Reality trip(ped)
The road from the auditions into a reality show is not all smooth sailing. Here’re some bumpy rides city contestants have had…
We were hungry, thirsty, badly treated and then thrown out on the streets at two in the morning.” What may sound like a homecoming disclosure of a captive is just another chapter of the controversy and accusations associated with reality shows. The above statement is how Rahul Gupta, a classical dancer from city, describes his experience at the auditions of DPL (Dance Premier League), the upcoming dance reality show on Sony.

Bindaas Baba
On his way back to tinsel town from the tricity, actor-cum-singer Baba Sehgal chats about music and movies… 
Having started his career with a big bang, Baba Sehgal rose to fame with his hit singles (remember Thanda-Thanda Pani, and Rukmani-Rukmani from the film Roja), but there came a time when we heard nothing about him and saw him nowhere. Now, Baba is back on track, doing what he loves, rapping, singing, acting and making his presence felt on the small and big screens.

Wah Taj!
Cameron Diaz wants to see the epitome of love, Taj Mahal
Golden Globe nominated Cameron Diaz wants to see universal symbol of love Taj Mahal and palaces of Jaipur in India, according to reports. She reportedly loves the dances depicted in Bollywood movies and has expressed desire to learn Bollywood dance. She would also like to plan a visit of India. Welcoming Diaz's interest in India and things Indian, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has urged her to explore the rich philosophical thought which Hinduism offers.

Playing playboy
Boman Irani does a Hugh Hefner in Fruit And Nut
He has tickled audiences' funnybone many a time with his comic acts. Now actor Boman Irani is to play the Indian version of Playboy magazine chief Hugh Hefner in upcoming comedy Fruit And Nut. Boman plays an old Maharaja, Harry Holkar in the film who not only lives with young and pretty women, like Hefner does in real life, but also claims authority over Mumbai as his princely state that his forefather’s have ruled.

Return of Ben
Teen Patti, a thriller starring movie legends Ben Kingsley and Amitabh Bachchan is set to release in February next year. Oscar-winning actor, Kingsley, who became a household name in India with his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi in 1982, is set to return on Indian screens with Teen Patti after a gap almost three decades.

Role of an actor
Hosting reality shows is a part of an actor's job, says Shekhar Suman 
Shekhar Suman is enjoying his new role as a reality show judge on small screen but the actor has no plans to act in daily soaps. Once known as the 'Shah Rukh Khan of television, Shekhar feels that serials today lack variety and are dominated by women-oriented stories.

Koffee break
Dhawan drool
David Dhawan, the king of comedy is back with a bang with Do Knot Disturb. In a candid chat with Lifestyle he talks about his new film, his association with some of the big names in the industry and his favourite topic for filmmaking, humour.

Objet D’art
Bull’s eye
An accidental Google search acquainted me with the German artist Iz Maglow. He would have been any other painter one comes across in the cyberspace and who disappears from the memory without leaving a trace had it not been for his wacky Bull series. His bull paintings, inspired by basic elements like earth, water, rain, sun…and surrounded by various signs and symbols, is mainly a representation of his own self in colour. I take the liberty of calling it wacky because along with energy, vibrancy, steadiness, each frame comes with a dose of humour that is supplemented by titles like Me — As Bull With Laurel Garland, Me — As Bull in Pentagon, Me with a Yellow Tie and so on.

Honey, I shrunk them all
Nek Chand inspires — be it a child learning to create something out of waste as part of his school project or a 62-year-old trying to create his own niche in the creative world. And, in the case of the latter, the sizes may have shrunk, but aspiration soars. “I want to be known as the Nek Chand of miniatures,” as this retired journalist turned poet-artiste Upendra Bhatnagar confirms.

Upendra Bhatnagar

Optical illusion
Delhi-based artist Devajyoti Ray introduces India to a new genre of art and guess what it is? It’s called pseudo realism!
In a rare piece of artwork on canvas, a series of paintings on the unique theme of ‘pseudo-realism’ are on display in the national capital. Titled ‘Pseudo-realist Renderings’, the collection by artist Devajyoti Ray, who is considered the first to introduce this particular genre in Indian art, features mostly abstract optical images with random use of colours and geometrical shapes, borrowing heavily from everyday life situations.

Creative zone
Poetic justice
Living amidst the realities of life, noted educationist, author, poet and proponent of literature and theatre, Dharam Swaroop Gupt has been encapsulating his experiences into his literary creations for over five decades. His upbringing at Lahore in an environment charged with patriotic fervour during the struggle for Independence and later close survival in the catastrophe of Partition provided enough thematic content for him to write.

Side Lanes
Shotgun saga 
Towards the latter years, my father looked rather like an aristocratic stork, pondering over an enigma called Life. He had developed old age diabetes and could not indulge his Bengali passion for sweets. He continued reading a lot, grew thinner but responded well to Ma’s constant ministrations. His aristocratic, hooked nose became more Roman in profile.

Festive fair
The 14th edition of CII Chandigarh Fair is back again at the parade ground, Sector 17. The four day shopping extravaganza, starting on October 9 will provide an ideal platform to country’s leading brands to showcase their latest offerings and establish a direct connect with their users.

Call on art
The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi indeed has come of age. There have been ample of signs of its maturity lately — lectures and slid shows by eminent artists like Ashok Vajpayi, Raghu Rai, Muzaffar Ali, Janin Das, Anjolie Ela menon and the like, starting this trend of making greeting cards, T-shirts, coffee mugs with art works of all well known artists, an annual exhibition with a eclectic from all known and unknown city-based artists to name a few.

Desert jewels
Vibhuti’s collection (mother goddess of wealth Laxmi ji), has introduced a new collection of sophisticated and dignified royal studded art jewellery in precious, semi precious and imitation stones at Hotel Aroma, Sector 22. Manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of thewa, kundan, meenakari and polki jewellery in 22 ct, gold plated on German silver handmade and 92.5 sterling silver designed jewellery, these pieces have come from the Pink City, Jaipur. Promising quality, creativity and innovation the exhibition will house traditional designs in varied hues. On till October, 11