Jai Ho…Dil Se
Sukhwinder Singh has been invited to perform with A.R.Rahman at the Oscars nite. Here's tuning in to the excited singer…
z Jasmine Singh
"Tusi mano gey, I told Gulzaar sahib, tusi kursi tey baitho, main tuhaadey agey nachna chauna han. You don't expect me to stand 'simply' in the playback singers' block and sing. A singer cannot do this song; you need a performer to playback this number… So, I put on the headphones, Rahman played the music and I sang and danced to the track. You know what, Rahman had to technically clear the sound of my footsteps, that laughter and bubbliness during the making of the final version of the song…."

Poverty stricken, piracy bitten 
Slumdog Millionaire faces heat in India even after winning international honours
For all the attention in Hollywood, Slumdog Millionaire has failed to set the box office alight in India where it is set, with piracy, anger over its portrayal of poverty and its controversial title taking a toll. The Oscar-nominated film about the life of a street boy who wins a fortune on a quiz show appealed to multiplex audiences with its portrayal of hope amid poverty but left viewers in small towns unimpressed.

A ragpicker walks past a billboard of Slumdog Millionaire displayed at a bus station in Mumbai. The movie, shot largely in a Mumbai slum, charts the rags to riches tale of a mendicant boy who wins a fortune on a quiz show. REUTERS 

Kismet connection at box office
Bollywood and Cricket, two of the greatest passions in India, form the backdrop of films Luck By Chance and Victory.
Exploring the hopes, desires and frustrations of those wanting to make it in the dream world of films in the tinsel town of Mumbai is Luck By Chance, a narrative about the Bollywood film industry and how people from different walks of life come to Mumbai to make it big in an industry where luck clicks more than the hard work.
Hurman Baweja in Victory

Dev Patel 'Smit(h)ten'
Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel is a huge fan of Will Smith and is so eager to work with him that he is using interviews to urge the star to get in touch with him.
Patel once waited at a premiere for three hours just to get a photo with the actor. In a recent chat with US news show Extra, Patel said, "Hello, Mr. Smith… Please let me do a film with you. I stumbled upon your premiere of Hancock in London and I waited three hours. I was dying to go to the toilet and I've got a picture of you on my phone. It'd be great. Just a small role. Shake your hand or something... Thank you."

Agony aunt
Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson plays 'agony aunt' to her friends because she always gives an honest opinion when it comes to relationships. The Lost in Translation star is just a call away for friends and has her own way to counsel them on problems relating to men. "My friends and I talk about relationships and I probably over-analyse everything. But I usually come back to the same thing: 'If this person is making you crazy or making you doubt yourself, then get rid of him.' I always sort of come back to that," she said.

Scarlett Johansson

Kiss the girls!
Just hours before being snapped kissing Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard, actress Mischa Barton was spotted locking lips with a female pal on her birthday. The OC star kissed and cuddled her brunette friend outside a Paris nightclub while celebrating her 23rd birthday. And immediately after that, she jetted to the British capital to meet her singer boyfriend.

Mischa Barton

Soft & silky
Silk is in fashion like never before, thanks to the cut in prices and trendy designs
Some things are everlasting. Their grace doesn't fade away and charm doesn't depreciate. Even changing trends does not affect their popularity. These are applicable for silk as well. The fabric that is considered a status symbol does not ever get out of fashion. We re-discovered the fact at Silk Mark Expo-2009. With about 25 varieties of silk available here, it is still very much in demand, with only changes one could notice were new designs and patterns. The inauguration of the exhibition was marked by a fashion show by students of NIIFT-Mohali. They showcased the silk sarees in latest designs available here.

Rang de Basanti: Savour the colours of spring at Basant Utsav at Leisure  Valley-10 on January 31 and February 1. The celebrations will see kabaddi, tug of war and a wrestling contest as well as kite flying. Lifestyle photo: Pradeep Tewari

Bon Appetit
Kandla Nijhowne
Chocolate ho jaaye!
Coffee, Chocolate, Men…... Some things are just better rich. -Anonymous
Chocolate, like gold, has universal appeal. This age old obsession grips most homo sapiens, irrelevant of caste, colour or age! There are zillions of desserts, sumptuous and delectable that you can prepare using chocolate or cocoa powder. Weight-watchers may paint it to be a villain but chocolate of the dark variety actually possesses health benefits, so long as you keep in mind the mantra of portion control. Dark chocolate contains a high percentage (70%) of cocoa solids, and little or no added sugar. It contains flavonoids that are part of a group of antioxidant which decrease LDL (bad cholesterol), reduce the risk of blood clots, increase blood flow in arteries and may even lower high blood pressure. Give these two popular desserts a try…and see the blissful expression on the faces of the family!

Gaja glitter
The handcrafted gold jewellery of eastern India will now be available in City Beautiful, courtesy Timeless Jewels, the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of diamond jewellery.

Musical treat
Consequent to the declaration of state mourning following the sad demise of R. Venkataraman, the former President of India, the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi has postponed their classical music concert, which was scheduled for January 31. The Akademi chairperson Kamal Tewari said the annual musical programme, Aai Basant Bahar, will now be held on February 6 at the Punjab Kala Bhavan auditorium at 6.30 pm. 

Pandit Laxman Krishna Rao Pandit