I am a breakaway from the Stephanian mould: Kabir Bedi

Bedi: A nostalgic tripLending a touch of glamour to the otherwise starched and staid centenary celebrations of St Stephen's College, was the literally towering presence ofKabir Bedi, one of the few Indian actors who have made a dent in the International film world. The college, which unabashedly styles itself as the Cambridge of the East, had specially invited Bedi to discourse on "What it means to be a Stephanian".But as Bedi himself pointed out to India Today: "I am a breakaway from the Stephanian mould," which he felt inevitably set students off on the well trodden path of civil servants or business executives. Here in India to visit first wife Protima and his children. Bedi will soon be returning to attend the premiere of his biggest Hollywood assignment to date, playing the lead in The Archer, a sort of quasi-medieval Star Wars, which also stars William Holden, Omar Sharif and Michael Caine.Lapierre: Peddling fictionIn town to peddle their latest blend of fact and fiction, wasDominique Lapierre, the flamboyant French half of the controversialFreedom at Midnightduo of Lapierre and Collins. Criticism of their cavalier approach to history seems to have rubbed off on the pair with interesting results. Their latest doomsday bookThe Fifth Horseman, (of the apocalypse) paints instead a futuristic scenario -Mohammed Gaddafi, Libyan strongman, has an atomic bomb planted at New York City and proceeds to blackmail the Americans, As Lapierre said: "Now we're writing history before it happens".More interesting was the response of the Libyan leader, when two journalists of Stem magazine broached his reaction to the plot. Said Gaddafi: "Oh, what an excellent idea. If it happens one day, you'll know whom to thank for the inspiration". There isn't any moral sweat off Lapierre's brow. In one of its recent issues, Woman & Home, one of those myriad mushy magazines that are devoured so hungrily by matronly British housewives, published a cover story on "The kiss that changed their lives".Kolhapure: Publicity hogThe story featured five (lucky?) women whose lives had supposedly undergone a dramatic change after they kissed Britain's most eligible bachelor -Prince Charles. Last fortnight, it was evident that the magazine could easily have added a sixth - Padmini Kolhapure, Bombay's answer to Brooke Shields. Already, the familiar picture of Kolhapure planting a chaste kiss on the cheek of a surprised Prince Charles has adorned almost every magazine in the country and also inadvertently launched a heated debate in the bitchy film rags as to the real motives behind Kolhapure's impulsive action. Last week, however, it was the turn of an obscure but highly offended moralist from Meerut to get into the act.In a fit of indignant righteousness, the gentleman in question, Ansar Ahmed, filed a civil suit in the Meerut court against Kolhapure alleging that the actress had "denigrated Indian culture and womanhood" by kissing in public. The complainant also alleged that the actress had tried to gain cheap popularity by planting a kiss on the unwary prince. The suit, however, seemed a bit paradoxical since Ahmed conveniently ignored the fact that his action will only succeed in giving Miss Kolhapure some more publicity, albeit of the expensive kind.Berry: Sound successSean ConneryandPeter Finchare only two among a galaxy of stars and actors thatCicely Berryhas trained in an eventful career spanning 34 years. One of the best-known experts in voice training, Berry herself trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, staying on to teach there, till she moved to her present ward of over 150 actors of the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, as Voice Director.Having just concluded a workshop at the National School of Drama, the chainsmoking Berry said: "You get a lot of tension in actors here, and the main thing in voice training is to learn how to relax." She also went on to add: "Indians tend to think of voice problems too technically, too physically, whereas modulation has to come from thinking, from the way you think." And what did she think of Ben Kingsley? "Oh Ben is a fantastic actor, just fantastic, and he's a very dear friend."Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 26, 2013 15:07 IST--- ENDS ---

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I am a breakaway from the Stephanian mould: Kabir Bedi

Lending a touch of glamour to the otherwise starched and staid centenary celebrations of St Stephen's College, was the literally towering presence of Kabir Bedi, one of the few Indian actors who have made a dent in the International film world.

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