CINEMA GUP-SHUPTODAY MARCH 9th'07

Shaana Diya, who makes her debut with Vipul Shah's Namastey London, is upset about reports that co-star Katrina Kaif gave her tough time while working on the film. "There was no catfight as it was made out to be," she clarifies.

She adds, "The only thing I would like to say is that I had a wonderful time shooting for the film. Katrina and I shared a good professional relationship. She is beautiful and I wish her the best and hope she finds sound ground in Bollywood. I would also like to add that Namastey London is not my first brush with acting. Yes it is my first Hindi commercial venture. But where acting is concerned I have done several plays and serials in Britain. I have done two English films, Man Push Cart and To And From New York. I have modelled and done commercials too."

When asked if she was upset with the media for misinterpreting her, Shaana says, "There wasn't any bad blood between us. The media has its own role to play. They have to do their job I guess."

Besides Namastey London, Shaana has just completed a music video for Biddu. "Biddu just happened to see me in London. He saw me and asked if I'd be interested in doing a music video for his album Shut Up And Dance. I thought I was anyways breaking into Hindi cinema, so why not try my hand at doing a video too. What I liked about the video was that unlike the ones you see nowadays that have 20 odd girls dancing away wearing similar costumes, this one does not have anything like that. It focuses on just one person and tells a simple story in a simple way," she adds.

After Rang De Basanti Kunal Kapoor will now be seen in Milan Lutharia's Hattrick. The actor has been very choosy about his roles and films. This is Kunal's third film. At a time when actors would vie to do 10 films simultaneously Kunal is shying away from roles.

"Yes I did get a lot of offers after Rang De Basanti but I refused them all. Either they were roles of a poet or a jihadi. It was Milan who called me up and said that I have to do this film. Milan is a long-time friend and when he narrated two lines of the script I said yes. I liked the premise of the film. The cricket background intricately woven with relationships in life interested me. Cricket is one game which we Indians follow like a religion. This film was different. I have not done such a role before. It is a light-hearted and fun film. The interesting catalyst in the film is Dhoni," says Kunal.

The actor himself has been a cricket fanatic and has been playing cricket for school and college. "I was a fanatic before I became an actor. I used to watch even the highlights but now since there are time constraints, I am just a fan. My favourite has been Sourav Ganguly, maybe for emotional reasons, but I feel he is the backbone of our team," says Kunal.

Strangely enough Kunal has never been in the rat race. Hence he has been picky and choosy about his roles. "I am in no hurry" he says. "I believe that I will get a fair amount of work. I want to do something different all the time. I want roles that excite me. I have to read the script and say this has never been attempted before," he says.

Toronto-based Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, whose Oscar-nominated Water — on the sufferings of Indian widows in the 1930s — says she never shies away from honesty, as "the truth has to be told". "I don't shudder from the truth because the truth has to be told. Societal discrimination horrifies me. I guess that the brutal attitude comes from the harsh reality I had to face five years ago when my film was stopped," Mehta said.

Mehta had to bear a lot to shoot the film, which stars John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas in pivotal roles. In 2000, when she launched Water in Varanasi, right wing activists destroyed the sets and burnt her effigies. As a result she shelved the film and later in 2003 shifted location from Varanasi to Sri Lanka. But, Mehta says, the struggle has been worth it.

"The fact that I had to fight for five years made it a better challenge for me. People ask me if the script has changed over the years. The script hasn't changed. I have. Today, I've been able to look at the same script from a different viewpoint," Deepa says. It has been alleged that she is trying to sell miseries to the West but she denies it saying: "Why are we so scared of showing the truth? Why can't we question aspects of our tradition that aren't so great? By doing so we don't become any less great. Why do we want the West to think so well about us?" she questions.

Mumbai's Filmcity seems to have become superstar Shah Rukh Khan's homeground. Besides completing two episodes daily for Kaun Banega Crorepati, the actor is also shooting for Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om at the helipad there.

But one day he made an exception. SRK dropped by Subhash Ghai's Whistling Woods International Film Institute and not only surprised the students but also the showman. He met and interacted with potential youngsters who wanted to make a name in the field of entertainment. SRK also gifted Ghai with a mobile that is state-of-the-art, a collector's item. Looks like the bug of giving gifts has bitten SRK in a big way. Remember how he handed out watches to KBC contestants who failed to win the even the minimum amount. Ghai said, "Only someone like Shah Rukh can give such surprises. I guess that is what makes SRK, SRK!"