BUZZThe Pam shops for vegan shoes in Mumbai

Apart from saris, suits and Indian spices, former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, a strict vegan, also took away a bagful of nonleather shoes made by Indian designer Rina Shah, back home to the US.

During her short visit to India for reality show Bigg Boss 4 , Anderson took time out to arrange a variety of vegan shoes to be brought to her in Lonavala. Anderson loved Shah’s leather-free shoes so much that she took a suitcase full of them back with her, says a source.

Shah’s label, Rinaldi Designs, is popular for shoes, belts and bags made of non-leather material. Earlier this year, Shah also presented a pair of vegan shoes to Hollywood star and animal activist Natalie Portman in celebration of the actor’s 29th birthday.

Like Shah, Anderson is a long-time supporter of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and animal rights. She even wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to ban leather trade in India. Well, at least we can hope to see Pam in decent footwear, never mind the clothes!

promotion. One is only talking about the commercial side of cinema, not the creative

Sheila ki Jawaani for her upcoming film

Festival of India (IFFI), Palekar said regional cinema has contributed “nicely and strongly” towards the palette of Indian cinema.

“When Hindi films are made, one looks at a wider market, the masses. These heap pressures on the minds of the filmmakers. Will it appeal to everyone?” said Palekar, who has revived regional Marathi cinema in the recent past.

“And then there are the budgets. I am not saying they are bad, but then no one wants to take risks with such huge budgets. There is only talk of Rs 40 or Rs 50 crore film with a budget of Rs 20 crore for

The actor of classic comic yesteryear Chhoti si Baat said that relatively sober-budgeted regional cinema could afford to take risks and experiment because it was not buoyed down by tons of money.

“Indian cinema is not only Bollywood. Regional cinema has contributed nicely and strongly into making Indian cinema what it is,” said Palekar who has directed critically acclaimed movies like Anahat, Thoda Sa Rumani Ho Jayen, Daayraa and Samantar

Palekar also described his latest film Dhoosar which deals with Alzheimer’s disease surrounding the relationship of a mother and daughter. The film, according to him has been shot almost entirely in Goa.

Kat’s cool with raunchy

Katrina Kaif’s sizzling item number

Tees Maar Khan is one of the raunchiest she has ever shot, according to the sexy actress. “The exposure in the song is more about attitude and I was specific about it,” she says. “It is about dancing without inhibitions.”

Now Kat went all out to perform the number, viewing song numbers and item dances from a series of earlier films featuring the likes of Madhuri Dixit. But Kat is quick to point out that she had no intention of imitating or emulating the actress, all she wanted was to see and experience the joy and abandon La Dixit portrays through her dance. And of course, it was impressive.

Tees Maar Khan is an action comedy starring Akshay Kapoor and Kat in the lead, with Akshaye Khanna in a cameo. Salman K and Anil K have made special appearances too. So it should be worth seeing, if only for Kat shaking her booty!

Mayawati inspires Neha Dhupia

Actress Neha Dhupia says she took inspiration from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to get her regional dialect right for her role of a female gangster in upcoming comedy Phas Gaye Re Obama . “As I play a gangster from UP in the film, I had to get that language right and so I observed Mayawati to learn how she speaks. She is the only woman whose dialect, whether she is serious or funny, is extremely monotonous. So I have tried to incorporate this in my character. However, my character is not inspired by her,” Neha said recently in an interview. Which obviously, is the diplomatic thing to say, as Mayawati wouldn’t be thrilled to know that she was being observed for her gangsterlike qualities.

The actress is promoting her new film along with co-stars Rajat Kapoor, Sanjay Karan Johar. Abhishek feels that Big B’s film shouldn’t be remade frame by frame, as it would put huge pressure on the new actor.

“I think with Pa, you should not remake his film directly scene by scene because he is too iconic an actor. I feel that about most iconic actors. I feel it becomes a huge burden for the new actor to do. You should have a different perspective on it, like when Shah Rukh Khan did Don , it was a completely different perspective of the original one,” Abhishek said.

Abhishek rubbished all speculations that he was approached with the role before Hrithik. “I was never asked,” he clarified. Considering Hrithik’s acting talent, do you think he’ll give the Big B a run for his money with Agneepath ? I guess not…

A fromjhalak Madhuri’s life

From dancing queen to dancing mum, Madhuri’s love affair with Bollywood is still far from ended. Her last outing Aaja Nachle may have failed and she may be based in the US, but that’s not stopping Bollywood’s dancing scripts. However, she has no plans on staying for too long.

“I send my kids to school, prepare breakfast, shop for vegetables, drop and pick them from school and all those things. I can do one film or one show and return, but I can’t take up too much at the moment,” she

Even her sons appreciate her songs. “My too. When I was coming to India for , they were very excited and said - ‘Will we see you on TV?’. And I was like, ‘Yes, you will!’” she confides. Age has not touched La Dixit. She is fit as a fiddle and her grace, personality, smile and aura are as youthful as ever. With her kind of looks, no wonder most present day actresses don’t cringe before saying, “ Main

What’s Deepika Padukone saying here?