After teasing us for a day or so, the rain Gods are playing truant…much like Baba Ramdev’s drama-around-midnight with the government this week. The fall-out in the entertainment world — many in B-Town who were partial to the yoga guru, are now voicing disenchantment with his politicking. Shilpa Shetty, for instance, who had on occasion expressed admiration for the Baba, has said that she won’t support his methods, though in principle she is against corruption. Shah Rukh Khan too has expressed that he doesn’t support Ramdev’s agenda. Likewise, reportedly, Salman Khan. Normally big hearted Bollywood has seldom shown so detached a face, distancing themselves from what they take to be largely an agenda-driven situation.

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Meanwhile, believe it or not, it can be tough being a superstar at the time of a mega release that coincides with pressing national concerns. According to the grapevine, Shah Rukh Khan is feeling hemmed-in at present — stars only ever make themselves readily available around the time they promote movies, and unfortunately this time round, national issues are taking centre stage. So instead of superheroes, Shah Rukh Khan on his movie’s promotional tour, is being asked about the Morani connection, about Ramdev, about scams… everything it would seem, but the film on hand! Such though, is the nature of the beast — Badshah of B-Town, a philosophical attitude and oodles of that famous Khan-do charm: no doubt you’ll sail through!

And whilst on the topic of national concerns, apart from the black humour doing the gossip rounds on considering Tihar tourism (as there are so many high profile inmates in prison at present), there is also a general morbid fascination with details of prison life. It could have to do with the ‘how the mighty have fallen’ scenario in terms of lifestyle. Not just in India, even on the world stage, the powerful former IMF chief Dominique Strauss Kahn had to forfeit luxury for a suicide-proof jail uniform and a privacy-discouraging cell. Tihar’s inmates are reportedly actually feeling the heat — 2G scam accused film director Karim Morani, moved a special court seeking a cooler cell in Tihar because the heat was affecting his health. And according to another report, counsel for Asif Balwa, Vijal Aggarwal said, “Even chimpanzees are better than us,” apparently because they can get cooler in their enclosures, unlike those in jail. Won’t be long before enterprising and societal-trends-savvy B-Town picks up on this current focus on jail hardships — wonder, would it come up with potential blockbuster scripts for the same?And the nation bid adieu to one of its giants MF Husain yesterday. I had spoken with him a few times in the course of my work, most recently at the time he painted  actress Amrita Rao. I had been struck by his joie de vivre, and his passion for life, even at 90+. RIP.