Talk of the town

This is one French cut that is worth over a crore. And considering that it has given Amitabh Bachchan more than just a new look, this makes it even more appealing.

The KBC cut -- as it has now come to be called -- that the Big B has been sporting ever since the programme was launched, was actually not meant for the show. In fact, the man behind that now famous look is the director of ``Aks'', Rakesh Mehra.

It took Mehra a good three months to decide Big B's looks for the film. Mehra wanted a suave and sophisticated look, and decided to include the French cut. The Big B, for his part, carried the same look for other films to ensure that the continuity of KBC did not break.

While ``Kaun Banega Crorepati'' went on to hit the bulls eye, the French cut had its share of attention too. Ironically, the film that gave Bachchan the look seems to be slowly sinking at the box office.

Although the first week's collection was good, thanks to the near-perfect publicity of the film, the coming days are not expected to bring much moolah for AB Corp. What needs to be seen now is whether the lucky element will be able to bail out its creator.

* * *

Ever since he was a child, he has been climbing mountains. In 1965, he scaled the world's highest peak -- Mount Everest -- and even after being confined to a wheelchair immediately thereafter, he succeeded in establishing the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre -- the Rs. 70-crore comprehensive rehabilitation centre in the voluntary sector.

``Everest is not a mere physical mountain to climb. There is a lot to learn from this peak which is applicable in day-to-day life,'' says Major Ahluwalia, author of over 13 books, including his autobiography ``Higher than Everest,'' and winner of several awards, including the Arjuna award and the Padma Shri.

Having perfected the art of emerging triumphant in the face of difficulties, Major Ahluwalia has now come out with another book, ``The Everest Within''. ``This book is quite different from my autobiography in that it deals with the Everest within,'' he says. The book is packed with this celebrated mountaineer's Everest adventures. ``If you climb Everest, you are never the same again. When you stand on the top and look around, you feel you are a speck of humanity,'' says this member of the Executive Council of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling.

So, what does he mean by the ``Everest Within''? `` It is only through the mind that you climb Everest. Mind is the eternal Everest.''

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The ``Swami Dada'' is back to the beginning. Jackie Shroff, ``the non-actor'' with a ``wooden face'', is causing quite a ``stir'' in Bollywood and giving the likes of Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri a run for their money. The ``Hero'' has turned a full-time character artiste. After playing a villain in ``Mission Kashmir'', ``Farz'' and ``Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai'', Jackie now is playing a doting father to three daughters in Subhash Ghai's ``Yaadein'' slated for release here on July 27.

It will be Jaggu Dada's tenth release of the year and unites him with his mentor. Having earlier played the hero in ``Hero'', ``Khalnayak'', ``Trimurti'' and ``Ram Lakhan'', Jackie makes no secret of his reverence for Ghai and believes that but for Ghai he would still be struggling.

(By Lakshmi Balakrishnan, K.Kannan and Zia Us Salam)

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