by Subhash K Jha

For those who were wondering about Shabana's chic new short-haired look at the Filmfare awards, here's the answer. She has cut her hair to a very stylish size for her part in a new crossover film The Contest.

"I've a delightful part in the film. I play this flighty socialite," she chuckles. "The director is a very talented newcomer Manish Acharya. It's a comedy. Manish is an NYU graduate. I think he's as talented as Farhan Akhtar. He can talk for hours about global cinema and knows every Amitabh Bachchan starrer and every Javed Akhtar dialogue by heart."

Shabana has seldom been so excited about a director. "Manish is an insanely talented filmmaker. Would you believe, he was a hotshot executive in an American company and was offered obscene amounts of money to join an Indian company.

But he told his wife, 'If I continue doing this I'll never have the courage to make a film.' She's a very good painter. She agreed to support him while he want away to NYU and performed very well there."

The Contest fell into Shabana's lap suddenly. "Manish approached me out of the blue through Ayesha Dharker. I really enjoyed this film."