Nandita Das
Nandita Das is a fine actor of Hindi (and Marathi, and some other 'regional') cinema, known for her down-home, dhoti-clad, rural/urban, lower-middle-class characters. Her specialties are a bindi on the forehead, braided tresses, a frown on her fine brow, and the camera invariably catching her in harsh light. Essentially, your young Shabana Azmi. But she does have an alter ego, who dons a boy-cut hairdo, bare arms, and looks as svelte and Western-urban as they come in soft, indirect light. To locate the chameleon in this lady, Chhetria Patrakar had to go to the pages of the Karachi magazine, Newsline. Das was in the city-by-the-sea to act in a film directed by Mehreen Jabbar, in which she played the part of a Sindhi woman. So Nandita, will it be braids and bindi once again?
Vogue, CN Traveler, Glamour and GQ
Conde Nast, the USD 2 billion publishing house, has decided to make a grab for the Indian market, announcing that it will put mags such as Vogue, CN Traveler, Glamour and GQ on stands by next autumn. For this, it has already hired ex-MTV chief Alex Kuruvilla as CEO of Conde Nast India. Listen to the guy, speaking to Financial Express: "The cover price [of Vogue] will be over Rs. 100, so the segment we are targeting is niche. These people typically enjoy fashion and luxury and are looking for a premium offering… Aspirations are growing here and so is the market for luxury brands… there has been a dumbing-down of content because of a mass-market approach… Both advertiser and consumer pressure, in my opinion, will compel media houses in the country to bring quality into their work. As international publishers and brands make a beeline for India, I see the quality ethic creeping into the system here." Smart man. He will make much money.