Pretty soon, we could have two Bollywoods! One, of course, is in Mumbai, and the second one, in all probability, could spring up in Chandigarh. Good news? Well, we leave this to you!

With the number of walk-ins of celebrities in Chandigarh - for either opening of a dance academy, music academy, fashion school, inauguration of a hi-end store, touch-and-miss visits at private functions - you will soon see Salman Khan strolling in sector-17 or Ajay Devgan shopping in a multiplex!

With her last movie, Runaway, not being a 'runaway hit', Tulip Joshi, doesn't mind the box office counts; her creative satisfaction is the focus. "It's a conscious decision for me to do one Bollywood movie and one regional movie each year. This way I get to work and learn at the same time." Sure, looking at her success down South and in Punjabi movies, you couldn't agree more with her plans. "What plans? I don't plan. I follow my instincts. It feels good to be associated with big names in the industry work-wise, but if the content is competent I don't mind working with new directors."

Bollywood to regional cinema to Hollywood, Tulip Joshi has her hands full. "Cinema is my passion and I am open to all forms of performing arts; be it theatre or television. With more interactive and demanding audiences, standardised production standards and satellite entertainment there is more scope for actors to expand to different means."

She came in this world to dance, and to make others dance to her steps. She has done it in almost 2,000 dance sequences for Bollywood movies. The legacy continues with Saroj Khan opening her dance academy in the city in collaboration with Leo One Productions (India) Ltd. The academy will offer different kinds of courses for youngsters who want to learn hip-hop, rock-n-roll, jazz, salsa, bhangra, gidda, bharatnatyam.

Ironically, Saroj Khan herself finds nothing great in jazz, salsa for she feels that choreographers these days teach similar and repetitive steps. "Like the audience, I also see the sameness in western dances. The choreographers have nothing different to offer. What different can they teach? Indian dance forms have their own grace and style," says Saroj," who strongly believes there can be no better and dedicated dancer than Madhuri Dixit, and Govinda. "Madhuri and Govinda are dedicated dancers. Madhuri didn't know her steps when she came to learn Ek Do Teen for Tezaab. For almost 17 days she rehearsed day and night for the song," shares Saroj. What about the actors with two left feet? She smiles, "Sanjay Dutt for one. I took me one month to teach him Tama Tama."

The welcome batch at her academy will get admissions on special price, on or before February 20."

Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots, which has gone on to become the biggest hit in Hindi film history, has helped multiplexes recover from the two-month strike last year.

3 Idiots - which takes a critical look at the education system in the country - has already earned more than Rs 382 crore (Rs 3.82 billion/$82 million) worldwide since its release in December 25 last year.

"Losses have reduced post '3 Idiots'. We have earned gross revenue of Rs 1.6 crore from the movie till date. There were a lot of expectations from it and it fulfilled all expectations," said Amit Awasthi, manager (programming and operations) of Spice Cinemas at Noida.

"The movie has also proven Aamir Khan as a brand who comes out with one movie every year and that too a hit. Audiences are now ready to pay any ticket price for him," Awasthi added.

Spice ran on an average 26 shows of the movie with a maximum ticket price of Rs 175 per head.

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, echoed the feeling. "The profitability that went on the negative side of the integer line because of the strike saw a new lease of life courtesy 3 Idiots. Albeit the tremendous losses have not been recovered in their entirety, 3 Idiots has sustained it with a recovery of close to 80-90 per cent," said Raizada.

The industry went through a two-month-long standoff between the producers-distributors and multiplex owners over revenue sharing last year. It led to a whopping Rs 300 crore loss to the Hindi film industry.

The standoff between producers-distributors and multiplex owners started in February last year. While the producers demanded a flat 50 per cent share of all film revenues irrespective of the stars, budget and box office collection, the exhibitors stressed on sharing profits based on the earnings of a film.

As a result the producers declared a strike from April 4 onwards, which saw no new releases of Bollywood films in multiplexes across the country.

The strike came to an end after the two parties agreed on a new revenue sharing format.

A source from PVR cinemas added: "We've generated a net profit of close to Rs four crore net till date from the movie in the North. We ran close to 160 shows across all properties here and there have been definite profits with the movie. Undoubtedly the movie has skyrocketed Aamir Khan's brand too."

An industry source on the other hand had a different take. 3 Idiots definitely brought profits to multiplexes and also got benefited too, courtesy the multiplexes. But there are also other things involved as we had to give extra share to the distributors unlike earlier, after a new contract came into existence when the strike ended," he said.

Based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller Five Point Someone, the film has been produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani.

Also starring R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles apart from Aamir, the paid previews of the movie garnered over Rs nine crore worldwide.

3 Idiots is also being touted as the highest grossing Indian film to release in the US, Middle East, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Kenya and Fiji so far. — IANS

Sometimes, unexpected guests are more entertaining and welcome than those expected. But this does not mean you should stop inviting guests!

They come with their share of hullabaloo and spice. Cut…the opening of Saroj Khan's dance academy in collaboration with Leo One Productions in Chandigarh was attended by some 'busy with work' filmstars, some 'still reading scripts' filmstars and some 'been-there-done-that' television people turned event managers as well as producers.

Strangely, it was the unexpected threesome, Zakir Hussain, Adi Irani and Shiva, who stole the show, despite the presence of beauties from Bollywood like Udita Goswami, Priyanka Kothari, Pretty Jhingiani and Tulip Joshi.

It's a nice change to see brains chosen over beauty!

And then we had Saroj Khan, with her repertoire and combination that still makes her going in the industry - dedication, style and knowledge of her subject.

First and foremost, the three musketeers…

This Valentine replace red, the usual colour of the season with blue. If you have doubts about blue being equally romantic, check out the stuff at Soh Koh, where there is enough designer wear in blue, especially for the lover's day.

The designer store unveiled its Valentines collection on Tuesday that comprised designer range of Cue, prêt line by Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna; Rimi Nayak, Arshiya and Gaurav and Ritika. The designers have Wills and Lakme Fashion week to their credit.

"Western and Indo-western apparels are on display, considering what youngsters prefer to wear," says Naini Gupta, co-owner, Soh-Koh. There is 30 per cent off on all stuff, "Also, the fact that only a few costumes have multiple pieces, make the purchase worth it."

The entire collection falls in the price range of Rs 5,000- 15,000. "As the dresses are exclusive, well fit and made of fine fabric, one can wear them anytime after some time gap," he says.

Also available are clutches and shoes by celebrity designer Payal Kothari. "Accessories are as important as the outfit these days. A tacky accessory can ruin the grace and look of an expensive designer wear," adds Naini. For men, available are formal and party wear shirts, trousers, and jackets. — TNS

Soulful strains of classical symphonies on violin, spells of mystical Sufiana kalaams, the vitality of pristine Punjabi folk - all flowing in the melodic waves remained the salient features of a memorable musical concert Venice and Punjab: Water Memoirs held at the Tagore Theatre on Monday evening.

The programme, designed and directed by Bhai Baldeep Singh, commenced on a melodious note with acclaimed Italian violinist Sara Michieletto taking the centrestage. Armed with exceptional experience and superlative confidence, she opened up with an Antonio Vivaldi classic The Seasons and bared the beauty of four seasons employing various intonations. She went on to emulate the great maestros Francesco De Guranieri and Tomaso Albinoni while delineating their compositions before doling out her own classic Polo Wandering. After three more symphonies, she concluded with her self- composed hit, Venice Punjab: Water Music, also the concert theme. She was apparently at her best in two of her self- composed classics as she displayed the technical virtuosity in weaving a series of engaging sequences in rhythmic patterns. With a long-drawn bow, Sara produced a cohesive melody with musical notes traversing in all octaves.

Meanwhile, Baldeep Singh, the maestro joined Sara for a jugalbandi on a sophisticated violin and a raw brass pitcher. The audience relished her music and the spirit behind her inspired performance.

Baldeep Singh again doled out the electrifying Pakhawaj Prahant with adroit mastery over the rhythmic bols before defining the magnificence of five rivers of Punjab in Whether have my rivers gone. He had perceived five tal patterns spanning 25 to 33 matras dedicated in reverence of each river.

The soulful singing spell of Sufiana gayaki came from versatile maestro Madan Gopal Singh, a composer, singer, lyricist, scholar and scriptwriter. Holding a doctorate in semiotic study of seminal texts in Indian cinema, Madan Gopal Singh wrote a film Rasyatra on Malliakarjun Mansoor and films like Ekti Nadir Naam and Song Toona, based on a poem by Baba Bulle Shah. He has composed music for Khamosh Pani, Abir Bazar, and sung for Mani Kaul Kumar Shahani and more plays.

His diverse traits were amply visible in the brilliance with which he rendered compositions of different genres, starting with mystic poet Sultam Bahu's Dil darya samundron dhuuge .. Gifted with a mellifluous voice and lung power, he traversed in all octaves while rendering Heer, the slumbering love legend of Punjab, authored by Waris Shah.

The audience clapped as he recited verses of Baba Bulle Shah, especially Hori Khelungi and more from Shah Hussain. The mystic recitations melted in Punjabi folk and old folk hits like Mein drya di machhli ve haaniya, bagla banke aa.. followed. Madan Gopal Singh was accompanied by Preetam Ghoshal on sarod, Deepak Castilon on guitar and Gurmit Singh on percussions.

Bonjour India Festival this time opens its door to a photographer's mind and an artist's vision with True Fiction. Displaying over 20 works by French photographer Bernard Faucon, one of the most celebrated artists in the world.

Over the past 25 years, Bernard Faucon has had nearly 250 solo exhibitions and group shows, from Leo Castelli in New York City to Yvon Lambert in Paris, and as well innumerable one man and group shows in museums worldwide. The exhibition celebrates the best works of the artist, who has produced some of the most original photographs of the late 20th century. He has been at the forefront of the staged, surrealist school of photography. He has won numerous awards from his work, including the Grand Prix National (1989), and the Prix Leonard de Vinci (1991). He decided to cease photography in 1995. In 1999 he produced his first book of writing. He was also one of the first photographer's to go in outer space for out of orbit photography.

The show has traveled to seven cities, including Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Pondicherry and from here will move to Mumbai. The show will be inaugurated by Pradeep Mehra, the UT advisor and Minister of Council from France. — TNS

A new study has shown that teenagers who self-identify as gays, lesbians and bisexuals are at a greater risk of having suicidal thoughts. Moreover, those who were unsure of their sexual identity were also at higher risk for suicidal ideation and attempts.

"This is the first study that has separated sexual identity from sexual attractions and behaviours in looking at risk for poor mental health outcomes," said corresponding author Dr. Brett Thombs, of the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital. "The main message is that it's the interface between individuals and society that causes students who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual the most distress," said study first author Yue Zhao, a McGill University graduate student working with Dr. Thombs. "Sexual orientation has three different components. The first is identity, which is dependent on the society in which one lives; the second is attraction or fantasy; and the third is behaviour. "What this all means is that clinicians need to look not just at individuals and their sexuality, they really need to assess the environment they are coming from and how they see themselves within it," said study co-author Dr. Karine Igartua. Igartua and Montoro are co-directors of the McGill University Sexual Identity Centre (MUSIC), the first gay and lesbian mental health centre in Canada.

"Our findings also clearly suggest that further study of the link between anti-gay sentiment and suicidality need to be undertaken," added Thombs. The study results were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. — ANI

Australia's Generation Y will be having a tough time landing a job, as employers find them too lazy and unfocused to be hired. According to the Courier Mail, bosses see Gen Y workers as people who lack work ethic and spend too much time talking to friends during work hours.

"Employers come to us about Gen Y, saying they're looking for a staff member but they don't want anyone in that 20s age bracket because they find they don't understand common courtesy in the workplace," News.com.au quoted Kristy-Lee Johnston, director of Footprint Recruitment, as saying. But the complaints do not come only from managers and bosses.

"They also come from other people in the team who are of another generation," social researcher Mark McCrindle said. Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland policy general manager Nick Behrens said the global financial crisis should act as a wake-up call.

"The chamber is hoping Gen Y will learn from this, that they can no longer take for granted the good times and will no longer get away with the luxuries they have been given," he stated. — ANI

Men may not be as romantic as women on Valentine's Day, a new study suggests. A poll of 2,100 adults found that despite the fact that more than three in four women want to receive a romantic letter or poem, only half of men have penned either.

Also six per cent of men confessed to passing off existing romantic poetry as their own in order to impress their beloved. Meanwhile, two in three women would like to be complimented on their appearance. And most women wish for a romantic meal with their partner's complete attention on them.

"We may no longer be knights in shining armour or damsels in distress, but we still want and need romance - it is part of our emotional DNA," opines relationship expert Jenni Trent Hughes. She added: "The beauty of romance in the 21st century is that it is a blank slate. Forget about everyone else and make Valentine's Day work for you and the object of your affection." — ANI

Gross! Who said students in India don't have much of a choice? Be a doctor, engineer anything of the two! Make it to IITs, IIMs, AIIMS, you have a free hand. Frankly speaking, career and subject choices for students in India are guided by everything but interest, aptitude.

The most important question or concern of a parent is, "What is my Child going to be in his or her life?" When it comes to choosing the answer of this question, we just make our children jump into the rat race of becoming a doctor or an engineer or likewise. It results in children pursuing a career, which they are misfit in; spending lives with an identity, which their heart does not own. All job satisfaction related frustrations and depressions have their roots in being in a wrong profession. Vision India Top 30 is launching a series of Seminars called Right Career Identification Initiative at Bal Bhawan-23, Chandigarh this February 14, will be highly useful for students and their parents. It is a new initiative in education where career pathing is being done for students right from Class 6th to Class 12th .

Speaking on the occasion, noted career expert Rohit Shekhar Sharma, said, "Nowadays, Careers do not begin after Class 12th, they begin when the Child is 12 years of age. In our Country, we make Career and subject choice for our children based on several irrational thoughts, without taking into account the Child's IQ, mental abilities, aptitude and career reference. This results in career related frustrations and, infact, a child's whole life is spoiled."

S K Jha, director said, "Each child is unique, every child a hero. In the seminar, we will lay down the career graph of each child and show him the way to reach out to the career of his dreams."

More about the programme, 'Vision India Top 30' is a very ambitious programme for students of Class 6th to 12th. Conceived and founded by Career Guru Rohit Shekhar Sharma, Vision India Top 30 is based on the Career-Pathing model as done in University of Cambridge, UK. Drawing inspiration from Anand Kumar who runs Super 30 programme and produces 30 IITians out of slum dwellers every year, Sharma has created a parallel education system which is much more meaningful and relevant in the contemporary World. VIT 30 has 5 sections - Civil Services, Medical, Engineering, Commerce & Management and Arts & Creativity comprising 30 students each. What's more? Fifty per cent of the seats in this programme will be reserved for students from economically weaker section. — TNS

Let's straighten statistics first. They are almost eight years old now, comprise 14 members, competed against eight zonal teams, came second and have quite a few other accolades in their kitty.

The dramatics club of DAV College-10, Aaghaaz, recently grabbed the second prize at the 25th Inter-university National Youth Festival held at Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak.

But before the self-congratulatory mode, they are in gratuity mood. So before divulging details, Simran Singh, final-year student, BBA, launches into a thanksgiving spree, as is often the case when trophy's in your hand! "I'm really grateful to our principal, Prof Ravinder Chaudhary and Virmani sir for lending us support and encouraging us."

About the event, he adds, "There were eight teams participating, two from each zones, north, south, west, east and we came second in the skit competition. At the festival there were 61 universities participating in all."

A spoof on the deteriorating society struck a chord with the audience. "The audience really appreciated our skit Kal Ho Na Ho." He continues, "They say the world will come to an end by 2012 but the way we are going, with so many problems like global warming, terrorism, climate change, deterioration of the society depicted through so many reality shows comprising obscenity, vulgarity, erosion of values, our message was that the world will come to an end sooner than that. Rather it has already come to an end."

And what did he do? "I play the character of a host of reality show, a spoof on the host of Sach Ka Samna…we were confident, but we just did our job; never thought of losing or winning." The audience cheered and they walk away with a prize!

— Manpriya Khurana