In limelight again
In the city for a brief stopover before heading to Jalandhar for a play, Naveen Bawa, Padmini Kohlapure and Shakti Kapoor talk of stardom, theatre and much more...
For a Bollywood buff this could be a good mind game. Jot down names of once Bollywood hotties like Mandakini, Reena Roy, Neelam, Farah, Sonam, Bindu, Meenakshi Seshadri, and then try to stretch your imagination as to where they are right now, what they are doing and why do we see less and less of them on the silver screen. 


(From left) Naveen Bawa, Padmini Kohlapure and Shakti Kapoor

Material gain
Since ages, sculptures have spoken of different cultures. But now, the raw material used is different.
What if there were no computers to memorise gigabytes of facts? Centuries down the line, people would have had an account of the present just like we had through sculptural remains of Harappa and Mohenjodaro.

Vishal Bhatnagar

Parul Dar

A sculpture by Charanjit Singh

On the fast track
Thirteen students from Chitkara Institute of Engineering & Technology are set to participate in an international competition for young engineers
Thirteen students of the Chitkara Institute of Engineering & Technology are having sleepless nights these days. Reason? They are eagerly waiting for the day they will land in Kaula Lumpur to participate in the Shell Eco Marathon Asia - a competition where budding engineers showcase various car designs. For the competition, to be held from July 8-10, faculty member Ravinder Pal Singh will be accompanying the team. And their concept car - Stealth 2 - will be competing with the designs of 90 teams from as many as 12 countries.

In step
The general belief that the open air theatre at Kalagram is only for hosting mega-star shows is erroneous, as performances in Indian classical dance are becoming frequent here. Two weeks ago, well-known Bharatnatyam dance exponent Suchitra Mitra gave a performance here much to the delight of the audience, especially slum children. Encouraged by the audience response, she held the concluding ceremony of her 20-day 'Padam' workshop (otherwise held at Chandigarh) here at the Kalagram in association with NZCC Patiala.

Side Lanes
Moving Towards A Fit City
Chandigarh is getting very health conscious. A city, that relied on stuffed paranthas with dahi as the digestive equaliser for breakfast; butter chicken, shahi paneer, pudina chutney and methi naans as fat breakers at lunch, and full tandoori chickens, malaai koftas with sookhi rotis as a light dinner, washed down with large Patiala pegs, is now asking for flat-board stomachs enhanced by perfect pecs and biceps. The desire for the perfect body is not gender based. Visit any gym for proof. Musical strains, punctuated with grunts and groans, play, as bodies sweat away to lose weight, tone up flab and add to our dwindling stores of energy. 

No kissing link
I don't want to be the next Emraan Hashmi: Prashant Narayanan
He claims to have Martin Scorcese among his fans and is on the wish list of Sean Penn's agent, so when asked about a comparison to Bollywood's kisser boy Emraan Hashmi, thanks to the 32 lip locks in his upcoming film, actor Prashant Narayanan asks, "Who's Emraan Hashmi?" Narayanan, who grabbed headlines thanks to the erotic content of his upcoming film Mr Singh Mrs Mehta, says that he does not want the kisser tag. — A still from the movie Mr Singh Mrs Mehta

On a role
Pakistani singer Ali Zafar, who makes his Bollywood debut as an actor with Tere Bin Laden, was initially apprehensive about taking up the film fearing that it would hurt the sentiments of peoples. "When I received the offer I was apprehensive, as the title of the film goes Tere Bin Laden. But when I read the script I found it was a comedy. It is a satire and does not hurt anyone's ideology.""The idea excited me and the script was hilarious. It was fun to do this film," he added. — Ali Zafar

Jolie, the activist
Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie visited Haiti at the weekend to meet with Haitian and United Nation officials about the situation in the earthquake-stricken Caribbean nation. The Wanted star, who is the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, flew to meet with authorities about how things have been improving since the two devastating national disasters in January. — Angelina Jolie

Downey decorated
Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr has been presented with the Gene Siskel Film Center's Renaissance Award for his versatility as an actor. The Iron Man star received the gong at a gala reception in Chicago on Saturday in recognition of his contribution to cinema.

Secret confession
Orlando Bloom engaged to Miranda Kerr
Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom and Victoria's Secret lingerie model Miranda Kerr are engaged to be married. The Pirates of the Caribbean star, 32, quietly began dating the Australian brunette, 26, in 2007. They were reported to have briefly separated for a time in 2008 before reconciling. That same year, Bloom flew to her hometown Sydney, Australia, to meet her parents. He said that with their busy schedules, it hasn't always been easy to be together. 

For soccer’s sake
Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp is so obsessed with soccer that he has installed television sets throughout the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides so he can keep up-to-date with the ongoing World Cup. The 47-year-old actor, who reprises his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth instalment of the swashbuckling Disney franchise, is a keen soccer fan and was determined that he and his co-stars tournament while working on the movie. — Johnny Depp

Foxy looks?
Hollywood actress Megan Fox has sparked rumours of going under the knife after she turned up at a movie premiere with utterly smooth, mask-like features. "Megan looked gorgeous - everyone's jaws hit the floor. But her boobs didn't look natural," thesun.co.uk quoted a source as saying. The actress was in Los Angeles for Thursday's premiere of Jonah Hex.A Hol lywood source said, "Megan was so naturally sexy - that's why she was considered the best-looking woman on Earth. But recently she's looked too skinny, stiff and a little fake". — Megan Fox— IANS

Split reality 
Rock bands are as much about calling quits as they are about making music. To each his own...
Even Beatles broke up! The decision to disband Deep Purple was fallout of many reasons. The Bee Gees, originally the singing trio of brothers, gave in too. Was it because of internal conflicts that Soundgarden parted ways? Spice girls, Backstreet Boys…of course, it wasn't a single event that led to the disintegration, or the never ending hiatus, but a long transition of actions including the cessation of touring. There's invariably a breakthrough album leading to mainstream success, then it's peak-phase, finally it's change the paths and part ways!

Act 3, take two Actors Taylor Lautner (L) and Kristen  Stewart pose during a photocall to promote their movie The Twilight Saga:  Eclipse in Stockholm. —REUTERS

Rush hour
Teenagers' primary objective is to finish their studies and leave home, according to two researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). The study on the relationship between teenagers' goals and antisocial behaviour also revealed that the most antisocial among such teenagers place greater importance on popularity with others. "The goals that teenagers place most importance on are to do with leaving home, work and education, in other words they are related to finishing their studies and academic achievements", said Laura Lopez Romero, co-author of the study with Estrella Romero and a researcher at the USC. 

Text driving!
Nearly half of American adults are just as likely as teenagers to text while driving, even in the midst of heavy traffic, according to a new study on the dangerous habit. The report found nearly half -- or 47 per cent -- of adult texters say they have sent or received text messages from mobile phones while driving. Of all adults, including those who do not text, 27 per cent said that they had sent text messages from behind the wheel, according to the report titled "Adults and Cell Phone Distractions" by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project.