RAJA FINDS HIS NICHE IN TOLLYWOOD, BUT WILL HE BE ABLE TO MAKE IT BIG?

The chocolate-faced boy of Tollywood, Raja, has come a long way from itsy-bitsy teeny weeny roles. Though he is still to establish himself as an actor to reckon with in the Telugu film industry, luck and pluck has enabled him to create an identity of his own.

Raja burst on to the scene with Appudu Appudu, one of the biggest hits of 2001. But, all was not hunky dory. "After a dream debut, it felt as though lady luck had deserted me. To make matters worse, I was considered as unlucky after the failure of all the films I had acted in. It was a traumatic phase," says Raja, talking to Hyderabad Times.

But, Sekhar Kamula's Anand bought back joy in the life of Raja, who had been doing odd roles till then. "Anand changed everything. Fans still address me as Anand," he says. And predictably, there was no looking back. He was able to carve a niche in Tollywood with films like Aa Naluguru,and Kokila.

Right now, he has graduated from family dramas to action films. "My latest film, Toss, is an action flick in which I play one of the leads. Until now, I have acted only in family-oriented movies, but I want to shed that image to appeal to a larger audience. I have worked hard to put in the extra muscle required to look the part," says the actor.

What does he think of the GenNext actors? "The new generation of actors be it junior NTR, Allu Arjun or whoever it is are in the transition phase. They are more aware of what is happening in the world cinema than any other generation, and that will be reflected in their work."

There have been rumours of his alleged escapades with his Toss co-star Priyamani. What does he have to say about it? He shrugs off the rumours but says wedding bells might ring any moment. "All I can say is I have found the love of my life, and she is not from the film industry."

INDIA SHINING: HARVINDER ANAND BECOMES FIRST INDIAN MAYOR OF AN UPSCALE VILLAGE IN NEW YORK

Harvinder S Anand, chief executive of an MNC, will create history when he will be sworn in early on July 3(IST) as the first Indian American mayor of an upscale village in New York state, three per cent of whose 1,930 residents are of Indian origin.

"I am honoured and humbled," said Anand, who came to the United States 25 years ago and had been the resident of Laurel Hollow village, south-east of New York, for the past 10 years.

Anand, 46, has been president of the gated community's homeowners association and village trustee during which he won admiration of residents and outgoing mayor Denise DeVita asked him to run for the post.

Anand graduated as a Chemical Engineer from Panjab University and is the chief executive of Royce International, a multi-national corporation involved in manufacture of industrial chemicals for textile, aerospace, electrical, automotive, marine and construction industries.

He said he only wants to serve his community and has no plans to seek higher offices. The residents praise the professionalism with which he tried to resolve issues.

Anand, married to a practising internist Chandni Anand, has a son and a daughter.

Village of Laurel Hollow is a water front community on the North Shore of Long Island, in Nassau County. It has some of the most expensive real estate in the country, with homes ranging in values from USD 2 million to USD 15 million.

Laurel Hollow is home to the 107-acre Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an internationally recognized genetic and cancer research centre that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The experimental stations from which it grew were established in 1893, predating the village.

Three researchers at the centre have won Nobel prizes for their genetic work. PTI