Thirteen years after she acted in her last film of note, ‘Tirchhi Topiwale’, Monica Bedi, better known as the companion of jailed mafia don Abu Salem, has begun a new innings in Nepal, acting in a new film that could be the mirror image of her own aspirations.

The 36-year-old, whose glamorous looks survived her long ordeal in the past when the Indian government sought her extradition from Portugal along with Salem, and her subsequent stay in prison for passport forgery, starts shooting in a Nepali film, "Parichay", directed by Mumbai-based director Akash Pandey.

On Saturday, soon after she flew into Kathmandu and dumped her baggage in a hotel in Thamel, the prime tourist hub in the Nepali capital, Monica was followed by the paparazzi to an ethnic restaurant in the Lazimpat area where she went to savour Nepali food and culture.

It was in the same neighbourhood that Nepali media baron Jamim Shah, alleged to have close links with underworld king Dawood Ibrahim, was gunned down in broad daylight in February 2010. Bharat Nepali, another mafia hit man who claimed responsibility for Shah`s killing, was himself shot dead in Bangkok nine months later.

Monica, whose links with the underworld have remained the subject of unquenched speculation, looked unaware of the gangster history of the area as she smilingly posed for photographers in dark skintight trousers topped by a dark Reebok jacket over a jazzy T-shirt, boots and a pair of large sunglasses.

While refusing to comment on the fake passport charge that landed her in prison in India, Monica was, however, happy to talk about the new celluloid venture that has cast her opposite Nikhil Upreti, Nepal`s action hero who last year left the Nepali film industry to carve out a niche in Bollywood.

Much of the shooting will be done in idyllic tourist town Pokhara, where earlier Govinda, Priyanka Chopra and decades ago Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman had flocked to shoot their new films.

In "Parichay", Monica plays a girl from a middle-class family who works in an office but is driven by dogged ambition to become a film star.

It could be the true life story of the girl who was born in a village in Punjab and then taken, as a babe in arms, to Norway by her parents. But at 18, she spurned the staid and respectable life of her parents, who ran a garments store, to return to India to seek adventure and her fortune in Mumbai`s tinsel town.

Being made in Nepali and believed to have the investment of non-resident Nepalis, "Parichay" unfolds after Monica meets Nikhil at a dance bar and the two fall in love and marry, only to be parted by her unbridled ambition.

Years later, when both have carved out their own identities they meet again, leading to a twist in the plot.

The rest of the film will also be shot in India and Thailand.

IANS

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Imran Khan, who recently got married to his long time girl friend Avantika Malik is enjoying a much needed break in Goa.

The cute looking actor and his wife are having a gala time in Goa and Imran is leaving no stone unturned to please his better half.

The ‘Break Ke Baad’ star is learning to make exotic beverages. And since November last year, Imran had been working relentlessly.

He flew of to Thailand for a short honeymoon immediately after his wedding but couldn’t do justice to his newly wed wife. So the young actor is now in a mood to unwind and make the most of the current break.

Talking to a daily, a source close to kid Khan said, “Imran is at a close friend Chinu’s restaurant in North Goa, a secluded area, frequented mostly by foreigners and some locals.

Imran took off with a group of friends and his wife Avantika and visited this restaurant, where he was thrilled to watch the bartenders at work.

So impressed was the actor that he expressed the desire to learn their work. His friend immediately made the arrangements.”

Imran must be a happy man now. He finally realized his wish to learn bartending.

“I am enjoying every moment of it. This is something that I wanted to do for some time now and when the opportunity came, I grabbed it with both my hands.

I am not someone who drinks a lot but I love getting people drunk and learning the art of making
exotic drinks will go a long way,” the actor said.

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s last venture ‘Guzaarish’ dumbfounded all with Hrithik Roshan’s portrayal of a quadriplegic, gripping the audiences that empathised them of the pain that exists.

The film’s vivid storyline not only impressed people in India but also earned appreciation overseas. News has it that ‘Guzaarish’ grabbed a rare honour of featuring in the esteemed library of the Oscars.

Bhansali is known to take up subjects that are closer to life and prefers keeping a low profile. But his stupendous piece of art has found its way to the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (Oscars). And the screenplay of ‘Guzaarish’ will be part of its permanent script collection.

While talking to a daily, Bhansali expressed his take on ‘Guzaarish’ and said, "The movie makes you aware about the beauty of life and what we have and how we should cherish what we have.

I have learnt so much about living a good life, of becoming a better human being and of evolving as a person."

Everything about ‘Guzaarish’ was grand. Delving on a sensitive issue of mercy-killing, the film opened to rave reviews and was praised for its finer nuances, right from the script to the idea put behind it.

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