King size
Raj Babbar brings a story of glory and guts on small screen with his magnum opus, Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled for over 47 years, seven years more than Akbar. He was the first ruler to have a salaried army. His territory stretched from Kashmir to Sindh, river Satluj to Kabul. He had generals in his army who practiced different religions. A few more startling facts and Raj Babbar needn't have to justify to himself or others why a film was must on the life of the great emperor. A lot happened between 2005, when the film was conceptualised, and 2010, when audience will get to see heroics of Maharaja Ranjit Singh on screen.

Raj Babbar announces the launch of his dream project, Maharaja Ranjit Singh at CII on Sunday

Famous father
Dr Ashok Chopra visits city for the promotion of his devotional album Haal Mureedan Da Kehna
This is a proud moment for parents, when they are known or recognised by their child's name. Therefore when Dr Ashok Chopra visits the city for the promotion of his devotional album Haal Mureedan Da Kehna, his friends and known did make sure that we know that he is the famous actor, Priyanka Chopra's father. And well, Dr Ashok swells in his chest, after all being known by her daughter's name gives due credence to the parenthood. This moment of glory finds an extension as he shares news of his dream finding a firm ground with the devotional album.

Big screen
Paa to be screened at Krakow Film Festival 
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan's hit film Paa on a child suffering from progeria is slated to be screened at the The International Festival of Independent Cinema in Krakow, Poland.The event will be held April 16-25.

Graciously yours
Abhishek receives metallic banana statuette for worst accent
Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan has received several awards but probably none of them is as unique as the metallic banana statuette that he was sent for having the worst accent in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's film Delhi-6.

No pain, no gain
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh khan is suffering from extreme knee and shoulder pain.The 44-year-old said every time he does some active sequences, his knee pains."My knee always acts up after a few active sequences. Have learnt to live with it," the actor had tweeted a few days ago. It now seems that the shoulder pain has joined in too.

Small yet big 
Veteran director Priyadarshan says Taare... star Darsheel Safary is a much better actor than many of the superstars in Bollywood.The filmmaker has cast the child actor, who swept the audiences in Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par, in his forthcoming film Bumm Bumm Bole.

Jacky's an item!
Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez will now be seen in an item number in Sajid Nadiadwala's Housefull which releases later this month.The Bollywood actress' second film Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai with Riteish Deshmukh released this week and in Housefull, the 2006 Miss Sri Lanka grooves to the remix of hit song of Laawaris - Apni toh jaise taise. Sajid said Jacky, as Jacqueline is popularly called, fitted the bill to carry off the song which also stars Akshay Kumar and Riteish.

                                                               Jacqueline Fernandez

Royal ways
Shilpa Shetty to dine with Jaipur's Padmini Devi
Shilpa Shetty is on her way for a royal treat. The actress along with her Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals will be attending a dinner hosted by Padmani Devi of the erstwhile Jaipur royal family.

Jatta aye Baisakhi
Baisakhi is around the corner and Hotel Shivalikview has created a near village ensemble for its ongoing Baisakhi food festival. Set up in the lawns of the hotel, this village has a well, bullock cart, theka and Bante Da Dhaba serving mouth watering delicacies specially prepared for the occasion by chef Vineet Chopra."Since the food is North Indian, we have played with spices to create unique flavours," says Anurag Walia, deputy general manager, Shivalikview.

Touching lives, adding value
Baisakhi Gold Festival offers purity along with style
Wedding season is on and Baisakhi Gold Festival, an initiative by MMTC (Minerals And Metals Trading Corporation Of India) Limited in association with Phulkari, provides an excellent opportunity to buy gold and silver that registers ubiquitous presence at any of the auspicious occasions. The exhibition cum sale has ethnic as well as contemporary jewellery from various regions of India.

Music pure
"It was only a few decades ago that the vocal genre of classical music was said to be more apt and perfect for expressing the whole spectrum of human emotions better than through the instrumental music. But over the years the perception has changed," Udaipur born young Sarod Maestro Dr Akash Deep shares his opinion on classical music. In the city for a performance at the 151st Baithak programme of Pracheen Kala Kendra, he shared his views on music. Proclaiming his admiration for the distinctive style of playing sarod or sitar of his Senia Maihar gharana, Akash Deep claims to embellish any of his raga composition with innovations in alaap, jod, jhalla, jamjama and general execution to bring alive its soul and emotional feel

Bond for a cause
She came here on a mission, saw two cultures as different as chalk and cheese and experienced the best and the worst of being in India. Eune Baravalle first arrived in India three months back to help underprivileged children learn some lessons on life. Instead, she was taught to be patient and to survive even when adversities seem to be the way of life.

Nature care
There isn't any hard and fast rule to acquire one. Quiz the physicians, dieticians, ask your grandma to dig out tales from the golden era, take it from the models living on luke warm water, there is definitely to magnanimous and intriguing fundas to good health. Manmohan Malik, founder chairman and CEO Himalya International Limited nods in approval. Nevertheless, he feels that our country is bothered about the availability of food, rather than healthy food.

(L-R) Sangita Malik (culinary director) and Manmohan Malik

A fine balance
Eating meals at the right time and in the right proportion is the secret to good health
It's a lifestyle reversal that's causing major health problems. Breakfast is usually skipped due to less or no time to eat in the morning. It is replaced by brunch (in the office canteen) comprising a few chapattis, a vegetable and cereals. The only time to have a lavish meal is dinner, which compensates for the whole days missed calories.

Roughage Matters
The growing fast food culture, low fiber diet, sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical exercise, all are contributing to increased incidences of anorectal diseases like Fistula, Piles, Fissure etc.

A hearty affair
After doing over 25000 cardiac surgeries in 20 years, even now when Dr TS Mahant enters the operation theatre, he has in mind, "It's a life at risk. Operate with the same caution and trust as was done in the first surgery," shares Dr Mahant, executive director, cardiology department, Fortis. In his tenure of five years here, he has done over 6000 cardiac surgeries. But that's not the definition of achievement for him, "It's rather giving some more years of life to those, who have lost all hopes. People come to me with faith and I try my best not to break it." Most challenging for him is to operate kids born with cardiovascular complications.

BODY wise
Well-armed
Strong and toned arms are what we all want. Women want a toned upper body to carry off summer styles like halter necks, strapless, cap sleeves, etc with flair and confidence, while men prefer to increase their muscle size to have an over-all strong and athletic look. Arms' appearance can have a positive or negative effect on your self-confidence. Fortunately, with a little extra effort, a sculpted upper body is within your reach.