Sans the chronological order, the hardest thing in politics is to be keep the brain super-charged all the time. Which of course, can be exhausting, taxing and can get the better of workable grey cells. But our man here, slips his hand through his crop of black hair (that have no signs of artificial weaving), twirls his mustache, and looks us in the eye. "Despite being in the politics, and managing a chok-a- block schedule, I have managed to retain these assets," smiles Shatrughan Sinha, ready to divulge more on the secret behind an absolutely normal blood pressure 120:80. "Yoga. I have been religiously practicing it for the past 25 years and the results are in front of you. How on earth was it possible to acquire a 'bang on' normal BP, a good mane and a fine moustache, which had to go under razor for a mega project film. It is because of yoga that I can take all situations in my stride. It is important to discipline our lives," says the actor.

In town to distribute Rafi Awards 2009 to the winners, at an event organised by the Yaadgare-e-Rafi Society, Chandigarh, the actor-cum-politician is thrilled about a mega project being made in three different languages, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. We take it from here.

"Rakht Charitra is a gripping drama directed by Ram Gopal Verma that will be like Godfather in mood and will carry the tone and spirit of Mahabharata. I play a powerful character in the movie," he says. And well, Shatrughan is in all-mood to talk nineteen to dozen on it. We strain our ears lest we miss out on finer details. "Ram Gopal Varma is one of the best makers in Bollywood, thorough with the aspects of presentation and a great technician too. He wanted to work with me for a lot time, especially after watching Kaala Patthar time and again. It is well-researched subject based on real life incidents that will show glimpses of N.T. Rama Rao." (There is no scope of interruption, our actor has loads to share). "Apart from the challenging role, the most difficult part was to shave off my moustaches for a different look. It took sometime to convince my wife and daughter. The moment I got the green light from them, I went ahead and shaved my moustaches."

Rakht Charitra is being made in two parts, and Shatrughan Sinha will be acting in all the three languages. "Ram Gopal Verma was skeptical whether or not I would say yes to acting in Telugu and Tamil versions. But, when I saw Vivek Oberoi acting brilliantly in the Telugu version, I asked him to bring it on," he shares. Time for a spicy input- the movie has a dialogue from Shatrughan Sinha 'Hum super sarkar bol rahain hai!'

Amusing, but politically correct. A political trait that does not go down well with Kalicharan. "I had to struggle to achieve a humble success in politics as well. It was a challenging task, but I wanted to do more than just criticise the bad political scenario. I wanted to be part of a party that would do something for the betterment of society," puts in Shatrughan who hasn't fallen out with his first love - acting.

In fact, the entire Sinha family seems to be in love with it. Luv Sinha makes his debut with soon-to-be released Sadiyaan, Sonakshi too is working on her debut opposite Salman Khan in a Salman Khan home production and Kush is working to be a director-actor. "My kids are free to chose their own path. I would want them to follow their dreams and work for it, the way I have." So, the one basic funda that has kept the detractors khaaamosh!! "Prove yourself better. If you can't, be different then. I can't say if I have been able to be better, but I am certainly different." The throaty laugh and the signature 'khaamosh' style authenticates his statement.

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Well-known Bollywood actor, director, producer Satish Kaushik and actor Seema Biswas of Bandit Queen fame will present a play "Salesman Ram Lal in the ongoing TFT Theatre Fest -2009 at the Tagore Theatre on Monday.

The play is an adaptation of Arthur Miller's classic "Death of a Salesman, hailed as the best play of the century, followed by Samuel Beckett's Waiting for the Godot. The present edition of the play has been adapted as Salesman Ram Lal by Imteyaz Hussein and directed by Feroze Abbas Khan for the Platform Mumbai.

This play is about an ordinary man with extraordinary dreams. Like many others, the protagonist Ramlal is caught in a vicious circle of payments of installment and even worst, retrenchment. Unable to face the facts, he finds solace slipping into illusions and nostalgia to maintain his unbending but false dignity. The play bares the facts but leaves a lot to the imagination that keeps the interest alive.

Watch the invincible actors and the drama at Tagore Theatre from 6.30 onwards.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan designed doodles, launched merchandise and the walked the ramp along with fellow actors Sharman Joshi and R Madhavan to promote his forthcoming flick 3 Idiots. The movie 3 Idiots is the celluloid adaptation of author Chetan Bhagat’s best selling novel Five Point Someone.The movie revolves around three friends, whose dismal grade point averages at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) influence their friendship, love life and career choices.

Aamir Khan was all excited to promote his movie and said it would definitely be an inspirational one.“I agree Rang de Basanti was an extremely inspiring film. I think that’s been the effort with 3 Idiots as well. I am hoping that the story that Raju (director Rajkumar Hirani) and Abhijat (Joshi) have come up with and the way Raju has directed the film, I am hoping that it will be an extremely inspirational film for not only the youth, but each and every person who sees the film,” he said. The three actors had earlier worked together in Rang De Basanti which was acclaimed by everyone and won several awards.

The stars walked the ramp in a collection designed by Aamir himself, and the movie merchandise was launched in collaboration with a reputed fashion house.
Aamir Khan flair of connecting with the youth is the idea behind designing the apparel and accessories, as he was also pleased to put forward his doodles in front of his fans. “Doodling is something that all of us keep doing all our lives. So some of these doodles are in my film, or on paper while I was working on the film during rehearsals, or when I am reading the script; some of them I did later on when this concept was out that we can come out with merchandising with my doodles. So, for example, this t-Shirt I did later on,” he said.Kareena Kapoor stars opposite Aamir in the movie. — ANI

The world of showbiz may be full of catfights and raging egos but that does not stop actress Preity Zinta from complementing Kajol on her ‘outstanding’ performance in My Name Is Khan. With Bollywood’s golden couple Shahrukh Khan and Kajol coming together after almost a decade, the film is one of the most awaited releases of 2010, but Preity has already given her verdict.

“I saw some of the film’s (My Name Is Khan) footage and she is outstanding in it and so is Shahrukh and I think it will be great movie,” Preity said. Preity can even bet on the fact that no body could have done the role better than Kajol. “Look at Kajol. She goes and gets married, has a kid. She disappears for three years and she comes back does some thing like My Name Is Khan and she is so good in the film.

I can bet that none of the actresses can stand in front of her,” Preity said. Karan Johar directed My Name is Khan is set to hit the theaters in Feb next year and stars Shah Rukh as Rizvan Khan, an unconventional hero, who embarks on an incredible journey in order to win back the love of his life (Kajol). And along the way, his unique brand of goodness and humanity touches the lives of many and inspires a nation. — PTI 

She has fallen for ‘hottie’ Saif Ali Khan and would love to compose for Bollywood films. Meet US singer Terra Naomi, the YouTube sensation, who is in the country to sing for the cause of climate change. “I caught up with Bollywood on my flight over and watched Love Aaj Kal which became my favourite one and Saif Ali Khan was really hot. I loved the music, I don’t know if they will hire someone like me but I would like to write a song for a movie here,” Terra Naomi, told.

The young artist has already performed at Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi with her tour culminating at Srinagar on December 7 to highlight Global Warming that coincides with the Copenhagen summit on Climate Change. “It’s amazing, I wanted to come here all my life and, it’s my music which bring me here which is an honour. I like to be someone who cares about the world and not just sell albums,” said Naomi who has been invited by the American Information Resource Centre. However, the singer who rose to prominence through a performance of her song ‘Say It’s Possible’ on the video sharing site YouTube says she never thought her online video will bring her so much fame.

“I have been playing music for seven years before the video on YouTube, travelling all over the US but it got me the attention. I never thought it would become so popular,” she said. — PTI

Before hooking up with Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie had set her sights on Johnny Depp and former US president Bill Clinton, reveals an explosive new book. The revelations in Brangelina: The Untold Story Of Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie by best-selling biographer Ian Halperin could land the Hollywood couple in big trouble.

The author has also revealed how after getting together with Brad, Angelina, 34, met his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston for secret talks, leaving the former Friends star in floods of tears.

It is believed that Halperin got to know of the rendezvous between the two ladies from a former Jolie associate. “If anyone can prove one factual error in the book, I’ll sleep naked in Times Square for a month. That’s how much I believe in this book,” he saids.Haperin has already penned tell-all books on Michael Jackson, Celine Dion and Kurt Cobain. — ANI

Hollywood actor John Travolta turned down the chance to hit space on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space ship as the actor could not take time out for training to be an astronaut.

Plane-fanatic Travolta was approached and asked if he’d like to take a seat on one of Virgin’s first space flights, scheduled for next year, but the Grease star was forced to decline the tempting offer because it would cost him too much in lost earnings. “I think I would like it.

I’ve been approached several times to go up into the space shuttle. But it takes about six months of training to actually do this kind of thing, so I told them, if they could subsidise me, I would do it,” the actor added. — PTI

It was the Sunday gathering of old and bold, winter warmth and lots of shared stories and moments. Bringing back the nostalgia were the war veterans of Poona Horse, the most decorated cavalry regiment in the history of the Indian Army. An afternoon over lunch had retired officers of the regiment coming together almost after four years and playing host was Col (retd) D.S. Grewal the senior most office of the lot who was commissioned in 1945.

Poona Horse, raised in1817, has been the most famous cavalry regiment and has numerous accolades to its credit, including the title of 'Bravest of the Brave' and two Param Vir Chakras in the tanks group, the only ones been received so far. It is also the most decorated regiment. Present were Lt Gen Surinder Singh, foremost GOC of Northern Command and erstwhile Colonel of the regiment, Major Gen Gurdyal Singh, who is also a former PoW of the 1965 war, Lt Col H.I.S. Dhaliwal, who was the first causality of the 1965 war and the first to be decorated with Vir Chakra after Independence. If that's not all, they also take pride in holding the title of Fakre-Hind, bestowed to them by the Pak Army.

Joining the shared camaraderie was Major Jagjit Singh who came down from the US. While the men enjoyed their war stories for a zillionth time, their ladies, in all their sophisticated and stylish best, did some catching up in the sun. — TNS

Theatre festivals should not be treated as mere rituals but a collective enterprise to promote drama, the greatest mediums of expression and an instrument of social change," opines Sudesh Sharma, an acclaimed actor, director and above all, a promoter of theatrical arts in the region.

"And, City Beautiful can boast of the most vibrant cultural hub in the country today with this current national fest being the twelfth this year, organised by various city groups and akademies, which literally means over 100 theatre performances in 365 days," adds Sudesh.

Recalling his association with theatre activities in the city and his debut as an actor way back in 1978 with "Arbad Narbad", Sudesh reiterates that the dedication and spirit among artistes have attained a new high and the audience too has responded with élan. "So much so that art lovers have requested us to reserve seats for them for the Fifth TFT Winter National Fest-2009 organised by the Chandigarh Administration with our collaboration. It is a healthy trend," says Sudesh.

The Theatre for Theatre (TFT) was formed in 1999 and now has organised six national festivals and hundreds of drama presentations. "We, the TFT group, had been going to the extent of staging nukkad nataks on the themes of education, environment and more on the street on the birth day celebrations of many children only to create awakening and involve the people in the appreciation and propagation of

meaningful theatre," he says.

Credited with acting and direction of fifty plays with over 2,500 shows and an equal number for radio and TV performances, three feature films, Sudesh has been honoured with the prestigious Sadar Hashmi Award and Balraj Sahni National Award. He has achieved a milestone with staging of 375 shows of Sudesh Deepak's play " Court Martial " under his direction.

He displays his directorial elegance in the opening play Chehre of the ongoing fest on Monday at Tagore Theatre. 

The rules of staying trendy as well classy just got simpler! Let your earring do this for you. Style your ears with hoops, long danglers or fancy studs and stand out this wedding season, when you have too many occasions but not enough appropriate jewellery. Targeting especially the celebrated season of weddings, Tanishq, has launched 'Conversations', an exclusive range of sparkling Gold and dazzling Diamond earrings that spell magic cast as well as style in life which any individual can adorn. The collection features an exquisite range of earrings with higher convolution justified through the intricate designs and workmanship.

Tanishq 'Conversations' range highlights the progressiveness of the Indian woman who is looking for newness in regular product. Crafted to meet the evolving taste of her, this collection features a unique blend of traditional as well as retro designs, offering all palates of opportunity to let the earrings talk about oneself.

Speaking about the launch of the collection, Sangeeta Deewan, head, Design Studio, Tanishq comments, "Earrings are small but yet so important parts of every woman's outfit and styling. The small things usually matter the most, and therefore a detail such as earrings could be crucial for the individual's overall fashion expression. With our newly launched 'Conversations' range we have actually attempted to create a fashion impact through only the earrings. As fashion styles moved through decades, styles of earrings changed too. In line with that transformation, this exclusive range includes all the variations starting from the hoops, long danglers, fancy studs to the classy and trendy picks for today's fashion conscious women.'' — TNS

Strangely, in the world gems, it is difficult to choose the real and the fake. In fact, they stand across the two sides of a bleak line. City-based gemologist Soli Sethi makes an effort to remove that bleak line and highlight the differences. Real or artificial, synthetic or natural, certified or non-certified, there are umpteen questions, the answers of which lift the veil from the real and the fake.

At a seminar on gemstones at the Government Museum and Art Gallery-10, Soli Sethi of Sethi Sons Jewellers, Manimajra, and a fellow of Forum of Indian Gemologist, shares how a layman can differentiate a natural from a treated gemstone.

"To begin with, it is important to verify the gemstone you are picking up and it is important to differentiate between a natural from a chemically treated one," says Sethi, who launched Vishhwas sometime back. "At Sethi Son Jewellers, we help people with the same. One way is to put the gemstone under a magnifying glass to check its credibility. Putting it in an ultra-rays machine is the second way, and putting them in a specific liquid is yet another. A wrong gemstone can actually bring bad luck for you creating financial and health problems. So, it is important to pick the right kind of gem," he adds. — TNS

It leaves us quite confused when we wonder whether people are serious about swine flu or not. Schools are issued directives to send back students suffering from flu like symptoms on one hand and on the other we have a professor (whose maid succumbed to swine flu) taking regular classes in university despite of being asked not to. We had student organisations in PU taking out rallies to spread awareness about Swine flu and then we had a film festival organised there. People do get scared when somebody around in the market coughs or sneezes but then if they themselves catch cold, they wouldn’t bother.

Washing hands and using sanitizers often in a day doesn’t guarantee immunity from swine flu but it might help us as a precaution. We know how swine flu is treating people but are we treating it well enough to avoid it? Sherry Sabbarwal, a city based sociologist feels we are taking it too casually, “If something goes wrong, people in our society believe it can’t happen to them. It has always been a trait of our society to escape reality as it gives us a sense of comfort.” She suggests that people shouldn’t stop socialising or get panicky instead be a little conscious and stop shaking hands, “Efforts of administration or authorities won’t yield results in controlling swine flu unless people don’t take the required precautions.”

Radhika Kaushik, a Panjab University student suggests regular announcements should be made on the campus to keep students reminding of precautions that should be taken to avoid swine flu. “Initially there were announcements at the hostels and departments but the recent approach have been very casual. What bothers is, students joke about it instead of taking it seriously.” For a flu that is so infectious, those suffering from it should be given strict instructions to not to socialise. Anoop Debnath, a fitness trainer at Ozone expresses his concern, “Few people whose kids are down with swine flu come to the gym when they have been quarantined at home. Also, they attend parties and don’t even bother to tell others who have come in contact with their kid to get tested for swine flu or quarantined. People stop caring about others once somebody in the family catches it.”

Only awareness and making people conscious of their social responsibility can help the cause. Sahil Verma, a sector 48 resident advises, “Swine flu shouldn’t be considered as a taboo. Just to ensure that those living in the vicinity do not catch flu, people of a locality should be informed about the patients. Also, information about them should be pasted in the locality as a precautionary measure.” That means, still a lot needs to be done.

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Washing your hands is one of the simplest and most effective ways to avoid infections such as H1N1 and seasonal influenza, says a Geisinger physician. “Washing your hands is one of the simplest and most effective ways to avoid infections such as H1N1 and seasonal influenza,” said Lisa Esolen, M.D., Medical Director of Infection Control, Geisinger Health System.

“Because this year’s H1N1 virus has been so contagious and has rapidly spread widely, it is especially important to remember to wash your hands,” she added. “We don’t realize how often we touch our eyes, nose or mouth after having touched food, other people, or inanimate objects, all of which carry germs, that can lead to illness” Dr. Esolen said. “Handwashing is the single most effective way to minimize your risk for getting and infection or spreading one to others.” —ANI

Who knows how to keep fit better than Rahul Dev? The actor has probably the most stable fitness levels since the time he is in the industry. Here he talks about his how he manages his rough and tough looks…

Fitness mantra: I combine a lot of exercises to avoid monotony. Also a combination of exercises yields the best results. Eating right is equally important too.

Fitness regime: I begin my day with a five minute breathing exercise. I do 144 pull-ups and 12 repetitions of one set, which are ten in total, taking the total number of lifts to 120. Rest I walk five to seven kilometers for three times a week. Occasionally I also play football.

Diet: I am a vegetarian and teetotaler. Instead of having three heavy meals, I take five small meals a day. I take a heavy breakfast comprising of usually of cold milk, muselli and three egg whites. Rest of the meals is comparatively light. But I am a foodie and that is why I work out hard to lose calories.

Fantasy food: I indulge in chocolates whenever I wish as I know my work out will take care of it.

Sleeping Hours: Five to six hours of sleep is enough for me.

Best celeb body: Akshay Kumar keeps himself really fit. Fitness is not about how many abs you have but how fit your body is and Akshay by far is a one of the fittest actors in Bollywood.

Weight watch: I will lose the count of actors if I begin to name them, so let them just be. — Ashima Sehajpal

Smokers who light up immediately after waking up may be at higher risk of lung cancer than those who wait, regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked, says a new study. To reach the conclusion, scientists measured smokers’ levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine, which has been shown to reflect the risk of developing lung cancer.

“Since cotinine levels appear to reflect the risk of lung cancer, our results suggest that smokers who smoke immediately after waking may be especially at risk for lung cancer,” said researcher Joshua E. Muscat, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. Nicotine levels in the blood can be measured biochemically by the concentration of the metabolite cotinine.

Muscat and colleagues conducted a community-based study in Westchester County, N.Y., to examine whether a behavioural aspect of nicotine dependence (the amount of time to the first cigarette after waking up) affects the physiological uptake of nicotine.

This, in turn may affect one’s success in quitting smoking and have multiple health effects, such as lung cancer.The study included 252 healthy black and white people who were daily cigarette smokers. Researchers examined a number of behavioural factors that are thought to measure the urge to smoke and results showed a clear trend between lighting-up earlier and higher cotinine levels.

Cotinine levels varied from 16 ng/mL to 1180 ng/mL - a 74-fold difference, according to the study. Participants who waited 30 minutes or more were categorized into the “low” dependant phenotype; those who smoked within the first 30 minutes of waking were considered “high.” Number of cigarettes smoked per day and its association with cotinine levels varied as well.

“Not all smokers are the same and approaches to smoking reduction may need to account for individual smoking behaviours such as the intensity and frequency of puffing, cravings and physiological symptoms,” said Muscat.

“It is unclear why smokers who take their first puff immediately after waking have higher cotinine levels, but this may reflect a more intense pattern of smoking. We need to find out why this is,” Muscat added.The study has been published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, as part of a special tobacco focus in the December issue. —ANI