Remember Bhanu alias Muktha George, the heroine of Hari’s Vishal starrer Thamarabharani? The young Malayalee girl held a press conference in Kochi alleging that her father was trying to sabotage her career. She also alleged that her father has walked away with her life savings - all the money she made from movies. A few days earlier Muktha's dad George had held a press conference where he had said that his wife and her relatives have swindled all the money and he and his aged parents were thrown out of their house.

To clarify George’s allegations Muktha's mother Sally George and her relatives held a press meet. Says Muktha, who was sobbing throughout the press meet: " When I was studying in UKG, my father for no particular reason, deserted my mother. Those days we did not have money to buy some pills and commit suicide! My mother and my uncles worked hard by starting a beauty parlour and gave tuitions to support us." When Muktha was doing her 8th standard, she made her debut in Lal Jose's off-beat Malayalam film ironically titled Achan Urangatha Veedu (The house where dad does not sleep). Soon, seeing her potential in films, her dad after many years came back and took over her career. "It was the biggest mistake we made in our lives after Appa took over my career. He not only messed up my life, but also took all our savings, as the bank account and locker was in his name. He also forced me to wear skimpy clothes for a Tamil film (Thamarabharini?). Which father will do all this to his daughter?", asked Muktha, who broke down at the press meet. Muktha's is a sad story that is happening in many households in Kerala, as the acting bug and lure of big screen catches on.

First she won accolades for her performance as Arjun Rampal's disgruntled wife in Rock On and later scorched headlines for 10 kisses with Randeep Hooda in Ru-Ba-Ru. Now 22-year-old Shahana Goswami says she wants to play all kind of roles on screen. "I want to do everything from the nagging wife to the conventional Bollywood girl singing songs around trees," said Shahana. As Arjun Rampal's disgruntled, unhappy wife in Abhishek Kapoor's Rock On, Shahana rips the screen apart. As Shabana Azmi said appreciatively, where did that come from? "Did she?" laughed Shahana. "I guess I've never shied away from real emotions, never had to be over-sheltered or mollycoddled by my parents during my growing years in Delhi. "I feel at times the person whom you love has to be told what to do, even if it makes him or her unhappy and resentful. Like my mom forced me to go through college. I hated it at that time. But today I'm thankful to her. Similarly in Rock On, I had the thankless job of being a nagging, pesky, embittered wife. I loved it."

Commenting upon her kissing scenes with Randeep in Ru-Ba-Ru, Shahana said: "I can't understand why they (producers) highlighted 10 kisses between me and Randeep Hooda. First of all, who's counting? Certainly not the audiences! Surely they've matured far enough to not get carried away by kisses. Also, there aren't those many kisses at all. I'd rather be known for more than just kissing in my films." Shahana debuted in films with Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota. "Strangely most of my films are either episodic or I'm part of an ensemble cast. The only exception was Ru-Ba-Ru where Randeep and I played lovers who've crossed the stage of euphoria into stagnancy. So again it's an unconventional role. I'd say it's a love story that begins where other filmy love stories end."

Any other unconventional role? "In Sudhir Mishra's Tera Kya Hoga Johnny I'm Neil Nitin Mukesh's girl married to a much older man Kay Kay Menon. Is that too much of the unconventional for me? I don't mind. I've always wanted to be an actress. If today I'm getting to play anyone from the age of 18 to 32 and I can do it convincingly, why not? As a child I'd take my mother's dupatta on my head and speak to myself in the mirror. The habit remains. I still speak to myself, though now I don't get much time to do that." MoFiraaq where she features in one episode with Marathi actress Amrita Subhash. "Nandita saw me in Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota and cast me. So although I'm not much remembered by my first film, I still owe a lot to it," said Shahana who also worked with a theatre group called Working Titles.

Model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone, who is in the national capital to walk the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) ramp for designer duo Shantanu-Nikhil, says she does not follow any fashion trends. Mo<"I believe in being comfortable in what I wear instead of wearing something in fashion that does not suit my body. I don't follow fashion trends," said Deepika. Deepika says her favourite designer is Manish Malhotra, who is popular with most Bollywood icons. "Manish always goes out of his way for me and does a good job. He also did my first film Om Shanti Om," she said. On Thursday, the actress was dressed in a one-shoulder, short salmon coloured dress designed by Shantanu-Nikhil, who are showcasing their collection at the WIFW as part of the sponsor show for personal care brand Fiama Di Wills. "I am really looking forward to be a part of the show," Deepika said. Deepika attended an event to announce the winner of a Fiama Di Wills Beautiful Face 2008 Hunt, organised in collaboration with the Elite Modelling Agency.

Delhi-based Prerana Sharma was crowned winner of the event by the actress. Deepika said: "During my days of modeling, I never got any such opportunity or platform to showcase my talent. But god has been kind to me."

Esha Deol says she is excited about moving back into her Juhu bungalow that was under renovation for the past one year. She says all her best memories are associated with that house. "We miss our old home. That's where all our best memories are. That's where Ahana and I grew up. And that's where all of mom's friends from the industry stay. So, yes, we plan to move back as soon as the renovation is done. One of the main problems in our Juhu home was the waterlogging in monsoon. The elevation work has been done. The outside is complete. And now the interiors are being done." In 2006 Esha, her mom Hema Malini and sister Ahana moved into their bungalow in Goregaon.

Though the three loved the far-from-the-madding-crowd atmosphere at Goregaon and had decided to stay put there, the family is now planning to move back to Juhu to their original place. But Esha says there were advantages of staying in Goregaon. "Travelling to Film City for shooting is so easy here. That set of an aircraft that they put up at Film City for Hijack was just a hop away. Every day I'd get into my car and drive straight into the aircraft," said Esha. Hijack sank without a trace but the actress says she had a ball shooting the film. "It was an action film. I was an airhostess wearing a skirt. So I couldn't do any stunts. But the interesting part of the film was that I don't have a hint of a romantic association with Shiney Ahuja.

"Now I'm also doing Shivum Nair's Exchange Offer with Rahul Bose. It's a very contemporary film about a young couple. And working with Rahul is so different from working with any of my other co-stars." Esha also went through a learning experience when she did an item song with Govinda in Money Hai Toh Honey Hai. "I did that number only to work with Govinda. I'm his biggest fan. As a child I used to watch some of his films almost every day. Dancing with him is a joy. He knows exactly how to handle the body contact in the dancing movements."