To give the organisers credit, we were given a list that started with names like Amanpreet Wahi, Krishna Somani, Joey Mathews and Tanvy Vyas, but unfortunately none of them turned up for the sneak preview, except for Femina Miss India Earth-08 Tanvy Vyas, leaving us to deal with unfamiliar names and even more unfamiliar faces! Here, we give you interesting tidbits of today’s event:

Initial Hiccups

Did you think only marriages are solemnised on a particular auspicious day in India? Think again. For Kaushik Ghosh, choreographer of the show, tells us in a harassed tone how difficult it was for him to gather all these models for the show. The reason — there are about 16 fashion shows to be held all over the country on Friday and Saturday alone! Well, having been associated with NIIFT, as Kaushik feels particularly close to the institute, he did some convincing to bring them here. But he is still harassed. Why? Because he has to pull off 50 sequences within two-and-half-hour. Tough call!

Bollywood Beckons

Tanvi Vyas & International white model from Sweden

At 17, Sanjula Sharma is the youngest of them all. After becoming May Queen last year, life has been a ball for this Delhi lass. “I am doing lots of shows but most importantly, I even have an offer from Madhur Bhandarkar. Maybe you will see me on the big screen soon,” she says crossing her fingers. A dream offer considering so many her contemporaries like Barkha Kaul, Bharti Hazarika, Binita Bora are waiting for the right offer.

But we must add that not everyone is willing to shine in Bollywood. Former Miss India Finalist and Lakme Fashion Week model Humani Thapa for one. She is happy to continue as a model. So is Jayshree who would rather do a short film in Hollywood rather than a Bollywood masala one.

International Touch

This is the first time Anukama will have a firang model walk down the ramp. But except for that she is an “international white model from Sweden”, as Kaushik introduces her, we managed to know practically nothing about her as she was busy refilling her plate with Indian food rather than talking to the Press.

Designer Cut

Bharti

On the sidelines were creations by the young designers who would eagerly explain their theme and cut to anyone who would care to listen. Ramanjit Dhillon advises you not to lose hope because of your bad handwriting, and he gives the message across through his t-shirts because you may just be in the league of Hitler or Gandhi. There is Mohul Mittra with her Peek-a-Boo and Sonal Piplani who derived her inspiration from Bird in a Nest. Saurav Gulati introduces us to Goucho pants with heavy gatherings for that cowboy look. All four come from Knitware Design and Technology course. In the Fashion Design section we see a lot of romance as Devinder revives the Era of Romance from 1950s with gowns and short dresses in pink with crotchet finish. Vijeta Singh’s collection Vogue is inspired by the British upper class’ dressing sensibilities while Deepti Kaushal showcases her offshoulder dresses and kurtas which she has made of Banarasi sarees. And if you like the biker-boy image, Nitin Singh’s collection is something to look forward too. With number plates and leads as accessories for his shirts and narrow pants, his will be every dude’s dream collection.

Of late our fashion idiom’s started looking brighter, happier. Winters were far from gloomy, with bursts of tecnicolour brilliance splashed all around. And summers seem giving ‘opulence’ an altogether new meaning. As fashionistas rejoice, romancing canary yellows, bubblegum pinks and ripe purples, it’s time to review, “How about the age-old colour-wisdom of grannies? Beliefs like a bride shouldn’t wear black or a pale complexion looks paler in dull yellow? Or, wearing green brings hope and prosperity? White soothes, red fires temper? Are these mere superstitions or facts? City’s colour experts decode the colour code:

According to colour-therapy lecturer Shweta Arora, colours are much more than means of making a fashion statement. Culturally, certain colours stand for certain notions. In East, white symbolises sadness whereas black denotes the similar state in the West. Our Vedic writings talk about earth being green, air yellow, fire red and water blue.”

Scientifically too, colours are used to affect or evaluate ones metabolic functioning (colour therapy or chromotherapy). Agrees Shameer Kaur, principal, IIFT- Mohali, “It’s an established fact that colours affect human beings. Yellow, green and blue are therapeutic colours. Yellow activates joy, green is the natural colour of plants and blue is sedative, pain-relieving.”

Psychologists too have theorised that colour preferences have deep physiological affects on mood or feelings. Agrees Sumita Sikka of NIIFT, “If having a bad day, we tend to choose clothes in dull neutral colours like black, grey or brown as they match our feelings. Just as when happy, we go for brighter hues. An environmental psychology research has shown that the colour of a work setting has profound effects on individual enjoyment and performance.”

Says psychologist Rajshree Sarda, “Theorist Lüscher proposed that individuals with similar colour preferences possess similar personality traits. Colour is the first thing people note about us, and its impact is instant. Our choices say a lot about the image we are trying to portray and how we feel about ourselves.”

So how should we choose colours? Advises stylist Chanda Malhotra, “Consider their impact on your shape, weight, age, personality, location, occasion and season. For serenity, wear oceanic blues, whites and yellows. Depressing blacks and grays are ideal for endings or keeping low profile at parties. Pinks convey compassion and feminity, while red boosts confidence. Orange is for playful, high-energy tasks, while wear green to turn over a new leaf. Desire to feel special and unique? Well, mystical purple is your colour!  

AN investment banker with one of the big bracket firms on Wall Street in New York, Sameer Soni gave up his job and headed back to Mumbai to follow his dreams. A graduate in Economics, model, actor and now an anchor, he smiles as he recalls those days, “Academics was very important in my family and then my parents secretly hoped that someday I would give up on being an actor and concentrate on my career.” But then, that’s not what was on Sameer’s mind! The theatre bug had hit him when he was just eight and he was keen to follow his true calling.

Sameer is now hosting Cracking the Code on NDTV Good Times. The six part mini series that went on air from Friday promises to be the answer for every man’s sartorial queries from power dressing to business wear and from weekend dressing to ceremonial wear. It being his first time as an anchor, Sameer confesses to be scared. “Earlier I have hosted a live event, Miss India, but that’s different from hosting a show,” he says. So how well do fashion and Sameer go together? “I am not fashion conscious and don’t really implement the ins and outs in my wardrobe, but you can call me a fashion aware,” he says.

He calls himself conservative when it comes to fashion, as for his friends they think he is boring. “I don’t like too much of attention, so I stay away from anything that’s loud or cutting edge.” So what’s his style statement? “What you wear should reflect what you are. For me, anything that’s classy can never go out of fashion,” he says. So will he be playing the fashion guru on telly? He chuckles, ”No, we’ll have people like Ashish Soni, Arjun Khanna and Ravi Bajaj offering tips on the dos and don'ts, besides there will be expert advice from fashion editors.

Sameer’s stint in television began with Doordarshan's A Mouthful Of Sky in 1996. In 2004 he tickled the funny bone of the audience with Dil Kya Chahta Hai. Also in his kitty are Sony’s Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and Saaksshi. But, theatre remains his first love. “We have been performing the play Anything, but love for in different cities for a year now,” he tells. He has also done cameo roles in flicks like China Gate, Lajja, Baghban and Vivaah. On his plate now is Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion and an advertising campaign with Garnier. But that’s later, for as of now it’s time to dress up like a global urban man with Sameer!

THEY enjoy cult status on Indian television and are virtually part of your family. You have giggled, laughed and guffawed with them one evening after the other, sometimes even delaying dinner-time so as not to miss them (waiting for dinner betters self-control, you tell the unsuspecting kiddos as hubby dear sees through your designs but doesn’t dare to protest!). The suave Shekhar Suman and Navjot Sidhu of hysterical laughter fame, Maya Sarabhai the high society prim-n-propah mother-in-law who rips into her middle class daughter-in-law, Monisha, with perfect aplomb, Rozesh Sarabhai and his inimitable brand of inane poetry, Musaddi Lal as the representative of the common man trapped in a system full of flaws, and our very own superhero Prithviraj Chauhan…

After having entertained audiences over the years and continuing to do so – even their reruns occupy prime slots — these characters are now here at a bookstore near you. Star India and Prakash Books have launched a set of comic books based on some of its most popular shows and characters. Serials too have been converted into comics include historical mega-series Dharti Ka Veer Yodha: Prithviraj Chauhan, sitcoms Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai and Naya Office Office, sci-fi series Antariksh and fairy-tale show Son Pari and the Great Indian Laughter Challenge. A little smaller than an A4 page, each comic tells the story of an episode in 48, all-colour pages. A total of 30 comics have been launched, currently, all in English.

Says Nanette D’sa, senior vice-president, Star Licensing & Merchandising, “Storytelling is our biggest asset and has always been at the forefront of innovation in entertainment. Extending the vast library of our stories to a line of publishing products is a great way for us to allow our viewers to relive the stories that they have cherished on television for long.”

“The launch of the comics is just the first in a series of books. Work is now on, on a set of cookery books that would have all sorts of authentic Indian and non-Indian cuisines and to release novels based on popular serials,” tells Nanette.

Adds Prakash Books managing director Gaurav Sabharwal, “To have the most popular TV serials as comics will really encourage reading amongst children and adults alike. Millions of viewers spend a lot of time everyday with characters that have almost become a part of their family.”

These comics sure make for breezy reading and their size makes them easier to carry while travelling. So, make sure you carry some on your next trip since there’s one for every member of the family!

(This column appears weekly)

MUSIC runs in his genes, so not surprisingly his family happened to be his first school for training. Raj Ranjodh started learning classical music from his mom Gurmeet Kaur, a music teacher with a school in Amritsar, when he was just eight. As for tabla he learnt the niceties from his brother. A medical student he took a break from studies to establish himself as a singer first, but that doesn’t mean that he has said goodbye to medicine dream. “I still want to be a doctor,” smiles the 21-year-old at the launch of his debut album on Friday. The eight-track album with one remix is christened Virse De Waris, after the title track. Released by Saregama HMV, it is a part of the group’s venture to promote talent in Punjab.

Melancholy, romance, folk or hip-hop, you’ll find it all here. The video for three songs has already been shot in Mumabi and Patiala, and all feature Raj too. So any personal favourites? “I like Goriye, the hip-hop number the most.” And fave Punjabi singer? Well, he has not one, but three. “Kuldip Manik for the cultural tinge, Jagmohan Kaur for her characteristic voice and Gurdas Mann for his true depiction of Punjab,” he says.

Back to his passion for music and his medicine dreams. He shares, “After completing my schooling I left for Canada and performed at a number of shows there and returned two years back,” he says. Last year he met Punjabi lyricist Raj Kakra and things started rolling and here he is out with his debut album! As for future plans, he says he will graduate in medicine. “The sight of blood troubles me so I’ll opt for that field in medicine, which will help me avoid it,” he says. 

HE is the man who taught the nation to sing and dance with the no-frill good ol’ antakshri. And, such was the charm of Zee’s Antakshari and its host Annu Kapoor that it ruled over audiences’ hearts from 1994 to 2006, till it returned in its new avatar on Star One last year. The man known for his mass appeal, knowledge of music and melodramatic anchoring is back on telly as the host for a reality show Junoon… Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka on NDTV Imagine. We chat up the ever-energetic host.

So how is it to be back after a break of one year? “ I never took a break. In fact, I have been hosting Music, Masti aur Dhoom on DD National,” he corrects us. “Yahan par hi paida hua hoon, yahin par hi maroonga,” he continues. Well, so television does run in his blood. After all, he hosted what was perhaps the nation’s first reality show! So what does he feel about this spurt in reality shows and SMS singers? “Our country is capable of producing singers, cricketers and actors, but not deshbhakts,” he laments. “There are no qualifications to make it as an entertainer,” he makes his point.

But then what makes him part of another reality show? “Here, the audiences will vote to choose their favourite genre of music and not singer,” he shares. Folk, sufi and filmy are the three genres on the show and which one is Annu’s fave? “It solely depends on the composition. If I were to say I like folk then it would include folk music of the north too, which has elements of vulgarity that I strongly detest,” he says. Any recent fave composition? “Yes, I heard Weh Kangana by Wadali Brothers and found it very nice,” he says.