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April 1, 1999
BILLBOARD
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This is the height
In John Mathew's Sarfarosh, Aamir Khan has done a few scenes standing on a stool with the leggy Sonali Bendre. Salman Khan does the same thing in Biwi No 1 with Sushmita Sen. We've been told the details by a unit hand who kept his mirth in check only because he has a family to feed. While we have no objection to shorter men wooing taller women or vice-versa, it is clear that Sarfarosh director John Mathew finds it embarrassing for some reason. When we saw a few working shots and realised that Aamir with his shoes on stood a wee bit shorter than Sonali barefoot. But Mathew myopically kept insisting Sonali was shorter than Aamir. We guess that's how you have to delude yourself when you have a product to sell....
Bowed under
But it's been a long time since Sush dressed so tastefully. All in black, the lady looked ravishing, even with a stoop. The trouble was that she kept running around trying to chat up everyone. She's clearly out to enjoy life to the full after that split with Vikram Bhatt. Pretty unnecessarily, we felt, she kept introducing herself, saying, "Hi, I am Sushmita Sen!" But it may be that the canny girl is making it her common form of greeting because in some time such an introduction could become necessary...
Uphill struggle
Note also, that she also starred in two films not really worthy of note, Achanak and Maharaja. There was some expectation of Lal Badshah, but those were belied. The only movie she starred in that didn't do too badly was Kachche Dhaage. But her role there was pretty tiny and the film hasn't done too well. So... Time, we guess, for Manisha to start doing her homework before signing up.
Naseer vs Gandhi
Kamal had spoken to Shah ages ago to play the role of Mahatma Gandhi. The role demanded only four days of shooting in a 150-day schedule, something like De Gaulle's role in Fred Zinnemann's The Day of The Jackal. We had the idea that Shah, who lost out on the role of the Mahatma to Rajat Kapur in Shyam Benegal's Making of the Mahatma, would be very keen to have another go. Naseer missed another chance earlier in the play, Mahatma vs Gandhi following differences with directorFeroz Khan. But, somehow, Naseer has proved difficult to trace. Meanwhile, Kamal is already through with a week's schedule in Madras. After a few days of shooting in Madras, he will proceed to Harappa. And wait for a Gandhi to materialise.
On a roll
Urmila had a flop in Kudrat but her one song appearance in China-Gate gave her more publicity that the film itself. "Jaanam Samjha Karo has shaped up very well. Salman and I look very good on screen," she said when we met her last. Andalib Sultanpuri is also pleased with her performance. Not that we expect either to say differently. "Producer and other distributors kept telling me I would have to get her in minis and shorts but I preferred her in good outfits and as a result she looks devastating in the film," he says.
Neha's nadir
One film, Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet, is progressing smoothly, but the girl hasn't had any release since Kareeb flopped. And that must be bothering her. According to those who know -- or those finding this an opportunity to get bitchy -- she lacks the qualities to become a star. "She could at the maximum become a Sangeeta Bijlani," Well, while we leave you to guess what that means, the general idea according to them is that Neha's has got the chance of an ice cube in hell.
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