ThE bUZZ

Freida Pinto in Ethiopia

It may seem like an exotic location for hollywood or Bollywood, but international actress Freida pinto is in Ethiopia for neither. She visited the country for the first time as the global ambassador of the Because I am A Girl Campaign (BIAAG), as part of her role to support plan International’s projects. Freida says educating and empowering girls is the way forward worldwide. BIAAG is plan’s global initiative, aimed to create sustainable projects in developing countries to give girls access to clean water, food, health care, education and protection from violence and exploitation.

“If we educate and empower girls, they will reach their fullest potential, pulling themselves and their families out of every problem they might possibly face,” said Freida.

rIp rITUpArNO

It seems as if not very long ago, rituparno Ghosh was conducting a Masterclass at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) in June 2012, enthralling a rapt audience with the topic ‘realism in Indian cinema’. And now it’s hard to believe that this talented filmmaker is no more. he passed away from cardiac arrest in Kolkata on May 30, at just 49. rituparno Ghosh was one of India’s best filmmakers in the post-Satyajit ray generation, who started a new wave in Bengali cinema exploring human relationships with bold depictions of sexuality against social themes. however, he shot into prominence two years later with Unishe April that bagged the national award for best feature film. Three years later came another award winning film Dahan showing the trials and tribulations of two contemporary women - one of them molested by goons, and another who had rushed to help her.

Winner of 12 national and several international awards during a twodecade journey spanning 19 movies, Ghosh was the maker of acclaimed and award-winning Bengali films like Bariwali, Asukh, Utsab, Shubho Mahurat, Chokher Bali, Dosar, Shob Charitro Kalponik and Abohoman, excelling in treating both contemporary issues and period pieces. Born Aug 31, 1963, Ghosh time and again called ray his mentor and inspiration. Just like the master, Ghosh shifted to filmmaking from advertisements. And both enviably picked up awards with almost every film they made.

In 1992, Ghosh made his first film Hirer Angti, a movie for children, which never got released.

Ghosh’s last released film was Chitrangada (2012), while a few days before his death, he finished shooting a crime thriller Satyanveshi he directed two hindi movies, the National Award winning Raincoat (2004) and Sunglass (2012).

In 2007, Ghosh made his only English movie The Last Lear starring Amitabh Bachchan.

Ghosh had a great ability to get the best out of matinee idols like Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, and rakhee Gulzar, and helped commercial actresses like raima Sena and rituparna Sengupta to take their career to the next level through their sensitive work in his movies.

The filmmaker was known for his alternate sexuality, enjoyed cross-dressing and had fascination for make-up. he boldly portrayed women’s desires in almost all his films, as he himself battled his sexuality and identity - somewhat of a woman wrapped in a man’s body - through his life.

But the unpretentious portrayal of physical relationships played a major role in Ghosh’s films like Chokher Bali, based on Tagore’s novel, and Antarmahal he also acted in queer characters in three movies - Chitrangada, Arekti Premer Golpo and Memories in March.

Ghosh would have turned 50 in August. rIp rituparno Ghosh, may your legacy live on forever.

“I am truly inspired by the determination and courage of the girls I have met in the places I have visited in Ethiopia,” she added.

The actress stayed in the country for three days, visiting projects that have been undertaken in different areas of Ethiopia, including schools.

Campaigning for a good cause is not new to Freida, who was the only Indian actress to join tennis stars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in support of their annual fundraiser for the Agassi Foundation titled, the ‘15th Grand Slam for Children’, aimed at raising funds for the education of under-privileged children.

In 2013, Freida appeared in a video clip for Gucci’s Chime for Change campaign to raise funds and awareness of women’s issues in terms of education, health and justice. In April 2013, the actress collaborated with uN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and World Bank president Jim yong Kim for the Call to Action-Girl raising Campaign representing plan. It is her interest in supporting children as well as girls that made her the ambassador since July 2012. She voices, advocates, and lobbies about girls concerns on international forums. It’s a commendable cause and hats off to Freida for taking on the role with dedication and personal involvement! Bollywood belles, how about taking a page out of Freida’s book?

Karan can’t connect with TV his TV chat show Koffee With Karan was a hit, and he’s been a judge of TV shows, but filmmaker Karan Johar says categorically that he won’t be delving into fiction on the small screen because he can’t find the right connect. Karan’s had a series of Bollywood hits like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998 and the more recent Student of the Year, but he says candidly that he’s unable

Freida Pinto

to understand the nitty-gritty of fiction shows and their rating systems on TV.

“I am not interested in producing fiction for Indian television at all, the reason being that I don’t understand the medium. I can be a judge or a host; I can do that as an individual. But to produce TV content, you have to know the game,” said Karan in an interview. “you have to know how to cater to the Trps and I think I will be the wrong choice for it. I don’t get it and I don’t belong to it”.

It’s a strange statement for someone who produced and hosted Koffee With Karan, and made Lift Kara De, both for the small screen. “The ratings go up and down every week and changing your content as per that (is tough). It is bad enough that we have to combat box-office pressures, I don’t want to play the Trp game and ruin things for myself,” claimed Karan candidly.

Karan feels the calibre of TV stars has also taken a hit. “The popularity quotient of TV stars is diminishing. We don’t have the ram Kapoors and ronit roys any more. Besides ram and Sakshi, who are still very popular, I guess our quotient of popularity has reduced. I think the whole impact of creating a star on TV is not there too much. I don’t think that mania for TV stars is there,” he said, adding that an overdose of the same genre is the reason.

But he’s still happy in his role of the judge in the sixth season of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, and takes it quite seriously.

“It is important that you get the right tonality even when you are judging, because what you say matters a lot to the contestant who has worked so hard,” he said. “you can’t treat it frivolously. So many careers depend on what you say as everyone wants to win it. All the comments which we make are what they take back with them”. he promises many surprises in the forthcoming 14th edition of the gala, to be held July 4-6 at the Venetian Macao, a luxury hotel and casino resort. The first time that Macau hosted the Indian film event was in 2009.

Well, at least fans will still be seeing Karan on TV!

This year it’s a massive party for IIFA returning to Macau, the Las Vegas of the East, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards and weekend will be a “party” celebrating the magic of Indian movies across different domains, says Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft International Entertainment, the organisers of the event.

“There will be tonnes of stuff, all of which is different. We are holding back some of the information for the excitement, but we are celebrating the magic of the movies across different spectrums - from fashion, movies and dance...you will see that as we unveil it,” Joseph said.

whO wOrE IT bETTEr?

Kate Beckinsale and Chitrangada Singh in Roberto Cavalli

Share your views with us on our Facebook page e says the edition held in Macau was one of “the most successful IIFAs in the history of IIFA”.

“In many ways, we wanted to repeat the experience as it is a home for all of us. We thought we would develop that one as a stronger platform and make it memorable. This year it is not a weekend, it is an IIFA party,” he

Bollywood’s glitterati swarms the annual event, and this year would be no different.

“I think we have Abhishek Bachchan, deepika padukone and many others. We never really get into names at IIFA. We talk about the entire industry, we talk about nominations and technical awards. We never really speak about the stars,” he said.

IIFA is usually a three-day event comprising press conferences, parties, film premieres, film festivals, business forums, celebrity special events and the glamorous IIFA awards ceremony. So far, the event has gone to places like London, Sun City, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Malaysia, Bangkok, Toronto and Sri Lanka.

The choice of venue depends on two things every year - there should be a provision of a good stadium and proper rooms, and secondly, the funding needs to be taken care of.

“Second is in terms of funding to make it possible. Going to another country is not cheap, so (while choosing) countries, we look at these efforts. What they are doing for IIFA and what they are doing for Indian cinema,” he said.

Actress Jiah Khan commits suicide

Bollywood actress Nafisa alias Jiah Khan, who was seen opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Nishabd, committed suicide at her residence in Mumbai’s Juhu area, on 3 June. She was 25.

The Britain-born actress was found hanging at her flat in Sagar Sangeet Building in the posh Juhu area of northwest Mumbai around midnight. The cause of the suicide is not yet clear, police said, adding that autopsy reports were awaited.

Police are questioning her domestic help, security personnel and neighbours to ascertain what could have triggered the extreme step.

News of her death was first reported by actress Dia Mirza through a social networking site around 1.45 a.m.

Jiah shot into the limelight in 2007 with Ram Gopal Varma’s Nishabd in which she played a teenager besotted with a man old enough to be her father. She got a Filmfare Best Debutant nomination for the role. “Shocked and choked to hear about Jiah,” Varma tweeted after hearing the news.

“Never seen a debutant actress with more spunk and more spirit than Jiah when I was directing her in Nishabd,” the director said in another tweet.

In 2008, she was seen along with Aamir Khan and Asin in the blockbuster Ghajini, a remake of A.R. Murugadoss’s Tamil film by the same title.

She was last seen in Sajid Khan’s Housefull with Akshay Kumar, Reiteish Deshmukh, Deepika Padukone and Lara Dutta. She was born Nafisa and changed her name to Jiah before going back to her birth name. Her mother is Rabiya Amin, an actress in the 1980s who was seen in the Tahir Hussain movie Dulha Bikta Hai

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