|
|
Home away from home
Lohri is celebrated with great fervour in the region. But how do celebs from here celebrate it in tinsel town?
Jigyasa Kapoor Chimra checks out
It's the spirited beats of dhol, energetic voices, mountains of moongfali, trays of gachak and ghee-dripping bhugga that usher in the harvest festival of Lohri. Celebrated big time in Punjab, this festival raises the temperature a degree higher with the lighting of traditional bonfire and mouth-watering munchies. And what sends the merriment quotient higher are the notorious lyrics and a bhangra swirl that comes alive with the enthralling dhol beats. Though people in the North celebrate the day with great fanfare, we ask the Punjabi actors in Mumbai how they celebrate Lohri away from home.
Traditional beats
A close cousin of dholak, dhol is an integral part of festivities in Punjab. And when it comes to Lohri, dholi and his dhol are a must have, as its their presence that sets up the mood for the festival.
Going back in time, the first evidence of dhol dates back to the 15th century in
Ain-i-Akbari, which describes the use of dhol in the orchestra of the Moghul emperor
Akbar. However, the term dhol may be different from the origin of the instrument itself.
Tune in to Lohri
Sunder mundriye hoye/ Tera kaun vichara hoye…Lohri is here and we are set for dhol beats, singing and much more. We check out what kind of music is being preferred by city folks.
"Lohri is all about traditional Punjabi music. People prefer music that gives them a feel of being at home even if they are away from it," says a salesman from Music World. But people also prefer latest Punjabi numbers. "The preferences are changing. Youngsters want music with which they can relate better," says a worker at Planet M.
Sense and sensibility
Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi, who will be soon seen for the first time in a romcom, says he was taken aback when director Madhur Bhandarkar offered him Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji as he felt he did not fit the bill of romantic movies. "I was offered couple of romantic comedies earlier but I thought I don't fit the bill of fairy tale stories...the romance space that Bollywood generally tries to show. But in this film because of Madhur's sense of realism in it I wanted to be part of
it."
Emraan Hashmi
Changing for the better
James Franco has revealed that he had to change his approach to acting in recent years after realizing his argumentative attitude made him "unpleasant" and "hard to get along with" on film sets. The Spider-Man star admitted that his intense work ethic often strained relationships and impacted on his performances.
But Franco is adamant he has changed his ways and even though he still works hard, he is much more amiable.
James Franco
Knot a deal
Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher admitted he never takes his marriage with actor Demi Moore for granted and is always working to keep the relationship going.
The What Happens in Vegas star wed Moore in 2005 and while the pair are still blissfully happy, the 32-year-old hunk says it's important to try and make things better. "I'm constantly reminding myself, like, no matter how amazing my relationship is, keep working on it. Keep working on it and keep finding another level. Things can always get better, even when it's going great," said
Kutcher.
Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore
|
Green signal |
Actor Cameron Diaz poses at the premiere of the The Green Hornet at Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California. The movie opens in the US on January 14. — Reuters photo
|
Up in smoke!
Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut fell prey to a 'joint' prank on the sets of her forthcoming film Tanu Weds Manu. The 23-year-old actor, who portrays the role of a free-spirited small town girl, had to smoke a joint for a scene. However, the unit spiked up her joint and Kangana smoked it without realising. But the actress felt sick after smoking the joint and shooting had to be cancelled.
Gimme one more time!
Hollywood actor David Duchovny has revealed that he's keen to reprise his role as Agent Fox Mulder for a third flick in the 'X-Files' movie franchise. David says he misses the show, which he considers as a little family, according to Showbiz Spy. "I'm always game. It always rides on Fox. Chris Carter is game. I know Gillian Anderson is game. We all, at this point, love the show," the Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying.
Botox beauty
After years of denying it, Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman has finally admitted to using
botox.
The 43-year-old actor who is famed for her alabaster complexion, said that she did
experiment with botox but insisted she no longer uses it. Kidman made her confession to a German magazine interviewer who asked her about keeping wrinkles at bay.
Guest of honour
Hit musical series Glee's leading man Matthew Morrison has named British actor Keira Knightley as his dream guest star and has welcomed her for a cameo role whenever she wants.
Morrison, who plays Glee club leader Will Schuester, is hoping that the Pirates of the Caribbean star will be the next famous face to sign up, so that he can fulfil his fantasy of kissing her onscreen.
"Oh God, I'm such a sucker for women with British accents. So many (potential guest stars) to choose from...
Keira Knightley
Raj ki baat!
In the city for the launch of his album The Raj, Punjabi MC aka Rajinder Singh shares how deejaying is an art, which comes with years of practice
A set of fixed answers to a set of fixed questions and that's it. When it's about interviewing Punjabi MC, one of the most popular DJ and music composers, we have a fair idea of what would come out of the interaction- music scenario around the globe, scene in India, future of deejaying, Punjabi music becoming universal, the contemporary music form of rapping…and the results were quite expected, except for his take on the 'modern and tolerant' Western society. "It's a pseudo-modern society, extremely racist and a one that loves to bring down people who have achieved something in life."
Console-ing factor
Wasn't the Deejay already going places, from the nightclubs to gyms, cafes or even malls? DJ Teenu Arora adds to the statistics by becoming the first ever DJ to turn music composer for Bollywood, with his maiden film Mumbai Mast Kalander. "There's a world of difference between making music for films and scratching, mixing and spinning. I took to deejaying because I eventually wanted to become a music director and I had no background in the Industry," scheduled to perform in city on Saturday, he draws the parallels over the phone from Bahrain.
|
THREE IS COMPANY |
Girls enjoy a brief period of sunshine on the otherwise foggy Wednesday in the city.
Lifestyle photo: S Chandan
|
Warm up
This exhibition is well timed. On at Lajpat Rai Bhawan-15, Kullu Fest'11 offers a variety of shawls, stoles, mufflers, jackets, socks and caps.
Here you can find pashmina, yak wool and pure wool stoles and shawls. While pashmina comes in natural colours (there is option of self-print), it comes at a starting range of Rs 8,000. Yak wool shawls with broad borders are priced at Rs 960. Pure wool, hand woven shawls, plain as well with traditional borders start from Rs 400.
Face off
Women coming to parlours for facials have common problems like uneven and patchy skin, clogged pores, dull complexion and lack of glow. These are signs of unhealthy skin whose major cause is lack of Oxygen. What the skin needs at this time is a high boost of pure oxygen which revives the skin and most facials kits available in the market do not meet this need.
Master strokes
Much that we know about our cultural heritage comes through sculptures, carvings or paintings," says Patna-based sculptor Rajat Kumar Ghosh, who is at Kalagram on the invitation of the NZCC as 'Artist in Residence'.
"Earlier, those at the helm of affairs better understood art in terms of utility as well, since the sculptures can preserve and propagate the history and cultural traditions of a particular era," he adds, highlighting the significance of visual art in life, society and the nation.
"Sadly, authorities in many states lack appreciation for artworks. My own creations installed at public venues in Bihar are now in a dilapidated condition," he rues.
Rajat Kumar Ghosh. Photo: S Chandan
Heart-to-heart
Girlie bonds are really intense. How difficult is it to handle a break-up?
Whatever women do is intense and so is their friendship. The bonds that female friends share are really close. But what happens when such a close friendship breaks? “Friendships of women can be very close, so it can be as painful as breaking up with a partner when things go wrong,” says Irene S. Levine, clinical psychologist and author of Best Friends Forever: Surviving A Break Up With Your Best Friend.
Relatively Speaking
Snowy treat
My cousin, pursuing her studies at Shimla, invited me for the New Year’s Eve celebration. With a handful of woollens packed in a rucksack, I zoomed to Shimla. My cousin had come to receive me. In half an hour, we were at her hostel. Following a sumptuous dinner, we slept early. The crispy morning had a surprise in store - Shimla received the season’s first snowfall. It was like a dream come true for me. We sauntered along the Ridge.
Neena Saini husband Amaninder Singh at Fagu
Costly affair
A new survey has revealed that Britons spend a whopping 37 million pounds every year on unused purchases and broken resolutions. The average adult spends 1,213 pounds a year on ‘wasted’ items, such as gym memberships they do not use, healthy food they throw away and new clothes they never wear.
True love
A new research has supported the idea that long-term love is possible. A new study, led by Bianca Acevedo and Arthur Aron of the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University and colleagues, compared the neural
correlates of long-term married and in love individuals with individuals who had recently fallen in love.
Renee Writes
Trust is must
I am a 32-year-old woman and in a live-in relationship for the past five years. We were planning to get married and had been discussing wedding plans for quite some time. Recently, I got a rude shock when I discovered that he had been dating another girl. He is not dating her anymore and owned up to it when I confronted him. He says he is sorry and it will never happen again and he is still wants to marry me. However, this whole incident has shaken me up and I have started wondering how many other lies he could be telling me. Please help me to deal with the situation.
|
