|
|
|
|
|
No room for mistake
If Chetan Bhagat has a loyal fan, then it has to be Atul Agnihotri, the actor-turned-director. Not only he religiously reads his books, he takes it pretty seriously and then captures the characters in his reels. And whether it fairs well or not, the director will not leave his loyalty towards the young writer. You need evidence? Here is Atul, traveling with the producers of Salman’s home production London Dreams, gives us one and tells us why. “I enjoy reading Chetan Bhagat,” says Atul. “I can relate to whatever he writes, which is why I am inclined to make a movie on it.” Reading must be an obvious passion with this humble actor-director? “Yes, I love to read. Some books are inspiring and the reason I like to adapt them into films. Now, I plan to make a movie on Chetan Bhagat’s next book, 3 Mistakes of My Life.” Need we say more about this is hard-core bookie!! But then we have other images of Atul — the once ‘chocolate hero’ of the industry, who danced, sang, ran around trees, like any other hero. And underpaid too, like any other ‘not so happening’ actors in the industry. Atul smiles, “Yes. I came into films at the age of 20, and did almost 17 films. But then I realised there was no room for creativity. Besides, I was never ambitious to become a superstar. So, I decided to shift to direction.” According to Atul, he assisted Pankaj Prashar before joining films. “I always had an inclination for direction and the reason I shifted to it about six years back.” Here it comes, almost naturally, the name Salman Khan. “We really get along well. He is a great human being and the most normal person I have ever come across. Stardom hasn’t affected him one bit. Salman is what Salman is, no frills,” offers Atul, who likes to make emotional dramas. From Salman Khan to Alvira, his betterhalf and Salman’s sister. Does she need any more introduction? Of course. Alvira is a stylist and she does styling for all Salman Khan films and her brother. “I started styling with Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, followed by Yuvraaj. Now, I am doing London Dreams,” beams Alvira, who defines her romance with Atul as love at first sight, almost 14 years back. “Styling is a hobby. It’s the kids back home, who keep me busy and on my toes 24X7.” As far her Sallu bhai is concerned, Alvira feels he has a style of his own. “He does not throw weight around. He is a hassle-free guy, a complete family type.” jasmine@tribunemail.com
|
|
Face value
When it comes to frenzy, there is no dearth of it in this country. Frenzy, which is cheering, frenzy that can turn rowdy, and frenzy that can sway the nation’s opinion at any point of time. This is the same frenzy that can make or break anything. And when this madness is directed at some actor, like making a fan club, you can imagine what it is like.
A similar madness gawks at us through the popular interactive site Orkut. Umpteen communities dedicated to actors, cricketers, comedians and musicians and each one has dedicated fans, who have virtually taken up the onus to spread good words about their favourite people. One actor who has a maximum fan following on the face book is Aamir Khan and with Ghajini, he is certainly the most talked-about actor on the Orkut. Fans talking about him, sharing his biography, telling each other how good Ghajini is and even planning to dedicate a building or monument to his name, and some even saying how they have named their twins Aamir and Aamir Chotey! Did we say there is no dearth of madness in the country? Says Samir Dhaiya, a commerce student from Sector-32, “I was zapped to see the number of fan clubs, dedicated to this actor. Almost 1,77,737 communities solely dedicated to the chocolaty hero.” From leaving all kinds of scraps to collecting pictures of the actor to asking the government to nominate him for the Oscar, the fans are doing everything possible. Next, comes Shah Rukh Khan and another zillion sites for him as well. With almost 78,768 clicks every day, the actor again has humongous fan following. “Fans all across the globe have created sites for Shah Rukh,” offers Simran Sethi, a regular on Orkut. “He is the most-discussed actor. Fans talk about his old, upcoming projects, new look, what he should be doing for the IPL, what he shouldn’t. Some even leave their sincere advice asking him to retire at the right time. Not only this, there are some who suggest ‘Shahrukh it’s time to launch Aryan (his son)’,” she laughs. But it is not only the Khans who have dedicated fans, Akshaay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, and newcomers like Harman Baweja, too have people discussing them at large. Moving from filmi fans to other communities on Sourabh Ganguly, Diego Marodona, Cyrus Broacha, Raju Srivastava, Gurdas Maan are also quiet popular. And then, we have Rahul Gandhi fan clubs. Youngsters discussing at length how dynamic the leader is and how he can change the face of the country. Now, all the actors, sportstars, politicians should check such sites to know what people have to say about them. |
|
In Jiah’s nest
Bollywood starlet Jiah Khan is the latest celebrity for PETA's campaign against glass coated kite strings, which are injurious to birds. The actor, who recently starred in blockbuster Ghajini, is dressed as a wounded bird wrapped in kite string and next to the tagline Cut the Glass-Coated Manja, Not Birds in the new advertisement for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Shot by ace photographer Farrokh Chothia the new ad coincides with the festival of Makar Sankranti, which is also traditionally the time when people fly kites. "Glass coated manja is a public health hazard and causes an excruciating death for birds who get entangled in it," Jiah said in a statement. "We're asking participants in the Makar Sankranthi contests and all kite-flying competitors to immediately stop using glass-coated manja and to conduct their sport in a way that isn't deadly to humans and wildlife," she said. Apart from actors like Shilpa Shetty, John Abraham, Celina Jaitely and Anushka Shankar have previously worked with the organisation. —PTI
|
|
NEW RELEASES Robin Bansal Ketan Mehta's bilingual Rang Rasiya is courting controversy for the number of sensuous scenes it has, but lead actor Randeep Hooda says it is worth watching despite the passionate portrayals. "There are no such hot scenes in the film that cannot be watched. It has some kissing scenes and a few semi-nude scenes, but it has been cleared by the censor board," Randeep said. "It's an epic movie of grand proportions with emotions, softness and everything. It's a must-watch and I am sure people will take it back home with them," he added. Based on Marathi author Ranjit Desai's novel, Rang Rasiya is the love story of 19th century painter Raja Ravi Varma and his ethereal muse Sugandha, played by Nandana Sen. Randeep plays the visionary painter, who was also a great admirer of the female form and hence the string of sensuous scenes between him and Nandana in the movie. Releasing January 30, the biopic is titled Colours of Passion in English. Both versions have been produced by Anand Mahendroo along with Mehta's actor wife Deepa Sahi. Randeep, who was seen in films like D and Ru-Ba-Ru", says the film is more about a man's ordeal to survive and flourish in life than about the painter. An otherwise chiselled Randeep also had to put on 20 kilos to portray Varma in the film. His other forthcoming projects include Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye, Love Khichdi and Khusarprasad Ka Bhoot. —IANS
|
|
Action king of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar, will anchor the new season of MTV Network's popular show, MTV Roadies: Hell Down Under, which will go on air from January 10. The 20 chosen Roadies will get to meet Akshay Kumar, who will give them their first task, a commando obstacle race. While sharing his experiences during the making of his latest film, Chandni Chowk to China, he will introduce the Roadies to a new tougher terrain and unthinkable tasks. In the first episode, Raghu will make a surprise entry and divide them into groups, before making them do a task decided by the Khiladiyon ka Khiladi Akshay Kumar. This season, the stakes are higher as the prize money has been doubled from Rs five lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The Roadies will flag off their journey from New Delhi and will travel further down to Udaipur, Ahmedabad and Silvassa. The show will get more gruelling for the Roadies as they will fly to Adelaide in Australia. From there, their journey will continue to Broken Hill, Gold Coast and Coffs Harbour to name a few. For the 20 chosen ones, MTV Roadies: Hell Down Under is going to be a once-in-lifetime experience and a dream-come-true for most, a release said here today. — UNI
|
|
A musical mix
Piya Piya: This is an unusual album, considering that it cannot be straightaway branded as classical or folk or contemporary or whatever because it is an amalgamation of many styles. That is but natural when you bring together on one platform such myriad singers as Ustad Sultan Khan, Roop Kumar Rathod, Richa Sharma, Harshdeep, Vasu Rampal, Hanif Khan, Tarannum, L. Narayan, Vasant, Pt Bhawani Shankar, Uma Shankar, Pratik and Tochi. In fact, every song is a distinct entity. Lyrics are by L. Narayan who has also lent his voice to three of the eight songs. Music is by Laxmi and Vasant who are also the producers along with Promod. It is a good departure from the filmy music that is belted out these days in many private albums. The title song is right there as the opening number. It has been sung by Ustad Sultan Khan along with Hanif Khan and Tarannum. The next song, Chithiyan…, is the weakest link in the album, because Richa Sharma tends to be rather squeaky here. On the other hand, Harshdip gives a good account of herself in Sajan aayo re… along with L. Narayan and Vasant. The song with a Rajasthani touch makes pleasant listening. Jhir mir jhir mir… has Roop Kumar Rathod pitted against Pt Bhawani Shankar. It is a good pairing. Vasu Rampal and Tarannum sing two duets, Jisko dekha… and Tuta tuta. We will be hearing these two singers more often in future, it seems. Soniye mithi mithi … has an unusual beat, which has been put to good use by L. Narayan, Uma Shankar and Pratik. Tuta tuta is the only song, which also has a remix version, in which Tochi joins in with these two singers. Prashant Jugal's violin is masterly. The lyrics of Dholne ve … (Anita, L. Narayan, Hanif and Tarannum) are conventional like most other songs, but the tune has western pretensions with a bit of rap also in the beginning. Overall, a good diversion from the assembly-line music. Music for soul
Unforgettable Sufis: This album brings together poetry of mystic poets Kabir and Hazrat Amir Kusrau. It has been sung by noted sitar player and vocalist Ustad Shujaat Khan, son of the master sitarist ustad Vilayat Khan. There cannot be better proponents of mystical philosophy than Kabir and Hazrat Amir Kusrau. Their musical ecstasy has been brought to life by Shujaat, who is as good a vocalist as he is a sitar player. Their evocative lyrics have been wedded with the melody of Indian classical music. He sings six bhajans of Kabir and four of Amir Khusrau. There are such eternal gems as Humka udhave jab chadariya…, Man laago mero…, Chunri mein pad gayo..., Moko kahan dhunde re Bande…. and Rehna nahi is desh mein… from Kabir and Chhap tilak sab chheeni re…, Piya ghar aye…., Sej vo sooni… and Tohri surat ke… from the pen of Amir. Then there is also an instrumental track. Enchanted Strings: This album is also by Ustad Shujaat Khan in which he presents a mesmerising performance of Raga Bageshri, the popular raga of the late night. It depicts the longing to be in communion with the beloved. Belived to have been sung first by Mian Tansen, the celebrated court singer of Emperor Akbar, the enchanting raga showers joy galore.
—ASC |
Filmi 1.Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Yash Raj Music 2.Ghajini T-Series 3.Lucky Oye! Oye Lucky T-Series 4.Dostana Yash Raj Music 5.Raaz Sony 6.Yuvraaj T-Series 7.Chandni Chowk to China T-Series 8.Fashion T-Series 9.Luck By Chance Big Music 10.Dev D T-Series
1.Teri Justajoo Various Artists (Sony) 2.Sufi Rocks Various Artists (Times Music) 3.Ghalib By Abida Abida Praveen (Times Music) 4.Taabeer - Shafqat Amanat, Ali Khan (Times Music) 5.Charkha- Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Sa Re Ga Ma) 6.Kisi Roz Milo - Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Nurpur Music) 7.Farmaish Various Artists (Sony) 8.Sufi Jannat Various Artists (Tips) 9.Yaad Piya Ki Wadali Bros (Times Music) 10.Sufi Maestro Various Artists (Times Music) Courtesy - Chandigarh Music Centre-18
|
|
Black magic
It's mystical, bewitching and bold. Sinfully sexy, yet soberly somber. Black signifies darkness, courage and adds charm to the all so-bright wardrobe. Colour of graduation and at the same time of glamour, it's black and it's back.
And with the winter here, the colour itself casts a magical spell, but we wonder is our city ready for the black magic. "Black is an evergreen colour and defines class. It is the only colour that can step in and out of the wardrobe time and again and still never look obsolete. And it's the variety of deep dark tones that is in this season," says Babi Grewal, fashion designer, Babi's-8. She adds, "Black is a universal colour and it has gained so much importance that people are even going for this colour even for wedding receptions." And if you want to know the right hue, then from dusky to smoky, to jet to inky, from black to blacker and all shades of grey are, what one should look out for. Combine different textures and fabrics to create a illusion-matt of velvet and shiny of leather, sparkle of lurex and slink of silk, glitter of metallic and sobriety of linen - mix and match is the key word. While designers like Rocky S and Manish Malhotra have hailed this colour as the colour of the season, our city designers too are going the same way as according to them black is a much-liked colour for the Punjabis too. "Black is definitely in. Though Punjabis are in love with bright hues but young girls and women in their 30s, are game for black. Beyond that women prefer brighter hues," says Simple, fashion designer from Sector 35. Simple who caters to a large NRI clients, says, "Punjabis, especially those from Canada and the US, love to wear black." Ask her about dressing one up in black and she says, "It's a universal colour and goes well with any bright hue. And with fashion taking a u-turn, people love to mix and match things." She gives her tips, "If you are wearing a black trouser, you can wear magenta shoes or carry a bright pink bag to enhance your look. Likewise a kurti can be teamed with any bright colour churidar for the dashing look." "Choices are no longer limited to red and black only. People are experimenting with varied tones of a single colour. No doubt black is a hot favourite and people like to wear it on all occasions. It is one colour that never goes out of fashion," says Seema Sharma, fashion designer, Impressions-19. jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com |
|
Twist in the sale
Just mention the word sale and it's possible to awaken shopaholics even from their graves. Mind it, no exaggeration! The seasonal ritual that makes one have 'more for less' or pay 'less for same' is no less than biannual tradition. What else? Big or small, niche or abstract, hardly any company has had the power to resist. So when logos that would rather be dead before being called people's brand, put up sale, it makes us sit up. Let's explore, what's going on? At Esprit, the clothing company originally from San Francisco, the guys like to twist it a bit. They recently introduced the concept of midnight sale, where their club members could experience a preview sale. Geet Sethi, regional manager, north, Esprit, says, "Before we throw ourselves open to people at large, we hold a special preview where it's exclusive to the platinum and red card holders." It's not very often that the timings of sale are from 5 pm to midnight. She adds, "It's for select clientele, and this way they can also come and shop after dinner." They are not the only ones in the city; many of their ilk are following suit. But while in the process of pleasing the 'value for money' brigade, don't they fear losing out on their image and 'limited edition lovers'? Answers Geet, "At Esprit, we unveil a new collection every month. On sale one would generally find five months old stuff. So, that's where the difference lies." While at Samsaara, Taj-17, there are never end to it. Says Divya Kapoor, store manager, "Even for a luxury brand, there's a shelf-life for a product. Moreover, these things are to make customers happy, because there's a psychological feel good factor associated with sales." From making customers happy to getting rid of stock, functions of sales cannot be ignored. The ways and means may differ. As Ruchika Singh, store manager for Just Cavalli, Delhi, who'll be holding an exhibition on brands Kenzo, Paul Smith and Just Cavalli, says, "Our sales are for limited period only and, it's not open to all. We hold special preview for customers." While there are some high-end names that mean strict exclusivity and are not ready to compromise. Mont Blanc, has a history of not going on sale. Anahita Mehra, the boutique manager, at shopping arcade, Taj-17, says, "Sometimes, during holiday season we have special promotions and for that the decision comes from Germany." And yes, if at all they hold discounts then it is only at their Mumbai boutique and strictly by invitation. No wonder, sale too carries a price tag for the brand. As Anahita sums up, "The word luxury and sale never go together." Quite true. manpriya@tribunemail.com
|
|
Lanes The sound of Kabir's music Joyshri Lobo Words are a two-edged sword. Sometimes they build bridges but at other times they wound one to the quick. Even when we talk to each other, words can build confidence or rip it into shreds. Before words, music was our pathway to every heart. Ancient tribes used its power and the animal kingdom lives in harmony because of it. Every oscillating leaf, the soft splash of a drop, the deafening cymbals of thunder, the whirr of wings, the purr of a tiger, the steady pounding of our hearts or the trumpeting of an elephant, all create powerful beats to which we all sway. Joyful music greets our entry into the world and then escorts us as we slip into oblivion. India has a rich and varied tradition of music. Stories, which over the passage of time, morphed into scriptures, are still told through music. Grandmothers sing a baby to sleep with ancestral tales. Great poets and saints live on through the music of their disciples. The Song of David gives us a glimpse of a great thinker-king. Solomon's laws were passed on to generations through poetry enriched by music. Meera Bai's devotion is proven through her compositions, as is Tulsi Das' Ramayan and Guru Nanak's teachings. Music and song have no barriers. They transcend governments, boundaries, distances and languages. Each time we watch the sector-wise Ramlila enacted by rickshaw wallahs, dhobis, illiterate housewives and school children, I realise that music is the one language to bring a warring people together. It is the one thread that runs through millennia, from our days in the trees till today. Somewhere, in our collective consciousness, the musical note joins all the tribes of the world. Prahlad Tipaniya and his group have been photographed and written about in every daily, so I shall not go into his biography, awards or global forays. He is the quintessential guru to his group and also the devoted interpreter of Sant Kabir. Like Sai Baba, Kabir did not flaunt his religion. He sang about the practical rules of every day life in simple words, which were appealing and soothing to an illiterate populace. He sang in parables, comparing a complex human body to a simple potter's creation. Jesus did the same. Their messages are strong and hold true even today. If only we would listen to their teachings! I was first introduced to Kabir's dohas in school. There is a gentle humor there, which appeals to me. Prahlad explains each bhajan in simple Hindustani and then sings with his group to the sound of ancient instruments. His songs would be purer without the harshness of mikes. I closed my eyes, so as not to let anything intrude into the purity of sound. The mind travelled into past centuries and saw silent, swaying groups, mesmerised by the rhythm of the same lyrics, at similar kirtans. Between bhajans, I opened my eyes to savour huge posters of dancing dervishes and captivated audiences. In the golden light, what has been and what is being performed, all merge into one. Time stands still. The past and the present have no defining lines. Prahlad is trying to join the world through his singing. Let's listen to his unifying music. The government is actively encouraging the resurgence of ancient crafts and cultures. The least we can do is take a sip from the rich cup offered us.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Non-filmi