Greetings Curry Lovers!

I have a shocking admission to make.......I am allergic to Bollywood films! After all, when you've seen one, you've seen them all, no? Deeply ironic given that Redhotcurry.com has gone all Bollywood in this issue. We are pleased to bring (at vast expense I might add!) the thoughts of newly married Raveena Tandon who thinks "marriage is a perfect experience for any human being". Take heed Sabeer Bhatia, founder of Hotmail, who this week is licking his wounds after a broken engagement. Bhatia, who netted $400 million after selling his Hotmail business to Microsoft, still believes that Indians know how to make marriages work and is looking for a girl who is "genuinely loving and caring". All those who qualify should continue reading......

RAVEENA BELIEVES MARRIAGE IS A PERFECT EXPERIENCE

The newly wed Raveena Tandon now believes marriage is the most "perfect experience for any human being" and says she plans to start a family soon. "I recommend marriage to everyone. It's the most perfect feeling ever experienced by any human being. I feel I'm floating in air," Raveena told IANS in an interview barely a month after her marriage to Anil Thadani. In the meanwhile there's her career -- so much so that the busy bride and groom had not been able to find time for their honeymoon until Friday. read more

SABEER BHATIA STILL LOOKING FOR LOVE

Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia says his broken engagement has given him a new insight into wedlock and he believes that Indians know the formula to make marriages work. Today, he is a changed person and is on the lookout for someone "who is genuinely loving and caring". "I've been in India with close family and friends for three months. I needed to discover what really mattered to me," the California-based Bhatia said in a recent interview. read more

AIR INDIA LAUNCHES DIRECT FLIGHTS TO AHMEDABAD

Air-India will commence direct services from London to Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India) on March 28, 2004. The introduction of these new direct services, will obviate the need for passengers to take flights either via Mumbai or Delhi. Air - India said that strength of the UK Indian community is currently estimated to be about 1.2 million with Gujaratis constituting 37.5% of the group. read more

Those seeking Bhatia can now board Air India's direct flights to Ahmedabad (Gujarat) from March 28 2004, although in his interview, Bhatia said he is most likely to settle in Chennai or Bangalore if he emigrates to Indian permanently. We wish Air India's new route every success (what took you so long?), although they obviously found it more difficult to muster up enough Gujaratis to invite to the champagne launch to rub shoulders with luminaries like Lord & Lady Paul, Mr & Mrs Gopi Hinduja, Baroness Flather and H E Ronan Sen, High Commissioner of India.

Other luminaries being recognised for their achievement included Shabana Azmi who was presented with a GR8 (geddit?) Achievement Award in Mumbai alongside tennis player Sania Mirza, journalist Barkha Dutt and corporate honcho Naina Lal Kidwai of HSBC. Meanwhile in the UK, Kamlesh Bahl v The Law Society has just started Round III of its dispute, with the BOPIO wading in with its own request for the Prime Minister to investigate.

Another social documentary making an appearance is Asian photographer Sunita Passi's exhibition of modern day images of India. 'Urban India' runs from 1 - 30 April at Watermans Art Centre. The city of Birmingham is continuing its own love affair with Bollywood with the launch of 'Cinema India: The Art of Bollywood' and we have three pairs of tickets in our competition for those who'd like to attend the launch party next Thursday.

SHABANA AZMI IS GR8	KAMLESH BAHL v THE LAW SOCIETY AGAIN
Actress Shabana Azmi, tennis champ Sania Mirza and journalist Barkha Dutt were among the 18 women honoured in Mumbai. The Whirlpool GR8Women Awards celebrated Indian women who have become role models for millions. read more	BOPIO (British Organisation for People of Indian Origin) has called on the Prime Minister to investigate Kamlesh Bahl's dispute with The Law Society. The Society was found guilty of race and sex bias against Bahl at an employment tribunal. read more
URBAN INDIA BY SUNITA PASSI	CINEMA INDIA, 19 MAR - 20 JUNE
A collection of social documentary photographs by London based creator, Sunita Passi. Depicting India in a all its forms, from beauty to grim poverty, Sunita enables you to taste the richness of modern India. read more	Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is proud to be exhibiting 'Cinema India : The Art of Bollywood'. The exhibition charts the cultural changes experienced by India, as seen through the eyes of the film industry. Cinema India runs from 19 March - 20 June 2004. read more
**** CINEMA INDIA LAUNCH PARTY COMPETITION ****
We have 3 pairs of tickets to the 'Cinema India: The Art of Bollywood' launch party on Thursday 18 March 2004. This will include a private viewing of the exhibition and an exclusive performance by chart sensation Raghav (although the organisers would like us to point out that this does NOT mean you'll get to meet the chart hero of the moment!). The Cinema India launch party is taking place in the Gas Hall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on Thursday 18 March, 10am - 12pm (entry by invitation only). If you would like to win a pair of tickets, simply answer the following easy question. Q1) In which film does Aamir Khan play the cricketing hero Bhuvan? HOW TO ENTER 1. Reply to this email with your answer. Ensure you provide your full name, a DAYTIME DELIVERY address and TELEPHONE NUMBER. 2. If you are unable to reply to this email, send a separate email to webmaster@redhotcurry.com with your answer. Ensure you provide your full name, a DAYTIME DELIVERY address and TELEPHONE NUMBER. TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. Competition is open to UK Residents over the age of 18 only. 2. You must be a registered member of Redhotcurry.com. Please take a moment to sign up. 3. Closing date for entries is midday on Tuesday 16 March 2004. The winners will be chosen from the first three correct answers selected at random from all entries received. 4. The Editor's decision is final. 5. Please note that due to the volume of entries, Redhotcurry.com can only notify the winners.

In all this star-struck excitement, I forgot to mention why Redhotcurry.com has gone all Bollywood. Well, although I am allergic to Bollywood films....watching them brings on narcolepsy, I am fascinated by the "goings-on" of the stars which are more 'Footballer's Wives' than.....well....'Footballer's Wives', even if Laila Rouass (Amber Gates) eats dog food for the sake of her craft. What Laila can do here, Bollywood can copy (!) and embellish even more in India. Shilpa Shetty has posed in a tight, figure- hugging body suit in an advert for PETA India. The cause is to cease the use of animals in circuses. Eye catching certainly, as many a man will verify, but I'm not sure the message will get past the cat suit!

Similarly Indian model and actress Yana Gupta has been advising Indians to 'Relate to Who Is on Your Plate'. In this advert, also for PETA India, Gupta exhorts that "Fish Are Friends, Not Food". Gives a new meaning to fish brains and the rather vacuous pockets in one's own mind! If the words "Air" and "Head" are drifting through your brain at present, in these litigious times don't blame me, blame the fish!

Subhash K Jha, one of the funniest film critics I have read in a long time, says of yet-to-be-released-in-the-UK film 'Love in Nepal' "in this When Harry Met Sally movie there are instant fireworks. And for the rest of the film the pair flare their nostrils and shrug at each other like Tom and Jerry."!

Jha's review of 'Insaaf: The Justice' starts "the film rocks the formulistic boat so hard that it topples over under the weight of its own misguided self-importance"! Compare this to the film company's blurb which reads "The deities delight in places where women are revered, but what about the places where a woman is raped every six hours and her dignity maligned every second?" Eh what?? you might be asking yourself, is this the same movie?

I'll leave you to digest Subhash Jha's a review of the other still-to-be-released-in-the-UK film 'Green Card Fever' (scheduled for release some time in August) although I can see us collectively sinking quite a few films even before they have set sail on the good ship Britannia!

'INSAAF' - CRIME INTO A CHEAP THRILL	INSAAF: THE JUSTICE, OUT 5 MARCH
Welcome to the ambit of anarchy. 'Insaaf: The Justice' rocks the formulistic boat so hard that it topples over under the weight of its own misguided self-importance. Shrey Shrivasatva's film is based on a real story from Bihar. read more	The deities delight in places where women are revered, but what about the places where a woman is raped every six hours and her dignity maligned every second? In the crux of "Insaaf" is standing a traditional married Indian woman. read more
'LOVE IN NEPAL' TOO FROTHY TO BE FUN	'GREEN CARD FEVER' - DIASPORA WOES
There are instant fireworks. And for the rest of the film the pair flare their nostrils and shrug at each other like Tom and Jerry...or like the couple in "When Harry Met Sally". read more	Bala Rajashekurani's new film tells of non-resident Indians' bitter experiences in a land that won't have them without putting them through an ordeal by fire although it isn't the best film on the American Born Confused Desi theme. read more

But healthy scepticism is refreshing and I urge you to read some of the new Bollywood content - for a few laughs if nothing else. One thing is certain, the Bolly news machine is as prolific as the industry itself. All the celebrities are out on the campaign trail as India prepares for elections in April.

CELEBRITY MILLIONAIRES GET INTO 'PEOPLE POLITICS'

From film stars to cricketers, the millionaires are chipping in for the cause of Indian democracy, heading mainly to the two leading parties, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress party. The BJP party is becoming a thoroughfare for VIP recruits ahead of the parliamentary elections. Age-defying actress Hema Malini, music composer Bhupen Hazarika, cricket commentator Navjot Sidhu, former cricket captain Krishanamachari Srikkanth and former Miss World Yukta Mookhey are among those who have paid up Rs.5 to enrol into the ruling party. read more

BOLLYWOOD GALA ROPES IN SHARON STONE

The biggest Bollywood gala in the US is about to be graced by no less than Hollywood actress Sharon Stone, say organisers. All eyes are on the Kingfisher Bollywood Fashion Awards and the Sixth Annual Bollywood Awards to be held in Atlantic City on April 30 and May 1 respectively where Sharon will receive a special award. She is reported to be very excited about the awards ceremony and had expressed the desire to be part of the colourful event involving Asians. read more

BOLLYWOOD TRIES OUT UNUSUAL COUPLES

Ever wondered why we never got to see Amitabh Bachchan with Mumtaz in any film other than "Bandhe Haath"? Or why Raj Kapoor who made such a fine pair with Nargis never gelled with the other screen queen, Meena Kumari? So what makes a successful pair? Why have the audiences seen Shah Rukh Khan with Kajol so many times? read more

INDIAN LAUNCHES FORMER NEPAL PREMIER'S SON IN FILMS

Indian help has seen the launch of the son of a former prime minister of Nepal on the silver screen. Bhupen Chand, son of former Nepalese prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, made his debut as an actor this week in the Nepalese film "Dui Kinara", opposite Neeruta Singh, directed by veteran Tulsi Ghimire. The love story pits Bhupen against Neeruta Singh, who is one of the leading ladies of Nepal's film industry but hails from Chhota Kakrajhor in Darjeeling. read more

SHILPA SHETTY CAMPAIGNS AGAINST CIRCUS ANIMALS

Actress Shilpa Shetty is the latest Bollywood personality to join the campaign against performing animals at circuses. Highlighting the campaign by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Shetty poses in a hugging bodysuit. "The best advice for children and parents who want to help animals is simply to boycott circuses that use animals," Shetty said. read more

YANA GUPTA SAYS 'FISH ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOOD'!

Submerged in crystal-clear water, surrounded by a school of exotic fish and wearing an alluring mermaid costume, Czech-born supermodel Yana Gupta appears in a new ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), urging people to leave the fish in the sea and go vegetarian. The ad, which carries the tagline, ‘Please Try to Relate to Who Is on Your Plate’, explains, ‘Fish Are Friends, Not Food’, and was shot by ace photographer Jatin Kampani. read more

**** MORE BOLLYWOOD NEWS *** MORE BOLLYWOOD NEWS ***

QUIT SMOKING PLEADS AAMIR KHAN Nothing is more dangerous than cigarette smoking, says Bollywood film star Aamir Khan. Aamir who described his struggle to quit smoking admitted he found it difficult to quit smoking despite sincere efforts. Aamir said he hailed from a conservative family in which his parents, particularly his Ammi, were strictly against smoking. read more COURT GRANTS TIME TO AISHWARYA IN LEGAL BATTLE Actress Aishwarya Rai obtained relief from a city court on Tuesday in a case filed against her by a real estate agent. A sessions court extended till March 22 its stay on a magistrate's order issuing summons to Rai and her relatives. read more GRACY SINGH'S SECRET - THE 'A' CONNECTION? Gracy Singh has a special connection with 'A'. Stars and directors whose names start with the first letter of the English alphabet have proved lucky for her. The "Lagaan" heroine also told IANS in an interview that she would "never do vulgar roles just to be glamorous". read more INDIAN CINEMA SNIPPETS - ARYA BABBAR DOUBLE ACT Have you noticed? After the shocking failure of a spate of double-role films -- from Amitabh Bachchan in "Sooryavansham" to Kamal Haasan in "Abhay" and Shah Rukh Khan in "Duplicate" -- everyone has stopped looking at the genre. But Aziz Sejawal has cast Arya Babbar in a double role in a film entitled "Do". read more NOT MUCH CHEER FOR WOMEN IN BOLLYWOOD India's women filmmakers have little to cheer this International Women's Day Monday as discrimination between sexes on-screen and off it continue to afflict their status in the trade. The best that the so-called new wave cinema could throw up in a week that witnessed a worldwide celebration of womankind was a drama named "Insaaf". read more NEPAL'S INDIAN HEROINE ON HER WAY TO PAKISTAN The leading lady of Nepal's fledging film industry, Indian Neeruta Singh, has bowled over Pakistani directors and producers. Neeruta, the doe-eyed beauty from Darjeeling, has just completed a film for Pakistani director Iqbal Kashmiri. read more

Quite possibly the most pointless news I received this week was from Sky Digital, which announced that it would be screening ball-by-ball live coverage of the India v Pakistan One Day International (ODI) and Test Matches starting this Saturday 13 March. Given that most Asians think that this is why the digital format was invented in the first place.....it does seem a bit like stating the obvious!

I'm now off to watch various balls and celebrate with the other kind of Bolly........Bollinger Champagne. Now where can I find a rich young bachelor able to indulge these expensive tastes.....hmmmm???

Until next time,
Lopa Patel (Editor - redhotcurry.com)

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