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Star biographies are the flavour of the season. A peep into the on and off screen lives of celebs continues to enamour
Do
you know Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan are seeing each other? Did you now that SRK’s topless act in Om Shanti Om is the result of a promise he made to director-friend Farah during the shoot of Main Hoon Na? Admit it or not, we all love filmi gossips. You may not be an ardent fan and subscriber of filmi magazines, yet from time to time you don’t really mind lending an ear to the tatter of the tinsel town.
And, what if all this was presented to you on a tasteful expensive classy platter, oops a bulky book with stunning pictures and gorgeous design, you wouldn’t really mind. Or perhaps, you would, for there has to be a difference between reading a memoir and flipping through a masala magazine. The last few weeks were one of biographies and autobiographies, and of excitement and rumours. We step into the Bollywood library and flip through the recent glossy additions to see what they have in store for us. This one came as a sangam, oops, as a surprise scandal. The autobiography of the lady who ruled the industry from late 50s to early 70s, Vyjayanthimala Bali’s life story titled Bonding — A Memoir has created quite a sensation. The actor and former MP says the book is an effort in which she has tried not to hide any facts. Now, this hide-n-seek journey has enraged the Kapoor clan. Her denial of an off-screen chemistry with Raj Kapoor during Sangam days and further labelling it as Kapoor’s publicity stunt has invited wrong publicity for her work of truth. Now, one cannot get luckier than this. One the charmer comes here to launch his autobiography and second he gracefully autographs the copies for us fans. Dev Anand’s big memoir aptly called Romancing with Life: An Autobiography was released early this month in the city by the star himself and is undoubtedly a big hit. No less dramatic and no less gripping than his flicks, he claims the book is piercingly honest. A tale of the ever-energetic man in the industry, the book traces not only the life of the star but also present snapshots of the industry from post- Independence till today. Well, while one might not really want to buy a ticket to see his productions, but this one seems worth investing. And, what’s more it comes with a DVD packed with his exclusive numbers. Penned down by their daughters, Namrata Dutt Kumar and Priya Dutt, Mr and Mrs Dutt was one memoir we had all been eagerly waiting for. The elder sister carries the narrative of their lives spend in the limelight. The labour of love carries only black and white pictures, yet is packed with all colourful ingredients of the reel and real life of the Dutt family. Though, a lot has been left untouched and unheard in the book, but then everyone has the right to privacy. You’ll agree on that. He is a man one can’t really get bored of. His endless chatter on talk shows, long speeches on award nights, documentaries capturing his good-bad days and books tracing his journey in filmdom, it is never enough. SRK makes a good reading. The fever of Anupam Chopra’s King of Bollywood- Shahrukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema had hardly settled down, when Deepa Gehlot’s King Khan hit the stands. The books trace the journey of a young man from his hometown Delhi to our hearts and minds. And it goes without saying that the biographies have been an instant hit with die-hard young fans (mostly girls). Well, the idea of stars writing their life stories is always welcomed and exciting. And, as fans, we don’t really mind transforming ourselves into readers, as long as the glossy pages narrate plain truth about the stars we love.
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Kabir Singh is bundle of energy & talent He is no longer going to be known as ‘just Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry’s son’. We knew it was just a matter of time when we had earlier seen Kabir Singh hovering around his mother’s stage productions doing odd jobs. He even made a name for himself when he translated the dialogues of Nagamandala for a Japanese audience. Neelam’s creative son has finally found his calling — making movies and he starts with Deepa Mehta.
To delve into the history of this 21-year-old, it all started when he borrowed his friend’s camera to make a movie. He chose Saadat Hassan Manto’s story Kali Salwar and made it into a 50-minute film. And this earned appreciation from Deepa and a job offer too. “She asked if I would like to do the research work for her documentary Komagata Maru,” says Kabir. He is busy with his second project with the celebrated director is a film Heaven on Earth. “The first half of the film will be shot in Ludhiana and I am taking care of everything an assistant is supposed to do — locales, costumes and scanning for local artistes,” says the excited budding filmmaker. How was his experience with aunt turned mentor? (Deepa Mehta and Neelam Man Singh share a close friendship from their childhood days in Amritsar) “I have not worked with her at the production level yet, but doing research work for Komagata Maru was fantastic. So, what’s his next call? “Go back to Mumbai and complete my degree in anthropology and stick to Anurag Kashyap (of No Smoking fame) like a leech?” Well, do not get him wrong, he just wants to suck up Anurag’s creative talent. parbina@tribunemail.com
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Telly Tales
A self-proclaimed rock star is translating his hit numbers in English for the sake of his international fans. An item queen is mastering the language to gain acceptance amongst the class conscious. A popular actor born and brought up in the Hindi-speaking belt speaks an accented Hindi and English. An international choreographer showers praises on the contestants in his half-baked Hindi. Well, don’t be baffled, it’s just that our celebs are on a unique drive. Their mission is to master a language — Hindi/English, the medium is the telly screen, and the victims are, us viewers.
Lets begin with the nasal singing sens(less)ation, Himesh Reshammiya. He will be singing at Amsterdam this December . And, hold your breath, it will be English versions of his five songs, including Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Aap Kaa Surroor. And, well while his idea is to entertain his international fans, it seems to have inspired our very own Punjabi munda, Mika. Last week he was seen crooning Everything I do, I do it for you...on the sets of Jhalak Dikhlaja. On the same show is dance guru Shiamak Davar, who was supposedly shocked when he was told that as a judge of Jhalak Dikhlaja he was to speak only in the rasthra bhasha. His rare utterance of stuttering Hindi is indeed a shock for us too, and so is his usage of words like jhakaas and ascharyachakit. As difficult as it is to overlook Shiamak’s Hindi, it is the same with Rakhi Sawant’s English. ‘Oh Jezus’, it is just impossible to miss her efforts to master the language. Why is she not ready to give up? Next, you can see her in Aditya Raj Kapoor’s (Shammi Kapoor’s son) flick tilted Baltidevi, a rags to riches story of a non-English speaking woman in South Hall. And well, if there was an award for such language defaulters, it would definitely go to Salman Khan. Now, the actor not only needs to learn English, but he needs to take lessons in Hindi too. It is difficult to figure out how Rahul becomes Raul in Salam-E-Ishq and how he develops an accent each time he speaks at award nights. His role in Marigold deserves a special mention here. Our rival cricket team too is attempting to speak the language. A disheartened Shoaib Malik uttered these words at the T-20 finals, “I want to thank you back home Pakistan and where the Muslim lives all over the world.” While the skipper addressed his Muslim fan base, he was labelled as a villain mixing religion with sports. Now English happens to be his third language and then former Pakistani captains too have been equally incompetent. And, while on one hand there are all these attempts to speak English, on the other there is an over dosage of Hindi happening too. The vishv yudh that culminated last week is surely an aaram for the vishv from all the talk of trishanku. Star’s Voice of India’s suraksha chakra and chakrvatha too are quite mind boggling. Well, all we can say is happy learning. (This column appears weekly)
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He has designs on your city
For someone who is constantly on the lookout for beauty and cultural sensitivity for inspiration, it was only natural that his first visit to the city would evoke artistic feelings in him. Sudhir Deshpande has spent only a couple of hours in the city but he knows what he would like do — “Chandigarh is a beautiful woman but it lacks ornamentation which can come in form of multi-dimensional metallic sculptures.” And for him the city roundabouts are the perfect place to start with.
A self-taught artist (both sculptor and painter) to begin with and culminating in an artist who has about 20 solo shows and 10 group shows all over the world besides a Ph D in ‘contemporary sculptures as a medium of communications’ and numerous awards, Deshpande wants to establish a link between the city and his art works. “I would like to add a little more beauty to the city,” he says. Deshpande describes his genre of work as conceptual abstract. “For me, a sculpture is the poetic expression of the philosophy of a particular subject I see at a particular moment and in particular mood,” he says, elaborating if he is to erect Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, he would rather capture his philosophy and contribution to society rather than his physical form. Hence most of his works are multi-dimensional — mobile, revolving, musical and light and sound oriented but faceless. Same philosophy goes for his paintings too. “I like painting subjects like Rig Veda in abstract form.” While the medium for his paintings are either oil or acrylic on canvas, for sculptures he prefers to work with metal. “I would like to remain alive even after my death and what better way to achieve that than leaving behind statues all over the world which are indestructible?” And that his 55’ tall and 27 tonne heavy Powerful has already earned him a mention in the Limca Book of Records-1992 and recognition in the section of sculpture of Guinness Book of Records from 1992 to 2004, looks like he is already on his way.
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EVA Longoria has revealed that she has no plans of having kids for the time being. The ‘Desperate Housewives’ star said that she and her on-screen character ‘Gabrielle’ on the hit TV show were not keen on kids in the near future. “Not for me, and not for Gabrielle,” the Daily Snack quoted her, as saying. Earlier, the petite actress revealed that her boss on the TV show, Marc Cherry had slapped a baby ban on her and her husband, French basketball star Tony Parker. The ban implied that the couple would have to wait at least a year before they got down to the serious business of making babies. “Tony and I are excited about starting a family, but because Marc has forbidden me to get pregnant this year we’re going to spend time as a married couple and build a solid foundation together before we bring our child into the world,” she said. — ANI
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Needle is the saviour
Anti-wrinkle
creams have proved to be a disappointment. Dyeing of hair too has failed to draw attention away from the lines. And, your dreams to age gracefully like yesteryear stars are shattered. Now, what if we were to tell you that all this can be taken care of within as less as ten minutes? It costs a few thousands, comes as a prick and stays for six months. Botox is the new magic word and both women and men are vouching for it. We enter the scene with a watchful eye to gauge the wonder solution.
Kaya Skin Clinic-8 gets on an average 30 women and four men clients each month. Says Kaya’s dermatologist Dr Rachna Mittal, “The problem areas are forehead lines, crow feet and frowns.” The lunchtime procedure, as it is oft called, requires just 10 minutes. And, the number of lines decide the number of pricks, four to five work well in most cases. As for watching the change, it allows you to be impatient. “ Anywhere between 10-minutes to 24 hours,” says cosmotologist Dr Maleeka Sachdeva of Sachdev Clinic-18. She says, “A large number of people do enquire about it , but then we are still not a part of the glamour industry. Botox works only on dynamic lines, and hence it is unadvisable for women beyond 60 years. Also, over dosage and an incorrect method can be harmful.” At Fortis-Mohali, many youth walk in to get the perfect brow. Says the hospital’s head of cosmetic surgery Dr K. M. Kapoor, “We get many models and young women who want the trendy arch-shaped eyebrows. And others want to minimise lines around their eyes like crow’s feet, forehead lines, frown lines and bunny lines.” Neha (name changed on request), 35, who got her forehead lines removed, says, “The procedure is subtle, contrary to the common belief.” Fifty-year-old Pooja (name changed on request), a VLCC-9 client, chips in, “I took the shots to get rid of my crow’s feet.” Wasn’t she scared? “Not at all, in fact I rate it above facials.” Chips in her dermatologist Dr Rohit Bansal, “We get around 12-15 women a month, and a handful men too.” Last month, Bansal gave shots to a 21-year-old boy who wanted to get rid of his frown line. And for all those who are still apprehensive, worry not, for the city docs even let you observe the procedure before actually getting it done. Well, so if you’ve got guts, bucks to blow and a line bothering you, then you know what to do.
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Retail Pleasure
AFTER striking roots in the country’s cyber cities, retail malls offering more than fresh fruits and vegetables are branching out in Chandigarh. And along with the food and pleasure malls, management institutes have mushroomed across the city for catering to the burgeoning demand for skilled professionals obligatory to manage the mega outlets.
As giants like Reliance, Spencer and 6-Ten join the win-win retail race with Subhiksha and ITC for presenting on a platter sheer shopping pleasure, the number of outlets have, in the past month or so, increased to over 40. In Sector 38 alone, you have three food and grocery malls in a row. In a city with an area of 114 sq km, the number is quite impressive. If you look at it statistically, a customer, on an average, does not have to go more than 4 km to pick up goodies at prices that are any day 5-10% lower than the amount charged by most of your friendly neighbourhood kiryana or grocery stores. The number is only likely to increase in the near future. Market sources say ITC’s Choupal Fresh plans to come up with at least three additional outlets in the coming months. It already has one in Sector 26. The outlet’s popularity can easily be gauged from the fact that daily sales figures on an average touch the figure of Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000. Reliance Fresh, with two outlets in Sector 38 and 22, also plans to set up something like eight malls. Two of its outlets are expected to come up in Mohali. Spencer with a department store in 19 and 6-Ten with an outlet in Sector 38 also have expansion plans. The first to open up a “proper retail outlet” in Chandigarh, Subhiksha too is constantly adding stores to its ever-expanding chain. It already has an outlet in almost every Sector. In some areas like Sector 8, it has more than one. “Along with the retail business, the grin on the faces of the consumers is growing wider,” says a young Subhiksha employee. “For, the shopper tends to benefit in terms more than just monetary”. That’s right! At most stores you can pick up everything from pulses, soaps to even mobile phones and its accessories. And if too much of talking over the cell gives you a severe headache, you can simply push open the glass doors and walk into a store for an Aspirin. Another thing — shopping is a pleasure in itself. “Cool breeze wafting out of the air-conditioners, pulsating World Space music floating out of the concealed speakers and refrigerated counters offering hygienically packed native and imported fruits-cum-vegetables; shopping from one-stop retail malls is a pleasure in itself,” says business executive with a multinational information technology firm Dinesh Goyal. “You may find it incredible, but I have categorically asked my servant not to take the satisfaction of shopping away from me.” Grinning from eye to eye, he says: “Picking up stuff from the counters in the retail outlets is just like exercising your executive powers. With so much good stuff to choose from, you can actually exercise your discretion and still be sure of picking up the best”. Well-said Goyal! saurabh@tribunemail.com
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Welcome Winter
Winterising the skin at the start of the season is the only way to combat dryness and flakiness. I advocate moisturisers for every skin type as the weather changes. People with oily skin also benefit from
moisturisers, but water based ones. The only ones who should skip the moisturiser are those with acne.
Bar soaps are a complete no-no neck upwards as they dry out your skin big time. Replace the bar with a face cleanser that contains oil, water and surfactants. While oil fights the oil on your face, surfactants dissolve the make up and dirt and water helps to wash it all away. Recognising your skin type out here would help as too much or less oil could have different effects on your skin. Too much oil can clog pores while too little can dry out your skin. Winter skin should not be washed too much and never with water that is too hot or too cold water, as both can cause broken capillaries. Knowing your skin type is vital — only that will help you make the right regime of washing, moisturising and UV protecting.
n I am 23 and have a dark and dull complexion with open pores and acne. I have tried several medicines but nothing helps. Please advise. Harsheen
via e-mail I am sorry if I disappoint you by saying that complexion is something you are born with and can only improve to some extent by exfoliation. Scrubs will work on your dull complexion by sloughing off the dead skin. Make sure you use the ones with tiny grains and the massage should be gentle and circular. Try going for a microdermabrasion treatment that will keep your skin glow all year around. Another option could be chemical peels and retinoids. Start exfoliating your skin regularly and you will notice a visible difference. Acne results from infection in the oil gland due to blockage by the black head. The key to skin care for acne is consistency. Good skincare methods aid in the daily, steady improvement of follicle health.
Parneet Gulati via e-mail Battling white heads is not easy and an overnight cure is not possible. A white head is formed from a hair follicle clogged with sebum and dead skin cells. Since it has a microscopic opening to the skin’s surface and cannot reach the follicle, it does not lead to oxidation and remains white. Gentle exfoliation is a must for you to keep dead cells off the skin and help the pore opening. Remember to always shower and shampoo after you sweat or have exposed your skin to dust so that it does not combine with surface oils to block pores. So basically, a good consistent hygiene is the answer to your problem. Also, choose make up with care as oil based makeup contributes to the oil buildup in follicles. Go for water-based products and look for non-comedogenic ones for clear pores ad healthy skin. Pammy Kaul is a UK-based beauty therapist. E-mail your queries to lifestyletribune@gmail.com or write to The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh
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To mark the beginning of the festival season, Madame, manufacturers and exporters of women wear have launched their new winter fall collection - Be Everyone U R. Available at all Madame stores the collection includes tunics and long tops accessorised with belts and scarves, blended apparels like cotton sweaters with fleece, cotton jackets, mock collars, round necks and blazer styled jackets. The teen to young attire is has contemporary patterns, colors and designs. The collection offers a wide variety of jeans in varied colours. The price range for a corduroy jacket is Rs 1,165 to Rs 2,795 and denims is Rs 1,295 to Rs 1,395.
This Navratras, Nirula’s offers special thalis for each of the nine auspicious days. Designed keeping in mind consumer preferences and needs the servings are bigger as this would be the only meal of the day for most. The wholesome satvik meal comprises of papad and vadas as starters, samak rice khichdi, singara atta poori, and paneer dishes in the main course, samak rice kheer for dessert and a fruit. Comprising of 10 dishes, the thali is priced at Rs 114 for dine-in meals and Rs 129 for home delivered thalis. Nirula’s outlets also offer take-away, free home delivery and an easy order-on-line service. Available between October 12 and 20.
Motorola Inc., launches a special festival offer, the Moto-Lucky-Locket. Buy any Motorola GSM Mobile Phone and get a chance to win one of over 700,000 prizes. The scratch locket could get one consumer the grand prize, an AUDI A6. There are also 12 Honda City Exi cars, 140 TVS STAR 100cc bikes, 280 MOTOROKR E6, 840 MOTOFLIP W375, 4000 Fastrack sunglasses, 7000 Motorola branded wrist watches and Motorola branded bags to be won. Offer is available to customers who purchase a Motorola GSM handset from authorised Motorola retailers, distributors, Shop in Shops and MOTOSTOREs. The offer is open till November 15. 
Luxor writing instruments launches Parker Celebration Range. For innovative all-purpose gifting options, the range containing Parker pens have been customised for both corporate and festive gifting with accompaniments like leather wallets, watches, planners, cardholder etc. It has even launched corporate, business, gold, premier and leather lines as a part of the gift pack presenting. The packs are designed for different needs containing iPod case, business card holders, personal notepad with pen holder, key holder, leather wallet, desk clock, business organiser and travel wallet. Two gift hampers are also available. Priced between Rs 250 – Rs 3,000 it is available at exclusive Luxor Signature Stores.
—TNS