Straight talk
Chandigarh di kudi, Gul now wants to do a role in Punjabi film
Five years in the industry and an equal count of films to her credit, but that doesn't deviate Gul Panag from her priority. She spells it for us, "I have always aspired to do different roles." Here she gets a little more serious about the topic and adds, "I want to leave my foot prints in the history of cinema and wish to be remembered as a credible actor." Vying to be known as a part of the path-breaking cinema, Gul perhaps knows how to do it best. "I am committed to acting career and would want to do only meaningful roles. Mere dancing and singing around trees doesn't satisfy me," says Gul who was in town to promote her film and the newly opened multiplex, FAME.

Hall of fame
Tricity taking to mall culture slowly, says FAME India MD
Let's not get into the details of whether mall culture in the tricity is thriving or not. With the opening of fourth mall, Fame, all we are here trying to assess is do malls offer value for our money. The best person we though to answer this would be Shravan Shroff, MD, FAME India limited under which the FAME multiplex in Panchkula has just opened and he gives us an affirmative reply. "All these years, people from the tricity have loved to shop in open areas like sector 17 market.

Jail is not Sanju’s story: Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar's next movie Jail was rumoured to be inspired by actor Sanjay Dutt's troubled life. But the filmmaker rules out any such resemblance. "The film Jail is not at all inspired by Sanjay Dutt's or anyone's life. It is a common man's perspective about how he gets into jail and how he gets stuck in a situation. It is about a middle-class family boy working in the corporate sector and how after one sudden incident, he goes to jail," said Bhandarkar.

Billion bets on Slumdog Millionaire
Will Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire strike gold at the Oscars? A whopping Rs.2 billion ($41 million) is said to be riding on that question, as bookies pitch for the rags-to-riches drama, setting off a new betting trend in India.

Dev D smoking hot!
On a high after the success of Dev D, director Anurag Kashyap admitted that he was nervous before the release of the movie as his last film No Smoking was panned by critics and audience alike. "Everyone had so many expectations from No Smoking but after watching the movie people thought that I had completely lost it. 'Muje unko movie samjhani padi' (I had to make them understand the movie). So, I was very nervous because I didn't want the same thing to happen to Dev D," he said.

Rajasthan Art and Craft Festival offers sumptuous delicacies
Food fiesta
If you equate just daal, bati, churma to Rajasthani cuisine, then Rajasthan Art and Craft Festival at Rajasthan Bhavan-33 is the place to head to. The eight-day fest offers everyday its authentic buffet for lunch and dinner with a different menu lined up for every meal.Apart from regular daal, bati, churma, there are options: "We are offering food keeping in mind the traditions of Rajasthan. Various meals see different options like mong daal, bhat, lapsi, cooked traditionally as an offering to gods on special occasions like wedding or diwali.

Sarod with orchestra
Titled Samaagam, Seagram's 100 Pipers Pure Music in association with Scotland and the British Council will present a unique project, bringing together the greatest living sarod player, Amjad Ali Khan, one of the UK's most pioneering young classical artists and one of Europe's leading chamber orchestras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, in a meeting of the musical cultures of the East and West at the highest level.Samagaam was first performed in London in June 2008 and India is only the second country to have the privilege of participating in this rare experience.

Lawn Rangers
Green with envy
Green has always been fascinating. The colour as well as the foliage. Have them in the pots or in soil, have them hanging or have them creeping, they are always a pleasure to look at and be with. And well, its not only flowering plants that leave a smile on your face but thorny beauties called the cactus and green leafy ones named Bonsai too are quite appealing. This week we step into Major General, C.S Bewli's garden in sector-36 and take a look at his greens.

A cascading bonsai is one of the highlights of the Bewli backyard

Automatic parking
The FAME Shalimar mall in Panchkula boasts of a hi-tech parking system
On a shopping frenzy, taking all chances in the sale season, catching the latest movie, binging on caramel popcorn and a careless dinner in the end- this is the perfect multiplex idea of our weekend. But a parking lot with a FULL board is the moment of truth. And that moment you know that the wait has just begun. And with a new addition to the existing malls in the tricity, the FAME Shalimar mall in Panchkula, the parking just got fuller.

Connected via Internet
Scientists see the Internet as a great social research tool
Scientists have of late started to consider the Internet to be a great tool to carry out social research. Thomas Dietz, Michigan State University researcher and director of the university's Environmental Science and Policy Program, says that the is increasingly moving beyond its use as an online messaging platform to a virtual world where social interaction and communities can inform social science and its applications in the real world.

Pioneer in India
Never mind the slowdown, Pioneer India Electronics Pvt Ltd (PIEL), a subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation, Japan, the global leader in car audio entertainment and home electronics, is now introducing its car audio systems in India. Customised to Indian market, the company announced the launch of six sensational in-car sound systems.

The kite runners

Who minds a bit of kite flying in between book browsing! Students on the PU campus take a shot at patangbazi. Lifestyle photo: S.Chandan

Green desktop
Already in the over flooded desktop market comes another. HP has launched the Compaq Presario CQ 2000 series, a sleek, eco-friendly machine at a price of INR 18,990 plus taxes.

Top talkers
The Asia-Pacific region to account for 1/3rd of the mobile data traffic
Asia Pacific will account for one-third for all mobile data traffic by 2013, according to the CISCO Visual Networking Index (VNI).

Star signs
Couture in cyber space
When you have the Kapoor surname tag along with you, success is assured. And, this Kapoor khandaan girl is no different. Riddhima Kapoor too has achieved a lot, but on her own terms and conditions. As she next says, "A huge fan following or pancake makeup that heroines do to look pretty has never fascinated me, rather it were the cuts of clothes that they and supermodels wear, I found my interest lying." Well, there is something else, she loves to do, "I love to shop the latest gadgets and makes sure to have them as soon as they enter the market." She lets us know more on how tech savvy she is.