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Thoda pyar thoda comic Actor Ameesha Patel tells Jigyasa Kapoor Chimra, she is graduating to comic roles now I must have been a sardarni in my previous life as I feel and look like one. And Chandigarh is one of my favourite cities as it is well-planned and organised like no other place in the country Petite and beautiful, famous for her gossamer skin and beautiful locks, very few know actor Ameesha Patel is the granddaughter of freedom fighter, lawyer and former justice Rajni Patel. An actor with a million dollar smile was in the city for the Seagram’s Blenders Pride magical night-party tour-2008 fashion show. Groomed and well educated, she is one rare actor who has a gold medal to her credit. After graduating in economics from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, she began her career in Bollywood with blockbuster Kahoo Na Pyar Hai. Well, there have been ups and downs in her career though. Been there, done that "I have had a great stint in Bollywood so far and acted in some wonderful films. And talking of acting, it’s not just confined to Bollywood but also include Telegu films. I learnt Bharatnatyam and have acted in several plays with Satyadev Dubey’s theatre group. As for her experience down South, she says, "I have worked with big names there and people in South are much more methodical and organized, but their scripts are south-centric. But all in all, it was a great experience." Kismat connection Ameesha feels she has some old ties with the city as she feels quite at home here. "I must have been a sardarni in my previous life as I feel and look like one. And Chandigarh is one of my favourite cities as it is well planned and organised like no other city of the country." Ask her if she has seen much of the town and she quips, "Yes, in fact I shopped around for slawaar kammez and phulkari duppatas last time I was here." Game for TV "Its one big thing these days and I would love to do it if something concrete comes my way." And what about the reality bite? "I am not a game for reality shows," she replies. Talk fashion "Rocky is a dear friend of mine and I am here for opening the show. And for me fashion is being comfortable in my skin. I believe in creating a trend and then following it," she says. What lies ahead? "I am working on two comic films. One is with Sanjay Dutt called Chatur Singh Two Star and other one is opposite Govinda and titled Run Bhola Run. Enjoying comedy she says, "I love comic roles and right now I am enjoying myself doing it. Jigyasachimra@tribunemil.com
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Wardrobe function
From dressing Akshay Kumar to Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif, he has expressed his designs in a brilliant play of colours, illusion, dimensions, mystery and dazzling prismatic embellishments. With a futuristic appeal, fashion designer Rocky S’ collections so far have had a contemporary touch and the concepts have been individualistic. In the city for a fashion show on Friday, we caught up with Rocky at Samsaara, Taj, where the designer has showcased his collection for the city folks. This being Rocky’s second visit to the city, we ask him how fashionable he finds it. "This is one of the most upcoming fashion markets of the country. This also happens to be one city where I sell a lot, as people in this region like to dress up and have a craving for good clothes," says Rocky. So, does this mean that the designer plans to open a store here: "I am still studying the market and it would take me at least one year to research the fashion potential of the region. So, right now I am happy selling through Samsaara." Taking a step ahead on the international fashion scene, Rocky is all set to be part of the London Fashion Week this year: "Though I have participated in the Milan Fashion Week, this is my first time at the London Fashion Week. This gives me a chance to seep into the European fashion market." Ask him what is he’s presenting there and pat comes the reply: "Though my rules remain Indian, I would be presenting a universal line and the theme would be ‘Hippie chic’." While it’s the challenges that keep Rocky going he has lately added fragrance to his brand line."It took an year of hard work to get the perfect fragrance that I wanted to launch with. Made in France, the perfume is called Rocky S Noir Parfum." Having designed for the Who’s Who of Bollywood, Rocky has his kitty full with designing for Subhash Ghai’s ‘Yuvraj’, a movie under the Yash Raj banner and for Bipasha for her movie ‘Punk’. Too add to his repertoire Rocky is currently working on expanding the Home furnishings line and creating exclusive collections of eyewear, jewellery, shoes and his designer jeans wear label. And for the Seagram’s Blenders Pride’s fashion show, the designer showcased a cocktail of evening wear line. Calling it a smooth sail so far, he forecasts that fashion this winter will be individualistic and from the 1920s era.
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The city’s bands of boys get talking to Jasmine Singh about rock & reel
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to find out the common link between the movies Disco Dancer, Zindaggi Rocks, Rockstar, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye and Rock On. Absolutely! They have either the actor as a rocker or revolve around the life of a rock star. But, did the directors, script writers or actors of these flicks ask the real rockers what torture they went through seeing the fake ones on the screen (just kidding), doing lip sync, banging their heads and playing the guitar in weird slow motion. Ah, well, if only they would have.
"I am sure it will," says Sharang, lead vocalist with Harmonic Friction. "I can see people getting interested in what rock bands or rock music is all about, which is good for us." As for the movie, Sharang finds the portrayal pretty real. "The instruments that they’ve used are authentic and very much like the ones we use." On other flicks that have been made on rockstars, the vocalist feels that the image of rockers have mostly been trivialised. "Anyone walking down the streets in leather pants and jackets is considered a rock star. Nevertheless, I think Rock On will change the image for good," he adds. On which actor would fit the role to a tee, he quips, "I think Saif looks like a real rockstar." Ashish Negi, lead vocalist with Wasted Souls, feels Farhan and his team has done a good job of it. "They’ve at least tried to something on rock stars. Though not a very real portrayal, at least they have tried in earnest." At the same time, Ashish also feels that it wouldn’t do much for the cause of rock music in the country. "The kind of music that they play is very metro kind," adds Ashish. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see something on the rock bands."
Now, that’s a big miss—not showing a base guitarist, especially when all the rockers sight were set on the film. jasmine@tribunemail.com
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Telly Tales
And guess who is the new flavour on the reality show cast—-our very own netas. Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause for our politicians, who have found a new way of serving to the public, through reality TV. It looks like a delayed debut though, given the fact that they have all the right ingredients for this kind of entertainment. And with their acting skills being honed up every now and then, thanks to elections, they can give even a top actor a run for his money. All of you following the second season of Big Boss on Colors would agree with this. Sanjay Nirupam showing off his singing talents with In dino from the movie Life in a`85Metro was nothing compared to his aggressive avataar and he has been credited with triggering off the first controversy in the Big Boss house (remember his ‘item girl’ duel with Sambhavana). Though politicians are known to play smart, Sanjay Nirupam’s another story with his early exit. But he did manage to hog the limelight while he was around. Same goes for his house mate Rahul Mahajan. We all must be familiar with his appetite for being in the news too. Only now he can be seen playing the role of Mr. Popular on Big Boss. One sensational political pairing we could have had in Big Boss house is that of Mayawati and Mulayam Singh, but that’s another story. Kudos to railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav for shaking a leg with SRK in Kya Aap Panchvi Paas Se Tez Hain. And he seems to be in demand on the small screen as he has made appearance on Zee TV Sa Re Ga Ma Pa as well. Keeping the TRPs in mind, the channel heads go for public figures. And what better option than roping in netas when it comes to attracting moolah, as they’ve mastered the art of making money. Also, the politicians seem to reciprocate it with as much excitement, sharing their personal details and stories with elan on national TV. Rahul Mahajan talking about his divorce, his father’s death and his desperate attempt to come out clean with his image through the show, Sanjay Nirupam’s bhavnatmak promise to Monica Bedi of getting her a house where all these filmwallas live (old habits die hard). They are willing to reveal the ‘real self’to the public, a thing that we miss out on in real life! Watching them taking on the small screen makes us wonder whether our parliamentary sessions are more of workshops that prepare our elected candidates for a career in acting. A political background certainly gives them an edge over other participants when it comes to back stabbing, manipulating and playing mind games, which the slew of reality shows specialise in. Love them or hate them but netas and reality shows are finding popular ground. May be giving them more options to explore would be a better idea. What about Roadies 6.0? Raghu listening? nehawalia@tribunemail.com
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Hathaway moves on after split
Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway seems to have moved on after her split from beau Raffaello Follieri. The Devil Wears Prada star looked good and sounded happy amid nearly two-dozen actors in Denver gathered together for Creative Coalition.The 25-year-old actress, accompanied by some family members was shining and giving interviews on subjects related to the Coalition. Meanwhile, rumours are abuzz that Hathaway may have actually spoken to the FBI about her ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri, which could have led to his arrest. A pal of Follieri suspects that the actress met FBI shortly before they arrested her ex for an alleged 6 million dollars con job. "It makes sense. She’s referred to as his former girlfriend in the indictment even though her spokesman never confirmed they broke up," a pal said. Paris to record duet with beau
Brad Pitt in photographer’s shoes Brad Pitt turned
photographer for a day when he captured his partner Angelina Jolie and
their kids for a new magazine’s cover page. U.S. fashion magazine W
commissioned the movie hunk to show off his lensman skills for the
publication’s upcoming November8 issue. He used a vintage camera,
Littman 45 for the candid family photos that Jolie gave him as a birthday
gift. This will be the couple’s second photo spread in W. In July 2005, Jolie and Pitt shot the controversial spread ‘Domestic Bliss’ in which they pretended to be married.The photo shoot was meant to promote their movie ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ but caused problems instead as he was accused of leaving Aniston for Jolie. Paparazzi leave Keira friendless Keira Knightley hates being chased by the paparazzi as it ruins her social life. The Atonement star is well known for her distaste of snappers who shoot her personal life. The actress has admitted that her pals fail to invite her to social events as they are harassed by eager photographers. "One of my friends asked me to stay back as while the rest planned to go to a restaurant because of paparazzi. I don’t blame them for this as they can be very intimidating," said the star. — ANI
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Wrist grand Vibrant colours, abstract patterns and shapes, bangles are back with a bang
"Starting from glass bangles with metal work to wood carved kadas, we have plastic bangles with geometrical prints, floral designs and mish mash of colours doing very well this season," says Rakesh, vendor of bangles in Sector-22 rehri market. Hub of chunky jewels, rehri market-22 has a wide range of designs to suit your budget. Priced from Rs 10 to around Rs 150, they are the fastest selling segment among youngsters. While it’s the heavy plastic bangles that are a hot pick with young girls, they carry it with a certain attitude and make a bold style statement with these chunky tinkling trinkets. "These single large bangles are easier to put on than a number of ordinary ones!" says Khushboo Sandhu, student of Chitkara Institute. She adds: "Pair them up with denim and tees or casual skirts and they add oomph to your style statement. Other than those plastic or wood bangles are definitely cool and it’s colours like black, red, purple, blue and white that lend casual yet trendy look." Exhibitions are good places to keep an eye out for unique designs. While you let your motto be ‘the bigger the better’, at exhibitions you can look out for traditional Rajasthani bangles, thread woven bangles in vibrant hues and even jute bangles. "The wooden sleek bangles, stone, lac, copper and plastic multi-coloured bangles are the hot picks. Other than that leather cutting, thread worked bangles are also selling like hot cakes. They start at Rs 40 and go up to Rs 190," informs Vijay Kumar, owner, Front Neck bangles and art jewellery store, Sector 7, Panchkula. Nidhi Vij, jewellery designer, Envee’s Jewels-12, Panchkula says: "Bangles have always been in fashion but the style has changed. Apart from the ethnic dresses like sari or suits, you can team them up with any outfit for that cool yet traditional look." Talking trend, she says: "Slightly broad bangles in varied shapes and designs are in fashion these days. We have glass and metal bangles with kundan work doing very well. Antique work bangles, plastic bangles in abstract, floral, and rubber prints are also a hot pick. And when it comes to shapes square bangles are doing very well." When it comes to dressing up with bangles, metallic colours like gold, silver and copper are in. Pair them with colours like black, royal purple and ink blue and you can create a style of your own. So next time you go shopping, add these stylish accessories on your list as they are the best way to add that ‘wow’ factor to your look. jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com
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Close Shave Shahnaz Husain
Proper shaving techniques and skin-care can help avoid such problems and also to deal with them when they occur. One should select shaving and after-shave products with care. A mild facewash or cleanser can help to counteract dryness. In fact, in case of dryness, it may be a good idea to discontinue soap and use a cleansing gel. Before shaving ensure that the beard is wet. This makes shaving easier. Many men prefer to shower before shaving and this makes the beard wet. Or, rinse your face with lukewarm water before shaving. Use a shaving cream that contains moisturisers and emollients (lubricants) and has natural ingredients like aloe vera. The products should make a rich creamy lather. Leave the cream on for a minute and then start shaving. Having the right shaving brush is also important. The bristles should not be too soft or too hard. Work up a lather working in circular movements but apply more pressure as you go upwards. That will help lifting the beard, making it easier to cut. It is needless to say that the blade should be sharp. A dull blade makes the beard scratchy and blotchy. If the beard is hard, blades should be changed more often. Shaving against the direction of hair growth helps to get a close shave, but there are more chances of nicks and ingrown hair. After shaving, rinse with lukewarm water and then finish it with coldwater rinse. Apply an aftershave. A cream is better than a lotion, as it moisturises the skin. We have formulated an after-shave cream containing sandalwood, which is a powerful natural antiseptic. This cream contains natural moisturisers and provides an exotic woody fragrance. If there is no skin sensitivity or irritation, using a facial scrub two or three times a week helps to deal with the accumulation of dead skin cells. Scrubs also make the skin smoother, brighter and more translucent. Buy scrubs according to the specific needs of the skin. For normal to dry skin, take two tablespoons of almond powder and one tablespoon honey. Apply and then leave it on for five minutes. Rub gently on the skin and wash it off with water. For normal to oily skin, mix half-a-cup of oatmeal and one tablespoon curd. Mix together and apply on the face. Wash it off after 20 minutes. Honey is an ideal ingredient for the skin. It has healing properties. For skin prone to pimples and acne, honey is useful. Apply it on and wash it off after 15 to 20 minutes. To soften the skin, take four tablespoons honey, one cup milk, four teaspoons wheatgerm oil. Mix together and keep in a glass jar with a lid. Keep in the fridge. Apply a little of this lotion on the face and neck. Rinse off with water after 15 minutes. (This column appears fortnightly)
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Song of freedom “Music is a fine art which awakens one’s aesthetic sensibilities and bestows on him the unbounded pleasure. This joy transcends into bliss if performed for a social cause,” maintains Rinku Kalia, an acclaimed vocalist playback singer and the winner of Zee TV ‘s Sa Re Ga Ma. Interacting with mediapersons, she talks about her passion to work for the welfare of society, especially for the cause of women. Female foeticide and the secondary status accorded to women in homes makes her sad. “I am all set to open a new chapter in the ‘music for cause’ in the city,” she says. She will perform at a charity show Rendezvous--Ghazal Concert with Rinku Kalia at Randhawa Auditorium on Saturday. The proceeds of the concert will be given for generating awareness on female foeticide.
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Brush & Bride
Young, energetic and multi-talented, his designs have created ripples in the fashion world. Manav Gangwani, 30, is one of the most promising designers in the industry. Having Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Soha Ali Khan Pataudi, Zeenat Aman, Akshaye Khanna, Zayed Khan and Vivek Oberoi as his clients, this man sure creates a style and breaks the norms. He shares a close connection with the city, which comes out during a chit-chat with the designer, known for his bridal wear, at Taj-17. “I have been visiting the city since my childhood, as my mom belongs to Ambala.” Talking fashion he says, “This is one good market for fashion designers. And cities like Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar have potential much higher than Delhi as spending capacity of people living here is quite high.” Ask him about the fashion trends and he replies, “People here like occasion wear. But it’s difficult to categorise trends as fashion has become individualistic these days.” Having created high-end clientele for his brand, Manav has established his women’s couture label Manav Gangwani Couture and has diversified his talent with men’s prêt and ready-to-wear collection under his label MG Men by Manav Gangwani. While fashion is his life, this versatile designer often goes beyond clothes to paint comical characters and dabbles in music too. He has painted Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, Simmi Garewal and Amjad Ali Khan and his family. He has recently conceptualised an album called Passion with sarod players, Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali.
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The new terrace lounge at Hotel Mountview is the place to chill out in
Aprt from the décor, what catches one’s eyes is the 27-feet bar counter which according to Niharika Rai, managing director of CITCO and its general manager A K Malhotra is the longest bar in the region, which has the potential to become one of the finest bars. “The specialty of this linear bar is that it enables eye contact amongst people sitting in the bar and the lobby,” says Rai. Of course, the vital link one needs for a romance to bud! If the décor is impressive, so are the offings. Other than the usual mocktails like Romeo Juliet, Cool Guava or Pineapple Coconut Slush, it offers a huge range of cocktails – Hot ladies and Sexy Bulls for your pick. But wait till you reach to the wine and scotch list. The Supreme Scotch section has 25-year-old Blue Label, 21-year-old Royal Salute, 18-year-old Gold Label and 12-year-old Black Label.Good enough reason to raise a toast! — TNS
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Well bread! Bread, cheese, bacon, veggies and tomato ketchup! How do you like your sandwich? How many times have you gone out to try something new and ended up eating the good old sandwich? If many a times, then let’s tell you that you are not the only fan of this healthy snack. The most liked piece of food, the sandwich happens to be a favourite with all. And the reason is as simple-It needs no cooking, can be loaded with nutrition and is one simple way to consume raw veggies. No wonder, the city eateries have a scrumptious spread of sandwiches to offer. At Mocha’s-26, you can pick the French sandwich ‘Croque Monsieur’, which comes with a lot of stuffing and cheddar cheese. Another great pick is their Mediterranean Panino that includes spinach and grilled corn topped with black pepper, cheddar cheese and served with salsa sauce. Backpackers, 9 offers both veg and non-veg sandwiches. Piyush, chef at Backpackers informs: “There are four parts to a sandwich— the bread, the dressing, some sausages and the filling which can be veg or non-veg.” For diet conscious people too, the options are aplenty . Smoke Chicken offered at Java Daves , 10 offers the fat-free, barbecue sandwich. So is there anything they do to make it summer specific? “Sandwich is as it is considered a summer food, high on the nutrition quotient and hence enjoys a lot of clientele,” says Onkar Singh at Subway, 17. They have eighteen kinds of international and local varieties. Now who said, sandwiches were just the fillers and not the main meal? Given the stuffing and variety that goes into making it, it certainly can compete with any main food. At Café Coffee Day, their Super Sandwich comes full of onions, capsicum, seasonal vegetables, corn, mayonnaise and spinach. And the Slimmer Veg sandwich comes without the fat dressing and along with crunch veggies and brown bread. As this form of food includes it that you wish for, so go and grab one, for health or nutrition or taste or whatever. Reasons to consume the sandwich are plenty. lifestyletribune@gmail.com
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Oven Delights Kandla Nijhowne Only the most hardened dieter can resist the joys of a well-laden high tea. Though tea culture is not exactly an Indian tradition, we Hindustaanis are quick to adopt anything that has to do with food! Of course, teatime isn’t teatime without the pot of tea but if ‘Polly put the kettle on’, and that was it, we’d surely be ‘sorely’ disappointed. In my honest opinion, nothing can match the magical aroma of home baking, wafting out and teasing our senses. So, leave the biscuit and samosa route to the lesser mortals, don your apron, head for the oven and surprise all and sundry!
Chocolate cookies Method Black pepper and cheese bars The dough should be soft and pliable at this stage. If it’s too firm, sprinkle some more milk onto it and knead again. Pre-heat the oven to 200?C and have a greased and dusted baking sheet waiting. Roll out the dough and lay it out neatly on the sheet. Bake till golden brown, for about 15-20 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, pull out the sheet from the oven and using a sharp knife, make indentations in the mixture, marking out bar shapes. This will later enable you to cut the bars neatly. (To be continued) Tip of The Week To add texture and taste, put a pinch of dried herbs in the cheese bars and replace 2 tbs of flour with 2 tbsp of rolled oats.
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This
time, we a movie Rock On, which revolves around four rock stars.
So, what do the city-based rock members have to say about it? Will Rock
On do any good to rock music or help the band of boys get a larger
audience the next time they perform at Leisure Valley.
But
wait till you give 5 stars to the movie. There is Nidhaan, the drummer for
Shell Shocke who is not interested in watching the movie. "C’mon,
it looks like a Bollywood rock masala movie, nowhere close to the real
bands," feels Nidhaan. "And who says there are any rockstars in
our country. Well, there are none". Coming back to the movie, Nidhaan
has more to add. "The band doesn’t even have a base guitarist, what
kind of a rock band is Farhan showing? And I don’t think Rock On will
do any good to our image. Lastly, rock is never for the masses and here,
they are promoting a movie which, they say, is for the masses."
By
now we have seen the ‘reality’ of reality TV and are soaked from head
to toe in this asli zindagi ka drama. With more twists than those
mouth-watering jalebis and more masala than any Manmohan Desai
flick, reality TV cannot be more dramatic and loud.
Paris
Hilton is set to record a duet with her rocker beau Benji Madden. The
socialite has already been writing about her new album on her official
blog, but now she has confirmed that her other half is to make a cameo in
it. Talking to a top Los Angeles-based showbiz website Hollyscoop, Paris
said: "Well, actually I have a studio at the house. Benji helped me
write some of the songs for my new album and for the BFF show (her
new UK reality show for MTV). He’s really an amazing lyricist and
singer." On asked whether they would duet, Hilton said: "Yes,
definitely in the near future." The untitled new album will be the
follow-up to her debut, called Simply Paris, a Number 29 hit in the
UK. Paris Hilton’s new reality series My New BFF premieres on
September 30th on MTV.
THEY
are everywhere, turning and twisting the evergreen flimsy noodle thin
glass bangle into a fashion accessory that can go with almost anything
from denim pants to mini skirts. Back in a new avtaar, bigger and
funkier, it’s the wooden, plastic, metallic and thread woven bangles
that lend a chic look to your wardrobe of accessories. While you wear your
attitude on your wrists, showing off these spunky accessories in unusual
designs and sizes, we look out for the latest in the market.
There is nothing macho about a man’s skin. It’s as vulnerable as a woman’s skin and susceptible to the harmful effects of UV-rays, air-conditioning, air pollutants, chlorinated water and harsh soaps. Above all, the shaving routine can affect too, making it dry and sensitive or resulting in dark patchy skin. Many after-shave products are alcohol based which compounds the problem. Apart from dryness, the other problems that can result from daily shaving are ingrown or coarse hair growth, itching or even pain sometimes. Of course, this does not happen to all. Some are more prone to them, due to genetic factors. 
The place is just right for catching up with your buddies to remember those good old days, or to let new romance blossom. This is exactly what CITCO had in mind when it conceived the idea of a vintage terrace lounge and bar, a place where one can unwind and relax. Well, the décor and the walls reflect just that. A wooden floor, wallpaper coated cheerful walls, and to top it all a mural, which talks about merriment and joy.