Compiled by Poorva Rajaram
All about my mother
So we now know Krishna Thea Lakshmi, the one-year-old daughter of Padma Lakshmi,sees her mother nude every day. But we are told these are the tasteful pictures that line Lakshmi’s studio.Top Chef’s Lakshmi, who announced all of this at an event held by Frito-Lay Flavor Kitchen recently, has insisted that the human body is a beautiful creation. As expected, commentators have zeroed in on the alleged Freudian unseemliness of the situation. But why have they overlooked the real blooper. How does anyone with taste buds or culinary credentials endorse Frito-Lay?
Folk show
What happens when oprah retires?
Just when we thought Rani Mukerji had it in her, post-Jessica, to be an uber Barkha Dutt, she goes and dashes our hopes. She now says she wants to host an Oprah-esque talk show. Even if she is not screaming herself hoarse with vitriol on a We The People-type show, we do want to hear her gravelly voice on a regular basis. We are also generally heartened by actresses who have a post-starlet second wind instead of the usual Bollywood format: turning 30 and careening off the vocational map.
Stealing back some thunder
We are thrilled that Sonakshi Sinha gets to do something in a movie other than a sideshow love interest who is upstaged by Munni. She now gets to have her very own item number thunder in Dance Karle English Mein from Joker— pandering title and all. But making item numbers with ratified earworm status is a cut-throat affair. There is always someone around the corner — a Sheila waiting to spring upon your Munni. And so we have a post-Razia Mallika Sherawat waiting in the wings as Shalu in Bin Bulaye Barati. Item numbers it is.
Night classes
Let’s face it, we are getting immune to ‘click-tivism’ causes. The Internet is running out of things that our miserly selves will deem worthy. That was until the splendid website, mnightschool.org, arrived. You can now donate a dollar to send M Night Shyamalan back to film school. This creative website is crowdsourcing money to restore that slight glimmer of promise to a now entirely loopy and uncontrollably bad filmmaker. Think of all the future torment it would save fellow movie watchers from?
‘I am not pretentious. I have nothing to hide’
WHO Motivala is a former journalist who has authored a short story in the book titled Urban Shots. She has been formally trained in dancing for six years under Shiamak Davar. Her stint in Bollywood began with a cameo role in Wake Up Sid and later Paathshala. She plays the leading role in her next film, RaginiMMS, that will hit the theatres in May.
By Shilpa Hinduja
Do you feel that your change in career from journalism to acting has worked in your favour?
I will always have a soft spot for journalists because I am from that profession. I am not akin to those actors who go bash the media saying, “My God! They wrote this.” I know how it is to be in a journalist’s position, working with strict deadlines. It is a relief that I am on this side now. So, I can maintain a good relationship with the media. I don’t feel the need to guard myself because I am honest. I don’t have planned answers. I am not pretentious because I don’t have anything to hide.
Were your parents ever hesitant about you taking up a controversial role in Ragini MMS?
They were quite comfortable about it, thankfully. Despite many controversies surrounding my part in the film, they seem to value what the movie is about. I know they love me and at the end of the day, that’s what matters.
A private MMS is cherished, but when leaked, it becomes an object of ridicule. If you were to be in a similar situation, how would you deal with it?
I would feel terrible just like everybody else because it is distressing if such things happen. So I would be cautious.
What are the instances of loss you have encountered in your life?
I lost my grandparents recently. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to cope with in my life. As a person, my greatest strength lies in the people I love the most. So for me, it was a horrible period. But I realised that one has to deal with it and move on. So, that’s what I did.
Would you bring up your children the way you have been brought up?
I think I have been brought up well. Today, due their nurturing, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t do weed. At the same time, they have instilled in me other modern values to meet the challenges of the present. They did this without being harsh; they were subtle, yet firm.
