Photo Feature: Can You Identify This Cute Girl

This cute dimpled girl is now a hearth throb of millions of Indian guys. She is now the new wave heroine in Bollywood. Can you identify who she is? Yes, it's DP-Deepika Padukone of Om Shanti On fame.

John unveiled Kingfisher Swimsuit Special 2008 Album

People will gossip about us: Minissha Lamba

Minissha Lamba wooed everyone with her superwoman antics in Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd and her very commendable tango dance became the talking point of the film.

The petite “Yahaan” actress is now looking forward to 2008 as four of her films are lined up for release. Minissha gets candid in a freewheeling chat with TWF correspondent Swati R Chaudhary

Lately we haven’t seen too much of you onscreen.
I was just shooting all this while which is why you haven’t seen much of me. One of my films Dus Kahaniya has just released. I have four releases lined up next year.

Samar Khan’s Shourya where I get to play an investigative journalist, Sanjay Gadhvi’s Kindnap where I’m playing a 19-year old girl, Ananth Mahadevan’s Anamika which has me as a simple girl who gets married in a rich household and Siddarth Anand’s untitled film which is a romantic comedy.

Tell us about Dus Kahaniya?
My story is called Pooranmashi which is adapted from Kartar Singh Duggal's short story of the same name. It’s about a mother-daughter relationship and how one full moon night changes their life completely.

I play a rustic village belle where pride, honour and virtue are top most qualities people abide by. It’s directed by Meghna Gulzar and I had a blast doing it. It was a fulfilling experience.

Is life looking up for you? Are you happy with the way things are shaping up?
I am extremely happy with the way my career is shaping up. I have chosen the films I have believed in and those I always wanted to be a part of. And if this means doing fewer films, so be it.

I am proud of all the films I’ve done and God has been very kind and gracious. It has been a beautiful journey so far. I came from a non filmi background with no Godfather here in the industry.

Yahaan was my debut film and I’ve learnt a lot since then. But regardless of your lineage and stature, you have to go through the grind as no one has it easy here. I am eagerly awaiting 2008 and things are definitely looking up for me.

In hindsight, what do you think of Anthony Kaun Hai and Rocky?
Anthony Kaun Hai was a fantastic film but unfortunately because of its untimely release, it got sandwiched between two other films. That probably impacted its fate but I’m still glad I did it.

Rocky was an interesting experiment. It was going back to how films used to be made. I have absolutely no regrets doing both the films. I think both the films helped me evolve as an actor.

How do you zero in on a film?
I should enjoy reading the script and it has to be a story I believe in. My co-stars, banner and other issues are secondary. The script has to be invigorating enough to sustain my attention.

Is there a dream role on your wish list?
I want to do a full action film and a hardcore comedy film.

One actor you’d like to romance onscreen?
We have so many amazing actors. It’s extremely difficult to single out one. I’d love to romance them all.

Lately there were reports about you getting cozy with Aftab Shivdasani at a Mumbai nightclub. Also, a lot was made out of your off-screen chemistry with Honeymoon Travels… costar Abhay Deol.
I choose to be nonchalant. The fact is simple. If entertainment journalism thrives on gossip and hearsay, we don’t have a way out.

As an actor and a public figure, you are bound to be written and gossiped about. And if you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t be here.

What else is happening on the professional front?
I think it’s just the right moment for me. Time is ripe for my filmi career. I am looking forward to a variety of roles.

Meet the ideal man in Esha's life

She's papa's pet. "But not as much as my younger sister Ahana," Esha Deol celebrating her legendary dad Dharmendra's 72nd birthday, said on Saturday.

"No one in our entire family resembles Dad as much as Ahana. I think he sees a lot of himself in her face, her nose, her eyes, etc."

Ahana a painter by choice, made a beautiful painting for her father's birthday.

Esha had something unique for her dad.

"I've been shopping for him all around the world for many months now, collecting the clothes that suit him and he likes to wear. In fact in the last six months when he has come into the limelight again, I've become his costume designer.

So my gift for him is this suitcase of clothes that I've been collecting. Actually I don't like shopping for myself. I like shopping only for my dad and my little niece."

The two babies in the family?

"Nooooo! Dad is not a baby. He's very very tough, though with a very soft heart," says the proud daughter sentimentally as she along with her sister and mom got ready to spend the day with the man they love the most.

"He's a hard act to follow up. I look for my dad in my male friends… and find them quite inadequate. Dad is my teddybear. I hug him and the world seems a nicer place."