ROMANA'S WINNING STREAK

Modelling or acting -- whatever the medium, Romana has struck home runs on all fields. Her winning streak surfaced when she entered the celluloid world with Tauquir Ahmed's “Jaijatra”; although her mainstream film début was much later in P.A. Kajol's “Ek Takar Bou”. Romana's confidence received a major boost with her mainstream inauguration -- encouraging her to try her hand in several other ventures, the latest being Mostafizur Rahman Manik's “Ma Amar Chokher Moni”.

Other films that await release are Bodiul Alam's “Buk Phate Toh Mukh Phote Na” and “Ei Desh Tomar Amar” under the direction of F.I. Manik. Another movie that figures in her current schedule is A. Awal's “Kachher Shotru”, where she plays opposite Shamrat. Romana terms the storyline of the film as appealing as it surrounds a college romance.

Romana is also ready to add a bright feather to her cap by acting in the title role of P.A. Kajal's next venture, based on the life of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Romana informs that she urged the director to let her take on the challenging role as she is determined to prove her acting skills. The story has been written by Abdullah Zahir Babu and shooting will begin from July end at locations in Pubail, Sylhet and Dhaka.

Romana says P.A. Kajal took the initiative to make the movie on Mamata's life. Romana will be portrayed as an idealistic grassroots level woman who finds her voice after coming to the city and eventually secures a seat in the Indian Parliament after much struggle. Preparation for the movie is adequate, Romana adds.
The actress says that while the silver screen is her main target she does sporadic TV appearances if approached to do so. Banglavision is currently airing a serial featuring Romana where she acts opposite Mahfuz Ahmed. She recently refused remuneration for her performance in a recent Chayanika Chowdhury TV play, as she had earlier promised the director her services free of cost for her first work with her. The audience will also get a glimpse into a different facet of Romana in a new Shokal Ahmed serial, titled “Terminal”.

Other popular plays featuring Romana include “Maachh Konya”, “Dohone Dorod”, “Kachher Manush”, “Shompurno Rongin”, “Hortoner Bibi”, “Shukher Lagiya”, “Daar Kak” and “Kanone Kushum Koli”.

An interesting, yet unknown angle of Romana is that she has released a music album that showcases her talent as a singer.

FRENCH AWARD CEREMONY ON HOLD AS MUMBAI REELS FROM TERROR

With Mumbai reeling under another terrorist strike, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Wednesday requested the French government to postpone an award ceremony scheduled in the capital later in the evening. The 37-year-old Bollywood actress was to receive the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) from the French government.

The felicitation ceremony organised by the French embassy was dramatically cancelled at the last minute. After a delay of over an hour unusual for events organised in diplomatic circles Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan made an appearance at the venue around 9pm accompanied by Jerome Bonnafont, the French ambassador to India, and Farooq Abdullah. Expressing his "condolences and condemnation", Bonnafont said France stood with India and the victims of the blasts and that out of respect for the victims of the tragedy it had been decided to postpone the ceremony to a later date.

Aishwarya said, "We are very shocked and saddened by this incident... And keeping in mind what's happened, we didn't deem it prudent to celebrate. My family and I felt it would be prudent to request that the ceremony be postponed, and we thank the French government for understanding our sentiments in the current situation."

The Bachchans and Rais were expected to be present in full force to cheer Aishwarya. The event was highly anticipated since it would have marked only her second public outing since her pregnancy was made public.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Hollywood actors seem to have it all-- money, fame, notoriety, talent (sometimes in that order) and now they seem to have found a way to stop the wrinkle clock! Johnny Depp spent two long hours and twenty disappointing minutes trying to find the fountain of youth in the latest “Pirates Of The Caribbean” film, but all he really needed to do was check out these youthful looking actors. Although they look young and flawless, we reveal the shocking real ages of Hollywood's hottest stars…

Tom Cruise (49)
His most memorable role came as the young buck in “Top Gun” armed with boyish good looks and an F-14 fighter plane. Since then his career has blossomed and, with popular consensus, so has his face. Turning 49 recently, his devilish good looks have kept him a firm favourite with women of all ages.

Holly Hunter (53)
Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter looks remarkable for her age. In a recent photo shoot for Style Magazine she looked as if she could be her own daughter! Perhaps it's the curious case of Holly Hunter? At the ripe old age of 53 she is the personification of a fine wine (getting better with age).

Jennifer Aniston (42)
Having flaunted her body in “Just Go With It”, Jennifer Aniston is set to show even more flesh in upcoming comedy “Horrible Bosses” and we can certainly see why. Having recently picked up a Decade of Hotness award, it seems her youthful looks have stuck it out, even through some questionable 'comedy' flicks.

Keanu Reeves (46)
It's been 22 years since Keanu Reeves stumbled onto our screens in “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure”, but the mono-toned actor doesn't seem to have aged a day. So it comes as a little bit of a surprise that he is a staggering 46 years old! It would seem that the casting director and continuity producer on the upcoming “Bill & Ted” flick will be pleased.

Salma Hayek (44)
Hayek stormed onto the big screen in “Desperado” as a hot young Latina alongside Antonio Banderas in 1995. Over a decade and a half later she still has the same youthful face that made her a star. It's almost as if she was cryogenically frozen for seven years until she popped up in “Frida” in 2002. Judging by her fairly lacklustre filmography over the years, perhaps she's always popping in and out of that chamber?

Will Smith (42)
When he's not upsetting New York locals with his massive trailer, Will Smith is the friendliest man in the Hollywood Hills. And it would seem that his kindness has provided him with good karma. Looking at his recent pictures it appears as though he's used a large chunk of the aforementioned karma on his face. That, and making his entire family into a media product.

Julia Roberts (43)
Julia Roberts is still as radiant as she was when she first stepped into those killer black boots in “Pretty Woman” back in 1990. It's a testament to her beauty regime, though we're guessing the fact that she's global ambassador for a well-known beauty company could also have something to do with it. She looks 'pretty' much the same.

Halle Berry (44)
Apart from the awful “Catwoman”, Halle Berry has had a pretty much spotless career, much like her appearance. Now at a womanly 44-years-old, she maintains her sumptuous good looks and proves once and for all that she's the cat that got the wrinkle cream. Meow!

DOORS MARK MORRISON'S DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Former members of The Doors have marked the 40th anniversary of Jim Morrison's death in Paris.

On Sunday, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger lit candles at Morrison's grave in the city's Pere Lachaise cemetery.

Morrison, the band's lead singer, died of heart failure in a bath in Paris on July 2, 1971. He was 27.

Hundreds of Morrison fans, some wearing T-shirts bearing the words 40th Anniversary, left flowers at the grave.

Some sang and others read poems to mark the day.

Morrison moved to Paris in 1971 to write.

He was found dead in the bath by his girlfriend, Pamela Courson. A doctor's report stated the cause of death was heart failure aggravated by heavy drinking.

Morrison, the son of a US Navy admiral, was born in 1943 in Florida.

He formed The Doors with Manzarek in 1965 in Los Angeles

The band name was inspired by Aldous Huxley's “The Doors of Perception”.

TOM HANKS: “HOLLYWOOD IS LIKE HIGH SCHOOL”

Tom Hanks takes on the roles of writer, director, producer and star for his new film “Larry Crowne”. After more than 30 years in the business, what does he really think of Hollywood?

In “Larry Crowne”, Hanks plays an amiable ex-Navy man who is “downsized” out of his job at a big American store.

Burdened by a mortgage, and with time on his hands, Larry Crowne signs up at the local college to get some qualifications and re-invent himself.

“What we try to deal with is the fight against cynicism,” says Tom Hanks.

“Cynicism and sadness and bitterness can enter into the fray particularly when you've lost your job and when you've done everything right, and you still find yourself in these kind of straits.”

Although there is much in “Larry Crowne” that chimes with today's tough economic times, Hanks began developing the story years earlier with Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”).

He also drew on his own experiences of attending college as a teenager in the 1970s.

“I only went to three years of college and two of them were at a community college much like the one that Larry goes to,” recalls Hanks.

“I started when I was 17, and there were people in class who were twice as old as me and had families and once had businesses.”

“Larry Crowne” reunites Hanks on-screen with Julia Roberts, who plays college lecturer Mercedes Tainot. The pair had previously worked together on 2007's “Charlie Wilson's War”.

Both actors had starred in some of the biggest romantic comedies of the 1990s. In “Larry Crowne”, Hanks' character develops a crush on Roberts' public-speaking teacher -- just as her marriage is falling apart.

“In 'Larry Crowne' we do it in the way it happens in real life -- you just happen to bump into somebody and it turns into one of the greatest things that ever happens to you.

“It's not so much boy meets girl, it's more a man meets woman story -- not exactly the nature of old school rom-coms.”

This is Hanks' second shot at movie writing and directing after 1996's “That Thing You Do!”

His breakthrough movie was in Ron Howard's “Splash” and he went on to star in '80s comedies “The Money Pit”, “Bachelor Party”, “Big” and “Turner & Hooch”.

He won an Oscar in 1994 for “Philadelphia” and again the following year for “Forrest Gump”.

Other key films include “Sleepless in Seattle”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “Cast Away”, “Road to Perdition” and the “Toy Story” series.

He most recently reprised the roles of Woody in “Toy Story 3” and Robert Langdon in “Angels and Demons”.

After such a long career, what is Hollywood really like to him?

“Hollywood is exactly like high school,” Hanks says. “With money!”

He adds: “It's filled with just as much pettiness, sadness and jealousy as well as fun and senior proms and parties.”

And how has he survived more than three decades in showbiz? “I laugh more than I shake.”

SAIF-KAREENA KEEP FANS GUESSING

The four-year-old Saif Ali Khan - Kareena Kapoor relation-ship that has been up for discussion because of "alleged trouble" is actually stronger than ever say Sources close to the actress.

Kareena is currently in Paris with Saif on a romantic getaway and is expected back in Mumbai on July 6.

On being asked whether she was tying the knot early next year, the actress categorically denied it.

However a trade source says, " what really doesn't add up is the fact that Bebo has refused to do a couple of films in February/March 2012 because she has reportedly reserved these months for her wedding and honeymoon."

ON THE WAY TO STARDOM

I want to a number of schools because my father had frequent job transfers. I took my Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination from Nawab Faizunnesa Government Girls High School, Comilla. Of all the educational institutions I have been to, I miss school the most. School was the fun time of my life because it not only included studies, making friends for ever or bribing the school guard to bank classes, but so many more memories that I cherish. One incident that still makes me laugh today is the annual sports day in Class 8. Compared to the other girls in my class, I was taller for my age. So those who participated in the race believed that I would run very fast and win. This made me all the more confident. Standing there, at the start line, I was wondering how I would run towards that finish line awaiting me, how I would be awarded with the medal by the principal and how the crowd would applaud my win.But soon when I came to my senses, to my surprise, I found myself standing alone on the field, while the rest of the girls had reached the finish line. Embarrassed by my folly, when my friends asked me why I did not run, I told them I had a sprained my leg.

     During the break after my SSC exams, I was in a dilemma in picking the right discipline. That is when my mother got me the form of Lux Channel I Superstar.

                           Model-Actor Bidya Sinha Mim

  I would say it was just out of curiosity that I applied for the contest. But the real shock came in when I was selected for the contest. Initially, I felt that I won't be able to make it to the top 10 or so. However, when I actually made it to the top 10, I started believing that there is a chance of my making it to the top 3. Right after I won the Lux Channel I Superstar title, I joined college; unlike school, college was hectic for I had to manage both studies and my new career now. After college, I got into the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University (JU). Of course, I do get the stare and the extra attention that comes with stardom, but I try to make sure people treat me like everyone else. Also I try to take some time out from my tight schedule to spend time with friends and family. When one is new to a field, one is bound to face confusion, struggle, success and failure. When I participated in the Lux Channel I Superstar, a lot was playing on my mind-perplexity, anxiety, and excitement. But every time I gave my hundred percent, be it in the preliminary round or the final. And I guess it was this determination and dedication that made me who I am today!