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Cricket as
CARNIVAL
The Indian Premier
League, a double dhamaka of cricketing prowess and star power, is
wowing viewers with its glamour quotient and instant high.
M.S.
Unnikrishnan on why
the IPL is such a sixer
| THE Indian Premier
League (IPL) has redefined the people’s perception of Twenty20
cricket, both as a sporting pursuit and as a spectator spectacle.
Purists may wince at the IPL Twenty20 Championship (18 April-1 June)
as not being the "real thing". But the encouraging response
generated by the event has proved that this instant form of cricket
has been lapped up by the fans, and is here to stay. |
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Beyond
boundaries
IPL is featuring the best at
their best, writes Sridhar K Chari
SO
what was that people were asking? Without the national flag to play
for, will players, and their fans, lack the intensity, the passion,
and the commitment to make a sporting tournament a success on and off
the field? The answer was clear from the opening match at Bangalore,
when the Australian Test, One-Day, and Twenty20 captain, Ricky Ponting,
ran all the way from gully to hug bowler Ishant Sharma, after he took
a wicket.
Art
for mart’s sake
In the erratic market
scenario, art is becoming an attractive investment option for many,
writes Snehesh Alex Philip
WITH
volatile markets being the trend and interest rates low on returns,
art seems to have come back as the safest investment option for many,
say leading art curators and investment analysts. "Art is the
only commodity other than gold which is constant in giving steady
returns from the very beginning. Art can make its own money over a
period of time," says Neville Tuli of Osian, one of the largest
art auction houses in the country.
Monumental glory
Known for its metal
craft, Bidar is also home to unique monuments and is an important
pilgrim centre for Sikhs, says K.J.S.Chatrath
SOMETIME back, one of my
old colleagues posted in Bidar district in Karnataka inviting me to
visit him. I checked up the logistics of travel and quite soon I was
in Bidar — a place steeped in history and full of wondrous
monuments. The present-day Bidar
lies at a central position in Deccan, a plateau 2300 ft above sea
level. It shares its border with Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and
its state capital Bangalore is almost 700 km from Bidar.
Reality
bites
Filmmakers who draw scripts
from real-life episodes are becoming easy targets of publicity
seekers, says Derek Bose
INDIAN
film audiences do not have much of an appetite for biographicals on
venerable national leaders. Give them Gandhi, Sardar Patel or Bhagat
Singh and the response will always be lukewarm. Now give them a Haji
Mastan (as Yash Chopra did with Deewar) or say, Maya Dolas (Shootout
at Lokhandwala) and they will promptly lap it up.
‘I
enjoyed making Firaaq’
Subhash
K. Jha catches up with Nandita Das, who is ready with her
maiden directorial venture
ACTRESS
Nandita Das has just completed shooting her first directorial venture,
Firaaq...In Such Times, about how violence affects people’s
lives. The filmmaking process consumed her so much that she has no
plans to direct another film soon. "During the shooting I said
never again. Now I’m not too sure, ha, ha. Though no direction again
immediately," Nandita said.
Manisha’s
new role
Rajesh Ahuja
HERS
has been a long disappearance from the silver screen since films like Lajja
and Escape from Taliban,
won for this Nepali beauty a lot of accolades in film circles for her
realistic portrayals. After a long hiatus from films, Manisha Koirala,
the actress who gave a tough competition to Madhuri Dixit in the 1990s
with her stunning looks and her natural screen presence,
will be seen in another realistic portrayal of a woman experiencing a
dysfunctional or troubled relationship in Sirf- Life looks Greener
on the other side.
Milind’s
role-call
Milind Soman, who redefined
modelling, is busy putting together Gateway, a reality show on
filmmaking. Sneh Irani catches up
with the model-actor
What’s the reason for your
lying low when it comes to making appearances in films?
For me, doing a film means I
should feel deeply for the theme of the film. I’m always keen on
doing roles that appeal to me. I have always tried to play different
roles in all my films.
Remember
last meal to avoid snacks
IF
you want to lose weight but are perturbed by those desperate hunger
pangs, just think about the last meal you ate, according to a new
study. British researchers found that concentrating on a meal you have
already had reduces the desire to have a snack. Until now, most diet
experts have said the best way to keep away from snacks is to think
about something else.
Born
to fight
Leaving behind a
six-decade-long trail of adversities and a life of poverty,
95-year-old World War II veteran Bachan Singh still wants to pick up
his gun and serve India, writes Megha
Mann
THE
95-year-old former paathi of Khokhran village gurdwara has
suddenly found a new identity. From being the old paathi of the
gurdwara, Bachan Singh has become the much-revered World War II
veteran—a gunner in the Royal Indian Artillery. Leaving behind a
six-decade-long trail of adversities, a life of extreme penury and
hardships after being discharged from the Army on medical grounds,
Bachan Singh still wants to pick up his gun and serve his motherland
India.
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