Screen test
Actor Aman Dhaliwal, in the city to promote his latest flick, says Punjabi movies are growing in stature
Never say never…actor Aman Dhaliwal, who played Rajkumar Ratan Singh in Jodhaa Akbar, got this as a forward message from his friend one day. "It was probably one of those days when I was feeling extremely slow, wondering what was I doing in life," shares the actor who also reveals that there has been a fresh change in his attitude after he put the SMS into practice.In the city to promote his upcoming movie Virsa, which has already won accolades at Dallas Film Festival, Aman finally sees light for Punjabi movies at the end of the tunnel.

Web of learning
Today, we live in a world where students are under constant stress to crack various entrance exams. But thanks to the Internet, help is on hand, 24X7. From tuitions to information on colleges and institutes, the scope of online education has grown by leaps and bounds.

God HELP him!
Bobby Deol tries his hand at horror genre 
Actor Bobby Deol says his upcoming film Help, opposite Mugdha Godse, is one of the finest horror movies of recent times.Speaking about the film directed by debutant Rajeev Virani, Bobby said, "The film has been beautifully shot and I must say it's one of the finest horror films that the audience will see. It's chilling, gruesome and the kind of horror which gives you Goosebumps. Help will take the horror genre in India to another level. My character in the film is extremely well defined and I am sure people will like the new Bobby in the film." He said he has recently wrapped up the final schedule of the film and is extremely excited about its release. Producer Sanjay Ahluwalia and Vinay Choksey said the release dates would be announced soon.

Director's special
Milind Ukey assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Khamoshi and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. He debuted as independent director in Marathi film Devaki, which won 27 awards. He has also directed the super hit animated film Hanuman. His diploma film The Pimp was nominated for a national award. Now, Milind enters Bollywood with Eros International Pathshaala, which attempts to challenge several harmful notions that threaten our children future. We talk to director Milind Ukey about his debut Hindi film which stars Nana Patekar, Shahid Kapoor and Ayesha Takia.

Houseful

Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Arjun Rampal, Riteish Deshmukh and Sajid Khan with irector Sajid (3rd L) during an event in Mumbai on Wednesday. PTI photo

Easy Cash
Highschool Musical star Zac Efron is set to play a money laundering cocaine smuggler in a remake of Swedish thriller Snabba Cash.

Paparazzi pain
Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is sad to see Sandra Bullock's private life splashed across the front pages, insisting the press attention will have made her husband's recent cheating scandal even more unbearable.

Animal instinct
Hollywood star Kate Winslet has lent her voice to a new animal-rights campaign urging the public to boycott foie gras.

Shopping is the way
Troubled star Lindsay Lohan was spotted shopping just hours after she allegedly cut short a court date because of her hectic schedule. The actor was due to attend an all-day deposition at a courthouse relating to a lawsuit from three men who have accused her of holding them hostage during a drunken drive through Malibu, California in 2007, a celebrity website reported.Lohan reportedly arrived for the session in Venice, California 90 minutes late, and then sped off without getting out of her vehicle.The Mean Girls star is said to have left upon hearing she was expected to be there for the entire day.

Judgment day
Shekhar Kapur on Cannes feature film juryInternationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur will be on the jury panel at the prestigious 63rd Cannes Film Festival, being held May 12-23.

Future beckons
A compilation by a highly experienced international team of authors foresees a bright future for India by 2039 
What India would be 30 years on…is what “India 2039 – An Affluent Society In One Generation” tries to answer. The compilation by a highly experienced international team of authors, along with Harinder S Kohli, works on two premises — where would India be if it continues at the current growth rate and what if it stumbles.

Voice over
Music lovers from the region are in for a treat with internationally renowned singer Pandit Kaivalya Kumar Gurav set to regale the audience with his mellifluous voice on Saturday. The event is being organised by the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi in collaboration with Indian National Theatre at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan Auditorium in Sector 27.Pandit Kaivalya Kumar has been hailed as the doyen of Kirana Gharana by legends like Pandit Bhim Sen Joshi, Ustad Amir Khan and others. 

Sky High
Providing its customers with state-of-the-art services, Tata Sky Ltd, the Joint venture between the Tata Group and Star has announced the launch of three revolutionary features on its premium PVR offering, Tata Sky+.

For people's sake
Sikander Singh's painting exhibition showcases people in various moods
My aim in life is to make people understand the value of art," says freelance artist Sikander Singh. With this in mind, he has put up an exhibition of as many as 36 paintings at the Government Museum and Art Gallery-10.

Cause and canvas 
Social issues like women empowerment, dowry deaths, cyber crime and man's constant struggle find an expression in young artist Nishant Chhatwal's works. All of 16, Nishant started painting when he was in class three and now has a collection of over 100 paintings to his credit.In addition, one can get flat 50 per cent off on making charges of gold coins and bars. Orra's anniversary sale offers an entire collection of stunning earrings, pendants, rings, bangles, nose pins and necklaces crafted from the finest Belgium diamonds and other precious stones. 

Glow sign
Orra has announced its annual anniversary sale valid from April 15 to May 16. It is offering the consumers a huge opportunity to buy exquisitely designed jewellery with a discount up to 25 per cent on the entire value of the jewellery.

Go farming
Missing the countryside? Want to own a farm, harvest crops and rear animals? It’s a click away with Facebook’s Farmville 
Our reference guru Wikipedia claims what is a little tough to believe, "Over one per cent of the world's population plays Farmville." Without taking into account the census figures, until recently, the monthly active members of Farmville on Facebook were a whopping 83,203,714.

Kahan ja rahe ho savere savere…
A remembrance in black and white 
Ramesh Kapila started as a poet, moved onto journalism and had the courage to laugh in the face of adversity. Nirupama Dutt recollects the life and times of this ebullient writer of the charmed coffee house circuit in Jalandhar of the Sixties.

Bon Appetit
Popcorn khaao....Mast ho jaao!
Popcorn....hot, buttery and aromatic! The fragrance wafts through to your nostrils, almost from the time you have pocketed the change from the ticket counter at the movie hall! You are lured to the food stall and before you can say "pop", you have pulled out some more cash for a bagful! Isn't popcorn synonymous with a visit to a multiplex now? We have also evolved from the cheaper, harder, cold and less tasty packets of ready popcorn that we learnt to live with during our teens. 

From Nizam’s kitchen
The 10-day Hyderabadi food festival at Western Courts offer an assortment of finest flavours that are sure to delight your palate 
For all those biryani lovers in Tricity, here comes a revelation. If you believe that you have tasted the authentic flavour of Hyderabad, then think again. You are yet to be served the royal and rich Hyderabadi biryani. At least that is what K L Sachdeva, the master chef for the ongoing Hyderabadi food festival at Western Court, Nazakatein Kuch Hyderabad Se, claims.

Spice it up!
Somewhere here or there, a new restaurant or a café coming up is as regular as Shashi Tharoor's tweets. Only that they don't lead to any controversy! Instead, they just raise our curiosity levels, leading to the 'let's check it out phenomenon.'So, when we heard about Himani opening a new Lounge, Vertigo in Sector-35, the drill (of checking out) followed naturally.

Good old onion
Onion, one of the most cultivated and consumed vegetables on the planet, contains some components that have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, making it possible to use it to preserve food, says a new study. The study has been conducted by researchers from the Polytechnic University of Cataluna (UPC) and the University of Barcelona (UB), "The antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the flavonoids of the raw onion make it a good candidate for use in food preservation", said researcher Jonathan Santas from the department of nutrition and bromatology at the University of Barcelona (UB).

Bite more than you can chew
Big bites, less chewing food 'improve weight loss' It seems that the age-old advice to properly chew food is not always best for health, as a new study has revealed that chewing food less and taking big bites can help people avoid weight gain.A team, led by the University of Canterbury, has found that taking bigger bites and chewing food less can make people feel full longer and thereby help regulate weight as the food gets broken down more slowly in the stomach.This meant people can feel fuller for longer and the slow release of energy could be burned off over time, say the researchers.