Sometimes it seems as though the whole world is flocking to Bollywood in the hopes of making it big – in the same way as LA became the destination for a thousand young hopefuls every day in the 1920s, Mumbai has become a similar magnet for hopes and dreams nearly a century later. Three who perhaps have a better chance than most have been doing the circuits of producers and directors recently looking for a future. The first is Chilean Jennifer Mayani. Of Sindhi heritage, Jennifer says, “I came to Mumbai in search of a husband. It’s a family tradition. My parents did it, my grandparents and probably generations before that.” Instead, she stayed, became part of the clubbing scene with artists such as Hard Kaur, and now has 14 movie appearances to her credit, including Heyy Babyy.
Rosa Catalano is used to being in the headlines – but not necessarily for her acting. Or a long time, she was Saif Ali Khan’s belle and muse, but now times have moved on and Rosa is concentrating on her movie career, hoping to make it big in Bengal. She is currently talking to director Raj Chakraborty about a part in his film Dui Prithibi. “I have heard so much about Raj from my friend Sushmita Dasgupta, costume designer, that I became really keen on working with him.”
Stunning Miss Bollywood IPL finalist in 2009, Gabriella Demetriades has been living in Mumbai for six months, but recently seems to have fallen foul of the bitter war being fought between IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and External Affairs Minister Shashi Tharoor over the purchase of the Kochi IPL franchise. It is rumoured that Lalit asked Tharoor’s office to cancel Gabriella’s visa for reasons undeclared but his request was denied and Gabriella’s visa was extended.
