for his romantic lyrics 
  in dialogue form. 
  
  He won immediate acclaim with his very first film Shahjehan for songs 
  like Jab Usne Keshu Bikrahe and Gum Diya Mustakil. He went on write the 
  lyrics for around 350 films in a career spanning 50 years. 
  
  The all-time favourites from his pen include: Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka 
  from the film Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Chod Do Achal Jamaana Kya Kahega 
  from the film Nau Do Gyarah. 
  
  Sultanpuri's latest work was for the film Hum To Mohabbat Karega, which 
  is ready to be released. 

  Other than being a great lyricist Majrooh was also a noted Urdu poet 
  and had written many books. His poem: Mai akela hi chala tha, 
  jaanib-e-manzil magar/log saath aate gaye aur kaarva banta gaya 
  was picked up as its war cry by the progressive movement of the Indian Left. 

  Among his famous films were Aarti and Bheegi Raat for music director 
  Roshan in which songs like Aap ne yaad dilaya to mujhe yaad aaya, Kabhi 
  to milegi baharon ke manzil rahee and Dil jo na keh saka wahi raaz-e-dil 
  proved to be superhits. 

  His other hit films include Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon 
  and Mere Sanam. 


Discuss your favourite movies and stars on the Bollywood Message board: 
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