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Power to all our friends
Who doesn't have teething troubles? Are the student NGOs any different? The bad part is they haven't continued in fifth gear.
The better part is they're ignited, charged up and driven enough to cruise through speed-breakers. The best part is they want to keep up, continue, rather accelerate the good work…here's underscoring all the problems of voluntary student organisations, ticking them off with possible alternatives and the best solutions. "It's not that enthusiasm dies; just that while you're a student you can't continue focusing upon your organisation only, you have studies, tuitions and all those things," Nitin Jindal, ex-student of the Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, founder-member of Sankalp, briefs about the basic reasons behind their organisation being inactive for the past eight-nine months. "And funds, needless to say, is always a big hurdle. But that is anticipated even before any of us come together; the real trouble begins when many other issues add up such as fights and stuff like that," he adds. The worst part is this is not where it ends. Brhamesh Alipuria, UIET student, member Environment Saviors, shares: "Currently our apprehension is that another six-to-eight months and everyone's going to go away to some college or join a job. So, we are now planning to formally extend the membership so that the idea and the organisation sustains." No doubt, the idea still needs to be appreciated, rather analysed. And what of the lack of funds and studies to balance? "They are always there; many of us were busy in management entrances and similar things," he explains the more than six months gap since their last activity. Never mind, a stitch in time saves nine! As for the gap, it's not about five or six; two can be long enough. Shares Jitesh Wadhawan, working president, Teen Voice, "We've not been extraordinarily active. When we formed, we had decided to do at least one event a month, but our last activity was in November last year." He adds, "Funds are a big problem, but many times students cannot get together at the same time. For example, Teen Voice has around 50 members, of which only half are active, out of which only around 15 The problems don't end here. Jaskaran Singh Arora, final-year mechanical engineering student, founder member, BIMAD, explains, "As far as funds are concerned, we must be having around Rs 30,000 lying with our organisation. But the basic problems extend much beyond that. By the time we reach our final-year, studies, career, entrances and so many other such things take priority. We are just not left with much time and energy to do anything else." He further explains the five-to-six months of gap since BIMAD's last activity. "Even if it is for things like taking permission for putting up a poster, one has to knock so many doors that most of the time and resources are utilised in bringing the things to a level where you can do something." "On top of it, nobody responds. At such stage it's natural to go like, 'Why on earth am I wasting my time on people who do not care?" he adds. Chips in Brhamesh, "There's also lack of support and appreciation from all quarters. There is hardly any media coverage for such events and even before a campaign we are not sure whether it's going to be successful or not?" But there's experience to be gained and what are the pearls of wisdom from the pile of problems? Shares Nitin, "It takes time and patience to make people realise that you are working for their cause. Any fledgling organisation needs a lot of nurturing, so patience is the key." It is also a question of sustenance. Reasons Jaskaran, "All of us are going to scatter sooner or later. The need is to pass on things into responsible hands. To people who are just as excited and enthusiastic about the idea, so that the organization grows, continues." Opines Jitesh, "It's not a race of forming newer groups. If you're very serious about it, try joining a one that is already stable and active." Or better still; try strengthening a group that's already unstable and inactive. manpriya@tribunemail.com |
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Lighting up lives
Education is the tool that empowers the marginalised to make informed choices, resist oppression, claim rights and expand their opportunities—
T.K. Mathew
They set out on a noble mission. They kept their aim high, achieved it and are going strong. T.K. Mathew, secretary and chief executive of Deepalaya - 'the house of light' - a non-profit organisation that supports the overall development of underprivileged children, their families and communities, shares how, along with two office-bearers of Marthoma church, they began the journey. "We had three questions when we set out. How was our faith relevant to the people of Delhi? How could we practice distributive justice and how could we give back to the society what we got," he shares. Thus, in 1979 Deepalaya came into being with the help of seven founder members who wanted to make a difference in the lives of people. And, difference they did make, by providing basic education to poor children and providing other amenities to them as well as to their families. "Access to education can bring about a change in the lives of the poor, which in turn is good for the entire society. Education is the tool that empowers the marginalised to make informed choices, resist oppression, claim rights and expand their opportunities," says Mathew. Deepalaya believes that every child deserves a chance. "We cover Delhi slums that stretch upto neighbouring states of Haryana (Mewat) and
Uttarakhand," he adds. Rather than talking about hurdles that the NGO had to face, Mathew wants to remember the sincere efforts of the members instead. Nevertheless, he lists some basic issues that they had to deal with at some point of time or the other. "I still feel there is a dearth of right kind of committed people. Arranging resources is another big issue, which we have been dealing with time and again. At the same time, I am glad we managed to grow from five children in 79 to 17,000 children, 13,000 women, and over 3,000 youngsters and their families now." Being supported by funding agencies and individual contributions, Deepalaya manages to harness the support of people, who are motivated to provide volunteers. Education, community health and programmes for differently-abled persons; institutional care and training and capacity building of NGOs are some of the endeavours carried out by Deepalaya. "We had to convince people about a positive change in their lives. We had to work hard so that they realised their potential and finally managed to get them into the mainstream by providing the most powerful tool of all times - education," says Matthews. jasmine@tribunemail.com
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Classical treat
If it wasn't for cultural heritage, we would be as good as aliens. Everything regarding us or on us would have been an issue for debate, contemplation and comprehension. Thank god, heritage makes us what we are!
One such event that would showcase our rich cultural heritage is the First Haryana Contemporary Art Exhibition.
HIFA in association with the Department of Information, Public Relations & Cultural Affairs, Haryana, will look at redefining and bringing the rich cultural heritage of the state to the forefront. Starting January 14, between 11 am - 8.00 pm, Punjab Arts Council, Sector-16, will play host to a variety of cultural activities that will give a fair idea about the richness of arts prevailing in the state. The four-day event will see an art exhibition, book exhibition on arts and heritage by Marg Publication, Mumbai, slide show of artsworks by distinguished artists from Haryana, terracotta exhibition, exhibition on Haryana Ki Puratattva Sampada, courtesy- Gurukul, Jhajjar, and cultural programmes, on a daily basis. According to Sharda Rathore, CPS, Department of Technical Education, Urban Local Bodies & Information, Public Relations & Cultural Affairs, Haryana: "Every artist will be given Rs 25,000 cash and a personal diploma. If those who are awarded wish to put up an exhibition outside Haryana, they will get Rs 50,000." More than 100 selected artists will take part in the exhibition, he adds. Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar will regale the audience on January 15, followed by tabla solo by Rimpa Siva from Kolkatta on January 15, Odissi dance by Padmashree Madhvi Mudgal on January 16 and Qawwali by Ustad Munnawar Masoom on January 17. "Haryana has a rich legacy of traditional arts. Through the exhibition we will try to bring the artists to the forefront and give them a platform to showcase their skills. We also plan to start a multi-art complex in Kurukshetra for the same. In addition, we would be facilitating an art and cultural exchange programme between different states throughout the year. Last but not the least, we are planning to establish a Lalit Kala Akademi in Haryana that would reach out to every zila," informs Rathore. —
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Let the child choose
Parents often have high expectations from their children insofar as careers are concerned and this sets up a classic situation of stress and early burnout. More often than not, it leaves little space for the child to explore, assess and choose.
"Parental expectations can work both ways, positive as well as negative," says Ranjay Vardhan, a city-based sociologist. "With small families now, where there are not more than two children in a particular household, the stress levels on them increases manifold," he adds. Maninder Saluja, a homemaker from Mohali, wants a career for her son that pays well and can ensure a comfortable life. Her son Abhijeet, a class 10th student, plans to become a software engineer. "I have always been interested in computers and want to pursue the line. I am lucky that my parents are supporting me at every step unlike many of my friends who have to follow their parents' diktat," he says. "Home environment definitely plays a role when it comes to children making their career choices," says Dr KS Chugh, professor emeritus of Nephrology, PGI. His sons have followed him in medicine, Sumeet is a cardiologist, Harjit is in nephrology. The boys have also taken after their mother who retired as a music lecturer. "Both my sons play excellent flute," shares Dr Chugh. "But trust me that we never forced anything upon them. The influence might have been indirect," he is quick to clarify. "Parents do have a significant role when kids make their career choices," feels Priya Tandon, a writer from Sector 18. "Children cannot be given a free hand because it doesn't work. They are not mature enough to make a lifelong decision at the tender age of 15 or 16," she says. Mother of three boys, Priya is busy helping them out with their career choices. "My eldest son Saraansh is pursuing engineering; Shiven is doing CA and the youngest Satyam is fond of classical music," she shares. "Recognising your child's talent and nurturing it is the responsibility of parents," says Vardhan. He adds a caveat: "Imposing your ambitions on kids can lead to rebellion." mona@tribunemail.com
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Worked up!
Workplace woes do impact personal life because half the people regularly bring them home, according to a new study. Researchers measured the extent to which work was interfering with personal time using data from a national survey of 1,800 American workers. Scott Schieman, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto (UT), and his co-authors Melissa Milkie (University of Maryland) and doctoral student Paul Glavin (UT) based their findings on the survey. They asked participants questions like "how often does your job interfere with your home or family life" or "with your social or leisure activities or "about things going on at work when you are not working?" "Nearly half of the population reported that these situations occur 'sometimes' or 'frequently,' which is particularly concerning given that the negative health impacts of an imbalance between work life and private life are well-documented," says Schieman. People holding college or postgraduate degrees tend to report their work interferes with their personal life more than those with a high school degree.Professionals tend to report their work interferes with their home life more than people in all other occupational categories.Several job-related demands predict more work seeping into the home life: interpersonal conflict at work, job insecurity, noxious environments, and high-pressure situations. However, having control over the pace of one's own work diminishes the negative effects of high-pressure situations, says a Toronto release. Several job-related resources also predict more work interference with home life: job authority, job skill level, decision-making latitude, and personal earnings. These findings appeared in the December issue of the American Sociological Review. — IANS
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Their best bond
Relationship: Mother-daughter
Time together: 21 years Same-to-same: Fond of shopping for clothes and accessories; the duo hunts every possible place in their city Patiala. Yet, different: Amarjit loves to cook, her recipes ranging from Punjabi, Continental, Chinese to Russian. Winnie loves eating, especially 'mom-made' Chinese! Unforgettable moments: Family trip to Rohtang in the summers of 2007. The road trip was awesome and they enjoyed the snow thoroughly. Special something: Both are the best of friends. Every evening, Winnie shares all that happens in university, from studies, hanging out, friends to teachers. Amarjit updates Winnie on the home front. (Amarjit is a homemaker and Winnie is an MSc Psychology student). — Mona
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Fair tales
Women are more likely than men to pick up books tales of rape, murder and serial killers, a new study has found. Many people might assume that men, being the more aggressive sex, would be most likely to find such gory topics interesting.
However, it's the fairer sex that finds such books appealing and what makes these books appealing to women are relevant in terms of preventing or surviving a crime. For example, by understanding why an individual decides to kill, a woman can learn the warning signs to watch for in a jealous lover or stranger. By learning escape tips women learn survival strategies they can use if actually kidnapped. —ANI
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Reach out with love
I am 29 and I have realised that I am going through life with a chip on my shoulder. I view everything in life from a negative perspective. Whatever the situation I am in, I never seem to be happy. I realised this the other day when I was having lunch with a friend and we were discussing something I was unhappy about, the lunch place. Then looking back, I realised that I never seem to enjoy any situation. I am always looking at what could have been instead of what is. I am always miserable. I have just been through a bad marriage where my husband made a fool of me. I feel my one bad choice in life has left a very unshakeable impression on me. How can I change myself? I need help. Stay calm; be happy
I am a 32 year-old guy, recently married and have serious problems in my relationship. My wife thinks I 'm completely irrational and insensitive to her feelings. Even if I am slightly late from office she is standing at the door with the most sarcastic comments. She is also constantly suspicious that I am seeing somebody else. Frankly, I have become so tired of this attitude that I am actually thinking of having a girlfriend where I can let off some steam and actually have something to tell my wife when she accuses me of doing these things. The stress of my life is also affecting my business. I am constantly irritable with my staff, and even my friends have started avoiding me since I am always irritable and snappy towards them. Please tell me what to do. I am tired of my present situation. Your wife is probably a very insecure woman. It is the fear in her that is making her mistrust you. Fear is the limitation of our minds and leads us into doing things that we would never do as rational thinking human beings. Anger and sarcasm are actually our fears that become a defence mechanism. They protect us and make us feel powerful. It is through fear that we create situations in our mind that do not exist and start reacting to them even before they happen. So, please reach out to her with love that is what she needs and watch her change her attitude towards you. Your retaliation towards her is not going to make things any better, you are just thinking like a spoilt kid who says tit for tat. Please take hold of yourself and do not allow this whole situation to get to you. Calm down all will be well, just remain centered and deal with the situation. It will automatically turn for the better once you are dealing with it with more clarity. Find peace within
I am a 27-year-old girl who has had a very hard life. For people my life is perhaps a fairly tale existence since they only see it from outside. I have every material comfort possible. I have a car to myself, enough money even if I don't work and I travel around the world whenever I desire but deep inside of me I have an eating disorder and I can't even sleep well. Most of the times people think I'm this spoilt rich girl not realising how lonely I am and how much I would like to be friends with someone who would understand my feelings and not judge me for my material wealth but for who I am as a person. Ever since I was a child I have felt lonely, since my parents never got along and there were many fights in the house. Please can you tell me how to feel better. You have been just mentally tormenting yourself for far too long. Do not be so hard on yourself. Please give yourself some love and understanding. Firstly just stop worrying about what the world thinks about you. Life if about self -acceptance. If you are looking for this inner nurturing and love it will come to you. Don't look for it so hard. Allow life to flow and ease out with it. Learn to trust God. Actually you must first build the trust within your own self. A yoga class would be ideal for you, as it will help your mind and body. Learn to relax. I know your inner child needs a lot of nurturing, so pray to God for guidance and help. It will come. The door to happiness always opens from within. Make space in your heart, ease the pace of your life and the restlessness will begin to settle down. |
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Great expectations
Parents today invariably decide the career of their children at the time of his or her birth. With each passing year, many strings of expectations are interwoven into this dream. And when the child reaches an age where he or she wants to pick a particular career, the parents' choice is more often than not thrust on them. But parents should keep an open mind and decide after assessing the interests of the child before guiding him or her. Force or manipulation should not be used in such cases. — Jyotika Gupta Don't' overburden children
Parents have certain expectations from the child. They want them to reach heights, which they couldn't or dreamt of. Talking about career, yes, the expectations of parents do influence the choices made by children. Children today know how their parents struggled to get them educated and how they, in return, want them to make good career choices. However, sometimes parents expect too much from their children, which puts extra burden on them. Parents should rather assess the capability of their children and not overburden them. They should share their difficulties and try to solve them. Never underestimate a child because he/she is as precious as any other and you never know when a child failing in mathematics could become the greatest mathematician of all times. —
Sapninder Counselling is important
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How real is this?
It is a truth universally acknowledged that reality shows are mean, cruel, and dangerously adventurous. Name a single reality show that hasn't lived up to the image and we bet it must have died an untimely death!
But then even death is worth a million bucks when its television. The reason, there is soon going to be a reality show where people will volunteer to get mummified.
Weird? Preposterous? No. That's just television.
While the Pharaohs buried inside the pyramids might feel insecure, we are waiting to see how the show turns out, creating mummies out of dummies. No offence to the ancient Egyptian art! Anyway, back home, reality shows seem to have gone under some transformation. From turning the entire country into singers and dancers to providing an alternative career option to a whole segment of celebs who are 'on a break', either by being judges or participants, reality shows have gone a bit too far. Then came the moment of ultimate reality with dangerous stunts, scheming, bitching and loads of abuses. And boy, that was an instant hit. How we loved watching others get humiliated, with the last of their self-respect ripped apart on National television. And now the transformation we mentioned. From slimy to selfless, slaughtering to solace. Oh! We are talking about reality shows like Raaz Peechle Janam Ka, Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega and the latest on Star Plus, Mahayatra- Rishton Ka Anokha Safar, a show that will put to test your commitment and dedication to make your parents take their dream pilgrimage. It is an attempt to find the Gen Next Shravan Kumar! The question asked is when was the last time you made your parents happy? For most of us it is inapplicable since we are forever in process to complete this task, but for the chosen ones, it means taking your parents on a chaar dhaam yatra. And this love and dedication towards your parents will get you a whopping one crore as prize money! In another act of charity, NDTV Imagine Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega will be trying to get Rahul Mahajan hooked. Now, with someone with a history of drugs, scandals and a tag of wife-beater, Rahul Mahajan doesn't exactly boasts of an excellent record, and so getting him hitched would be considered a favour. The charity begins in the romantic city of Udaipur. Raaz Peechle Janam Ka too was an exercise to relieve people off their burden. Bringing out their adventurous, sometimes melodramatic, experiences of the past seem to have worked well for both, the audiences and the participants. Imagine finally knowing why Sambhavna Seth hates men or Monika Bedi had to have a Portugese connection (The CBI should have tried this as an interrogation technique). Channel V's Player too preaches selfless behavior, but not without the adventure though. Based on the hit international show Unanimous, it puts the contestants in an underground bunker with Rs 1 crore up for grabs. It turns a very fundamental reality show tenet on its head - the only way to win, is by choosing someone else to win. To add to this cruel twist of altruism is the fact that for every second that they don't reach a decision, they lose another rupee…until a decision is reached or the money runs out. Talking about another hit, Splitsvilla season three on MTV, well, this remains the same. The only change being that this time you learn how to get dumped, ditched and backstabbed by your own girlfriend. Ouch, love does hurt. But morality should not come in the way of truth. Right? |
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Of human bondage
The same old issue has been taken up for the same old reason - human beings have become so materialistic that they lose out on the little pleasures of life.
All 15 paintings by Pradip Kumar Sau, on display at the Art Folio-9, have a human face, a triangle and many human figures. The three features are enough to send across the message strongly - the face is expressionless; the triangle depicts the pinnacle of success that all aim at while human figures, drawn as a swarm of bees, portray how everyone is chasing worldly pleasures.
The paintings are done on handmade paper in mix media. In three of the paintings, a wall clock is present besides the three components. Pastel colours have been used in most of the works to further highlight the monotony. Then there is the painting of a man losing his balance while trying to keep pace with time and another that shows a wall clock overshadowing a tiny figure of a man dressed up in formals, which depict how time has begun to rule and direct the course of our lives. The series of 15 paintings are in fact like a story, beginning with one that has an impassive and blank human face that just focuses on a triangle drawn at the top. The next few paintings depict how he prepares to achieve his goals and puts up a fight with time. Certain facets of human behaviour also put forward. A painting portrays what goes on inside the human brain, the schemes, and plans and how man won't detest even cheating on others. Numerous figures drawn inside the human brain depict how man plans to get past competition. Another painting shows a huge triangle, which depicts the man's increasing wish to achieve more in life. The human figures shown in this painting are small, which depicts human values and relations losing importance. And the prime aim is to be on the pinnacle of success (as depicted by the triangle) and rule the world. The next painting in the series has a man with his hands on the triangle, portraying success within the limits. This is the last artwork of the series that pronounces the bitter truth. It depicts a man suffocating under the weight of a heavy triangle, succumbing to the materialistic pressures of life. A few unlearnt lessons of life! The exhibition is on till January 28. ashima@tribunemail.com
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Movies & more
Airtel digital TV, the DTH service from Bharti Airtel, announced the television premiere of two Punjabi blockbuster films on its PPV (Pay per View) on the occasion of Lohri. Jag Jeondeyan De Mele and Heer Ranjha starring actor and singer Harbhajan Mann. These movies are being released within months of their theatrical launch on Thursday, January 14 at Rs 35 each. Airtel digital TV also announced that select lucky customers who book the movies in the first three days will receive free music CDs of Heer Ranjha.
Making this announcement, Sugato Banerji, chief marketing officer-DTH, Bharti Airtel, said, "Having premiered the best in Bollywood and Hollywood titles for our DTH customers, we are now pleased to also offer leading movies in regional languages. With the premiere of these two blockbusters in Punjabi films, we are happy to deliver on our brand promise of providing magical entertainment for our customers, especially on this festive occasion of Lohri. We are confident that these titles will be enjoyed by our DTH customers in Punjab and the Punjabi community living outside the State." Customers can order the film by visiting the website www.airtel.in/digitaltv or SMSing the Movie Code to 54325 or SMSing START to 54325 from their registered mobile number. Airtel's PPV service has been consistently showcasing the most recent Bollywood and regional titles for its customers, like Wake Up Sid, What's your rashee?, Kaminey, Sat Sri Akal to name a few. |
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Cheer for children
Does your child get bored of the same toys everyday? Well, they now have a reason to rejoice as Juju Beans Toy Library has opened in Sector 8, Panchkula. Wondering what, according to owners, Vani and Sameer Seth, "It provides ample choice of hundreds of toys, games, books, educational kits, interactive CDs and VCDs, computer games and outdoor games on rental basis to kids of age group new born to 12 yrs."
Offering membership, parents do not have to worry about the repeated expense of buying new toys or places to store them. One can borrow these at a minimal subscription amount. While the toys and games not only provide fun and entertainment to kids but age appropriate toys also help with the educational and all aspects of the development of a child - enhance their visual, verbal, intellectual, numerical, analytical and memory skills, stir their imagination, stimulate creativity, improve the power of observation and concentration. With a wide range of toys to choose from here you can pick baby toys, puzzles, games, building blocks, ABC Leaning Blocks, cooking sets, train sets, trucks, musical toys, scrabbles, puzzles, sports goods, board games, Books, CDs and VCDs to computer games, electronic toys and outdoor games. The range also includes monoply, power rangers, cricket game, bowling, cars and bikes, ludo, housie, life, archtect sets, laptops, etc. These can also be booked for your party, playgroup or any function involving kids. Like a library, members can borrow toys for one week. With various plans depending on the range of toys one wants to take home. Admission fees (one time annually): Rs 500. Four circulations are allowed in every month and a minimum 8 days for each circulation. lifestyle@tribunemail.com
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Sach ka samna
Ram Gopal Varma says his upcoming film Rann, about a television baron played by Amitabh Bachchan, exposes the true colours of media but does not portray it in bad light.Verma, popularly known as RGV, says that his latest venture is not about media-bashing because it is not a singular entity, but a system. "I expose the media by showing its true colours...the pressures, problems and complexities in running a 24 hour news channel," Varma said.
Bachchan who portrays Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, a media baron, says Rann does not portray the media in bad light. "It also not preachy of what the media should or should not do. After all it's a fictional story where there is poetic justice," he said.He felt there is clarity and transparency in the media to correct lacuna if any within the system. Speaking about his character, Bachchan said Media is about business but also about conscience."The film highlights the dilemma of the protagonist on striking a balance between the two," he said. "There was a news report whether or not the cameraman who shot visuals of the injured policeman and ministers passing by could have saved the dying man rather than just shooting the visuals," Big B said. "I also read an article, acknowledging the problem of paid news and about the need for disclosure that money has been taken to publish news and there is nothing wrong with it," Bachchan said. "Malik is the owner of a television channel who is the voice of integrity, truth and belief but he had to lie and the nation believes him. But, he does not know that what he was made to say was not true," he said. The Bollywood legend says that the audience will have sympathy for Malik and the media would be proud of what he does in the climax of the movie. Bachchan said he has high regards for RGV as a filmmaker because he provokes artistes to give their best. "Through his camerawork, he exploits the best you have," he commented. The Big B refuted charges that he was anti-media in his blog. "I have just commented on wrong reportage and clarified the facts through the medium of blog," he said. Varma said, he was 100 per cent inspired on real life functioning of television news media while writing the script."But, it is not the realistic portrayal of any specific incident," he said. The film was about the political nexus of the media and was set in Delhi against the political backdrop. Hence, the entertainment sector was kept out, he said replying to a question on whether filmstars were part of the media's story. —PTI
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Piggy picks
Priyanka Chopra was marching towards the top with back-to-back hits Dostana and Fashion in 2008. Last year her Kaminey succeeded and if What's Your Raashee? had worked, she would have certainly come closer to being number one. But the actor refuses to get drawn into the numbers game.
"When a couple of my films would succeed at the box office, then people would start commenting 'Oh yes, you are at the number one spot'. But one flop later they may end up stating arrey, yeh spot toh thoda hil gaya," Priyanka said. "In fact, sometimes you experience something even worse because the same people may even end up stating that she is gone and there is no future for her...However, one hit later, every statement would be retracted. No one can be really blamed because this entire numbers business is so fickle," said the actor who has seen quite a few ups and downs in her career. Was this why she didn't worry much while signing a relatively smaller film like Pyaar Impossible? Though she claims it was the film's script that made her sign, she admits that big banners like Yash Raj Films have their relevance. "Yes, one can't deny the relevance of big banners. However, a fact that also cannot be denied is that sometimes even big films don't work. I have first-hand experience in that because there have been some really big films that I wasn't convinced about and hence had to decline them," Priyanka said. Unwilling to divulge the names of these films, she does reveal though that most of these films didn't work at the box office. "This is what further convinced me that I had taken the right decisions," she said. "On the other hand I have also done small films out of sheer gut instinct and they went on to be very good successes. So, you know, one can't really be sure about this industry which is anyway so unpredictable," the former beauty queen added. Pyaar Impossible also starred Uday Chopra. Directed by Jugal Hansraj, the romantic comedy shows how fate brings Uday, a complete geek, and Priyanka, a beauty, together and love blooms amidst all odds. Describing her fundamentals about working in films, she said, "It's best not to do any prior calculations and instead just step into doing something where your instinct drives you. This is why I concentrate completely on my work." "As long as people say that I am a decently good actor and a very fine professional, I can say that I am at a happy place. I would be quite worried if they start saying anything to the contrary," added Priyanka, who has worked in around 30 films during the last six and a half years in Bollywood. Priyanka will next be seen in Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani with Ranbir Kapoor. After that, she will begin work on Vishal Bharadwaj's yet untitled film. —IANS |
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In a new avatar
It looks like James Cameron's Avatar has affected Bollywood in unexpected ways. Director Rakesh Roshan is having second thoughts about making the sequel to Krrish after watching the Hollywood sci-fi saga. However, he thinks it is possible to create effects on par with Hollywood."I saw the film (Avatar) in Los Angeles. And it certainly made me sit up and re-think about Krrish. But I don't think it is impossible to create effects on par with Hollywood. We need to budget the sequel intelligently," he said. As far as starting Krrish's sequel goes, Roshan senior admits there's no immediate chance of it taking off. "I am not even thinking of directing my own film until our production Kites is released May 14. Only then will I seriously start planning my directorial project. For now, the next film I direct is Krrish's sequel. But it may change if I'm unhappy with the script. "What the patriarch of the Roshan empire leaves unsaid is that he and son Hrithik Roshan sat together and discussed the feasibility of doing a lavish big budget film in the light of Avatar and other Hollywood extravaganzas dubbed in Hindi. Hrithik has made it clear to his father that there's no point in doing a Hollywood-style special-effects film unless there's scope and space for the desi counterpart to make an impact at the box office. Says a source: "Hrithik is not sure about the feasibility of the Krrish series any more. Not after James Cameron's Avatar. He wants the project to go through a budgetary scrutiny
to see whether they can create effects comparable with Hollywood's Avatar and 2012. Otherwise what is the point?" —
IANS |
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Like father, like son
Mimoh, son of veteran Bollywood actor and dancing star of the 80s, Mithun Chakravarthy, says shaking a leg with his father on screen was a great experience.
"In my upcoming movie Spaghetti 24X7, I not only share the screen space with my father, but also have a dance sequence with him," Mimoh said. "We have recently finished shooting for the dance sequences and it was a great experience. While my steps were more of a hip-hop kind, his were Indian masala. Dancing with him was a great experience. We have both seen each other dance separately but this was for the first time that we were dancing
together," the Jimmy actor said. But Mimoh feels that the father-son duo coming together is not the USP of the movie. "USP of any movie is its script. Certainly, we being together is one of the attractions," he said. Explaining the unusual title, Mimoh said, Spaghetti 24X7, is the name of a bar. The name of my
character is Vijay who works as a bartender in the movie. The entire movie is based in Kolkata. —
PTI |
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Break ke baad
Bollywood actor Tanushree Datta, who did not have a single release in 2009, says the decision was deliberate as she
needed a break, and it has not affected her career at all. "After my debut in 2005, I had done almost 15 films till 2008, with Saas Bahu and Sensex being the last. Hence, I thought it was time to slow down," Tanushree Datta, fresh after a self-imposed year-long hibernation, said.
"I needed time to take a break and think about my career and come back with a better perspective," she said. So, after Saas.., I decided to take it easy and rest for a while. That's why even media interactions were stopped. "Surprisingly, it has not at all affected my career. Though I had release per se in 2009, I was busy doing stage shows and
endorsements as I have a lot of hit songs to my credit," she said. Meanwhile, after a gap of 6-8 months I also started getting offers which really interested men, the Aashiq Banaya Apne actor said. Tanushree has at least three movies lined up for release, which are expected to hit the screen by March. There is Jagmohan Mundra's Apartment, a psychological thriller, Rokk and a Tamil movie, Theeradha Vilayattu Pillai, she said.
—PTI |
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Choosing a career should be largely a child's decision. Career counselling, to assess your kid's IQ and interests, is a good idea. Parents need to expose kids to the vast opportunities knocking at their door. Parents should sit with their children and list out the positives and negatives before making any decision.
