'I tend to mix and match'
Sameera Reddy may have been absent from the silver screen for a while now — but the actress is anything but bored.
Although her last few stints in front of the camera have been of the blink-and-you-miss-it variety, Sameera still finds no reason to sink into depression. In fact, she's been pampering herself and keeping active.
Apparently, the actress loves to travel. She also has a penchant for fashion — something which is very visible in the classy way she dresses herself.
So now, Sameera has brought together these two loves by picking up many different designs and outfits while travelling abroad. She loves to incorporate cultures and styles from the various places she visits, and includes them in her personal style back home.
Says Sameera, "It is always interesting to learn new cultures and trends. I tend to mix and match and create a twist with a touch of my style in it.
The bottom line is that you should always dress in something you are most comfortable in and that should reflect in your dressing. Keep it simple."
Real character on the screen
When actor Amitabh Bachchan lent his support to social activist Anna Hazare last year, little did he know that he would soon be portraying a character inspired by the senior crusader — almost a year later.
Director Prakash Jha has reportedly finally admitted that his film Satyagraha — that stars Bachchan, as well as actor Kareena Kapoor — has been inspired by Anna's movement.
For a while now, there have been a lot of rumours and speculation was rife about the superstar portraying an Anna-like role in the film.
Finally, it seems, these rumours have been confirmed. Very little is known about the film so far, though, so Big B fans have no choice but to wait and watch.
Language no bar for Bhumika
Bhumika Chawla started her career with modeling in Hindi music videos and though she aimed to reach heights in Hindi films, she got her first break in the Telugu film Yevakudu.
Following her success in the South, her talent fetched her the lead role opposite superstar Salman Khan in Tere Naam.
And after doing films like 'Gandhi My Father', she shifted to South films as no good or exciting offers came from Bollywood.
Though she has done films in Punjabi and Bhojpuri, the South is what excites her. One wonders how a girl brought up in traditional Punjabi family went on to become a successful star in the South.
Initially, she found it tough and had to work hard as she did not understand a word of Telugu.
"We have a senior translator who sits on the sets the whole day and translates the dialogue and meaning.
But after a while, you get used to it and manage to overcome the language barrier," says Bhumika, for whom language is no bar as far as work is concerned.
Bhumika will be soon seen in yet another challenging character — that of a journalist — in a Telugu film 'April Fool', directed by Krishnaswamy Srikanth Iyengar and starring Jagapathi Babu.
Film in the pipeline
Rohaan Satghare and Sourav Diwan are directing a Rajasthani film called Maiyaa Ro Chamatkar under the banner of 'Seemaa Motions Events and Films' and 'Diwan Films and Entertainment'.
Rohaan Satghare had earlier directed the Marathi film Trisha. The film Maiyaa Ro Chamatkar stars Mrunalini Jambhale, Pratiksha Samel, Shiv Sharma and Raj Chauhan.
Niranjan Sharma is the music director for the film, which is based on the true story of Mansa Mata, that actually dates back 600 years.
The film, which is currently in the post-production stage, has been shoot at Patan, Kotputli and Jaipur.
It is slated for release on October 16.
No funds for Mira
Any film that features television images from 9/11 in its pivotal scene is certain to push buttons. And Indian-American director Mira Nair pushes several in her film version of 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist', based on the best-selling novel by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid.
At the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was screened after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival's opening night, Mira outlined how this was possibly the most difficult project she has undertaken.
And one of the main ways in which it was tough, she admits, was in finding funds. While this isn't surprising given the controversial nature of the film, Mira has managed to put the project together after all.
More security for Salman
Everyone knows how obsessed movie-star fans can get. Following several instances of security breach by zealous fans, Salman Khan has decided to take extra protection to make sure he's okay.
The actor has added a great deal more muscle to his defence, doubling his number of bodyguards to a whopping dozen.
This is perhaps the largest posse of guards that any star in the industry has. The actor, who had only a handful of men guarding him at media events, has decided to take this step following the mass hysteria that his films have unleashed in the recent past.
And considering that he played a bodyguard in one of these films, the situation certainly seems ironic!