|
|
|
|
|
Fashion,
her way
For style, she admires beauties like Sophia Loren, Beyonce, Penelope Cruz, Sarah Jessica Parker and Zeenat Amaan. But when it comes to ‘personal’ style statement, former VJ, singer and actor Sophie Chodhury likes to flaunt and carry it in her own way, although she tags her mother as ‘the’ stylish woman who made heads turn!
Comfortable in her skin, and glamourous in her Madame outfit, the diva, in city to unveil Madame Summer Collection 2010, believes in creating trends rather than following them. “I take up this question on personal style statement almost 1,000 times a day. The answer remains the same,” says Sophie. “Style to me means more than what I wear. It means attitude and comfort. I am a fun-loving girl, so my clothes are a reflection of me. I like to dress up and enjoy fashion to the hilt. There are people flaunting all kinds of styles in fashion, but to follow them I also need to relate to the clothes and feel comfortable about them. All the same, I think one is born with a style. But we can acquire fashion sense.” And it was her penchant for fashion that won her MTV’s most stylish female in music in 2004 award and made Sophie a style diva. Girls like her tube dresses, adore her curly locks, drool over her stilettos. “It feels great to be called a style diva,” shares the beautiful girl born and brought up in London, with fond memories of Punjab. “Its wow to think that people look up to my style.” Sophie has no qualms in sharing that she had offers to be an ambassador of other brands as well, but chose Madame above all. “If I have to be a brand ambassador I should have a liking for it too. With Madame, this liking comes naturally. Trendy, stylish, comfortable and yet wearable, the brand caters to the needs of contemporary women,” she smiles. From cuts and designs, to the cuts on the silver screen. Her acting career, choice of films and projects in pipeline? Adds the former VJ, who made her singing debut in 2000 with her all-girl band Sansara and gave hit songs like Habibi and Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai, “The formal announcement of my upcoming movies would be coming in shortly. I was busy with the launch and promotion of my new album, Sound of Sophie,” she offers. “I will be performing at London during the coming week. You never know I might come up with the news of collaboration with an international singer. Peter Andre maybe! And movies…” she adds in one go…“Pyar Ke Side Effects set the trend in cinema of small films that are slightly cooler.” Here, she is a Punjabi trendsetter. That reminds a journo that he hasn’t seen the singer in a Punjabi salwar kameez ever! To which she throws her head back in laughter, “I do wear. You would see me wearing one in my album Mohabbat.” How Punjabi! jasmine @tribunemail.com
|
|
The middle path
A prolific author, columnist, artist, administrator, supercop…Rajbir Deswal has many facets to his personality.
Having written as many as six books on diverse themes and over 500 articles in top national dailies, this IPS officer is best known in literary circles for his inimitable writing style. Endowed with unique imaginative intensity and majestic sweep of thought, Rajbir, who has a firm grasp over in English as well as Haryanvi dialect, in 1991, wrote the book “it and Humour of Haryana”, which sold as many as 15,000 copies on the first day itself. Besides Khushwant Singh, literary luminaries Humar Quraishi, Arun Nathani, Shalini Rawat and Amar Chandel had lauded his vision, impulse and themes. His writings depict the life of people from all segments of society and in all manifestations. Rajbir’s columns like Humour from Haryana, Sunte Jayiye, Thari Mahari Sab ki Baat; and middles, Meri England Yatra was well received by the audience. His books “Latke Jhatke” is replete with Haryanvi humour and Taron Ke Jungle, an anthology of 23 poems, was inspired by Atal Behari Bajpayee’s “Meri Ekavan Kavitayen”. At a ‘ru ba ru’ session held at the Chandigarh Press Club on Thursday, Rajbir talked about his seventh literary creation “Holypol”, a compilation of his middles, published in national dailies like The Tribune, The Hindustan Times, Indian Express and the Pioneer. Rajbir’s logical, philosophical and literary middles have been appreciated by the naďve, connoisseurs and critics alike, which is a tribute to his genius. Striking a balance between one’s passions and profession is indeed a rarity. Rajbir has been drawing inspiration from his native village Anta, in Haryana, and from his formative years under the care of his father, a bank manager and social activist. After completing MA in English and then an LLB, he had a short stint as a journalist before joining the IPS in 1983. Rajbir has toured the world on personal as well as official assignments. He is married to Chander Koumdi, who has also been a literature student. His elder son Sawan Deswal is settled in the US while the younger, Sagar Deswal, is an advocate. |
|
Dance like an Egyptian
Indian and Egyptian civilization share many bonds and folk musical tradition is one of them,” opines Mahmood Eissa Ahmed Ali, leader of the Tannoura Dance Group from Egypt, in the city for a musical and dance performance at Tagore Theatre.
The event, organised by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Chandigarh, is part of a cultural exchange programme, disclosed Gyan Chand, regional manger, Chandigarh chapter the ICCR. Ahmed Ali says as many as 15 artistes, dancers and musicians, constitute the Al Tannoura troupe of Egyptian folk dances, which was established by the general organisation for cultural palaces at Egypt’s Ministry of Culture. “The aim is not only just providing entertainment but to revive and resurrect the the culture themes which are being influenced by the Western culture, says Ali. The progamme includes a folk musical interlude called Tahmelia, which displays the skill of the musician and versatility of the instrument Al-Darwesh, as the title suggests. Reveling in the glory of God and yearning for his beatific vision a devout executes endless moves in a circle. The dance is full of philosophical concepts, reflecting men’s spiritual dilemma in understanding the universe from the Sufi point of view. On dazzling costumes, says Ali, the devout dancer wishes to vie for attention, though Sufism is much more attached to soul rather than outward showing. |
|
No guest appearance this!
Konkana Sen Sharma, known as a serious actor after her critically acclaimed films Luck By Chance and Wake Up Sid, is all set to be seen in Warner Bros Pictures and Wide Frame Films total comedy Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge, which stars Ajay Devgn and Paresh Rawal in the lead. The movie is directed by Ashwni Dhir. Konkana plays Munmum. She talks to Lifestyle about her film which releases on Friday. Most of your films had intense characters. How did you accept a comic role? I know I have the image of a serious actor but when I was approached by producer Amita Pathak with the cleverly written story, I immediately accepted the offer. I am a committed actor and I should do all kind of roles. How confident are you about the subject of the film? I am very confident about the full-on comedy, which has a lot of humour. It has a good storyline, good star cast and a well-constructed plot. How challenging was it doing a comedy film? Well, this is my first full-on comedy. There was nothing challenging in it. I enjoyed working in Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge. What is Athiti Tum Kab Jaoge all about? It is the story of a happily married couple living in Mumbai whose lives take an interesting turn when a distant relative turns up unannounced at their doorstep. The guest overstays and the couple comes up with various ploys to hasten his departure. How was it working with Ajay Devgan and Paresh Rawal? It was great. Both are easy actors to work with. How do you see Ashwni Dhir as a director? He is talented and one of the best directors. You can see how well prepared he was. Your forthcoming projects? Ritupurano Ghosh’s Sunglass, horror flick Amavas and my mother Aparna Sen’s Bengali film Eithi Minalini are my next projects. — Dharam Pal
|
|
Lots in store
Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge Director: Ashwni Dhir Producer: Amita Pathak, Warner Brothers Cast: Ajay Devgn, Konkana Sen Sharma, Paresh Rawal Music: Pritam
Road Movie Producer: Ross Katz, Susan B. Landau Director: Dev Benegal Cast: Abhay Deol, Tamistha Chatterjee, Mohammad Faisal Usmani, Satish Kaushik Directed by Dev Benegal, Road Movie was screened at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival and 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. Dev Benegal first conceptualised the movie in 2004. An old chevy built as a truck is an integral character of the film and it was especially designed to suit the terrains of Rajasthan. It is the story of a restless young man who wants to get away from his family business. — Dharam Pal
|
|
Lanes Joyshri Lobo Two Latas An Indian woman is the nurturer in The Great Creator’s agenda. He fashioned her from one of Adam’s ribs and she has not only constantly tickled that portion of his anatomy, but also gone beyond the call of duty to nurse the floating bone and to extend her caring to the household gods, the kitchen, the in-laws, her children, her friends and stray cows outside the gate — all in that order. Last week, a dear college mate rang up to say that another precious friend was in town for a check-up on her rehabilitated knees. Could we/would we meet and share past memories over a cup of tea? Of course we could and we did. Caring and sympathising are my middle names. A diffident driver, I am scared of the chaos that is Chandigarh. I cajoled my floating rib into taking me. He said he would drop me at the gate. Thank God he waited! It turned out that I had the right sector but the wrong house number. We climbed three flights of stairs and a young mother with two aggressive but protective children assured us Lata did not live there. Already late by 10 minutes, with my better half resigning himself to the scatter brained ways of confused women, I rang up Lata’s floating rib. It appeared we were in the right vicinity. We drove into another street, saw the name “Lata-first floor” inked in on the bell and climbed another flight of stairs. A short, elderly woman greeted us. Her nose was less aquiline than my friend’s. She seemed to be shorter too. Her grey hair, woven into a thin plait, was unlike my pal’s thick, auburn cascade. “Is Lata here?” I enquired. She nodded as we followed her onto the balcony. “Where is Lata?” I asked yet again, assuming she was the mother or mother-in-law. Without a word she led us into the sitting room and gestured towards the sofas. We sat down and I persisted, a little impatiently, “Can you call Lata?” convinced that my saheli was resting in the inner reaches of the flat. “I am Lata,” she said. “But you have changed a lot!” I declared, (my closest buddies say I suffer from foot-in-the-mouth disease) convinced that painful knee replacements had affected my friend’s visage out of all proportion. “Not at all!” she retorted. “I am as I have always been.” Convinced now that the lady was indeed my long lost friend, I declared with great magnanimity, “As we have met after so long, let me hug you.” She stood up and we embraced. I am a great hugger and have implicit faith in the power of touch. “Do you remember me from college?” My doggedness is well known. Bewildered, she replied in the negative. Finally, I enquired “Is there any other Lata in the building?” The poor, bewildered woman shook her head. Embarrassed, my better half indicated we ought to leave. I rushed out without even the customary goodbye or thank you. Down the stairs once again, we mobiled our friends. My Lata lived in the annexe, just 10 metres away, at the back of the same house. The sector was correct, the house number was right but the Latas were different. And they had never met! I wonder if the first Lata has forgiven a 66-year-old-woman for this bizzare and rude intrusion?
|
|
Melody on canvas
Painter Hardev Singh has beautifully captured on canvas 31 paintings on as many ragas Parbina Rashid For somebody tone-deaf like me, ragas meant nothing but a complex maze of sound waves until I met Hardev Singh, an artist who has beautifully captured the raga on canvas. Now that’s the language of melody I can relate to. Thirty-one paintings on 31 ragas — Raga Maru in lovely blue, Raga Bhagyashwari in white, Raga Suhi in yellow and white and so on. Each frame is visually appealing and imparts the same sense of nirvana the ragas are supposed to give a listener. Hardev Singh is not an unfamiliar name in the city’s art circle. The man who started the Government Museum and Art Gallery along with MS Randhawa and Mulk Raj Anand; who taught at the Government College of Art between 1962-64 and started the Design Institute for Handicraft is now back to his roots to start his new career as the resident artist in Punjabi University, Patiala. Besides he wrote Punjabi books such as Adhunik Chiterkala Di Jan Pehchana, Folk Tales and Proverbs of Punjabi People, Bara Maha Tukhari and Doodles and Scribbles—a collection of poems written in English, Punjabi and Polish. We met this 70-something man, armed with experience which he gathered from all over the world at artist Malkit’s Singh’s house in Sector 48. Here we come to know about his Raga series, which he did in 2006. “As a boy in village Pharala, near Nawashahar, I used to sing Gurbani. Now, that the urge to get back to my roots is stronger than ever, I thought of painting the ragas that one finds in the Guru Granth Sahib,” he recalls. Done in abstract form, his ragas are all about colour, texture and movement. His series was displayed at an art gallery in Patiala. The urge to capture the religious essence on canvas is not yet over for Hardev. Moving to something more figurative, Hardev now is busy painting the falcon. “When you get inclined towards religion you see symbols which are associated with the religion you follow. Sometime back there was this story about some people seeing the image of Madonna in the wall of a church in Poland. Taking that as a cue, I thought of doing this series on falcon, which is revered in Sikhism,” he explains. The rough sketches of his series show Hardev is back with his line drawings once again. The man, who heralded abstract art in this region, is once again ready to show his command over this genre too — minimalist strokes for maximum effect. “That’s how I had started – making sketches of anything and everything — people at the bus stand, railway station, animals, whatever caught my fancy,” says Hardev. And, looking at the lucidity of his lines, all we can say is that we are glad he is back home, not only physically but culturally and aesthetically as well. parbina@tribunemail.com
|
|
Philosophical touch
Giving colours and canvas to dimensions of philosophy isn’t easy. Why we are here? Do we have any mission? Is the goal of life happiness? Why is there so much of animality in humans? Precisely what French Artist Giai-Miniet has been questioning in his works. Here on an initiative of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, the artist speaks of his background, works and the exhibition. The French to English interpreter notwithstanding, with art, nothing’s anyways lost in translation. “The works displayed at the exhibition are not my most recent ones, but spread over time,” he gets talking. Probably spread over from the time when he began in Paris, graduating from the fine arts school. “I started by doing some still live, landscapes, basic work.” Over the years, it’s been a metamorphosis of subjects and themes into something more radical. “I don’t choose my subjects or ideas, it all comes to me. I want to show through my works dimensions of philosophy. All the while asking a lot of fundamental questions about human beings.” His works have been constantly engaged in the search for an image of a humanity trying to tear itself of the monstrosity inhabiting it. There are no easy answers. “True culture, art and education are a good way, a process to take out animality from the humans.” He adds, “The red line in my paintings project the fight between humans and animality.” On the whole, it’s a canvas of complex emotions, mish-mash of forms, shadows, light, and lines in hues of black, white and brown. There’s one with a dark human form, with an imposing shadow behind titled ‘Taking Hold of the Head’. The rest are a variation of energy of forms trying to take a shape. As for him, it’s not a maiden experience with India, his work was part of the official French entries in Triennale International International 1978 in Delhi. “In 1996 when I came to India and gave one exhibition, I saw Hindi writing. For a European like me these kind of characters are very pretty.” The other work has books, boxes and people, all in a single large canvas. “The boxes represent where all those characters could be. Those boxes also became the metaphor for life. While books could stand for the human beings.” There’s a characteristic element of incongruity and mystery marking each work, a critic of human beings and their inside. What stands out is the dominance of black on the canvas. “It’s deep and reflects the blackness of the unknown. Human beings have to try and succeed in darkness to find light.” manpriya@tribunemail.com (On at the Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, till March 9)
|
|
A major work by French artist Yves Klein, made using naked female models coated in his signature blue paint, will be offered for sale at Christie’s in New York in May, the auctioneer said on Thursday. The sale follows strong prices for the prominent post-war artist during recent sales in London, and ANT 93, Le Buffle (The Buffalo) of 1960-61 is expected to fetch around $10 million when it goes under the hammer on May 11. The painting, which measures some nine feet across, is being offered at auction for the first time and belongs to what Christie’s calls the last great series created by Klein before his death in 1962, aged 34, of a heart attack. A photograph reproduced by the auction house shows the work hanging on the artist’s sitting room wall in his The “Anthropometrie” series involved applying paint using the bodies of naked female models, often referred to as “living brushes”. Klein would often dress in evening wear and white gloves and conduct the production of his painting to the accompaniment of an orchestra playing Symphonie Monotone — a single note played for ten minutes and alternated with ten minutes’ silence. Auctioneers have been encouraged by a strong recovery in fine art values at recent sales, although the Klein estimate is well short of the auction record for the artist of $23.6 million set at Sotheby’s in May 2008. The painting will be part of Christie’s post-war and contemporary sale, which also includes works from the private collection of novelist Michael Crichton, including Flag by Jasper Johns. — Reuters
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Amita Pathak (daughter of Kumar Mangat) has taken over the reins of a producer for the first time with a laugh-riot Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge, directed by Ashwni Dhir. The movie is scheduled to release today at multiplexes in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Zirakpur. Being one of the newest comedies being released in 2010, Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge is already the talk of the town, especially due to its unusual and extremely talented star cast.