Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra were adjudged for the best actor and actress award at the Best Screen Award ceremony.

Hrithik bagged the award for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar while Priyanka for Fashion made by Madhur Bhandarkar.

The best director award was shared by Ashutosh Gowariker for Jodhaa Akbar and Neeraj Pandey for A Wednesday'. Jodhaa Akbar also bagged the award for the best film of the year 2008.

Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar were honoured with Nokia Popular Viewers' Choice awards for Singh is Kinng and Jodhaa Akbar respectively. Akshay Kumar, however, left the viewers and organisers in disbelief by dedicating the award to Aamir Khan for his performance in Ghajini.

When called upon the stage, Akshay, said he watched Ghajini and felt that Aamir deserved this honour and left the stage without collecting the trophy dedicating it to Aamir.

Tushar Kapoor bagged best supporting actor in the male category for Golmaal Returns and Sahana Goswami received the award in female category for Rock On!. Farhan Akhtar was named as best debut male actor for Rock On and Asin for Ghajini. A R Rehman, who recently bagged the prestigious golden Globe award in US for his original music in the forthcoming movie Slumdog Millionaire, was bestowed with best background score for Jodhaa Akbar. Apart from sharing the best director award, Neeraj Pandey also received the best story award for his debut film A Wednesday. Priyanka Chopra was conspicuous by her absence at the ceremony while Hrithik and Aishwarya were present. —PTI 

The film produced by Mukesh Bhatt, directed by Mohit Suri and stars actors Emraan Hashmi, Adhyayan Suman and Kangna Ranaut. Dispelling any resemblance, the earlier Bollywood flick Raaz which in many ways super headed the birth of experimental cinema within Bollywood making the world of supernatural fair game for Indian film-makers and combined horror with romance, Bollywood actor, Suman said that the narrative of this film was very different.

"This film is completely different, the star cast is different, the director is different and everything about the film is different. There is no similarity between the earlier Raaz and this Raaz," said Suman.

The film essays the story of an artist Prithvi, who experiences mysterious and distressing visions about Nandita, a woman he has never met, while he paints on canvas. Intrigued by these visions, Prithvi tracks her down and warns her that these are not merely paintings of her, but accidents that are waiting to happen.

Initially, Nandita refuses to believe him but the striking resemblance between Prithvi's paintings and the near - death incidents in her life is hard to ignore. Kangna who is also Suman's love interest in real life these days said that they have portrayed the emotions demanded by the script on screen keeping their personal chemistry at bay.

"The chemistry of the characters that we have portrayed in this film was according to the demand of the script. We have not portrayed the chemistry of the lovers like we are in the real life. I think the way Adhyayan treats me in real life is very personal," said Kangna.

The film is slated for January 23 release. —ANI

Bollywood star Bipasha Basu's role in Rahul Dholakia directed Lamhaa doesn't portray the life of a woman Kashmiri separatist leader Asiya Andrabi, the director said.

The denial comes after media reports that Bipasha plays the role which resembles Andrabi, the chief of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat outfit, who had threatened to launch a legal action against the filmmaker.

"Bipasha's role in my film is not even remotely connected with the life of Asiya Andrabi," Dholakia, who is currently shooting the movie in the Kashmir Valley.

"Asiya's life is so amazing that if anyone ever wanted to portray it in a film, the entire movie would have to be based on it," Dholakia said.

"My film is an absolutely positive film about Kashmir and its people. We have been shooting the film at various locations in both uptown and old city areas of Srinagar and the response of the people here has been encouraging," he said.

"In fact, hundreds of fans of Sanjay Dutt have been turning out to watch the shooting at different locations." On his earlier disturbing experience, Dholakia said. —IANS

Anupam Kher said that the success of Slumdog Millionaire, a British-produced film with an all-Indian cast based on a novel written by an Indian author, had given increased credibility to the country's film industry.

"This is the golden period of Indian cinema," Kher said, while on a visit to his acting school in west London, dubbed a "Bollywood Academy".

"Audiences are much more educated now. Any cinema anywhere in the world, in any country, depends on what kind of audience they are catering to, because it is a business also.

He continued: "It's only going to get better now, because I don't think audiences are going to get regressive. They are going to be progressing throughout." Asked whether, on the heels of Slumdog, a fully-Indian film could win plaudits and achieve success worldwide, Kher was unequivocal: "Of course it's going to happen." "Most of our films, they may be not English-language films, but they are movies that are being made now which are of international standard and they are doing wonderful business and also getting critical acclaim." —AFP 

Who can forget Mandira Bedi and her noodle strap blouses that became an overnight rage, or for that matter Kajol flaunting her back in a red-hot blouse in Sooraj hua matham? Sexy backless blouse are a real eye catcher and you bet every women’s dream to get into one. After all, you wouldn’t want to ruin the entire look of the drape by wearing a matching traditional blouse. So, all you women who have an awesome back and want to flaunt it, backless blouses with a perfect drape is all that you need. But don’t forget to polish your back or add a little more jazz by getting a small tattoo (probably artificial) done on the back. Hey! you look sexy in that black back-knotted blouse. 

“And classy too,” says Ritu Kochhar, head (Corporate), INIFD-8. “Lycra, chiffon blouses look really good in a backless blouse with a dori and beads hanging at the back. Most women these days prefer backless blouses, which are side zipped and padded in the front.” The only goof-up that most women end up doing with a backless blouse is that they get it made high. “Backless blouses should also always be made low. Besides, the padded cups should be in the right place, so that it does not look odd.”

Well, ladies, you can throw away all the traditional matching blouses and get yourself a sensuous blouse that you can flaunt in style. And you needn’t cover your shoulders with pallu, just flaunt them with oomph.

“Indian saris look amazing if teamed with backless blouses in various cuts,” offers Manu Sidhu, designer. “Noodle-strap blouses, criss-crossing ones, halter blouses, which gather in front, back-buttoned blouses go really well with chiffon saris.” Nevertheless, Manu feels that only women who can carry such blouses should go for one. “I have often seen women fidgeting with their straps, because they are not comfortable in them. In that case, instead of thin straps, you can go for thick-strapped backless blouses. If, you are still not comfortable, a tube top blouse is the perfect choice.” 

Now that you have chosen a perfect backless blouse to team up with your new sari, it’s time to handpick the right jewellery. And never overdo the jewellery bit. The idea is lesser the better. With backless blouses you should ideally wear a light neckpiece. Chunky jewellery is a big no no. “A diamond pendant or neckpiece looks classy and enchanting with a backless deep neck blouse,” says Ritu. Look stunning in a sexy backless blouse and flaunt it right.jasmine@tribunemail.com

Banne Channe, a collection of articles on various socio-political global developments, penned by acclaimed Punjabi writer Ripudaman Singh Roop was released at Kala Bhawan-16 by the Punjabi Lekhak Sabha in association with the Punjab Sahit Akademi. 

Having a vast experience in trade unionism and a practicing lawyer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Roop has so far penned four story collections in Punjabi — Dil di Agg (1979), Bahane Bahane (1993), Badmash (2002) and Opri Hawa (2007) and one poetry collection Rani Rutt (1991). 

Roop senses the globalisation and world politics from the angle of his Marxist ideology and vision, which he graciously admits to have imbibed from his internationally acclaimed elder sibling Santokh Singh Dhir.

Through his collection of about one and a half articles written over the past one and a half decade, Roop has endeavored to address many issues like, future of Communist movement and left unity, literature, education, mother tongue, employees’ movement, analysis of Indian and International socio-political scenario in context with the concept of globalisation. —TNS

1965 — It was a memorable year in many respects. Shirley Maclaine was visiting “Lumpy” Dorji, brother of the King of Bhutan. She was looking for her still nascent spirituality. Miss World, Reita Faria, was visiting a lowly planter in the Dooars, West Bengal. All was hunky dory in Mera Bharat Mahan. Across the border, in East Pakistan, the populace was furious with their namesakes from the West and contemplated forming a new nation. Why the British played God and created such strange land holdings, will never be understood. As the masters were least bothered, hordes of Bangladeshis crossed India’s porous borders with cattle and their meagre belongings. Ever conscious of our vote banks, we allowed this human flotsam to settle on arid, non-productive land. 

The planter, closeted with Miss World, had a hard time with the handful of pilots who flew over the tea estate, dropping notes tied to stones, with cryptic messages like “Meet me at the club,” or “Come dance with me!” The planter was not amused at this infringement of his rights and often thought of taking pot shots at the low flying craft. But the good Lord above had different plans for his errant creations. 

Mid-August 1965, the North East was hit by a flood. It rained continuously for 10 days and nights. The gauge recorded 110 inches. Bhutan’s mountains looked clawed by a giant cat. Silt rose to 9’. The river Kalra made Jalpaiguri look like a huge lake of dinosauric dimensions; bridges crumbled like soggy biscuits; humanity and cattle swirled away in the turbid waters. The aircraft, which had thrown messages a week earlier — dropped food and medicine instead. Ms Maclaine, on her way home to the USA, was marooned on a tea estate, much to the delight of the occupants. Prof Choudhry, Manager Toorsa Estate, jealously guarded his prize celebrity and allowed brief glimpses of the star to the Airforce and other planters. 

The Indian Tea Association sent out volunteers on emergency duty. They tied handkerchiefs soaked in rum over their noses and mouths, as they pulled carcasses from the clinging, glue-like soil. One of the planters still recalls the nauseating smell, which no amount of deodorant or soap could remove; the hissing sound of bloated bodies; the lack of appetite at meal times; the whiskey pushed down a gullet to blank out horrific memories. 

It took years for Bhutan, Jalpaiguri, Mainaguri and Dhupguri to limp back to normalcy. Families, homes, land records, tea bushes, forests, cattle, heritage buildings, were obliterated in one fell swoop. Ms Maclaine’s experience was recorded in the September ’65 issue of Time. Ms Faria had seen one flood too many and disappeared from the young planter’s life. As the Army set up temporary pontoon bridges, people crossed them and picked up the threads of their broken lives to weave them back into some shape. There were many unsung heroes in this massive tragedy but no TV crews or newspaper reporters to record the tragedy.