Actor Kunickaa, in town to promote a TV show, sees her future in public life

Interview a ‘television actor’? Well, she’ll have the same predictable answers to offer, we presumed. So, we threw at her a set of ratey rataaye questions. But, as soon as she started answering, we realised she was ‘different’. Her answers made a lot of sense. In fact, she sounds quite like a leader. Sure enough, she turns out to be one. We are talking about socio-political activist Kunickaa Sandanand Lall. Behind the façade of a television personality is a strong, secular, humane, individual, who wants to be a part of the new golden India. “For this to happen, we need to break the old, existing system and I see a lot of hope in it,” says Kunickaa, in the city for the promotion of Meet Mila De Rabba, wherein she plays Mandira, a cunning and scheming woman.

“The catch is not politics. To change the system, one has to jump into it,” says Kunickaa, a social activist, who also fought for the post of councillor in 2007 and has also worked closely with Sunil Dutt to fight AIDS way back in 1989. “I believe that there is always scope for a better and brighter India and education at the grass-roots level can go a long way in facilitating the dream.” But though friend Raj Thackeray once told her that she wasn’t cut out for politics, given the fact that she is brutally honest and too passionate, Kunickaa sees politics as a platform for reforms. “To me it is 80 per cent social reform and 20 per cent self reform,” she adds.

Coming back to the surreal world of television, would she want to change some things here as well? Smiles Kunickaa, who launched her first business venture Exhale, a unisex salon, spa and institute about three months back, “Television is in a very progressive phase as compared to earlier times. Serials like Baalika Vadhu, Hum Ladkiaan, Ranbir Rano portray women as strong characters.” What of the rona dhona, the endlessly long suhaag ki nishani, sindoor, the Kanjeevarams? “Isn’t that part of life?” asks Kunickaa, “And the six-yard sari is part of our culture. Besides, you can be traditional and yet progressive.”

After fashion designing for the ramp, Varun Bahl is turning to home decor

Ever wished your bedspreads could be designed by the guys who show their creativity on ramps? After all, everybody’s making good clothes while good designers are needed the most in the lifestyle accessories arena. Varun Bahl was in city for just the same purpose. Very soon, he’s going to be designing exclusive stuff for Rosebys. We bring you the details.

Isn’t it quite rare for a designer to be associated with a home accessories brand? A fashion designer through the perfect route of NIFT, New Delhi, Varun says, “Yes, that’s true. But it’s high time we did. There are very few designers who’ve ventured into this domain, except for Sabyasachi, who’s doing it for Bombay Dyeing.” His take : “It is an extension of sensibilities of what I do, only it’s not going to be as embellished as my clothes and will be affordable luxury.”

Little knowledge of the fashion industry and you know how the designers go on and on about their inspirations and muse. What inspires him? “It could be anything. When you travel, you pick up a lot of things, it could be street fashion,” he says. What’s in future? “I have a show coming up in Delhi, in Japan and lots of other places.” Does he plan to do dresses for films? Says Varun, “Films are not my cup of tea. Except for the few times and the stars I do for, I am not very keen.” And no, he does not plan to open his store in the city.

More than scenic beauty, artists find the city bursting with inspiration

Cityscape: Anjali S. Aggarwal captures the city in blocks and squares

The city wears much more than just the Le Corbusier tag. As put by Maja Weyermann, a Berlin-based artist, who visited the city last year and did a complete series on the city buildings, ‘Chandigarh has a European feel but at the same time is distinctively Indian’.

In her series she tried to capture that element of Indian culture in city offices, homes and streets. Well, Maja happens to be just one of them who have tried to capture the city in its different moods.

We have quite a few examples from the city artists too. Take for instance Brahm Prakash, the former principal of the Government College of Art. For him the blocks and squares of the city became an integral part of his frames ever since he moved into the city. An element that still persists in his latest series, which is based on the Swiss Alps. “I was so influenced by its architecture that the city just seeped into my work and now I can call these blocks my signature styles,” said Prakash during a recent interview.

The recent ones we have tracked down are Sanjay Kumar and his wife Anjali S. Aggarwal. Sanjay came to city to join the art college in the 90s and during his student days, he did a series on Chandigarh taking windows as main focus. If you ask why windows, then Sanjay has an answer, “If you look at the windows in the buildings here, they are are vertical and vertical lines provide strength to a painting.” But there is another reason too. “My bed in the hostel was near a window. I perceived the city through the window,” he confines. Sanjay’s series was executed in watercolour and a few remaining ones from that series shows Chandigarh in bright colours. “Those days the city used to be less polluted and hence the colours in the sky used to be brighter and sharper,” he recalls.

Behind the success of this man are two names — his wife and Shiv Kumar Batalvi

Man of words: Govardhan Gabbi

What does it take one to be an academician, engineer, poet, short story writer, columnist and art critic? The answer is passion. And this is what Govardhan Gabbi has in abundance.

With a degree in civil engineering, PGDCA, diploma in film production he is also a promoter of Punjabi literature in and outside the state. As a young Punjabi poet he recently represented India at the SAARC poetry festival. As a young civil engineer, he never dreamt of writing poem till he happened to listen to a soulful rendition of a song penned by Shiv Kumar Batalvi way back in 1992 at his own wedding. Gabbi was enamoured by the rich grandeur of Batalvi’s couplets and the blissful romance he found in his marriage inspired him to write verses.

Gabbi shares his heart-felt moments with Lifestyle, “I was into light vocal music from my childhood. However, I took up classes later under Prabhjot Bali to hone my skill and it was he who inspired me to sing a Shiv Batalvi song at a function,” says Gabbi. “This encouraged me to have a tryst with poems,” he adds.

Born and brought-up in the pastoral ambiance of his sleepy village, near Pathankot, Gabbi grew as a poet of thought and intellect drawing inspirations from the reminiscences of childhood, paternal love, idyllic environment and myriad episodes worth capturing in the poetic ethos of spontaneous interest. His poetic creations have an emotional ring, which are in the close proximity with the realities of life and day-to-day happenings.

She is a diminutive woman, completely unselfconscious and very photogenic. She smiles all the time, talks to the audience with ease without histrionics and whatever she says is personal and for sharing. Her words are simple, sincere and from the depths of her being. She has lived life on her terms and yet moulded it according to the bends and twists along the way. She has a rare sense of humour that encompasses all those she meets. She has no magic formulae for would be authors, housewives or working women. Sudha Murty, "not Murthy," advises everyone to be truthful to themselves and towards others. This alone is the route to a contented life. Money is just an offshoot that helps us to live and let others live.

When Dr Harsh came and asked if I had come to listen to Sudha or had some work at the British Library, I told him I would not miss this talk for anything, even though I have only read excerpts from her books. Mala Sivaram, one of my dearest friends, has always talked about Ms Murthy in hushed tones. After hearing her for 45 minutes, I can understand why Sudha is practical, rooted, with all the earth wires in the right place. Her humility is mind blowing. She answers questions with compassion and aplomb and does not fall prey to flattery, which is our wont. When I was introduced to her, I blurted out childishly, "Your husband is the luckiest man on earth!"

The three golden rules Sudha advocates are: Be honest. Don't be judgemental. Don't be moralistic. All these rules go against our grain. We want to be dishonest because that is where the money lies. We want to be judgmental because it makes us feel superior to others. We constantly preach to and advise others because we consider our experiences unique and once again feel taller than what we are.

Fifteen years ago, Sudha took a dip in the Ganga, which she says was filthy!- to fulfill a promise made to a beloved, departed grandfather. With the baptismal dip she promised never again to spend money on herself. Even the pink sari she wore was gifted by a friend. I suddenly felt ashamed of my cupboard, which spills clothes the moment a door opens. Sudha believes we all learn about life as we move on. What held true thirty years ago is history in the present and needs to change with time. Therefore the working woman of today cannot follow the archaic rules laid down by her parents and in-laws. Can we judge her by the old values or do we need to alter our thinking?

General Mehta thanked Sudha for the 200 computers sent by Infosys to the orphaned children from the Kargil War. A lady wanted to know why Sudha and Narayana did not take up developmental work in Bihar and UP. As Chandigarh is one of the few Northern states where Infosys has made inroads, Sudha was apologetic. She works on developmental projects only where the company exists. But our belief that this wonderful woman can change the destiny of a state speaks volumes in favour of personal endeavour. All those who came into contact with her left changed and moved, a part of her dreams.

The strawberry-shaped decorative lights are passé. They have been overtaken by the Chinese ones in varied shapes: chillies, plums, apples and what have you

These trimmings for Divali decoration have been there since years. Bright and colourful, they actually render meaning to the festival of lights. And yet again, when we went around the city to check out the frills that people are buying to decorate their houses, decorative lights was the obvious choice. And over the passage of time there have been innovations in this quarter too.

The twinkling lights you must have been using since years now look more attractive in varied shapes. "We have light bulbs in 20 different shapes. The strawberry-shaped bulbs that were earlier used as decorative lights are now passé and have been replaced by even more colourful flowers, chilies, plums and apples shaped lights," says Ashok Kumar, owner of Durga Electricals-18. According to him, the ones that are the favourite this season are flower-shaped lights in bright yellow and orange colours. The range of Divali lights starts from Rs100 to 2,500.

For people, who wish to add a pinch of spirituality while decorating their homes, here is an option. Lights in the shape of Om, Swastika and Ek Onkar are available in the market.

And lest we forget, just like in every stream, frills to decorate in Divali have too come from China, giving you a wide variety to pick from. "Chinese lights have given customers a lot of options. Though the designs and colours they come in are diverse, the quality is not as good as that of Indian lights. But people are generally buying Chinese lights, since they are much cheaper than the Indian version," warns Vijay Goel, owner of Vijay Provision Store-20.

If economic recession has affected everything around us, Divali shopping too has taken a back seat this time. J.S.Arora, J.J Electricals and Electronics-18 says, "Enthusiasm for shopping is less this time. Last year, we had already sold half of the stock of decorative lights, but this year the sales have been less." — TNS

As the festive magic begins, the inmates of Old Age Home-15 celebrated the festive glamour with Britannia. The elderly shared moments of joy by lighting diyas, creating colourful rangoli and singing melodies of yester years. The new 'Shubh Kaamnayein' festive range packs from Britannia were also gifted to them.

Speaking on the occasion, Shalini Degan, category director, said, "Britannia 'Shubh Kaamnayein' is designed to add joy to moments, transforming them into delightful memories. We have judiciously packaged and priced this entire range to make it available to everyone who wants to share good wishes. As part of 90th festive anniversary, we present Britannia Shubh Kaamnayein, to add 'zindagi mein life'. It is a special pleasure that we celebrated this occasion at Old Age Home."

Also this Divali bring home the special edition of 'Britannia Premium Assorted Cookies', which is all about surprises, the enchanting discovery of new tastes and innovative packaging. It offers absolutely delightful cookies made with rich ingredients and flavors such as Cranberry, Butter Scotch, Honey Raisin, Choc Chips, Coffee Almond, Cashew, Honey and Almond. — TNS

Apple has introduced a new range of iPods this festive season. With an all-new design, and an amazing set of new features, the world's most popular music player is now available in eight vibrant colours such as silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, and black. You can choose between Nano, Touch, Classic and Shuffle.

The new fourth generation iPod nano sports a curved aluminum enclosure that feels great in your hand, while the large, 2-inch display makes it easy to enjoy movies, and games. With a choice of models, both 8GB and 16GB you may never want to put the iPod nano down.

On iPod Touch you can play games like never before, tap into your music and take the internet with you. It's smaller and lighter, features an amazingly thin contoured metal design, a gorgeous 3.5-inch wide screen glass display, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface is perfect for playing music, movies and games. The new iPod touch works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing customers to automatically create playlists while on the go. — TNS

If you are fond of seafood, Virsa, the specialty restaurant of Hotel Intercontinental-Mohali, is the place to head for. It has whipped up an authentic seafood festival, starting Thursday.

"We Punjabis are fond of seafood," says Sandeep Bhasin, general manager of the hotel. "We have selected the dishes with a lot of care. The menu includes a wide variety of seafood preparations from different regions of India as well as China and Thailand. Through careful balancing of ingredients, our expert chefs have ensured that the original taste of the recipe is retained, while keeping the calorie-conscious happy," he says.

Some of the dishes to look out for are Amritsari sole macchi, steamed masala fish, Chinese fried pomfret, Goan crab curry, Mangalorean fish and prawn vindaloo.

"We are ensuring that we get the best quality fresh fish for the dishes," says Bhasin. — TNS

On till October 31

Releasing in theatres worldwide on this Friday Roadside Romeo marks the foray of Yashraj Films in the genre of animation films in India. The film, which has been written and directed by Jugal Hansraj, also marks the entry of Walt Disney productions in India.

Roadside Romeo revolves around a dog named Romeo (dubbed by Saif Ali Khan whose colourful life is filled with the excitement of having a beautiful girlfriend Laila (dubbed by Kareena Kapoor) and the thrill of having his own street gang.

Romeo has an enjoyable life — a mansion to live in, chicks to party with and cars to be driven around in. Until one day, the family he was the favourite pet of decides to move and leave him behind, abandoned on the mean streets of Mumbai.

Romeo is now faced with situations he has never been in before. He encounters four stray dogs, who scare the daylights out of him. But soon, he smoothly talks his way into their hearts and makes friends.

Then, Romeo finds love! He meets the beautiful, ravishing Laila, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and loses his heart to her at first sight. Finally, he encounters a villain. The dreaded Don of the area Charlie Anna (voiced by Javed Jaffrey).

The film is an adventure ride into how Romeo, in spite of Charlie Anna and his gang, wins friendship, love and a new life - his journey from Romeo to Roadside Romeo!

Disney Consumer Products is geared up to deliver an exceptional product range and content for the latest local offering—Roadside Romeo, apparels, accessories and footwear. The Roadside Romeo apparel collection includes smart T-shirts, skirts and jeans for both boys and girls. DCP has tied up with Catmoss, Bodycare and Lakhani for apparel, innerwear and footwear respectively.

Fine Jewellery: DCP and Popley have come together to launch the Roadside Romeo fine jewellery range which comprises diamond-studded Romeo and Laila pendants.

A special treat for kids, Roadside Romeo school products, stationery and utility items are also on offer, which include Roadside Romeo mugs and motifs capturing the theme of the movie. Also available are toys, storybooks and a comic book titled The Adventures of Romeo & Friends.

Actor Vatsal Seth says he signed Heroes even without looking at the script

After Nanhe Jaisalmer, Vatsal Seth who debuted with Abbas-Mustan- directed Taarzan—The Wonder Car in 2004, is excited about his new film Heroes, which opens this Friday. The film is special for Vatsal because it boasts of an impressive star cast like Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Salmaan Khan, Preity Zinta, Riya Sen, Amrita Arora, Sohail Khan and Dino Morea. Vatsal play the lead role with Sohail.

Talking to Lifestyle, Vatsal said, “I am excited because director Samir Karnik has done a great job. The film is about patriotism among common men.”

Before entering Bollywood, teenagers loved Vatsal as the confused and lovelorn Jai of the tele-serial Just Mohabbat. He was noticed in the Pepsi and Perk commercials with Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. After his two releases, Vatsal has pinned high hopes on Heroes.

“I had so much faith in Samir that I signed the film without as much looking at the script,” he admits. “What a unique subject!” Vatsal exclaims about his new film. “When we were shooting in Punjab, Himachal, there were huge crowds watching the star cast.”

“I am lucky,” he said, “Samir and the producers, Bharat Shah and Vikas Kapoor, treated me like a star. That is why it is so important that I live up to their expectations. Because it is their reputation that is at stake. And, if at all I am appreciated in Heroes, then the credit goes to the producers and director,” he says.

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi says this is the best time to be in Bollywood as actors her age have the choicest roles on a platter

From being sari-clad, teary-eyed melodramatic mothers to smart, strong and independent women - forty plus actresses are having a ball in Bollywood. Seasoned actress Shabana Azmi says this is the best time for women her age to be in Hindi films.

“Earlier, there was hardly any visibility in Bollywood films for women over 40 years except for those cranky, motherly and grandmotherly roles. But today, there are so many different roles on the platter. Basically, with the kind of choices that actresses my age are getting these days, this is a pretty time to be in Bollywood,” Shabana said.

Shabana has dabbled in a melange of powerful roles in Ankur, Mandi, Arth, and Masoom in the past to the more recent films like Godmother, Fire, Hari Bhari, Morning Raga and Dus Kahaniyaan in her career spanning over three decades.

The actress feels she is at the “right place at the right time”. “I am getting delightful roles that can be wicked, naughty, comic as well as usual positive roles,” she said.

Shabana added that she now gets to be a part of light-hearted films like Loins of Punjab Presents and Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd in contrast to the serious roles she is known for in parallel cinema.

“Today filmmakers are offering such a variety of roles - from strong, dramatic and powerful roles, I am also getting offers for comedy. The image of women has changed so much for the better in the industry,” she said.

Before Loins of Punjab Presents and Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd happened, Shabana didn’t have too many comic roles to boast of. Now she will feature in another comic caper titled Sorry Bhai—it has an ensemble cast including Boman Irani, Sanjay Suri, Sharman Joshi and Chitrangada Singh.

“In the film, I play a bossy mother and a wife, but it is a very likeable bossiness. Sorry Bhai is a very sweet and gentle film with a lot of spunk. It pushes the bar to where relationships can be stretched and has a very strong underline of comedy,” explained Shabana.

The film is scheduled for a November release.

She is also kept busy with Kalpvriksh, a children’s film by Manika Sharma for which she was shooting in Ladakh last week.

Ketan Mehta’s forthcoming bilingual film Rang Rasiya, and Colours of Passion in English, will be screened at the 52nd London Film Festival

Director Ketan Mehta’s forthcoming bilingual film, Rang Rasiya, in Hindi, and Colours of Passion, in English, will be screened at the 52nd London Film Festival in Mumbai.

There will be two screenings on October 25 and 30, according to Anand Mahendroo, who has produced the movie along with Deepa Mehta.

The movie is a sensuous love story of the great Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma and his muse, a woman called Suganabai.

Ketan said that the movie also dwells at length on an obscenity case slapped on Raja Ravi Varma by puritans in the late 19th century.

“Though Raja Ravi Varma died in 1906, the film has a contemporary appeal as the conflict between artistic freedom and social taboos that pestered the painter is still a matter of debate in India,” Mehta said.

He cited the example of how the noted Indian artist M.F. Hussain has now become a victim of intolerance and regressive mindset of a section of the society.

“What I mean to say is that, dichotomy still exists in how some influential people who otherwise consider themselves progressive look at the world of art. On the one hand, they feel proud, as they should, about India’s successful moon mission, but on the other hand, they get jitters at the sight of a nude painting,” Mehta explained.

Was that what inspired him to make the movie? “Partly, yes. But I always wanted to make a film on the life of Raja Ravi Varma. When I was at FTII (The Film and Television Institute of India), I studied art as a hobby. What drew me to Varma was the knowledge that the images of our Hindu gods and goddesses that have inscribed on our minds were actually his creation,” he informed. About his choice of artistes for the movie, Mehta said that he never wanted to cast popular stars as they would have overshadowed its theme.

Starring Randeep Hooda, Nandana Sen, Paresh Rawal and Jim Boeven, Rang Rasiya will also be screened at the MIACC Film Festival, organised by Indo-American Arts Council, in New York on November 6 and 8.

The movie is slated for commercial release all over in December. — IANS

On Friday, the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage — Movies, Alliance Francaise is holding a special projection of a documentary of portraits by European artists at 11 am. The film that runs 45 minutes with English subtitles is a showcase of the various moments during the construction of Europe. The film made by Hughes Nancy has the story narrated in impressionistic way. A montage of archives and music the movie presents ‘moments of Europe’ in a nostalgic and playful way. — TNS