There was a particular advertising line, that made clever use of the women’s liberation movement, and was popular in the seventies. ‘You’ve come a long way, baby!’ said the ad for a brand of cigarette called Virginia Slims, showing a slender model in a swirling skirt. The aspirations of women, their desire to get ahead, were cleverly captured in this line that can today be applied to Shilpa Shetty, the new toast of multi-cultural Britain. 

To some, Shilpa’s feat may seem pretty ordinary – just staying put in a house for 26 days with some oddball co-denizens. But to others, it is pretty clear that being on camera for such a long stretch can be terribly nerve-wracking – unless you have inner steel and have decided not to let anything get your goat. Even sharing a room with our cousin can be a terribly annoying experience in childhood, and even later in life, we can find family members, co-workers, fellow commuters – anyone at all – annoying in the extreme. To survive for so long with one’s dignity intact, to the extent that others’ behaviour has been exposed to be boorish and ugly, and one has begun to seem angel-like in comparison, is no mean feat. 

He is a director with many aces up his sleeve. From Malayalam to Tamil and now Hindi, for the past few decades, he has been making films in several languages, with most of them being acclaimed and bringing in the moolah at the box office too. RINKU GUPTA met up with PRIYADARSHAN, the man who discovered the comic potential of Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal and gave them a new image. Apart from films like Kala Pani and Virasat, he has comedies like Hungama, Hulchul, Hera Pheri, Kyon Ki, Malamal Weekly and Garam Masala to his credit and sure has his fingers on the pulse of the audiences and keeps the funny bone of the nation tickled with his films.We spoke to him to discover his thoughts and what makes him tick on the filmi scene …

How instrumental is a good sense of humour to spice up a man and wife relationship? A good sense of humour is one important quality most of us look for in a partner. The art of making people laugh is rare and very individualistic. However, there can be forms of humour.

He is one of the Bollywood Khans with the drop dead gorgeous looks and son of Feroz Khan, famous yesteryear star who is still known for his style, rugged looks, panache and zeal for life. Meet FARDEEN KHAN, who has grown out of his father’s shadow…

She is the screen scorcher who sets the temperatures soaring with her screen presence. She is a former Femina Miss India Universe 2002, who has dabbled in a variety of professions before hitting the big time on the silver screen. From being a beauty queen to model and acting on Television in her debut serial ‘Rajdhani’, NEHA DHUPIA has done it all in a short time span. Her svelte figure, flawless complexion and sex appeal have fetched her major ads like Gillette, Pepsi, Reebok and Maruti to name a few. In a short span of time, she has come a long way and got herself noticed by the media and the public alike. She caught the attention of her peers in the film industry, the masses and the scribes with her famous quote, ‘Only sex and Shahrukh Khan sell in Bollywood’ which soon became a much quoted quote all over.