Apni Roshni
Kaun banega Star ka star? No lifeline needed for this one. Star Plus has already frozen its option. A soap starring a city girl will replace the SRK-hosted KBC Saurabh Malik
She is all set to make it big on the small screen! After sashaying away from the corridors of existence in Chandigarh ’s downtown to the hallways of glamour in the tinsel world, doe-eyed city girl Ashima Bhalla is all decked up to replace Shah Rukh Khan on the prime slot. Just in case you still haven’t guessed, Bhalla is primed for filling the blankness KBC’s exit could have created on Star Plus. Coming Monday, you will see her slipping in the role of an ‘ever-loving’ and ‘charming’ character, Sudha, in the primetime show — Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni.

Packaged beauties
Visiting high-end salons is no longer an occasional affair
She doesn’t need an opportunity to celebrate life. For her, existence itself is a reason itself to rejoice. No wonder, Romila Nanda goes out with friends on Saturday nights for marking the weekend; or else jives all the way to delight on Wednesday afternoons for celebrating the spirit of summers. But before venturing out, the Sector 19 resident goes to a salon for tiding up her looks. And she is not the only one. As more and more youngsters are wakening up to the need for looking gorgeous, the salons across the city are giving new look to the customers mostly on the basis of appointments. Of course, because of an increase in the rush!

Easy on wallet, high on style
The store is called ‘Titbits’ and it stands true to its name. A one-stop shop for girls, the store stocks all sorts of knick-knacks. Says the 24-year-old owner, Anuj Kapoor, “ There wasn’t really a store in Chandigarh that caters to all such needs. The USP of the store is wide variety and quality”, claims Anuj, a masters in International Business from UK. Now, that Chandigarh has become the hottest destination on the fashion circuit, this store that opened in Sector 19 is perhaps the need of the hour.

Photo by Parvesh Chauhan

Obsession No.1
Producer Vashu Bhagnani’s romance with titles with ‘No. 1’ suffixes continues
He is considered as the master of comedy. He made us laugh in his numerous films. Starting with Coolie No 1 way back in 1995 till Shaadi No 1 recently, producer Vashu Bhagnani’s fancy for ‘Number 1’ isn’t over yet. In a telephonic interview, he tells more about his obsession with Number 1. Shifting focus between producing films and constructing buildings, for Vashu, Bollywood has always been another outlet for his creativity. "When I shifted base from Delhi to Mumbai, I was naturally inclined towards making films," says Bagnani.

Rock on through summer
L’Oreal Paris is celebrating the wedding of their brand ambassador, Aishwarya Rai with the launch of Amber Aishwarya- a tender beige lip color to wish the bride. The shade of lipstick has been handpicked by the lady herself and is part of the Color Riche range. An extreme comfort, moisturising lip color range, the dazzling shade has always been a favourite with Ash. The matte complexion can be worn casually for everyday-wear.

Singer Malkit Singh was in the city on Friday. He has been roped in as global ambassador for Moneygram and will be promoting the firm’s products and services in the NRI-rich Doaba belt.

Little Interview
Ayesha for more meaningful roles
The young and bubbly actress won appreciation from the critics as well as audience for her sensitive performance in Dor. After sporting the girl next-door image in flicks like Socha Na Tha and Shadi Se Pehle, Ayesha Takia says she now wants to do powerful-women oriented roles. Ayesha talks to Life Style and confesses that this is the most exciting phase of her career.

FILM & FASHION
Jolie sexiest assassin
Actress Angelina Jolie has been named the sexiest movie assassin for her role as Jane Smith in the film Mr & Mrs Smith. The Oscar winner was followed by Kristanna Loken for her role in Terminator 3:The Rise of the Machines at the second spot. Coming in third on the list released by Maxim.com, was actress Rebecca Romijn for her turn as Mystique in X Men. Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill and lethal killer Nikita played by Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita wrapped up the top five positions, at fourth and fifth places respectively.

Josh machine
Julius & Jolly come to town with their new album Punjabis On The Floor
Their music is pure fun, dance and masti. Perhaps, that’s why they decided to change their band name from Sound Design to a more Indian Joshilay. Julius and Jolly, the voices behind the power-packed band, were in town on Friday with their latest album Punjabis on the floor, a heady mix of traditional Indian and western music (baseline, strings of Boney M Daddy Cool).

BEAUTY STUDIO
Bye bye oily skin
Everyone wants to have a flawless healthy-looking skin, free from mild, moderate or excessive oiliness, blackheads and spots. Oily skin is genetic, though stress and hormones play a major part as well. Also, everybody’s chemical makeup is different. Hormonal imbalance and increased production in the oil-producing glands in skin results in oily skin. What works for one may not be a success story for another person. All said and done oily skin remains a serious problem. Is there a best way to look after it? No one seems to have an answer!

First iPod virus
Kaspersky Lab has reportedly discovered the first virus designed to infect Apple Computer iPods. However, the company says the virus Podloso is a proof of concept programme that does not pose any real threat. Podloso is a file that can be launched and run on an iPod. The catch is that for Podloso to function, Linux needs to be installed on the iPod.

BIG PICTURE
Go easy on fat
How can one prepare tempting, tasty, and mouth-watering Indian meals without fat? The answer is simple; just ask city-based Prem Sur. Prem embarked upon ‘mission impossible’ in the world of Indian cuisine and came up with ideas on how to cook delicious, wholesome, and satisfying dishes without using oil, butter, or ghee. "One does not need more than 15 grams (1 tablespoon) of fat per day. The use of excessive fat or the wrong kind of fat has been proved to be injurious to health at all stages of one’s life." In 1998, Prem even authored a book called Cook without Oil, Recipes to treat Obesity and Heart Ailment.

FRUIT OF LABOUR: A chef prepares a dog from fruit aboard the luxury cruise ship AIDAdiva. — Reuters photo

BON APPETIT
Meet the veggie smoothies
A vegetable smoothie is a cross between a lassi and a jaljeera, where veggies put in the all-important guest appearance. The concept of carrot and beetroot juice is not alien to us in India so now imagine whipping in some yoghurt and spiking it with spices? Voila! You’re in the august company of a cooling, stabilising and calming Vegetable Smoothie! I’d rather have a fruit smoothie any day, but this way, if I can gulp down a handful of desirable vegetables in three seconds flat, then so be it! Here are some famous words—There are juice-bars and there are alcohol-bars. The only difference is that one detoxifies your liver and the other hardens it!

Green treat
Rich in nutrition, high on taste, low on calories; city eateries are serving an array of salads, writes Rajiv Bhatia
Salads are healthy, stomach friendly and easy to prepare. But, that’s not all; today they are an essential part of the meal of any health freak. Making up for rich, economical source of nutrition, a salad treat is yummy and low on calorie count. The city foodies are now savouring the vitamin and mineral packed salads.

Savour the nawab’s palate
It’s a ‘foodies world’ and one can relish everything right from delectable Hakka noodles to Amritsari Kulcha, Lebanese cuisine to Mexican food; a plethora of grub is available to choose from. And, if this is not enough to satiate your taste buds, then grab a bite at the delectable food festivals.

• Mandira’s magic wardrobe
• Health tip of the day