Bollywood Gallery # 15 - Page 31

A t the very last minute – because of legal complications -- the release of Anubhav Sinha's Cash was held up. This has worked in favour of David Dhawan's Partner – its second week collections picked up after a fall during the course of the first week. Partner has fared very well in the first week across the country and overseas. The collections have been best in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. No response Anjan Dutt's Bow Barracks Forever, the only new release, opened to a lukewarm response. The scenario for this Kolkata-cen- tric film looked bleak during the weekend; even the evening shows were running on empty in the suburbs. Meanwhile, Naqaab has shown disastrous collections in its second week. In its first week, it had toted average business, at least in Mumbai. Earlier releases like Anil Sharma's Apne, Mohit Suri's Awarapan and You- Know - Who's Aap kaa Sur- roor are on their way out of the auditoria. The long and winding con- flict between producer Sohail Maklai and director Sinha has been reportedly sorted. Cash will finally reach the audience next Friday . Looking forward All eyes are on Anil Kapoor's first production Gandhi my Father. Directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, the sumptu- ously-mounted film is based on the tumultuous relation- ship between Mahatma Gand- hi and his son Haridas. Besides Akshaye Khanna as Haridas and Darshan Jariwala as the Mahatma, the cast includes Shefali and Shah Bhumika Chawla.

T he last two years have seen the return of several seasoned names in tellydom.. some as heroines and some as vamps.. some as mothers and some as great grandmums. Not that one really missed these names too much but their presence at some point on television have been impressive. So, here's looking at six mahila TV comebacks. RENUKA SHAHANE Hers was one of the most touted comebacks of 2007. Her show Jeete Hain Jiske Liye on Sony, however, fizzled out within three months. Apparently the consistently low , TRPs of the show and unnecessary sub-plots taxed it a bit too much. Her work was appreciated, though. She's presently busy with her directorial debut film Rita which stars director Ashutosh Gowariker in the lead role. KITTU GIDWANI Kulvaddhu wasn't the best return ticket for her. She was last seen on TV as the spunky Ratna in Kashish and Pam in Kesar before vanishing and making a come- back of sorts. Like most others on Sony's prime time slot, this show didn't gather enough TRPs. Other than that, there were production mis- understandings which forced the show off the air. Another comeback gone awry . GAUTAMI KAPOOR Call her Gautami Kapoor or Gautami Gadgil, her jodi with her husband Ram Kapoor is the Abhiash pair of television. Hers was the most hyped comeback of the year because she became Tulsi Virani. In the last few weeks she's received flak as well as apprecia- tion. The last time she was seen on television was with her husband in Ghar ek Mandir. NEENA GUPTA One of the finest actresses in showbiz, she produced and acted in Saans and did a minor stint in Aroona Irani's Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand. Right now, she's going steady on Saat Phere as Manno bhabhi. She is best known for Saans, Sonpari and Kamzor Kadi Kaun. Hers has been the most successful and so far the longest-sustained comeback. SHAMMII The last time one saw the cuddly aunty on television was as Shekhar Suman's pesky mother- in-law in Dekh Bhai Dekh, almost a decade and a half ago. Since then, she showed up in two-minuterolesinseveralmoviesbut never on television. For the last eight months, she's playing dadimain GharEkSapna. VARSHA USGAONKAR She's synonymous with her power-packed performances in Marathi films and shows. After a time off from the Hindi and Marathi film circuits, she came back and has stayed on with Durgesh Nandini. She plays the eldest daughter-in- law in the family, a greyish char- acter of sorts. Her last memorable act was in the all-women Marathi movie Bindhast.

HRITHIK ROSHAN I've often been hounded about what Hrithik Roshan is really like. Adorable is the word. Now why does a hard-as-nails person like me get gooey? Well, simply because he may not have been here at all if he'd listened to the Roshan family's wish that he go and study in the US, after com- pleting his B Com from Sydenham College. Also bet you didn't know that as a kid, he would be com- peting with Aditya Chopra for the best dancer choc-o-award at birthday parties. Cute. RIYA SEN Riya Sen's superb cook makes the best fish in the world... perhaps because when she's cooking fish, she gets roaringly tipsy and goes ballistic on the mustard flavouring. SHAH RUKH KHAN Shah Rukh Khan can draw with amazing draughtsmaship and could give some of the best sketch artists of the country a run for their lakhs and crores. I haven't seen him paint yet but I do possess a sketch of Paris he did for me. It was a birthday present and hangs in my draw- ing room, next to an Anjolie Menon. Some landmine of talent there. AISHWARYA RAI Aishwarya Rai and mum Vrinda often listen to script narrations together. Both usually have the same reaction, even if you have just read out the telephone directory to them - they are ecstatic and tell the filmmaker, it's wonderful. Then Vrindaji is no longer contactable and Ash gets married.

THE HEADLINES ARE BACK. After a brief calm, extortion calls, threats, ganglords and gangladies.are back in the everyday lexicon. And our cinema continues to be fascinated by stories of shootouts, deceit and suparis. R A Irani writes on Bollywood's underworld movies