Geetanjali is a drug addict

Geetanjali is a drug addict
Staff Reporter, Times Of India, 5 Sep 2007, TNN

In the shocking wake of former model Geetanjali Nagpal being found living off the streets in Delhi, a victim of drug abuse and alcohol addiction, BT explores what makes people from the glam world reach this sorry state.

Is it stress and the inability to take fame and success that comes their way at an early age. Or something else?

Fashion photographer Akash Srivastaav, who met Geetanjali Nagpal at a party in Goa in 1997, recalls how he went up to her and said that she looked like model Ediesedwick from the Andy Warhol factory. “She had the aura of pulling you towards her. She laughed and said, ‘Though not as pretty as her.’ I was stunned that she knew what I was talking about as very few at that point had heard about Ediesedwick.”

Fashion in India was all about being pretty and angelic, then. Every model and shoot they would do were about the beautiful side of beauty. “But Geetu, as we called her, was a kind of rebel in fashion. The way she would hold her cigarette or sit, there was a sense of absolute decadence in her right from that time. We called her hateli, a term that signified headstrong, or dimag khiska, because she was wild and totally against the establishment. She didn’t care about anything or anybody. All she wanted was to be in a world of her own which didn’t follow any norm,” said Akash.

He also remembers once when he was about to shoot her, she just disappeared from the studio leaving everyone in a tizzy. Hours of searching led them to beneath a huge table inside the studio, “where madam was cozily sleeping”. Akash added, “During the years that I knew her, she never did drugs, at least not in front of me. She would occasionally drink wine. But there was an edginess in Geetu all the time. She would always say that she is intelligent and never believed in the concept of beauty.”

Delhi photographer Amir Rajpal, who shot Geetanjali Nagpal some 14 years back, remembers her as having lovely eyes, a beautiful body and a very good attitude. He can’t believe the state she is in today.

“She used to hate the sight of people smoking. How could she take to drugs herself? She was such a level-headed girl with no nakhras. God knows what went wrong, but I still can’t believe that the girl lying on a Paharganj street is her.”

Designer Rocky S doesn’t know her, but said, “When models start out early in life and get addicted to a starry life, they automatically gravitate towards destruction. The glamour world is a very high stress job, and to keep it up, at every step they resort to such abuses.” However, Manish Malhotra, who also did not know Geetanjali, refuses to believe that stress could have driven her to such measures. “The decision to ‘do it’ or ‘not do it’ is very personal. I have a lot of stress in my job too, but I don’t even smoke, so why blame it all on stress. Young models must understand that they need to look good, fresh and their job should lead them to enjoy life, not destroy it,” he advised.

Textile revivalist and designer Ritu Kumar does not recollect Geetanjali’s name or face for Noyonika and Sushmita were the leading models then. But she said, “Somehow, what she resorted to seems to be the most unfortunate episodes that could happen to a good model.”

Achala Sachdev, former model and choreographer now, added, “Who knows, maybe she had a drug problem even before she entered the modelling scene. Blaming stress as the reason is so passe. Why don’t young models understand that everyone here wants to make money, fame and enjoy life. Drugs can only add on to the problems.”

Source : Geetanjali is a drug addict article on Times Of India

Heyy Babyy: A heady mix

Heyy Babyy: A heady mix
Smriti Kiran, Friday, July 20, 2007, Sydney

Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan, cheekily referred to as 'the studly and the soulful' is hardly an onscreen pair that leaps out of the page. But they are shaking it up for Sajid Khan's debut film Heyy Babyy.

If you thought they went together as well as rasam and masala chai, it's not surprising.

Whether it was the onscreen banter, the endless stream of pranks, the crazy onscreen situations they got to enjoy, Bollywood's hot new jodi are ready to make audiences say hey baby.

The tagline may as well tell you that Vidya is the woman who makes the three grown men cry. She did that off screen as well, though through tears of laughter.

It was double the fun for Vidya with a brand new look to enjoy. Comedy is never as easy as it looks, except when you are surrounded by a bunch of comedians.

We are not even talking about their roles in the film where, it must be said Akshay's Arush has met his match with Vidya's Isha, so watch the sparks fly.

Vidya Balan enthralls with new look

Vidya Balan enthralls with new look
Smriti, Swati, Friday, July 27, 2007, Mumbai

She lured countless people with her on screen simplicity and innocence when Vidya Balan created waves in Parineeta and subsequently Lage Raho Munnabhai she was all but tagged the girl next door.

In her next film, Heyy Baby she looks and acts different and it is designer Manish Malhotra who has helped Vidya evolve.

The timeless charm of Madhubala, the ethereal beauty of Meena Kumari - it was these legends that Vidya Balan was compared to when she first burst onto the screen, an actress who seemed to belong to a time gone by until now.

If old world charm can take you only so far then it's time for a quick makeover which Vidya got in hey baby where she is for the first time cool and contemporary.

"The image or the imagery that Parineeta created was so strong that in spite of the fact that I have done other films, where it has not been completely Indian, people spoke about Parineeta.

"I think in that sense this is going to be, I don't want to call it the next departure but I do feel its really different for me. It works for me. It works for us. So I think it should work for others. It would be a fresh lease of life. At least people will stop telling me you know we want you to look different," said Vidya Balan, Actress.

Now if you want to shift gears altogether, turn the image around. If you are looking to grab some global glam then designer Manish Malhotra is your man.

"I think the character here is basically that she is intelligent, educated. She lives in Australia and she has turmoil in her life. She is not a character that she is wearing short skirts, sexy clothes, bikini and halter tops which Vidya loves wearing. She loves exposure.

"I had to tell her no Vidya no short skirts. I had to beg her for that and she said no I want to wear these hot clothes but we said no. So we worked on the whole look according to the character and that actually is a bit tougher. Simplicity is more difficult to do than ornate stuff," said Manish Malhotra, Fashion Designer.

Well we will know it works when she hits the screen. Fans will whistle and say, what else, Heyy Baby!

Bachchans in Sarkar sequel

Bachchans in Sarkar sequel
Radhika Iyer, Saturday, July 28, 2007, Hyderabad

Its family bonding at its best, the junior Bachchans and the big B all rolled into one action-packed film that's a sequel to Ram Gopal Varma's hit Sarkar

While shooting for the film at a hospital in Hyderabad, the three took some time off their busy schedules and spent time with cancer patients.

The Bachchan brigade along with director Ram Gopal Varma were shooting at the Kaminini hospital in Hyderabad.

Though the sets remained out of bounds for the media, the stars did spend some time with cancer patients in the hospital

The three will also embark on a world tour together sometime next year.

Dutt sentenced for six years

Dutt sentenced for six years
NDTV Correspondent, Tuesday, July 31, 2007, Mumbai

Actor Sanjay Dutt has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegal possession of arms in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

Last November he had been convicted for the illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and an AK 56.

While delivering the last batch of sentences in the 1993 blasts trial, Judge Kode said that the actor's possession of these weapons was an imminently dangerous act and that he showed scant respect for the law.

Dutt's bail was immediately cancelled and he was taken into custody right away. He has been fined a sum of Rs 25,000.

He will be kept at the Arthur Road jail. Although he asked for some time to surrender, the prosecution opposed this.

Dutt will now be kept in the same cell as his associate and co-convict Yusuf Nalwalla. However, Dutt's lawyers said that they will appeal in the Supreme Court.

Soon after the verdict was pronounced Dutt asked the judge to be allowed to call his daughter.

Earlier, the judge had refused the probation report of Dutt and other accused Yusuf Nullwala and Kersi Adajania.

Dutt: I honestly thought I would get the benefit of probation. I have to wind up a few things.

Judge Kode: Don't get upset. I have got a duty to do. This is not the final court.

Dutt: You are like family to us.

Judge Kode:This is a momentary thing. You can appeal in a higher court.

He also said that Dutt committed the offence and also made others do so. He further observed that Dutt made Nullwala an offender by making him destroy the weapon.

"Sanjay with folded hands asked the court that considering his past record he should be given a few days to put in an appeal in the SC. However we opposed this plea. The TADA court accepted our argument and rejected his bail plea," said Ujjwal Nikam, Special Public Prosecutor.

Nullwala has been sentenced to five years in prison while Kersi gets two years in jail.

One of the aides of Sanjay Dutt, Russi Mulla who was also accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case has been let off by the special TADA court.

Mulla will be given probation on surety of Rs 1 lakh and will be under observation for a year.

The trial in the Mumbai serial blasts case finally came to an end with all 100 convicted being sentenced. The serial blasts on March 12, 1993 had killed 257 people.

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Hrithik is I-T payer no 1; Bachchans do it as family

Hrithik is I-T payer no 1; Bachchans do it as family
Bureau Report, April 30 2007

Mumbai, April 30: Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan has emerged as the top advance Income Tax payer in 2006-07 while Bachchans have done it as a family.

Hrithik paid a little over Rs 15 crore, Amitabh Bachchan paid close to Rs 14.25 crore while superstar Shah Rukh Khan paid around Rs 14 crore, Income Tax Department sources told reporters here today.

Mumbai film fraternity pays around Rs 400 crore in taxes altogether which includes technicians as well as those attached to other departments engaged in film production, an Income Tax source added.

With Aishwarya joining the Bachchan clan following her marriage with Abhishek, the family has become the top tax payer in Bollywood. The Bachchan family paid around Rs 25 crore in taxes in the year ended March 31, the sources said.

Bachchan's son Abhishek paid around Rs 4.75 crore, Aishwarya around Rs 5 crore while the company AB Corp shelled out about Rs 1.44 crore, they said.

Mumbai region, which topped Income Tax collection in the country, recorded more than 40 per cent growth in 2006-07.

The total income tax collection in MUMBAI region last year was Rs 74,000 crore as compared to Rs 53,000 crore in 2005-06.

Source : Hrithik is I-T payer no 1; Bachchans do it as family article in ZeeNews.com

'I'm marrying Jassi next Year'

'I'm marrying Jassi next Year'
By Subhash K Jha

After Aishwarya, chances are tv's own dream-girl Mona Singh, a.k.a Jassi might be the next bride- in - wedding from our rapidly relationship-friendly entertainment industry.

Though apni Jassi remains characteristically coy about expressing her love her Man-Everyday Karan Oberoi who sings for the Band Of Boys and now also co-anchors Zee's Antakshari, is gallant enough to stand by his lady-love through her career and other individual impulses.

Says Karan, "We haven't finalized a date yet. But yes, our marriage is definitely on next year. I leave it entirely to Mona. She has Bollywood aspirations. I don't.

For me music everything. And even if the Band Of Boys is reduced to a band of one (me) I'd still continue to sing. When I did a film Kiss Kiss Ko with the Band Of Boys, the others were watching. I was just listening to myself sing."

The reason Mona has been quiet about her relationship with Karan is because her parents had issues about their friendship.

Karan and Mona's parents bonded big-time in Malaysia. "We were shooting for Jassi Jaisi…Koi Nahin. That's when her parents realized I'm not a bad sort. Jassi and I are so alike. And so are our families.

We're both from army backrounds. Our dads are retired army officers. But what really bonds us is our small-town roots. We haven't forgotten where we've come from."

Karan met Mona for the first time during the shooting of Jassi … in Mauritius. "After that we kind of drifted apart, only to be brought together again for the serial. Thank God For Jassi ….But yes, celebrity relationships are endangered by excessive attention."

Which explains why Mona has kept mum about her man. Says Karan, "We in the entertainment business lead fish-bowl lives. But I guess we've to learn to cope with the attention. Patience and mutual understanding always helps."

Will Mona continue to work after marriage? " What she should or shouldn't do after marriage is not for me to decide. What she does with her life beyond her relationship with me is entirely prerogative. She can do as she pleases. And I stand by her in whatever she does."

Karan who met and fell in love with Mona while shooting for the historic Jassi Jaisi…Koi Nahin isn't doing any serials at the moment. "I decided to anchor Antakshari because I love music. And Zee allowed me to host it my way.

I love kids and interacting with them. Besides we've a very enthusiastic team which doesn't think the way the home medium has been lobotomized into thinking."

As for his tenure with the Band Of Boys, Karan says he has just done another music video with them. "We should be out with another album soon. In the meanwhile I'm doing a whole lot of shows."

Source : 'I'm marrying Jassi next Year' article on SantaBanta.com

New name, new career for Bollywood star

New name, new career for Bollywood star
by Jeremy Page, April 27, 2007

Aishwarya Rai, the Bollywood megastar, is to carry on acting after her marriage last week, breaking the mould for Indian actresses who generally retire after tying the knot.

But in a careful nod to Indian tradition, the former Miss World has adopted the surname of her new husband, Abhishek Bachchan, and decided to live in the Bachchan family home in Bombay.

The decisions were announced by her father-in-law, the 66-year-old screen legend, Amitabh Bachchan, whose own wife, Jaya, largely gave up acting after their marriage in 1973.

They reflect the delicate balancing act Bollywood actresses must still perform to maintain their allure as screen sirens, without offending their deeply conservative fans.

“Jaya and I have insisted that Aishwarya must continue with her acting career. There is no problem or issue with us,” Mr Bachchan senior told The Times of India in his first interview since the wedding.

“They will live with us,” he said. “This decision came voluntarily from both Abhishek and Aishwarya.” He added that his 33-year-old daughter-in-law wanted to use his surname and had already signed her first autograph as Aishwarya Bachchan.

If the new Mrs Bachchan continues her career, as her father-in-law’s comments suggest, it would set a precedent for Bollywood actresses.

For decades they have concealed and delayed wedding plans in order to maintain the illusion that they are single and eligible to play young romantic leads. Once married they typically retire and have children, returning to the screen years later to take on more matronly roles.

But industry insiders say that the new Mr and Mrs Bachchan – dubbed “Abhi-Ash” by Indian media – could exploit their status as Bollywood’s hottest couple by making several films together in the next few years.

The couple are considered India’s equivalent of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and any film they appear in is almost guaranteed to be a box-office success.

Source : New name, new career for Bollywood star article on TimesOnline.co.uk

Wedding guest, not the best

Wedding guest, not the best
by Pankaj Vohra, April 22, 2007

The tamasha surrounding the marriage of Abhishek with Aishwarya Rai over the weekend appears to lend credence to the speculation that the Bachchans are dying to become the first family of India. The hype about the “most public private wedding” became overkill and showed the bankruptcy of the media as well as the control that marketing gurus have apparently managed to have over every single dimension of the media. The show put out for fans underlined the fact that Bachchans behaved as if they were shooting yet another film. The sanctity one would have normally attached with the actual wedding ceremony was put in the background.

It is a known fact that the Bachchans, who always lived in the shadow of the Nehru-Gandhis, are keen to break away and establish themselves as the new icons of India. There is nothing wrong in aspiring to be Family No. 1, except that the road to the top has to be through the service of the nation and not by lending one’s name to each and every brand that comes in the way. Amitabh’s name has figured prominently in the speculation over who could be the country’s next President, something that has been firmly denied by him and his close associates. Perhaps, he realises that to get anywhere near the august office, he will have to get support from many major parties other than the Samajwadi Party.

Bachchan has come a long way since he carried two letters written by Indira Gandhi, on persistent requests from family friend Teji Bachchan, to Nargis Dutt and Khawaja Ahmed Abbas urging them to give him a break in films. Abbas cast him in Saat Hindustani and Nargis asked her husband Sunil Dutt to help him out. Recalling his first meeting, Dutt told me some years ago that when Amitabh met him, he asked what his greatest asset was. “My voice,” the young man had answered, at which point Dutt told him that he would cast him in the role of a ‘goonga’ in his film, Reshma Aur Shera. Bachchan was, however, first noticed in Anand and subsequently starred in many films which turned out to be flops. Blitz columnist Krishna used to repeatedly refer to Amitabh as the “Sarkari-made hero”. But with Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer, there was no looking back for the ‘Angry Young Man’.

But there is another sphere in which Bachchan does not exactly shine: politics. Old timers in the Congress recall that before her death, Indira Gandhi had advised Rajiv that he should never allow “Teji’s son to enter politics”. Indira Gandhi’s advice was probably based on her experience. But Rajiv, who grew up playing with Amitabh, gave him the Congress nomination from Allahabad against H.N. Bahuguna after his mother’s assassination.

Amitabh won the seat convincingly and soon became a power centre within the Congress. But he appeared to have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. V.P. Singh, for instance, constantly complained against him to Rajiv. Matters came to a head and a reluctant Bachchan resigned after a long meeting with Rajiv. Subsequently, his name (and that of his brother) was also dragged in the Bofors controversy. But nothing could be proved against him or Rajiv. Amitabh swore he would never be in politics again.

But the promise appears to have been shortlived now that he has got drawn into the glamour of politics once again through his close association with Mulayam Singh Yadav, an opponent of the Gandhi family. At one stage, wife Jaya made uncharitable remarks against Sonia Gandhi that a worried Amitabh tried to play down. After legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan died, Rahul Gandhi represented his family at the funeral. But now the break seems to be complete with the Gandhis excluded from the wedding guest list.

Big B has become the Bad B for the Congress, campaigning as he is on TV for his friend Mulayam. Jaya is already an MP on the Samajwadi ticket. It is a matter of time till even Amitabh could be on the political centre stage in some form or the other. It is evident that he may come on the Congress radar very soon and the political rivalry may commence from where political friendship ended many years ago.

Coming back to the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding, not one known literary figure was invited to the marriage of Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s grandson. The disaffection was pronounced as the Bachchans owe their identity to the Hindi language and the recognition the literary world accorded to the family. It is being pointed out that the wedding had a guest list that, among others, included fixers and the like, while it ignored members of the literary circle. There is also criticism that the Bachchans, synonymous with class at one stage, have allowed their thirst for undue publicity to get the better of them. “The wedding should have been a sombre affair. Look at the dignified way with which Mukesh Ambani celebrated his birthday,” a once close friend remarked.

The show must go on and even an offering to Tirupati was made a public event. But despite the media, the Bachchans will have to do a lot more if they want to become the first family of India.

Source : Wedding guest, not the best article in HindustanTimes.com