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Ramp
over reel
She is probably the only model who was asked to put on a few kilos for the pageant. And probably, one of the few models who would rather be a Naomi Campbell than Angelina Jolie. Simran Kaur Mundi, Miss India, in town to walk the ramp for The Designer World by Trendzun'ltd at Taj-17 on Friday, goes through the Q sheet and trial session earnestly. This is her profession, and world after all. Nonetheless, she hugs a dream close to her heart. "To be in a corporate world. Something like Bipasha Basu in 'Corporate'," smiles the gossamer skinned girl.
One more, smitten by the larger-than-life cinema. "Not really," she says. I am not looking at movies as an inevitable thing. Besides, I am at the start of my career and I would rather walk the ramp." But she is quick to add, "Who wouldn't want to work with Karan Johar, Farhaan Akhtar or Yash Chopra? If there is something really good then I wouldn't mind giving it a shot." Something like Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Fashion'? "Acting is a challenging work, and I am not trained in it. So, I would like to a start with something basic," adds Simran, who was handpicked by Doris, while she was working with Fame ad labs. What about Fashion the movie? "I have seen the flick. It is good. Like the two sides of the coin, the movie exaggerates some facts. And yes, I don't relate to any character," she puts it clearly. From the world that meets the eye to the backroom where all the action takes places---the greenroom. Laughs she, "It is an unbelievable place buzzing with action. Models have to slip from one dress into another in a 'very' short time. So, while a model walks to the greenroom, she is virtually stripped ready and immediately frisked into another dress." All the commotion, confusion could be lethal for the models, given the fact that they the very next minute they have to walk the ramp, with that perfect poise. Says Simran, "A model cannot afford to look hassled and this getting in and out of dresses comes naturally after a while." Models can handle stress too. But Priyanka Chopra was shown succumbing under the pressure of fame. "I can't comment on anyone, but I like my work and it never bogs me down. In fact, to sit idle at home can make me sick," says Simran, who feels strongly about the blasts in Mumbai. "Awareness amongst the public is the need of the hour," she slips into another world called cellphone. jasmine@tribunemail.com |
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Beauty and books
Why do we bank on clichés? Probably, because they can be related to. So, whenever we see pretty looking model with vital statistics in place, you can't help but muttering, beauty without brains. And then you get talking to model, Nandini Vaid, who defies with cliché with élan and, most importantly, good, functional grey cells. "A talent hunt show on the campus in Delhi set the ball rolling for me," says Nandini. A travel show for Zoom, and then association with Page 3 and Popcorn." Soaked with pancake 24X7, just the right smile, that wee bit of skin show, showing up at the right parties…life is sure happening for models. She brushes aside her hair, "It is a matter of personal choice. It is not mandatory to attend parties or look dolled up all the time. At the same time, models are required to follow professional necessities as well. This means we are expected to look a certain way and not just be shabby." And looking good is not the only thing they invest their time into. "I cannot go to sleep without reading," says Nandini, who loves to be in Chandigarh. I am reading the 'Kite Runner' and I find Jeffrey Archer amazing." We quiet like the mention of a serious reading habit. Mumbai bomb blasts and her take on that? "Some serious soul searching needs to be done and then of course, the need to make the citizens aware," remarks Nandini, who showed her concern for the blasts by participating in the candlelight procession that happened in Mumbai. "My brother, who's in the USA, with a group of friends has collected over Rs 10 Lakh, which they would be donating. Besides, I think each one of us needs to seriously consider the problem and follow it up till it is resolved to the last bit." For that you need a lot of energy. Smiles she, "Ya, I am into power yoga and this really helps me to stay focused, calm and fit at the same time. Unlike the popular belief that models don't eat, I am a foodie. I love to binge." Lastly, we toss up the matter of the heart. Any time for love? "I am a diehard romantic, but 'love' hasn't happened to me. If and when it does, I will take out the time, for sure." Ahem!
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Formula One:
Ask questions, don't compromise and vote for the right leader—the film fraternity, which is still in a state of shock and anger after the terror attacks in Mumabi feels all this will help in putting the derailed system back in place.
According to Shilpa Shetty, "We must immediately accept assistance and advice from other countries who are well-versed with handling terrorism, no shame in that. And we must reduce Z-level security for politicians and their families and use that for the hapless public. But first things first. Increase the salaries of all police and security forces so they don't feel short-changed. This would automatically reduce corruption." Many in the film fraternity opined : "Politicians need to be proactive and not just reactive. Yes, politicians have failed us, and not for the first time. And to top it all, former deputy chief minister R.R. Patil's statement that these 'small incidents happen in big cities' was shocking and careless," said Subhash Ghai. He felt that "what we need are educated, non-avaricious politicians to change the quality of governance. In the next election we all must vote, and vote for the right leaders.” Madhur Bhandarkar felt there was "no point" in pointing fingers at politicians. "The whole machinery has collapsed. The mood this time is different from the other attacks. People are feeling angry and defeated. They want action. And in the coming elections, Mumbaikars will exercise their franchise far more carefully. We'll get a more accountable and responsible government. And we won't let 26/11 happen again in Mumbai," the director contended. "Enough pampering the refugees, migrants and human rights activists who go on, on and on about the homeless," said Raveena Tandon, adding: "We in Mumbai now need to protect our homes. Where were these activists when our innocent Mumbaikars were being killed? They've legalised illegal Bangladeshis, turned a blind eye to infiltration. We have to deport the illegal immigrants. Make the laws tighter and leave no loopholes for terrorism.” "Amend the constitution so that no politician with criminal antecedents is given ticket to contest the elections. Above all, stand united with our Muslim, Marathi, Bihari, Sikh, Christian, Gujarati and Dalit citizens. Let not the world think we're fragmented from inside," Tandon argued. Ranvir Shorey felt "We're now a nation at war. Basic military training should be made mandatory for all of us. If we can't be protected by the people we elect to do so, let's find our own protection. I think there's no hope from the politicians.""May be we can still count on the bureaucracy if the corruption and greed for power that stems from their bosses cease and their work conditions improve," Shorey maintained. According to Irrfan Khan, "We need to wake up to our power to vote and not be swayed by false promises. It's clear that politicians don't do anything unless it enhances their vote bank. We need to look for other means of protecting ourselves. Kunal Kohli said: "We've not been defeated by well-trained terrorists, but by incompetent politicians. We don't want speeches about investigations. We want results, answers, action and accountability." |
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Gay pride
Director Tarun Mansukhani's Dostana has hit the jackpot at the box office and Abhishek Bachchan, who pretends to be a homosexual in the fun flick, is happy to be a gay icon. "I'm very happy with that. Why should I be surprised or shocked? I think homosexuals are as human as anyone else. It's a matter of great pride if I'm their icon," Abhishek said. Abhishek described his pairing with John Abraham in the film as the jodi of the moment. "Other screen couples can go eat their hearts out." His effeminate gestures in Dostana have raised eyebrows and there's talk that his father hasn't liked his character or performance in it. "Why should he take offence? Not at all! The film is not about homosexuality. Dostana isn't Brokeback Mountain. It was just a comedy. My whole family has thoroughly enjoyed it. Who doesn't enjoy a good laugh? It's a normal fun film. Aishwarya (Rai) is very happy it's a big hit...my second big hit of the year after Sarkar Raj," he said. Though Dostana is a fun flick, Abhishek said he slogged while shooting for it. "We had a lot of fun making the film, but we were serious about the making of the film. I worked very hard on the gestures and mannerisms. We, in this country, tend to take comedies frivolously. Good locales, good songs and that's it. In Dostana, I had to work very hard to portray a straight man acting gay. It could easily have gone overboard. I wanted to avoid making the character caricatural. Barring one portion (the flashback about how John met Abhishek), we kept it controlled." This was the toughest character for Abhishek to play. "It's unfortunate these kinds of films aren't taken seriously. It wasn't a character I could sleepwalk through. People think we partied hard while shooting Dostana in Miami (in Florida in the US). Wrong. We worked from early morning till night." Abhishek said he isn't surprised by the success of Dostana. "I knew it was workable when I heard the script. I was convinced it'd be a very entertaining way. We knew the audience would laugh with us, that they wanted something entertaining to get their minds off a hard day's work," he said. The actor said the disappointment of Drona has been wiped away by the success of Dostana. "It's always wonderful to be part of a hit. Dostana was the name of Karan Johar's Dharma Productions' first film and it starred my dad. When Karan and I put our heads together, we spontaneously decided Dostana was the best title for our film." Far from the madding appreciation, Abhishek is enjoying the hit. "It gives you back your self-confidence. I worked very hard on Drona. I felt hugely disappointed when it didn't do well. Drona will always remain close to my heart." Far away in the jungles of Kochi, shooting for Mani Ratnam's movie, Abhishek has had no time to celebrate the success of Dostana. "Of course, we'll have a party when we get back. But at the moment I'm celebrating by doing more quality work." Abhishek next moves to Munnar with Ratnam. "Munnar is where Pa shot Nishabd with Ramu (Ram Gopal Varma)." Reacting to media reports that he wore a cap in Mumbai to hide the special look for Ratnam's film, Abhishek said: "I know Mani is secretive about his characters' look. But there's only so much one can do. An actor has many commitments to fulfil besides the film on hand. I'm sure Mani understands that. No, I wore a cap for no particular reason," he said.
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Artists on a rock song
THE first thing that comes to mind when we say Chandigarh is the rock solid, Rock garden. The spectacular souvenir of artistic masterpiece and inspirational genius of Nek Chand, its fan following crosses all barriers of land and culture. And so the love of art and an experience called Nek Chand's Rock Garden brought these artists from USA, France and Kerala to city on the occasion of Nek Chand's surprise 84 th birthday celebrations. This batch of international volunteers, three artists from USA and three from France, have come across the globe to help create a museum inside the garden and well, experience the art culture in this part of the world. With love, from France
"I find Rock Garden one of the best, not only in India but the world. No where can you come across such a unique combination of art, space and nature," feels Odile Durousseau, an artist from France who deals in public art. "Public art can be anything, paintings, photographs, ceramics," she adds. And it is Odile who designed an outline for the mosaic that these artists are currently working on. Her love and wish to see the Rock garden had first brought her to India, she says and this time she is here with her friend Julie Arnaud and Michel Arnaud, both artists from France. So how's the 'small wonder', as she describes Rock Garden, different from the art culture of France, considered an artists' paradise? "Modern art in France has still not found its ground. You have good artists, but a good platform is lacking. Countries like Germany and USA are much more commercial than France in that respect,' she says. US of Art
But her counterparts from USA beg to differ, "In the US, art lacks the overall feel. Everything there is very formal, anything that sells is art," says Cory Phillips, a young art student from Colorado State University. Though her fellow volunteer from the same university, Nicole Banowetz, a sculptor, feels that that the idea of conceptual art is developing in US. "There is a lot of Green art coming up, with the idea of environment friendly art forms. Earlier it was use and throw, but now its more like use and create art," she laughs. And that where the pioneer of 'art from waste', Nek Chand comes into picture. "He is an inspiration for many young artists back home," says Brett Swanson, a scriptwriter from US, here to attend the workshops. For this threesome from USA, it's a great experience and they are having a time of their life living inside the garden and exploring its artist limits. "We have worked in Kerela before coming here. We did some restoration work on the sculptures that fell prey to vandalism. And now in Chandigarh, its an altogether different thing," says Nicole. As for Brett, this is a different ball game altogether. "Being a writer, I am used to work on my imagination. But there you have to put in extra effort to give shape to your imagination which needs physical work as well," he says. And apart from the art couture, what strike these youngsters is the landscape and the 'open' atmosphere of the city. "There is a stark difference between Kerela and Chandigarh, the way people dress, especially women, the weather and everything around," says Brett.
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Brothers in arms
To invoke history, tradition or folk culture through theatre is one thing but addressing problems of the grassroots level to the top is quite a different endeavor. This is a passion that drives renowned theatre activist Bhanu Bharti.
A gold medallist of 1973 batch (direction) from the National School of Drama, Bhanu has occupied several prestigious positions, including founder head of the Drama Department of Rajasthan University, director of Shri Ram Centre for Art and Culture, Delhi and chairman of the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi. Bharti had studied the Noh and Kabaki classical theatre forms at the University of Tokyo. The influence of his illustrious brother and mentor Mohan Maharishi, is evident in his works. His production Pashu Gayatri, which was the result of his research on tribesmen, is one of the most imaginative theatrical pieces, Indian in sensibility, content and form. Credited with directorial elegance of over 70 classic plays during his career spanning over four decades, Bharti has been at the helm of affairs of the Bharat Utsav in Delhi and the National Folk Dance Festival as the creative director. In the city for finalising the project cites, Bharti says the national folk dance festival, Lok Tarang, which was earlier held in New Delhi will now be held in Chandigarh and Jaipur. As many 600 folk dancers and musicians, will display the diverse regional culture in the mega event jointly organised by all the seven zonal cultural centres. Divulging the very aim of the festival, he says, this is to ensure that the traditional flavour of the country is not lost in the India Shining concept. Bharti says professional theatre is not merely about ticketing a show but involvement of the public and private sector. He, however, rules out any damage to its credence or popularity due to the spurt of TV serials. Rather the rona dhona serials have augmented the love for theatre, which offers an engrossing entertainment and the current issues of socio-political relevance. |
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Appetit Walnuts for wellness Kandla Nijhowne
350 gm dried apricots (soft, juicy variety) 250 gm butter 250 gm powdered sugar pinch of salt 1 tsp vanilla 6 eggs 300 gm maida 1 teaspoon baking powder 4-6 tablespoons milk 125 gm cream 4 tbsp powdered sugar 75 gm walnuts, chopped Method Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease a cake tin with some butter and dust well with flour. Chop the apricots, dust with a spoonful of maida and keep aside. In a mixing bowl whisk the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until the batter is smooth and creamy. Add the four eggs one by one, beating after each addition. Sift the baking powder and flour together and add to the batter, alternately with the milk, folding and stirring after each addition. Finally, stir in ¾ of the walnuts, pour the batter into the cake tin and smooth the surface. Spread the apricots evenly over the batter. In a smaller mixing bowl quickly beat the cream, four tablespoons sugar and two eggs. Pour this mixture over the apricots. Sprinkle with the remaining walnuts and bake for 30-35 minutes. Take out and cool before slicing. You can even substitute the apricots with 500 gm fresh, purple grapes or pineapple segments.
¾ cup walnut halves 250 gm chopped lettuce and cabbage 2 oranges, peeled and sectioned ½ cup sliced spring onion ¼ cup olive oil 2/3 cup orange juice ¼ cup sugar 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard ¼ tsp dried oregano ¼ tsp pepper ½- ¾ cup crumbled cheese or paneer Method Place the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat. Roast for five
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Swaras for the slain
Before kicking off a thrilling live performance, Pakistani Sufi singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan dedicated the evening to the victims of the Mumbai terror strikes. The famous singer of many hit Bollywood songs expressed sadness at the loss of lives and expressed solidarity with the family of the deceased. "Murder of an innocent is like murder of entire humanity," he said, before his live performance. A one-minute silence was also observed before the concert - Sufiana the Revival Sounds of the Soul - got underway. The singer, who has several recent Bollywood hit numbers to his credit, later enthralled a fully packed audience with his soulful numbers. His songs ranged from ghazals to qawwalis interspersed with his recent Bollywood hits. Rahat presented his most popular number, Jiya dhadak dhadak jaaye twice from the film Kalyug apart from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's composition Damadam mast qalandar, Mera piya ghar aaya and Aafreen Aafreen.
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Katrina Kaif learnt to play the cello for her role in recently released Yuvvraaj, but couldn't master the instrument. She says she would love to take more lessons but her busy schedule doesn't allow her to do so. "I have learnt how to play a bit of the cello. In terms of making the correct sound, it needs more time, but it is not possible for me to dedicate three years to master it," Katrina said. The actress explained that the film didn't require her to master the art of playing the cello, as it wasn't a biography of a cello player. "My character happened to be a cello player in the film and I just had to get the right posture for it to look visually correct," she added. The film, also starring Salman Khan, Zayed Khan and Anil Kapoor, didn't appeal to the audience.
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Few foods are as nutritiously complete and good for the human body as walnuts. They have not only been called 'brain foods' because of their brain-like appearance, but also because they contain high amounts of omega-3 fats which are essential for your brain cells to function properly. Walnuts also help lower your 'bad' cholesterol while preserving levels of 'good' cholesterol, and that, in turn, leads to a healthier heart. Medical research has proven that intake of walnuts could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Some of us dislike its rancid irritant that coats the throat and tongue, so chop them small and use them nevertheless! They are a delicious way to add extra nutrition, flavor and crunch to a meal, so always keep a packet handy in you kitchen cupboard!
Apricot and walnut cake
Walnut-Orange Salad