Gender-bending at play

Pamela Rooks threw a party to celebrate the release of her film, Dance Like A Man.

It was an evening that was supposed to impress in a sophisticated manner. The guests were members of the glitterati, literati and the political world. The occasion: a party by Pamela Rooks to celebrate the release of her film, Dance Like A Man. Produced by Vijay Mallya, Tarun Sawhney and Vikram Raina, the cast includes the talented South Indian dancer Shobhana, Anoushka Shanker, Arif and Jassi’s Purab, Samir Soni.

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Rooks had seen the play by Mahesh Dattani, and felt it could be translated into a rich film. She describes her effort as an exploration of human relationships against the backdrop of dance. The film, Rooks’s third, was shot entirely in Bangalore, in 25 days flat.

Samir Soni has become a star, especially after Jassi. He sees himself as someone giving hope to not-very-pretty women — that they too have a chance of getting a Prince Charming. But it isn’t easy playing a modern-day knight in shining armour convincingly, he says.

On Dance Like A Man, this is what Soni has to say: ‘A woman in a man’s world is considered progressive, but a man in a woman’s world is considered pathetic’.

Arif Zakaria was present at the party, minus his long locks. He had to learn the basics of Bharatnatyam for the film and says at times he felt “sandwiched” between Shobhana and Anoushka.

Others spotted at the do were Amar Singh, Muzaffar and Meera Ali, Nalini Singh, Uma Gajapati Raju, Nafisa Ali, Vikram Raina’s better half Seeta, Rani Jethmalani, Bina Ramani, Rati Soni and Rohit Bal.