A QUEEN FRIENDSHIP
TELEVISION personality turned author Padma Lakshmi recently attended the eighth edition of Mountain Echoes literary festival of Bhutan and befriended the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wang Chuck. Lakshmi was full of praise and described her as the most gracious hostess. Talking to the Queen, she said: “You are warm, serene, charming and loving. Your kingdom is lucky to have such an emotionally wise Queen, a brilliant ambassador. You have made a friend in for life.”
A ROYAL FAREWELL
IT LOOKS like soon to be released historical drama Victoria And Abdul will be the last time Dame Judi Dench will play a royal. The 82-year-old wants to do more edgy roles and said she didn’t particularly want to play a queen again. Her co-star Ali Fazal is full of praise for the British actress and said she was perhaps the most professional co-star he has worked with. “I’ve never ever rehearsed so much with a co-actor as much as I did with her. And when an actor is open to that, that’s like a treat for me. I was in good hands,” he said.
POOJA GETS LETHAL
ACTRESS Pooja Batra has been trying to crack Hollywood for a long time and has finally made a small breakthrough with a role in the second season of American cop series Lethal Weapon. Although she shared this photo with the show’s stars Clyne Crawford and Damon Wayans. I doubt the former Bollywood babe has a huge role in the second series. Batra had moved to the US after her marriage to an orthopaedic surgeon in 2003, but filed for divorce in 2011 citing irreconcilable differences.
SANJAY’S SHELTER
DIRECTOR Omung Kumar released this first look of his next project The Good Maharaja with a regal-looking Sanjay Dutt on the poster. Omung has directed Sanjay’s soon to be released comeback movie Bhoomi, which looks like a stinker. If the film does badly as expected when it releases on September 22 I highly doubt Sanjay will want to work with the director again. The Good Maharaja is a big budget drama about how the ruler of Nawanagar provided shelter to hundreds of abandoned Polish children during World War II.
HELLBOY ED SAYS KEEP IT REAL
ACTOR Riz Ahmed was one of many who praised Ed Skrein for pulling out of a high profile role in the big budget Hollywood reboot of Hellboy after finding out his character Major Ben Daimio was of Asian origin. The British actor said he was stepping down so the role could be cast appropriately and released a heartfelt statement about representing characters in an accurate way. Other stars who praised Skrein’s brave decision included Armeena Rana Khan, John Cho, Jessica Chastain and Patton Oswalt.
RANAUT THE TROUBLEMAKER
ALTHOUGH Kangana Ranaut has done well to stand up against an oppressive Bollywood system that doesn’t really like outsiders doing well, she has also gone too far on occasions to get some cheap publicity. One can’t help but think her recent verbal attack on Hrithik Roshan was to spice up the promotions of her bland looking film Simran, which releases on September 15. Kangana is a talented actress who needs to concentrate more on work or she could end up destroying her own film career by unnecessarily putting herself in the firing line over trivial issues.
HOLLYWOOD OR BUST FOR PC
SPECULATION has been rife about Priyanka Chopra signing more high profile Bollywood films, but she is very much focused on making it big in Hollywood. She will follow up Baywatch with further supporting roles of a single mother in A Kid Like Jake and a yoga ambassador in Isn’t It Romantic. She is also being lined up to play a dynamic lawyer in a high profile courthouse drama and is in talks for further projects. She hasn’t given up hopes of re-igniting her singing career in the west either.
