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Comic turn
He did a Johnny Lever in comedy shows, a Rakhi Sawant in item numbers and now is excited to do a Govinda in the coming days. Comedian Khayali just doesn’t believe in saying no to anything without giving it a try and has reasons, “Success hasn’t come easy to me. It has taught me many lessons of life, one of which is humility. Declining offers would suggest I am taking success for granted.” For a change, we saw the comedian doing some serious talk. No surprise that he is happy about doing even item numbers in the movies. “I have done it in Bhootni ke track of the movie Singh is Kingg and will now be seen only in an item number in the upcoming flick, Meri Padosan,” Despite this, the fact still remains that he has got two left feet. “Audiences enjoy it and so do I. I won’t mind people calling me the ‘item boy of Bollywood.’ Hope they will like the Rakhi Sawant in me.” And we realised the comedian in Khayali was back. In the city on Wednesday to announce the making of Rukee Padge, a Haryanvi film, with which he will making his debut as a lead actor, Khayali talked about it at a stretch, “It is a laugh riot and promises entertainment.” Letting us know more about the movie, he says “I play a character of a servant who can do anything for the happiness of his masters. It is similar to the what Rajesh Khanna was in Bawarchi and Govinda was in Hero No.1.” The language was never a problem for him, “Most of the comedy that I do is in Haryanvi language and for this reason the state government has twice honoured me. Laughter Challenge, Comedy Circus and now Choote Miyan, Bade Miya, Khayali has now worked in comedy shows with varying concepts and feels that this helps him grow as a comedian and an actor, “It is easier to perform in a solo show where you need not worry about the comic timing of the other performer. But at the same time, that has taught me how to act in movies, as the situation is somewhat similar there.” He sees comedy as an entertainment industry in itself, “Do you see a saas- bahu saga or a love story running on a news channel? Even action heroes in the industry love to do comic roles. Also, the latest trend is now television stars are vying to be a part of comedy show. This entertainment genre seems to be ever expanding.” Before signing off comes an admission from him, “I cannot make people cry. Whether it is dancing or acting, comedy has to be there, as people too like me making them laugh.” Well, even after the Rakhi Sawant or Govinda act, Khayali ends up just being the comedian Khayali.
Bad boy
"You don't need a good face to grab the role of a villain in a movie. Bad looks help at times, just the way they helped me," comes from Sikander Saroha, villain in the movie, Rukke Padge. Avid fan of yesteryear's villain Danny, he will be next seen in the Hindi movie, 6 December.
When it comes to quality art, language is hardly a barrier. And it is this thought that convinced Ved Prakash to make Rukke Padge, a Haryanvi film, "If the movie is entertaining, it will be watched by every cinema buff irrespective of the language it is made in." He also feels the movie will be the changing face of Haryanvi cinema, "I am determined to release this movie in the multiplexes of north India." Rejecting the notion that regional cinema cannot compete with the mainstream cinema, he cites the example of Bhojpuri and Tamil films, "Bhojpuri films make a lot of business and are very popular just as the Tamil cinema. It is just in the Hindi speaking northern region of India, where in regional cinema is not taken very seriously." ashima@tribunemail.com |
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Character with a cause
Harish, on his trip to the city, shares his experience of working in Mumbai. A graduate in arts and a regular theatre artiste, Harish is proud of being trained in acting under Sardar Gursharan Singh: “Although, I do not have any formal training in acting, I gained practical experience in theatre. So far, I have acted in around 70 plays.” His tele career began with a Punjabi serial and an audition that bagged him a role in Lado… “I have a major role in the serial in which I play Avtaar Singh. It’s a serial addressing female infanticide. In theatre, too, I worked on a similar theme in Kavita da katal. Another play, Laung gavacha, was about women’s empowerment. I feel that plays and serials dealing with social evils are a step in the right direction.” Curious, we ask how is life like in Mumbai: “It’s very different from Chandigarh for sure. The weather is different, so are the people and their attitudes. It’s not like the laid-back life of our City Beautiful. It’s fast and people work like machines.” Despite the contrast, he finds solace in the company of other guys from Chandigarh: “There are many youngsters from our city, some of them working for television. We sometimes hang out together.” But then partying is not what he is keen on: “Our working shifts are usually 13 hours’ long. In my spare time, I prefer to read. I am no more inclined to take up formal studies any longer. Acting is my career now and thankfully, TV pays you well” How about the attitude of his co-workers in the industry? “Well, the serial I am working in has lots of actors but not really stars. Most of them are from theatre background so it’s comfortable working with them.” Sharing his dreams he goes: “I really want to work with Aamir Khan one day. He is not only an actor but a social activist as well in my view. And his style of working is so very different from others.” When asked about a female actor he wants to work with: “If only I could, I would have loved to act opposite the beauty of yesteryear Madhubala.” Right now, on a year’s contract with Colors, Harish is hopeful of bagging other serials: “I gave some auditions for Bala Ji telefilms, I am keeping my fingers crossed.” Another arena where he wants to try his luck is in reality shows: “I am keen on doing reality shows, especially the likes of Fear Factor or Bigg Boss. They have an interesting format and I would love to be part of something thrilling.” Na ana is des..
Lado… is a new series running on Colors. The serial brings out suppression of women by the tradition, culture and manners of the Indian society. ‘No girl should be born in the village’ is the tag line of the serial. Set in a village, Amma Ji and her sons are blind followers of rules and regulations of the community. “No women can give birth to a girl in the village,” believes Amma Ji. Every newborn girl is to be killed even if she belongs to Amma Ji’s family, who commands authority in the village. In the protest of this tradition, a newly appointed doctor raises voice but then the path is not easy. mona@tribunemail.com |
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Foreseeing future
Move over crystal balls, tarot cards and horoscopes, the success factor of your marriage may lie in a family album. That’s the conclusion of researchers who claim that kids with the brightest smiles in family photographs are more than three times likely to have a successful marriage than those who frown. Even snaps taken of family outings when the child is as young as five can show a glimpse of the future, the study revealed. To reach the conclusion, researchers quizzed almost 650 adults for pictures taken during their final year school and rate the brightness of their smiles. The scientists, from DePauw University in Indiana, also asked the volunteers, between 21 and 87, whether they had ever been divorced, and subsequently matched their answers with the data on their smiles.“Smile intensity predicted whether or not participants divorced at some point in their lives,” said researchers. “The less intensely participants smiled, the more likely they would be divorced later in life,” they added. The study, found that those with the weakest smiles were more than three times as likely to have been through a divorce. — ANI
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Cyber sins
An international team has found that social networking sites could make people indifferent to human suffering, as they don’t allow time for compassion or admiration. What’s more shocking is that the study has found that emotions linked to moral sense are slow to respond to news and events and have failed to keep up with the modern world. And, according to researchers, as activities such as reading books and meeting friends, where people can define their morals, are taken over by news snippets and fast-moving social networking, the problem could become widespread. Children could be particularly vulnerable because their brains are still developing, they said. — PTI
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I am a food addict. At 27, not only I am a nighttime eater with a serious addiction for snacking but also have grave weight problems. The night is what really gets me going and even if I starve myself the whole day, I binge late nights. It’s either while watching a movie, I get up in intervals to snack or while reading a book. I resolve to change my pattern but it never really seems to work. Is there any way I can get rid of this ridiculous problem? Deepika Malhotra, Chandigarh You are suffering from a condition which they call the ‘Night Time Eating Syndrome’. This seems to affect almost one out of a hundred people. In fact 20per cent of people with a serious weight problem are the ones carrying this. This condition is stems from an underlying depression. These people hardly eat during the day, normally skip breakfast and other meals and suddenly after 7 in the evening, they consume 80 per cent of then calories. You have to make a conscious effort to change your pattern. Plan your meals and snacks for the day, try and eat two thirds of your calories before supper. Always eat at the table, identify your eating cues, if T.V. and snacking go together try changing your viewing habits. Recognise your stress factors. Find ways of filling your inner void with emotions other then food. Check on your emotions, and dealing with your food habits will definitely become easier. Bullying boss
I am a 24 and working for a corporate in a respectable position. My problem is my boss’ extremely erratic behavior. Most of the time he is a good person and work environ is comfortable. Then suddenly he simply takes off with terrible temper tantrums. This completely shatters me and I take days to recover from the episode. I am constantly living in fear of when he will take off again. I simply cannot leave the job, it pays extremely well. But this attitude of my boss is beginning to get me and affecting other aspects of my life. What must I do? Aarti Desai,
Chandigarh Your boss is obviously the product of a pampered childhood. For him tantrums are normal and he thinks this is the natural way to behave. Most men like to move from a position of authority and they feel that by throwing tantrums they are actually asserting that sense of authority. But this is really not so. It is more so that they are convincing themselves of their own position of power knowing that they will get away with it. Each one is under the ‘law of his own consciousness’ and each one creates the world he believes he deserves. Just try and raise your sense of self worth in your own eyes and allow your boss to see that his behavior is not really tolerable. I’m sure he will see the light and try and change. Stifling creativity
I am a successful fashion designer and extremely proud of my work. I have always had a unique perspective and like to be different. I take great pride in my sense of creativity. I am very passionate about my designs but I feel that a lot of times other designers duplicate my work. Now I have stopped showing my best stuff because I am scared. How can I resolve this situation? Suchitra Menon,
Chandigarh You have to realise one basic truth of the world. The universe is full of abundance. If your work is good there will always be people trying to copy your work. In fact, I feel you should take it as a compliment. Allow your own thinking to become abundant. Your creativity itself is the desire of the world to express itself through you. You are amongst the chosen few who can contribute to the world in a creative fashion. May you continue to be move successful and be able to give of your talents with more peace and joy. |
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Playing Punjabi
Gem of Punjabi music and heart of many people, Gurdas Maan’s film Mini Punjab is the first Punjabi film with animation. It was showcased to children of The British School, Panchkula and actor Jivida Astha and comedian Vivek Shauq entertained the children and spent some time at the School premises. Based on a new concept Mini Punjabi would change the very colour of silver screen in Punjabi cinema as it is shot on the dimensions and platform of Bollywood movies. The film deals with the busy life of Punjabis who have come from Punjab and are staying at Mini Punjab. The story of the film portrays the emotional aspects of life and puts light on real purpose of living. With light glimpses of comedy, emotions and entertainment, the story of the film gives a very good message. Altogether this movie is a potpourri of entertainment, which would be thoroughly liked and appreciated not only by the Punjabi audience but also by Bollywood audience. Speed OXL Films a joint venture between Speed records (a music company) and OXL Films (an audio–video production house, working in the field of advertising and film cinema) have come up together and produced a multi-starrer film “Mini Punjab” with Gurdas Mann in the lead role. Through the medium of this film, Speed OXL films has been successful in capturing the colourful moments of life in their camera. Master Sham Kaushal is the action director of this film. He has done films like Krissh, Dhoom-2, Om Shanti Om etc. Gurdas Mann is in the lead role and his co-partner is Jividha Aastha who has worked before in Taal as Aishwarya Rai’s younger sister. Kavita Krishnamurty, Alka Yagnik, Kanth Kaler, Saleem and Labh Janjuwa have lent voice to the songs. Dinesh Sood, the partner of Speed OXL films informed, “This Punjabi film of ours is going to be very different from the other Punjabi Films produced till date and it would be based on an entirely new subject. We hope that this film would be widely appreciated by all sorts of audience and would create history in Punjabi Film Industry.” —TNS
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Pet theory Dogs are instinctively clean animals. If they can avoid it, they would rather not soil themselves or their usual eating and sleeping areas. Dogs also naturally develop habits of where they would like to eliminate. For example, dogs that have a habit of eliminating on grass or dirt would rather not eliminate on concrete or gravel. You can use these natural tendencies for rapid and successful house training. Establish your dog’s living area
There are two things you can do to set your dog up for successful house training. First, establish your dog’s living area (den) in a small confined space such as a bathroom, part of the kitchen or garage. Please note that a den is not a crate. Try to spend as much time as possible with your dog in his den. It is important to play with him in this area as well as let him eat and sleep here. Give your dog a special bed; this can be anything from an open crate to a large cardboard box to a beach towel. In the beginning, she may eliminate in here but once she realises that this is her special den, she will try to avoid soiling it. Once your Hugo gets used to sleeping on his very own bed, you can move it around your house from room to room, wherever you go. Confine your dog to his bed whenever you are somewhere other than his den. If his bed is a crate, simply close the door. If his bed is a towel or blanket, place it next to a piece of furniture and leash your dog so he can’t get out of his bed. Since you should never leave Hugo unattended while leashed, it’s an even better idea to leash your dog to yourself! Tie one end of the leash around your waist or belt loop. Now your dog can accompany you around your home and you can monitor his behavior. Establish the toilet area
Second establish your dog’s toilet area. Every time your Hugo needs to eliminate be sure he has access to this place. Until he develops a strong habit of eliminating here, it is important that you accompany him every time. If he eliminates somewhere else, then he will be establishing a habit of eliminating there. To make things easier on both yourself and your Hugo, you should put your Hugo on a regular feeding schedule. What goes in on a regular schedule will come out on a regular schedule. If you know when your Hugo needs to empty out, then you’ll know when to take him to his toilet area. Healthy adult dogs should be able to control their bladder and bowls for eight hours. It’s important that you do not confine your Hugo without access to his toilet area for too long. If he can’t hold it, he will be forced to soil himself, his bed or his den. If this happens, it may become a habit and will take much longer to housetrain him. House training: Bringing it all together
Once your Hugo consistently eliminates in his toilet area and stops soiling his den, then you can start extending his den to the rest of your house. Begin by giving his excess to one room at a time, but only when you know without a doubt that his bladder and bowls are completely empty. Let him eat, sleep and play in this room but only when he can be supervised. When you cannot supervise him, either confine him to his bed in that room, or put him back in his den. Once he accepts this room as an extension of his den, then go on to the next room. Speed up
If you follow the instructions so far, your Hugo will be house trained in due time. One way to speed up the process is to praise and reward your Hugo each and every time he eliminates in his toilet area. It is equally as important not to reprimand your Hugo for accidents and mistakes. Reprimand usually confuses the Hugo and slow down the house training process. House training problems w If your Hugo continues to soil his den, either you have left him there too long or the den may be too large an area for him. Take him to his toilet area more frequently or establish his den in an even smaller area. w If Hugo soils his bed, then you probably confined him there too long and he couldn’t help himself; or he doesn’t understand yet that this is his bed. Urinary tract problems and medical conditions can also cause your dog to soil his bed while he is sleeping. w Some dogs drink excessive amount of water out of boredom or habit and therefore have to urinate too frequently. If this is your Hugo, limit his water, take him to his toilet area more frequently and give him activities to do so he is not bored. w If the den is not properly introduced, your Hugo may feel as if it is a prison and would show signs of anxiety like barking, chewing, whining etc. Make sure your Hugo enjoys being in his den. shivkaushal@yahoo.com |
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Pet Pick People for Animals, Chandigarh has the perfect companion for anyone who is ready to be loved unconditionally and just forever and ever: 1. One male and a female kitten with shinning whit and grey coat are ready for adoption. They have been sterilised and vaccinated too. 2. Dolma has a beautiful brown coat and is extremely playful. She is only 1 year old and is indeed very charming. Be careful for this gaddi dog can steal your heart to soon! 3. Three beautiful adorable female pups, only three months old, are looking for a home. They have lovely white and brown coats. Hindustani breed with pure Hindustani adda. For any information, contact: PFA-Chandigarh at 0172-2749080, 2749211 from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday Saturday Or visit us at #1522, sector 11 D, Chandigarh. www.pfachandigarh.com
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Hello, what's this frenzy!
Besides Khan, Du, the local telecom services provider, has roped in three other Arab celebrities, which include Lebanese TV presenter George Kurdahi, Emirati jewellery designer Azza Al Quabaisi and animation director Mohammed Saeed Hareb. Du, said that more than 8,000 calls with over 1,000 personal voice messages were recorded for Khan. But it was unclear whether all the four advertisements were shown on the same day. "The number of calls almost went up 200 per cent on the second day itself," Du said in a statement. On Monday, an advertisement of the company ran on TV screens displaying Khan's mobile number alongside the endorsement of a product brand. Du, denied that the number was a marketing strategy after several fans and movie buffs questioned its authenticity. "Hi, this is Shahrukh Khan. I cannot take your call right now. Please leave your message and love," a taped message in Khan's voice greeted the callers in Hindi. — PTI
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Fit for the role
Arshad Warsi, who is known for tickling audiences' funny bones as Circuit in the Munnabhai series, is turning into a fitness freak. "Running for 45 minutes every day is a must. I also see to it that I have balanced meals at regular intervals five times a day since it is not advisable to keep your stomach empty for long hours at a stretch. It's a different thing if you are on a fast," said Arshad. The actor, whose latest flick Ek Se Bure Do has turned out to be a disaster, is now looking forward to Shortkut - The Con Is On, Vishal Bharadwaj's Ishqiyan and his own home production Kaun Bola. — IANS
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Screen over stage
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap may have produced the play The Skeleton Woman featuring his real-life partner Kalki Koechlin, but he maintains that he prefers cinema as a medium to express his emotions. "I prefer cinema any day to theatre. When I was acting on stage, I loved the stage. But now I would choose filmmaking," Kashyap, who was groomed on the capital's experimental stage, said. "The idea of creating something - showing off, reaching out to an audience, trying to find a voice on a platform that exists - somewhere deep down is a big therapy. All my films are let-outs - either of my anger or my points of view," he added. Speaking about the play The Skeleton Woman, directed by Nayantara Kotian and written by Kalki, Kashyap said it was based on a Inuit folk tale about a woman and her husband, Women, Who run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. "Kalki and Prashant (Prakash) wrote it together. I had given her the story while she was auditioning for Dev D and it stayed in her head. And when Prashant and Kalki wrote it and won the Hindu-Metro playwright competition, I decided to produce it. The fact that we live together also helped," said Kashyap who is fond of experimental plays. Kashyap, is working on two movies. "I'm producing Udaan, a movie scripted by Vikramditya Motwani (the scriptwriter of Dev D). It is a story about a father and son, set in a small suburban town Jamshedpur. We will start pre-production shooting in July," he said.For his second film Bombay Velvet, Kashyap has teamed up with John Abraham and Naseeruddin Shah. — IANS
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Rest less
Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, who was admitted to a hospital here for a stomach infection and exhaustion, has been discharged and is back on the sets of Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Rashee? The actor was on Saturday admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. "Priyanka had fainted while shooting for What's Your Rashee?. She stayed at home for a few days but when her condition didn't improve, she was admitted to the hospital over the weekend for a few tests," a source close to the actress said. "She was discharged from the hospital on Monday and instead of taking a break, she insisted on resuming work. She is adamant about completing What's Your Rashee? by the first week of May so that her other projects do not get delayed," added the source. In Gowariker's romantic comedy, Priyanka is playing 12 different characters. The actor, who is riding high on the success of Fashion and Dostana, has teamed up with Hurman S. Baweja in the movie. Based on a Gujarati novel Kimball Ravenswood by noted playwright Madhu Rye, the film revolves around a young Gujarati man in pursuit of s dream girl, who he must find within 10 days to save his f amily from an unforeseen accident. — IANS
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Rapsody
"While recording the title track of Chandni Chowk..., it was so amazing to see how comfortable Akshay was with rapping. He took just around two hours to complete the song. I must say he is very talented," Bohemia said. The international hip-hop artist created quite a stir in India with the title track of Chandni Chowk... and followed it up with "I got the picture" in 8X10 Tasveer. And he has no problems giving Akshay credit for his success in Bollywood. "All the credit for my success goes to Akshay. He had heard my music before and one day he personally called me and invited me to the red carpet premiere of his film Singh is Kinng in Toronto. "I was shocked to get a call from such a superstar. It was really an honour for me. I met him there and he said he would like me to compose a song in my style for his film Chandni Chowk..., said Bohemia. "Working with him was a great experience since he is such an amazing person. He is fun loving, he jokes around and is down to earth," he said. Bohemia, whose real name is Roger David, was born in Pakistan and moved to California with his family at the age of 15. The 30-year-old is now known as the king of Punjabi rap. His first album Vich Pardesan De was released independently in 2002 and his second album Pesa Nasha Pyar came out in 2006. The singer recently released his third album Da Rap Star and says for him desi hip hop is a way to preserve "our culture". "Hip hop is not just music but a culture and a lifestyle. It is all about how you walk, talk and live. It is a blend of western plus Indian influences," said Bohemia. "With my music I want to preserve my culture. Earlier most people who used to come to me used to speak in English but now talking in Hindi or Punjabi is cool to them," he added. A fan of Jagjit Singh and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Bohemia also enjoys Bollywood music. "I love Bollywood music. So much is going on at the moment. Bollywood composers are not sticking to one kind of music. They are exploring and experimenting with different genres and because of that every album appeals to everyone. This is a great change," he said. Bohemia says he always wanted to create original and different kind of music. "I was always fascinated with music as a medium to express myself. I didn't want to copy anyone. I wanted to communicate through my personal energy so that people can distinguish my music from others'. I know that not everyone relates to my music. But my music is me," the rapper quipped. — IANS
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Language no bar
He is the newest tricity kid on the telly block. Harish Verma has just joined the bandwagon of stars adorning tinsel town with a role in serial Lado— Na Ana Is Des on channel Colors.
Social networking sites may help people stay connected in today’s fast-paced world but they can also harm moral values, says a new study.
Riding on the passion of Cricket amongst the youth, brand Sprite, as an associate sponsor and the official pouring partner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced the launch of its new communication initiative for the second season of the Indian Premier League, 2009. As part of brand Sprite’s 360 degree communication plans, Shahrukh Khan, Bollywood Superstar and owner Kolkata Knight Riders, Saurav Ganguly, Captain KKR and other members of the team including Murali Karthik and Ajit Agarkar would feature in a new campaign to be aired during the IPL. The latest communication further advances on Sprite’s no-nonsense, honest and cut-through attitude and complements KKR’s competitive spirit and official theme, “Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re” (To Do! To Fight! To Win!). The objective of the latest Sprite communication is to leverage the passion of cricket.
—TNS
It has been raining phone calls and personal messages for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the UAE within days of an ad campaign featuring him with his local mobile number appearing on the
television screens.
American Punjabi rapper Bohemia, who has become synonymous with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar's voice after singing the title song of Chandni Chowk To China and a number in 8x10 Tasveer, says he was amazed to see the actor rapping.